Chapter Text
It's class 1-A's 3rd year, their final year together. It's been two years since Kirishima and Bakugou got together, leaving behind most of the drama that came with their get-together. The class has been through a lot, ranging from personal experiences to their experiences in a hero's battlefield. Through thick and thin, however, they stayed together.
Currently, Bakugou was drawing again. It appeared to be himself and Kirishima, side by side in their hero costumes in the middle of battle, looking at each other with determined grins and covered in the evidence of a fight. Bakugou was proud at how much he'd improved.
Kirishima peeked at the drawing, resting his chin on the blonde's shoulder as his arms came around his waist. "Oh, I like that one," he said, smiling and pecking him on the cheek.
Bakugou grumbled a "thanks" at Kirishima, his gaze not leaving the sketchbook as he finished the drawing. With a sigh, he flipped to a clear page and started drawing something new.
Kirishima simply leaned against him, ignoring that Katsuki's hair was tickling his nose a bit, and just watched him draw. "Whatcha drawin'?" He asked quietly, not wanting to disturb his concentration.
"Maybe... You." Bakugou added some spiky lines to the already sketched head. "Definitely you. That's your shitty hair." He points with the pencil and smirks.
The redhead chuckles and pecks his cheek again. "Make me look good, 'kay? Nice and manly," he said, winking and hugging him a little tighter.
"Yeah, later. Teacher's here," Bakugou stated as he closed the sketchbook and watched their teacher walk into the classroom. Class was about to start.
Things between Bakugou and Kirishima were going smoothly. Well, as smoothly as one could expect when dealing with one of the most short-tempered males at the school. Things were okay.
Though, Kirishima could do without Katsuki doubting their relationship every few months.
Kirishima found himself dozing throughout the class period, having not gotten much sleep the night before. He hadn't really been sleeping well at all lately...
The bell rang for lunchtime and Bakugou was quick to get up and away, heading to the door and looking back, expecting to see Kirishima right on his tail. Once he'd noticed he wasn't there, he looked around until he spotted the redhead, snoozing on his desk. He walked over to shake him awake, a light frown on his face. He hasn't been sleeping well... "Hey, Shitty Hair. Eijirou, wake up."
"Uhn?" He sat up and looked up at Katsuki blearily before looking around and rubbing at his eyes. "Damn, I really need to stop falling asleep in class... That's the third time this week!" He sighed, then stood to follow Bakugou to the lunchroom, already reaching for the blonde's hand. Everyone was chattering away to their friends, talking about what they planned to do after graduation, and what hero agencies they had already talked to about getting a job. Kirishima was happy to wave at any one who greeted him, but he was hungry. Food now, talk later.
Both teens got their lunches and sat down, Kirishima immediately digging in, while Katsuki sat and picked at his food idly, a pensive frown on his face.
Of course, it didn't take long for the redhead to notice something was up. He put down his chopsticks and turned to his boyfriend, a question on his lips.
"Katsuki? Is something wrong?" Kirishima frowned lightly, debating whether or not to reach for the blonde's hand.
Bakugou shook his head. "Nothing," he muttered, but he looked up to meet Kirishima's gaze. He sighed, pushing his food away slightly. "Actually... Yeah." He looked pensive again, and his eyes were tight around the corners. "Do you still think... this is a good idea?"
"Eh? This?" Kirishima looked at him in confusion, though he knew very well what this was. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Our... Relationship." He pursed his lips, his voice strained.
Kirishima cringed and he gave a slight grimace. "You're not... Having second thoughts again, are you?" This wasn't the first time he'd heard this coming from him, nor the second time, or even the third. It was concerning before, but now Kirishima was worried. Was he doing something wrong? Was he not giving him enough attention? Too much attention? What could it be, what could it be?
"I just... I don't think..." Bakugou started, looking back down on his plate. "I don't think this is working. Look at me, Eijirou. I'm angry as fuck, explosive, and you're... affectionate, loving, caring. What do you get out of my shouting, my fits, my bursts of fucking anger? You put up with it for what?" Bakugou grumbled under his breath. "It's so fucking one-sided..."
