Chapter Text
Katsuki and Eijirou wanted to start their joint agency straight out of UA, but decided it would be best to gain a bit more experience and save up for a couple years before diving in, so Eijirou is currently still working under Fat Gum and Katsuki is a sidekick for Miruko. They live in a nice, two-bedroom apartment in the city and patch each other up after long nights and comfort each other when things inevitably go wrong, but they can never divulge the details as they’re under strict confidentiality protocols.
Both of them had decided early on in their friendship that it would be better to hide their—obvious, if you ask their friends—feelings for each other, so honestly, what’s a few more secrets between best friends, right?
This is standard fare for them for the first few years out of UA and things are good. They're both popular heroes and have impressive success rates. Their squad always finds time to have dinner together on Sundays. They get to occasionally team up with their friends and old classmates. Life is good.
Until Katsuki is targeted.
During one of his secret missions, Katsuki helped take down a big-time villain gang linked to a network of underground illegal weapons dealings. Katsuki, Miruko, and the rest of their team infiltrated their base and made relatively quick work of the few members that were present. Miruko is fuming during the arrests because their information was faulty. The entire gang was supposed to be in attendance for this huge deal at the docks, but only the main boss and a couple lower level lackeys were present.
Katsuki is right there with her, knowing this isn’t a real victory and already brainstorming ways to apprehend the other members. One of Miruko’s other sidekicks is vehemently trying to calm the two down, saying that they did good work and sometimes things just don’t work out and they should be proud that they’re putting the boss behind bars, but Katsuki knows that’s bullshit. He knows that the dealings of the gang are still going to resume, even if the boss is rotting in jail. Maybe the sidekick is naïve enough to think that this one arrest is going to stop an operation this big, but Katsuki sure isn’t.
Breathing hard, he yanks off his gauntlets and shoves them towards one of the interns flitting around the scene to take back to the agency.
Fuck.
Katsuki paces back and forth in front of the building, massaging his burning forearms, bathed in red and blue lights. His mind keeps picturing the dossier on the main boss, all of his personal information buzzing in Katsuki’s head. His quirk is called Insight. With one look, the villain can see the one thing you love most in the world. It's a great quirk for keeping heroes and cops away from their underground dealings and making sure deals always go in their favor. With one look, he can know exactly who to target, who to threaten to shatter your world.
For Katsuki, that's Eijirou.
As they're putting handcuffs on the villain only steps away from where Katsuki is still pacing, he makes a casual remark, "How's Red Riot doing, Ground Zero? I hope he's doing well, I know he goes on a lot of dangerous missions. He's actually my favorite hero, believe it or not. Guess we have that in common, huh?"
The officer ushers the villain into the back of the squad car and the villain just sends Katsuki a smirk. Katsuki stops and instantly sees red.
He's seething, but he's frozen to the spot. All he can hear is his blood rushing in his ears and his vision narrows to the smug villain maintaining eye contact as the squad car drives away. Katsuki is stuck between launching himself after the car to beat some answers out of the villain and making sure that Eijirou is alright. He opts for dialing Eijirou’s number and waits with bated breath as the line rings.
After an eternity, the tired yet cheery voice of his best friend shatters the tense silence.
"Hey, Katsuki! Are you on the way home yet? It's movie night!" Katsuki can faintly hear keys jingling and a door closing in the background of the call.
"Eijirou! Where are you?" Katsuki tries to keep the panic out of his voice, but he’s not sure that he’s quite successful.
"I just got home. Is everything alright?" Apparently, he was not successful in that endeavor. That doesn’t matter though because Eijirou is safe at home and Katsuki finally feels like he can breathe again.
"Yeah. Yeah, everything is fine. I just... needed to hear your voice." He swallows hard and looks up at the stars, fighting back tears.
"Katsuki, you're worrying me. What's going on?"
"Just—lock the door and don't open it for anyone, but me. Do you remember our code from back in the dorms? When we'd have nightmares?"
"Of course, bro."
"That's how I'll let you know it's me. Just-" he takes a deep breath and wipes at his cheeks, "stay safe. I'll be home soon. I love you."
"Katsuki-"
He hangs up before Eijirou can question him any further. It's not like he has any real answers anyway.
Katsuki goes through the debriefing of the mission in a daze, worried out of his mind about Eijirou and what kind of harm that villain can do from prison. How long before Eijirou is targeted because of Katsuki?
They both knew going in how dangerous the job can get, how one day the other might not come home. They tried their best to live in the moment and make what little time they may have together mean something. They try to be careful, but they're both a bit reckless and ready to jump into the fray at a moment's notice. Their synced attack against Kurogiri during the USJ incident was evidence of that.
Dying in the field, protecting innocent lives? That's one thing.
Being ambushed and killed while in Crimson Riot pajamas, curled up with a cup of tea on the sofa with Netflix queued up, waiting for his best friend to get home because Katsuki wasn’t careful enough? That's another.
The guilt, the helplessness, it's eating Katsuki alive. Every moment that he's going through the motions here and not being with Eijirou is pure agony. When he’s finally allowed to leave, he doesn’t even bother going back to the agency to change out of his hero costume. Nothing is more important than getting home as quickly as possible.
