Kirishima thought he was done with this whole isolating himself thing, but in the afternoon after the trial he just feels so tired. The idea of discussing it with anyone who wasn't there sounds exhausting. He spends the day on his phone, lounging around and trying to make time pass more quickly – which of course makes it drag.

Around the time he normally grabs dinner, he gets a text from Bakugou. You eaten yet?

Kirishima knows if he doesn't reply, Bakugou will come and knock on his door, but he's still torn. Part of him wants to lie and say he has in order to remain in his quiet little bubble, but part of him knows it's futile – Bakugou will come bursting in whether Kirishima wants him there or not. And, somehow, Kirishima will end up liking it.

No, he texts. You?

There's no reply, but a minute later, he hears the telltale sound of Bakugou kicking his door. "Come on, Shitty Hair, you're so fucking slow!"

He should have known Bakugou wasn't the type to ask annoying personal questions. He rants about classes between mouthfuls of food, and Kirishima realizes with a warmth in his chest that it's Bakugou's way of catching him up on things he missed.

It dawns on him at that exact moment – six-something in the evening on the day of the trial – that his feelings for Bakugou have grown and changed over the past few weeks like they're a living thing, from raw gratitude to simply wanting to near him and being used to his presence. Kirishima likes having Bakugou there. He likes the way Bakugou seems to have his schedule memorized and even likes his weird protective streak.

It's not such a leap for Kirishima to realize (as he steals a glance at Bakugou's face) that maybe, somehow, he doesn't just like these things. Maybe he actually likes Bakugou.

It seems so natural that the thought hardly takes him by surprise, even though it's taken a long time for him to reach this deduction. When he dares to look at Bakugou again, he's staring at Kirishima, eyes narrowed. "Someone shit in your food?" Bakugou asks.

"Huh?"

"You haven't eaten anything."

Kirishima's apparently such a one-track-minded idiot that he literally cannot think and eat at the same time. "Whoops," he says, "just got distracted," and shoves forkfuls of chicken into his mouth, earning a raised eyebrow from Bakugou but thankfully no more questions.

They sit in Kirishima's room after dinner, Bakugou doing homework and using his phone, Kirishima pretending to use his phone but mostly just thinking. He's a slow thinker, unlike Bakugou himself, who always seems to get from Point A to Point B before Kirishima can blink. But he's got time, and it's nice to sit there, just the two of them.

Now he's hyperaware of Bakugou's every movement. Bakugou's on his bed, lying on top of the blankets, his head resting on Kirishima's pillow. It's the same position he always takes when they hang out together, but somehow Kirishima has never noticed how intimate it is. Bakugou's face is resting against Kirishima's own pillow, and when he next sleeps on it, it will be like… a secondhand face touch. That's something, right?

He's got to talk to Ashido about his feelings. She would know what to do, probably without him even having to explain anything. At least he already did talk to her about Bakugou earlier that day. "Tell him you enjoy his company," she'd said, although Kirishima isn't sure how to do that without it seeming really out of the blue and awkward. And of course it's still technically talking about feelings, which he knows Bakugou hates.

But he has to say something. He has to. So Kirishima musters up the courage to say, "I'm really glad you came and got me for dinner. I wasn't paying attention, so I probably would have just missed it if you hadn't."

Bakugou looks down at him. "Yeah, 'cause you're a fucking idiot who doesn't even know when he's hungry."

Kirishima laughs. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Maybe that got the message across, at least. Bakugou's looking at him with mild surprise, like he expected Kirishima to have some kind of witty retort instead of just laughing and admitting to it. Their eyes meet and Kirishima feels his face soften into a half-smile; he doesn't drop his gaze, so Bakugou is forced to look away first. Kirishima hopes he isn't imagining the tinge of pink on Bakugou's cheeks.

Kirishima gets tired early, and Bakugou seems to notice – maybe it has something to do with the nonstop yawning – so it's not long before Bakugou rises and gathers his things. "See you tomorrow, I guess," he says, lingering in the doorway, and Kirishima realizes that Bakugou does actually say goodnight to him now. He used to think he never would, that it was just so un-Bakugou-like that it would never happen. It makes him grin, and Bakugou eyes him oddly.

I want to kiss him, Kirishima thinks, although he knows that that's definitely not going to fly. So he does the next best thing and, hardly thinking about it, gives Bakugou a hug.

Kirishima feels him tense at first; Bakugou's hands are full with his books, so he can't hug back. After just a moment, though, he feels Bakugou relax and lean towards him. Then Kirishima pulls away. It's possible to have too much of a good thing, he thinks. I don't want to get anywhere close to that line. It's better not to risk lingering too long, for fear he might creep Bakugou out. There's still a not-insignificant risk that Bakugou's just a super-protective straight friend. And of course that would be fine, if a little disappointing. So he can't risk it.

"Goodnight!" Kirishima says, and Bakugou, looking a little stunned, steps out into the hallway and walks back to his own room.

The next day, Aizawa asks Kirishima, Ashido, and Kaminari to stay after class. Kirishima's expecting it, has been wondering about it all day. Even so, he feels a lump in his throat.

