A/N: I was on Tumblr a few days aho, just scrolling through my dash, as you do. Then I saw this breathtaking Kiribaku comic that had fantastic writing potential. It was by venadorosas on Tumblr, and it was their most recent one (Kirishina is an art student who keeps getting commissions from Bakugou). So, I sent them an ask to see if I could wrote a story, and they said yes! So, here it is! I will also show you the Tumblr author's notes because why not?

A/N: Okay, you have no idea how excited I was to see that I had permission to write this. I literally am so happy I could scream. Will I? Not out loud. This actually made me so excited that I got up and started walking around my room and smiling holy shit. Alright. Enough of that. I was inspired to write this story by a comic made by the fantastic @venadorosas​ and I just am so damn excited to write this! I am not an art student myself, but I will do my best to replicate it with what I know. I hope I do the comic justice! Just a few more things before this thing starts: I’m gonna do myself and make this a Quirkless AU as well as make Yuuei a university instead of a high school. This is unedited, so if there are sentences or misspellings, that is why, and I apologize. Anyway, let’s get rolling!

Kirishima’s POV

One stroke after the other.

Small, swift.

One stroke makes a world of a difference.

So don't… mess… up.

I only have one canvas left after this one, but I’m saving it for something important. Something special. Just need to figure out what.

I mean, yeah, I have others on back order, and Mr. Miyoshi is usually pretty cool with giving me some, but I still need to think about what to do with the 106 cm by 106 cm canvas.

A canvas that big needs something worth being put on there.

“Psst, Kiri–” “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhut,” I hissed out through clenched teeth.

“You nee–” “I said shut,”

“B–” “No. Shut. Lemme finish,”

The person who proceeded to pester me, even after I told him to be quiet, was none other than Hanta Sero.

He was an art student, along with myself and several others I know by name.

One of which was Katsuki Bakugou.

And damn, was he confusing.

He was this aloof dude who talked to maybe two people by his own volition.

Some random girl who I see him talk to ever now and again. I think we’ve spoken twice? All I remember is she told me to call her Tsu.

And then me.

Sure, he’d talk to the professors and people like that, but if he didn’t have to speak, he wouldn’t.

Yet, he spoke to me.

Not only did he barely talk to people, but he also is probably one of the best looking people on campus.

I kid you not, the first time I saw this dude, I was totally sure I’d met Adonis in human form.

His ash blond hair was styled into a fluffy undercut that I would pay money for to be able to run my hands through, even once. His gauges and helix piercings gave him a bit of an edge, but that’s what made him more alluring. He came into class one day, wearing a wife beater, which put a tattoo on full display, resting on his right shoulder.

It isn’t just his looks that are attractive either. The way he holds himself, presents himself, just his whole aura is indescribable, to keep it brief.

And he was the person I was painting this for.

This wasn’t his first commission. Not by a long shot. And this one was fairly simple as well. Still, I poured my heart and soul into it, just like every piece.

But with his commissions, I feel the need to work that much harder. To push myself that much farther. To make it perfect, in a word.

Now, I know that perfection is impossible, but I still want to achieve it.

I mean, if Bakugou could, I could too, right?

“Kirishima, I’ve been talking to you for the past couple of seconds and you haven’t shushed me. Don’t zone out on me right now, man,”

Sero’s voice managed to pull me out of this trance, but only a bit.

The ash blond with the scarlet glare was still in the back of my mind.

“What?”

“You need lunch, man,” Sero said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Listen, I thank you for your concern, but I had a protein shake maybe six hours ago. I’m dandy,” I mumbled, doing a few more soft strokes before standing up. “Plus, I’m not even hungry," 

"Dunno what kind of protein shake you’re drinking, but you still need sustenance. C'mon,” Sero attempted to persuade me as I walked to the sink to clean the small brush.

“I’m cool, dude. I have a granola bar or two in my bag. I’ll eat when I’m hungry,” I chuckled lightly, turning on the water and cleaning the brush.

