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It was their last year at UA and the students were preparing for their holiday break. Nearly everyone had already left, and Bakugou was more than ready to enjoy the peace and quiet. This was the first chance he’d had in awhile to use the kitchen uninterrupted, and he intended to make himself a tasty meal.
“Um… Kacchan?”
Nearly everyone had left. Bakugou let out an exasperated sigh. What the hell was Deku still doing here? Bakugou knew that tone all too well. Deku wanted something and was trying to work up the nerve to ask him.
“Spit it out, nerd, I don’t have all day!”
Actually, he kind of did have all day. He wouldn’t be leaving to visit his parents until tomorrow, and he’d already finished his packing. Deku certainly didn’t need to know that, though.
“My mom’s having a holiday party next weekend,” Deku said quietly. “I was wondering if you might want to… go…?”
He looked at Bakugou and nervously bit his bottom lip, as if he were holding something back. Bakugou crossed his arms and glared at him, knowing he wasn’t done and waited for him to continue. “And?”
“And...Ikindoftoldmymomwe’redating!” Deku hid his face in his hands.
“Whoa, slow down, Deku! I didn’t quite get that. Try again.” Bakugou was beginning to get impatient.
“I kind of told my mom we’re dating,” Deku repeated a little more slowly. “I’m sorry! I know I shouldn’t have done that, but she was trying to set me up with someone, and I panicked…” He looked up at Bakugou with big teary eyes.
“Wait a second- aren’t you dating what’s-his-name? From the coffee shop?”
Bakugou remembered how excited Deku had been to announce his boyfriend awhile back. Apparently that had been the wrong thing to say, because Deku immediately burst into tears- loud, messy tears that made his nose run and his face turn red. Bakugou grabbed some tissues and handed them to him.
“W-we broke up,” Deku said in between sniffles. “He s-said he found someone b-better…”
Bakugou’s vision turned red. That shitty extra thought anyone could be better than Deku!? The guy had dumped him without a second thought. How could someone be so callous and hurtful? Bakugou wanted to find the bastard and murder him.
“When my mom found out, she immediately started trying to set me up,” Deku said quietly. “And I appreciate it, you know? She’s just trying to help. But I’m not ready, and I didn’t know how to tell her that so I lied and said I’d already found someone, and then she wanted to know who and you were the first person that came to mind…”
“Deku. You’re rambling,” Bakugou told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “So you told your mom we’re dating. And you want me to… what? Go to the party with you and pretend I’m your boyfriend?”
Deku nodded, wiping his face with a handful of tissues.
Bakugou felt like his heart was going to stop. Deku’s boyfriend? If only that were possible. Other than becoming a hero, that was the one thing in the world Bakugou wanted most. He’d kept his feelings to himself because he knew the nerd would never feel the same way about him- not after all the shit he had done to him in middle school. Sure, they were kinda sorta friends now, but it was shaky at best. Like hell was Bakugou going to put himself out there just to have Deku turn him down. Unrequited feelings were a lot easier to deal with than outright rejection.
But this? Pretending to date, while not being able to actually have all the benefits that came with it? It sounded like torture. He should have said no. He almost said no. He opened his mouth to yell at Deku, to tell him to go find someone else, but then the nerd’s bottom lip began to tremble again and he just looked so distraught.
“I’ll do it,” said Bakugou before he could stop himself. “I’ll go to your mom’s party and pretend to be your date.”
Oh no. Why the hell had he agreed to this?
Deku’s face lit up immediately.
“Thanks, Kacchan! You’re the best! I’ll get you the details later.”
Deku was practically skipping as he left the room.
~~
Deku paced around his bedroom in his mom’s house, feeling like a nervous wreck. It was the night of the party and it would be starting soon. Inko had splurged by getting an actual venue for the night, explaining how she’d been saving up for a long time in order to do something nice. Deku only had a few more minutes before they would need to leave, and he tore his closet apart, trying to find something to wear. Why hadn’t he chosen something earlier?!
Finally settling on a plain black button down shirt and black dress pants, he put them on and ran his fingers through his hair one last time. He had given Bakugou the address so he could meet him there. He was still absolutely shocked that Bakugou had agreed to this in the first place. Shocked- and bitterly sad, because this was all just an act. He had loved Bakugou for as long as he could remember, but there was no way Bakugou would ever give him a chance. He knew Bakugou was just doing this to be nice, probably so he wouldn’t have to hear him whine about it.
