It was past midnight. Everyone was asleep, including Bakugo, who Kirishima was only able to stare at (respectfully, of course, and with adoration and awe) in the faint light cast by the rising moon, filtered through open curtains that neither of them had wanted to close, however many hours earlier.

Last night had been...emotional. Kirishima didn't cry! So not that kind of emotional, but there was some yelling, an occasion where Bakugo practically jumped Kirishima and pressed their lips together so hard Kirishima thought he might be about to pass out (that happened more than once, both by and to Kirishima) until they lay down on the bed, curled into each other's bodies, slowly drifting off to sleep in the gentle, quiet atmosphere of Kirishima's room.

At least, they were, until Bakugo irritatedly pointed out that Kirishima was drawing on his arm out of habit and it tickled and he couldn't get some "damn shuteye", which snapped Kirishima out of the drowsy state he had been falling into. Hence, the staring.

Bakugo was really pretty. Kirishima knew this, obviously, but being able to gaze at him without the axe of being caught hanging over his neck, Kirishima could really enjoy it. There was a softness that came over his features when he was asleep that just wasn't present during waking hours. The lunar rays were just enough to see how his relaxed eyebrows made him look so much softer, soft lips and long lashes brushing his cheeks. There were freckles on those cheeks, Kirishima knew, so light you wouldn't even know they were there if you had never been eye to eye with them. He wondered if it would be overkill to count them.

No, he reasoned. Nothing would be overkill when it came to Bakugo. Besides, if it gave him an excuse to be touching Bakugo, to be able to freely touch without judgement (well, maybe a little bit of judgement) then Kirishima would be a fool not to take advantage of it.

At first, they had started off with just their legs intertwined, foreheads almost touching, but at some point Bakugo had shifted. Now, Kirishima was enveloped in his...boyfriend's? soulmate's? arms, with his own tucked in between their chests. It was as if Bakugo knew Kirishima needed to be held, needed to feel safe.

Still, Kirishima couldn't help feeling like they hadn't addressed The Issue, as his mind had dubbed it. The Issue being that Bakugo really, truly had just ignored Kirishima's existence for 16 years.

But it could wait. He had finally found his soulmate, and it was his best friend, and right now everything was perfect.

He squeezed a hand out from where it was trapped to brush away a strand of blond hair from Bakugo's forehead, and smiled when he saw Bakugo's eyebrows twitch and felt him move into the touch.

14 days had led to this. 16 years versus 14 days. Kirishima would take that trade any day.

---

"You think you two are subtle?" Kirishima frowned, narrowing his eyes. Kaminari had dragged Kirishima aside just as he had gone to sit down for breakfast with Bakugo ruining his plans of romanticising his boyfriend.

"Wh...what?"

"Oh, please. Shoji came down last night looking traumatised. Koda had to bring down his bunny and- did you know he has a snake too?" Kaminari looked thoughtful, as if he had just told Kirishima some enlightening fact that should change his life, or something. Or maybe he was just trying to ignore the holes that Bakugo was boring into his skull. Everyone was lucky that Bakugo's Quirk wasn't, like, lazer vision or something. At least his explosions were limited to his hands.

"I didn't, but...what do you mean?"

"Everyone could hear you two banging-"

Kirishima gaped. "We were not-" he stressed, raising his hands, face hot.

"-about, Kirishima. Banging about. I never knew you had such a dirty mind." Kaminari grinned, his expression satisfied that he'd successfully wound up his friend.

"Oh, shut up." Kirishima rolled his eyes, and saw Bakugo staring at him from the counter, eyes boring holes into his skin. He flashed his boyfriend a smile, hoping to placate him, and was met with Bakugo chewing on his bottom lip and looking away. Kirishima wondered what he was thinking.

"Still, I'm happy for you, Kirishima," Kaminari continued, drawing Kirishima's attention back to the conversation at hand. Kaminari was leaning against the window, a delighted, and somewhat cunning smirk on his face. "Besides, if you two had waited another week, I would've lost ¥2000 to Sero."

"You betted?!"

"Of course! I knew you two wouldn't be able to resist each other, sleeping in the same room for two weeks! It was the perfect opportunity to make some easy cash."

"You're terrible," Kirishima muttered, shaking his head. Kaminari nodded, looking mightily pleased with himself. His friend began to chatter on about how he had predicted that they soulmates from the first day, but Kirishima had gotten distracted again. The clouds had parted and it was like the sunbeams had deliberately sought out Bakugo, enveloping him in golden rays, transforming him into an ethereal being, gorgeous in the way he glowed. Nothing, Kirishima thought, could compare to his boyfriend.

"Oh my god," Kaminari yelped, beginning to shift from foot to foot as he did when he got overly excited about something. Kirishima's eyes snapped back over to him, a blush rising before Kaminari even said his next words.. "You did bang him! There's no way you look at someone like that if you haven't." The gleeful look devolved into hysteria as Kaminari got too overwhelmed by the comedy of the situation and began to laugh, the infectious type that had Kirishima fighting the urge to join in.

