eyy, look at me, throwing together chapter titles again, lmfao

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Kirishima

When Kirishima blinked open his sleepy eyes later that morning, he swore he hadn't felt so blissful in a while—which was impressive, because he was always on cloud nine whenever he woke up next to Bakugou. Despite the fact that the other wasn't actually there, he woke up with the memory of Bakugou's last words to him before he slipped out, and the knowledge that it hadn't, in fact, been a dream.

I love you.

It'd been whispered delicately, sounding almost like an afterthought, but it caused Kirishima to smile the second he sat up, hair tangled and clothes off center, still on the couch in the basement.

For a while he'd been under the impression that he'd probably be the first one to admit that out loud (after having thought it probably a million times, but not yet having the nerve to say it aloud). Bakugou having done it, though, left him in somewhat of a daze—a happy daze, at that.

On top of that, his mom would be home any minute, he realized upon checking the time. It was just before eleven in the morning and she told him she should be back at around noon. That gave him time to get dressed and ready for her to arrive as well as whip up something for lunch to surprise her when she arrived.

In a happy bliss, he stretched and moved to his feet. The entire time he was shuffling around, putting blankets away and tidying up the pizza stuff from last night, and checking his phone for any missed messages, he never lost the light grin he woke up with.

Naturally, he strayed to his text messages with Bakugou, the last having been Bakugou letting him know he was on his way before they went on their date for their anniversary. Just as he was about to send his usual 'good morning' text, Bakugou's parting words rang in his memory again. 'I love you.'

Kirishima's heart jumped, but he erased the 'good morning' he'd started to type and replaced it with something that left his stomach fluttering for the rest of the morning.

>I love you too

>I wanted to say it in person too but I didn't want to lose my nerve

He didn't expect a response from Bakugou right away; it still was before noon, and the other was surely still passed out in his bed. Kirishima could just imagine him laying flat on his face, still completely dressed save for maybe his shoes, with his face squished into a pillow.

That in mind, he used the small docking station in the kitchen to play music and got to work making lunch for his mom before she got home. Despite the fact that he was almost certain Bakugou was still asleep and that he probably wouldn't be getting up any time soon, especially after having left so early in the morning to drive home, Kirishima kept checking his phone for replies. The longer it went without seeing a single message from his boyfriend pop up, the more and more paranoid he became.

One side of him was worried—what if Bakugou didn't actually make it home? He didn't always remember to send Kirishima a text when he made it home safely, Kirishima told himself, so that was what probably happened... right? He was home safe, and sound asleep.

Another was worried that he had just imagined things when Bakugou was telling him goodbye, that he'd just dreamed up the whole 'I love you' and that his text was completely unprecedented. Something like that could've totally freaked Bakugou out and things were... sure to get pretty damn awkward if that was the case. While Kirishima was pretty freaking sure he really had heard what he thought he did, he continued to—annoyingly—second-guess himself and over think it.

The last part of him was the rational side and, unfortunately, the smallest portion of his whole self. It told him he was right about Bakugou still being asleep. He'd made it home safely, he was asleep, and he would respond to Kirishima's text—that was relevant, because he had heard what he thought he did—when he woke up. And knowing Bakugou, who knew when that could be?

He kept checking his phone regardless of the circles he was going around in his head, and continued to do so periodically until his mom finally walked in the door just before he was finished making lunch—completely homemade pizza... well, except for the crust. It might've been a bit overkill for lunch, but his mom always cooked for him, didn't she?

"Welcome home, Ma!" Kirishima said as soon as she stepped in the door, suitcase in tow. She still wore her large straw hat and sunglasses, which she pulled off as soon as she saw him.

"Thank you, Eijirou," she said with a smile, coming to hug him as soon as her shoes were taken off. "I smell something delicious. What are you making?"

"Pizza," he told her. "Figured you'd be hungry when you got home."

"Ya got that right," she said. "Let me go put my things upstairs and then we can eat."

"Here, I got it," he offered, already reaching for the suitcase. "It's still in the oven so I got time. You can just relax."

"I always forget what a gentleman you are," his mother said. "Thanks."

"No prob."

After putting her suitcase up in her room, Kirishima found his mom in her usual spot at the dining table going through the mail she missed the past few days, her hat removed and her hair, black as coal and perfectly matching his natural color, cascading down around her shoulders in waves.

When the oven signaled the end of its timer, it was only a few more minutes before the two were sitting down to eat together. There was typical small talk between them—Kirishima asking his mother how her trip was, her asking him how things were with him and his board commissions, asking about his friends. He was in the middle of telling her about going for a ride on Bakugou's bike—purposely leaving out the part about it being for a date—when he realized where he could be going with it. His stomach twisted a bit anxiously and he was glad he'd already finished eating or his appetite would've escaped right then and there.

"Where'd you two go on his bike?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, just around the city," he lied instinctively.

"Nice."

"Or... well, uh..."

The woman's brows lifted expectantly.

