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Bakugou loved fall.
Not that he’d ever admit it. Not that he’d ever do anything that might let people know that he loved fall. But privately, in the confines of his own mind? Bakugou could barely contain his excitement when the leaves on the trees began to fade from green to golds and rust browns, the smell of decay carrying on the cool wind as the days grew shorter and the nights grew longer.
Bakugou loved fall. Truly. He was just too proud to let anyone else know that was capable of getting excited over something as mundane as pumpkins, for fucks sake.
So of course, on a day much like any other fall day, Bakugou was out wandering from campus to a nearby coffee shop and decidedly not letting onto the fact that a little bubble of joy rested in his chest as he ambled down the road. The sun hung heavy in the west, twilight creeping in steadily as he made his way along the winding path of a nearby park, snuggling down into his hoodie and taking in a deep breath of air with a grateful sigh. It was fairly deserted on the streets at this time of day, even more so than usual, though there was a possibility that had something to do with the fact that rain clouds loomed on the horizon menacingly.
Bakugou wasn’t about to let a little rain spoil his ritual of taking a nice, long walk to the coffee shop a few times a week to privately enjoy his favorite time of year, however.
His thoughts drifted in an oddly peaceful haze-- peaceful for him, at least, given that he still spent a good five minutes carefully mapping out the homework he needed to complete, cursing over the fact that he still hadn’t scored higher than Yaoyorozu on their last mathematics exam. But the anger was more of a low simmer and less of a physical feeling for once, his eyes glazed over as he gazed up at the tops of the nearby trees and watched the moody gray clouds drifting across the sky.
He was so distracted, in fact, that he wasn’t paying attention to where he was stepping until--
Crunch.
He stopped, looking down.
Leaves, brown and crisp and crunchy, lined the sidewalk before him, delectable and inviting as they skittered across the sidewalk.
Something welled up in Bakugou’s chest, and before he consciously made the choice to do so, he was moving forward again, a decided crunch, crunch, crunch to his step. He knew he was doing some kind of stupid mix between stomping and hopping as he moved from leaf to leaf, and yet he found he didn’t really give a shit. It wasn't like anyone was around to see anyway, and frankly, there was nothing like the crunch of the first casualties of fall gracing the ground.
No one in their right mind would pass up something like that. Not even Bakugou, in all his overwhelming pride.
It wasn’t exactly hard to identify which leaves were going to have the best crunch, the dark and faded brown ones that curled into themselves having always been one of Bakugou’s favorite things about fall. The feeling of crushing them underfoot was almost as satisfying as using his quirk, with the added bonus that it didn’t draw nearly as much attention as an explosion did.
Not that Bakugou had a problem with attention, exactly. Just not right now, when he was definitely not sneaking around to have a bit of fun.
He found himself humming a little tune as he continued to stomp his way through the park, giving a particularly hard crash of his foot as he hit a small pile of leaves all at once, a pleased hum having the audacity to quietly escape his lips.
“Bakugou?” a voice said softly, breaking into Bakugou's zen like a crack of thunder.
Bakugou’s head snapped up instantly as he froze in place.
Todoroki Shouto stood a few feet ahead of him, eyes wide with disbelief, an unopened umbrella clutched in one hand while the other held his phone loosely at his side.
Oh. Oh no.
Fuck.
“Are you… smiling?” Todoroki asked, voice weirdly breathless.
It was at that precise moment that Bakugou realized that, yes, he was in fact smiling.
“No,” he hissed, forcing his features into a scowl, face turning as red as the leaves on the trees just above their heads.
Todoroki shook his head, eyes unblinking, his hair shifting across his forehead prettily with the movement and fuck, no. Not this again.
Bakugou loved fall, but he absolutely hated the way he didn't hate Todoroki Shouto at all anymore.
“I'm fairly certain I just saw you smiling and stomping on leaves,” Todoroki replied flatly, still somehow managing to sound faintly amused all the same.
Bakugou opened his mouth to argue, but the words were stolen from his lips when a sharp breeze sent a scattering of leaves tumbling down around them, one settling on Todoroki’s head, the flannel shirt he was wearing whipping around his lithe figure lovingly and Bakugou had maybe never felt more gay and simultaneously betrayed by his favorite season in all his life.
Something wet landed on the tip of his nose, and he startled with a frown, realizing he'd been staring as he looked up, a sinking feeling in his gut that told him he may have in fact fucked up.
The sky opened up, unleashing a downpour.
---
Todoroki Shouto loved fall. He made no secret about this fact. Izuku and Todoroki regularly went for jogs together in the early mornings when it was still somewhat dark out, and there were few things he enjoyed more than inhaling the air as his feet pounded the pavement, feeling wholly in his element.
It made sense to him that he would love the time between the heat of summer and the cold of winter most, given that he himself was a strange mix of the two.
What he hadn't expected, however, was to realize he wasn't the only one who harbored a special love of the season. Or rather, he hadn't expected Bakugou to be the one to share that joy with him.
