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Bakugou didn’t care.
He didn’t care that it was the twentieth day of April. He didn’t care that he didn’t wake up to any stupid happy birthday texts. He didn’t care that Shitty Hair or any of the other idiots didn’t wake him up with some shitty breakfast in bed like they had for that half and half bastard for his birthday a few months back.
He didn’t care.
He dragged himself out of bed and didn’t bother to get dressed. It was their day off, so he stomped his way down to the kitchen to make himself the best fucking breakfast any of these shitty nerds had ever seen.
Normally he would make enough breakfast for himself and Kirishima, occasionally for the whole stupid “Bakusquad” if the idiots were awake early enough to get some. Today Kirishima was at his internship and the idiots were surely sleeping in, so he was only making enough for himself, everyone else be damned.
When he reached the kitchen, he was unpleasantly surprised to see Deku, Round Cheeks, Glasses and Frog Face sitting at one of the tables holding light conversation while eating what looked like Uraraka’s soufflé pancakes. They weren’t as good as Bakugou’s—hardly even close—but he’d give her credit. They weren’t the worst he’d ever tasted.
Deku perked up as Bakugou entered the kitchen and greeted him with too much enthusiasm for eight in the morning. “Hey, Kacchan! Uraraka made pancakes for everyone. There are extras if you want some!”
“Fuck off,” he responded, because it was way too early for this shit. “‘M making my own damn breakfast.”
“Are you sure?” Uraraka asked, pouting. It didn’t work on Bakugou for her the way it did when Kirishima did it. “I tweaked my recipe like you said I should. Used a whisk this time to make them fluffier too.”
He grunted in acknowledgement but ignored the offer. He went to the fridge to grab his own ingredients when suddenly Frog Face was beside him, blocking his path to the stove. She held a plate of pancakes up to him, drizzled in powdered sugar, chopped strawberries and syrup. “Try some, ribbit.”
“Get that shit outta my face.”
Tsuyu leaned her hip against the counter, firmly planting herself in his way. “Ochako worked really hard on these. I’m sure it would make her feel good if you tried them. These are her best yet.”
Bakugou growled. “Fucking—fine!”
He snatched the plate out of her hands and snagged a fork off the table. He could feel their eyes on him as he took the first bite and…
It was surprisingly good. Not as good as his, of course, but it was edible.
“It’s better, Round Cheeks,” he admitted, and she absolutely beamed.
“Thanks, Bakugou! Your tips really helped. Do you think you could help me work on my omelets sometime? I can never get those right.”
“Whatever,” he answered, and she gave him a toothy smile and a thumbs up.
He headed back to his room, but not before the others waved him off cheerily. Ugh, way too fucking early for this shit. “Bye, Kacchan! We’ll see you later!”
He gave them a middle finger as a parting gift.
Bakugou didn’t like the feeling that interaction left him with. Were those losers being extra nice to him? Usually they would greet him and turn back to their own conversations without a second thought. And that bullshit about offering him their extra food? He saw that there was only one plate of extra pancakes, and they would have offered it to that damn IcyHot before Bakugou.
We’ll see you later!
Yeah, hopefully fucking not. That damn nerd definitely knew what day it was, and he’d probably told those damn extras about it too. He hated that they were tiptoeing about it though. Either come out with it or fucking forget it. Pussyfooting won’t win them any brownie points.
Bakugou sprawled out on one of the common room couches, the area still blissfully unoccupied by any of his insufferable classmates. He turned on the hero news, looking for any action and thinking maybe he’d see a glimpse of Kirishima at his internship, but no such luck. The streets were calm today, no reports of villains or big crimes worth talking about.
He was nearly done with his pancakes when the first pair of dumbasses finally made their way through the common room.
“Bakubro!” Dunce Face greeted him, coming up behind the blond to give him a noogie. Bakugou smacked his hand away and snarled at him.
“Whatcha got there?” Soy Sauce questioned, leaning over the back of the couch. “You make us breakfast today, man?”
“Why the fuck would I make you idiots breakfast, let alone today?”
Kaminari snorted. “What’s so special about today? You never make us breakfast.”
Bakugou pretended that hadn’t hurt. He ignored the knockoff Pikachu to shovel another bite of pancake into his mouth.
Sero took a seat at the couch beside Bakugou’s, that horse smile stretching across his face. “So, Bakugou, got any plans for tonight?”
“Tch. Planning to ignore the likes of you idiots.”
“We were thinking about going out tonight!” Kaminari beamed, as if Bakugou hadn’t even spoken. He plopped down onto the couch much too close for Bakugou’s liking, their hips nearly touching. This whole couch, and the dumbass had to sit right next to him? Seriously? “We wanna grab a bite, maybe do a little window shopping. You in?”
