Work Text:
“So, we’ve got ‘Killer Cabin VII: Revenge of the First Dead’ or ‘Four Funerals and a Blood Bath.’ Whatcha feelin’?”
“Those both sound horrible.” Giggling, Uraraka settles beside Kirishima on his bed.
‘Horrible’ is the point behind their weekly, covert movie nights. The only hard and fast rule they’ve set is that the movies they watch have to be terrible to the point of being laughable. More often than not, that means watching campy horror and cheesy rom-coms. Last week was a cringe-worthy romance fest. So tonight, guts are on the menu.
“Well, it’s those or ‘House of Gore.’” Kirishima shrugs, pulling his laptop up onto his thighs. “But that one’s supposed to be so bad it’s not even funny.”
“Um.” Uraraka swallows, wringing her hands together in her lap. “I don’t mean to be a bother, but do you mind if we watch something else today? Like maybe something a little less...dark?”
“Of course not. Got something in mind?”
Kirishima couldn’t care less about what they watch. He’s happy to spend time with Uraraka in any capacity. Her presence is comforting, and he’s content to goof around or do nothing at all, especially if that’s what she needs most.
It’s not an intentionally-kept secret that they’ve become best friends over the past several months. Rather, they haven’t bothered broadcasting it. Of course, Asui is Uraraka’s best gal pal, and Kirishima is all but glued to Bakugou’s side. Still, pretty much everyone in Class 1-A has friends outside of their main circles. They’ve been through a lot together, after all. A few unexpected friendships were bound to crop up.
“How does ‘Better Best Man’ sound?”
“Sheesh,” Kirishima snorts. “Sounds perfect — perfectly awful. Let’s do it!”
“Thanks, Kiri.” A soft smile tugs at Uraraka’s lips, and she rests her head on his shoulder, watching as he pulls up their poison of choice in a new tab.
“You good, man? Something bugging ya?” Kirishima doesn’t have time to premeditate his words. Checking on her is reflexive. If something is wrong, he wants to know, especially if it’s something he can help with.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Uraraka puffs her cheeks. She lets her breath out slowly, her body sagging into Kirishima’s side. “It’s just that...today...ugh. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“That’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it, but I’m game if you are.” Kirishima smiles fondly at the top of her head.
“Thanks, Kiri. You’re the best,” she mumbles, curling up into a more comfortable position. Reaching out, she hits play.
As expected, ‘Better Best Man’ is a cliche-ridden fever dream, composed entirely of unhealthy relationships, unrealistic expectations, and a bevy of B-list actors, each more unnaturally pretty than the next. It’s a hoot and a half.
“Can this even be called a love triangle anymore?” Uraraka snickers, nearly choking on a snort. Forty minutes into the movie, the plot is already horrifically messy.
“I think it’s more of a love pentagon,” Kirishima supplies, counting out the love interests on his fingers. “‘Cause there’s the bride, the maid of honor, the groom’s sister, the college sweetheart, and…uh…”
“The photographer! But wait, doesn’t that make it a love hexagon, then?” Uraraka doubles over with a wheeze, reaching out to slap the laptop’s space bar, effectively pausing the movie.
“It makes it a mess. That’s what it does.” Kirishima relinquishes his grip on Uraraka’s arm and wipes away a tear. “Remind me where you found this one?”
“Mina,” Uraraka chokes between laughs.
“I should’ve known. She has the best worst recs.”
“Here’s the thing, though. She actually said this one was good.”
“Ouch.” Kirishima shakes his head.
He reaches out to restart the movie but hesitates, glancing back at Uraraka. Her eyes are bright, and she looks much less troubled than she did when she first entered his room. Before, her brow had been pinched as if she’d had a headache, and she’d seemed nervous, her voice wavering and shoulders tense.
“Hey, um. About earlier...” Kirishima hesitates. He doesn’t want to bring up a potentially sore subject, but the thought that his friend might be suffering in silence is too much to bear. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Oh, that.” Uraraka frowns, receding in on herself. “Lately, I...I’ve been having…”
Silently, Kirishima puts his hand on her knee. She grabs it, and he lets her, watching as she plays with his fingertips. The slight roughness of her finger pads feel like cat toe beans against his skin. A chuckle builds in his chest, but he holds it in for her sake.
A frown tugs at Uraraka’s lips. Shaking her head, she starts over.
“Ever since the raid—”
Kirishima knows the one. He was there too, after all.
“—I’ve had these...dreams about him .” Uraraka stills, as though any sudden movement might prove too much for her fragile heart. “About Sir Nighteye.”
Silence thicker than autumn fog hangs over the pair. Kirishima debates opening his mouth, but he doesn’t know what to say. Uraraka saves him the trouble by continuing.
