Chapter Text
Katsuki’s head hurt. That wasn’t surprising. He vaguely remembered waking up yesterday in utter misery ‘cause it was freezing cold and his chronic pain was flaring. He vaguely remembered getting some painkillers early in the morning, not being able to sleep, and then… something. SHOOT, why could he never remember his sick days? It pisses him off.
Katsuki huffed in annoyance and was about to get up to grab some liquid ibuprofen in black coffee because that’s definitely healthy, but was suddenly halted by a very warm and very strong… HUH????
Katsuki stared in shock down at the tanned, massive arms wrapped around his midsection. Slowly turning his head to see who the heck was spooning him his eyes fell upon a mass of red hair. The mountain of class 3-A, and the crush that Katsuki would die before admitting to, Eijiro Kirishima.
He froze, the blood pumping in his ears loud enough to drown out every sound aside from the soft breathing of the one next to him. Katsuki suddenly couldn’t remember exactly how breathing was supposed to work and was torn between snuggling up to Kiri or blowing his gorgeous face off when the mass of hot guy next to him stirred.
Katsuki sat stiff as a brick, braced for any sudden moves, when Kiri grunted and let go of Katsuki to reach his arms over his head and stretch. His back popped, his shirt rode up slightly, and he had the gall to freaking groan in relief when he took up Katsuki’s whole freaking bed with that stretch and holy crap that shot butterflies straight to Katsuki’s stomach. He felt his face burn and forced himself to look away because Kiri was so hot that it was starting to really piss him off.
“Hmmm~ gmornin’ baby” Kiri hummed next to him, his morning voice a low rumble.
Never in the history of ever had Katsuki been rendered so incredibly speechless than at this moment and we are NOT talking about how that voice saying those words affected him. Violence or giggling like a little girl? Violence is probably the right answer.
“Who the heck said you could call me that, crappy hair?” Katsuki snarled, though it came out more strangled and less menacing than he wanted it to. Darn it.
“Sorry, it just felt natural.” Kiri rumbled. He didn’t look very sorry.
Katsuki made an annoyed huff and looked away. Mainly he was trying to hide the way his cheeks and ears burned, but if Kiri took it to mean that he was angry that was an added bonus.
It seems Kirishima didn’t fall for it because he heard a low chuckle behind him and suddenly those cursed arms were around his waist again, pulling him backwards into a massive chest that radiated warmth like a furnace.
“Breathe.” Kirishima’s voice rumbled quietly behind his ear, reminding Katsuki that, oh yeah, that's probably something that he should be doing.
Katsuki let out the breath he had been holding, feeling a bit fuzzy brained at this gigantic turn of events that was not only sudden and intense, but as far as he knew, completely without context. What the freak did he do yesterday???
He wanted to scream, he wanted to cuss, and he wanted to blow something up. Yet against his better judgement, he felt himself starting to relax. Yeah it felt good. Heck, it felt freaking amazing to be held in the cold room by his furnace of a crush, but it was also terrifying. This was a completely foreign concept to Katsuki. Nobody had ever dared to even offer something like this before. The last time he was cuddled was when he was a freaking toddler. How is one supposed to act in this situation?
As appealing as embracing his inner rage goblin sounded, there was something stopping him. Maybe it was the foreign concept of being held, maybe it was the steady heartbeat at his back, or maybe it was the fact that his body still ached from the fever, but something in him broke, and he melted with a soft sigh into the hold. His eyes fluttered, suddenly feeling far heavier than they did a moment ago.
It wasn’t long, not long enough at all before Katsuki’s alarm went off, shattering the moment with its annoying blares. Katsuki would have blown it up if he didn’t think it would take the whole bedside table with it. So he just punched it instead. Positive solutions.
Kirishima chuckled again behind him and Katsuki could feel the depth of it reverberating his own chest as the body behind him vibrated from creating the sound.
“Probably should get up, huh?”
Before Katsuki could argue, the mass behind him gently let go and sat up. Katsuki grumbled to himself, yet did the same, sliding out of bed and stretching. His bones ached. Getting sick sucks, especially when you already have chronic pain and then the fever and junk flares it. At least his fever is gone though.
He glanced over his shoulder at Kirishima, who was still sitting on the bed.
