Chapter 1: Grounded
Chapter Text
After a fresh shower, post rugby practice, Eijiro tied his slightly damp, red locks into a half ponytail. Then he quickly grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder, “Ma, I’m headed out!” He called to her as he opened the door and stepped one foot out before he was stopped.
“Not so fast, Eijiro.” She stepped out of her room and scolded. “You know you can’t go to the Bakugos this week. Mitsuki told me Katsuki’s grounded for starting a fight with that Tetsutetsu boy.”
Eijiro rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to see Katsuki. I’m going to study with a different friend.”
She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. Unconvinced that he really was going somewhere else. She lightly sighed and asked a follow-up question.
“You’re going to study?” She asked sternly. He raised his right hand and crossed his heart.
“I’m going to study.” And he really was.
“Alright then. Don’t forget to eat something, okay?”
“Kay! Love you!” He grinned, and he was out the door before she could protest further.
Eijiro was definitely going to Katsuki’s.
The Kirishimas still lived in the same apartment complex as they did when Eijiro had moved that second time in 5th grade. Now that he was older, he could walk to Katsuki’s house. On weeks like this one, Eijiro knew how to get into Katsuki’s room without anyone seeing him. On occasion, Mr. Mic or Mr. Aizawa would catch him, but they just smiled, rolled their eyes, and said, “Ah… Youth.”
When Eijiro reached the house, he maneuvered his way up the side of the house to Katsuki’s second-floor window. He used the hose spigot to step onto the crisscrossed siding that acted as a holder for the vines to grow up the side of the house. It was also the perfect ladder. Eijiro softly tapped on the window. Within seconds, Katsuki’s grumpy face appeared as he opened the window, and Eijiro grinned.
“What are you doing here, Red?” Katsuki roughly whispered.
“I’m here to study!” Eijiro whispered back. Katsuki rolled his eyes and opened the window further so he could crawl inside. He took off his shoes, closed the window, and sat on Katsuki’s bed. “I’m also here to eat. Promised Mom I would.”
Katsuki roughly sat down across from him with a huff, “You show up unannounced, now you’re gonna make me go downstairs and get you food when you aren’t even supposed to be here in the first place? You’re gonna eat half the damn kitchen like you always do.”
Eijiro looked at him with puppy eyes and a pouty lip, “You want me to leave?”
“ Tch , no…” He folded his arms and leaned against the bed frame. “But you gotta be quiet, otherwise I’m gonna be in even more trouble.”
“Don’t worry, man, I’ll sweet-talk your mom like I always do. It’s me .”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Yeah, the golden child .”
Eijiro laughed, “Don’t say it like that, Kats, just keeping you in line. Speaking of which… I thought you weren’t going to pay Tetsu any attention anymore because he was “too beneath you”.”
“ Whatever, ” Katsuki rolled his eyes again, “Fucking asshole just fucking pisses me off.”
“Kats,” Eijiro whined, “I thought you were going to try . Since we’re on the rugby team with him, we have to get along with him for the sake of the team atmosphere.”
“You say that like it’s easy, Red.” Katsuki scowled deeply, “He corners me and doesn’t give me the chance to ignore him. It’s like he’s trying to get me kicked off the team. He doesn’t want me there, and it’s almost not worth it.”
“Come on, Kats, don’t say that.” Eijiro reached out and grabbed Katsuki’s wrist. “Let me help you next time, you know he’s not as rude around me.”
Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes, “That’s just it Eij, he does the worst shit when you aren’t there. You’re too busy talkin’ to Deku and Dunce face to pay attention to me and Metal Brain.”
“Katsuki…” Eijiro rubbed his thumb across his wrist. “You know I always make time for you. You’re my best friend. Also, I thought you could handle yourself?”
“Yeah, well, that’s why I punched the shit outta him. Shitty Tetsu needed to be taught a lesson.” He grumbled, then looked down at Eijiro’s hand holding his wrist. He didn’t do anything to move away.
“Yeah, but it got you in trouble today, and you know I hate lying to Mom about where I am… Even though I think she already knows.”
“No one asked you to come here, Red.” He spoke softly as his gaze continued to linger on Eijiro’s touch.
Eijiro laughed as he pulled his hand away, “Yeah, but I know you secretly like it when I come over here when you’re grounded.”
Katsuki playfully shoved Eijiro on the shoulder, “No!”
“Shh! Thought you said we were supposed to be quiet!” He loudly whispered.
Katsuki grabbed Eijiro by the collar of his shirt and brought his smug face up to his angry one, “You get me in more trouble, your ass is the next one I beat. Got it?”
“Mmhm, got it,” Eijiro said smugly. He knew Katsuki would never do anything to actually hurt him, but it was funny to see him try and be intimidating. They knew each other for far too long and hung out far too much for anything to slip past Eijiro.
Katsuki grabbed his backpack and pulled out his notes, “If you’re here, we’re actually studying. What do you wanna start with?”
Eijiro grabbed his stomach and winced, “Oh, Kat, I dunno if I can study on an empty stomach. Could you go get us some food, pleaaaase?”
Katsuki scowled at him, “You serious?”
Eijiro gave his best pout face again and nodded, “It hurts, I might starve to death… I’d go get it myself, but I’m not supposed to be here.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes and stood up, “You’re so lucky I’m hungry too. Otherwise, I’d tell you to starve.”
Eijiro leaned against the lower bed frame and smiled in satisfaction, “Thank youuu!”
Katsuki didn’t say anything back as he exited the room. When he came back, he had his arms full of various snacks such as pretzels, meats, cheeses, yogurt cups, and two chocolate protein milks.
“You got my old man suspicious of why I’m drinking two protein milks by myself,” Katsuki grumbled as he laid the snacks out on the bed. Eijiro grinned as he bounced with excitement.
“You're the best! Don’t worry, your dad never comes up here.” He immediately opened one of the milks and downed half of it, then dug into a yogurt cup.
“Uh-huh,” he dismissed as he reached for the pretzels, “And what are you gonna do if he does?”
“Say hi?” Eijiro shrugged.
“ Okay ,” Kats scoffed, “And what will you do if I get into more trouble?”
“Get my ass beat?”
This caused Katsuki to shake his head and laugh, “You're a real piece of work, you know that?”
Eijiro shrugged, “They can’t stop us from seeing each other, Kats, what are they gonna do, bar your windows shut? Come on, we’ve never been caught before, and I don’t intend to. Now, can you please help me with English? I haven’t started the packet yet.”
Katsuki reached into his backpack and pulled out the reading book and the question packet, along with his notebook. “Well, how far are you in the book?”
“Chapter one…”
“Eijiro!” He scolded, “We started the book two weeks ago, you should be almost done by now!”
“I just figured you could tell me about it. You do a much better job of retelling the events. The voice in my head is so boring to listen to. Reading makes me fall asleep.”
“And what if I said I’m not sharing my notes with you this time, hm? You wanna fail English?”
“If I do, then I have to quit rugby, and right before the playoffs too… You wouldn’t want me to flunk out right before we have a chance to win the championship, would you?”
Katsuki groaned as he slapped his hands over his face and pulled them down, stretching his skin down with it, “Eijiro…”
“What!? I promise I’ll only ask for English! I’ll work on the other subjects!” He pleaded.
Katsuki stared at Eijiro for a few moments while Ei gave him the sad eyes again, “Fine. Only English.”
Eijiro smiled and nodded, “Yes, I promise!”
Katsuki sighed as he handed him the packet, “You know the drill.”
Eijiro had been copying Katsuki’s work for a while now. The questions in the packet were all the same, but he had to change up the wording slightly so their teacher didn’t think he was cheating.
“How are you doing in Aizawa’s class?” Katsuki asked.
“Um, okay, I guess. I gotta pass the test next week though, otherwise my grade will tank.” Eijiro blushed with embarrassment, he knew Katsuki was about to scold him.
“What do you mean it’s going to tank? How’d you do on the last test?”
“Um.. a C minus?”
“C MIN—” Katsuki stopped himself from yelling too loud, “The fuck you mean? We studied for two hours for that test, you had it down!”
“I know!” Eijiro whined as he threw his head back, “The science terms all get jumbled up! This isn’t like science with Ms. Midoriya, where we got to do fun experiments and walk around the science museum. This is hard. How am I supposed to know all the elements of the periodic table and what the heck all of the formulas mean, and now I’m supposed to balance them? There’s a lot of confusing math involved, and I can’t even use a calculator!”
Katsuki shook his head, buried it in his hands, and groaned, “What the hell am I gonna do with you?”
“Teach me?” Eijiro grinned.
“Apparently, that doesn’t work. Gimmie time to figure out a new tactic to help you remember, then we’ll study that. For now, just do your best at listening and taking good notes during class. This man saved your life for fucks sake. The least you can do is listen and pay attention. Write down the things that confuse you, and I’ll help you work them out, got it?”
That made sense to him, so he nodded. Of course, Eijiro wanted to do well in Aizawa’s class. After that day in the woods when Aizawa rescued him from his father, all he ever wanted to do was repay the gratitude he felt. The time or situation never arrived, but if doing well in his class meant even a little of that, then Eijiro had to try.
“I got it, Kats, thank you.” He stated genuinely. Katsuki only hummed and nodded back. Eijiro smiled as he continued answering the questions in the English packet. He counted himself lucky to have made an ally in Katsuki. He wondered if Katsuki would have eventually made another friend if he hadn’t come into his life, or if Eijiro was just special. He liked to think he was special, but he shrugged the thought away because he was happy that Katsuki had chosen him to be his best friend.
~~
Eijiro blinked his eyes open slowly, and he was still in Katsuki’s room. He wasn’t really sure how long he’d been sleeping. He felt a heavy weight on his shoulder, and Katsuki had fallen asleep too. He was sleeping peacefully with his arm resting across Eijiro’s thigh, with his palm down and a pen loosely in between his fingers.
Eijiro scrunched his eyebrows as he noticed the bruising on Katsuki’s knuckles. He hadn’t noticed those before, or maybe they just showed up. He figured they were from Katsuki’s encounter with Tetsutetsu. He took his hand in his and rubbed his thumb across the bruised knuckles. Katsuki didn’t stir, he never did; he was a very heavy sleeper.
As he inspected the bruises, he wondered what it was that Tetsu had said to him. To make him go back on his word and fight him. Eijiro remembered the feeling all too well of breaking Tetsu’s nose in 5th grade. To this day, he hadn’t intentionally punched another person, besides being a tad too rough in rugby. That was all just part of the game, though.
He turned his head to look at Katsuki again. His face was soft, unlike his usual scrunched, grouchy face. Eijiro couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He loved being able to see this side of Katsuki because it really did make him feel special that he would allow Eijiro to see the soft side of him. He lifted a hand and lightly grazed his hand over Katsuki’s soft, blonde spikes. He buried his nose in his hair and breathed in his charcoal-scented shampoo. It reminded Eijiro of a campfire.
He looked down at his nose and loved the way that Katsuki got the faintest freckles that speckled his nose and cheeks. They only showed up in the late summer and stayed into early fall, after lifeguarding outside all summer. Katsuki didn’t tan well like Eijiro did, he only freckled the tiniest bit. Eijiro thought it was cute, not that he’d ever tell Katsuki that, if he wanted to keep his head attached to his neck.
When Eijiro pulled out his phone, it was just after 1:00 am. He sighed softly at the thought of his mom worrying about where he was, but there was no text from her. He carefully maneuvered so Katsuki would lie on his pillow. Eijiro slowly got up, put all of the study material in the correct folders and backpacks. Then he moved to pick up the snack trash and put them in his backpack to throw away in a dumpster on his way home. Before he left out the window again, he pulled a blanket up to Katsuki’s shoulders and turned off the bedroom light. Eijiro quietly opened the window, slid out, closed the window softly, then jumped down onto the dirt below.
When he finally arrived home, and the snack trash evidence was disposed of, his mother was already sleeping. When he entered his room, he flopped down on his bed. He closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep, having not retained any of the information that was studied that night.
Chapter 2: Girls
Notes:
Hero names are their rugby athlete nicknames, okay? Okay. Cool. Let’s goooo!
Happy Pride Month!! 🏳️🌈
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Eijiro got up the next morning and got ready for school. On a normal day, he’d walk over to Katsuki’s and they’d take the bus together. However, with him being grounded, part of that punishment was having Mitsuki drive Katsuki to school. He grabbed a bagel for breakfast and one of Katsuki’s favorite protein bars from the pantry as a thanks for last night. When he arrived at school, he spotted Katsuki at his locker.
“Mornin’, Kats!” He grinned. Katsuki stiffened at the words and stared into his locker. Eijiro came up beside him and leaned his back against the adjacent lockers. “Get some good sleep last night?”
Katsuki’s face turned from shocked to grumpy again as he slowly relaxed his shoulders, “Mmhm.”
“Oh, I brought you something,” He reached into his bag and pulled out the protein bar and handed it to him. Katsuki quickly took it and shoved it in his pocket.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. He then grabbed a few books from his locker, slammed the door, and turned to walk away.
“Wait, where are you going?” Eijiro asked, grabbing his bicep, stopping him in his tracks. His head whipped around, and he scowled.
“Class.” He shook Eijiro’s hand from his arm and began to walk away again. Eijiro ran to step in front of him.
“Woah, wait, why? Class doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes. Why you gotta get there so fast?”
Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes, “‘Cuz, I just gotta.”
Katsuki attempted to side step him again, but Eijiro stopped him, “But, Kats, we didn’t get to walk together this morning. I was hoping we could hang out and talk!”
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. “Talk about what?”
“Oh, um..” Eijiro didn’t get to think long before he was interrupted.
“Hey guys!” Denki inserted himself between them as he leaned against Eijiro, who was about a head taller than him, “What’s up?”
Eijiro smiled, “Hey Denks! We were just—“
“Good morning, friends!” Izuku and Shoto appeared next to them, Katsuki rolled his eyes and groaned.
“You guys ready for practice today?” Shoto asked.
“Mmhm!” Eijiro grinned, “Can’t wait for the game on Friday!”
Just then, Tenya Iida entered the group, “Bakugo, you're to stay out of fights with other teammates, we’ll need you on the field. Coach Yagi says if that happens again, you’ll be benched.”
Katsuki threw his head back and groaned louder, “I don’t need the lecture again from you.”
“He’s right, Kats, I need you out there.” Katsuki’s eyes darted away, and his ears turned bright red.
“You guys play Shiketsu, right? You’ll need to bring your A game and more!” Denki exclaimed.
“Of course, we’ll be more than ready.” Izuku held a thumbs-up with determination on his face.
An arm slung itself around Eijiro’s neck, “Those Shiketsu assholes won't know what hit ‘em, right Riot?” Tetsutetsu smirked with his bright black eye on full display. Eijiro laughed to himself; Katsuki got him good.
Hitoshi Shinso emerged into the group and rested his elbow against Denki’s shoulder, “You guys talkin’ about the game? Denks and I’ll be front row cheering the loudest with face paint and banners.”
Denki gasped, “Tosh, that’s an awesome idea!”
“Denki, I’m kidding . There’s no way in Hell you're getting me to paint my face.”
Denki grinned, “Oh, I bet I could be convincing.”
“Alright, we’ll see about that…”
“Hey boys!” A group of cheerleaders passed the group. Nejire Hado was accompanied by Mina Ashido, Ochaco Uraraka, Tsuyu Asui, and Momo Yaoyorozu. Mina whispered something, and the rest of the group giggled. She then waved her fingers and blew a kiss right at Eijiro. He grinned and waved back, causing the other girls to nudge her, and she blushed as bright as her hot pink hair.
Tetsu whistled as he used his arm to bring Eijiro in closer, “Ashido totally likes you, bro. Did you see the way they all reacted to you waving back?”
Eijiro felt his cheeks get hot, “Ah.. Yeah, maybe?”
“Maybe?!” Exclaimed Denki, “That was the most obvious flirting I’ve ever seen.”
“You should hear yourself flirt then,” Hitoshi teased, and Denki elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to laugh.
Eijiro hadn’t ever thought of Mina like that. Sure, they got along well and had a few classes together, but he had never considered seeing her outside of school, let alone in a romantic setting. The guys had already moved on to a different conversation that Eijiro pretended to be part of as he continued to think about Mina and the other cheerleaders. He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t attracted to her. She was attractive and good-looking, but Eijiro didn’t give her a second thought outside of school. He wondered what it was that she saw in him . If he got to know her on a more personal level, would he like her?
As the group continued talking, and Tetsu’s arm was still (for some reason) strongly draped around his shoulders, Eijiro realized that Katsuki had left.
“Hey, where’d Katsuki go?” Eijiro asked the group.
“Uh, he grumbled something about going to class about 5 minutes ago.” Denki shrugged.
“ Bah, ” Tetsu scoffed, “Who cares? He was souring the mood anyway.”
Eijiro’s chest sank at the words, but he tried not to let it show on his face. He never felt that Katsuki soured the mood, or any mood. Katsuki made any group better just by being there. Eijiro had had enough of the group for now, so he stepped out from under Tetsu’s arm and began to walk away.
“We should all get to class, yeah?” Eijiro suggested, “See you guys later.”
They all waved goodbye and went their separate ways. When Eijiro arrived at his first class, he sat down in his seat and pulled out his phone.
Eijiro: See you at lunch?
His leg bounced as he anticipated the response. He hoped Katsuki wasn’t mad at him. He was acting slightly strange this morning. Eijiro thought of any reason that Kats would be mad at him. He cleaned up the snack mess, put everything away in his backpack before he left. He shut off the light and made sure Katsuki was covered before he left. He even remembered to shut the window this time. Before he could think anymore, and with one minute left until the bell, his phone vibrated.
Kats: Yeah, save me a seat?
He smiled down at his phone.
Eijiro: Of course! 😁
He put his phone away just in time for the morning announcements.
“Good morning UA High students,” Principal Nezu’s voice came on the PA, “Happy Wednesday! A few announcements: First up, our rugby team has a game this Friday, it’s a blue out, so everyone wear Royal Blue to show team spirit. Second, a reminder that our Fall Dance is coming up at the end of the month. Your tickets can be purchased in the office anytime in between classes, and before or after school, starting at 7 am to 4 pm. Have a Plus Ultra day!”
Eijiro rested his head against his hand as Mr. Ishiyama droned on about some event in history. He couldn’t pay attention when his thoughts were clouded by the upcoming dance. They didn’t get a chance to go last year since it was cancelled from a bad flu outbreak, and they couldn’t get enough chaperones to set up or monitor the dance, let alone enough students to show up. He wondered if Katsuki was going to go. He thought the idea of Katsuki going with someone was funny. He couldn’t picture him asking any girl to a dance, let alone out on a date.
Now that he thought about it, they never did talk about girls in the way that the other guys did. Only when gossip was going around did they talk about girls. Maybe even a few times when they noticed some activity going on with Izuku and Ochako. Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot of girl talk .
Eijiro pondered the thought that maybe if Eijiro didn’t have anyone he wanted to ask either, they could skip the dance altogether and do something else. He loved when he and Katsuki went to the local arcade or on a hike to stargaze. They could get dinner somewhere and milkshakes after.
The history lesson was long forgotten, and Eijiro daydreamed about all the different things he and Katsuki could do instead of going to the dance. He smiled, thinking about being with just Katsuki and all the memories they could make and laugh about later. His chest lifted at thinking of his best friend, and he couldn’t wait to plan whatever it was after Katsuki’s grounding was lifted.
~~
Lunch rolled around, Eijiro and Denki walked in first and sat down across from one another.
“So, Ei, you gonna ask anyone to the Fall Dance?” Denki smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.
Eijiro laughed and shrugged, “I dunno, I haven’t thought much about it.”
“What?!” He shouted back, “Ask Mina, she was totally giving you the eyes this morning.”
Eijiro scrunched his face in confusion, “The… Eyes ?”
“Yeah man,” Denki said through a mouth full of food, “You know, like the sex eyes.”
Eijiro choked on the chicken sandwich he was eating, “THE WHAT?”
Denki laughed, “I sometimes forget how innocent you are, Kiri. It baffles me that you look the way you do and you’ve never been in a relationship. Have you ever even kissed anyone?”
Eijiro’s face flushed blazing red, “Uh, yeah, totally.”
“Your mom doesn’t count, dummy.” Hitoshi came up and sat next to Denki with his lunch tray.
“What are you telling him, Denks? Your face looks like a stop sign, learn to take the hint.”
“Mina was giving him the sex eyes this morning, right?” Denki said a little too loudly.
“Oh, totally.” Before Eijiro could protest, Katsuki plopped himself in the empty seat next to him.
“Red, your face is as red as your hair. What the hell are you talking about?”
“That Mina was giving Ei the sex eyes this morning,” Hitoshi smirked.
“Stop saying sex eyes ,” Eijiro groaned, “Let’s talk about literally anything else.”
“Okay,” Denki smiled deviously as he turned his attention to Katsuki, “Kacchan, who are you asking to the dance? Any lady catch your eye?”
“Why the fuck would I wanna go to the stupid dance? It sounds boring.” Eijiro made a mental note to talk to Katsuki later about doing something else with him. He felt weird making plans in front of others.
“Aw, come on!” Denki protested, “Dancing is fun , just you and your partner, close together, moving in an intimate way…”
“You better stop or you’re gonna work yourself up,” Hitoshi reminded, “Besides, I didn’t think our dear Bakugo had a romantic bone in his body.”
“And you’ll never find out,” Katsuki spat.
“Aww,” Denki whined, “You won’t even share what the Dynamight looks for in a romantic partner?”
“Not even under truth serum,” Katsuki answered without even looking up from his food. Eijiro couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
Denki groaned and slouched in his seat, “You’re no fun.”
Just then, Izuku and Shoto showed up and sat across from each other on either side of Eijiro and Denki. “Kacchan, don’t beat me up for saying this, but you’ve been in a worse mood than normal. Please don’t tell me this will throw off your game on Friday.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Whatever, Deku, I’ll be MVP of the game out there, you just watch.”
