Work Text:
Kirishima was rushing around trying to make sense of it all and still look presentable. God, he had such bad time management. He tried, he really did, to be extra early but nothing ever went according to plan for him.
He was showing support for his sister at her restaurant's grand opening. She had worked for years to bring her reality to life, and oh my god was it fancy.
Nobody in the Kirishima family came from money, so they were all extremely proud of her when she announced that she had saved up, married into wealth, and was now able to pursue her dream.
Kirishima was incredibly proud of her, and he was excited to support his little sister in anyway he could. But, in order to keep his mothers, brother, and sister happy and engaged in his life, he may have sort of told them he was dating the most perfect man to ever exist.
Oh my god, he was in for it now.
Kirishima didn't have somebody to pretend to be his date. It couldn't be Kaminari or Sero either because his family knew them and knew that they were only friends. So Kirishima was panicked and scrambling. And it was very hard to find a random man to just agree to be your boyfriend for one night. Kirishima didn't have any money to pay the hypothetical guy if he ever found one.
The redhead was working three jobs trying to afford life in the city. He was an aspiring fitness fanatic, and his dream was to have his own gym with some fitness videos on the side. And saving up for a building large enough for this dream was sucking the life out of him.
Kirishima was speed walking down the street, trying to tie his tie, and rehearsing his story about how his perfect boyfriend turned out to be not perfect and dumped him. It was such a terrible breakup that Kirishima couldn't even get out of bed this morning! It took all of his strength to come and support his sister. Yes. That was his new story. He would stick with it. If his brother ever found out that the entire boyfriend was a lie, the teasing would be relentless and Kirishima would dig his grave right then and there.
He didn't realize how fast he was walking when he smacked right into a lean but muscular blonde man. Kirishima panicked and caught the man awkwardly, holding him in a dip like pose. They stared at each other for a moment or two, and Kirishima could've sworn they had met before.
"What the hell? Watch where you're going, shitty hair!" The blonde shoved the redhead off of him and Kirishima was frozen in his spot.
"Sorry! Oh my god I'm so sorry, man!" Kirishimas day was just getting worse. He still hadnt tied his tie and now he had just embarrassed himself in front of a mean, although attractive, blonde man.
'Focus, Eijiro!' He commanded himself.
The blonde man scoffed. "I have an important event tonight, you idiot. If you messed up my suit-"
"No! No no you look fine, the suit! The suit looks fine!" Kirishima was spewing words before he even thought. "I'm so sorry, my sister is opening up a restaurant and I have to be perfect or-"
The blonde cut him off. "Do you happen to be related to Nao Kirishima?"
Kirishima blinked at the man. Oh god, this man knew his sister and he was going to let the most successful person in the entire Kirishima family know that Eijiro was a failure who couldn't even tie his tie.
Kirishima nodded nervously. "Yeah, but uh, please don't tell her that I'm a mess-"
"Introduce me."
This caught Kirishima off guard for the fifth time in the last two minutes. This man was really confusing him.
"Im a chef, and I want this job." The man went on to explain. "Plus, I'm the best chef in the entire city. Your sister wants a successful restaurant? She needs me."
The man was extremely convincing, and Kirishima would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit afraid. Which was strange. Kirishima had maybe a foot of height on this guy, and at least 50 pounds of muscle, but the man was so confident and sure of himself that Kirishima couldn't help but admire him. He sure was manly.
And then Kirishimas eyes lit up. This was the perfect solution to his problem! This angry man in front of him could team up with him and fix both of their issues. Sure, he wasn't the ideal partner for Kirishima at all, and probably not what his family was envisioning, but it would work. Kirishima would act the hell out of it.
"I'll introduce you and get you a job if you help me out first. I need you to pretend to be my date."
The blonde looked taken aback and unsure for the first time since their meeting. "Huh?"
