Summary:

Kirishima is a personal trainer whose hobby is hosting a web show on YouTube. His latest series will be filmed on a secluded island lake in a cabin with no electricity and few amenities as he walks through his adventures 'living off the land.' (somewhat). Kirishima thought he was going to be alone but soon discovers that someone else is on the island staying in another cabin. Kirishima is instantly attracted to Katsuki Bakugo, the brooding and angry 'cave-like man' who seems to be carrying the world on his blond shoulders. Bakugo is a tough nut to crack, but Kirishima is determined to make the blond smile. Kiri wants to get to know him better, and though the beauty and seclusion of the lake, he might just reel in the biggest fish!

Coming out of a horrible breakup with his boss, Shoto, Bakugo retreated to his family's lake cabin to be alone. Annoyingly, another person is on the island with him. This man talks too much and is overly friendly, but stupidly charming. Bakugo opened his heart ONCE and it was broken, so he refuses to let it happen again. But he wasn't expecting a redhead like Kirishima to make him re-evaluate his feelings and maybe, just maybe, open his heart again.

Notes:

***Hello everyone! I'm back with another KiriBaku story! Surprisingly, this one is set in modern times! Huzzah! Modern-day genre is not really my thing, but it's a nice change to what I usually write!

***This story focuses on Kirishima and Bakugo's growing relationship. While there is a love-triangle between Bakugo, Izuku, and Shoto, it's only referred to for the sake and plot of the story. I hate to give away so much of the story, but I know readers like to know everything important ahead of time before they read. Kirishima, Bakugo, and the others are all adults, so there will be adult issues and themes discussed. This has an 'explicit' rating for the one or two slow-burn/naughty scenes that will happen in the story; but other than that, it's a mix between mature and teen. (In my day, explicit meant solid porn or hardcore stuff, but I think it's different now. I don't know) Also, Shoto is sort of the bad guy in this story- just giving the heads up. Oh, and it WILL have a happy ending! If you have any other questions or concerns before reading, please feel free to reach out to me!

***Warnings: Language, humor, guy antics, pop-culture references, angst, beer drinking, Bakugo's so angry, Kirishima can't bake.

***Please read and enjoy! I don't expect this story to be a long one, so I sort of jump right in to the good stuff. Reviews and kudos are always welcomed!

Chapter 1: Blueberries

"Hey, followers! It's your pal Kiri here, and I'm back with a new mini-adventure series!" Kirishima continues to speak to the camera as he gets the motor ready on the dinghy. "I've had the luck of spending a week on a lake in my bro Kaminari's family lake cabin! The island is almost exactly centered in the lake, far from the mainland. It's about a 20-minute ride from the lake into town, so I'm pretty secluded out here! There are only four cabins on the island, and I'll be the only one there at this time. It's the peak of summer- I don't know why the owners aren't at the cabins now. Guess they're at the beaches instead."

"Oh well. I'm not worried! I doubt there are any bears on the island! I'm bound to see all kinds of flora and fauna; wildlife and stuff. I hope I don't eat some bad shrooms!" he laughs. "Oh, and another thing about these cabins? NO ELECTRICITY! That's right, you heard me! Only gas lighting and fireplaces. That means lots of old-timey lanterns too! I'll be living off the land, mostly. Documenting my adventures in an electronic free environment!"

"Okay! Time to head to the island! Let's do this!"

Kirishima shuts off the camera to get himself ready. He had everything charged ahead of time and he has his spare multi-use battery. Kirishima turns the camera on again to film approaching the island and dock. He had to admit that being all alone in a cabin for a week, living mostly off the land, is a bit unnerving. Every horror movie plot he's ever seen has been playing over in his head, and all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere, no one can hear him scream. But that's ridiculous! And he's a full-fledged adult man, not some wild teen looking for a good time or some college frat boy looking for babes to skinny dip with only to get butchered by a madman with a big knife or stalked by some alien monster. He was a thousand times more likely to slip on the rocks and bump his head.

