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If you were honest, the whole situation was stupidly cliche.
A surprise party, thrown to celebrate your eighteenth birthday. Heavy music and an intoxicating atmosphere. And in the middle of it all, a certain blonde-haired teenage boy with a deep smirk on his face. You hated how even now, when you were supposed to be enjoying your own birthday party, that he was still able to distract you. You hated even more how, when he disappeared from your line of sight, you missed him.
“Come on Y/N!” giggled Mina, tugging excitedly at your hand. “It’s almost time to cut the cake!”
You smiled back at her, trying desperately to reciprocate her bubbly energy. Your eyes continued to scan the room. “Alright just... give me a second.”
There was a hunch tugging at the back of your mind as you slipped into the crowd, hurrying away from your friend and in the direction of the door to the balcony.
A cool breeze pricked at your skin as soon as you stepped outside of the lively room. For a moment you considered going back to get a jacket to cover your skimpy party outfit but then you caught sight of a figure leaning casually against the balcony railing and the idea evaporated from your mind. The loud music from the party was instantly muffled as you shut the door behind you, leaving you with the space to hear your own thoughts for the first time that evening. Before you could say anything, the figure by the railing glanced around and you were met with the subdued vermillion eyes of Katsuki Bakugou.
“You followed me out here.”
You shrugged your shoulders and stepped closer to him. “I was looking for you.”
“Why?”
Bakugou’s tone was one of the calmest you’d ever heard come from his mouth. As you approached further and were able to make out the details of his face better in the dark of the evening, you realised that there was no aggression in his expression. Only curiosity.
“You’ve been acting weird,” you said quietly once you were barely a meter from Bakugou. “I wanted to check on you.”
Bakugou scoffed and turned away. “I’m fine,” he said shortly.
You didn’t need to see his face to know he was lying.
Silence hung in the air between you as you waited to see if Bakugou would talk anymore. You knew you couldn't force it. You also knew that if you let him, there was a chance Bakugou would open up to you anyway. You had been friends since childhood, after all.
Bakugou sighed then and glanced back at you. His vermillion eyes were still calm and there was an emotion on his face you couldn't quite understand. Eventually he said, "You're real persistent, idiot. It's annoying."
You shrugged again, feeling the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of your mouth. "What's new?"
"Yeah, I guess I should've expected it." Bakugou sighed. Then he turned to face you properly. You shivered a little as his eyes raked up and down your figure.
"I just couldn't stop thinking," he started, "about the fact that we're going to be graduating soon."
"Oh." You couldn't deny that the idea had been gnawing at the back of your own mind as well. At the back of everyone's minds really. Bakugou sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. Then he gave you a glare, a hint of his usual fire returning to his eyes. "I can't help but think about... the idea that once we leave UA, we're not going to be friends anymore... it...it..."
"...it scares you," you finished for him as your eyes widened in realisation.
Bakugou scowled. "Fuck no, dumbass, I'm not scared of shit. It just...concerns me."
You blinked at him for a moment as you realised he was lying again. Before you could call him on it though, a sharp gust of wind whirled between you and you shivered, suddenly remembering that you were standing outside in the cold in nothing by a thin party outfit. Bakugou seemed to realise this too and his scowl deepened. Without saying anything, he shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and stepped forward to drape it around you. You stared at him in surprise.
When Bakugou caught your eye, he scoffed. "Don't you dare read too much into this, you dumbass."
"But won't you be cold?"
"I'll be fine," Bakugou said as he finished situating the jacket around you. Gingerly you slid your arms into the sleeves and your breath hitched a little in your throat as you were suddenly enveloped in his familiar scent.
"Unlike you, I'm not a wimp," Bakugou added as he stepped back, sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants.
You looked at him silently for a second. Then quietly you mumbled, "Thank you."
Bakugou shrugged and turned away from you to look out over the UA grounds. "Shut up, idiot," he replied gruffly and you could have sworn what you could see of his cheek had turned pink. "You were cold." There was another moment of silence, during which you found yourself snuggling deeper into the soft interior of Bakugou’s jacket. When you looked up at him again, he had an odd expression on his face.
"You know, you don't need to worry about losing me, or any of our friends, after UA."