Eijiro smiled, hearing Katsuki’s determination, “I’m counting on that.” Katsuki blushed, but it quickly faded into anger as he audibly growled, seeing who sat down next to Hitoshi.
“Hey teammates, unofficial male cheerleaders, and Grumpy McSourpuss. I see you scowling so much, I’m starting to think your face is stuck like that.” Tetsu chastised.
“Could you sit with literally anyone else?” Katsuki snarled.
“Kats, play nice,” Eijiro warned.
“Yeah, I will when he does, and that’ll happen when Hell freezes over.”
“Man, you guys always fight, it’s amazing how any kind of teamwork happens on the field,” Denki commented.
“I can set aside my differences for a few hours while we play a game. We’re all trying to win,” Tetsu shrugged and kept eating his lunch.
Katsuki leaned his head back and groaned, “I’m leaving if you say one more word to me.”
“Oh darn, we wouldn’t want that…” Tetsu said dramatically. Katsuki huffed and forcefully stood, his chair screeching in protest. Eijiro quickly grabbed Katsuki’s wrist, stopping him.
“Kats, please don’t leave, you said you’d eat lunch with me.” If they were alone, Eijiro would use his pouty face to get what he wanted, but their friends would relentlessly tease them, so he settled for just staring intensely into his eyes. Katsuki scowled back but didn’t move. “Would it be better if you switched spots with Izuku?”
“I’d be okay with that,” Izuku inserted at the mention of his name. Katsuki grabbed his tray and switched with him without a word, then continued eating in mostly silence.
“Can’t even handle sitting near me,” Tetsu spat, “What a joke…”
“Tetsu, could you maybe act like a second-year high schooler and not like we’re still in middle school, please? It’s actually exhausting to listen to.” Tetsu raised his eyebrows and looked down, and continued eating his food, but said nothing in return. The others tried to keep their laughter to themselves when Izuku changed the subject.
“Hey, I’m open to study this weekend after work if anyone wants to join me.” Izuku offered.
“I’ll join,” Shoto happily answered.
“Denki’s looking for a new tutor,” Hitoshi answered for him.
“What?!” Denki protested, “Why aren’t you my tutor anymore?”
“Because, it’s not helping, your grades still suck. You get too distracted .” He said slyly.
Denki rolled his eyes. “Fine. Kiri, will you go with me?”
“Nah, I’ll pass, I already got the best tutor out there.” Eijiro grinned and nudged Katsuki with his elbow.
“Your grades suck too,” Katsuki scoffed.
“What? No, they don’t! They're… Average.” Eijiro countered.
“Yeah, says the guy pleading me to save your science grade so you don’t have to quit rugby. He smirked back.
Shoto leaned over to Denki, “Sorry buddy, they’re a set, you can’t separate them.”
Katsuki gasped sarcastically like he had an epiphany, “Is that why you keep sneaking in to see me while I’m grounded?”
Eijiro lightly blushed at the call out, “Well yeah, I don’t wanna leave you in the dust.”
Denki whined in slight frustration and mumbled, “Wish my best friend never gave up on me.”
“Alright fine,” Hitoshi gave in, “I’ll come to Izuku’s with you to study, would that be better?”
“I just don’t know why you don’t wanna study with me anymore…” Denki whined.
“I just told you, because you get too distracted.”
“Nuh-uh!”
As the two continued to bicker over nothing, Eijiro glanced over at Katsuki, who was minding his own business, eating his lunch, perfectly content with not having the attention on him at the moment. Eijiro leaned over and nudged him with his shoulder. Katsuki looked back at him out of the side of his eye, and Eijiro smiled back. Katsuki looked between Eijiro’s eyes before he sighed and leaned into his back.
Eijiro’s chest lifted knowing that Katsuki was in a better mood after switching spots, and now that Tetsu was listening more than yapping. He still wondered what it was that they talked about that caused Katsuki to punch him. He knew Tetsu wouldn’t tell him, but Eijiro and Katsuki had told each other everything since 5th grade. Part of him thought it didn’t matter, but the other part knew that Katsuki wouldn’t have fought without a reason… Right?
Notes:
If you read my fics “the reunion” or “the wedding” I’m making up for ShinKami in this one. I did them soooo dirty and I feel bad 😭 I’m sorry ShinKami gods, please forgive me.
Also, yes, Nezu was the principal at UA elementary and now at UA high. It makes sense, okay? I assume that is a very normal thing that happens. Also, I never intended to write this sequel when I started the OG. Also-also, Mr. Yagi/All Might coaches high school rugby as well as teaches elementary PE. We’re making it work.
Love you all, thank you for reading :)
Chapter 3: Practice
Notes:
...This is WAY different than kickball.
If you know a thing or two about rugby, here are everyone's positions:
Forwards:
1. Tetsutetsu (Loosehead Prop) 2. Sato (Hooker) 3. Kirishima (Tighthead Prop) 4. Shoji (Lock) 5. Togata (Lock) 6. Todoroki (Blindside Flanker) 7. Sero (Openside Flanker) 8. Awase (Number 8)Backs:
9. Monoma (Scrum-Half) 10. Midoriya (Fly-Half) 11. Amajiki (Left Wing) 12. Kendo (Inside Centre) 13. Bakugo (Outside Centre) 14. Tokoyami (Right Wing) 15. Iida (Full-Back)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Alright, team,” Mr. Yagi’s booming voice called out, “Our match is tomorrow, so we need to get you boys ready!”
“We’re running team drills,” Aizawa added, “We need you all on the same page if we want a good shot at winning the championship this year.”
“This game isn’t the make-all-break-all, though,” Yagi countered, “But we would be in quite the pretty seat if we did.”
“Togata, lead the team in stretching, then split into Forwards and Backs for the exercise.”
As the team did their warm-up stretching, Eijiro was filled with determination. He was ready for this practice and ready for their game tomorrow. He was excited because he felt their team had worked so hard for this that he couldn’t wait for all the hard work to finally pay off.
When they were finished, the team split in half into their respective positions. They stood at the halfway line on the pitch and waited for further direction.
“For this exercise,” Aizawa explained, “It’s a game of simple pass. I don’t care how you score points, just work as a team. We’ve split the team into forwards and backs. Reminder, teamwork is key. This is a half-pitch drill. Backs will start with the ball, and Forwards will defend. Three phases per possession.”
The team lined up and readied their positions. Mr. Yagi blew the whistle, and Midoriya kicked the ball to begin the drill. Tetsutetsu caught the ball and ran forward.
Bakugo ran forward to defend, “You’re mine, Steel!”
They collided, and the ball slipped from Tetsu’s grasp, and Bakugo overturned the ball to the Backs. Togata ran over and collided with Bakugo, sending him to the ground. Shoji scooped the ball up in a recovery for the Forwards. He passed the ball backwards to Sato, who powered through Monoma, who attempted to stop the giant man running toward him. Iida charged Sato, sending him to the ground, and members formed a ruck over the top of him.
The ball popped out, and Togata recovered the ball for the Forwards. He passed the ball to Todoroki. Kendo attempted to tackle Todoroki by grabbing at his ankles. He tripped forward, and the ball flew through the air. Luckily for the Backs, Tokoyami was right there to recover the ball, therefore turning over possession.
Tokoyami tossed the ball to Midoriya, who passed to Amajiki. Amajiki advanced several meters, then passed to Bakugo, who was gaining speed rapidly. He was almost to the Shoji and Tetsu, who were defending the Try line. A determined grin spread across Bakugo’s face as he expertly dodged Shoji and dove between Tetsu’s legs, scoring the Try for team Backs.
Yagi blew the whistle, “Reset! Excellent work, team Backs. Forwards, don’t get discouraged, time for redemption!”
The teams lined up like before. Eijiro glanced at Katsuki, who had a smug grin on his face. Eijiro liked it when they were on the same team, but this time, he was determined to stop Katsuki and show the team what he was really made of.
The whistle blew, and Midoriya kicked the ball to start the second round. Sato picked up the ball and ran forward. Monoma attempted to stop him, again, but utterly failed as he blew right over him. Sato let out a battle cry as he gained a whole 10 meters. It was Iida’s turn to attempt to stop the large athlete. He succeeded, and the ball was free. Kirishima picked up the ball in a recovery attempt when he was met all too quickly by an aggressive Bakugo.
Before he knew it, their legs tangled, and they were both on the ground, and the ball slipped from Eijiro’s grasp. When Eijiro opened his eyes, he was met face to face with Katsuki, who was lying on top of him. His face was centimeters from his, and beat red. He growled in frustration and got up quickly. It took Eijiro a few moments to regain his bearings of where the play was.
Togata now had the ball, and the Forwards were only 5 meters from the Try Line. Togata passed to Tetsu, who was then joined by Shoji and Todoroki to blow through the defenders. They completely bulldozed over Midoriya and Awase as they dragged them over the line, scoring the Try for the Forwards.
Aizawa blew the whistle this time, “Bakugo! Where was the teamwork in that tackle?”
Katsuki only answered in a frustrated yell. He walked up to the half line and readied his position. Everyone else followed suit with a few mumbles and whispers through the group. Eijiro worried about Katsuki’s silence. As he stared forward in his ready position, he resembled an angry bull, ready to charge.
The whistle blew again, and Todoroki kicked to begin the third round. Tetsu was closest and picked up the ball and ran with it. In a red rage, Bakugo charged at him but didn’t account for the dodge. He lunged at Tetsu, completely missing his footing as it slipped on the turf, and Tetsu quick-stepped past him.
Bakugo recovered quickly, and he continued to chase him, hot on his heels. Iida attempted to intervene when Bakugo shoved him out of the way. Tetsu watched as Bakugo ran up next to him and attempted a tackle. He stopped on a dime as Bakugo lunged forward and fell flat, face-planting into the pitch.
A few cringing Oohs come from the team as Katsuki slammed his fist into the ground with a frustrated scream. Eijiro wanted to go over and help him up, but he felt it wouldn’t make the situation better. They ran a few more rounds of the drill, all ending in very similar ways.
By the end of practice, Katsuki was dripping sweat, with dirt on his hands and knees and covering his practice uniform, and desperately panting to catch his breath as he kneeled in the grass. As the rest of the team was dismissed to the locker rooms, Eijiro walked over and extended a hand to Katsuki, but he quickly smacked it away.
“I don’t need your fucking pity, Red.”
“It’s not pity, you know that.” Eijiro extended his hand again. Katsuki huffed as he stood up and stormed past him. Eijiro frowned as he was left in the dust. He gave Katsuki a few seconds' head start, then turned to follow him in. He joined the rest of the team in the showers, and he wasn’t happy with the conversation happening.
“Hey, Dynamight,” Tetsu jeered, “Great game out there. If tripping and missing tackles were part of the game, you’d be MVP hands down!”
Katsuki groaned as he tried to ignore him and the laughs that erupted from several teammates. Eijiro rolled his eyes and turned his back toward the group.
“Honestly, it’s kind of impressive the number of times a person can lose their sense of balance. It’s like gravity was against you today.” Monoma chastised. A few more laughs from the group.
“I didn’t know the ground was the best way to get Bakugo on his back,” Tetsu snickered. A few gasps and surprised laughs echoed through the room. Katsuki shut off the water and quickly turned to face him.
“Kats, don’t,” Eijiro warned. Katsuki ignored his plea and held his deadly gaze on Tetsu.
“Fucking say that again, I dare you.” He basically growled the words.
Tetsu chuckled and held a devious grin, “Or what, Katsuki … Something you wanna say?”
Katsuki huffed as he hesitated on saying anything further. He grabbed his towel and stomped to the lockers.
“That’s what I thought,” Tetsu’s smug grin curling across his lips, “MVP, Katsuki Bakugo, the great Dynamight! Better get your act together before tomorrow.”
Eijiro forcefully shut off the water and covered himself with a towel. He turned to Tetsu and scowled, “What the hell happened to being a team ? You know, building each other up?”
Tetsu raised his hands in defense, “Dunno why you're yellin’ at me, Riot, Bakugo didn’t do a whole lot of teamwork on the field. Just trying to light the fire so he brings his A game tomorrow.”
Eijiro rolled his eyes as he quickly went after Katsuki in the other room. He was already dressed, slammed his locker shut, and forcefully threw his backpack over his shoulder. Eijiro reached for his wrist to stop him, but he pulled it from his grasp.
“Katsuki, wait, please.” He ignored him completely and exited the locker room with a slam to the door. Eijiro quickly got dressed as he attempted to chase after him.
“Eijiro, you know it’s no use when he gets like this…” Izuku’s voice came up behind him. Eijiro looked back at him as he slid his shirt over his head.
“I just… Don’t want practice to end like this.” Izuku nodded and stepped back. The rest of the team got dressed in silence.
Eijiro shut his locker, grabbed his things, rushed out the door, down the hall, and out of the building. His head whipped around, but he didn’t find him. All he saw was Kendo.
“Itsuka, have you seen Katsuki?”
She nodded, “Yeah, he got in his dad’s car and they left. He was not happy.”
Eijiro sighed as he walked down the steps, sat down, and hid his head in his hands. He felt a rough but gentle hand rest on his shoulder, then sit down next to him.
“Practice sure didn’t go ideally,” She began. Eijiro looked up and chuckled.
“No, it didn’t.” He sighed as he looked out at the parking lot. “He already holds himself to a higher standard than most. I just hate when the guys make fun of him for it… Tetsu can just be so mean sometimes.”
She hummed and nodded in agreement, “I don’t envy the boy locker room talk, but I do hear it on the field. No one will say what caused Bakugo to lash out at him, though.”
“He won’t even tell me what happened…”
Kendo raised her eyes in surprise, “Seriously?! Don’t you two tell each other like, everything?”
Eijiro shrugged, “Yeah, but I can’t shake the feeling that something else is going on that he’s not ready to talk about yet.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kendo bumped him with her shoulder, “I’ve never seen anyone become as fast friends as you two did in 5th grade. He’ll come around.”
“I know,” A smile crept on Eijiro’s face, then faded just as fast, “Our whole practice today was specifically about teamwork… I just worry this is going to throw off our whole team. Not even Mirio defended him in that locker room.”
She hummed again as she pondered the comment, “When it comes to Bakugo, not a lot of us know when to step in and when we can’t. Don’t blame Togata.”
“No, I don’t, I’m just…” he paused, he sighed again and looked at his hands, “Just nervous about the team, and the game tomorrow. I want us to do well.”
“Me too. But I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Give Bakugo a little bit of time to cool off, then you can talk to him like you always do.”
Eijiro fully smiled as he looked back at her, “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see him later and set things right. Thanks, Itsuka, you really get it.”
She smiled and shrugged, “No sweat.”
He waved goodbye as he ran the rest of the steps to the sidewalk and jogged down the street. He felt determined that he could set something right. He just needed to know what was weighing on Katsuki’s heavy heart, then he could help him work it out, and everything would be good again.
~~
Eijiro tapped on the window, and a puffy-eyed Katsuki appeared behind the curtain. He didn’t open the window; he just looked down at him. Eijiro looked up at him and could tell he was having a rough night. He tapped the glass again like he did before in hopes of Katsuki opening it, so he didn’t have to hang onto the siding for much longer. He watched Katsuki’s chest rise and fall with a sigh, then he pushed up the window and walked away. Eijiro crawled in and shut the window behind him.
“You wanna talk about what happened at practice?” Eijiro asked, sitting down across from Katsuki on the bed. “That was not very characteristic of you.”
Katsuki huffed as he pulled his hood over his head and pulled the strings tight to cover his face, “No.”
Eijiro stood on his knees and reached forward to try and open the sweatshirt hood. “Why are you hiding? Kat, come out.”
Katsuki grabbed Eijiro’s hands and pushed them back, “No!”
“Why not?” He attempted to push against Katsuki’s grip, but they were pretty evenly matched.
“Shut up!” He gruffed out, “I’m not telling you shit.”
In one last effort to get Eijiro away, he pushed forward, causing Eijiro to flop onto his butt. They disconnected, and Katsuki flopped onto his side and pulled a blanket over his head. Eijiro frowned as he looked at the lump that was his best friend. He sighed as he stood from the bed.
“Alright, I’ll just go downstairs and hang out with your parents…” Suddenly, Katsuki was pulling Eijiro back to the bed, onto his back, and pinned him down by sitting on his stomach. His face was outside of the hood, but it was still on his head.
“Don’t you fucking dare, have you forgotten I’m grounded?” Katsuki glared down at him, but Eijiro smiled, seeing his face.
“Hmm… There he is.” He grinned up at him. Katsuki’s cheeks flushed pink, and he groaned as he got off of him and lay back against the bed frame.
“Whatever, I still don’t wanna talk. You can leave if you’re gonna hound me about it. We all have bad days.” Eijiro didn’t believe that. This was Katsuki , and Katsuki never had bad days. Nor did he ever admit that either. Eijiro was suspicious, but he didn’t press it.
“Okay, I won’t ask anymore. Can I stay?”
“Only if I don’t have to feed you again.”
Eijiro gave a small pout, “Maybe a little snack?”
“You didn’t eat, did you?” Katsuki folded his arms across his chest.
“I did, I just want a teeny snack.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes and sighed, “Like what?”
“Whatever you want! If it’ll make your parents less suspicious today, I’m good with whatever you want.”
“Fine. Be right back.” He stood up and left the room.
Eijiro smiled and figured that maybe if Katsuki had his favorite snack, he might feel a little better. Eijiro also promised himself that he was going to really try hard and not mess with Katsuki today while they studied. He didn’t want to make whatever it was worse for him. All he wanted to do was hang out and just be with him, because after a long day of school, he never wanted anything more.
~~
Eijiro finished reading the paragraph of his textbook out loud and sighed, “Okay, I think I’m starting to get it now!” He went over it again in his head, and his eyes got heavy and he yawned, “Well, it might be almost time to call it a night.”
He glanced over next to him at Katsuki, who had fallen asleep sitting up. Eijiro pushed a breath from his nose as he guided Katsuki to lie his head on the pillow. He quietly packed up his and Katsuki’s notes and put them away. Then, when he started to slide off the bed, he felt something stop him. He slowly looked down, and Katsuki had turned around and wrapped his arm around his waist. Katsuki was still fast asleep when his arm tightened around Eijiro’s hips.
Eijiro smiled as he looked down at Kats. Who was he to tell his peaceful, sleeping, best friend that he had to leave? He could tell Katsuki had a rough day today, even if he didn’t understand why. Maybe he just subconsciously wanted to be with someone, so that he didn’t want to be alone tonight. Eijiro was filled with pride at the thought that Katsuki needed him in this moment. With his arm around him, gripping tightly, Eijiro couldn’t possibly leave Katsuki in the dust. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to his mom.
* Hey, studying is going late, I’ll just sleep here. I’ll see you tomorrow at the game!❤️ Love you.
He put his phone on silent, placed it on the nightstand, and turned off the light. He took off his tank top, discarded it on the floor, and pulled the blanket up around both of them. Katsuki mindlessly shifted comfortably into him. Eijiro sighed contentedly as he reached up and threaded his fingers through Katsuki’s soft hair to comfort him.
He wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but he knew he’d been crying when he got there. He didn’t see Kats cry often either, so it must be something heavy. Eijiro didn’t want him to carry whatever burden this was alone. So if sleeping in his bed, holding him in his arms, was going to help calm Katsuki’s thoughts, then he was more than happy to do it.
Eijiro closed his eyes and relaxed fully with Katsuki’s head pressed against his chest. They had slept in the same bed before, but never this close. Eijiro didn’t mind, though; he felt comfortable with Katsuki. That night was one of the best nights Eijiro had ever slept.
Notes:
Thank you so much for reading! I'm going to try and post this one regularly until it's finished!
and a HUGE shout out and thank you to UlrikaFerys for the inspiration to continue with this one and for the amazing sketch to go with this! See below 🥰
Chapter Text
Eijiro woke to the sound of his morning alarm chiming. He reached over and turned it off. The soft morning glow was peaking through the curtains. He rested on his back as he looked down at Katsuki, who was resting on his side with his arm draped over Eijiro’s stomach. Eijiro could also feel his leg wrapped around one of his. Eijiro’s heart felt full knowing Katsuki was comfortable. He hated having to wake him up, but he knew he had to leave soon and they had to get to school. Eijiro lifted his hand and combed his fingers through blonde spikes.
“Kats, it’s time to wake up,” He spoke softly. Katsuki groaned as his arm and legs tightened around him. Eijiro chuckled as he moved his hand to Katsuki’s back and rubbed circles. “Come on, Kats, you gotta let go so I can leave.”
Katsuki hummed and only shifted closer to Eijiro. He breathed in deeply and his eyes blinked slowly open. His hand lightly grazed over Eijiro’s stomach, and his brows pinched together. He froze for a moment as his brain processed where he was and who he was with. He then shot up to stare at Eijiro with wide eyes.
“What the fuck are you still doing here?” Katsuki roughly whispered not to alert his parents.
“Um.. I slept here?” Eijiro thought it was obvious.
“Without a fucking shirt ?!”
Eijiro shrugged, “I never sleep with a shirt on…”
“Oh my god.” Katsuki slid off the bed and walked to his closet. He stopped and paced back toward the bed, looked at Eijiro, then his eyes darted to the floor as he cussed again, “ FUCK. ”
“Sorry, Kats,” He apologized as he sat up, “I didn’t think you’d mind. You fell asleep, and then you grabbed me. I thought you wanted me to stay.”
“I was fucking asleep ,” He roughed through gritted teeth. “How could I have said, 'spend the night' when I was sleeping ?”
“I don’t know! You were having a rough day yesterday, and I just got the sense you didn’t want me to leave.” Eijiro shrank in on himself at being scolded. Katsuki continued to pace around his room as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Shit…” He cursed again, “Just–”
“Katsuki!” Mitsuki shouted from outside the door, “You’re doing a lot of cussing for just having woken up. What the hell are you so angry about already?!” The boys locked eyes, and Eijiro stood as still as a statue.
