Work Text:
Bakugou was sprawled across Kirishima’s lap, pretending to sleep when he was in actual fact enjoying the warmth of his body and the feeling of Kirishima’s fingers threading through his hair, when it happened. Surrounded by the various shades of red in of Kirishima’s room was his favourite place to be; it was one of the only places he didn’t have to pretend, to be not quite himself. All bravado and pretence was shed like a thick winter coat the minute he stepped through the threshold. Right up until the moment the door handle turned.
The day had been a long one wandering Musutafu, through the arcades (of course Kirishima is amazing at the claw machine, despite Bakugou swearing that they are literally impossible to win) through the park (Bakugou’s camera role was now filled with pictures of a laughing Kirishima, body mostly obscured by the 7 dogs he had managed to lure away from their owners for cuddles). Ending at the best yakiniku restaurant Bakugou could find, they had walked back to the dorms with their hands swinging and stomachs satisfyingly full. While Bakugou had been sure dating Kirishima had been what he wanted, he couldn’t have imagined the amount of joy could be expressed by a person, especially caused by him. His boyfriend practically glowed, and it hadn’t dimmed since that first night. This more than anything emphasised that what they had was right. Days like this almost put all his worries out of his head completely. Almost.
Stars gleamed in the sky above them back on the UA campus, dimmed due to the lights of the school and the city nearby but shining resolutely nonetheless. It made Bakugou want to stay outside and stare for a little while in spite of the crisp, cold March air and the fatigue pulling at his eyelids. A tug on his hand brought him back to reality, and he realised he had come to a stop. “Katsuki, baby,” Kirishima said, “You wanna stay out for a little longer? We’ve got nowhere to be.”
Bakugou considered it for a moment, until the call of the warm dormitories won out. “Nah, it’s fucking freezing. There’ll be other nights.” Kirishima beamed at that, before dropping his hand and walking the final stretch of path to the dormitories. It wasn’t that they were hiding their relationship, as such, more that they weren’t actively shouting from the hills. Simpler to wait until after graduation, discover each other without the interference of their nosy friends. They’d figure it out soon enough, once they realise there is a spare room in their 2 bedroom apartment. That was Bakugou’s excuse, at least- Kirishima didn’t need to know the true reason.
At least, that was how Bakugou had hoped it would play out. Since none of the idiot squad ever thought to knock he should probably be less surprised. Kaminari bursting in was not an unusual occurrence, so Bakugou in his half-asleep state didn’t quite notice that anything was amiss until Kirishima’s fingers stilled in his hair, causing him to groan in irritation.
“Kiri-bro! I know it’s getting late but-” Bakugou opened his eyes and watched as Kaminari’s words cut off and his mouth popped opened with a soft ‘oh’. Shock soon wore off, a wide grin taking its place. “I knew it! You two have always been loved up but for the past couple weeks you’ve been super-duper in love. Just wait until I tell Ashido-”
“Woah, slow down dude, I know I told you I’m head over heels, but Katsuki literally came out to you not even a week ago, man.” Bakugou sat up, feeling his face slip into a frown. Once he had told Kirishima he was aromantic, it hadn’t been hard to tell the others, if a little like an interrogation since Kaminari was clearly just smiling and nodding at first without actually understanding what he was being told. He thought it had gone well after that. Had Bakugou still not gotten through to him?
The more confused Kaminari looked, the more Bakugou could feel himself shutting down. Kirishima must have sensed it too, because he placed his hand on the small of Bakugou’s back. With Kaminari’s next words, it did little to soothe him. “Dude, seriously. You can’t fool me, you’re clearly together. It doesn’t make sense otherwise. What would even be the point of that if you aren’t in love?” This was exactly what Bakugou had been afraid of. Kaminari hadn’t said it to be hurtful. The lack of comprehension in his eyes was not meant to feel like a knife in Bakugou’s back. Bakugou knew that- of course he did. But neither fact changed the heavy feeling creeping into his stomach.
Kirishima watched him worriedly. “Can you leave us alone for tonight, man? I’m tired. We’ll talk about it in the morning,” he said, not taking his eyes off Bakugou’s face. Bakugou didn’t look back.
