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city-writes · 4 years ago

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He Knows No Repose

Bakugo was a stubborn man, who prided himself on many things. He was not going to allow a cold, empty bed of all things to defeat him.

Warning(s): Aged-Up Characters; Pro-Hero Characters Pairing(s): Eijirou Kirishima/Katsuki Bakugo (KiriBaku); Izuku Midoriya/Ochako Uraraka (IzuOcha); Background/Mentioned Mirio Togata/Tamaki Amajiki (MiriTama)

Read it here on AO3!

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When Kirishima had first told Bakugo of the weeklong work trip Fat Gum had asked the redhead to accompany him on, Bakugo had thought nothing of it.

Apparently, Fat Gum's agency was going to work with Ryukyu's on a mission that was going to take them out of the Kansai region into Niigata, which was in northern Honshu. With Kirishima being one of Fat Gum's official righthand sidekicks (the other being Tamaki Amajiki), it only made sense for the BMI Hero to want Kirishima by his side. By train alone the trip from Eshua to Niigata was over 6 hours, by plane it was about 3 and a half. Because of this, Fat Gum had kept the number of people teaming up with Ryukyu's agency down to the three of them, not wanting to displace too many people in his own agency. Knowing well enough that both Amajiki and Kirishima wouldn't be too keen on being separated from their respective husbands for that long a time (as well as having a not so secret soft spot for his two boys), Fat Gum had said in not so many words that if Mirio and Bakugo were willing to make the trip with them to Niigata and were willing to work on the mission representing the Fat Gum agency's name, he'd pull strings and call in favors with old friends at the agencies Mirio and Bakugo worked at to make it happen.

Mirio, who'd signed on with the Nighteye Agency under Centipeder's leadership the moment he'd gotten his quirk back, was immediately on board, much to both Tamaki and Fat Gum's pleasure. Having assumed Bakugo would feel more or less the same, Kirishima was baffled when the blonde turned down the offer.

"But... why?"

Bakugo made it a point not to look up from his paperwork on their apartment's kitchen table at the sound of Kirishima's confused voice, knowing from experience that the sharp-toothed male would be giving him a look that he could only akin to the pout of a wounded puppy. "Because," he began, scribbling away at one of the papers he was currently looking over, "even if Fat could get Mirko to agree to let me go, like hell I'm going to give Deku the chance to surpass my spot in the agency again while I'm off in Niigata for a week."

Kirishima rolled his eyes at Bakugo's words, knowing that both he and Midoriya were usually pit against each other by Mirko (all with good intentions) to help each other grow. She'd taken a liking to the both of them: Bakugo for his tough personality and his ability to speak his mind without fear of what others thought (much like Mirko herself), and Midoriya for his tenacity and pragmatism. The two of them, while having come far from where their 'friendship' had been at the beginning of their first year at U.A., still saw each other as rivals, and probably would throughout the rest of their careers as heroes. Because of this, they often went back and forth between who Mirko chose to be her right hand man.

"Come on, Katsuki!" Kirishima groaned, rolling his eyes as his lips curled into an amused smile. He moved behind his husband then, his hands gripping Bakugo's shoulders gently, though he resisted the urge to shake the other male for emphasis, not wanting to ruin Bakugo's paperwork. "How cool would it be for us to work together again?! We haven't teamed up on anything since our last year at U.A.!"

"And the longer you try to pull me away from doing all this legal bullshit for starting our own agency," Bakugo said lowly, glancing up at Kirishima from the corner of his eye as his scribbling slowed to a stop, though there was no true malice in his tone, "the longer you're gonna have to wait before we actually get to work together again." Despite his verbiage, however, Bakugo relaxed into Kirishima's touch, exhaling heavily out his nose.

Kirishima's expression softened then, giving Bakugo's shoulders a squeeze now that he wasn't working on what Kirishima now knew were papers for their agency they'd been planning on starting for a while now. They'd known since that last year at U.A. that they'd wanted to eventually run an agency together, but knew doing so right after graduation was no where near feasible or realistic, so they'd agreed to save up and work towards that together. And initially, things had been working out fine, for the most part. But two years into their savings plan, after being invited to and attending Mirio and Tamaki's wedding, Kirishima realized 3 things.

1: In watching Mirio and Tamaki exchange their vows, in being overwhelmed with emotions in the best possible way, in feeling Bakugo hook their pinkies together subtly while the blond stared straight ahead, in seeing the faintest flush tinting Bakugo's cheeks and ears, Kirishima realized: He was going to propose to Katsuki Bakugo soon. (Not that he hadn't ever planned to marry the man; he just thought he'd be able to hold off proposing until after they'd set up their agency. Apparently, he'd been wrong.)

2: While mid-conversation with Midoriya during the wedding reception, while Uraraka was chattering with Nejire near the chocolate fountain, and Bakugo had excused himself to the bathroom, Midoriya - who'd had maybe a half a glass of champagne too much and was at least a little tipsy - admitted he'd been considering popping the big question to Ochako soon. With the knowledge of Midoriya considering proposing to Uraraka, Kirishima realized: Katsuki would undoubtedly, positively hate it if 'damn Deku' had gotten engaged before him, gotten married before him.

3: Upon seeing the realization in Midoriya's eyes that he'd figured out, even in his slightly tipsy state, that Kirishima too had been considering proposing, Kirishima was very aware that a timer had just begun counting down. Bakugo and Midoriya's rivalry, while no where near as warped and twisted as it was their first year at U.A., was still very much a part of their lives in a healthy way. As Midoriya failed to suppress a tipsy, mischievously knowing smirk, Kirishima realized: He absolutely had to at least propose to Katsuki before Midoriya did to Uraraka. (He didn't expect it to be in the cards financially for he and Bakugo to both plan a wedding as well as funding a beginning agency, but he'd be damned now if he didn't propose first.)

