Archive of Our Own ^beta

The question had been uttered merely half an hour before with complete seriousness and seemed innocent enough on the surface. But he knew the caller, knew that while their voice remained calm and even they probably looked mildly panicked at the situation.

And that's how Bakugo Katsuki found himself walking the fifteen minutes to his so-called best friend’s apartment, in the middle of the night, when he should have been sleeping (”We’ll see if I even talk to him after tonight’s dumb antics” he found himself mumbling over and over). The argument could be made that he wouldn't have answered the phone if he wasn't already awake, but he wasn't in the mood for semantics at the moment. Instead, he was more in the mood to tear into the three idiots who thought it was reasonable to consume mass amounts of caffeine and then drag him into it.

(”Oh Bakugo, you didn't have to come over. He was just being dramatic” they’d say. He could just hear their stupid excuses now.)

The chill to the air certainly wasn't helping his mood any. He’d taken about two steps into the street before he had realized he would need more than sweats and a tank top to get to his destination. So grudgingly, he’d wandered back into his place to get a jacket and scarf before starting the trek AGAIN. He was so owed one for this, maybe even owed two… and damned if he would ever let that shark-toothed asshole forget it.

Fifteen minutes seemed to pass in a blur in his angry state and before he even realized it his feet had carried him straight to Kirishima’s door where he could hear raucous laughter emanating from behind it.

Well, Kirishima obviously wasn't that worried if he was enjoying himself this soon after his call to Bakugo.

The thought caused him to bristle further, teeth grit together as he slammed his fist repeatedly against the door. Fuck it if he woke up Kirishima’s neighbors, that jerk deserved it for making him come all the way over here to check up on him.

To think he’d actually been worried about the red-haired little jackass- No, he hadn't actually been worried. He just had to make sure his partner wasn't going to be a useless sack during their next patrol. Yeah, that was definitely it. He couldn't have a partner who was dead to the world in a hospital bed because he drank too much coffee...at midnight.

What the fuck was going on over here?

Two Hours Earlier

”Come on, Kirishima! Just do it already!”

”No! Now give me back my phone! Please, Kaminari!”

”Oh you're actually more cute when you beg! Do it again!”

Two sets of eyes swivel to the last speaker, alighting on Ashido’s pink body sprawled across Kirishima’s obnoxiously red couch. A wicked grin spreads across her face when she notices their stares. ”I’m serious, it’s cute.” The boys’ eyes narrow at her, Kirishima’s outstretched hands dropping away from Kaminari’s game of keep-away with his phone.

Once Kaminari notices the red head has given up getting the phone back, the game loses its fun and he hands it over with a resigned sigh. “Fine, here. It’s no fun when you just sit there and take it.”

Kirishima snatches the device back and stuffs it in a pocket, glaring at his yellow-haired friend the whole time. He knew Kaminari wasn't trying to be mean but sometimes you just didn't mess with a man’s cell phone. What if he’d had private things on there?!

”Thank you” he mutters out. His cheeks were still tinged a slight pink from his panic in trying to get the device back and the embarrassment at having not been able to best the slighter man in getting it away. Say what you would about Kaminari, but he was quick when he needed to be.

The blonde offers him a tight nod in response and leaves him to sit with Ashido, plopping straight down on her stomach with no care for her. What ensues is several seconds of enraged shrieking and Kirishima’s neighbor banging on a wall.

He nearly trips over himself trying to get to his friends to pull them apart, all while shouting ”I’m so sorry! We’ll keep it down, I promise!”

When Kirishima finally separates his two friends they’re a bundle of giggles and he can't help but join in. They were loud and sometimes obnoxious but they were good friends, he couldn't imagine life without them.

They’d managed to stay close through school and after. Kirishima had chosen to partner with Bakugo (”Our Quirks compliment each other! I’m like, the only person you can’t hurt” had been his argument. Bakugo’s response had been ”tch” followed by a shrug and that was as good of a confirmation as he was going to get) while Ashido and Kaminari had gone different ways. He was grateful that graduation hadn’t severed their friendship. More grateful that they still somehow put up with Bakugo’s persistent attitude and insults when they all hung out, although they all knew by now he was more bark than bite. That wasn't to say he wouldn't blast someone into next week, but he usually yelled and threatened more than acted these days.