"Please, man. I've been telling my family that I'm in a great relationship with this guy that doesn't actually exist and they think that they're meeting him tonight but I have no date because I made him up! Please!" Kirishima was practically begging. "If Nao thinks you're my boyfriend she's even more likely to get you the job!"
The man seemed to think about this for a second. It was truly a great strategy that would help both the men. And they didn't even need to be friendly, only in front of Kirishimas family. So, the blonde nodded.
"You have yourself a deal, shitty hair."
***
Before they walked into the venue, the blonde pulled Kirishima aside and scoffed. He quickly worked his hands to tie Kirishimas tie properly.
"You're going to a respectable restaurant and you don't even know how to tie a tie. You're sure you're related to the Nao Kirishima?" The man scolded.
"Yes!" Kirishima defended himself. "She's the fancy one, I'm just the dumb brother trying to support her, okay?"
And then Kirishima froze, with the mans hands still tying his tie, when he heard a gasp and saw his mothers in front of him.
"Eijiro?!" His mama gasped and rushed over to him, causing the blonde man to also freeze and look up at Kirishima in horror.
Kirishima gently pushed the blonde to the side and plastered on a huge smile. The man seemed to be trying to figure out what to say or do, and it became apparent to Kirishima that he would have to be the one carrying this mission.
"Hi mama!" Kirishima bent down to hug the smaller, black haired woman. She squeezed the life out of her muscly son, and Kirishima had to cough before she would let him go.
They were quickly joined by Kirishimas other mother, a slightly taller woman that held herself with grace and poise in public, even if she was not this way in private. However, this didn't stop her from also squeezing the life out of her child.
Kirishimas mom went to ask a question when his mama shushed her.
"You're not going to introduce us?" She raised an eyebrow and motioned towards the blonde man, who still seemed embarrassed or like he was processing the information.
Kirishima grabbed the man by the wrist and pulled him slightly forward. "Mama, mom, this is my boyfriend-" oh god he never got the man's name.
"Katsuki Bakugou," the blonde seemed to recover in under a second.
Kirishimas mothers awed. His mom smiled. "So nice to finally meet you, young man. Eijiro has been keeping you hidden from us for so long!" She shot a glance at Kirishima, who chuckled nervously. "Well, you have my blessing to continue seeing my son as long as you keep him happy!"
Then Bakugou smiled, which caught Kirishima off guard even more. They had only known each other for an hour, but Kirishima was convinced that this man only knew how to scowl.
"We can meet you inside, when you boys are finished with-" Kirishima coughed to interrupt his mama, who smiled. "Well, Nao saved us and your brother a table at the front. She and her husband are sitting with us to, so don't be an embarrassment."
With that, she grabbed her wife's hand and proudly walked into the hall, finally letting Kirishima breathe.
"Oh my god," the redhead stated. "I'm so sorry I didn't think- I didn't even know your name! Oh my god. This is gonna be so bad-"
"Are you done whining?" Bakugou interrupted. He crossed his hands over his chest and stared up at the redhead.
Even though there were remarkable differences between the men, they seemed to understand each other and respect that this had to be a team effort. They were both too determined to give up now.
"Listen, that caught us off guard but we managed. And now I know that your family is, well, I get where you get it from."
"Hey?! What's that supposed to mean?" Kirishima smiled slightly. He couldn't take it as an insult no matter how hard Bakugou tried to make it seem like one.
Bakugou took a deep breath in and grabbed Kirishimas hand, leading him into the hall and to their metaphorical battle.
***
The restaurant was absolutely gorgeous. It was shiny and covered in gold, white, and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Kirishima made a mental note to himself to marry rich just like Nao. He didn't think he had ever been in a place as stunning as this one.
It was truly a grand place. There were waiters carry food trays hustling about and making sure all the well dressed guests were pleased. After all, this was the most important day of Nao's career as a new owner, and Kirishima knew his sister was determined and strong.
"Eijiro!" He heard his twin call over to him.
