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Whoever said that good things came to those who waited deserved a hearty pat on the back. Sure, at the moment, it seemed completely like a useless endeavor when faced against an opponent like Katsuki Bakugou. In practice though? Things couldn’t have been more perfect. Katsuki could have worked with Eijirou to take what they both wanted, but really, such a thing would only work in obtaining their prize. Getting it, or rather him, to cooperate would have been a whole nother story with its own set of challenges that would have made everything take longer. As it stood, with the way things had been going they only had to wait a few moments for Izuku to make his choice. After months of trials and revelations it has come down to this one tinsy, tiny question.
“Any chance I can convince you to join me and Katsuki for a date?” Eijirou pretended to look at his nails as he waited for Izuku to answer. They had just finished their dinner and the greenette had decided that wiping their table down immediately would be better than nearly forgetting to when he was inevitably dragged into a conversation between the three of them. Logical at first glance, but as soon as the question hit him the sounds of his rag and his cleaning spray container hitting the ground seemed to echo in the room. It was strange to think about since there was plenty of music from downstairs and several voices as people screamed in pleasure for the party going on, but maybe that just added to the shock of the situation.
Looking up from his scanning, he raised a brow when he caught Izuku staring at the surface of the table. He had a dazed look in his eye, a childlike curiosity mixed with a mature knowledge of what a ‘date’ entailed. Adorable to look at, but also amusing since it fully meant that Izuku was staring at nothing for a good while. It was also worth taking note of how his positioning was over the table. He was bent at the waist with his arm extended outwards, almost gripping the opposite edge. It left his ass pushed out just enough that he and Katsuki both got a generous view, as well as a rush of desire that could barely be kept hidden. The restraint was only allowed because both of them wanted to do this right. They wanted Izuku to come to them to cement his returned interest. Only then would the real fun begin.
Of course, they could have begun the ‘fun’ part a long time ago if they only wanted that body, but by now the ship had long since sailed from its original path. Their lust for him should have been obvious from the start of their encounter but everything else? The fondness and the genuine care that followed could only come about with plenty of time and interaction with the little one. Izuku could claim that he wasn’t interesting or worth getting to know (most of which was caused by Shigaraki), but he had his moments when he was alone with Katsuki and Eijirou. He had his moments where he let himself become void of any fear of what his boss would do to him if he caught wind that Izuku was socializing with anyone he couldn’t control. During those moments, he’d go on an adorable ramble of how things used to be less dark when he was still a child and how he hoped that he’d eventually get himself and his mother into a more stable situation (financially, though he never used the word directly). If there were funny moments at work, as rare as those were, then he’d always have the cutest smile on his face as he recalled them. It really put into perspective how much he cared about his peers even if he didn’t know them too well.
It was...endearing...but also a good way to make Katsuki and Eijirou jealous. Not that Izuku realized it at the time. While it was nice that Izuku wasn’t completely alone with Shigaraki, did it have to be with people that neither men knew? There were certain people they could trust Izuku with; their inner circle. Everyone else seemed too much like a threat to the relationship that they were pushing for. And if that small insecurity caused them to splurge a bit more than their normal routine, then Izuku didn’t need to know for a long time...right?
“Uhhh….ummmm...a-a...d-d-date…?” Izuku swallowed audibly, seemingly testing the words on his tongue. “A-are you guys s-sure you want me g-going with you…?” He risked a glance upwards to see if Eijirou or Katsuki were playing tricks on him, but nearly flinched away when they both gave him unimpressed looks in return. It would appear that they weren’t too pleased with being questioned like that, though Izuku could understand why. Perhaps it was cruel of him to make assumptions like that when they’ve been nothing but kind and patient with him for all of these months.
“Pretty sure, yeah.” Eijirou pushed himself up so that he could lean across the table from the other side. It put his face extremely close to Izuku’s face, granting him complete access to whatever emotions Izuku let pass through his eyes. It was easy to tell that he was surprised and maybe even a bit scared, but from what Eijirou could read, there were no outright signs of rejection. He didn’t look uncomfortable or disgusted, so that was good. “Trust me, sweetheart, we wouldn’t ask if we weren’t 100% sure it’s what we wanted.”