Katsuki usually tries to keep the less-than-platonic touches to a minimum to save himself the heartache of wishful thinking, but tonight, tonight is an exception. Tonight, he needs to lay his head on Eijirou’s chest and feel his heart beating, sure and strong. He needs to know that he’s alive, so just for tonight, he indulges. Tonight, he knocks on their door with their nostalgic pattern and when Eijirou—beautiful, alive, soft Eijirou—opens the door, Katsuki falls into his arms.
Eijirou freezes for a moment, obviously a bit alarmed by the sudden affection, but quickly wraps his arms around Katsuki and squeezes. “What is up with you tonight, man? I’m worried. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Eijirou tries to step back to get a good look at him, but Katsuki just squeezes tighter.
Katsuki lets Eijirou’s heartbeat ground him and takes a moment to center himself before speaking. “Shitty night. I’m okay. Let’s just lay down.”
“Do you want to shower first?”
Katsuki just shakes his head, refusing to detach himself from Eijirou.
“Okay, well let’s at least get you out of your costume.”
With a sigh, Katsuki steps out of the embrace and the two head into Eijirou’s room. Physically and emotionally drained from the mission, Katsuki barely registers Eijirou helping him out of his costume and into a too-large Red Riot hoodie and some soft flannel pajama pants. Eijirou lightly tugs on Katsuki’s sleeve and the two crawled under the blankets, falling into a comfortable position like two puzzle pieces slotting together with arms wrapped around each other, legs tangled, and Katsuki’s cheek smooshed against Eijirou’s chest. Eijirou’s heart skips then starts thumping slightly faster than normal and Katsuki can’t deny the pride that swells in his chest for being the cause.
“What happened, Katsuki? What can I do to help?” Eijirou murmurs, carding his fingers through Katsuki’s matted hair.
Katsuki is torn.
Does he tell Eijirou what happened and break the trust that Miruko has placed in him to warn him of the danger he’s in or does he stay silent and have faith that he and Miruko’s team can apprehend the rest of the gang before a threat surfaces?
“I-Fuck. I just need you to be here. Just—stay right here.”
“I’ll always be here.”
♡♡♡
After that night, Katsuki is constantly on edge. He walks Eijirou to Fat Gum’s agency every morning. He calls Eijirou every night after his patrol ends and stays on the phone with him until Eijirou makes it home. He checks every alleyway and dark street around their apartment twice before he goes home for the night. He shares a bed with Eijirou under the pretense that he’s having nightmares again, but really, he just can’t sleep without feeling the warmth of Eijirou living and breathing next to him.
He’s constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He and Miruko are still working diligently on locating the other members of the gang and after a full month of no threats, Katsuki starts to relax just a little. The ominous words of the villain slowly fade out of his mind and he’s back to the normal constant worry that something will happen to one of them during their typical hero duties.
Finally, several weeks later, the other shoe drops.
Katsuki and Eijirou are home relaxing on a rare day off with the news droning in the background. The two are curled up on the sofa, leaning on each other underneath a fuzzy blanket donning a photo of their graduating class. There’s a feeling of utter peace in their little cozy apartment until a photo of a familiar face accompanied with the word “breakout” flashes on the screen and a shudder runs down Katsuki’s spine.
There’s a reason this gang has been able to stay under the radar for so long. The quirks the members possess are nothing too flashy or unique, but the way the villains use them, that’s where their power lies.
The main boss uses his quirk to identify who to target to bend people to his will. One of the lower lackeys has a quirk similar to Shinsou’s and uses it to either force their target into dangerous situations that leave them injured enough to persuade their associate to concede or, if the associate is particularly stubborn, manipulate the loved one to mess with their heads. Most of their associates fold after hearing their loved ones say that they don’t truly love them, that they’re going to leave them because they will be happier without them in their lives.
With quirks like these, there’s no need to get their hands dirty and that makes getting evidence of their wrongdoings particularly difficult. It’s truly a miracle that Miruko’s agency was able to get enough to warrant a raid in the first place and now, that’s all gone.
All the hard work they did gathering evidence, building a case, gone in one day.
All sense of security, gone.
Katsuki can’t breathe as he watches the newscaster detail the breakout.
“-suki! Katsuki!” Eijirou is shaking Katsuki, fear in his eyes. “Katsuki! What’s going on? Look at me!”
Feeling warm hands gently cup his face and turn it from the TV, Katsuki finally comes back to himself. He swallows hard, tears already gathering in his eyes.
Eijirou’s widen at the sight, desperately searching his face for a hint as to what could possibly have warranted this sort of reaction. “Katsuki, please tell me what’s wrong.” He whispers and fuck, Katsuki is tired of keeping this from him.
After he releases a shaky breath, he finally explains the situation.
Over the course of the explanation, Eijirou’s eyes soften with sadness, his hands still around Katsuki’s face, thumbs clearing away the tears slowly tracing their way down Katsuki’s cheeks. “God, Katsuki, I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry for? I should have told you. I’m the one who put you in danger by keeping you in the dark.” He cuts his eyes away, staring a hole in the wall.
