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“Hey”
Kirishima said walking into the kitchen area and nearly falling into the stool beside the counter where Bakugo was cutting up vegetables.
“What’s wrong?” Bakugo asked, glancing up with piqued interest as to why his normally sunshine incarnate best friend seemed down and mopey.
“Nothing,” Kirishima sighed.
“Don’t give me that shit, something happened. Tell me,” Bakugo demanded, lifting his knife from the vegetables and looking up at Kirishima’s unsettling sad face.
“Whoa, you gonna cut me if I don’t?” Kirishima teased, lifting his hands in surrender with a small smile, that still made Bakugo’s heart flutter even if Kirishima’s eyes still looked sad.
“Maybe, start talking,” Bakugo rolled his eyes
“It’s dumb...”
“If it upset you then it’s not dumb. Come on, it’s not manly to keep things bubbled up.”
“I’m not that manly anyway...” Kirishima mumbled, eyes falling to his lap.
“The fuck did you say?!” Bakugo yelled, though with instant regret as Kirishima flinched. “You’re the manliest person I know, who told you that you weren't?”
“No one said it outright... I was at the gym with Tetsu and like... we’re the same age, we have almost the same quirk, and back in first year we were even the same size,” Kirishima explained.
“You were, weren’t you. He’s fucking huge now,” Bakugo mused.
“Exactly!” Kirishima shouted, “He’s huge and I’m still... this. I haven’t grown taller since I was fourteen.”
“So? You’re compact, look at all the muscle you have. You're just as strong as Metalhead, even stronger if you ask me. Did he say that you weren’t?” Bakugo seethed. He had grown to liked Tetsu over the past couple years, but if he was the one making their mutual best friend feel this way, then Bakugo couldn’t be held responsible for his upcoming actions.
“He would never! It was some second years, they were watching us work out and I could hear them talking about me. Tetsu chased them away.”
“Who were they? I’ll destroy them,” Bakugo asked, completely serious, though the sound of Kirishima’s quiet laugh did take deflate some of his fight as he calmed down and took a step closer.
“It doesn’t matter how big you are, you’ve already proven yourself to be an amazing hero, they’re just fucking jealous,” he said, tucking a piece of damp hair behind Kirishima’s ear as the beautiful boy looked up at him with a soft smile.
“Thanks Bro, you’re the best.”
“Of course I am,” Bakugo grinned, stepping away before he did something stupid... like kiss his best friend without permission and ruin any chance for future moments like this one. “I’m the best at everything.”
“You are,” Kirishima laughed, watching as Bakugo returned to cutting the vegetables, “Do you want some help?”
Usually Bakugo hated having someone “help” him in the kitchen; they always got in the way and did things wrong. It had gotten to the point that whenever someone saw him in the kitchen, they’d usually run away until the food was ready; but he was feeling generous, an if anyone asked, he’d blame it on how sad Kirishima was a moment ago, when he said, “sure.”
It was clearly just to cheer up his best friend and was it no way, shape, or form related to how cute the redhead looked with his pleading face, and absolutely not because Bakugo would jump at any chance to spend more time with him.
“Break up this meat in the pot as it cooks. Try to make the pieces as small as possible.”
“Will do!” Kirishima beamed, taking the spatula and getting to work while Bakugo measured out spices and prepared the other ingredients.
“Howm’ doing?” Kirishima grinned when Bakugo came over to check; almost sure he saw the tiny blush sweep over the boy's cheek as he leaned over his shoulder.
“Good job, now drain it,” he instructed and Kirishima looked at him like he had just spoken a foreign language, which was utterly adorable with his big beautiful doe eyes. Bakugo was in love with an airhead, and honestly, he couldn't imagine wanting anyone more.
Stepping in closer to Kirishima, he reached under his arms to place a hand on top of his on the pot handle while leading the other hand to the remaining handle the same way and guiding him over to the sink to dump the meat in the waiting colander.
Maybe he could have just done it himself, but he’d be a fool to pass up that closeness. Having Kirishima in his arms, back pressed to his chest... it just felt right.
“Ohhhh, sorry that was a dumb moment,” Kirishima laughed bashfully.
“Nah, it’s a learning experience,” Bakugo shrugged, “You want to sauté the vegetables?”
“Yes!”
Bakugo smiled as he tossed the onions and garlic in the pot and showed Kirishima how to move them around as they cooked.
“That smells so good,” Kirishima grinned, “You’re so manly for knowing how to cook.”
“I guess you can add cooking to your manliness too since you’re the one doing it,” Bakugo smiled, his heart fluttering once again when Kirishima’s eyes widened before he quickly looked away; his hair concealing the blush Bakugo was almost sure he caught.
