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In the months since Mina had started hanging out with Kirishima and his friends more regularly, she had never, not once, found herself completely alone with Bakugou. It wasn't as if she was afraid of him; what she was afraid of, however, was the silence that came from lack of conversation. She was a talkative person with a bubbly personality, and usually, she could make conversation with anyone. Except Bakugou. Any time she tried, he either completely ignored her or just got up and left. The fact that she could not seem to crack his hard exterior and get him to talk was something of a failure to her, and she just couldn't accept the fact that he wouldn't carry on a conversation with her for even a minute.
Today, however, things were going to change. She had vowed, as she saw Bakugou sitting on the couch by himself after classes, that she was going to carry on a minute-long conversation with him, whether he liked it or not. Hell, if she could just get a few words out of him, she would consider it an accomplishment. So, plastering on a sweet smile, she stalked over to the couch and plopped down on the cushion next to him, swinging her legs up to take up the rest of the space. The rest of her friends would be here soon, so she had to be quick if she was going to make this happen.
Bakugou glanced up at her as she sat, his eyes narrowed as he scowled, and she grinned even wider and waved at him. He grunted, rolling his eyes, and pulled out his phone. At first, she thought that he might have been using that as a tactic to get out of talking to her; she had used the same tactic before when Mineta was in the room. However, she noticed that he looked troubled by something, maybe even a little bit annoyed, and she didn't think it had anything to do with her presence.
Well. That was a starting point.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
His eyes flickered up to hers, his scowl growing deeper. "Tch. Mind your business, Raccoon Eyes."
If there was one thing that Mina was great at, it was taking social cues and reading body language. And she could very much tell from the way that Bakugou was sitting, with his shoulders squared and his muscles tensed and his fingers wrapping tightly around his phone, that his heart was not in the insults today. His mind was somewhere else entirely. He kept glancing at his phone screen like he was expecting something, but whatever it was wasn't coming.
Hmm.
There was no reason to push him into talking about something, especially since they were not close, and if she wanted to succeed at all in getting him to talk, overstepping boundaries was not the way to do it. What she needed was a change of subject, and she had plenty of things she was dying to talk to someone about.
"Hey, so guess who I saw flirting after class today!" she exclaimed, and for a moment, she thought that there was something like fear that crossed his face as he looked up at her, but then he relaxed back into that boredom and irritation she was so familiar with. Interesting. "Tokoyami and Tsu! Isn't that crazy? I never would have thought about them together, but I guess it makes sense. I mean, she must be crazy about him! She was laughing at everything he said, and I can't believe that he's that funny when all he talks about is darkness and stuff. That's how you can tell someone likes you, you know. They laugh at all your jokes even if they aren't funny." She unzipped her bag and pulled out a bag of gummy candy, popping one into her mouth and then offering the bag to Bakugou. "They're so in love, right?"
Bakugou rolled his eyes, surprisingly accepting the snack offer, and shook his head. "Love doesn't exist. It's a construct. Just like time and money and gender and all that shit. It was an idea made up to sell stuff on Valentine's Day, and it worked."
Mina's eyebrows furrowed, and she slowly pulled the bag of candy away from him and sat up on the couch, much more serious now. She had gotten Bakugou to talk, yeah, but now maybe she was kind of afraid of being alone with him. "Okay, what the hell? That sounds like something Tokoyami would say. What's gotten into you? Did you and Kirishima have a fight?"
A tense second followed her words as Bakugou set his phone aside and turned to face her. His red eyes somehow looked even redder now with all the fire behind that glare. She held her breath, waiting for whatever attack was about to come, even though she one hundred percent did not understand what she had done wrong. It was perfectly valid to assume there was something wrong between him and his boyfriend with him talking like that, right? She knew about these things. She wasn't an idiot.
"What does my not believing in love have to do with Shitty Hair?" he seethed. "He doesn't frame my opinions. He has no effect on my life at all."
"Uh…" Mina blinked slowly, running the conversation through her head and trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. "I'm...sorry." She held her hands up in surrender, forcing a laugh. "Don't get so upset. It's just that sometimes people say things like that when they're fighting with their boyfriend or girlfriend --"
"Boyfriend? What the fuck are you talking about?" The look on his face was dangerous, threatening even. His lips curled back over his teeth, his eyes twinkling with a dark, terrifying light, which made him look more like a predator than he ever had before.
She should have felt cornered, she should have felt helpless. Hell, she should have, at the very least, gotten ready to defend herself because he had no qualms about using his Quirk against his classmates. But seeing that now dumbfounded, horrified look on his face made her laugh. At first, it was just a short chuckle, but then the giggles were bubbling up from deep inside of her, and she had to cover her mouth to try to contain them.
