Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Katsuki first noticed him about a month or two ago— the Boy in the Gakuran Uniform.

It was on the same day he had to take the train for the first time in years since going pro. After an unfortunate villain chase down Tokyo streets, his most beloved custom black and orange Yamaha had to be taken into the shop.

It was Katsuki’s own fault when he made the split decision to ditch his bike to dodge an enemy attack. Katsuki himself was lucky and had managed to escape with only some minor scrapes and bruises but the same couldn’t be said for his poor old girl. And to top it off, as punishment for not listening to orders and going in on his own, Jeanist had refused to allow Katsuki to borrow the agency’s spare vehicles while his only mode of transportation was being repaired.

A lesson in humbleness, Jeanist had told him then.

A lesson in responsibility for his own recklessness, too, amongst other things, like: lack of compassion (apparently), refusal to cooperate (the other sidekicks and interns had reported), a big ego (or so they say)...

Jeanist had told Katsuki that this lesson was for his own good.

Whatever, like hell taking public transportation was going to knock Katsuki down a peg. Tch.

Regardless, at 7:05 am, he had found himself standing behind the yellow line of the platform waiting for the doors of the approaching train to open. It was then he laid eyes on him, the boy with the strange dual colored hair, split perfectly down the middle. Left side red, right side white. It was that weird coloring that piqued Katsuki’s interest from the corner of his eye; the mop of candy cane hair pushing forward inside the train while expertly dodging the exiting riders.

Katsuki followed in afterwards when the crowd got smaller, settling to lean against the plexiglass of the bench separators closest to the right side of the train doors. When the doors slid closed and set off to the next station, the blond took in his surroundings while at the same time making sure not to meet eyes with anyone who could recognize him as the current Number 9 hero. He really didn’t need to be sighted while he was trapped in a moving cage, unable to flee like he normally could if he were stopped on the streets for an autograph or a picture by fans.

Kids and normal fans he could deal with, it was the overly touchy and loud fans who didn’t know the meaning of personal space that made him despise the whole fan service ordeal. And unfortunately, those overbearing fans were everywhere and approached him in never-ending waves.

He scanned the not too overly crowded train cart, still early for the day to really begin; it was mostly salary workers and students making their daily commute. No one really paid attention to him and he was glad for it. Not that he screamed ‘I’m a hero!’ while donning civilian clothes, especially when his black eye mask was a signature piece of his hero ensemble and he rarely ever showed his full bare face to the public, but still, he pulled his black ball cap closer to his eyes just in case.

Katsuki’s momentarily startled when he realized that someone was watching him from the other side of the cart; it’s the boy in the gakuran uniform and bicolored hair. Their eyes meet and the pro hero got a better look at him now.

The first thing Katsuki noticed was that the other was a high school student, dressed in all black with his school bag nestled on the floor between his feet. The second thing he saw, and was stunned when he did, was that the student had mismatched colored eyes, too. Katsuki’s first assumption was that the two-toned hair color was dyed in poor taste but seeing the striking set of blue and grey eyes, Katsuki doesn’t think it was the case anymore. The third thing that came to mind, but stayed with Katsuki for days, was damn, the boy was fucking pretty. The last thing Katsuki thought, was that the apparent scar on the boy’s left side of his face didn’t deter from his beauty at all. Instead, it made Katsuki want to know what happened. Of course, those were just a few things that Katsuki noticed on that first train ride.

Later though, after a few more rides, Katsuki would observe more. Like how the boy must’ve been raised strictly, always sitting so prim and proper, back straight and hands politely closed in his lap, and how the boy lacked any friends, or at least any school buddies to make the commute with. Katsuki spied that he was always traveling alone, and rarely made any effort to play or type away on his phone like the other schoolkids who would laugh at whatever was happening on their screens. He also realized that the boy rarely showed any emotion at all, always looking serious and aloof; kind of mature than what a boy his age should be.

Nestled between two middle-aged office workers, the student looked small. He’s got a lithe build, a figure that was delicate in a way that made Katsuki want to handle him with care and precision, too scared that the boy might break if too much force was used. Not in a perverted way, but in a general sense. Like as if a too strong of a wind might blow the boy away.

Katsuki hadn’t seen such a fragile-looking male since middle school Deku, no Izuku, he had to keep reminding himself not to use the negative moniker he bestowed upon the other hero when he was a young, insecure brat; not that he could call his childhood rival that anymore. No, Izuku was a strong hero in his own right, had been since he knocked Katsuki out and won the U.A. Sports Festival in their second year. Of course, Katsuki claimed the number one spot in their first and last year at the prestigious hero school.

The mismatched hair and eyes, Half-and Half, or Halfie, as Katsuki had begun to call the boy in his head ever since, stared at Katsuki a moment longer than most strangers would before bowing his head in a slight nod and then casting his eyes somewhere else.

Did the boy recognize Katsuki as pro hero Dynamight? If he did, why wasn’t he making a bigger deal out of it? Didn’t he want an autograph or a picture to post on his social media accounts or brag to his friends when he got to school? Maybe all those other crazy fans were getting to Katsuki, but the fact that all he got was a simple nod of the head, not even a smile, from Halfie made him think that the boy was something else.

And for the remainder of the twenty-minute train ride until the boy got off at Ginza Station, Halfie never looked back at Katsuki. He would know because he spent all those twenty minutes observing the student that intrigued him.

Katsuki saw him again the next day. And the day after that. And again, for the whole week. Katsuki had only ever saw the lanky boy in the mornings, never on his way home. As a pro hero, he worked long hours most days. By the time Katsuki boarded the train in the evening, there’d be no reason for a student like Halfie to be on it at the same time as him.

But for whatever reason, like Katsuki, the student had a liking to early mornings. He would later learn that it was because the boy didn’t want to be in his family home any longer than he had too. It seemed like a typical teenager response to Katsuki at the time; however, he’d learn the reason was much more heartbreaking than what it was at face value.

Always showing up on the same platform as Katsuki at Asakusa Station right at 7:00 am to catch the 7:05 outbound train to Shibuya. Like clockwork, Katsuki would board cart #3 and lean against the plexiglass by the doors while the boy would find a vacant seat in the same cart. They would ride the train on opposite sides; Katsuki did it so that he can get a better view of the boy from where he stood. As for Halfie, Katsuki didn’t know his reasoning but Katsuki liked to think it was for the same one as him.

They never really interacted though, only sometimes catching each other glancing at the other. When caught, the boy would shyly turn away. But when Katsuki was caught, he would hold his gaze with the student until eventually the younger boy would feel shy and turn away first. Katsuki would smirk when he’d see the pink lighting up the boy’s milky white cheeks. Chubby cheeks. Cheeks that looked so pinchable, like a baby’s.

He might as well be a baby, Katsuki chided himself every time his mind was filled with dirty thoughts, like wanting to bite those baby cheeks to see if they really were soft and squishable as they looked.

No, Katsuki, no. You ain’t no cradle robber, he reminded himself.

The first time he heard the boy’s voice was sometime during Katsuki’s second week of taking public transportation.

It was surprisingly deep and baritone, his voice carrying throughout the cart as the train was still relatively empty and quiet, say for the sounds of the train screeching along the tracks. The phone call that the boy answered didn’t last long, nor did the boy say a whole lot, much to Katsuki’s dismay.

Katsuki didn’t mean to stare, but when the boy hung up and found Katsuki looking, he dipped his head in a low bow again. This time in an apologetic manner, like as if his short phone call had disturbed Katsuki’s morning commute. Maybe it was the signature scowl that everyone said Katsuki wore that made the student think that way.

In reality though, Katsuki was thinking he really liked the sound of his voice. Keep talking, he wanted to say to the alluring boy in the gakuran uniform.

By the third week, Katsuki had opted not to take the train at first. He had his bike back. There was no reason for him to take the train anymore.

It’s not like he enjoyed the public commute; he had actually missed the feeling of the roaring engine underneath him and the thrill of weaving through traffic with expert ease. And yet, by the end of the week, Katsuki found himself back on the platform at 7:00 am sharp, waiting for the train.

And maybe for someone else.

Subjugated to rubbing elbows with strangers and trying his best to stay inconspicuous, Katsuki found that it was all worth it when he made eye contact with Halfie. The boy had been running late in the morning he returned, Katsuki had already boarded the train and was leaning in his regular spot when the grey and blue-eyed boy squeezed through the closing doors just barely making it. Out of breath and looking a bit flushed, Katsuki found him mesmerized by the boy once again.

Feeling eyes on him, the boy turned his head only to find Katsuki’s unwavering gaze. The look of surprise on the boy’s face was evident by the way his mismatched eyes widened a bit though his aloof face soon returned. Without a care that he might be caught, Katsuki watched the boy take his seat, as usual, on the opposite side of the train. Katsuki would have been okay with the day turning out to be like every other time he’d taken the train so long as he was able to get a glimpse of the boy.

But instead, in his first time back after almost a week, to his utmost surprise, the boy in the gakuran uniform confidently glanced over Katsuki’s way and proceeded to give him a smile. A small smile, almost barely there, but a smile nonetheless.

In turn, Katsuki couldn’t help the smirk that formed on his own mouth before covering his eyes with the dip of his baseball cap.

That one smile alone became the sole reason why Katsuki found himself on the train once again, for a fourth week. But something about that week, he felt was going to be different, and he was right.

On Monday, the boy in the gakuran uniform with his school bag slung over one shoulder had stood right next to Katsuki as they both waited for the train. The boy had refused to look at Katsuki directly, but the hero could tell that the boy was stealing glances when he thought he was being sneaky.

On Tuesday, for the second day in a row, the boy in the gakuran uniform stood next to Katsuki on the Asakusa platform but not before greeting Katsuki with a soft hello. Katsuki had thought he was hearing things because why would a pretty boy like him greet Katsuki, a loud and brash hero, so softly like that. But the small smile that followed after before shy eyes turned away made Katsuki realize he heard true. So, Katsuki grunted a hello back, hiding his own blush back.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the boy in the gakuran uniform didn’t show up. If Katsuki had a shit day and was ruder and harder to deal with than other days, it wasn’t because the boy in the gakuran uniform didn’t show up.

Fuck it, it was the reason.

When Friday came, Katsuki had debated while making breakfast in his fancy high-rise apartment if he should take his bike to work that day. What were the chances that he’d see Halfie today if he hadn’t shown up in the last two days?

In the end, Katsuki stood on the platform of the Asakusa Station waiting for the Ginza Line train. The boy in the gakuran uniform didn’t appear, again, much to Katuski’s disappointment.

It didn’t help that the train was busier than usual and Katsuki soon found himself pushed deeper into the cart for the first time. People were crowding on all sides of him and there wasn’t a single seat that was vacant. Rather than just students and office workers like usual, Katsuki found that more families were on the train today. A lot of giddy middle school and high school students were accompanied by dressed-up parents, and older and younger siblings.

Ah, what a shit day to take the train, Katsuki thought.

He let out a tired sigh and was mentally preparing himself for the long, crowded ride. With more people onboard, who looked more awake and energized for early morning than usual, Katsuki pulled up the collar of his windbreaker jacket and hid the lower bottom of his face into the fabric. Cause of course, the majority of commuters today were demographically the same age as the majority of his fans.

“Good morning,” A deep, familiar voice greeted to Katsuki’s right.

Turning to his side, Katsuki was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with the sight of the boy in the gakuran uniform standing so close to him, the closest they’ve ever been to touching.

The boy’s mismatched hair was styled differently, in waves today from his usual straight style. His front bangs that normally covered his eyes were framing the side of his face, giving Katsuki a perfect view, with no obstruction, of the unique icy blue and grey eyes, as well as the scar that adorned his face.

Now that he was up close, Katsuki could tell that the scar wasn’t a birth defect but a scar that was caused by something or someone, an accident probably. Katsuki’s been around enough injured people as a pro hero over the years to distinguish a burn scar when he saw one.

The student must’ve sensed Katsuki’s stare at the scar because the boy’s small smile wavered, turning his head to the side so that the scar was no longer in view. And what confidence the younger boy had when he decided to stand next to Katsuki and flash him the same smile that kept Katsuki up at night since he’d seen it all those weeks ago and wished him a good morning today, was gone.

Instead, the boy looked regretful. Like as if he just remembered something.

Stupid! Katsuki thought. Of course, Katsuki must’ve made the boy feel bad about his scar with all his staring. Couldn’t play it cool but instead had to be ogling him cause it’s the first time he got to look at him so closely.

Katsuki cleared his throat, which brought the boy’s attention back to him.

“Ah, good morning,” Katsuki replied. “You, ugh, made it in time.”

The boy nodded his head in agreement, shifting closer to Katsuki as the other rowdy students brush against him. Katsuki angled his body to make room for the red and white-haired boy so that they’re facing each other rather than standing side by side.

He was so small, Katsuki thought. The Boy in the Gakuran Uniform barely passed the top of Katsuki’s shoulders, standing more than a head shorter than the hero. He was also thin, unlike the more muscular and built men (and women) that Katsuki was usually surrounded by, being a hero and all. So, when the train suddenly jerked forward causing the boy to fall against Katsuki’s chest, the hero was able to easily balance the both of them, securing a strong hold on the boy’s upper arm.

“Are you okay?” Katsuki asked.

“Yes!” The boy answered, quickly jumping back and righting himself. Katsuki didn’t miss the blush of the boy’s face as he grabbed onto the handle ring this time to avoid falling over again. “I’m so sorry!”

Katsuki chuckled. “Don’t sweat it, kid.”

They rode in silence, sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. And as they continued on with the commute, the more they got pushed closer together with each station stop but the silence continued.

Looking down, Katsuki could see the boy fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket uniform. It was endearing since the boy had always looked calm and collected all the other times. It was then Katsuki made the rash decision that he didn’t want this to be the most interaction they’ll ever have. So, he spoke up.

“You look different today,” Katsuki said, wanting it to be known to the boy that he had paid attention to him before. Many times before, if Katsuki was being honest.

The boy looked up at Katsuki with surprised eyes, instantly threading his hand through his left fringe like it was a conscious move on his part to touch his scar. Katsuki saw the moment that the boy realized that he didn’t have any hair to cover his scar today.

“Ah, yes,” The boy spoke quietly, moving his hand down when he realized it was futile to hide. “I’m graduating today. My older sister did my hair; said today was a special occasion.” He explained.

Ah, that would explain all the families aboard the train today and the certain excitement in the air. It was an ending of a chapter and the beginning of a new adventure for these kids. Including the pretty one standing next to him.

The gloomy thought that this might be the very last time that they would ride the train together in the morning hit Katsuki. But he pushed that thought back down, he needed to remember that all they are were fellow train riders on the Ginza Line and nothing more.

There was at least a five-year age gap between them, and Katsuki had no business frolicking with some minor despite how pretty said minor was. But at the same time, there was no harm in indulging in their first and last conversation.

So, Katsuki smiled at the boy and said: “Well, congratulations. You’ve worked hard, student.”

The boy blushed instantly at the praise.

“Thank you,” The boy replied.

There’s another moment of silence, neither one knowing what to say. In between the silence, the next stop is announced over the speakers and Katsuki internally started counting down the remaining stops until he had to watch the boy get off.

“It looks good. Your hair.”

“Hm?” The boy looked up at Katsuki with wide eyes, head tilted to the side.

Fuck, he’s adorable, Katsuki thought. But why did Katsuki even find him cute? The boy was nothing remotely close to Katsuki’s type!

Well, a pretty face was a pretty face.

“You should show off your eyes more. It’s a good look on you.”

“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind.” The way the boy fisted the strap of his school bag tightly didn't go unnoticed by Katsuki. Instead, Katsuki watched the boy with amusement in his eyes, waiting to see what the boy would say next since he clearly had something to say.

Katsuki had an inkling that the boy was aware of his hero identity and was probably working his way up to asking him for a favor. If he did, this would be one of the rare times that Katsuki wouldn’t be annoyed to sign an autograph or pose for a selfie.

“Can I know your name?” The boy blurted out; his eyes closed in embarrassment and fist still clenched tight around his bag. Katsuki could see his knuckles turning white.

That… was not what Katsuki was expecting him to ask. Did he really not know who Katsuki was?

“Hah?”

“I just want to know your name.” The boy repeated, softly. He sounded shy but the determined look in his eyes showed Katsuki that there was a bit of nerve in him.

Sucked into the allure of this boy standing beside him, watching and waiting for Katsuki’s answer, Katsuki had missed the announcement that the next station they were arriving at was Ginza.

“Shoto,” The boy said, bringing Katsuki back to the moment and away from his thoughts. “My name is Shoto.” He supplied instead while Katsuki stood silent in confusion.

“Shoto…” He repeated. The name sounded good on Katsuki’s tongue.

But to his surprise, the boy started moving. Away from him. He fell into step with the other commuters, a whole lot of them making their way off the train.

“It was nice. Talking to you today.” The boy told Katsuki, over his shoulder as he walked further and further away.

Katsuki felt himself inch forward, a magnetic force pulling him towards the boy, until he stopped himself.

The boy turned his back to Katsuki, slowly moving out of Katsuki’s sight as other passengers got up and swarmed the exit. For some reason, Katuski’s heart started beating like crazy. Before, he had only felt this kind of adrenaline when he was fighting villains. But there was no danger right now; so, what could this mean?

“Wait!” Finally snapping out of his daze. Katsuki could see the top of a red and white head turn back but couldn’t see a face, the smaller framed boy hidden between moving bodies. “My name…it’s Bakugo Katsuki!”

Katsuki would like to think that the boy heard him but the hero wouldn’t know for sure because in a matter of seconds, the train cart cleared out and the doors slid closed leaving Katsuki standing in the middle with the remaining riders looking at him strangely.

“Ah, fuck,” Katsuki swore, pulling his cap down before making his way to his favorite spot to stand for the rest of the train ride.

The remainder of the commute went by faster that morning, maybe it was because Katsuki’s mind and thoughts were plagued by the alluring boy in the gakuran uniform, with his pretty icy eyes and his funny looking split colored hair, and mysterious scar.

And his smile, the smile that was so small but so bright. A voice so deep but shy. He was a walking contradiction and yet Katsuki couldn’t stop thinking about him even though he knew he should.

__

It was quickly approaching Katsuki’s twenty-third birthday, almost a month since the last time he rode the train willingly. He had taken it a few more times, but to his luck, he hadn’t seen a certain pretty faced high school student and had since gone back to riding his custom Yamaha to work. To make matters worse, he had been in such a shitty mood for the first couple of weeks since coming to terms that the stranger on the train would stay, just a stranger, that he had opened up to Eijiro, his best friend and fellow hero.

“So, what’s the deal, Bakugo? Heard you’re heartbroken.” Denki, a member of the so-called ‘Baku-squad’ said, nonchalantly as he nibbled on the free peanuts that he was hogging as soon as he sat down at the table of the izakaya.

Katsuki’s eyebrows twitched in irritation. He hadn’t been here for a full five minutes and yet he was already pissed off.

How did he even let Eijiro drag him out for an early birthday dinner and drinks when hanging out with this gang of idiots was never a fun time.

“Oh, man, is that why you’ve been so gloomy lately?” Sero asked before turning his attention to sipping his beer when Katsuki gave him the stink eye.

“What’s this about heartbreak?” Mina singsong, leaning on the table with her head propped up by hands. There was a wicked smile on her face, and Katsuki’s known the pink skinned hero long enough that she wasn’t going to drop the topic anytime soon. “Didn’t know you were even in love in the first place.”

“I wasn’t.” Katsuki answered. “And I’m not. Heartbroken or whatever.”

“Then what’s Eijiro talking about when he told us not to mention the guy on the train?” Denki asked, ignoring the pointed look that the red-haired hero shot him from across the table.

“Ahaha! I don’t know what any of these people talking about!” Eijiro stated, letting out a bellowed laugh.

Katsuki shot his best friend a glare. He really should’ve known better than to spill anything to Eijiro even though his friend probably had good intentions when he blabbed to the rest of the group.

“Dude, you’re telling me you took the train for a man?” Hitoshi, the normally quiet observer of the group, spoke up.

The fact that Hitoshi said something must've meant that Katsuki’s behavior was way off from being normal, that or maybe any mention of his personal life really was as interesting as the media made it out to be. “You actually gave up your bike, to take a train? For a man?”

“First of all, the bike was in the shop. I had no choice.”

“He really didn’t. Jeanist wouldn’t let him take any of the agency’s spare vehicles.” Eijiro attested.

Katsuki rolled his wrist at Eijiro, in a do you believe me now gesture to the rest of them.

“Also, the guy on the train wasn’t a man.”

Everyone at the table shot Eijiro a confused look, urging him to elaborate.

“Don’t tell them anything.” Katsuki warned his friend.

“What? I’m confused.” Mina stated.

“He’s more like… a boy. A high school student.” Eijiro prattled.  

“Oh my god, seriously Katsuki?!” Mina squealed. “How scandalous!”

Katsuki dumped his face into his hands. “What the actual fuck, Eijiro,” He grumbled into his fist. “He’s not a kid! He was graduating the last time I saw him.”

“Yeah, but kid’s still 18.” Sero said, stating the obvious, like as if Katsuki didn’t already know that. “Maybe even 17.”

Of course he did! He couldn't even begin to understand why he’d been so fixated on a kid when there are plenty of legal and grown-up potential partners. Not that Katsuki was looking for a partner, not really in that sense.

He didn’t have time to date, nor had he had any desire to ever date before. He had no yearning to settle down or be tied down to one person; for now, strangers in bars and random hook-ups had been enough for him.

So, to hear that Katsuki was fixated on someone for some time now had everyone at the table watching Katsuki with intrigue. It wasn't a secret that Katsuki was known for his one-night stands or his long periods of celibacy. But the blond hero ignored all the eyes on him. He didn’t need to look at them to know that they probably had a hundred different questions that they wanted to ask.

