Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It was a quiet saturday at the UA dorms. The majority of the students go home to visit their families during the weekend, Denki was not one of them. He loves his family, don't get him wrong, but he hates going home and having nothing productive to tell them. His grades are not particularly good and he still struggles to control his quirk. There were only so many times he could handle sitting quietly at the table as his older brother talked about getting a promotion or how his younger sister had aced her maths exam. He was proud of them, of course he was, but just once he'd like to have something to be proud of himself. The most recent time he "out ranked" his siblings was when he was accepted into UA and that was three years ago now, comparatively, he was doing terribly.

Yeah, his class was constantly getting targeted by villains and sure, he had survived every encounter, but that wasn't from his own strength or intelligence. Every single time he got in a one on one battle with a villain, he short circuited. It only needs to happen once for him to be out of the game and someone needs to babysit him.

He's just a burden.

Denki's grades have been steadily tanking through the years so he had asked Bakugou to help him halfway through their second year. He agreed easier than Denki thought he would and they have it down to a fine art now. They meet in the library on thursdays after class, a timer is set and Denki at times had to force himself to focus, but it came more naturally with practice. Once the timer goes off, they have a 5 minute break where Denki rambles about anything and everything to Bakugou who is unusually tame during this time, he doesn't tell him to shut up until after the 5 minutes is over. Sometimes, if Denki is particularly restless, Bakugou will give him a fidget toy or even let him doodle on his arms.

The first time Denki did this, it was a complete accident and he was sure Bakugou was going to kill him but much to his surprise, he just looked at the little smiley face on his forearm and then nudged his arm closer to Denki, letting him continue. Denki wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth so he never asked Bakugou why he allowed it or why he's noticeably nicer to him when they're alone rather than when they're with their friends. He urgently wanted to know the answers to all his 'Bakugou questions' but he simply wasn't brave enough or willing to ruin the, sort of, bond they had acquired. It was one of the best things he had going for him and he desperately needed it to remain unchanged.

If the weather was nice enough, they would go for a walk around the campus after studying. Bakugou called it 'training' which Denki found absolutely adorable but was smart enough to never tell him. The weather was cloudy and had been threatening rain all day on one autumn thursday, Denki wanted to go for a walk after studying but he knew that Bakugou hated the rain, he reminded Denki of a cat at times (another thing he knew better than to mention to him). He must have been gazing out the library window a little too wistfully as, without any warning, Bakugou huffs and grabs him under the armpit, dragging him up and out of the building. It was obvious that Bakugou didn't want to be out in it but the gesture wasn't lost on Denki, it actually made him feel kind of weird. Floaty? That was until it started pissing it down and Bakugou returned to the grump he normally is when in the company of others. He had a tendency to wear tank tops, regardless of the temperature, which was odd considering how his quirk works and how he always had to be prepared for a battle. That last part wasn't completely his fault though, given how often they're attacked and the fact that he was kidnapped once. It made sense that he wouldn't want that to happen again. Even when he was in uniform, he never wore the blazer.

Denki, on the other hand, was wearing a zip up hoodie over his uniform and blazer so he took that off and draped it clumsily over Bakugou. It was his fault that they were out there so he felt responsible. Whatever it was that he did must have worked because Bakugou was silent the whole journey back to the dorms, Denki had to keep checking to make sure Bakugou was still walking with him.

Denki smiles as he remembers the next day after class when he went to his dorm to change out of his uniform so he can hang out with the rest of the Bakusquad, the hoodie was freshly washed and dried (must have been done the night before) and folded neatly in front of his dorm room door. There was even a little bag of his favourite sweets dotted neatly on top, like Bakugou had put thought into the placement. Denki wore it after he had got changed and couldn't help laughing softly every time Bakugou averted his gaze in embarrassment at having done something nice. He had attempted to share the sweets with him but Bakugou had threatened to blow them up if he didn't leave him alone. It was an added bonus that the hoodie smelled like Bakugou, clean but sweet like caramel.

So Denki's avoiding his family, ignoring their calls and texts, in order to play Breath of the Wild on his switch while laying on one of the uncomfortable couches in the common room. You would think that, since it's such a well-known and wealthy school considering, oh you know, the whole staff consists of pro heroes, that they would have nicer furniture. Denki can only assume that the couches are cheap to discourage laziness. Unfortunately for the faculty, Denki is a master at procrastinating and not even a lumpy couch can stop him.

He was determined to find every korok seed in this playthrough of the game, he even had an interactive map up on his phone and was meticulously marking off everything he had found so far. Maybe then he'd have something good to tell his family if he found them all, despite the reward being a golden turd. He scoffs at the thought.

