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It had been a long day of packing, moving, and mutual goodbyes that led Bakugou to a bar close to where he lived. His days in it would most likely be numbed though he did enjoy the apartment and bar. It was too big for one person though and it had too many memories to invite another stranger inside. It was a bit far from his hero agency though, so maybe a move wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
Bakugou idly twirled his finger around the rim of his glass watching the endless bubbles float up to the surface of his beer. He somehow still didn’t know the name of the bar or the beer. He picked the bar for its location and remembered it by its location. It was hidden, the tender didn’t know him or at least didn’t say anything, and it was always quiet. Bakugou wasn’t a drinker which is probably why he simply asked for a beer and every time was given just that. He didn’t know if it was the most expensive or the cheapest and he couldn’t even tell if the taste changed but he still drank it at a slow pace and paid for it when he was done. It was a simple transaction and one of the few quiet and simple things Bakugou did with his time and the perfect way to let the stress of the day melt off of him.
The bartender ignored the opening door too engrossed in the game that was on. Even with the volume low, Bakugou could hear the roaring crowds signaling whatever game that was on it was getting intense. He sat in the corner like usual and two other regular patrons were chatting about the game with the bartender. The empty stool next to Bakugou was taken and Bakugou’s finger stilled and eyes raised to Kirishima whose hair was mostly hidden under a winter hat and face covered with a scar.
“It’s cold!” He announced shivering off the cold before he reached up to lower his scarf. “You must be dying out there. They ever fix your gloves?”
“Next week,” Bakugou responded still bitter the thermal heating in his gloves broke. “About time too. Getting too cold to sweat.”
“Still doesn’t seem healthy to heat your hands like that but hey, you know your limits,” Kirishima said shrugging off his coat to reveal a tacky Christmas sweater that made Bakugou roll his eyes at. Kirishima didn't even care about Christmas, but the entire gang of idiots Bakugou spent his time with all got ugly sweaters to spite him.
“Says the guy walking around with no shirt,” he said.
“In the summer. After that first winter never again,” Kirishima huffed tossing his hat and scarf onto the bar counter. Bakugou snorted at the memory of his half-frozen friend returning from a patrol in the winter. They were both still in high school and both had discovered major flaws in their outfits and quirks. While Kirishima froze to death without a shirt Bakugou couldn’t work up a sweat as he once could in the summer months. Adjustments were made but winter was a strain on their gear and bodies.
“So what are we here for? You aren’t one to go drinking during the week. We celebrating?” Kirishima asked thanking the bartender who dropped off a beer.
“I broke up with Deku,” Bakugou confessed as he set down the beer he took a drink from.
Kirishima inhaled sharply instantly regretting his friendly conversation starter.
“Uh…Yikes, um so you sad drinking?” Kirishima wondered adding in a supportive but a little remorseful smile.
“It was mutual,” Bakugou told him easing Kirishima’s tense shoulders. “I prompted it, but he agreed. We both thought it was best.” Kirishima hummed running his hands over the condensation outside his glass before picking it up.
“You two did seem more—How should I say it? Not distant exactly, but less couple-like,” Kirishima noted around the rim of his glass.
“Harder to move on from the past than we thought.” Bakugou took a sip from his own drink and Kirishima pressed his lips together but gave a nod like he understood. “I constantly felt like I needed to always be just a little bit nicer as if to make up for everything I did. He felt similarly. We both competed with each other too often. We’re pinned as rivals, friendly ones, but still. We’ve always been and media made it worse. We weren't aware we were even still competing when we were alone. I think in the end we confused our feelings and intentions and tried to push them too far. Make them into something it wasn’t but felt like it needed to be.”
“Two years is a long time to not just realize that though.”
“Honestly, I don’t think either of us had the time to notice it,” Bakugou said to Kirishima leaning back in his chair. “Things have settled down for once since graduating. We finally had a second to spare and schedules sorted out. Stupid as it may sound, but we actually stopped planning our free time around each other because it started to feel too awkward. We weren't ever used to seeing so much of the other that it only started to make things more awkward and stressful.”
“I guess that’s why people always say you should live together before you get married. Never know what someone is like until you see them alone and all the time,” Kirishima added.
“Good thing we weren’t married,” Bakugou replied with a dry huff and Kirishima offers a sad smile.
“So, I guess it is a celebration drink?”
“Feels rude to call it that. Wasn't a bad relationship.”
“A farewell drink?”
“Does it need a name?” Bakugou asked and Kirishima smiled.
“If you invited the gang here they’d call it a pity party.”
“Why’d you think I didn’t invite them?” Kirishima laughed and took a drink as Bakugou leaned back over the counter. Kirishima set his beer down and rested on his arms looking at Bakugou.
