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Katsuki walked back to his dorm, displaying an agitated facade to anyone who walked too close to him. Although he could be a bit more sensitive to the people around him, his day had already been ruined by Midnight making an offhand comment about his attitude.
Maybe, he thought, if you hadn’t forced me under a delirious state, I’d be a bit calmer around you.
However, it seemed that nobody thought of other’s feelings anymore. Not in the hero world, anyway. Katsuki was prepared for that, though. He had been prepared when his mother told him his purpose when he got his quirk, he was prepared when she told him all the hardships that he would have to overcome, and he was prepared when he was suffocated by the Sludge Monster.
Unlike so many of the blissfully oblivious students here, Bakugou was ready. He understood the difficulties off the real world, which is why he was here. If he wasn’t going to be a hero, then what was there to do? With such a powerful quirk, his life was already set in stone. This, as he reflected, might be a reason as to why he had respect for Todoroki. Although others seemed to disagree, they also never cared about his opinions anyways, so he doesn’t value their stance on his relationship with Todoroki.
With what Katsuki learned from Todoroki’s overly dramatic backstory to Deku, his life wasn’t as perfect as he made it seem. Not like his face portrayed someone who had experienced a good life anyways. It was pretty obvious from the start.
Having reached his dorm, Katsuki slammed his door and sat on his bed. He hoped that his attitude hadn’t caused one of the extras from the Idiot Brigade to come running after him.
You’d think that being upset and broody would make them run away, he mused.
Being able to relax, Katsuki’s shoulders sagged as he thought about Kariage. It had been months since they had spoken. Three months and 15 days, to be exact. Katsuki had been stuck in a continuous loop of finishing a monotonous school day and staying in his room only to hope to see Kariage again. Throughout the time that they had been separated, Katsuki didn’t feel real. Without support or reassurance, he felt lost in a world that was foreign to him- and he knew Kariage felt the same. Despite having experienced separation before, this was more severe. It was colder and isolating, and much worse than everything he had felt before.
Although Kariage had constantly told him before he left, Katsuki couldn’t help but feel as if Kariage would loose interest in him. What if Kariage realized his worth and saw how truly exhausting Bakugou was? If he was there, sitting on that rooftop again, Katsuki could distract Kariage from thinking such thoughts with gentle kisses and soft whispers. However, he wasn’t there, and he was alone once again. It was colder in his room when he had nobody than it was on the rooftop when he had the world.
Shifting his seat, Katsuki stared out the window to try and distract himself. He had already finished his work, and without a proper goal to distract himself, Bakugou had only himself to think about. Frowning, Bakugou glared at a vine dangling near his window. Until, he realized, that there was a faint pitter against his walls. If it was Kirishima attempting to do Morse code with him again, he was gonna blow their wall up so he could just say whatever was so important.
He sat up, slowly walking towards his window. The noise seemed to stop, and before he could feel relieved, the most beautiful face appeared in his window. Katsuki couldn’t breathe, blinking at the window as if he was dreaming. As he stared at the man in front of him, pitch back eyes gazed back. Unable to express himself, Bakugou smiled and ran to the window to open it.
“Hey Baby,” was the first thing that was whispered to Katsuki, and it was enough to end him into a crying spiral.
“I missed you.” He sobbed.
“I know, I’m here now.” He promised.
Katsuki helped him get through the window, sitting on his bed as he stuffed his face into his chest while he hugged him. It still smelled smokey, and although he hadn’t been in his presence for a while, his smell would never seem foreign. Katsuki concluded that his taste hadn’t changed either, kissing him while tears continued to roll down his cheek.
“Where have you been?” Katsuki asked, arms encasing Kariage as they laid down.
“All over Musutafu, around every store and through every alley. I have so much to tell you, Katsuki.”
He smiled, snuggling further into his lover. “I’d love to hear all about it.”
And so, as Kariage animatedly recounted all his adventures, Katsuki lost himself in the overwhelming feeling of love. He watched Kariage speak with a fondness that he’d seen on his face many times before, and wondered if he had been safe throughout his job. Although Kariage could spend hours talking about his life, he always excluded the negative parts of his story, leaving Katsuki to only wonder about his safety.
Alas, Kariage could never truly keep anything from Katsuki, and when he noticed Katsuki’s concerned gaze, he sighed affectionately. “I was hurt, I’m not going to lie. I got into a big fight with this underground hero, it was pretty rough. They were strong, and I had to retreat. I’m alright, it was just a couple of broken bones.”
“A couple? Don’t be so nonchalant!” Katsuki huffed, concerned about his newly healed injuries. Although, as Katsuki reflected, Kariage always had a strange tolerance and quick recovery.
Perhaps it was his second quirk, he mused.
“It’s fine, I’m fine. Just an unlucky run-in, is all.” He claimed calmly.