Denki knows that his mum is proud of him regardless of his shortcomings but that doesn't mean he feels it. He can always tell from the look in her eyes when she's talking to him that she wishes he dedicated himself just a little more to things. Pushed himself a little harder. Denki knows she doesn't mean to but she compares him to his siblings which, in turn, has caused Denki to do the same. Instead of encouraging him to be better, though, it's made him more or less give up.

'What's the point in trying when everyone else is just going to be better?'

Denki shakes the thought away. He liked being in the common room when no one else was there, the few others who stayed at the dorms during the weekend typically spent the days in their rooms or doing extra training, so Denki knew he wouldn't be in anyone's way here. He constantly worried about taking up space, not feeling like he belongs in UA at all given his propensity for scoring badly in any and all classes and his constant requirement to have most of the day off to recover from short circuiting himself. He would commonly spend his alone time in his own room but after a while it started to feel like a cage to him. He will admit that he's not the cleanest or tidiest person, he is aware that his room is what others would consider a 'biohazard' but he simply doesn't have the energy most days to do anything about it. He has piles of dirty plates and cups that have potentially started growing their own universes (Denki is afraid to go near them to check), his floor is littered with litter of all shapes and sizes and clothing that he chucks on the floor in order to remember to wash it. At some point, though, all this mess that was left out for him to see and remember to deal with, blended into the background and became his room.

Denki does his best to avoid having other people come into his dorm, he knows his friends, well, the majority of his friends, wouldn't judge him for the state of his room, but he simply doesn't want to acknowledge the possibility they might. He also doesn't want to worry them. He's fine.

The common room at least had big windows so it almost felt like being outside and the air was fresh and not stagnant like in his room and during the week, if he was down there early enough, the area would be drowning in the smell of Bakugou's cooking. It always made Denki's stomach rumble and, if Bakugou was in a particularly good mood, he'd make Denki a serving of his own. It gave him a reason to want to be awake at ungodly hours.

Denki was fighting against the rain, trying to climb high enough to get a particularly annoying korok seed, his stamina dangerously low and no food or elixirs to provide him with any more stamina. He was so close to the top when Kirishima comes barging into the common room, throwing him completely off and causing him to fall, taking all but half a heart of damage. He quickly pauses the game and looks up annoyed at Kirishima, though, if he was honest with himself, he wasn't going to get that korok seed regardless of if Kirishima had come in at that time or not.

Kirishima doesn't take Denki's sour look to heart and instead grins at him, "There you are, dude! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Denki takes a deep breath and eats some food to regain his health then saves the game and decides to try again. He still has a grumpy look that even Bakugou would be proud of when he next speaks. "Evidently not since I've been in here for hours now."

Kirishima rolls his eyes and leans against the doorframe to the common room, crossing his arms, "What wriggled up your butt?"

Denki snorts, letting his shoulders relax slightly, "Nothing, man. Just getting annoyed at this." He lifts and waves the switch in his hands slightly before bringing it back down and running in circles. He didn't want to get in the middle of doing something again just for Kirishima to keep distracting him but he also didn't want to put the game down. Denki's thoughts had put him in a bad mood, the kind of mood that makes him want to hide and never speak to anyone ever again.

Kirishima hums and nods slightly, "Okay?" He didn't quite understand switch's. He didn't have much dexterity in his hands and fingers so using the little buttons and joysticks was difficult for him. Therefore, he never really played any console games, preferring to play PC games when possible since the buttons were bigger. "Anyway, bro! I need your help with something!"

Denki glances up at Kirishima, intrigued and raises an eyebrow. It's not often people come to Denki for help with things. It's even less often that people come specifically to Denki for help. He pauses his game and sits up on his elbow slightly. "Go on?"

Kirishima looks around nervously and rubs the back of his neck. "Not here."

Denki is even more confused and it shows on his face. "Why not here? What's going on?"

Kirishima shakes his head and turns to leave, gesturing for Denki to follow. "Just- just come with me... Okay?"

Denki watches him for a moment then stands, saving his game and turning his switch off reluctantly, deciding that this is important and will require his full attention if it's making Kirishima this uncomfortable. He can't remember the last time he saw Kirishima acting like this and he wasn't that bad of a friend that he would put his own selfish feelings first.

He follows Kirishima into the lift in the dorms and watches as he pushes the button for the 2nd floor. Denki's eyes go wide and he panics. "Uhhh.. Hey, dude? Think you pressed the wrong button there bud." Kirishima's dorm room was on the 3rd floor, next to Bakugou's.