This next series of his will be the best so far, he thinks. His YouTube channel has a decent amount of followers, a little over ten thousand, and he doesn't do it for money or fame. Kirishima has a regular job- he's a personal trainer at a gym. That helps to pay the bills. Making videos is just something he enjoys, and he likes to help people. His channel is called, "Adventures with Kiri" in which he strives to teach people new things by exploring the outdoors, building a good workout routine, carpentry, and other helpful lessons that might get people off the computers and discover that they might have a hidden talent for something new. Though Kirishima himself is well-built, with hard muscles and considers himself manly, he works twice as hard to ensure that he finds a way to make it easy for anyone of any kind to try what he does. He refuses to single out people based on social or gender stereotypes. One of his trademark lines is, 'give it a try, and if it doesn't work for you, that's okay- there's always something else'. He smiles to himself.

After parking the boat at the doc (further away then he would have liked), Kirishima fishes through his backpack to find the lake cabin key. He smiles at the quaint sight of the dark red-stained wood cabin with a stone chimney. It has a screened-in front porch overlooking the lake. The air is so crisp and clean with only the sound of birds in the trees. Kaminari had emailed him a list of instructions that he printed out since he doubted he'd get much signal here. His friend also suggested that, should he get scared being so alone at night to just drive into town and stay at the local motel, then come back during the day. Kirishima refuses to do that! He's here for the challenge of living without electricity, what new adventures he can have, what new things he can discover, and really wants to get in some fishing like he used to do with his dad.

Inside the cabin is both the living and dining room; fireplace and chairs to the left, table to the right. Everything was made of wood and looked to be carved but old with age. The throw rugs are a little much, an Aztec design of dark colors and shapes. He takes out the camera and begins to film, documenting what he sees. The first bedroom is tiny, with only one twin bed, an end table, and a trunk. The window is tiny as well without a curtain. The last bedroom is the biggest with a double bed, two end tables, and a wardrobe. The kitchen has a small gas stove and a sink with running water. There must be a tank somewhere. And there WAS a bathroom! Kaminari must have been lying to him just to make the 'don't wipe with poison ivy' joke.

"Okay, so, I'm lucky to have some modern things," he grins at the camera. "BUT, I plan to use these as little as possible! Except for maybe the toilet...for obvious reasons! Alright, I'm going to go unpack and I'll catch up with you folks later!" he shuts off the camera and stands in the living area, just listening to the world around him. There was no 'hum' of electricity. 'Totally different from what I'm used to!'

As he unpacks, he documents the camping items he brought. After that, he takes to the outside.

"Now, my bro Kaminari, you've heard me mention him if you watch my videos, says that this island is always littered with wild blueberry bushes! I'm off to find some for myself. I've never had wild blueberries before. Shouldn't be long before we...come across some-" he steps over a fallen tree. "There, made it!" he laughs. "Just one of our many adventures! Oh! I think I found some!" He zooms in on four wild blueberry bushes. "These have to be it. They look just like the pictures Kaminari showed me! Let's get a closer look here," he zooms in on the small purple-blue fruit. "They're tiny. Well, I'm going to try some!"

Kirishima puts the camera down to film himself picking a few of the blueberries. He compliments the taste, saying how he can the difference between wild and store-bought. In fact, he liked them so much that he continues to eat them, accidentally smearing some around his mouth, and shows the camera how the palms of his hands have turned slightly purple.

"Now this, my friends, is the life! I could eat these things all day! I'll be bringing some back with me! For now, I'll-"

"HEY!"

An angry voice shouts from behind Kirishima, startling him. He's supposed to be alone on the island! He picks up the camera and films, pointing it in the direction of a man holding an ax over his shoulders.

"To whoever finds this…" Kirishima says and shuts off the camera. "Who are you?"

"Who are YOU?" The man spat back. "I was told NO ONE was to be on the island this week!"

Kirishima smiles then and says, "Well, that's what I was told too! I'm Eijiro Kirishima! I'm staying at the Kaminari's cabin for the week," He looks at the ax and the scowling face. "Um...what's that ax for?"

"...chopping wood," he answers. "And that cabin is right next to mine! Shit! I wanted some peace and quiet here!"

"Oh, I won't bother you! I'm doing a web show and-"

"I don't care. Just stay out of my way! I don't want to be bothered!"