“Tch. Who said you could stare?” Katsuki sniped, turning away again to hide the blush that was reforming. Stupid, stupid, stupid, body doing stupid things like blushing and betraying him.
Kirishima laughed quietly, and Katsuki heard the bed springs creak behind him as Kiri stood. Then he heard a sudden “oh dear” and whipped his head around just in time to see Kirishima’s eyes cross slightly before he started tipping forward. Katsuki barely managed a startled yelp before the mountain of a man that was Kirishima crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground.
Katsuki coughed out a crushed wheeze, trying to pull himself out from under the massive red head. “The FRICK is wrong with you, you oversized brute!?” Katsuki hollered over his shoulder, pinned face down on the floor.
“My bad…” Kiri grunted, looking rather dizzy.
Katsuki huffed and twisted enough so he could smack the idiot. Lightly of course. “You couldn’t have fallen backwards onto the bed instead of CRUSHING ME?!??”
“What can I say, you got a kind of gravity about you.”
How can he possibly still have the energy to tease when his eyes are unfocussed like that? “Get the heck off me, a-hole.”
Thankfully Kirishima complied by sloppily rolling to the side, finally allowing Katsuki to breathe properly. He sat up and caught his breath, shifting to sit down properly before assessing Kirishima beside him. He was panting like he was having a hard time breathing, and his face was slightly red. Katsuki reached out and lightly pressed the back of his hand against his forehead to find that it was burning up.
“You naturally run hot?”
“You’re pretty hot.”
“Focus.”
“I dunno. I usually run around 98 maybe?”
Katsuki grumbled to himself, standing up and abandoning Kirishima on the floor as he left the room. When he returned with two doses of medication and a thermometer, Kirishima was pouting at him like a kicked and offended puppy.
“What?” Katsuki sniped, before popping some medication in his mouth and washing it down with water.
“You left me.” Kiri pouted, his tone slightly whiny to express his displeasure at the abandonment.
“Yeah well I had a reason. You sound pathetic.” Katsuki grumbled, crouching down and producing the thermometer he grabbed before pressing it to Kiri’s temple. 100.9. Great.
“Did you seriously let yourself get sick from me?”
“It was probably the cuddles.” Kiri answered, seeming slightly zoned out.
“The what?”
“Or maybe the kiss. It could have been that too.”
“THE WHAT??”
Katsuki was on the brink of slapping him to bring him back to sanity, when he suddenly remembered something. Last night… a kiss… Sparks flickered, small pops going off around his head and hands as his jaw dropped and he stared into space from the shock of it all. His face flushed redder than Kirishima’s hair at the realization;
“THAT WASN’T A DREAM????” Katsuki’s voice cracked in horror.
Kirishima burst out laughing, clutching his ribs from the strain of it. He laughed so hard that eventually it descended into a coughing fit, his eyes watering as he tried to catch his breath. Katsuki just stayed there, dumbfounded, until he had enough of it and swatted Kirishima on the arm.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP ME???”
“Didn’t want to.” Kirishima wheezed with a massive, sharp toothed grin.
“WHY DID YOU KISS ME BACK???”
“That, I did want to do.”
“Son of a bubble machine.”
Kirishima snorted out another loud set of laughs before clutching his ribs again, muttering ‘ow ow’ as those laughs were once again punctuated by coughs. Katsuki glared down at him before checking the clock.
“School starts in 30 minutes. Better call in.” He grumbled to himself. He wasn’t allowed back yet, and Kirishima had a fever now so he couldn’t go either. Katsuki was torn between screaming and blowing up his own face for how embarrassed he felt, or pretending nothing ever happened and going on with his day. But he would have to take care of this dork. Although, that opened the way for a secret third option of maybe landing a date. Nah. That meant talking about feelings and Katsuki preferred hell to that.
He glanced back at Kirishima, who was gazing at Katsuki’s face with a small smile and a weird look in his eye. He’s definitely out of it, surely.
“What?” Darn it. That sounded softer than he meant it to. He would have to work on his tone.
“You’re beautiful Katsuki.” Kirishima whispered softly, still laying on the floor, looking up with that weird expression.