Kirishima shakes his head, not looking at Denki and instead choosing to look forward. Even if Denki had wanted to make him look at him, he wouldn't be able to. Kirishima is at least a head taller than him, if he stood in front of Kirishima, his hair would graze his chin. "Nah, I didn't. We can't go to my dorm."

This response doesn't help Denki's anxiously beating heart. His eyes shift nervously between Kirishima and the floor numbers. "W-well we can't go to my dorm because... I... I left my porn magazines out?"

This causes Kirishima's head to snap to him, he's speechless for a moment before he looks forward again. "I'll just close my eyes."

'Fuck fuck fuckity fuck'

Denki swears the lift usually works a fuck ton slower normally, it only occurred to Denki that he could have either drained or overpowered all electricity in the building after himself and Kirishima had already left the lift. At the very least it would have saved him the embarrassment of having someone in his dorm room, which door he was now standing in front of with an expectant Kirishima waiting for him to unlock and open it. He stares at it for a moment before twirling around and leaning against the door frame, he fumbles a little in his panic and he has a visibly forced smile on his face. "You sure we can't do this in your room? I haven't had a chance to make my bed or dust or anythi-"

Kirishima cuts him off with a big, warm hand on his shoulder and a confused and concerned expression on his face. "Dude. Relax. I don't care if you're a bit of a slob." He looks to the side, removing his hand from Denki's shoulder and playing with a strand of his own red hair that was dangling limply at the side of his face. Kirishima didn't gel his hair up as much as he used to. He stopped doing it on weekends, choosing to sleep in instead, during their second year, and recently, if he wasn't going to an apprenticeship or doing hero training, he didn't bother with it at all. "It definitely can't be my room..."

Denki's eyes snap between both of Kirishima's, silently pleading with him, but Kirishima wasn't looking at him so he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and unlocks his door. He pauses when his hand curls around the handle a little too tightly and he looks over his shoulder at Kirishima. "It's not usually this bad..."

He opens the door and the smell is the first thing Kirishima notices. Denki can't help but flinch at his reaction to it. Unfortunately for him though, Kirishima has been through much worse and is adamant about talking with Denki privately.

Denki is a master at ignoring the mess by now but having someone there and seeing it for the first time has made him hyper aware of everything in there that's either not meant to be or has just been haphazardly flung to the floor. He slowly shuts the door behind them and stands awkwardly, watching Kirishima look around at the pigsty he sleeps in. He hasn't felt this much shame since he last had dinner with his family.

Denki can't take the silence anymore and there's only so much relief scratching at his arm anxiously can provide. "So.. um. What was it you needed my help with?"

The question snaps Kirishima out of his trance and he seems to realise he was analysing the room. He quickly looks to Denki and smiles, though it seems a touch forced. "It's..." He looks away nervously, causing Denki to falter his own self-deprecating thoughts. "It's about Bakugou..." Kirishima finishes quietly. Any quieter and Denki wouldn't have heard it.

"A-ah. That explains why we can't speak in your room." Denki starts then frowns as he realises, "But, wait. Doesn't Bakugou go home on weekends? He's not here anyway so what does it matter?"

Kirishima's face goes a little red and he's fiddling with his fingers. "Yeah, he does... I just didn't want to risk it. You never know with him."

Denki nods, he supposes he can understand the paranoia. Sometimes Bakugou did come home early because him and his mother got into a fight, much larger than their usual squabbles which are mostly in good fun. However, it's hard to miss when Bakugou's home early, you can normally smell his smoke from miles away. He'd also likely be at the gym literally blowing off steam.

Denki makes his way over to his bed, expertly stepping over piles of clothes onto bare parts of the carpet that acted like stepping stones in a river. He places his switch on the bed side table and plonks himself on his bed then shuffles his way up so his back is against the headboard, he pulls his legs up to his chest and wraps his arms around them. "So what about Bakugou? He pissed you off or something?"

Kirishima watches Denki get comfortable and decides to do the same despite stumbling and fumbling a bit, unused to the floors in the dorms having obstacles. He situates himself on the edge of Denki's bed, socked feet shuffling nervously on the carpet which, if that had been Denki doing that, would have caused enough static to power the building. Kirishima's hands seemed to be the most interesting thing in the world to him tonight, he hadn't looked away from them for what felt like forever to Denki.

