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Strawberries and Cigarettes

Summary:

Kirishima Eijirou never believed in fate. He didn't think that everything happens for a reason, or that destiny has it out for people who are good. No, Kirishima Eijirou believed that life is only what you make of it. He believed that you're on your own, nobody else is looking out for you.

Kirishima Eijirou never believed in fate… that was until he met an explosion of a man that went by the name of Bakugou Katsuki.

Based off of the song Strawberries and Cigarettes by Troye Sivan.

Notes:

This fic is based off of the song Strawberries and Cigarettes by Troye Sivan. I hope you enjoy some kiribaku highschool angst.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Kirishima Eijirou never believed in fate. He didn't think that everything happens for a reason, or that destiny has it out for people who are good. No, Kirishima Eijirou believed that life is only what you make of it. He believed that you're on your own, nobody else is looking out for you.

Kirishima Eijirou never believed in fate… that was until he met an explosion of a man that went by the name of Bakugou Katsuki.

***
Remember when we first met?

If Kirishima had to choose between spending another five minutes in his math class or
being buried six feet under ground he probably would've chosen the latter. It's not that he didn't like school, or even that he didn't like math, it's just that when it's the first week back at school, hot as balls in the classroom, and he's running on three hours of sleep the last thing he wants to do is listen to Mr. Aizawa less-than-enthusiastically teach exponential functions.

The redhead let's his eyes drift towards the window as he stares out at bold sun and vibrant green grass wishing he was out there instead of in a stuffy classroom with a bored teacher who looks as if he hasn't slept in weeks.

Then suddenly, a loud crash brings him out of his thoughts. Every one in the class turns their heads to the location of the noise which happens to be the entrance to the room. The door has been slammed open and in walked a muscular boy with red eyes, messy ash blond hair, and a grimace adorning his face. 'He was pretty' Kirishima thought to himself. Despite his good looks, the guy did look pretty disheveled, he was wearing a thin grey t-shirt with some tears in it, an oversized black hoodie with what looked like some cigarette burns on it and a pair of loose dark wash jeans that rode low on his waist. His hair was a mess and his eyes were tired, he gave off a sort of ‘Don’t fuck with me!’ kind of aura. The only thing Kirishima could though was, ‘Holy shit, I’m so gay.’

The boy in question trudged his way into the class.

Mr. Aizawa cleared his throat, "Glad to see you could make it Bakugou, after three days of not showing up I was afraid you wouldn't come at all. However you are 20 minutes late," the teacher drawled lazily.

'Bakugou' that's a nice name Kirishima mused.

"I had shit to do!" Bakugou snapped back, some people in the class giggled at the boy’s rude response. Even though he was angry Kirishima thought he had a nice voice.

Their teacher snorted, “As I’m sure. Just take a seat and shut up, I’m trying to teach a lesson.”

Bakugou seemed to comply as he walked toward the front of the class and sat in front of the green haired boy he knew as Midoriya.

“Oh, Kacchan, hi!” Midoriya greeted with a smile, Kirishima internally laughed, how could a boy like that earn a nickname like ‘Kacchan” he wondered.

Before Kirishma could think about it much, the blond bit back, “Shut the fuck up Deku!” The green haired boy looked frightened, but not surprised, Kirishima wondered if he did that kind of thing often.

The rest of math class that day got away from Kirishima, for the life of him he couldn’t focus, he spent the entire class daydreaming about fiery red eyes and spikey blond hair. Math was the last class he had before lunch so luckily he didn’t have to focus on anything for much longer.

When the bell finally rang signaling the end of class Kirishima immediately got up from his chair. Usually he wasn’t one to speed out of class, that was more Kaminari’s job, however, he had a goal in mind. Said goal was to spend time with the explosive boy that went by the name of Bakugou.

Kirishima saw the blond boy quickly get up from his seat and make a beeline for the door so he decided to follow. Kirishima trailed behind Bakugou as he walked down the hallway and toward the stairs that lead to the rooftop. Kirishima furrowed his brow, ‘Why did this guy want to go to the rooftop of all places?’ Sure it was calm and nice up there, Kirishima had even spent a few of his lunches there in the past, it was just that Bakugou didn’t seem like a person who was really into serenity, but hey who was he to judge a book by its cover.