“Like, so you see this kid on the train and then what? What did you plan to do, he’s a minor!” Denki exclaimed, peanut crumbs flying out of his mouth which caused the rest of the table to groan in disgust. Mina gave Denki a hard slap on the arm and reminded him not to talk when his mouth was full.

“Seriously, though. Was he totally your type? Got killer muscles or those broad shoulders that you’re into?” Denki fished, wagging his eyebrows up and down in a motion that made Katsuki want to hit him.

“No! And fuck off, I’m not talking about this anymore!”

“No, he wasn’t your type?” Hitoshi asked for clarification, taking a sip of his beer.

Eijiro shrugged his shoulder, slinking down even more into the booth next to Katsuki. “Apparently he’s a pretty face.” Eijiro answered on Katsuki’s behalf.

“Really?!” Mina squealed. “Since when are you into pretty faces?”

“You saying I’m into uglies?” Katsuki bit back.

Not that Mina wasn’t wrong.

Sure, the people Katsuki had hooked up with in the past have been handsome and good-looking, but not pretty in the way the boy on the train was.

If he was being honest, the Boy in the Gakuran Uniform was more Kirishima’s or Hitoshi’s type. All soft and delicate, and adorably cute; a perfect opposite that would even out their more harsh and manly personas.

Whereas for Katsuki, he liked someone who was rough around the edges and tough, like himself. Someone who wouldn’t back down but instead, knew how to push back. He wanted someone who could stand on equal ground as him. Unfortunately, those types of people were rare to come by and Katsuki had been disappointed over again and again.

“No!’ Mina shouted. “Not at all!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean,” Katsuki waved his hand at her. “I’m not offended.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ll ever see the kid again.” Sero, realistically stated.

Katsuki was well aware of this, too. He knew it all too well since that day in March when those doors closed and the shorter and slender boy was carried off the train, lost in the sea of people. He should’ve looked into those mesmerizing eyes longer so he could have that mix of stormy grey and icy blue imprinted in his mind for years to come.

“Okay, we didn’t bring Katsuki out to interrogate him!” Eijiro stated, wrapping an arm around Katsuki and the other around Sero, bringing both of them closer to him. “We’re here to celebrate!”

“Hear, hear!” Sero and Denki chimed in.

Katsuki scoffed. “Like I’m in the mood to celebrate anymore.” The blond was sure that the people at the table heard his grumbling but had chosen to ignore his negativity and instead pressed on with the celebration get-together.

By some miracle, they had made it almost three hours without anyone mentioning his personal life (or lack of). However, by the time the group migrated over to the bar for round two, and most of them were drunk off their asses, Katsuki was more relaxed and a bit… flirty.

And so, what if that guy who’d been eyeing Katsuki from the bar for the last half hour was totally his type? All big arms and chest that left little to imagine given how the tight black t-shirt the man wearing was hugging his torso.

“Go get that piece of ass!” Mina whispered into his ear before leaning forward from the seats the group had managed to secure when they entered the bar.

“What?”

Mina rolled her eyes at him. “The hottie checking you out from the bar. He’s been eyeing you for the last half hour. Just go and have fun for once. It’s your birthday.”

“My birthday isn’t actually until next week,” Katsuki stated.

Mina sighed at his response.

“The fact that you corrected her is all the more reason you need to fuck. Or get fucked. Whatever floats your boat.” Denki interrupted, his sixth or seventh drink of the evening in hand. “What’s seriously stopping you?”

“Maybe he thinks he’s lost his game now that he’s old,” Hitoshi said, lifting a glass to his lips.

“Oh fuck, right off,” Katsuki growled at the purple-haired hero.

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. He’s got a smirk on his face that Katsuki didn't like; it usually was a bad sign.

“Or maybe it’s because the guy is actually allowed to be in the bar,” Hitoshi started to say. “You know, given that he’s an adult.”

Katsuki’s hands exploded in annoyance but before Eijiro even had a chance to calm Katsuki down, Katsuki had slammed both hands onto the table, shaking all the drinks that were on it, and stood up with a scary, determined look on his face.

“Fucking hate you guys,” Katsuki swore at his so-called friends. “If it makes you guys so happy if I get laid then I will.” He declared.

As he made his way to the bar, he could hear his friends hooting and hollering behind him. If he wasn’t as drunk as he was, Katsuki probably would have thought about his next set of actions more carefully, but he wasn’t. So, he put on his game face and sent a look to Bar Guy when he reached the counter and casually leaned against the wooden surface.

“Celebrating something tonight?” Bar Guy asked, gesturing to his group of idiots who all went back to celebrating without him.

Barely giving the guy a glance, Katsuki folded his hands together, leaning forward against the counter. “Yeah, me.” Katsuki answered.

The guy gave him a big laugh, a deep, loud laugh that matched well with his masculine appearance.

Katsuki gave his head a slight turn and eyed the guy bold enough to try to hit on Dynamight. He’s got warm brown eyes, dark brown hair cut short and a crooked nose; can easily be called good-looking with anyone with a set of working eyes.

“Is that right?” Bar Guy questioned, giving Katsuki a wide smirk. Katsuki smirked back; he wasn’t one to back down.

“What can I get you?” The bartender interrupted, eyeing Katsuki.

Katsuki pointedly looks to the figure beside him and motioned his head to the glass in the Bar Guy’s hands. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

“Coming right up.”

“Oh, and put it on those idiots' tab,” Katsuki motioned his head towards his group of said ‘idiots’.

“Sure thing.”

Even without looking, Katsuki could feel eyes on him. He internally smirked at himself; yup, he’s still hot shit.

“You out with your friends tonight?”

“Mhmm,” Katsuki mummed. “Like I said, today is all about me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yup.” Katsuki doesn’t even have to try hard to hold a conversation, never had to.

He wasn’t like Izuku, who liked to mumble on and on about everything and anything all the fricken time, or like Eijiro, who was easy-going and could make talk with just about anybody. Then there’s Denki, who liked to play the dumb blond but it works; though the day Katsuki ever had to pretend to be a dumb blond would be the day hell freezes over.

As for Katsuki, people seemed to be interested in his appearance solely; not like he could brag about his amazing personality. So, yes, Katsuki rarely ever had to try hard since most of his hook-ups were superficial anyway.

“Say, how do you feel about ditching your friends for the rest of your night?”

“I don’t even know your name,” Katsuki scoffed.

Not that he cared for names, he was pretty bad at remembering names. Unless your name was Shoto, and you were the pretty boy in the gakuran uniform who used to take the 7:05am Ginza Line train from Asakusa Station.

Fuck, stop thinking about him, Katsuki reminded himself.

“You’re all rough around the edges, I’m pretty into that. So, what’s yours?” A deep voice, but not baritone like a certain half-and-half kid. If only he was able to hear that deep voice once more.

Fuck, just stop! Don’t think about him, Katsuki!

The Bar Guy gave Katsuki a strange look.

“Huh?” Crap, he didn't catch the guy's name.

“I asked you what’s your name? Thought it be fair since I shared you mine.”

“Ah, right,” Katsuki said. “The name’s Baku-“

Mind confused with the sudden thought of a pretty boy, Katsuki couldn’t think straight. He didn’t even realize he was about to give out his real name to a stranger. Luckily for him, a sharp elbow to the back interrupted him and brought his attention back to the current situation.

“Oh, sorry, my bad!” A sing-song voice apologized to Katsuki, though it didn’t exactly sound apologetic at all.

Katsuki let out a groan, clearly recognizing the voice. Turning around, he was faced with a wide smiling Hawks and a scowling Dabi.

“Oh, hey! What up, man! Didn’t expect to see you here!” Hawks stated, swinging an arm around Katsuki’s shoulders.

“Hello, Feathers,” Katsuki greeted the slightly older hero.

As much as the winged hero annoyed Katsuki, Katsuki’s parents taught him respect. And the fastest hero around was two-years older than Katsuki and was technically his senpai.

His eyes then shifted to the darker clothed hero standing close to the winged hero. The taller hero looked intimidating. Katsuki was not a smiler, always choosing to smirk or scowl, but he had never seen Dabi smile, fake or sincerely. Instead, the oldest hero present had always looked constipated or annoyed; barely giving any heroes or those he worked with a second thought.

Although, Katsuki swore that Dabi’s eyes are all seeing. There had been many times before when Katuski felt Dabi’s eyes boring deeply into his soul, never failing to make Katsuki shiver to his bones. But today, for some reason, the turquoise eyes that stared at him tonight reminded him of someone else.

Katsuki squinted his eyes, not even caring that he was openly observing the blue flamed hero. “Your eyes… and your hair…” Katsuki drunkenly stated.

“What?” Dabi spat out, eyes squinting at Katsuki. He can feel himself being observed closely. “The heck’s up with you tonight?”

“Has it always been so white and pure?” Katsuki blurted out, eyes still raking over the mop of white, fluffy hair.

He didn't miss the confused, raised eyebrows Dabi and Hawks shared.

Those two didn’t even need to say anything out loud to each other anymore, a testament to all the years they’ve worked together for, and whatever relationship those two are engaged in their personal lives. Katsuki’s no gossip but he had heard things; he regularly hung out with Mina and Denki after all.

“Well, I guess I was born with red hair initially,” Dabi explained, his voice losing a lot of edge that he normally spoke in. Maybe he was thinking about why he was even entertaining Katsuki's weird question.

As for Katuski, he wondered if he broke the other hero.

“You did dye your hair black for a period, too,” Hawks reminded Dabi earning a groan from the other.

“It looks familiar,” Katsuki stated. “Like snow. Reminds me of winter.”

Wait, did Dabi say red? Katsuki shook his head.

“Is he okay?” Katsuki heard Hawks whisper to Dabi. “Should we cut him off?” To which Dabi supplied with only a shoulder shrug.

“Fucking hammered is what he is,” Dabi sighed. “Keep an eye on him.” Katsuki heard him instruct his winged companion before waving down the bartender.

Katsuki ignored Dabi’s concern and was about to bite back; a harsh remark that he was twenty-three now (well, soon; in a week anyway), and that he was a responsible, grown adult who could take care of himself when Katsuki’s ordered drink was set in front of him. He blinked down at it for a while before remembering he was supposed to be talking to the hot guy at the bar before his attention was stolen away by turquoise eyes and snowy white hair.

If he was in the right mind state, Katsuki would have had second thoughts of flirting with a guy when the Number Two Hero and Number Four Hero was standing right next to him; heroes who he had looked up to as a student in U.A. in the hero course. Not to mention that said Number Four hero was the son of the current Number One.

But he wasn’t, so instead, he turned his attention back to Bar Guy whose name he missed because he was busy getting distracted thinking about someone else; someone he shouldn’t be thinking about at all. He didn’t miss the startled jump the Bar Guy made when Katsuki set his eyes back onto him.

“Sorry, just some people I know from work.” Katsuki explained.

Bar Guy just stared at him with wide eyes.

“Are you a hero?” The brown-haired stranger asked.

Maybe Katsuki was getting his mind back because now that he stared at the stranger for longer, there wasn’t anything special or unique about him. Kind of boring… why did Katsuki make his way over to the bar for him again?

“How’d you guess?”

Bar Guy made an indistinguishable, gurgled noise.

“Cause that’s fucking Hero Hawks and Hero Dabi!” The stars in his eyes took even more away from any remaining attractiveness Katsuki saw in him, not that there was much remaining with how fast Katsuki seemed to be sobering up.

“Oh my god! I can’t believe a hero is flirting with me! Wait until I tell the guys at work about this…” The guy goes on to talk about how great he must be to score a hero (which was false because Katsuki was definitely not going anywhere with the guy anymore).

It was in the middle of his own thoughts of wanting to spill his own drink on himself so he could make an escape to the washroom when Katsuki zeroed in the conversation happening right next to him. It’s not that Katsuki wanted to eavesdrop; it was more that the conversation happening next to him was more interesting than whatever Bar Guy was sprouting about.

Something about his gym routine and how his leg routine could give heroes a run for their money. Hah, yeah right.

“Sho still mad at you?” Hawks inquired.

“Well, considering the only ones who showed up on time and were actually present to see him receive his diploma were Mom and Fuyumi, so yeah, he’s still upset even though he claims he isn’t.”

“I mean,” Hawks trailed off. “It was his graduation day and you did say you were all going to try to be there for him.”

Dabi scoffed. “Hah, serves him right if he thought it was going to turn out to be a good day. He should know by now how our family is.”

Well, even Katsuki’s heard of the infamous Todoroki’s.

Even with two highly-ranked heroes in the family, the well-known family unfortunately had some of their dark secrets spilled around the time Dabi entered the pro hero scene. Only a high school student at the time, Katsuki had heard about the family abuse and harsh training Endeavor had put his son through in order to ensure Dabi became a pro hero. The media had dived deep into collecting as much information as they could from the normally secretive family, only to spill to the whole world about how Endeavor had put his wife in a mental institute, too.

But despite having all his secrets out in the open, Endeavor was still very much a hero that Bakugo admired. He was strong, invincible, and determined. He was also a human that had faults, which helped Bakugo feel grounded by the time he became a hero. Sure, Endeavor was a shit father but he was a good hero. It’s why he’s number one.

“He’s still a kid. It’s not his fault for wanting to be treated as one.” Hawks stated. “Besides, the kid’s been through the wringer his entire life. It wouldn’t have hurt if…”

Katsuki jumped in his seat when Dabi slammed a hand against the counter.

“If we tried more? If we’ve been better to him? Was that what you were going to say?” Dabi shouted before dumping his face into his hands.

Katsuki heard a loud, exasperate sigh and it was in this moment of clarity that Katsuki realized maybe he shouldn’t have been listening in on such a private conversation.

“I don’t even know how to be a big brother to any of them, what did he or you or anyone else really expected of me?” Dabi asked, sounding utterly defeated.

“Touya…” Hawks breathed out.

“Hey, hero! You listening?” A sharp voice snapped at Katsuki, trying to gain the blond hero’s attention back.

Wait, did that extra really snap his fingers at Katsuki?

Katsuki gritted his teeth together, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. He repeated a mantra in his head: don’t explode, you don’t need to be reprimanded again, Katsuki, don’t explode. The present cackling on his fingertips was a familiar feeling coming forth even if he wasn’t consciously calling out to it.

“Everything alright, Dynamight?” Hawks’ voice called out.

The grounding sound of the hero’s voice allowed Katsuki to open his eyes again. He didn’t even know he had closed them in an attempt to calm himself down.

“Hey, fucker. Why don’t you beat it?” Dabi commanded, leaning forward so that Bar Guy could see his intimidating face from where he stood behind Hawks and Katsuki.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re playing way out of your league,” Dabi stated. The blue flame hero waved his hand at the stranger, dismissing him without a second thought.

For some reason though, Bar Guy sent Katsuki a stare like as if he thought Katsuki would stand up for him or something.

Instead, Katsuki shot him a glare and motioned his head in a second dismissal. “You heard him.”

And then Katsuki turned his back. Katsuki could hear some motion behind him but he didn’t give the loser an extra second of his attention.

“All good?” Hawks asked, eyebrows raised as he eyes Katsuki.

Katsuki knew the look all too well; it’s the same one he would give when doing a once-over on a civilian he saved.

Katsuki nodded his head. “Yeah, ‘m fine.”

In one smooth movement, Dabi had gripped Katsuki’s drink and steered it out of reach. Katsuki didn’t even fight for it back; his inebriation hadn’t done him any good this evening, and in the end, he was still thinking about Shoto.

“I know it’s none of my business,” Dabi started to say. “But you can do way better.”

Katsuki scoffed. “Yeah, I know. Just trying to forget someone tonight.”

“And how’s that going?”

Katsuki didn’t answer the winged hero right away. Instead, his eyes scanned the dark hero once again, really taking in the white hair and turquoise eyes. The familiarity did things to Katsuki and he couldn't help but miss the boy who kept him entertained for weeks without even putting in any effort.

“Not well,” Katsuki said, with a defeated sigh.

__

It’s funny, what fate had in store for Katsuki.

Really, he didn’t believe in birthday wishes or blowing out candles on a cake. But if he did make a wish the day before, it may or may not have been to give him one more opportunity to speak to the boy that he couldn’t seem to get off his mind.

“What is it about him that makes you keep thinking about him?” Izuku had implored him a few days ago when Katsuki had arrived to patrol with a major hangover.

Izuku with his sharp eyes had taken noticed right away leaving Katsuki with no choice but to update the green haired hero on his disastrous birthday celebration. He didn’t mean to tell Izuku everything, but somehow, Katsuki eventually did spill to his childhood friend and current rival about wanting to forget about Shoto and almost making a mistake with boring Bar Guy only to spend the rest of his night surprisingly with Dabi and Hawks, who apparently were way too protective and made sure he got home safe. By dropping Katsuki off right at the doorsteps of his apartment complex. Talk about overbearing, even his own parents weren’t that annoying!

Then again, his mom did lecture him not too long ago about the dangers of living in a big city like Tokyo, like as though she forgot that her own son was a top ten hero! No matter what age you are, apparently mothers never loosen the reins.

“I don’t know,” Katsuki had simply answered then. “It’s not like we talked.”

Which was true. They barely even had a conversation. So, really, what was it about Halfie that Katsuki found attractive?

“Love at first sight then?” Izuku supplied, which immediately earned a scoff from Katsuki.

The multi-quirk holder rolled his eyes exasperatedly at Katsuki in return. “Well, it’s the only thing that makes sense from what I’ve heard. Sometimes, believe it or not Kacchan, but people do fall for each other at first sight. It’s like a bio-chemical reaction that happens instantaneously for two people that for no other reason other than an attraction…”

And Izuku lost Katsuki's attention in a matter of seconds, going off on his tangent that he’s known to do since the forever of time.

“Anyway, you might not believe in love at first sight, but I do,” Izuku finished. “It’s a powerful thing. Exhibit A.”  The small fry had the audacity to motion his hand at Katsuki.

“Shuddup, Deku,” Katsuki had warned though Izuku only smiled, like as if he’d won something. He wanted to wipe that smug look off Izuku’s face but the shorter hero had walked off with a light bounce in his step.

Yet, the idea stuck with Katsuki for days after Izuku planted it in his head. Too many times, Katsuki had tried to talk himself out of the absurd notion which only made him think about Halfie even more. So much for forgetting about him.

Ugh, maybe the green shrimp had a point. Not that Katsuki would ever admit it aloud, he didn’t want to be some movie cliché statistic. That just sounded too… romantic for Katsuki’s style.

Too many times, he had envisioned a small head with dual colored hair and a set of mis-matched colored eyes, and yet, on an unassuming Friday afternoon, the person of his imagination had somehow materialized in front of him. So really – it was too good to be true, if that really was Halfie walking on the opposite side of the street from him.

For a brief moment, Katsuki had talked himself out of believing it really was Shoto because what were the chances? Tokyo was way too big for him and Shoto to cross paths again. There wouldn’t be a lot for a student like him to be in the area to visit anyway; it was Tokyo’s business district where a lot of hero agencies had set up shop and really not much of anything else.

Each second of hesitation, the mop of weird colored hair was getting further and further away.

Seriously though, what did he have to lose?

In the end, Katsuki cupped his hands around his mouth, and maybe sounding a bit too desperate for his own liking, shouted out to Halfie.

“Shoto!” He dragged out the last syllable.

His loud yelling had startled the younger boy, as well as a few pedestrians on the street. Curious heads turned to face Katsuki, some gave him quizzical look, most just ignored him and continued on their way. As for Shoto himself, the short and slender boy’s head jerked up in shock at his name being called out so loudly in public. That was all Katsuki needed to see before he started forth towards the frozen figure – he wasn’t imagining him; it really was Shoto, the Boy in the Gakuran Uniform.

Well, maybe that depiction didn’t suit the boy anymore. Gone was the sleek, black uniform and in place, the boy was dressed in black jeans and a cozy dark blue sweater with a dark brown knee-length coat over top. Fitting for a college student.

Katsuki watched as Shoto with his wide eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the person who knew him. People brushed against the boy’s shoulders, tilting him off balance as they walked passed him. It only made Katsuki want to hurry to him faster. But when mismatched eyes finally landed on Katsuki, they widened even more in surprise. It didn’t take long before a ghost of a smile formed on his thin lips.

“Bakugo-san,” Shoto breathed out, a shy laugh following after.

His name… Shoto knew his name. He had heard Katsuki that day after all.

Katsuki didn’t know why that knowledge made him feel elated, but it did.

“Hey,” Katsuki greeted. He couldn’t resist the smirk that formed on his lips either.

For standing just mere centimeters from him, was the boy he had fallen in love with at first sight.

__

“You’re…here,” Shoto repeated softly, unblinking like as if Katsuki might disappear if he did. “I can’t believe it.”

“So are you.” Katsuki was just as astonished. "Why?"

For a fleeting moment, he wondered if the Birthday Gods actually answered his wish. Fuck, Mina and Denki were really rubbing off on him.

“Oh, I was visiting my brother nearby,” Shoto answered. “My sister also made some food for me so I was picking that up from him.”

Katsuki glanced down and noticed the hefty looking pink bag with strawberry designs all over it. The bag looked ridiculous, and not at all Halfie’s style but at the same time, suited him. Maybe cause Shoto was all cute and dainty like the red fruit.

Someone bumped into Shoto again, this time causing the bag strap to slip off his thin shoulder. Katsuki reached out to steady the smaller boy, getting a strong hold on the student’s elbow. He didn’t miss the pink blush against pale skin.

Cute.

“If you aren’t in a hurry, do you want to grab a coffee with me?”

Wait, did Katsuki actually ask out the kid? He could actually hear the voices of his band of idiots in his head making scandalous sounds in his head, specifically Denki screeching and calling him a cradle robber, like he has ever since he found out about Katsuki’s obsession with the younger man.

“But if you have to go – “ Katsuki rambled, reaching behind his head to rub his neck. It was a normal reaction from him when he felt out of his comfort zone, whether he was nervous or embarrassed.

