i think he wants to be gentle with me

by starg4zr

Summary:

When Katsuki helps take care of Denki after he had a seizure in class, it sparks something in Denki that he'd never realized could be there. The following is flashes of Denki and Katsuki falling in love.

 

Title taken from "touch tank" by quinnie !!!!

Notes:

• For cellophanesprmanager (TH3_GH0ST_K1NG).

i hope i depict denki's epilepsy correctly-- the only person i've met with it was my 8th grade biology teacher and he hadn't had seizures in years by the time i knew him, so i had to do a little research. same goes for katsuki's hearing loss-- I did take asl my freshman and sophomore years of highschool but my teacher was born deaf and didn't wear hearing aids (we had an interpreter all of asl 1 but only part time in asl 2) so i'm googling as i go. please correct me if i get anything wrong!!! consider this your warning for me just info dumping what i've learned from google lolz

this should be obvious but dont try to diagnose shit from my fuckass writing!!

alsoooo
heavily heavily inspired by "a twinkling star is a lonely one (please, reach out and touch him)" by cellophanesprmanager !!!!!! you can def tell by the opening scene im sorry

and i lowkey did Not go and edit the whole thing i just tried as i wrote so have fun with that !!

Denki didn't often have grand mal seizures in the middle of normal class, but when he did, it was for some reason, embarrassing. Everyone would be worried for him, even though they've known since the first day at UA that it was because of his quirk. He didn't even know what had triggered the one he just came out of, finding himself on the floor looking up at Mina, who was cradling his head.

He sat up, even though everything ached terribly, and tried to focus on what he needed to be on the lookout for to make sure he was okay. He cleared his throat a little, tasting some blood from his abused tongue. "Does anyone know how long it was?" Denki asks, rubbing a little at his elbow that he must have hit. He looked to his left, and saw that Katsuki was looking right at him, concern evident in his scowl, because he thought no one would notice. Denki smiled a little at him, then looked back to Mina, who gave him the time he was seizing (thankfully only around a minute).

Denki didn't resist much when Recovery Girl came to inspect him because of how tired he was, and because even though he knew it was fine, he knew that it would give his friends some piece of mind. His brain and his nerves still felt a little fuzzy, but he could feel thing when he touched them, so he wasn't concerned by it.

"Bakugou, help him back to his dorm," Midnight suggested. "You're finished with your work, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Katsuki grumbled a little, but Denki was frankly relieved when he was suddenly being propped up by the stronger teen, because it hurt to keep himself up.

"Thanks, Kacchan," Denki murmured as they exited the classroom. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Katsuki's shoulder, doing his best the keep his legs moving. He was quite sure that Katsuki was pretty much carrying him anyways. He definitely didn't mind it.

Katsuki deposited Denki surprisingly gently into his bed, and Denki sighed through his nose.

"You need help with anything?" Katsuki asked gruffly. Denki thought for a moment, then shook his head. Katsuki nodded. He lingered for a moment with his eyebrows furrowed, just watching Denki as he started trying to take off his uniform blazer. Denki smiled a little at him, and sighed with relief when he finally got the damn blazer off, sliding it off the edge of his bed to deal with later. His tie followed not long after. He laid back down, and closed his eyes. He fell asleep before he heard Katsuki leave.

 

 

Denki woke up a few hours later, feeling a little groggy and a lot sore, but generally better than earlier. School was long over by now, but he really didn't care that he'd missed class. He just dreaded the homework he knew he'd have to do. Maybe he could ask Momo or Tenya if he could borrow their notes. They certainly had the most organized ways of taking them.

Denki eventually rolled out of bed, and had forgotten he'd thrown his blazer on the floor until he realized it wasn't there. Curious, he glanced around for it, and then saw it in his wardrobe, hung up. His brain chugged along slowly for a minute before he realized that Katsuki must have done it for him. The idea made him smile, and he got changed into more comfortable clothes.

He ventured downstairs, where he found Katsuki sitting at a table writing something, whilst most everyone else was watching a movie. Denki rummaged in the cupboards for a granola bar, needing something to munch on, and then sat across the table from Katsuki.

Katsuki glanced at him, and only acknowledged his presence with a twitch of the fingers that were grasping his pencil. Denki sat contentedly by him, eyes settling on Katsuki's concentrated scowl.

"Whatcha writing?" Denki asked eventually, when he finished his granola bar. He had a hard time reading upside down, but it didn't help that Katsuki's hand blocked part of the page as he wrote. He seemed to be copying from a separate page, though his handwriting was clearer on the newer one.

"Notes from class." Katsuki glanced at him again. "'Cause you missed it."

Denki beamed at him. It made his chest feel warm that Katsuki took notes for him. "Oh." He tried (and failed) to stop grinning. "That's awfully nice of you."

Katsuki shrugged half-heartedly, and they continued sitting in silence. Denki hoped he wasn't being annoying with his fidgeting, and he watched the careful strokes of Katsuki's lettering. Eventually he finished, and checked it over really quick and then slid it, and a few others across the table. "There's leftovers from dinner in the fridge for you."

Denki didn't have time to react before Katsuki left the common room, but he smiled to himself regardless. He really was getting spoiled today. He hummed to himself as he warmed up the tupperware with a sticky note that said his name on it.

 

 

Denki really did like hanging out with his friends, but lately, he'd particularly liked hanging out with Katsuki. He didn't know why he was drawn to him, but maybe it was the way he wasn't so aggressive with him anymore, and Denki could see glimpses of a soft interior. Like he was a kishu baniku candy. It was strangely enrapturing.

