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Katsuki had never thought he’d ever make any friends, much less get a crush or, heaven forbid, fall in love.
So, how the fuck had he managed to do all three before graduating high school?
He wanted to bang his head against a wall, or maybe go for a run. Exploding something–someone–also sounded very fucking good at the moment.
The fact that the only person who could withstand the full power of his explosions with no harm to themself was the root of all of Katsuki’s problems put a bit of a damper on that plan, though.
He decided the best course of action would be to go blow up some fucking rocks in Gym Gamma. It wouldn’t be the same as exploding the idiot’s face off, but it was better than nothing.
He dressed quickly, making sure to bring a jacket. February had brought some warmth back into the air, but it was still too fucking chilly for his taste. He’d just managed to go back to full-time hero work in November; no way was he going to risk getting sick and being benched again while all of his classmates kept improving.
“Yo, Kacchan!”
Katsuki closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, counting to ten in his head before turning around to face one of his problems – problems who liked to call themselves his friends, and who he reluctantly had come to see as such. “What?”
Kaminari was leaning over the backrest of the common room couch, his head cushioned on his crossed arms, those big gold eyes of his already pleading for fuck-knows-what. “Where’re you going in such a hurry?”
“None of your fucking business.”
“Aw, c’mon.” Perfect, now Sero had joined in, too. Just Katsuki’s luck that all of his idiots would be ready to piss him off when he only wanted to blast some things. “We know you’re going to train. We just got back from class!”
“Yeah, Blasty. Come here, relax with us a little,” Ashido joined, and suddenly, he had three pairs of big pleading eyes turned in his direction.
He groaned. “I’m going to explode something, and if you dumbasses won’t shut up, that something is gonna be you.”
He hated that his threats now only brought out smiles. Stupid idiots thinking that just because Katsuki liked them, he wouldn’t actually burn those smirks off their dumb, smug faces.
“I can go train with you, if you want!” came from behind him, and Katsuki was really starting to consider blowing himself up at this point.
“No,” he said immediately, red filling his vision.
“But whyyy,” Kirishima whined, actually pouting as if he wasn’t seventeen and a hero-in-training with sidekick gigs already lined up for when they’d graduate a year from then.
And the thing was, Katsuki knew he needed to give the big red puppy in human form in front of him a good excuse as to why he couldn’t join him in his training, otherwise he would just follow him to Gym Gamma anyway.
“Because…” Katsuki said, looking around the common area for ideas. He almost gave up, resigning himself to his fate, when the most perfect vision entered his eyesight, just coming out of the kitchen. “Because I’m training with Deku.”
The green-haired boy looked up, straw in his mouth and a carton of apple juice in his hand. “You are?” he asked.
Katsuki glared at him, trying to convey intimidation instead of pleading. He wasn’t sure he was successful; the nerd was too good at reading his expressions, especially now that they’d started hanging out as friends, but a guy can dream.
Izuku seemed to understand anyway. “Oh, right, I completely forgot! Sorry, Kacchan, give me a minute to get ready,” he said, already running for the elevator.
Katsuki tsked, but his mouth betrayed him, a smile breaking through.
“Oh.”
He turned around and was metaphorically punched in the gut by the kicked puppy look in Kirishima’s eyes.
It infuriated him how pretty the dumbass was even now.
Katsuki watched as the redhead fought to wipe that look off his face, his features smoothing until a forced smile replaced the hurt, and Katsuki’s own heart gave a pitiful tug in his best friend’s direction.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had plans. Have fun with Midoriya!” Kirishima said, but Katsuki knew him too well by now to be fooled by his fake cheerfulness.
He opened his mouth to say something, whatever would keep that look away from Kirishima’s pretty face forever and ever, and he mentally kicked himself for being the one who put it there in the first place. If it had been anyone else, they would’ve already been exploded into bits.
Kirishima didn’t give him time to speak, though – he’d already turned around and walked away, almost bumping into Izuku as the shorter boy exited the elevator, and disappeared up the stairs.
Katsuki didn’t miss the looks his friends shared, either. He knew something weird had just happened, but he couldn’t for the life of him understand what.
“Um,” Izuku said, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. “Should we go? Gym Gamma is only open for a couple more hours.”
Katsuki tore his eyes away from where Kirishima had run away to, nodding. “Let’s go.”
Izuku started talking a mile a minute as soon as the door closed behind them, and Katsuki let his childhood friend’s voice wash over him. He almost couldn’t believe there had been a time–a long time–when he’d found him genuinely annoying, while these days he would sometimes go to Izuku’s room just to hear him yap about whatever was going on in his head so that he wouldn’t focus too much on his own thoughts.
Gym Gamma appeared in his sight like an oasis in the middle of a desert, its interior promising a whole lot of cement to explode and blast through to stop his body from vibrating away from his bones.
He took his gauntlets from his bag and hung his jacket in the changing room, Izuku doing the same with his sweatshirt, and together they marched into the main area of the gym. Katsuki marched decisively to the largest piece of concrete he could see, preparing himself to blast it away, but Izuku’s voice stopped him before he could start.
“So, do you want to tell me what was all of that?”
Katsuki groned, then sighed; so much for taking his mind off things, huh. Still, he tried feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”
“C’mon, Kacchan, don’t play dumb. I know you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Izuku said, sitting down next to Katsuki’s feet. “What’s going on between you and Kirishima?”
