* mha: two heroes spoilersbr /
* some angst
Any idea about this trip being a holiday had been utterly destroyed by Bakugou's brutal schedule.
The world slowly filters in during their third educational exhibit of the day, looking down at a speaker from the stadium stands. Eijirou gives up on the complex concepts, instead blinking at the sugary drink in his hand.
"...I didn't buy this."
Bakugou snorts from the seat beside him, leaning on his fist as he focuses on the presentation. "Finally opened your eyes, Shitty Hair?"
"Yep!" Arching his arms over his head, he's surprised by how refreshed he feels. "Man, that was the best sleep I've had in ages."
"It was the worst night of my life." Bakugou mutters, glaring as Eijirou gently stretches next to him.
No terrible memory springs to mind and besides, knowing his friend definitely had worse nights takes the bite out of his words. "Sorry?"
Bakugou maintains his glare, waiting for Eijirou to catch on. When he doesn't, the blonde drops it with a grunt and focuses on the closing statements. Eijirou's own attention drifts to the rest of the expo.
Mt Lady Tower, a statue with chairs climbing to the summit before plummeting back down is an unmistakable attraction. Leaving the stadium, he spots a ride with spinning seats whipping around a tree called, Kamui Wild Woods.
"Why aren't we doing any of the fun things?" Eijirou whines as they pass all the exciting rollercoasters.
Bakugou marches ahead but spares him a confused look. "Good luck reaching the top, wasting time puking on stupid rides."
"Ha! I'm way too sturdy to get sick from-woah!" Cutting off with a gasp, he sprints to a run down stand with 'Crimson Riots Resolve' stamped on a faded sign. An old screen shows the retro hero's defining moments and the memorized words roll off his tongue.
"The chivalrous hero Crimson Riot arrives on the scene - but how will he defeat the villain in such a cramped civilian area?"
"The hell are you doing?" Bakugou asks, taking in the exhibit with a frown. He flicks a spring where a button had once been. "This shit is all busted."
Eijirou shakes his shoulder, entranced by the grainy helicopter footage. "Shh, this is the best bit!"
Crimson twists to prevent a sneak attack, his body glinting hard as granite - but the villain grabs on, throwing him towards a building. The weakened structure would certainly collapse with the thrown weight of the hero.
"It's going to fall." Bakugou calculates, drawn in.
"It's going to fall!" The news presenter and Eijirou announce, making the blonde roll his eyes.
The huge explosion of dust and metal never happens. Instead the footage focuses on a crumpled body, bleeding through a rugged red cape. Crimson had turned off his quirk to stop further damage, but it resulted in him suffering the full impact.
"It appears Crimson Riot decided to risk himself over those in the building, what chivalry!" Eijirou sighs wistfully as the screen fades to black. "So manly."
"How is that some great moment? The villain kicked his ass." Bakugou demands with a frown, jabbing the broken button to replay the video.
"Winning wasn't important to Crimson. As long as he could lessen the pain for others, he just kept taking the hits." Eijirou always admired that attitude and tried hard to let it shape him into a hero. "He never got super famous - but the people he saved will never forget him."
Bakugou burns his stare into the side of Eijirou's reddening face, embarrassed to have rambled about his favorite hero. "Crimson's kind of my idol." He offers bashfully, slipping his hand off Bakugou's shoulder. "What was next on your list?"
"Nothing."
"Huh? Didn't you have a plan-?"
"Nothing is on, so either choose a shitty ride or go die and let me sleep." Bakugou grits out the offer.
"For real!?" Eijirou exclaims and the blonde spins on his heel, fists stuffed into his pockets. He catches up with a laugh, slinging an arm around Bakugou's shoulders to steer him with a wide grin.
"Trust me man, you're going to like this one."
"Next to take on Might-Mountain is the winner of the UA Sports Festival, Bakugou Katsuki, and his friend!"
"It's lazy not giving you a solo intro." Bakugou huffs, adjusting the gauntlets over his bruised forearms.
Even though he's just annoyed at their names announcing together, it could be mistaken for caring. Eijirou smiles quietly as he gives an unbothered shrug, "At least they called me your friend."
"Then they're idiots who didn't do any damn research." Bakugou brushes off and glances at the redheads smile. He tips his head to the entrance. "Go warm the crowd up, so I can explode their expectations."
