Archive of Our Own

It was already late when Shouto entered his father's agency - or should he say his current workplace? Somehow, he still wasn't sure, even though he had been here for more than a year. He was still undecided if it had been a good idea to accept his father's offer. But Endeavour definitely offered him interesting tasks and areas of work that were hard to come by as a rookie. So he took it.

Midoriya stepped through the door behind him. The wind made his green locks even wilder.

"I'm glad we were able to secure this so quickly. Before more damage was done or it got completely out of hand," he said with a huff. "I don't understand why some people have to be like that, you know?"

"Are you still trying to understand villains?" Shouto asked back. Midoriya shrugged.

"I wouldn't necessarily call the man a villain, but it definitely went too far for a Halloween joke. Ah– Speaking of. Did you read Kirishima's message?"

"Which one exactly?"

"In the group chat. He wants to celebrate Halloween today at his parents' summer house. With a bonfire and everything! Just like in America! You're coming, right?"

Shouto looked indecisively at the basket of candy he wanted to bring to the lab. "I don't know. I think I've had enough of Halloween already."

After a long day at work, he longed for his couch, a hot cup of green tea, and an old movie he had already seen four times. Autumn wasn't his favorite season. The only thing that cheered him up right now was the fact that it was yellow and red outside instead of wet and gray.

"But there will be candy and the campfire will be nice! Mina said she'd bring marshmallows and I think Kaminari wanted to get something harder, too, and Hanta wanted to fire up the grill," Midoriya continued, trying his best. "And the others all said yes! Well, all except Kacchan. But he might still show up–"

"Hah?" as if summoned, Bakugou stomped into their path and let his piercing gaze wander over them.

Speak of the devil, Shouto thought.

"What do you want, you little nerd?" Bakugou paused to look at them and snorted disdainfully. "Were you trick-or-treating or what, you losers?"

"We were working," Shouto explained without answering the insult.

He took out one of the sweets - a small candy cane - and held it out to the blond. It was impressive what was in those things.

"Hah! That looks like you!"

Somehow, he knew that Bakugou would say that. The resemblance was really striking.

"How original," he muttered unimpressed. "Those are–"

"I don't care what they are. I'm hungry!"

Bakugou quickly grabbed the candy and popped it into his mouth. He chewed vigorously, as if it had insulted him personally, before swallowing it.

"– Quirk-influenced candy..." Shouto finished late and a little alarmed. But equally impressed that Bakugou had swallowed the candy in one go.

Midoriya made a choking sound next to him, as if his spirit had left his body, while Bakugou frowned.

"Hah?!"

"Um...", Shouto replied lost. This was not the outcome he had in mind.

Midoriya seemed to have regained his speech and also looked at his friend worriedly. "That... those were quirk-influenced sweets we confiscated earlier... You shouldn't have eaten them, Kacchan!"

Now, the blond didn't seem so calm either. Not that he was ever really calm.

"...What kind of quirk?"

"Well, it depends..." Midoriya hesitated. Shouto decided to speed things up.

"These are feelings or moods wrapped in candy. They can make you feel things or do things..."

"Like telling you that you look breathtakingly beautiful, Icyhot?"

Eh –

"What?"

"What?!" Bakugou's face immediately flushed, and he took a step back, startled by what had come out of his mouth.

Shouto looked at him confused.

Midoriya gasped.

"Kaachan?"

"Fuck, that was NOT what I wanted to say! What the hell did you give me?"

Shouto looked at his basket with a pensive expression. "I didn't give you anything, you snatched it out of my hand... are you okay?"

"No, because you're not holding my hand like you're supposed to– AH, fuck!" He slapped his hands over his mouth.

Shouto tilted his head.

"Well, that's bad," he commented dryly.

The quirk seemed to have kicked in already, or Bakugou had casually decided to compliment Shouto. Which was rather unlikely, even if he didn't hate him as much as he used to after everything that had happened. At least, Shouto assumed that he didn't hate him anymore. Their common mission and training sessions didn't signal that.

Midoriya decided to intervene.

"Kacchan, the candy can affect... well, everything that has to do with emotions. Maybe it was a... flirt candy?" He was met with a scowl. Luckily for Midoriya, he had learned by now how to resist it and not sink into the ground and die on the spot.

"Maybe we should get you to the hospital?" Shouto suggested.

"Maybe you should ask me to marry you?" came back promptly before the blond put his hands over his mouth again. "Fuck, no! Fucking shit! What the hell?! That was absolutely not what I wanted to say!"

