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Bakugou tries his hardest not to be fond of his friends. He is supposed to be the punk angry boy from class 1-A. That is his reputation, that is who he is and he will uphold it. But it’s hard when his friends are complete dumbasses. How is he not supposed to laugh at their dumb conversations or when they end up dogpiled on Kaminari again. It’s not ‘cute’ or ‘funny’ and Bakugou has no idea why he always has to snap his head away from them to smile.
So maybe that’s why he holds an utter distaste for them when he opens his eyes to see a surprise birthday party. It’s that he didn’t have any clue that it was planned that got to him first. This entire week he was met with easy glances and kind smiles, as always. The same stupid jokes and yet here he is in utter surprise. He seems to hate them more every day.
Yet looking at the table centered in the middle of this garden he can’t help but feel fond of them.
The table is covered with dark colors and punk aspects. Things they’d know he’d like and yet it's almost cheesily so. The skull on the napkins looks so goth it seems like something that bird brain would have in his room (and it reminds him of a pirate flag). Not to mention the splash of orange and green, almost the exact same from his hero costume but the green is just slightly off to where it looks almost sickly. It’s by no means perfect but he can see how much work they put into it. The presents off to the side are so delicately wrapped, he knows that it was all Sero and his tape. There are hints of Mina and Kaminari’s terrible fashion taste with hints of leopard print and fur, but they made it work. And lastly the cake. It looks absolutely hideous. The only thing that stands out from the whole set up. It’s leaning and the wording is shakily written, the roses (he assumes) reminds him of a toddlers drawings. He would send it back to the kitchen if he saw it in any other circumstance. But here, in the middle of the garden with his friends bright, blinding smiles he can’t help but love it more than anything in the world.
Bakugou typically likes things with a hint of spice. To where he doesn’t have to make himself softer for the area and where it fits so perfectly with him. Angry and rough. The two things Bakugou is defined as so frequently is what he loves the most. But he admires the beauty here.
Despite it all, it (the black and terribleness of it all) looks so elegant against the backdrop of just woken roses. The colors clash so generously, they couldn’t have possibly done this by themselves. The gentle aura doesn’t fit their agenda, nor his. And yet he loves it.
His friends may not get the best test score or make the smartest jokes, hell Kaminari would probably laugh at a poop joke but they are hardworking, every day in class they put their all into training. They try so hard and it's not always for themselves, sometimes it's for a bet or a test grade or maybe because Bakugou threatened them but in the end, they still tried. And that’s what Bakugou loves the most about them.
The fresh buds from the flowers lean toward the light, swaying in the soft breeze. It couldn’t be more perfect.
“You guys are idiots.” His hand is immediately covering his happy grin, furrowing his eyebrow to try and cover his emotions.
They all take offense to his rude wording. Kaminari is the first to speak up, “Hey man we worked so hard on this! You don’t know how hard it was to get Mina to not say anything about this!” Mina cries out in protest.
“Yeah, we stayed up all night to put this together for you!” Kirishima drags him closer, arm on his shoulder.
“You could at least thank us!” Mina huffs putting two hands on her hips.
Bakugou throws a glare her way, “Look at that cake! It’s not even standing up straight!”
There is a slew of arguments and excuses until Kirishima is laughing loudly and suddenly.
“Wow Bakugou, you think you're so smooth huh?” He says in between giggles.
Bakugou can feel the panic running through his body, hand still covering his mouth.
“Here you are smiling and yet you want to pretend you hate it?”
The rest of his friends are then quickly surrounding him pulling at his arms trying to see.
“No! I’m not sm- Let go of me! I’m not! There’s just something on my face!”
Kirishima pulled him into a tight hug, “You love it, huh? We had the help of the whole class!”
Bakugou blanks. The whole class helped? That would explain the elegance of it. But half the class is sure to hate him, so why did they help? He is rude to his own friends, never mind the whole class so why did anyone do this? He is quickly swimming in doubt.
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean what do you mean?” Kaminari stupidly asks. Bakugou barely stops himself from hitting him for that one.
“That the whole class helped.” He says through gritted teeth.
“Because we are all classmates and they like being nice? I don’t know what you want me to say. That look on your face makes me feel like I’m saying something wrong.” Kaminari questions, putting his hands up for defense.
Bakugou doesn’t necessarily know how to feel about that. He has been rude and horrible to pretty much everyone from day one and yet he still gets a birthday party. He doesn’t deserve it at all. In the start of this year he wouldn’t have cared but now he can feel the anxiety and doubt pulse through him. This isn’t right.
Kirishima puts a soft hand on his wrist, pulling him close.
“Hey man, you okay?” His eyebrows are furrowed in a pout, searching his face for any signs. Bakugou nods and turns back to the others. He doesn’t miss how Kirishima doesn’t let go and he doesn’t make him.
“They didn’t want to disturb you because they know how you can be sometimes. They said they just wanted you to enjoy your time with your friends rather than a huge thing with people you don’t necessarily like.” Mina smiles at them. “I said you probably wouldn’t mind but they left their presents.”
Bakugou tries to ignore the feeling in his chest, buzzing in his heart.
“They all wish you a happy birthday, they mean it.” Sero gives him a soft smile.
Kirishima’s hand tightens on his wrist. Bakugou knows that he shouldn’t feel bad about this. He barely even likes those extras. But he can’t help but feel he pushed them all away.
Kirishima leans closely and whispers into his ear, “Your fine Bakugou. We are here because you are our friend but that doesn’t mean they hate you. They spent money on you and some of them wanted to be here but they wanted to respect you. No one hates you, okay?”
Bakugou doesn’t want to listen but he knows Kirishima is right. He is always right about these things. Mina pulls on his hand, “Hey lets open some presents okay?” And Bakugou nods accepting the first gift. A small rectangular box. Sero raises a hand, “That’s mine!” Bakugou wastes no time tearing off the wrapping paper.