“Nothing!” Katsuki shouted back.
“You’re pissed about something…” Mitsuki reached for the door handle, and they could hear it rattle. Eijiro attempted to hide under the covers again.
“Mom! Don’t fucking come in, I’m naked!” He rushed out. “I’ll be down in a minute!”
Mitsuki sighed, “Fine, but stop cussing. It’s not even seven o’clock yet.” With that, her footsteps descended the hallway and down the stairs. Both guys let out breaths as Eijiro peeked his head out again and was met with a scowling Katsuki.
“Get dressed, and get the fuck out,” Katsuki whispered harshly. Eijiro slid out of bed and reached for his tank top he was wearing last night. “Not that. Put this on.”
Katsuki reached into his closet and threw him one of his band merch hoodies. It was from their favorite rock band, Studio A . Eijiro liked this sweatshirt because it was black and had the band’s logo on it in the form of a white skull. Katsuki wore it a lot, so he was honored that Katsuki wanted him to wear it. He threw it on without any protest. He figured the athletic shorts he was wearing were good enough since he had just changed into clean ones after last night’s practice.
Before he hopped out the window, he stopped at Katsuki’s mirror on the wall and looked himself over. He didn’t have his hair product to put his flaming red hair into its normal spikes. He frowned because it was game day too. He’d always spiked it up on game day for good luck. He sighed as he stepped toward the window and opened it. He was stopped when Katsuki unzipped his backpack and shoved something inside.
“You don’t have time to go home. Brush your teeth with that at school when you get there. Meet me at my locker.” He zipped it shut and moved toward the door.
“Thanks, Kats,” Eijiro grinned. “You’re the best! I’ll see you there.”
“Whatever, now leave .” Eijiro didn’t hesitate as he slid out the window and crawled out. His feet hit the ground, and he looked out to the back yard. His eyes fell on none other than Aizawa, who was outside with his morning tea on the other side of the fence. He raised an eyebrow, then took a deep breath in and covered his eyes with his free hand. Eijiro took the opportunity to quietly sprint away and hop the fence.
He was very grateful for Aizawa’s “outside of school, none of my business” policy; otherwise, he’d have been in trouble more times than not. He wanted to thank him for not telling on him, but something told him that it was meant to be an unspoken agreement between them. Now he really felt like he needed to do well in his class.
When he reached school, it was still pretty early, so not a lot of people were there yet. He decided to go down to the locker rooms since no one would be in there. He brushed his teeth, then went to his locker to apply some deodorant with the extra post-practice stick he had. He really wished he had thought to put extra hair gel in there too. It felt weird not having his signature game-day spikes. Not that he needed them; he didn’t spike his hair up every day, but with them having the championship in their sights, he wanted all the good luck charms they could get.
He settled for just putting it up in a half-pony. If he couldn't wear it up , he could settle for somewhat up. He smiled, looking at himself in the mirror with Katsuki’s sweatshirt on his body. It had been a while since he saw himself in black. He brought the collar up to his nose and hummed at the smell of Katsuki. The familiar scent of his charcoal soap mixed with his subtly sweeter scented deodorant had Eijiro’s head feeling light.
He smiled as he remembered he was supposed to meet Katsuki at his locker. He left the locker room and sauntered down the hallway. People greeted him and wished him good luck tonight. He grinned and said his thanks and “See you there!” or “Better hear you cheering loud” as he passed them with the widest grin. It got him even more pumped for the game tonight knowing that the rest of the school was excited to watch them. He really hoped they could all work as a team and win tonight. One bad practice wasn’t going to stop the UA rugby team.
As he neared Katsuki’s locker, he spotted the pale blonde spikes standing tall over the light crowd of people. As he approached, he leaned up against the neighboring lockers and grinned widely at him. Katsuki looked at him out of the side of his eye. He looked down at the sweatshirt, then back to his face. He rolled his eyes and sighed.
“How are you always so…” He paused, thinking of the word, “ You , in the morning?”
Eijiro shrugged, “I’m happy, it’s game day, and I slept really good last night.”
Katsuki’s face flushed a deep shade of pink that spread to his ears. He let out a grunt as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a protein bar and something wrapped up in a cloth.
“You didn’t eat this morning,” Katsuki mumbled as he handed him the food. Eijiro unwrapped the cloth to reveal a bagel with everything seasoning, cream cheese, with salmon lox sandwiched in between, and it was cut in half. Eijiro’s smile grew wider than before.
“Kat, did you make this for me?” Katsuki only responded with a hum as he continued to shove textbooks and notebooks into his locker and different ones into his backpack. “Thank you, you’re seriously the best. I’ll eat it during first period!”
Eijiro wrapped his breakfast back up and put it in his backpack carefully to not smoosh it. Katsuki zipped up his backpack, closed his locker, and stood up straight. Before he could answer, he was interrupted by an equally chipper voice. It was Mina and a few other cheerleaders, Ochako and Momo. They were wearing their navy blue cheer uniforms with leggings underneath.
“Hey, Kiri,” Mina greeted with a wide grin on her face as she twirled a piece of her bright pink hair between her fingers, “Ready for the big game today?”
“Of course! Ready as always, right, Kats?” Katsuki only grunted in response as he looked anywhere but the girls.
“There’s something different about you today…” She tapped her chin in thought. “Oh! Your hair! It’s not up in its game-day spikes, why not?”
Eijiro scratched the back of his neck as he glanced at Katsuki, who was staring across the hallway. “I woke up late today, didn’t have time…”
“Ahh, that’s okay, you still look great!” She reached forward and touched his arm, then her eyebrows pinched, noticing the sweatshirt. “Eiji, I’ve never seen you wear this one before… Wait, isn't this… Bakugo’s?”
Katsuki pushed a laugh from his nose, but didn’t say anything. Eijiro chuckled as his cheeks got hot, “Yeah, just a little pre-game ritual we wanted to try out.”
“Hm.” She nodded as she looked him up and down. “Looks good on you!”
Eijiro grinned and blushed again. “Thank you. You look nice too today, Mina.”
The girls behind her giggled, and Mina blushed as pink as her hair. “Okay, babe, we’ll see you at the game. Good luck! I’ll be cheering for you.”
“Okay, see you!” Eijiro smiled as the girls walked off, giggling to themselves. When they were out of sight, Eijiro turned back to Katsuki, who was standing there with his arms crossed and an eyebrow cocked.
Eijiro blinked at him in confusion, “What?”
Katsuki’s face changed into a sarcastic smile and made his eyes wide. He mocked the way Mina twirled her hair. He placed his hand on Eijiro’s bicep and squeezed.
“Oh, Hiii Eiji,” He said in a high-pitched voice, “Your muscles are sooo big, too bad I can’t see them under that hideous sweatshirt. I’ll be cheering the loudest for you, babe .”
Eijiro’s face burned bright red as he playfully shoved Katsuki, who, in turn, cackled at the encounter. “Come on, man, it’s not like that. She was just being nice.”
“Yeah, uh-huh,” Katsuki dismissed, “You’re lucky Sparky didn’t see that shit. That was tough to watch.”
“What do you mean?” Eijiro whined as they began to walk down the hallway.
“You’re so clueless, Red. She was blatantly flirting with you, and you’re looking me in the eyes and saying, 'It wasn’t like that. ' It totally was.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know that? It just sounded like she was trying to make small talk. A lot of people did that this morning as I walked in.”
“Yeah, but did they touch you and comment on your hair or what you were wearing?”
Eijiro thought for a moment, “No?”
“There you go,” He scoffed, “Eij, you just gotta–”
“Hey, Riot!” Tetsu appeared down the hall, coming toward them. His face also scrunched in confusion, “What the hell are you wearing?”
They stopped as they neared each other. Katsuki tried to keep going, but Eijiro grabbed his wrist to stop him, and Katsuki groaned in protest.
“Clothes?” he answered, and Tetsu looked at him in disbelief.
“Without your spikes?” Tetsu asked, reaching up and twisting a small red bunch between his fingers, then moving down to pinch a piece of the black fabric of the sweatshirt. He scrunched his nose in disgust, “This looks like something you would wear, Hot-Head.”
“It is, dumbass,” Spat back Katsuki. “It’s my sweatshirt.”
Tetsu raised his eyes in surprise. “Didn’t know you were looking for hand-me-downs. I woulda given you my spare in my rugby locker.”
Eijiro laughed uncomfortably, “Hah, I’m alright, thanks though.”
Tetsu slapped Eijiro on the shoulder and began to walk off, “See ya later, Red, Red’s shadow.” Katsuki scoffed as he walked angrily away. Eijiro jogged to catch up with him.
“Why do you make me sit through that shit? You know he’s gonna piss me off.” The deepest scowl sat on Katsuki's face. Eijiro felt bad.
“Sorry, Kats, but if we’re gonna be on the rugby team with him, we gotta play nice.”
“Yeah, a little too nice.”
“What? You’re gonna tell me he was flirting with me next?”
“ Tch , whatever.”
“He touched me and commented on my hair and clothes. Does that mean Tetsu was flirting with me too?” Eijiro teased.
Katsuki rolled his eyes and grunted, “I gotta get to class, Eijiro .”
With that, he disappeared into his first-period classroom. Eijiro hesitated as he thought about saying something further. Katsuki never said his name like that unless he was mad. He thought they were just joking around like they always did. As he reached his classroom, he pulled out his phone to text him.
* See you at lunch?
By the time class started, Katsuki hadn’t responded. He sighed as he was at least able to eat the breakfast Katsuki packed for him. The mix of the everything seasoning and the salmon was amazing. He just had to make sure he didn’t get the seasoning all over his desk. Eijiro checked his phone after class and still nothing. As he walked to his next class, he sent another one.
* Thank you for the bagel, it was amazing 🤩
Second and third period flew by and still, no response. Eijiro’s chest sank; he wasn’t sure what he did wrong. Just before Katsuki was teasing him about Mina, but he couldn’t tease back about Tetsu? He got this feeling in his gut that something was really wrong. Katsuki had been off all week, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Eijiro arrived at their lunch table. Denki and Hitoshi were there. He sat down with his lunch with a sullen face.
“Have either of you seen Katsuki?” He asked, trying not to sound too desperate. They looked at each other and shrugged.
“No, haven’t seen him. I don’t have any classes with him for the first half of the day.” Denki replied.
“I have English with him second period, but he seemed a little crankier than usual,” Hitoshi added.
Eijiro hummed in disappointment. “He won’t answer my texts…” he pulled out his phone and sent one more.
* I have a seat saved for you…
“I’m sure he’ll show up; he always does,” Denki noted. Eijiro nodded and hoped that was true.
“Who’s ready for game day?” Izuku and Shoto approached the table and sat down in their normal spots across from each other, next to Eijiro and Denki.
“I’m ready,” answered Shoto. “Kiri, is Bakugo ready?”
“Oh yeah, I heard from Sero that practice did not go well. Hope that doesn’t jinx you.”
“Only you saying that would jinx them, dummy,” Hitoshi countered.
“Nah, I’m sure it’s fine, I don’t believe in that stuff.” Izuku shrugged. “If I know Kacchan, he’ll bring his best game. He always does.”
Eijiro smiled at Izuku defending Katsuki. He knew if anyone could read Katsuki like him, it’d be Midoriya. Suddenly, someone forcefully sat in the empty seat next to him. Eijiro looked up, hoping to see Katsuki, but it wasn’t.
“Where’s your grumpy shadow, Riot?” Tetsu said, scooting his chair closer to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, “Off being cranky at another table?”
Eijiro ignored the comment when he remembered who had third period with Katsuki. “Midoriya, did you see Katsuki in science?”
He nodded, “Yeah, Aizawa asked him to stay after class. Not sure why.”
This put Eijiro a slight bit at ease. It meant that Katsuki might not be entirely avoiding him. Under the table, he gripped onto the front of the sweatshirt as he continued to look out at the sea of people in hopes of seeing Katsuki’s fluffy blonde head coming toward them. He was now worried that he was going to show up and be angry at him now that Tetsu was sitting in his seat. Eijiro also didn’t miss the way Tetsu’s arm was still draped around the back of his chair while he ate.
The moment never came. Lunch period ended, and Eijiro still had not seen or heard from Katsuki. As 5th period rolled around, he realized he usually saw Katsuki walking in the hallway to his final class. Eijiro’s heart jumped as he saw Katsuki’s grumpy face round the corner. Their eyes locked, and Katsuki’s face stayed neutral at seeing him.
“Katsuki!” Eijiro exclaimed, “You missed lunch. Did you eat?”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. “No. Someone said they had a spot for me when there wasn’t.”
He attempted to walk past him when Eijiro stepped in front of him. “Shit, Kats, I’m sorry. You didn’t respond, and I didn’t see you in the lunch room… I looked for you… Can I make it up to you? We have time before the game after school. We can order food? My treat, your choice.”
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, considering the offer. He crossed his arms as if waiting for something else. Eijiro wondered if he wanted an apology, a real one.
“Are you mad about this morning? I’m sorry, Kats, I thought we were joking around. Just trying to make light of it. I know you and Tetsu hate each other, but I’m just trying to be nice to him. It makes me mad as hell when he’s mean to you, but we’re unfortunately a team, and any chance we can get along off the field helps us on it too. I didn’t tell him to sit next to me at lunch either. Can I please buy you dinner? You need to eat something.”
Katsuki sighed, “You’re lucky the Hag told me I had to stay on school grounds before the game. I want burritos. We’ll eat on the practice field. Meet me there after school.”
Eijiro smiled so wide his eyes closed, “You got it!”
They fist bumped like they always did when they saw each other in the hallway and went their separate ways. Eijiro couldn’t stop smiling. When he got to his next class, he pulled out his phone to order their food through the delivery app, and set it to deliver a few minutes after the dismissal bell. He could hardly focus as he thought about Katsuki and their game tonight.
~~~
Delivery bag in hand, Eijiro made his way around the outside of the school to the practice pitch. When he got closer, he saw Katsuki lying on his back tossing a rugby ball up in the air and catching it. He was wearing his jersey and sprawled out on a large lawn blanket. Upon reaching Katsuki, Eijiro noticed it was actually his jersey.
“Two things.” He sat next to him, reaching into the bag and handing Kats his food. “How’d you get my jersey, and where’d you find the blanket?”
Katsuki sat up and took his foil-wrapped burrito. “You left your locker open, idiot. I found the blanket looking for the ball.”
Eijiro laughed, “Oh, must have forgotten to close it when I got ready this morning.” Eijiro pulled out his own food and felt the blanket. “It’s soft. Way better than sitting on the turf.”
“Hmm…” Katsuki hummed as he bit into his food.
“Sorry you didn’t get to eat lunch… What did Aizawa want?”
Katsuki swallowed before answering, “I asked him to give me tips on how to help you study.”
Eijiro’s eyes grew wide. “You did?”
“Yeah, we can study this weekend, or something, if you want, I dunno,” Katsuki mumbled before shoving more food in his mouth.
“Yeah, we can do that!” Eijiro smiled, “My mom works evenings this weekend, so we can study at my place since your jail sentence ends tomorrow.”
Katsuki laughed, but was quickly replaced with a groan when he heard his least favorite voice.
“Hey, you love birds!” Shouted Tetsu from the other side of the field. “You guys having a little pre-game date or something?”
Katsuki shut his eyes and turned away from Tetsu so his back faced him. “Ignore him, Red, I swear .”
Katsuki looked at him with pleading eyes. He rarely, if ever , begged for something. Eijiro nodded as he continued eating. Not that he would have had time to answer anyway.
“Kirishima?! Yeah, I bet you wish, Blasty! I don’t recall getting the memo of swapping clothes with your boy toy!”
Katsuki just about shoved the rest of his burrito in his mouth to keep himself quiet. He didn’t want to do anything that would get him grounded longer. Eijiro was confused by the comments. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was trying to say or even implying. He wasn’t even sure why he was shouting at them. There was no one else around to hear him, so who was he performing for? He wanted to ask, but continued to respect Katsuki’s wishes of just letting it go, so he kept eating.
“What? No less than quippy comeback? No scolding from you either, Riot? You two should just–” A smack was heard from across the pitch that shut Tetsu up real quick. Aizawa snuck up next to him and slapped the back of his head with his clipboard.
“You ever shut up?” He scolded, “One more word out of you and I’ll make you run drills until you can’t move your legs, then I’ll put you in the game and expect the same energy you give any other day. Got it ?”
Both Eijiro and Katsuki slapped hands over their mouths to keep themselves from laughing out loud. Tetsu only nodded and disappeared into the side door of the building that led directly to the locker rooms with Aizawa close behind him.
“Fucking finally ,” Breathed Katsuki, “Asshole fucking deserved that.”
“He wasn’t even making any sense this time… What’s wrong with us wearing each other’s clothes? We do it all the time.”
Katsuki didn’t look up from his burrito. “He’s an idiot. He’s just spewing nonsense like he always does. Just ignore him, Red, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Eijiro nodded as they finished their dinner. Eijiro was still confused at the comments. His chastising was usually unprompted, but they usually made sense. Eijiro didn’t get what he was trying to say… But if Katsuki wanted to drop it, then he would. They ate without anyone bothering them, only the occasional teammate waving as they walked past them, getting ready for the bus to arrive.
The away game against Shiketsu High was quickly approaching, and Eijiro was fueled with burrito and quality time with Katsuki. What could possibly go wrong?
Notes:
Big game next chapter👀
Thank you for reading!
Chapter 5: The Game
Summary:
CW: mention of blood and potential head injury
Notes:
The biggest THANK YOU to UlrikaFerys/Kitiara for helping me with this chapter. I tried so hard to research rugby and kept falling short and didn’t feel confident in my abilities to write a play by play of what was going on the way I wanted it to play out. This chapter would not have been what it is without her help and knowledge of the sport!
A few things to note, if you have zero knowledge of rugby– that’s okay!
Try: other word for goal, or “touchdown” if you will, it’s worth five points
Conversion: kicked after the Try, it’s worth 2 points
Penalty kick: worth 3 points, kind of like a free throw in basketball
You are only allowed to throw the ball behind you, otherwise you are running forward in an attempt to score. The teams will form groups called Rucks or Mauls which are formations that assist the ball to go forward or backwards (depending on your side) to keep the ball in play if a tackle is not made.I do my best to describe the events going on during the action, even if you don’t know the terminology. Kitiara also helped me with descriptions and obviously I’ve greatly simplified everything. Rugby is a tactical sport with lots of moving pieces!
That being said: Enjoy!💕
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Start with warm-ups!” Aizawa called out, “Togata, they’re ready for the coin toss.”
The team sat on the field and stretched out, warmed up their legs, and even did short sprints to keep their bodies warm and muscles loose. As Eijiro and Katsuki sat next to each other, helping each other do partner stretches, a familiar figure approached them. Eijiro looked up, and it was Inasa Yoarashi from Elementary school. He grinned at them and waved a large hand over his head.
“Long time no see!” Inasa laughed. He extended a hand, and Eijiro was the first to shake it.
“Inasa! How’ve you been?” Eijiro greeted him as he stood up to meet his eyeline.
“Oh, you know, I can't complain. How’ve you two–”
“ Inasa ,” His teammate hissed as he jogged over and grabbed him by the wrist, “We don’t really have time for small talk. Save it for Third Half.”
Eijiro laughed, “Alright, looking forward to the game. Good luck!” He extended a hand, and Inasa took it.
“Absolutely! Good luck to you, too!” He grinned and walked back to his team.
“Man, he has not changed,” Katsuki chuckled, “Just grew like a fucking tree.”
“I could say the same for a lot of us,” Eijiro laughed back.
Soon, Mirio came back with a grin on his face, which could have meant anything: “Shiketsu’s kicking first!”
The team nodded as they were instructed to get ready for the start of the game. Eijiro felt his pregame jitters spread throughout his stomach and chest. It was a mix between a sick but excited feeling, leaving his nerves sparking throughout his body. He was filled with energy as he looked out to the crowd and saw his mom standing next to the Bakugos. The student section was full of navy blue and white as they all chatted amongst themselves, waiting for the game to start. Everything about the scene always sent a rush of adrenaline through Eijiro, only further filling him with determination to do his best.
The players put in their mouthguards and gather together in their pre-game huddle. “Alright, team,” Mirio began, “Let’s go out there and do our best!”
The team all grunted loudly in response as they broke apart and walked onto the field. Eijiro shook his shoulders out and walked to his position next to Sato. He was itching to get the game started. He looked back and checked on his other teammates. Midoriya had his usual face-splitting smile, same as Mirio, but he gave him a thumbs up, to which Eijiro reciprocated. Most of the other players were keeping their bodies loose until his eyes fell upon Katsuki. The blonde was scowling more than usual, and his eyes were fixated in front of him. He looked like he wasn’t focused on anything in particular, just staring off into space, his mind deep in thought. Eijiro wanted to wait for him to look, but his focus was pulled forward when someone shouted, “Ready!”
Mr. Hakamada blew the whistle, and Shiketsu kicked the ball. The oval flew in an elegant curve right in the hands of Shoji, who sprinted forward, avoiding a tackler who was already in his face. He tried to double-step another when he lost his footing and almost tripped. The loss of momentum made him the perfect victim of the third opponent. He was taken to the ground and folded like a pretzel as he attempted to push the ball toward his nearby teammates. Sero and Sato were close, offering cover and protection to both him and the ball as the adversaries tried to dig into the ruck and force a turnover.
Both teams pushed against one another’s shoulders to try and force the ball forward. Shoji, ignoring the knees in his ribs and fingers in his face, spotted Monoma, and he retrieved the ball for UA, keeping possession. He passed the ball off to Midoriya in the center of the field. He regained speed and pushed forward as he ran so fast his legs were a blur of sprinting and skipping across the turf. The defense closes in, and Midoriya is forced to pass the ball. He quickly glanced to the side and noticed Tetsutetsu and passed the ball off to him.
