Archive of Our Own

Frigid wind blew over Eijirou’s freshly styled hair, grappling to blow it over. It was a battle nearly won with the frosty chill and dark glowering clouds promising an oncoming snowfall. He puffed out a last breath of air before pushing through the door into the izakaya. Immediately, he was hit with an onslaught of warm, smoky air, loud, chattering voices mixed in with the occasional high-pitched laugh in all directions, and steamy, savouring air wafting over towards him. The izakaya was filled to the brim, all little stools occupied even in the tightest of corners, bustling waiters flitting around, arms packed with tiny plates full of food and trays brimming with cold drinks.

Arriving almost three-quarters of an hour too late, he was sure to find his friends already inebriated with alcohol, good conversation and too much laughter. His head swivelled about for his raucous friends, when a waiter almost ran into him in his rush to accommodate him. He sheepishly apologised, bowed his head slightly and asked him to wait outside until a table became free.

“I’m actually part of a group that’s already here, we reserved for twenty under the Iida name,” He said politely, smiling and waving off the apology. He sympathised with the stress of needing to be at many places and attend to so many people at once.

The man bowed again and led him over to a hidden private room. He could hear shrieks coming from behind the door, laughter following it closely. A rush of nostalgia swept over him before the door was even opened. It was rushing to homeroom after oversleeping right before the bell rang and Aizawa showed up. His heart sank a little; he had not realised how much he had missed all his friends. They became family in more ways than one after living together for three years and surviving a war together.

The waiter kindly, if a little enthusiastically, opened the door for him, smiling brightly at him for some reason. He walked in and saw flushed faces, bright smiles and many drinks being poured for a variety of different people. Another scream passed when he entered. He saw Mina jump up and run towards him.

Arms flew out at him, wrapping him up in a big hug. Despite his own athletic build, he could feel his bones being crushed by her toned muscles. “Kirishima, you’re late! We already started without you!” she exclaimed gleefully, her bright eyes and easy pleasure confirming her statement.

He laughed good-naturedly, “Good to see you too, Mina,” he said with a little sass, “Those highballs seem to be doing you good.” he manoeuvred her to a side-hug to see the rest of his class, “Hey guys, sorry I’m late. A villain decided to attack ten minutes before my shift ended.” He let out a breath of relief and smiled brightly at all of them, taking in the changes in their faces. Some were weathered down, with dark circles under their eyes and pale skin, while others were mildly drunk with flushed cheeks and glossy eyes. All were smiling, squished in the room, enjoying each other's presence. They had all lost their respective baby fat from school, but in the presence of family, with easy attitudes and bright faces, they all looked like seventeen again, cooking and eating out on a regular weekend when they all had off.

He took off his jacket, putting it on the overflowing coat rack in the corner, and looked for a spot to sit down. The back of his neck tingled, and he caught Katsuki’s intent gaze on him, comfortable and heavy. He glimpsed what seemed to be the only empty seat left next to him, Uraraka on the other side. As he wandered over, he clapped his friends on the back and gave hugs to all those he had not seen in a while.

When he arrived at his seat, he greeted Midoriya next to Uraraka, “Hey, I saw one of your students fight with that stone villain the other day with Best Jeanist. Man, that was one intense battle! Kudos to them for getting past all those defences.”

Midoriya's smile dazzled at that. Eijirou knew that teaching the next generation to make the world a better place was Midoriya’s passion and pride. He nodded enthusiastically with the eagerness of a proud parent, “Yeah, the villain was really tough on the ground. She had such a good overview of the area that it was hard to get away from her attacks. Angel was lucky he could fly, and Jeanist could propel himself with his denim. I was shaking in my seat watching it on TV.”

“I definitely get that, dude, that sort of mobility is crazy important. If I’m honest, I’m a little jealous of it.” Eijirou had long ago accepted the boundaries of his quirk and appreciated its versatility and uses, but he acknowledged its weaknesses. Some battles were better fought by other heroes.

“You would have managed to get through to her, Eijirou, stop whining about your quirk,” Katsuki lamented, looking over at him past Uraraka’s shoulder to butt into their conversation. His eyes burned explosively into Eijirou’s mirrored red ones.

Eijirou smiled widely, “I’m glad you have faith in me, bro. I’m just saying Jeanist and Angel have crazy range!”

An expected scoff sounded from Katsuki, “Angel has a lot to work on, the movements were sloppy, and attacks were predictable. Jeanist is always solid, not better than me, though,” not worse either, Eijirou filled in the blank. He knew a compliment from Katsuki when he heard one. He appreciated the mentor-mentee relationship they had. It warmed his heart that Katsuki had someone like Best Jeanist and Edgeshot to talk to while climbing the ranks so quickly and trying to make it big.

Eijirou laughed as he walked over, waving to Midoriya with a promise to chat more later. “Yeah, yeah, you know you’re great, honey,” he ruffled Katsuki’s hair a little, not enough to detonate him, but enough to pester him a little. It did not hurt to feel his soft hair and warm head as the blonde blushed furiously and slapped his hand away.

“I ordered a bunch of meat plates for you and a highball at the beginning, but it was getting warm and melting, so I gave it to Round-face over here. We haven’t started eating yet. Food will probably come in a few minutes, and you can order another drink or whatever,” Katsuki grumbled with half of his usual theatrics.

Eijirou put an arm around Katsuki’s shoulder and squeezed him lightly before dropping his arm to rest behind his back, “Nice and attentive, you’re a real prize, aren’t you?” he teased.

Katsuki smirked roguishly, “Objectifying me isn’t very manly of you, Eijirou.”

