Despite being thrown at the wall, Katsuki phone remained fully functioning. Which is why Katsuki knew, when he woke up, that Eijirou had rung him seven times and text him 23 before giving up.
From Eijirou x:
Answer your phone.
Katsuki, answer your phone.
I need to talk to you.
I'm home.
I'm sorry.
Iida told me what happened.
I'm so sorry.
I shouldn't have got mad at you.
It was entirely my fault.
Katsuki, let me in.
Please, baby, Iida says you haven't had dinner.
Do you want me to bring you something up?
Katsuki, please talk to me.
I don't want you to be mad at me.
I'm sorry x
Are you asleep?
Are you okay? You never lock your door?
I'm sorry.
I'll talk to you in the morning.
I love you x
Goodnight Baby.
I'm sorry again.
I love you so much.
Guilt pooled in Katsuki's stomach. He hadn't meant to ignore him, he hadn't expected Eijirou to care that much. If he'd heard his phone, maybe he would have responded sooner. He'd got to bed angry, falling asleep relatively early in the evening and he'd woken up at around 2 AM.
Katsuki sighed to himself, maybe he should grab something to eat before trying to get back to sleep. He felt groggy, and overtired, despite the fact he had slept for hours. He pushed himself up off of the floor, plugging in his phone to charge and picking up his hearing aid, putting them on.
He leant over his bed, kissing Hoshi on the head before pulling on Eijirou's Crimson Riot hoodie. He'd had it for too long. It didn't smell like him anymore. He unlocked his door, planning on heading down to the kitchen to grab a snack. However, when he stepped into the dark hallway he hesitated.
He could hear a muffled sniffling. He frowned. Shinsou and Shouji lived on the same floor, but Katsuki knew immediately that the sound was coming from Eijirou's room. Katsuki put his hand on his door, stopping it from slamming and letting it close quietly behind him with a click.
His heart broke as he listened to Eijirou sob, the guilt that was already pooling in his stomach bubbled, making him feel even worse than before. He took a few steps down the hallway, stopping outside of Eijirou's room. Katsuki could tell Eijirou was fighting back sobs, the little choking noises and the gasping of breath told him that much.
Katsuki tried the door, finding it was unlocked. He pushed it open quietly. Eijirou fell silent as he did. The room was dark, Eijirou was in bed, clearly trying to sleep. In his arms he held the two shark plushies Katsuki had gotten him.
"Katsuki?" Eijirou asked in a hoarse voice. The door shut behind him.
"I didn't have my hearing aids in. I wasn't ignoring you." Katsuki said. Eijirou sat up in bed, Katsuki winced when he saw Eijirou's wet cheeks. His eyes were ringed red at they looked sore, as if he'd been crying for a while.
Katsuki came up to Eijirou's bed, taking a seat on the side of the bed. He took Eijirou's hands in his own.
"I'm sorry." Eijirou said.
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have hung up on you." Katsuki said.
"I should have listened to you. I should have picked up on the fact that you were upset."
"It doesn't matter." Katsuki replied. "Why are you crying?"
"I wasn't there for you when you needed me. And then I snapped at you. You weren't replying, I thought I'd upset you." Eijirou said. "I tried to go to sleep but I kept thinking about you being mad at me. I couldn't…"
"I'm not mad. I was, but not anymore." Katsuki replied. "I was already upset and you didn't help. But I calmed down. I love you, you idiot."
"I love you too, so much Katsuki." Eijirou leant across the bed, joining their lips. Katsuki moved his hand to rest in on Eijirou's face, brushing his tears away as they kissed. "Can we promise that we'll always say goodnight to each other? Even if you're mad at me or we're busy or something, we always say goodnight?"
"Yeah, okay." Katsuki nodded. "Have you not been able to sleep at all?"
"No." Eijirou shook his head. "I tried but…"
"Come on, lie down." Katsuki said, getting to his feet. "I'll lie next to you."
"Okay." Eijirou said, doing as he was told. Katsuki climbed in after him. "What about Hoshi?"
"She's fine. She was asleep when I left." Katsuki said. As soon as Katsuki was settled, Eijirou rolled over, resting his head on Katsuki's chest.
Katsuki wrapped an arm around Eijirou, kissing his forehead.
"How was work?"
"Cool. I got to help some people again." Eijirou said. "You?"
"It was stressful. I had to go home early cuz of shit. And then there was the whole Dabi thing."
"He was really there?" Eijirou asked.
"Yeah." Katsuki said, kissing his forehead again.
"What—"
"Just get some sleep Ei, we have school in a couple of hours." Katsuki said.
"Goodnight."
"Night, Eijirou."
School, for the lack of a better word, had become somewhat repetitive. Katsuki got up in the morning, went to class, did his work to the best of his ability and nothing really changed. Sure, hero training was physically exhausting, and they were covering new material all of the time, but it was… normal.
Which shouldn't be strange, in of itself. School should be normal. But for Class 1.A. it was unusual. Katsuki felt like he was waiting for something to happen. Pulse191512 had promised to get back in touch and Dabi had yet to make another appearance, if he would at all.
But it wasn't as though Katsuki had left campus, in fact, besides from heading to class, he hadn't left his dorm room. He found himself panicking if he was out for too long and he couldn't help looking behind him.
People were beginning to notice, and Katsuki found that Shouto and Shinsou both hovered around him, flanking him when he walked down the corridors. Aizawa watched him in class, clearly he had noticed.
Midoriya too, had begun acting strange. He stared off into the distance, often zoning out and not paying attention. He was worse than Katsuki, in a way, at least the blond was able to concentrate. But concentrating wasn't really helping him, especially when he was concentrating on the wrong thing. Katsuki was still jumpy on edge.
They'd visited the USJ and for some reason, Katsuki couldn't take his eyes off of the centre of the arena, half expecting the purplish glow of the warp villain and for the League to make an appearance. He was waiting, on tender hooks, for Dabi to appear behind him and pull him, once more, through the gates of oblivion.
He was so hyper-focused on the possibility of an attack from behind he accidentally allowed Uraraka to punch him in the face, shocking the both of them. The girl muttered apologies as Katsuki cupped his bleeding nose.
Momo quickly created an ice pack, which Shouto promptly froze for Katsuki, who took it with shaking, red stained hands. He was so out of it; he didn't even notice Midoriya falling into the lake and being rescued by Aizawa.
Long story short. He was a fucking mess.
His meeting with Inui had been pushed back until the Friday, thanks to his new schedule. Hound Dog appeared to be trying to please everyone who needed his help, which meant rearranging his regular patients to fit more people in.
Which usually wouldn't have been a problem for Katsuki. Except this week, he really needed to talk. He needed someone to tell him everything was going to be alright, that he was safe, and loved, and no one could get to him here.
But instead, he shied away from anyone and everyone. He'd heard about what happened at the Provisional Licence Exam, about that shapeshifting bitch from the League. How could he trust anyone now?