"I 'put up with it' because I love you, and I don't care that you're angry, or you're loud," he says matter-of-factly, shifting to face him entirely. A look of quiet determination crossed his features. "And I don't think it's one-sided at all."
"I don't fucking reciprocate your touchy shit. I don't spout lovey-dovey shit like you do. What the fuck do you get out of this? It's one-sided as hell," Bakugou added, a quiet snarl building up with every word.
"I don't know, maybe your companionship? I know you're not a touchy person, and I accept that." He huffs out a sigh. "I don't know why it's so hard for you to understand that maybe, just maybe, I don't want anything from you except your love, but I'm telling you right now, I don't care. I accepted a while ago that that's just how you are, and I'm okay with it." Kirishima crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrows drawn together in concern.
Katsuki doesn't respond. Kirishima sighs, his brows relaxing slightly at Bakugou's strained expression. "We're going to talk about this whether you like it or not," he grumbled. "Meet me in my room after classes are over," he said, shouldering his bag and walking off without a backwards glance, dropping his tray off on the way out of the cafeteria.
Kirishima's mind had been a storm of thought, ranging from the worst case scenarios (they break up, they never speak again, they break up) to the best case scenarios (everything get's sorted out, everything is fine). He found the best-case scenarios to be a little out of reach though, and it brought him down. He trudged back to his room, wanting to simply get it over with.
Kirishima paced around his room after 30 minutes of waiting for Bakugou to show up. He's probably in his room. He did say he didn't want to talk about it, but this affects me too. He turned resolutely to the door and opened it, immediately turning to Bakugou's door and knocking determinedly.
Kirishima heard a quiet shuffle behind the door, then he heard the blonde speak. "No, I don't want to talk. Go the fuck away."
Kirishima sighed, leaning his head on the door. "I don't care if you don't want to talk, I want to talk. so open up and let's talk," he said, putting his foot down. Katsuki did this every time he brought it up. Kirishima wasn't letting him get away with it this time.
"No! Go away!"
Kirishima huffed and tried opening the door, finding it locked. "Open the door, Katsuki, you're being stupid," he said, knocking again.
"I said I don't want to talk!" he yelled back, his voice slightly muffled.
Kirishima sighed heavily. "Fine. Fine! I'll be in my room when you change your mind." He went back to his room, shutting the door loudly. He'll come to me eventually, he thinks.
Bakugou listened to Kirishima's footsteps through the pillow he had thrown over his head, and he flinched when he heard the door slam loudly. He removed the pillow from his face and started hugging it instead while gritting his teeth. I'm digging my own damn grave... After a while of laying comfortably in his bed, he dozed off, still clutching the pillow tightly. I. Hate. Emotions.
Kirishima sat with his back against the wall, fidgeting with his fingers. "Kami, I don't know what's wrong with him. Everything was fine, and now he's like this again. I don't get it." His gaze was downcast, and his fingers continuously picked at everything. "Is it me? Am I--am I doing something wrong?" His face screwed up into a painful grimace.
Kaminari's brows knit. "He's questioning your relationship again?" he asked with concern, patting the redhead on the back.
"Yeah. It's not like it's the first time, but that's the problem. He's been questioning it since it became a relationship. I'm starting to wonder if we'll bounce back from this." He leans his head back on the wall, sighing. "He won't even talk to me. He's completely shutting me out, and I don't know how to get back in." His gaze fixed on the blades of his ceiling fan, spinning around and around.
"Well... he could be just looking out for you?" Kaminari shrugged. "I mean, in his own Bakugou way, I suppose." Kaminari looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, laying back on one of Kirishima's pillows. "He's been asking you stuff like 'what do you get out of this?' and 'why do you put up with me?' and I dunno, I'm thinking it's because he's aware of how um... unpleasant his attitude is?" Kaminari smiled at Kirishima wryly, his expression apologetic.
Kirishima huffed. "But I don't care that his attitude is unpleasant. Most days I don't even notice it. It does seem likely that he could be looking out for me, but I don't need to be coddled just because he's got a shitty temper." He sits back up and crosses his arms, frowning down at his legs. "I just wish he'd talk to me. I want to make this issue go away completely, not just fix it only to have it come back in a couple months," he said, a painful expression on his face. "I love him, and as sappy as it sounds, I don't want to lose him."
