Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh shit,” was the first thing Katsuki heard upon waking. He snapped out of the last tendrils of unconsciousness faster than he ever had before, bolting upright to squint across the dim room. The door was hanging half-open, an unfamiliar shape blocking most of the light that fell through the entrance. “Uh, sorry to interrupt,” said the interrupting person.

A grumble came from beside Katsuki. An arm, sprawled across his waist, tugged sleepily at him like its owner was trying to pull him back into bed. Katsuki ignored it and glared at the intruder. “Fuck you want?”

“Hey man, it’s my room too,” the guy rejoined. He finally came inside, pushing the door shut behind him and crossing the room to the bed on the other side of the wall. “I’m your roommate, remember?”

Katsuki groaned and dropped back to his sheets. “It’s barely the first day of the semester, have you been partying all fucking night? No, don’t answer that.” He glanced over to his bedmate who was currently, slowly, squirming back to wrap himself around Katsuki. “Ugh, fuck off.”

No reply, just mossy green curls shoved up against Katsuki’s face. He sneezed at the attack and glared down. “Deku,” he growled.

There was a clatter from his roommate’s side of the room. “Oops,” he said. A loud rustling. “So’s that your boyfriend?” the roommate asked cheerfully.

“None of your business,” Katsuki snapped. “Now fuck off before you wake him up.”

“I dunno man, you’re being plenty loud enough to wake him up.”

Katsuki reached down, hand searching past the sheets and into the air before his fingers found the leather of one of his boots. He hurled it and was rewarded with an alarmed squawk.

“Alright dude, okay! I’m leaving, anyway.” There were a few more too-loud noises but finally, his roommate left the dorm again, trailing wires from the entire Playstation he was lugging with him.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Deku’s head popped up, hair wild and sleep marks creased into one cheek. He squinted blearily at Katsuki. “Time’s it?” he slurred.

“Fucker. I knew you were awake.” But Katsuki fetched his phone from its charger cable on the bedside table and swiped at the screen. “It’s ten after five.”

Deku yawned, squeaking out a tiny noise that Katsuki absolutely did not find adorable. He sat up, pulling the blanket from both of them with the movement and stretching out his arms. The blanket pooled around his hips, and Katsuki eyed his bare torso with interest. It might be disgustingly early in the morning, but Deku’s abs were nothing to frown at. “Good morning!” Deku chirped, finally done with his weird morning routine stretch. He leaned down to kiss Katsuki but Katsuki planted a hand in his face to stop him.

“I ain’t kissing you with your ass breath,” Katsuki warned.

“That’s not what you said last night,” said Deku. He just giggled when Katsuki pinched his hip. Katsuki wondered why he had been cursed with a boyfriend who was a morning person. Well, Eijirou was too, but at least he made Katsuki tea in the mornings. Deku always burned tea; how, exactly, he did so was a mystery to everyone.

“Alright, I’m gonna head out,” Deku declared. “I’m meeting Kiri at the gym in twenty minutes.” He swung one leg over Katsuki, straddling him for a brief moment before moving off him and hopping onto the floor.

Katsuki shamelessly watched his ass in his stupid yellow boxers as he tugged on the pants, shirt, and shoes that had been thrown to the floor last night. So maybe they had gone a little overboard, but Deku had spent most of winter break at a temp job and Katsuki had stayed with Eijirou and his moms, so they hadn’t spent much time together.

As soon as Katsuki had moved his items back into his dorm yesterday - and ignored his new roommate that Housing had assigned to him because he’d scared off his roommate from the fall semester - he’d texted Deku to come over. Shouto, who usually would have come with Deku, had apparently gone to see Eijirou. That was fine; they all couldn’t have fit in his shitty dorm bed anyway.

“So who’s your roommate?” Deku asked as he pulled on his socks and shoes. He glanced up at Katsuki, but it was still dark enough that his face was barely visible. Katsuki hoped he’d put on his shirt backwards. He’d look fucking hilarious. Maybe Eijirou would take a picture and send it to him.

“Dunno,” he said and yanked the discarded blanket back up over his torso. Shouto had gotten it for him, but not like any normal person; no, Shouto had crept up on him in the middle of the night last fall, tossed it on him with a note that said ‘Don’t freeze to death’ and then left. Shouto was a fucking weirdo. He was lucky he was hot.

Deku looked very disapproving, maybe. It was hard to tell in the darkness. “You don’t know your own roommate’s name? You met him yesterday.”

“Don’t care,” Katsuki clarified. He slapped his phone back to the bedside table. “He’s annoying.”

“He looks kinda familiar,” Deku mused. He finally stood, rummaging through Katsuki’s desk to find his wallet and phone. “I think we might have taken our anatomy and physiology course with him last semester.”

“Don’t care,” Katsuki repeated.

“Hmm, you’d better be nice to him.” Deku approached the bed again and bent down to kiss Katsuki’s forehead. Katsuki glared at him. “He’s going to have to put up with you for the whole semester. Don’t scare him off like your last one.”

“My last roommate was a copycatting bitch who tried to steal my homework,” Katsuki growled. “He deserved to have the shit scared out of him.”

Deku patted his cheek fondly. Katsuki tried to bite his hand. “Well, I’m off,” Deku said brightly and headed for the door. “See you later! Say hi to Shouto for me.”

“What?” Katsuki squinted after him. “Deku! What?”

Deku waved cheerfully and shut the door behind him. Katsuki scowled after him and considered for a moment texting Eijirou to find out what he meant, but he was too tired to deal with Eijirou’s emoji-laden replies. Shouto wasn’t even worth trying; he wouldn’t be awake until five minutes before his first class started.

Katsuki huffed and rolled over to fall back asleep.

Making his way into his first class of the day, Katsuki was greeted by the sound of a desk crashing to the floor and a massive body hurling at him.

“Katsuki!” Eijirou bellowed, probably bursting the eardrums of the other few students who had arrived early. Katsuki allowed him to wrap his arms around him for a good five seconds before he shoved out of his grip.

“Alright, that’s enough. You act like you didn’t steal my schedule so you could get the same class as me.”

Eijirou grinned, sharp teeth glinting. That, coupled with his enormous build, would be intimidating, but the softness of his face and kind eyes more than made up for it. “I’m just happy to see you! Come on, sit next to me!”

Katsuki wasn’t sure that was the best idea, but he followed Eijirou to the centre of the classroom anyway. Eijirou easily lifted the heavy desk and dropped into it, patting the desk beside him expectantly. He was wearing an awful crop top shirt with the words Red Riot printed across it, and the line of his hips was visible just beneath the ragged edges. It was annoyingly attractive. It did not, however, make up for the awful red Crocs he was wearing.

Katsuki sighed and sat down. He pulled out his computer and notebook, arranging them on his desk and aware that Eijirou was watching him intently the entire time.

“What?” he finally snapped, and Eijirou beamed in reply.

“You just have a particular way you set up your stuff, it’s cute.”

“I am not cute.”

Eijirou leaned over to ruffle his hair. He would have lost his damn hand if Katsuki had any weapon within range. “You are,” he cooed. Yeah, he’d been spending far too much time with his moms. He needed to move out of their place.

“Fuck off,” Katsuki snapped, but Eijirou didn’t reply this time. His gaze fell past Katsuki to the door and his face lit up.

“Oh my god!” The desk went flying once again as Eijirou tore across the room to the two students who had just entered. “Mina! Hanta!”

“Kiri!” they both shrieked, and tackled him with hugs.

Katsuki sighed and opened his laptop. Eijirou’s friends were as loud as he was, but multiplied by five times or so when they were all together. He tuned them out as they exchanged greetings and chattered, changing topics like they were tossing a hot potato from one to the other.

“Hell no,” Katsuki warned Eijirou when the trio began to approach him. “If they sit here, I’m moving. I don’t want you loudmouths next to me when I’m trying to pay attention.”

“You’re so studious,” said Eijirou reverently, but then picked his desk up and sat down in it again, entirely ignoring Katsuki’s threat. “You guys can sit over here!” he invited, pointing to the desks on the other side of him. Both of his friends toppled into the desks, no notebooks or pencils anywhere in sight, and began talking again.

Katsuki glanced around at the other ten or so students that were in the room so far, and wondered if he could possibly get away with murder in public.

“Here, babe,” said Eijirou. Katsuki glared at him and snatched the earbuds he was offering.

“If you talk during class, I’ll shove these down your throat,” he threatened.

Eijirou grinned and turned back to his friends. Katsuki huffed and put in the earbuds, linking them to his computer to listen to a pounding beat that rattled his skull until the class began.

Their professor arrived exactly two minutes before class began. He banged around at the podium, bright blond hair almost glinting with the sun creeping into the small windows of the room. “Alright, class!” he bellowed at exactly eight, and Katsuki tugged out his earphones. Well, at least he wouldn’t have a problem hearing in this class. “I’m Yamada Hizashi, your teacher for this literature class! It’s a core class, so you don’t have a choice but to be here, but just try your best!”

Katsuki wouldn’t try his best. He’d do his best. He’d fucking rule this class.

“Katsuki,” Eijirou whispered. Katsuki stared straight ahead at their professor, who was scrawling his name in kanji across the blackboard. “Babe. Kats. Bakubabe.”

Heaving a deep sigh, Katsuki yanked an extra notebook from his bag and slapped it into Eijirou’s chest. He could feel Eijirou’s grin aimed at him.

“Thanks!”

“Be quiet,” Katsuki hissed.

Eijirou beamed harder, but finally bent his head over the notebook and began scribbling in it.

Katsuki, maybe, perhaps, liked that he was sharing a class with Eijirou, even if that would come with the responsibility of forcing Eijirou to study. Well, they could study like they did in their class with Shouto and Deku last semester. Sex was a great bribe.

Now who wasn’t paying attention? Katsuki glared at Eijirou for daring to remind him of sex, then focused back on the professor. This was going to be an interesting class.

“Headed to your next class?” Eijirou asked as Katsuki slipped his laptop and notebook into his bag. “Whaddya have?”

“Statistics. Another fuckin’ core class.” Katsuki caught Eijirou’s desk when Eijirou stood and it began to tip once again.

“I have Systems Programming!” said Eijirou. He followed Katsuki as he left the room. “It’s supposed to be super hard, though, so I’m going to a study group right afterwards. Maybe I’ll make some new friends!”

Someone in the hall stared admiringly at Eijirou’s visibly toned stomach below the ragged edges of his crop top, but they flinched away when they noticed Katsuki’s glare. Yeah, you’d better be scared, fucker. He’s mine.

“Got to pee!” Eijirou announced, and he headed for the bathroom at the end of the hall. His spiked red hair almost brushed the top of the doorframe as he went through.

Katsuki glanced at his watch, considered his next class which was thirty minutes away and in a building halfway across campus, and decided he had enough time. He followed Eijirou into the bathroom.

“Okay, but I do actually have to pee,” said Eijirou when Katsuki shoved him into the largest stall in the bathroom. Katsuki locked the door and pushed him up against the wall. This one was at the end of the row of stalls. Katsuki had had a class in here last semester, so he and Eijirou had...frequented this bathroom.

“You can go later.” Katsuki slid both hands up the loose edge of Eijirou’s shirt, fingers pressing into the ridged muscle and curls of dark hair that trailed down below the line of his jeans. His skin was warm and soft and it trembled beneath Katsuki’s touch.

“Don’t you have class in like twenty minutes - ?” Eijirou’s protest was cut off by his own sharp inhale as Katsuki reached down and palmed over the front of his jeans.

“You gonna shut up and let me do what I want?” Katsuki popped the button on Eijirou’s jeans.

“Uh,” said Eijirou, pupils blown wide.

Katsuki grinned at him and slid down to his knees. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“‘Say hi to Shouto for me,’” Katsuki muttered under his breath, repeating what Deku had told him with a grin that morning, as he eyed the person that had just entered the classroom. “Deku knows all our schedules, doesn’t he? Little shit.”

“Hello,” said Shouto as he approached. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed - and he probably had, if this was his first class today. He was gripping a large coffee like it was the only thing keeping him sane and had another small cardboard cup in his other hand.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at Shouto as he slid into the desk beside Katsuki. “I get no peace, huh?”

“Izuku said to say good morning,” Shouto said mildly. He handed the smaller cup to Katsuki. “Izuku is wrong. Mornings are not good.”

Katsuki sipped from the cup. Fuck. If there was one thing good about Shouto’s coffee obsession, it was that he never forgot what others liked to drink as well. This hot matcha tea was perfect not only to revitalise Katsuki, but also to wash the lingering taste of Eijirou off the back of his tongue.

Katsuki startled when he felt a cool finger poke his neck. “Fuck! What?”