“B-but...I-I’m...but…” Izuku’s arms shook slightly as he tried to come up with some justification. It was a struggle between wanting to push himself up and away from Eijirou’s face or keep himself there so he could keep staring at the gorgeousness of it all. He had no doubt that his own face was beginning to turn beat red, only worsened by their proximity. His mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to think up an answer to give. On one hand, he did want to agree. Eijirou was correct; he doubted that this was some form of trick or a joke on their part. They didn’t seem like the type to take this kind of thing lightly. On the other hand, they had to know what his answer would be. Mr. Shigaraki was already mad enough at all of the gifts Izuku had been receiving and he doubted that the blue-haired man appreciated how much time Izuku was spending with these two.
It kept him in a tight spot between what he desired and what he knew he had to choose.
“I’m...I’m so sorry.” Izuku finally found the strength to move away from Eijirou, ignoring how the rag was left on the table while he kicked the cleaning spray under the table. He crossed his arms to hug himself, mentally counting backward from ten so he could get his breathing back under control. It felt awful to reject two men who had not only been treating him so well, but who had begun to weasel their ways into his own heart. Everyone was hurt in the end and it was all his fault. Not even the justification of keeping them all safe from Mr. Shigaraki could help make him feel better about his decision. But he had to stand firm. “I...you guys...you know about how my boss will react if he finds out I have people outside of The Den. I can’t...I can’t put you guys in a position like that. He’s dangerous and I just-”
Izuku turned around so that his back was to Eijirou and Katsuki. Trying to sigh out his heartbreak, he allowed himself a few moments before continuing: “I can’t place you guys in that type of danger. He’s not one to toy with.”
Silence followed Izuku’s declaration. It was deafening, for sure, but no one had anything to say. Izuku was still trying to keep himself calm now that he had completed his rejection. There was nothing wrong with Katsuki or Eijirou, but he couldn’t subject the two of them to whatever future Mr. Shigaraki would plan for them if he found out. And he was a slippery son-of-a-bitch, so the odds of him overhearing about it or sneaking around to spy on Izuku were pretty high. The relationship they had - customer and server - was the best option. It left them the opportunity to spend time with one-another while ensuring that Mr. Shigaraki couldn’t do anything to them.
On the other side…
Well, neither Katsuki nor Eijirou were impressed. Supposedly, it couldn’t be helped in Izuku’s case. He didn’t know who they were yet and, even if he did, he was the type of person to worry about others more so than himself. Likely, he saw this as the best way to keep them out of too much trouble but sacrificed his own happiness to do so. It was obvious that if Shigaraki was out of the picture then Izuku wouldn’t be so hesitant. But what else was new? Ever since Katsuki had recruited the fucker, he had managed to cause trouble no matter what. God damn, the only reason he was kept alive was that even if he was a pain in the ass he could get his shit done. That, and Mitsuki had always warned having him close was in their best interest. His father before him was quite the bastard and had been a thorn in their side for years before passing away. Having his son within their ranks seemed like a better alternative than leaving him to fulfill his father’s legacy, or some shit.
Regardless, no family name or reputation would keep that fucker alive now that Katsuki and Eijirou had to get rejected over it. Even if Izuku didn’t know, this was unacceptable.
“I-I hope that I haven’t h-hurt you too much.” Izuku didn’t dare turn around, afraid of the hurt or angry looks he’d be forced to face. He couldn’t feel any glares or somber looks burning into his back as he thought he would, but that could very well be his mind playing tricks on him. After all, who would be ‘fine’ after being rejected like that?
“I-I do r-really e-enjoy you guys and your c-company! I just...I don’t-”
“Your boss is quite the possessive one, ya know?” Katsuki interrupted, sounding far too amused for Izuku to feel comfortable with. Unknowest to the greenette, he had thrown his feet up so that they could rest on the edge of the table as he leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head. One look at Eijirou had the redhead scooting closer so that he could lay his head on Katsuki’s lap. Despite the slight stiffness that came in Eijirou’s hair gel, the locks of dyed red were still pretty soft and perfect for Katsuki to run his fingers through. It gave him something to do other than clenching his hands into fists and risk breaking skin because of his sharp nails. Not that that was much of a problem in the first place, but still. It would be helpful if his hand wasn’t bloody when he wanted to hold both of his most treasured ones close.
