Chapter 10

"Whoa, dude! Your face is all messed up!"

"Yeah, man! Is that gonna scar?"

"Here, does this hurt?"

Kirishima's finger poked the bandage that was on Bakugou's brow, and he flinched back and growled angrily at him.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing?!" Bakugou asked, reaching up to tap the bandage that covered the nasty gash.

"Oh. So it does hurt?" Kirishima asked.

"The hell do you think? I almost had to get stitches," Bakugou said.

"You didn't go to the doctor for any of that?" Kaminari asked, leaning against the counter. "It's been like two days!"

"Tch, as if. I've got plenty of liquid stitch at home," Bakugou said as he grabbed a tall glass to fill. "I wouldn't have had to use it if the bastard hadn't caught me off guard."

"Huh? Liquid stitch?" Kaminari asked.

"It's glue that you can use for bad cuts," Kirishima explained. "Although, there's probably gonna be a gross scar on your face now."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone."

"Well, except for Todoroki," Kirishima teased.

Bakugou rolled his eyes and continued on with what he was doing. He wouldn't fall for their goading.

"Ooh, yes! Todoroki! You'll want to look good for him, won't you?" Kaminari asked. "Maybe you should do something about that scowl on your face first. Yikes."

"Will you shut your mouth?! You have orders to fill, dumbass!" Bakugou shouted.

Kirishima chuckled wholeheartedly as he quickly set down a glass in front of a customer.

"Aw, c'mon, bro. He's just teasing you," Kirishima said.

"It's annoying as hell," Bakugou grumbled.

"Oh, but it's just out of love!" Kirishima said. "There's nothing more manly than that!"

"I'm going to punch you and enjoy it."

Kirishima laughed, and then he got quiet, his face softening. "So… how is it going, anyway? With Todoroki, I mean."

Bakugou felt his cheeks redden, the tips of his ears burning just from the thought of him. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes.

"It's not really going anywhere," Bakugou said. "But something's been a little off recently."

Kirishima's smile fell and he tilted his head in concern. "Off? Like what?"

Bakugou thought back to a few days ago, the morning after he and Todoroki fell asleep on the couch together. He remembered waking up feeling cold and Todoroki was gone. He was panicked as he hurried to search for him, only to find him in the kitchen. He walked right up to Todoroki and asked,

"Making tea?"

Todoroki startled and whirled around, his face flushed and eyes wide. Bakugou blinked at him.

"Whoa, what the hell? Did your fever come back?" Bakugou asked, lifting up a hand to touch his forehead.

Todoroki shook his head. "No, I'm… I'm okay." He turned back to the stove and placed two mugs on the counter nearby. "You just startled me."

"Oh. Sorry," Bakugou grumbled out.

"Mmn. It's fine," Todoroki said. "Do you want tea? I grabbed two mugs."

He wouldn't meet Bakugou's eyes, which made Bakugou quirk a brow in confusion.

"Tea's fine," Bakugou said. "You hungry? I can make breakfast."

Todoroki shook his head. "No. Just tea for right now is fine with me."

"You sure? You should prolly eat something, don't you think?" Bakugou said.

"I'm fine," Todoroki said. He poured the two mugs and handed one to Bakugou.

He didn't look fine. He still wouldn't even look at Bakugou. Had he really messed up? Did the fight with Deku actually make him upset?

Bakugou curled his free hand into a fist, his other hand gripping the mug's handle hard.

"Are you… mad at me?" he asked.

Todoroki finally—finally!—looked at him with wide eyes. He blinked a few times and then furrowed his brows.

"Mad at you?" Todoroki repeated.

"Yeah," Bakugou said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "If my fight with Deku upset you, I—"

"What? You think I'm mad at you about that?" Todoroki asked.

Bakugou frowned at him. "I don't know, I guess I do?"

He didn't know what else to say. He didn't want to just tell him that Todoroki looked upset this morning, his face as pink as a peach. Bakugou didn't want to ruin anything, and he was so terrified that he would step out of bounds at any moment and lose Todoroki forever. He had to play this carefully. No room for screw-ups.

"I'm not mad. Not at all," Todoroki said. "Izuku can get… passionate. And you were defending yourself. Rightfully so."

