Too Damn Nice

Note: This was initially published in the zine Wonder Duo Rising. It will not be published on Ao3, it is limited to purchasers and Patreon. I hope you enjoy it!

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"Bakubro!" Kirishima grinned, slinging an arm around Bakugou’s shoulders and ignoring the glare he got in return. "We've got movies and popcorn, come join us!"

"No."

"Come on dude, hang out with us! It'll be fun!"

"No it won't."

"You don't know that!"

"Pretty sure I do."

Despite his complaints, Bakugou let Kirishima lead him into the living room, where he fell heavily onto the couch between Kaminari and Ashido. With a little scowl, he reached to steal the fluffy blanket in Ashido's lap, only for her to happily spread it out for him to share.

His friends were too damn nice, it was the worst.

"What're we watching?" he sighed, glaring at the bucket of buttery popcorn Kaminari offered him. To their surprise, he took a piece, only to throw it straight back into Kaminari’s face. "Something good, at least?"

"Yeah! It's called From The Depths. It looks awesome!"

"Sounds lame."

"Nah dude, you'll love it."

Ashido offered him a smaller popcorn bowl, plain and unbuttered, and he conceded a little nod as he accepted. He didn't realise the stupid mistake he'd made in joining them until the opening music began, his fingers tensing up against the sides of the bowl, knuckles already turning white.

"Is this a horror movie?" he hissed, glaring at Kaminari's bright grin. "What the fuck?"

"Awww, is poor wittle Kacchan scared of a movie?"

"I'm not scared of shit, asshole! They're just... lame and boring."

"It's okay buddy, we'll take care of you," Kaminari teased, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and laughing when Bakugou pulled away. "It's gonna be awesome!"

"I hate you stupid pricks."

He squirmed away, shifting closer to Ashido to avoid Kaminari's touch – sitting next to him was just asking for trouble, he was bound to pick the perfect moment to grab Bakugou or make some stupid noise that would make Bakugou jump. God knows they'd never let that go, let alone if he screamed or something.

Not that Bakugou would ever scream over a stupid movie. He was a hero, he didn't scream over anything.

Wake up in a cold sweat struggling to breathe, sure, but not-

He pushed that thought aside quickly, stuffing more popcorn in his mouth as a distraction. Those thoughts were a slippery slope at the best of times, let alone with the stupid movie on screen as well. He didn't need to add more fuel to the damn dumpster fire in his brain.

"What're you watching?" Midoriya asked, leaning over the back of the couch to take a peek on his way through. "Looks old."

"It's a horror movie! You wanna join us?"

Midoriya glanced at Bakugou, his face full of concern, but Bakugou just stared at the screen as if he hadn't noticed, cheeks flushed pink.

"Yeah, can I?" Midoriya asked after a pause, squeezing himself between Kaminari and Bakugou on the couch. "What's it about?"

"A leaky apartment," Bakugou grumbled, shrugging.

"Hair came out of the tap!" Ashido added gleefully. "And there's this weird bunny bag that keeps coming back."

"Bunnies tend to do that," Bakugou muttered, giving Midoriya a pointed look and watching him giggle. "I have popcorn."

"Ooh! Yum!" Midoriya leaned over to take a handful, only to find the others blinking at him in surprise. "What? Did he do something weird to it?"

Kaminari held up a much bigger bowl, drenched in melted butter, and Midoriya laughed when he caught on.

"I like it plain," he confirmed. "Kacchan knows that!"

"You guys are weird."

"Not gonna waste my calories on butter," Bakugou shrugged. "You extras may as well just drink a damn bowl of butter, it would taste the same."

"But then it wouldn't go crunch!" Kaminari objected.

"Shut the hell up."

Bakugou's fingers curled into the blanket when scary music picked up on screen, and Midoriya found himself leaning in a little closer, pressing their sides together in the hope that his warmth might offer some kind of comfort. 

He'd learned late one night that comforting him was possible, that Bakugou might actually let him in on occasion. Midoriya was a known night owl, so getting texts late at night wasn’t rare, but seeing Bakugou’s name light up his screen well after midnight had been a surprise. It had been entirely innocuous, too - not nearly important enough to disrupt Bakugou’s bedtime routine. It had taken weeks of sporadic texts to finally learn why he got such random, unimportant messages so late on a school night.