Denki looks from Kirishima's face to his anxiously fiddling fingers then back to his face. His eyebrows pinch a little in concern, he doesn't think he's ever seen Kirishima act like this actually. He straightens his leg and pokes Kirishima with his foot lightly. "Dude... You're starting to freak me out a little here." Denki laughs a little trying to lighten the mood and hopefully get Kirishima to relax.

Kirishima takes a deep breath then looks at Denki, ready to speak, before he seemingly chickens out and looks back to his hands again like he had never moved, mumbling something.

This doesn't help Denki at all. He pokes him again, a little harder this time. "Come on, bro. I can't help if you don't tell me what's up."

Kirishima is quiet for a while but speaks before Denki tries to ask again, accidentally cutting him off. "I like him!" He blurts out, the colour of his face rivalling that of his hair, despite his roots poking through.

Denki is a little taken aback by the outburst though he wasn't surprised by the content of it. Denki is positive that the only people who didn't know about Kirishima's crush on Bakugou was Bakugou and Kirishima themselves. He wasn't exactly subtle about it. He looked at Kirishima's slouched form, he's probably hoping the ground will open up and swallow him. Denki can't help but snicker knowing the feeling all too well. "Well, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, duh!" Kirishima hides his face and Denki decides to be a little nicer. Obviously these were new feelings for him and Denki had to tread lightly so as to not scare the poor boy off. He shifts so he's sat next to Kirishima on the edge of the bed and nudges him with his shoulder, "How long?"

Kirishima glances at him, confused. "Huh?" He asks, very intelligently.

Denki chuckles and tries again. "How long have you liked him?"

Kirishima blushes more somehow and looks away. "Well, I realised this morning..."

Denki can't help but gasp loudly. "You're joking! You only realised this morning?!"

Kirishima pouts at Denki slightly and crosses his arms over his chest. "Don't be a dick..." He grumbles.

Denki breathes out of his nose and shakes his head slightly, patting Kirishima gently on the back. "I'm not trying to be a dick it's just... It's been, like, blindingly obvious to everyone that you have feelings for Bakugou. You're always with him except when you're sleeping." He tilts his head slightly and smiles at Kirishima. For some reason there was a slight, almost gurgling, feeling in his chest. Denki has no clue what could be the cause to that. Maybe he ate something weird?

Kirishima watches Denki for a moment before deciding that Denki was just trying to be helpful. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck, looking away to a pile of dirty dishes that was piling in the corner of Denki's room. 'That'll be where the smell is coming from.' He tries not to pull a face and gets back to the topic at hand. "I know... I've just never had a best friend before. Bakugou sees me and my flaws and accepts it all." There's that feeling again. Denki swallows, trying to push it down before it shimmies its way up his throat and he says something he'll regret. He nods instead so Kirishima continues. "I didn't realise anything I felt for him was... romantic until I... I realised how much I miss him when he's not here. I admire how he never gives up and I want to be just like him!" Kirishima's face heats up again as he admits that final thought of his. "He's also, like, super hot." Denki can't help but nod in agreement with that. Anyone with at least one working eye would tell you that Katsuki Bakugou was a fine specimen.

Denki is quiet for a moment as he tries to think of a response. "What are you hoping to get from this? Are you just wanting someone to tell or are you wanting to confess to Bakugou?"

Kirishima sighs and runs a hand down his face, now that the most embarrassing part is over, he has calmed down considerably. "I don't know. I don't want to make things awkward by confessing, ya know?" Denki did know. He'd lost many a friendship in his younger years for confessing his feelings to people so he could understand Kirishima's reluctance considering Bakugou is his best friend. Kirishima continues, playing with the hem of his shirt as he speaks. "But I also don't know if I can hide it... You say it was obvious I liked him but I didn't know..." He slumps. "Now that I do know, what if I make it super obvious without meaning to and he gets weirded out by it?"

Denki thinks for a while as he observes Kirishima's slumped posture. He's never seen him this worried over anything before in his life so it was a little jarring. Despite that, he tries his best to comfort him. "You are super obvious but I don't think Bakugou has ever picked up on any of it." He waves his hand, gesturing for the sake of gesturing. "And if he has, he's not treating you any differently, is he? So it's unlikely he'd be grossed out or anything like that."

Kirishima hums in agreement for a moment before sighing deeply and resting his cheek on his fist. "Yeah... He's not treating me any differently."

Denki rolls his eyes slightly at the way Kirishima emphasised it. He leans back against his bed. "You're totally overthinking it, dude. You know he's not great with showing any emotion other than anger. Trust me, if he had any inkling you liked him, he'd have shut it down straight away if he had no intention of returning the feelings."

Kirishima doesn't look convinced but nods anyway. "I guess..."