Katsuki flushed bright red and quickly turned his head away with a scowl. “Yeah well you look like crap.”
Kirishima said nothing, just kept smiling in that soft way. The mushy moment was making Katsuki uncomfortable. He had a reputation after all. No way is he bending to whatever Hallmark propaganda this was. He had to do something productive or he was going to explode. Possibly in a literal manner.
“Can you stand?” Katsuki finally sighed, dropping the hostility just for right now. Clearly Kirishima wasn’t in his right mind and what kind of person would Katsuki be if he did nothing?
“Can you help me?”
Sigh. “Yeah.”
— — —
After the events of yesterday, Eijiro had received all the confirmation he needed of the potential that Katsuki felt the same way he did. He already vowed to himself that he was going to go for it and shoot his shot. What he wasn’t prepared for, was that he would get sick as well. Good news is that meant he could skip school, and be alone with Katsuki all day. The bad news is that he would be stuffy and foggy. Runny noses and coughs are not premium conditions for seduction.
Although, if Katsuki had to take care of him, he couldn’t run away. Manipulation wasn’t a very manly tactic at all, but neither was dying alone and technically he really did need someone to help him so it's not really manipulation, right?
Eijiro gripped the hand that was proffered to him, and used it to stand up. He nearly pulled Katsuki into him in the process though. It probably would have been funny, but maybe let's try not to aggravate the smol bomb goblin more than necessary. Kirishima smiled to himself at the thought, yet was more dizzy than he realized, and as he went up, he immediately started to go back down, his legs feeling stiff and weak beneath him.
Katsuki caught him with a grunt and a sharp remark that didn’t really register as Eijiro’s vision swam with black spots. He cursed softly under his breath and stumbled toward the door, his center of balance completely shot. Gratefully, Katsuki put himself under Eijiro’s arm and helped stabilize him until he could grip the door frame.
They made it out into the hallway, Eijiro supporting himself half on Katsuki and half on the wall. His brain felt like it was pounding right out of his skull by the time they made it to the elevator. When it started to move, he felt a pang of vertigo that only stilled once they were back on solid ground. When they managed to get close enough, Eijiro collapsed on one of the couches with a groan, the leftover blankets from yesterday adding extra padding to his fall.
He felt something soft and warm touch his cheek, turning his head. Once his vision cleared, he could see the gorgeous red eyes of his angel, assessing him with something that could almost be classified as concern. Eijiro smiled at that. He lifted his hand to gently envelop the smaller one that cupped his face, holding contact with those red eyes as he turned his head and gently pressed his lips to Katsuki’s palm.
Katsuki’s eyes widened and a delightful crimson bloomed on his cheeks before he turned his head away with a forced scowl. Eijiro could tell by now when he was actually angry, and when he was using his anger to cover up something else. Stars above, he was so whipped for this man.
Katsuki carefully pulled his hand out of Eijiro’s grip, much to the disappointment of the red head, but he gently tapped that down and out of sight. He smiled softly at Katsuki as he pulled away, watching him walk to the kitchen. Eijiro could read his micro expressions well enough by now that he could tell Katsuki needed a moment to process on his own. That’s fine. As long as he comes back. It’s not like Eijiro was going anywhere. He couldn’t even lift his head without nearly blacking out.
He hadn’t realized that he had fallen asleep until Katsuki gently shook his shoulder, silently alerting him to some food that he had made that was placed on the coffee table in front of the couch. Katsuki didn’t make eye contact, and his eyebrows twitched in such a way that said he was still processing. That was mildly concerning but Eijiro felt a surge of relief as Katsuki smacked his leg.
He chuckled and lifted his legs off the couch, making space for Katsuki to sit next to him. He felt a rush of wooziness as he leaned forward to take a bowl of soup that Katsuki had put on the coffee table, but it wasn’t as bad as it was before his nap so he powered through and leaned his head against the back of the couch when he sat back up, allowing himself to stabilize before attempting to eat. Katsuki ate his own portion in silence, so Eijiro didn’t say anything either. It was good enough that Katsuki was sitting beside him. He didn’t want to push and ruin his chances.
They sat in silence for a couple minutes after they finished eating. Eijiro was starting to feel drowsy again, but he wasn’t about to lay down and kick Katsuki off the couch. So he stayed where he was, eyes lightly closed.
