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“-Right. Yeah, I will. Love you too, stay safe.” Eijirou dropped his phone to the bed as the line went dead, and he fell back next to it, rubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes with a heavy sigh. He felt clothes pressing into his back, and he knew more were strewn about the room from his haste to pack, but at the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Not when his usual winter break plans had been completely derailed by the incoming snowstorm.
It wouldn’t touch him here in Musutafu, the city just far enough south to avoid the brunt of it, but it would directly hit his home in Chiba. It didn’t seem super dangerous based on the weather forecast and the call he’d just ended with his mom, but at the same time, traveling through it would be impossible.
Which meant Eijirou would have to stay put in his apartment, at least until the storm passed in about a week.
His stomach twisted, and he pressed his palms harder against the oncoming sting in his eyes. A week . A whole week of his break he was losing when he could’ve been spending it with his moms and little sister. He could’ve been helping decorate their house, and going to the big Christmas market Chiba always had throughout the month, and just enjoying the warmth of being with his family. It was what he had always done for as long as Eijirou could remember, but now he was missing out. Would his family wait to celebrate when he was finally able to come, or would they do what they could and go ahead without him?
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the apartment door closing in the main room. Right, he’d still be here with Bakugou during the break. May as well go ahead and tell him now.
Eijirou made sure his face was clear of any possible tear tracks before making his way out to the living room. Bakugou was standing in the genkan as he worked on pulling off his snow-covered boots, his coat already hanging and dripping water on the floor. “Hey, man.”
Bakugou jumped, whirling around with a boot ready to throw, but he stopped when his eyes landed on Eijirou. “Fuck, Kirishima,” he breathed, and he dropped the shoe. “Thought you left already.”
“Sorry.” Eijirou tried for a smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I uh, can’t head home just yet. There’s a huge storm blowing through my hometown, so I’ll be sticking around for at least a week.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah…looks like I’ll be bugging you for a little longer.” Eijirou tried to laugh it off, but even he winced at how strained it sounded.
Bakugou, on the other hand, didn’t look amused. He almost looked offended with how his face was scrunched up. “You don’t bug me,” he said, as sure as he said anything. “Fuck off with that shit.” He pulled off his other boot and stepped out of the genkan. “Stir fry good for dinner?”
“Oh, uh, yeah.” Eijirou blinked after Bakugou, but he still trailed after him to the kitchen, taking his usual seat at the table to watch his friend cook. They lapsed into silence, but where Eijirou would usually fill it, this time he didn’t even try to break it. With how occupied his thoughts were, he wasn’t even sure how.
The silence continued as they ate, and it followed Eijirou to his bedroom as soon as his plate was clean, where he stayed for the rest of the night.
The next couple days crawled on for Eijirou. With the last-minute change of plans, he didn’t know what to do while he was here. Campus was closed for winter break, which meant most of its facilities, including the gym, were too. He definitely wasn’t doing homework; he was sure physics would make him more miserable than he already was. All of his other friends had already left town, so Eijirou just stayed in the apartment.
He didn’t see much of Bakugou during the day; his roommate was always gone by the time Eijirou got up each morning and didn’t return until around sunset. He had his backpack when he got back, so Eijirou assumed he was going to campus. He wouldn’t be surprised if Bakugou was getting a headstart on his own homework; he’d always been an overachiever, ever since Eijirou had met him back in their first year of college.
Bakugou made dinner for the two of them when he got back like he always did, not trusting Eijirou near the stove ever since the Spicy Ramen Incident, but he also managed to convince Eijirou not to disappear into his room again after he finished, talking him into watching a random movie or playing video games during the evening. Maybe Eijirou really wasn’t bothering him by being here? He could admit that spending time with his friend was a nice distraction when he wasn’t calling home, at least for a little while.
But by the pinched brows, the slight scrunch of his nose, and the way he’d chew on his bottom lip when he thought Eijirou wasn’t looking, something else was bothering Bakugou. Eijirou just couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Bakugou didn’t immediately say anything though, so Eijirou didn’t push. He always spoke his mind eventually. Eijirou would just wait as long as it took.
He honestly didn’t expect to get his answer the next morning.
Eijirou idly noted that it was the winter solstice as his eyes fluttered open. He’d normally be going to a festival in Tokyo with his family tonight, and a dull ache started to form in his chest at the realization.
That thought disappeared though when he heard movement outside of his closed bedroom door. He shot up in bed, tense as he listened. Did somebody break in? Eijirou didn’t have any combat training, but he was sure he could copy some MMA moves if he needed to.
He heard a thud, followed by a splash and a curse in an all-too-familiar voice, and Eijirou instantly relaxed. Oh, it was just Bakugou. But what was he still doing here? Wasn’t he usually gone by now? …And why did Eijirou smell lemons?
That last thought got Eijirou to finally get out of bed. Maybe Bakugou was baking something. He’d definitely be down to eat lemon cookies for breakfast.
