"Alright, Dabs, what'll it be for the birthday boy?" Keigo asked.
Dabi bent his head down and stared deeply into Izuku's eyes. But within a few seconds, he declared, "Strawberry daiquiri."
"What?" Izuku asked. "How do you know I'll like - "
" - It's a gift," Kaminari said, shrugging. "Just go with it."
The seasoned alcoholic had been right. He loved them. Which was why he'd proceeded to drink three of them in an hour.
Bakugo's arms around his waist might as well have been an iron cage. He wasn't going anywhere. Which was a good thing because he doubted Izuku could walk properly anyway.
Between his small frame and nonexistent alcohol tolerance, Izuku was drunk by the time they hit bar number three. Bakugo carried him to bars four and five and six. Thankfully, bar number seven happened to be a karaoke place, which distracted everyone for the rest of the night.
Bakugo fed gyoza to Izuku one at a time, even though Izuku wanted to eat them all at once. It wouldn't reflect well on him if he brought Inko's son home completely trashed.
"AAAAAND IIIIIIIIIIIIII EEEEEE IIIIII WIIIIILL AAALWAAAYS LOOOOVE YOOOOUUU -OOOO-OOOO-OOOO-OOOOWAAAAHHH!" All the girls sang from the stage.
Tokoyami recorded their "performances" for future blackmail material. Kirishima sang along from his table. Kaminari passed out on a nearby couch, and Keigo watched as a finally tipsy Dabi waited in line to sing next.
Getting all eight girls off the stage after the song ended took a solid ten minutes. Then Dabi got up and talked to one of the band members.
"What's he doing?" Bakugo asked, who was stone-cold sober.
Keigo hiccuped. "Being...a….goddamn man...that's what he's...yeah…"
Dabi nodded and fist-bumped one of the guitar players before he handed him his six strong. Dabi threw the strap over his shoulder and walked up to the mic. "Hey all you beautiful people," he slurred.
"WHOOOO!" Everyone in the audience cheered.
"Yeah, exactly. You guys. I wanna dedicate this song to two people. A really awesome kid who turned twenty one today - "
Everyone cheered louder, hooting and hollering at a deafening volume.
" - And also the man I love BECAUSE I'M FUCKING GAY AND I HATE MY FATHER!"
"YEAH, YOU TELL 'EM, DABS!" Keigo screamed back. "FUCK YOUR DAD!"
Bakugo sighed with annoyance, rubbing his temples. "One more hour," he told himself. "One more hour."
"Here goes," Dabi said. He closed his eyes and strummed a chord. "I spill wine all on my white tee, bitches like me - "
" - Izuku, let's go," Bakugo snarled, trying to get him to stand.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Dabi slurred. "One sec."
Then, to Bakugo's shock, he started picking guitar strings.
And he sounded good.
"Mayday, mayday
The ship is slowly sinking
They think I'm crazy but they don't know the feeling
They're all around me circling like vultures
They wanna break me and wash away my colors
Wash away my colors
Take me high and I'll sing
Oh, you make everything okay, okay, okay (okay, okay, okay)
We are one and the same
Oh, you take all of the pain away, away, away (away, away, away)
Save me if I become
My demons
I cannot stop this sickness taking over
It takes control and drags me into nowhere
I need your help, I can't fight this forever
I know you're watching, I can feel you out there"
Take me high and I'll sing
Oh, you make everything okay, okay, okay (okay, okay, okay)
We are one and the same
Oh, you take all of the pain away, away, away (away, away, away)
Save me if I become
My demons
Take me over the walls below
Fly forever, don't let me go
I need a savior to heal my pain
When I become my worst enemy
The enemy
Take me high and I'll sing
You make everything okay
We are one and the same
You take all of the pain away
Take me high and I'll sing
Oh, you make everything okay, okay, okay (okay, okay, okay)
We are one and the same
Oh, you take all of the pain away, away, away (away, away, away)
Save me if I become
My demons
Take me high and I'll sing
Oh, you make everything (my demons) okay, okay, okay (okay, okay, okay, my demons)
We are one and the same
Oh, you take all of the pain (my demons) away, away, away (away, away, away, my demons)
Save me if I becooooooome
My deeeeeemooooons
As everyone clapped and applauded, Keigo made his way the front and pulled Dabi against him by his waist, making out with him. Dabi returned it, grabbing Keigo's ass.