“Sure, it would’ve been nice to know and it does explain quite a lot, but I get it, man. I just hate that you had to deal with this all alone.” With a sigh, he leans forward and presses his forehead against Katsuki’s.
This makes Katsuki flick his eyes away from the wall and ease them closed, melting into the touch. “What are we gonna do, Eijirou?”
Jutting his bottom lip out in a pout, Eijirou leans back, staring off into space. Katsuki can practically hear the gears turning in his head under all that bright hair and he suppresses a snicker. “What if instead of trying to track them down, we brought them to us? There’s that big hero gala in a couple weeks, so we could not-so-subtly suggest that we’re going to make an appearance together, and hope that they take the bait. The place will be crawling with heroes and they’ve already proven that they’re proficient strategists, so I assume they would try to get us alone somehow, if they don’t clock it for the trap that it is. We’re the best team out there, so I’m not worried about our ability to take them, but there’s a lot to consider.”
He shrugs and turns back to focus on Katsuki. “I dunno, just a thought.”
Katsuki blinks a couple times, unable to process just how in love he is in that moment. When his brain has finally rebooted, his signature smirk overtakes his face and he raises an eyebrow challengingly, “Damn, who knew your dumb ass could have decent ideas?”
“Hey, you love my dumb ass!” Eijirou flashes a cheeky grin and Katsuki can’t contain the soft “yeah, I do” he says in response.
It’s not the first time he’s admitted his love for his best friend, but the tension between them now is even more oppressive than usual.
Maybe it’s the soft hands that are still on his steadily warming cheeks or the adoring look in Eijirou’s crinkling eyes, but something compels Katsuki to inch forward, tired of so much distance between the two.
For just a moment, he sees surprise flash in those beautiful, expressive crimson eyes he loves so much, but it’s gone in a flash and Eijirou starts to lean in too, willing to meet him halfway. Always willing to meet him halfway. Always willing to offer his hand. Always willing to stand as equals, partners.
Katsuki’s eyes flutter shut when he’s a breath away from Eijirou’s lips and finally, finally
His phone rings.
Snapping his eyes open, Katsuki looks into Eijirou’s eyes and growls, “I’m going to fucking kill whoever is on the other end of this call. I know I say that a lot and it’s started to lose its meaning with you fuckers, but I’m serious.”
Eijirou bursts out laughing and Katsuki leans back across the couch to reach his phone. Without checking the caller ID, Katsuki answers and snarls, “What the fuck do you want?”
“You wanna try that again, hot shot?” Miruko’s voice rings out from the phone and Eijirou cackles even louder, falling backwards off the couch.
“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” Katsuki hisses, blushing bright red and sending a kick at Eijirou’s wheezing form. “Uh, sorry,” He mumbles and clears his throat, “What do you need, boss?”
Katsuki hears Miruko mutter to herself about ‘letting ungrateful ass kids be her sidekicks’ before she finally says, “I assume you’ve seen the news.”
Just like that, the serene bubble they had created is shattered and the weight of the situation pressed on his chest once again.
“Yeah,” He breathes into the phone, not trusting himself to say much else.
“We need to convene and hash out a plan to apprehend him. I know it’s late, but we can’t waste any time with this guy.”
“What about—”
“Bring him. See ya soon, kid.” With that, she hangs up and Katsuki draws in a deep breath, letting his eyes close for a moment. He can feel Eijirou’s eyes on him, but refuses to acknowledge the heavy look.
“I’ll go get dressed,” Eijirou whispers, seemingly afraid to disturb the tense atmosphere.
Katsuki groans, running his hands down his face and slumping into the couch.
♡♡♡
“Red! I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s nice to finally meet.” Miruko’s husky voice greets them the moment they enter the agency.
Eijirou raises an eyebrow and shoots Katsuki a sly smirk, “Yeah?” He grins, “Likewise! I hate that it’s under these circumstances though! I’ve been begging Katsuki to let me come visit for months.”
In that moment, Katsuki remembers exactly why he’s kept the two apart for as long as he has. He always knew that she would tease the shit out of him when they met because maybe he’s talked about how fucking cool and strong Eijirou is a few times and maybe he let it slip that he’s head over fucking heels in love with him once and maybe Miruko just fucking laughed in his face and said, “Duh!”
God, Eijirou is never gonna let him live this down, the little shit.
After briefly considering ways to get out of the situation and deeming ‘blowing up my boss and best friend’ and ‘fleeing the country’ as busts, he decides to just roll his eyes and aim a disinterested look at the two. “Can we just start planning? The sooner we’re done, the sooner I can go to sleep.”
“You mean the sooner we’re done, the sooner we can cuddle, Katsuki?”
Miruko barks out a laugh and Katsuki can see actual fucking stars in her eyes while she gazes in approval at Eijirou. Great, this is definitely not going to be a one-time meeting then. She’s probably gonna try to adopt him after this.
Maybe he should reconsider that first idea he had.
“Okay, okay, Red, let’s leave him alone or else we’re both gonna end up blown sky high.” It’s Eijirou’s turn to laugh and damn, they both know him too well. “Kid, I know you wanna catch this guy more than anyone, so tell me what you’ve got.”
