Alright guys! Here's chapter two! Updates will be every Monday and Friday! Let us know what you think!
CHAPTER 2
Kirishima grunted a little as he set one of the boxes down in his new apartment.
After going through all the, endless, paperwork they'd been officially licensed as an agency that specializes in teams. The idea had raised more than one eyebrow, but the government had readily accepted the new idea and had generously allocated them an area not far from UA.
He blinked as his phone rang and fumbled a little to pick it up, "Hey Midoriya!" He greeted happily, "What's up?"
"Kirishima!" Midoriya replied, "Congratulations on going pro! Shouto and I heard about you setting up an agency with Kacchan…"
"My lips are sealed Midoriya." Kirishima replied in amusement, "Bakugo's got one hell of a plan, but no matter what rumors you've heard I'm not saying a word until we're ready to open."
"Aw, that's no fun!" Midoriya laughed, not at all ashamed at having been called out, "But seriously, congratulations to both of you. We'd like to do something to celebrate if possible. D'you think Kacchan would be open to dinner or something?"
Probably not, but Kirishima wasn't going to say that outright.
"Midoriya you know how he is." He replied, "You'd have to practically get the whole class together to convince him it was worth his time. And anyway, we're both going to be really busy for the next few weeks as it is."
"Of course." Todoroki chimed in, alerting Kirishima that he'd been listening in, "Still, that might not be impossible. Tokoyami and some of the others are getting ready to go pro from what we've heard."
"If you can make it work by all means." Kirishima shrugged, "I'll try to talk him into it if you can. Until then, no promises."
"Understood." The two replied in stereo, which was vaguely terrifying, before Midoriya practically smiled through the phone, "We won't keep you from your work anymore Kirishima. Congratulations again!"
Kirishima smiled fondly as the call disconnected and tucked the phone away to head back down for another box. He blinked a little as he turned to find Bakugo lounging in the doorway watching him.
"Deku wants to fucking celebrate huh?"
Kirishima snorted a laugh, not surprised the blond had caught on or had been stealthily eavesdropping, "Yeah. And he was fishing for info on the agency. Though not real hard." He cocked an eyebrow, "You know he's probably going to actually get everyone together now right?"
Bakugo shrugged a little, "I won't mind." He replied, "It'd fucking save us a lot of trouble if we could scout that way."
"True." Kirishima agreed as he moved for the door and Bakugo moved to let him out, falling easily into step beside him as they headed down into what would become the heart of the agency. It was a little strange to think he'd be living with Bakugo on top of their own agency, but really it was their only option at the moment.
Best Jeanist had been extremely generous with Bakugo's final paycheck, much to his partner's rage, and it had allowed them to get a prime spot with room for expansion, but there was no way they could manage separate housing as well, so they'd converted everything but the top floor and kept that as their personal space.
It was easily one of the nicest places Kirishima had ever lived regardless.
"Speaking of scouting..." He said as he hefted another box from the moving van with his stuff in it, "I've already put some feelers out with Fatgum's help. He was thrilled with the idea of what we're doing so he promised to get us profiles of potential recruits for the price of letting him be the first to copy the idea once we go public."
He eyed Bakugo's thoughtful frown and shrugged a little around his box, "I didn't think you'd mind much since we'd still have the distinction of being first."
"What do I care?" Bakugo snorted after a moment of consideration. Kirishima watched his sharp eyes narrow and a crease formed between his eyebrows.
"We'll do it better than Fatgum anyway, he can jump on the bandwagon after the wheels have fallen off," Bakugo flashed Kirishima a vicious smile that gave him pause.
Kirishima spotted Bakugo grabbing another box, almost toppling over under the weight of it. He smothered a laugh as Bakugo centered his weight and glared murderously at the box in his hands.
"What the fuck is in here, an entire weight rack?" He demanded, giving Kirishima an outraged glare.
Kirishima this time couldn't smother the laugh when warmth filled his chest. It really was a few plates for his dumbbells when he worked out, but watching a swearing and cursing Bakugo drag it inside was just funny. Kirishima didn't dare offer him help.