Katsuki tore his gauntlets away and sat down in front of his friend – he knew he wasn’t going to start training any time soon. “Nothing’s going on.”
Izuku hummed. “It sure does look like something, though. Even Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero noticed.”
“Noticed what?” he asked, his temper rising. “I don’t know what happened back there! I just wanted some time alone, but they wouldn’t stop pestering me, and then he looked so hurt, and I don’t know why!”
He huffed, his chest moving up and down with his laboured breath. He didn’t know what to think – had he said something wrong? Done something to hurt his best friend, his crush? He’d never wanted to do that. He’d just needed a little bit of time to himself, to sort through these feelings before they became too much.
Izuku looked at him with this expression – like he knew something Katsuki didn’t, and it infuriated him. “Just spit it out, ‘Zuku.”
“Have you thought that maybe Kirishima could be jealous?”
Hah? “And why would he be jealous?”
Izuku didn’t roll his eyes, but Katsuki got a feeling that he wanted to. “Because you’ve been spending a fair amount of time with me the last few weeks, while before you would spend every waking hour with him,” he explained, and a small, almost sad smile appeared on his lips. “I know he was the one who pushed you the most to try and mend things with me, and I’m very grateful to him for that. However, I do think that you’ve unconsciously been avoiding him a little lately, and he’s not one to prod when he thinks it’s not his place. He’s been giving you space, Kacchan, but even someone as strong as Kirishima needs reassurance, sometimes.”
Katsuki understood that, probably better than anyone else. He knew Kirishima – all of his insecurities, all of his fears, all those self-deprecating thoughts he’d been working so hard to banish. Had he inadvertently been making them worse?
“I’m a fucking idiot,” he muttered, bringing his hands to cover his face. “I have been pushing him away, haven’t I? God, no wonder he looked like a kicked puppy.”
Izuku smiled ruefully. “And honestly, it doesn’t help that he thinks you have a crush on me.”
Okay, now that was absurd. “How the fuck did he come to that bullshit conclusion? Just the thought of… eww… kissing you makes me want to hurl.”
Izuku blushed, waving his hands in between them. “Please, stop talking, oh my god. That’s an awful image, no thank you.”
The gym filled with Katsuki’s gagging noises, and then they started laughing. It was a weird thing to imagine, indeed, and he couldn’t believe Kirishima would ever think that about him and Deku.
When his laughter subsided, Izuku turned to him again. “I’m serious, Kacchan. Kirishima cares a lot about you, and back in the first half of first year, he was your only real friend. He loves that you have so many friends now, I know he does; that doesn’t mean that he isn’t feeling a little left behind now, though, and your half-assed excuse from earlier probably made him feel even worse.”
Katsuki kind of wanted to bolt back to the dorms, wrap his idiot best friend in his arms, and cover his face with kisses to reassure him. God, what a lovesick fool that redhead had made him. “How do I show him that he has nothing to be afraid of?” he asked, his mind already running through ideas. “He has to know that that’s all bullshit.”
“I know, and I’m sure everyone else knows too. Your relationship has always been different, and the whole class has noticed. But, Kacchan…” Izuku sighed, a serious look on his face. “You’ve never told him out loud, have you?”
“Of course, I…” Katsuki thought back, all the way back to their first year, but he could count on one hand the times he’d ever spoken aloud how highly he regarded Kirishima. “I’m an asshole, aren’t I?” he sighed, defeated.
If he couldn’t even show the guy he was in love with how much he cared about him, how could he ever hope to show the world that he was going to be the best hero?
“I need to do something,” Katsuki said, decisive. “I need to get it through that thick skull of his that he’s the most important person ever. How do I do that?”
Izuku looked at him like he’d grown a second and third head. “Uh…”
“Deku,” Katsuki said, and he tried to ignore how pitiful his voice sounded. “Izuku. Please, you have to help me. How do I show Kirishima that I care about him the most?”
“Do you mean… Do you actually like him, Kacchan? Like, like like him?”
Katsuki huffed. “If you say like one more time, I’m going to explode you.”
Izuku ignored him, his hand already on his chin and words coming out of his mouth at full speed.
Yeah, now Katsuki remembered why he had found it annoying back then.
“Deku!” he yelled, and Izuku startled so much that he stopped muttering. “I don’t need a whole essay about Kirishima and me. I know all that stuff already; I need something to win him back, and fast.”
Izuku’s eyes softened. “Oh, Kacchan. You don’t need to win him back; you never lost him in the first place.”
At that, Katsuki’s shoulders slumped. He hadn’t even noticed how tense he’d been. “Then what do I need to do?”
“It’s easy, really,” the green-haired boy said with a smirk. “You give him chocolate.”
⋆⟡₊⊹
Katsuki had ended up blowing concrete up until they were kicked out of Gym Gamma, but his conversation with Izuku kept replaying in his head.
“It’s easy, really. You give him chocolate.”
Katsuki had been so confused. “How is that gonna reassure him that I don’t like you and that I like him instead?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day on Saturday, silly. You’ll give him the chocolate then.”
Valentine’s Day, huh. Katsuki was conflicted; on one hand, he’d always despised the holiday–too much sugar and PDA for him–but on the other, he knew that Kirishima loved that mushy gushy stuff, if the romcoms he forced their group to watch and the way he cooed at couples on the school grounds were any indicator.