“Hard pass.”
“Aw, what? But Kirishima is coming.”
“And that’s supposed to change my mind?”
“If Kirishima asks, would it be a yes?”
Bakugou glared at Soy Sauce. What was he getting at? “Why the fuck would that shitty-haired loser change my mind?”
Sero rolled his eyes. “Boyfriend privileges, duh.”
Bakugou barked out a too-quick response of, “He’s not my boyfriend!”
Both boys’ eyes went wide. Fuck, he’d answered that way too defensively.
Bakugou pushed his empty plate into the electric loser’s chest, then he got up, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and started for the elevator. “Make yourselves useful and make your own damn breakfast. Without burning the fucking place down.”
He headed back up to his room to be distraught in the comfort of his own privacy. He wasn’t running away, it was just a tactical retreat.
It wasn't for another few quiet, uninterrupted hours before Bakugou decided the silence of his room was too overbearing and he needed out. He showered, dressed, and headed to the common area to lounge surrounded by the surprisingly comforting buzzing of his classmates until Kirishima would get back from his internship.
He fell back over the armrest of the loveseat and let his legs dangle off. He played a stupid bubble-pop game on his phone as Round Cheeks, Frog Face, Pinky and Invisa-Bitch chatted on the couches opposite of him, occasionally attempting to include him in the conversation. Which was weird. Because they always ignored him as much as he did them. Was he looking too much into it? Were they just being nice?
He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. He was being dumb. They weren’t doing anything wrong, so why should he care? He continued to pop the colorful bubbles on his screen.
Kirishima walked in not that long after. Bakugou sat up to peer over the backrest of his seat, noticing the heavy way Kirishima carried himself. He looked tired. His eyes drooped uncharacteristically, his shoulders slumped, and his lips were downturned only enough to notice if you were paying attention. He dropped his duffel bag and dragged his feet as he approached the common area with a sigh.
The redhead didn’t notice Bakugou half-hanging off the couch until he rounded the piece of furniture, and a blinding smile stretched across his face. “Hey, Bakubro! How’s it going?”
He grunted out his reply, eyeing Kirishima suspiciously. “You good?”
Kirishima fell heavily onto the couch beside Bakugou, letting his head loll back and his eyes close. “Crazy day out there, bro. Fat Gum and I stopped a jewel thief who packed a serious punch. It was like going hand to hand with a pissed-off Midoriya.”
Bakugou chewed his bottom lip. “You need to see Recovery Hag?”
Kirishima waved him off with a lazy flick of his wrist. “I’ll be fine.”
“You should at least sleep.”
“Nah, man, really. I’m good.”
“Shitty Hair,” Bakugou said, tone final. “You need to rest.”
“I don't want to ditch you, man!” Kirishima pouted. “I’d feel bad.”
The blond’s eyes narrowed. “Why the fuck would you feel bad? Just go take a damn nap.”
Kirishima was quiet, and that’s when Bakugou realized the whole room had grown silent to witness their argument. Bakugou noticed the way the girls were watching them with baited breath.
Kirishima swallowed hard. “I-I’m not as tired as I look?”
Bakugou rolled his eyes and grabbed Kirishima by the ear as he stood. He pulled his best friend along toward the elevator, having decided that the only way he would get the idiot to get some rest was by force.
“Ow, ow, ow!” Kirishima complained, but Bakugou didn’t let go until the elevator doors slid shut. Kirishima rubbed at his sore ear. “You didn’t need to pinch so hard.”
“You don’t need to be so stupid,” he shot back, crossing his arms and facing forward, refusing to look at the adorable pout on Kirishima’s face.
They approached the redhead’s door and Bakugou threw it open, then turned to a lazy-eyed Kirishima with a frown. “Sleep. You’re not allowed out for at least two hours.”
Kirishima slumped even more. “Honestly, I don’t think I can fall asleep right now. Wanna watch a movie? If we watch that All Might documentary again, I could probably doze off since I’ve already seen it a few times.”
This was a trick. Bakugou wasn’t dumb. Kirishima knew that was his favorite movie, and whether or not Kirishima actually would fall asleep during the movie, this was a ploy to spend more time with the blond.
And Bakugou couldn’t say no.
Bakugou grabbed his laptop and started up the movie while Kirishima grabbed some chips from his “secret” snack drawer. They laid down shoulder to shoulder on Kirishima’s bed and started up the movie. Hardly five minutes and a handful of chips later, Kirishima snored softly in Bakugou’s ear.