By the time the credits rolled, Bakugou's hands were curled into the blanket so tightly that Midoriya was scared it might tear if he moved. He found himself reaching out, tentatively patting Bakugou's thigh and hoping his expression showed the proper sympathy, not something Bakugou could mistake for pity.

"I'm gonna head to bed," he announced, when the gleeful post-movie discussion began to calm down. "Thanks for letting me join you!"

"Any time, Midoriya!" Kirishima assured him. "It was nice to have you here!"

"I'm going too," Bakugou muttered, freeing the blanket from his death grip as he stood to follow. "Movie was stupid, told you it would be."

"Goodnight, Bakugou!"

He followed Midoriya to the elevator in silence, but still the smile remained on Midoriya's face. It never really went away, even when they were just walking down a damn hallway. He pushed the button for his floor, reaching to push Bakugou's as well, only to find his hand slapped away silently. Midoriya started to ask, but when he saw the oddly pathetic little pout he snapped his mouth shut in a hurry.

"You wanna come hang out for a bit?" Midoriya asked knowingly, as the doors slid open.

Bakugou didn't answer, but he stepped out all the same, leading the way to Midoriya's bedroom. He let himself in without bothering to ask if it was okay, shedding his t-shirt and sweatpants along the way, and still without saying a word, crawled into Midoriya’s bed.

"You staying here tonight?" Midoriya asked, giggling. "Okay, I guess you can."

He locked the door behind him, casting his clothes aside to match, and with his mind still blank in disbelief he slid into the little space Bakugou had left for him. It took every piece of courage he possessed to open his mouth, more than it had ever taken to punch a villain in the face or snatch some kid from danger, but with a deep breath he forced the words between his lips.

"You been having nightmares again?"

Bakugou grumbled some kind of response, dropping his head to Midoriya's shoulder, and Midoriya wrapped an arm around him tentatively.

"You can stay with me," he said softly, stroking gently up and down Bakugou's spine. "It's okay."

"Shut up," Bakugou mumbled, more tired than irritated. "Sleeping."

"Okay, sweet dreams."

Bakugou fell asleep in a heartbeat, curled sweetly into Midoriya's side just like when they were toddlers, and despite it being nowhere near his usual bedtime, Midoriya closed his eyes too. There was something comforting about the feel of the warm, strong frame under his arm, snuggled in comfortably to share in his warmth, and as he leaned his cheek on soft blond spikes, he couldn't help but smile.

"Goodnight, Kacchan."

He half-expected to wake in the night to Bakugou squirming or thrashing, to be woken by Bakugou's panic or anxiety, but by the time his eyes opened, sunlight was already shining through his thin curtains, and Bakugou still remained in his arms. The soft expression on his face was childlike, almost angelic, his nose pressed into the crook of Midoriya's neck where he'd wriggled his way closer during the night.

"Morning," he grinned, when Bakugou's long eyelashes blinked open. "Sleep well?"

"Shut up," Bakugou blushed, pulling the blankets up to cover his face. "Don't start this shit."

"Sorry," Midoriya giggled, hugging him a little tighter. "Any bad dreams?"

Bakugou’s head shook against his chest, and Midoriya picked up the blanket to peek at him.

"None at all?"

"None," he confirmed.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya lit up, squeezing him hard. "I'm so happy for you!"

Bakugou grumbled something unintelligible, and Midoriya didn't bother asking him to repeat it, satisfying himself with nuzzling into Bakugou's hair instead.

"Can I come back?" Bakugou asked faintly.

"Any time you want, Kacchan. I promise I'll protect you."

"I don't need protecting."

"I know," Midoriya smiled to himself. "But I'll do it anyway."

"Mm," Bakugou mumbled, huffing a little sigh that tickled Midoriya's skin. "Going back to sleep."

"Yeah?"

"It’s the weekend."

"Okay," Midoriya laughed, making sure Bakugou was wrapped up tight in his grip. "That sounds nice."

"Stay."

Midoriya didn't answer other than a little squeeze with his arms, but when Bakugou squeezed him back it was hard to hold in his tears. Bakugou sighed again as he settled in to sleep, and just as Midoriya began to drift off, he heard the tiniest voice that had ever left his friend's lips.

"You’re too damn nice."