“Well, Red,” Katsuki sneers, “actually had an adequate idea for the first time in his life,” he pointedly ignores the indignant ‘hey!’ from beside him, “and he’s the target, so I was going to suggest he take point on it.”
The affronted look on Eijirou’s face morphs into something more akin to surprise and he exchanges a look with Miruko. “Uh, if that’s alright with you.”
“Okay, I’m game. Let’s hear this amazing idea.”
Miruko agrees that it is, in fact, a good idea and Katsuki is sure that she’s already planning how to poach Eijirou from Fat Gum. “Usually, sidekicks aren’t invited to these sorts of events, but I can pull some strings and get you in. The bird and I were originally gonna stay home and watch trashy TV, but I guess I can just drag him along as backup. It’s obviously a formal event, so you’ll need to get a little dressed up. No skull t-shirts and maybe invest in a belt, yeah?”
“You’re in charge of getting the suits,” Katsuki smirks, opting to ignore the slight and sending Eijirou a flirty look.
I-Island seems like a lifetime ago, despite it being just a few years since the trip. Katsuki still remembers the fluttering in his stomach when Eijirou had presented him with that surprisingly nice, perfectly-fitted suit and how damn worried he was when they faced those villains in the greenhouse.
Thinking back, Katsuki is pretty sure that trip was when his feelings for Eijirou started to shift into the less-than-platonic territory.
God, he’s wasted so much time already. He should’ve confessed ages ago.
Katsuki may not have had a best friend before Eijirou, but he’s not stupid. He knows that their friendship is a little more than that, but there’s always that little voice in his head that tells him that he’s undeserving of Eijirou’s love and affection, that he never earned it. He’s let that voice dictate his relationship for far too long.
In that moment, Katsuki decides that once they get this whole mess sorted out and behind them, he’s finally going to take Eijirou out on an actual date. He’s done being a coward. He’s done denying himself this.
“I’ll make sure to pick you something real pretty,” Eijirou winks with a sharp grin and God, Katsuki is so gay.
“If y’all are done flirting with each other, I’d like to continue with the planning.” Miruko groans, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Eijirou’s cheeks burn a pretty red and he stutters out an apology, even going so far as to bow.
“Don’t bow to her, dumbass, you’re just gonna stroke her ego!” He hisses, lightly kicking Eijirou’s shin.
“At least he has manners, unlike someone else I know.” She flashes a smug smile and amusement dances in her eyes. “You’ve got a nice boy here, brat. Don’t let him go.”
“Oh my god, shut the fuck up!” It didn’t seem possible for either of the boys to blush any harder, already such a bright red that it rivaled Eijirou’s hair. “Why the hell do I work with you again?” He groans and scrubs a hand over his face. “Just—get on with it.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with being used as bait, Red?” That question had been nagging at Katsuki too, so he’s secretly grateful that she brought it up.
“If that’s what it takes to catch these guys, absolutely. I swore a long time ago that I was done standing by when bad things happen. Plus, I know Katsuki has my back no matter what.” He grins, bumping his fists together, “Let’s get these guys!”
♡♡♡
The next two weeks are near unbearable. Eijirou isn’t worried about the threat on his life, he’s just worried about Katsuki and how he’s handling the situation. Which, to put it mildly, isn’t great.
Even with Eijirou’s usually calming presence, Katsuki barely sleeps and he’s even more explosive than he was during the first few months they were at UA. The bags under his eyes are prominent and he gets even more reckless in his fights.
After a particularly harsh fight in which Katsuki made far too many rash decisions, Miruko drags him back to the agency HQ and tears into him, “You have got to get it together, kid! The gala is in four days and if you don’t get your shit together, this whole operation is gonna go down in flames. Now, I know you’re worried, we all are, but you’ve got to get this under control. Go home. Get some rest. Hug your boyfriend or whatever.”
Katsuki feels his cheeks heat up and mutters under his breath, “He’s not my boyfriend.”
She lets out a low groan and rolls her eyes, “Shut the fuck up, kid, you’re not fooling anyone. I don’t care what you do, just get yourself under control. We need Ground Zero at 100% if this plan is gonna work. Kirishima needs you at 100%.”
Katsuki was ready to bite back, but that last comment about Eijirou makes him snap his jaw closed with a painful click. He huffs, but nods and leaves to change out of his hero costume.
Eijirou is already asleep when he arrives home, so Katsuki lets himself into his room and slides under the covers, huddling close to Eijirou’s snoring form.
“Ka’suki?” Eijirou slurs, turning to face Katsuki.
“Yeah. Sorry, go back to sleep.” He mumbles, pointedly not looking at Eijirou’s soft, sleepy smile.
After a few slow blinks to clear the sleep from his eyes, Eijirou’s brow furrows and he reaches a hesitant hand out to brush against Katsuki’s busted lip. “You’re hurt.”
Katsuki reaches up to grasp Eijirou’s hand, bringing it away from his face. “I’m fine. Just a scratch.”
With a purse of his lips, Eijirou drops his hand to settle on Katsuki’s ribs, earning a hiss from the blond. Eijirou’s eyes widen and he snatches his hand back, moving to sit up. “Katsuki…”
“It’s just a bruise, Eijirou. Don’t worry.” Gently, he eases Eijirou back into his previous position and guides Eijirou’s arm just below his ribs to his waist. “I’ll get healed in the morning. I need to be here right now.”