Bakugou didn’t get up and leave, instead choosing to continue the movie on his own, opting to turn the volume down to almost muted. He needed the distraction, though it didn’t help to quiet his racing mind.
Kirishima knew. He knew what day it was, the bastard had made a comment about it just last week. He’d even said it in front of the squad. They all knew. Had they forgotten? Did they get their days mixed up? Were they choosing to ignore it, thinking that’s what Bakugou would prefer? That would make sense why everyone was being so nice to him...
Kirishima wouldn’t ignore it though. Not in the privacy of his room, just between the two of them.
Which meant Kirishima was actively making the effort not to say anything.
Bakugou slammed the laptop shut and clambered out of the bed, stomping his way to his room. He didn’t know why he cared so much. This was bullshit. He’d never cared before, never even told anyone.
Maybe it’s because you actually consider these people as your friends? a small voice in the back of his mind questioned.
Ugh, he’d become so fucking soft.
It was less than an hour later that Kirishima emerged from his dorm to seek out Bakugou, who hadn’t left his own room in that time. The blond had left his door open, knowing Kirishima would look for him. He entered with a yawn, stretching his arms over his head. “Woke up and you were gone, man. Movie shouldn’t be over yet. Why’d you leave?”
“Couldn’t hear the movie over the sound of your snoring,” he said, voice monotone. He didn’t look up from the manga he was skimming through.
Kirishima flopped down on the end of the bed. Bakugou finally glanced over the top of his book to find Kirishima was looking at him and smiling softly. It made Bakugou’s cheeks heat up, and he raised his book higher to block Kirishima from his sight completely.
“Bakugou, I can tell when something’s up.”
He continued to ignore the redhead.
Kirishima sighed and placed his hands on Bakugou’s knees. “Can you at least tell me you’re okay?”
“‘M fine, Shitty Hair,” he finally answered, knowing the idiot wasn’t going to stop until he was satisfied. “I’d tell you if I wasn’t.”
Kirishima nodded, accepting this. “Alright, dude. So, Ashido just texted the group chat, and I know you have it muted. The squad wants to know if we’ll go out to dinner with them. They already got permission from Aizawa.”
“No, thanks.”
Kirishima’s lip jutted out in the dumbest fucking pout that made Bakugou’s stupid heart flutter. “Aw, c’mon, man! It’s never the same without you.”
“Yeah, it’s probably a lot fucking quieter.”
Kirishima snorted. “Nah, man. You know we’re not called the Bakusquad for nothing. Pleeeeeease?”
Bakugou had to turn his head away, knowing the dumbass was giving him the puppy eyes. Fuck, he could never say no to that face. Since when had Kirishima gained so much power over him?
He growled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. “What fucking restaurant?”
Kirishima beamed. “Undecided! Help us pick something good, or we’ll be stuck eating McDonald’s again.”
“We are not eating fucking McDonald’s today.”
The redhead chuckled. He pulled out his phone, presumably to text the other losers back. “We leave in an hour.”
Bakugou rolled his eyes. Well, at least this was better than sulking in his room all night.
Once the hour was up, Bakugou met the squad by the front doors of the 1-A dorms. It was bizarre passing through the common room to find just about every classmate there, mingling and giggling amongst themselves. As he passed through, they greeted him as if he were Kirishima, their friendly, chipper classmate and not actually Bakugou, the guy who couldn’t give anyone else the time of day.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up. They were being suspicious.
Or was he just being paranoid? Fuck, this was irritating.
The squad was waiting for him on the front steps. They cheered as he approached, hands stuffed in his pockets and ready to get the hell out of here. Kaminari, Sero and Ashido took the lead while Bakugou and Kirishima lagged a short ways behind as they walked the few blocks to the train that would take them to the shopping district.
Ashido chattered their ears off with Sero and Kaminari chiming in once in a while. Kirishima stuck close to Bakugou’s side, nearly shoulder to shoulder. Bakugou didn’t mind the proximity when it was him.
“Guys, have we thought of a place to eat yet?” Kirishima asked as they finally boarded the train.
Kaminari threw his hands up. “McDonald’s!”
“NO!” everyone else responded in unison.
Kaminari slumped, which the others ignored. Sero piped up, “There’s that udon restaurant we were talking about trying.”
“Mm, I don’t know,” Kirishima interjected. “I kind of want something meaty.”
Sero smirked. “Let me guess. You want to go to the barbecue joint again?”
Kirishima scoffed. “I’m just putting it on the table!”
“I want something sweet!” Ashido threw in.
Kirishima jabbed Bakugou in the ribs with his elbow. “You’re being uncharacteristically quiet, man. You wanna hit up that spicy ramen restaurant I know you like?”
