Chapter Text
“Thank you to all who attended this ceremony and who supported all of these spectacular students in their journey from children with big dreams to now. This is the turning point for our future. This is what it has all led up to for these individuals. They have learned much from us, from their mentors, from their fellow students and their own real world experience. We are very proud of each and every one of these students. I know that these young adults are going to change the lives of everyone that they interact with and will continue making this world a better and safer place for all.” Principal Nezu stood on the podium, beaming brightly at all of the students that sat in front of him. He raised his hands up happily before shouting, “Please continue to live your lives to the fullest without fear for what is coming! Welcome the future with open arms and open minds! And Go Beyond…!”
The crowd below him all unitedly stood and proudly shouted in response. “PLUS ULTRA!” A roaring cheer erupted from the crowd as hats were tossed, streamers and balloons cascaded from the ceiling and hugs were thrown to those around them.
Deep in the crowd of graduates was a bright group of friends who laughed and cried with each other. Happily, they shared their gratefulness for their fellow classmates who fought beside each other almost every day of their lives for the past 3 years. As they were dismissed from the stadium where their graduation took place, a topic suddenly came forward to the large group.
“Do you know what I just realized?” Mina stated loudly. “This is going to be our last day that we are all living together.” All of the graduating class of 3-A stopped in their tracks and looked to the others around them. The realization hit them and suddenly, tears were forming again. “I can’t believe we really made it. This really happened. We all made it.”
Deku exploded into tears all over again. “I’m going to miss all of you guys!” He shouted as he started grabbing all of those near him for a big group hug. Almost everyone joined in for the bonding. Almost.
“Oi! Get off of me, you blubbering idiots!” Bakugou sparked at those that tried to grab him in for the hug. Beside him, Kirishima laughed as he hardened himself to grab Bakugou.
“Come on, bro! Last one!” Bakugou groaned and stood stiffly as he was shoved into the pile of arms. “We might not ever be able to see everyone in one place for a long time!” Kirishima held Bakugou tightly for a split second before he let him go. Bakugou scoffed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his graduation gown.
“We still have to pack, you moron. I’m sure all of you idiots are going to be hugging everyday for the next week.” He started stopping off towards the dorms to get a head start on packing. He couldn’t wait to get out of there and start working like the real hero he was.
“Wait up, Bakubro!” Kirishima shouted before releasing himself from the group hug. He jogged lightly to catch up to the fiery blonde. “We’ll meet you guys at the dorms!” He turned to their former classmates before slinging an arm around Bakugou’s shoulders.
It had been 3 years of vigorous training with real heroes and studying. Multiple times, all of them thought that they might not make it, they doubted their abilities, but in the end, all of them made it. They all helped each other get to this point in their lives and now, it was time for them to take hold of their lives. It was time for them to start the beginning of the rest of their lives.
Practically every one of the graduating Class 3-A students had a hero that they were going to go work with. Bakugou was the most recent of the class to announce that he would be teaming up with Best Jeanist “for now”. The strategy behind the decision was that once he started getting traction in the hero world, he would open up his own agency and work solo. Everyone agreed that that was what they figured that he would do. The only ones left that didn’t know where they were going to work were Mineta… and Kirishima. Although Kirishima had an idea of where he would end up working but was hesitant. He hadn’t had this problem since the end of first year, where he doubted himself and his quirk.
Everyone supported him and his decision if he wanted to wait, but most of the others suggested that he not wait too long to start working because he might become lax and fall into a depression. Kirishima agreed that he should just go for it, but…
“~Kirishima~” A voice whispered from the side of the road behind a tree. Kirishima stopped in his tracks, almost accidentally taking Bakugou down with his sudden stop.
“What the hell?!” The blonde shouted. Kirishima’s face split into a sharp grin.
“Tamaki!” He shouted before rushing to greet his friend/fellow hero buddy. Tamaki squeaked in surprise as the larger male wrapped him up in a hug. “It’s so good to see you! I didn’t think that you would show up because of the crowd!”
A loud laugh sounded beside them. “Yeah! He didn’t want to come, but he wanted to support you, like you’ve done for both of us!” A large man in a yellow jacket came out from the treeline to grab the two of them up in an even bigger embrace. “I’m so proud of you, Red Riot! I can’t wait for you to come and work with us!”