Denki watches him for a moment then sighs. "Why not ask Midoriya for help? He's like a walking Kacchan encyclopaedia."

Kirishima shakes his head violently and Denki looks a little confused and amused by his reaction. "No way! What if he tells Bakugou? What if Bakugou sees me talking to Midoriya and asks me about it? You know I can't lie to him!"

Denki chuckles at Kirishima's frantic state. He holds his hands out placatingly. "Relax, dude. It was only a suggestion. That's a no to Midoriya then." He smiles at Kirishima. "Why come to me about it then? Me and Bakugou aren't all that close so I don't know how much help I will be." He tries to ignore that feeling in his chest again as he admits his lack of friendship with Bakugou. They were friends, that's for certain, regardless of if Bakugou would openly admit it or not. But Denki couldn't help the feeling that he didn't belong in their friend group. Kirishima was so nice and made up for Bakugou's lack of social skills, it made sense for them to be together, they had what the other lacked. Bakugou had a lack of tolerance for bullshit and would pull Kirishima out of his negative thoughts. Kirishima had unwavering loyalty which was something Bakugou had lacked his whole life. No wonder they get along so well. Mina was the one that got them all to hang out together and never once was one of their hangouts boring while she was there. Sero was the humour of the group, cracking the funniest jokes without ever losing the lazy smirk he always wore. Denki... Denki didn't know what he had to offer the group. He wasn't smart. He wasn't all that popular or talented. He mostly just embarrassed himself whenever he tried to do anything.

That must be it.

He was the comic relief.

Kirishima ripped him from his thoughts as he answers Denki's question. "You're the only one I can ask. I love Mina but you know she can't keep a secret from anyone." Denki nodded. He was put in a few awkward positions because of Mina's blabber mouth. Kirishima continues. "And Sero... I don't know. I get the feeling he doesn't really care about romance or crushes or anything. You're always flirting with people so I figured maybe you could help me out. Maybe teach me a few things?" Kirishima looks embarrassed to be asking for help with this and Denki looks a little surprised but amused.

"You do know that every time I flirt with someone I get rejected, right? You've witnessed it so many times."

Kirishima runs a hand through his hair and leaves it resting on the back of his neck. "I know but you have the confidence to keep trying. That's where I lack. Maybe if you teach me a few things then I'll be able to kind of go from there?" He seems unsure but he doesn't have any other options.

Denki observes Kirishima for a moment then sighs. He flops back so laying on his bed with his legs dangling off. "I'll try, dude, but I honestly don't think I'll be much help."

Kirishima grins and leans into Denki's space. "Seriously?! Thank you so much, bro!"

Denki startles a little at Kirishima's sudden closeness then chuckles slightly and rolls his eyes. "I haven't even done anything yet!"

Kirishima laughs. "You've agreed to help!"

Denki can't help but snort slightly. Kirishima was so easy to please.

Denki couldn't shake the feeling that this whole ordeal was going to suck. A lot. He could very easily give Kirishima bad advice but he can't understand why he would want to. He wants what's best for Kirishima and he knows that him and Bakugou would make a great couple. Hell, he's seen them working together in hero training and they make an amazing team. They're able to communicate without words, just gazes. Denki can't help but be jealous of that. He wanted to be as close with someone as Kirishima and Bakugou were.

Maybe Denki wanted to sabotage Kirishima's chances with Bakugou because he was jealous of their friendship and knew it would only get worse if the two dated? That had to be it. Obviously Denki wasn't going to ruin their relationship. He had no right to do that, regardless of his own feelings on the subject. Besides, if he did do that, he'd lose Kirishima as a friend and he really didn't want that.

What does Denki want?

Denki laying on his back on the bed and staring at his ceiling which seems to be the only clean thing in his room at the moment. He hums as he thinks. "To woo Bakugou, there's the obvious things like hiking or training or even just playing music together." Kirishima turns his head slightly and looks at Denki sidelong. Denki only moves his eyes down to look at Kirishima, leaving his head in the same position as he continues speaking, waving a hand lazily. "You know, anything that allows him to show off."

Kirishima nods then looks at his, once again, twiddling thumbs in his lap. "I thought about all of that but we already do stuff like that together anyway. I want to do something that is thoughtful, that he wouldn't expect..." He looks to Denki again, brows pinched. "Ya know?"

Denki nods and looks back to the ceiling. "Well... He likes painting, maybe do something with that?" Kirishima doesn't respond so Denki looks back to him and is surprised by the shocked look on his face. "What?"