Eijirou had arrived at the rooftop only a few minutes after Bakugou had and was pleased to find that they were the only two there. The blond boy had his boy leaned on the rail by the edge of the roof and his eyes were staring out towards the sky. It really was a beautiful sight to see Kirishima thought, the boy’s hair was being tousled by the wind and the bright glow of the sun perfectly illuminated his pale skin.

Kirishima slowly approached the other boy and leaned on the railing in the same fashion. Bakugou looked at him with a confused expression, but didn’t say anything in regards to the other boy’s presence.

Kirishima turned towards Bakugou with a smile, “Hey! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Kirishima Eijirou, and you’re Bakugou right?”

Bakugou rolled his eyes at the redhead's friendliness, “Ya, that’s me,” he responded apathetically.

“You’re in my math class! I want to let you know that if you need help you can copy my notes. It’s only been a few days, but Mr. Aizawa has already given us a lot of work,” Kirishima mainly said that so he could get some sort of interaction with Bakugou, but it wasn’t entirely a lie, Mr. Aizawa did not fuck around.
“I’m good,” Bakugou replied, not making even the slightest bit of eye contact with the other boy.

“Oh, you sure? I really don’t mind,” Kirishima insisted.

“Oi, I don’t need any fucking help Shitty Hair!” Bakugou finally yelled back.

Kirishima frowned and stopped talking, but he didn’t leave, he simply looked out from the rooftop into the school’s football field and then further out toward the rows of trees past that, all without saying a word. The two boys were silent for a few moments until it was surprisingly Bakugou who broke the silence.

You said ‘light my cigarette’

“Hey, you got a lighter, Shitty Hair?” Bakugou asked with a clipped tone.

“Huh? No, why?” Kirishima responded confused.

“To light my cigarette, duh,” Kirishima looked down at the blond’s hand that was holding said thin white cancer stick.

“Smoking kills y’know,” the redhead said with a frown.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, “Really? I didn’t fucking know,” he stated sarcastically, “If I wanted a lecture I would’ve asked my mother, thanks.”

Kirishima sighed, “Whatever bro.”

“I’m not your bro!” Bakugou growled.

The redhead smirked, “Not yet at least, but give me a few weeks and we’ll see.”

The blond turned away, “Look, ask anybody, they’ll tell you it’s a bad idea to be friends with me.”

Eijirou shook his head with a laugh, “Well lucky for you I’ve always had bad judgement!” he cheered brightly.

Bakugou sighed, “You’re so fucking weird Shitty Hair,” he mumbled.

“Bold thing for you to say Mr. misses the first three days of school and comes in late looking like he got hit by a bus,” the other shot back.
“Whatever, class is starting soon get going, you seem like the kind of person who doesn’t like to be late,” Bakugou started walking towards the exit for the roof.

Kirishima ran up to him and shot him a smile, “Ok, bye, it was nice meeting you! I’ll see you tomorrow right? I’ll be here on the rooftop again!”

Bakugou grunted, “Maybe, we’ll see,” and with that he left, something fell out of his pocket before he did though.

After the blond was out of sight Kirishima quickly ran over to see what it was. There on the ground was a small white lighter. Kirishima’s brow furrowed in confusion, why did Bakugou ask him for a lighter then? Either he forgot he had one, which was unlikely, or he wanted an excuse to talk. Kirishima internally cheered, he really hoped it was the latter. Before he left he pocketed the small white lighter.

***

True to his word Kirishima spent every one of his lunch times up on the school’s roof, Bakugou didn’t always join him however. Eijirou didn’t know why, but every single thing about the other boy intrigued him. The blond was a mystery to everyone around him. There were days when he would be five minutes early to class with notes and all and there were days where he would show up twenty minutes late or not at all. Sometimes he would be dressed head to toe in designer clothes with perfectly styled hair. Sometimes he would be wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, looking like he just rolled out of bed. Sometimes Bakugou was loud and would shout at anyone no matter what they did and some days he was silent, not saying as much as a word to anyone else around him. He was peculiar, and Kirishima liked it.