“Not that either of us can really blame him, you’re quite...precious.” Katsuki licked his lips at the last word, smirking when Eijirou turned to grin up at him. They could both feel Izuku’s flustered state radiating off of him as if it were some sort of gas. It traveled along the air and blasted them unknowingly. “Though, I suppose I should mention that there’s nothing he can do to us. He’s not exactly in the best position to do anything other than keeping that shit to himself and obey quietly.”
Izuku’s eyes bulged out of his head at the new information. He had never heard anyone talk about Mr. Shigaraki like that, not even some of the mouthier employees. And if anyone had the right to be angry with him, it was his own employees. Spinning around, Izuku’s mouth was wide open and ready with a long list of reasons Katsuki should be careful with his words. What stopped him was Katsuki’s hand, held up straight similar to the manner of a cop stopping a car or navigating traffic. At the sight, Izuku’s mouth shut with an audible click as his teeth hit one another.
“Let me tell you a little secret,” Katsuki beckoned Izuku closer with a couple of fingers when he had gotten the greenette quiet once more. Izuku’s movements were slow and cautious, but ultimately, he still obeyed the nonverbal command. Even in his fear and confusion around Shigaraki’s power, he would obey Katsuki’s commands. It was an excellent sign.
As he got closer, Eijirou’s arm began to extend until he could wrap his large hand around Izuku’s smaller wrist. A quick tug had him falling forward, though he managed to catch himself by placing his other hand against the back of the couch the two were sitting on. It left him hovering over Eijirou and a bit over Katsuki, who had only chuckled when Izuku’s mind caught up with the position he was in. It was terribly cute how easy it was to fluster him, though Katsuki supposed he should have known more about that by now.
“Your boss can’t do shit against us, you know why?” Katsuki removed his hand from Eijirou’s hair so he could reach across and snag Izuku’s chin. He kept his grip light, but firm, taking enjoyment in how Izuku’s lips were forced to pucker as his cheeks were squeezed. To this day, he adored how soft and chubby the cheeks on his face were. It made them look tempting to squeeze and to bite, something that both he and Eijirou would indulge themselves in once they had Izuku in their grasp for sure. Gently pulling, he brought Izuku as close as was comfortable before closing the last bit of distance himself. He made sure his lips brushed against Izuku’s ear as he whispered: “He’s only here because of me.”
Izuku tried to pull away so he could face Katsuki, but the blonde’s grip prevented him from getting too far. The hand on the couch was slowly slipping, causing him to go lower and lower to the point where he was afraid of falling on Eijirou. Not that the redhead minded. Out of Izuku’s sight, he adjusted himself so that if Izuku fell, he could comfortably catch him and trap him in his muscled arms.
“Everything he has? He owes it all to me. I started this chain and for some reason, thought that that motherfucker was ready to handle the responsibility that came with management.” Katsuki pulled back when Izuku’s struggling started to get annoying. Fixing the greenette with a stern look, he waited until he stilled within his fingers before granting more of an explanation. He understood that the other was probably nervous or scared now that he was face-to-face with the big boss of this establishment, but Katsuki meant no harm. Izuku would get what he wanted in due time, he just needed to be more willing to wait for it so that Katsuki wouldn't have to repeat anything when he was finished. “It appears that I was wrong. And I know that telling you earlier would have been fairer, but I wanted to wait until you were more comfortable with our presence before springing this on you.”
Izuku tried to tilt his head to express his confusion with why Katsuki would need to worry about that, but Katsuki tugged him a bit closer one last time. It was the last of the balance he had and before he knew it, he was falling onto the body beneath him. However, instead of face planting or knocking his chin into something hard and uncomfortable, his cheeks were quickly released as he was spun around. Almost in a blur, he went from being hunched over to being comfortably perched in Eijirou’s lap, still facing Katsuki.