Shouto tilted his head and considered his throat curiously. “You have three hickeys,” he said.

Katsuki swore and pulled out his phone to flip the mirror and examine his own neck. Sure enough, two fading bruises were tucked into the dip of his collarbone and a fresher, purpling one was blooming over his jugular. “Shit. Fucking Deku and his biting kink.”

“That new one is definitely from Eijirou,” Shouto pointed out. “His teeth are much sharper.”

Katsuki glared at him. “You can’t talk. All three of you shitheads like to bite.”

Shouto turned away haughtily as he lifted his cup to his lips, but notably didn’t argue. Katsuki snorted. He had a feeling this class was going to be a little calmer than his one with Eijirou.

Katsuki glared when Shouto and Deku slid into the booth opposite his seat. Deku looked harried, his hair wild like he’d been running his hand through it nonstop - and he probably had been, knowing him - but Shouto seemed unconcerned, face placid as he sipped from a thermos. “You’re late,” Katsuki accused.

“We had to stop and get coffee,” said Shouto.

“It’s decaffeinated,” Deku explained when Katsuki squinted at him. He picked up a menu and frowned intensely at it as he read. Katsuki didn’t know why he bothered. They frequented this restaurant, as it was the only good curry place within walking distance of Shouto’s and Deku’s apartment, and they all had the menu practically memorised by now.

Katsuki scoffed and reached across the table to pluck the thermos from Shouto’s hand. “You’re going to have a heart attack from how much coffee you drink.”

The look he received in return was withering. “Give me back my coffee,” Shouto said icily.

Unscrewing the lid of the thermos, Katsuki maintained eye contact as he chugged the last dredges of Shouto’s coffee. It was fucking awful. Katsuki wasn’t a fan of coffee, and certainly not black coffee with only a splash of milk, but he wasn’t going to let on. He slammed the thermos to the table and shoved it back to Shouto.

Shouto might like to think that he remained neutral at all times, face expressionless, but right now, he was definitely pouting. He grabbed the empty thermos and frowned at Katsuki with furrowed eyebrows. “I’m breaking up with you,” he decided.

Deku, who had been ignoring them both the entire time, reached over without looking to consolingly pat Shouto’s hand. “Babe, we’ve talked about breaking up with people over your coffee addiction.”

“He drank mine,” Shouto complained. “He deserves to have one less boyfriend. Izuku, you should break up with him too.”

Deku laughed. “Shouto, I’m not breaking up with Kacchan. Who would pay for our meal?”

Crossing his arms, Shouto looked off into the distance, a stubborn set to his mouth. “I can. I’m rich.”

“Yeah, all right, Daddy’s boy,” said Katsuki, and leaned over once more, but this time to steal Deku’s menu. Shouto scowled at him, either for the insult or that he’d dared interrupt Deku’s musings over his food choice. “I already ordered for you two fuckers.”

“Thanks, Kacchan!” Deku chirped. “What’d you get me?”

“I will hate whatever you got me,” said Shouto, clearly still offended.

Katsuki ignored him, slapping the menu down on the empty seat beside him and squinting at Deku. “Alright, you were frowning at that thing for five minutes. You might be slow as fuck at making decisions, but never that slow. The fuck’s wrong?”

Deku’s face and cheerful facade fell, caught out. He glanced anxiously at Shouto, who just blinked back at him, and wrung his hands in the most Deku motion ever. “I…I dunno. I guess so, Kacchan.” He hesitated, and Katsuki was glad that at least he hadn’t gone off about how he was happy Katsuki was asking how he was doing, as he had done many times before.

“Spit it out, nerd.”

Deku whined and propped his elbows on the table, burying his face in his hands. “I just - it’s first day jitters, right? My classes are all just really intense and it’s only the first day. I had Microbiology lecture and lab, Medical Terminology, and Pathophysiology with lab today and they’re really hard.” His face finally popped back up, expression conflicted. “Not that I’m not up for hard classes, I just…all during class today, I could only think ‘What if I’m making the wrong choice?’ Like…I’m dedicating myself to this major but what if it’s not what I really want? I don’t know.”

Katsuki considered what Eijirou might say if he was here and not helping out at his moms’ restaurant tonight. Everyone goes through a crisis about their major, maybe. Or perhaps he’d reassure Deku with a It’s okay to be unsure! and spout off some wise bullshit that would make Deku instantly feel better and able to make a decision.

Well, Katsuki wasn’t Eijirou. He picked up the menu beside him and rapped Deku on the head with it, who yelped and looked at him with wide eyes. “Stop spiralling. If you’re so worried about it, explore some other options.”

Deku blinked and swiped at his eyes. They’d welled up, either from the surprise of the menu attack or, more likely, from what Katsuki had said. “Thanks, Kacchan,” he said, voice moist.

“Ugh,” said Katsuki, and threw a napkin at him.

Shouto patted Deku’s shoulder. “Yes,” he said. “But also consider that you have wanted to be in the medical field since you were five. If it is what you’ve always wanted, stick with it and you’ll get through it.”

Deku blew his nose into the napkin. It should have been gross, but instead, it sounded like a kitten having an asthma attack. He sniffled loudly. “Thanks, Shouto. I’m so glad you two are my boyfriends.”

It was probably a good thing Eijirou wasn’t here. He was a sympathetic crier. If he saw Deku’s wobbling jaw and glassy eyes, he’d starting bawling too, and they’d have a crying fest in one of their favourite restaurants.

“Shit,” said Katsuki, instead of replying. He’d had enough of this emotional discussion. “Where the fuck’s our food?” He waved angrily at one of the servers across the room. She maintained eye contact for half a second, then scurried back into the kitchen. Wimp.

Shouto procured another thermos from literally nowhere and offered it to Deku. “Want some coffee?”

Chapter Text

Katsuki banged on the door to Eijirou’s room, scowling when he didn’t receive an immediate reply. “Open up, dumbass!” He pounded harder.

The door was whisked open only a moment later and Eijirou grinned at him. He wasn’t wearing anything but low-cut boxers and fingerless gloves. His bare torso gleamed with sweat, his happy trail in damp, dark curls. “Hey, babe! Did you say hi to my moms on the way up?”

Katsuki scoffed and shoved past him, letting Eijirou close the door behind them. “‘Course I did, who do you think let me up?” His moms were both just as outgoing and bubbly as Eijirou and had tried to draw him into a conversation, invite him to dinner next week, and dump food on him all at the same time. He’d evaded the conversation and told them he’d already eaten tonight, but somehow he’d agreed to eat with them next week. Katsuki wasn’t sure if they were unbelievably cheerful or just incredibly sly and conniving.

Eijirou followed Katsuki as he headed for the desk next to Eijirou’s bed. The room was large, with a small bathroom on the other side, but it was still just a room. It had a tiny kitchenette, shelves piled with Eijirou’s shit, a workout area that Eijirou had clearly just been using, and Eijirou’s too-large bed that was piled with blankets, pillows, and stuffed shark plushies.

“So how were classes today?” Eijirou asked, hovering behind Katsuki as he pushed Eijirou’s laptop aside to set up his own studying materials. The chair was fucking ugly and the desk small, but it was comfortable and Eijirou knew how to shut up when Katsuki was studying, while Katsuki very much doubted that his own idiot roommate would do the same.

“Fine. I don’t have that much to go over since it’s just the first day.” Katsuki sighed as his laptop slowly booted up and glanced over his shoulder to Eijirou, who was frowning as he adjusted the straps of his gloves. “Have fun bussing tables tonight?”

Eijirou laughed. “Nah, I helped Mom in the kitchen with prep since they were understaffed tonight. I did get all sweaty though, so I decided to come up and work out when I was finished.” He punched his fists together demonstratively and beamed, one dimple in his cheek winking at Katsuki. Only Eijirou would go from the idea of “sweat” to “more sweat.”

Katsuki snorted and turned back to his laptop. He could instantly feel Eijirou’s pout directed at the back of his head. “What, fucker? I literally saw you this morning, we don’t need to have a heartfelt discussion to catch up.”

Eijirou leaned on the back of the chair, arms draping over Katsuki’s shoulders. The chair creaked ominously under his weight. “Don’t I get a kiss?”

“When you finish beating on that punching bag in the corner and I finish what I’m doing, then yeah.”

Eijirou shuffled even closer, and Katsuki could feel the damp huff of his breath against the back of his neck. He smelled like raw power and pooling sweat. It shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was. “Just a little?” he pleaded.

Katsuki scowled at his laptop screen, displaying a website page he’d just pulled up, and then sighed. He leaned sideways, twisted his head back, and planted a brief kiss to Eijirou’s pouting lips. “There, dumbass. Now let me work.”

Eijirou’s face lit up instantly. He was like a fucking puppy, gratified instantly with any acknowledgement or love. “Okay! Are you staying over tonight?”

“Yeah, I already went by Deku’s and Shouto’s place after we had dinner.”

“Awesome!” Eijirou swept in without warning to press another kiss against Katsuki’s cheek. He darted away instantly, aware of the hand Katsuki was already swinging toward him. He laughed brightly and bounced across the room back toward his pile of workout equipment and the punching bag hanging from the ceiling.

“Fucker!” Katsuki called after him.

“Yeah!” Eijirou agreed cheerfully. He chugged from a water bottle sitting on the windowsill next to his weights. “But you’re not studying yet, are you? What’s that website you’re looking at?”

Scoffing, Katsuki turned back to the page he had open, showing a picture of an extensive lab and a tall, beaming blond man holding a vial with some blue liquid. Beneath the picture were rows and rows of empty information fields that he had yet to fill out. “It’s an application for a summer internship.”

“Wow, you’re way ahead! Classes just started for the spring semester and you’re already planning for summer.”

“That’s how internships work, dumbass. You have to apply a long time before they start.”

There was a loud crunch behind Katsuki, but he refused to turn and see what it was. He got his answer a moment later, anyway. “Aww, water bottle,” Eijirou said mournfully. He’d probably set it down and then immediately forgotten it was there and stepped on it. “What’s the internship for?”

“It’s a chemistry engineering internship in one of the biggest labs in the city. Fuckin’ Yagi Toshinori runs it.”

“Ooh, the All Might lab?” Eijirou bounded back over, briefly reading the description of the internship over Katsuki’s shoulder and then going back to the corner. “You’ve talked about that before! That’s cool! So you’ll be interning there this summer?”

Katsuki snorted. “Maybe. There are going to be dozens of applicants for this position.”

“You’ll get it,” Eijirou said confidently. Katsuki glanced over his shoulder to see Eijirou settle himself into a low stance and begin repetitively punching the swinging bag with his gloved hands. An almost-soothing constant thudding sound filled the room. “I know you will! You’re the best chemical engineering student that UA has to offer.”

Katsuki turned back to his laptop, grinning despite himself. “Damn right.”

Katsuki woke to a patch of sunlight glaring in his eyes and a crushing weight on his chest. He winced against the light, turning his head away from it and blinking blearily. He had no idea what time it was, but since his alarm hadn’t gone off, he assumed it was before eight - oh, it was the weekend, he remembered. Finally. He was going to be studying all day. This first week of classes had been exhausting. One would think professors would ease the students into the first week, but no, Katsuki had been tossed in head-first.

“Turn the sun off,” came a disgruntled voice just below Katsuki’s collarbone. When he looked down, his gaze was met only with a mop of atrocious red-and-white hair. If he looked closely, there was a tiny hint of dark roots at the base of the white. He’d be willing to bet that Shouto and Eijirou would be having a hair dye day either today or tomorrow. They had a weird-ass way of bonding.

“Ugh,” said Katsuki in reply. Deku had probably opened the curtains when he left. He could be surprisingly passive-aggressive when he wanted to be, but just because he and Eijirou made the choice to get up at the asscrack of dawn didn’t mean that Katsuki and Shouto had to suffer too. Deku was probably just jealous because he had to go to the gym instead of staying here and cuddling Shouto, Katsuki decided.

Shouto complained loudly when Katsuki pushed him away to get out of bed, but he didn’t get up to follow. Instead, he lay sprawled across the rumpled sheets, gaze bleary and disoriented as he squinted up at Katsuki. “Bring me coffee,” he demanded, and then rolled over, wrapping himself in the blankets like some kind of multi-coloured burrito.

Katsuki was not going to bring him coffee. He found his jeans on the floor by Deku’s dresser and slipped them on, heading for the door before thinking twice and doubling back to swing open the curtains even wider. Shouto made a loud resentful noise, almost like a hiss, as if the sunlight had burned him. It wouldn’t; Katsuki had never seen the fucker with a sunburn. He was dramatic as fuck, though.