He’d never considered that he would be one of those people who got jittery thinking about someone else, but he’d never thought that he’d fight, die, come back to life, and win a war in his first year of high school either, so really, he much preferred the first of the two.
And that’s how Operation: Give Kirishima Chocolate To Show Him That He’s Katsuki’s Favorite Person And The Only One He Can See At His Side Forever And Ever began. The name needed some work, but Katsuki gathered that he’d be the only one to know about it until Saturday, so he didn’t care to put too much thought into it.
The plan went as follows:
- Learn how to make chocolate, because he was not going to simply buy a box of convenience store chocolates and call it a day.
- Find a good red velvet cake recipe.
- Get a heart-shaped cake pan and cookie cutters.
- Call Dad for baking tips.
- Learn how to bake the perfect cake in less than two days.
- Give Kirishima the chocolates.
- Apologize for unconsciously avoiding him and reassure Kirishima that he’s the only one for Katsuki.
- Confess his love.
- Kiss Kirishima silly.
- Get himself a boyfriend.
He was still deciding if he should swap the last two items on his list, but he guessed that he could see what felt right in the moment.
Katsuki inhaled deeply, steeling himself, then took his phone and got to work.
⋆⟡₊⊹
The kitchen was a disaster.
Katsuki looked around at the chocolate-and-cake-batter mess around him and started to regret all of his choices, starting with coming back to life and ending with falling in love with his best friend.
“Wow, did a bomb go off in here?”
Katsuki sighed. He’d decided to try the recipe after everyone had gone up to their rooms, yearning for privacy and quiet, but fate was really not in his favor today. “Shut it, Ears. I’m really not in the mood right now.”
Jirou dropped the smirk, sensing that Katsuki was one wrong step away from actually becoming a bomb and taking all of them with him. “Alright, talk me through it.”
And Katsuki really wanted to tell them to shove it, but he refrained. He had thought he could do it by himself, with just a bit of help from his dad, but he’d reached his limit. Jirou wasn’t the worst person who could’ve walked in on this mess; maybe she could help him sort it out. “Do you know how to bake?”
Jirou snorted. “Hell no.”
Katsuki deflated; so much for asking for help.
“But,” Jirou continued, their eyes twinkling with a hidden smile. “I know who can.”
“I don’t want anyone else to see this,” he said, his voice coming out less sure than he’d wanted. God, he sounded miserable.
“He won’t make fun of you, I promise. Why don’t you clean up a bit while I go get him?”
Katsuki sighed for the millionth time in a few hours. He didn’t have any other options – his dad couldn’t do much to help him from all the way back home, and he’d reached rock bottom. It could only go up from there, right? “Okay. But if whoever it is makes fun of me, I will kill him and then you, understood?”
“Ay ay, captain,” Jirou said, already walking out of the kitchen.
He turned around, squared his shoulders, and got to work. It didn’t take long at all to clean up; it wasn’t that bad. He’d just been dramatic and tired, but now that everything was spotless again, he could think better.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see the day Kacchan started baking,” Kaminari said as he walked in, followed by Jirou.
Katsuki looked at him, then glared at her. “Pikachu is the baker?”
They nodded, a proud smile on her face. “Yep. He’s been learning from Satou, and even if he’s not as good as him, I gathered you wouldn’t appreciate someone from outside our group knowing about this. So,” they gestured at Kaminari in a ta-da motion, “Denki.”
Kaminari curtsied, and Katsuki couldn’t help but be a bit amused by that. What a dumbass.
“Okay,” the electric blond said, a focused expression appearing on his face. “Walk me through it. What’s your idea?”
And so began the weirdest night of Katsuki’s life. He would never admit it, but Kaminari was a good baker and even a decent teacher, and Katsuki enjoyed this time together. Jirou had decided to stay, too, sitting pretty on the kitchen island so that she’d be out of the way, but still close enough to watch them and help with measuring ingredients and other small stuff.
He shared the dessert with Kaminari and Jirou once it was done, since it was only a practice cake. It wasn’t perfect, and the chocolate was a bit wonky, but he would make it again tomorrow so that it’d be perfect and fresh for Saturday.
They cleaned up together, chatting quietly so as not to wake up their sleeping classmates. “So. Is this for a certain redhead?” Kaminari asked, a bit of teasing in his voice, but his eyes betrayed the slight pride he was feeling.
Katsuki stiffened a little, but honestly, it was just a reflex. They’d know soon enough anyway. “Who else would it be for?”
“He’s gonna love it,” Jirou said, twirling their earphone jack around her finger.
They started to leave, but Katsuki got their attention before they could. “Hey. Thank you.”
They smiled, waving him goodnight. And when Katsuki collapsed on his bed, he was smiling – small and secret.
⋆⟡₊⊹
Kirishima was avoiding him.
Katsuki had waited for him that morning, dead set on walking with his best friend to class, but when he’d given up and made his way there before he could run late, he’d found Kirishima already at his desk.
“Hey,” he said as he approached him. “I waited for you.”
“Oh,” Kirishima replied, finally looking up at Katsuki. He had bags under his eyes. “Sorry. I heard you come back late last night and thought you would sleep in a little, so I walked here alone.”
Katsuki frowned. He’d made sure to be as quiet as possible going back to his room after the whole cake thing, but Kirishima had heard him anyway. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“Oh, no, I was already awake.”
Now, that was weird. Kirishima usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. “Something on your mind?”
