Author's Note: I saw this image while digging for something else and it literally made my chest ache because it just needed a story to go with it. But I didn't realize how hard it was to write from Bakugo's point of view. Didn't stop me though! Hope you guys enjoy it and I hope that I did the image justice, because the idea itself makes my heart happy!

Bakugo frowned and kicked a rock as he walked down a paved path, illuminated only by the street lamps. That damn red head had invited him out here and it was cold as fuck. It had just finished snowing maybe an hour prior and he would much rather be inside or training or finishing his quirk application homework. Something productive. Not this bullshit.

He didn't even know what this bull shit was, but fucking Kirishima always had something stupid planned.

He sighed. That was a lie and he knew it. But that didn't change the fact that it was cold and he didn't want to be walking in the damn snow. Kirishima knew better than to ask him to come out here and deal with this. He's never liked the snow and fucking Riot knew that.

"Bakugo!"

Bakugo looked up from the ground; Kirishima was standing next to a park bench waving at him. His chest warmed at the sight. Damn red head was always this excited to see him. It was stupid, but he'd somehow ended up attached to the giant welcome. He nodded in acknowledgement as he approached the other boy.

"Why are we here, shitty hair?"

Kirishima laughed, rubbing the back of his head, saying something about the snow and ice. Bakugo wasn't really sure how the red head didn't knock his earmuffs off his head. He glanced over Kirishima, taking in the sight of him. Kirishima was in full-on winter clothes. He had on blue jeans, a thin red coat, some gloves, some weird scarf looking thing around his neck, and those damn ear muffs he was always so insistent on wearing anytime the temperature got below freezing.

Bakugo shivered a little under his jacket. He always did underdress for the cold. But wearing anything more than a thin coat was too damn bulky and hard to move in.

"Tch."

Kirishima grabbed Bakugo's wrist and pulled him farther down the path. It wasn't until they came up on the frozen lake that what Kirishima said finally processed.

"With the weather the past week and the snow tonight, I knew the lake would be ice! I've heard it looks pretty awesome after it snows!"

Damn red head was sentimental just like the girls in their class.

But he was right; the lake did look good covered in ice and snow. Bakugo glanced over at him. Kirishima's mouth was hanging open with a large grin as he looked at the lake, totally mesmerized.

But Kirishima looked better.

He looked back toward the water, ignoring the feeling of his cheeks tickling with warmth.

Kirishima was right about a lot of things, more than Bakugo would ever admit. He made him go places that Bakugo had no interest in constantly when they first started hanging out, but after a few times Bakugo had come to realize that he was actually enjoying the things Kirishima picked out. So, he argued less when Kirishima brought up plans, especially when it would just be the two of them.

Kirishima made his chest feel warm just by being near him.

Bakugo always liked that more than whatever they ended up doing.

"I'm so glad you came to see this with me, dude!" Kirishima exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he looked toward Bakugo.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "It's not that big of a deal, Riot."

Kirishima shrugged, still grinning, and began following the path closer to the lake. Bakugo followed suit. He had to make sure the dumb ass didn't fall in, of course. As nimble as the red head was during battle, he was a fucking klutz when he just existed as a person sometimes. Bakugo was appalled the first time he watched him trip over his own feet. What kind of fucking hero-in-training trips over their own fucking feet?

It wasn't until Bakugo was smacked in the face with a snowball that he realized he hadn't been paying attention to the damn red head. He could feel a scowl forming across his face.

"You fucking asshole!" He yelled, scooping up some snow and launching it at Kirishima.

Kirishima laughed and ducked behind a tree. A second later, another snowball smacked Bakugo in the chest. A wicked grin crossed the blonde's face. If Riot wanted a fucking snowball fight, he was gonna get a fucking snowball fight.

Bakugo made up several snowballs and cradled all but one in his left arm as he took off towards Kirishima. As he rounded the tree Kirishima was behind, he began hurling them as fast as he could. Kirishima sputtered a yelp as he turned to run away. Bakugo nailed him a few times on his side and back, and once in the back of his head before he got away.