"He likes painting? He's never mentioned this to me. How do you know?"

Denki raises an eyebrow then shrugs. "He came down once for dinner and his shirt had splatters of paint on it."

Kirishima doesn't look convinced and frowns slightly. "That doesn't mean he likes painting though... Did- did he tell you?"

Denki can tell Kirishima is jealous that Denki knew this and he didn't and Denki can't help but bask a little in the feeling. He shakes his head. "It's just an observation. I do remember a time though once where he mentioned painting helped him calm down when he was especially worked up."

Kirishima's eyebrows furrowed more. "When did he say this?"

Denki hums as he thinks. "Think it was someone's birthday, during a game of truth or dare?"

Kirishima's eyes widened. "Why don't I remember this?"

Denki chuckles. "Fairly certain you were wasted, dude!"

Kirishima flushes a little at that and pouts. "I was not wasted! Probably just a little tipsy..."

Denki laughs and rolls his eyes, flopping back on the bed again. "Sure. We'll go with that then."

Denki thinks back to that night. Due to his past with his father, he had never trusted himself to drink or do any drug that Sero offers him, regardless of how harmless Sero said it was. That night, only himself and Bakugou had stayed sober. Bakugou never drank, said he needed to be in control the whole time then refused to elaborate when Denki pestered him for an answer. He knew it was because Bakugou wanted to stay in his right mind in case something happened with the others. He was good like that. Denki thinks the only reason Bakugou willingly shared as much as he did about himself that night was because he knew no one would remember it, he knew Denki hadn't been drinking but must have assumed his memory was shit given he couldn't remember simple formulas. Unfortunately for him, though, as confusing as Bakugou is, he isn't a formula so Denki remembered everything he had said that night.

The two spent most of the night together considering the other three were too out of it to hold a conversation. It felt weird having one on one time with Bakugou that didn't involve either studying or 'training', but it was weirdly comfortable between them. Denki supposes that it was because their friends were there still so they weren't actually alone together.

They were leaning against the door of Mina's dorm room, blocking the exit. Mina had the brilliant idea to go to the other girls' dorms and invite them over which, is a nice thought of her to have while wasted but was also incredibly stupid since they weren't allowed alcohol in the dorms, or at all actually since they weren't legally allowed to drink yet. Obviously, the entire class had bonded over the years and no one would snitch on them for it but it still wasn't worth the risk. So Denki and Bakugou were guarding the exit. Well, Bakugou was and Denki was keeping him company much to the former's chagrin.

"So... Come here often?" Denki smirks as glances up at Bakugou

Bakugou rolled his eyes then settled an attempted annoyed look on Denki. "Obviously not, idiot." He raised an eyebrow as Denki settled next to him against the door. "What are you doing over here? Thought you'd want to be with dumbasses 2, 3 and 4." He nods his head in the general direction of the others causing Denki to look over just as Mina had flung herself onto Kirishima's back and was telling him to help her fly, which in turn caused a wobbly legged Kirishima to stand and run around the room as Mina hung on for dear life, giggling maniacally. Denki laughed softly at the sight while Bakugou pinched the bridge of his nose.

Denki looked back up to him. Unfortunately he was the second shortest person in their group, the shortest was Mina but with her horns you could argue she was taller. "Am I dumbass 1 then? Awww, Blasty," He leans his chin on Bakugou's shoulder playfully while pushing his lips out. "Am I your favouwite?" He bats his eyelashes which causes Bakugou to shove him off him.

"Ugh. Not at all. You're just the most annoying one." He looks down at Denki from the corner of his eye as he laughs at the insult, in turn causing Bakguou's mouth to tick up ever so slightly. The moment is ruined when Mina loudly announces that she wants to play 'Truth or Dare'. Bakugou visibly recoils from the idea but sighs. "Better than her trying to escape I guess." He nudges Denki lightly with his elbow. "Come on." He grumbles to himself, making his way to sit in a circle with the others, dragging Denki along behind him.

"I wanna start!" Mina practically shrieks.

"Will you keep it fucking down?!" Bakugou isn't much quieter.

"Kiriiiii! Truth or dare?"

Kirishima blinks. "Huh? Wha's goin' on?"

Denki snickers and leans forward patting Kirishima on the knee, since there were only 5 of them, they had sat pretty close together. Bakugou had made Denki sit next to him. "Truth or dare, bud. Maybe slow down with the drinking."

Kirishima shakes his head and waves him off. "I'm fiiiine. Totally fiiiiiine." He blinks and visibly makes an attempt to focus on Mina. Denki leans back on his hands as he watches with an amused smile. "I pick dare coz I'm the manliest.. uh. Man to ever- to ever man!" Denki snorts but tries to keep his face straight.