Kaminari looked back at his friend in sympathy. "You could try talking to him now? Maybe? Or eh... talk to him through the wall? Maybe he's chilled out by now."
Kirishima frowned. "I doubt it. It's been a couple hours, but if he hasn't come to talk to me, then he's probably not ready to. I'll leave him alone for now." He sighs, raking a hand through his mussed hair.
"Hey, in the meantime, why don't we get some food? I'm starving!" Kaminari whined, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head.
Kirishima pauses for a moment, then sighs and shrugs. "Sure, why not? Food sounds good." He says, shifting to the edge of the bed and standing, trying to put on a smile.
"Maybe by the time we get back, Bakugou will be all chilled out and ready to talk!" The blonde says cheerily, walking down the hall.
"Katsuki is never chill," he grumbles, then follows him out.
Kirishima looked up from his laptop, startled at the sound of a knock. He quickly shuts it and walks to the door, a frown already marring his features. "It's about time." He says, seeing Bakugou in the doorway. "Get in here." He says, moving aside.
Bakugou wordlessly steps into Kirishima's room and sits on the bed, his red gaze fixed on his hands.
Kirishima sits next to him silently, reaching over to grab his hand. He looks at him and smiles sadly. "Please talk to me."
"I don't know." Bakugou says through gritted teeth.
"What don't you know?" He asked, trying to keep his frustration at bay. He doesn't know? How can he not know?
"I don't know if this is working! That's what, Kirishima!" Bakugou stated, his gaze flitting to Kirishima's with a grimace. "I don't get you at all, not even after two fucking years of dating."
"What's there not to get?! I'm not exactly complicated, unlike some people!" Kirishima stands, raking a hand through his hair before turning back to the blonde. "You're the one I can't figure out. I don't care if you're angry, or you're unpleasant; I don't see that anymore. But what I do see is someone who is constantly doubting our relationship when we have been fine. There haven't been any problems. I don't complain when you don't return my affection. I've given myself to you, wholeheartedly, and I trusted you. What more could a guy fucking want?!" Kirishima doesn't think he's ever actually been this... angry. It's an unfamiliar feeling, clawing up his insides and turning his thoughts into a red-hot jumbled mess.
Bakugou, startled at Kirishima's shouting, stood up and glared at the redhead. "That's the fucking problem! You're not fucking complicated, which means you can't see that I'm not fucking good for you!" Bakugou shouted back. "Are you that much of an idiot?! Charge into this! Charge into that! Fuck, I should date the most violent guy at school!" Katsuki carded a hand through his own hair, tugging at it harshly. "Are you self-destructive or what?! Is this some shitty emo remnant of your middle-school days?!"
"Is that what you think? Really? Do you really think I look at the most dangerous thing and just run right towards it?" Kirishima clicked his tongue. "Well, I don't. I ran to you because I liked you, and you let me get close. I felt special, alright? Of all the people you chose to let in, you chose me, and you know what? That fucking felt good." He grips the front of his own t-shirt, looking at the ground as he speaks. "And over the years, I fell in love." He refused to look up. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't, he wasn't, he wasn't.
Bakugou snarled at him angrily. "You're the stupid idiot that wanted a relationship! I didn't want any of this! I never wanted friends, but you, oh you..." He pointed at him with unconcealed rage, his face red from yelling. "You fucking fucker. You just had to have other plans, huh?! Always poking your nose in other people's businesses as if they're your own! Thinking they need some fucking companion! As if they wanted you around in the first place!" Bakugou continued shouting, kicking Kirishima's desk chair down in his rage. "You're the one that invaded my space! I never wanted you around in the first place!"
"That's not what you said to me when we started out. 'I want to try this,' and 'I don't want to hurt you', was it all a fucking lie? I don't think so. You're not the type to do something you don't want to do Katsuki, and everyone knows it. You're just too fucking stubborn to admit it!" Kirishima stabbed his finger at him angrily as he yelled. "You wanted this just as much as I did, and you know it, so stop fucking lying!"
