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I.
Kirishima couldn’t sleep.
He wasn’t supposed to leave his room past curfew (maybe Aizawa wouldn’t mind, it was only an hour past eleven), but here he was, wandering down the hall. He drug his fingers over the wallpaper, watching them bump along the textured surface. He was tired, he just couldn’t sleep. Training had been rough, especially for it only being the fourth week of the year at UA, but what had he expected? He frowned at the scars on his arms where he’d broken. He was working towards an unbreakable form, it bothered him that he just wasn’t there yet. How could he stand completely unbreakable if he can’t stay hard consistently?
He was met with a door, so he pushed it open. He only bothered to check the sign beside it after it’d been opened. Stairs.
He walked through, up the wide staircases. He went up only a flight or two before he was met with the top, a final door. He pushed this one open and cool air hit his face. He blinked any sleep away, walking out into the open. He shivered, though it wasn’t exactly cold. The stars were bright, the sky only holding a few clouds, and the moon acted as the sun as it lit up everything below it.
“The fuck are you doing?” He heard echo across the roof. He turned to face the voice, jumping into the air. On some ventilation box near the edge of the roof, one of his classmates sat with a jar of peanuts. Kirishima remembers him, Bakugo Katsuki. His quirk was really manly and he knew how to use it well, but he was short-tempered and he had some sort of thing with Midoriya.
“Hi, Bakugo.” He smiled, closing the door behind him. He walked over to him,
“What do you think you're doing?” His voice was cold and stern, he could hear him clearly even though he was facing out into the city.
“Can’t sleep, started walking, got here.” He explained, sitting down on the ground beside his legs. Bakugo grumbled, pulling his legs up and crossing them under him. If it were possible, Kirishima would say he started eating his peanuts with rage. “Dude, I can leave if you want me to.”
“Don’t fucking bother, I only need five minutes.”
“What are you doing up here, anyway?”
“Do you always talk this much, shitty hair?” Kirishima turned to him, jaw falling open.
“My hair’s great!” Bakugo snorted,
“Looks like a dragonfruit.”
“Your hair looks like a hedgehog’s!” Kirishima paused, “You’re like an angry hedgehog.” Bakugo looked down at him now,
“Say that again, I fucking dare you.” Kirishima looked down at the ground, thinking to himself now.
“Is it pointy?” Bakugo groaned in response.
“Shut the fuck up.” He said, chomping on another handful of peanuts. Kirishima played with a pebble on the ground, going quiet for the most part. It was peaceful once the noise settled down. The quiet sounds of crickets and other nightly noises picked up soon afterward, filling the awkward silence and making it something more comfortable. Kirishima was nearly falling asleep when Bakugo took in a deep breath beside him, then started in a low whistle.
His notes rung out loudly through the trees, Kirishima turned up to look at him. His eyes were lidded, his lips pursed. For the first time since he’d seen him, Bakugo didn’t have a scowl on his face. His skin was smooth, absent of any frown wrinkles, and it seemed to glow in the moonlight. His eyelashes fluttered as his eyes opened, finishing up his small tune. Bakugo spoke to Kirishima without looking down,
“Stay quiet.” He whispered. eyes flitting around the air. Kirishima stared up at him in awe, what was going on? It had been such a pretty tune, he never would’ve believed it could come from him. Suddenly, it was whistled back, but it sounded... different, somehow. Bakugo smiled, shaking a few peanuts out into his hand as a bird came down from the air. It wasn’t large, scary, nothing spectacular. He set a few peanuts on the ground before standing up. The black and white bird hopped towards the pile, cocking its head to the side. It was small, it could fit in Kirishima’s palm if he picked it up. Bakugo spoke first, voice barely above a whisper.
“If you tell anyone about this, I’ll blast your eyes out.” He hadn’t planned on telling anyone anyways, this seemed personal.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Kirishima whispered back. Bakugo clicked his tongue,
“Don’t fucking feel bad about it, dumbass.” Kirishima felt something soft in his chest at his words. Maybe Bakugo was a softie and just didn’t know how to express it. The two watched the bird as it ate the food.
“Do you just pretend to go to sleep early?”
“Woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep, should be able to now.” He said with a yawn. “Training’s been fuckin’ brutal.” Kirishima nodded, leaning his head back against the metal of the ventilation block so he could see Bakugo.
“You have a really manly quirk, you know?” Bakugo smirked confidently, though his eyes were tired.
“Damn right I do.” There was a long pause, “Yours is... okay too, I guess.” Kirishima’s turned around to face him, hair spinning as he turned quickly.
“You think so?” Bakugo glared down at him.
“I don’t say shit I don’t mean.” He paused. “You should know that already, anyway.” Kirishima let out a tiny sigh, only enough that he could hear it. “It’s not flashy, but you can use that to your advantage.” His eyes followed the bird as it hopped around the roof, having finished its food. “You’ll be a hero.” Kirishima stared at him in awe once more, something fuzzy filling his stomach.
“Thank you.” The words ghosted his lips, it felt like they weren’t his. His words played on repeat in his head, the way he’d said them, the volume until he could’ve said them himself. Bakugo turned down to look at him, seeming like he snapped out of a trance. He clicked his tongue once more.
