Chapter Text
On the other side of the wall, Kirishima had woken hours ago and heard most of their conversation, but didn't pay much attention, stroking through his human's hair while Bakugou slept on, still resting and recuperating from whatever injuries he'd attained on whatever his last case had been.
Bakugou usually wouldn't sleep this late, but he was exhausted. Even so, his need to wake up early wasn't so easy to tamp down, and he slowly started to wake up again with a sore groan. "Mm... What time is it..?"
Kirishima looked at the clock on the bedside table, "Just after eight," he said softly, brushing back sandy hair, "How are you feeling?"
"Mm, I feel like shit." he muttered, attempting to sit up- Not an easy feat with a dragon holding onto him, but he tried.
Kiri chuckled, gently helping him sit up, pulling him to lean back against his chest, "Which kind of shit do you feel like?"
Katsuki leaned back against him, mostly since he was pulled back against him regardless. "Like I got punched by a truck."
Kiri chuckled, nuzzling his cheek lightly, "Did you win?"
"Do you even need to ask? I'd be dead if I lost." Katsuki pointed out, rolling his eyes.
Kiri shrugged, "Not true, but I see your point." He shifted to sit cross-legged with Katsuki in the gap that created, "I'm glad you won, Bro. Even if you took a beating."
Katsuki closed his eyes, feeling undeniably really cozy in the little gap. "Of course I did... We gotta get up soon."
Kiri hummed, "You need to rest and heal, Kat."
"It's past eight, that's really sleeping in for me." he pointed out, turning his head to narrow his eyes at him.
"You're entitled to rest after getting hurt like that." Kiri said, bumping him lightly with his nose again, "Really, we're all right if you take another night for yourself."
"I didn't get hurt that badly," he said stubbornly. "You make it sound like I'm fucked up or some shit."
"Sorry, Kat." Kirishima apologized, "Just...I don't want to let you go, right now."
Katsuki hesitated but ultimately sighed and nodded. "Fucking hell... Fine, we can stay like this for a while," he said, kind of weak to the whims of dragons, especially when he didn't particularly want to get up either.
"Yay!" The redhead softly cheered, hugging him gently tighter and nuzzling his cheek again.
Katsuki rolled his eyes but got comfy nonetheless. "Fucking ridiculous... You just want to cuddle, don't you? Greedy lizard.."
"Is there something wrong with that? It's not even sunset yet. Let me be greedy about your well-being a little while longer."
"I'm not stopping you." Katsuki pointed out, "Just saying you're weird."
Kiri pouted against him, "Why am I weird?" he whined.
"I don't really get how you can enjoy being idle for so long," Katsuki explained. Honestly, he was a pretty flighty guy that usually didn't enjoy cuddling, so wanting to do that all day was weird.
Kiri sighed, nuzzling his cheek again and slowly, reluctantly releasing him, "Fine." he muttered.
Katsuki sat up again, stretching some. "...We can still hang out in here for a while, got the whole day," he pointed out, wanting to spend some time with him now anyway, he just didn't wanna lay there the whole time.
Kiri brightened again at that, smiling, "Okay!" he chirped, nodding enthusiastically. "I should look over your injuries again anyway."
Katsuki tilted his head. "The injuries weren't that bad." he pointed out, but dutifully took his shirt off again anyway.
"It hurts nothing to check anyway, man." Kiri shrugged, gently tracing the injuries with his fingers, careful of his claws, smelling for any hint of an infection, but finding nothing.
Katsuki let him check them over, though knowing he was doing so by scent was kind of weird. "Nothing bad, right?" he asked, though he could pretty much tell already.
Kiri shook his head, "Nothing, you're healing nicely." He smiled, sitting back, facing the blond, still holding Katsuki's hand between both of his own, absently massaging his palm.
Katsuki nodded, satisfied as he moved closer and leaned against Kiri comfortably. He was way too soft for this dumb lizard. "So, what happened to you then?"
Kiri rested his chin on fluffy hair, arms wrapping loosely around him, "Whatcha mean?" he hummed.