"I never planned having so-called friends! I never planned having you around! Most of all, I have never planned in my entire fucking life on having a relationship!" Bakugou yelled yet again. "I am only here so I can be the number fucking one hero! The strongest of all of you fucks! My flow would have never have been fucking interrupted if it weren't for your incessent pestering!" Out of anger, Bakugou sent an angry fist towards Kirishima. "I never wanted you near me in the first place! You're the invasive shitface that kept on getting in the way!"
Kirishima dodges the blow and shoves him back, his forearm across his chest. "Can you shut up for two seconds about how annoying I am and just fucking listen? That's not what this is about and you know it! So just shut up!" Kirishima yelled, panting harshly. "You keep telling me that it's my fault, I'm the one who caused this, me me me, but what about you, huh? You're the one with all the drawings and the doodles and the fucking notebook that started this shit. I never would have said anything if I hadn't thought there was even an inkling that you didn't like me back. You know I wouldn't have, and you're an idiot if you think I'm going to believe that you didn't want this too. Bakugou Katsuki does what he wants, not what some annoying guy says he should do. I didn't force you into this, you came into it willingly, so don't you push all this shit on me."
Bakugou snarled at him. "I threw that fucking notebook in the trash for a reason! My stupid feelings were supposed to go away until you fucking brought it up again! It's fucking disgusting anyway! I'm an idiot for liking you in the first place! Why?! Cause you're a fucking rock! What could anyone get out of you anyway?!"
Kirishima breathed in deeply and shoved off of him, turning away. "Just--just get out." He said, a hand on his forehead as tears started streaming down his face.
Bakugou rolled his eyes and growled, brushing past him and exiting the room, slamming the door as he left.
Kirishima stared at a spot on the wall until he heard his stomping footsteps recede. Then he crumbles. He sinks to the floor and yells, just letting out all his frustration and anger before the yell dissolves into loud sobs and hiccups. It isn't long before he hears Bakugou's footsteps come back, hesitating before walking into his own bedroom and slamming the door behind him. It feels like an affirmation that it was real. This is happening.
Thanks to the events that had transpired, Kirishima locked himself up in his room to recuperate. He has missed 2 days of class due to it, and this is his third day missing classes.
Kirishima eventually let someone into his room on day 3, today, of his self-prescribed quarantine. Kaminari sat in his desk chair, trying to convince him to eat something.
Said blonde had a ham and cheese sandwich on his hand, while a cup of instant ramen sat on the redhead's desk. "Kirishima. Please eat. Then tell me what's wrong."
Kirishima scoffed. "You know what's wrong." He turned to his other side, facing the wall. "And I'm not hungry." He added petulantly.
Kaminari didn't budge, sounding unamused as he responded. "No, I don't know what's wrong because you haven't told me. And it's been three days since we've seen you! No one's seen you leave either, so unless you've got some secret food stash, you haven't eaten either! Please, just eat something." He held the sandwich out to the redhead. "Everyone's worried about you, Kiri."
"Denki, I'm not hungry, and I don't want to talk about it." His voice was rough from disuse and he had burrowed himself under the covers. He hadn't come out for anything other than the bathroom or to shower, because depressed or not, he wasn't going to lie in his own filth. "I really, really don't want to talk about it."
"Kiri, I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but not eating for three days straight could get you sick! Please!" Kaminari looked desperate. "You're not helping anyone if you're just gonna let yourself deteroriate."
"I'm not deteriorating." He says, stubborn. "Look, even if I did eat, I doubt I'd be able to keep it down anyways, so just stop." He snaps, then pulls the covers tighter around himself.
"Kirishima, please. All I'm doing is caring for you." Kaminari puts the sandwich on the desk, and sighs. "It hurts, y'know? Seeing your best friend in such a state that he won't even allow his friends to care for him."
Kirishima sighs and slowly turns back to face him. "Look, it's--it's not you. I'm just..." What was he doing? Why was he just laying there? Are you an idiot? Kirishima sighs again and sits up, holding a hand to his head. "I'm just being stupid." He takes the sandwich and bites into it solemnly. He knows he's probably a mess; he can feel his hair sticking up on one side, and he knows his face looks terrible, judging by how much sleep he'd gotten, which was to say none. He hadn't slept or eaten, and he was starting to feel and look like it. Not to mention he had a pounding headache from not eating.