Sero sighed in defeat, as this marked the second week in a row where I substituted breakfast with a protein drink and lunch with a granola bar.

“Alright, fine. Make sure you eat dinner tonight, or Mr. Miyoshi is gonna kick you out again,” Sero said, beginning to walk to the door.

“I know, I know,”

“I’ll be off, then,”

“Peace out, dude,”

I heard the door to the studio shut, and it was just me in here.

Just me and the paint.

“Hey, Siri,”

My phone lit up, hearing its name.

“Play Rex Orange County on Spotify,”

As I began to finish up some touches on the snow covered forests surrounding a bright red cardinal, the song Uno filled my ears.

The song had no real relevance, but I love that song so much. I dunno if its just because it sounds so simple and sweet, but I just think the song’s pretty great.

I’d say after maybe forty-five minutes of doing seemingly pointless touch-ups, I stood back, admiring my work.

Not much needed to be done, but I needed this to be phenomenal.

“I’ll just use a simple varnish once everything is dry, then I can move it into the back,” I muttered to myself, as if someone was there and I had to be quiet. “Can I finish it today? I could tell him where it is, and wait for the money to come in, I guess,”

A few seconds pause later, and I continued.

“Wow, great job, Eijirou. You sound like a dickwad who just wants money,”

A short sigh, a granola bar and maybe a half an hour or so later, everything seemed dry.

“Let’s varnish this motherfucker, and I’ll text him when that’s done,” I mumbled, going into the cabinets, looking for the varnish.

No other assignments at the moment… okay! Cool! I can probably head back to my dorm, chill there, and text Bakugou when it’s done!

When I finally found it, I got to work on the varnish.

***

“And sent,” I whispered as I approached the dormitories.

I just sent Bakugou a short text, telling him where to find it, how to send me the money (although he probably knows the process by heart at this point) and all that jazz.

My dorm building was in sight when my phone buzzed once.

It was a different buzzing pattern than all the others.

“Oh, Bakugou responded this quickly?” I thought aloud.

Opening my phone, I checked the message.

Sent the ¥321.7K 

My eyes widened at the number.

“I sure as hell didn’t tell him to send me that much, what the hell?”

                                                   What!? The commission was only ¥48.2K?!

His response was immediate.

Left a tip.

Get yourself something nice.

“Whoa,” I murmured.

Now, I knew Bakugou was on the higher end of the economic spectrum, but hot damn! 

He did usually give me more money than I told him to, but that fact that he gave me that much more this time just seemed to solidify the thought of him being rich.

So manly.

Heading into my dorm building, I looked to the elevators, only to see an out of order sign on them both.

“Are you kidding me?” I whispered. “Fine, guess I’m just gonna take the damn stairs,”

I got a notification, seeing the ¥321.7K was successfully put into my account, and I knew this commission was over.

But at this point, I knew what to expect from Bakugou. Next time I see him, he’s gonna ask me about another one.

Not that I mind, not one damn bit. I’m cool with any excuse to talk to him, and I’m happy to please him with my art.

I just gotta brace myself for the next time I see him.

Trudging up the stairs, I began pondering what he would want next.

He seems to really like requesting animals, mainly birds such as crows and cardinals, but will he do something different? Ooh, maybe a peacock! Or maybe he’d want some other winged creature… like maybe an insect? Or possibly he’ll switch it up on me.

As I ended up on the next staircase, I heard someone else’s footsteps approaching.

Looking up, my eyes were met with a familiar scarlet pair of eyes.

“Oh, hey, Bakugou!” I said with a wave.

“Hey,” he replied with a simple nod.

Fuck, he was just as gorgeous as always.

A grey turtleneck hugged his torso, with a black and white pinstripe button up on over it. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black jeans, a wallet chain dangling on his right side. A pair of black converse and a dog tag finished his look, alongside my composure.

“Thanks again for the great work,” he said, his husky voice hypnotizing me further.