So that fancy saving and budgeting plan that Bakugo had set up for them? Yeah, Kirishima'd absolutely had to alter his end of it a bit, and do so without drawing attention to it.

After all, he'd still wanted to surprise Katsuki. He didn't want to ruin the moment just because of Bakugo and Midoriya's rivalry.

So the down-payment on the engagement ring had ended up making a noticeable little dent in Kirishima's half of their 'this-is-going-to-our-future-agency' funds. But then there was their wedding, and... in all honesty, Kirishima wasn't exactly sure how much their wedding cost because Bakugo refused to let him in on the price of anything, and refused to let him pay for anything either, saying that the redhead had 'been an asshole and bought a fucking ring and proposed before he could, so he didn't deserve to pay for any wedding shit'. But when Kirishima's moms had both offered to help pay for the wedding, Bakugo flat out refused them from doing so. He didn't extend the same courtesy to his own parents, however, though Kirishima wasn't sure if that was because Mitsuki was too stubborn to prevent her son from doing so, or if it was Katsuki's way of getting back at his mother for playful tease, comment, or remark the woman had made throughout the entirety of his relationship with Eijirou.

Regardless, Kirishima knew the wedding still cost a pretty penny. And even if he had no clue how much Bakugo spent, he knew the blond well enough to know he'd definitely paid for more than half of everything. Bakugo's pride wouldn't allow him to split the cost even with Mitsuki. So that'd delayed their agency funding even further.

But now, 7 years after their U.A. graduation, they were so close. The papers were right there.

"You're like, super tense though!" Kirishima lamented as he rubbed his husband's shoulders, fingers kneading the taut muscle beneath them as Bakugo further relaxed into his touch, the explosion hero only half-suppressing his contented groans. "Some time away would totally do you some good!"

Bakugo lolled his head back, looking up at Kirishima unamusedly then. "Dumbass, it's a mission, not a vacation."

"Well, yeah, but--"

"I'm not going." Bakugo grunted as he straightened his head, rolling his shoulders back some. Kirishima pulled his hands away from Bakugo then, only for Bakugo to turn somewhat in his chair and grab at Kirishima's nearest wrist and pull the redhead down to his level. "I don't wanna go cuz there's no guarantee we'll be paired up the entire time, and I'd rather not waste time in a mission I'm not necessary for, especially when I have my own shit I'm dealing with here, not just our agency." He spoke flatly and curtly, the expression on his face leaving Kirishima no room to argue.

With a sigh, Kirishima deflated somewhat, knowing there was no changing Bakugo's mind. "Augh, fine." Huffing, Kirishima pouted in Bakugo's hold.

Bakugo rolled his eyes at his husband's childish reaction, before pulling him in for a simple kiss, his hand moving from Kirishima's wrist to hold the side of his face. After a couple seconds, he pulled away, though Kirishima was quick to chase after the blond's lips and pull him in for another kiss.

"You know..." Kirishima murmured against Bakugo's lips, letting one of his hands gently hold Bakugo's wrist, the other moving to cup the side of Bakugo's face, "It still wouldn't hurt for you to take a small break from all the paperwork..."

"Ei, c'mon, I--"

"I wasn't exaggerating when I said you were super tense." The hand at Bakugo's wrist slid up so that Kirishima could rest his hand over Bakugo's. He pulled his face away from the blond's, so he could turn his head inwards towards Bakugo's palm, pressing gentle kisses to it while keeping eye contact with him. "Gimme an hour, Katsuki. Lemme take the edge off."

Bakugo didn't work on anything else the rest of that evening.

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It took only two nights into that week-long work trip Kirishima was taking for Bakugo to realize he'd fucked up.

It wasn't that he and Kirishima hadn't spent nights apart before, there'd been more than once where one of them would take a late shift or a double shift or there was some type of emergency that prevented them from falling asleep together. But when those times occurred, if there hadn't been the guarantee of at least waking up to one another, there'd at least be some sign of life from the other around their apartment, be it Kirishima leaving some pain killers and a water bottle left at the nightstand for Bakugo to wake up to for the 'emergency' nights where he was bound to overwork himself and put some strain on his arms, or be it Bakugo making a lunch bento for Kirishima because he knew the redhead would sleep in and not feel like cooking for himself when he'd finally wake up.

But two nights in, with no real interaction from Kirishima other than phone calls and texts, Bakugo was reconsidering his choice to not take Fat Gum up on that offer. Lying on his stomach, Bakugo hummed lowly as he cocked his head from side to side, cracking his neck in the process, trying to loosen up and get at least a little comfortable. His arms were folded under his pillow, and he buried his face in the cushion, groaning irritably as he stewed in his displeasure. Picking his head up after a few moments of silence, scarlet eyes glanced over to the digital clock on his nightstand, watching as the numbers flickered into half past midnight.

Fucking hell, he'd been laying in bed for a little over an hour already.

Clenching his hands open and closed repetitively in a desperate attempt to relieve some of his stress, Bakugo re-positioned himself for what felt the fiftieth time that night, laying on his side, folding his arms against his chest and facing Kirishima's side of the bed. A shiver crawled up his spine as he did so, the thick blanket the blond was using still not doing much to combat the cold of a winter night. Without thinking, one of Bakugo's arms moved, reaching over to Kirishima's side of the bed and resting against the mattress there, as if the spot was exuding Kirishima's natural warmth.