Shouto looked at his friend helplessly, but Midoriya just looked as if he couldn't decide whether to have a heart attack or a fit of laughter, before he stammered to himself, "Sounds good, well, the hospital thing, not the marriage thing. But- I... uhm, support that, of course!"

Through clenched teeth, the blonde replied with something that sounded very much like 'fuck you'. Shouto could imagine how little he liked that now... but no one had forced him to eat the candy.

"Let's go," he decided.

"I love it when you're bossy like that – Mhm! – ARGH!"

A visit to the hospital was definitely a good idea. Not that Bakugou was going to burst a major artery... even though... if he was honest, he found that kind of entertaining.

Seeing Bakugou like that, of all people. Blushing and looking embarrassed, he tried to hide behind the anger, but failed miserably. This was a new kind of Bakugou and Shouto didn't know how to deal with it yet.

-

Inside the car, the blond threw himself onto the seat and folded his arms across his chest after turning up the radio. Probably as a clear sign that they shouldn't talk. That was fine with Shouto. He didn't like small talk and he knew from his own experience that Bakugou couldn't make one to save his life. In that way, they were very similar.

Most of the conversations between them remained on a professional basis, or were an invitation to a training session, with feedback afterwards. Sometimes.

Sometimes, Bakugou would just throw something less than heroic at him, if the fight was too lax for him or if he felt that he didn't get Shouto's full attention, even though he deserved it.

Sometimes, Shouto wondered if the other had a masochistic streak and just wanted to be beaten up... not that he would condemn that. He just wanted to know if he was being exploited for such purposes.

The ride to the hospital usually took no longer than ten minutes, but it was rush hour, so Shouto had been standing at a traffic light for over five minutes and decided to turn down the music.

"Are you okay so far?" he asked.

"You're still not holding my hand, so no– Hah… fucking hell! Don't talk to me!"

Shouto snorted in amusement. Did Bakugou really want to hold hands with him?

"Don't laugh! Even though your stupid laugh is really nice. – Oh, please let me die, great god!"

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"I'll take it anyway."

"Hmph!"

It turned green and they finally made it off the main road. A few streets down, Shouto got a little curious.

"Do you think you're saying all this because you really think it or because the Quirk makes you?"

Bakugou gave him a dirty look.

"Then you don't want to hold my hand?"

"Yes, I do– not!" Bakugou looked as if he wanted to disappear into his seat. "Stop it! Don't ask me anything! Just drive and shut up! I don't want your damn hand!"

With a smile on his face, Shouto turned into the hospital's parking garage and parked the car. Then he accompanied Bakugou, who walked beside him, extremely embarrassed and very reluctant.

In front of the doctor's office, however, he pushed him away and slammed the door behind him. "You stay outside!"

Shouto sat down in the waiting room and took out his cell phone. The group chat was already showing pictures of the Kirishima's decorated garden and a pile of wood ready to be lit. As far as Shouto knew, his parents' summer house was a little further out of town, with a small lake and a large forest nearby.

Kirishima had once shown him pictures and said he'd like to have a party there when they finished school.

'Got us the good stuff,' Kaminari wrote, attaching a picture of an absurd amount of liquor bottles.

'Got marshmallows and wine! And me! :D'

'Uhh! Are you coming dressed up?

'Of course!!! :DD Otherwise Momo can make us something?'

'I'll come later :( But I have a costume!'

'I can definitely make us something :)'

Maybe he should go to the party. After all, they didn't get together as often as they used to. Now that they had gotten a foothold in the hero business, they had their hands full. His overtime was piling up and things weren't looking any better for the others. He didn't mind. But Midoriya was right. He should get out more often and what did he call it? Socializing.

And a campfire with marshmallows and wine didn't sound bad.

But first, he had to solve the Bakugou problem. He still had no idea how to deal with Bakugou saying all those things to him...

The problem in question stomped out of the room, followed by a desperate doctor. "Wait Dynamight-san!"

His eyes fell on Shouto. "You!" he hissed. "This is your damn fault! Don't look at me like that! Your pretty face won't help you either!"

Shouto quickly stood up and came closer. Meanwhile, Bakugou threw himself onto one of the chairs and snorted contemptuously.

"I'm here as an accompaniment," Shouto began. "Did something happen?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and sighed, "No."

"That idiot is incompetent," the blond grumbled.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean that," Shouto said to repair the damage.

"Yes, I do!"

"Well, okay, he does," he corrected, looking apologetically into the doctor's face. "He's not going to die, is he?"

