Work Text:
I
“Come on, Bakubro, just tell me!” Kirishima whines, eyes the size of the ramen bowls that sit emptied on the table next to their books.
Bakugou knows what he’s doing. Kirishima tries to plead with his eyes, weasel his way out of doing his own homework.
“I won’t fucking tell you cause that defeats the whole purpose of me trying to teach your dumbass!” Bakugou yells.
Kirishima huffs and sighs, placing his chin in his hand and staring back at his math homework. The task at hand is too difficult, plus he feels full and tired after the bowl of spicy ramen. But he sits and tries to puzzle his way through it anyway.
Some minutes pass and all he’s managed to do is draw some circles on the side of the page.
Kirishima can hear Bakugou roll his eyes, can feel the blonde’s fuse nearing its end.
“Do you ever even listen when I teach you shit?!”
“I do!” Kirishima counters, a pout forming on his lips, “I guess I’m just too dumb to get it.”
“Fuck off with that bullshit! You’re just lazy and want me to do all the work so you can play your dumb games.”
Kirishima smiles inwardly. That’s a compliment if he’s ever heard one from Bakugou.
Bakugou groans and rakes his hands through his hair, messing up the natural disarray of his hair making it spike up on one side. He looks kind of cute, if Kirishima thinks about it. Huh.
“You’re so annoying!” Bakugou grits through his teeth. But then he clears his throat and goes back to explaining the formulas to Kirishima, using examples so that it’s easier for Kirishima to understand.
This time Kirishima let’s the smile form on his lips as he stares down at the math homework page, knowing that Bakugou will make sure he understands everything at the end of the night.
II
It’s late when Kirishima opens the dorm door. It’s been a while since he’d started his internship with Fat but he’s yet to get used to the taxing lifestyle of a hero hopeful.
He yawns, but then a smell catches his attention. It’s coming from the kitchen, and he can imagine in his minds eye cartoonish smoke wafting his way and pulling him forward by his nose.
He’s tired, he wants to take a shower and sleep. But hunger seems to win in this fight, so he takes off his shoes and slides into his slippers, making his way to the kitchen.
It’s mostly quiet except for the few people lounging on the sofas, none of them notice Kirishima and he’s kind of grateful for that because Bakugou is alone in the kitchen. The overhead light is dimmed the way Bakugou likes it when he cooks, and for a moment Kirishima just stands right outside of Bakugou’s point of vision and admires the blond.
He’s really pretty, Kirishima thinks. He doesn’t know at which point the same black shirts and loose pants started to look so good on Bakugou. He doesn’t know at which point the same blond hair started to seem so familiar. He doesn’t know when the line of his arm started to look so holdable. All that Kirishima knows is that his best friend is really pretty.
Bakugou stirs the contents of the pan, and he looks peaceful. His face is relaxed like it usually is when he’s doing something he enjoys. And Kirishima guesses that Kaminari hadn’t done anything to piss Bakugou off since all his movements lack any type of aggression.
Kirishima likes all sides of Bakugou, but this peaceful side of him is Kirishima’s favorite. And maybe he’s a bit selfish for thinking that because Bakugou tends to be so calm only when they’re together and alone, but he doesn’t care simply because he’s grateful to experience Bakugou’s company at all.
Kirishima moves closer, hands stuffed in his pockets. He knows Bakugou notices him, because Bakugou is vigilant by default, something rarely passes him, and Kirishima sees how his eyes dart to him and then back to the pan.
“Hey, man.” Kirishima greets while leaning against the counter.
Bakugou hums and Kirishima knows that that’s the best greeting he’ll get from his friend. It doesn’t bother him, Kirishima knows that Bakugou is just the way he is, so he fills up the silence with his own voice, he talks about his day and what happened at his internship. He’s happy to talk for the both of them.
And to an outsider it may seem like Bakugou isn’t even listening, but Kirishima knows he is. Can tell from the way his mouth twitches when he says something slightly amusing, the way Bakugou frowns along with the story. Bakugou always listens, and sometimes Kirishima is surprised at how many small details Bakugou can and does memorize from all the stories Kirishima has told. Like the time Kirishima had offhandedly mentioned that he wanted yakitori, low and behold Bakugou had been craving them too, when asked why he’d made them for dinner that night.