Bakugou watched Todoroki as he swallowed down some tea and looked down in his lap, still avoiding his eyes.

"I'm actually grateful. You didn't have to be so kind towards me, and yet here you are," Todoroki said. His face reddened even more. "So… thanks. For protecting me."

"I can't… really explain it," Bakugou said, turning to Kirishima. "He's… avoiding me? But he said he wasn't mad, so…"

Kirishima put his hands on his hips. "I'm not sure, man. Sorry, wish I could help more."

Bakugou shrugged it off. "It's whatever." He opened up the register and took out the bigger bills, flipping through them quickly. "I'm going to do the count. Can y'all manage this?"

Kirishima gave a mock salute, making Bakugou roll his eyes. He left the bar and headed towards his office, his heart feeling a bit weird in his chest. He sat down at his desk and sighed, knowing that he should get things ready for the deposit, but he couldn't help himself.

All of his thoughts were centered on Todoroki.

"Geez, he's pretty upset, huh?" Kaminari asked as he walked back behind the counter.

"More like confused," Kirishima said. "He really likes Todoroki."

"Why doesn't he ask him out?" Kaminari asked, emptying a bag of ice into the tray.

"It's pretty soon, isn't it?" Kirishima said. "I mean, he and his husband just separated, right?"

"Well, yeah. But what if Todoroki likes him?" Kaminari asked.

Kirishima shrugged. "How could we tell? We don't spend a lot of time with him."

"We could ask him!" Kaminari said.

"Huh? Just straight up ask him?" Kirishima said. "That's bold but I don't think that's a good idea."

"Sometimes you gotta be bold," Kaminari said. He leaned up and kissed Kirishima on the cheek. "That's how I got you, right?"

Kirishima flushed from head to toe, steam practically rising from his head. He giggled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Heh, w-well, yeah, but—"

The bell on the door chimed and in walked Todoroki, his suit slightly rumpled, and his face showing some obvious fatigue.

"Hey, look who's out of bed!" Kirishima said.

Todoroki lifted up a hand in a small wave and then sat down at the counter. He glanced around, lips twisting to one side.

"Ah, Bakugou's in his office. He should be out in a minute," Kirishima explained.

Todoroki snapped his gaze back at him, his cheeks slightly pink. "Oh. Right."

"Wanna drink, man?" Kaminari asked.

Todoroki hummed. "Sure. Thank you."

Kaminari wiggled his eyebrows at Kirishima as he walked by him to get the rum and triple sec.

"Denki, what're you up to?" Kirishima whispered to him, quirking a brow. Kaminari just stuck his tongue out and kept going, and Kirishima shook his head and looked back at Todoroki. "So you're back at work today?"

"Yeah. First day back," Todoroki said.

"You look tired," Kirishima noticed.

"I am."

Kirishima laughed heartily. He rested his arms on the counter and stared at him with curiosity.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," Kirishima said. "Bakugou was pretty concerned there for a while."

Todoroki's eyes widened. "He was?"

"Hell, yeah, dude!" Kaminari said, setting out a Long Island in front of Todoroki. "He came in every day talking about how sick you were and askin' us if he should take you back to the hospital! It was so cute!"

Todoroki fiddled with the straw in his glass. "I… didn't realize I worried him so much."

"Aw, don't sweat it, bro! It was nice to see this other side of Bakugou, anyway," Kaminari said.

"Well, that's definitely true," Kirishima said.

"Other side of him?" Todoroki asked, tilting his head.

"He's normally pretty rough around the edges. But for the past week, he's been really soft," Kirishima said.

"Yeah, like a marshmallow!" Kaminari added. "He never goes soft for anyone! Not even Eijiro, and they were even a thing!"

Kirishima nudged Kaminari hard in the ribs and gave him a stern look.

"Dude, really?" he whispered to him.

"What? It's not like it's a huge secret," Kaminari said in a low voice. "I'm not even bothered by it!"

"But you don't know if Todoroki will be upset!" Kirishima said.

"You guys dated?"

The two of them looked back at Todoroki, who was now inclining his head towards Kirishima with a mellow stare. It wasn't a glare, which Kirishima was expecting, but almost curious.

