Kirishima rolled out of his bed, groaning as his feet hit the floor. He hated the feeling of removing himself from the blankets, where his body heat had built up over night. He shivered, wishing he could climb back under the blankets for another five minutes. But the truth was, he had already hit snooze three times. He was short on time from this procrastination.

Kirishima slunk into his bathroom and threw the white t-shirt and black basketball shorts he had worn to bed on the floor. Stepping into the shower, he twisted the handle as far right as possible. He always loved extremely hot showers. If his skin wasn't red and tingling, it wasn't enough. Realizing how behind he was already, he didn't give in to his typical routine of standing under the steaming water aimlessly. After a quick wash in the scorching water, Kirishima hopped out and prepared his hair. The bright red locks required a moderately complex routine. While blow drying his hair, he had to simultaneously use his other hand to scoop styling gel from a canister and position the hairs up until the gel hardened under the hot air.

After completing this twenty minute ordeal, Kirishima threw on his school clothes. He slung his bag over his shoulder and violently shoved his shoes onto his feet by ramming them against the floor. He gave himself a wink and a thumbs up in the mirror before leaving his room. He closed the door gently behind him and turned to face the other side of the hallway, expecting a certain blonde, angry face to meet him. The hall was empty, however. "That's weird..." Kirishima mumbled to himself. "He's always out here waiting for me."

And Kirishima was right. He wasn't sure when it had started but, gradually, this had become a vital part of the day; as essential as his "stupid" (as the blonde called it) hair routine. He played the typical series of events in his head. Every morning, he would exit his room and find Bakugou leaning against the wall, scowling. "Why the fuck does it take you so long to get ready? I'm starving." He would almost always say before stomping off, forcing Kirishima to chase after him. Not once had this routine been broken since it started.

Kirishima looked at the door that was just one over from his own room. He was sure it would open any second. He stared at the doorknob as though it had wronged him greatly. His brows were crinkled closely together, eyes squinting.

"If you keep that up, your face might end up sticking that way!" Shouted Kaminari, coming up quickly from behind and patting Kirishima roughly on the shoulder. "Bakugou isn't with you?" He asked, glancing at the door Kirishima appeared angry with.

He just shook his head.

"Ah, he must be running late or something. Or maybe he got pissed off at his tooth brush and blew it up. Or MAYBE he accidentally blew HIMSELF up! That'd be a treat for everyone, honestly." Kaminari walked off, laughing hysterically at his own joke. He didn't noticed the sulky expression left on Kirishima's face. Kaminari was too focused on getting to the cafeteria for breakfast.

'But he's always out here.' Thought Kirishima. 'Maybe he went down without me today...? No, he wouldn't. After all, it's not like he would go down with someone else.' Bakugou had always been pretty clear that Kirishima was the only one of the classmates that he would tolerate. Well, he had been clear by actions, not words. Words were never his strong suit. 'And there really isn't any reason he would want to go by himself instead of waiting like always... unless... maybe I did something to piss him off. Well, he's always pissed off but maybe I did something REALLY bad...' Kirishima felt his brain start spinning at a mile a minute, rewinding the last hours the friends had spent together. His attempts at dissecting these moments proved fruitless, however, and left him feeling like Midoriya during one of his muttering sessions.

Kirishima stayed like this in the hallway for almost ten minutes, trying to figure out what he had done to make his friend so angry, until he heard a muffled cough emanate from Bakugou's door. He could tell it wasn't the kind used to the clear the throat. This was a long, gruff cough, and it sounded painful.

It finally dawned on him, intense like one of those familiar explosions.. 'Maybe he isn't feeling well.' This realization perked Kirishima up immediately. Then he felt guilty for being so happy that his friend was sick. With a wide smile spreading from ear to ear, Kirishima decided he would help his friend feel better. He remembered a few tricks from when his mother would care for him during a rare illness. He ran down to the cafeteria, ignoring the many "hey Kirishimas!" and grabbed a few quick things to eat before racing back to the dorms. Huffing from the exertion and finally reaching Bakugou's door, he rapped his knuckles against the wood three times.

"Fuck's sake, WHAT?!" Came a livid, but tired, sounding voice.

Kirishima hesitated before taking a deep breath. "It's me, bro."

"Leave." Came the reply. It sounded half-hearted, however, causing courage to swell up inside the red head. If Bakugou really was sick, he was probably too worn out to blast Kirishima in the face, anyway. Just in case, Kirishima activated his hardening quirk before turning the doorknob and entering uninvited.

"The fuck?!" Bakugou grunted. "Are you deaf now?! Get out."