He spent his week huddled in his room, the door locked and Hoshi on his lap. He wouldn't let her out of his sight, unless he was in class. She was confined to his room, he refused to allow her anywhere else. Deep down he knew it was cruel of him to keep her locked up. That she enjoyed ambling through the dorms and bolting down the corridors, but he couldn't risk her getting hurt.
He'd stopped cooking, instead surviving off things snatched from the canteen and left-over snacks hidden in his mini fridge. He drank water when the hunger pains hit, refusing to leave his room when the others were awake. He would sneak down in the dead of night to grab the leftovers Iida put aside for him. But one time, Shinsou had still been down, so Katsuki had returned to bed hungry.
Of course, his classmates tried to talk to him, but he'd become skilled at evading them and their prying questions. In class, he used the excuse that they shouldn't be talking, at lunch he would disappear. At the end of the day he'd be back in his room before any of his classmates were up out their seats.
Some people came to his door. Shouto more often than anyone else. Eijirou came by often but he'd been too busy to try more than once a day. He had been to his internship a few times and also had to attend catch up classes. He cared. Katsuki knew he cared. Their chat history was a repetitive spiral of good mornings and good nights with the occasional, how are you? And I love yous. Eijirou was the only person Katsuki really spoke to, but it wasn't often.
Katsuki felt lonely, so lost and alone. But at the same time he couldn't bring himself to crawl forwards and unlock the door. He knew his isolation was the fault of himself, he had locked himself away. But no matter how much he wanted human interaction he couldn't find the courage to go out.
It was Thursday when someone finally took action.
Katsuki had been curled up in a ball on his bed, Hoshi nestled next to him. She was licking his knuckles as he stared off into the corner of his room. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess, he just let it dry without trying to style it.
There was a knock on his door, a soft hesitant one. Katsuki knew it was Shouto before he spoke. He barely registered the voice.
"Katsuki, can I come in?" Shouto asked, knowing the answer already. "I'm really worried about you." He went silent for a moment. "I… I don't know what to do. You know I'm not good with feelings, and I guess you aren't either. But you don't have to go through whatever this is alone… I'm here for you."
Katsuki sniffed, tears burning as they tried to fall.
"I… Don't be mad at me, okay? But I'm going to get Aizawa-sensei. I want you to be okay." Shouto said. Katsuki looked up at the door briefly before lying back on his pillow, stroking Hoshi's fur. He didn't know how much time passed before the door knocked again.
"Bakugou?" Aizawa called. Katsuki buried his face in Hoshi's fur. "I'm coming in, okay?" Katsuki didn't make a sound, he just watched as his lock turned with the use of Aizawa's key. The dark haired teacher stepped into the room, and for a moment their eyes met.
Katsuki looked away first, sighing heavily as he played with Hoshi's tail. Aizawa sighed too, but the sound seemed sad and tired. Shouto followed behind, but he hovered by the door as Aizawa came in.
"I thought I told you to come to me before you got this bad, Problem Child." Aizawa said, sitting next to Katsuki on the bed. He put his hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Katsuki mumbled. "I'm fine."
"Huh? When was the last time you ate?"
"At lunch."
"You didn't eat anything." Shouto said from the door.
"At lunch yesterday." Katsuki said.
"Yeah, what did you eat?" Aizawa asked.
"Some grapes."
"Mhm, how many grapes?"
"… Four." Katsuki said eventually and Aizawa sighed again.
"Why haven't you been eating?" Aizawa asked, rubbing his hand down Katsuki's arm.
"Not hungry." Katsuki shrugged. "I know it's weird but… I'm not hungry, I can't eat, I can't sleep. I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Nothing is wrong with you." Aizawa said softly. "You just need some help."
"Why?" Katsuki choked out.
"Because you're not coping on your own."
"I'm sorry."
"Katsuki, do you feel safe here?"
"No." Katsuki said, Aizawa nodded slowly.
"Why?"
"People have got in before. It doesn't matter how secure you say something is, they find us and they find a way in. The USJ, the summer camp, the exam. They're everywhere."
"I promise you, we've increased security, no one can get to you here."
"How do you know for sure?" Katsuki asked.
"Because I've seen the work. There's Pro heroes who patrol regularly now and there's a lot of technology set up to scan the area." Aizawa said. "Katsuki, do you trust me?"
"Yes." Katsuki said without hesitating. "I know that if they did get in… I know you'd die before you'd let anything bad happen to us. You proved that at the USJ… I just don't… I can't…" he made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat.
"I would protect you kids with my life, yes. But I've got a lot of fight in me. I don't go down easily. So I promise you, nothing bad will happened to you while I'm around. I've let you down before. But the League of Villains won't get to you." Aizawa said.
"I want to believe you." Katsuki said quietly. "But, I… I don't know if I can." Aizawa nodded again.
"Get up, kid."
"What?" Katsuki sat up slightly.
"Get up, you're coming with me." Aizawa stood up and Katsuki moved with him.
He grabbed a black hoodie with skulls on the back before scooping up Hoshi and following Aizawa out of his door.
"Katsuki, if you need to talk when you get back. Come to me, alright?" Shouto said as he walked past.
"Okay." Katsuki said. "And Shouto, thank you."
"Don't worry about it." Shouto said. Katsuki cuddled Hoshi as they headed towards the stairs, she was getting a little too big to comfortably carry, but she didn't seem to know that.
Katsuki followed Aizawa out of the dorm rooms and didn't say a word as they headed towards the entrance of U.A. campus. Aizawa didn't say anything either, he glanced back once to make sure Katsuki was following him. When they reach the gates, they stopped.
"The entire campus is fenced in with titanium reinforced concrete, Cementoss checks daily and fixes any issues. The gate is the only way into campus, it's designed specifically to only allow people with an I.D. badge. It will snap shut and stop anyone who is unauthorized from getting in." Aizawa explained.
"After the press getting in and the USJ incident we upgraded, the campus cameras are all equipped with the same software, they're constantly scanning for intruders and we have guards watching the feeds at all times. One on campus and one off."
"Oh?"
"Powerloader is responsible for maintaining the system. He also makes daily patrols to check it's all working." Aizawa said. "Both Hound Dog and Ectoplasm patrol the area and then whichever teacher is staying the night patrols twice in the night. There are multiple robots who complete their own patrols and are designed to inform the nearest teacher."
"That's a lot of patrols." Katsuki said quietly.
"Mhm." Aizawa hummed. "Student safety is the most important thing here Katsuki."
"I see that. But you can't stop the warp villain."
"Maybe we can't stop him. But we have different alarms systems, all on different circuits, the likelihood that someone would be able to take out everything is miniscule."
"Pulse could." Katsuki mumbled.
"Who?"
"No one." Katsuki shook his head, before sighing. "I can't talk about it."
"Work?"