His best friend’s lips tipped up, forced and dim, nothing like his usual sunshine smile, and Katsuki actually felt his heart break again inside his chest. “Something like that. I’m fine, though, don’t worry!”
Katsuki’s mind was jumping from one thought to another, then it stopped abruptly. Did Kirishima think that he was with Deku last night?
“I was with Kaminari and Jirou,” he blurted out.
Kirishima’s smile dimmed even more, and Katsuki didn’t know why. “Ah, that’s alright, dude, you don’t need to explain yourself to me. I told you, I’m fine!”
“But you clearly aren’t,” Katsuki said, louder than he’d intended. He breathed, then tried again. “You look like you haven’t slept in days, and we can’t have that. Talk to me.”
His best friend sighed. “Bakugou, please. Drop it, okay? I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Katsuki was thinking again, this time searching for ideas. Izuku had said that Kirishima was jealous, that he was giving him space because he thought he needed it and didn’t want to push. Katsuki didn’t want that, though; he wanted the exact opposite, actually. So… “Want to come to my room after class? We can watch a movie, relax a bit without all the other idiots bugging us.”
Kirishima’s eyes lit up at that, and a genuine smile appeared on his pretty, red lips. Jackpot. “I’d like that, yeah!”
“Aizawa-sensei is coming! Everybody, to your seats!” Iida said, his arms chopping the air in that weirdly amusing way he always did.
Katsuki glanced at his best friend one last time. “You and I, yeah? I’m holding you to that.”
The sight of a blush gracing Kirishima’s cheeks was so distractingly cute that he almost bumped into Sero’s desk on the way to his own.
⋆⟡₊⊹
The afternoon Hero Training was brutal, and Katsuki felt like his right hand was about to raise a middle finger at him before popping out of its socket and jumping to its second death.
Every movement sent pinpricks of pain shooting up his arm, but he gritted his teeth and worked through the pain. He had promised Kirishima they would watch a movie and relax, just the two of them, and he’d be damned if his shitty wrist was going to ruin his plan. Luckily, his dorm room had already been clean, which meant he only had to move things around.
His hand was really not collaborating, though.
He sighed when he dropped the blanket for the fourth time and resigned himself. He needed help, and fast – Kirishima would get back from his weekly coffee run with Tetsutestu soon, and he didn’t want to make him wait or, worse, let him see the disaster he had managed to make of himself and of his room.
So, he grabbed his phone and called the only person who could help him in this endeavor.
“Hey, Blasty! What’s up?” Ashido asked as soon as she picked up.
Katsuki took a big breath, steeling himself. “I need your help with something.”
“Ominous. Please go on.”
He rolled his eyes. She was always so dramatic. “Can you come to my room? And don’t tell the other idiots.”
It was silent for a few seconds, the only sound the static of the phone call.
He sighed. “...Please.”
“Of course!” Ashido responded immediately, and he heard her door slam closed. “I’ll be there in two,” was the last thing she said before ending the call.
He busied himself with picking up the blankets from the floor – no matter how he arranged them, they kept falling, and he didn’t have enough patience right now to deal with that.
The knocking came quickly, and he opened the door to Ashido’s big bug eyes looking up at him. “Hi, Bakubabe! I’ve come to your rescue. What do you need help with?”
She barged inside, not even giving him time to think about what to say, and stopped in the middle of the room. She looked around, assessing the situation.
Before she could open her mouth again, he closed the door and grunted. “I know. It’s a disaster.”
“Hey, none of that!” Ashido said, turning to him with a smile. “What’s the occasion?”
He sat on his bed, uncaring of the mess of blankets and pillows. “Kiri’s been down because of me, so I asked him to come over to watch a movie together. I wanted to build a pillow fort, but my hand is acting up, and I’ve never built one alone before, but I really want it to be good because he deserves good things–”
“Alright,” she interrupted, a hand on his head. She was warm, the fluffy house clothes she was wearing obviously doing their job, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes for a second at the contact.
He loved Ashido. She was always energetic, but knew with just a glance when he needed some peace and quiet; she never pried, but always offered a shoulder when he or their friends needed it. She was comforting, warm, and overall good.
Sometimes, Katsuki didn’t know what he’d done to deserve such amazing friends.
“You okay?” she asked, still stroking his hair as if he were a cat. “You said your hand is bothering you?”
“I’m fine,” he answered genuinely. His head had quieted a little, and his wrist just needed a bit of rest. “Can you help me with the fort?”
“Of course, Bakugou.” She withdrew her hand, then smiled brightly. “What did you have in mind?”
He explained his vision, and Ashido was immediately on board. They worked seamlessly, and she even went into Kirishima’s dorm to borrow his desk chair for extra support. When they were done, a giant, sturdy pillow fort took up all the free space between Katsuki’s bed and his desk.
He exhaled, tired and grateful. “Thank–”
“Wait!” Ashido yelled, then ran out of his room, leaving behind a very confused Katsuki.
It only took her a few minutes to come back, holding something in her hand.
“What’s that?”
She smiled, proud of herself. “Fairylights!”
They set them up, Ashido pointing out the best places for him to pin them. When she plugged them in, Katsuki’s jaw dropped open.
“Cute, huh?” she said, observing their work.
“This is way better than what I imagined,” he whispered. “Thank you, Mina. It really means a lot.”
She winked at him, cheeky like she always was. “Just promise to make our resident sunshine feel loved, yeah?”
Katsuki nodded, a wave of affection filling him.
