Kirishima

It had never taken Kirishima so long to get to sleep in his life—he was just so damn happy. And once he finally did get to sleep, he kept waking up, a smile on his face every time. He really, truly could not remember a time he felt so giddy, an absolute bliss radiating from his very core. And when he finally did fall into deep rest, he swore it was the best sleep he'd had in his entire life.

It was just after 10 AM when his eyes fluttered open to the dark room around him, and he wasn't surprised to find Bakugou still asleep when he sat up and glanced over, the only visible part of him being a tuft of his blonde hair sticking out from the top of the blanket. With the same smile as before, Kirishima sleepily rubbed at his blurry eyes and reached for his phone. His home screen was waiting with a text message from Sero that'd come in just under half an hour ago.

>dude! Meet in the lounge!

>Be there in a few, he responded. After stretching, half-heartedly throwing his comforter across his bed, using the bathroom and combing quickly through his hair, he shuffled down the hallway in nothing but his pajamas and a pair of socks.

The lounge was still fairly quiet. Two heads, one black and one yellow, poked over the back of their usual couch and he sauntered over to see they had some old cartoon on that they weren't really paying attention to as they were too distracted with their phones.

"Mornin'," Kirishima mumbled, flopping himself down onto a bean bag chair.

"Heyy, there's our loverboy," teased Sero, looking up.

"I thought Kami was loverboy."

"Not anymore now that you're the one all smitten and stuff."

"What are you, an old lady?" Kaminari asked. "Who says stuff like 'smitten'?"

"I do," Sero proclaimed.

"...'kay. Anyway, morning, man," Kami said to Kirishima. "How was yesterday?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"Good," Kirishima said automatically. Man, that smile was persistent! His cheeks were already beginning to hurt.

"Just 'good,' huh? 'Cause it looks to me like it was a hell of a lot better than good," Sero said as Kaminari's phone alerted him with a text message.

"Shut up," Kirishima mumbled, wishing he had an easy way to hide the blush creeping up his face.

"So gives us the details, man," Sero said, leaning forward with that familiar sparkle of gossip in his eyes.

"Wait wait wait," Kaminari cut in. "The girls are on their way over and you know Mina will kill you if you talk about it before she gets here."

Kirishima had been prepared for this since the second he'd decided to finally ask Bakugou out. In fact, he'd already promised to give Mina as many details as he could after the date when he told the four of them that Bakugou had (somehow) agreed. He already knew everything he wanted to share as well as what he'd decided to keep private—between just him and Bakugou.

When she and Jirou arrived they insisted upon making coffee and the boys gave them a minute to raid the kitchen before emerging with five steaming cups of the stuff as well as spoons, cream, and sugar. When Mina was satisfied with her mixture, she dragged another bean bag chair over beside Kirishima and plopped herself right down into it, holding the cup between her hands and gazing at him expectantly—almost studiously. It only made him laugh.

"I think we're ready, man. Give us the details," Sero said when everyone was settled.

"Um... well I guess I gotta start off by admitting that you guys were right," Kirishima began. "About him liking me? 'Cause he does... somehow."

He'd barely gotten the word out when all of them exploded at the same time.

"Somehow?!" squeaked Mina.

"We told you!" Kami shouted.

"Obviously we were right," Jirou interjected.

"Duh," Sero huffed.

"Okay, okay! Yes, I admit it, alright?" Kirishima said. "Jeesh."

"What do you mean by somehow, Kirishima?" Mina said with a slight glare. "Of course he likes you. You're you, and he's... him. It's like fate brought you together or something! I knew he got reassigned for a reason."

"He'd be stupid not to like you, man," Kaminari said.

Warmth radiated right from Kirishima's center at their words. "Thanks, guys."

"Anyway, the date," Jirou said.

"Right... uh, well, the date itself wasn't anything super amazing or anything. I mean, the festival was fun and the rainstorm was pretty cool, but for like the first half I couldn't think of anything to talk about. And I guess neither could he, 'cause it was pretty much quiet while we wandered around until it started raining."