Kirishima winced at the harshness of the command before looking to Bakugou. The blonde's face was pale and glossy with sweat. His crimson eyes had a glassy sheen and the dark bags under them made him look significantly older than he was. Kirishima softened his body again, realizing Bakugou was no threat in this state. He actually looked a bit docile, and it was kind of cute, Kirishima thought before wondering what the hell he was thinking.

"Dude, you look like shit." He stated flatly, half lying.

"Fucking choke, shitty hair." Bakugou's usual insult was lacking in bite. It was clear that his energy was lower than usual.

"I... well, I just mean you're obviously sick. What happened?"

"Hell if I know." Bakugou mumbled.

"Did you try calling recovery girl? Maybe she could do something. " Kirishima suggested trying to be helpful.

Bakugou let out a "tch" before elaborating, "Her powers don't work like that, dumbass. Besides, I tried calling her last night when I started to feel like garbage. All she could do was give me something to help me sleep which still didn't help that fucking much. Useless."

Kirishima was shocked to hear that his friend had already contacted the healing hero in an attempt to feel better. Wait, if it was such a dumbass suggestion, why had Bakugou already tried it? If it were anyone else, this probably would have held no significance whatsoever. For Bakugou, however, the fact that he reached out to another person for help, late in the evening, told Kirishima he probably felt even worse than he looked. His face contorted in concern and he stared at Bakugou, not saying a word.

"Are you going to just stand there and gape like Kaminari after he's fried his brain? Or can you leave so I can go back to sleep? And what the fuck is that smell?" Bakugou's last question broke Kirishima from his worry as he remember the brown paper bag clenched in his hand.

"Oh! Oh yeah! I almost forgot..." Kirishima started to uncrinkle the top of the bag that had been crumpled into his fist. He pulled out the warm bread from the bottom before explaining. "I thought it was weird that you weren't out in the hallway waiting for me like every other morning, so I figured something might be up. I ran down to the cafeteria and brought you some breakfast in case you weren't feeling well, bro! I guess I was right!" Kirishima flashed a bright smile before taking a few steps to reach Bakugou's bed.

Bakugou was still mostly tucked under the covers. His chin was still covered by the blanket. All that was visible to Kirishima were the scowling eyes and messy blonde hair. The scowl was a standard feature of the angry teen's face and one that Kirishima had learned to ignore quite some time ago. He stretched the hand with the toast out in front of Bakugou's face. Bakugou stared at him for a solid minute before speaking. "I'm not ALWAYS out there WAITING for you. You just... I just... my room is next to yours and I have nothing better to do than stand there in the morning."

"That doesn't even make sense." Kirishima pointed out. "Bro, we're obviously friends."

"Whatever, I fucking tolerate you. You're just always THERE."

"Sure, sure." Kirishima pulled at the covers so Bakugou's mouth was exposed. His lips looked dry and cracked. Kirishima was close enough to notice this. His stomach felt a little funny. Maybe he should have eaten more for breakfast? He dangled the toast near Bakugou's nose.

"Why?" Bakugou asked, not moving to take the food.

Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "I figured whether you were sick, late, or screwing off class, you still needed to eat something..."

"No, fuckface, I mean why did you bring me TOAST?"

"OH! Well, I know you usually get some of the more flavorful stuff when we're down for breakfast but... my mom always used to say it was better to eat simple food when you aren't in the best health so... that's what I brought... just in case you really were sick... which you clearly are." Kirishima pushed the food out towards Bakugou again, hovering it above his nose like a carrot in front of a horse. "It smells good though, doesn't itttt?" He used his most annoying voice.

Bakugou let out another "tch" before grabbing the food with irritation and mumbling something about Kirishima always being in his business. He took a bite and his face gave away his satisfaction for a second before seeping back into his scowl.

"You're okay though, bro?" Kirishima asked, wanting to ease his concern. While it was true that heroes could catch illnesses just like humans had for ages, it was more rare. Research had found that those with quirks also tended to have stronger immune systems and thusly, they got sick less often. It was infrequent that any of the class 1A UA students had missed time for an illness for this very reason. Kirishima knew this.

"I'm fine." Bakugou stuffed the rest of the toast into his mouth, chewing it aggressively before swallowing. "Now will you get the fuck out of my room so I can sleep? Aizawa already knows I'm not coming." He pulled the covers over his face completely so only the spikey tips of his blonde hair poked through the top.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Kirishima asked tentatively. "I could get you more food.." he couldn't help but worry about his friend, whether that worry was wanted or not.

