bittersweet:: four
note: chapter came earlier than expected! not proofread
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"so tell us minne pie, did [Name]...ya' know...have an actual boyfriend n' stuff?" kirishima whispered though there was no reason too.
he, bakugo and mina were all seated quietly in their room, mina stripped of her faux party clothes and stretched across kirishimas bed.
"look ei, i already said she didn't and that im not gonna tell you anything she hasn't told you herself. you can't tempt me to break girl code just because you miss her."
this made kirishima pout, beefy arms crossing over his chest in disappointment, "well than what am i supposed to do! she obviously doesn't trust us anymore, not after whatever happened to her...whatever it was."
bakugo pokes his side, annoyed. "and what makes you think it's our fault, or responsibility to fix it?"
mina interrupts them both, "first of all, yn is perfectly capable of answering all these questions you have herself. secondly if we're really speaking about trust here, isnt it better to be open and transparent instead of going behind someones back and trying to pry secrets out of them that way?"
kirishima cringed in shame, mina was completely right and yet his pride wouldn't let him back down.
"and bakugo stop acting like you don't care enough about the girl to show up for her and at least wonder." she continued, very annoyed that this is what the men had called her over for. it was a complete waste of time.
"im just saying its not our fault she lost trust in us, she told us herself none of this had anything to do with us. " bakugo snapped, matching eijrous arms.
mina sprang up from the bed, "ugh, you're missing the point! god, im done here, if you want real answers, try to be a real friend and ask her yourself." kirishima didn't stop the woman from leaving and sat in silence with the other man.
bakugos forehead was a slightly tinted red, he was mad, or at the very least annoyed at what just happened. "minas right, babe. i mean, we don't even know what boy troubles mean for her. what if was a crazy ex? or a metaphor for a shit friend or father who knows? there are thousands of possibilities that we don't necessarily have a right to know."
bakugo sighed deeply and looked at the redhead. "but...?"
"but..shes still our friend, and friends take care of each other, just like you and me!"
bakugo scowled, "oh because that's what we are huh? friends?"
kirishima frowned, "what? no kat, you know i didn't mean it like that..."
bakugos heart twinged, he knew he hadn't but hed said it on purpose to rile himself up. uncomfortable with the idea of kirishima caring for you that way, plausible or not.
"did i? because ever since [Name] came back you've been awful keen on trying to "help" and "fix" whatever the fuck happened to her. "
"katsuki.."kirishima trailed.
"no don't katsuki me, its true! you've been babying the girl and she isn't even here!"
"are you horny?" kirishima stares, half lidded eyes trailing up his chest.
"—and–I—what?" katsuki flinches, taken aback. "what the fuck kinda question is that?"
"are you? it's a simple yes or no."
"genuinely what does that have to do with what were talking about." bakugo deadpans and fights the heat crawling up his chest and in between his legs.
"i know we haven't done anything in a while...you know how busy it's been with school and sports and now [Name] who we just got back finally!—"
"see and there you go again! im sure shes fuckin fine, you're worrying isn't going to make her get closer sooner-"
"so you admit you want her closer?" kirishima is full on grinning now. warm, ridiculously large palms engulfing bakugos thighs.
"thats not what i said—!"
kirishima cuts him off by kissing him, tongue slipping between his lips and on the roof of his mouth.
bakugo melts like putty, holding onto the man in a heated embrace.
they both pull away, a string of saliva connecting their lips, "you're right babe, i'm too worried about her, right now, i think we should focus on you hm?"
bakugo, beet red and bothered couldnt have agreeded more.