“You haven’t already picked it up, have you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “I don’t think I saw you walk past me to get to the parking lot,”

“Nah, but I know it’s gonna look good,” his compliment was accompanied by a smirk.

Short-lived, yes. But a smirk nonetheless.

“Aw, thanks dude! Always happy to make something for my best customer!” I felt myself beam at him. 

“See you around, Red,” he said, continuing down the stairs.

“Bye,” I waved with a small smile on my face as he disappeared down the stairs.

I quickly hauled ass up to my floor, speed walked to my door and slammed the keys in.

Gay panic in private, dude.

Opening the door, I pulled my key out and shut the door.

“I’m back, Omi!” I shouted into the apartment to see if my roommate was here.

“Hey,” my roommate responded from his bed.

“Is it cool if I hop in the shower real quick?” I asked, jerking a thumb toward the bathroom.

“Sure thing. Keep it brief,” Omi said, making me roll my eyes.

“Okay, dad,” I sighed, but I gave a smile to show it was all in jest.

After locking myself in the bathroom and stripping myself down to absolutely nothing, I got in the shower and had a gay crisis.

Because that’s the only place you can have those, y'know?

But a good ol’ Panic! In The Shower was enough to calm my nerves.

As I stepped out of the bathroom to grab clothing, I heard Omi laughing.

“What?”

“That Bakugou guy really messes you up, huh?” his laughter was thrown in between words, but I knew exactly what he was referencing.

“If I’m being too loud, just knock on the door, dude! Tell me to shut it, I don’t care,” I flushed, looking at the ground, my hand tightening around the towel that hung on my waist.

Omi just kept laughing at me as I grabbed my clothes; a simple crimson riot shirt, boxers, black shorts and my wave socks.

It isn’t like I’m going anywhere tonight, right?

…

Is what I originally thought until I was dressed and realized I left my motherfucking cardigan at the studio.

“Ugh, fuck,” I groaned, rubbing a towel on my head.

“Left your cardigan again?”

“Perhaps," 

"You might as well just wrap it around your waist,” Omi suggested.

“And risk getting paint on it?” I looked at Omi like he was a motherfucking psychopath. “Hell no. The cardigan was my grandmother’s, so I ain’t doing shit to it,”

“Clearly, if you’re leaving it in the studio again,” Omi mumbled.

“Shush!” I whined, grabbing my keys and slipping on my red sneakers. “I’ll be back,”

“Okay,”

Leaving my dorm, I began going down the stairs when I ran into someone.

It was Bakugou, again.

And just when I thought my gay panic was over for the day.

“Oh, hey,” I said as casually as possible.

Which probably sounded forces as fuck, because it felt like my heart was just about ready to implode.

“Red,” Bakugou was looking me up and down.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt more self-conscious about my appearance in my life.

“I’ve got another request, if it isn’t too much,”

“O-oh, okay!" 

Why did I stutter?! That was so unmanly!

"So, what is it?”

I looked into his gorgeous eyes, trying to see further into him, but I was only met with his right hand slamming into the wall next to my head.

Oh shit, oh fuck. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna collapse, right here. Right now. I can’t handle this.

“Uh, dude? You–” “Paint me how you see me, Kirishima,”

Uh, what?

I was stuck between saying “Got it,” and “What?” so my dumbass just responded with this:

“Gweh?”

We sat there, in silence, staring at each other.

My face was flushing bright red, and I wanted to look away, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. His eyes just drew me in.

He moved his arm to his side, and began to head up the stairs.

Quick, say something coherent!

“O-on it!”

I swear, I saw him smile a bit before he was completely gone.

What was I doing again?

***

It’s been around three weeks.

It’s been three weeks of planning, sketching, and small, swift strokes.

And plenty of panic, but that’s irrelevant. There was a bit of disco, so it balances out anyway.

Mr. Miyoshi did end up setting a curfew on me, to make sure I didn’t pass out at the studio, but it wasn’t set until it had already happened.

But, since I wanted to work on it after the curfew, I brought it to the dorm, keeping it on newspaper and buying the paint I needed.

