Chapter 7
A/N: I know I said I was gonna follow the Yuzuya ASMR timeline with this, but I'm impatient, so I've changed my mind. That being said, this will still very much be inspired by the series; and I'll try to include as many aspects as I can.
As soon as she woke up the following morning; Mari immediately became aware of two things: the first was remembering the events of last night; which made her groan. Now that time had passed; she felt completely and utterly embarrassed. The second thing she noticed was that her room was cold; abnormally so.
"What the heck? Was Shoto sleepwalking again?" She yawned; pulling herself out of the warm cocoon of her bed. She pulled the sleep mask off and stretched; glancing out her window.
The entire field was covered in snow. "Well, that'll do it." She sighed; running her hand through her hair. "I thought it was too early for snow. But hey; I'm not gonna complain."
She picked up her phone, squinting at the screen. There was an automated message from UA in her email, regarding the weather.
"Dear UA Students;
Due to the inclement weather, classes have been suspended for at least the next two days. Please use this time wisely…"
Mari grinned. "Snow day!" she yelled; probably waking Mina up in the process. Her excitement was almost enough to make her forget about the absolute train wreck of last night. Almost.
Making her way to the bathroom; she dug around for her contacts container. It was empty.
"Oh, this is not happening…" She said, frantically digging through her drawers. Sure enough; she had failed to notice that she had used her last pair yesterday, and would have to order more.
Reluctantly; she pulled out her spare pair of glasses and put them on. She scowled at her face in the mirror.
"Fantastic. Just fantastic." She grumbled; proceeding to get ready for the day.
She was surprised to see most of her classmates were already up by the time she went downstairs. Mina was deep in a conversation with Denki and Midoriya. She could hear snippets of what they were saying.
"So, we can all agree last night was weird; right?" Denki said, his mouth full of cereal.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Mina scolded him. "But yeah; it was definitely different"
Mari scrunched her nose. Today just kept giving and giving; it seemed.
"I had a lot of fun; Oshiro's friend was really nice." Midoriya said, taking a bite of his toast.
"So we're just not gonna talk about the karaoke fiasco?" Denki said after a minute.
Mina sighed. "I wouldn't call it a fiasco. Sure; it probably could have gone better, and I'm sure that's not what Mari had in mind, but it could have been a lot worse. Besides; you two are the ones to talk. I remember how goo goo-eyed you were for Kiyoka before you asked her out; Denki. And don't even get me started on you and Ochaco, Deku."
The two boys flushed. Then Midoriya asked, "Wait, what are you talking about?"
Mari paled. She was glad they hadn't noticed her yet.
"Mari has a crush on Kiri; and Bakugo as well. I promised I wouldn't say anything, so you two can't say anything."
Midoriya's eyes got wide. "She has a crush on Kaachan? Really?" He took another bite of toast; chewing it thoughtfully. "That's never happened before. Closest was when we all thought that one girl was gonna confess to him, but it turned out his zipper was just down."
Deciding that this conversation was heading in a direction she wasn't comfortable with; Mari walked into the kitchen; clearing her throat. "Morning; you guys." She said; playing like she had just walked down.
The three at the table paled. "Morning; Oshiro. How long have you been awake?" Midoriya asked. Mari could hear the implied "how long have you been standing there?" in the sentence.
"Just got up. I had a hard time getting out of bed; that heated blanket Tsu gave me is amazing!" She lied smoothly.
She went to grab her coffee and sat down with her friends. Mina stared at her. "I thought you said last night that you hated your glasses."
Mari took a sip of her coffee and groaned. "I do, but I ran out of contacts last night and didn't realize it. So until my refill gets here, I gotta wear these if I want to see." She tapped the frames with her finger.
"They don't look as bad as you made them out to be. Honestly; I think they suit you."
"Oh; they do, that's not the issue with them. They're just very limiting when it comes to hero work. I can't do gymnastics or anything like that with these on." She takes another sip of coffee. "I mean I can; but then I have to wear this strap to keep them secured to my head, and after a while; it gives me a headache."
There was silence for a moment; then Denki, ever the master of tact, smiled at her. "So...Kiri AND Blasty?" he said; wiggling his eyebrows.
Mari choked on her coffee. "I knew you were talking about that!" She exclaimed. "And will you keep your voice down; Denki? I don't need the whole class to know!" She slumped in her seat.
