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The door creaked open, and Katsuki waited with unabated breath for the perky “I’m home!” he’d become accustomed to hearing on the daily. What came instead was a world-weary, almost-sigh of a greeting and the quiet shuffling of sneakers on the genkan. He peered over the top of The Line of Fire: Civilian Casualties While on Duty, with one brow crooked to his best friend clenching his fists, staring sightless at the seam between the genkan’s wood panels and the carpet that lined their living room.
Eijirou had clearly already had a shower at the agency--his trademark showstopper spikes were cleansed of all product, allowing his hair to fall in soft waves around his face. He had changed into a simple pair of long khakis and a red shirt that was worn soft. His hands finally unclenched as he placed his Hero costume briefcase in the closet between their rooms, before Eijirou made his way to the kitchen with another heavy sigh while pouring himself a glass of water, and it was at that moment that Katsuki had had enough. He snapped his book shut, startling Nitro to leap off his lap. and snapped at his roommate, “Alright, Red, what’s got you all mopey?”
Eijirou made eye contact with him for the first time that evening, and there was a fleeting moment of surprise and guilt before the redhead slipped on a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m just tired, I guess, you didn't have to scare the cat. Nothing’s wro--”
“Don’t give me that bullshit,” the blond huffed angrily. “You’re obviously upset right now, probably overthinking like a dumbass, so get your shitty ass over here and calm the fuck down.”
The smile fell from Eijirou’s face and he swirled water in his glass, mimicking the spiralling thoughts in his head. He couldn’t hide how upset he was from Katsuki, he never stood a chance, so he might as well come clean. “Okay well…” he started. “I mean, you know how I look when I’m in Unbreakable form.”
“Yeah, it’s cool as shit.”
Kirishima’s face crumpled with a burst of gratitude for his best friend. “Thanks…but not everyone agrees. There was a kid...he-- he was trapped in his apartment building. I ran in to help and had to go Unbreakable to prevent the roof from collapsing right on top of him. And he wasn’t hurt! Not from that, at least. Luckily, I got there in time to stop it, but I had to pick him up to carry him outside and I-- his hands got all sliced up on my shoulders. He was crying all the way, and then cried when we got outside! He was scared, Bakugou!”
At Katsuki’s incredulously raised brows, Eijirou cried out before he could retort. “I know he just went through, like, a traumatic thing, but I mean, when we got him to his mom and she tried to get him to thank me, the kid just hid and said I was scary. I made a little kid cry with how monstrous I am, Katsuki! And he got hurt ‘cause of me!” His chest heaved erratically, tears peaking at his eyes. “Some of the other sidekicks at the agency think I’m too reckless when I barge into scenes, but I just don’t want them to get hurt, you know? I’m not trying to, like, steal their thunder. I don’t really care about all that!
“It’s just that, I can take a beating, and I know they can too, but I can take so much more damage than most people. It makes sense. And if I can’t do that, if they won’t let me help, then what good am I? I’d be useless, Katsuki…” The tears began streaming, his voice hoarse with emotion. Bakugou’s lips pursed in annoyance, knowing that repudiation from his coworkers was all Kirishima needed to spiral into self-deprecation.
“Is that Ratface asshole saying shit about you again!” He seethed, getting angrier the more he thought about it. “I told you to tell me if he was bothering you again. I’ll kill ‘im for giving you shit, Ei, I swear! When was the last time his shitty face was on the list of top-ten most charismatic sidekicks, huh?!”
Eijirou nearly bit through his lower lip, holding back laughter. Blood pricked at his teeth, making his sharp-toothed smile look devilishly delighted. “You’re the best, Katsuki. You really are.”
“What the fuck ever, I notice things. Give me some fuckin’ credit,” Katsuki replied with all the nonchalance he could muster. With yet another huff, he beckoned the redhead to get closer to him. “C’mere, before I change my mind.”
It was Eijirou’s turn to crook an eyebrow. He smiled bemusedly but scooched closer to the blond.
“What’s up?” he chirped. Bakugou sat upright, having lodged himself into the corner of the sofa, leaning up against the arm while he was reading earlier. At his glance, Kirishima sat directly in front of him, legs crossed. “Oooh, so mysterious!”
