Chapter Text
“Hmm… hair up? Or down? Eijirou, which do you prefer?” Standing in front of the tall mirror in your shared bedroom, you turned to the left, then to the right, and scrutinized your outfit with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. “Ei?”
“Hold on, babe!” He called from somewhere down the hallway - probably in the kitchen where he was currently preparing dinner for tonight. Everything was, well… “stressful” seemed like an understatement.
You both were going to confess to Bakugou tonight.
A week and a half had passed since the incident in the park. Your arm, with the help of doctors and someone with a healing quirk, was fine now aside from the occasional stiffness. Calling out to Hatsuki, risking your life to save her… it was the perfect, life-threatening motivator you needed to take a leap of faith when it came to both Bakugou and his daughter; you wanted to protect her, watch her grow, and help her in whatever ways she needed in the capacity only a parent could muster. So long as her father would let you, of course.
Eijirou, to be expected, was an absolute wreck of nerves when you finally discussed the plan in detail and set a date. You were also anxious, of course, but since he’d known Bakugou for so many years, their unbreakable partnership was something he hated putting in jeopardy. But he knew that, with feelings out in the open between the two of you, he wouldn’t be able to hide them much longer.
There was a plan of attack, but it all depended on how Bakugou reacted to see if it fell apart before it even got off the ground.
Power-walking into the room and looking like he’d just gotten back from a jog with how sweaty he looked, Eijirou ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Whatch’a need?”
“Ei.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve got to calm down. I know it’s tough, but he’ll pick up on you acting weird as soon as he walks through the door,” you explained while holding the two sides of your dress together at the top so he could zip up the back. “Please help with my zipper.”
He groaned while doing as you asked. “I know. I’m a disaster. I need to take another shower; I’ve already got pit stains on my favorite shirt, and I might actually throw up, so I need to brush my teeth, again-”
Once you were suctioned into your dress - one you chose for the flattering silhouette - you sighed and turned to your sallow-faced boyfriend. “Eijirou. Take a deep breath.” He followed your lead, sucking in a shaky breath before letting it out in uneven waves. In and out. “Good. Just keep doing that. We’ve been over this, practiced, and there’s no turning back. He’ll be here in about an hour, so let’s make this a night to remember, hm?”
If Eijirou was a puppy, his ears and tail would’ve been dropping miserably, but he nodded and gave you a big hug around the shoulders, anyway. “I know… I’m just scared. A lot could go wrong-”
“Shh, nope.” You shut him up with a quick peck on the lips. “None of that. You’re one of the bravest people I know, Ei, and I’m here with you. We’ll be OK, I promise. At the end of the day, no matter what, we have each other, right?”
Sniffling, he cleared his throat and kissed you on the forehead. “Right. God, you’re so manly when you take the lead. OK, we got this! Thanks, babe.” Looking a bit brighter, Eijirou started for the doorway, but stopped and looked at you over his shoulder. “Man, Bakugou would be so dumb to say ‘no’ to you in that dress-”
“EI, GO GET READY!” Screeching with embarrassment, you shooed him out of the room. He laughed before disappearing back into the kitchen. “I swear…”
Meanwhile, Bakugou had reluctantly dropped off Hatsuki with his parents since they were the only people available; you and Kirishima just had to pick a night when everyone else either had plans or on patrol. His nagging mother always complained that she didn’t see her only granddaughter enough, but Bakugou didn’t like to leave Hatsuki alone with them if he could help it; the less influence his mother had over his parenting, the better.
When you and Kirishima had asked him over for dinner - adults only - he wasn’t sure what to think. It was true that he hadn’t had a night out without his kid in a long while, but he had this bizarre feeling that an uneventful dinner wasn’t going to happen.
The emotions that he’d been hammering and smashing down for months were starting to burst at the seams and crack despite all his hard work; it was exhausting, and a selfish, self-destructive part of him wanted to just blurt it all out if only to ease his anxiety of the unknown. “Keep it together,” he whispered, frustrated, to himself as he walked down the sidewalk from the train station. He’d keep his shoulders squared and lips sealed for as long as he could.