Eijirou laughs, bounding up the steps into the stadium to face his opponent. Might-Mountain is a massive sprawl of rock, its fractures hiding robotic villains at various heights. His hardened fists smash together, planning his route as the countdown begins.
"Three…two… one, go!"
Kicking off, he drives his hardened claws into the first villain.
Slicing through the shrieking metal, his unbreakable skin protects him from the burst of electrical sparks. His claws crunch into the metallic side, heaving himself up onto the higher rocky ledge. With a sprint across a precarious path, his hardened body slams past the next robot - it rocks in place, before tumbling down onto another below. Ripping off his shoulder gears, he flicks them discus-like into the remaining robots. His aim is nowhere near precise, but the brute force buries the projectiles into the whining machinery - Eijirou skids to a stop as the claxon sounds.
"Fifteen seconds!" The announcer cheers and the enthusiastic audience claps. "He's in eighth place!"
Huh, not bad.
Sliding down the rockface, he hops over to where Bakugou waits for the robots to be replaced. "Warmed up enough for you?" He grins, wiping the dust off his bare arms.
"I'll beat that score into the dirt, then you'll hear real applause." Bakugou boldly declares. His mask obscures everything but his determined eyes and threatening smile, somehow the sight skitters electricity over Eijirou's skin.
Bakugou strides past to take his place on the starting mark, his gauntlets turned behind him as he prepares to blast towards the first target.
"Three… two…one, go!"
Sparks stutter from Bakugou's palms. Shit, the repression sleeves must have messed up his quirk. The blondes jaw clenches in frustration and pain, palms turning white hot as he bursts away from the ground.
Avenging his faulty start, Bakugou makes every following explosion bigger and brighter than the last. True to his word, the audience gasps and covers their eyes against the blooms of light. Eijirou helplessly stares at the epicentre of the explosion, who grins wild and free.
"Eight seconds! He's in first place!"
Bakugou drops, his spiked shin pads gouging out the ground and his victorious gaze scans the crowd before landing on Eijirou.
He fell asleep threatening me last night. Eijirou's overheated thoughts pool together like a magma chamber. His hand can blast through solid steel and it was over my heart.
There's a new countdown happening and it's the number of steps separating him and Bakugou, except this time he can't plan a single thing. Look away, just, look away - abruptly turning to the stands, he wishes the heat away from his face.
An unexpected figure leaning over the railings makes him squint. From the long list of things he regrets, nothing would surpass his stupidity for shouting on the heels of Bakugou's victory -
"Is that Midoriya in the stands?"
"What the hell is his problem? Stalking me all the way here just to show me up!?"
Eijirou lunges to stop his grenade hitting the floor of the changing room, the pin narrowly avoiding being set off. The same can't be said for Bakugou, who's fury was beginning to burn anything in his attention.
"Midoriya got an invite, I don't know how but-" Eijirou's placating doesn't stand a chance.
"Bet his shitty quirk didn't need restraining sleeves on the plane. It's so weak, they would have asked twice if he even had a quirk." Bakugou's insults stream out, his sweaty hands scrabbling at his gauntlet. "Shit, he must have seen that starting fault - he'll write all about it in his stupid notebook."
"Dude, he didn't stalk you here to record your mistakes." Eijirou sighs, not understanding where his friend gets these ideas. "I mean, is that something you do in your hero notebook?"
The vicious red glare indicates he was not supposed to know about that and he kicks himself for the slip.
"Who told you?" Bakugou demands then rears back with a snarl. "Was it Deku? Spreading other people's secrets while he hides the biggest one-"
"Everyone has secrets, man."
Bakugou laughs sharply. "Even I'm an open fucking book compared to that damn nerd."
The cruelty and hypocrisy seeping from every insult, causes the frustration burbling in Eijirou's chest to spew out. "Come on, no secrets?"
If that was true, then he must have imagined Bakugou's refusal to talk about his mysterious doctor visits. He must have mistaken Bakugou being so shaken, that he allowed comfort.
Bakugou seethes dangerously. "It doesn't concern you."
Eijirou flinches back, hurt.
Even knowing his shaky reliability, it still stings to hear Bakugou doesn't trust him. What reason does he have to confide in me? Sharing a few moments of fear together didn't make them friends - Bakugou had even said that not long ago.