His phone, which was almost dead since he’d left it in his jeans’ pocket all night, buzzed with a text as he left the bathroom.

Shitty hair: hey just leaving the gym! :D

Katsuki: fuck do I care

Shitty hair: ur awake!!! zuku said we’ll bring coffee n tea if u make breakfst! :*

Katsuki: whatever

Which was as good an agreement that he would give. He started breakfast anyway, putting steamed rice into the battered rice cooker on the counter and heating up leftover miso soup that he’d made two nights ago. He glared in the almost-empty fridge and grabbed a few vegetables for kobachi. He rarely bought food for his dorm, preferring to eat either here or at Eijirou’s place, but he hadn’t gone shopping at all this week and Shouto and Deku were both useless at getting groceries. Shouto bought the most expensive, random items he encountered, and Deku somehow found expired, old products that inevitably went bad before Katsuki could use them.

Sometimes it was annoying being the only good cook among the four. Eijirou was adequate, as he had to be with two parents who owned a restaurant, but he would live on protein shakes and ramen if Katsuki let him.

Deku was improving, if by improving it meant that he no longer burnt simple steamed rice. He’d tried making a cake for Shouto’s birthday during winter break and all of them had somehow gotten food poisoning. Katsuki had never learned and still had no desire to know what, exactly, he’d put into the dessert to cause that. He shouldn’t have tried it anyway. He didn’t even like sweets. Deku had just had very effective pleading eyes when he had held out a plate of the shit.

Shouto joined him when he was halfway through making the third bowl of kobachi. He squinted around the kitchen, expression petulant when he realised that Katsuki hadn’t turned on the coffee maker.

“No,” Katsuki told him when he headed toward it, drawn to it like a moth to flame. “Deku’s picking some up.”

“Too long,” Shouto said. “Need coffee now.”

Katsuki unplugged the coffee maker and shoved it into the highest cabinet he could reach. Technically Shouto was maybe an inch or two taller than him and could easily reach it, but Katsuki was counting on Shouto’s inherent morning laziness to prevent him from reaching all the way up there, and it worked. Shouto pouted and slumped against the counter like a puppet with its strings cut. He was incredibly dramatic.

“Why do I date people who won’t let me have coffee,” Shouto said mournfully. “I should dump you all.”

Katsuki snorted. “Who’d make you breakfast then, huh?”

“I would.”

“That would require waking up all the way.”

“I’d…order it.”

“You’d have to talk to the delivery person.”

Shouto looked torn. “I guess…keep you then.”

Katsuki chewed on a piece of seaweed and dumped the vegetables he’d just cooked into a few small bowls. “So fuckin’ generous of you.”

Shouto nodded in agreement and plodded across the small kitchen to drape himself over Katsuki’s back, resting his chin on his shoulder and sighing deeply. “Cold,” he said. “Warm me up.”

“I’ll blast you to hell,” Katsuki threatened. Shouto snuffled into his neck and yawned. Fucker was basically a cat. Warm places, no contact unless he initiated it, no idea of personal space, smothering you when you woke up.

Katsuki continued making breakfast, Shouto a steadfast presence against his back. He wondered, as he turned off the rice cooker and dumped the miso soup into four individual bowls, if Shouto had fallen asleep. He was shuffling along behind Katsuki, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, but he was breathing deeply and had slumped heavily against him. Katsuki wouldn’t be surprised. He had seen Shouto fall asleep in a crowded restaurant, in class during a test review, on a train with a screaming baby, and on a phone call with one of his brothers. Shouto didn’t have narcolepsy, he could just close his eyes and drift off in any situation whatsoever.

He considered jabbing Shouto with his elbow to wake him up, but just like a cat when startled, Shouto had claws too. It would be funny, though.

“Oi,” said Katsuki once he’d finished plating four servings worth of kobachi, steamed rice, and miso soup. He squirmed loose from Shouto’s grip, despite Shouto’s insistent clinging. “Help me carry these to the table, asshole.”

Shouto grumpily complied, but only carried a single bowl to the kotatsu before curling up on the cushion beside it. Katsuki kicked him in retaliation for leaving all the work to him, but was met only with a jaw-cracking yawn and Shouto turning his back to him. He might have kicked harder, but at that moment, he heard the lock turning in the front door.

“Good morning!” exclaimed Eijirou as soon as the door opened. He bounded inside, a four-cup carrier in one hand and his gym bag in the other. He looked horrifically excited to be awake.

“No,” Shouto moaned from the floor, but then he abruptly bolted upright, eyes narrowed. “Coffee.”

“Yep!” said Eijirou. Deku came through the door behind him and shut it, locking it in place. He took one of the cups in the carrier from Eijirou and crossed the room to crouch next to Shout, holding it teasingly above his head.

“Say ‘good morning’ and I’ll give you the coffee,” said Deku, grinning at him.

“Good morning,” Shouto said immediately. He waited until Deku had given him the cup and lifted it worshipfully to his nose, inhaling deeply, and then declared, “I lied. Mornings are terrible.”

Eijirou laughed as he set down the other three cups on the kotatsu next to the bowls of food. “Hey, that’s no way to talk when Katsuki here made a delicious breakfast.”

“Yeah, thanks for breakfast, Kacchan!” Deku chirped. He settled onto the cushion beside Shouto and began scooping some of the rice into his bowl.

Katsuki glowered at both of them. Much like Shouto’s feelings when he didn’t instantly get coffee, he didn’t know why he put up with them.

Eijirou swooped in to steal an extensive, tongue-winding kiss that left Katsuki breathless. Yeah okay, that’s why he put up with them.

“Alright, let’s eat breakfast!” Eijirou said cheerfully as soon as he pulled back. He gripped Katsuki’s hand and pulled him down to the last remaining cushion around the short kotatsu. “Here’s your tea, babe.”

Katsuki chugged some of the tea and then took Shouto’s chopsticks before he accidentally stabbed Deku’s hand as he collected vegetables from the kobachi dishes. “Drink your coffee first,” he ordered. Shouto complied instantly.

“This is great,” Eijirou decided, slurping from his bowl of miso soup. “We should have breakfast together every day.”

“Move in,” said Shouto.

Deku choked on a piece of squash. Katsuki eyed him suspiciously. If Deku died before they finished eating the food that Katsuki had spent thirty minutes out of his life to make, Katsuki would revive him just to murder him again.

“Uh,” said Deku, voice hoarse. He coughed. “Let’s…Shouto, we can talk about this later. Timing?”

Shouto didn’t look very convinced but lifted his coffee to his lips again instead of replying. Eijirou grinned helplessly.

Katsuki rolled his eyes and dug into his own food. Every fuckin’ meal was an adventure with these idiots.

Shouto squinted up at Katsuki as he approached. There was a calico cat draped over his lap with almost the exact same expression, claws kneading repetitively into Shouto’s thigh as he rubbed her head.

“What did you get me?” Shouto demanded.

Katsuki scoffed and handed him the thick ceramic mug he’d been carrying. “Coffee, like you asked, shithead.”

Shouto took a careful sip and glared at him accusingly. “It’s decaffeinated. I can tell.”

“Yeah,” said Katsuki pointedly. He dropped into the seat across from Shouto. “You’ve had four cups already today. I’m cutting you off.”

Shouto scowled but took another gulp from the coffee. His other hand didn’t stop smoothing over the ears of the cat in his lap. She was his favourite; she always made her way over to him once he sat down, and he wouldn’t let go of her once she was in his lap. Katsuki never let Shouto take any sort of bag in here, since he suspected that Shouto would attempt to sneak her out.

Katsuki opened his bag and tugged out a notebook and one of his thick textbooks for class. Shouto watched him in disinterest as he flipped them both open, propping the textbook on the plush arm of the chair and beginning to skim it to find where he’d left off last night. Another cat wound its way between his legs and dropped down to rest on his feet, purring. It felt like a tiny motor sitting on his shoes.

“This is a good date,” Shouto announced.

Katsuki glanced up at him. “Yeah, it’s quiet for once without Deku or Ei jabbering on. And my dates are the best, anyway.”

“No, I meant because there are cats and coffee,” said Shouto.

Katsuki sighed. “Whatever floats your boat, Icyhot.” But he was only half-attentive, fingers clenched around a pencil as he scribbled notes in the margins of the textbook.

“Look, it’s Shinsou,” said Shouto. He sounded almost interested, which was the Shouto equivalent of Eijirou jumping up and sprinting across the room to give someone a crushing hug. Katsuki looked where he gestured and rolled his eyes at the purple-haired student standing just outside the glass walls of the cat area. He was slouched against a counter, blinking blearily as he apparently waited for his drink from the slow barista.

“Ugh, that loser,” said Katsuki. He copied a formula from his textbook to the notebook on his lap. He’d need that later.

“He comes in here a lot. Isn’t he dating your roommate?” wondered Shouto.

“What? Fuck if I know. Don’t care.”

Shouto looked mournful. “Why do I keep knowing things about people. I don’t like this.”

“You and me both,” Katsuki said absently. He brushed away a cat that was creeping down the back of his seat. Disgruntled, it leapt down and joined the other cat on Shouto’s lap. Katsuki almost laughed at Shouto’s barely-concealed smile of delight. “Why do we even come here? You’re basically a cat yourself.”

“Cats and coffee,” Shouto said somberly. “Lifeblood. Katsuki, we should get a cat.” He looked down deliberately at the calico in his lap.

“No,” said Katsuki. “Your landlord doesn’t allow pets.”

Shouto looked thoughtful as he lifted the mug to his lips. When he lowered it, he said, “When we all move in together, we need to find a place that allows a cat. And maybe a dog, for Eijirou and Izuku.”

Katsuki pointedly ignored the mention of moving in. “No one’s getting a cat or dog. I’m allergic.”

“But,” said Shouto, eyebrows wrinkling as he looked to the cat curled up on Katsuki’s feet and then up to Katsuki, “you’re…here.”

Katsuki huffed and flipped to the next page in his textbook. “I’m studying.” He refused to admit that he took allergy medicine every time Shouto wanted to go here. They didn’t go that often, anyway. It was only open Monday through Friday, and Katsuki was usually too busy on weekdays to go out - although Shouto seemingly had infinite time to do whatever he wanted - but his Reactor Design class had let out early, so he’d agreed to meet Shouto here. It was Shouto’s second favourite date spot - his first, of course, was a meal and coffee in bed.

“I want more coffee,” said Shouto.

Katsuki grinned at him with all of his teeth. “Go ahead.” He’d bribed the barista with a folded bill and a ferocious glare to not give Shouto anything but decaf if he ordered anything.

Shouto frowned suspiciously, and made as if to get up, but then sank back down in his seat and looked down disconsolately. “I can’t move,” he declared. “I will disturb the cats. Katsuki. Get me more coffee.”

The cats, eyes squinted as Shouto smoothed a hand over their backs in turn, looked incredibly smug.

“No,” said Katsuki, underlining an important passage and going to the next area.

“Katsuki,” said Shouto, and his voice was low enough that Katsuki glanced up involuntarily. “When we get to your dorm,” Shouto started, and proceeding to outline the very explicit acts he would perform in exchange for one more cup of coffee right now.

Katsuki could only blink at him when he finished. There was no one else in the small cat area of the cafe with them, and he was glad because otherwise, he would have to knock them out for daring to overhear Shouto speak so filthily. “Yeah, alright,” said Katsuki, and got up to get Shouto more coffee.

The purple-haired bastard was still waiting for his drink when Katsuki shut the glass door to the cat area behind him and made his way to the counter. Katsuki waited until he’d ordered another decaf for Shouto and then leaned against the counter, glancing over at the other student.

“You’re dating my roommate,” he said.

The guy glanced over, raising a single eyebrow. “Maybe. Who’s your roommate?”

“Loudmouth bitch.”

He seemed to consider that. “That doesn’t narrow it down.”

Katsuki snorted. “What, you have a harem or something?”

The barista handed the guy his drink and he immediately took a slurp from it, ignoring the fact that it was likely scalding and eyeing Katsuki over it. “I have two boyfriends. Problem?” He didn’t seem like he would care even if Katsuki did have a problem with it.

Katsuki snorted again, even harder this time. “I beat you there. I have three. Anyway, tell your blond dumbass to stay out of the room tonight.” The barista, probably urged on by his impatient scowl, hurriedly handed back the refilled mug to Katsuki.

“No promises,” the purple guy called after Katsuki, but he’d already started back toward the cat area. One of the grey cats was blocking the door as he entered, so he snuck his foot inside and pushed it out of the way. It yowled as if he’d kicked it and bounced across the room to the massive windowsill where another few cats were lounging in the sun.

“Here,” said Katsuki, shoving the mug into Shouto’s hands. Shouto sighed happily and began drinking from it again. He had a serious addiction.

