Chapter Text
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Ever since they moved out of the UA dorms, Kirishima, Ashido, Sero, and Kaminari had a weekly group Facetime call to keep up with each other.
The other three didn’t know that Kirishima and Bakugou lived together, however. They hadn’t been over to Kirishima’s apartment at all, and Kirishima tried to hide the fact that Bakugou lived there. Even though they were his friends, something about letting them know that he lived with the blonde felt like he was giving up a part of something important.
He wanted to keep a semblance of privacy.
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“Is everyone here?” Ashido’s voice echoes out through Kirishima’s phone as he untangles his earbuds.
“Yeah, just give me a sec to plug these in.” Kirishima tugs at the wires, finally managing to get them straight, and sticks them in the bottom of his phone.
“Dude, you’re in your own house. Why do you need earbuds?” Sero’s face pops up on screen, and Kaminari’s follows a moment later.
“Ha, uh I don’t know. Just feels more comfortable, I guess.” Kirishima rubs the back of his head, hoping they don’t push the issue.
The truth was Bakugou had a difficult day at work, and Kirishima was trying to be quiet to let him sleep. Bakugou had been sleeping poorly for a few days now, and Kirishima could see the effect it was having on him. He was grumpier than usual, so Kirishima was trying to give him as much space as he needed.
Which would prove to be the wrong choice.
“So, how was everyone’s week?” Ashido sticks her hands in her elbows, perched at her desk.
“Um, I don’t know about you guys, but I had an AWESOME week. I got featured in a magazine, I don’t know if you guys heard, pretty big deal.” Kaminari laughs as the other three roll their eyes before each holding up a copy of the magazine.
The cover is a photo of Kaminari posing in his hero gear, foot propped against a villain tied up on the ground. The headline read “Buzzing with Excitement: Hero Chargebolt talks taking down villains, popularity rankings, and more!”.
“Yes we all heard, Kami. You mailed all of us copies.” Sero tosses his onto the table in front of him before taking a seat.
“Oh did I? I just wanted to make sure all my friends got a copy.” Kaminari giggles again, pulling the covers up to his eyes as he settles in bed.
“Ok besides Kami, how was everyone else’s week?” Kirishima leans back, resting his head on the edge of the couch. He has to make sure that he doesn’t lean too far back, because he has pictures of him and Bakugou on the wall behind him.
“I got to meet some grade schoolers this week, and let me tell you, they were ADORABLE!” Ashido squeals, almost falling out of her chair as she reminisces. Kaminari snorts, which sends the other two into a fit of giggles. Kirishima tries to quiet himself down, but Kaminari dropping his phone in his laughter sets him off again.
“Okay, okay settle down. Sero, your week. Good, bad, ugly?” Ashido peers into her camera, and it takes everything in Kirishima to hold in his laughter.
“It was normal. Just patrols and stuff. I did see a really cute dog, though, and I got to take a picture with it. Hold on, I’ll put it in the group chat.” Sero’s face disappears from the call as he searches his camera roll for the picture.
“Ok, while he’s doing that, Kirishima, check in. What’s been going on in the life of pro hero Red Riot? What scenes has he been on?” Ashido wiggles her eyebrows, and Kirishima snorts.
“Well, it’s been okay, I guess-”
“When are you coming to bed? I’m tired.” A sleepy voice interrupts Kirishima’s update as he feels limbs wrap around him.
Bakugou drops himself on top of Kirishima, wrapping his arms around Kirishima’s shoulders. He puts his feet in Kirishima’s lap, leaning back onto the bottom of the couch as he tucks his head into Kirishima’s shoulder. His hands get tangled in Kirishima’s earbud wire, accidentally pulling it out.
Kirishima turns to Bakugou, panic etched in his every feature. Bakugou, with his eyes closed and face pressing into Kirishima’s shoulder, doesn’t notice. The silence is deafening, as Sero, Ashido, and Kaminari attempt to process what is going on.
“Kat, what are you doing?” Kirishima’s frantic whisper doesn’t alert Bakugou to his panic, as the blonde groans before mumbling his response.
“Want to sleep. Can’t sleep. Want to cuddle.” Although muffled by Kirishima’s shoulder, Bakugou’s response is audible to the other three.
“Um, Kiri?”
“Is that…”
“Bakugou?” Three voices blend into one sentence as Kirishima looks back and forth between Bakugou and his screen.
“Um yeah, it is.”
“Why is he at your place?” Kaminari’s screech makes Bakugou groan again as he grabs Kirishima’s phone and lowers the volume.
“I fucking live here, why wouldn’t I be here?”
Another silence.
“Wait, I thought you lived with Tetsu, Kiri.” Sero’s voice fills the void, quiet enough to placate Bakugou.
“No, but he’s over here more than a motherfucker who doesn’t pay rent should be. I came home the other day and he was in bed with Kir watching some stupid horror movie.”
“Wait, let me get this straight. You and Bakugou are...living together?” Ashido’s voice carries another question that no one says out loud.