"You wouldn't have called me if something wasn't up. And your arms and torso are all wrapped up." Katsuki said dryly, reaching over to jab his arm to make a point.
Kiri winced slightly, cringing away from the touch for a moment before settling back in again, "I was a reckless idiot and got spotted." He said simply with a shrug, "Chisaki found me again."
"And judging by how fucking nasty these bandages look, you're also a reckless idiot that hasn't changed them in a while." Katsuki cared, he really did, he's just mean about it.
Kiri blushed, "I guess I forgot to when I saw you were here. I put you as my number one priority and didn't bother," he admitted, pulling back. "I'll go find the bandages." He moved to get up.
Katsuki nodded. "Good, bring them out here and I'll do them for you. You got any hair dye too?"
"We bought some last night, I think it's still in the back of the truck. I'll get that too." Kiri nodded enthusiastically, ducking in to nuzzling Katsuki tenderly before going to get the things.
Katsuki blushed a little, muttering something about Kirishima being too cute. He got up while the dragon went to fetch his stuff, going to wash his face to wake up a bit more.
Kiri came back with the box of dye and a couple rolls of bandages, setting them on the counter and hugging Katsuki from behind, cheek pressed between his shoulders, waiting for him to finish up.
Once he came back, Katsuki dried off his face and awkwardly turned around so Kiri's face was against his chest, then put his arms around him too. "Ready?"
Kiri nodded, moving back to sit on the closed toilet, using a claw to carefully slice away the old bandages and dropping them in the trash can.
Katsuki took a washcloth and some very hot water, using that to wash the cuts. He took care to be gentle and not hurt him further, something a bit uncharacteristic of him if this were anyone other than Kiri. He knew that, if anything, the dragon preferred the very hot water, so he wasn't worried about burning him. Once they were clean again, he made sure nothing looked infected, putting some ointment on them before wrapping him back up again. His motions were very practiced, which made sense given his line of work, so it didn't take long before Kiri's wounds were redressed.
Kiri smiled, bumping his nose against Katsuki's when he was done, "Thank you, 'Suki."
Katsuki rolled his eyes fondly. "You're welcome. Let's do your hair now, that's gonna take longer."
Kirishima nodded enthusiastically, moving to sit on the edge of the tub, grabbing one of the towels to wrap around his shoulders, turning his back to let Katsuki have as much access as he could give in the small space.
Katsuki first made sure to bleach the roots of his hair after putting some gloves on, then leaned back a bit and waited. "How's the rest of your group doing lately?" he asked to pass the time a bit.
Kiri turned to face him, smiling, "Tamaki's still nervous as a rabbit, though he has gotten better at leaving the nest, he goes into town with us more often now, and Taishiro's Taishiro." He shrugged, "We're all doing pretty good."
Katsuki nodded as he started getting the red dye mixed up and ready. "Yeah? That's good for him. I know you said that shit's hard for him."
Kirishima nodded, "Yeah, he's started seeing someone, but hasn't introduced us yet. Swears they're trustworthy, but I'm still concerned for him, ya know?"
Katsuki nodded. "I see... Well if you can tell me a name, I can run a background check on the guy." he offered.
The redhead shrugged, "I don't know anything, he hasn't said anything definitive. Tamaki comes home with a slight unfamiliar masculine musk, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything."
"I hate the way you worded that." Katsuki said, grimacing at the phrase 'masculine musk'. "I'm sure he can handle himself, but if you do figure out a name, let me know if you want me to scope the guy out."
Kiri's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I didn't think it was that bad..." He murmured before forcing himself to smile again, "I'm sure I won't need to, but if we need to make him disappear, I'll let you scare him a bit first."
Katsuki chuckled a bit. "Yeah. You might look scary when you get big but I think I have you beat anyway." That was debatable, but don't tell Katsuki that.
Kiri smiled, standing and carefully wrapping his arms around Katsuki's neck, looking down at him, "Can't argue with you there, Bro." He bumped their noses together, careful of the bleach in his roots.
Katsuki rolled his eyes fondly and gently nudged him back again. "Rinse your hair out, lizard. I think it should be good to go now."