The moment was interrupted by a knock. Mina reached up to mess with his hair, then walked to the door, opening it. Kirishima was waiting there, a fist still raised to knock again. “Hi Eiji! I was just leaving.”
“Oh, hi, Mina!” he said, a confused smile on his face. He tried to look inside, but Katsuki had come to greet him at the door and was blocking his view. “What are you doing here?”
“I owed Blasty a favor,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Have fun, you two!”
She was out of sight in a second – Katsuki had to blink twice to make sure she was really gone. He turned his head, his eyes meeting Kirishima’s ruby ones. “Hi,” he said.
“Hello,” the redhead whispered, quiet and soft. “What was that all about?”
Katsuki felt himself blush, but fought down the snarky remark that automatically came up his throat. Instead, he gestured at his crush to come inside. “Have a look for yourself.”
He kept his own eyes on Kirishima, and the awed expression that took over his face was worth all the wrist pain he had endured to make this work.
“Bakugou, that’s…” he trailed off, red eyes jumping from one detail to another. “Did you build it yourself?”
“Pinky helped,” Katsuki said. “That’s why she was here.”
Kirishima turned around, his smile brighter than the Sun itself. “You asked her to help you build a pillow fort? For me?”
Katsuki was so, so in love. “Obviously, idiot. Do you think I’d ask someone for help if it wasn’t for you?”
He watched as happy tears gathered in those pretty red eyes, and he was extremely tempted to abandon his whole plan and confess right then and there.
Kirishima loved Valentine’s Day, though – he could keep it in for a few more hours if it meant his best friend would look at him like that again tomorrow.
“C’mon,” he said instead. “Let’s get inside. You mentioned wanting to watch How To Train Your Dragon; I already have all three movies lined up, if you’re up for that.”
“Yes.” Kirishima nodded, his tears spilling out. “Yes, that sounds amazing. I can’t believe you remembered.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. God, his best friend really was clueless, huh. “Of course, I remember. You said I haven’t watched How To Train Your Dragon in forever; we should do a marathon soon.”
“Dude,” he laughed, and it sounded like sunlight, “do you remember every word I say?”
Yes, he wanted to reply. I remember everything about you.
“Let’s start, or we won’t be able to finish in time for bed,” was what he said instead.
They crawled inside, and the gasp Kirishima let out made him smirk. “You put up fairylights?”
“Hell yeah, I did.” He made a mental note to make Ashido’s favorite food whenever she asked for it; she’d earned that privilege.
They got comfortable, Kirishima’s favorite blanket of Katsuki’s covering both of them, and the redhead sighed contentedly. “Man, this is amazing.”
“Wanted to do something nice for you,” he confessed, his voice quiet. “I know I haven’t been the best best friend lately, and for that I’m sorry.”
Kirishima whipped his head in his direction, frowning. “No, that’s not– Bakugou, you haven’t been a bad best friend–”
“I have, though,” Katsuki said, his left hand absent-mindedly rubbing his right wrist. “I haven’t been spending as much time with you as I should have, and you’ve been down because of it. And don’t deny it – I noticed, y’know.”
Kirishima’s whole body seemed to fold over itself, his ungelled hair covering his pretty face. Katsuki couldn’t have that, so he reached for him, tucking a strand behind his ear in a gesture that was so intimately soft, he thought his heart might give out. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Red. It’s on me; I know all about your insecurities and about how your asshole middle school friends treated you. I should’ve realized sooner that you would start spiralling and put a stop to it before it got this bad.”
“Bakugou–”
“Katsuki.”
His interruption shocked both of them. Katsuki hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted to hear Kirishima say his given name until now, but he really, really wanted to. So, “Call me Katsuki,” he said, decisive.
Kirishima seemed to taste the word on his tongue before speaking it. “Okay, Katsuki.”
And oh, Katsuki was done for – ruined for everyone else forever. There was no going back; this was it. He never wanted anyone to call him by his name ever again, because nothing would compare to the soft way Kirishima said it.
“Eijirou,” Katsuki said, tasting the name in his mouth. It was sweet. “You’re my best friend, alright? Don’t hide from me. I know you too well by now, and if therapy has taught me anything, it’s that it’s better to speak about what’s on your mind than let it fester until you explode.”
Eijirou nodded, a small smile on his lips. “I know, I’m sorry. I should’ve talked to you sooner.”
“Damn right, you should’ve. But it’s fine now.” Katsuki looked at him, and he hesitated for just a second. “We are fine, right?”
“Yes, Katsuki. We’re fine,” he said softly, gently.
He nodded, pacified. “Great. Now, should we start?”
“Hell yeah! I’m so ready to watch some badass dragons,” Eijirou exclaimed through a smile.
He felt his best friend lean into him, his red hair draping over Katsuki’s shoulder, and he tried not to show how giddy that single gesture made him, so he just pressed play.
They were both asleep before the arena scene started.
⋆⟡₊⊹
Katsuki cursed at himself. They’d woken up to his alarm, bodies stiff from sleeping on the floor, but no time to waste – it was later than Eijirou usually woke up, and he’d had to sprint through his morning routine so that he could still style his hair without being late to class.
Katsuki had just sat in their fort, pillow creases on his cheek, and mentally slapped himself.
He’d had a plan – a perfectly curated plan to woo Eijirou and give him chocolate, confess his love, and kiss his best friend stupid, but now it was Valentine’s Day, and he was groggy and empty-handed.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed, hiding his face in his hands. He’d just have to improvise, but what could he do on such short notice?
