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Izuku is working in the kitchen at the back of his store, someone else working up front to help any customers, when he hears the bell ring, indicating someone walked into the bakery.
Izuku doesn’t pay it much mind, Eri is up front so he can stay where he is and finish frosting these cupcakes. However, he hears a gruff, almost annoyed-sounding voice come from the front of the bakery, “What the fuck. Can’t you make some more or some shit?”
He can’t quite make out what Eri responds with, her voice being a little too quiet to hear from all the way in the kitchen. Izuku decides to take a quick peek through the window that connects the kitchen with the front of the store, just to make sure Eri is safe. She is only 17 after all, and some customers can get very upset very quickly.
This customer definitely seems like he’s getting upset if the next thing he says is anything to go by, “Just fucking figure it out,” He yells and Izuku hears a hand slap against his side.
Izuku peeks out the window quicker after hearing that and stops in his every move when he realizes who it is on the other side of that glass. Bakugou Katsuki. Frosting drips down his arm as Izuku forgets to let go of the pressure he has on the piping bag.
He’s wearing a mask and a hat and whatnot but Izuku could recognize him anywhere.
It’s been, what? Well over 10 years now since they last saw each other? Yet, Izuku can still recognize him anywhere. How sad is that?
How could Bakugou be here all of a sudden? He’s a pro hero, for Christ’s sake. He’s gotta be busy, right? Izuku’s been keeping track of him, of heroes in general, and he’s popular. He’s on his way to number one. Izuku would give him just about another year or so before he makes it there.
Having said all of that, it makes no sense for him to be here, in this fairly small bakery, swearing at a teenager.
Izuku sets down the piping bag, next to the cupcakes, and grabs a towel to quickly wipe off the frosting all over his hands. He brings the towel with him to walk to the front, opening the door to the front of the store, and walking out to see a plain view of Eri and Bakugou. He clears his throat, setting the towel down on a nearby counter, then he dusts his hands off, hitting them against each other, “Is there a problem, Er?”
Eri looks over her shoulder at Izuku and a nervous smile gets shot his way, “Well-”
Bakugou takes Izuku in, eyeing him up and down, his eyebrows furrow together for a quick moment but he doesn’t say anything. He must not recognize him.
Izuku can’t really blame him, to be honest. He wouldn’t really say that he looks much like his 13-14-year-old self anymore and that’s about the last time the two of them have seen each other in person. Of course, Izuku has seen Bakugou online and in magazines and whatnot. Though, Bakugou hasn’t seen Izuku in anything. Honestly, he probably forgot that Izuku even exists.
Izuku has bulked up a bit since 13, knowing that, without a quirk, he’d need some kind of way to defend himself so he started working out when high school started. His mom even let him take some self-defense classes, so that was helpful. He’s definitely able to defend himself against some average crook but compared to Bakugou’s bulk, he’s nothing.
Izuku has kept his hair pretty much the same length but he does take care of it a lot better now, it’s not a constant mess anymore. He’s grown in height and acquired scars all along his arms from a time he doesn’t really love to talk about.
Nonetheless, he understands that he looks different and Bakugou probably doesn’t even remember his name. He was likely a pretty insignificant part of his life and Izuku understands that, so, if he can get this interaction done as quickly as easily as possible, that’d be nice.
Bakugou pulls his mask down and interrupts Eri as she begins to speak, “Listen, there isn’t a problem.” He bites on the inside of his cheek, looking between the two people, he takes a step back from where he was sort of hovering above Eri, “I’ve had a long day and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” He says to Eri.
“Then why did you take it out on my employee?” Izuku crosses his arms, stepping forward to look Bakugou in the eyes. He’s not scared of him anymore. He’s not a scared little kid anymore, cowering away from the person who was supposed to be his friend, “Everybody has long days, it doesn’t give anyone the right to take it out on a teenager.”
Bakugou shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, “Look, I fuckin’ apologized, okay?” He sighs heavily, seemingly trying to calm himself. It’s a lot different than the Bakugou that Izuku used to know, he would have snapped at Izuku and told him something along the lines of ”mind your own fuckin’ business, nerd.” Bakugou sets his arms down at his side and looks between the two people, “A lot of shit has gone on today and you guys not having what I needed was my last straw, I guess.” His gaze stops on Eri, “I am sorry for yelling at you.”