Kirishima froze in Fatgum’s arms. “Work… with you?” He said as if it was unexpected.
“Yeah! What? You have plans to work with someone else?” Fatgum asked as he put the two sidekicks down. Tamaki nearly collapsed to the ground from the social interaction. Kirishima immediately started denying Fatgum’s assumption.
“No! I just- I didn’t want to- I mean, I do- What I mean is…” Kirishima took in a deep breath before pounding his fists together. “I’m very happy to work with you! I can’t wait!”
“That’s more like it!” Fatgum wrapped Kirishima up in another hug. “I’ll take care of all of the paperwork. Just show up to the office Monday and we will get you all settled in.” He set Kirishima down before he went down on a knee to get eye level with the red-head. “I’m very proud of you, Kirishima. You are going to be an amazing hero.”
Kirishima’s eyes water a little before he hugged Fatgum one last time. “Thank you, Fatgum.” When they separated, Kirishima spotted Bakugou, who had started walking away the moment Fatgum appeared. “Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to be there first thing in the morning! I gotta get going now! I’ve got some packing to do!” Fatgum waved the young hero away as he helped Tamaki get to his feet.
It didn’t take long for Kirishima to catch up to Bakugou. He placed his arm back on Bakugou’s shoulders before he laughed, wetly. “I can’t believe it. I’m actually going to be a permanent sidekick for Fatgum.”
Bakugou scoffed. He looked over at Kirishima with a side-eyed grin “Like there was any doubt that you wouldn’t.”
Kirishima shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.” A thought came into his mind as he looked back at Bakugou. “I guess I should look for a place closer to Fatgum’s agency. It’ll be a long ride from my parent’s house every day.”
Bakugou nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been looking for a place too. I don’t want to go back to living with the hag and old man.” Kirishima chuckled before he gave Bakugou a playful shove. “Oi!” Bakugou grumbled.
“Come on! Let's go celebrate!” He turned to start running. “I’ll race you to the dorms! Winner decides the celebration dinner!” Bakugou’s face twisted into a mean grin before he let out an explosion that propelled him past Kirishima.
“You’re on, shitty hair!” Kirishima laughed as he sprinted, closely behind Bakugou’s flying pace.
Bakugou had won the race, but still felt like he lost because he ended up cooking anyway. But whatever. At least he knows it's going to be amazing food. Kirishima spent a lot of the time going back and forth between watching Bakugou cook and whatever was on his phone. Finally, curiosity got the better of Bakugou and he tossed a bit of meat he was cooking at Kirishima’s face.
“Oi. What the hell are you looking at that’s so interesting?” He asked nonchalantly, as if he didn’t care.
Kirishima picked up the slice of meat and popped it into his mouth before he wandered over to Bakugou to show him the app he was on. It was an apartment finding app. “I just put in my work place and yours and it's been giving me places that are in between. Liiiiiike…” He scrolled up a little bit before he clicked on a two bedroom apartment. “This one looks nice, but I don’t know if it’s too expensive. Because now, I’m going to be getting paid for hero stuff and I don’t know what to expect with that.”
Bakugou’s eyebrows furrowed as he scrolled through the pictures of the apartment. Once he found the picture of the bathroom, he immediately rejected the choice. When Kirishima asked him why, Bakugou started pointing out all of the cracks and flaws in the bathroom that would need to be fixed and how he didn’t want to move into a fixer upper. Kirishima nodded and continued scrolling before he looked back up at Bakugou’s focused look. It was like he was trying to cook the meat with his glare.
“Have you found any apartments that you liked?” Bakugou side eyed Kirishima before admitting that he hadn’t found anything that really stood out to him. Kirishima took note of that before he followed up with another question. “Do you… want to move out with me?” Bakugou dropped the spatula into the pan before he looked sharply at Kirishima. “Like bros! It would make rent easier for both of us and I can do some chores around the apartment too! I’ll uh… try to be the best roommate ever!”
Bakugou scoffed before he shrugged. “Sure whatever.” He picked up the cooking utensil before he moved to start dishing himself dinner. “Put your phone away and eat before it gets cold. We can…” He paused before turning away from Kirishima. “We can talk about it later.”