Eijirou lets out a long-suffering sigh and settles, easing a little closer to Katsuki. “Only four more days then this will all be over.”
“Four more days.” Katsuki repeats, pressing his forehead against Eijirou’s collarbone. “I’m sorry.”
“Katsuki, whatever you’re thinking, just stop.”
“You wouldn’t be in danger if it wasn’t for me.”
“I don’t know if it slipped your mind, but danger is kinda par for the course for us. We chose this life and I’d choose it again, one hundred times over.” He pauses for a moment, “Not having you in my life is worse than whatever this villain has in store.”
Katsuki’s breath hitches and he’s fighting back tears for what feels like the thousandth time in the past few weeks. Since when does he cry so much? Honestly, he’s starting to feel like the fucking nerd. “I feel the same. You know that, right? I feel the same.” He murmurs, lips ghosting over warm skin.
Eijirou’s heart stutters for a moment and Katsuki can practically feel the blinding smile that is no doubt stretched across his face. Eijirou presses a soft kiss to the top of Katsuki’s head and whispers an almost inaudible, “yeah.”
♡♡♡
Over the course of the two weeks, Eijirou has been dropping little hints about attending the gala on his social media. A black-and-white closeup of the pair of suits captioned “11 days ❤️”, a like or two on tweets advertising the gala. It was meticulous, subtle but plenty of evidence that he would be attending for someone keeping track of his movements. But after that night, after seeing how vulnerable and afraid Katsuki was, Eijirou made the executive decision to stop being subtle and ensure that the villains knew where to find them.
Eijirou slowly turns, phone in hand, towards Katsuki’s sleeping form. Katsuki is strangely peaceful in his sleep, skin wrinkle-free and blond eyelashes brushing soft cheeks. As easily as he can, Eijirou reaches a hand out to settle on the side of Katsuki’s neck, his thumb brushing over his cheekbone and fingers tangling in the pale hair at the nape.
The blond starts to stir, so Eijirou snaps the photo quickly and takes a moment to look at it before he posts.
Eijirou doesn’t think he could ever be more in love than he is in this moment with the sun streaming in the window, painting the whole room a honey gold, and his best friend sleeping beside him.
This photo, this snapshot in time, is a keepsake he almost hates to share with the world. It’s private, personal, but he needs to make sure their plan works, so he posts it with a sappy caption containing far too many red and orange hearts and hopes for the best.
Besides, they have the rest of their lives to collect more perfect, saccharine moments like these because that’s what he wants. He wants this for the rest of his life. He wants Katsuki for the rest of his life.
With a quick glance at the time that verifies that it is far, far too early to be awake, he presses a soft kiss to Katsuki’s forehead and cuddles back in towards his best friend to rest until their responsibilities force them away from this intimate shelter.
♡♡♡
They weren’t pros quite yet, but they were popular in their own right, so it wasn’t surprising that the photo garnered some attention after it was originally posted.
It’s later on that day, when the two are reviewing the plan and making last minute adjustments with Miruko, that the post really explodes.
The three heroes’ phones all buzz simultaneously and interrupt Miruko mid-sentence. Miruko pulls her phone out and chuckles, “Well, I guess our meeting is over. I assume your managers and Fat are gonna want to speak to you after this stunt.”
Narrowing his eyes and glancing between Eijirou and Miruko, Katsuki scoffs, “What are you talking about?” He pulls out his phone and the first message on his screen says:
Fucking Deku: congrats!!!! i’m so happy for you, kacchan!!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Slowly, Katsuki raises his head to look at Eijirou and, in the calmest voice he can muster, says, “What the fuck did you do?”
All Eijirou does in response is give Katsuki a coy smile and Katsuki knows that that means nothing but trouble.
Katsuki usually stays away from social media because interacting with people, whether it be in person or on a screen, is something he actively tries to avoid, so really, it comes as no surprise that he hadn’t seen the photo earlier. The second he does, though, he turns such a deep shade of crimson that Eijirou is slightly worried that he’ll pass out.
“What, and I cannot stress this enough, the FUCK were you thinking? I thought we were going for subtle! This is the exact opposite!” He’s waving his phone in Eijirou’s face and Eijirou lets him rant for as long as he needs because he knows that Katsuki isn’t actually angry, just embarrassed and, honestly, it’s kind of adorable.
Miruko, phone in hand, whistles and doesn’t hide her disbelieving laugh. “Shit, Red, you sure know how to stir up drama. I’d say all of Japan knows you two are going to the gala now.” She pauses her scrolling and glances up, “You do realize that you’re going to have to act like a couple now, right?”
Eijirou snakes an arm around Katsuki’s waist, earning him a surprised look from the blond, and aims his million-watt smile at Miruko. “Damn, isn’t that a shame?”
Miruko simply raises her eyebrows, flicks her eyes between the two, and huffs out another laugh. “Alright then. The rest of the plan is set in stone though, so no more improvising or I’ll kick your asses. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Raising the hand not clasped around Katsuki, Eijirou gives her a two-finger salute then ushers a dumbfounded Katsuki out the door of the agency to go deal with the shitstorm he just created.