When Bakugou was there to join him at lunch they never did much talking. Usually the two boys just sat there barely acknowledging the other’s presence, but Kirishima didn’t mind, it was time with Bakugou nonetheless.

It had been a few days since Kirishma last saw Bakugou and he was getting concerned. He decided to ask Midoriya about it seeing as he was getting closer with the boy and also that Midoriya seemed to be the only one who knew anything about Bakugou on a personal level.

“Hey, Midoriya, Bro, how are you doing?” he greeted friendly.

“Oh, hi Kirishima, I was fine until Mr. Aizawa decided to give us a test, like seriously, it's the second week of school! And combine that with Mr. Yamada’s essay that I have to do- Speaking of which how is Mr. Yamada, the most relaxed guy in the world friends with Mr. Aizawa the most uptight- Oh no, I’m mumbling on again, I’m so sorry,” the shy boy ducked his head.

Kirishima laughed, “Nah, It’s chill. You’re right though, Mr. Aizawa definitely has a stick up his ass. But I need to ask you something, you’re friends with Bakugou right?”

Midoriya frowned, “Umm, actually, Kacchan kind of hates me.”

“But you know him well?” Kirishima asked.

“Oh, yeah, we’ve known each other for years, why?” the green haired boy questioned.

“Just wondering why he misses so much school. Like seriously, I haven’t seen him in days, do you know what’s up?”

“Oh, well, sometimes, like now for example, he has to go on trips for his parents’ jobs, his dad is a fashion designer. But often times when he misses one day of school at a time it’s because of something else, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you what it is, it’s not my information to tell. He’s not in trouble though so you don’t have to worry,” Midoriya says sincerely.

Kirishima smiled, Bakugou’s dad was a fashion designer, well that explains the fancy clothes, what was not explained however, was the blond’s constant absences. “Oh, cool, that’s okay. It’s pretty manly of respecting his privacy like that. Thanks though!”

“No problem Kirishima, I’ll see you in English class okay?” and with that Midoriya left.

***

Luckily for Kirishima, Bakugou was back at school the next day. The two were having lunch on the rooftop as usual.

“So, Bakugou, why do you miss so much school,” he inquired.

“None of your business Shitty Hair. But really, can you blame me, it’s not like anybody actually wants to spend shithole, right?”

Kirishima nodded, “I guess you’re right. But hey, if you don’t like being at school let’s hang out together after school sometime?”

Then Bakugou said something that would forever leave Kirishima surprised, “Okay.”

“Wait, really?” Kirishima asked shocked.

“Sure, why not, give me your phone,” Kirishima fumbled with his device before quickly handing it over to the other boy, Bakugou started typing something in, “There, that’s my phone number, text me you address and I’ll pick you up, tonight at 10:00.”

Kirishima stared at the other boy with wide eyes before mumbling, “Um, I have a curfew.”

Bakugou huffed, “Sneak out then genius, it’s not rocket science.”

Kirishima sighed, what on earth was he getting himself into.

***
So I lied to my mom and dad, I jumped the fence and I ran

That night could not have come soon enough. Eijirou was finally getting a chance to hang out with Bakugou Katsuki, and he was shaking with anticipation. He didn’t really want to sneak out, but he did want to spend time with Bakugou, so it would be worth it.

Unfortunately for Kirishima, his house had an alert system that would say if the door was opened or closed at night, so he had to go out the window.

Also unfortunately for him, the gates to his backyard were locked and he didn’t have the key, meaning he had to jump the fence and quickly run away before any of his neighbors saw anything suspicious looking.

When Kirishima got to his front yard the first thing he saw was a truck parked a little down the street with a blond boy standing to the side of it.

