Harder to Love

Anger Management Alley

"FUCKING STUPID PIECE OF GODDAMN GARBAGE!" Bakugou shouted, slamming his fists into the dumpster. "STUPID FLOPPY HAIRED MORON!"

"Something on your mind?" A pair of feet landed on the dumpster lid, connected to the second stupid redhead in Bakugou's life.

"Go the fuck away, Red."

"Want a moving target to vent with?"

"What?"

"Wanna spar?"

Bakugou froze where he was. "What?"

"I can take it! I've got thick skin."

The blond blinked, confused. "Why are you doing this?"

"I've got nothing better to do." Red Riot shrugged. "Besides; I had a shitty day too."

"Like you could ever have a shitty day."

"Oh, like I'm not allowed to have problems?"

"No, you're not. You're the kind of person good things happen to."

"As a matter of fact; I got in a fight with the love of my life today." Red Riot crossed his arms, frowning in a stupid way, like a kid pouting at their parents over an unjust punishment.

"You got in a fight with your girlfriend? So what? I've got some asshole at school out to get me and everybody else thinks he's some innocent angel." Bakugou's voice scratched and broke over the words. He was frustrated. He had worked so hard to stay out of trouble, and then that asshole, Kirishima pushed him into it, only to pull him back out again with a dumb smile on his face. He was an idiot, an absolute jerk.

"Not my girlfriend."

"What?"

"I'm gay, dude."

"Why are you telling me that? What does that have to do with this conversation?"

"You assumed that I had a fight with my girlfriend, but I was talking about a guy."

"I don't see it."

"See what?"

"I just can't picture you being gay."

"Why not?"*-

"You're so..."

"Masculine?"

"Yeah."

"Well, thanks for the compliment, I guess. And anyway, it's two guys, so it's twice as manly."

"I guess you're right." Bakugou laughed, a soft sort of sound he wasn't used to. Did this guy really bring him down from beating up a dumpster to laughing?

"So, you wanna talk about this?"

Bakugou shook his head. "Nah. I think I'm good for now. How did you realize you were gay."

Red Riot sat down on the lid of the dumpster, looking into space dreamily. "It started last year. We got a new transfer student and...god...he made me feel things I had never considered possible."

This guy clearly had it bad. He was so purely in love.

Bakugou didn't know why that look made his stomach all sloshy. He was probably just jealous of Red Riot for having somebody in his life.

"Is he...as...manly as you?"

"Mmm. Manlier."

"How did you get together?"

Red's face sunk a little. "We didn't. I barely talk to him."

"You idiot. If you like a person, you should just say it."

"You have clearly never been in love."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it's not easy to just talk to somebody who makes your body feel like mush."

"That sounds fake. How can somebody make you feel like that? Are you sure it's not a medical problem?"

Red Riot laughed. "You definitely have never been in love."

"Is that such a bad thing? It just means I'm not distracted by stupid shit. I can focus on hero work."

"I think it's kind of cute, to be honest." Red giggled.

Bakugou felt an unfamiliar heat consume his body. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to punch someone.

"Is that sparring offer still standing?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm gonna kick your fucking ass."