Katsuki had just begun to get back into his textbook when Shouto’s phone pinged loudly. Shouto glanced at it only briefly before tossing it to Katsuki. “’S for you.” Katsuki growled and clicked on the notification from Eijirou, typing out a quick reply.

Eijirou: hey shouto cn u tell kats he left his phone at my plce

Shouto: just give it to me in class tomorrow dumbass

Eijirou: hey babe!! u guys at the cafe agn?? having fun? :D

Shouto: having fun sucking deku’s dick? fuck off

Eijirou: dnt be ridiculous we’re not doing tht until l8er tnite hehe

Eijirou: btw how’s ur intern applicton goin

Shouto: fine it’s been approved. just waiting for an interview. now fuck off

Eijirou <333333 :*

Katsuki threw the phone back to Shouto. “Just text him yourself next time.”

Shouto hummed into his coffee. “But that’s so much effort.”

Chapter Text

“Dude,” said Katsuki’s roommate reproachfully as Katsuki entered the room. Katsuki didn’t look over at him, grabbing a pile of textbooks and his laptop charger from his desk instead, but his roommate probably sounded disapproving because he was currently shirtless and straddling a wide-eyed guy in his bed. Huh, that guy looked kind of familiar…

“Oh, shit,” said the kind-of-familiar guy. “Denki, I didn’t know you were roomies with Kiri’s boyfriend.”

“Oh, shit,” Katsuki’s roommate realised. “I am?”

Katsuki frowned at them both as he zipped up his backpack. The familiar guy was the idiot who sat with Eijirou during their morning class. “Put a sock on the door next time.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know?” Katsuki’s roommate said to the guy beneath him. “Kiri calls all his boyfriends ‘babe.’”

“That’s true,” the other guy said thoughtfully.

Katsuki slammed the door loudly behind him as he left. His roommate squawked spectacularly. Katsuki used one hand to thumb out a message as he shouldered his backpack and made his way down the hallway out of the dorms.

Katsuki: when does your cs recruitment event shit end

There was no immediate reply, but Katsuki didn’t expect one. Eijirou had these small recruitment events targeted toward his major that occurred almost every month, and he went to each one. It was a mediocre conglomeration of computer nerds. Katsuki was pretty sure Eijirou would be the only one with a single muscle among them - well, this time, Deku would too since he was going with Eijirou. Shouto had gone with Eijirou last time, but he’d learned, as Katsuki had, that it was far too much socializing for one night, so he’d announced that he would stay at his apartment and nap.

Katsuki had thought about going over there to keep Shouto company, but he knew better. Midterms were next week and he had to study; if he dropped by Shouto’s and Deku’s place, Shouto would jump him. He got needy when Deku left him for more than approximately twelve seconds.

So Katsuki headed to Eijirou’s place. It wasn’t exactly Eijirou’s place - he lived above his moms’ garage in their small house next to their restaurant - but it was cosy and comfortable and Katsuki had never found a better place to study. It smelled like sweat half of the time, since Eijirou constantly forgot to open the windows when he was working out, but even that was somehow comforting.

His phone rang just as he reached the pavement that led to the front door of Eijirou’s place. He growled under his breath and picked it up, stopping just outside the door. “What?”

A loud, booming voice came through, hissing static in Katsuki’s ear as his phone protested the noise. “Hello! I am calling for a Katsuki Bakugou.”

“Yeah, who is it?”

“This is Yagi Toshinori, with the All Might lab!”

“Shit,” Katsuki muttered under his breath. “Shit, shit, shit - ”

“Do you have a moment!” bellowed Toshinori.

Katsuki almost dropped his entire backpack as he fumbled for his notepad and a pencil. “Yeah, uh…I’m free.”

“The committee has looked over many applications, but yours and a few others have stood out! Not only are your grades excellent, but you have also participated in multiple organizations. We like that in a candidate!”

Katsuki swore quietly.

“We’d love to have you in for an interview!”

Katsuki swore less quietly.

Toshinori continued on in his thunderous voice, and Katsuki scribbled down everything that he said. He had never been more grateful for his easy scrawl, balancing his phone between his ear and his shoulder while holding his notepad and pencil.

“…So does next Friday at five in the afternoon work for you?” Toshinori concluded deafeningly.

“Yeah, I’ll put it in my calendar.”

“Wonderful! I can’t wait to meet you! I will see you soon, young Bakugou.” Toshinori hung up almost instantly.

“Shit,” said Katsuki again. He grinned despite himself and took a few moments to punch the interview date into his phone calendar, then he bounded up the last few steps to the front door and knocked.

He only had to wait a moment before he opened. One of Eijirou’s moms stood there, eye wrinkles deep as she beamed at Katsuki. Her sharp teeth were perfectly identical to Eijirou’s. “Katsuki! Come in!”

“Hi, Sayaka-san,” he greeted her, and he kissed her cheek dutifully when she offered it. It felt odd, but she was half-European and generally odd herself, so after the first few times Eijirou had prodded Katsuki into doing it when he first met her, he had gotten used to it.

“Have you had dinner?” Sayaka asked as soon as he shut the door behind him and stepped out of his shoes.

“I ate at the student cafeteria.”

“Oh, bah!” She looked offended. “That trash. We could have made you dinner.”

Katsuki shoved his notebook into his backpack and zipped it back up again. “I wouldn’t have eaten it if I’d planned on coming over. Just want to steal Eiji’s room to study.”

“You boys,” she said fondly, and turned toward the larger living area. “Eiko! Katsuki’s here!”

“Say hello!” came a bellow from across the house, but Eijirou’s other mother didn’t appear.

Katsuki grinned. Eiko reminded him of his own mom, but instead of smacks around the head to show her love, she used crushing hugs. Eijirou had definitely gotten his affinity for zero personal space from her. “Hi, Eiko-san!”

“Have you eaten?” Eiko roared back.

“Yeah! Cafeteria!”

Eiko appeared then, dark hair wild around her head and a broom hoisted over her shoulder. She’d probably been knocking down cobwebs from the corners again; she hated spiders and all reminders of their existence. “Gross,” she said. “You should come to us for all food, eh? What else are we good for? First, you start eating there, and soon Eijirou will too.”

Katsuki doubted it. Eijirou’s moms were renowned cooks, even if Eijirou didn’t have a familial obligation to eat their food. They ran their restaurant together, although Katsuki suspected that Sayaka did far more of the paperwork, as Eiko had no patience for desk-work.

“You bring some food back to your dorm, okay?” Sayaka said. “And bring some for Shouto, too. He’s too skinny. Need some meat, huh?”

“Sure, okaasan.” Katsuki headed for the stairs that led up to the room over the garage. “He likes cold soba,” he called over his shoulder back at them.

“Oh, I remember!” Eiko said. “He ate half the pot the last time you all came over.” Her voice faded as Katsuki trotted up the stairs, but he could still distantly hear her as he reached for the door handle of Eijirou’s room. “Oh, Katsuki, Eijirou got home early with - ”

The door slid open, and Katsuki’s gaze fell upon the bed instantly. Well, at least he knew why Eijirou hadn’t texted him back.

“Uh,” said Deku, peeking out from beneath Eijirou’s shoulder. “Hey, Kacchan!”

Katsuki slid the door shut behind him. “Eijirou, you need to move out. Your moms definitely know what you’re doing up here.”

“Hey, babe!” Eijirou said brightly, but he didn’t stop moving. Deku squeaked. “We got back from the recruitment event early.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Katsuki crossed the room, pointedly not looking at either of them, and began unloading his study materials onto Eijirou’s desk.

“Was Mom still cleaning out the cobwebs?” Eijirou asked.

Katsuki did look over this time, but just to glare. “Eijirou, I’m not holding a conversation with you while you’re having sex.”

“Please don’t talk about your moms, either,” Deku pleaded.

“Oops,” said Eijirou. He was silent for a long moment, then he chirped, “So how was your day, Katsuki?”

“Shut up!” Katsuki threw his pencil at him. Then, for good measure, he pulled out his phone and took a picture of them both.

Katsuki: [image attached]

Half-n-half: tell izuku to bite him

Katsuki: all of you fuckers and your goddamn biting kink

Katsuki: … [image attached]

Half-n-half: :)

Katsuki aggressively turned off his phone and shoved it deep into his pocket. With one last scornful - and definitely not interested - glance at Eijirou and Deku, he turned to his books. No matter how hot they were, they all had midterms next week and Katsuki was damn well going to be ready, even if it meant turning down all this.

Deku’s moans were doing their best to convince him otherwise. Katsuki considered throwing a textbook as well.

He didn’t end up throwing it, not only because he had to flip it open and reference it for another textbook, but they also finished only a few moments later and promptly fell asleep. Then he had to deal with both of their snores - Eijirou’s low, rumbling ones and Deku’s high-pitched, kittenish ones - as he studied.

It took him five minutes to find and steal Eijirou’s headphones. They’d been sitting in an empty plant pot on the windowsill in the kitchenette. Katsuki didn’t want to know how they’d gotten there.

He found a single text from Shouto when he turned his phone back on to open his music app.

Half-n-half: come over when you’re done studying

Katsuki glanced at the clock and considered the amount of studying he had left to do. Well…if he really pushed it…

Katsuki: fine.

Katsuki: I’m not bringing you coffee though

Katsuki could see Deku waving the instant he stepped through the doors of the restaurant. He and Shouto were sitting at a booth halfway across the room, occupying two of the four seats. Shouto was lazily sipping from a glass as he lifted a hand in greeting.

“Hey, Bakugou,” said the quiet host, not bothering to move from his greeting stand.

Katsuki cast him a quick glance. “Amajiki,” he said shortly. “I already have a table. No, don’t bother - fine, I’ll take a menu.” He accepted the tri-fold menu that Amajiki meekly thrust toward him, even though he already knew what he’d order, and headed past the host toward the booth where Deku was still waving eagerly.

“You’re late,” said Shouto as soon as he sat down across from them both, intentionally referencing the multiple times Katsuki had gotten onto him for being late.

Katsuki scoffed and tugged at the tie around his neck, loosening it until it felt less like it was trying to strangle him. He hated having to wear formal suits. “Yeah, I missed the first train. I texted you.”

“You look nice,” Deku said brightly. “What were you doing?”

Katsuki stole Shouto’s drink. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since noon, because he’d headed to his interview right after his last class of the day. “I had an interview with - ”

“Eijirou’s in the kitchen,” Shouto interrupted. Katsuki glared at him.

“Hey, guys!” came a bubbly voice right behind Katsuki. “Have we decided what to order yet?”

Katsuki redirected his glare to her, but she just beamed wider, not intimidated. “Fuck off, Utsushimi, you know I just got here.”

“I’ll give you a few more minutes.” She winked and flounced away to another table. She’d taken a class with him in his first semester, and so she somehow thought that it equalled friendship, especially whenever Katsuki came to where she worked. He didn’t come here for her, he came because Eijirou’s moms would be offended if they didn’t get dinner there at least once a month.

Shouto perused his menu intensely. “I think I will get…cold soba.”

Deku sighed. “Shouto, are you ever going to try anything new? Kiri’s moms make amazing food of all sorts.”

Shouto didn’t even pause to consider it. “No. I like soba.”

Katsuki glanced past Deku at the wide entrance to the kitchen. He could just make out Eijirou’s crimson hair around the corner of the grill. He was talking with one of the line cooks, hands waving animatedly. Katsuki stared hard at the side of his head, willing him to look over. It didn’t work.

“I only have three mid-finals next week, actually,” Deku was telling Shouto. “My other class has a project-based mid-final that I’m supposed to do over the weekend. I’m almost done with it already!”

Shouto had stolen his drink back at some point and was staring down into it forlornly. He was probably wishing it was coffee. “Mid-finals are next week?”

“Fucking hell,” Katsuki muttered. “Have you even studied?”

Shouto shrugged. He probably hadn’t. He studied maybe twice a week, and that usually just consisted of doodling in the margins of his textbooks. Katsuki had no fucking clue how he got good grades. He had a feeling that Shouto was some sort of incidental genius, but one who was far too lazy to use his powers for either good or evil. All of his efforts seemed to be dedicated to pissing off his dad.

Which was understandable, as Shouto’s dad was a complete ass.

Something crashed in the kitchen and Katsuki glanced over again. The head cook was swatting Eijirou with a towel, who laughed and jumped backwards, almost knocking over a stack of dishes. His voice was faint from this distance, but still far too loud. “Sorry, sorry! I’ll get out of the way.” He ducked beneath a server’s arm as they swept past with a stack of bowls, then squeezed past an impatient prep cook and out into the main floor of the restaurant. His gaze fell on Katsuki immediately, and his face split into a grin. “Katsuki!”