Bakugou had never made a lot of sense to Todoroki. He was a perpetual mess of conflicting emotions and motives, always on the defensive, particularly when it came to being questioned about either one-- not to mention that he was on the offense by default any other time. It hadn't escaped his notice over the last few years that Bakugou had a tendency to pretend to hate the things he actually enjoyed the most.
As a result, it also hadn't escaped Todoroki’s notice that Bakugou loved fall.
He'd started out following Bakugou on his evening treks to the coffee shop once in awhile after happening upon him one night by accident, fully intent on calling him out on his behavior and riling him up the moment Bakugou finally noticed his presence. The only problem was that Bakugou had yet to notice him at all, too busy enjoying the fall weather while avidly pretending to do the exact opposite. Todoroki may as well have been a rock on the side of the road each and every time.
Which hurt more than he cared to think about, because try as he might, Bakugou was someone Todoroki had become completely incapable of looking away from over the last three years.
After a few weeks of occasionally following Bakugou around with absolutely nothing changing except for his own growing heartache, he finally gave up, refusing to indulge in the urge to follow Bakugou around any longer. Instead, he decided to take a trip to a nearby shopping center to buy a gift for his mother the next time the urge struck him. Mostly as a way to cheer himself up, truthfully.
It would figure, then, that the day he finally quit quietly mooning after Bakugou as he walked through the park would be the day that Todoroki finally ran into him.
It had honestly been an accident. If anything, Todoroki had planned to simply hide himself just off the side of the path until Bakugou had passed, once he'd noticed him approaching from the opposite direction. But he'd found Bakugou behaving in a way that was-- in a way that he could only describe as cute , heaven help him, and he found he couldn't actually move away at all, drawn to Bakugou like a moth to a flame despite knowing it would burn him if given half the chance.
And then Bakugou had smiled-- the first real, genuine smile Todoroki had ever seen grace his features, not even a hint of a smirk hiding in the way his lips curved upward, his eyes shining, eyebrows uncharacteristically relaxed--
Todoroki’s phone had been in his hand before he'd even had time to process the fact that taking a picture of one’s classmate, let alone one’s crush , without their express permission was perhaps not the best thing to have done.
He'd delete the photo later, he reasoned. Probably.
So caught up in the moment, he hadn't realized he'd even spoken aloud until Bakugou’s eyes had locked with his own. He wanted to regret drawing attention to himself and yet the emotion never came. Bakugou looked thoroughly embarrassed, like a child caught sneaking sweets before a meal, and Todoroki had to physically fight off the urge to raise his phone and take yet another picture.
He felt like he deserved an award for having the inner strength of will to keep his arm at his side, truthfully.
But then Bakugou had opened his mouth, probably to tell him off in colorful ways which only Bakugou seemed able to manage, just as the heavy clouds roiling darkly overhead finally gave way.
Bakugou scowled up at the sky, his mouth open slightly. As if the weather had delivered him a personal offense. As if he might be able to stop the rain just by glaring at the sky hard enough.
It was so stupid and idiotic and endearingly Bakugou that Todoroki snorted, snapping open his umbrella with a swift flick of his hand and drawing Bakugou's attention away from the sky once more.
Bakugou turned his gaze to level Todoroki with a baleful look instead, his eyes burning holes into the umbrella raised above Todoroki’s head.
It was very clear Bakugou hadn’t brought one of his own.
Todoroki opened his mouth to point this out, to say something vaguely mocking and attempt to needle him, because needling Bakugou was one of his favorite hobbies, truth be told, and he'd perfected the skill into an art form over time.
But when a raindrop caught in Bakugou’s thick blond eyelashes, Bakugou blinking rapidly to rid himself of the water and causing the drop to instead land heavily on his cheekbone, Todoroki’s mind went completely devoid of reason.
“Would you like to go get coffee with me?” he found himself blurting instead.
---
He had to have misheard. Which was impossible, because the entire time Todoroki had been speaking, Bakugou had been staring at his mouth and he would’ve known exactly what he'd said whether he’d actually heard it or not.
The real issue was that there was just no way Todoroki would have actually asked him out for coffee. Ever.
“What ?” Bakugou asked incredulously after a long moment, unable to focus his thoughts enough to say anything else. He wondered if it would be too obvious if he pinched himself to make sure he was actually awake and not dreaming or some shit.
Todoroki’s face reddened slightly, his eyes darting off to the side. He cleared his throat quietly, his voice steady and filled with conviction this time rather than the breathlessness it had been full of a moment before. “I asked if you’d like to come with me to get coffee.”
Bakugou blinked, feeling wholly caught off guard and having zero idea what the fuck to do about-- well, anything.
“You do appear to be without an umbrella,” Todoroki continued mildly, amusement creeping into his tone when Bakugou did nothing but gape at him stupidly. “And I don't know about you, but I could really do with something warm about now. I just thought I’d ask.”
I could give you something warm , Bakugou’s brain supplied entirely unhelpfully.
Oh for fucks sake. Being a teenager was the literal worst thing Bakugou had ever experienced.