Kirishima beamed blindingly at Bakugou before he shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed a plate and dished himself up a healthy portion.
The duo sat themselves at the common room dining table before they started talking about what they were wanting for their future apartment. It wasn’t until the end of their meal that the rest of the class decided to finally show up. They demanded to have a party that night to celebrate and to reminisce. Bakugou almost immediately refused the idea before Kirishima whispered supportive words to him that changed his mind. He would go, but once it hit 9pm, he was going straight to bed.
And so the party was in motion. Cakes and treats were made, decorations were put up, music playlists were selected, and, just before 6 that night, the celebration was ready to commence.
Iida took it upon himself to begin the celebration by congratulating everyone for their hard work and perseverance throughout the years. He was proud of everyone, how far they made it and reminded them that they still had a ways to go. He almost teared up, but almost immediately stuck his arm out in his classic chopping motion to remind them to be kind and courteous to everyone and to not let the party get too out of hand. Everyone agreed to the terms and raised their glasses to a toast with sparkling juice.
Jirou started up the music and Aoyama turned the room lighting down to start the decorative lights. The room slowly grew in noise as groups separated. Some went to eat food, others began dancing with each other, a few of them sat happily vibing in the corner. Kirishima happily chatted with Sero and Kaminari as they watched their ex-classmates dance around.
Sero and Kaminari talked about their new sidekick gigs and Kirishima stated that he would be working with Fatgum and was looking for a place with Bakugou. The two of them looked over at Kirishima, one with a look of concern and the other with a mischievous grin.
“Really?” They both asked the redhead. Kirishima looked at them confused slightly, but nodded.
“Yeah? Is that a big deal?” Kirishima asked as if he was making a mistake.
Kaminari and Sero turned to each other before simultaneously stating, “No! It's not a problem at all! We’re just happy for you, man! Already making plans to get out there!” Kirishima hummed at them still confused, but shrugged it off and continued sipping his juice. “Just be careful, man.” Sero leaned into Kirishima. “We know how Bakugou can ask on a normal basis. Just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.”
Kirishima stared at Sero before he made his response. “Bakubro is like the best! I can’t believe he would agree to move out with me, you know! I’m so excited. Like, you don’t even know!” Kirishima almost shattered the glass in his hand with how much enthusiasm that was coursing through his body. “Right now, I just have to, you know, go for it! No more holding back!”
Sero smiled at him and told him to go for it. Kirishima sat his drink down on the side table beside him before he stood up to look for Bakugou. He almost missed him, but spotted that familiar blonde puffball walking down the hallway towards the elevators. Kirishima looked at the clock and it was exactly 9pm. Kirishima quickly said his good nights to his buddies before he quickly took off towards the retreating blonde.
Kaminari leaned towards Sero to ask him quietly, “Is he going to confess to Bakugou? I’m confused as to what’s happening.” Sero looked at him and shrugged before they both started chuckling uncontrollably.
Kirishima caught up to Bakugou and rode with him in the elevator to their rooms. “So…” Kirishima started before rubbing the back of his neck. Bakugou looked exhausted. “Do you, uh… want help packing?”
Bakugou looked up at Kirishima before he sighed. “Not tonight. I’m going to bed.” Kirishima nodded, humming in understanding. “Maybe…” Bakugou paused. “Tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that works for me.” Kirishima chuckled. “Not like I’ve got many plans.” Bakugou gave a small smile before the elevator doors opened up to their floor. The distant noise of the party downstairs could barely be heard. They walked to their doors before saying good night to each other.
Kirishima could barely sleep though. He was up almost the rest of the night on his computer, searching for potential apartments within their wants and needs. He pinned a couple of them on a shared document for Bakugou to look at in the morning before he finally got tired and laid down in bed.
He dreamed about him and Bakugou living in an apartment together. About waking up to find Bakugou in a sleep shirt and shorts staring out of their apartment window at the sunrise as he drank his morning coffee. He looked content and almost… happy.
By the time Kirishima woke up, it was almost 10am. He quickly got out of bed and threw on some clothes before heading downstairs to find… almost nothing. It seemed like the party went deep into the night and no one was awake yet, surprisingly. Except for Bakugou, who stood in the kitchen with headphones in while he casually multitasked between making breakfast and scrolling through his phone.
