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Katsuki couldn't believe what he had just been told. His agent, Tsunagu, had just presented him with an offer that was something out of a romance novel or a rom-com. That saying 'truth is stranger than fiction' seemed to be apropos at the moment. The ringing in Katsuki's ears had nothing to do with his usual physical ailments; it was like every part of him was screaming to turn this offer down, but his image needed the boost and apparently this Kirishima Eijirou needed the money.
"Katsuki."
He sighed and wrenched his gaze away from outside the high-rise window, his focus had wandered as he had tried to come to a decision on this matter. He looked Tsunagu right in the eye. His agent sounded so far away, like he was speaking underwater, even though he was right in front of Katsuki.
"I'll do it," Katsuki said and lifted his chin up. "But I have my own conditions. If they aren't met, then this Kirishima can go fuck himself."
Eijirou was nervous. It wasn't an emotion he was accustomed to, and usually he dealt with it by dealing with whatever was making him feel anxious as soon as humanly possible. So as soon as he could talk to Bakugou Katsuki face-to-face and iron out the details of their agreement, then maybe he could get back to feeling normal again.
They were meeting for drinks at a bar at 5:45 in the afternoon which Eijirou thought odd. He sat on a stool at a small table at the back of the establishment. There was only one other patron at the place because who would be at a bar this early in the day. A middle-aged man in expensive business attire, from what Eijirou could tell, downed a shot and motioned at the bartender for more. The bar was in a boujee part of Tokyo, the Roppongi district, and was a popular spot after dark.
Bakugou entered the building and immediately spotted Eijirou and made a beeline towards him. Eijirou's heart started to race and he felt like his tongue had swollen twice as big in his mouth. Sure, Eijirou was a celebrity, as much of a star as Bakugou was, but that didn't mean Eijirou wasn't completely intimidated by the drummer of one of Japan's most popular rock bands.
As Bakugou pulled the stool out from across Eijirou and took a seat, Eijirou opened his sluggish mouth, deciding to greet Bakugou, but Bakugou immediately cut him off.
"I'm in," Bakugou said, but his face seemed to convey a completely different emotion. He looked pissed off, like this conversation was the bane of his existence and Eijirou wanted to sink off his stool and hide under the table at that glare. If his expression was doing the talking, his words would have been 'Fuck you for ever thinking I'd ever agree to this idiot scenario, you absolute fuckface.'
Eijirou felt his brows shoot up in bewilderment, strike that, it was stone-cold fear.
"I've doubled the payment you proposed," Bakugou rasped out. "I am only demanding one thing in return."
Why did he DOUBLE the money? What did that even mean? Eijirou nodded, unable to form words, but letting Bakugou know he could continue.
"You can't ask me any questions."
That was an odd request and before Eijirou could stop himself he asked, "What?"
Bakugou made a face that alone could probably burn the whole establishment down if he held it any longer.
"Sorry, man!" Eijirou bellowed out, worried about his safety and everyone else's in the bar. You can't ask me any questions, and Eijirou immediately asks him one?
Bakugou's expression slowly dissipated and then he blurted out, "Well?!?"
"Yeah!" Eijirou said quickly. "No questions! I won't ask you any questions!"
Bakugou left the bar without giving Eijirou a backward glance. The whole interaction had terrified him enough that he was pretty sure it had shaved off 5 years of his life. But the agreement was done. Eijirou would get much-needed money, and Bakugou would get a much-needed image boost. Fake dating wasn't anything Eijirou thought he'd ever get wrangled into, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
After the terrifying meeting at the bar, Bakugou Katsuki communicated with Eijirou via text messages. Anytime Eijirou got a notification from him, he immediately broke out in a sweat no matter what he was doing. Their last communications had surrounded their first official meet up. Bakugou wasn't keen on them just suddenly dating out of nowhere. He thought it would be better if they had a few friendly outings until they made it appear they were in a relationship.
Eijirou was completely fine with that because it would probably be odd if Eijirou appeared terrified of his new boyfriend. Maybe they could get on better, more friendly terms if they got to know each other a little more, too.
Eijirou heard light knocking on his trailer door, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Come in!" he bellowed out expecting his assisstant.
The door slowly opened and Tamaki walked in. He handed Eijirou an iced coffee. "They need you on set in thirty minutes. Do you want me to send makeup in?" Tamaki asked, hesitancy in his voice.