“Whatever.” He grumbled. He looked out at the sky once more before standing up. Kirishima felt his hand go into his hair, fingers pressed hard against his scalp. “Go to sleep soon, dumbass, Aizawa’s gonna make us push harder tomorrow.” The fingers left his skin as quickly as they’d been put there, it felt like he’d used explosions against his scalp. His skin tingled, warm and fuzzy. He turned around and watched Bakugo go back through the door, tossing the empty peanut jar into the trash can.
Despite himself, Kirishima smiled.
He went to bed a bit easier when he went back to his dorm.
II.
Kirishima groaned, slumping over the cafeteria table. Kaminari patted his back,
“It’s okay man, maybe Aizawa won’t fail you.”
“Why is math so hard.” He whined, voice muffled by his arms. Sero chuckled from beside him,
“Get someone to tutor you, man.”
“Who?”
“I dunno, there are loads of nice people in the class who are super smart. Iida, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki’s good at math too-” Kirishima looked up just in time to see someone pass. He was smart, and, well... ‘nice’ was debatable, but his mouth was open before he could stop himself.
“Hey, Bakugo!” He turned upon hearing his name, glare on his face.
“What do you want, shitty hair?”
“Tutor me?”
“Fuck no.”
“Hear me out-”
“I echo, fuck no.” Kirishima whined while Kaminari tried to muffle giggles into Sero’s shoulder.
“Please this assignment is due in like- twenty minutes and I don’t know how to factor the polynomials- there’s like... no possible common denominator!” Bakugo stared at him for a minute. His tray clattered as it hit the table, making Kaminari, Mina, and Sero all jump. Kirishima smiled through tired eyes.
“Let me look at it, idiot.” He slid the sheet across the table,
“Number seventeen, there’s nothing in common...” He mumbled,
“Shut up, dickwad.” He scanned over the paper. He furrowed his eyebrows. “Multiply them together.” He said, sliding the paper back, spinning it around in the process. Kirishima looked over it for a few seconds. He suddenly gasped, eyes going wide. In a moment of appreciation, his hand shot out to cover Bakugo’s.
“I owe you my entire education.” He whispered, eyes sparkly. His lip turned up,
“Don’t make it a big deal, asshat.” Mina suddenly gasped from beside them. She pointed across the cafeteria to a nearby table,
“Dekusquad.” She pointed at their table, “Bakusquad.” The trio of boys all gasped at her genius.
“No.” Bakugo said plainly.
“It’s not a choice, you’re sitting here now,” Kaminari said, nodding profusely.
“Stop me.” He said, starting to stand. Kirishima’s smile dropped, looking at a new problem.
“H-hey- could you wait two seconds? I need help with twenty-six too...”
He ended up staying the rest of lunch, and thus, the Bakusquad was formed.
“Okay- but are we going to talk about how you chose the meanest person in the class to help you with your homework?” Kaminari said, inbetween hiccups from trying to chug gingerale.
“Yeah... I said smart and nice, dude.” Sero said.
“C’mon, he’s not bad.”
“Whatever you say.” Sero rolled his eyes.
“Seriously, man. He helped me, didn’t he?”
“Between how many insults?”
“He didn’t mean those, you gotta learn how to read between the lines.”
“And how did you take it?” Sero huffed,
“Well, like... when he said ‘Don’t make it a big deal, asshat,’ he meant ‘you’re welcome,’ but he just said it in his way.” Mina nodded behind him,
“Yeah, I get that. But what about when he said “Fuck no,” Like twice, and he said something like ‘shut up, dickface.’”
“Dickwad,” Sero chimed in.
“That’s just him being his normal, grumpy self. He helped, didn’t he?” The others nodded along reluctantly,
“When did you get to know the guy so well?” Kirishima shrugged,
“I don’t know anything about him, really.” He thought a moment, “I just know he’s not as big of an asshole as everyone makes him out to be.” The room fell into an odd sort of quiet before Mina spoke up again.
“Wanna watch toy story?” Kaminari jumped out of Sero’s lap,
“Is that a question because of course we want to watch toy story-!”
Hours later, after they’d finished the movie and gone to their dorms, Kirishima realizes he hadn’t been too focused on the movie, thoughts often wandering to the explosive boy sleeping just on the other side of the wall.
III.
The sports festival flew by faster than Kirishima could live it.
He remembers snippets. Bits of the cavalry battle, of teaming up with Bakugo, and of fighting against him one on one. He remembers the tiniest mark of blood on his hand after cutting Bakugo’s cheek open, and he remembers the moment he realized he wouldn’t win against Bakugo, when he could feel his hardened skin quivering at each pop of the other’s hands. He remembered the determination in his eyes, and how his facial features softened ever so slightly just when Kirishima realized he wasn’t going to make it to the next round. He remembered yelling, voice going hoarse, from the stands as he went up against Tokoyami and Todoroki. He remembered the last time he saw him, smirk on his face before he lost sight of the boy. He remembered turning to Kaminari (who had just barely come down from his ‘stupid’ phase) and cheering, pulling him into a tight hug at Bakugo’s win. He remembers searching the crowd for Bakugo, ready to congratulate him.