"I'm just trying to figure out the dynamics there. Like Kiri I get; he's sunshine incarnate. But Bakugo? Like I know the two of them are basically a package deal at this point, but still…"
Mari could feel her face heat up. "It's true he can be a little…intense, but he has really good qualities too. It's difficult to explain." She turned to Midoriya for help. "You get what I'm trying to say; right?"
The green-haired boy nodded; smiling. "You're not wrong. Kaachan has always been a little much, but he shows he cares in his own way."
"Exactly!" Mari exclaimed.
"So, are you gonna say anything? To either of them?"
Mari pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know. I wasn't planning on it; and after last night, I'm pretty sure my one chance has been shot in the foot."
She tipped her head back against the back of the chair, staring at the ceiling.
At that moment; the aforementioned blonde and redhead both entered the kitchen.
"Not a word!" Mari hissed, lifting her head to face her breakfast companions.
Kirishima walked over; his ever-present smile on his face. "Good morning guys!" He exclaimed; sitting down next to Mari. He turned to her. "Good morning! How'd you sleep last night? Did you see the snow?" His eyes were lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
Mari felt her face heat up again. "I slept okay; thanks. And yeah, I saw it! Maybe later; we can get a group together for a snowball fight or something!" She pushed her glasses up further from where they had slipped off her nose.
"Oh! You have your glasses on! They look good on you." Kiri said.
Mari wished she could melt into the floor. "Thanks; I ran out of contacts, so I need to wear these for a few days."
He hummed. "You should wear them more often."
"They're the wrong prescription. I can barely see anything right now. I'm really nearsighted." She said; pushing them up on her nose again. "Plus I keep having to do that."
Bakugo entered the dining area; with a plate of bacon and eggs in his hand. He sat down on Mari's other side; and placed an extra plate of bacon in between her and Kirishima. "Here. Someone's gotta make sure you two eat breakfast; since you can't seem to remember on your own."
Mari smiled; taking a bite of bacon. "Thanks, Blasty." She turned to him; a smile still on her face.
He scoffed. "Whatever. I just made extra; don't dig too far into it." He turned his head, but she could see the faint color across his nose.
Kirishima laughed, grabbing his own piece of bacon. "Whatever you say, dude."
Mina shot Mari a look across the table.
"Stop that!" Mari mouthed at her.
"So, Kaachan; what do you think of Mari's glasses?" Denki asked. Clearly, her friends were intent on being menaces today; and now that Kaminari knew; she had a feeling it was only gonna get worse.
"Meh; you can still see her face," Bakugo answered; giving Mari a smirk.
She huffed. "Well, gee thanks."
The rest of Class A had slowly made their way into the kitchen by this time; everyone grabbing their assorted breakfast items.
"Split the last piece of bacon?" Kirishima asked; holding it up to Mari.
"Huh; oh sure." She answered.
He split the piece in half; though not completely equal. He held out a piece to her. "Here; you can have the bigger half."
She shook her head. "No; that's okay, Kiri. You can have it."
He made a face. "Okay; if you're sure…"
She nodded. "You know I'm not big on breakfast. It's okay."
He popped the piece into his mouth; chewing it carefully. Then he handed her the smaller half.
She took it; their fingers brushing slightly. Her face colored again as she popped the bacon into her mouth.
After she finished; she stood. "Well, I'm gonna go get changed into warm clothes. I'm heading outside to enjoy the day. You're all welcome to join me."
She made her way back to her room; not realizing Mina was behind her.
"Girl; you have it BAD," Mina said; leaning against the doorframe.
Mari jumped. "Jeez; Mins! A little warning please!" Then she made a face. "I know; I know. But what am I supposed to do? I'm horrible at flirting; or anything like that. I have two settings: completely awkward; like last night, or open mouth, insert foot. There is no in-between!"
Mina pushed herself off the door frame. "Well, obviously awkward isn't working; so how bad can the other be?"
Mari bit her lip; chewing on it. "I don't think it'd go over too well with the other way either."
"How bad can it be?" the pink girl asked.
"With my luck; it'd be me confessing that I just want them to kabe-don me into a wall; or that I dream about what Kiri's teeth would feel like if we kissed." Mari clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh gosh; that was supposed to stay an inside thought." She groaned through her hands.
Mina let out a low whistle. "Wow; you really have it bad."