Of course, it wasn't, and the cold, empty reminder that Kirishima wasn't there - and wouldn't be there for another five days - merely pissed Bakugo off further.

His day at the agency had been uneventful for the most part, save the usual spar with Deku before they usually headed home. But apparently, Round Face, who was working under Ryukyu with Frog Girl, had either heard of or figured out about Fat Gum's offer to Amajiki and Kirishima, probably when she saw Mirio there. She ended up telling Deku about it at some point, because Deku brought it up to him after they'd initially finished sparring.

"Hah?" Bakugo glared at Deku from his spot on the bench in the agency's training room, the green-eyed male looking slightly sheepish then.

"I'm just surprised, is all." Deku said, taking a quick swig of his water bottle before continuing, "Ochako seemed pretty jealous that Ryukyu didn't give her, Tsu, and Nejire the same offer that Fat Gum gave Kirishima and Amajiki. If she had, I would have agreed to go in a heartbeat. Well, assuming Mirko would have let me go." Deku looked contemplative then as he stood there, Bakugo using his momentary silence as an opportunity to take a swig of his own water bottle. "I just can't see why you didn't go too, Kacchan."

"Don't fuckin' judge me." Bakugo grunted, rolling his eyes. "You think I woulda given you the chance to get ahead here?" A scoff escaped the blond then, placing his water bottle on the bench as his palms rested on his knees, leaning forward in Deku's direction slightly. "Besides, the Hero Association wants me to fill out all that legal shit and turn it in as soon as possible. I don't have time to run to the other side of the country on a whim just because my idiot husband might get lonely." Bakugo closed his eyes then, leaning back against the wall, exhaling. "I've got this agency, and my future agency to worry about. I don't need to lump in a third one."

At the lack of a response, Bakugo cracked open an eye, noticing Deku staring at him with a soft smile on his face. "What's with that stupid look, Deku?"

Deku chuckled then, his gaze fond as he met Bakugo's own. "I know its been a couple years since you got married, but it's still nice hearing you refer to Kirishima as your husband." Deku moved to sit next to him on the bench then, placing his water bottle on the ground by his feet. "I remember when you both started dating back at the end of our first year at U.A., you seemed to be allergic to the word 'boyfriend'." Bakugo's eyes narrowed at Deku then, lifting his hands ever so slightly and letting small, controlled explosions pop off in the center of his palms then - a wordless warning that whatever he was on about now should stop there. But Deku merely laughed and kept talking.

"I'm just glad he makes you happy, Kacchan. Even as kids, you talked about having your own agency when you were a pro-hero, so hearing you say at graduation that you and Kirishima were going to start one together?" Deku smiled gently, leaning his back against the wall as well, his gaze no longer meeting Bakugo's. "If I hadn't been convinced about how much you'd cared about him before then, I would have known then."

"Deku..." Bakugo's voice was low, coming out in almost a growl."

"You know you don't have to do all the paperwork by yourself, right?" Deku was looking up at the ceiling then, his hands clasped together, resting in his lap. "I know you, you're probably not letting Kirishima help because you don't want him stressing out over it, but you're covering it up by saying that he'd be too annoying or too confused or too disorganized to figure it all out with." Bakugo tensed at that, before forcing himself to relax, not wanting to give Deku any indication that he was right. "But that's alot of pressure on you. I haven't started planning anything towards my own agency yet because Ochako and I are trying to figure out if we wanna have a kid first..." Deku trailed off then, and Bakugo could hear the smile in his tone, not having to look at the other to know it was there. "...But I know you, and you don't want to risk getting anything wrong, any Hero Association details, any legal details, any financial details. So you're more than likely going over everything three times, at least".

With a snarl, Bakugo pushed himself up from his spot, causing Deku to blink and look toward him. "Kacchan?"

"If you still have enough energy to be over-analyzin' and spoutin' that stupid shit, you obviously were holding back on me." Looking over his shoulder with a glare, Bakugo flexed his fingers, allowing another round of small controlled explosions to pop off again for a moment. Deku's gaze met his, green eyes widening slightly as Bakugo leaned in to roughly grab at his wrist, yanking the One For All successor back towards the center of the training room.

"K-Kacchan?!"

Bakugo rolled his eyes, letting Deku go after leading him to one side of the training mat, before taking a place opposite of him and getting into a stance. "We're going again, Deku."

"But-"

"Its not like you have a wife to go home to right now," Bakugo snipped, clenching and unclenching his hands, "So come on, one more round!"

Unfortunately, 'one more round' had evolved into another hour and a half of sparring, causing Bakugo to get home especially late. By the time he'd made and eaten dinner, worked on the agency paperwork, showered, and texted Kirishima goodnight, it was already a little past 11pm, more than an hour past his usual self-imposed 10pm bedtime. That hour alone was going to be enough to resort in him not feeling well-rested in the morning and admittedly irritable throughout the next day.

So that fact that it was 12:30 in the morning, 2 and a half hours after 10pm, and he still wasn't asleep yet?

Yeah no, Bakugo was definitely not looking forward to tomorrow.

Again, Bakugo turned, now with his back towards Kirishima's spot, instead facing his own nightstand. Reaching for his phone, Bakugo swiped at the screen upon seeing a text from Kirishima, wincing slightly at the light his phone produced before reading the other male's text.

(12:18) Eijirou: Sry for txting back late, I just got back to the hotel from checking in with Niigata's police force w/ Fat!

(12:19) Eijirou: I know you're sleeping rn but gnight Katsuki! I love you <3

(12:22) Eijirou: Txt me when you wake up! I don't gotta head back up to the agency building we're working out of til noon!