Everyday Kirishima remembers how lucky he is to have Bakugou as his friend.
It’s later when Bakugou pushes the bowl of katsudon towards him that Kirishima lets a grateful smile bloom on his face. He sits down next to Bakugou at the kitchen counter and before he starts eating, with eyes full of something tender he says, “Thank you, Katsuki.”
The reaction is immediate. Bakugou’s cheeks get all red and his eyes look at everything except for Kirishima in the room, the grip on his chopsticks get tighter and tighter. He’s embarrassed, Kirishima can tell, and there’s something warm blooming in his chest as he once again is hit with the thought that Bakugou is extremely pretty.
“Shut the fuck up.” Bakugou says with no actual heat behind the words. Kirishima revels in the euphoric feeling of being the only one able to call Bakugou by his first name.
And there Kirishima sits and thinks of how lucky he’d be to call Katsuki more than just his friend.
III
One grain of rice.
One grain of rice is all it takes for Kirishima to slowly lose his mind.
It’s lunchtime and they’re sitting at a table with their friends. Sero is going off about some manga that he’d read with Todoroki, but Kirishima can’t really pay attention. He has half the mind to feel bad about not listening to his friend, but he just can’t look away from Bakugou.
There’s a small grain of rice, right next to the tiny mole on Bakugou’s cheek. A small grain of rice stuck to his perfect and neat and tidy friend’s cheek. And he hasn’t noticed. Bakugou probably doesn’t feel it since he continues to eat. Eyes periodically moving to Sero, because he is listening to him, unlike Kirishima.
Kirishima tries not to stare, but he’s failing miserably, if the kick to his shin under the table is anything to go by. Ashido has the decency to not make a spectacle out of him, but she gives him a look. Kirishima huffs and shakes his head. Ashido tries not to laugh but a giggle pushes past her lips. Yeah, Kirishima’s down bad.
Kirishima focuses on his own food from there on. Tries to at least. One would think that he’s weird with how much attention he’s paying to every single bite of his food, but he knows that if he looked up then his eyes would shoot to that one rice grain. And he really doesn’t want to creep Bakugou out by staring at him.
He’s just going to wait it out. He’s sure that by the time they have to go, Bakugou will have wiped his face clean and there won’t be a reason for Kirishima to ogle his friend. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.
He ends up hearing the ending of Sero’s story and then he listens to Kaminari talk about the weird movie he’d binge watched last night, the probable cause of the dark circles under the guy’s eyes.
And soon their lunch break comes to an end, and everyone is gathering their plates and bowls, ready to head back to class. And so does Kirishima, and once he’s done, he gets ready to stand up. He looks at Bakugou and-
It’s still there. The rice grain is still there.
Everyone at their table has already left to put away their trays and Kirishima thinks it’s now or never.
“Katsuki.” He says and stands up to be eye to eye with the blond.
Bakugou pauses, “What?”
Kirishima swallows hard and wipes his hand on the side of his pants. Why is he making such a big deal out of this? It’s just a rice grain on his friend’s face. But no, it’s Bakugou. It’s not that simple anymore. It never has been that simple when it comes to Bakugou.
“What, Shitty Hair? I don’t have all day just to stand around.” Bakugou says impatiently, face pulled into a frown.
Kirishima zeroes in on the rice grain. It’s just sitting there all peacefully, the stubborn bastard.
“I just…” Kirishima begins but for some reason he can’t bring himself to speak. So instead, he steps closer and Bakugou’s frown gets deeper. Then, Kirishima reaches out and swipes the rice off of Bakugou’s cheek with one swift movement of his hand.
Kirishima sees Bakugou’s eyes go wide. And then there’s a stunned expression evening out his frown, and a red tint climbing up on the apples of his cheeks. Gosh, his skin feels so soft, Kirishima can almost feel the sensation again as he rubs his fingertips against his own palm.
And it’s kind of cute how Bakugou is turning all red and his eyes are everywhere but at Kirishima at that moment. He opens his mouth to speak but then closes it again. And Kirishima feels like giggling with how precious Bakugou is acting. Would Bakugou always get this red and embarrassed? Maybe Kirishima should fluster him more often, it’s really adorable.