Bakugou blinked and glanced at you. His eyebrows furrowed. Then he said, "I don't care about most of them."
"You don't need to act tough-" you began but Bakugou cut you off by shaking his hand.
"I'm not," he said calmly and you realised his eyes held nothing but sincerity. "I really don't care about most of them. They're all just extras to me. Especially that fucking nerd, Deku." His expression darkened for a moment then cleared again. "That's not to say I hate everyone. I can stand a few of them. Like Shitty Hair. And Spark Plug, and Tape Face. And Racoon Eyes, I guess. And... you."
You blinked in surprise. "Me?"
Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Yes you, you idiot. Do you really think I would have stuck around with you this long if I hated you?"
"Well," you shrugged slightly. Your heart was suddenly beating very fast. "I just figured that since we got into UA together, you were just putting up with me. Like you do with Izuku."
Bakugou's face clouded. "Don't compare yourself to that damn nerd," he growled. "I'm only keeping him around so I can crush him fair and square, and prove that I'm the strongest."
"And you're saying I'm different than that?"
"Of course," he spat, suddenly turning to face you fully. You were surprised by the amount of pure emotion in his eyes. "You're way more important to me than that, you dumbass!"
You stared at him and he stared back. His eyes widened slightly as he seemed to realise what he'd just said.
"I'm important to you?"
"Don't start praising yourself," Bakugou said tiredly, looking away from your eyes. "I wasn't supposed to say that."
"Did you mean it?"
"I..." Bakugou sighed and ruffled at his own hair again. He seemed suddenly agitated. "Quit grilling me, would you!"
"It's just a question!"
"Yeah, and I don't wanna answer it."
You took a half a step back, your heart sinking a little. "So you didn't mean it."
"No I... ugh!" Bakugou growled in frustration, taking a step of his own in your direction. "Of course I meant it, you fucking nerd."
Your breath hitched as you realised just how close the two of you suddenly were. From this distance you suddenly noticed that despite the hard expression on Bakugou's face, his eyes remained soft and vulnerable. A shaky breath escaped you. "Bakugou..."
"Katsuki," he cut you off. All the anger was gone from his voice and you almost thought you heard a tremble in his words. "You've been calling me Bakugou since we were kids and I'm sick of it. Call me Katsuki."
You gulped. A strange desire had suddenly taken hold of you, a desire to reach up and knot your fingers through his thick blonde hair. "Katsuki," you mumbled out softly.
Bakugou licked his lips, sucking in a sharp breath at the sound of you calling him by his first name for the first time in your almost 15 years of knowing each other.
"Y/N..."
You jumped as one of his hands suddenly brushed your waist.
Bakugou’s eyes widened and he immediately began to withdraw. "Shit, I... I'm sorry-" he began only to be cut off when you fisted his t-shirt in your hands. Your heart was beating out of your chest and nerves were twisting in your stomach and there was a voice in the back of your mind telling you that you shouldn't be doing this, that he didn't feel that way. And yet the idea of the gap between your bodies growing any greater was scary enough for you to ignore all your nerves and pressed closer to him anyway.
Above you, Bakugou looked mildly surprised at your sudden boldness. Then his demeanour changed and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a half-smirk. "You could’ve just told me if you wanted me this close, idiot," he said quietly. His hands settled on your waist again.
Pursing your lips, you looked up at him with worried eyes. "Is this okay?"
Bakugou shrugged. "Don't know. Don't really care either." His head dropped lower until his nose hovered barely an inch away from yours. "I... I can't say I haven't been thinking about this. But if you're not comfortable, you'd better fucking stop me now, idiot, before I do something I can't take back."
"I'm not going to stop you."
You thought about his words for a moment. Maybe you should stop what was happening. You'd been friends with Bakugou for so long that the idea of becoming something more felt almost foreign to you. But then you met his vermillion eyes, which were burning with so many emotions it was almost overwhelming. And your mind was made up.
Bakugou's breath was shaky as he exhaled and you tensed in anticipation as his fingers tightened around your waist. For a moment you were sure he was going to kiss you then and there but then his head dropped into the crook of your neck.