Bakugou glared. "What the fuck is so funny?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, waving her hand and snorting. "I'm so sorry, Bakugou. I just...I thought...I thought you guys were dating because Kirishima talks about you all the time, and you're so much nicer when he's around. And...and --"
"Shut the hell up. We're not dating." He stood up quickly, snatching his phone up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "And just because yeah, we're technically not on speaking terms right now, that does not mean --" He stopped, his fists clenching at his sides, and she looked up innocently at him, biting her lip to keep the laughter from spilling out. "What? Stop fucking laughing at me!"
"Bakugou, you're blushing," Mina pointed out.
"I am not! Go to hell!"
He was already walking away as she settled deeper onto the couch, shoving fruit snacks into her mouth. "See ya there, babe, because you're a liar."
"Fuck off!"
Mina chuckled to herself and opened up the group chat on her phone. Kaminari was on his way with more snacks, and Sero was making tea for all of them. Kirishima hadn't responded to any messages since before class ended, so she guessed that he was either not coming or had something else more important going on like killing Bakugou’s belief that love existed.
Well, at least she had gotten that conversation she had been looking for. Even if it was just a bunch of yelling.
Jirou had a really hard time concentrating on her homework, especially when it seemed like Bakugou and Kirishima did not know what the definition of personal space was. She hadn't meant to take up the whole couch in the common area, but they could have just asked her to move over if it was such a big deal. Now, she was stuck sitting here by herself on the couch while the two of them were crammed into the same comfy chair, with Bakugou practically sitting in Kirishima's lap. It wouldn't have been all that distracting, except the two of them were pretty adamant that they were not dating, and every once in a while when she was looking down at her textbook, she thought she caught glimpses out of the corner of her eye of Bakugou touching Kirishima's hand or running his fingers through his hair. When she looked up, though, they were just sitting there studying, with Bakugou pointing out passages in the reading and explaining them in a very ill-tempered manner while Kirishima groaned about how hard everything was.
She was pretty sure she was missing some sort of context, though, and having earphone jacks that allowed her to hear things from far away came in handy for situations like this when two people were acting sketchy as all hell. If anyone could confirm or deny the truth of this relationship, it would be her, and damn it, she was determined to do so just so it could put Mina's mind at ease. She'd been restlessly trying to get some sort of dirt on them for a while. She swore she'd seen Bakugou blush, and none of them believed her.
"You guys know there's another chair?" Jirou said, pointing with her earphone jack to the vacant chair across from her. "Or I can move over on the couch?"
Kirishima glanced over at where she was pointing and chewed on his pencil, which was basically useless at the point with all the tooth marks he left on it. It took him a second to register what she was even saying to him. His mind was somewhere else entirely. "Oh, that's okay! I was leaving it open in case anyone else decided to show up, you know?"
Jirou raised an eyebrow. There was an entire room open for them to use while they were studying. There were even desks and tables. Saving room didn't make any sense.
"It's easier to smack Kirishima for being stupid if I'm closer," Bakugou said flatly. There was no feeling in his eyes, not even a hint of an emotion outside of complete and utter boredom.
"You can have the couch then," she suggested with a shrug. "More room for you two. I'll take the chair. Unless you're comfortable like that?"
The color drained from Bakugou’s face, and she watched him shift just slightly so that he was sitting on the arm of the chair now, his legs sprawled out over Kirishima’s lap. Kirishima, she noticed, had a hand on Bakugou’s hip. It was kind of funny, in a way, to see Bakugou so flustered, but at the same time, Jirou had a heart, and she knew that she definitely wouldn't want anyone to call her out for her crush on Momo. Sometimes, she thought, she could be pretty obvious about that.
"I think this is fine," Kirishima said, unbothered. "What did you get for number five?"
Jirou glanced down at her page. They were like polar opposites, she thought, and maybe that's kind of why they somehow worked. "Fourteen."
"Damn it," Kirishima said, using what was left of his chewed up pencil to erase his answer.
"I told you that you were wrong, but since when have you ever listened to me?" Bakugou hissed, smacking Kirishima in the arm as he jerked the book out of his hand and looked over his work. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he scribbled notes on the page, but Kirishima was not looking at whatever he was writing. His eyes were on Bakugou’s face, a soft smile gracing his lips and so much light shimmering in his eyes that Jirou almost had to look away because she was embarrassed. She felt like she was intruding on some private, intimate moment that didn't belong to her, and she uncrossed her legs, thinking very seriously about packing up and leaving so they could be alone. She'd never seen anyone look like that, not even her own parents. It was...sweet.
And she couldn't help her own curiosity as she noticed that they were whispering to one another. She had never heard Bakugou whisper. He was always obnoxious and loud. But whispering had never been a problem for her, and secrets were not things that could be kept around her.
