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Eijirou slides his fingers through his sweat-dampened bangs with a grimace. It’s hot out—the hottest it’s been so far, and because of it, they’re slammed. Like. So slammed that the lobby looks like a tin can of sardines and he can hardly hear his own thoughts over the shrieking of children and the accompanying cries of their parents. Eijirou doesn’t for the life of him remember the pre-count—he knows it was on the higher end, but the exact number escapes him—and looking out at the surging mass of guests attempting to navigate the cramped lobby, he guesses they’ll be hitting over 7,000 today.
Heck, they’ve already sold out on all tours and encounters, and it’s not even eleven yet.
“I am not looking forward to elbowing through that crowd.” Sero nudges him in the side, face scrunched in displeasure. Eijirou bites down a snicker. He nudges back, lips twitching up into a teasing smile.
“What, don’t wanna get plowed into by a bunch of screaming kids?”
“Uh, hell no,” Sero laughs out. “I got plowed into enough yesterday at Stingray Cove, and we weren’t nearly as busy.” He shakes his head and grimaces. “Stupid summer camp groups, I swear to god. I’d die if I was on the floor today. S’already bad enough having sold out tours…I think I’d go insane if I had to scream out ‘ two finger touch ’ on repeat. At least with the tours I get a break between the screaming.”
And, god, Eijirou feels that in his soul. Don’t get him wrong—he loves educating. There’s something kind of magical about watching a kid touch a shark for the first time. The way their eyes light up, mouths drop open…the absolute awe that steals across their small faces—it never fails to make Eijirou feel a little bit giddy inside. But. But. Running a touch tank on a seven thousand people day? Yeah, it’s kind of very awful. Like. A special kind of hell that usually leaves Eijirou with a raw throat and strung out on stress and anger because of course someone thinks it’s a great idea to try and pick up a shark. Or stick their hands in their very, very toothy mouths. Or pull on their fins. Grab their tails. And it’s not just the sharks people try this stuff with, either—Eijirou once watched a full grown adult try and dinnerplate a stingray out of the water because their kid ‘couldn’t reach it’.
So yeah. He’s very happy to be on the animal handler track today, sold out tours and encounters be damned.
“How’d you manage to weasel out of talking for the first tour, anyway?” Eijirou asks with a laugh. “Last I checked, Tokoyami would rather stab himself than talk first thing in the morning.”
Sero laughs at that. “Yeah, well, Beetlejuice was up first, so. It was either play with the limp noodle, or talk first and he chose talking first.”
Eijirou shakes his head, snickering. “Wow, rude. Beetlejuice is a cutie, how dare you!”
“Sure. If you think limp noodles are cute.” Sero’s grinning a shit-eating grin. “Seriously, like, he’s supposed to be a snake. A snake. Badass, cool, all slithery and mysterious, right? But he just. Sits there. With that dopey ass face.”
And, he’s not wrong. Sand boas are pretty dopey looking, what, with their cartoony faces. Eijirou chuckles, shakes his head. “Whatever you say, dude.” He looks back out to the crowd, gaze sticking on a kid with a fluffy penguin backpack. It’s adorable, with wide, round eyes and fuzzy flippers that flop every time the kid bounces. The best part? It’s a Blackfoot—a rare sight, since most penguin themed things are Emperors.
“Hey, have you seen Katsuki?” he asks, the suddenness of it leaving Sero blinking at him.
“Um. I think I saw him in the breakroom? But that was, like, twenty minutes ago, at least.” He tilts his head, a cheshire grin splitting across his face, and waggles his brows. “Why? Gonna hide in a corner and make out with him again before your penguin encounter?”
Eijirou whips his head around, face burning, and scoffs. “What? No! That was one time , dude!” He shoves at Sero’s shoulder with puffed cheeks, Sero’s cackling ringing in his ears. And, like, okay. Listen. He loves kissing Katsuki, okay? So maybe he got carried away that one time —one! Time! But he doesn’t just drag Katsuki away to the many hidden corners in Yueii Aquarium just to kiss his boyfriend. Sometimes things get a little much for Katsuki. A little too loud, or overwhelming. And Eijirou sees the way his hands shake, or the glossy, faraway look he gets in his eyes, sometimes, when he gets too in his head. So he’ll snag his hand and coax him somewhere quiet where they can just. Exist. Sit together with Katsuki curled against his side and their fingers entwined until he comes back into himself again.