✦ ✦
thankfully you make it back home in one piece, surprisingly mina was home already. something about the party getting cancelled and men and their decision making.
you on the other hand felt wonderfully relieved, sero had immediately been happy you were back, denki too, kirishima was simply relieved to hear from you and bakugo wasn't nearly as mad as you'd thought he'd be. especially considering how adamant you were on avoiding him.
things were finally looking up.
your phone buzzed, pulling your attention out of your mind.
it was from the group chat.
han-ture 🥸 okay! since were all back to our regular scheduled program, how bout we meet up at the usual spot a week from tomorrow and finally hang out again! i have the supplements of course just show up 🙂↕️ 7-8pm maybe? 🤔
narination (DNI) ouuu yes pleaseeee, ive been dyinggg to get high again 😵
han-ture 🥸 dude we literally smoked today...
narination (DNI) babe, we all know thats not the same...
katsuki Sure I'm down.
ejiro pipskweaka 🥹 YOU'RE DOWN!????!!
katsuki yeah
katsuki dont make me change my fucking mind
narination (DNI) damn usually we have to beg him to even show up, and thats only if kiri even decides to go...
ejiro pipskweaka 🥹 well, this time were ALL going...
ejiro pipskweaka 🥹 right [Name]...?
you paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to think of a response. this wasnt even hard and yet your hands were shaking. when had you become so awkward with them?
you'd never changed their contact names. it really hadnt even been that long really and yet you still felt uncomfortable. like this was new, and it kinda of was. the last time you'd hung out with them you cried, you werent even sure if you wanted to brave the humiliation again.
if there was one thing clear you'd learned about last time was that bakugo was NOT interested in you, at least not in that way.
and clearly the boys had been busy whilst you were gone, you still followed their social media, kirishima had just won a tournament for the rugby team, sero was probably going to be the next elvis presley at the rate he was playing. katsuki scored perfectly on nearly all his exams and kaminari was quite literally 100 followers away from hitting 13k on his streaming channel.
there'd be so much to talk about, so much to catch up on, you didn't want to spoil the mood again especially with boring shit that had happened in your past few months which mostly consisted of you avoiding them and feeling sorry for yourself.
but this was your only chance, your only option in getting them back, you had to take it no matter what.
right, ill be there! :you
ejiro pipskweaka 🥹 YOOOO LETS GOOO
narination (DNI) FUCKING SCOREEEE
han-ture🥸 cool! well see you there.
you chuckled then smiled softly at the responses, youd be lying if you said the enthusiastism didn't make you feel better about the whole thing.
bakugo noticeably didnt respond. but you hoped the group setting would get him to feel comfortable around you, like before. or maybe not like before, considering all that had happened anyways.
either way you were ready, no matter what happened. or at least you hoped you were.
✦ ✦
you found midoriya bright and early the next morning, waiting for you at the door. you greeted each other breifly before moving into the classroom where your professor was standing.
"alright now, class, presentations start in 2 minutes, take some time to go over final touches, we'll begin at 8:15."
you and izuku did a quick one over of the slides and began quickly. fortunately the man could talk for days and fill in when needed so your part only took up about 40% of the presentation, which you expected.
you high-fived after you were done, that was one thing off your shoulders and one less thing to worry about.
the relief was short lived however. cali blonde hair permeated your eyesight as you walked towards the door, izuku in quick steps behind you.
"deku." bakugo nodded at him as he walked by.
"kacchan." izuku waved, glancing at you with the sort of expression that made you think this entire interaction was sure to go poorly.
"uhm–" you tried to start.
"im–" he paused, waiting for you to finish.
you cleared your throat. "no you go ahead."
bakugo sniffed, glancing at your figure. "oh no don't start that awkward shit. just ask what the fuck you want to ask."
"i uhm—what are you doing here? i thought we weren't meeting until friday?" you peeped, face warm.
bakugo had that sort of effect on you, the kind that made you sweaty under your arms and legs wobbly. you felt clumsy under his gaze.
"what, now you're only exclusive to a group chat?" bakugo sounded offended with every word he uttered. weather the offense was true or not you couldn't tell. though you never could with him.
"no I just-Im' surprised that's all."
bakugo hummed. "didn't know you and deku were friends."
"oh, yeah? we share a few classes together i guess. same major n all, education and stuff." you trailed off pathetically.
the both of you said nothing after that, the silence palpable. bakugo made no move to relieve you of the tension.
you shifted, avoiding eye contact with the man. seriously what the fuck was he doing here? his initiative to search for you couldn't have been for no reason, right? you weren't sure you wanted to find out.