"Sure!" Eijirou bellowed, causing Tamaki to startle. He had to keep reminding himself his assistant didn't seem too keen on loud noises. Tamaki nodded at him and headed back out.
Eijirou happily sipped at his iced coffee, thrilled about the life he lived. He had been a struggling actor for a few years, even after attending a prestigious acting school. He thought he'd instantly make it, but he had ended up being a server-at-multiple-restaurants/actor until his big break. A hockey drama TV series in which he was one of the leads. They had just started filming the second season.
It had been something out of a dream. Unfortunately, Eijirou had not picked the right agents and a huge chunk of his pay went to the agency that repped him. He had felt pressured to buy the right apartment in the right part of town, drive the appropriate car for someone of his status, and he had gotten into some financial issues.
Luckily, the whole fake dating thing with Bakugou would take care of his woes. In return, Bakugou, who had a reputation of being an 'unapproachable toxic misanthrope,' (as per Eijirou's agent) would get an image lift and his band and bandmates wouldn't have to 'suffer due to his off-putting personality.' Even though Eijirou was new to celebritydom, he was very well-liked by the public already due to his cheerful and approachable demeanor.
After Make-up and wardrobe worked their magic, Eijirou was on set ready to film a scene. One of his co-stars was a more established actress, Yuu Takeyama. She had made it big on a procedural drama in a smaller role in an ensemble cast. Now she was playing the romantic lead opposite Eijirou in Power Play. Although there seemed to be more buzz lately around her dating Nishiya Shinji. He was an accomplished actor, having starred in several blockbuster movies and critically acclaimed indie films to keep his street cred.
Yuu and Eijirou chit-chatted a bit before they shot their scene. "We finally have two days off!" Yuu exclaimed, excitement bursting out of her. It had been a very rigorous 10 days in a row of shooting and Eijirou was thrilled with the time off. "Any big plans?" she asked him coyly.
Eijirou did have detailed plans with one Bakugou Katsuki over the next 48 hours. Very detailed plans that Bakugou had texted him, even down to what Eijirou would wear. He would honestly not be surprised at this point if Bakugo sent a stylist to his apartment to dress him before each rendezvous.
Eijirou nervously chuckled. "Just gonna take it easy."
She eyed him suspiciously since normally he'd be living it up. But his weekend would be spent setting up his fake relationship so it would be successful. It had to be so he didn't get evicted from his own life.
After they finished filming for the day, Eijirou rushed to his trailer, got changed, and then headed back to his apartment to change again to something Bakugou would approve of for the evening plans. Eijirou was so nervous he had already pulled outfits for the four 'meetings' the two of them would have that weekend.
He slipped on dark denim jeans and a t-shirt one of his best friends, Mina, had left over at his house to sleep in when she crashed at his place. He was supposed to wear a t-shirt of a band that wasn't 'shitty' per Bakugou's instructions, so he looked like he cared about music. Eijirou did like music, not just so much that he owned merch from any band/singer/musician. The only shirt he had in his apartment that would appease Bakugou's request belonged to Mina, but he hoped she wouldn't mind. It was a bit tight, but with the dark, bootcut jeans, worn leather boots, and a leather jacket, he thought he looked okay.
He put in one of his piercings, just a nose ring, thinking it fit what he was wearing. After he had hit it big as an actor, he was told to lose all his piercings for a more clean-cut image since the PR people at his agency thought that would serve him better. His eyebrow piercing had already closed up, but most of his ear piercings were still in place. He was running out of time so he quickly checked his long, loose hair in the mirror and raced downstairs to meet the Uber that would take him to the Keystone Club.
Eijirou's apartment was in a trendy, posh part of Minato City called Azabu-Juban. The Keystone Club was in Roppongi, near the bar where Eijirou had met up with Baugou and close to where Eijirou lived, only a 10-minute car ride.
He arrived just in time between the set change from the opening act to Bakugou's band which was the main act of the night. He made his way to the back of the small venue. Bakugou's band, Bombshell, sold out stadiums, but sometimes they would do acoustic sets in these small, intimate settings. Of course Eijirou had just found out this information because he researched all about Bombshell over the last few days. He had heard about the band before because they were so huge, but really other than knowing their name he wasn't familiar with their music.