"Ha! That's what you get, shitty hair!"

A snowball hit him straight in the mouth. Kirishima froze at the sight before laughter racked his body. He doubled over as Bakugo registered what just happened. Bakugo glared at Kirishima, forcing the smile that was trying to stretch across his face to stay hidden. The asshole was hard to stay mad at when he was so happy.

"Fucker." He grumbled, walking over to the red head.

He scooped up some snow in his hand before Kirishima righted himself…but he didn't throw it. He let his hand hang at his side, slightly behind his leg. If Kirishima wanted to play dirty, Bakugo could play dirty. Kirishima grinned at Bakugo as he got closer.

"Dude, you should've seen the look on your face!" He was still chuckling, one arm across his stomach.

"Asshole. Should've seen yours."

Kirishima's face scrunched up in confusion. "Mine?"

Bakugo nodded as he reached over and dumped the overflowing handful of snow overtop Kirishima's head. The red head blinked, his brows shooting upwards and his mouth falling open. He shook his head to get the excess snow off, but a dusting remained in his hair, across his cheeks, and his shoulders. Bakugo couldn't help but grin as he took in the sight.

Kirishima's hair was glistening now and the snow dusted his cheeks which were tinted red from the cold. He pressed his lips together as he looked upward, as if he could see the snow he was trying to remove from his hair.

Damn, he looked good like that.

"Ah, you got me." Kirishima muttered, running his hands through his hair one last time to shake out as much snow as he could.

"Damn right I did." Bakugo's chest swelled with warmth as he grinned at the other boy.

Whether the warmth was from his own pride or the half pout, half smile on Kirishima's face, he wasn't sure. It didn't matter either way. He won because he got the winning blow and because he got to see Kirishima like this. Knowing which one caused it didn't matter.

Kirishima shook his head at the blonde. "Let's walk around the lake, oh mighty one."

"Smart ass." Bakugo fired, but he fell in place beside Kirishima as he started walking away.

He glanced at the red head. He had hated how Kirishima had taken to him so easily and just ignored his outbursts at first. He didn't come to do this damn school to make friends, he had come here to be number one. But somewhere along the way, this asshole found his way into Bakugo's world and created his own space. It wasn't until Kirishima saved him during their provisional license exam last year that Bakugo knew everything would feel empty and cold if he wasn't there.

Fucker probably knew exactly what he was doing the whole time he weaseled his way into Bakugo's life.

Bakugo shivered. He really hated the fucking cold. He raised his hands to his mouth and blew hot air into them. He couldn't even wear gloves or they'd end up catching fire at some point if he sweat too much and forgot to wash them…and he really fucking hated doing extra laundry. It had been one hell of a time the first time he'd found that out. It was bull shit. His quirk was pretty damn awesome, but for simple things like that it was the fucking worst.

"Sorry, dude." Kirishima gave an apologetic smile. "I know the cold isn't your favorite."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"'Whatever' my ass. I can see you shivering. Why don't you wear more than just a jacket?"

"Too bulky."

Kirishima was the one to roll his eyes this time. "You're so particular about everything. Here."

He stopped walking, causing Bakugo to huff as he stopped to turn and watch what he was doing. Kirishima unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and shook out any snow that was still clinging to it. He nodded to himself and closed the distance between him and Bakugo. Bakugo raised a brow at him.

"What are you doing?"

"You're cold, dude. Just helping you out." Kirishima slung the scarf around Bakugo's neck, grinning so wide his eyes closed. "Gotta help a man out when he's cold!"

Bakugo could feel warmth tickling his cheeks again as he studied Kirishima's face, glancing down at his lips. If only he knew what would really warm him up. He took in how Kirishima's cheeks were dusted with red. He couldn't tell if it was the cold or the situation that caused it.

Another reason to hate the fucking cold.

Kirishima tied the scarf carefully, taking his time. But Bakugo couldn't bring himself to care. He enjoyed being this close to him. He savored it anytime it happened. And when Kirishima was taking extra care to focus on something else, Bakugo took his chance to take in all of his features. The way he bit his lip when he was focused, the way his face relaxed, the way his smile softened. It filled Bakugo's chest like a cup brimmed with water, ready to overflow.