With a few knocks on the door, maybe a bit harder than he’d intended, Bakugou waited in front of your apartment. He heard a bit of shuffling inside before the door swung open and there you stood with a welcoming smile.
She looks good . He refused to let his greedy thoughts make themselves known, steeling his face and clouding over his eyes so as to give nothing away.
“Bakugou! Hey, come in. Ei is just finishing up dinner, so just chill out for a minute.” Taking note of the way you tucked your hair behind your ear as he entered, Bakugou sniffed the air curiously.
“You let Kirishima cook? We’ll have to order takeout-”
“I heard that!” Kirishima’s voice echoed from the kitchen, making Bakugou snicker. “I can cook!”
“Cook what? Dirt?” Catching you glance at him before you turned away with an exasperated grin, he argued back and forth with Kirishima for a couple more rounds before sitting down on the couch. Glancing around at the pictures on the wall and rearranged furniture, it made him realize how seldom he stepped past the threshold of your apartment.
“So? What’s the occasion for the dinner?” Never one for bullshit, he cut right to the chase.
You leaned your knuckles against your jaw as you sat down opposite him in a recliner. “Well, we figured it was about time you got a night off from Hatsuki to just try and relax. One night away won’t kill you. And we needed to pay you back for all the meals you make us. Just try and enjoy one night, yeah?”
The way your eyes silently pleaded forced him to look away. “Yeah, yeah. Fine. How’s your arm? It’s fine now, right?” Divert attention away from himself. He and Hatsuki had accompanied Kirishima to the hospital to make sure you were fine; indebted to you was an understatement. Honestly, he should’ve been the one asking you to dinner… not in that way, of course, but, ugh. Whatever.
He watched the way you twisted your arm and wiggled your fingers to prove that you’d regained full mobility. “All better! See?”
However, Kirishima called your bluff. “That’s not true!” Bakugou swung his head around to see his best friend peeking his head from around the corner. He’d pulled his mane of red hair back into a low ponytail with a few spikey strands framing his strong jawline. Suppressing a dry swallow, Bakugou raised an eyebrow. “She still has some stiffness in her arm, but it’s minimal and will go away so long as she keeps stretching. Right, babe?”
“Aha, yes, that’s right…” Bakugou slid his gaze back to you, your eyelid twitching as Kirishima called out your downplayed injury. “Uh, anyway! Let me see if he needs help in there…” You walked quickly into the kitchen and out of sight, leaving him alone in the living room.
His phone buzzed, prompting him to pull it out of his pocket. A text from his mother; was something wrong?
He opened the message to see a photo snapped of Hatsuki giggling at his stupid baby photos accompanied with a comment from his mother about how much Hatsuki looked like him. It was true, his daughter was nearly the spitting image of him from hair to eyes to attitude, but hopefully, he was able to curb some of the bad habits he developed as a kid and keep her head on straight.
“Dinner’s ready!” Kirishima’s voice boomed from the kitchen several minutes later. About time, too, since he was getting hungry. Still, with Kirishima’s cooking record, he didn’t hold his breath regarding the quality.
However, to his surprise, everything on the table looked and smelled pretty damn good. Nothing looked burnt, at least, but it all came down to taste. You got him a glass of water - no alcohol this time to avoid a second round of drunken embarrassment - before everyone sat down and echoed, “Itadakimasu!”
Once he took the first bite, Bakugou eyed Kirishima who stared at him expectantly. “Well? How is it?”
Just to annoy him, Bakugou said nothing and took his sweet time chewing and swallowing his food before smirking like the brat he was. “Not gonna lie…” A pregnant pause. “It’s not half bad. I’m almost impressed.”
“I told you it’d be good, Ei,” you said before taking a bite yourself. “Don’t doubt yourself.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Kirishima said with a big, sappy grin that made Bakugou’s heart flutter the tiniest bit. “I’ve been trying to get better at cooking, but I’m still rough around the edges.”
Truth be told, Kirishima didn’t know what he would’ve done if dinner had been a disaster. He desperately wanted - no, needed - everything to go smoothly, to put Bakugou in a good mood, and to give him the confidence he needed to have what could be the most nerve-wracking conversation of his life. Yes, that included confessing to you, because this was now a three-way conversation rather than just the two of you.
