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"Love. That is your topic for the week." Present Mic's voice boomed through the class, drawing the attention of 20 aspiring heroes.
"You will submit an essay, poem, or short story on this topic. How you interpret the subject will also be graded, young listeners, so make sure to think about it deeply. What does love signify to you?" Present Mic glanced at the various perturbed faces in the class, smirking inwardly as he relayed his favorite part of the assignment.
"Oh, and this will count for 25% of your grade!" With that cheerful declaration, he sauntered out to the sound of 20 collective groans. He brushed past Aizawa who was shuffling into class, dragging his bright yellow sleeping bag along with him.
"People really underestimate how much of a sadist you can be." The groggy teacher whispered to the blonde, perking up slightly when bright, loud laughter filled the hallway behind him.
"Alright, that's enough. Every class has done this assignment before and now it's your turn to suffer, so buck up and face it like heroes. Now, read from pages 237 to 250 of the hero manual. I'll be quizzing you in your final period." Aizawa said as he curled up in his sleeping bag, the groans of protest slowly draining away.
Bakugo flinched as a folded-up note landed on his desk.
What're you planning on writing about Bakubro? Allmight? Being a hero? Me?
-K
With two quick sparks of his hand, the note was dust, much to the surprise of the green-haired boy whose characteristic muttering came to an abrupt stop as he jumped in his seat.
Bakugo whirled around and glared fiercely at the red-haired menace that had plagued him ever since his confession on Valentine's day.
A confession Bakugo had turned down in no uncertain terms.
And yet the redhead never seemed to give up. He'd made it a habit to leave cute sticky notes on his table every morning about things like drinking more water, remembering to take breaks or even just random pick-up lines that always managed to get a similar reaction out of the blonde.
It was frustrating how flustered he got every time. Bakugo thought as he angrily went through the required pages.
It was downright cruel how attracted he was to his best friend. Bakugo thought as he aggressively rushed through the quiz.
It was the biggest regret of his life that he would never be able to be with the boy to whom he would love to give the world. Bakugo thought as Kirishima's bright smile entered his field of vision.
"Bakubro! How was the test?" Kirishima carelessly flung his arms around Bakugo's shoulders, and his pale cheeks flushed pink.
A stronger man would be able to pull away, but Bakugo had long accepted his selfish nature. And so he just continued walking out the door tucked comfortably under his "best friend's" arm.
He caught Uraraka shaking her head in disapproval as they walked past her. Ashido and the rest of the "Bakusquad" seemed to thrum with barely contained excitement, and Aizawa, despite looking like death itself, also spared a glance in their direction. Cause obviously, everyone and their mother knew about the weird in-between relationship the two boys had settled into.
As was part of their routine ever since their first year, the two boys walked straight to Kirishima's room. They took turns washing up before climbing into bed an episode of whatever new show or movie they were watching that week already set up by the time Bakugo took his spot near the wall.
They sat up supported by the bed frame, with the inch of space between them serving as the only reminder of their status as friends. An inch of space both boys desperately wanted to erase.
Bakugo got lost in his thoughts as an episode of the witcher played in the background, replaying the scene of Kirishima's confession in his mind for the billionth time.
"We'd be good together... Don't you think?" He'd asked, ruby eyes shining with thinly veiled hope. Kirishima had chosen to say his piece in the comfort of their (his) own room. He'd played with a spiced candy all evening and finally grown a spine and taken the plunge. But Bakugo already had his answer prepared.
"No."
"Why?" Kirishima had asked, genuinely. Like he actually wanted to know why Bakugo acted the way he did. And who was Bakugo to keep him from the truth?
"Cause I'll break your heart." He'd said, and Kirishima laughed that sunshine laugh of his.
"Maybe I'll break yours."
"Nobody breaks my heart. And anyway, why would I want that?" Bakugo had no doubt in his mind that his sunshine boy could break his heart to smithereens, and he didn't care. But he would never let Kirishima be hurt in the process. Cause that was all he was good for, hurt and destruction.
