Work Text:
“Dude, dude, dude, check this out.”
Eijirou blinks at the phone that appears in front of his face, nearly bopping his nose. He frowns, brows furrowing as he peers down at the screen. It’s a video— one of those tik toks Kaminari’s always talking about. Eijiro’s seen a few before. Some are even pretty funny. He’s even got an account, too, and sometimes posts silly videos of himself or his friends goofing around during workouts.
This video is apparently one of those trends that go around— again, nothing particularly new. Memes, trends, lingo all come and go rather quickly these days. Kaminari and Ashido sometimes spit out words and phrases that have Eijirou’s head spinning a little. And this video isn’t exactly an exception, either, because oh, wow. Is this even real? “What the heck?” he says, snatching the phone from Kaminari’s hand. There’s a snicker.
“Yeah, right? Isn’t that crazy?”
Eijirou shakes his head. “There’s no way these are real.” Because they can’t be, can they? They’ve gotta be staged. Right? He frowns.
Apparently, the idea of this trend is to kiss your best friend all of a sudden and see what happens. On camera. Somehow. Eijirou raises his brows. Yeah, no, these have gotta be fake.
“Do you think this would work on Jirou?” Kaminari asks. He’s got that gleam in his eyes, that gleam Eijirou knows all too well and never means anything particularly good. He would know, he’s been dragged along with the ideas that came from that gleam. Eijirou bites back a grimace and shrugs.
“I dunno, dude. If she likes you, maybe. But like...I don’t know if kissing someone out of nowhere is a good idea.” His face scrunches at the thought. It doesn't sound like a good idea, anyway. Kissing needs lead up. Romance. The right kind of atmosphere, where the other person hopefully is expecting it and willing to reciprocate.
Kaminari snickers. “Come on, bro, where’s your adventurous side?” He swipes his phone back, giving Eijirou a nudge. “Besides it’s not like you just shove your tongue in their mouth or something— it’s just a peck. And if they’re not into it you stop.”
And okay, that’s better, he guesses. Eijirou just shrugs. “Whatever you say, bro.” It still seems like a bad idea, but mostly because Kaminari rarely thinks things through. “Just make sure you’re careful— you don’t want Jirou stabbing you in the eye with her jack.”
That earns him a grimace, but Kaminari just shrugs. “Eh, it’s not a bad way to go. At least the last thing I’d see would be her beautiful face.” He wags his eyebrows and Eijirou snickers, shaking his head.
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
“Say what?” Sero flops down onto the couch beside Eijirou, a bowl of cereal balanced in his hands. Which admittedly sounds good right about now, despite it being late in the evening. Eijirou leans back against the couch and gestures at Kaminari.
“Kaminari wants to get punched by Jirou,” he says. Kaminari whines and kicks at his shin, practically throwing his phone at Sero.
“Nuh-uh! I wanna do that tik tok meme— it’s super smooth and shit.”
Sero barely manages to catch the phone without his cereal sloshing everywhere, awkwardly pinning it against his chest with one hand. He scowls, leaning forward to set his bowl onto the little coffee table before actually watching the video. His brow pinches, and he hands the phone back with the shake of his head. “Yeah, you’re totally gonna get jabbed.”
Kaminari slumps forward, bangs flopping into his face as he pouts at the floor. “You guys are no fun,” he whines. Eijirou just stifles a snicker under his palm. Honestly, he’s not sure he gets the appeal. Like okay, maybe it’s kinda cool how the people seem to have the guts to just. Put themselves out there like that. It’s kinda manly, in a way. But also Eijirou isn’t sure how he feels about taking that kind of leap in such an ordinary scenario. Like... shouldn’t there be a confession first? A date? He frowns, gaze blurring out of focus as he imagines himself just leaning over and kissing Bakugou during a study date, for no reason at all…
“Uh, hello? Kiri?”
Eijirou blinks at the hand that waves in front of his face. He jolts, face burning as his gaze whips to Sero. “Wha-what?” he stammers. Sero laughs.
“You okay, dude? You zoned out, there.”
He looks from Kaminari to Sero, face growing hotter, and laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, sorry, I just zoned out,” he says with a chuckle.
