Chapter Text
They moved in together right after high school, right in the center of Tokyo. Katsuki made enough of a name for himself after the war that he skipped being a sidekick or an intern. He shot straight to the top ten after his debut and had his own agency within the year.
At first, they lived in some crummy studio apartment for two pennies a month, where they bunked on the floor together. It wasn't too bad, making pillow forts each night with a childlike fun that had been denied when he was small. The apartment was so tiny that it was easy for Katsuki's scent to take over. Shouto knows it's a weird thing, but he's always loved the way nitroglycerin permeated a room. Sweet caramel and honey scents so thick he can almost taste it.
Something that used to be a source of insecurity for Bakugou, thinking he smelled too feminine, failed attempts to bury himself in mountains or Axe body spray and Old Spice, but seeing how much Shouto liked it made him throw those out.
Once the money started rolling in, Bakugou wanted to move out. He could afford something nice for Shouto, something he felt Shouto deserved. It was hard for them both to let go of the first studio, but eventually they did.
The penthouse Katsuki bought was fucking massive. Full kitchen, living room, three bedrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows, and the ceilings are HIGH, in the middle of Tokyo… Shouto felt overwhelmed, and he knew there was no way he could chip in.
Katsuki is bringing all their bags up while Shouto sits on the floor, taking in everything. Katsuki picked everything out, and Shouto decided to just follow his lead.
“Katsuki, this is too much,” Shouto said, a little panicky.
“What's not to understand, halfie? You wanna be homeless?” Katsuki is very blatantly ignoring Shouto's heart beating out of his chest
outo has in Katsuki runs so deeply that usually, he just goes with the flow, but this is a bit too far.
“Katsuki.” Shouto pleads. Usually, hearing his name come from shoutos mouth sounds like a prayer. It makes the hero feel warm and gooey, like an idiot, like Deku. But hearing Shouto plead to him, begging for answers, makes Katsuki's stomach twist. He never wants to be the reason Shouto is unhappy. This is something he knows for certain.
Katsuki drops the luggage he was hauling, not that it's much; They didn't have a lot to bring. Katsuki turns to face Shouto and, in two quick strides, crosses the room so close he could feel shoutos breath beating on his neck. Katsuki isn't used to feeling nervous. He is the pinnacle of confidence, poised and controlled, but around Shouto, he loses that, and Katsuki knows exactly why.
“It's big cuz it's for us. Both of us.” Katsuki says exasperated, cuz to him it's the most obvious thing in the world. He wants to treat Shouto.
His voice is hard as he says it. Well, at least it's hard to Shouto. He knows Katsuki spoils him, most of their conversations being calm, soft whispers, so fucking soft. With anyone else, the way Katsuki is speaking to him right now would resemble a pillow, but Shouto knows Katsuki well enough to feel that it's a rock.
“I have money, Shou. We don't have to live in a shoebox anymore. It's whatever. I want something nice.”
I want you to have something nice. What Katsuki meant to say, but he bit his tongue.
“How much was this place?” Shouto asks, scratching at his arm nervously.
“12 hundred.” It's a bold-faced lie, and they both know it. Shouto doesn't see the use in arguing; regardless of the cost, he needs some place to sleep, and Katsuki won't have this any other way. It would be rude to turn down such a beautiful apartment.
“Katsuki,” Shouto calls out one final time. “Thank you, I don't know what I would do without you.”
The last part is whispered, soft. So quiet, Katsuki didn't even hear it. But he felt it, He felt how Shouto pulled him into a hug and how his left side warmed Katsuki so perfectly as they collided, and even more as they stayed there, together, neither willing to pull away first.
“I'd do anything for you, princess.” Soft and definite.
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In the following years, Shoto's life revolves around Katsuki. When he decided he wasn't meant to be a hero, Katsuki reminded him that his life was his own, and he could do what he wanted. Yet Shouto didn't know what he wanted.
He spends his days wasting away in the luxury katsuki brought to him. When he's missing Katsuki extra while he's away on missions or out with his friends, Shouto will make a home for himself in Katsuki's bed. He never bothers to fix it up afterwards or wash the sheets. Katsuki never complains, though.
