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It wasn’t that obvious, at least not at first. Bakugou would come into the agency grumbling like always, now annoyed by the fact that he was only a sidekick and wanting to prove he could be the Number One hero. The arrogant kid had graduated from UA not even a week before and already wanted to run his own agency. That’s why Best Jeanist had offered to take him as his sidekick, hoping he would be able to help the explosive blond mature enough to reach his goal in record time. It took maybe an hour or two for Jeanist to notice how Bakugou kept glancing at his phone. Quick glances sometimes, as if checking the time, others were longer, with a bit of a frustrated huff before he shoved his phone back into his hero suit pocket. Others he would type at his phone, and seemed to be thinking of what to say.
The one that made Jeanist pause was when he caught Bakugou smiling down at his phone screen, a slight blush on his cheek. He didn’t say anything about it, knowing it was better to keep quiet about it unless he wanted half of the agency destroyed. He was curious though, whoever was messaging Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight and making him smile like that, deserve nothing short of a Nobel Peace Prize. What Best Jeanist didn’t know was that on the other side of the city, Fat Gum was staring at his new sidekick with the same curiosity and questions.
Red Riot had been a bit distracted all day, sending a quick message here and there. Once jumping slightly at his phone vibrating during a briefing but not checking his phone. Instead, sitting there almost impatiently, fidgeting until it was over. Fat Gum watched the redhead let out a sigh of relief as he pulled out his phone at lightning speed to respond to the text that had been waiting for his attention.
Fat Gum knew that Kirishima was responsible, and there was nothing wrong with texting during work, he had no policy against it. It was the way Kirishima blushed when Fat gum asked him who he was texting that made it clear, that the redhead was interested in someone. He was sure of it and he wondered who this person could be.
*
This continued for a few days, to the point that Jeanist had to comment that Bakugou had been rather distracted lately. “Who are you even texting so much?” Best Jeanist asked, his eyebrow-raising as Bakugou visibly pouted at the question.
“None of your fucking business, alright,” Bakugou grumbled as he placed his phone in his pocket so his mentor couldn’t see the screen over his shoulder or some other way.
“Then that means you don’t have to be replying that often,” Best Jeanist said with a nod. “It’s not work-related so it can wait.”
The younger blond took the bait easily. “What the fuck! I’m texting my fucking friend, alright? He’s also a hero so go shit on someone else,” Bakugou exclaimed before stomping out of the room.
At least he hadn’t exploded the desk as he would have during his first year at UA, and Jeanist was glad to see there was that improvement. Best Jeanist shook his head, at least he had some clues to who Bakugou could be talking to so often. Maybe it was a group chat with his UA classmates, that would be reasonable, after the three years those students had. Yet, Jeanist knew Bakugou wasn’t a social butterfly who would be dying to see what someone posted in a group conversation. There had to be more than that.
He got his answer a couple of days later when they met up with other agencies for a mission. It was just the first meeting, trying to figure out who would be involved and to what capacity for an upcoming mission. There was a gang of villains gaining momentum and they were trying to get as much information on them before taking them down. Jeanist and his agency were the only ones confirmed for the assignment as they walked into the conference room.
“Bakugou!” a loud voice called out in excitement. Best Jeanist turned to look just in time to watch one of Fat Gum’s sidekicks, Red Riot if he remembered correctly, approach Bakugou with a wide smile.
“What you doing here, shitty hair?” Bakugou responded, but he sounded… happy?
“We’re here for the meeting!” The redhead answered, bumping his fist together. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if we got to work together on our first big case as sidekicks?” he asked excitedly.
“Wouldn’t be too bad, I guess,” Bakugou said with a shrug.
Best Jeanist walked away from the pair with a raised eyebrow, something was going on there for sure. “Hey Fat Gum,” Best Jeanist greeted once he had made his way to the other pro.
“Hey Jeanist,” the man smiled brightly, “how’s it going?”
“Rather well, thanks for asking,” Jeanist responded with a polite nod. “What about you?”
“I’m just happy that I finally solved the mystery of who Kirishima has been texting nonstop,” Fat Gum half whispered with a chuckle, his eyes on the pair of sidekicks that had found their way to a corner of the room. Bakugou and Kirishima were talking to each other, leaning towards each other, lost in their own little world now. Best Jeanist watched as Bakugou laughed, he blinked twice as the blond leaned towards the redhead even more ever so slightly. “That explains a lot on my end as well,” Best Jeanist said as he watched the two sidekicks in amused bewilderment.
“They have been friends since UA, I’m glad they finally figured it out,” Fat Gum smiled. “I have heard so much about Dynamight since the day Riot started with me.”
“I know, I think he’s the only person Dynamight talks about in a positive manner,” Jeanist commented.
