White Lies, Red Velvet

Eighteen

"Uh...about two days." Bakugou scratched the back of his neck.
"Two days ago?" Kirishima gasped. Two days? He had known for two days and hadn't said a thing?
"No. Two days after I lost it." Bakugou corrected.
"You let me believe your memory was gone for a WEEK?!"
"Well, not quite a week."
"But still. You made me believe that you didn't remember anything that happened to you for ages. Why would you do something like that?"
"Oh, like you didn't lie about us dating for longer."
"Well...I...I knew that was temporary no matter what happened. I knew you'd remember and then you'd kick me out and it would all be over." Kirishima swallowed. "Why didn't you just do that, Bakugou? Why did you let me keep this shit up long enough to-" he was about to finish with "fall in love with you again" but he stopped. This was how it all started; with a stupid love confession.
"I wanted to see how long you'd keep it up. I even tested you to see how far your morals would let you go with me." Bakugou answered sternly.
Kirishima thought back to when Bakugou tried to have sex with him. That had been the REAL Bakugou, the one who remembered everything. Those had been HIS hands holding him down in bed.
"And if I had agreed to it?"
"Then I would have given up the charade and kicked you out."
Kirishima let out a long breath through his nose. "I just don't see why you would pretend to like me like that just to see how long I would keep lying."
Bakugou sighed in frustration, as if the answer was obvious. "because I fucking missed you, idiot."
"Huh?"
"I missed having my best friend around and I regretted pushing you away because I couldn't cope with my own damn feelings."
"Feelings?"
"Yeah. My fucking feelings for you. The ones I've had since first year that I shoved down because you were the first real friend I had and I didn't want to lose you. And by the time you fucking finally confessed, I had convinced myself that I didn't like you. Besides, I had my goal. I didn't want you to drop everything for me, because I knew you would. And you deserve better than me." Bakugou had tears in his eyes, something he didn't do often. "And I know I shouldn't have pushed you away so harshly. I should have at least kept you as a friend. I was just pissed at myself for not confessing to you sooner."
"Bakugou..." Kirishima blinked. "I'M the one who doesn't deserve YOU. I fucking LIED to you. And I'm weak. You're out here trying to be number one and start your own agency...I've just been letting myself tread water for the last three years. I'm nothing."
"You're a fucking dumbass." Bakugou growled. "You really think that about yourself? You're powerful. And a great friend. And I don't think I can go back to living without you in my life."
Kirishima stiffened as Bakugou wrapped his arms around him again. "I fucking love you, hair for brains. That's what I was trying to say back when that villain bit me. I want to be yours again."
Kirishima couldn't help the dam that broke inside of him. He relaxed, into Bakugou's arms, sobbing violently.
"I love you, too." He choked.
Bakugou pulled them both onto the floor, kissing him for real this time. It tasted salty from the tears they were both shedding.
Bakugou cried the hardest that night. He had a lot of emotions to let out; his happiness at finally getting to be with Kirishima again, truthfully this time, his sadness from his mother's death that he had yet to come to terms with, and his anger at himself for getting into this situation to begin with.
"I'm not going to fuck it up with you this time." He muttered.
And Kirishima knew this was the most truthful thing either of them had said in weeks.