They'd gotten permission to leave campus for a couple hours to go to the store for some ingredients Katsuki needed for something, and, for some reason, he'd invited Denki along with him. Well.. 'invite' is a little bit of a stretch. He more told Denki that he was going. But Denki was willing! More than, actually. He loved getting to run amuck without adult supervision.

"Sooo, what are we getting?" Denki asked, peering at the list Katsuki had.

Katsuki shoved his head lightly, moving him out of the way of the words he was trying to read. "Fuckin' ingredients, I'm not gonna read it out to you." He grit his teeth looking at the people milling about, and grabbed onto Denki's shirt. "Come on."

It became immediately clear that Katsuki had a very solid idea of when they were going to be leaving, because Katsuki rushed Denki through it as much as he could. Eventually, Katsuki made Denki go search for some nori, and insisting that he get a specific brand.

As he passed through the aisles, he scanned the shelves until he found the one with the seaweed on it. He excitedly bounded over to find the brand Katsuki requested, and saw something sitting on the shelf, pushed back a little bit.

He reaches in for it, pulling out a little spiky dog figurine. He huffed out a laugh - its fur looked just like Katsuki's hair. He found the nori and brought it and the little dog with him to find Katsuki at the registers. Denki grabbed some candy for an excuse to pay for a separate thing, and hid the little dog in his pocket as soon as he paid for it.

Denki could've skipped the entire way back to UA, but he restrained himself. However, he couldn't help himself from yapping the entire time, and Katsuki just let him, occasionally butting in with his opinion about something. He seemed a little annoyed, and eventually, Denki realized he was tugging on the collar of his shirt.

"I found a little something for you," Denki blurted, in an attempt to distract him from his collar, and yanked out the little dog figure. He grinned as he offered it to him. "Looks like your hair!"

Katsuki took the dog, and examined it carefully. He allowed the tiniest of a genuine smile cross his face, glancing at Denki, who'd been watching his reaction excitedly. Katsuki scoffed, though it sounded more fond than usual. "Yeah, okay, Pikachu." He shoved it into his pocket, but Denki noted the way his hand stayed there with it. It made him unbearably happy.

 

Denki knocked on Katsuki's door, holding his homework and a colored pencil of all things in one hand and a tangle fidget toy in the other. It took a few moments, but then the door cracked open just enough that Denki could see his face.

Denki held up the homework. "Help?"

Katsuki glared at him. "I'm busy."

Denki pulled out his secret weapon. "I have your favorite candy."

Katsuki scowled, but seemed considering. "Get in." He shoved the door open, and Denki slid in.

Denki could see there was an open notebook on Katsuki's desk, beside his phone that was playing a news report. Denki didn't comment on it, and handed Katsuki the paper. "I swear I was listening in class today, but I just don't get it."

Katsuki nodded, then glanced at his hand. "Why do you have a fucking colored pencil? You can't turn your shit in written in purple."

"I lost all my normal pencils again," Denki groaned. "It's like my backpack eats them."

"If I give you a pencil again tomorrow in class, then you have to give it back," Katsuki said, glaring at the offending utensil.

Denki grinned, and saluted. "Alright. But only if you can make the stupid numbers make sense."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Only if you actually listen."

Denki laughed, holding up his fidget toy. "Why do you think I brought this?"

 

 

"Oi," Katsuki said, lightly slapping the back of Denki's hand. "Don't fucking do that."

Denki frowned. "What was I doing?" He rubbed his hand, trying to get the tingly feeling to go away. They were just sitting at lunch together with their friends; he didn't think he was doing anything! He might've brushed Katsuki's arm by accident, but that was just because they were sitting next to each other, not because he meant to.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "You keep fucking tapping."

Denki frowned. Usually his fidgeting was okay. Katsuki most of the time didn't even tell him to stop with his vocal stims. But, they were sitting in the actual cafeteria for once, and Katsuki had been looking disgruntled since they stepped in. "Sorry." He glanced around, at their friends, who were debating about something that he was participating in, but that Katsuki hadn't been. He was pulling at his uniform, of which the top button was undone like usual, and the tie missing. "Do you need to go somewhere else for a bit? Quieter, and not as bright?"

Katsuki clenched his jaw, looking conflicted. After a mental debate, he nods curtly.

"Hey, guys, I'm feeling overstimulated, so we're gonna head out," Denki announces, and their friends wish him well, not thinking anything of it. It happened quite often, honestly, and thus he had no shame covering for his friend. He smiled brightly at Katsuki, whose scowl hadn't left, but his eyes seemed relieved.

He relaxed the slightest bit as they left the noisy room, and only got less fidgety seeming as they went, though he still tugged at his uniform blazer. They didn't have super long of lunch left, and so they found an unused room without a window that they could leave the lights off in. Katsuki took off his blazer as they entered, and slid down to sit on the floor, curling up into a ball. There was just enough light coming into the room from under the door that Denki could see that Katsuki had his eyes shut tight, and his hands over his ears. He wasn't as tense, but Denki kept as quiet as he could, despite his constant need for his fingers to tap against his own thigh. He hoped that his presence wasn't unwanted.

They both startled when the bell rang, and they reluctantly stood up together. Denki opened the door slowly, so they could get used to the light again.

"Are you feeling any better?" Denki asked as they left the room.

"Yeah," Katsuki grumbled, squinting against the light. He shrugged his blazer back on, though he glared at it like it had insulted his mother. He glanced at Denki, who was already looking at him. He clenched his jaw. "Thanks, dunce face."

Denki beamed, and Katsuki glanced at him again and huffed while rolling his eyes. Denki was just glad that it really did help.