“The information you’ve been slowly releasing is also pretty helpful. I never expected Shigaraki to be bold to abuse his employees so much.” In case it hasn’t already been made clear how much of a rat Shigaraki was, let it be known; he was horrible. A serious piece of shit. Likely not as bad as Katsuki in the grand scheme of things, but at least Katsuki still held some set of morals that didn’t solely focus on benefitting him. He also had common sense, which made him less sloppy and less predictable. “But that’s not important for now. Right now, I want you to think about everything I just told you and try again: would you come join Eijirou and I on a date?”
The underlying warning of think carefully before you speak was so thick in the air that Izuku really wanted to call it out. He didn’t in the interest of not earning a scolding.
I guess...if Mr. Shigaraki can’t do anything bad...what’s the harm? Izuku entertained the idea of spending time out of The Den and being able to enjoy himself without having to worry about the older man. It sounded like a dream with the more time he spent thinking about it and it probably helped that Katsuki and Eijirou would be the ones who he’d be with. Even if the ‘date’ aspect didn’t work out, maybe they could still remain friends instead of ghosting each other if things went south. It would be beyond heartbreaking to lose some of the few people he felt safe with.
Which brought up another problem…
Was he ready to take the risk?
Even if Mr. Shigaraki couldn’t do much to him or to Katsuki and Eijirou, he could still be hurt badly. And if that were to happen, he didn’t know if he could recover. He could acknowledge that he had no experience when it came to dating. Hell, he’s never really had friends before! How would he make this leap with screwing everything up?
“Well?” Eijirou rested his chin on Izuku’s shoulder, ignoring the look that Katsuki sent him. He knew that rushing Izuku’s decision was uncool and all, but come on! The anticipation was killing him and it had to be killing Katsuki as well. The greenette looked so close to accepting, but something was still holding him back. With Shigaraki out of the way, they could at least be assured that it had less to do with work and the blame lied elsewhere. Based on what they knew of his social life, the most logical explanation was that Izuku was concerned with his lack of experience in the field of daing and developing relationships.
But it never hurt to check.
“I know that you haven’t been given the best life, but we’re hoping to change that. Ya know? Give you some happiness...spoil ya like you deserve to be...” Eijirou took the opportunity to nuzzle a small sliver of exposed skin on Izuku’s neck. He could feel it heat up almost immediately and had to fight everything in himself to keep from opening his mouth and latching on. Or, actually, he couldn’t really fight himself and win. He relied on the small glare that Katsuki sent his way when he noticed the redhead beginning to open his mouth and shark-like teeth made a short appearance. If Eijirou didn’t know any better, then he’d say that Katsuki’s hands were twitching in preparation of snatching Izuku out of his lap.
(He was most likely correct with that assumption.)
“We’re not really expecting anything from ya other than having a good time.” Eijirou settled on, unconsciously clutching Izuku tighter when he heard the smaller male hum in thought. He was trying so hard to keep any of the pushiness out of his tone, but he likely failed. Katsuki was always better at hiding things better than he was, after all. Eijirou didn’t know what it was, but he was always the more expressive of the two and yet, still managed to not fuck up in their line of work. Either he was one lucky bastard or Katsuki covered for him more than the blonde let on.
Izuku took his sweet time coming to a decision. Not only because he was testing to see if he really wanted to do this, but also trying to debate how he’d tell his mother that he’d met two guys who had asked him out. It would do better to wait until they decided that a relationship of any kind would be official, but this was just so new and strange that keeping quiet about it would be practically impossible. To keep himself from muttering about it where Mr. Shigaraki could potentially hear about it, why not just unload on his mother and hope she had some sage advice to give him instead of punishments? It had occurred to him that while Katsuki and Eijirou would be safe from him, that didn’t mean Izuku would be.
But...wait, actually...would he?
He hated the thought of taking advantage of anyone, but now that he thought about it...would Katsuki let Mr. Shigaraki lay a hand on him? He had admitted that he didn’t even know that Mr. Shigaraki was that bad until Izuku let too many details slip. With any luck, even if their relationship didn’t work out, he could at least push for getting Mr. Shigaraki getting replaced with someone much more appropriate and sympathetic.
I guess...trying this out wouldn’t hurt too much…
And...and they both look so...excited…
Would it really be that bad?
I haven’t ever been out with anyone…
But...but they probably don’t mind…
Right…?