"I know!" Mari said again; throwing herself on her bed. She pressed her hands into her eyes, pushing her glasses up on her head. "This is torture. No wonder they call it a crush. Because it freaking hurts!"
Mina sat next to her; a sympathetic smile on her face. "You know what'd make it better…" She said; rubbing Mari's head.
Mari groaned again; then sighed. "I just can't; Mina. I couldn't bear it if I ruined our friendship over that."
Mina opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a knock on the door. It was Kirishima.
"Hey; I'm all ready to go outside if you're still up to it…" He said, looking at Mari with concern.
"Yeah; just give me a minute." She said, sitting up. She grabbed her clothes and ducked into her bathroom; giving Mina a look that read "not a word."
Kiri came into the room and sat down on the bed next to Mina. He nudged her. "Hey, is she ok?" he asked in a whisper.
Mina nudged him back. "She's okay; she just has a lot on her mind."
"I wish I could help her. I hate seeing her like this." He said; pouting a bit.
Mina's eyes widened a little. "Wait; do you like her?" She asked; voice excited.
Kirishima blushed as red as his hair. "Don't say anything. I'm not ready to say anything yet."
Mina smirked. "I won't, but I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the outcome if you did."
Mari exited the bathroom; now dressed in warm winter clothes. "Okay; I'm ready!" she exclaimed.
They made their way down to the ground floor; and exited the building.
Most of their classmates were already outside; enjoying the weather. She could see Ochako and Tsu making a snowman; Tsu bundled up from head to toe so her body temperature didn't drop too low.
She saw Bakugo out of the corner of her eye. He was bundled up in winter clothes; grumpy as ever.
She smirked and nudged Kirishima with her arm. "Watch this…" she whispered; bending down to scoop some snow into her hands and rolling it into a ball.
She launched it, and it hit Bakugo square in the back of the head.
"Oi! Who threw that?!" He yelled; wiping snow from his hair.
Mari giggled, ducking behind Kirishima for cover.
Bakugo smirked. "I can hear you; Short Stack. That was a cheap shot." He leaned down to scoop some snow for his own snowball.
"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Mari yelled; jumping out from behind Kirishima; and launching another snowball.
There was a frenzy as everyone scattered; looking for things to use for cover.
"Oh; you're gonna get it now," Bakugo smirked; running after her.
"You gotta catch me first!" Mari yelled back, sprinting out of the line of fire.
A snowball whizzed past her head; hitting the tree in front of her. "You gotta do better than that!" She called behind her, turning her head.
A snowball pelted her in the face, but it came from a different direction. She wiped the snow off her glasses to see Kirishima standing there; grinning.
"Not fair!" She cried; throwing one back at him. It hit him square in the chest.
She was still acutely aware of Bakugo gaining on her; she could hear him getting ever closer.
Before she could register what was happening; she felt herself being picked up.
"That was a cheap shot; Short Stack. Now you gotta face the consequences." Bakugo said, throwing her over his shoulder.
She hit his back with her fists and kicked her feet. She was sure she looked ridiculous, but she didn't care. "Katsuki; put me down. This isn't funny." She said.
He grinned at her. "Oh, I'm gonna put you down alright. Right in that snowbank over there!" He dropped her unceremoniously into the snow. She sputtered.
"Seriously?" she said; wiping the snow off her glasses. She scowled at him.
He leaned down in front of her; his ever-present smirk on his face. "Shouldn't have started something you couldn't finish. Talk shit; get hit."
Mari continued to glare at him, pulling herself out of the snow. "Yeah; yeah. I get it." She brushed herself off.
She let out a hiss. "Ow…" she said, rubbing her head.
Bakugo's face softened slightly. "What's wrong? I didn't dump you that hard."
Mari rubbed her head again. "I think I knocked my head against the ground." She started to sway on her feet a little.
"Whoa; take it easy." He said; hands going out to steady her. "Do you need to go see Recovery Girl?"
She shook her head. Bad idea; she started seeing stars. "No; I think I'm okay…"
Her vision started to blur and fade in and out. She could feel herself falling forward. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was Bakugo's cry of "oh shit!" and the sound of Kirishima's voice getting closer; calling her name.
When she woke up; she was in her room. She groaned, opening her eyes.
"Oh thank goodness!" Kirishima's face came into view slowly; concern written all over it. "Are you ok? How's your head?"