 

 

It was very rainy, and very cold. Denki, in particular, was very cold. He was used to it by now, but he still was shivering by the time he and his friends made it back to the dorms after class, even though he had shared an umbrella with Mina, and wasn't even wet save for the damp hems of his uniform pants. He went straight for his room to change into comfier clothes and get his favorite blanket, before heading to Mina's room to hang out.

Even Katsuki was going to be there, and Denki was glad, because he didn't much like hanging out with them. It took a few stilted conversations about it with Katsuki to realize that it was the spontaneity that was the issue. So, this one had been planned in advance, with enough warning for Katsuki to prepare himself.

Katsuki and Kirishima were the first ones (other than Mina, obviously) that made it to Mina's room, but Sero and Denki were not far behind.

Denki grinned when he got to Mina's room and saw Katsuki there. "You came!"

Katsuki frowned. "Yeah, I'm not a fucking liar. I told you I would."

Denki plopped down onto the floor next to Katsuki, and wrapped his blanket around his lap. He wasn't shivering anymore, but he was still a little cold. It helped that Katsuki was like a furnace; Denki just needed to press himself against Katsuki's side, and he felt like he was sitting in the sun.

They played board games that Mina's mom had sent with her the last time she visited home, and Mina scrounged up all her scattered fidget toys for them all to play with. Katsuki seemed particularly intrigued by one of the mesh sleeves with a marble in it to push around. Denki thought it was fun to watch him explore how all of the different toys felt in his hands, and even gave him little tips on how Denki liked to play with them. He seemed receptive to it all, and was more patient than usual with all of their antics, but he was very intent on keeping them as inline as he could keep them, so the games weren't stalled.

In the middle of a round of UNO, Sero, randomly blurted out, "Are you like, diagnosed yet, Bakugou?"

Katsuki scowled, confused. "With what?"

Sero looked a little dumbfounded. Mina giggled, and Denki snorted. "He means with autism," Kirishima elaborated.

Katsuki pondered on that for a moment while he took his turn, placing down a +2 for Kirishima, who groaned a little and drew his cards. "I'm not autistic," he finally said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced.

"You are," they all said in unison. Katsuki glared at them.

Denki gently elbowed Katsuki in the side. "It's not an insult or anything, Kacchan, it just means your brain works differently. Did your parents never notice anything different than other kids?"

Katsuki thought about it again, then pursed his lips. "The only kid they really compared me to was Deku."

An instant realization shot through all of them; Izuku was also autistic. "Oh my god," Denki mutters. "Y'know, that makes so much sense."

"I think I need to call my parents," Katsuki decided, the hand his cards were in drooping. He frowns, then sets his cards down and pulls his phone out. They watched on curiously as Katsuki dialed his mother on speaker.

"Kats?" She asked as soon as she picked up. "Are you okay? You don't usually call without texting beforehand."

"Yeah, everything's fine, but-" Katsuki is interrupted.

"Have you ever thought about testing him for autism?" Denki asks, leaning towards Katsuki's phone.

Mitsuki laughed. "I mean, yes, but Izuku got diagnosed pretty early, and he and Kats were so similar, I figured that I might as well save us the trip."

"So you knew.." Katsuki mused. "And no one ever fucking told me?"

"I think your kindergarten teacher tried to have get you tested, but we told her we already suspected, so."

"This is like, the most personal information that I've learned about you since we met," Sero laughed. "Y'know, I think Sho's autistic too. He's cute about it though."

Everyone turned to look at Sero. "Are you talking about Todoroki?" Mina squealed.

"You're getting distracted, hold on just a second," Denki said, thoroughly invested in Katsuki and Mitsuki. "Thank you so much for telling us, I think this explains literally everything about him."

Mitsuki laughed again. "Of course, kid. Kats, you should bring your friends home some time! I wanna see them."

Katsuki grimaced. "We'll talk about it." They said their goodbyes, and then hung up. Katsuki pointed at Sero. "Are you dating Icyhot?"

Sero smiled, face turning red. "Well, not technically. But I think it's heading there!"

Mina squealed, and wrapped Sero in a hug. "Why didn't you tell uuuuuuss?!"

Sero hugged her back, and shrugged. "He's just a private guy. I wasn't even sure if he really liked me or not until we were watching a movie, and the leads were kissing and he looking at me like he wanted to eat me."

Katsuki grimaced at the visual, but Denki laughed. "I mean, shit, dude, not to be gay, but I would eat you too."

They all burst out laughing, except for Katsuki (though he looked amused, and, surprisingly, a little jealous. Denki chose not to dwell on that). "Aren't you literally bisexual?" Kirishima asked after he caught his breath.

"Yeah," Denki admitted. "So, I guess I mean that sort of gay. Partially gay? I dunno."

The conversation moved on, but Katsuki was looking at Denki. He seemed rather contemplative over Denki's admission, studying him for something. Denki let him, watching the way his red eyes examined his face and body language. Denki wondered what Katsuki was finding in him. Katsuki's eyes returned to his face, and Denki smiled gently at him. He could get used to having Katsuki's attention.

 

 

Denki bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly. Katsuki had taken up his mom's offer and was bringing his friends home for the weekend! Well, one friend. He's bringing Denki! They were going to catch the 9am bus, so they needed to be out of there pretty soon. Denki had woken up at 7 by accident, and hadn't been able to go back to sleep, or get ready yet. He ended up getting ready at 30 minutes until they needed to leave, and half of it was showering and the other half was hurriedly getting dressed and packing a small bag because they were staying a night there. Mitsuki had wanted to host all of them, but Katsuki had vehemently disagreed. Sure, he liked his friends. They were just overwhelming a lot of the time, and he didn't want to have to deal with that in his safe space. His dorm had somewhat become that, now he wasn't living with his parents currently, but he still regarded his home as a sort of general safe space, and his parents definitely feel the same way, and he didn't think having four ADHD teenagers over at the same time was a good idea for anyone. He got his autism from somewhere, after all. (His dad.)

