Archive of Our Own ^beta

Katsuki doesn’t mind long road trips, they give him peace of mind. Hours of driving surrounded by nothing but nature and seemingly unending trees as he passes by.

He rolls the windows down, letting the wind blow through his hair and ruffle his clothes. Katsuki takes a long and satisfying breath, filling his lungs with the crisp morning breeze, away from the bustling city with its polluted air and the loud-honking cars as people start to wake up. Katsuki is not one to complain as he’s not the quietest person per se but that’s more reason why he loves nature. Not only is it a getaway from people and their demanding needs and expectations, it’s also a getaway from himself, the high expectations Katsuki holds himself to and his overthinking brain.

In nature, there’s simultaneously nothing and everything to focus on, the wind and the trees, the chirping birds waking up ready to defend their nests from any possible predators, Katsuki included.

The green wilderness would plant its roots in Katsuki’s mind and keep it filled. Nothing but the thoughts of which cool-looking rock should he step on next and the varieties of leaves’ shapes and colors.

These are a few of the reasons why he chose fire watching as a job, away from human civilization (for a couple of months at least) in his tower, on top of the world, watching as time slips by.

Here, time holds less value. Katsuki thinks it’s funny that he spent his teenage years grasping at opportunities that lead to nothing but dead ends, thinking that all there is to life is to chase and be faster than others.

Now he knows everyone has their own race to finish, at their own pace. And that took a lot of lonely nights at the lookout tower for Katsuki to comprehend. But he got there eventually.

The isolation for months could lead to more harm than good. It’s not a job for just anyone for sure but Katsuki doesn’t mind loneliness. Solitude brings him a sense of peace.

Katsuki is not a newbie by any means. He has been in this job for more than three years, it’s not unusual for lookout towers to get reassigned. God knows collage kids can’t keep a job for a whole summer, but in Katsuki’s case they assigned him a new lookout tower because the previous fire watcher is now too old and can’t climb the tower’s stairs without breaking a leg, let alone make the hike to the tower itself.

Katsuki had grown quite comfortable in his old lookout tower but it was time for a change, plus his boss had sounded so desperate as he promised him double his current paycheck at the time and Katsuki didn’t have a reason to refuse such a fine offer.

After five hours of driving, Katsuki was starting to feel hungry. Not wanting to open the bag of snacks he prepared in the back of his car before he arrived at the lookout tower, he figures it’s time for a late lunch stop.

Katsuki remembers a diner around here where Kirishima used to hike, and how he couldn’t stop talking about how they make the best burgers ever. Katsuki messes with his GPS a little until the diner shows up on the map, it looks like it’s not too far from the main road.

After minutes of driving, Katsuki sees the diner ahead. It’s nothing special, with a big, lit, and rusty banner that says ‘Two River Diner’.

The diner has some other patrons as Katsuki parks alongside three other cars. He rolls the windows up and locks his car, stretching a little before entering the diner. The doorbell chimes and an old lady greets him with a smile from behind the counter. “Welcome to the Two River Diner, you can pick a seat and I’ll be with you in a moment.”

The diner is an average-looking fast food restaurant, with red cushions and big windows overlooking the parking lot. Good. This way he can watch his car as he eats.

Katsuki doesn’t plan on staying for long so he sits at the counter. The place is empty save for two tables and one man sitting at the other end of the counter. Old music from the 70s playing at a low volume from the vintage-looking radio on the shelf behind the counter, and Katsuki finds himself not minding it as it fills the silence rather pleasantly. 

He skims through the menu, not finding anything out of the ordinary, and settles for ordering a light soft drink, a cheeseburger, and fries. It’ll be a while until he gets the opportunity to eat fast food again when he gets to the tower.

The old lady returns with his order in no time. He grabs his tray and starts to unwrap his burger, except the old lady doesn’t leave. In fact, she’s rooted in her place, smiling and looking at him. She doesn’t look like she has any bad intentions, but old or not, Katsuki doesn’t tolerate weirdos so he stares back and raises one eyebrow at her.

“Oh sorry,” the old lady breaks from her trance, looking a little embarrassed. “Forgive me, we don’t see a lot of new faces around here. Are you travelling?” She asks curiously, smile never faltering.

Katsuki bites into his fries and scoffs, old people and their lack of privacy. But he finds himself answering anyway, “Got transferred, I’m the new fire watcher.”

Katsuki didn’t say anything out of the ordinary but the old lady looks confused, “Oh dear, what happened to the sweet, handsome young man working at the lookout tower?” She asks, eyebrows furrowed.

“You do realize there’s more than one lookout tower, right?”

Her mouth forms an ‘o’ shape. Fortunately, before she could come up with another question to continue the one-sided conversation, the doorbell chimes, announcing a customer's arrival. She goes to welcome them and leaves Katsuki to finish his food in peace.

Katsuki pays for his food and leaves a tip in the tip jar, definitely for the food’s quality and not for the conversations around here.

“Hope you enjoy the rest of your ride!” The old lady shouts as he exits the diner. Katsuki didn’t turn back and only gave her an effortless wave. Standing outside, Katsuki takes a moment to breathe in the fresh air, to look at the nature around him, and the endless sky stretching above him. It’s a small hamlet and it doesn’t seem to have more than one diner, there can’t be more than seven houses as far as Katsuki can see.