Fuck. Was he being a creep?

What if Katsuki read the signals all wrong and Shoto had no interest in him. Was the kid going to report him to the cops?!

Damn, the only one stupid thing he has done since debuting as a pro hero and it was going to get him fired, face plastered all over the media, and blacklisted from all the hero agencies in the country.

Luckily, Shoto stepped in to save him from his internal downward spiral.

“I don’t have anywhere to go!” Shoto exclaimed, gripping onto the front of Katsuki’s jacket. The hasty and unpredictable move surprised Katsuki and it must’ve shown on his face because Shoto slowly pried his fingers off the fabric.

If Shoto’s face could get any redder, he’d be a tomato. It only made Katsuki find the boy even more endearing.

If anyone passing by and were curious enough to look over at them, they would witness both men looking flustered with pink dusted on their cheeks. The two of them both equally embarrassed at their own actions, as well as pleasantly surprised at the other’s reaction.

Katsuki cleared his throat and gestured his head down the street. “There’s, um, a café just down this street. They make good pastries, too.”

It’s where Katsuki would duck into if he wanted a good coffee and a minute to himself away from all the hero work. It was also only a few blocks away from the agency, a good location if he ever had to hurry back.

Shoto nodded in excitement, his face lighting up with eagerness. Or at least as much excitement as the stoic boy can show. It’s the way his eyes widen, a light in his irises that sparkled under the sun.

They walked comfortably next to each other, arms brushing against each other every so often. From the small talk they engaged in, Katsuki confirmed that Shoto was a quiet spoken person. The younger man would speak just loudly enough to hear, in a low voice that vibrated deep to Katsuki’s core. Shoto was the opposite in that way, especially when compared to Katsuki’s loud and boisterous personality. But Katuski could be quiet, too. When he wanted to.

Like now, with Shoto.

It was as though it was just them two in the world, there was no need to be loud when the person he was with was just a hair breadth away, a secret moment between them where they could blend in with the crowd and no one would be none the wiser that there was a highly ranked pro hero amongst them.

“So, what have you been up to lately?” Katsuki asked, taking a sip of his iced black coffee. He was leaning back comfortably in his seat; arm rested on the back of his chair as he observed the smaller boy in front of him.

Katsuki could stare at him all day if he was allowed to. Shoto was just that mesmerizing.

“I go to the University of Tokyo now,” Shoto replied, playing with the straw of his sugary drink. He looked an equal mix of shy and uncomfortable – not in a way that made Katsuki think that he was uncomfortable around him but more so, not used to this sort of situation. “I’m studying medicine.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow at that. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting but he wouldn’t have placed any money on that answer. But the more he studied the shy boy that could barely meet eyes with him, the more he could see Shoto as a doctor one day.

From first impressions, Shoto seemed studious, and punctual from what Katsuki had observed before – showing up exactly at the same time for the train. He also seemed level headed, calm, and observant, so mature and well-put together compared to much of the population his age who was still trying to figure themselves out.

It made Katsuki think that Shoto and him are quite alike. Back then when he was Shoto’s age – heck even younger, Katsuki had known full well what he wanted to do. There was no guessing about it, he was going to be a pro hero. It was attractive to find that same fire in someone else.

“A doctor, huh?” Shoto nodded his head up and down. “Do you know what field of medicine?” To that question, Shoto shook his head.

“I’m still learning about the different fields, I’ll be able to learn more in a few years when I get to do my residency. But maybe emergency room or maybe even plastic surgeon?” Katsuki must’ve let his surprise show if Shoto felt the need to explain himself. “More like reconstruction plastic surgery, for those who have gotten into accidents and just want to look a bit more like themselves without having to look in the mirror to be reminded of what happened to them.”

Katsuki couldn’t help but glance at the burn mark on the boy’s face. Shoto didn’t have to confirm anything, but his inspiration to go down that route must be because it meant something to him. He didn’t ask about the scar, not when it wss apparent that Shoto felt insecure about it. Unlike the last time Katsuki saw him, Shoto had gone back to hiding behind his long bangs.

“That’s very inspirational,” Katsuki told as much.

A smile formed on the other’s mouth, though the two-toned haired boy was still looking down at his drink. “Who knows what I’ll end up doing, but I hope that whatever I choose, I’ll be able to save lives.”

Oh, it seemed as though they were very similar after all.

“The everyday hero, huh?” Katsuki joked.

It was only a second but the light flickered out of Shoto’s eyes replaced with hatred and spite, and maybe even sadness. Honestly, Katsuki wasn’t even sure what he was seeing; it was a look that didn’t belong on Shoto. He didn’t need to know Shoto for very long to come to that conclusion.

A soft smile, that airy, dreamy look he got when his mind wondered somewhere else, lulled by the rocking of the train. Those were the looks that Katsuki got accustomed to, got to know so well when he observed the younger on the train for weeks.

“Something like that,” Shoto replied, his eyes casted in a faraway look.

Everyone was entitled to their own story, and Katsuki hoped that maybe one day, he would be privy to Shoto’s. In the meantime, Katsuki would do all that he can so that Shoto doesn’t make that look again.

“Do you still take the train?” Katsuki asked instead. He had always wondered if he had given up too quickly, if maybe he had been more persistent than maybe he could have seen Shoto sooner.

“I do, but not the same one as you,” Shoto answered, a small smile returning to his face. “I moved out not too long ago so that I’m closer to the school. I sometimes take the same line if I’m visiting my parents or my siblings back at home.” Shoto decided to look up at Katsuki, like as if he was double checking to make sure that Katsuki was still here with him. “Every time, I always hoped that I would run into you again. I never did.”

“Until today,” Katsuki said, heart beating fast.

“Until today,” Shoto echoed.

The next three hours flew by and Katsuki bought Shoto all the sweet treats that he wanted, his sister’s homemade food sitting forgotten. The conversations came easily and Katsuki got to listen to Shoto speak as much as he wanted, hands flying about animatedly when he got into a topic that got him excited.

It didn’t take long for Katsuki to realize that Shoto did not know about Katsuki’s alter ego, and that the boy seemed to be enraptured by Katsuki himself, and not Dynamight the hero. It was why Katsuki never revealed to Shoto what he did for work– he wanted to relish in the moment where he was just Katsuki to him and nothing else.

Instead, Katsuki talked about his friends and about all the crazy stories that resulted in hanging out with his gang of idiots. He even told Shoto about how his friends even named their odd group the ‘Bakusquad’ after Bakugo. That got Shoto to laugh, although the young man made him blush when he told Katsuki that he wasn’t surprised because he found Katsuki to be bright and shining, it wouldn’t be a surprise if people wanted to orbit Katsuki.

“Well, Pretty Boy, should I get you home?” Katsuki asked, watching Shoto finish up his second strawberry flavored treat.

Shoto blushed hard causing Katsuki to realize the implication of his words. Unless the boy was as sweet and innocent as Katsuki knew him to be, and he was in fact blushing because Katsuki referred him as ‘pretty’.

“Oh, that’s not necessary, Bakugo-san,” Shoto stated shyly. “We’re quite far out, it’ll be an inconvenience to you.”

Katsuki got up from the table and didn’t hesitate to loop the strap of Shoto’s backpack over his shoulder. “It won’t be,” Katsuki insisted. “Besides, I haven’t taken the train in a while. I’ll show you how I normally get around.” The wink sent Shoto blushing even more.

They walked a few blocks from the café where Katsuki had parked his bike near the agency. At first, Shoto didn’t believe that the bike was Katsuki, letting out a light laugh. But when Katsuki leaned his head toward the bike and started fiddling with the storage compartment, Shoto’s face turned scared, finally realizing that Katsuki wasn’t kidding.

“That’s your ride?” Shoto asked, jaw dropped.

Katsuki laughed, patting the leather seat. “Yup, this is her!” He tossed the spare helmet to Shoto, who fumbled with the catch but didn't drop it. He took Shoto’s bags and placed them in the storage compartment next to his duffle bag that carried his hero uniform inside.

“You scared?” Katsuki jokingly asked.

But the frightened look on Shoto’s face wiped the smug look off Katsuki’s face. “Yeah, a bit.” Shoto honestly answered.

“I’ll drive safe,” Katsuki reassured, realizing how nervous the boy actually was. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Shoto looked up at him and nodded his head, seemingly putting his trust into Katsuki.

“I – I don’t know how to put this on.”

Katsuki chuckled. “Okay, come here Pretty Boy, let’s get you all strapped in.”

He motioned Shoto to step forward. It surprised Katsuki how much he had to looked down, his towering height feeling much more apparent in this moment. From his small face to his thin shoulders, the boy was so small even bundled up in his various layers of clothes.

Katsuki almost lost it when wide, innocent, mismatched eyes looked up at him. To combat his fast, beating heart, he snapped the helmet albeit a little too rough onto Shoto’s head, making the boy look down and adjust the helmet so he could uncover his eyes.

“It’s a bit big,” Shoto said, the straps hanging far from his chin.

“Tch,” Katsuki said. He reached out, his finger brushing against the boy’s cheeks. “That’s cause you have to adjust it. Stupid, tiny head.”

“My head is stupid?” Shoto asked.

“What? No!” Katsuki quickly backtracked.

“Then I’m stupid?”

“No! Definitely not!” Katsuki was starting to panic.

Was he fucking things up after getting his second chance with Shoto? He should’ve known better that he wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea; even Katsuki could admit that he wasn’t great at communicating nor good with words in general. He’d been told that the way he spoke threw people off because it’s usually crude.

“But you just said –“

“I meant that your head is small, that’s a good thing! Doesn’t everyone go around saying how small faces are nice and all.”

Shoto blinked in surprise. “Oh, thank you then.”

Katsuki wanted to die; this conversation was so awkward.

“Okay, let’s get going, princess,” Katsuki stated instead, happy to get going now.

With practiced eased, Katsuki straddled his bike and kicked the bike stand back, balancing the bike between his legs. He turned to Shoto and gestured to him, letting the other know that he was ready.

“So, you’re going to want to come onto the bike from the curb. Probably best if you grip onto my jacket to steady yourself until you feel comfortable,” Katsuki instructed. He extended his hand, palm out. Shoto didn’t hesitate to grab on. “Don’t sit too close to the back, you’re better off scootching close to me.”

“You planned this when you offered me a ride, didn’t you, Bakugo-san?” Shoto stated, accusingly but light in jest.

Okay, so maybe Shoto was onto him.

But even so, Shoto followed Katsuki’s instructions and got onto the bike with little struggle. He felt it behind him when Shoto was moving side to side, brushing against Katsuki’s back as he got comfortable.

“Just don’t want my precious cargo falling off when I’m weaving through traffic.”

“Bakugo-san!”

Even though he couldn’t see him, Katsuki would bet that Shoto was blushing red right now. Instead, he felt the press of Shoto’s cheek against his back, in hiding.

Katsuki chuckled. “Don’t worry, that’s not going to happen,” Katsuki said, playing dumb. “As long as you hold on tight.” He then reached for Shoto’s hands that were already gripping onto the side of Katsuki’s jacket, bringing them to the front of his stomach.

The younger boy hesitated for a second before strengthening his hold on his own hands around Katsuki’s waist.

Man, the things this boy did to Katsuki’s already weakened heart. He just couldn't take it.

In all of Katsuki’s twenty-three years of living, no one had made Katsuki feel so strongly about them. Well, maybe Izuku but that was a lot time ago, and it was mostly anger and annoyance. Thinking back, he was full of immaturity and angst, and unfortunately, picked Izuku to be his own personal punching bag. So, whatever Shoto was making him feel, was all too new.

Sure, he had felt attraction to other people before, lots of times actually, but no one he really had any feelings towards per se. No one made him feel anything other than satisfaction (at most) if their night together was a good one. Most times, they were just a sip to clench his thirst, an itch to scratch.

But Shoto – sweet, innocent, and clueless Shoto.

Katsuki knew that he needed him.

Chapter Text

“Is something the matter with you?” Denki asked, slurping down food like a caveman and getting the broth all over the table and on Izuku who was unfortunately seated next to him.

The ‘Baku-squad’ plus Izuku, an honorary member or so the green head claimed, had assembled tonight in Eijiro’s homey apartment for dinner since all of them were too tired to go out and actually go somewhere and do something.

Katsuki had wanted to skip out on the gathering altogether.

The last few days had been grueling since he and Deku had been assigned new work; this time, a collaboration between Jeanist Agency and Endeavor Agency, working together on some reconnaissance on a growing anti-heteromorph group. It was always a pain dealing with loud, self-righteous fanatics trying to push their ideals onto others, especially when their ideals involved how one should and shouldn’t look like.

If Katsuki had it his way, he’d beat all these fuckers up before they had a chance to spread another single hateful word. But on their bosses’ orders, he and Izuku weren’t allowed to do much except keep an eye out on the ringleaders. They were only to keep watch of the number of followers or if the group looked like they were planning on doing something that would harm the public.

So far, the group hadn’t done anything worth reporting back to but it still took a toll on Katsuki’s mentality; to be around people like them all day long was excruciating. Day in and day out, hate spewed out of their mouths, and frankly, it got tiring real fast having to listen to that shit.

He was looking forward to crashing the moment he got home, maybe text a certain medical student, but Shoto had already given Katsuki the heads up that he was meeting up with his some group members for a research project for a class. To think that there would be a day that Katsuki would feel down because the person he was seeing was unreachable.

Wait, did that make him the clingy one?

So, when Izuku had tried to convince Katsuki to join them one last time at the end of their 10-hour shift, Katsuki didn’t fight that hard and caved in instead. It helped that sukiyaki hot pot was on the menu which meant he also didn’t have to cook.

But with the way this conversation was heading, maybe he regretted coming after all.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with me!” Katsuki shouted, exasperatedly.

“Then, is there something wrong with your lover boy?” Denki asked instead.

Katsuki hated his friend for putting emphasis on the word boy. Like as if he was teasing him, scratch it, the other was indeed teasing Katsuki.

Katsuki slammed his chopsticks onto the table, eyes glaring at the yellow-blond. “No!”

When he agreed to join his so-called friends for their regular gathering, he hadn’t expected tonight’s conversations to revolve around his budding relationship with Shoto though he should’ve known better.

It seemed like everyone was interested in Katsuki’s love life. Whether it was on breaks with Izuku or late-night ramen with Eijiro, both his childhood friend and best friend, respectively, were invested in this new thing with Shoto. He wasn’t sure who was the most persistent, though both were equally tied for being annoying; always pestering him for the latest updates.

“Then what is it?” Izuku asked.

“Yeah, man. It’s been, what – three weeks and you still haven’t held his hand let alone kissed him?” Eijiro joined in after placing a new plate of precisely cut vegetables onto the table.

The vultures dived in, barely giving the host enough time to retract his hands before chopsticks went flying about everywhere.

Katsuki had no words for that. No answer, either.

Because it was true, Katsuki hadn’t made a move on Shoto. And it had been weeks.

Why was he being so innocent with Shoto? Like, elementary student level innocent. Actually, he’s pretty sure he held hands with a girl on the playground when he was five.

He knew he wasn’t hanging out with Shoto as friends.

Wait, did the college student know that?

It’s not like Katsuki did anything date-like, other than footing the bill on their outings. They’ve gone on already maybe five or six dates so far, not counting the quick meet-ups sprinkled in between where Katsuki would swing by the university before heading into work and the two of them would just walk around somewhere near the campus or go for quick coffee meet up before Katsuki’s shifts.

He knew Shoto enough by now to know that the younger boy was a bit clueless and dense in certain areas, but surely the boy knew that Katsuki was interested in him, right?

Right?!

Katsuki let out a groan, dragging his palm across his face. He was being an idiot.

Because – it’s not like Katsuki didn’t want to kiss Shoto because he really fucking did, and it was painful all the times he had held back from actually doing it. But again, why was he holding back?

“Maybe unconsciously you haven’t made a move because you know it’s wrong.” Hitoshi supplied.

“What?” Katsuki deadpanned.

The purple-haired, tired-looking hero, the exact replica of their homeroom teacher back at U.A, side-glanced at Katsuki and let out a sigh when he noticed narrowed crimson eyes that were directed at him.

The rest of the table turned silent, chopsticks stopped moving, and Katsuki’s pretty sure Izuku and Denki’s jaws were dropped open. All eyes were set on the two heroes.

“Look – he’s still a minor, isn’t he?” Hitoshi started.

“He’s… in college now.”

“Still seventeen, though.”

Silence.

Okay, maybe Katsuki had blown up the group chat in a panic when he found out that Shoto was only seventeen years old.

The first year college student had casually let it slip on their third date, where he took the shorter male to Ueno Park to enjoy the last of the sakura blossoms. They had been casually walking, side-by-side, a coffee in hand, strolling the park and getting to know each other when Shoto had mentioned that he was still under his father’s care and how it’d been unbearable for a while up until recently now that Shoto was out of the family house. But even still, his father was trying to control Shoto, his youngest son.

“One more year,” Was what Shoto had said. “Before I’m out of his reach for good.”

The way Shoto had spoken about his father made it sound like the student didn’t have a good home life; his face drawn up in a scowl as he thought back on it.

Maybe Katsuki would have implored Shoto more about it – if he wasn’t so focused on the med student’s age. He had pretended that day that everything was fine, and it seemed like Shoto didn’t find anything amiss with Katsuki, when internally he was facing a downward spiral, wondering what the hell he was doing out with a fucking kid.

For some reason, assuming that Shoto was eighteen years old had sat better with Katsuki but knowing that the mismatch-eyed boy was younger than he thought even if it was just by a year, it felt wrong (maybe Hitoshi did hit the nail on the head).

Katsuki had gone the whole date internally struggling with that realization. When Shoto’s hand brushed against his, Katsuki shoved his hands into his pants pockets. When Shoto leaned too closely to point out a nice row of sakura trees, Katsuki slowed his steps and let the boy lead.

And yet – when Shoto turned around looking all happy while beckoning Katsuki to hurry, the hero had momentarily let go of the fact that he was on a date with someone so young, young enough that his career would be ruined if the media and public caught wind of it.

Then Shoto had quietly laughed, a first for Katsuki to bear witness to, when the pink pedals showered down on him when a strong wind startled the branches of the fragile tree.

When that happened, Katsuki had come to terms with it; after all, age was just a number, right?

Or at least Katsuki thought he had come to terms with it. But now that he was sitting here and his gang of nosy idiots were saying all of this out loud, maybe… he wasn't.

Maybe he never did since he couldn’t even get himself to hold hands with Shoto.

Hitoshi sighed, like as if Katsuki’s silence was proving his point. Or maybe the mind-control hero was feeling sympathetic to Katsuki’s plight which only rubbed Katsuki the wrong way.

“It’s not that,” Katsuki vaguely replied, though he didn’t sound convincing even to himself.

“Then why are you acting like a blushing virgin?” Hitoshi stated point blank. “That’s not the cocky asshole that we all know. You haven’t been this hesitant since… ever.”

Also, true.

And it sucked that these people in this very room right now have known him for so long; there was no hiding from them.

“Is it,” Izuku started, hesitant. Playing with the ends of his shirt. “Is it because of what I said last time?”

Katsuki groaned again, burying his face in his hands while three sets of eyes bounce between the two childhood rivals.

It was his mistake that he ended up telling Izuku about his run in with Shoto that day after his birthday and the impromptu café date he got the younger boy to go on. Sue him if he came into work the morning after and was still drunk on a high because being with Shoto and talking with Shoto was infectious.

Of course, Izuku had warned him then about the consequences of being involved with a student, though Bakugo had repeatedly told him that Shoto was now a college student so it wasn’t as scandalous as he was making it out to be.

“It’s not like I’m going to sleep with him,” Katsuki had barked back after no longer having the patience to sit through the nerd’s lecturing.

“You aren’t?” Izuki asked, eyebrows raised at him in deep questioning.

“No! I’m just getting to know him.” He had casually stated, like as if he wasn’t already a simp for the aloof boy with each passing day.

“Okay,” Izuku said, dubiously.

The shorter hero was unconvinced though he didn’t say anything else on the matter. Just one final warning. “If you say so. But remember, if you ever decide to do something you can’t take back, he’s a minor.”

Maybe what the One For All user had said weeks back was still eating at him, keeping him at bay from doing anything scandalous. Because fuck – 

At the end of the day, Shoto was still a fucking minor. Can’t even vote yet.

Hell, it wouldn’t be for another three years before the kid could legally enter a bar!

And Katsuki… he had only cracked the top ten for the first time since his debut. He was in the public’s eye more than ever. Ranked #9, and yet, he wasn’t planning on stopping any time soon. No – not until he reached the very top, where the likes of powerful heroes like All Might and Endeavor had, and still, respectively, stood.

“No, you nerd! It wasn't because of what you said!” Everyone flinched at Katsuki’s outburst.

“So, what exactly are you hoping the outcome would be by continuing to see the kid? Is this a passing phase of yours?”

“Hitoshi, you don’t have to be so blunt!” Eijiro chided. The red-haired hero turned to Katsuki and patted his shoulder. “You don’t have to answer that, Katsu. What you want to do at the end of the day is your own choice.”

Eijiro, ever the peacekeeper.

But why did Katsuki still feel like shit?

“Do all of you think that I’m making a mistake here?” Katsuki asked.

He took the time to look at each of his friends’ face. Everyone except Hitoshi had turned their heads when Katsuki tried to meet their eyes, cowering under Katsuki’s stare. Denki looked outright scared, Izuku was fidgeting like crazy, and Eijiro just looked sad.

“It doesn’t matter what we think,” Hitoshi stated.

“Then why am I getting the third degree here?” Katsuki cut in.

Izuku sensing the turn of events quickly stepped in. “It’s not that, Kacchan! We care about you and we’re really happy that you’re happy!”