“There was a grain of rice stuck to your face.” Kirishima explains and picks up his own tray.
Bakugou splutters and Kirishima can see how his grip on the tray gets stronger. Bakugou ducks his head, glare back on his face, and turns away from Kirishima to finally put away his dishes while muttering something under his breath.
Kirishima is braced with the delightful knowledge that the back of Bakugou’s neck has also turned red from embarrassment. Kirishima smiles. And before Bakugou can escape him completely, he picks up his pace and throws an arm over the shoulders that probably are red too.
IV
It’s dark in Bakugou’s room. The curtains are closed shut and the lights are turned off. The only reason Kirishima can see anything at all is with the help of Bakugou’s laptop that’s showing a new movie that neither of them had seen. Kirishima’s surprised at how Bakugou had managed to get his hands on the movie in the first place since it had aired in the theatres not that long ago.
They sit next to each other on Bakugou’s bed, and if Kirishima were to move an inch to his right, their sides would be pressed close together. If he were to move his hand just a little bit, he’d be able to grab Bakugou’s hand. He could hold it. And maybe Bakugou wouldn't yell at him.
He doesn’t move his hand, but he wants to. Kirishima hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Bakugou for the past few weeks now. And he won’t pretend or kid himself, he knows he’s crushing on Bakugou. He knows why his heart beats faster and why he craves Bakugou’s attention.
The lights from the laptop keep flashing all kinds of colors on Bakugou’s features and Kirishima can’t help but admire the curve of Bakugou’s jaw, the way his cheeks are rounder than his own, the nose that Kirishima often wants to boop with the tip of his finger, the lashes that fan over his cheeks. He’s so pretty.
“The fuck are you staring at?” Bakugou asks, turning his gaze from the laptop to Kirishima.
Kirishima doesn’t even try to deny the fact that he had indeed stared at Bakugou. He just smiles softly, then says, “Nothing.”
Bakugou frowns and, oh gosh, his lip juts out in a pout. “Stop fucking staring at me, Shitty Hair.” He says and pushes Kirishima’s face back towards the laptop screen.
Kirishima bites his lip and keeps his eyes locked on the screen. At this point he doesn’t even know what the plot of the movie is.
It’s later, when the movie is nearing its end, when Kirishima feels Bakugou’s shoulder brush against his own. And he tries not to act like the contact affects him much, but it does. Bakugou doesn’t initiate touch. It took some time to even get him to not pull away from Kirishima’s side hugs and arms over the shoulder. So this? This means a lot.
Kirishima doesn’t want to read into things wrong, he doesn’t want to jump to conclusions, but his heart is beating twice its pace again and Bakugou’s shoulder feels warm against his own.
Kirishima lets out a slow breath. And then he reaches out. He slides his hand over Bakugou’s, slowly - as if to give enough time for Bakugou to pull away. But he doesn’t. Bakugou’s hand stays between the bed and Kirishima’s hand. Oh, wow.
Kirishima is holding Bakugou’s hand.
He can’t help but glance at their hands. Bakugou’s is slightly bigger but the skin on the top of his hand is softer than his own. His fingers are wider than Kirishima’s, but he has more scars than him, which makes sense since Kirishima’s quirk usually saves him from obtaining them.
There’s a buzz that goes right through his whole body when he dares to lace their fingers together. He feels like his whole chest will explode, like somehow Bakugou had made his way into his heart and is using Howitzer to get out. And Bakugou doesn’t pull his hand away. Instead, he holds on to Kirishima’s just as tight.
Oh.
A single thought runs through Kirishima’s head. And this time he can’t talk himself out of it. He can’t find reasons to not do it, so he just does it.
He turns to Bakugou, leans in and plants a quick kiss to Bakugou’s cheek. Right on the spot where he knows that small mole is.
Bakugou freezes. And so does Kirishima. What if he misunderstood? What if Kirishima got it all wrong? What if Bakugou hates him now?
Then Bakugou’s eyes slowly turn bigger and even though Kirishima can’t see clearly, he thinks Bakugou might be blushing.
Kirishima moves to take his hand away from Bakugou’s, but the blond tightens his grip. He squeezes Kirishima’s hand and he kind of loves how warm Bakugou’s hand is. Then Bakugou turns to look at him. And now Kirishima is sure that a blush really is covering his cheeks.