Kaminari sighed in relief, watching Kirishima as he ate the sandwich. The blonde prodded at the instant ramen cup. "There's this too. If you're still hungry just tell me, and I'll get something." he added, smiling. "Just... talk to me when you want, okay?" The blonde sat back, smiling as his friend slowly came back to life.
Kirishima nodded, rubbing at his eyes with a groan. He motioned towards the ramen. "Hand that to me, I think my head will kill me if I don't eat more."
Kaminari handed the ramen over to Kirishima and watched him eat. "Still hungry, maybe? What'cha want?"
"I don't care, as long as it's edible." He says through a mouthful of noodles. He didn't care that it was burning his tongue; the burn felt good. It meant he could still feel. He was okay. But he was also really, really hungry.
"Alright. Be right back with anything edible." Kaminari chuckled as he rose and left for the kitchen, leaving Kirishima to his noodles and thoughts.
Kirishima finished off the noodles quickly and set the cup aside, sighing. It felt weird to have something in his stomach after so long. He leaned back against the wall and fidgeted with his fingers, wondering what he would tell Kaminari. That he and Katsuki broke up? Was that even what had happened? It was all so fast... he didn't know what to think.
Kaminari came back with a whole lot of food, practically two trays of food; all rice bowls and some dumplings. The blonde set them down on the desk and looked at Kirishima with a wide smile. "Here ya go. Courtesy of Lunch Rush!"
"Damn, Denki, you weren't kidding when you said 'all things edible', were you?" He grinned up at his friend before he dug in, going for a rice bowl. It felt weird to smile after so many days of staring at the wall and doing nothing. The corners of his mouth felt tight, and it took effort to bring them up. He wasn't sure if it even looked like he was smiling; it felt more like a grimace. But he tried anyways.
"Just looking out for my bro!" Kaminari exclaimed lightheartedly before getting one of the rice bowls with a sheepish smile. "And uh, I'm hungry too. Sorry."
"There's more than enough for both of us, take what you want." He mumbled around a dumpling.
It was maybe an hour later that they'd finally finished what they could of the food and sat back, both stuffed full. "Man, remind me to never not eat." Kirishima groaned, wiping off the bits of food on his face.
"I will." Kaminari told him, then sat up with a groan, setting aside a bowl. "You wanna talk about it?"
Kirishima looks at him for a moment, then sighs. "Well, I don't necessarily want to, but I bet you're gonna make me anyways, so why not?" He says, turning towards him. "Whaddaya wanna know?"
Kaminari looked at him with a sad smile. "What made you lock yourself in your room for three straight days and miss class?" His brows knit in concern. "It's our third year, Kiri, and those absences could mean a lot. Speaking of which, maybe you know what's up with Bakugou? He doesn't get angry, doesn't talk, practically avoiding all of us. It's... Very unlike him." Kaminari pondered for a bit, until he put the pieces somewhat together. "Did... Something happen between you two?"
Kirishima looked away, staring at a spot on the wall. "I'm surprised you didn't hear us, to be honest. We were pretty loud." He said quietly.
Kaminari perked up at what Kirishima said. "Oh. I must've had my headphones on back then.." His expression morphed into disgust a few seconds later. "Oh what, hell no! I don't need to hear you two fucking again! Jeez, man!"
Kirishima flushed brightly and flailed his arms a bit. "That's not what we were doing!" He pulled his hand back into his lap and averts his gaze, his face cooling. "We had a fight."
Kaminari immediately settled. "Oh... Was it about your relationship status again?"
Kirishima nodded, a painful grimace on his face. "I think we broke up."
Kaminari hugged him tight. "I'm here for you Kiri. And I'm sure Bakugou must've done something for you two to break up. He did bully Midoriy pretty badly. Someone with that character is just... Unpredictable." He frowned lightly, his eyes downcast.
"It wasn't him!" He snapped, then calmed after noticing Kaminari's flinch. "It wasn't him. Yeah, he was mean and angry, but like I said before, I stopped noticing that a while ago. And yeah, he said some mean stuff when we fought, but I did too. He's not to blame for everything, y'know. He's a good person, he just... he's a little rough around the edges."
