Chapter Text
“Ah, Dynamite, how lovely to finally meet you.” Tidal Wave smiled at him from beside Kirishima, making Bakugou’s lip curl. Who did this bastard think he was, acting all buddy-buddy with his fiance after Bakugou had overheard him talking shit not ten minutes earlier?
“Pleasure,” he sneered. Kirishima’s grin faltered for just a second, probably wondering why he was so hostile to the guy. Usually Bakugou could stand being civil to most, if not all, of the heroes at these events.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Tidal laughed, sharing a good natured look with Kirishima, the two of them laughing at Bakugou’s expense. He didn't mind the latter doing it so much as the former. Right now, he kind of wanted to punch that stupid smirk off the man’s face. “Never thought you were one for these kinds of events.”
“Yeah, well, I’m here. I am the number seven hero, after all.”
“How could I forget? Right behind…Deku, was it? UA must be proud to have two of their most powerful already on the leaderboard.”
“I’m better than him,” Bakugou snarled. “And better than you. We’re done here.”
“Katsuki!” Kirishima gasped.
“No, Ei, I’m not entertaining scum like this bastard. Next time, close the door properly, asshole.” He spat, watching with relish as understanding and a sliver of guilt flashed in Tidal’s eyes.
“It’s quite alright, Riot, I understand when I’ve overstepped my boundaries. I’ll be going, then. Have a great night, both of you.”
The two of them watched him slip away through the throngs of people, and just as Bakugou was about to take another sip of his champagne, he felt Kirishima hand roughly grip his elbow. “Come on,” the redhead said tightly. Bakugou frowned, attempting to tug his arm out of Kirishima’s grasp, but his grip was iron.
“What the hell?”
“Come on.”
In order to not make a scene, Bakugou had to keep up with his huge strides, pretending that he was simply hanging off of his arm instead of being dragged up the spiral staircase and down three hallways until Kirishima deemed one empty enough to finally let go of him. He didn't say anything for a second as Bakugou snarled, rubbing the points of contact where fingers dug into him. Not hard enough to bruise—Kirishima wasn't a brute—but they still hurt like a bitch.
“You want to tell me what the fuck is wrong with you?” Bakugou snapped.
“What’s wrong with me? Kats, what the hell was that? You can't go insulting every person who’s ever fucking looked at you wrong. Do you understand that? Calling a hero whose job is making the world a better place scum is too damn far, and I know you know that. Now, I don't know what could have possibly said to you that got you so angry, but you need to do better. You are the number seven hero, you have a responsibility, for God’s sake.”
Bakugou stared at him for a second before laughing incredulously. “You know, it’s possible to say something to me without acting all high and fucking mighty,” he growled. “‘Do you understand?’” he repeated mockingly. “What the fuck?”
“There’s a difference between disagreeing with you and acting like that,” Kirishima retorted. As if that made any fucking sense. “This isn't even the first time. The PR team consistently has to clean up after you because you're incapable of being civil with people for one fucking second. You’re ‘better’ than him? Really, Katsuki? He was nothing but polite and kind to me and to you. Whether you deserved that kindness of not is up for debate.”
“Whether I—?” Bakugou cut himself off, dumbfounded. Whether he deserved kindness? Kirishima must have understood the look on his face, and looked to the side with a groan.
“You know what I meant.”
“No, I don't think I do, Kirishima,” Bakugou said. To his credit, the other man didn't flinch at the use of his last name, though his gaze hardened. “Tell me more about how I don't deserve kindness.”
“That is not what I meant and you know it,” Kirishima growled. “Tidal Wave was polite to you even after you completely ruined the conversation with your rudeness. How would you like it if someone talked to me like you talked to him?”
Bakugou let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, that’s real funny.” He rolled his eyes when a spark of hurt flashed through Kirishima’s eyes. “Almost like when—”
“You think it would be funny?” Kirishima asked, voice oddly quiet. “Seriously, Bakugou? I wish we could have one night—just one—without you pissing on somebody else’s shoes and declaring your superiority to them. It’s exhausting.”
At this, Bakugou snapped his mouth shut, eyes stinging. He was…exhausting? Kirishima didn't seem to notice the hurt on his face, gesturing wildly with his hands as he talked.
“I know you're not the same hothead you were in high school, man—” Kirishima dragged a hand down his face, sighing heavily through his nose. “But some days, it’s hard to see that. Tidal Wave is a hero doing his best, just like you and me, and yet you treated him like dog shit on the bottom of your shoe. What does that say about you?”
All this, over Tidal Wave. Over some sleazy asshole who tricked Kirishima into thinking he was a nice guy, a nice person. Kirishima was yelling at him over Tidal Wave.
The PR team consistently has to clean up after you because you're incapable of being civil with people for one fucking second.
I wish we could have one night—just one—without you pissing on somebody else’s shoes and declaring your superiority to them. It’s exhausting.
Maybe it wasn't about Tidal Wave. Maybe it was just him.
