Chapter Text
Katsuki and Eijiro are stretched thin. They recently opened their own agency, and even though it’s been everything they’ve dreamed it to be, it’s a lot to handle. One of their sidekicks recently had a baby and will be out for the unforeseeable future, another is injured, and a third is away on a well deserved vacation. Which means they’ve been the ones to pick up the slack, often working 20 hour shifts. They’ve even taken to sleeping in the agency some nights, only getting a few hours of sleep a night, and hoping the energy drinks and cheap break room coffee gives them sustenance.
Villains have been extra annoying lately too. Petty crimes turning into a miniature battlefield because Quirks are just ridiculous these days and they’re getting brave. Of course, Red Riot and Dynamight are among the heroes to first be dispatched to the scene. They’re unbelievably strong, especially when they’re together, and they’re in the top five. A perfect duo for almost anything that gets thrown at them.
Eijiro and Katsuki haven’t seen each other in weeks, unless you count when they pass each other on their way in or out during shift changes. Small smiles that don’t reach their tired eyes and a “Stay safe and kick villain ass, babe! I love you.”
After three and a half weeks of this, things come to a boil. It’s their first day off—together—and things are a mess. Laundry is piled up, the kitchen sink is full, the counters could definitely be wiped down, and their bathroom is nowhere near as organized as it usually is. Hell, they don’t even have time for grocery shopping, instead eating instant ramen and takeout. They try to maintain the cleanliness of their home during those few weeks but ultimately, a hot shower and sleeping in a bed and not a twin size air mattress in their chilly office wins.
Katsuki falls into a cleaning frenzy. Eijiro lets him deep clean everything that’s been neglected, knowing the blonde likes to stress clean and leaves him be. Instead, he takes on the more mundane tasks that Katsuki hates, like laundry, sweeping, mopping, and the works. It’s been hours of cleaning and the place is spotless. The only thing left to do is the dishes, and Eijiro decides he’ll wash them after he eats lunch and takes a nap — it’ll be an hour at most, and he’s sure Katsuki is ready to relax for a little while too.
God, Eijiro could cry at the thought of actually holding his boyfriend in his arms again. They haven’t even kissed once with how hectic life has been, no physical touch, nothing. It’s torture. He misses his loud mouthed boyfriend and wants nothing more than to get rid of the dark eye bags under those pretty red eyes.
Eijiro slides a plate into the sink and turns to walk out of the kitchen, just to see Katsuki standing there. He’s staring at the sink and then glancing at Eijiro, before his shoulders tense and he’s scoffing. ”Hi, Kats,” Eijiro greets softly, reaching out to his boyfriend. Honestly, he expects Katsuki to accept the embrace, so when he jerks his arm out of Eijiro’s hands and stomps over to the sink to throw cleaning supplies under the sink in a very Katsuki-like manner, the redhead is shocked.
The doors slam shut and Eijiro jumps at the noise, wincing at the sharp sound and drawing his shoulders up by his ears. Eijiro frowns, and asks the golden question that seems to break the camel’s back. “Is everything okay, babe?”
He’s known Katsuki for roughly eight years now and has been dating him for six of those years. Eijiro has seen many sides of Katsuki that nobody else has, except for maybe Izuku. But the way Katsuki’s head turns to look at him and his eyes are filled with something even Eijiro can’t read, it shakes him to his core. He looks angry, just pure unfiltered rage as he scrubs angrily at a plate.
Katsuki has… never looked at Eijiro like that before. He doesn’t like it.
“Nothing, nothing at fucking all.” Katsuki seethes and Eijiro frowns. “Just figured I’d do the damn dishes after scrubbing the whole goddamn house for the last five hours-“
“Dude, I said I’d do the dishes! I’m exhausted and wanted to take a nap before I wash the dishes.” Eijiro is exasperated, not in the mood to fight right now. Not over something like this, anyway. “And we divide our chores up the way we always do! If you want me to take on extra tasks, you have to tell me that, Katsuki.”
