STUTTER | KIRISHIMA EIJIROU.

chapter one.

     "You look kind of hot, Kirishima." you said out of the blue, stretching your arms above your head. Your PE shirt clung onto your body uncomfortably, but you had to deal with it in the meantime.

     The boy immediately flushed as red as his insecure eyes. "What!? W-W-What do you mean!?" he stammered nervously.

    You grinned idly, sending him a playful wink for more effect. "Just noticed how sweaty you are. Nice work." you explained dryly, moving your hands to touch your toes. The slight burn at the back of your knees didn't bother you before you straightened back up to face your red faced friend.

     "You can't just say things like that without context, [Surname]!" he claimed, locks of his black hair sticking onto his face.

     "I don't need to put those kinds of things into context. You're just thinking weird," you flicked him on the forehead, causing him to pout. "Now, continue stretching before the teacher catches you slacking."

     You weren't exactly sure on what happened between that day and the first time you had met Kirishima. On the day of your impromptu encounter with the male, you had just moved into the city. You were just exploring the neighborhood when you stumbled across him, and you found it ironic that he ended up being in the same school and class as you. However, you took your chances to befriend the guy. He was obviously not used to girls talking to him, so his reaction to your personal introduction was admittedly adorable.

     "Hey, can I sit here?" you remembered asking on your first day at the new school. It was lunch time, and you had recognized him as the person who had talked to you. "I'm [Surname] [Name], but just call me [Name]." you had said with an easygoing, lazy smile.

     Kirishima's face heated up to a light shade of pink. "Oh— uh— yeah, sure!" he said loudly, scooting over so that you could sit next to you. There were a couple of his own friends at the table, staring back and forth between you and him with curiosity. "I'm Kirishima Eijirou."

     "I know," your blunt response made his face warmer. "We're in the same class." you stated, chewing on a spoonful of rice you had shoveled into your mouth.

     "Yeah, but I didn't think that you knew me..." he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before grinning with a blush. "Still, it's nice to actually meet you, [Surname]!"

     "I said to call me [Name], Kirishima." you murmured, glancing at him from the corner of your eyes. His blush got darker, but his smile only got bigger, and he nodded (not that he ever did get it through his head that it was completely fine of him to call you by your first name).

     The friendship between the dark haired male and you only got stronger, and before you knew it, you two ended up being best friends. You would meet up at school, maybe even go somewhere after, and talked freely about whatever was on your minds. It was a blissful, innocent thing that you began to treasure deeply, and you knew that Kirishima held you close to his heart, too.

     Despite your great level of trust in each other, he didn't talk to you about his harsh insecurities and self doubt. He spoke about virtually anything else except his confidence issues. Maybe you were feeling useless or jealous, but you went on a whim and met him in your cat form once more.

     And just like that, your best friend was confining in the same person without knowing it.

     "I wanna go to U.A. because I wanna become a hero, I really do—" he admitted one day. He was sitting on a wooden bench at the park you both routinely went to with you in his lap as a cat. "—but I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of stuff. My quirk isn't that eye catching, nor am I..." he said, absentmindedly petting your white fur. You meowed loudly to get his attention, and you shook your head. A small and sad smile spread across his lips before he let out a sigh. "I wonder what [Surname] would think of me if I ever said that to her."

     At the mention of your name, your triangular ears perked up. You mewled once more, as if asking him to elaborate. While turning his head up to stare at the blue sky above with the white clouds decorating it, he began, "I bet that she would think I'm weak, unmanly, and just a mess... which I guess I am, but I don't really want her to think of me like that..." A frown bloomed onto his face at his words. "This really sucks. I wish that I was born as a different person, you know? Someone that she could find worthy of to... never mind." he shook his head like he was shaking his self deprecating thoughts out of his head.

     After a few silent minutes, he gently picked your small form from his lap and set you down onto the bench. "I'll see you tomorrow, all right? Think I need some time by myself right now." he explained with a forced smile. "Thanks for being here, kitty." Kirishima gave you one last scratch behind your ears before walking away with his back slouched dejectedly.

     When the familiar sight of his figure disappearing around the corner happened, you transformed back. You felt your lips contort into a concerned frown when you recalled his pained smile. Your heart clenched in a way that it hadn't in a few years when he brought up his thoughts concerning you and your image of him. Did he truly believe that you'd think of him as some weakling if he confessed that he had his own issues besides his grades?

     "What an idiot," you found yourself say aloud. "As if I'd care about that, you fool..."