For all of his ignorance on the current topic, Kaminari did know his friends. His eyes flitted between them both, and he backed up, saying “Yeah man, I’ll tell the others that Kacchan was already asleep and that you weren’t feeling it. It’s cool.” He slipped out the door with one more look over his shoulder, then closed it quietly, leaving Bakugou and Kirishima in silence.
Bakugou stands up almost immediately. “Katsuki-”
“I think I’m gonna brush my teeth and go to bed.”
“Shouldn’t we-?”
“Like you said, you’re exhausted. I am too. Fuck dealing with this right now.” Any calm he had felt mere minutes ago had evaporated, but he tried hard to claw back some semblance of serenity to look over at Kirishima, though still not meeting his eyes. Dismay covered his partner’s face, and he did what he could to banish it. “Eijirou. Stop worrying. I’ll be back in a sec.”
A hand reached out and grabbed Bakugou’s wrist softly as he turned away, and he felt a faint brush of lips against his palm. “I love you.” They were the words that started all this, the words he had heard more than a few times since then, the words he had said back, even if he meant them a little differently. This time, however, they caught in his throat. He squeezed Kirishima’s hand lightly before leaving for his own room to prepare for bed.
It took Bakugou a second once he was done to summon the strength to go back to Kirishima. He lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling. What would even be the point of that if you aren’t in love, Kaminari had said. It doesn’t make sense. But all Bakugou could hear was you aren’t good enough. He’ll realise, and he’ll leave you. All you do is hurt, and you’ll hurt him to. Because all of this is wrong. With shaking hands, he slapped his cheeks in attempt to pull himself out of the spiral, succeeding enough to wrench himself off the floor and return to Kirishima’s room.
Thankfully, Kirishima had already switched off the light and gotten into bed, seemingly asleep already. He quietly slid in next to him at a careful distance, startling slightly when arms came from behind and wrap around his middle. “Goodnight, Katsuki.” Conflict warred inside him, but ultimately he couldn’t turn down the display of comfort and affection, one hand latching onto Kirishima’s forearm and holding it tightly.
Bakugou didn’t get much sleep that night.
~~
Morning came too soon for Bakugou’s liking; he was in no way prepared to face the outside world. Kirishima fussed with more vigour than usual- that and the constant searching of Bakugou’s face the only signs that anything happened the night before. He’d want to talk about it soon, Bakugou knew, but he was prepared to wait until Bakugou brought it up, at least for now. “Hey,” Kirishima leaned down to where Bakugou still lay in bed. “How about I go downstairs and make breakfast? I can bring it back up here and we can have a lazy day.” Hesitant fingers stroke Bakugou’s cheek gently. Bakugou grunted his affirmation then closed his eyes, allowing Kirishima to press a kiss to his forehead and leave the room.
Everything was fine for approximately 2 minutes, after which Bakugou growled and forced himself out of the sanctuary of Kirishima’s bed. He was Bakugou Fucking Katsuki. He did not wallow in self-pity. Stomping off back to his room, he changed for the day before making his way downstairs.
Dormitory life was something Bakugou would simultaneously miss and be happy to see the back of. Having all his friends so close was something he would reluctantly admit to being a pro, despite the lack of privacy that sometimes accompanied the fact. There was always a partner ready to spar with, and ample space to do so. Many of his classmates cooked (to varying degrees of success), which was enjoyable at times but mostly made Bakugou look forward to the day he would have his own kitchen where no one could borrow his expensive knives. And finally, it was almost impossible to have a conversation in one of the common areas without being overheard.
“…I’m just saying, this whole situation seems really weird to me, bro. You know that you and Bakubro are two of my favourite guys, I’m just looking out for you. I don’t like thinking that one or both of you are gonna get hurt. I mean, it’s not a real relationship, is it. People in relationships are supposed to love each other.” Blow after blow, each more painful and affective than the last.
“Maybe for you, that’s how it has to be. But, my dude, this is the important bit: we aren’t you. No two people are the same! And neither are any relationships. Anyway, are you seriously trying to tell me Katsuki doesn’t love me? I thought you were smarter than that man, he loves all of us. Not all aromantic people love, but Katsuki sure as hell does. So listen to me when I tell you this: Butt. Out.” Bakugou didn’t think he’d ever heard Kirishima sound so serious talking to Kaminari. Part of him wanted to walk round the corner, into the kitchen and sweep the redhead off his feet and never let go. The other part, the part that had always been there but had been getting louder ever since last night, wanted to run, to scream, to explode anything in arms reach. Despite the kind words Kirishima spoke and the surety with which he said them, anxiety that Bakugou had long kept buried underneath piles of aggression and arrogance was swelling uncontrollably. It took all the self-control he had developed over the past 3 years to simply walk back up the stairs to Kirishima’s room and throw himself into the desk chair. His leg bounced as he waited for Kirishima’s return, brooding like he was 15 again.