But for the few days he had been listening to their discography, because it made sense he would know about his 'boyfriend's music. A couple of minutes after he sat down, he could feel the stares of other audience members.
"Is that…."
"No… it couldn't be."
Eijirou smiled to himself. Luckily Bombshell walked out on the stage before anyone could start asking for his autograph. Word needed to get out that he had been there that night so hopefully the gossip train would start and someone had probably been brazen enough to snap a pic.
The lighting of the stage had been dimmed during the set change, but now the flood lights beamed on the stage and the small audience clapped. Eijirou immediately focused on Bakugou as he took his place behind the drum set. He wasn't sure if Bakugou could see him, but either way, he never looked in his direction.
Jirou Kyoka, the lead singer of the band, greeted the audience and shortly after, Bakugou counted off the first song and they started the set. Eijirou recognized the first song from his cram session earlier that week, although in this setting it had been arranged in a slower pace and softer presentation than what was on the studio album.
Over the next hour, Eijirou couldn't help but be a bit star-struck. They had sounded amazing and Eijirou couldn't help but think how handsome Bakugou was. From this distance he wasn't intimidating and he actually looked pleasant instead of on the verge of murdering someone. Along with cramming about Bombshell, he had spent some time scouring the internet to learn all about Bakugou. For research purposes only, of course! He did have a rather prickly personality and people wrote him off as a raging asshole. That was one of the nicer phrases that many had used to describe him.
But on stage, he appeared to be smiling instead of snarling. He had pleasantly bantered with his bandmates between songs. He was almost charming.
When they finished up, Eijirou immediately did what Bakugou had told him to do via texts. He made his way to the farthest corner of the bar, which was at the back of the great room where Bombshell had performed.
Eijirou's heart raced because he was hyped up after such an amazing performance and now all the energy had been transformed into anxiety about having to interact with Bakugou. Would he be super scary like he had been at the bar a few days before? Eijirou didn't think he could take that; his soul might leave his body.
Sooner than he thought it would happen, Bakugou suddenly appeared next to him at the bar. The bartender walked over and he and Bakugou nodded at each other and then the bartender walked away. Eijirou assumed he was making Bakugou a drink. Bombshell must have been usuals at the venue.
"I'll have whatever he's having," Eijirou called over and the bartender nodded. He probably should have gotten a drink earlier, then maybe he wouldn't be so on edge at the moment. Bakugou turned to face the center of the venue, his back pressed against the bar height counter.
Eijirou dared to glance at him. He looked… neutral. Which Eijirou saw as positive. They were supposed to 'meet and make small talk' according to Bakugou's texts. That way if they were being observed, which they probably were, this would be the moment they 'met.' And they had to make it relatively snappy before any fans of either of them got brave enough to come up to them. Eijirou imagined Bombshell fans had to be a little afraid of Bakugou even if they were enamored with him.
The bartender returned with both their drinks. Clear liquid in short glasses. Eijirou had no idea what it was. He reached for it but before he could take a sip, Bakugou said, "Massive Attack."
Eijirou wanted to ask him, 'What?', since he had no idea what he was talking about but he stopped himself just in time because NO QUESTIONS.
"Your shirt," Bakugou said with a smirk and then took a sip of his drink.
"Oh." Mina's shirt he was donning. He had no idea who the band was, just that the shirt was white with a close-up of a black beetle on the front. "Yeah, Massive Attack. They're pretty… good." Eijirou at least assumed. Mina did have good taste about most things.
Bakugou grinned now as he looked at him and an electric surge rocketed up Eijirou's spine and he felt his face heat up.
"Fan of trip hop?" Bakugou asked, still grinning as he took another sip.
Eijirou looked down at the drink he was holding, guessing 'trip hop' was the name of the drink. "Never had it before."
Bakugou shook his head, his grin resurfacing and all Eijirou could process at that moment was that the expression on Bakugou's face should be illegal. He was absolutely gorgeous in that moment. His face and arms were dewy from his exertion during the performance, his cheeks lightly pink from his rigorous drumming. A pleasant swirl twisted around in Eijirou’s insides, making him feel equal parts thrilled and nauseated.