"That's probably just because you both knew it was a date and you were thinking about it way too much," Mina said.

"That's exactly what was going on in my head," admitted Kirishima. "Like, I knew it was just Bakugou, but at the same time it was Bakugou, y'know?"

The four of them nodded.

But Kirishima had been acutely paranoid under the surface that Bakugou hadn't been having a good time and even found himself apologizing for it on the bus ride home, even after everything that did happen.

"Sorry it wasn't as fun as I'd hoped..." he'd said with a small, rueful grin.

"The fuck are you talking about? Who said it wasn't fun?" Bakugou asked.

"Well, nobody... but it just didn't seem like you were having that great of a time. At least, not at first."

"That's 'cause the rain pissed me off. Don't go assuming shit."

That one small conversation had boosted Kirishima's confidence quite a lot.

He went on to tell the others about having to buy the chocolate and then sharing it so Bakugou could fix his eyeliner, but kept the part about his wiping the smudges from Bakugou's cheeks to himself. But man, he'd never forget that, how Bakugou'd been so, so close, those sharp eyes of him on Kirishima's face the whole time he was working away at those stubborn smudges. He swore he'd almost leaned in and kissed him right there.

He also went on to tell them about the band they found that they really liked, and showed them a few videos he'd taken of it (though Mina was clearly a little too anxious to learn about the date aspect over the music festival aspect). He'd never been more grateful for some good live music in his life, either, because it finally sparked a conversation between them and it felt just like it had in the past when they'd lost track of time talking, only it felt more... intimate. Bakugou continued walking so much closer to him than what would be considered normal, and as they wandered through the crowds and along the still-wet sidewalks, all he wanted to do was slip his fingers into Bakugou's palm. Seriously, their hands had brushed across each other enough times that he knew if Bakugou's reaction to such a gesture was bad, he could've played it off as an accident. Still, he kept chickening out.

Kirishima did tell them when he finally mustered up just enough courage to grab Bakugou's cool fingers, an almost stark contrast to his own warmer ones, when he pulled him along toward one of the concession stands. What he kept to himself was how Bakugou had been the one to lace their fingers together and how Kirishima had felt like he was going to melt into a puddle on the ground right then and there.

"We ate and talked some more. That was... kinda when I asked why he agreed to go out with me, which is how I found out he actually does like me." It felt so weird, saying those words. Saying them about Bakugou. Saying them and knowing they were true; that the painfully handsome guy he'd been developing feelings for more and more every day over the course of the past six months actually reciprocated those feelings. Kirishima wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it; his stomach never failed to flutter every time he thought about it. "And um... it wasn't long after that when we came back here and spent some time in the game room," he concluded.

"Well, damn," Kaminari said. "Sounds like it went pretty well for a first date."

"Definitely better than ours," Jirou said to him.

"Oh yeah! You guys almost didn't even go out again after that," Sero recalled.

"Don't remind me, guys," Kami mumbled. "So are you guys together now?" he asked to change the subject.

"We didn't really talk about that," Kirishima said. "It felt like it was too early to ask, so I didn't."

"That's fair," Jirou said. "But are you gonna go out with him again?"

"If Kiri has any say in it, of course they will," Mina said.

"I'd like to, yeah. We didn't really talk about that much either, but I'm definitely gonna ask him if he wants to," said Kirishima. "I'd just have to figure out what to do again. I'm pretty bad at coming up with date ideas."

"Google some stuff," Sero suggested. "Or like, go to an arcade or something. You know how competitive he can get so I bet that'd be pretty fun."

Kirishima nodded thoughtfully. That was actually an excellent idea and he was mildly disappointed he hadn't thought of it himself to begin with. Still, at least he had an idea—and knew of an arcade—for his and Bakugou's second date... provided Bakugou agreed to go out with him again. Though admittedly, with the way Bakugou had held his hand to and from the bus stops, and the way he'd freaking kissed him, Kirishima would be pretty surprised if he said no.