“And you think I’m not?!” Katsuki bellows out in rage, dropping the plate and sponge into the sink. His hands are balled up into fists, smoking and crackling. “I’m fucking exhausted too! But at least I tried to keep the place clean, I don’t want to live in a fuckin’ pig pen like some people!”
Yeah, Katsuki knows he’s going too far, he’s being too harsh on Eijiro. He knows he’s just as responsible for the mess. But he’s frustrated and tired and touch starved and feels like shit because he’s been surviving on Red Bull and instant noodles for a month and can’t find it in himself to calm down. He sees the hurt in Eijiro’s eyes and mentally kicks himself, opting to turn around and focus on washing the dishes before he digs himself a deeper hole.
“And I didn’t—?” Eijiro scoffs in disbelief, because how dare Katsuki insinuate it’s his fault the house was a mess? And calling it a pig pen? Eijiro swallows his anger and starts making his way out of the kitchen. It’s clear the conversation is going to go absolutely nowhere right now, and it’s best if they talk about this once they’ve collected themselves. “Whatever, we’ll talk about it later. I don’t want to fight with you right now.”
Katsuki is grumbling under his breath and Eijiro pays no mind as he makes his way out of the kitchen, until something catches his ears and makes him stop dead in his tracks.
“Annoying ass fucker, can’t even throw his fucking socks into the hamper. Like I didn’t know what his damn room looked like in school…”
Deep down, Eijiro knows Katsuki doesn’t mean it like that. He’s known the man for almost a decade and has lost count of how many nicknames he’s been given that almost anyone else would have found offensive. Being called an idiot is practically nothing. Being called annoying with a crackling hand pressed to his hardened face while they laugh is just what they do. It’s part of their fucked up dynamic. But for some reason, this time it feels different, and it strikes his heart harder than a Howitzer Impact ever could.
Tears have been welling in his eyes since the beginning of their fight, and he doesn’t even attempt to stop them falling when his heart snaps into two at the words. Eijiro tries so, so hard to be a good boyfriend to Katsuki, he knows he isn’t perfect all the time, and that Katsuki isn’t perfect either. They have their differences and they always talk about it when the other does something to tick them off.
“If you think I’m so fucking annoying and disgusting to live with, then maybe you should just break up with me instead of calling me names like I’m not right fucking here.”
The words come out on their own, shocking even himself. He doesn’t mean it, of course not. Katsuki is his life partner, it’s him or no one at all. A future without Katsuki is a future Eijiro doesn’t want to be a part of.
Eijiro sniffles and stomps towards the front door, snatching his car keys off the accent table and reaching for his jacket. He slips his feet into his sneakers, uncaring that they aren’t tied and reaches for the door. He doesn’t know where he’ll go, but he just needs it to not be here . Maybe he’ll go to the park and get some fresh air while they both cool off, or maybe he’ll camp out at Denki’s for the night. Eijiro hears a loud shatter come from the kitchen and braces himself as he swings the door open.
“Maybe you should just break up with me.”
The words hit Katsuki like ice. He stiffens where he stands at the sink, hearing Eijiro’s voice repeating them in his head like a broken record. Katsuki looks over his shoulder when he hears the front door open, dropping the glass in his hand and sprinting towards where Eijiro is teary eyed and getting ready to walk out of their house.
“Huh?” Eijiro hears from behind him, and then loud footsteps racing towards him. “Fuck, Eijiro, I didn’t mean-“
“Save it, you’re only apologizing because I heard you-“
“That’s not-“ Katsuki lets out a deep breath, tugging at his hair. “I didn’t mean it like that, Ei.”
And he didn’t. Eijiro can be an annoying little shit when he wants to be, it’s just part of his stupid charm that Katsuki loves so dearly. But never, ever has he thought that Eijiro was actually annoying. He was talking out of frustration and even if it does annoy Katsuki to his core when he finds Eijiro’s socks on their bedroom floor when the basket is right there, it’s not fair to Ei to talk about him like that. Especially when Katsuki knows he has his fair share of things he does that gets on Eijiro’s nerves but the redhead doesn’t complain about it, because he’s just like that. Honestly, Katsuki wonders why Eijiro stays with him, especially during times like this when he’s a jerk for no reason.
