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It’s just one of those days, that’s all Shouto can say. One of those days when he comes home after a long, annoying day at work where nothing interesting or noteworthy happened but somehow he’s more exhausted than he would’ve been if he’d kicked some giant villain’s ass or saved people from a burning building. He’s tired and cranky and wants nothing but silence and solitude till this irksome itch in his brain fades.
He didn’t mean to snap at the poor intern on his way out of the office after his patrol but he wasn’t exactly in the mood to discuss the kid’s performance on the fucking paperwork . As shitty as it sounds, Shouto just didn’t want to do it himself so he’d handed it over in the name of “experience”. Whatever. He’ll apologize tomorrow, give him some positive feedback and a pat on the back. But for now, he just wants to be left the fuck alone. (Funny how he sounds like Katsuki during times like these–they can be more alike than people think).
He lugs up the stairs to his and Izuku’s apartment on the third floor, forgoing the elevator because he’s too impatient to wait for it. He’s mildly out of breath as he reaches the door, pulling his keys out of the pocket of his sweats that he’d changed into before leaving work. The keys come out followed by his wallet that gets caught on the ring somehow and thuds to the ground. He clicks his tongue in annoyance and bends to pick it up, then sticks the keys in the lock and unlocks it. The door swings open and as he walks in, the pocket of his sweatshirt somehow manages to get caught on the door knob, yanking him back.
“ Fuck .” As if this day could get any more vexing. He unhooks the caught fabric and stomps inside, shutting the door behind him. He dumps his backpack on the living room floor and flops face first onto the couch, a groan inadvertently leaving his lips.
Honestly, fuck this day. Fuck everything. (Apparently his boyfriend’s voice serves as his internal one sometimes. It’s oddly comforting.)
He feels a little guilty as he lets out a breath of relief that his roommate has the night shift today. He loves Izuku, so much, but if he was here he’d be hovering over Shouto, asking if he’s okay, if there’s anything he can do to help, etc etc. It’s with good intentions, absolutely, and Shouto would do the same for his best friend one-hundred percent. But sometimes…sometimes he just wants to deal with this shit alone. Just mope around and bitch about his day with just me, myself, and I , drink a cup of chamomile tea while mindlessly scrolling through silly cat videos, and just sleep it all off. It’s always worked when he’s in one of these moods.
His phone starts ringing from somewhere in his backpack. With another groan, he gets up to answer it; it takes him a few seconds to locate it. It’s his boyfriend.
“Hey, Kat.”
“Yeah, hey, I’m out picking up dinner. What d’ya want?”
Shouto sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. He really doesn’t feel like making any kind of decision right now, how ever simple it may be. He doesn’t want to think . “I dunno, just get something.”
“‘Kay. Like, noodle something or rice something?”
“I really don’t care, just–I don’t even feel like eating so just get something.”
There’s a brief silence on the other end and Shouto feels guilty again; after all, Katsuki’s just trying to be considerate. He doesn’t have to buy food or come over or care for Shouto in any way, but he does. Is. But before he can apologize his boyfriend just says: “Alright, I should be over in twenty. Love ya.” And then he hangs up.
Shouto walks back over to the couch and flops back down on his stomach.
Exactly twenty two minutes later, Shouto hears a key rattling in the lock and his boyfriend enters. He drops the key (the copy Shouto had presented him when he’d first moved in here with a little chibi Hero Shouto keychain) into a little bowl, slips off his shoes, and strides in to place the rustling plastic bag on the kitchen counter. Shouto does nothing to move from his spot.
He hears the familiar footsteps approach him and a gentle hand rests on his back and gives it a few comforting pats.
“Food’s here, Shou. Got some ramen from that place across the street that you like.”
“Thanks.” He says, but it’s all muffled by the pillow that his entire face is pressed against.
He feels Katsuki sit at the edge of the couch next to him and the hand on his back rubs soothing circles. Would it be okay if he just slept instead? Here, just like this.
“Long fucking day?”
He nods into the pillow.
He hears a sigh of understanding. “Okay, the food’s on the counter so just make sure you eat. D’you want me to stay or leave?”
Shouto’s face finally emerges from the pillow, neck straining to look at his boyfriend, feeling mildly panicked. “But it’s your night here.” When they’d started dating their third year, seeing each other and spending the night in either of their rooms had been simple, not requiring a lot of planning. But since graduating recently and kicking off their careers in separate agencies, they’d had to come up with a system instead. They haven’t really gotten to the point of moving in together just yet, so they’d settled on just switching between apartments per a schedule they made. And tonight was Katsuki’s night at his and Izuku’s.
“Yeah, I know,” Katsuki shrugs. “But you look fucking dead and it looks like you could use some time to yourself. I don’t wanna fucking step on that.”
Shouto sits up and blinks at him.
Katsuki’s eyebrows pinch. “What?”
“Are you mad at me?” Shouto asks quietly, a bit worried about what the answer might be.
His boyfriend scoffs. “Uh, no? Am I supposed to be?”
“I wasn’t exactly nice to you on the phone…”
“So? I get pissy sometimes too. Well, a lot” he chuckles. “It happens.”
“Okay…I’m still sorry though.”
“S’fucking fine, Shou.” Katsuki places a hand on his thigh and squeezes lightly, offering a small smile. He looks tired from his day too.
