Kirishima stumbled through Ashido's open door, barely remembering to knock, panic stricken. "Ashido, you need to help me!" He yelled and then paused, taking in the scene. "Uh, why do you guys have gunk on your faces?"
Ashido grinned from her spot on the floor where she'd been painting her nails at the small table in the center of the room. Aoyama and Kaminari were both propped on her bed and their faces were identically covered in a mint green cream. They both had their hair tied back with hot-pink bands and looked utterly relaxed.
"You think skin care is a joke?" Kaminari said, raising an eyebrow. "It takes work to look this good."
"Oui!" Aoyama sparkled, winking. "We always do this with Ashido on Sundays."
"I'm here too!" Another bottle of nail polish started waving in the air and what Kirishima had originally mistook as dirty clothes perked up. Hagakure giggled. "Isn't this color cute?"
"Want to join?" Ashido laughed, flapping her hands to dry the polish. She gestured towards a clean towel and tube of cream. "I have more face mask stuff. 'Mina's spa day galore' is open to anyone who wants to participate."
"Maybe next time. I'm too stressed right now."
"Which is why you probably need a spa day, mon ami!" Aoyama plucked two cucumber slices from a plate on the table, rested them over his eyes, and laid down with a blissful sigh. Kaminari nodded in agreement, arms crossed.
"If you didn't come here to join our spa, then what's up?" She patted the ground next to her. "How can I be of service?"
Kirishima sank to the floor. "Guys, I seriously need advice."
"Oof, you might have come to the wrong place." Kaminari muttered and managed to snag the pillow that Ashido had sent flying at him. "Hey, careful! Watch the face goo."
"What kind of advice?" Ashido asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It's—" Kirishima could feel the heat beginning to creep up his neck. He swallowed roughly and said hesitantly. "It's… about love… advice?"
Hagakure screamed in excitement. Ashido almost fell backwards in her astonishment. Aoyama sat up so fast in interest that one of the cucumbers flew off. Kaminari was about to shout himself only to cut off when Aoyama's stray cucumber flopped onto his pants. All eyes were on him.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Ashido scooted closer, eyes shimmering with glee. She delicately rested her chin on the back of her hand, sidling up to his side with a strange fluttering of her eyelashes. "So Kirishima," She was practically glowing, or maybe that was just a side effect of her acid, Kirishima thought. "What can I, the magnificent Mina the love guru, do for you?"
He sighed in relief. Whatever, he was desperate enough to take all the help he could get. "Thanks, Ashido! Well, it's about Bakugou—"
Mina lost the sparkle in her eye, immediately deadpanning. She waved a hand across her face. "Sorry, no can do. Impossible."
"Hey what the hell!" Kirishima sputtered, sitting up. "I haven't even said anything yet!"
"I thought this was love advice for you." She pouted and turned away, pursing her lips. "I don't think Bakugou would know love if were to hit him in the face!"
"It is for me." Kirishima protested. She slowly quirked an eyebrow, side-eyeing him with renewed interest. "And that's… kind of the problem."
"Oh?" She drawled. He had recaptured her attention. Hagakure had set down her nail polish and was leaning over Ashido's shoulder, practically bouncing in excitement. The gunk-masked duo were also hunched over, hanging onto every word. Ashido laced her fingers together and smiled. "Go on."
"I don't know where to even start." Kirishima sighed. Ashido nodded in sympathy.
"Okay. Then to make it easy, let's just say we do." She winked at his dumbstruck face. "Right Toru?"
Hagakure's body bobbed. "Yup."
"What?" Kirishima exclaimed. "You do?"
"Of course," With her arms crossed, she nodded like a wise sage and flashed him a sly look. "I'm almost positive, with you coming to me now and all. It was last weekend, right?"
Kirishima didn't even bother trying to hide the bright flush that no doubt matched the color of his hair.
One Week Earlier
"Please please please Bakugou!" Ochako and Ashido begged desperately. "Please show us how to make chocolate! Please!" Jirou, Yaoyorozu, and Tsuyu were staring at Bakugou with big eyes full of hope. Hagakure was jumping up and down eagerly.