“Wonder how long this has been going on,” Fat Gum said with an amused hum.
**
“They aren’t dating,” Fat Gum told Jeanist over the phone the next day.
“What?” Best Jeanist questioned.
Fat Gum paused for a second, maybe he should have started the conversation a bit differently. “Kirishima and Bakugou, they aren’t dating,” Fat Gum said, hoping that would clear things up.
“What do you mean ‘not dating'?’ They seemed pretty close yesterday, spent the whole meeting next to each other,” Best Jeanist sounded exasperated by the reveal. "Bakugou was even sulking when we headed out."
“I asked Kirishima about it, and he said that they’re just best friends,” Fat Gum let out a groan. “How is that possible? They text all the time... and you saw them together.”
“Maybe Kirishima doesn’t want to talk about their private life?” Best Jeanist offered. It made sense for newly graduated Heroes to want to keep their personal lives private after all.
“He isn’t the type to deny something like that,” Fat Gum said as he thought about it. Kirishima had blushed at the question but had denied any romantic relationship.
There was only silence on the other end of the phone for a couple of minutes before Jeanist spoke up once more, “Why aren’t they together though?”
***
Bakugou grumbled to himself as he waited for whatever stupid sidekick from another agency he was supposed to be meeting with. It was already so stupid that he was supposed to go to pick up intel from the Hero Commission office due to them being sensitive files instead of just getting them sent by email or through some shipping service. Let alone the fact that he wasn’t trusted enough to do it on his own that they had to send another sidekick to help him.
“Bakugou?” A familiar voice said behind him.
Bakugou turned around wide-eyed and found his best friend standing there with a sheepish smile that made his heart skip a beat or two. “Are you the one they send to pick up the documents with me?” Bakugou asked, having to blink a couple of times. There was no fucking way he had gotten this lucky.
“I guess I am,” Kirishima said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
Bakugou just nodded, shifting nervously from foot to foot for a bit before he started walking, “Let’s go then, shitty hair, we don’t have all day.”
Kirishima smiled, easily matching Bakugou’s step, “So, how’s it been going?”
“What is that supposed to fucking mean?” Bakugou snorted.
“I’m just trying to make small talk,” Kirishima laughed and rolled his eyes before shoving Bakugou lightly.
“As if you haven’t been fucking texting me all day,” Bakugou huffed, looking away to hide the slight blush on his cheeks.
“I-I’m sorry, have I been annoying you?” Kirishima asked with a worried expression.
“I would have fucking told you if you had,” Bakugou responded with a shrug.
Kirishima grinned, “Yeah? So that means I’m not annoying?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Bakugou grumbled, placing his hands in his pockets, but unable to hide the small smile pulling at his lips.
****
Kirishima returned to the agency with a huge goofy smile that could be spotted from a mile away. He made his way to Fat Gum’s office, looking a bit distracted as he did so, and dropped off the documents he had been sent for on his mentor's desk. “There you go, Fat,” Kirishima said with a cheerful tone.
“Why so happy, Riot?” Fat Gum asked with a grin.
“Just having a good day,” Kirishima answered shyly. Fat Gum didn’t miss the blush that colored his sidekick’s face.
“Oh? Did you get along with Best Jeanist's sidekick? Who did he send, anyway?” Fat Gum asked with a grin that Kirishima didn’t notice since he was too busy looking away to hide his blush.
“Uhhh, he sent Dynamight, you know, my friend? So we got to hang out during the errand,” Kirishima shrugged, a tiny smile on his lips.
“Well, that’s good,” Fat Gum chuckled, glad that their plan seemed to be working.
*****
“Why the fuck are we always the ones being sent out to pick up lunch for every-fucking-body,” Bakugou grumbled as he walked with Kirishima down the street. They were headed to a restaurant nearby to pick up the lunch order that had been submitted to feed everyone at the meeting they had been in.
“Maybe because we’re the newer sidekicks?” Kirishima offered. They had been involved in the case for about three weeks, which meant a lot of joint meetings between both their agencies.
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Bakugou huffed. “We have just as much experience or even more than some of the others in there.”
“Do you think we should say something about it?”
Bakugou thought about it for a second, they could tell the pros that they were tired of being the ones running all these errands and stupid food runs. Then again, it gave him alone time with Kirishima he hadn’t had since they had left UA. They had been able to hang out a handful of times since graduation. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss having Kirishima just next door to him. The errands were annoying as fuck, but he got to spend time with his best friend, so he had started looking forward to them more and more. If he said something, he may be giving up the time he got to spend with Kirishima and he just couldn't do that.
“Fuck no, Best Jeanist would probably give me a lecture about it,” Bakugou was sure that he would get one if he did complain.