He was distracted in class all day, but everyone was, honestly – that usually happened during festivities. Red and pink decorations filled the classrooms and hallways; even the cafeteria was all decked out, every heart seeming to mock Katsuki and his poor time management from last night.
He locked himself in his room as soon as classes let out, a blank piece of paper sitting in front of him on his desk, desperately trying to come up with an idea that wouldn’t take as long as the cake.
He was interrupted by a knock, and he sighed. Couldn’t people just leave him alone for once?
“What?” he asked roughly, opening the door. Sero was standing in the hallway, hands behind his back and big teeth on full display.
“A little birdie told me that we might have a bit of a problem in our hands,” he said, still smiling. “Mind talking me through it?”
Katsuki sighed. “Who snitched?”
“Kami,” Sero said immediately, not even an ounce of shame in throwing him under the bus. “He told me he went to check on his chocolates for Jirou in the fridge this morning and fully expected to find something else there too, but it was empty.”
Katsuki groaned, letting him get inside his room. “Eijirou and I had a movie marathon last night and fell asleep. I forgot to put on an alarm to get up to bake the stupid cake and woke up this morning, painful and cakeless.”
He’d unconsciously started pacing, his hands buried in his hair. He didn’t realize he was tugging on it until Sero reached out and took them, stopping him. “Okay, how about we calm down first?”
“Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down right now? I had a plan,” Katsuki said, getting agitated. He kept his hands to his sides, though. “It was a perfect ten-step plan to show Eijirou that I like his stupid face and ask him to be my dumb boyfriend, and now it’s ruined because I fell asleep!”
Sero had sat down at Katsuki’s desk at some point. He was looking at him, his chin in his hand, his eyes twinkling with something, Katsuki wasn’t sure what.
“Dude, you’re gonna make a hole if you keep pacing like that. I can help, if you want.”
“How? Are you gonna make a heart-shaped cake magically appear out of thin air?”
“Unfortunately, that’s not how my quirk works,” Sero kept smiling, the little cheeky asshole, “but I can distract Kiri for a few hours while you make it.”
Katsuki stopped in his tracks. “What?”
Sero dropped the smug look, and the blond was silently grateful for that. “Look, how long is it gonna take? I can get him out, go to that new comic store at the mall, keep him distracted. Just say the word, and it’s done.”
Katsuki, embarrassingly, felt tears sting at the back of his eyes. “You would do that?”
“Of course, man. That’s what friends are for,” Sero replied, completely sincere.
Katsuki really needed to make an offering to whatever divinity had decided to grace him with these idiots. “Okay. It’ll take around three hours; think you can keep him busy for that long?”
Sero’s smile brightened up the room. “Easy.”
“Well, then, what are you waiting for?” Katsuki said, biting back a smile when Sero almost tripped on his own feet trying to run out. “Text me updates, yeah?”
“Sure thing, Bakugou!” he said, already running out the door.
“And Sero?” Katsuki called him back quietly, stopping him right before he could barge into Eijirou’s room next door. “Thanks.”
The black-haired boy saluted him, and Katsuki finally exhaled, all the tension seeping from his body.
It was time to bake a cake.
⋆⟡₊⊹
Katsuki was about to vibrate out of his skin.
Sero had texted him fifteen minutes before, saying that they were on their way back.
The cake was ready, and Katsuki had even managed to sneak out to buy a little bouquet while it cooled down in the fridge.
Todoroki had been sprawled on the common room sofa when he got back, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw the flowers. “Are those for Kirishima?”
Katsuki stiffened slightly. Did everyone know? Was he really so obvious?
Eh, whatever. If everything went according to plan, he would get a boyfriend tonight, and everyone would know about it by morning.
“Yeah,” he said, making a detour to the fridge to get the cake ready.
When he turned around, a rare, genuine smile was on Todoroki’s lips. “Nice. Good luck, Bakugou.”
Katsuki didn’t feel warmth spreading through his limbs at that; he didn’t. Fuck off.
Todoroki got up and walked away, waving him goodbye. It was then that Katsuki realized the dorm was unusually quiet, especially for a holiday such as Valentine’s Day.
He didn’t have time to overthink it, though, because the front door opened and Sero walked inside, two bags in his hands–no doubt full of comics–and, following right behind him, Eijirou was grinning from ear to ear.
“Well, thank you for accompanying me today, Kiri! I gotta go now,” Sero said, scurrying away without waiting for the redhead’s response.
Eijirou looked around, gaze falling on Katsuki, a big grin returning to his previously confused face. “Katsuki, hi!”
“Hey,” he greeted back, a smile on his lips as Eijirou sauntered over to his side. “How was the new store?”
“Oh, man, it was awesome! I got the last two volumes of that manga, remember I was looking everywhere for them but couldn’t find them anywhere?”
“I remember. That’s great, Eijirou.”
His best friend blushed, pretty pink coloring his cheeks, and Katsuki was this close to pinching them like Auntie Inko always did to him when she saw him.
He shook his head. This was not the time to get lost in thought; he had a plan to complete.
“Come with me,” Katsuki said, guiding him to the vacant sofas.
Eijirou frowned. “Where’s everyone? I thought we’d have a full house today.”