"FUCK NO! How many fucking times do I have to say NO before it gets through your stupid skulls?" Bakugou shouted at them, but they weren't anything but persistent.
"No profanity in the common room Bakugou!" Iida shouted and chopped the air in emphasis.
Kirishima and the rest of the boys laughed. This had been going on for the better part of ten minutes, but it was funny to watch them. He'd just spent the better part of their Saturday being tutored by Bakugou and his brain felt like it had been stretched a little too thin, but he'd managed to finally solve one of the problems he hadn't been able to before and he was still bubbling from the excitement. Soon afterwards, they'd left his room to get some fresh air and had ended up crashing in the common room with some of the others for a well-deserved break. Except, at this rate, Kirishima was sure that they'd end up chasing him back to his room.
"Please! Valentine's day is on Monday!" Mina said and the girls bobbed their heads. "And none of us know how to make it. We would've asked Sato, but he went to bed early. Plus, you're a good cook, right? You make meals for Kirishima all the time! So why not us? Show us, just this once!"
Oh, yeah. Valentine's day was in a couple of days. It seemed like such an normal thing in their crazy, explosive lives, so it didn't surprise him that it had slipped his mind but the girls seemed excited about it so Kirishima couldn't help but get caught up in their fervor.
"Hey is any of that chocolate going to be for us?" Kaminari called excitedly from the couch. Sero punched him in the shoulder.
"You can't just ASK them that!" Sero hissed in his hear, despite the fact that he'd been shooting curious glances their way just a moment ago.
"Well there might be, but you'll never know because we won't be able to make any!" Mina cried.
Hagakure sighed dramatically and leaned against Ochako. "If you don't help us Bakugou, we won't be able to convey our feelings properly." Ochako and Yaoyorozu went bright red.
"Toru, what are you talking about?" They shrieked, missing the sharp glances from some of the boys. She wagged an arm at Bakugou who hadn't budged.
"Valentine's day is about sharing the love we feel with the special people in our lives." She declared boisterously. "We want to make chocolate for our friends, but also for that special someone, you know? So help us out. It's for the sake of romance!"
"What the fuck are you going on about?" Bakugou snapped. "It's a fucking stupid day where people eat shitty candy. I can't stand that romantic ass shit! Plus, it's all bullshit anyways."
"What!" Hagakure stomped her foot. "You have no romance in your soul! Giving homemade chocolate to a special someone is like a confession of love. It's so sweet, especially if you put all your feelings into making them. Have you never even once wanted chocolates from a special girl?" Bakugou's eyes widened and Jirou jumped forward.
"Toru, I think you can give up with that spiel." Jirou hissed, drawing the invisible girl away before Bakugou could explode her. "We're only making it so he wants to do it even less."
"Boo." Hagakure pouted.
Kirishima snorted. The girls were getting nowhere fast and Bakugou was definitely going to run away soon, so maybe it was time to intervene and try to help them out. He got up from the sofa and patted Bakugou on the back with a bright smile. "Come on, Bakugou, they've basically asked you as nicely as they can in every way. You should help them out. It could be fun." Bakugou seethed at him and Kirishima shrugged with a grin. He wasn't too ashamed to admit there might have been slight ulterior motive on his part. Bakugou was an amazing cook and he wouldn't mind tasting what kind of chocolate he could make.
"I'm sure they'll be delicious too!" Kirishima persisted. Bakugou paused, narrowing his eyes at him. Oops, he might've been caught. "So, what do you say?"
Before Bakugou could answer, Sero spoke suddenly and more loudly than necessary, "Why don't we just go get Sato for you guys? I'm sure he can make chocolate WAY better than Bakugou can."
It worked like a charm. Kirishima was nearly bulldozed in Bakugou's aggressive trek for the kitchen. "FUCKING WATCH ME, I'LL MAKE THE BEST FUCKING CHOCOCLATE YOU'VE EVER GODDAMN TASTED!"