"He was found guilty," Aizawa says, as soon as the rest of the class is outside and the door's been shut. Kirishima lets out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding in.

"How long's he in jail for?" Ashido asks.

"The sentencing hasn't happened yet," Aizawa says. "I'll keep you updated."

Bakugou's waiting for him outside the classroom doors. That doesn't surprise Kirishima either. He can't bring himself to say anything out loud, but luckily he doesn't have to.

"Guilty!" Ashido exclaims, pumping her fist in the air.

"Good," Bakugou says, and Kirishima gets the real sense that if the villain had been found not guilty, Bakugou might have exploded something.

Kirishima thinks of the thin-faced, dark-eyed man he'd seen yesterday. He thinks of silence stretching in front of him like a hallway, dark and endless and so, so lonely. He can't quite connect them, can't quite convince himself that the nervous, resigned man – the villain, Kirishima keeps calling him, although he knows his name now – has anything in common with Kirishima's week of hell, Ashido's shock and Kaminari's blind terror. He can't quite bring himself to be any more than relieved it's over.

"Good," he finally says when he realizes Bakugou's looking at him strangely. "I'm glad."

If Bakugou has feelings for him – a big fat if – he will never act on them. Kirishima can say that with utter certainty. Bakugou is all bluster and bravado, but when it comes down to it, he's not as brave as he talks, and feelings are his nemesis.

Kirishima's more neutral on the topic. He's inexperienced, of course, but he's not allergic to talking about emotions. So it's got to be him. He just has to find the words. He thinks he's got them, once or twice, but always chickens out when he sees Bakugou's look of fierce concentration, or boredom, or contentment, or happiness – when he sees Bakugou's face in general, really.

It goes on like that for a few days until Friday. Kirishima doesn't want to go out anywhere, he just wants to chill in his dorm, so he grabs his laptop and the two of them sit next to each other on the bed, picking out a movie to watch that doesn't look too cheesy or boring.

Kirishima finds himself doing that thing where, when he finds something funny, he looks over at Bakugou to see if he's laughing too – except Bakugou does the same thing, and they end up making eye contact every time. It's a little awkward, Kirishima thinks, but kind of endearing at the same time. He likes it, likes meeting Bakugou's eyes and seeing him smile, like Kirishima's laughter is infectious.

Until, on the third or fourth time this happens, Bakugou holds the eye contact, stares at Kirishima's mouth for a moment, then leans forward and kisses him.

Bakugou just brings their mouths together, doesn't move his lips or jaw or anything, so the kiss doesn't actually feel like much of anything to Kirishima. They separate after just a second or two.

"Uh," Kirishima hears himself saying. "Uhhh…"

He honestly cannot believe it. He's been steeling himself to confess for so long that he completely forgot that, you know, Bakugou might do something first. He hasn't prepared himself for that possibility at all, and feels as if he's been thrown into the deep end of a pool and is now flailing furiously.

The movie's still playing. Kirishima hits the space bar to pause it and stares at Bakugou, who's looking at the screen, face completely red.

"I'm – gonna go," Bakugou says finally, sliding away from Kirishima and jumping out of the bed.

Kirishima wills himself to find his voice, because if he doesn't say something now there's a very good chance Bakugou will never look him in the eye again. "Wait!" he says, and Bakugou does, his hand just resting on the doorknob, his back to Kirishima. "Bakugou, what was that?"

Bakugou doesn't move or say anything. Talk, Kirishima tells himself, keep talking, don't let him leave. "Why did you kiss me?" No answer. "Please talk to me, dude, come on…"

"Why do you always have to talk about things," Bakugou says, and even if his tone is icy, little more than a growl, Kirishima still jumps for joy internally because at least he's talking.

"How am I supposed to know what you mean if you don't tell me?" Kirishima rises from the bed. He stays a few feet away from Bakugou, as if Bakugou is a scared animal that might be startled into fleeing.

"It's a fucking kiss," Bakugou says, turning around. He's still blushing, and he doesn't meet Kirishima's eyes. "What else can it mean?"

"I've been trying to think of ways to tell you for so long," Kirishima says, feeling himself smile. "I guess I should have just kissed you instead of bothering to think of the words to say."

Bakugou finally meets his eyes. "Hah?"

"I like you too!" Kirishima says, biting his lip. Even after being kissed, the words are hard to get out. "I like you, I really like being around you, I'm glad we're spending so much time together, dude, and seeing you is the best part of my day!"

"Shut the fuck up," Bakugou mutters, in a way that's almost affectionate. "You're embarrassing."

"It's true!" Kirishima says.

They look at each other for a few seconds.

"There," Bakugou says, "we talked about it. Happy?"

"Yeah," Kirishima says. "Now come here and kiss me again."

It's much better this time, now that he's expecting it. He keeps his eyes on Bakugou until they're too close for him to focus – he gets to see the look of nervousness and excitement cross his face – and when they kiss, it's warm and soft, not quick and chaste like it was the first time. Bakugou pulls away after just a few seconds, but Kirishima follows him, continuing the kiss. He finds one of Bakugou's hands and holds it, and Bakugou holds his hand back, clasping so tightly it's almost-but-not-quite painful.