“Bakugou,” you asked as dinner continued. “Have you been on any more dates since the one a while back?”
This was part of the plan: test the waters to see where he was at in regards to his current dating status.
Scoffing, he said, “No. Might as well give up at this point, because it’s too much fucking work to find anyone who isn’t a shallow asshole and willing to take on the responsibility of a kid.”
Kirishima sighed heavily. He hated hearing how Bakugou, someone who never took “no” for an answer and would rather swallow his own tongue than let anyone or anything defeat him, felt like giving up on finding a relationship. Well, if things went right tonight, then maybe all that would change.
“I’m sorry, man. Just know that I think you and Hatsuki totally deserve the best. I just want you both to be happy.” It was all he could manage to say without letting his voice crack or chopsticks tremble before he quickly grabbed up some noodles and stuffed them into his mouth.
“Ei is right,” you mirrored. “I know it’s tough, but-”
“Just drop it,” Bakugou bit out, causing your jaw to clamp shut. His mouth thinned as though he hadn’t meant the words to sound so harsh. “I don’t feel like being lectured tonight.” As he gulped down some water, you glanced sidelong at Eijirou while sliding a hand towards him to give a reassuring pat on the thigh. It was a touchy subject, surely, which meant that the sooner you ripped off the band-aid and got this over with, the better.
When dinner finally wound to a close, Bakugou insisted on helping the two of you clean up. Worried that arguing would piss him off, which you absolutely didn’t want right now, you let him have his way. You made an assembly line of sorts: Bakugou washed, you dried, and Eijirou put everything back in its proper place. In no time, the kitchen was clean and organized. At least that was one less thing you’d have to worry about later.
“I should probably go pick up the little firecracker soon,” he said before easing down into the recliner in the living room, leaving the sofa for you and Eijirou.
Shit. You couldn’t let him leave yet, not before-
“Bakugou. Look, uh…” Now ?! You stiffened and fiddled with your dress while your boyfriend continued to speak. “I know we said that we wanted this dinner to make up for stuff and get you to chill out for one night, but in all honesty, there’s another reason we asked you over.”
It seemed like Bakugou’s instincts were right, as usual. He knew something would happen, and judging by how you tried to avoid eye contact with him while Kirishima clasped his hands together and stared unblinkingly in the same way he stared down danger, it was going to be dramatic.
“If you got something to say, then spit it out,” he ordered, crossing his arms impatiently. Then, an idea struck him: maybe he could guess what it was and turn the tables in his favor. “Wait, let me guess: you guys are getting hitched or something?”
The awkward embarrassment of seeing both of your faces glow was, in a word, glorious.
“W-what?!” You shrieked, switching between staring at himself and Kirishima whose mouth hung open like a Venus flytrap.
“No! That’s not- bro! That’s not what I was gonna say!”
Bakugou burst out laughing, already feeling better now that he had cut the tension and gained the upper hand at the same time.
“Oh? How about- no, wait, fuck. (Y/N), are you pregnant?” It was the next best - or worst - thing he could think to ask. He figured if the two of you were expecting, then he’d be one of the first to know, right?
He watched you gasp and clutch your stomach before Kirishima, in even more mortified shock than before, did a double-take.
“Wait, are you?!”
“What? No!”
“Why are you holding your stomach then?!”
“I don’t know, Ei! On instinct? Oh my gosh… If I didn’t want to mess up my makeup, I’d scream into a pillow right now.” You slumped into the couch and held your head as though a headache was on the horizon.
Now thoroughly curious as to what the hell was going on, Bakugou held out his palm towards Kirishima. “Don’t have a heart attack. Just say it, already.”
“It’s not easy!” Kirishima’s voice boomed louder than he was expecting, Bakugou’s eyes widening as he observed his best friend’s frustration. “It’s not a fucking easy thing to say, to explain, but we have to try.”
His crimson eyes cut to you as you cleared your throat. “Bakugou, please just listen, alright? Just wait until we’ve said everything first…”
Although patience wasn’t in his repertoire, he could tell this was actually serious. So, for once, he kept his big mouth shut and gestured for Kirishima to continue.