Whatever the blonde wants to keep sacred is not Eijirou's business and he won't pressure him out of his privacy - but the shifting hot coals inside his chest disagree. His insecurities and anger swirl together in a scorching heat, taunting him to lash out and repay the hurt.
Placing Bakugou's grenade down with care, he keeps his mouth firmly shut. The tense silence persists, as he quietly walks away from the scrutinizing red glare.
Tempting sun spreads over the grey block buildings, the hot air cramped with the sound of whirring fans. On the Kirishimas apartment balcony, a blissful breeze brushes past and two black haired boys itch to chase it down.
Eijirou's nose crinkles against his cousins cigarette, polluting the breath of fresh air. "Why don't you have to do this?" He complains.
"Auntie Aiko gave up on me a long time ago." Soga snickers, flicking his lighter as he stares out over the city. He's slightly older, at the age without so many rules. "Besides, it's not my dad that keeps making messes."
Eijirou's wince makes Soga laugh.
The door opens behind them and Emiko pokes her head out, sighing at the wasted sunny day and the cloying smell of smoke. "Ei, let's get it done."
"Still stuck inside?" Soga taunts. "Come into town with your sleeves - it's fun watching everyone freak out, thinking you've got some dangerous quirk."
Eijirou slips past his sister, leaving her to rally back biting remarks. He pads over the wooden floors to take the cushion opposite Aiko and, like the little brother he is, sells out immediately. "Emiko's fighting again."
"That better not be true!" Aiko bellows through the hall. The quick sound of a door closing and hurried footsteps makes him laugh, cut off when Emiko sharply elbows his stomach.
"Are you both ready? Then let's begin…"
Aiko had knuckled into her hot-headed kids the ability to defuse their anger - let the scorching coals inside their chest cool, so they could face their issues calmly. Eijirou's thankful for the lessons now, measuring his breaths and wandering with a slow pace through the café section of the expo. He sighs, realizing he'd slowed down waiting for a certain blonde to lead the way.
"Kirishima!" A bright voice calls.
Eijirou turns to catch Kaminari in a hug, laughing as the exhausted waiter flops forward. "Hey man!" He greets cheerfully, lifting his friend into a dizzying spin. "It's good to see you!"
"You too! But hey, put me down, I don't want the cute girls I'm serving to get the wrong idea." Kaminari whispers, gesturing over his shoulder to one of the tables. Eijirou doesn't have the heart to explain their lack of interest, setting his friend on his feet.
"Come get a free drink, on me." Kaminari offers and then glances down. "Dude, you're not going to get lost."
Eijirou hastily drops Kaminari's hand. "Sorry, it's a habit." He laughs off, his blush hidden in the cool of the café. He hops onto a bar stool and gratefully accepts an ice filled drink, slurping away as they chat.
"...then she says 'I've never heard of Chargebolt' and I say 'Didn't you see the Sports Festival!?' and she looks like she recognizes me and goes 'Nice try!'" Kaminari groans when Eijirou bursts out laughing. "She thought I was Sero - it's not fair. I bet you get recognized a ton more."
Eijirou swirls his straw, thinking of his plain performance. "Nah, I don't think you get recognized unless you're at the top." Kaminari looks put out so he squeezes his shoulder. "Don't worry, the hero work studies are soon. I'm sure Chargebolt will have a chance to stun us all!"
"I'm definitely going to charge you for that one." Kaminari snickers. "Maybe I can sneak off to the expo, try and learn something to get ahead y'know?"
"Dude, no." Eijirou rapidly shakes his head. "Bakugou dragged me to like a thousand this morning. If you get a break, just have fun."
"Where is he anyway?" Kaminari questions, clearing their glasses away.
Eijirou scrambles for a reason. "I… came to get food for us."
"When we're about to have a feast? You're pretty bad at lying." Kaminari squints suspiciously. "Woah, did you have a fight?"
"No! Nothing like that, it was a misunderstanding." Eijirou frowns when Kaminari looks like he has more to say. "What?"
"After Mina stopped being annoyed, she got really worried about you coming here alone with Bakugou." Kaminari twists his cleaning towel inside the glass, tilting his head. "It's like after Kamino, you guys got super intense and kind of left us out."
Nobody had called their friendship that before.
