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Kirishima had already figured the rain was going to come sooner or later. Earlier that day there had been a bunch of clouds in the sky and a way too cold breeze going around outside. Bakugou nagged him about not wearing a jacket, but he still did refuse to listen. Sure it was cold but complaining wasn’t something too manly to do, especially in front of his friends.
It was about three in the morning now and he was sharing Bakugou’s bed with him. They were studying for the exam next week and Bakugou had been the one to make the study session extra long. After seeing how fast time past, Kirishima had figured it was time to go back to his own room. Sure there was no problem sleeping in the same bed as his boyfriend, but Kirishima always left it up to his boyfriend to decide.
Sometimes Bakugou just needed to be alone.
Lately though after the kidnapping he had been a lot more ‘clingy’ than before. That familiar hard expression he was throwing at Kirishima right now was enough to say without words, “I hate being alone, stay.”
Tonight had been one of those nights he covered up the anxiety with telling Kirishima that he may as well sleep with him there, considering how late it was. He said maybe they could fit in more studying in the morning if Kirishima didn’t oversleep again. Kirishima wanted to tell him he could just be normal about it and flat out ask him to stay without the excuses, but he never really questioned it much. Not at rare times like this when Bakugou for once was letting himself be sort of vulnerable.
It was different to see the blonde not being so loud but at the same time...nice.
Seeing Bakugou shift uncomfortably with the flush on his cheeks, Kirishima always did try to make a goal to make things feel less weird. As they were setting up the bed he threw Bakugou a grin, “You sure you don’t want me on the floor?”
“What the fuck? We’re dating idiot, get on the bed.”
The clock said it was three in the morning now and his eyes were still looking up at Bakugou’s dark ceiling. Three hours before they had their miniature argument about the fact Bakugou literally had thrown all the blankets off the bed and Kirishima was starting to feel the chill of the storm coming into the room.
“Come on dude, you throw all the blankets off the bed?”
“Yeah, not my fault I get too hot at night. If you’re complaining that much about the cold, then sleep closer to me.”
Kirishima could see Bakugou flush in the dim lighting as he felt his own cheeks go red. He couldn’t help but grin at the comment, “Yeah?”
“Whatever.”
Bakugou radiated heat, so it wasn’t exactly the absence of sheets keeping Kirishima up. The storm wasn’t also really a problem even if thunder roared ever so often and the wind kept pounding at the window. It was his own mind this time, plaguing him of those thoughts about the nightmares that came ever so often.
“Come on!”
Every time he shut his eyes, he thought about what would have happened if he didn’t reach far enough for Bakugou. What would have happened if they had maybe been too late and the villains had already killed him. He remembers how much he didn’t do and how at that moment, he could have maybe been out there to stop the whole thing from happening.
Despite what other people said in the past, Kirishima never would see his favorite explosive blonde joining them.
Being awake at such a terrible hour wasn’t necessarily all bad. Sure he might be tired when the sun came up, but he still got the chance to see Bakugou with his guard down. No yelling, no insults...just the complex guy he fell head over heels for. People said he didn’t know what he was in for being with Bakugou, how it was a matter of time before the blonde probably ripped his heart out without a care in the world.
Sure his boyfriend could be an icy jerk with a history of bullying that wasn’t the best, but he was sort of calming down now. Everything with time got better and after spending so much time with him, Kirishima saw more than just anger.
A whole other person that would he wasn’t too sure anybody would see.
Besides not wanting to be alone, there was also the nightmares. Kirishima thought it would be have been a peaceful night, right up until the next roll of thunder roared outside. He saw Bakugou start to shake, something close to a whimper coming from him.
Kirishima could guess what nightmare it was this time.
Taking no precautions he shifted a little closer to Bakugou, adjusting a grip around him. He himself had been laying on his back and Bakugou conveniently was facing him. He was careful to avoid his neck, knowing full well that would make things worse. Kirishima was prepared to harden up if the other boy was planning on shooting off an explosion without his control. He started to rub his arm up and down the other boy's arm, trying gently at first to wake him up.
“Bakugou, it’s just a dream.”
The room lit up with a silent flash and Kirishima saw the look of pain on the other boys sleeping face.
“Bakugou.”
Kirishima was trying to stay calm even if he saw his breathing getting more labored. Not seeing any other way, he ended up trying a louder approach.
“Katsuki!”
Almost immediately he felt those red eyes snap open and Bakugou shot up to an upright position. Kirishima could see his breathing was panicked and a small explosion had already gone off in his hand. Bakugou swatted at the back of his neck as Kirishima leaned over to turn on the side light, hoping it would be better than sitting in the dark.
Kirishima reached for his arm as gently as he could, “Just a dream Katsuki...it’s just me.”
Bakugou still avoided his gaze, desperately trying to catch his breath as his eyes scanned the room. Kirishima could smile all he wanted, but it would always hurt to see Bakugou like this.
Bakugou’s voice was gruff, thick with emotion, “Screaming?”
“Nah man, you’re good. You want to um...talk about it?”
Bakugou rubbed the back of his neck, not really giving him much of an answer. Kirishima already knew it was going to be later when he’d talk about it or maybe just not at all.
“Did I…”
“No.”
“Did I blast you?”