The others stopped bickering long enough to listen for his answer. He looked away from them. This was another one of their games. They were making it look like they hadn’t originally planned to go to Bakugou’s favorite restaurant. Again, tiptoeing around his birthday.
Right? Was he trying too hard to read the situation again? Fucking hell, he didn’t even know what to believe anymore.
“Bakugou?” Kirishima pressed, a look of concern crossing his face.
Shit, he was taking too long to answer. He cleared his throat. “There’s a teriyaki place a couple blocks from the mall. They let you choose your spice level. Each bowl has a choice of meat. And they have those boba drinks Pinky likes so much.”
The others were quiet for a long moment to process what he said. It was Kirishima who responded first with a flashy smile. “Sounds awesome, man!”
“Bobaaaaaa!” Ashido sang happily.
“Thank god they let you choose your spice level. I’m choosing zero!” said Kaminari.
Sero laughed. “Yeah, I thought I was gonna have a stroke last time we went to that ramen shop Bakugou likes. It shouldn’t be legal to serve food that can make someone go into cardiac arrest.”
“I’ve had this theory for a while now,” Ashido announced, “that Blasty has a second quirk that gives him an insanely high pain tolerance.”
Bakugou smirked at that. “You’re all just weak as hell.”
“You can’t blame us for having normal human taste buds.”
“Build up a pain tolerance like Shitty Hair, then we’ll talk.”
Ashido whirled on Kirishima, glaring at him accusingly. “You’ve been working on your spice tolerance?”
He shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve been working on my pain tolerance, actually, and I figured spice might fit that category too.”
She leaned in close to his face and whispered, “Traitor.”
“How does that make him a traitor?” Bakugou asked, folding his arms over his chest.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s only doing it to impress you.”
Kirishima made a high-pitched noise from the back of his throat. “Th-that’s not entirely true!”
“But it’s not entirely wrong, either,” Sero smirked.
The train slowed to a stop as they reached their platform. Bakugou nudged Kirishima to stick by him. “Wanna ditch these losers?”
“Hey!” Kaminari complained. “We can hear you, you know.”
Bakugou snickered. “Yeah, I fucking know.”
Kaminari hmph-ed and carried on ahead with the other two morons, who chuckled.
They did a little window shopping for the first hour of their outing, stopping at a few stores to go inside and take a closer look. While Ashido dragged Sero and Kaminari into a makeup boutique, Kirishima managed to find some vintage Crimson Riot merch at a hero store, and Bakugou eyed up a new All Might sweatshirt. He didn’t actually buy it though. He’d do it in the company of Kirishima, but not those other morons who would never let him hear the end of it. He didn’t need them thinking he was some fanboy like Deku.
It was as they were meeting up again to head to dinner that the air seemed to shift. The hair on Bakugou’s neck stood on end and he was on high alert.
Kirishima locked eyes with him. He’d felt it too.
Suddenly, the wall of the jeweler’s store exploded. The blast shook the ground hard enough that Bakugou had to catch himself before he fell over. Kaminari wasn’t so lucky as he landed on his rear end.
Two villains emerged from the wreckage of the store, each with a bag of what Bakugou could only assume was jewels and cash. How cliche.
In an instant, the teens were on the case. Bakugou blasted himself high above the others, descending on the larger of the villains.
The villain saw him coming. He lifted his hands and sent a concussive blast of air at Bakugou that he couldn’t dodge in time. It threw him back, sending him careening through the air. He just barely managed to catch himself with an explosion to correct his course before he crashed into a brick wall. The force of the landing probably would have killed him if he hadn’t saved himself in time.
He landed back on his two feet beside Kirishima. “You good?” the redhead asked.
“Let’s roast this asshole, Kirishima.”
That was answer enough for him. He snickered. “Sounds good to me. I’ll distract him, you surprise him.”
Bakugou grunted his acknowledgement of the plan. While the other three fought the smaller female villain, seemingly having things under control, Bakugou and Kirishima charged forward to fight their own enemy. Bakugou veered left, out of eyesight where the villain wouldn’t spot him in his attempt to ambush the bastard. Kirishima ran straight at the villain, his full body hardened into Unbreakable as the villain shot another sonic boom at the redhead.
Kirishima didn’t take it as expected. The blast must have been stronger than the one that hit Bakugou earlier, throwing him through a storefront with an explosive impact.
“Shit—KIRISHIMA!”