Kirishima can't help but stare at the handsome young man as he passes by. Kirishima loves blondes and this guy has very light blonde hair. If he didn't scowl so much, his smile would make people swoon. Just thinking about that man smiling had Kirishima's knees buckling a little. And the guy worked out- a lot. Kirishima could tell. His rascal side wanted to pounce on the man and koala-bear on his back. However, he was nothing if not a gentleman, and since they would be sharing this island, Kirishima wants to get to know the man better first. Wooing the Angry Caveman (as he now dubbed the stranger) will be only one more adventure; if the guy swings that way.

Kirishima turns on his camera to record and finds that he met the man with blueberry smudges on his face!

"Okay, so, that was an unexpected surprise! But it's all good, though. My face is a mess- sorry about that. I thought I'd be alone on the island, and this guy thought so, too. He was just chopping wood. So, as you can see, I'm still alive," he lets out a little chuckle. "Hopefully, we can get to know him better. I think he's cute!" he whispers the last part to the camera. "Still lookin' for love!"

It never fails. Just when he thought he was going to be alone, some asshole shows up.

Bakugo takes a swig of his beer and tosses another log into the fire pit. Even though another guy is here, that doesn't mean he has to interact with him. However, Bakugo swears he has seen the redhead somewhere before. Resting his temple against his fist, Bakugo lets his mind run as he tries to figure out where he's seen the man before. The name is not familiar, but the red hair and face are. The guy does a web show, he said. What web show? Bakugo rarely watches things like YouTube or TikTok but uses streaming services instead.

"Oh, wait...now I remember. That bastard Deku showed this guy to me,"

'Kacchan! Don't sneak up on me like that!'

'Shouldn't you be working?'

Izuku laughs. 'I'm on break before my next client. I'm catching up on one of my favorite web shows! Look here,' he shows Bakugo the video playing. 'His name is Kiri and he goes on all kinds of adventures and does interesting and new things and-'

'Just stop talking,' Bakugo says.

'...are you still upset with me? I've told him 'no'.'

'But you don't fucking act like you mean the word 'no'!'

Bakugo smashes the now empty beer bottle into the fire and opens another. Each smashed bottle represents HIM- not that shitty nerd Deku...the OTHER one.

'Why him of all people?' Bakugo remembers asking when they were breaking up.

'...you're not really the type one wants to bring home to their family.'

That had hurt. Not just hurt, it had stung. It still stings, which is why he took a few weeks away from the city to live as a lake hermit and try to forget the past...even if it only happened a few days ago. Bakugo pulls out his phone and turns it on to see that he has twenty-five texts from Deku as well as ten missed calls. All Deku. Bakugo sucks his teeth and shuts his phone off again. Right now, he doesn't want to be found. Only his parents know that he is here. Bakugo pauses in his thoughts when he hears approaching footsteps on the dry earth. Without looking up and away from the fire, Bakugo says,

"Go away,"

"Sorry bro," says Kirishima. "I saw your fire pit and I thought I'd swing by and we could share some brews,"

Bakugo glances up at the smiling redhead dangling a six-pack of beer cans. He glances at the brand of beer and scoffs. "I don't drink warm piss,"

"Ouch," Kirishima chuckles. "It's not that bad! I see you're running low on yours. I like both cans and bottles; guessing you're a bottle guy?"

'Why am I even talking to him?' Bakugo wonders, and then answers, "I'm a home-brew guy,"

Kirishima gives a little whistle. "Ah, fancy! Do you brew it yourself?"

"You talk too much," Bakugo sneers.

"Sorry,"

Bakugo clenches his eyes shut and grinds his teeth. This guy apologizes all the time, just like that shitty nerd Deku.

"Mind if I sit here? Silently?" Kirishima asks, already sitting down in one of the chairs and snapping open a can even though he was not given permission.

"Whatever."