He'd almost caused his parent's marriage to implode because of his violent tendencies. He would never let his toxicity touch Kirishima's life.
Even if that meant watching the love of his life moving on with someone else a year later.
"Aqua! How was the test?" Kirishima asked with his sunshine grin as he slung his arm around a beautiful blue-haired girl. Bakugo carefully unclenched his smoking fist from around his pencil. He could not afford to burn another one to a crisp.
"She's just someone new, Bakubro! So Kiri's extremely curious about her." Kaminari said flippantly as he sat beside the smoking man.
Bakugo swung his glare from the empty hallway now devoid of the sickeningly sweet couple and onto his dunce. But it quickly softened when he noticed the staticky twitch that accompanied the other blonde whenever he worked himself too hard.
"How about you worry about yourself first?" Bakugo muttered as he grabbed Kaminari's bag and headed towards the blonde's room with said blonde in toe.
He couldn't pin down exactly when it began, but as he had predicted to Uraraka in his many angst-fueled rants about why he was the worst possible match for the redhead; his best friend, confidant, hell- his rock- had lost interest in him. Over the past couple months, the redhead wouldn't come to collect him for group outings as much. They began to hang out less, talk less, meet eyes less before stopping altogether. The real sting came when Kirishima stopped inviting him to his room after school.
It was halfway through their second year when Kirishima broke their year-long tradition. And Bakugo never asked why too afraid of the answer. With that loss of security came so many doubts and fears and pain- that Bakugo knew he'd chosen correctly when he rejected his best friend.
He'd spent so many nights and days crying, screaming, exploding at the slightest touch before reaching the glorious acceptance that this would just have to be their new normal. That Kirishima would finally be happy, far, far away from him, and he would just fade from his life like a learning experience or a bad dream.
Aqua showed up around that time too. A gorgeous mystery with badass water manipulation abilities. Bakugo supposed there were worse people in the world to lose the love of his life to. It was now a little after Valentine's day, and if he guessed correctly, they were either officially together already or in the weird 'will they/won't they' phase of their relationship.
It kinda sucked to know that Kirishima's infamous lovesick puppy look would now be directed toward someone else, atleast it would be someone worthy.
But where would that leave them? Would they have to remain as awkward and formal with each other now that Kirishima found himself a girlfriend? When was the last time he actually spoke to Kirishima? He would've made it last longer if he had known that would be the final time.
Bakugo contemplated his relationship with Kirishima for the hundredth time as Kaminari turned on the humidifiers in his room and curled into a ball on his bed. He mindlessly ran a dryer sheet along the blonde's arm, trying to drain some of the static from Kaminari, who was fast asleep. The peace was broken by a door slamming open.
"Ashido- not the fuck again-" Bakugo stopped in his tracks when he took in the sight of a heaving Kirishima, a piece of paper clenched tightly in his grasp.
"Uh... Hello?" Bakugo said uncertainly, which drew a deep pained sound straight from Kirishima's chest.
"No. I can't do this shit anymore. Especially after reading this." Kirishima said as he barreled into the room and landed on his knees in front of Bakugo.
"You can't believe any of this?" Kirishima asked a very confused Bakugo, who looked back and forth between the outstretched piece of paper and the pained confusion on Kirishima's face.
'The Unlovable Flower' The page read, and Bakugo's face lit up a bright red.
"That Asshole." Bakugo yelled as he grabbed the paper from Kirishima's hands and immediately lit it up.
"He promised he'd show no one." Bakugo seethed as his English assignment from his first year burned in his palm.
"I'm not your parents, Katsuki... I'm not some delicate flower you have to protect." Kirishima's hands found their way to Bakugo's pouting face.
"That's my choice." Bakugo mumbled, why could nothing ever go his way? Kirishima was so close to getting rid of him!
"No, actually, it's mine. And I want you in my life. These past few months have hurt so much without you there. The only way you hurt me is when you leave me alone. I need you Kat." Kirishima softly laid his forehead on Bakugo's, who scoffed.
