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After an excruciatingly long period of mutual pining and an intervention by their merry band of idiots, Katsuki and Eijirou are finally dating.
Katsuki wasn’t exactly the best at sentimental shit, so his confession was less a heartfelt declaration of love and more of a forceful announcement that he kind of enjoys having Eijirou around and ‘if you want to fucking date or whatever, I guess that wouldn’t be too fucking awful.’ But Eijirou, sweet, loving Eijirou who has taken the time to properly understand and know Katsuki, understood the underlying meaning and brightened like the sun was trapped under his freckled skin.
They’d shared their first kiss that night, an inexperienced clash of teeth and a rough bumping of noses, and Katsuki would never admit it to anyone, but he had never felt so happy.
He and Eijirou just fit.
Their quirks, their personalities—they were perfect complements of each other. They weren’t that ‘two halves of one whole’ bullshit, Katsuki respected Eijirou and himself far too much to ever consider either of them half anything. They were their own people, so unlike and different, but somehow also so very similar; Katsuki likened them to two halves of the same coin or two puzzle pieces that slot perfectly together.
As sappy as it sounds, Katsuki felt as if they were made for each other.
That is, except when it comes to sleeping.
Katsuki knows he’s not a sound sleeper.
Even if his dreams aren’t riddled with sludge or severed hands or a skeletal All Might sneering down at him, he’s still restless and often wakes up starfished across his bed with bold, mysterious bruises littering his legs and blankets scattered on the floor. He can count on one hand the amount of times he’s woken up in the same position he fell asleep in and every single one of those times, he was so exhausted that his body simply didn’t have the energy to flail about as it usually does.
With that fact in mind, Katsuki evaded every attempt made by Eijirou for them to share a bed because he knew that this was the one thing in which they weren’t compatible.
He knows that Eijirou is a tactile person, long used to arms thrown around his shoulder accompanied with a ‘hey, bro!’ or a head resting on his shoulder during movie night, so it really doesn't come as a surprise that Eijirou is a cuddler.
The few times they’ve hugged, where Katsuki pressed his ear against Eijirou’s chest to hear his heart thrumming wildly as arms wrapped around his shoulders, Katsuki admits that it was…
nice.
Truthfully, Katsuki really fucking liked it, a touch that was warm and loving instead of cruel and stinging, so he really wasn’t put off by the idea of cuddling with Eijirou.
And if he’s being completely honest, cuddling and kissing Eijirou are just about the only things he isn't put off by, but the fact remains that if they cuddle, his erratic sleeping is sure to fuck it up somehow.
So, he dodges the question every time Eijirou asks him if he’d like to stay the night.
And when Eijirou blatantly confessed that he wanted to cuddle with Katsuki—to spoon, to wake up in his arms, all that sappy shit—he looked into those big crimson eyes and changed the subject.
Really, Katsuki wanted that too, so badly that it hurt, but Katsuki wasn’t sure how to explain how horrible that entire experience would be for Eijirou, imagining him falling to the floor with a thud or getting kicked in the ribs in the middle of the night.
As much as he likes to threaten it, he never actually wants to hurt Eijirou, so the idea of unconsciously injuring his boyfriend leaves him anxious and upset.
Unfortunately for Katsuki, Eijirou took the fact that Katsuki avoided the topic of staying the night at every turn as a sign that he was forcing too much on the blond, asking for too much, so he backed off with the blatant affections, opting for a quick peck to the cheek instead of the lips when they greeted each other in the morning or intertwined hands instead of a warm arm around Katsuki’s waist as they walked to class. Eijirou was distancing himself in fear of overwhelming Katsuki and it pained Katsuki to think that he was making Eijirou feel as if he’s too much to handle.
Katsuki doesn’t half-ass anything, always throws his entire being into whatever he pursues, and romance and his relationship are no exception. He vowed to be the best boyfriend—and hopefully, husband one day, if he’s lucky—the world has ever seen and that sad smile he kept getting from Eijirou when their eyes would meet told him that he was doing a shit job of that. So, finally, he broke down and asked Eijirou if he could spend the night with him in his room.
The blinding grin he received was well worth swallowing down his worries.
After all, it’s just one night. What’s the worst that could happen?
When they settle into bed on the fateful night, Eijirou wraps two strong arms around Katsuki and pulls him back against his chest as he murmurs, “Thank you for doing this.”
Katsuki feels a stab of guilt as he leans into the touch. “Whatever, it’s not that big of a deal, idiot.”
A pair of lips press against the back of Katsuki’s neck. “It is, though. At least it is to me.” Eijirou sighs softly, warm breath fanning across Katsuki’s slightly flushed skin. “This is super sappy and there’s a good chance that I’ll scare you off by saying this, but I want forever with you, Katsuki. I want us to start an agency together and get married and maybe even have a couple kids later on down the road. I want all of that with you, and I don’t want us to not share a bed when we live together. Wait,” he pauses, arms tightening slightly around Katsuki’s waist, “we could totally have bunk beds then!”
