The Universe Listened | Kiribaku

And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one

•Chapter Twenty Six•

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His therapist was beaming at him; she was more giddy than he was and couldn't help asking nearly every question under the sun regarding his relationship with Katsuki. Kirishima had told his therapist about the day with Katsuki to the aquarium, and then he told her about the three others that followed, some more qualified as dates than others. One of them was with Jiro and Kaminari, a double date if you will, and another was with those two plus Mina. Friends hanging out. So, in retrospect, there were only two dates where it was just the two of them, Katsuki and Kirishima. Nonetheless, his therapist was over the moon. 

"You're glowing, Kirishima. You haven't stopped smiling this entire time. Happiness is basically pouring out of you," she exclaimed and grabbed his hand to give it a small squeeze. "This is amazing progress and I couldn't be prouder." 

She was right. Kirishima's insides were boiling over with happiness and he couldn't contain it. He couldn't stop himself from showing it through his smiles and his overall aura. 

"I'm proud of myself, too," Kirishima told her. 

"Good! You should be." She retracted her hand, peered over at the notes on the laptop. "So, prom. I know it's a crowded, loud place but how would you feel about it?" 

His racing thoughts stopped. Prom. How did he feel about it? The same as before: Prom was useless and although he had never been to any dance, he was sure they were all the same and he wasn't missing much. Loud places, crowded places, like that clogged his senses, blocked off his brain. Not being able to hear when it's something he relies on is anxiety inducing, and anxiety causes panic. Panic results in his thoughts tripping over one another to tell him something was wrong, that he needed to get away, and then he runs. 

"It scares me."

"You made it through that concert you told me about just fine. Why?" 

Kirishima blinked. "Because I had my friends…" 

"Exactly. They'll be there with you. Mina, Kaminari, and Katsuki-"

"And Jiro," he added.

She smiled. "And Jiro. I'm not telling you to go if it'll make you uncomfortable, but maybe you should at least try. It may turn out to be a great experience."

An inner conflict arose. He’s grown so much within the last few months, grown and learned to accept that he was different but there was nothing wrong with that. However, he knew the second he found himself in the crowded gym smelling of socks that haven’t been washed in weeks and old gym uniforms, his thoughts would be compromised by the noise. Flickers of light and shadows would corrupt his limited vision. 

But perhaps he would have fun. He knew Mina and Kaminari would get so trashed afterwards, and Jiro would be beyond annoyed with Kaminari because he gets sappy when he’s drunk. Mina would pull Kirishima to the dance floor, forcing him to dance because why would she give him a choice? Maybe, he would eventually give in and dance with her, and maybe, just maybe, Katsuki would be his date. 

“I’ll think about it.” 

〄8

It snowed overnight. Kirishima was less than pleased to find out that three inches fell over the town, and more was to be expected throughout the duration of the day. He was more annoyed to have to bundle up in his book coat again and were the clunky boots that felt like weights on his feet. Riot, unlike his owner, was beyond thrilled to be able to continue jumping and pouncing his way through the white fluff. Snow meant ice. Ice meant caution to Kirishima. With ice caked on the ground, he needed to move much slower, much more careful. He couldn’t see the ice, increasing the risk of falling drastically.