Chapter Text
He wakes up with a sharp inhale as he’s startled by a sudden and loud buzz.
With a groan he rolls on his side to pat his bedside table but the tightening grip around his waist brings him back against a firm and warm chest. An arm passes over him to take the phone off the table reducing the sound at a barely audible hum.
After a groan, a low voice heavy from sleep resonates behind him “Hello?”
Without bothering to open his eyes, he turns back to bury his face in his boyfriend’s heat with a frown. What kind of little shit wakes them up before their alarm? He lets out a grunt, blindly reaching up for the phone, but the other shifts and a hand comes to tangle in his hair, calling back the strings of sleep as it massages his scalp with practice.
He releases a pleased moan and lets himself drown in the vibrations of his boyfriend’s chest as he’s speaking. “No, it’s Kirishima, Katsuki isn’t available.”
The sound of his name makes him frown deeper. What the fuck is going on? He cracks an eye open, rubbing the sleep away waiting for his vision to focus on the crimson blob in front of him. When he sees Bakugo looking up at him through heavy lids, Kirishima brushes back his hair, running his thumb on the apple of the blond’s cheek.
Bakugo shifts on his elbow, scowling at the voice on the phone. Kirishima’s hand runs down his arm as the redhead slightly shakes his head 'no'. He’s going to say something before shutting his mouth close and tilting his head, his eyes scrunching as he tries to look at something behind Bakugo. “Well, since it’s… not even six am yet, he’s still asleep.” Kirishima brushes the blond’s arm, clearly wanting for him to go back to sleep. “Can I take a message?”
Bakugo snaps his head to check their bedside clock. Not even half past five. Who the fuck calls /him/ this early?! With a curse he yanks the phone from Kirishima hands “What!?”
He sits up hearing a choked squeal from the other person "That's not a way to answer the phone, brat." His face scrunches as he recognizes the voice. The blond turns back to see Kirishima straightening himself against the headboard with a sorry look.
He runs a hand on his face, pulling his hair with a grunt “What do you want?”
He hears a ‘tsks’ before being scolded. "That's not a way to talk to your mother either Katsuki!" Bakugo groans and drops back to slide into Kirishima's side resting his head on the redhead's shoulder with a tired sigh.
Kirishima laces his arm around the blond's shoulders, a hand playing with soft ashen strands, the other smoothing Bakugo's thigh through the blanket. Bakugo leans into the touch, hitting the speaker button and shoving the phone between them so they both could listen to the Bakugo's matriarch rumble about good manners.
Bakugo lets out an unamused chuckle "You're the one calling at indecent hours, how's that 'good manners' huh!?" They can hear his mother sputter at the accusation, ready to scowl when a muffled voice rises from somewhere behind her.
She muffles a curse and after a short silence she clears her voice, obviously hiding her embarrassment "Times zones are a mess." Bakugo rolls his eyes, giving Kirishima a knowing look which he answers with a small smile and a shrug. Of course it's not her fault. All of this because of the time zones and not because she can't read a fucking clock.
Kirishima caresses his arm, giving him a light shove in a silent way to say to be nice or the call will never end. Bakugo gives up with a deep sigh "Sure. So, what the f- do you want?" If she heard the whispered curse she doesn't say anything as she makes Bakugo clench his jaw at the fake smile in her words
"Happy birthday honey." A shiver runs down his spine and he can feel Kirishima tightening his grip, shoving him closer to his chest.
How, among all the people in his life, does /she/ not know how he hates hearing those words?
Scratch that, she knows. She fucking knows because she's the reason he despises this day.
Kirishima slides his hand down his boyfriend's arm to intertwine their fingers. Locking his chin on the blond's shoulder, he runs a thumb on the apple of his cheek once again.
"Fucking hell." Bakugo curses softly under his breath as he furiously rubs his eyes to get rid of the wetness. He hates himself for feeling like that, for letting her get under his skin like that, for being so weak in front of her. He hates himself for hoping she will ever change.
She won't.
He defied her in every life choice he made, always going against her plans to shape him into the perfect and respectable bachelor to show off to her friends -and more likely their daughters.
He made his own path and she's punishing him for it. With the lightest tone and most innocent words she's poking where it hurts until he snaps. It goes from telling him he made the wrong decisions and going to regret everything to wishing him happy birthday. Every sound her mouth makes feels like a stab in his back.
And a part of him still hopes she'll change, that the next time they speak she's going to be the caring and loving mother he saw in the other families. After twenty eight years he still hopes she will approve of his choices, how messed up is that?
Bakugo leans further against Kirishima, the redhead wrapping his arms around the blond's waist to pull him closer. Bakugo rests his head on the crook of his boyfriend's neck, drowning into the warm scent of vanilla in an attempt to calm down his nerves.
"So… what's your plans for today?” Bakugo raises an eyebrow at the question. Like she cares… The blond groans, pressing even more of his back into his boyfriend’s chest.
How it would be good to just close his eyes and shut down everything else, just relying on the feeling the other's body pressed against his, a sturdy anchor who will keep him safe through all the storms.
Usually Bakugo would dodge his mother's questions about himself. They always lead to a fight between the two blonds, draining all his energy. But in his boyfriend's arms he feels safe.
Plus he's really too tired to give a shit about her feelings.
“Well, since it’s barely half past five, I’m going back to sleep and then I have a dude’s leg to tattoo-.” He hears her inhale sharply “- but you don’t fucking care.”