Well, he does complain. He complains about Shouto rotting away. Katsuki is a homebody himself, but every so often, Kirishima will manage to convince him to get out. Izuku tries to do the same for Shou, but it's less effective.
The only time Shouto leaves the house is to visit his mother, and even then, he won't do it alone. He brings Katsuki with him every time, and if Katsuki is busy, he’ll cancel the visit.
Even when Fuyumi wants to visit, she must come over to his apartment. She doesn't mind, though the kitchen is phenomenal, and the house smells so warm and amazing. It smells like katsuki; the sweet scent of nitroglycerin has permeated the walls over the years.
Shouto thinks that's part of why it's so hard for him to leave. He is used to smelling nothing but katsuki 24/7. Even when he's not physically there, as long as Shouto can smell him, he feels so fucking safe. He wishes he could bottle katsukis into a perfume bottle and take it with him anywhere. He wishes he could feel safe anywhere.
Katsuki is his anchor.
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“Shou, we are just concerned for you.” Fuyumi starts to pace around the apartment as she talks. Katsuki is sitting calmly on their couch, petting the cat he got for Shouto's birthday. He's nodding along as Fuyumi speaks while he sips his tea, only half listening. He's had this conversation with Shouto so many times that he can’t bother anymore.
“I have a coworker and I'm setting you up with him.” Fuyumi stops her pacing in front of Shouto. Before Shouto can respond, he hears a choke and a sputtering sound coming from Katsuki. He sees ripples of tea drip from Katsuki's mouth onto their cat soba, causing her to hiss. Sho feels overwhelmed; he just wants Fuyumi to go so Katsuki will hold him. “You need to get out of this stump, Shou. I love you and I want you to be happy, you know that, but you can't just leech off Katsuki forever! You both have lives to live.”
He doesn't respond. He just looks over to Katsuki, feeling the tears prickle slightly in his eyes, and Katsuki takes care of the rest. He rises from the couch and has a private, hushed conversation with Fuyumi before showing her out. Shouto doesn't know what was said, but he doesn't need to know. He trusts Katsuki!
Before Shouto can even think about anything, anything negative, anything self-deprecating, Katsuki speaks up. “You'll never be a burden to me, princess. You are my life.” Katsuki plops down next to Shouto. He cups his face for a split second, then pulls away and just leans on Shouto like a lifeline.
Shouto is sure that if Katsuki ever felt burdened by him, he would say something, but just because Katsuki doesn't feel it doesn't mean it's not the truth. Shouto is a leech. He wants to fix it.
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Shouto can’t cook. Katsuki is the chef, hell come home after a back-breaking patrol and throw on an apron cuz Shouto would starve otherwise. Shouto has tried before to make Katsuki's favorite foods. It always ended in fire. Katsuki scraping the burnt bottom of pans while simultaneously making more soba for them. He doesn't even like soba, but he is too tired to make separate dishes.
Memories like these have started to haunt Shouto. All he does is inconvenience Katsuki. It makes him feel sick. Fuyumi was right about him being a leech.
He needs to be better for Katsuki. Maybe cooking isn't his strength, but he can still make sure his roommate has a warm meal ready when he comes back from his shift.
Shouto orders some takeout. The delivery fee is kinda expensive. Katsuki doesn't like eating out; He prefers to cook it himself, but one restaurant Katsuki always loved was from his internship with Best Jeanist. Towards the end, they had gone to a celebration dinner. Katsuki still hasn't stopped raving about it. Every so often, trying and failing to recreate the recipe.
Shouto wants Katsuki to have a treat. He even rents Katsuki's favorite movie.
When Katsuki finally gets back home, Shouto is humming with excitement. He can't wait to finally do something for him rather than the usual opposite. When Katsuki gets home, he looks the usual amount of tired, heavy, dark eye bags, and walking with a slouch. Shouto hates the sight.
“Katsuki, come sit.” Shouto beams up at Katsuki, holding his hand out for Katsuki to take as he sits down. Katsuki takes it without hesitation. The second Katsuki shits shouto rises. “I have stuff for you.” sho heads to the kitchen to bring back a hefty plate of food for Katsuki.
