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“Date me,” Bakugou says, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world.
And maybe it is, maybe for Kirishima it is because there’s nothing easier than loving Bakugou Katsuki with all of his explosive temper, fiery passion, and glowing confidence. The things that people find unsettling or uncomfortable about him, Kirishima accepts wholly without question from the blonde, and likewise, Kirishima is the one of the only people that Bakugou respects.
Through all of the years that they’ve known each other, from their times in high school to kick-starting their careers as pro heroes, they’ve been connected. There has never been any doubt that, after graduating, Kirishima would become Bakugou’s partner as they fought for Japan. It was natural after temporarily working as a sidekick to follow Bakugou in building his own agency, and the blonde had likewise not expected anything less.
But, this—
They’ve stayed together for years—and now that they’ve gotten into a steady rhythm of kicking butt and taking names, they’re one of the most successful hero agencies in their mid-twenties. In working together, it’s natural that they’d be together all the time. Patrols, meals, and even crashing at the other’s apartment for the night are all commonplace.
Kirishima even takes care of Bakugou’s cat, Blasty, now and then whenever the blonde is out of town.
And yeah, Kirishima isn’t going to lie—he’s always found Bakugou attractive, even back when they were in high school. It’s nice getting to spend time with him every minute of every day and that fact hasn’t changed from back then. But, Bakugou seemed to be focused on other things—namely, becoming the number one hero—so Kirishima had decided he’d put his feelings aside and root for Bakugou, content with just standing by his side.
As friends.
Just as friends.
“Please,” the blonde adds with slight uncertainty when Kirishima hesitates.
And that’s why, when Bakugou says that, no inflection of a joke in his voice, that Kirishima’s breath catches. He sits up to lean against the sofa, looking up at Bakugou, their television show forgotten.
“What?”
Bakugou scowls, red dusting across his cheeks. He looks pointedly at the TV screen.
“You said you wish you had a boyfriend,” Bakugou repeats.
“I did.”
“I’m offering.”
“Wait, what?” Kirishima stands this time, and Bakugou watches him. “When have you liked men?”
“I don’t, really.”
Kirishima furrows his brows, clearly confused. “Then why, I—I didn’t say that to pressure you—I just thought it’d be nice! To have a boyfriend, I mean!”
“I didn’t feel pressured,” Bakugou says, matter-of-fact and Kirishima, despite hearing all this, still can’t believe this is happening. The Bakugou Katsuki, the one who he’s been pining for all these years, wants to date him?
“I want to date you,” Bakugou brings the thought in his head to life, forcing Kirishima out of his stupor.
“Are you being serious?”
Bakugou holds Kirishima’s gaze as he raises an eyebrow, responding, “Am I ever not?”
And honestly, it’s so much like Bakugou to confess out of nowhere about something that has been constantly on Kirishima’s mind since forever ago. With the same energy that Bakugou had smashed his way into his heart—dripping sweat, blazing palms, manic smile and all—as they faced the league of villains for the first time, he feels the same fire in Bakugou’s eyes today in the quiet of Kirishima’s half-cleaned apartment.
Kirishima smells the leftover Chinese takeout from the other day on the dining room table, sees the clothes draped all over the arms of the sofa and on the nearby chairs, and watches the way the light from the tears in the curtains illuminate Bakugou’s face in the most unflattering way possible.
And yet, when Kirishima shakes his head with a teary laugh, he can’t help but think that Bakugou’s confession was just so him, perfect in every imperfection.
“Well?”
“Okay,” Kirishima chokes out as Bakugou stands to wrap him in a warm embrace. And despite some doubts in his head about whether he’s the best for the blonde, he feels himself melt into the touch. “I will, Katsuki.”
Telling Bakusquad is a bit of a nightmare.
“Oh my god, finally,” Mina groans, tugging at her hair. “You guys were so obvious, it was physically painful.”
“Like, when they shared that bed in first year—” Sero adds.
“Or, when Bakugou got kidnapped and Kirishima just had to go to save him—” Kaminari sing-songs.
“Sometimes, in third-year, Bakugou would be sleeping in the common room and Kirishima would just carry him up to his room, like—” Mina splutters, gesturing to nothing in particular. “How were they not together then?!”
“Those hiking dates during the holidays? Every single holiday?” Sero muses, scratching his chin in contemplation.
“Didn’t they study together all the time? Even though Lord Explosion Murder-san wouldn’t teach anyone else?” Kaminari pouts in that no-self-preservation way of his.