I had the picture in my mind, which I did my best to replicate without him genuinely modelling for me.

It was a ¾ shot of his shirtless back, with him looking over his right shoulder, giving a perfect view of his side profile. I also made sure I replicated his tattoo to the best of my abilities, and I think it came out okay.

But that isn’t all!

Monarch butterflies lined his back, as a fiery looking echo was placed slightly to the left. 

Those warm colors contrasted like hell, compared to the blues and navy of the background.

Just to fuck around with more color, flecks of brighter colors adorned the background, giving it sort of galaxy look.

I thought it looked gorgeous.

And not just because it’s Bakugou.

You know how when you make something, and you worked so damn hard on it, and when it’s done, you’re just filled with pride?

This is one of those works for me.

“Omi!” I yelled about before cringing.

It’s 01:35.

“Yeah?" 

Why the fuck does he sound like he’s been awake?

"First of all, have you been awake this whole time? Second of all, could you grab me my phone?” I said a little quieter.

“It’s done?” Omi asked, coming over with my phone.

“I’m happy with it,” I said with a huge grin.

“Looks fantastic,” Omi pat my shoulder before walking off.

Using my nose, I unlocked my phone and took a picture before putting my phone down.

I just looked at the painting, with Bakugou’s slight pout catching my eyes.

I have absolutely zero clue what came over me, but I lifted my forefinger to my mouth, and pressed a small peck to it.

My forefinger rested against the painting’s lips, and I just felt warm.

And that was probably the best feeling ever.

I gotta give this to him in person. It’s about time I told him.

***

What floor are you on again?

                                            Number two. Room 204.

Okay, I’m coming over.

I let out a shuddery breath, looking at the canvas, which I covered with a blanket.

I need to tell him.

It’s time.

I kept opening my phone, making sure I had the song ready to play at the click of a button.

He needs to know.

A loud knock landed on my door, and I jumped.

I walked over to the door, playing the song as I opened it.

“Hey, Bakugou! Come in!”

The ash blond entered, wearing a button up and jeans again, just no turtleneck this time.

“So, I wanted to give this one to you in person… because I…” I was stumbling over my words.

Calm down, Eijirou. You got this.

“Because this could very well be the last commission you want from me,”

This made Bakugou’s usual deadpan change ever so slightly. His left brow rose up as his head tilted to the side.

“And why might that be?”

“I…”

Fucking say it.

Spit it out.

“I like you,” I barely got out before throwing my gaze at the ground. “I like you a lot. You’re just so cool and collected, and from what I know about you, I like it. And I want to know more. I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but I just had to get that out," 

Before I even looked at him, I walked over to the painting, still looking at the ground, and pulled the blanket off.

Everything was silent, except for the music in the background. But even the song was at a quieter part than the rest of it.

I felt Bakugou’s eyes on me and not the painting, which terrified me to no end.

Should I have even said anything?

"You don’t have to pay if you don’t want to or if you don’t like it. And…” I took in a shaky breath, looking at the ground, lazily gesturing to the painting and then myself. “If you don’t want to be friends anymore, if you even thought of us as friends, then you can ignore me,”

His footsteps were soft, but I knew they were coming. So when his black converse appeared in my vision, I looked off to the side as my vision blurred with tears that threatened to spill. 

A finger went under my chin, turning my face to him.

His eyes met mine, and he was smiling.

“You really are oblivious, huh?”

“Gweh?”

Fucking, again?

Bakugou laughed before leaning in a bit, his head turning to the left.

“Can I kiss you as a tip?”

My whole brain has short-circuited, but I turned my head to the right and leaned in closer.

My eyes slowly closed, and when his lips met mine, I was immediately thrown into a state of euphoria.

Holy shit, this is happening.

This is actually happening!

I couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on my face as I draped my arms over his shoulders, and I couldn’t stop laughing either.

It was so fucking amazing.