Bakugo sips his beer and keeps sneaking glances over at Kirishima. It has to be the buzz from the beer because he shouldn't be thinking other guys are attractive after his shitty breakup. His Tinder days are over; he's grown out of fucking around for the hell of it. He THOUGHT he was starting to settle down with HIM, but then the bomb dropped, and it was over. Maybe he's just feeling sorry for himself and wanting to revert back to the old days where he couldn't be hurt by another person while still maintaining control. He didn't believe in love until he felt it, and then it was taken away, harshly, and it reminded him of why he shouldn't open his heart to anyone ever again.

"Hey...a penny for your thoughts?"

"You said you'd sit there silently," Bakugo snaps.

"Sorry bro," Kirishima crushes his empty can and opens another. "You had that zoned-out look on your face...deep in thought?"

Bakugo replies with a snarky answer. "I'm thinking about my fucking place in the universe!"

Kirishima's a little surprised by the sudden outburst. "Chill out, bro. I meant no harm."

"...stop calling me 'bro'. I'm not your 'bro'."

Kirishima grins. "Well, then what's your name? You haven't told me yet, and I told you mine."

"...Katsuki Bakugo. Just Bakugo. Call me by my first name and I'll hurt you,"

"Fair enough!" He notices that Bakugo has drunk his last bottle and offers him a can. "Sure you don't want one?"

"No. I have more in the cabin," Bakugo says, getting up from the chair. He pauses, then asks, "I suppose I have to offer you some?"

Kirishima shrugs his shoulders with a smile and answers, "I won't say 'no' if you bring one out. I like home-brewed too."

Bakugo leaves and returns with an armful of bottles. He hands one to Kirishima. The redhead opens the lid and thanked him, holding the bottle up in a toast. Bakugo did not toast back. Kirishima compliments on the flavor but Bakugo didn't thank him.

They continue to sit in silence with only the crackling of the fire. Wolves howl in the distance from the mainland. Kirishima was startled a little but then quickly turned on his camera, hoping to record the wolves again. A twig snaps above them and Kirishima lets out a yelp of fright and falls back in his chair. The sight of the other's feet up in the air brought a smirk to Bakugo's face and then he let out a mantra of laughter.

"I hope you were recording THAT!" Bakugo asks between mocking laughter.

Kirishima looks sheepish and replies, "Think it was Oscar-worthy?"

"Not in the least," Bakugo says. "Maybe Kid's Choice Awards,"

"I'll take that as a compliment!" He turns off his camera. "I think I got the wolves howling,"

"You'll hear them a lot out here," Bakugo says and points his beer bottle upwards. "Look up,"

Kirishima turns his head to the sky and gasps softly at the endless dots of white covering a pitch-black sky with only a crescent moon. Some of the stars are moving! And was that a shooting star?

"Those things moving are satellites," Bakugo tells him. "Out here, where there is no light from the city, you can see everything."

"I never knew the night sky could be so...so...well, big!"

"You mean 'vast'," Bakugo offers.

"Yeah, that too! I have to film this!" He takes out his camera and points upwards. "Hey everyone! Oh wow, I wish you were all here to see this! I know my camera can't capture the full beauty...but it's so pretty! I really feel like I'm one with nature! It's almost magical! To think that, for eons, people have looked up into this very same sky and thought the same as us! Isn't that awesome? Oh wow...I hope you can all see this," he brings the camera down to point at Bakugo, who glares at him. "Say 'hi' to my followers, Bakugo!"

Bakugo gives the camera the finger.

"Dude, I've only known you for like, an hour and I'm not surprised by your action!" he clicks off the camera. "I think that's enough filming tonight. I want to enjoy the stars some more! One more beer and some stargazing?"

Bakugo scoffs. "I've seen the damn stars."

"Okay then,"

Kirishima takes off his flannel shirt and lays it on the ground so he can rest on it. Folding his hands behind his head, he lets out a peaceful sigh as he continues to look at the stars. Why would anyone want to live in the city after seeing this? He never knew there could be so many stars. And he saw another shooting star! Kirishima grins and closes his eyes, silently making a wish. 'I wish...I wish that I will find someone to share my life with! Someone blond and strong, who's good looking,' he peeks an eye open when he hears the unmistakable sound of peeing. Beer will do that to you. 'with a bit of grace and dignity…' he adds with a smirk.