Katsuki shot him a glare, choosing not to believe any of his words. Izuku instantly shut up and Eijiro stepped in.

"Just be careful. You know how it is being in the limelight.”

“Yeah, Kacchan, just don’t throw away everything you’ve worked so hard at for…”

“For a phase?” Katsuki bitterly finished.

Denki recoiled at that. There was no question that Katsuki was pissed.

What was supposed to be a stress-free casual night in with friends was turning out to be the exact opposite. He regretted not going home.

“We didn’t mean to make you mad, Kacchan,” Izuku said, looking regretful about the whole ordeal. It was All Might’s protégé that dragged him here in the first place.

“Let’s leave Katsuki alone, he doesn’t need us breathing down his neck.” Eijiro stated. The hardened hero then turned to his right side. “So, Hitoshi, tell us how it’s going with your guy.”

With the attention now on him, the dark-eyed hero started to blush.

“Oh, um, well turns out that Monoma really has changed from our U.A. days,” the newly off-the-market hero started to share.

As much as Katsuki appreciated not being the topic of conversation anymore, it was just as hard to listen about how well Hitoshi’s relationship with a fellow U.A. alumni and top ranking hero was going.

It wasn’t that Katsuki was jealous, he just wanted the same for himself, which was a first. It wasn’t until now that he realized how nice it must be to talk about a fresh, exciting relationship with friends.

He’d never had that for himself before. Rather, his friends were living vicariously through Katsuki’s wild and free personal life. After all, he was the one who wrote off relationships in favor of staying focused on his hero goals.

Whether it was due to being a year older or if it was Shoto changing his perspective, but Katsuki was now longing for things he never had any desire for before.

And rather than whole-heartedly accepting the epiphany, Katsuki spent the rest of the night sulking and internally punishing himself in his head wondering when he had become someone he couldn’t recognize anymore.

__

“Bakugo-san!”

Katsuki turned around on his bike which he had parked by the entrance gates of the prestigious university to see an approaching Shoto, his school bag slung over his shoulder, a soft smile on his face and hair billowing in the wind. He looked all soft and beautiful, even Katsuki couldn’t be mad at the people who openly stared at Shoto as he passed them; it was too easy to be enraptured by the boy – after all, Katsuki was one of them, too.

Seriously, how can someone be cute, pretty, and hot all at the same time?

Katsuki chuckled when he saw Shoto’s face drop, a look of hesitation when he approached the bike. The younger boy eyed Katsuki’s custom-made baby with a look of apprehension even though he’d been on the Yamaha a couple of times now.

It was cute, the way Shoto’s face scrunched up. It reminded Katsuki of a hungry hamster, but maybe it’s because of the other’s chubby cheeks. So pokable.

And refreshing.

Which was exactly what, or more accurately who, Katsuki needed after a long and grueling day of work. It didn’t help that Izuku was still acting awkward after that disastrous night at Eijiro’s.

Ever since the grilling he got from his friends, Katsuki’s mind was filled with a lot of thoughts, all of them conflicting. In between the recon mission and his own internal conflict, Katsuki had barely gotten any sleep. He was tired, mentally drained, and in badly need of rest.

He initially had planned to spend his day off doing exactly that: relax. But a giddy message (or at least by Shoto’s standards) this morning threw all that into the garbage bin.

No longer a stranger but not quite a lover, Shoto had managed to get Katsuki all wrapped around his finger, though the hero refused to admit that to anyone.

Halfie:

Bakugo-san, are you still off today?

I’m looking forward to the soba that you promised me.

It was a couple of weeks ago when Katsuki had come off a late shift and texted Shoto, asking the student to come out and keep him company. He used the excuse of not having eaten all day to convince Shoto to join him, though, the hero knew the other probably hadn’t eaten anything substantial either; he never did when he didn’t have his sister or Katsuki reminding him to eat real food every now and then.

Turned out, the best way to get the boy to join him in late night eats was the promise of soba, which Katsuki learned was Shoto’s favorite dish, cold soba to be exact. And the ever-cocky cook, Katsuki had claimed that he could make better soba than the hole in the wall place they visited last time.

Surprised that Katsuki knew how to cook, Shoto had looked at him all-wide and starry-eyed. He then made Katsuki promise him to cook him soba one day. At the time, Katsuki had begrudgery agreed, though he did feel a sort of satisfaction knowing that Shoto was excited to try out his cooking.

“Hey, princess,” Katsuki greeted back. The immediate blush that the nickname Katsuki bestowed upon him never ceased to disappoint.

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that,” Shoto pouted.

Katsuki laughed at the other boy’s expense. “I will,” Katsuki promised. “The day you start to actually hate it.”

“You’re insufferable sometimes, Bakugo-san.”

“Hah! Only sometimes?”

And there Shoto goes, giving him that soft look that does something to his chest.

“No, that’s not true at all,” Shoto stated, looking all shy. “You’re not insufferable. You’re everything I wish I could be.”

That must be the most genuine compliment Katsuki has received – ever. 

Stunned by Shoto’s honesty, Katsuki found himself rooted in his spot, staring at the pink, chubby cheeked boy in awe. It wasn’t every day that someone could stun Katsuki speechless and yet, here he was, mouth slightly gaped open because of shy words spoken by a man five years his junior. He didn’t know how to react.

With a gruff, Katsuki turned his head to the side in embarrassment. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He mumbled in reply.

Katsuki didn’t mean for his response to sound like he was dismissing Shoto’s rare show of honesty. With his eyes turned away from Shoto, Katsuki missed the way Shoto’s face dropped, overtaken with a look of hurt.

“Well, shall we go?” Katsuki asked, hurrying Shoto on.

The dual haired boy nodded his head and hopped onto the bike, strapping the helmet on with expertise now that he had ridden on the bike many times before.

But unlike the other times since that first ride, Katsuki noticed the hesitation in Shoto’s hands before the boy eventually settled on gripping the side of Katsuki’s jacket. The choice was unusual given that Shoto normally liked to wrap his arms around Katsuki’s front.

Rather than thinking too much into it, the hero shrugged it off and assumed it was Shoto’s own way of feeling confident on the Yamaha. So instead of asking Shoto what was wrong, Katsuki revved the engine of his precious ride and took off in the direction of Shoto’s apartment.

With confidence, Katsuki sped down the streets of Tokyo, weaving in and out of traffic. The ride to Shoto’s nearby abode, an apartment complex that Katsuki had dropped the younger man off at many times before but never stepped foot into, took less than twenty minutes to arrive at.

The apartment was a tall, modern, fancy building made of glass that shone blindly under the sun. It’s new and no doubt an expensive place to live in. Katsuki had previously wondered what Shoto’s family did for a living to allow a seventeen-year-old boy to live alone in such a monstrosity. Even as a top ten hero, Katsuki was nowhere close to being able to afford living in that.

Obviously, Katsuki had noticed before the seemingly lavish lifestyle Shoto lived, though the boy wasn’t one to flaunt it so outwardly like the people who frequent the Ginza area did. Rather, Katsuki noticed it in the way the boy dressed in simple, yet expensive brand-named clothing, or the luxurious gold watch that always adorned his left wrist. It was the way Shoto barely batted an eyelash at things that would otherwise impress others – like a fancy meal from an upscale restaurant (Katsuki took him to some Michaelian starred restaurant on one of their earlier dates) or sitting in a custom-made sports car (he borrowed Jeanist’ car for a day when the weather made it undriveable to get around on a motorcycle).

It was either Shoto was used to that kind of lifestyle or he was one hard boy to impress; maybe both.

However, when Katsuki excused himself for his intrusion and stepped forth into the genkan, he finally got a glimpse of the inside of where Shoto called ‘home’. As impressive as the building looked on the outside, it was just as lavish on the inside.

Impressive off-white interior walls, dark hardwood flooring, and fancy chandelier lighting – that was what Katsuki saw at first glimpse. When he followed Shoto in deeper, it was the while marbled kitchen island and counters that really impressed him. The suite was spacious, really large for just one college student to inhabit. It was evident in the way how bare the space felt.

Other than a TV and bare minimum furniture in both the kitchen and the living area, there wasn’t much clue that suggested that anyone lived here. It was empty, unlived in – almost.

Where there should be framed pictures, there laid bare walls. Where there should be pots and pans, there was only a spotless gas stove. Something about the apartment made Katsuki… sad.

“Why is it so damn empty in here?” Katsuki questioned.

From what Shoto had told him before, the boy has been living in this apartment for a couple of months now. He wasn’t expecting the place to be decorated from top to bottom but there should be something not nothing. There weren’t even moving boxes anywhere in sight to still be unpacked. So where was everything?

Shoto turned around from where he was leading Katsuki toward the kitchen, a small frown on his face as he took in Katsuki’s wandering eyes.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Shoto simply answered Katsuki with a short sentence. “I don’t have much. Never did. So, there was nothing for me to bring here.”

“Huh? What kind of boring kid are you?” Katsuki didn’t mean to be so judgemental. He couldn’t wrap around the thought of a kid having nothing. “Or did you get everything as a kid that everything eventually just bored you?”

The college student flinched at the acquisition and turned away from Katsuki. “I wasn’t spoiled. I just wasn’t allowed anything.”

Katsuki frowned, confused. “What does that even mean?” He questioned further only to watch Shoto shrug his shoulders up and down again.

“Exactly that.” Shoto sounded dejected as he spoke. “My father wanted me to focus on other things so I wouldn’t lose sight of the goal.”

He didn’t know why he was being like this, why he was pushing Shoto into uncomfortable topics in his own home no less. But Katsuki couldn’t stop himself, not when Shoto was opening up and sharing about himself.

“What was the goal?” Katsuki asked. He was mildly curious as to what was so important that Shoto wasn’t allowed to be kid.

“To be better than him.”

The answer was vague and Katsuki wanted to ask more about it but he had to stop himself. Not when Shoto sounded so un-Shoto like and his shoulders drooped so pitifully. There were secrets that Shoto kept from him, Katsuki knew that now. Things that Shoto didn’t want to talk about – like his family, his childhood.

“Well, that must be easy,” Katsuki stated, with a huff. “You’re a smart kid, bright future ahead of you for sure.” He said, so confidently.

Katsuki didn’t know Shoto’s father personally, and it was not like Shoto spoke so highly of him either if at all, but a father who would deprive his own son of a childhood so he could be molded into his own version of success was a bad father in Katsuki’s book.

So yeah, he didn’t need to know Shoto’s father to know that Shoto was already better than him. Someone who was so smart, so kind, and humble – Shoto had a good heart and he was going to use it to save people someday.

His words got Shoto to turn around, the student’s eyes were widened in awe. Ah – there’s that smile that Katsuki was so addicted to.

Reaching out, Katsuki ruffled the mismatched hair, tussling both sides so that red mixed with white. “Cheer up, kid. We’ll find ways to fill this place up.”

If anybody’s eyes could sparkle, it would be Shoto’s right at that moment. His mouth was slightly open, looking so brightly at Katsuki.

“Okay,” Shoto eventually agreed.

“Okay,” Katsuki repeated, nodding his head with conviction.

So, what if Shoto’s hint of a shitty childhood had left him with no tangible keepsakes. That was going to change while Katsuki’s still around because true to his words, Katsuki planned to help liven this place up. Fill it with trinkets, pictures, and other kinds of junk so that no matter where Shoto turned, he’d only be surrounded by good memories.

“Come on, Halfie,” Katsuki said, nudging Shoto toward the immaculate bright and modern kitchen. “I promised you the best bowl of soba you’ll ever eat, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did,” Shoto answered, soft spoken and adorable.

Katsuki couldn’t help himself when he reached out and wrapped his fingers around Shoto’s small wrist, tugging him along while he balanced the grocery bags in his arms.

Just an innocent touch, Katsuki told himself.

Yet, there was a little voice in the back of his head warning him that he shouldn’t do this, shouldn’t want this.

Granted – Katsuki ignored it and tightened his grip on Shoto even more.

They dropped the paper bags on the counter and made home in the spacious kitchen standing side by side as they unloaded the ingredients Katsuki had picked up earlier.

“Bakugo-san,” Shoto called out to him when Katsuki started washing the produce.

“Mhm,” He mumbled, too focused on his task at hand.

Katsuki never half-assed anything, always putting his full-on focus on everything he did. Cooking included. And not one to toot his own horn, but Katsuki was quite proud of his cooking skills. Even back in his U.A. days, Katsuki was the class appointed chef, not that he cooked anything for those extras on command. Only when he was feeling generous did the others ever get a taste of his homemade food.

“I don’t know how to cook.” Was the barely audible confession.

The hero glanced down and took in the sight before him. Pink cheeks, shy eyes, hands playing with the edges of his soft sweater.

Katsuki couldn’t help but laugh at the embarrassed boy.

“Don’t laugh, Bakugo-san,” Shoto whined.

“I’m not laughing at you, princess,” Katsuki stated, wide smirk on his face. He wiped his wet hands on the dish cloth before he ruffled Shoto’s hair once again, this time lingering longer as he played with the end of Shoto’s silky ends. “You just look really adorable right now.”

“Bakugo-san,” Katsuki didn’t know how close he had gotten to Shoto until he felt hesitant fingers against his forearms. Shoto’s craning his neck up so that he could meet Katsuki’s gaze with his big mismatched eyes. “Don’t tease me.”

Clearing his throat, Katsuki willed himself to take a step back while pushing Shoto away until they were an arm’s width apart. He didn’t miss the disappointed look in Shoto’s eyes this time.

“Sorry, I’ll stop,” Katsuki said.

“You know, you don’t have to,” Shoto told, softly. His eyes gleaming, waiting for Katsuki’s response.

As for Katsuki… he had an inclination that they were thinking about the same thing. Their words contained double meaning – one held the scary truth and the other was an easy way out.

God – he so badly craved Shoto, to touch him for real and feel the warmth emitting from him. He wanted to do more than just pat the other’s head like a child or hold Shoto’s wrist in his hands. What he wanted was to hold Shoto’s hand in his, feel the lacing of their fingers and embrace him like a proper lover.

Instead, Katsuki took the coward’s way out. “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t tease you.”

The defeated sigh, though quiet and contained, Katsuki still heard it. “We should probably get back to soba making,” Shoto said, turning his back to Katsuki, and thus letting Katsuki get away with his cowardness.

The rest of the cooking went on without fanfare, though Katsuki did take the time to make fun of Shoto’s knife skills. Honestly, it was atrocious and for a moment, he really did think Shoto was pulling his leg. Turned out, Shoto really was as helpless in the kitchen as the younger made himself out to be. But with the patience of a nun, Katsuki guided Shoto through a lesson, being careful not to come into contact with the other as he hovered like a nervous mother hen.

“I did it!” Shoto had beamed at Katsuki when he managed to cut green onions without it looking like a massacre.

“It’s just fucking green onions, Halfie,” Katsuki had said, failing to hold back an eye roll.

But Shoto had continued to smile at him, probably because Katsuki also failed to make his proud grin go away.

Dinner was just as innocent; only light digs from Katsuki (turned out he couldn’t stop teasing even if he wanted to) and continuous praise from Shoto as he ate mouthful of noodles. Although they eventually settled into light banter and spoke about easy, get-to-know-you subjects, an unsettledness still existed between them.

It was in the way Shoto’s eyes flickered downward when they maintained eye contact for too long or the way he cautiously spoke. Rather, the younger boy allowed Katsuki to do most of the talking, which was a lot of ranting about his idiot friends or the even more moronic idiots at work though he had spoken of them in a general sense. He still hadn’t told Shoto that he was a hero; and now, it seemed awkward to bring up if he didn’t have to. Luckily for him, Shoto never questioned him about his work in detail. Instead, letting Katsuki rant while he listened.

Or maybe it was because Shoto felt miles away from him; Katsuki could see that faraway look, like as if Shoto’s mind was elsewhere. There was something eating at him and Katsuki was too afraid to ask him what; he had an inkling it was because of him. Katsuki didn’t need the verbal confirmation.

But in the end, it turned out that Shoto, a boy still in his teens for god’s sake, was much braver than Katsuki. For he was able to confront Katsuki when Katsuki had chosen avoidance.

“Do you not like me, Bakugo-san?” Shoto asked, deep voice cutting through the space between them. The question came unprompted and caught him off guard.

Katsuki settled the dishes he was juggling onto the counter and turned to face Shoto, who stood in the middle of the room, fists curling in and out against his thighs.

“What the fuck, Shoto!” Katsuki exclaimed, thrown off by the ridiculous question. Like as if him acting like a stumbling buffoon wasn’t a more obvious answer. “What’s with the stupid question?”

Shoto flinched at the reply. “You say everything that I do or say is stupid. You don’t want to touch me. You treat me like I’m some kind of thorn in your side – or even worst, a kid.” Shoto listed, voice strained with frustration though he managed to stay calm. “Why do you even see me?”

“Do I need a reason to?” Katsuki asked, voice slightly raised. He knew he was being unreasonable with his reply, but wasn't quite ready to face the choir.

What they're doing now, worked. Why was Shoto questioning that?

Turned out, Shoto was more mature than him because Katsuki couldn’t help but explode like he always did.

“It would help if you did,” Shoto replied. “You’re confusing me.” His squinting face only further displayed the confusion Shoto was experiencing.

“Look,” Katsuki started, sounding exasperated.

He was tired – he wanted to rest on his day off or do something that would get his mind off the stress he’d been feeling for weeks now. What he really didn’t need was this conversation. “It’s complicated. Can we not do this today?”

Honestly, Katsuki’s not even sure if he had the words to say right now. It was ignorant of him that this conversation was never going to present itself.

“I like you, Bakugo-san,” Shoto stated. “In the romantic sense.” He clarified, like as if Katsuki hadn’t gotten it the first time.

“Shoto, please stop.”

Too bad for him, Shoto didn’t care and pressed on. “I like you.” He repeated. “I want to be with you. But if you don’t feel the same way that I do then you need to tell me so that I can stop making myself into a fool.”

“Shoto –“

“What are you so afraid of?”

Everything.

“Don’t keep me around because you feel bad for me. I’m not a charity case; I don’t need your help. I don’t need anybody’s help.” Shoto claimed with a sort of conviction a spoiled brat with no experience in dealing with the real world would say.

Katsuki scoffed at that. Like as if Shoto, who lived in a high-rise complex for the wealthy, could be anything close to a charity case. Didn’t need help? He was getting by on daddy’s money, wasn’t he?

Shoto narrowed his eyes.

Shit, Katsuki didn’t mean to say any of that out loud.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Shoto started, a crack in his voice. “Why did I even think for a second that someone could – “

Shoto stopped himself before he could finish the rest of his sentence.

Could what?

“Look, Shoto” Katsuki started, exasperatedly. “I’m tired today, work has been hard to deal with lately and I’m barely functioning as is. You wouldn’t get it but can we please save this conversation for another day?”

Truthfully, Katsuki thought he deserved a gold star for being so mature in his response. He didn’t yell, he didn’t explode, and his quirk didn’t set off on his palms like it normally did when he was annoyed and frustrated.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t get it?” Shoto questioned. “Because I’m a kid?”

“It’s not that…”

“Then what is it?” Shoto implored, eyes searching Katsuki’s, like as if he could find truth in Katsuki’s own because Katsuki couldn’t seem to convey it verbally.

He looked helpless, and Katsuki wanted to put the boy out of his own misery.

Katsuki grabbed at his own hair; he was tired and exhausted – with the questions, with the conversation, and most of all, with the constant doubt in the back of his mind contradicting everything his heart was telling him to do.

“Okay, fuck!” Katsuki finally exploded, on brand. “You want to know why? Fine, you’re right! It is because you’re a fucking minor, but I guess a seventeen-year-old wouldn’t stop to think about the repercussions of pursuing something like this to begin with! It’s not like it’s your reputation or career on the line when people find out about this; like it wasn’t already taboo enough in our culture for two men to be together!”

Every spiteful sentence caused Shoto to wince. Good – because it hurt Katsuki just as much saying it.

“Bakugo-san,” It pissed Katsuki off the way Shoto could still be so calm even though Katsuki just hurled all of his insecurities at him. “I can’t change other people’s views but for the other thing… do you really think our age would even matter a year or two from now? I’m not going to stay seventeen forever.”

Katsuki sighed. Because yeah, it did matter. He wasn’t going to delay his quest to the top by a couple of years just because of a boy who caught his attention on a stupid train.

“I’ve got to go, Shoto,” Katsuki said, eyes casted down as he shouldered pass the smaller boy.

There wasn’t anything left for him to say for Shoto to see reason or to come to comprehend the dilemma Katsuki was facing. He was too young to face the facts head on, too stubborn and naïve to face the consequences.

Unfortunately, Katsuki didn’t make it even a few steps before he was stopped by a strong grip on his wrist.

Hesitantly, Katsuki turned around to see an anguished Shoto with pleading eyes, telling him to wait – to stay.

The boy’s eyes are wet though no tears actually fall. It was a sight that clenched at Katsuki’s heart, but in his mind, it was better to walk away now. Now when the feelings were still minuscule and the hurt wasn’t quite on heartbreak level.

“Shoto,” Katsuki pleaded.

Let go.

Maybe it was the way Katsuki sounded broken himself but Shoto eventually peeled his fingers away from Katsuki’s skin, a touch that the hero barely tasted but already craved.

When Katsuki left the apartment with the door shutting closed behind him, Shoto only watched. Stood silently where Katsuki left him, frozen in place, in a moment of time that Katsuki could only wish he could forget soon enough.

This was his choice and his conviction. It was the right choice even if he felt like he was breaking apart from the inside out.

___

“Are you sure that was the right choice?” Eijiro asked, for what was probably the fourth time during their patrol.

They had both been stuck with the evening shift and had been able to call it a day when the clock finally struck 20:00. Not that Katsuki could complain, he volunteered for the extra patrol.