Eijiro doesn’t respond. He simply clenches his jaw and reaches for the door again, only to be pulled back roughly and feels a hand cover his in an attempt to pry the keys out of his hands. He hisses when Katsuki’s nails dig into his palm, causing small scrapes. “You aren’t leaving,” Katsuki huffs, “not like this. You’re angry and tired and I’ll be damned if this is our last fucking conversation because I’m a fucking idiot and drove you to doing something stupid.”
Eijiro grunts as he fights back against Katsuki for the keys, feeling his palms sting from the force of his nails digging into his skin. “Get off of me, Katsuki.”
“No.” Katsuki finalizes, wrapping a hand around Eijiro’s wrist. Tight enough to prevent him from leaving, but not enough to hurt him. “If… if you really want to leave, I’ll call someone to pick you up. But I’m not letting you drive. I don’t give a shit if you’re unbreakable. I’ll never forgive myself if you get hurt, Eijiro.”
When Eijiro finally lets go of the keys, Katsuki shoves them into his sweatpants pocket and swipes his own keys off the table for good measure. Eijiro doesn’t turn to face him, keeping his shoulders tense. “So now you care that I’m tired? Not when I almost fell asleep driving home, or when I didn’t want to wash glass cups and knives so I didn't accidentally slice my hand open because I could barely even stand up on my own?”
And fuck, Katsuki does care. He cares so much that he doesn’t know how to handle it sometimes. He can feel tears burning his eyes, threatening to fall, as he lets go of Eijiro’s wrist.
“I always care, Eijiro. Don’t even try that.” Katsuki grits, pushing the door closed and turning to look at Eijiro. He’s staring at the wall, of all their pictures together. Just them, them with their friends, their parents. “I’m sorry I dismissed your feelings, I know you’re tired. You’ve been working hard, too. I don’t want to break up with you, Ei, never .”
Eijiro finally turns around and the look on his face breaks Katsuki’s heart into a million pieces. His eyes are distant and glossy, lips downturned into a frown. He looks so sad, so heartbroken, and so hurt . A stark difference from the Eijiro who was giving him stupid faces from across the living room while they cleaned, Katsuki listening to music and Eijiro humming along.
“I want to be alone tonight.” And…well, Katsuki respects that. He wouldn’t want to look at himself either right now. He just nods and swallows thickly, moving to the side and letting Eijiro make his way down the hall to their bedroom. So much for having a nice, homemade dinner together and having some much needed Katsuki-Eijiro time.
It’s only then that he feels a stinging sensation in his palms, looking down to see smeared blood leaking from a small gash. Probably from the glass he dropped in the sink, he thinks. He makes his way back into the kitchen to clean the cut and the shattered glass and wraps his hand.
Katsuki walks over to the couch to wallow in his own pity party, yanking a fuzzy blanket off the back of the couch and wraps it around himself. The smell of Eijiro’s cologne hits his nose—of course it’d be his fucking blanket. He sinks into the couch and opts to stare at the wall and cry silently to himself. Fuck, Katsuki really hates himself right now. Like really fucking hates himself. He might be losing the love of his life just a few feet away because he couldn’t keep his snarky comments to himself for once in his pathetic life.
Katsuki sniffles and pulls his knees into his chest, wiping his snotty nose and face with the sleeves of his hoodie. The material feels rough against his sensitive skin and he’s sure it’s making him even more red and blotchy than he already is, but he can’t find it in him to care about that when he hears quiet sobs coming from the bedroom. He stiffens, sitting up straight and tilting his head in the direction, listening. A hiccup, another quiet sob, a wet cough.
Katsuki really fucked up this time. Guilt eats at him. Eijiro is crying because of him and Katsuki knows Ei’s insecurities are having a hayday right now because of him too. Katsuki knows Eijiro wants space, but it’s going to kill him to listen to Eijiro cry like that for any longer. He throws the blanket somewhere onto the couch and stands up, making his way down the hall with quiet steps. The cries get louder the closer he gets, and Katsuki begins to think of a thousand ways to pamper him after this.
