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They both stand there, just staring at each other, eyes watering. The air that once enveloped the earth just seems completely gone.
"Hi." He smiles nervously. Bakugou sill doesn't move. The only thing that changed on his face was now, there was a tear streaming down his face.
Kirishima doesn't move to comfort him. He feels as if he can't- no, that he isn't allowed to.
He's been gone for to long. For all he knows, the Bakugou standing in front of him, is now a stranger.
Meaning they're not even best friends anymore, let alone friends.
"Bak-" The rest of his name doesn't leave his mouth as he's pulled into a hug.
Bakugou starts panting as if he just ran 10 miles, nonstop. Those breaths quickly turn into sobs.
"H-"
"Shut up." Kirishima shuts his mouth with no hesitation. "Your here." He whispers. "You're really here."
They stand there for a minute until Kirishima finally wraps his arms around the other, repressed tears finally falling.
"Yeah."
When they step inside Kirishima finally analyses in the physical changes that Bakugou's had over the past two years.
He has an undercut now. A scar that goes from the bottom of his right eye to the back of his head. And another one on the same side of his head, going from his jaw line, down to his torso. Of course because of Bakugou's shirt he can't see the rest. He's definitely taller- still a little taller than Kirishima, but still taller, and he still has the exact same build as he did the last night Kirishima saw him.
Kirishima stares a bit longer and then his heart plummets. Bakugou's wearing hearing aids.
It's not a bad thing, but six years ago, Bakugou found out that he was losing his hearing and that eventually he'll go completely deaf and when that happens, he'll be forced to retire as a pro... as a hero in the top ten. Bakugou uses his quirk on the daily for his job, so it was going to happen soon.
When he found out, not only was Bakugou frustrated with his body, but he was scared. Kirishima promised he'd be there for him when it finally gets bad, but that was before he knew this would happen.
Guilt, doesn't even begin to describe how shitty Kirishima feels.
~
Kirishima wakes up with a start. Sweating and breathing more than normal.
"It wasn't a dream."
"I'm in Bakugou's guest room."
He gets up and checks the time.
10:47
He sighs getting up from the bed. He walks over to the bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror and starts to brush his sharp teeth.
He does his hair and gets dressed.
Walking over to the kitchen he finds Bakugou.
"Morning."
"Mor-" He yawns. "ning."
It's been three days since Kirishima returned to his friends, his family, his home, but it's not at all what he thought it would be like. Not entirely at least.
His friends and parents yelled at him. He was slapped by god knows how many of them and everyone's been distant, confused, and angry at Kirishima. Although they're all mostly just relieved and happy he's returned, they all just need some time before they could face him without yelling at him, demanding to know why he'd even consider leaving.
Only Bakugou's been acting in a way that Kirishima didn't expect. For the past three days all Bakugou has been doing is taking Kirishima out and laughing with him and a bit at him. Kirishima can't say he feels it's natural. It feels as if everything is forced.
"Coffee?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah... sure, thanks." He nods.
"Hm." Kirishima sits down at the table, slouching. Although he immediately sits up straight because he remembers that Bakugou hated it when he would slouch in his chair, even though Bakugou did the same thing.... Hypocrite.
"You good?"
"Yeah, just remembered to straighten out my back." He chuckles.
"Scared you that bad, shitty hair?"
"Ah- Come on, man! I changed my hairstyle! How is it still Shitty Hair? And yes you did scar me that bad." He pouts.
"You dimming the color of your hair dye a bit doesn't change the fact that it's shitty."
"Ha- n- eh- ah- pfft- My hair is completely different!"
"I see no difference." He laughs. Kirishima freezes at that. Sure he's heard Bakugou laugh before. Hell, he's seen him on the floor trying to breath, he laughed so hard, but this was different. It sounded sad, but nostalgic.
They were fiancé's before he left. Kirishima left 4 months before their wedding. He left without saying anything. He didn't want to leave. God, especially not at that time. He wanted to stay, he never wanted to leave.
He wanted to- He fought to, but he lost and he had to go. It was either he disappeared or everyone he loved disappeared and not like he did. They'd be gone... for good.
He just packed up his things when Bakugou was asleep in their room, took the car, and left, not coming back until two years later.