She scoffs “Don’t be ridiculous, of course I care. I see you’re still in your drawing thing.”
His eyes roll with a silent exhausted sigh. “You mean my /fucking job/? Yeah I’m still ‘in it’.”
The grip around his waist tightens and Kirishima brushes his nose along the blond’s ear whispering.
“And you’re amazing at it, the best.” Bakugo closes his eyes, taking a shaky breath as he leans on his boyfriend's touch and praise, trying to ignore the itching her words give him.
He won't let her win this time.
She sighs, "We’re not gonna have this discussion now." Bakugo stiffens with a sharp inhale. He’s really trying his best not to let her get on his nerves and is pitifully failing.
Her venom begins to smear in his veins, his head buzzes and his fingers feel numb. But the growing cold is beaten by a warm hand that sinks under his shirt and grazes up at his skin. He releases the breath he doesn't know he was holding. Right, he's not alone this time.
Soft lips pressing on his neck and he lets out a pleased sigh. He even genuinely chuckles at the choked sputter he hears from the phone. Good for her.
He caresses red strands diving into crimson lakes as he blindly reaches for the phone. "Right, 'cause there's nothing to discuss. Bye." He goes to hang up but she raises her voice "Wait!"
He pulls away from the redhead, eyes scowling at the phone in his hand. "It’s been a while since the last time we saw you. Can't you at least come for dinner or something." It's not a question, it’s filled with pointed guilt, and Bakugo buries his head on the redhead’s neck to hush an exasperated whine.
He mumbles from his hideout, “We’ll see. Our schedules are pretty busy.”
She lets out a surprised ‘oh’ and it makes him leave his shelter to scowl at the phone once more “Alright, sure, you can bring Kirishima if you want.”
They both still. Bakugo feels his stomach rocket in his throat as he wants to throw up, Kirishima staring at him like an armed bomb ready to blow up.
Bakugo wishes he has the redhead’s ability to ignore her unspoken words, to just disregard the fact that she nearly told them Kirishima wasn’t invited. Like he's not a part of the family. Because even after four years of relationship, she still considers Kirishima as a one-night stand he keeps nearby until he finds a nice girl to give her grand-children.
Bakugo begins to shake with anger, his hands clenching on their comforter, littles spark messing up the white and blue pattern of the duvet cover. He wants to break something, to rip her throat out.
Being disappointed her only son didn’t go to a prestigious school is one thing -a thing he can deal with- but he won’t allow her to treat Kirishima like a toy, like a whim she grants him in her great kindness.
He goes to fight back but Kirishima stops him by taking the phone in hand and speaking right in the microphone. “We’ll try to free ourselves one of these days for dinner. We will keep you posted, thank you. Good night.” And with that he hangs up and bends to place the phone back on the table.
All anger flies away as Bakugo stares at his boyfriend with wide eyes. “Did you just hang up on my mother without waiting for her answer?” He doesn’t blame him, far from it, he’s just… impressed.
Just the day before, Kirishima had held the door for the whole group of tourists following him in their usual coffee shop and he would still be there if Bakugo hadn’t barged in to pull him by his shirt collar. And the week before that he had run through half of the city to help a perfect stranger to find his dog.
Kirishima had never, in his life, spent less than thirty minutes on a phone call, ten dedicated only to saying goodbye. He always waits for the other to hang up first, no matter how long it could take.
And still, he just flips off his mother in law in the greatest calm. No remorse or hesitation to be seen. The redhead shrugs before sliding back under the duvet dragging the blond with him “Can she hate me more than she already does?”
Bakugo shifts, taking his place on his boyfriend's chest, his elbows resting on plush pecs as his hands card on red hair. “I fucking love you.”
Kirishima gasps, barely hiding a grin. “You’ve never said that.” It makes Bakugo frown at him.
“What the fuck do you mean? I have already said ‘I love you’ plenty of times.” The redhead grins wider as he brushes back the blond mane in a failed attempt to lock it behind Bakugo’s ears, the hair too short to stay in place.
“But never that you /fucking/ love me.”
Bakugo rolls his eyes, unable to stop a side smile as he leans closer to Kirishima’s face “You’re an idiot.”
Kirishima goes cross-eyed to stare at his boyfriend’s lips before looking up at his carmine jewels “I fucking love you too.”
It makes Bakugo snorts “Shut up.”
Kirishima smiles, raising his head until he’s grazing Bakugo's lips with his own “Make me.”
Bakugo closes the thin gap between them pushing Kirishima back in the cushions in a tender kiss. The blond barely parts away, lips still hovering over the redhead’s and stealing quick peaks between each word. “We’re still not going to see them.”
Kirishima chuckles, his fingers merging in the growing undercut “I only said we’ll try, the rest is up to you. You know I’ll follow you no matter what.” It causes Bakugo to melt at the redhead’s devotion. He slushes on his boyfriend’s chest, nuzzling his pecs, his voice muffled by the warm skin and the quickly growing doze.
“You’re the fucking best.”
Kirishima’s laugh is cut off by a deep yawn. He scouts deeper under the blanket, sinking in the pillows, his heavy lids shutting close. Bakugo watches his features slowly relax before closing his own eyes as he shifts on the redhead chest to find the perfect place to rest his head.
Soft digits come up to scratch his scalp, sleep returns like a wrecking ball as a last vibration spreads for the redhead through his own body “Good night Kitty.”