He remembers his stomach dropping.
He’d made his way down to the grass with the others, he reached out a shaky hand for Mina’s wrist.
“Do you... is that...” Mina was chewing on his lip, eyebrows down in concern.
A muzzle.
A fucking muzzle.
Kirishima felt his blood boil through his veins.
He could see Bakugo’s chest heaving, gasping for air. His eyes looked around the crowd with rage and fear. He pulled against the shackles on his arms, wincing as they dug into his skin. A faint pop pop pop could be heard, followed by Bakugo gasping in pain. Kirishima remembers. He wishes he didn’t.
He remembered the exact second Bakugo’s eyes landed on him, his gaze turning pleading, he remembers bouncing on his feet and just needing to be near him. He remembers inching his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes on Bakugo. There were cheers just as Kirishima got to the front. He watched as Bakugo was carried away by someone, he watched as he finally relaxed, but it was forced. He relaxed out of fear, not out of comfort. Before Kirishima knew what he was doing, he raced up the stairs and sneaked in the door. He breathed quietly, not wanting anyone to know that he was there. He followed the man carrying Bakugo, eyes on him. He held a finger to his lips, Bakugo nodded, keeping his eyes on him. They rounding a corner.
He could hear Bakugo’s whimpers throughout the hall.
He walked a little faster after that.
When he rounded the corner, the man was walking away and Bakugo was nowhere to be seen. A door was still swinging shut when Kirishima walked in. Bakugo was up against a wall, chest still heaving. Kirishima closed the door behind him and walked slowly up to Bakugo.
“Are you okay?” He asked. Bakugo shook in response, shoulders quivering. “I’m gonna- gonna get you out of these.” He reached hesitantly up towards the muzzle,
“’m not ‘onna ‘ite ‘ou.” He said, muffled and barely audible, like he had something in his mouth.
“I know, ‘m sorry.” He looked at what was keeping it held. God, how did they plan on getting this off? Kirishima chewed his lip. “How badly do you want this off?”
“’on’t care what ‘ou do, off.” He got the words out better this time. Kirishima nodded,
“Okay.” He hooked his finger around the metal, between the two straps. “I’m... I’m sorry.” He whispered before he tugged. He kept his hand behind Bakugo’s head, but he still winced as he heard him cry out. His finger shredded through the metal of the muzzle, enough for him to break it off into two parts and pull it over Katsuki’s head.
Kirishima nearly started crying.
They’d put a fucking bit in his mouth.
One for a fucking horse.
He looked at the fresh nick on Bakugo’s cheek. He put his palm over it, biting his tongue to try and stop his eyes from watering.
“Out.” Bakugo managed to say, pushing at the bit desperately with his tongue. Kirishima nodded. This time, the straps were only leather clasps. He undid it, pulling it off of him. Bakugo licked his lips, leaning his head back and sighing. Kirishima pulled his hand back from behind Bakugo’s head,
“Are you okay?” He asked,
“Fine.” He grunted. Kirishima looked down at his hands. They wouldn’t be easy to get off, per say, but he wouldn’t need to hurt Bakugo anymore. Kirishima got the shackles torn off down to Bakugo’s elbows when he was the first tears fall. He unhardened his fingers and looked up to Bakugo, who was turned away and biting his lip. He was nodding his head angrily, his leg bouncing under Kirishima. He let out an angry hiss. Kirishima brought his hand up to Bakugo’s face.
“I’m... I’m sorry.” He whispered, what else could he say?
“Why?” Bakugo hissed, angry. “I’m... how am I supposed to be a fucking hero if they need to chain me up?” Kirishima moved over to his side,
“They didn’t have to chain you up, they just... I don’t know why they did.” He whispered, glancing over as Bakugo put his head on Kirishima’s shoulder. “You’re going to make a great hero, everyone knows that.” He spoke quietly still. Bakugo was quiet.
“Get-get these off me.” He said, trying to wriggle his hands out of the box they were kept in. He let out a gasp, body tensing. “Fuck-” He cried out.
“Stay still, blasty, give me one second.” Kirishima said, looking at the box again. “Can you push your hands to either side of the box?” He shifted his hands and nodded. “Keep them as far to the side as you can.” He said before hardening his hand again, tearing into the center of the box. He felt the metal shards tearing his skin, even through his hard exterior. He kept ripping until Bakugo could separate his hands. He reached into one of the box halves and looked at his hand.
“You tried to get out on your own?” Bakugo only looked away. His hands were red and puffy, dark burns on his palms. Kirishima ripped open the rest of the chains with new vigor, needing to get him better as soon as he could. When he was done, he offered a hand to Bakugo. Bakugo stood up on his own, and Kirishima dropped the hand. He was wobbly on his feet, but he stood up after a few seconds, stretching out his arms.
“C’mon.” He said, pushing his way out of where ever they were. Just then, Kirishima saw Aizawa running to the room they’d just been in. He looked between the two boys, from the red marks around Bakugo’s mouth to the chain-free hands. He walked up to Kirishima, took his hand, and shook it firmly.
“Thank you.” He said breathlessly. He looked at Bakugo and grabbed his shoulders. “I’m so, so sorry.” He said, “I promise you nothing like that is ever going to happen again, I’ll be there next time.” Bakugo shrugged his hands off,
“It’s not a big deal.” Aizawa opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it.
