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The bell for the end of class hadn’t even finished ringing before Kaminari was already halfway out the door. He turned back with a grin. “C’mon, Kats! Lunch isn’t gonna eat itself!”
Bakugou looked up from his seat, narrowing his eyes. “What did you just call me?”
Kaminari’s eyes went wide. “Oh, uh, nothing! Just… y’know, trying out new nicknames.” He laughed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Come on, let’s go!”
Bakugou grunted, pushing out of his chair and stalking toward Kaminari with an exaggerated scowl. “You got a death wish or somethin’, ‘Kami’? Calling me by some stupid nickname…”
Kaminari blinked, surprised but also pleased. “Oh, so it’s ‘Kami’ now, huh?”
Bakugou froze, realizing what he’d said. “Just shut up and move it!”
They made their way to the cafeteria, the usual bustling mess of students eating, shouting, and, in Mineta’s case, trying to sneak glances at the girls’ table until Asui flicked him in the face with her tongue. Mina, Uraraka, and Kirishima waved them over to their table, where Todoroki and Iida were already seated.
“Yo, Kaminari, Bakugou!” Kirishima grinned, giving them a thumbs-up. “Come sit!”
Kaminari dropped into the seat beside Kirishima, patting the one beside him for Bakugou, who only rolled his eyes but sat down anyway. Almost as soon as he did, Mina leaned in with a teasing smile.
“Didn’t think I’d see the two of you hanging out like this,” she said, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“Oh, come on, Mina,” Kaminari said with a laugh. “I’m wearing him down. One day he’ll actually call me his friend .”
“Keep dreaming,” Bakugou muttered, though he didn’t shove Kaminari off when Kaminari leaned a little closer to nudge his shoulder.
“Hey, Bakugou, you got something on your shirt,” Kaminari said, grinning.
Bakugou shot him a glare. “Where?”
“Right there.” Kaminari poked him lightly in the side. It was a trick he’d tried before—one he knew would usually get him smacked away. But Bakugou just rolled his eyes and flicked Kaminari’s hand back, with way less force than he usually would.
“Ah, he let him get away with it,” Kirishima whispered loudly to Mina.
Bakugou’s eyes narrowed dangerously, making Kirishima raise his hands defensively. “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything!”
“So, how are things going with training?” Todoroki asked, clearly attempting to steer the conversation back to something a little less likely to explode.
Kaminari answered quickly, “Pretty good! Though someone got a little too into things with me last time and almost blew me to pieces.” He gave Bakugou a pointed look.
“Oh, please,” Bakugou scoffed. “If I’d gone full blast, you’d be a pile of ash by now, Kami .”
There was a brief silence at the table before Uraraka burst out laughing. “You called him Kami again!”
“Shut up!” Bakugou growled, though the tips of his ears turned the slightest shade of red.
Kaminari only grinned wider. “See? He’s warming up to me!”
“Warm’s not the word I’d use,” Bakugou muttered, but there was something almost fond in his voice. Almost.
They ate, bickered, and joked with their friends, Bakugou’s scowl fading a little each time Kaminari teased him. By the end of lunch, everyone at the table had picked up on the way Bakugou let Kaminari get away with little things—things he’d never tolerate from anyone else.
After lunch, Kaminari made a point of sticking close to Bakugou, offering commentary about anything and everything. The whole time, Bakugou tried to keep his usual “I don’t care” demeanor, but with Kaminari right there next to him, it was harder to keep up.
At one point, Kaminari stumbled, his foot catching on the edge of a stray piece of rubble in the training grounds. Without a second thought, Bakugou reached out, his arm sliding around Kaminari’s waist to steady him.
“Watch it, idiot,” Bakugou grumbled, but his arm didn’t leave Kaminari’s waist right away. Instead, he seemed to forget it was there, walking beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Kaminari looked down at the arm around his waist, his heart skipping a beat. “Uh… thanks, Kats .”
The nickname slipped out, as natural as breathing. Bakugou didn’t even flinch; he just gave him a side-eye. “Don’t think this means I won’t fry you if you mess up again, Kami .”
Kaminari grinned, cheeks flushing a little. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But you’ll let me get away with it anyway.”
“Yeah, well, don’t push it,” Bakugou replied, but his grip tightened ever so slightly before he finally let go.
Their friends, who had been watching from a distance, exchanged glances and whispered comments.
“Are they actually… holding hands?” Mina asked, wide-eyed.
“Technically, it’s more like Bakugou just… forgot he was holding him,” Uraraka replied with a little grin.
The training continued, but Kaminari felt like he was floating. Every time he caught Bakugou glancing his way or letting him off the hook for something, he could feel his heart pounding. By the end of the session, he finally worked up the courage to bring it up.
“So, Kats,” he said, trying to keep his tone light as they headed back to the dorms.
“Spit it out, Kami ,” Bakugou said, though there was a trace of softness in his voice.
“Are we… you know… a thing?”
Bakugou stopped, giving Kaminari a long look. Then, with a smirk that was almost gentle, he muttered, “Took you long enough to figure it out.”
And before Kaminari could respond, Bakugou leaned in, just barely brushing his lips against Kaminari’s. It was brief, almost like he was testing the waters, but it left Kaminari completely speechless.
When he pulled back, Bakugou rolled his eyes at Kaminari’s stunned expression. “You gonna say something or just stand there like an idiot?”
Kaminari finally found his voice, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll just… I’ll just stand here. I’m good with that.”
“Fine by me,” Bakugou replied, slipping his hand back around Kaminari’s waist as they headed toward the dorms, completely unaware that their friends were watching from around the corner, grinning and whispering excitedly.