Chapter Text
It was 5am at the fucking crack of dawn and there was someone sitting on his goddamn bench.
Technically, given this was a public gym, it wasn’t exactly his bench, but Bakugou always came during the dead hours of the morning to claim it. After all, no one else was crazy enough to work out this early on a weekday and usually, Bakugou had the weight room all to himself until other early risers trickled in an hour later.
Usually.
Today, there was this asshole who had seated himself comfortably on the bench in the corner, focused entirely on his bicep curls with no regard to the world around him. With his shitty-ass hair and his shitty-ass grunting, this asshole could have been taking up all the benches in the room and Bakugou wouldn’t have disliked him any more. The blonde walked up to the stranger and dropped his sports bag unceremoniously on the floor in front of him.
“Move.”
The redhead flinched in surprise, then looked up to meet eyes with him, halfway through his rep.
Bakugou blinked, taken aback by those scarlet eyes, but quickly set his face into a scowl, scrutinizing the stranger more closely.
At second glance, the guy was pretty ripped, and Bakugou could see clearly defined pecs on his stomach despite being hunched over. His hair was set into spikes jutting skyward, and there was a noticeable scar over his right eye.
He looked like the type of guy to get into back alley fist fights and although Bakugou wasn’t keen on actually fighting anyone today, he would if the circumstance called for it.
“Oh, sorry man,” the redhead laughed airily, getting up with his weight in hand. His eyes slid over to the remaining nine benches in the room before landing on Bakugou. He gave a toothy smile that Bakugou stared at blankly. The blonde wasn’t sure how anyone got teeth that shape. “Didn’t think anyone came this early! Is this your bench?”
Bakugou grunted, stooping down to grab his elbow braces from the front pocket of his bag. He slipped them on, trying to ignore the stare he was pointedly receiving from the shitty stranger.
This idiot had no right being so smiley this early in the morning. It was downright unnecessary and irritating.
The redhead proceeded to move aside, grabbing the bench right next to his, introducing himself as Kirishima Eijirou and talking about something or another that Bakugou found he couldn’t care less about. The blonde grit his teeth, trying to tune out the conversation before giving up and yanking his earphones out of his bag, making a show of jamming them into his ears.
Now the idiot had to get the memo. And sure enough, this Kirishima person resumed his bicep curls on his own, leaving Bakugou in quiet, peaceful solitude.
He got into his routine as easily as ever, letting practiced reps calm his nerves. Bakugou felt his shoulders loosen and he sighed deeply, taking care to maintain his form even as he moved on to the heavier weights.
It was only towards the end of his workout that he noticed Kirishima was studying him closely.
"What."
The redhead flinched, but didn't seem all too bashful over his intrusiveness. Instead, he gave a big smile and Bakugou wondered if he could kill a man with those chompers. "Are you always here this early?"
"What's it to you?"
"Well, I'm new to the area and I was wondering if you could show me around the gym a little?"
The blonde leveled him with a blank stare. With all Bakugou had done to make it painfully obvious he didn't want anything to do with the redhead, it was clear all of his warnings had either gone completely ignored or had not reached the intended recipient. He huffed, stooping over to pick up his bag and leave.
"Ask someone else."
"Aw, c'mon man," Kirishima laughed, grabbing his water bottle off the floor and rushing to catch up with him. "The receptionist looks like she's about to fall over, and you're the only one who looks alive enough to give me a proper tour."
"Wait an hour then."
"Okay, okay, how about just while you walk out?" Kirishima conceded, wiping at his face with a bright red towel that clashed with his hair. He pointed at an area with racks upon racks of weights. "Anything I should know about working out here? Anything to avoid? Any tips?"
Bakugou stared in the direction he was pointing and scowled. "Some of the bars are rusty so don't use those if you don't want to die."
"Understood!" Kirishima beamed, then gestured to the cardio area as they passed by. "What about here?"
"If you plan to use the pool, don't go on Tuesdays."
"What's on Tuesdays?"
"Swimming lessons for kids."
Kirishima snorted. "Got it, got it."
Bakugou frowned, trying to ignore the suffocating enthusiasm radiating off of the redhead. “Does nothing get you down?"
"Oh, uh, I mean, I try not to let it! Besides, there's nothing to be upset about after seeing such a friendly face on my first day in a new place."