“Sorry to keep talking about it and you can stop me if you want but, you two really just broke up because of the past? It seems like you said, you’ve always been that way regardless and you lived together in the dorms. You weren’t dating but you knew each other. To suddenly see something you didn’t before just seems unlike you. You are normally so observant.”
Bakugou couldn't stop the almost bitter laugh at the last statement.
“That's what I've been beating myself up over.” He admitted and Kirishima's head cocked to the side. “We both failed to realize it wasn’t each other that made us happiest.” Kirishima’s brows shot up.
“Were you both cheating?” He asked in a quiet voice and Bakugou scoffed.
“Please, you think he’d hold the hand of someone else without crying?”
“True. That’s—good at least, the not cheating thing. Honestly, some of us noticed and were a little worried because he was getting more friendlier with—“
“Who do you think he moved in with?” Bakugou cut him off with and Kirishima’s eyes widened scanning Bakugou's face. “I’m not bitter and neither of us cheated. But, he did admit he had been discussing a break up with someone and I’m not stupid enough not to know who. Deku said he didn't do anything and I believe him. I wouldn’t blame him even if he did.”
“Still, that sucks to hear,” Kirishima said and Bakugou shrugged.
“I don’t know. He accused me of doing the same. Not as much or as far, but he said ‘you’re heart hasn’t been in this for a while’.”
“Was he right?” Kirishima asked and Bakugou frowned down at his beer.
“I always hate admitting he was,” Bakugou replied instead of the admission.
“So did you just fall out of love with him or you find someone else?”
“Didn’t find someone, they were there the whole time. It just took me a while to realize what I felt for Deku didn’t come close to what I felt to them.”
Bakugou took a long sip, side-eyeing Kirishima who did what he always did no matter what Bakugou said or did in return, patiently wait and listen. It irritated Bakugou sometimes, mostly because he was nothing like that. Kirishima was honest and upfront like Bakugou, but he has the elegance and empathy to state those things nicely and offer help. Bakugou wasn’t very good at the ladder. Hell, even his breakup was rather harsh and blunt. Deku didn’t seem to be bothered by it though and accepted the awkward hug Bakugou gave as a goodbye and apology.
They’d be okay in the end, Bakugou knew that much. They ended on similar terms which helped but made Bakugou wonder what would happen if they hadn’t. If Deku was still in love with him, if Bakugou was and he cheated, something. Which made him think of Kirishima, which is why he texted him to begin with. A memory triggered with it, the day Kirishima had asked Bakugou out only to get a rejection. Bakugou had rejected Kirishima because of his dedication to his future and that was all. They were in their second year of high school when Kirishima pulled him aside and asked Bakugou out. Bakugou was in the middle of an internship and had exams to study for and the thought of dealing with a relationship on top of it all was out of the question. He had been polite, as polite as that can be, but there was awkwardness between then for a few weeks. Kirishima overcame it though.
Bakugou wondered how it must have felt though. Badly, obviously by the weeks of silence and time apart. Bakugou didn't feel that with Deku though and he assumed Deku didn't either. Standing in the apartment he shared with Deku though, Bakugou wondered if those feelings ever went away for Kirishima. Was that what made Kirishima eventually come back? Was he over Bakugou and that’s what saved their friendship? Did he still feel for him?
Bakugou wasn’t aware of who Deku was accusing him of loving when he first did. Deku didn’t give an answer to his confusion either which annoyed him.
“You care about someone else a lot more and I think they’ll make you so much happier than I can.”
Kirishima did make him happy, he always had. It never felt like a competition with him and Bakugou could sit here and talk about his feeling or anything and not feel challenged by Kirishima's remarks. He cares a lot about Kirishima and valued his friendship greatly. More than he realized, he now knows. He didn't know if Kirishima's had any lingering feelings on the high school event but Bakugou was never one to dwell and regardless he'd be honest and blunt as he always was and just hope Kirishima understood like he always did.
“You going to do something?” Kirishima asked leaning closer. “I mean I know you just broke up but…”
“I am,” Bakugou told him. “I invited you here.” Kirishima frowned slightly, brows knitting together in confusion.
“What do you mean? Do I know them? Do you want me to set you up?”
“It’s you stupid,” Bakugou confessed, rolling his eyes. “You’re the one I like.” Kirishima’s face went slack. His wide eyes stared at Bakugou’s searching for some answer as if the one he gave wasn’t good enough or not fully what he wanted to say. His dropped jaw closed only to open once more then shut again. His face pinched together in a look of confusion and Bakugou really wondered why he was thinking so hard over it.
“Um. I—I don’t understand. What are you saying? Are you confessing?”
“Yeah, and asking if you want to go out,” Bakugou answered.
“You like me?”
“I just said I did! You hit your head or something today?”
“No, I just—,” Kirishima frowned down at his beer. “Why would you ask me that? Why would you ask me out?” Kirishima wondered.