“Shut up, Pebble Brain, and turn around,” the blond ordered. Eijirou sniggered and teased him but complied. “Did you remember to take your meds today?”
Kirishima nodded reflexively, before realizing Katsuki couldn’t see his face, so he repeated the affirmative aloud. Katsuki still hadn’t done anything in the minute he’d been sitting so closely in front of him, that Eijirou was beginning to get curiously concerned.
“Katsuk--” he began, turning his head to look back, when suddenly, he felt the gentle splay of a hand on the back of his neck, and another guiding his head forward by the jaw. Katsuki ran his fingers along Eijirou’s neck, prodding and assessing the tensest points. He spent several minutes massaging Eijirou’s neck, gently at first then pressing the tip of his thumb and index fingers into the deeper knots, until he could feel the point of muscle tension seize and relax. Kirishima let out a gasp and a sigh, clearly not having realized how much stress he was carrying there.
“You always get real tense in your shoulders when you go Unbreakable,” Katsuki grumbled, as his hands drifted to Eijirou’s shoulder blades, starting on the deeper muscle knots. "And I can hear you through these cheap-ass paper thin walls--not sleeping, scuffling around your room in the middle of the night. Y’gotta take care of yourself for once in your damn life, ‘stead of worrying about what extras like that dipshit Ratface think of you. If you’re doing your job, ‘nd saving people, 'nd winning , then no one can tell you that you suck. ‘Cept for me.”
Eijirou couldn’t believe what had gotten into his best friend, but it was why he couldn’t help the immense fondness and contentment that filled his heart. This is why he loved Katsuki. He communicated respect and affection through actions, but he knew Kirishima communicated through words, and he learned how to go out of his way to make sure Eijirou knew he was trying to make him happy. That Katsuki had caught on to just how stiff his muscles got after exerting so much of his Quirk was just another example.
“That’s ‘cause you’re my best friend and I’m your bestest bestie in the whole world,” Eijirou laughed, tilting his head all the way back to see the blond’s face. As expected, he had a sneer in full force.
“Don’t be a dumbass,” he scolded, flicking Eijirou on the forehead, but doing it with a smirk full of affection, then ruffled Kirishima’s locks. “But yeah, you ain’t half bad. ‘Specially when your hair’s like this and not stupid as hell.”
Eijirou was set to retort in defense of his perfectly awesome hairstyle thank you very much but Katsuki began attending to his scalp with scratches and a gentle head massage, and Eijirou was done for. If he weren’t already in love with his best friend, he would have fallen head over heels for the amount of tenderness the blond man was showing him.
“Thanks, Katsuki,” Eijirou murmured sleepily, head lolling back onto his shoulder. “You really are the best.”
Not stopping his ministrations, Katsuki pushed Eijirou up so that he could rearrange himself in a more supine position. When Kirishima moved to get up off the couch completely, apologies on the tip of his tongue, Katsuki just pulled him back down into the center of his chest and continued the gentle massaging of his neck and shoulders with one hand, occasionally threading upwards into Eijirou’s mess of locks.
The other was slowly entrapped by Eijirou’s own hesitant hand, at first drawing lazy patterns with his fingertips, and eventually allowing their fingers to become entwined. Katsuki’s hands were quite literally weapons of mass destruction, yet with this boy, this man, he felt vulnerable in a way that made his chest tight.
Nitro, who had been gazing at them from her hidey-hole under the coffee table, leapt up to nestle herself precariously on top of Eijirou’s hips. Her tiny claws prickled at his skin in the sliver between the hem of his shirt and the top of his khakis, causing the redhead to huff a laugh into Katsuki’s neck. The blond tamped down the urge to shiver, as goosebumps rippled across his skin. He glanced down at Eijirou’s face, meeting the enthralled gaze of his best friend, and knew that no matter how vulnerable he felt, he’d rip down every one of his stupid defensive walls, he’d do anything to keep that smile.
Right now, Eijirou’s eyes were shining again, and that’s the only thing in the world Katsuki cared about.