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On his first day at UA, Kirishima was nervous and excited. His new fellow classmates were the best of the best, and he was frankly wondering how he managed to find a place beside them. They seemed nice enough– at least Kaminari, the extroverted boy with the electricity quirk who he’d met on the way in, did. But he was still nervous to meet everyone.
He checked his reflection in a window, making sure his freshly-dyed hair was still spiked up perfectly, and took a deep breath. It was time.
When he walked into his new homeroom class, he was immediately met with chaos.
“Please take your shoes off the desk! You’re damaging school property!” an uptight looking boy with glasses and blue hair scolded another classmate.
The boy he was scolding sneered. His feet were up on the desk in front of him, and he lay back in his chair with his arms crossed, not a care in the world. He had blonde hair styled in spikes just like Kirishima’s, but they looked far more effortless, like everything about his appearance did. “Shut it, four-eyes,” he spat.
Kirishima wasn’t usually into delinquents (he preferred the strong and silent type), but there was something magnetic about this boy. His heart skipped a beat as the boy glanced at him and gave him a once-over with his ruby red gaze before blushing and looking away.
“Tch.”
He was so manly.
The boy, who Kirishima later learned was called Bakugou, was a hothead with an explosion quirk to match it. Though he tended to snap at anyone who dared talk to him or even stand near him, he quickly grew a soft spot for Kirishima. “Soft spot” meaning he didn’t try to bite his head off for breathing. It was actually really endearing.
A couple weeks into classes, they had their first gym class where they’d be expected to change into their hero costumes. Everyone was super excited to show off their costumes, so no one but Kirishima noticed when Aizawa pulled Bakugou aside for a quick word before class. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but the way Bakugou rolled his eyes and answered without yelling meant he was probably embarrassed about it.
“Locker rooms are this way,” Aizawa said, now addressing the class. “Girls on the left, boys on the right. I expect you to be out here in a timely manner, but I’m allowing a bit of extra time considering you aren’t used to putting on your hero costumes yet.”
Bakugou gave Aizawa a challenging look and marched straight into the boys locker room.
Kirishima shrugged off the weird reaction and followed.
The class began to undress and change into their new hero costumes. The room was abuzz with excited chatter as the boys helped each other out with zippers and holding bulky pieces in place. Kirishima noticed Bakugou had on some sort of form-fitting tank top under his shirt that he didn’t take off, but he didn’t think much of it.
Bakugou’s hero costume was insanely cool. The tank top with an orange x across the front showed off his arm and shoulder muscles. And then there were the gauntlets– bold and flashy, just like him. They were shaped like grenades and they looked crazy heavy.
“Woah, your costume is so manly!” Kirishima said.
“You fuckin’ bet,” Bakugou replied, cracking a smile and standing up a bit straighter. He eyed Kirishima as he put on his shoulder pieces, which were shaped like gears. “What, are you allergic to shirts or something?”
Kirishima laughed. “Well, my quirk hardens my skin, so a shirt would be kind of pointless. Besides, I look more tough this way, don’t ya think?” He flexed a wave of hardening down his torso.
Bakugou bit his lip and raised an eyebrow. “Tch, idiot.” He turned around and confidently headed for the locker room door. “Hurry up or I’m leaving you behind.”
It was an invitation if Kirishima had ever heard one. He quickly adjusted the last bits of his costume and ran after him, grinning.
Kirishima nearly fell out of bed when Bakugou called him and invited him to I-Island as his plus one. Sure they were close, maybe even best friends, but he was always the one initiating hanging out outside of school, never Bakugou. And on a trip to I-Island, no less? Where they’d be sharing a hotel room? He blushed thinking about it. Was this a date?
“Quit spacing out, dumbass,” Bakugou barked through the phone. “Are you in or not?”
“Yes! Yes, of course!” Kirishima said quickly.
“Good. I’m texting you your ticket and the plane ticket, too.”
“Awesome! Thank you so much for inviting me!” Kirishima said, beaming.
“Ugh, I can practically hear your shitty smile,” Bakugou complained.
Kirishima laughed. “You love it,” he teased.
“Ew, hanging up.”
The phone beeped as the call disconnected. Kirishima looked over the tickets Bakugou had sent him and read a bit more info online. It looked like there’d be some kind of fancy party during the time they’d be on the island, so he made a mental note to pack something nice to wear.
Once again, he wondered if this was a date. It sure seemed like one. It was a potentially romantic getaway for two, and Bakugou picked him.