"well, i have a class, so ill see you around." you couldn't even make it past his shoulders before he grasped your wrist.
"fuck-wait, I uhm. you should come with me and the guys, tomorrow. there's this party at some frat house—anyway, be there."
it was strange to see the man fumble with his words so uncomfortably. you ignored where the discomfort could have came from and instead his words.
it had you wondering...
"why didn't you just text me? was there some special reason you needed to see me?"
bakugo scowled at you, "christ [Name] does there need to be a special reason to talk to you or something, it's not that fuckin' deep."
ouch. ok. he was right, and there was truly nothing offensive about the words, but it still hurt for some reason. coming from him especially.
bakugo seemed to notice your expression and quickly tried to backtrack but you stopped him.
you didn't need to make it a thing, it was just a party, it was just bakugo.
"okay i'll be there, but i'll pass on the walk though, thanks." you couldn't even imagine what it would be like to actually walk the 10 minutes it took just to get to your next class with him.
plus you didn't trust yourself not to overthink and internally sob over the fact he'd said "it's not that deep." like he was saying everything you did was made more serious than it needed to be. which to be fair wasprobably true.
bakugo didn't fight yog to stay and you strided away to class.
god you seriously to find easier people to crush on.
suddenly a flash of red came to mind. fuck why did your brain do that all the time? everytime bakugo seemed to reject you, you liked to delude yourself with the idea of kirishima. kirishima and his soft sweet smile. kirishima and his arms of steel. kirishima and —fuck!
"[Name], will you please just shut the fuck up?" you growled to yourself, slapping two hands on your cheeks.
"what'd you just call me?" a voice sounded in your ear, causing a sharp turn of your head to find purple streaked eyes staring at you.
"huh? oh no I wasn't—I was talking to myself–that wasn't—"
the man in question grinned and cut you off. "m' teasing pretty. you're [Name] right?"
you blinked, choosing to ignore the petname in favor of your dignity and instead answer him cautiously.
"yes that's me, why?"
"i'm shinsou, we share english together."
you flushed at his words, embarrassed at your own defensiveness. "oh..sorry i guess i never caught your name..shinsou."
the man only grinned harder, a sly sort of smile etched on his face.
"thats ok, m' not very loud about myself anyway."
you nodded at that, clearing your throat. "got it..well..uhm shinsou, what can i help you with?"
shinsou paused for a moment before rembering why he'd gotten the courage to go up to you in the first place. "right well, i think you're pretty. and i promise i won't disappoint you if you let me take you out on a date sometime."
your heart jerked awake that was not what you were expecting in the slightest. though you weren't exactly opposed to it.
you would be lying if you said you didn't find shinsou attractive, he sort of reminded you of sero. they both had that same easy going sneaky sort of vibe that hypnotized you.
but even still this was a bit out of the blue considering you'd never even seen the man before today.
shinsou filled the silence for you both. "it's no pressure, theres this party tomorrow though, i'm sure you've heard—if you want I could catch your number and pick you up? leave early if its lame?"
maybe it's because you were still a little heartbroken still.
maybe it's because you were slightly excited at his insinuations
or maybe it's because this whole ordeal with your friends felt like one big joke, like the most effective solution to getting over a man, was simply getting under another one.
you took his phone into your hands.
✦ ✦
bakugo had fucked up, he knew he had the moment you declined his offer to walk with him and now he was facing the consequences for it.
" you WHAT!?" sero blanched, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"i mean—i didn't mean it exactly like that, i just meant she didn't need to act so fucking awkward around me, like we don't know each other or somethin'."
sero pinched the bridge of his nose on the other side of the phone, he knew his friend was bad at communicating, just not THIS bad.
"good fucking grief, remind me to never send you on a trip to soothe somebody again. hey kam! kami come here, let me tell you what this asshole katsuki did!" sero yelled, putting the phone down so it was facing the ceiling.