"Yeah."
"Well I won't pry, but that's why we have multiple people patrolling. And if the camera feeds go down, the guards have protocols to follow." Aizawa said. Katsuki readjusted his hold on Hoshi.
"So we're safe?"
"Yes, we're safe. I wouldn't be able to sleep here if we weren't."
"You can't sleep?" Katsuki asked before snorting. "Of course, you don't fucking sleep."
"I need to feel safe." Aizawa shrugged. "Zashi and I, we live in a normal house. There's been a couple of times, if there's villain activity nearby or something, I couldn't sleep. I struggle to sleep when he's not home, he makes me feel safe. So, when he's not there." Aizawa shrugged. "What makes you feel safe?"
"I don't know." Katsuki shrugged. "Shouto, Eijirou, my parents. You. Hakamata."
"Okay, so don't shut those people out of your life. Shouto cares about you a lot. He's clearly worried. And I've noticed several of your classmates watching you, you may not notice, but they are there for you. I'm sure Kirishima is concerned too."
"He texts. He's just busy."
"It usually takes a few weeks or so for a student to get used to working. As soon as he figures out how to balance the work and school, he'll be back to hanging out or whatever you do. He'll just be a little stressed right now." Aizawa said.
"I get that. I just feel like I hardly ever see him. I know that's my fault. I've been avoiding everyone, but I think it's easier for me to go I'm not seeing him because I'm hiding rather than he's too busy to come see me." Katsuki sighed. "I don't know, I'm being stupid."
"Feelings aren't logical. In fact, they're a nightmare. But you've got them, so try not to make things harder than they have to be." Aizawa said. "You need to eat and sleep, if Kirishima is busy, hang out with someone else. You've got more friends in that class that I think I've ever had in my life, so I'm sure someone will be free. Plus you've got that angel." Aizawa gestured to Hoshi.
"Yeah, she's the best." Katsuki kissed the top of Hoshi's head and the cat chirruped in response, making Aizawa smile. "I know I have other friends. I… just… How do we know? That the shape shifting one isn't here? Izuku said she turned into Uraraka, if she could do that then… well she could be any of us."
"From what I understand about Toga's Quirk, is that she has to consume the blood of whomever she wishes to take the shape of. She got Uraraka's at the Summer Camp. I don't believe she got anyone else's, but if she somehow did, I use my Quirk on you kids often enough. I believe my Quirk would stop hers." Aizawa said.
"You think?"
"I haven't had chance to test it, but as long as it's not a mutation Quirk, I can erase anything." Aizawa said. "Plus I'm sure you'd be able to tell if one of your classmates was acting weird and had been replaced."
"I'd like to think so, but those Shiketsu brats didn't notice one of their own being taken. They got her into the exam for fucks sake." Katsuki shook his head.
"That's Shiketsu, not U.A." Aizawa said with a shrug. "I don't know their protocol, but I know they don't keep their student's at a dorms. They still live at home."
"Yeah cuz they never had a student get kidnapped by the fucking League." Katsuki muttered.
"Well, they never went on a summer camp." Aizawa said. "We can't really compare ourselves to another school, Katsuki. But you are safe."
There was a rustle from the trees nearby, making Katsuki jump and stumble into Aizawa. Hoshi mewed as he accidentally tightened his grip. Aizawa reached out to steady the teen as Hound Dog emerged from the trees.
"Aizawa-kun, Bakugou, I thought I smelt you." Hound Dog greeted and Katsuki felt himself relax slightly. "And a cat." He growled lightly in the back of his throat. Hoshi flattened her ears and hissed back. Hound Dog coughed slightly. "Forgive me, it's a reflex."
"It's okay." Katsuki said, readjusting Hoshi again.
"Good evening Inui-kun." Aizawa nodded. "Good patrol?"
"Nothing to report, everything is quiet." Hound Dog said.
"See Katsuki, everyone is safe." Aizawa said and Katsuki nodded.
"Is your safety something you're concerned about, Bakugou?" Hound Dog asked.
"Yeah." Katsuki said quietly. Aizawa put his hand on the back of Katsuki's head, resting it in a manner that reminded Katsuki of his father.
"He's not been eating or sleeping because he doesn't feel safe." Aizawa replied.
"Residual PTSD?"
"To me it seems like some kind of delayed reaction to the Summer Camp."
"It's possible." Inui said. "After the camp he had things to focus on, the exam and such, I can only assume that this is the first time his brain has properly been able to process what happened to him."
"So I'm fucked?" Katsuki asked.
"No, trauma manifests differently and all times, people can go years before something affects them." Hound Dog said. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"Inui, why don't you come back to the Teacher's Lounge with us. We can discuss this all in a more comfortable place."
"Good idea, Aizawa."
The three of them headed back towards the main building of the campus, Katsuki trailing ever so slightly behind. When they got there, Hound Dog sat on one sofa, Aizawa and Katsuki on the one opposite. Hoshi struggled in his lap, trying to get free. After glancing up and seeing that the door was closed, he let her go. She hissed once more at Hound Dog before leaping off of Katsuki's lap and brushing up against Aizawa's legs. He reached down and pet her.
"Okay, Bakugou, Aizawa has expressed concern over you not eating and sleeping. Recovery Girl can give you some sleeping pills if you need them. I want to explore your relationship with food and why you've stopped eating. You told me once you like cooking, yes?"
"Yeah, I like cooking. I'm good at it." Katsuki said. "I'm just not all that hungry, I eat when I am. I'm not… making myself throw up or anything."
"Eating disorders are a lot more complex that that, Bakugou." Hound Dog said, flicking his ears back.
"I don't have an eating disorder. I get that you're trying to help, and what not, but I'm not starving myself or concerned about my weight or how I look, I'm just not hungry. "
"How much have you eaten today?" Inui asked.
"Nothing." Katsuki shrugged.
"He said he ate four grapes at lunch yesterday." Aizawa added as Hoshi vied for his attention.
"Why didn't you have anything for dinner last night, or anything today."
"Iida saves me food." Katsuki sighed. "Whatever he makes or something he leave in the fridge with a little note saying "For Bakugou-kun" I normally go down in the morning, really early and eat when no one is up. But Shinsou was in the kitchen last night and I panicked."
"Okay."
"Then for today, I don't like going into the canteen, its noisy and crowded and… It's just not worth it."
"So you don't like eating around people?"
"I guess not, I just don't feel comfortable or hungry." Katsuki said.
"Would you feel comfortable eating here, with us?" Aizawa asked.
"I guess." Katsuki shrugged.
"Because Mic is cooking in the Teacher's dorms, he was waiting for me to finish marking and decided to cook here instead of going home. He was making enough to leave in the fridge for anyone who wanted some. I'm sure he could bring some here for you too, if you'd be willing to eat." Aizawa said.
"Yeah, okay." Katsuki nodded. Aizawa got to his feet.