Ashido liked to say Kirishima was a good influence on the blast-happy male, Kirishima liked to argue that Bakugo was always a good guy and had just mellowed out some. That argument was always met with knowing glances that he’d grown tired of years ago. Just because he may or may not have a crush on Bakugo, and had for years if he was being honest, didn't mean he was excusing his poor behaviour. He didn't have rose-colored glasses on when it came to his best friend, he knew the guy had issues. Those issues had, for the most part, calmed down into just a need to yell to cover his true feelings. Kirishima was fairly proud of himself for having deciphered ’Bakuspeak’.

”Did Bakugo not want to come hang out tonight?”

Ashido’s question breaks through Kirishima’s thoughts and he shoots her a questioning look. Where had that come from out of the blue?

Truth be told he hadn't bothered to ask the man. He had assumed that he wouldn't want to hang out with everyone since he'd complained about their rambunctious attitudes the last several times they’d gathered.

At her persistent look, Kirishima lifts a shoulder in a shrug and looks away towards the TV, now nearly forgotten in their antics and conversation. ”Didn't ask him.”

With the silence that followed immediately after, a pin could've dropped and been heard throughout the world. It seemed like everything went still at his admission. Was it really that shocking? Maybe he’d wanted a night without a sullen blonde taking up his comfiest chair. (Yeah, right. No one would believe that. They were essentially joined at the hip; where Bakugo went so usually followed Kirishima.)

Suddenly Kaminari shakes his head and flaps his hands about, a recent habit he’d picked up from who-knew-where, probably some show he watched. He snaps his fingers and catches Kirishima’s eye, a disbelieving look plastered on his face. ”Wait, wait. Let me get this right; Kirishima Eijirou didn't ask Bakugo Katsuki to hang out?” As if for confirmation he looks over to Ashido who offers him a head shake and a shrug. What was with all the shrugging tonight? Kaminari finally pins the red head with another look, tone dead serious as he asks, ”Who are you and what have you done with our friend?”

Kirishima huffs out a laugh and rubs the back of his head, idly playing with the hem of his pants with his other hand. ”I just figured maybe you guys would want to hang out without being threatened? I can always call him now though.” He casts his gaze downwards, smile faltering slightly, ”He might not be too happy about being included later though. Hmmm…”

”You’re muttering to yourself. Have you been hanging out with Midoriya?” Ashido interrupts.

Kirishima nods a little. Of course he had been hanging out with Midoriya, they were friends. Maybe not super close but they were friends all the same… And he may have been subtly trying to gather extra intel on Bakugo. The imperative word there was ’try’, because Midoriya had seen right through the ruse and then tactlessly informed him that their entire class had seen how he felt about Bakugo…. Well, everyone but the man in question had seen it. Apparently, Bakugo was as oblivious as they came when it pertained to feelings.

Kaminari flops over sideways suddenly, his head smacking right onto Kirishima’s knee as he looks up at him with big doe-eyes and a Grinch-like smile. ”I have an idea” he proclaims. Kirishima flinches a little at the volume projected into his face.

Ashido rolls onto her stomach, front half now hanging off the edge of the couch and back half elevated way above her. Her back would probably be sore later from that position if she held it too long, but she seemed thoroughly unconcerned with the prospect, instead focused on her friends on the floor. ”Let’s hear it, zappy boy.” At Kaminari’s confused stare she laughs. “New nickname, I’m trying it out. But come on! Let’s hear your idea!”

The blonde’s fists shoot into the air, pumping erratically as he uses the momentum to sit up once more. He leaps to his feet and points at Kirishima sitting wide-eyed on the floor. ”You, our sharp-toothed little buddy, are going to call Mr Explosion King-”

”Lord Explosion Murder” Ashido corrects.

”-whatever. You are going to call him right now and tell him to come hang out. THEN we will leave you two here and you can finally tell him how you feel and stop awkwardly avoiding it.”

Kirishima looks taken aback for several seconds before he’s able to compose himself with his usual grin. ”No no, I can’t do that. That would be really uncool to invite him over just to dump unwanted feelings on him.”

”How do you know they’re unwanted?”

Both boys look over to Ashido, still awkwardly sprawled half on & half off the couch. Kaminari speaks first. ”What?”

She clears her throat and gestures dramatically while she speaks. ”I said; How dost thou knowest if thine feelings are unwanted….est.”