If Izuku was ever gonna learn how to live, then what better time than now? Didn’t Izuku deserve some time to enjoy life? This was all so sudden, sure, but as long as he didn’t think about it too much it didn’t seem so bad. Eijirou and Katsuki had probably been waiting long enough by now. “I...I want to give th-this,” Izuku gestured to the three of them, “a shot.” He tried his best to sound strong to make it clear that he wanted this. Truly wanted it. Now was not the time for hesitation. “P-please?”
Katsuki and Eijirou shared a look over Izuku’s head, sending each silent messages through their eyes. Izuku tried his best to read what was going on, but it only ended up with more confusion on his part. Whatever was going on, it was well hidden up until the point where the two men had finally decided to look back down. With their eyes now on him, he could feel waves of emotion passing over him. A mix of his and theirs, he couldn’t tell. All he could do was shrink in on himself as he felt Eijirou gently squeeze his waist while Katsuki started to move closer and closer.
“Perfect, baby.” Katsuki purred, reaching a hand out to tuck a stray curl behind Izuku’s hair. While his undercut mostly meant that managing the small amount of hair he had was simple, there were times where it would all just fall in front of his face. He supposed it was the price he paid for having such fluffy hair. It felt nice to feel people (mostly his mother) run their hands through his locks and he’s been told thousands of times by other people that it could be compared to touching a cloud.
“Since you already work at a bar…” Eijirou continued, waggling his eyebrows in a playful manner. “How about tomorrow, we take you out for some nice hiking and a little picnic? Not to brag too much, but Katsuki and I know some of the best spots.”
“T-tomorrow?!” Izuku’s squeal probably could have alerted everyone in the bar that something was going on, but he tried not to think too much about it. The music downstairs had to be loud enough, surely. And if there were others on the VIP floor, then they probably knew better than to enter without knocking? Or enter at all, would be much more preferable. “B-but...so s-soon? I-I have to w-work t-tomorrow! A-and...oh no...how am I gonna...what will Mr. Shig-?!”
“Let me handle him, alright?” Katsuki placed a finger on Izuku’s lips to keep them from running a mile-a-minute. “I’ve got to meet up with him anyway to bring up every piece of shit I’ve heard about him. Might as well tell him that The Den deserves a little break tomorrow, yeah? Keep everyone away from becoming suspects of the game Who’s the Snitch? ”
Izuku winced at that. Katsuki had a good point; as the owner he had the power to call a lot of shots when it came to The Den. And if he only singled Izuku out for a day off, then that would raise some pretty unnecessary suspicions. Oh well. At least everyone else would benefit from it as much as he did, right?
Or, would they not? Thinking about it, they wouldn’t get paid if they got a day off tomorrow an he really didn’t trust Mr. Shigaraki to not blow their cut pay way out of proportions. Though that was going off of the assumptions that he’d still be managing things until Katsuki found a replacement for him. Thinking on that, it seemed like the best way to do things even if there were a few risks. Having that type of management was better than having none, right? With no one there, it would all fall to chaos since none of the other employees were trained to suddenly be able to fill that position on a whim.
“Get some rest and we’ll come grab you at noon tomorrow, ok?” Katsuki removed his finger. The longer he kept it there, the more tempted he became to shove it inside of Izuku’s mouth so he could caress his tongue. Fuck, did he want to feel that warm, wet apendage in his own mouth. Soon. But Izuku needed to come to them, or, at least allow himself to be steered towards them. That would be the only way to tell that he was ready. “It should be pretty nice out until later in the evening, so don’t wear anything too heavy.”
“I don’t understand how weather works sometimes, ya know? It’s been cold and a bit rainy for the last few months and now it’s going to be nice before getting nasty again? Sheesh.” Eijirou scoffed, tilting his head so he could glance at Izuku. “Times like these make me wish we had weather Gods. At least then, they’d be able to make up their mind and stuff, am I right?”
Uhhhhhh...how was Izuku supposed to answer that on top of worrying about everything else that he was just told? One does not simply transition from conversations about a somewhat unplanned date for tomorrow to weather Gods! And for those who could, Izuku could only wish he had that power.
(Also, was it just him, or did the fact that Katsuki told him they were gonna come get him sound a bit eerie? He never told them where his apartment was, so how would they know where to go?)