(12:22) Eijirou: Maybe we can call and talk b4 you head to Mirko's! :D

Katsuki couldn't fight the tired smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips, and was tempted to text Kirishima back. After all, his last text had come in only eight minutes ago, and while he was a deep sleeper, it took Kirishima a little while to actually fall asleep, so the chances of him being awake right now were fairly good. But in re-reading those texts, Bakugo's eyes landed on 'I know you're sleeping right now', and he internally cursed at himself. As much as he wanted to reply to Kirishima, he knew his husband would be more than concerned that he was still awake and would call to check on him. That would only keep them both up longer, though, and Bakugo knew he was pushing his luck with being up this late as it was.

With a sigh, Bakugo put his phone back down on the nightstand and shifted, pulling the blanket up over his head. God, ne needed to get to sleep right the fuck now.

______________________________

Much to his chagrin, Bakugo didn't get that morning call from Kirishima.

He texted and called the redheaded dumbass but when he received no answer, he resigned himself to the conclusion that Kirishima was completely knocked out from whatever work called for in that previous day and either didn't remember to put the sound on for his phone, or was just sleeping through it. The lack of any promised communication with his husband, in addition to feeling how unrested and drained he was due to his lack of proper sleep, simply propelled the blond's mood past irritable and into aggravated.

He was prickly throughout his entire shift at Mirko's, the only ones at the agency daring enough to approach him or talk to him being Deku and Mirko herself. He was curt with civilians and officers at best during his patrol, irritated that he couldn't let off any steam against any villains or ne'er-do-wells due to the lack of them during his patrol.

The apologetic texts from Kirishima didn't help his mood any, either. Bakugo saw them after getting back from patrol, having left his personal phone in his locker at the agency, and while some form of apology was appreciated, it only soured Bakugo's mood further, the blond only being reminded that there'd be no one waiting for him at home tonight, and for the next three nights at least.

___________________________

By the fourth day of the worktrip, Kacchan was a hair trigger waiting to go off.

Midoriya recognized the little things, signs he'd known since they were kids. The repeated curling and uncurling of Kacchan's fingers, the way he'd rub his thumb against the side of his pointer finger, the speed at which he bounced his right leg when sitting down, the way he'd scratch at the back of his head, the way his breathing changed when he was trying to calm himself down (Midoriya was easily able to mentally count out the 5 seconds Kacchan would breathe in, the 2 seconds he'd hold it, and the 5 seconds he'd breathe out). He did everything he could to make sure no stress went Kacchan's way, intercepting anyone who was heading towards the blond with either news or paperwork, and staying later than usual for their post-shift spar, letting Kacchan get his frustrations out as best he could that way. He wasn't letting himself just be a punching bag for the other male though, dishing out just as much as he was given, but Kacchan was right: It wasn't like he had Ochako waiting for him at home. And honestly, even if she was, he'd still take the extra time to help Kacchan; He knew Ochako would understand.

The fifth day wasn't any better. Midoriya was greeted that early afternoon in the doorway of the agency's locker room by the sound of Kacchan's voice cursing up a storm, followed by the slam of a locker. Exhaling, Midoriya stepped in the locker room, intent on walking towards his own locker, which was next to Kacchan's. Upon turning into the row of lockers that theirs was on, Midoriya saw that the explosive hero was already half dressed in his winter hero costume, his top half unclothed, his bottom half clad in his black and green pants, metal kneepads, and black and red boots. However, he was hunched over, a hand and his forehead both pressed against his locker, his eyes closed as his chest heaved with long, slow breaths. Midoriya simply stood in place upon seeing that, not making a move towards their lockers.

From an outsider's point of view, or at the very least from the view of someone who didn't know them well enough, one would assume that Midoriya was keeping his space out of fear.

Had this been junior high, or the majority of that first year at U.A., then that would have been true. But both the young men currently in the locker room knew that Midoriya was keeping his space both out of respect, and silent support.

They both knew the blond would feel suffocated if someone were to get in his space uninvited when he was letting off steam, especially when he'd been doing so alone before being walked in on. They both knew he was prone to act before thinking when angered (well arguably, they both were), and the uninvited touch of a well meaning hand would spell disaster in more ways than one. They both knew he needed room to breathe, room to think.

Again, Midoriya could notice the way he was breathing was that 5-2-5 count, and he was thankful that the other male was leagues ahead from where he was with his anger issues as a kid, actively taking steps to soothe himself. Regardless, the air was still thick with tension, the only sound being those slow, long breaths. After a minute or so, the silence was shattered.

"I'm fine."

Kacchan didn't open his eyes, but Midoriya knew he was speaking directly to him. He was back to breathing regularly, but the fingers on the hand splayed flat against the locker curled in on themselves, and the tension in his shoulders fell slack.

"I'm fine."

Midoriya's expression remained steely, but he internally frowned at the blond's repeated words, the insistance in them, the slight crack to his voice in that second word. He said nothing in return, letting his childhood friend get out what he needed to, but couldn't help the tug he felt at his heart. Was Kirishima's absence really affecting him this much? He knew the two of them had been practically attached at the hip since U.A., knew that they helped each other grow and learn, knew they'd become so integrated in each other's lives... Midoriya's brows furrowed slightly in thought. When was the last time Kirishima and Kacchan had truly been apart for this long? His mind scoured through the past instances where something like this could have happened, and honestly? The most recent time he could come up with was probably the vacation breaks they took during their last year at U.A., but even then, there was the very likely chance that they'd met up several times over the duration of the break, seeing as they were dating back then. Regardless, their last year at U.A. was 7 years ago. If that was honestly that last time, the most recent time that they'd spent a significant of time apart? That really wasn't good for Kacchan's mental state. Not that Kacchan was codependent on Kirishima, he knew their relationship was a very healthy interdependency, a mutual give-and-take. They were each other's pillars of support, but whereas Kirishima could easily open up to others he trusted, Kacchan would close himself off to nearly everyone, save Kirishima and arguably Midoriya himself.