Kirishima didn't miss the fist-bump Sero exchanged with Kaminari as the girls cheered in the kitchen. Iida chopped the air even more aggressively.
"Language Bakugou!" He shouted, but Bakugou had thrown himself into his task with all the passion he usually reserved for things he did. It was inspiring how he was never less than 110% about anything he set his mind to. Bakugou was seriously amazing. The epitome of manliness!
Bakugou started whipping out bowls and ingredients at lightning speed and the girls had to scramble to get into a position so they could watch. "YOU WANT FEELINGS, THEN FUCKING TAKE THIS!" Bakugou bellowed as he whipped around liquid chocolate though he calmed down slightly as he became more absorbed into the project. Every once in a while, he would take a brief second to look at him and Kirishima would smile and send a thumbs up back, and Bakugou would return to the task at hand with renewed vigor while continuously yelling at the girls to pay attention because he wasn't going to show them again.
Before long, a wonderful scent was wafting through the air, luring almost all of them into the kitchen, as Bakugou slammed down the finished tray and proudly stepped back from his work, wiping his hands on his apron. Kirishima couldn't help but grin at the sight of Bakugou in an apron, slightly matted with chocolate and surrounded by kitchen ware. He looked like some kind of house-wife and he laughed inwardly at the thought of whatever person could end up as Bakugou's partner. Life would never be quiet for them, that was for sure, and maybe even literally explosive. Which didn't seem like such a bad life at all.
"How's that for chocolate?" Bakugou boasted and crossed his arms with a self-righteous grin. The girls hovered around in awe. Hagakure drooled.
"That smells nothing short of heavenly." Yaoyorozu sniffed, leaning closer. Jirou nodded in agreement.
"Doesn't it?" Ochako sighed. "Bakugou, you're so amazing at everything!"
Kaminari started shooting silent glares and leaned over to whisper to Sero. "Maybe we should learn how to make chocolates… I want to get attention like that!"
Ashido licked her lips. "I wonder if they taste as good as they look…" But when her hand began to sneak over to the tiny morsels, she yelped and snapped her hand back when Bakugou almost wacked it with a spoon.
"Who said you could have any?" Bakugou smirked viciously at her and she recoiled.
"What! But what else are you going to do with them?" Ashido exclaimed, aghast, and gasped in horror. "You're not going… to throw them away? That'd be such a waste!"
Bakugou whipped out a plastic baggie and dumped the finished chocolates into it. Once he sealed the bag, the fantastic smell abruptly vanished.
"You can't hide those chocolates from the world!" Hagakure cried as Bakugou started walking away without another word. "That'd be a villainous thing to do!"
"You didn't say anything about giving them to you." Bakugou flipped them off, chocolates still in his hand. "So, I can do whatever the fuck I want with them."
Ashido desperately wanted to try those chocolates, but Tsuyu and Ochako held her back. "I feel like we're missing a once-in-a-lifetime chance."
"Don't worry Mina, we still have to make our own chocolates remember?" Tsuyu said. "I'm sure they'll be just as tasty."
"Yeah, you're right Tsu. They're going to amazing!" Ashido said, firing herself up again.
As much as he was enjoying the spectacle, Kirishima couldn't hold back a yawn. He was pretty beat too. "Wait Bakugou, I'll go with you. I'm turning in too." He quickly said goodnight to his friends and leapt over the couch to go join Bakugou who had stopped to wait for him. As they waited for the elevator to arrive, Kirishima noticed a tiny dark smudge on Bakugou's cheek.
"Hold on a second, dude," Kirishima said and Bakugou turned to him with a grimace.
"Hah?" He demanded, but Kirishima was already reaching forward. With an easy swipe, he delicately wiped off the chocolate smudge on his friend's cheek.
"You had a little chocolate on your face." He grinned and Bakugou stared. With their backs turned, Kirishima was completely unaware that their friends had gone completely silent and were staring at them with wide, bewildered eyes.
