Chapter Text
“No, no, what the fuck!?” The blonde man slams the steering wheel, seeing smoke coming up from the hood. “Great..” He mumbles, pulling the keys out of the ignition and leaning back against the seat. He looks out of the window, the night sky darkening the scenery, not that there's anything but gravel road and grassy fields. He shouldn't have ever taken this trip. Living out of his car, you would think he knew all about car issues. But no, apparently driving all day, every day, for the past week didn't suit his old cars interest. He thought he could've made it to a gas station or something, how was he supposed to know how long the roads were?
Bakugou angrily pushes open his door, shoving his keys into his pocket before slamming it behind him. He feels the cold night air hit his skin, causing small bumps to form on top of his pale arms, his pajama pants just thick enough to hide the cold air from his legs.
He lifts up the hood of the car, coughing and waving away the smoke a bit. He reaches in, touching metal that is too hot, his hand now the thing smoking. “Shit!” he exclaims, grabbing onto his hand as tears start to form in his eyes. He looks around the road, knowing how unsafe this is. There could be animals all around, who knows what could attack him? He could always just bunker down for the night, but how unsafe is it to sleep in a car on the highway?
He isn't used to this kind of life. He’s used to breakfast already made when he gets out of bed. He’s used to designer bags given to him on birthdays. Not this. He wanted to do one thing himself, one big thing, and he can’t even do that correctly.
Bakugou places his hands on his hips, huffing angrily at the steaming car when suddenly a light comes into view.
He squints his eyes, not lights, headlights. He opens his mouth to mumble about the brights, seeing them quickly turn off as he reaches to place his hand on top of his eyes, avoiding the light.
A red truck pulls up right next to Bakugou, stopping in place as if it wants the blonde to walk further forward. Then, a window rolls down, revealing a man with spikey red hair.
“Need some help?” The man asks, pulling a scoff out of the blonde. “Are you going to kidnap me?” He asks back, seeing the truck roll in front of him, the lights turning off. He didn't get an answer, which kind of scares him. He's 21, fully developed, and still the dark seems to scare him. Not that he would ever admit that,
He comes back into consciousness from his overthinking when he hears a door slam, the red-haired man walking over with hands folded into the front pockets of his jeans, a red flannel to complete the look. Oh great, a cowboy.
“Do you even know how to fix a car?” The blonde asks, the other man walking closer to him, the sound of him chewing gum becoming a little unbearable. “Not until I know what the issue is,” he smiles, walking towards the back of the truck, rolling up the sleeves of his flannel. “What's a man like you doing in a place like this?” He asks, grabbing some gloves out of a toolbox and heading to the other car's hood.
“Does it look like I want to be here? I was just driving through, didn't mean for this to happen.” Bakugou crosses his arms, giving a look between a glare and admiration to the man. In return, the countryman chuckles, throwing on those tacky yellow gloves before touching around inside the hood of the car. “How long’ve you had this battery?” He asks not even ten seconds after, looking over at him.
The blonde shrugs, “I don't know, since I got the damn car?” he answers. Kirishima chuckles again, “What model’s the car then?” He asks in a heavy accent. Bakugou glares, feeling dumb. “Uh, a Volvo? I think it’s like eight years back?.” He answers, gaining a whistle in return.
The man in front of him starts to mess around with the battery, looking at some fried cables. “Does your engine still work?”
The blonde shakes his head, clenching his jaw at his lack of car knowledge. At that, Kirishima pulls back, yanking the gloves off and throwing them back into his toolbox. “Your battery is fried, you'll need a new one. I can tow your car back to your house if ya want, avoid paying for one.”
Bakugou huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “My car is my home! And I don't have enough money for a fucking hotel.” He looks back at the car, mourning slightly. “It's fine, than-”
“You could stay at mine,” Kirishima suggests, partially interrupting him as he walks back from his truck.
Bakugou runs a hand through his hair as he stares at his car, staying at a stranger's house? in the middle of the night? He could always just sleep in his car in a parking lot, anywhere is safer than here. But he’d need someone to drive him to get a battery, and he can’t waste a bunch of money on ubers back and forth.
Kirishima chuckles at how deep in thought the blonde is, “I won't kidnap ya, won't even make ya sleep on the couch.” He tells him. The blonde looks at him for a moment, feeling some sort of desperation. “Fine, if I get murdered it'll be my own stupidity.” He mumbles, walking over to the passenger side of the red truck as Kirishima grabs out a cable, connecting the blonde's car to his truck.