“It’s okay if I take him to recovery girl? He sorta burned his hands, and I cut his cheek.” Aizawa nodded. “A-ah... sorry about breaking all the- the chains, and all... they’re in there.” Aizawa shook his head,
“I don’t know why we had them anyway.” He pats his arm, “I’ll get rid of it, you take him to her.”
“Nothing severe, I can fix it all up in about five minutes.” The short woman smiled. Bakugo nodded, his leg bouncing from the chair he was in. She put her hand on his shoulder, “Sweetie, I’m sorry this happened to you.” He shrugged her hand off,
“’s fine.” She pursed her lips. Kirishima went to grab a drink while she fixed him up, returning with two cups of water. Bakugo downed his quickly.
“Can we go to the dorms now?”
“Yeah, of course.”
He wasn’t all that surprised when Bakugo kept walking past the door to his dorm, standing at Kirishima’s instead. He apologized for the mess, but Bakugo waved it off, sitting down on his bed and slumping over. He rubbed his wrists, even though the shackles were already gone.
“I’m gonna sleep.” He mumbled.
“Need extra blankets?” Bakugo shook his head. A minute or so passed when Kirishima heard rustling behind him. Bakugo stood up out of bed, walked over to Kirishima, who was tidying his desk. Bakugo looked down at the floor before hesitantly wrapping his arms around Kirishima’s waist. He put his head on his chest, taking in a shaky breath. Kirishima gently hugged him back, rubbing tiny circles into his shoulders.
“Thank you.” It was whispered, almost silent. Kirishima nodded,
“I couldn’t just... leave you like that.” He whispered. Bakugo paused, pulling back just a tiny bit.
“You did good today.” He said, “You’re damn strong, Kirishima.” He walked back to his bed, pulling the blankets over his shoulders and passing out almost immediately.
Kirishima couldn’t tell if the butterflies were from the ‘thank you,’ the hug, being called strong by someones like Bakugo, or being called by his actual name.
Regardless, when Bakugo woke up, he was back to his usual, grumpy self.
IV.
They were in the middle of the lunchroom when they heard it.
angry.
not hero-like.
-muzzle?
out of control.
villain.
league of villains.
villain.
villain.
Bakugo- villain.
Bakugo slammed his hand on the table, turning to the nearest person who’d said something.
“Shut the fuck up.” He said through grit teeth. The girl, apparently not knowing Bakugo, shrugged her shoulders,
“Are we wrong?” Kirishima heard his hands singeing his plate.
“I’m better than any of you extras.” The girl stood up,
“Really? Then act like it, not some kid throwing a tantrum.” Bakugo was shaking now, eyes fiery.
“I’m not ‘some kid,’ I’m gonna be number on-” Kirishima put his hand over Bakugo’s and he froze. His jaw snapped shut and his eyes softened just slightly. Kirishima stood up beside him and took his wrist gently, enough that he could pull away with an easy tug, and led him out to the yard. He led him around a corner, by the outside wall of the building.
“Why the fuck did you-”
“Dude, she’s not worth it.” Bakugo snapped his mouth shut. “Really, do you think you’re a villain?”
“No.” He said quickly, almost spitting out the word. “I’m- I’m just-”
“You’re... rough around the edges, but you’re going to save people one day. Does it matter what she thinks?” He bounced on his feet,
“No.” He said reluctantly.
“Then just let her go, alright? I’ll tell anyone to shut up if they talk about you, but you gotta meet me in the middle and not fight anyone about it.” Bakugo huffed,
“I don’t need your help.”
“I know, but if they’re being jerks then I should do something.”
“Why can’t I?” Kirishima ran his thumb over Bakugo’s,
“They’ll say things they know will make you mad.” He said, “Just ignore them, okay?” He nodded slowly. A few seconds of peace passed before Bakugo tugged his hand back and stuck it in his pocket.
“You know that I don’t need your help, right?”
“I know.” Kirishima smiled, “I just wanna help.” They started walking back to the cafeteria. Inside, they saw Mina talking to the girl from before. The two boys could overhear her,
“-hero, so just leave it be.” Kaminari spoke up,
“He’s rude, but he’s kind.” Sero nodded along.
“He’s in the hero course for a reason. Don’t just try and fuck with him to set him off, especially with something as stupid as that. Everyone knows Bakugo wants to be a hero more than anyone here.” Kirishima looked over to Bakugo. His lips were parted, his eyebrows turned up slightly.
“They know you’re good.” He whispered. Bakugo nodded. Just then, the girl started to try and pick a fight with Mina.
“You probably just like him-”
“Nuh-uh. I’m a lesbian, sweetheart, that’s not gonna happen. He’s our fucking friend, you don’t get to fuck with him without us saying something.” Bakugo spoke up from beside him.
“I- uh- I’m gonna head to the bathroom.” His voice sounded wobbly. When Kirishima looked at him, he saw the softest smile on his face, and tears were welling up in his eyes. He quickly shouldered them away,
“What’s wrong?” Bakugo could only smile,
“She called me her friend.” He said, kicking at a rock on the ground. Kirishima furrowed his eyebrows.