After a moment, Eijirou shakes his head lightly with a quiet chuckle, soft hair brushing Katsuki’s shoulder, and loosens his grip. “No! No, I’m getting off track. The point is: I wanna wake up next to you every day for the rest of our lives. So yeah, this is important to me.”
“Goddammit,” Katsuki mutters under his breath and turns in Eijirou’s arms.
The thinly-veiled hurt on Eijirou’s face makes the guilt he’s feeling even more potent and he can’t help but wince, cutting his eyes away from the wounded, questioning look in his boyfriend’s eyes. Eijirou just put his heart on the line, told Katsuki that he wants a real future with him, and yet again, Katsuki dropped the fucking ball.
Fuck, he’s such a shitty boyfriend.
“Shit. I—fuck, I want that too, Eijirou. You fucking mean everything to me, so of course I want a stupid, sappy future with you. I haven’t been avoiding sleeping in here because I don’t want that. I,” He forcefully exhales, “fucking move around in my sleep. A lot. And I just didn’t want you to have to deal with that shit. It’s annoying as fuck.”
“Oh, Katsuki, I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think. I’m tough,” He flexes, grabbing his bicep and flashing a blinding grin that Katsuki can only look at for a moment before he has to glance away from the brightness, “I can handle a little kicking!”
“Okay, whatever. It’s your funeral, Shitty Hair.”
Eijirou ends up on the ground.
Twice.
He’s a good sport about it though, and keeps the teasing to a minimum as he crawls back into bed and cuddles right back up to Katsuki, laying his head on his chest. “Next time, I’ll just start out sleeping next to the wall.”
“You want there to be a fucking next time? This has been a goddamn disaster.” Katsuki’s tone is caught somewhere between disbelieving and exasperated, unsure how he hasn’t completely fucked this up for both of them.
“Oh yeah, it definitely has been and you’re a total mess, babe, but it’s worth it. I don’t mind a few bumps and bruises if it means I get to see how soft you are when you sleep or how cute your bedhead is.”
“I’m not soft or fucking cute, asshole, you take that shit back.”
Eijirou hums, pressing a quick peck to Katsuki’s chest, and heaves a contented sigh as he relaxes and nestles closer. “Sure, Katsuki. Whatever you say.”
“You’re so damn annoying.”
“Yeah, yeah, you too.”
A piercing pain on the side of Katsuki’s head yanks him from his restless sleep, his hand flying to his ear in a futile attempt to alleviate the pain as he sits up in alarm.
When he pulls his hand back and sees his fingers covered in blood, the moonlight streaming in Eijirou’s curtains giving the crimson an eerie glow, he hisses out, “What the fuck?”
It’s only when he feels the bed shift beside him that he’s able to draw his eyes away from the blood coating his hand and fully assess the situation.
Eijirou’s quirk is activated, his arms hardened to fine, deadly points, and he’s erratically chopping the air around him. Katsuki narrowly dodges another slice, his hazy, sleep-addled brain only barely registering the danger. It takes two more quick jabs in close succession for Katsuki to finally act, grabbing both of Eijirou’s hardened arms and straddling his waist to pin him to the bed as quickly as he can.
Eijirou struggles violently against the hold, letting out a few fierce ‘hiyahh!’s as he thrashes under Katsuki. Katsuki growls lowly, frustrated that his calls of Eijirou’s name are doing nothing to rouse his boyfriend, and lets off a couple small explosions against Eijirou’s tough skin.
When that just spurs Eijirou into fighting harder, teeth gnashing and face slowly going unbreakable, Katsuki yells out, “Eijirou! Wake the fuck up!” and unleashes a set of higher-powered explosions that are sure to wake him, if not the entire dorm.
“Katsuki?” Eijirou wakes with a start and blinks rapidly, eyes darting around Katsuki’s face until they fall on the cut and trace the path of blood from his ear and down his jaw to where it has started to pool in the dip of his collarbone. “Wh-what happened?” He goes to reach forward, only then seeming to realize that Katsuki still has his hardened arms pinned and quickly pieces together the situation. Tears well in his eyes as he whispers, horrified, “D-did I do that?”
Gently, Katsuki leans back and pulls Eijirou’s arms with him, softly massaging the tough skin until the hardening starts to melt away. They’re both silent for those few tense moments, Eijirou’s panicked eyes never leaving the crimson trail on Katsuki’s face as tears leak down his own. “It’s okay. I’m fine. Looks worse than it is.”
“I hurt you, Katsuki.”
“Eijirou,” Katsuki huffs and starts to clear away the tears tracing down his best friend’s face with calloused thumbs, “it’s just a scratch, don't even need to go bother the old hag about it. You have first aid shit in your bathroom, right?"
Eijirou nods hesitantly, obviously still shaken and drowning in guilt despite Katsuki's attempts to comfort him.
"Okay, I'm gonna go clean up then. Do you wanna help?" It feels odd to be the one offering reassurances, so used to Eijirou being the more level-headed one between the two of them, but Katsuki knows Eijirou's relationship with his quirk is fragile and this isn't something to take lightly.