Jirou was a nice person. Really, she was. She never listened in on people's conversations unless she had a good reason to because people had a right to their privacy. But if Mina found out she had this opportunity and she passed it up, she would never hear the end of it.
Besides, could it really be that private if they knew she was there?
She kept her eyes fixated on her homework as her earphone jack slowly snaked over her shoulder and down her chest before she was finally able to plug in and catch the last bit of conversation.
"--waste of my fucking time if you fail this test tomorrow, and I'll be pissed."
"Babe, you're always pissed. But I've got this, okay? You don't have to stress out about it."
"If you fail and get kicked out --"
Jirou jerked her earphone jack back and glanced over at them, their heads still close together as Bakugou tapped a pencil rather aggressively against his notebook. She couldn't help the warmth that flooded her cheeks, and immediately, she pulled out her phone, debating if she needed to text Mina or not. She knew without a doubt that if she did, the girl would be here within seconds, and she would start pointing fingers and accusing them of things, and then Jirou would have to explain that she had been listening in to their conversation and very, very clearly heard Kirishima call Bakugou babe.
She shuddered at the thought of it. Something about having pet names for Bakugou was very disturbing to her.
But after that, she definitely needed answers. Bakugou caught her staring, and he stopped whatever he was talking about and slammed his pencil down, scowling at her. "What the fuck are you looking at?"
"Uh…" Jirou's earphone jacks elongated, tapping nervously together in front of her face. She wanted to leave immediately. She had never felt more like a third wheel in her life. "Nothing, I just had a question about the homework, and I thought you might help me."
Bakugou stared at her, completely unreadable, and she figured that that was her sign to continue. Her heart was beating fast, and it felt like it had risen into her throat. She wasn't afraid of him, but damn it, being on the receiving end of his glare was pretty unsettling.
"So, um...on number two, if x is equal to nine and y is equal to 2x over 3, does that mean that you and Kirishima are dating?"
Silence hung heavily between them. She swallowed hard, steeling herself against the confusion and rage that was surely about to come out because Bakugou was...well, she wouldn't necessarily say he was blushing, but he looked like he was ready to curl up in a ball and die. From beside him, she noticed Kirishima shift his body and clear his throat, but she didn't dare take her gaze off of Bakugou. She blinked, unmoving, waiting patiently for one of them to speak, but as the seconds ticked on and her heartbeat rang louder in her ears, the reality of what she had done set in on her. And she was disgusted. That was such a Mina thing to do. She couldn't believe that she had asked them that and gotten into their business as if she had a right to know. She was not one for gossip and rumors.
But this one was important. She couldn't take it back now. Because if Bakugou was in a relationship, then there was clearly something wrong with her because he was a nightmare. How did Kirishima tolerate it? Did he have brain damage? Some sort of weird masochistic need for someone to constantly insult him? What was the deal? And how proud would Mina be of her if she was able to get to the bottom of this question that had been plaguing them for weeks?
Finally, after what felt like an hour of sitting and staring, Kirishima barked out a laugh and punched Bakugou lightly in the arm. "Bakugou is my best bro," he said, voice breaking at the end.
Jirou raised an eyebrow. She felt like she had been mean, and the way that Bakugou was looking at her made her think that she might be murdered in her sleep tonight. Slowly, she started packing up her things, and as she stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder, she shot them a look and said, "Best bros don't sit in each other's laps and call each other babe. And they definitely don't look at each other the way you two look at each other." Bakugou opened his mouth to say something, but she held up her hand to stop him, and he clenched his jaw, fuming. She could practically see the steam rolling off of him. "Sorry if I made a mistake."
"You did," Bakugou hissed, immediately scrambling off the chair and onto the couch.
Jirou shrugged, taking a few steps closer to the door. "Look, all I'm saying is if you like someone, you should really just go for it and stop trying to hide it. Life is too short. Just something to think about."
She pushed the door open and walked outside into the warm spring air. Maybe she needed to follow her own advice.
"Cheese, Sero?"
"Oh, no thanks, Shinsou. I have IBS."
Mina wrinkled her nose and tossed her square of cheese at the boy next to her. "Gross. No one needs to know about your bowel movements."
"You know, the thing about people with IBS," Kirishima said, stuffing his cheese into his mouth, "is that they love talking about having IBS."
Sero shrugged, settling himself against the wall as he grabbed a less dangerous snack -- some apple slices -- and took a swig of the beer sitting next to him. He was on his third can and still wasn't even feeling buzzed. Blinking up at the ceiling, he sighed and asked, "Do you think I could tape Mineta up there? And if so, how long do you think he would stay?"
"That's a good idea!" Mina exclaimed. "I'd kiss you if you got rid of that little pervert."