"I'll go tell him. I'll be back." He said, as he moved towards the door Hoshi began to follow. Aizawa opened the door a little, using his body to stop Hoshi getting out. "No, you stay." He said to her.
"You can take her with you." Katsuki said. "She probably just wants to explore."
"I'll be right back." Aizawa said, opening the door wider for her to get through. Hoshi meowed, her tail sticking up in the air as she bound forwards. Katsuki watched her go.
"Aizawa told me you saw Dabi." Hound Dog said after a moment.
"Outside my work. He was just watching. He was there one moment and gone the next." Katsuki shrugged.
"He didn't try to make contact?"
"He just looked at me for a minute. He was across the road and it was busy." Katsuki said, "I don't know if he expected me to be there. I can only assume he knew who I was."
"Maybe it was just a coincidence?"
"There have been reports of him in the area."
"Maybe he was just out and about, maybe he was watching the Genius because he knew it was full of heroes or something, and he knew he had to be careful." Inui said. "Maybe he panicked when he saw you and legged it because he didn't want to be seen."
"Maybe." Katsuki said. "I thought I saw him one time before. At the mall. Ei was buying hair dye and there was this guy. He had the same hoodie and he was wearing a mask and gloves. He ran off as soon as he saw us."
"Dabi probably didn't expect to see you there, especially. As far as I can tell he's not been very active in the League, he wasn't really there for Kamino."
"He was there, Gran Torino knocked him out."
"I wouldn't say Dabi is harmless, but I would say that compared to the rest of the League, he doesn't seem as… unstable. I believe he has some kind of objective and he's with the League because they can help him. Shigaraki, for example, would probably attack at any chance. Dabi seems more like the type to keep his distance if he can."
"How do you know this?"
"I don't for sure. But all of the U.A teachers were involved in trying to get you back. We found the true identity of most of the villains. Dabi, Shigaraki and Kurogiri, there's not much on them, but the others, well there was a lot. Some of them have mental illnesses on their file and have history with trauma."
"So they're messed up too?"
"No one really choses to be a villain, Bakugou, I gather that each one of them has some form of trauma, be that mental or physical, and they've found a destructive way to deal with it."
"So, you're trying to stop me from going down that route?" Katsuki asked.
"Not everyone with a mental illness is evil, Bakugou. People deal with things differently. Some of the teachers here have mental illnesses. And as I have told you before, many heroes suffer with different things." Hound Dog explained carefully, "Some people reach out for help, some people are given help without asking for it and sometimes people slip away and deal with things on their own."
"You think everyone should get help or they become villains?"
"I think mental illness is a lonely place. You yourself, have demonstrated perfectly the effects of paranoia and post-traumatic stress. You've isolated yourself from your friends and are lost without them. Aizawa is here to monitor you and help you back on the right path. Some people are found by those with less pure intentions." Hound Dog said.
"I understand." Katsuki said simply.
"I would like to reiterate; I do not believe you are villainous in any way. I think you're a very sweet boy who will make a great hero. I just think you've been through a lot more than anyone expected."
"I think the universe is out to get me or something."
"You do have a lot of bad luck." Inui agreed.
"I had so many hopes and dreams for when I finally made it to U.A. and let me tell you, none of them included weekly therapy sessions and a group of villains stalking my class."
"I think if they had, I'd be a lot more concerned." Inui said. "You are safe here. We've seriously improved our safety procedures since the incident at the USJ. And I can only assume we'll improve again."
"How come?"
"You're not the first student in your class who has expressed feeling unsafe here. There's quite a few from 1.B. too. It's clearly affecting you much worse than I've seen yet, but you are the one who has the most reason to be afraid. I'll go to Nezu in the morning and tell him that students are feeling unsafe. He'll do something. He always does." Inui said with a nod.
"Hey, you can smell what people are, is he a mouse, dog, bear, hamster or what?" Katsuki asked and Hound Dog snorted.
"He doesn't have a clear animal scent." He shrugged. "He mainly smells of tea leaves and disinfectant. Occasionally, he'll smell like Aizawa. But I can only assume that is because he likes behind carried by him and hiding in his scarf." Inui flicked his ears in amusement.
"I can't believe Aizawa likes that." Katsuki said.
"I don't know. They go way back. I think Nezu was the one who put Aizawa on the hero course all those years ago."
"Strange." Katsuki mused. "What does Aizawa smell like, or me, you said you recognised us by our scent?"
"Both of you smell like cats." Hound Dog laughed. "Aizawa a lot more strongly, than you but it's there. I can only assume it's because Aizawa has four of his own cats who constantly mark him and then he feeds the strays and visits the cat café, whereas you only have one."
"Oh." Katsuki hummed.
"Aizawa usually smells like vanilla, sometimes more fruity, but I think that's just Mic. Their scents mingle together a lot, I struggle to tell them apart scent wise. They both carry the same smells, just in different quantities. You smell of sugar, burnt sugar or caramel. Just sweet in general, but there is a smokiness to you. I can tell when you've been using your Quirk because the smoke is stronger then."
"That's weird." Katsuki said. "I mean it make sense, it's the nitro-glycerine. It's just I shower so much, I thought it would be less… noticeable."
"To normal noses it probably is." Hound Dog laughed. "Believe me, it's not a bad thing. I'd much rather smell sweetness than the rest of the sweaty teenagers here."
"Ew yeah, I guess that'd be gross." Katsuki wrinkled his nose.
"I know you're deflecting." Hound Dog said softly after a moment. "Is there anything we can do to help you feel safer?"
"I don't know. I feel a bit better, after what Aizawa said, he explained how everything works."
"Maybe you could patrol the area yourself, maybe your class can take it in turns, or you pick some friends to go with, and every day after school you can patrol the campus." Inui suggested.
"We'd be able to do that?"
"Of course, you're only walking around campus really. You'd have to report anything back to a teacher, if you found anything and promise not to engage any villain if there was one. Well the three of you without licences."
"I could do that. It might make me better." Katsuki nodded.
"And talk to your class. Even if it's just one or two of them, you need people in your life. You might be able to confide in them, something you aren't comfortable sharing with an adult." Inui said. "They're around you all of the time, you've got to be able to trust them a little or the stress will eat you alive."
"I get that." Katsuki nodded.
"A think that's why you can't eat or sleep. Your brain is always expecting an attack, you can't relax and your body is stressed. Your body is always ready to fight so it doesn't register things like hunger or tiredness. You have to override it in a way."
"I'll try." Katsuki said.
"I'll write a note for Recovery Girl to give you some sleeping pills. You don't have to take them, but if you can't sleep, I'd advise it. There's enough insomniacs of 1.A. we don't need another." Inui teased as the door opened.
"I know you're talking about me." Aizawa said, he was carrying two bowls in his hands, napkins and chopsticks balanced on top. Present Mic was behind him, carrying the same. Hoshi was in between them, trying to get at the food.