“It’s okay sir,” Eri smiles up at him, “we can get you something else if you’d like? There’s plenty of-”
Izuku places a hand on Eri’s shoulder which causes her to stop and look at him confused but Izuku just nudges her back a bit while he takes her place, really just trying to study Bakugou, “You’ve changed, Kacchan,” He mumbles and it sort of just slips out. He definitely wasn’t planning on saying anything and now Bakuogu probably thinks he’s weird because-
“What the fuck did you just say?” Bakugou snaps his head to Izuku, staring directly into his eyes, almost fuming with rage, “Nobody fucking calls me that except-” He stops, taking in Izuku one more time, pausing on the bridge of his nose, probably staring at all the freckles if Izuku had to make a guess, and stopping once and for all back at Izuku’s eyes, “Deku.”
Izuku can’t help but smile at that. Yeah, it was a name meant to bully and ridicule him but just the fact that Bakugou remembers is something that feels special to Izuku, even though it shouldn’t. It’s something that makes Izuku’s heart skip a beat because he never would have thought in a million years that Bakugou not only remembers who he is but recognizes him as well.
He knows his old therapist would be screaming at him for smiling at such a horrible name but he honest to god cannot help it, okay?
“I, uh, prefer Midoriya these days,” Is what Izuku manages to chuckle out, still lost in the fact that Bakugou still remembers him, “or Izuku.”
“Shit,” Bakugou squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head, “I promised myself I wouldn’t call you Deku if I ever saw you again. Shit.” He opens them back up, only to stare right back into Izuku’s eyes and he’s pretty sure that the longer he stares into his eyes, the longer it’s going to take for Izuku to pry himself away from staring right back into them, “I’m sorry, Midoriya. It wasn’t my intention to bring that backup and-”
Izuku laughs, a breathy thing coming out from his barely open lips as he processes everything that’s happening, “It’s fine, Bakugou.”
“You know him?” Eri asks, whispering into Izuku’s ear, “He looks kinda familiar, do I know him too?”
Bakugou takes his hat off and Eri’s eyes widen with realization, “Ground Zero.”
Izuku chuckles, “Your hair has always been your most defining characteristic. Other than your foul mouth, that is.”
“Tch,” Bakugou scowls playfully, gesturing toward Izuku’s own hair, “Like you can be talking.”
“Hey, my hair is much nicer these days,” Izuku says, taking another step toward the cash register. He falls into the conversation so easily, like he just forgot about all the torment Bakugou put him through when they were kids. He doesn’t want to just forget that, well he does want to forget the torment but he doesn’t want to forget that Bakugou did that to him, he’s always been told he forgives way too easily. Hell, even his therapist has advised him to put a little more thought into it before just forgiving someone the moment they ask for it or, in this case, walking back into his life, “Anyway,” Izuku clears his throat, “I am running a store here and it is very close to closing so what did you want? I can see if we have any in the back as long as you don’t scream at my sister anymore.”
“Sister?” Bakugou’s eyebrows furrow together, looking between the two of them, “I thought you-”
“I was adopted,” Eri interrupts him, taking a step forward, still just behind Izuku, “I don’t know how you and Izuku know each other or anything but it was before I lived with them,” She tells him, saving Izuku the explanation, “It’s been 9 years since my adoption so you guys must go way back, right?” She’s always been curious about everything regarding Izuku before she came into his life, she knew that he never had it particularly easy, and neither did she before Inko adopted her, so she’s always tried to bond over that but, well, y’know, Izuku never wanted her to worry about all the bullying he went through back then. She went through so much worse, literal torture, and he doesn’t want to even begin to compare his shit to hers.
“Actually,” Eri takes a closer look at Bakugou before looking over at Izuku, “Is he the little kid in that photo that mom has hanging on the wall in between the front door and the window?”
Izuku takes a deep breath, “Yes, but-”
“You guys looked so close in that picture so why-”
“Eri,” Izuku drops his face, looking at her with this look on his face just pleading her to stop talking, “drop it.” He whispers and it’s less of a demand and more of an ask.