"Let her breathe; Shitty Hair. She just woke up." Bakugo griped; leaning against her door frame.
She let out another groan; sitting up. "I'm fine; just a little groggy."
"Do you remember passing out?" Kirishima asked his hand on her back.
"Vaguely. I remember the snowball fight; then conking my head on something." She said; rubbing the spot. There was a lump forming already.
"You were out for a few hours. We called Recovery Girl; even though you said you didn't need her." Bakugo said; his own brand of concern written on his face. He nodded at Kirishima. "Shitty Hair here hasn't left your side for a moment."
Mari's face colored. "Thanks you two. You really didn't have to go through the trouble. This isn't the first time I've bluescreened like that, and it probably won't be the last. It happens from time to time as a Quirk side effect."
"Yeah; well, we weren't gonna just leave you there in the snow." Bakugo snorted. He pushed himself off the doorframe. "Are you hungry? You should probably eat; since you only had a few slices of bacon at breakfast." Mari opened her mouth to protest. "Don't give me that 'I'm not a breakfast person' crap either."
Mari felt stuck under his stare; like a butterfly pinned to a board. "I wasn't gonna. I was gonna say food would probably be a good idea; as long as it's something light. I've been known to throw up afterward."
He made a noise. "We have miso soup packets in the kitchen. I'll heat one up for you." He turned towards the door; but then as he was about to leave, he turned his head back. "Kirishima; if she tries to get up on her own, sit on her with your Quirk." And like that; he left the room.
Mari and Kirishima sat in silence for a moment. "You know I wouldn't actually sit on you; right?" Kirishima said sheepishly.
"I know." Mari said.
Concern was written all over the redhead's face. "You really gave me a scare." He said quietly.
Mari reached out, placing her hand on top of his. "I told you before that it happens sometimes." She absentmindedly started rubbing her fingers over his knuckles.
"Yeah; but it's one thing to hear you talk about it, and another to witness it." He said. "You're important to me; Mari. I don't want anything bad to happen to you…"
Mari turned her head, positioning her face so she could stare into his eyes. "Kirishima…" She cleared her throat, trying again. "Eijirou; are you okay? You're scaring me a little." Her brows knit together in worry.
"Yeah; I just have a lot on my mind." He grabbed the hand that had been rubbing his knuckles. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you; and Bakugo about."
Mari felt her heart stutter. "If you're about to say what I think you are; wait. I don't want you to say it because you feel obligated. After all, I got hurt."
He looked at her; crimson reflecting into amethyst. "I wouldn't do that; you know I wouldn't."
"How about we revisit this once I'm feeling better?" Mari smiled, resting her forehead against his.
He smiled back. "Sounds like a plan."
The sound of someone clearing their throat startled them both; causing them to jump apart.
"I'm not interrupting anything; am I?" Bakugo said; soup in his hand.
"Nope; nothing. We were just talking." Mari said. It sounded unconvincing even to her.
Bakugo raised an eyebrow, but he didn't push the issue. He handed her the soup. "Be careful; it's still hot. Don't burn your tongue."
She smiled at him. "Thanks; Kats."
He flushed a little. "It's no big deal; just instant soup." He looked away. "The other extras were worried about you. I told them you were okay. Duracell is insisting on moving 'squad night' to your room though. I can tell them to shove off if you're not up to it though."
Mari shook her head. No stars; that's a good sign. "It's fine. I'm feeling better already; to be honest. Besides; I owe Denki a Smash Bros rematch, and Sero told me he just got more edibles." She smiled.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be eating any of that right now…" Kiri said; a look of concern back on his face.
She smiled at him. "It'll be fine. I won't eat too much; besides it'll probably help with the residual pain."
An hour later; the rest of the Bakusquad had gathered in Mari's room. Bakugo had to yell at them not to crowd her more than once.
Kirishima grabbed his gaming system; setting it up in Mari's room.
She took a controller from him; and passed the other to Denki. "I get to be Peach this time." She grinned.
They played for an hour, Mari beating Denki 3-2; before she said "Alright; I'm tapped out. Who wants to go next?"
Jirou raised her hand. "I'll take it."
Mari passed the controller to the purple-haired girl; then tapped Sero on the shoulder. "Alright, dude; what do you got?"
The black-haired boy smiled and produced a bag of gummy candies. "These are really good." He opened the bag and passed her one.