"…Thanks." Bakugou said just as the elevator dinged and the door slid open. They entered and easily fell into a comfortable silence. Kirishima even started humming to cheerfully to himself. Bakugou didn't say anything.
As they navigated their way down the hall to their dorms, a thought occurred to Kirishima. He'd been wondering about it earlier, but hadn't been able to inquire about it in the moment. "Hey Bakugou, what did you mean about what you said about valentine's day?" It wasn't too surprising that Bakugou didn't think about romance or anything. Kirishima didn't really either, but Bakugou had almost seemed to have negative feelings about it instead. Maybe there was a specific reason, and he couldn't help but be curious about it.
"About it being bullshit?" Bakugou grumbled. "Because that's what it is. It's just a day where they give free excuses to chicken shits who are too cowardly to confess their feelings otherwise. There doesn't need to be only one day for someone to fess up or give chocolate. If someone wants it enough, then they should just fucking do it."
Kirishima blinked. That was the last answer he'd been expecting, but it was very Bakugou all the same. So he'd actually thought about it a little more than he'd thought, just in a different way. Maybe he'd just stumbled upon the hint of a previously unknown sensitive side to the usually raging, explosive guy. He smiled— jeez, Bakugou was just so cool. Being so set in his values… it was just another thing he admired about him.
"I've never thought of it that way before." Kirishima admitted and chuckled. "And I don't know if I'd call them all cowards though— fighting villains and rescuing people takes one kind of bravery, but admitting your feelings to someone is something a little different I think. Sometimes actions speak louder than words, so maybe it's that." Not like he really knew though. He'd never been in love after all, so maybe he wasn't in the right position to be sharing an opinion.
Bakugou only clicked his tongue as they finally reached their doors. Kirishima went to open his, raising his hands in a wave.
"Thanks for your help again today, I still can't believe I was finally able to solve that problem!" Kirishima smiled brightly, not ashamed to still be riding that high.
"Of fucking course you were." Bakugou said gruffly. Before Kirishima could say goodnight and go inside, Bakugou suddenly held out the chocolate baggie. "You wanted to try them, right?" He said, as if an afterthought. Kirishima looked at the baggie in confusion, totally caught off guard.
"You're giving them to me?"
"Are you going to fucking accept them or not?" Bakugo bristled, stabbing the bag in his direction. He paused. "I'm just going to throw them away otherwise."
"Oh! Yeah, of course!" Kirishima scrambled and held out his hands for Bakugou to drop the chocolates in. "Can I try one right now?"
"I don't fucking care!" But Bakugou didn't go back into his room and stared expectantly, so Kirishima pulled out one of the squares and popped it into his mouth. His eyes widened as the rich taste flooded his senses. They were spicy! And they weren't even that sweet, but that somehow made them better. They definitely packed a punch. Just the kind of thing he'd expect from Bakugou.
"These are delicious! Amazing!" Kirishima said and couldn't help immediately eating another. "Thanks, Bakugou." He pulled Bakugou into a hug, giving him a squeeze in his excitement. When he didn't get exploded right away, he was even more happy.
"Yeah, yeah." Bakugou said and grabbed his face to shove him off. Kirishima laughed. Bakugou wasn't really affectionate, but he was definitely getting more used to his hugs. Baby steps.
But when Kirishima started to draw away, his laughter caught in his throat. Bakugou hadn't let go of his face and was staring at him. His red eyes glimmered like fire, alive and captivating. Had they always been that intense? Kirishima stared back with widening eyes. It must've only lasted a second, but then Bakugou … chuckled. It was a single sound at the back of his throat, but it was a laugh. He then let go of Kirishima's face and opened the door to his room.
"See you tomorrow, Shitty Hair." Bakugou said, but before slamming the door in his face, Kirishima saw something… stunning. His breath hitched sharply.
It was a smile. Bakugou was smiling— a wide, genuine smile that made his heart do a strange summersault in his chest. And then it was gone.