“Guys,” Kirishima starts, watching Bakugou get out of the bed to head to the kitchen in a huff. It’s their first day off in a while, and they have an indoor date planned after a late breakfast. Too much of a hassle going out with all the paparazzi, Bakugou had said. “Cut us some slack…”
“No can do, sir!” Mina puts her hands on her hips. Kirishima wonders if she’s propped up her phone on a windowsill or something. “You’ve kept us waiting all this time—I told you to say something to him!”
Kirishima is blushing now, scratching at his chin sheepishly. Honestly, he didn’t think he’d have a chance, but maybe if he had noticed the signs sooner, they could’ve dated earlier.
But, plain and simple, he didn’t. He hadn’t wanted to entertain the notion.
After all, he’s just Kirishima Eijirou—that one guy who could harden his skin a little. He doesn’t have the same explosive energy as Bakugou, or the same confidence. He isn’t as blinding like the sun, the star that Bakugou was and is in all that he sets out to do. How could Bakugou, his friend of ten years like him back, as bland as he is?
And even if the signs were there, it was easy enough to write it off as bros supporting bros.
He’ll never make fun of those shoujou protagonists ever again.
“Wait,” Kaminari squints, as if he can see anything around Kirishima with the blinds drawn. “Were you two sleeping in the same bed?”
“Scandalous!” Mina chirps, throwing a hand over her mouth.
Sero only grins, wiggling his eyebrows.
Kirishima rolls his eyes. “Guys, c’mon, be serious, we do it all the time. It’s not like that.”
“Oh, but it is now, now that you’re dating!” Mina asserts.
“Let me add Jirou to this call—” Kaminari fumbles with his phone.
“Please no,” Kirishima moans, half-tempted to just end the call. “She’s going to call me an idiot.”
“Well-deserved,” Sero hums.
“Yeah, I may be dumb, but I’m not that dumb—” Kaminari snickers, then gasps with excitement. “Wait, does that mean you guys are the idiots?”
“No, you’re still the idiot,” Jirou’s voice joins in. Kirishima resists the urge to groan as Kaminari squawks as if she’s insulted him and his entire family. “What’s going on?”
“Okay, I’m out—” Kirishima says, not waiting for a reply before hanging up. He pockets his phone into his shorts and stretches before going to join Bakugou outside of the bedroom.
“Did you have to tell them?” Bakugou’s annoyed voice comes from the kitchen.
“Kats,” Kirishima laughs and Bakugou only grumbles before chucking something onto the pan with a sizzle.
Kirishima makes his way to the dining room table and sits down at one of the chairs, watching his now-boyfriend make breakfast for the two of them.
He can’t help but feel like he’s the luckiest guy in the world.
Bakugou always looks very focused when he’s cooking. Well, Kirishima supposes that he looks pretty focused all the time if that constant frown was any indication. That’s something that Kirishima admires a lot about Bakugou. The way that he does everything he cares about with such meticulous care and dedication. Making food for them this morning is no exception.
Kirishima can’t help staring at him over the kitchen counter, watching Bakugou dice up some mushrooms and spinach. Kirishima follows the practiced movements of his pale hands, worn from years of constant combat. He watches the steady rise and fall of the blonde’s chest and revels in the relaxed expression he’s making, in this quiet space with just the two of them. Kirishima figures that Bakugou’s eyes are always softer in these moments.
That is, until Bakugou looks up, catches him staring, and frowns.
“What.”
“Nothing,” Kirishima smiles.
Bakugou purses his lips. He throws the vegetables into the pan. “Doesn’t seem like fucking nothing.”
Kirishima laughs, folding his arms onto the table and shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry, just happy. Being here with you, that is.”
Bakugou flushes at that, splitting a few eggs into a bowl with excessive force. “Well, you can be happy without staring so much, can’t you?”
“No can do, man,” Kirishima chuckles, relishing the way Bakugou’s face blossoms into a nice reddish color. “You’re the reason why I’m happy.”
“God, you—” Bakugou grits his teeth. He doesn’t look directly at Kirishima as he starts to whisk the eggs violently. “How the hell are you so embarrassing, just—”
Kirishima grins, chuckling a little as they lapse back into silence. He turns to the living room to stare blankly at the television so he’s forced to leave Bakugou alone.
Honestly speaking, it was just too easy to get sappy nowadays.
It had only been a week since they’d officially gotten together, but in between work obligations and other responsibilities to the public, they haven’t had a moment to themselves.
Until today, that is.
Bakugou was the one to suggest a date. It was a little odd for Kirishima because he wasn’t sure exactly how to handle that suggestion.
Maybe it’s because he’s not quite sure what changes for them in a romantic relationship.