Eijirou offers another small nod and Katsuki tugs his arms until he's sitting up underneath him. Katsuki folds his legs around Eijirou's waist and settles both hands on his boyfriend's freckled cheeks, then places soft, deliberate kisses to Eijirou's temple, to his scar, to his forehead, to his nose.
Finally, he closes the little distance left between them and connects their lips for one quick, fleeting second. "Let's go, idiot."
Once they're in the bathroom, Eijirou's quick to gather the necessary supplies, antiseptic and cotton balls and a pair of latex gloves making a small pile on the sink as he works, then ushers Katsuki to take a seat on the toilet. With pursed lips, he diligently cleans the blood from Katsuki's face, then carefully dabs antiseptic on the wound, making Katsuki hiss quietly. His face contorts at the noise and he seems to shrink into himself even more as he finishes up.
Fuck, Katsuki hates this. That shitty, devastated look on Eijirou's face makes his chest feel as if it's caving in on itself, his heart squeezing painfully.
“Damn, guess I won’t be able to get earrings anytime soon like I'd been planning,” Katsuki sighs dramatically, trying his best to lighten the mood and wipe that look off his boyfriend's face.
The way a soft blush paints Eijirou's face as his eyes widen, though—that's not the reaction he was expecting. He doesn't even try to stop the smirk that pulls at his lips as Eijirou pointedly turns away to put the supplies in their rightful places. “Really? That’s doing it for you?”
“Sh-shut up!” Eijirou pushes a hand into Katsuki’s laughing face as his blush burns brighter. “I just think you’d look good!”
“Of fucking course I would!” Katsuki lets himself cackle, unabashed, because he knows that even when it's at his expense, Eijirou loves to hear him laugh. "So, Eijirou," Katsuki purrs and pulls his best friend down to sit in his lap, "should I just get the lobe done? Helix? What about an industrial? All of the above? If I'd known you were so into it, I would've done it a long fucking time ago."
"Ugh, shut up! you are the absolute worst." Eijirou pouts, crossing his arms in front of him instead of draping them around Katsuki in a small show of defiance.
"Duh, and you're dating me, so what's that say about you?" Running his hands up Eijirou's sides, he leans in and pecks Eijirou's lips a few times in quick succession until he practically hears Eijirou's eyes roll as the weight of two strong arms settles on his shoulders.
"That I have bad taste and should break up with you?" He challenges, raising an eyebrow before his gaze flicks over to the cleaned cut and that stupid shitty look is back full-force. "At least I wouldn't hurt you anymore."
Katsuki rolls his own eyes now and pinches Eijirou's waist. "Cut that shit out. I'm fine. You could've made me into a kebab with your arm—which is so fucking hot, by the way—but you didn't, so it's fine. I'm fine, you're fine, everything's fine. Let's just go back to bed, I'm fucking exhausted."
"No way!" Eijirou hops up, looking scandalized. "You're gonna go sleep in your own room!"
Tipping his head back, Katsuki groans long and loud. "Fine," He narrows his eyes as he pokes a finger into Eijirou's chest, "but this isn't over. We're gonna figure this shit out. I don't give up on anything and I especially ain't giving up on this."
Finally, after what feels like an eternity of lonely nights spent tossing and turning and missing Eijirou's warmth, Katsuki has the solution and eagerly knocks on Eijirou's door, brimming with a giddy sense of accomplishment.
When Eijirou opens the door, looking soft and sleepy and stupidly pretty, Katsuki holds up his small bag and enters the room, closing the door behind him. “I got you a gift.”
“Oh shit,” Eijirou’s eyes widen comically, “did I forget an anniversary? Wait, is it my birthday?”
Katsuki furrows his brows incredulously, then snorts as he pulls the bracelet out of the bag. “What? No, idiot, I just wanted to get you something. Here,” Katsuki takes Eijirou’s hand in his and clasps the chain around his wrist, “I had them specially made."
Eijirou is quiet for a moment, twisting the bracelet around his wrist reverently. “It looks like the one I wore when we came to rescue you.”
“Yeah, I talked to that loud support course girl and had her make some bracelets that could suppress our quirks. Sometimes, shitty nightmares also make me use my quirk without meaning to and it only got worse after the training camp when I pushed my body past its limits. So, I," He groans, "explode shit all the time on top of all the kicking."
With a weary sigh, Katsuki leans forward and presses his forehead to Eijirou's chest. “It fucking sucks and I don’t wanna hurt you either, Eijirou, so we have some cheesy ass matching bracelets now. Fucking gross.”
“You’d really be quirkless for me?” Eijirou whispers as he intertwines their fingers and squeezes lightly, their bracelets clinking together quietly.
“If you’d asked me that two years ago, I never would have even fucking considered it—no chance in hell I’d ever be caught dead willingly quirkless and weak. But now?”
After pulling him into a soft, lingering kiss, Katsuki murmurs against Eijirou’s lips,
“I’d do anything for you, Eijirou.”