a feeling like hot chocolate

by ClTRlN3

His date won't be coming. This shouldn't be surprising. In fact, his brain should have already been clued in to this scenario as early as the first thirty minutes wherein the seat in front of him still continues to be unoccupied. Except, he hadn't caught on that this would happen. And, for that, he paid the price for it dearly.

5. Chapter 5

"Sorry for the intrusion." Kirishima chimed, once they had reached the blond's apartment.

"Make yourself at home." Bakugou mumbled out, toeing off his shoes and placing the groceries he bought over the kitchen countertop.

The redhead followed his friend's suit, slipping off his footwear and walking inside past the doorway of the other's apartment.

His eyes wandered over to scan the place— which appeared to be as neat and meticulous as one might have expected from someone like Bakugou. Not to mention, his home appeared to be bare, devoid of much furniture aside from a sofa and a table which has some books placed on top of it. Upon closer inspection, they are Chemistry books, the blond's major, as he had discovered during one of their past conversations at the coffee shop.

" 'The fuck are you gawking at?" Bakugou walked over to him, a hand on his hip and a brow raised in confusion at the redhead's passiveness.

"Nothing. I was just looking around. You have a really cool place, man!"

"Hah?" Bakugou then remarked. "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just like any other fucking home."

"Oh, c'mon!" Kirishima playfully nudged his friend on the arm. "Just take the compliment, man."

"Tch. So, you hungry or what?" Bakugou deflected the subject to question him.

"Yeah. I am." He found himself answering a bit more enthusiastically than he had intended to, and blushed a bit at that. He couldn't quite help himself though; He's starving, after all.

"Wait here."

"What, why?" He quickly grabbed his friend's retreating arm, and was graced with an annoyed glare in return.

"Are you stupid? I need to fucking cook first. The food can't be made by itself." Bakugou explained exasperatedly though he didn't make any move to tear the redhead's grip on his arm.

"I can make it with you!" He released his hold on the other's arm to turn him around to face him.

"No way!" Bakugou huffed and began to walk away from him, towards the kitchen. "You said it yourself, you don't know how to cook a single thing!"

"Bro, don't be like that!" Kirishima argued, reaching to grab the other's arm again. "You can teach me."

"Forget it." Bakugou scoffed. "I'm not going to do something so difficult when I can fucking cook the food myself."

"Bakugou."

"What?" Bakugou gritted out in irritation and turned around, only to halt midway because well-

Kirishima had unleashed the full force of his puppy dog eyes at the blond. "Bakugou, please…. Do it for me, bro."

"Ugh, fine," Bakugou turned his head away from the redhead, a blush etching its way over to his cheeks. "But you better not make too much mess or I'm kicking you out!"

"Aye!" Kirishima raised his hand over his head in a mock salute, following Bakugou into the kitchen.
```

"The beef is fucking getting burned!" Bakugou growled as he yanked the spatula away from the redhead to try and salvage the piece of beef they had been cooking.

"Shit. I messed up." He bowed his head in shame. "Maybe insisting to cook with you isn't exactly the best idea."

"Look." He raised his head at Bakugou's soft tone of voice, who now seemed incredibly awkward as he continued to say. "I'm shit at this whole comforting thing or whatever, but it ain't your fault."

"Dude, I was the one who almost burned the beef."

"Idiot, what did you expect?" Bakugou chided lightly. "You're just starting out. It's only fucking natural to make a mistake."

"I-You're right!" Kirishima said, determination coursing through his veins, and he bumped his fists together as he declared "But I swear that you can count on me! I won't let the same mistake happen again!"

"Damn right." Bakugou grinned and that was enough to send his heart into overdrive; beating so incredibly swiftly to the point where he's afraid that he might run out of heart beats.

"So, what's next, bro?" He managed to asked after his rapid heart beat had slowed down somewhat back to its normal state.

"We'll cut these vegetables." Bakugou replied, taking the vegetables and turning the nearby faucet on to wash them.

He stood with bated breath; hoping that he would not mess up again, while he waited for the other to finish rinsing the vegetables.
```

It turns out that he did not mess up again.