But the kitchen was empty when he stepped out of his room. Instead, light was streaming from the open bathroom door, and all of the noise was coming from there, as well as the lemon smell. Bakugou was muttering to himself as he did…whatever he was doing in there. Curiosity getting the best of him, Eijirou peeked in, his eyebrows rising in surprise when he saw his friend kneeled on the floor next to the bathtub, swirling his hand through the steaming water in it. “Bakugou…?”
Bakugou jumped at Eijirou’s voice, his hand jerking out of the water as he turned, and Eijirou noticed the yellow fruits sitting on the edge of the tub as the blond’s elbow knocked them into the water. “Wait, shit-!” Bakugou dove to snatch them up, and Eijirou finally got a good look at them—yuzu. Bakugou held the fruit tightly in his hands and huffed before shooting a glare at Eijirou. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Eijirou cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, I live here? What are you doing here? Aren’t you usually gone to do homework by now?”
“Lab work,” Bakugou corrected, before he averted his gaze to the yuzu in his grasp. “Took the rest of the break off, though.” He then waved a hand at the tub. “Made a yuzu bath.”
“Oh.” There were in fact more yuzu halves floating in the water, some of them crushed like they’d been juiced. Eijirou had heard about people taking these baths on the winter solstice; they helped lift people’s spirits and gave them good luck, or something like that. He’d never taken one himself. “I didn’t know you celebrated the solstice. Is this what you always do?”
“No.” Bakugou stood up, transferring the fruit to one hand and wiping his wet hand on his sweatpants, and he walked over and shoved Eijirou toward the tub. “It’s for you.”
“Wh-” Eijirou stumbled before looking back at Bakugou in confusion. “Wait, for me?”
“Yup.” And with that, he left, shutting the door behind him.
Well then.
Eijirou blinked at the door before turning back to the tub, his mind still trying to wrap around the fact that Bakugou had suddenly made a yuzu bath for him. It wasn’t doing a good job so far. His mind did make the connection that it looked nice and toasty, and the citrus scent floating through the air was clearing up his stuffy nose from crying the last couple days…maybe for now, he wouldn’t question it.
So he stripped and sank down into the warm water, and as he inhaled the scent of the fruit, he felt like he was breathing for the first time in days. He just sat there and breathed, legs drawn and forehead resting on his knees. He only broke out of his trance when he heard the door open, and he looked over just in time to see it close, a clean set of clothes and a towel now sitting on the floor for him.
A small smile grew on Eijirou’s lips, the first since the phone call. He didn’t know what was going on, but whatever Bakugou was trying to do, it was really sweet.
He stayed in the bath for a while, just soaking in the warmth and the smell, and maybe there was some truth behind these baths, because Eijirou felt the best he’s had in days. Not perfect, but he felt more aware, more present, like he was actually in the moment instead of going through the motions, and the heavy weight on his chest had lessened.
By the time he had emerged from the bathroom fully dressed in the clothes that Bakugou had left him, a pair of his sweats and his favorite Crimson Riot hoodie, he found him at the stove, ladling miso soup into two bowls. He pushed one of them into Eijirou’s hands as soon as he walked in, along with a cup of green tea. “Oh, thanks man!” Another smile tugged at his lips. “And thanks for the bath. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know that.” Bakugou’s gaze lingered on his smile for another moment before he turned away to get his own food.
They ate in silence, this meal feeling more content than the others, but at one point Eijirou glanced up to see Bakugou looking at him again. He had that scrunch to his nose again, and his bottom lip was between his teeth. It made Eijirou frown and set his spoon down. “Dude?”
Bakugou blinked before his eyes widened, like he only just realized he was staring, and he ducked his head to his bowl, pink rising on his cheeks. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine! But is everything okay? You’ve been acting kinda weird lately…”
Bakugou didn’t answer immediately, his eyes locked on his soup and that contemplative look still on his face, but after a minute he looked up at Eijirou. “You’ve been sad as fuck lately.”
Eijirou blinked, surprised. His own mood had been what was bothering Bakugou? “Oh. Uh, yeah, I guess I’ve been a little bummed…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Did- was the yuzu bath you trying to cheer me up?”
Bakugou’s cheeks got darker, but he didn’t back down this time. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “S’weird seeing you all mopey and shit. You’re usually talking my ear off.”
Eijirou snorted, grinning. “I’m sorry, Bakugou. I didn’t mean to make you worried.” His smile dimmed as the source of his sadness resurfaced, and his gaze fell to his mug of tea. “I guess not being able to go home for the break is hitting me harder than I thought.” He swirled the mug, watching the small whirlpool form in the drink. “I usually do stuff with my family for the holidays, so having to miss out on it now…it sucks.”
Bakugou hummed, and Eijirou wasn’t surprised to find his friend’s gaze on him again. The silence stretched on though, making Eijirou fidget in his seat, and he was about to see if Bakugou had ended up falling asleep with his eyes open somehow when he finally spoke.
