From the Ground Up: Kacchako

Chapter 11: spikes and spines

(I'm sorry but this chapter will be mainly
Kirishima and Mina, sorry if you don't ship them but I'm like a hardcore Kirimina fan!)

The students loaded off the bus all at once, eager to stretch and use their legs again. They'd stopped at a hotel for the night, paid for by the school. It was chilly in the night air, and the hotel was cabin- styled. Made of wood and glass, a warm glow coming from the windows. It was large, five story's high, and covered a considerable patch of land.
Kirishima rolled his arms as Mina did sidewards bends. She stopped when a 'bing!' Sounded from her phone. She grabbed it from her back pocket and began typing.
"Wow, who's talking to you at this time of night?"

He asked, placing his hands on his hips. She smiled brightly up at him.
"My boyfriend, of course!"
Kirishima's heart dropped into his stomach for a few seconds, he had a feeling there was a stupid look on his face.
"B-Boyfriend? Since when?"
"A few weeks ago, we actually met online. He has an alien quirk, like me! I've never met anyone like that before"
"So you date someone just because he has the same quirk? What kind of person does that?"
She frowned, her yellow eyes seeming to lose their glow. He realised what he'd said and looked away, placing a hand on the back of his neck.
"Mina, I didn't mean-"
"You seem mad, are you alright?"
He looked back to her.
"No. No, I just- you know what? Don't worry about it. I'm happy for you, it's not often someone finds others with the same quirk"
She nodded eagerly.
"I know, right? Isn't it awesome?!"
She raced off to the girls, leaving him standing there.
"Yeah, super awesome..."
He said, his hand falling to his side. He sighed and turned back towards the bus to get his bag, but jumped backwards at the sight of midoriya standing very close to him.
"Midoriya?! What are you doing there?!"
Midoriya smiled sadly.
"I couldn't help but hear a little of your conversation, you like her, huh?"

Kirishima made a sound of defeat and hung his head low, his arms dangling.
"I'm that obvious, am I?"
Midoriya waved his hands, a worried expression on his face.
"No no I- I just mean that I only noticed because of the way you looked when she said she had a boyfriend. Are you okay?"
Kirishima looked up at him through his lashes, his head still down.
"What is 'okay'?"
"Maybe you should get some rest?"
Kirishima stood up straight again, looking off into the distance.
"My resting heart rate measures as a panic attack"
Midoriya stood frozen, not entirely sure what to say. Then suddenly Kirishima clapped him on the shoulder strongly and laughed.
"Dude, I'm just messing with you! I'm fine! It's not everyday I get told the girl I'm into has a boyfriend, but it's not like I've been hit or anything"
"Haha! Yeah, right...anyway, I'm gonna help the others with their bags, I'll see you inside!"
He ran off, and Kirishima waved, smiling faintly. When Kirishima walked inside with his bag, he walked past all the girls. Fawning over Mina's phone, talking about a picture of a guy. How cute he was, how tall he was, how he was in a elite college already...
Kirishima shifted his jaw and went up to his room. They all had seperate rooms in the hotel. He ran through a workout, went for a shower, and changed into dark blue jeans and a black hoodie with 'crimson riot' printed across the chest. He left his hair as it was, only brushed it back and tucked the sides behind his ears. A few strands hung free at the sides still. He sat down at the windowsill and was about to listen to music when he noticed something.

Mina was outside, sitting in the gardens in front of a fire in a pit, by herself. She was dressed similar to him. But her jeans were black and she had a pale red jumper on, it was all loose on her. Her hair was wild and ruffled as usual.
He set his phone down and went down to go see her. When he got to the gardens he noticed no one else was out here, probably because it was so cold. It was close to winter, and everyone else was inside.
"Hey,"
He said, when he got to her. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled, patting the spot next to her on the wooden bench.
He stepped over the bench and sat down, shoving his hands into his hoodies pockets.
"What are you doing out here?"
He said, noting how the light of the fire set an orange glow over her soft face. She shrugged.
"The girls stole my phone. So I thought I might come out here to be alone for a little"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll go back-"
She caught his sleeve.
"No, it's okay if you stay. I like your company"

