(Completed) Press Play {Kiribaku YouTuber AU}

14

Oh hey, would you look at that, I'm not dead. I know, it's shocking. Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait...again. I was working on coming up with a plot outline for the rest of this book, and I think I've got the majority of it planned out now. The angst won't be all that bad, so you don't have to be too worried about getting your hearts broken. Maybe. I guess that just depends on you personally, hahaha. And in the meantime...the long-awaited update!

Kirishima didn't even bother to change clothes once he arrived back at his apartment, instead opting for collapsing into his bed and burying himself underneath the covers. He used his toes to kick off his shoes and rolled over, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to think of absolutely anything except for his conversation with his father. It was just like him to call at such a weird time in his life. He had enough to think about with Bakugo and the feelings he had for him without all those memories from the past coming back.

He didn't know for sure how long he laid there, focusing on remembering the names of all his high school teachers just to avoid thinking of anything else. He was just beginning to drift off to sleep when the shrill ringing of his phone startled him back to reality. He flinched, immediately thinking it was going to be his dad again, but when he dug the device out from his pocket and checked the caller ID, he was relieved to see that it was Bakugo.

He moved to tap the answer button but stopped with his thumb hovering just above it. Was he honestly ready to talk to Bakugo yet? He wasn't sure, and he didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him off after he'd worked up the courage to call him first. He frowned and quickly tapped the decline button before he could think better of it, turning down the volume and setting the phone down on his nightstand before tugging the blankets over his head.

"I'm sorry, Bakugo." He mumbled to himself, squeezing his eyes shut again. "I just can't do this right now."

~~~~~

Days passed, and Kirishima fell into a repetitive routine. Wake up in the morning, get ready for work, drive to work then head home, eat, record, sleep. He hardly looked at his phone more than a couple times the entire time, and when he did he usually out it down again, still not feeling up to responding to his messages.

The only part of his life that seemed to be going well was his YouTube channel, and even that was iffy. After word had gotten out that he was supporting Ground Zero, the haters began targeting him as well. For the most part, he ignored them, but occasionally there were one or two messages he received that really got under his skin. He would lay in bed, tossing and turning for hours, mulling over the exact words and phrases they'd used. Of course, deep down he knew they were all ridiculous and that none of it was true, but that didn't stop his mind from wandering to places it would've been much better off ignoring.

His new routine lasted about a week. Bakugo had yet to call or text him again since the first time, making Kirishima feel even worse about declining his original call. By Sunday, he was almost positive that Bakugo was so mad at him that he had decided to cut off all contact with him and never think about him again. Thankfully, that night, his thoughts were proved wrong.

Sunday night, after he had finished recording and editing a video for the next day, there was a knock on the door to his apartment. He yawned and checked the time. It was almost eleven-thirty at night. Who could possibly be visiting him so late? He decided to answer it anyway, not wanting to seem rude. So he rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes and headed for the door.

He opened it just wide enough to glance out and saw a mess of ash blond spiky hair that he immediately recognized. His heart jumped up into his throat, and all the fatigue left his body at once. "Bakugo?" He asked in surprise, opening the door the rest of the way. Sure enough, it was him. His hair was just the same as it always was; unruly and spiky in all directions. He wore a simple orange hoodie and jeans with black tennis shoes. He was carrying a plastic bag in one hand, and he wouldn't look up from the floor.

"What are you doing here?" His voice seemed dangerously unsteady. Come to think of it, Kirishima wasn't even sure he'd ever told Bakugo where he lived.

"I just wanted to see you." He shrugged his shoulders lamely and awkwardly lifted his head just enough to glance at him through his eyelashes. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure, of course." Still a little in shock, he stepped aside to allow Bakugo to enter. He did, setting the plastic bag down on the kitchen counter as he passed and then standing there beside it, looking like he felt out of place.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kirishima asked, heading for the fridge. "I've got tea, milk, lemonade--"

"I'm fine," He sighed heavily. "Thanks."

Kirishima nodded, closing the refrigerator door and taking a seat at the small round kitchen table. "So, how exactly did you find out where I lived? I don't remember telling you."

"I happened to run into that pink friend of yours. She told me where you lived."

"Mina told you?"

Bakugo nodded. "Yeah, she said you hadn't been talking to her or any other of your friends, so she asked if I would check on you in person. It wasn't like I had much else to do, so I said yes."

"She didn't...tell you anything else, did she?" Kirishima scratched at a small stain on the table. "Like the reason why I haven't been talking to them lately?"

Bakugo shook his head and Kirishima let out a breath of relief. He hadn't been entirely sure if she would tell anyone, what with how much she loved gossiping and all, but she'd kept his secrets after all. He was so glad to have someone as great as Mina as his friend.

"Is it because of me?" Bakugo blurted out after another few minutes.

"Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

"Is it because of me?" He repeated, stomping over to the table and leaning down until they were eye level. "Are you ignoring your friends because of what happened between us that night?"

"No! No no no, it's...it's not you. It's something else entirely, so...don't worry about that, okay?"

Bakugo didn't look entirely convinced, but he sighed and sank down into the chair across from him anyways. "Whatever. You don't have to tell me. I get it."

Kirishima instantly felt bad. He didn't want Bakugo to think he didn't trust him. It was just that he would much rather just forget about the whole thing, and telling Bakugo the story would be just the opposite of that. But Bakugo had done so much for him, and it had originally been him that helped him out during those hard times, even if he wasn't aware of it, so maybe he deserved to hear the truth more than anyone.

"Wait!" He shouted in a small panic as Bakugo started to get up and head for the door. Without thinking, he lurched to his feet and grabbed onto the back of his hoodie. He must have used more force than intended because Bakugo stumbled backwards from the unexpected force and ended up colliding with Kirishima's chest.

He felt his face heating up and they quickly parted. Kirishima sat back down while Bakugo remained standing, hands shoved in his pockets. "Uh, I'll explain i-if you want."

He scowled in silence for several seconds before sighing and sitting down again. "Go on, then. I'm listening."