“Let’s do something.”
Eijirou couldn’t have heard right. “Huh?”
“Let’s do something,” Bakugou repeated, and nope, he heard right. “Whatever you wanna do, let’s do it.”
Eijirou balked, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to get words out. “Are- a-are you sure? You don’t have to force yourself to do this, you probably have your own plans for the break and I don’t want you to change them for my sake-”
“Kirishima.”
Eijirou clamped his mouth shut. Bakugou was giving him an impatient look, but beyond it Eijirou could see the hint of nerves peeking through the determined red of his eyes. “I don’t do shit I don’t wanna do. If you don’t want to do anything, we don’t have to, but I’m asking anyway: do you want to do anything to celebrate the holidays?”
It was Eijirou’s turn to stare at Bakugou in silence. The offer was completely unexpected, but at the same time, it wasn’t unwelcome. Celebrating in some way did sound a lot better than moping in bed staring at the ceiling all day. He’d wondered what spending the holidays with Bakugou would be like sometimes too, especially since his friend never went home during winter break like everybody else did. Eijirou often wondered why, but he never pried. It wasn’t his business. But maybe this year, when they were here together, celebrating could be fun.
“Yeah.” Eijirou nodded, excitement building inside of him. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
Their first order of business was the apartment. In all the years that they’ve lived together, Bakugou had never decorated their apartment whenever Eijirou left for winter break, which was baffling to the redhead. No lights? No mini Christmas tree?? No cutesy holiday decorations to stick to the window???
Okay, that last one wasn’t very surprising, but still! Having absolutely nothing was pretty much a crime, and it felt so sad, especially when it got dark so early in the winter. Just in the last two days, the absence of decorations made Eijirou feel lonely despite his best friend always being close by.
But that was changing now! Bakugou still didn’t want anything big or fancy, but he had compromised on string lights. So after a quick trip to the store they set to work, and by the time the sun started to dip behind the surrounding buildings, lights were strung everywhere .
It was even more than were usually up in Eijirou’s house. They were all along the walls of the living room, taped to the edges of the kitchen counters, across the ceiling of Eijirou’s room. There was even a strand around the mirror in the bathroom. Everywhere they looked, the tiny multicolored lights twinkled back at them. They didn’t give off any real heat, but Eijirou could imagine their warmth as he took it all in.
He’d convinced Bakugou to hang a couple strands in his own room too. Eijirou finished taping up a battery-powered one over the blond’s bed and flicked them on, soft orange lights illuminating the space. He sat back on his heels on the mattress, grinning back at his friend sitting at the other end. “See? They’re nice, right?”
Bakugou’s gaze flicked over the lights and the matching ones around his window, the little bulbs reflecting in the red of his eyes. Eijirou didn’t miss the tiny twitch of a smile on his lips. “They’re alright.”
The next day was mostly uneventful. True to his word, Bakugou stayed at the apartment with Eijirou rather than going back to his lab work on campus, but even though he said that they could do whatever Eijirou wanted, the redhead was totally blanking. It was like being put on the spot made him forget all the things he had been sad about missing out on the last few days. He racked his brain for something, anything , before finally settling on watching American Christmas movies. Eijirou usually watched the yearly specials with his sister at night when the main events of the day finally wound down, so it seemed like a decent thing to do now, at least until he thought of a real activity.
Turns out it was a genius suggestion because Bakugou had never seen a single Christmas movie, at least in the last decade, which was another crime. That was how they ended up bundled in blankets on the couch, a bowl of popcorn between them, and Eijirou’s laptop hooked up to the TV as he showed his friend every movie he could think of.
He had to admit, going in he wasn’t sure what Bakugou would think about them, but Eijirou was surprised at how enraptured he had become with the cutesy claymation specials. He’d never seen Bakugou this into anything besides the complicated chemistry projects he did in the lab.
The day after had been shaping up to be the same as the last; Bakugou was making breakfast at the stove, and Eijirou was searching for more movies to watch—would Bakugou like the sappy romantic ones?—when the ad for Musutafu’s Christmas market appeared on his phone.
It was huge. Not quite as big as the one in Chiba, but it was still impressive. It was set up near campus, three or so blocks long and just as wide. Temporary stalls lined the walking paths, all of them with food, ornaments, and other Christmas-themed goodies to sell. A tall Christmas tree stood in the middle of the stalls, a few tables to eat at set up around it, and everything was decorated with multicolored strands of lights and powdery white snow that was drifting down from the dark night sky.
How Eijirou had never noticed this market during the last month, or in the years he’d been going to school here, was beyond him.
They were standing off to the side of the light-and-garland archway that marked the entrance of the market, complimentary cups of miso soup to warm them up and cleanse their palates in hand as they avoided the incoming crowds and took everything in. Or, Eijirou was. Bakugou was silent next to him, his shoulders tensed and cup of broth clutched in both gloved hands. The lower half of his face was tucked in his scarf, but a hint of pink could be seen on the parts of his cheeks that were exposed. The cold must already be getting to him.