"NOT ON THE STAGE, PLEASE!" The host yelled, trying to pull them apart.
"Thank you, Dabi!" Izuku yelled tiredly, starting to sober up.
Bakugo gave a nod of respect towards the stage, not that anyone saw it. Then he stood up and carried Izuku bridal-style to the car.
~.~
"That was fun," Izuku said tiredly, laying his head in Bakugo's lap as he drove.
Bakugo had one hand in Izuku's hair and the other on the wheel. "I'm glad you had a good time."
Izuku snuggled closer. "Can I...stay the night with you?" he asked quietly.
I want that more than anything, bunny. "I promised your mom I'd have you back."
"But I love you," Izuku mumbled. "And it's my birthday."
Bakugo almost crashed as a shock ran through his system. Every cell in his body was alive and dying all at once. "What did you say?" he asked hoarsely.
"I said I love you and it's my - " Izuku's eyes opened wide, as if he just realized what he said.
Neither of them said the words yet. Not that they weren't thinking it, or knew it to be true. But it was another matter entirely to hear it out loud, let alone in such a soft, gentle voice. A voice filled with affection.
Izuku's voice.
Suddenly fear gripped him like a vice, making it harder to breathe. That could be the alcohol talking. I shouldn't take it to heart.
Too bad he already did.
"Did I hurt your feelings?" Izuku asked. "When I danced with Uraraka?"
"We'll talk in the morning," Bakugo answered. "After the booze has worn off."
"I'm not drunk anymore, Katsuki," Izuku assured, sitting up. "Are you okay?"
His body stiffened with panic. "Of course I am, I'm just focusing on the road."
"Katsuki - "
" - We're almost at your apartment."
"You're not okay - "
" - Just drop it, Izuku - "
" - You don't believe me?"
"We're here."
"Katsuki, look at me!"
Izuku grabbed Bakugo's face and forced him to look at him. His red eyes were misted with unshed tears.
"Katsuki…"
Bakugo shoved his face into Izuku's chest and hugged him tightly against him. Desperately. "I don't want to give you back," he snarled brokenly. "I want you all to myself. Forever."
Izuku hugged him back, resting his chin on top of Bakugo's head. "Then steal me," he whispered. "Steal me away."
"I can't," Bakugo sobbed. Not yet.
"Then stay with me. Stay the night."
"I can't."
"Stay over."
"I...I can't…"
"Please."
Izuku pulled him out of the car. Up the stairs of his stoop. Along the stairwell. Crept into the dark apartment, holding Bakugo's hand. The whole way, Bakugo weakly protested, "I can't. I can't. I can't."
Izuku pulled him into his room and locked the door behind them. Then in the pitch dark, he undressed. After he was down to nothing but his boxers and stockings, he undid Bakugo's tie for him and unbuttoned his shirt. Not in a frenzied rush, like usual. But slowly and gently. Tenderly.
Izuku got under the covers of his single bed and held the blanket up for Bakugo to get in next to him. The tired, touch-starved, smitten bad boy was powerless to resist.
Bakugo snuggled under the covers and against Izuku's body with a sigh as deep as the Mariana trench. Izuku draped a leg over Bakugo's waist, holding him close. Together they listened to all the sounds in the building. Dogs barking. A couple fighting. Doors slamming shut. A baby crying in the middle of the night. Someone cursing and the sound of a smoke alarm going off.
As they lied there together, breathing in each other's air, falling asleep to the sounds of other people's lives, Bakugo knew.
He loved him back.