The next shift heroes were making their way into the change rooms and Katsuki was forced to shoot Eijiro a warning look. The last thing he wanted to do was have his nosy colleagues and eager interns to be up in his personal life, not when Jeanist was already pestering him about his life because something about Katsuki seemed ‘off’ these last couple of days.

Slugging on his bomber jacket, Katsuki slammed the locker door and made his way out of the bustling room. He’d chosen to ignore his best friend’s inquiry and instead gave short greetings to his fellow heroes, if a gruff counted as a greeting but it’s not like it was anything out of the ordinary for him.

It wasn’t long before he heard the loud, hurried footsteps joining him down the mostly empty hallway.

“Okay, maybe I agreed with the others a bit too soon, but that was only because I was thinking about your hero image!” Eijiro started to tell, unprompted.

All Katsuki did was scoff in reply.

“Like think about it! He’s a teenager who just barely entered the real world, tell me if this was happening to someone else, you wouldn’t have your guard up or qualms about it either.”

“I fucking know all that!” Katsuki yelled, facing Eijiro so he could look his friend in the face.

If the red haired wanted a reaction from Katsuki, he was getting one. “Why else do you think I walked away? Left him alone like that?” Katsuki’s voice strained while trying to get out that last part.

It still hurt Katsuki whenever he thought back to that night with Shoto. The damage written all over on the boy’s face, the unshed tears, and wobbling lips that couldn’t say anything else, not when Katsuki held steadfast in his decision; it was pointless to say anything to a stubborn Katsuki.

There was something about Shoto that made the hero think that the boy was very different from everyone else. Not different in the sense that made him special like how cheesy movies and dramas depicted it. But different in how the boy spoke and acted. He was too much of a contradiction, just like how he looked with his dual hair and heterochromia eyes.

Shoto was brave and confident but then there would be times where Katsuki would catch the boy cowering and hiding by folding himself into his body, trying to disappear from the world in plain sight. It scared Katsuki that one day Shoto would disappear in front of him; he didn’t know where Shoto would go when his mind wandered leaving a shell of himself behind.

Then there was the matter of how he spoke; he gave Katsuki a run for his money with how witty and aloof he was, not afraid to engage in a heated discussion with Katsuki (and win). But every so often, Katsuki could see the hesitation when the boy spoke, eyes flinching or carefully watching Katsuki to see how he would react, like as if he was waiting for a reprimand or to be denied something he had asked for.

Like as if he wasn’t someone who deserved happiness.

He was different in all the wrong ways; it made Katsuki wanted to protect him.

Yet, in the end, it was Katsuki who ended up adding more to the cracks. He hated himself for it.

“For what it’s worth, I think Shoto made you really happy,” Eijiro stated, again, unprompted. “I’ve only seen you genuinely happy like that a handful of times, like when we got our hero licence, when we became pro-heroes, your first solo villain takedown… Anyway, maybe, don’t give up on him yet.”

“Ha!” Katsuki bitterly laughed.

Too little, too late.

“It’s better this way,” Katsuki exclaimed.

It was what he kept telling himself when his mind filled with thoughts of Shoto. It got way too complicated when feelings are involved, which Katuski wasn’t used to at all. He could count the exact number of people he actually cared for with just his fingers alone, he didn’t need anyone else who could become a liability to him.

Eventually, Shoto would become an insignificant memory, a dot in his past.

Eyebags was right, the Boy in the Gakuran Uniform was just a passing phase.

Or so he tried to believe as he fucked his latest hook-up hard into the mattress later that night after he parted ways with Eijiro and made his way to some dingy hotel not too far from the agency.

I like you.

A deep, baritone voice kept repeating in his head. Even the loud grunting of his bedmate couldn’t drown out Shoto’s voice.

I want to be with you.

When all was said and done, Tadashi, a handsome accountant who also worked at Jeanist’ Agency and someone who Katsuki had hooked up once or twice before, had asked him what was wrong.

“Nothing, just needed a quick fuck,” Katsuki’s replied.

He gave no hint that he was planning on staying any longer than he had to, not with the way he quickly got dressed while Tadashi still laid bare on the sheets, catching his breath.

“What’s on your mind?” Tadashi questioned, rolling onto his side so he could watch Katsuki’s back. “Or better yet, who?”

Katsuki grimaced at that as he slipped on his pants. He didn’t think he was acting any different, or at least not that obvious that even someone who could barely pass as an acquaintance could tell.

“You got it all wrong,” Katsuki replied, with a shake of his head.

“Hmm, alright, I’ll try to believe you.” Katsuki could only scoff. “You know, you fuck like a man in love. Obviously not in love with me, but with whoever’s got your attention.”

“The fuck you mean by that?” Katsuki felt offended, was this extra saying he was off his game?

“Don’t get me wrong, the sex was great,” Tadashi stated. “Just felt like you were holding back this time. You’re the oh, so powerful Dynamight and yet, you held back. You saving it for your beloved?”

Katsuki out right laughed at the statement. “Sure, ask your ass that if it thinks I 'held back', too.” He had been rough, knew that Tadashi could handle what he gave.

After all, the accountant wasn’t some frail looking kid.

He decided to ignore the other man’s last question.

“Whatever,” Tadashi eventually gave up. “Hope you didn’t sleep with me just to prove a point.”

Fine, Katsuki would bite. “And what point is that?”

“That even a Casanova like the explosive hero Dynamight can fall weak to something as trivial as love.”

“Tch, don’t hurt yourself. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” With that, Katsuki got up and made his way out.

“Whoever he is, I hope he knows you’re an asshole.”

Yeah, pretty sure Shoto knew that very well.

Katsuki slammed the door behind him. He’d let Tadashi have the last word since Katsuki did use him for his own satisfaction, it was the least he could do.

It was a lonely trip back to his apartment. The streets were quiet and the train home was even more quiet at this time of night.

The few overworked salarymen provided Katsuki company in the otherwise empty train cart. It wasn’t until one of the stops did a high school uniformed boy stepped onto the train.

The black gakuran uniform was all too familiar and it ticked Katsuki off. Even if he didn’t want to be thinking about Shoto anymore, his mind was still being plagued by the boy no matter what he did or where he went.

__

The next morning, Katsuki had only one plan for his day off. Jeanist had refused to approve another extra patrol shift on top of his special assignment with Deku on that anti-sentiment group that was still lingering around.

“Take a day off, rest. Pushing yourself to do more will not do you any good,” Jeanist had warned before he waved Katsuki off. “Go on a hike, been awhile since you’ve been on one, right?”

So, taking his mentor’s advice, Katsuki planned to ride out to the hiking spot he and his father had done when his parents came to visit him in Tokyo. Maybe Jeanist was right, a day outdoors with nature surrounding him and only fresh air to breathe in, might do him some good.

Dressed in a pair of black athletic joggers, a white cotton t-shirt so he could easily breathe in if the hike ends up being difficult, an army green windbreaker to keep him warm while the morning chill was still around, and a black cap to hide his face from the public, Katsuki set off for the day.

It was instinct to plug in his earpiece that was connected to the hero network before putting on his bike helmet. Even on his off days, Katsuki wanted to be kept up in the know. The static echoed in his left ear before a familiar monotone voice took over and relayed the coordinates of assigned heroes from all the local agencies and their patrol routes for the day.

There wasn’t chatter on the network, a good sign because it meant there was no disturbances in the city, but then again, it wasn’t even 8:00 am yet. The day was still young.

The morning bustle of the populated city was beginning and when Katsuki turned off onto the main roads, there were more vehicles and city buses to pass. He didn’t mind it; his sleek bike was made to weave anyway.

It was freeing, the way the bike accelerated beyond speeds that were faster than other traveling automobiles on the roads. He enjoyed being a passing blur to those around him. Just like how he used his explosive quirk to catapult him in the air to where Dynamight needed to be.

Katsuki was almost outside of Tokyo city limits when the quite chatter of the hero network began to grow louder. The hero slowed down his speed, interested in the danger that was starting to present itself. Unless it was a big threat, Katsuki had no desire to forgo his day off, not when he knew the likes of capable heroes like Red Riot and Deku were on duty today.

“There have been multiple reports of villains terrorizing the Hongo area,” The voice on the network relayed. “Heroes from Endeavor Agency have been dispatched to the University of Tokyo for containment and rescue work.”

His heart lurched at the mention of the university. No, not there. Not where Shoto could be.

The off-duty hero didn’t waste any time in turning his bike around, speeding down the direction of the university. He pressed a few buttons on the screen of his bike, connecting his earpiece to Jeanist’ internal communication network.

“Dynamight, aren’t you off today?” Someone from Communications and Operations answered.

“The situation that’s developing at Tokyo U, tell me what’s happening there.”

The Operations Controller didn’t seem to have any issues with Katsuki’s request nor seemed to mind his lack of greeting. Maybe she dealt with enough heroes in her time to know what a desperate hero sounded like.

“Just after 0840 multiple calls regarding an out-of-control villain sounded at the University of Tokyo. Two male villains appeared to have blended in with the rest of the college students, though we cannot confirm if they are current students or not, and started injuring students and staff alike. One of the reported quirks appeared to be blood shrapnel, the ability to turn his blood into needle like weapons. The other male’s quirk is short range, the ability to temporarily paralyze another person with skin-to-skin contact. A total of twenty injured have so far been reported, but no deaths as of yet.”

“And the heroes that have been dispatched?” Katsuki asked, weaving between a semi-truck and passenger cars.

His sole attention was getting to the university campus, everything else didn’t matter. He was sure he clipped the sideview mirror of a car back there.

“Heroes from Endeavor Agency; Heroes Dabi and Burnin’. Endeavor himself is on his way.” Katsuki frowned at the information.

For the top hero to dispatch himself to a situation must mean the threat was big – catastrophic even. Katsuki felt more nervous now.

“Thanks,” Katsuki said.

He didn’t bother waiting for a reply, and instead directed his phone to call a number he should have deleted days ago but couldn’t bring himself to actually do.

“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone.” The female generated voice informed Katsuki.

Katsuki called again, praying that Shoto will pick up.

He didn’t.

Which left Katsuki praying that the university was quick to inform the students of the dangerous situation and that meant that Shoto was nowhere near the campus.

Maybe the boy was still sleeping. Katsuki knew how the college student loved his beauty sleep.

But no, Katsuki also knew Shoto’s class schedule. All morning classes with a 9:00 am start time; Shoto would be on campus before then. He was a punctual and studious person after all.

“Fuck, Shoto, pick up!”

The third call went unanswered and Katsuki had to swerve out of the way before he collided with a merging car.

Defeated, Katsuki gave up on calling the younger boy and instead switched back to the Hero Network, listening for updates.

“One villain has been apprehended; the other villain is still active.”

It was the latest update before Katsuki haphazardly parked his bike and rushed to the closed off scene.

“I’m sorry, sir but we have an active villain in the area, we have to ask that you to turn around and find shelter in a safe place,” A police officer said, stopping Katsuki at the set up temporary barrier.

“I’m a fucking hero, let me through!” Katsuki yelled, throwing his hero licence in the police officer’s face.

The officer quickly confirmed Katsuki’s identity and gave a slight nod to his partner before allowing Katsuki through.

“So, sorry Hero Dynamight!” The officer apologized. The uniformed officer was probably scared to experience Dynamight’s widely known rage firsthand.

“Where are the locations of the villains?” Katsuki asked, after he slide over the barrier. The officers were moving too slow for his liking and he was in a hurry.

“Dabi and Endeavor are in combat with the active villain on the north-west side of the campus; the other villain is in custody following their apprehension just south-west of the location.”

“And the injured?” Katsuki asked.

“A make-shift response center was set up by the Health Sciences building to treat the wounded.”

Heath Sciences building… wasn’t that where most of Shoto’s classes were held?

There was no time to panic, not until Katsuki got confirmation with his own eyes that the boy he learned to care a lot about (more than he thought) was unharmed and perfectly fine. It was a good thing Katsuki was a pro-hero and learned how to keep his panic and fear at bay.

His body moved on command even though his mind was a chaotic mess. He moved fast, dodging scared and crying students on his way toward the epicenter of the campus chaos. Police were stationed throughout, guiding civilians to safety. A few officers tried to stop Katsuki, unaware that he was an off-duty hero, but none were successful for Katsuki was determined.

When Katsuki got to the scene, it was pandemonium. Buildings were crushed, leading in the direction of where Endeavor and Dabi must be. Small fires were still burning, a combination of red and blue, the telltale sign of the works of the two flame heroes.

People were moving everywhere, the injured were lined up against the exterior wall with medical personnel and what looked like med students helping out due to the lack of emergency response. Katsuki’s eyes scanned the carnage and it was in that moment that he was so glad that Shoto stuck out like a sore thumb with his two-toned hair.

“Shoto!” Katsuki shouted, sounding ever relieved.

His loud, booming voice cut above the noise around and caused Shoto and the police officer he was speaking with to turn.

Katsuki didn’t miss the way Shoto’s eyes widened in surprise before he stepped towards Katsuki. The hero met Shoto in three big steps before enveloping the smaller boy in a hug, his arms tightening around Shoto’s thin frame as he sunk his face into the crook of the boy’s neck.

“What – Bakugo-san, what are you doing here?” The shock in Shoto’s voice was evident though the younger boy hesitated only a little before his hands gripped onto the back of Katsuki’s jacket.

“Fuck, I was so worried,” Katsuki stated, lips ghosting against the soft skin of Shoto’s neck. “I came here as soon as I heard what was happening. If anything had happened to you –“ Katsuki didn’t let himself finish that sentence; it was a scary thought. But Shoto was fine, standing here in front of him, there was no use dwelling on ‘what-ifs’.  

Katsuki pulled away, pushing Shoto an arm’s length away though he kept his hands on the boy’s shoulders. His eyes narrowed in on the cut on Shoto’s forehead, blood soaking the boy’s bangs drenching his white to crimson. His quick once over the boy in front of him showed no other signs of injuries but Katsuki was going to make sure a paramedic oversaw him just in case.

“I’m okay,” Shoto stated, reassuringly. “I’m fine, you see?” The boy rubbed Katsuki’s back, even though he was awkward, it still soothed Katsuki.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Shoto,” Katsuki choked out. “I’m really fucking sorry for what I said last time.”

The shorter boy looked up at Katsuki, a soft look on his face as he took in the sight that was Katsuki. “You were right, though.” Shoto stated. “I didn’t think about what it would be like to be in your shoes. You were the only one being responsible.”

Katsuki shook his head. “Yeah, well, you were the brave one.” Katsuki admitted.

His words brought a smile to Shoto’s face.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I still need to finish speaking with Shoto-kun and get his statement on what happened with the villain takedown,” The uniformed officer said. He gave a brief nod to Katsuki in greeting which Katsuki returned.

“The what takedown?!” Katsuki shouted.

“Yes, Shoto-kun here took down one of the villains by himself!” The officer proclaimed, slapping Shoto on the back with proudness.

Katsuki turned to Shoto and narrowed his eyes at the college student who looked sheepishly back at him. He let out a sigh before turning back to the officer.

“Can you get him looked over first? He’s bleeding for God’s sake.”

The officer nodded in compliance before gesturing Shoto to follow.

Katsuki watched the boy take a few steps before turning around to face Katsuki again. “Will you wait for me, Bakugo-san?”

“Yeah, I’ll be here.” Katsuki said. “Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.”

Shoto nodded before he continued behind the taped off area. 

With nothing to do but wait, Katsuki made himself comfortable on a bench facing the direction Shoto had walked off in. His eyes never left the boy as he was led to a make shift medical bay where a paramedic was tending to his forehead while the officer stood by on questioning duty, pen and paper in hand as he took down Shoto’s statement.

It had only been a few days since the last time he saw Shoto – and up until today, Katsuki had thought it was for the very last time, too. But the scare that he went through this morning only solidified what he was so terrified to acknowledge himself; he was far too gone for Shoto.

As much as he wanted to trick himself, the truth was laid bared today. And Katsuki couldn’t deny it any longer. He can’t stay away from Shoto, and everyone be damn – he doesn’t plan to, not anymore. Not unless he messed it up so badly that Shoto tells him to fuck off.

Oh, damn, he hoped he didn’t screw it up with Shoto.

It was an unfortunate and unforeseen circumstance that allowed Katsuki to set eyes on Shoto on a bustling train the first time, and a chance encounter on the streets that allowed them to meet again. Katsuki never thought himself lucky but he wasn’t going to take another chance. Everything, from here on out, would be his own doing. No more birthday wishes, and no more waiting for the stars to align and the universe working in his favor.

It was after Shoto got all patched up when Dabi entered the scene. The blue flamed hero made a beeline to Shoto who immediately stood up from where he was seated on a stretcher.

Even though Katsuki was quite a distance away from the hero on scene, Katsuki tipped his cap down and slunk back with the lingering students in an attempt to hide from his hero colleagues. He wasn’t sure what he would say if he was recognized; there would be no reason for an off-duty hero from another agency to respond to a situation that was taken on by another.

Though, all worry of being recognized dwindled when Katsuki observed Dabi pulling Shoto aside for what looked like a lecture. The Number Four hero looked angry, hands flying everywhere as he spoke; poor Shoto, the kid could only stand there and nod at the hero though at one point, the college student looked exasperated and said something that only made Dabi blow up even more.

It wasn’t the first time a hero lectured a civilian for putting themselves in danger, heck, Katsuki was going to give Shoto a lecture of his own if he wasn’t witnessing the one the kid was getting now.

But damn, he didn’t know Dabi could be so intense. Sure, most heroes cared about the public safety but never did Dabi made himself out to be someone who’d give a civilian a good talking to on scene and in-person like this. No, that was more Deku’s and Uravity’s thing. They had the public’s liking for their friendly and approachable nature whereas Katsuki and Dabi relied on their stats and power to earn rank.

It was only when Endeavor joined the scene himself when Shoto took one glance at the Number One hero who was steadily approaching him that the red- and white-haired boy decided to make his getaway.

It looked as though Endeavor had something to say himself but Dabi held his father back before the two engaged in their own discussion. Katsuki found it odd that a hero like Endeavor would want a few words with a civilian as most top pros left any interactions to their sidekicks to deal with; guess it must be an Endeavor Agency thing. But any more time wondering about Dabi and Endeavor’s peculiar desire to engage with Shoto went out the window when he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate with Shoto’s name blaring on the screen.

“Bakugo-san, are you still around?” Shoto asked immediately when Katsuki picked up.

The other sounded strained and winded, working hard to catch his breath as he struggled to keep his voice in control.

Was he angry? Was this what an angry Shoto sounded like?

Katsuki’s eyes quickly found Shoto again, though he never really did lose sight of him. Sue him if he wanted to keep tabs on the kid who just took on a freakin’ villain! He could see from where he was partially hidden behind the corner of a building that Shoto was frantically searching the crowd for him.

There was a frown etched in the boy’s forehead. He looked irritated, it was a new look on him that Katsuki hadn’t seen before. But despite how stupid Katsuki had been acting lately, he knew that anger wasn’t directed at him. Not with the way Shoto tried to sound unaffected by whatever that was bothering him when he spoke to Katsuki.

“Course I am,” Katsuki tsked. “Said I would, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Shoto breathed out, softly this time. “I guess you did.”

“Meet me around the corner,” Katsuki directed, eyes darting to where Dabi and Endeavor were standing.

Burnin’ was behind them, manhandling the now cuffed villain to join his buddy in the pulled-up police van. The two heroes were, however, still watching Shoto with careful, observant eyes, following the civilian student who was unaware of their attention.

“We’ll talk.” Katsuki stated.

He waited on bated breath when the silence lingered longer than he had liked. Only the sound of Shoto’s breathing was proof that the boy hadn’t hung up on Katsuki yet.

“Okay,” Was the answer, eventually.

“Okay,” Katsuki repeated, ignoring how Shoto sounded in his reply.

Hesitant.

Well, if the talk goes well, Katsuki wasn’t going to let Shoto feel like that anymore.

Katsuki felt him before he saw him. With the boy in front of him once again, Katsuki took the time to examine him. The forehead cut was properly dressed so it seemed like there was no need for Katsuki to scream at an extra to do their job right.

“It was just the one cut,” Shoto stated.

The boy caught onto Katsuki, though it probably was obvious from the way Katsuki tracked his eyes all over the other’s body. Shoto touched the bandage on his head and winced in pain when he made contact.

“Can’t believe you took down a villain,” Katsuki said, impressed. He took Shoto’s curious hand into his, stopping the boy from fidgeting with the bandage. “Most people would run from danger.”

Shoto shrugged his shoulders. “Guess I don’t mind it.”

The balls on this kid, dismissing the gravity of danger and villains like as if it were something lesser.

The other tried to pull his hand away but Katsuki only gripped on tighter.

He didn’t miss the way Shoto’s eyes widen in shock. The hand in Katsuki’s tried to slip out of his grasp again, Katsuki held on.

“Bakugo-san –“

“Katsuki.”

“What?”

“Call me, Katsuki,” he told Shoto. “You call the person you’re dating by their first name, right?”

That was the sight – that one right there.

A boy already so beautiful.

But adorned with a smile – a real, genuine, happy smile.

It was so blinding and perfect; Katsuki’s sure that if angels were real, they’d be jealous of Shoto. And Katsuki – he felt fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of this present.

“Katsuki?” Shoto tested his name on his tongue.

He didn’t know his name could sound so good on someone else’s tongue. He wanted to keep hearing it from Shoto, over and over again.

“Katsuki.” Shoto repeated, this time more confident.

He blushed, how could he not?

“Okay, don’t wear it out now,” Katsuki said, hiding his blush with a fake sniff and rub of his nose.

The younger boy looked smug. Even with the head and a half height difference, Shoto looked like he was standing on top of the world as he looked up at Katsuki with glittery eyes.

“You done here?”

Shoto nodded his head. “I doubt classes will resume today and I already gave my accounts to the officer earlier.”

“And the heroes?” Katsuki asked.

“You saw that?”