A laugh escaped Eijirou; it was dizzyingly fun to be corrected on his social graces by his vehement introvert friend. “My bad, my bad, I was just appreciating you, give me another chance to do you right-”

“But if I were a prize,” Katsuki mused, talking over Eijirou’s sticky-sweet charm, “I’d be hard won. Only the strongest would have a chance.” He lazily took in his companion, eyes grabbing and reaching for places his hands had yet to find their hold.

Eijirou’s mouth quirked upwards, sharp teeth glinting in the dimmed light, eyes alight in challenge. He was often just as competitive as his counterpart, striving to be better and do the best for the people around him. No one at their table got to where they were without being a little batshit crazy when it came to challenges. “I’ll be sure to do my best, wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

He turned to face the rest of their class, some of whom were eyeing them from their own conversations as discreetly as possible, which only meant no one was full-on staring. He could see a few people exchanging meaningful glances, and he felt his own blush fighting to break through to his skin and devour his face and neck in flame.

He and Katsuki had recently started teasing each other, starting with little quips meant to pep the other up before a big interview or after a long day. It had developed into flirting, accidentally becoming their main form of communication. Katsuki, never one to be second best, had taken to their little game with the same disposition he had with everything: determinedly, ferociously, and with great proficiency. Eijirou’s more sociable nature had given him the upper hand at the beginning, when it had started, but the development of more brash and upfront methods tripped him up a little. They were always trying to catch each other off guard, raising the stakes through sheer audacity. Eijirou’s more subtle and publicly accepted methods seemed prude and naive compared to the vulgar insinuations Katsuki deemed fair game.

With his brain panting to play catch-up in Katsuki’s latest offer, he leaned back to catch his breath. Katsuki’s wit burned in his mind along with the collection of promises and questions he had babbled to the chivalrous hero under the pretence of a joke. Starting a conversation with Asui across from him, he began gently scratching and caressing Katsuki’s back with the arm lying behind him. He felt the man straighten his back and then lean towards the touch of his palm.

Inexplicably, he heard Katsuki start chatting with Ururaka. He smiled privately at the affection his friend had for their classmates.

 

The food came shortly after Eijirou had arrived, beer in hand. He watched the innumerable plates being placed at each corner of the table, between every bottle and personal plate. Warm and steaming, the smell reminded him of his own stomach growling and shaky hunger. He wanted most to hold his chopsticks at the ready, prepare to fight for all his favourite meat dishes and fried sides. He caught a glance at Denki’s open, blissed-out face, drooling and watching the table overflowing with each added dish of delicious food.

“Yo Denki, you good over there?” he asked, a smile on his face and amusement in his voice.

“Kiri, you don’t understand how long I’ve been waiting for this! I skipped breakfast this morning, and all I had for lunch was a few Onigiri from Seven Eleven,” he grumbled.

“Don’t you usually go to that one restaurant by the station? You said they do great takeaway.”

Denki groaned unattractively, rolling his eyes back and pouting like a disturbed child, “Stupid villain attack at the bank.”

The waiters were gone. The conversation stopped for a moment. Midoriya lifted his glass in the air. Everyone looked towards him.

“I just wanted to say,” he said at the multitude of groans coming from various people surrounding the table; Uraraka and Mina had twin expressions of unhappiness on their faces, scowling in a disapproving parental sort of way; Katsuki looked near to murder, but that was probably just due to the amount of attention Midoriya was getting; Sato was breathing heavily in his corner, no doubt low on carbs and Todoroki had a minute pout that was more expressive than his first entire trimester at UA had been. Hanta was gently coddling him with promises of imminent ingestion to calm him down.

“Okay, okay, I’ll keep it short, just don’t kill me, you guys,” Midoriya whined a little pathetically, endearing the whole class in his favour as always. “It’s great to see everyone again; I’ve missed you guys a lot; let’s make the most of the one day we all get together in a year! To villains sleeping tonight and us having a break!” He raised his glass, about to cheer with the growing excitement of young and stupid twenty-something year olds.

Iida pushed up his glasses, rising to stand and cleared his throat, everyone looked to him, “There are other people in the main room, please respect their dining experience as well and maintain a respectful volume,” people nodded sheepishly in respect for their class prez, “But it seems a waste not to make the most of this rare occasion. Please use this opportunity to your greatest advantage,” he fell back down on his chair and bumped fondly against Todoroki and Hanta. People cheered again, raising their glasses.

Momo lifted her glass the highest and all but yelled, “Kanpai!”

A resounding clamour followed, when everyone else raised their cups and probably did shout, “Kanpai!” and take a generous mouthful of their drinks.

Soon, hands were brushing, bowls and plates were being passed from person to person; a little of everything was piled onto each plate. Eijirou was lost in the variety of food around them. Having missed ordering, he could only assume what most of it was and did not know where his favourites were and how to respectfully hoard at least a third of it. To his surprise, when he looked down, he found some of them already piled onto his plate. Glancing to the side, he only caught a glimpse of a hint of red flowing down from Katsuki’s ears and down to his cheeks. He would remember to thank his best bro later.

Once all the plates were filled, everyone said another resounding “Itadakimasu” to echo off the walls as they stuffed their faces with food and drink.

After a few moments to satiate the initial gnawing and body-eating hunger he felt, Eijirou was ready to enjoy the meal without the provocation of a starving man. “So what happened at the bank, Denki?” he asked, reaching to refill his plates with some of the more delicious foods. Happily, he saw his favourite meats right in front of him to replace the ones he had just inhaled.

“The villain had a fucking vacuum quirk which would be great if it went one way, but noooooo, they could change the direction it went in,” he raised his arms in frustration.

“I assume that's not good,” said Eijirou.