Kirishima re-entered the room, breakfast in hand. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Bakugou’s expression, his smile dipped slightly, then returned like nothing was wrong. Perfect, he thought. You’re already making him miserable. “I spoke to Kaminari, and I think everything is okay. I’m still not sure he completely understands, but he doesn’t have to as far as I’m concerned.” Bakugou knew he was supposed to feel relieved, knew it would disappoint Kirishima when he realised he wasn’t. So instead of saying anything, he turned to look out the window. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day; barely a cloud in the sky and little breeze shaking the leafless limbs of the surrounding trees. Was the outside world mocking the fact that his felt like it was falling apart? All too familiar rage settled in his bones. His hands, knuckles turning white, clenched on his arms.
Breakfast abandoned on the desk, Kirishima dropped in front of where Bakugou was sat ruminating. “C’mon, man, won’t you talk to me? Or at least eat something.” The hand Kirishima placed on his knee felt like it burned him. He flinched away. “Right, so we’re going back to this? You, shutting me out, me agonising whether it was something I said, something I did? Bullshit, Kat!”
Behind the anger, Bakugou sensed panic, a touch of desperation. He ignored that in favour of the more explosive emotion. Anger was familiar. Anger was safe. Fists still clenched, he rose to his feet and Kirishima scrambled up after him. “You think you can say that shit to me, huh? You’re the one who started this whole thing off in the first place!” Stop, you’re hurting him. “You wouldn’t even have gotten to this point if it weren’t for me!” That’s not true. “Well I don’t need an asshole like you dragging me down. I’m done.” Lies, lies, lies. Bakugou’s chest heaved as he took in the damage dealt by the words: the glassiness of Kirishima’s eyes, the faint wobble of his lip. He sucked in another breath, breaking eye contact. “I need some space,” he said quietly, leaving without another word.
~~
Boom, boom, boom.
Smatterings of rocks cascaded around him through the smoke. Bakugou wasn’t sure how long he had been standing here, blowing hole after hole into the rocky terrain of one of the training rooms. While it wouldn’t be enough to calm him, he could maybe train until he was so tired there would be nothing left to do but pass out into a restful sleep. His phone had long been turned off for fear of Kirishima calling and him saying yet another thing he didn’t mean, or even worse, that Kirishima wouldn’t call at all. It had been a while since he had lashed out so hard against someone he cared about, and even longer since Kirishima had been on the receiving end. Regret fizzled in Bakugou’s veins and he pushed harder.
Blast after blast provided no relief. A final howitzer, crashed through 3 layers of stone to leave a neat hole the size of a cherry. It was one of most precise attacks he had ever pulled off- he should be happy. With a raw of frustration, he collapsed on the floor, back to the stone wall and head down, arms rested on his knees. Don’t think, don’t think. Thinking is what got him into this situation in the first place. If only there were a way to shut off his racing thoughts.
A clatter had Bakugou looking up towards the door, where Midoriya was coming through with a bag bigger than him (a feat considering how much height he had gained since first year). He set the bag down and stuck his arm in, pulling out a few items. “Hey, nerd.” Midoriya jumped up half a foot in the sky and turned around, noticing Bakugou for the first time. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Kacchan! Nothing. Not a single thing…haha…” He continued to shuffle on his feet.
Bakugou didn’t have the energy or willpower to care, so climbed to his feet and said, “never mind, I don’t want to fucking know. Spar with me, Deku.” Green eyes analysed the damage behind Bakugou before taking in his expression, which seemed to convince him. Suddenly he was moving towards Bakugou, lit up with dancing green energy. His first kick was barely avoided by Bakugou, sweeping low to throw him off balance, causing him to jump and set off an explosion to obscure Midoriya’s vision.