“Because I like you,” Bakugou stressed and Kirishima turned to him once more.
“Did you think I felt the same?”
“You did once,” Bakugou said with a shrug and it was apparently the wrong thing to. Kirishima frown grew deeper looking almost angry.
“So you think three years later I still do? And you just thought I’d say yes because I liked you three years ago?” Bakugou straightened out his posture not expecting the hostility in Kirishima's voice but ready to defend himself as usual.
“I would have said it regardless, I’m honest if nothing else. I just figured that maybe you’d still like me and it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Wouldn’t hurt? Really?” Kirishima scoffed and Bakugou's fists curled in his pants.
“I didn’t mean to insult you, Kirishima.”
“I’m a little insulted, though. Very much so actually,” Kirishima admitted brows knitted together. “Insulted you thought I would just wait around this whole time pinning after some guy who rejected me.” Bakugou’s mouth parted ready to try to somehow explain he in no way thought that but Kirishima sighed heavily dropping his head into his hands. “I also feel stupid. I feel pretty damn stupid because that’s exactly what I did.”
Bakugou relaxed feeling as if he somehow avoided a potential friendship ruining blunder. He stared at Kirishima who buried a heavy sigh into his hands. Bakugou's eyes darted over to the bartender and other customers who were still focused heavily on the game not even paying them any attention.
“…So…” Bakugou began carefully and Kirishima inhaled deeply lifting his head and leaning back in his chair.
“So allow me to save my pride and demand you take me out first and pretend like this isn’t the saddest thing on earth,” he said.
“It’s not,” Bakugou tried to reassure.
“It’s pretty pathetic, man. What am I gonna tell others? ‘Well, after he rejected me I waited three years for him and when he broke up with his ex then he asked me out!’ Really?”
“Deku punched me so hard I blacked out when I asked him out. That’s pathetic!”
“You got to stop talking about your ex when you are asking others out man it’s a real mood killer.”
“Fucking fine, let’s go out to dinner then,” Bakugou demanded and Kirishima snorted.
“At ten at night? Real romantic late-night ramen eating?” Kirishima said his smile betraying his unamused tone. Bakugou huffed crossing his arms.
“Okay, fine. Tomorrow.”
“I made plans.” Bakugou glared at Kirishima.
“Do you want this date or not?” He barked and Kirishima placed a hand to his chest.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said in a tone that was anything but. “I’m not tossing aside all my plans just because you decided three years later you’d like to accept my confession. I waited for this long Bakugou, the least you can do is make it worth my time. You know, do something nice that says ‘hey sorry for making you wait so long I promise it was worth it'. You know, something nice I can tell my mom when she asks why the boy who broke her son’s heart has the balls to show up for dinner.”
“You know you really can’t hold this over my head. I still wouldn’t have dated anyone in high school, you know that.”
“That’s one year, that’s fair,” Kirishima agreed before he held up two fingers. “But I feel like a damn fool for the other two I spent hopelessly in love with my best friend who was dating my other friend. You know the shit I got for that from the gang? You’re not even going to hear from them when they find out. It’s all going to be directed at me like ‘why the hell did you say yes?’ and ‘You really aren’t over him yet?’ You asked out a fool, Bakugou. A hopeless fool.” Kirishima blurted and Bakugou leaned against the bar.
“Well, I don’t plan on asking anyone else out. So I'll take the hopeless fool then.”
“Good, because you don't have a choice now,” Kirishima muttered and Bakugou felt the corner of his mouth twitch up.
“I think I made you wait long enough.”
“You’re damn right.”
“I know you have Sunday’s off,” Bakugou says. “So I’ll pick you up at six and I’ll bring you back to your apartment Monday.” Kirishima's cheeks went red.
“You’d think I’d spend the night on my first date?” He asked.
“I have a lot to make up for,” Bakugou said with a shrug and Kirishima groaned burying his head in his arms.
“You’re too good at this. I hate you. This is so unfair,” he grumbled and Bakugou rolled his eyes but the small smile only grew on his face.
“You accept my date or not, Kirishima?”
“Begrudgingly,” Kirishima muttered raising his head to peer up at Bakugou who was resting his head on his hand staring down at Kirishima. “You serious about this?”
“When do I prank?”
“I don’t know but you might start. Or maybe I'm dreaming.”
“You dream of me often?”
“I fear the answer to that will only make your head grow bigger.”
“I’m dead serious about all of this Kirishima,” Bakugou told him letting one of his hands trail down to Kirishima's and loosely locking their fingers together. Kirishima stared down at them cheeks still pink but Bakugou thought every shade of red looked good on him.
“Okay,” Kirishima muttered tightening their hands and flashing him a grin Bakugou found infectious. “Sunday then.”