Kirishima breathes in, finger poised in midair, then deflates almost immediately. That was…a damn good question, albeit posed rather awkwardly in an awful Shakespearean way.

Honestly he didn't know how Bakugo felt about him or about feelings being proclaimed to him. He didn't want to chance it though, didn't want to risk running off his best friend. His biggest fear in all this was the other male would find out and abandon him. A silly fear, he’d survive without him of course, but a fear nonetheless.

His phone fills his vision suddenly, giving him only the briefest of seconds to wonder how Kaminari had obtained it yet again before he snatches it. He really would need to watch it closer in the other man’s presence from now on. ”Why are you giving me my own phone?”

Kaminari’s grin could only be described as wolfish; all teeth and wide as can be. ”You’re going to call Bakugo, ” his eyes squint, adding a scarier aspect to the speech, ”and tell him how you feel.”

Kirishima can feel his eye start to twitch and his mouth drop open. His brain momentarily fuzzes out, a buzzing starting in his ears that seems like it's emanating from Kaminari and Ashido if their moving mouths are any indication. He was fairly certain he had just heard Kaminari tell him to tell Bakugo how he felt, but that couldn't be right; his friends knew he couldn't do that. He had a working relationship with Bakugo, he couldn't just risk that.

Kaminari snaps his fingers in Kirishima’s face to jog him from his malfunction. ”Yo, Eijirou. You still in there” he asks, peering down into the redhead’s eyes.

Kirishima suddenly shakes his head and climbs to his feet, phone protectively cradled to his chest. His smile this time is shaky at best and matches his voice. ”I- I can’t do that. Come on, guys. You know I can’t do that.”

Ashido is quick to her own feet and grabs Kirishima’s shoulders. He winces slightly when her blunt nails dig into his shoulders so she releases her grip. ”You can though! Don't you think it's time? Don't you think you owe it to yourself to say something?” Her smile becomes reassuring, her eyes softening from their wild state to friendliness. ”Don’t you think you owe it to him to say something? It’s not fair to either of you to keep this quiet, especially not when it hurts you.”

Kirishima’s face scrunches up as he tries to smile the whole situation off but Kaminari comes behind him and lays his hands over Ashido’s, effectively pinning their friend between them. His voice is cheerey when he speaks, ”Make ya a deal, Kirishima.” He spins the red head to face him and flashes him a quick grin and a wink, ”Call Bakugo and tell him how you feel or-” Kirishima doesn't like the look on the blonde’s face as he trails off dramatically. ”-or drink an assload of coffee and stay up with us playing video games until we’re all manic.”

It takes Kirishima only seconds to decide, and even then it only took so long so he could process what had been said. “Gimme the coffee.”

Present Time

“Oi! Shitty hair! Open the damn door or I’ll blow it off the hinges!”

From behind the obnoxiously red door- Had the building manager really let him install something that garish?- he could still hear the sounds of laughter; three distinct tones he could pick out of a crowd. He had known Kaminari and Ashido were with Kirishima but hearing them all laughing set his anger to a new level.

Why had the redhead even called then if he had company? Couldn’t those two numbskulls have dealt with him?

That thought set off a worse train; why hadn’t he been invited over? And why hadn’t this thought occurred to him until now?

Somewhere between the time he’d yelled and his brain short-circuiting as he dealt with the thought of Kirishima actively leaving him out of things, the door had opened and the laughter had cut off. Crickets could have played their song and the world would have heard it, if it wasn’t for the TV screaming some obnoxious video game line. Ashido stood before him in all her pink glory, hair mussed as usual (How has she not grown out of that yet?) and clad in sleep shorts and a tank that was both too tight and too short but also so very her that he couldn’t fault her for it- but he would definitely give her hell for it.

His teeth flash in the dimness of the hallway as he looks her over. “Borrowing kids clothes now, Pinky?”

He has a brief second of satisfaction as her cheeks darken before she puffs those same cheeks out at him. “How I dress is none of your business.”

“Tch.”

Past the pink-haired excuse for a door bouncer he can see Kirishima and Kaminari tangled in a heap, Kaminari holding a game controller just barely past the reaching fingers of Kirishima but both boys staring at him wide-eyed. Kaminari never breaks eye contact as he mutters barely loud enough for Bakugo to overhear it. “Oh my gosh he actually showed up.” Finally those golden eyes break contact only to swivel at stare at Kirishima, who is now resembling a fish with his mouth agape and flapping uselessly.

