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"Here."
Shouto watched as Katsuki tugged the second button off of his blazer and flung it in Shouto's direction, the suddenness of the movement making him fumble.
"Huh?"
"Take it."
"Okay?"
Studying the button, Shouto wondered if there was anything he should notice about it but it looked like any other uniform button to him. When he raised his eyes back up at Katsuki, the older male was burying his face in his muffler in a way that seemed almost shy. With his hands in his pockets and his shoulders pulled up he looked smaller somehow, and Shouto slowly pocketed the button securely, feeling as though he'd been given something important since Katsuki never half-assed anything.
"Thanks?" He asked rather than said, and Katsuki's red gaze darted towards him and then off again.
" 's that all?" Despite his hunched over posture Katsuki spoke clearly and Shouto tilted his head.
"Yeah? I don't know what else to say." Shouto stepped closer to Katsuki, to catch his eyes again. "Why am I getting this?"
Eyes widening, Katsuki stared at Shouto in disbelief for a moment that stretched into an eternity, and it started to dawn upon Shouto that he really was missing something vital, that there was something going on that he was supposed to understand but didn't. Shifting his feet slightly, he opened his mouth to say something - anything - when Katsuki cut him off.
"Because I'm in love with you." He muttered quietly, and Shouto tilted his head questioningly.
"You're what?" He asked before his mind caught up and he froze, but Katsuki only pulled down his muffler and raised his chin, staring Shouto boldly in the eye as he repeated himself.
"Because I'm in love with you, you dumbass." He said, voice calm. "That's why."
"Uh… huh?"
"I know you haven't fallen for me yet, but I'll win you over." He straightened his back, face looking dead serious. "So don't you dare look away from me just because I'm not here anymore. Watch me."
"O…kay…?" Shouto responded, dumbfounded as he stares at Katsuki who puffed his chest slightly, something intense entering his gaze that Shouto realized he'd seen countless times before and never understood it was directed at him. He'd never in his wildest dreams been able to imagine that Katsuki's passion could be meant for anything but becoming the number one hero, like he always talked about.
"When I come back to watch you graduate next year, you'd better give me yours." He put on a brave face but his hands were clenched into tight fists in his pockets and the red hue of his ears and cheeks didn’t show any indication of fading.
"My… heart?" Shouto thought out loud, and Katsuki made a noise that was something in between a click of the tongue and a snort.
"That too. Your button."
"Oh."
"Hey, Shouto."
"Hm?"
Katsuki taps his foot against the ground, letting out a deep sigh.
"Stop spacing out already and help me lift this."
"Oh, right." Shouto's gaze falls upon the couch he and Katsuki are moving from their narrow entryway into their - their - living room and can't help but grin broadly at the thought.
"Whatever's going on in your mind right now's got to wait until we're done with the goddamn heavy lifting, alright, I need your focus here ." Katsuki chides scathingly and Shouto bends down to lift his end, because Katsuki had quickly realized that pulling or pushing it would've carved marks onto the wooden flooring and he 'isn't ready to leave his mark on the place yet' .
"I was just-- thinking about-- when you--" Shouto manages between breaths as they maneuver the black leather abomination Katsuki likes too much to even discuss replacing and Shouto doesn't care for into the living room, where furniture has been placed along the walls, waiting to be arranged properly. "-- gave me your button."
He finishes after putting the couch down, leaning against the armrest briefly before looking up at Katsuki who dries his face with his shirt, muscles playing in the summer sun.
"Why?" He asks eventually and peers over at Shouto with a raised eyebrow.
Shouto shrugs.
"I don't know." He replies truthfully, and Katsuki's other eyebrow raises as well.
"Pointless. Think about that shit some other time."
"It's just --" Shouto insists. "-- would you've ever imagined we'd be doing this?"
"Heavy lifting?" Katsuki replies dryly and Shouto catches the tone of impatience, his attempt at steering the conversation in some direction Shouto isn't about to follow, far too transparent.
"Moving in together." He instead reins it back in, going straight to the point.
"Yeah." He says lightly, rolling his left shoulder as he takes a quick look around the room like checking off a list - which, Shouto thinks, he most probably is.
"You did?"