He ran up to it but stopped in his tracks when he saw Bakugou. He didn’t think that the bond could get any hotter, but here he was wearing ripped jeans, a tight white v neck and a large jean jacket over that. His hair was messy, but in a hot way and… was that eye liner? Whatever it was he looked hot as fuck.

“Yo, Shitty Hair, what are you doing standing there, get in!” He gestured to the black pickup truck beside him.

That snapped Kirishima out of his daze and he quickly came closer, “Oh, yeah, of course.. Right.”

Once he got in Bakugou turned on some music, it was some early 2000s punk rock kind of stuff. Not Kirishima’s style but he didn’t care, all that mattered was that he was with Bakugou. The blond drove in silence, not saying anything about where they were going or what they were doing. For all Kirishima knew he could be getting murdered tonight, but for some reason he didn’t think that was the cast, despite not knowing the boy well, Kirishima trusted Bakugou, maybe a bad idea, but he still did.

“So, bro, where we goin’?” he asked finally.

“It’s a surprise, but on an unrelated note, what are your thoughts on music?” Bakugou voice was calm, and he spoke slowly.

“Oh, well, I really like listening to music when I’m running or working out and it makes me feel all pumped up and excited!” the Eijirou responded joyfully.

Bakugou smiled, “Good, you’ll like this then.”

They drove downtown into the more crowded part of the city. The area where there were clubs, restaurants and bars everywhere. The car stopped in front of what looked to be an empty building and Bakugou got out and walked towards a set of stairs leading to an underground area. Kirishima followed suit and when the two entered they were met with neon lights and the smell of alcohol.

There was a bouncer at the front of the door who asked for tickets, Bakugou handed him two slips of paper and they entered. There were a lot of people down there, it wasn’t overly crowded, but it certainly wasn’t as empty as one would expect a random basement in the city to be. When Kirishima looked up he saw a stage in front of the mass of people and he finally understood.

“Oh my god! Is this some sort of underground concert?” he asked.

Bakugou smirked, “Sure is, now come on, let’s get closer to the front.” he grabbed Kirishima by the hand and lead him through the sea of people.

Now Kirishima was never a fan of punk rock, but this was amazing, maybe it was the live experience, or the fact that Bakugou was right beside him, but he was thrilled. He could feel the music course through his veins and the beat of the drums connect with his heart.

But we couldn’t go very far, ‘cause you locked your keys in you car

The concert had to have been a couple hours, but it only felt like a few minutes before it was done. Eijirou grinned and followed Bakugou back to his truck.

“Hey, thanks for taking me to that. It was amazing, I have never experienced anything like that before!” he had this huge stupid grin on his face.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, “Of course you haven’t experienced anything like that before, you seem too good for this kind of stuff anyway.” He walked closer to his car and pulled on the handle a few times before yelling, “Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?” Kirishima asked.

“Locked my fucking keys in my fucking truck, that’s what,” Bakugou grumbled.

So you sat and stared at my lips, and I could already feel your kiss

Kirishima didn’t know why, but he started howling with laughter.

“You think this is fucking funny, Shitty Hair?” the blond exclaimed.

Kirishima made an effort to speak through his laughs, “Kind of, yeah.”

“I’ll show you fucking funny,” Bakugou grabbed his collar and pulled him in close, but before he could do or say anything, Kirishima pressed their lips together.

When he pulled away they were both red, Kirishima smiled, “I had fun tonight, but I have to go, I’m gonna call an Uber, okay? Text me to tell me you got home safe.”

Bakugou was still in shock, blushing fiercely, “Uh, yeah. I’ll see you at school then I guess?”

Somehow Kirishima was able to get home and back inside without alerting his parents, so luckily he didn’t get in any trouble. He grinned to himself, he was totally addicted to the drug that was Bakugou Katsuki.

***
Long nights, day dreams

Kirishima awoke with a tired yawn and a dazy feeling. He couldn’t remember the last time he stayed up so late or done something that crazy, it was exhilarating. He reached for his phone to find he had a message from Bakugou, it was only four words long.

Bakugou: I’m safe, don’t worry

It was such a simple message, but it made him smile all the same.