“Fuck if I know. Now wait here; I’ll be right back.” He started walking to the kitchen, but turned around again. “Please, don’t leave,” he asked, a little worried Eijirou might disappear upstairs.
His crush nodded, though, and smiled at him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Katsuki rushed to the kitchen, breathing in deeply to steel his nerves. He was the Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight; he’d fought a war and won, for fuck’s sake. Confessing his love to his best friend should be easy compared to that.
His hands were trembling anyway as he took the bouquet in one and the cake in the other.
True to his words, Eijirou hadn’t left. He was still on the sofa, fidgeting with his own hands, but he was smiling softly to himself.
This was his best friend, his rock, his hero. Katsuki sighed; had nothing to be scared of.
He hadn’t noticed him yet, so Katsuki took one last breath – then jumped, sure that Eijirou would be there to catch him.
“Ei,” he called, hands still trembling slightly, but heart steady.
Eijirou finally looked up, a little confused as he took in the scene in front of him. Then, an unsure smile appeared on his lips. “Kats? What’s this?”
Katsuki blushed at the nickname, but he should’ve expected it. He’d just called him a nickname of his own, after all, and Eijirou wasn’t one to be outdone easily. “These,” he said, confidence slowly returning to his body, “are flowers for you. They’re supposed to represent love that fills you with fire,” he explained, and he could feel his blush darkening. “There’s a card with all the different flowers and their meanings, if you want to read it later.”
Eijirou took the bouquet, his sturdy hands gentle on the delicate flowers. “They’re beautiful, Katsuki. But what–”
“Let me finish,” Katsuki interrupted him, a bit of anxiousness in his voice. “Please. Then you can tell me whatever you want, but let me finish what I have to say first.”
His best friend nodded, closing his eyes to smell the flowers. “They really are beautiful,” he whispered, hiding a smile behind the bouquet. Then, he gently laid it on the coffee table. “Okay, keep going.”
Katsuki’s heart made itself known again, beating furiously in his chest. He’d come this far, though; he wasn’t going to back out now.
He sat next to Eijirou and handed him the plate, a red heart-shaped box in its center, complete with a lid and bow.
Eijirou looked at it, then back at Katsuki. “This is for me, too?”
Katsuki snorted, amused. “No, it’s for the flowers. Of course, it’s for you, dumbass.”
The redhead laughed, then took the plate and put it on his thighs.
“Open it,” Katsuki said, excitement finally showing.
Eijirou did; he always did what Katsuki asked of him, blindly trusting him to have his back.
Katsuki always did.
“Oh, Kats…” Eijirou sighed, obviously overwhelmed.
“It’s a cake,” Katsuki explained. “All of it. The box is made with white chocolate, dyed red; there’s red velvet cake inside, and the chocolates on top are actual melted chocolate that I decorated.”
“You made this?” Eijirou asked, inspecting the red chocolate lid. “This is amazing. I didn’t know you could bake so well.”
Katsuki blushed a little again. “Kaminari taught me. Jirou helped, too.”
Red eyes shot to his, wide and understanding. “This is what you were doing the other night?”
“Not exactly this one,” he explained. “We made another one so that I could practice. We ate that one, though.”
Eijirou laughed, happy and bright. “Of course, you practiced before making the real thing. Always plus ultra, huh?”
“Obviously. Who do you take me for?”
They laughed together, and the last of Katsuki’s fear dissipated. He could do this, as long as Eijirou was at his side.
When their laughter stopped, they looked at each other, soft and comfortable.
Eijirou was the first to speak. “Do you know what day it is today?”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. This dumbass – his dumbass. “Of course. I don’t half-ass anything, you know that, and especially not this.”
“And what is this, exactly?” the redhead asked, hope shining in his eyes.
Katsuki took the cake from him, putting it next to the bouquet on the coffee table. He replaced it with his hands, intertwining his fingers with Eijirou’s and squeezing.
“This,” he said, looking his best friend in the eyes, “is me telling you that you’re the best best friend I could’ve ever asked for, and no one even remotely compares to you in my heart. This is me apologising for making you doubt your importance in my life, and asking you not to question your place in it, because I’ll never want you to leave.”
Eijirou’s eyes were filling with tears. Katsuki moved his left hand to his cheek, catching the first one that fell. His right hand stayed in Eijirou’s left – just like that night in Kamino, just like it was always supposed to be.
“I like being your best friend,” Katsuki continued, “but I would love it if I could be your boyfriend, too.”
It was quiet for a second, maybe two. Then Eijirou let out a sob and started nodding through the smile that split his face. “I would love to be your boyfriend, Katsuki.”
Katsuki grinned, big and full of teeth, but for once, he didn’t care. He used his left hand to bring Eijirou closer, their lips meeting a little shyly in the middle, inexperienced and soft.
It was okay, though – they’d have the rest of their lives to get better at it.
A loud “Whoop!” jolted them back to reality, hands still clasped, hearts beating quickly – this time not because of the kiss, but because of all the noise that exploded around them.
“Finally!”
“Took you long enough.”
“I call dibs on being the Best Man at your wedding!”
“Wait, I wanna be Best Woman!”
“That’s not how it works, Mina–”
“SHUT UP!” Katsuki yelled.
Silence immediately descended on the common room, and he looked around at his idiots. They’d all obviously been waiting around the corner, eager to see what would happen, and they didn’t look even a tiny bit regretful. He couldn’t find it in himself to be mad, though – he’d just bagged himself a boyfriend, and he wouldn’t let a few dumbasses get on his nerves today.