Katsuki lets out a laugh that resembles a bark almost. “Who made this?” Katsuki is still chuckling, poking around the food, wondering if it's poison or not.
“It's from that place you like,” Shouto plops down next to Katsuki, still smiling wildly. He feels more proud of himself than he has in a long time.
“What place?” katsukis mind isn't fully intact; he cannot seem to access his memory, only being able to focus on the sight of Shouto's pearly whites and pretty lips stretching themselves thin.
“The one from when you and Best Beanist celebrated at the end of your internship,” Shouto's eyebrows knit together a bit and twist in confusion. He was sure this place held a special place in katsukis memories, but maybe he was wrong. He starts to nibble on his lip and shifts on the couch, unable to hold still, waiting for Katsuki to speak.
Katsuki notices every twitch of shoutos body; of course, he can read the anxiety. “Thank you, princess, how could I forget?” soft, Katsuki says it so softly, and he brings his hand on Shouto's thigh, trying to ground him, knowing Shouto thrives off physical contact. “It's perfect.”
Katsuki digs in, savoring every bite. Shouto feels more than content just sitting and watching. He feels prideful knowing Katsuki feels good because of him, knowing he did Katsuki a service, filled him up, made him content.
Shouto wants to make Katsuki feel even just a fraction of what he feels: safe and warm and soft.
It only takes one moment for Katsuki to accidentally burst Shouto's bubble.
“Did you drive all the way over there? It's far.” Katsuki says in between bites. He's looking at Shouto expectantly. He knows Shou isn’t big on driving or leaving the house, or ordering food, or anything in general. “I don't want you to feel like you have to step outside of your comfort zone for me,” Katsuki says, but it's not entirely true; he wants Shouto to get out more so desperately, but he would never push.
“I ordered it.” Shouto starts to fidget again, moving restlessly on the couch. “Ordered?” Katsuki asks incredulously. “This place is hours away… where the fuck did you get the money?” Those words hit Shouto like a brick when he realizes he used the card Katsuki gave him to pay for everything. Even the movie he rented, he knows Katsuki hates paying for that shit, especially when he can ‘get it for free,” all he has to do is block all the porno popups and he's good to go.
Shouto feels like an idiot. A big one. He stays silent and looks down. It's easy for Katsuki to connect the dots. He grabs shoutos chin and makes Shouto look at him. A bit rougher than usual, but he has a point to get across. “My money is your money.”
Shouto pulls away and gets off the couch, feeling undeserving of Katsuki's touch. “That's not the point,” Shouto says louder than he meant to.
“Then tell me the point, Shouto.” Katsuki raises his voice a little bit too. He doesn't understand why Shouto has been so off lately. Always going from 0-100.
“I just wanted to do something nice for you.” Shouto buries his head in his hands, trying to shield his face from katsukis eyes, begging the tears not to fall.
Katsuki is quick to toss his plate aside and stand next to Shouto. He tries to hold him, but Shouto pulls away. “You did do something nice for me, princess! I don't care about the fucking money, I make more than enough. I appreciate that you were thinking of me.” katsukis comforts fall flat.
“There's nothing you could ever do wrong to me, Shou.” Katsuki whispers, trying to hold Shouto again, and this time, he allows it.
Katsuki pulls Shouto towards his room and lays Shouto on his bed. He exits the room briefly. Shouto's heart beats unreasonably fast from the lack of touch. Katsuki comes back and slots himself into bed right next to Shouto. They face each other, and it's almost like they are competing for who can stare the longest, who can match the others' breathing, their heartbeat. Shouto is the first to break. He doesn't turn away, only shuffles closer. So close Katsuki can no longer count the freckles on his face, he can only feel soft breaths against his neck as Shouto leans impossibly closer.
Katsuki won't stop him.
“I love you, Shou,” Katsuki whispers, soft.
“I love you too.” soft.
Moments pass, the sound of Shouto snoring fills the quiet room, not that it had much to compete with other than the crickets and bellows of wind. “I'm in love with you,” Katsuki says it like a prayer for no one to hear. He presses a kiss to Shouto's forehead and then joins him in sleep.