Realistically, Bakugou had every reason to turn Todoroki’s offer down. For one, he couldn’t even fathom why Todoroki had asked in the first place, and the implication that this might maybe be a date sort of thing without the clarification on whether or not it actually was a date sort of thing was bound to drive Bakugou insane. For another, he’d just been caught in the act of enjoying the weather; his first instinct was to get as far away from the scene of the crime --and any witnesses-- as possible. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Bakugou didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do if he was stuck under the same umbrella as Todoroki Shouto while being expected to behave himself.
He didn’t even know if he was worried he’d start a fight or try and do something equally stupid, like kiss him or hold his fucking hand. He didn’t even know which was worse at this point, the desire to get closer and push Todoroki away warring within him simultaneously.
Much as it had been for the last year or so, much to Bakugou’s annoyance.
The only trouble was, Bakugou had never been offered something like this, and as much as he knew it was a bad idea, he also knew he’d regret turning it down even more.
“Fine,” he mumbled, rubbing at his nose to hide the ridiculous red color his face was surely turning and noting his nose was steadily growing colder as the temperature dropped with the rain.
Coffee was probably a smart idea anyway. For health reasons. Obviously. Surely Todoroki would think the same.
“You-- wait, really?” Todoroki asked, eyebrows raised. He was being unusually expressive today, Bakugou noticed.
Not that Bakugou was in the habit of noticing Todoroki’s every nuanced expression. He just happened to be aware . Because he was a love-sick teenage moron.
Fuck.
“What , did you want me to say no?” Bakugou spat, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie petulantly. “Well too fucking bad. Shouldn’t’ve asked then.”
Todoroki frowned at him, looking vaguely annoyed. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just… surprised you actually agreed. You’re often not exactly the most agreeable person, in case you were unaware.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Bakugou hissed, though it somehow lacked the bite it normally carried. He hoped it wasn’t obvious that was due to his sudden bout of nerves. “I’m just cold, alright?”
He could feel Todoroki staring at him but refused to meet his gaze right then, not willing to reveal any more than he already had today. “Alright,” he heard Todoroki agree quietly.
There was a moment of silence. Bakugou shuffled his feet, suppressing a shiver as rain continued to soak into the fabric of his clothes.
Neither of them moved.
“Well are we going or what?” Bakugou finally snapped, shooting Todoroki a glare.
Only to find Todoroki staring at him, eyes hazy and unfocused and locked on-- on--
Bakugou’s heart stuttered in his chest violently, like a car jerking to a sudden stop to avoid an oncoming crash, his eyes widening as he realized exactly what Todoroki was focused on.
Slowly, experimentally, Bakugou parted his mouth, sliding his tongue along the skin of his lower lip and catching the droplet of water that had collected there.
He heard Todoroki’s breath catch in his throat.
No way . There was absolutely no fucking way .
---
Todoroki Shouto was dying.
Or he’d already died, and this was hell. Or maybe it was heaven.
Possibly both.
Bakugou drew his bottom lip between his teeth slightly, biting down into the soft skin almost thoughtfully, Todoroki almost able to physically feel it with how focused his attention was.
Yep. Definitely both.
“Well?” Bakugou asked suddenly. Todoroki realized he must have been speaking but had absolutely no idea what he'd said.
“Um,” he replied, trying to stop himself from staring long enough to pay attention. Which was a near impossible task, he was finding.
“I said , are we going or not? I'm getting soaked just standing here, asshole.”
Todoroki blinked once. Twice.
Ah. Bakugou did have a good point.
He resituated the umbrella, which was both blessedly and regrettably not too terribly large, stuffing his phone in his pocket before shifting the small bag containing a new book for his mother to his other hand. He tilted the canopy to the side invitingly, giving Bakugou a look.
Bakugou stepped forward slowly, standing just a hair's breadth closer than was necessary, Todoroki swallowing and trying to repress the urge to step back and move forward simultaneously. Bakugou seemed to hesitate briefly, his eyes searching Todoroki’s face --for what, he didn’t know-- before he suddenly reached up to snatch the umbrella from Todoroki’s fingers with no warning.
Todoroki made an indignant noise, opening his mouth to argue, but a look from Bakugou silenced him.
Normally it took a lot more than a look from Bakugou to make Todoroki willingly stay quiet, but this wasn't his usual angry scowl, nor a glare, or even a slight frown. It was a look Todoroki had never seen grace Bakugou’s features before, the sort he knew would haunt his most pleasant dreams for the coming weeks, if not longer.
Because it was the sort of look that left Todoroki feeling like embers were smouldering somewhere near the base of his spine.
“I'll hold this,” Bakugou told him evenly. “And you can use that stupid quirk of yours to do something useful for once.”
Todoroki stared stupidly at him, dumbfounded.
“Like keeping me warm?” Bakugou added, raising an eyebrow. He somehow managed to make it sound like a challenge rather than a suggestion.
I don't need a quirk to keep you warm , Todoroki’s brain supplied helpfully.
Good god, this was hell after all.
Was Bakugou actually asking Todoroki to use his quirk to warm him up? Had they somehow entered an alternate reality without Todoroki noticing? Perhaps Bakugou was just messing with him. In fact, that was really the only possible explanation for what was going on.