"I was just saying I'll get Bakugou a prescription for sleeping pills, like I got for you, I just hope he actually uses them."
"I use them, sometime." Aizawa said, scowling. "See if I cook for you again." He handed Inui a bowl and took his seat next to Katsuki.
"Shou', Babe, I cooked." Mic laughed.
"What happened to "I'll always be on your side"?" Aizawa said.
"Don't quote our vows at me just to guilt trip me, asshole, it won't work." Mic said. "Hey there Listener, I hope you like it, because Shou' added like a million more spices to your bowl. So if you hate it, blame him." He held out a bowl for Katsuki, who took it. The bowl was warm in his hands, pleasantly heating his palms, making him feel somewhat normal again. Inside there was some kind of stir fry with egg noodles.
"Thank you." He said quietly as Mic sat next to Inui. "You know I like spicey food?" Katsuki asked Aizawa who shrugged.
"When I'm asleep in homeroom, I'm not really asleep. I can hear everything you're saying. So when Mina was telling the class the time you poured an entire bottle of tabasco sauce on your ramen and ate it without reacting, I kind of gathered." Aizawa snorted. "That and the time Kirishima said he tried your food and almost died from how spicy it was."
"Hah, yeah, that was our first date." Katsuki said. "He thought I was patronising him or some shit by saying he shouldn't have any of mine."
"I take it he regretted that decision." Mic said, taking a bite of his food.
"Yeah, he had to down a glass of milk and then loads of water." Katsuki laughed slightly, Aizawa smiled. "I had to make his food separate when he came to my house, because me and my parents like it spicy."
"Shouta's mother covers everything in salt." Mic said after a moment. "It doesn't matter what it is, I can slave over a kitchen all day and she'll taste it and go "needs more salt." Next time she comes round I'm just going to give her a mineral lick."
"Hey!" Aizawa said. "Leave my mother alone."
"Hey, mine does weird shit to." Mic said. "Just not with food, at least I don't think."
"We could spend hours talking about the weird things your family do." Aizawa rolled his eyes. As Aizawa and Mic continued to bicker and Hound Dog tried change the topic, Katsuki carefully picked up his chopsticks and selected a water chestnut from the bowl. Popping it in his mouth, he chewed slowly, listening to his teachers.
"I'm just saying, your brother insisting on celebrating Thanksgiving is stupid, you're half Japanese, half British, neither of those celebrate that holiday." Aizawa said.
"He was in America. I think. I never really know with him." Mic said. "Plus, any chance he gets to party, you know. I think he has a little book of worldwide national holidays and goes to whichever country the next one is."
"Most likely." Aizawa shook his head, before turning to Bakugou. "Don't get married, you're stuck with another family's kind of crazy on top of your own, for the rest of your life."
"Marriage is an important act for some people." Inui said.
"Yeah, our wedding day was one of the best days of my life." Mic said indignantly.
"Mine too." Aizawa said, "I'm only playing. I love your family."
"Even Chris?"
"Even Chris." Aizawa sighed.
"How'd you like the food, Listener?" Mic asked after a moment.
"It's good, thank you." Katsuki said again.
"You all heard that, right? Bakugou said my food was good. So, next time Nemuri says I can't cook, you can all support me and say I have the Bakugou seal of approval."
"She only says it to annoy you." Inui replied. "I think you're the best cook amongst the staff. Except Lunch Rush of course."
"I don't know, no one has ever tasted All Might's cooking yet." Mic said.
"I doubt he can cook." Aizawa said. "He was the Number One hero, I doubted he had time to cook."
"He gets free food a lot." Katsuki said after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. "He gives the stuff he doesn't want to 1.A."
"The audacity." Mic gasped. "Shouta, where's my free food?"
"I don't know, Hizashi, ask him yourself."
"I'm going to call him out on my show." Mic said. "Who'd win in a fight me or him?"
"As he is now, probably you." Aizawa muttered. "But both of you in your prime, him, hands down."
"Babe, are you saying I'm not in my prime?"
"You're 31 Hizashi, it's all downhill from there."
"So rude." Mic pouted. "I thought you loved me."
"I do, you idiot." Aizawa looked ready to throw whatever food was left in his bowl at his husband but Katsuki just watched them, amused. Yamada Hizashi knew what he was doing. All too often people believed him to be stupid, and to be fair to them, he did incorporate the whole "dumb blond(e)" stereotype into his hero persona. But he was smart, and he knew that if everyone was watching Bakugou, waiting to see if he ate, then the teen wouldn't.
However, provide a little distraction and he'd relax enough to do so. Katsuki had almost eaten the full bowl and he seemed to be enjoying it. Hizashi also knew, that nothing made someone sleepier than a full stomach. He'd help this boy as much as he could, and he'd make him smile whilst doing it.
"How much do you love me? Like on a scale of one to ten, one being I'd murder you and not even blink and ten being we're soulmates reincarnated who find each other over and over again."
"A four. I'll put up with you, so that when you die I'll get your money. And you're not that bad looking." Katsuki snorted at Aizawa's words.
"I knew you only wanted me for my body and my money." Mic whined, dramatically putting the back of his hand on his head. "At least admit the sex is good."
"Hizashi!" Aizawa exclaimed red colouring his cheeks as Katsuki choked on his food and Inui burst out laughing. "There is a student in here."
"Sorry." Hizashi laughed. "Forgive me, Bakugou."
"It's fine." Katsuki said, recovering from choking. "Worst stuff has been said in the dorms."
"Still, it's inappropriate." Aizawa said, narrowing his eyes, as he glared at his husband. "If you get a disciplinary for being sexually inappropriate at school, we're never going to be able to adopt."
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." Hizashi said, frowning down at the floor.
"Sensei, relax. It was just a joke. And it's not like he was talking to me or anything. He was talking to you. Technically, I just overheard you two talking." Katsuki said. "Don't worry about it."
"Sorry. I don't mean to snap, 'Zashi. We've come so far and they're still pushing us back… I just…"
"Things will be sorted soon, Aizawa-kun, I'm sure of it." Inui said.
"It's just frustrating, you know?" Aizawa said. "There's so many kids out there, stuck in abusive situations or in foster homes waiting for a family, and we're here, fighting our way through paperwork and red tape, without any end in sight."
"Any kid would be lucky to have you." Katsuki said. "I mean, you go above and beyond for me, and you're a parental figure for the whole class. Especially for those who don't have good role models at home."
"Thanks, Katsuki." Aizawa said.
"Yeah, he's right Shou'." Hizashi said. "Everything will be sorted soon."
"There's a reason your class call you Dadzawa behind your back." Inui laughed.
"Some of them do it to my face, now." Aizawa sighed.