“Clearly,” Kaminari teases. He nudges at Eijirou’s leg with his foot, wagging his brows. “What, cute girls got your brain?” His tone is light, teasing, but Eijirou feels a twinge in his chest and he chuckles, awkward, looking anywhere but his friend. Because no, it definitely isn’t a cute girl on his mind. It’s one explosive, angry, devastatingly beautiful dude that he kind of really wants to maybe kiss sometime. And apparently his one track mind is stuck on that because now all he can think about is what those lips of his might taste like and wow, Eijirou, pull yourself together . He shrugs, still looking pointedly at the floor.
“Something like that.”
There’s a hum, and Kaminari nearly throws himself onto the couch across the way, still very much glued to his phone. He doesn’t press for details, and Eijirou is mostly grateful.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk about how he feels. He does, very much. These feelings sometimes bubble up from his chest, making him feel like he’s vibrating and it’s almost too much. But... at the same time, he’s not entirely sure how to bring up the topic of, “Hey, I’m kinda maybe falling in love with one of my best bros.” Eijirou likes to think he’s pretty good at recognizing his own feelings. And understanding them. But talking about them?
Well. He’d rather not bother anyone with that, anyway.
So he just sits in silence, the background noises of pots and pans and rustling papers and rising and falling voices mingling into a sort of comforting white noise.
~*~
Days later finds Eijirou flopped face first into the common room couch, whole body hurting like crazy from their training, earlier in the week. Like, seriously, how is it possible for his muscles to hurt this much? He supposes he’d been pushing himself a little more-- trying harder to be firmer, more steadfast, more unbreakable. And his body has definitely taken a beating for it, for sure. Eijirou lets out a groan. Moving seems like a terrible idea, and just thinking about moving is exhausting. So the best course of action is absolutely to just stay passed out on the couch for the next twelve hours, obviously.
“Uh, you okay there, bro?”
Eijirou turns his head to the side just enough so he can crack open an eye and look blearily at Kaminari, who’s staring down at him like he’s grown two heads. “I feel like I got hit with a truck.”
Kaminari tilts his head and scratches his chin. “I mean...you kinda did.”
And damn, he’s right-- he so did get hit with a truck. Literally. Eijirou grimaces. Training in the city replicas are no joke, and Uraraka hits hard with whatever she can get a hold of. Vehicles included. Another groan drags itself from his throat and he squeezes his eyes shut. “M’just gonna lie here and die, ‘kay?”
“Bro, no, you can’t die, I need your help!”
Uh oh. Eijirou huffs, pressing his face further into the cushion. “Please no.”
“Please yes!” Hands are grabbing his shoulders now, jostling him just so and, ow, that hurts. “I need you to help me try this tik tok on Jirou!” Kaminari whines, shaking him harder. Eijirou manages to lift his arm up and swat Kaminari away, face twisting in a wince. Yep, moving is a mistake. Still, he drags himself upright and shoots his dumb friend a glower.
“You’re still on that?”
“Still on what?”
The gruff voice echoes through the common space, and Eijirou feels the tummy fuzzies bounce around his insides and leap into his throat. He turns in time to see one Bakugou Katsuki stroll into the common area, shoulders slouched and hands in his pockets. That ever-present scowl sits etched onto his features as he shoves past Kaminari and flops down onto the couch beside Eijirou, the warmth of him enough to have Eijirou feeling a little breathless. God, how he wants to press closer and lean into that warmth. He doesn’t, because that’d be weird and definitely not something bros typically do. But he wants to.
Kaminari huffs, indignant and tosses his hands into the air. “Yes, I am still on that, because it’s smooth and it’ll work , trust me on this.”
Bakugou snorts. “Your ideas are always shit, pikachu.”
A laugh bursts forth all on its own and Eijirou can’t help it. He slaps a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his snickering, but the withering look from Kaminari says it’s not working. Not that Eijirou cares much. Because for how many bad ideas he’s been somehow dragged into, he has to say that Bakugou’s kind of right. He shudders at the memory of the time they’d tried filling the baths with jello-- it hadn’t gone well, and the extra load of work Aizawa had laden on them as punishment had been hell.
“That’s a lie, my ideas are great . You’re just jealous you’re uncreative.”
Bakugou just glares. “I’m creative as fuck, fuck off.”
“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that, Blasty.” Kaminari rolls his eyes. “ Anyway , like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I just need you to hold the phone. That’s it, I swear!”
