Suffocating Silence | Kiribaku

I Thought You Knew / Kirishima

A/N
Quick notes -
•Anything in bold and italics is someone signing.
•Just italics is someone's thoughts.

Bakugou and I walk together down the hallway. His heavily placed footsteps alongside my light bouncy ones.

My memory flashes back to the look on Mr. Aizawa's face. He looked at me with this expression, I can't quite place it, it looked as if he was trying to figure out something. "Everything alright, bro?" I ask, keeping the concern that I felt out of my voice.

The blond huffs out an frustrated sigh, "I'm fine." He shoves his hands into his pockets, and looks to the white tile under our feet.

I just nod, not wanting to aggravate him. "Usual lunch spot?"

"Actually," Bakugou's voice drops to a whisper as he continues, "could you get a table just for us?"

A tingly sensation runs through my chest, and I can't help but smile. "Yeah, of course!"

Then he speaks again, and this time there is something in his voice that wasn't there before. Something Katsuki Bakugou rarely expresses. "Thanks, Shitty Hair."

We walk in silence the rest of the way to the cafeteria. Although, my thoughts were rather loud, and taking a wild guess.. I'm sure his were too.

I turn to my usual food stall, and look off where Bakugou usually gets his. Something is up, I have to talk to him.

Once I have gotten my food, I head to a secluded two person table in the corner. It's half booth and half dinning table, so I opt for the chair.

I unwrap my fork and place it on the right side of my tray as I wait for my blond friend to find me. I take my phone from my pocket and stare at the lock screen for a moment.

The sound of footsteps, and a tray being sat down, breaks me from my phone daze. "Hey," I look up and momentarily meet his ruby eyes. Wow.

"Ok, there's no point in dragging this out," the boy in front of me scratches his arm nervously as he speaks, this is so out out of character for him, "I'm not trying to act like a stupid preschooler, but I have a secret and you're the only one I want to tell."

"If you don't want me tell anyone, I'll take it to my grave," I reassure him. "No matter what it is."

He sighs rather loudly, and holds his head in his hands, "Kirishima, I'm going deaf."

"I know," the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I know I'm screwed.

"Pathetic, I know-," Bakugou looks over to me with an expression I can't read, "wait.. what."

"I, uhm," I exhale shakily and lock eyes with him, "I already know."

"Wait, what," the blond repeats himself, but doesn't break eye contact, "but how?"

I can't tell what he's feeling, and that's terrifying. "My parents reigestered me in some JSL classes, and of course they told me why."

Bakugou's shoulders shuddered inward, and something in his eyes changed. "But.. I never saw you at the classes."

A moment of realization hit, and I began to explain myself. "Our insurance wouldn't cover for me to go to the same JSL classes as you," I sigh, "I never brought it up because I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it."

Finally, the blond let his gaze drop. It landed on his hands for a moment, but then he looked back to me.

Without realizing, I had let my attention drift to his hands. He pointed at me with his index finger. You.

Then he opened his palm and let his fingers graze the side of his head, a questioning look on his face. Know?

I look down to my own hand and lift it, balling it into a fist and making a nodding motion. Yes.

A small sound left his lips, and the brokenness in his stare turned into something new. Hope.

I let my hand fall back to the table and smile, "I still go to them."

The blond opens his mouth, but then closes it before beginning. "So.. this morning," he trails off and looks down, "you knew I really couldn't hear you."

"I..," I inhale and drop my shoulders, which I hadn't even realized were tense, "I had a hunch."

"Well," one of the blond's usual smirks grazes his lips, and a feeling of bliss flows through me, "your face gave you away."

"Oh," a small laugh rattles into the air, and I scratch my neck awkwardly, "sorry 'bout that, I'm not very good at hiding how I feel."

Once again, something in the way he's looking at me changes. Except this time, I know what's going on. He's thinking about something.

Bakugou snickered quietly, "Trust me, I know that much."