"How long have you liked me?" Kirishima asks after they break apart at last.

"That's – you're embarrassing," Bakugou says again, which Kirishima is quickly figuring out means he's the one feeling embarrassed.

"I realized on Monday," Kirishima says, "although it really snuck up on me. I think I've liked you for a lot longer and I was just too dense to see."

Bakugou's silent, and Kirishima realizes he's actually thinking about it. "I dunno how long," he says at last, very quiet. "But like… when you were under the quirk. That's when I…"

"Yeah," Kirishima says, "yeah, I know."

"You don't have to act so damn cheerful!" Bakugou says. There's anger in his voice all of a sudden. "When they piss you off, you don't have to laugh and say it's okay. When they ask questions you don't wanna answer, don't answer them."

"Who are you talking about?" Kirishima asks. "Who's 'they'?"

"Deku," Bakugou says. "No, not just Deku. Everyone! You just always say you're fine, but you don't have to act like you're fine!"

Kirishima wasn't sure where, precisely, this was coming from – probably something days or weeks old that had been festering in Bakugou like a wound. A crack in the dam and it all spills out. "Maybe I don't want to talk to them about it," Kirishima says at last. "Sometimes it's easier to lie a little and say I'm fine, rather than explaining to half the class why I'm not."

Bakugou sucks in a breath and looks at him through narrowed eyes. "You don't have to do that to me," he says. "Lie, I mean. Or hold back."

"I try not to lie to you," Kirishima says. "I feel like you know when I do."

It hits him a moment later, what Bakugou means by the second sentence. He's been underestimating Bakugou this whole time, telling himself Bakugou isn't good with feelings, I don't want to burden him with them, and Bakugou's looking back at him now and saying, Try me.

"I don't think I can repay how you helped me," he says. "You, them, everyone. Everyone in our class. But especially you. I never thought…" He was nearing tears, torn between trying to hold them back and just letting it go. "I never thought you would read to me. That was… that was the best part. Hearing your voice. I was such a burden to everyone, and they all helped me out without complaining even once."

"Fucking hell, Kirishima," Bakugou says, "you're an idiot, no one thought of you as a burden. If they did, they could just, you know, not go to the hospital. What you just said is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Kirishima knows him well enough at this point to recognize the affection in his voice, even when it comes off like roughness and anger. "It doesn't really matter if, you know, it was inconvenient for some people, or it got boring for someone else or whatever. It doesn't matter! Because you had it a million fucking times worse. I swear to God, Kirishima," he goes on, dropping his voice low, "I don't know how you fucking survived it. I don't think I could. It – it would honestly be hell. I think I would rather just die."

"Don't talk like that."

"I'm not kidding," Bakugou says. "Anyway. Look. I was there. I saw them in the classroom. I saw them in the hospital. And I can tell you, no one there, no one who volunteered, thought of you as a burden. At all. Not Pink Face, or Pikachu, or – or – Deku, or me."

Kirishima hugs him. It's the same way he hugged Ashido the first day he came home from the hospital; he clutches Bakugou against himself, pressing his face to Bakugou's shoulder. He knows Bakugou probably feels the wetness of his tears, the shakes in his body as he sobs, but that's okay. It's probably expected. Bakugou raises one arm to pat his back weakly, but it's just having him here, having the warmth and heat of another human, that Kirishima is really after. The fact that that human is Bakugou just makes it even better.

"Thanks," Kirishima says, sniffling, after they've broken apart. "I think I needed that."

"You really fucking did," Bakugou says.

"Hey, dude," Kirishima says after a pause, "are you worried about me?"

"Huh?" Bakugou says, his face wrinkling up in confusion.

"Why'd you come with me to the mall if you didn't want to shop?"

"Why the fuck are you bringing this up again?" Bakugou says. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"My quirk is literally just becoming invincible," Kirishima says. "I'm pretty sure I can go to the mall by myself without…"

And then it hits him. He can't even finish the sentence. "No, you fucking can't," Bakugou says, gripping Kirishima's shoulders. "I mean, I always thought – if someone were to get attacked – I thought you'd be fine. I never thought it would be you. So seeing you there – you looked dead, I didn't…"

It's Kirishima's turn to pull Bakugou close and let him bury his face in his shoulder. He's not crying, but Kirishima can feel Bakugou's fingers curling in the back of his T-shirt. When they break apart, neither says anything. He puts his hand lightly on Bakugou's cheek, pulling his face towards him until they're close enough to kiss again.

The less distance between them, the better.

That night, for the first time since the day he sent it – the day he left the hospital – he checks the group text he created.

He reads the messages, all of them.

Hey! That's awesome news!

Glad to hear it! Let me know if you need help catching up with schoolwork.

Omg I'm so glad…..dude we missed you

We love you Kirishima!

See you at school tomorrow!

He reads them and smiles and starts crying, stupid happy tears, because he knows, somehow, that it's true. They do love him. They missed him. He isn't a burden – he never was.

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.