Small blazes of tears made tracks down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. Unless my nose starts running, I’m not gonna let some tears mess up this kiss.

But, all good things must come to an end, as Bakugou pulled back.

His eyes were on mine, and for once, they were soft. A small grin was pasted on his features, his hands on my face.

“Why are you crying?” he asked as his thumb rubbed at my dampened cheek.

I just felt myself giggle in response. 

“Well, I was originally gonna cry because I thought you wouldn’t be cool with my confession, but these tears quickly turned sweet,” I just couldn’t stop laughing. “Shit, I’m so happy,”

We just stood there for a few moments of content silence before Bakugou spoke up.

“So, how the hell am I supposed to bring this painting to my dorm?" 

"I can help you bring it up there!” I offered.

“I get to bring two masterpieces to my dorm? Great!” Bakugou oozed confidence as he said that.

“Dear christ,” I began giggling again, since that was unexpected.

We grabbed the painting, and I made sure Bakugou was careful with it, but was also holding it properly.

“Hey, Omi! Could you get the door?”

“Sure,”

“Your roommate was here?” Bakugou asked.

“Well, it’s his dorm too.” I pointed out as Omi got the door for me. “Plus, it isn’t like I wasn’t so obviously crushing on you,”

“It really wasn’t,” Omi said, patting my back carefully. “But congratulations to the both of you,”

“Thanks, Omi,”

Bakugou just gave a small murmur to thank Omi.

“Alright, Bakugou, you go through the door first, then we can keep walking,” I said, turning us so Bakugou could walk out the door properly.

“Okay,”

After a quick minute of maneuvering, we managed to get the painting up the stairs without damaging it.

“So you’re which dorm?”

“302,” Bakugou said as we got to his door.

“Coolio!” I grinned.

“Dork,” Bakugou snickered at me. “How d'you want this to be put down?”

“We can just rest it against the wall,” I said, propping the painting up on the wall.

“Give me a quick sec,” Bakugou mumbled, unlocking the door.

He swung the door open and made sure it stayed open. 

“Alright,”

“At this point, I’m gonna follow you. You know where you wanna put this?” I asked him.

“Uhm… I think Misumi wouldn’t mind if I placed this on his side of the room until I know exactly where to hang it,” Bakugou said as we walked into the room.

***

My paintings were all on the wall. The snow surrounded cardinal, the murder of crows, all of them.

Except one.

The other paintings sort of made a frame, with a 106 cm x 106 cm square in the middle.

“Hey, honey?” I called out.

“What’s up, Rourou?” Katsuki asked from the other room.

“Could you grab me the step ladder?”

“Shorty,” I heard Katsuki laugh.

“I heard that, Katsu! You aren’t as quiet as you think!”

“Says you, of all people!” Katsuki chuckled, coming on with the step ladder.

“Thank you, baby,” I said, pecking his cheek.

“Of course. Putting up the last one?” He asked.

“Yep!” I said, grabbing the painting I made all those years back.

The monarch butterflies dotting his spine, his scarlet glare, gorgeous fluffy hair, all of it brought together, and hung up on our wall.

I got off the step ladder, and looked at the paintings. Every single one of them.

A hand snaked around my waist and pulled me in close.

“I love you so much, baby,” Katsuki whispered, kissing my forehead.

“I love you too,”

His hand rubbed against my waist, but I could feel one thing that was inconsistent with the feeling of the rest of his hand.

A golden band sat on his left ring finger, practically identical to the one that sat on my left ring finger.

A/N: And that’s all! Honestly, I’m very pleased with this, and think this came out well! I hope that those of you who see this like it too! I want to thank @venadorosas for allowing me to write a story based off of their comic and for making such fantastic art. If you like my writing, I’m also on Wattpad, so check me out there, if you’re up for it. Same username and profile picture. I do believe that this is it! I apologize for the ending, as it feels a little odd to me, I just don’t have any idea how to end it properly. I sincerely hope that I did the comic justice. Love y'all! Stay safe and healthy! - Septic / Spark