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With any luck, the rain will let up. Katsuki's still far enough away from the dorms that he'll be soaked to the bone if it doesn't.
He sneers at luck, typically, the idea of it being necessary to win anything. But he’s willing to look the other way just this one time.
Then, barely a second later, he hears a clap of thunder and knows that he's fucked. It’s like the universe is laughing at him.
It's coming down harder than before. His hair's already drenched and sticking to his forehead. Everything he's wearing clings to his skin.
Maybe it was stupid to not just skip this run. Katsuki has weights in his room and Kirishima has more in his and he could have used the chance to get some decent one-on-one time with him. But no. Katsuki had to do this. No umbrella.
‘Cause, no one except a complete idiot runs with an umbrella. Katsuki didn’t even bring a phone.
"Hey! Bakugou! Wait up!" Kirishima's bounding up to him from down the road, umbrella in hand.
As if Katsuki wished him into existence.
He shouldn't be here. They're too far from school.
Then again, Kirishima does seem to have a knack for materializing wherever Katsuki is, and even he has to admit, it’s saved his neck on more than one occasion.
He's even got a backpack on. Who knows what's in that. Of course, he's smiling like an idiot even when it's this fucking miserable and muggy all around.
"Why'd you come out here?" he demands. "It's raining, you dumbfuck."
"I know, I know," Kirishima answers brightly. “That’s why I came.”
Then he takes that stupid red backpack off and unzips the top pocket. Pulling out a red rain jacket.
Katsuki doesn’t see what the point of that would be though. They're both already decently wet. Kirishima's hair basically lost all of its shape. Now it looks like it does the couple of times Katsuki's seen him wear it down.
It looks kinda good. (That, and the black roots showing a little, is how Katsuki secretly prefers it.)
Even if keepin' the two of them dry is a lost cause, Kirishima gingerly puts the rain jacket around Katsuki’s shoulders. Then he opens the umbrella, sliding up real close so they can both fit under it. Katsuki shivers at the sudden contact. Kirishima's arm brushing up against his. Simultaneously feeling like a whole lot and also not enough.
Then Katsuki takes a little sniff. Super discrete and all. It's... rainwater, mostly, mixed in with the lived-in scent of Kirishima's cologne. It's strongest by his neck. That must be where he sprays it.
"I looked for your raincoat first. I wanted to bring both of 'em…but I couldn't find it and I thought the longer I looked the wetter you'd get, so," Kirishima gestures to the single umbrella vaguely.
Katsuki's not sure what the hell he's supposed to say to that. Is Kirishima implying that he wouldn't share an umbrella with him, otherwise? Or did he think that Katsuki would be pissed or something, 'cause there was only one?
He doesn't know what to say. So he just stands there—safe now from the rain at least—and glares.
"Mine's in my room," he says after a long, awkward few seconds. "You wouldn't have found it downstairs."
"Then it's good that I just came!"
"You didn't have to. I was gonna run back," Katsuki mutters, even while he's quietly freaking out about the fact that they're walking so closely huddled together, and Kirishima's being so normal about it.
Like they do this every day.
He also just made the mistake of looking down to see what he's wearing. A white tank top that's now totally see through. The cold makes his nipples perk up too. Fuck. He hopes Kirishima doesn’t see that.
Or no, actually, he knows his pecs are great, and he kinda hopes Kirishima does see that.
"You were gonna run all the way back? That's super manly, dude."
"Yeah. Whatever," he pauses. “And take your raincoat back.”
For what it’s worth, Katsuki really doesn’t want to give the raincoat back. It’s in this slinky waterproof material and it’s way too red, bright enough that it probably glows neon in the right light. But it smells like Kirishima and it’s the kind of thing he figures he would wear if the redhead was actually, you know, his boyfriend.
What he doesn’t like though, is wearing it when it’s still raining this hard, and leaving Kirishima out to dry (figuratively speaking, since it’s literally the opposite).
“You need it more than I do! You’ve been out here way longer. And I’m fine, I’m under the umbrella with you.”
“It’s weird if I’m the only one wearing one.”
"Nah, don’t say that. Really, I don’t want it. Besides, I don’t want you to get a cold or anything, for your quirk and stuff, ‘cause it’s important for you to have a stable body temperature, right?” Kirishima stops and pulls up the hood.
Katsuki instantly flushes at the contact. Even more when Kirishima actually tries to manuever his arms into the armholes of this stupid jacket and Katsuki has to regain some dignity and swat him away.
Kirishima continues talking though, undeterred (‘cause all of Katsuki’s swatting and pushing away has never, ever worked on him). “And uh… I noticed, um."
"What?" Katsuki demands. Spit it out.
Kirishima looks away sheepishly. "You washed your hair this morning. It would kinda suck if you had to do it over again."
"How did you know I washed my hair?" Katsuki asks.
They're standing kinda close to a street lamp now. One of the ones with yellow-orangey light. It's bouncing off all the mud puddles and pinpricks of it reflect off the water droplets on Kirishima's face and neck. The warm glow hits his face in all the right ways. He’s got this perfect bone structure because of his quirk. Chiseled but still… somehow soft looking when it’s not fully activated.
"Your shampoo. It smells like…berries. And a little vanilla cream?"
It's a lot. The knowledge that Kirishima is intimately aware of how he smells. That he even cares about Katsuki's stupid hair.
"It's the conditioner. The shampoo doesn't smell like anything."
"Oh…ok," Kirishima scratches at the back of his neck with his free hand, the one that's not holding the umbrella. "I use a two-in-one…so there's not really any steps."
"Shouldn't you be using something to make your color last longer?! The red. Won't the ends fade to bleach blonde if you don't?"