Denki was unbearably happy that he'd been the one chosen to meet Mitsuki and Masaru first. It felt like a huge step in their friendship, and it totally made his face flush when he thought about it too hard. It didn't mean anything! Denki just.. liked to take care of Katsuki, because Katsuki took care of him so much, even disregarding the times he took him to his dorm to sleep after having a seizure. It sometimes felt quite domestic. Denki liked their dynamic.

"You ready?" A gruff voice asked, startling Denki from his ruminations. Denki smiled at him.

"Yeah. Time to go?" Denki glanced at the time on his phone.

Katsuki nodded, and then grasped the sleeve of Denki's jacket to lead them to the bus station. Katsuki scowled as they got on, finding seats that weren't right near anyone, but next to each other. Katsuki's hand stayed on Denki's wrist; it was a comforting weight, and Denki was mentally berating himself for wanting to just hold hands so bad.

Denki got his chance by accident when they were finally getting off of the bus, and Katsuki's hand fell from its perch and into Denki's waiting palm as he stepped onto the curb. Denki's face flushed embarrassingly, and looked to Katsuki's face for any reaction. His face seemed a little pink, too, but wasn't letting go. Denki smiled, and was content to swing their arms between them.

Katsuki opened the door as they got there, calling out for his parents. He pulled his hand away from Denki's slowly, like he didn't want to let go, but then Mitsuki rounded the corner, and was promptly distracted from it.

"Hey, kiddo," Mitsuki greeted, pulling her son into a hug. Katsuki squirmed his way out of it after a second, and then Mitsuki saw Denki right behind him and grinned in the exact way Katsuki would when he got particularly excited during training. "It's so good to see you, Kaminari!"

Denki smiled. "Please, call me Denki."

Mitsuki ruffled his hair. "Call me Mitsuki, then. Mrs. Bakugou makes me feel old," she said.

"You are old," Katsuki joked in a mutter. He yelped when she smacked the back of his head. Denki snickered at him, and Mitsuki chattered as they headed towards the living room. Denki's fingers slipped inside Katsuki's curled hand, and his heart stuttered when Katsuki's hand tightened around them to properly hold them. Denki looked up to Katsuki's face, and caught the glance that got thrown his way. Denki smiled, and felt light.

Denki and Katsuki eventually retired to Katsuki's bedroom after a morning and early afternoon of hanging out with Mitsuki and Masaru. Denki could see exactly where Katsuki had gotten almost all of his mannerisms, and it was nothing short of completely endearing.

Denki sprawled out on the little roll-up futon that Mitsuki had set up on the floor in there for Denki, and he watched as Katsuki moved around his old room a little, looking at the few things that he'd left behind. "Would you want to meet my family some time?" Katsuki looked to him. "I- I do have siblings, and they're the same kind of insane as Sero and Mina, but as children, and they'll probably want to climb you because they're still kinda little, so I get it if you wouldn't, but I think you'd like my parents, eve-" Katsuki sat beside him and put a hand over Denki's mouth, the way he does when Izuku really got going. "Sorry," Denki muttered from behind the hand." Katsuki let go of him, but stayed close.

"I can meet your family if you want me to," Katsuki said, glancing at Denki before looking pretty much anywhere other than his face. "I just don't have good social skills. Or know what to do with social cues."

Denki smiled. "That's okay. We all have ADHD, so you wouldn't be too out of place. I mean, you would a little, but just because you're cagey around new people."

Katsuki shrugged. "I can play nice."

Denki grinned. "Really? You'd want to meet my crazy family? They'll probably be so overstimulating."

"I can deal with that when it comes to it." Katsuki glanced down at Denki's hand, which had a mind of its own, and was playing with the hem of Katsuki's shirt. Denki stilled his fingers, and then Katsuki took gentle hold of it, running his fingertips in the creases of Denki's palm. Denki was overcome with the very stupid urge to kiss Katsuki right then. He sat up, leaving his hand in Katsuki's lax grip.

"Kacchan?" Denki asked, barely whispering. Katsuki looked at him, and Denki realized that he'd never really made eye contact with him before. He knew his eyes were red, but the deep crimson color had swirls of vermillion and scarlet, and that was really, really not helping how badly Denki wanted him. His heart was pounding, and he was sure his face was bright red. It made him feel a little better that Katsuki's face was reddening, as well. "Can I kiss you?"

Katsuki's eyes widened just slightly, but he smiled a little, even though it looked like he was trying to stop it. Katsuki put a gentle hand on the back of Denki's neck, pulling him close and kissing him on the lips.

Denki didn't know how to describe it. Obviously, it was like touching his lips on someone else's, but it also made his entire body feel like he just cannonballed into a hot tub, and his heart was thudding like he'd just ran a marathon. Denki was beaming as he pulled back, looking at Katsuki's face, to see what he thought about it. If the shocked, yet devastatingly ecstatic grin on his face was worth anything (and it was), then they seemed to be in the same boat. Denki kissed him again, carefully trailing his fingers up Katsuki's arm to make his intentions clear as he let it rest on the back of Katsuki's head, tugging gently at his hair for some purchase against the hurricane of pure want. They gasp for air eventually, and then Katsuki's fingers are tipping Denki's head back and kissing under his jaw and down his neck, and Denki is so overwhelmed with the sensation that he can't do anything but fist his hands into Katsuki's hair and shirt.