“Don’t worry bro, we don’t have to stay here for super long,” Eijirou promised as he nudged Bakugou, grinning when the blond looked over at the action. “This place is pretty cool though! Have you been before, since you’re from here?”
The visible part of Bakugou’s face pinched, and his gaze fell back to his cup. “No,” he said, the response almost going unheard among the noise of the music and other people around them from how quiet he was. “And it’s fucking fine, we can stay here as long as you want.”
Despite his words saying one thing, his tone said that he wanted to get out of there ASAP. But Bakugou had said before that he didn’t do things that he didn’t want to, so Eijirou didn’t push. “Alright…well, at least we can check out the market for the first time together! And we can get something to warm you up too.” He finished off his soup and tossed the cup into a nearby trash can before grabbing Bakugou by the wrist, and the blond let himself be dragged into the swarm of other visitors.
Musutafu’s market felt very similar to Chiba’s, but also different. The smaller size didn’t detract from the cozy, homey feeling Eijirou got as they walked through the stalls. New and familiar scents wafted through the air and tickled his nose as they passed the different food stands, and he indulged in just about all of them. He knew it had been a good idea to skip lunch. The trinkets to buy were expansive too, Christmas ornaments and toys and clothes and other little souvenirs. But Eijirou didn’t buy any of it, not yet; he wanted to get gifts for his family, but he wanted them to be perfect since they had to miss out because of the storm.
Part of Eijirou felt a little bad about visiting the market without them, but he knew they’d want him to have fun. And it was fun! Especially when he was enjoying it with Bakugou.
He glanced over at the man in question as they walked, and the smile that had been perpetually on his face for the last hour faded as he stopped walking.
Bakugou wasn’t looking back at Eijirou. Wasn’t looking at much of anything, just glaring out into the distance, and with his hunched shoulders and face buried in his scarf, Eijirou was reminded of a turtle retreating back into its shell. He couldn’t even be amused by the comparison in the face of how uncomfortable Bakugou looked, though. Eijirou didn’t think anything had happened, so what…?
He followed where Bakugou was glaring to, not seeing much of anything besides the people flitting past their still forms.
Oh.
“Hey.” Bakugou jerked when Eijirou’s hand landed on his shoulder, the redhead steering them out of the thick of it and into a gap between two stalls, a break from the crowds and the noise. “If you don’t feel like sticking around, we can head home.”
Bakugou blinked, focusing back on Eijirou before looking at him like he’d grown an extra head. “Hah? I said we could stay here as long as you wanted.”
“But you look miserable, dude,” Eijirou said, frowning. “Like, worse than when I talked you into going with me to that party that one time.”
Bakugou’s shoulders hunched even further, if that was even possible, and he scoffed and averted his gaze to the snow collecting at their feet. “I’m fucking fine.”
“No you’re not.” Eijirou tried to put his hand on his shoulder again, but Bakugou shrugged him off. “Bakugou, I meant it when I said I didn’t want to force you to do anything-”
“And I meant it when I said I don’t do shit I don’t wanna do,” Bakugou snapped back, his eyes flashing as he stared Eijirou down. “We agreed that we would do whatever holiday shit you wanted to do so that you wouldn’t be sad from missing out with your folks. That was the fucking deal-”
“I don’t care about the deal!” Eijirou interrupted sharply. Bakugou jolted back at the sudden volume, the anger disappearing from his face as his eyes went wide. Guilt immediately roiled in the pit of Eijirou’s stomach, and he took a couple steps back himself, putting more space between them. He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out before meeting Bakugou’s wide-eyed gaze again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell…but I meant what I said. I don’t care about the deal. I never even saw it as a deal. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to help me or something just because I was moping around the apartment. I just thought we could do fun stuff together that we both want to do. I appreciate you wanting to do all this stuff for me, I really do! But I don’t want to do it if I’m the only one that’s happy. I want you to be happy too, man.”
Bakugou didn’t immediately respond, his eyes even wider but his face otherwise blank, and Eijirou finally dropped his gaze from him as he leaned against the stall wall behind him. It was silent between them for a long moment, only broken by the sounds of the market just a few feet away and the snow settling on their heads and shoulders. Eijirou worried that he had said something wrong as the silence continued, but his eyes were snapping back to his friend when he heard him shuffle in place in the snow.
Bakugou was looking down now too, but he didn’t have that frightened look on his face anymore. His eyebrows were furrowed like they always were when he was contemplating something, before he finally looked back up at Eijirou, looking pensive. “I-” He cut himself off, glancing out to the rest of the market before looking back at Eijirou. “We can stay.”
Eijirou immediately frowned. “Bakugou, we really don’t have to-”
“I mean it,” he insisted. “I really wanna stay. I’ve never been here, remember? And I’ve been pissy and shit since we’ve been here—all day, really—so…let’s check out the market together, yeah?”