Denki was still munching contentedly on his food. There was a pause when he took a quick bite of his rice and a sip of his drink before he started speaking. “Well, I don’t know if you know what happens with electricity in a vacuum,” he said.

“It gets sucked up,” Eijirou shrugged. Physics had never been his strong suit.

“‘Course it gets sucked up, what kind of stupid answer is that?” came a grumble from Katsuki’s direction. Eijirou lightly shoved him.

“Yeah! It gets sucked up! You don't need anything to act as a conductor, like a wire or something. It just goes,” Denki waved his arms around to prove his point.

Eijirou smirked, looking Denki up and with exaggerated movements, “Damn, Denks, when did you get so smart?”

His friend shrugged, “Thank you, thank you. I mean, it’s a big part of using my quirk and all, and you gotta do what you gotta do to be seen out there after all, but yeah. It's about time my smarts get the appreciation they deserve.” He wiped off some fake lint from his shoulders with a self-satisfied grin.

Eijirou laughed while Katsuki scoffed next to him. Eijirou was sure he also rolled his eyes, but he did not dare look over to check.

After short consideration, Eijirou thought aloud, “But isn’t that good though? The electricity goes straight to the villain, you don't even need to aim for them or anything and BAM, they’re unconscious!”

Across the table, Denki shook his head to overstress this misconception, “See, that’s what I thought too! I hit her with a few million volts, BLAMO, not a problem anymore, I can get my lunch before they close for the early afternoon, right?”

Eijirou nodded encouragingly, despite his knowledge discrepancy. “Right,” Eijirou said, like he was guaranteeing a child that Santa was real.

Katsuki broke into their conversation, properly this time, “Wouldn’t the electricity be in a vacuum though? Why should that cause damage to her?”

“Okay, so more explanation on her quirk. She’s the vacuum; it's not attached to her, but her body takes it up somewhere. Think: Thirteen and her black hole quirk,” Denki explained. “But that’s not the point! I was like, hmm, maybe she has insulation, maybe no. Fact is, with that amount of electricity, a normal human body would definitely suffer majorly.

“And so I hit her, nothing happens! I’m like, damn, I guess she has good insulation, but no harm done to the surroundings because it all went straight to the villain. I’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way, ya know?” Denki shrugged. More of their class was leaning in now, curious about what happened. Other conversations trickled down until almost everyone was looking at Denki. Next to him, Shinsou smiled lightly with some pride, clearly having already heard the story before, but was entertained nonetheless.

“And you know what she pulls out?” Everyone paused as they leaned in a little further, “Reverse vacuum!!!”

The class gaps in unison, Midoriya starts mumbling about different aspects of the villain's quirk and how it could be applied and its differences to that of Thirteens.

Meanwhile, Denki was still nodding vigorously, having forgotten his half-eaten food on his plate through his excitement. “Right, so what does she do? She shoots my own electricity at me! The audacity, the nerve of this woman!” Laughter echoed off the walls, Denki’s reenactment of the story through his words and gesticulation making them feel like they were watching a hero simulation back in school all over again. Eijirou was more used to Denki’s dramatics, watching him with humour across the table as the chivalrous hero leaned back and squeezed the shoulder of the blonde next to him.

“Like, objectively, I get that she was trying to rob a bank and is probably a bad person or in a bad situation at least and is desperate to get away from all this, but damn. It’s a little rude to be fired at with your own quirk. I had flashbacks to Monoma in school, let me tell you,” The class shuddered, remembering not only the weirdness fighting against their own quirk, but also the rage baiting and personality of the copycat.

Denki waited for them to calm down a little and look back towards him, with a dramatic pause, “And we all know what happens if I get shocked too much,” he raised his hands in defeat.

People started shouting at him from left and right, demanding a resolution to the story, barking laughter shot out at him, and a few good imitations of dopey Denki were mimed by a light-hearted Jirou: blank look, thumbs up, nearly slobbering.

“Kaminari,” Iida pushed up his glasses before looking straight into Denki’s soul, “You must tell us. How did you defeat the vacuum villain?”

“Well, I had to hit her with the ‘ol hand-to-hand, didn’t I? I didn’t hit the surrounding area and injure civilians with my quirk, she did. So my quirk was practically useless, but she could shoot out whatever she wanted at me from her reverse vacuum.”

“It would be a great quirk for a hero, too,” said Eijirou.

“She would always have another surprise up her sleeve. Great rescuing powers like Thirteen, like you said, amazing applications when there's electrical fallout somewhere in the city or if there were a flood, great support in transporting or isolating from natural disasters or long-range quirks,” Midoriya analysed.

“Fucking waste of quirk,” Katsuki huffed.

Eijirou brushed his thumb up and down its resting point on Katsuki's shoulder, “I don’t think you get to be jealous of that, your quirk has range, man.”

“Tch, I would have been almost as useless as Sparky against her. Only difference is that I’m fucking fast and can fly. I couldn’t have used my quirk on her either, just defensively.”

“Bakugou’s being especially self-reflective today, kero,” murmured Asui, and everyone nervously laughed around them.

Katsuki huffed expectedly, “It doesn’t take half an idiot to figure out which quirks work well against which. Know your weaknesses. It’s part of being a fucking great hero, not that any of you would know.”

“I think strength quirks or quirks that affect the user would work best against her. Defensively, she’s probably untrained and weak against sheer strength, speed, agility, or mutations. That is, unless she vacuumed something up to use offensively,” elaborated Midoriya. He and Katsuki were often on similar wavelengths when it came to fight and quirk analysis; the blonde only hid it better under a scowl and a sprinkling of arrogance.