His moment of distraction proved to be his biggest mistake. Before he could even process what happened, Bakugou found himself on the ground, bleary eyes looking up at the face of the second villain the other three idiots were supposed to be taking care of. She clutched either side of his head, and a strange fuzzy feeling dulled all of his thoughts and senses.
He could distantly hear his friends calling his name, but everything sounded muffled, like he was underwater and they were somewhere above the surface. His eyes were fading in and out of focus, and he was vaguely aware that his vision was tunneling. His mind was shutting down, and he felt like he was both floating and sinking simultaneously.
He came crashing back into his body as Ashido tackled the villain off of him. He gasped, not having realized he’d stopped breathing. When he finally opened his eyes, he was on the ground, blinking up at the worried face of Kaminari.
And for some reason, it pissed him off.
An uncontrollable wave of anger flooded through every ounce of Bakugou’s body, and all he could think about was how badly he wanted to hurt his blond friend. Fuck, he’d beat him to a bloody pulp.
What was stopping him?
“Bakugou…?” Kaminari asked, noticing the way Bakugou’s face pinched up in anger then. “Hey, man, are you—”
He didn’t get the chance to finish. Bakugou’s fist flew up so fast, jabbing him square in the nose with so much strength, he fell on his ass with a cry of surprise. Blood gushed from his nose, soaking his shirt instantly. He scrambled back in horror as he watched Bakugou climb to his feet.
“Bakugou, stop! What are you doing?” Kaminari begged.
This anger must have been the result of whatever that villain had done to him. He was aware enough to understand this, but a larger part of him didn’t care. This was his chance to get his aggression out. He’d been chained up like a damn mutt in that fucking school for so long, and this was his perfect opportunity to break loose.
“Bakugou, please, stop!” Kaminari tried again, but his explosive friend didn’t stop. He stalked toward Kaminari slowly, sparks dancing on his fingers.
“Fuck you, Dunce Face,” Bakugou growled in a low, gravelly voice. He brought up a hand and faced his open palm at the younger blond, who shrunk back in horror. Dark smoke roiled from Bakugou’s hand, and an explosion came a second later.
Kaminari slammed his eyes shut and waited for the pain, but none ever came. When he finally peeled one eye open, he looked up and found Sero’s tape wrapped around Bakugou’s head and covering his eyes. So Kaminari was still alive because Sero had saved him, having blinded Bakugou so he couldn’t see where he was aiming. He was definitely going to have to thank his raven-haired friend later.
Bakugou let out a frustrated growl as he finally ripped the tape away. He wheeled on Sero, blasting away the tape as Sero continued to shoot more at him. He inched closer to his friend, raising a palm once he was in blasting distance, and Kaminari decided he had to do something.
Kaminari shot forward, but he stumbled dizzily, toppling forward. He managed to reach out and grab Bakugou by the ankle, letting out as much electricity as he could without seriously injuring his friend.
Bakugou cried out as the current shot through his body. He went stiff, his muscles spasmed, but it wasn’t enough. Bakugou once again managed to prove he was stronger than Kaminari gave him credit for.
He let off an explosion that sent all three of them sailing. It was a reckless, panicked blast—nothing strong enough to kill Kaminari, but it was enough to keep him down.
Sero shot another round of tape at Bakugou, but the blond caught it and yanked Sero at him, a feral look in his eyes that made Sero’s gut twist. He punched Sero in the stomach so hard, the raven-haired boy crumpled. He wasn’t getting back up for a while.
But Bakugou wasn’t finished yet. He still had two other shitheads to finish off.
Ashido had managed to take down the villain who’d hit Bakugou with her quirk, and Kirishima was just now climbing out from the wreckage he’d collapsed into. The redhead didn’t seem to realize anything was wrong yet, instead opting to help a store worker back to her feet while Bakugou descended upon their pink friend.
“Bakugou, what the hell are you doing?!” she screamed. That didn’t stop him, he didn’t even hesitate as he raised a hand to her neck. “Bakugou, please!”
He wrapped his fingers around her neck and lifted her off the ground. She choked and gasped, clawing at his hand. In a moment of panic, she released some acid from her own fingers. The sound of sizzling skin could be heard, and with a hiss of pain Bakugou managed to throw her into a wall hard.
She screamed, scrambling to get back to her feet as Bakugou approached her again but one of her arms hung limply at her side. She was cornered, her back against the wall, as Bakugou threw a final explosion at her.
When the smoke cleared, Bakugou was faced with Kirishima. He stood between the blond and their pink friend, skin hardened and clothes charred black after taking the blast for her. Bakugou growled. Kirishima was his last target before he’d head to the dorms and finish off the rest of those wannabe hero assholes, but the redhead wasn’t going to be an easy feat.