It looks peaceful, the sunset casting its golden rays and painting everything with a bright hue. But enough with the pondering now, he better get moving before it gets too dark. Katsuki doesn’t want to be late on his first day, and nature can be unkind to those who aren't familiar with it.

It’s well past midnight when Katsuki arrives at the woods' closed gates. No one seems to be around so he parks outside, grabs his bag before getting out of the car and locking it.

There’s no way the guards weren’t notified of his arrival. Katsuki makes his way to the guard’s room and knocks on the door. The lights are on so whoever is inside should be awake.

Katsuki hears a stumbling noise and then the door opens to reveal a lithe-looking man. He’s tall, Katsuki will give him that, but he looks so tired with his yellow hair sticking out in odd places (not that Katsuki is one to talk) and deep dark circles. Still the man— or Guard Toshinori as his name tag says— gives him a warm and big smile. “Sorry young guy! But the woods are closed. Even nature needs her time to rest!” Toshinori says enthusiastically.

Did he just fucking refer to nature as her—? Actually, scratch that. It’s better if Katsuki doesn’t dwell on it much. “I’m not a visitor. Name is Bakugou Katsuki, I’m the new fire watcher.” You should’ve been informed of that— is what Katsuki doesn’t say, but he’s very much tempted to.

“Oh,” Guard Toshinori makes a dumbfounded face before retreating back to his hazardous-looking office. Kids button pins scattered over the desk, trails’ maps stacked messily. “Excuse the mess, I wasn’t expecting guests.”

The older man sits in front of the computer and starts clicking buttons. “Bakugou Katsuki…oh! Here you are! Sorry young man! It slipped my mind that you were coming today,” he gives Katsuki another bright smile.

Toshinori proceeds to unlock one of his drawers and stands up. He faces Katsuki with a serious expression, “Young man, now I trust you to keep her safe. The woods can get vicious at night but I promise you she means no harm,” he then grabs the strap of the shotgun strapped to his back to emphasize his point, as if that’s supposed to explain anything. “Here’s your card and tower key, your new home is tower number seven,” Toshinori smiles at him one more time and hands Katsuki the items,“I trust you, son. The woods know the ones with kind hearts.”

Okay. That was fucking weird. Katsuki doesn’t want to stick around to hear more. He follows Toshinori, who opens the trail gate for him. Cars are not allowed past this point so Katsuki turns on his handheld flashlight and begins his hike.

Katsuki loves hiking; has been going on hikes with his parents from a young age to going hiking alone to hiking with friends. This is why he doesn’t mind the long hikes this job requires.

After opening the gates, guard Toshinori handed him a trails’ map so finding his way to tower seven wasn’t hard. All parks use a similar trails system.

Climbing up the stairs of the lookout tower, Katsuki uses his flashlight as he fumbles with the keys. He finally gets it in the keyhole and unlocks the door. It’s a small cabin but the woodsy aroma instantly fills him with ease. It’s a familiar scent. He lifts up the wooden shutters that are covering the windows and lets the moonlight seep in, illuminating the cabin. Katsuki breathes in the humid air and the chill of the night wind before throwing himself into the routine.

Katsuki knows the drill–he puts his bags and jacket away, then climbs down and looks for the extra fuel he knows they keep around under the tower. Once he finds the fuel, he opens the generator to fill it. Holding the flashlight in his mouth, he pulls the cord. Once, twice, before the generator whirs to life, lighting the lookout tower.

Katsuki grins, satisfied with his own work. He dusts his hands and turns off his flashlight, making his way back up to the cabin–his new home.

In this little closed and cozy space, Katsuki feels like he’s on top of the world. Away from any possible prying eyes, the world is his to watch however he likes.

He sits down in front of the computer and signs in using the information provided on his card; there’s nothing out of the ordinary, just the plain old system they used back at his previous location. As Katsuki clicks through the files, he remembers what the old lady said at the diner.

Sweet, handsome young man working at the lookout tower.

Katsuki is allowed to be curious, okay? No one is here–he’s allowed to have a peek. The employees’ files are there for a reason, after all, Katsuki reasons to himself.

There’s only a handful of employees anyway, including the trail gate guard. He scrolls down to find what he’s looking for: ‘lookout tower number eight’. Bingo! He clicks on the file. Katsuki didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“Todoroki Shouto,” Katsuki says to no one.

Well, he sure fucking knows what the old lady meant now.

The file shows the employee’s card and their picture. Half red and half white hair with a different set of eyes— and what’s that Katsuki sees—? His eyelashes and eyebrows are also different colors? That’s an impressive dye job.

He continues to scroll down and finds more interesting information. Heterochromia? Is this guy actually real? Katsuki takes another look at the picture and finds himself getting annoyed. He can tell with one look that Shouto is just way too fucking handsome, but his eyes are empty, like he’s staring into the void.

Uninterested. Like whoever in front of him isn’t worth looking at.

And Katsuki just doesn’t like people who look down on others, it’s rich coming from him but that’s the truth. Despite what’s going on inside his head, Katsuki finds himself mesmerized by Todoroki’s features and is unable to look away. He really has a unique look.

Katsuki is jolted from his thoughts by the noise broadcasting from his radio equipment. Despite being distorted by static, an unmistakably smooth and masculine voice comes through.

“Hey, you’re the new guy. I saw your lights turn on, I’m Shouto.”

Speak of the devil.

Katsuki blinks. Maybe if he stays silent, he’ll get a fucking explanation of why the Half n’ Half person just introduced himself. But Katsuki is not that much of an asshole, and given that he just stalked the guy’s personal file without his consent, it’s only fair to give his name back.