He wanted to say something, tried to formulate what to say as he watched Kacchan shook his head slightly, his eyes remaining closed all the while.

"I'm fine."

At this point, they both knew he was no longer talking to the bearer of One For All. At this point, they both knew he was trying to convince himself.

You're not fine. Part of Midoriya wanted to say, but he knew to refrain. He quickly began thinking: What could he do to help? Fat Gum and Ryukyu's agencies weren't coming back for another two days, assuming everything went according to plan and no complications arose, causing them to stay longer. He knew Kacchan's usual day off was coming soon, it falling under the presumed last day of the worktrip that Kirishima and Ochako were on. Would it help more, or hurt more, if Midoriya gave up one of his own upcoming off days? Sure, he would have used it to spend time with Ochako since she'd be back from the worktrip, but if it'd help Kacchan... Midoriya's eyes widened slightly then, recalling Kacchan's words from a couple days ago: 'Its not like you have a wife to go home to right now.'

Kacchan was... lonely, Midoriya realized. For the first time in practically a decade, the blond was lonely, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Did he even realize it was loneliness? Or was he perceiving it as weakness, that he'd become 'soft' from being around Kirishima for so long?

He should have noticed sooner, should have seen that statement as the first sign. Yes, he didn't have Ochako to go home to, but just like him, Kacchan didn't have Kirishima to go home to. Yes, his house was empty, but Midoriya himself had his mother and Iida and Aoyama and Todoroki and Asui that he'd either call or text or visit before or after work when he had the chance. Kacchan's house was empty too, but Kacchan would probably die before visiting his parents in an attempt to make himself feel less lonely. He wouldn't call his friends, either. He'd bet anything that if Kacchan had heard from Mina or Kaminari or Sero, that they were the ones initiating the conversation, and that Kacchan would only text them back, if he responded to them at all.

Knowing the stress he was under from working on making his and Kirishima's agency a reality, Midoriya could only assume Kacchan was stuck in a routine of self-isolation. Wake up, eat, work, eat, sleep, repeat. Maybe get a call or text from Kirishima somewhere in between-- wait, how often did he even get that? He himself hadn't heard much from Ochako recently, they had their 'good morning!' texts and every now and then some intermittant interactions, but they hadn't talked on the phone in a couple of days. Was it the same for Kacchan? Was it worse? Maybe giving Kacchan one of his days off wasn't the best idea then. Aside from the fact that Kacchan would see it as a move of pity or maybe a move to try and get ahead in Mirko's good graces, if Kacchan was lonely, giving him a day to himself, by himself, with no one there at home wouldn't really help things much, would it? Maybe there was something else he could do, maybe--

"I can hear you overthinking from here, nerd."

Midoriya looked up to Kacchan then, the green haired male's gaze having fallen to the floor at some point without him noticing. His own fist had been brought up to his mouth, like it tended to do when he overthought and subsequently began to mutter aloud. Thank god he hadn't begun doing that, Kacchan would have probably ripped him apart.

Kacchan's eyes were still closed, but seconds after Midoriya's gaze returned to look back at him, Kacchan finally opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to look back at him.

"Don't--"

"What are you doing after work?"

Midoriya cut the blond off unintentionally, the words having just flew out of his mouth. Though when Kacchan didn't answer, didn't try repeating what he was cut off from saying, Midoriya continued. "I was wondering... if you could help me."

He watched as Kacchan blinked, before the blond pulled himself away from the locker, standing up straight now, his brows furrowed.

"...What?"

"Remember how I told you the other day that I hadn't started making any moves towards starting my own agency because Ochako and I were considering having a baby?" Midoriya watched as Kacchan's furrowed brows relaxed momentarily, only for one of them to arch in confusion, his lip curling into a slight sneer, but one that Midoriya recognized he used when feigning disinterest, masking his curiosity at something he didn't want to admit interest in. "I was wondering if you could help me get an understanding of what all I need to prepare for. Mainly in terms of finance, cuz, ya know," Midoriya chuckled awkwardly then, a hand going to rub at the back of his head, "babies aren't cheap."

A moment of silence hung between them, and eventually, Kacchan sighed, shaking his head as he moved to put on the top half of his winter hero costume. "You'd be better off just having the damn kid and then starting an agency after it starts school or some shit." His voice was soft, and he stopped speaking in order to slip his top on, resuming when he was settled. "You'll burn out if you're taking care of a brat and starting an agency at the same time. Either start the agency first or wait 'til you don't have to be watching a kid 24/7."

"Assuming we only have one." Midoriya said absentmindedly, before his brain caught up to his words and a small blush rose to his face.

Kacchan's expression morphed into one of actual disinterest, scoffing and shaking his head. "Don't fuckin' start gettin' all sappy on me. Talk to your wife about that shit." At that, Kacchan opened his locker and pulled out a stick of eyeliner, as well as his mask and headpieces, before closing it again. "Get your ass over here and start getting changed already, we have patrol in ten. I'm headed to the mirror." With that, Kacchan turned away, walking towards the back of the locker room, where a full length mirror ran from the floor to about a half a foot away from the ceiling, slipping on his mask before darkening his eyelids and the small gaps of skin between the mask and his eyes with eyeliner.