"We are a bit, um, intense." Eijirou admits. "But we're not some exclusive friendship! I'll totally make it up to you guys!" He promises earnestly, finding Kaminari's honesty to be manly.
Along the way, he'd forgotten his original intention towards Bakugou. He'd planned to help his friend feel less alone, but now they were both sulking separately. Resolve swells through the redhead, leaping up from the barstool.
They had arrived on the island as friends and Eijirou would ensure they leave as friends, too. Though, he should be more considerate about how their intense friendship comes across.
Waving a cheerful goodbye, a small seed starts to sprout inside Eijirou's mind.
Living life with no regrets made him bare his heart to the world - but his true manliness would only thrive when he could be honest about the desires of his heart.
Sprawled across his hotel bed, hands tucked under his blonde explosion of hair, Bakugou doesn't deign Eijirou with a welcome. The disintegrating red glare remains on the ceiling, as if planning to blast through the flimsy floors and into the sky.
Scrubbing the back of his neck nervously, Eijirou sinks onto the other bed. "It was really unmanly to poke at your privacy like that and… I'm sorry."
Bakugou evaluates his regret before returning his glare to the tiles above. "Whatever."
The tension disperses and he exhales in relief, shoulders dropping.
Leaning back, he discovers his completely dead phone. Aw, it won't charge in time for - in a whirl of motion, Bakugou reaches under his pillow and Eijirou scrambles for the missiles launched at him.
"You left them behind." Bakugou claims, disinterested.
It's the gears from his hero costume - Eijirou had completely forgotten them at Might-Mountain.
A warm buzz spreads through him, smiling in delight. "Thanks man!" If this was Bakugou's way of reaching out after an argument, then he'd happily take it. Hopping up to charge his phone, he tempts fate by teasing. "Not going to fall asleep before the party, are you?"
"Why would I want to go to some stupid party? It'll just be a bunch of old people I don't know giving speeches." Bakugou doesn't even open his eyes to reject the suggestion. "Sounds like a lame night to me."
Eijirou knows it's not his friends taste, but he's determined to get the blonde surrounded by cheerful classmates tonight. "But we could eat as much gourmet food as we want!" He bribes, heading to his suitcase.
"It's not like I brought any fancy clothes anyway." Bakugou dismisses, just as Eijirou finds two familiar hangers.
"Yeah, I thought you wouldn't." The redhead grins, pulling out the suits with a flourish. "So I brought some stuff!"
Bakugou stares, speechless, before snapping upright. "Why the fuck were you prepared!?" He shouts, leaping up to grab a fistful of fabric.
Eijirou wheezes at the priceless reaction, waving the suit out of Bakugou's grip like a red flag. "Come on, it'll be fun!" He keeps the jackets high above Bakugou's sparking palms, hardening his face against explosions.
Coughing on the caramel scent, he wafts away the smoke to pout at Bakugou. "Please?" He begs, holding out the rose patterned suit. The tussle had drawn them closer and his chest catches, witnessing the conflict on Bakugou's face.
The suit snatches away from his hands.
"Don't think I'm going for anything but the feast!" Bakugou rages, slamming the door on Eijirous' whoop of success.
Changing into his charcoal colored suit doesn't take long, but the red tie proves a challenge. He leans into the mirror, tongue poked out, before leaving it as a knotted disaster.
Bakugou appears in the reflection, adjusting the cuffs of his crimson red shirt. The explosions of white roses on his waistcoat really show his shredded form, the material perfectly tailored to his body.
"Woah." The exclamation draws Bakugous' attention, meeting his stunned gaze in the mirror curiously. "You look…"
"Don't say anything stupid if you want to live." Bakugou threatens, stepping beside him to loosen his own tie in disdain. His head tilts back so he can undo the top two buttons, freeing his neck. "What are you staring at?" The blonde demands, their shoulders brushing.
Be honest.
"Man, you just…look really nice." Eijirou admits and immediately breaks their gaze, red all the way to his roots. "Crap, we're gonna be late-"
"Wait."
Bakugou's hand stills over his chest, making him rock back. Nervously tingling from his admission, his whole body lights on fire when fingers skim around his neck to flick up his collar. The only sound over his pounding heart is the swish of fabric as Bakugou deftly twists and turns his tie.