And sometimes…sometimes that leads to a little kissing. Eijirou hides his face in his hands and sighs. He gets caught by Aizawa one time and suddenly it’s the talk of the goddamn building.
Sero’s cackles die down into wild giggles. There’s a warm, teasing glint in his eyes, and Eijirou elbows him again with a scoff. “You’re not one to talk, dude,” he says, “I saw you and Todoroki in the Reptile Room literally last week.”
That gets him to shut up.
Eijirou snickers, waggles his brows. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
Sero scowls, face pink, and flips him off. “Shut up.”
“Nope!” he chirps. Which of course, earns him another shove that devolves into a mini shoving match, both of them snickering like school children.
“Sero-kun! Kirishima-kun! What are you two doing?”
They spring apart, looking wide-eyed at Iida, who stands behind them with his hands on his hips and an exasperated look on his face. “Kirishima-kun, Aizawa-sensei did not approve you coming in early to horse around! And Sero-kun, you should be heading back to do your animal encounter!”
Sero’s eyes go wide, and he looks at his watch. “Oh, shit. Deuces, dude.” He stumbles backwards with a two fingered wave, before whipping around and disappearing into the surging mass of people.
Eijirou shoots Iida a sheepish glance. “Erm, sorry, Iida.”
Iida huffs and adjusts his glasses. “If you needed something to do, you only had to ask,” he says, scolding. “There’s an entire shelf of binders that need re-organizing, or the list of extra duties that I can pull out…”
And, oh, jeeze. Eijirou holds up his hands, a nervous laugh spilling from his lips. “Um, no, that’s okay. I uh, I was actually gonna go find Kat—erm, Bakugou, and work out the plan for today, if that’s okay. Have you seen him?”
Iida taps at his chin. He stares up at the ceiling in that contemplative way he does, light gleaming off his glasses in a flicker of bright. “I believe I saw him in the Penguin House talking with Midoriya-kun when I passed by.”
Eijirou’s spinning on his heels and darting out into the throng of guests before he can even think, a quick, “Thanks!” dropping from his lips as he slips through a gap between strollers. He doesn’t hear Iida’s response. It’d be kinda impossible to over the crowd—seriously, Eijirou narrowly dodges an elbow to the ribs twice and nearly trips over a child a grand total of four times, almost knocking over a display of ceramic shell bowls in the process. Literally, who’s idea was it to make the gift shop attached to the lobby? There’s so many people in here it’s a little insane. Eijirou’s sweating even more, if that’s even possible, polo sticking to his back like it’s painted on. It’s a miracle he makes it to the employee door without getting trampled or something, and he fumbles with his keys, tongue poking out as he jiggles the key in the lock.
Perks of old keys and older buildings: locks require a little jiggling almost always.
He gets it though, and the woosh of cool air nearly leaves Eijirou collapsing into a puddle. The door slams shut behind him, his back thumping against it as he takes a second to breathe . Yeesh. Eijirou likes the summer, he does, but the heat is so much. He’ll melt, at this rate.
Shrieks of laughter carry over the steady thrum of life support equipment. Eijirou kicks off the wall, gaze tracking over the glow of blue light that rises from the massive shark tank dominating the space. There’s smatterings of guests that press up against the acrylic fence as they peer into the water, pointing at the shadowy shapes of fish and sharks that cruise past. Eijirou smiles as he skirts past. A warmth burns inside him—there’s something a little magical about seeing the awe people have written all across their faces when they see a shark, or one of their turtles, or a penguin.
Speaking of penguins.
The penguin house—aka their habitat that doubles as the encounter space—sits just beyond the gate, all aglow with bright lights that mimic the sun. Eijirou can see movement through the glass door—Midoriya, by the looks of it. He unclips his key from his belt loop and unlocks the gate, a smile slipping onto his lips when he catches the familiar puff of golden hair that bobs into view.
Eijirou slams the gate shut behind him and scans his badge on the ID scanner, the familiar beep echoing in his ears unlocking the door and letting him step inside.