As his friends have so blatantly pointed out, they’ve been doing the things that couples do for ages. From sleeping in the same bed to holding hands, every evidence that they liked each other was there, but Kirishima couldn’t see it. He had a crush, sure, but that was different from love, right?
He’s sure that if he tells Jirou this, she would say that crushes don’t last 10 years.
Kirishima would argue it has not been 10 years.
Would it be silly to say that he’s felt connected to Bakugou for much longer than that?
Technically, the first time their lives actually intertwined was when Kirishima had found out that the brave middle school kid who got caught in a slime incident was actually his friend, Bakugou. But, Kirishima wonders if maybe there are times other than that.
They’re by no means childhood friends like Bakugou and Deku are. But, with how much Bakugou inspires him to change, grow, and become better than he ever was as a hero, as a friend, and as a person, he wonders if that desire can be something that could be measured on a linear timeline.
Simply put, it’s a desire, and a yearning for Bakugou that goes past their current lives—someone he’s known for forever, for many lifetimes and across all timelines, something and someone like a soulmate.
Kirishima sighs, feeling his head hurt just thinking about it. That feeling was why he was fine with just standing by Bakugou’s side as his friend. Romance seemed out of the question because of how mediocre he felt he was, but all Kirishima wanted was to be with the blonde. In any way that was possible.
Clearly, Bakugou wanted more.
He pulls out his phone, ignoring the messages from the group chat to pull up his most recent search, ‘what to do on a first date.’ Kirishima chuckles at the unhelpful results again, flipping through the articles that talk about how he should ask about his date’s family, what their favorite food is, and what makes them laugh.
No advice on what to do with a date with someone you’ve known for years.
Kirishima figures that makes sense. After all, there’s no point in writing advice on that if you already know what your date likes. Kirishima definitely has already met Bakugou’s family, knows all about his food preferences, and delights in his ability to make the blonde laugh in more ways than one.
But, does that mean nothing will change for them even if they’re in a romantic relationship?
They’ll probably continue going on with their daily lives, saving lives together, crashing at each other’s apartments, and being the most trusted person in each other’s lives. Kirishima is happy enough with that, but romantic love also means stuff like kissing, right?
“You’re spacing out,” Bakugou says, in lieu of a hello as he places an omelette in front of Kirishima. Kirishima jumps and laughs, closing a new search titled, ‘how do kiss.’
“Sorry,” Kirishima replies. He grabs a fork and smiles down at the plate. “This looks really good!”
Bakugou smiles softly and Kirishima has to remind himself how to breathe again. How is it that even after all these years, he still can’t figure out how to act like a normal person with his best friend? Someone he should be more comfortable around, someone he shouldn’t have trouble talking to—
Said best friend likes him back. He likes him back. Bakugou likes him back for some godforsaken reason, he—
As more of a distraction to himself than for Bakugou, Kirishima clears his throat, yells out a quick ‘thank you for the meal,’ and dives into his meal. After a momentary pause, Bakugou follows shortly after, and they talk about business as normal—which district needs more patrols, how many interns they can accept, what kind of advertisement is needed for more publicity for their agency.
It’s so normal that Kirishima almost forgets that he’s dating the most beautiful person on the planet.
Almost.
“You said you wanted to continue watching that show, right?” Kirishima asks as he puts away the dishes. He receives an empty glass from Bakugou, then turns to grab the TV remote with his free hand. “We can finish it!”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Awesome!”
They settle onto the couch together as per their usual, except now it feels strangely more intimate to be next to Bakugou, sharing a blanket, knocking knees, and being close enough to kiss.
Were they always this close, physically?
Bakugou doesn’t look as bothered though so Kirishima tries his best to focus on the TV show they’ve been watching together—a cartoon about these badass intergalactic aliens who fight for the earth’s liberation. And, as the episodes go on with nothing changing from their normal routine of watching television together, Kirishima finds himself relaxing more and more.
This is probably what Bakugou wanted out of this whole romantic relationship anyways. He probably wants everything to more or less carry on as normal, except now, Bakugou could give a reason to the reporters who always ask why they are so tied at the hip.
Their normal life as bros.
And normal means no kissing.
And that, despite the slight twinge of disappointment he feels, is more than okay for Kirishima.
They finish the show which takes up the majority of the day. Bakugou grabs some leftovers from the fridge and they eat a large dinner in peace, talking about the events that happened with the aliens as well as their predictions for what’ll happen next. It’s mostly Kirishima talking about it animatedly as usual, but Bakugou chimes in with an affirmation here and there.
It’s relaxing and peaceful. Normal.
Kirishima doesn’t want to kiss him. Nope. No, siree.
That wouldn’t be normal.
