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‘You’re going to catch a cold.’
‘And?’
‘If you get a cold, you’ll miss class.’
The wind sprays the rain sideways, shaking the umbrella. Katsuki looks up at Shouto, who holds it above the both of them.
‘Why’re you still here?’
‘Because I value your health?’
‘I’m not going to die—’
‘You might.’
‘I’m—What do you want?’
Without asking or saying anything, he takes the seat beside Katsuki, holding the umbrella over him the entire time. It must be uncomfortable sitting on a wet bench, but if it is there’s no telling with Shouto.
‘Oh, fuck off!’
Shouto does the opposite and nears, dropping his head on Katsuki’s shoulder. Of course he moves to shove Shouto off, but stops. Katsuki forgot he was cold, but Shouto’s fireside is heated. In that moment, he has no power to pull away and instead feels himself sink into his warmth.
‘I don’t want you to catch a cold.’
‘Oh.’ And like a cartoon character unaffected by gravity until looking down, he begins to shiver. So Shouto pushes nearer. He goes so far as to switch the umbrella to his outer hand, just to bring his closest arm around Katsuki’s shoulders.
‘Are you OK with me hold—’
‘You already went for it.’
‘Sorry.’
And Katsuki has his chin on Shouto’s hair. He wonders how he could forget his own temperature, but in the midst of his troubles it slipped past his mind.
‘How did you find me?’
Shouto doesn’t answer, so Katsuki repeats. This time he does.
‘I remembered you left early when I realized it was raining. Kirishima told me you train here sometimes, and when you didn’t answer your messages I thought you might be here.’
‘That’s weird.’
Shouto frowns. ‘How?’
Katsuki doesn’t answer.
Rain strikes down, as Shouto continues to provide warmth in this stupid weather. It’s been raining on and off for the past couple days, and Katsuki hates the irregularity of it all. Because now it has him nestling on Shouto of all people, touching him in through his neon raincoat, and allowing his hot breaths to warm his skin.
Increasingly hot breaths, he realizes.
‘Are you trying to fuckin burn me or something?’
Shouto takes his head up, meeting Katsuki’s eyes. He looks shocked then shakes his head no, but he never does cool down.
But it’s fine—Katsuki is freezing anyway. So, he continues to warm up, though his legs remain wet and cold.
He’s a little more put-together in some time, but he has little notion if that relates to Shouto’s creepy and not-ugly face that continues to watch him from his shoulder, or the cold leaving his body.
That makes Katsuki wonder when they’ll have to separate. Because rarely does he let people take care of him, but Shouto has a way of getting in the way of him refusing. It’s annoying, but he’s a half-warm half-cold idiot with an undeserved face, so it’s mostly excused.
Until Katsuki moves to leave—upon realizing how embarrassing his willingness is—but Shouto does that exact thing again.
‘Let’s walk back together,’ Shouto says.
‘Not in this weather.’
‘Oh… Well, I saw a cab around.’
They stand up, but Shouto remains attached. Katsuki watches him through wet strands of hair, and can’t find it in himself to pull away when his hand wraps around his.
Shouto’s skin is beginning to boil, as if barely trapping fire under his palm.
Katsuki shakes his hand away, and a part of him actually regrets it. ‘You’re burning.’
‘Are you hurt?’
‘No, but hey?’ Shouto looks back, prompting Katsuki to go on. ‘Your quirk control is shit.’
‘Sorry, Bakugou.’
‘Whatever.’
‘I'm glad that…’ Shouto stops himself.
‘So, you want help with it or something?’ It comes out almost nervous, but Katsuki scowls at the end so it should go undetected.
Still though, he might have said something wrong, because Shouto continues to stare for a long time after.
‘Neverm—’
‘Yes. Please.’
Then Katsuki's glad he pulled his hand away when he did, as Shouto starts steaming in the rain.
Katsuki doesn’t mention it, because Shouto’s smile makes it so he chokes on his words; the idiot's steaming and smiling, and perhaps Katsuki is too—inwardly, of course.