“Y-yeah- you’re our friend, all of us. Denks, Sero, Mina, me, too. You’re our friend.” He bit his lip in a smile.
“Good, thought it was a one-sided thing.” Kirishima smiled wide, bursting into the cafeteria,
“Dude- Blasty said he thinks of us as friends!” Mina dropped her fork she was using to point at the girl. Sero beamed, and Kaminari stood up, looking past Kirishima and shouting,
“Aw~ I knew Kacchan was a softie!” Bakugo glared playful daggers at him.
“I take it back.” Kaminari feigned hurt.
Kirishima liked this a lot.
V.
Once again, it’s a blur.
All he could remember ones the league broke into USJ was looking over at Bakugo, giving the slightest nod, before launching himself at the villains.
Obviously, didn’t work.
He remembered how his bones ached as he fought the smaller ones, how he could feel his skin splitting. He remembers flinging himself at the portal guy and at the one with the hands, and he remembers it not working, being flung to the side like a ragdoll.
He remembers seeing the nomu go at Bakugo, calling out but not being heard.
He didn’t remember anything past that.
He knows now that he’s in Bakugo’s room for the first time because Bakugo sent him a message, asking him to come over. At first, he was excited, ready to see what the mystery boy’s room looked like.
Then he got there.
Bakugo was laid on the floor, bandages wrapping his palms, and he appeared to be having an existential crisis.
“That was a person.”
“W-what?”
“That... thing. The big one that All Might fought.”
“The nomu?”
“Yeah.” Kirishima paused.
“What do you mean... it was a person?”
“That was a person who got... I dunno... injected with some shit... manipulated... he’s...” He paused. “I feel... sick.” He shook his head. “Do you think he could see what he was doing?” Kirishima laid down beside him.
“I don’t... know. I hope not.”
“Me either.” They laid next to eachother.
“I don’t want to move,” Kirishima murmured.
“I can’t shut my brain off.”
“Movie?” He shrugged,
“Why the fuck not.”
Hours later, the two were falling asleep ontop of one another when Kirishima started sniffling quietly. Bakugo wrapped an arm around his shoulders hesitantly, dragging his fingers across the other’s shoulders.
“S-sorry-” He stammered,
“Cry, let it out, shitty hair.” He said, pulling him into his chest. Kirishima crumpled up into him, wrapping his arms around his waist and crying into him.
“It’s just- it’s not fair.” He cried, “Why us-? I wanted to help people, but I can’t even make it through school without getting attacked. We- it’s just-” He quivered badly. Bakugo pulled him entirely into his lap, wrapping his arms up and around his back. He scratched little circles into his hair, “I just... wanted to be normal, y’know? I want it all to be normal.” Bakugo leaned back, Kirishima entirely ontop of him.
“It’s not fair.” He whispered back. Kirishima went quiet, only soft sniffles every little while. He pulled away, letting out an awkward laugh,
“Sorry about that,” He wiped at his eyes, “Didn’t mean to act like a baby.” Bakugo clicked his tongue,
“Shut up, shitty hair. I don’t care.” He said, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. “You staying overnight?” Kirishima thought for a moment,
“If you don’t mind.” Bakugo shrugged. Kirishima slid out of the bed, setting up on the couch. They’d only ever slept in the same bed once, it was on accident after a movie. Neither of them talked about it when they woke up in the morning, limbs entangled.
Kirishima couldn’t tell why his heart was racing.
Soon later, the two were asleep.
VI.
Kirishima didn’t mean to go in without knocking, but the door wasn’t shut all the way.
Bakugo had been sitting on his bed, earbuds in. He could hear the music all the way from the doorway. He was slumped over his bed, the breeze from the window ruffling his hair just slightly. His eyes would flick up every so often to look at his laptop, where Kirishima could see the subtitles on for a video with a woman doing something. When he looked just a little closer, he gasped.
He was watching a tutorial.
He was knitting.
There was a soft, rapid clicking of the needles as Bakugo worked away at what appeared to be a hat. He clicked his tongue as he ran out of pull yarn, looking up to grab the ball and pull more out. His eyes met Kirishima’s.
“What the fuck are you smiling for?” He said, much louder than necessary.
“You knit??” He shouted. Bakugo glared at him,
“Yeah, shout it to the whole dorm, why don’t you?” He hissed, “Shut the door.” Kirishima did as he was told, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.
“What are you making?” Kirishima asked.
“Beanie for Sero.” His heart melted. Bakugo shrugged, “Said he needed a new one.” He grunted, setting down the needles and stretching his hands. Before Kirishima could stop himself, he spoke.
“You are the sweetest person I know.” Bakugo looked up, face flushed red.
“S-shut up!” He walked up to Bakugo, picking up the hat gently, though it would unravel the second he turned it too quickly.
“’s soft.” Bakugo kept quiet, pressing his lips together. “When are you gonna give it to him?” Bakugo shrugged,
“I’ll put it outside his dorm when it’s done.” Kirishima furrowed his eyebrows.
“You’re not going to... to take credit for it?” Bakugo scoffed,
“Why would I?” Kirishima turned his head to the side, smiling softly.