Then, Kirishima feels the need to relieve himself- the power of suggestion. He's never 'gone' against a tree before, but urinals were based on trees, weren't they? Before he unzips his cargo shorts, he glances over at Bakugo and asks, "Hey, there aren't any women or kids on this island, right? You know, someone who might stumble on us?"

"How the hell would I know?" Bakugo replies. "I didn't even know YOU were going to be here! But if you're worried about that, go use the toilet."

"Nah. I'll take the chance!"

Kirishima imagines he is a wolf marking his territory, picking the nearest tree that is far enough away from Bakugo but still close enough to hear the fire. As he relieves himself, he finds his head is getting a little foggy from the beer, a sign to turn in. He leans his elbow against the tree as he finishes up, only to feel something crawling on his arm. He looks at his forearm and sees a large, strange black bug. Now, he wasn't particularly AFRAID of bugs, but this bug was the size of a mouse and came out of nowhere while he was in the second most vulnerable position a human can be in. "GAAAH!"

Kirishima swipes the bug from his arm, stumbling as he tries to stuff himself back inside his pants but loses his footing. He trips over his own two feet in front of Bakugo, landing face-first in the dirt. Throughout the embarrassing ordeal, he did manage to save his manhood from pain and exposure.

"Ouch." Is all Kirishima can say, deadpan.

Bakugo watched the whole thing happen and he burst out laughing, doubling over in the chair. He couldn't stop laughing, and it wasn't mocking laughter either! He was genuinely laughing! Bakugo wished he had Kirishima's camera to film THAT too! That's a video that would go viral within minutes!

"That was kinda funny, huh?" Kirishima laughs himself, standing up and dusting his knees. "There was this HUGE-ASS bug and-" he frowns when he sees Bakugo's laughing had turned to crying. "H-Hey...what's wrong? Bakugo?" He goes to the other and places a hand on the man's strong shoulder. Bakugo won't answer him but the man suddenly slumps forward and Kirishima catches him. "Whoa. Okay, beer and feelings kicked in. Time for bed,"

Kirishima throws Bakugo's arm over his shoulders and helps the other into the cabin, finding the bedroom and places him on the bed. He's been to many parties where he's had to care for others like this. He could always hold his alcohol, and during these parties, he has saved many drunk people from ending up in...unfortunate situations. Luckily for Bakugo, it was only the two of them here. He takes off the man's shoes, removes the puffy outdoor navy blue vest, and pulls the quilts over Bakugo's form.

"Sleep well, Bakugo," Kirishima says, patting the blond hair.

"...Shoto...you bastard…" Bakugo mumbles in his sleep, and Kirishima hears it.

'Shoto?' He repeats the name, then pieces the two together. The beer, the tears, the angry mood; 'Bad breakup, I'll wager,' he says. 'That explains a lot. Or maybe it's a friend? A brother? Family tiff? I shouldn't just assume it's a breakup.' He sighs and leaves the cabin, closing the door firmly behind him. He puts the fire out, then returns to his own cabin.

Kirishima decides to stay up a little later in the living room after he gets the fire going. He plays some Solitaire and reads a volume of his favorite manga before letting out a roar of a yawn. Turning on his camera, he bids 'goodnight' to his followers.

"Well, my first day here on the island was a successful one. We got to see some pretty awesome things! Now, I'm turning in for the night. There's my fire; it's going to keep the place nice and warm for me. The lake gets cold at night! I hope I was able to teach you how to make a proper fire! The space is so small it should keep me comfy through the night. Thanks for tuning in, and I'll see you tomorrow!" He would have so much editing to do when he returned home, but it's going to be worth it.

Getting into his pjs and sliding under the covers, Kirishima looks out the window towards Bakugo's cabin. He can faintly see the glow of a lantern. 'Poor guy,' he thinks and settles into bed, snuggling into the pillow. 'Goodnight, Bakugo. Sending good dreams your way, bro!'

Bakugo rolls over into the beam of light coming through the window. It's morning. He glances at his watch to read 8:30. He has a slight headache from the night before but isn't hungover. Sitting up, Bakugo pushes the curtain open to see that it's an overcast day, which means that later today or this evening, it would rain. He gets out of bed and pauses for a moment, wondering how he got to bed. What he can remember is that guy making an idiot of himself, and then being carried. Bakugo assumes it was that guy, what's his name again?- who helped him to bed.