“Bakugou Katsuki,” content with only giving his name; Katsuki didn't even say anything about how rude it was that Shouto only offered his first name. He blames that entirely on Shouto’s unexpectedly deep voice, low and rough. It makes Katsuki nervous and itching to fill the silence–so he does.

“I thought I was going to be alone out here?”

“You’re never alone in these woods, I had to cover your area until you arrived,” Shouto says, sounding amused through the intercom.

Okay. What a fucking weird way to welcome someone new to the job, Katsuki sure feels at home right now.

More silence stretches on. Shouto doesn’t say anything else but Katsuki can hear the static noise and knows Shouto is still there.

“That’s it? You called to ask about my freaking name?” What a weirdo; he could’ve stalked Katsuki’s file like a normal person would.

Shouto hums, sounding unwilling to give any further explanation. Instead he replies with another question, “So what brings you here? Stranded in the middle of nowhere?”

The fuck is this? An investigation? “It’s none of your business.”

Shouto hums again, which is starting to unnerve Katsuki, “Fair. I like it here, away from the weight of possibilities. Surrounded by trees that don’t judge.” 

Katsuki stays silent, there’s no way he’s going to take a part in whatever the hell this is—

“Sometimes, it can get a little bit lonely though.”

Oh fuck this. Just because Shouto is sharing his reasons doesn’t mean Katsuki has to— because he doesn’t! 

Katsuki scoffs, “I’ve always thought there’s something freeing about being surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of nature. And I like hiking, it brings me peace or whatever,” he grumbles. 

“It can get a little boring though, that’s why I accepted transferring here. Aside from the pay raise, of course,” Katsuki yawns at the end of his sentence and feels the fatigue settle into his bones. He had been driving for hours. He’s exhausted.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by Shouto. “You must be tired, you got a fire going?”

Katsuki yawns one more time and shakes his head before remembering that Shouto can’t see him and he needs to use his words. “No.”

“You should light one. The temperature is about to drop, and trust me, shivering under the sheets through the night is not fun,” Shouto says, and he seems to be talking from experience. 

“Got it,” Katsuki gets up to look around for the things he needs to start a fire. His search ends up fruitless and he is not about to ask for help–but before Katsuki could finish that thought, the static noise is back and Shouto is talking again, “I don’t see any smoke, you haven’t lit a fire yet. The wood stove should be around the entrance; our cabins are quite similar.”

Katsuki is not blind! Of course, he’s able to see the big stove beside the entrance, “There’s no fucking firewood!”

Shouto is silent for a minute. “They must have forgotten to restock it. There should be plenty in the shack. There are also gasoline bottles if they forgot to restock that too,” he calmly instructs, and Katsuki is now embarrassed by his sudden outburst.

“Whatever!” He grumbles and leaves the cabin before Shouto has a chance to say anything more. Katsuki stomps angrily down the stairs, towards the old shack that’s a few feet away from the lookout tower. Like Shouto said, he finds a stack of firewood and gasoline bottles.

He carries a bundle of firewood and gasoline back up to the lookout tower. While on the stairs, he’s able to see Shouto’s lit lookout tower in the distance. The thought of Shouto hunched in front of the computer is funny and feels unreal at the same time. It brings a smile to his face that Katsuki tries to suppress.

Katsuki shoves the firewood into the stove quickly, starting to feel the chill of the night. He lights the match and throws it into the gasoline. The fire stove is now lit and the cabin steadily starts to warm up. 

“Oh, I see the smoke. It’s nice to see tower seven alive again.”

Katsuki hums and sits back in his little office, clicking on files to find further instructions. 

“Did you report for the night yet?” Shouto asks, making Katsuki frown. Fuck. He forgot that, and as if sensing Katsuki’s inner turmoil, Shouto continues, “There should be a reporting app on your computer. It’s quite easy. All you need to do is enter the date, time, and fill in the empty squares.”

Katsuki indeed sees the reporting app on his homescreen. He clicks on it and fills the empty squares like Shouto told him. Temperature, wind speed, alongside the weather condition and the number of hikers assisted. Well, Katsuki just started so that’ll be a zero for today.

He submits his report, noting that Shouto already reported for the night.

“I’ll leave you to get some rest. It’s close to signing off time anyway. Good night Bakugou, tower eight signing off,” the static noise is gone, indicating that Shouto has signed off.

Katsuki didn’t realize how quiet it was in the lookout tower until now; nothing but the sound of the wind blowing and the crackle of the fire. But it’s nothing new, he’s used to loneliness.

Katsuki is exhausted. It’s time for bed. He gets up, packs his bag in another corner and closes the windows’ shutters. He hits the sack after he’s done, bundling inside the sheets. The fire stove emits the perfect amount of heat, lulling Katsuki into sleep easily.

Katsuki wakes before dawn breaks. He prepares his tea, and watches the sun as it rises on the horizon. He loves nature, musing to himself and grasping at his cup of tea to protect his fingertips from the morning chill. He leans against the lookout tower’s railings and gazes over the waking up woods.

Birds chirping, rabbits jumping into their lairs. Katsuki loves mornings, it’s one of his favorite times of the day.

He takes his phone out and opens his camera app to capture the orange-pink sky and sends it to the group chat with his parents. The reception is bad, so it’ll probably take a while before it goes through.