“You’re the one who made the Pikachu hat for Kami, and the cow print top for Mina.” Bakugo looked away, “You made me the Crimson Riot hat.” He spoke breathlessly. A few months back, Christmas morning, they’d all gotten things laid outside their dorms. Sero had gotten a yellow beanie, but just last week, it’d torn. Kirishima handed the needles back to Bakugo.
“He’ll love it.” He said, “I just wanted to stop by and see if you wanted food, I was ordering take out in a couple of minutes.”
“’m not hungry.” He’d get him a bowl of spicy ramen anyway.
“Alright, I’ll head out then.” He smiled softly, taking one last glance at the work. As he walked towards the door, he heard Bakugo’s voice, softer than he’d ever heard it.
“Don’t tell anyone.” Kirishima turned around. Bakugo’s eyes were a little wider, brighter... scared? His eyebrows were turned up and he was chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“I won’t,” He walked back, holding out his pinkie finger. “Pinkie promise?” Bakugo (with a click of the tongue, and a mutter of ‘childish’) interlocked his finger with Kirishima’s. They smiled at eachother for a moment,
“I’m getting you ramen anyway.” Bakugo shook his head, rolling his eyes,
“Spicy?”
“Obviously.” Bakugo licked his lip, pushing them together and trying to hide a smile.
“Yeah, thanks, or- or whatever.” Kirishima lit up,
“Anytime, Bakubro!” He crinkled his nose.
“I take it back.” Kirishima ruffled his hair, his hand was playfully pushed away,
“Dude- your hair is soft.” Bakugo groaned,
“Buzz off.” Kirishima chuckled,
“I’ll go order now, okay?”
Later that night, both of them full with ramen, they snuck to Sero’s room together to hang the beanie on his doorknob.
VI.
Kirishima remembered in horrifying detail, every second of Bakugo being taken.
He wasn’t there. He wishes he would’ve been. He wishes he would’ve stopped it, called out to Bakugo. When the rest of the class walked back, Kirishima frantically looked around the crowd for the boy, but he only met Midoriya’s gaze. His eyes were wet, his throat bobbed as he swallowed, standing a mere foot from Kirishima. He couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Where is he?” He asked, heart pounding in his chest.
“I... I don’t know... they...” Midoriya swallowed, “I’m sorry, Kirishima.” Kirishima felt a scream start to ripple in his throat, but he pushed it down.
“He’s..?” Midoriya looked down at the floor,
“I’m sorry.” He whispered again. He felt Mina’s hands on his shoulders, taking him back to a seat.
Aizawa told the class what happened.
Kirishima couldn’t help it when the tears streamed down his face.
He remembers the next few days, hours spent planning.
He remembers putting on disguises.
He remembers Midoriya telling him that he needed to be the one to call out.
Remembers first seeing Bakugo after he’d been taken.
Todoroki’s ice shot up into the sky, and then they were flying. He heard Shigaraki’s surprise, the noise that made Bakugo look up. He saw his eyes widen, him rush forward.
“Come.”
The explosion was bigger than any that Bakugo made before. It was further than he’d ever flown in one go. Kirishima was going to catch him.
He held out his hand, and nothing has ever been more comforting than Bakugo’s palm hitting his.
He watched as the boy’s hair whipped in the wind.
“You stupid or something?” He called. Kirishima beamed.
The rest was a blur, but he didn’t let go of his hand for a long while.
Kirishima was the one to ask if Bakugo wanted to stay over that night.
“You’re a dumbass, know that? You could’ve seriously gotten hurt, shitty hair.” He said, trembling in his bed. Kirishima tightened his arm further around his waist.
“You could’ve too.” He felt his face flush as Bakugo turned around, picking up Kirishima’s hand and pushing their palms together, twisting them to align their hands. He tightened his fingers, like they’d held eachother in the air.
“You caught me.” He whispered breathlessly.
“I caught you.”
Tears trickled out of Kirishima’s eyes.
“What if I hadn’t?”
Bakugo’s hand rose to his cheek, his fingertips trailing across his soft, wet skin.
“You did.” Bakugo held his face with purpose. “I’m right here, Eijiro.” Kirishima broke down. He pulled Bakugo into a tight hug, pushing his nose into his neck. Bakugo didn’t mind as the cold tears ran over his skin. “You saved me.” He pushed his face into the red hair, “You’re my hero.” Kirishima only cried harder, trembling into his arms. He scratched his head, hoping it would comfort the boy. The sobbing turned to gentle tears, which slowly turned to sniffles. “Don’t apologize.” Bakugo whispered.
“When’d you get to know me so well?” Kirishima chuckled wetly.
For the second time, they fell asleep in the same bed together.
VIII.
Kirishima didn’t mean to drink all that much, but it happened.
Sero always had the best drinks.
There had been a party, up in an abandoned attic part of the dorms. It was a big, wide-open room, and they’d hung out, played Mario Kart, and drank until they were all giggling. Kirishima was one of the first to head out, but he wanted to head down to the kitchen first and chug water, hoping it would ward off his hangover in the morning. He walked- stumbled- down the stairs, clinging onto the railing like a lifeline, and walked into the kitchen. In blurry vision, he saw a familiar face.