Grumbling to himself, Bakugo slides on his L.L. Bean slippers and goes to the little kitchen. As he begins percolating coffee and boiling water for oatmeal he puts the weather radio on, tuning in to the local station. As predicted, there will be rain all evening. Maybe that will keep the other guy away.

Turning off the radio to sit quietly and eat at the small table, Bakugo hears the other man chopping wood. Glancing out the kitchen window, he sees the man splitting wood, shirtless, and no doubt has the camera rolling. Bakugo wonders if that's the man's fulltime job, filming YouTube videos. Studying the hard muscles as they flex with each swing of the ax at least proves that the guy works out. Why was he even curious? Bakugo bites the spoon in aggravation.

'I'm here for peace and quiet and to be alone with my thoughts!' He reminds himself. 'I don't want to think about guys, work, or anything else!'

It was a lie, though. He can't stop thinking about Deku and HIM; their boss, Shoto Todoroki. They all work together at the same athlete clinic, one of the many businesses owned by the Todoroki family. He is a massage therapist for athletes, having studied sports medicine in college. Nerdy Deku is one of the sport psychologists. Bakugo would give Shoto massages and over time they grew closer and one thing led to another and they were 'privately' dating. Bakugo was an idiot to think someone would love him. Shoto's main reason for breaking up with him wasn't technically a lie, which might be what hurt the most because there IS truth in it. Deku IS someone you want to bring home to mommy and daddy; friendly, chipper, willing to do anything, agreeable; pretty much everything he isn't. Not that he couldn't be that way, it's just not in his nature.

'You're hard to love,' Shoto's words echo in his mind.

Bakugo gets his phone and turns it on again seeing one new voicemail and missed call from Deku. He decides to listen to it. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he goes out to the screen-in porch and sits on the swinging chair. The sound of the man chopping wood is in the back of his mind as he plays the message.

'Kacchan? I hope you're doing okay...I called your parents and they told me you went away on vacation for a while. Kacchan, I wish you would listen to me. I didn't know you two were together. If I had known, I would have never accepted Shoto's invitations. I would have NEVER gone behind your back like that if I knew. You used to tell me things, Kacchan...why did you stop? I'm not with him anymore...not after I learned the truth...I hope you can forgive me, Kacchan. You're still my best friend...and I chose our friendship over Shoto...Guess I'll talk to you when you return to work...I would love to hear from you, Kacchan, just to know that you are doing okay. Um...see you soon, I guess? Try to have fun wherever you are...and don't forget to wear sunblock if you're someplace hot- your skin burns easily. Well...this voicemail was long. I'll hang up now. Bye, Kacchan. Hope to see you soon.'

The call ends. Bakugo presses 7 to erase it, then turns off the phone. 'Idiot Deku.' Bakugo's eyes slowly widen when he sees the redhead standing by the porch holding a muffin. Was he listening?

"What the hell do you want?" Bakugo snaps at him.

"I...um...I baked blueberries muffins...I thought you'd like one? I was up very early and-"

"Fuck your muffin," he snaps. "How long were you standing there?"

Kirishima smiles softly and answers, "Long enough to know why you're here," he enters the screened-in porch and holds the small purplish muffin out to Bakugo. "It's not my business...and I know these shoulders of mine look like rocks, but they're pretty soft when someone needs to lean on them. Just an offer," he places the muffin on the little table near Bakugo. "I'm going to go fishing soon. You're welcomed to join me if you want. See ya,"

Bakugo watches the man leave then looks at the muffin. He picks it up and takes a bite, making a face. "Blech! He can't bake to save his life!" But he doesn't throw it away. Instead, he goes to fetch his fishing rod.

TBC

***When I was in high school and college, my girls and I would go to our friend's family lake cabin in Maine. It was our summer trip together! Most of this story's environmental setting is based on my many fun times and experiences there! Mainly the wild blueberry bushes, for hence the story is titled! There were so many on the island and we would bake with the ones we picked! Maine is such a beautiful state!