After all, how can he when he could barely find it within himself to move or even focus- with the presence of Bakugou lingering just behind him? It certainly doesn't help matters that the blond is standing right behind him, almost breathing down on his neck; just by his sheer proximity alone- A fact made worse by how their heights are nearly identical. To make things worse, his friend also has his hands near his, from its place beside the chopping board.

As such, he now found himself in his current state; flustered and paralyzed.

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for?" Bakugou grumbled impatiently, and he could sense that the other is sending him even if he couldn't exactly see the blond's face, from his current position.

"N-Nothing. I was just nervous is all." Somehow, he was able to get his hand to move and start chopping the Lettuce with the knife.

Kirishima was managing quite well until, out of nowhere, a hand moved to rest on his to guide him to cut the Lettuce more evenly. His heart fluttered at the sudden touch, beating wildly against his chest as the air in the kitchen suddenly got hotter.

"Do it like this." Bakugou's voice sounded out collectively, which also happened to the opposite of what Kirishima is feeling right now.

He could feel himself on the verge of passing out just by how Bakugou's hand is clasped tightly to his.

Does Bakugou even know what he is doing to him?

"You good?" Bakugou let his grip on his hand slacken, much to his slight relief as he could now breathe a little easier.

He nodded, not really trusting his voice to speak at the moment. With his mind slightly more coherent, he began chopping the Lettuce in the way he was guided to. "Am I doing it right?"

"Yeah." Bakugou's voice was soft, gentle almost as he then said "Good job."

His cheeks burned with a bright blush, burning nearly as red as his hair, at the praise. For what might seem like the millionth time, butterflies swarmed around his abdomen.

"Chop this next, Shitty Hair." Bakugou gestured over to the nearby Chili pepper he had placed on the countertop.

"Dude, are you crazy?" Kirishima turned to shoot his friend with a bewildered expression on his face. "If we put that on our food, it would be too spicy!"

"What, you can't handle the spice?" Bakugou challenged with a smirk.

A fire lit itself within him at the blond's challenge, urging him to meet it head on. And so, that's exactly what he did. Bumping his fists together for the second time that day, he met the other's gaze with a bright grin. "Bring it on!"
```

"Fuck!" The sound of expletives brought him to attention.

Bakugou had sent him to fetch some eggs from the living room refrigerator, so his friend had taken over with watching the food in the meantime.

When he arrived to the scene, he spotted Bakugou who is now clutching his finger as he winced in pain.

"Bakugou, are you okay? What happened?"

"Ain't it obvious." Even in this situation, Bakugou still found it in himself to be snarky. "I cut my damn finger."

He acted quickly, yanking Bakugou forward and towards the faucet. Under the running water, he cleaned Bakugou's wound.

Bakugou grimaced at the water striking his wound though he seemed to relax slightly when Kirishima squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "It's gonna be okay."

When the wound was washed off and cleaned with soap, the redhead searched for a first aid kit until he found it on a cabinet nearby.

Kirishima applied antiseptic on the wound and started bandaging it. For the first time in a long while, he is thankful for his major. As a student majoring in Kinesiology, he has some knowledge when it comes to bandaging which he is grateful for, especially in this kind of situation.

"Thanks…" Bakugou muttered out once the redhead was done bandaging the cut.

It was then that Kirishima did something completely out of impulse-

He grabbed Bakugou's hand with the injured finger, brought it by his lips and laid a small kiss on the wound.

"I-Idiot, what are you doing?!" a flustered Bakugou roared, a blush tinting his cheeks.

Shit. He messed up. Now he made things really awkward and Bakugou might never want to talk to him again. Quickly, Kirishima starting thinking of any possible answer to salvage the situation.

Apparently, his mind decided that the best response would be "Kissing it better."

He mentally facepalmed himself at that reply, and waited for the explosive reaction from the blond-

Only for it to never come.

Instead of reacting explosively, Bakugou kept his lips sealed shut as the blush on his cheeks grew more and more prominent.

"Bakugou?" He gazed at the other in concern, as Bakugou turned his face away from him. "Does the cut hurt that badly?"

"I'm fine." Bakugou muttered before turning his attention back to the food they were cooking. "Let's just get this over with."

"Right!"
```

The results of their cooking turned out great albeit spicy.