Suddenly someone, who seconds later Eijirou recognized as the rhythm guitarist of Bombshell, smacked Bakugou on his back good-naturedly. "Amazing set, Kacchan! I love nights like tonight!" he bellowed and Eijirou couldn't help but notice Bakugou's face change instantly, his features scrunched up and red with irritation.
The guitarist, who had long blond hair and a pleasant smile turned toward Eijirou and his expression shifted to sudden surprise. "Oh my god, you're Kirishima Eijirou!" He grabbed Bakugou by his arm and tugged at him. "Do you know who this is?" he demanded of Bakugou. "The actor Kirishima Eijirou! At our show!"
"No shit," Bakugou rasped out, his irritation evident.
"That's so cool that you're a fan! Oh, how rude of me, I'm Kaminari Denki and... Wait…" He looked between Bakugou and Eijirou. "Y'all know each other?"
"We, uh, just met," Eijirou said and Bakugou was glaring at Kaminari who looked a little too elated.
"Cool. Cool," Kaminari said, his grin wide and mischievous.
Seconds later, the lead singer of Bombshell appeared, calling over to the bartender for a drink. Kaminari introduced Jirou Kyoka to Eijirou. Eijirou didn't think it was possible but Bakugou looked even more irritated.
Shortly after the keyboardist of Bombshell, Yaoyorozu Momo, walked up and introduced herself. Eijirou stole glances at Bakugou and he looked livid. Kaminari started talking excitedly to Yaoyorozu about Eijirou's tv show, Power Play.
Eijirou sipped from his drink and that's when he realized the beverage was just water. His face heated up. He heard a snicker and looked over to the source of the noise and saw a small smile on Bakugou's face. Eijirou smiled nervously, thankful he wasn't angry at the moment at least.
A small crowd was beginning to form near them, fans who were eyeing Bombshell and Eijirou. A girl took a couple of steps toward them and Jirou intercepted her with a greeting.
While she talked to the fan, the other members of the crowd eyed the rest of their little group, and Yaoyorozu looked over at Eijirou. "We should head backstage before things get out of hand. Would you like to join us, Kirishima?" Yaoyorozu smiled innocently as she glanced at Bakugou and then back to Eijirou.
"Of course he does! And I know Kacchan definitely wants him to!" Kaminari teased as he put an arm around Eijirou's shoulders and started to herd him in the direction of the stage.
"Like you know fucking anything about what I want, idiot," Bakugou muttered and Eijirou died a little inside. How were his bandmates so carefree with his threats and violent glares?
Eijirou couldn't help but give Bakugou a pleading look as Kaminari led him away since this was definitely not part of the plan. Bakugou sighed heavily and rolled his eyes as he followed them.
The only people backstage were mainly just others who worked alongside the band or worked for the venue. Except for Yaoyorozu's girlfriend, Tokage Setsuna, who was a herpetologist. Eijirou wasn't sure what that was exactly, but she was very friendly and exuberant, much like Eijirou usually was. Except in this scenario he found himself a bit out of his element. He was still quite talkative though, Kaminari having a whole bunch of questions for him about his show, Power Play.
He couldn't help but steal glances of Bakugou who was sitting alone on a loveseat, arms crossed, looking annoyed. Eijirou could only imagine because his whole plan didn't seem to play out how he had wanted. The two of them were supposed to chit-chat at the bar at the back of the venue until they were sure a fan snapped a quick pic, and then Eijirou was supposed to leave. News of their meeting would get out on some platform.
But now? The whole band had gathered around them and then Kaminari had been the one to drag him backstage for the VIP treatment. Kaminari and Eijirou weren't fake dating but that was now a more believable prospect.
Kyoka sat next to Bakugou, acoustic guitar in her lap and she started to lazily strum. Eijirou stole glances of the two as he kept talking to Kaminari. At one point, Kyoka touched Bakugou’s knee and he looked over at her and she said something to him. Bakugou kept his serious expression and said something back.
Kaminari laughed mid-sentence and Eijirou snapped his gaze back to Kaminari, an apologetic expression shaping his features.
Grinning, Kaminari said, "I'm totally monopolizing you. And you're a little distracted."
"Oh, its fine-"
"Stop! You're not allowed to be even more gorgeous in person and adorably nice!"