"I dare you to-"

-----

The game continued a few rounds, Sero had eaten many inedible things and had been made to do some questionable things with his tape, Kirishima had fallen asleep after he had only asked Bakugou and no one else in the circle, which would have made him super obvious if it wasn't for the fact that Bakugou had been trying to control Mina the whole game. She had been trying to get everyone to hug or kiss, as she is prone to do in these types of games. Bakugou had only asked Denki during the game which Denki assumed was because he was the only other sober person there and the others couldn't pay attention for more than a minute.

It was nice learning so much about Bakugou.

They're quiet for a while before Kirishima speaks up again, seemingly less frustrated with himself for not knowing that about Bakugou. This snaps Denki out of his memories. "I'm not really all that good with my hands so I'd be no good at painting. I don't want him to think I'm a talentless loser or anything..." Denki frowns at that. He never likes when anyone talks bad about themselves, especially Kirishima.

"It comes with practice, dude. Besides, I think Bakugou would appreciate not having the competition. Again, he loves being the best and showing off."

Kirishima rubs his hand up and down his arm. "Yeah but I don't want to be bad. I want to have a good time too."

Denki hums and nods. He thinks for another moment to see if there's anything else they could do. "Do you read at all?"

Kirishima looks at him, a little offended. "What do you mean by that?" Denki raises an eyebrow. 'Why is he so defensive today?'

Denki shakes his head slightly, sits up on his elbows and continues. "I mean, do you read at all? Bakugou likes to read in his spare time."

Kirishima seems to be getting frustrated. "And how do you know that?" Denki is a little caught off guard by Kirishima's tone and his eyebrows furrow, more in concern than annoyance. He doesn't want to argue with Kirishima.

Denki tries to keep his tone even. "He asks me for book recommendations. Why are you getting so worked up? I'm just trying to help."

Kirishima looks like he wants to say something then looks away, furiously fidgeting with his hands. He takes a few breaths, calming himself down before his shoulders slump again. He runs a hand through his hair then over his face. "I... I know. I'm sorry. I think I'm just frustrated that I don't know as much about Bakugou as I thought I did." He seems to slump even further, head almost between his knees. "I'm his best friend, I'm with him like all the time but I didn't know he liked reading or painting? I guess it's just making me feel like a shit friend..."

Denki observes Kirishima then sighs softly. He sits up fully and leans over, putting a hand on his shoulder. He feels Kirishima tense a little at the sudden touch before he relaxes into it. Denki squeezes his shoulder gently. "I get that, dude. It doesn't make you a shit friend though. It just means that you get to learn more about him." He tries to smile reassuringly but he's not certain his words will mean anything to him. Thankfully though, Kirishima does seem to perk up a little.

"Yeah... Yeah! I just get to learn more about my best bro! That's always a good thing!"

Denki can't help but laugh a little at how quickly Kirishima cheered up. "Exactly, dude! No reason to be jealous or anything."

Kirishima's grin falters a little at that but he pretends it didn't. "Do you know anything else about Bakugou that might be helpful? I don't really like reading either..." He rubs the back of his neck, almost embarrassedly.

Denki puts the hand that was on Kirishima's shoulder, onto his chin as he thinks. "He likes going on walks I think? To be honest, I think he just likes being able to be in someone's presence without the need to speak." He adjusts on the bed slightly, crossing his legs in front of him and resting his elbows on them. "Whenever we study together, he always seems so calm even though I'm an idiot and can never understand anything. He just seems to enjoy being quiet with someone else there."

Kirishima is shocked by this. "But... He's always so loud and shouty?" He tilts his head slightly and some hair falls over his face, he pushes it behind his ear.

Denki chuckles and nods. "Yeah, he is. But I think that's why he likes the quiet so much. It's a change. Something he doesn't normally get around people, especially our friend group!"

Kirishima looks away as he thinks on this. "I... I guess that makes sense."

Denki laughs quietly at the contemplative looks on Kirishima's face. "He seems to like quiet walks. No destination, just a lap around the school or something. We go on them quite a bit after studying sessions."

Kirishima's eyebrows furrow at that.

