Chapter Text
Kirishima and Bakugou separate in the early afternoon so Bakugou can head to his lab. He said something about trying to wrap up his current project so he can leave for his trip, but Kirishima’s not sure where he’s going. He hasn’t said.
The rest of Monday goes by sluggishly. Having the apartment to himself is nice, sure, but it’s also boring as hell. He’s not going home this year because his moms are out of town and he thus has nothing to do.
He wants to relax and catch up on his soaps but there’s energy buzzing under his skin. His body yearns for motion and he’ll oblige it by going to the gym, by working his muscles until they burn. Maybe he’ll actually be able to find someone to spar with him for once. It’s unlikely but still possible, so he might as well try. It’s hard to find a good partner—or anyone, actually—in the campus gym during a break like this.
The gym is expectedly empty, which Kirishima revels in. He’s an extrovert by nature, but sometimes he needs to curl in on himself for a bit, to retreat into his mind for a while.
Without a spotter, he can’t lift, so he has to find other stuff to do, but he manages. He breaks another punching bag and the desk person, Tokoyami, laughs softly at that, because this is the fifth one and it’s become kind of an inside joke. When Kirishima finally slinks back home, it’s nearly midnight, and he’s exhausted. Once he finishes showering, he climbs into bed and is asleep within seconds.
The next morning, he and Bakugou grab brunch before Bakugou goes into the lab. There’s a place a few blocks from campus that specializes in brunch, but isn’t open on Sundays—which doesn’t make a lick of sense, because Sunday is the ideal brunch day—so they’ve never gotten a chance to go before. Since it’s Tuesday, they’ll take full advantage and get in on those famous biscuits.
They’re waiting for their food when Bakugou suddenly goes silent, which is worrisome for more than a few reasons. He was mid-thought, explaining some World of Warcraft mechanic, and he just… stopped.
He face is scrunched up and he looks nervous. What on earth does he have to be nervous about? This must be something that’s been festering for a while, because Bakugou looks absolutely constipated. “Do you… fuck… fuck! Why is this so fucking hard?” He growls a little more loudly than is polite in public, burying his fingers in his hair and pulling at the roots, ripping out a few blonde strands in the process. Kirishima’s heart breaks a little bit, like it does every time Bakugou tears himself apart like this. What on earth could this be about? Bakugou seems scared.
“Bakugou, it’s just me. You don’t have to stress yourself out.”
“Fuck! Okay! What are you doing for the rest of break?!”
Oh, this is unexpected. “Nothing, really. My moms are out of town so I was just gonna stay here and catch up on my shows or something. Why?”
“Do you… fuck, um… I’m going mountain climbing. For the rest of break. I got, like, a cabin or whatever. It’s… It’s big enough for two fucking people,” He grits out, looking more embarrassed than anything else. Does he think Kirishima’s going to say no? He must be out of his damn mind.
“Are you inviting me? Because if you are, I am so down.”
The smothered hopeful look on Bakugou’s face makes Kirishima’s knees weak. Thank god he’s sitting down, because he almost definitely would’ve fallen over.
As turns out, Bakugou was indeed inviting him along. They can’t leave until Bakugou’s project wraps up on Thursday, though, so Kirishima has to keep himself busy until then, which mainly involves laying on his couch and watching his soaps like he’d planned. His lowest grade this semester was a B+, so he’s allowed to veg out and treat himself now that he got all that pent-up energy out. He did good.
Friday morning, before even the sun is up, they pile into the Kia, armed with lots of snacks and shitty energy drinks. The drive should take a total of about 8 hours, so they’ve decided to each do a 4-hour shift, which seems reasonable. Bakugou loses rock paper scissors and thus has to drive first.
Kirishima passes out within 10 minutes, which is par for the course with him. He’s a sleepy boy! He doesn’t stay asleep for long, though, because Bakugou (unsurprisingly) gets pretty intense road rage, and deals with it by screaming his head off and flipping people the bird. It’s funny at first but once the novelty wears off about an hour in, Kirishima gets a bit annoyed. His head hurts.