Kirishima was left standing there in the hallway, frozen. He clutched the baggie, eyes wide and mind short-circuiting. His heart didn't seem to want to calm down and he even felt like he was starting to get something like a stomachache. He would barely remember the shaky walkthrough of his night routine and then flopping onto his bed later. All he could see were Bakugou's eyes… and that beautiful smile…
His heart flipped again.
What just happened?
Present
Most of their jaws had dropped once he was finished explaining what had happened. Ashido slammed her hands on the table.
"Kirishima," Ashido said very seriously and adjusted a pair of imaginary glasses on her face. "I have a diagnosis."
"You do?" Kirishima waited with bated breath.
"Yeah," She said. "You're an idiot."
That's not exactly what he'd expected to hear. His brows knit together. "What? How am I an idiot?"
Kaminari dropped his face into his hands, smearing the green goo, "Dude…"
Aoyama was shaking his head and Hagakure was groaning.
"What?" Kirishima fluttered anxiously. Why were they all looking at him like that? "What did I do?"
"Your problem is you're wondering if you're in love, right?" Ashido asked exasperatedly. "Oh Kirishima, literally everyone knows you're in love with Bakugou. We have for a long time."
"WHAT?" Kirishima nearly choked, but the others were nodding. "But I—I don't—" He sputtered helplessly. "But I just started thinking about it. It was only after last weekend that I—"
"Oh no, I definitely think you've had this problem for much longer. Last weekend was probably what made you self-aware. So, correction," Ashido said as the others all nodded their heads. "Literally everyone except you knows you're in love with Bakugou."
"But I don't know how I feel!" Kirishima exclaimed. "That's exactly why I came to ask you!"
The four exchanged quizzical looks. "What do you mean you don't know how you feel?" Ashido narrowed her eyes.
"It's just that— how would I know? I've never been in…love." Even saying the word out loud made his heart quiver. Kirishima chewed his lip nervously. "It just feels like I'm sick."
"Like how?" They probed. "Has anything been different?"
"The past week was totally normal," Kirishima said, distressed. "Our routine is practically the same as it was before — literally nothing has changed! We walk to class, we spar, and we sometimes eat together like usual… except every time he smiles or laughs, my heart starts to hurt? Or when he walks too close, I get super aware of it and can't think completely straight? There was even one time when we were eating and he stole a bite from my fork. I had the strangest and weirdest stomach ache and I couldn't make eye contact the rest of the time. I thought being in love was supposed to be floaty and warm or something— instead I just feel sweaty and awkward and like I'm constantly dying."
"Kirishima that's, like, 'Being in Love 101'." Hagakure said.
"Dude… that's so gay." Kaminari whispered with glee.
"You have to embrace that feeling, mon ami!" Aoyama practically sang, raising his hands with a flourish. "The feeling of a trembling heart at unease, the butterflies in your stomach! Ah, how wonderful l'amour is!"
"I need help." Kirishima paled instead.
"Okay, okay, let's calm down for a second and settle this." Ashido said, shushing the rest of them. She scrambled to one of her drawers and fished out a pink ad well-read magazine. She quickly flipped through the pages until letting out a victorious cry when she found what she was looking for. She held it up for him to see: To Be or Not To Be? Signs You've Fallen For Him. "This is a love questionnaire that I always like to use. It's Mina-guaranteed! We're going to ask some of the questions from it, and you have to be totally honest."
"Okay."
"Alright, let's see…"
With Kirishima on one side and the four on the other where they scanned through the article, he kind of felt like he was in some kind of bizarre interview. Hagakure tapped the page. "Do you find him attractive, cute, or hot?"
"I don't—" He had enjoyed looking at him with the apron on. And the way the sun made his hair always shine was a nice sight. Plus, his eyes were dazzling. And then his hero costume— The memory of his smile came unbidden to him then, and one thought had crossed Kirishima's mind in that moment.
Beautiful.
Kirishima felt his mouth go cotton dry and his face grow hot.
"I'm taking that as a yes." Hagakure giggled.
"How much do you think about him?" Ashido asked.
"Kind of… all the time now?"