"Maybe I should go get him right now."
"Ugh!" Mina stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. "Can you believe that he pretended he walked into the wrong locker room while I was changing yesterday? God, Sero, do something! I'll help you."
Sero tapped his chin in thought, considering how much tape he would have to use to hold Mineta's weight. He didn't personally have a problem with the guy, but he also wasn't on the receiving end of his non-consensual advances. He was just glad that Kaminari had calmed down quite a bit after he and Shinsou started dating. Sometimes when he and Mineta got together, it was a lot to handle.
In fact, all of his friends seemed to be getting in relationships right now. Jirou had asked Momo out a couple of weeks ago, and that had been going rather smoothly, and Kaminari and Shinsou were constantly all over each other like they were starving for attention, though that was mostly Kaminari.
And then there was the matter of Bakugou and Kirishima. They weren't dating -- Bakugou swore they weren't and threatened anyone who might ask about it -- but there was definitely something going on, and they all talked about it whenever the two of them weren't around. Especially Mina. It seemed to be eating her alive not to know the truth. She hated Kirishima keeping secrets from her, and she especially hated not knowing if there was a new relationship that she could keep tabs on.
Sero? He didn't much care one way or the other, but it would be nice to get to the bottom of the mystery. That would leave him and Mina as the only single ones in their group of friends, and, well, he didn't think he would necessarily mind if she wanted to go out with him. They'd been flirting back and forth for a while now, or at least, he thought it was flirting, but she was hard to read sometimes.
The door to his dorm room cracked open, and Bakugou stuck his head in, observing first who was in the room and then, deciding that it was satisfactory, stepped inside and shut the door. He immediately walked over to Kirishima and handed him a can of soda, then sat down on the floor next to Shinsou.
"I can move if you want me to," Sero said.
Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him, scowling. "Why would you need to move?"
"You know. In case you wanted to sit next to Kirishima."
All of the color drained from Bakugou’s face. On any normal day, Sero wouldn't go out of his way to pick a fight with Bakugou, but ever since they'd all started observing his strange behavior with Kirishima, it had become almost like a game to them to see who could call them out and embarrass them the most. He kept his eyes on Bakugou, but he could see Mina out of the corner of his eye covering her mouth and trying not to laugh, and that was enough justification for him to continue picking at him.
"Why the fuck would it matter where I sit?" Bakugou said.
Sero shrugged. "I don't know. Kaminari's sitting with Shinsou. I just thought --"
"It's fine," Kirishima said, before Bakugou could explode the room and claim all of them as casualties. "Everyone's happy where they're at, right?"
Mina hummed in approval and nodded, sipping from her beer as Kirishima opened his soda. He used to drink more often with them, but he had cut back quite a bit lately, and Sero had a feeling that it had to do with his sober boyfriend who fell asleep at 8:00 every night.
"You didn't bring sodas for the rest of us?" Sero asked, forcing himself to sound upset. "Is that only something you do for romantic partners, or --"
"Okay, that's it," Bakugou said, getting up from his spot on the floor and stomping toward the door. "Fuck all of you, but fuck you --" He pointed at Mina. "--in particular. I don't like getting text messages from you at two in the morning when I'm trying to sleep. Leave me the fuck alone!"
He threw the door open and stalked out of the room, not even bothering to close it. They all waited in silence for a long, tense moment before finally, Kaminari burst into a fit of laughter and buried his face in Shinsou's shoulder while Mina nearly spit up her drink. Wiping her mouth, she turned to Kirishima and asked, "So are you guys dating?"
"No," Kirishima replied, then added, "it's complicated. I should probably go check on him."
"Yeah, definitely don't want your boyfriend to be upset," Sero said, and Kirishima smiled and flipped him off as he left the room, shutting the door calmly behind him.
"Nice," Mina said, giving Sero a high-five. "We're getting closer to the truth."
Shinsou sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "We already know they're dating. Why bother them anymore?"
"Because it's fun!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Bakugou gets so embarrassed and I live for it."
"And I'm not stopping until I hear them admit it," Mina said. "I'm getting a confession out of them one way or another."
Sero finished off his beer and reached for a fourth can. "So are we taping Mineta to the ceiling or not?"
Mina squealed in delight and, much to Sero's surprise, actually leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, please! I'll help!"
He hoped she didn't notice how much he was blushing.
Shinsou knew that it was none of his business what other people were doing with their free time, and frankly, he didn't much care if Bakugou and Kirishima were dating or not. If they were, great, and if they weren't, whatever. But his hyperactive boyfriend had begged him until he couldn't stand it any longer to try to get some answers out of them because he had "a trustworthy face." Whatever the hell that meant. Maybe it was because he was the newest in the group, or maybe it was because he had such an aloof attitude, but a lot of people in Kaminari's friend group had made it a point to share their deepest secrets with him. It felt really weird being the confidant after so many years of people being afraid of him and his Quirk, but he wasn't really complaining. It was sort of nice having people rely on him and his level-headed advice.