"what the fuck? how was i supposed to know it was a mission to soothe? all you told me was to ask her if she wanted to come, and she said yes anyways so what's the big fucking deal." bakugo sneered.
but kaminari was already in the room listening to the brunette moan about his supposed failures.
oh hell no, two could play that game.
"kirishima get your ass over here!" he yelled, prompting sero to pause his rather dramatic retelling of what happened and pick the phone back up.
"dude could you stop being a dick for like 2 fucking seconds please, of course you called mom, pussy!" sero glowered.
now it was a full blown disaster, as usual, both of them refusing to back down unltill kirishima and denki were pretty much threatening them into silence.
"jesus christ, you'd think you would have fucked each other by now the way you two argue." kaminari breathed.
bakugo spoke up again, "okay shit for brains please don't start with that shit again—"
"whaaaaaattt, i'm just sayingg–" kaminari smiled into the camera, a little too gleefully.
"alright well you've said enough, i'm done here. if you have an update text me." bakugo hung up the phone before the men could say anything more.
denki was always like that, flirty, sly, faux innocence that made his gut churn with guilt. he got it from his boyfriend he suspected, though katsuki wasnt entirely sure they were dating. eitherway his little comments and touches were infuriating.
despite the his best efforts to keep his—whatever it was—at bay, the man made it increasingly difficult to do so. the memory of denki at a different party, back in highschool, burned in his mind.
that's why they needed you back. you made it easier to be around him, it gave bakugo something to focus on. you, were very easy to focus on.
bakugo sighed, leaning back against the couch. kirishima slipped under his arms, "did you really say that to her? that it wasn't that serious?" his voice was gentle when he said it.
bakugo looked down at the mans red perfect eyes, and only felt worse.
"yeah. but it's not like i meant it like that." his voice was gruff when he said it, thumbs red frok being knawed on so much.
kirishima, eversweet took his palms into his hands. "i know, so why'd you say it?"
katuski couldnt look him in the eyes. "i just—i don't know how to talk to her anymore, i mean if were being honest, she clearly hates me or something. or hated, at least, i don't fucking know."
kirishima eyes shot wide,"what makes you say that?"
the blonde almost didn't answer. "it's just–it's stupid."
kirishima frowned, a scolding expression on his face. "katsuki."
"what." he mumbled, eyes cast away.
kirishima took that a que to scoop up his face into his palms and force him to look at him. "katsuki." he said again
they'd had conversations like this before. ones that involved only open and honest answers that bakugo constantly struggled to give.
but bakugo knew him. loved him. no weird hormonal feelings could change that.
"when she was, gone or whatever." he cleared his throat.
kirishima nodded, a satisfied look on his face.
"when i tried to look for her, it was like i killed her or something. she would avoid me in places i didnt even realize i saw her at."
kirishima cocked his head, and action that would have been cute if not for the situation. "yeah but...she did that to everyone."
bakugo huffed, "yeah but like, it was like different. like this one time, i found her in the library and she fucking flinched when she saw me. like i was about to hurt her or somethin'."
the words felt like needles on his tounge, periced with none of the safety equipment needed to ensure the least amount of pain.
kirishima said nothing for the moment, panic flaring in bakugos chest. "eijiro– i"
"you don't need to explain yourself. i know, you would never so something like that. it just...is shocking thats all. it makes me wonder.."
"wonder what?" he tried not to sound alarmed but he knew the red could hear it in the shakyness of his voice.
"if you, were the reason..." kirishima trailed off, seeming more and more sure of whatever idea was conjuring up in his mind.
"reason for what? that she ghosted us and decided she didn't care about her friends anymore? yeah i just said that–"
"no you idiot, a different reason. think about what [Name] said.."boy troubles"? i mean come on, what else could that be?" kirishimas looked relieved, a complete opposite to how bakugo felt.
"i don't fucking know, that she had a crush on someone and it didn't work out?" bakugo said it out of stupidity. the idea wasnt even feasible.
"exactly!" kirishima exclaimed brightly.
"so w-what are you getting at. that—that it was me? ejiro you must be joking.."
the redhead had never looked more serious.
"oh im serious alright. and i know it's true, ill prove it to you."
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