Work Text:
Hitoshi hates being sick.
He hates the crawl of drainage as it slips down the back of his throat.
He hates the way his throat feels raw and scratchy with every swallow and cough.
He hates how his nose is both stuffed and runny, nostrils undecided on how to feel other than torturous as he has to blow his nose into whatever toilet paper or tissues he’s got on hand, going raw on the outside.
But what he hates the most is the cough, and how that always ruins his day.
Coughing with every other breath, a visceral ache in his body as he feels like he’s coughing up a lung.
The pain burning through his throat as it constricts with the cough.
He could handle the other stuff on their own, even combined it’s not so bad, but when that cough gets added in, the way it aches through his body after every single one… it ruins everything.
Today was the worst day to get sick, the worst week for it to start, and the worst time of the month too. He’s sick, he’s aching, his throat feels raw, his chest hurts, and he can’t spend time with the three people who could make him feel better because he’s so damn sick.
Everyone is working right now, and he’s supposed to be resting for his night shift so he can enjoy movie night with his three favorite people. But now he’s calling his boss, praying that someone can take over his patrol for tonight as he heads for the door, tugging the sweatshirt he just slipped on until it comes down to fully cover himself. He needs to get checked out, hopefully given meds and prescribed with a night or two of rest, and then, he needs to get back under his covers because he feels like Shouto just froze him up to his damn neck in ice.
“I’ve got a cold, and I’m headed to see a doc about it. Is there any chance-“ says Hitoshi as soon as the call is picked up and a high toned hello is let loose.
“You were my next call. We interrogated one of your guys from last night’s patrol. And if he is to be believed, you’ve been quirked.” says his boss, Maia, the head of the underground hero agency he works at.
Her quirk is pretty simple, she can shift her identity into anyone she wants as long as she can picture them in her mind, but her hair changes based on the color of the food she most recently put in her system. Makes for a great underground Hero, even better as an undercover operative which is how she spent most of her career before she took over her mentor’s agency.
“Great, what’s the quirk? I’m heading in to get checked out right now, so if there are any clear active quirk indicators, I can pass them on to the docs.” replies Hitoshi as he pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers, trying to stay professional.
“Actually, you can come to the agency. Our doc will look you over since she can see active quirks, and she’s here with the indicators knowledge as well as a file of the quirk itself which can be released to you as soon as we know if you’ve been quirked.” Maia says it quickly, leaving no room for argument in her tone, and then she adds that arguments aren’t allowed when she hangs up on him.
Hitoshi pulls his phone away from his face, looks at the black screen and groans, “Fucking villains.”
He grabs his capture weapon just before slips out of his apartment, shoving his phone in his back pocket as he goes. He gets the capture weapon around his neck, and heads for the stairs to go up. He’s not walking, catching the train, or calling a cab because he doesn’t drive. His phone buzzes in his pocket as he pushes his way onto the open roof, and he tugs it out to see a message in the Lovers Groupchat that he got dragged into by Denki with his boyfriends, Katsuki and Eijirou. He’s been in the chat for two months now, and Denki said it was easier because they didn’t have to play messenger when checking with him about movie nights or coming over for dinner or something since Hitoshi ends up in their apartment across the hall almost every day for varying reasons and timeframes.
Denki: Are you coming for movie night, Toshi?
Hitoshi mutters under his breath as he types out a quick response.
Hitoshi: I can’t, sorry.
He pockets his phone again before taking off across the rooftops in the direction of his agency. He’s exhausted and hacking up a lung by the time he makes it to the agency’s rooftop. He takes a minute to haul in several deep breaths, growling at the tickle that spreads along his esophagus because of the cool air.
Hitoshi knows his phone buzzed a few times as he was running, but he also knows he’s not about to look at it and be more bummed out. So, he doesn’t. He heads for the stairwell in the small addition on the roof, and he jogs his way down them despite the hurt aching through his throat.
Once he reaches the floor of his boss’ office, he heads straight for it, and knocks on the door.
“Come in, Mockingbird.” calls Maia through the closed door, and Hitoshi quickly enters only to freeze at the sight of Katsuki Bakugou sitting across from his boss while the quirk doctor stands next to her.
“Umm, this looks like a private meeting, and I just need to be checked for the quirk. So, do you want me to go wait in Medbay?” asks Hitoshi coldly as he narrows his eyes on his boss, knowing that she knows of his feelings and the quirk he’d been hit with. He refuses to look at Katsuki despite feeling his Scarlett eyes latched on his form.
“Nope, you’re quirked all right.” says the doctor as her eyes glow purple for a moment before melting back to pink.