"Heh," Eijirou breathed out. "Well it's getting late… I should probably go." He glanced at Bakugou who didn't look livid, but he didn't look happy, so it was probably best for him to leave. "I have an early day tomorrow." Which was a lie. He was meeting Bakugou at 1 pm at a market. They were supposed to be 'accidentally' shopping at the same time.
"Yeah, you're probably super busy with all the filming."
Kaminari walked Eijirou out, Eijirou waving goodbye at Bakugou and Kyoka on his way out. Bakugou watched as he moved across the room. Body stiff where he sat next to Kyoka, unmoving, but his eyes were tracking Eijirou like a cat. An intense red gaze following him and it made his heart race.
On the way out Eijirou met Tokoyami Fumikage, the last member of Bombshell he had yet to meet.
Eijirou decided to walk home instead of get an Uber. It was a 30-minute trek but he needed time to think. The whole evening had been fun despite the awkwardness and he had to admit, he was captivated with Bakugou Katsuki. He was an intense, straightforward, moody person bordering on a little scary, yet there had been moments where other facets of his personality had peeked through.
And, yeah, Eijirou also thought he was hot.
When he got home he brushed his teeth, shed his clothing on the way to his bed, and then plopped on top of it. He suddenly heard his phone vibrating a meter away, a text notification, and he realized it was still in his pants pocket on the floor.
He was going to just ignore it and go to sleep until an odd thought popped into his head. What if it was Bakugou?
He slipped off his bed and dug his phone out of the pile of denim on the floor. A rush of excitement thrummed through his chest when he saw it was Bakugou that texted him.
Bakugou Katsuki: We already made socials
Bakugou Katsuki: Because my bandmates are fucking annoying it went deeper than it was supposed to
Bakugou Katsuki: Calling the market off tmw
Bakugou Katsuki: It doesnt work now
Eijirou frowned. He had been looking forward to seeing him. Before he could reply, 'What should we do?' He stopped himself. Because that was a question and he assumed texting them was probably off limits too.
Before he could think of a reply, Bakugou texted again.
Bakugou Katsuki: Dinner tomorrow
Bakugou Katsuki: Shinjuku Sushi Hatsume
Bakugou Katsuki: 5:30
That was super early for dinner but Eijirou was sure there was a reason for it.
Eijirou texted back, 'Sounds great! See you tomorrow!' He climbed back in bed and tried not to let his excitement get too wild to where it would keep him up. Dinner had not even been on the itinerary. They were supposed to run into each other at the market on Saturday, a run in at a park on Sunday, and then coffee afterwards.
Eijirou looked himself up on socials and found their first 'evidence' of knowing each other. Several pics of him with Bombshell were making the rounds. Fans were wondering if he was dating Kaminari or Jirou. There was one pic where Bakugou was staring at Eijirou. The look on his face was that intenseness that made Eijirou's chest feel tight but in a good way. 'He wants that cookie' was the one caption to the pic that had the most likes. Eijirou couldn't help but grin as he set his phone down and nestled into his covers.
The fact that Bakugou could want him in any capacity was a little too good a thought for Eijirou to drift off to sleep with.
The next day Eijirou kept himself busy with errands and answering emails and phone calls so by the time he headed out to meet Bakugou for dinner, he didn't feel prepared.
He got there barely on time, and it didn't take him long to spot Bakugou at a table that seemed secluded compared to the rest of the dining spaces. As Eijirou slipped into the chair across from Bakugou, the irritated blond blurted out, "You're late."
"No… I'm barely on time."
"It's 5:31."
"When I made it to the restaurant, it was 5:30!" Eijirou said, grinning when he saw Bakugou's face didn't look pissed. Seconds later, he saw half of a smile curve into his cheek, but his brows were still furrowed. Eijirou would consider that meant he wasn't too pissed at him.
Before Eijirou could start to feel nervous, Bakugou asked him how he was enjoying his day off. Their conversation continued on and it didn't feel forced or too awkward. Bakugou ordered for both of them, the server asking him if he wanted his special dietary needs met. Bakugou said just for him and not Eijirou. Eijirou assumed he must be a regular at the restaurant and that he must have had a food allergy.
The restaurant barely had any patrons so it had been very quiet, but that had been nice. It made their conversation easy and brought a calm to the whole situation that Eijirou still found a little unnerving. But as they concluded their meal, the place was now half full of inquisitive diners who stared at the two of them. The meal had been delicious, and the two chatted about their lives as an actor and a musician, respectively. It had been nice.