“You always underplay things…” Katsuki whispered.
Kariage only shook his head in agreement, laughing at Katsuki’s comment.
They stayed in their position for a long time, wrapped up on his bed as they quietly spoke and enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere provided. There was no thoughts of Kariage’s imminent departure, only whispered proclamations of love as the two lived in each other’s peace.
“I have to go soon,” Kariage sighed regretfully.
“I know.”
There was a moment of silence, as if Kariage wanted to say more and Katsuki wanted to say nothing. Eventually, Katsuki broke the quietness, speaking in a gravely tone.
“I want you to stay. For the night.”
Kariage looked up at him, puzzled. “Here? Surrounded by heroes?”
“Yes.” Was the quick and only response that Bakugou gave.
“I…don’t know, baby. That’s really risky.”
One pleading look from the latter fully convinced Kariage, as he sighed and agreed.
“Just this once,” He claimed.
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Kariage found himself enjoying the role that he quickly fell into. Walking around Katsuki’s room in his clothes that rode up on his ankles and arms, he realized that the feeling of a home was something that he enjoyed, wished for even. Kariage was startled by the thought, but felt as if this realization had been slowly forming in his mind since the moment they met up one-on-one. The closeness and friendship that they had created was something Kariage had never had before, and such vulnerability would have made Kariage feel exposed if it were anybody else.
But it was Katsuki, and he felt protected. Kariage liked feeling protected, being able to relax without worrying about others for once. Walking up behind Katsuki in his bathroom, he wrapped his arms around his neck and placed his chin on the top of his head, smiling at his angry brushing.
Who knew how aggressive brushing your teeth could be, he pondered.
Admiring his lover’s face, he almost didn’t hear the obnoxious knocking on Katsuki’s door.
“Bakugouuuuu!!! We’re playing Mario Kart, come play with us!” Some random girl whined.
Katuki’s head snapped up and he suddenly looked afraid.
“Kariage, hide in the bathroom. I’ll handle them.”
Not knowing what to do, Kariage numbly followed Bakugou’s instructions as he watched Bakugou run around to quickly hide any trace of him. Although he knew that this was for the best, and that Katsuki’s reputation would be ruined if he was exposed to be dating a vigilante, he felt an unreasonable amount of hurt. He wanted to be in Katsuki’s life. He had just realized that he wanted to stay in his life, and now he was being erased from it. Although it was only momentarily, the feeling of abandonment consumed his heart.
Unable to watch any longer as he closed the bathroom door, Kariage listened intently to the muffled voices on the other side. All he could make out was a couple of Bakugou’s empty threats and him telling them to fuck off, until he heard the door open further and voices spill into the room.
They were fucked.
Kariage attempted to find an escape route, and upon realizing that he was trapped in a stupid 4 by 8 dorm bathroom, he wished Katsuki would quickly kick them out. However, as he heard most of the group seat themselves, he concluded that he would be forced to reside in his boyfriend’s bathroom for at least a couple of hours.
Damn, he really should’ve brought his phone.
Kariage wasn’t upset that they weren’t being kicked out, as he knew how important they were to Katsuki. He talked about them frequently, and there was always a hidden love for them that Kariage loved to see. However, the twinge of exclusion grew again, as Kariage wished to be the one comforting Katsuki. Or, that’s what he assumed they were trying to do. He knew that Katsuki had a very expressive face, and if they weren’t idiots, they would’ve realized that he was upset earlier today.
In a way, he was glad that Katsuki had found good friends who would try to comfort him without outright bringing up anything to anger him. Unlike their group in middle school, these friends seemed to care- a lot. Kariage only wished they would’ve visited him tomorrow, when they weren’t in the middle of an endearingly domestic moment.
Pressing his back against the bathroom door, Kariage listened to the squeaking laughter and occasional grunt from Katsuki. Eventually, he finally heard Katsuki speak, shooing them away and out of his room. To his horror, Kariage heard one of the louder ones quickly tell Katsuki they’d leave once he went to the bathroom.
Once a desperate plea from Katsuki telling them to not go in his bathroom slipped out, the entire group ran to his door and started to pull on the handle. Kariage quickly ran to the shower and hid behind the curtain, praying to any god above to barricade the door. As soon as his prayer ended, the door burst open and Kariage caught a glimpse of a rocky silhouette.
There really is no god, huh? Kariage wondered before pressing himself further against the shower walls.
He recognized the silhouette from Katsuki’s stories and the Sports Festival, and thought how stupid he must look trying to hide from someone who seemed so sweet. He was a vigilante, and could easily create a smoke diversion with his quirk and escape. He didn’t need a stupid Provisional license like them, but when assessing his options, he supposed that he’d rather not throw Katsuki under the bus.
Resigning to his fate, Kariage focused on the curtain and waited for it to be opened. Distantly hearing Katsuki yell at the group, he watched the shadow of a group walk into the bathroom.