Denki's mind felt like an old computer trying to reboot, but eventually he remembered enough of himself that it occurred to him that they should keep any and all nefarious activities for when they're not at Katsuki's parents' house. "Hold on," Denki blurted out, and Katsuki immediately retreated, although his hands stayed propping Denki up, because at some point during his overload, he'd gone completely boneless in Katsuki's arms. "Sorry. I'm- I do want that, just, maybe not while we're at your parents' house?"

Katsuki groaned, and buried his face into Denki's neck, letting both of them fall back onto the futon. Denki actually felt quite comforted by Katsuki's weight on top of him. Katsuki eventually suggested they move onto the actual bed, which Denki had to admit was definitely more comfortable. They dozed there until Mitsuki knocked to let them know dinner was ready. Denki was a little bleary, but nothing extreme. He conversed cheerfully with mostly Mitsuki - he'd learned quick that while Masaru was polite, the man wasn't much for small talk. That was fine with Denki, Mitsuki and him talked more than enough to cover the lack of it from Katsuki and his dad.

Most of the way through dinner, Denki started feeling like the conversation was slipping away from him. He tried to focus on it, but he somewhat knew that it wasn't going to work anyways.

"Um, Kacchan?" Denki asks, feeling quite sluggish. He looked at his friend, and hoped he could convey it properly. "I'm gonna.."

Katsuki dropped his chopsticks. "Okay, let's lay you down." Katsuki helped Denki onto the floor, and Denki could vaguely recognize that Katsuki was talking more. He hoped he wasn't supposed to be answering, because he wasn't hearing it anymore.

It was nothing short of disorienting waking up on the floor, and finding Katsuki staring worriedly at him. Denki smiled weakly at him, and he seemed to relax a little. He registered a hand in his hair, and how incredibly sore he was.

"Hey," Katsuki greeted gently. "You were out only a couple minutes. How are you feeling?"

Denki scrunched his nose. "Like I just had a seizure," he joked. He sat up - though Katsuki did most of the work - and found both of Katsuki's parents watching them. "Um. Sorry about that."

Katsuki half-heartedly swatted at Denki's arm "You couldn't have stopped it, dumbass."

"Do you need anything, kiddo?" Mitsuki asked, sounding softer than Denki had ever heard her. Denki shook his head, ignoring the way it was starting to pound.

"I'm gonna take him upstairs," Katsuki decided. Mitsuki and Masaru nodded, and Masaru handed Denki a water bottle to take with him. Denki insisted that he could walk, even though it really sucked ass, and so they made the climb to Katsuki's bedroom slowly but surely. Katsuki was supporting most of his weight - his knees probably would've buckled if he hadn't been - and Denki was eternally grateful.

"You're a good friend, you know that?" Denki mumbles as they go through the doorway.

Katsuki shrugged a little, helping him down onto the bed. "Can't really leave you to fend for yourself." Denki grinned at him, feeling slightly less decrepit now that he was horizontal and on something soft.

"Thank you, though," Denki insisted. Katsuki sat beside him, and Denki rolled over to curl up against his warm side. "Mm, g'na sleep."

Katsuki's fingers found his hair again, brushing through it gently. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Denki doesn't remember falling asleep.

 

Having to make their way back to UA while Denki was that sore felt like his own personal hell. He was craving a nice warm bath, and so once Katsuki made double sure that he wasn't going to keel over, they split off - Denki to the shared bath, and Katsuki to seclude himself in his room to try and get some social energy back before they had class the next day.

Denki was feeling better after his bath, and he ventured out to the kitchen for a snack.

"You're back!" Mina exclaimed. Denki turned to grin at her, opening a packet of fruit snacks. "How was it?"

"It was good! His parents were nice, I had a seizure during dinner, though." Denki shrugged.

Mina winced. "Yikes. Anything of note happen?"

Denki thought of kissing Katsuki. They needed to talk about that before Denki gave Mina the tea. He shook his head. "Nah, but he's literally like if you mashed his parents into one person, it was trippy." He grinned.

He hung out with Mina for a while, eventually getting joined by Sero and Shouto, who Denki was happy to include. He was quiet, and didn't seem to quite understand some of their jokes, but Sero explained them to him, and he seemed content. Denki watched how they interacted, and found that they reminded him quite a lot of Mitsuki and Masaru. It really only made Denki more happy to get to know Shouto.

Denki got a text when it was nearing late afternoon, asking him to meet Katsuki in Denki's room. Denki responded affirmatively, and fared his friends well as he left, not even bothering with an excuse.

Denki wasn't perturbed as to why Katsuki wanted to be in Denki's dorm, figuring that he just needed his dorm to be just his right then, and he didn't mind in the slightest.

Katsuki was sitting pretty on the edge of Denki's bed, and looked up with a glint in his eyes that made Denki's breath hitch.

"Hi," Denki breathed, as Katsuki stalked towards him.

Katsuki smiled at him. "Hi," he responded, leaning to kiss him. Katsuki's hands settled on Denki's waist, pressing his back against the door until it clicked shut. Denki turned the lock as Katsuki's lips started travelling down again, teeth scraping against a sensitive spot on the underside of Denki's jaw, making him choke on a small whine.

Katsuki wasn't leaving marks, but Denki almost wished he did - then people would know he belonged to someone, belonged to Katsuki. It was overloading his brain again, and he accidentally sent a small jolt of electricity through where he was desperately gripping Katsuki's shoulders.

"Sorry," Denki breathed immediately, but Katsuki wasn't derailed by it in the least. He keened as Katsuki nipped at him. "Holy fuck."