But the universe hates seeing him relaxed. “Bakugou, do you copy?” Of course, it is Shouto who disturbs him. 

He downs the last of his tea and goes back inside but Shouto doesn’t seem to be a man of a lot of patience, “Tower seven, this is tower eight do you copy?”

Katsuki rolls his eyes. Too bad Shouto couldn't see him though, “Yes, yes, I hear you. Tower seven signing in.”

“Can you see the smoke? To your north?”

Katsuki furrows his eyebrows and looks through the window. The smoke is white, indicative of a campfire. Fucking campers. “Yes, I can see it.”

“It appears to be in the north trail sector, which is not a registered camping site. You’ll have to check it out.”

“Goddammit,” Katsuki curses under his breath. Well, he was going to receive his first assignment sooner or later, but he’s not fond of dealing with people’s crap first thing in the morning. “Yeah alright, I’m going to check it out.”

“Stay safe out there. Don’t forget your bear spray,” Shouto reminds him with a gentle voice and Katsuki completely ignores the growing heat in his cheeks.

“Sure whatever,” Katsuki grabs his stuff and his bear spray and leaves the lookout tower, following the trail leading into the woods.

“No one fucking bothers to get a camping permit these days,” he grumbles.

When Katsuki reaches the site, he finds three teenagers looking like he caught them elbows deep in the cookie jar. They scramble up and try to run, but all it takes is Katsuki pointing at their parked car, talking about how easy it would be to just search the plates and reach out to whoever’s parents they stole the car from, and they come running right back, begging him not to tell.

Now Katsuki is not that much of an asshole, despite popular belief. He takes the plate numbers and promises that he'd let it slide this time–but only if they promise to not light any more fires and move closer to the registered camping area so it's safer there.

This encounter would definitely rank high in Katsuki’s poll of top annoying interactions. Teenagers are not his favorite crowd to deal with but thank fuck it ended smoother than he expected.

Now that everything is taken care of, Katsuki makes his way back to his lookout tower. Maybe he’ll start preparing lunch–can’t go wrong with preparing the ingredients a little early.

“You’re back,” says Shouto through the radio the moment Katsuki steps in and lights the cabin. Yes, they can see each other’s towers, but a little privacy would be nice; or at least he should practice having some dignity and pretend he wasn’t watching Katsuki’s tower this whole time.

“Yeah yeah, I’m back.”

“So? What’s the status report?”

“Some fucking— rowdy kids thinking they can do whatever they want. ‘Please my mom would never let me go camping again’ my ass! I bet a fire starter has said that at some point,” Katsuki mimics the kids’ whining.

But as soon as Katsuki hears it— his actions come to a halt. A laugh, a genuine laugh. Katsuki doesn’t know why he’s suddenly so hyper-fixated over it but it’s the first time he’s hearing Shouto’s laugh. For some reason, Katsuki thought Shouto was incapable of laughing, let alone making such a beautiful airy sound.

It’s low and gentle but has a sharp pitch to it, like Shouto surprised even himself by laughing out loud.

Katsuki finds himself drawn to the sound. And if he continued his made up impression of that whining teenager just to hear Shouto’s laugh one more time. It's nobody’s business but his.

Smooth interactions with the campers, while preferable, are not always the case. Sadly, weird ones are also part of the job. It’s around three nights later that Katsuki has his first bizarre experience.

“Bakugou, report. What’s the status?”

Katsuki is still at a loss over what he found. Bizarre things in the woods are not uncommon but Katsuki has never really faced any in person, “Uh— I put the fire out, it was a camp but no one was fucking there,” or at least, it looked like a camp, Katsuki thinks.

Shouto hums, urging Katsuki to continue. No doubt he had caught on to Katsuki’s unusual tone.

“There was a wooden table, on it were a variety of knives and daggers…? Hunting weapons. And the fire was blazing with how many clothes were thrown in it.”

“Wooden table? In the middle of the woods?” Shouto questions, and Katsuki couldn't blame him.

“Yeah, believe me I had the same reaction.”

“Did you call the park’s authorities?”

“Of course I did, who do you think I am? But it looked like it was going to rain so I headed back.”

No, Katsuki didn’t keep glancing behind him on his way back. He didn’t freeze every time a twig snapped under his boots. He just didn’t.

Shouto is silent for a while, but the moment he speaks, Katsuki wishes he didn’t— no matter how soothing his voice sounds. “You know, this reminds me of the mountain's serial killer rumor that has been going around for the longest time.”

“You can’t be fucking serious—”

Shouto cuts him off, continuing his explanation with no remorse for Katsuki’s pounding heart. “It started when a couple went missing, like they had just vanished into thin air. The police looked everywhere, and the locals formed search parties but no clues were found, and…”

“And?” Katsuki gulps and grips the edge of his chair. A serial killer on the loose should’ve been on the job description. He’s not a coward. He knows it’s just a rumor. Campers like to make up stories just for the hell of it. The couple probably never existed.

“To this day…they say you can see their ghost bodies hanging from the trees, begging to be found so they can rest in peace.”

It’s suddenly too quiet, and maybe he’s sweating a lot. Did he check the shack before coming back? Katsuki supposes he didn’t.

But suddenly there’s a laugh, and Katsuki quickly tenses up. Fight or flight instincts kicking in before realizing it’s coming from the damn radio. Shouto is laughing at him.

And it all clicks in place. “You fucking bastard! You just made that all up!”

