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“This is stupid.” Katsuki hisses the words out as he glares through the windshield of his car, arms crossed firmly over his chest. Shouto sits next to him in the driver’s seat, one hand suspended on the steering wheel, the other holding his phone against his ear.
They’re staking out a tailor shop right now. This particular tailor shop is fixed for wedding couples—the brides and grooms go in, and just about all of them don’t come out after a few visits. There’s been a trafficking problem happening for a few months now, and the leads haven’t been the best. Slow and nearly cold going—until about a week ago.
After doing some digging around and investigating, the police were able to figure out that all the missing couples had one thing in common: using the same wedding planning service for most of their details. Katsuki’s agency received word of this, and Shouto decided that it’d be a good idea for the two of them to go check it out together.
Now they’re here, with Shouto in the driver’s seat of Katsuki’s car, talking to Katsuki’s secretary over the phone.
“Yes, it’s not very busy right now,” Shouto says, glancing over in Katsuki’s direction. “Ah, don’t worry, Aiko-san. We’ll be fine. Just inform Chargebolt and Red Riot of our location and let them pick their back-up.”
Katsuki glares at his side profile. “Oi, Halfie. Stop ignorin’ me!”
Shouto continues to ignore him, gaze going back to the tailor shop. “Thank you, Aiko-san. Don’t worry about Bakugou. I’ve got him.”
Hanging up, Shouto lowers his arm and pockets his phone, leaning back in the seat.
“Halfie. Answer me. What the hell d’you think you’re doing?” Katsuki asks, a low hiss like it had been before.
“We need to go in.” Shouto says, adjusting the cuffs of his uniform. “But we do need to change our outfits… they’ll know who we are in these.”
“They’ll know who we are regardless , dumbass,” Katsuki narrows his eyes in Shouto’s direction. “We’re Pro Heroes, idiot. Our faces are plastered everywhere. What makes you think they won’t attack us as soon as we step outside my fuckin’ car?”
Shouto blinks, like he hadn’t considered that possibly quite yet. Then he shrugs, his mouth twisting downward, contemplative. “We’ll just tell them we’re getting married.”
“What.”
“We tell them we’re getting married.”
Katsuki blinks. “What.”
“That’s the only way they’d let us in, right?” Shouto turns in his seat to peer at Katsuki then, head tilting. He says it so plainly, like this is the simplest solution for them.
Katsuki stares at him like he’s another head right in front of him, mouth partially hanging agape. Silence stretches between them for a minute or two—until Katsuki’s brain is able to process Shouto’s words at least five times before he’s able to even think about how to properly respond to Shouto’s suggestion.
“You’re a fucking moron.”
Shouto is a fucking moron and Katsuki is getting caught up in his moronic ideas and plans. He’s got no idea how he was talked into doing this damn charade, but it’s happening, and Katsuki wants to strangle both himself and Shouto. He’s got to take that fucker out.
A bell rings as the two of them enter the tailor shop together, hand-in-hand. There’s a coolness around Katsuki’s left ring finger, silver band twinkling slightly with interior lights of the shop. Shouto has a matching one on his left ring finger, as well. They’re nothing fancy, just silver bands that Aiko was able to scramble up and send their way on such short notice. They’re engagement rings. Fake engagement rings.
Because Katsuki is pretending to be Shouto’s fiancee.
His face is on fire. Katsuki wants to stop himself from blushing, he does, but he can’t exactly help it. This whole situation is—fucking embarrassing. Katsuki’s acting skills aren’t really superb, and they’ve barely talked about what the fuck they’re supposed to say in the first place.
“Welcome!” A woman with curly dark green hair approaches them immediately, smiling brightly up at them. Katsuki can’t help but narrow his eyes at her. “My name is Niyuki. How can I be of assistance to two heroes such as yourselves?”
Shouto smiles in her direction, squeezing Katsuki’s hand as he gently tugs it up and shows her their joint fingers—showing off the silver band. “We’ve recently gotten engaged, and we were looking for someone to help us plan everything. We’ve heard some good reviews of this place.”
Curse Shouto for becoming so much more charismatic and somewhat less awkward as they’ve grown older. Katsuki sometimes wishes he were still that oblivious asshole from their years at U.A.