Bakugou paid, which made Eijirou feel a bit guilty. He was already paying him handsomely for their PR agreement.
They said their goodbyes, and Eijirou wasn't surprised when the next day they were trending heavily on socials. 'The Bad Boy and Japan's Sweetheart: A new Celebrity Couple?' Eijirou read and he grinned to himself. That hadn't taken long, Eijirou mused.
That day they both went for a run together at a park near Eijirou's apartment and then later that evening, they met up in nearby Yokohama and strolled through Chinatown, enjoying the atmosphere and street foods. And of course, the following day they were in the news again.
When Eijirou returned to work and made his way on set, Yuu had a million questions for him. "I don't kiss and tell," he said to her coyly.
"Oh, so just kissing then? You guys are moving a bit slow!" Yuu said with a laugh.
Eijirou smiled at her, but he kept his mouth shut, which was tough for him. Part of their agreement was that no one else could know about their arrangement. So their family and closest friends would be led along just like the public at large. Eijirou felt bad about it, but it was just the way it had to be.
Bombshell wasn't touring at the moment or working on new material, but that didn't mean they were sitting on their laurels. They were playing a couple of shows a week for the next month, smaller venues over Japan, and they were all working on solo projects. Eijirou and Bakugou were supposed to meet up the following weekend so Eijirou was surprised when he got a text on Tuesday.
Bakugou: Want to meet up with me and the band for karaoke tmw night?
Eijirou couldn't believe what he was reading. Bakugou seemed way too serious a person to ever participate in something like karaoke. But that thought didn't keep Eijirou from enthusiastically texting back an 'Of course!'
The next night he made his way to a karaoke bar in Shibuya. Before he could text Bakugou and ask what room they were in, Kaminari practically tackled Eijirou in greeting!
"You made it! I thought maybe you got lost, but Bakugou said you always run late." He grinned widely at Eijirou, bursting with too much of what usually fueled Kaminari, it seemed.
As they walked down a long hallway, Eijirou felt so nervous, it had seemed like it had been weeks since he last saw Bakugou and not just three days.
As he entered the room with Kaminari, Bakugou looked up at him, his stare simmering with mischief. "Told you he was just running late."
Eijirou huffed out a sigh, mock irritation, but if anything, he felt the opposite. The other band members were all there, along with Tokage, Yaoyorozu's girlfriend. They all greeted Eijirou and wasted no time with singing and drinking.
Eijirou was disappointed to learn that Bakugou never sang. "It's because he's tone deaf," Kaminari said matter-of-factly.
"Fuck you," Bakugou said to him, no real venom in the words but they still made the hair on the back of Eijirou's neck stand on end. "If yall found out I was an amazing singer on top of being the best drummer in Japan, it'd bring down the whole band's morale. So I humbly keep my talents to myself."
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Tokoyami said and Yaoyorozu snorted out a terrible sound in amusement which caused everyone else to react with laughter.
As the night progressed, there were times Bakugou seemed a bit distracted. He had only been drinking water from what Eijirou could tell, but he missed a few times when his bandmates had talked to him. Eijirou watched one time when Yaoyorozu had touched his knee to get his attention.
Eijirou had made a fool of himself singing a couple of duets with Kaminari. Bakugou watched him with relaxed amusement and it made Eijirou feel like he was back in high school, reliving those early days when he was crushing hard over someone.
But falling for Bakugou was a bad idea. This was just business, he reminded himself.
Before it was midnight, they all said their goodbyes and Bakugou followed Eijirou out of the bar. "Scared I'll get lost on the way home?" Eijirou teased him.
"You did have a few beers. I'm not sure how well you hold your alcohol."
Eijirou glanced at him, trying to read him, was he being serious? But Bakugou had a neutral look on his face so he was getting nothing.
"So you walking with me? Making sure I get on the right train?"
"A train ride together would be good. Definitely make the headlines tomorrow."
Eijirou was reminded that this was all just part of the deal they had. The chill in the air that normally wouldn't bother Eijirou made him shiver as they walked down the street. He had forgotten his jacket since he was in a hurry to not be late. Seconds later, Eijirou felt something being draped around his shoulders. Bakugou's jacket, warmed by his body before he had taken it off, was like a cocoon of warmth. It smelled heavenly too, Eijirou guessing it was a mixture of cologne, possibly, and Bakugou's own musk. Unless he somehow naturally smelled like a moonlit forest during the dry, summer months. He would, Eijirou thought wistfully.