He smiled and sat back down, bouncing his knee lightly.
"How much do you like him?"
He said suddenly, causing her to look at him with wide, beautiful eyes.
"My boyfriend? Well, we're dating so...a lot?"
He chuckled.
"Classic Mina, I love it. What's he like?"
She took in a deep breath of cold air.
"He's- Well...He's a little different to me. If I make jokes he doesn't laugh, he doesn't really like it when I want to hold his hand in public either..."
"What a dick"
"Eijirou!"
"I'm sorry, but- listen, I'd hold your hand even if you were dripping in sweat and sick, no matter where we were"
She laughed at him, the sound music to his ears. She looked at the fire, gazing at it as if it were hypnotic.
"I don't know, he's just- different. You know? Like caramel and honey, just different"
He leaned back against the back of the bench.
"Yeah, I get it. But still, different isn't always good"
She looked back at him, as if seeing him for the first time. He couldn't look away from her eyes, such beautiful eyes. He liked how no one had eyes like Mina.
"Your hairs different"
She said, and he tilted his head.
"Huh? Oh- yeah! Right, I forgot about that"
She reached out with one hand and ran her fingers through it, feeling the damp strands run easily through her fingers. He would've closed his eyes if he hadn't been blushing so crazily.
"You're so familiar, Eijirou. So- easy"
"Easy? Wow, can't say I wasn't hoping for more"
He smiled, but she took her hand back and shook her head.
"That wasn't what I meant! I was just saying-"
"I know what you meant"

He said, and leaned forward again. They were face to face now, almost nose to nose. She'd never noticed how attractive he was up close. He'd always been her goofy friend, but she'd never really looked at him. The shape of his eyes were alluring when they weren't blown wide, and the red of his eyes looked like rubies. His lashes were thick and dark, contrasting his start red eyebrows. He'd always been kind to her, good. But his teeth and the scar on his eye gave him a bad aspect that suited him well. His lips looked soft and he smelled good, not overloaded with deodorant smells like her boyfriend, just good. He had a strong jaw, and a muscle in it shifted as he searched her eyes.
She found herself leaning forward, not even aware of what she was thinking. Nothing was being processed to her right now, and everything especially left her when he leaned in as well, bringing his lips to hers.
He was soft and sweet, one of his hands going to cup her jaw. But things quickly intensified when he opened her mouth by gently tugging her chin down with his thumb. He gave her time to pull away, but she didn't. So he swept his tongue in and brought the kiss down deeper.
His sharp teeth grazed her tongue and punctured a small space on her lip, but she didn't care. She moved closer so that she was pressed against him and brought her hands to be resting on the sides of his neck. His other hand buried into her hair and she made a small noise, causing him to get a little rougher. He tugged lightly on her hair and kissed her passionately, his tongue fighting for control over hers. It better than her boyfriend that was waiting for her back home. Much better.
She bit down on his lower lip before pulling away for air, panting lightly. The reality set in of what she'd just done, and she pulled away entirely, mortified.
"Eijirou I- I'm so sorry"
He stood up when she did.
"It- it's fine, really, it is"
"No. No, it's not I- I can't believe I did that I-"
"Hey,"
He said, and stepped closer.
"You weren't the only person in this. I-"
"I leaned in first, I mean- I have a boyfriend!"

She realised what she'd said and took a step away from him.
"I have a boyfriend"
She said more sternly, and tensed when he took a step toward her.
"Mina I-"
"I need to go inside. I'm sorry Eijirou I have to go"
She walked away quickly, leaving him standing yet again dumbfounded. He sighed and looked at the ground. Only to be shouted at from above.
"Oi! Up here!"
"God?"
He said, and looked up, only to find Bakugou leaning out of a window, waving his phone in the air.
"Guess what I got on video, Asshole?!"
Kirishima huffed and turned back to the fire. He'd been beaten, again. He really has to get better at this.