Kirishima scratched the back of his head in slight hesitation. He had told Bakugou he was going to tell her soon, and this seemed as good of a time as any. He was sure she would be completely okay with it anyway, save for a few small lectures to make sure he stayed responsible. Still, that didn't entirely erase his nerves.

"Well, he took me somewhere. To a beach, actually... down south."

"Oh, that sounds like fun," she said.

"It was," he assured her. "There was a meteor shower. It was pretty cool."

"Ohh, not even I've seen a meteor shower myself. They're usually early in the morning and not even I like to get up at a time like that," she joked.

"Yeah..." Kirishima mumbled with a slightly forced laugh. "But uhm, while we're on the subject of K— uh, Bakugou, there's something... I was kinda hopin' to tell you?"

"Of course, hon," she said with her soft, motherly smile that managed to calm his nerves just a little. "What is it?"

"Well Bakugou and I... ah man," he mumbled, laughing and shifting his weight uneasily. "You probably already know but I figured I should still tell you. Bakugou's... sorta my boyfriend." Kirishima paused to swallow; it felt surreal, actually having said that. "We've been together since the beginning of February."

If possible, his mother's smile softened as it widened, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. "I'm glad you finally decided to tell me," she said, almost cooed. "And I'm glad that you waited until you were ready to come to me on your own terms. I'm happy for you, Eijirou. I want you to know that. I don't think I've seen you smile quite like you have these past six months or so, and it makes me really happy to see you that way."

Kirishima's stomach fluttered at her words, his back straightening as he spoke. Yeah, he'd suspected she knew; she was a mom after all, and moms were intuitive. She paid attention anyway, and he and Bakugou did spend the majority of their time together at his house when they weren't off doing other things, and most of that time was spent up in his room, so it wasn't like they'd gone entirely out of their way to hide it.

"Thanks," he mumbled lamely, feeling heat creeping up to his face. "I am really happy with him."

"He's a good kid," his mother agreed, nodding slowly. "A bit misguided, I think, but I don't think you'll ever be bored with him."

Kirishima cracked a half smile, one that was fond, full of love. "Nope, never am."

"Just be careful, okay?" she went on. Her smile was a bit sad now, but still proud. Happy, for him. "I don't want you to end up getting hurt. I trust him enough with you, and I trust you to look after your own feelings, and if something does happen I'll be here, but I don't know how well my heart will be able to handle it if I see my baby in pain. Might have to go Mama Bear, too."

"Aw, Ma," Kirishima chuckled, standing up so he could lean down and envelop her in a hug. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do," she murmured, returning the hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

"Come on, let's clean up lunch so I can show you what I brought back for you," his mother said, patting his back as a signal to end the hug. He followed her back into the kitchen after they collected their things and she went straight to the sink to wash dishes as she always did despite the perfectly functioning dishwasher right beside the sink.

"Hey um... Ma? While we're on the subject, can I ask you 'bout something?"

"Of course," she said, already in the midst of filling the sink with soapy water while he worked on putting the leftover pizza away.

"I, um, I'm a little scared if I'm being honest, 'cause I really, really like Bakugou, ya know? Sometimes I think I might like him too much? I mean, we've only been together six months. I haven't even quite known him for a full year yet but like... I have super strong feelings for him and um... I guess 'm kinda worried 's too much or too fast."

Kirishima realized he was babbling and under the surface he knew these words came from his insecurities about that dumb text message earlier—the one that still didn't have a reply, he found upon peeking at the screen after bumping the refrigerator door shut. If anyone knew what to tell him—rationally, and with life experience—it was his mother.

"First off," she began, "you really need to learn to enunciate your words better."

"Sorry," he mumbled, joining her at the sink to begin drying the dishes.

"Secondly, I can understand where your fear comes from. The first few months of a relationship are quite awkward and you feel like you have to tiptoe around everything. But you two were friends for a while before you got together," she said.

"Yeah. And like, it doesn't feel super awkward anymore, really."

"Mhm. Every relationship is different, Eijirou. Just because you see others that move at a different pace than yours doesn't make yours less valid or anything. I think you're a smart boy; you know how you feel. You should know how harmful it can be to compare yourself to others, no matter the situation. If you think you two are moving at a healthy pace and you're both communicating and comfortable, there's nothing wrong with it."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely," she said, casting him a smile before grabbing the final dish to submerge into the bubbles. "I just want you to be aware that sometimes when you feel really strongly toward the beginning, it can mean it's going to burn hot—and fast, if that makes sense. That's not always the case, though. Just be aware."

"Gotcha," he said. "Thanks, Ma."

"You're welcome. Now come upstairs with me," she said as she pulled the drain plug and dried her hands.

With a newfound sense of security, Kirishima did the same and followed her lead. Things would be okay with Bakugou regardless of whether he'd imagined Bakugou telling him he loved him that morning or not. One thing Kirishima was certain of was that his own 'I love you' wasn't in error; he knew how he felt, and more than anything he wanted Bakugou to know it.