“Hey, you're in the back!” Kirishima says, hitting the back of the truck, the one filled with dirt and probably shit. Bakugous mouth falls open in disbelief as his hand slowly falls off of the door handle, pulling a laugh out of the other man, who's now standing and walking towards the driver's side. “I'm kiddin, get in.”
Bakugou clenches his jaw, taking a deep breath to avoid pulling this asshole's head off. He pulls open the heavy door, stepping onto the dirt-stained floor, and slamming the door. He lets out a huff of air, immediately having something jump on top of him, covering his face in some sort of sticky liquid.
“Ey riot! Back girl!” Kirishima says, putting a hand on the black dog's chest and gently pushing her into the back seat. “Sorry, she gets excited!” He smiles again, taking out some keys and starting the engine.
Bakugou wipes his face, covering his black sweatshirt in whiteish stains. Ugh, he hates dogs. “Whatever..” He replies, mimicking the man's action of buckling in. “Why'd you name a girl Riot?” He asks, pulling the mirror down and fixing his hair.
Kirishima pulls off the side of the road, flicking on his headlights. “The name of my favorite superhero. And, she's a riot. And you can see.”
Bakugou looks at him, the headlines contrasting with the night sky making the perfect glow on his face, somehow relaxing him. But that's nothing special, some people are attractive, and some people aren't. He pushes the mirror back up and leans back into the leather seat, crossing his arms and looking out of the passenger window, nothing more than fields still.
“So,” The cowboy starts. “What's yer name?”
Bakugou scoffs, smirking slightly. “Will you even pronounce it correctly?” He jabs at the man's accent, pulling out yet another whistle. “Okay, okay.” He chuckles, speeding up just a little bit. “Well, mines Kirishima. It's nice to meet ya.”
Bakugou stares at the grass, tainted by the darkness of the night. “Bakugou.”
Kirishima smiles, reaching to turn the radio on, keeping it quiet. “What city are you from?” He asks, gaining a glare from the blonde.
“How do you know I’m from a city?” He asks, growing angrier every time the man laughs at him. “I know a city boy when I see one. And you, are.”
He starts, licking his lips at the blonde's confused expression. “First thing you do in my car is fix yer hair. And you didnt even know the model of yer car-”
“Okay, I get it.” Bakugou spits out, lying down slightly. “I’m coming from New York, needed to get away from my folks..” He mumbles, keeping his eyes on the dark grass. “I wasn’t trying to break down in fucknut Texas.”
“Hey!” Kirishima chuckles, “It’s a true beauty once you get to know er.” He smiles, admiring the way the blonde hair glows under the headlights.
-
After 20 minutes of silence, nothing but some casual jazz playing on the radio, Kirishima pulls into a gate. Bakugous stomach drops. “No,” This might just be his worst nightmare. “You didn't think of telling me that you live on a farm?!” He raises his voice, disgusted.
The redhead lifts an eyebrow, looking between him and the gravel path. “Uh, no? Didn't think it mattered, not like yer’ll be scoopin' shit.” He pulls the truck in front of a small house, turning off the engine.
It looks old, really old. The house isn't as small as it first seemed, it has two floors and an attic. The windows are made of wood that's cracking, and the white panels on the outside of the house look freshly cleaned from rain, little bits of dirt still staining them.
Kirishima pushes open the door, stepping out and clapping for Riot to follow. Bakugou copies, pushing open his side of the car before closing it.
“Yer have to slam it.” Kirishima points, gaining an eyebrow raise from Bakugou.
The blonde looks back over at the door, pulling it open and slamming it, seeing the headlights flicker and a honk. “Welcome to Red’s” The taller man says, walking towards the house, Bakugou only now notices the cowboy boots as he follows him.
He crosses his arms once again, seeing Kirishima pull open the door filled with mesh, then unlocking the main one before pushing it open, gesturing for Bakugou to step inside first. “Thanks..”
Bakugou steps inside, looking around. It's nice, really nice. Kind of like a cabin you spend a bunch of money on for a vacation. He takes another step, feeling a hand on the shoulder. “Shoes off, ya think for a city boy yer’d know that.” He teases, Bakugou glaring deeply at him.
“For someone from the country, didn't think you'd care.” He spits back, kicking off his shoes as Kirishima chuckles. He picks them up, gently setting them onto a shoe rack. He walks further into the house, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.