“The great Dynamight is scared of Best Jeanist?” Kirishima teased him.
“I want to keep my fucking job, more like it,” Bakugou rolled his eyes before shoving Kirishima.
“Okay, that is a good reason,” Kirishima chuckled before looking down trying to decide if he should ask the question that he had wanted to ask since he saw Bakugou. “Are you going to the party Mina is throwing on Saturday?”
Bakugou paused, almost stopping as he looked at Kirishima. Was he asking to go together? “I haven’t decided yet,” Bakugou told him. “Are you?”
“Y-yeah,” Kirishima answered, scratching the back of his neck. “I told Denki I would meet up with him there, and I haven’t seen Sero in a while as well. Most of our UA class is going as well, and it would be fun to see everyone.”
Bakugou’s heart sank, this was a group thing and had nothing to do with Kirishima wanting to spend time with him. He should have known. “I’ll let you know,” Bakugou mumbled as he picked up speed, suddenly not wanting to waste time on their stroll.
******
Bakugou had been insufferable since he had returned from his errand with Kirishima. Which was odd, since the blond always came back calm and what could almost be described as cheerful after spending time with the redhead. Best Jeanist had half a mind to lock them in a closet until they figured out their feelings together, but the plan had been vetoed by Fat Gum.
“Why are you in such a foul mood?” Best Jeanist finally asked with a sigh when they arrived back at their own agency.
“None of your fucking business,” Bakugou mumbled as he crossed his arms and sank down on his chair.
“If it’s keeping you from being productive during work hours, it is my ‘fucking business’ as you put it.”
Bakugou mumbled under his breath, making Jeanist raise an eyebrow at him.
“Fuckin’ fine, there’s a party on Saturday,” Bakugou huffed dramatically.
“How is that a bad thing?”
Bakugou just glared, sinking even further with a groan, “It just fucking is, alright?”
Best Jeanist shook his head as he walked away and towards his office, closing the door behind him. Something had happened and it had been bad enough for his already fouled mood sidekick to be at his worst in weeks. He sat down behind his desk, reaching for his phone almost immediately.
“Fat Gum here,” the pro hero answered cheerfully.
“Hey Fat, I have a question for you, is Kirishima also in a horrible mood, or is that just Bakugou being himself?” Best Jeanist groaned in annoyance.
“Kirishima has been normal, hasn’t said anything out of place since we got back from the meeting,” Fat Gum responded thoughtfully.
“Then explain to me why there being a party on Saturday is a problem,” Jeanist groaned.
“Oh, I’ve heard about that party, Kirishima is very excited about it.”
“Then why am I the one stuck with such a cranky sidekick?”
“Let me see what I can do about it,” Fat Gum said, placing Best Jeanist on hold.
Jeanist waited as the soft hold music sounded, he watched from his office as Bakugou continued grumbling in his seat. It was a couple of minutes before Fat Gum was back on the phone. “I think I know what happened,” he announced.
“Explain?” Jeanist said after there was a pause.
“Kirishima invited Bakugou to the party,” Fat Gum informed him.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Best Jeanist almost groaned.
“And then he told Bakugou about how he wanted to go so that he could see everyone from their class,” Fat Gum finished.
“Oh, that would do it,” Best Jeanist declared.
“Yeah, guess it was a misunderstanding.”
“It’s more about them needing to desperately talk about their feelings, which seems impossible for them.”
“Yeah, this may be harder than we thought,” Fat Gum said with a laugh.
*******
Bakugou didn’t want to go to the party, he regretted agreeing to go just because Kirishima had used his puppy eyes on him while they were running an errand the day before. Fuck shitty hair, he thought as he put on his leather jacket, taking a quick look in the mirror. He had decided to wear his ripped black skinny jeans with a dark gray t-shirt. Some eyeliner and messy black eyeshadow to add to the effect. He may as well look good if he was going to be dragged to a party.
He ran a hand through his hair to adjust some loose strands when he heard his doorbell ring. He turned to look in the direction of the door in confusion, he wasn’t expecting anyone. He walked over, maybe a packet he had ordered online had arrived early or something. He opened the door and stopped short as he found Kirishima standing in front of him. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, he couldn’t help letting his eyes roam over Kirishima.
The redhead was wearing a pair of gray jeans, a white shirt, and a plaid red shirt on top, with a pair of black doc martens. His hair wasn’t in its usual spiky hairstyle, instead, it was tied back in a half ponytail that made Bakugou’s breath hitch. “I’m here to pick you up,” Kirishima said with a bright smile.
“Since fucking when?” Bakugou frowned, wondering if he had forgotten.