“Did you mean what you said?”
Eijiro blinked his eyes open at the sudden, and surprisingly soft, sound of Katsuki’s voice. Eijiro smiled fondly at the blond, matching his tone to maintain the quiet atmosphere when he asked;
“Which thing are you referring to?”
Katsuki took a moment to gather his thoughts. “When you said that you wanted to kiss me.”
“Yes. I really, really, seriously meant it. Only if you want it though.” Eijiro answered, smiling fondly. “How do you feel about that?”
“I think you’re delusional. Good taste, but delusional.”
Eijiro’s heart plunged so fast it felt like it fell through the floor. He couldn’t breathe for a moment. Was that rejection? It sounded like rejection. That is, until Katsuki tipped toward Eijiro and lightly rested his head on his shoulder. The emotional whiplash had Eijiro dizzy from more than a fever.
“Is this alright?” Katsuki asked hesitantly, like he was scared Eijiro would kick him off or something.
Eijiro couldn’t take it anymore. In his defense, his self control today and yesterday was downright S tier. He grabbed Katsuki and flopped backward so they’d be in the same position as yesterday, with Katsuki laying on his chest, and Eijiro’s arms securely cradling him close. Eijiro planted a soft kiss in Katsuki’s hair before letting his head fall back on the arm of the couch.
“Is this alright?” Eijiro asked with a sly smirk. Katsuki looked shocked before he huffed, suppressing a smirk of his own as he laid his head down on Eijiro’s chest.
“Idiot.” Katsuki mumbled as he nuzzled in. “Tell anyone about this and you’re dead to me.”
Eijiro sighed with content, feeling an indescribable weight lift from him. “I wouldn’t dare.” He said softly, gently rubbing small circles into Katsuki’s back.
The small blond sighed deeply, relaxing into the hold, his eyes fluttering shut. This was healing Eijiro more than any medicine could. Katsuki’s heartbeat, his warmth, his breathing, all felt so surreal and impossible. Like a small dose of winter magic. Eijiro held him tight, pressing his lips to Katsuki’s crown and holding them there, breathing him in and getting high off the way his proximity made Eijiro’s heart soar. He lifted his fingers to Katsuki’s hair, massaging his scalp gently and leaving light kisses where his lips could reach.
“Can I take this to mean you accept my feelings?” Eijiro whispered softly into his hair.
“Mmm. Yeah. accepted and reciprocated.”
Eijiro chuckled softly. “Then, Katsuki-”
“Hm?”
Eijiro moved the hand that was playing with Katsuki’s hair to cup his cheek, lifting his head so that they could make eye contact. Eijiro held them there for a moment, stroking Katsuki’s cheekbone with the pad of his thumb, admiring how beautiful he was. His Katsuki.
“May I kiss you?”
Katsuki paused, a light dusting of pink gracing the tips of his ears. He looked away slightly, nibbling on the inside of his cheek before hesitantly nodding. Eijiro gently turned his head back to face him, before leaning down.
— — —
This, technically, could be considered Katsuki’s first kiss. Last night didn’t count because he wasn’t fully lucid and couldn’t enjoy it properly. This was different. It started light and slow, lips gently brushing together. Then, a mere heartbeat after, they connected, locking together in the sudden feverish need to be closer. Eijiro’s fingers tangled in his hair, tugging softly to tilt Katsuki’s head just how he wanted him.
Katsuki felt like a sudden addict, pressing closer in the need for more, and Eijiro eagerly complied, using the arm that was still around Katsuki’s back to grip his waist and pull him closer. A muffled hum of innocent pleasure bubbled from his lips, and Eijiro seemed keen to drink it down. Katsuki jumped slightly when a tongue pressed between his lips, but it quickly retreated at his reaction. Eijiro nipped the corner of his mouth, immediately soothing it with an attentively gentle peck before returning to his insistent kisses that left Katsuki feeling like a melted pile of mush in his arms.
Katsuki’s fingers gripped Eijiro’s shirt in the effort to ground himself, no doubt in his mind he would float away like Uraraka or something if he didn’t. Yet, it was getting a tad hard to breathe and he had to reluctantly pull himself away from the kiss, gasping to catch his breath after how long he had been holding it.