 

 

Denki was the little spoon, with his head laying on his pillow that was practically pushed out of Denki's reach. Katsuki's arm was probably falling asleep, but Denki didn't care. He was high on the feeling of Katsuki's bare skin against his, and the way Katsuki's fingers were stroking his stomach lovingly. Katsuki's breath was tickling his neck, but for once, he didn't hate the feeling.

"Not to ruin the mood, but.." Denki cracked his knuckles nervously. "Are you like, actually interested in dating me? Or, like, were you just wanting to hook up?"

Katsuki huffed. "I'm interested in dating you. I've been into you since we met, dumbass."

Denki groaned. "We could've been dating this whole time?" He scrubbed his face with one hand. "I had zero idea. Like, literally none."

"I don't know why. It was pretty obvious."

"No? It wasn't?" Denki protested. "It only got obvious recently, when you started getting all touchy and cozy with me."

Katsuki hummed. "I had to change my tactics because Deku said it wasn't working. I was flirting with you every time I made you breakfast. And when I would give you a copy of my notes. And when you'd come over to study, and I didn't yell at you when you were taking forever to understand something. And when I let you call me Kacchan even though only Deku really calls me that."

Denki groaned. "God, you suck at flirting! I thought you just felt bad for being mean to me 'cause of my epilepsy."

Katsuki pressed a kiss to the back of Denki's neck. "Like I'd treat anyone differently because of a disability. I hate everyone equally." Denki laughs at that, despite himself.

"I hate when people call it a disability," Denki admitted. "It feels demeaning most of the time."

"I'm not meaning it that way, I'm meaning it in the way that you're literally unable to attend school sometimes because of it, and that it limits how much you can use your quirk, and just yesterday, it interrupted dinner with my parents." Katsuki finds Denki's hand and pulls it up to his ear. "My quirk is kinda disabling, too. I started going deaf at like, six, because of prolonged exposure to my explosions. We didn't even realize it until a friend of my parents' got annoyed at having to repeat herself. She didn't ever come back over, 'cause she was a bitch about it, but they took me to a doctor."

Denki felt the hearing aid with as gentle touch as he could manage. "Do you know sign language, then?"

"Mhm. Deku's mom, Inko, actually has a deaf friend, and so that's how Inko and Deku learned, then they taught us." Katsuki caught Denki's hand again, linking their fingers together and folding Denki's arm back against his own chest. "When I go home, we usually use a mixture of JSL and Japanese. The hearing aids sometimes are overwhelming, and so I just take them out."

"Will you teach me?" Denki asked. "So you can take them out if you need?"

Katsuki was quiet for a moment, then he kissed Denki's neck again, gentle and adoring. "Sure," he said, though it was obvious he was trying to sound casual about it. Denki laughed a little. Katsuki poked Denki's chest, but it only made him giggle more. Denki could feel Katsuki's smile against his skin, and he rolled over in Katsuki's arms, so he could see it. By the time he was facing Katsuki, his smile had faded into his usual smirk. Denki poked his cheek - as squishy as it looked, the motherfucker - until a stupidly happy smile overtook his composure.

Denki grinned, too, and pulled him in for another kiss. He pulled out of it with a blissful look on his face. "I have like zero shame, but I just.." he said, "will you tell me if I'm too much?"

Katsuki kissed him slowly and gently. "I don't think you'd ever be too much." He examined Denki's face. "Sometimes I get annoyed, but it's not your fault. I just get tired of all the noises and I snap at whoever's bugging me. Most brains learn to just filter out background sounds, like appliances buzzing, or clocks ticking, but brains like ours just don't know how to do that," Katsuki said, like he was repeating something he'd heard. Denki found it endearing. Katsuki cupped Denki's cheek, swiping a thumb across his soft skin. He had some freckles up close, and as it got darker in the day, Katsuki realized they were glowing a little. It was incredibly distracting.

"I think I just hear the electricity regardless of my ADHD," Denki said, "I can hear it when I conduct it, but it sounds the same when I get close to something electric."

"That's cool, I didn't know that," Katsuki hums. He brushed some of Denki's hair out of his face. Denki loved how soft his hands were- he loved when Katsuki was gentle with him, because it was so unlike his usual outwards persona.

"You're cute, you know that right?" Denki asked. Katsuki scowled at him, but his cheeks and ears tinged a pretty pink, and Denki couldn't help but kiss him.

 

 

Denki was in Katsuki's bed after a really crap seizure. His arms and leg muscles kept twitching more than usual, and his hands were still numb. He was aching everywhere, and he just wanted to sleep, but his body involuntarily moving kept him up. Normally his twitching wasn't so extreme, but he had overused his quirk on top of not sleeping well, and so here he was. Katsuki had somewhat become his unofficial caretaker - at least in the eyes of their teachers and class, because he knew everything that Denki needed before even Denki himself knew it - and despite Denki's constant apologies for it, Katsuki always assured him that he didn't mind in the least, and that he didn't trust anyone else to do it. Denki felt bad that Katsuki missed class because of him, but Izuku was always happy to lend them notes for when Katsuki was absent and couldn't take extra notes for Denki.

Denki desperately wanted a warm bath, and so he diligently waited for Katsuki to get out of class so they could go to the dorms' onsen together. He dozed a little, on and off, when the aches and twitches lessened enough it didn't jerk him awake. Stupid myoclonic seizures. He was awake enough to hear the door gently click open, and he immediately made grabby hands towards his boyfriend.

"Hi, Denki," Katsuki murmured to him, bending down to kiss him softly. "How're you feeling?" He gently brushed his thumb over Denki's cheek and eyelids, making him close his eyes and relish in the feeling.