“Well… I invited you to the party, it’s only manly for me to come to pick you up, right?” Kirishima gave him that side smile that Bakugou loved and suddenly the blond couldn’t talk.
Bakugou shrugged, going inside to grab his things before returning to the door. Kirishima had stayed there waiting with an awkward smile for him to return. “Ready to go?”
“Let’s go,” Bakugou said with a nod.
Kirishima smiled, stepping aside for Bakugou to exit his apartment and lock the door. “You look good,” Kirishima said, almost as if the words had escaped his lips.
Bakugou turned to look at him wide-eyed, “I- thanks… you look good too.”
“You know, I was thinking that this would have looked good with my crocs,” Kirishima said with a grin.
“What is fucking wrong with you?” Bakugou groaned in annoyance.
“I’m kidding!” Kirishima assured him with a laugh.
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Bakugou told him.
“Such little faith in my fashion sense,” Kirishima said with a dramatic sigh.
“You forget that I had to witness your shitty clothing choices for three fucking years,” Bakugou told him.
“And I did improve in that time!” Kirishima defended himself.
“Only because you would barge into my room and ask me what you should wear,” Bakugou snorted.
“I learned a couple of things! You said I looked good today!” Kirishima said as he gestured to the outfit he was wearing.
Bakugou didn’t hesitate to check out Kirishima once more as it was being offered. “Could have been better,” he said with a smirk before walking ahead.
Kirishima behind him let out a groan, “Oh, come on!”
Bakugou couldn’t help but laugh, suddenly looking forward to the evening ahead.
********
“How was the party on Saturday?” Fat Gum asked Kirishima on Monday morning. The redhead had walked into the agency looking rather gleeful, a soft smile spreading on his lips at the question.
“It was amazing, I had a lot of fun,” Kirishima said with a slight blush. “I picked up Bakugou- like you suggested- and it did help him feel a bit more comfortable about going,” he smiled as he looked down at whatever paper was in front of him at the moment to hide it.
“Glad the advice was helpful,” Fat Gum grinned before adding, “anything interesting happened?”
“Yeah! Denki found out that he can power a whole party after there was a blackout at Mina’s building!”
“That… that’s all that happened?”
“Pretty much,” Kirishima said with a shrug, but a shy smile didn’t leave his face.
“Well then, I need you to run an errand today, if that’s alright, with one of Best Jeanist sidekicks I believe,” Fat Gum said as he started walking away.
“Yeah! I’ll get right to it!” Kirishima exclaimed as he hopped out of his seat.
Fat Gum chuckled as his sidekick ran off.
*********
Best Jeanist was watching cautiously as his sidekick went around the agency calmly. Calmly. That was a word he thought he would never use to describe Bakugou Katsuki, but it was the only one that seemed to fit at the moment. The usually explosive blond was going around the office as if lost in thought. Smiling softly at nothing just to catch himself and return to whatever he had been doing before with a forced frown.
“Dynamight,” Jeanist called, watching how Bakugou tried to pretend he wasn’t startled.
“What?” he called out, trying to make it sound as annoyed as possible.
“Need you to go pick up some stuff with one of Fat Gum’s sidekicks,” Jeanist started, unable to explain anything else before Bakugou had stood up and headed out of the room with a grin on his face. Jeanist let out a sigh, shaking his head in amusement. At least that was a sign things were going well.
**********
“I know what you are doing.”
Fat Gum turned around with a raised eyebrow, finding Tetsutetsu standing at his door with crossed arms.
“Getting some paperwork done?” Fat Gum answered with a small chuckle.
“You are trying to get Bakugou and Kirishima together,” Tetsu stated.
“Is it that obvious?” Fat Gum asked, scratching the back of his head with a laugh.
“To everyone but them, yeah,” Tetsu said, stepping into the office and closing the door behind him. “I am going to need you to stop.”
Fat Gum blinked a couple of times before asking, “Why? Don’t tell me you are also crushing on -”
“I’m not! I just need them to get together around summertime to win the bet,” Tetsue explained.
“Explain a little more, what do you mean by bet?” Fat Gum said with a sigh.
“Back in UA,” Tetsu started, “everyone pretty much knew that Kirishima and Bakugou have the hots for each other. There were a lot of… attempts to get them to admit it, but we all ended up agreeing that they figure it out on their own,” he shrugged as if he was losing hope. “So instead, we made a bet on when they would finally confess and start dating.”
“And this has been going on for?”
“Almost two years now,” Tetsu told him. “We are now going with either months or seasons. Money gets divided by the ones closest to when it happens.”
“Who is involved in the bet?” Fat Gum asked, amused at the revelation.
“All of the former class A and B from our graduating class.”
“Anyone else aware of it?”
“Some of the teachers also joined in,” Tetsu admitted, “but I think that was just a rumor.”
