"The hell're you staring at?"

Eijirou blinked at Bakugou, at the piercing red eyes that were now on him. He watched a frown settle on Bakugou's face.

The two of them were on the floor with their backs against Eijirou's bed, drafting an outline for their history essays on the evolution of policies and regulations regarding public quirk use. At least, that's what they were supposed to be doing, but as Eijirou pulled his gaze away from Bakugou and to his notebook, a mostly blank page stared back. Whoops.

"Uh." Eijirou short-circuited. "You, I guess?" was what he settled on. He hadn't even realized he'd been staring! His cheeks burned, embarrassed, even as his smile grew. "Sorry, you're just... really handsome."

With an eye roll and a tch, Bakugou spun away, maybe to hide a blush of his own? And jeez, seeing Bakugou all flustered like that was really freaking adorable.

"Fucking hell," Bakugou muttered. "You can't just say shit like that."

Eijirou laughed. "Well, I'm not gonna apologize for telling the truth."

"Whatever," Bakugou grumbled again. Then, he jabbed Eijirou in his side with his pen, making him yelp. "Quit getting distracted. You better not mooch off of all my hard work later."

"Yeah, I know, I know, it's just—" Eijirou strew his work to the side to give himself some space to unfurl his crossed legs and stretch them out in front of him. "I guess I've just been thinking a lot," he said.

"That can't be good."

Eijirou snorted, even though he shouldn't've, because then Bakugou might get it in his head that his snarky banter was charming or something. Which it was, but Bakugou didn't need to know that.

"Well," Eijirou said, schooling his face to squash the smile tugging at his lips. "So much has happened, ya know?" He reached out to take Bakugou's hand into his own. "Gotta let it sink in."

It was hard to believe that their confession had only been that morning. They'd cuddled a lot, chatted, but afterward, they'd just... gone about their day. They'd finished getting ready, downed a breakfast of protein shakes, and went for a mid-morning run before the brisk early autumn wind had a chance to warm up too much. Later, they'd microwaved some frozen chicken curry for lunch and caught up on their anime while they ate. Then, Bakugou had insisted they knock out some homework in the hours before dinner.

It had all been so normal. After such a pivotal confession, shouldn't everything be different now?

But every now and then, there'd be a moment much like this. He'd say something cheesy, or take one of Bakugou's hands into his own, maybe even bring the knuckles up to his lips to press a kiss there. And every time, Bakugou would turn away, covering his blushing face with his free hand and mumbling something under his breath like, "quit being such a fucking sap", and Eijirou's heart would flutter wildly in his chest.

This sort of stuff was allowed now. That's what had changed. Sometimes, he'd sneak a kiss on Bakugou's cheek for no reason other than he could. Seeing Bakugou get all flustered? That was just a bonus!

Bakugou seemed to be adjusting to the affection, though. This time, when Eijirou joined their hands together, Bakugou simply watched, transfixed, as their fingers slotted into place. Eijirou gave a gentle squeeze. Bakugou squeezed back.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

At the noise, the two tore their hands away, startled, and the moment was shattered.

Eijirou groaned at the interruption, then gave a sheepish "Sorry, sorry." He grabbed his phone off of the floor next to him and swiped to the incoming text. He perked up. "Oh, are you hungry? Kaminari and some others are heading to the cafeteria. We could join them."

"Dinner?"

"Yup."

"With those idiots?"

"Hah. Yes."

"Right now?"

"Yup!" Eijirou nodded, with just a dash of puppy eyes. Man, he reeeeally wanted to go. He'd been down in the dumps for far too long, dragging his friends down with him all the while. This was a good chance to show them he'd cheered up.

After eyeing Eijirou with a raised brow, Bakugou sighed. Then, he shrugged, as if to say, 'fine, whatever', set aside his work, and stretched as he stood to his feet. With a whoop of victory, Eijirou followed suit. Bakugou changed into something more presentable while Eijirou touched up his hair in his ensuite mirror, and then they were off.

Their arms kept brushing against each other as they walked down the corridor, and in the staircase, Bakugou grabbed Eijirou's hand. Eijirou watched where their hands swung between them, a gentle sort of smile on his face.