The silver-haired Prop is almost startled at how quickly he finds the ball in his grasp. He’s not deterred as he pushes forward. He might not be as fast as Midoriya, but he barrels through his opponents. Side-step? Dodge? The boy doesn’t know the meaning of the words as he charges with his head down like an unstoppable force, as players crumple to the ground in his wake. That is, until one large opponent managed to link his arms around Tetsu’s middle, succeeding in slowing him down. His feet dragged, creating new furrows through the grass, but Tetsu was not discouraged as he gritted his teeth and trudged forward.
Shoving the field rivalries aside, Bakugo is fast on his feet and approaches Tetsutetsu. With the defender’s focus on the larger man, he tossed the ball a little more forcefully than intended from the impact. Bakugo’s hands closed around the ball, but it slipped off his fingers as he bobbled the ball, trying to catch it against his chest. Almost as if it were covered in soap, the ball slips free and falls to the ground and bounces forward. Mr. Hakamada blows the whistle, signalling the illegal pass of the ball moving forward rather than behind him, making it a lost ball.
Groans come from the UA side, and a few cheers on the Shiketsu side. Katsuki shoots a deadly glare at Tetsu, who wrinkled his nose back at him in disgust. Mirio stepped in between him and grinned, head still held high, “Don’t sweat about it, Bakugo, soapy ball happens all the time!”
Katsuki sighed as Mirio jogged off to his position. Eijiro watched as he shook himself off and walked to his position, ready for the next play. The UA forwards now advanced toward the referee, and the backs spread out behind, preparing for a scrum to attempt to get back possession of the ball.
Players approach the referee, who has the tip of his boot planted in the grass to mark the point where the scrum is set. They all get into position as Mr. Hakamada moved his hands to signal to do so. The Props slip under the Hooker’s arms and hug tightly, in hopes of creating an unmovable wall. The second row players kneel into their places behind them, shouting encouragements before the scrum begins.
“Crouch!” Mr. Hakamada called out, and the packs began to move in unison like two large beasts, with their shoulders low and backs straight. Intense glances were exchanged and insults whispered through gritted teeth as a means of trash-talk to get into the other team’s heads. Questions about someone’s mom or another’s sister’s jobs were thrown out there.
“Bind!” Mr. Hakamada shouted out again, and the Props threw their free arms to the people in front of them, gripping their jerseys and locking the Fronts with their heads now between their shoulders. The Shiketsu Hooker must have had garlic for lunch and was breathing heavily and grinning madly. The air was heavy with a mix of dirt, sweat, and expectations, until Mr. Hakamada called out again, “Set!”
The Hookers removed the break, and a chorus of grunts, spurs, and profanities accompanied the push. Someone tried to lower his elbow to make the scrum crumble, but the ref called it out, and the scrum continued. Boots slipping against the ground, shorts were pulled, Tetsu’s tape on his head started to move and stick to his hair at a weird angle. Despite it all, and maybe a slip of some flatulence, UA can’t seem to squeak this one out, giving the ball to Shiketsu.
Mr. Hakamada continued to give instructions, and the props stayed stable, and everyone else kept their current form. Shiketsu’s Scrum-half, or number eight, fed the ball to the hooker in the tunnel of the barricade of people. The ref finally calls “Use it!” before everyone dispersed to continue the action.
Everyone on the field sprinted into action, except the Fronts, who took a moment to breathe after that. Tetsu fully took his athletic tape off and discarded it on the ground. Kirishima rolled his shoulders with an ominous crack before stomping forward close behind Sato, who pushed forward by pure force of will.
Katsuki looked annoyed as he ran past Tetsu, “Keep your head in the game, or is it full of metal?”
Tetsu practically growled as he began to run ahead. Eijiro sighed as he continued to jog into his next position. He had to focus if they wanted to get the ball back.
Everything became a blur with the ball traveling the width of the field, moving too close and too fast to the opponent’s tryline . Some tackles were made to slow the attack, but ultimately failed when Amajiki took a hard blow in an attempt to stop Shiketsu’s Wing. He lay on the turf, sprawled on the ground, wheezing and mentally checking himself for injuries. With the unsuccessful tackle, Shiketsu’s ball carrier was closing in on the tryline, with Kendo and Bakugo gaining ground and Iida close behind.
In less than a second, both Centers dove toward the legs of the ball handler and, for a moment, they remained suspended in the air, both convinced they could stop him from scoring, they’re pushing the ball over the line–
“OOH!” The crowd jeered in unison as Kendo and Bakugo clashed into each other– Hard. They fell into a whirlwind of limbs while Shiketsu dove over the line, with little to no grace. It was like watching a car crash, but managed to score, and Mr. Hakamada blew the whistle, awarding five points for Shiketsu.
“Come on, UA, you got this!” Denki shouted from the stands with Hitoshi next to him, both donning some navy and white face paint to match the UA jerseys and school colors. Behind them in the student section were Mina and the other cheerleaders. Although this sport didn’t call for a cheer team, they still wore their uniforms and started chants that the rest of the student body followed in on.
Cheers for Shiketsu’s team are given as the Centers try to disengage from each other. Tenya offers a hand to Itsuka, and she stands to her feet with a pained groan. Katsuki roughly shoves away Yosetsu’s extended hand as he offers to help. Katsuki forcefully stood and pointed a finger in Itsuka’s face.
“Damn you, I could have stopped him if you weren’t in the wrong place.” He turned to stomp away with his shoulders raised to his ears, “Your damn hands are bigger than your brain…” The rest of his words are mumbled and lost to the wind. For a moment, no one says anything, just comforting pats to Itsuka’s shoulders.
Eijiro sighed as he watched Katsuki storm off– It hurt. The heart of the sport was to be a family ; they were meant to play and breathe like one, like a well-oiled machine. That’s what made the sport fun, and Katsuki’s less-than-characteristic attitude was throwing the entire team off.
As Mirio checked Kendo’s health and reassured his teammates, team UA stepped behind the goal line, taking the moment to catch their breath and drink water. Casually, Mr. Hakamada fell into step with Mirio and addressed him specifically, “Captain?”
“Yes, sir?” Mirio swallowed and straightened his shoulders.
The referee let his eyes scan the field for a moment. “I’ve noticed a bit of tension between teammates. Are you in control?”
Mirio grinned widely, “Of course, sir, no issues here at all. Just the weight of the match!”
Mr. Hakamada was almost convinced. He looked at the teen directly in the eyes, not long, but it was clear. Fields like this one have been home to this referee since he was a young boy; he knows when something’s off– Mirio knew it too. Nothing else was said, and the ref jogged off toward Shiketsu’s kicker.
Eijiro walked to stand next to Katsuki. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t feel like anything he could say would help in any way. To make matters worse, Tetsu came up and stood on the other side of Eijiro. He leaned forward and looked past him, right at Katsuki.
“Hey, Hot Head, let’s be aware of our surroundings so we don’t have another car crash on the field.” He sneered. Katsuki didn’t answer; instead, he scowled at him, leaned forward, and spat on the ground right in front of Tetsu’s shoes.
“That’s enough.” Eijiro grabbed Katsuki by the wrist and stepped away from Tetsu, then roughly whispered, “Stop it. I get it, but you can’t let him get to you; the ref is already suspicious of the team not getting along. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but please figure it out or shove it aside. We need you out there.”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned to face the action as they got into position, as the Shiketsu kicker wound up and kicked the ball forward for a conversion , scoring two more points. The UA team is ready to gain possession. Passes are made, tackles bring players to the ground, a ruck or two is formed, hits exchanged, and bruises begin to bloom. Tension persists throughout the UA team, and players are losing focus and ground. They lose a turnover, and Shiketsu manages to score again when Bakugo’s distraction leaves a gap in the UA defense that the opposing fly-half takes full advantage of. Togata winced as he realized that he and Amajiki were going to have to work a little harder at half-time to deal with this tension; nothing could be done about it right now.
With the score a disheartening 14-0, the UA team hasn’t given up hope yet. It’s still only the first half, and nothing is lost until the clock runs out. Mirio continues to smile despite it all, hoping his energy will radiate throughout the team and keep them inspired. Both teams are sweaty, dirty, and panting. A “tactical ping-pong” ensues on the field, because neither team at the moment technically had possession; each team took turns kicking the ball in hopes of moving the opposite team into a position to create weak points in the defence. Both teams jogged back and forth following the ball like drunk dogs. Eventually, Shiketsu’s weak spot was found after kicking the ball and placing it right in the hands of Bakugo.
Bakugo seized the opportunity, determined not to mess this one up, and his team fell behind him while Shiketsu rose in a wave toward him. Bakugo knew that he could wait until Midoriya got to a point where he could offload for a lineout to restart the play. He could also wait to surrender a long pass to Iida, who definitely has space for the kick, but he saw his chance and wouldn’t let it go to waste. Bakugo had enough time and trained his kicks, so he ignored his teammates and their shouts and fully sent it. His foot met the ball, and it flew high and far. The ball appeared to bounce in the Shiketsu 22-meter line, and the hope of now having the opportunity to attack near the tryline is in sight.
Bakugo’s smirk fell as soon as he realized he had miscalculated and the ball landed over the touchline , going out of bounds, thus losing the perfect scoring opportunity. He ground his teeth against his mouthguard and cursed under his breath, trying to ignore the baffled glance from Midoriya.
“Great kick, Bakugo! We’ll get the ball back, no worries!” Mirio shouted encouragingly in hopes of keeping Katsuki’s spirits high. He walked over and lightly bumped him on the shoulder, to which Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes.
A lineout is created as Shiketsu gets the ball back into play. Their Hooker grabbed the ball, wiped it off, and each player got into position, defenders attempting to mirror the attackers in an attempt to stop the play that’s about to happen. The Hooker threw the ball, and Shoji jumped as he was lifted by Todoroki and Kirishima, side by side, stretching their long arms to the sky and the ball.
Shiketsu managed to conquer the ball, and Shoji landed safely in his teammate's arms as they chased after the play. He’s fast and sprints as he offloads the ball to another teammate. UA stands, baring their teeth, defending their endzone like a beast protecting its lair. Sato attempts the tackle, but his opponent refuses to go down, pushing forward by sheer will. Both teams jump into action and grab whatever they can reach: jerseys, arms, pants, it’s a mosh of grabbing and shoving to keep the ball from moving any further.
“Maul!” Mr. Hakamada calls out, more players join in and struggle to keep each other on their feet while pushing simultaneously to keep the ball holder from moving forward, while at the same time, Shiketsu’s players push back. A boot falls off someone’s foot, lonely and sad, as the shapeless mass stumbles, stops, slightly sways to the right, starts to turn, then the ball is passed backwards hand to hand through UA’s line, as if it were on a conveyor line.
Togata continued to lead his pack as he shouted out commands, and UA felt closer to a turnover, but with Shiketsu one step ahead, their ball carrier detached and sidestepped the group, and the ref called out, signaling the end of the maul, and the game could continue. The players dispersed, and attackers were on the job as they defended and blocked their position as the ball inched closer to the tryline. UA can not afford to let Shiketsu score again.
Togata managed to get a hold and executed the perfect tackle, sending Shiketsu back to the five-meter line. The play begins again, and it’s like a warzone: brutal, fast, and desperate. The pass is made to their Fullback, who appeared out of nowhere and slithered between Bakugo and Todoroki. He dove forward with Kendo close, attempting to stop the score, putting her hand between the ball and grass, but to no avail; she was a second too late and a half centimeter too far. Five more points are awarded to Shiketsu. A sigh of relief is let out from the UA team when the opposing Fly-half sends the ball against the post, thus missing the conversion and keeping the score at 19-0.
“Are your eyes even open?” Tetsu appeared behind Katsuki and hissed in his ear, “That was your tackle.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki growled through gritted teeth, “I know what I’m doing, that guy came out of nowhere, and I wasn’t the only one that missed him either.”
Eijiro groaned as he stepped in, “Guys, seriously . This isn’t helping anyone .” With a wary eye on the referee, careful not to draw attention to themselves. With a huff, Katsuki turned around and stormed off. Tetsu walked off to his position as he rolled his eyes. Eijiro slumped his shoulders and drew out a heavy sigh.
The game was ready to reset, and all the players, despite being tired and beat up, were in position with their captains keeping spirits light. UA still has plenty of time to come back and win the match; they aren’t out of this yet, hoping to pull all their efforts into the action and conquer the ball.
With Shiketsu on the attacking end, Kirishima made an excellent well well-timed tackle, making the ball explode from the carrier’s hands. It leapt forward, jumping at a weird angle that only a rugby ball is capable of, rolling and slowing down at Tokoyami’s feet. He took the opportunity for an up-and-unde r, putting pressure on Shiketsu and forcing them to defend against a high-kicked ball. He followed the ball like it was his shadow, flying through the spaces between players. He ended up in front of Shiketsu’s center as they both jumped high to compete for the ball. Both teams moved to support each of their teammates, holding their breath, but putting trust in their well-oiled machine.
As both players’ feet hit the ground, the Shiketsu player slips and lands on his ass, and it’s clear Tokoyami had made the catch. He immediately began sprinting, his eyes locked on the endzone like it was his lifelong task. The entire UA team backed him up like a tidal wave as the Forwards frothed at the mouth, fighting for their life to score their first try of the game. Todoroki latched onto Tokoyami to add weight to his featherlight teammate as he spotted an incoming tackle. The Backs were spread out to cover the field, ready just in case he needed to make a quick pass.
Everything is pure chaos. The team knew that a level head was ideal in situations like this to avoid silly mistakes, but the prize is right in front of them. All they need to do is push just a little bit more…
A Shiketsu player moved forward, the line of sight unclear, as the ball bounced out of Tokoyami’s hands and onto the turf. All Hell is unleashed as each side accused the other of obstruction, and another yelled for a penalty for a forward pass. Hands were raised, and while the captains tried their best to sneak between the most violent and loud teammates, it was unsuccessful as collars were grabbed and some choice words were exchanged.
Before they could remember not to start an all-out brawl, Mr. Hakamada blew his whistle, and the players harshly moved away from each other. Todoroki, Midoriya, and Amajiki all did their best to maintain the peace between their own team, as Kirishima pulled at a yelling and growling Bakugo, who refused to disengage from the scuffle. Mr. Hakamada called both captains and was promptly scolded for not having a handle on their team. They bowed their heads and answered with, “Yes, sir, sorry, sir.”
With the order mostly restored, the ref awarded a penalty kick to UA, and no one dared to open their mouth to cheer or protest. Midoriya set up the tee while the rest of the UA team gathered behind him. Togata managed to maintain a good spirit, despite everything. It’s an easy kick for the green-haired Fly-half, and he moved quickly, sending the ball between the posts and finally gaining three points for UA.
The game approached its forty-minute mark, and the teams prepared for the last actions of the first half, when Mr. Hakamada called out to Katsuki, “13, a word.”
Begrudgingly, but respectfully, Katsuki approached the referee with his hands folded across his chest. Mirio was right behind him to ensure good spirits and visibility with the chat that was about to ensue. Katsuki nodded at him, “Yeah?”
He raised an eyebrow as he looked between the captain and his teammate, “I’ll kindly remind you that we are all on the field to have fun . This game is dangerous enough that keeping a level head would be in your and your team’s best interest to ensure a safe and entertaining game. Everyone’s well-being on the field is crucial, even your own.”
“Yeah, I know that, you don’t have to tell me.” Katsuki rolls his eyes.
Mr. Hakamada’s eyes narrowed as Mirio took a half step, ready to intervene at the off tone in the blonde’s voice, “It was simply a reminder, Katsuki , as I’ve noticed your hostility with not only the opposing team, but with your own teammates.” The use of his given name only pissed him off further.
“Yes, sir ,” he stated, less than pleased. Mirio slightly winced behind him as Mr. Hakamada’s stern gaze flickered to the captain, then back at Katsuki. The ref dismissed them, and they found their positions quickly. The scolding only had Katsuki’s nerves on fire, and Eijiro could see the rage quickly spreading to his ears and steam coming from his nose like an angry bull.
The ball was kicked for the final time before half-time. Players pushed through with a run or slight limp as they fought for the ball. UA managed, this time, to gain some ground before the pass was intercepted, and Shiketsu managed to sprint and catch the ball in mid-air.
At this moment, Bakugo only saw red . He couldn’t let Shiketsu have more points; it was unacceptable. He moved without rational thought and reached for his opponent in front of him, attempting to stop him before he reached the tryline. Suddenly, a knock so loud it sent a shiver through every single player and stadium fan, Denki hissing through his teeth at the sight of Bakugo and the other player’s heads snapping together and bouncing off each other after the harsh collision.
Katsuki felt something tickle his temple as blood dripped down, and his knees buckled. For a moment, all noises dimmed like someone had put cotton in his ears. He didn’t know what happened, but he found himself kneeling in the grass and watched in horror as the other player lay on his side, crumpled and unmoving.
His hearing came back as he heard footsteps pounding behind him, then a medic appeared first, followed by players and the ref, rushing to the still player’s aide. As the medic assessed him, the player blinked his eyes open, heavily and slightly cross-eyed, as he tried to roll onto his back. The medic instructed him to stay still until they could make sure he wasn’t seriously injured.
Katsuki’s vision was then blocked by the UA medic crouching in front of him and grabbing his face as she looked over the gash on his head that was now dripping down his face, and was quickly sponged up by a towel. Eijiro was right at his side, assessing any other part of him that might be broken or heavily bruised after that collision.
“Kat, you still with us?” He half-joked, hoping to alleviate any ongoing tension in his mind.
“Yeah, Red, ‘m here.” He looked up at him as Aizawa coaxed him to sit on his rear to bandage his head. Eijiro looked at the Shiketsu player who was now also sitting up and drinking water. He looked fine enough, maybe a little dazed, and hopefully no concussion.
Katsuki was pulled to his feet and met face to face with Mr. Hakamada, hand in his pocket and a disappointed look on his face. Eijiro’s gut dropped as he knew what was about to happen, and the other teammates behind him groaned while throwing their heads back– A yellow card.
10 minutes, down one player, sixteen points to score… At least it wasn’t a red card.
~~
Half-time couldn’t have come sooner. Katsuki stomped in and slammed the locker, practically throwing his water bottle as he set it down on the bench next to him. The air in the room was thick with frustration and exhaustion. They needed a reset. Everyone sat down in silence, as the events from the first half flashed through their minds. Eijiro wanted to close his eyes and put it all behind him, but another team member had other ideas.
“What the fuck was that, Bakugo ?” Tetsu accused.
“ Me ?! I swear to fucking god you’re out there running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” Katasuki yelled back.
“Why the hell would I sabotage one of the biggest games on purpose, huh? You need to get your shit together or we’re gonna lose this game and it’ll be on your shoulders after that god awful stunt you just pulled.”
“You wanna run that by me again, dumbass?” Katsuki stood to face him and pointed a finger, poking his chest, “In case your head was too far up your own ass to watch the game, I’m not the only one messing up plays or tripping over my own dick.”
“You’re a real piece of shit, you know that?” Tetsu scoffed, “It’s never your fault, always gotta place the blame on someone else.”
“It’s a team sport!” Katsuki countered.
“You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” Tetsu spat
Mirio finally intervened. “Okay, okay, enough! Seriously, you two, whatever beef you’ve had with each other the last few days has got to stop.”
A light snicker came from Neito as he was towelling the dirt and sweat off his body, “Good luck with that, they’ve been like this since, what, Kindergarten?”
A few hums from the locker room were given in agreement, but no one else chimed in. They might as well have had popcorn in their hands, watching the drama unfold. Eijiro sighed as he stepped forward.
“I may not have been there since Kindergarten, but I have seen the two of you play rugby together . I’ve seen what the both of you can accomplish on your best days, today is not one of those days, and that’s okay. This game is not over yet, we haven’t lost this!” Eijiro looked and scanned around the room at everyone, smiling as he thought about his team, and the love he had for each of them on and off the field, how he wished for everyone to do their absolute best, and wanted them to be proud in themselves, just like he was. “Every single one of you has amazing potential. I’m certain we can all come back from this…” He turned back to Tetsu and Katsuki, “And it has to start with you, both of you. Can you do that, for us, for UA?”
Both young, stubborn men stood there with their arms crossed as they glared at each other. The rest of the team was watching them intensely, waiting to see who would speak first. Katsuki broke his stare off to glance at Eijiro, who gave him one of his infamous, sunshine smiles. The smile that could, without fail, melt the stone in Katsuki’s heart. He watched as his best friend’s shoulders slightly relaxed, and he looked back at Tetsu. Through a deep and long sigh, he extended a hand without a word. Tetsu nodded and grasped Katsuki’s forearm, with the blonde reciprocating.
A few sighs of relief could be heard in the locker room as the team began to relax and the tension in the air dissipated. Eijiro knew this wouldn’t last forever, but if they could start on the field, hopefully, things would slowly get better.
“Huddle up, team!” Mirio grinned widely and everyone followed, “Let’s go show them what UA is really made of.”
The team put their hands in the middle and let out a loud cheer. They high-fived and patted one another on the backs. The energy was high, and spirits were restored. Regardless of the outcome of the game, Eijiro could feel proud that this wouldn’t sour the team morale completely.
~~
The game ended and the score was 26-22. They closed the gap in the second half; if their heads had been in the game in the first half, perhaps the outcome would have been different. Despite it all, and the half-time inspiration, Katsuki still felt off .
Eijiro noticed he wasn’t his usual flaming ball of fury on the pitch. His eyes were glazed over, and he looked like he was giving the bare minimum. This was very uncharacteristic of Katsuki, and that’s what had Eijiro most concerned. He was cleared by the medic to play the second half as there were no signs of concussions from either player. Katsuki’s head was the only one that was cut, but he was quickly cleaned up, and the bandage held together, no stitches needed, thankfully .