Katsuki felt a lot better as he headed back to class with Aizawa and Hoshi. The cat trotted ahead several feet before stopping and coming back to check Katsuki was still following. He was definitely more relaxed and he felt a little better, now he understood the security measures in place. Pulse191512 still hung over him, like a heavy rain cloud, but Dabi, he was sure, was a coincidence.
"She's a funny cat." Aizawa said, watching as Hoshi ran around them in a circle. "She seems more like a dog."
"She plays fetch." Katsuki said.
"Really? I've never been able to get mine to bring stuff back. They'll chase but once they've caught something, they leave it. Except Sponge, he steals socks."
"She did it on her own. When she was a kitten, like teeny tiny, she would play with this little ball, it was one of the dogs. It had a squeaker inside and she was playing with it whilst I was doing my homework, so I threw it across the room. She chased after it and then came back. At first, I thought she'd abandoned it, but low and behold the squeaking started again." Katsuki explained and Aizawa laughed.
"All of mine are lap cats, not that active, especially the eldest, she's too old to do much and she has arthritis. The middle two will play for a little while but they'd much rather be fussed then play with anything. Then Sponge, well he snatches things. He won't play with you, but he'll play on his own. Or try and chase the others." Aizawa said. "He doesn't get very far with them. Sora ignores him and the other two were proper alley cats."
"They're vicious?"
"Not really, I rescued them when they were young, so they've spent more time in a home then without one, but they know how to fight. Sponge was left at the cat café in a box of other kittens and he was hand raised by the staff. Chamomile and Macha could easily beat him in a fight."
"Hoshi fought a dog that one time, when I found her. But she was okay with Cashmere."
"He wasn't happy with us." Aizawa said. "He kept going after the boys, I wasn't that worried for Sponge, he's good at getting away from things. But when Cashmere and Macha got into a fight we had to physically separate them. 'Zashi was covered in scratches and bites."
"Really?" Katsuki asked, "I've never known Cash to be violent or anything. He mainly sleeps on Hakamata's lap."
"I think he just doesn't like other toms." Aizawa shrugged. "Some cats are like that."
"Are you gonna get more cats?"
"Not anytime soon, four is enough. I don't want to stress out any of the ones we already have. You know, right now we have enough space for them to be in different rooms and not have to bother each other. I hate to admit it, but we had Cashmere for a couple of days. Five cats is a lot of work." Aizawa said. "You think, we have four what's one more? It's a lot."
"I bet it is."
"And then if we get a kid, they're going to be a lot of work."
"Yeah." Katsuki nodded. "Sensei?"
"What?"
"If his Dad said yes, would you let Shouto have a cat of his own?" Katsuki asked. "He really liked having Cashmere around and although he loves Hoshi, I think it's hard on him knowing she isn't his cat, she always comes back to me."
"Yes." Aizawa said. "I don't have an issue with it. I know he'll look after it and at this point I don't think Nezu gives a shit anymore. Monoma has a dog."
"Wait what?"
"As much as I'm a cat person, Vlad is a dog person. Monoma found out that Kouda had his bunny and you had Hoshi, he asked Vlad if he could bring his dog. I don't know the story behind it, I assume he has his dog for a similar reason you have Hoshi. I don't know his home life or anything. But Vlad isn't really a push over so he must have a valid reason." Aizawa shrugged.
"Oh. Fair enough. Didn't take him as a dog person." Katsuki said. "I pictured his with a big white fluffy cat or some kind of bird." Aizawa snorted a laugh.
"People don't always match their pets. Snipe has a gecko that he loves and Thirteen has a tarantula which they try to convince everyone is cute, but Hizashi is scared to death of it." Aizawa said. "They brought it into work one time, and if I wasn't there, everyone would be deaf."
Katsuki laughed as they approached the doors to Heights Alliance. Aizawa smiled, which despite his usually sombre attitude, was becoming more and more frequent. Hoshi bound up the steps to the dorms, meowing to be let in.
"I'll leave you here, okay?" Aizawa said. "I'm going to do a quick patrol with Hizashi and then go home. Cementoss is staying over tonight, so go to him if you need anything. I only live five minutes away from campus so I can be here pretty quick if you need me."
"Thank you, Sensei. I think I'll be okay. I'll talk to Shouto and head to bed." Katsuki nodded.
"Good, get some rest. You have an English test tomorrow."
"I know." Katsuki said.
"And tell Shouto what I said. I know it's easier said than done, getting Endeavour on board but U.A. has no issue with it."
"Thank you, goodnight."
"Goodnight Katsuki."
Katsuki followed Hoshi up the steps as Aizawa turned back the way they had come. Katsuki turned back and watched him go for a minute before heading into the dorm himself. Kaminari and Iida were in the kitchen bickering about something but they fell silent when Katsuki and Hoshi walked in.
"Hey Kacchan." Kaminari called, he waved slightly.
"Hello Bakugou-kun. I didn't know whether you wanted me to save you any food tonight, as you didn't eat yesterday's—"
"Aizawa made me eat. Thank you though, for the past couple of days. I really appreciate it, you didn't have to."
"You're my classmate, as Class President it is my duty to ensure the wellbeing of all class members."
"Jeez, Iida, you know you can say he's your friend." Kaminari laughed.
"Well that too, Bakugou-kun, you are my friend and I care about your health. The least I could do was provide you access to food."
"Thank you. It really helped." Katsuki nodded.
"Kirishima's at his internship." Kaminari said. "He'd be here if he wasn't."
"I know." Katsuki said, "He texted me."
"Are you feeling better? You have a bit more colour to you." Kaminari said.
"A bit, yeah. I've just been having issues with feeling safe. You know?" Katsuki said, scratching the back of his neck. "It's stupid but, after all the shit I've been through, I find it hard to relax."
"Well, if you ever wanna game or watch a movie, you can come to me. I'm awake most hours." Kaminari said with a smile.
"Shouldn't you sleep?"
"Probably more than I do. But as long as I charge up, I'm fine. I get two or three hours, more if I go to bed. I just got stuff to do, you know?" Kaminari said. "But hell, even if you just want to sit with someone and not doing anything, you can come and just sit. I know I'm not Kiri, but I can give pretty good hugs."
"Thank you. I appreciate it. I haven't really been sleeping much lately. So I'm going to try. I'm going to talk to Shouto first though, he's the one who went and got Aizawa."
"Yes, we were wondering if we should or not. We wanted to give you space, but we didn't know if that's what you needed." Iida said.
"It's what I thought I wanted, but it just kept making me more miserable. I'll try and be more social and shit from now on."
"Oh heads up, Uraraka will probably try and apologise, I think she thinks she made you feel worse by punching you." Kaminari said.
"Why would she think that? Round Cheeks has got a solid right hook." Katsuki shrugged. "I would have punched her if she left such a wide opening."
"Yeah well, I don't know. She's normally pretty ruthless when it comes to fighting. I think she probably sees it as being unfair because you clearly weren't doing well. But you know…" Kaminari shrugged. "I would have loved to have punched you in the face. As a friend of course."