"Thanks," Eijirou managed as they made their way into the station entrance.
The train had been pretty empty which wasn't too strange for the Hanzomon line this late at night.
They sat next to each other on a bench in silence and Eijirou wasn't surprised when he was awoken up sometime later. He had fallen asleep, his shoulder pressed against Bakugou's. "Eijirou," Bakugou had said, stirring him from his sleep.
"Good thing I was here or you would've missed your stop." Then he chuckled and Eijirou thought his heart might burst. He had never heard such a carefree sound come out of him.
They parted ways at the station. When Eijirou had tried to give Bakugou his jacket back, he refused. "You end up cold and miserable on your walk to your place, and you catch something, you won't be able to film. Don't need Power Play's rabid fans coming after me." Bakugou barely made it in time for the last train to his side of town.
The evening, really every moment since he had met Bakugou at the Keystone Club, had been something out of a dream. But it all came crashing down twenty-four hours later.
Bombshell had done a live interview for a tv show. At one point in the show, Bakugou had asked the interviewer to repeat what he had said, which was a question directed at him. The interviewer asked the question again, which pertained to a solo project he had been working on, and Bakugou looked confused and seconds later lost it. He cursed at the interviewer, cursed at Kaminari who was trying to calm him down, and then he stormed out, angry tears streaming down his cheeks.
Eijirou immediately made his way to Bakugou's apartment. He was supposed to go over there the next night because Bakugou was making him dinner and had texted him the address. Eijirou had his suspicions about something, but more importantly, he wanted to be there for Bakugou if he needed him. He saw him as a friend now, even if it had blossomed out of their deal with each other.
Eijirou knocked on the door and was relieved when Bakugou answered. He looked surprised for the briefest of moments, then he gruffly said, "Get your ass in here," and retreated back inside his apartment. Eijirou followed, hoping his intrusion wasn't a huge mistake.
The apartment was tastefully decorated in warm tones, but was complemented with a modern flair of sharp angles in the architecture and contemporary furnishing.
"Started on dinner early so you get to watch me cook. Sucks to be you because that's probably fucking boring."
Eijirou couldn't think of anything else he'd rather do and he practically trembled with excitement. He sat on a barstool at the kitchen island, Katsuki grabbing him a beer from the fridge to drink.
He watched Bakugou cook in silence. He decided not to bring anything up for now and thought it would probably be better for Bakugou to bring things up anyway. He was notoriously private, so there was a huge chance he wouldn't bring the interview up.
When Bakugou was done, he plated their meals and motioned Eijirou to grab his tray and follow him. They ended up in a comfortable living room both of them sitting on a plush rug. Bakugou had made them tsukemen, a special ramen with dipping sauces.
They ate in silence and although Eijirou enjoyed the meal, he felt like he was about to lose his mind. He could tell Bakugou was on edge. He knew Eijirou saw the interview because he had told him about it and Eijirou said he was definitely going to watch it.
And before he could talk himself out of saying it, he waited for Bakugou to make eye contact with him and then Eijirou blurted out, "You can't hear well all the time."
Bakugou's face went beet red. He looked a little angry, but mostly embarrassed, and Eijirou wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around him. But in that moment, he realized they had never hugged so that would be weird right?
"Was it that obvious in that shitty interview?"
Eijirou shook his head. "I kinda, sorta, had my suspicions before."
Bakugou narrowed his eyes at him, Eijirou wishing Bakugou didn't feel so defensive. He was his friend, deal or no deal. "Spill," he rasped out, eyes on fire.
"Well, I noticed your bandmates will wait until they have eye contact sometimes to talk to you. Or they will touch you on your knee or shoulder to get your attention."
His face went even redder, but Eijirou continued. "And they try to sit on your left side… and the restaurant, and the bar you had us meet up at for the very first time. It was early in the day and empty…so y'know… quieter. So you could hear me better."
Bakugou stood up and sat on the couch, running a heavy hand down his face. He looked so exhausted. Eijirou dared to join him, sitting next to him.