"A-Ah, well… I mean, it wasn't really dating, but uh…" Kirishima glanced over to Kaminari, and he was smirking back at him. The traitor. Whose side was he on, anyway?

"Oh. So you didn't date?" Todoroki asked.

This poor, stupid soul.

But Kirishima could see why Bakugou was into him. The boy was incredibly cute, even though he was dense as hell.

"No, uh… We would just hook up every so often," Kirishima said. "Nothing emotional attached."

"Oh."

Kirishima wasn't sure, but he would swear that he saw Todoroki's shoulder relax. Was he… Wait, was he jealous for a moment?

"So you guys never like… went on dates?" Todoroki asked.

Kaminari leaned his chin on his hand and smiled at him. "Why do you ask?"

Todoroki looked startled all of a sudden, the straw pinched in between two of his fingers. He glanced down at the counter and pulled his lips to the side.

"I just… want to know him better, I guess," Todoroki said.

Liar, Kirishima thought. Well, partially a lie. Todoroki did want to know Bakugou better, but more specifically, he wanted to know what dating Bakugou was like.

"Well, to answer your question: no, Bakugou and I never went out on dates," Kirishima said. "We barely even kissed, actually."

"…I see," Todoroki answered, and then immediately he took a long sip of his drink.

Kirishima glanced over at Kaminari, who shrugged in return. There was definitely something there but they didn't want to push it.

"A-Anyway, I'm sure that Bakugou wouldn't treat someone he loves in the same way," Kirishima said.

Todoroki's eyes widened just a fraction. "Loves?"

Kirishima bit his lip. "Uh…"

Todoroki frowned and glanced down at his lap, his eyes glazing over. He looked completely lost.

"How can you really tell if someone loves you?" Todoroki asked.

He was talking to himself, Kirishima realized, and it made his heart ache for the guy. This man was still clearly in a lot of pain from his fallout with his husband. Traumatized, even.

Oh, boy. This was a sticky situation.

"They take care of you."

Kaminari suddenly spoke up, his finger tapping the counter to get Todoroki's attention. Todoroki glanced up and blinked the haze out of his eyes.

"They listen. They want to spend time with you. They make sure you're safe and warm," Kaminari continued. He glanced at Kirishima with flushed cheeks. "At least, that's what I've experienced, anyway."

"Denki…" Kirishima whispered.

A flash of realization suddenly glimmered in Todoroki's eyes as he finally came back down to earth. He looked up at Kaminari, opening his mouth to speak.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?"

All three heads turned to see Bakugou marching up to the counter, his eyes only landing on Todoroki. Todoroki brightened up as Bakugou approached.

"The hell? You're drinking? You're still recovering, you little shit!" Bakugou said.

Instead of smacking him on the back of the head, which he would've done to Kirishima or Kaminari, Bakugou walked right beside him and put his arm on the back of Todoroki's stool, leaning in close.

Kirishima and Kaminari exchanged excited looks. Bakugou was still the same, but he was still oh so different at the same time. It was so adorable. Kirishima wanted to tease him.

"It's just one drink," Todoroki said.

"Yeah, but alcohol makes your body temperature spike! What if the fever comes back, dumbass?" Bakugou asked, lifting up a hand to touch Todoroki's forehead.

Todoroki's face flushed, but he made no move to brush Bakugou away. "I'll be fine."

Bakugou pursed his lips and then scoffed,.

"Fine. But eat something while you drink, okay? I don't want to drag your drunk ass back to my place," Bakugou said.

"Okay."

As they continued to bicker, Kirishima turned to Kaminari with stars in his eyes.

"They are so adorable!" Kirishima whispered to him.

"I know! Bakugou's got nothin' to worry about. Todoroki's totally into him," Kaminari said.

Kirishima's smile turned brittle. "Are you sure? I mean, you saw the way he spaced out, right?"

"Yeah, but look at him now!" Kaminari said. "He's totally crushing on him!"

Kirishima glanced back at the two of them, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

"Yeah, he does, but… it could be a rebound, too," Kirishima said.