Bakugo was hardly weak after all, he had a powerful back, shoulders and core thanks to his ability to withstand the force of his own explosions. He had powerful thighs and a strong lower body to throw his quirk around, but he was never meant to plant himself and take hit after hit. No he was an aerial fighter, and it was a necessity for him to be effective, however he was far leaner than Kirishima, capable of much more flexibility.
Not that Kirishima paid attention to such things...
His eyes fell over Bakugo's back as he carried the weights inside, taking the chance to make sure he didn't hurt himself carrying them in. Closely.
Kirishima told himself it was totally fine to watch Bakugo so intent, they were living together after all. Warmth brightened his cheeks, and Kirishima was grateful he was walking behind Bakugo.
The rest of the time was spent moving his stuff in from the moving van, Kirishima would unpack later once they got things rolling for their agency.
-::-
Three weeks later Kirishima was hovering somewhere between euphoria and total exhaustion.
They'd spent most of those three weeks getting the agency ready, and he honestly couldn't recall a time he'd been so busy since school. The paperwork and property had only been the first obstacle. Then had come modifying and kitting the place out, setting up some goodwill with their neighbors, and finding people to help run the place.
By both law and tradition, sidekicks helped pros run their agencies, but neither of them could really afford sidekicks at the moment, and had struggled to do things themselves until their old homeroom teacher had abruptly shown up at their door.
It seemed the rumors had spread like wildfire among the hero community that the two new pros were taking a somewhat radical approach to agency building and Aizawa had decided to do some digging. It was probably the least surprising thing to happen since Bakugo had invited him to dinner to discover the underground hero had shamelessly dug out their paperwork.
More surprising than anything was that the older pro had shown up with an offer of help.
He'd mercilessly organized his current homeroom class to assist them with the setup as a 'real life exercise' that had left him and Bakugo somewhat torn between wanting to refuse, sympathy for his students, and quiet awe at their teacher's level of sadism.
It was nothing new really, they had been subjected into doing this themselves while they were at UA, but surely the class was being punished for something if he'd saddled them with weeks of drudge work to be done in a single week?
Neither one of them had had the courage to ask though.
Once the dust had settled Aizawa had smirked at the final result and asked what kind of talent they were looking for. A question that had led to the man's sidekick, Shinsou, getting hired, and a veritable avalanche of applications from other sidekicks looking to go pro.
He was eternally grateful Bakugo had planned everything out to the last detail before starting this or he was certain they'd still be struggling with the deluge.
As it was he was half dozing off into his drink at the celebratory unveiling of their brand new agency: Zero Riot.
"You alright there Kirishima?" A bright voice asked and he blinked as he realized Jirou was grinning at him in amusement, "You look totaled."
"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to say stuff like that to your new boss." He teased back, "And I'd like to see you process two hundred some odd applications in less than two weeks without being tired."
"You know me better than that." She snorted back, "And I remember you back when you were still short. I think I have a hell of a lot more leeway than anyone else."
"I was never short thank you!" Kirishima gasped in mock indignation, "Midoriya and Mineta were the short ones!"
"True." Jirou conceded as she made herself comfortable next to him, "When do you think the business will start coming in now that we're open?"
"According to Bakugo we'll start patrols tomorrow. After that, we'll see." Kirishima shrugged, "We're still trying to organize teams, and until we start making money we can't afford to hire too many." He shrugged, "I imagine that'll change once our reputations grow."
A small commotion caught his attention and he looked up, half expecting to see Bakugo getting into it with Midoriya. Those two had slowly healed most of the hurts between them over the last few years, but it had been an uphill battle and they were still prone to butting heads at the drop of a hat.
It turned out to be nothing of the kind. Kaminari was attempting to drunkenly climb onto a table while a mortified Tokoyami dragged him back off. He snorted in amusement and absently scanned the place for his partner only to feel his heart stutter in his chest as Bakugo walked through the door.
Just like with the dinner, Bakugo had elected to dress up a little, and Kirishima was absolutely certain he'd never seen anything hotter in his life.
The time with Best Jeanist had done wonders for his friend's image, and he played the bad boy to perfection as he prowled in, smirking as he was aware of every eye on him. The utter bastard. He'd probably planned his entrance for exactly this moment too.
So much for thinking Bakugo would slouch in and sulk in a corner until Kirishima himself had to pry him from it.