How embarrassing, he thought. They’re going to think I’m one of his hookups or something.
“C’mon, Bakugou! I’ve never heard you so panicked in here, are you hiding some sort of evil plan in here?” A boisterous voice laughed.
“Yeah Blasty! We promise we won’t judge your weird 3-in-1 products or anything!” A bubbly and voice proclaimed as a pink hand ripped back the curtain.
Fuck was Kariage’s only fleeting thought before his eyes met a group of four kids.
“What the…” One of the boys trailed off.
“Fuck?” Another one finished.
Must be Denki, he concluded, looking at his atrocious choice of sleeping clothes and obnoxious hair color.
“Um, I-“ Kariage began to stutter, suddenly becoming self-conscious around a bunch of goody goody teenagers. “Hi?”
“Who the hell are you?” Denki asked.
“Um-“ Kariage paused, looking for Katsuki in the crowd. He was still being blocked out by Kirishima, the one who apparently burst down the door. “The plumber?” His voice crack practically gave himself away.
“Oh my god are you a villain?” The pink one, who Kariage is 90% sure is Mina, asks.
“I- what? No! I’m- uh, Katsuki?” He pleaded weakly, looking towards him and hoping that he could peacefully assess and diffuse the situation. Although, knowing Katsuki and how he got when people invaded his personal space, he wasn’t sure why he though Katsuki would be rational in the present.
“You dumb fucks!” He snarled, having just blasted Kirishima away with his explosions. “Who the hell do you think this is?”
Enlightenment flashed across all of their faces collectively, before gasping in shock.
“Wha- NO! He can’t be your boyfriend! Why wouldn’t you tell us?” Kirishima asked, having recovered from Katsuki’s assault.
Kariage learned that the new age of heroes weren’t very good with social cues, and even worse with uncovering mysteries.
“Yeah? Well he fucking is! Don’t go looking for an answer when you aren’t fucking ready for them!” Katsuki yelled, probably gaining the attention of everyone in his general vicinity.
“We are…really sorry for snooping, Bakugou. But this is amazing! You’re the first of the Bakusquad to get some!” Denki exclaimed, the black haired one raising his thumb for support with a wink.
Kariage raised his eyebrow, silently asking Katsuki why he would ever allow his name to be slandered like that.
He sighed exasperatedly, yelling at everyone to leave his room. As they all filed out one by one, Kariage watched their snickering faces as they made grossly suggestive hand motions.
Despite their outstanding ability to be ignorant and lack of common sense, Kariage knew that they were the type of friends Katsuki would keep. The feeling of contentment replaced his once jealous emotions, and he sat next to Katsuki, who had slammed the door closed and sat against his bed.
He slid down against the bed, sitting on the floor. “Hey,” Kariage whispered, as if he was repeating his enterance.
“Hi.”
“Are you alright? I really didn’t want our relationship to get revealed like that.” Kariage stated.
“Yeah, I just- Didn’t expect them to get all up in my shit. Like, I trusted them, you know? I don’t get why they would barge in like that…” he trailed off, collecting his thoughts.
“I just wanted to come out on my own terms? I know they’re accepting and don’t care who I dare but being outed and having you on display like that made me feel so…vulnerable. I’ve never felt like that with them. It made me feel like I was weak.” He admitted.
“I know.”
Katsuki sighed, placing his head on Kariage’s shoulder. “It was my fault the situation got out of control. I’m sorry.”
Hearing his voice crack, Kariage quickly kissed and reassured him. “Oh no, baby, it’s not your fault. Nobody could’ve predicted that. You did all you could do.”
Tears swelling in his eyes, Katsuki shook his head. “I just felt like I could do more. Feeling so powerless really threw me off because I felt safe with them, you know? I’m just glad they didn’t recognize you from the news.”
Kariage was upset that Katsuki’s friends had crossed his boundaries like that, but understood that they were probably so socially inept that they didn’t even know he had that boundary. He hoped, at least. In the end, he knew that they had good intentions, and was glad that Katsuki would have people to rely on when he wasn’t around.
“Baby, have you seen me on the news?” Kariage paused, sarcastically glancing at Katsuki. “Exactly. I have an escapist quirk for a reason, you know.”
With that, Katsuki laughed, and it all felt right in the world. It didn’t matter that his friends had seen him. It didn’t matter that his identity was at risk. All he could focus on was Katsuki. His eyes glistening in the moonlight with the remnants of tears, Kariage kissed Katsuki with the promise that he would be there when he woke up.
As Katsuki twisted his fingers into Kariage’s hand, they sat against his bed on the cold floor and smiled. Each for different reasons. Wether it was being happy that Katsuki would be accepted or that Kariage would be with him in the morning, both boys fell asleep under the same roof without a wish for the world to change.