Kaminari's smile fell from his face in a flash, and he glanced over to the two of them again, watching them carefully. He hummed and then rubbed his chin.

"Well, it could be, but it could also be him trying to figure things out, yeah?" Kaminari asked. "I mean, he was burned in his relationship, so maybe he hasn't experienced what true love is."

Kirishima glanced over at the two, watching the way Todoroki was completely captivated by Bakugou's presence. His eyes were lit up and his lips were curved into the closest thing to a smile that he'd ever seen.

And then there was Bakugou. His face was soft as he gazed at Todoroki. He had pinched brows but instead of anger, it was out of concern. For the very person he wanted to be with most in this world.

Kirishima sighed fondly at them. He hoped the two of them could heal each other. They truly both deserved happiness.

"Say, Boss! Let's do shots!" Kirishima called.

"Hah?! Hell no! You're still on the clock!"

"I'll do one with you, Kirishima," Todoroki said.

"Like hell you are! Eat some damn peanuts, half 'n half!"

A few weeks passed by in a flash, and Bakugou went through the same routines with Todoroki. Have breakfast together, go to work (and wait until Todoroki got there), go home, eat a late-night snack while watching a movie until they fell asleep...

Bakugou was quickly getting used to it, and that thought terrified him. He really wanted this with Todoroki, but he was scared of making any kind of move.

And, as of that point, Todoroki hadn't spoken one word to Deku. Bakugou, on the one hand, was grateful for the space, but at the same time, he and Todoroki really should try to talk. Right?

Bakugou wanted to smack his head against the wall. He had never felt so stuck in his life.

He really didn't want Todoroki anywhere near him, but in order for the guy to totally move on (and preferably into Bakugou's arms...), Todoroki had to get some closure. Sitting here in his apartment day after day was getting neither of them anywhere.

Bakugou sighed. This was not a conversation he wanted to have.

And to make matters worse, Todoroki was still acting a little strange. It was bugging the living daylights out of him.

He had to fix this.

One night, when it was near closing time at the bar, Bakugou was wiping down the counter. He shifted down until he was right in front of Todoroki, who was slowly nursing his second drink of the night.

"Hey," Bakugou greeted quietly. "You eatin' with that drink?"

Todoroki lifted up the packet of mixed nuts and raisins that Bakugou had flung at him earlier that night. Bakugou nodded.

"Good," Bakugou said, scrubbing at a particular stain.

He glanced up at Todoroki, looking over his face. Ughh, this sucked. This really really sucked.

"Hey, uh... has Deku talked to you at all?" Bakugou asked.

A look of surprise formed on Todoroki's face. "No, he hasn't."

"Mmn," Bakugou grunted. "How're you... doing with that?"

Bakugou's father had always been well-spoken and patient, always knowing what to say. Why didn't he inherit those traits?! Curse genetics! Curse all of it!

Todoroki shrugged one shoulder and then leaned on the counter.

"I don't know," Todoroki said. "I'm not sure what to think about it."

Bakugou stopped wiping the counter and looked at him. His fingers fiddled with the corner of the rag as he spoke.

"Have you... thought about talking to 'im?"

Todoroki's brows creased. "Izuku?"

"Yeah," Bakugou said.

"Why?" Todoroki asked.

Bakugou wondered that himself. "Well… Don't you think you should try to figure out where you guys are going with all this?"

Todoroki looked thoughtful, his eyes staring sadly down at his glass. He leaned forward and sucked down half of his drink in a few large sips. He sat back, his cheeks slightly red.

"I don't want to get back together with him," Todoroki said. His eyes sparkled. "He doesn't love me so… I don't want to be with him."

Bakugou felt his heart do a little happy dance in his chest, but then he immediately shut it down. Now was not the time.

"That's okay," Bakugou said with a shrug. "You don't have to get back together with him."

"Then why do I need to talk to him?" Todoroki said grumpily. "I'm trying to get over him. Talking to him would make it worse."

Bakugou took a deep breath. "You guys are still… married. Don't you think… you should talk to him about, I don't know…"

His voice trailed off, unable to even say the word. Why was it so difficult to say?

Todoroki sighed. "Divorce."

Bakugou swallowed. "Yeah. That."