Kirishima stood up, his broad shoulders nearly blocking out the kitchen light behind him as he curled and uncurled his hands in an endless loop. A deep breath. “Bakugou… back when we were still at UA, just kids figuring things out, I really admired you. You were everything I thought I wasn’t: strong, flashy, confident, smart… and I’m really glad that you put up with me, though you might think it’s the other way around.”
This was coming out of nowhere. Reliving childhood memories? What Kirishima admired in him? The sincerity of his words struck a chord as Bakugou bit the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth from going dry. What the hell was he getting at with this…? Still, he sat in silence as his toes curled inside his socks while Kirishima took another deep breath.
“I guess what I’m trying to get at is that you mean a lot to me, man. You and Hatsuki both. We watched you raise her. She’s a good kid, and you’re a good dad. A good friend, too. But…” Bakugou’s anxiety began to creep up his spine like a twisting, growing vine. “But uh… “ Kirishima glanced back at you before you nodded, seemingly urging him on. “I - I mean, we, (Y/N) and, and both of us… we want more than that.”
A bead of sweat rolled down the back of Bakugou’s neck as he stared up at Kirishima. His toes stopped curling. His tongue stopped licking the roof of his mouth. His eyes went almost comically wide despite the absolute absence of humor he saw in any of this.
“What the hell does that mean?” It took every ounce of strength to keep his voice from cracking, to keep his composure, to keep his lungs working. What the hell was he talking about? What did “more” mean? In what way? More what?! It couldn’t be, would never be, not in any reachable reality did it mean…?
You seemed to pick up on Kirishima’s inability to keep talking judging from the mournful way his face fell at Bakugou’s blunt question. Standing up yourself, you walked over and grabbed Kirishima’s hand. Both of you now stood in front of him like two creeping shadows, exacerbating the loathsome feeling of being cornered.
“I think what Eijirou is trying to say… is that we had a talk not too long ago about some important things involving our relationship. And so, we needed to ask if you… if you wanted to be a part of that. With us.”
The armpits of Kirishima’s shirt were soaked through, dark stains visible under his arms while your cheeks matched his hair. Bakugou could feel his heartbeat in his ears and the tightness in his throat and the watering of his eyes as he refused to blink.
Gratingly, as though he was gasping for air, Bakugou wheezed, “With…? W-what the fuck? Be a part of what?!” He’d convinced himself so thoroughly, so indisputably that this wasn’t happening, that it wasn’t real, that it was just some gut-twisting nightmare that wanted nothing more than to taunt and dangle the carrot in front of his face just out of reach. There was no possible way that what he craved, what he’d spilled heartbroken tears over, truly existed.
“Fuck it!” Exasperated and at his wit’s end, Kirishima ripped his hand out of yours and stepped forward to pin Bakugou by the shoulders against the chair, squaring up with him, eye-to-eye. “Be a part of our relationship you thick-headed bastard! I’m in love with you, and have been for so many fucking years that I couldn’t wait another day to tell you…”
His blood rushed like a river freshly freed from a dam, rapid and unhinged under his prickling skin. That couldn’t be right. He’d heard wrong. Kirishima, his close friend, must’ve misunderstood his own feelings. And like everything he did, Bakugou held nothing back in response.
“What kind of fucking game is this?!” He screeched before shoving Kirishima off him, his palms smoking dangerously. “Why would you say something like that?! That…! Fuck this!” The chair under him nearly tipped over with how forcefully he got up and stomped towards the door, sweat pouring down the back of his neck, but Kirishima was right on his tail.
As his hand reached the door handle to push it open, Kirishima grabbed his wrist to yank it back before snatching Bakugou by his shirt collar and backing him up against the patterned wood. Whatever hesitancy his eyes held minutes ago had disappeared; now, glowing frustration and ache glistened in his cracked irises.
“Don’t you fucking run away from this!”
“I don’t run from anything, asshole!”
“Eijirou, please!” Your pained begging forced Bakugou to cut his eyes in your direction as he gripped the sturdy muscle of Kirishima’s arm. What was your part in all of this?
Breath ragged and upper lip quivering, he painfully asked, “What about you, huh (y/n)?! Your fucking boyfriend said he’s- you heard him!” Just bringing himself to utter the words aloud was too much, too painful like a fresh, bubbling burn.