He feels vaguely uncomfortable being stared at while staring at his partner tangled with some guy- Kaminari, no less. Almost worse than just some random dude- so he looks away and down the hall. Someone three doors down has their door cracked and through it he spots a glowing iris. He lets the sparks grow in his hand as the spectator watches on, probably trying to either get gossip for the building or just being nosy. The peeping-Tom slams their door quickly once Bakugo raises his hand as if to attack, earning a chorus of “quiet down”’s from neighbors who had heard yet more commotion.

Seeing that the door was now open and he’d been standing there for who knew how long now, he shoulders past Ashido and into the room. Someone answering his knock was as good as an invitation inside and besides, he’d never been denied access to Kirishima’s place before. He cuts a glare to the two idiots still in a heap on the floor. “You two gonna separate or do I need to go home so I’m not intruding? Gonna be real pissed if I walked my ass over here in the cold for nothing, Hair for Brains.”

The desired effect is almost immediate when it happens; both men frantically separate, although Kaminari does make a desperate attempt to attach to Kirishima’s legs for several seconds before the redhead flails about and lands ass-first on the couch. Okay, so maybe not entirely the desired effect but at least they weren’t touching anymore and that little tidbit made Bakugo feel better than he was willing to admit.

Kirishima practically bounces his way over to the blonde puffball known as his friend, ridiculously big eyes seeming even bigger and that sharp-toothed grin on full display. “Bakubro! You came! It’s like I summoned you! I swore you wouldn’t show up and that you’d blow up your phone! It’s like midnight and you still came!” He’s just a notch shy of yelling in Bakugo’s face and his hands are all over his arms, grabbing and shaking and pulling. If Bakugo wasn’t used to this kind of behavior he would blow him to pieces but sadly this had ceased to be strange behavior while they were still in school. Kirishima seemed to have a need to touch people when he was excited and it had not calmed down with age.

“It’s after midnight, closer to one now.” Bakugo’s eyes narrowed to slits and he can see both Ashido and Kaminari making an exit towards Kirishima’s small kitchen. “Stop right there, you two. I fully blame you for his current state.”

Ashido has the good sense to look embarrassed as she slides behind Kaminari’s slightly larger form. Kirishima, however, slides himself back into Bakugo’s field of vision and grabs him again. “Hey! No, not their fault. I said I would do it to stay up and play games. They weren’t like forcing me to drink the coffee-“

“Did you forget we have a shift tomorrow?”

Kirishima’s head quirks and he blinks at his friend, obviously not comprehending. Bakugo groans and rubs a hand over his face. Of course Kirishima forgot, otherwise they wouldn’t be in this stupid situation.

Fed up, he slings a hand towards the door with an outstretched finger. “Go home. Kirishima needs to sleep this off otherwise he’s useless to me.”

Even with his eyes now closed he can tell the other two aren’t leaving, though their giggling has him internally confused. Whatever, he didn’t care what they thought was funny. Let them laugh at him all they wanted but fuck them for doing this to Kirishima. The guy was too trusting and too easily convinced to do dumb things if it would make people happy. He didn’t even know what had prompted this recent display of idiocy, but he could only imagine it was not as easy as ‘stay awake and play video games’. Kaminari and Ashido were trickier than that, usually daring Kirishima to do stuff.

The soft sound of a door closing down the short hall signals him that he and Kirishima are now alone in the living area. Fuck, finally. Now he could really let him have it- The distressed look on his partner’s face halts his tirade before it can begin, leaving him with his mouth wide open and an angry glare. He relaxes his expression as he watches Kirishima wander to the couch, only to plop down into a ball and start fiddling with his pants hem. Kirishima only did the fiddling shit when he was anxious, what the fuck was going on? Was he seriously scared of Bakugo yelling at him?

“What the fuck, Red?”

The old nickname causes Kirishima to shrug a shoulder, eyes fixed on the spot of couch cushion between his feet. Oh hell no. He was not going to let the spikey toothed little asshole just ignore him like this.