Eijiro laughed fondly, smiling at him as he ran a thumb over Katsuki’s lips before landing a light peck on the tip of his nose. “You're supposed to breathe through your nose while you do it, baby. Wouldn’t want you to suffocate.” he teased.
“And how the crap do you know how to kiss so well?”
“Uuuhhhh- experience?”
“If I find out you’re some sort of closeted playboy, I’m gonna beat the snot out of you.” Katsuki grumbled before laying back down on his chest.
Eijiro snorted out a laugh, the sound making his chest rumble beneath Katsuki. Why must this guy be so massive and why on earth does Kat like it so much? Traitorous body, blushing at stupid little things. He makes a good mattress though.
Katsuki shifted himself to the side, cozying himself between Eijiro and the back of the couch so that he was sufficiently squished. Don’t judge him, it’s a genius cuddle tactic and very comfortable too. Eijiro adjusted accordingly, pulling a blanket over the two of them as he wrapped Katsuki in his arms. He nuzzled his face into Katsuki’s hair, inhaling deeply and sending pleasant tingles down his spine. Even the ache didn’t hurt so much here.
They quickly fell asleep there on the couch. Nothing beats a warm nap when the weather outside is freezing cold. Not to mention the both could use the rest. They were interrupted a couple hours later by Katsuki’s watch making a muffled beeping where it was, pinned between two sleepy bodies. Katsuki groaned and grumbled as he shut it off, yet that was mildly difficult when Eijiro just hugged him tighter.
“Hey, Ei-”
“Hmm-?”
“We have to get up.”
“Whyyy though.”
“Because school lets out soon and I’m not about to get caught. Get up you whiny toddler.”
Eijiro groaned as he reluctantly released Katsuki, yet he didn’t move, meaning that Katsuki had to climb over him and then try to drag the giant off the couch. Eijiro seemed to find that amusing and spent a couple moments laughing at his efforts before Katsuki cussed at him enough to convince him to get up.
Eijiro seemed to still be dizzy, and Katsuki still had to support a lot of his weight as they went back upstairs, but it wasn’t as bad as before. He made a mental note to check the red head’s temperature when they made it back to his room, where he left the thermometer.
The elevator dinged for their floor, and they began to make their way down the hall towards Katsuki’s room. Yet once they got there, Eijiro paused before heading in.
“Don’t get me wrong sweetheart, I loved waking up in your bed, but lets go to my room this time.”
Katsuki paused and flushed slightly. He hadn’t meant for it to be implied that they would spend the night together again. He just wasn’t thinking about it. He didn’t mind going to Eijiro’s room, but the idea of cuddling in a bed somehow made him more embarrassed than the simple prospect of couch cuddles.
“Y-yeah. That works.” Gosh flippin’ dangit, his tone was too soft again! He would really have to work on that.
Ei flashed a sharp toothed grin at him, using the wall as support as they walked to his room, which was conveniently just next door. He unlocked the door and opened it, seemingly attempting to keep the dizzy stumbling to a minimum as he walked in and flopped on the bed. Katsuki immediately understood why this would be the better choice of room. His bed was nice and comfortable, but Ei’s was huge. A necessary evil in order to accommodate his unfair size no doubt.
The room itself had some odd decor choices in Katsuki’s opinion, but that wasn’t hard to ignore. There were also two large laundry baskets at the foot of the bed, one full of pillows, and the other full of poorly folded blankets. Eijiro promptly flopped face first onto the large mattress, but not before gesturing to the two baskets, telling Katsuki to make himself comfortable, though the sound was muffled by the mattress.
Katsuki snorted at the display, dumping out the contents of the two baskets onto the bed and directly on top of Eijiro. He laughed and rolled over, grabbing Katsuki’s wrist and yanking him down onto the bed. Katsuki laughed at the challenge, and grabbed a pillow, swinging it to slam into Eijiro’s face. An all out brawl ensued, pillows were flung, limbs were tangled in blankets, and no clear victor was decided. Although, one could argue that they both won, considering it ended in a heartfelt kiss, and cozy cuddles, sleeping soundly in each other's arms.