Exhaling, Midoriya moved to his own locker, beginning to change. Before he knew it, Kacchan was back at his own locker, opening it to toss the eyeliner inside, and closing it much more gently than when Midoriya heard him slamming it earlier. "I'm going to get my gauntlets." Kacchan said, beginning to walk out of the locker room. He stopped before crossing the threshold, however, a sigh leaving him.

"I'm leaving right after we're done sparring, Deku." He said softly, but still with enough gruff to his voice that would warn the average person to stay way. Midoriya turned his head then to look at Kacchan, eyes widening slightly as the other continued speaking. "So you better get any shit you need to get done for work done before I go because if you're not walking out of here the same time I am, I'm not letting you in my damn apartment."

A look of relief crossed Midoriya's features then, and he nodded, despite Kacchan's back being turned and him not being able to see it. "Right. Thanks, Kacchan."

Kacchan only scoffed, before muttering a 'yeah, whatever' and leaving the locker room.

________________________________

True to his word, Bakugo bolted for the door after showering and changing into his civilian clothes and jacket after his and Deku's post-shift spar. Whatever work related paperwork or issues Deku had needed to get through during the day were apparently taken care of because the nerd was right at Bakugo's fucking heels when he reached the front door. The two shared a look of understanding before they headed out into the winter early evening, the journey to the apartment mainly silent.

Upon shuffling inside, Bakugo kicked off his shoes by the door, giving a grunt and nod of his head for Deku to do the same. He then headed towards his bedroom, grabbing the folder that held all his financial, legal, and Hero Association paperwork for his and Kirishima's agency out of the safe in their closet, and walking back into the living room, where Deku had sat quietly on the couch, looking over his phone.

"Oi, nerd. Kitchen." Bakugo began walking to the kitchen then, Deku silently padding behind him. Placing the folder down on the kitchen table, Bakugo nudged one of the chairs with the side of his foot, moving it towards Deku. "Sit. Look over what you need to while I start cooking."

He could feel Deku's gaze on him as he turned his back to him, beginning to make his way towards the fridge to look at what to make. "You're not sitting."

"Right." Deku's voice answered, quickly followed by the sound of a chair being pulled out further, and soon after, the sound of papers being shuffled around.

"You better not mess my shit up, Deku." He called out, though his tone lacked any real bite. The warning was empty, he knew Deku was, while scatterbrained mentally, really fucking organized physically. All those Hero Analysis journals he had and such made a point of that.

For the most part, they each worked in silence, Bakugo making the two of them dinner, and Deku reading over the paperwork, asking only a couple a questions when the need arose. Things were silent as well as they ate, though Bakugo could fucking feel the wheels in Deku's brain running as he was deep in thought, presumably about what he was going to do about his future kid and agency. The blond had to even snap Deku back to attention once, the nerd having spaced out somewhat while raising his chopsticks to his mouth, having just stopped halfway and not moved for a second. Deku had apologized but Bakugo just rolled his eyes and finished eating his own food.

After they were both done, and Deku had thanked Bakugo for the meal, the two of them deliberated back and forth on the detailed aspects of agencies for a long while, and honestly? As much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling less high-strung than he had been the past couple of days.

He wasn't an idiot. He knew Deku could have looked this agency shit up on his own, at his own home. But of course he had to butt into Bakugo's personal business under the guise of needing help, when he was just doing it to help him instead. Deku probably knew he knew too.

He wouldn't thank him out loud though. Wasn't even going to thank him mentally. Nope. Take that, fucking nerd.

But when a yawn left Bakugo only a couple minutes after 10, Deku blinked, and looked at the clock. "Is it 10 already?" A sigh escaped the nerd, and he began re-organizing the agency paperwork, settling it neatly inside its folder. "I need to start heading back to my place."

Bakugo rolled his eyes then, getting up from the kitchen table and grabbing the folder, stretching out his back. "What time is your shift tomorrow?"

Deku paused, blinking as he looked at Bakugo then. "Uh, noon. Why?"

Beginning to head out of the kitchen, Bakugo looked over his shoulder. "Might as well stay here for the night since you've welcomed yourself into my damn apartment, eatin' my damn food and shit." He grumbled, looking back out of the kitchen as he instead looked down and thumbed through the papers in the folder, quickly making sure there wasn't one out of place. "Your place is on the other side of town, anyway. Just sleep in the the spare bedroom. Extra toothbrushes and shit are in the bottom cabinet under the bathroom sink. Eijirou insisted we keep several for when the other idiots stay over. Same thing with clothes in the spare bedroom's closet and dresser." With that, Bakugo began walking into the living room, crossing it so he could head into the hallway towards his and Eijirou's bedroom.

"Thanks, Kacchan."

A sigh left Bakugo then as he paused again, turning slightly to see Deku turning off the kitchen light, and heading towards the hallway as well. There was a gentle, tired smile on Deku's face, and Bakugo shook his head, huffing before muttering, "Yeah, sure." He opened the door to his and Eijirou's bedroom, stepping inside so Deku could pass him and head to the spare bedroom, though he half stepped back out, keeping his gaze away from him. "My shift's the same time as yours tomorrow. I don't give a shit if you leave before me, but like hell I'm leaving you alone in my damn apartment. So if you're not ready when I leave, that's your own fuckin' fault."

Deku chuckled, fucking chuckled, and spoke. "Gotcha. Thanks again." Bakugo heard the spare bedroom's door open then. "G'night, Kacchan."

"Whatever."

Bakugo still had some trouble falling asleep that night, still wishing Kirishima were fucking home already, but managed to fall asleep before 11, at least. And when he woke up the next morning, he felt a little better, due to getting more sleep than usual, He texted his husband before getting up, getting ready, and beginning to cook breakfast. Deku at least had the decency to not make any comments other than a 'thank you' upon seeing he'd gotten another meal out of Bakugo.