Eri seems to understand his look and tone of voice and she backs off, giving him a quick nod.
“Your mom has a picture of us?” Bakugou asks before any kind of silence can fill the room.
Izuku presses his lips into a tight line, nodding his head, “But it doesn’t matter. What are you here for?”
Bakugou’s face contorts into something of displeasure. Annoyance, maybe. He rubs at his forehead, “I’ve been so fuckin’ busy today with work and shit that I forgot it was the fucking hag’s birthday today and I didn’t get her a damn thing,” He scoffs at himself, quickly turning it into a groan of some kind, “I got off of work at 6:30 and you’re the only bakery open within a 25-kilometer radius of my ma’s house and I don’t wanna go to a grocery store, I wanted to get her some nice cupcakes from a bakery so I was gonna come here to get her her favorite cupcake, but you’re all out of the r-”
“Red velvet,” Izuku finishes his sentence for him, a fond smile replacing his tight-lipped expression as he recalls a memory, “Yeah, I remember always helping my mom bake red velvet cupcakes on your mom’s birthday. I just got finished frosting some, actually. I’ve got someone coming in tonight who ordered a dozen and I made a few extra because I had some extra batter, how many do you want?”
“3 if possible, if not 1 or 2 is fine.”
“I can do 3,” Izuku flashes him a quick smile and heads toward the back before turning back around and looking at Eri, “Can you come with me? Help me box them?”
Eri looks around for a second, looking at Bakugou and then back to Izuku.
“It’s fine, we can leave him in the front alone, he’s a big boy,” Izuku places a hand on the door to the kitchen, “he can handle himself.”
“Okay,” Eri shrugs and walks to Izuku, who opens the door for her and allows her to walk in.
Just before he walks in himself, Bakugou speaks, “Can we-” He pauses, a look of vulnerability on his face. A look Izuku has never seen on Bakugou’s face ever before, “Can we talk, Midoriya? I want to apologize.”
Izuku opens his mouth to say something before realizing he doesn’t really have anything to say. He’s always thought about all he would say to Bakugou if he ever saw him again and now he feels like the words are just getting stuck in his throat like they can’t reach past his lips.
He wants to forgive Bakugou for everything he did. He really does. He just doesn’t want to forget about it. He doesn’t want to forgive him so quickly that he doesn’t even have time to recall everything Bakugou put him through. Though, trust him, Izuku has recalled those days in his life plenty.
The point is, though, that Izuku wants to forgive Bakugou; he just doesn’t want to do it too quickly. He has a problem with forgiving people too quickly and he doesn’t want this to be the case because he knows all too well that the moment he hears an apology come out of Bakugou Katsuki’s mouth, forgiveness will be flying out of Izuku’s own.
That’s not going to happen though. It’s not going to happen, Izuku will hold back, he won’t immediately forgive this man. He won’t.
He’s not sure he’s even ready to give him a chance.
Izuku presses his lips back into that tight line from earlier and shakes his head, “I’m busy. I’ll get your order packed for you.” He walks through the door and lets it fall shut behind him, walking to the cupcakes he frosted earlier, where Eri is already constructing one of the single cupcake boxes.
“So…” Eri stares at Izuku as he grabs his own box to start constructing, “talk?”
Izuku groans, rolling his eyes, “I don’t want to, Er.”
Eri grins, her eyes widening for a moment as her eyebrows raise, “Well too bad, Izuku. Spill.”
Izuku finishes his box and sets a cupcake into it, closing it right back up and sealing it with a sticker that has the bakery’s logo and name on it, a simple cupcake with green frosting and at the bottom of the cupcake wrapper says, ”Midoriya’s” in green.
Izuku takes Eri’s now finished box and does the same thing, placing a cupcake into it, closing it, and sealing it with one of the stickers.
“Izuku,” Eri drawls, her persistence has always been the most annoying thing about her, in Izuku’s opinion, “you cannot leave me in the dark.”
“He was a bully, okay?” Izuku snaps, clenching his jaw shut and looking anywhere but his sister.
Eri’s already working on the third box so Izuku can’t even distract himself by doing something with his hands. He just sighs softly and finally meets his sister’s gaze, “He was a bully. To me. Since I’m quirkless.”