When he got to school he couldn’t focus on any of Mr. Toshinori’s lecture about biology, he was too distracted by thoughts of red eyes and blond hair to focus on anything.

He heard his friend Kaminari yell over to him, “You okay bro?”
Mina giggled, “He’s just fantasizing about his boyfriend, that’s all,” she teased. Kirishima couldn’t even yell back, she was right, except for the part about Bakugou being his boyfriend, but oh god he wished.

He couldn’t focus in math class either, too focused on staring at Bakugou to pay any attention to his work. When lunchtime came he internally cheered, Kirishima quickly got up from his seat and followed Bakugou to the rooftop.

Sugar and smoke rings, I’ve been a fool.
But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

When they would sit together on the rooftop they usually wouldn’t talk, Bakugou would sit there smoking and sometimes Kirishima would mock the same movements using a candy cigarette or a lollipop, and today was no exception. The only difference was the fact that as Bakugou blew out puffs of smoke, Kirishima leaned on his shoulder, listening to the rhythm of the other’s breath and inhaling his scent. One would think that Katsuki would smell like alcohol and dust, but he didn't, there was a strong smell of smoke sure, but underneath that there was a nicer scent, almost… sweet, like strawberries. Strawberries and cigarettes, that was the aroma. If you asked anyone who knew him if Bakugou Katsuki would be okay with a person leaning on his shoulder while they sit together on a rooftop they would tell you no way. But obviously, they have never seen the way Bakugou Katsuki acts around Kirishima Eijirou.

Kirishima knew the reputation that Bakugou had, he knew he was a bad influence, he knew that he was the scariest person in their school, but he didn’t care. Call him an idiot, but Kirishima was absolutely whipped for Bakugou.

***

Headlights on me, racing to 60
I've been a fool
But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

Sneaking out of his house to meet up with Bakugou became a regular occurrence for Kirishima, and each night they met up the blond had a new thing planned.

This particular night they were just driving in Bakugou’s truck. They were speeding down an open road while blasting music. Eijirou loved the way the moonlight illuminated Katsuki’s face, the way his pale skin lit up and how his sharp eyes had some sort of glow around them.

When the car finally stopped they were in an abandoned parking lot. Confused, Kirishima turned to the other boy, when he did he was met with sharp red eyes staring down into his soul.

Bakugou leaned in and their lips crashed together and it quickly turned into a messy making out. It wasn’t slow or sensual like Kirishima expected his first make out session would be. No, this was fast and needy, like they would never get to kiss again after this. Kirishima savoured the taste of Bakugou, it was just like his smell, strawberries and cigarettes. Kirishima thought to himself, ‘strawberries and cigarettes,’ sweet and addictive, it’s quite fitting for Bakugou.

When they were done, Kirishima pulled away, his face so red that it almost matched his hair and gasping for breath. To his surprise, Bakugou was blushing too, nothing close to Eijirou, but there was a light dusting of pink on his cheeks that made Kirishima internally smile.

The only thing Bakugou said after it was done was, “It’s late, I should probably get you back home now.”

It made Kirishima sad, but it wasn’t unexpected, that’s how every night with the blond went, with him not wanting to end it, but Bakugou ending it nonetheless.

Kirishima was sad when he got home, the sweet and addictive taste still lingering in his mind.

***

Blue RED eyes, black jeans
Lighters and candy
I’ve been a fool
But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

The next day Bakugou wasn’t at school. Not like it was unusual for the blond, but still, Kirishima was mad. Everytime that Katsuki missed school he was upset. What made him even more upset was that he didn’t know where the blond was. He would never say, it make the redhead worried.

Some would call him a fool, a fool in love. And who knows, maybe he was. But still, that didn’t stop him from obsessively staring at the most recent picture he had of the boy, he was wearing tight black jeans and a loose button up with a little bit of eyeliner on his beautiful red eyes. He looked stunning and Kirishima couldn’t look away. And when he really missed the blond, Kirishima would sometimes fiddle with the small white light that he stole from the other when they first met or suck on a strawberry candy to remind himself of the other’s smell.