Eijirou wasn’t completely sold, still thinking that Bakugou was still forcing himself, but he looked determined as he met Eijirou’s gaze, looking more sure than he had about anything all day. So he sighed, before he smiled a bit. “There was a sausage stand nearby that was pretty good. They even had some options that might even match your crazy spice level.”
Bakugou rolled his eyes, a smirk growing on his lips. “I doubt anything here could match my spice level.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to check it out, right?” Eijirou walked to the entrance of the makeshift alleyway, and Bakugou easily followed beside him.
“Yeah.”
As they walked to the sausage stand, and afterwards as they continued through the market with their food in hand, Eijirou kept an eye on Bakugou out of the corner of his eye. His friend was never one to lie or put up appearances for others, but after earlier Eijirou was still worried that he would still be trying to fake it for his sake.
But he seemed fine. Bakugou still had a scowl on his face as he bit into his food, grumbling about it not being spicy at all, but that was his normal level of grouchiness, not the I-hate-this-situation level from before. He didn’t look as tense either, almost fully relaxed and only bracing himself against the cold breezes that occasionally blew through the paths or somebody walking too close, but then he’d relax again and continue eating.
So maybe things were actually fine. Eijirou kept that thought in the forefront of his mind as he relaxed too and started on his own food.
He looped them through the parts of the market they had already been through, pointing out any good food stands he had tried or any knick knacks that he had thought looked cool. Where before Bakugou would grunt and barely give whatever Eijirou was pointing to a glance, now he was actively paying attention. He tried some of the foods that Eijirou suggested—even the sweet stuff, and Bakugou hated sweets!—and as he got more comfortable he even pointed out stuff himself. A new food here, an interesting trinket there. It wasn’t frequent, but it still happened, and it made warmth spread through Eijirou’s chest that had nothing to do with the mulled wine they had gotten.
As they made it past the Christmas tree to the other end of the market, another souvenir stand caught Eijirou’s eye. It was pretty modest, most of the wares being some kind of Christmas-themed figures. He hadn’t noticed this stand on the first pass, or any others like it so far. His curiosity piqued, Eijirou walked over to get a closer look.
An older woman was manning the stand, and she smiled as Eijirou approached. “Imported from Europe just this month,” she explained as he scanned the figures on the counter. “You made it just in time, young man. This is the last of the stock I have for the year.”
“They’re all so pretty.” Eijirou picked up one of the figures; it was one of those Russian nesting dolls, each layer painted to resemble Santa Claus. There were other dolls that looked like Santa, as well as snowmen, Christmas trees, and other holiday-themed items. They were all so detailed and carefully made, the wood and paint completely smooth as he ran his thumb over the Santa doll’s face.
They’d be the perfect gift for his family.
Eijirou selected three of his favorites and handed them to the stall owner. “I’ll take these, please.”
She nodded as she started ringing up his purchase. “Will that be all?”
“Yeah, I-” Eijirou stopped when he noticed the dolls sitting at the end of the counter. “You have comic book ones?”
The woman looked to the dolls in question. “I thought they might appeal to the younger crowds. Turns out I was right! There’s only a few left.”
She wasn’t kidding. There were only four of them clustered together. As Eijirou moved closer, his eyes widened. Was that a Crimson Riot one?! He immediately reached out to grab it, but he stopped when he saw the one next to it.
All Might.
…Didn’t Bakugou mention that All Might was his favorite comic book hero?
Eijirou only had to think for a second, glancing back to make sure Bakugou wasn’t looking before grabbing the All Might doll and pushing it toward the stall owner. She only smiled and added it to the bag with the others and some gift wrap. He paid and she handed over the bag, and Eijirou spun back to where he had accidentally ditched Bakugou. “Alright man, I’m-” He stopped short when he realized Bakugou wasn’t there anymore. “Bakugou?” Eijirou looked left and right, but he didn’t see him anywhere. Where’d he disappear to so fast? Eijirou hadn’t been at the stall for that long, had he?”
“Oi, Shitty Hair.”
Eijirou spun around, and he grinned when he saw Bakugou walking toward him from near the giant tree. “Hey! Sorry for leaving you like that. Did you find anything interesting?” he asked, glancing back the way Bakugou had come.
He only shrugged before glancing at the bag in Eijirou’s hand. “You got something?”
“Yep! Found some cool Russian nesting dolls to take back home. I just hope they like them.”
“‘Course they will,” Bakugou said simply, sounding completely sure of himself. “They’re from you.”
Eijirou’s eyes were not getting wet. They were not . “ Bro …”
“Don’t start the waterworks.” Bakugou rolled his eyes and shoved Eijirou’s shoulder, but a teasing grin was on his face. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. It’s cold as fuck out here.”
“Aw, it’s not that bad!” Eijirou argued, wiping his eyes and falling into step with Bakugou as he started walking.
“Says you, Mr. I Make Snow Angels Shirtless.”
“I get more defined angels that way!”