Katsuki grins as he turns back towards Shouto, wild blonde hair like a halo.
"Didn't I tell you I'd make you fall for me?" He states like it's obvious. "Of course I'd think about shit like this."
Feeling like he's falling all over again, a flash of heat runs through Shouto’s body and lingers in his chest where his heart aches sweetly.
"Didn't think it'd take this long, though." Katsuki continues, putting a hand to his hip. "Hasn't it been three years already?"
"Since what, since I graduated?"
"Uh-huh."
"... yeah, I guess it has." He contemplates, heart beating loudly still.
Truthfully, they may as well have been living together since Shouto left the dorms, considering how much time they'd spent together at Shouto’s apartment. Katsuki had been coming over to cook ever since finding out Shouto lived off of soba and convenience store bentos, slowly filling his kitchen with utensils Shouto had never even heard of, whirling around the place like a tornado as he made food from scratch.
It'd been a good time.
But making it official is decidedly different.
'This'll be even better.' He thinks to himself, watching Katsuki carefully consider where to put the couch. 'This'll be perfect.'
Honestly, he wasn't sure what he'd expected.
Katsuki wasn’t one to say things he didn't mean, but Shouto had never been courted before, and despite that, he could still tell Katsuki did it aggressively. At least as aggressively as he was able to, while juggling work and everything else Shouto has slowly realized is part of life as a functioning adult. Even the simplest chores are more difficult when he's on his own and only depends on himself to get them done. At least living in the U.A. dorms eased him into it somewhat.
But despite everything, Katsuki found the time to text Shouto every morning.
Multiple times during the day, too - despite his agency working him hard.
He'd been carefully choosing between going for Best Jeanist's or Endeavor's agencies, and ended up with Best Jeanist's in the end - muttering something about how it'd be easier to overthrow the number one from outside of his own agency when asked. Shouto is pretty sure he's just fond of his oldest mentor and wanting to prove his worth to him especially - but Katsuki would never admit something like that.
He did, however, admit to loving Shouto.
Oftentimes so easily Shouto barely believed it.
The first time, besides his graduation, was a rainy morning in late April as Shouto woke up to his phone chiming at 6:32 am.
'Morning. Eat breakfast. It'll rain today, use an umbrella. Love you.'
Shouto rubbed at his eyes, putting his phone down before something clicked in his mind and he grabbed for it again, opening the message with a clearer head.
It still said 'Love you.' no matter how many times he read it.
'Was that a typo?' He asked, to which Katsuki instantly replied, 'No. Wake up and read it again.'.
The second time, Shouto politely tried a 'I enjoy your company too, senpai.'. Katsuki instantly set him straight with a 'I said I love you romantically, damn it, not that I'm your buddy.'.
The third time, Shouto had been too flustered to reply as it was starting to dawn upon him that Katsuki really meant it and Katsuki typed a clearly contented, 'Good, you finally get it.' and left it at that.
The fourth time forward, Shouto gradually started to get used to it - enough to notice one day in October when Katsuki didn't add it, dread filling him limb by limb as Katsuki continued to not add it for a few days following as well.
Had he given up?
He'd been about to ask, thumbs hovering over his phone screen hesitantly, when another message popped up.
'Don't forget I love you.'
Something about it set his heart aflutter, despite him slowly sinking into a sense of serene platitude.
He'd supposed it'd been because the reassurance felt good.
And that'd been when he realized he'd fallen.
"Are you still thinking about the dumb button?"
Shouto jumps slightly at the whisper in his ear and hands on his waist, not sure he'll ever get used to Katsuki’s casual touching.
"No." He answers truthfully, leaning back against Katsuki who buries his face in the crook of his neck, breaths fanning over Shouto’s skin. "I'm thinking about how you made me fall for you."
"Mhm?"
"I really didn't have a choice, did I?"
"Not really." Katsuki smiles against the nape of Shouto’s neck, hands sinking lower down Shouto’s sides, thumbs massaging circles onto Shouto’s hips. "You're only realizing now?"
"Kind of." The inevitability of it hadn't been something he considered before, after all. He hadn't expected to love Katsuki, much like he hadn't expected to be loved by him.
"You're slow on the uptake, huh, Icyhot?"