The redhead spun around and embraced Tetsutesu with a big hug. His family was always big on hugging, and it was not unusual to get bear hugged at any given moment of any given day. This also lead to Kirishimas secret talent of giving the best hugs in all of Japan.
"Man! I haven't seen you in a few months! Sorry about that, I've been busy helping out Nao!" The gray haired man smiled. "Yknow, I totally respect you trying to start the gym by yourself, but why don't you ask Nao for help? She'd be more than happy to."
Kirishima smiled and shook his head. "I know she would, but that's why I gotta do this myself! If Nao can open a restaurant with almost no help, then I can open my gym and start my fitness brand on my own too!"
Bakugou, who had been standing there, listening to the conversation, started to respect the redhead. He may not have looked it, but Bakugou gathered enough information to learn that Kirishima was a hard worker. He probably told his family that his love life was going great to keep up with their expectations. And Bakugou knew how hard that could he.
"Ah, Bakugou, this is my twin bother, Testutestu!" Kirishima smiled.
Tetsu shook Bakugous hand. "Nice to finally meet you, man! Wish I could say Eijiro's told me a lot, but you seem to have been kept a secret!"
Bakugou shrugged. "He's a hardworker, and he always talked about how he wanted this meeting to be perfect."
Kirishima stared at Bakugou. This man was good. He seemed to have understood Kirishima completely already. Kirishima smiled at the blonde, knowing that this was going to be fun.
Tetsu nodded. "Well, can't wait to get to know you over dinner! It'll be a fun time I'm sure!" He waved to his brother and went to talk to some other guests.
Bakugou grabbed Kirishimas wrist and pulled him towards the hors d'oeuvres. He didn't give Kirishima any time to protest, and started a small plate with a few chosen foods on it.
"What are you doing, man?"
"Seeing what I'm working with," Bakugou responded. "If I'm getting a job here I need to know what I have to work on. What they need to approve."
Kirishima smiled. The blonde was determined and also a hard worker. He respected him more now. Kirishima hoped that after this was over, they could be actual friends.
As Bakugou cupped his chin in between his thumb and index finger to think, it quickly hit Kirishima where they had met before. Bakugou worked out at the gym that Kirishima was a personal trainer at. Kirishima always had clients whenever Bakugou was there, but he did see the man from time to time.
"Hey wait a minute, you workout at FatGum's!" Kirishima smiled. "That's why I know you!"
Bakugou turned and squinted at Kirishima. "Oh, yeah. You're that loud personal trainer aren't you?"
Kirishima couldn't help but laugh at the attempted insult. He was honestly having fun so far tonight, and it was going much better than what he was imagining when he was planning his breakup announcement.
The night continued, and Kirishima was able to find Nao by herself before it was time for dinner or her speech. Grabbing Bakugous hand unannounced seemed to have become a thing, so he pulled the blonde over to his sister and smiled.
"Eijiro!" His sister exclaimed as they hugged. "Oh thank you so much for coming. I know you're working hard and your schedule is packed, but this means a lot to me!" His sister smiled.
"Of course, Nao! I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I'm so proud of you!" He hugged her once more before stepping back. "This is my boyfriend, Katsuki Bakugou!" He smiled.
Bakugou bowed out of respect to Nao. She was much more proper than Tetsu, and Bakugou knew to respect this.
"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you! For a second there, I was convinced Eijiro didn't have a boyfriend!" She giggled.
Kirishima and Bakugou shared a knowing glance while the redhead started to laugh.
"Anyways, Katsuki here is a chef! And he's a real good one. Do you think you could maybe let him cook a few things for you and see if you have a job opening for him?" Kirishima batted his eyes at his sister.
Nao considered this for a second. "Well, of course I have to taste his food soon. I can try it tomorrow?"
Bakugou nodded. "I would be honored, Miss Kirishima."