He could tell you were shaking, too, but when he saw you nod, the remaining air in his lungs twisted and curled as though grasping fingers had snatched it away. “He’s right,” you testified. “W-we talked about this, both of us, and are in agreement. I…” Your fingers curled into fists, bunching up the front of your dress as though you were standing nervously on a theater stage ready to recite your memorized lines. “I love you too, Katsuki. It all comes down to your decision with what you want to do now, but don’t you think that you and Hatsuki deserve to be happy and loved? If not by us, then by someone deserving of all you have to offer the world…”
He didn’t even realize he was crying until a hot tear stained his cheek, ruddy with frustration. Kirishima’s grip on his shirt loosened, and he felt himself start to crumple to the floor, but he locked his knees before he fell as though struck through the ribcage with an arrow cemented firmly where his heart beat, beat, beat.
“Sorry,” Kirishima mumbled, now feeling entirely embarrassed for his outburst and unsure of what to do seeing Bakugou so… broken. “I panicked. I was so scared. I didn’t want you to leave without hearing us out, but… it’s your call. Saying, ‘no pressure,’ feels stupid, but it’s up to you. We just want to make you and your daughter happy if you’ll let us.”
The silence that followed was awful as Bakugou remained as still as a statue aside from the occasional angry sniffle. When he finally wiped his face with the ball of his hand, he glanced up through his limp blonde hair that attempted and failed to obscure his bloodshot eyes.
“You guys are fucking serious?” It was about as stable as he could manage considering how strained his words came out as though he was ready to fight between yelling and crying once more.
Eijirou shared an incredulous look with you. “Man, it would be so beyond screwed up if this was some stupid game or lie. We’re adults, and this isn’t some teenager crush. So yeah, this isn’t a dream - or nightmare, if that’s how you wanna think of it…”
Bakugou gnawed on his bottom lip until he nearly drew blood as he quickly scanned your face, wincing like you and Eijirou were too bright to look at. “I fucking knew something was gonna happen tonight. Some premonition that it wasn’t just some normal dinner, and fuck, was I right…” He shook his head and a bitter laugh escaped through his teeth, sending chills down your spine. “Do you know how many times I felt like breaking down because I figured this - all of this - would never happen in a million goddamn years? How I was resigned to just have Hatsuki and watch everyone else around me enjoy what I lacked?”
And then, he stared at Kirishima who had never seen his friend’s eyes shimmer quite so brilliantly: rubies in the sunlight. “Your head is full of rocks, dummy, if you couldn’t tell how long I’d been in love with you…”
You gasped somewhere behind him, but Kirishima couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, frozen in place as Bakugou’s words sealed every muscle in his body like a spell. Had he heard right? N-no, wait, yes. Yes? Was this-
“ And (Y/N),” Bakucou mumbled, his voice more even but no less scratchy as though his throat ached for water. “I know I’m hard-headed like Kirishima, but I’d be the world’s shittiest dad to pick anyone else to be her mom. Hatsuki isn’t the only one who loves you, either.”
Kirishima’s hand shook like a leaf in the wind, Bakugou’s shirt still crumpled in his fist as a warm, sweaty hand was placed firmly around his wrist. “B-bro-”
“If you call me ‘bro’ again after I just spilled my stupid guts out, I’ll blast your face off.” A choked sob that ended more in a strained and bitter chuckle erupted from Kirishima at the stupid joke. Was this really happening? Had things… gone right?
When Kirishima heard you sniffle behind him, he turned to find you wiping desperately at your eyes. “Stupid… I told you things would be OK, didn’t I, Eijirou?” Your laugh seemed to release all the stress and tension in the room despite everyone’s damp eyes. “Now I have to wash my face…”
Everyone took a moment to calm down, to let their shoulders ease, to take a deep breath at everything that had transpired over the last five minutes before Bakugou spoke up once more. “I guess we should… what happens now?”
Kirishima finally let go of his shirt, but the space between them only lasted a second before he lunged forward and wrapped Bakugou up in his strong arms for a crushing hug. “We have to hug now, for one! Also, Bb- I mean, Katsuki, your cologne smells, like, nice -”
“Shut up, weirdo!” Katsuki screeched, embarrassed and trapped between Kirishima’s forearms and his broad chest. It encapsulated Kirish- no, he guessed Eijirou was fine now - perfectly: strong and unwavering. “You can’t just flirt like that!”