“If you’re gonna do it,” Bakugou whispers with a low voice while he leans towards Kirishima, closer and closer, “Then do it right.”
“Wha-”
Kirishima doesn’t get the chance to ask what Bakugou means by that when there are lips pressing against his own. Kirishima can feel his stomach soar in a thousand butterflies as Bakugou kisses him. The kiss is soft, shy at first, but Bakugou is intense and so are his lips. Bakugou angles his head to one side and, oh wow, it feels so nice.
He can’t help but cup Bakugou’s face in his hands, and, yes, the other is definitely blushing if the heat radiating off of him is anything to go by. Kirishima kisses back and the whole moment is so tender yet exhilarating. His heart races in his chest and his mind stops working, yet he feels every brush of Bakugou’s lips and he feels the softness of his skin. And then Bakugou is carding his fingers in Kirishima’s hair and he feels like he’s going to float away any minute now.
They pull away for a second, but they stay close, their foreheads pressed together. Kirishima can see Bakugou’s eyes lingering on his lips, and this time Bakugou isn’t the only one blushing. Kirishima can feel his own face heat up as Bakugou traces his fingers through his hair. And then Bakugou leans in and catches Kirishima off guard, when he kisses him again, stealing his breath out of his lungs.
This time Bakugou kisses him with intention, the press of his lips is stronger, more of a take than a give and Kirishima is pretty sure that if he wouldn’t be sitting down right now, his legs would be giving up on him. His fingers tingle as he traces his thumbs over Bakugou’s cheeks and his lips burn with sweetness, and he finds himself kissing back as Bakugou hums with content.
The second time they pull away from each other, they’re slightly breathless and Kirishima can’t stop smiling.
“What the fuck are you grinning at?” Bakugou grumbles, but the look on his face is way too pleased for him to be angry or upset. Quite the contrary, he looks like a smile will split his lips any moment now.
Kirishima can’t help but grin and trace the skin of Bakugou’s cheeks as he says, “You.”
V
It’s been a month since he and Bakugou are together. It still feels like a weird concept to think about. Kirishima can’t help the giddy smile that always sneaks up on his lips when he thinks of Bakugou as his boyfriend instead of just his best friend. His heart still picks up its pace when he thinks about him, and he thinks that this feeling might never leave him. He doesn’t want it to leave.
Kirishima keeps twirling the wrapped object in his pocket between his fingers, he hopes Bakugou will like it since it’s a gift for him. He had been scrolling through social media, when he’d noticed a listing, and immediately his eyes had lit up because he thought that it was something perfect for his boyfriend. The price had been ridiculous, but Kirishima thought that it was worth it.
Kirishima picked up his pace as the sky had gotten darker by the second. He’d gone to pick up the gift right after his internship and it had taken longer than he expected. And he still needed to shower before turning up to his boyfriend, god knows Bakugou would throw a fit if he’d go into his room all stinky. Such a neat freak.
Kirishima ran back to the dorms with a smile on his face and a fluttering in his chest. He can’t wait to see Bakugou’s expression once he hands him his gift. Once he gets back, he races up the stairs and into his room to grab a towel and some fresh clothes so he can go and shower.
Before he can make it far, his phone pings with a notification.
boyfriend 🧡💥: come over
Bakugou’s as curt as ever. Kirishima smiles to himself as he types out his response, he probably had heard Kirishima slam his door closed.
me: shower first :D
He didn’t get a response, so he just took his clothes and toiletries and made his way to the showers. After ten minutes of scrubbing his skin clean and washing the gel out of his hair, Kirishima feels refreshed and gets dressed quickly, and goes back to his room while running the towel through his hair to get it at least somewhat dry.
Once he’s done, he grabs the gift and knocks on Bakugou’s door. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it’s definitely not this because once Bakugou opens the door, he can feel his mouth hang open and his eyes go wide.
There are multiple candles sitting atop Bakugou’s desk and shelves, all of them lit, and all the lights are turned off except for Bakugou’s desk lamp, making the room glow with a soft light. Kirishima sees that on the table Bakugou has food laid out and - no way! - he made Kirishima’s favorite dish.
“Don’t even think about crying.” Bakugou mumbles and pulls Kirishima inside by his hand, closing the door behind them.
