Chapter Text
There was something painfully lonely about trying to fall asleep in his childhood bed. Kirishima had spent hours staring up at glow in the dark stars stuck to his ceiling, just like he had every night that week. He’d been home for summer break for 5 days, which meant it had been 5 days since he’d seen Bakugou. Even though his bed at home was the same size as his bed in the dorms, it felt overwhelmingly large without Bakugou lying there next to him.
Kirishima had been trying to hold back from calling Bakugou so late at night, he still had the same ridiculous early sleep schedule even though they were in their 3rd year at UA. Kirishima rolled over and picked up his phone from his nightstand, his lock screen flashing the time at him, 2:46 am.
Crap.
There was no chance Bakugou was awake and waking him up at this hour would not be a pleasant experience. Usually when Kirishima missed Bakugou he would go through his secret box of memories from their relationship, but he had left it hidden in his dorm room because his mom had been extra nosy lately. He still had other options though. Instead of calling Bakugou, Kirishima opened his photo app and scrolled down to his hidden folder. He typed in his password, 0420. Bakugou always told him it was too risky to keep digital photos, even if they were hidden, but Kirishima just couldn’t resist.
The first photo was from a couple months before they actually got together, it was a selfie in their suits from the I-island expo. Bakugou is glaring at the camera like he has a personal vengeance against it but Kirishima is smiling as big as could be. The next one is just of Bakugou, he’s standing on his balcony, face expressionless and hair blown back by the wind. It was the moment that Kirishima realized just how beautiful he is. He swiped again, another selfie, this time the two of them were sitting on Bakugou’s bed. Even now, Kirishima was still the only person who had ever been in Bakugou’s room. The selfie was taken to commemorate Kirishima finally barging his way into his grumpy best friend’s dorm.
Before he can start scrolling through the photos from their first date, an incoming call message from “bakubro💥” pops up on his screen. He picks up immediately.
“Hey, shitty hair,” Bakugou’s voice sounds rough and quiet. His voice is so low that Kirishima can barely hear it, but it’s still Kirishima’s favorite sound in the world.
“Hi Katsuki,” Kirishima whispers, “You know no one else is around, you can call me Eijirou.”
Bakugou’s breath catches for a second, “I can’t, I think I woke my parents up.” Kirishima starts to pick up on the trembling in his voice, “I had a nightmare.”
Ah, that explains why he was up right now. “Do you want to talk about it? Or do you want me to talk?”
“You talk.”
“Sure thing Kats.” They did this a lot back at school. Bakugou would wake up, panicked, in the middle of the night, and Kirishima would just talk until both of them fell back asleep. Of course it worked a lot better when they were actually together and Kirishima could hold his hand and run his fingers through Bakugou's surprisingly soft hair. A phone call was the next best thing though.
“Kaminari face timed me earlier. He’s been saving up his work study paychecks to buy a Nintendo Switch and he finally got one. He’s super excited, he wants us all to play mario kart together when we get back to UA. He was also showing me photos from his date with Jirou. They seem really happy together. Kami took her to a concert for this indie rock band she really likes, it reminded me of when we went to the Crimson Riot movie.”
Kirishima’s voice began to wobble, “I hate that I can’t tell him about us. You’re the greatest part of my life and wish everyone could know we’re so much more than just best friends. But I know we can’t. Even though it hurts, I’d sacrifice anything as long as it means we get to be together.”
Bakugou hummed at that. Kirishima knew it meant he agreed, even though he couldn’t answer right now.
“Anyway, I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. It’s all I’ve been thinking about all week, it’s so lonely without you around. Don’t get mad at me, but I totally have a surprise for you.”
Kirishima went quiet for a moment waiting to hear sounds of anger on the other side of the line but all he was met with was soft snoring. Kirishima giggled a little, Bakugou would never admit that he snores but he totally does.
“Good night, Katsuki. I love you.”
Kirishima didn’t hang up the phone, he continued to listen to the sound of Bakugou’s breathing until he too finally fell asleep.
…
Kirishima padded down the stairs groggily to go make breakfast. Well maybe make was an exaggeration, all he was going to do is pour milk in a bowl of cereal. If he was back at school with Bakugou he’d be having a full breakfast with eggs, toast, and bacon since Bakugou would always wake up early to make breakfast for the two of them. God he missed him.
As he entered the kitchen he found his mom drinking coffee out of her “world’s greatest mom” mug that he got her for christmas back when he was ten.
“Good morning, Eijirou,” she said with a smile.
