Work Text:
“Hey, can you hear me?” Kirishima asked as he adjusted his laptop screen, fixing the angle so that the camera had better focus. “Bakubro?”
“I’m right here, shitty hair,” Bakugou grumbled, finally appearing on screen, blond hair still wet from the shower, as he dried it out with a towel he had in his hand.
“Hey,” Kirishima said with a smile. Bakugou had been gone for just two days, but it was so nice to see his face.
“Hey,” Bakugou responded, sounding a bit grumpy but there was a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.
“How’s it going over there? Have you been able to see the city?” Kirishima asked, not knowing what else to say.
“Boring as fuck. When Endeavor said we could join him for a hero conference in New York, I expected something more fucking exciting. All we are doing is sitting around and listening to a bunch of old as fuck geezers talk about how their shitty way of being a hero is so much better than anyone else,” Bakugou rolled his eyes as he let out a frustrated groan, throwing the towel to the floor for emphasis.
Kirishima let out a laugh, “At least you’re getting to meet heroes from all over the world. I bet that’s interesting.”
“Not so much when they all treat me like a fucking rookie,” Bakugou huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’ll get there bro,” Kirishima encouraged, bumping his fist together in front of his chest. “You’re already the best hero in our class.” Kirishima believed every word he had just said, and he hoped his best friend could see how sincere he was being.
Bakugou looked at him for a couple of seconds and Kirishima could see the gears inside his head trying to work something out. Suddenly, Bakugou looked away from the screen and it felt like something had been left unsaid. “So, what have you idiots been up to?”
“Just classes for the most part,” Kirishima said with a shrug, being third-year students meant that they were out and about more than ever, but they still had to complete their school work. “Fat Gum is submitting paperwork so I can go with him on some big mission, but it’s still on hold for now.”
“That’s good, are you done with your homework?” Bakugou asked as if sensing the reason for the sudden shift in subject.
“Ummm… for the most part,” Kirishima admitted.
“I’m gone for a couple of days and you’re already slacking off, hair for brains?” Bakugou huffed.
“It was assign yesterday and isn’t due till next week!” Kirishima defended himself, maybe a bit too loudly.
Bakugou glared at him as if deciding if it was worth blowing up on the redhead or not. Kirishima let out a bit of a nervous laugh, and the blond’s glare seemed to drop a bit, which was always a good sign.
They talked some more, jumping between topics with ease. Bakugou talked about his trip and how Todoroki and Midoriya had been annoying him throughout the whole thing. Kirishima talked about what Bakugou had missed in classes and what the others had been up to. Without noticing, two hours had gone by, and Bakugou let out a yawn as Kirishima told about his plans with the rest of the squad the next day.
“Oh, bro, I’m sorry, I forgot about the time difference,” Kirishima said as he looked towards his muscle clock. It was almost three in the afternoon, but he couldn’t remember what the time difference was between Japan and New York. “Do you need to go to bed?”
“I’m fine,” Bakugou told him, waving away his worry. “What were you saying about tape face?”
Bakugou lifted up his laptop and took it to the hotel room’s bed, laying it next to him as he laid down.
“If you want to sleep it’s alright, Bakugou. We can talk some more later,” Kirishima said. He was worried about keeping his best friend up so late.
Bakugou pouted, he was wrapped up in his blankets, and Kirishima couldn’t help but find him adorable. “You don’t want to talk to me anymore?”
“I- of course, I want to talk to you some more, I just don’t want you to stay up too late and have a hard time tomorrow,” Kirishima explained.
“I’m fine,” Bakugou insisted. “Just keep fucking talking.”
“I- well if you’re sure,” Kirishima said as he continued telling Bakugou about how Sero had convinced all of them to go to an escape room without Bakugou for the first time. Bakugou was always the one leading them when they went to one, so Sero wanted to see if they could do it on their own.
“You idiots are going to be stuck in there till I get back,” Bakugou warned.
“I don’t think we’re that bad,” Kirishima laughed, but he couldn’t help but think that he didn’t really want to go. It would be so different without Bakugou, and he would rather stay in his room video chatting with the blond. “What about you? Any plans for tomorrow?”
“Not really, we aren’t allowed into the top hero meetings,” Bakugou said with a shrug.
“Are you guys going to go sightseeing?” Kirishima questioned with excitement.
“No fucking way, knowing Deku he will just cause some fucking disaster that I’ll have to clean the fuck up,” Bakugou grumbled.
“He hasn’t been that bad in a while,” Kirishima told him with a laugh, but he could see Bakugou’s point in the matter.
Bakugou was quiet, staring at the image of Kirishima on his screen with an expression that the redhead couldn't quite place. “Everything okay, Bakugou?”
“I just… I miss you,” the blond said suddenly, the confession falling from his lips, face full of shock and surprise as if he was just realizing what he had said.
“I miss you too,” Kirishima responded without hesitation. “You’re there for just another day or two right?”
“Yeah,” Bakugou said with a nod. “We’re heading back as soon as this shit is over.”
“Well… maybe when you get back I can go pick you up at the airport?” Kirishima offered with a nervous grin.
“What for?” Bakugou frowned.
“I- well…” Kirishima hesitated. How could he say that he wanted to be the first person to welcome Bakugou home? That he didn’t want to have to be waiting anxiously at the dorms for him to come back.
“Fucking fine,” Bakugou groaned, “but you’re buying me dinner after.”
Kirishima blinked before his smile went wide, “Yeah?”
“I already said yes, for fucks sake,” Bakugou huffed.