He tried to finish the job he was given sooner, but he kept screwing up time after time after time. It was just never ending. The organization just kept slipping through his fingers. He had to keep his name off record as much as possible, so no one would find him, so he couldn't get professional medical help and he had to keep taking pauses during his mission because his hardening was sometimes never good enough.
He finally got the drop on them and won, but it was far overdue.
"Aye, Shitty Hair? You alive?" He waves his hand in front of his face.
He was looking at Kirishima with such a soft look. Too, soft for Bakugou.
When Kirishima felt down, Bakugou used to give him a look similar to this one, but his look seemed far softer now.
"So, how've you been, King Explosion?" He says with a teasing smile, ignoring Bakugou's question. "I know you made top ten, while I was gone."
Bakugou shouldn't be asking, anyways.
"Hmm... Well, it's been descent, I suppose. Made number four."
"Number four?! THAT'S GREAT, MAN! You made the top five!"
"Yeah, I did." He numbingly says. "Kind of ironic."
"Uh, what do you mean?"
"Who's the number 3 hero?"
"Tsukuyomi...?"
"Hm. Number 2?"
"Shoto, I think."
"Number one?"
"Deku."
"Yup." He says, making a POP sound at the "p". "Who was my mentor?"
"Endeavor."
"Wrong. Try again, Red."
"Umm... OH! Best Jeanist."
"And at the time he was the number..."
"4 hero."
"Tsukuyomi was mentored, by..."
"Hawks."
"The former number..."
"Three- OH! Yeah, it is ironic. Shoto, Endeavor the former, at the time, number two hero's predecessor, and Deku, All Might the n-"
"Number one hero's predecessor."
"I guess you all did fallow your mentor's footsteps, huh?"
"Yeah, though I am impressed that bird boy got a rank above me."
"How come?"
"Birdy can't win a fight against me. With or without quirks."
"I guess that is mind boggling, huh?" Kirishima chuckles.
"Last year, I at least managed to get to the number 2 spot."
"YOU DID?!" The "and I wasn't there?" He leaves unsaid. "Why not this year, Lord Dynamite?" He snickers.
Bakugou's small smile drops for a moment. "Well, you know what happened, don't you?"
"No?"
"You mean you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Y-you don't know? It was all over the news for weeks, Kirishima." Kirishima can see him seething.
"Bakug-" Kirishima hesitates. "When I was gone I wasn't allowed to watch the news, I couldn't own a tv at all. I'm sorry."
Bakugou looks down at his plate. "I had someone die under my orders for the first time."
"Under- what happened?"
"Me and my sidekicks we're on our way to capture a villain and we got sidetracked with another fucked up lunatic. Chargebolt, Earphone Jack, and Static were called to help us. Somewhere down the line there ended up being a building filled with villains, I sent charge bolt in when he was at his limit. He went up to 8 million volts to immobilize everyone in there."
"8 million? That's not possible. He's only able to go up to 3 million."
"I know it's not. It wasn't. Kirishima, he went brain dead. I knew he was at his limit and I still sent him in there."
"Denki...?"
"Yeah, he did. All thanks to me."
"It wasn't your fault. Denki went to far and no one would've kn-"
"Well how the fuck would you know? You weren't he..."
Bakugou takes a deep breath, biting his tongue. "He's back. After all this time, he's finally back, dammit and all I can think about is screaming at him? I shouldn't be pissed at him. Fuck. I'm happy he's back."
"After he passed, I lost a lot of my supporters and I took a break from hero work for sometime, losing my spot as number 2."
Kirishima looked down. He wasn't there for his friend's funeral, let alone the fight were he lost his life and he had no idea what was happening because he left.
"Hm. I'm making us food."
"Bakugou, pl-"
"Shut up. You're eating my food."
Kirishima only nods. "Why?" Is the only question running around in his head. "Isn't he-"
As Bakugou cooks Kirishima stays completely stays silent, watching Bakugou cook.
The sizzling of the food is the only sound in the house. "Oh, yeah. My mom finally gave me the damn recipe for the dish she calls, for god knows the shitty reason, 'Katsuki Curry'."
"Nice pun."
"Shitty pun. She said it was my favorite when I was little, ironically, so she ended it up calling it 'Katsuki Curry."
"Aww, how cute."
"No." Bakugou says as if it was a fact..... somehow. -_-
"Hehe."
"Oh and Mina... she um- she and Sero are having a kid."
"Really?!"