“Baku-go~” He drew out the name, hiccuping through the name.
“Shitty hair?” Bakugo crinkled his nose, “Are you drunk?” Kirishima tilted his head to the side with a dopey smile, reaching out a hand and taking Bakugo’s. He took his fingers in his, running his thumb over the knuckles. “Dumbass.” Bakugo grumbled,
“Do you remember when we first met?” Kirishima said, words more clear than before.
“Of course I do, dumbass.”
“Good- but I’m gonna tell you anyway.” He smiled, pulling Bakugo slightly closer to him. “You were on the roof, ‘n I couldn’t sleep. I was walking around and found you, and you had peanuts, and I thought you were gonna like- kill me or somethin’. Then I walked over and you like- weren’t so bad as everyone said you were.” He pulled Bakugo even closer, putting a hand on his waist. “You told me you’d kill me if I told anyone, ‘n you started whistling.” He pulled him closer, interlocking their hands and starting to sway absentmindedly back and forth. “And I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world.” Bakugo remained quiet, but swayed against him. “I tried to whistle it, I wanted to remember it, but I couldn’t get it right.” He could only get the second half, but he always messed up the beginning.
Out of the blue, Katsuki started whistling.
It was quiet, just as it had been on the roof, growing louder and stronger as it went along. Kirishima tried desperately to save every second to his memory, every note of the tune. He got to a familiar part and joined in with a lower whistle. They spun around the kitchen, stepping with ease as though it had been practiced. Katsuki pulled back the slightest bit, enough to look at Kirishima. Eijiro lifted his hand, tracing his fingertips lightly along his cheek as the whistling quieted at the end. They stared at eachother, and at that moment, Kirishima realized something.
I love him.
It was jarring, but he wasn’t surprised. He didn’t run off, didn’t jump. He smiled at the realization, eyes dragging over each of Katsuki’s soft features. His angry creases were gone, his eyes shining with some emotion he couldn’t place. They went over his nose, with a handful of freckles that only showed up when he got a little sunburnt. His lips looked soft, perfectly chapped. His cheekbones were high, and Kirishima lifted his fingers higher to trace over them. He flattened his palm out, cupping his face. Katsuki didn’t hesitate to lean into it, eyes drifting nearly shut.
“Katsuki.” He whispered,
“Eijiro.”
His name sounded like honey, spilling over his lips.
IX.
He remembered his skin screaming in pain as he drew out unbreakable form, but he could imagine the girl with the light hair and bandaged arms, and he pushed further.
Not far enough.
Kirishima opened his eyes blearily to a white hospital room. He knew where he was, he wasn’t surprised by that, but he was surprised by the blinding pain when he tried to sit up, letting out a low moan as his muscles ached. A hand found his, a layer of bandage between them.
“Are you okay?” A panicked voice came,
“Katsuki,” He smiled. “’m fine. Did they get her?” Bakugo turned around, looking into the hallway,
“Yeah, the kid’s here.” Kirishima let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank god.” He leaned back, Bakugo helped him, lowering him down gently.
“You idiot...” He murmured. “Don’t pull anything like that again.”
“Like- like what?” Bakugo chewed his lip.
“Don’t get yourself killed, okay?” His voice wobbled just a bit.
“Hey hey... I promise, I’m fine, man.” He felt the hand grip tighter around his, a muffled sniffle beside him.
“You did good, you know that? You’re- you’re incredible.” Kirishima melted, committing the words to memory. “You’re unbreakable.” He paused, “I’m gonna be number one someday, and I want you to be right there with me.” Kirishima turned to look at him, the muscles in his neck screaming. “We’re gonna save so many people, Eiji...”
“Katsuki...”
“Just... live to make it there, okay?” Kirishima nodded, “Rest now, dummy.” His heart swelled at the affectionate nickname. He laid down into his pillow, closing his eyes.
He swore there was a touch softer than hands, something like a kiss, against his forehead.
But maybe it was just the anesthetic.
X.
Kirishima was happy.
There hadn’t been an incident for a long while, things cooling down a little bit since everything with Overhaul. He got to hang out with his friends again, he hadn’t been able to as much before with the mission and all. He got to see Bakugo more, and he even went up to the roof with him once, seeing the bird again. This time, it brought a baby. Bakugo smiled at it as it tweeted a part of the tune back to him.
Now, they stood in the kitchen on a Sunday morning.
“Eggs are done, shitty hair.” He called, bringing two plates over to the table. Kirishima smiled sleepily. Since his realization of his feelings for Katsuki, things had been... oddly similar. He viewed him the same, but he thought a few things that he wasn’t used to. Like now, as Bakugo set down his plate.
Kiss him on the cheek.
Kirishima didn’t.
They ate their eggs, talking a few times about plans for the day. Kirishima planned on trying a new workout routine Tetsutetsu had recommended, Bakugo was going to study for an upcoming exam.
“Dude- it’s like- a whole week away!” Bakugo rolled his eyes,
“Well, someone is going to make me help them study for the three days right before the test, so I have to start now.” Eijiro dropped his jaw,
“I do not!” Bakugo grinned,
“Never said it was you, did I?”
“Well, is it?”