“Caught a glimpse of them earlier, what did Dabi want with you?”

Shoto glanced sideways, Katsuki could practically see the gears moving in Shoto’s head. And yet the answer was disappointing for as much time Shoto had taken before his responded.

“Nothing really,” Shoto answered. “Just… hero stuff.”

“Hero stuff?” Katsuki raised his eyebrow in question.

Most people would have acted differently if they got to interact with a popular and strong hero like Dabi and yet Shoto didn’t look phased. Not one bit. And now that Katsuki thought about it, Shoto straight up gave Endeavor the cold shoulder.

Then again, Shoto was different.

“Mmhm.” Shoto hummed, nonchalantly.

Well, not everyone was doe-eyed when they meet heroes in person.

“Well, if nothing’s keeping you here anymore, I’ll give you a ride home.”

“Weren’t you headed out somewhere?” Shoto asked, eyes looking over Katsuki’s garb.

Katsuki shook his head. “Not anymore.” With a slight nod of the head, Katsuki gestured Shoto to follow him.

The hero was pleased that the boy followed him without question, joining his side almost immediately as they made their way across the campus, slowing down his pace because he knew from experience that the boy’s shorter legs took in shorter strides.

“Was going to do a hiking trail,” Katsuki told. “Felt like getting out of the city to enjoy the peace and quiet that you can only find outside of Tokyo.”

Shoto nodded like as if he understood. “I could see why the quiet would be appealing,” Shoto stated, taking in the chaotic scene around them.

“I’ll take you one of these days.”

It was a promise.

“I’ll hold you to it.”

The younger boy looked relatively pleased.

It tugged at Katsuki’s heart that Shoto could be so forgiving of him. Like as if Katsuki hadn’t run away the minute things got difficult. Like he hadn’t been avoidant when Shoto was all but truthful, and brave for barring his heart out with no regret.

Starting today, Katsuki was going to show Shoto the same resolve. No more hiding, no more holding back.

“Yeah, well be prepared, princess. I ain’t afraid to leave you behind if you’re too slow,” Katsuki couldn’t help but challenge.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

There was an evident glint in Shoto’s eyes when Katsuki peered down, a fire lit underneath that aloofness.

They walked side by side, knuckles brushing against each other every so often. This time though, Katsuki didn’t move away, instead, playfully knocking the back of his hand against Shoto's. He relished in the fact that he was able to draw out small smiles and fake annoyed eye rolls from the med student.

When they passed by the same officers who had stopped Katsuki at the gate, both officers fumbled their way over to them. It was as if that now with the danger eliminated, they went into fan-mode.

“Sir! I heard the villains was caught, thank you for your hard work!” One of the officers saluted.

Katsuki chuckled. “Nah, heard it was the work of a brave citizen that took one of em down,” Katsuki relayed, giving Shoto a knowing wink.

The boy looked up at Katsuki, head tilted to the side. Katsuki was used to being watched but it felt different under Shoto’s stare. Still, Shoto didn’t ask.

The officers said a few other words before eventually letting Katsuki go but not before asking for an autograph.

“Are you some sort of big shot?” Shoto asked, as they walked away.

From the corner of his eye, Katsuki could tell the other was intrigued by attention. Chubby cheeks and wide eyes, man, Katsuki thought the younger was adorable as fuck.

“Ha! Wouldn’t you like to know?” Katsuki teased.

Chubby cheeks turned pouty. Like a chipmunk.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Shoto huffed.

Katsuki only laughed.

It didn’t take long before they arrived back at Shoto’s apartment even though they had to dodge the new gathering chaos – the media. Upon sighting the camera crews and reporters, Katsuki pulled his cap down further over his eyes and kept his head down. He had taken Shoto’s hand into his and guided the boy quickly to where his bike was still haphazardly parked. Shoto didn’t ask Katsuki what the hurry was at any point. Instead, he followed Katsuki’s lead without question. Whether or not Shoto was suspicious, he didn’t voice anything out loud.

When they stepped over the threshold of Shoto’s apartment door, it was like they were both instantly reminded of what had happened the first time Katsuki had visited. Shoto’s shoulders became stiff and Katsuki’s back straightened unconsciously.

Whatever this was, Katsuki had to rectify it.

“Shoto.”

“Hmm?”

Shoto refused to look back at Katsuki, instead he kept his back turned and took his time putting away his shoes.

“Shoto.” He repeated, he just wanted those mismatched eyes to look at him.

“Yes?”

Still, Shoto didn’t turn.

His fingers twitched. Aching to turn the boy around. But he didn’t want to be the rough, not how he usually was. Not with Shoto.

“Can you look at me?”

Shoto paused but he eventually did as Katsuki asked, although hesitantly. Katsuki stepped forward and took the small hands into his.

Katsuki cleared his throat, his mouth feeling dry all of a sudden.

“Last time,” Katsuki tentatively began to say. “You told me you liked me.”

Ah, fuck, he wasn’t good at having conversations like this. Never had to before, really. 

The last time he'd been this nervous to have a conversation was back in high school, when he had a heart to heart with Izuku.

But still, he carried on, he needed Shoto to know where he stood as well.

Shoto turned, and with a nod of his head, urged Katsuki to continue.

“I didn’t give you a proper response last time, just ran out like a fucking coward.”

The red-white haired boy shook his head and looked like he was about to say something but Katsuki pushed on, not giving the other an opportunity to deny or defend Katsuki’s actions. The boy was too sweet, but Katsuki needed to be honest, to face his feelings head on.

“I thought – I thought I was doing the right thing. But it didn’t feel right. It felt wrong not being able to see you, not being able to talk to you. Forgetting you wasn’t an option either because all I could think about was you. Like how it has always been since that first day I saw you on the train.”

He heard Shoto’s breath hitch.

“I like you, Shoto. And I’m sorry for making you feel and think that I didn’t because I fucking do. You don’t even know what you do to me.”

Stop treating him like a kid, Katsuki reminded himself.

He briefly met Shoto’s watchful eyes, the boy was watching him, anticipating his next move.

So, Katsuki lowered his hand slightly and with the tops of his fingers, brushed Shoto’s bangs away from the other’s face, tucking the hair behind an ear. 

A beautiful, icy blue eye looked back at him. So wide and innocent.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Katsuki stated.

Cause Katsuki didn’t ask, no – he took what he wanted.

A spark ignited in Shoto’s eyes; a hunger that must be equally apparent on Katsuki.

Shoto gave a nervous nod before he titled his head up with eagerness just as Katsuki leaned down, his hand gripping the dual-toned haired boy’s chin.

Eager lips met soft ones. Fingers reached to touch Katsuki’s forearm, like as if to stay grounded.

It wasn’t a scandalous kiss, nor heated or even drawn out. There was no tongue and no bashing of teeth trying to fight for dominance. It was soft, it was gentle, and it was everything Katsuki craved – for today and for years to come. It was a first kiss that was innocent, one that shook Katsuki to his core.

Shoto moved hesitantly when he leaned up for a second kiss, on his tippy toes and using the grip he had on Katsuki’s arms to balance himself. It was cute how Shoto kissed like he didn’t quite know what to do. His age and innocence was showing and it made Katsuki smirk against the boy’s mouth.

“What is it?” Shoto asked, head tilted to the side. Katsuki realized the boy did that fairly often.

“Nothing, baby,” Katsuki mumbled, as he leaned forward to capture addicting lips once again.

They moved in tandem, with Katsuki leading and Shoto following, matching his movement and vigor. Too soon, the lips he could grow accustomed to kissing every minute of every day, was gone. Slowly, he opened his eyes, when he realized that Shoto wasn’t going to kiss him any time soon.

“No, tell me,” Shoto inquired.

Curious eyes stared at him, urging Katsuki on to let him in on the secret.

Katsuki reached out and brushed his knuckles against flushed cheeks.

What an alluring sight.

“Just thinking how cute you are fumbling,” Katsuki grinned.

Shoto frowned and pushed away from Katsuki, clearly not liking his humor. “Not funny.”

Katsuki laughed and before Shoto could back away any more, Katsuki pulled the boy against his chest. The college student fell into his chest, and Katsuki took the opportunity to wrap his arms around him, caging him so Shoto couldn’t leave.

“I’m kidding,” Katsuki breathed out, resting his chin against the top of soft, fluffy hair. “I just like how innocent you are. It’s cute.”

“If you don’t like my kissing, just say so,” Shoto mumbled into Katsuki’s chest, attempting to pull out of the tight grasp he found himself in.

Katsuki reacted by holding tighter. “I didn’t say that,” Katsuki stated.

Leaning down, Katsuki placed a soft, barely there kiss on Shoto’s forehead. Then he shifted down, placing a kiss on top of the boy’s eyes. Then moved down to baby fat cheeks.

“Katsuki,” Shoto whined in Katsuki’s hands.

“So impatient,” Katsuki chastised before giving Shoto what he was begging for without really knowing.

This time, it was Shoto who smiled against Katsuki’s lips.

And God, help him – Katsuki was hooked.

To the addicting kisses from an all too alluring boy.

Chapter Text

When Katsuki found the will to extract himself from his new addiction (Shoto and his soft, plump lips), albeit disappointedly, the pair eventually made their way deeper into Shoto’s apartment. Though he wasn’t upset for too long because as soon as he made himself cozy on the beige fabric couch, said addiction made himself comfortable on top of Katsuki’s lap.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Katsuki asked, pleasantly surprised.

A wolfish grin on his face. He felt like one, too, could devour Shoto whole if the boy would let him.

His hands immediately find home on the younger’s hips, grounding the boy against him. Katsuki was more than pleased with the younger’s outwardly display of affection. Through an eager set of eyes, the hero waited patiently for Shoto’s next move.

“Nothing,” Shoto answered, innocently and playfully.

Pink in the face with embarrassment, Shoto nervously shifted in Katsuki’s lap, unknowingly causing the older to feel tight in the pants. Biting back a moan, Katsuki closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch.

“Are you okay, Katsuki?” Shoto asked. “You’re gripping me pretty hard.”

What a menace, this kid.

Did he even know what he was doing to Katsuki?

With a wiggle of his dainty hips and his innocent words that Katsuki knew weren’t meant to cause a stir in his lower groin area but did regardless.

“Sorry,” Katsuki breathlessly apologized. He lifted his left arm up to cover his eyes, willing himself to get under control. “I just need a moment.”

“Am I doing something wrong?”

Katsuki could feel the boy pull away but what surprised him was when Shoto decided to sink down on him. There was no way he could hold back his moan at that action – the weight of the boy, the one who had been plaguing his mind for months now, was too much.

And Katsuki may be a beloved hero with a strong resolve, but he was also a man. A man who was being tempted by someone he oh, so greatly desired – he wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer.

Guess he wasn’t as strong willed as he thought.

“I’m sorry!” Shoto squeaked, when he finally realized why Katsuki was acting the way he was.

Stumbling awkwardly in his attempt to slide off Katsuki’s lap, Shoto only rubbed more against Katsuki’s growing hardness.

“Baby, you’re not helping,” Katsuki mumbled after letting out another moan. His fingers finding their way to the boy’s thighs.

With all the strength he could muster in that moment, mentally, not physically, cause the problem definitely wasn’t his physical strength. Katsuki shifted his hands underneath Shoto’s thighs and lifted the boy with ease before depositing him onto the couch space next to him.

Shoto bounced against the seat cushions, hair haloed around him as he laid underneath Katsuki. What a sight to behold. All flustered pink and pupils dilated.

Katsuki took a mental picture because this was premium jerk off material right here. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”

Shoto looked up at him, lips slightly parted and breathing uneven. With slight hesitation, Shoto lifted a hand to play with the top of Katsuki’s chaotic spikey hair.

“Soft,” Shoto observed.

“Nah, pretty sure I’m hard.”

Katsuki didn’t think that Shoto could look even more red than he did, but he was proven wrong. He liked how untainted Shoto was and how easily flustered the other could get.

“Katsuki!”

“I’m joking,” Katsuki laughed, leaning down to place a soft kiss on Shoto’s forehead. He couldn’t stop himself from being affectionate when the alluring boy he first saw on the train was looking all too precious.

With a face like that – Shoto deserved to be showered with affection.

“Well, not really, but you are the cause of it so don’t give me that look.” Shoto gulped, eyes darting from side to side.

Katsuki frowned at the boy’s show of nervousness. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but Shoto spoke first.

“Should I…” Shoto started, breath hitched. “Take care of that for you?” He looked up at Katsuki, waiting for the blond’s answer.

Katsuki blinked at the question.

Shoto blinked, too.

“You don’t have to do that.” Shoto’s eyebrows furrowed at Katsuki’s reply.

“Do you not want me to?” Shoto asked, crestfallen.

“No, that’s not it at all,” Katsuki denied, quickly.

Cause that wasn’t it, not even close. If only the mismatched haired teen knew what was going on in Katsuki’s head. His poor, naïve head probably would reel at Katsuki’s dirty thoughts.

But Katsuki didn’t want to rush into things, not with Shoto. Not when the boy was clearly inexperienced and trembling with uncertainty under Katsuki’s touch and gaze.

Katsuki could be patient. For once.

So, what if Katsuki was holding back? This time was different. It wasn’t his doubt and inner demons hindering him from moving forward with Shoto anymore.

This time, it was all about Shoto, and making sure that the next step they took physically in their relationship would be when Shoto was ready. For sure ready, with no hesitation and no regrets.

Katsuki reached down, stroking the younger’s frown away.

Like a fucking cat, Shoto preened like one and leaned into Katsuki’s touch. The hero could die right then and there and he’d be alright with it.

“I can see your hesitation, princess.”

The frown was back. But Katsuki kissed it away.

He pulled back just in time to see Shoto open his mouth but the boy closed it just as quick. Probably realizing that Katsuki was right and that there was no point refuting him when it was plain as day – that he wasn’t ready.

“We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for,” Katsuki reasoned. “Besides, I really like kissing you, pretty boy.” He proved it by kissing Shoto’s jaw. “We’ll take things slow, okay?”

Shoto turned away, disappointed.  

“What are you thinking about?”

Shoto shook his head.

“Tell me,” Katsuki probed.

Nothing.

Katsuki turned Shoto’s head so he can look at him. “Tell me what’s going in that pretty, little head of yours.”

“Do you promise that it’s not because of me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m disfigured.” Shoto stated, like it was a fact he’d been told and have been saying for years. Maybe that was the case. “I’m ugly and am nowhere close to being perfect or normal.”

To say that Katsuki was shocked would be an understatement. At first, he thought he was hearing wrong. Did Shoto think that Katsuki thought all that?

Or worse, did Shoto really think all those things of himself to be true?

Katsuki abruptly sat up, he didn’t miss the way Shoto’s face instantly drained.

“Come here,” Katsuki whispered, though he didn’t wait for Shoto to move by himself. Instead, he pulled the smaller boy sideways and nestled the other between his legs. “You can bet your ass that I don’t think that. Why the hell would you say any of that?”

Shoto pulled into himself, making himself small. It was something Katsuki noticed the other did many times before. He hated that the younger felt like he had to do that around Katsuki.

“It’s true, isn’t it? Even before I got this, my own mother thought I looked unsightly.” Shoto admitted, voice so low, Katsuki had barely heard it.

The boy was referring to his scar; it was the first time Shoto spoke about it.

With Shoto sitting sideways between his legs with his left side facing Katsuki, the older was able to easily reach out and brush the boy’s hair, revealing the scar that graced his otherwise porcelain skin. He leaned forward and placed a gently kiss against the uneven, rough skin. Shoto flinched but otherwise allowed Katsuki to continue.

Katsuki couldn’t imagine the hurt and lingering trauma that would follow a young boy after being told you were ugly by their own mother. What kind of effect it would have on one’s self esteem.

One thing for sure though was that Katsuki wanted to meet the younger’s mother so he could tell her himself that she should get her eyes checked. Cause her boy was the most striking person Katsuki’s had ever seen.

“You’re beautiful, Shoto,” Katsuki stated. “Inside and out. You’ve turned my world upside down when you stood next to me on that platform. I’ve been blinded by you since you smiled that soft smile of yours at me. And I have absolutely been enamoured by you the second you said ‘hello’.”

Shoto’s breath hitched at Katsuki’s confession.

“So, I can promise you, without hesitation, that I don’t find you ugly or unsightly, so get that out of your thick head,” Katsuki ordered, knuckles knocking against Shoto’s temple. “In fact, I wish you were ugly.”

Shoto’s eyes widened at that last sentence. Confusion written all over his face.

Katsuki only smirked.

“That way, I don’t have to worry about other people looking at you,” Katsuki explained. “I want to be the only person who can admire you.” He didn’t bother to hide the jealousy laced in his voice.

Katsuki wasn’t blind, not when it was so obvious the way Shoto turned heads wherever he went. He tried to tell himself that he wasn't bothered by the attention Shoto always seemed to receive, Katsuki couldn’t even be angry with Shoto because the boy was so dense, he didn’t even realize how others made googly eyes when he walked pass them.

The fan girls on campus would have been so obvious to notice and yet Shoto never seemed to. Not even when they whispered and giggled so loudly whenever he was near. It ticked Katsuki off the way those eyes would watch Shoto, so predatory-like. It wasn’t just women, but there were men, too, who would set their eyes on Shoto and let their gaze linger.

But then Shoto would meet Katsuki’s own eyes and those mesmerizing mismatched set of irises would brighten at the sight of Katsuki. And then it wouldn’t matter, not those extras who thought they could gain Shoto’s attention, because Shoto’s gaze was solely on Katsuki – always.

“You don’t mind – “

Katsuki interrupted the younger before he could finish. He didn’t want to hear another negative word come out of Shoto’s mouth.

“I like you, for you. Every little thing about you.”

“Really?” Shoto still sounded uncertain, like he couldn’t believe what Katsuki was saying.

It would be hard for Shoto to overlook what had been ingrained in his wiring for so long. But if Katsuki needed to re-wire it, he’ll be happy to remind Shoto every day.

“Yeah, really,” Katsuki confirmed.

He wrapped both arms around Shoto’s small waist and hugged him tight, pulling him closer to him. Shoto in turn, leaned his left side against Katsuki’s chest, a hand gripping onto the front of Katsuki’s jacket.

They sat on the couch like that for some time. With Katsuki holding on tightly to the gift that was currently nestled in his lap, and Shoto, ears pressed and listening to the soothing heartbeat against Katsuki’s chest.

The rest of the day was spent in similar fashion. Where one went around the apartment, the other was close by.

At lunch, Katsuki had gotten hungry and ordered Shoto to take a shower while he whipped something up with whatever was in the student’s refrigerator. Amazingly, he was able to make some miso soup, rice, and some grilled beef slices from what he could salvage from Shoto’s food supply, which was naught. The boy’s stock of food was awful and Katsuki didn’t hold back to tell him so when the other stepped into the kitchen, hair wet, wearing oversized lounge clothes, and a damp towel around his neck.

When Shoto stepped close to scoop up the rice, Katsuki beckoned him closer. The shorter boy listened and allowed Katsuki to inspect his bandaged forehead.

“Good, looks like no water went inside,” Katsuki nodded in approval after inspecting the bandage.

“I am a med student you know, I could always re-apply gauze if I needed to,” Shoto stated.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at the boy’s flex.

“Tch. Like I’d trust you,” Katsuki said, with a huff.

Shoto grinned at that.

After they finished eating, they migrated back to the couch where Katsuki sat down with Shoto lying horizontally, a cheek pressed against Katsuki’s thigh. He could hear his friends in his head calling him a big softie at heart, something they’ve been saying all these years with Katsuki always refuting it.

They first watched an action movie on a streaming platform, one that Katsuki had on his watchlist for a while now but hadn’t had a chance to actually view until now. And after compromising, they ended up watching some animated film that Shoto wanted to watch. Which funnily enough, Katsuki ended up watching all by himself because the younger had fallen asleep not even half an hour into it.

He played with the soft locks on the boy’s hair, the soft snores coming from the worn-out student.

To think that just a few days ago, he had walked away from this beautiful boy; resigned that he wouldn’t pursue him anymore.

But here he was; kissing the alluring boy and being kissed by said alluring boy.

Shit, as of today, he was dating Shoto.

And Katsuki didn’t date. He didn’t do relationships.

Well, he guessed he did now.

Yeah, he was fine with this development. More than fine with it, actually.

Glancing down, he took in Shoto’s peaceful, sleeping face; a marred face by a mother’s hand. The truth was sad and very unfortunate. Katsuki’s heart hurt for the boy, even though Shoto had said the incident had happened years ago, when he was only six years old.

To think that Shoto had to live with this mark for that long; it was no wonder that the boy’s self-esteemed had taken a hit.

If Katsuki could, he’d locate all those assholes who’d ever told Shoto that it was unfortunate that his handsome face was ruined. Apparently, people didn’t think a child had feelings or would feel hurt from such wicked words. He’d set his quirk on them without holding back, that was what they deserve for hurting someone he cared for.

Shoto jerked in his sleep, a deep frown apparent on his face. Incoherent murmurs stumbled out of Shoto’s mouth but his closed eyes signaled that he was still asleep. 

Katsuki massaged the boy’s scalp, attempting to soothe the younger boy through his nightmare. After a moment, Katsuki felt the boy relax against his touch and returned back to a peaceful dream state.

God, how domestic was this.

But, yeah, fuck it. He could get used to it.

__

“Three days ago, two villains attacked the University of Tokyo student campus…”

Cramped in a boardroom with heroes from Jeanist and Endeavor’s Agencies, Katsuki found post against the back wall next to Deku of all heroes. Earlier, he had even spotted Dabi, the prodigal son of the Number One hero giving Katsuki a short nod when they made eye contact.

To Katsuki’s surprise, some sort of comradery forged between him and Dabi that night of his birthday celebration. Maybe it was due to the fact that older hero had stopped him from sleeping with some loser extra. Or maybe it was how Katsuki poured his heart out in a drunken haze, and instead of walloping in misery on his own, Dabi and Hawks had kept him company.