"Hey pikachu, get off the fucking table that's not for your disgusting feet," Bakugo growled, his voice a low and husky tenor that made something in Kirishima squeak.
Bakugo was addressing the gathered heroes, his voice sharp and almost as unyielding as Kirishima's Unbreakable. He was certain it was going to be an offensive speech, but luckily everyone gathered around them already knew of Bakugo already.
Not everyone gathered was part of their agency though, for example Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida, who were here for the party. Courtesy of Kirishima's invitation.
Kirishima let his mind wander to Bakugo, whose rough voice was soft and attention grabbing. He really had changed over the years, with a strong jaw, wicked eyes and a smirk that promised quiet, dangerous things in the dark.
It was the same smile Kirishima had fallen for in high school. He couldn't help it. Bakugo was the very definition of manly, living life fiercely and with every ounce of passion fueling his body. He was strong, straight forward, and everything about him seemed to appeal to every part of Kirishima.
Kirishima mashed a hand to his cheek and sighed as he felt his skin prickle with warmth.
It was a dangerous thought to admit to himself, but after being best friends with Bakugo for so long, his crush had never abated. Sure, Kirishima had dated people before since he wasn't the type to pine without end, but it never lasted.
He thought he had been cured of his crush though.
Time and distance was supposed to be a cure to all that, right?
Well living with him in close proximity seemed to bring all of that right back to the forefront.
Damnit.
He managed to resist the urge to smash his head repeatedly against the counter as Bakugo talked, but it was a much nearer thing than he wanted to admit.
"Well that's a look I haven't seen in a while." Jirou muttered in an undertone, a knowing smirk on her lips, "I didn't know you were still carrying a torch."
"Shut up." He hissed back, "It's not like that."
Except it was, and when Bakugo's gaze landed on him there was something in it that sent a bolt of electricity shooting down his spine and straight to his groin.
He was in so much trouble.
The moment was broken as Iida enthusiastically congratulated them on their inspired idea, but the sensation lingered for far longer than Kirishima wanted to admit.
Thankfully his time working with Fatgum had taught him how to smile and nod even when he was five seconds away from passing out in exhaustion, and he shamelessly called on the skill as he worked through the congratulations with a grin that was totally honest if somewhat tired.
That was his part of the job after all. Handling the people. Not just the ones who worked for them, but all aspects.
Mercifully, their friends were sensitive to just how grueling the last few weeks had been, and that they would be starting official duties the next day, so the party didn't last much longer before they broke it up and headed home.
"I think that went well." He commented as he and Bakugo walked back, "Rumor has it the entire hero community is buzzing openly about us now that we're open." He flashed his friend a grin and tried not to think about how very nicely Bakugo's clothes fit, "Looks like we turned everyone on their ear."
Bakugo only grunted back in response, his face as unreadable as ever. There was a tiredness around the corners of his eyes that betrayed his exhaustion. Even with every detail planned out to its last nuance, Bakugo was just as worn out. After all he had taken care of all the mindless administrative stuff Kirishima would never be able to focus on.
They made their way back to their agency, and by extension their home. Together they walked back in comfortable silence, heading up the stairs.
Kirishima immediately gravitated towards the couch and collapsed there, even when Bakugo made a noise of complaint.
"Hey Hair for Brains, don't sleep there. Your back will get all knotted up for patrol tomorrow," Bakugo growled, but Kirishima only whined back at him.
"Just five minutes Bakugo," he wheedled, and his partner snarled something under his breath.
"Whatever, do what you want," Bakugo drawled back as Kirishima closed his eyes. Just for a minute, he told himself.
He heard Bakugo depart the room, the sounds of his feet plodding quietly against the floor echoed in his mind. Distantly he heard the shower turn on, but the noises came slow and fuzzy in his mind.
-::-
A burning mouth was pressing along his jaw, flashing eyes seared against his skin, and hot hands dragged over his chest. Kirishima felt the touches rattle against his soul.
Legs were tangled together, arms wrapped around one another as a familiar head of blond hair filled his vision.
"Eijirou.."
Bakugo was settled on top of him, rough hands mapping out every sensitive vulnerability on Kirishima's body with an expertise that left him breathless. His hands buried into his red hair and Bakugo leaned over him, sharp teeth punishing into his ear.