“Did ya eat?” Kirishima asks, walking into the living room, turning and looking at the blonde while adjusting his sleeves to stop them from falling down. “Yeah,” Bakugou responds as Kirishima walks off, looking down at his knees, or more specifically Riot, who is now looking up at him and wagging her tail. Bakugou lifts his eyebrows, “what?” he asks, seeing her not move. “Go get your dad.” He waves her off, still seeing her not budge. He huffs, crossing his arms. He crouches down, maintaining eye contact with her to somehow show her who is the boss. “I don’t have shit for you.”
She immediately pounces, throwing her paws over his shoulders and pushing him to the floor, immediately attacking him in kisses.
Bakugou tries to move his face to the right, then left, back and forth to get her to stop. However, she continues, her tail wagging with excitement as she pounces again, standing on his chest now. The horror of the dirt-covered paws and gross saliva start to ease up, the faint smell of Kirishimas truck and some sort of vanilla shampoo fading into his nose. Finally, he gives, placing his hands on her chest and giving a chuckle. “Okay, okay!” He exclaims, feeling her pull back, still on his chest.
-
Kirishima throws his flannel into the washing machine, grabbing a towel but pausing when he hears Bakugou, rushing out when he's unable to tell if the sound is a laugh or a cry. “Hey, are ya okay?” He asks, speed walking through the kitchen but pausing, seeing the blonde chuckling, scratching Riot's ears just how she likes. His face is red and glossy from a mix of a coarse tongue and dog spit, and his hair is completely messed up from falling over. Kirishima sets the towel on the counter, crossing his arms and leaning against the arch to the room. He smiles slightly, maybe this city boy isn't as preppy as he looks.
“Okay girl,” He starts, walking towards the two and pulling her off. He reaches a hand towards Bakugou. “Glad ya like er,” He smiles, the blonde's face immediately turning back to its original sour state. He takes Kirishima's hand, letting himself be pulled up. “I don't, I hate dogs.” Bakugou mumbles, using his sleeves to once again wipe the slobber off his face.
Kirishima's mouth drops open, “How?!” he asks like he's personally offended because he is. The blonde just scoffs shaking his head at him. “Because they're gross, and dirty. Especially a farm dog.” He glares, looking at Riot ripping apart some kind of rainbow bunny toy.
“Well, Riot happens to be a clean and proper lady. You oughta try it sometime.” Kirishima smirks, walking back over to his previous counter and picking up the freshly cleaned cotton. “When’s the last time you showered? Ya’ve got dirt all over yer face.” He chuckles, handing the towel to the approaching blonde. Bakugou makes a face of disapproval, ripping the towel away from him. “It’s dirt from your fucking rowdy dog. And you don’t look much cleaner than me.”
Kirishima raises his hands in defense, stepping back. “Big words for someone in my house.” Bakugou scoffs at the defense, finding himself staring at the man's broad chest from the raised arms. Come to think of it, now that his arms are showing in a t-shirt, he sees just how ripped that guy actually is. And does he seem taller than he was a second ago?
Kirishima smiles, looking down at the blonde's face becoming more gentle. H hasn't really appreciated his eyes until now, a little lighter than his own but still a sweet red, his favorite color.
The two men stare at each other for what feels like hours. You know that saying love at first sight? It's kind of like that, but mixed with tension and mystery. It sounds cheesy, but it's as if the world stopped spinning, time stopped ticking, it's just the two of them. Bakugous eyes flicker to his lips for just a second, clearing his throat before looking away. “Is this an invitation to shower, or a demand?” He asks the redhead, who’s clearly still dazed.
“An invitation, free warm water just down the hall,” Kirishima gestures through the kitchen. “Use anything ya’d like, and just throw yer clothes out of the door.”
-
Kirishima watches whatever action movie is on, scratching riots belly. He jumps a little when she immediately rolls back over, getting off of the couch and shaking. “Hey, hey!” Bakugou warns, holding his hands out to avoid her touching his freshly cleaned and still wet legs, not wanting any dirt-filled dog hair on them. “I'm surprised your washer didnt turn the water cold, especially in this rundown shack.”
Kirishima chuckles, clapping for Riot to come back over. “I washed em in the sink so it wouldn't,” he responds.
Bakugous face softens at that, why is this asshole being so damn nice? “Okay, well, goodnight.” He says, getting awkward with any sort of affection, immediately making his way to the door.