"If you're going to wear my old man's design, at least wear it right." Bakugou murmurs, turning the collar down and ceasing the burning touches.
Eijirou goes to say something stupid but he's staggered silent when an intense red gaze falls to his lips. When no words form, Bakugou steps back with his hands slipped into his pockets.
"Thought we were late."
Not only were they late, they were also completely lost.
Wandering around endless, identical, corridors would have Eijirou's head spinning anyway if it hadn't been for the supercharged moment with Bakugou. The map to this maze had been abandoned on his phone as he'd rushed ahead, like an -
"Idiot." Bakugou comments.
"I know." Eijirou whines, then his body jerks backwards as Bakugou pulls sharply on his arm. At first, he thinks the blonde had started sparking his palms - but then he sees the loose cables and wires, ripped off a collapsed metal gate.
Alarm sweeps his other emotions aside, hardening his skin lightly. Bakugou clenches his fists to build up sweat and as one, they enter the arboretum.
Fluorescent lights gleam over the motionless foliage, the paved floor slick with water from a forgotten hose. "Pretty quiet for a party." Eijirou notes to Bakugou who nods, keeping cautious as they proceed.
Breaking out from the cover of plants, two hulking figures strapped with black utility gear face them down. Shit, they definitely don't look like security.
"Hey, we see you stupid kids!" The tallest one shouts nasally.
"What'd you say, bastard?" Bakugou shouts right back, even though there was no mistaking the insult.
The other villain with a deeper voice and larger mouth confronts them, "What are you two doing here?"
"That's what I want to know." Bakugou's tone taunts and Eijirou quickly stops his approach with a hand on his chest.
"Hey man, just leave this to me alright?" With no back up, no hero gear and no way to call for help, they should be avoiding a fight. He tries lying their way out. "We got lost looking for this party…could you point us in the right direction?"
"Don't lie to me or you'll regret it!" Screams the nasally guard, sending a huge wave of rippling air towards Eijirou at high speed.
"Watch out!" Bakugou snaps - but he's knocked backwards by a huge wall of ice, rearing up into a barricade. They turn to find Todoroki with a serious expression, lifting their hidden classmates out of harms way.
"The three of us can keep them busy." Todoroki's usual calm sounds fractured, his tone direct. "Villains have taken over the tower, so stay on your guard."
Shit, I thought it was two rogue villains but the whole tower…
"Shut up, I know that!" Bakugou shouts with his fists clenched, building up for a big explosion.
The villain had transformed into a huge purple form, crushing the ground as it lurches forward. Todoroki flicks out another barricade of ice - but it doesn't stop the villain and they scramble out of the way to avoid being trampled. Frost bites Eijirou's skin where he dives into a patch of ice, skidding before digging his hardened fingers in and sliding to a halt.
Jumping up, he watches in horror as the enormous villains' fist soars towards his crouched friend.
"Bakugou!" Eijirou yells.
Bakugou doesn't hear him - the fist descends faster.
Rushing in, Eijirou collides with Bakugou and knocks him out of the way. The full impact of the powerful fist slams into his rigid body and forces his feet out from under him - he catapults backwards, crashing through ice and brick.
"Kirishima!"
Awareness floats back in, the back of his head throbbing as if he hadn't hardened in time to prevent getting hurt.
"Kirishima!"
It sounds like Bakugou but the tone is all concerned, so Eijirou blinks between him and Todoroki. He instinctively tries reaching out to the blonde but finds himself stuck. "I can't move!"
Bakugous' tense expression flickers as he leans away, content that no real harm had occurred. "Just turn your damn quirk off, you idiot."
"Oh, right…" Eijirou laughs, letting his quirk relax so he can free his arms.
Todoroki climbs over the broken pieces towards him, helping to shift a heavy section of wall that'd fallen across Eijirou's legs. "I'm glad you are not injured." His calm manner had returned, a slight smile from the successful battle.
"Yeah, same to you guys!" Eijirou agrees, grabbing Todoroki's cool hand so he can haul himself out of the wreckage. He clamps the other boys shoulder gratefully as they carefully make their way back to Bakugou.
"Thank you." Bakugou says out of nowhere.
"Woah!" Eijirou trips forwards, totally shocked. Not only was it incredibly rare to hear those words from Bakugou, but he'd said it in front of two people . "Where did that come from? Don't worry about it!"