But in the common room, a few of their classmates loitered — looked like Uraraka and Midoriya were trying to teach Iida and Todoroki how to play a racing game — and as soon as they were in their line of sight, Bakugou's grasp went slack and their hands fell to their sides once more.

Eijirou tried not to let his disappointment linger, and he exchanged some cheery pleasantries with Yaoyorozu and Jirou as he and Bakugou put on their shoes. Before long, they crossed campus to the cafeteria, got their food, and found their friends.

"Heyyy, would you look at that?" Kaminari flashed a toothy grin as they approached with trays in hand. "The squad's all here!"

With a choking sort of sound, Bakugou balked. "Squad?" His wide eyes on Eijirou said 'I did not sign up for this'.

Eijirou just shrugged and slid into an empty seat. Bakugou took the seat next to him, and Ashido let out a content sigh.

"Oh thank god," she said, "I was starting to get worried!"

"No kidding," Sero said around the rice shoveled into his mouth. "Friend drama is always the worst."

"Hah, yeah, well..." Eijirou rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly nervous.

Friend drama. Riiiight.

As far as anyone else knew, he and Bakugou were just friends. Just a pair of good ol' pals recovering from a falling out. How was he supposed to react to that? Tell the truth now? Rip it off like a Band-Aid?

But in the common room, in sight of others, Bakugou had let go of his hand.

Eijirou pressed his lips between his teeth as he thought. What if going public wasn't what Bakugou wanted? He glanced at Bakugou for answers, but Bakugou was just poking his food with his chopsticks, trying to feign disinterest.

They should have talked about this, dammit!

"There was a dumb misunderstanding, but we talked it out and everything's okay now," Eijirou explained. It sounded lame and far too vague, but what else could he say?

"I was going through some shit," Bakugou said, an elaboration, as if he'd noticed Eijirou's struggle. He shifted uneasily in his seat and swallowed, not meeting anyone's eyes. "Being an asshole." He cleared his throat. "More than usual."

Eijirou watched Sero's face go on a whole journey, expression eventually settling on taken aback at the admission. An almost-apology? From Bakugou? It felt huge, even to Eijirou, and Bakugou apologized to him more than he did to anyone else! He couldn't help but gaze at Bakugou with a fond smile growing on his lips.

Ashido beamed, too, all teeth. "Aww. That's okay, Blasty! We forgive you!"

Bakugou rolled his eyes.

"What did I tell ya, folks?" Kaminari gestured to the table at large, face smug. "I knew they'd pull through."

Thankfully, the table seemed to accept it without further interrogation, but... Eijirou and Bakugou shared a look.

"Um," Eijirou said, glancing around the table. "You guys talk about us?"

"Mhm," hummed Sero, right as Ashido said, "Of course."

"All good things! All good things," Kaminari assured, hands up, placating, looking at Eijirou with a very pointed raise of his eyebrows. Ah, Eijirou could read between the lines there. That was Kaminari's way of saying 'don't worry, I didn't expose your hopeless, pathetic, unrequited crush'.

...Well...

Eijirou picked at his food some, trying to hide his grin with a mouthful of beef and rice.

The conversation finally evolved away from the secret romcom that was Eijirou and Bakugou's relationship, and the five of them chatted about this and that as they ate. Bakugou still had an... awkward air about him, to say the least — seriously, that was Eijirou putting it kindly because, well, he loved the guy. But sheesh.

Even still. Eijirou watched Bakugou for a few moments, as subtly as he could. Over the past few weeks, he'd discovered that, at his most social, Bakugou was a pretty quiet person. Unless someone was addressing him directly, or unless there was something for him to make a snarky comment about, he mostly ate his food and kept to himself, a silent observer. Eijirou tried to imagine Bakugou from a few months ago, sitting in the cafeteria in his brand-spankin'-new UA uniform and willingly subjecting himself to casual mealtime socialization without threatening to blow someone up.

Hah. Not a chance.