"Y'know what would happen if the public knew the drummer and lead songwriter for Bombshell was going fucking deaf?" He glanced at Eijirou, eyes watery and red-rimmed. "What if our label dropped us? Our fans quit coming to concerts? My bandmates are supportive and everything, but I just don't want to let them down. So I told them we'd keep it quiet and we'd just hide my fucked up hearing for as long as we can."
He wanted to ask him why he was going deaf, but he remembered he couldn't ask questions.
"What?" Bakugou gasped out. "Don't cha wanna know? My dirty little secret that only my bandmates know. My parents have no idea."
"I…I do want to know. But I can't ask you. Because 'No questions'."
With that, Bakugou laughed. "God, I'm such an asshole!" he pleaded.
Eijirou couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe a little."
"'Tch, understatement of the year." Several seconds later, after the brief levity burned away, Bakugou asked, "Do you understand why I said, 'No questions'?"
It dawned on Eijirou. "Well it definitely cut back on back-and-forth communication."
Bakugou nodded, looking absolutely miserable. "And if you suspected anything, you wouldn't be able to ask me about it."
Bakugou took a deep breath and said, "I have early-onset Meniere's disease. Bi-lateral which is fucking rare. Just my luck. I hear ringing sometimes. I get vertigo so bad I can barely walk but I can mostly control that part with a low-sodium diet."
Eijirou remembered the restaurant and his 'dietary restrictions.'
"But the worst part is how it jacks with my hearing. My right side is worse than the left. I'll eventually be deaf, which…" He swallowed.
Without hesitation, Eijirou pulled Bakugo in for a hug. And then Bakugou slowly wrapped his arms around Eijirou. He sniffed a few times like he was fighting back tears, and Eijirou understood that, they still were barely friends so it made sense he wouldn't fully give in. Eijirou wanted to tell him he'd be there for him. He'd learn sign language for him. He'd tell people to 'fuck off' for him. But this was all so new, whatever type of relationship this was, it needed time to grow and for that trust to blossom. So for now, he would give him comfort.
It all made sense now, Bakugou's prickly demeanor and his reputation for being an asshole. He didn't want to show his vulnerability to just anyone. He was a private person after all.
They eventually let go of each other, Bakugou wiping his damp face with shaking hands. He took a deep breath and said, "I should have never done this fucking PR deal."
Eijirou felt like his stomach had dropped out of his body and onto the floor. Did Bakugou regret telling Eijirou his secret? Did he regret how close they had gotten so that it could have happened in the first place?
"We don't have to do this anymore if-"
"No, it's not that." He looked at the coffee table, avoiding Eijirou's gaze. "I just… wish this was real."
"Me, too," Eijirou whispered. And before he could stop himself, he blurted out. "So let's end it."
Bakugou's scarlet glare flicked over to meet Eijirou.
Eijirou grinned. "No, this is a good thing. Let's end it, and then I'll ask you out for real." Eijirou knew he had to have read things right. There was really something special happening between them.
Bakugou bit his bottom lip like he was mulling things over. "No you won't," he mumbled.
Eijirou crossed his arms. "You calling me a liar? That's not very manly."
"No, you can't ask me questions, remember?" He smirked with satisfaction.
"I CAN ask you questions, because the deal would be over."
"Maybe we should keep that one rule, though. You're probably a lot less annoying this way."
Eijirou scoffed with incredulity.
"Fine, I'll pay you the agreed-upon money, but instead of fake dating, I'm paying you to not ask me any questions." Bakugou's smirk shifted into a wide grin and Eijirou knew he could never deny that grin. The way it lit up his face, made the flames of his eyes dance with so much life.
Eijirou reached over and grabbed Bakugou by his hand and pulled him over. Bakugou moved with the urging until he was in Eijirou's lap. "Fine then, no questions," Eijirou said as his heart raced with reckless abandon. He looked up into Bakugou's eyes and cupped his face. Bakugou had that delicious second of looking shocked until his own self-satisfaction took over. Why did this feel so practiced with him? Like they had done it hundreds of times.
"I can't ask, so I'll tell you. You're my boyfriend. The Bad Boy and Japan's Sweetheart are Tokyo's newest couple. For real."
"For real," Bakugou said as he leaned in and captured Eijirou's mouth with the softest of kisses.