Katsuki nodded sternly, “like Eijirou.”

“Thanks for your support, bro! But you would have been way faster than me,” Eijirou scratched the back of his head a little self-consciously with all this direct public attention from his best friend.

“Fucking idiot,” Katsuki punched him in the shoulder, hard.

Thankfully, Eijirou had seen the flash of anger in those pretty ruby eyes and hardened his upper body. It looked more painful on Katsuki’s side, if he was honest, who shook his hand out lightly after contact.

“I'm serious, you would have hardened. Anything she throws at you then, it’s going to what? Hit you and injure you. Nah, that quirk would have been useless against you,” Katsuki elaborated, and under his breath. He muttered, “Fucking wall.”

“Iida’s speed and Ochako’s own quirk would have been great, too. Ochako could nullify it with her Uravity. Iida’s just insanely fast and could evade the quirk.

The three initial members of the Dekusquad started seriously discussing the limitations of physics and whose quirk would overrule the other. Yaoyoraozo joined in talking about the technical sides, having studied the most physics and being the most knowledgeable on the topic.

Eijirou turned to his side to look at Katsuki, “You’re really soft on me, you know,” he said like the idiot Katsuki accused him of being. The first rule when talking about emotions with Katsuki was: to never mention you were talking about emotions.

To his surprise, Katsuki simply scoffed but didn’t say anything against the statement, “Being a good hero means knowing your strengths as well. I’m just saying the fucking truth, shithead.”

As everyone started returning to conversations with their neighbours and asking people about their latest developments, Denki interrupted them with a “Whoa, whoa woah,” and everyone looked back at him. “Can we please just appreciate for a moment that I took down a villain, not only quirkless, but with her using her quirk against me like a cannon? Not to toot my own horn, but I think that's pretty impressive stuff! When was the last time any of you fought someone quirkless?”

Eijirou caught sight of Midoriya turning his head to hide a small smile. Meanwhile, everyone metaphorically clambered up on the table with resounding shouts of:

“Wow, Chragebolt the Mighty.”

“Attention-seeking whore,” came from a giggling and laughing Mina.

“Fucking ass basic skill,” was Katsuki.

“That is very impressive work, you should be proud of yourself, Kaminari,” said Iida.

“Damn Denks, way to be a man!” yelled Eijirou, always ready to support his friends.

With more reactions to follow, all of which conglomerated into a lot of noise being spat in Denki’s direction. Eijirou noted he looked pleased at the attention. His hand making a ,come at me’ motion, and his cheeks slightly flushed from the proximity and tumult of his support.

He grinned cheekily, “What can I say, you bitches wish you were me,” he laughed in response to the renewal of outbursts in his direction.

Everyone was laughing after that, in a good mood from easy teasing and ribbing and communal respect for each other. It was individually felt by every person that there was no other group of people who understood each other as they did. The war had changed them, irreversibly and traumatically, but not only for the worse: to be battered and bruised inside and out. At school, they established a family away from home. Somewhere they could be happy, sad, angry and all possibilities of other emotions, with every variety of range, and they would be accepted, if not understood.

 

Plates cleared of food and everyone contentedly tired after good food and drink, the energy was lowering as people came down from long days at work and heavy responsibilities.

Eijirou leaned to his left to Katsuki, resting his arm firmly on the man's shoulder instead of behind it. He fought off the urge to yawn directly into his face as his tiredness settled into his flesh comfortably, weighing him down and sinking him into his seat and onto his friend.

“Tired?” Katsuki asked, looking down at him with wide, soft eyes.

“Mmm,” Eijirou agreed, trying not to slump down in his seat too far.

“You’ve had a long day of work, don’t worry, I think we’ll all head out soon.”

“Sounds good,” Eijirou’s eyelids drooped. He blinked rapidly, fighting to keep them open.

Katsuki laughed quietly, his shoulders shaking and his smile giving him a vibrancy Eijirou could not look away from, his tiredness be damned. He felt his eyes searching and admiring every aspect of this man in front of him, happy and safe in his arms.

“Don’t fall asleep on me now, we still have to get you home.”

“Can’t you carry me? You’re so big and strong and manly, dude.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “You weigh like 20 kilos more than me, dumbass, and stop calling me dude,” he moved to shove Eijirou off of him, but the Sturdy Hero held his wrist firmly.

“Are you saying you can’t, Katsuki?” he purred.

Katsuki froze, staring at his wrist in Eijirou’s hand with intent fascination, his cheeks flushing a little under his pale skin. His eyelids fell a little when he looked back up into Eijirou’s matching red ones, though he did not seem tired.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Eijirou?” he smirked prettily under the bigger man’s intense gaze.

Eijirou felt his heart patter a little dangerously in his chest. He wondered if Katsuki felt the same with his broken, then healed heart. He did not think to ask his question aloud, confound it if he ruined whatever thing they had going on.

Eijirou let his eyes wander appreciatively down Katsuki’s body and rest on his wide shoulders and tapered waist, on his arms, which only an oversized sweater of Eijirou’s could hide the bulge of muscle dormant underneath. “I think you could manage. You should try it out sometime,” he hummed.

“You underestimating me?”

“Maybe I’m hoping you could prove me wrong, baby,” Eijirou winked at him. He laughed low and warmly at the scowl Katsuki had on his face, and brought up his arm behind Katsuki to scratch the tapered scruff at the nape of his neck. “Nah, I know how good you are.”

“Damn straight,” the other man coughed out, baring his teeth a little dangerously with his probable embarrassment.