But now, Bakugou was putting in the effort. And honestly, so was everyone else. They'd watched Bakugou change before their very eyes, even if they hadn't noticed it, and they'd accepted it. Even if he'd fallen back into old habits for a bit there, they still accepted him now.

Eijirou felt his smile go a little wobbly.

Under the table, he pressed his thigh against Bakugou's. As he glanced in Bakugou's direction, Bakugou glanced at him, too. Their eyes met and Eijirou looked away with a blush, trying to smother the upturn of his lips.

The rest of the table chatted away, oblivious.

In a burst of bravery, he rested his hand on Bakugou's knee. Then Bakugou's hand was on his, pulling his palm away, and for a moment, Eijirou's heart sank. It was too much, Bakugou didn't want it, he was pushing him away — but then, Bakugou slotted their fingers together and let their joined hands rest between them, out of sight.

Through their contact, Eijirou could feel the rigidity of Bakugou's posture, and his own pulse picked up speed. Was this too risky? It wasn't like anyone could see their hands through the table — at least, he didn't think anyone at UA had an x-ray quirk — but if someone was just a little too observant, if they took note of how close they were sitting and how their arms disappeared below the table and how red their cheeks had become, then they could probably connect the dots. Surely, they could.

But the chatter continued around their little bubble as if nothing was happening. After a bit, Eijirou felt Bakugou relax against him. His own muscles released the tension they'd been holding, and he turned back to his food.

Huh.

Eijirou frowned down at his chopsticks. His right hand was in Bakugou's left hand. How was he supposed to eat?

He didn't have to wonder for long, for in a flash, Bakugou tore his hand away. Eijirou faced him, startled, but Bakugou's focus was miles away. Eijirou followed his wide gaze, until his own eyes centered on Kaminari. Kaminari, whose brows were furrowed, frown on his lips as he looked right back at Bakugou, then flickered toward Eijirou, then back to Bakugou, squinting, and Eijirou couldn't help but feel like he'd missed something. Had Kaminari noticed?

Kaminari's gaze flicked to Eijirou again, really noticing for the first time that Eijirou was watching. Their eyes met. Kaminari winked.

Okay, yeah, he'd definitely noticed.

Eijirou ducked his head, the smile tugging on his lips utterly uncontrollable.

The rest of the table carried on as oblivious as ever, and as he wrapped up his meal, Eijirou jumped seamlessly into the conversation about the pros and cons of different varieties of spandex for hero costumes to save face.

Bakugou stayed quiet for the rest of the meal, and when he was done eating, he settled on watching the interactions around him with mild disinterest. No, not disinterest. Discomfort. There were only so many pleasantries Bakugou could stand. He had social limits, Eijirou knew — limits that were quickly approaching, if his posture was anything to go by.

With the last of his plate emptied, Eijirou caught Bakugou's eye. Tilted his head toward the exit. Raised a brow in question. Bakugou gave a curt nod. It was time for them to head back.

The two of them gathered their dishes and trash onto their trays, and as they stood up, Eijirou did so with a cheery "Thanks for the invite, but we'd better get back to work!"

Ashido pouted. "Oh, you guys're leaving already?"

"Yeah," Eijirou said, apologetic. "Bakugou was helping me with my essay outline earlier and I don't wanna lose steam."

Kaminari let out a groan. "Ugh, why'd you have to remind me? I haven't even started on mine!"

"Dude," said Sero, flat. "It's due in, like, two days."

"Anyway!" Eijirou said, wheeling Bakugou toward the tray disposal and exit before Kaminari descended into one of his procrastination panics. "See you guys in class!"

Their classmates waved their goodbyes, and off the two went. But as they crossed the main courtyard, right as Eijirou figured they were in the clear, he felt a buzz in his back pocket.

[Pichu] 17:46
so...... bakugou, huh?

Another buzz, this time with about a bajillion side-eye emojis that Eijirou decided didn't warrant a response.

A few moments later, more buzzes.

[Pichu] 17:48
YOU BETTER NOT LEAVE ME ON READ
KIRI
KIRI PLEASE

With a snort and a roll of his eyes, Eijirou pocketed the phone again. He'd fill Kaminari in later.