Katsuki hoped he didn’t bowl over any of the restaurant patrons as he barreled toward him. He reached the booth in record time and leaned down to snag a kiss, beaming the whole time.

“Hey, sorry I missed you coming in! I was just saying hi to everyone. Toyomitsu-san is making a new dish for the appetiser menu, his special takoyaki! It’s really good, you should all try it!”

“I want soba,” Shouto said, eyebrows furrowed as if he was worried that he wouldn’t get his favourite dish.

“His soba is amazing, too,” Eijirou said placatingly. He dropped into the booth next to Katsuki, his bulk comforting as he slung an arm over Katsuki’s shoulders. “So how did everyone’s classes go today? Are we ready for mid-finals next week?”

That sparked an instant conversation with Deku, but Katsuki tuned out. He could feel his phone in his pocket, and he was twitchy to pull it out and check it, even though he knew there was no way he would get a response from his interview already. It had gone well, he thought, and had ended with Toshinori cheerfully shaking his hand with his own massive one and promising to call him by late next week to let him know if he got the position or not. They were only going to interview one other person, so Katsuki had few doubts that he would get it. He was perfect for the position, after all.

“Mom!” Eijirou abruptly interrupted himself, and Katsuki was pulled back out of his head. Shouto was staring at him, one eyebrow lifted slightly, but Katsuki just frowned at him, and he shrugged and glanced away.

“Eijirou!” came the reply from Eijirou’s mom. It was Sayaka, her dark hair twisted in a knot at the nape of her neck and apron dirtied. She stripped her gloves as she approached the table, grinning that familiar smile that Eijirou constantly wore. “Boys! How are you all doing?”

“Good, Sayaka-san!” Deku chirped. “How are you?”

“Ah, good, good! It’s a busy night, so we’re going nonstop. So good to see you all! A group date tonight, eh?” She pinched Shouto’s cheek, who stared up at her solemnly. “You need some food, you look hungry. Cold soba?”

Shouto nodded so hard he probably gave himself whiplash. “Yes.”

“I heard the takoyaki is good,” Deku chimed in.

“It is very good! Our head chef proposed it for the menu and we’re all trying it out before we officially add it, but I can tell you now that it’s going on there.”

Katsuki stole Shouto’s glass once again. It was almost empty, so he drained it entirely. Sayaka noticed and she waved at their nearby server, who hurried over immediately.

“Get them all refills, please,” she told Utsushimi, who nodded and left. She reached past Eijirou to pat Katsuki’s head. “You look grumpy, Katsuki, what’s up?”

Deku inhaled his sip of water and was sent into a coughing fit. Katsuki glared at him and then offered Sayaka a tight smile. “I’m fine. Just thinking about an interview I had before I came here.”

“I’m sure you did wonderful!” she told him. “Eat some takoyaki, you’ll feel better. We’ll make it extra spicy for you, okay?”

“Yeah, alright, okaasan.”

Sayaka beamed at him and then turned her attention to Deku. “How are your classes going?”

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, they’re going good. Just having those generic doubts about my major.”

“You will make a great doctor,” she assured him. “But if you don’t want to be one anymore, go into cooking! You’d be a great chef, too. Come work for us, then.”

“Yeah, I doubt that,” Katsuki snorted. “He burns tea.”

“We’ll make sure not to put him on tea duties,” Sayaka teased.

Eijirou, who had been conspicuously silent this entire time, spoke up now, grinning at his mother sheepishly. “Mom, you’re hovering. Our server’s waiting for you to leave so she can take our order.”

Sayaka scoffed and pressed her finger against the tip of his nose, but she looked amused. “Trying to get rid of me, huh? Alright, I won’t embarrass you any more.” She reached into one of the pockets in her apron and tugged on another pair of gloves, stepping back. “Eiko will be over soon, though, so be ready to say hi again!”

“Love you!” Eijirou called after her as she trotted back toward the kitchen. She just waved dismissively, but Katsuki could hear her laughing. She was a force of nature - both of Eijirou’s moms were.

Deku sighed wistfully and propped his chin in his hands. “She makes me miss my own mom. Sometimes I wish I’d picked a university closer.”

Katsuki snorted. “I don’t. I’m glad to be far away from my parents.”

“I wish my dad would move far away,” Shouto said thoughtfully. “Like, the middle of the ocean. And drown.”

“I can help with that,” Katsuki said darkly. Deku giggled before remembering he was not supposed to encourage Katsuki’s murderous tendencies, so he frowned. It wasn’t very convincing.

“Hey, Camie!” Eijirou said to their server, who was indeed approaching now that Sayaka had left. She was holding a large water pitcher and quickly refilled all of their drinks.

“Ready to order?” she asked brightly.

Eijirou ordered for all of them, clearly knowing what they wanted already. Deku doodled on his napkin and showed the scribbled drawing to Shouto, who smiled and stole the pen from Deku to add to it. Katsuki tried to pretend he wasn’t playing footsie with both of them under the table.

It was a good start to their date.

“Kacchan!” A loud, cheerful voice from the living room invaded the quiet of the bedroom, and Shouto stirred irritably, disrupted from his sleep. He reached out for Katsuki, attempting to slip an arm around his waist and pull him back into bed, but Katsuki shoved his hand away, sitting hunched on the side of the bed with his bare toes brushing the hardwood floor. His phone was clenched in his hand, held to the side of his ear. He wanted to throw it, but he forced himself to pull in slow, careful breaths as he listened to the person on the other end.

The door to the bedroom slid open and Deku trotted inside, dumping his gym bag next to the dresser. “Hey, Kacchan! Oh, you’re on the phone, sorry!”

Katsuki couldn’t restrain his glare. His fingers curled in the bedsheets, tense and unforgiving. Deku perhaps sensed that something was different about this glare from his usual, since he quieted and took a careful step forward.

“Kacchan…?”

“ - but we want to thank you for taking the time to apply!” came the tinny, cheerful voice of Yagi Toshinori through the phone speakers. “We have you on the top of our list if any other positions open up!”

“Izuku, where are the tea bags?” called a familiar voice from the kitchen. Eijirou.

Deku didn’t reply. He eyed Katsuki consideringly and took another step toward the bed. Shouto, who hadn’t quite fallen back to sleep, yawned loudly and squirmed closer to Katsuki.

Katsuki was gripping his phone so tightly he wouldn’t be surprised if the screen cracked. He listened for another few moments to the rambling on the other end, then he cut Toshinori off abruptly. “Yeah,” he said, grit through his teeth. It felt like a lie coating his tongue when he spit out, “Thanks for considering me,” and then hung up.

“Kacchan,” Deku started again, and Katsuki was suddenly, fiercely sick of the familiar nickname coming from his lips. His traitorous lips.

He stood, feeling Shouto fall away grumbling, and breathed in very slowly, very carefully. “You - ” he said, and was choked off by the ferocity of the anger clouding his mind.

Eijirou appeared in the door, beaming like a ray of sunshine and oblivious to the mood of the room. “Hey, Katsuki! What tea do you want?”

Katsuki ignored him, gaze narrowed in on Deku, who was watching him with wide, concerned eyes, as if he didn’t know what he had done. It felt like a vice was constricting his lungs, robbing him of breath. “When,” he said carefully, slowly, “were you going to tell me that you got the All Might internship?”

Deku’s face collapsed into confusion. “You know about that?”

“No shit!” Katsuki wanted to throw his phone, but he forced himself to resist the temptation. He didn’t want to replace it again. “You fucking…you stole it from me!”

“Whoa,” said Eijirou, hands spread wide as he attempted to placate either or both of them. “What’s going on?”

“This motherfucker,” Katsuki snarled, “applied for the internship I’ve been trying to get for half of the semester. It’s not even for your fucking major!”

Deku had recoiled in surprise, but he was no longer the kid that cowered away from Katsuki’s attacks. He frowned back at Katsuki. “Kacchan, I didn’t know you applied for it too, but - ”

“Like hell you didn’t!”

Deku raised his voice, and Shouto reluctantly peeled himself from the sheets to sit up. “ - But that wouldn’t have stopped me! I didn’t steal anything from you, there was a whole application and interview process.”

“Guys, let’s calm down,” Eijirou tried, but neither of them paid him any attention.

“It’s for fucking chemistry majors!” Katsuki roared. “That’s not your major!”

“Well, maybe I want it to be!” Deku snapped back. “I told you I’m not sure about my major right now. You’re the one that told me to explore other options!”

“Not by taking my fucking options!”

Shouto groaned loudly. “This is too loud. I am tired.”

Katsuki rounded on him. “Shut the fuck up, Shouto!”

“Don’t talk to him like that!”

Shouto frowned at Katsuki. His expression has slipped from weary irritation to something resembling icy annoyance. “Stop yelling. Izuku is always right. You are wrong.”

“Okay, we all need to take a breather,” Eijirou announced. This time, Katsuki turned to him, casting glares Deku’s way.

“I’ve been working my ass off this semester! I have the top fucking grades in all of my classes and I lost the best summer internship in the entire city to fucking Deku.” Katsuki clenched his jaw and pinned Eijirou with his gaze. “You know how much I’ve worked for this!”

Eijirou looked uncertain, gaze flicking between him and Deku. “I…yeah, but I can’t - ” He held up a hand as Katsuki turned on Deku again, expression stiffening into resolve. “I am not going to get involved in this.”

“You - ”

“Don’t,” Eijirou warned. His eyes were still torn, but his lips were pressed firmly together. “Don’t pull me into this, Katsuki. It’s not going to be us against them.”

Something pinched in Katsuki’s chest, but unwilling to let himself feel it, he pushed back against the flames of his anger. He didn’t trust himself to say anything else, so he clamped his teeth together so fiercely that he could feel them creaking, and he moved abruptly to go past Eijirou and Deku out of the bedroom.

Deku flinched.

Katsuki stopped instantly, breath locked in his lungs. He felt sick, suddenly. Eijirou reached for him, but he evaded the touch. Avoiding Deku’s immediately remorseful gaze, he shoved past Eijirou to get out. He had to leave before something awful happened.

“Kacchan…” Deku called after him weakly.

“Don’t call me that!” Katsuki snapped back instinctively, and instantly regretted it, but he didn’t stop. He shoved his feet into his shoes as soon as he reached the front door and slammed it behind him as he left.

He was still in his nightclothes, and he had nothing but his phone in his hand, but he didn’t care. Campus was only a few miles away and he needed to walk or run to work out this heat that was burning him up. There was a festering ball of self-hatred bubbling in his chest that he hadn’t felt since around his fifth or sixth apology to Deku for bullying him when they were children.

He half-expected Eijirou to come after him, but he never did.

Chapter Text

Broccoli head: I’m sorry

Broccoli head: I didn’t mean to do that

Broccoli head: And I didn’t know that you even applied for the internship but I’m sorry you didn’t get it. I know you worked hard for it

Half-n-half: eijirou said to say sorry for taking sides so sorry

Half-n-half: …neither of them can make coffee taste good like you do

Shitty hair: hey i knw ur upset but i hope ur ok

Shitty hair: <333

Voices in the hallway just outside Katsuki’s dorm finally pulled him from his studying spiral. Textbooks, notebooks, flashcards, and loose papers with scrawled writing were scattered all over his bed. His computer had died a few hours ago, but he’d left the charger somewhere - probably Eijirou’s place - so he’d closed it and tossed it to his pillow. He could see his phone on the desk light up with the occasional notification, but he hadn’t picked it up since he’d gotten here. It was probably going to die soon, too. That charger was still at Shouto’s and Deku’s apartment.

One of the too-loud voices out there was his roommate. “No, you give me serotonin, Hanta,” Katsuki heard, and the other person just laughed.

“You’re awful, Denki. Alright, I have to go! I’ll see you later.” There was a loud smacking noise as they apparently kissed - far too loudly if Katsuki was able to hear it through the closed door - and then receding footsteps. The door flew open a moment later and Kaminari trotted inside. Katsuki didn’t know when he’d learned his idiot roommate’s name, but he was irritated now to realise that he knew it.

“Hey, man!” his roommate greeted him as he shut the door, and then froze as he turned back around and actually looked at Katsuki. “Whoa, dude, you look like shit,” he said bluntly.

“Fuck off,” Katsuki bit out.

Kaminari crossed the room to his bed and tossed himself onto it easily, ignoring the opened bags of chips and various socks that flew into the air at the movement. “Nah, bro,” he said easily. “You look mad upset. What’s up?”

“None of your goddamn business,” snapped Katsuki, but he was well aware that it didn’t have his usual venom, and Kaminari honed in on the weakness like a shark sensing blood.