If Bakugou's face could be categorized under 'friendly,' this red-haired idiot clearly needed to double check the definition of friendly in the dictionary.
"Are you planning to be here this early every morning?" Bakugou asked as they reached the entrance.
"What, you miss me already?"
Bakugou frowned and Kirishima snickered, lifting up his hands defensively.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Though, I wouldn't mind catching you around sometime. I never got your name...?"
Honestly, if it were any other extra bothering him at 6am in the goddamn morning, Bakugou would have just told them to fuck off. But this Kirishima guy seemed alright, if not a bit naive to just talk to a random stranger he met at the gym as casually as he did. There was something about the way he carried himself, with all smiles and laughs even with his rough exterior. Bakugou's gaze slid over to that scar again, and then back to those scarlet, red eyes.
He was interesting, Bakugou wouldn't lie. And, tolerable.
"Bakugou," the blonde grunted.
"Cool, nice to meet you, Bakugou!" Kirishima reached over as if to pat the blonde on the shoulder, but Bakugou stepped back swiftly, reaching for the door and clutching the handle like a lifeline. Kirishima stared blankly at him for a second before giving a small smile, pointing to the shop across the street past the window. "If you're ever looking for me, I work there most days."
"Sure," Bakugou breathed, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.
Whether Kirishima noticed his panic or not, he didn't say. Instead, he waved, starting to walk backwards back into the gym. "Then, I'll see you around!"
Bakugou mumbled something akin to a response and then turned on his heel to leave, heart pounding in his chest and his nerves prickling as if they'd been set on fire.
Bakugou has always reached for the top.
Whether it was in his academics or his personal life, he has always strived to be the best because that’s what he was—the fucking best of the best. No room for argument.
Maybe that’s why, on his way upwards, he ultimately decided that there was no place higher than the highest than on the fucking moon.
So, he became an astronaut.
It was a perfect job for him, not only as someone who had incredible sharp wit and intellect, but also as someone who didn't like to be around others very much.
Nothing personal. Everyone else just sucked.
That's half the reason why he worked out at the gym at the time he chose. In the dead hours of the morning with nobody else around, Bakugou was free to spend his time focused and quiet, no interruptions whatsoever.
That is, until that redhead showed up.
He had showed up out of the blue, with his loud laugh, his loud hair, his loud presence. The calm of his mornings had shattered, and Bakugou should have been more upset about it.
Except, Bakugou knew that even if his standoffish attitude hadn't been enough to deter Kirishima from talking with him, that final interaction was definitely going to finish the job. I mean, Bakugou himself even admit that that was pretty strange of him, running off like that for no reason whatsoever.
So, whatever. This was perfect. No redheaded loser coming over to mess with his vibe. Back to his quiet mornings, free and devoid of any human interaction—just as he liked.
"Hey, Bakugou, right?"
Or not.
Bakugou glanced up from his bicep curls to see Kirishima waving eagerly at him from across the gym. He sighed, looking back down at the floor.
"Shitty Hair."
"Wha--" Kirishima made his way to the bench next to his, placing his hands on his hips. "My name's Kirishima! Did you forget already? We just met yesterday, man!"
"Didn't forget," Bakugou huffed, putting his weights down. "Just don't care."
"Well," Kirishima sat down on his seat, pulled something papery out of his pocket, and offered it to Bakugou. "Then, I guess you won't care about this."
Bakugou eyed the flyers before reaching over to swipe them from Kirishima. On the smooth side, there was some promotional image for discounted protein and other dietary supplements. Bakugou stared at the pictures a moment longer before glaring at Kirishima.
"What is this."
"I told you I work across the street, right? I got hired as the nutritionist, though to be honest, I just feel like an over-glorified desk guy," Kirishima chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "I thought I'd snag some of the coupons for you in case you need them."
"Just because I work out doesn't mean I take supplements."
Kirishima shrugged. "Yeah, but even if you don't, someone you know is bound to, right? Since people usually hang out around people similar to them. So, you probably know others who work out who do use them?"
Bakugou thought about the handful of people he knew and grunted, shoving the flyers into the front pocket of his sports bag. "I'll check out your sale on protein later."