"Eijirou," He groaned like the sweetest of chorus and Kirishima wanted to drown in that lust roughened voice, dripping with temptation.
"Kirishima"
The voice came firmer, this time with a familiar, rougher edge to it.
"Get your ass up!" Bakugo's hand yanked at Kirishima's tie, ripping him from his sleep and snapping his attention towards him.
Kirishima gasped as the dream filtered away as swiftly as it came, the cool forest floor falling away to the cushions of the couch he had stupidly fallen asleep on.
His eyes landed on Bakugo, attractive, unreachable, perfect Bakugo, who was scowling at him with the blazing fury of a thousand dying suns and not the desire found in a gas station pulp novel.
"What did I tell you about sleeping on the couch?" Bakugo snapped at him.
It was then Kirishima realized that Bakugo was in a crazed state of undress and black makeup smeared across his eyes.
"Uh?" He responded dumbly.
"There's a villain attack in downtown! Get your ass up idiot and get dressed, we've got to move!" Bakugo snapped and walked away without hesitation.
Kirishima didn't stay long enough to see him go.
After so many emergencies at school and later with Fatgum he'd long since learned how to go from sleepy to high alert in seconds. He rolled off the couch and sprinted for his room where he all but dove into his hero costume before rushing back out the door.
"What do we know?" He asked crisply as he tugged a sleeve into place, "And how far away are we?"
"About three blocks, and I have no fucking idea." Bakugo growled, "Deku was the one who sent the fucking alert to everyone."
Shit. That was bad.
Midoriya had gotten a lot better about calling for help ever since their first training camp, but he and Todoroki were a hell of a team. If this was something those two not only couldn't handle, but were calling everyone in for, then they were probably heading straight into a disaster.
He silently prayed that there wouldn't be any Nomu, or anything similar, as they sprinted out into the night but his hopes quickly sank as he caught the telltale flicker of fire lighting the night air.
Whatever was going on it was either on a League of Villains scale, even though the League had been destroyed in their third year, or someone with an extremely dangerous quirk. Neither option was particularly attractive.
The answer, it turned out, was even more bizarre.
The entire area had been destroyed, but it wasn't from the villain. It was from Todoroki.
"Damnit Deku!" Bakugo roared once they arrived, "What the fuck is IcyHot doing?"
"It's not him!" Midoriya cried back, "He faced off with the villain and suddenly went down! Somehow the it's affecting him and he lost control of his quirk! I can't calm him down and deal with the villain at the same time, and there are civilians trapped in these buildings!"
"Right." Bakugo growled, "You deal with fucking IcyHot. Red Riot and I will deal with this asshole. Tell Earphone Jack to start rescue when she gets here. Got it?"
"Got it." Midoriya replied and shifted his attention to calming his hysterical boyfriend down.
Kirishima hardly spared them a glance, trusting Midoriya to be able to handle things from there, as he prowled up next to his partner, "Plan?"
"Blow his fucking face off." Bakugo snarled murderously, "His quirk probably works on eye contact. Like some kind of fucking mind control. If the fucker can't see he can't use it. Follow my lead and don't look him directly in the eyes."
It made sense too. Todoroki was a long distance fighter, one that complimented Deku's close combat. Any quirk that required being fired off would be easily deflected with his ice or flames.
But eye contact... Kirishima was awed as always by Bakugo's quick analysis on the little information he was provided.
Kirishima sprinted after Bakugo, the others explosions rocketing him through the air. He spiraled out of sight, leaving Kirishima to handle the groundwork.
Todoroki had made one hell of a mess to be sure, but it seemed like it infuriated Bakugo even more.
The only one who was allowed to mess with his fellow pros was Bakugo.
The villain whose quirk was causing all the damage was nearby, another pro with a strength quirk smashing rock and concrete to pieces. Kirishima swore as the hero wailed and cried, much like an infant throwing a temper tantrum. And for a pro hero, that was bad.
"Crap!" Kirishima stopped, twisting around and pivoting to change trajectory. He ran after the pro who was smashing up an area with civilians, hurtling himself towards the man and sending him out of the way.
Swearing up a storm and knowing he had to prioritize rescue over fighting, he planted himself in front of the bawling, angry hero and activated his quirk.