Without much more to say Bakugou leaned back down on the mattress, laying in that same position they woke up in. Kirishima reached for the light to put them back in darkness, not pushing anymore questions. Bakugou threw an arm across his chest and Kirishima readjusted his arm around the other boy, still being careful to avoid his neck. There was silence for a while before he heard the sound of crying, clearly trying to be stopped.
He hated it the most when Bakugou cried.
Kirishima tightened his grip around Bakugou when he felt him doing the same, shutting his own eyes tight to prevent any tears from escaping. He couldn’t help it much...he was a big sympathetic crier when it came to things like this.
He couldn’t really tell if he had been crying at this point too but he had to say something, “You know it’s okay dude? It’s manly to cry. You’re already so manly and this...this doesn’t make anything different. It’s okay to still hurt.”
Kirishima was worried he made him cry even more as it seemed to get worse. Bakugou hated being this way, as Kirishima could see how tense his whole body was. It’s not like he could really help it though, Kirishima knew at this point they all had these moments.
“Maybe if I wasn’t so fucking weak, this wouldn’t have all happened!”
They laid there hugging each other, Kirishima hearing the sounds of the raging storm and the broken sobbing. Kirishima could feel those hot tears going through his shirt, and the pain of his own heart breaking as he realized truly how tight Bakugou was grabbing onto him. Almost to stop him from leaving, like he wasn’t real.
“You don’t have to talk about it but-”
“They...they killed you.”
Oh.
If he wasn’t sure about whether he was crying or not before, he knew he was now. Desperately he went to grab Bakugou’s hand, lacing it tightly with his. A grip that reminded him a lot of that night, a hard grip he wasn't going to let go of.
“Well I’m right here dude, I’m always going to be right here.”
“I’d die for you.”
“Like I’d ever let that happen.”
In a desperate attempt to shift the mood Kirishima started to let his mouth run. The first thing he thought of was sure to get Bakugou’s mind off such dark topics, “Bro I’ve got to dye my hair again.”
Kirishima heard him take a sharp breath as he began to calm down before replying hoarsely, “What?”
“Yeah, I need to dye my hair like this week or something. Before I came here to study I noticed in the mirror my roots were starting to show. I was hoping you could actually help me do it?”
It was a bad idea to bring it up but Kirishima was hoping for anything besides this. He had thought there was going to be a usual venomous remark but instead Kirishima actually heard him laugh. A rare occurrence for his boyfriend really, that deep gravelly sound coming from his chest. He saw Bakugou rub an arm roughly across his eyes as he adjusted himself still close to Kirishima, maybe having a smile on his face.
“Whatever. I’ll help you after class, I’m flattered you trust me more than the three other idiots.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Yeah fuck off with that sappy shit you always try to put into everything.”
No one would really believe him if he said Bakugou was more of a romantic than he put himself out to be.
Kirishima gave him a grin in the dark, “You gonna kiss me or what?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
Right when Kirishima thought he was going to get an explosive kind of kiss, Bakugou seemed to be back to his old self.
“Ei? Why the hell are you up anyways? The storm?”
“No, I can’t sleep again. Thinking too much about...everything I guess.”
Bakugou was quiet for a minute before squeezing their interlocked hands, “You weren’t going to miss my hand, you didn’t. It had to be you and it was.”
“I should have been out there, but I was too scared. I froze up like I always do.”
Bakugou’s grip on his hand got harder as he growled out, “I was worried somebody wasn’t going to fucking come. Everybody wouldn’t risk that much for someone like me, but you did. You were right there, doing something that a weak person couldn't. You’re an unbreakable manly force and at that moment you...you..”
“You were my hero.”
Kirishima felt a smile come to his face and tears come to his eyes again, “I know Bakugou, I know.”
Bakugou finally went in to kiss him, a different kind of explosion. To Kirishima, it always did feel like the very first time. Kirishima felt the boys thumb rub across his cheek as he told him a demand, “Stop crying for me dumbass, it’s not worth it.”
“I’m sorry, you know I can’t help it. You just gotta promise me you’ll stop blaming yourself and saying you're weak too. You’re manly, way manlier than me sometimes.”
There could have been a chance that Bakugou ignored his comment judging by the silence. Instead Kirishima could just feel Bakugou roll his eyes, “Whatever Mr. Manly Boyfriend. You’re the one obsessed with being the manliest of the class, I think you’ve claimed that spot. Are you going to go to sleep?”
Bakugou squeezed his hand again, “Only if you promise me bro.”
“Fine. I promise. Now go to sleep, we both need it.”
It was easier now for Kirishima to feel a lot more tired now; feeling the warmth and hearing the sounds of the rain. Kirishima slowly began pushing for his eyes closed hoping Bakugou was going to do the same thing soon enough.
“Ei?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Bakugou couldn’t see it, but a huge grin spread across Kirishima’s face the moment he said that. As they both laid there now with their eyes closed Kirishima whispered back to him, “Goodnight.”
Kirishima was pretty sure he heard the faintest “I love you” before finally finding himself fall completely asleep. The both of them had slept fine through the rest of the night and in the morning, walked to class together with their fingers tightly interlaced.
Right before they entered Bakugou looked over at him, giving him a faint smile. Kirishima returned the gesture with a grin, before leading the way to open the door.
“It has to be you, it always has to be you.”
Bakugou was going to be the only person for Kirishima, and well Kirishima was the only person for Bakugou.
All they ever really did need was each other.