"Fuck, I just need sleep. Besides, you do realize you have about three minutes to make it to class?"

Kirishima glanced at the digital clock resting on Bakugou's desk. It clearly read '8:57', "CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!" Kirishima fled to the door, yanking open the knob before turning his head slightly to address his friend again. "I'll come by again at lunch." He said, before running down the hallway to class, terrified he would be late. Being late meant more work and Kirishima struggled enough as it was.

"Fuck right you will." Mumbled Bakugou. His eyes fixed on the closed door for a moment, but not a minute later, he had fallen back into sleep.

Miraculously, Kirishima had made it to class by the skin of his teeth. He was huffing and clinging to the stitch in his chest as he fell into his chair. He was pretty sure the speed he had used could rival Iida's. Adrenaline was an amazing thing.

Kaminari leaned over slightly from the desk he was sitting at to Kirishima's left. "Did you end up finding Bakugou?" He whispered.

"Yeah, he's just sick." Kirishima looked over to the empty desk, a little sadness spreading across his face, before turning back to Kaminari. "I brought him something to eat. I'm going to go back with something for lunch too. He didn't look great." Kirishima was reminded of his other thoughts earlier. That Bakugou actually DID look good and he felt his cheeks grow slightly warm.

Kaminari titled his head, noticing the reaction. "Well isn't that sweet?"

"What?"

"Bringing your boyfriend food so he feels better. It's adorable as fuck, man."

"What?!" Kirishima shot up from his chair, causing it to fall back with a loud bang. Heads shot in his direction. Ashido jumped at the sound; she had been falling asleep on her arms already, barely five minutes into the class. The entire room was now staring at Kirishima, including Aizawa. His face was now completely red. He could feel the warmth burning.

"Something you need to share with us all?" Aizawa asked flatly. Kaminari was snickering into his hands, tiny tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he fought to keep himself quiet.

Kirishima stuttered, internally cursing his snickering friend. "I... um... I'm not feeling too well and i..."

"Ah." Aizawa cut him off. "Yes, Bakugou is under the weather as well. Perhaps you've come down with the same thing. Go see recovery girl and get some rest."

Kirishima wished Aizawa hadn't said the name. The eyes around the room were still stuck on him, but now numerous faces had looks of amused interest. Ashido raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Weird how you would both get sick with the same thing." Iida said, ignorantly.

Kirishima couldn't stand the looks anymore, he threw his stuff into his bag and left the room, providing Kaminari with a sufficiently hateful glare before sliding the door shut. He began making his way down the hall, not towards recovery girl. The truth was, he was feeling fine except for this weird stomach thing. It was almost like he had eaten a worm. A worm that was still squiggling around inside him.

Boyfriend. Why had Kaminari said boyfriend? Why had the whole class looked at him like they KNEW something when Aizawa suggested that he and Bakugou shared the same illness? Why was his face still red and his heart starting to beat against his chest so hard? He felt like he was on the tip of something, some great discovery. He was so consumed in these thoughts that he practically walked past the door to his room before realizing how far he'd gone.

He opened his door and threw his school bag on the floor. He ripped off his shirt and shoes before plopping onto his bed, hands behind his head, thinking. Boyfriend. They were just friends. Kaminari should know that better than anyone since he was with them from time to time. It wasn't weird to bring a sick friend some food, was it? Or to be worried about them? Or be upset they couldn't start the day together like they always did? Or to think they looked a little cute, all cuddled up and tired in a mass of blankets? Okay, maybe that last one WAS a little weird. Before Kirishima could analyze this further, a knock came at his door and he jumped.

"It's just me, dumbass." Bakugou's voice called before entering without waiting for a response.

"Wait! My shirt isn't on!" Kirishima scrambled to grab the shirt from the floor and throw it on himself.

"The fuck, shitty hair? I've seen you shirtless plenty of times. Do you even REMEMBER what your hero costume looks like?"

Kirishima's cheeks burned. Bakugou was right. Why was right now any different? Bakugou gave him a strange look and Kirishima hoped he would melt into his bed, never to be found again. Fuck, what was wrong with him?

"Sorry, uh, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Well I WAS, but then some asshole slammed the door next to my room and I woke up."

"Did... did you come to check on why I'm here? When I should be in class? Were... were you worried about me?"

Bakugou looked incredulous. He just stared at Kirishima, gaping like a fish before steeling himself to respond. "Fuck no. I don't give a fuck. Pretend I never came in." He spun on his heals, angrily stomping to the door.