"Don't be so formal with me," Nao jokingly scolded. "To be honest, I'm surprised Eijiro picked up a fancy one." She turned her attention to Kirishima. "Are you two living together yet?"
"Yes," the redhead blurted out and he saw Bakugou facepalm in the background. "Well, I mean, it's a recent development!" He tried to cover quickly.
"Perfect! I'll stop by tomorrow with our head chef, Sato, if you don't mind!" She smiled at Bakugou. "It was nice to meet you! Cant wait to see what you can do!"
***
Bakugou and Kirishima exchanged phone numbers before they left the party last night so Bakugou could come over and help Kirishima make his apartment look like a functioning couple lived there.
Bakugou walked into the apartment and sighed. He had a bag of his own ingredients for his dish, because he (rightfully) didn't trust the redhead to have anything but ramen in his home.
The team worked quickly and moved Kirishimas stray workout equipment into his official workout room. Kirishima worked on fixing up his living room while Bakugou managed his kitchen. The goal was to make it look like two people had been sharing that space for at least a week. Kirishima hid the ramen and anything that screamed ‘I’m a single man!’
Kirishima sighed and tied his hair up into a bun. He smiled at Bakugou. “Thank you so much for all your help, man! I cant wait to try your food.”
Bakugou scoffed as he turned on the stove. “You’re lucky that fake dating you was a way for me to get what I wanted.”
Kirishima watched Bakugou cook. He smiled to himself as he noticed the blondes eyebrows furrow when he concentrated. The red head also took notice as to how Bakugou seemed to mumble the ingredients to himself before he actually used them.
Kirishima also got to learn a bit about Bakugou. He learned that Bakugou’s parents were both fashion designers and that he modeled for them for a bit. It made sense, with his muscular but lean frame. Bakugou also liked the color orange. He attended culinary school at the same university where Kirishima helped out personal trainers.
Kirishima loved getting to know Bakugou, and he figured that they really had a shot of being friends. Nao and Sato came over at 2pm, and Bakugou had been working for a little over an hour at that point. The blonde would normally work quicker, but he was nervous about getting this done perfectly. He needed this job, and he would never admit how desperate he was. He was hungry for praise and recognition. He wanted to make a name for himself. He would use this opportunity to prove that he was the undeniable champion.
Kirishima sat their guests at his table and smiled at Bakugou, who genuinely smiled back. It was a small smile, sure, but Kirishima knew it wasn’t for their fake relationship. Maybe he had begun to crack open the tough exterior of his new friend. Sato, who was the head chef, looked at the dish and inspected it before he ate while Nao decided to dig right in.
Kirishima watched his sister’s eyes start to sparkle as she let out a small gasp. “Bakugou, this is absolutely incredible!” She exclaimed.
Sato nodded. “I have to agree.”
Bakugou smirked cockily and let out a sigh of relief. His goal was finally in his reach, and he was finally getting somewhere.
Nao clasped her hands together. “Eijiro, how dare you keep this talented man away from my restaurant! With your talents we could take the business above and beyond! Oh this is so exciting! Bakugou, thank you!”
Nao and Sato left, and Kirishima ‘whoop’ed while throwing his hands in the air. “Congrats man!” He bear hugged the blonde without even thinking.
“Let me go you muscly oaf!” Bakugou demanded behind his slight chuckle.
***
Bakugou and Kirishima continued to grow closer. Kirishima would stop by the restaurant to see how Bakugou was doing and to keep up appearances with his family. It was also great to actually know things about the man you were fake dating. Bakugou continued to work out at the gym Kirishima worked at, but he would get the redhead to spot him or offer him pointers (only when asked). Kirishima loved having a new workout buddy too, and they quickly found out they were great sparring partners.
Kirishima even convinced Bakugou to start hanging out with him and the rest of his friends. Kaminari and Sero seemed to absorb Bakugou into the group quickly and Mina loved having another person in the group. Over the course of four months, the men had become friends. Bakugou liked to hurl around fake insults and Kirishima laughed them off without thought. It was a fun dynamic, and both were opening up to the other.