Their return to the dormitory was otherwise comfortably quiet. They bypassed the common space without anything more than a few curious glances. As they made their way to the fourth floor, Bakugou stayed silent the whole way, like something was heavy on his mind. After the morning they'd had, Eijirou figured he probably needed some space to think.

Like muscle memory, they entered Bakugou's room this time and climbed onto his bed, sitting shoulder to shoulder with their backs against the headboard. They each exhaled a heavy breath. Right as Eijirou was working up the courage to take Bakugou's hand into his own, Bakugou spoke.

"They see me as a friend."

"Yeah?" Eijirou said. "Course they do."

Eijirou saw the frown on Bakugou' lips deepen and a confused wrinkle form between his brows. His voice had sounded so... uncertain. Bewildered. When he looked up to meet Eijirou's eyes, Eijirou gave a gentle smile.

"Do you see them as friends, too?" he asked.

Bakugou looked away with a scoff. Then after a beat, he shrugged. And, well, that wasn't a no.

Still smiling proudly, Eijirou leaned his head against Bakugou's shoulder, and his heart felt full. They were okay. This was real. If he wanted to hold Bakugou's hand, he could. And, he really wanted to, so this time, he did. They didn't even have to think twice about this sort of thing now that they were alone. But, the way Bakugou had torn his hand away earlier...

Eijirou's smile fell, just a bit.

"Do you not want people to know?" he asked.

The question hung between them, heavy. At first, Eijirou didn't feel the need to elaborate. Bakugou would know what he was talking about. Even so, Bakugou stayed quiet, shoulder tense under Eijirou's cheek.

Eijirou tried to give him some time to think on it, he really did, but the longer the silence dragged on, the worse his nerves got. So, he kept going.

"I mean, it's fine if you don't," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I get it. I just figured we should talk about it before I slip up or something."

"I—"

Bakugou cut himself off. Even without seeing his face, Eijirou could imagine the scrunch in his eyebrows that he always got when he struggled with putting his feelings into words. But he was still trying.

"I don't know," Bakugou finally admitted, and for a moment, Eijirou wasn't sure how to react.

Bakugou always knew. Always! He had opinions and preferences just like everyone else, and he wasn't afraid to be loud about them. Headstrong, unapologetic. The attitude of someone who didn't settle for missed opportunities or regrets. Eijirou had admired that about him since the day they first met. Without that confidence, they were at a standstill!

"It's not like you to not know, you know," Eijirou said with a playful nudge. "Being sure of yourself is, like, one of your things."

That made Bakugou snort, and Eijirou found himself huffing out a laugh, too.

As the air settled around them, Eijirou considered their options. If they decided to keep things hush-hush for a time, what would that even look like? He liked to think of himself as an honest guy, the sort who wore his heart on his sleeve. And he loved Bakugou. He loved Bakugou so much that sometimes his feelings felt too big for his chest. Would he really have to hide them? It seemed unbearable. How long could he keep it up?

But on the other hand, most of their classmates didn't really think of Bakugou as the dating type. Heck, until very recently, Eijirou hadn't, either! When their relationship came to light, it was bound to shake things up. There would be eyes on them, whispers behind their backs, not to mention an onslaught of questions, curiosity, constant prying... yeah, none of that sounded up Bakugou's alley. Or Eijirou's, for that matter. Not to mention, this relationship was still so fresh and new — would the scrutiny tear them apart?

Eijirou winced at both thoughts. No wonder Bakugou didn't know what to do.

"How about this," Eijirou offered, sitting up straighter and patting their joined hands. "We focus on us. Find our footing a bit. When we're ready, then we can talk about what to do."

It wasn't perfect, or permanent, but it would take away some of the immediate pressure and buy them some time. Bakugou seemed to agree. He gave a thoughtful hum.

They should probably talk about it more. Set expectations and all that. But the longer they sat there, the room flooding with the golden light of the setting sun, Bakugou curling into him with a soft sigh, Eijirou couldn't bring himself to shatter a moment as precious as that. They could always work out the details later.