“I asked, what the fuck is going on, Kirishima” he snarls out, voice just below yelling. He’s met still with silence and his friend turning his face away. This guy was going to give him an aneurysm one day- “Stop ignoring me, shitty hair.”

When those familiar red eyes finally do snap up to meet his own he can see pain and resolution in them. The second he was used to seeing, he saw it nearly every day. The first, however, was new and admittedly not something he was comfortable with. It caused something to twist hard in his gut and he disliked it immensely.

“I’m not ignoring you”, Kirishima mutters while twisting the hem so tight around his fingers that the tips are turning white. Bakugo is starting to get worried about the redhead with how he’s acting.

“Yeah? Could’ve fooled me.” The blonde plops down unceremoniously onto the couch beside his friend, face resting in his hands as he rubs at his eyes with the heels of his palms. Removing one hand he glances over towards Kirishima, “You wanna tell me what happened?”

The quietness with which Bakugo asks visibly startled Kirishima, who is more used to him screaming when he was met with a problem. It causes a faint smile to tug at the corner of his lips and Bakugo can’t help but take notice of the way they curve and feel that tightness in his chest uncoil a little. He’d be a liar if he said he said he hadn’t been noticing little things like that about his friend for years now, but damned if he would say it out loud.

Kirishima finally releases his pants, to Bakugo’s great pleasure, and instead grips on to his ankles and stuffs his head between his knees, to Bakugo’s great displeasure. His words tumble out all at once and muffled. “Theydaredmetocallsomeoneandsaythingsandisaidnosoidrankthecoffeeinsteadandnowyourehereandimjitteryanditsweird.”

Bakugo can feel his eye twitching as he tries to parse through the clusterfuck that just escaped Kirishima’s mouth. Was any of that even actually words? Something about calling someone and coffee and weird…

“You wanna take your head out of your ass and try that again.” Kirishima’s head snaps up to glare at him. “With appropriate sentence structure this time, jackass. We don’t all speak caffeine.”

The small joke has Kirishima smiling just enough for the points of his teeth to show, causing Bakugo to give a small smirk in response. Fucking finally something other than pouting. The redhead unclenches himself and settles a little more comfortably on the couch, but also a little further away from where Bakugo is sitting. Curious.

“They uh- well, Kaminari actually-“ his eyes dart to the side and he swallows thickly, Bakugo tracking the bob of his throat as it happens. Kirishima doesn’t notice this, a fact Bakugo is immensely thankful for. “They dared me to call someone and if I didn’t then I had to drink a bunch of coffee to stay awake so I could play games with them. Cause, ya know, I always tend to pass out early.” His cheeks darken a little and Bakugo’s eyes latch on to those spots of color, making a mental note of how it looked. It wasn’t a half bad picture, in all honesty. But he’d definitely never noticed it before, maybe Kirishima didn’t get flustered like this all that often. The caffeine was probably playing a big role in all this.

Bakugo rolls his eyes at the explanation and kicks his feet up onto the small coffee table before him, leaning back into the couch. “That’s dumb. Seems like it would’ve been less torture to just call the person than deal with all this.” His voice lacks any real bite as he gestures with a hand to Kirishima’s body. Honestly what was worse than being a hyped up anxious mess?

“It really would not have been less torture” Kirishima assures him. His cheeks turn a brighter shade of red, almost on par with his hair. His eyes are sparkling but flitting everywhere. Fuck that boy did not hold caffeine well, something Bakugo would need to remember so there wasn’t a repeat performance of this ever again. His next words are so soft the blonde is almost certain he couldn’t have heard correctly, “Although apparently I’m still having to sit through the torture.”

Bakugo blinks at him for several seconds before reaching across the couch and yanking Kirishima to him by his hoodie strings. “You think this is torture?” Kirishima’s eyes widen to an impossibly huge, almost comical size as Bakugo brings their faces close. “I walked my ass over here in the fucking cold because you called me in a panic about drinking caffeine. Come to find out you did it willingly because you were being a little bitch about something else.” He pushes Kirishima back across the couch, hands showering sparks as he pushes himself up and away. Kirishima’s hoodie strings are singed off, dropping uselessly to the cushions beneath him. “I’m fucking going home. Sleep this shit off somehow and don’t hold me back tomorrow.”

