Voice {KiriBaku / BakuShima Fanfic}

Chapter V

...he reached forward, taking the boy's hand into his. Kirishima's eyes only widened, his bright gaze snapping to pale fingers tracing his own. Katsuki seemed unfazed by this action, his face at peace, staring up into his eyes, while the other was beet red.

"Bakugou...? Are you good man?" he stammered, trying to find some sort of—

"I like you..."

...what?

Kirishima could only stand in plain shock. Sure, he had some pretty gay thoughts that seemed harmless and out of reach— he shook his head. 'Bakugou's just delusional, the fever must be hitting him.'

"You're just hallucinating," he choked out. He was glad for once that he couldn't hear how his voiced crack. The shakiness in his vocal cords. "You need to—"

"Eijirou, do you not like me for being...this way?" Bakugou's eyes reflected disappointment and sadness. His eyes went wide and he felt sort of offended that he'd ask.

"No—No! I like the way you are! You're my—"

"Then why do you think I'm 'hallucinating' for liking you? Is it because I'm sick? It takes more than that." Bakugou seemed hurt. "Lemme tell you something, just because I'm—"

"Stop. This isn't the time—"

"Then when?!" Bakugou sat up straight, swinging his legs over the couch. "When is the time?! We're hardly ever alone! I don't feel like getting rejected in front of those bastards!" He stood up, tears pooling in the corner of his eyes, along with a hurt glare that seeped right into Kirishima's soul. "After what I went through two years ago with that fucking shit school, and then recently with this weird ass fuck that tried to— don't even get me started..." He let out a shaky breath and looked the redhead in the eye.

     "The way you wanted to be my friend. The way you were there for me. The way you offered to help me with our classes. Your determination to communicate with me. Asked me to hang out with friends, and... how you held me in the treehouse. Your presence feels so calming and fucking protective, and for once in my life I feel like nothing could break me anymore..."

He balled his hand in a fist, his face red with embarrassment and irises filled with honesty. "And ever since that day, I feel queasy every time you open your big mouth, my heart would skip a beat every time I'd look at you. How I feel normal and accepted whenever you're around. And when you'd sling you arm over my shoulders or punch my arm, even when you high five me I'd freak out, like I just got electrocuted."

"Bakugou—"

"And sometimes I imagine what your voice would be like. Soft? Gravelly? Maybe low pitched? Or maybe—"

"Bakugou—"

"I like you—I fucking like you a lot, I can't keep denying this gross, fuzzy feeling in my chest. I know you might be grossed out or maybe not want to even—"

"Katsuki!" Kirishima placed his hand on his shoulder, making him snap his gaze to him. Red met scarlet, both in the face and eyes. "Calm down. You're starting to freak me out." He sent him a warm smile, full of affection as he guided Bakugou back into the sitting position.

"Sh-Shit..." Katsuki muttered, holding his head. Gently, Kirishima pushed him on his back and placed a cool cloth over his eyes.

"Let's get better first before we continue this conversation."

•-•

     Kirishima locked himself in the bathroom, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. He fumbled with the passcode to his phone, clicking on a contact he knows will answer no matter what.

     "Hello?"

     "Sero—Sero I'm freaking out! I-I—"

     "Woah, Kiri, calm down and breathe. What happened?"

     "It's Bakugou, umm he—he's sick and I brought him to my house cause he collapsed a-and he has a high fever and he was out for a long time and when he woke up he was acting so strange..." Kirishima took a deep breath, tears of confusion and gay panic streaming down his face.

     "What do you mean strange? He's always weird." A chuckle was heard at the end of the line while the redhead gathered his thoughts.

     "Sero, he said he liked me, romantically, and I-I don't know if it's because of the fever or if it's true and that he really likes me like that but I don't want to confess until I know for sure how he feels now!" Kirishima's eyes saddened as he looked at himself in the mirror. Flat red hair sat on top of his head as his mouth quivered with panic.

     "Tell me what he said." Sero's voice suddenly sounded serious, and gentle.

     Kirishima began to spill his heart out. He choked back sobs as he remembered and told the words aloud. He didn't know why he was sobbing. Fear? Happiness? Confusion? He didn't know, nor did he care.

"You're right. You are dumber than Denki." Kirishima rolled his eyes, feeling Sero do the same over the phone. "He said he felt drawn to you before the fever. That means he's liked you for a while now. And if he was able to remember what happened over the past few months then he wasn't delusional. He genuinely likes you, and you just fucked up."

He knew he was right to call Hanta for help. The confusion dissipated, and swelled in his heart, and a smile could never be wiped off his face. If Sero said that Bakugou had the same feelings he had for him, then he'll believe it. After all, the raven haired boy was the smartest friend in the squad.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes dumbass. He's even afraid of being rejected. Prolly thinks you don't swing that way since you preach about manliness."

The boys chuckled and then Kirishima heard a crash. He said bye to Sero before scrambling out of the bathroom.

"Baku- oh right he's deaf. Sometimes I forget." He checked the couch, he wasn't there. He checked the other bathrooms. Not there either.

With a sigh he walked in the kitchen, finding the blond spreading mayonnaise on a piece of bread before putting two slices of cheese and another bread together and plopping it on the stove. Kirishima laughed at how frustrated the blond seemed to be figuring out the stove, and so he decided to help him.

He walked up and pressed a button, surprising Bakugou. Kirishima laughed as he signed roughly to him. Then pressed the back of his hand against his forehead with a frown.

"Still warm, but you're not burning anymore so that's good." A smile tugged at his lips in result of a thought. Very shyly. "CanI...Can I um...hug you?"

Not even a second after Kirishima signed it was he was pulled to an embrace. The slightly shorter boy buried his face in the nape of Eijirous neck, the warmth of his skin and his moistened breath tickled. With a light chuckle and a big smile, he wrapped his arms around the other.

     "I love you Katsuki..."

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Published October 7 2019
Edited December 15 2022

Oop—