Unfortunately for Katsuki, he remembered what happened once the alcohol wore off the next morning, and was greatly ashamed at himself for acting so embarrassing in front of the top heroes of today. But if he remembered correctly, it was Dabi who told Hawks to mind his own business when the winged hero got curious and thought a drunk Katsuki would be more honest (he wasn’t wrong in that assumption).

“Leave the kid alone,” Dabi had told off his partner.

“Oh, come one, Hot Stuff! He was just about to get to the good stuff, don’t you want to know what happened to the Boy in the Gakuran Uniform?” Hawks bemoaned. 

“Well, he’s here pouring his drunk ass heart out to us, I’m pretty sure you can piece together what happened.”

Yeah, Dabi didn’t hold back his punches. And Katsuki admired people like that, people who were real.

To think that his first hero crush would one day be sitting next to him in a bar while he was down in the dumps about another guy.

Life really was unpredictable.

Like this debrief.

Both agency heads stood at the front of the room as they completed a rundown of the incident that had been plaguing headlines for the last few days.

Katsuki wondered what was up when he got the email yesterday to gather at Endeavor Agency for a joint debrief between the two hero agencies. To think it was about the two idiots who wreaked havoc on Shoto’s school campus came to a surprise for Katsuki since it was an Endeavor Agency responded incident.

The blond hero eyed the towering flamed hero leading the debrief with an intensity that he was known for in everything he did.

When Katsuki interned with Endeavor as a U.A. student with Izuku, he found the top hero to be intense (for a lack of a better word) and driven; never did Endeavor go easy on him and Izuku. He appreciated, and could even understand the reasoning behind the tough love. Katsuki knew that he could have learned a lot from Endeavor, he already had with the short two weeks that he spent with Endeavor in his first year, and again in his second. But when the time came to decide who to sign with after graduation, Katsuki went with Jeanist.

“Do you know anything about this?” Izuku asked, leaning over into Katsuki’s personal space.

Katsuki nudged his annoying rival away with a push of an elbow. “Not any more than you do,” Katsuki replied.

“Hmm, really. Even though your boyfriend goes to the university?”

Okay, so Katsuki had kept his lips pretty tight about being on location that day. He didn’t want to answer any inquiries since he was there as a civilian and not a hero. Even Jeanist didn’t know about his involvement, not that there was much that he did, which is why he resorted to not telling his boss.

“Lucky coincidence.”

Well, not lucky since he would have preferred Shoto not to be anywhere near danger.

“So, the report I read citing a civilian named Shoto taking down one of the villains, isn’t your Shoto?”

“He was in the report?” Katsuki asked, missing the whole point while giving himself away.

The smug look on Izuku’s face didn’t go unnoticed. Tch.

But the All Might’s successor didn’t get a chance to say anything else when the main reasoning for the gathering of heroes was shared.

“After days of interrogating the two villains we captured and took into custody, they’ve finally loosened their lips. As it turned out, they are members of the anti-heteromorph group that’s quickly gaining traction here in the city; out intelligence was correct in that assumption after recognizing the list of injured students and staff. The majority of the injured, which we have since confirmed from the villains themselves, were heteromorphs.”

The screen Endeavor stood in front of displayed the stats of the injured; 85% of the injured were in fact mutant-type quirk users.

“The villains were previous third-year students of the university but had dropped off not too long ago after joining the anti-heteromorphs group; they’ve since named their group the Gifted because they believe that their quirks are a gift from God and that mutant quirks is his form of punishment; the ‘damned’.”

The new information caused an unsettling feeling in the pit of Katsuki’s stomach, and the realization that it was his fault.

Those idiots, the Gifted, that was the group Katsuki was supposed to keep an eye out on. He glanced over at Izuku and he could see that the One For All user’s face that the other was coming to the same realization as Katsuki.

It was their fault that the campus attack happened.

If he fucking did his job right, he would’ve found out about the group’s moronic plan before they even got a chance to step foot onto the campus. He should’ve squashed this plan before they had a chance to even act on it.

They didn’t do their jobs right.

He should be grateful that there were no deaths and those who received major injuries were recovering well in the hospital.

And Shoto… fuck, those villains should be lucky that all the boy received was an artificial cut.

What if they weren’t captured right away, what would the collateral had looked like then?

It was the sound of Jeanist clearing his throat that brought Katsuki out of his internal blaming. He shouldn’t have been surprised when he found Jeanist watching him from where he stood at the front. His mentor knew how Katsuki was like – always aiming for perfection, no mistakes, no causalities, a 100% win.

And Katsuki – he wasn’t used to slip-ups. But when he did mess up, he’d berate himself over and over again, beating himself up for his own mistakes. It wasn’t healthy, Katsuki knew that. That’s why he accepted Jeanist’s offer to join the number three hero’s agency; the denim-loving wearing man knew how to handle Katsuki and his explosive behavior, ill-speaking manner, and above all, Katsuki’s arrogance that sometimes led him astray.

Like now.

Jeanist narrowed his eyes, looking for any sign that Katsuki might faulter in public. It’s what the number three hero did ever since he found Katsuki collapsed in a hallway experiencing a panic attack. That was Katsuki’s first panic attack; seventeen years old and feeling weak and pathetic because it was his inexperienced and cockiness that lead to the mortal injury of Jeanist’s sidekick, who had acted as his assigned teacher for the day.

Breathing in, as Jeanist taught him, Katsuki calmed his beating heart. When he felt like he was in control, he sent his boss a slight nod. He was okay, he had it under control.

Jeanist nodded back.

“Our heroes have been tracking the group and have located their headquarters and their various hideouts. We have eyes on the group’s leaders, the masterminds. To deter any more attacks, the best course of action is taking out their leaders, without the snake head, the followers will lose direction.” Endeavor communicated, unwavering as always. 

“We have gathered you all today because of your involvement with the group these last couple of weeks,” Jeanist stepped up and explained. “We will be organizing three sets of teams, including one Alpha Team that will participate in the takedown of the leaders, while the other two focus on the hideouts. This plan, of course, will be a joint plan between Jeanist Agency and Endeavor Agency.”

“We will share team and plan assignments in the following days. Any questions?” Endeavor asked.

“No, questions,” Dabi spoke up, uncrossing his arms from his chest as he stood straight. “But I have a request. I want to be assigned to the Alpha Team.” He told, no ordered, his father.

Endeavor frowned at his son’s manners but relented anyway. “Fine, Dabi, you’ll head the Alpha Team.”

The rest of the meeting went about discussing various mission plans and projected date for mission commencement. Katsuki paid attention but what was going on his mind was how he could get onto the Alpha Team.

Could he put in a request to Jeanist, too?

Ah, fuck, he probably has to grovel and beg to Dabi to let him join, wasn’t he?

“Heard Dabi’s got a personal vendetta with the leaders.” Some nosy extra whispered somewhere to Katuski’s right.

“Yeah, his brother was on the campus. Apparently, he got injured.”

“Oh, the med student, right?” His hero friend nodded. “Natsuo, I think. I thought he already graduated?”  

The other shrugged his shoulders up and down. “Makes sense why Dabi would volunteer; those suckers don’t even know what’s coming for them. They chose the wrong university to wreak havoc on.”

The two Endeavor sidekicks snicker and continue gossiping while the room slowly cleared out now that the meeting had adjourned.

“Hey, Kacchan, do you think…”

“Can it, nerd,” Katsuki warned. He saw the other flinch but Izuku was used to his brash personality by now, the man has known Katsuki for over fifteen years now. “There’s no use thinking about it now. We can only move forward.”

Izuku nodded in agreement but the strained look on his face told Katsuki that he wasn’t over it. Not that Katsuki could blame Izuki; he should really take his own words to heart.

“I’m going to speak with Dabi, catch you later, Deku.”

“What, why… huh?“

But Katsuki was on the move, leaving behind a flustered Izuku who was probably wondering why Katsuki needed to speak to his senpai.

Katsuki narrowed in on Dabi, expertly dodging the bodies, as well Jeanist’s questioning look. He had an inkling that Jeanist wanted to speak with him, but Dabi was almost out the door, the back of his heeled boots clacking against the pristine floor because of course Endeavor’s agency was top-notched. So, he steered fast and went for it.

“Dabi!”

The flame hero turned around, looking surprised when he saw it was Katsuki who called out to him.

“What can I do for you, Dynamight?” The hero didn’t break stride but slowed down enough, allowing Katsuki to catch up with him.

When Katsuki fell into step with him, Dabi side glanced down at him.

Tch. The hero was really taking advantage of that one inch he had over Katsuki’s six-foot one frame.

“I want to be part of the Alpha Team when you take them down.” Katsuki stated, cutting to the chase.

He didn’t like doing that dance that people do when they want something; he didn’t have time nor the patience for that shit. It was more Katsuki’s alley to be direct anyway – straight to the point.

“And why should I let you?” Dabi asked, eyeing him more closely. “There are plenty of Endeavor Agency heroes to choose from, ones that I’ve teamed up with for years.”

Katsuki sighed.

It wasn’t like he could say that he wanted revenge, too; that it was just as personal for him as much as it was to Dabi. He didn’t want to bring Shoto up in his professional life if he didn’t have to.

“Cause I’m a damn good hero and you know I’d be an asset to you.”

Dabi stopped in his tracks.

Those all-seeing eyes burning into Katsuki’s own crimson red; his icy blue eyes, they really do remind him of Shoto’s just like what he had originally thought that night when he was drunk.

Dabi groaned. “Fine, you can be on my team. I’ll clear it with Jeanist.”

Katsuki smirked, satisfied that he got what he wanted.

“But –“ Because of course there was a but; the explosion hero resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You listen to my instructions and you follow the mission plan to a tee. Do you understand, Dynamight?”

Okay, so maybe Katsuki couldn’t hold back the eye roll.

“Yes, I hear you, Dabi.”

Dabi rolled his eyes in turn. “I read the news article, Dynamight. Heck, I even remembered how you were when you interned with my father. Loud mouth and conceited.”

“I was a student!”

“I was quoting what the media wrote about you last week.” Dabi deadpanned. “Didn’t Jeanist also punish you not too long ago by making you take the train?”

Fuck, a drunk Katsuki really was honest.

“Fine! You have my word, now am I good?”

The older hero looked annoyed but, in the end, he nodded with a sigh. “Goddamnit, surrounded by brats wherever I go,” Dabi muttered to himself. “You’re good, Dynamight. Don’t let me down.” He sternly warned.

Katsuki smirked.

Message received, loud and clear.

___

He texted Shoto as soon as he was off, the urge to see his boyfriend was strong after the meeting about the stupid hate group and their bigoted fanatics.

Katsuki didn’t even ask if he could come over, just made his way over there and realized halfway on route that he should at least give Shoto a heads up.

The boy didn’t even seem phased that Katsuki had invited himself over. Instead, he opened the door and gestured Katsuki to quickly come inside. Textbooks covered the table in front of the TV that was playing the evening news, and it looked like Shoto was in the middle of eating some meager looking bowl of instant noodles.

“You call that dinner?” Katsuki scoffed, throwing his black bomber jacket onto the couch before slouching down onto it.

“Mhmm. If I had known you were coming over, I would have ordered something for us,” Shoto said, taking a seat on the hardwood floor between Katsuki’s feet. He leaned over his textbooks and continued to type out notes onto his laptop. “Rough day at work?”

“Something like that,” Katsuki mumbled.

He leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Shoto’s head and received a satisfied hum in return.

“Do you want something to eat? I can cook you up a bowl.”

“Nah, I’ll pick up some real food when I head home.”

The news segment transitioned to the Tokyo U campus attack before panning to a previously recorded interview with Endeavor.

“Our heroes are committed to the safety of the people…” Endeavor started. The Number One hero’s face was illuminated by the dozens of camera flashes as he stood in front of a podium with heroes and police officers on either side of him.

Katsuki didn’t get to hear the rest of the news segment, not that he wanted to cause he had enough of them already, before Shoto proceeded to switch the channel before landing on some cooking show.

“Don’t want to hear about the attack anymore?” Katsuki asked.

He’d been on the hero scene long enough to know what PTSD could do to someone, especially survivors caught up in a villain attack.

“Something like that,” Shoto echoed.

Katsuki noticed that the other’s voice sounded more hardened than usual.

“Hey,” Katsuki called out after a few minutes of just letting the sound of the TV take over. “You never did tell me how you took out that villain on the day of the attack.”

He was curious this entire time but never found the opportunity to ask.

“Oh,” Shoto sounded surprised, like as if he just realized he hadn’t told Katsuki either.

The boy turned around and leaned against Katsuki’s left leg. “I just snuck up behind him; I think my roundhouse kick was what knocked him out though.”

Katsuki blinked, mouth open in shock.

Shoto conducted a surprise attack on a villain? And took him down with hand-to-hand combat?

Was Shoto pulling his leg?

“Just like that? Must’ve been one hell of a kick.”

“Well, it was more than one kick but yeah, he was pretty focused on harming the students that he didn’t even notice me until I kicked him in the back of the knees and had him kneeling on the ground. He probably thought no one was going to stop him once he got Burnin’ incapacitated.” Shoto told, nonchalantly.

Katsuki blinked again, brain slowly catching up with the severity of what he was hearing.

“Do you know how dangerous it is to get that close to a rampant villain?! Why didn’t you use your quirk or something?”

“I don’t have a quirk,” Shoto supplied.

Wait, what?

Shoto was quirkless?

“Huh?!”

Okay, Katsuki was really bad at holding back his surprise.

He hadn’t met someone who was quirkless since Izuku, and shit, he treated Izuku really bad because he thought he was superior to someone who had no quirk. He also thought he was the shit with his powerful explosions. And then when Izuku inherited One For All, Katsuki was still an ass.

It took a lot of growing up before he had the balls to apologize to Izuku and two eventually could repair their friendship that was broken for years. Katsuki wasn’t proud of that time in his life, and he hoped he had since moved away from that shitty thinking.

But Katsuki never did think he would end up with someone quirkless.

He thought… if there was a day he’d ever date someone, that person would have a kick-ass quirk like him. Someone who would be strong and powerful.

Was he okay with Shoto being quirkless?

“I don’t have a quirk,” Shoto repeated, confusion written on his face as he eyed Katsuki’s strange behavior. “Is… is it okay, that I’m quirkless?” The boy suddenly sounded insecure. “I know that it’s rare nowadays, especially when the majority of the population do manifest quirks but that doesn’t make me, or anybody who is quirkless, inferior.” 

For Shoto to sound so defensive… was he bullied in the past?

Was he told that he was inferior by a bully who belittled him and kept reminding him that he was useless? He really hoped no one told Shoto to go die like he had told Izuku.

“Katsuki?” Shoto called out when Katsuki lagged in response.

“God, you fearless, brave, idiot,” Katsuki stated, leaning down only to pull Shoto into his lap. He dipped his nose into the groove of Shoto’s neck, breathing in the distinct fresh, minty smell that he had grown to associate with Shoto. “Please don’t do that again or else I might actually die from worrying about you so much.”

Shoto wrapped his arms around Katsuki, bringing their bodies closer. “You don’t have to worry about me too much, I’m more than capable.”

“I know, just… still.”

For Katsuki, he’s lived the dangerous life of a hero for the past six years, more if you count his U.A. career. The countless times he had to risk his life, confront ruthless villains willing to die for their cause, watch helplessly as lives slipped away in his arms, and lose fellow officers in the line of duty—all in the name of being a hero.

No, he doesn’t want Shoto anywhere near that.

For a civilian to play hero, Shoto doesn’t know what it all meant.

Katsuki held onto Shoto tighter.

“So, you have a foot made out of steel or what?” Katsuki asked, half-jokingly to help dissipate the air of seriousness.

It worked because Shoto left a breathless laugh. “I’ll have you know, I was trained in karate, muay thai, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu. I also know a bit of kendo.”

“What, why?” Katsuki asked.

He was actually kind of impressed.

This entire time, he had viewed the smaller, lithe boy as fragile. But he was wrong to assume that, not when Shoto was surprising him at every turn.

Shoto was extraordinary.

And thinking about Shoto fighting hand to hand… was hot. He was going to have to get Shoto to join him at the gym so he can judge for himself what Shoto was capable of.

“Remember when I told you that my father had big plans for me?” Shoto prompted, pulling away from Katsuki as he resettled in the hero’s lap.

Katsuki nodded, remembering back a few days ago when the other opened about his family. It was one of the rare times Shoto shared something personal with him.

“The training was part of it,” Shoto stated. “My father trained me himself, since I was five or so. For the sake of his legacy.”

So young, was what Katsuki thought.

For what reason would someone train their own child like that? Now it was starting to make sense when Shoto made comments about not having a real childhood and missing out on regular kid activities.

“Why’d he stop?”

Shoto looked away. “It was my fault,” Shoto said. “I – I could no longer keep up. I got weak.”

Katsuki knocked his knuckles against the younger’s temple. “I don’t think you know the meaning of ‘weak’, cause you ain’t it, princess.”

The teenager blinked at Katsuki before smiling shyly.

“Thank you, Katsuki,” Shoto thanked, looking straight at Katsuki. “For seeing me differently than everyone else.”

Katsuki’s cheeks heat up at Shoto’s words; the boy’s softness was definitely affecting Katsuki’s brain.

“Don’t have to thank me for that,” Katsuki stated, cupping Shoto’s chin. “I only see what’s true.”

It must’ve been the right thing to say because next thing Katsuki knew, the younger surged forward and kissed him with so much desire that his own breath got knocked right out of him.

Maybe he was a bad influence on Shoto because the teen wasn’t innocent anymore. Not with the way he kissed.

“Princess,” Katsuki mumbled against addicting soft lips. “Hold on, baby.”

But Shoto didn’t stop, in fact, the boy dropped to the floor on his knees and settled with his arms resting along Katsuki’s legs. Those eyes, big and curious, looked up at Katsuki with intention. And his hands, slender and small, ran up and down Katsuki’s thighs.

“What do you think you’re doing, baby?”

And Katsuki, he tried his best to keep it together but his breath was coming out ragged with every move of Shoto’s touch.

“Will you teach me?” Shoto asked, looking absolutely debauched between Katsuki’s legs.

“What?”

He felt it; Shoto’s hands ghostly touch along his length before the boy’s hands started fumbling with his pants zipper. Katsuki reacted quickly even with his hazy mind, hands gripping around Shoto’s wrists to stop him from his ministrations.

“Shoto, stop,” Katsuki warned, but his wavering voice betrayed his true thoughts.

“Teach me, Katsuki,” Shoto repeated.

There was a glint in those mismatched eyes, a hunger for more. Everything about Shoto was contradictory; naïve but smart, quirkless but courageous, a civilian but heroic, and right now – innocent but sensual.

“Will you teach me,” Shoto started, again. “How to make you feel good?”

Holy fuck was Katsuki ever turned on.

And Shoto, he was barely trying but he was succeeding in making Katsuki go crazy.

All sense of control went out the window that second.

Moving on instinct, Katsuki leaned down and captured Shoto’s lips and kissed him senseless. He didn’t go easy on Shoto, barely letting the boy a chance to breathe before he was on the teenager again. It was Shoto’s fault, he unleashed Katsuki’s desire and now he was going to have to deal with it.

“You really want to?” Katsuki asked, when he pulled away from Shoto.

The college student was flushed and breathing hard. Oh, what the hero wanted to do to him.

“Yes,” Shoto managed to breathe out.

The younger boy wasted no time in pushing Katsuki back against the couch before falling back to his knees again. Once tentative hands moved with more sureness up and down Katsuki’s thighs, moving higher and higher before they reached up to undo the button of his pants.

When Shoto went for the zipper, he leaned forward. So close that Katsuki could feel the other’s warm breath against his clothed length. A premature moan escaped Katsuki’s lips but he couldn’t stop the hiss when a small hand reached past his briefs and timidly touched his hardened cock before pulling him out.

“You’re…,” Shoto observed, running his soft hand along Katsuki’s freed length. “Big.”

Katsuki chucked. “You scared, baby?”

Shoto shook his head though his eyes were still wide as he eyed Katsuki’s cock.

“Good, because this is me only half hard.” Shoto’s eyes widened even more as he swallowed a gulp. “You don’t have to do anything, princess.” Katsuki reminded, running his hand through Shoto’s hair. He rubbed against the back of Shoto’s nape in an attempt to calm the nervous boy.

The younger only shook his head at that. Stubborn brat.

“I can do it.”

Katsuki raised his eyebrow. “And what exactly can you do?” Shoto blushed under Katsuki’s smug look.

Rather than answering verbally, Shoto showed him. By gripping Katsuki tighter and proceeded to give Katsuki a hand job.

“Fuck, Shoto.”

For what Shoto lacked in experience, he made up with enthusiasm. And Katsuki wasn’t complaining. Not one bit.

“Am I doing this right?” Shoto, innocently asked.

Katsuki groaned. Shoto wasn’t really expecting him to speak, was he? Cause Katsuki was halfway gone; his mind had totally blank and all he could focus on was the pleasure on his dick.

“You’re doing great, baby,” Katsuki answered, barely. His eyes were closed so he could keep focus on the feeling of Shoto’s warm hands on him.

And so, Shoto carried on with his ministrations.

As for Katsuki, he leaned his back against the couch while trying to calm himself so he didn’t finish early.

“Oh,” Shoto’s voice of surprise filled the air. “You got bigger.”

“Intimidated yet?” Katsuki asked again. As much as he was confident in his size, Katsuki knew he was fairly well proportioned, much more than the average man. He was long in length and also thick, girthy and all that.

And Shoto’s answer to Katsuki’s smugness? A hot flick of the tongue against Katsuki’s tip.