In the locker room, Katsuki didn’t say anything. The rest of the team showered and talked about the post-game Third Half, where they were going for dinner with the other team. Food was the only thing anyone could think of at the moment. Eijiro worried about more of Tetsu’s chastising, but his focus was on Neito talking about something else.
Katsuki was the first to shut off his shower and exit the bathroom. Eijiro lingered a little longer in the shower as he thought about what he wanted to say to Katsuki to make him feel better. He knew he held guilt and blame for their loss in his heart, even though he had no reason to. There had to be something else going on. Eijiro had no idea what could possibly be weighing on him to have his head out of the game. They always had some post-game banter, but Katsuki was devastatingly silent.
As more people entered the locker room, Katsuki was half-dressed. Eijiro walked over and began to get ready. He needed to talk to his friend. It was breaking his heart to hear him so quiet and upset.
“Kats, I didn’t hear what you were hungry for tonight.” Eijiro started his attempt to get Katsuki out of his funk. Facing away from him, he shrugged.
“Nothing,” he zipped his duffel and grabbed his backpack, “I’m going home.”
“Katsuki…” Eijiro whined, “You don’t mean that. We always go out. It’s part of the tradition.”
Katsuki didn’t answer. He turned and left the locker room without another word. Eijiro began to panic as he realized that Katsuki was serious . He turned around to look at the other boys next to him. Izuku and Shoto looked back and only shrugged, as if it was nothing new for Katsuki to be in a sour mood. A few lockers down, Tetsu had a smug grin on his face.
“Wooow…” He whistled, “That was rough… I say let him go. Don’t need his grumpy ass ruining Third Half.”
Eijiro scowled back at him, then turned to quickly get dressed. He had many choice words for Tetsutetsu, but he knew none of them would help right now. All he could think about was chasing after Katsuki. When he was fully dressed, he grabbed his bag and sprinted out of the locker room. The night air was brisk against his skin. His head and eyes darted around the parking lot to see where his best friend was. Up the sidewalk a bit, he spotted the ever-easy-to-see blonde spikes walking away. Eijiro darted in his direction.
“Katsuki!” He called out. No reaction or response from the blonde. “Kats, please! Wait up!”
Nothing. Katsuki didn’t stop, but he didn’t speed up either. Eijiro knew he could catch up to him at this rate. He was confused and hurt that Katsuki was ignoring him. He broke inside with the gut feeling that something was truly wrong. He was offended that Katsuki possibly didn’t trust him enough to tell him the issue. It all stemmed from practice yesterday. He was angry with him for sleeping over last night. Furious about Tetsu stealing his lunch spot… It had to be Eijiro who was the issue.
“Kats, please come back! You can’t miss Third Half!” He pleaded, and his voice cracked, holding back tears. Katsuki still continued. “Katsuki, stop !” He yelled angrily. He listened this time, but didn’t turn around.
“What the fuck do you want? I wanna go home and sleep.”
Eijiro walked around to face him, stopping for a moment to catch his breath, “I want you to tell me what the hell is going on? You’ve been off all week since your spat with Tetsu. You were killing it at practice yesterday until we tripped, then you were off the rest of the drill. You were weird this morning; you even missed lunch.” He paused as he began to tear up, his grip tightening around his duffel strap uncomfortably. “You’ve been off, and you won’t tell me why. I can’t help but feel responsible.”
Katsuki took a deep breath in and let it out slowly as he stared at Eijiro. His face was unreadable as he stared with blank eyes and his resting frown. Eijiro got nervous as he started to realize he might have been correct. Katsuki stepped forward and took another deep breath before he answered.
“I like you, dumbass.”
“Wh-” Eijiro began, but was interrupted.
“I’ve never… liked anyone before. I don’t know how it’s supposed to feel. When I look at you now, it feels different than it did before. I don’t know why, it just does . I don’t know when it changed, and it feels weird, and I don’t want shit to be weird between us. You’re my best friend and… I don’t want you to go away.” Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head. Eijiro let out the breath he was holding as he stepped to close the distance between them and engulfed him in a tight hug.
“I’m not going anywhere, Kats.” Katsuki released a long sigh as if a giant weight had been lifted. He lifted his arms and gripped onto Eijiro’s jersey as he attempted to pull him closer.
“ Tch, you better not.”
“Never,” Eijiro whispered against his shoulder.
“I’m…” Katsuki hesitated, “I’m still figuring it all out… sorry if this is confusing.”
Eijiro pulled away and smiled, “Of course not, you’ll always be my best friend no matter what.”
“So it’s not… Weird?”
“No, of course not!” He pulled away and wiped away a few stray tears that fell down Katsuki’s face in the relief of it all, “You just let me know when you’ve figured it out. We can go from there.”
Katsuki nodded and wiped the rest of his eyes dry with the back of his hand, “Well, I do know one thing for sure; I’m gay. That’s actually what I fought Tetsu about.”
Eijiro scrunched his eyebrows. “You fought him because you’re gay?”
“No, Red,” Katsuki frowned, “He clocked me as being gay. He made a stupid comment about it, and I punched him and told him to never say that again. I didn’t want him going around and telling the whole school before I was ready. I’m still figuring this shit out, it’s awkward, and I don’t have a lot of people I’m comfortable talking about it with.”
Suddenly, all of Tetsu’s comments started to make sense. It hurt him to know that Katsuki was dealing with this silently. Also, the comment about Katsuki not wanting to ask a girl to the dance made sense, too. He wasn’t sure how to make it all better, but he could just be here for Katsuki. He didn’t want him to suffer alone anymore.
“Well, you’ll always have me. I promise.” Eijiro smiled, and Katsuki’s face flushed pink.
“Good.” Katsuki nodded.
“I know the team might be the last people you wanna see right now, but it’s kinda part of the sport... Split some fries and an ice cream sunday with me?”
A smile spread across Katsuki’s face, “Yeah, I’d like that.”
Eijiro moved to stand next to him, and they linked elbows as they began walking toward the bus stop. “Kats, thanks for telling me. I know that’s not easy.”
Katsuki shrugged, “I shoulda told you sooner. It’s just weird saying it out loud. It makes it more real, you know? I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure.”
Eijiro nodded as he listened, “Of course, that makes sense. I hope I didn’t force you to tell me. I was just worried I did something wrong.”
“No, Eij, you could never do anything wrong. You’re… Perfect.”
Eijiro blushed as he bumped into him with his body, then unlinked their elbows, “I am?”
“Duh,” Katsuki rolled his eyes, “I wouldn’t be me if I settled for anything less from my best friend, hm?”
Eijiro’s grin grew to his ears, and he gave a hearty laugh, “Of course, who am I to doubt you?”
Katsuki playfully shoved Eijiro as they both laughed and walked down the street. Eijiro’s heart felt full having Katsuki back to his somewhat normal self. Nothing felt off or different about them at all. He couldn’t imagine his life without Katsuki, and he wasn’t about to now. Katsuki needed him just as much as he did, whether he admitted it or not.
Notes:
If you missed the notes at the beginning... GO GIVE KITIARA ALL THE LOVE RIGHT NOW. This chapter would not have been what it is without her help. 95% of the action was written by her as I did my absolute best to summarize.
Chapter Text
Eijiro woke up on Saturday morning ready for work. His body was sore from the game last night, but that was nothing he couldn’t handle. Lifeguarding at the community center was fairly easy, considering most of the pool was shallow, and in the year he’s been working there, only one person has had to make a save, and that was because a fight broke out and a kid was pushed into the pool. He was fine, but otherwise the weekend shifts were busy, and nothing really happened. Eijiro enjoyed watching the kids interact with each other. Also, he got to spend time with Katsuki, even if they weren’t technically spending time together. It was just nice to have him close by.
Eijiro thought about their conversation from last night. Did Katsuki truly have a crush on him? It felt weird to say, considering neither of them had ever talked about having crushes before. Eijiro hadn’t considered Katsuki like that before. He wasn’t sure what a crush was supposed to feel like. When he was with Katsuki, he was happy, and he had this feeling of calm. He did enjoy sleeping next to him and waking up next to him. The only couples he really ever interacted with were the Bakugos and the Aizawas next door. He laughed at the memory when they were kids of thinking that they were only roommates .
He had never felt the same feelings for anyone as the ones he felt for Katsuki. He’d always been there. The memories before Katsuki were almost long forgotten. Everything came naturally when he was with Katsuki. They spent almost every moment together. From what he gathered about relationships, they were either forever or temporary. He’d heard some of his peers at school talking about just hooking up with someone. The idea of just seeing someone to hook up with was ridiculous to him. He wanted a partner that would last. He and Katsuki had been friends for so long… Maybe he already just assumed they’d be together indefinitely, like they had been for the last seven years.
When he arrived at the pool, Katsuki was already there. He was changed into his suit and had his white lifeguarding tank top on with the red cross on the front. He didn’t look over his shoulder.
“Morning, Kats!” Eijiro grinned as he dropped his things in the locker next to him and began to get ready. Katsuki glanced at him, but his face flushed bright red as Eijiro began to change. He turned his body and averted his eye contact.
“Hm…” He grunted as he folded his arms and leaned his back against the lockers. Katsuki was usually cranky in the mornings, especially Saturdays when he was tired after the previous day’s game.
Eijiro continued to get dressed as he slid on his swimsuit, “Ready for some guarding lives today?”
Katsuki’s face was still red as he stood to walk out of the locker room, “I’m gonna go wait outside.”
Eijiro quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him, “W-wait! Please wait for me. You’ve been running from me all week…”
Katsuki looked back into pleading crimson eyes. His eyes flickered to his exposed chest, then back up to his face, “Fine. Hurry up.”
Eijiro let out a sigh of relief, “Okay, thanks.” He quickly grabbed his uniform tank top and slid it over his head, followed by the whistle. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Red, you ask the same question every week, and I give the same answer.”
Eijiro scowled and did his best Katsuki impression, “I’m ready to save lives when I can clock out and go home.”
Katsuki sighed as they both grabbed a lifeguard tube before exiting the locker room. “I don’t sound like that.”
“I think you sound exactly like that,” Eijiro smirked.
“He’s right, you do sound like that, Mr. Cranky Pants.” Tetsu’s voice came from down the hallway. Katsuki grabbed Eijiro’s bicep and stepped behind him. They stopped walking as Katsuki slouched and repeatedly bumped his head into Eijiro’s back.
“Will I ever know peace?” Katsuki groaned.
“Come on, Kats, I’m right here with you.” The grip on his arm got slightly tighter. He knew Katsuki was tired of fighting. He was tired of enduring the hurtful words that Tetsutetsu shot at him. Eijiro didn’t blame him one bit.
Tetsu came out from behind the corner with a sinister smirk on his face, “What? You need your best fwiend to pwotect you now, Katsuwki?”
Eijiro rolled his eyes. So much for putting away differences, I guess they had to start somewhere, and at this point, the field was more important. “Come on, man, can’t we just have one weekend without you two doing this? It’s getting old. If you wanted to be part of the conversation, just join it like a normal person would. You really don’t have to be mean about it.”
“We’re also at work…” Mumbled Katsuki, “The least you could do is act somewhat professional.”
Tetsu leaned to get a clearer angle of Katsuki, “Sorry, didn’t hear you behind all that cowering . What? Don’t tell me you’re scared?”
“Are you kidding me?” Katsuki groaned, “Fucking annoying.” He huffed and turned around to go back into the locker room. Shoto, Izuku, Denki, and Hitoshi were all getting ready. Katsuki headed for the back door and stormed past all of them with Eijiro close on his heels.
“Oh, hey guys!” Denki smiled, “Was just talking to Midoriya and Roki about the game last night. Tough loss, you were so close ! But you guys still have a chance at championships!”
Katsuki kept walking, and Eijiro turned to acknowledge them, “Sorry, Denks, I’ll catch up with you guys at lunch. Someone please talk to Tetsu or something .” He almost pleaded. He was tired of always being the damage control between the two of them. He wasn’t sure if everyone else enjoyed the drama or if they truly didn’t know what to say or how to get Tetsu to leave Katsuki alone.
Katsuki shoved the door open to the pool. Eijiro almost considered it a water park. It had three large waterslides where a guard was posted at the top and another guard at the bottom. There was a large lazy river that circled the slides, and two guards were stationed around the blind spots. Two guards were placed at the lap pool for open swim. Finally, the pool had a splash pad with water features and a tipping bucket that had one guard. Eijiro liked being in the indoor park when it wasn’t open yet. It was peaceful before the chaos ensued.
Katsuki walked until he reached one of the lawn chairs off to the side of the splashpad. He sat and leaned back with his feet up. He placed his hands on his face and sighed. Eijiro sat near his feet with the lifeguard tube on his lap.
“Hey, you wanna come over after guarding to study tonight? I still need help…” Katsuki slid his hands off his face to glare at his best friend. Eijiro knew he wasn’t in the mood, but he still stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “Please? My mom’s making dinner tonight.”
Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes, “Fine. Just stop looking at me like that.”
Eijiro smiled and leaned forward to engulf Katsuki in a hug, “Yay! I can’t wait!”
Katsuki’s arms lay limp at his side as Eijiro squeezed him tightly. The locker room door opened, and the other lifeguards walked in, and Katuski shoved him away. Eijiro lightly frowned, but he saw the way Katsuki’s face burned bright red and realized he was slightly embarrassed.
“Alright, everyone,” Head guard, Ms. Kurose announced, “Placements will start like normal, we’ll switch every hour during safety checks. Lunch at noon. Doors open in 10!” She walked away to the first aid office that had a large window to see into the pool.
Katsuki and Eijiro started at the water slide, Hitoshi and Denki at the lap pool, Shoto at the splash pad, leaving Izuku and Tetsu at the lazy river. Eijiro glanced over at Katsuki, who still had a scowl plastered on his face. Eijiro lightly bumped into him as they walked, and Katsuki gave him a deadly side eye. Eijiro grinned as he lifted a finger to tickle the underside of Katsuki’s arm. He flinched as he smacked Eijiro’s hand away.
“Fucking… Stop .” Katsuki hissed through gritted teeth.
Eijiro laughed, “Not until you stop scowling, come on…” He lifted his hand again to wiggle his finger in Katsuki’s side.
“No, let me be cranky.” He roughed out, slapping Eijiro’s hand away again.
“You’re gonna scare the children with that face,” Eijiro teased in a dramatic voice.
“I am not ,” He spat back behind pink cheeks. “Just go to your position. We can talk at lunch.”
Eijiro still didn’t see a smile as Katsuki stepped onto the stairs and walked into the water to stand just shy of waist-deep at the bottom exit pool of the water slides. Eijiro walked over to the wall and flipped the water to the slides on, then he headed toward the stairs that led to the top of the slides. Once he was at the top, he looked down at where Katsuki stood. He had his red life tube floating in the water, and he moved it slowly back and forth with his hand. Eijiro watched as he leaned up against the railing with his head resting against his fist.
He knew something was on Katsuki’s mind; maybe it had something to do with the confession last night. Was he supposed to say something back? Was Katsuki angry with him for not saying he liked him too? Did Eijiro even like Katsuki back the same way he felt? He’d always heard a “crush” described as butterflies in your stomach and being nervous around the other person. He remembered when Denki was a shaking mess when he finally had the courage to ask out Hitoshi.
Eijiro didn’t feel that way about Katsuki. When he was with Katsuki, he was calm and exactly where he wanted to be; Eijiro didn’t want to be anywhere else. He wished they had all their classes together and wished that their sleepovers never ended. Yesterday, he desperately wished that he was still there in Katsuki’s bed with his arm wrapped around his stomach. He wanted to smell Katsuki’s shampoo again and hold him close until the scowl left his face.
Katsuki looked up and caught Eijiro’s eye contact, and his cheeks warmed up. To hide it, he grinned widely and held up his hand with his thumb and pinky sticking out and wiggled it back and forth. He finally saw Katsuki smile back at him and flashed the same symbol back. Eijiro’s heart lifted, and he felt a tingling feeling in his stomach.
Maybe Eijiro Kirishima was in love with Katsuki Bakugo.
~~~
The morning shift was pretty uneventful. However, Eijiro thought it was weird that Mina and a few other cheerleaders showed up in really small bikinis. It wasn’t weird that they were there ; it was a public pool after all, but every time his position changed, they followed. Most of his morning shift was spent at the water slide and the lazy river. They would smile, wave, and giggle like they did at school, and Eijiro, being nice, would smile and wave back.
What annoyed Eijiro was when he noticed that at one point, the girls passed Katsuki, on the other side of the lazy river. He watched as they waved to him, and he gave a light nod which, for Katsuki's standards, was as good as they were going to get. As the river pushed them forward in their tubes, out of earshot of Katsuki, she shriveled up her nose and stuck out her tongue. The other girls all laughed, not in the joyful, giddy way they usually laughed. This one had mocking intent behind it. If Eijiro had feelings for Mina, those feelings would have instantly sucked into the pool filter.
Eijiro grabbed his lunchbox and sat down at the table in the break room. Katsuki joined him with his resting frowning face. However, it was softer than it was this morning, but Katsuki didn’t look up at him and began to forcefully eat his sandwich. A twisting feeling formed in his stomach as he felt the anger was directed at him again.
“Are you still angry, Kat?” Katsuki only shrugged as he continued to eat his lunch. “I can’t help but think you’re mad at me .. Is it because of last night? Because I didn’t say–”
Katsuki quickly reached forward to cover Eijiro’s hand with his mouth as his head snapped toward the door where the others would be coming through any moment. “Stop talking. No. I’m not mad at you. Just eat your lunch, we can talk later.”
Before Eijiro could protest, Katsuki wrapped his legs around Eijiro’s under the table and held them tightly. Eijiro smiled, knowing that Katsuki wasn’t angry with him. Eijiro smiled as he began to eat his lunch, and the rest of the guards walked in.
“What do you mean you don’t pee in the pool?!” Denki protested, “The chlorine kills all the bacteria anyway.”
“Denks, if you say one more word, we’re breaking up.” Hitoshi rolled his eyes, sitting down next to Katsuki. “That’s absolutely disgusting.”
“Think about how many other kids pee in the pool,” Izuku added, sitting on Katsuki’s other side.
“Ahh, come on, guys, a little pee never hurt anyone.” Tetsu defended as he sat next to Eijiro, and Katsuki’s leg grip got tighter under the table.
“Don’t tell me you pee in the pool too…” Shoto lightly groaned.
“See!?” Denki shouted, “It’s normal . Ei, back me up on this.”
Eijiro shook his head as he swallowed his food, “Sorry, Denks. I get out of the pool to do bathroom business.”
“Yeah, you get out so that everyone in a 10-foot radius of you can stare and ogle at your toned as hell body.” Denki pouted, but blushed when Hitoshi gave him a death glare.
Eijiro laughed, “I don’t know about that.”
“Are you kidding?” Tetsu cut in, “The cheerleaders this morning wouldn’t leave you alone.”
“Okay?” He wasn’t sure what that had to do with Denki’s observation. “They weren’t doing anything they normally didn’t do. They always smile and wave at me, even at school.”
“Clueless,” Mumbled Katsuki. He wondered if Katsuki was clueless about the mocking the girls had done of him earlier. He didn’t bring it up because he didn’t want to think about it.
“‘M not…” Eijiro mumbled back as he looked up from his food at Katsuki with just his eyes. Katsuki mirrored the action with an intense stare that had butterflies erupt in his stomach. Eijiro wasn’t good at hiding his emotions, so Katsuki raised a curious eyebrow but said nothing; he only tightened his leg grip under the table as he continued eating. Eijiro only hoped no one else noticed.
“Man, the cheerleaders ,” Denki breathed. “Their swimsuits were really small, you could see–”
Just then, Hitoshi punched Denki in the arm, causing the blonde idiot to shout in pain. “Sorry, Kaminari , I didn’t quite catch that last part.”
Rubbing his sore arm, he frowned, “I said, ‘Ew, gross, girls . They suck.’ Happy?” He stuck out his tongue, and Hitoshi rolled his eyes and sighed.
“Anyone got any fun plans this weekend?” Izuku asked, changing the subject. “Shoto and I are seeing the new superhero movie out tonight, it’s supposed to be really good!”
“Even if it wasn’t, you’d still say it was good,” Shoto added back with a small smirk. Izuku nudged him under the table with his foot, and Shoto lightly laughed.
“You two got anything planned?” Eijiro asked Hitoshi and Denki.
“I think we might go out to the arcade tonight, or mini golfing.” Hitoshi answered, “Been a while since we went out, so might as well take advantage of the nicer weather outside while we have it. What about you, Kiri?”
“Katsuki and I are gonna study tonight,” Eijiro grinned.
“Ei, he said, fun plans,” Denki said unamused.
“What? Studying with Katsuki is fun.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Yeah, helping you not fail science is a blast ,” he stated sarcastically.
“If you’re in such a hurry to get rid of him, I’m doing well in science, I can help you out,” Tetsu suggested. Katsuki’s leg grip around his legs was now so tight that it almost hurt. The death glare that he shot at Tetsu would have killed him if it were possible. Tetsu didn’t seem deterred by the glare and continued to stare at Eijiro with a wide grin and his head resting against his fist, which pushed up his cheek slightly.
As curious as Eijiro was to know what kind of teaching style Tetsutetsu had that could possibly help him understand science better, there was no way he’d leave Katsuki to study with someone else. He was already a little self-conscious about his grades, and he didn’t want anyone else knowing how dim he felt when he didn’t understand a topic the first, second, or even third time. As much as Katsuki made fun of him, he knew it was all in good spirits. It also made Eijiro want to do better. He loved studying with Katsuki, and he wouldn’t trade that for anything.
“Nah, thanks though, Tetsu. I think Katsuki has a few new tricks up his sleeve to help me, right, Kats?” He beamed.