“Katsuki…” Kirishima moves closer, and he can feel his lip wobble, “This is so amazing.”
Bakugou rolls his eyes but accepts Kirishima’s hug anyway. He holds Kirishima in a tight embrace, proving that this means just as much to him as it does to Kirishima, and that the attitude is just for show. Bakugou mumbles against Kirishima’s shoulder, “Yeah, yeah, don’t make a big deal out of this.”
Kirishima can’t help but chuckle, “I mean, you’re the one with the dozens of candles! All that’s missing is a bunch of roses.” He can feel Bakugou hide his face closer to his neck. “No way!” Kirishima exclaims and looks around the room over Bakugou’s head and, yes, there’s a vase full of red roses on Bakugou’s bedside table.
Kirishima squeezes Bakugou and smiles into his hair, “You’re such a romantic at heart. I knew it.”
“Say that again and I’ll kill you.” Bakugou threatens as he pulls away from the hug with a frown between his brows and a red tint on the tips of his cheeks. Kirishima smiles at how cute the other is. “If Aizawa doesn’t kill us first. Can’t you get in trouble for having candles in the dorms?”
Bakugou pulls out the chair from his desk and motions for Kirishima to sit down, “He doesn’t have to know.”
And they sit like that and enjoy the meal Bakugou had made, talking about their days. Bakugou tells him how he’d rushed to get everything ready since he hadn’t wanted to ask Endeavor to let him go quicker this time. Bakugou rolls his eyes and grumbles when he talks about Midoriya and Todoroki asking him why he wasn’t heading straight back to the dorm. He had to pick up the flowers after all. Kirishima just laughs and smiles, his gaze unashamedly tender when looking at Bakugou.
After they’re done eating and Kirishima has showered Bakugou in praise about how delicious everything was, they make their way to the bed and put on a movie so that they can just relax. Kirishima uses the moment to pull out Bakugou’s gift out of his pocket. “Hey, I got you something.”
Bakugou looks over with a questioning glance, as if he wasn’t expecting anything from Kirishima. “What is it?”
Kirishima smiles, “Open it.”
Bakugou rips at the packaging and stalls the moment he sees the object. “That’s-”
Kirishima grins. Bakugou removes all of the paper and takes a closer look. “This is limited edition, Eijirou.”
Kirishima just nods. Bakugou looks at him dumbfounded. “This is the original from twenty years ago.”
“Glad to know it’s the actual thing and I wasn’t scammed.” Kirishima laughs as Bakugou keeps examining every detail on the All Might keychain. It’s shaped like the Hero and he’s wearing the costume that All Might used to wear at the time. “How much did you pay?”
“Nuhu. Not saying.” Kirishima motions zipping up his lips.
“Eijirou.” Bakugou looks at him with something akin to guilt. Kirishima sighs. “Just take it, Kats. I wanted to get you something you’d like, so don't even think about paying me back. It’s a gift.”
Bakugou bites his lip and then pulls Kirishima into a hug. He says thank you while his face is hidden in Kirishima’s neck. When they pull apart, Bakugou is grinning. Then he gets up and finds his keys and attaches the gift to them while admiring the miniature hero. “Ha! The nerd is going to be so jealous.”
Kirishima laughs while the movie still plays in the background. Neither of them is paying attention to it. “Pretty sure the person who sold it to me has more stuff like that.”
Bakugou’s interest is piqued as he sits back down next to Kirishima. “Who was it?”
“Hold on, I think I screenshotted their profile.” Kirishima digs in his pocket for his phone and opens his photos app. He finds the screenshot and hands the phone to Bakugou.
Bakugou hums as he looks at the profile and nods his head, probably deeming the seller good enough. Kirishima points his gaze back to the movie, trying to understand what’s going on even though they’ve missed a good part of the beginning.
A few minutes later Kirishima looks back at Bakugou and sees him still looking at his phone. He’s looking at the pictures that Kirishima had taken of them together. Bakugou is frowning in almost all of them but right now his lips are pursed into a small smile.
“You know, the sickest part is that no one would believe me that you’re so sweet if I told anyone.” Kirishima sighs dramatically.