It did not feel nice, however, to try to weasel information out of a guy with a short temper who could literally blow him up if given half the chance. Somehow, he had managed to get Bakugou into his dorm room to help with homework, but they hadn't started anything yet, and Bakugou had been so consumed by his phone that he hadn't even tried to bother him. He sorted through his closet, pulling out shirts and sweaters and pretending to be in the middle of a crisis just to strike up conversation. He had to get Bakugou on the subject of Kirishima somehow, and he wasn't the greatest at conversation.
"How does this look?" he asked, turning around to show Bakugou the dark blue sweater he had picked out.
Bakugou glanced up at him over his phone screen, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, then quickly looked away and started typing on his phone again. A few seconds later, Shinsou's phone vibrated on his desk, and he picked it up to see that it was a message from Bakugou.
Who put you up to this? Was it your dumbass boyfriend?
Shinsou frowned, looking up to meet Bakugou’s gaze. He was waiting expectantly, and he nodded at the phone, wanting Shinsou to text him back, though Shinsou didn't really understand what was happening right now. "I don't know what you're asking me," he said. "I wanted help with homework, and --"
His phone vibrated again.
Was it the plan to ask me a question so you could brainwash me and get me to talk, you creep? There's nothing to talk about!
Shinsou tossed his phone and the sweater to the side. "That's a little insane, don't you think?" Bakugou shrugged, still not speaking to him, his lips pursed into a thin line as he glared. "Look, do you really think I care enough to try to brainwash pointless information out of you?"
Bakugou typed furiously on his phone. Another vibration.
No, but Sparky would. You and I both know you don't need help with homework.
Shinsou shrugged. He had a point. Shinsou had been doing everything that he could to catch up in class, and he wouldn't dare let himself slip enough that he would have to ask for help. He straightened his scarf and continued going through the clothes in his closet. "You got me. I didn't actually need help. I was actually going to ask if you wanted to go on a double date with me and Kaminari." He winced, cursing himself for how stupid that sounded. He really wasn't good at all of this. They were putting too much faith in his calm demeanor and not enough faith in the fact that Bakugou was a damn menace.
"And who the fuck would I bring on a double date with you?" Bakugou demanded. "Better yet, why the fuck would I go on a double date with you?"
Shinsou shook his head, feeling absolutely ridiculous for bothering Bakugou with these questions. At least he was talking to him. But he might be about to ruin that…
"Well, I was thinking you could maybe ask --"
"Don't you dare fucking say it."
"--Kirishima."
"Fuck you."
Shinsou turned back to face him, holding his hands up in front of him like he was slowly approaching a scared animal. "Look, I'm not thrilled about this either. I'm supposed to be getting ready for a date tonight. Kaminari is coming over to Mr. Aizawa's, and it's kind of important --" He stopped himself, then took a deep breath. "Not the point. The point, I guess, is that I have a very nosy boyfriend and you have very nosy friends, and they just want to know what's going on with you. Is that so bad?"
"Yes!" Bakugou exclaimed. "They don't need to know anything because it doesn't fucking concern them --"
"But are you guys dating?"
"No! Why the hell would I ever subject myself to that?" He grimaced, but Shinsou could tell that it was all an act. Bakugou was good at a lot of things, but lying wasn't exactly one of them. The corner of his left eye twitched when he lied, like he was forcing himself to keep his gaze focused instead of looking away. "Are we done here?"
"Sure." Shinsou pulled out a clean black shirt, gave it a glance, then tossed it aside, deciding against it. He frowned as he continued digging through his clothes. He could hear the sound of Bakugou packing up from behind him, and the thought occurred to him that maybe Bakugou was one of the bravest people he had ever known, but he was lacking in courage when it came to this.
Sighing, he turned back around and said, "You know, Denki and I were dating for a while before we said anything to anyone. Mostly because I was worried about what Mr. Aizawa would say. And because you see how your friends act. That was fun for a while, sneaking around and all that, but it got really old and really complicated, and...I don't know. I'm really glad that everyone knows now. It feels a lot better, and everyone is so supportive and happy for us. It makes everything feel right. I've never been so at peace with people before. I'm...happy."
Bakugou stared at him, unblinking, then shook his head and continued to pack up his bag. "I don't see what that has to do with me."
Shinsou shrugged. "Well, you're welcome to come to dinner if you want. Now…" He held up a long-sleeved green shirt to his body and asked, "What do you think about this one?"