While Kirishima was able to swallow the beef, he had to down many glasses of water to even make it out alive.

"T-This is good!" He said through his cheeks full of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Bakugou admonished, a look of disgust making its way on his face.

"Sorry, sorry. I just got too excited because this-" Kirishima gestured over to the beef and vegetable stir fry in his bowl. "Tastes really amazing. You did an amazing job, man."

" 'The hell are you talking about, dumbass?" Bakugou scoffed. "Did you forget that you also did part of the work?"

"Yeah, but you were the one who carried me through it."

"I know that you are an idiot, but not to this fuckin' extent." Bakugou grumbled, setting down his chopsticks as he said "Who was it that did the majority of the chopping while I was paying attention to the beef?"

"Uh, me I guess."

"And who was the one who took charge and bandaged me up when I cut my finger?"

"M-Me."

"So don't you dare say that you didn't fucking do anything." Something about Bakugou's words struck a chord within him. He hadn't even noticed the tears that started welling up until wetness filled his vision.

Kirishima rubbed the tears that had gathered with his hand. It was then when he was suddenly overcome by many feelings that dawned upon him.

Gratitude happens to be one of them. And so, he turned to the blond and smiled a bright smile as he called out "Bakugou."

At the call of his name, Bakugou whipped his head around to face him in question especially when the redhead didn't say anything. Then, there was a sudden pressure on the blond's cheek as Kirishima had pecked it lightly.

"Thanks."
```

Since it was getting late, Kirishima decided to head home and Bakugou had chosen to accompany him to the bus stop.

The silence is almost suffocating, to say the least.

Neither of the two had even said a word to each other from the moment they left Bakugou's apartment, and it remained that way up even up to now- When they are now halfway through the way to the bus stop.

However, the sudden awkward atmosphere hadn't started from there. Rather, it's always been present the moment Kirishima had pressed his lips onto Bakugou's cheek.

Finally, after a few more minutes of non-descript silence, Kirishima decided he had enough. He whirled onto Bakugou with a look of irritation. "Dude, what gives?"

"Hah?" Bakugou had the audacity to look confused. "What the fuck are you even on about?"

"You've been giving me the silent treatment since I kissed you on the cheek," A twinge of hurt found its way over to Kirishima as he continued "If you hate it so much, the least you can do is tell me the truth."

"I don't fuckin' hate it." Bakugou argued. "Don't put words on my mouth when it's not even the fucking truth."

"Really?" Kirishima questioned skeptically, his tone remaining unconvinced. "Then why didn't you say anything about it? Even back at the convenience store, before you invited me to your apartment; you never said anything about what I had admitted."

"It's because I was fucking flustered!" Bakugou exclaimed, clenching his uninjured hand as he released his emotions. "I'm not used to what I feel for you, so I didn't know how to react when those situations happen and I didn't wanna scare you away with whatever I fuckin' say."

"And what do you feel for me?"

"This is what I feel for you." The words fell from Bakugou's mouth and Kirishima didn't even have the time to blink, before there are lips descending upon his as their lips mashed together.

Bakugou's lips are soft and inviting, which he tried to reciprocate with the same fervor as he kissed Bakugou back just as passionately.

However, much to Kirishima's dismay, the kiss ended much more quickly than he would have liked.

Still, it didn't fail to leave him breathless and red-faced when Bakugou pulled away to ask " 'That enough of an answer for you?"

"Depends." Kirishima smiled cheekily. "You'd have to kiss me more if you want to find out."

Bakugou merely smirked at him then, not really saying anything else as he surged forward to kiss Kirishima for the second time that evening.

He smiled into the kiss, savoring the feel of Bakugou's lips meshing into his own and how it made him feel a multitude of emotions in the span of only a few seconds.

It's certainly a good feeling to experience- The feeling that everything will be okay and all is right in the world; a feeling so much like hot chocolate.
```

One week later:

Kirishima wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, which in hindsight is a bad idea in its own; as he would soon come to find out.

Classes had run late, so there isn't much time until the scheduled meeting he has with Bakugou at the coffee shop.

In his haste, he had accidentally collided with another figure and they both toppled to the ground, as a result.