Before Eijirou could continue rattling Katsuki, Iida stood up to make an announcement, “It seems everyone is ready to head home. Yoayorozo has kindly offered to cover the bill for now, and we can split it evenly in the group chat if that works for everyone,” he paused to wait for assent or discontent. When no one seemed opposed, he continued, “Then I suggest we start to gather our things now and wait outside to say our goodbyes. The restaurant is closing now, but they politely waited for us to finish. I shamefully did not notice because I was having so much fun seeing you all again,” smiles and laughter from the others reported the class’s less rowdy but pleased approval of Iida’s words. “Please be fast and respectful to the workers here. They were very kind in letting us stay so long.”

Eijirou turned to Katsuki to ask where his coat was and if he could get it for him, only to receive a fake cough of, “Bathroom,” and the blonde veering away from him. Not one to be bothered by his friend's unpredictable nature, Eijirou shrugged and stood up. Knowing what all of Katsuki’s jackets looked like, he was confident in finding the right one.

 

A few moments later found Eijirou shivering out in the cold with fresh snow falling on his quickly dropping hair. He had Katsuki’s jacket in hand and was waiting for him and the other stragglers with the rest of his class.

He joined the wide circle of friends waiting only to find most of their faces staring blatantly at him. “What’s up?” he asked.

“You and Bakugo seem very close, Kirishima-kun,” Asui, ever honest and upfront, answered him.

He broke out into a bright, probably flushing, but that could be blamed on the cold weather. Scratching the back of his head, he said stupidly, “Yeah? We’re best friends!”

“Friends don’t talk to each other like that,” said Todoroki, his left arm around Hanta - his fire side.

Hanta looked down slightly, deep into Todoroki’s heterochromatic eyes with a disgusting yet sweet sigh. Eijirou saw a vision of Hanta looking at Todoroki like a candy cane come to life. He shuddered at the thought. “There are definitely some weird vibes passing between you, man,” said Hanta.

“We joke around a bit, sure, but you guys know Katsuki. If he wanted anything, he would take it with both hands stretched out,” blasting his way through the sky like a shooting star, Eijirou finished privately. He was resigned to having deeper feelings for his friend than what was reciprocated, and he enjoyed joking and flirting with him. He had a closeness with Katsuki that no one could contend with, and he knew he was loved and treasured dearly by his best friend. It did not equate that Katsuki was in love with him, too. Nor would Eijirou force him into his feelings; he would take what they had now, any day, over some far-fetched romantic plot other people imagined for him in their misguided goodwill.

As was customary with anything regarding the class’s explosive blonde, the students considered one or both of their Katsuki experts. Disregarding Eijirou’s statement, they turned to Midoriya.

The green-haired boy considered the situation for a moment, “Kacchan’s never cared about anyone like he cares about you,” he paused a little again, “It’s different with you than with all his other friends. Even since we got through all our stuff, he’s never trusted me like I know he does you,” he said finally.

Eijirou smiled, soft and slow. Not sad, per se, more accepting, “I’m his best friend.”

Some people started to look down, whether in exasperation at Eijirou, or shame for intervening, or to huddle from the cold, he did not know. Eijirou remembered the fleeting hope when Katsuki had started reaching for him more, not only allowing their shared touches but searching for them in their home. That quiet development: the teasing, the occasional flirting with Katsuki’s ego and Eijirou’s need to always feed it, had left his heart feeling raw and open; ready to be bulldozed and broken; cuddled and cherished.

He had waited then. To see what Katsuki would do, if he would continue to act as lovingly and adoringly as he had, if more would develop. The flirting had continued. Developing as they had into their adult lives, it grew comfortable – a part of their relationship like sparring was or crying on each other’s shoulders. It never escalated from there. Eijirou supposed he had grown placid, but in truth, it was already more than enough from Katsuki. He never needed more.

Internally, however, he had settled into the fully acknowledged depth of his feelings and just as easily in the comfort of being loved by Katsuki, even if his own was different.

Some of his classmates were shuffling their feet now, subconsciously or knowingly aware of the intimacy of this conversation. It had best conclude with the pair subjected, not with others unaware of the full depth and history between them. Some people broke off from the large circle to start a light conversation with friends; Eijirou became particularly aware that Katsuki should be done using the restroom at any moment and was uninterested in continuing.

As a good and honest friend, Denki never seemed to particularly care when he thought Eijirou needed a proper talking to. The hero in question pulled him down firmly to his level, yanking his arm strongly enough to get Eijirou’s full attention. “That’s bullshit and you know it!”

“No, Denki, stop.”

“No, you’re being an idiot right now. You clearly can’t see Kacchan properly despite all the staring and googly eyes you do at him.”

“Seriously, man, I’m not in the mood for this,” Eijirou huffed, trying to free himself from Denki’s grip.

“Denki’s right, you two are too busy being gross and in love – right in front of us and my food, mind you – to realise how weird your behaviour is,” Mina stepped up.

“We’re best friends, I told you that.”

“No. You and I are best friends. You and Denki are best friends. In some weird and probably socially incorrect way, Bakugou and Midoriya are best friends. Whatever the fuck you have going on with Bakugo is not the same thing!”

“Super best friends?” Eijirou tried with little hope of getting them off his back.

Denki wailed next to him, painful in the empty dark street they were inhabiting. Eijirou hoped for release via Katsuki’s long-awaited arrival from the men’s room, nonetheless feared his coming out at an inopportune moment. He would be regretful to face that music.

“Sweety, I’ve known you since we were like twelve years old. I remember that sweet little boy who wanted to be brave enough and strong enough to be a hero. I hate to see you put yourself down like you’re that little boy again, growing into his quirk and afraid of the world,” Mina gripped both of his shoulders, forcing him down so they were eye to eye.