It reminded Kirishima of his dream and suddenly, there were butterflies in his stomach. He took a deep breath in before he approached the blonde, making sure that he spotted him so that he wasn’t too spooked by his sudden appearance. Bakugou took out one of his headphones before he showed Kirishima what he was looking at. It was one of the apartments that he had found the night before.
“This one isn’t too bad. Pretty crappy neighborhood.” Kirishima nodded before stating that he liked one of the views from the back bedroom. Bakugou snorted. “That doesn’t really outweigh the cons.” Kirishima agreed, begrudgingly.
Once Bakugou finished breakfast, they served themselves up some food and sat down to eat in relative peace. Kirishima was still buzzing about going to work at a full-time sidekick and moving out with his best friend. It was almost surreal to him to the point where he pinched himself just to make sure that he wasn’t still dreaming. They chatted a little bit more about what they would do to the apartment once they found one. Kirishima wanted to put up all of his “manly” stuff up all over the apartment, but Bakugou immediately told him no. Bakugou didn’t want any of that junk cluttering their shared living area. Kirishima agreed to only keep it in his room and promised that he would make sure to clean up around the apartment while Bakugou said that he would basically do everything else.
Once they were both finished, the others started to come down into the common room, a few of them with headaches for some reason. Bakugou dismissed them and went straight upstairs to his room, followed by Kirishima. They both decided that they would begin packing and would meet up again around 1ish for lunch.
Once in his room, Kirishima looked around his room, recalling all of the good times and bad that happened there. It seemed like he had always lived there and didn’t think that he would ever leave, but this was it. The last time that he would see it all together before he moved to his new place. Teary eyed, Kirishima began putting boxes together, first putting a bag of his essential items together that he might need for the day (charger, phone, wallet, laptop, extra clothes, Crimson Riot keychain, stuff that he would probably need on a daily basis).
After that was put together, he started packing up his clothes, then all of the stuff on his desk and under his bed. Then it was time to take all of his posters off his wall, carefully placing them in designed boxes so they wouldn’t get bent or folded weirdly. Once he taped up the last box, he realized that this really was it. He took a look around the empty room and took in a deep breath.
He felt a little silly but he thanked the room around him for all of the time he spent there before he started grabbing boxes and hauling them out into the hall. At the same time, Bakugou had also started moving boxes out into the hallway. Smirking, Bakugou claimed that he beat him. Kirishima chuckled, shaking his head at the blonde.
Kirishima picked up a handful of boxes before he made his way to the elevator. He and Bakugou moved all of their boxes out to the courtyard where movers were ready to ship their stuff back to their parents’ homes. A few others had their stuff out in the courtyard too.
Then once again, Mina spoke up. “This is really it, guys. This is the last time that we are all going to be together.” The rest of the class came outside, some already crying (cough-Deku-cough) and others smiling solemnly. “How about one last picture?” Very quickly, everyone agreed and with a little help from Momo and Iida, a camera was set up to take their picture.
“Is everyone ready? Bakugou, please face the camera! Kaminari, get off of Kirishima! Please be professional!” He pressed the timer button before speeding away to his position next to Ururaka and Deku. “Let's go beyond!”
The rest of the class chimed in. “PLUS ULTRA!”
Click!
One last exchange of hugs and best wishes were dished out to everyone, before they got into their respective vans and began to head out. Kirishima quickly ran to Bakugou and loudly told him that he would text him everyday. Bakugou shrugged him off and told him to do whatever he wanted before he got into his van and Kirishima into his own.
Once Kirishima made it home, his mom’s, Mama and Meema, were there to greet him, immediately showering him with hugs and kisses. Laughing, he released himself before going to help the movers get his boxes out of the van. Mama and Meema were there too, bringing them into the house and up to his old room that was sparsely decorated. As they unpack, Kirishima’s moms ask him what he plans to do now.
He tells them that he is planning on moving out with Bakugou after he gets set up at work and saves up some money. They tell him that they are happy for him and if he ever needs help, even when he leaves their house, they will always be there for him, no matter what. Kirishima thanked them and gave them more hugs before they went to go make dinner.