Denki sighs as Kirishima appears to be getting jealous again. "You probably know waaaay more about him than I do. I just happen to know things that you didn't, but now you do." Kirishima doesn't look convinced and Denki sighs again, running a hand through his hair. "Kirishima. I don't want Bakugou. He's all yours." Kirishima blushes at that and his eyes widen as he looks the opposite way. Denki can't help but laugh a little at his reaction. "You're adorable, dude. Do that shit in front of Bakugou and he's sure to like you!" Kirishima's head snaps to look at Denki. He'll get whiplash if that continues. Denki laughs loudly and punches Kirishima's arm lightly, his tone getting more serious. "I'm being serious, Kirishima. You don't have to worry about me getting in the way or anything. You have way more chance with him than I ever would anyway!" He laughs but his own comment did actually hurt him, what hurts more is Kirishima laughing with him and agreeing.

"Yeah, I do, don't I?"

Denki just nods, keeping things light. "Totally, dude! So quit worrying about what I do or don't know about him already!"

Kirishima just keeps laughing and deflects Denki's oncoming fist to the shoulder again. "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry!" His giggles calm down and he speaks again, more sincerely this time. "I really do appreciate you helping, Kami. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't agreed to help me."

Denki shrugs. "You're a smart dude. You'd have figured it out."

Kirishima shakes his head and smiles. "I'm not any good with this kind of thing."

Denki huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, me neither! I just make shit up as I go along." Kirishima chuckles at that then Denki continues. "So. Do you know what you're going to do with Bakugou now?"

Kirishima sighs and shakes his head. "No clue. I know he's not much of a toucher-" Denki snickers which earns him a light slap to the leg and an eye roll. "- He prefers people doing things right? What's that called again...?" He looks away as he tries to remember.

"Acts of service. And, yeah." Denki nods. "That's definitely his love language." He hums. "I would suggest cooking something with him but he would just get pissed off and kick you out of the kitchen." They both chuckle at that thought.

"That's true. Maybe I could just cook something for him?"

Denki looks unsure. "That might be okay but what if he hates it?"

Kirishima hums and puts a hand to his chin. "True. I don't want to, like, poison him or anything."

Denki huffs out a laugh. "With the way that guy eats spice, I doubt you could poison him!"

Kirishima chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He frowns and deflates slightly. "What do I do then?"

Denki watches him then looks away, running a hand through his knotty hair and wincing slightly as it tugs. "Honestly, dude? Just keep doing what you have been doing." Kirishima looks at him confused so Denki elaborates. "You're his best friend for a reason you know? He likes you more than the rest of us which means you're doing something right. Personally, I think you should just keep doing the same shit you always do with him but maybe just be a bit more flirty. Make your intentions clear." Kirishima blushes bright red and shakes his head, Denki cuts him off before he can speak. "And before you argue and say no, you know Bakugou isn't good at picking up on social clues. Unless you tell him directly or make it super fucking obvious you like him then you'll never get anywhere with him."

Kirishima wants to argue but he can't. Denki is right. He sighs deeply. "How do I even flirt? I've never flirted with anyone before."

Denki shrugs. "Just touching and complimenting. I don't really know how to explain it."

Kirishima rolls his eyes. "That's pretty much what I do anyway and he definitely doesn't think it's flirting."

Denki hums. "You have a point..." He leans on his hands and looks to the ceiling again. If he squints hard enough, he can faintly see brush marks from when the ceiling was painted. He sighs. "Maybe compliment his appearance more? Like, 'Damn, bro! Your eyes are super handsome and manly today!'" He does a terrible impression of Kirishima that leaves the latter laughing and shoving his leg.

"That is not what I sound like!"

Denki grins. "Totally is! That was a spot on impression!"

Kirishima laughs and shakes his head in disbelief. "You're ridiculous... But you may be on to something. Those kinds of compliments would definitely make him realise something... Right?" He looks to Denki unsurely and Denki meets his gaze and nods slightly.

"Oh, definitely! Maybe flash your tits at him too, that'd probably he-" Denki doesn't get to finish before Kirishima, who was originally shocked at the words coming out of Denki, suddenly slaps his hand over his mouth, effectively shutting Denki up.

Kirishima looks scandalised. "What the hell, bro?!"

Denki cackles and pulls his hand down. He grins at Kirishima. "What? You should let them puppies breathe!"

Kirishima doesn't wait for Denki to finish his sentence before he's rushing out the room and accidentally slamming the door behind him in his panic. Denki laughs loudly at Kirishima's reaction then once he's calmed down enough, he looks at the state of his room. Trash and clothes everywhere. Piles of dirty dishes littered around the room that he keeps promising to take down but keeps forgetting to as they've become a part of the scenery now. He sighs deeply.

"I should really clean up..." His body has other plans though as it reaches for his switch on the bedside table and turns it on. "Later."