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He’d just been walking by the kitchen when he froze in his tracks. Shouto was not a good cook in the slightest and had been ordered to stay away from the stove, so Katsuki couldn’t figure out for the life of him why he was holding a large pot of water that looked like it was going just there.
“Half ‘n Half--”
His head shot up and he started to say something but decided against it. “Katuski--” he started at last.
“I don’t want any excuses. I just want to know what the hell you’re doing.”
“...Making soba.”
“Why?”
“You always cook. I wanted to do something for you.”
“You--” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “The sentiment is there, really, but every time you’ve tried to cook something it’s wound up in smoke. I’m so fuckin’ sick of talking to the fire department and they think we’re doing this on purpose. One of them was hitting on me because he thought I was setting fires to see him again!”
“You turned him down, right?”
“How unfaithful do you think I--?!”
“If you’re so certain I’m going to burn everything again, then help me.”
Katsuki nearly snorted. “You’re a nightmare to work with, whether it be with hero work or anything else. You’re on your own. And that includes talking to the fire department when they inevitably show up.”
“But Katsuki--”
“Not this time. Where’s that fuckin’ tea your sister sent to help relieve stress? I can feel a migraine coming on from those stupid sirens.”
He found it and put the kettle on, Shouto doing the same with his pot of water. “Now what?”
“I dunno, go call that damn nerd or something. He’s always over the moon whenever you pay attention to him.”
Shouto rolled his eyes and grabbed the TV remote as he sat back on the couch. You say that everytime you want me out of your hair so you can watch one of your cheesy movies. Which one is it this time?”
“Bullshit!” he spat. “Give me that back!”
“No, I think I’ll put on something I want--”
Then Katsuki was sitting on him and blocking his view on the TV, trying to wrench the remote from him. He smirked and used his quirk, and it was frozen to his hand.
“You are so sleeping out here tonight--”
“Just tell me what you’re watching and I’ll give it back.”
“Nothing!”
“Then you won’t mind if I put on the news and watch Ingenium’s latest interview--”
They didn’t get to argue any further as the kettle began to whistle and Shouto bristled. Katsuki finally got the remote and held it up triumphantly. “You lose, Half ‘n Half!”
He changed the channel and stuck his tongue out at the other man. Only then did he take in the blank look in his eyes and shrieking teapot.
“Shit!” He jumped off and turned off the stove. “I forgot, sorry.”
He was staring ahead, eyes wide and breathing shallow.
“Shouto, look at me. I’m right here. It’s not real.”
There was no usual flash of recognition in his eyes and Katuski swore under his breath. He’d gotten mostly used to Shouto’s episodes and knew how to pull him out of them, but sometimes there was nothing he could do but let the other man work through things. It was still creepy as hell as he just looked through him at whatever horrors his mind held. He’d stopped trying to pry when it just made the attacks worse.
He tried to focus on his movie but it was hard with a living corpse next to him. Eventually he shut it off and finished making Shouto’s soba.
He finally stirred as Katuski finished serving the dishes. He blinked slowly and took in everything around him. “How long…?”
“Lot longer than usual. Maybe half an hour?’
“...Sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault for forgetting about the kettle.”
They ate in uneasy silence and Shouto pushed his bowl back. “You said half an hour?”
“Yeah?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Sure felt longer. I can still hear her screaming, even now.”
At that Katuski put down his chopsticks. “...Your mother?”
“The day she burned me, except it didn’t end like it usually does. She just… kept screaming. And the ambulance never came.”
“I don’t know how you do it, Icyhot.”
Shouto glared at him at the old nickname.
“Don’t give me that look, I’m being serious. You’ve been through so much shit that would make any other hero call it quits ages ago. Hell, your very quirk is fighting against you with that whole half-resistance thing. How are you so strong?”
“I just… decided I was going to be stronger than my father. On my own terms, and not because of some fate or destiny he planned for me.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it when we were kids. First time something knocked me down bad enough that I couldn’t get right back up? I would’ve quit the whole hero thing. I just got lucky with my quirk.”
“Luck,” he said quietly. “I don’t believe in luck. Bad luck doesn’t justify all that I went through.”
“I don’t think anything justifies all the bullshit you went through. At least you’ve got some good in your life to balance it all out.”
“Like you, you arrogant snob?”
“Me and some damn good soba. And I guess your friends.”
“An afterthought, really.”