“Which means Dynamight is going to take care of you with his partners because I know you live near each other, and you’ve worked with him enough for me to know he’s trustworthy.” adds Maia with a devious smirk as she stands from her chair and locks arms with Alisha before rounding her desk and heading for the door. “I’ll give you two about ten minutes to talk before I come to reclaim my office because that’s about how long it will take for me to escort Alisha down to the front and get her in her car. He has the file, by the way.”
Hitoshi glares at her the entire time until the door blocks her from view, then his shoulders slump and his head drops forward.
“You’re going to explain what the fuck you thought you were doing by telling Denki you weren’t coming tonight and then ignoring your phone. But first, you’re quirked into having flu-like symptoms that worsen with your emotions. Meaning, if you’re sad, you’re going to feel a thousand times worse. If you’re irritated or angry, it will cause a certain symptom to worsen. But if you’re happy, you will feel better. So, who is that crush? They’ll make you feel better, and I think we can handle them being around long enough for the quirk to run its course.” Katsuki sounds irritated and ready to blow something up, and when Hitoshi turns to look at him, he’s standing with his fists clenched and arms crossed over his chest. The file is lying on the chair he was once occupying, and Katsuki is looking at him with the most guarded look that Hitoshi has seen him wear in years. “Deku told me you have feelings for someone when your boss called to tell us you were under an emotionally attached flu quirk and needed to be around someone who made you happy. So, give me a name, and we’ll invite them over to hang with us while we monitor you.”
“How long does the quirk last?” asks Hitoshi as he avoids everything else to focus on the time limit because that’s going to be the most important thing if he’s about to have to do this.
“It’s supposed to last about 72 hours depending on activation which comes after you were touched. But the symptoms don’t reveal themselves until after twelve hours.” replies Katsuki shortly, looking irritated in a way that Hitoshi hates because he’s guarded and angry.
“Well, then I guess I can avoid you three for that long and find a new apartment. My lease is almost up anyways, so it shouldn’t be too hard.” murmurs Hitoshi as he tries to ignore the hurt blossoming under his skin as he twists away from Katsuki and heads for the door.
His wrist is snatched up, and he’s forced to stop. But he doesn’t let the tug yank him around because he knows what comes next, and he’ll be damned if he has to watch disgust scrawl across Katsuki’s face.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Why would you avoid us? Why would you find a new fuckin’ apartment?” Katsuki’s voice demands attention and answers, growling at Hitoshi as he tugs on the wrist he’s got held in his hand, trying to yank Hitoshi’s attention fully to him.
“For the same reason.” replies Hitoshi as he twists his wrist out of Katsuki’s hold, his own voice going to icy as he twists his head around to catch Katsuki’s eye through his peripheral. “Because I’m the idiot that fell in love with all three of you.”
Hitoshi yanks the door open and takes off in a run for the stairs, he finds the elevator shutting and looking still, and says fuck it. He hits for it to go up, and when he hears Katsuki yell his name, he presses down and bolts into the stairwell. He locks the door behind him before running up the stairs, heading for the roof as his body aches and he coughs until his abdomen feels sore. He tumbles onto the roof, falling to his hands and knees as he tries to catch his breath, then he pushes himself up and walks to the edge.
But he can’t go to his apartment. He knows he can’t. If he goes there, Denki and Eijirou will have already made themselves at home on his couch to wait. The reason he knows this is because he’s had them do it before when he’s been injured on a patrol. Hitoshi would tell Izuku when he messaged him that he’d been checked over and is hurting but cleared, and when he got home, he’d find Eijirou and Denki sitting on his couch while Katsuki would be in the kitchen, humming as he brewed some chamomile tea to force Hitoshi to sleep.
“Don’t you fuckin’ dare try to run insomniac!” Katsuki’s voice is loud and angry, but Hitoshi takes it as his cue to latch the end of his capture weapon out and takes off.
He makes it three buildings away before he stumbles to his hands and knees and coughs so hard he sees black spots dancing in front of him. Then there’s a loud, explosive boom, and Katsuki lands in front of him.
“I fuckin’ told you not to run, Toshi. You’re fucking sick. What the hell were you thinking?” growls Katsuki as he stalks over to Hitoshi, kneeling down in front of him.