"I think you," Kirishima jabbed a finger into Kaminari's chest, who was wheezing, looking like he was about to collapse on the floor. "Should get some dating experience before you start making comments like that."

"Ouch," Sero grinned, walking past them. "You hear that, Kaminari? Kirishima's calling you inexperienced."

Kaminari was too busy laughing to respond.

Figuring the conversation was over, Kirishima left his friend to it and wandered back over to the kitchen where Bakugo was still sat at the counter, eyes now fixed on him.

Feeling somewhat like he was being studied, Kirishima flashed Bakugo a nervous grin. "Sorry."

Bakugo's eyes finally flickered away from Kirishima to behind him, where Kaminari had infected Sero with his hysteria and were both now on the floor, almost in tears. "What the fuck happened there?"

Kaminari's words echoed in Kirishima's ears (you did bang him!) and he blushed. "Nothing important."

Decidedly unimpressed, Bakugo raised an eyebrow, but didn't push it, continuing to chow down on his toast with resumed vigour. His eyes stayed on Kirishima's. "Eat," he said, monotone. After a pause, Kirishima smiled, stealing a slice from Bakugo's plate.

"Walk to class with me?" Kirishima suggested with his mouth full, spraying breadcrumbs across the counter. Bakugo's face twisted in disgust, but observed Kirishima's hand, extended in invitation, with curiosity.

Then the curiosity faded and he looked away. "Clean up your mess, you're gross."

But Kirishima's hand was occupied anyway when he arrived at their classroom, warm and a little sweaty as it may be.

---

"Oh my god, you two. Leave them be," Mina tried, for what felt like the twentieth time that lunch, as two of the three stooges started questioning Kirishima and Bakugo about last night. "Something must have happened," Kaminari kept insisting as Sero nodded vigorously beside him.

Suspiciously, Bakugo had been completely silent throughout all of this, seemingly content to eat his spicy ramen that was making Kirishima's eyes water, and Kirishima hadn't even tasted it. Maybe his attention was focused on looking tough. If it was, it was working. Bakugo looked as manly as ever, sitting beside Kirishima with a stoic posture and deadpan expression.

"Look, he's doing it again!" Kaminari pointed across the table to Kirishima. "Kirishima can't take his eyes off him, there is no way that nothing happened last night."

It was a wonder that neither Kirishima nor Bakugo reached across and snapped Kaminari's pointing finger off. Now that Kirishima wasn't distracted by the façade, he could feel the way Bakugo was slowly getting more and more agitated. Before that could boil over and cause a scene, Kirishima sent his friends a pleading look. "Please can we talk about something else?"

"Yes," Mina said forcefully, slapping Kaminari's arm down. "What about that training today? Aizawa sure was brutal. I thought my legs were going to fall off."

Kaminari groaned, teasing forgotten when given something to complain about. He began to chatter on about how rough it was that his endurance was still rubbish, with Sero offering to do some easier training sessions with him to placate his moaning. Of course, Kaminari immediately refused, the topic of whinging turning to exercise in general.

Kirishima felt himself begin to zone out, his mind wandering off to a place of its own.

Then came that familiar sound, the voice identical to Kirishima's own only heard in his head but felt in his whole being. Words said to put him down, dampen his mood, shatter his self worth.

Nothing has changed.

Kirishima considered that for a moment. Change. Everything is changing, constantly. So, a blatant lie. Everything had changed, for the better. Kirishima knew he had support, had love, would never be without it.

You're weak.

Maybe so, Kirishima thought, but looking around at his friends, he realised he didn't care. Every single person here would support him no matter what.

This will all fall apart, came the last, futile attempt.

As if he could sense what Kirishima was thinking, Bakugo subtly reached over, finding Kirishima's hand with his own and holding it tightly, grounding him. Surprised, Kirishima looked over, but Bakugo was looking straight ahead, decidedly avoiding eye contact. Saying that he was holding Kirishima together was a bit much, but it wasn't inaccurate or unmanly for Kirishima to admit that he would be worse off without Bakugo by his side. That warm feeling that had been pulsing in his chest expanded, enveloping him entirely, and even if Kirishima was aware of what his body was about to do, he wouldn't have stopped. Leaning over, Kirishima grasped Bakugo's chin with his free hand and turned it so Bakugo was looking at him. His eyes widened as he realised what Kirishima was about to do, but did nothing to deter him as Kirishima kissed him, right there, in the middle of the cafeteria in front of all of their friends and peers.

There were a few wolf whistles as people noticed, some cheers, but Kirishima ignored them as he shifted to a better angle, tilting his head, hand moving from Bakugo's chin to bury in his hair instead, curling into blond locks.

Bakugo pulled away first, as expected, breaths coming a little faster than before, his cheeks dusted pink. Crimson eyes were glazed over and hazy, pupils dilating as they scanned Kirishima's face. A thousand conversations passed unspoken between them in those moments, louder than any voice that could put Kirishima down.

Nothing was completely perfect, and maybe it never would be. But Kirishima vowed to never let that stop him from pursuing happiness and bringing the people he loves with him.