“A cold is what you’ll actually be getting, especially if you don’t put on some damn layers.” Bakugou prodded Eijirou’s arm for emphasis, which was only covered by his hoodie sleeve.
“No way, man, I’m super tough. No cold is gonna get me down!”
Bakugou snorted, cracking up. “You’re so full of shit.”
Eijirou started laughing too, and he couldn’t even think of a rebuttal. Not when he felt completely happy, and he was sure Bakugou felt the same.
“KIRI! Dinner’s ready!”
Eijirou jumped at the shout, accidentally ripping the flap of wrapping paper in his hand. “Shit. Just a sec!” He taped the paper back together and fixed it to the box, and he quickly finished wrapping Bakugou’s present and tossed it to his bed where his family’s gifts were already finished and waiting. He cleared away the leftover wrapping supplies before hopping to his feet and heading out to the kitchen. “Sorry man, I was- whoa…” Eijirou stopped as he made it to the doorway, the rest of his sentence disappearing from his mind.
There was food everywhere . Crowding their small dining table and lining the little bit of counter space they had were steaming dishes that made Eijirou’s stomach grumble just from looking at them. He could see a platter of fried chicken at the center of the table, homemade from the looks of it, some tonkatsu next to the stove, and was that a Christmas cake?! Had Bakugou put all of this together today?
The man in question was standing amongst it all, wringing a towel in his hands and shuffling in place, his lips pressed into a thin line as he watched Eijirou. He almost looked nervous.
Eijirou was still too busy gaping at the spread of food before him to say anything, so Bakugou spoke first. “I uh- I made this. For us.” He gestured to the food on the table. “Got up early so I’d have time to make it all. I didn’t know what you ate with your folks, so I made, well, a lot.” Bakugou’s gaze fell away from Eijirou, surveying the food around them instead. “There’s a fuckton of meat options for your carnivorous ass, but there’s still some veggie ones too because no matter what you say you need both. Fried chicken ain’t legit, had to do that myself because I knew if I went to KFC this late I probably would’ve gotten in a fistfight with someone-”
Bakugou was cut off by Eijirou grabbing him in one of the tightest hugs he’d ever given his best friend, his arms squeezing around Bakugou’s shoulders and pinning his arms down, his smile hidden where his face was buried in the apron Bakugou was wearing. “You didn’t have to do all of this, man,” Eijirou said, his words muffled.
“I fuckin’ know that,” Bakugou said, and Eijirou could feel his eyeroll. “Wanted to.”
Eijirou’s grin grew, and he squeezed tighter. “Well, thanks Bakugou.”
“Food’s gonna get cold if you keep huggin’ me like this, idiot.”
As warm arms tentatively wrapped around Eijirou’s waist, he could imagine that that meant ‘you’re welcome’.
They separated eventually, and they made their way around the kitchen as they filled up their plates, Eijirou getting a little bit of everything. It was all amazing, obviously, and Eijirou didn’t waste a second to gush to Bakugou about it, even when he was fussed at for talking with his mouth full. He couldn’t be mad though, not in the slightest. Having a big fancy homemade dinner with Bakugou, soft orchestral music filtering through Bakugou’s phone and being surrounded by string lights, was nice.
“Hey Kiri,” Bakugou said at one point when they had lapsed into silence. Eijirou looked up from his slice of cake with a questioning hum, and his eyebrows raised in surprise.
Bakugou was holding out a present to him. He’d never given Eijirou a present before.
Eijirou’s gaze jumped up to Bakugou as he swallowed. “That’s for me?”
Bakugou gave him a flat look. “Who else would it be for?”
“Sorry, just checking!” Eijirou took the present with a grin. “You’ve never given me a present before, thanks!”
“Whatever.” Bakugou sat back in his chair. “Saw it at the market, thought you might like it.”
“I’m sure I will!” Eijirou was super curious what it was now, and he was about to tear right into the neat green paper when he stopped. “WAIT!” Ignoring the wide-eyed incredulity on Bakugou’s face, Eijirou dropped the present onto the table and dashed to his room, coming back with his own present for Bakugou, and he shoved it into his hands. “I got you one too!”
Eijirou honestly wasn’t sure if Bakugou would open it. He’d gotten Christmas presents for his friend in the past, bringing them back for him at the end of the break, and while Bakugou accepted the gifts out of kindness, Eijirou never saw him use the things he had gotten for him before.
So he was a little surprised, yet pleased, when Bakugou cradled the box in his hands rather than tucking it away to open later, and he gingerly tore through the puckered snowflake-speckled wrapping paper. He pulled the All Might doll from the tissue paper once the box was open, and he just…stared. Face completely blank and unreadable. Silence stretched between them, and Eijirou fidgeted in his seat. Did Bakugou not like it?
He opened his mouth to ask, but before he could, a smile slowly broke across Bakugou’s lips, and he snorted before he started laughing. Eijirou’s eyebrows raised, before furrowing as he frowned. “Hey, it’s okay if you don’t like it, but you don’t have to laugh.”