"Get better at managing your Quirk and hand to hand combat and maybe you'll get the chance." Katsuki said.
"Oh it's on, Explosion Boy, I'll take you on." Kaminari laughed.
"We should do a rematch of the Sports Festival sometime. Where we all go up against each other, everyone gets to fight everyone else." Iida said.
"We'll decide who is the real number one." Katsuki smirked.
"Aizawa would never allow it." Kaminari frowned. "Unless Shinsou asked, he'd do anything for Shinsou."
"I think you overestimate Shinsou's power over Aizawa." Iida said.
"Oh my Gods, Shinsou can use his Quirk on Aizawa!" Kaminari exclaimed excitedly. "I must present him with this idea immediately."
"Leave him alone, he's sleeping." Iida said.
"That's his problem. Not mine." Kaminari said, dashing towards the stairs. He stopped suddenly, running back and embracing Katsuki in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're feeling better Kacchan."
"Thank you, Denki." Katsuki said, returning the hug.
"Did you hear that Iida? Kacchan called me Denki, we're officially best friends."
"Oh, I'm wanting to take it back now." Katsuki said, pulling away.
"Too late bitch, you're mine." Kaminari said, darting back up the stairs.
"What have I done?" Katsuki muttered.
"Signed a contract with a very excitable and cuddly demon?" Iida suggested, Katsuki snorted.
"Thanks again for the food. I probably wouldn't have cooked for myself."
"I believed as much. I will not keep you. Sleep well Bakugou." Iida bowed.
"I know you're kind of formal, and what not, but I don't mind if you call me Katsuki. At this point most of the class call me some stupid nickname that is most definitely not my name."
"Well then, you must call me Tenya, it is only appropriate."
"Goodnight, Tenya." Katsuki said moving towards the stairs.
"Goodnight Katsuki."
Katsuki made his way to Shouto's room, where he assumed the boy to be. Hoshi was hot on his heels, pouncing at his feet as he walked. He told her off half-heartedly as he went, but Katsuki couldn't be mad at her, she was clearly excited about being out and about.
He knocked twice on Shouto's door and entered when he heard the other boy call "come in." Shouto was sat on his futon, his tattered childhood blanket on his lap whilst his duvet was wrapped around his shoulders. He was covered in bits of loose thread and in his hands he held a piece of white fabric and a needle. Katsuki stared for a moment.
"What? I'm cold." Shouto said.
"Not that. Are you sewing?"
"Cross stitch." Shouto shrugged. "Fuyumi sent me a link to things to do for stress relief and I already do shit like exercise regularly and keep a journal, so cross stitch." He shrugged before turning the sewing around to show Katsuki "It's a horse. Or it's supposed to be? Will be? I don't know. I think this was a little ambitious for a first attempt. But here I am. Do you know how expensive these things are?"
"Never really looked, but I assume a lot. Despite my parents being fashion people, I've never had the patience for it. I can do the basics, like a running stitch or whatever it's called but anything like that. I don't know."
"It's just little "x's"" Shouto said. "It's easy enough, but it takes forever, and the thread keeps getting tangled."
"You gonna frame it or something when it's done?" Katsuki asked.
"I think I'm going to give it to Momo, she likes horses." Shouto said.
"She does?"
"Yeah. She used to ride." Shouto said. "And she had a pony when she was younger."
"Cool." Katsuki nodded, coming further into Shouto's room and joining him on his futon. He crossed his legs and Hoshi sat on him. "Thanks for getting Aizawa."
"You're not mad?" Shouto asked.
"Why would I be mad?" Katsuki asked.
"I didn't know if I was overstepping or something. Everyone was saying to give you space, but I think if you wanted space, you would have told me to fuck off when I came to your door. I've kinda come to the conclusion, that with you, silence is a cry for help." Shouto said.
"Seems about right." Katsuki laughed, running his hand through Hoshi's fur. The cat closed her eyes and purred at the action. "I needed someone; I think. But I was just too lost inside myself to reach out."
"Well if it makes you feel better, Eijirou was planning some kind of ambush or something, to force you to talk to someone. I just got there first." Shouto shrugged.
"Why? If you knew Ei was going to do something, why would you?"
"You hadn't eaten in ages. You always ate regularly, like clockwork, you know? You always have a snack at four, dinner at six, sometimes you'll have something sweet at seven. But if you plan on staying up late you'll have it at eight. You're how I tell the time sometimes."
"What?" Katsuki laughed.
"Oh, Katsuki's having dinner, it must be six." Shouto said, smiling.
"Ahh, I see. That's why you cared. Because without me you have no clue what time it is." Katsuki teased.
"It is correct. I, Todoroki Shouto, never learnt to tell the time, or read a digital clock." Shouto said dramatically, making Katsuki laugh harder.
"Holy shit, you actually have a sense of humour. Who knew?"
"No one who lived to tell about it." Shouto replied. "But in all seriousness, you love food, well good food. I knew that if you weren't eating that something was definitely wrong. Like if Iida ignored you when you put your feet on the table or Aoyama stopped putting glitter in everything. You'd know something was wrong."
"If you didn't try to eat soba for every meal." Katsuki said.
"Exactly." Shouto said. "If that day ever comes, explode me, I'm already dead."
"I promise." Katsuki said, nudging Shouto with his shoulder.
"Gang Orca might get to me first though. I'm not looking forwards to Saturday."
"Scared of a little training?" Katsuki smirked.
"I'm scared of what he's going to make us do. Even Aizawa was shocked at last week."
"True. But we've got to try our hardest, if we want our Licences." Katsuki said, "We can be real heroes by Christmas if we do everything right. And the two of us have internships lined up already, right? You're going with your Old Man?"
"Probably. I thought about asking someone else, but at the end of the day. I have the chance to train under the Number One hero, as little as I think he deserves that title. And he's the one who can really help when it come to my Quirk."
"Cuz of your flames?"
"Kinda. But a lot of the time, whatever bullshit he starts spouting, I can normally apply it to my ice. You know my wall of ice?"
"Yeah?"
"He wanted me to make a wall of fire. It pissed him off so much when I did it so easily with ice but not with the flames."
"I'd kill to see his face." Katsuki said.
"Oh you should come round sometime, he'd hate that. Me, his precious masterpiece, being friends with the thug he thinks you are." Shouto laughed.
"I can play it up for you too if you want. I can push you in a ditch."
"You'd do that if my Dad was there or not."
"Yeah, but in front of him you can pretend to be scared of me."
"He'd be so disappointed, I love it." Shouto said.
"Is he any better since you moved out?" Katsuki asked after a second.
"Kind of. I don't really talk to him. I don't reply to his texts and only answer his calls when I have an excuse to hang up almost immediately. It's not like he can hurt me here or anything." Shouto said, stabbing his needle into the fabric he was holding. "I don't need his approval or support to be a good hero, I just have to use him, like he used me."
