Work Text:
The muffled laughter and Christmas music coming from inside nearly drowns out the crunching of snow underneath their boots. It was a small party with all of their friends involving too much food, annoying attempts at caroling, and general holiday festivities and games. In truth, it was chaos as it often was when his classmates were allowed to go a little crazy in their dorms, but Kirishima welcomed the way his mind clouded with stupid teenaged fun.
He had been cheering on Kaminari who was in a bet with Sero that he could chug ten glasses of eggnog without feeling sick when he caught Bakugou's eyes from across the room. With one look, Kirishima knew exactly what was being conveyed. Being surrounded by all the noises and people was overwhelming even for him, but the fact that Bakugou had stayed for almost two hours without leaving once to hide away was impressive. It looked like two hours was his limit, though, and Kirishima hurried over to his side to see if he could help in any way. Bakugou said he needed some air. Kirishima said they'd go together.
Kirishima was never expected to go with Bakugou whenever he needed to step away, but he liked to. He didn't get as tense or as annoyed as Bakugou did. He didn't mind the loud noises or the way conversations seemed to start simultaneously and end abruptly without actually reaching a conclusion. He just liked being with his friend and also maybe liked the way Bakugou didn't seem to mind his company despite desperately trying to escape everyone else's.
They settle on a bench overlooking the city, not far from the dorms at all. Delicate flakes of snow drift down from the sky, but the air is still. Kirishima's comfortable in the hoodie he threw on as they were leaving. Bakugou is dressed as if they were going on an Arctic expedition. The thought causes a laugh to bubble up from Kirishima's chest, sending puffs of clouds into the air.
"You having fun?" he asks once he feels Bakugou staring at him quizzically over his random bout of laughter. Kirishima doesn't turn to look at him and continues to face the city lights instead, appreciating the way they glittered like flecks of gold against crushed velvet.
"No."
Kirishima chuckles again and this time turns to fix Bakugou with a look. It's a lie. Bakugou may not enjoy get-togethers as their classmates did, but Kirishima knew that he would leave as soon as he was bored, too annoyed, or all-around uninterested. He knew because he had seen Bakugou do it before. The fact that Bakugou stayed as long as he did and merely wanted to get some fresh air instead of leaving outright told Kirishima the whole story.
"Right," Kirishima agrees anyway and bumps their shoulders together, "Grinch."
"Shut up." Bakugou nudges their shoulders together again in retaliation, much harder than Kirishima did. It doesn't hurt, but Kirishima fakes a whine anyway and rubs his arm.
"I'm not going to give you your present now."
"Then I'm not going to give you yours."
The quick retort has Kirishima sitting stunned. He kept Bakugou's present tucked away in his pocket for the right moment to give it to him, but wasn't expecting anything in return. He gasps loudly, breaking the tranquility of the night, and twists on the bench to face Bakugou properly. His smile is wide, teeth bared to the winter air, and leans in excitedly. "You got me a present!?" Bakugou bristles at his space being invaded and shoves at Kirishima's face to put some distance between them. "What is it!?" Kirishima asks, his voice muffled behind Bakugou's palm.
"Calm down!" When Bakugou manages to successfully push Kirishima away—and when he's sure that Kirishima isn't going to clamber over him like a dog begging for scraps—he fishes around in the layers of his clothing to produce a small box.
Kirishima barely catches the present when it's tossed at him. He fumbles with it awkwardly, not wanting to drop it in the snow, and finally secures it in his grasp. He squished the box a bit, nothing too severe but enough that the one edge dipped in a little. The minor imperfection he caused is glaring against the rest of the pristine wrapping. The paper is a simple matte red, with no designs or ribbons or bows, but the quality is obvious. It wasn't like the flimsy wrapping paper Kirishima was accustomed to. The colour is rich even in the dim lighting coming from the dorms and the paper feels thick and sturdy. The box is wrapped neatly, each corner crisp and every fold even. He expected nothing less from Bakugou.
It almost feels sacrilegious to tear into the gift, but excitement and curiosity gnaw at Kirishima. He peels at the tape on one end gently, cringing at the way the adhesive pulls off a thin layer of the paper. Bakugou snorts.
"Just rip it, idiot."
Kirishima stubbornly shakes his head. "It's too pretty and you put a lot of work into it!" Bakugou doesn't respond right away and then mutters something about it being 'just paper.' Regardless of his opinions on how to unwrap a present, he lets Kirishima continue.
With the paper successfully pulled from the cardboard box, Kirishima pops open a flap to reveal what is inside. He freezes, immediately knowing what is in front of him at a glance, and looks between Bakugou and the gift with his mouth agape. It's an original Crimson Riot figure from the first line of his merch, set in a small case on a stand. He recalls telling Bakugou forever ago that he'd die to have something from Crimson Riot's debut merch release to add to his collection, but had long accepted that it would be just a fantasy.
"This is…" Kirishima falters, gingerly lifting the figure from the box to look at it more thoroughly. All the details were there, down to the parts of his mask and the tattered edges of his cape. " Wow . This is really expensive, dude…"
Bakugou just shrugs. "It wasn't in the original packaging so it didn't cost as much."