“—nearly drowned him. Like, Kacchan, I’ve literally never even seen this happen before it was awful. There were feathers everywhere and Benny kept whacking him and every time Casper tried to come up for air Benny’d just drag him back under and he wouldn’t let go and—”
The door thumps shut behind Eijirou, and Midoriya whips around, boots squeaking and brandishing the scrub brush he’s holding like a sword, nearly batting Kiwi off her little feet. She scrambles, claws scraping against the floor and flippers flapping at her sides, nearly taking out Raspberry in the process. Across the room, Katsuki barks out a laugh, and oh, Eijirou’s insides flutter.
“Sorry, dude,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, “didn’t mean to scare you.”
Midoriya lowers the scrub brush, a strangled laugh spilling from his lips. “N-no, it’s okay, I was rambling again.”
“Yeah, you were.” Katsuki rolls his eyes despite the bemusement etched across his demeanor. He’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, despite the shine that indicates it’s still very, very wet. Buttons is sprawled across his lap in all her feathery glory, eyes squinty and feet all tucked up beneath her. Katsuki strokes her back idly, a warmth burning in the hearth of his gaze when it settles onto Eijirou. His lips quirk up in a fleeting smile and it really isn’t fair how pretty he is, like. So unfair. “Hey,” he says, soft and low. Eijirou bites his lip.
“Hey yourself, babe.” It’s a reflex, at this point, unlatching the gate. Eijirou does it so often—he doesn’t even need to look. He just trails his hand along the railing, fingers finding the latch and tugging it open without a second thought. Of course, the second he steps inside the house proper, Brandy, Kiwi, and Artichoke all come running to him. A different kind of warm and fuzzy feeling fills him up as he stoops over and dishes out chin scratches, careful to spread the affection so no one gets too jealous. It’s a careful art, really, but worth it to keep the peace.
“Um, well, I’ll talk to you later, Kacchan,” Midoriya says. He’s juggling a deck brush and at least three different kinds of squeegees and a towel and a bottle of what looks like some kind of disinfectant. Nolvasan, maybe? It’s bright blue and sloshes around wildly as Midoriya shuffles his way to the gate, rubber boots squeaking against the floor.
“D’you want some help, dude?” Eijirou asks.
“N-no, thanks though.”
How he manages to get through the gate with his hands so full is a mystery Eijirou doesn’t have the capacity to try and solve right now. Probably’s got something to do with how often he’s in here—everyday, now that he transferred to Husbandry. Eijirou offers a wave as Midoriya makes his way out the door, leaving him and Katsuki alone. Well. Except for the birds, that is.
Eijirou crosses the house, three penguins at his heels, and plops down beside his boyfriend on the very much still wet floor. Artichoke takes that as an invitation and hops onto his lap, her little wet feet leaving damp footprints on his khakis. Brandy gets distracted by his shoelaces—a common occurrence, really—and Kiwi presses herself up against Eijirou’s side, neck arched and head wagging. He huffs out a laugh, stroking down her back. Gosh, he really should’ve dropped in earlier to say hi, huh? Not that he’s complaining—being smothered with penguins is like, kind of the best.
“I’ve been looking for you, you know,” he says softly. Katsuki arches a brow.
“Really.”
“Uh-huh.” Eijirou tips his head back, lips quirking up in a grin. “Should’ve figured I’d find you here.”
It’s true. Katsuki spends probably most of his spare time in the house when he’s here—provided husbandry isn’t cleaning and the lights are on. And there’s not, like, an encounter going on or something. But yeah. Katsuki spends a lot of time here. Which is kind of hilarious, when Eijirou remembers how much Katsuki used to loathe the Penguin House and the birds inside it. He gets it, though. It’s quiet, here. Or, no, not quiet. Especially not if the girls are all screaming—their species doesn’t get the nickname Jackass Penguin for nothing, after all. But there is a serenity, here. A peacefulness that’s hard to find most anywhere else. And he knows how much Katsuki needs that sort of peace.
That familiar ache rears inside his chest, sudden and tenacious, and Eijirou bites his lip hard enough that it stings. His gaze flits to Katsuki’s hands, those scarred palms he knows oh so intimately well hidden from view and yet Eijirou aches all the same. His own hands twitch with a want to reach out, to pull Katsuki close and tuck him into a hug as though that can shield him from the pains of his past, from the scars burned onto his palms and into his heart and soul. He can’t, of course. Eijirou knows he can’t. He still longs to, though.
Anyway. Katsuki seeks out the kind of peace that makes his head quiet, and the Penguin House is one of the places that gives it, tenfold. Eijirou finds that he comes here the most when he’s tired, or socially drained, or needs to think.