Katsuki’s eyes opened immediately, head shooting down to look at Shoto just in time to see the boy take Katsuki into his mouth. The hero actually felt it before he saw it; it was hard to miss the warmth of Shoto’s hot breath.

“Holy, shit!” He placed a hand on the back of the other’s nape, guiding the boy up and down his cock.

The explosive hero only was only brought back to the present when he heard Shoto gag when he took too much down his throat.

“Don’t rush it, baby,” Katsuki said. “Take your time, use your tongue.” He instructed.

Shoto nodded in understanding as Katsuki wiped away the spit dripping down Shoto’s lips. “What you can’t fit in your mouth, you can use your hand. Just like before.”

The other followed Katsuki’s instructions perfectly.

“Feels good,” Katsuki encouraged, totally enamored by Shoto. “Hollow out your cheeks, yeah, just like that.”

He wasn’t going to last for long, not with the way Shoto was bobbing his head up and down so passionately. Like as if he was trying to prove that he could do it, that he wasn’t so green. Katsuki could feel his weight against Shoto’s tongue, or at least the inches that the other could fit in his small mouth.

To think that shy, aloof boy he saw on the train a few months ago, all prim and proper in his black gakuran uniform would end up being so wanton.

“Do you feel good?” Shoto asked, pausing for a second before going back to it with more fervour.

The slurping sound that filled the space was fucking erotic, even better was Shoto’s flushed cheeks that filled out when he took in Katsuki’s length.

“So good,” Katsuki answered, breathlessly.

He cupped Shoto’s left cheek, tilting the boy’s head so that he could take a good look at him. And confident Shoto, he never broke eye contact, not even when he took Katsuki’s tip to the back of his throat.

Yeah, Katsuki moaned loudly at that.

And Shoto – he was a natural. Widening his mouth and adjusting accordingly when he wanted to surprise Katsuki and take in more. The hero felt like he didn’t need to guide Shoto anymore after the first few instructions; the kid was adaptable and he honestly was having a great time watching Shoto figure it out on his own what worked and what really worked.

“I’m going to cum,” Katsuki stated, fingers brushing away Shoto’s bangs.

A few more strokes and another hit to the back of Shoto’s throat and Katsuki was done. He did his best to pry Shoto off his dick but the boy was adamant in swallowing which only turned Katsuki on even more.

“Shit!” Katsuki shouted when the other gagged, and eventually relented and allowed Katsuki to pull himself out. The remaining cum landed on Shoto’s face, painting the boy’s pretty face translucent white.

Hell yeah, Katsuki took a mental picture of that.

“Are you alright?” Katsuki asked, sliding off the couch as best as he could with his legs feeling like jelly.

Shoto was still coughing, eyes watering as he struggled to swallow what was left in his mouth. “Spit it out, Shoto,” Katsuki stated, bringing his hands to Shoto’s mouth so that Shoto had something to spit into.

Instead, the stubborn teen shook his head and gulped Katsuki’s cum in one go.

“Shoto!” This boy, this one right here was going to be the death of him. He told the boy exactly that.

With the sleeve of his hoodie, Katsuki wiped the boy’s face clean. It didn’t help that Shoto had that adorable, squishy face every time Katsuki rubbed at his chubby cheeks.

How could one go from sexy to fucking cute in less than minute?

“Katsuki…” Shoto whined, like an annoyed child being fussed over by a parent.

“Hold your horses, I’m cleaning you up, princess.”

When Katsuki declared his clean job ‘good enough’, he pulled Shoto against his chest and placed a kiss on the other’s lips. He could taste himself on Shoto’s lips and it only served as a reminder of what had just taken place. It didn’t take long for him to get it up again.

‘You okay?” Katsuki asked, pulling away to inspect his younger boyfriend.

“I’m fine,” Shoto answered, blushing wildly under Katsuki’s intense stare.

“Good, cause we aren’t done yet,” Katsuki declared before picking up Shoto and placing him backside down against the couch. “It’s your turn, baby.”

Poor, innocent Shoto. He didn’t have the slightest clue what was coming.

As for Katsuki, he planned to eat him alive – figuratively and literally.

__

“Heard your baby bro found himself an older lover,” Burnin’ jested, looking way too happy as she bugged her boss’ son.

Katsuki remembered Burnin’ from his intern days; strong, unserious, a jokester. Seemed like flame haired hero hadn’t changed over the years. Still one of the rare heroes at Endeavor Agency who wasn’t afraid to pick on Dabi just because he was the boss’ son.

Settled in an inconspicuous van parked just a few meters away from a rundown, boarded up storefront that used to sell wooden furniture judging from the barely hanging sign, Katsuki waited for the go-ahead.

It’d been almost a month since the debrief, and the heroes were finally ready to pounce. And he was itching all over to get this finally done.

Until then, he was in the company of Burnin’ and Dabi. The other members of the Alpha team, including Deku, was in another van parked somewhere on the other side of the street not too far away from them.

“Can you not use the word ‘lover’ in the same sentence as my brother?” Dabi groaned, looking simultaneously disgusted and awkward.

The team leader was leaning back against the van’s interior walls, legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed over each other just as his arms were.

Katsuki was grateful that Dabi kept his word and permitted him to be part of the Apha team, cause truth be told, he was still pissed off about the attack. Though, in retrospect, it was due to that idiot duo that made Katsuki realize that everything in the world can go fuck it because all he cared about was being with Shoto, but he’ll never let anyone take the credit for that.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that!” Burnin’ stated, a way too big of a smile present on her face. She strained her much shorter legs to nudged her feet against Dabi’s. If the goal was to annoy their team leader, Burnin’ was succeeding.

Heck, even seated next to her, Katsuki was annoyed.

“So, spill the beans. How old is the man your brother is dating? He a sugar daddy? I can see the appeal of that.” She said the last part thoughtfully to herself.

Katsuki could see the popped vein on the Number Four hero’s forehead from where he was diagonally seated. Katsuki couldn’t help but grin in amusement at the expense of the other hero.

He also felt better knowing that he wasn’t the only one taking on a younger lover.

“Where’d you even hear about this?” Dabi asked, teeth gritted together.

Burnin’ waved her hand off. “Was doing some work for the Commission the other day. Heard it from Hawks.”

“That loud mouth birdbrain.” Dabi cursed under his breath.

Under Burnin’s curious stare and relentless badgering, Dabi eventually caved and shared some insight.

“I don’t know much, it’s not like I want to actively know what’s happening in my siblings love lives,” Dabi started but was interrupted by Burnin’ when she nudged Katsuki in the side.

“Ha, what a liar!” Burnin’ said. “Like as if this guy would let his teenaged brother do whatever he wants. This guy is worse than Endeavor, so suffocating! Am I right, Dynamight?”

Katsuki chortled at that.

Yeah, there was no way Dabi was as chill as he made himself out to be. Not with the way he experienced firsthand how the blue flame hero behaved; guy was just seeping out protective, big bro energy.

Dabi rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes.

“Apparently, the guy’s mysterious. That or Sho’s being really secretive about him. It’s his first relationship after all and he probably learnt a thing or two after seeing what happened to the rest of us.”

Burnin’ snorted, clearly knowing something that Katsuki didn’t.

Which most likely was the case, she was just a bit older than Dabi and served as the other hero’s senpai and then mentor when she became Endeavor’s sidekick. Those two have known each other for years now.

“You Todoroki’s are wild,” Burnin’ said. “I still remember the time Fuyumi and Natsuo trailed you and Hawks all the way to the love hotel. Bet those kiddos were scared when they found out what kind of hotel their big bro was visiting.”

Okay, Katsuki found that quite funny.

Was he allowed to laugh with Burnin’ or was that considered rude?

Fuck it, since when did he ever care about manners.

“Oh, and remember that time you came into work angry because you and Natsuo decided to eavesdrop in on Fuyumi’s phone call.”

“Which time?” Dabi’s left eye twitched just at the memory.

“That’s true! That happened a lot with Fuyumi, didn’t it? I’m thinking of that star kendo boy, the one with the handsome face.”

Dabi clicked his tongue. “Ugh, that kid. The balls on him to have asked Fuyumi out on a late-night date. What could a bunch of seventeen-year-olds possibly do at the time of night?”

“Um, I believe he only wanted to take her out at 8:00 pm. Pretty sure it was to the movies, too.”

Katsuki chuckled; he really couldn’t help it. He felt bad for the suckers involved with the Todoroki family.

“Should I even mention Natsuo and his first date?”

Dabi crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, huffing. “No…” He mumbled under his breath, blowing out air that rustled his white bangs.

Burnin’ threw an arm around Katsuki, bringing him closer to her as she leaned over to not so quietly whisper about what happened.

“This guy here couldn’t help but spy on his brother’s first date and being not so inconspicuous, stood out like a sore thumb,” Burnin’ relayed. “Turned out, the girl was a huge Dabi fan.”

“You don’t say,” Katsuki grinned, eyeing Dabi who stared back, daring him to say anything else.

“Uh-huh. So, the girl pretty much throws herself at Dabi and poor Natsuo had to sit there and watch his date get hijacked by his own brother! Kid was mad for days.”

“Try weeks,” Dabi corrected. “What a brat, wasn’t even my fault.” He mumbled the last part to himself.

All this talk made Katsuki think about a certain two-toned haired student. He hadn’t seen Shoto in the last week or so, too preoccupied with meetings and practice exercises leading up to this very mission. He barely even had time to message the other, though Shoto was never too far from his mind. Katsuki hoped that Shoto was doing okay and that the other wasn’t disappointed in the lack of contact they’ve had recently.

Shoto didn’t seemed to be the clingy type but their relationship was still very new; he’d hate it if he disappointed Shoto in any way even though he made the other aware of his long hours and pressing work priorities. The college student had nodded his head in understanding and said nothing else, didn’t even protest like Katsuki had originally thought he would.

Too many times, he had heard from his friends how their relationships didn’t work out because non-heroes couldn’t understand what it meant to date a hero; the unpredictable schedules; the long hours, off-the grid, no contact missions, the press, and not to mention the constant worrying about your partner because their life literally revolved around danger.

Katsuki pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his messages. The last one from Shoto was two days ago, and it was a simple ‘Good night, Katsuki. Get some rest.’

It was only now that he realized he never replied back to the boy. Fuck, he should remember to text Shoto soon, make sure the boy knew he wasn’t being ignored. Also, there was the fact that Katsuki was itching to see his boyfriend, which he planned to do as soon as he was done today. He missed Shoto, as sappy as that sounded.

“Okay, enough with the gaslighting, Moe,” Dabi warned when he got tired of hearing the older hero’s teasing.

The sound of static and then murmuring came through the earpiece Dabi wore, an update for the team leader’s ears only.

The Number Four hero then sat up straighter in his seat, cracking his neck and then his fingers. He turned to look both Katsuki and Burnin’ in the eyes, a scary, determined glint in his eyes. “You guys ready to get this show on the road?”

Finally, back to all seriousness.

“Fuck, yeah!” Katsuki smirked, getting all worked up.

“Alpha Team, get into position,” Dabi relayed into the comms, switching over to the shared frequency agreed upon for all teams. “Let’s fucking go!”

“Language, Dabi!” Endeavor chastised on the open channel. The Number One hero was stationed in some other part of the city, ready to take down one of the hideouts.

Katsuki pulled down his signature mask that was rested on top of his head and followed obediently after Dabi.

Before they exited the van, Dabi turned to Katsuki and extended a closed fist. “Let’s take these losers down, Dynamight.”

“You’re speaking my language, Baby Endeavor.” Dabi sneered at that but accepted Katsuki’s returned the fist bump.

Two main targets – the group’s leader and his right-hand man; one Dabi had already called dibs on. But the other was solely for Dynamight to takedown.

On Dabi’s lead, the heroes rushed into the false abandoned building taking the few occupants by surprise. At the same time, the other teams were simultaneously rushing their targets, each team lead providing updates as they breached the compounds. Katsuki easily recognized Jeanist’s voice when it came through the comms.

As for Katsuki, he set his eyes on his target, a man in his early forties with a slime quirk. The poor unfortunate soul looked shocked when the heroes stormed in, only standing up from the round wooden table but didn’t move when everyone else scurried away.

Too easy, and not at all what Katsuki was hoping for.

He wanted a fight, a challenge.

But hey, the faster this guy goes down, the sooner he could see Shoto.

The palm of his hands warmed, the familiar feeling of his quirk charging up to fire against his skin. It hummed and Katsuki was ready; he didn’t hold back.

___

It was eerily quiet and dark when Katsuki walked into Shoto’s apartment; he had half expected to hear the sound of the TV playing on low volume like how Shoto normally had it. The student liked the background noise even when he wasn’t paying full attention.

Katsuki was well aware that it was late, almost nearing 10:00 pm, but it was a Friday night and there was no way that a college student would be asleep at this time. It’s why he texted Shoto that he was on his way over. With the mission a complete success, Katsuki was itching to see his boyfriend. He didn’t have it in him to wait one more day; he had to see Shoto now.

“Shoto?” Katsuki called out, kicking his shoes off.

He turned on the lights and noticed the scattered notebooks across the table in the living room and the pile of dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink. Whatever food Shoto attempted to cook, he sure left one hell of a hurricane of a mess in the kitchen.

Katsuki frowned at the pile, he knew the teenage was… well, a teenager but Shoto was relatively clean. Even though he lived alone, Shoto was organized and hygienic, making sure his place was well kept.  

“Shoto? Are you home?” Katsuki called out again, but there was no response. He knew he saw because Shoto’s sneakers at the genkan; he had placed his own right next to it. It should have been a good indicator that the boy was home.

Katsuki passed the open spaces and made his way to the bedroom, the door slightly open. He peeked his head through and only saw the covers and blanket thrown haphazardly on top of the mattress; still no Shoto in sight.

“Hey, Shoto?” Katsuki shouted, worried laced in his voice.

It was then he noticed the socked foot just barely sneaking out onto the hallway from the bathroom further down the hall.

Did Shoto fall? Why didn’t he call out to Katsuki… could he even hear him?

Katsuki reached the bathroom in four long steps, swinging the door wide open. His heart lurched in his chest at the sight of Shoto sprawled on his side across the white tiles. It looked like the boy tried to protect his head with the way his left arm was laid straight out above him.

“Shoto!” Katsuki was instantly on his knees, reaching out to the unconscious boy.

His hands made contact with Shoto’s sweat-soaked tee shirt.

Was it a fever? How hot did Shoto burn up to that the boy sweated so much?

“Hey, baby, can you open your eyes for me?” Katsuki asked, tapping Shoto’s cheeks. His other hand cradling the other side of Shoto’s head came away damp, not with sweat but with blood.

Shoto was hurt after all. Had to be the temple on the same side of his head that was previously injured. Fuck. And it finally was healed, too.

But the blood wasn’t all that made Katsuki freeze. It was Shoto’s skin – so cold; ice cold, really. He realized then that Shoto was shivering, his lips almost blue.

What was this? A cold and a fever happening simultaneously?

“Can you hear me?” Katsuki asked, bringing the boy’s head into his lap as he continued to tap Shoto awake. He eventually received a groggy groan in reply.

He watched as long lashes slowly fluttered open to reveal glassy eyes. “Kats…uki?”

“What happened, did you fall? Are you sick?”

“I’m…hot.”

Katsuki frowned. “But baby, you’re shivering.”

“Am I?” Shoto mumbled before his eyes shut closed again. “I feel…hot.” He declared.

At least Shoto was responsive although erring the side of delirious; he wasn’t making any sense.

“Let’s get you to bed. You can rest there.”

It barely took any effort for Katsuki to lift Shoto into a fireman’s carry, or more appropriately in this case, a princess carry. The smaller boy weighed barely anything at all.

While Katsuki had always known Shoto was on the smaller side, skinny arms and even thinner wrists. But right now, he just looked all too fragile; breakable even.

So, Katsuki handled the younger with delicacy. Keeping a strong hold on the other, careful to not bump Shoto into anything. Even when he deposited the boy onto the bed, Katsuki did it with such care that the mattress barely even moved.

“Are you okay with me changing you out of your shirt? You sweated through this one.”

“Mhmm.” He didn’t think that the next time he would be taking off Shoto’s shirt was because the boy was too weak from sickness to do it himself.

In fact, Katsuki was hoping the next time he stripped the smaller boy was for… other things.

The last few times when things got frisky, Shoto was feeling comfortable enough to take things further, trying something new each time, though they have yet to engage in penetrative sex. Not with the way Shoto teared up when Katsuki barely entered a finger into him that one time. Poor kid had needed to be coaxed from underneath the blanket he hid under in embarrassment.

It probably didn’t help that Katsuki was chuckling at the situation. Never did any of his previous bedmates ever act the way Shoto did, all shy and floundering. If only Shoto saw himself the way Katsuki did; all handsome and beautiful. So, Katsuki laid next to Shoto that night, whispering sweet nothings and placed kisses on top of the boy’s silky hair until Shoto finally allowed Katsuki to pull back the covers and let the hero comfort him for real. The sight of the teary-eyed boy squeezed at Katsuki’s heart.

Shoto had shared with Katsuki that he was disappointed in himself; for not being able to take even a fingertip when he’d been the one begging Katsuki for more. So, Katsuki had done the only thing he could do at the time, which was pull the burrito wrapped boy close against his chest and held him tight. Guilt ridden, he had apologized over and over until his apologies turned to promises.

“I’m sorry for hurting you. I’ll do better. I promise.” Katsuki had whispered to Shoto. “Promise to cherish you.”

And now, Katsuki’s words were still true.

He really did want to take care of this sweet, precious boy.

“How long have you been sick for?” Katsuki asked. He did his best to be gentle as he wrestled Shoto’s gangly arms through the oversized shirt he found in one of the drawers.

“Few days,” Shoto mumbled, eyes still closed. He laid on the bed like a doll, letting Katsuki move him this way and that.

“What?!”

Shoto flinched at the outburst. “Loud…”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Katsuki chastised, keeping his voice to a minimum this time. “Did you take any medicine, let me get you some.”

The mental image of a sick Shoto struggling alone by himself played in his head. He didn’t like it. Even when Katsuki himself got sick, he’d have Izuku and Eijiro fussing over him, even Mina would stop by with home-cooked food.

Who did Shoto have?

“Mm… there’s no more medicine.”

Fuck, Katsuki was going to have to lecture Shoto when he was back to normal. Did this kid really not know how to take care of himself?

“Ah, shit. Get some rest, I’ll be back.”

Shoto’s eyes fluttered open and a weak hand reached for Katsuki’s shirt.

“Please stay.”

It pained him to peel Shoto’s fingers off his shirt; this was one of the rare times that the younger male had asked for something of Katsuki.

“I’ll be quick, you won’t even know I’m gone.” Shoto hummed in response.

“Mm, yeah, I will.” Shoto whispered, head burrowing deeper into his pillow. “It’s lonely without Katsuki.”

To say Katsuki was ‘quick’ was an understatement. In fact, the hero impressed himself with how fast he made it to the 24-hour pharmacy down the block and back; he even stopped by the supermarket to pick up groceries for okayu, his mother’s rice porridge recipe that he always ate when he was under the weather, and made it back to the apartment in record time.

Screw Hawks, Dynamight was the fastest hero around!

While the rice was stewing in the pot, Katsuki called Jeanist and told his boss that he was taking the next few days off. For personal reasons, to take care of a loved one who was sick. Jeanist didn’t even protest, just told Katsuki that he’d reassign his patrols and assignments to Red Riot until he was ready to come back.

He then peeked his head into the room; Shoto was out like a light. Heavy breathing under the covers, although it seemed as the boy had seesawed over to feeling cold cause he was wrapped up in so many blankets and extra throws.

Katsuki had never seen a more miserable sight.

Every so often, he’d come in and brush away Shoto’s bangs and check his temperature (his skin was either too hot or too cold, it was a mind bend), eager to give the other some sort of touch to reassure Shoto he was still there, that he hadn’t left.

But even when he was half asleep and drowsy from the meds, Shoto always leaned into Katsuki’s touch. He was instantly reminded of the neighborhood cat that he’d stop to pet on his way home from school when he was a kid.

It was on the second night of staying over at Shoto’s when Katsuki was awoken from his sleep. He was perched up against the side of Shoto’s bed, head resting on the mattress; he must’ve closed his eyes for a bit after wiping Shoto down and changing him out into a new sleep outfit when the boy had sweated too much through that, too, and had fallen asleep in that position.

He didn’t know that Shoto experienced recurring nightmares until now.

“I’m sorry,” Shoto mumbled, incoherently in his sleep. His head jerking from side to side, eyes closed tightly shut that it left a furrow across his forehead. “Don’t… don’t!”

“Shoto?” Katsuki softly spoke, as he blinked himself awake.

“Don’t do it… please, don’t,” Shoto begged in his sleep.

It was then that he saw the tears running down Shoto’s closed eyes. It was a never-ending stream, and it glistened under the shine of the moonlight entering from the window in the room.

“I’m not my father. I’m not.”

A nightmare, Shoto was experiencing a nightmare.

“Shoto! Baby, wake up!”

“Please, don’t take them…” Shoto cried, begging in a dream or a memory that was all too real in his head. “I’m not him...”

“Wake up!” Katuski shook the boy’s shoulders until mismatched eyes blearily looked at him. “It’s just a nightmare.”

But the boy continued to silently cry.

And Katsuki, he pulled Shoto into his arms. He felt the muffled sobs against his chest but he didn’t let go.

“You’re okay, baby” Katsuki cooed, as he rocked Shoto back and forth.

The terror, the sadness, the tears. He wanted to take it all away.

Shoto continued to cry, trying his best to muffle the sound like as if he didn’t want Katsuki to know how affected he was by the dream.

“It wasn’t real, Shoto,” Katsuki stated.

He patted the back of the boy’s head, hoping it had some sort of calming effect. Maybe it did, cause he felt Shoto slowly relax in his arms.

And then Shoto spoke, quiet but clear.

“But it was.”