Sometimes he wished he wasn’t so enamoured, but Kirishima knew he wouldn’t trade his love for the blond for anything.

***

Remember when you taught me fate?
Said it all be worth the wait

When Bakugou came back to school on Friday he had a large purple bruise spanning across his left cheek. His clothes were crumpled and he looked like a mess.

When he came into math class (ten minutes late of course) Aizawa asked about it, “Yo, kid, what happened to your face?”

Bakugou just frowned and said, “Trust me, the other guy looked worse.”

Iida stood up and started waving his arm, “UA high does not condone fighting Bakugou!” Uraraka had to pull him back down into his chair.

Katsuki huffed, “Whatever…”

When the two met up on the rooftop at lunch that day Kirishima captured Bakugou in a tight hug, “Oh my god, what happened? Where were you? Are you okay?”

“Calm down idiot, I’m fine, no need to worry,” he stated.

“Where were you?” Kirishima demanded.

Bakugou sighed, “You know I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” Kirishima yelled.

Bakugou looked down, “Look, I’m sorry, okay.”

An apology from Bakugou was rare, Eijirou decided to accept it, “I worry about you, you get hurt too much, you don’t deserve it.”

Katsuki frowned, “Yes I do. That’s how fate works,” Kirishima had a confused look on his face, “Bad things happen to bad people, good things happen to good people.”

Kirishima grabbed the bolds chin so he could look him in the eyes, “You are a good person.”

“No I’m not.”

“Then why are you so nice to me?” the redhead asked.

“Because, you are a good person. Fate has it out for you Kirishima, you just have to wait until it happens," Eijirou blushed, Bakugou never called him by his name, and god was it hot.

Kirishima whispered, "It already has," but Bakugou didn't hear him, "Umm my parents aren't home tonight, so do you want to hang out?"

The other boy smiled, "Sure."

***

That night they took a bus downtown town. Bakugou walked him to somewhere that looked like a bar. Bakugou seemed to know someone there, it was a blond man named Hakamata who let them in without asking for IDs.

"Yo, bro, how did you get us in here?" Kirishima asked.

"That guy over there," Katsuki pointed to the blond guy, "His name is Tsunagu Hakamata, my parents know him, he owns a jean company as well as this bar, he let us in."

Bakugou asked for two drinks and the boys quickly downed them. Kirishima started feeling kind of tipsy, but kept drinking. Doing shot after shot, trying to keep up with the other, who seemed to have an insane alcohol tolerance.

By the time they were on their third or fourth, the redhead was a drunk mess. He was getting all touchy and kept grabbing Bakugou by the face to kiss him.

"You're pretty," Kirishima said with a giggle.

Bakugou grabbed him by the arm, "Come on, you need to go home now."

Eijirou pouted, "Only if you come with me!"

Katsuki sighed, "Fine," he mumbled.

Like that night in the back of the cab
When your fingers walked through my hand

Bakugou called them a cab so the could get home. Immediately when the two boys got in, the redhead jumped on the blonde's lap and the two started making out.

Embarrassed, Katsuki pulled the other boy off of him so they could sit side by side. Kirishima frowned at first, but it quickly turned back into a smile again when Bakugou started to hold his hand.

This was abnormal for the pair, normally the two would either not act romantic at all, or would be making out intensely. This action of hand holding, romantic yet reserved was nice, it made Kirishima happy.

When they arrived at Kirishima's house they picked up where they first left off and began kissing again. Kirishima dragged the blond by the hand upstairs and into his room.

He pushed the blond down onto his bed and Bakugou took in a breath, "Kirishima…"

The boy in question shook his head, "No, call me Eijirou please."

Bakugou smiled, "Well then you have to call me Katsuki."

That night Katsuki made him feel things he had never felt before. He made his toes curl and his breath hitch. Kirishima had never imagined losing his virginity to a boy like Katsuki before, but he was glad he did. The blond made him happy and feel complete for once in his life. He was covered in the aroma of strawberries and cigarettes, and it was fantastic. Eijirou spent the night screaming the others name before collapsing down onto the bed.