“I was thinking I need to not be around you three. I was also thinking that I needed to find a way to avoid disgust, repulsion, and hate from all three of you before you rejected me. Which meant running and probably going to my dad because he’s the only one who wouldn’t tell the three of you that I was hiding there and wouldn’t let you in his house if you found out somehow.” replies Hitoshi as he pants, head tucked until his chin hits his chest as he tries to get his bearings, but everything feels off. He’s shaking. He can feel the tremble in his arms and legs, and his throat is killing him as it becomes harder to breathe. “Can you reject me and get it over with? I know you called or texted them right away, and I feel like I’m gonna pass the fuck out. Get it over with and then leave me alone to process and hide until I’m ready to move and attempt to move on.”
“Nobody’s fuckin’ rejecting you, troll doll, chill the fuck out. You’d know that if you fuckin' checked your phone or let me talk instead of running across three fuckin’ buildings when you know you have the fucking flu and it’s influenced by your goddamn emotions!” rants Katsuki irritation slathering his words harshly as his warm palm comes to rest on Hitoshi’s back through his clothes feeling nice against the shivers that are beginning to wrack his body. But then Hitoshi hears him take a breath before a hand comes to cup under his jaw and lift his face until their eyes meet, and all he sees is tenderness and care in those scarlet eyes. “You’re going to come to our apartment, you’re going to climb on my back, and I’m going to take us to the apartment. You’re going to have some tea, get some sleep, and then the four of us will fucking talk about this once you’ve rested the fuck up. Take a second to force yourself to breathe, then I’m gonna help you up, and we’re gonna take off.”
Hitoshi’s takes the second to close his eyes and take some jagged breaths that don’t fill his lungs as much as he wants. He feels Katsuki’s warm hand rub his back through his sweatshirt, sending butterflies surging through his tummy. Hitoshi can feel the sick edging away some, and he sighs audibly in relief.
“You ready?” asks Katsuki softly, still rubbing his back.
“Yeah, I guess.” murmurs Hitoshi, voice cracking as he pushes himself back on his knees slowly, removing Katsuki’s touch.
“You can avoid my touch until I get you on my back, but when we get to the apartment, you’re not avoiding anyone’s touch until they’ve given you hugs. Ei and Denks are both worried about you.” sighs Katsuki with a shake of his head as he gives Hitoshi space to get himself standing before holding out his hand.
“I won’t avoid it, I’m too tired now since you decided to not let me escape. Besides it’s not like I wanted to avoid it in the first place.” grumbles Hitoshi as he takes the hand, turning his head to pout.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just come on, doll.” huffs Katsuki as he twists around and tugs on the hand until Hitoshi gives in and jumps onto his back. “Alright, to our other babies we go.”
Hitoshi just hides his face in Katsuki’s neck and his arm as Katsuki blasts them into the air and flies them off. It’s not the first time he’s been in this position, and he’s quite certain it won’t be last. But it doesn’t mean he’s going to entirely enjoy flying through the air when he has no control. It just means he won’t freak out because Katsuki’s the one flying them across town.
When they land, Katsuki puts them down on the roof of their apartment and just keeps moving without putting Hitoshi down. Hitoshi doesn’t even try to fight it, feeling a bit better as butterflies swirl in his tummy even as nerves weigh heavily on his chest because he’s about to see the other two and still doesn’t know how they feel knowing how he feels.
“Stop freaking out. I already told you that you weren’t getting rejected. We need you to start feeling better, damn it.” grumbles Katsuki as they pull to a stop in the hall between their doors and lets Hitoshi down to his feet.
The door in front of Katsuki yanks open, and while Katsuki is knocked to the side, Hitoshi is tackled back into his own door by two bodies, arms wrapping around him. In less than a minute, he finds himself being pressed between two bodies instead of against his wooden door.
“You can’t ignore us like that again, sleepy kitten! You scared us!” exclaims Denki as he buries his face in Hitoshi’s neck.
“Yeah, man, you really had us worried. And when Kats told us what happened, we tried to message you, and still didn’t hear from you.” explains Eijirou in that worried tone of his that has Hitoshi wincing as his eyes meet a smirking Katsuki. “You had us really worried, Prince, but it’s okay because we’re going to take such good care of you while the quirk is active and after it’s gone!”
“Alright, sparky, rocky, get doll into the apartment so we can get him resting.” says Katsuki in amusement as Hitoshi looks at him with wide eyes filled with panic, watching him disappear into the apartment and out of view.
Hitoshi is released from the hugs, then dragged into the apartment by Denki while Eijirou walks close behind him, hand tangled in his shirt. Hitoshi lets himself be dragged over to the couch, doesn’t bother fighting it when Denki sits next to him and yanks a knitted blanket over their heads to cover them up. Eijirou sits on the floor, his back pressing solidly against Hitoshi’s legs as he grabs the tv remote and presses a couple buttons to pull up funny cat videos on YouTube on the tv.