“Yoo, you’re actually upset.” He swiped at the crumbs that had bounced onto his leg and squinted at Katsuki. “Dude, I know we’ve only legit talked like ten times this semester, other than you yelling at me for playing games naked, but I’m like, here for you, man.”

Katsuki didn’t have the energy to tell his roommate to get out, so he settled for glaring at him. It didn’t seem very effective.

“Look,” said Kaminari, “you’re dating Kirishima, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “We’re bros, y’know? And I know he’d never let one of his boyfriends be upset like this, so it totally has something to do with him, doesn’t it?”

Katsuki took a moment to reconsider his assumption that his roommate was a complete idiot. Kaminari proved him wrong a moment later when he began eating out of one of the open bags of stale chips on his bed.

“So like,” Kaminari said through a mouthful of chips, “if you gotta problem with him then I’m here, and I’m not saying I’m on your side because Kirishima has a literal heart of gold, but you’re an emotionally stunted asshole so you clearly need help.”

Katsuki found his least favourite pencil and hurled it. Kaminari yelped when it bounced off his arm, but continued on, undeterred.

“Just sayin’, I’m here for you, man! We’re poly roomies, we got to stick together!”

Katsuki felt his entire face crumple in disgust as he realised that he actually did have something in common with Kaminari. The thought was horrifying.

“Anyway,” said Kaminari. He bent over the side of his bed and dug in his backpack for a moment before emerging triumphantly with a small baggie filled with suspiciously green contents. “Enough mushy stuff. Wanna smoke?”

Katsuki considered his textbooks that he’d literally spent all day digging through, and then he scowled at his phone that was, for once, quiet on his desk. “Fuck it,” he finally said, and climbed from his bed, disrupting the scattered papers and opened textbooks. “Why not?”

Kaminari cheered.

Thirty minutes later, they were both sitting on the floor, backs against Kaminari’s messy desk with legs sprawled out in front of them. Kaminari was rolling another joint since Katsuki refused to share even if Kaminari insisted they were “having a bonding moment,” or maybe because of that.

Katsuki’s head felt deliciously light, and that heavy pressure that had been insistent on his chest since his fight with Deku that morning was letting up for the moment. The smoke tasted foul on the back of his tongue, and it had been a while since he’d last smoked, but he refused to let himself cough, dragging in too-large pulls that sent his head spinning.

Kaminari fumbled with the lighter as he lit up the joint dangling from his lips, but it just seemed like his natural clumsiness, not the effects of the weed. He finally got it and sucked in a large drag, holding it for a long moment before letting it out.

Katsuki watched the smoke float in front of them and he wanted to run his fingers through it, but his limbs were too heavy to move other than holding his own joint, so he settled for watching the haze drift around them. He breathed out and let his own stream of smoke join it.

“Kinda surprised you agreed,” Kaminari said thoughtfully. He’d found a single unopened bag of chips and had propped it between them, snacking from it between drags. Katsuki had maybe taken a few, but only because they were delightfully spicy. “You don’t seem like the smoking sort, especially on Sunday night.”

Katsuki scoffed, but it felt too light to be more than a huff of air. “Then why’d you offer?”

Kaminari shrugged and tossed a chip into his mouth. He spoke around it as he chewed. “Thought you’d relax.”

There was a long silence while they took turns snacking on the chips and pulling from their joints. Finally, Katsuki sighed and offered, “I used to smoke, but I stopped. Deku’s allergic.” Even the brief mention of his name made Katsuki’s mind turn back to that morning, to the simmering anger that was slowly burning itself out, to the stubborn set of Deku’s jaw and then the brief flash of panic when Katsuki had moved toward him.

“Deku?” Kaminari lost one of the chips and he frowned mournfully after it but made no move to pick it up. It had landed on his leg. “Oh, Midoriya. That’s cool that you’re all dating each other. I’m dating Hanta and Hitoshi, but they aren’t dating each other, and Hanta goes out with Mina sometimes, and Hitoshi is dating Monoma. Attraction’s wild, y’know?”

Katsuki sighed. He had no idea who any of those people were and he didn’t care to ask. Kaminari was even more chatty when he was high. “Yeah, whatever.”

“So you had a fight with one of ‘em?” Kaminari guessed. He ducked when Katsuki half-heartedly tossed a chip at his head. “Hey man, chill out. Fights happen all the time. It’s even harder when there’s more of you.”

“I don’t need your shitty advice,” Katsuki groused. He pulled harshly from his joint, letting the smoke fill his lungs and invade his pores. The deep drag made his head whirl and he slumped back against the desk, one hand trailing lazily over his leg.

“Not prying!” Kaminari insisted, and then proceeded to do just that, “But dude, you’re always, like, super mad even at the smallest things and you’re not acting like that now.”

“Because I’m high,” said Katsuki. He blew the next stream of smoke toward Kaminari, who coughed and waved it away.

“You sure ‘bout that? You seem like…hurt.”

There was nothing in this world that Katsuki wanted to do less than talk about his fucking feelings with his dumbass roommate. “I’m pissed, fuck off.”

Kaminari looked dubious, but he finally retreated from his prying, grabbing another handful of chips despite the single one that was still sitting on his thigh. “Alright, if you say so.”

Blissful silence for another full minute before Kaminari perked up suddenly and pointed the nub of his joint at Katsuki. “Dude, we should all hang out sometime! Your harem and my boyfriends.”

Katsuki threw the bag of chips at him.

Eijirou was already at his desk when Katsuki got to class the next morning. He clearly didn’t see Katsuki approaching, as he was slumped over his desk half-heartedly writing something in a notebook, but his head flew up when Katsuki dropped into the seat beside him. He opened his mouth, probably to bellow Katsuki’s name as he had every other morning they’d had in this class, but he hesitated an instant too long. There were shadows beneath his eyes like he hadn’t slept well, and his hair was styled sloppily, tendrils escaping from his usually sharp spikes.

Katsuki set his jaw and didn’t look at him as he pulled out his notes for this class. He knew he couldn’t ask Eijirou to choose him over Deku, but Eijirou’s refusal to involve himself in their argument still felt, irrationally, like a betrayal.

“Hey,” Eijirou said quietly, but Katsuki didn’t glance over. A moment later, he felt Eijirou’s warm presence as he moved closer and carefully set a wrapped laptop charger and a cardboard cup on Katsuki’s desk. “I got you tea. You forgot your charger at my place again.”

The part of Katsuki that was still roiling in anger and betrayal wanted to throw both of them across the room, but he grit his teeth instead and shoved the laptop charger into his backpack. He didn’t say thank you, but Eijirou relaxed back into his desk as he picked up the cup and took a gulp.

The tea scalded his tongue, but the pain felt cleansing. There was a distant hint of lemon and bergamot behind the heat - his favourite.

“I texted you,” said Eijirou. The low cadence of his voice sounded wrong. He should be his usual overeager self, loud and boisterous no matter Katsuki’s pretended level of irritation. It was just another reminder of Katsuki’s fuck-up.

Katsuki wrapped his fingers around the cup and relished the sting from its heat against his fingers. “My phone died.”

Eijirou was silent for a moment, then he said, “I’m sorry, Katsuki. We all are, I think. But please talk to Izuku.”

His anger bubbled over for a moment and he cast a slanted glare at Eijirou. “I thought you weren’t getting involved,” he snapped.

Eijirou’s face fell, remorseful. He turned away and faced the front of the class. Their teacher would come bounding in at any moment. “Yeah,” he said. “Sorry.”

They didn’t say anything else for the rest of class.

The Fearsome Foursome group chat

Half-n-half: can someone bring me coffee

Broccoli head: Shouto we’re all in class

Half-n-half: katsuki isn’t

Shitty hair: i saw him heading tht way is he nt there w u?

Half-n-half: no

Half-n-half: and he didn’t bring me any coffee :/

Broccoli head: …Shouto that’s not really the top priority right now

“Is that all?” the barista asked Katsuki.

He grunted out an affirmative and handed her his card before she could say anything else, accepting it when she instantly swiped and gave it back. An obscure indie song was playing overhead, and Katsuki liked the new music. He’d never seen this barista before, so he was sure that she was the reason behind the change from the slow classical music that had always played before. She looked like a scene kid, with her dyed purple hair, stretched lobes, and studded bracelets on her wrists. Shouto would probably like her.

Katsuki hadn’t had the energy to see Shouto in class. He was acting a coward, skipping class for the first time in the entire semester so he didn’t have to talk to Shouto, but he knew Shouto. He was stubborn and insistent, and he wouldn’t back off like Eijirou had if he decided to push Katsuki to talk to Deku. Katsuki knew what would happen if Shouto pressed the issue - he’d explode again and then he’d be even more at odds with all of them.

So he’d come here. Shouto’s second favourite place to go on a date.

“Here’s your green tea,” said the barista. She looked no-nonsense as she slid the thick mug toward him. “Need sugar or anything?”

“No,” Katsuki said shortly, and he took the cup. He was ready to turn away, but he paused for just a moment and asked, “This your music?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah.”

He glanced at her name tag. Jirou. She didn’t seem as useless as the previous barista. “It’s not bad.” With that, he turned and headed for the door that led into the cat area of the cafe.

There was a quiet, amused snort from behind him. “Thanks,” she called after him.

Katsuki found Shouto’s calico cat in the corner of the room, lazing on the thick armrest of a chair. He sat slowly, careful not to disturb the cat, and tugged distractedly on the string of the teabag in his mug as he relaxed against the back of the chair. After a moment, he tried stroking the calico down her back. Her eyes squinted open and she regarded him suspiciously for a long moment, but she finally decided he wasn’t a threat and she closed her eyes again, pushing her head demandingly against his hand. It was amusingly similar to Shouto’s reaction when someone dug their fingers into his hair.

He sighed and closed his own eyes. He could still feel that bubble of anger filling his lungs, threatening to burst if he talked to or looked at or even thought about Deku. Part of him knew that Deku hadn’t known about his internship and certainly hadn’t known that getting it would throw Katsuki out of the running, but another, more insistent part of him reminded him that he’d worked hard for this internship. He’d dedicated years to his major, readying himself for it even in high school with his carefully planned electives and extracurricular activities. This internship was meant to be an important step between his second and third year in university, one that would expand his opportunities for success after graduation. And Deku had snatched that away from him.

And an even smaller, almost hidden part of him was curled disgust and hatred at himself. Deku had constantly said he forgave him for what he’d done when they were younger and Katsuki was much stupider, and Deku stood up to him now with insistent resolve, but that one instinctual movement yesterday morning had confirmed Katsuki’s worst nightmares. When it came down to it, Deku was still afraid of him.

Every time that memory flashed in front of his eyes, the brief flinch and then immediate regret, he felt his stomach turn. He should still be upset. He should be furious with Deku for taking this opportunity from him, but when he thought about their argument, all he could think about was how Deku had instinctively moved away from him in the heat of the moment.

Katsuki could trust himself, knew that he was no longer his twelve-year-old self that would react violently when upset. He hadn’t touched someone while he was genuinely angry since his pre-teen years. But self-trust meant fuck-all if Deku didn’t trust him.

“Please talk to Izuku,” Eijirou said in his memory.

“Fuck off,” Katsuki said out loud. The calico stopped purring for a moment and then resumed, her fur humming against Katsuki’s fingers. Katsuki could understand why Shouto liked her, liked the feeling of warmth and trust at his very fingertips.

An image flashed in his mind. A few days ago, when all four of them had gotten dinner together at the restaurant. Eijirou, telling a story between his own helpless laughter; Shouto’s intense frown as he listened to Eijirou but didn’t catch on to the humorous moments; Deku, eyes liquid warmth as he shared an amused grin with Katsuki.

Katsuki heaved a sigh and regarded the calico with a frown. “I should talk to Deku, shouldn’t I?”

She meowed.

“Yeah. Maybe tomorrow morning.” Katsuki rubbed her ear between his fingers. His lungs felt tight, so he pulled in another deep breath, but his nose rebelled and he sneezed abruptly. He scowled, ready to fight his own damn self, and then sneezed again.

Ah, shit. He’d forgotten his allergy medicine.

Katsuki didn’t like mornings. He didn’t openly despise them as much as Shouto, but there was something awful about the silent darkness just before dawn. Eijirou thought it was hilarious that Katsuki went to bed before midnight and still didn’t want to get up before eight. Eijirou and Deku both horrifically enjoyed mornings, with their pre-class workouts and boundless energy.