“Bakugou,” he said, eyes blown wide at his best friend. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Shut the fuck up and die, Shitty Hair.”
He launched himself into the air to prepare to throw a Howitzer at his friend, but Kirishima caught him by the ankle and brought him back down. His back slammed into the ground and Kirishima climbed on top of him to hold him down as he struggled.
“Bakugou, this isn’t you!” Kirishima tried, pinning him down by the arms. “Why are you so angry?”
“Fuck you!” he spat in Kirishima’s face.
Kirishima growled. “C’mon, man. Did you get hit by a quirk?”
Bakugou released a massive explosion from either palm, finally managing to throw Kirishima off of him. He got to his feet at the same time Kirishima did.
“Fine, Bakubro,” Kirishima said as raised his arms in an X to shield himself. “If you have to take your anger out, take it out on me.”
Bakugou threw explosion after explosion at his shitty-haired friend, who took them with too much ease. He’d really gotten stronger since they’d met in their first year, but Bakugou was still stronger. When he hit the redhead with an AP Shot and the redhead barely even flinched, Bakugou was really starting to grow frustrated.
“Fucking shit!” he yelled. “Die already!”
Kirishima dropped his arms. “I’m not giving up that easily. Let me help you, Bakugou. Why are you so mad?”
“Because you’re a shitty fucking friend!” he spat without thinking.
Kirishima reeled back like he’d been hit. “What did I do?”
“You know what you fucking did.”
Maybe it was the quirk talking, making him say things he knew would hurt the other, but he couldn’t blame the quirk for the resentment he was feeling at that moment.
“Tell me so that I can fix it,” Kirishima practically begged. “Bakugou, I care about you so much. Please tell me what I can do to fix things.”
“You can fucking die!” he shouted, but didn’t make any moves to continue fighting. His hands were shaking. Was the quirk wearing off? Was he fighting it? Maybe, but he was still so angry.
“I can’t do that yet.” Kirishima took a step closer, at which Bakugou took a step back. “Not until I get some answers. Why are you attacking our friends? What did we do wrong?”
Bakugou chewed on his bottom lip. He could feel an explosion just under his skin waiting to be released.
“Talk to me, Katsuki.”
The fight was rapidly draining out of him. He swallowed thickly. “You’re—I’m—fuck!”
“Hey, hey!” Kirishima took another step forward. “It’s okay, Katsuki! Breathe. Just breathe.”
Bakugou forced himself to take a deep breath. He stood there, surveying the scene. Kirishima held his hands out as if trying to calm a skittish animal. Ashido stood behind the redhead, cradling her limp arm to her chest. Sero had managed to pick himself up and was helping Kaminari to his feet.
Bakugou had done this. He’d hurt his friends.
Because they deserved it! They were shitty friends! They knew all day that it was his birthday, but they chose to ignore it.
Because they didn’t think his birthday was worth celebrating.
Because they didn’t see him as an equal.
Because they couldn’t see the way he was trying to be better.
Would someone who was trying to be better do this? Hurt his friends? Hurt his best friend?
He looked back at Kirishima again, who’d dropped his hardening and was slowly inching closer. He was nearly touching Bakugou now.
“It’s okay,” the redhead said in that low voice of his. That manly fucking voice. “It’s okay, Katsuki. Nobody’s hurt too bad. You didn’t mean it.”
“I-I didn’t mean it,” he stammered. A chill ran down his spine. He’d hurt his friends. Why had he done that?
He felt the tear slip from his eye before he could stop it. His lip quivered. He was so fucking weak.
Kirishima slowly wrapped his arms around Bakugou, who allowed it. He hadn’t realized he was shaking until Kirishima was there to stabilize him.
“Why am I not good enough?” he asked in a quiet voice before he could even think anything of it.
“What are you talking about?” Kirishima replied, squeezing Bakugou tighter.
“E-everyone hates me. No one said a-anything!”
Kirishima pulled back just far enough to look the blond in the eyes. “Katsuki, what do you mean? Said anything about what? Your birthday?”
The choked sob he let out was answer enough. Kirishima pulled Bakugou’s head down against his shoulder as he began to shake harder.
“I’m sorry, Katsuki,” he whispered just loud enough for only Bakugou’s ears to catch. “I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. We wanted you to think we forgot so we could surprise you later. None of us realized how badly it would hurt you. The whole class was going to throw you a surprise party when we got back.”
A party? For him? Fucking fuck, of course these idiots cared. He was the idiot who didn’t see that.
“I’m sorry we let you think we forgot. That was wrong of us. It’s okay if you’re still angry too. You have a right to be.”