What the actual fuck was that?
♡♡♡
The last few days before the gala pass without incident, but the weight of the lingering apprehension and the restless anticipation still hangs heavy between the two.
There’s a tension in the air and their new “relationship” status hasn’t left the news cycle since Eijirou posted that photo that Katsuki definitely didn’t save and Eijirou definitely didn’t set as his lockscreen.
There’s been a steady stream of messages from their friends, most just saying ‘finally’ and a sparse few actually saying congratulations.
Katsuki was able to tolerate all of 30 seconds of his mother shrieking into the phone about ‘how dare you keep this from us, brat!’ and ‘I can’t believe I had to find out about my own son’s relationship from the news!’ before he hung up and decided to shut his phone off for the rest of the day.
With a groan, he flops down on Eijirou’s bed and covers his face with his arm.
“You know that she’s just gonna call you back tomorrow, right?”
“I fucking know. Whatever, just show me the stupid suits.” Eijirou has been incredibly secretive about what he picked out for their debut as a “couple” and Katsuki can’t deny that he’s at least a little curious.
With a flourish, Eijirou brandishes the two suits and instantly, Katsuki spots a familiar rose motif embroidered onto the back of both. The scene is almost a direct reflection of that trip to I-Island so many years ago and Katsuki is overwhelmed with the desire to grab that stupid face and kiss the life out of Eijirou.
But they have a mission and can’t afford any distractions, so he files that thought away for later, after the dust has settled on this case and peace—or as much peace as they can have as heroes—returns to their lives.
The nostalgia and affection he’s feeling must be evident on his face because Eijirou says, “I know, I know, I’m a,” then, in an uncanny impression of Katsuki, “‘fucking sap.’”
The blond rolls his eyes, “Yeah, this is sentimental as shit for a fake boyfriend.”
That stops Eijirou in his tracks, his teasing look dropped for something more solemn. “Katsuki, I—”
“After we catch these guys.” Katsuki knows that his feelings are requited, but still, just the idea of Eijirou wanting to be his real boyfriend sends Katsuki’s heart into a frenzy.
“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” The soft smile Eijirou sends his way is affectionate, albeit a little sad, and Katsuki feels his heart break.
On instinct, he reaches out and takes Eijirou’s hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze. “Later.” He tries to convey everything he’s feeling—all the love, all the affection, all the worry—into his determined look and hopes that Eijirou can pick up on it.
The light that returns to Eijirou’s eyes and the squeeze he receives in return tells him that, yeah, Eijirou picked up on what he meant. Just like he always does.
“We should probably get dressed, we need to leave soon.” He says, leaving the room to change into his suit and give Katsuki privacy to do the same.
The suit Eijirou picked for him is, admittedly, stunning. All black with silk obsidian lapels, perfectly fitted and elegant. On the back, roses bloom in burgundy to match Eijirou’s suit.
Their suits are perfect complements of each other, just like the two men wearing them.
After a soft knock to announce his presence, Eijirou’s face appears next to Katsuki’s in the mirror and he places his hands lightly on Katsuki’s shoulders, smoothing out a nonexistent wrinkle. “A tie really would’ve brought it all together, but I opted out because I know how uncomfortable they make you.” He sighs and smiles at Katsuki’s reflection, “You look great. Black has always been your color.”
Eijirou is without a tie as well, tan collarbones exposed under his black button-up. His hair is braided back into a bun, crimson bangs framing his face. God, he’s beautiful. Katsuki schools his expression into a scowl in an attempt to keep his emotions from bleeding out onto his face.
“Your hair looks shitty. Maybe even shittier than usual.”
“You are aware that I know you mean that it looks pretty, right? ‘Shitty Hair’ stopped being an insult ages ago. Get with the times, Blasty.”
“Whatever, Shitty Hair,” Katsuki rolls his shoulders and lightly shoves at Eijirou, who has an easy smile plastered on his face.
Katsuki is so close to having what he’s wanted for years and he can’t help but feel overwhelmed. All of the emotions from the past few weeks are swelling in his chest, a tsunami against the pitiful dam around his heart. Still, that little voice in his head chants, ‘you don’t deserve this you don’t deserve this you don’t deserve this.’
As Eijirou turns to grab a small box from his bedside table, Katsuki’s eyes lock on the embroidery adorning the deep burgundy fabric and before he can second-guess himself, he reaches out. Skimming his fingers over the black raised pattern along Eijirou’s back, Katsuki whispers, “God, I hate you,” but it sounds way too affectionate, even to him.
When did he get so soft?
“You don’t, but okay,” Eijirou sends a smirk over his shoulder that sets Katsuki’s heart aflame and yeah, maybe being soft isn’t such a bad thing. “I have one final surprise. Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”
Katsuki does as he’s told, questioning look on his face as he feels Eijirou fiddling with his sleeves.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
When Katsuki lifts his arms, he sees two small, silver gear-shaped cufflinks glinting in the light and can’t stop the stupid grin spreading across his face when he glances over and sees a matching set of cufflinks shaped like explosions on Eijirou’s wrists. “You are absolutely ridiculous.”