"Get to safety, I'll take care of this big guy no sweat!" Kirishima slammed his fists together with a bright smile, reassuring the civilians.
The hero didn't stop though, coming at Kirishima with all the unbridled rage of a toddler.
"Come on man! Snap out of it!" Kirishima grunted at him, holding steady as the hero attempted to break him. Not a chance.
He wouldn't break.
Not with civilians trying to evacuate and a villain on the loose. No, Kirishima refused to crumble.
He gripped onto the hero's hands, forcing him back with a strangled snarl of his own locked firmly with him to buy the others time.
At least that was the plan.
"Oh my, another hero to add to my collection?" A voice asked, unfamiliar and sickeningly sweet. Kirishima kept his eyes locked forward on his current opponent, feeling with cold certainty that this villain was going to suck dealing with.
Bakugo's voice rang in his ears, not to make eye contact with him.
But damn if that wasn't proving hard already when Kirishima was locked in an arm wrestling match with another pro.
"Not going to say anything to me? That's pretty rude for a hero," the man purred to Kirishima, inching in closer to him, "look at me."
Kirishima refused, pushing the hero back another step, baring sharp teeth.
He felt the sharp point of a knife trail along his side, useless against his tough quirk.
"You expect that to work?" Kirishima demanded, focusing on his task.
"I suppose not, but I could just kill one of these civilians instead. One of them will surely look at me," he whispered into Kirishima's ear.
Ice settled hard and cold in his stomach, self-doubt filtering through over his inability to protect these people when he just couldn't move. He ground his fangs together, knowing the villain had no real interest in the innocents. Only the heros.
How many pros did he have under his control, or had been reduced to this state? This pro didn't look like he was following commands, just acting out of childlike rage.
The villain was stepping back from Kirishima now, his gaze locked on the side of his face. He couldn't let this villain make him lose control like that, it would spell disaster for anyone who came near him or his dangerous quirk.
Instinctively, Kirishima knew the villain was taking strides towards the civilians, and his head turned to stop him.
Only for him to notice the villains back was towards him.
"Hey you babysitter reject, that's my partner!"
And Bakugo, explosive, angry Bakugo, was rocketing in front of the villain with his hand extended outwards towards his face. An explosion fired off around their bodies, blowing up a cloud of dust to serve as a smoke screen.
Kirishima used that moment to slam his skull into the hero's he wrestled with, knocking him out with a shouted apology.
He herded the civilians who had previously been frozen with terror to safety.
Once they were in the safe zone, where Midoriya was coordinating rescue and relief while a furiously blushing Todoroki put out his fires, he turned back to the explosions sounding from within the dust cloud.
"Is that everyone?" He demanded despite his itch to rush back in and help his partner.
"Yes!" Jirou panted, her earlobes plugged into the ground, "All the civilians have been evacuated and Shouto is clearing the fires. Ambulance and fire crews are on the way."
"Good." Kirishima growled, "Stay here and coordinate relief with Deku. I'm going to go help Ground Zero out."
"You got it!" She acknowledged, but Kirishima didn't waste time looking before he dove back into the cloud, the itch to help heightening into an outright demand. Bakugo's blasts had gotten more frequent and less precise, which could only mean his partner was having a hard time landing a hit on the slippery bastard. Whoever this villain was he was definitely not an amateur, and that made him twice as dangerous.
He squinted against the dust as it enveloped him and rushed towards the epicenter, his ears sharp for both his partner and the villain, "The civilians have been cleared!" He called, "And the police have set up a barricade!"
It was a risk, he knew, telling them both that information, but it was one they had to take. Bakugo was still developing communication and signaling codes for the teams, and without being able to see there was no way Bakugo would've known.
"Oh such a pity..." The villain's voice crooned, disturbingly close by, "I had hoped to play for a little longer. I quite like your quirks."
"You're not gonna be playing anyone asshole!" Bakugo raged as a much larger blast rattled the ground, "Red Riot! Shield and Sword!"
"You got it!" He called back and smirked wickedly as he pushed his quirk to his maximum and dropped into a slight crouch. This was one of their older techniques, from back in their school days, but that didn't make it any less effective.