Kirishima had been blushing around him a lot lately. It had taken a while to notice because he had always blushed around him a little; which Bakugo had always assumed was out of intimidation. He was abrasive, he was used to people cowering away from him. But lately he was starting to wonder if these blushes meant something else...
“Ohh!!” Kirishima exclaimed after he had dumped the meat back in with the vegetables, spices, and other ingredients that Bakugo had shown him how to incorporate; before the blond started pouring in the broth. “I was wondering why the pot was so big, we’re making soup!”
“We’re making Chili,” Bakugo corrected as he stirred everything together and Kirishima stood on his toes beside him to take a better look inside the pot.
“Nah Bro, that looks like soup,” he laughed.
“It’s chili,” Bakugo repeated, “It’ll thicken up.”
“How thick?”
“Thicker than soup.”
“Creamy soups are thick!”
“Okay not that thick.”
“Then it’s soup!”
“It’s not soup!”
“No, see, you’re putting food in liquid food. It's soup!”
Bakugo stared at his best friend for a long moment, completely baffled. What as that he had said about Kirishima being an airhead? He had missed the mark completely on that one; Kirishima wasn’t an airhead; he was full of thoughts and ideas... they were just utterly absurd.
Normally such dumb comments would make him agitated, and he’d kick whoever said it out of his kitchen immediately, but Kirishima was just so damn cute that Bakugo found himself fascinated and wanting to hear more.
“Oh yeah? What else is soup?” he asked, a soft smile on his face.
“Oh..Um.. I dunno,” Kirishima’s eyes widened again before looking away with a blush. “Cereal.”
“Cereal?”
“Yeah! But only when it’s in milk.”
“What about oatmeal? It soaks up the water,” Bakugo countered.
“Hmm, that one might be more of a stew,” Kirishima said thoughtfully, seeming to gain back his confidence with Bakugo’s interest in the topic.
“Smoothies?”
“Creamy fruit soup.”
“Coffee?”
“Roasted bean soup.”
“Milkshakes?”
“Ice cream soup.”
“Mac and Cheese?”
“Nah, you drain the water out of that one. It’s salad.”
“Salad?”
“Yeah! Food mixed with other food.”
Bakugo was dumbfounded; he had never heard anything more ridiculous in his life. He couldn’t even catch the laugh that bubbled up inside of him, nor could he stop it when it came out. Kirishima looked at him in wonder; Bakugo didn’t laugh uncontrollably in front of anyone, but Kirishima was different. He felt safe; just being with his best friend and listening to his crazy perspectives, he felt comfortable enough to let go without worry.
Kirishima has a wide sharp toothed grin by the time Bakugo calms down from his laughing fit; proving that he knew that Bakugo wasn’t making fun of him, but was just genuinely amused by the topic. He knew him better than anyone and Bakugo loved him for that.
“You’re amazing Ei, you know that?” he asked, stepping closer and almost caging the smaller boy into the counter.
“I dunno about that...” Kirishima mumbled, blushing again, though before he could look away this time Bakugo caught his chin with his finger so he could stare into his eyes; the urge to lean down and kiss him practically screaming through his body.
“Go out with me. Please.” He whispered instead, watching as his favorite crimson eyes went impossibly wide as they stared into his own.
“W-what?”
“I like you... I have for a long time. Please let--”
“I like you too!” Kirishima blurted, interrupting Bakugo’s request, though he couldn’t bring himself to care after hearing the words he had been waiting for so long to hear.
“Yeah?” He grinned, leaning in even closer while the color of Kirishima's cheeks began to match his hair as he nodded shyly.
He was so adorable it was practically criminal.
“For a long time too... I was afraid that you wouldn’t... that I wasn’t go--”
“Can I kiss you?” Bakugo asked, shutting the red head up before he could finish that sentence. How could he not want someone like Kirishima? He had only ever wanted him, would only ever want him, and he planned to do whatever it took to convince the other boy that he was so much more than good enough.
Kirishima nodded earnestly, reaching up to wrap his arms around Bakugo’s neck as the blond leaned down to capture his lips with his own for the first time outside of his dreams and it was even more perfect than he had always imagined it would be.
Until the soup began boiling over with a loud hiss as the water hit the hot burner and the two jumped apart with flushed faced giggles.
“Where do you want to go on our date?” Bakugo asked as he picked up the lid, turned down the heat and began stirring the chili.
“Ummm,” Kirishima hummed, leaning on the counter with his chin on the back of his hands, “We could try that new place down the street, their sandwiches look really good.”
“They don’t have sandwh...” Bakugo paused, watching as Kirishima’s face stretched into a smile so bright it rivaled the actual sun. “Food in between other food?”
“See, you get it!”