Eijirou pulls a face. He supposes he could do that… but does he really want to witness the failure that’s bound to take place? It might be funny, but he’s not sure if Kaminari would appreciate him laughing at his expense. Hrm.
“The fuck are you two dumbasses up to, anyway?” Bakugou asks, leaning back against the couch. He kicks his feet up onto the coffee table, glaring at them with furrowed brows. Kaminari crosses his arms over his chest and shoots him a look.
“I’m wooing Jirou through the power of tik tok challenges, duh.”
Bakugou raises his brows. “Wow. You really are an idiot.”
“Hey!”
He ignores Kaminari’s indignant squawk, and instead turns to meet Eijirou’s gaze. “I’ve got shit to do at our normal time, so come by at seven to do your homework. Unless you’re already done.”
Eijirou gulps, suddenly dizzy in that skin tingling, heart racing kinda way. He nods, probably a little too enthusiastic, and bites his lip to hide a smile hard enough that it stings. “Ye-yeah, man. Sounds good.” His voice is a croak, which isn’t very manly, and he grimaces. Bakugou doesn’t seem to care, though. He just jerks his head and stands, stalking off without another word. Eijirou watches him go, gaze caught in the slope of his shoulders and the way the sun shines off his soft, poofy hair, and wow, Eijirou, get a grip. He tears his gaze away and elects to ignore the warmth pooling through his body and heating his face.
“What a weirdo,” Kaminari grumbles. “Couldn’t he just have texted you that?”
Probably. Eijirou shrugs. His brain isn’t really focused much on the logistics of it all— he’s still kind of stuck on the way his entire left side feels a little too cold now, and the way that smoldering expression lingered on him…
“So, are you gonna help me out or not?” Kaminari’s voice yanks him back to the present, and Eijirou blinks, face heating.
“Oh. Right. Uh, I guess.”
Kamanari throws a fist in the air. “Hell yeah! Come on!” He lurches forward and grabs Eijirou’s wrist, practically dragging him up onto his feet. His muscles spasm and protest at the sudden movement, and Eijirou bites back a groan. Ugh. This is gonna be fun.
Not.
~*~
“—are you even fucking listening to me?”
Eijirou jolts. His head whips up, and he meets Bakugou’s glare with wide eyes. “Yes!”
“Then repeat what I just told you.”
He opens his mouth, but his mind is blissfully blank of anything useful or school related. Eijirou wilts under Bakugou’s glare, jaw clicking shut. He tisks and raps his pencil against the book. “S’what I thought.” He slams the book shut with a huff, and shoves it to the side, glower returning in full force and settling its full weight onto Eijirou. “Your attention span is shittier than normal.”
It’s a statement, but Eijirou can suss out the inquiry with ease. He sighs and drags a hand over his face. “Sorry, sorry, I can’t help it I’m...distracted.” And it’s not a lie, he is. Oh so very distracted. He usually is, honestly— it’s hard not to be distracted with Bakugou’s manly presence right beside him, but tonight, well. Something else is distracting him. And it’s really, really stupid. He presses the heels of his palms into his face and sighs again.
That stupid meme challeng Kaminari did earlier actually worked. Or, seemed to, anyway. He had Eijirou hide behind a couch in the common room for an hour to lie in wait, and when Jirou least suspected it, he just kissed her, and she didn’t jab him. No, instead she...kinda kissed him back? And then they ran off to who knows where, leaving Eijirou stuck behind a couch with Kaminari’s phone clutched in his hands. He sighs. It took ten minutes to wriggle free, and now he’s stuck thinking about it.
The meme. The stupid, dumb, meme.
“Well stop being distracted,” Bakugou grumbles. “I’m not doing this shit for you.”
Eijirou snorts a laugh. He lets his hands fall away, gaze settling itself onto Bakugou like it’s wont to do. His breath catches in his throat because wow, he’s just so beautiful . Golden hair practically glowing in the low sunlight filtering into the room, perfectly soft looking skin…and those eyes, piercing and bright, like hot embers. Eijirou’s heart pounds in his chest, those stomach fuzzies practically leaping into his throat. God, he could kiss him right now. He bites his lip.
He...he could. Kiss him. Right now. His breath hitches in his throat. What would happen? Would Bakugou blast him? Kick him out? Or...or would he kiss Eijirou back? His heart pounds even harder.
