Eijiro quickly shut the door behind him and came to plop down on the floor next to the couch "Alright, I may have done something super weird."

Denki and Hanta looked up from whatever they were watching on Hanta's laptop to give Eijiro the same questioning stare.

"How weird are we talking?"

Eijiro ran a hand over his face "I came across a USB in the library and I took it so I could return it to its owner."

Denki nodded his head "Okay, so far you just sound like a decent human."

"How did you know whose it was?" Hanta asked still giving him that questioning look.

"I decided to just open a paper to read the header."

"Definitely getting weirder, go on"

"I mean logically that makes sense," Hanta added "Even if it is a little awkward."

"Then I noticed it was for our same class we had today."

"Oh no."

"Yeah, so, I ended up reading the introduction paragraph to get inspired for mine."

"Plagiarism!" Denki exclaimed.

"No," Hanta dead panned back "But a total invasion of privacy man."

"I know! Dude, and it was all personal and I feel super weird about it." Eijiro threw his head back against the couch.

"That sucks yo." Denki sympathised with a pat to Eijiro's shoulder.

"Oh I'm not done."

"Okay, shit, carry on."

"So I still had to return it to this kid. I felt all guilt and unmanly and then he opened the door and he's just this grumpy looking little fluff ball."

"So you felt worse because you think he's cute?" Denki asked with a suggestive smile.

"I don't know maybe? But, that's not even the weirdest part"

"Oh God" Hanta groaned.

"The weirdest part is that I invited him to the party we're going to tonight, and wouldn't leave his doorway until he agreed to go."

"Dude."

"Until he agreed to go? You practically harassed him!"

Kirishima shrugged one shoulder "I mean he caved after I asked twice so like it wasn't that crazy but I was still being super weird."

"Oh fuck," Denki mummbled "So now we have to go to this party later with a kid we don't know, knowing you were a total creep to him."

"If you don't want it to seem like you were harassing him maybe refrain from using the word 'caved' to describe his agreeance to come."

Eijiro looked over at Hanta to answer his annoyed look with a wide smile.

"Oh! And he lives right down the hall. That's how I knew how to get it back to him."

"Great so now if this kid finds out you creeped so hard we're all going to have to see him all the time."

"Don't act like your the victim Denki!"

"Well, you're not the victim here either Ei."

"I know! I just want you guys to act normal later."

Hanta shrugged "Yeah, alright."

"Nu-uh!" Denki said shoving Hanta "I can not do it I'm definitely gonna say something weird! You shouldn't have told us until tomorrow!"

"I was panicking I had to tell you immediately." Eijiro argued "I think if I didn't say anything now I would have acted weird all night and you guys would have noticed and totally called me out on it."

"Wouldn't that be easier to play off then all of us acting weird?"

"I think I'll be fine" Hanta said airily.

"Shut up Hanta."

"I"m just saying I don't think it will matter. If he doesn't know any of us he won't know we're acting weird."

"Do you think he's actually going to come?"

Eijiro shrugged "I guess we'll find out when we go to his door."

"Did you invite him out of guilt or because you think he's cute?" Denki asked.

"I don't even know. I think the guilt."

"So him being cute is just a plus?"

"Shut up. But I guess so." Eijiro got up and went over to his room

"Well we should probably get ready. It starts at 10."

"Oaky- oh fuck I didnt tell him when it was."

"Hah, this is terrible."

"Shut up Deki." Eijiro mumbled before shutting his door.

…

Katsuki could hear the idiots whispering outside of his door. Bits of 'just knock idiot' and 'hold on hold on!' muffled through the wood door. He could just pretend he wasn't in there once they did get around to knocking. Just stand very still and very quiet and wait until he heard them walk away. But he didn't want to. He didn't know how to make friends and here was this weird oaf trying to force him to hang out. It was too easy he couldn't say no. Even if the thought of a crowded apartment made his skin crawl. It'd be hot and loud and just thinking about it made him feel pretty terrible, but if he really wanted to leave he could. And he did take the time to get ready after all. He didn't do anything too intense just ripped black jeans and a dark red t shirt, but he might as well go and see how it is.

After what had to be five minutes of that guy and his roommates arguing outside his door one of them knocked. With a deep breathe Katsuki opened the door to reveal the same stupid face he'd been met just a few hours earlier.

"You never told me your name, shitty hair." Katsuki was quick to say before anyone else had a chance to speak.