"Fucking hell, you're infuriating," he mumbled. You could feel his lips brushing the skin of your neck as he spoke. Goosebumps trailed across your body.
"I thought you knew that already," you breathed. Bakugou chuckled lightly.
"Guess I did," he replied, tucking his nose more comfortably into your collarbone. Without thinking, you raised a hand to tangle in his hair.
There was a moment of the silence in which you could only hear the muffled music still coming from the party. Then Bakugou shifted so that his lips were brushing the shell of your ear.
"You know," he breathed in a voice that was barely audible and so unlike his usual yell. "I'm not going to do what you want until you admit what you're feeling."
"And what if I don't?"
Bakugou pulled away from you, detangling himself from your fingers and stepped back. There was a glint of mischief in his eye that you'd only seen a few times before in your life. It sent butterflies swarming through your body.
"Then I'll just stay over here."
You pursed your lips and scowled at him. "You're an asshole."
"That wasn't a confession." He grinned cheekily, as if he was enjoying watching you fidget.
You bit your tongue in frustration. Part of you, the part hanging into your pride, was telling you to flip him off and head back inside to enjoy the rest of your birthday party. However another part could do nothing but claw desperately in his direction, wanting nothing more than to eliminate the distance that had formed between you.
After struggling with yourself for a minute, you felt the latter part win.
"I love you."
Bakugou watched you in silence. His face had gone blank, his eyes giving absolutely nothing away as to what he was thinking and you were suddenly struck by a terrifying thought that maybe you'd read the entire situation wrong and this wasn't what he'd wanted at all.
Before you could complete this thought, however, Bakugou was pulling you back towards him and then his mouth was on yours.
Suddenly your senses were overwhelmed with him. His hands held your hips securely, thumbs pressing into your hip bones, while his lips dominated yours. You could feel the soft strands of his hair beneath your fingers and the pounding of his heart through your own chest which was pressed to his. You were vaguely aware of your nails trailing across his back at some point. It was messy, to say the least. Unpracticed and raw and yet it felt like the most perfect moment of your life.
Bakugou groaned against you, somehow managing to drag you even closer to him than you were before. You tugged harshly at his hair out of instinct and were met with the sudden sting of his teeth sinking into your bottom lip. Your grip on him tightened.
"Hey, Bakugou?! Where'd you run off to, I was- oh!"
Your eyes snapped open and you ripped yourself away from Bakugou to find that Kirishima was standing near the balcony door, a cheeky grin on his face.
Bakugou groaned aloud and turned to glare at his friend. "The fuck do you want, Shitty Hair? I'm busy."
"I can see that," said Kirishima smugly. Then he gestured to the party behind him. "I was looking for you. It's time to do the cake." He nodded his head at you. "Mina's looking for you too."
Your eyes widened. You'd completely forgotten about what your friend had said to you before you made your way outside.
Stepping away from Bakugou, you turned to face Kirishima properly. "Shit, please don't tell her where I am. She'll kill me."
Kirishima narrowed his eyes. "What will you give me if I agree to keep quiet?"
You thought for a minute. "An extra slice of birthday cake?" You eventually offered. Kiri seemed to ponder your bribe for a moment before he nodded.
"Deal. You had better get in here soon anyway though, otherwise she's going to find you without my help."
"I will," you replied. As you spoke, you suddenly became aware of the burning feeling of Bakugou's eyes on you. "Just give me a second."
"Right," Kirishima nodded. Then he grinned again. "Remember to use protection."
"Oh fuck off!" Bakugou's yell was met with silence as Kirishima closed the door behind him, once again muffling the sound of the party.
You pursed your lips, suddenly feeling nervous. Timidly, you turned to look at Bakugou.
"I-" you began only to be silenced when Bakugou kissed you again. It wasn't as long or as bruising as the first time but it still left you feeling weightless. You gripped his shirt tightly as you finally drew away again.
"I love you too," Bakugou mumbled suddenly, his lips brushing your hair as he pulled you closer to him. Your eyes went wide.
"You do?"
"Of course I fucking do, you dumbass." He scowled and looked down at you. His vermillion eyes glittered in the moonlight. "You know I wouldn't joke about shit like that."