The drive is ultimately bearable, but barely so.
Before they make it to the actual cabin, they make a pit stop at a small grocery store. It’s late afternoon on a Friday and the place is dead, empty beyond the two of them and three bored-looking employees. They stock up on food, grabbing enough to last the week, and each pay for half.
It feels kind of domestic to push a cart around together but Kirishima definitely isn’t complaining. His crush on Bakugou is nearly debilitating at this point but they have a good thing going here, he really doesn’t want to ruin it. He’ll take what scraps he can get.
When they finally make it to the cabin, they’re both exhausted, but the sight waiting for them makes the journey more than worth it. They’re at the foot of a mountain, one that stretches up and up to kiss the azure sky, and everything is white. The snow is pristine, here, in a way that you never see in the city. There’s no slush or dirt or footprints, there’s just a sea of crystalline white, so bright that Kirishima’s eyes can barely stand it. Their cabin is small but cozy and Kirishima loves it already. He can tell even now that it’ll be tough to leave this place and return to his cramped apartment.
They unload the Kia in comfortable silence, Kirishima humming to himself as he hauls his duffel into the cabin. Which technically means it’s not silent, but they’re not talking, so Kirishima is still gonna think it’s silent. Whatever.
What are you, the thought police?
It takes them almost an hour, but they eventually manage to find the nearly empty shed of firewood and start a pretty pathetic fire. Luckily they bought some when they stopped at that grocery store, but Bakugou insists they use the ones left by the cabin owner before they dip into their purchased stash. Kirishima’s not sure why, but he won’t argue with Bakugou over something so stupid.
Now with a roaring fire warming up every nook and cranny of the cabin, they spend rest of the day loafing around, opening all the cabinets, poking around in every drawer, and trying to get the ancient TV to work. There’s only one channel that isn’t static, and it’s entirely in Korean—which neither of them can speak—but it’s better than sitting around in silence so they leave it on. Dinner is some kind of fancy salmon dish that Bakugou whips up and it’s absolutely heavenly, making Kirishima wonder what it would be like if Bakugou cooked for him on the reg. The TV is blaring loud gameshows as they eat on the surprisingly comfy couch, and Kirishima feels content.
Once night falls, they retire to separate bedrooms, to their own full-sized bed covered with patchwork quilts. It’s so quaint that Kirishima has to go sit down for a minute. He loves it here.
Morning rolls in sluggishly, sunlight pouring in through the curtain Kirishima didn’t close all the way, but he doesn’t mind. He’s awoken warmly and gently, and he can’t begrudge the sun that. She’s just doing as she’s always done.
Breakfast is a quiet affair, seeing as Kirishima’s still waking up and Bakugou is focused on cooking. They eat slowly because there’s no need to rush, not here. They plan to spend the whole day hiking, so they pack themselves lunches and snacks and water bottles, splitting it all up between each of their hilariously oversized backpacks that Bakugou insisted they bring. He takes all this stuff really seriously and Kirishima thinks it’s the cutest thing maybe ever.
Climbing is hard work but it’s so, so worth it. It’s worth it because even though Kirishima is sweaty under layers of coat, even though his nose is cold and his fingers are trembling, Bakugou is fucking glowing.
Kirishima loses his footing more than once, and Bakugou has to catch him, but that’s not so bad, either. Bakugou grinning down at him is a sight he’d pay to see a thousand times over.
They make it about halfway up the mountain. They stand on a precipice, with all of creation—or so it seems—spread out before them, a thick green carpet upon the earth. The sun is high in the sky and distant but Kirishima can still feel her warmth on his cheeks.
Fuck, he loves it here.
Bakugou clambers on top of an enormous rock and stands tall, looking out over everything with his hands on his hips and a wild grin on his face. He looks so powerful and it’s natural, like he was hand crafted just for this, lovingly sculpted just to look down on the world, built brick by brick just to have pink cheeks and wind-mussed hair as he laughs and laughs. He’s untouchable, here, above it all, and Kirishima loves it. He loves him.