“Thanks for the info,” Fat Gum told him, wondering what to do with that information. Apparently, others had tried to get Bakugou and Kirishima to date and had gotten nowhere. Fat wasn’t sure why, but he was sure there was something underneath this that was keeping them from actually admitting their feelings to each other.
~
“You think they already know about each other’s feelings?” Best Jeanist asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Maybe not entirely, but I do believe that there is a reason neither of them has acted on their feelings,” Fat Gum tried to explain.
“So, now we need to talk to them about their feelings?” Jeanist groaned.
“I don’t think so, they just need a bit more of a push.”
“Locking them in a closet together is still out of the question, I presume?”
“Yes, but I think I have an idea,” Fat Gum grinned.
“Alright, but just know that I am starting to lose brain cells with all of this.”
~~
Kirishima sat awkwardly as he waited for Bakugou to finish changing. It was so weird that they were told to go on a stakeout as sidekicks without hero supervision. He wasn’t sure if it was a reward or a way to test them as heroes. They were told to change out of their hero suits and into their street clothes while making sure to hide their most prominent features. They were to go to a coffee shop near the suspected villains' hideout and stay there for a while to see if they spotted any of the villains involved in the case they were working on.
It made Kirishima nervous knowing that they were given such a big responsibility, but at least he would be with Bakugou. Together they could do anything after all. He couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips at the thought.
“I fucking hate this, this shitty thing fits me too big,” Bakugou huffed as he walked into the room wearing a pair of jeans and an oversize gray hoodie Best Jeanist had thrown at him to wear. His hair flatten in the way only Best Jeanist seemed to approve of.
“Better than me,” Kirishima encouraged, standing up with his arms outstretched. He had been given some jeans and a gray t-shirt with a simple zipper hoodie. They had also made him use temporary hair dye to make his hair look brown.
Bakugou stared at him for a couple of minutes, looking Kirishima up and down, but the only thing he was able to say was, “Your hair... what the fuck.”
“They said it stands out too much,” Kirishima said with a shrug.
Bakugou blinked as if wanting to say something but instead he just nodded once before starting to make his way to the door, “Let’s go then.”
Kirishima followed, just hoping that everything went well.
~~~
Bakugou was sitting across from Kirishima at the coffee shop, unsure what to do now that all they had to do was wait. “Should we be worried that they send us here without a wire or something?” Bakugou grumbled as he sank into his seat a bit.
“I think we are just here to observe so it wouldn’t be necessary… we aren’t actually going to confront them,” Kirishima said thoughtfully as he rested his chin on his hand. “Do you want a drink? We need to make it seem like we are just hanging out here after all.”
“Fine… get me a-”
“Iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso,” Kirishima finished for him, smiling at Bakugou who was staring up at him, “I know.”
Bakugou felt himself blush, he turned to look out the window, trying to focus on the faces of the people walking by instead of the fact that this felt like a date. It was too similar to a coffee date. He was going to go off on Best Jeanist once he got back for making him do this.
It felt wrong... as if he was tricking Kirishima into going on a date with him. He had been in love with Kirishima for so long that he couldn’t stop the small hope that was rising in him. He needed to focus on the mission though, that was all that mattered. It wasn’t like Kirishima would ever feel the same for him, after all, he wasn’t what Kirishima deserved. Kirishima deserved the world. Someone that would make him happy every day and made his day brighter. He was far from that, he was nothing but a burden to everyone in his life, and Kirishima didn’t deserve that.
“Alright, I ordered the drinks,” Kirishima declared as he sat across Bakugou with a smile with a box in hand. “I also spotted this, they have board games for people to play,” he raised an eyebrow as if challenging him, as he showed Bakugou the cover of the box to reveal a connect four board game.
Bakugou couldn’t help but chuckle, “Well, you feel like losing I see.”
“As if,” Kirishima told him, starting to take out the game.
Bakugou started to help him set up the game, unable to fight the smile on his face. It was so stupid that a silly board game with Kirishima made him so fucking happy.
“I call red,” Kirishima called out as he took the red chips for himself with a grin.
“What a shocker,” Bakugou told him with an eye roll.
“You’re just mad that you have to use the yellow ones,” Kirishima told him, sticking his tongue out at Bakugou.
“If I win this round, we’re switching colors,” Bakugou told him as he made his first move, letting his chip drop down right in the middle of the board.
“Hey! Why did you go first?” Kirishima said with a slight pout before making his move.
Bakugou just chuckled. They continued playing, almost at the end of the round, their drinks were called out and Kirishima got up to get them but gave Bakugou a warning as he left the table, “Don’t you dare cheat while I’m gone, it would be so not manly if you did.”