“No, just-” Bakugou covered his mouth with his free hand as he giggled— giggled! ---and he waved the All Might doll at Eijirou. “Open yours.”
Eijirou’s brows furrowed further, utterly confused, but he still complied. He tore the box open, and his eyes widened when he saw the Crimson Riot nesting doll sitting among the paper. “Wait…” His wide eyes shifted back up to Bakugou. “Wait, bro, how did you get this, I was at the stand the entire time and I didn’t see you get it!”
That set Bakugou off again, and Eijirou joined in this time, laughter always contagious to him. They could only sit there and laugh, clutching their matching gifts. How did they manage to get each other the same thing?
“There was another stall selling them,” Bakugou answered when he finally started to calm down. “I almost got the All Might one for myself, but I switched and got Crimson for you. Figured you’d like it since he’s your favorite.”
“Same with your doll.” Eijirou wiped the tears that had sprung to his eyes from laughing, but he couldn’t get rid of his smile. “I also thought it would be a pretty good ‘thank you’.” He met Bakugou’s gaze. “I don’t think I’ve told you that yet. I just really appreciate you doing all this stuff with me the last couple days, it’s been super fun! The doll doesn’t even begin to make it up to you for it, but, yeah. Thanks, man.”
By the time he finished, a pink flush had grown on Bakugou’s face that Eijirou didn’t think had to do with his laughing fit. His friend averted his gaze, his shoulders hunched. “Tch. You don’t have to make it up to me. This is what friends do.”
Eijirou’s smile softened, and he nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
“You fucking idiot,” Bakugou griped as he and Eijirou stumbled through the front door Christmas morning, but the insult was undermined by the fact that he couldn’t stop laughing. Their plan to get groceries after Bakugou had used a good chunk of what they’d had for dinner the previous night had quickly derailed into an impromptu snowball fight in the park near their apartment. They hadn’t even made it to the store, instead heading back home after quickly getting soaked and chilled to the core, hair matted to their foreheads from a few lucky shots to the face.
“You had fun man, don’t deny it,” Eijirou said around his own laughter, leaving his dripping boots and coat in the genkan as he stepped further into the apartment.
Bakugou rolled his eyes as he worked his way out of his own coat. He was trying and failing to fight back his grin. “Whatever. Get some towels?”
“Yep!” Eijirou changed into dry clothes before grabbing towels for the two of them. Bakugou took one once he came back, already rubbing it through his hair as he headed to his room.
Eijirou dried off his own head as he plopped onto the couch (thank goodness he hadn’t gelled it today, otherwise it would’ve been a nightmare). As he wrapped a blanket one of them had left on the couch at some point around himself, he glanced toward the empty kitchen. Hot cocoa sounded nice right now. But with the kitchen ban…
Bakugou just so happened to walk back into the room in sweats and an old hoodie. Eijirou reached out of the blanket and grasped at Bakugou’s sleeve as he walked by, making him stop and look back at the redhead with a raised eyebrow. “Bakubroooo, I’m cold! Will you make us some cocoa?”
“Like hell you’re cold, you’re a walking space heater,” Bakugou snorted, pulling away from Eijirou and pivoting to sit next to him. “Besides, you started the fight. Suffer.”
Eijirou pouted. “So mean.”
“Says the one who nailed me in the back of the head with a snowball.”
Eijirou’s pout was ruined by his growing smile. “You threw one at my face immediately after that.”
Bakugou snickered. “The look on your face was priceless .”
Eijirou couldn’t even bring himself to pretend to be offended, not as he watched Bakugou laugh. He’s laughed more in the last two days than he had in the span of their friendship. Eijirou had to figure out how to make him laugh more, preferably without taking more snowballs to the face.
Watching him also made Eijirou notice the slight tremor to his hands. “Dude, are you shivering?”
“No,” Bakugou answered way too fast. He crossed his arms, his hands tucked in his armpits.
“You totally are.” Eijirou opened the blanket, and he wrapped it and his arm around Bakugou’s shoulders before dragging him into his side and closing the blanket around them both. “If you’re not gonna make hot cocoa, you may as well warm up here.”
Bakugou was stiff against his side, and his face was bright red. That didn’t stop him from glaring at Eijirou. “Thought you said you were fucking cold too?”
“Yeah, but sharing body heat will warm us both up in no time!”
Bakugou huffed and elbowed Eijirou in the side. “Idiot.” He didn’t pull away though. In fact, after a long moment Eijirou felt him lean the slightest bit closer to him.
They lapsed into silence, Eijirou pulling out his phone to scroll through social media. Oh, some of his other friends had posted about their holidays. He went through all the posts, liking them and chuckling at some of the crazier ones.
“I lied.”
Eijirou paused to look over at Bakugou. He wasn’t looking back, instead picking at a loose thread on his hoodie. “Huh?”
“About having gone to the market before.” Bakugou glanced up at Eijirou and looked away again. “I lied.”