They eat in comfortable silence. Kirishima feels so light up here, and he’s worried he might float away. Everything below them seems so far as to be irrelevant—there are no labs or classes or frustrating roommates, there’s just the two of them and the wide-open sky. There’s just them and the sun and she’s watching them fondly.
The hike back down the mountain is slow and languid like molasses, the two of them bumping shoulders as they go, Kirishima singing softly and Bakugou sometimes humming along.
Fuck, why isn’t it always like this? How are they ever supposed to go back?
Apparently Bakugou is a peacock even on vacation, because tired as he is, he still whips up a dinner that could be served in a restaurant. If the whole Veterinarian thing doesn’t work out, he could always be a chef, maybe even a TV chef or something. Y’know, like Gordon Ramsay? Bakugou would make a great Gordon Ramsay.
They curl up on the couch and watch what looks like a K-drama, but again, neither of them speak Korean, so it’s hard to tell. There seems to be a lot of yelling and dramatically storming out of rooms while crying, so it’s probably a safe assumption that it’s a drama.
After they eat, Kirishima makes them hot chocolate, and they sip at it while looking out the window. Night has fallen but darkness has not. The moon is bright in the sky and the white snow reflects her light right back, making everything shimmery and ethereal. Kirishima’s never seen anything like it. He’s always lived in cities, always saw snow between buildings and piled on cars, never splayed out across the earth like this, never in one continuous slab of marble. It’s snowing. Bakugou is warm by Kirishima’s side, bundled up despite the heater and roaring fire.
That night, after they’ve gone to sleep, Kirishima wakes up in a cold sweat. He smacks his hand across the nightstand a few times until his fingers find his phone and he can look at the time—it’s a little after 3am. What woke him up?
A loud groan echoes through the cabin. It’s followed by a scream, hoarse and wrecked, and Kirishima instantly knows what’s happening.
He’s out of bed and in the hallway before he can think about it, swinging Bakugou’s bedroom door open. The hinge squeals but Kirishima can barely hear it over the sound of Bakugou’s pants and whines, like he’s a wild animal getting attacked and fighting for his life. Kirishima knew he had nightmares, sure, but he didn’t think they were this bad. These seem like honest to God night terrors.
Kirishima usually isn’t considered a smart man, but he’s definitely not dumb. He’d worried about something like this happening, and asked Uraraka for advice, because he knew Bakugou wouldn’t tell him shit if he asked him.
“Don’t touch him until he’s awake and recognizes you, that’s the most important thing,” She’d told him, “Usually, his nightmares are bad but not bad enough that he needs to be woken up. It’s better to just let him sleep if you can because he usually won’t remember it in the morning, but if he’s thrashing a lot or screaming, wake him up by turning a lamp on and nudging the bed. You might have to put your back into moving the bed enough to actually wake him but that’s the best way to do it. After he wakes up, he’ll be out of it for a few minutes and he won’t recognize you. Just say your name when he asks ‘who the fuck are you’ and he’ll eventually figure it out.”
He’d thanked her profusely and pressed a kiss to the top of her head—he’s become quite fond of her in the last few weeks—before gathering his things and heading out of the cafe they’d met in. As he was standing, she’d snagged his sleeve. “Don’t tell him I told you this, but he likes to be cuddled after a nightmare. Ask before you try it, but I promise he’ll say yes.”
His cheeks had flushed dark red and she’d grinned at him, an expression so smug that Kirishima wonders why he ever doubted that her and Bakugou are close friends. That’s Bakugou’s grin all the way down.
Now he knows what to do, and he does it. Bakugou’s screaming intermittently between long bouts of whimpering so Kirishima knows it’s time to wake him up.