"No. The quirk is well known. It's a temporary phenomenon and rather harmless. I say 'rather' because it depends very much on the circumstances. The sweets themselves are not dangerous and do not cause any damage to the body, only... Of course, the results will vary depending on which candy was eaten. It would be good if he were under observation today."

Shouto looked in Bakugou's direction once more before turning back to the doctor.

"When will it wear off?"

"The police told me that the effects wear off within a few hours. A day at most."

Shouto nodded. "Good." He looked at the blond again. "Then I'll keep an eye on him until then."

"I'd rather have you kiss me! ARGH!" he angrily kicked a chair away before jumping up and stomping off. "Fuck!"

The doctor looked exhausted and Shouto decided to put him out of his misery. He could take care of Bakugou, he wouldn't mind.

"Thank you."

On his way back to the car, he had to stop Bakugou from running away. He grabbed his hand and pulled him into the elevator before he could jump out the window.

"Bakugou."

"Shouto."

He raised an eyebrow when Bakugou bit his lips. "That's new."

"It might become a habit if you give me– Mhmpf!"

The elevator beeped and Bakugou stomped out of the door, growling before it was fully open, and headed for the car. Shouto unlocked it and got behind the wheel, the blond slamming the door behind him and looking grumpy out the window.

"Do you want to go home or are we going to Kirishima?"

"Wherever you want to take me, pretty boy." Sighing, he slapped his hand across his face and began to rub his eyes. "I swear to God, I just want your hand – ARGH! To die! I just want to die! I don't want your fucking hand!"

Shouto tried to pay little attention to the outburst, but he couldn't help but find it quite amusing. What would happen if he held Bakugou's hand?

"I can hold your hand if you want?" he offered, but the blond just snorted in disgust. Shouto shrugged. Or not. "The doctor said you need to be watched. So home?"

"Yes. I could show you my collection of sex toys–sssss," he bit his tongue hard.

"Um..." he ran his hands over the steering wheel. "Tempting offer, but I think we'd better visit Kirishima."

"Whatever..." Bakugou grumbled back with a lisp, sinking into his seat in shame. Who would have thought that Bakugou would ever be embarrassed by anything. Then again, he would be reluctant to talk about his sex toy collection, if he had one.

"Can you write in the group that we are leaving now?"

"If you ask me to marry you–" Annoyed, Bakugou began to pound his forehead against the window pane. "Fucking. Shit. Man, what a load of shit. Fucking fucked up candy!"

After watching for a moment, Shouto put his hand on his shoulder.

"Bakugou," he began until the other one turned to him and looked at him questioningly. His forehead was flushed and his lips were now completely chewed. Shouto suppressed the impulse to run his thumbs over them. "I'm sure you don't really want to marry me, but I really appreciate it."

"Yes, I do – no! I don't!" Snorting, he pushed Shouto's hand away. "Just drive."

"I'll stop by the agency, then we can change," Shouto began. "Mina wanted us all to be in costume, but I think we can do without, right?"

"Mhm."

"I might be able to... wait..." he let his quirk work. A small horn of fire and one of ice grew out of his forehead. "What do you think of that?"

Bakugou looked surprised before he snorted in amusement.

"Is that your way to impress men?"

This made Shouto laugh softly.

"Does it work?"

"Yeah– No!" Bakugou slapped his hand to his forehead before muttering. "Only idiots like cheap tricks like that!"

Still amused, Shouto made the horns disappear.

He couldn't really imagine what kind of costume Bakugou would wear. At school, Midoriya had once shown him photos of them as children. He had worn a bed sheet that was supposed to represent a ghost, and Bakugou had wolf ears and a furry tail. But now, the idea seemed strange to him. Bakugou didn't seem like someone who liked to wear funny costumes or was interested in cosplay.

"Would you like to wear a costume?" he asked.

"I would wear anything for you – Hmph! If you ask me anything again, I'll blow you the fuck up!"

The threat sounded realistic enough to make Shouto keep his mouth shut.

At the agency, they swapped their uniforms for casual clothes and picked up Midoriya, who had already written the report for them. The ride was uneventful after Bakugou slipped wordlessly into the back seat and Midoriya provided topics of conversation.

-

A short time later, they reached their destination.

The Kirishima's summer house, built in the traditional Japanese style, was surrounded by red maple trees, making it the perfect place to celebrate Halloween. A large arch adorned the entrance.

It reminded him a little of his father's house when he was growing up. Only less... big. And a little darker.