“Ei?” Katsuki asks, keeping his voice as soft as he can as he taps his knuckles against the door. “I know you said you wanted space-“
The door is swinging open and Katsuki is being pulled into a hug by Eijiro. He sighs in relief, letting Eijiro bury his head in his shoulder. Eijiro’s shoulders are trembling and he’s holding onto Katsuki like a lifeline as he cries, mumbling incoherently against the blonde. “‘M so sorry Katsuki, I shouldn’t have said that, I love you, please don’t break up with me I need you in my life and-“
Katsuki pushes Eijiro away gently, taking his face into his hands, rubbing his fingers along the stubble that’s growing. He gazes into deep red eyes, softly cooing at how his bottom lip trembles when he cries. Eijiro is a pretty crier, always has been, but Katsuki thinks he’s pretty even when he’s having a meat eating contest with Tetsutetsu and has barbecue sauce all over his face…so maybe he’s just biased. “Shut up, we’re both a little thin right now and we both said shit we shouldn’t have. I love you, I’m not going anywhere, you’re fuckin’ stuck with me forever. There’s nobody else for me, it’s you, it’s always been you, Ei. Never doubt that.”
And Eijiro is crying again, resuming his position on Katsuki's shoulder, hugging him so tight the blonde worries he’ll pop. “C’mon you big baby, let’s go to bed. We can talk about everything in the morning when we aren’t running on three hours of sleep.”
Eijiro nods quietly and shuffles back towards the bed, crawling under the blankets again. He sits up and watches as Katsuki beelines for the bathroom, coming back out with a first aid kit. “What are you doing?” Eijiro asks, watching as Katsuki flips his hands so that his palms are facing up and rolls his sleeves up to his forearm.
“Checking your hands,” Katsuki mumbles, running a finger beside the crescent-shaped cuts along Eijiro’s palms. “I was so focused on getting the keys from you that I scratched you. Didn’t mean to hurt you. I feel like shit.”
“I didn’t even realize,” Eijiro confesses, sucking in a sharp breath when Katsuki begins disinfecting his hands. Being a pro hero, you’d think he would be used to the stinging pain by now, but no. His pout deepens to almost a comical extent as Katsuki finishes cleaning his hands and applying ointment, and for good measure, All Might themed band-aids. And for extra good measure, he places a kiss directly onto each bandage. “Thank you, Doctor Bakugo!”
Eijiro is grinning, his eyes shining again, as he feels his lover pepper his hands in kisses. Katsuki snorts at the overly enthusiastic tone, looking up at his boyfriend. “You’re dumb,” Katsuki says, grabbing him by the jaw again. They’re both smiling like idiots, heavy energy in the air slowly dissipating. “I’m really sorry. I’ll say it a million times if I have to.”
“Stop apologizing, Kastu, I forgive you.” Eijiro scolds lightly, leaning into Katsuk’s touch.
“You forgive too easily.” Katsuki complains, wishing Eijiro would make him work for his forgiveness.
“Maybe,” Eijiro shrugs, looking down at Katsuki’s own bandaged hand with wide, sad eyes. “but I can’t stay mad at you for that long, anyway. Is your hand okay?”
“I dropped a glass when I heard you try to leave.” Katsuki tells him, “I didn’t even know I dropped it until you went to our room.”
“I’m sorry.” Eijiro apologizes, even though the idiot has nothing to apologize for. Katsuki scolds him for apologizing, flicking him in the nose.
And fuck, what did Katsuki do in his past life to deserve this absolute golden retriever of a boyfriend?
“I love you,” Katsuki pulls Eijiro in for a very long, very overdue kiss. “more than you’ll ever know.”
Eijiro breaks apart from Katsuki briefly before reconnecting their lips, “I love you ‘til the sun dies.”
Things aren't going to magically be perfect again and they have a lot to discuss in the morning, but they can just be Eijiro and Katsuki for right now and that’s okay with them.