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Bakugou stopped Kirishima after class, grabbing onto his collar and dragging him into a secluded corner of the corridor.
“Bakug- are you okay?”
“Have a date planned. Don’t make plans this weekend.”
“What if I already have plans?”
“Don’t care. Cancel ‘em.” And with that, Bakugou turned and walked off, leaving Kirishima to wonder what he had done to make Bakugou so upset.
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Kirishima hadn’t done anything in particular.
But Bakugou was lonely. He wouldn’t ever admit it, but even now, as he walked alone back to the dorms, his heart ached.
Even though Kirishima lived next door to him, Bakugou could feel them drifting. Any time they spent together was usually interrupted by some random loser trying to get Kirishima’s attention. They hadn’t been allowed off campus in forever, and anytime Bakugou tried to plan something on campus, Kirishima ended up either making plans or having to cancel. It was frustrating to have someone be so close and yet unreachable.
Kirishima wasn’t even texting him like he usually did. Bakugou used to wake up to a good morning text and some sort of motivational phrase that was supposed to “get him going to have a manly day!” according to Kirishima. He would receive a good night text during the evening accompanied by some sort of small animal that was supposed to “soothe his manly heart”. Instead, his phone rarely buzzed anymore with messages that he wanted to read.
He knew that neither of them were truly doing it on purpose. They were student heroes, after all, and between classes, internships, and training, there was rarely time to socialize, much less maintain a relationship.
Regardless of this, Bakugou was too invested in Kirishima to allow their relationship to deteriorate. He cared too much about him, even if he rarely admitted it. Kirishima made all the shit he had gone through tolerable. He made life have a certain sparkle that Bakugou couldn’t stand to lose. Most of all, Kirishima was important to him. He didn’t want to look back with regret because he lost the only person who truly made him feel something.
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Kirishima met Bakugou downstairs Saturday afternoon, eyes bleary from sleep. It was obvious that he had only barely woken up, much to Bakugou’s annoyance.
“Sorry, sorry. I was up all night with Ojiro and Shoji playing this new game that Ojiro bought.”
“Whatever. You can sleep in the car.”
“The...car?”
“Yes, the car. We’re going somewhere. I’m driving.” Bakugou’s tone was short, a few decibels away from anger. He wanted to yell, but not at Kirishima. He knew that Kirishima wasn’t actually making him angry, but his frustration had built up so much that it was intangibly difficult to reign it in.
“I keep forgetting that you can drive. You’re so responsible, Kat.” Kirishima followed Bakugou outside to the car he had gotten approved for their outing, wishing he was oblivious to Bakugou’s mood. He could feel the waves of annoyance crashing into everything in sight, but he could also tell Bakugou was trying his hardest to quiet them down.
“Shut up. Just get in.”
“Damn, I can't even compliment my boyfriend now? What has the world come to?” Kirishima opens the door to the passenger side, sliding into the seat before closing the door and buckling his seat belt. Bakugou soon followed, plugging his phone into the aux and scrolling through his phone until he found the playlist he wanted. He plays it quietly at first, because he didn’t want to keep Kirishima up.
It only took about 15 minutes before Kirishima fell asleep. His head rested against the glass as gentle snores rumbled from inside him. Part of Bakugou wished he had stayed awake, but a bigger part found the sleeping so endearing that it was taking all his willpower to focus on the road. He always thought Kirishima looked good, and he hadn’t been close to him in so long that all he could think about was running his fingers through Kirishima’s hair and kissing his forehead gently.
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Kirishima was shaken awake hours later, unaware of his location.
All he knew was Bakugou was tossing a sweatshirt at him and telling him to get out of the car.
“Where are we?” Kirishima stood and stretched, feeling the tension of riding in the car receding from his body. He turned to Bakugou, who was tucked into the trunk, pulling out a duffel bag and a cooler.
“Nowhere special. Just...wanted to get away for a while.” Bakugou holds out his hand, cheeks tinged with pink as he did it. Kirishima grins, unable to keep it in.
“Aw, do you want to hold my hand, Kat? That’s so cute.” Kirishima obliges, locking their fingers together while Bakugou dragged him along and grumbled about not being cute.
Kirishima wasn’t paying much attention to their surroundings until they stopped. They ended up on a hill, overlooking a lake surrounded by cherry blossom trees. He looked up, and he could see for miles. It was enough to take someone’s breath away,
“Wow, it’s beautiful.”
“Good, that was the point.” Bakugou had squatted down in order to set up the stuff he brought: a blanket for them to lay on, as well as a couple to cover them, pillows to lay on, a speaker for music, some lights for when it got dark, and the bentos he had packed for dinner.
“Alright, don’t have to be sarcastic, jerk.” Kirishima takes a seat next to Bakugou, graciously taking the food he was handed. The food itself was enough to excite Kirishima, and soon they were dining in silence, save for the sound of chewing.
It didn’t take long for them to finish. Which meant that it didn’t take long for things to turn awkward. Both of them knew things were changing, and neither of them knew what to do about it.
The sun set as each boy sat alone with his thoughts, close enough to brush fingertips against each other, yet unable to reach out and take the first step.
“The...sunset is pretty.”