She popped it in her mouth and chewed it slowly; humming. "That IS good. Tastes just like the real thing."
Slowly she felt the gummy start to kick in. Her body felt floaty and warm. It was nice. She started giggling.
"Oop; looks like it's kicking in. That was fast! Here; hand me one." Mina said, reaching for the bag.
Mari tossed it to her. "Catch!"
It didn't take long for them to get properly tipsy; except for Bakugo, claiming "someone needs to be clear-headed to watch you idiots."
"Okay; I'm bored of video games. Let's do something different." Denki said; leaning back on his arms.
"You're just saying that because you got your ass whooped by both your girlfriend and me!" Mari said; hanging upside down off the bed.
The blond huffed. "Ok; sure. But still…"
"What did you have in mind; Denks?" Mina said. She had taken up a position on Mari's bed as well; resting her head on Mari's lap.
Denki seemed to think; then got a fiendish look on his face. "Truth or Dare."
Mari sobered slightly; knowing exactly where he was going with that idea. "Uh; do you think that's a good idea while we're all baked?"
"What better time to do it? This way; we won't second guess our decisions."
Mari sighed; seeing there was no talking him out of it. "Alright; I guess that makes sense."
"I'll go first!" He said, setting his sights on Mina. "Ok; Mins. Truth or Dare?"
Mina hummed. "Truth!" she said happily.
"How many selfies do you take in a day?"
The room erupted in laughter. "That's a good one for Mina!" Mari chuckled.
The pink girl stuck her tongue out at her room neighbor. "Rude." She thought about it. "On a good day; maybe ten."
"Yeah that tracks," Kirishima said from his position, laying on the floor.
Mina threw a pillow at him. "Okay; my turn. Mari; Truth or Dare?"
"Shit." Mari knew she'd get called on eventually; she just hoped it wouldn't be so soon. "Uhm…Truth; I guess." She braced for the inevitable question.
"Who's the oldest person you've ever dated?" Mina said; a mischievous look in her eyes.
Mari exhaled. That wasn't so bad. "I've actually never dated anyone." She said, shrugging.
"Seriously? No one?" Mina said; defeated slightly.
Mari shook her head. "Nope. I wasn't exactly 'popular' in middle school; so it just never happened."
"So you've never kissed anyone either?"
Mari blushed. "Well, I mean; I have in plays and stuff. But I don't think that really counts…"
The room was quiet for a moment. "I guess it's my turn." She said, breaking the tension. "Kiri; Truth or Dare?" She asked; tapping the redhead's shoulder with her foot.
"Dare; I guess." He shrugged.
Mari smirked. "I dare you to let us redo your hair."
Everyone gasped.
Kiri made a face; touching his spiked red hair. "Seriously?" He said, trying to give her puppy eyes.
"It's either that or take a Truth…" Mari said nonchalantly.
He groaned. "Alright; but I want you to do it."
Mari grinned. "Mina; can you go grab my brush from the bathroom? And maybe my spray bottle and some hair ties?" She asked sweetly.
"Gladly!" Mina bounced off the bed; practically running to the bathroom.
She came back and dumped everything on the bed.
Mari picked up the spray bottle and brush; slowly and methodically wetting down the redhead's hair so she could brush out the spikes easier.
"You trust me; right?" She said; leaning forward.
Kirishima turned his head slightly. "Of course I do."
Mari hummed. "Okay; I promise you won't look silly."
She slowly sectioned off a part of hair at the top of his head; securing it with a hair tie.
"You gonna be able to take your turn; Kiri?" Mina said. She gave him a look.
"Oh! Right! Okay; Baku-bro. Truth or Dare?" He said. Mari had started slowly braiding part of the sectioned off parts of hair.
Bakugo made a noise. "Dare; obviously."
Kirishima thought for a moment. "I dare you to…remove four articles of clothing." He smirked at his best friend.
Bakugo's face colored. "What the hell; Shitty Hair?"
"It's not that big of a deal. We're all family here." Denki said, smiling at the explosive blonde.
"Shut it; Dunce Face. I'll do it." He took off his socks; then his shoes.
"That doesn't count; dude." Sero said. "Technically you removed two; since shoes and socks come in pairs."
Bakugo grumbled. "Stupid technicalities." He lifted his shirt over his head; then paused before removing his belt as well. "There; happy?"