He’s halfway to the door when Kirishima launches himself off the couch and tackles his friend to the floor, limbs tangling as Bakugo does his best not to elbow the other man in the face and also get away. “You can’t leave! You just got here” Kirishima yells out in a panic. His voice is a little high and Bakugo can hear desperation lacing it. What the actual fuck was going on here tonight? Was it a goddamn full moon or something?

“Let go of me, asshole! You’ve pissed me off enough, you and your shithead squad!”

The boys roll back and forth for several minutes in front of the door, struggling to get the upper hand. They knew each other’s moves too well, were able to counter each other without conscious effort. Neither was going to win this without someone using their Quirk and maybe getting hurt.

Both, however, refrain for reasons that neither want to give voice to.

Bakugo finally comes out on top and yanks Kirishima’s hands down, pinning them between his knees and the other man’s body. “What is your fucking problem? What the fuck is going on over here?”

Kirishima gives up the struggle and looks away, whole face turning red and eyes starting to water. The latter part has Bakugo sneering and backing off of him, sitting on the floor and offering a hand to pull Kirishima up as well. The redhead takes the offered hand and pulls his knees to his chest again, rubbing his face against the pants. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Tch.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t understand!” Kirishima’s eyes burn with the force of the sun as he pins Bakugo with his stare. The fierceness in that gaze was usually reserved for battle and Bakugo finds he’s intrigued at what’s got his friend so riled up. Patrol was going to suck tomorrow, he’d be dead on his feet, but he needed to know what was going on so it could be solved. Ah hell, maybe Kirishima had changed him over the years like everyone said.

A single tear slides free of Kirishima’s eye and he wipes at it angrily, still glaring at his partner. “You don’t understand because you don’t have feelings! You don’t understand feelings at all! You’re like a damn robot and I say that knowing Iida’s the most robotic person we’ve ever met! Even he has a heart, unlike you.”

Bakugo is stunned at the outburst. Kirishima’s never yelled at him like this. He’s panicking and yelling and there’s so much sadness and desperation on his face and in his voice. Bakugo can see it written all over the lines of the redhead’s body; where he was usually standing tall he’s slumped in on himself and even his hair seems limp in comparison.

Did Kirishima really think he had no feelings? He had plenty of feelings! He was hurt right now because his supposed friend had insulted him after he’d come over to help… although he might have deserved it after yelling at him first.

Kirishima continuing his tirade breaks Bakugo from his thoughts so he cuts him off with a snarl and a kick to his legs. Not his best move since he was sitting but he’d do anything to shut the other man up. “I do too have feelings, you shark-toothed asshole! Do you think I would’ve walked the fuck over here if I didn’t fucking care about you? You stupid asshole! You think I would’ve let just anyone be my partner? You’re the only person I trust to have my back! And you think I would’ve dealt with your shit for this long if I didn’t-“

He cuts himself off with a snarl and a small explosion aimed at Kirishima’s face, who luckily blocks it by hardening at the last second and throwing his arms up. His hoodie sleeves shred and singe in the onslaught before Bakugo finally calms down.

Kirishima slowly lowers his hands after deactivating his Quirk and leans back on them, watching his friend with cautious eyes. “If you didn’t what?”

Bakugo glares at him through slotted eyes and flicks him off. “Shut up, shitty hair. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Kirishima surprises him by reaching out and snatching his hand in both of his own, folding the finger down gently and cradling the hand as if it were precious. “If you didn’t what, Katsuki?”

The use of his name, in that voice, is his undoing. That soft, pleading, understanding, fucking bedroom-whispers voice. “Ifididntlikeyouyouidiot.”

The ensuing grin is so bright that Bakugo actually turns away from it. Of course Kirishima had fucking understood his mumbling, because- just of course. That was his luck. Had he wanted to tell Kirishima he may have feelings for him? Fuck no, because he didn’t know what to do with them if he actually did. He didn’t know what the stupid tightness in his chest was when he heard Kirishima went on dates, or hung out with Kaminari. He didn’t know what the stupid giddiness was when fucking Deku had ‘accidently’ let slip that Kirishima had been asking about him. And he certainly didn’t know what the dumb nausea was when he thought Kirishima was pushing him away or ignoring him. He had no one to talk to about it, because fuck people, so it had left him to looking it up online and that was just bullshit; it had all been a bunch of kids whining about crushes and it made him consider torching his laptop.