There’s a lamp on the dresser than Kirishima flips on, blinking dumbly as its soft, warm light bathes the room in amber and gold. The bedframe is surprisingly light and Kirishima nudges it easily, which he has to do a few times before the whines stop. Bakugou hauls himself up slowly, bit by bit, like a marionette. It’s nothing short of unsettling but Kirishima can do this, for Bakugou.
Carmine eyes are unfocused as they peer at Kirishima, suspicious and defensive in a way Kirishima hasn’t seen before. “Who the fuck are you?!” Bakugou spits, words slurred with sleep. Kirishima swallows heavily.
“I’m Kirishima Eijirou, your best friend.”
“Hah?” Bakugou sounds nothing short of incredulous and Kirishima wonders what, exactly, he’s incredulous about.
Kirishima, as he was told, doesn’t say anything more. He looks at Bakugou and Bakugou looks back, brows furrowed and obviously lost in thought, looking more disoriented than Kirishima’s ever seen him. He genuinely doesn’t know where he is and Kirishima is suddenly really glad Bakugou invited him along—imagine if he’d woken up like that alone.
It takes around three minutes, but Bakugou eventually croaks out, “Shitty Hair?”
Walking closer, Kirishima stands right in front of Bakugou, who looks so small and lost, even now. “Yeah, man,” Kirishima hums, unable to stop the fond chuckle from bubbling out, “Can I touch you?”
Silence lingers for a long moment. Bakugou just looks at Kirishima before saying, “Yeah.”
Reaching out with tentative fingers, Kirishima brushes Bakugou’s sweaty bangs off his forehead. Bakugou leans into the touch but no one acknowledges the motion. “It’s kind of cold,” Kirishima says at length, “Would it be okay if I slept in here, with you? Y’know… For warmth?”
Bakugou snorts, small smile playing at his pink lips. “Body heat and shit, huh?”
“Yeah,” Kirishima agrees, delighted, “Body heat and shit.”
“You’re lucky I’m cold, shithead,” Bakugou grouses, but it’s playful and almost gentle. He lifts the blankets as an invitation and Kirishima all but dives in, snuggling up next to Bakugou and simply enjoying the closeness, enjoying the knowledge that Bakugou is okay. He’ll definitely be okay, because he’s strong, and he has Kirishima here to help him when he stumbles. God, Kirishima is stupidly in love. This is kind of becoming a problem.
They both slowly scoot closer and closer until they’re cuddling, their lips almost touching, but neither of them speak. Kirishima falls asleep with his nose squished against Bakugou’s cheek.
Overnight, it snowed. It snowed so much that the world seems smothered with it. The trees look heavy, weighed down by glimmering crystal, and Kirishima thinks he really could live here forever.
As beautiful as it is, the snow makes it impossible for them to leave the cabin for the day. Bakugou throws a hissy fit about it, but Kirishima doesn’t mind, he loves this little cabin with his whole heart and soul. After some deep breathing, Bakugou calms down and suggests they play video games to pass the time. They eat snacks and play games and take an impromptu nap in the middle of the afternoon and it’s one of the greatest days of Kirishima’s life.
Bakugou is so vibrant, here, so alive. Kirishima’s going to enjoy that while he can.
It’s their last day in the cabin. Kirishima’s really going to miss this place—he’s never seen Bakugou so relaxed, so happy before, and he’ll likely never get to see it again.
By the time he wakes up, Bakugou has already finished making breakfast, and the two of them eat in a comfortable silence. There’s a sense of mourning, Kirishima thinks, that has settled over them. They’ll both be losing something when they make it back to Musutafu, to Yuuei. It might be a bit selfish of him, but Kirishima wants to take some of this place with them.
It snowed during the night, so they spend their morning outside, throwing snowballs and wandering through the forest, enjoying the last of their time in their frozen paradise.
As always, Bakugou’s bundled up to a hilarious degree, and Kirishima is overcome with affection every time he so much as looks at Bakugou. They have to head out soon if they want to make it home at a reasonable hour, but they’re both dragging their feet as they pack, reluctant to give up what they’ve made here, together.