That makes the blonde snap around, fists clenched as if ready to fire more explosions. "I'm not worried!"
An alarm screams above them as the arboretum floods with aggressive robots, the intensity of their lights blinding. Cast in the red glow, all three hero students shake out their tired muscles and prepare to fight.
All Might and Midoriya had defeated the major villain, but the damage to the island was extensive. As the smoke and dust disperse, it becomes clear how much had been lost.
Eijirou has to be careful helping Kaminari, who'd overdone his quirk, among the sharp metal jutting through the broken building. The worn out class chose to check up on each other, before confronting the mess. Leaning back against a solid piece of wall, his adrenaline winds down as he appreciates all their hard work to defeat the villains.
Tiredly turning his head, he finds Bakugou staring down at their group. The stormy winds whip his blonde hair and the remains of his ripped shirt, but his red gaze is steady on Eijirou.
We won.
Bakugou grins victoriously and even through Eijirou's exhaustion, his heart thunders.
Every available hero was needed to help clear the island and Class 1-A had been more than willing to help. Their group had split up to cover both the evacuation of guests and the excavation.
Eijirou and Bakugou working together had already shoved aside a substantial amount of rubble to create pathways. Besides a few neat discoveries - like a massive Mt Lady statue head - it's mostly mindless and so, his thoughts wander.
A rock pings off his forehead. "You're falling behind."
"Sorry, just wondering where I'm supposed to go." Eijirou's hardened knuckles shatter the stone and he kicks the smaller pieces towards the rubble pile. "Aiko's not back yet and Mina's mad at me, so I don't think she'll let me sleep over. I could stay at my cousins but…" There's an uncomfortable twist in his gut at the thought.
"Then stay at mine." Bakugou offers and Eijirou's eyes widen as he quickly rejects the offer.
"No way - you and your family have done too much for me already, from this trip to the suits. It wouldn't be manly to keep relying on your kindness." Eijirou explains, shaking out his knuckles.
"Oi," Bakugou spins him around with a frustrated look. "Stop saying shit like that. I wouldn't invite a loser and I don't do pity, so take the offer already."
Eijirou glances at Bakugou's tight grip on his sleeve, feeling his friends frustration at his resistance. Nothing could stop the sinkhole of guilt, but he could take the help handed to him.
"Then… could I stay until I find someplace to go?" Eijirou is comforted by the instant answer, as if he only had to ask.
"Done."
Bakugou turns back to his section before Eijirou can get any words past his warm smile. As he wonders how he would begin repaying the kindness, a realization comes to him.
"Ha, you called me Kirishima like, twice today." He teases, even under duress it still meant a lot.
"I'm not heartless!" Bakugou snaps without turning, "I tried warning the wall that an idiot was about to crash into it."
Eijirou laughs brightly, catching the blondes flushed expression. "Just so you know, I wouldn't have minded if we didn't make it to the party. The only reason I wanted us to go is so that you could spend time with everyone… because I worry about you, too." He admits softly, smiling at the surprised shower of sparks.
Not expecting a response to his sappiness, he finishes cracking apart a big boulder. When it crumbles, he waves to Jirou and Momo working together in their own section.
"We don't need those extras."
"Hm," Eijirou checks the relatively small amount they'd cleared, given the task ahead. "The help could be pretty useful - oh." He looks at his friend in surprise, but Bakugou resolutely fires extreme explosions at the rock blockades.
This intense friendship thing is pretty difficult for him as well, huh?
"I really like just us hanging out too!" Eijirou emphasizes and Bakugou recoils in embarrassment. "But we shouldn't abandon our other friends."
Climbing on top of the boulder, he offers out his hand. Bakugou considers him for a long moment, before allowing himself to be pulled up. Grinning, Eijirou easily raises the blonde to stand beside him - he's glad there are times his friend could let go of his pride.
Together they survey the devastation.
Even after hours of clearing paths and countless pulled muscles, there didn't seem to be an end in sight. Eijirous' sigh of exhaustion makes Bakugou grunt in agreement.
Despite the hard work before them, it's a little less daunting when their twined hands squeeze together in a quiet encouragement.
Stay strong.
A/N: Thank you very much for reading this far! I hope you are enjoying the story :)