M u t e L o v e // KiriBaku

• Sweet Excuses •

He'd watched him take his recommended pill dosage and stayed up with him until sleep consumed him. It was far from a bother how Bakugo had simply leaned over until Kirishima's mattress engulfed him, leaving the makeshift bed they had prepared for him abandoned on the ground.

He lingers for another ten long minutes, checking Bakugo's state until he no longer could fight against exhaustion. He lifts an edge of the blanket he used to tuck Bakugo in, slithers himself flush to Bakugo's shoulder, and joins the other in dream land.

════════════════════════════════════

The morning was an obstacle for Bakugo, one that Kirishima willingly hopped in to make better for him.

He's half asleep through most of it, complaining that the medicine had been "a bad idea" due to how absentminded it made him be. With a nap taken once it was suggested by Kirishima, the afternoon is enjoyed a bit more.

"Hey," came Bakugo's cracking voice. Kirishima returns the call with a gentle smile.

"I'm gonna go shower."
"Your voice is a little loud," comments Kirishima, and Bakugo nods gratefully at the pointer. Though, how he bounces back to sign language pinches Kirishima's heart.

"No, it's okay," he says with urgently quick hands. "Your voice is good!"
"I'm gonna go shower," Bakugo repeats, embarrassed at what Kirishima insists on encouraging.

Claiming that he was going to do so had more to the phrase; the day when Bakugo had scorned Kirishima into staying behind the door while Bakugo bathed was both gleeful and dismaying. Going out of his way to aid to Bakugo's fears and worries has always been the thing that strikes a heroic, special feel to his heart-- though, seeing his independence slowly dropping ever since has been hard to encounter.
It's obviously written on everything he expresses whenever a favor is brought up; he despises being dependent on someone else.

After the shower, when Kirishima had left under his command for him to dress up, Bakugo reenters Kirishima's dorm with a fresher attitude.
Without a word peeped or signed, he takes a seat beside him on the bed. Kirishima smiles, patting his shoulder to then ask, "how are you feeling?".

"Like always. You dumb turd."
"Oh but the always changed for these past few weeks, hasn't it?"

His gaze lowers, now made saddened by the truth.

"I feel better." He mutters. "Uh... thanks."

Kirishima sways his body towards him, purposefully pushing him a bit as he keeps up with a goofy grin.

"Always, Bakugo." He responds, slowly dropping his hands to his own lap.

Time effortlessly rolls by with Bakugo watching Kirishima's social media stroll over his shoulder. Though his eyes lift up to Kirishima's face, how peaceful and content it seems, as he begins to feel a small vibration.

He kicks his foot to earn his attention and asks "are you singing again?" with sluggish hands to speech.

His eyes flicker to a look of having been found out, darting to his eyes and lips throughout the few seconds that he takes to process his question. An awkward chuckle is exhaled, boosting a newly found depression within Bakugo since he couldn't hear it.

"Yes, I have a song stuck in my head." Replies Kirishima, and Bakugo's attention is lowered to his open palms. His hands rest lazily against his lap, opened for the moment that he stares at each one.

"I wonder if I can tell what song it is just by feeling it." He mumbles, almost as if he spoke to himself.

Kirishima's mind ceases of thought, clearing itself empty as it tries to process what he could have meant.

"Can I feel it?" He asks, and Kirishima stammers out "uhh what-?" By habit.

"Feel what?" He quickly asks, and Bakugo rolls his eyes away. Kirishima is blown away with confusion, though he's certain that his cheeks currently shine their brightest red.

"Your singing, dumbass, what else?" Bakugo verbally clarifies.

Kirishima's cheeks grow hotter. "How?"

He begins to laugh on a loss of pure panic and audibly ask questions, translating them into broken down signs as Bakugo begins to push Kirishima against the bed's headboard.
He flips himself and drops with his back to his chest, looking up at that panicked expression to say "okay, continue."

He's flabbergasted. This is an excuse, it has to be. A poorly-executed excuse for Bakugo to lay against him.

Kirishima, however, is far from giving up a complaint. He could rest happy now. He could die at that moment, and he wouldn't care.

Songs evaporate before his mind's reach before he could even remember the tune of the song that he previously hummed. He doubts that Bakugo would even notice the difference between a real song, and simple humming.

He picks up on a new note, finally causing Bakugo to look away from him. It's as if he's released of his lungs, allowing him to draw in a much-needed breath again.

No guesses were made towards the song, much to Kirishima's suspicion. Though he seems to have drowned in the victory of a good choice of commitment.
His head falls back, meeting the comfortable dip of Kirishima's neck and shoulder.

He's calmed down to a point beyond return and Kirishima swears that his heart wouldn't be able to take it if he fell asleep in his arms.

With the new level of closeness given, Kirishima's eyes are struggling against a harsh sting brought by tears earned from the torture this also brings.

We're just friends, He reminds himself. Friends... a beautiful friendship... but only friendship...

He can't leave himself without anything-- leading him to decide against the choice of leaving himself bare of any reward. He begins doing something that one, both of them had no idea what it was, and two, was completely pointless.

Bakugou arms were laid out beside them and Kirishima began to draw gentle circles with his finger on it. When Kirishima sees Bakugou didn't mind the small action, he moved on to gently caressing his arm with his thumb.

Bakugou began to love that just as much as when Kirishima tapped his chin in his little way-- He's begun to pretend to zone out into something so he could get Kirishima to tap his chin.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment to the fullest.

//
The way you're acting around me
It gives me more courage to say it
I wish I could tell
If you feel the same way
//

Reminder: The book was not deleted, nor is it missing. This book is edited from its original copy (due to a rather confusing way of jumping towards plot peaks, spelling mistakes, and an overall amount of blurry or unsatisfactory [in the writer's eyes] scenes), therefore new scenes and a cleaner plot has been added. Updates are slow, but surely coming. Thank you!