Kiri pouted as he went to do as he was told, "I'm not a lizard," he muttered.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "You have scales and four legs, you're a lizard," he said, unaware that Shinsou had said almost the exact same thing the night prior.
"You sound like 'Toshi." Kiri mumbled before starting to rinse out the bleach so Katsuki could fix his roots and they could be done with this embarrassment. He felt more vulnerable like this than he had when they bathed together.
Once it was rinsed out properly, Katsuki started to apply the dye and the foil. It'd make the roots the right color, plus it'd refresh the rest of his hair alongside it. "I fucking don't, fuck off."
Kiri smiled slightly at that, settling back on the side of the tub again to wait, "You don't want me here, I can go curl up with Denki, I don't think he'd mind cuddling."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "He's probably too busy hanging off the arm of that purple-haired prick he just met." he muttered.
Kiri sighed, looking up at the blond, looking more conspiracy nut than actual cryptid himself. He opened his mouth, then decided to not reopen that argument again.
Katsuki looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "..You got something on your mind, I can tell." he prompted.
Kiri shook his head, "It's nothing, don't worry about it, man."
"Oh fuck off, what is it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously.
"Nothing! Honestly. I know you don't like 'Toshi, it's no use being upset about it."
"I'm not upset about it. I just don't want Kaminari to be an idiot and break his own heart or some shit." he said with a huff.
"I didn't say you were," the redhead muttered, "but I see your point."
Katsuki looked at him. "...Are you upset about it?"
"Why would I be upset? I have nothing to be upset about!" Kiri answered a little too quickly.
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "You're a shitty liar," he said, leaning forward to fold his arms on the edge of the tub and rest his chin on them. "Come on, what's making you upset?"
Kiri blushed, "It doesn't matter, man, really. It's super stupid."
"It probably is." Katsuki agreed, "But you're gonna tell me anyways, because if it's bothering you this much, it's bothering me too."
Kiri looked away pointedly, "It doesn't matter because I don't want you to change because of me. It's stupid and we've talked about it before, and it doesn't matter."
"When have I ever been the type to change for anyone?" he asked, reaching over and taking his hand. "Even if nothing changes, it's good to talk about shit instead of letting it get all bottled up. So just tell me, it matters to me."
Kiri sighed, looking over at the other again and squeezing back, "It's just...you know I don't like when you talk about my family like that. I know you don't get along with Hitoshi at all, I just...wish you wouldn't in front of me?" He dropped his gaze to their hands, "I told you it's stupid."
Katsuki blinked, a little surprised and, honestly, feeling kind of guilty now, too. "...Sorry. I'll lay off," he said, looking away awkwardly. Truthfully, he tended to talk that way about people whether he liked them or not, so it could be a bit hard to tell when he was going too far and offending someone. Hell, he called his own mother a hag on a regular basis and she insulted him right back, but he still loved and cared about her, it was just the way he was raised to speak. But he didn't like making Kiri upset either, even if he didn't personally seem to have that connection between insults being, well, insulting.
Kiri shook his head, "I told you it was stupid, don't worry about it. I know your interactions with others are different, I shouldn't be so...touchy about it, either. Forget I said anything. Really, it's fine."
"Would you quit it?" he said, narrowing his eyes in some annoyance. "Your feelings aren't fucking stupid, I like it better when you fucking tell me if something is making you upset." He sighed, pushing some of his hair back from his face. "...I don't pick up on shit like that very well. But that's not a reason to just not say anything and let me keep making you upset. Just fucking.. use your words and tell me if I'm being an asshole. I'm not unreasonable here.." Wow, was he really admitting to his own faults? Ironic. But honestly, it was something that bothered him. People always just assumed it was so easy to realize how other people felt, as if he was supposed to read their damn minds and know that he'd upset them while they refuse to just tell him to his face how they feel.
Kirishima sighed, pressing their foreheads together, forgetting about his hair for a minute, squeezing their hands again, "Really, 'Suki, it's fine. I'm sorry I upset you too. I know that's how you are, and that's why I love you." He wasn't paying attention to his words, just trying to soothe the blond, "Really, 'Suki, I promise I'm not mad."
