Snowed In

Part 14

Bakugou's head feels fuzzy. It's all muddled around like there's cotton filling up the space and, in between every little tuft, fireworks are going off. He feels warm which is strange because he knows he's still outside in the dark, in the snow, without a real coat on, and he hates the winter. He hates the cold. It gets to him so easily through every layer he puts on, and yet right now he feels especially hot all over. There's hands on his cheeks so big and warm, a solid frame pushed up against his own, and suddenly when he opens his eyes, not even remembering having closed them, he's caught in a fiery gaze of bright red.

"-gou?"

The cotton has extended to his ears. He has to focus, blinking dumbly into those bright eyes and try not to get consumed by the warmth surrounding him, inside of him, burning him up all over in a glow. "Hm?"

"Dude, I think you seriously kissed him into a coma."

"Bakugou?"

A thumb rolls across his cheek, right under his eye, and Bakugou's so disappointed to find there's another voice around besides Kirishima's. For a second, he forgot that anyone else was there. And then, it all hit him.

"Oh."

His brain and body connect again. He might want to kill everyone around him and then himself.

He doesn't. He pushes that baser instinct down enough to not freak out, grab hold of the simmering warmth that still pools in his stomach, coils it up in his fist to keep it right where it is, not wanting to let the feeling go. For once, he thinks he deserves this. He doesn't want to push it away again.

Still, he's embarrassed enough to look at least a little sheepish. He spaced out that bad from just a kiss, after all. "Sorry, ah--" He looks behind him at Kirishima's friends and family. Ashido and Sero are standing together, leaning into each other, both looking a little too self-satisfied with the current events that unfolded in the span of a few seconds. Kaminari is also grinning, stupider though, throwing him a thumbs up as soon as he catches his eye. Tetsutetsu rolls his eyes, but doesn't look angry-- more so like he wants to look away at the mushy romance. Like Kirishima might have been blabbering to him already all day about this.

Bakugou turns back to Kirishima, still so close that the foggy breath he exhales swirls around him. "Welcome home?"

He gets another kiss for good measure, reminding him not to let go, and only forgiving Kirishima when he pulls away when he takes his hand in his to walk up the snowy path to his house.

"I cannot believe you did all of this!" Kirishima exclaims, looking all around the yard to take in every single light that stretches across his property, making the edges of the forest glow with a rainbow. "But why? I didn't say anything."

Bakugou shrugs, taking it all in with him. He still doesn't quite see the magic that Kirishima does-- they're bright, they flicker, they're robotic deer moving like robotic deer-- but he does see how much joy it brings to Kirishima, his eyes wide and still damp, and that's enough. He doesn't need a reason more than that. "Didn't have to. I thought it would be nice. You're always helping out everyone else, so I figured, well," Another shrug. Trying to make it not seem like a big deal. "I was just lucky you still had all the lights."

"I've never been able to let them go," Kirishima says, smiling. "I haven't seen them like this in years."

Yeah, that's exactly what Bakugou thought. Exactly what Ashido confirmed.

"Thought it would be a nice present."

His hand is squeezed, Kirishima brushing up close to his side.

"It's amazing."

Bakugou understands why people like to give presents all of a sudden.

"Speaking of!" Kirishima perks up, wiping at his eyes and cheeks quickly as he suddenly pulls Bakugou back down the driveway by the hand, both of them nearly going down on a patch of ice, just barely keeping themselves standing with the wobbly support of one another, and Kirishima brings him up to his car, sitting there, looking like it smashed into a tree, but running nonetheless. "Merry Christmas!"