“Yeah.” Kirishima snorted. Bakugo shook his head, taking a final bite of his eggs. He took Kirishima’s plate as he stood up, taking them over to the sink. Kirishima scrolled through his phone for about five minutes before getting up and walking into the kitchen. He stood behind Bakugo, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his nose into his hair. He closed his eyes, taking in the sugary smell. Bakugo carried on washing dishes like normal.
“I’m gonna head out to do that routine.” Bakugo nodded,
“Good luck- or whatever.” Kirishima smiled softly.
“Love you,” He whispered, pressing a kiss to his hair. Only when he started to walk away did he realize what he’d done. He looked over his shoulder.
Katsuki stood there, completely frozen. He had a death grip on the plate on his hand, the sponge falling out of the other. His lips were parted slightly, his eyes wide. Kirishima swallowed nervously before continuing his walk to the gym.
“Eijiro.” He heard from across the kitchen.
Damn it- he’d nearly made it out the door, too.
“Katsuki?” He said, voice wobbly.
“Get your ass back here.” Kirishima winced, walking back to where he’d stood before. Bakugo dried his hands off on a towel. He reached behind him, finding Kirishima’s hands and wrapping them back around his waist. He scrubbed at the dishes again, leaning back into his chest. Kirishima leaned a bit more forward, letting him get nearer to the dishes. Katsuki let out a low hum of approval, finishing the last few dishes. When he had, he turned around to face Eijiro. He chewed his cheek, thinking for a moment.
“Yeah, love you too, dumbass.” He said, hand reaching up to trace Kirishima’s jawline. He stood on his tiptoes, pressing his lips to his jaw. “Let me know how the routine goes?” Kirishima didn’t care what he was saying, his lips spread out into a wide smile. He chewed his lip, hands reaching out in excitement. He lifted Katsuki up, spinning him around the kitchen and kissing his cheek.
“Forget the routine,” He laughed, “You think you can study tomorrow instead?” Bakugo bit his lip,
“Maybe.” Kirishima smiled wider,
“Katsuki? Can I like... kiss you for real?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” He smirked, lifting his hands to cup his cheek. He felt the suds run down his neck, but he couldn’t care less as he leaned down to meet his lips. The world was quiet and his body was on fire, he couldn’t have been happier. They pulled away after a few blissful seconds. “When did you know?” He asked,
“When we whistled and I was drunk.” Kirishima smiled, a pink tint rising to his cheeks.
“When we hung the hat on Sero’s doorknob.” He couldn’t help it, he peppered Katsuki’s face in kisses, pulling him closer. He giggled as Bakugo blushed. They heard a crash from the living room.
“Oh my god.” They looked up, hands still holding eachother. Mina was staring at them with wide eyes, hand reaching out to the couch. “It’s- it’s happening-” A second later, Kami and Sero’s heads popped out from the couch, eyes just as wide. Kaminari instantly jumped over the back of the couch, running up to them,
“Who told who??” He shouted, Kirishima chuckled nervously.
“I, uh-” Katsuki snorted,
“This dumbass accidentally told me he loved me while I was washing dishes.” Denki beamed, looking at him,
“That’s fucking adorable-” He squealed. Kirishima turned to Mina and Sero, who were walking towards them.
“What do you mean ‘it’s happening?’” He asked, turning his head to the side. Sero chuckled,
“You aren’t exactly subtle about your thing for eachother.” Bakugo sputtered,
“Yeah- like- we were all waiting for you to make out during one of the movies, but it never happened. It was stupid frustrating watching you guys look at eachother everytime the other wasn’t looking.” Mina said, exasperated.
“Fuck you- I’m so subtle about my feelings.” Kirishima turned to him,
“Wasn’t it you who kissed my forehead? When I was in the hospital after Overhaul?” Katsuki flushed bright red,
“F-fuck you.” The rest of the group dissolved into laughter. Mina nudged the other two boys,
“Let’s give them a few minutes?” She half-whispered,
“Yeah- uh- we gotta- uh- go- yeah-!” Denki stammered out. Kirishima raised his eyebrows, nodding along and trying not to laugh as he grabbed the other two’s wrists and pulled them away. Now alone, Kirishima felt a question weighing on him again. He turned to Bakugo.
“Do you... want to go get coffee... or something?” Bakugo smiled, Kirishima could see his dimples, no matter how hard he tried to hide them.
“Yeah, or something.” Bakugo smiled, “So long as I get to kiss you at the end.” He bumped his hip against his, “What about that ramen place on the corner?”
“Sure,” Eijiro smiled, he was finally taking him on a date.
“Alright, c’mon.”
“N-now?”
“Well, yeah.”
“But- I don’t have anything fancy- or flowers- or like- anything!” Katsuki closed the space between them.
“We waited long enough, right? I don’t need anything fancy.” They had waited long enough, nearly a year of pining.
“Yeah, okay.” He was breathless.
Mina beamed, a few hours later, when she saw Kirishima insist to sit down on the lawn with Bakugo on their way back, insisted to make him a flower crown made of dandelions.
And maybe, just maybe, she snapped a picture.
Maybe, just maybe, they would all cry when that picture would show up a few years later at their wedding.