Eijirou shrugs, matching the grin. “Yeah, I know,” He pauses for a moment, “So, what do you think?”
“They’re…not bad.”
“You can admit that I have good fashion sense, it’s okay.”
“I would rather die than ever say that to someone who thinks it’s acceptable to wear crocs in public.”
“Rude. How can you be so mean to your boyfriend?”
“I am literally going to kill you. It would be so easy.”
“Aw, love you too, babe!” Eijirou coos and Katsuki has to take a steadying breath before he sets the entire apartment on fire. He settles for throwing a weak explosion at Eijirou’s preemptively hardened face and stalks out of the apartment.
♡♡♡
Upon arriving at the gala, the pair easily find Miruko and Hawks, both dressed to kill.
Miruko is wearing a striking low-cut, floor-length silk ruby dress that bears her toned arms, muscular thighs peeking out through a long slit that runs up to her hip, long white hair slicked back on one side and falling in soft curls over her shoulder and down her bare back.
Hawks looks bored, donning a black suit embellished with black and silver floral patterns and a satin pocket square the same shade as Miruko’s dress, crimson wings fanning out behind him. His hair, as always, is artfully mussed and his eyes are lined perfectly with a hint of red eyeshadow.
The two are doubtlessly the most attractive duo at the gala, both effortlessly stunning.
As Eijirou and Katsuki approach them, Miruko smiles wide, mischief shining in her eyes, “How cute, you two match! You almost look like a real couple!”
“Almost? Well, shit, Eijirou, guess you didn’t do as good of a job as you thought. We don’t even look like a real couple.” He shrugs, “Guess we better leave then; the whole plan is ruined. It was truly a good effort by all. We’ll get ‘em next time.” He deadpans, rolling his eyes over to the redhead.
“Hey, I bought fucking matching cufflinks, I did my part. Maybe it’s just too unbelievable for you to be in a relationship with an attitude like that.”
Eijirou quips back and Katsuki knows it’s bait, knows Eijirou is just goading him, but he still doesn’t miss the opportunity to slide a hand up Eijirou’s back to rest at the juncture where his shoulder and neck meet and tilt his head up to whisper in his ear, “I’ll date you ‘til you’re fucking dead.” Pride swells in his chest as he feels Eijirou shiver under his hand and flashes a smug smile at Miruko.
“Happy now?” He sneers.
“Don’t take that tone with me, brat!”
Hawks, who has been silent up until now, merely observing the three as he sips his glass of champagne, raises an eyebrow, “Oh, they’re fun, Bunny, why have you never introduced us?”
“Shut the fuck up, birdy.” She pinches the bridge of her nose, “We have work to do. Let’s just get to it.”
“Fucking finally,” Katsuki groans.
After sending a wink to Miruko, Eijirou settles a hand on Katsuki’s waist and any remaining annoyance and anger slowly seeps away. Katsuki rolls his eyes again, mostly for show this time, and lets Eijirou lead the way over to a handful of pros gossiping about the upcoming ranking ceremony.
Eijirou is charming, always has been. They flit around from group to group, Eijirou's magnetic personality never failing to dazzle any and everyone he talks to. At some point, Katsuki just starts heavily leaning on Eijirou, head resting on a broad shoulder and letting him weave their way around the crowd. Eijirou's smooth voice provides some soothing background noise while Katsuki sweeps his eyes across the room, on the lookout for the villains and staying vigilant.
Every now and then, he'll focus back in on the conversations, giving noncommittal grunts or monosyllabic answers. Knowing this, Eijirou easily takes the reins and steers conversations away from Katsuki.
That is, until the inevitable question of the night is asked.
Katsuki tries to not to get distracted when one of the pros Eijirou is chatting with brings up their “relationship”, asking how they got together, but the small smile he sees Eijirou cast him out of the corner of his eye makes it exceedingly difficult, causing warmth to bubble in Katsuki’s chest. “I’ve been in love with him for almost as long as I’ve known him and I just decided one day that I was tired of hiding it.”
Well, fuck, that sounded a little too real for a fake relationship.
Katsuki needs to get them away from the conversation before he does something stupid like grab the collar of that nice burgundy jacket that fits criminally well and kiss Eijirou until neither of them can breathe.
Blood rushing to his cheeks, Katsuki tugs Eijirou by the hand towards the center of the room, “Let’s fucking dance.”
Eijirou raises his eyebrows, but lets Katsuki drag him away.
Once they reached the center of the dancefloor, Eijirou huffs, "You didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye, man. That's so rude!"
The glare Katsuki sends doesn't have the usual heat behind it and the blush still evident on his cheeks makes Eijirou smirk. "You're being distracting. What the fuck was that?"
Eijirou hums, placing a warm hand on Katsuki's waist and guides Katsuki's up to rest on his shoulder. "There's more to being in a fake relationship than just being brooding arm candy, Katsuki. Maybe you should take some notes."
"Fuck you."
He sighs dreamily, "You have such a way with words."
Katsuki closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to remember why he loves this sarcastic asshole. "What the fuck ever. We have a job to do."