The redhead leans into his space and he growls warningly at him, teeth bared and sparks starting in his palm. “You’re gonna back off if you want to keep your face, shitty-hair.” Kirishima only leans in further. “I’m fucking serious, Red.” Kirishima leans just a centimeter further and promptly loses balance, tumbling face first into Bakugo’s lap with an admittedly adorable squeak. Well, maybe not admittedly since he’d never say it out loud. “Oi! What do you think you’re doing? Get off me!”

Kirishima complies as quickly as possible and rolls off of him, staring up at him from his back with wide eyes. His smile is huge once more, all sharp teeth and cheeks stretched. “So you do have feelings. That’s good to know.”

Bakugo growls again. “Shut up. Of course I do, I’m fucking human.”

“And they’re feelings about me?”

Kirishima has that hopeful tone back in his voice and Bakugo rolls his eyes. “Don’t make me repeat myself. You’re lucky you got it once.”

Warm, soft pressure against his cheek has his brain short-circuiting and his body tensing. Had- What the actual fuck? He whips his head to look over at Kirishima, now sitting up and grinning proudly beside him. Had he just kissed him? Lips pursed he shoves his hand in Kirishima’s face and pushes. “Gross.”

Kirishima only starts cackling and dodges out from under his hand before tackling him, arms wrapped around Bakugo’s middle and face pressed into his side. “I said gross! Get off of me you fucking lunatic!” Kirishima laughs more and squeezes, face nuzzling against his stomach. Bakugo wedges his hands under his arms and pushes, cursing loudly when Kirishima only keeps reattaching himself to various appendages; arm, leg, neck. The last one is when Bakugo finally gives up and groans. “Fine, whatever. Stay there for all I care.”

Kirishima places another kiss to his cheek and nuzzles his nose against the same spot. “I have feelings for you too, Katsuki. It’s okay.” He puffs out a warm breath against Bakugo’s cheek, and Bakugo finds it isn’t really that horrible.

“Is that why you were being such a spaz or do we need to have another talk?”

He’s released suddenly as the redhead leaps to his feet. “Nope! All good now!” He extends a hand towards his partner on the floor. “Wanna hang out with us tonight?”

“No, I want to walk back home in the fucking cold.” He rolls his eyes and ignores the outstretched hand in favor of standing on his own. He’d done enough by kind of admitting he liked him, physical contact was just asking too much after that. “Of course I’m staying here, asshole.” He looks around, spotting one of Ashido’s horns and a tuft of pink hair around the corner. “Yo, assholes, I can see you. Get out here.”

They both shuffle out from their awful hiding spot and give grins; Ashido’s encouraging and Kaminari’s outright stupid. Judging by those looks they’d been listening in the whole time.

“I’ll go make some hot chocolate since you’re staying over! We can celebrate” Ashido cheers as she skips towards the kitchen.

“Do you have any apple cider in this place” Bakugo asks loudly, trying to stop her before she gets too into it.

She stops mid stride and spins to look at him, mugs jangling from her fingers. “What?”

Kaminari, ever the idiot, chimes in from the hallway he’d disappeared down once more. “He asked; dost thou haveth the cider of apples?”

Bakugo looks confused for only a second before Kirishima’s lips are pressed to his ear, whispering the relevance of the weirdness.

He pushes him off again with a hand to the face. “Fucking nerds.” It’s said without any heat, although there’s plenty of heat in his cheeks from feeling Kirishima’s breath and lips against his ear, an area that was apparently more sensitive than he knew.

Ashido grins widely and spins back on a sock clad foot. “Yep! Sure do!”

Hours later they’re all sat in the living room on various surfaces, Kirishima laying with his hand on Bakugo’s outstretched legs and Bakugo alternating facial expressions between disgusted and mildly okay. More than once he’d had to stop his fingers as they worked their way through Kirishima’s hair. He hadn’t consciously reached out but he found he kept doing it. This time, though, it had put Kirishima to sleep and he found he didn’t have the heart to stop himself. Finally, finally, that little asshole was asleep.

His lips quirk to the side at seeing the smile on the sleeping man’s face. Kirishima was pretty cute when he slept… but he definitely wasn’t going to tell him that.

Despite the crazy night, he was actually pretty happy… and maybe a little thankful to Kaminari for giving Kirishima the push they both needed.