The routine of throwing punch after punch, flying through the air and falling to the ground calmed Bakugou considerably, but it was a testament to his compromised state of mind that Midoriya had him lying on the floor within a few minutes. “Are you sure everything is alright, Kacchan? That was easier than it should have been…”
“Again.” Bakugou was back up in seconds, lashing out with all his force, growing frustrated as Midoriya blocked and dodged every hit.
Catching Bakugou’s wrist, Midoriya affectively ends the fight for the second time in as many minutes, throwing Bakugou back against the rocks. “Seriously, are you ill? I’m not going to keep beating the shit out of you where you’re like this.” Bakugou crossed his legs and rested his head on his fists, grumbling. Midoriya sat directly in front of him, kicking at his shin a few times. Years ago, Bakugou wouldn’t have let Midoriya within 10 metres of him without exploding him, let alone tolerate this kind of familiarity. Now, he’s grateful for this brotherly bond, grateful Midoriya hadn’t let it die when anybody else would have. “Out with it.”
“What about whatever you came here to do, you sketchy asshole?” Bakugou grumbled.
“Well, it all started when Shouto-kun kicked me out of bed the other night on purpose-”
“I had a fight with Eijirou,” Bakugou said, throwing a handful of stones across the room and watching them shower the ground.
Midoriya gasped dramatically. “You and Kirishima-kun have fights?” At Bakugou’s glare Midoriya raised his hands in surrender. “Shutting up.”
From his being aromantic, to himself and Kirishima, to Kaminari: Bakugou spilled it all. It was probably the longest he’d ever spoken to Midoriya at once, but Midoriya listened throughout, fingers flexing like he wanted to take notes. Occasionally, he threw rocks straight at Bakugou’s face to keep him on his toes, who exploded them mid-air. Ashes and dust fell to the floor. As much as he hated to admit it, it was helping a lot to talk this through with Midoriya. Coherency began to emerge through his scattered thoughts. “He’s just…he’s the best fucking person I know. He’s selfless and cheerful and he fucking cries at the end of every movie we’ve ever watched, even if he’s seen it before. He’s good. And I’ve locked him into a stupid relationship where he’s going to have to either lie about me or explain it every goddamn time somebody makes a stupid assumption. Or even worse, they might have the nerve to pity him,” Bakugou spat the word as if it were poison. “He deserves better,” he said in a low voice, staring at the floor.
Midoriya sat quietly for a moment, contemplating. Then he said, “Since when do you care about what anyone else thinks?”
“I don’t care about them. They can all go to hell. I care about Eijirou.”
“Well, considering what he has said, I think it’s pretty clear how he feels on the topic. He doesn’t even seem to be that worried about you not loving him in the conventional way, which in most cases would probably put a whole lot more stress on the relationship than it has between you two. But then again, Uraraka-san is always talking about the importance of different types of relationships in life, so maybe that is less of an interesting feat on yours and Kirishima-kun’s part and more a point everyone should be considering in how they view the people in their life, and the significance they place on the specific type of feelings an individual is feeling instead of on the simple joys of-”
“Deku.”
Midoriya looked up at Bakugou as if remembering he wasn’t alone in the room, and Bakugou couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Sorry, sorry. My point is that I don’t think you’re being fair on yourself or Kirishima right now. And I think you know that.”
The stony silence that sat in between them spoke for itself.
“You need to trust him, talk to him. He’ll understand and you’ll both feel better. And then you can go back to being the most obvious ‘secret couple’ in the history of the world.” Bakugou stared at him for a minute longer before letting out a long sigh.
“Fine. You win. I fucking hate it when you’re right.” Standing up, Bakugou brushes the dust off his sweatpants and offers a hand to Midoriya, hauling him to his feet. The sun was high in the sky by then, filtering in through the rocky terrain, lighting up dust motes that slanted through the room. It must have been at least an hour or two since he left the dormitories, and training on an empty stomach had left him feeling sore and hungry. Guilt pushed itself into his mind as he thought of the breakfast Kirishima had made for him, likely still sitting on his desk, cold and untouched. He could only hope that Kirishima had been less impulsive than himself, was taking care of himself rather than razing half a training room to the ground.
Walking back towards the door, Bakugou again spotted the bag of Midoriya had long since discarded on the floor. All Bakugou could see was several bottles of Pepsi, a couple of packs of Mentos mints, and a large towel. He wasn’t sure what exactly Midoriya was meaning to do, but the items in front of him seemed to be a recipe for disaster.
