I Still Like His Shitty Hair [Kiribaku]

I Never Stopped

For the second time in as many days, Katsuki found himself knocking on a door and holding his breath.

If Kirishima hadn't heard his knock, Bakugou was pretty sure he would have heard his heart beating wildly out of control. It was thrumming in his ears and he took a couple of deep breaths in an unsuccessful attempt to calm it down.

He heard Kirishima's telltale steps, surprisingly light for how built he was, approaching slowly.

Kirishima opened the door and even though he knew this moment would have to come eventually, he wasn't prepared for it and could only muster a nervous smile.

He knew Katsuki was only here to pick up his stuff and he needed to find the right words to make him stay and listen but he had yet to come up with them.

Bakugou's anxiety doubled when Kirishima gave him a weak smile and opened the door for him to come in. That damned smile, this watered down version did nothing to help his nerves. He probably wanted him out of his house as soon as he could.

Kirishima's eyes drifted toward the ground as Kat stepped past him but they caught on his wrist as he strode past. Why was he still wearing their bracelet? A glimmer of hope had his heart thumping against his ribs and he reached down to run his thumb against his own, sitting under the cuff of his shirt.

Bakugou turned back to face him as Kiri shut the door. He was closer than he had realised and all sorts of things were running through Kirishima's head but he still didn't know where to start.

He ran an anxious hand through his flat hair and let all the words that had been swirling around his head over the last few days come out.

"Kat, please listen to me, I never should have made you choose between me and being the best hero you could be. And I'm so sorry that I made you feel like you weren't worth it. You'll always be worth it. I never knew you felt that way and I'm so sorry that you did and had to deal with that all on your own." He took a breath but pushed on while he had the chance. "I can't let you leave again without you knowing how sorry I am and I-"

Bakugou's fingertip tracing under his chin cut off his nervous words and he tilted his head back up to face him.

"I'm coming home."

The words were spoken softly and Kirishima almost wasn't sure he'd heard them but the fierce honesty in Katsuki's eyes that he found there when he met his gaze told him he had heard exactly that. Everything else Kirishima had planned to say left him when those words registered and he snapped his mouth closed.

"I want you, Eijirou, more than anything else. I only ever wanted you, it just took me a while longer to realise." Kirishima watched his throat work as he swallowed before continuing, "I'm so fucking sorry. I never should have left you. You were never less important to me, I never should have made you feel like second best."

Kirishima could feel how sorry he was through his anguished tone. "Kat, you shouldn't have to apologise for having dreams."

"Red, I need you to hear me out," he took a deep breath as Kirishima closed his mouth. "Life is so fucking short, Eijirou, especially for a hero. And so many people don't realise that so they waste their lives. But I don't have time to live a life with regrets."

Katsuki's speech about regrets triggered a memory and Kirishima spoke quietly, "Remember when I was hurt real bad on my work study as a first year?"

Bakugou nodded.

"I realised then that even though I'd confronted plenty of scary stuff so far, the one thing that scared me more than anything was going back to how I used to be. That's why I never wanna regret anything ever again." He tentatively reached out his hand to Bakugou and grasped his fingers. "If I just let you go, there wouldn't be a single day that I didn't regret that decision."

"Come home, or don't, but do it because that's what's right for you." Kirishima's voice was still soft but it held a harder edge when he continued, "As much as I don't want to have regrets, I don't want you to have them either. I don't want you to resent me later for stopping you from achieving everything you ever wanted."

"You are what's right for me, love."

When Kirishima looked up at him, Bakugou's eyes were sparkling with hope and love.
"I could never resent you, Eijirou, but thank you. You're always too good to me, too understanding. But I know what I want, what you want. What we both deserve. Give me one month and I'll be back. For good. With you, if you'll have me." His voice had grown quiet and nervous at the end, so very un-Katsuki like and it made Kirishima smile.

A smile broke across Kirishima's face then but it wasn't his full on toothy grin that he showed the world, this one was one only Bakugou got to see. Soft and full of love and it made Bakugou's heart melt. He found himself returning it without even realising.

Kirishima tugged Bakugou's hand so he had to step closer to him, his voice was soft and thick when he spoke close to his ear, "You mean here, when you say home?"

"No," a crease formed between Eijirou's brows but it melted back into his smile at the rest of his words. "Where ever you are, Eijirou. That's home."

Bakugou heard his breath catch and pulled back to face him, seeing the glimmer in his crimson eyes.

"Can I tell you I love you now?" Kirishima asked teasingly as his soft smile took on a crooked edge when he looked back into Katsuki's scarlet eyes.

Bakugou gripped Kirishima's shirt and pulled him flush against him. "Fuck I love you, Red," he said against his lips before claiming them in a searing kiss. When he finally broke away, he rest his forehead against Eijirou's and whispered, "I never stopped."

Kirishima swallowed the lump in his throat that the words had dragged up, "I love you too, Kat. You know I always will."