This morning was particularly despicable. Katsuki didn’t have any way to make tea in his dorm since he usually just got his from Shouto’s and Deku’s apartment or Eijirou’s place, so when his alarm went off at six, he had to force himself awake with nothing to bribe himself. As he got dressed and found his shoes, he thought about Shouto’s aggressive retaliation against anyone who woke him up early and decided that he finally understood the reaction. The early wakeup was self-inflicted, since he’d stolen Kaminari’s phone cord to charge his dead phone and set the alarm last night, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be annoyed.

He’d seen numerous unread message notifications on his phone from the other three, as well as from their group chat, but he couldn’t bring himself to open them. Maybe he’d do it on the way to the gym.

His roommate had gotten back about two hours before Katsuki had woken up, and he whined loudly when Katsuki opened the door and light from the hallway spilt across his sprawled form.

“Shut it,” Kaminari complained loudly. “It hurts.” He was probably still drunk, if the stench of alcohol coming from him was any indication of how much he’d imbibed.

Katsuki stepped into the hallway and gleefully slammed the door behind him, relishing the pained squawk from Kaminari. He glanced down the corridor, noting the silence from all of the other rooms with normal people who slept normal hours, and he reluctantly set off, slinging his bag over his shoulder. At least he had his charger this time.

When he got to the gym, intentionally ignoring his phone so he didn’t have to read any of the messages, the employee at the front desk was half-asleep, hunched over her computer and staring at the screen with bleary eyes. She glanced up as Katsuki approached and her lips parted in a grin.

“Hey, Bakugou!”

“Uraraka,” was all he said in reply, digging in his pocket for his student identification card. She was, admittedly, one of his least hated people here at the gym. He had boxing on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and she was his only opponent who had taken him down on more than one occasion. He had a grudging respect for her.

“Weird to see you here this early,” Uraraka commented as she accepted his student card. She swiped it through the reader and handed it back, tilting her head suspiciously. “Is it because your boyfriends are here?”

Sometimes Katsuki hated that most of the people he knew were friends with Deku or Eijirou. “No,” he retorted, but she didn’t look convinced. “Fuck off.”

Uraraka smirked. “If you say so. They’re in the second weight room, though, if you were wondering.”

He scoffed and shoved his card back into his pocket. “Whatever. Go back to sleeping on the job.”

“Hey, I resent that!” she called after him as he stalked toward the stairs that led to the second floor. “I don’t nap all the time.”

He didn’t look back but lifted a middle finger over his shoulder at her.

There were over a dozen people in the weight room when he entered, scattered across the room at different stations. A low murmur of conversation and heavy panting filled the room as weights were lifted. Katsuki had no idea why anyone would regularly get up this early to exert actual physical effort.

Katsuki recognised Eijirou’s pink-haired friend next to the door as she casually squatted and hoisted a fucking massive weight over her shoulders while chatting to another girl. She beamed and nodded at Katsuki as he shut the door, but didn’t bother him. She had sense, at least.

Finally, he caught sight of a familiar flash of red hair in the corner, and he honed in toward it like he was drawn to a beacon. Eijirou was straddling a bench as he talked to a silver-haired muscled dumbass that was curling a hand weight. His crimson hair was gathered in a band at the nape of his neck, sweaty tendrils escaping to trail down the side of his face. He laughed at something his friend said, reaching to rub his neck in his signature sheepish movement, and the glistening back muscles beneath his baggy tank top rippled beautifully.

Katsuki had to rip his thoughts away from those muscles or he wasn’t going to be able to concentrate. It was already difficult enough being awake this morning without any sort of caffeine.

The silver-haired guy caught sight of him first, and his face lit up in recognition. “Yo!” he called, and then shoved Eijirou’s shoulder. “Bro, you didn’t tell me your other boyfriend was coming.”

Eijirou looked startled. “Who - what?” He turned, and for only an instant as he saw Katsuki, a grin spread across his lips and his eyes sparkled in delight, but then he sobered and visibly pulled himself back. “Hey, Katsuki. You’re…what are you doing here so early? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Katsuki said dismissively. He didn’t want to address the way Eijirou was noticeably restraining himself from the way they usually easily talked to each other. If it had been an argument between the two of them, Eijirou wouldn’t have hesitated to do his best to sort it out, but Eijirou was aware of his own problem of wanting to maintain the peace between everyone at all costs, so he was unmistakably trying his best to stay out of it right now.

“Are you - ?”

“Where’s Deku?” Katsuki interrupted.

The hand went to the back of Eijirou’s neck again. “He’s - uh, he just headed to the showers. We’re almost finished here, I was just catching up with Tetsu.”

Katsuki half-turned to head toward the door at the opposite end of the room, but he hesitated and glanced at Eijirou, who was watching him uncertainly. He cast an irritated glare towards Eijirou’s friend, currently wiping down the weights he had been using and ignoring both of them, and then met Eijirou’s gaze. “We’ll fucking work it out,” he said resolutely.

Eijirou’s pinched eyebrows slowly relaxed, and he offered Katsuki a small smile. “I know you will.”

Satisfied with that for the time, Katsuki headed across the room, dodging benches and weight racks here and there. A wall of humidity hit him as soon as he opened the door to the shower room, and he winced. It was low-lit and fogged with steam, so it was difficult to see in here, but it only took him a moment to find Deku. He was standing in front of an open locker along the row of lockers, shirtless as he rubbed a towel over his damp green curls. He wasn’t as broad or as tall as Eijirou, but he was just as ripped, and his muscles flexed as he reached for the shirt slung over the top of the locker door.

Katsuki set his jaw and pulled to mind everything he had thought yesterday and the day before that. It still felt like only moments ago that he had argued with Deku, and some of that anger was still lingering like hints of poison in his veins, but his regret was more powerful. Well, at this point, apologising to Deku wasn’t anything new.

None of the showers in the room was running, and he couldn’t hear anyone else in here with them, so he pulled in a deep breath and stepped forward. “Deku,” he said, voice rough.

Deku startled and let out a yelp, spinning with his shirt clutched against his chest like a shield. He slumped in relief as soon as he saw Katsuki, but his eyes were still wide. “You scared me!” he scolded, and then his expression fell as he clearly remembered what had led to this point. “You’re…here.”

Katsuki didn’t stop until he was but a few feet from Deku. He could feel his lips clenched together, so he forced them to relax, taking another breath to slow his racing heart. His damn pride always made this so hard. “Yeah, I’m here.”

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry,” Deku blurted. “I didn’t mean to - ”

“Tch!” Katsuki interrupted with a click of his tongue. “Don’t. I’m apologizing.”

Deku fell silent, eyes brimming already. He always fucking cried after they had an argument or when Katsuki apologised to him. Eijirou consistently followed suit when Deku cried, while Shouto would just frown and carefully, awkwardly give him a hug. Katsuki was typically torn between wrapping him in a massive blanket or punching the person who made him cry, who was usually Katsuki himself.

Katsuki reached out and stole the shirt that Deku was still clasping to his bare chest. Deku released it without contest, and Katsuki dug his own fingers into the fabric, smoothing out the wrinkles that Deku’s grip had caused. “Look,” he started, and sighed before barreling on. “I am upset that I didn’t get the internship. I’d been working for it so long and I almost expected to get it, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you when I didn’t get it. I’m sorry I was an asshole and blamed you for it.”

Deku’s lips were tremulous. “Yeah,” he agreed. “You shouldn’t have.”

Katsuki scowled at him, but continued, “It isn’t your fault I didn’t get it. In fact, I’d rather have lost to you instead of some fuckwad who doesn’t know what they’re doing. At least you’re smart.”

Deku laughed and swiped at his eyes. “Can you ever apologise without insulting someone else?”

Katsuki shrugged and thrust the shirt back at him. Deku’s bare torso with his damp skin and broad pecs was far too distracting when Katsuki was trying to be apologetic here. “Whatever. I’m sorry I was a dick.”

“Alright.” Deku accepted the shirt, but he didn’t put it on. He gazed up at Katsuki with remorseful eyes, instead. “I’m sorry, too. For jumping like that. It wasn’t - ”

Katsuki rubbed a hand over his forehead. It was still the morning, after all, and he was tired. “I can only deal with one emotion at a time. I know you didn’t mean to do it, so let’s just talk about it later.”

Deku seemed reluctant but acceded. “Okay…but, uh…” He struggled into the shirt as he pulled it over his head and when he emerged with his green curls poking wildly in all directions, his expression was sheepish. “So, I actually talked to Yagi Toshinori yesterday about the internship and he - ”

“Deku,” Katsuki cut in, eyes narrowed dangerously, “if you declined that fucking internship then I’m going to murder you.”

“Don’t interrupt me!” Deku protested. “I didn’t turn it down. I was just calling to ask about some of the details. Anyway, he found out that you and I know each other and he told me that they just had another internship spot open up, so they’ll probably be calling you about that in a few days.”

Katsuki eyed him. He didn’t particularly want to build up his hopes again, but he should have known that Deku would be trying to help him even when they were fighting. “You’d better not have pulled one of your stunts to convince Toshinori to feel bad for me.”

Deku looked insulted, which was a good cover for being shifty, Katsuki thought. “I - no!” He wiped at his nose and then frowned consideringly. “Are you just being rude to get me to stop crying?”

“Uh,” said Katsuki.

Deku shoved him, sniffling but laughing. “You’re the worst. Fine, I accept your apology. Just don’t do it again.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed. He had no intentions of yelling at Deku again, but it was bound to happen at some point anyway, and he’d have to apologise again. His mind was already half-gone thinking about the other internship, how he’d learn about it, how much he’d have to research, how it would fit into his plans for the future… “Now put on your shirt and shoes and let’s go.”

Deku narrowed his eyes at him, but Katsuki was already turning away. He raised his voice toward the door that he’d come through a few minutes earlier.

“Alright, shithead, you can stop lurking and come in!”

A moment passed, but then the door creaked open and Eijirou slipped inside, a sheepish look plastered across his face. “I wasn’t listening in,” he insisted. “I was just waiting for a shower. Tetsu started flirting with Mina by seeing who could lift more.”

Deku scrubbed at his eyes, but when he emerged from beneath his fists, he was smiling. “Mina’s probably going to win.”

“Probably,” Eijirou agreed. He moved closer, obviously still hesitant. “Are we…?”

“We’re good,” said Deku. He reached out and tugged on Katsuki’s sleeve, smiling tremulously. “Yeah?”

Katsuki huffed through his nose, but he couldn’t help his gradual smile. That aching pressure on his chest had eased and it felt like a sharp relief from the past two days. “Yeah, dumbass.” He almost jumped when two arms slid around his waist, but then he felt Eijirou’s warm breath and sweat-damp skin as he ducked his face into Katsuki’s neck.

“Missed you,” whined Eijirou, muffled against Katsuki’s skin. His grip was tight and his chest broad against Katsuki’s back, but he was also drenched in sweat and smelled like he’d rolled in a pile of metal and rust.

Katsuki wanted to squirm free, but he could already anticipate Eijirou’s pout if he did, so he settled for nudging backwards with his elbow. “You stink,” he protested. “What about your shower?”

Eijirou nosed up Katsuki’s neck, breath huffing against his ear. “I haven’t hugged you in two entire days,” he complained.

“Me neither!” Deku realised and then threw himself at both of them. Katsuki almost went down under his weight, but Eijirou was an unmoving rock behind him.

Katsuki grumbled, but he let both of them hang off of him for a long moment before he began struggling against the combined force of their smothering hugs. “Alright, fuckers, that’s enough, I can’t breathe.”

Deku fell back a little, but his arms were still wrapped around Katsuki’s shoulders as he gazed up at him, eyes brimming with happy tears. Katsuki tried to scowl at him, but it was a pathetic attempt. An instant later, it occurred to him that Eijirou’s grip on his waist had become more possessive than comforting, and he could feel tiny pinpricks of Eijirou’s sharp teeth resting on the sensitive skin behind his ear.

“Let’s take a shower,” Eijirou suggested coyly.

“I didn’t bring extra clothes,” Katsuki retorted. “And Deku already took a shower.”

But Deku’s eyes had lit up at the idea. “We always bring extra clothes,” he assured Katsuki. Because he and Eijirou used these showers almost every morning and not always just for washing, he notably didn’t add. “And y’know, I might have missed a few spots when I showered.”

Katsuki wanted to protest, but Deku’s wide, pleading eyes and Eijirou’s broad hands on his waist were convincing him otherwise. He drew in a breath, trying to steel his resolve, but all of his efforts crumbled a moment later when he felt Eijirou’s tongue dart against his neck. “Fuck,” he breathed, and his head tilted involuntarily to allow Eijirou better access. Deku’s hands slipped into the front pockets of his jeans to begin tugging both of them toward the block of showers. “Shit, okay. We’d better not be late for class, though.”