Katsuki’s shoulders and leg grip relaxed at hearing this; his face was still slightly angry, but Eijiro could tell the words put him at ease, “Sure.”
Eijiro smiled widely and brightly at him, “Can’t wait, we can get snacks on the way home.”
“Didn’t you say your mom was making dinner?” Katsuki asked.
“Yeah, and?” Eijiro stated as if it was obvious that he could eat half the grocery store and his mother’s cooking, “I’ll be starving in four hours.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Fine, but you better have brought your wallet because I’m not paying for all your snacks this time.”
Eijiro laughed, “I got it in my bag, don’t worry.”
Tetsu shrugged and nudged Eijiro with his elbow to get his attention back on him, “Offer remains, if he gets too cranky with you, you know where to find me.”
The topic changed, and for the remainder of lunch, Katsuki’s legs stayed wrapped around Eijiro’s. They didn’t move from that spot until their break was over. He hoped the second shift went by fast, because all he wanted to do was hang out with Kats freely. He wanted to hear more about Katsuki’s feelings for him; he wanted to tell him that he had feelings for him…
The second shift couldn’t end fast enough.
Notes:
I absolutely love writing Denki Kaminari, I should write him more😂
Chapter 7: "Study" Sesh
Notes:
If this chapter looks familiar to you... it's probably because you follow me on Bsky ;)
**However, it's slightly different ~
Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Post lifeguarding, Eijiro and Katsuki made it back to the Kirishima apartment, not before stopping for snacks, of course. Katsuki had shared with him the notes that Aizawa shared with him, and Eijiro sat across from him on the bed and began writing flashcards.
Then, Katsuki looked up at Eijiro from reading his book. Eijiro noticed the motion and looked up at him with just his eyes. The way Katsuki was staring at him was intense, but not angry. It made Eijiro’s stomach squirm the same way it had at lunch. Katsuki had said they’d talk later; maybe this was the time. He hadn’t brought it up yet because he wanted Katsuki to come to him on his own time; he didn’t want to push anything he wasn’t ready for.
“Something you need, Kats?” Eijiro breathed out, trying not to let his butterflies flutter into his throat. Katsuki pushed a sigh from his nose before he answered.
“Why'd you start wearing those loose tank tops?” He gestured toward the shirt that Ei was wearing.
That wasn’t the response he was expecting. Eijiro looked down at the loose tank. He didn’t realize he was doing anything different than normal. He supposed this tank top, in particular, hung a bit lower on his torso than a few others he owned. He liked the way it felt on his skin, soft and light, especially after being in the humidity of the pool all day.
He looked back up at Katsuki and shrugged, “It was hot and humid in the pool, this is comfy, I guess. Did you want to borrow one?” Katsuki pushed a breath from his nose as if laughing at the offer. He didn’t respond; instead, he changed the topic completely.
“Been hearing rumors about you at school…”
Eijiro blushed slightly, “Me? What are they saying?”
“They think you and Pinky are going to the fall dance or whatever together. Even the other idiots were whispering about it in the locker room today.”
The memory of Mina and the other cheerleaders at the pool today flashed in his mind. Anger bubbled in his chest at the idea that people at school really expected him to go to the dance with someone like that. “Where would they get that idea?”
Katsuki shrugged, “Dunno. People talk about stupid shit all the time.”
“Y-yeah,” Eijiro stuttered as he shoved the thought out of his head and continued to write his flashcards. A few seconds went by, and he could still feel Katsuki’s eyes burning into his skull, so he looked up at him with just his eyes. Katsuki’s eyebrows had moved ever so slightly into a scowl. “What?”
“Do you like her?” He gruffed out.
The question caught Eijiro by surprise as he shot to sit up straight, his face on fire now, “N-no! I never really considered her.”
“Why?” Katsuki pressed, “The whole school objectifies her, even Tetsutetsu . She clings to you like a damn leech. You don’t think about her like that?”
The butterflies in his stomach were furious now. He didn’t like this conversation, and he didn’t like that people speculated about his feelings, including Katsuki, especially when they were wrong. “No, Kats, I don’t give her or any of the other cheerleaders any thought outside of school.”
“So you haven’t thought about asking anyone to the dance, then?” Katsuki shut his book and crossed his arms as he glared at his friend. Eijiro frowned as he threw his head back and leaned against his hands behind him.
“No, you said you didn’t want to go to the dumb dance, so I figured we could do something else.”
Katsuki’s cheeks suddenly flushed a deep shade of pink, “Me?”
“Well.. yeah,” Eijiro diverted his eyes in embarrassment, “I didn’t know if you’d want to go. I didn’t want to go if you weren’t going to be there.”
Katsuki’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
The butterflies were back in his stomach and fluttered in his chest, getting caught in his throat, wanting to burst free. It almost felt like they had moved to his brain as it became foggy and jumbled, “I don’t know, I just thought we could do something. I didn’t have anyone in mind to ask, or if you wanted to ask someone, but you said it was dumb, so I figured we could hang out and do something.”
Katsuki paused for a moment, his brows still pressed together, “You wanted me to ask someone?”
Eijiro panicked, seeing the displeased look on Katsuki’s face. “I mean, if you wanted to, I don’t know. If you don’t want to go to the dance, we could just do something else, like get ice cream, see a movie, or just do what we usually do… I don’t know, anything!”
Katsuki took a deep breath in, “Well, what if I don’t want to do what we usually do?”
Eijiro took a moment to settle the butterflies as he took a breath too, “Up to you, Kats, I’ll go wherever you want to go, I just want to hang with you .”
Katsuki breathed again as he sat up straight and looked right at him, “Eijiro, do you want to go to the dance?”
Eijiro frowned in confusion, “I just told you, it’s up to you. I don’t care what we do. It does sound fun, but I don’t want you to be miserable if it’s not what you want to do.”
Katsuki sighed, “No, Red, I’m asking you.”
The butterflies in his brain turned to bees as they buzzed around his skull. He had no idea what Katsuki was trying to ask him, “I… Must have missed something, I don’t know–”
“You idiot…” Katsuki groaned, “I’m asking you if you want to go to the dance with me .”
Eijiro looked up at him and blinked a few times, “As your… Date ?”
Katsuki slowly nodded his head in response. Eijiro’s heart pounded in his chest as he thought about attending the formal dance with his best friend. It was an easy answer, since he didn’t want to be there without Katsuki; it only made sense to go together. The butterflies and bees suddenly ceased as he leaned forward and gently grabbed Katsuki’s wrists, then looked into his eyes.
“Of course I’ll go with you. I could think of no one I’d rather go with more than you.” Eijiro smiled. Katsuki’s eyes moved to Eijiro’s shoulder. His tank top strap had fallen. Kats lifted his hand, took his finger, and trailed it up Eijiro’s bicep until the strap was placed back on top. Eijiro shivered at the touch, revealing goosebumps on his skin.
“Thought you were warm,” Katsuki chuckled.
“I am…” Eijiro almost whispered, “Just um…” He froze as Katsuki’s finger continued to trail across his clavicle and down the top of his chest to the collar of his shirt. His brain short-circuited as his eyes hooded at the touch of Katsuki’s lingering finger.
“Can I try something?” Katsuki asked, Eijiro nodded, “Sit against the bed frame.” Eijiro listened as he pushed his notes to the side, bunched up his pillows, and leaned back with his knees propped up. Katsuki grabbed his ankles to flatten his legs against the bed, then straddled Eijiro’s thighs with his knees but didn’t sit down. He took his palm and pushed up Eijiro’s shirt, rubbing his hand against his stomach as he moved.
Eijiro’s lips parted as he breathed out. His skin felt numb and on fire at the same time. Katsuki had touched him before, but never like this . He didn’t want it to stop. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, feeling every little spark that Katsuki was sending through him. His body jerked, and he bit his lip, letting out a hum when Katsuki brushed a thumb across his nipple.
“You like that, Eij?” Eijiro nodded as another hum left his throat when Katsuki’s other hand lifted to touch his other nipple. He felt Katsuki sit down on his thighs. His hands left his chest as they guided Eijiro’s hands to his waist.
“Relax, Red,” He whispered in his ear, “Just wanna see something…”
Katsuki moved forward so he was now sitting in Eijiro’s lap. He was nervous about Katsuki feeling his half-massed groin, but it didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, it looked like that’s what he wanted . Eijiro slid his hands up under Katsuki’s shirt so his thumbs trailed up his stomach to feel his abs. Katsuki leaned down slowly and stopped at Eijiro’s neck. He could feel his breath against his skin before he felt his lips lightly graze the spot between his ear and his jaw. Eijiro’s groin grew a little harder, and Katsuki noticed and chuckled.
“So you do like me, huh, Red?” Eijiro swallowed the drool that had pooled in his mouth as he nodded.
“Yeah…” He whispered. Katsuki then left the softest kiss against the spot, sending a chill down every inch of his skin, “Do that again.”
“What? This?” He left another soft kiss against a lower spot on his neck, and Eijiro hummed. He dragged his nails lightly across Katsuki's back, causing him to roll his hips forward, and a low moan escaped Eijiro.
“Yeah, all of that,” Eijiro said, going back to grip Katsuki’s hips, “ I wanna do that to you.”
Katsuki shook his head, “’M not done yet.” He left a few more kisses against his neck, then slowly stuck his tongue out to lick a stripe up to his ear. He wrapped his lips around his earlobe and lightly nibbled. Eijiro’s hips rolled up into Katsuki as he hummed with pleasure.
“Kat, please,” he breathed out. Katsuki pulled away to meet Eijiro’s eyes. He was inches away, and Eijiro desperately wanted to keep going with whatever else Katsuki wanted to do.
“I just wanna…” He breathed as he paused to glance at Eijiro’s lips, “One more thing.” Katsuki slowly leaned forward, and they both closed their eyes. He gently pressed their lips together, and Eijiro hummed in relief. He pulled Katsuki’s hips closer to him and slid his hands up his back. Katsuki’s hands landed on Eijiro’s chest as he began to move his hips slowly against Eijiro.
Eijiro wanted more, but he didn’t know how. He’d only seen people kiss in the movies and the occasional couple in the hallway. He wanted Katsuki to take the lead, but he wanted to give back everything Kats was giving him. He wanted to hear him make noises, too. He slid his hands up Katsuki’s stomach and brushed his fingers past his nipples the way he had done before. Katsuki opened his mouth to softly moan into Eijiro. He took the opportunity to slightly slide his tongue into tease against Katsuki’s. He answered by pressing his tongue back into Eijiro’s mouth.
Eijiro slid his hands down to Katsuki’s pants. He wanted to feel how hard he was, too. He took his palm and grazed it over the front of his pants as Katsuki continued to grind against him. Eijiro thought it must have felt good as he started to speed up. Eijiro groaned as he felt himself get closer to releasing.
“Kat, I’m gonna…” He broke the kiss to tell him. Katsuki nodded and hummed as he continued his pace. His hips stuttered as Eijiro continued to palm Katsuki. The noises they both made mixed together and became louder. Breaths became heavier as the kisses deepened. Suddenly, Eijiro rolled his head back as he grabbed Katsuki’s hips and ground up into his ass, releasing himself into his pants. Katsuki leaned forward to grind himself into Eijiro’s stomach and came with a long groan.
“Shit…” He breathed as he rested his forehead against Eijiro’s. They breathed heavily and sat in the relaxing haze. Eijiro didn’t know things could feel that good with someone else. His chest swelled as Katsuki wrapped his arms around him and buried his head in his neck. He reached up and rubbed circles in his back. As they came down, Katsuki lightly left small kisses against Eijiro’s neck. He half expected the butterflies to return, but they didn’t. Being here with Katsuki felt right . There were no doubts, no worries, just them.
Both of them jolted at the words of Eijiro’s mother walking through the door, “Eijiro? I’m home!”
“Shit!” Eijiro quietly panicked. Katsuki quickly scooted to the foot of the bed, grabbed his book, propped his knee up, and turned his hips away from the door. Eijiro pulled a blanket over his crotch and grabbed his notebook and flashcards. His mother opened the door and smiled seeing them.
“Katsuki,” She grinned, “I didn’t know you were here. You staying for dinner?”
He looked up at her from his book and grinned back, “Of course, wouldn’t miss your cooking, Miss. Kirishima.” Her gaze moved to her son, who was trying to keep it together. Her face scrunched as she slightly sniffed the air.
“Eijiro, honey, you should clean your room. It kinda stinks in here.”
He laughed nervously, “Okay, Mom, sorry.”
She smiled and shook her head, and looked back at Katsuki, “Keep him in line for me.” Then she disappeared from the doorway. The boys looked at each other. Katsuki raised an eyebrow and smirked.
“Yeah, Eijiro , clean up your mess .” He teased. Eijiro blushed profusely and hid his face with his notebook, wondering what he was going to do now with his newfound feelings for his best friend.
Notes:
This is the scene that started this part two, I had a vision of these two childhood friends just not being able to hide take it anymore, and just... well, you know. 😜
Thank you so much for reading! I love looking forward to your comments every week 🥰
Chapter 8: Work, Work... Work.
Chapter Text
Eijiro woke up hornier than normal. It probably had something to do with last night and how he kept playing the scene with Katsuki over and over, and over again. He even dreamt about it. Eijiro didn’t just want to touch and kiss Katsuki again; he yearned for it. He wasn’t sure how one time of making out and other things could have him so flustered. His cheeks and ears heated just thinking about what they could possibly do the next time.
He wondered how Katsuki would react if he licked his neck the way he had done to him. He thought about touching more than just outside of his clothes. He wanted to find out what made Katsuki feel good, then whisper words of praise in his ear. He wanted to see Katsuki’s cheeks flush pink and hear his soft noises again. Most of all, he wanted to kiss those perfect pink lips again. The way they touched and pulled against his own made Eijiro’s lips tingle and his head feel like it was in the clouds, dancing amongst the stars. He never thought that he’d be addicted to the taste of his best friend, but here he was lying in bed and completely infatuated with every aspect of Katsuki and the intimacy they’d shared.
“Eijiro?” His mother called out, pulling him from his thoughts. He jolted as he sat up in bed, looking toward the door as it opened, “You’re still in bed? You’re going to be late for work.”
Eijiro’s eyes grew wide as he glanced at his phone; she was right. There was also a text from Katsuki.
Kats: Riding the bus today, I’ll meet you there.
“Crap!” He shot out of bed and quickly grabbed his suit and guard duffel. He ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He grabbed two protein bars and headed for the door before his mother stopped him again.
“Wait! Don’t forget your lunch!” She handed him his lunchbox, and he took it, thanking her with a kiss on the cheek. He rushed out the door, skipping steps on the way down the stairs, and threw open the exit door. He raced down the street and saw Katsuki sitting on the bench, looking down at his phone. Upon his approach, Katsuki heard the footsteps and looked up with a soft smile.
“Hey, Kats, good morning! Did you sleep well?” Eijiro breathed out through panting, catching his breath, but continued to hold his genuine smile as he sat down next to him.
“You… look like you just got out of bed.” Katsuki half laughed, looking up at Eijiro’s bed head that stuck up in different directions.
Eijiro looked at himself in the window of the bus stop shelter and realized he had forgotten to brush his hair. “Oops…” He attempted to flatten it, then fished out a hair tie to pull it back away from his face.
“So you did just wake up,” Katsuki teased through a smirk on his lips. Eijiro had to shake himself out of an oncoming daydream as he tried not to stare at Katsuki’s lips too long.
“Y-yeah, I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast.” He pulled out the breakfast bars and handed one to Katsuki, “I brought you one too, but I'm now realizing that you probably already ate.”
Katsuki looked down at the offered food and took it. His fingers brushed against Eijiro’s, and they both froze. Eijiro looked up at Katsuki, and their eyes met. He swallowed hard as he felt his heartbeat in his throat.
“Can I... Kiss you?” Eijiro asked in almost a whisper.
Katsuki’s eyes darted behind him as he looked for anyone around. All he did was nod, and Eijiro’s free hand reached up to cup Katsuki’s jaw, and he closed the distance between their lips for only a moment. Their noses brushed together when they pulled away as parted lips puffed out soft breaths. Eijiro’s hand stayed where it was as his thumb lightly rubbed against Katsuki’s cheek.
“You… Haven’t answered my question.” Eijiro noted. Katsuki swallowed and slowly pulled away from Eijiro’s touch, taking the protein bar with him and placing it in his duffel bag.
“Yeah, I did sleep well last night.” He finally answered. “Did you?”
“Mmhm,” Eijiro nodded, “All I could think about was you.”
A sly smile tugged at Katsuki’s lips as he slid centimeters closer to Eijiro and closed the distance between their hips, “What about me?”
Eijiro tried to remember, but Katsuki’s teasing fingertips trailed up his forearm and landed at his bicep, swirling around the curves of his muscle. Eijiro’s head felt foggy as he attempted to answer. “Uh… Just… You know… Last night.”
“Yeah?” Katsuki urged, “What about last night?”
Katsuki’s hand now trailed down to his thigh, and his fingernails teased the inside of them, lightly scratching, sending sparks in every direction of Eijiro’s body, so he said the only thing his mind could conjure, “I liked it.”
Katsuki chuckled as he flattened his palm and slid down toward Eijiro’s knee and lightly squeezed, “So you’d do that with me again then?”
Eijiro nodded, “Anytime you wanted, Kats.”
“Good to know,” He leaned in and left a kiss against Eijiro’s jaw, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The bus approached, and Katsuki grabbed Eijiro’s hand. He linked their fingers together and stood up, guiding them both onto the bus. Eijiro had no idea how he was supposed to keep his head clear for work after that.
~~
The whole bus ride, Katsuki’s persistent fingers continued to trace and tease around Eijiro’s skin, wherever they could find a space to do so. With his thoughts this morning and now being touched, Eijiro’s brain was all sorts of jumbled. All he wanted to do was lie down and let Katsuki touch whatever parts of him he wanted. Eijiro wanted to feel his fingers in his hair, around his chest, his shoulders, arms, hands, stomach, thighs–
A locker slammed shut next to him, causing him to jump; it was Tetsu. “Damn, Riot, you seem out of it today. Something on your mind?”
He heard Katsuki chuckle next to him as he closed his locker, but didn’t say anything. “Oh, uhhh… No?”
Tetsu, unconvinced, scrunched his eyebrows together, “Okay…? You just seem… Spacier than normal.”
Eijiro laughed uncomfortably as he felt Katsuki’s eyes staring at the back of his head as he leaned against the lockers. He rubbed the back of his neck to try and get the feeling to go away. “Oh, well, I guess I had some pretty vivid dreams last night, so you know how that can be.”
Tetsu laughed, “Oh yeah, been there! Dreams are weird like that. In my psychology class, Mr. Sasaki says that dreams can be our subconscious processing our emotions, or consolidating memories, and they can even be a way for us to form unconscious desires. You got any of those?”
Katsuki cleared his throat pointedly, and Tetsu’s attention turned to him, “Something wrong with you too, Blasty?”
“Hm?” Katsuki acted innocent, but he flashed a mischievous smile, “Oh, no, I’m great today, Tetsutetsu, thanks for asking.”
Tetsu’s face scrunched in utter confusion as he looked between Eijiro’s deer-in-the-headlights look and Katsuki’s, “I know something you’ll never know” smirk. “You two are acting weird… I don’t want any part in it.”
With that, he walked away, and Eijiro let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He looked at Katsuki, who still had a cheeky grin on his face, “Yeah, Red, I wanna hear all about those unconscious desires of yours… later. ”
He stood from his leaned position as he began to walk away. Eijiro made a high-pitched squeak when he felt a tight pressure against his ass cheek. His head whipped back, and Katsuki walked away without so much as a glance backward or explanation of why he’d pinched his butt. Eijiro rushed after him as they grabbed their tubes and headed into the pool to meet up with the other guards.
They were standing in a circle, chatting amongst themselves. Eijiro was following behind Katsuki, when he dropped his whistle he was holding. He stopped, bending over to pick it up, and Eijiro ran right into his rear, crotch bumping fully into him.
“Oops, sorry , Red.” Katsuki teased as he stood back up and turned to face him. He lifted a hand to Eijiro’s chin to close his mouth, “You’re blushin’ pretty hard there, don’t want the others getting suspicious now… Do we?”
Eijiro quickly bent down to the lap pool and splashed his face with water. He wasn’t sure why Katsuki was teasing him, but he also secretly liked it. He didn’t want it to stop. However, they hadn’t talked about what their friendship had turned into now. Did Katsuki want to keep them a secret for now? He wanted it to happen on Katsuki’s terms, since he was so nervous about coming out the first time.
Eijiro stood and took a breath. He leaned in close and gazed into Katsuki’s eyes as he lifted a hand to brush a piece of hair from his forehead, “If that’s what you want?”
It was more of a question, but it was also to let Katsuki know he respected any wish he had regarding their situation. Katsuki’s throat bobbed as he looked back at Eijiro with wide and almost pleading eyes. He nodded his head, and Eijiro smiled widely.
He looked past Katsuki’s head at their friends; they were still preoccupied with a story Denki was telling. He quickly leaned forward to kiss Katsuki’s forehead. When he pulled away, he brushed his fingertips along Katsuki’s bicep and started to walk toward the group.
~~
First shift had never felt so torturously long for Eijiro. Between Mina and the cheerleaders showing up again and Katsuki teasing him when no one else was looking, Eijiro’s head was left spinning.
Every time they swapped shift positions, Eijiro would take over Katsuki’s. He walked over to Katsuki, and before he left, he’d smirk and flick his nipple when he was sure no one was watching.
Flashes of last night played in Eijiro’s head from when Katsuki had touched him there. Eijiro couldn’t contain his excitement and used the lifeguard tube to cover himself until he calmed down again.