“Then what about the picture?” Eri asks, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
Izuku brings his hands together, allowing his fingers to mindlessly pull and pick at each other, “We used to be friends. Really good friends. We were gonna be heroes together,” He chuckles sarcastically at the foolishness of it all now, “I don’t know what I was thinking,” He squeezes his eyes shut, “I was a kid. I thought heroes were cool.” He gulps, opening his eyes back up, “we both did. We were gonna be heroes together.” He says again and, yeah, it’s the same words as 5 seconds ago but, somehow, the way he says it is completely different. It’s sadder.
“Izuku..” Eri looks at him with pity in her eyes.
“No, sorry,” Izuku clears his throat, not bothering to fake a smile because he knows Eri can see straight through it at this point, “Uh, we wanted to be heroes together and he got his quirk and I never did and so he always made fun of me for being quirkless and he picked on me for still wanting to be a hero and trying to help others, even without a quirk. It got to the point of suicide baiting in middle school.” He gulps hard, refusing to let himself cry about this again, “He got his quirk and I never did,” He shrugs, trying to remove himself from the explanation as best he can, he doesn’t really wanna relive that again, “end of story.”
“What do you mean ‘end of story’, what happened after middle school?”
“Well Mom found out what was happening, so she moved the two of us further away from the Bakugous and made sure I didn’t go to UA with Bakugou. Then you got rescued while I was in my first year of high school and you came to us once it was safe for you to enter the foster care system. Then we adopted you and you know everything else after that.”
“I think you should talk to him, let him apologize.”
Izuku scoffs, “You’re one of the people who tells me that I need to stop trusting and forgiving so easily and now you’re all for it?”
“No,” Eri crosses her arms, looking at him like he just said the dumbest thing in the world, “I never said you have to forgive him, just that you should talk to him. Let him apologize. At best, it’ll be a good apology and you can maybe forgive him and work on being friends or something. At worst, you’ll gain a bit of closure and not have to wonder ‘what if’ anymore.” She knows Izuku too fucking well. Izuku knows that she knows him too well. She knows that he’s an excessive overthinker, which means she’s easily deduced that he overthinks about Bakugou constantly. She knows damn well he’s been overthinking since the moment he exited the kitchen to see Bakugou Katsuki standing in the middle of his bakery. She knows.
Sometimes, it’s really annoying how damn smart she is.
Other times, it’s really helpful how damn smart she is.
“You’re right,” Izuku can’t help but smile at his sister, always wanting the best for everybody around her while still acting a bit obnoxious at times. She truly is something special. “How did you get so clever, kid? You’re only 17.”
Eri giggles and shrugs, “I dunno, I was around a pretty smart guy growing up.”
Izuku walks over to give Eri a very well-deserved hug. He waits until she breaks it, “You’re pretty awesome yourself,” He smirks lightly, backing up to gather the cupcake boxes into his hands, “can you put a dozen of these in one of those boxes, please?” He points over to one of the unfolded boxes that hold a dozen cupcakes when folded up, “I’m gonna bring these out to Bakugou.”
Eri nods, “Yeah, I can do that. Good luck,” She says in a sing-songy tone.
Izuku rolls his eyes and heads out the kitchen door to the rest of the bakery, where Bakugou is still standing there waiting. Once he hears the door open, his eyes shoot over that way. Izuku walks toward him, then he puts the cupcakes on the counter, and starts to place them into a bag before pushing them over to Bakugou.
“How much?” Bakugou asks, his voice a little more discouraged now that Izuku walked away after his very clear request to talk with him.
“Don’t worry about it,” Izuku waves the price off, it’s not that big of a deal anyway. He was likely just going to bring those home to his roommate since they were extra, he wasn’t planning on making any kind of profit on them anyway so, really, it’s fine. “Just tell Mitsuki that I say happy birthday.”
“Are you sure? I can pay you, it’s not a big deal.”
Izuku just kinda chuckles with a light shake of the head, “Seriously, I was just going to bring those home and give them to my roommate so I wasn’t gonna make any money off of them anyway.” He falters for a moment before just deciding to go with it, “I will, uh, take you up on that apology offer, however.”