Denki was getting jacked up again on the energy train, “I haven’t known you as long as Mina has, but I’ve known you as long as Kacchan. Let me tell you, dude: you were the only person he ever respected in the class, even back when he was in his people-hating era. You were there, and suddenly the dude had emotion and some common decency for the rest of us ,losers’,” Denki airquoted a bright smile on his face.

Hands covering his face, Eijirou wanted to whine and hide and regain himself and his composure before he showed his face again. He wanted Denki and Mina to stop talking; he wanted to run home and crawl in bed and pretend he was asleep when Katsuki knocked on his door to say goodnight. He could feel some tears start to pop up. Never used to hiding his emotions, he tried to force his tear ducts to retract them before Katsuki discovered and started asking weird questions on the way home.

Mina laughed, loud and bright as she always was, no decency for the people sleeping at home or the fact that Katsuki might pop out of the restaurant at any moment. “Did you hear him earlier? “Eijirou would have been fine!”

Denki joined in, “Eijirou is so strong.”

“Eijirou, take me home and make me yours!” Eijirou flushed when Mina said that one, probably as bright as his hair. He took a deep breath of cold, cooling air to regain himself.

“Oh, Eijirou, stop being so sexy, I can’t handle it anymore!”

“Eijirou is the strongest hero ever, even better than me,” Mina started to mimic two people making out by wrapping her arms around herself and shimmying her body.

“Eijirou, what the fuck are those losers doing?” asked a darker, deeper, and significantly confused voice behind him.

He felt his heart stop in his chest, and he choked out a breath of air, “Umm,” he coughed gracefully and spun around. He could hear twin shrieks and giggles coming from behind him in Mina and Denki’s distinctive octaves. “They’re making fun of me,” he said lamely, his brain struggling to function.

“Pink face is right, though. You are better than her lame ass,” said Katsuki easily, as if he did not open a hole for Eijirou’s heart to fall into and contort into spontaneous death.

While Mina yelled and tried to hit Katsuki, he wondered if Katsuki thought they were right about any of the other comments. What had he heard?

Shivering and subdued, he made quick goodbyes to the other members of his class, waiting a short distance away so as not to be bothered anymore. He refused to be subject to questioning about the hypothetical relationship he and Katsuki shared. If he felt the heavy weight of stares on him, he disregarded them. He let his face be covered by the collar of his jacket, burrowing into it until only his treacherous eyes peeked out.

 

Katsuki quickly removed himself from the throng of their slightly drunk, overly affectionate friends. Never one to waste time, he was always ready to leave at a moment's notice. Eijirou wished it had taken longer. A few minutes for composure and another few as a reserve. A reconstruction of his usual joy and jolly attitude would be impossible tonight, but a tired silence might pass under the radar.

As it was, he only turned when Katsuki reached him and trudged through the growing snowfall. Eijirou’s hands were shoved deeply in his pockets, searching for warmth beyond the cold, frosty air. His eyes felt glazed over, teary but unshed, while he gazed out onto their snow-covered metropolis. He breathed slow, deep breaths and let the chill of the air reorient him to reality. On this earth, Katsuki loved and cared for him, but not in the way that Eijirou did. The other was only a dream.

They walked down a couple of blocks. The streets were clear with only a few people leaving late-night activities, few and far between. Most lights in buildings were off, and as they walked further from the urban, store-filled area into quiet, hidden streets, the distractions of the city fell away. A calm preceded them. Whether from the sound-numbing snow, the lateness of their walk or the coming eclipse of their evening, Eijirou did not know. He was not going to break it, nor did he wish it upon himself to have Katsuki do so. He only hoped they could reach home walking blindly like this, ignoring the pounding of his heart.

It was not to be born.

“You’re quiet tonight,” commented Katsuki.

Eijirou’s lips automatically shaped into a small smile. One which trembled and pulled tears into his eyes. He would not allow them to fall. “I’m tired, is all.”

Katsuki hummed. Eijirou did not dare look over. He knew at the very least his emotions would be discovered the second he made contact with Katsuki’s eyes.

“You were fine before we left the izakaya,” Katsuki continued.

“Guess I didn’t realise it earlier. It was so nice to see everyone again,” take the bait, take the bait, Eijirou mentally pleaded.

“Tch,” Katsuki scoffed, “You see half of those losers in a week anyway.” Score! “What’s the damn difference?”

“It’s nice when we're all together. It feels like family.”

“You still didn’t answer my question, Eijirou,” Eijirou mentally cursed. Why did Katsuki insist on knowing everything about him?

“I don’t know, man, I just want to go to bed. It’s been a long day, okay,” Eijirou huffed, accidentally letting some of his frustration out. He stopped before he said too much; he could feel heat rising in his face again and pinpricks of tears in his eyes. He just wanted to cry alone in his room and forget the end of the evening ever happened.

“Bullshit!” Katsuki nearly yelled. “What did those two fuckers say to you? I can see you’re upset,” his voice dropped to something soft. If this were any other conversation, Eijirou would have bawled at that tone and run into his best friend's arms. Instead, he remained walking calmly in the direction of home.

Eijirou crunched his teeth together and flexed his jaw, “It’s nothing. Like you always say, they’re idiots. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“If it’s nothing, then why won’t you tell me what they said? I’ll go back and fight them myself.”

“Fuck, no. It doesn’t matter. I’m just being a baby about it.”

“You’re the strongest person I know, Eijirou,” he felt Katsuki reach for his hand, only for it to slip out from the brisk pace Eijirou was walking at.

“It’s fine, they just meant it as a joke. It doesn’t mean anything,” Eijirou’s breath barreled forward, quick shallow inhalations succeeding each other with no pause to exhale; to decompress his chest.