More laughter echoes through the cabin and Katsuki finds himself getting more embarrassed, “I’ll fucking turn off the radio—”

“No, no— I’m sorry Bakugou, okay?” Shouto says between laughs, not sounding sorry at all. “I was only messing with you. Hunters are not unusual around the area despite the ‘no hunting’ signs, you might’ve stumbled upon one of their camps.”

Katsuki's rigid posture relaxes. He loosens his tight grip around the chair and slumps down in it. Katsuki feels the adrenaline rush leave his body, leaving him boneless and tired. Katsuki glares at the radio, as if by glaring hard enough, it’ll reach Shouto on the other end.

“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that? Just wait, the next three fire investigations you’re going to hop off your princess tower and put them out.”

Shouto chuckles and his deep laugh makes Katsuki’s insides flip, “Anything the princess wants.”

Katsuki blushes at his own insult being thrown back at him, except it sounds less like an insult and more like flirtation. He opens his mouth, ready to snap something snarky back, but Shouto apparently is not done.

“How would you know?” Vague as most of Shouto’s sentences are but this time he continues without Katsuki asking him to, “How would you know that I’m not the killer and didn’t just make that up to prevent my cover from being blown?”

Shouto is messing with him again. Katsuki knows that but it’s not enough to repress the shudder from going down his spine.

“It’d be convenient, you know? I guide you away from my crimes’ locations, have you where I want, whenever I want.”

Katsuki swallows, in hopes to make the pit in his stomach go away. “I think you’re a moron, and have the shittiest, driest sense of humor ever.”

Shouto bursts out laughing, which finally makes Katsuki’s shoulders relax. It doesn’t matter how nice Shouto’s laugh sounds, he’s still a moron and Katsuki won’t fall for his deep, sweet voice no matter how much his teasing and joyful tone throws his mind into the gutter.

“Yeah, I’ve been told that before,” Shouto says after his laughing fit subsides. “But don’t worry, if I were a killer I wouldn’t hurt you. I do like you Bakugou.”

Katsuki feels the heat rise to his cheeks. His face must match the color of his eyes right now; he’s so grateful that Shouto can’t see him or he won’t be hearing the end of it. Sure, Shouto didn’t mean it in that way but it makes Katsuki’s heart throb all the same.

So he does what he’s good at when he faces any conflicting emotions, Katsuki shoves them all in a box where they’ll wither away (he hopes) and he pretends they don’t exist. “Tower seven signing off, over and out”.

“Wai—” and before Shouto can have any say in it, Katsuki turns his radio off. So what if he has to keep his radio on all the time? Katsuki doesn’t care, Shouto can sulk as much as he wants. That's what he gets for teasing Katsuki like that.

His computer pings with an email from Shouto and he decides to turn that off too–it’s almost bedtime anyway. He reports for the night, closes the windows’ shutters, and makes sure the fire will last through the night.

Katsuki gets under the covers and shoos away any Shouto-related thoughts, shutting his eyes tight, he wills himself to sleep.

It’s been raining all through the night and into the morning. Luckily, even campers know better than to go out in weather like this so Katsuki hasn’t received any help calls or fires to investigate. It has been a peaceful day, but now that night has fallen, the temperature has dropped a significant amount so Katsuki has to make sure he has enough firewood in the cabin.

Katsuki makes his way to the shack where the firewood is stacked. It has been a stormy night but fortunately, the inside of the shack is still dry. He picks one bundle up but freezes when he hears a running noise right outside the shack.

It’s faint but he’s sure of what he heard. Carefully positioning the firewood under his arm, Katsuki peeks outside. Nothing seems out of the ordinary but then the running noise is back and it’s getting closer— a woman’s shriek pierces through the air and it activates Katsuki’s instincts to bolt.

Katsuki sprints out of the shack with the firewood in hand. Memories of Shouto’s so-called rumors rushes into his head, making his heart pound and breathing labored.

He doesn’t look back but there’s a rustling sound and it seems to be getting louder. He’s barely able to look over his shoulder before his foot slips in the mud thanks to yesterday’s storm.

Katsuki falls, hands first in a desperate attempt to catch himself on the ground. His hand slams into the firewood but he hardly registers any pain because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Katsuki looks behind him as the noise gets closer to at least see what’s going to get him.

Mountain’s killer, his mind screams. It’s dark and he can barely make out anything. The dim lights from the shack only show so little.

A red fox jumps out of the bushes and realization dawns on Katsuki. It’s a fucking fox! He can’t believe he really freaked out like this. He blames the entire situation on Shouto and his stupid mouth and stupid words.

Katsuki feels utterly defeated. His body sags with relief, and his limbs feel heavy. He shakily inhales and holds it in before slowly exhaling in the hope to regulate his rapid heartbeats.

When he stands, he’s dripping mud all over. Great, now he’s in dire need o a shower. He picks up the firewood and trudges up the stairs, leaving muddy footprints along the way.

He toes his shoes off at the entrance, walks inside, and closes the cabin’s door. He throws the firewood aside, which makes a loud noise.

“Hey, that was loud. Everything alright?” 

Shouto just doesn’t miss a thing, does he?

Katsuki walks closer to the radio so it can pick up his voice better. “Yeah yeah, everything is alright,” he’s still a little lightheaded from what happened. He sits on his desk and covers his face with his hands but quickly regrets it when the damn wound from the firewood stings, letting out a loud hiss. Belatedly, Katsuki realizes that he has been bleeding the whole time.