Niyuki beams at Shouto’s words and claps her hands together, smiling even wider. “I see! How wonderful—congratulations on your engagement! If you follow me, I can get you set up with one of our agents. They’ll be able to set the two of you up with a file and begin asking your preferences.”
While Niyuki begins leading them further into the shop, Katsuki looks around the inside of the building, memorizing the specifics about it. To the left of the entrance is a large front desk, where Niyuki had popped out from to greet them. On the right, there’s several couches arranged in a semicircle around several large mirrors, right in front of the front windows of the store—a station for brides and grooms to try on their dresses and tuxes.
As they get further inside, Katsuki notices there are faint glints every now and then around the wooden crown moulding of the store. Hidden cameras, most likely. So they’re being watched through different lenses that aren’t regular store cameras. Katsuki taps the message out against the back of Shouto’s hand, their joined hands hidden from view of any cameras between them as they walk. Shouto glances towards him for a moment, before glancing up at the ceiling.
A moment later, Shouto’s head is turning and leaning in slightly. Katsuki is taken off guard when Shouto kisses him, a chaste thing that makes his entire insides burn with embarrassment and rage and—worst of all—the damn attraction he has for Shouto. He’s frozen for a split second too long, before Katsuki is able to press back into the kiss, trying his best not to squeeze the life out of Shouto’s hand at the same time.
Niyuki brings them to a section of offices—five in total—that are aligned along the left side of the store. Katsuki briefly runs his gaze over the names, making note of them, before the two of them are being ushered into the office labeled ‘Reyo’.
“Reyo-san will be here shortly,” Niyuki says, smile having now turned into a customer service one. “He had to step out for a call.”
“Thank you, Niyuki-san.” Shouto offers a small bow of his head as she leaves the office, door shutting behind her.
Instantly, Katsuki pulls out his phone and shoots a message to Eijirou—both him and Kaminari are their backup on this mission, and he needs to let him know just what they’ve experienced so far.
“This place is… strange.” Shouto murmurs, glancing around the office. It’s plain, minimalistic—there’s not a lot here, nothing that shows any sign of personality whatsoever. It’s fuckin’ creepy.
“You’re tellin’ me,” Katsuki mutters, squinting down at his phone. Eijirou’s left him on read, but he can see the little dots that signal he’s replying. “Why the hell ain’t there no one else here?”
Shouto doesn’t answer. It takes several more silent moments for Katsuki to notice that there’s actually no sound coming from right next to him at all—he can’t even hear Shouto’s breathing. Katsuki goes to look up, but then his entire vision whites out. His head feels like it’s being split in two all of a sudden, an aching pain shooting through his entire body. Katsuki feels himself gasping for air, but it doesn’t feel like there’s any going inside his lungs at all. The entire world is dizzy, and Katsuki’s vision is blurry when it comes to, before it goes completely black.
When Katsuki comes to, his head is fucking aching. There’s a piercing pain at the forefront of his skull, and the world is still blurry as his vision comes to him. Shouto is across from him in this—room, or wherever the fuck they are. It’s dark and drafty here, and Katsuki feels that his arms are tied behind him.
He struggles against them, throwing himself back against the wall as he hisses in pain. Katsuki grunts, throat dry, as he tries to get Shouto’s attention.
“Halfie,” Katsuki croaks before swallowing his spit to coat his throat. “Shouto!”
Shouto jolts in place, gasping for breath as he sits up in place. His arms are tied behind him, as well, Katsuki sees that now, and he grits his teeth as Shouto’s eyes are dazed.
“Wake the fuck up!” Katsuki hisses, tugging hard at whatever his restraints are.
Slowly, Shouto comes to. He groans loudly as he leans back in place, eyes squinting. “Katsuki…?”
“We got kidnapped,” Katsuki deadpans, trying not to wince at the pain. “I told ya you’re a fucking moron.”
Shouto stares at him for a moment before letting out a huff, attempting to look around the room. “Red Riot and Chargebolt know where we went missing, though. I’m sure they’ll be able to find us soon.”
“I ain’t waitin’,” Katsuki growls, glaring down at the ground as he yanks at his restraints. “I’m about to blow this place fuckin’ sky high if we ain’t out of here in five minutes!”