Kirishima is loading their bags into the trunk of Bakugou’s Kia, humming softly to himself, when Bakugou barrels out of the cabin with a determined look on his face. He stomps right up to Kirishima, who simply raises an eyebrow. “What’s up, Bakugou?”
“Katsuki.”
“What?”
“Call me Katsuki.” Holy shit, wow, okay, Kirishima never dreamed this would happen. Why now?
He gulps. “Uh, okay, sure, um, Katsuki. You can call me Eijirou, then, if you want.”
Katsuki nods.
“Did you, like, need something? Why’d you run outta the cabin like that?”
“I… I have something to fucking tell you.”
He really seems to fight to get those words out, so Eijirou tries to comfort him as he always does, “It’s just me, man. You can relax.”
“I am relaxed!” Katsuki snaps, clearly not relaxed, “Shut up! Let me fucking talk!”
Eijirou has half a mind to get upset but Katsuki’s cheeks are flushed and he seems embarrassed, not angry, so he simply nods for Katsuki to continue. Katsuki’s on thin ice, but he’ll get the benefit of the doubt.
“Didn’t you wonder why I brought you here?”
“I did, yeah, but I wasn’t gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“Kiri—Eijirou, I… Fucking. Shit. Fuck. Fuck it, okay, I’ll just say it, I gotta stop being a pussy! Eijirou. I like you. Fucking… Go out with me, or some shit.”
Oh man, Eijirou must’ve died and gone to heaven because this is too damn good to be true. He flings himself at Katsuki, who yelps as they tumble in the snow. Leaning on his elbows, now hovering over Katsuki, Eijirou can’t fight back his wide grin, so he doesn’t bother to try. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Katsuki is still bright red but now looks incredibly pleased with himself, every inch the cat who caught the canary. That look slides off his face and is replaced with flustered embarrassment when Eijirou asks if he can kiss him. He barely manages to stutter out a few garbled syllables before Eijirou’s leaning down, pressing his lips against Katsuki’s.
The kiss is awkward and clumsy and cold but it’s still incredible because it’s Katsuki. Eijirou just kissed Bakugou fucking Katsuki and his life fucking rules.
They hold hands over the center console during most of the 8-hour drive, both of them giddy with reciprocated feelings. Everything is new and fresh and exciting, and as Eijirou looks at Katsuki’s profile, he knows that that feeling will never fade. What’s better than dating your best friend?
As it turns out, there’s literally nothing better. Their relationship doesn’t change much, because the love was there all along—now they don’t have to restrain the feelings they would’ve once smothered, now they’re free to touch and kiss and truly exist together. Eijirou’s dated before, sure, but it’s never been like this. It’s never been so natural, so fulfilling.
Katsuki has never been one for sentimentality, but he’s starting to think there’s something in the phrase ‘two halves of one whole’.
Some days he amends it to ‘two halves of one whole idiot’.
After they graduate, they move out of Musutafu and into a cozy apartment in Chiba to be close to Eijirou’s moms, and implicitly to be away from Katsuki’s parents. Neither thought themselves well-suited for domesticity but here they are, coexisting so easily that they seem to have been doing it all along.
Eijirou finds a job at the Chiba Zoological Park as a zookeeper, which is basically his dream job, and when he gets the call from his new boss he cries. Katsuki applies to every Vet school in Tokyo and gets into every single one—unsurprisingly, because that boy’s smart as hell—and he picks the one with the shortest commute and attends classes four days a week. An hour on the train is worth coming home to his boyfriend every night, and having dinner with his future in-laws every weekend.
They’re happy and they’re together, all because Eijirou drooled on Katsuki all those months ago, something their friends call a “meet-cute” but Katsuki says it was a “meet-gross”.
Either way, they’re both glad it happened. Because now they have their whole future before them, and the other one to share it with, as sappy as that sounds. They’re allowed to be sappy because hey, they’re in love.