“Oh, you’ll get used to it,” you explained while walking closer, a bit of smudged mascara under your eyes. He still thought you looked beautiful. “Showering compliments is something he’s great at.”
With his ears burning, Katsuki mumbled and struggled to no avail until Eijirou finally set him down. He then stared at you, smile and eyes like a matched pair filled with kind acceptance, before you grabbed his hands which he was now horribly aware were slick with sweat. Warmth flooded under his skin at this onslaught of new affection that now took on an entirely different context and meaning from the small, platonic touches he was used to.
“Do you think this will be alright? Can you work with this, Katsuki?” Letting go of his hands, you came in for a hug too, but this one was softer, gentler, and he wasn’t sure how to reciprocate. He never hugged anyone except for his daughter.
“My hands are sweaty, I don’t want to fuck up your dress.”
“I can wash it, don’t worry.”
Tentatively, Katsuki brought his hands up and around your back until his palms were flat against your shoulder blades. This was nice, nicer than he’d imagined a simple hug could be. “Yeah, I can work with this.”
“Fuck, I love you guys so much-” Before Katsuki could whisk you to safety, Eijirou went in for another hug with the both of you this time, lifting you both in the air. As your feet left the ground, you giggled, and he felt the reverberation against his chest. Warm and relaxing.
Touch-starved didn’t even begin to accurately describe the overstimulation that washed over Katsuki from head to toe to an almost paralyzing degree, but with enough patience and work he just might be able to settle into some bizarre, new life filled with something he’d only dreamed of.
He texted his mother that he’d be late picking up Hatsuki because there was a metric fuck ton of very delicate and vulnerable topics to discuss now that things were, well, out . After everyone took a moment to wash their faces of dried tears, Katsuki now sat on the couch between the two of you rather than in the chair on the other side of the room; he was no longer a third wheel observing an unreachable fantasy.
“OK, so, what are you gonna tell Hatsuki? Will she understand?” While Eijirou seemed worried about a second wave of rejection, Katsuki quelled his fears.
Shaking his head, he said, “She’ll be fine. I’ll figure out how to explain it tomorrow, or we can all do it as a group if you want. Might be easier.” The sneaky things she did and said regarding their close relationship told him she’d accept things fairly easily.
“I told you, Ei. She’s very smart, and kids don’t hold the same biases that adults do. Oh, I think I’ll cry if she calls me ‘mom’ for real this time…” You held your cheeks between your palms with a small, wistful smile.
“Hatsuki is one roadblock. But… seriously, what the hell happens now?” Katsuki looked between the two of you with his palms facing the ceiling as he leaned on his knees. “You both have an established thing and have for years. How do I fit into that without things being weird?”
Eijirou’s arm draped across the back of the couch as he hummed. “Well, we’re all gonna have to figure that out together, right? Take it slow so we can all adjust. Oh! We should go on a date! Like, a proper one with all three of us. I bet it’ll be better than your last one, right, Katsuki?”
The way Eijirou said his given name so easily now, as though he’d always said it, had always let it slip across his tongue like verbal honey, sent his heart racing all over again.
“Aww, he’s blushing-”
“No I’m not! Shut up!”
This was nice - really fucking nice - and while some small insecurity pinched at his neck like an annoying bug bite telling him that it might not last, that something could go wrong, that you two would leave him behind after inviting him in, when Katsuki watched at how Eijirou smiled that dumb, goofy smile of his that always brightened a room, or how you silently placed your hand over his calloused knuckles… he stopped worrying so much.
There was far too much to discuss and work out in a single night, and he knew Hatsuki would be asleep by the time he got to his parent’s house, so it was best to say goodbye. But damn, was it difficult.
He actually managed to return Eiijrou’s hug properly this time, almost to the point of competing over who could squeeze the other tighter, but you stopped it when you claimed to hear a rib crack.
But there was something he wanted, something to seal all of this as a serious commitment to dedicating the time and effort needed to make this work. Plus, he was incredibly selfish and craved what he watched the two of you share more than a few times.