Sadly, Todoroki wasn't about to back down from a challenge like that-- both because he hated to lose but also because it gave him a viable excuse to touch Bakugou in a way he’d only privately let himself wish for a handful of times over the years.
“Alright then,” he agreed evenly, despite that he felt like his nerves were fraying wires close to snapping. “If you insist.”
He stepped up even closer to Bakugou, and rather than just activate his quirk enough to passively heat the space between them, he wrapped his left arm around the small of Bakugou’s back and settled his hand lightly on his hip.
Using the heat of his quirk had never felt so effortless, given that he already felt like his insides were on fire.
Bakugou stiffened for a moment before suddenly melting against him with a barely audible sigh, the hairs on the back of Todoroki’s neck rising with the sound.
Perhaps this was heaven after all.
---
Don't panic, Bakugou told himself for at least the seventh or eighth time as they made their way towards the cafe. It's just Todoroki Shouto. Who happens to have his arm around you. With his hand stroking your fucking hip slightly, what the fuck.
Todoroki shifted, his fingers managing to graze the skin that had peeked out ever so slightly where Bakugou’s hoodie had ridden up, the touch feeling like a brand and making Bakugou’s heart nearly stop before doubling its already breakneck pace.
Fuck.
He had no idea what they were doing. He had a feeling Todoroki was probably just trying to get a rise out of him, the bastard. It wasn't like he knew Bakugou had a horrible gay crush on him, after all.
So clearly this was some kind of fucking game they were now playing. Bakugou wasn't about to be the first to back down, even if his stomach was in knots trying to keep up. This was a game of strategy. He just had to wait Todoroki out. The first to back down would obviously be the weaker one, so he figured the only way to win would be to raise the stakes.
Which would involve flirting. Because that was apparently the sort of game they were playing, for reasons he couldn't really understand and was frankly too scared to think about. Bakugou… possessed no flirting experience. Not even slightly. His only consolation was that he was fairly sure Todoroki didn't, either.
I can do it better than him, Bakugou thought to himself with a haughty toss of his head as they made their way along the wet concrete. Because it had to be true. Bakugou was better than anyone at everything. He was a natural at whatever he tried. Flirting had to be the same.
He tried to recall all the times he'd seen Kirishima flirting with Kaminari. Or with Ashido. Or Sero. Or even that one time with Deku, much as Bakugou loathed to remember that one. Hell, Kirishima even flirted with Bakugou on occasion, he should know this shit like the back of his hand at this point.
What would Kirishima do in this situation?
Probably ask Todoroki if he wanted to make out, he thought, immediately knowing it was true. Kirishima was shockingly brazen and direct when it came to flirting.
Bakugou barely suppressed the urge to groan aloud. What the hell was he even thinking. Kirishima was probably the worst person to try and channel in this situation. Or in any situation, damn him.
He chanced a look at Todoroki from the corner of his eye, memorizing the way the autumn wind whipped at his hair as they walked and tucking it away to fuel his stupid fucking mooning later when this was all over. Todoroki was wearing a thick, well-worn red flannel shirt on top of a plain gray t-shirt, his jeans crisp and clinging to his thighs lovingly. He looked comfortable and warm, casual in a way that seemed effortless, like he belonged in the season surrounding them.
Of course. Of fucking course he had to look like a walking model for all of Bakugou’s secret seasonal weaknesses.
Fuck his life, honestly.
They eventually reached the little cafe, Bakugou stepping forward and holding the door open for the both of them wordlessly. Todoroki’s mouth hung slightly open in shock, staring at Bakugou as though he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Which was fair. Bakugou could count the times he'd ever been willingly polite on one hand.
Somehow it was shocking to realize that surprising Todoroki was proving to be just as fun as pissing him off.
He raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing to the open door with exaggerated emphasis. “Ladies first,” he offered, voice full of false sweetness.
Todoroki snorted, a smile quirking his lips. Too attractive, damn him.
“I didn't realize you thought I was quite that pretty, Bakugou,” he murmured, walking through the door. There was a sway to his hips that wasn't normally there. Not that Bakugou was in the habit of noting how Todoroki’s hips moved, exactly. He just knew Todoroki didn't usually manage to achieve such a level of effortless grace, as though he were gliding rather than walking across the floor, though he did possess a sort of masculine grace that was somewhat captivating even on a normal day, and--
And Bakugou was staring again. For fucks sake.
He shook himself, determined to think about nothing but coffee for the next hour at least.
“What are you getting?” Todoroki asked, sounding genuinely interested in Bakugou’s answer as he shook the water off his umbrella, carefully folding it up again. Coffee, Bakugou reminded himself sternly when his heart picked up speed under Todoroki’s curious eyes.
Bakugou looked up at the menu. He wanted something fall flavored. Which meant he was getting a black coffee with no sugar because he had an image to maintain and there was no way in hell he was letting Todoroki know he wanted a pumpkin spice latte.
“Black coffee. No sugar,” he said, proud of himself for sticking to his morals. Or whatever.
Todoroki turned to give him an amused look. “Not a pumpkin spice latte? It's the seasonal special.”