They clean up their meal together and plan what they need to do tomorrow for work. Kirishima can’t stop himself from staring at Bakugou again, feeling entranced by the way the blonde immerses himself into his job. Bakugou only mildly comments on it, but overall doesn’t seem wholly unbothered by the extra attention.
Kirishima thinks he’s smiling a lot more than usual though.
Their date ends up being exactly like any other day excluding the extra staring, but Kirishima is fine with that.
Romance can mean different things to different people and to them, it just means the same old, same old. Just the labeling of their relationship has changed.
Probably.
Heading to bed though, without the usual exhaustion from pro hero-work knocking them out instantly, feels different.
They’re not tired, that much is obvious. For two able-bodied men who run around all day, a day of sitting on the couch only makes them restless by the time they need to sleep.
So, the two of them lie there, side-by-side and aimless, and Kirishima wonders if maybe, just maybe, he could ask for a kiss before resting. Even if it’s not what Bakugou wants, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?
“Blasty has been a pain-in-the-ass, lately,” Bakugou says before he could speak, breaking the silence.
“Oh, what’s wrong with her?”
“She just, I don’t know—” Bakugou murmurs. “Tracks litter fucking, everywhere.”
Knowing how much of a neat-freak Bakugou is, Kirishima laughs. “You must hate my apartment then.”
“What, you have litter everywhere too?”
“No, but could be cleaner, overall.”
“You’ve finally realized it.”
“Only because you tell me every time you come over.”
“Well,” Bakugou continues, frowning. He’s staring up at the ceiling in frustration, waving up at the sky. Kirishima is stuck just looking at him, wanting to run his fingers through those golden locks. He doesn’t though. Because that’s not their normal. “She only gets worse when Dunce-Face visits.”
Kirishima hums, inviting Bakugou to continue. He wonders if he’ll ever be able to ask Bakugou for a kiss at this rate, especially since the blonde was venting so animatedly.
He figures it’s fine if he doesn’t get a kiss because getting to hear Bakugou’s voice is enough for him. Kirishima listens to the gravelly ranting, wishing he could stay in this moment forever.
After all, it’s rare that Bakugou is the talkative one.
He tries not to think about kissing too much, instead, focusing on what the blonde is saying.
“He just comes over when you’re busy as if I fucking allowed him inside, picks up Blasty, and just starts ranting about his ex,” Bakugou growls, his speech picking up speed. “I tell him to go bother you instead because you’re his best bro or whatever, but he never fucking listens to me, I swear he’s got a broken outlet for a brain—”
Kirishima finds himself half-listening at this point, mostly because despite seeming quite frustrated about his cat’s litter and Kaminari being Kaminari, Bakugou’s ears are very red and he’s licking his lips. It would make sense if that were his usual tells for anger, but to be honest, to Kirishima, it looks more like—
“Wait, Katsuki, are…” Kirishima asks, tentatively. “Are you nervous?”
Bakugou freezes, almost comically.
And that, that confuses Kirishima. Because Bakugou, the epitome of confidence, the frontrunner of fuck-everyone-else-and-what-they-think is for some reason, nervous. The expression looks misplaced on him.
“Fuck, I—” Bakugou sighs, running his hands over his face. “I don’t know, you’re the one who’s supposed to be good at this.”
“What?”
“I’m not,” Bakugou elaborates with exasperation. “You know I’m not good with words. That’s your thing.”
And it clicks.
Honestly Kirishima still doesn’t know why Bakugou would pick him to date out of anyone else he could. The blonde’s in the top ten heroes, steadily making a name for himself with a certain devilish charm that fans go bonkers for. He excels at all he does with breathtaking perfection, everything from defeating villains to competing with Deku to breaking headlines.
Everything but everything that Kirishima is the best at.
And maybe, despite the doubts Kirishima has, he feels like he should take the lead with this stuff. Especially when Bakugou, confidence given human form, is feeling unconfident. Especially when Bakugou seems to be entrusting him to guide him in uncertain waters.
“Can I kiss you?” Kirishima asks, moving closer.
Bakugou laughs, a sound of relief. He nods hesitantly, and Kirishima smiles. He reaches over to cup Bakugou’s face in his hands and kisses him once, softly.
They pull apart, eyes sparkling. Their breaths lightly brush over one another’s lips.
“Again?”
Bakugou hums in contentment and they meet halfway, hesitant, but less so now, gently feeling each other out, one kiss at a time.
“How was it?” Bakugou asks nervously as they pull apart once more.
“One more time,” Kirishima laughs, and Bakugou rolls his eyes, but indulges him again.
Then again. And again, and again.
Making up for lost time. Making up for the years of pining.
Making up for what they lacked.
One kiss at a time.