“You get cat videos until his tea is drained, then we have to talk while we eat dinner before we all go to bed.” calls Katsuki in a fondly annoyed tone that Hitoshi has long since become accustomed to.
“Okay KitKat!” calls Eijirou as Denki asks, “Did you order dinner, firework?”
“Yeah, ordered some pizza since dollface isn’t doing so hot. Tea is almost done, so I’ll be in there in a few minutes and the pizza is close too.” replies Katsuki loudly from the kitchen, and Hitoshi just melts into the couch and the warmth barricading him on two sides even if he’s aching for the third side of warmth that’s missing.
“We’re going to talk about those feelings you didn’t want us to know about, Toshi. Can’t believe you could ever think we’d reject you.” murmurs Denki quietly, his fingers running through Hitoshi’s hair like they always do, sending tendrils of warmth and happiness through him at the calming touch.
“Yeah, we’d never reject you, man. You’re in our boyfriend groupchat, and you’re the only one we have over constantly instead of on set days outside of tonight since it’s movie night.” Eijirou’s voice rumbles through Hitoshi as he tilts his head forward a little to let his eyes find Eijirou’s as he lays his head back against Hitoshi’s knees. “You’re so adorable, Prince.”
“I’m not adorable darling, you are, and so is lightning bug and pumpkin in there is too.” replies Hitoshi softly as he lets his own fingers run through Eijirou’s hair while he leans back into Denki’s touch.
“Who the hell are you callin’ adorable?” growls Katsuki, but Hitoshi can hear the slightest lift in his voice that tells him Katsuki’s happy.
“You, pumpkin!” calls Hitoshi loudly, chuckling when he hears something drop and Katsuki starts cursing. “Be careful in there! We don’t need you to be hurting too.”
“I’m not the one who got quirked. I’m also not the dummy who thinks I’m going to be rejected by the three guys who have been in love with me for going on two years. We want you, doll, and I know those goofballs said something similar already.” replies Katsuki with a knowing tone as he comes into the living room with a mug of steaming hot tea that Hitoshi already knows is going to make him feel almost as warm as those words are making him feel.
Katsuki rounds the coffee table to settle smoothly on his other side and carefully hands the steaming mug to Hitoshi before pressing his wrist to Hitoshi’s forehead. He hums as Hitoshi blows on his mug to cool the heat down some while Eijirou twists around and lays his arms across Hitoshi’s knees to press his chin into his own skin. Denki’s fingers go from running through Hitoshi’s hair to rubbing back and forth over his baby hairs on his neck.
“Okay, so you three are in love with me too? Have been for two years… and nobody wanted to tell me this? I’ve been pining for three.” says Hitoshi quietly, staring at his mug as he poses his questions and confesses to harboring the feelings for a little bit longer than they did.
“We tried to hint at it to see if you’d be interested or not, but it was hard to read you, sleepy kitten.” replies Denki sheepishly as he winces slightly in response.
“Plus, you went on that mission last year that took you away from us for six months. Then we pushed back our plans to ask you out when you got back because you were struggling when it went wrong.” adds Eijirou with his own wince as he tries to smile at Hitoshi.
“So, we planned to ask you today until I got a call about you being quirked and needing to be watched over for a few days. We didn’t think you were interested in us, but the plan was always to shoot our shot just in case because we all want you and have wanted to be with you for a long time now.” finishes Katsuki softly, and Hitoshi finally chances a glance at each of them as he lets their words process through his muddled brain that’s starting to clear as happiness pressing bodily into his chest.
“So then… what happens now? I- I obviously want to be with the three of you too, and I love the three of you too. But I’m sick right now, and even if I start feeling better, I don’t want to chance getting any of you sick if it’s contagious. Plus, we can’t really do anything because you three are spotlight heroes and I’m not, so being public isn’t something I can do in a relationship.” Hitoshi is rambling as he stares into his mug of tea because there are downsides. He wants nothing more than to jump up and say he wants to be with them and start talking first dates and how they’re going to schedule dates to get one-on-one time as well as group dates. But his brain is spiralling into the downsides.
“We can talk even more about it after the 72 hours are up, doll. But for right now, I figured we could spend the next three days talking about dates and boundaries and the like.” replies Katsuki easily, leaning into Hitoshi’s side as he watches Eijirou and Denki press closer to Hitoshi too. “We can use these three days to prep for dates and schedule them to make sure we’re all getting and giving the same amount of attention. We know we can’t all go public, but they don’t really know much about the relationship between us three anyways, so we’re perfectly happy to keep you out of the papers. Besides, just because we can’t tell the entire world doesn’t mean we can’t tell our friends and family. It just means we have to ensure they remember the media can’t get wind of it for your safety.”