"Will you come to the onsen with me?" Denki asked.

"Yeah, 'course," Katsuki replied. He reluctantly stepped away from his boyfriend, and gathered clothes from his dresser for the both of them. Denki wasn't too much smaller than Katsuki was, but Katsuki had bigger muscles and was taller than Denki, and thus, his clothes always swamped him. They made their way down to the indoor onsen, showered together - with Katsuki supporting Denki's weight - and then, finally, they sunk into the warm bath. Denki sighed with relief, leaning back against Katsuki's chest. They were in a corner so Denki could lounge on Katsuki, and he was so comfortable that he was able to take a little nap in the water before Katsuki was ready to get into bed.

They cuddled up, and kissed softly, and Denki eventually took a much needed nap.

 

 

Denki's hand was clasped in Katsuki's as they approached the Kaminari home. Denki was buzzing excitedly, and even though he didn't show it outwardly, he knew Katsuki was nervous.

""It'll be fine," Denki said, trying to encourage his boyfriend. "They're going to love you!"

Katsuki looked at him, clearly not convinced. "What if I fuck up and then they decide I can't date you anymore?"

Denki snorted. "Babe, they would never. Unless you genuinely did something wrong- like, fuck, I dunno, turn to villainy?- they won't care. I told them you're nervous, and might be a bit grouchy, and they said that you sound lovely."

Katsuki grimaced. "Fuck, I just wish I knew exactly what I could expect."

"I know, Kats," Denki sympathized. "But it'll be okay. If you get overwhelmed, we can take a breather outside, or if you decide you really can't stay, then it's no biggie! We can just go back to UA, and they won't be offended at all."

Katsuki took a deep breath, and eventually nodded, signaling to Denki that he was as ready as he could be. Denki led the way, and opened the door. It wasn't terribly noisy, but there was music playing in the background, and the kids were shrieking while they played. Denki followed the noises of his parents making dinner in the kitchen.

"Denki!" Denki's mom, Asaka, cheered. She flounced around the counter to wrap him into a hug. "Oh, I've missed you, kid." She kissed the top of his head, and smiled brightly at Katsuki. "Hi! It's so nice to meet you!" Her hair was long and curly, and bright yellow. Her eyes were a warm brown, even though Katsuki admittedly tried to avoid them with his own.

Katsuki forced a smile, and hoped she wouldn't notice. He wiped his palms on his jeans nervously. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am."

Denki grinned mischievously. It was weird hearing his boyfriend be so polite. Asaka tutted. "Call me Asaka, sweetie," she insisted. Denki's father stepped closer, but on the opposite side of the counter. "And this my husband, Rai!"

"Nice to meet you, Katsuki," Rai said, with the smile that he'd come to love on Denki. His hair was black, and he had yellow eyes. "Have you met the twins yet?"

"I was gonna take him after he met you," Denki explained, and he took hold of Katsuki's hand again. "So, we'll be back in a few?"

"Have fun!" Asaka replied.

Denki led Katsuki down the hall, to the door at the end, where they could hear the two kids playing. Denki cracked the door open, and the two kids looked up at the teenagers dubiously. They both had curly black hair, and brown eyes. Their hair was cut different, and that was the only clue that there was actually two kids, and not just a mirror. "Denki!" They screeched, launching themselves at their big brother. Denki caught them with practiced ease, hugging them tight.

"Who's your friend?" The kid with the longer hair asked.

Denki beamed. "This is Katsuki, my boyfriend. I told you about him, remember?" Denki ruffled their hair. "Kats, this is Seo," he gestured to the one with shorter hair, "and Sano," he gestured to the longer hair.

"Are you gonna be a hero, too?" Seo asked, peering up at Katsuki.

Katsuki smiled at the little boy. "Yeah, I am. I'm in Denki's class at UA."

Sano squinted at him. "Denki's gonna be the best hero."

"Yeah, he is," Katsuki agreed, looking playfully at Denki. "And I'm gonna be right there when he is," he promised.

Seo latched onto Katsuki's legs. "What's your quirk?" Denki shuffled a little further into the room, and sat on the ground. Katsuki followed suit, and Seo climbed into his lap.

"My sweat is made of something called nitroglycerin, and I can make it explode," Katsuki explained. He lifted the hand that wasn't resting on Seo's back the way he did for Denki so often to demonstrate. They were the tiniest of explosions, of course, because he didn't want to scare them, or make Asaka and Rai worried hearing it.

Sano's eyes lit up in recognition. "We saw you in the sports festival on TV!"

Katsuki smiled at her. "Yeah! Did you like watching?"

Seo and Sano nodded vigorously. "When we grow up, we wanna go to UA like Denki!" Seo supplied. "We've got electricity, too!" Seo held his hands out, palms up, drawing sparks from a lamp sitting nearby.

Sano watched, then held her own hands out. Her tongue poked out a little from between her lips as she concentrated, and called the sparks towards her, making them dance in fun shapes. She eventually let go of them, and they returned to the lamp. She grinned proudly, and Katsuki smiled. "That was so cool! I'm sure with a little bit of training, you could be great heroes."

"Yeah, they'll have to call you the 'Twin Terrors'," Denki joked. Sano huffed. Denki hugged her, grinning over at Katsuki as he did so.

Eventually, Asaka and Rai finished cooking dinner, and the four of them went to the table. They made conversation over dinner, and while Katsuki seemed a little unsure of himself still, he tried his best. Denki did not have a seizure this time, but he could tell that Katsuki was getting more agitated as the evening wore on. The twins were cute, sure, but they tended to talk over everyone including each other, and on top of trying to keep up with their nonstop chatter so they liked him, Katsuki also was semi-participating in the conversation with Denki and his parents. Denki was trying to keep his tapping to a minimum, as it was the least he could do, but he was also relieved when dinner was over, and they had a chance to sit outside for a while to reset.

