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It was six AM. Soft morning sunlight filtered through half shut blinds, casting a warm glow on the snoozing figure on the bed. Loud yet beautiful birdsong pierced the early morning silence as the baby birds called out to their mothers.
Kirishima shut his eyes for a second and inhaled, before swinging his legs out of bed determinedly. He stalked over to his mirror, clad in nought but boxers, and levelled his gaze on himself.
A smile, a wink, a small wave. All of them practised, but not quite genuine enough.
His face relaxed into ambivalence as he ran a hand through his unstyled hair. A glance at his clock and he was off. It was time to start the day.
————
A loud bell signalling lunch tore Kirishima out of his thoughts. He shook his head and glanced up, noticing Midoriya.
“Ah... sorry for disturbing you, Kirishima. You just look a little, a little tired today! Are you feeling okay?” Midoriya smiled wide, his shoulders tense but his eyes full to the brim with concern.
Kirishima laughed and threw an arm behind his head casually, his eyes sliding shut as he smiled bashfully. “Yeah, those birds woke me up! Not manly at all!”
Midoriya laughed softly and relaxed a little. “They woke me up too! Just make sure you get some rest tonight, there’s a test tomorrow!” With a smile and a wave he was off, joining a waiting Todoroki.
Kirishima sighed and stood up. He glanced around the empty room. The feeling of abandonment lodged itself in his throat but he merely smiled, hollowly. A quick glance at the clock informed him lunch had not long since commenced; that was why his friends left, he reasoned.
Kirishima walked outside and turned the corner to the lunch hall blindly, missing the knowing look Bakugou shot him. He took a deep breath, slapped on his signature smile and entered the dining hall.
After a quick evaluation of his surroundings, he quickly spotted Ashido and the rest of his friends. She waved enthusiastically, standing so Kirishima could see her better. He sat down in front of her, after making a beeline for the table.
“Hey, Kirishima! How’s it going?” Ashido grinned widely, her obsidian eyes locked on his.
“I’m good! Maybe a little tired.” He confessed, a lopsided grin adorning his face. “Passing tests is pretty manly, so I’ll be up studying tonight too.”
Ashido snorted and looked at Denki, jabbing her thumb towards him. “I’m not sure what that makes him then!”
Her eyes sparkled with mirth as Denki opened his mouth to retort, only to be quickly cut off as Bakugou loudly announced his presence by slamming his lunch down onto the table.
Ashido frowned and rolled her eyes at him. “Lord drama queen, I am humbled by your presence!”
Bakugou sneered a little and clenched his fist. “Fuck off, Pinkie, I’m too tired to listen to your shit.”
Kirishima took this moment to observe his friends as they bickered, his smile slowly dropping as he did so. Unbeknownst to him, his friends’ bickering began to calm down as they realised he wasn’t joining them as usual.
“Kirishima... are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been acting weird for a while now.” Ashido furrowed her brows and placed her chin in her palm delicately, leaning forward as she did so. “You know you can tell us anything, right?”
Another practised smile and a laugh from Kirishima reassured Ashido. A little joke here and there made him look more normal, and soon enough his friends had relaxed.
Although, he failed to notice the second look that Bakugou had shot him.
———
In reality, Bakugou had been watching Kirishima for a while. As stubborn and quick to anger as he is, he wasn’t a fool.
At first, he’d been watching the scarlet haired man out of wariness. Anyone who could combat his quirk or threaten his position as number one was a threat, and they must be watched.
However, over time that suspicion became fascination. Kirishima was odd. He was almost too happy, and it reminded him too much of that stupid Deku. So he observed him for a few more months.
It was then he noticed a shift in behaviour.
It was shortly after the UA sports festival. Kirishima had returned from his fight with a different kind of light in his eyes. For the first time, his friend seemed weary. And for the first time, Bakugou felt his heart constrict in a non angry manner.
Seeing Kirishima weak, vulnerable and human had corrupted Bakugou’s heart for good. It could be easily written off as a crush, but he wants to be number one in everything, and that includes matters of the heart.
So when Kirishima adopted a stricter diet, wore more long sleeved shirts and seemed a bit more hollow, it wasn’t hard for him to spot. After watching him on this fateful Monday, his smile never reaching his eyes and his actions robotic, Bakugou vowed he would act.
And he would act tonight.
——-
Kirishima sighed loudly as he returned to his room. He massaged his sore facial muscles as he sat down on his bed, eyes downcast and sightless.
I need to practise my smiles more, he thought. I’m making everyone worry.
He shrugged off his hoodie with ease, his shoulders not as filled out as they used to be. Kirishima’s murky crimson eyes flew down to the soft, unmarred skin on his innermost arm. A dark thought crossed his mind, yet he pushed it away.
A shaky breath echoed through the room as the thought became more persistent in its desire. Finally succumbing somewhat to the dark whispering, he took three fingers and ran his ragged nails down his flesh. He watched with fascination as red, angry lines appeared. Although the skin was unbroken, the three lines became raised slightly in their protests.
Kirishima bit his lip and let his arm hang loosely by his side. The whispering that promised satisfaction from that deed was wrong. It demanded blood, but he was level headed enough to know that hurting himself in that way wouldn’t help.
A loud knock on the door tore him from his thoughts. He barely had time to formulate a fake grin before his door swung open with a dangerous creak, revealing none other than Bakugou.