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
They continued talking, well, Kirishima did most of the talking. Kirishima already had a list of places they could go for dinner once Bakugou arrived. He watched as Bakugou’s eyes grew heavy, and his comments became low hums until his breathing evened out. Kirishima stopped talking when he saw the way Bakugou’s mouth slightly opened as he slept.
Kirishima smiled slightly at the sight, letting out a small chuckle, “I told you you should have gone to bed.” He ran a hand through his hair, reaching for his phone to check the time, still not hanging up the call. It was just about four pm now. Kirishima couldn’t help but wonder what time it was in New York. He opened up a google search, eyes looking over at Bakugou to make sure he was still asleep.
3:00 am.
Kirishima felt himself let out a sharp breath at the realization. Bakugou had stayed up late… so much later than he usually would for someone with an eight pm bedtime. Kirishima looked up at the sleeping blond on his screen, trying to understand what that meant, but unable to think over the hammering of his heart in his ears.
Did Bakugou want to talk to him that badly? That seemed to be the only reason he could come up with, and it was… Kirishima felt his face turning as red as his hair, a hand going up to cover his mouth to make sure he didn’t wake up the sleeping blond. Could this possibly mean what he was thinking?
Kirishima had been crushing on Bakugou since their first year at UA, and even though his best friend always made exceptions when it came to him… Kirishima never believed it was due to anything greater than friendship. After all, with time Bakugou started opening himself up to their other friends, talking to them more, spending time with them. Kirishima was just the first person that Bakugou had been comfortable with. Sure, Kirishima still got special treatment over everyone else… but that was because they were best friends.
That’s what he always told himself. Not letting himself have too much hope, because he knew and still knows that Bakugou is destined for great things… and Kirishima would only hold him back. That’s why he refused to believe that Bakugou liked him while Kirishima was hopelessly in love with him.
Now, he was sitting in his dorm room while on a video call with his best friend who had stayed up till he literally passed out… just because he wanted to talk to him. All the hope Kirishima had pushed down was suddenly bubbling up to the surface full force, because if there was ever going to be a sign for him to take a chance on his feelings for the blond… well this was a billboard size neon sign.
*
Bakugou hated traveling with Midoriya and Todoroki. They were annoying as fuck most of the time, but on a plane, there was no fucking escape. The rest of their trip had been uneventful, the best part of it being the fact that he had been offered some positions as a sidekick in different agencies in different places around the world. Not that he had taken any of them yet, he needed to think about it after all. Working abroad was a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Especially since it meant leaving a lot behind.
Bakugou already had job offers in Japan, a lot of them, the ones that stood out the most were one from Endeavor and the other from Best Jeanist. He would have jumped at the opportunity to work abroad before, but now? He had other plans, and they involved a certain redhead and opening up their own agency. So if anyone wanted him to go international, they needed to take Red Riot as well.
Bakugou smiled at the thought of his best friend, who had promised to pick him up from the airport. The plane was about to land and Bakugou felt himself growing impatient. Video chatting and messaging Kirishima was not the same as having him right next to him. They hadn’t been able to talk during the first two days of the trip, so when Bakugou was finally able to get Kirishima to video chat with him he refused to hang up even though it was late as fuck. It didn’t matter, Kirishima didn’t know how big the time difference was, and if asked about it, Bakugou could just say that he hadn’t gotten used to the time change completely. He had just needed to soak up as much of Kirishima as he could during that call.
The plane landed, and Bakugou wasted no time getting off the plane. Not waiting for the others as his heart hammered against his chest. He tried to take a calming breath, knowing that he couldn’t make this into something bigger than it was. Kirishima was here to pick him up because there were friends, nothing more. He reminded himself of that fact so much since they had arrived at the airport back in New York that it had become a constant chant in his head. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends.
The fact that Bakugou couldn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat at the thought of seeing Kirishima at the arrival gate. He wanted nothing more than to see Kirishima’s bright smile. Bakugou made his way through the crowds, mumbling under his breath about shitty extras and slow-ass idiots.
He spotted the red hair right away, and he couldn’t help the grin that spread on his face. Red eyes lock on another pair of red eyes. He was about to call out at Kirishima, call him shitty hair or just say Oi or something, but he stopped short as the crowd between them thinned and he saw what the redhead was holding.
His face flushed red as he saw the bouquet of red and orange roses Kirishima was holding, a shy smile on his face as he looked at Bakugou. Bakugou moved without a single thought in his head, his body moving automatically and suddenly he was a couple of feet away from Kirishima.
“Hey,” Kirishima said with a grin.
“Hey,” Bakugou responded, eyes darting from Kirishima’s eyes to the roses. “What-what are those for?”
“They’re for you,” Kirishima said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I- Ummm- I thought it was a good way to do this, but if you don’t like them-”
“They’re for me?” Bakugou said, breathlessly as if he didn’t believe it.
“Yes,” Kirishima told him, handing over the bouquet.
Bakugou took the roses wide eye, blinking a couple of times, his brain trying to catch up and unable to form one single thought that wasn’t in panic or complete disbelief. “Why?”
Kirishima smiled, his eyes a bit nervous, but his voice full of determination, “I wanted to make this our first date. If you want it to be too, of course.”
Bakugou’s eyes went wide as the realization that the boy he had been in love with for years was asking him out on an actual date. Not to hang out, not to a group even, not… anything they had done before. To an actual date. “Yes,” Bakugou said, nodding his head, “fuck yeah.”
Kirishima let out a small laugh full of relief before admitting, “I was so scared you would say no.”
“You can’t back out now, Red,” Bakugou told him.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Kirishima reassured him as he extended a hand out to Bakugou who took it with no hesitation. “Now, what should we have for dinner on our first date?”