The guys face flushed as his hand moved up to his spikes self consciously. "Ah shit, my bad. I'm Eijiro. This is Denki and Hanta." He pointed at the guys behind him. "Sorry I forgot to tell you when we were leaving."

"It's fine."

They stood in the doorway and awkwardly looked at each other for a few seconds.

"So, are we fucking going or what?" Katsuki snapped

"Ooh Feisty!" The pikachu look alike piped up and pulled the other two away by their sleeves.

Katsuki glared at him but was at least glad that they were actually moving out of his doorway.

The party was actually in the same area as Deku's apartment so they just walked. Katsuki was glad to know he really could just walk back to campus if he got too annoyed by it all. He pulled nervously at the hem of his shirt.

"How did you know about this party?" Katsuki asked as they walked up to the front door.

"Some upperclassmen I matched with on tinder invited me." Denki didn't attempt to knock. The sound of the music inside was already so loud outside the door it was pointless to try. When he opened the door Katsuki was met with an onslaught of sound and smell, none of it pleasant. He hesitated outside for a second and immediately tensed up at the hand placed against his back. Eijiro gave him a little push to urge him to walk into the crowded house and Katsuki couldn't help but jerk away from his touch. WIth flushed cheeks he avoided the confused look Eijiro gave him and the uncomfortable feeling creeping up his spine and stepped into the crowded room. It really was like Katsukis worst nightmare, but he was stubborn if nothing else and he'd give it more than ten minutes before he panicked and left.

Eijiro was close behind him as they made their way through the living room. Hanta and Denki were quick to disappear into the crowd. "Do you want a drink?" Eijiro yelled over the noise.

Katsuki didn't miss the way Eijiro reached out to hold his arm when he leaned forward to be heard better, or how he retracted his arm just as quickly. Katsuki wasn't sure which bothered him more. The way his stomach rolled at the thought of Eijiro grabbing his arm, or that Eijiro was being respectful of boundaries he didn't even have to vocialize.

"Sure."

"Beer fine?"

"I don't fucking care."

Katsuki scowled at the grin Eijiro flashed him and watched as he weaved through the crowd towards the kitchen. He took the moment alone to take in his surroundings. Only one visible exit, but he wouldn't be surprised if there was a back door. Most of the old houses, turned apartments, in this area had them. Like Deku's place. It was small like Deku's too, fortunate to have a living room separated from the kitchen, but it was cramped and the amount of bodies squished in the space made Katsuki feel a little trapped. He wrapped his arms tight around his chest and took a small step towards the front door. He could just leave now. Skip the inevitable panic attack, maybe have it anyway once he gets back home, but he didn't even actually know anyone here. He wasn't built for this, he never had the sort of socialization that prepares you to meet people at parties, to initiate making friends. He isolated himself way too long. He could even just go to Deku's crash there. He wouldn't ask questions. Well he wouldn't ask them until the morning, and maybe Katsuki would actually be able to talk about it by the morning.

"Katsuki?" Eijiro stood in front of Katsuki holding two beers looking concerned. "You alright?"

Katsuki tried to relax his shoulder and unclench his jaw. "I'm fine."

Eijiro nodded but didn't look all that convinced. He handed him the beer and took a sip of his own. " Not into parties?"

Katsuki shrugged "I just don't fucking care about them."

"I have a trick to get comfortable faster." Eijiro smirked.

Katsuki just raised an eyebrow in response.

"You chug your first beer, that way while you work through your second you're already starting to chill out while your body is rushed with alcohol."

Katsuki eyed him skeptically "And that actually works?"

"I don't know, maybe it's a placebo effect. Like you just know that the alcohol will make you chill out and you convince yourself it's already happening if you drink faster."

"That just sounds fucking dumb, and dangerous."

"Well that's why I only said the first beer. Do you wanna do it?"

Katsuki considers it. He's never really been drunk before. When Deku graduated high school early they broke into his parents liquor cabinet and drank a little bit to celebrate. It just ended with them getting caught and Deku throwing up in Katsukis bathroom in the morning but that was the extent of his experience with alcohol.

Katsuki shrugged half-heartedly and brought his beer up to cheers with Eijiro. He watched Eijiro start to chug before pressing his beer to his lips with shaky hands. He wasn't a fan of the taste really but he didn't know of an alcoholic drink that actually tastes good. Katsuki couldn't finish it in one go and was pretty surprised when Eijiro did. He quickly downed the rest of it.

"Let's go get another from the kitchen."