No, water was wrong.

Kirishima was more like hot chocolate. He was warm and comforting. Especially on a cold night like tonight.

It hadn't even dawned on Bakugo that Kirishima was done until their eyes met. He was still holding the scarf that was already tied around Bakugo's neck.

"You're like hot chocolate." Bakugo murmured quietly, not looking away.

Kirishima blinked, confusion tangling his brows together.

"I'm…?" He paused, then laughed.

He pulled Bakugo close, forcing their foreheads to touch. Their eyes met as Bakugo was working to figure out why him saying that was so funny. He was being serious and the fucking red head just wanted to laugh at him. He shouldn't have fucking said anything.

Kirishima smiled as he watched Bakugo search his eyes for answers. "If I'm hot chocolate, you're the snowy day that makes me necessary."

Bakugo's brows furrowed and he pulled back some as he processed the words. He hated the fucking cold. Why was he being compared to it?

"That sounds like an insult, shitty hair."

Kirishima chuckled. "Nah. A cold day makes the air crisp. You can see and hear things clearly, it fills your lungs. It makes you feel alive."

Bakugo studied the boy in front of him, trying to ignore the feeling of fire licking at his cheeks. Kirishima was staring back at him, a smile plastered on his face. His cheeks were almost as red as his hair, but he wore that stupid grin anyways as he pulled Bakugo closer again, until their noses touched.

"You make me feel alive, Bakugo."

Bakugo could feel his eyes closing as he leaned forward and touched his lips against Kirishima's. It was light and he could barely feel how warm Kirishima's lips were. Kirishima pulled Bakugo closer with the scarf. Bakugo wrapped his arms around Kirishima's waist, feeling that he was still too far away if he didn't. He could feel heat radiating through the other boy's clothes. He soaked up the feeling of softness and warmth that Kirishima's lips offered him.

When Kirishima pulled back, Bakugo could still feel it across his lips. He opened his eyes, noticing the condensation from their breath causing wisps of steam to form between them. His arms loosened as studied the other boy's face. They stared at each other for a moment before Kirishima backed up and grabbed Bakugo's wrist, then started pulling him down the path again. Bakugo fell in stride beside him, causing Kirishima to let go of him.

"You know what we need to warm back up? Some hot chocolate!" Kirishima grinned over at Bakugo.

Bakugo glanced at him, then nodded as he focused on where they were walking. "Yeah."

He could still feel the kiss on his lips. He pressed his lips together to keep the feeling there, but he could feel the air stealing the warmth from his lips. He raised his shoulders to nuzzle his face into the scarf Kirishima gave him.

He really did hate the fucking cold.

He hated being compared to it, he didn't want to be like something that stole the warmth.

Kirishima grabbed Bakugo's hand as they walked. The blonde relaxed at the touch. Kirishima had removed his own glove. Bakugo could feel how cold his hand was compared to Kirishima's, but the red head didn't flinch at the contact. As they walked towards the park exit, the temperature between their hands found a middle ground. It was a steady warmth shared between the two.

Bakugo tried to keep himself from getting closer to Kirishima as they made their way to a café. If he was like a cold day, he didn't want to steal all of Kirishima's warmth. Eventually that warmth would fade.

But Kirishima pushed himself into Bakugo's shoulder as they walked.

"Dumb ass, you'll make us fall." Bakugo grumbled, still hiding the lower half of his face into the scarf.

Kirishima chuckled, ignoring him and staying close. Bakugo rolled his eyes. But he didn't force him away. He was still selfish, he wanted to stay as close to Kirishima as he could.

He looked up at the sky. It was clear and littered with stars. Kirishima was right. You could see them all clearly because of the cold, crisp air of the night. He exhaled and watched the air freeze around his breath above his head. It was almost alluring.

He still fucking hated the cold.

But Kirishima was his warmth, and that was all the excuse he needed to deal with it.