When they were done they laid down in Kirishima's bed, Bakugou's arm wrapped around the redhead's body. Katsuki was only a couple inches taller than Eijirou, but in this position he smothered the slightly smaller boy.

Kirishima, in a fit of emotion turned to his lover, "Hey, Katsuki… I love you. "

The blonde's eyes widened and he choked on his breath, "I love you too Eijirou."

That night Kirishima went to sleep in pure bliss. Nothing else mattered in that moment. It was only him and Katsuki, and that's how it would stay, at least he hoped.

Next day nothing on my phone
But I can still smell you on my clothes

When Kirishima woke up the next morning he was in his bed… alone. Instantly remembering the past night's events he looked around to see if the blond was perhaps in the shower or downstairs, but no.

'Maybe he had to do something' he tried to reason with himself, so he sent Bakugou a text.

Kirishima: Hey, are you home, just want to see if your okay. I had fun last night ❤

He didn't get a response. But he could still smell the fruity yet smoky smell that was Bakugou Katsuki lingering on his clothes.

I was hoping that things would change
But we went right back to your games

Kirishima decided to get desperate and ask Midoriya what happened.

Kirishima: Hey bro, do you know where Bakugou is?

Midoriya: Oh, he didn't tell you? He won't be back until Monday.

Kirishima: Oh… thanks bro

Midoriya: No problem 😁

Kirishima punched his wall. Stupid Bakugou and his stupid games. Running away and coming back. Kirishima was an idiot. An idiot for falling in love. And idiot for confessing his love. An idiot for thinking that Bakugou would change because of one simple fact.

He cried until his eyes hurt. He yelled until his voice was raw. Bakugou Katsuki was simultaneously the best and worst thing to ever happen to him and Kirishima hated it.

***

When Bakugou strolled into math class that Monday Kirishima didn't stare at him, didn't smile, didn't look him in the eye, didn't acknowledge his presence at at.

When they met up on the rooftop at lunch Kirishima yelled, he told Bakugou everything he wanted to say and everything the blond needed to hear and made sure to say it loud.

"Why won't you tell me where the fuck you were?" he yelled

"You know I can't!" Bakugou shouted back.

"Midoriya gets to know though." Kirishima reasoned.

"Well you're not Deku are you Shitty Hair?" Bakugou ran his hand through his hair, "I'm not obligated to tell you anything! You're not my boyfriend!"

Kirishima's face dropped, "So then what we had was nothing?"

Bakugou's eyes widened, "No, look Eijirou, that's not what I meant!"

Kirishima turned away, "Whatever Bakugou, I don't care," and he walked towards the exit.

"No, Eijirou, come back!" Bakugou pleaded, but Kirishima walked away despite it all.

And even if I run away
Give my heart a holiday
Still strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

Kirishima ignored all of Bakugou's texts. They were all apologies that he didn't want to hear.

The next day he ignored the blond in math class. And he didn't go to the roof at lunch. Instead he hung out with Mina, Sero and Kaminari, people who actually cared about him.

He saw the way Bakugou's eyes dropped when they walked past each other in the hallway. He saw how the normally loud and angry boy was completely silent and dead inside. He saw all the fire leave the other's body. He saw Bakugou Katsuki break.

***

That week Bakugou came into school looking worse and worse with each day. His clothes were ripped and dirty. His hair was messy and unwashed. He came in with cuts and bruises littering his body. People noticed he wasn't okay, but he didn't say anything about it.

He saw Mr. Toshinori talk to him in the hall, "Young Bakugou, are you okay?"

Bakugou growled, "Go fuck yourself!" and stomped away.

By the fifth day of Kirishima ignoring him, Bakugou stopped coming to school. This was a normal occurrence so nobody even batted an eye. In fact Eijirou was relieved that the blond explosion was no longer near him.

***

A week went by with no Bakugou and people started wondering where he was.

At lunch Mina asked, "Where's your boyfriend Kiri?"