"You really really don't. Why don't you and Aqua ride off into some bloody sunset? Please, just leave me out of it." Bakugo pulled away from Kirishima- desperately trying to put some space between them.
"You want me to date Aqua? I don't think her boyfriend would like that very much." Kirishima asked with his usual sunny smile. The smile Bakugo hadn't realized he'd missed as desperately as he had.
"Oh shut up, I didn't know. But no! I want you to get with whoever you want to and be happy! Why is this so hard for you to comprehend?"
"And why is it so hard for you to understand that I'm not going anywhere? Especially when I know you love me too!"
"Everyone who has ever loved me has ended up in pain. Deku is a prime example of that! And everyone I've ever loved has had it even worse. The last person I loved, I almost destroyed. I'm loud, I'm violent, unsociable, a ticking time bomb. You think you can always deal with that?" Bakugo screamed, tears finally welling up in his eyes as his heart was stripped bare.
"Yes. I think it's so manly when you express your opinions. You are not violent, not anymore- not without a good reason anyway. You literally have Kaminari almost wrapped around you right now, so fuck that too, and the last reason is just plain lies. You have the best control over your quirk I've ever seen."
"The stress of being with me almost tore my parents apart, Eijiro! I refuse to let that happen to anyone else!" Bakugo felt shaken as more and more of the demonized version of himself he'd created in his mind came crashing down.
"Your parents got divorced because your father found out your mother abused you. That. Was. Not. Your. Fault. Please don't let her ruin this. I want us, and I will chase you forever to prove it." Kirishima placed a gentle kiss on Bakugo's knuckles as though sealing a promise as the blonde thought it through.
"Would you really?" Bakugo's small, uncertain voice carried through the room, melting Kirishima's heart to mush.
"Kats, I've literally held myself back from touching you and hanging out with you so much the past couple months so I wouldn't make you uncomfortable. After that ordeal, I can do literally anything."
Bakugo breathed in sharply as he slammed his head onto Kirishima's shoulder.
"Fuck, Fuck! Fine! One month! We'll try for a month! If it doesn't work then... Then we say goodbye. No more uncertainties." Bakugo growled threateningly, instantly making Kirishimas mouth dry before he let out a loud whoop of excitement.
The redhead picked up his, now, boyfriend and spun him around. He placed him back down after a few solid whacks, however, only to latch their fingers together and pull him into a tight hug.
"I love you, Katsuki Bakugo, and don't you dare forget it." Bakugo heard Kirishima's gruff voice rumble in his ear and sunk a little further into the lemongrass scent he was so familiar with.
"...love you too." Bakugo whispered softly, but in his heart of hearts, he knew that as ridiculously happy as he was at this moment, this could never last. He reached up and fisted his fingers in Kirishima's maroon tee.
Well, he might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
.
Kirishima knew that's how Bakugo would rationalize this, but maybe someday, he could change his stubborn boyfriend's mind. Prove to him that he was worth all the love in the world. And that he could be the one to provide that love.
Bakugo's Poem:
An Unloveable Flower,
Is there really such a thing?
Maybe the Rafflesia- But even she has admirers.
Maybe the venus flytrap- hated for her viciousness,
Yet a cause of delight for many aspirant scientists.
If I was a flower, I think I would be a rose.
Infinite grace, infinite beauty
Yet this is only on the surface,
An interest that withers and fades as quickly as the rose blossom,
doomed to forever cause pain to anyone who loves me.
Love is a foolish infliction.
It takes from you and never lets you keep.
I watched my caregivers implode due to love,
I watched them self destruct from loving me too much,
So perhaps I aspire to be an unloveable flower.
I would rather never be loved than cause anyone else to bleed.
So cut my life short and let me wither.
For I have only one shot at this, and I will squander it.
I hurt, yet I hurt far more.
Perhaps in some life other than this one
I could be invisible.
Perhaps then I'll never hurt again.
A/N: Yeahhh this just randomly spewed out of my brain XP.
So sorry it's so rushed! I finished it in like 3 hours XP
Thank you so much for reading it! I hope you enjoyed it!