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When Kirishima walks out onto his balcony and looks to his left, his shoulders finally relax.
“So you are awake...” he mentions, walking over to the ledge adjacent to Bakugou’s balcony, leaning against it casually. “I knocked on your door and got no answer. Thought you might be asleep or something.”
The blonde teen grumbles from where he’s sat in a chair, curled up inside a blanket. Only his head and feet are visible. Kirishima smiles to himself at the amusing sight.
“I can’t ever sleep when the damn moon is shining like this. Fuckin’ blinding me through the curtains. I figured I would just embrace it until my body couldn’t take it anymore.”
“You could’ve joined the rest of us at the dance instead of staying here all alone, y’know,” Kirishima prods with a teasing smirk.
“And watched you extras make fools of yourselves? Pass.”
“Isn’t that the point though?” Kirishima proposes, climbing up onto the short wall and leaping across the gap to Bakugou’s side. Katsuki stiffens momentarily at the reckless display of agility, his brain immediately picturing his best friend plummeting four stories to the ground below. Luckily, he lands safely on his feet with no such issue—as gracefully as his fitted slacks will allow.
“The squad missed you, man.”
“…You dumbasses see me every day.”
“We still missed having you with us. It’s not called the Bakusquad for nothing.”
Katsuki rolls his eyes. “And I don’t call you Shitty Hair for nothing. Why the hell do you look like that?”
He’s asking about Eijirou’s red locks, laying flat on his head instead of spiked in their usual style.
Kirishima looks up at the bangs obstructing his vision, going cross-eyed for a moment before he brushes them aside and puts his focus back on his friend. “Uh, I took a shower after classes and didn’t have time to do it again before the dance started... I thought you liked it better like this?”
Bakugou rubs a hand over his face to hide the grin he can’t control. “I do, I just expected you to go all out for something like an end-of-the-year party where the entire student body is invited.”
“Yeah…” Kiri murmurs apathetically, fussing with his fringe again, “maybe next time.”
He’d kept his hair down in hopes that he’d catch Bakugou’s attention if he happened to show up at the formal. Kirishima tries not to feel too disappointed over it. Bakugou is seeing him now, at least.
And it’s not like he has to spike his hair every day. Even if it is a part of his Red Riot image. He could… save on hair products by leaving it down more often.
“You really should have been there, though,” Eijirou pipes up with a feigned laugh. He glances at Bakugou still sitting in his chair. He’s not looking back at him. There are noticeable bags under his eyes, even in the dim moonlight, a sign that finals and everything else the class has been through recently have taken their toll on him.
“Mina started an impromptu dance competition.”
“I’m guessing she won?” Bakugou asks in a monotone voice, expression unchanging as he stares at a cluster of stars overhead.
“Y-Yeah,” Kirishima fakes another quiet laugh. “Iida tried really hard with his version of the robot, but the crowd just wasn’t into it.”
The blonde shifts and tightens his blanket around himself as a breeze blows past. It’s early spring. Still too chilly to be outside without a coat, especially at this time of night.
Another moment of silence crawls between them and Kirishima finds something else to bring up, hoping Bakugou will engage in the conversation. He’s being awfully quiet. Maybe something is wrong… Should he ask?
“I think Jirou and Kaminari are like, a thing now. They were flirting like middle schoolers the whole time,” he says with an admiring smile, red eyes still trained on the grumpy teen across from him. “Todoroki and Sero might be too, honestly… I’m pretty sure everyone saw them making out in a corner of the gym whenever they weren’t dancing together.”
It was certainly a surprise. Hanta never gave off that kind of vibe. But neither had Todoroki, really. Maybe that meant they were a perfect match.
“I knew Soy Sauce was gay,” Bakugou chimes in. Kiri can’t discern anything from his tone this time either. He does get a glimpse of Bakugou’s eyes though, and by their mischievous glint, Kirishima knows the blonde is going to tease Sero the next time he sees him.
Bakugou’s not going to confess to it, but he does regret not going to the dance. Just a little bit. He was the only student in the whole dorm who didn’t show up, leaving him all by himself in that huge building. Surrounded by too much quiet. Too much nothing.
But that’s fine. He’ll go next time. Maybe. Just for his stupid friends.
“Watching everybody slow dance was awkward,” Kirishima admits bashfully, finally breaking his eyes away from his best friend as he feels a blush coming on. “I got stuck standing by the wall with Mineta…”
When Bakugou lets out a faint chuckle and says to him, “You didn’t ask if he wanted to dance?”, Kiri tries to laugh along, but he only manages a deflated smile.
“I think I’d rather chew my own foot off.”
Bakugou chuckles again and nods in agreement.
“…Mina wasn’t available?” He inquires when the redhead doesn’t continue with another story, his carmine eyes catching Eijirou’s for a split second before they find a loose thread in his blanket to focus on.