"Ugh." Bakugou rolled his eyes and zipped his backpack. It looked like he was choking on something sour. "Really great. It really brings out the color of your eyes."
"Thanks, Bakugou --"
"Bye."
"Oh. Okay. Bye then."
Bakugou slammed the door behind him, and Shinsou stripped his ratty t-shirt off and put the green one on. It kind of did bring out the color of his eyes.
>
“Oops! Sorry!”
Bakugou pressed pause on the game controller and tossed it aside, glaring at the blonde that had just busted into his room unannounced. Kirishima sucked on his straw, getting the last bit of boba tea out of his cup. It was deafeningly loud in the tense silence that followed.
“Are you fucking brain-dead all the time, moron?” Bakugou yelled. “What the fuck is this?”
Kaminari shrugged, smiling innocently as he took in the scene before him. Nothing scandalous, just as he had expected. Bakugou and Kirishima were seated on Bakugou’s bed playing video games. They weren’t even sitting close together. There was a strategy book spread out between them and no sign that anything else had been going on before he slammed open the door.
Hmm.
He had been doing this pretty frequently, breaking into Bakugou’s room, Kirishima’s room, the showers, the locker room, wherever he thought he might be able to catch them in a compromising position that they couldn’t explain their way out of, and so far, he hadn’t found a damn thing. All he’d done was fuel the flames of Bakugou’s anger.
“Sorry, man!” he exclaimed with a nervous chuckle. “I didn’t want to interrupt you if you were doing anything, you know?”
“Then why the fuck did you barge in without even knocking? I swear to God, you get stupider every damn –”
“I have plans! I’ll see you guys later. Although if you want me to stay and hang out with you…” He narrowed his eyes, studying their expressions. He assumed they wanted to be alone.
“Yeah, dude,” Kirishima said with a shrug. “Stay and play this game with us. Bakugou’s been kicking my ass. I could use some help.”
Kaminari glanced over at Bakugou, who merely rolled his eyes and flopped into the pile of pillows behind him. He looked annoyed, yeah, but was it because Kaminari was intruding on their alone time? Maybe, but he looked annoyed pretty much all the time, so it was hard to tell.
“Nah, I have plans,” he said. “With…Sero. We’re going to…the fish zoo. You guys have fun.” He smiled and waved at them, then shut the door.
He waited for a few seconds, listening to the sounds of the game starting up again, accompanied by the sounds of Bakugou cursing and Kirishima screaming, then sighed. Mina was right. This was a really bad idea. He wasn’t going to gather any intel like this. He started to walk away down the empty hallway, but stopped once the room behind him fell into silence again.
Then he heard a moan.
His heart accelerated, and he rounded so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. He wrenched open the door and slammed it against the wall, rushing into the room with an exclaimed, “Whoops! Sorry!”
Only to find that Bakugou was flipping through the strategy book while Kirishima lay on his back with his hands over his face groaning in disappointment.
Bakugou looked up at him, eyebrow arched but otherwise his entire face was blank. He didn’t even look angry anymore. “Can I help you?” he growled, tossing the book to the side.
“Nope,” Kaminari replied. “Sorry, I thought I heard…you know, never mind.”
“I know what you’re doing, idiot,” Bakugou said as he got off the bed. Kaminari flinched, debating whether or not he needed to run or try to take the beating he was surely going to get. No, he would stay. But oh god, Bakugou had his fist clenched, and if this was going to be a fight with no Quirk use, then yeah, for sure, he was going to get his ass kicked. “And you’re not going to find anything, so you can give it a rest. I’m fucking sick of you guys barging into my room.”
“Maybe you should try locking your door,” Kirishima suggested.
“Maybe you should try locking your door. Shut the fuck up, Eijirou.”
“I’m just saying –”
“I know what you’re saying, damn it! I’m just saying we shouldn’t have to worry about a fucking clown lurking around and trying to figure out if we’re making out or not. Here’s the truth, dumbass: we’re not. So get the fuck over it.”
Kaminari stared at him, wide-eyed, then glanced over at Kirishima on the bed. Maybe they were all wrong, he supposed. Maybe they had just been reading things incorrectly this entire time, and Bakugou and Kirishima were just friends. After all, it didn’t really make much sense for anyone to be dating Bakugou, much less someone who was completely and totally opposite from him. And as long as they had been adamantly denying it, there had to be some truth to it.
But still…since when had Bakugou started calling Kirishima by his first name?
“You’re right,” Kaminari said, nodding solemnly as he hung his head. “I’m sorry, Bakubro. It won’t happen again. You guys…we’re done bothering you, okay? This is it. If you guys say there isn’t anything going on, then I totally believe you. Sorry again.”