"Wait, wait, wait! You guys are forgetting to ask one of the most important questions, here!" Mina cut in suddenly. She turned her big, shiny eyes right back on Kirishima. "Did you guys kiss?"

Kirishima had originally decided to keep that one to himself; even he was still trying to process all of that. The thing front and center in his memory of his date was just that—Bakugou's freaking lips. His kiss. And god, how could he ever even begin to describe that feeling?

He'd tasted like Mountain Dew, for obvious reasons. Somehow his lips had been even softer than when they'd chewed through that dumb stick of Pocky together. The smooth texture of his skin beneath Kirishima's palm and the pads of his fingers was forever etched into his memory. And when Bakugou had pulled him forward by the front of his hoodie to kiss him again, clearly not satisfied, judging by the way he'd pressed even closer, kissed even deeper, Kirishima wasn't sure how in the hell he hadn't spontaneously combusted.

The only comprehensive thought that'd come out of that whole situation was that he'd fucking loved it. And he wanted to do it more. A lot more.

"Well?" Mina pressed when he didn't answer for a moment.

"...yeah," he said, scratching his neck. "Yeah, we did."

"Ohmygosh!" she half-squeaked, covering her mouth and bouncing a bit in her bean bag chair. "I'm so happy for you!" she gushed as her arms were thrown around him probably a little too tightly. Man, she was strong from all that dancing!

"Ah... okay, thanks, Mina. Um, can you maybe not crush my windpipe though? I like breathing," he managed as he patted her on the back.

"Sorry," she giggled, pulling back. "It's about freaking time, though!"

"Aw jeez, Mina, you act like they didn't kiss just the other day right in front of you," Kaminari said.

Mina turned and promptly threw the plastic spoon in her coffee cup at him, and it glanced right off of his forehead. "You be quiet," she told him stubbornly. "That doesn't count and you know it."

"Okay! But did you really have to throw your spoon at me?" he pouted, gently tossing it back.

"You kind of deserved it, Denki," Jirou told him.

"Gee thanks, babe," he grumbled.

"I think it's super sweet that you guys are going out on actual dates," Mina said, bringing Kirishima's attention back to her. "Nobody in high school really does that anymore. Everybody just wants to mess around nowadays."

Kirishima couldn't help his grin of agreement. "Aw c'mon, Mina, you know I take this stuff seriously. I don't have time to mess around like that. Seems more like a waste to me, anyway."

"And hey, Kyouka and I have gone on real dates," Kami interjected.

"How many?" Sero asked in a teasing tone. "Like, two?"

Just as Kami was puffing up to defend himself, Jirou just patted his shoulder and shook his head; even she looked a bit regretful. "Don't bother, babe. They're right."

"...'s still more than Kiri."

"So far, yeah," Mina said. "But Kiri's kind of old-fashioned. I bet he and Baku will go on tons of dates in the near future. Right, Kiri?"

Kirishima shrugged. "Maybe. Who knows?"

The answer was casual, but merely thinking about going on a bunch of silly casual dates with Bakugou brought forth another wave of that overwhelming happiness he'd been riding since yesterday afternoon. He thought about how those dates would probably lead to things eventually being official between them the way he'd been quietly hoping for for months, and then he pictured himself introducing... er, reintroducing Bakugou to his mom as his boyfriend. Thought about Bakugou spending time with them on holidays and vice versa...

Before he could get too much further ahead of himself, a familiar sluggish movement of black clothes and blonde hair caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he glanced over to see none other than Bakugou himself shuffling into the room, rubbing an eye with the heel of his hand as he was mid-yawn.

"Yo, Bakugou!" Sero piped up first.

"Sup, losers?" he mumbled in a sleepy voice that only caused Kirishima's smile to widen, for his stomach to flutter even more.

"I'm... gonna go get some more coffee," Mina said, jumping up from her chair. Just before collecting everyone else's cups and scurrying off to the kitchen, she nudged the chair toward Kirishima until it was right up against his own. "Have a seat, Bakugou!" she said with a wink.

