Chapter Text
Eijirou liked holding Katsuki’s hand when they walked home together. The blonde didn’t mind it, oddly enough. If anything, he liked it.
His feelings around Eijirou were never complex or overbearing. The redhead understood Katsuki’s goal to make it to the top and respected his thinking.
They had only known each other for a few months, but they were already close.
Eijirou smiled at him, eyes wide and happy, sparkling under the orange and pink light of the sky. He was squeezing Katsuki’s soft hand a little tighter than usual.
The blonde didn’t think much of it. He had a much bigger picture in mind. He wanted to ask Eijirou to do something with him, something he had never been willing to do with anyone else.
He had thought long and hard about it. Eijirou deserved special treatment, being Katsuki’s equal and all that.
As they approached his house, he looked at the redhead.
“Hey, idiot.” He grumbled. “I want to say something before we part ways.”
Eijirou’s cheeks reddened a bit and he shyly looked away.
“Oh, heh, okay. Go ahead man. I’m all ears.”
Katsuki cocked his head. What a reaction. Was he hoping for something? Whatever.
He spoke proudly and crossed his arms. “You’re going mountain climbing with me on Sunday. You’re important-ish to me and that means you get to look down on the world by my side. If you’ve got any plans, cancel them. You’ll be with me and only me.”
A small moment of silence before Eijirou laughed allowed and nodded in agreement. Judging from that, he seemed to have gotten what he wanted.
“That sounds great. I’m glad you feel that way about me. Be sure to text me the details when the time comes. Thanks man.”
“I obviously will.” Katsuki scoffs and taps his foot on the ground. “Anyways, I’ll see ya later shitty hair.” He turned around, not even bothering to wave.
His friend gave a friendly smile and said his goodbyes before walking off.
When Katsuki came into his home, everything was dark and silent. His parents must’ve been working late. That was fine. He was perfectly functional without them.
He was in the mood to cook, so naturally he made his way to the kitchen to put something together. Steamed rice buns. They took around two hours to make but it was worth it. He got out the flour, pork, sugar and all the other ingredients before getting to work, folding, rolling, waiting, drowning in the savory-sweet sent.
Cooking always made him happy.
His mom taught him to cook on good days. There was no hitting, berating, unnecessary screaming. It was just good. She had great recipes coming from her family, ones that used special spices that made everything taste better.
A couple hours later, the food was done and delicious. His parents still weren’t home. Odd, but whatever. A late day was a late day. That just meant he didn’t have to share.
Though as he thought about it, there was one person he was willing to share with. He looked down at the bun in his hand and a little smile crept onto his face.
Maybe he’d bring some on his hiking trip with Eijirou. He was certainly worth the time it took to make those damn things, and it would be a good way to show how much he cared.
Eijirou was awesome.
Kind, understanding, strong, respectful, charming. He was kind of hot too. Katsuki minded his business for the most part, but there were a few times where he found himself staring at the other mans exposed chest when in costume. Wide, toned, and just overall appealing. Katsuki shook his head, face scrunching a bit. Eijirou was a safe person for him. He couldn’t catch those kinds of feelings.
He finished the buns just as his parents walked in the door. The night ended in Mitsuki scolding him for not taking his shoes off whilst in the house.
Not too bad.
Sunday morning arrived quicker than expected and Katsuki got to work as soon as he woke up. When he was finished, he wrapped them up and left to meet Eijirou in a hurry, being sure to grab his backpack full of supplies.
He found Eijirou waiting at the bus stop, as expected. He gave a little wave and a lively grin, capable of warming the most bitter hearts. “Hey Bakugou!” He laughed with pink growing in his cheeks. Katsuki sat down on the bench and checked his phone. The bus would make an arrival in five minutes.
They had a moment of silence. Katsuki was staring at his feet, and Eijirou was gazing at him. It was a longing expression, with glimmering eyes, brows slanted back and a bashful little smile, not nearly as lively as the first one, but still lovely, nonetheless.
Eijirou placed a hand on the explosive teens’ upper inner thigh, gently squeezing and rubbing against it despite the baggy cloth covering his legs. A harmless, random touch made Katsuki’s spine shiver and he sharply inhaled. It was clear that Eijirou was trying to be nice, but it made Katsuki uncomfortable regardless. The touch was too intimate, too sweet, and it left a romantic, possibly even a sexual impression on him. He wasn’t ready for that kind of thing. Not yet.
Maybe once he’s old and retired and no longer has purpose, he’d find someone. But in that moment, that’s not what he wanted. He was just a hero in training, Japans’ future number one. He wasn’t a lover and barely a friend.
He slapped Eijirou away. It was harsh. Harsher than Katsuki intended it to be and he was quick to pull his arm back to his side and collect himself. He could’ve just asked him to stop, but he just had to make an unneeded issue out of it. He couldn’t even go five minutes without starting shit.
He wondered what his mom would say if she was with them.
She’d probably call him a bitch.
The redhead shook off his hand with a small, painful groan, but didn’t seem overly effected by it. “Too much?” He wondered with an awkward titter, Katsuki could see the embarrassment in his flushed face and decided on not humiliating him even more. He raised his shoulders and dropped them.
The sturdy hero in training frowned.
“Sorry. Did I make you feel bad? I should’ve asked before touching you like—”
“It’s fine. I don’t give a fuck.” He muttered plainly, sighing and closing his eyes. One more minute until the bus finally arrived.
“It’s not fine. I shouldn’t have done that without your consent. That was wrong of me. I clearly made you uncomfortable and I’m sorry.” He crossed his arms. ‘Consent,’. That word always made Katsuki think. Adults constantly talked about how important it was, but they never practiced what they preached, continuously pulling kids into unwanted hugs and treating them like brats whenever they said the word, “No,”.
They must’ve thought consent was only important in sexual relationships, otherwise they wouldn’t have done that. Right?
The bus showed up after what felt like ten hours of waiting.
The ride was awkward, everyone around them was unnecessarily loud and a few people clearly hadn’t showered for a week or two. The odor had Katsuki gagging, but Eijirou didn’t seem to notice anything. He was just staring at his lap with a look of shame. The blonde hoped he wouldn’t hold on to it for too long and let it eat away at him, though he didn’t express that aloud.
Katsuki exhaled and pulled out the rice buns. He wanted to save them for when they were alone at the top of the mountain, staring down at the world that was so tiny underneath them. He wanted to share a good moment with the one person who he considered an equal, eating a delightful snack made by the best of the best.
But he didn’t like his equal acting ashamed of himself, so he unwrapped the soft bun and handed it to him with a little nudge at an attempt to get his mind off things. It was for the best anyway, these were best served hot, and luckily, they were still warm.
“I made them before I left. Eat up.”