“Oh.” Eijirou clicked off his phone. “Why?” Bakugou felt tense against him again, so he rubbed his hand along his arm to get him to relax.
It worked, if only a little bit. “Wanted it to be true, I guess,” Bakugou mumbled. A pause. “Remember my mom?”
Eijirou blinked. Oh. He definitely remembered her. He’d only seen her once, on move-in day during their freshman year. The spitting image of her son, and just as brash and vulgar, Eijirou having walked in on a spat between the two that first day in their shared dorm, Bakugou’s dad trying and failing to defuse the situation in the background.
Bakugou didn’t seem to hate her, though, but he also didn’t talk about her much. Eijirou didn’t know her very well as a result, but he had an idea about her.
He simply said, “Yeah,” and squeezed Bakugou a little closer. Bakugou pressed a little closer in turn.
“My folks work in fashion. Damn good at it too, but they were always busy in the winter. Working on Christmas and New Year’s designs, meetings, shit like that. Not a lot of time for any celebrating. They usually get invited to these stuffy parties around the holidays though, and when I was younger the hag would drag me along. They were boring as shit. Everybody else would come back to school talkin’ about stuffing their faces with junk and doing actual fun stuff with their families, and all I did was sit in a corner in a shitty suit, alone.”
Eijirou’s heart squeezed. “That’s terrible, man.”
Bakugou gave a half-shrug. “My old man tried to make the holidays a little better. My folks used to go to the market here all the time before they had me, so he thought that’d be something fun for me to have.” A wry grin grew on his lips. “Leave it to the hag to ruin that too. Couldn’t even relax for a goddamn second to have fun with her family. Eventually I just gave up and refused to do anything.” The grin faded as Bakugou looked at Eijirou again. “When you were dragging me around at first, it felt like I was stuck with her again.”
Oh . Eijirou’s eyes widened. Bakugou’s mood during the market made a lot more sense now.
The blond yelped as Eijirou suddenly wrapped him up in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Bakugou, I had no idea! I wasn’t trying to force you to do anything, I just got excited and-”
A muffled snort interrupted him; when Bakugou pulled back enough to meet his gaze, he was holding back laughter. “Kiri, it’s fine. You already cleared that up at the market, remember?” He then ducked his head, and Eijirou caught a glimpse of Bakugou’s cheeks turning pink. “After you explained things, the market was- fun, or whatever. First time in a while it wasn’t shitty. S’why I went all out with dinner last night, so.” He knocked his head against Eijirou’s shoulder, not unlike a grumpy cat. “Yeah.”
Eijirou’s eyes stung. Don’t cry, don’t cry -
“Bakuuuu!” Eijirou hugged him again, and dammit, there were the tears, dripping into blond spikes. “You made a huge thank you dinner for me? That’s so sweet!”
“S’not that fuckin’ sweet, ya big crybaby.” Bakugou hooked his chin over Eijirou’s shoulder. “‘Sides, you deserved it.”
“So did you.” He knocked his head against the side of Bakugou’s. “You needed a good Christmas too.”
Bakugou just grunted, and he sat in the embrace for only two more seconds before he was breaking out of Eijirou’s arms. “Alright, fuck, I’ll make cocoa.” He stomped off to the kitchen, Eijirou holding back his laughter at Bakugou’s red ears as he followed after him.
The chocolate and milk were simmering in the pot, and Bakugou was getting down mugs for them when Eijirou’s phone started ringing in his pocket. He barely had to glance at the caller ID to know who it was. “Hey Mama! How’s the storm?”
“It ended yesterday, thank goodness. There was a lot of snow, but they’ve been working hard to get the rail lines cleared, so you can come home now!”
“Oh, sweet! I’ll definitely be there later today!”
The clatter of ceramic on wood signaled the cocoa being ready, and Eijirou smiled at Bakugou in thanks before he stopped. “...Actually, Mama, is it cool if I bring a friend along?”
Bakugou snapped to look at him with wide eyes, but Eijirou ignored him.
“Is it the Bakugou boy you’ve been telling us about? Of course! We’ll have a futon ready for when you two get here.”
“You didn’t have to invite me,” Bakugou said once Eijirou hung up.
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t wanna leave you here by yourself again. You had a good Christmas, now you get a good New Year. There’s a really nice shrine we can visit, and Mom and Mama will cook, so it’ll be fun!”
Bakugou looked conflicted, chewing on his lip as he stared into his mug.
Eijirou smirked. “Mom’s got a killer mapo tofu recipe you might like.”
Bakugou scoffed. “I bet it’s not spicy enough.”
“Only one way to find out.”
Bakugou glared, and Eijirou held his gaze before his friend finally sighed. Uncaring of the heat, Bakugou took a swig of his drink before setting the mug on the counter. “Gimme time to pack.” And he left, disappearing into his room.
Eijirou smiled broadly, and he hurried to his own room, leaving his drink abandoned. This just might be the best winter break yet.