“I–I don’t really want you to go,” he tells Katsuki softly.
“‘Kay, I’ll stay then.”
“But…”
Another squeeze to his thigh. “But?”
“I just–“ ughhh, he hates this so much. He just has no way of really controlling the feeling and just is and he can’t even explain it. It’s frustrating. And Katsuki’s his boyfriend. He should want this at the end of a day like this right? Want to cuddle up and talk and vent and whatever else, ‘coz aren’t they supposed to be that person for each other? Isn’t that supposed to help the feeling magically disappear? But–but he doesn’t want to talk, like real talk, or do anything …
“Shou? Babe, listen. Are you asking me to stay because you fucking feel bad or ‘cuz you want me to?”
“I want you to,” he responds without hesitation. But–
“You want me here but…” Katsuki pauses to think of the right words to describe Shouto’s current predicament. “But you wanna be alone. With me here.”
Shouto contemplates that. Alone. But with Katsuki. Not them alone together, he just wants to be alone– with Katsuki there. But, somehow still together. He’s kind of confusing himself here but the assured look and the soft smile on Katsuki face tells him that it’s okay. His boyfriend gets it. Understands him. It’s okay.
“Yeah.”
“Cool, we can do that. You ready to eat?” Katsuki stands and heads to the kitchen. Wait, that’s it? That easy? Shouto stands and follows him.
“But you came here to spend time with me.” he voices his hesitations and concerns out loud. “We do this so we get time to do things together. I don’t–I don’t want to take that away from you…”
Katsuki doesn’t turn, just takes a seat on the stool and starts sorting out their meals, speaking as he does so. “First, I am spending time with you. Second, we are doing things together. We’re gonna fucking eat and then do a bunch of nothing until we fucking fall asleep on your comfy-ass futon. And last, there’s nothing you can take from me unless I want you to, dumbass. And you’re not taking anything away. So, shut that goddamn brain of yours off so we can eat this ramen before it gets cold.”
Oh. Shouto takes his seat next to his boyfriend.
They slurp the first couple bites in silence; Shouto’s mind is finally starting to quiet down. Eating quietly like this can be awkward but it isn’t. After a little while:
“You know, if there’s something you wanna do or don’t want you can tell me.” Katsuki takes another long slurp as he side-eyes Shouto.
“I know but–I guess I didn’t really know what I wanted either. I usually just go off on my own when I feel this way but since we’ve been together I don’t think it’s ever come up.” He shrugs.
Katsuki nods. “Yeah well, boundaries are fine, just so you know. Just ‘coz we’re together doesn’t mean you gotta fucking offer yourself up to me twenty-four-seven or just ‘coz it’s ‘ in the schedule ’. Shit doesn’t work that way.”
Shouto smiles, affection for this man brimming inside his chest. More so than before, that is. “Thank you.” And then, “since when did you get so wise, Kat?” he asks, a bit teasing.
“Shut the fuck up I’ve always been fucking wise as a goddamn owl and you know it.” Katsuki’s grinning. “But it’s something I kinda had to learn too. Boundaries and shit. That letting people in didn’t mean you just had to lay it all down all the fucking time for them just ‘coz you feel guilty or whatever. Learned that shit from Denki, of all people, can you believe that?” Katsuki laughs lightly and shakes his head, starting to close up his empty container and placing the trash back into the takeout bag.
“He’s wise when it counts, I suppose.” Shouto says fondly, both for his good friend and his boyfriend, who has grown so much since their first year. They both have in many ways, and there’s still much more they need to learn separately and together.
He passes his own empty container and helps clear up the bits of food on the counter.
They end up settling on the couch, Katsuki picking a random action movie that’s playing on TV. He has his arm over the back, occasionally brushing the back of Shouto neck or shoulder. About a half hour in, Shouto decides he’d rather go to his room and watch his cat videos. Maybe he’ll watch a few dog ones too, what the heck.
He tells Katsuki as much, who just chuckles and leans in close. “Can I get a kiss though?”
Shouto rolls his eyes good-naturedly. As if he needs permission for that. Though, he’s glad that they’re trying and getting better at the whole communication thing. They were both terrible at it in high school and early in their relationship especially. But it’s better now. They’re better.
The kiss is soft, slotted lips pressing and moving against each for a few seconds before they part. Shouto places one more to Katsuki’s forehead, and murmurs an earnest ‘ love you ’ before heading to his room.
Shouto’s still awake when Katsuki comes in after finishing the movie. He plugs his phone into the charger next to Shouto’s, quickly strips into just his boxers before sliding into the large futon next to him.
Shouto reaches to the side to switch off the little lamp and gets comfortable once more, wordlessly offering his chest for his boyfriend to lay on because he wants to (also, it’s his favorite spot), and Katsuki does so immediately.
Shouto’s still trying to process how something like this is real. This kind of understanding and acceptance of another person in this way. He’s allowed to have bad days, shitty days, can want things one day and not the next. And he’s allowed to say it, knowing that Katsuki loves him and respects him enough to not get upset by it. His boyfriend isn’t that kind of person anyway, one of the best things about him.
He presses a kiss atop the spikey blonde hair and huffs amusedly as the incoherent mumbles that escape Katsuki’s lips, the man already knocked unconscious.
Shouto closes his own eyes, the solid weight on his chest easing him into sleep almost instantly.