Bakugou tried his best to avoid Kirishima after that day. After all, it would be better for both of them if they parted ways sooner rather than later.
Bakugou had never needed friends before this, so why now? He'd be fine without the redheaded idiot, better off, even.
So why was letting go so hard?
Was it because it hadn't even taken the note, which Bakugou had hidden underneath the bed at the cabin, for Kirishima to realize he had other friends to turn to? Was it because five seconds of seeing him with his real friends had made him realize  that he wasn't the only one? That he was replaceable?
Maybe that was for the best. Bakugou had been alone for a long time before Kirishima and Kirishima had other people to lean on. They would be fine, even if it was hard for the moment.
Except Kirishima was making it harder than it needed to be. He kept approaching Bakugou in the hallways, trying to speak with him even though he rebuffed every interaction.
Eventually, the urge to smile back, to continue the conversation like old times, got too strong and he realized he was going to have to nip this in the bud. There was only one way to push Kirishima away forever, and it was going to hurt them both.
"Why can't you see that I don't want anything to do with you?" He shouted one day when Kirishima approached him in the hallway. "Just leave me alone, okay?"
"Bro..." the hurt on Kirishima's face shattered Bakugou's heart, but he couldn't turn back. Kirishima would be fine without him. He was already making plans to move out of the cabin, and now that his other friends were around, he knew he had options.
Bakugou just wasn't needed anymore.
"Leave me alone." As Bakugou stormed off to his room, slamming the door in his wake, he felt his world crumbling beneath him. His ears rang and his head was spinning. He dropped onto the floor, breathing heavily. His body felt wrong, like he had no real control over it. His arms shook and twitched, feeling heavy when he tried to move them the way HE wanted to.
Whatever was coming over him was more powerful and unusual than any feeling he had ever experienced. He could almost hear the crack of his heart shattering in his chest.
He kept reminding himself that this was temporary, that he would get over it eventually. A few years from now, he would be glad about ditching Kirishima, and he knew that Kirishima would likely feel the same.
This was all for the best. This was all for the best. This was all for the-
Was it, though? Because Kirishima had been the only person Bakugou had ever seen as an equal. He was the only person that Bakugou...loved?
Nah. He didn't love Kirishima. He was just confusing the only genuine respect he had ever felt for romantic feelings. And besides, Kirishima wasn't gay. And even if he was, Bakugou would be the last person he would date.
Yeah. This was all for the best.