_____________________________

While still wound up, Bakugo was at least a slight bit more tolerable with others as the day went on. He was ready for it to be tomorrow though, not because it was his day off, but because Eijirou was coming home tomorrow night.

He'd managed to get in bed at least at a decent time today, even if it was 15 minutes later than he'd liked, but unfortunately, that was apparently the only decency that life had decided to grant to his sleep schedule, because now it was fucking one in the morning, and he still was awake. The air was crisp and cold, and despite the extra blanket he'd pulled out of the hallway's linen closet an hour ago out of desperation to stay fucking warm, Bakugo still could not get comfortable. To make matters worse, Kirishima's fucking pillow, which Bakugo had started clinging to after that third night in both an attempt for some extra heat and to try and replicate the feeling of the idiot sleeping next to him, barely smelled like him any more.

Bakugo scowled as he buried his face into Kirishima's pillow. How fucking pathetic was he? He was cold, he was tired, he was pissed, and he fucking missed the hell out of Kirishima.

At least tomorrow was his day off, maybe he could just sleep intermittently throughout the day to try and catch up on all the sleep he'd been missing.

Slender fingers curled into the cushion beneath them, Bakugo's body similarly curling in on itself. A faint voice in the back of his brain suggested, try jerking off, maybe that will help!, but Bakugo quickly smothered the thought, because it was too fucking cold to get out from under the covers to jerk off, and he sure as hell wasn't going to jerk off under them. Doing so in a hot shower was out of the question as well, because sure he'd be warm in the shower, but the moment the water gets turned off and he's out of the shower, the cold air would just come rushing back to him, more fiercely than before.

An irritated groan left the blond then, a shiver running down his spine as he momentarily thought about repositioning himself from laying on his left side side to his right, but deciding against it, not wanting to shift too much and let the cold seep in more than it should have whenever he moved. He was basically stuck in this position for the night.

The faint sound of his phone buzzing against the nightstand caught his attention, but Bakugo made no move to reach for it and see what the notification was, or who it was from. More likely than not, it was Kirishima, replying to the 'good night' text Bakugo had sent him as he'd gotten into bed. Scoffing, Bakugo shook his head. The damn idiot was probably just getting back to the hotel if he was receiving a text this late, and as much as he wanted to hear Kirishima's voice just talk him to sleep, he refrained from seeing what the text said and calling him. Sure, Bakugo had the day off tomorrow, but Kirishima didn't, and keeping him up later than one in the morning when he was close to ending his worktrip just because he missed the redhead would have been an asshole move.

Also it was really fucking cold, and god forbid he prolong his sleep any longer because he couldn't resist the urge to talk to Kirishima on the phone and let the cold attack him in the process of checking the damn phone.

Bakugo wasn't sure when he'd entered that weird limbo between sleep and consciousness, but he was aware of being pulled out of it when he thought he heard a small, muted 'thud!' from somewhere around him. Blinking, Bakugo looked to the clock again, it now reading 1:37, and stayed still, trying to hone in on any other noises that might have followed. He couldn't tell if it was the heater or the pipes, or if it was even from his apartment or not. It was quiet enough that it could have been from one of the neighboring apartments, but at the same time, the likelihood of someone being awake at this hour to even make noise was slim. He quieted his breathing, his gaze unfocusing as he tried to see if there were any other telltale noises that could--

At the sound of the bedroom door opening, Bakugo tensed, a scowl curling onto his lips as he immediately sat up, palms crackling with weak, tiny poofs of explosions because who the fuck was in his apartment--

"Katsuki?"

At the sound of Kirishima's tired, yet surprised voice, Bakugo blinked, eyes slowly adjusting to Kirishima's form in the doorway. Their hallway light was on, making Bakugo squint, but he watched as the redhead's arms rose in surrender, gently waving his hands from side to side. "Hey, you're good, it's all good. It's ok, Katsuki. Relax."

It was then that Bakugo realized that he hadn't ceased the small 'pop!s' in his hands, though with as cold as he was, and the chilly, arid air drying up the miniscule amount of sweat he'd barely managed to build up, those pops were no real threat. Regardless, Bakugo exhaled, his adrenaline dying away as he stopped making sorry excuses for explosions, shivering as the cold finally started to make itself known on his skin.

"Sorry," Kirishima said, turning off the hallway light, "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You're fine." Bakugo muttered tiredly, reaching over to the nightstand to turn on a lamp so that Kirishima would be able to at least see, wincing slightly at the light it gave off. "I was already awake."

At that, Kirishima paused his movements of putting his suitcase by the dresser, instead looking to Bakugo, cocking his head to the side in concern. "You were? You're usually dead asleep right now." He moved to Bakugo's side of the bed then, a hand reaching out to cup the side of the blond's face. "You ok?"

Bakugo hated how easily he melted at Kirishima's touch, his eyes closing as he leaned into the warmth of the other male's hand. When he failed to answer the question, however, he felt Kirishima's other hand cup the other side of his face, and as he felt Kirishima's lips gently press against his forehead, Bakugo felt at peace for the first time in days. Kirishima's thumbs brushed against his cheeks and Bakugo tilted his head up as he felt Kirishima pull away from his forehead, the motion a silent demand for a proper kiss.

Kirishima easily obliged Bakugo's quiet order with a smile, pressing his lips to Katsuki's gently, slowly kissing the explosive male.

When they broke apart, Bakugo's eyes opened, looking over Kirishima's face before frowning slightly, though there was no hint of true upset behind the expression. "You're back early." It was more a statement than a question.