“I don’t need to cheat to win,” Bakugou told him, “I’m the best, remember?”
Kirishima shook his head, smiling softly as he walked to the counter to get their drinks. He thanked the barista before heading back to Bakugou. “Here you go,” Kirishima said with a smile. “Just like you like it.”
“Thanks,” Bakugou said with a small smile as he took the first sip of his coffee, trying to use it to look around without seeming suspicious. Still no sign of any of the villains they needed to tail.
“You know, I can’t remember the last time we got to spend time together, just the two of us,” Kirishima said as he sat across Bakugou with his iced mocha. "And I know it's for work but... you know... it's nice."
Bakugou thought about it for a second, other than their errands at work, they hadn’t been able to spend time together, at least not alone. It was always with the others and he couldn’t remember the last time they had been together one on one. Maybe because they had been busy, but mostly because the blond knew he couldn’t risk being alone with his best friend.
“Been busy I guess,” Bakugou said with a shrug.
Kirishima hummed, “Guess so.” He dropped his next chip onto the connect four board before smiling, “I win.”
Bakugou blinked, as he looked at the four red chips in a row. “What the fuck- I call rematch!”’ he practically screamed, making people turn to look at them.
Kirishima laughed, “Quiet down or we're going to get kicked out!”
Bakugou grumbled as he let himself sink into his seat with a pout. “You cheated, didn’t you?”
“Did not, and you know it,” Kirishima said with a smile and a wink that made Bakugou’s heart skip a beat.
Fuck, he was in trouble, and he couldn’t make an excuse to leave.
Kirishima picked up his drink, taking a long sip as he looked around, “How long do you think we can stay here?”
“Not sure,” Bakugou told him, wondering if Kirishima was asking because he wanted to leave.
“Well, then I guess I have time to beat you a good ten more times,” Kirishima grinned.
Bakugou narrowed his eyes at Kirishima, letting out an exhale, “You are going to regret those words.”
~~~~
They stayed in the coffee shop for hours playing board games, talking, and trying their best to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious or that fit the descriptions they were given. The longer they stayed, the easier it was for them to forget the real reason they were sitting in a coffee shop across from each other.
It wasn’t until one of the employees from the coffee shop came up to them that they even realized how late it had gotten. “Excuse me,” the young girl said shyly, “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but we’re closing soon.”
Kirishima blinked a couple of times, looking around to find the whole place empty of any customers other than them. “Oh, sorry, we’ll be heading out,” Kirishima said with a bit of a shy smile as he scratched the back of his neck.
“Can I just say,” the girl said with a smile, “you two make such an adorable couple.”
“Oh,” Kirishima said, frozen at the comment, feeling his cheeks turn red as his heart tightened at just how much he wished that was true. “I-We aren’t together.”
“I’m so sorry!” the girl exclaimed as she covered her mouth in embarrassment. “I thought you guys were here on a date!”
“It’s not- let’s just fucking go,” Bakugou grumbled as he pushed his way past her and out the door.
Kirishima looked after him, apologizing to the girl once more for staying so late before running after his best friend. “Bakugou,” he called out once they were outside, but the blond didn’t slow down. “Wait, I’m-”
“Go away, shitty hair,” Bakugou told him.
“Look, I’m sorry she mistook us for a couple,” Kirishima said with a sigh, now only a couple of steps behind Bakugou. “I know it made you feel uncomfortable,” Kirishima said, his heart breaking at the thought that the guy he had been in love with for years hated the idea of them dating, “If you want. I can talk to Fat and Jeanist… let them know that this won’t work out for u-”
“Shut the fuck up,” Bakugou cut in, but his voice was quiet, just above a whisper as he stopped walking completely. It was dark out already, and Kirishima couldn’t see his best friend’s face, but he could see that he was shaking slightly.
“Bakugou?” Kirishima tried once more, about to extend his hand to try to comfort the blond, but pulled away a couple of inches from touching him.
“If you hate this so much just fucking say something,” Bakugou bit out, still not looking at him.
“That’s not-”
“Then what?” Bakugou exclaimed, hands turning into fists at his side. “Just fucking leave me alone,” he said in a softer voice before he started walking once more.
Kirishima couldn’t make himself move to follow, his legs feeling heavy as he watched his best friend walk away from him.
It wasn’t until Bakugou was out of sight that he was finally able to move, but he felt like he had nowhere to go.
~~~~
Kirishima got back to his apartment, not even bothering to turn on the lights as he made his way to his room. He should take a shower, take the thing they used to color his hair out so it wouldn’t stain his pillows, but he couldn’t be bothered. He let himself fall onto his bed without changing his clothes or even bothering to get under the covers.