“You’re not forgiven. Now get out.”
“Right. See you guys later!” He grinned and shut the door behind him, already completely resolved on going to Ashido’s room to see what she was doing before meeting up with Sero, but the sounds he left behind stopped him in his tracks.
“Don’t worry about it, babe. You wanna go get some ice cream?”
“You just finished a giant lavender and lychee boba, and you want ice cream?”
“What can I say? I like sweet things. And you know what’s the sweetest?”
“You’re fucking corny.”
Silence. Kaminari knew they had to be kissing right now, there was no other explanation. Babe? Oh, he had definitely landed on something now. He would have to text Mina as soon as he was done here. He couldn’t believe it. He was the one that had finally uncovered the truth.
He slammed open the door once again. “Oops! So sorry!”
They were sitting closer, but if they had been making out, they were exceptionally good at hiding it. No swollen lips, no messy hair, no blushing cheeks. Still, he couldn’t resist as he cried out, “Gotcha! Finally!”
“Got what? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Bakugou hissed.
“I heard you! I heard you call him babe! And you guys were flirting! I heard it!”
Silence. Bakugou glared. “Get the fuck out of my room, Sparky. If I see your face again today, I’ll bash your face in. Your boyfriend will break up with you because you’ll be too hideous to kiss.”
“Right-o. See ya later, guys!” He shut the door for the final time today, smiling to himself. Despite the threats, he knew what he had heard. He couldn’t wait until his two best friends decided to be honest with him.
“Had enough yet?”
Kirishima wriggled underneath Bakugou’s weight and glared up at him. He might have been upset if it was anyone else pinning him down to the ground and getting the better of him, but it was Bakugou, and Bakugou was amazing. Everything he did was incredible, heroic, manly. He was honestly so awestruck by every move that Bakugou made, no matter how predictable, no matter how small or insignificant. And he looked so damn pretty right now that Kirishima could hardly form words. All he could do was stare in wonder as Bakugou’s hands clamped down on his arms, pushing them above his head and holding them there so that he could not strike. His blonde hair was matted and sticking to his forehead, and he was panting, his skin flushed pink from exertion and his lips curled up into what Kirishima almost considered a smile. His red eyes flashed dangerously with a challenge, but Kirishima could tell that the training was getting the better of him. He was tired, and Kirishima was wearing him down.
“Enough?” Kirishima asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled gently at Bakugou, and he watched as the flush grew deeper on his cheeks. He softened for just a moment too long, and Kirishima gained just enough edge to harden his leg and land a blow to Bakugou’s shin. He cried out, scrambling to gain ground again, but Kirishima was quicker than him, and he managed to flip the fight in his favor and pin Bakugou down. He let out a breath as he settled on top of him and, leaning forward to press his lips to Bakugou’s ear, whispered, “I’m just getting started.”
Bakugou shuddered against him, and he grinned and pulled back, staring into his pretty, glistening eyes. Like rubies, he’d told Bakugou once, and Bakugou had told him to come up with better compliments. Still, he’d been kind of a stuttering mess for a few seconds after he said it, and Kirishima really liked knowing that he could get Bakugou all flustered.
Like now. He wasn’t even attempting to fight back. He was just lying there and staring up at Kirishima like he had accomplished some great feat when in fact this was probably their least eventful fight to date. Bakugou had barely even used his Quirk, and when he did, it seemed like he was holding back for some reason that Kirishima could not understand.
“Ugh, oh my god, you guys!” Mina exclaimed from the sidelines.
“Yeah, get a room,” Kaminari said, his voice muffled from all the snacks he had shoved in his mouth. “You guys are disgusting.”
Bakugou growled something under his breath and struggled against Kirishima’s grip, but when it came to sheer physical strength, he was clearly the weaker of the two. Kirishima watched him struggle, digging his legs closer to Bakugou’s sides to pin him down even more, though it was kind of difficult to keep him down when he was bucking and writhing around like a crazy person. He slammed his knee down onto Bakugou’s thigh and tightened his grip on Bakugou’s wrists, which got him to calm down for just a moment as he gazed up at him with that tender look he gave him on nights when it was just the two of them, when they could manage to get just one moment of peace and alone time. Kirishima heard the slightest little helpless whimper fall from his lips, and he ran a thumb over Bakugou’s sweaty cheek and said, “Are you giving up?”
Bakugou scoffed. “You wish.” His left hand ignited without warning, and Kirishima drew his hand back as he clambered off of him, rolling to the side to dodge the explosion that was hurled at him. He heard his friends cheer, but he had a feeling that that was a premature reaction. Yeah, he could harden and go Unbreakable for up to a couple of minutes now, but he wasn’t sure if it would withstand Bakugou’s explosions for long.
