Goodbye Solitude

Chapter 13

Bakugo hid in his apartment the entire weekend. At first he was nervous that Kirishima was going to call him or coming knocking on the door, asking what happened. And, hell, he wasn't quite sure himself.

He wandered around his apartment restlessly, thinking about every interaction they'd had recently all the way up to their failed date. He dwelled as he cleaned, as he cooked, as he worked out, but he cycled through everything the most intensely as he laid in bed at night.

Alone.

And he didn't hear from Kirishima.

At all.

By the time Monday morning rolled around he was exhausted and pissed. Mostly with himself. It wasn't Kirishima's fault he was such a disaster. All he'd done was try his best to have a great date. The problem was that Bakugo didn't think he wanted "real" dates. He didn't want fancy dinners, long walks on the beach, or any of that cheesy stuff.

The stuff that apparently Kirishima wanted. If that one date showed him anything it was that Kirishima wanted all the bells and whistles that came with having a traditional relationship. Well, as traditional as a gay relationship between two famous professional heroes could get. And he deserved all of that crap.

But then what did Bakugo really want? He still wasn't sure. He was attracted to Kirishima and enjoyed spending time with him.

Understatement of the century, he thought wryly as he stomped his way into the Home Office. It was also an understatement to say that he was nervous as hell that morning, which made him even more grumpy. He was a fucking badass hero, he shouldn't be nervous about running into his best friend-slash-boyfriend.

Wait, were they even boyfriends anymore? Or had Bakugo messed up so badly that Kirishima gave up on him? He felt sick to his stomach now. Pushing his way into the locker room, he casually strolled past Kirishima's locker, even though it wasn't actually on the way to his locker, but Kirishima wasn't there. Maybe he was running late? Or maybe he came early. Either way, it was irritating. Bakugo slammed open his locker and shoved on his hero outfit.

Just as he pulled on his second gauntlet his phone dinged with a new text. Bakugo picked up his phone with a scowl.

Unknown Number: Hey, I got your number from Kirishima. I'll meet you at the shuttles? We got quadrant 2. Looking forward to working with you! -Tetsutetsu

Bakugo sighed, saved the number, and signed in for his shift on the mobile app before shoving his phone into a pocket.

Tetsutetsu was standing on the sidewalk next to the row of shuttles and spotted Bakugo immediately, waving him over. "Hey! First day, huh? I hope your even half as excited as I am!" he said with a toothy grin. Bakugo shrugged and some of Tetsutetsu's enthusiasm waned. "To be honest, I'm happy just being home again. My mom was pretty crushed about me being assigned so far away. So, it's nice being in the area again!"

They both climbed into the shuttle and settled into seats in the back. Bakugo stared out the window as the shuttle shifted into drive and pulled away from the curb. Silence stretched awkwardly between them.

Finally, Tetsutetsu cracked. "Look, I'm just gonna lay it all out." Interest piqued, Bakugo turned to look at him. Tetsutetsu's face was serious as he looked Bakugo in the eyes. "I know this isn't an ideal situation for you to be in. You were on your own and just as you and Kirishima got... close you were pushed onto me. If I were you I would be pretty ticked off about it, too. I just want you to know that I will be doing my best to support you while we're partners, for however long it may be. And that I'm sure I will be learning even more from you during this time then you could ever learn from me. I know I can't take Kirishima's place, and I won't even try. But I think that we could kick some major butt together!" He grinned again and Bakugo's heart thumped painfully in his chest. That stupid smile reminded him of Kirishima. Part of him wanted to wipe it from his face.