"Wait!" Kirishima jumped up and grabbed one of Bakugou's wrists, keeping him from opening the door. His cheeks were burning again. Would they ever stop that?

"Are you feeling better?"

"It's been 30 fucking minutes since i saw you. Of course I'm not feeling better yet."

"Oh, right..." Why had the last half an hour seemed so damn LONG?

Bakugou turned to face him. "Have you lost it? You're acting fucking weird.."

Kirishima looked up into the red eyes that looked back at him, vaguely curious. His chest felt tight suddenly. His stomach was doing that weird wiggling thing again. Was his heart going to explode? Was this a heart attack?

"Kirishima? You're freaking me out." Bakugou's voice took on a hesitant, worried tone.

Kirishima didn't respond. He looked at the floor and clutched his chest. 'Fuck, I like him' he thought. The knowing looks of his classmates made sense. A worried whisper caught his ear this time.

"Kirishima?"

He wasn't sure breath still resided in his lungs. He couldn't open his mouth to form words. The weight of the realization was too intense. 'I'm so stupid. How could I fall for Bakugou? My angry, explosive friend.' He decided immediately that he had to keep it a secret. He had to ensure there was no possibility of Bakugou ever knowing about this so Kirishima would be sure their friendship wouldn't be eroded. Another worried whisper.

"Eijiro? What the fuck man?"

And that was it. That was all it took for him to completely forget the thoughts he had just seconds before. His first name. He looked back up, into the blonde's eyes. Bakugou looked back at him strangely. His brows furrowed and head titled. 'He is fucking adorable' Kirishima thought.

Then, like lightening, courage surged threw him and Kirishima threw himself at Bakugou, collapsing them both onto the floor. Kirishima's rough lips met Bakugou's soft ones and he closed his eyes. Any moment now, he expected to be pushed away, yelled at, and forced to watch the back of the boy he liked as he slammed the door to leave.

That moment didn't come.

Instead, the kissing became less frenzied, and more gentle between the two. No longer were their mouths shoved against each other. Their lips and tongues began to explore one another. Bakugou's hands reached to Kirishima's hair. His fingers explored the red locks. Kirishima opened his eyes slightly to see a very red faced blonde, eyes also closed, kissing him BACK. Reality hit Kirishima. He was kissing BAKUGOU and Bakugou was kissing HIM. He pulled away, turning pink to the very tips of his ears.

"I'm so sorry, man. I don't know what... i just... you're... just forget it" Kirishima scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. He REFUSED to look Bakugou in the eyes. Instead, he stared down at his own feet.

"The fuck shitty hair? You can't just fucking kiss someone like THAT and tell them to just... forget it."

"I know but... we're friends and i just totally ruined everything because i just... you looked SO cute and it hit me and i realized the way I've felt all along and it just seemed so OBVIOUS and I don't know why I didn't see it before but I just... I DIDN'T. And now you hate me and want to leave and that's fine because I hate myself more so you can go now and thanks for not blowing me up yet." Kirishima had barely taken a breath in between the words as they came spilling out.

Bakugou looked at the ground with the cutest, wait, was that, curiosity in his expression?

"How have you felt all along?" He asked quietly.

Kirishima couldn't believe it. It was too good to be true. He decided to throw all sense of shame to the wind. "I like you. I like the way your face looks when you're tired. It's calm and I could just stare at it all day. I like when you meet me in the hall every morning and we eat breakfast together. I like when you tutor me because it's just us. Me and you. No one else. I like your hair and your eyes and your arms." Kirishima grabbed Bakugou's shoulders, gently squeezing the large muscles while the blonde boy continued to stare at the ground.

Kirishima couldn't believe the courage he had when Bakugou's blush deepened at his words. He leaned in, his lips just brushing against Bakugou's ear. "And I like the way your lips feel against mine."

Finally the blonde spoke. "What the... what the fuck, Kirishima. You're so... agh... what in the actual fuck."

"Oh, and I LOVE when you use my first name." Kirishima paused. "Do you like me too?" He asked, his tone almost begging.

"I... you... you can't just..."

"Do you?"

Bakugou just let our an impatient groan.

"Say it, please."

"You're so god damn annoying."

Kirishima just stared, still holding onto the strong shoulders, and shining his best smile, waiting.

"It's fucking obvious..." Bakugou paused and leaned in, whispering, "Eijiro." He pulled back and crossed his arms, scowling again. "And don't get fucking mad at me when you end up sick too. Who swaps spit with someone who is ill? Fuck's sake..."

And that was it. Eijiro Kirishima was in love with Katsuki Bakugou.