"Stopped noticing, you said? Whatever he said made you lock yourself in your room, Kiri. He must've said things beyond being mean." Kaminari stated while rubbing circles on the redhead's back.
"I'm fine. He didn't mean what he said anyways, he never does. He's just trying to 'protect' me from himself, because he thinks he's some--some kind of poison to me, and he's not. He makes me happy. I wish he would realize he's hurting me more than helping me when he says stuff like that..." Kirishima leaned on his friend's shoulder.
"I'm fine." He says, trying to smile. He manages to get the corners of his mouth up for a couple seconds before they fall again.
"Okay...If you say so. Do you want me to stay? You can tell me everything and I'll try to help." The blonde stated, the concern in his voice showing in his face.
"I don't know..." Kirishima averted his gaze and twiddled his thumbs. "I don't really want to go into it."
"Okay man. You want me to go?" Kaminari asked hesitantly.
"I've been alone for 3 days, if you leave, I'm going to go crazy." He said, bringing a sad smile to his face.
Kaminari looked saddened, but smiled back. "Okay. I'll just stay here then."
"Thank you." For some reason, he just felt like crying in that moment and he wrapped his arms around the electric blonde. "I need a hug."
Kaminari looked startled, but hugged Kirishima again nonetheless, fulfilling his request. "Hey, promise me you'll come to class tomorrow. Graduation's close, man. You might not get your diploma if you keep this up."
"Yeah, I know... I'll go." He mumbles into his shoulder. He hugs him tightly and tries to keep the tears at bay.
After about an hour of Kaminari catching Kirishima up on the class gossip, it became very obvious that Kirishima needed sleep. "I haven't slept for 3 days." He yawned, grinning at Kaminari's horrified expression.
"Kirishima, what the hell! You need to sleep!" Kaminari gaped at him in shock as the redhead giggled. "Do you want me to stay?"
"Nah, you don't have to. I'll be sleeping, you'll just be bored." He thinks for a moment. "But you'll definitely have to come and get me up in the morning, 'cause I can't guarantee that I'll get up on my own." He says sheepishly.
"Alright..." Kaminari sighed, then stood and patted Kirishima on the shoulder before he left. "Sleep well, buddy." He waved as he left the room.
Kirishima sighed, flopping down on his bed and snuggling up to his pillows. Before he could even pull the blankets over himself, he was out.
The following day, Kaminari prepared an hour earlier just so he could wake Kirishima up. "Kiri! Class!" He shook the redhead.
"Noooo. Sleep." He mumbled, rolling over.
"You promised! Please Kiri!" Kaminari pleaded. Then with a devious smirk, he slightly jolted the redhead with his quirk.
Kirishima jolted upright, tumbling out of bed. "What the fuck! You asshole!" He grabbed Kaminari's ankle, and pulled him down with him, laughing. "Not cool!"
Kaminari landed with an oof! He leaned up on his elbows and laughed. "Dude! You promised to go to class! You can sleep all day later, tomorrow's Saturday!" Kaminari informed him.
"That's not how you wake someone up, dumbass. I'm gonna be feeling that for the rest of the day!" He grumbled, rubbing his arm as he stumbled to his closet for clothes.
"Well, no other way to get you off the bed was working. And I think I've energized you too!" Kaminari chirped.
"Bullshit!" He said, pulling on his shirt and tucking it in before button his pants and pulling on a belt.
Kaminari went outside, chuckling. "I'll wait for you downstairs. Don't you dare sleep or I'm jolting you again."
"I'm half dressed, do you really think I'm going back to bed?" He yells after him. He grabbed his tie off his desk and put it on, tying it deftly. "I'll be down in a minute!" He grabs his blazer and puts it on, then runs to the bathroom to do his hair quickly. He's out the door and down the stairs in record timing, in his opinion at least. He's not usually so rushed.
Bakugou was just outside, but not beside the door. He was holding a black sketchbook in his hands, staring at it pensively. Kaminari observed him, and brought Bakugou to Kirishima's attention. "Kiri, your boyfriend's over there." He pointed outside, then remembered. "I mean, ex-boyfriend." The blonde corrected himself.