"Understandable." Katsuki nodded, stroking Hoshi. "How's your Mom?"
"Better, she seems a lot happier now, than when I first started seeing her. Fuyumi thinks I'm making a difference. I've been writing her letters."
The two teens talked for a lot longer than Katsuki originally intended, but it was good to talk. Katsuki didn't know how tense he had been, how much he had been holding in. He had never really seen the benefit of talking to people, he'd used to think loneliness had been made up be asshole selling self-help books. But the last few days, he'd truly felt lonely. Felt the crushing weight of what felt like seventeen elephants on his chest. Talking to Shouto, he slowly felt those elephants packing up and heading to the circus, or safari or wherever the fuck elephants went. He was in a weird mood.
Shouto listened to whatever Katsuki had to contribute, which wasn't much, and he was ready to fill the silence with anything. The best thing with Shouto, Katsuki found, is that there was never any worry about overstaying his welcome. They'd been together for about an hour before Shouto simply said:
"I'm sleepy." And Katsuki got up, he allowed Shouto to pet Hoshi goodbye before he scooped her up and carried her towards the door.
"Sleep well Shouto."
"Goodnight Katsuki."
The blond walked through the halls, having to put Hoshi back down as she struggled in his grip. She followed him happily once he had and Katsuki rolled his eyes. When he got to his floor he was surprised to see Eijirou opening his bedroom door, hair still dripping from his shower.
"Ei." Katsuki called out, making the boy freeze, he turned and his face broke into the biggest, brightest smile Katsuki had ever seen. He immediately let his door slam shut and he turned and ran at Katsuki.
Before he knew it, Katsuki had his arms full of an excitable redhead. Eijirou laughed, kissing Katsuki's cheek.
"Katsuki, I…" Eijirou started, kissing his lips lightly. "Whatever you need me to do, I'm here."
"I'm okay. I spoke with Aizawa and Hound Dog. And I guess Mic." Katsuki said. "I feel better."
"I'm glad. You look brighter, less subdued." Eijirou said, taking Katsuki's hands in his own as Hoshi entwined herself around their legs.
"Some of my concerns were addressed by the teachers." Katsuki said. "I feel like I can relax a bit."
"Do you want to stay over?" Eijirou asked.
"I can't." Katsuki said and Eijirou frowned. "Hoshi hasn't had her dinner yet. But you can stay in my room if you want." Eijirou perked up.
"Yeah, let me just grab my phone." Eijirou kissed Katsuki again lightly before disappearing inside his room. Katsuki went to his own, opening the door, letting Hoshi in, who climbed up her boxes. The sound of a door slamming open got Katsuki's attention.
Kaminari was pushed out into the corridor, followed by a pissed looking Shinsou.
"Hitoshi, my man, just consider it." Kaminari said from the floor.
"Shut up. Leave me alone you ass, do you know how difficult it is for me to sleep?" Shinsou snapped. His purple hair was even more dishevelled that usual.
"I just think it would be awesome if you used your Quirk on Sensei."
"For the last time no. He'd kill me, he'd expel me. No." Shinsou said.
"Oh come on."
"No, you know what?"
"What?"
"Go back to your own room and go the fuck to sleep. Don't get up until morning, unless there is an emergency. You will remember none of this." Shinsou said. Kaminari's eyes went white and distant as he robotically picked himself up off the floor. He walked towards the stairs. Shinsou and Katsuki's eyes met.
"You saw nothing." Shinsou said and Katsuki put up his hands in surrender. Shinsou nodded before returning to his room and Kaminari disappeared downstairs. Eijirou came out of his room, holding his phone.
"What just happened?"
"Kaminari was annoying Shinsou." Katsuki said.
"That's not going to end well."
"It didn't for Kaminari." Katsuki said. Eijirou laughed.
"Come on, let's go to bed."
The two of them went into Katsuki's room. It was a little messy, his bed sheets already crinkled as if they had been slept in and his school uniform throw haphazardly on to the floor. Katsuki blushed, moving quickly to scoop up the clothes and put them in the basket.
There were a few empty bottles of water and protein bar packets on his bedside table. He hurriedly grabbed them up, balancing them on top of his overflowing bin.
"Sorry about the—"
"Just leave it Katsuki." Eijirou said, taking Katsuki's, pulling him into an embrace. "I've missed you."
"I missed you too." Katsuki said into his neck, making Eijirou shiver as his breath tickled him.
"Whatever you're going through, you don't have to do it alone."
"I know that now." Katsuki said. "You know I'm not good with talking about feelings and shit."
"You still want this, right? Us?"
"Of course I do. I love you." Katsuki said immediately, pulling away. "You do too, right?"
"Yes, I love you too, I want us to still be an us. I just… I didn't know if you were being distant because you wanted space from everyone or just me." Eijirou said, "It's stupid, I know."
"I want to be with you, even when I'm old and wrinkly." Katsuki said.
"With your skin? I don't think you'd ever get wrinkly." Eijirou said and Katsuki laughed.
"We'll have to use my Mom as a case study."
"I'm sure she'd love that." Eijirou said, giving Katsuki a peck on the lips. Katsuki took a step backwards, going towards Hoshi's cupboard and getting out her food. He filled her bowl before heading into his bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. By time he returned, Eijirou had made himself comfortable in the bed, pushing the covers back ready for Katsuki to get in.
"Hey Beautiful." Eijirou said as Katsuki approached.
"I think I'm the furthest thing from beautiful Ei, I've been crying and I can't remember if I showered today."
"You're always beautiful." Eijirou smiled. Katsuki snorted, climbing into the bed, straddling Eijirou's waist.
"Your biased." He said, pressing their lips together. Eijirou kissed back with the enthusiasm of someone starving. His hands fisted in Katsuki shirt, pulling him as close as physically possible. Their chests were pressed together as Katsuki wrapped his arms around Eijirou's neck.
The redhead deepened the kiss, licking into Katsuki's mouth. Eijirou dug his fingers into Katsuki's hip, leaving blossoming bruises in his wake.
"I've missed this." Eijirou said, nuzzling Katsuki's nose with his own.
"Me too." Katsuki said. "Are you working Saturday?"
"No, Sunday." Eijirou said.
"We can do something in the afternoon, after my remedial class? We could watch a movie or train together or something." Katsuki said.
"I've got somewhere I want to take you." Eijirou said, kissing him again. "I'll clear it with Aizawa. I want it to be a surprise." Katsuki smiled, excitement fluttering in his stomach.
"A surprise?"
"Yeah, I want to treat you. I feel like I've been neglecting you this past week." Eijirou said. "But let's get some sleep now. We have class in the morning."
"Yeah." Katsuki said, getting off of Eijirou's lap and getting properly into bed. "Goodnight, Eiji."
"Goodnight Katsuki."