Katsuki didn't seem to realize the hair dye was getting all over his own hair either, just allowing the forehead bump. "Just... Stop. Stop." he muttered, glaring at the ground. "Stop saying it's fucking fine, stop apologizing to me. I made you upset, you did the normal fucking thing of telling me that I made you upset, so now I can adjust so I don't do it again. You're acting like it's some big inconvenience to me when it's not even a big fucking deal. I just want you to be honest with me about this shit so it doesn't have to be a big deal." He didn't seem to catch that little love confession, thankfully.
Kiri sighed, nuzzling him gently before pulling back and blushing, "...Sorry man." He said, looking at Bakugou's forehead with a twitching smile, ".....we match."
Katsuki blinked, looking confused. "What..?" he asked before reaching up and feeling a very distinctive gross wetness on his hair. "God fucking damn it-"
Kirishima laughed, "Told you." he playfully nuzzled him again, since the damage was already done.
Katsuki huffed in annoyance and pushed him back. "Don't make it fucking worse!"
"I don't think that's possible, man." Kiri laughed again, leaning away as he was pushed.
Katsuki went over to the sink to rinse it out, annoyed at the noticeable pink streaks left behind. Curse him for having very light hair.
Kiri laughed, relaxing again, "I think you should have let it set, would have looked really manly. Not that pink isn't manly too."
Katsuki looked at the leftover hair dye, then sighed and picked it up. Not that he didn't like pink, but it looked stupid right now and would look better if it was at least evenly dyed. Guess he was gonna have red streaks in his bangs for a while.
Kiri grinned at that but didn't say anything again, not wanting to scare the other into stopping. He'd have fun playing with it later.
Katsuki grumbled as he dyed his bangs, then washed his hands again and crossed his arms in annoyance while letting the dye set.
Kirishima smiled, "You look very manly, Suki."
Katsuki squinted at him, figuring that he was being sarcastic. "Oi, it's your fault, don't start sassing me."
Kiri's face crumpled slightly, "Really, Suki, I mean it, you look really nice like that."
"Nobody looks hot when they have foil and red goop in their hair. We both look fucking stupid right now."
Kiri pouted, "Fine," he muttered, "We aren't manly."
Katsuki nodded. "Yet. We aren't manly yet. We'll get there."
Kiri brightened again, sitting a little straighter with a grin and a nod, "Yeah! You're right, man!"
"Well duh, I'm always right," he said dryly, leaning back a bit.
Another sure nod. "Yeah."
After a while, they could rinse the goop out, so he nudged Kirishima. "Go ahead and rinse your hair off."
Kirishima nodded, standing to grab the showerhead from the wall and kneeling over the edge of the tub to rinse out his hair, careful of the dye and rinsing it carefully down the drain before it could stain the porcelain.
Once he was done, Katsuki did the same with his hair and rinsed the tub. "..It'll look better dry."
Kiri giggled, "I don't think it looks that bad wet, how can it look better?" he teased, "You always look amazing. So manly." 'And hot' , he mentally added.
Katsuki blushed a little and averted his eyes. "I was talking about your hair, dumbass."
Kiri's smile faltered nervously for a minute before he caught himself,".....it feels better already. Honestly, man. Thank you," he said with a renewed grin.
Katsuki nodded, "You look good. Anything else we're forgetting? You've been keeping your nails good, right?"
Kiri smiled, holding out his hands for the other, "Of course, they're a little sharper right now, but I just haven't gotten to them the last few days."
Katsuki inspected them, then nodded. "You should keep them sharp for now, in case we run into trouble."
Kirishima nodded, letting his nails lengthen into claws for a few seconds before returning them to slightly too sharp fingernails, "Yeah, that's why I haven't trimmed them."
Katsuki nodded with a smirk. "Good, they look badass long like that anyway," he said, "Should we check on the others?"
Kiri playfully clacked his fingernails together with a grin and a nod, "Yeah, let's go see them." He agreed.