“Morning” he replied as he searched through the pantry for his favorite cereal.
His mom cleared her throat, obviously trying to get his attention, “I was wondering if you wanted to go to the farmer’s market with me today? It’s been a while since we’ve gotten any mother-son time.”
Kirishima sucked in a breath, there was a part of him deep down that just wanted to make his mom happy by spending the day with, but it had been so long since he saw Bakugou and he needed this. “Aw mom I wish I could, but I have plans,” he paused for a second, knowing he had to lie, “with Ashido.”
His mother smiled at that, “Oh, how lovely! Ashido is such a sweet girl.”
Kirishima stared at the cereal in his bowl, starting to lose his appetite, “Yeah, she is.”
“I wish the two of you would just start dating already, you’d be so cute together.”
“MOM!” Kirishima shouted, his face flushing. He stormed out of the room, hoping he’d successfully passed off his frustration as embarrassment, leaving his bowl of cereal neglected on the counter.
As he headed back up the stairs he caught a glimpse of his father in the living room, eyes glued to the TV. Kirishima could recognize the channel and felt nausea rize in his throat as he heard the commentators rant about the rising “degeneracy” in the younger generations. He quickened his pace to avoid having another one of those conversations with his dad.
…
Kirishima never ended up eating his cereal and by the time he made it to the train station his stomach was growling like crazy. He ignored it though because out of the corner of his eye he could see a puff of blonde hair amongst the crowd. He could feel the smile spread across his face as he quickly weaved his way through the crowd.
“Hey Bakubro!” he called out. The blonde turned around immediately, red piercing glare turning into the softest expression Kirishima has ever seen on his usually angry face.
“Hey Shitty Hair,” Bakugou replied. It felt so ridiculous, calling each other by those stupid nicknames, but they were surrounded by people and couldn’t risk anyone figuring out what was actually going on between them. Regardless, Kirishima moved his way over to Bakugou and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, in a “bro-way” of course.
“It’s been way too long, man,” Kirishima said as they made their way towards the train car.
Bakugou huffed at the statement, “tell me about it.”
They made their way onto the train and sat next to each other in the emptiest area they could find. Their thighs were gently pressed together as they sat, the touch so minimal that an onlooker wouldn’t be able to tell unless they were actively looking for it.
There was a comfortable silence between them now and Kirishima pulled out his phone and opened snap chat. Bakugou did the same. This had become a common occurrence between the two of them when they were out in public and didn’t want to be overheard. Even now on the train, when the closest person was 4 rows ahead of them, the pair was too paranoid to talk openly.
Eijirou:
hi kats <3
i missed u
Katuski:
I missed you too, Ei
Eijirou:
i have a surprise for you today!!!
i tried to tell you last night but you fell asleep before i could
guess it was past ur bed time
Katsuki:
🖕
What’s the surprise
Eijirou:
not telling yet 🤪
Katuski:
Asshole
I hate you
Eijirou:
nah you love me
Katsuki:
Yeah I guess I do
Kirishima smiled at his phone, even though he knew Bakugou loved him it was always nice to hear. Suddenly his stomach growled, loud enough that Bakugou let out a quiet laugh at the sound. Before Kirishima could even explain, Bakugou reached into his backpack, pulled out a thermos, and handed it to him.
“I knew you’d forget to eat, stupid.” Bakugou murmured.
Bakugou knew him too well. Kirishima opened the lid to find katsudon, one of his favorite meals that Bakugou cooks. He took a bite and his mouth watered at how good it was. After taking a couple of bites, he pulled out his phone again.
Eijirou:
i love you too
Kirishima saw Bakugou’s hands crackle a little bit and he reached out to hold his for just a moment. A second later the tiny explosions stopped and Kirishima went back to eating his food. They didn’t talk again for the rest of the ride, and Kirishima finished his food just as the train pulled into the station.
…
The pair exited the train station and walked side by side through the town, a tiny peaceful place not too far from UA. They walked for about a mile before reaching the woods. Once they were under the cover of the trees, Kirishima grabbed Bakugou’s hand and they ran until they came across the clearing that they had found by chance last summer.
Kirishima tackled Bakugou to the ground. He took a moment to push the blonde’s hair out of his face and just stare at how beautiful he was before Bakugou grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into a kiss. The kiss was far from gentle but Kirishima made sure not to cut Bakugou’s lips with his sharp teeth, they’d made that mistake early on in their relationship and it was hard to come up with an excuse to cover it up. Kirishima pulled away for a second and Bakugou took the opportunity to catch him off guard and roll them over.
