Scars That Mend - Kiribaku Emergency Services AU

UA High School: Second Year (Winter)

TW: PARENT REACTING BADLY TO CHILD COMING OUT

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The first two months of my relationship with Katsuki were a blur of late-night meetups in the park, sweat-drenched football practice, and heated locker room make-out sessions. We took every opportunity to be all over each other - as long as we were out of sight. 

Katsuki wasn't ready to tell anyone about our relationship at first. I didn't blame him - coming out was one thing, but coming out and announcing we were dating? I was glad to have a bit of time to just enjoy each other without the added pressure of people knowing about us. If anything, sneaking around together made our stolen kisses much more exciting, but I knew it couldn't last forever.

Eventually, a few days before our winter break, I was pulled aside by Mina after Japanese class. I watched Katsuki head off with Denki; we usually snuck off between classes, but Mina had scrapped that plan. 

"What's going on with you and Bakugo-kun?" She asked bluntly, her voice no louder than a hiss. "Ever since Halloween you've been disappearing with him all the time. I'm your best friend, you have to tell me this stuff!"

I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassment tinging my cheeks. "It's nothing!" I insisted. "We just...usually head in the same direction."

"I don't buy it." She pouted. "Come on, I know when you're lying."

"I don't know what to tell you, Mina." I mumbled. I felt bad for lying to her, but I'd promised Katsuki we would keep everything under wraps until he was ready. "If anything changes, I'll tell you. I promise."

I felt a pang of guilt at the hurt that crossed her eyes, but relaxed slightly when she didn't press further. I'd have to tell her eventually - she was my best friend - but I'd already made a promise to my boyfriend.

Boyfriend. God, I still got giddy even thinking it. After the Halloween party, we'd snuck away to the park, spending hours talking about everything. Katsuki, even though he struggled to understand his feelings, admitted that he'd been interested in me for a while, even if he didn't really know what it meant. I told him about my instant attraction, and how he was the reason I realised I wasn't straight. Under the stars, dressed in silly Halloween costumes, we'd laid ourselves bare to each other emotionally.

We hadn't done anything more than kissing in those months. Katsuki hadn't made a move, and I wasn't going to push him. He'd struggled to even come to terms with liking guys, so it was reasonable to expect him to want to take his time with that. I didn't mind too much; as long as I could be near him, I was happy.

Two months later, and it was getting harder to cover our tracks. I wanted him constantly, especially times when we were surrounded by people. It wasn't even necessarily passion, just a desire to give him a comforting touch or stand a little too close. Our spontaneous embraces during football had stopped, replaced with intense glances that spoke volumes about our desires. If anyone was paying attention, it was glaringly obvious that there was something between us. 

Nobody aside from Mina questioned us, though, until we were caught on a date during the winter break. I'd invited the blonde out for dinner, taking him to my favourite ramen place. While we were eating, a group of our peers entered, taking the table beside us. I recognised Kyoka and Denki - who seemed very excited to see us - along with three unfamiliar faces. 

One, a dark-haired boy with glasses and a stern expression, looked at our entangled hands with a surprised expression as he sat down at the table.

"Kirishima, Bakugo!" Denki said excitedly, waving at the two of us. "What are you guys doing here?"