Work Text:
He just went to the store for some milk.
Kirishima doesn’t expect to pass by a storefront showing off a bunch of televisions, and for every single one to be screening the news. He also doesn’t expect to see a certain explosive professional hero wearing a Red Riot shirt.
He groans and clenches his fist by his side, nearly dropping the milk simply because he’s feeling petty.
“Ground Zero is so cool!” A child pointing at the screen exclaims, his friends huddling closer to watch as Bakugou aims at a particularly ugly villain before blasting them away.
Kirishima exhales a sigh of relief. It’s entirely possible they don’t notice the Red Riot shirt because the cameras are recording from a distance. If Kirishima wasn’t aware of Bakugou’s antics, he probably wouldn’t have noticed it either.
“Wait,” a little girl says, and Kirishima winces, “is Ground Zero wearing a Red Riot shirt?”
Kirishima chokes on air, quickly pulling his hoodie over his head as he turns around to waddle away.
“Is that Red Riot?” One of the kids yell behind him, and he starts to sprint.
Kirishima is going to sit on Bakugou when he sees him and he is never going to let him escape. Bakugou is going to pay.
-
A week later, and Kirishima is on duty. It isn’t the usual solo villain, but rather a group. For that reason, he’s told that he will be receiving backup.
So when he jabs his hardened hand into the stomach of one body only to be tackled by three others, he’s relieved when a large blast frees him. He stands, rolling his shoulder back as Bakugou steps forward.
He opens his mouth to thank him, but immediately clamps it shut once he looks Bakugou over.
“Seriously dude?” He asks, because holy shit. Bakugou is wearing not only another Red Riot shirt, but has a hat to match. “I never thought you’d be the embarrassing one in this relationship.”
“Shut up and fight,” Bakugou growls, flying past him to punch one of the villains right in the stomach, making the guy’s lunch resurge. Kirishima rolls his eyes, but runs forward, fully prepared for the way Bakugou holds a hand out without looking. He grabs said hand and Bakugou lets out a menacing shout, blasting Kirishima’s hardened body out like a spear straight at the group of criminals.
Like a bunch of bowling pins, they fall over. Kirishima gets up and brushes the dust off himself, hardly clearing away the smudges on his bare chest. Numerous flashes catch his eye as he’s turning away, blinking as cameras are shoved forward to get his photograph.
He smiles, punching his fists together while he gazes into the lens.
“Red Riot! May I get your autograph?”
“How does it feel to be working with such a top ranked hero?”
“Why is Ground Zero wearing a Red Riot shirt?”
Kirishima inwardly groans as the last question starts a stampede of others with the same topic in mind.
“Is there something going on between you and Ground Zero?”
“Will you be wearing a Ground Zero shirt next? Your fans want to know!”
With a strained smile, he glances at Bakugou and feels the blood rush to his feet. Bakugou is pointing at him and talking to his own crowd, expression neutral but his words far from it.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
Kirishima considers how manly it would be to dig a hole and bury himself alive before he’s marching over and grasping Bakugou’s hand. The crowd gasps and a few girls scream, making him facepalm.
“Thanks for the questions, love you all!” Kirishima flashes the civilians a grin and then he’s dragging Bakugou away. Bakugou doesn’t argue, but he doesn’t exactly follow along either. In fact, he’s almost dead weight. “I can’t believe you!”
After forcing Bakugou around a corner and away from the eyes of others, he lets them slow down on their way back to their agency. Kirishima gazes at Bakugou and pouts. “Why do you even wear my merchandise if it’s just going to get shredded and burned to nothing when you’re on the job?”
With a snort, Bakugou makes eye contact with him. “To show them that I’m your biggest fan.”
Kirishima’s face warms up at that, and he coughs. “That’s super cheesy coming from you.”
A click of his tongue, and then Bakugou is facing him fully, stopping in place. “It’s about sending a message.”
Kirishima narrows his eyes at him, at this ridiculous man that makes his heart beat with reverence everyday. “Midoriya was right, you are insane.”
“You’re the one that insisted we start dating,” Bakugou shrugs, beginning to walk once again.
“Yeah.” Kirishima sighs, smile on his lips. “I don’t regret it.” His eyes roam over Bakugou’s body. “Even if my biggest fan is a top ranking hero who can’t be properly romantic for his life.”
-
Kirishima is sitting at home on his day off, flipping through the television channels with only mild interest when he sees Bakugou’s face.
He stops, a little sigh escaping him at the sight of Bakugou’s handsome appearance. Bakugou is still wearing his merchandise, but today he seems to only be wearing a wristband, must to Kirishima’s relief. Weeks later, and he still isn’t used to it.
“So, Ground Zero, it’s been a month since you revealed you were dating Red Riot. How is that going?” An interviewer asks, her hand trembling only slightly. It’s quite impressive considering no level of professionalism can prepare oneself to talk to Bakugou. The man is a puzzle, a complex mystery with a permanent scowl and a scary quirk.
“F-” Bakugou is immediately censored, making Kirishima snicker, “-ing fantastic.”
“Your fans are dying to know how it is having Red Riot as your boyfriend.”
Bakugou pauses, face scrunching up. “It’s like, when an a-hole of a villain gets a solid punch on me and it hurts like hell because no one is invincible, but then I think of him, and it hurts a little less.”
Kirishima groans, burying his face into one of the couch pillows to keep himself together.
“That’s so sweet,” the interviewer says, and it sounds like she means it. “I’m happy for you two and I hope you make good memories together for a long time to come.”
“About that,” Bakugou shifts to look directly into the camera, “I want that too.”
Kirishima stops breathing, pillow clutched close to his chest.
“I want to spend the rest of my life together with you, Red Riot.” Bakugou keeps a steady gaze and Kirishima makes a pitiful noise, shutting off the television.
Later that day, when Bakugou gets home, Kirishima nearly wrestles him to the ground. Bakugou is quick to react, putting distance between them immediately. He stands there, mirth in his eyes as he looks at Kirishima.
“You’re such a dick!” Kirishima says, hands in fists by his side.
“So you were watching,” Bakugou replies, mouth quirking upwards. He steps forward, and much to Kirishima’s horror, gets down on one knee.
His mouth opens and closes multiple times as Bakugou reaches into his pocket.
“I swear, if it has the Red Riot brand anywhere on it, I’m going to hit you.” Kirishima blurts out, knowing it’s a bluff. His limbs are jelly and he can already feel tears swelling in his eyes.
Bakugou pulls out a ring, and it’s so beautiful, and so not covered in any kind of brand that Kirishima starts crying.
“Hey,” Bakugou murmurs, raising one hand to wipe away the tears dripping down his cheeks. “Will you marry this asshole?”
Kirishima can’t speak, so he nods instead, a sob escaping him as he drops to his knees and pulls Bakugou in for a hug.
“I hate you,” he wails, burying his face into Bakugou’s neck. Bakugou smiles against his shoulder, humming.
“I know.”
An hour later, when they’re both curled up on the couch with Kirishima on Bakugou’s lap, Kirishima mumbles sleepily against his skin.
“You still gonna wear my merch?” He asks, trailing kisses down Bakugou’s neck as the man releases a pleased sigh.
“Don’t need to,” Bakugou answers, hands roaming Kirishima’s back, a heated palm to his spine. “I think they got the message.”