"Yeah. I mean the two-in-one is supposed to do that," Kirishima laughs. "Probably a good thing. Not all of us can pull off the blonde. I bet I'd look kinda stupid."
You'd look hot, Katsuki wants to say.
Fuck’s sake. If Kirishima could pull off that spiked up mess he calls a signature look and look as good as he does, Katsuki can't imagine him actually being unattractive in anything else. Just… just common sense.
He can't say that though. He can't be this much of a goddamn simp for a guy who isn't even his.
Another clap of thunder hits the sky. Against all reason, given his quirk, Katsuki ever-so-briefly flinches.
Then Kirishima's slinging an arm over his shoulder. Warm. Secure. Even better is the fact that he doesn't say anything. He's just… there. Making it seem like this totally casual and normal thing.
While Katsuki's heart is racing and he's trying to keep it from fucking bursting out of his chest.
"How'd you even know I was out on a run?"
"I had a hunch."
"Stalker," Katsuki retorts, though he means it jokingly.
"I was kinda torn on what road you might take though. I'm glad I picked this one."
"It's the best one. It's flat in a couple sections and it's got a couple of hills."
"Oh that totally makes sense. That kinda reminds me. I miss hiking with you, man. We should definitely go again."
"I'm down for that stuff whenever," Katsuki can hardly believe it, maybe this is the luck he missed earlier, comin’ in to make it up for him. "Don't invite any of the extras though. I don't want anyone who doesn't take it seriously."
In reality, he has no doubt that most if not all of their classmates would have enough physical stamina to complete the hike. Maybe not as fast and efficiently as Katsuki. But good enough.
He's saying all of that only so he gets that time with Kirishima. Alone. Like before. Just them.
"I wasn't gonna do that," Kirishima shrugs. "I like having a you-and-me thing. We could go get food after, if you want?”
Katsuki steps on a twig and it crunches loudly under his foot as he walks. He tries to process the idea of getting food with Kirishima. Something they’ve done, easily several dozen times. The redhead’s always hanging out with him whenever they go anywhere as a class. Especially when there’s food. Always making sure Katsuki tried everything.
Used to be real fuckin’ annoying. And now…
“Like a date, or…?” Katsuki asks, strategically nonchalant.
“You’d want that?” Kirishima asks, the opposite of nonchalant in just about every way.
Katsuki’s sort of offended at the question. A little hurt. Because if the idea of him wanting to date is so alien and unexpected then fuck off. That’s not exactly fair. It feels like he’s been made fun of and his face burns with the shame of it all. Of floating the stupid date thing himself, then he turns to Kirishima, ready to push him away all over again.
“If you don’t wanna go just say no, you don’t have to be a fucking dick about it.”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on. I didn’t say I didn’t wanna go. I’ve liked you forever. I just didn’t think you’d want me like that. You’re so cool, so.”
This is easily twice as offensive as the initial bruise to Katsuki’s own ego. “Me? You didn’t think that I’d want you? You’re the only one of these extras I can stand, you’re always…” he gestures in the air, “here…and I like… being with you. Why the actual fuck you’d wanna be with me is the real question. I’m an asshole. I can’t even confess without getting worked up and mean about it.”
“Oh man…”
Katsuki turns to look at him. And it’s not the rain that’s making his eyes look all big and watery. He’s actually—
“Oi, oi, don’t…hey,” his voice softens. “I’m not dating some loser who won’t admit that he’s good enough to be with me.”
“That’s so manly,” Kirishima whispers back, with conviction. "I'll remember."
What a big idiot. Katsuki can't believe he likes him so much he's that gonna go on a whole fucking date with him.
(...can't wait though.)
“So,” Katsuki ventures. “You’ve liked me forever, huh?”
He can't help but smirk about it.
“I’m honestly surprised you couldn’t tell,” Kirishima confirms, not as embarrassed as Katsuki would have been if the roles were reversed, not embarrassed at all. “You normally read people really well. Including me!”
“It’s harder when it’s about me,” Katsuki admits, then he realizes where they are. “We’re already here?”
“Is that…bad?” Kirishima raises an eyebrow. “We wanna get dry, right?”
Secretly, Katsuki could have used more alone-under-the-umbrella time. “I don’t wanna let them see me wearing your shit. Not until we’ve gone out at least once. Maybe twice.”
He takes the raincoat off, then aggressively folds it up into a neat triangle shape before passing it back to Kirishima.
“I don’t think they’ve seen me wear this though. They wouldn’t know it was mine unless you told them?”
“Full offense, but you’re probably the one guy on earth that would buy this. Practically glows in the dark.”
“But that’s the best part? That’s what I like about it.”
“You’re an idiot.”
(Mine though. My idiot.)
Kirishima runs a hand through his own wet hair, his eyes crinkle when he smiles at the insult, and the whole time Katsuki’s heart threatens to explode out of his chest.
Who gave him the right to look that hot? With the rain making his clothes stick to his body, you can make out the outline of his abs. Those arms. Shoulders. Back. Even his legs.
Katsuki’s basically never felt attraction to anyone who he didn’t think could at least put up a decent effort in crushing him. Kirishima could. He definitely could.
Honestly, Katsuki would maybe even let him.
“Bakugou, are you…”
“No.”
“Okay, okay,” Kirishima laughs, but it doesn’t feel like getting laughed at, it feels…okay. He can more than tolerate it.
“About coming to get me in the rain…thanks.”
“No problem! You know I’ve never minded rain that much. But I think I kinda like it more now.”
“Why?” Katsuki asks, highly skeptical (to his core, a rain-hater).
“It got me a date with you.”
Hell no. “You got yourself a date with me.”
Rain can get fucked. It had nothing to do with it.