“I-I shouldn’t care so m-much,” he sniffled.
“You’re allowed to care. It’s your birthday, and you deserve to be celebrated as much as anyone else.”
Ashido came around to Bakugou’s other side, gently wrapping her good arm around him as well. “We love you, Blasty.”
Kaminari joined in next, saying, “We care about you so much, Kacchan.”
Finally, Sero joined the group hug. “We’re really sorry, Bakubro.”
“Happy birthday, Katsuki,” Kirishima said, and the blond could hear the smile in his best friend’s voice.
And with that, he felt the last remnants of the quirk vanish, and he blacked out.
Bakugou blinked. He was looking up at a blue sky and the faces of his friends—the Bakusquad.
Kirishima sighed in relief and the others smiled. “Oh, thank god!”
Ashido squealed happily, “You’re okay! You had us worried there, Blasty!”
“The fuck happened?” he asked, though his memory was coming back to him all too quickly.
Kirishima helped him sit up, his muscles screaming at him from the strain it took to do just that. Kirishima was studying his face as if looking for answers he wouldn’t receive. “You don’t remember?”
“No, I… I do,” Bakugou admitted. “The villains—where are they?”
“We got the lady villain, but the other guy got away,” Kaminari explained, then turned uncharacteristically serious. “Are you alright, dude? That was pretty rough…”
Bakugou ignored the question to focus on standing up, which turned out to be a challenge when the muscles in his legs refused to do what he wanted them to.
“Hey, take it easy,” Kirishima said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Just stay down. Aizawa’s on his way.”
Bakugou didn’t argue that. He looked around to check out what was going on, finding that both police and a couple of Pros had arrived. Employees and shoppers were being escorted away from the scene, stepping over rubble and jewels that had been strewn about in the fight.
While Kirishima and Sero spoke to some officers, Bakugou, Ashido and Kaminari were checked out by some medics. Ashido’s shoulder was dislocated in the fight, so they popped it back into place, getting only a wince of pain from the pink girl. She was tough, Bakugou would give her that.
Kaminari had to have his broken nose realigned, and Bakugou had to admit it looked painful.
He was treated for second degree burns from Ashido’s acid and muscle tearing from Kaminari’s electrocution. The two apologized profusely, but he told them to knock it off. He would be fine, and it was his own fault for getting hit by the quirk in the first place. If he’d been paying attention, no one would be hurt.
Aizawa arrived soon after, explaining that the other villain had been apprehended by Gang Orca, who’d been out to dinner with his wife a few blocks away. Everyone packed into his car, Bakugou with the help of Kirishima since his legs still refused to work. The medics had told him he’d probably need a pair of crutches for a few weeks, but he intended not to need them for more than a few days.
“Hey, Mr. Aizawa?” Kaminari asked as soon as they were settled inside.
“Yes, Kaminari?” he asked in his monotone voice.
Kaminari smiled mischievously. “Would you mind swinging by a restaurant for us? We didn’t get to have dinner, so after I called you, I kinda called for takeout.”
Aizawa sighed, but started up the car and headed in the opposite direction of UA to pick up the food.
Kaminari grinned big. “Thanks, Sensei! And don’t worry—I ordered you wontons.”
Aizawa rolled his eyes, but Bakugou could see the amused smile he wore in the rear view mirror.
They picked up their takeout and ate it in Recovery Girl’s office as she patched them up better than the medics could manage with their limited supplies. Ashido was given a sling for her arm, and Bakugou received a pair of crutches and some ointment for his burns. Everyone got a kiss before they were sent back to the dorms.
Bakugou found himself hesitating as he watched the others climb the front steps to the class dorms. He knew what was waiting for him.
A party. They threw Bakugou a party.
He didn’t deserve it. He’d made a fool of himself today, and he’d hurt the people he hated to admit that he cared about the most. He was sure they forgave him, always so quick to forgive, but he wasn’t ready to forget. He’d have to make it up to them somehow.
Ugh, he’d become so fucking soft.
“Bakugou,” Kirishima said from his right, making the blond jump a little. He hadn’t realized Kirishima waited beside him. “You okay?”
“‘M fine,” he lied.
Kirishima smiled, but Bakugou could tell he wasn’t buying it. “What’s wrong?”
Bakugou breathed out through his nose. The other idiots had gone inside, so Bakugou was free to be honest. Kirishima didn’t judge him, but he still couldn’t look the redhead in the eyes when he said it. “I’ve never had a birthday party before.”
He glanced up at Kirishima, who’s eyebrows were knit together and lips pursed. “You’ve never had a birthday party? Ever?”