Decorated with Halloween decorations, spider webs and large pumpkins with candles flickering inside.

There were lanterns on the small stone path leading to the front door, lighting the way in a sweet but spooky way.

"Woohoooo!!!" they heard after getting out of the car. "Ohhh, Todoroki! And Kats! Izuku!" Kirishima was really happy and hugged each of them before they could escape. His face was painted like a skull and he wore a matching ribbed top with the sleeves cut off. "Ey, yo! I heard there was an accident?"

"Bakugou ate one of the emotion candies," Midoriya explained before he could intervene, while Shouto shrugged. "We arrested the man who was handing out the candy, but... well." He looked meaningfully in Bakugou's direction. They didn't need to see the dark, terrifying aura coming from the blond to feel it. "I'll let the others know before there are any misunderstandings. Bakugou is saying some very questionable things."

The blond snarled and gave Shouto a dark look.

"Don't look at me like that. It's your own fault."

"I look at you the way I want to because you have such a damn pretty face!"

Kirishima looked back and forth between them, confused. "Were those the questionable things already, or did I miss something?"

"If Bakugou hadn't developed feelings for me on the way here, it must be the candy," he replied, earning a murderous glare.

Kirishima frowned. "What kind of candy was it?"

"Midoriya said it was a flirty candy, but so far it's only affecting me."

"Because you're fucking hot– Mmmpf!" Bakugou looked like he wanted to slap and then strangle himself.

"I see," the redhead replied unconcernedly before he began to grin broadly. "This is going to be great! Get in there! Almost everyone else is already here! And I've got sleeping arrangements for everyone, so we'll have a big pajama party tonight!"

"I didn't bring any pajamas," Shouto interjected. Kishima waved his hand dismissively.

"That's no problem, man. Momo will make us some. I've already sent her a text message that I want a dinosaur onesie! And ah– we were waiting for you with the fire, of course, Roki! The marshmallows are ready! The beer too!"

"God, I need that," Bakugou grumbled. "And then I'm going to drown myself in the lake."

"Please don't do that," Shouto said, and Bakugou turned to him.

"Only if you– ", he managed to stop. He snorted with tight lips and walked away before he could finish his sentence. But not without giving him an angry look.

Kirishima laughed amusedly. "I see he's thrilled about it. This is definitely going to be fun! By the way, I'm glad you came after all! I thought you were going to cancel."

Well, he probably would have. But now that Kirishima was grinning at him so warmly, he actually felt a little bad for even considering it.

"Thanks for the invitation."

"I was only in the USA for a month, but honestly, man, I'm really hyped! Not because it was so great there, definitely not – you rarely see such hardboiled criminals. Even the grandmas are armed, it's fucking crazy. Every week there's a school shooting. Really fucked up shit if you ask me. They should really rethink their gun laws. But Halloween, man! That's the shit!"

"Glad to hear you had a good time?" He wasn't sure if you could call it that, but the redhead seemed enthusiastic enough.

"Well, I was glad I got a fucking hardening quirk, man! By the way, do you have a costume?"

"No, but I could improvise?"

Shouto repeated his little trick from the car, only Kirishima, unlike Bakugou, reacted with total fascination. "Woah! That's the coolest thing you've ever done! Well, except for the fact that you once froze an entire street and houses and, uh, well, saving people!"

"I spent a long time on it," he explained with a smile. Shouto had confirmation that it did impress men, Bakugou had no taste.

Kirishima led him through the house and into the garden. Here, there were even more decorations. Skeletons, skulls and even more spider webs. Music played and...

A small crowd gathered around Bakugou.

"You ate the candy willingly? Are you fucking stupid?"

"I didn't know it was that kind of fucking candy, you idiot!"

Oh, no. This would not end well. Bakugou was already pissed. A little more and he would simply blow up this house, garden and forest.

"And now... What kind was that exactly?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know, huh?!"

Mina looked at him curiously, leaning forward as if she wanted to tell him a secret. "But not a sex thing, right? Because I got hit by sex pollen once, it was really intense, I tell you."

"Are you sexually aroused?" asked Asui of all people, in whom Shouto had hoped until a moment ago, but the beer in her hand had probably already reached her brain.

"Not yet! Ahh– fuck. Go away and leave me alone or I'll drown you all in the damn lake!"

"Not yet?"

"I'm still waiting for Icyhot– Hnngh– !"

Oh dear...

Shouto decided to intervene and stood next to the blond, putting his arm protectively around his shoulders. "Bakugou is not quite in control of himself right now. Let's not take advantage of the situation, okay?"