Which begs the question: which one is it now?
Eijirou scratches idly under Artichoke’s chin, smiling at her happy huffs. “Penny for your thoughts, bro?” he asks. Katsuki snorts.
“How many times do I have to say not to call me bro? Your tongue has literally been in my throat.”
He shrugs, grin wide and laughter bubbling from within. “Yeah, well, you let me stick my tongue down your throat, so. Who’s fault is that?”
“Fuck off.”
Affection drips off the words, sticky and sweet, and Eijirou can’t help but melt into it. He nudges Katsuki’s foot with his own, ignoring the glare Buttons sends him from her makeshift throne. “You’re avoiding the question, babe.”
Katsuki goes still. Quiet. There’s a furrow in his brow that Eijirou itches to smooth away. He doesn’t—he knows this isn’t the time for that. Not now, anyway.
So he waits. He strokes Kiwi and waits and waits, the thrum of the penguin pool’s filtration buzzing in his ears. Katsuki visibly bites his lip. He scratches Buttons’ chin and she squints, pleased. Warmth bubbles inside Eijirou at the sight and he can’t help but smile. There’s something so… soft about Katsuki in moments like these. Which in some ways is kind of funny—Katsuki’s normally so loud and abrasive, all spitfire and curse words. Soft isn’t exactly something most people’d associate with him. But here, surrounded by their favorite feathery co-workers, he’s quiet. Contemplative. Gentle. Those scarred, calloused fingers of his dig into the feathers along Buttons’ nape, and she curves her neck just enough to preen his wrist.
Affection swells inside Eijirou with an intensity sudden enough that he nearly chokes on it. Gosh, he loves this boy. So much.
“There’s a new job posting,” Katsuki mumbles, so soft Eijirou nearly misses it. “S’a lab assistant. Part time.”
And, oh.
Oh, shit.
“Are you gonna apply for it?”
Katsuki just shrugs. Shrugs . Eijirou can only gape at him.
Because, well, okay. Eijirou knows how much Katsuki loves chemistry. They don’t talk too much about it, because, like, there’s not often a reason to. Chemistry isn’t exactly a normal topic of discussion to the average person after all, and while yeah, they work as educators in an aquarium, they’re still pretty heavily focused on the environmental aspects of everything. Which can involve chemistry of course, but not in like, the detail that Katsuki knows about it. Which is intricate. The detail, that is. Like, Eijirou’s listened to him talk for hours, once—it was one of those three am sort of talks that started because Eijirou couldn’t sleep and nudged Katsuki awake to ask him an admittedly asinine question about fish poop. (Yeah, it’s weird, Eijirou knows. Still.) The passion he has about it—it’s enough to give Eijirou butterflies. Maybe that’s a weird thing to get butterflies from, but it’s the god’s honest truth.
So yeah. The shrug is weird. Though…maybe not entirely baseless.
Eijirou’s jaw clicks shut. He digs his fingers into the feathers at Kiwi’s nape, watching as they fluff up and Kiwi’s neck arches even further. She’s got that look in her eyes—like she’s way too pleased with herself right now. It’s adorable, and Eijirou can’t help but indulge her. Is he being an absolute sucker? Probably. But dammit, how can he not be when she huffs and wags her head all cute like that? Eijirou loves these birds so much it makes his chest hurt sometimes. He bites his lip, gaze flickering up to his other love, heart burning.
It’s crazy, he thinks, how much he can feel for another living being.
“Do you want to apply for it?” he asks gently. Katsuki’s frown cuts a little deeper and Eijirou feels his heart twist a little in his chest, aching at the tense line of his boyfriend’s shoulders because he knows why it’s there. The hesitance he sees is a product of a whole lot of hurt. It’s unfair for so many reasons, but it’s especially unfair because here’s someone brimming with so much passion, who’s been scorched and burned so badly by the thing he loves, that he’s hesitant. Something that’s the very antithesis of who Katsuki is.
“I don’t know.” It’s quiet when he says it. So much so, Eijirou almost misses it. Katsuki sighs, soft and low, and thumbs along Buttons’ beak. “I mean, my old lab was for fucking nitroglycerin and shit. Not…water. If you asked me even a year ago if I ever wanted to test shit like water quality, I’d probably laugh in your face.”