Kirishima took his notebook out of his school bag, intending to start a packing list. But when he opened it, it fell open to a page of Bakugou’s measurements. That’s right, he’d lent Bakugou the notebook at the end of the semester when he’d forgotten his own at home. The support department was asking for everyone’s measurements so they could make some changes to their hero costumes before school resumed.
An idea started to form in Kirishima’s head.
Bakugou lay sprawled out on one of the hotel room’s beds, a satisfied smile on his face. He and Kirishima had just gotten back to the room after touring the island. The sun was setting after a long day of adventures, and he was ready to hit the hay early and get a good night of sleep.
“Hey Baku-bro! That party is starting soon, so we should get dressed if we want to make it on time,” Kirishima said, rummaging around in his bag.
Bakugou cracked an eye open. “Nah, sounds boring. Besides, I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I thought you might say that.” Kirishima held up two suits. “So I borrowed your measurements and had a suit tailored for you.” He tossed one of the suits in Bakugou’s direction.
Bakugou sat up, looking at the shirt with wide eyes. It was the same red as his eyes. The matching vest was dark blue, with roses embroidered on the sides. The pants were plain black, and looked like they’d fit him perfectly.
“I’ve never had a suit before,” he said quietly.
“Never?” Kirishima asked incredulously. He pulled his shirt off and started putting on his own dark red dress shirt.
Bakugou didn’t answer. He got up and slipped his jeans off and put the black slacks on. They fit as well as he’d hoped. He pulled off his t-shirt and tossed it on the bed.
“You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but what’s with that tank top you’re always wearing?” Kirishima asked.
“My binder?”
“Binder?”
A look of realization crossed over Bakugou’s face. “Wait. Did you not realize I’m trans?”
Kirishima flushed red in embarrassment. “You’re trans? Like, wait, do you mean…”
“I was born a girl but I’m actually a guy,” Bakugou explained. “The binder flattens my chest.” He suddenly started laughing. “How did you not know I was trans? I’ve talked about taking hormones in front of you!”
“Wait, is that what T is? I thought you just regularly drank tea!” Kirishima hid his face in his hands. “Ugh, don’t look at me.”
Bakugou pulled on his dress shirt and started buttoning it up. “Stop being embarrassed, you weirdo. It actually feels pretty nice that you didn’t notice all this time.”
“Is it okay that I call you manly?” Kirishima asked timidly.
Bakugou took a deep breath. “Okay, listen closely ‘cause I’m only gonna say this once. You calling me manly makes me feel like I’m floating. I’ve literally never gotten a higher compliment from anyone before. And the fact that you were saying it because you actually mean it, not because you were overcompensating for me being trans, makes me feel damn incredible. So yes, it’s more than okay that you call me manly. Got it?”
Kirishima blinked at him and nodded.
“Got any other questions?” Bakugou slipped his vest over his shoulders and fumbled with the buttons in front.
“Is this a date?”
Bakugou stopped in his tracks, immediately blushing.
“It’s okay if it is,” Kirishima said quickly, starting to ramble. “I mean, more than okay, actually. If I’m being honest I really hope it’s a date. You’re the manliest guy I know and I’m not just saying that. I’ve kind of had a crush on you since I first saw you and when you invited me here I got really excited, but I’m not sure if it’s a date or not so I-”
Bakugou clamped a hand over Kirishima’s mouth. He looked at the ground, face flushed pink. “S-shut up.”
“Bakugou?”
“I… like your stupid face a lot, too,” Bakugou admitted. “And yes, this is a date. Was wondering when you’d catch on.”
Kirishima grinned and pulled Bakugou’s hand off his mouth. “You look really handsome,” he said.
Bakugou blushed pinker still and grabbed Kirishima’s hand. He dragged him out the door and toward the elevators.
Hand in hand, they waited for the elevator to arrive. When it did, Bakugou pulled him inside and pushed him against the wall as the doors closed.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he warned.
Kirishima’s eyes widened, and he nodded.
Bakugou leaned up slightly and captured Kirishima’s lips with his own. Their eyes fluttered shut and Kirishima fell back against the button panel behind him, not caring that he accidentally pressed some of the buttons. He wrapped his arms around Bakugou and kissed him back. He kissed the corner of Bakugou’s mouth as they pulled apart, and murmured, “So manly.”
Bakugou rolled his eyes and pulled Kirishima away from the button panel. He squinted at the buttons that were lit up. “The 80th floor?”
Kirishima winced. “Oops. Looks like we’re gonna be late to the party.”
“So what?”
Bakugou pushed Kirishima against the adjacent wall and dove in to kiss him some more.