“You don’t sound alright, are you hurt?” And if Katsuki wasn’t too busy looking for a towel to wipe the blood with, he would've noticed the genuine worry in Shouto’s voice .

“No— no, I just had a little accident that’s all—” Katsuki is supposed to sound more convincing but the sting of the water washing down the blood from the open wound makes him bite his tongue and cut the sentence short.

“Bakugou, you—”

“—I said I’m fine!” Katsuki lashes out, really frustrated with himself and embarrassed by what caused this.

“Katsuki.”

Katsuki’s teeth click shut and he bites his lower lip to prevent his mouth from twisting into a grimace. Blinking away the sting behind his eyes.

What is he even supposed to say? He freaked out by some silly rumors? Katsuki clenches his fist under the running faucet, water washing the blood down the drain.

“Accidents are not unusual in our field of work. I just want to make sure that you’re okay, please?” This is unfair, how is Katsuki supposed to answer such a sincere request with anything but the truth?

“I—this fucking fox— jumped out of nowhere and started screaming. I freaked out a little and my foot slipped in the mud. I was carrying some firewood and injured myself, it’s not a big deal!” Except, he’s panting by the end of his sentence.

Shouto stays silent and Katsuki feels like he’s being perceived despite the fact that tens of miles separates them. There’s no way Shouto would be able to see him but he feels anxious nonetheless.

“You know, when I first started working here I accidentally locked myself in the shack for six hours until the guard came and checked on me because I wasn’t receiving.”

Katsuki is stunned for a moment, before a laugh bubbles from his stomach and he finds himself tumbling over the table, clutching his stomach and hollering with laughter.

Eventually, his raucous laughter eases to short bursts of giggles and he’s sober enough to wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes. Inhaling gracefully, Katsuki grabs the medkit stashed in the cabin and sits back in front of the radio to start treating his injury. “Mm, yeah. I can totally see your dumb ass doing that.”

“If I stop receiving you know where to find me.”

Katsuki giggles again, wrapping his hand with bandages. “Nah, I’d leave your ass to freeze for a good couple of hours before I check with the guard.”

“Katsuki, that's so mean,” Shouto says, the pout evident in his voice. But Katsuki knows Shouto is messing with him.

They stay like this for a while, bickering back and forth and laughing while Shouto shares more funny stories about when he first started the job. This man is a disaster. Katsuki doesn’t know how they allowed him within eight feet of fire.

Katsuki’s eyelids grow heavier and he yawns for the third time since they started talking . Shouto pauses mid gushing about the rabbit he met today, probably noticing how late it is, says, “We should get some rest, it’s late.”

Katsuki wants to protest but finds he doesn’t have enough energy in him for that. Shouto is right. It’s time to sign off. “Goodnight, Shouto. Tower seven signing off.”

Shouto does the same and wishes him a good night.

Katsuki gets up, adds fuel to the stove, and throws in a couple of extra firewood to make sure it lasts through the night. He closes the windows’ shutters and turns off the lights. Katsuki takes one last look at Shouto’s turned off tower before shaking his head to banish the unnecessary thoughts. He huddles into the sheets, willing himself to sleep.

A couple of weeks later, Katsuki finds himself having one of the most off-putting interactions of his entire career. If someone time travelled to the past and told him this was a conversation he would be having he would probably rethink his life choices.

“What do you mean it’s complicated? I’m asking you where the bee stung you, simple!”

Katsuki is really getting fed up with this hiker and it’s really fucking hard to not just curse at him and the girl who keeps whispering things beside him. They keep having three minutes of hushed conversations where the radio can’t pick up their voices, cutting Katsuki off each time

The couple had called the lookout tower to ask for directions–they had gone far off from the assigned hiking trail but he had decided to save the scolding for another time. In the middle of Katsuki explaining the trails and where they lead, the hiker speaking to him had turned away from the call, his voice muffled when he whispered something about “it’s itching?”

They had whispered between themselves for a good while before the hiker informed Katsuki that he had been stung by a bee and if there are any certain places where the bee sting would be dangerous.

First of all, they should’ve informed him about that sooner. Second of all, Katsuki was supposed to magically know what certain places the hiker meant? So naturally, he asked where the bee stung him, which led to this joke of a conversation they were having now.

“Listen man—” There’s a thud sound, probably the girlfriend slapping some sense into the hiker. There’s a quiet pause before he resumes his talking, “Ugh, alright man. The bee stung my penis! There you have it!”

Of all the places that he could have been stung–this hiker is really some unlucky guy. “Were you dangling it around while peeing or something?” Not Katsuki’s best choice of words, but he’s a little at a loss here.

Another quiet pause, but the moment the guy speaks, Katsuki regrets asking, “We were having sex— please don’t report it to the police—! I swear we weren’t recording—!”

“What the fuck, don’t go telling me all the details!” Katsuki swears under his breath, rubbing between his eyes in exhaustion.

He chose this job, Katsuki reminds himself. Because of the sun and the sky or freedom or whatever the fuck he liked ten minutes ago before having this conversation. He sighs and picks up the speaker connected to his radio. “Is it swollen?” Katsuki asks, with the most professional voice he can muster.

“I—I don’t know it’s still hard—”

“Fucking hell—” Katsuki bites his tongue too late, the hiker most likely heard him but Katsuki finds himself not caring about his career ending at this point, maybe it’s for the better actually.