"I'm so sorry. I was in a hurry because I wanted to see someone in the coffee shop and I wasn't watching where I was going." The person he bumped into, a green haired guy with freckles, stammered out.

"Nah, you don't have the apologize, man. I was the one who bumped into you." Before the green haired boy could protest against what he said, Kirishima quickly interjected "Hey, wait, did you say something about a coffee shop? "

"U-Um, yes. I'm heading over to UA coffee shop."

"Want me to walk you the way there? I'm actually planning on going there as well." Kirishima offered, and then he added upon seeing the other's hesitant look. "I insist, dude. It's the least I can do for running into you."

The guy still seemed to be a bit hesitant, though he did agree to the offer. Eventually, they started making their way to the coffee shop and conversation flows as they start introducing their names to each other.

Somehow, for some reason, the name Midoriya Izuku sounds really familiar yet he couldn't put a finger as to why. But then, realization seeped in and he managed to crack the mystery-

"You're Uraraka's boyfriend." At his conclusion, Midoriya's face got so red that he looked as if he's about to combust anytime soon. "You okay there, bro?"

"Y-Y-Yes I'm the boyfriend, I mean- Yes, I'm fine I-" Midoriya sputtered and Kirishima chuckled a bit at that.

"Geez, calm down, down. Guess Uraraka wasn't kidding when she said you get rambly a lot." He placed a hand on the other's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"She talked about me?" It appears that the mere mention of his girlfriend was enough to calm Midoriya down and bring a fond smile to his face.

It floored Kirishima- how much in love Midoriya seemed to be; how his eyes had lit up just by the sound of Uraraka's name.

He wonders if that's also how he looks to others whenever he's talking about Bakugou?

"Yeah, she does." Kirishima answered Midoriya's question with a smile, and the other's smile widened at his answer.

It's hard to not return the same grin as well, with how ecstatic Midoriya seemed to be right at this moment.

Conversation slows down after that and they had reached UA coffee shop, before they even knew it.

"Katsuki." The redhead excitedly greeted his boyfriend, who had been standing by his usual place behind the counter.

"You're late." Bakugou rebuked with the roll of his eyes which shifted into a look of irritation when his ruby red eyes caught sight of a dumbstruck Midoriya, who was looking at both Kirishima and Bakugou with confusion. " 'The hell are you here for, nerd?"

"Oh, don't be like that, Katsuki." Kirishima berated before the late realization of something hit him. "Wait, you two know each other?"

"He's the damn annoying neighbor I was talking about." Bakugou answered before turning to address the green haired man. " 'The fuck are you frozen for?"

At the blond's question, Midoriya had broken out of his shocked state as he meekly asked "You have a boyfriend, Kacchan?"

"Yeah." Bakugou met Midoriya's eyes in a challenging stare. "Got a problem with that?"

"N-No, of course not! I'm happy for you, Kacchan." Midoriya sent Bakugou a smile then and the blond huffed at that.

"Whatever." Bakugou muttered in an annoyed voice though there seems to be some appreciativeness lacing his tone, as he continued to speak "Round face is out to the convenience store, by the way, since you're probably here for your date later."

Midoriya nodded at the response, mumbling a "Thanks." as he proceeded to excuse himself to wait in a nearby unoccupied spot in the shop.

"Aww, that reminds me- We never went on a date before." Kirishima childishly pouted at his boyfriend, who had a red blush tinting his cheeks.

"Later, after my shift." A flustered Bakugou promised him then, and he could hardly contain his grin at that.

"I'm looking forward to it." Kirishima said. "But before that-"

"Yeah, yeah." Bakugou cuts him off in full understanding at what his boyfriend was asking of him. "You want your usual?"

"Yep." Kirishima affirmed his agreement, gleefully waving the barista off as Bakugou went to prepare the drink.

He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't counting down the minutes until the end of the blond's shift- for their date to start.

But he doesn't completely hate the wait; especially not when he has a cup of steaming hot chocolate around to keep him company as he waits; effortlessly warming him up and wafting a sense of pleasantness all around him.

Kirishima smiled, allowing himself to bask in the feeling that had slowly but surely became like a second home-

And he wouldn't have it any other way.