Okay, Kirishima would admit before anybody else that pulling out the date card was a mistake. But Bakugou had been fumbling so badly and it was the only way to make the behaviour look natural, but now he had to pretend to date a guy he barely knew. This wasn't going to be a good move for his career either. He had fans and some of those fans wouldn't like him being in a relationship. But urging Bakugou out of his shell enough to go along with the plan had been tough. It was clear that socializing wasn't his biggest strength.
There was one benefit to the boyfriend route, however. It was an excuse to keep Bakugou close in a way that a new friend wouldn't be. He'd faked love a few times in movies and shows, so doing it now wouldn't be hard. But he worried about Bakugou. He would have to constantly be acting as if they were an item even though he clearly didn't have much experience with it. Kirishima would have to work this facade all without crossing boundaries. It was going to be hard work, but his life was at stake here.
When he finally made the move to call the number he had gotten from Bakugou, he was prepared to code his speech. He didn't know if his phone was being tapped or not.
"Uh hello?" Bakugou's gruff drawl said from the other end of the line.
"Hey, it's me, the guy from the grocery store. The cool one?"
"I don't remember meeting anybody cool at the grocery store. Just some loser."
"That's rude." Kirishima laughed.
"Why are you laughing, moron. I just insulted you." Bakugou scoffed.
"Life's too short to worry about little things. Did you wanna get dinner tonight?"
There was a pause on the other end, one that was quiet enough for Kirishima to hear Bakugou's breathing.
And then, finally, he answered, voice bored sounding.
"Fine. Where were you thinking?"
"Uhh that little Italian place? On the corner beside the grocery store?"
"I guess."
"Meet me there at six?"
"Yeah."
The disinterest in Bakugou's voice was a bad move. He should have been faking excitement. Did he not suspect that the phones were tapped? Or did he care so little about this job?
If he was being honest, Kirishima assumed the latter. He had been hard to convince, after all. What would he do if Bakugou's disinterest got them in trouble? He had to find a good time to explain the true danger of this job. If Bakugou really knew what the stakes at hand were, would he be more willing to cooperate with the plan? Or maybe it wasn't safe enough. If anybody else found out about the plan, they would be at risk as well. Did Kirishima really want that for Bakugou? And what if Bakugou decided to double cross him? He didn't know the guy, after all. They hadn't built a level of trust yet.
Dinner was the chance to do that, however, and Kirishima was going to take full advantage of it, no matter where the night took him.