Eijirou, on the other hand, was blushing furiously. “Did you guys hear everything?”
“Not everything,” Ashido said.
“We just wanted to make sure Kacchan over there wouldn’t get cold feet!” Kaminari exclaimed. Katsuki mentally gave him a six out of ten for that excuse; he could do better, and he was also sure that Kaminari knew Katsuki would actually confess.
“We’ve been suffering through your pining for almost two years. Can you blame us for wanting to see how it’d end?” Sero said, but his barely contained smile gave away how genuinely happy he was for them.
“I was dragged here,” Jirou explained, and Katsuki could almost believe them.
“You’re as much of a gossip as they are,” he said, pointing at her menacingly.
They hummed, completely unfazed. “You have no proof of that.”
“I wanted to see what would happen,” Todoroki shrugged. “Midoriya was just passing by, and I stopped him from going in and disturbing you.”
“I didn’t know it was happening now!” Izuku said, apologetic. “I wouldn’t have tried to go in otherwise, I swear!”
Eijirou’s blush had subsided a bit, but some pink still stained his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He was so cute. “You all knew?”
“Of course, they knew.” Katsuki got up, dragging Eijiro with him. “As much as I’d like to say that I did all of this by myself, they actually helped me a lot.”
The redhead seemed to connect the dots then. “Kami and Jirou with baking, Mina with the pillow fort… Sero distracted me today so that you could prepare the cake, didn’t he?”
Katsuki hummed and let go of his hand to reach inside the fridge. “Deku was the one who told me you were jealous and that I should do something about it.”
Eijirou took the three little boxes he passed him, not even questioning what was inside. “And Todoroki?”
“He didn’t do shit.”
“I believed in you,” Todoroki said, still in the common room.
Katsuki shrugged. “I guess he believed in me.”
He took the other two little boxes in one hand, then decided to put out the remaining plate too.
“C’mon,” he told Eijirou. “Give those to the three idiots, will you?”
Eijirou did as he was told, handing Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero a box each, while Katsuki gave the other two to Izuku and Jirou.
“What’s in here?” Kaminari asked, curious.
“Don’t shake it, you dumbass! Open it,” Katsuki said, exasperated. God, these idiots.
Ashido opened it first, and a surprised “Oh,” escaped her mouth, piquing everyone’s curiosity too.
Katsuki took advantage of the moment of calm to grab Eijirou’s hand again. He didn’t want to let go ever again.
“Oh, Kacchan…” Izuku said, tears already brimming in his eyes. “Is this…”
“They’re mini-cakes. I had a lot of leftovers that I didn’t want to go to waste. And,” Katsuki explained, a little sheepishly, “they’re a little thank-you gift. For, y’know, helping me, or whatever.” He looked to Todoroki then, who hadn’t received a mini-cake, and pointed in the direction of the kitchen. “There’s more on the island, if you or anyone else wants it.”
Suddenly, five pairs of arms were wrapped around him, his right hand–still wrapped in Eijirou’s–sticking out of the pile of limbs. He tugged on it, making him stumble into Katsuki’s side, right where he was supposed to be at all times.
“Okay, you can all let go now,” he said after a few seconds, a little out of breath from the force of the group hug. “You all stink.”
A chorus of protests rang out, but they did step back, the only one remaining being Eijirou.
“Now, my boyfriend and I will take these flowers and our cake, and disappear until tomorrow. No one is to disturb us; got it?”
He looked at the six nodding heads in front of him and fought a smile from appearing.
He loved these idiots, he really did. However, he still had to tick off one last item on his list, and he didn’t want to wait any longer.
So he dragged Eijirou to the elevator, the cake in his other hand. His boyfriend waved his bouquet at their friends as a goodbye before following him inside, the doors closing behind him.
They went straight to Katsuki’s room, and he made sure to lock the door. As much as he appreciated their friends, he didn’t trust that the dumbasses wouldn’t get stupid ideas. He sighed and turned around, finally completely alone with his favorite person.
“Hi,” Katsuki said, the cake already abandoned on his desk.
Eijirou smiled. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“In my room? Yeah, weird place for me to be.”
His boyfriend laughed, wild and free, and Katsuki felt himself falling in love with him all over again. He hoped that feeling never faded.
“Come here,” he said, closing the distance between them. “We’re gonna go sit on the bed now, and I’m going to kiss you until we can’t breathe anymore. Alright?”
Eijirou nodded frantically, pulling a laugh out of Katsuki. “That’s alright, absolutely. Yes, please, let’s do that.”
Katsuki took him in his arms, lifting him like he weighed nothing, and carried him to his bed. He sat down, Eijirou on his lap, and looked up at his beautiful, amazing boyfriend. “I love you,” he confessed. “I know it might be a bit early, but I do. I really, really do.”
Eijirou smiled brightly. “I never thought I would hear you say that, y’know? I kinda thought you had a crush on Midoriya.”
Katsuki gagged. “Never say that ever again.”
His boyfriend laughed. “Okay, I won’t.” He leaned forward until their noses touched. “I love you, too.”
Katsuki didn’t waste any more time – he closed the distance between them, the feeling of Eijirou’s lips on his own sending shivers down his spine, and he held his boyfriend so close they might as well have become one single entity.
Life wasn’t so bad as long as he was in love with Eijirou, and Eijirou kept kissing him like that.