"What is the best part about him?" Aoyama chimed in.
Kirishima leaned back, screwing his face in deep thought. "That's tough, where to even start…"
"Alright, you don't even have to finish that." Kaminari pulled down the magazine and looked him straight in the eye. "Forget the quiz. How manly do you think he is?"
"Bakugou is the manliest!" Kirishima gushed. "The way he does everything with all of his passion is the coolest. He's super strong and his will is unwavering. That's one of the things I admire most about him. Are you sure you don't want me to answer the other question?" He could probably talk about Bakugou all day. He was just the best guy. Sure, he could be temperamental, but there was so much good to be found. He definitely cared a lot for him, too. Bakugou was special that way, they were best friends after all, and it had been that very feeling that had led him to risk everything and go to his rescue and he couldn't stand the thought of losing him and come to think of it what was he doing right now, he kind of missed being with him—
Kirishima's eyes suddenly went wide.
Oh.
OH.
Holy shit. He was in love with Bakugo.
"I think we're done here." Kaminari splayed his hands. "The evidence is irrefutable."
"Kirishima, you're totally, absolutely, no-doubt-about-it in love!" Hagakure said.
Kirishima took a deep breath, groaning loudly. He dropped his head on the table, ruffling his hair. "Oh my god. Oh my god, I love him."
"How the heck that happened, I'll never be able to understand." Kaminari chuckled dryly, but pat his friend comfortingly. "There, there. The heart wants what the heart wants."
"But what do I do now?" Kirishima shot up, panicking. "He'll notice how weird I'm acting soon enough!"
"There's only one full-proof solution that I can suggest." Ashido said matter-of-factly. "You need to tell him."
"What?" Kirishima exclaimed. "Just like that?"
"No, of course not." She said, tutting him. Fired up, she stood up, sending a fist into the air. "You have to find the perfect moment alone and then you strike when the iron's hot!"
"Okay." Kirishima said and though he wasn't really following with that last bit, Ashido's confidence was infectious. He leapt to his feet. "Yeah, okay. You're right. I'll strike when the iron's hot!"
"That's the spirit!" She cried, but a thought suddenly occurred to him. His smile flipped.
"Except," Kirishima deflated. He felt like he'd just been plunged into ice-water. "What if he doesn't like me back? What if he hates me afterwards and I end up ruining our friendship?" Bakugou was his best friend, first and foremost. Was he really selfish enough to risk all of that?
Kaminairi's jaw dropped. "Bro, are you seri—" Aoyama and Ashido slapped their hands over his mouth at the same time.
"Kaminari, there are some things a man has to discover himself." Ashido said firmly. "Kirishima I think we've done all we can for you. Just properly tell him your feelings. Trust us. We're rooting for you!"
Kirishima's chest squeezed and he took a shuddery breath, firming up his resolve. They were right. Was he a man or wasn't he! The next time he'd see Bakugou, he was going to go right up to him, and say all of his feelings or he was going to explode—
"Hair-for-brains, where the fuck have you been?"
He whipped around so fast he got whip-lash. Bakugou stood in doorway, glaring down at him.
Kirishima's heart skipped a beat. Bakugou really was handsome.
"Didn't you say you would spare with me? Why isn't your ass downstairs?" He didn't even flinch at the strange sight of Ashido and the rest of the group behind him. Bakugou marched in, grabbed the back of his shirt, and began to drag him out without even giving him a chance to speak.
Wait, he wasn't actually ready! This was happening too fast! Kirishima shot a silent, desperate look at the four. Ashido and Aoyama were winking, Kaminari was giving him a double thumbs up, and Hagakure called a loud and sassy, "Good luck!"
He was doomed.
Oh, sweet sweet Kirishima… There shouldn't be many chapters to this fic. I'm thinking 3 to 4 max, but I always write out much longer scenes than I intend to. It's a problem.
Please leave a review if you have a moment to spare. I always super appreciate them!
Insert my usual tumblr spiel: bae-and-puppycat. tumblr. com
=(ゝω･)/