"I'm not talking to him yet. I'll either wait for him to come to me, or I'll wait a few days. Whichever comes first." He says, grabbing Kaminari's arm and forcing him to walk in the classroom.
The sound of a loud boom resounded over the hallways, though not loud enough to raise alarms. Bakugou then walked in the classroom, his face the same as the previous days; lips pressed tightly together, pinched eyebrows. Kaminari also noticed something; the sketchbook was gone. "Um, Kiri? Was that notebook important?" The blonde asked.
Kirishima locks gazes with Katsuki, then looks away. "Nope."
Kaminari slumped back to his seat. "Okay. I was just asking 'cause I think he blew it up."
"Even if it was important, I wouldn't care. It's just a notebook." He said it loudly, and maybe he was being petty and immature, but he wanted Katsuki to hear.
Bakugou visibly flinched, but made no attempt to retort or even look. Kirishima's loud voice attracted the attention of the class, who questioned his three-day absence.
Kirishima noticed his flinch and couldn't help but feel some sort of satisfaction. Destroying the notebook was basically telling Kirishima that it was over. There was no coming back from this. There would be no talking, no makeup and makeout, no nothing. It was over, and for some reason, Kirishima felt.... relieved. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt light, and when Kaminari told him a joke, it wasn't hard to laugh. It felt good to laugh.
It felt like freedom.
Kirishima's days went on normally, if pretending Bakugou wasn't there was considered 'normal'. He laughed at jokes boisterously, enjoying the last few weeks he had with his friends, and anytime anyone asked him about the blonde, he changed the subject, asking if any of them understood the homework, or if they wanted to go out for lunch or to the movies. Though, his gaze would sometimes drift to the quiet blonde. You wanted me to be happy, right? You got what you wanted. So why aren't you happy?
They manage to make it through the sports festival without speaking a word to each other, except for taunts during their battle. After that comes the internships, and Kirishima enjoys his time with Fatgum and Amajiki, who has gained some confidence while working underneath the large, friendly hero.
Now, it's the last week before 1-A graduates and they're holding a party at the common rooms, music, food, and all. The only one not at the party is Bakugou, who only comes down to get food from the fridge, ignoring the buffet. He makes his way down to the kitchen, creeping past all his nosy classmates.
Kirishima notices Bakugou walk into the kitchen and hops off the couch, brushing confetti flakes out of his hair from the confetti bomb Ashido had thrown at him. He walks into the kitchen, waving off the loud protests of the other partygoers, and quietly leans against the counter behind Bakugou. "Hey."
Bakugou flinches a little, but does not respond, putting all of his attention towards the microwave, where a cup of instant ramen cooks.
Kirishima sighs, brushing a hand through his hair and watching the sparkly paper float to the ground. "Look, just because we're not... together anymore, doesn't mean we have to avoid each other." He scratches his cheek. "I still want to be your friend."
Bakugou doesn't respond, and the microwave dings. He hurriedly grabs the cup of ramen, ignoring the searing heat, and attempts to go back to his room.
"Bakugou." No response. "Bakugou. Katsuki."
Bakugou dashed past Kirishima and quickly made his way up the steps of the dorms, hellbent on getting to his room.
"Dammit--Katsuki, what the hell?" Kirishima goes after him. "I'm not mad at you, dammit, just listen to me!"
Bakugou reaches his room seconds before Kirishima, and with strong push, he shuts it loudly, which earns the interest of the rest of the class easily.
Kirishima groans in anguish and leans on the door. "Fine. You don't want to talk? Then just--just listen." Kirishima slides his back down the door and sits on the ground. "I want you to know that you don't have to avoid everyone. It's obvious that you're not happy, and I can't really figure out why, considering you got what you wanted, right?" He frowns at the ground, picking at a small piece of paper on the ground; probably from someone's notebook, he notes absently. "Just because we broke up doesn't mean that you have to close yourself off. No one has heard you speak outside of class in weeks, and it's kind of freaking everyone out. So just..." Kirishima sighs and stands up. "Just try, alright?"