This was the most awkward conversation he'd ever had. He never thought he would have to talk to someone he cared about so much like this.

But it had to be done. He was doing the right thing.

Right?

"I see what you mean," Todoroki said, finishing off his drink. "I… guess I do need to sort these things out, yeah?"

He rested both of his hands on the counter and stared down at it hard. His face scrunched up, and his eyes were dangerously wispy.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Bakugou," Todoroki said. His hands curled into fists and shook slightly at the tension he was pulling in his wrists. "Everything feels so… messed up. I feel messed up." He closed his eyes and hung his head. "Maybe I'm just meant to be alone."

Bakugou reached out and grabbed Todoroki's fist, squeezing it gently and rubbing his thumb along his skin. Todoroki jumped at the contact and snapped his head up to look at Bakugou.

"You're not messed up, and you're not meant to be alone, okay? So get that out of your head," Bakugou said.

Todoroki stared at him with wide eyes, and it was the first time that he had actually fully looked at Bakugou in a month.

"Bakugou, what—"

"Maybe you just haven't found the right person," Bakugou said. His cheeks grew hot. "S-Someone who can see just how great you are, and how you're too damn sweet for your own good."

"Bakugou…" Todoroki said, completely captivated by him.

They both got completely lost in each other's eyes. Bakugou wondered if Todoroki's heart was beating just as hard as his.

Bakugou leaned in closer, his eyes closing just slightly. He felt Todoroki lean in, too, just a bit. He felt Todoroki's breath hit his cheek. They were close. So, so, close, and—

Todoroki jerked back at the last minute, his face almost as red as his hair and scar. His reaction made Bakugou jump back, as well.

What the hell was he about to do?

"Um. I, uh… I'm a bit tired," Todoroki said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think I'll head back first."

Quickly leaving his money on the counter, Todoroki fled the bar. Bakugou watched him disappear out the front door, his eyes wide with shock.

What the hell. What the hell?!

Bakugou slammed his fists down on the counter and then leaned down until his forehead rested in between his hands.

Way to go, Katsuki! Way to be a total creep!

"Bakugou? You okay, man?" Kirishima asked.

Bakugou sighed and slumped against the counter.

"Love is a shitty game," Bakugou said. "I hate it."

Kirishima clapped his hand on his back and rubbed gently. "Don't worry, man. You'll figure it out."

He highly doubted it. All he ever did was scare people away.

He sighed. He needed to make another appointment with his therapist. He had to figure out what he was doing wrong.

"Just give him time, son."

"I know! And I want to! But he's still married to that asshole!"

"Katsuki."

"I know, I know."

Bakugou sighed as he walked up to his apartment after spending an extra hour at the bar berating himself, his ears still burning from that almost-kiss. In a panic, he called his father since it was too late to call his therapist. His father's advice was always helpful, he figured.

"I just… I don't want to scare him off. Damn it! Why am I such an idiot?!" Bakugou said as he leaned on the front door of his apartment and slapped his palm over his eyes.

"You're not an idiot, Katsuki. He leaned in, too, didn't he? So it's not just one-sided," his father said.

"But he pulled away."

"He's still got to heal from his broken marriage, Katsuki. Give him time."

"Yeah. I will. Thanks, Dad," Bakugou said quietly, pulling out his keys.

"You're welcome. And Katsuki?"

Bakugou stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "Hm?"

"If this guy is really how you say he is, then he'll be worth waiting for," his father said.

Bakugou sighed. "Yeah, but… What if he decides he doesn't like me? I know I'm an ass."

"You're not. And if he doesn't like you back when he's ready? Then he's not good enough for you."

Bakugou wanted to scoff. There was no way Todoroki wasn't good enough. If anything, he was too good.

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind," Bakugou said.

"Have a good night, son," his father said.

"Night."

With a sigh, Bakugou entered his apartment, thinking that Todoroki would already be in bed. But to his surprise, the man was sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Bakugou swallowed and headed towards him, hands in his pockets.

"Thought you'd be in bed," Bakugou said, unsure if he should sit down or just leave.

Todoroki twisted his lips and shook his head. "No, I… I had some calls I had to make."