Sero’s present is two metal drumsticks. They feel cool and light in his hands, Bakugou doesn’t miss the chance to twirl them in his fingers. There is a small x and his name carved in small cursive letters on the side. It’s a good gift, he did end up breaking his old ones during the cultural festival (along with several others).
“They can withstand your explosions.”
Bakugou raises his eyebrows in keen interest. Oh? He’s never had drumsticks like that.
“Try it.”
He grips the sticks tightly and lets a few soft explosions off. He opens his hand only to find remnants of smoke. Nothing.
“These are perfect.” He tries to sound angry when he says it, anything to make it sound not as nice but the same smile finds its way onto Sero’s face and he proudly watches as Kaminari hands him the next present.
Kaminari gets him coupons to his favorite restaurants around the city (the ones that serve the best spicy food) and a whole pack of extra spicy noodles that he has in the kitchen. It’s his favorite pack, the still brings tingles to his tongue when he eats it and still holds other flavors that don’t override the spiciness. Bakugou can’t help but love the present, everyone knows food is the way to someone’s heart. Which is a cheap trick on Kaminari’s part but he’ll allow it.
“These are good.”
“Aw give up the act! You love those! I don’t know what you see in them though. They are waaaaay too hot.”
“You’ve eaten them before?” Bakugou eyes him cautiously. Someone did take one, he never found out who though. Kaminari’s demeanor quickly changes and he is sweating and stumbling over his words.
“I mean, hasn’t everyone? At least once right?” Mina and Sero laugh quietly behind him.
“When I first brought them to the dorms you said you never tried them.” Bakugou sets the present down before letting the explosions come off his palms. He’s found the thief.
Kaminari starts to back up and Bakugou readies for a chase before Mina stuffs her present into his arms.
“Nope! Violence is reserved for after presents. You can beat him up then.”
“Mina! Traitor! You could have just said that he couldn’t hit me at all!”
Mina sneers at him, “You knew what would happen if you ate his food. You didn’t even finish it before you started crying.” Bakugou can’t help but laugh at that. He almost wishes he saw it.
Mina gets him the shittiest shirt he has ever seen and mascara. Bakugou takes them and tries his best to look disgruntled. The shirt just happens to be from one of his favorite metal bands, its design coats the front in intricate swirls and details. It’s the one he had been looking to buying it when he had the time but here it is. He sends a heartfelt glare and Mina and she smiles. The mascara is Flirty Minx, Extreme Volume . Bakugou blushes. He didn’t think anyone would notice he wore any but if it was going to be anybody it was going to be Mina who found out. That’s when he also realizes that he is running low.
Kirishima gets him a whole new pack of mountain climbing gear. The whole 9 yards. It’s all fitted nicely into the backpack: a new harness, boots, helmet, rope, everything. Bakugou can’t help but notice that none of the items are matching color wise, Bakugou laughs to himself. But closer to the bottom of the bag Bakugou finally sees them. A pair of orange and green crocs. It’s very distinctly modeled after his hero costume, with the two dots and the X over the tops. Although he loves his costume he absolutely hates these.
“You know I’m never going to wear these, right? They are hideous.”
Kirishima laughs, hand over his chest, “I told you one of these days I’d convert you. Besides, you’ll probably wear them once to be nice.”
Damn, he knows him too well. “No, I won’t.”
Kirishima only smiles back.
They spend the rest of that afternoon opening and talking about the presents. Bakugou can’t wait until it’s their birthdays just so he can show them up. He will be damned if they are better present givers than he is.
It is darker when they finally get to the lopsided cake. The afternoon becoming evening and tiredness starts to plague them all. Bakugou has to yell at them not to sing but they do it anyway. Bakugou has to hide his blush by hiding his face in his hands. God, he absolutely hates them. Mina cuts the cake (giving Bakugou a HUGE slice) and they all find spots to eat in the grass. Kirishima sits beside him once he’s got his slice, criss cross on the grass and chewing happily.
“Did you like today?” Kirishima is looking up at the vivid lights in the sky. The clashes of reds and pinks. It casts a perfect hue onto him. Bakugou can’t help but love the sight.
“This was dumb.” He tries to scowl but he really can’t. That’s when he realizing he is angry. There is no trace of anger anywhere in him. He feels calm and peaceful. Kirishima laughs, already knowing he doesn’t mean it.
For the first time that evening it’s quiet and soft.
Despite knowing he shouldn’t and everything in his body telling himself to stop he leans closer to Kirishima. From the corner of his eye, he can see him smile and blush but move closer anyway.
“This cake taste like shit.”
Kirishima chuckles, shoulders jerking slightly. “Yeah, we kept trying over and over last night. This was the best outcome of all the attempts so you’re lucky.”
The sun is pulling to a close in the sky, dripping just to the tops of the roses and resting there. He can feel his tiredness plaguing his eyes. There was so much running around and joking (and his early bedtime) he knows it's not long before he falls asleep.
“Thank you guys, really.” It’s just above a whisper and Kirishima doesn’t say anything. He almost thinks he didn’t hear him, which he is perfectly fine with him. The area gets darker and darker and Bakugou doesn’t know if it’s just him blinking longer and longer of the sun falling from the sky. Either way, he finds himself closing his eyes and keeping them there.
He barely feels it but he knows it happens. Kirishima moves his spiky hair back and plants a gentle kiss on his forehead. It’s short and sweet. Bakugou almost wants to wake up so he can return the birthday gift but his limbs don’t move.
“Happy Birthday Bakugou.”
And out of all Bakugou’s birthdays, he has to admit. No matter how much he hates his dumb friends and this dumb party-
This was his favorite one of all.