And, well, Eijirou can’t help but snicker a little. Because he’s right, probably. After all, just a little over a year ago, he was a brand new handler, spitting rage and contempt for just being here. It’s kind of crazy how much has changed in such a short time—how much they’ve changed in that short time. But change is an inevitable factor of life. The planet rotates on its axis in its journey around the sun, and with it comes day changing into night and spring fading into summer and so on and so forth, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year until the end of time as they know it. Nothing is spared from change. Not him, not Katsuki, not these birds, hell, not even the rock of the earth itself. Rising and crumbling and eroding and shifting all around them in minute increments that build over time into something completely new. There’s something so wildly terrifying and thrilling about it all. How something can feel so…certain in one moment but be completely altered or eradicated in the next. He knows it scares Katsuki, sometimes. It scares him, too. But sitting here, staring at this boy that he loves with the fabric of his entire being, that fear feels oh so far away. Change is scary, yeah, but change brought him Katsuki, so. It can’t be all that bad.
So, he gives Katsuki a nudge. “And now?”
Katsuki’s brow scrunches. His foot presses further into Eijirou’s, a move that leaves something warm and sticky oozing through Eijirou’s chest all thick and viscous, and hums. Shrugs. A motion that’s typically very non-committal, but Eijirou sees it for what it is; a deflection and an answer all in one fluid motion. He strokes down Kiwi’s back and dips his chin down to his chest to hide the flickering smile on his lips.
“I think you should do it,” he says softly.
“Yeah?”
There’s a waver in his voice. A crack—of vulnerability, of hope, of fear. Eijirou looks at Katsuki with all his tense shoulders and knit brow, hands still as they rest on the back of Buttons perched in his lap. Another pang of affection hits Eijirou like a shot to the chest and he smiles, warm and soft and filled to the utter brim with this love he feels. “Yeah, man.” He nudges Katsuki’s foot again, playful, and says, “I think you’d really love it.”
Katsuki’s face flushes bright pink, and he huffs and averts his gaze. “Whatever.”
Where most people hear a deflection, Eijirou hears a question. It’s something he’s learned in his time, being with Katsuki—for as much as he’s worked on opening up and using his words, it’s still hard. And call it the perks of intimacy, but he’s learned how to read his lover in all the ways he speaks. So he smiles a soft smile. “I’m serious, y’know. I know how much you miss working in a lab.”
A loud, cacophonous duet starts up from across the room—it’s Brandy and Raspberry, pressed together and leering forward as they scream their jackass call at Jackie, who’s all puffed up in front of them. Kiwi bolts from his side and pitter-patters her way to defend her partner’s honor, and Eijirou can’t help but snicker. Gosh, they’re a mess.
“You’d. Be okay with that.”
It’s not said like a question. Eijirou hums, head tipping back and hand sliding across the rough, shit-stained floor. “‘Course I would. It’d make you happy, wouldn’t it? To try for something like that?”
Katsuki huffs. Shrugs. Nods. Jerky and quick, and so vulnerable it makes Eijirou ache . He shuffles closer, ignoring the way Buttons squints angrily at him, all head tilts and poised to strike. Eijirou huffs a laugh and bumps shoulders with his love, gaze trained on the bright blush stained across Katsuki’s cheeks.
“You deserve to be happy, Katsuki,” he says simply. “That’s all I care about. And if applying to be a lab tech makes you happy, then I’m gonna tell you to do it ‘til I’m blue in the face.”
He doesn’t answer, but Eijirou doesn’t need him to because the way Katsuki leans into him is an answer enough. His head finds rest against Katsuki’s, his hand entangling with the one he’s offered, sweaty palms and all. Eijirou grins and gives it a squeeze. Distantly, he hears the crackle of his radio, a signal of how despite their little bubble of peace, the summer day moves on in full swing. Soon, he’ll have to get up and go deliver a tour to a bunch of rowdy and over-excited guests with too many questions. Soon, he’ll have to wade through the crowds and the sun and the heat. Soon, he’ll be hoarse and tired and ready to crawl into bed beside Katsuki only to do it all over again. One day will turn into another, and change will come knocking on their door as it’s wont to do.
But not yet. So he sits and basks in this moment that’s just for them. And when Katsuki presses a fleeting kiss to his shoulder, he hears the unspoken, “I love you,” and returns it with a kiss of his own.