“Tch.” Bakugou glares at him, but he doesn’t deny Kirishima’s observation of him being sweet. “What other pictures do you have?” Bakugou asks and starts scrolling through his gallery.
Kirishima can feel his cheeks starting to heat up, “Oh. Nothing much. Probably just some old, embarrassing ones.”
Bakugou takes a look at him and grins. Oh, no. He’s going to make it miserable for Kirishima. He knows that there’s no use of him stopping Bakugou, so he just lets him scroll and look all the while trying to keep some part of his dignity.
Bakugou examines the pictures of random dogs on the streets, pictures of sunsets and sometimes sunrises if Kirishima had been up at the early hour. There are pictures of him and Fat Gum and Amajiki. Pictures with his classmates. Some selfies that Bakugou grins at, making Kirishima bury his face in his hands. There are pictures with him and his moms back at home, some with all of them together or some just with his moms and their cat.
The further back Bakugou scrolls the more Kirishima’s cheeks heat up. Bakugou is laughing but Kirishima knows that there’s no ill intention behind it. Then Bakugou reaches the pictures with Kirishima back in middle school.
Something sours in Kirishima, and he refuses to look at himself. He turns his head to the other side and pretends to be uninterested in Bakugou’s reaction. He doesn’t want to see the look on his boyfriend’s face when he realizes how pitiful he used to be. Gosh, he should’ve deleted the pictures a long time ago.
Bakugou might have caught on to Kirishima’s mood drop, because he’s cautious when he says, “So that’s how you looked with your black hair.”
Kirishima groans and hides his head in his arms. “Yeah. It’s embarrassing.”
“Why?” Bakugou asks and Kirishima thinks he hears actual curiosity in the other’s voice.
“I was…” Kirishima sighs and lifts his head. He musters up the courage to look at the pictures and he hates how he can still feel in his chest the same feeling he did back then. “I was a coward.”
“I don’t know.” Bakugou mutters, “You looked kinda cute. Can’t be a coward and cute at the same time.”
Kirishima’s face explodes with heat. “What?!”
Bakugou lets out a laugh. “You heard me.”
“Y-you can’t just say that!” Kirishima sputters and hides his red cheeks with his hands.
“Yeah, I can.” Bakugou grins in that way he rarely does. Kirishima has a sneaking suspicion that the smile is reserved just for him since he’d never seen Bakugou smile like that to anyone else.
“You’re just making fun of me.” Kirishima mutters, still hiding behind his hands.
“Shima.” Bakugou waits but Kirishima doesn’t look up.
“Shima.” Bakugou repeats but this time stronger. Still, Kirishima doesn’t look up. “Eijirou.” Then there’s those warm hands peeling his own away from his face. “Why would I make fun of you? So you were a scared kid? So what?”
“Aren’t you disappointed?” Kirishima mutters.
“Stop being dumb, Eijirou.” Bakugou states. “Like I’d love you less just because of how you used to be.”
Oh.
It takes both of them a second for the words to settle in. Bakugou’s eyes go wide as Kirishima turns red. He can feel his insides turn into mush and he feels like crying and laughing at the same time.
“Katsuki.” He murmurs as he stares at the other. Bakugou just said he…
“Don’t you dare cry.” Bakugou mumbles. But it’s too late. Kirishima can feel tears welling up in his eyes as he slams his body into Bakugou, making both of them sprawl out on the bed. He hugs the blond close to himself and cries happy tears, so overwhelmed with the feelings bubbling up in his chest.
And it should not be a surprise. Not after everything that happened and not after finding out the true tenderness of Katsuki’s heart, but he’s still taken by surprise. By the weightlessness of his own heart, by the softness unfurling inside of him. He knows how he feels. But now he knows that Katsuki feels the same. He squeezes the other tighter and when he finally looks up, he sees the wetness in Katsuki’s eyes.
He can’t help but lean towards the other and press their lips together. Kirishima kisses Bakugou with everything that he feels. He kisses him softly and tenderly, he kisses him hard and steady, and he hopes that he can put into the kisses the feeling of his soaring heart. He parts away from the other’s lips long enough to look Bakugou in the eyes and tell him, “I love you too.”
And when they finally part, it’s Bakugou who speaks up first, his voice laced with something sweet yet cheeky, “You know, you’re still pretty cute. Especially with that blush.”