Bakugou’s eyes widen as he takes in what Izuku said, which is when he immediately sighs something of relief and whatnot. He opens his mouth to talk but Izuku cuts him off before he can start, “Let’s go outside because my sister is very nosy and she will try to listen in if we stay in here.” Izuku grabs his keys from a drawer under the counter and makes his way around the counter so that he’s on the same side as Bakuogu.
They start to walk out the door, Bakugou making sure to grab his bag, but before Izuku shuts it, he makes sure to flip the open sign to closed and to lock the door, he doesn’t want anybody to try and get in while there’s nobody at the front and Eri is all alone in the kitchen. That’s a recipe for disaster.
They stand in some awkward silence for about 15 seconds until Bakugou takes a deep breath, looking straight at Izuku so that he can come across as genuine as possible, and says, “Look, I am really sorry for the way I used to treat you when we were kids. It was a really fucked up thing for me to do and it’s definitely not the way it should have been and, Izuku,” He grimaces at himself, eye contact now faltering like he’s actually nervous, which isn’t something Izuku has ever seen from Bakugou. Nerves. All throughout childhood, everything he’s seen on TV, not once has he seen Bakugou nervous and faltering. Except for right now, “if I can even call you that, I just want you to know how much I regret all the shit I did back then. I just- I regret it and I’m sorry.”
Izuku looks at Bakugou, staring into his eyes like it’s the most important thing he’s looking at. He can see the hope in Bakugou’s eyes and it’s not quite hope for forgiveness, from what Izuku can tell, but rather hope that Izuku believes him. And Izuku does, actually. Something about the look on his face and his uneasy stance, Izuku believes every word coming out of his mouth.
Izuku knows that his quickness to believe and forgive has backfired on him before. Many times before. He knows this will probably end just the same as every other time he’s forgiven too easily but he can’t help it. That’s who he and he’s pretty sure that’s who he’ll always be. It’s like being on a rollercoaster, constantly going through the same motions, never changing. It’s a thrill, sure, to forgive someone and feel the joy of knowing there are no more hard feelings but, just like a rollercoaster, the thrill comes to an end and Izuku’s forgiveness was given for no reason because whoever he forgave just falls back into the same old shit. Yet, Izuku still goes again. He gets back on the rollercoaster, he forgives without a second thought.
He’s really trying to give this forgiveness a second thought but it’s just so difficult when Bakugou looks as genuine as he does and it doesn’t help that he’s grown in bulk since the last time that Izuku saw him in real life and, frankly, he’s definitely physically attracted to the man, which makes this whole situation so much worse.
Izuku takes a deep breath, wanting so badly to tell Bakugou to fuck off and that a simple apology won’t fix what he was put through but, instead, what comes out is, “I’ve moved past it.” But has he? Sometimes he still thinks about how he almost took Bakugou’s words seriously when he told him to take a swan dive off the roof, sometimes he still thinks about how he admired Bakugou so much back then that he took all of his words to heart.
Sometimes he still remembers when he’d try to stand up to Bakugou, in order to help another kid whom Bakugou was also bullying, only for the bullying to get worse toward Izuku.
Sometimes he still remembers. Sometimes he still feels. Sometimes he still hurts.
But, also, with therapy and coping mechanisms and medication, he has moved past it. Thinking about it is just a part of healing. He has moved past it. He’s learned not to dwell on what could have been. He’s learned to accept it. It’s happened and he can’t change it. Leaves are still leaves even if they fall off their tree.
“It’s, um,” Izuku clears his throat, forcing a smile of some kind onto his face, “I’ve gone to therapy and I’ve worked through all the issues you and your friends left me with. So, yeah, I’ve moved past it. I’m not the same person I used to be and you clearly aren’t either so I think that it would be cruel of me to withhold my forgiveness so, yeah, I forgive you. It was by no means okay and I definitely wouldn’t wish what you put me through onto anybody but I don’t hold any animosity toward you anymore, I’m not going to hold a grudge against you for something you did as a kid,” He finishes, watching Bakugou’s face contort in surprise, “It was horrible, definitely, but it was also a very long time ago and to hold that against you would honestly make me a bit of an asshole, I would think.”