“I hate fall,” Bakugou growled, sneering up at the image of the delicious fall-flavored drink pictured on the wall. “And I hate pumpkin spice.”
Todoroki’s eyes crinkled at the edges. Bakugou’s heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized Todoroki was smiling. At him. Genuinely, and without a hint of mockery.
The only time Bakugou had ever seen that look directed at anyone was when it had been directed at Deku. Bakugou had no idea what to make of that.
As they stepped up to the counter, the barista gave them both a pleasant smile. “What can I get for you lovebirds?” she asked.
Bakugou spluttered, completely caught off-guard.
“Two pumpkin spice lattes please,” Todoroki told her, stepping up to the counter and taking over their order. “No whipped cream for mine, but extra for my boyfriend. He loves a little extra sugar,” Todoroki finished, giving Bakugou a sly look out of the corner of his eye, as if daring him to argue.
Bakugou was too shocked to fucking speak .
---
Todoroki was having fun.
It was a strange sort of realization.
Fun apparently meant flirting, which Todoroki didn't think he was even capable of until he suddenly found himself doing it.
He wondered, distantly, if the weather had perhaps made him lose his mind entirely, to be doing what he was doing. Or perhaps what had really driven him to losing his sanity had just been Bakugou’s smile.
“Two pumpkin spice muffins, too, then,” Bakugou bit out, shooting Todoroki a dirty look before turning to face the barista. “And a salad for him. He's watching his figure.”
A surprised laugh bubbled out of Todoroki's chest before he could stop it. Bakugou’s flirting was just so… Bakugou.
Why was he flirting with Todoroki at all? Why wasn't he saying anything about the boyfriends comment?
“Don't be an asshole,” Todoroki said, surprised with himself for allowing a note of fondness to creep into his voice. He wrapped an arm around Bakugou's shoulders, his heart skipping a beat at his own daring. “We both know who has the better figure in this relationship, pumpkin. ”
Bakugou's eye twitched at the pet name, his face turning an interesting shade of red. He looked… surprisingly unangered.
“Watch it, sweetheart, or you're paying for all this shit,” he murmured.
Todoroki felt warmth spread through his chest, desperately wishing Bakugou really was dating him and that those words and the affection lurking somewhere in his gaze were real.
Todoroki handed the barista his father's credit card wordlessly. “I'm already paying for it. Sort of.”
“You sure know how to treat a guy,” Bakugou said, not meeting Todoroki’s eyes. He leaned heavily into Todoroki’s shoulder, seeming committed to doing so and yet embarrassed all the same.
Todoroki’s heart clenched painfully. If only he were truly this lucky.
Best make the most of it while it lasts , he thought to himself, deciding right then that he'd keep this up until Bakugou backed down. He had nothing to lose, and once it was over, he could easily say it was all part of whatever game Bakugou was playing with him.
---
Bakugou had no idea how he was meant to survive this.
Because they'd now been sitting at a table for the last hour, feet and legs tangled under the table while they talked about everything except what was actually going on.
“How can you not like whipped cream on coffee?” Bakugou asked, frowning.
Todoroki shrugged. “It just doesn't belong there. The texture is all…” He trailed off, waving a hand around as if that explained anything.
Which it damn well did not because whipped cream on a pumpkin spice latte was something like heaven in Bakugou’s opinion.
“You're fucking weird,” he mumbled without any real bite, taking a long sip off his own drink and appreciating the taste of his extra whipped cream, goddammit.
Todoroki made an odd sound, and Bakugou looked up, confused.
“You-- you have--” he said, eyes locked on Bakugou’s mouth.
He licked his lips, wondering if there was whipped cream there but finding none.
Todoroki made a noise that sounded suspiciously like he was choking on air.
“What?” Bakugou asked, his frown turning into a full blown scowl. He grabbed his napkin, intent on wiping his face, but before he could do so Todoroki was suddenly leaning across the table.
Bakugou froze. One of Todoroki’s too graceful hands reached forward, brushing along Bakugou’s cheek delicately, almost reverently. A single finger pressed against the side of his face, trailing lower, Todoroki gaze locked on him as though unable to look away. His finger finally reached just above the corner of Bakugou’s mouth, the pressure shifting slightly.
And then Todoroki was leaning back slowly in his chair once more, his eyes still fixed on Bakugou’s own. Bakugou felt like he was being physically held down by the weight of his stare.
He watched, mouth hanging open, as Todoroki brought his hand to his mouth, a small spot of whipped cream gracing the end of his finger.
He opened his lips, never breaking eye contact, and licked it clean.
Holy fuck .
Bakugou had not signed up for being turned on in a coffee shop today, and yet here he was. Ridiculously aroused.
“I thought you didn't like whipped cream,” he managed to say, not liking the way his voice sounded raspy.
Todoroki slid his finger from his mouth, wrapping his hand back around his own cup of coffee. “I never said I didn't like whipped cream. Just that I don't like it on coffee.”
I like it on you , seemed to hang unspoken in the air between them.
Fucking hell. What had Bakugou gotten himself into.
---
Todoroki wasn't sure if he regretted it or not.
On one hand, he was clearly still winning. And he was definitely still having fun.