He walks back downstairs to find curious stares and whispers directed his way and he smiles widely. "Did the party die when I left? Man, I must be cooler than I thought if the party stops when I leave, haha!"
Soon enough, it's graduation day. Kirishima is brilliantly happy, his smile infectious and bright enough to light the auditorium. He notes that Bakugou is missing, and ignores it. It's none of my business. Just leave him alone. He gets his diploma, and even cries a bit. I'm here. I'm finally here.
The class decides to have one last party, in honor of going their separate ways. It's a small get together in the common room, and is a little bittersweet, but in the best way. Bakugou is packing though, and loading his things into the back of a car, a gift from his parents (they'd made a big scene out of it the week before).
Kirishima brings in a few bags of snack foods and drinks and sets them on the counter, then sighs. I can't let him miss out on this, we're all going our separate ways after this. He's going to regret it if he doesn't come... After a moment of hesitation, he walks upstairs where he can hear Katsuki banging around in his room, putting things in boxes and sealing them up. His door is open, but Kirishima knocks anyways. "Packing already?"
Bakugou gives him a glance, before going back to packing boxes and duffel bags. Apart from the gaze, he doesn't respond.
Kirishima sighs, then leans against the open door. "Still playing the quiet game, then?" He looks around the room, remembering where everything was, all the things that couldn't be packed into boxes. He noticed the spot on the wall where Katsuki had lost his temper while playing video games with Denki and himself. He smirked at the memory and pushed off the door to walk further into the room. "It's weird," he starts off, grazing his fingers along the desk, his finger tips catching on the rough edges that Bakugou liked to pick at. "Not hearing your voice. I used to hear it so often and now it's just... it's too quiet."
Bakugoun stopped packing for a moment, but then he continued afterwards, shoving a bunch of sketchbooks into his duffelbags. In his hurry, a sketchbook fell out of his reach and onto the floor; it looked awfully familiar to the sketchbook he supposedly blew up.
Kirishima noticed it and went to pick it up before noticing that it had opened. He froze in his motions and looked up at Bakugou. "I thought you destroyed it." He said, his voice small and quiet.
Bakugou hurriedly picked it up and shoved it in the duffel bag. He zips it up harshly and shoulders his two duffel bags, looking very much like he did not want to talk.
"Katsuki, don't leave yet. Please, we're having a party downstairs and-and we can talk, just please stay for a little while!" Kirishima manages to snag his fingers on the back of his shirt and anchor him there. "Please, Katsuki."
No." Bakugou shrugs Kirishima's hands off his shirt. Once done shouldering the duffel bags, he goes to pick up the boxes, and starts trekking down the hallway. "I've made a mistake getting close to anyone. I am not doing that again." he stated, his voice gravelly and low from disuse.
Kirishima thunders after him, blood boiling. "It wasn't a mistake!" He shouted, grabbing his shoulder. "The only mistake is the one you made when you decided to close yourself off! No one pushed you away! No one!" He gripped him tightly and shoved him up against the wall. "I didn't push you away. I wanted to keep you close, dammit! But no, you pushed yourself away." He shoved off of him, looking angrily dismissive. "I'm done. Leave if you want, I don't care." He said, his voice breaking as he backs down the hallway before turning and walking down the stairs.
Bakugou had to shrug it off, despite the redhead's words affecting him. It did hurt, but he believed it was for the best for Kirishima. That way, it would be easier for both of them to just forget about each other. With those thoughts done with, Bakugou picked up his boxes and slowly made his way down the stairs. Once at the common room where everyone's gathered, the party went silent, and he could feel everyone's gazes on him. He brushed it off, and hurried outside to the car.
Bakugou finished shoving all the boxes and bags inside the trunk and slammed the trunk shut before quickly walking to the driver's side of the car. He stopped for a moment to look through the dorm's windows, watching everyone say their tearful goodbyes. He angrily rubbed at his eyes, cursing himself for crying.
He thought of the notebook in his duffelbag, and debated on destroying it or leaving it. Settling on the latter, he popped the trunk and got the worn black sketchbook out of the duffel bag and placed it on the dorm's steps. Shutting the trunk, he gave one final look to the dorms, a mix of anger and sadness, before he finally got in the car, started it, and drove off.