Bakugou tilted his head. "Oh?"

Todoroki hummed and looked up at Bakugou. "I called Izuku."

Bakugou's eyes widened. He sat down next to Todoroki and reached out to touch him, but he stopped at the last minute.

"How did that go?" Bakugou asked, moving his hand to run through his hair instead. It was completely unnatural, but he hoped Todoroki didn't notice how disjointed the action was.

Todoroki looked disappointed for a moment, and Bakugou knew he had been caught.

"It was… better than I was expecting, actually," Todoroki said. "We're going to meet up next week and… talk."

Bakugou nodded and stared down in his lap. He took in a deep breath and counted to ten, thinking back to what his therapist had told him as well as his father.

"So… about earlier," Bakugou began, "I uh… I didn't mean to… Well, I mean, I was just—"

"Bakugou," Todoroki interrupted, placing a hand on Bakugou's shoulder. He jumped at the contact and stared right back at Todoroki. "It's okay. I'm not upset."

Bakugou swallowed, his face pulling into a wince. "But I crossed the line."

"Did you forget that I leaned in, too?" Todoroki said, making Bakugou snap his mouth shut. "Look, I… I know what your feelings are. Or… at least, I get the idea."

Bakugou felt his cheeks redden even more, and he turned his head away in frustration. This was so humiliating. How could Todoroki just come out and say that? Out loud?

This was the part where Todoroki was going to apologize, right? Tell him he was leaving because he wasn't going to be comfortable being under the same roof with him anymore. He blew it. He never should've let his feelings get in the way.

Damn it. When he was this close to getting a relationship that was genuine, he had to smash it to smithereens before it even began. Why was he such a screw up?

"Sorry," Bakugou said, deciding to beat Todoroki to the punch. "I'll, uh… I'll take the couch tonight." He stood to his feet and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "If you don't want to stay here, it's fine. I get it."

He started to walk off, his heart feeling heavy in his chest, but he felt Todoroki's hand grab onto his arm and yank him back down on the couch next to him. Bakugou looked at Todoroki in shock.

"Wh-Wha? Todoroki—"

"I don't want to leave," Todoroki said. "And I don't want you staying on the couch."

Bakugou frowned. "But you… You don't feel the same—"

"I don't know what I feel!" Todoroki said, exasperated. "But I know that what I feel for you is… different."

Bakugou quirked a brow. "Different?"

Todoroki nodded. "What I had for Izuku was something that I thought was love. But I'm… starting to learn that maybe it's not." His face flushed a little. "I'll admit, I'm confused about it all. But I don't want us to separate. I… I need your help in all of this. Please."

His eyes were shimmering as he stared up at Bakugou, his lips so kissable in the pale light of the room. Bakugou gulped, his resolve quickly fading. He sighed, knowing that he had lost.

Bakugou hoped that his heart wouldn't get broken during this.

He reached his arms around Todoroki and pulled him into a tight hug, squeezing him close to his chest.

"Fine. I'll help you figure out your damn feelings. And I won't kick you out, either," Bakugou said. "Only as long as you don't feel weirded out by how I feel."

"Weirded out? By you?" Todoroki said, reaching up to hug him back. "Never."

Bakugou huffed, pulling back from the hug, and he ruffled his hair, mixing up the two colors. "You little asshole! Was that sarcasm?!" he asked. "Since when do you use sarcasm? Who taught you that, hah?!"

Todoroki smiled at him and pushed his hand away, his hair a complete wreck but he still looked damn beautiful.

"You did," Todoroki said.

Bakugou smirked and folded his arms across his chest. "Damn right! Now up you get! It's bedtime and I'm ready to collapse."

Todoroki followed him to the bedroom. He stopped just outside of the bedroom door and took a deep breath, putting his hand to his chest to feel his heart. It was pounding away against his palm.

It was so similar to how he felt when he was with Izuku, and yet… something was different. There was this… spark that had ignited within him that made him want to dive in for more.

Was this…?

"Oi, Half 'n Half! You comin' to bed? Or do I need to tuck your ass in?"

Todoroki huffed out a little laugh, his lips curling into a smile that he had grown to be comfortable with.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."