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Katsuki is self-aware enough to know that he’s the opposite of “comforting.” He bit people as a child, and sometimes, still does today. He doesn’t do pep talks and he can count on one hand the number of people he’s ever willingly hugged.
That being said, Class 1-A’s resident bi-coloured bastard has just come back from a meeting with his father. How can Katsuki tell? The sourness of his boyfriend’s smell makes it hard to miss his moodiness.
It’s proving to be quite distracting. Katsuki’s inner beta is squirming in agitation in response to his stressed alpha, so he can only imagine what Shouto’s foul mood is doing to the omegas. He glances at Kirishima, and sure enough, the redhead is fidgeting with palpable anxiety. Iida, Kaminari, and Shoji, the only other omegas in the class, are no better off.
Katsuki can’t get anything done like this. He abandons the comfy armchair and makes his way over to the source of the room’s tense atmosphere.
“Oi.”
Shouto whirls around, his expression as clear as a thunderstorm.
“Not now, Bakugou.”
“Let’s go. My room. Come on.”
“I said-”
“Your pissy attitude is messing with Sparky and Shitty Hair. You need to cool off.”
Shouto looks over at where the pair are seated on the couch, and finally smells their anxious scents. There’s a spike of guilt from the boy.
“Enough of that. Let’s go.”
Shouto makes no objection this time and follows Katsuki to his room.
Once they’re both in, Katsuki closes the door and pushes Shouto to his bed.
“You’re gonna lay there, and you’re gonna sort yourself out until you relax and can have a conversation like a big boy.”
A low growl rumbles out of Shouto, but stutters when Katsuki joins him on the bed and pushes his fingers through the two-toned strands, almost like a question. GGRRRR - mmrr?
The noise is cuter than it has any right to be. Annoying shit, thinks Katsuki. He remembers the few times he’s ever interacted with cats, and on a whim mimics the petting motions he’d used for the furry creatures. Gentle but firm strokes down the top of his head followed by scritches where the pointed ears would be.
Shouto’s growl mellows out even more until it can’t be called a growl anymore, a soft mmmrrrrr filling the room. Eyes widening, Katsuki realizes the alpha is purring.
He’s never seen Shouto look so content. Even when Katsuki sees him napping in the common room, his brow will furrow periodically, like he’s entered an unpleasant dream. Right now, Shouto’s expression is completely relaxed, and he blinks slowly like he’s fighting off sleep. Katsuki pulls his hand away for a moment to check the time on his phone, and Shouto stops purring and glares in annoyance until he resumes playing with his hair.
A cat. I’m dating a literal cat.
“He wants me to marry Yaoyorazu.”
Katsuki’s hand freezes. “Hah?!”
“He said she had the most useful quirk and the most heroic potential out of the girls in our class. Told me to ‘network’ and ‘bond’ with her. That basically translates to ‘marry.’” His peppermint scent starts to waver and sour, and Katsuki takes that as a sign to continue messing with his hair.
“Dickhead.” Katsuki knows Shouto won’t miss the sincerity in his words. “Always hated that stupid fire mustache.”
Shouto snorts. “It’s so ugly.”
“Who the hell approved that shit?”
“No one. I’ve seen blueprints of all his hero costumes and none of them had the mustache. He added it himself and people started including it in his merch.”
“Wonder if I slapped him bare-handed and he turned on the ‘stache, would his face explode like that villain we fought on I-Island?”
Shouto buries his face in Katsuki’s elbow, his shaking shoulders giving away his laughter. The blond feels his mouth push into a smile, and he notes with pride how Shouto’s bitter scent has vanished from the atmosphere.
He pushes the tips of his fingers up Shouto’s scalp, against the natural line of growth. It’s satisfying to see the composed pretty boy’s hair ruffled, so he does it again, and again. Shouto doesn’t seem to care if the pleased rumbling is anything to go by.
“He’s the number one, so he can do ridiculous shit like that and have the public eat it up.” Katsuki mutters. Shouto looks up, curious.
“When I’m number one, they’d better accept me ‘n my boyfriend the same way.”
One of Katsuki’s favorite and least favorite things about Shouto is his blunt nature. His honesty and lack of sugarcoating are refreshing, but embarrassing him is almost impossible. However, Katsuki made the very intriguing discovery that hitting the two-toned dunce with sappy lines when he’s least expecting it will bring a rare blush to his face, and Katsuki lives for that shit.
He can even smell the alpha’s bashfulness, and boy does that please the beta.
At least, until the half-n-half bastard recovers.
“You mean when I’m number one.”
“Fuck off. I’m gonna be number one.”
“I won the last time we sparred.”
“That has jack shit to do with who’s gonna be number one. Plus, you only won ‘cuz you played dirty. Did that lame win make you feel good?”
“It was a completely fair fight.”
“You kissed me!”
“A distraction, which proved effective. Your point?”
“You half-n-half shitbag.” Katsuki grabs a handful of tangled hair and tugs.
“Ouch! Stop pulling!”
“Who’s gonna be number one?”
“Me- OW!”
“I said, who’s gonna be number- MMF!” The sudden press of Shouto’s lips on his own startles Katsuki enough for the taller boy to topple him over so he’s sprawled all over the blond, his face tucked into the beta’s neck.
“What’s that saying? Fool me once…” Katsuki can hear the shit-eating grin in the alpha’s voice, and he seethes.
“You conniving little fuck, you’re smothering me. Get off.”
Shouto hums thoughtfully. “No, I think I’ll stay. If you play with my hair some more, though, I might consider moving.”
What Shouto appears to have forgotten is that Katsuki is just as much of a shit-eating bastard as his boyfriend.
“Oh, sure. Lemme just…” Katsuki brings both hands to the red and white head resting on his chest, gently runs his palms down the mussed strands…
and furiously scrubs at his scalp.
Shouto whines and pushes his face into Katsuki’s neck further to escape the assault. Katsuki barks out a laugh and decides to take mercy on the alpha, letting his hands fall on Shouto’s back.
They stay like that for a while, nothing but their breathing to cut the quiet. A low pprrrr builds in Shouto’s chest, and Katsuki answers with his own mmrrrr .
Katsuki doesn’t do comfort. He can count on one hand the number of people he’s willingly hugged (his dad, All Might, and the alpha currently squishing him to his bed). He doesn’t do pep talks and he bites people. Yet, he thinks smugly, I don’t see anyone else making Icyhot purr like a kitten.
Katsuki sets back to work carefully smoothing and combing through Shouto’s disheveled hair, snorting at the increase in the younger’s purring. A big, stupid cat.