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Bakugo had a literal brain fart the first time Kirishima complimented him. He had gotten plenty of compliments before—because he’s Bakugo—and sure, they made him feel smug.
But the first time Kirishima called him “so manly” he about exploded, pun intended.
Though, Bakugo brushed it off because Kirishima would call a piece of lint on the floor manly.
It was just another passing comment, right?
So why did it make his heart skip a beat? Why did his body break out in a sweat? Why did his cheeks get so hot like the sun?
The second time Kirishima complimented him, it was simple.
“You’re amazing, Bakugo!”
And, again, he’s heard that plenty of times.
But it had never fallen from quite a smile, so blinding and…pretty? Cute? Handsome? Goofy? All of the above?
Kirishima would shout word after word of encouragement. Every time, he found himself getting that much more motivated.
Sure, people had motivated him before, but he’d always think, “ Why do I need motivation? I’m the best .“
On the other hand, when Kirishima would shout “Blow them away, Bakugo!” Or “You got this!”, his heart would jolt and he found himself breaking out in a smile he couldn’t seem to contain.
“I got this.” He said out loud, not to the redhead himself but really, himself.
The third time Kirishima complimented him, it was after they had gotten to the dorms.
He had just finished helping the dork, that was way too…good looking for his own good, decorate his dorm.
Kirishima had crossed his arms with a smile, admiring his stupid decorations.
“You’re really nice, you know that, man? You didn’t have to help me with all this.”
He felt his cheeks burst to life, quickly hiding his blush with a turn of his head.
“The fuck do you mean? Of course I did. We’re…friends or whatever, right?”
Kirishima’s face lit up with a breathtaking smile.
He felt the air leave his lungs as Kirishima beamed, “Of course, Baku! You’re one of my best friends!”
“Tch, whatever. Guess you’re mine, too.”
He truly wasn’t prepared for what happened next; Kirishima jumping to hug him.
The fourth time Kirishima gave him a compliment is when they were walking out of their dorms, together of course because the moron insisted.
“You look really nice today, Bakugo!”
His head reeled back in confusion, “I look the same everyday, moron.”
Kirishima tossed him another breathtaking smile, “Yeah…”
Kirishima’s face turned the prettiest shade of pink, he couldn’t help the words that spilled out of his lips.
“You look good everyday too, idiot.”
Kirishima’s eyes started to swim with colors, the soft smile he let out prettier than the morning clouds.
They had walked the rest of the way in silence, both stealing glances at each other that they both didn’t acknowledge.
The fifth time Kirishima complimented him was on a Saturday study session. He was half asleep, tossing on an old, ratty All Might hoodie that the nerd gave him for his birthday one year that he’d never admit to loving.
It was made to look like the costume during All Might’s silver age, red and lined with white, the hood blue, and sleeves tipped with yellow.
“Wow, man. You look…really handsome!” Kirishima had stars in his eyes, pursing his lips after the words left him.
“How? Im just wearing this stupid old hoodie. And my fucking hair is a mess today.”
It truly was, as he didn’t have time to comb through it as Kirishima had woken him with a knock.
“You always do that, you know?”
His observation caught him off guard.
“Huh? What?” He asked, warily.
“I compliment you and you always say something to deny it.”
His brain sputtered, because he hadn’t actually realized. But yeah, he does that every fucking time.
“Fuck off, hair for brains.”
Kirishima laughed, because of course the tooth rotting sweetheart did.
He laughed and Bakugo couldn’t help but keep the wonderful sound in his heart.
“Alright, Blasty, here’s the deal. Next time I compliment you, you can’t say crap.”
He rolled his eyes, “Fuck it, whatever.” His agreement had come way too quick, but how could it not when Kirishima was looking at him with a determined smile.
His eyes glinted with something he couldn’t place, lips twisted into a smirk that made him look…totally not hot.
The 6th time Kirishima had complimented him, he didn’t say anything.
They had fallen asleep in his dorm after a long day of school, training, and studying.
Kirishima had risen from the opposite side of the bed, sitting up by his feet.
“Woah, man. You uh—you. You look. Ah…”
He knew he looked terrible in the morning, eyes all crusted over and his hair even more of a fucking mess, face all puffy and streaked with dry drool.
“Just spit it out, dumbass.”
“You look really pretty in the morning, you know that?”
He felt his eyes grow wide, resisting the urge to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.
Kirishima looked like a dream himself, hair down and disheveled, lips puffy from sleep that he didn’t want to kiss.
Because of their dumb “deal”, he couldn’t say anything to rebute him.
So, he looked away. Away from the image of absolute beauty that was looking at him with a heart-stopping smile.
The 7th time Kirishima had complimented him was on his social media, of all things.
He had just gotten out of the gym and decided to snap a picture of himself, because why the hell not? He was feeling a brief burst of confidence and he was… not posting it for Kirishima to see.
It wasn’t posed or anything, because pointing his phone camera to the gym mirror was effort enough.
He just draped the towel he was using on his bare shoulder, subtly flexing his arms enough, took the picture, and posted it.