“Bakugou, bro! What’re you doing here?” He grinned and tried to relax, gazing up into angry scarlet irises. The smile quickly became a nervous one when he realised he hadn’t donned his hoodie.
“Cut the shit, shitty hair. You can’t fucking fool me like the rest of those idiots.” Bakugou’s eyes seemed to pierce his soul and grip it painfully. Usually a moment like this would be tender, but all Kirishima could feel was panic rising in his throat.
A soft, awkward laugh slipped from between his slightly chapped lips as he leaned backwards slightly. “I don’t know what you mean bro, I’m just tired!”
Bakugou rolled his eyes and slammed the door uncaringly. “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you but it needs to fucking stop.”
Kirishima worried his lip slightly, entranced by the crimson eyes of his friend. “I’m just tired, Bakugou.”
“Tired of fucking what? Of getting your ass kicked?”
Kirishima’s breath hitched as his eyes widened with alarm. A small trickle of blood flowed from his lip lazily as his teeth punctured it in his shock. Bakugou’s eyes darted down towards the red, before returning to pinning Kirishima down with his gaze.
“Don’t fucking tell me it was the festival.” Bakugou slammed himself on the bed next to Kirishima, causing them to bump shoulders with each other. When their eyes met, for the first time Kirishima saw that Bakugou was truly concerned.
“I can’t be a hero.” Kirishima’s voice was so quiet; a barely formed mumble. Bakugou crossed his arms and sighed, before letting his arms hang by his sides loosely.
“And why the fuck can’t you? Stupid Deku is doing it and all he can fucking do is break himself.”
“Because, Bakugou! I can’t protect anyone! I can’t save anyone because I’m not good enough!” Kirishima stood up, his voice raising with every syllable until he was shouting. His insecurities began to pour out, a jumbled mess.
“I couldn’t win, I couldn’t strategise and I couldn’t think! I failed, and everyone saw me do that! My quirk is useless! How is being hard ever going to be useful?” His face took on a magenta hue, his eyes shut tightly to try and stem the tears that threatened to fall from his glassy eyes. “I don’t deserve to be a hero!”
Bakugou stood up and opened his palm, readying his quirk. He quickly fired a low level explosive blast at his friend, his body shaking with ire.
The crimson haired man had the foresight to activate his quirk and block the blast before he got hurt, suffering minimal damage as he did so.
In a second Bakugou had him pinned against the wall, his shirt clenched tightly in Bakugou’s fist. A sharp inhale and Kirishima opened his eyes, gazing fearfully into angry scarlet ones.
“Listen to me, Shitty Hair. You just stopped the number 1 hero at the UA festival from blowing your fucking room to bits. Tell me right fucking now that you’re not fit to be a hero.”
Kirishima’s eyes widened as Bakugou’s words sunk in. “Don’t let the fucking reporters get too you.”
Bakugou let him go none too gently, his shock addled body sliding to the floor in an ungraceful manner.
Streams of tears began to pour out of his eyes with wild abandon. Kirishima clenched his fist and looked up at Bakugou determinedly. “You’re so manly, Bakugou!”
Bakugou sneered and looked away, trying his best to hide his small smile. “Stop being fucking pathetic and get up.”
Kirishima leapt to his feet and threw his arms around Bakugou in a tight embrace, burying his head into his neck. Bakugou shrieked in a very unmanly way, prompting Kirishima to activate his quirk so he couldn’t escape.
“Let me fucking go Kirishima!”
Startled, Kirishima let go of him immediately. Bakugou crossed his arms aggressively and narrowed his eyes, a small dusting of pink on his cheeks.
“You... you called me by my name..?” He gaped at the explosive man who shifted onto the other foot uncomfortably.
“Whatever. I’m gonna kick your ass at Mario Kart until you smile one of your stupid dorky smiles.” Bakugou swiftly turned on his heel.
Kirishima admired his friend with a soft smile, the first genuine smile he had in months. His heart pitifully beat a little faster as he gazed at the man a little more fondly than before.
Of course, Kirishima forgot all about that when he got his ass kicked ten consecutive times at mario kart.
———-
A loud yawn to the right of him woke up the spiky haired man. He glanced fondly at the blond in bed next to him, the birds silent at this time of year.
“You awake, Shitty hair? You were making a lot of fucking noise, it was annoying.”
Kirishima laughed softly, his smile brightening up the room. “Yeah, I’m awake bro! I was just... dreaming.”
Bakugou sat up with a groan, the winter sun casting a soft shadow on his face. The metal on his left hand winked in the light, causing Kirishima to smile even wider.
“Oh, the one where you used to be a depressed little shit? I’m fucking glad you’re over that shit now, you were such a pussy.”
Kirishima pouted and leaned over, his eyes widening for maximum puppy effect. “What do you mean bro? You love me now and you loved me then!”
He punctuated his last words with a soft peck on Bakugou’s cheek, causing a light flush to appear under it.
“Fuck off Ejirou.” Bakugou turned towards his lover almost expectantly, his crimson eyes dancing with mirth.
“Yeah yeah, I love you too bro!” Kirishima leaned forwards and captured his soft pink lips with his own chastely, enjoying the taste and feel of his soulmate.
Bakugou pushed the red haired man back with a frown, his eyes flashing dangerously.
“Stop fucking calling me bro and I might say it to you once.”
Kirishima smirked as he leaned in to capture his lips again.
“Challenge accepted!”