"Very much so. And it's your turn."
Bakugo called on Denki; daring him to drag his butt across the carpet like a dog. Everyone laughed.
Mari focused on the braiding in front of her; not really paying attention to the game.
"Mari; it's your turn again. Truth or Dare?" Jirou said from her spot next to Denki.
Mari startled; giving the hair in her hands a rougher tug than she anticipated. "Oops; sorry Kiri! Um; dare I guess?"
"I dare you to seduce a member of the group."
Mari blushed. "Okay; but if I'm doing this, I'm doing this right. I need music."
The purple-haired girl smiled at her. "Naturally. What are you thinking?"
Mari thought; then she smirked to herself. Maybe it was the edibles talking; but she was feeling bold. Plus; she needed a do over after last night. "I got it."
She grabbed her phone; pulling up her workout playlist. She thumbed through until she found what she was looking for.
She let go of Kirishima's hair; standing up and shaking herself out.
The first notes of "You're The One That I Want"started playing through the phone's speaker.
"Oh we gotta pump this." Mina said; connecting Mari's phone to her Bluetooth speaker.
Mari turned to Kirishima; his eyes wide as she started singing.
"You better shape up
'Cause I need a man
And my heart is set on you
You better shape up
You better understand
To my heart I must be true
Nothin' left, nothin' left for me to do"
She was vaguely aware of the hooping and hollering from the rest of the group. But she paid it no mind.
She knew they had said they'd talk about it later when she was feeling better. She just hadn't expected it to be in front of their friends.
"You're the one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey
The one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey
The one that I want (you are the one I want)
Ooh, ooh, ooh
The one I need (the one I need)
Oh, yes, indeed (yes, indeed)"
She was feeling bolder now; the noise in the room fading to background noise.
She slowly dropped to her knees in front of Kirishima, running her finger down his chest at the next part.
"If you're filled with affection
You're too shy to convey
Meditate in my direction
Feel your way…"
That was all she managed as the song cut off; someone having cut the music.
Mari blinked; realizing what had happened. She suddenly felt embarrassed again, and self conscious.
Kirishima's eyes were blown wide; and he was staring at her.
Finally someone spoke. It was Bakugo.
"I'm done playing this game. I'm going to bed."
He stood up and left; slamming the door behind him.
"Shit. I should go after him." Mari said, wanting to escape the awkwardness of the situation.
She got up and went across the hallway to Bakugo's room. She didn't realize Kirishima was behind her.
She knocked on the door apprehensively. "Hey Bakugo? Can I come in? I just want to talk."
"Go away." Came the response from the other side of the door. It sounded like he was trying not to cry.
'That's not good. He NEVER cries…' Mari thought; biting her lip.
"Come on man; let us in." Kirishima said.
"Oh great; it's both of you. Just go away already!"
Mari rested her head against the door. "We're not leaving until you talk to us. Don't make Kiri break down the door; you know he can."
There was a noise from the other side of the door; then it slowly opened. "Alright; talk."
Mari sighed. "Can you at least let us in, Kats?"
He made a face at her. "Don't call me that."
She pushed her way past him; Kirishima following behind.
After a long pause; Bakugo spoke. "What the hell WAS that?"
"It was part of the game! Jirou dared me; I had to!" Mari said; throwing up her hands.
The blonde shook his head. "Don't give me that crap. I see how you two look at each other. And don't think I forgot about you borrowing Shitty Hair's sweatshirt."
Mari averted her eyes. She could feel Kirishima shifting nervously behind her.
"It's not like that. You know that."
"I'm not stupid! I know you two like each other. What; am I supposed to be your third wheel now?" He stared at them both incredulously.
Kirishima reached out his hand to rest on the blonde's shoulder; but it was pushed away. "Stop; that's not fair. And besides that it's not true."
"Oh yeah? So then what?" They could see he was getting upset; small sparks shooting off his hands.
Kirishima sighed. "This isn't how I pictured this going in my head." He muttered; rubbing the back of his head. The half done braid hung down by his ear.
"Spit it out; Kirishima." Bakugo said; clearly done with the conversation.
The redhead took a breath. "Yes; I like Mari. But…I also like you too."
"Hah?" The blonde said.
"I like you both. I understand if either of you don't feel that way; but that's my truth."
Mari felt her world tilt. This had to be a dream; it was too good not to be.