Nodding, Kirishima brushed one of his thumbs against Bakugo's cheek again. "Yeah, we rounded up the villains we were helping locate and detain earlier this afternoon, and Fat got me, Tamaki, and Mirio an early flight home after filling in a little paperwork. He said he'd cover the rest with Ryukyu and the others and they'd head home tomorrow-- or, uh..." His eyes glanced to the clock on the nightstand then, and he let out a small chuckle. "Err, today, technically, I guess."

In his comforted, sleep-deprived state, Bakugo could only really nod, a smirk tugging at his lips as Kirishima pressed another kiss to his forehead. He closed his eyes again, hearing Kirishima start talking again, but he couldn't fully focus on it, it mainly going in one ear and out the other, though he nodded every couple of seconds, trying to focus. At the sound of Kirishima's amused, gentle laughter Bakugo's smirk softened, and he felt yet another kiss to his forehead. Though that smile was quick to vanish when the warmth of Kirishima's presence quickly faded away. Red eyes fluttered open, and when Bakugo's line of sight was met with nothing but an empty bedroom, he blinked, his chest tightening. Was he really that fucking tired that he was hallucinating? What the actual fuck.

"Katsuki?"

Bakugo turned his head towards the sound of Kirishima's voice, the redhead having apparently made his way to their bathroom. He was standing in the doorway of it, a pair of sweatpants and boxers in hand, but his expression was a mix between amused and concerned, his gaze transfixed on Bakugo. Blinking, Bakugo felt a moment of relief because he wasn't actually hallucinating, thank fuck but quickly frowned, though out of actual displeasure this time. "What are you doing?"

A small huff of amusement left Kirishima then, and he leaned against the doorway. "I just said I was gonna take a shower after I brushed my teeth." He watched Bakugo's nose and eyebrows scruntched as he attempted to recall being told that, a chuckle leaving the sturdy hero at that. "I guess I was right to think you were falling asleep while I was talking. Go ahead and lay down, I'll be out of the shower soon enough."

Something in Katsuki seemed to snap to attention at that, because the blonde was quick to sit up straight, his scruntched expression melting back into a frown. "Just shower in the morning, get your ass in bed right now."

"Huh?" Kirishima blinked at the demand, not missing the insistance hidden in Bakugo's tone. He looked at the other male for a moment, before tired, amused laughter bubbled up from the depths of his chest. "Dude, I missed you too," Kirishima began, running the hand not holding his clothes through his hair, "but I'm too tired to do anything other than sleep tonight, Katsuki."

He watched as Bakugo took a moment to process his words, and blinked as the blond rolled his eyes. "Dumbass, I'm not saying get in bed so we can fuck, I'm saying get in bed because I'm fucking cold, and if you take a shower now, you'll be fucking cold too."

At that, Kirishima laughed again, nodding in understanding. "Alright, got it, got it. I still wanna brush my teeth though." With that, Kirishima walked into the bathroom, and Bakugo turned off the lamp, moving Kirishima's pillow back to its original spot before settling back down, watching the bathroom doorway expectantly, until Kirishima walked through the doorway, all smiles as he flung himself into bed, the action making the mattress bounce, and Bakugo along with it.

"You're lucky I'm fucking tired, or I'd kick your ass out of the bed for that." Bakugo muttered as Kirishima settled under the blankets, though as he felt Kirishima's arms wrap around him and draw him close, any bite Bakugo had was washed away, and he easily gave in to the warmth that surrounded him, his arms going to wrap around Kirishima in return.

Kirishima slowly pressed gentle kisses to Katsuki's face, enjoying how the blond completely melted against him at each one. His eyes darted to the clock then, and he winced slightly at the time it read. "What time do you have work tomorrow? Because it's about to be 2."

Bakugo's eyes were closed then, a grunt of acknowledgement leaving him at the sound of Kirishima's voice. He gave a proper response after a second though, when he felt the other's concerned gaze not leaving him. "Don't have work tomorrow. Day off."

Kirishima smiled at that, exhaling before replying. "Fat gave Tamaki and me a few days off for going with him to Niigata." He watched as Bakugo cracked an eye open at that, and he continued speaking. "So that means we both have the day off tomorrow."

"Thank fuck," Bakugo muttered, letting his eye close again, "because you're not leaving this goddamn bed until I say so."

"For sleep or for sex?" Kirishima sounded almost apologetic then, fingers running through the hair on the back of Bakugo's head. "Because I'm too tired to figure out what you mean right now."

"Both. Sleep first." Bakugo leaned into the touch, Kirishima pressing a kiss to his cheek then.

"Sounds good." A comfortable silence settled between them, Kirishima mindlessly threading his finger's through Bakugo's hair, nails faintly scratching against his scalp at random intervals. When a hum of contentment left the blond, Kirishima couldn't help the tired smile that tugged at his lips. "Hey, Katsuki?"

"Hmm?"

"I missed you."

Inhaling a slow and deep breath, Bakugo opened his eyes, looking over Kirishima's relaxed expression, before leaning in to kiss him. The kiss wasn't exactly chaste, but it was simple enough that when the two of them pulled apart, meeting each other's gaze, they both smiled, Bakugo leaning in to bury his face against Kirishima's neck.

"Missed you too, Eijirou." Kirishima felt a gentle kiss pressed against his neck, and felt his heart swell upon hearing him quietly say, "I love you."

And as Bakugo began to drift away into his first restful sleep in nearly a week, he smiled against Eijirou's skin, the last thing he heard being his husband's voice gently replying, "I love you too, Katsuki."

#Krys writes #My Hero Academia #KiriBaku #IzuOcha #Eijirou Kirishima #Katsuki Bakugo #Izuku Midoriya

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