Katsuki followed him and was dismayed to find it just as crowded. There was a box of room temperature beer on the floor that Eijiro was reaching into and a pitcher of some dark liquid on the counter.

Eijiro noticed Katsuki eyeing it. "I never trust the drinks like that. I really doubt anyone put anything in it at something this chill, but I've heard too many horror stories from friends who go to huge house parties."

Katsuki was a little hung up on the fact that Eijiro referred to this as chill. What the fuck was a huge house party when there was hardly any room fro him to breathe here. Eijiro mistook the repulsed look on Katsukis face and continued on none the wiser to his inner dilemma.

"I know it's fucked up. I have a friend who goes here, Mina, but she was hanging out at some big university, ya know with frats and all that shit, and at one of the parties they found a girl passed out in some room and they brought her back to Mina's friend's dorm and the girl didn't wake up for like fifteen hours. Like they literally carried her back and they couldn't get her to wake up. They wanted to bring her to the hospital but they kind of panicked and just kept an eye on her. Anyway the girl woke up and told Mina that she only had one drink and couldn't remember the night at all."

"Wow, that is fucked up. Was she okay?"

"Oh yeah, thank god. Mina found her like right after she had that drink they figured it out patching together the night, but it could have been really terrible."

Katsuki eyed the pitcher again wearily. "That just makes me want to dump that shit."

"I totally get that, but you can't assume everyone's bad."

"Feels a little worth it."

"Like I said, this party is small enough that I feel like we can trust it. Also, look," Eijiro pointed to a girl in the corner of the kitchen with a cup filled with the mystery drink "that's the girl Denki matched with. This is her place and she's drinking it. I still stay away from it just to keep myself safe though." Eijiro looked way too nonchalant about it all. Katsuki idly wondered how often he partied before college. A buff guy like him was probably really popular, probably varsity football or something ultra masculine like that. He looked the type.

"How did you end up at art school?" Katsuki asked and was surprised by the guilty look on EIjiros face.

"What do you mean?"

"You just kind of look like a jock." Katsuki shrugged and took a sip.

"Hey, I'm multifaceted. A person can be two things."

"So you are a jock." Katsuki smirked and the pout on Eijiro's face.

"Was. I was on my school's football team, but I also took AP art. I tried a lot of things throughout high school."

"Well aren't you just so impressive."

Kirishima barked out a laugh and shook his head. "Hardly, I just liked to keep busy. Did you do any sports?"

"I, uh, no not really."

"Not really?"

"Freshman year I was on the baseball team but I didn't play any other years." Katsuki looked towards the door that led back to the living room. Eijiro must have felt the awkward tension because he didn't press why exactly Katsuki only played Freshman year but he did gesture back towards the living room. "Do you wanna go out there?"

"I don't give a shit it's just really crowded."

"Do you want to go outside and get some fresh air?"

Katsuki nodded and let Eijiro lead the way. Once outside Katsuki felt like he could finally breathe.

"So how did you end up at art school?" Eijiro asked as they took a seat on the front steps.

"I'm good at it."

Eijiro laughed and Katsuki couldn't help but smile. He felt a lot calmer outside of that chaotic environment.

"Okay, but like, did you take art classes in high school?"

"No." It wasn't said with any bite but there was a finality to the word that Eijiro listened to.

"I wonder what Denki and Hanta are up to."

"Probably something stupid."

"Hey man you don't even know them!"

"Yeah but they seem the type."

"I mean, yeah but you shouldn't say it!"

Katsuki smiled too easily. Maybe he was actually feeling the affects of the alcohol, maybe it was the immense relief of not having so many bodies around him, but he didn't actually hate this. Talking to Eijiro that is. "I say a lot of things I shouldn't."

"Yeah, you have a such a potty mouth."

Katsuki couldn't help but laugh at that "How old are we shitty hair, that you just said potty mouth?"

"What! My hair isn't shitty!" he raised a self conscious hand to run over the red spikes "And it's accurate you have a potty mouth."

Katsuki scoffed "You sound like my fucking mom."

"Well she sounds like a really smart lady."

"Actually, she'd probably say 'You have such a fucking potty mouth you fucking brat'." Katsuki pitched his voice higher to mock her and snorted at his own accuracy.

"So you get it from her?" Eijiro laughed into his beer.

"Oh yeah, and she's a damn hypocrite. She curses so much more than I do."

"I'd love to see a conversation between you two."

"It's not for the weak of heart."

"Oh I think I could handle it."