Denki and Katsuki sat down on the edge of the porch in the back yard, and Katsuki let out a long sigh. He scrubbed his eyes with his hands. Denki gently pressed his shoulder against Katsuki's. "I'm sorry they're so overwhelming."

Katsuki shook his head. "No, they're fine. It's actually pretty nice." He smiled a little. "I mean, you met my parents already. As a kid, it was lonely, because I didn't have siblings for company, and I didn't talk until I was three. I had Deku, of course, but it's probably really different having someone around all the time, and not just when your parents let you go play."

Denki hummed. "The twins are only six right now, so they're a lot younger, but I know what you mean. it's totally different having siblings. I went most of my actual childhood without them, but I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do for them." He thought about it. "Maybe share my candy, actually. They're thieves, and they get away with it because they're cute." Katsuki snorted, shaking his head.

Katsuki put an arm around Denki, pulling him close. Denki buried his face into Katsuki's neck, sighing contentedly. The air was cooling off after the sun went down, but wisps of color still streaked across the horizon. "How're you feeling?"

Katsuki shrugged a little. "Better. Your siblings are cute, but holy fuck, I was not as prepared as I though."

"I know, I'm sorry. We can head back whenever you're ready. We just gotta let them know."

"We can stay as long as you want," Katsuki replied. He stroked the side of Denki's neck. "If you wanna stay, we can stay. It's your family, don't try to let me influence that."

Denki shrugged. "I think I'm ready to go back. Let's go say goodbye, yeah?" He lifted his head and pressed a kiss against Katsuki's cheek.

They went back inside, and Denki found his parents to let them know that they were going to head out. Asaka and Rai both hugged their son, and shook Katsuki's hand. The twins came running out, and took turns hugging both of the teen boys. They walked back to UA, hand in hand, and Katsuki happily listened to Denki's gift ideas for the twins' birthday that was coming up. Katsuki decided he should get them a little something too.

"You're coming back late," Izuku teased as he watched Katsuki and Denki enter the dorms.

"Yeah, we went to visit my family," Denki said, beaming.

Izuku grinned. "How'd it go?"

Katsuki shrugged. "Good." He thought about Seo and Sano. "His siblings are cute."

Denki hummed, then yawned. "I think I'm ready for bed." He looked up at Katsuki.

"I'll meet you up there in a bit," Katsuki told him. Denki smiled at him, and exchanged goodnights with Izuku. Katsuki watched him leave, then returned his attention to his friend.

Izuku smiled softly at him. "You seem happy."

Katsuki tried to resist a smile. "Yeah. I am." He glanced towards the elevator that Denki just went upstairs in. "He's.. everything."

Izuku's smile grew. "I'm glad." He softly punched Katsuki's bicep. "You're way more likeable now," he joked.

Katsuki snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, and you still suck. Maybe you should should get a boyfriend finally, too."

Izuku wiggled his eyebrows. "And how do you know I don't?"

Katsuki glared at him. "It's the purple haired fucker, isn't it?"

Izuku groaned. "Augh, how do you know me so well?"

Katsuki barked out a laugh. "I actually saw you kiss him the other day." He elbowed Izuku. "I'm just surprised you didn't tell me about it, you gossip."

Izuku shrugged. "It's sorta just casual right now. I do really like him, but I don't know if I'm ready for a serious relationship right now. We're not technically exclusive, but I don't think either of us are interested in other people."

Katsuki shrugged. "Well, as long as you're both happy." He nudged him with his shoulder. "Goodnight, nerd."

Izuku smiled up at him. "Goodnight!"

Katsuki went up to his room, where his cute ass boyfriend was curled under the covers, looking at something on his phone. Denki looked up as the door cracked open enough to shine the hall light on him, and smiled at the sight of Katsuki. "C'mere," he demanded, setting his phone on the floor next to Katsuki's bed. Katsuki obeyed, crawling under the covers. Denki was only in boxers and an oversized tee, and Katsuki took advantage of it to wrap his arms around Denki under his shirt, craving the contact. Katsuki fell asleep with Denki's face buried in his chest.

 

 

It was odd, Denki thought, to be out of school for good. He and Katsuki were hired at an agency close to their new apartment, and he was relieved that their work schedules lined up well. It would've been hell to try and find time to spend together if they didn't.

They greatly enjoyed their jobs, and enjoyed the chance to relax at home together. It seemed a little soon for them to move in with each other in the terms of normal relationship development, but they'd been sort of doing anyways since they were first years after the dorms were first installed. The only difference was that it was just the two of them, and they didn't have to worry about anything but how they needed their space to function. It worked for them, and they worked seamlessly together as a hero pair.

They'd gotten engaged a few weeks ago, after they'd made their official hero debuts, and were starting to plan their wedding. Asaka and Mitsuki had become fast friends, and they'd taken over a lot of the work for the boys, who'd had no idea where to start. It was a bonding activity that they did with their moms, and it meant a lot to all of them.

They were settling into their adult life almost seamlessly, and as they grew together, they only fell more in love.

Notes:

would anyone want something about the izuku/hitoshi i snuck in there or the shouto/sero
i havent written either of those ships before, but i think it would be fun !!
they'd be set in this same universe, just with one or the other ship as the focus instead of the katsuki/denki
i'd start from the beginning of their individual stories ofc, and add onto hints i threw in this one

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of gentle & co.