He would settle his weight and become an immovable rock for Bakugo to use as cover while his partner unleashed hell on their opponent. Or, as in this case, he would become a battering ram to charge in whatever direction Bakugo indicated. Risky perhaps with the dust in the air, but it was their best option.
He felt a gloved hand on his shoulder weighted by the familiar shape of a bracer Kirishima could recognize anywhere, even with all the dust around.
"Close your eyes," Bakugo grunted into his ear, his warm, raspy voice coiling warmth through Kirishima. At once he obeyed, knowing instinctively what his partner was about to go.
The explosion that went off next created an updraft that blew the dust away. That was not why Bakugo had him close his eyes.
The next one that went off burned the backs of his eyelids, and the intensity of the light from Bakugo's light grenade would be enough to blind anyone.
Snapping his eyes open, Kirishima noted the way Bakugo's own eyes were screwed shut to avoid being blinded by his own attack. The villain let out a shout of pain and he lashed out with a knife blindly, aiming to drive it into the meat of Bakugo's side. Kirishima was faster though, prepared. If Bakugo was the sword, than Kirishima was the shield and he snapped his arm around Bakugo. The knife drove point deep into Kirishima's hardened arm, the sound of metal twisting harmlessly away was enough for Bakugo to smirk and snap his eyes open.
He threw his hand forward, blasting the villain backwards with such impressive force that Kirishima might have fallen a little more in love with Bakugo. Talk about manly.
Kirishima released his quirk and gave Bakugo a thumbs up, who sighed and straightened. It would be hard for anyone other than Kirishima to notice, but Bakugo was flexing his fingers through his gloves, working feeling back into then. They were shock absorbers, but he had seriously worked himself overtime making all those explosions earlier.
Deciding not to comment on it, Kirishima approached the villain they took down, "Lets restrain him and get a visor on this guy."
His eyes were on Bakugo, so Kirishima didn't notice how the villain twitched, his eyes slowly opening behind his lashes. All Kirishima became aware of was Bakugo's suddenly frantic face as he pushed Kirishima to the side.
There was a slice of some red and wet that went through the air, and Kirishima went still and shocked when he saw Bakugo's body go rigid. There was a flash of silver in the villains hand, who hadn't gone down for as long as Kirishima expected.
He couldn't see Bakugo's injury, but he could see the shake in his partners forearm as his eyes instinctively, and by instinct alone, snapped into the face of his attacker.
Before Kirishima could speak, to scream for him to close his eyes, a shimmer of white light curled over Bakugo's body and he was releasing the villain.
There seemed to be a shift in Bakugo's shoulders, as if something was causing his body to seize up. His hand clenched, an explosion rocketing off and sending up an obscuring dust cloud into the air.
The sound of the villain laughing as he made his escape rang in Kirishima's ears, but he paid him no mind. He raced towards Bakugo, where he could just make out the shape of his bent shoulders through the smoke.
"Ground Zero!" He shouted, dread pooling in his gut. If he had to fight Bakugo like he did that other hero, things were going to get messy.
But when the smoke cleared and Bakugo looked up at him with confused, but startling clear eyes, he let relief pulse through him for one second.
Until he saw what he was wearing.
Bakugo was shirtless, his built chest on display for Kirishima to gawk at, only a few beaded necklaces baring sharp fangs hanging against his skin.
A cloak was wrapped around his shoulders, a thick, fur cowl likely the only thing meant to keep him warm. There was a sharp, wildness in his eyes that was all too familiar, but tempered into a cutting edge like steel.
"Bakugo, are you okay? Man don't scare me like that!" Kirishima approached him hesitantly, not sure if his partner really was okay. Not with how he was suddenly dressed.
Bakugo stood up at his approach, standing tall and powerful like always. He said nothing, but he took two long strides forward to close the distance between them. A smirk was yanking at the corner of his lips, scarlet eyes practically glowing with inner flame. Kirishima felt his heart just stop in his chest entirely.
Bakugo's eyes swept over him, silently assessing and cataloguing, before he seemed to see something he liked.
In one motion, Bakugo reached up, his hand snapping around the back of Kirishima's neck and dragging him face forward. For a second, Kirishima thought his partner was going to scream in his face for letting the villain go, or not paying close enough attention-
Bakugo's lips found his.
In one soul shaking moment, Kirishima forgot how to breathe.