While they were on duty at the lazy river, the cheerleaders were already there waiting for Eijiro to stand guard there. Every 5 minutes, they’d pass him and smile, wave, and giggle like they normally did. Eijiro almost wished they’d do just about anything else. When they passed him, he’d glance over at Katsuki. More often than not, he would stretch with his arms high above his head, flexing and his shirt rising with it. Sometimes Katsuki would hold his shirt up to show his stomach a little longer before letting it fall to his waist again.
Finally, lunch rolled around, and the two found themselves alone in the break room for the time being. Katsuki dug around in the freezer and found a red, cherry-flavored popsicle. He sat across from Eijiro without saying a word.
Katsuki unwrapped the popsicle and left the wrapper on the table. His ruby eyes locked onto Eijiro’s face as he brought the tip of the popsicle up to his lips and kissed it. Eijiro felt his heart lurch in his chest as Katsuki lolled his tongue out and licked from the base to the tip with a long, slow stride.
Eijiro’s lips parted as Katsuki’s lips wrapped around the tip, and he easily slid the entire length of the popsicle into his mouth, no gag reflex in sight, nor breaking his gaze on Eijiro.
When he slid the popsicle out again, he sucked in, making a slurping noise as his cheeks puffed in, pulling the popsicle out with a ‘ pop ’.
“Holy shit, Kats,” Eijiro breathed.
The door opened, and the rest of the guys walked in, and Katsuki went back to eating the treat normally… And normally was taking a large bite out of it that went halfway down the stick.
Denki slid into the chair next to Eijiro, his eyes held a suspicious glint. “Hey, Kiriii, I have a question for youuuu.”
Eijiro’s face heated up as he tried to think of what Denki wanted to ask him. His brain stopped working as he thought about what he’d say if they’d seen the moves Katsuki had made on him. Would they get in trouble?
“Oh?” Eijiro attempted to keep his cool, “What’s that, Denks?”
“Just wondering if you had picked anyone to go to the dance with yet? Tell us… Is it Mina? Are you going together?”
Eijiro swore his heart stopped beating in his chest. He’d rather be anywhere but having this conversation right now. “What makes you think that?”
“Oh, come on, man! You don’t have to be bashful around us!” Denki lightly punched his shoulder, “Loosen up, we’re just talking as dudes. Just curious. Mina and her friends have been here the last two days to see you , and I didn’t miss the way you were getting all flustered today.”
Eijiro’s eyes widened and flickered to Katsuki, who had his mouth covered with his hand, surely stifling his laugh. Eijiro was so happy that Katsuki found all of this amusing. Eijiro wanted to scowl and tell Denki off for assuming anything about things he knew nothing about, but he was just doing what Denki does. Before he could form the words he wanted to say kindl y, Tetsu spoke instead.
“Careful, Ei, or else I might ask her before you get the chance.” All anger dropped from Eijiro’s chest at the words.
He glanced at Katsuki again, who had his eyebrows raised in surprise, as if saying, “ This is your chance .”
“You know what, Tetsu?” Eijiro began, “You should do that.”
Hitoshi nearly choked on his lunch, “ Seriously? ”
“Yeah! Why not?” Eijiro grinned, “I want someone who’s going to say exactly what they want. If Mina wants to play games and flirt all the time, so be it. If she wanted me so bad, she should have just said so.”
A silence fell over the room. Katsuki looked at Eijiro over his water bottle with a knowing glance, a certain sparkle in his eye. Denki was the first to break it, “Damn, Kiri, I… I think that’s the first time you’ve told us your type.”
Eijiro shrugged as he continued eating his lunch, “I guess… I just know what I don’t want. Mina just isn’t my type, and I don’t plan on asking her. So, Tetsu, if you want to ask her, then you should!”
Tetsu laughed slightly awkwardly as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Alright, if you insist.”
As the group continued eating, Katsuki’s foot found his calf and lightly nudged it. Eijiro moved his leg closer to the touch as their shins comfortably rested against each other.
Eijiro was satisfied with the way he handled it, and the conversation between the group started up again when Izuku started talking about the movie he and Shoto saw last night. Eijiro couldn’t be bothered to listen as he reached forward and stole a chip from Katsuki’s lunch. Katsuki raised a challenging eyebrow as he reached back and attempted to steal a pretzel from Eijiro’s bag, but not before he playfully batted his hand away.
Katsuki dropped his jaw in shock, as if Eijiro really had the audacity to do that. Eijiro laughed as Kat tried again, but was met with the same fate. Katsuki grinned as he used his other hand to snatch the whole bag. Eijiro put his head in his hands as he pretended to pout. Katsuki, with a satisfied smirk, took a few pretzels and then lightly tossed the bag back in front of him. Katsuki didn’t stop Eijiro from taking another chip as they continued eating.
Eijiro was content, touching Katsuki’s legs under the table, and messing around as if nothing had changed between them. He’d finally had a reason to get the whole Mina situation off his back, and he felt as though he could now focus solely on Katsuki. Nothing else could stop or come between them now.
Notes:
I had this chapter in my head for a while now, I'm so glad I can finally post it! I hope you enjoyed 🤩
Chapter 9: Outed.
Notes:
CW: ... Frotting
and SPOLER:
*getting walked in on...ENJOY!
Chapter Text
Monday rolled around, and Eijiro woke up in a sour mood. He didn’t get to hang out with Katsuki last night because of an extended family dinner, and Mitsuki said he had to go or else he’d be grounded for a month . Eijiro urged him to go, not that being grounded had stopped them before, but he hated lying to Katsuki’s parents. Not that Katsuki cared, but he begrudgingly agreed, leaving Eijiro to study by himself and finish the flashcards he’d been working on.
Aizawa’s test was tomorrow, and Eijiro still hardly knew the first thing about the unit. He studied the flashcards over and over, but it just wasn’t sticking. Biology was surely his toughest class, with so many facts and vocabulary words that Eijiro just didn’t know where to begin with memorizing them.
He sat up in bed and rubbed his face. He grabbed his phone and checked his messages. Only one from Katsuki:
Kats: Overslept, Dad’s driving me. Meet you at my locker.
“Crap, not again!” Eijiro jumped out of bed and hurried around his room, remembering to brush his hair today and tie it back. If Katsuki was texting him that he overslept, and Eijiro still wasn’t out of bed yet… It's a good thing he lived slightly closer to the school. He threw on a black long-sleeved shirt and some joggers, rushed out of his bedroom, grabbed a quick breakfast, kissed his mother goodbye, and hurried out the door.
He made the bus just in time and rode all the way to school like normal. When he got there, Katsuki was rummaging through his locker. Eijiro smiled, seeing the slight crease to his brow as he concentrated on finding the right textbooks to shove into his backpack. Eijiro approached and leaned up against the neighboring locker.
“Mornin’ Kats,” Eijiro grinned. His mornings were always better when he saw Katsuki. Katsuki, however, typically scowled even further upon seeing Eijiro’s bright smile, but this time, he stopped. His features softened as he looked up at Eijiro, one corner of his mouth quirking upward.
“Mornin’ Red,” he acknowledged. “You look good.”
Eijiro blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, nervous to ask what he wanted next, “So.. uh.. You free tonight?”
Katsuki raised an eyebrow as he shut his locker, “I’m free every night.”
“Yeah, I know, it’s just… I was wondering if we could maybe.. Study again tonight?”
A sly smirk crept onto Katsuki’s face, “Yeah, Eij? You wanna study ?”
He nodded as he fidgeted with his thumbs, “Y-yeah, I mean if that’s what you want.”
Katsuki chuckled, “Are we actually going to do any studying , or are you gonna get distracted ?”
“Come on, Kat,” Eijiro whined, “You know Aizawa’s test is tomorrow, and I still don’t know a thing! I seriously need help. If I fail this test, I’ll probably get kicked off the rugby team, and before the championships!”
“Alright, alright, I’m just teasin’ you. Good thing I told Dad you’re coming over already after practice. He said he’ll get more snacks at the store today.”
Eijiro pumped his fist in victory, “Yes! Thanks, Kats, you’re the best!”
They began walking down the hall, and Katsuki made a dismissive grunt, “Don’t thank me until you ace that test tomorrow. We are actually studying, got it?”
Eijiro nodded dramatically, “Yes, I know, but maybe if–”
He was interrupted by a rough arm slinging over his shoulders, around his neck, “Hey Riot, guess which hot bubble gum cheerleader said yes to going to the fall dance with me?”
Katsuki sighed and rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. Eijiro forced a smile as they all continued forward, “That’s great, Tetsu, congratulations.”
“Yeah, thanks,” He beamed. “So now I’m curious. If you weren’t planning on asking Mina, who are you going with?”
Eijiro shrugged beneath Tetsu’s arm, “Who’s to say? Maybe I’ll just show up and have fun floating between groups.”
Tetsu hummed as he glanced over Eijiro’s head at Katsuki, “You gonna be there too, Shadow?”
Katsuki rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, “Like you even care.”
Tetsu let out a short burst of laughter, “Right, I forgot, not a single person in this school would want to date your sour ass.” He turned back to Eijiro and roughly patted his chest, “See ya at practice.”
As he walked away, Eijiro pinched his eyebrows together and rubbed the slightly sore spot on his chest. He turned to Katsuki, who was frowning. “You didn’t want to rub it in his face that he’s wrong?”
Katsuki scoffed, “And why should he be the first to know about us? He doesn’t deserve to know. Should be our parents or whatever.”
“You… Wanna tell our parents?” Eijiro asked.
“Eventually,” Katsuki shrugged, “I just don’t want them meddling in it yet. My mom’s gonna wanna know all the details. Might make sleepovers a little tougher.”
Eijiro coughed into his sleeve in an attempt to pull himself together, “Uh, yeah, those … Gotcha.”
Katsuki smirked as he lightly bumped their shoulders together. Eijiro smiled back as they continued, and they said goodbye as Katsuki veered off into his first class. “Better save me a seat today at lunch, Red, or else.”
Eijiro grinned widely, closing his eyes as his cheeks pushed upwards, “You bet!”
Katsuki disappeared into the doorway, and Eijiro sighed with a soft smile pressed on his lips. How was he supposed to concentrate today when all he thought about was Katsuki? He arrived at his first class and immediately started daydreaming about practice and seeing Katsuki run around on the pitch and being himself, his amazing, perfect self.
Lunch couldn’t come fast enough.
~~~
After practice, Eijiro smirked to himself as he dug around his duffel and found one of his loose-fitted tank tops. He hoped that he could show off a little like he did on Saturday, which seemed to get Katsuki all riled up. Maybe if he did well with studying… they could have time after to do something studying of a different kind… Of each other.
Masaru had picked them up after practice and brought them back to the Bakugo house. They got set up in Katsuki’s room. Eijiro flopped down on Katsuki’s bed while he shut the door. He turned around and folded his arms across his chest, as he raised an eyebrow and pointed to Eijiro’s chest.
“Is that supposed to get me turned on?” Katsuki asked slyly.
Eijiro shrugged innocently, “I dunno… Is it working?”
Katsuki laughed as he sat opposite Eijiro on the bed, “You’re not subtle, Red. Thought we were actually studying, so you don’t get kicked off the team.”
Eijiro whined as he rested his head against the bed frame, “I know…”
Katsuki sighed as he smiled and shook his head, “Where are your flashcards?”
Eijiro sat up and rummaged through his backpack for the stack of flashcards that were inside a ziplock bag. He handed them to Katsuki, who flipped through them. Katsuki grabbed a few and moved them to the back, then reorganized a few more, shuffling them strategically. When he was done, he looked up at Eijiro with a devious smirk. Eijiro swore his heart stopped beating.
“Tell you what, Red,” Katsuki sat up on his knees and moved in between Eijiro’s legs, then sat down on his thighs. “Here’s how this is going to work: I show you a card, if you get it wrong, it goes back in the pile, if you get it right, you get rewarded .”
Eijiro’s body heated up as Katsuki’s hand rested against his chest. He swallowed his excitement and nodded as Katsuki situated himself and held out the cards in front of him.
“We’ll start easy,” He stated. He held up the first card, and it read:
What organelle is responsible for photosynthesis?
“Oh!” He did know this one; it was on the tip of his tongue, “Chlorophyll!”
“Wrong.” Katsuki answered, and Eijiro frowned, “Close, but not it.”
He flipped to the next card: What is the green pigment in plants called?
“Oh…” Eijiro nodded, “That one is Chlorophyll…”
“Correct.” Katsuki smiled. He leaned forward and connected their lips for a short peck before pulling away.
Eijiro whined, chasing his lips, “What? That’s it?”
“That was an easy question. Harder the question, bigger the reward.”
Eijiro stuck out his lip in a pout, “Fine. But how do I know I’m not going to mix those two up on the test? I only got that one right because I got the other one wrong.”
Katsuki took the Chlorophyll card and held it up, “Because you’re filling in the pigment, chloro- fill .” He then took the previous card and held it up again, “Now what’s this one?”
Eijiro took a moment to think of the word, “Chloroplast?”
Katsuki nodded as he tossed the card to the side and left a peck across Eijiro’s lips again. “Correct.”
Eijiro smiled as he looked up at Katsuki and rested his hands against his hips. “I think I’m starting to like this new study tactic.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes playfully, “Still a lot more cards to go, Red.” He held up the next card, which read: How many chromosomes does the average human body have?
Ugh, it was a number. Eijiro remembered writing it, but he couldn’t remember which one it was. He looked at Katsuki with pleading eyes, hoping for a hint. He sighed as he relented.
“What’s my jersey number?”
“Twenty-three!” Eijiro answered. Katsuki didn’t say it was right or wrong; instead, he held up two fingers. He was giving another hint. Twenty-three… plus two? Twenty-five didn’t sound right. Times two?
“Oh, forty-six!” he answered excitedly. Katsuki nodded and kissed him again.
“Alright, a little harder,” He held up the next card: What is the liquid part of the blood called?
Now this one he always forgot. He knew the word sounded cool, but he could never remember what it was. “It starts with a ‘P’... Right?”
Katsuki nodded, “Mmhm… Remember what Sparky said a few weeks ago during lunch at guarding? What he’d have to sell to afford video games?”
Eijiro remembered the conversation. They were talking about college and how Denki was afraid of going broke, and how he wouldn’t have time for a job. Hitoshi had suggested selling some of his clothes he never wore anymore, but then Midoriya had suggested….
“Plasma!” He exclaimed.
“Good job, Red,” Katsuki leaned in for a kiss that was just a hair longer than the others. He pulled away with the next question ready: Define - Hereditary Trait, give 2 examples .
“Um…” Eijiro hummed in thought. He wanted Katsuki to give him another hint so he could get it right.
Katsuki’s eyes flickered to his hair, then back to him, “You’ve already changed one of these things.”
He changed one? The only thing he ever changed was his hair, and that was because he felt he looked too much like his father…
Eijiro’s eyes lit up in realization, “They’re things you get from your parents. Like how you get your blonde hair and red eyes from your mom.”
He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through Katsuki’s thick, soft spikes. Katsuki’s eyes fluttered as his head leaned into the touch. He hummed as Eijiro lightly scratched his nails against his scalp, working his way down to his neck. Katsuki shook out of it and lightly grabbed Eijiro’s wrist.
“Come on, Eij, keep going at this pace and we’ll be done in no time.”
They kept going through the cards, with Katsuki giving strategic hints with each question. Each time he got a question right, Katsuki would linger a little longer. On one particularly hard question, Katsuki even snuck his tongue in, getting Eijiro even more excited and determined to get the questions right.
“Correct,” Katsuki smirked as he tossed the final card to the side and scooted forward on Eijiro’s lap, their groins now touching each other through their sweatpants. Katsuki lifted his pointer finger and dragged it along Eijiro’s chest, “You got all the questions right, you know what that means?”
Eijiro swallowed the thick saliva that pooled in his mouth as Katsuki’s face inched closer until their noses touched. Their lips hovered over the others as Katsuki waited for a response. Eijiro felt dizzy as his body filled with pleasure and Katsuki began to slowly grind their groins together.
“I get a… Big reward?” Eijiro breathed out.
“Mmhm,” Katsuki hummed affirmatively. His hand on his chest lay flat against Eijiro’s pec and squeezed while the other snaked around to tangle in his red hair. “You’re gonna ace that test tomorrow. You were so good tonight, studying so hard. I’m proud of you, Eijiro.”
Eijiro let out a sigh as desire pooled in his crotch. All he wanted to do at this moment was impress Katsuki. He wanted to please him. He’d been desperately waiting for a moment like this again since Saturday. He constantly thought about Katsuki, and here he was, right in front of him, on top of him. Eijiro gripped Katsuki’s hips as he helped guide his grinding pace.
“Katsuki…” Eijiro sighed, “Wanna touch you… us… Together.”
A chuckle came deep in Katsuki’s chest as he lightly licked Eijiro’s top lip. “It’s your reward, do what you want.”
Katsuki’s hands moved to Eijiro’s chest and began to massage his pecs. Eijiro’s eyes fluttered as he groaned, rolling his hips up to chase the feeling. He slid his hands from Katsuki’s hips to the waistband of his pants. He hooked his pointer fingers in and began to pull at his sweats and underwear. Katsuki’s cock peeked out, a bead of cum already squeezing out of the tip. Eijiro took his thumbs and slid down his own pants and lined up their cocks so the heads were even with each other. Katsuki pushed up Eijiro’s tank top and lightly pinched his nipples, earning a whimper from him. His hand tightened around both of their lengths, earning quiet sighs of pleasure from both of the men.
“Yeah, Eij? You like it when I play with you like this?” Katsuki’s cheeks flushed pink as he put his plump lips between his teeth. Eijiro was desperate to kiss them. All he could do was nod and whine as he began to slowly pump his fist, squeezing their cocks together.
Katsuki’s hips jerked forward, but he stopped himself as he let Eijiro set the pace. Eijiro kept a firm grip as he slowly slid his hand up and down. Eijiro could tell Katsuki felt good because his grip tightened against his nipples and sucked air through his teeth.
“ Shit, that feels good…” Katsuki rasped. Their eyes met, and Katsuki lunged forward to smash their lips together. Tongues lapped at the other desperately as Eijiro sped up his jerking motion. Soft moans broke their kisses as their lips parted, quick to meet each other again, licking and nibbling at anything they could. Katsuki tensed, and Eijiro could tell he was close; he wasn’t far behind–
“Hey, Kiddos,” Masaru’s voice came from outside the door as it suddenly swung open. There was no reaction time. No time to hide. No time to change their position. Both boys froze as Katsuki locked eyes with his father. Just as quickly as he came, he dropped the plate of snacks on the desk next to the door and slammed the door shut.
“ Fuck ,” Katsuki squeeked out. He shoved himself back in his pants as he slid off Eijiro’s lap with his hands gripping his hair. “.... Shit .”
Katsuki backed himself up against the wall, then lay on his side. He then pulled up the blanket and buried himself under it. He let out a long, pained groan from underneath it. Eijiro sighed as he righted himself, the moment now broken. He turned to the plate on the desk. He got up from the bed, retrieved the plate, and brought it back as he began to eat the contents. He hummed at the delicious homemade snacks as he ate a few before turning to the lump that was Katsuki, wishing he were in a hole in the ground.
“These snacks are so good, Kat, want one?”
“Are you fucking serious?!” Katsuki shouted from under the blanket, “How are you thinking about food right now?”
Eijiro shrugged as he took another bite, “Can’t let it go to waste.”
Another long groan came from beneath the blanket. Katsuki knew he had a lot of explaining to do.
~~~
After Eijiro left –through the window– Katsuki snuck downstairs when he thought his parents had gone to sleep. He began to pack a lunch when he heard soft footsteps behind him, praying it was his mother, but he knew the timing and slight shuffle to them weren’t hers. He refused to look behind him as he continued to prep his lunch.
He didn’t say anything. He heard the fridge open, and a few things were taken out. He heard his dad begin to make his own lunch as they stood back to back with Katsuki at the counter, and his father at the island. The air was thick with tension, unspoken words, awkward feelings. No parenting books or podcasts could have prepared Masaru for a moment like this. Katsuki didn’t feel like he had to explain himself or his feelings for Eijiro. A heavy inhale through Masaru’s nose told Katsuki he was about to speak.
“I’m sorry, Katsuki.” He spoke softly, “I have to keep remembering to respect your privacy as you grow older. You’re no longer a child, and I know that; it’s a tough habit to break.”
Katsuki stopped his movements for a moment as he glanced over his shoulder. His dad continued to work. Katsuki only answered with a forceful exhale out of his nose, then turned to continue putting food in plastic bags.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m happy. I’m proud of the man you’re growing to be. I always knew you would, and you would be no matter who you choose to love. Also, if you ever need to talk about, you know.. Stuff I–”
Katsuki dropped what he was holding and quickly turned around to cover his dad’s mouth. “Dad, shut up . Okay, I get it, I hear you. Enough .”
Masaru smiled beneath Katsuki’s hand as his eyes creased. He nodded in acknowledgement, and Katsuki removed his hand. “Sorry, you know how I get. Can’t seem to know when to stop.”
Katsuki exhaled. A breath that he felt like he’d been holding for months. It felt nice to have someone know about him and Eijiro, even if it was just his dad. It felt more real that way. “It’s still new, so… Sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. We’re still… figuring things out.”
“I understand,” Masaru nodded, “Again, I’m sorry I barged in.”
“No, I get it, you wouldn’t have had you known.” Katsuki took another deep breath, “Eijiro and I are going to the fall dance together.”
Masaru smiled as small tears pricked at his eyes, “I’m so happy to hear that. If you want help looking at suits, let me know, okay?”
Katsuki nodded, “Yeah, thanks.”
Masaru extended a hand and grabbed his shoulder. He knew Katsuki wasn’t much for affection, so it was his way of letting him know he had his back, no matter what. To his surprise, Katsuki took a step forward and wrapped his arms around his torso, resting his head against his shoulder. It took everything inside Masaru not to burst into tears of joy on the spot. Katsuki knew what it meant to his dad, and he wanted to give back everything he’d ever done for him. His support, his love, and acceptance were all he could ever ask for. He knew not every young man was so lucky to have a dad like his.