"Watch your opponent's movements," Aizawa said. "Predict their next attack."
Good advice, but hard to come by. Bakugou was predictable in a lot of his fights, yeah, but he was also completely insane and went off the rails all the time. If he got too upset he just started blasting everything in his path, and there was only so much that Kirishima's body could handle before he started to crumble. He watched Bakugou closely, waiting for an opening as they circled one another, and just when he saw an opportunity arise and he was about to lunge, he heard Hagakure shout, "Oh my god, Bakugou! Is that a hickey?"
Bakugou froze, glancing sideways at their classmates for just a moment, which would have been a good chance for Kirishima to strike him down if he wasn't so damn stunned by the accusation and the murmurs that followed. He felt his stomach twist as he scanned over Bakugou's body and -- yep, there it was. It was bright and glaring at the base of Bakugou's throat. It might have looked like a bruise to anyone outside of their class, but their friends had been looking for ways to call them out on their relationship for months, and they had messed up now.
"It is! Oh my god!" Mina exclaimed. "Kirishima!"
"Let's focus on the assignment," Aizawa deadpanned, rubbing at his temple. He was clearly getting frustrated, but his students had already gotten sidetracked, and even though they were heroes in training, they were still teenagers. And teenagers loved gossip. "What's the next move going to be?"
Bakugou was deathly pale now, his lips curled back into a snarl, his eyes never leaving Kirishima. Despite the rage showing on the surface, Kirishima could tell that he was nervous. Embarrassed, even. It was difficult enough for him to process feelings, but to be called out on it was something else entirely.
"How do you know it's me?" Kirishima asked, trying to keep his focus on Bakugou. He shot him an apologetic smile like this was somehow his fault. "It could be someone else in this class or...someone in a different class or a different school or --"
"Fine, damn it!" Bakugou yelled, rounding on their classmates, his fists clenched at his sides and his body nearly trembling with all the rage he was trying to contain. "We're dating! We have been for a while. Are you happy now?"
Mina's eyes widened, and she squealed in delight as she jumped up and down clapping her hands. "I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Ugh, I'm so happy for you guys!"
Bakugou scrubbed at his neck where the bright, purplish-red mark marred his pale skin as if that would somehow get it off. He was clearly embarrassed, but Kirishima could only feel relief at that moment. God, it'd been so hard sneaking around and trying to pretend like nothing was going on between them. Hell, he'd almost said something a few times but stopped himself for Bakugou's sake because he knew it would drive him insane having Mina and everyone else in his business all the time.
But now it was out. And he could finally hold his hand and kiss him and show him all of the affection that he had been holding back for months. He made a move to do so but stopped when he noticed that Aizawa was staring at him with this intense irritation that almost rivaled Bakugou’s, and he flashed him a sort of nervous smile and backed away.
"Now, I'm gonna finish kicking my boyfriend's ass, and then it's your turn," Bakugou growled, pointing at Mina.
Mina gasped, feigning shock. "Bakugou, you're gonna hit a girl?"
"Everyone is equally my enemy. Don't worry, the rest of you have what's coming for you. Fucking Sparky, especially." He turned his back on them and settled his gaze on Kirishima again, narrowing his eyes into a glare as he got into a fighting stance. "Hit me."
Kirishima hesitated. Bakugou had never really called him his boyfriend before. It was the first time he'd heard it, and it sent shivers racing up his spine and made his stomach flutter in the most pleasant way. He was Bakugou’s boyfriend. He couldn't believe he'd gotten so lucky.
He just kind of wished there was a better way to find out besides this. But still, he was glad it was out in the open now.
He smiled, hardening his arms and holding them in front of his face. "Thought you were gonna kick my ass?"
Bakugou grumbled, fuming, but there was a sort of softness to him now that wasn't there before, like all this tension had just rolled right off of him and he could breathe for the first time in a while.
But he was still Bakugou, and he managed to take Kirishima down no problem after that. Which was fine.
Bakugou helped him to his feet, and he kissed Bakugou on the forehead, unable to stop smiling the whole time, even though his body ached from the explosion that had rocked through him and nearly shattered his arms. "Hey, I'm really happy that you consider me your boyfriend. You never said that before."
Bakugou frowned, his eyes widening slightly as he pushed Kirishima away from him. "Shut up. And maybe put up a better fight next time. That was too easy."
"Aww, that's no way to talk to your boyfriend."
"Fuck you. I'm dumping you."
"Okay. So see you at seven tonight then?"
Bakugou hesitated, then nodded and stomped away, cursing under his breath the whole time.
"Love you!"
Bakugou flipped him off.
Okay. So maybe they weren't there yet, which was fine. It would happen eventually. He was just happy being Bakugou’s boyfriend for now.