“Don’t worry,” Deku purred, “we know how to schedule our mornings. If we hurry, we can even get back in time to wake Shouto up.”

Katsuki had no idea how he had ever thought either of these two was innocent or sweet. They were conniving little shits is what they were.

But he let himself be led to the showers, and he didn’t end up regretting it, even if they did make it late to class after Shouto jumped them when they got back to the apartment.

Katsuki probably should not have agreed to this study session with all four of them together, as he wasn’t actually getting that much studying done, but he had to admit that it was more entertaining than his usual method of hunching over a desk or his bed until he was done.

At least Deku had the same ideas that Katsuki did about studying, which was to just sit down and dedicate time to it. He was currently scribbling in one of his numerous notebooks as he re-read an old assignment, muttering fiercely under his breath and ignoring everything going on around him.

Shouto had been lying on the couch with his ass to the back cushions and his head hanging off the side for a good twenty minutes now, staring into space with wide eyes. Katsuki wasn’t sure he’d blinked once.

“But why?” Eijirou insisted, and Katsuki turned back to him. The redhead was sprawled out next to him, long legs jammed under the chabudai that was currently piled with textbooks, notebooks, flashcards, scattered pencils, a ruler for some reason, two laptops, and a sheaf of blank paper that Deku stole from occasionally to sketch on before discarding.

“Why what?” Katsuki demanded. Eijirou was going to drive him up the wall with his incessant questions - but then, it wouldn’t be a study session with Eijirou if he wasn’t.

Frowning, Eijirou picked up the textbook open on his lap and thrust it toward Katsuki. “Look! This doesn’t make any sense. English is so hard.”

Katsuki glanced at the page. “They’re just linking verbs, dumbass. They don’t express action.”

Eijirou flopped backwards dramatically, giving up. The textbook went sailing over the couch with his flail and thudded spectacularly against something out of sight. “I don’t even know what that means! I quit. I will never speak English, only Japanese.”

Katsuki snorted and leaned forward to scroll down his laptop screen. “Like hell, you will. I didn’t spend all this time tutoring you just for you to give up. Go get your fuckin’ textbook and try again.”

Katsuki knew the fucker was trying to use his sad puppy eyes on him. It was disturbingly effective, considering that Katsuki wasn’t even looking at him. “But babe,” Eijirou tried, “what if I - ”

“No,” Katsuki cut him off, knowing full well that the next words out of his mouth would be some indecent proposition. “After you finish studying.”

Deku sighed wearily suddenly, turning a page in his book, and then he continued to scribble and mutter, but that sound had drawn Eijirou’s attention to him. He rolled over, almost sending the chabudai flying when his legs collided with it. Katsuki swore and grabbed his and Shouto’s laptops so they didn’t bounce off. Shouto’s laptop screen was dark anyway, gone to power-saving mode since he hadn’t touched it in so long.

“Izuku!” Eijirou declared, sidling over to him. He threw exuberant arms around Deku’s neck, almost hauling him to the ground when his weight fell against him. Deku grunted but maintained his position. “‘Zuku. We’ve been studying for five hours!”

“It’s been one hour,” Katsuki growled.

Eijirou ignored him. “We need to take a break! Refresh our minds. Reconnect with the physical world.”

“Is that supposed to be a fucking come-on?”

Eijirou considered that. “Well, it wasn’t supposed to be. But it could be. Anyway, Izuku, come on! You’ve been studying so hard. Break time!”

Deku finally cracked, reaching up to rub at his eyes with both hands. His curls were particularly wild today, probably because of this morning’s activities when Eijirou and Katsuki had first arrived. “Uh, Kiri, I dunno - ”

“He’s targeting you because you’re weak,” Katsuki pointed out. It was true. When Eijirou was too lazy to really put forth the effort into convincing Katsuki to do something, he would set his sights on Deku, who caved much more easily and could then be persuaded to help turn Katsuki. Shouto needed no persuasion to do anything, just a bribe of coffee or a single word from Deku.

Eijirou draped further over Deku. Katsuki couldn’t see his face as he smushed it up against Deku’s cheek, but he could definitely hear the pout in his voice as he said, “Please? Just for a little bit. We could have a snack and some tea or coffee.”

“Coffee?” came an echo from the couch behind Katsuki. A suddenly-hyperactive Shouto tumbled sideways off the couch, landing on his hands and knees with eyes narrowed dangerously like a cat on the prowl.

Katsuki decided that Eijirou was a manipulative little shit who knew exactly what he was doing. Deku was a terrible influence on him.

“Coffee!” Eijirou agreed.

Deku hesitated for maybe half a second, now that Shouto the coffee beast had come alive and Eijirou was eagerly swaying back and forth against his back like a child with their favourite toy. “Fine,” he said reluctantly, caving. “But only for a few minutes!”

“Goddamnit,” said Katsuki. As one, three pairs of eyes turned toward him - one amber, one green, one heterochromatic. Now that Deku had succumbed, none of them would give up until Katsuki agreed. He chose the tactical decision. Retreat. “Goddamnit. Alright, you little fuckers!”

“Break!” Eijirou cheered. He dove for a kiss, and he and Deku both toppled over.

Katsuki turned to Shouto, ignoring the two idiots making out behind him. “What had you all catatonic for twenty minutes?” he asked.

Shouto wasn’t so easily distracted once he had his mind set on coffee, but for once, he paused to answer. “I was thinking about you and Eijirou moving in,” he said.

It took a good amount of effort for Katsuki not to slap his face into his palm. “We haven’t agreed to that yet,” he pointed out.

Shouto only heard one word. “Yet,” he repeated. “You do not have anywhere to stay over the summer since you’re staying for your internship, and Eijirou has been talking about moving out of his moms’ place ever since we knew you. So why not?”

“Because,” said Katsuki, and then paused. He couldn’t exactly think of a good enough reason to refuse. He changed the subject instead. “That took you twenty minutes to think about?”

“No,” said Shouto. “I only thought about that for two minutes. The rest of the time I was thinking about where I should get a new coffee maker and what counter to put it on in the kitchen.”

Eijirou detached himself from Deku and sprang up, making his way into the kitchen. “Snacks!” he exclaimed happily. Deku followed. Katsuki wouldn’t be surprised if their makeup session turned into something else in there.

Shouto looked thoughtful. “Or,” he said consideringly, “I could just put it in the bedroom. So I wouldn’t have to get up to have coffee.”

“This is why I’m not moving in with you,” Katsuki said.

“I’m so glad finals are over,” Eijirou groaned. “I am dead.”

Katsuki impatiently kicked the door in front of both of them. It wasn’t locked, but it was shut, and their arms were piled high with boxes. “Open up, shitheads!”

Something crashed inside the apartment and Deku’s familiar yelp made its way through the wall to them. “Sorry!” he called after a moment. “I’m stuck! Shouto, grab the door!”

“I think I passed our Literature class,” Eijirou said mournfully.

Katsuki elbowed him as best he could manage with the boxes in his arms. “You’d better have passed it with all the time I spent tutoring you.”

The door clicked open and Shouto shoved it wide. “You are the one who shut it on the way out,” he said reproachfully.

“Bitch, move.” Katsuki shouldered his way past. Even if Eijirou didn’t seem to notice the weight of the boxes he was holding, Katsuki’s arms were sore from the other multitude of items he’d already carried in. This was his workout for the damn month.

“Thanks, Sho!” Eijirou chirped, leaning over and giving him a kiss somehow despite the load he was carrying. Shouto looked reluctantly delighted, which was pretty much his state of being ever since Eijirou and Katsuki had agreed to move in. Eijirou trailed after Katsuki, depositing his pile of items on the couch next to the other numerous items they had already brought inside from Eijirou’s moms’ car.

Sayaka and Eiko had both given them tearful kisses and hugs as they had been packing up Eijirou’s shit in his room, as if Eijirou was moving hundreds of kilometres away instead of literally less than ten. They would have come to help unpack as well, but both had been expected at the restaurant. They had promised to come by tomorrow anyway, bearing gifts of food.

Deku trotted into the living room, rubbing one hand with a grimace. “I got my finger stuck in your spice rack,” he said ruefully to Katsuki, who just snorted. “Is that everything?”

“That’s all of it!” Eijirou said proudly, hands on his hips as he surveyed the living room that was piled with a variety of the shit from his room.

Katsuki had moved out of his dorm yesterday, so most of his items were already distributed throughout the apartment, but now they had all of Eijirou’s belongings to put away. The extra bedroom in the apartment was going to be turned into an office and gym area, while Shouto had apparently stolen his dad’s credit card information yet again and had bought a massive bed. It was still disassembled in the bedroom, but they would get to that later today.

“I’m so hungry,” Eijirou announced, slapping a hand over his stomach demonstratively. “We’ve worked so hard! And our brains are fried from finals.”

“I am hungry as well,” said Shouto, not commenting on the finals. Katsuki suspected that was because he had put little-to-no mental effort into his finals. During their shared Statistics final, Shouto had lazily scribbled answers that took Katsuki forever to work out and had used the scrap paper provided for equations to make two small origami pandas before sprawling out across his desk and falling asleep. Katsuki was pretty sure he had made one of the top grades in class, too.

“Let’s eat then!” Deku chirruped. “We can order take-out to celebrate!”

Katsuki sneered. “As long as it’s not from that shitty ramen place you like.”

“How about curry?” asked Deku, ignoring Katsuki’s comment. With a unanimous agreement - other than Shouto’s request for cold soba - he found his phone and dialled.

He and Katsuki had had a long conversation a few weeks back about their argument over the internship and Deku’s reaction when Katsuki startled him, and though it wasn’t all perfect, they both felt better afterwards. Katsuki still felt sometimes that the internship he had gotten was a replacement, but he didn’t take it out on Deku. Cooking or baking turned out to be a great way to relieve his tensions - well, that and dragging any one or all of the other three into bed.

Eijirou had begun digging through one of the boxes with his workout equipment. “Hey, Shouto, where should I put this spray?”

“I don’t care, anywhere,” said Shouto unhelpfully.

“Put it in the bathroom,” Katsuki ordered.

“Okay!” Eijirou beamed up at them. “Man, this is so exciting. I never thought this would happen! Well, I hoped, but I didn’t really think it would.”

“Moving in?” Shouto looked hilariously confused.

“Well, yeah, but like,” Eijirou splayed his arms wide, “all of it! I just love all of you!”

“I love you too!” Deku said tearfully and then went back to the phone. “Uh, not you, sorry. Yes, extra spicy curry, please.”

“Gross,” said Katsuki.

Eijirou laughed and dug through his box again. He came up with a broken hand weight and he frowned consideringly at it before tossing it back. “Oh, be quiet, Katsuki, you’re happy too. You already told us all last night.”

“Nothing said during sex can stand in court,” Katsuki said, trying and probably failing to keep a straight face.

“I want coffee,” said Shouto, and wandered away from them into the kitchen. Katsuki watched him go and wondered to himself how long it would take before he started thinking of this apartment as their apartment instead of just Shouto’s and Deku’s.

“Speaking of sex,” Eijirou said mournfully, “I can’t believe yours and Izuku’s internship starts Monday. That only gives us two days to have wild orgy sex.”

Katsuki sputtered. “We’re not having wild orgy sex, Eijirou!”

“Shh!” Deku hissed and spun toward the hall that led to the bedrooms and bathroom. “Sorry!” he said to the person on the phone.

Eijirou smirked. “That’s not what you said last night.”

“I’m gonna beat your ass,” Katsuki threatened.

“Ooh, please,” said Eijirou with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Shouto meandered back into the living room, coffee mug clutched between his hands. “Whose ass are we beating? Does someone have a new kink?”

“I’m going to murder you both!”

So the summer started with Katsuki and Deku working together in the All Might lab with their dual internships, Eijirou helping his moms at their restaurant in whatever position was needed, Shouto somehow getting a job at the cat cafe so much, and all four of them finding new ways to fit together in a shared living space.

Katsuki still yelled sometimes and he cooked too much when he was stressed so they had an excess of leftovers in their fridge; Deku cried and yelled back and overworked himself to the point of collapsing; Eijirou forgot to air out the room where he worked out and he left the blender dirty in the morning after he made his protein shakes; and Shouto gained a new habit of biting when his coffee was taken from him.

But Katsuki would apologise after he yelled and there were four of them to eat all of his food; Deku had a stache of tissues around the apartment for when he cried and he would be dragged to bed when he worked too much; Eijirou bought air freshener bottles for the entire apartment and Katsuki washed his blender in the morning when he made breakfast; and they all learned not to take Shouto’s coffee when his eyes were slitted dangerously at them.

So there were bumps in the road, but the road was a long one and they were all together on it.