Bakugou shook his head. It was the truth. When he was a kid, there had been chances but he always blew them. He’d get in trouble for some stupid bullshit he’d pulled and his strict parents would cancel the party before he could even invite his friends. He’d been to a couple of Deku’s when they were younger, but he stopped going, though the invites never stopped coming.
Maybe this was Deku’s idea because he knew. Fuck, so this was some kind of pity party? Fuck that. Fuck this whole party. He was not about to—
“Katsuki,” Kirishima said, snapping him from his thoughts. “Calm down.”
Kirishima’s hands traveled down to hold Bakugou’s, whose fists were clenched tight. He hadn’t realized he’d done that.
“The party was my idea,” he said as if reading the blond’s thoughts. “I can call it off if you really don’t want to do this, but everyone was on board the moment I brought it up. We all wanted to show you how much we care about you, because I don’t think you’ve ever really believed us.”
“I believe you.”
Kirishima smiled at that. “I care about you a lot, Katsuki.”
The way he said his name made chills run up Bakugou’s spine. He didn’t want it to ever stop.
But Bakugou wasn’t good with words. He didn’t think he could say it back. He was a man of actions, and he needed Kirishima to know he cared too.
He needed to know just how much Bakugou cared.
Bakugou leaned in close to Kirishima’s face, lips hungry to press against the redhead’s, but he clumsily fell into Kirishima’s chest when one of his crutches got in the way. Kirishima caught him, holding him close, and when Bakugou looked up to lock eyes with his best friend, he could see the desperation in Kirishima’s red eyes too.
Their lips met halfway. It was a messy kiss, but something Bakugou wouldn’t mind working on. He heard one of his crutches fall to the ground, but he ignored it. He couldn’t stop now. He needed Kirishima like he needed oxygen.
They continued to kiss until they heard a small gasp. Both heads whipped up to find their three friends leaning out the door, all jaws dropped.
Fuck, they’d been caught.
“HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN A THING?!” Ashido demanded, marching down the steps to face them.
“Fuck off, Pinky, it’s only been a thing for, like, thirty goddamn seconds.” He crossed his arms and couldn’t look anyone in the eyes. He knew his face was burning red.
Kirishima bent down to retrieve his fallen crutch, blushing just as badly as Bakugou. He helped his—boyfriend? Were they boyfriends now? God, Bakugou hoped so. Kirishima helped Bakugou up the stairs, and they finally headed inside.
“Happy birthday, Bakugou!” the class shouted altogether.
Bakugou froze. Kirishima hadn’t been fibbing, everyone was here. His whole class had come together to throw him a party. What the hell?
A few were wearing party hats, there were some green and orange balloons strewn about, and there was even a cake. The frosting was orange, and in green icing it read Happy Birthday Lord Explosion Murder!
His throat suddenly felt tight. He had to bring a hand up to cover his mouth. He knew he was walking in on a party, but for it to actually happen, knowing this was all for him… it was just a lot to take in.
Uraraka stepped toward him, still smiling but obviously concerned. “Are you okay? We heard about what happened with the villains earlier…”
He couldn’t speak. He was afraid he might choke. He squeezed Kirishima’s hand, and the message must have been received. Kirishima squeezed back. “Maybe we should cut some cake, yeah?”
A few people cheered at that. Satou grabbed a knife and began cutting squares while Hagakure scooped ice cream to go along and Deku handed the plates out. The attention was off of Bakugou now, and he could breathe again.
It turned out to be a spice cake Satou made himself, and it was admittedly good. Bakugou would have to somehow get the recipe from him and tweak it a little to perfection.
Everyone migrated to the common room to settle in and watch a movie. It was another of Bakugou’s favorites, an American hero film he and Deku watched repeatedly as kids, before he turned the cold shoulder on the green-haired loser. He bet it was Deku who’d picked the movie out.
Bakugou and Kirishima sat together on the floor, subtly curled into each other’s sides. They were definitely going to need to talk about whatever label they wanted to put on their relationship, but he was content with what they had for now.
When Bakugou was too invested in an onscreen fight, Kirishima wiped some orange frosting on his nose. He scoffed, opting to scoop some of his own frosting off his plate with two fingers and smudge it across Kirishima’s cheek.
The redhead giggled and tried to lick it off with his tongue, but it couldn’t reach. It made Bakugou laugh.
He felt the eyes of his classmates on him, trying to get a glimpse of him without the scowl on his face. And he let them. He just couldn’t find it in himself to get angry right now, because he was genuinely happy. He might have been the happiest he’d ever been.
Kirishima leaned in close and whispered, “Happy birthday, Katsuki.”
And Bakugou smiled.