Kirishima lifts an eyebrow, picking up the remote. “Uh, hey, where’re you goin'?” He pauses the show, giving his full attention to the blonde.
Bakugou stops, turning to look at him. “Uh, my car?”
Kirishima scoffs, “Like hell ya are! It’s in the negatives, you'll freeze sleeping out there, let alone in a towel.”
Bakugou groans, wanting to sleep. “Okay, then I’ll get my clothes and sleep on the couch! I’m fucking tired!”
Kirishima stands up, walks over to the staircase, and flips a light, seeing the upper hallway lighten up. “A guest doesn't sleep on the couch, you can have my bed.” Bakugou glares, crossing his arms. “A bed full of dog hair? No thanks.” He responds, looking at the red-heads face, his lips curling into a sheepish smile. “You washed the fucking sheets, didnt you?”
Kirishima doesn't respond, instead, he smiles, holding a hand over to the stairs. Bakugou rolls his eyes at the gesture, trailing over and looking up the half-lit staircase, slowly stepping up as each stair causes another squeak,
showing how truly old this house is.
When he reaches the top of the staircase he immediately opens the first door that comes into view, pausing as he most definitely has the wrong room.
The bed is decorated in lime green sheets, pink lace surrounding the edges. The cushion on the chair in front of a white-painted wooden desk perfectly matching. There's a closed closet and a mirror next to it. It looks like some middle-aged women decorated it. Then his eyes trail to the bedside table, a picture of a man and woman holding a little black-haired boy.
Right when he starts to focus on the image, the door is grabbed and slammed closed, causing him to jump a little.
“Sorry, I should've told you what room..” Kirishima says, giving him a genuine smile hidden behind his eyes full of hurt. He holds a hand to point at the end of the hall, trying to protect the room in some way.
Bakugou assumes it's some kind of rough subject, judging by the picture it seems like it could have belonged to a family member. So, he follows the hand, not wanting to upset this more than generous man. He walks to a door at the end of the hall, pushing it open. Oh yeah, that's the room. Black silk bedsheets to match a wooden dresser. And, that's it, quite literally all that's in there, except for a few boxes.
He takes a step in, looking around. “No decoration?” He asks, turning to look at the redhead.
Kirishima chuckles, shrugging. “I'm the only one that goes in here, it doesn't need to be pretty” He replies, walking over to the bed and grabbing a pillow, fluffing it a bit before turning to meet red eyes. “If ya need anything, just come wake me up. Oh and uh, I'm sorry if you're woken up early, the heifers tend to like to be on a schedule”
“Heifers?” Bakugou asks, crossing his arms when the man breaks out into a laugh. Kirishima smiles, “Female cows, you call em heifers.”
Bakugou hums, looking around the room. “Do you kill animals?” he asks, walking over and sitting down on the bed, looking up at Kirishima.
Kirishima shakes his head, “No, it's a vegetarian farm of sorts.. I uh, my pops used to but I took over, I could. It became an assets farm. Like milk, wool, eggs” he shrugs, crossing his arms. “I can't hurt animals.”
Bakugou looks at the man's expression, his eyes especially. He thinks about asking questions about the redhead's parents, but he isn't sure he wants the answer. “Clothes?” he asks instead, gaining a chuckle and a nod towards a dresser. “Take anything ya like,” Kirishima responds, walking to the main door. “Need anything else?” He asks, receiving a nod. “Okay, gnight!”
Bakugou smiles slightly at that, “night.” he replies, watching the door close. He finally lets out a breath, leaning down and holding his head in his hands. This is not where he wanted to end up. On a farm, with a broken car, in the middle of fuck knows where Texas. He groans, standing up and strolling over to the dresser, pulling open the bottom drawers.
He takes out a pair of pajama pants, opening the other drawers to find a plain t-shirt. It looks a little big, but not enough to go past the middle of his thighs.
-
Kirishima flicks off the lights, strolling over to the couch and plopping down. He grabs a Crimson Riot throw blanket from the back of the couch, laying it over himself. “Mm, not sure if yer’d fit up here, girl!” He says, turning to look at Riot already fast asleep on the stained carpet. “Or you don’t care..” He mumbles, grabbing the remote and putting the TV on a sleep timer. He throws the controller to the coffee table, bunkering down under the fuzzy blanket, beginning to fall asleep.