“The fuck is that look for?”
Eijirou blinks. “Hmm?”
Bakugou’s face is pinched. “Your face. You look constipated or something.” There’s an echo of worry that has Eijirou feeling lightheaded, and he leans forward ever so slightly.
“I told you, I’m distracted.” His voice sounds funny— why does it sound funny? —and Bakugou grunts.
“Snap out of it, then, dumbass.”
But he can’t; he’s transfixed. How can he not be? Bakugou’s warm, and soft, and Eijirou’s fingers twitch with the want to caress his cheek. He finds himself leaning even closer, heart practically stuffed up in his throat and limbs shaking. His gaze darts about, noting Bakugou’s bright, glimmering eyes and his soft, pink lips, and Eijirou can’t help but wonder what they taste like. He burns with the need to know . “Bakugou…”
The name slides past his lips the instant he crosses the divide and lurches forward, pressing his lips against Bakugou’s. It’s a simple peck, but his lips are warm and soft, and Eijirou’s heart beats hard enough he swears he feels his ribs rattling inside his chest. Warmth spreads through him, from his chest down his arms and to his fingers, and everything tingles. It’s euphoric, and Eijirou thinks he just might be floating when he pulls back and blinks.
Damn. He...he did it.
Bakugou just stares, unfocused. His eyes are wide and his face is flushed a blotchy red, and Eijirou can only watch as he raises a hand to touch his lips. Realization hits him like a freight train, and Eijirou gasps. Oh. Oh he really did that, didn’t he? Oh, shit. “I-I-I—” Words don’t really work and it’s like there’s so many things he wants to say that it’s all clogged on the tip of his tongue, melding with the panic that’s currently burning white-hot in his veins. God, he’s so stupid why would he just do that? He doesn’t even know if Bakugou likes dudes , let alone if he likes him! Ugh, this is so unmanly! Shame curls inside his chest, and Eijirou wishes the ground would just open him up and swallow him whole. He tries to speak again, to force words past his lips, but his mouth just won’t cooperate, and—
A hand, warm and calloused, practically slaps across his mouth. “Quiet,” Bakugou growls. He leans close, his breath fanning across Eijirou’s face as he stares. A beat passes. Then two. Eijirou squirms a bit under the scrutiny, jittery and sweating and god, he hopes Bakugou doesn’t just blow him up— and then the hand is pulled away and Eijirou is left practically nose-to-nose with Bakugou. His face is still red and blotchy, but his jaw is set and his eyes flash in that way they do when he’s determined and focused. “I’m going to kiss you,” he says, before leaning in and doing just that.
And oh. Oh . Bakugou comes in harder, faster, practically smashing their lips together, and Eijirou jolts in surprise. His hands fly up, grasping at Bakugou’s faded t-shirt for support. The fabric is soft, and he clings to it as he tilts his head and parts his lips and oh, wow , he’s kissing Bakugou. A calloused hand brushes along his jaw and Eijirou feels as though he’s been launched into the stratosphere by Uraraka. Euphoria burns inside him, and he presses closer, the taste of Bakugou already addicting. Hands thread in his hair and tug lightly, pulling him ever closer, and Eijirou gasps into the kiss. Bakugou swallows it eagerly, licking into his mouth sweetly enough that Eijirou’s toes curl and god, he never wants this to end.
But end it does, and they pull back just enough, noses brushing and gazes clashing. Eijirou can’t help the awed smile that tugs at his lips, and he bumps his forehead against Bakugou’s. “I like you,” he murmurs. “If uh, that wasn’t already clear.”
Bakugou scoffs. His arms curl around Eijirou, those warm hands of his tracing patterns on his back and shoulders. “Idiot. Yeah, same, or whatever.” He’s flushed, he’s not meeting Eijirou’s gaze, but he presses closer, knees bumping and breaths mingling. Eijirou grins wider. Okay. So maybe spontaneously kissing his best friend isn’t the worst idea ever. Maybe it’s kind of the best idea he’s had ever. Bakugou doesn’t seem to be complaining, anyway.
“What’s that dumb look for?” he grouses. “Kiss me again.”
And well. Eijirou can’t really say no to that. So he does. Gently, with hands cradling Bakugou’s face, he kisses him over and over again, homework all but forgotten. It’s okay, they’ll get to it later.
Probably. Eventually.