"I wouldn't mind if you took advantage of me."

For about three seconds, there was complete silence. Then Kaminari screamed like a banshee, and Bakugou slapped Shouto's arm away before stomping off, furious and with bright red ears.

"Oh my fucking god, you didn't say that!" Kaminari yelled after him, tired of living.

"Die!"

Mina squealed. "Oh God, it's a sex thing, isn't it?"

"I don't think so," Midoriya tried, but the others could hardly be stopped.

Maybe he should have taken him home.

No, he was better off here. He just had to make sure that the blond didn't drown himself or blow anyone up.

Kaminari put his arm around Shouto's shoulders and wiggled his eyebrows. Meanwhile, he nonchalantly pressed a beer into his hand. "Damn, that must be wild."

"A little."

"That Blasty is flirting with you, or whatever that is! I'm sure his real way of flirting is quite different. Not that I've ever seen him flirt..." he put his fingers to his chin thoughtfully and mumbled something. "All he ever talks about is wanting to be number one. Doesn't seem to have much time for flirting."

"I don't think he means that, Kaminari." He took his first sip of beer. Hmm. Bitter, but it would help him find his social streak.

"Oh, I don't care if he means it or not. It's absolutely fantastic!"

Mina joined them and raised her glass to him. She was wearing jeans overalls and a striped top. "I agree with you! A bit of affectionate bullying never hurt anyone. He can take it, don't worry!"

"Mhm..."

"Besides, we're playing truth or dare today, and then it's over anyway! I'm going to have a great time today!"

"Truth or dare?" asked Hanta as he came by. He was holding a tray with lots of food for the barbecue. "How old are you? Twelve?"

"Twenty-two!" Mina announced with a proud grin, while Shouto thought about the last time he had played this. It must have been their second or third year at school. "Or do you prefer Seven Minutes in Heaven, huh?"

Kirishima squeezed in between them. "There's won’t be any fucking in my parents' closet here, got it!?"

"Oaah! You killjoy!"

"Besides, Blasty and Shou have already been in the closet once, and then I had to buy some new clothes because someone thought that explosions would be the best way to make a point!"

Shouto laughed quietly. "I'm still terribly sorry about that."

"What did you do to him back then to piss him off like that?" Kaminari asked curiously. In passing, he subtly but successfully urged him to take another sip of beer.

Shouto shrugged.

"I existed?"

The others began to laugh. "Okay, okay, that was probably enough!"

"Maybe I should go check on him," he mused aloud.

"Can you light the campfire while you're at it? That would be really great!" Kirishima gave him a manly kiss hand and then clinked glasses with him before Shouto went to the woodpile.

Without further ado, he lit a small fire and placed it on the logs. That should be enough.

Bakugou sat on a garden chair and stared gloomily at the woodpile. Jiro sat next to him and talked about something. He didn't really seem to be interested.

"Would you like a drink, Bakugou?"

"I'd rather suck your dick–"

Jiro gasped loudly. Bakugou seemed less pleased and growled.

"Fuck, Icy-fucking-hot. Do you want to die?"

"No, I thought I could bring you something, but your idea isn't bad either."

"You can bring me to a fucking orgasm!"

Shouto raised his eyebrow while Jiro looked like she was choking. "I'll bring you a beer. We can talk about the orgasm later on."

"Go and die!"

"Like a fucking fanfiction... Enemies to Lovers," the girl muttered, getting a dirty look. "This is the best day of my life!"

"What the hell, you fucking freak!"

"Shut up, Bakugou, let me enjoy my fantasy!"

"I thought you were normal! What a fucking disappointment!"

"I don't care what you think - I can die happy, haahhh!"

Not knowing what to say, Shouto decided to just get Bakugou a beer. At the table, where all the food was placed, he took a bottle. Hm, bottle opener...? Ochako handed him one. She wore a witch's hat with little pumpkins on it, a short dress and black and orange striped tights. She had painted a wobbly spider on her cheek.

"Do I want to know why Blondi is trying to strangle Jiro?"

Shouto shook his head without looking. "Better not."

"What happened to him? It really is a sex candy, isn't it?" Curiously, she looked in the direction of Bakugou and Jiro, who were now screaming at each other.

"No. Well – I guess not? He just says very explicit things, that's all."

"Then it's almost normal," she commented and took a big gulp of whatever was in her cup. He didn't want to ask. Ochako's drinks were usually deadly. "Is everything else okay with you?"