Katsuki drags his palm down his face, maybe he can wipe his memory clean if he tries hard enough. What kind of fool’s dick stays standing after being stung by a bee? He shouldn’t have been surprised given that they were trying to have sex in the middle of the woods, not even inside a tent.

Katsuki is really thankful he wasn’t patrolling the area around that time. Unfortunately, he still has to do his job, “Do you have something cold, like a bottle of water, to hold it against the swollen area?”

“Umm, wait a second please…” Katsuki hears fumbling noises from the radio for a couple of seconds before the hiker’s voice is back again. “Yes! We have some cold water!”

“Great,” Katsuki resists the urge to roll his eyes by sheer willpower, even though they can’t see him. “Now wash the swollen area gently and hold the cold bottle against it, then head down the trail I marked on your map. You’ll be able to find a clinic right at the woods’ entrance.”

“Thank you—” As soon as the hiker bid his farewells, Katsuki turned off the radio and switched to the main frequency with tower eight.

“Shouto, you won’t believe what just happened.”

“—then a bee stung his dick!” Katsuki fights off another fit of laughter as he finishes telling the story, though, he realizes belatedly that Shouto is being abnormally quiet. “I can’t believe people actually do that.”

Shouto hums, followed by a sipping sound, probably tea. “You don’t think it’s exciting?”

“Huh?” Katsuki is baffled. He didn't expect that but gathered his wits quickly. “No way, that’s gross. On the grass and moss, surrounded by wild animals. Thanks, but I got a perfectly good bed right here.”

“Have you tried it?”

“Tried what?” Shouto is up to no good, Katsuki could sense it.

“Your bed. Do you have a girlfriend? Perhaps a boyfriend?”

Is this Shouto’s way of asking whether Katsuki is in a relationship? If that's the case, then Shouto is worse at making small talk than Katsuki thought. Either way, Katsuki has nothing to hide.

“Nah, haven’t had anyone in a while. I have better things to do other than going on silly dates and then locking myself in a tower for god knows how long,” Katsuki is not nervous, he’s just not used to sharing this kind of information. He never really had to, his friends always seemed to understand without him having to explain, yet he can’t keep his hands still as he waits for Shouto’s response. He hopes the radio isn’t able to pick up the tapping noises his fingers are making against the table.

“Huh, that explains the attitude…”

“The fuck does that mean?!” Katsuki feels his cheeks heat up. Is this moron looking down on him? “Wow, you really think you’re some hot shit, huh? Careful there, being pretty won’t save that shitty humor of yours.”

“Big words coming from someone who stalked my personal file the first day he set foot here,” Shouto says in a passive voice that could’ve fooled Katsuki weeks ago, but now he knows what a little shit Shouto is.

Katsuki bites his tongue to not start his sentence with a curse. This was a conversation they had a while ago because Katsuki accidentally made a snarky comment about Shouto’s two-toned hair, which led Shouto to the conclusion that Katsuki must have seen his appearance somewhere, that somewhere being his file.

Katsuki didn’t sleep that night due to the amount of relentless teasing he received. After his revelation, Shouto had proceeded to open Katsuki’s personal file and read out loud all the information, describing him in great detail.

Face still in flames, Katsuki sputters a half-assed comeback. “It was an accident, you asshole!” In fact, it was not. It’s another half-assed excuse Katsuki came up with to save whatever is left of his dignity, though Shouto doesn’t even seem to buy it.

“What about you, huh?! You think you’re so high and mighty with a bunch of women hanging off your belt?” Katsuki attempts to derail the conversation, and luckily Shouto voluntarily takes the bait.

“Quite the opposite, I never had one. Had a couple of one night stands a long time ago but nothing long-term.”

Well, that’s unexpected. Katsuki expected Shouto to have at least dated before because there’s no way a handsome face like his wouldn’t attract admirers.

Now that’s interesting. Katsuki leans on his elbow and rests his cheek in his palm “Hmm, there’s no way no one confessed to you before…so what’s the catch? Got some impossibly high standards? Heartbroken?”

Shouto chuckles and Katsuki’s heart skips a beat. “No, nothing like that. Just haven’t met the perfect person for me yet.”

Oh? Katsuki’s interest piqued, “Oh yeah? And who could that be?”

“Hmm,” Katsuki hears something squeaking so he assumes Shouto must have leaned back against his chair–probably pretending to think about the matter when Katsuki knows Shouto is full of shit. “Let’s see, he’s got to be spoilable, hotheaded. Shorter than me so I can carry him when he gets too loud. Loves nature and believes in the possibility of me being a serial killer.”

Mouth gaping, Katsuki’s entire face flushes red. Spoilable? Shorter than him? Carrying him? Katsuki did not miss the throwback to one of their past conversations involving a serial killer’s rumor either but it didn’t make anything easier for his mind to process. 

Is Shouto flirting with him right now?

Still at a loss of what to say, Katsuki tries to articulate a comeback but what the fuck is he suppose to answer to something like that?

So Katsuki does what he does the best--he curses first and thinks later. “What the fuck, with a personality like that I don’t think you can handle hotheaded people.”

“You sure? I think I’m handling it just fine.” Shouto says.

“You—!” Katsuki can practically hear the smug smile in Shouto’s voice. His hands curl into fists under the wooden table. The feelings that Shouto made him feel were unfamiliar, similar to rage but not quite the same.