On the other, he felt like he'd somehow crossed a line. Or perhaps more accurately, pushed them into new territory. An electric tension charged the silence that now filled the air, their easy banter from before halted in the face of… of whatever this was.
Why isn't he backing down , he wondered silently, legitimately confused. He knew what he stood to gain from this, but he had no idea why Bakugou continued to humor their odd little charade. They'd long passed the point of plausible deniability and were now verging dangerously into the territory of actually flirting. Which Todoroki was very ok with. Because he had a terrible gay crush on his classmate that no one knew about. Except for Izuku, who had been sworn to absolute secrecy long ago.
No matter how much Todoroki wanted to read into the little gestures and glances Bakugou had been turning his way all afternoon, he was also smart enough not to get his hopes up.
If anything would make Bakugou back down, it would be a bit of sexual tension, Todoroki had figured. He'd probably quietly back off, they'd wordlessly drop the game, and that would be the end of it.
Todoroki should have known Bakugou wouldn't play by his rules, sadly.
“What-- what the fuck is actually going on right now,” Bakugou asked, though it sounded more like an accusation than a question. “I thought you were just fucking with me but now I-- now-- shit.”
He broke off, looking irritated and lost.
And too damn direct , Todoroki thought resignedly. He should have anticipated this. He felt foolish for having been so caught up in things that it genuinely hadn’t crossed his mind at all.
“What are you actually asking me?” Todoroki responded, feigning a calm he didn't really feel.
Bakugou gripped his cardboard coffee cup tight enough that it made strained sound of protest. “I'm asking what the hell you’re playing at here. Are you being serious, or what?”
“Do you want me to be serious?” Todoroki asked, sounding surprised and disliking the way he almost sounded hopeful. It made him feel too vulnerable. He was vulnerable enough as it was already.
Bakugou made a frustrated growl, grinding his teeth before finally speaking again. “Alright, fine, I get it. You wanna mock me? Go ahead. I don't give a shit.”
Um.
“What?” Todoroki asked, completely confused. Mock him? He wasn't trying to--
Bakugou slammed a fist down on the table. “I'm fucking sorry , alright? Is that what you want me to say?”
Todoroki’s eyes widened until he worried they might fall out of his head.
“It's not like I tried to have a fucking-- ugh , a fucking crush on you. Jesus fuck I hate being a teenager.”
Todoroki’s mouth dropped open.
“And I hate you , you stupid fuck, always walking around looking pretty and harassing me with your shiny hair and your stupid beautiful-- your-- would you stop fluttering your goddamn eyelashes at me already, christ ,” he broke off, hissing and refusing to look at Todoroki anymore.
Todoroki realized he'd been blinking. Repeatedly. Like he couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing.
Probably because he couldn't.
Rain pinged softly against the glass of the window next to them, but it was regrettably not loud enough to drown out the embarrassing croak Todoroki made when he tried to speak and found he had no words at all.
---
Bakugou was terrified. Feelings were sort of scary in general. And he didn't deal well with fear more than any other emotion, if he was being honest, which he rarely was. Fear was the kind of thing he usually tried to drown out with anger, because if he was really, really angry, it was a lot harder to notice he was afraid at all.
As such, getting angry seemed like the only sensible thing for him to do in this situation.
“Look, I’m sure it’s very funny to take advantage of my weaknesses and shit, like ha ha you’re so fucking cool for figuring me out or what the fuck ever , ok, so just-- just go congratulate yourself somewhere else and let me have my stupid fucking fall drink in peace,” he spat, grabbing up his cardboard cup and downing the last of the latte in one go.
He slammed his fist back down on the table when he was finished. “And yes , I fucking like pumpkin spice, ok? I don’t know how the fuck you figured that one out, or if you were just trying to mess with me the whole time with that too, but-- but fuck it. I don’t give a shit. It’s stupid. Fall is stupid.”
Todoroki blinked at him, face slowly turning more and more red with every passing second.
“And I like stupid fucking fall too, for fucks sake , might as well just throw it all out there while we’re--”
“I like you,” Todoroki blurted.
Bakugou was secretly grateful he’d already finished his latte, because if he hadn’t, he was fairly certain he would have just choked on the damn thing.
“What ?” he managed to wheeze, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. Or in the face, given how red it surely was.
Or maybe in the heart, because it felt raw and flayed open
“I wasn’t-- Bakugou, I know I tease you a lot and I get how you might think I’d be doing that now,” Todoroki told him, voice deadly serious. “But I assure you, I am in no way mocking you.”
Oh. Ok. Good, that explained the, uh.
Actually no, that didn’t explain jack fucking shit .
“Then what the hell are you doing?” he asked, wanting to sound pissed and instead sounding dangerously lost and confused. “Why are you, like. I don’t know. Fucking flirting with me or something.”
“Flirting… or something,” Todoroki repeated flatly, as though unable to believe what he was hearing.
Bakugou shot him a glare. “Yeah, or something , dickwad. I don’t know what you’re playing at here. You keep acting like you’re,” Bakugou paused, swallowing thickly before continuing. “Like you’re actually flirting with me and that we’re maybe actually on a date right now and at first I thought you were just trying to piss me off because you’re great at that but now I’m pretty sure you actually figured me out and you’re just trying to embarrass me and I am-- I am pissed off, ok.”