Bakugou stepped back, once, twice, when Kirishima followed. The redhead stopped short, confusion flitting across his features for just a second. Bakugou was rarely the first to retreat from an argument, and never physically. “No, fuck you, Ei. Seriously, fuck you. I’m going home,” he said quietly, already turning and shoving his hands in his pockets. He heard Kirishima’s scoff of frustration behind him before he felt the hand on his shoulder, spinning him back around.
“Just like that? You're not even going to try? God, Bakugou—you infuriate me sometimes. Stop running away from this.”
“I overheard Tidal Wave earlier,” Bakugou said, completely ignoring Kirishima’s words, despite the sting they left in his heart. He dragged his gaze up to meet Kirishima’s, wanting to see his expression after what he was about to say. “He was telling someone how useless you were. How lame your whole brand was, how you would never make it past number twenty, and even then, only because of your civilian popularity, not your skill.”
Bakugou wished he could enjoy the sheer shock plastered across his fiance’s face, but it didn't feel like a victory. “So yeah, I wonder. What does that say about me? Refusing to be nice to the person who—how did you phrase it? ‘Pissed on and declared superiority’ over my fiance? Yeah, my damn bad. I'll be sure to agree with him the next time he talks shit, just so that you don't have to feel bad about cleaning up after me.”
Kirishima blanched at his words, obviously not expecting them. In the back of his mind, Bakugou knew that Kirishima wasn’t entirely in the wrong here. He hadn't known what Tidal Wave said about him, and how angry it had made Bakugou to overhear him, so he had just thought that Bakugou was being an asshole for no reason.
It certainly didn't make his words hurt any less, and Bakugou had a bad habit of ignoring his logical side when it came to things like this.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he paused, scuffing his shoe against the carpet. “I think you should stay with Kaminari tonight. ‘Cause I'm so exhausting.” His voice cracked on the last word, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kirishima’s face fall.
“Kats—”
Bakugou held up a single hand, and even though he wasn't looking at him, Kirishima snapped his mouth shut. Bakugou forced himself to stand straight as he descended the stairs—alone, this time—and weaved his way through the crowds with his signature scowl. Tidal Wave had been right about one thing; this shit wasn't his scene. He had been itching to get out of here anyway, and now he just had an excuse. He was sure Kirishima would cover for him when their annoying ass team asked why he had left earlier than planned.
Mina and Uraraka held him up for a few minutes, but they must have been able to tell that he was more upset than what was considered his usual snappiness, so they let him go with two sweet smiles, along with a pat on the back from Uraraka and a hair ruffle from Mina, both of which Bakugou growled at. He glanced up at the stairs, but Kirishima was nowhere in sight. For all Bakugou knew, he was ten feet away from him, but the sheer number of people at the event and their varying shapes and sizes made it impossible to see if that were true, so Bakugou left. He took the car, hoping that that persuaded Kirishima to leave with Denki and Jirou, despite the half of Bakugou who just wanted him next to him.
After turning into the parking lot and stepping out of the car, Bakugou hurried into the building, nodding at the doorman and making his way to the elevator. The complex he and Kirishima lived in was chock full of pro heroes, and security was tight; so far, no rabid fans had gotten in, so Bakugou relaxed the second he stepped onto their floor. His floor, for tonight, if Kirishima stayed over at Denki’s.
Bakugou sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he crossed the threshold of their apartment, flicking the entrance hall light on and staring listlessly into the foreboding black of the shadowed room up ahead. He moved robotically, entirely unused to an empty apartment so late at night.
It was past eleven when he finally made it into bed, giving his phone one last glance and startling at the top message of his notifications.
[11:13] - Shitty Hair: just got to kami’s. goodnight, suki. i love you so much.
Fuck. Even though for once, Bakugou hadn't asked him to, Kirishima had told him when he had gotten back, knowing how important those messages were to him. He always liked knowing Ei was safe. Thumbs hovering over the keyboard, Bakugou worried his lip for a couple seconds before finally letting out a huff and setting his phone on the nightstand, message left unread. He didn't respond to Kirishima often enough, but something about this felt different.
Heavier.
He didn't want heavy, because as upset as he was, he wasn't nearly as mad as he thought he would be. Everytime they get into one of their spats, Bakugou would seethe for a couple days before they figured it out. That was just how it went. They always figured it out, but he was always angry first.
This time, he just wanted Kirishima to tell him he didn't mean it. That Bakugou wasn't a burden.
He knew how Kirishima felt about him. It was hard not to, when he would tell Bakugou fifteen times a day how much he loved him. Bakugou knew. He knew they were in love. He knew how much Ei cared about him.
And yet he couldn't stop the thoughts from swirling around his head, telling him that he wasn't making his fiance happy, that he was too moody and too cold for a relationship like theirs. Ironic, considering his quirk.
Bakugou unlocked his phone and pulled the message up again, opening his chat with Kirishima fully instead of looking at it from the notification bar. Maybe he should change Kirishima’s contact. Shitty Hair didn't exactly fit in serious situations. On the other hand, it was more a term of endearment now than an insult, and changing it just felt wrong, so Bakugou left it alone. He sat there, staring at the text for an embarrassingly long time before finally responding and letting out a shaky breath, putting it back down and curling into the blankets. He tried not to think about the fact that he would be sleeping alone that night.
[11:27] - Me: I know.