All three of them know how Kirishima has been pining after Bakugou since their first year. Kirishima even almost confessed to him in their third year, but lost his will after seeing how harshly Bakugou rejected a second year from the support class.
And yet, here they were. Living in the same apartment, cuddling on the floor as Bakugou pouted and begged Kirishima to help him get to sleep.
“Yeah, uh we do. As friends though! Totally not anything romantic, haha!” Kirishima waves his hands in front of them, starting to blush as Bakugou pulled them into his own, playing with Kirishima’s fingers lazily.
“Uh…”
“Mina, you live with Jirou, it’s like the same thing!” Kirishima’s voice rises, and Bakugou puts a finger to his lips, shushing him.
“I- Jirou and I are not dating.”
“We’re not dating either! Just two bros who happen to live in the same apartment!”
“Yeah, and who cuddle on the floor of said apartment.” Sero quips, causing Kirishima to exclaim quietly.
“Sero, you live in an apartment with three other people. Why am I the focus right now?”
“Um, because me, Tokoyami, Sato, and Ojiro are all single. Painfully single.”
“We’re single, too! Seriously!”
“I notice Denki has been PAINFULLY silent during all of this. Is this situation reminding you of yourself, Mr. I live with Shinsou in a completely platonic and not at all romantic way despite literally being in love with him?” Mina teases, and Kaminari pulls the blankets further over his head.
“I am literally minding my business. I do not see why I have to get attacked.”
“Ei, can we please go get in our bed? I’m fucking exhausted.”
A slight silence follows Bakugou’s statement as the others pick it apart.
“Wait, did he just say OUR bed, Kirishima?” Mina’s question makes Kirishima blush even harder as he starts to stammer out an explanation.
“W-well it’s a one bedroom apartment! And buying two beds, or a bed and a futon was too expensive on our salaries! This apartment is expensive enough as it is!”
“So you two sleep together?”
“NOT LIKE THAT!” Kirishima puts his hands over his face as his friends fall into fits of laughter.
“You nerds are too fucking loud. I want to go to bed, Ei.” Bakugou’s lips brush against Kirishima’s ear, making him jump.
“Yeah, Kiri. Take the poor baby to bed.”
“Who the fuck are you calling a baby, Pikachu?”
“Says the guy who likes to be little spoon.”
“So fucking what? At least I’m not pining after a little spoon.” Sero snorts, and Kaminari complains about how it was a low blow.
“How are you Bakugou? I feel like I haven’t spoken to you since graduation.” Ashido’s comment brings them back to the purpose of the call.
“Fucking tired. I want to go to bed.”
“At...9:17?”
“Rough fucking week.”
“I get it man, trust me.” Kaminari’s statement has the other two nodding in agreement. They knew all too well how hellish working at an agency could be, especially since Kirishima and Bakugou lived in such a big city.
“Well then, I think you should go get some rest. Seriously man. Feeling tired fucking sucks.” Sero rests his head on the table, and the other four wave at Ojiro, who’s smiling and waving in the background.
“Yeah, Kiri, go lay with him so he can get some sleep. We’ll DEFINITELY talk about this later.” Each of Kirishima’s friends have matching grins as Kirishima rolls his eyes.
“You guys better not talk about me in the group chat.”
“You know we are.”
“I hate you all.”
“Love you too!”
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Kirishima grunts, wrapping his arms around a drowsy Bakugou’s legs before standing up, Bakugou on his back.
“Didn’t have to carry me. Can walk.”
“You can’t even talk in complete sentences, Kat. Let me carry you.”
Kirishima walks into their bedroom, plopping Bakugou on the bed before going to the bathroom to wash his face and wrap his hair up. Kirishima can hear Bakugou whining about being sleepy, and a slight smile appears on his face. Kaminari was right to call him a baby.
Kirishima walks back into the room, launching himself onto his bed.
“What the fuck, Ei?”
“It was fun, shut up.” Kirishima pulls the comforter over them as Bakugou wiggles into his arms, resting his head on Kirishima’s chest and curling a leg over Kirishima’s hip.
“No, you shut up.”
“Make me.” Kirishima sticks his tongue out, giggling as Bakugou tries to swat his mouth. He misses dreadfully, hitting Kirishima’s shoulder instead.
“Too tired.”
“I can see that, dude.”
“Can’t sleep right without you. Stop fucking sleeping on the couch.” Bakugou’s mumbles catch in Kirishima’s chest as the redhead puffs his cheeks out.
“I was trying to give you space since I knew you were having trouble sleeping.”
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because you keep leaving me alone, idiot.”
“Stop insulting me, Katsuki. Or I’ll leave again.”
“Please don’t. Don’t like sleeping alone.” Bakugou’s whispers make Kirishima smile despite himself, and he plants a soft kiss into Bakugou’s hair.
“Fine, fine. Just get some rest.” Kirishima mushes Bakugou’s hair, who hums at the contact. His breathing evens as sleep takes him over.
Kirishima could live like this forever. He didn’t need the title of boyfriend, although it would be nice. At the end of the day, he still got to hold the person he cared for most as they drifted off to sleep. That was a win in his book.