"If you were me, you wouldn't have thought about it your way either."
He has a few centimeters on Katsuki and a stockier build in general - with his rather square chest and waist - but Katsuki somehow makes Shouto feel smaller in his arms anyway, in a way Shouto finds he doesn't mind at all. There's something about it that makes him feel enveloped, makes him feel safe and loved in a way he's never felt before. Every touch lingers until it burns, setting his chest on fire.
"I don't know, and I don't care." Katsuki keeps his voice low, a growly mumble, as if divulging secrets meant only for Shouto to hear. "I knew when I realized I love you that I'd make you mine. That's all I give a shit about, personally."
"... so in short…" Shouto trailed off, gaze dropping to the ground briefly before he looked back up at Katsuki again.
"You wanted to see me." He filled in, and Shouto nodded.
Taking his shades off, a small attempt at anonymity, and putting them in the pocket of his leather jacket, Katsuki looked the same as Shouto remembered. Blonde hair peeked out under a knitted, dark hat and even though it'd been months, Shouto felt like it'd been years.
"Yeah." He said, taking a deep breath to calm his beating heart. "I… thought it would be easier, though. To say what I want to."
"Uh-huh." Katsuki sounded like he might've gotten it, like Shouto asking him out on Christmas of all days maybe was enough by itself, but he didn't make it any easier. He watched Shouto silently, the softly falling snow starting to layer and Shouto would've felt cold, maybe - he was inadequately dressed for the weather in a knitted turtleneck and jeans - if he wasn't so full of warmth; chest radiating heat to the point where he felt as if he didn't even need his fire to keep himself at a pleasant temperature.
"It's a little ahead of time." He said, struggling to keep his voice as steady as he'd liked it to be. "But I didn’t want to wait. Though I'm not sure how to give it to you, I, um… oh--"
Moving suddenly, Katsuki had stepped up closer; stumbling backwards towards the wall of the dorm, Shouto nonetheless let Katsuki catch him between his arms against it.
"Your heart, huh." Katsuki stated with a wide grin.
"Yeah." He breathed, a white cloud between his mouth and Katsuki's. "I'm in love with you, Bakugou-senpai."
And it was surprisingly easy once he got started, to let the rest out despite faltering at the beginning.
"Took you long enough." Katsuki's hands ran up Shouto’s arms and he shivered at the touch, head spinning as he tried to compute the sensation, almost too stimulating somehow. Completely different from how Katsuki had touched him before when sparring, Shouto couldn't seem to wrap his head around how his heart suddenly beat out of his chest to the point where it hurt, almost leaving him trembling as he gripped Katsuki’s elbows lightly. "And drop the damn senpai."
"Okay." Shouto's voice was a little weak, much like his knees. "Bakugou."
"Shouto."
"Hmm?"
"You're thinking a lot today, huh."
"I guess." Shouto admits, lowering his hands and turning from the window to watch Katsuki who's already laying in bed, looking up at him with warm, crimson eyes.
"Forget whatever it is, and c'mere." He stretches his arms out, like he does every night. "Unless it's about us going to sleep right now, I don't want to hear it."
"Does it bother you?" Shouto asks quietly as he shuffles into those outstretched arms, pressing a chaste kiss to Katsuki’s lips.
"I'd rather you be with me right now than whatever me you've got your mind on."
"Are you jealous of yourself?"
Slowly closing his eyes as he speaks, Shouto settles into place - he nestles up against Katsuki and a wave of serenity claims his limbs one by one as Katsuki pulls him close and rubs his back, kissing his forehead as he mutters a rumbling "I'm not jealous." that Shouto almost feels more than hears. He chuckles in response, before taking a deep breath of the clean scent that is the laundry detergent Katsuki has used forever and that's now theirs, along with everything else in their apartment. His mind wanders to the two buttons hanging by the window, and he thinks to himself that he's lucky.
"Katsuki?" He mumbles, and Katsuki hums. "I love you."
"Yeah, yeah. And I love you. Now sleep."
"Alright."
Katsuki’s hands slow down until they still, one tousled into Shouto’s hair and the other wrapped tightly around Shouto’s chest, and Shouto lets his slow breathing lull him to sleep.