"Sure. I'm getting an unexpected amount of compliments from Bakugou."

She grinned. "Could be worse, actually. Yesterday, I stepped on a slime monster that etched my shoes, so I'd rather take questionable compliments from Bakugou – Ah, there's Momo!" she suddenly called, leaving him to greet Momo.

Shinsou followed behind Momo and the whole garden slowly filled up.

Kirishima greeted everyone and Kaminari made sure that everyone had something to drink. Then the grill was lit and Hanta did his best to serve them food. Bakugou usually took care of this task because he didn't think the others could handle anything, especially food, but today he remained stubbornly seated in his garden chair and glared at anyone who dared approach him.

Eventually, everyone was spread out on chairs and blankets around the fire. It wasn't cold, the autumn in Japan was too mild for that, but the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.

"Guys! It's time for a drinking game!" Mina announced. She held up her phone for effect. "I've got a great new game app!"

"It's only going to come up with naughty things anyway!" Hanta interjected. "I don't even want to know when was the last time someone here had an orgy!"

"Shut up! You're just cranky because you're a virgin!" she shot back.

"I'm not a virgin! I have a girlfriend!"

"Who isn't here to prove that she exists."

Hanta rolled his eyes.

"I'll add all of us. Bakugou, are you going to play or are you going to sulk?"

"I'd rather play with Todoroki's dick– Mhm!" He sat a little apart, but that didn't stop him from almost killing her with his look, while the others started to giggle. "— Don't fucking talk to me!"

Then his hand was back in front of his mouth and the scowl was back on his face.

"Damn, that's an announcement!" Mina replied impassively. "Okay, Todoroki, do you want to play with us or with Bakugou?"

"Difficult decision," Shouto said.

"Hmph! Stop playing into it, Icyhot! It's not funny!"

"I think it's pretty funny," Mina admitted as she entered the names of the other players into the app.

"Fuck you, Mina," the blonde grumbled before turning away and emptying his beer.

"Maybe later. So, Todoroki, Shinsou?"

"Fine by me."

"Sure."

Shouto looked in Bakugou's direction. Usually, Bakugou was loud and unapologetically himself at such gatherings, but today, he sat sulking in the corner, trying to hide his shame and looking somehow inappropriately adorable to him.

"Fantastic! - Okay, does everyone have a drink?" Mina said and started the game.

The first rounds were easy and harmless. Ochako had to tell about her worst date, Mina held Asui's hand for five rounds and Midoriya easily did a handstand after choosing 'Dare'.

"Aww, Bakugou! Truth or dare?"

"Neither," he grumbled back, his hand already over his mouth. Probably for safety.

How did it feel not to be in control of oneself? Shouto could only imagine.

"So, truth," she chose. "Who was your first crush?"

He snorted.

"Aizawa, who else?" It didn't seem as if the quirk had made him say that. Aizawa... interesting.

"Aizawa?" Midoriya gasped.

Snorting, Bakugou turned around, his tone as harsh as ever.

"Don't look so surprised, half of the class has been lusting after him! Besides, you have nothing to say, you nerd! Your crush was fucking All Might! Little size queen."

"Kaachan!"

"Yes, buuuut," Jiro said in a drawn-out voice, ignoring the fact that Midoriya had just lost all color. "I didn't know you were gay?"

"I'm not. What do I care about the fucking gender? It's just that I'm really into — Mhmm— Fucking hell!" he slumped back in his chair, annoyed. "I need alcohol to get through this."

Automatically, Kaminari handed him a shot and a bottle of beer out of nowhere.

"Come on, here's to whatever 'mhmm' is!" Grinning happily, he toasted him. "And to your coming out! It's about time!"

"Fuck you, that wasn't a coming out! That was a fact, just like — mhmm!" He hastily tipped the shot into his mouth before he could say something that probably shouldn't come out.

"Man, that looks really exhausting," Kirishima commented a little worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Icyhot's still not holding my—Mh!"

"Your dick?" Kaminari offered.

"My hand, you idiot!" The blonde reflexively dodged the following fist, but fell backwards with a swing and landed laughing in a pile of red leaves.

"Okay, okay, enough Baku bullying! Can someone help Denki up? Eh— Todoroki! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Oh! That's a really good one: How to win your heart?"

"I'd be interested in that, too," Bakugou grumbled before he could stop himself.

"Me too," Ochako and Kaminari agreed, laughing like little children.

"Come on, Mr. Ice Prince, tell us how to win your heart!" Mina demanded. "Do you need long black hair and a beard for that?"