Bakugou's sleepy eyes followed her toward the lounge kitchen before he plunked down into the chair she abandoned. "...fucking weirdo," he muttered.

"Mina makes a great wingwoman, dontcha think?" Sero asked.

"She's just trying to be nice," Kirishima said, though he was once again feeling that damned heat rising in his cheeks.

"She's weird," Bakugou repeated.

"Yeah, but she fits in."

"And so do you, which means you're weird, too," Sero told Bakugou.

"...whatever."

⚜️

The rest of the day was pretty typical of the six of them. The thing that stood out—not only to Kirishima but everyone else, because of course they noticed—was Bakugou's closeness to him. While they were in the game room, he'd sit so near to Kirishima on the couch while they watched Mina and Jirou play air hockey that their thighs were pressed together. When they stood beside the pool table, Bakugou trying to coach Sero and Kaminari (who were still pretty awful at it), he very blatantly leaned against him, an arm up on his shoulder. At lunch it was evident the others left the seat beside him open for Kirishima to sit in—and he, too, made a point to keep as close as possible without their elbows bumping too much as they ate.

It was nearly curfew when they decided to head in for the night and parted ways from the girls' lounge. It was clear to Kirishima that Sero and Kaminari's head start was on purpose to allow him and Bakugou to walk back together alone, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't grateful for it. It was clear that Bakugou understood that, too, judging by the next thing he said.

"How long have those idiots known, anyway?" he asked, jerking his chin forward where the other two were a good twenty feet ahead of them, very nearly to the boys' dorm.

"About what, exactly?"

"I dunno. You liking me, I guess."

Those words never failed to make Kirishima's stomach jump. "Oh. A few months. Longer than me, actually," he admitted.

"All of 'em?"

"Yup."

"Figures. 'M just surprised Pinky wasn't pressing on us for all the details about yesterday."

"Oh, she did," Kirishima said.. "I talked to 'em about it this morning while you were still asleep."

Kirishima couldn't decide if he imagined the stiffening of Bakugou's shoulders, but he definitely didn't imagine the small "hmph" huffing from his nose.

"What?" he murmured, timid. He was suddenly really afraid he'd done something wrong.

"Nothing. Just don't like a bunch of people knowing all my business."

"Don't worry, Baku. I didn't tell 'em everything. Just the basic stuff."

Bakugou was quiet until they got into the dorm building, when he asked, "You tell 'em we kissed?"

Kirishima felt himself hesitate in his answer as Bakugou worked to unlock the door to their room. "...well, yeah," he said finally. "But that was it. I didn't like, describe it or whatever."

When Bakugou didn't respond right away, a lump started to grow in Kirishima's throat.

"Is... is that okay?" he asked when they were settled on their beds.

"'S fine."

"Hey, don't worry, man. I'm not gonna be blabbing about everything we do to 'em. Promise. I like to keep things private, too."

"Good," Bakugou said as he leaned back onto his pillows, folding his arms behind his head as he usually did.

Kirishima figured he should take the opportunity as it presented itself to him or he wasn't sure when he was gonna be able to ask again. "So um... speaking of stuff we do..." he began in a slight mumble. The other's head turned to look at him, his expression virtually blank. "D'you... maybe wanna go out again?" he made himself say before he lost the last of his nerve.

And then Bakugou grinned—a real, genuine smile, even if it was small and more sly or cocky than anything. "I was wondering when the fuck you were gonna ask," he said.

Kirishima's back straightened instantly. "What?" he blurted. Oh man, his face was heating up... again. He swore being with Bakugou was gonna turn his face as red as his hair, permanently. "You—you could've asked, too, y'know!" he mumbled.

Bakugou was the one to look away, twisting his head all the way to the right so Kirishima couldn't see it at all anymore before he grumbled a half-hearted, "...shut up."

---

this chapter is rather uneventful, but i wanted to give some insight to Kiri's perspective on their date :3