"Yeah... They told me that either me or Todoroki and that one smart ass are going to be the godparents. Sero said that we get to choose which one of us should be it."
"What smart ass?"
"Momo, dumbass."
"Ah. Well, that's exciting, man, right?"
"I think I'll let Todoroki and Momo be it."
"Why? I mean, it's not bad, but why?"
"Well, let's just leave it at, I'm not the best option out there, right now."
"Oh..."
Bakugou gets a plate out and sets, whatever he made, onto the plate.
"Uh- here." He slides the plate over to me.
"OOOOO! What is this?"
"Uh, I don't know how to pronounce the name. It's in Spanish."
"Looks delicious. Thank you for the food!" He puts some ketchup on it and takes a bite out of it. His face is O_O while his brain and mouth exploded because of how good it was. "WOW! I haven't had a home cooked meal, or hell food this good in a long ass time! Thanks, Bakugou!"
"No problem." He whispers. The entire time Kirishima has been here Bakugou hasn't stopped making sure he's there. He would answer his questions and tells him about the things he couldn't be around for, to keep Kirishima talking. If he's not doing that he's watching him.
He hasn't even had a good nights rest for the past three days.
Bakugou hasn't seen him in so long, he thought he was dead. He thought he was never coming home. He thought he'd never see his stupid ass smile or his shitty red hair.
At first, Bakugou thought Kirishima left him because all of his belongings were gone. The only thing he found that was Kirishima's, was his engagement ring.
That day he just didn't do anything. He called Kirishima over and over. Never stopping until he passed out doing it.
Then later, (5 days later) he found out Kirishima just vanished from everyone's life. He was just gone.
One night, he was there talking to Bakugou about everything and nothing and the next morning, Kirishima was gone.
Kirishima was gone and nothing that was his stayed. Only the engagement ring and that left a pit in Bakugou's stomach.
Bakugou looks at Kirishima's face seeing the old scar above his right eye that is slightly more faded. Despite what Bakugou said earlier, he did really like Kirishima's hairstyle. It suited him. He has about the same build and was still shorter than Bakugou, by about an inch, and he is a bit more lean now. He had scars littering his arms, but there not very big. He wouldn't know if has any under his shirt and Bakugou would rather not know in fear that if there is. They're most likely far worse than what's on his arms.
He knows Kirishima wouldn't leave his friends and family for a stupid reason, so whatever he left for it was most likely because he had to. Considering the new scars and the little limp Kirishima has that he didn't have two years ago, he's been through god knows what.
Kirishima is still the same idiot he was back then. The same idiot he's missed for two years. The same idiot who he fell in love with and who, no matter how hard he tries, can't hate. He's a little less energetic, but Bakugou could care less.
Kirishima finished his food and looked up at Bakugou. Bakugou seemed to be looking right through him. Kirishima waved his hand slowly in Bakugou's face.
"Du-" Kirishima freezes, his hand remaining up, at the tears start to slide down Bakugou's face.
Bakugou just stares at him for a moment, shaking, before speaking. "I missed you a lot, you shitty haired dumbass."
At this point Kirishima isn't even breathing.
Bakugou missed him.
He missed Kirishima.
Kirishima left. He left 4 months before their fucking wedding. He didn't even leave a damn note. It's not like he'd know what to write. He left everyone that ever cared about him and he left them without saying a word. He may not have had a choice, but it's not like they know that.
He wasn't there when one of his best friends fucking died. He wasn't there when Bakugou started needing hearing aids. He wasn't there when Mina and Sero had announced that they were having their first kid. He wasn't here for anything. He was gone. If he didn't drop the ball so many times on his mission, he would've come home a long time ago.
He hurt himself and everyone he loved.
Why hasn't Bakugou screamed at him? Why wasn't he pissed?
"Why?" He blurted out.
"Why what?" He asks, trying to calm down.
"Why did you miss me?" Bakugou pauses
"What kind of question is that?" Bakugou's smile drops completely.
"You haven't seen me in 5 years."
"What the fuck are you even asking me?"
"Why aren't mad at me? Why aren't you beating me up or something? Why aren't you bombarding with questions? Asking where I've been all this time. Why?"
"Are you shitting me? You were gone for five fucking years!"
"So what?!"