Katsuki stood in front of the door facing you and Eijirou. A cloud full of hesitancy for him to leave surrounded the room. This was so new, exciting, stressful, and nerve-wracking all at the same time and the last thing any of them wanted to do was separate just yet, but it couldn’t be helped.
“There’s one last thing before I head out.” It was worth a shot, wasn’t it? Holding back from what he wanted wasn’t his style, anyway.
“Sure, anything,” Eijirou said with an arm draped around your back.
Pressing his lips against his teeth as he swallowed the lump of nerves in his throat, Katsuki stepped forward and stared up at Eijirou who stood half a head taller than him. Whatever, just go for it. “Where’s my goodnight kiss, huh? Just say ‘yes’ or-”
Before he could finish his damn sentence, a pair of warm, chapped lips were on his. Oh. Oh , this was really happening. He’d asked on a whim, wondering if it was too soon, but just for tonight Katsuki wanted something all to himself.
He was barely able to register Eijirou’s cologne, the way his lips felt, or the warmth flooding to his face before they separated. Shit. He knew he was truly and royally screwed if, after four years of basic chastity, one kiss sent his pulse racing and endorphins spiking.
“I- wow. I hope that was OK.” Eijirou chuckled nervously like a teenager kissing in secret behind the school.
Getting a hold of himself, Katsuki cleared his throat and tried not to look too overwhelmed, but he was probably failing miserably. “Just- whatever, it was fine.”
“ Just fine?”
“You know what I mean!”
“Where’s mine? You can’t hold out now.” Slowly, Katsuki slid his crimson eyes over to you and his throat went dry for the nth time that night. Maybe this was too much stimulation for one night. But you were batting your eyelashes and he then understood how Eijirou was so whipped for you.
“Don’t be jealous already,” he muttered before leaning in halfway to meet you. It didn’t caught him off-guard this time, but it still threatened to knock him off his feet. The faint taste of vanilla chapstick and the soft, plump feel of your lips on his was dangerously addictive.
And again, it didn’t last nearly long enough before you pulled away, your shyness returning along with flushed cheeks. “It’s odd kissing someone else… but not in a bad way! It’ll just take some getting used to.”
“There will be a lot to figure out, but we have time,” Eijirou assured.
Was this really going to be his life now? Not just one, but two partners who cared about him and Hatsuki both? While he wanted to believe he worked hard for everything he had and all the success he enjoyed, this seemed like more good luck than anything.
A few more words were shared before Katsuki forced himself to open the front door after sliding on his shoes.
“Text us when you get home,” you called out. “Or call, if you want. Oh, group video calls could be cute…”
“You’re already clingy,” he said with zero seriousness or bite to it. “But fine. We can figure out schedules for explaining things to the firecracker.”
Then, he disappeared behind the door and walked with a small, satisfied smile down the sidewalk.
It was late, nearly eleven o’clock, when he arrived back at his mother’s house.
“It’s about time. Didn’t know if you forgot,” Mitsuki nagged as Katsuki huffed and rolled his eyes before walking inside to find his daughter asleep on the couch.
“I’d never forget.” Carefully so as not to wake her up, he carried Hatsuki back through the living room to get out of here and back home as soon as possible. “Thanks for watching her.”
“Bring her by more often,” she suggested, but Katsuki ignored her. Maybe if he brought you and Eijirou along, dealing with her wouldn’t be so draining. “And call every once in a while!”
He turned to glare. “I know you love being loud, but she’s asleep.” At his snide remark, Mitsuki practically slammed the door behind him as soon as he stepped outside. “Old hag…”
With Hatsuki soundly asleep in his arms, he made his way towards the train station and wondered how things would develop from here. A whirlwind from start to finish, he felt one weight lift while another was added. Navigating relationships was something he’d have to figure out once again, but hopefully, he’d be able to manage without screwing things up too badly.
Hatsuki shifted in his arms as he passed under a street light. She was going to wake up to some very interesting news. “We have a lot to talk about, firecracker… but maybe it won’t be so bad. You’re my kid after all. You’re strong and smart. Mhm… yeah. I think we’ll be just fine.”