“So, what’s the surprise?” Bakugou questioned, playfully threatening Kirishima with his explosions.
Kirishima hardened his face slightly and laughed. He couldn’t wait to tell Bakugou, it was so hard keeping it a secret since he found out yesterday afternoon. “We got approved for the apartment in California, all we have to do is put down the down payment and it’s ours.”
Bakugou absolutely beamed, “Thank you for doing this for us, Ei.” He rolled off of Kirishima so that now they were both lying in the grass looking up at the sky. Bakugou grasped Kirishima’s hand again, “I still can’t believe you agreed to leave the country with me.”
Kirishima squeezed his hand. It had been a hard decision. Leaving everything behind to move to America was something he never would have imagined himself doing at just 18 years old. They hadn’t told anyone about their plans, not even their families or closest friends. No one could know if they wanted to get away with it. This was the only way they could truly be free to be together. “I would do anything as long as it meant I got to be with you.”
Bakugou smiled but his expression quickly shifted to a grimace, “I didn’t think it would hit me this hard, I’ve been waiting to ditch my old man and the hag for so long I never I considered I might miss their bickering a little bit once I’m gone.” Bakugou paused for a second, “And I guess I might miss some of the extras too.”
Kirishima chuckled, “You mean our friends?”
“They’re your friends, I only hangout with them because you force me to.” Bakugou shot back.
Kirishima knew that wasn’t really true. Nowadays, Bakugou genuinely seemed to enjoy their group hangouts with Kaminari, Sero, and Ashido, instead of just tolerating them like he used to. Plus the squad weren’t his only friends, Bakugou had been getting along with Midoriya and Todoroki pretty well too since their internship together back in their first year.
Kirishima felt guilty not telling the squad about their plans, about their relationship at all. A part of him deep down wanted to trust them. He wanted to believe that their friends would accept them. But he just couldn’t risk the possible rejection, or worse, that they might tell everyone about their relationship.
He couldn’t stand to keep dwelling on the negative any longer. Kirishima moved to get up and pulled Bakugou up with him. “C’mon let’s go for a walk.”
The pair followed a familiar path through the woods. There was no formal pathway but they had walked the route so many times that the ground had become trodden down by their footsteps. They passed clusters of identical trees which to anyone else would have made them feel like they were walking in circles, but Kirishima and Bakugou knew where they were going. Eventually they came across a small ravine, where the creek ran through several meters below. Across the gap ran a log from a fallen tree. The first time they ever tried to cross it Kirishima slipped off and fell into the water below. It was quite a large fall and it probably would have severely injured or even killed him if it wasn’t for his quirk. In spite of Kirishima’s initial failure, the couple included crossing the ravine in their regular route. Kirishima and Bakugou carefully crossed the log and safely made it across in practically no time at all. Once they were past the creek it wasn’t much farther until they emerged from the forest and entered the town.
The town was so small that they didn’t even bother letting go of each other’s hands, that was until they saw a villager running towards them.
“You guys go to UA right?” he asked. “We need help, there’s been an attack.”
Before Kirishima could ask where, he heard the sound of a commotion coming from the train station. Bakugou immediately started letting off explosions to launch himself towards the station and Kirishima ran after him as fast as he could.
When he arrived on the scene, Kirishima found Bakugou already engaging with a large man who appeared to have a strength enhancing quirk.
“What took you so long, Red?”
“As if you even need my help with a small fry like this.”
Kirishima and Bakugou fell into their regular rhythm of battle. Bakugou would come in to release a fierce burst of explosions and then dodge out of the way for Kirishima to defend against their opponents attacks and return with attacks of his own when there was an opening.
After a couple minutes it was clear that Kirishima and Bakugou had the upper hand, so Kirishima went off to check on the civilians who were still in the station. Most of them were perfectly fine physically, just a little jarred from the experience, but he found an elderly man who was unconscious. There was no sign of a head injury, of any injury really, but when he tried to wake him he was completely unresponsive.
That’s when he noticed her. Standing behind the large attacker was a young girl, she couldn’t have been more than 16 years old, but when Bakugou finally delivered the winning blow against their main opponent she began to charge up her quirk, clearly in an attempt to attack him.
Kirishima’s legs began to move before he fully comprehended what was about to happen. “Katuski! Watch out!” he shouted as he pushed Bakugou out of the way, just in time for the blast to hit Kirishima in the head instead.
“EIJIROU!”
Everything went black.