Bakugou would come over to Kirishimas apartment after his shifts and cook the man dinner. His excuse was always something along the lines of Kirishima was too incompetent to cook any meal besides instant ramen. They would eat dinner together and Bakugou would either leave late at night or sleep over in the guest room, which was becoming more common. Bakugou always said that he didn’t like to waste his gas, and Kirishima would counter with the fact that it was safer for Bakugou to stay anyways.
Both ignored the fact that they were developing romantic feelings for the other.
Kirishima ignored the way his heart fluttered when Bakugou would suddenly grab his hand in front of his mothers or when he would let out a loud laugh at his joke. And Bakugou couldn’t deny his heart pounding when Kirishima called him “Katsuki”.
Their act was becoming more and more believable, and Kaminari and Sero had begun to figure out why. So they made sure to take Bakugous clothes after a hang out one night and hope for the best. The next day, they hung out again, and they were delighted to see the clothes Bakugou had on did not fit him in any way shape or form. They also loved the new shade of red that Kirishima was turning.
***
Kirishima had fallen asleep on the couch after a long day of work and training other people. It had become a custom for Bakugou to let himself in the house, and he even had his own key to the place.
“It makes it look real,” Kirishima reasoned.
Bakugou set his bag down in the guest room and went back to the living room to check on Kirishima. The redhead must have just passed out immediately because he didn’t even change out of his day clothes. Bakugou looked in awe as he tried to figure out how a 6’7” man was able to fit on a couch this size with room to spare. And he looked incredibly comfortable. The drowsiness hit Bakugou and he debated for a second before plopping down and curling up next to Kirishima. ‘Five minutes’ he promised himself. He longed for the safety of Kirishimas arms, and what Kirishima didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Kirishima almost immediately wrapped his arms around Bakugou, who buried his face into the red heads neck. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep, dreaming about hiking with the shitty haired idiot he cuddled with.
***
Kirishima woke up with a sore back and he groaned quietly as he tried to stretch. His arm was caught under something, and he opened his eyes, shocked to see the blonde he had been crushing on asleep in his arms.
His heart rate quickened as he took in his beautiful Bakugou looked while he was sleeping. And the fact that he was holding onto Kirishimas arm with strength the redhead didn’t even know his friend had.
Kirishima started to panic. He didn’t know how to fix this situation, and it seemed messy. If Bakugou woke up to this, Kirishima was sure he would have rage on his hands. He tried to pull his arm away, but the movement seemed to awaken the blonde.
Bakugou mumbled and opened his eyes, being met with the same shade of red a few inches from his face. Both men froze for a second and just stared at the other.
Kirishima chuckled nervously. “Sorry, man, I uh, I’m honestly not sure how this happened.”
Even though they were both awake, Bakugou kept his gentle but firm grip on Kirishimas arm.
“Idiot,” he rolled his eyes and settled his head back down onto the muscly arm. “That’s because I did it.”
Kirishima seemed to choke on his own breath as he tried to digest this information. He froze again when Bakugou gently ran his thumb over his cheek.
“How’s dinner tonight sound?” The blonde asked, still maintaining eye contact.
“Dinner?” Kirishima sputtered. “Dinner is good I like dinner.”
Then Bakugou closed the distance and kissed the redhead. He didn’t even know he was going to do it until it happened. But it was a good kiss, and Bakugou didn’t regret it. You have to go after what you want or you’ll never get it. He wanted Kirishima, he wanted a life with Kirishima. He wanted to be more than a fake date to Kirishima. So he made his move.
And Kirishima kissed back. He gently ran his fingers through the blonde hair and beamed a bright smile at Bakugou. Neither said anything for a moment while the events set in.
“Wow,” Kirishima whispered and pressed his forehead to Bakugous.
“It makes it seem more authentic, don’t you think, shitty hair?”