The damn man has the audacity to laugh, and Katsuki hates that it makes his chest flutter at the moment. “Maybe you should. It might help us catch them faster.”
“You saying I should blow a hole in the roof, Halfie?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Katsuki grins, something wild and a little feral, eyes twinkling. “A man after my own heart, huh?”
When Shouto looks up at him, his own mismatched eyes are sparkling right back, even in the dimness of the room. “We are engaged, after all.”
Katsuki blows a hole through the wall. Several walls, really. Even with his arms restrained, it’s easy enough to do. The explosions help him get undone after the first three times, and as soon as his hands are freed, he gets Shouto out of his, as well. Wherever they are, it’s a shitty hideout, and they’re able to fend off the villains by themselves in a matter of minutes.
Third rate villains, really. They’re too easy. Katsuki is almost upset that they were so easy to begin with.
Eijirou and Kaminari find them when they’re all done, having tracked Katsuki’s and Shouto’s cell phones close to the hideout location. Apparently, the villains hadn’t turned them off—or at least one of them hadn’t. Katsuki snorts when he’s told, rolling his eyes. He looks down at Niyuki, face reddened with blood and nose broken, her face twisted up in sadness and anger.
“Better luck next time, huh?”
Niyuki sneers at him before spitting, turning her head away. Katsuki can’t help but laugh.
As the police take away Niyuki and the rest of the villains, Katsuki stands off to the side with Shouto, watching. He glances down at his hand, eyes gazing at the silver band still on his finger. It feels heavy and strange now. It was just a prop—there’s no real meaning behind this ‘engagement ring’.
Yet Katsuki doesn’t want to take it off. It feels… nice, having it there. Wearing it. Katsuki knows that it’s nothing special, knows that the only reason Shouto even put this on him was for the mission. His brain wanders, thinking back to the chaste kiss they shared inside of the shop. There hadn’t been any reason for Shouto to kiss him, and yet he had. Just remembering it makes Katsuki’s cheeks grow hot.
“Katsuki?” Shouto calls out to him, snapping Katsuki out of his thoughts.
Attempting to frown, Katsuki looks up at him with a half-hearted glare. “What?”
Shouto watches him for a moment, before his lips seem to twitch up into one of those smiles of his. Small and warm. Genuine, no longer the awkward thing it used to be. Katsuki hates that he likes it so much.
“Kirishima wants to check in with you.” Shouto says, gesturing with his thumb in Eijirou’s direction.
Katsuki wants to roll his eyes and groan. Of course he does. Eijirou can’t keep his nose out of Katsuki’s business with Shouto no matter what. He probably just wants to tease the fuck out of Katsuki for this backwards ass plan.
“Whatever.” Katsuki mutters to himself, pulling up his left hand as he reaches for the ring.
Just as he’s about to take it off, one of Shouto’s hands comes up and stops him. His fingers curl around Katsuki’s, and Katsuki startles a little in place. He stares at their hands, mouth dropped open slightly, before he’s able to lift his head up and look at Shouto head-on.
Shouto’s staring at his own hand, the left, where his own silver ring is. Katsuki continues to stare at him. Slowly, carefully, Shouto’s hand slips away. Katsuki’s own hands feel colder now.
“Keep it,” Shouto murmurs, voice low and soft. There’s—something to his tone of voice. Something that Katsuki’s not too sure he wants to pinpoint. “I don’t have any use for a second one.” This time, his voice is playful, a twinge of teasing to it. When he looks up at Katsuki this time, his smile is just as playful.
Katsuki’s traitorous heart begins beating faster.
There’s a pause between them, before Katsuki blurts out the only words he can think of at the moment: “Fuck off.”
There’s no heat or bite behind those words, though. Shouto can tell, the corners of his eyes crinkling just slightly as he smiles a bit wider. Katsuki’s cheeks grow warm again, and he knows he’s blushing. Clicking his tongue, Katsuki tears his gaze away from Shouto and begins marching off towards Eijirou, brushing their shoulders together a bit roughly as he does. Shouto seems to lean into it a bit, stumbling slightly to right himself once Katsuki has moved past him fully.
Katsuki grips his left hand with his right, fingers pressed around the silver ring he wears.
Shouto didn’t just indirectly propose to him for real, did he?