“I know he didn’t die until later, but...sometimes, it feels like I could have done more. Like maybe if we were faster, he’d still be here.”
“There wasn’t anything you could have done,” Kirishima counters. “We all did our best.”
“That’s the worst part,” Uraraka sighs. “I know that, but I have a hard time accepting it, especially when I keep having dreams about it.”
“I get them too — the dreams,” Kirishima says after a moment.
Uraraka blinks and looks up to meet his gaze.
“Sometimes about the raid. Sometimes about Kamino and...Bakugou. The forest that night. Not being able to do anything but feeling like I could have if I just tried harder, pushed harder.”
Uraraka nods and drapes an arm over Kirishima in a half hug. They’ve been through too much together.
“But, you have to know, you did all that could be done. Just like I did.” Kirishima offers Uraraka a half-smile and hugs her back. “And that’s pretty manly — for the record.”
This gets a laugh out of Uraraka, and Kirishima’s spirit lifts. The weight in the room rises.
“So...” Uraraka smiles. “The love hexagon?”
“Right.” Kirishima snorts. Already, they’re back to their old selves — or the illusion anyway. “I really gotta know what this dude’s game plan is. There’s no way this ends well.”
Grinning, he hits play.
Kirishima is right — mostly. Things don’t go well for the ‘Better Best Man’ ensemble. There are betrayals and tears aplenty. The wedding is called off, and someone’s mom tries to make a move on the groom. It’s a mess more magnificent than any Kirishima and Uraraka have seen in a movie yet.
But, shockingly, it ends well.
“So, they really just talked it out?” Uraraka cants her head, tapping the corner of her mouth.
“Sometimes, that’s all you need.” Kirishima shrugs.
“Yeah, but that was...that was…” Uraraka throws her hands up in exasperation.
“Kind of a joke?”
“Yeah!”
They laugh. It was truly a ‘Mina’ movie in every sense: dramatic, over the top, silly, a touch raunchy, oddly heartwarming, and exactly what they needed.
“Still,” Kirishima muses. “There’s something to be said for working through stuff with friends.”
“I’d have to agree.” Uraraka smiles, resting her cheek on Kirishima’s chest.
They watch the end credits roll in silence, neither quite ready to get up. It’s not until a trailer for a related movie autoplays that Uraraka pushes off of Kirishima and snaps the laptop shut.
“Same time next week?” Kirishima flashes a shark-tooth grin, and Uraraka giggles.
“Yeah.” She punches his arm gently and climbs off the bed. “And maybe I’ll be better prepared for Four Funerals and...uh... What was it again?”
“A bloodbath.” Kirishima’s grin widens, his eyes sparkling despite the dimness of the room.
“Right.” Uraraka grabs her jacket from Kirishima’s desk chair and pulls it on. “Next week, I will definitely be ready for ‘Four Funerals and a Bloodbath .’”
She turns as if to leave but stops, pivoting to look back at Kirishima.
“Hey, uh… Thank you.” A slight blush warms her characteristically pink cheeks. “That was really nice of you. What you did earlier, I mean. I appreciate it — a lot.”
“Anything for a bro,” Kirishima says. “You don’t gotta thank me for that. I know you’d do the same.”
It’s the truth. He knows it deep in his heart. Part of the reason he respects Uraraka so much is that she’s so sincere in her desire to help others. He’s always thought that about her but grew to believe it more after learning that she wants to be a hero to help her parents.
Uraraka isn’t someone driven by promises of fame. She doesn’t even want the fortune, not really. Not for herself. She merely wants to help those that haven’t been able to help themselves. In this case, her parents.
If Kirishima can return the favor by helping her, he’ll do what he can a million times over. It’s the least he can do.
“Of course.” Uraraka smiles down at her feet, letting her hair hide her deepening blush. With a steadying breath, she looks back up, thrusting her arm out with a thumbs up. “I’ll do my best to check in on you too, Kirishima-kun.”
A proud sob escapes Kirishima, and he clenches his fist.
“That’s so manly! How did I get lucky enough to have a friend as thoughtful as you?” Sniffling, Kirishima wipes away a tear.
“I’m the lucky one,” Uraraka corrects. “You’ve always been someone I could rely on, even before we got close.”
“Wah?” Kirishima wails, clambering out of his bed to lift Uraraka into a bearhug.
She shrieks, and he spins her around, both laughing like fools.
A loud crack echoes from the next room, followed by aggressive pounding on the wall.
“SHUT THE HELL UP IN THERE!” Bakugou booms. “SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!”
His theatrics do little. Kirishima and Uraraka only laugh harder.