“Eijirou,” Katsuki pulled up short behind him, having caught up quickly. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Eijirou. It’s not a joke if you’re almost crying about it.”

Eijirou laughed weakly. He turned about from the blonde behind him, desperate not to unleash everything coiling in his stomach on Katsuki. It was not his fault that Eijirou had fallen for him. Why should he have to bear the weight of it?

“Why won’t you look at me?” Katsuki muttered softly, standing before him and resting a hand on his cheek and jaw. Eijirou fell into the warmth of the strong hand embracing him. The quirk of his mouth began to shake again.

Eijirou let his face be tilted until he was looking into Katsuki’s eyes. His lips trembled. He knew he was not getting away with anything tonight. “They were just saying stuff about you and me, about how we act.”

“Why does it matter how we act? It’s none of their damn business!” Katsuki riled up, his face set in lines of angered determination.

“I guess they thought it was weird how close we are, as friends,” Eijirou shrugged, letting a stream of air escape him and unclench his chest a little. This was his best friend. They could talk about anything together.

“What the fuck do they know about our relationship to each other?” Eijirou choked on some air, hearing that, “It’s not like their co-dependency with each other is normal either. They can’t even make any decisions without consulting half a dozen people about it!”

Eijirou laughed a little hearing that. It was true that their friends relied on each other a lot more than was probably normal, but after what they had experienced, Eijirou could not blame them. He found comfort and solace in their presence, as well as Katsuki’s.

“You’re still not being honest with me, Red. I know you can’t be bothered about them saying we’re best friends and live out of each other's pockets or whatever,” Katsuki said, fixing his gaze directly on Eijirou.

He pressed his lips together a little before he said, “They were commenting on the flirting. Said something about us dating,” Eijirou’s heart quaked in his chest. He felt he had a bolus stuck in his airways, choking him and making it hard to see straight and look directly into his best friend's eyes.

“The flirting?” Katsuki asked.

Eijirou nodded.

“And that we’re dating?”

“Or that we should be,” Eijirou mumbled.

“That’s what’s got you crying on me?” Katsuki's voice broke. On looking up, Eijirou saw the blonde's eyebrows scrunched together in worry, or was it sadness? His eyes were downturned and open wide, conveying something Eijirou could not quite place. Perhaps he was forlorn, or pitying Eijirou in his mad, desperate state.

“I’m sorry,” Eijirou sniffled. He felt his tears start to shed. Warm tears ran down his face, and he hiccuped a few times. Bubbling in shame, he tried to pull away from Katsuki, to hide his face and wipe away all the remnants of his emotions.

Katsuki held him tight and pulled him into a warm, overwhelming hug as he sobbed into his jacket.

“What do you have to be sorry for? Those idiots should mind their damn business, as I said. Our relationship is between us, not them.” Eijirou’s heart broke a little hearing the rejection in Katsuki’s words. His relief about the lack of disgust and his support was the weight of the sky off Eijirou’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” Eijirou said.

“I just said it's fine, idiot.”

Eijirou continued, delirious, but he needed to release this once and for all to avoid fatal wounds inflicted on their friendship. “I’m sorry for the feelings,” he said.

“Hey, I said it’s fine.”

“I’m sorry for burdening you with this.”

“You’re not burdening me with anything!” Katsuki was starting to get louder again.

Eijirou was hyperventilating mildly again, “I’m sorry for feeling more for you than you feel for me.”

“Eijirou…”

“I’m sorry for not keeping it to myself.”

“Hey, stop.”

“I’m sorry for causing a problem.”

“You’re not causing a problem.”

“I promise I’ll not bother you with it anymore, and even if I don’t manage to get rid of it because you’re stupidly perfect and I think you should know that even though you don’t reciprocate my feelings!” Eijirou let out. He took a big breath of air afterwards and exhaled slowly as taught.

“I don’t want you to get rid of it,” muttered Katsuki, looking down on the snow-covered ground.

“What?”

“I- fuck. I knew you were oblivious, but I thought I had more time,” Katsuki admitted, though not looking at Eijirou. He looked incredibly sad, with the corner of his mouth dragging low and an unsure look in his eyes. Eijirou rarely saw the other man so visibly upset. To see him distressed like this… It was a little terrifying.

“I don't understand.”

“Fuck, Eijirou, when you started flirting with me, I thought we were getting somewhere,” said Katsuki in a haunting tone.

“I didn’t– I thought you were joking, Katsuki,” this time Eijirou pulled the other man closer, a hand on his hand and a hand on his cheek.

“I know you did!” Katsuki wheezed, exasperated. “I fucking know, alright. I should have told you I was serious or something, ‘cause now I got you crying like this, and fuck, I think I messed it up!”

“You were seriously flirting with me?” Eijirou asked, careful to avoid letting the hope escape with his squeaky voice.

“Shit, baby,” Katsuki leaned into Eijirou’s hand on his cheek, “The number of times I almost demanded you fulfil your promise to me. Do you know how often I wanted to reach out to you? How close I was to demanding anything, everything from you, even though I knew you thought it was a joke?”

“You want me,” Eijirou said, letting the statement rest to be denied or, as he now suspected, confirmed.

Katsuki gave him a look filled with more desire and need than Eijirou had ever seen in his life. It was more than all his past dalliances, more than the looks Katsuki gave when he was flirting. Eijirou felt seen and longed for.

“I never meant it as a joke. Anything I said- I would be happy to do anything, be anything with you, if you’ll have me.”

“Of course I’ll have, baby, I’ve wanted you for so long. I–” Eijirou froze as Katsuki pulled his face close to his, their breaths fogging their vision of each other as they bumped foreheads.