It was only after he had laid in bed that he felt his heart breaking. Slowly at first, as the first crack splintered into others until all he had were pieces of glass in his chest that made it painful to breathe. He heard his own sobbing before he realized that he was crying. He rubbed at his cheeks, hard, trying to make them stop. There was no reason for him to cry. He knew from the moment he realized he was in love with Bakugou Katsuki that he would one day lose him.
It was a matter of time, but to Kirishima, having Bakugou in his life had been his main concern. It was obvious now more than ever that not having the blond in his life would make it near impossible to survive. He had gotten too used to him, and now it was going to be torture to live without him.
He was sure he would never see Bakugou again. Bakugou probably saw right through him and that's why he had walked away from him. Not even wanting to talk to him about what had happened, or why he didn’t want to walk home together.
It was over.
He had just lost his best friend.
~~~~~
Bakugou sat in a corner of his room, knees pulled to his chest as he buried his head into his arms. He wasn’t going to cry, he couldn’t cry, yet the tears wouldn’t stop. It was so fucking stupid. He knew he didn’t stand a chance when it came to ever be anything more than friends with Kirishima, but it still hurt to hear him say that they weren’t together. Fucking damn it, shit. The way those words had shattered whatever illusion of hope that had formed that day was the final blow.
He couldn’t do it anymore, he just couldn’t pretend as if he had no romantic feelings for Kirishima. He couldn’t pretend that everything was alright between them because it was far from the truth. Bakugou felt a sob shake through him at the thought of not seeing Kirishima again, but that was for the best. He needed distance so that he could get over his best friend.
Kirishima deserves someone better than him anyway.
With time, it would be as if Bakugou was never part of Kirishima’s life, and the redhead would be happier than ever.
~~~~~~
“Can you explain to me why I have Dynamight making excuses to not go on any more missions or errands with Riot?” Best Jeanist asked, already annoyed at his sidekick who had insisted on having too much paperwork to do and refusing to continue the stakeout at the coffee shop the day after.
“I was about to call you about a similar issue,” Fat Gum said with a sigh, “Riot is saying that I should send Real Steel in his place. I tried to get an answer on why, but he won’t even talk.”
“Was it too obvious we were setting them up on a date?” Best Jeanist wondered as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong.
“I don’t think so, there seems to be something else behind it,” Fat Gum told him. “Riot has seemed so sad all day today.”
“Dynamight hasn’t been much better,” Jeanist admitted. There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, “Is it time to lock them in a closet now?”
~~~~~~~
Kirishima tried anything to get out of going to the next meeting with Best Jeanist's agency. He tried to come up with so many excuses, even volunteered Tetsue to go in his place, but nothing worked. So that is why Kirishima found himself walking to the meeting, trying to hide behind Fat Gum. He hadn’t talked to Bakugou since that day at the coffee shop.
He had written and deleted so many text messages, and had stared at Bakugou’s contact photo on his screen for what could have been hours. The picture he had taken during their second year at UA, where Bakugou was smiling just slightly. It made Kirishima feel nothing but hurt at the thought that he would never see that smile in person again. He was unable to find the courage to call him… not even sure if he was allowed to do so.
He couldn’t get the image of Bakugou walking away from him out of his head. Maybe he should have gone after him, or maybe it was time to let Bakugou go. It seemed like the right thing to do, he couldn’t keep having these feelings toward his best friend, and he couldn’t live in the “what ifs.” He had promised himself that he would live a life with no regret, and yet, here he was, regretting not saying something sooner. Regretting losing his best friend. Regretting not having had the courage to confess.
Kirishima couldn't help but freeze when he looked up and saw Bakugou. Bakugou hadn't spotted him yet, he was walking next to Best Jeanist with his head hanging low. Kirishima felt a panic raise to his throat, as he fought the urge to run to Bakugou and ask him what was wrong. To make sure he wasn't hurt and find out why he seemed so sad. It wasn't right for Bakugou to look so... defeated. He didn't know what to do... he didn't know what he had the right to do.
Bakugou looked up at him while he was trying to figure out what to do. Kirishima felt his heart break once more as he saw how empty Bakugou's eyes looked. They had no light in them, and he flinched when their eyes met before turning away from him. Kirishima was moving before he realized what he was doing. He heard Fat Gum calling him, but all he saw was Bakugou refusing to look his way.
Kirishima grabbed Bakugou's wrist and pull him towards one of the empty conference rooms around them, feeling his heart sink even more as he realized that there was no resistance. Once the door closed behind them, Kirishima placed his hands on Bakugou's shoulders, "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked as he looked over at his best friend who was staring at the floor. "Bakugou, I know you're mad at me, but I'm worried, please talk to me."