“Eh, she was busy taking pictures of everyone who was coupled up. Probably to use as blackmail later,” he says jokingly, averting his gaze down to his hands and mindlessly picking at his short nails. “…I don’t do very well around girls anyway.”
There was only one person in the whole school, the whole world even, that Kirishima wanted to dance with. And he hadn’t been there.
“What, are you gay too or somethin’?” Bakugou asks. He realizes much too late that his question came out sounding more like an accusation than just simple curiosity.
Kirishima turns and leans on the balcony wall to hide the deep blush that’s made a home on his cheeks, leaving his back to his best friend. Suddenly the cool night air doesn’t feel so bad against his skin. He gives a shrug but it’s hardly discernible in the moonlight.
“I mean… I don’t—I don’t really think I’m straight, or whatever… Girls are… still hot sometimes, I guess.”
The chair underneath Bakugou creaks as he moves to get up, surprised that Kiri has actually answered him seriously. Eijirou waits for the sound of the sliding glass door to close behind Bakugou as he leaves.
But he hears nothing. No footsteps. No door slamming shut. Just a heavy silence.
After too much time passes, Eijirou spins back around, the words on his mind spilling past his lips before he can stop them.
“I like you, Bakugou—” “—Why didn’t you tell me, Ei?”
Bakugou’s brows raise in an instant, his eyes widening in shock from the words he just heard overlapping with his own.
“…What?”
Kirishima feels like he’s imploding, his sharp teeth practically breaking the skin of his lip as he bites down on it, his gaze set on his shoes. The fruit punch in his stomach suddenly wants to come back up.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything,” the redhead croaks, his hands reaching back to steady his balance against the concrete wall. “I understand if me having a crush on you… changes stuff… between us. I promise I won’t like, hit on you or anything.” He laughs nervously through his last statement, already assuming that Bakugou is going to want nothing to do with him after this.
But Bakugou only moves closer, his slippered feet coming into view as Kirishima stares holes into the floor.
“You don’t have to apologize for shit like that,” Bakugou starts, “If you weren’t ready to tell me, then you weren’t ready...”
Kirishima’s eyes raise to look up at the blonde through his flat hair, surprised to find red irises gazing back at him behind a calm expression.
“I get it…” Bakugou’s voice wavers slightly as he fights the raging blush rising on his own face. The blanket wrapped around his shoulders falls on one side. “Trust me.”
“…What do you mean?” Kiri asks slowly, genuinely confused. When Bakugou doesn’t make a move to readjust the blanket, Kirishima reaches out without thinking and does it for him.
“There’s shit I haven’t told you either, idiot…”
“Mm…” Eijirou hums indifferently. He doesn’t want to pry, even though his heart is beating painfully hard and fast in his chest with anxious anticipation.
Was Bakugou implying that he…
Nah. He couldn’t be.
“When did you realize it?” Bakugou wonders aloud, expression still calm and trusting.
Kirishima’s brows knit together in further confusion. “When I realized I liked boys, or that I liked you?”
“Either,” is the simple answer he’s given.
He shrugs, thinking back to the moment when he found out the League kidnapped Katsuki.
“Well, I guess it was when… when I thought I was gonna lose you forever…” Ei mutters. He fidgets with the sleeve of his wrinkled blazer, his fingers poking under the hem to feel for the bracelet tied around his wrist.
“Mm…” Bakugou mimics Kirishima’s indifferent grunt. “Me too.”
There’s a shuffle of fabric and then the blonde teen is holding his arm out, his matching beaded bracelet reflecting blue moonlight off its edges. His hand is open. Like he’s waiting for Kirishima to take it.
When Kiri doesn’t move, mostly out of complete shock and nerves, Bakugou scoffs, cracking a soft smile.
“You wanna dance or what?”
“Wh—but there’s like… no music out here.” Eijirou stares at Bakugou’s outstretched hand for a moment more.
“Put some on then,” the blonde quips. His eyebrows raise slightly, in hopes that his crush will give in and participate. He blindly tosses his blanket onto the chair behind him. “Nothing too sappy though. You know I hate that shit.”
“Right,” Eijirou’s face splits into a wide smile, fishing his cellphone out of his pocket. “How’s this…” he says, quickly scrolling to a track and clicking on it, cranking the volume up. When the opening lyrics of ‘All Star’ by Smash Mouth fill the air, Bakugou lunges for the phone.
“KIRISHIMA!” He bellows angrily, snatching the device out of the other boy’s hand. Eijirou laughs as the blonde fumbles to turn the song off as quickly as possible.
“What? You don’t like that one?”
“Hell fucking no. And the fact that you have it saved to your phone is making me second guess our friendship.”
Kirishima smiles fondly. “You choose a song, then. Whatever you pick is gonna be better than anything I can come up with anyway.”
Bakugou is already typing a song title into the search bar. He doesn’t say anything before hitting play on the song he was looking for, setting Kirishima’s phone down on the balcony ledge with the speaker pointed back at them.
“Paramore, huh? I thought you said you didn’t want anything sappy.”
Bakugou shrugs, avoiding Kirishima’s eyes as he searches for his hands to hold them. “…Changed my mind.”
“You pick this one for a reason?” Eijirou asks softly as the blonde steps closer, their bodies mere inches apart. He doesn’t get a response, but that’s okay. Of course he picked it for a reason.
Kirishima is the one to start moving his body along with the slow tempo of the music, his hands squeezing Bakugou’s as he closes the rest of the space between them. He releases one hand from his hold to wrap his arm around Bakugou’s waist, and when Bakugou falls in time with the song a moment later, he smiles. Masking his blushing cheeks is hopeless, but he doesn’t care anymore. Bakugou is in the same boat.
“You don’t mind if I’m leading, right?” Kirishima murmurs, not wanting to distract from the music.
Bakugou finds the courage to look Kirishima in the eye this time and shakes his head. He’s amazed at how easy it feels, to be held in his best friend’s arms and to hold him in return. “No… Just don’t step on my fucking feet, Shitty Hair.”
Kirishima laughs and the other boy can feel it vibrate against his chest, causing his whole body to buzz with butterflies and flush with heat.
“I’ll try, Kats, but… No promises.”
“Can I ask you for another favor then?” Bakugou’s voice is so quiet, but so perfect, and boy, does it pull on Kirishima’s heartstrings. The redhead nods, catching the way Bakugou’s eyes flicker between his gaze and his lips.
“…Kiss me.”
“Kiss,” Kirishima parrots the word like it’s the first time he’s ever heard it. His heart pounds.
“Yeah…” Bakugou smirks, entertained by Ei’s reaction. The boy is as red as his hair now. It’s almost got Bakugou worried.
“Kiss… It’s that gross thing people do when they really like each other.”
“Oh…” is the only sound Kirishima can produce in that moment. With another grin, Bakugou slows their dancing until they’re standing still, and Kirishima’s chest tightens when their gazes meet once again.
“If you don’t want to… that’s fine,” the blonde murmurs. “It won’t hurt my pride that much.”
“N-No! I—” Kirishima pauses briefly to reel in his emotions after practically interrupting Bakugou. “I-I do. I do want to.”
Katsuki’s stomach somersaults as he watches Ei lean in a little closer, nervous calculation shining behind his wide, ruby eyes. Katsuki knows he’s trying to figure out how to go about it, probably worried about his teeth getting in the way, or some other silly shit. It’s so awkward and so Kirishima, Katsuki can’t help but feel enamored.
“Tilt your head,” he instructs with a soft smile. Kirishima does and earns a warm laugh from Bakugou. “…Other way, idiot. To the right.”
“Oh,” Eijirou corrects himself, blushing even deeper as he laughs under his breath. “I’ve never done this before. I guess I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“That’s okay,” Katsuki replies, his smile waning slightly as he brings his hands up to cradle the sides of Kirishima’s neck. The ends of their noses bump together as Katsuki adds, “Neither do I.”
Instinctively, Kirishima closes his eyes. He’s met with a delicate pressure against his lips, and so he returns it, everything warm and gentle and nothing like he expected kissing Bakugou would feel like. After a few seconds, the blonde pulls away a little bit, letting the kiss break only for the shortest moment before he comes back for more.
Heaven is real, and this is it, the voice inside Kirishima’s head says as he finds himself getting lost in Bakugou’s tender affection. He’s so glad he’s not dreaming.
All too soon though, it’s over, and Kirishima is left to stare at his best friend with the dopiest, most lovestruck expression on his face.
“…Was it that good?” Katsuki blushes with a lopsided smile, internally preening over the fact that he’s left Kirishima virtually speechless.
The redhead nods lightly, and Bakugou swears he can see hearts floating in the other teen’s eyes. After another soft peck to his lips, Bakugou wraps his arms around Kirishima’s neck. It takes him a moment to calm the butterflies in his stomach before he speaks again.
“…You’re cute, y’know that?”
Eijirou’s eyes widen in wonderment. “Whoa,” he murmurs, “have you ever even said that word before?”
Katsuki laughs out loud, and Kirishima’s arms squeeze around his waist. Bakugou leans into him, taking some of the pressure off of his weak knees.
“No,” he shakes his head, “and I told myself years ago I never would. Look at what you’ve done to me.”
“Really… So, I’m the exception, then?”
Katsuki rolls his eyes but smiles anyway, forgiving Kirishima for setting him up like this.
“Yes, Ei… You’re the only exception.”