When they got to the venue, Deku helped his mother inside. There were several tables filled with people chatting while drinking wine, and there was a large open area where some people were dancing as loud, festive music played through the speakers. All Might was already at one of the tables and Inko hesitantly sat down near him, blushing and suddenly looking very shy. Deku had never seen his mother act this way before and it baffled him.
Deku’s eyes darted around the room, looking for Bakugou. When he finally saw him, he nearly forgot how to breathe. He was casually leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, wearing a dark red dress shirt that complimented his eyes. He looked up as Deku approached him.
“Hey, nerd,” he said quietly.
Was it Deku’s imagination, or did Bakugou actually look happy to see him? His soft smile looked out of place compared to his usual scowl. He held out his hand and Deku took it hesitantly, letting Bakugou lead him toward the dance floor. He turned Deku so they were facing each other and placed a hand on his waist.
“Kacchan, what are you doing?” Deku whispered, fighting the urge to press up against him.
“What the fuck does it look like? We’re dancing,” Bakugou replied. He began to sway from side to side, guiding Deku along with him.
“Yeah, but… why?”
Deku was certainly not complaining. He was enjoying the attention. However, he was confused. Since when did Bakugou ever want to be this close to him?
“We have to look the part, right?” Bakugou explained. “Boyfriends would dance, so this will make it more believable.”
“Oh. Right.”
Deku relaxed and let Bakugou lead, following along with his steps. He only stopped him once, guiding him in the other direction when they were about to end up under some mistletoe. Dancing was one thing, but kissing was definitely too far. Bakugou was doing him a favor after all, and he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
When the song ended they looked for a place to sit down. Deku avoided the first couple of tables they saw, noticing some mistletoe hanging up above them. His mother had clearly gotten carried away with the decorating, as little sprigs of mistletoe seemed to be everywhere he looked. Bakugou gave him an odd look.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Nothing! Just… can you go get me a drink, please?”
Deku took a seat at the only table he could see with no mistletoe, and Bakugou went off to get them both some drinks. The night continued on and they alternated between sitting at their table and dancing. Deku waved to his mom occasionally, noticing she had not left All Might’s side the entire time.
After dancing to one particularly long song, Deku felt the need to take a break. He left the dance area with Bakugou following close behind. Deku loosened his shirt collar and sighed. He was enjoying this night, and more than anything he didn’t want it to end. Even though this was just an act, if he didn’t think about it too hard he could almost pretend Bakugou was actually his boyfriend.
They both leaned against the wall and surveyed the room. All the guests seemed to be having a wonderful time, and Deku hoped his mother would consider it a success. Speaking of his mother- she was headed straight for them. She gave them a wide smile.
“Look at the happy couple, here under the mistletoe!” Inko exclaimed. “You know what that means!”
Deku froze. He had spent the entire night carefully avoiding all the mistletoe, how had he not noticed it now? He looked up at Bakugou, trying not to panic while he thought up an excuse.
Then Bakugou did something he was not expecting. He reached out and ran his fingers through Deku’s hair, gripping the back of his head and leaning down slightly.
Oh. Oh no. Was he actually going to…
Deku squeaked in surprise when their lips met. He began to pull away but Bakugou held his head firmly in place. Before he could wrap his mind around what was happening, Bakugou’s hands had moved down to his waist, pulling him closer and pressing their bodies together.
Deku wrapped his arms around Bakugou’s neck and kissed back hesitantly, keenly aware of the eyes on them as people stopped what they were doing and began to look. Bakugou gently grazed Deku’s bottom lip with his teeth and he opened his mouth, moaning softly when Bakugou slid his tongue inside and deepened the kiss. What had started off as an innocent charade was quickly becoming heated.
Some of the party guests began to clear their throats, distinctly uncomfortable with the blatant public display. When it became obvious the two students were not going to stop, people slowly began to shuffle around the room and resume their conversations.
Eventually, Bakugou was the one to break the kiss, but he didn't take his hands off Deku’s waist. Deku stared up at him with wide eyes, a flurry of thoughts and emotions swirling through his mind.
“Date me for real,” Bakugou whispered, tightening his grip. He looked fierce and intense… and also very afraid.
“Kacchan, I—“
“Please, Deku. That shitty extra who dumped you? He didn’t deserve you. No one is ever going to understand you as well as I do…” he stopped talking abruptly as tears welled up in his eyes.
He looked at Deku with apprehension, the fear of what his answer would be showing in his eyes. Deku simply looked at him with a huge smile, tears gathering in his eyes as he squeezed him tighter.
“Yes, Kacchan! A thousand times yes!”