“Do you still like me?” Bakugou didn’t know how to be anything but blunt, but sometimes that was too much for Kirishima. This was one of those times.
“Wha- Why wouldn’t I still like you?”
“Don’t act like things are still the same as they were when we got together in our first year.”
“I know they aren’t. I’m not saying they are. But I still care for you as much as I did when we got together.” Kirishima brushes his knuckles against Bakugou’s cheek, but it does little to satiate Bakugou’s mood.
“But do you still like me? In the same way? Things just...everything feels like it’s falling apart.” Bakugou’s whispers make Kirishima smile in such a wistful way that it makes it seem like they had been together their entire lives.
“Yes, Kat, I do, unfortunately still like you, just as much and in the same manner as I always have. I am very much still in love with you, to an almost dizzying degree. I’m not going anywhere, okay?” Kirishima picks up Bakugou’s hand, bringing the knuckles to his lips.
“Unfortunately?”
“I can’t function without you, Katsuki. Makes things a little difficult, honestly.” Kirishima wiggles his eyebrows in a way indicative of teasing, smiling as Bakugou groans a little.
“Somehow, you’ve gotten even gushier than when we met. I didn’t even know that was possible.”
“And you’ve become even more of a tsundere.”
“Have not.”
“Then tell me you love me. Out loud. And don’t get all embarrassed about it.”
“I love you. A lot. That’s why I did all this. I...missed you. A lot. I don’t want to drift apart. Happy?” Bakugou is met with a second of silence, causing him to overthink immediately.
“Kat!” Bakugou looks up at the calling of his name to see Kirishima pouncing on him. He tackles them both into the stack of pillows, their foreheads knocking together in the silence.
“What the hell, Kir?”
“You really missed me? Really?”
“I said it, didn’t I? Stop looking at me like that; you know what it does to me.”
“It makes you all soft and squishy; why do you think I’m doing it? I haven’t seen soft Kat in forever. Was starting to think he didn’t exist anymore.”
“Only for you. C’mon, I wanna watch the stars with you.” Bakugou kissed Kirishima quickly before switching their positions. The pair squirmed until they were comfortable, Kirishima laying on Bakugou’s chest and Bakugou’s legs wrapped around Kirishima’s hips. Bakugou’s fingers had worked their way into Kirishima’s hair as they watched the pale light of the sun get replaced by the twinkle of stars. Music drifted in the background as their breathing slowed and matched pace.
Bakugou could feel himself calming. All his insecurities didn’t fade completely, but holding Kirishima to his chest and sneaking kisses into his hair worked wonders.
“Look! A shooting star!” Bakugou glanced to where Kirishima was pointing, briefly seeing the star streak across the sky. Bakugou closed his eyes, although he thought it was childish. There was something enough to partake in this ritual for.
“What did you wish for, Kat?” Kirishima twists around in order to look at Bakugou, smile lighting up the space between them.
“Can’t tell you. Won’t come true then.”
“Awww c’mon, please? We can keep it a secret.”
“Nope. Not saying.” Bakugou ran a finger across Kirishima’s forehead before bringing his hands down to cup Kirishima’s cheeks gently, bringing their lips together yet again.”
“So mean.” This doesn’t stop Kirishima from kissing Bakugou again, scooching up to gain a better vantage point.
“We have to leave soon. It’s getting dark.”
“Okay, let me help you pack up then. I know it’s past your bedtime.”
“Shut the fuck up you’re the one who slept the whole way here.”
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The ride back was filled with Kirishima’s singing and Bakugou’s repeated requests for him to shut up.
Walking back to the dorms, Bakugou could feel the apprehension tugging at him before he even hit the door. They had gotten back a little later than they were supposed to, so everyone was already in their rooms.
“Can I spend the night?” Kirishima had pressed against Bakugou from behind in order to whisper in his ear. Bakugou turned, only barely able to see Kirishima in the dimness of the hallway.
“You know you don’t have to ask.” Bakugou opened his door, setting the duffel bag against the wall closest to the door. Kirishima followed him inside, taking off the sweatshirt Bakugou had given him and laying it on the chair in front of Bakugou’s desk.
“Well, I didn’t know if you had plans tomorrow…”
“I’d cancel them for you.”
“So, can we spend all day in here tomorrow? I don’t really want to do anything in particular but-” Kirishima pauses as Bakugou walks over to him, placing both of his hands on Kirishima’s shoulders.
“There is nothing I would rather do.” The words sound so forced that Kirishima doesn’t have to look at the blush rushing to Bakugou’s cheeks to tell he was embarrassed. That made it even better.
“You’re so cute when you get flustered, Kat.” Kirishima pulled them into Bakugou’s bed amidst protests from Bakugou that he was NOT cute in any way. Kirishima shushes him, wrapping himself around Bakugou so completely that Bakugou forgot what he was complaining about.
“G’night, Kat.” Kirishima whispers pressed themselves to Bakugou’s cheeks, and soon the redhead had fallen asleep.
“I wished that you would never leave me.” The words drift out without any real intention to, getting stuck in the softness of Kirishima’s hair as he shifts in his sleep.
If no one is around to hear it, then maybe his wish will still come true.