"Kirishima; if you're messing with me right now, I'll blast you to Kingdom Come." Bakugo said.
"I'm not. I could never do that; not when it comes to this."
Mari nodded. "Can you please stop being so stubborn for once and get out of your own way; Kats? Would it be so bad to let us in? To let us care about you?" She approached him slowly; like he would bolt at any moment. Which given the circumstances wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Us? What are you talking about?"
Mari smiled. "I like you both too. I have for a while; if I'm gonna be honest. Not just since switching classes, but much longer than that."
Bakugo's face changed; like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I tried! I'm just REALLY bad at flirting…" Mari said sheepishly.
"Wait, you've been flirting?" Both boys said at the same time.
"Is…is that what last night was about?" Kirishima asked; laughing a little.
"I told you I'm bad at it!" Mari said; throwing up her hands.
Bakugo laughed. "We really are a bunch of idiots."
After a beat; Mari spoke again. "So, where do we go from here?" She stared at the two in front of her.
"I think that's something we're going to have to navigate together. But the thought of being partners sounds really nice." Kirishima said; grinning like an idiot.
"As long as you two don't expect any mushy stuff from me." Bakugo said; smirking at them
"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides; I'm mushy enough for all three of us."
"So? Are we doing this?" Mari said; her eyes lit up in excitement.
"I think so." Kiri said.
"Partners. In battle and otherwise." Bakugo nodded.
"You know," he said after a pause "Partners also use each other's given names. I know we technically already do; but I wouldn't be opposed to you two using my name in public as well."
Kirishima grinned. "Sounds good to me; Katsuki." He stretched the name out; breaking it down into three parts.
Bakugo made a noise; blushing. "Don't say it like that."
Mari grinned. "Aww; what's the matter, Katsuki? You embarrassed?"
He made a noise again. "No; I just don't want you two saying it weird."
She giggled. "We love you too; Blasty. But we should probably head back to my room. The others are probably freaking out. I'm surprised they haven't busted down the door yet."
They headed back across the hall. Before they went in; Mari paused. "Before we go in there; do you want to say anything about this to anyone?"
"I don't mind. I'm not ashamed to let everyone know that I have the two best partners in the world." Kiri said; beaming.
Bakugo nodded. "They're going to figure it out eventually anyway. It's not like we can just casually call each other by our given names and not have them put two and two together."
"That's fair." Mari said. She opened the door. "Sorry about that; everyone. We just needed to have a quick chat."
"Are you all good?" Mina said. Then she noticed Mari and Kirishima's linked fingers. "Holy crap! Don't tell me you…"
He laughed. "That was quick. You don't miss a thing; Mins."
Mari walked into the room; taking up her previous position on her bed. This time; Kirishima sat next to her. Bakugo took his original position on the floor.
"Well, I don't think anything else is going to top that tonight. I'm going to bed." Denki said; Jirou followed behind.
"I'm gonna hit the hay too." Sero said. He shot them a smirk as he walked out.
Mina stood up as well. "I guess we can call this a successful squad night. I'm happy for you guys. You deserve it." She walked through the bathroom into her room.
Once everyone was gone; Mari giggled. "I can't believe this is actually happening. I don't want to go to sleep in case I wake up tomorrow and this is all a dream."
Kirishima ran his hand through her hair. "It's definitely real. There's no doubt about that."
"I suppose you two have to go back to your own rooms. We still have to be conscious of Aizawa's "no shenanigans" rule." Mari said, scrunching her nose.
Kirishima stood up; holding her hand. "That's a fair point. Besides; we'll be right across the hall."
"That's fair." Mari said; walking them to the door.
She leaned up on her tiptoes, placing a light kiss on both of their cheeks.
"Goodnight you two. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight; Mari." Kirishima said; placing a kiss on her cheek as well.
Bakugo hummed; running a finger across her cheek. "Goodnight; Short Stack." He said; a smile playing on his lips.
Mari felt herself melting. "Okay; now you two really need to go. Before I change my mind."
She watched as they made their way across the hall to their own rooms, parting at the doors.
Once they were out of sight; she closed the door and sat down on the floor in front of it.
"Best. Day. Ever." She said, giggling to herself as she got ready for bed.
A/N: Wow; okay! I was not planning on doing the confession in this chapter; but I'm so glad I did!
I hope you enjoyed; and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter!