Chapter Text
“Decisions are made and not bought
But I thought this wouldn’t hurt a lot
I guess not”
Sunday was spent buried in studies and Monday was met with an introduction to an awkwardness that had decided not to share its name. It wasn’t strange for them to sneak the occasional glance at each other, but what Midorya was doing was much more than a short glance and he hadn’t bothered with caring as to whether anyone was noticing. He was looking at Bakugo like he was trying to figure him out. In a way, he was, but he knew better than to be so obvious about it. Bakugo shot him a glare just as Uraraka swatted the green haired boy on the arm, saying something Bakugo couldn’t hear over the noise in the hallway.
He didn’t much care what Uraraka had to say about Deku’s staring, but the actual staring was starting to bug him. Deku didn’t usually stare at him like he was a math equation that needed to be solved, and honestly, it made him a little uncomfortable. The hell was his issue?
The rest of the day went in a similar fashion; sneaking a look had him catching the other boy in another long, puzzled gaze. By lunch it had gone from uncomfortable to irritating and Bakugo was very close to going over to him and demanding him to stop. Before he had the chance to so much as walk up to the other boy, Deku was headed towards him.
“Can we sit together at lunch?” He asked quietly, eyes not quite meeting the slightly widened red ones looking back at him, “I’ll tell everyone I needed to copy your notes, just…please?”
For a second the blond had looked at him like he had grown a second head, but with a short grunt he nodded in agreement. What was one lunch break with an easy cover story? With the location of his table in the large and crowded cafeteria, no one would really take notice and his friends wouldn’t question it if he shut them up about it. It was quite obvious by now that there was something bothering the other and if this was the bit of comfort he needed, he could at least give him that much.
Staying quiet, they sat down at Bakugo’s regular table; Uraraka and Iida giving him raised eyebrows and questioning looks as well as concern. Midorya simply gave them a small wave and the best reassuring smile he could pull off. It would be easy to explain any of this to either of them if he ever needed to.
Bakugo silently hoped that the lunch hour would go by quietly and quickly and that by some miracle, no one else would sit down with them. He knew better than to hope that much as his regular table was usually crowded with other people of the self-appointed ‘Bakusquad.’ A name he wanted no part in and told them over and over to quit using.
Midorya looked up just in time to see Kaminari practically slam himself into the edge of the table in his rush to get into his seat. Behind him was their new classmate, wincing at the sight.
“Where the hell is your food?” Bakugo asked in annoyance as he broke his wooden chopsticks apart.
With a roll of his eyes, the other blond answered, “I’ll get it, but I had to talk to your first for some urgent business. Uh, no offense, why is Midorya sitting with us?” The boy had a talent for changing subjects, even when the first was as urgent as he claimed.
“Oh!” Midorya piped up, “I needed his notes to copy. I misplaced mine. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Sero, he’s pretty cool.”
The black-haired boy nodded in greeting as he took a spot next to Kaminari, setting his own tray of food down.
“I have to get this out quick,” the more talkative of the blonds stated as he gave a surveying look around the cafeteria, “So, your big man crush on Kirishima.”
There was a sudden change in the air and Bakugo very noticeably tensed up. Midorya would have liked to leave the table right then but a part of him wanted to hear this out. He needed the confirmation.
“I heard from the guy himself that he has the same giant, gross crush on you.”
“You’re gay?” Sero spoke up, innocently enough, but it was still met with Bakugo’s hateful glare.
“Is that a problem?”
“No! No, not at all, I’m just from a small town so I’ve never met anyone gay. At least no one that was open about it.”
“Yikes, don’t cut his head off, Bakugo,” Kaminari continued, “I just gave you the best news ever, a thanks would be appreciated.”
“Go get your food and fuck the hell off.”
With another roll of his eyes, the boy was up and on his way to the lunch line and their table once again fell silent. Sero felt too awkward to say anything, only offering a little smile to the others before digging into his food. Bakugo wasn’t about to start explaining without being asked and even if Midorya had the gall to ask, he should know full well that Bakugo had no intention on answering in that moment. They would not be having that conversation in front of a stranger, let alone in public. They could have cut the tension with the knife and Midorya really had to fight himself on getting up and leaving, although such a big part of him wanted to. The other part of him told him to stay, if for any reason to show Bakugo he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. For all he knew it was an old crush he had let go of. A crush he had let go of and forgotten because he had a boyfriend now.
“Midorya is at our table?” Speak of the redheaded devil, “Never thought I’d see the day,” Kirishima laughed as he took his usual seat across from Bakugo, setting his food down and laying his uniform jacket across the back of his chair.
“Shut the fuck up, I’m so tired of your asses today.”
What Kirishima had said was meant in jest but he knew not to make an attempt at defending himself against an irritated Bakugo.
Midorya felt it only right to explain himself, “I need to copy some notes I lost,” it was almost sad that so many people saw them as two people that couldn’t even be friends. Bakugo really had done his job of making him look like an outsider amongst that group, “Have you met Sero? Kaminari just introduced us.”
Kirishima gave his signature toothy smile, “Yeah, we bonded over card games.”
Bakugo snorted, “Another nerd.”
Sero frowned but Kirishima smiled despite the insults and general ill meaning behavior from his friend, “Don’t worry, Bakugo’s just a rough guy, it’s how he talks. You get used to it after a while,” he leaned over to the tall newcomer and whispered, “And you’ll learn he’s a big nerd too.”
The words were met with a quiet chuckle.
Despite the news from Kaminari, Midorya found himself smiling. Kirishima was always the ray of sunshine, even to people who barely knew. He knew Bakugo so well, there was no doubt in Midorya’s mind that he knew the boy better than he, himself did. He’d always said Bakugo was his best friend and even though the other had never expressed he felt the same, it was always very evident the feeling was mutual. The two shared a lot between each other, things Bakugo wouldn’t share with his own boyfriend and it hurt Midorya to his core.
Kaminari finally returned to the table with his lunch and any conversations were held between him, Sero, and Kirishima. They would occasionally try to pull the other two into their discussions, but it was clear that Bakugo wasn’t in the mood to talk and Midorya felt too awkward to say very much. After finishing his noodles, he couldn’t stomach much else and figured he would save face and copy those notes, giving Bakugo a little poke to the arm in a way of asking for his notebook. At least by copying the words, he could ignore the chatter. Ignore the thoughts about Bakugo and Kirishima’s possible crushes. Ignore Bakugo’s constant side glances.
The rest of lunch and the remainder of the day continued with the same tension. They both buried themselves in whatever work was given and barely made eye contact, let alone looking in the other’s direction. The few times Midorya did look towards him, he caught him watching Kirishima.
He felt his heart sinking deeper and deeper.
The day ended and Bakugo just wanted to avoid the entire situation, hurrying out of the classroom before anyone could keep him behind. He ignored the call of whoever was shouting for him to hold the elevator, needing to be alone before the inevitable talk he and Midorya would be having.
Fucking Kaminari had to go and fuck everything up.
He had fucked it up for himself in the first place by even telling Kaminari that he liked their friend.
The doors to the elevator opened to his floor and he rushed through the, thankfully, empty hallway and slammed the door of his room once he made it inside. A heavy sigh of relief escaped his lips as he made his way to his bed, flopping onto the mattress with a huff.
He couldn’t deny to himself that he was still madly in love with Kirishima. He had been his first love. His only love, but he had done his best to ignore those feelings. There was simply no way that the other boy would even feel the same when he hadn’t ever so much as flirted with Bakugo. He’d never even let on that he was attracted to other guys.
So, what the fuck had changed?
Bakugo was far from sweet to him, but it had been pointed out that he did treat Kirishima much better than he did any of their other classmates. He’d even stopped calling him by any nicknames that the boy didn’t like when he had asked him to quit. He was still calling Midorya by Deku and he was dating him.
Dating him as a consolation prize because he couldn’t have the guy he actually wanted. Midorya had had the balls to ask him out, shockingly enough. He still didn’t understand how Deku of all people could want to go out with him. He couldn’t even understand why he had said yes but here he was, dating his childhood friend with a set of very specific rules. Deku hadn’t told a soul about their relationship and above all else, that rule was the most important.
Anyone could say that Bakugo was an asshole, but no matter how awful he could be, he knew Deku didn’t deserve what was coming or what was really at the heart of their relationship. Deku wasn’t stupid though and after today he would be putting the pieces together, trying to solve a puzzle when he hadn’t even seen the picture on the box.
It shouldn’t really bother him so much, it wasn’t as if Deku’s feeling mattered that much in the scheme of things. They certainly never had in the past but tossing dating into the mix had complicated things more than he could have expected.
“Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanting to be haunted”