STUTTER | KIRISHIMA EIJIROU.

chapter eleven.

     "We're lucky kids, that's for sure!" Ashido Mina cheered excitedly, jumping up and down. She shook your shoulders, snapping you out of your despairing daze. "Lighten up, [Name]! This marks a brand new start in our lives!" she exclaimed, staring right into your eyes.

     You moved your face away from yours, slightly alarmed at how close she was. Next to you, Eijirou glanced at you curiously. "Whatever you say, Ashido." you offered her a lazy grin, placing a hand on your hip. You then both turned your attention to your homeroom teacher, who was looking serious and exhausted at the same time.

     "It's true that the plan was for you to earn your provisional hero licenses after the training camp, but you didn't get them... so why were some of you walking around like you did?" Aizawa asked rhetorically. You and a few guilty others immediately stiffened. "Todoroki, Kirishima, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Iida, and [Surname]—" you grimaced at the sound of your family name. "—you six were present on that evening at that place. You took it upon yourselves to proceed towards the site of Bakugou's rescue," he continued, and his words cause the rest of the class to flinch. "From the look of things, all of your classmates understand... the weight of your behavior in deciding to go there. A lot of things have been pigeonholed in light of everything that happened, but I'll say this now.

     "If it weren't for All Might's sudden retirement... with the exception of Bakugou, Jirou, and Hagakure, I would have expelled all of you as punishment," the air grew heavier with tension and nerves; everyone was on edge at Aizawa's claim. He carried on talking about how the majority of the class had broken his trust and had to restore it. "That is all! Now, let's head in with smiles on our faces and lots of energy!"

     It was eerily silent and depressing for the students to hear such an announcement. It was broken when Bakugou suddenly grabbed onto Kaminari's shirt, pulling him back into a large bush. The class stared at them with confusion and wonderment, and winced when electricity buzzed around the two hidden blonds. When the commotion died down, Kaminari appeared but with the dunce-like face he sports whenever he exceeds his limits. Half of the teenagers started laughing, so the atmosphere around them lightened up. Your lips quirked up into a somber smile— you instantly understood that Bakugou felt strictly responsible about the blanket of sadness that fell over them.

     You were quiet when your childhood friend approached Eijirou, who still wore a conflicted frown on his face. "Kirishima." Bakugou called out. When the redhead looked up, the other male shoved a wad of cash into his face.

     "Wait, you're scaring me!" he immediately yelped out with wide eyes. "Did you shake someone down for money!?"

     "No! I withdrew this money," he shut down his sudden accusation with a fierce scowl. "You used up all of your allowance, right?"

     Eijirou's eyes widen slightly out of realization. "Yeah...? Where did you hear about me buying night vision goggles?"

     "I told him," you smiled sheepishly, cutting into the conversation. "Katsuki visited me while I was still in the hospital, so I explained as much as I could."

     Bakugou clicked his tongue, swiftly turning on the back of his heel. "If you keep having the scrimp and save, it'll make me feel bad. Show your dumb side, as usual!" he paused in his steps, looking back at you two. "And quite telling everyone about what we were, [Name]!" he yelled out before continuing to walk into the dormitories.

     "He always has to be harsh with his words," you let an airy laugh slip out from your lips. "He was never much a smooth talker, even while we were together."

     Eijirou gave you a perplexed look. "How long did you guys even date for?" he questioned with a tilt of his head.

     "Like two years," you shrugged your shoulders casually. "But we were friends even before junior high school."

     "Huh!?" he barked out, turning his head so fast that you were surprised that he didn't get whiplash. "Two years!?"

     You let out a hum while nodding your head. "Yeah," you confirmed simply, not wanting to dwell too hard on the details. "I-It doesn't matter right now though, so don't worry about it so much." you told him, patting his shoulder.

     You then began to walk away from him. "I'm gonna go unpack my things now. I told you where my room is, right?" you asked him, your body still facing him. When he nodded his head mutely, you carried on, "Then knock on my door if ya miss me! Until then, see you, Ei." you waved at him with a grin.

     The vermilion eyed boy returned your actions, albeit his usually bright smile felt out of place and artificial. "Totally! See ya, [Name]." he nodded his head once more, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Your gaze lingered on him, suspicious about his sudden change in character, but continued to walk into the Heights Alliance building.

     Eijrou's eyes stayed onto your form before it disappeared behind the large doors. His mind couldn't help but keeping flashing back onto the facts and details about your and his close friend's past and current relationship. 

     "Katsuki! What can I do for ya? Go on without me, Kiri, I'll catch up."

     "He only wanted to talk."

     "Katsuki may be my ex-boyfriend, but that isn't going to stop me!"

     "Stupid enough to get you! Welcome back, Katsuki."

     "Katsuki visited me while I was still in the hospital, so I explained as much as I could."

     "I-It doesn't matter right now though, so don't worry about it so much."

     He didn't like the way you stuttered when you attempted to reassure him that there was nothing between you and Bakugou, he soon realized, but why?