As soon as the photo was active on his profile, he felt sick to his stomach, wanting to delete it automatically as it just sat there .
But, whatever, fuck it. It was there. He only followed Kirishima and Izuku and some other people in his class anyway.
Not even a second later, a notification popped up on his screen, saying that someone had left a comment on his photo.
He rolled his eyes, thinking it was Dunce Face because the fucker was always on social media and would comment on everything.
His heart flew out of his throat like a hummingbird as he saw the comment sitting underneath his photo.
@ Red_Riot : Looking good, man! 😍👊💪
That literal fucking dumbass! He felt rage burn in his stomach and he took a breath to calm himself.
He felt a smile creep on his face, and looking up in the mirror he was still in front of, he could see his eyes in a soft sparkle, cheeks red and rounded like a damn cherry.
He shook it off, closing his eyes to tear himself from viewing the adoration he held for Kirishima, so clearly displayed on his entire existence.
Another buzz came quickly after.
@ denki_chargebolt: Hot 🥵🔥
He snorted at his sheer fucking stupidity.
The 8th time Kirishima complimented him had been on their way back to the dorms. Their hands had been dancing next to each other’s as they took their time to walk back to their shared floor.
Kirishima stopped them, grabbing his wrist to look directly in his eyes.
An ounce of seriousness he had never seen coming from his best friend’s gaze startled him.
“You alright, Shima?”
As if he hadn’t realized the action, his face dropped to a smile.
“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking, man. I’m really glad you’re my best friend. I really like you.”
His brain rebooted, his heart failing to turn it on and off again to see if it would fix itself.
He was sure he was a blushing mess as Kirishima’s hold on his wrist fell.
“Woah, sorry. Uh—that was too much, right? You know how I am, man.”
He just rolled his eyes.
“I like you a lot too, Kirishima.”
He fully was not prepared for the swirl of the sensation of Kirishima’s fingers lacing with his.
The rough, strong, comforting bend of his fingers made him feel like he had found paradise in front of a damn dorm building.
The 9th time came soon after that, the same night.
“Bakugo. I really meant it when I said I liked you a lot. And not in a friend way.”
He nearly choked on the cup of instant noodles they were sharing between themselves as they studied.
He let out a soft, “ What ?”
“Yeah, I mean. I’ve been thinking about it for a little bit. And I have a crush on you.” Kirishima laughed his pretty laugh, tinted with shyness.
“I—ah. I’m…huh?”
“Sorry, I kinda just said that out of nowhere, huh?”
“Yeah…” he whispered, his own mind begging him to scream out that he liked him too.
He pushed down the flutter of insecurity, the anchor of dread, the sting of fear.
“I like you too, Kirishima.”
“Wow, really?” Kirishima screamed, excitement so wonderful on his face.
His eyes shone, reflecting the color of the setting sun that was right outside his balcony. His smile was large, boyish and charming.
All he wanted to do was kiss that grin that was the answer to every granted wish.
“Sorry. That was a lot again. You’re just…really handsome and amazing and smart and so nice and strong and such a great—“
He laughed, so unfiltered and pure, joy shaking his chest.
“What?” Kirishima looked up at him with dumb, unnecessary fear.
“Just fucking kiss me already, you moron.”
Kirishima closed the space between them to push their lips together lightly. The kiss so brief, so careful, so sweet.
He felt his lips trembling as Kirishima looked as starstruck as he felt.
He couldn’t stop himself from kissing him again. And again. And again. And again.
Their lips danced together for what felt like hours, but the clock had indicated that it had only been minutes, and that’s exactly how his love for Kirishima felt. A lifetime spent in months.
The 10th time Kirishima complimented him was on their first date. Because his best friend was a cheesy bastard, he had knocked on his dorm with flowers.
He was so desperate to look nice for their first date that he had called his mom.
She had told him to wear a button up and jeans, and “ not those hideous shoes you wear all the time, I swear Katsuki .”
He thought he looked alright, that his outfit and hair would suffice.
He opened the door with his stomach pooling.
Kirishima’s eyes automatically went wide, a deep, crimson red, blush spilling on his cheeks.
“Wow, Katsuki. You—you look gorgeous. Wow. ” He sounded breathless, beautiful and breathless.
Says the one who looks like a fucking angel on earth. He thought.
“Says you, Eij.” He said, looking away from his captivating gaze.
With that dreamy look in his eyes, Kirishima reached forward to kiss him.
Everything felt like a dream come true, a wish granted he hadn’t even thought to make, the mend to every burst of his fragile heart.
“Fuck it, you’re my damn boyfriend already. I’m not gonna wait around for you to ask.”
“First date and already my boyfriend? That’s so you, Kats.” Kirishima laughed so tenderly, reaching to place a kiss on his nose before grabbing his hand.
“You’re so handsome, Kats. So glad you wanna be my boyfriend.”
“Hah, yeah. Consider yourself lucky.” He teased, wondering just how many more compliments he’d have to count.