It’s true what Izuku said, he’s been thinking about how he forgives too easily but, at the same time, Bakugou was a child when he did the shit he did to Izuku so Izuku not forgiving him would be a dick move. He was young and kids make mistakes, some worse than others, but nonetheless, it’s your time to live and learn so that way you don’t make the same stupid mistakes as an adult.
“Thank you,” Bakugou whispers just barely enough for Izuku to hear, he speaks up with his next words, thankfully, “I’ve been through some therapy too. And some anger management. I’m trying to be a better fuckin’ person or whatever,” He scoffs lightly, staring down at the ground, “I really wanted to reach out to you but didn’t know how to. I think about the things I said and did a lot.”
Izuku wants to say that he also thinks about the things Bakugou said and did a lot but his overwhelming need to please every single person he ever talks to takes over and, well, talking to Bakugou again is actually a lot nicer than Izuku thought it would be, “Well now you don’t have to,” He smiles, bringing his hand to somewhat hesitantly touch Katsuki’s face, angling it up so that he’s making eye contact with Izuku again. He’s not sure what possessed him to do that but he’s already done it and there’s no going back now because Katsuki’s eyes move quickly from the ground to searching along Izuku’s face until landing on his eyes.
Izuku stares into Bakugou’s deep red eyes, wondering how he never noticed how pretty they were before now. He’s seen them all over television and in a few magazines but it’s not until now that he’s noticing how beautiful they are. It’s like they’re staring straight into his soul and Izuku can’t help but not mind if that’s the case. He wouldn’t mind those eyes staring at anything they’d like.
“You don’t have to think about it anymore because I’ve moved past it,” Izuku whispers, not averting his eyes from Bakugou’s, “I’m doing alright for myself despite everything,” He somewhat jokes, a chuckle leaving him before his tongue darts out for a second to wet his lips since they’re very dry from who knows what.
They stay quiet for a few seconds, just staring into each other’s eyes. Izuku really, really, likes Bakugou’s eyes. They’re like rubies but in a rougher way, if that even makes any ounce of sense.
“I think I might do something really stupid right now and I want you to stop me if I’m crossing a line because I very well could be crossing a lot of lines but-” Izuku mumbles quickly, eyes glancing away from Bakugou’s for just a second so that they can look down at his lips instead, his face hot and probably very red as his gaze burns into Bakugou’s lips. He cuts himself off by taking one more step toward Bakugou and bringing his other hand up to cup Bakugou’s face.
Izuku brings his lips so so close to Bakugou’s that he can feel the heat of his breath. Izuku parts his mouth ever so slightly, tempted to just let go of all restraints and kiss Bakugou but is that really the greatest idea? Probably not.
Bakugou shuts his own mouth and gulps, a blush rising to his own cheeks. Then he brings his hand up to brush at Izuku’s jawline. Izuku shivers at the touch, not expecting it but welcoming it nonetheless. He knows damn well he’s about to cross a huge line between him and his childhood best friend turned bully turned stranger turned guy who walked into his bakery turned apologist turned guy he’s kissing on the sidewalk outside of his bakery.
Yeah. He breaks the tension between them by just letting himself go and not holding back anymore. Izuku shuts his eyes and presses his lips into Bakugou’s with a soft, light touch at first, nervous and scared that he’s ruining the entire conversation they just had, probably also ruining any chance of them ever talking again but, damnit, he just had to, okay?
He can’t help that Bakugou is attractive and he can’t help that his lips are so tempting and he can’t help that he’s maybe a little touch starved after being single for the last 3 years and he can’t help that Bakugou is actually kissing him back, surprisingly soft and careful.
Izuku never would have thought that Bakugou was a gentle kisser but he is. He’s going slow against Izuku’s lips, he’s slowly tracing his hand up Izuku’s jawline and to his ear, playing with his earlobe before going further, combing his fingers through Izuku’s curls toward the back of his head. He pulls Izuku closer and deepens their kiss.
Izuku is surprised that Bakugou not only doesn’t stop Izuku but he keeps kissing him. It’s intimate and full of a lot of past and definitely a little odd for the both of them but that’s what makes it so much better.
The kiss breaks but the two men don’t. Their foreheads are still resting against each other and their noses are touching, lips just barely so. They both breathe quietly into each other, neither one opening their eyes just yet, “Well, uh,” Izuku chuckles, finally opening his own and pulling a little more ways away from Bakugou but not much, “I guess I didn’t cross a line?” He questions quietly.