"Awesome!" Kirishima beamed, standing up confidently. "Second day on the job and already bringing in the customers!"
"I never said I was coming in—don't push your luck," Bakugou snorted, picking up his weight again to finish his routine.
"Oh hey, you can laugh!"
"What."
"I mean, what with your frowning and crankiness and all--"
Oh okay, so he wasn't as stupid or immune to glares as Bakugou thought he was.
"And you're still choosing to bother me?"
Kirishima shrugged. "I dunno man, I don't judge. Could be a bad day or something."
Unbelievable.
"Fuck off," Bakugou said in response. Kirishima only laughed.
The blonde returned to his workout and the redhead at least seemed to have enough decency to allow him to exercise in peace. Once finished, just like last time though, Kirishima followed him out of the weight room, a wide grin on his face.
"So, hey, I told you about my job, what about you? What do you do?"
"I never asked you to tell me about your job."
"Aw, c'mon man, don't be like that."
Bakugou rolled his eyes, shrugging his bag up higher on his shoulders. Even as they walked together, he made sure to keep a considerable distance between the two of them like the other day. "I'm an astronaut."
"Woah, really? No joke?"
"Why would I joke about that?"
"Cause that’s awesome?? Have you been to space then? Have you touched the moon? Eaten astronaut food?"
Bakugou exhaled in amusement. "Have I touched the moon?"
"Hey, us people here on earth haven't touched the moon before so it's a valid question."
"Fine. Yes, I've touched the moon. I've also eaten that garbage you call astronaut food," Bakugou smirked, then stopped in his tracks in seeing how wide Kirishima's eyes were. In fact, the redhead seemed to be giving the blonde his undivided attention, clearly very interested in what he had to say.
It made him feel a little uncomfortable. He fidgeted with the strap of his bag and avoided looking the other man in the eyes.
"So, you have been to space before?"
"Yeah."
"What's it like?"
"Space?"
Kirishima nodded.
"Dark and spacious."
Kirishima laughed, and something tightened in Bakugou's chest. "No duh, man. I mean, how do you feel? Is it fun to float around? What are you doing back on earth?"
"It feels..." Bakugou swallowed thickly. "Like you're on top of the world, I guess. Literally, but also metaphorically. I don't know about 'fun,' but... I'm training some candidates right now."
"Wow, that's amazing, dude."
In the past, Bakugou would have soaked up the praise like a sponge, but now it just felt procedural. Practiced.
"Yeah, sure."
"No, really!" Kirishima asserted, reaching over to pat Bakugou again, probably out of habit. The blonde was prepared for it this time and moved out of the way. Kirishima's look of confusion lasted for a second shorter than the other day before he smiled softly, opting instead to rub the back of his head. "I wish I could've done something like that. I'm no good at math or anything with numbers really. I only started to remember important things like formulas when I compared them to working out."
"You do look like a musclehead," Bakugou said, his breath a little shorter than normal.
"I try to work out whenever I can," Kirishima laughed. "People have told me that's the one thing I'm good at."
People were probably right. With those guns, Bakugou wondered how much Kirishima could actually bench.
"Well, I'll leave you here then,” Kirishima snickered as they reached the entrance once more. “Thanks again for today!”
“I didn’t teach you shit this time.”
“Not true, I learned more about Bakugou, my gym buddy!”
Bakugou wasn’t sure when he’d been promoted to gym buddy from complete stranger, but he wasn’t about to argue with the blinding grin lighting up Kirishima’s face. The idiot would have probably waved off any attempt at dispelling their friendship anyways so Bakugou didn’t think it was worth the effort. Besides, the redhead was regrettably tolerable so that was something.
Even if he was really touchy.
Bakugou felt his shoulders stiffen at the thought. This was already moving way too fast for his liking. He specifically came to the gym at this time to avoid people.
Yet, this stranger he just met the other day was worming his way into his life with cheap coupons and cheesy smiles. Bakugou didn’t know he was the kind of person won over by those kinds of things. He didn’t think he could be won over at all, period.
So in lieu of a response, Bakugou merely grunted, stepping back to reach for the door. Still, Kirishima didn’t seem put off by his attitude and merely waved at him through the window, a cheery ‘until next time!’ from his lips that made the blonde feel very conflicted about too many things at once.