Eijirou just rolls his eyes then grasps Katsuki’s hand and pulls their chests flush against each other. “Bold of you to assume that I haven’t been working this whole time.”
With a huff, Katsuki rests his chin on Eijirou’s shoulder and Eijirou takes the hint to start swaying them back and forth, gliding them around the floor and humming quietly under his breath.
The image of the two of them sharing a first dance in matching suits in front of all of their friends and family flashes in Katsuki’s mind and he’s forced to hide his smile in the crook of Eijirou’s neck.
In that moment, the temptation to kiss every inch of Eijirou that he can reach is almost overwhelming, but Katsuki is a goddamn professional, thank you very much, so he refrains and goes back to his previous position, opting to resume his scan of the room.
As they sway to the beat, Katsuki’s eyes fall on the man haunting his dreams, surrounded by a small army of armed guards. He turns his head in towards Eijirou’s ear to watch the group out of the corner of his eye, watching the wicked grin break across the boss’s face as his eyes never leave Katsuki and Eijirou.
“We’re being watched,” Katsuki murmurs, slowly turning Eijirou to get a good look at the boss in the back corner.
“You recognize any of the guys with him?”
“The two to his left, yeah, and the one stationed at the door is second-in-command. Other than that, no. We thought we had ID’d all the members, but our information on the bust wasn’t totally reliable, so there’s a good chance that the operation is bigger than we thought.”
“Well, while you were working surveillance earlier, I was asking around about guests that people didn’t recognize and,” Eijirou suddenly dips Katsuki, whose heart jumps to his throat, and spins him to look towards the other side of the room, “no one knows the two women in blue and the man in grey sitting at the table nearest the main door.”
“Fuck, they brought more people than we were expecting. We need to loop Miruko in.”
Eijirou merely nods, stopping their momentum, and the two of them walk towards the pros, hand in hand. Miruko’s ears twitch as they approach and she turns, concern clouding her face.
“From what we’ve gathered, there’s 9 members including the boss all situated throughout the building.” Katsuki glances around, trying to keep his voice quiet.
“Could be more waiting outside too, so we need to be prepared for that. Are you both sure that you’re okay with being bait?”
“For the last time, yes. We know it’s only for a few minutes max to draw him outside. We can fucking handle it.”
“We’re counting on you, kid. We’re one call away if anything happens.” Miruko searches their eyes one last time and heaves a weary sigh. Hawks, one hand resting on Miruko’s shoulder and nonchalant grin plastered on his face, simply gives them a thumbs up.
Katsuki makes a show of running a hand up Eijirou’s arm, leaning in close to press a soft kiss just below his ear. “Let’s get this over with.” He whispers then flashes a sharp smile big enough for the boss to see from across the room. Eijirou gulps, a fact that Katsuki finds highly amusing, and nods, letting Katsuki drag him by the hand towards the back door.
Pushing the door open, Katsuki scans the area and sees little more than a lone dumpster and a stray cat, not a soul in sight. Something about the scene rubs Katsuki the wrong way and his gut tells him to go back inside, but he has his orders and he trusts Miruko whole-heartedly, so he is determined to wait as long as they need to. So, they wait.
And wait.
And wait.
After half an hour of radio silence, Katsuki groans and throws his hands into the air. “Fuck, I was expecting them to jump us the second we walked out and now it looks like they’re not even going to come out here. What do we do now?”
Eijirou, cocky bastard that he is, just grins and slides a hand around to the small of Katsuki’s back, “We could do something to get your mind off things.”
“Yeah? What do you suggest?” Katsuki sneers back, inches away from Eijirou’s face.
“We could make out.”
Rolling his eyes and willing the blood rushing to his face away, Katsuki scoffs and pushes his hand into Eijirou’s cackling face, “I fucking hate you.”
“Well, that’s not what I heard.” Katsuki’s breath catches in his throat as he hears that velvety voice that has been running through his mind for weeks on end.
Blind rage fills him and it takes everything in him not to close the distance between them and blow the man’s head off of his shoulders.
He had never considered how he would react when coming face-to-face with the villain again, but, being as he isn’t exactly the most even-tempered person on the planet, the reaction truly isn’t a shock. He just needs to keep a level head long enough for the police to arrive.
Slowly, he turns towards the man who has threatened everything he holds dear and steps in front of Eijirou to shield him.
“Great to see you again, Ground Zero.” He gives a slimy smile, then makes eye contact with Eijirou over Katsuki’s shoulder, “Red Riot! God, what an honor. I am truly your biggest fan. It is so great to finally meet you.”
Katsuki feels Eijirou stiffen up behind him and snarls, “Don’t you fucking talk to him. Your business is with me, so let’s settle this right fucking now.” Small explosions fill his palms as he steps into a defensive position.
“Y’know, I really would love to, but there’s someone you should meet first.”
“Wha-”
“Medusa, now!”
Before the words even register in Katsuki’s ears, a woman drops from the rooftops and lands next to the boss, flashing a sharp smile.
Her viridian hair slithers and coils in the air around her head and with a blink, her pupils are slitted, eyes glowing yellow. Those piercing eyes land on Eijirou and suddenly, he goes stock still behind Katsuki.
Oh fuck.