"I just... never expected you to reciprocate," you whispered, breaking your eye contact with him to stare at your fingers, which were still grasping the fabric of his t-shirt over his chest.
"Why the fuck not?"
"Don’t you fucking start with that shit."
"Well," you sighed. "You're you, you know. You're so strong and powerful. And driven. And I'm just... I don’t know... I'm not like you."
You looked up at him in surprise. "What?"
"I've heard you talk shit about yourself your entire life, Bakugou said. His expression was cold as he glared at you. "You've never valued your abilities and it pisses me off. I'm not gonna let you say that shit anymore."
"But I-"
"No." Bakugou shook his head. "I'm the strongest, remember. And I'll be damned if I let the person that I care about most convince themselves that they're weak." He grabbed your chin and tilted it upwards, forcing you to look into his eyes. "If I'm gonna date you, you'd better be the fucking best you possibly can, you hear me?"
You gulped. "You want to date me?"
"Well, yeah." He let go of you and stepped back slightly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm not the kind of person to just let shit like this exist without doing something about it. If you really do lo-" he coughed. "I mean, have feelings for me, you bet your ass I'm going to do something about it.”
You looked at him in silence for a moment. Your mind was spinning as you simultaneously registered his words and realised that your fantasy for as long as you could remember was coming true right before your eyes. Then you smiled.
Bakugou watched you cautiously. “Am I supposed to take that as a yes?’ he asked, and his voice was just the slightest bit weak, as if he was afraid of what your answer would be.
You nodded. “Yes. I’m saying yes.”
Bakugou let out a long breath, his eyes filling with relief. Suddenly he drew you into a hug, tucking his face back into its earlier place in the crook of your neck.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
You laughed against him, now reaching up to run your hands through his hair with no hesitation. “Believe me, I know the feeling.”
“How long have you liked me?” Bakugou asked and you smiled at the timidity of his voice. Closing your eyes, you hugged him tighter against you.
“Let's just say that when I was seven and planning what my wedding would be like, you were the only person I could picture myself marrying.”
Bakugou was silent for a moment. Then he chuckled and drew back. The competitive glint was back in his eyes.
“I win.”
You raised an eyebrow. “You win?”
“I’ve liked you for longer.”
“Oh?”
“Yep,” Bakugou said smugly. “I fell for you back when we were four years old and you drew that picture of us holding hands.”
Your eyes widened and then you burst out laughing. “No way! Really?”
Bakugou had the grace to blush. “Yeah.” Then he glowered at you. “If you dare tell anyone, I’ll kill you, idiot.”
You shook your head and ruffled his hair, to which he made a face. “Don’t worry, you drama queen. I won’t let anyone know how much of a simp you are.”
“Shut the fuck up! I’m not a simp.”
“Are too!”
“Go die.”
You laughed at the lack of malice in his words. Gently you reached down to tangle your fingers with his. When he didn’t resist, you squeezed his hand happily. “Come on, we’d better go before Mina actually kills me.”
Bakugou shrugged and followed you back towards the door. Before he could step inside, however, you paused.
“You know, everyone is probably going to know about us now. Kirishima can’t keep his mouth shut for shit.”
Bakugou seemed to consider your words for a second. Then he shrugged. “Let them know.”
You raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re happy with that? They’re gonna tease the hell out of us.”
Again, Bakugou shrugged. “I don’t care.” His eyes softened for a second before he scowled again. “If it means it’ll keep people away from you, I’d actually prefer if they knew.”
“What are you on about, no one’s ever tried anything with me anyway.”
Bakugou arched a single eyebrow. “And why do you think that is?”
You shrugged. “I don't know. Probably because I’m not all that desirable.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?’ Bakugou scoffed. “You know you’re gorgeous.”
“But no one’s ever said -”
“Because I told anyone who ever had an interest in you to fuck off.”
You stared at him for a second before laughing “Are you serious?”
Bakugou shrugged. “You’re better than all of them anyway. I was just looking out for you.” Then he pulled the door open. “Now come on. I’m fucking hungry.”
“I love you.” The words came out of nowhere but you didn’t regret saying them. Bakugou’s step faltered for a moment as he glanced back at you with his ever-present scowl. Then he rolled his eyes.
“I love you too, idiot.”