A silence followed this pronouncement. Bakugou used the brief reprieve to attempt to actually be pissed off because he wasn’t. He was dangerously not pissed off, in fact. If anything he was a lot closer to feeling almost… hopeful. Which was just--
Ugh. Gross. It sounded like the kind of shit fucking Deku would feel, not Bakugou Katsuki.
Todoroki cleared his throat, his hand coming to clench the edge of the table in a vice grip, as though the wood of the table were the only thing holding him up. Bakugou could relate. “I’m going to say something,” Todoroki told him, voice strained with nerves. “And I need you to not yell or blow up because of it.”
“As if I would do that, asshole,” Bakugou bit out.
Todoroki shot him a look. “As if you wouldn’t do exactly that, Bakugou.”
Alright. Fine. He supposed that was fair.
“Whatever,” Bakugou mumbled, waving a hand haphazardly in Todoroki’s direction before crossing his arms over his chest before looking out the window, trying and failing to focus on the leaves that were whirling around in the wind as they fell wet and heavily from the trees lining the sidewalk. “I’ll be calm or some shit. I guess.”
“Right,” Todoroki murmured skeptically. He was quiet for a moment, seeming to steel himself for something. Bakugou eventually turned to look at him, curious despite his extreme embarrassment at having essentially bared his secrets all at once to one of his greatest rivals and greatest crush.
Todoroki wasn’t looking at him, though. Todoroki was also looking out the window, coffee cup clasped between both of his hands as he gazed out the glass, eyes far away and looking almost… sad.
Which just-- wasn’t acceptable, as far as Bakugou was concerned. Todoroki wasn’t the one who had exposed everything that made him vulnerable in the last five minutes. That was Bakugou. If anyone deserved to look sad, it was him.
“Well?” he prompted petulantly, raising an eyebrow.
Todoroki shook his head slightly, as though to clear it, his heavy gaze turning to pin Bakugou in place as he opened his mouth to speak.
“I have had feelings for you for well over a year now,” Todoroki told him mildly.
Bakugou’s mind scattered instantly.
“I have never said so, nor done anything that might make you uncomfortable, because I didn’t want to do anything to upset the status quo. I… quite enjoy our relationship now, even as it is.”
What the fuck. There was no way this was happening.
“And I-- I may have been following you around on your evening treks to get coffee for, um. For some time now,” Todoroki said, voice growing quiet.
Bakugou was pretty sure he was not just dying, but actually fucking dead .
“I told myself it was to catch you in the act of having fun enjoying fall so I could give you a bad time about it, but the truth was--”
He broke off, finally meeting Bakugou’s eyes and looking resigned to some kind of dark and horrible fate as he finished in a near whisper,
“--the truth was, I just… wanted to see you smile.”
Bakugou was privately grateful he wasn’t capable of actually catching fire. As it was, he merely exploded the cardboard cup between his hands with a muffled and soft boom that seemed to echo between his palms, the aftershocks working their way up his arms and settling somewhere in the region of his heart.
Todoroki sighed heavily. “Bakugou, you just said you wouldn’t yell or explode anything, and now you’re--”
“Don’t fuck with me,” he said, voice low.
Todoroki’s eyes took on a slightly manic look Bakugou had only seen a handful of times, and always in the middle of battle. “I’m not fucking with you. I am being extremely honest right now. Too honest,” he mumbled, the latter part sounding like it wasn’t necessarily meant for Bakugou to hear.
There was a rushing sound. Bakugou realized it was his own pulse pounding through his ears.
“You-- you actually asked me on a date today,” Bakugou said, stunned. Needing to hear the clarification, because he now knew but still somehow didn’t actually know.
Todoroki swallowed audibly. “Yes.”
“You were seriously flirting with me.”
“Yes.”
“With your-- with your hand on my hip and then the-- the whipped cream thing, that was--”
“Yes ,” Todoroki hissed, sounding pained. “That was all very serious and I was hoping if you tried to point it out I could just play it off as a joke.”
Bakugou couldn’t look away from Todoroki’s eyes. They were liquid fire, two mismatched glowing embers that seemed to gleam from beneath water.
“But I don’t want it to be a joke,” Todoroki said quietly.
What do you want it to mean? Todoroki’s voice from before rang through his head as though from far away.
“I don’t want it to be a joke either,” he told him, surprised at how easy it was to say the words. Surprised how easy it was to realize they were complete and one hundred percent truth.
Todoroki’s mouth dropped, his eyebrows rising into his hairline.
Bakugou could relate, fairly certain his own expression was currently in a similar state. Though maybe more red.
Another unintentional set of small explosions went off between his fingers, nervous sweat coating his hands without his notice where they were tucked under his arms.
He coughed awkwardly, feeling ashamed and hating everything, but especially hating how he didn’t hate any of this much at all.