This drew a smile from Shouto, then he looked at Bakugou. "Probably a spontaneous proposal will do just fine."

"Do you want to mar—rrr— mhpf!" An angry glare hit him, then the blond jumped up before Kaminari pulled him back down. "You won't live to see tomorrow, Icyhot!"

The threat sounded serious, but...

"I can't marry you if you strangle me in the night."

"I— mhm— hate you, fucking hell!"

"Relationship crisis," Ochako muttered into her cup.

"Well, I'll drink to that," Mina said and downed a shot. Then she continued the game. "Asui!"

The following rounds were more civilized, although the drinking hardly slowed down.

Momo made some more props and handed them out to everyone. During a round of 'Dare', Bakugou had to put on a pair of cat ears, which, to everyone's surprise, he didn't immediately blow up. If you leave me alone,' was his curt reply after two more shots. He looked cute. His cheeks were flushed, his hand pressed to his mouth as he stared into the fire.

If Shouto was honest, he would miss the quirk.

"Ouhh, Todoroki! You're taking dare! I've decided — whisper something in the ear of the person who was before you."

"That's not what it says!" Bakugou protested when he realized that he was that person. Mina shrugged and showed him her phone.

"Yes, it is, in black and white."

"You— ! Fuck, Icyhot— I- I swear on everything…"

"I'll be nice, I promise."

To avoid answering, Bakugou covered his mouth and almost choked to death, but Shouto refused to stop. He probably had the alcohol to thank for that. Maybe.

He rose and stood behind Bakugou. He put his hands on his broad shoulders and felt the blond stop breathing. Slowly, he leaned over the blond until his lips briefly brushed Bakugou's ear.

He could feel that everyone was watching him. He could be wrong, but he could have heard the shutter of a camera.

Bakugou smelled good. A little sweet.

He felt him breathe out shakily.

Hm... there was exactly one question on his lips...

"Of all the things you said today, is any of it true?" he asked in a whisper.

A second passed, then two. Then he heard Bakugou speak softly. "Everything..."

— he shouted before elbowing Shouto in the stomach. Ouch. "You fucking... Hmph! I hate you, you— Mhm!"

Then he jumped up and looked angrily in Shouto's direction. But it wasn't just anger. "I've had enough! Fuck you and your fucking game!"

Furiously, he knocked over Kaminari's chair when he dared to laugh and stomped off.

"Where are you going?" Shouto called after him.

"I'm trying to save my dignity!" he threw the terrace door shut. "Fuck you!"

Mina shrugged. "Not that there was much of it to begin with, but I'll drink to that!"

Kaminari got up from the ground. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing bad," Shouto replied. "But I think I should check on him," Bakugou followed him into the house.

He didn't want to hurt Bakugou, he just wanted to — well...

"Bakugou?" he asked into the house, but there was no answer.

On the couch, however, he quickly recognized a mop of blond hair and the angry snort could not be ignored. "Hey, I'm sorry. That was... mean. I shouldn't have said that."

The blonde covered her mouth. Apparently, the Quirk was too talkative for his taste. He mumbled something that sounded like 'go away'.

Instead of going away, he sat down next to Bakugou, who looked at him grimly. The effect would probably be better if he didn't still have the cat ears.

"I know you don't want to say any of this," he tried to be conciliatory.

"I do— Not!" he growled as Shouto smirked. "The fucking Quirk is fucking shit and you're not making it any better with your fucking jokes! You think you're funny?"

"I know, I'm sorry...", it was just that he couldn't help himself...

"Fuck me— you! Not me! Damn it!" He really seemed to get more and more frustrated with the whole situation.

Shouto looked at him sympathetically before he sighed.

"I can... I can hold your hand if you want?"

"Finally— No!" he growled, deep red eyes staring at him. Bakugou now looked more desperate than angry. "Just go away, Icyhot. This isn't funny! This is fucking shit!"

"Too bad," Shouto admitted quietly, looking sheepishly into Bakugou's face. "Because... I would like to hold your hand...?"

"You—?" Stunned, he remained in an almost frozen pose before stirring again after a moment and pushing Shouto. "This isn't funny!" The tips of his ears flushed.

"I'm not joking... Do you want to hold my hand?" Shouto asked again.

"Yes— no! Fuck! What the fuck, Icyhot! Cut the shit!"

"You're really sending mixed signals..."

"Mixed like your pretty hair—hn! I- mhm! I'll end you!"