"So what?! What do you mean 'so what'? You were gone for five years. I have no idea what you've been through. I wouldn't be fair. And how the fuck did you expect me not to miss you?" Bakugo was clearly trying not to yell.
"I expected at least for you-"
"How does that even make sense? Kirishima, I fucking loved you. And I never stopped, not once. You were here and the next day you and your stuff was just fucking gone. For five days I thought you left me. I thought I finally ran my mouth until finally I drove you away. For five years..." He chokes. "For five years I thought you were never coming back."
"So why?" His voice cracks. "Why don't you hate me?"
"You asked why I'm not mad, right? I am. I tried to move on. I really did. I worked so hard. I finally thought I did it. That I've finally moved on. Everyday, I thought that if I saw your fucking face again, that if you came back, I would yell at you, burn you, even."
Kirishima's voice is gone. The lump in his throat, painful.
"Then you showed up at my doorstep and I saw your shitty face. I worked so fucking hard to hate you, but then I saw you again and I couldn't hate you. I really thought that if I moved or even breathed that you would leave again. If I said anything to hurt you, you'd leave again. I still love you so fucking much that I couldn't- I can't yell at you for leaving me and everyone else because then you'll leave."
Bakugou takes a deep breath.
"Kirishima, I'm not mad that you left. No matter how much my stupid insecurities say you left just for the fuck of it, I know you left for a good reason. I'm not mad that you saved people. I'm not mad that you were being a hero... I'm not. If I really think about it, I'm not mad at you. I'm just pissed that it took a long time. I'm mad that I didn't know if you were dead or alive. I'm mad that you were forced to leave. I'm mad that I can't hate you no matter how much I want to. I guess the only thing I'm kind of mad at you about, is that you came back. It was finally starting to hurt less because I finally thought that I hated you, but you came back and all that pain that I pushed back, came back. My feelings for you came back in one, stock piled, punch." He chuckles.
"I know you. I-I mean I don't know you anymore, but I knew you then. You wouldn't just leave like that. I know you wouldn't. If you did, then I don't know why the hell I even looked your way. I don't know what you went through. I don't know where you got these scars." He says motioning towards the scars on his arms. "I doubt you wanna talk about it right now and as selfish as this fucking sounds, I'm not sure I want to know because I just don't know if I can handle hearing something like that. I've seen my friends die and almost die before, it's not something that's new to me, but just the thought of almost losing you for good and not being able to see your shitty face," He lets out a loud and choked laugh. "Crap... I might-"
Kirishima gets up and runs over to Bakugou to hold him. Bakugou sighs and hugs Kirishima back.
"Leaving was the hardest thing I've ever done. The villains-"
"Kirishima..."
"No, let me talk. You deserve, as well as everyone else, to know. The villains targeted me two years ago because 6 months before me and my sidekicks found something that was important to the villains. They thought we knew something that we shouldn't have. 4 months before, we were getting threats sent to the agency. They said they've been watching me and keeping an eye one me. Then I started getting them here at the house. They started targeting everyone around me. In order to keep you and everyone I care about safe I had to leave and stay off the record. I hated waking up every day worrying if they already got to you or my family or our friends. Shit, I'm so sorry for leav-"
"Shut up. I get it, okay? Just don't leave again. I can't fucking do that again."
"I'd rather die over and over than do that again."
"Damn straight."
...
"Hey, Bakugou?"
"Go to sleep, Shitty Hair."
"What would've you done if I said no?"
"To what, moron?" He mumbles.
"If I said no to marrying you?"
Bakugou sits up fast, scaring Kirishima.
"Your not breaking-"
"No no! I'm not."
"Good."
"I was just wondering, if I said no, what would've you done?"
"I don't know. Depends what would've happened after. If you said no and broke up with me, I'd probably be at a bar drowning myself in alcohol after. I'd probably try to move on, but most likely, I'd try to get you back. Wouldn't let you go that easily."
"What if I said no and we stayed together?"
"I'd wait."
"Huh?"
"I'd wait for you to say yes, dumbass. For you to be ready."
"Really? You're not even patient."
"Pfft."
"I love you."
"Yeah... Love you, too, you spikey haired loser. Always will."
...
"Hey, Shitty Hair?"
"Yeah?"
Bakugou smiles a little.
"What?" He laughs the laugh Bakugou would die for.
"God knows I've been waiting." He mumbles, chuckling quietly. "Will you...”