---
Across from him, Bakugou’s face turned a dangerous shade of red, his gaze settling somewhere out the window with a sort of rapt fixation that told Todoroki he wasn’t actually looking at anythig and was simply too embarrassed to meet his own eyes.
He couldn’t really blame him. Todoroki wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so embarrassed and exposed in his entire life as he did in this moment.
They sat there, a pregnant pause filling the deafening silence between them and lasting what felt like an eternity, before he finally dared to speak again.
“So we’re both serious, then,” he said. Which was stupid, because it was obvious, and how could he not have seen that before honestly, yet somehow he hadn’t.
Bakugou nodded slightly, a barely-there tilt of his head. “Guess so.”
More silence.
How does one progress from this point after confessing to a series of very embarrassing feelings and behaviors , he wondered, having absolutely no concept of an answer.
Bakugou reached out across the table, fidgeting with a napkin and tearing a corner off, slowly beginning to shred the poor thing bit by bit. “So. You like fall, too, huh?”
“Yes,” Todoroki managed to croak.
Bakugou gave another jerky nod again, still not meeting his eyes. “What about pumpkins.”
“What?” Todoroki asked, confused.
Rip, shred. Rip, shred. “How do you like pumpkins?”
“I’m not sure what… I mean, I like pumpkins just fine.”
Bakugou turned to give him a scowl that managed to be more a lot more endearing that it was terrifying. “Look, I’m trying to-- oh for fucks sake. Do you want to maybe go pick out pumpkins and carve them with me or what?”
Todoroki’s heart fluttered against his ribs, like a bird testing its wings for the first time.
“I’m not gonna fucking ask again, alright. You don’t have to, but you’d be stupid not to, because I am the best at picking out good carving pumpkins-- just ask that fuckin nerd if you don’t believe me,” Bakugou told him, sneering slightly at the mention of Izuku.
Bakugou Katsuki was asking him to go on a date. A real date. To pick out and carve pumpkins. Him, Todoroki Shouto, and no one else.
Todoroki surreptitiously pinched the back of his own hand, and-- yep, that hurt alright.
“This is real,” he murmured in disbelief.
Bakugou shot him a look briefly before glancing out the window again. “Yeah. No shit,” he said, but his voice was quiet. Like maybe he couldn’t really believe it either.
Well then. There was really only one thing for it.
“I will go, but only on one condition,” Todoroki told him.
Bakugou glanced at him, seeming torn between curiosity and annoyance. “I’m not gonna like this, am I.”
“We have to wear matching flannel.”
“Oh for-- what the fuck is wrong with you, that’s so--”
“Gay? Very fall?”
“Yes. ”
Todoroki snorted, smiling. “That was sort of my intention.”
Bakugou spluttered before suddenly reaching out and snatching up the last of the pumpkin spice muffins, unceremoniously shoving it in his mouth and nearly eating it whole as he angrily chewed. Todoroki wasn’t fooled, though. He knew anger was how Bakugou dealt with avoiding emotions.
Which meant he was emotional. Over wearing matching flannel shirts.
He’s adorable , Todoroki thought somewhat in awe, surprised despite that it wasn’t the first time he’d realized this fact. It was still just as exciting each and every time he managed to reduce Bakugou to a defensive, angry mess like this, because it was the kind of anger where Bakugou wasn’t really angry at all.
He wondered how many times he could achieve this on their date. Their second date, really. Todoroki’s stomach squirmed happily at the thought.
Maybe he’d have to get them matching scarves, too. Just to be on the safe side.
---
Bakugou stomped his way down the road, his wet shoes squelching against the concrete. He made sure to stomp in every puddle he could feasibly reach.
“Stop that,” Todoroki grumbled, pulling at Bakugou’s elbow to try and steer him away from the puddle they were nearing.
Bakugou tugged him --and their shared umbrella-- over at the last second, jumping in the water and sending a spray all over Todoroki’s pants with a smirk.
“I hate you,” Todoroki sighed, seeming to resign himself to his fate. “Why did I think dating you would be a good idea.”
“We’ve only been dating for like a fucking hour, idiot,” Bakugou said, trying and failing not to let amusement color his voice.
Todoroki pulled Bakugou closer under the umbrella, the heat of his left side keeping them pleasantly warm despite the biting chill of the wind. “Yes. And in that hour I have come to regret my life choices. Significantly.”
Bakugou couldn’t stop himself, an abrupt bark of laughter ripping from his chest before he could catch it and hold it back.
He turned to find Todoroki looking at him like he’d just seen a goddamn unicorn or something, a flush riding high on his face and looking far, far too attractive against the red of his flannel shirt.
“What?” Bakugou asked, frowning.
Todoroki shook his head, his eyes soft as he looped his arm more firmly through Bakugou’s own. “Nothing. I just… really do like your smile.”
Bakugou flushed but said nothing, and firmly refused to acknowledge the fact that he stopped stomping through puddles after that.
Bakugou loved fall. And sure, maybe he didn’t want anyone to know about it. But this thing with Todoroki?
Bakugou absolutely hated that he kind of wanted to shout about it from the rooftop of the nearest building for the rest of forever.
Mostly, he hated the way Todoroki managed to make him not hate much of anything at all.