“Yeah, we’ve really thought this out as far as we could without your input, Toshi. We want you to be our fourth, our partner, and we’re not gonna let you talk your way out of it when we know you really want it too!” exclaims Denki determinedly, like he was prepared to argue for this chance to be together.
Hitoshi has no doubts that Denki would argue with him until they were both blue in the face because as he looks at the other two, he knows they would too.
“Okay, I- I don’t know how this is gonna work, and I’m scared that I’ll fuck everything up. But I want this, I want the three of you, and if you want me too, then I’m not gonna run from you.” replies Hitoshi softly, as he looks at all of them, soft smile curving his lips to match the ones he finds on the other three’s faces.
This is the moment Hitoshi had dreamed of, confessions, getting together, and maybe some kisses, but the moment being like this is better than any dream because it’s reality.
His purple eyes are locked on deep red eyes, Katsuki’s eyes, want pooling into Scarlett orbs as he feels it in himself, but then there’s a loud knock on the door that startled the moment to pieces. Hitoshi pulls his eyes back to his mug of tea, and muttered curses are heard from the other three as he forces himself to sip his tea and close his eyes.
“I’m getting my damn kiss.” huffs Katsuki as he gets off the couch.
“KitKat called dibs on the first kiss, and we were so close.” grumbles Denki with a pout as he slouches back into the couch.
“Stupid pizza delivery person interrupting their moment.” mutters Eijirou as he shakes his head as it presses into his arm and Hitoshi’s legs.
Hitoshi smiles into his mug as he keeps drinking his tea until there’s nothing left. Then he opens his eyes to find pizza on a cat plate on his lap and cat videos still playing, with the volume on low, on the tv.
“Thought Kats said no more cat videos when my tea is done?” asks Hitoshi amusedly as he reaches over past Eijirou to put his mug on the coffee table, coming within inches of kissing the man as he’s still facing Hitoshi.
“You only just finished it, sleepy, and I was waiting because I want my damn kiss. The quirked flu isn’t contagious, so unless you really wanna wait, I’d like my kiss.” replies Katsuki softly when Hitoshi sits back and twists his head to look at him, seeing the way he’s got his pizza on the side table waiting along with a bottle of water.
Hitoshi smiles softly as he lets his left-hand fall to Katsuki’s thigh and says, “Kiss me then, pumpkin.”
Katsuki does kiss him, leaning in quickly to brush their lips together in a soft kiss that gets a little bit harsher when Katsuki presses forward a little more, hand coming up to grip Hitoshi shirt when he licks at Katsuki’s bottom lip. Katsuki pulls back first, grinning with his eyes closed when Hitoshi opens his, and it’s perfect.
“Hey Prince, look at me.” Eijirou’s low voice is like a siren call that pulls Hitoshi’s eyes to him.
When Eijirou kisses him, it’s soft and sweet, but deep. Not deep as in Eijirou’s licking his way into his mouth to eat him alive, but deep as in full of emotions. The kiss is deep even though it’s mostly closed mouth with hints of tongue here and there.
When Hitoshi pulls back to catch his breath, he only has a second before he’s pulled into another kiss. Denki’s kissing him now, it’s more sensual this kiss. He’s lightly brushing his tongue against Hitoshi’s bottom lip, a little nip here and there as they kiss, it’s soft but wanting in a way that leaves Hitoshi feeling heated as his head spins.
“The three of you are far too good at kissing, and I am never going to be able to get enough.” murmurs Hitoshi a bit breathlessly when Denki pulls out of the kiss and lets him breathe out of his mouth again.
“You’re not too bad yourself sleepy kitten.” says Denki a bit cheekily with a wink added to the end of his sentence that has Hitoshi smiling in response.
“Definitely a good kisser, Prince, and I can’t wait to get more.” adds Eijirou brightly, grinning when Hitoshi looks at him with a soft smile of his own.
“We’ll be comin’ for more kisses after we eat some dinner, doll. So, eat up cause you’re getting kisses and cuddles in our room tonight.” finishes Katsuki with a teasing tone and a smirk before he takes a bite of his pizza.
Hitoshi spends the next 72 hours wrapped up in loving embraces, getting kisses, having intimate dates, and discussing everything they want out of the relationship. It’s the best three days ever, and when it’s time to go back to his apartment and get back to work, he only does one of those things.
And it’s not going back to his apartment, except to grab his clothes for work.