Eijirou felt the warmth of Katsuki envelope him. He reached out to grab the blonde by his waist. After having thought about it for so long, he relished in the toned muscle under his hands. Firm and real, this Katsuki wanted him for some reason.

It was not a feeling he could have conjured up in his head, daydreaming or sleeping, the physicality of Katsuki’s body under him. “Can I… Can I kiss you?” Katsuki whispered, eyelids fluttering down on instinct as his chin lifted.

Eijirou placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulling Katsuki right into him. He opens his mouth slightly, pressing them onto Katsuki’s and sucking him in little by little. With every contraction of his jaw, he pressed deeper in Katsuki’s mouth.

Katsuki groaned into his mouth. A hand now on Eijirou’s shoulder, gripping him and pulling him tight, flushed against one another. He felt the deep inhalation of the man in front of him. The opening of his mouth just a tiny bit allowed Eijirou to slip his tongue in and lick into Katsuki’s mouth.

He felt unbalanced; he could not stop pressing his tongue into Katsuki’s mouth if he tried. He wanted to taste everything, lap every tooth, to feel the transition from his hard palate to his soft palate. He wanted to kiss Katsuki after eating spicy food; he wondered if it would burn for him, too. What would Katsuki taste like after a sweet treat? Like his own dessert to be licked in and lapped up, or a little sour from the enzymes.

Katsuki pulled away, breathless. His mouth was puffy and red, slightly open, gasping for little breaths again and again, looking at Eijirou with murder and carnal lust through his hooded eyes.

“We’re,” a breath, “In,” a gasp that had Eijirou reaching for more, “Public,” Katsuki finished, exhaling long and hard.

“I can carry you home,” replied Eijirou immediately, worried more about speed than anyone spotting them.

“I can walk, baby, let's just go before…” Katsuki shoved his hand into his pockets and all but strutted forward with his stomps.

A little dazed, it took a few seconds for his mind to catch up with what Katsuki was insinuating. After which, it took all his might not to pick up this gorgeous, crazy man and run. Instead, he jogged forward and reached out a hand.

Katsuki grabbed it tightly, squeezing the bones in Eijirou’s hands and dragging him forward at a faster pace.

They walked for a few more moments in silence. “I love you, just to make things clear,” Katsuki huffed. Eijirou saw his face burning red, his eyes furrowed in determination. He looked a little uncomfortable with his tense walk and tight voice, but Eijirou appreciated him for his vulnerability. Showing a side that was soft and easily hurt did not come easily to Katsuki. Eijirou knew it was a privilege bestowed only on his most trusted friends. It felt like Katsuki was giving him his heart, weak but beating, and asking him to keep it safe. Eijirou intended to with all his power.

“I love you too,” Eijirou said, and now it was as easy as breathing. His own body had pulsed around the thought for so long and so undeniably. To let it out was to be, because Eijirou loved Katsuki and had for a long time.

“I know,” Katsuki chuckled a little.

“I have for a long time,” said Eijirou earnestly.

“I know,” Katsuki giggled a little, escaping his serious facade.

“We’ve been so stupid,” he pressed.

“You were so obvious!” Katsuki laughed, loud and bright like the stars and moon he reflected.

Eijirou smiled, “Don’t forget oblivious.”

Katsuki’s smile sank a little, something that felt like resignation. “I won’t be able to love you as loudly as you deserve,” He glanced towards Eijirou.

“I’m not even sure I deserve you,” Eijirou sighed, but he figured he could at least be honest.

“That’s some stupid bullshit right there!” Katsuki barked, face twisted in frustration. “If anyone deserves me, it’s you! And don’t you go undermining me by saying I can’t choose someone good enough for me. Are you saying I have bad taste? Huh!”

“I wouldn’t dare,” said Eijirou automatically, “But you really are amazing, Katsuki.”

“We’re going to have to figure this shit out,” Katsuki said, looking at Eijirou. Eijirou quirked his eyebrow in return. “We’re going to have to be honest with each other. You, when you feel like you’re not enough,” he glared at Eijirou so hard the hero felt like he was being scolded, “And I need to talk… About shit. You need to know I love you. Don’t you ever forget.”

Eijirou grinned, “I always knew you loved me, Katsuki!”

“Then what the fuck was the point of that whole bawling session back there, fuckface!”

“Oh, well. You show me all the ways you love me every day. Like at the restaurant: When you ordered and saved me all of my favourite dishes; Or when you make sure I’m doing okay; or when you want to spend time with me even though you try and hide it. I guess I just didn’t know you loved me like that,” Eijirou admitted. Hindsight had not fully slapped him in the head, and he felt some justification in saying that.

“You’re a damn idiot, you know?” Katsuki spat, “You think I would do any of that shit for any of my other friends or what. Should we go to the ophthalmologist and get you glasses, or what?” He raged on.

Eijirou smiled sheepishly at that, “Nah, I knew I was special. I just thought you acted that way ‘cause you’re my best friend.”

At that, Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Fucking duh, but now I’m also your boyfriend. You better get used to it real quick ‘cause this ain’t changing any time soon.”

They had finally reached the door to their apartment building. They hurried inside to the elevator for more privacy, lest they be interrupted.

Eijirou laughed as the door closed on them, alone in an enclosed space. He knew Katsuki was not thinking strictly PG thoughts anymore. “I like that. You’ll be my boyfriend, but only if I can be yours?” he down, pressing Katsuki into a corner of the elevator, reaching for his waist and cheek again.

“Fucking fine,” Katsuki mumbled as he closed the space between them and let their lips meet.