“I’ll get rid of whatever fucking line you think you crossed,” Bakugou opens his own eyes to look right back into Izuku’s like they were just a moment before, “If anything, I’m the one who crossed a damn line.” He scoffs.
“You can cross that line whenever, Kacchan,” Izuku smiles and it finally isn’t one of his stupid forced ones, it’s completely genuine. His lips upturned just enough that his eyes crinkle a little bit and his front teeth start to peek out.
He doesn’t even notice the old nickname he used until Bakugou points it out, “I was surprised when you said that earlier, didn't think you'd remember it.”
Izuku laughs, rolling his eyes, “Of course I do, I only called you Kacchan every single day since I could talk until I left,” He says sarcastically.
Bakugou’s face drops at that, a sad look taking over the previous one, “I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to leave.”
Izuku shrugs, “It’s water under the bridge now. Besides, it wasn’t just you, y’know,” He drops his hands down from Bakugou’s face to his shoulders, his smile fading a little bit, “there were a lot of people that bullied me back then.” He picks his smile back up, “Clearly, you’re different though because out of all those people, you’re the only one who has apologized to me.”
“I should’ve apologized sooner,” Bakugou is adamant. He plays with one of Izuku’s curls at the back of his head, “I shouldn’t have let it get as far as I did. I should’ve fuckin’-”
“No use looking back on it now, Bakugou,” The name feels foreign coming out of Izuku’s mouth but he feels childish saying ‘Kacchan’ and he’s not sure he can call Bakugou by his given name, “it happened, you’ve grown, I’ve moved past it, you’ve apologized, now we’re standing in front of my bakery making out so I sense that we both have different priorities now and you being a bully at 12 isn’t really my top one, I’m not sure about you but I much prefer kissing you to be above that.”
Bakugou finally smiles at that, “Yeah, okay,” He nods, “I like having that as a priority too.” He leans in for another kiss and Izuku graciously accepts it.
He’s not sure how long they’re like that before he realizes that he should probably get back into his bakery because the person to pick up the dozen red velvet cupcakes will be here any moment for those. He quickly pulls away, shocking Bakugou, his eyebrows furrowing together. “I’ve gotta get back inside,” Izuku explains to him, “Uh, I,” He chuckles, suddenly getting all nervous now, “I know you’ve gotta get to your mom’s so I’m not gonna ask you to come inside, besides my sister would just relentlessly ask you questions and, trust me, you don’t wanna deal with that so you should go and I’ve gotta get inside but I really don’t want this to be the last time we see each other, I really want to-”
“Let me take you on a date tomorrow night,” Bakugou interrupts Izuku’s nervous rant, “I’ll pick you up and we can go to dinner.”
Izuku agrees quicker than he can really even think about doing anything but agreeing. He reaches into his pocket for his phone, patting at his side when he can’t find it, “I left my phone inside, I wanted to get your number.”
“Here,” Bakugou hands Izuku his own phone, “put your number in here, I’ll text you the details for tomorrow.”
“Yeah, okay,” Izuku grins happily. He turns Bakugou’s phone on, the man doesn’t even have a password despite being one of Japan’s top pro heroes, which probably isn’t the safest thing considering. He finds the contacts app and inputs his own. Then, he hands Bakugou his phone back and rushes back inside but only after he gives Bakugou another lingering kiss.
He unlocks the bakery door again and flips the sign back to open so that customers can walk in freely.
Unfortunately, Eri is sitting at the front counter with a devilish grin on her face, “I didn’t know kissing your childhood bully was a way of not forgiving someone.”
“Shut up,” Izuku grumbles, walking across the bakery to get behind the counter with Eri.
Eri giggles, making more fun of him, “Do you kiss all of the people who apologize to you? Or just the hot pro heroes?”
Izuku rolls his eyes, flicking his sister in the forehead the moment he gets in range to do so, “You’re the worst.”
She swats at his hand and Izuku knows he’s in for being made fun of the rest of the night but, honestly, he doesn’t mind because kissing Bakugou (and having a dinner date with him) is absolutely worth a little teasing from his little sister.