They settled into a comfortable silence and Katsuki was surprised by how natural it felt. Maybe Eijiro just had that sort of effect on people where you were instantly drawn to him. Katsuki glanced over and took in the boy sitting next to him as he looked up at the sky. He was pretty, long black eyelashes, big dark eyes, and what looked like a little scar over his eyelid. He'd have to ask about that sometime if they were still going to hang out after this. Katsuki found that thought left him feeling optimistic for the semester. He could have a friend right on his floor. Maybe they'd have some classes together and maybe he could get used to the other two idiots.

His thoughts were interrupted when Eijiro looked over and smiled at Katsuki. With burning cheeks he looked away and up at the sky. "What were you staring at?" He asked through a scratchy throat.

"The stars, or more like the lack of stars."

"Yeah dumbass. We're in the city."

"I know I'm just always shocked by how different it feels. Where I'm from we have so many stars and here it's just so… gray."

"I didn't really think about it."

"I guess maybe I'm just a little homesick."

Katsuki looked over to see the sad smile that he could hear in Eijiros voice. "I'm not."

Eijiro tilted his head to look Katsuki in the eyes. "No?"

"No."

"I guess we've only been here a few days."

Katsuki looked down at the warm beer in his hand and decided not to answer. There wasn't anything he could really say to that anyway. Yeah, they'd only been here a few days but he didn't see a future of feeling home sick. Not even the warm feeling in his chest from the drink could stop the sour feeling in his stomach when he thought about home. He shivered just thinking about going back there.

"You alright man? You seem cold." Eijiro put a gentle hand on Katsuki's arm and rubbed it lightly and by some strange chance it didn't make Katsuki's skin crawl. He didn't pull away this time and looked up at Kirishima with wide startled eyes. His skin broke out in gooseflesh and before he could respond Eijiro was pulling back and taking his jacket off. He draped it over Katsukis shoulders and went back to looking at the sky. "At Least we see the moon."

Katsuki pulled the jacket a little tighter around him. "It'd take a lot more than a little light pollution to block out the moon"

"I guess that's true" Eijiro said through a laugh.

For the first time since they sat down Katsuki realized how close Eijiro was sitting next to him. There arms almost touched. Usually he was so hyper aware of these things it was a shock to be sitting so close to this guy he hardly knows and not be fazed by it. Maybe people have a reason to talk about the wonders of alcohol, maybe he'd be lucky enough that it shuts up all the worst parts of his head.

"There you guys are!" Denki exclaimed behind them. Katsuki nearly jumped out of his skin but Eijiro just turned around and said "Oh hey Denki, hey Hanta."

"We were looking for you guys inside and thought maybe you left without us."

"Nah, just came outside to get away from the noise."

"Well now that we know you didn't ditch us here we're gonna go back in. You comin?"

Eijiro looked at Katsuki as if to ask if he was okay with it. Katsuki wasn't about to tell him he couldn't go hang out with his actual friends at the party he actually wanted to be at so he just shrugged and stood up.

Katsuki followed the others into the house and instantly regretted it. He still definitely wasn't drunk enough to be comfortable around this number of people. He stayed close to Eijiros back. So close that when Eijiro turned around to say something he bumped right into his chest. Katsuki took a step back and stuttered out an awkward apology. Eijiro responded with a smile and pointed towards the kitchen. Katsuki nodded and followed him over to grab more drinks, and some for the others.

Back in the living room they were fortunate enough to find the couch empty. Katsuki took a seat next to the arm rest and pulled his body as close to it as he physically could but when the other joined him he was still squished besides Eijiro. He downed half his beer and tried to get comfortable.

They sat there for a while with Katsuki just listening to the others. They weren't that annoying all things considered and Katsuki actually caught himself laughing at most of their dumb stories.

"So, Hanta's pushing me in the shopping cart down the road." Denki said.

"The one you stole?" Some random girl sitting on the floor asked.

"Yes! From the last story! We hid it in my shed for weeks. Anyway, we decided to ride it down the hill I lived on."

"Both at the same time?"

"Yes! Listen! So Hanta's pushing it cus he's taller so we figured it'd be easier to jump into it while it's moving."

"But didn't you say before his hands were taped to it?" A guy perched on the arm rest pointed out. "How does that make sense?"

"I don't know but it felt genius at the time. So he gets it going so fast." Denki says with a wicked smile.

"Too fast." Hanta cuts in.

"Oh for sure. Hanta tries to jump in and it was at this moment we realized he couldn't do it while taped to the fucking cart."

