Kirishima x Reader AU

Part 8: Just Talking

"Dude, what happened?" Kirishima brushed himself off as he got to his feet, the grime and dust of the gym floor at the end of the day sticking to his skin and clothes. Kaminari jogged over to his side after hearing a distinct yelp from this direction and noticed Kirishima flat on his ass on the floor.

"Some fucking idiots doing something stupid...and now I gotta try and fix it." Kirishima sighed as he passed by his friend to walk towards the women's locker room where he assumed you ran off to, hidden from view where he couldn't follow. Kaminari trailed close behind, wanting to see how this would unfold.

Stopping before the entrance to the locker room, Kirishima called out (y/n).

"(Y/N)! Hey it's OK to come out!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the tiled walls into the room hidden from view around a corner. A woman came out and gave them a funny look before walking away, though Kaminari didn't miss watching her saunter away. Otherwise the entryway was silent.

"Are you sure she ran in here?"

"I mean I dunno where else she'd be?" A cursory glance around the rest of the gym, unable to view your signature (h/c) hair told him this was the only other place you might be outside of leaving the gym altogether.

"Just go in there and find her!" Kirishima turned on his heel to glare.

"I'm not going in the women's locker room, Kaminari." He held his hands up defensively.

"Ok ok, just a suggestion unless you wanna stand out here for another hour."

He called out her name again, still no answer. Kirishima mulled it over in his head, lips rolling over the outside of his teeth, brows knit together in frustration. He knew you was timid but was slowly breaking out of you shell. And assholes pulling a prank specifically to try and embarrass you could not have been good for any built up self worth you'd amassed over the weeks. "Dammit...stay here," Kirishima said, one hand pointing down at the ground behind him specifically directed at Kaminari not unlike a "stay" command directed towards a dog.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he slipped around the corner, eyes peeled and ready to bolt in case he saw something inappropriate on accident.

"Uh...(y/n)? If you're in here just come out and we can talk, OK? Not a big deal." He sidled along the wall slowly until something - a sniffle, maybe - hit his ears. It made his heart drop.

Finally peeking his head around the corner he spotted you behind a set of lockers sitting on a bench, your back to him, head bent down and out of sight. Looking around he didn't see anyone else...so he decided to make a bold move and step forward off the wall.

"Hey, it's alright I promise." He was just a few feet away now and you tensed at hearing his voice so close by, knowing by now that you've been spotted. A hand came up to wipe at your face - another sniffle - but you still didn't turn around.

"S-sorry..."

"Why are you sorry? Those jerks pushed you it's not-"

"S-sorry for being weak. A pushover. A target." His words caught in his throat at your sudden self-depreciation. Another sniffle. "I-I'm not dumb...you stick by me because I probably look like I need protecting. I'm n-not...a strong person. I'm used to being picked on."

Forgetting that he was in the women's locker room, Kirishima walked forward to stand directly in front of (y/n), kneeling down so your seated line of sight was now mostly even with his. You avoided eye contact, face puffy and red from shame and embarrassment.

"Hey, don't talk about yourself like that! And I don't just talk to you out of pity, that's definitely not true." A strong hand reached out hesitantly towards yours. You jerked at the contact but didn't pull away completely, his calloused fingers gracing over the back of your hand like a feather. "I like talking with you. Like, a lot. No bullshit." Kirishima swallowed the growing lump in his throat as he continued. "And don't ever put yourself at fault for what assholes do."

"Why?" The question caught him off guard as you finally looked at him, eyes unsteady and uncertain.

"Why what?"

"Why..do you like talking with me? Aren't I boring?"

Unconsciously his fingers trailed gently across the skin on your hand in some semblance to soothe, to comfort. "No, you're not boring. Remember when you came up to me when you noticed I was down?" You nodded. "No one else asked how I was doing. You're the only one." That caught your attention.

"But...I see you with your friends all the time. They didn't...?" He shook his head, only a glimmer of sadness behind his ruby eyes.

"They're kind of oblivious when it comes to stuff like that, usually I'm the one asking how they're doing, not the other way around." Before they could continue this intimate conversation, however, Kirishima heard Kaminari yell from outside the lockeroom entrance.

"Dude you done in here?! I'm trying not to get you kicked out man! There's only so many chicks I can distract at once."

Kirishima took his hand away to stand up, remembering that he was indeed in the women's locker room. "Oh, oops yeah I technically shouldn't be in here? Wanna talk outside?" He looked down kindly at you, head nodding in the direction of the exit back to the gym floor. After a few seconds you stood up and nodded in return, eyes surprisingly steady. You followed him out of the locker room as he darted quickly around the corner, trying not to look suspect in any wrongdoing.

"About time- oh. Hi!" A man with bright blonde hair stood outside the locker room, the guy you assumed was Kirishima's friend keeping a lookout. With Kirishima's back turned he quickly leaned down to whisper, "he likes you, by the way." A look of innocence lit up his features before Kirishima turned back around, eyes darting between his friend and (y/n) with a look of suspicion at your blushing face.

"Talk over by those benches over there?" Kirishima pointed to a corner fairly isolated from the rest of the gym.

"Um, yeah sure. It's getting late though so I can't uh stay too long..."

Kirishima nodded. "That's fine, just for a few minutes." There was that kind smile again. He waited for you to step in line with him. And you did.