"Shut up, that asshole is NOT my boyfriend," Kirishima snapped back and nobody asked again.

***

Two weeks went by and rumors started up. 'Oh, I heard he went to jail,' 'He's on the run from the cops,' 'He got in trouble with a drug cartel,' 'He was murdered.' None of them were true of course. Bakugou was not a criminal. Maybe he was a dick, sure, but he wasn't a criminal.

***

A month went by and Kirishima was concerned.

He asked Midoriya what happened."He man, do you know what happened to Bakugou?"

"Sorry Kirishima, but I actually don't. I'm as worried as you," the boy responded sadly.

"Oh, okay then…"

***

Two months went by and Kirishima and Midoriya went to Bakugou's house to look for him. It was a nice place. Nicer than Kirishima ever expected the blonde's house to be. But when they knocked on the door it wasn't Bakugou, but his mom who answered.

Midoriya greeted her kindly, "Hi auntie, we're just wondering where Bakugou is, everyone's worried."

The woman, who looked remarkably similar to her son sighed, "I'm sorry, but the brat is gone for a while. The school told him he could continue classes online and he's going on a 'journey of self discovery.' Whatever that means."

Kirishima left even more distraught than when he came.

***
You always leave me wanting more
I can't shake my hunger for

Four months passed and everyone forgot about Bakugou. Everyone except for Kirishima.

The redhead would still cry himself to sleep at night. In the same bed that he slept with Bakugou in. Clutching the same lighter he took on the day they first met. Listening to the same punk rock music the blond played when they first hung out. Yearing for the sweet and addictive smell of Bakugou Katsuki.

***

It was a week before exams and the wound that was left in Kirishima's heart had finally started to heal. He no longer thought of the blond boy 24/7 and his life was finally back to normal. No more rooftops. No more crying at night. No more pain.

He was sitting in math class and there was less than half an hour left when he heard the door slam open. In walked the explosion of a boy that he spent the last six months trying to forget.

Except this time Bakugou looked different, he wasn't disheveled, or dressed in designer fashion. He looked… normal for once. He was wearing a graphic t-shirt and grey sweatpants. His hair was messy, but clean looking. And for once in his life he looked content, not angry, not tired, not sad, but genuinely okay.

Mr. Aizawa smiled, "Hm, never thought I'd see you here again."

Bakugou chuckled and sat down, "Well I knew everyone missed me so…" the who class turned to the boy in shock and Kirishima was at a loss for words.

Their teacher looked him dead in the eye, "Welcome back Bakugou."

Strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you

That lunch Kirishima went to the rooftop to see Katsuki already there so he sat next to him.

"Hey…" he mumbled.

Bakugou looked down, "Hey."

Kirishima smiled, "I'm glad to see you're okay. I was worried. I missed you."

Bakugou's brow furrowed, "You're not mad? You're not going to ask where I was?"

Kirishima sighed, "You're not obligated to tell me anything."

Bakugou leaned in and hugged the redhead tight, "I'm so sorry."

It took Kirishima a second to realize that the other boy was actually crying. When he noticed he just slowly stroked the others hair. They basked in each other's presence and Kirishima deeply inhaled his smell, except it was different, less smokey and more sweet. No more cigarettes and only strawberries.

Kirishima broke the silence, "You look better."

Bakugou smiled, a genuine smile, "I needed to get my shit together."

"You don't smell like smoke anymore," he pointed out.

"I quit. I wanted to finally better myself," Bakugou turned away, "I'm sorry for… everything. I missed you. I wanted to come back but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Kirishima leaned his head on the other boy's shoulder, "Okay."

The blond looked him in the eyes, "Hey Eijirou, I love you. "

Kirishima could have said a lot. He could have said everything he felt in the past few months. He could've yelled. He could've walked away, but despite all of that, there was only one response resting on the tip of his tongue, "I love you too Katsuki."

And this time Kirishima had a feeling that Bakugou would stay.

Notes:

Comments and kudos are much appreciated! I hope you liked it ❤