Shouto dodged the fist. "Fuck you!" He caught the next one and pulled the blond towards him. His forehead bumped against Shouto's shoulder. He heard him groan loudly as he held his position. "I fucking hate you..."

"Doesn't seem like it."

Bakugou's hand clawed at Shouto's top.

"Because— mhm... fuck you."

Shouto laughed softly, then let Bakugou sit up and move away.

The blond looked cute.

Adorable in his own way. Embarrassed and angry.

And then Shouto decided to say what he had suspected all along.

"It's not a flirting thing, is it? It's more of a bluntness quirk, don't you think?"

Bakugou said nothing, just looked at Shouto with a snarl.

"Do you like me?"

"Hmpf—!"

"So... you don't want me to hold your hand, to kiss you?"

"Yes— no! No, I don't want to! Don't imagine anything! You're not that great!"

He seemed to get smaller and smaller. Maybe he was wrong...

But maybe he wasn’t. He needed to know.

"I would... like to hold your hand."

Shouto handed it to him and left it open on Bakugou's knee.

A few seconds passed, during which the blond only looked grimly into his eyes. His gaze wandered indecisively between his face and the open hand.

Maybe Shouto was just imagining it, but it seemed to him that Bakugou's cheeks had become even redder, if that was possible. He was cute...

Bakugou didn't take his hand, so Shouto just flipped it over and ran it up Bakugou's knee, slid it firmly over his thigh and leaned towards him. That felt good...

He dared to place the other hand on Bakugou's cheek and then slid it gently into the back of his neck. His voice was calm, for the fact that his heart was beating so loud. "If you don't like it, say something..."

Gently, he pulled him close and slowly closed his eyes.

Then their lips touched.

It was less magical than in the movies, but it felt good.

Bakugou felt good.

His lips were warm and tasted a little of the caramel liqueur he had drunk earlier.

Shouto expected to be pushed away at any moment.

Instead, Bakugou sighed into the kiss and gave up any remaining resistance as he tilted his head to return the kiss.

Shouto's heart beat faster.

He gently caressed the blond hair at the back of Bakugou's neck, trying not to apply too much pressure, before pulling away after a moment and looking into Bakugou's eyes.

Bakugou said nothing at first. He just bit his lips. His cheeks were red.

"I- "

"If this is just a joke, Icyhot, I will fucking kill you," it was a quiet threat, in a hushed voice, but a threat nonetheless.

Snorting, Shouto sat back.

"My kiss was honest... actually, just like everything else I've said to you today," he replied sincerely. It was a fact that he liked Bakugou more than he should. Until now, he just hadn't expected Bakugou to feel the same way...

Bakugou's gaze bored into him until it suddenly darted behind him and he instantly stiffened.

"Oh— you fucking freaks!" he growled.

Shouto turned to find their friends clinging to the window pane. Kirishima was grinning and waving a small pride flag. Ochako held up her cell phone and filmed them. Kaminari made a heart with his hand that looked more like a potato.

"You picked a great time to do this, Icyhot."

Bakugou sat up, but Shouto grabbed his wrist.

"Wait."

"What, wanna kiss me again or what?"

Shouto bit his lips before he asked. He actually did. But there was something else. "So… do you want to marry me and have sex in the back of my father's car?"

The blond looked at him, not amused, before snorting.

"Maybe. But you can take me to dinner first. Or whatever."

"We had dinner last week. I paid."

The blond frowned. "We ate chicken wings at the Shinjuku Park Tower on our fucking lunch break. Is that your idea of a date?"

"That counts."

Bakugou gave him a look before relenting. "Fine, okay. Then that counts, but it doesn't change the fact that you..." He gestured with his head towards the windows and their so called friends. "Put on a damn show for the extras. Asshole."

Shouto had no regrets. "I thought I'd take my chance right away, before you change your mind... so... do you want to hold my hand now?"

"Hmpf— maybe."

Shouto pulled him close again and looked at him. "By the way... you look really cute and adorable with those cat ears."

Bakugou frowned — "Fucking— Argh!" He grabbed his head and pulled his ears down. "I'm going to kill you all!"

-

Later, when some of them had gone to bed, they sat around the campfire and Bakugou reached for his hand without saying a word. That was nice.

Shouto squeezed it a little tighter. Bakugou didn't look at him, but stubbornly kept his eyes on his stick with a marshmallow on it. Cute...

"Not to say anything, but the candy villain deserves a thank-you card," Kirishima said when he noticed their hands.

Shouto hmm-ed.

He was right...

"I'll send him one."