**
Eijiro walked through the door, and his mother was sitting on the couch, reading a book next to the small side table lamp. She looked up at him with a bright smile as he walked in.
“You're home early,” she closed the book and patted the empty spot next to her, and Eijiro walked over to plop down next to her. “Everything alright at Katsuki’s?”
“Yeah..” he started, unsure how to proceed. “I gotta tell you something.”
She shifted slightly so she was facing him fully now, “You can tell me anything, Eiji, you know that. Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” He assured her, “I just…”
Where did he start? With tonight, or Saturday? Maybe yesterday at work? Eijiro’s head was spinning, and he couldn’t let himself spiral anymore. He had to just come out and say it.
“Katsuki and I are together. Like… dating… Romantically. We’re going to the fall dance together, as a couple.”
Her smile grew wide as she looked between his nervous eyes, “I always knew there was somethin’ special about that Katsuki. From the first moment you came home from school and told me about your first friend, your best friend . I knew he’d hold a special place in your heart. He was always yours, Eijiro, and you were always his. You two have a real beautiful thing going, a bond that not many people experience in their lives. You’ll stick by each other for a long, long time.”
“Really?” Eijiro asked innocently, “It’s not weird that I like another boy?”
“Oh, sweetheart, of course not!” She smiled as tears pooled in her eyes, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear, “If you found someone who makes your heart happy and treats you right, that’s all a mother wants for her baby.”
Eijiro smiled, and his heart swelled seeing the pride in his momma’s eyes. He knew she meant it one hundred percent, and in that moment, his heart couldn’t be happier.
Chapter 10: Sleepover
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Eijiro sat down at his desk and stared at the clock. Two minutes until class officially started. He normally said hello to Mr. Aizawa, but today he had a sickly nervous feeling in his stomach. He was typically a little nervous before tests, but this one carried a lot of weight.
Take a breath. Just focus. You got all the questions right.
All Eijiro could think of was last night and the feeling of Katsuki on his lap. It felt so incredibly natural to have him there, to kiss him, to hold him. They fit together like two puzzle pieces. He wondered what it would be like at the fall dance, holding Katsuki close and moving to slow music. It was still a few weeks away, but he couldn’t wait to tell the whole school that they were together. Maybe then Tetsu wouldn’t pick on Katsuki so much…
The bell rang, signalling the beginning of class, and Aizawa stood to address the class. “Alright, everyone, your mid-term is today. You have the entirety of the class to complete the exam. I don’t care what you do when you’re done, but keep your phones away until everyone is complete. Good luck.”
Short and right to the point, as always with Aizawa. Eijiro took a deep breath as his test was passed to him. He gripped his pencil and looked down at the first question, then the second, then the third… He instantly knew the answers to all of them on the first page. He quickly circled multiple-choice answers on the first few pages. The next section was a vocabulary matching exercise, which he completed with little to no trouble, utilizing the process of elimination. The last two pages consisted of short-answer questions. He did his best, recalling all the things he and Katsuki talked about and even used the previous page to use a few of the vocabulary words in his answer.
When he was finished, he gave one more look over his test. He felt confident in his answers, so he stood and walked over to Mr. Aizawa’s desk, where the turn-in basket was. Aizawa looked up at him with a curious eyebrow. They both looked at the clock, and only fifteen minutes had passed since the start of class. Normally, when someone finished that quickly, it meant they didn’t know any of the answers. Eijiro smiled at him and placed his test in the basket, then walked back to his desk and pulled out his book for English class. He looked back up, and Aizawa was flipping through his test. It would have made Eijiro nervous, but Aizawa had an impressed expression on his face. The weight lifted from Eijiro’s chest as he knew his spot on the team was safe.
~~
The next day, Eijiro got his test back. Aizawa handed it to him with an acknowledging nod. He quickly flipped it over, and the top said 48/50. He silently celebrated in his head as he stared proudly at the large letter ‘A’ next to the score. He knew he worked hard for it, but he couldn’t give all the credit to himself. The thoughts of his Monday night study session flashed in his mind as he imagined Katsuki’s soft lips pressed against his. The way his sneaky tongue slipped inside when he wanted to get Eijiro a little extra flustered. The butterflies came out to play in his stomach as his blonde boyfriend’s intense ruby eyes danced around his head. The rest of science class and school was a blur as he could only think about Katsuki.
When Eijiro arrived at practice, he approached his locker, and Katsuki was getting ready. Their eyes met, and Katsuki raised a curious eyebrow.
“You didn’t tell me what you got on your science test…” Katsuki began.
“Only got two points off,” Eijiro grinned.
A soft smile crept onto Katsuki’s lips. “I suppose that’s warranted for a reward after practice.”
Eijiro’s eyes darted around to make sure no one else was paying attention to them, then spoke in a low voice, “Does the surprise involve… You know… Having fun ?”
Katsuki laughed as he closed his locker and leaned his back up against it, “Oh, we’ll have fun, alright, just not in the way you’re thinking right now.”
Eijiro’s eyebrows pressed together as he tried to think of a reward that involved having fun without it being intimate. He really wanted to have some private alone time with Katsuki, but he trusted him that the reward would be something they could both enjoy. So he smiled and nodded.
“Alright, I can’t wait!”
~~
“The science museum?” Eijiro asked as they stood outside the wide building, “I ace the science test, so, as a reward, we’re at the… Science Museum?”
Katsuki laughed as he linked his fingers together with Eijiro’s and led him inside, “Come on, Red, I’ll show you. The museum is open late on Wednesdays and half off for high school students.”
Katsuki insisted on buying tickets and agreed that they could go out for dinner afterwards, and Eijiro could pay for that. They walked up the stairs to the open exhibit titled “Quiz Bowl”. There were large game consoles set up around the room, and groups of people stood around them, most of whom were around the same age. They stepped up to one of the two spots, each with a designated area for them to stand, and there were four colored buttons in front of them.
“A Quiz Bowl?” Eijiro asked Katsuki, “You… Want to compete against each other in a quiz game?”
“Mmhm,” Katsuki nodded as he grinned slyly, “I want to make a deal with you, Ei. You get to choose the categories for each round. If you can beat me in at least one round, I’ll allow you to sleep over tonight.”
Eijiro felt his heartbeat in his throat, and his body felt light. He shook out the feeling and cleared his throat as he realized he’d have to be focused in order to beat Katsuki.
“You got a deal, Kats. I’m ready!”
“Alright, Red. Show me whatcha got.” He pressed the start button, and four categories popped up on the screen. Eijiro went with ‘Movies’, since it was something they both knew equally. The way it worked was that a total of ten questions per category would flash up on the screen; they were general knowledge questions that varied in difficulty. Each question had four multiple-choice answers that matched the color buttons in front of them. Not only did you earn points if you got it correct, but you also earned points for how quickly you answered.
Ten questions were answered, and both got all ten correct, but Katsuki was just slightly faster in answering. “Gotta be quicker than that, Red.”
Eijiro grimaced, not being deterred from losing one single round, “I got a lot of game left in me, Kats.”
Four new categories flashed on the screen, and Eijiro picked the next category, ‘Animals’. This round was ten pictures of animals that they had to identify. Eijiro was faster this time, but not quite as fast as Katsuki.
“Damn! I thought I had you for sure on some of those.” Eijiro exclaimed.
Katsuki laughed as he casually leaned up against the console, “That was probably the easiest category on here… Not lookin’ good for you, Red.”
“Hey, there could be other categories on here like that one…” Eijiro looked up at the four new categories on the screen: History, Language, Arts and Crafts, and Chemistry.
Eijiro chose Arts and Crafts; he didn’t know much about art, but he knew Katsuki didn’t either. He figured he might have a better chance at guessing over Katsuki if they both didn’t know the answers. Eijiro was right in assuming they’d both struggle with the questions. However, Katsuki guessed 6 out of 10 correctly, while Eijiro only guessed 4 out of 10.
“Dang, I thought that would work!”
“It was a good strategy, I’ll give you that,” Katsuki smirked, “But just not quite enough. Better find something or you’ll be sleeping by yourself toniiiight.”
“Hey, don’t count me out yet,” Eijiro countered, “I’ll win one of these, just you wait.”
A few more rounds went by, all ending the same with Katsuki coming out the winner. Eijiro trilled his lips together as he stretched out his neck. He was getting hungry and wanted to leave soon, but he couldn’t end without at least one win. He stretched his shoulders, cracking his back as he rolled them back. He looked up at the screen again and saw the category that could give him the win he’s been waiting for: Sports .
Sure, Katsuki knew sports, but not like Eijiro. Katsuki knew how to play sports, but Eijiro kept up with the players and statistics within the teams. Katsuki hates remembering names, especially athletes he cares nothing about. Eijiro liked keeping up with all the sports news, even the Olympics.
“Oh, I’ve got you now, Kat.” Eijiro leaned his palms on the console as he leaned forward to lock in.
Katsuki raised an eyebrow and smirked, “We’ll see about that.”
Eijiro pressed the button to start, and he flew through the questions. He was confident in every single answer and got all of them correct... Katsuki got 7/10.
Eijiro didn’t gloat. After all, he only won a single round out of several. Instead, he grinned widely with his hands on his hips. Katsuki looked at Eijiro with a pout and his arms crossed over his chest.
“Alright, a deal’s a deal. You can stay tonight.”
“Yes!” Eijiro cheered. Almost simultaneously, Eijiro’s stomach also celebrated in a loud growl. Their eyes met, and Eijiro smiled sheepishly.
Katsuki sighed as he grabbed Eijiro’s hand and interlocked their fingers. “Let’s feed you before your stomach jumps out and starts eating everyone.”
Eijiro laughed as they started walking, “I’ll try to contain it.”
They took the bus to a diner and ordered burgers and a family-sized fries to share between them. Conversation was light between them as they ordered, before Katsuki spoke up.
“I have one last thing to give you tonight.” He diverted his eyes, and a blush dusted his cheeks.
Eijiro scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, “Me? Kat, you know you don’t have to get me anything.”
Katsuki didn’t say anything; instead, he pulled out his wallet. Eijiro was about to protest about paying for dinner, but Katsuki stopped him by pulling out two ticket stubs and placing them on the table. Eijiro picked them up to read what was printed on them: UA’s Annual Fall Formal, theme: Red Carpet, starts promptly at 7:30 pm.
“You already bought the tickets…” Eijiro breathed as he stared at them in his hands.
Katsuki shrugged, looking down at the table, “Yeah… Just thought I’d get them, but if you don’t want to go anymore, we can do something else.”
Eijiro placed the tickets on the table and grabbed Katsuki’s hands, “No, Kats– I mean, yes, I still want to go! I completely forgot about it until now. I didn’t think you’d want to be seen buying tickets for the dance.”
Katsuki looked down at their hands as he rubbed his thumbs over Eijiro’s knuckles. The corner of his mouth twitched up, and he let out a short breath through his nose. “I picked them up in the office, so no one really saw me. The last thing I needed was for Metal Brain to see me and make fun of me.”
“Don’t worry, Kats, I’ll be right there at the dance with you. I’m excited! It’ll be fun!”
Katsuki blushed again as he looked up at Eijiro with just his eyes. “My dad offered to take us shopping for suits if you want…”
Eijiro’s eyes sparkled as he smiled, “I would love to go, that sounds fun! We can go next weekend, after guarding?”
Katsuki softly smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll let him know.”
Eijiro’s heart jumped whenever he saw Katsuki smile. The little dimple formed on his cheek had his heart fluttering like the butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to see Katsuki happy all the time, and recently he’d been seeing that more than normal. He wanted to do whatever he could to make him happy and chase away anything that stood in his way.
~~
It was just after 10:30 pm when they arrived at the Bakugo house. Eijiro had texted his mom, saying he was spending the night at Katsuki’s, and all she did was respond with a heart and a smiley face. Despite Katsuki wanting to keep it on the down low from their parents, Eijiro didn’t want to lie to his mother anymore, and he knew she wouldn’t care as long as he got up for school the next morning.
Masaru and Mitsuki were asleep in their room, so they snuck quietly to Katsuki’s room. Eijiro fished out the toothbrush Katsuki had lent him last week and used that to get ready for bed. When he returned, Katsuki was in bed with just the soft light of the bedside table lamp on to illuminate the room. Eijiro softly closed the door and made his way over to him. Katsuki looked up at him, his lips giving the softest and most content smile. Eijiro thought he looked downright angelic.
“Is it alright if I… take off my shirt?” Eijiro asked, knowing Katsuki had yelled at him for doing so before.
Katsuki nodded, and Eijiro lifted the fabric over his head and discarded it next to his backpack. Katsuki moved over in the bed to make room for Eijiro as he slid under the covers. He reached over to turn off the lamp, and the room was replaced with the soft silvery glow of the moon coming through the window. Eijiro brushed his hand through Katsuki’s bangs and leaned forward for a kiss.
So many times before they’d shared a bed for sleepovers, but none quite like this. Their hands slid around exposed skin as their tongues explored and danced around each other. Katsuki pushed at Eijiro’s shoulder and lay on top of him with their legs slotted together. Katsuki’s lips broke apart from Eijiro’s as they moved down to his neck and lightly licked and nibbled the soft flesh. Eijiro tilted his neck for easier access and traced shapes on Katsuki’s back.
“I had fun with you tonight,” Eijiro whispered in his ear, “I mean, I always have fun with you, but I think our first date was a success.”
“Yeah?” Katsuki said between kisses, “So you’d go out with me again?”
“I’ll go out with you whenever and wherever you want. Just give me the time and place, and I’ll be there.”
Katsuki hummed in thought, “What about when you want?”
Eijiro closed his eyes as Katsuki’s lips continued to tease and leave goosebumps all over his body. “I want to be with you all the time. When I’m not with you, I’m thinking about being with you.”
“Hm? Really?” Katsuki asked, leaning up to look at him now, his fingers coming up to trace circles on Eijiro’s chest, “What do you think about specifically?”
Eijiro smiled, “I think about kissing you, and other things. I think about hanging out with you and doing homework. I think about how amazing you look on the rugby pitch, all the manly things about you.”
“Yeah? I’m manly ?” Katsuki teased.
“The manliest,” Eijiro said, kissing him again on the lips.
“Well, I’ve got a not-so-manly thing to admit,” Katsuki said slyly.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“I let you win. I knew the answers to the sports questions, but I got them wrong on purpose.”
“You did not!” Eijiro laughed as he rolled their bodies to now lie on top of Katsuki, “I won fair and square.”
“No, I’m serious, I wanted you to stay over, so I let you win. You were so determined, and I couldn’t stand to see you lose anymore.”
“Yeah, okay,” Eijiro laughed sarcastically, “That’s not the Katsuki Bakugo I know. You wouldn’t just let me win. I have to earn it. A flawless victory.”
“Okay, whatever helps you sleep tonight.” Katsuki rolled his eyes.
“I don’t need a victory to help me sleep tonight.” Eijiro leaned in, brushing their noses together before softly pressing their lips together. God, Eijiro wondered how long they could have been doing this. If Tetsu had found out about Katsuki’s preferences sooner, would Katsuki have come out to Eijiro earlier?
None of it mattered. As Katsuki’s hands slid up Eijiro’s back, his mind went blank, and all he could do was sit in this moment. He never wanted this night to end. Eijiro could spend eternity in Katsuki’s bed and in his arms and never get bored or tired. This is what he wanted, Katsuki, for the rest of his life. His mom was right— it was always Katsuki, and it always will be.
Eijiro didn’t know how long they’d been kissing, but eventually Katsuki snuggled in close with his head tucked under Eijiro’s chin. He wrapped his arms around Katsuki and held him firmly until he felt Katsuki’s body drift off to sleep. Eijiro was the happiest he’d ever been, and he knew he’d be happy with Katsuki for as long as they lived.
~~
The next morning, Eijiro woke up in almost the exact same spot they’d fallen asleep. Their legs were tangled together, and Katsuki’s head rested on the spot between Eijiro’s shoulder and chest, his nose tucked into his neck, and Eijiro could feel his short, soft breaths. Eijiro nuzzled his face in Katsuki’s hair and left kisses on top of his head. Katsuki moved and groaned as his arm and leg grip tightened around Eijiro, keeping him in place.
“Morning, Kats,” Eijiro moved to kiss the tip of Katsuki’s nose. He kissed around his face, and Katsuki’s eyebrows scrunched together.
“S’op,” He slurred as he tried to push his face away, “T’red.”
Eijiro chuckled as he moved to get out of bed, but Katsuki’s grip continued to hold firm, “Come on, Kat, we gotta get ready for school.”
Katsuki whined and rolled over, pulling up the blanket over his head. Eijiro laughed as he rubbed Katsuki’s arm over the blanket.
“I’ll go make us some breakfast, okay?” All Eijiro got in response was a grunt, so he took that as a yes. He got dressed and stole one of Katsuki’s sweatshirts again, hoping he wouldn’t mind like the last time.
By the time Eijiro was almost finished making a few bagels, Katsuki came trudging down the stairs. He leaned up against the island, glaring at Eijiro with his arms crossed. Eijiro just smiled at him, waiting for him to tell him why he was in a sour mood today.
“I was gonna wear that today.” Katsuki pointed to the sweatshirt.
Eijiro leaned forward and kissed Katsuki’s forehead, “Then you should have gotten up before me to claim it.”
“Take it off, I’ll get you a different one.” Katsuki frowned and pinched at the fabric on the sleeve.
“Hmm… No.”
“Take it off , Red. Now.” Katsuki stood firm.
“Right now, or…?” Just as he was saying the words, Masaru walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen with a bright smile.
“Good morning, boys! I thought I heard two pairs of footsteps walk in last night.” Katsuki rolled his eyes and walked to the fridge to begin preparing lunch.
“Morning, Mr. B. Would you care for a bagel this morning?”
“I would love one, thanks, Eijiro.” He beamed as he turned on the coffee pot and Mitsuki walked in.
She paused for a moment, seeing Eijiro, but then she smiled widely. “Oh, good morning, Eijiro. I didn’t know you were here.”
Katsuki lightly groaned from behind Eijiro, “We were out late last night, and he spent the night.”
Mitsuki made her way over to Eijiro and gave him a light peck on the cheek, “That’s fine, I always love to see Eijiro here in the morning.”
Eijiro handed her a bagel, and she took an immediate bite. Katsuki slowly turned to face both his parents, suspicious of their good moods and ignorance over the situation.
Katsuki squinted as he looked at his mom, “So… You are fine with this?”
“Katsuki, what are you talking about? Eijiro’s slept over since you two were 11 years old, he’s always welcome here.”
He glanced at his father, who hid his face behind his coffee cup, diverting eye contact. Katsuki let out a short laugh, “You didn’t tell her, did you?”
Masaru shrugged as he replaced his coffee with a bite of bagel, “Musta slipped my mind…”
“Oh, you two…” Mitsuki scoffed, “Tell me what?”
“That Eijiro and I are dating now,” Katsuki admitted.
“Oh, good for you!” She said enthusiastically, then turned to Eijiro, “I always hoped Katsuki would find someone like you.”
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, “So… You’re fine with that? Nothing's changed? Eijiro can still sleep over ? No lectures about him sleeping over on a school night?”
“Oh, Katsuki,” She waved her hand dismissively, “As long as you get up for school in the morning, I don’t care what you do. Besides, it’s not like you can get pregnant or anything.”
Masaru choked on his coffee and forcefully spat it back into his mug, “‘Suki, please ,” He choked.
Eijiro giggled as he leaned over to hand Katsuki his bagel, “She thinks you’re a bottom .”
Katsuki growled through a bright red blush that spread from his cheeks to his ears and down to his neck. He grabbed his lunch and Eijiro’s wrist and pulled him along to the door. Eijiro grabbed his backpack and shouted back at the Bakugos, “Thank you! Have a great day!”
He barely got it out before Katsuki slammed the front door, and they headed for the bus stop. Eijiro walked with his head held high, and Katsuki’s shoulders were hunched over, forcefully taking bites of his breakfast. When they both sat down at the stop, Eijiro rested his arm across the back of the bench behind Katsuki. The furious blonde took a breath and let it all out, his face finally returning to its normal color. He leaned to the side until his head rested against Eijiro’s shoulder. Eijiro brought his arm around to wrap it over his shoulder.
“I’ve probably got an extra shirt in my locker if you really want to wear this one,” Eijiro spoke softly.
“No, Eij, I was just messing with you.” Katsuki sat up, glancing at the sweatshirt. “It looks good on you. I want everyone to see you in my clothes.”
It was Eijiro’s turn to blush as he swallowed the butterflies that had fluttered into his throat, “Maybe if you spend the night at mine, you can borrow one of mine.”
Katsuki leaned forward to give him a quick kiss on the lips. “Counting on it. Not sure you’ll get it back though.”
Eijiro laughed as the bus arrived, and they walked hand in hand, sitting near the back. Katsuki pulled out his earbuds and offered one to Eijiro, which he took and placed in his other ear, listening to music as they rode to school.
“By the way, I packed enough food for you in my lunch today. So don’t buy the school’s food.” Katsuki said.
Eijiro leaned forward and left a kiss on his cheek, “Thanks, Kats, you’re the best.”
He knew Katsuki wanted to keep their relationship a secret until the dance, but Eijiro wasn’t going to hide his feelings. Sure, he’d keep the public affection to a minimum, but wearing his clothes and sharing a lunch was all he wanted to do. Maybe tomorrow, before their game, Katsuki would let him wear his jersey, and Eijiro would let Katsuki wear his. He didn’t care what anyone else thought, because he was happy and, most importantly, Katsuki was too.
Notes:
Only FOUR more chapters after this?! A crime really... I've loved writing these two and they make my heart absolutely melt. I'm so happy many of you are loving this series 💕
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