Work Text:
-------
Some days, Kirishima realized he loved Bakugou a little harder than others.
Today was one of those days.
Bakugou had asked him out unexpectedly, and Kirishima had dropped everything to say yes. He was supposed to be doing his nails with Aoyama, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu, but the prospect of being with Bakugou was much more appealing.
Usually, when Bakugou asked him out, he had a set plan that he hated deviating from. But when Kirishima asked him what they were going to be doing that afternoon, Bakugou just shrugged at him nonchalantly.
“Dunno. Just wanna be with you.”
That was more than enough for Kirishima.
-------
They caught the train to a more secluded part of the city, slowly watching as the office buildings and busy streets got replaced by homey restaurants and flowering trees.
“Walk with me?”
Bakugou held out his hand to Kirishima once they stepped on the platform, and Kirishima took it graciously. Bakugou wasn’t one for PDA normally, so Kirishima had to make sure he took every opportunity he was given.
Bakugou led them out of the train station down to a quietly settling park. It was getting close to sunset, and the crowds had begun to rapidly thin out, leaving the pair free to wander aimlessly with minimal interruptions.
Kirishima let himself slowly drift away from reality. He was losing himself in his love for Bakugou, but it didn’t feel bad. It made him a little lightheaded, sure, but it was a pleasant sort of feeling. A buzz began to take over his body as they walked, Kirishima ended up so far away from the current moment that he had no clue where they were.
The silence did little to help his situation, as Bakugou strode across patches of drying grass with Kirishima in tow.
The silence was different than how Bakugou normally got. It was serene, allowing Kirishima to float quietly without things seeming strange.
It was warm.
And then, they stopped. It was abrupt enough to bring Kirishima to his senses a bit. The sight before him was enough to almost start him spiraling.
They stood in front of a railing separating them from the lake below. Bakugou leaned forward, forearms resting on the cold metal of the railing. The wind blows, and for a moment, Kirishima can’t breathe.
Everything about Bakugou was perfect. The way the slowly fading sunlight danced against his skin, the way his body stretched out slightly, the way his eyes sparkled when the light hit him.
He was beautiful in a way that Kirishima had yet to experience outside of him. Every part of his body ached to capture the way Bakugou shone and hold it inside himself, if just for a moment. He wanted to destroy himself; rebuild in a way that fit the mold that Bakugou created. He wanted to-
“Kir? You hungry?” Bakugou turned to him, and Kirishima ascended. Nothing mattered outside of this moment.
Bakugou’s head was tilted in slight confusion as Kirishima stood and stared at him. It didn’t matter, though. All Kirishima wanted to do was take him in.
The way his eyelashes fluttered when he blinked. The slight flush that appeared on his cheeks as he realized Kirishima was staring. The quickening of his breath, the way his pulse sped up, the soft grumbling underneath his breath as he turned away, embarrassed.
Kirishima wanted it all. All to himself.
“C’mon. ‘M hungry; let’s go.” Bakugou begins to walk away, and it takes everything in Kirishima to force himself back to reality enough to follow behind him.
-------
Bakugou takes them to a sparsely populated restaurant that specializes in all day breakfast.
“You don’t want something spicy?” It was the first time that afternoon that Kirishima had spoken. He had almost forgotten how, in his daze of fierce affection.
“You’ve been whining about wanting waffles for the past two weeks. This place has good ones.” Bakugou’s face is hidden behind his menu, so he can’t see how Kirishima’s eyes widen at the statement.
Bakugou had come here for him. And only him.
Bakugou didn’t realize something was up until a waiter came and took their orders. Handing over his menu, Bakugou glanced at Kirishima and saw him sparkling. The type of sparkle that meant he still hadn’t returned to Earth yet.
“What is up with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You keep staring at me like I’m going to disappear.”
“You’re ethereal, Katsuki.” Kirishima said it so matter-of-factly, and yet. Bakugou had no idea what he meant. He knew that Kirishima sometimes got weighed down with how much he felt for Bakugou, but he still couldn’t entirely wrap his head around it.
He didn’t even know how to respond. So they sat in silence, even after their food came.
The meal was over all too soon. It meant Kirishima had to try to focus yet again. Having food in front of him helped, because he was able to put all his energy into eating. Now that that was over, he was stuck again in the trap that was Bakugou Katsuki.
They stood outside the restaurant, neither willing to suggest a new location. Seconds passed painfully as Bakugou looked at his shoes, unable to face the feelings that Kirishima was flinging into the air with reckless abandon.
“Kir. Can we talk?”
It was sudden; so sudden that everything began to crash down around Kirishima.
Because it was obvious that this would be one of those painful talks.
-------
They ended up back at the park, settled onto a pair of swings. It was empty, and the sun was almost done dipping down below the horizon. The last of the purples and oranges stretched through the sky, unwilling to give up their hold.
“You love me too much.” Bakugou rocked back and forth in the swing nervously, afraid of the reaction he was about to receive.
“No, I don’t.” Kirishima pumps his legs once, letting the momentum carry him as he continues.
“I don’t love you too much. You just aren’t used to being loved so openly. So when I do it, you get scared. I know you, Katsuki. You love when I love you. When I stare at you like you’re the only thing in the universe. When I kiss you in the middle of an argument. When I call you pet names. You eat it all up. But you’re scared of losing it, so you want to distance yourself from the happiness it makes you feel because you don’t want to break.”
Kirishima pushes himself off again, tilting his head back to look at the appearing stars. He knew that Bakugou was busy processing what he had just said, so he waited before he continued.
“I’m not hurt by it; I understand that it’s hard. But honestly? You don’t have to be scared of me leaving, Kat. I love you too much.”
“But what if you do?”
“Then cherish the love I gave you. It’s never going anywhere. Even if I do.” Kirishima leans his head over to look at Bakugou. In the approaching moonlight, he looked hauntingly beautiful.
Like if Kirishima pressed too much, he would crack.
-------
It was a while before Bakugou had the presence to speak again.
“It’s suffocating.” That was it. No elaboration, no explanation. Just those two words.
“It does feel like that sometimes. I...can’t disagree.” Kirishima puffs out a breath, drifting into thoughts of moments where it was harder to breathe. When Bakugou’s love took over the oxygen from his lungs, or when there was none there to begin with, because his own love for Bakugou was replacing it.
Slowly but surely, they were eating each other alive.
“Will it always be like this?” Bakugou didn’t even want to ask. He hated seeming as helpless as he felt.
He didn’t receive an answer. That, in itself, spoke volumes.
-------
“We should start heading back.” Bakugou stood, sticking out his hand on instinct. When he didn’t feel fingers wrapping around his own, he turned to look back at Kirishima.
He was crying.
It was so quiet that Bakugou hadn’t noticed. Instead of panicking, Bakugou squatted in front of Kirishima, brushing away tears gently until they stopped. His face softened, and he cupped Kirishima’s face with such tenderness that it almost brought another onslaught of tears.
“I love you, too. I’m not good at the gushy part. But you don’t have to worry about me leaving either.”
“So let’s go back, okay?” This time, when Bakugou offered his hand, fingers slotted into the spaces between his. They were trembling, but they were there.
That’s all that mattered.