"As if you fucking care," came the quiet mumble in reply as Bakugou tried to shrug Kirishima's hands away.
"I do fucking care!" Kirishima practically yelled. "I know you don't want to talk to me ever again, but I can't see you like this and not do anything!"
Bakugou pushed him away, eyes filling with tears as he yelled, "Don't you fucking dare make this my fault! You are the one that's ashamed to be seen with me!"
"What are you talking about?!" Kirishima responded, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "You are the one that walked away!"
"You are the one that didn't follow!" Bakugou said as he angrily rubbed at the tears that were starting to spill. "FUCK!," he exclaimed, angry at the fact that he couldn't stop crying. He had to stop crying. He knew he could never be with Kirishima... so why did it hurt so much?
Kirishima's hands cupped Bakugou's face, forcing the blond to look at him, "Talk to me! What's wrong? I hate seeing you like-"
"Don't you fucking dare," Bakugou punctuated each word as he tried to pull away, but found himself against the door, trapped with Kirishima's eyes full of worry waiting for him to answer. "You don't even care abo-"
"I do care! I care so much about you! So, just talk to me, please," Kirishima pleaded, tears starting to form in his eyes as well.
"You care," Bakugou repeated, his mind stuck on those words. "You just don't care about me the same way I care about you," his voice so quiet, Kirishima wouldn't have heard him if they weren't standing so close to each other.
Kirishima flinched, almost moving his hands away just by how much those words hurt. He may as well say it. Finish ruining everything that they had been to each other, because Bakugou didn't want him in the same way Kirishima wanted him. So, Kirishima let his hands drop, placing them at his side, "I know. I know you don't feel the same way as I do. I understand if you hate me for it... I was supposed to be your friend and I-" Kirishima shut his eyes tight, trying to force the words out before he lost his nerve. "I ruined everything by falling in love with you... I'm so sorry, Bakugou... I promise... I won't bother you ever again. I-"
Suddenly, Kirishima was the one against the wall as Bakugou flipped them around and was now the one pinning Kirishima against the door. "What did you just say?" Bakugou asked, his face serious, eyes searching Kirishima's face.
"I won't bother you ever again," Kirishima said as he let his eyes fall to the floor.
"Before that!" Bakugou exclaimed, getting closer to Kirishima. "Did you mean it?" Bakugou asked softly.
Kirishima couldn't help but take a sharp breath. Bakugou was so close and the look in his eyes seemed so vulnerable, and he just begging for Kirishima to repeat his words. Kirishima couldn't help it, he lifted a hand and tenderly touched Bakugou's cheek with the tips of his fingers, scared to be pushed away. "I love you," he said slowly, looking straight into his best friend's red eyes.
Bakugou didn't pull away like Kirishima thought he would. He leaned into the touch, a smile pulling on his lips as his tears started falling once more as he leaned into Kirishima's hand until the redhead was cupping his face. "I love you too... I love you so fucking much, you idiot," Bakugou said with a laugh full of relief.
Kirishima blinked once, twice, as Bakugou's words finally registered in his mind. "You do? I thought you were mad because you realized that I- so you don't hate me?" Kirishima asked, still not sure if any of this was real. It had to be a dream.
Bakugou didn't hesitate, leaning forward until their lips crashed together, pushing Kirishima's head against the door with a loud thump, but if the redhead minded, it was soon forgotten. Kirishima let out a small gasp that was quickly swallowed by his best friend's (boyfriend's?) mouth. Kirishima's hands found their way to Bakugou's neck, making sure he didn't pull away. He felt Bakugou's hands finding their way around his waist, pulling him closer.
"There," Bakugou said as he pulled away, eyes still half-closed. "Do you still think I could ever hate you?"
Kirishima smiled, leaning in to kiss Bakugou once more as his answer.
~~~~~~~~
Best Jeanist realized the mistake they had made that very day, a couple of minutes after Bakugou and Kirishima rejoined them for the meeting that they had missed half of already. Walking into the room hand in hand, Bakugou with a smug grin on his face and love sick eyes that wouldn't look away from the redhead next to him. Kirishima with flushed cheeks and a smile that he couldn't push away.
That's when Best Jeanist realized that it would be impossible to get anything done with those two in the same room, at least anytime soon. He let out a sigh, as he lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose to think of a way he could deal with whatever nonsense was to come. Maybe it was for the best, at least the two seemed happier than they had been in the last couple of days.
He looked up to find Fat Gum grinning at the young couple that had found seats next to each other and now sitting closer than necessary. Fat Gum turned towards Best Jeanist and gave him a wink with a thumbs up. His smile was a bit brighter as he made eye contact with the other pro hero.
Best Jeanist felt his face turn slightly red before turning away... huh, that was new.