“What the fuck.”
“He deserves it! Shouto-kun has been trying to prank me all week. Yesterday he managed to fake a pregnancy test and told me I was going to be a father. It’s not even possible, how did I believe him? I’m setting up a whole string of tricks and just when he thinks it’s over and he’s safe I’ll get him with the next one. And I didn’t even have to pay for any of it either!” Midoriya exclaimed excitedly. “It’s all on Endeavour’s card.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are batshit?” Bakugou said, even as his respect for Midoriya grew ever so slightly.
“This is war, Kacchan.” A chaotic grin appeared on Midoriya’s face, reminding him why they were rivals in the first place. “And I’m going to win.”
~~
Though the walk alone back to the dorms wasn’t a long one, it felt like a lifetime. All Bakugou wanted to do was crawl into Kirishima’s arms and pretend none of this had ever happened. The world was, as always, clearly oblivious to any insecurities or worries any of the people living on it may have been experiencing. Birds flew in twos and threes and flocks across the sky, which was dotted with a few clouds. It had become more windy while he was inside. Cold air hit his face and made the hairs on his arms stand on end. Of course he hadn’t had the foresight to bring a jacket with him when he left; he cursed his own inability to curve is impulsiveness. In spite of the cold, it still took him a moment to prepare himself before he could reach for the door and step into the dormitories.
The common room was blissfully silent as Bakugou walked through it, the quiet Sunday ensuring most of his classmates were lounging in their rooms or visiting their family at home. Taking advantage of the quiet, he slipped into the kitchen and dug around for some quick food, inhaling two protein bars and downing a glass of water. Hunger satiated and thirst quenched, he headed towards the stairs.
He goes to see Kaminari first. That way, he reasons, he could spend the rest of the day with Kirishima without another thought about the other blond.
So Kaminari would know it was him, he knocked on his door with a signature kick and waits, feeling his eyebrows tug together familiarly. Kaminari was quick to open the door, already sputtering through an apology.
“Bakugou! Dude, I’m so-”
“Shut up. Here’s the deal. Long as Eijirou is happy, I’m happy. Miss me with that ‘you’re relationship is weird’ shit. Fucks me up.”
Incredulity passed over Kaminari’s face, and he laughed. “To the point, man. Don’t worry, I was just confused is all. I’ve got complete faith in you and Kiri-bro to do what’s best for you. Plus, I’m wrong at least 20 times a day so don’t listen to literally anything I say.” He grinned and offered his fist, which Bakugou begrudgingly bumped with his own, making effort not to let his relief show. He had known from the start that Kaminari hadn’t meant to hurt him, and the proof of that was standing right in front of him, but the interaction had still been much easier than he had been expecting.
Turning away before he could be roped into any of Kaminari’s antics, he walked quickly down the corridor, making a gagging noise when Kaminari called out, “love you too, bro!”, and cackling at the sounds of indignation he left behind.
~~
Bakugou never thought he would hesitate in front of this door. There were no more ways to delay the moment, short of throwing himself out a window, ‘accidentally’ breaking a leg and making a quick trip to Recovery Girl. What had Kirishima been doing while he was gone? Had he sat in his room, alone, angry and sad, or had he continued through his day like it hadn’t even mattered? He wasn’t sure which option sounded worse.
Man up, a voice inside his head that sounded suspiciously like Kirishima’s whispered. All he had to do what get his head out of his ass and admit how he was feeling. For the 3rd time today. So he stopped stalling and knocked on the door before his stupid brain could talk itself out of yet another moment of vulnerability.
“Eijirou?”
Immediately, he heard shuffling inside and the door opened, perhaps with a little less enthusiasm than normal. Kirishima looked much the same as he had a few hours ago, ridiculously mismatched shirt and shorts combination despite the cold, hair pulled back in a ponytail. The one exception was his eyes, which were ringed red like he had been crying recently. Shame buzzed in Bakugou’s head, causing a burn in his own eyes that threatened to overflow.
Since first year, Bakugou had made mistake after mistake. Yet he never learned. Would his instinct always be attack first, think later? No- he could get better, he would get better. Partly to prove the world wrong, but mostly because that was what Kirishima deserved.