"So I'm just like dangling off the shopping cart with my lanky body dragging on the sidewalk."

"Right, and as soon as you did that it threw the whole cart off route and we ended up swerving right into a bush on the side of the road!"

"Thank God too cus I had already skinned my shin so bad at that point." Sero pulled up his jeans to show everyone a nasty scar running up his shin.

"Except that we hit the bush with enough force to throw me out of the cart! I landed in my neighbors yard and broke my wrist."

"Had you just not taped my hands to the handle maybe we could have made it all the way down the hill."

Katsuki gaped at them before barking out a laugh. "What the fuck!" He said through gasps "You guys could have died!"

"How high were you guys?" Eijiro demanded as he tried to catch his breath. He laughed so hard throughout the story Katsuki thought he was going to throw up at one point.

"Dude we weren't high! We were like 12, we didn't discover the joys of weed until high school."

Hanta smiled wide and Katsuki couldn't help but notice how big his teeth were. "We should just lie and say we were high."

Eijiro nodded vigorously "Oh definitely." Now that he seemed to be able to breath again he leaned back into Katsukis side.

The guy on the arm rest pulled out a cutting board from his bag and balanced it on his lap "Does anyone have any to throw?"

Katsuki had no idea what he was talking about and watched as Hanta reached into his bag and pulled out a jar with weed. He felt kind of dumb and out of place. He'd never smoked before, he'd never even been faced with the choice. The guy rolled a joint so fast Katsuki was secretly impressed.

As they passed it Katsuki felt his palms get sweaty. Eijiro took another hit and went to pass it to Katsuki.

"Do you want a hit?"

"I've never smoked before."

Denki spoke up from the other side of Eijiro. "There's no pressure. If you want to go ahead, but don't feel like you gotta."

Katsuki ignored him and looked at the joint in his hand. "I guess I could try it." He said with a shrug.

"Okay, when you pull you have to actually inhale it. But don't inhale too much. You'll probably cough." Eijiro said as he looked around for a drink for him. Denki noticed and got up to go get water from the kitchen.

With the added space on the couch Katsuki pushed Eijiro over a bit and stretched out.

"Are you sure you want to?" Eijiro asked.

"I've never really thought about it but I don't really have a reason not to." Katsuki wiped his sweaty hands off on his pants before he took the joint from Eijiro.

He put it to his mouth and pulled, and almost immediately choked. He coughed into his elbow and took the water bottle that Denki offered.

Eijiro took it out of his hand and rubbed his back in a small circle. "You alright man?"

"That's terrible." Katsuki coughed out.

Eijiro laughed quietly and passed the joint over to Denki. "You get used to it with time, I guess."

Katsuki chugged half the bottle "At least now I know it's terrible."

Eijiro still had his hand resting against the small of Katsuki's back and the sensation left his head a little fuzzy. Or maybe that was from the tiny amount of smoke he actually inhaled. Yup, that was probably it. He leaned into the touch and Eijiro seemed to notice because he started rubbing circles into his shirt again.

Eijiro looked back towards Katsuki and all he could think was how red Eijiros eyes were they were hazy and unfocused, but he looked really good.

"Do you wanna leave soon? I'm always so tired after I smoke."

Katsuki smiled "Yeah, definitely."

Eijiro leaned over to whisper into Denkis ear.

"Alright me and Hanta are gonna stay. We'll see you back at the dorm later." He leaned towards Katsuki "It was nice to meet you, I'm sure we'll see you neighbor."

Katsuki gave him a weird look "Yeah."

They got up to leave and Hanta waved from his spot on the couch but Katsuki didn't wave back. He inclined his head a little to show he at least saw it. He shoved his hands in his pockets of Eijiro's jacket and walked out with Eijiro in tow.

The walk back to the dorm felt quicker now that he actually survived the night. Survived and even enjoyed it. Eijiro didn't let them walk in silence and Katsuki found himself smiling the whole way back.

They walked to Katsuki door and he pulled Eijiro's jacket off and handed it over.

"Oh! Right, thank you."

There was a moment of silence where they both lingered after Katsuki opened the door.

"Could I get your number?" Eijiro cheeks blossomed with color as he continued "So I could invite you to another party or something."

Katsuki felt his own face heat up and took the phone out of Ejirios hand. He shoved it back into his hand once his contact was added.

Eijiro blinded him with a smile before saying goodbye and heading down the hall towards his room. Katsuki's face felt hot for way too long after Eijiro had left.