While that was true, Kirishima knew how much the figurines were going for. Even the ones that weren't in mint condition cost more than he was comfortable spending on himself. "I can't accept this, man!" Kirishima places the figure back in the box, almost reluctant to let it go, and tears his eyes from it to look at Bakugou. "It's too much!"
"Well I can't return it and you're the only Crimson Riot fanboy I know." Bakugou didn't leave room for an argument. As much as Kirishima felt guilty accepting a gift with that price tag, he couldn't deny that he wanted it for his collection. He chomps on the inside of his lip and stares down at the hand-painted face of his idol, fighting a war within himself. " I'm not keeping it," Bakugou adds as if he could see the conflict Kirishima was going through.
Kirishima can't fight down the smile. "Thanks, man. I love it!" The smile is short-lived because when he looks at Bakugou a realization hits him. He throws his head back dramatically and groans. "This makes my present super lame now!" Reluctantly and almost sheepishly, Kirishima digs out a box from his hoodie pocket and hands it over.
He already hates it when he sees it again. The paper is bright with an obnoxious print of candy canes and reindeer and the wrapping is messy in comparison to Bakugou's. Kirishima had tried to make it look neat, but the paper kept bunching and tearing. He cut too much for one side, leaving the fold jagged and lumpy, and somehow not enough on the other side which resulted in an obvious patch job. Bakugou inspects the present with an amused expression and a ghost of a smile, and Kirishima feels his cheeks warm up in embarrassment and something else.
"Shut up," he says before Bakugou could say anything. Bakugou scoffs but keeps his mouth shut and saves Kirishima from any teasing he rightfully could've done.
The present is torn into without any of the care Kirishima had displayed. Bakugou crumples the ripped paper into a ball and drops it beside him onto the bench, wasting no time opening the box. There's a moment of hesitation when Bakugou stares at the present and Kirishima finds himself holding his breath as his eyes bounce between Bakugou's blank face and the box in his gloved hands.
Slowly Bakugou pulls out the necklace. The pendant is a rough, orange stone about the size of a bottle cap that has crisscrossing stripes of white and a crystalline edge at the bottom point. Kirishima used thin copper wire to wrap designs around the stone and secure it to a chain. It was his first time wire wrapping and, admittedly, it was obvious. Some of the wires are kinked where they shouldn't be, the spacing is inconsistent, and his fingers suffered their fair share of puncture wounds. He imagined a more intricate layout and what he produced was something mediocre.
Bakugou turns the stone over in his hand and Kirishima speaks before the awkward silence becomes too much. "It's from our hike… The one from this summer? The mountain you were wanting to climb and you let me come with you."
Kirishima had been on multiple hikes with Bakugou, but that one had been different. He had never been on a new hike with Bakugou—one where they were both discovering things at the same time—and was beyond thrilled that he was invited. It took two days to reach the top of the trail and they had to camp under the stars, just them in the forest. Kirishima had blisters for a week after, but he'd suffer weeks' worth of them to have more experiences with Bakugou like the one they shared.
"I found that rock at the top," Kirishima continues to ramble, "It's dumb, I just thought like… it'd be a nice memory, you know? You don't have to wear it! It's more of a memento than an actual necklace."
Bakugou runs his fingers along the chain and stops at the clasp, fumbling with it through his gloves for a moment before giving up and holding it out to Kirishima. "Put it on for me."
Kirishima blinks in surprise. "You don't have t–"
"Shut the fuck up, I said put it on for me," Bakugou shoots quickly, glaring at Kirishima with no real heat behind his eyes. The glare softens almost immediately as if the confused expression Kirishima knows is on his face has taken Bakugou aback. Bakugou lets out a sigh from his nose and jostles the necklace in Kirishima's direction once more. "Please."
Kirishima doesn't know why he's shaking when he takes the necklace and undoes the clasp. He doesn't know why the thought of Bakugou wearing something he made him—something chosen for memories only they shared—makes his heart thump wildly in his chest. He finds it hard to breathe as he leans in when Bakugou does, breath catching in his throat when Bakugou dips his head down to give Kirishima access. Blonde spikes tickle Kirishima's chin as he reaches around Bakugou's neck, finally securing the necklace after two attempts of it slipping through his unexpectedly sweaty fingers. The hoodie Kirishima is wearing suddenly feels too warm for the weather outside.
Bakugou pulls away and examines the necklace again, pinching it between his fingers and holding it out in front of him. He's catching the city lights through the translucent point of the rock and seems to be admiring the way it glows as a result. His nose is rosy from the cold and so are his cheeks. Kirishima imagines his cheeks are reddened now as well if the warmth under his skin is any indicator.
"Merry Christmas, Bakugou."
Bakugou looks up and away from the stone, letting the pendant drop to his chest. The Christmas lights coming from the dorm ignite his hair into a jeweled halo—rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. He hums quietly in response and returns his attention back out to the city. It's subtle, but he shuffles closer on the bench, close enough that Kirishima can feel them sharing body heat. A gloved pinky hooks around his own and Kirishima tries to hide the smile as he grips back.