“I- can I come in?” The uncharacteristic stutter, the uncertainty of his words must have told Kirishima enough about how Bakugou was feeling that he didn’t say a word, only stepped to the side to let him in. The room, like Kirishima, remained mostly unchanged, save for the addition of a shirt Bakugou hadn’t been able to find for a few days sitting on the bed.
They both moved to sit against the headboard of Kirishima’s bed, close but not quite touching. Silence hung between them and settled in Bakugou’s bones, allowed him to gather his thoughts once more. He curled into himself slightly under the weight of Kirishima’s gaze. Desperate for a point of contact, Bakugou’s fingers latch around Kirishima’s ankle, holding on tightly. None of this would be easy, so why not start with the hardest part, with the words Bakugou had almost never said out loud:
“I’m afraid.”
There was no relief in the admission, just nausea in the pit of his stomach, but he soldiered on, knowing Kirishima deserved a better explanation. He took a deep breath and Kirishima waited patiently. “The stupidest thing is I already told you I didn’t want to lose you, that I didn’t want you to turn around one day and decide I’m not enough, and you’ve already told me it’s not gonna happen. But then Pikachu walked in spouting his stupid shit and I just…”
“Imploded?” When he looked over at Kirishima and saw him trying to hide a smile, like he’d told the funniest joke in the world. Bakugou grunted.
“All I know is that you deserve the best, and sometimes…I find it hard to believe that that’s me.” He closed his eyes, feeling tear drops slide down his cheeks. “Sometimes I just really wish I could tell you I love you and mean it the same way you do.” Bakugou waited in anticipation, trying not to steal a look at Kirishima’s face. Then, gentle fingers pried Bakugou’s hand of Kirishima’s leg. Panic set in. Was this it? The end he had known was coming? He shouldn’t have said anything- he should have spared them both the hassle and not come back. This is why you don’t show your vulnerabilities to people, why did he ever think he could deserve-
Strong arms circled around him, one keeping a firm grip on his waste while the other guided his head onto a familiar broad shoulder. Shock kept Bakugou still for a few seconds while he worked out what was happening. Relief caused his breathing to become even more uneven, and he shook, head buried in Kirishima’s shoulder and eyes squeezed tightly shut against the tears. Kirishima held him throughout his breakdown, whispering reassurances into his hair and rubbing his back. He held Bakugou tightly, like he knew exactly what Bakugou needed from him (he almost always did).
Seconds or minutes later, Bakugou couldn’t be sure how long, he could feel his body begin to relax. God, he was tired. Consciousness was starting to drift away from him when Kirishima spoke again. “Baby, I know you’re tired, you can have a nap in a little while, but I need you to listen to me for a minute.”
His voice was soft but serious as he guided Bakugou’s face with one hand to look up at him. Concern was evident on his face. “Are you listening, Katsuki?” Bakugou nodded, voice having escaped him. “Good. You know when I start getting in my head about my Quirk and my hair and whatever else has got me down that day? You always say that you’ll ‘explode’ my dumb thoughts as many time as it takes for them to not come back. Let me do that for you now. Worries like that didn’t appear over night and they won’t go away that quick either. I’m sorry for not noticing sooner. But in return, I need you to talk to me, okay? Don’t shut me out again.”
Bakugou looked down at his hands. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Don’t be sorry, just say you’ll do it.”
“Okay.” He grabs Kirishima’s spare hand and starts to play with his fingers. “Thanks.”
The next time Bakugou looked up, it was like staring into the sun. A blinding grin had appeared on Kirishima’s face, full of ease and comfort. “I’ll tell you again, since you seem to have forgotten: I love you, exactly as you are. I have for ages. Changing anything about you would mean changing the man I love. And I know you know this, but there is nothing wrong with you. You’re obnoxious and ruthless and either the loudest or quietest person in the room with no in between, and you’re perfect exactly as you are. Trust me, okay? I’m right here.”
Bakugou was grateful that the two of them were alone, because if anyone else knew how much softness he allowed from Kirishima, he would definitely have to kill them. Even after a couple of weeks it was hard to accept such unfiltered attention, and it made him feel safe. He buried his face in Kirishima’s chest, trying to ignore his own thoughts wondering how this would feel if he fell in love like other people do. None of that mattered. Hopefully, one day, he would believe it.
Instead, he spoke a simple truth. “You’re my best friend.” Stay.
“Damn right,” Kirishima said, and it sounded like, always.