His blood is boiling but instead of it rushing to the top of his head it centres in his cheeks. It floods his chest with a rush of warmth that seeps through his bones and settles at the tips of his fingers; makes him giddy, makes Katsuki react stronger and be more sensitive to Shouto’s words.

It feels nice in a way–but Katsuki doesn’t like it. It feels like admitting defeat, allowing someone to have that much power over him. And Katsuki was never a fan of that.

But as much as he tries to tame it, to channel these feelings into anger, he can’t. And it scares him because Katsuki has never failed to get angry.

“Katsuki?”

Shouto’s concerned voice breaks him out of his stupor. Ah shit, he was silent for too long.

Katsuki bites his lower lip and slaps his reddened cheeks to make up his mind. He leans back towards the radio. 

Alright, just keep it casual. 

“You have no idea what loud sounds like.” 

Apparently, Katsuki doesn’t know how to keep it casual.

There's a long pause that makes Katsuki's heart hammer wildly with anticipation before Shouto speaks again.

“Maybe I’d like to find out.”

Ah. Katsuki is truly fucked.

It’s another mundane day, cloudy, with a high chance of rain. A lot of people know better than to camp or hike in weather like this. A good thing for Katsuki since unfriendly weather also means there’s no one to assist and he can cook his lunch in peace.

Stranded in nowhere, far from restaurants and convenience stores, makes cooking an important skill to have. Luckily for Katsuki, cooking is his second favorite thing after nature.

It’s relaxing. Katsuki loves using his hands, whether it’s to whisk the eggs, butter the bread, or slice the meat. He loves mixing all the ingredients together to create a delicious meal that fills him with pride.

“Hey Katsuki, you there?”

Katsuki doesn’t pause what he’s doing, already used to Shouto talking in the background no matter what he’s up to. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Did Aizawa drop off your stuff yet?”

That does make Katsuki pause. He looks over at the radio with furrowed brows, “Who? What stuff?”

“Since you’re new here I guess you don’t know. Every month Aizawa, the delivery guard, drops off stuff the firewatchers requested and maintenance supplies. You can make a list, and he’ll deliver it next month,” Shouto sighs, which is unusual, “I’m hungry and he hasn't dropped off my favorite instant soba yet.”

Katsuki wrinkles his nose in disgust, “Instant soba? Lame. Eat some real food.”

“Don’t be mean, Katsuki. It’s the only thing I can make.”

Katsuki snickers, eyes gleaming like a cat ready to pounce on its owner. “Boo, you can’t even boil some actual noodles? What, because it doesn’t come with pre-packaged, dry, lab-made meat?”

“...yes?” Shouto says, sounding like he’s unsure if Katsuki is being serious or not.

Katsuki stops stirring his lunch. Now that’s just sad. How hopeless can someone be in the kitchen? Apparently, Shouto is just that bad.

An idea pops in his head like a light bulb.

 “Say, Aizawa drops by my tower first, right?”

Katsuki hears a knock on his door right after he finishes wrapping the bento. Just in time. He goes to open the door, revealing a dark-haired man with stubble and a low ponytail. The man’s dark circles almost makes Katsuki feel bad about what he’s going to request. 

Almost.

He immediately recognizes the box Aizawa is carrying between his hands as the supplies box Shouto mentioned before. Katsuki grabs it and hands the wrapped bento box to him, “I got it from here, but I got a package I want you to deliver to tower eight.”

Aizawa looks skeptical but probably doesn’t get paid enough to ask what’s inside the box. He makes Katsuki sign for the supplies box before bidding his goodbye. “Alright kid, keep up the good work.” 

Katsuki watches him disappear into the woods before collapsing back into his chair.

Now all Katsuki has to do is wait, which is the worst because waiting was never one of his talents. He still has to eat his lunch so he quickly gets back to it and prepares the table.

Midway through his lunch Katsuki realizes it’s too quiet, and he can’t stop his mind from racing through thoughts one after the other. Did Shouto not receive it? Did he not like it? Maybe he’s busy assisting someone–Katsuki shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

But he can’t help it. He’s already halfway finished with his lunch yet he was so deep in thought he barely tasted anything. 

So engrossed in his own misgivings, Katsuki nearly misses the radio turning on.

Well, speak of the devil.

Katsuki’s body tenses up the moment he hears the static noise.

There’s a brief pause before Shouto speaks. When he does, his voice is a little raspy. “Thank you for the bento, Katsuki. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything as delicious as your cooking,” a small sniffle comes through from the other end of the line.

That’s odd.

Hearing Shouto’s compliments has Katsuki feeling proud of himself and normally he doesn’t shy away from praise but something doesn’t feel quite right so he does what he’s best at–being straightforward, “You okay?”

“Yes— I’m fine, it’s just a little cold because the stove is out of wood. Don’t worry about it.”

Shouto’s reply comes a little too fast for Katsuki’s liking. Katsuki isn’t satisfied with his answer, but he’s never been the best with words. Hell— this is why he sent him the bento in the first place! Actions!

Katsuki scrapes what’s left of his food into a small pile and feels his cheeks gradually heat up. He’s going to say it but that doesn’t mean he’s going to like it. “Hey, I still haven’t finished eating my lunch yet— do you want to eat together?”

Stupidstupidstupidstupid— they’re too far away for that to happen. What was Katsuki thinking?Asking him to eat lunch through a radio? Why did he think that could work! Fuck he should take it all back— but Shouto beats him to it before he could open his mouth.

“I’d love that.”

Katsuki’s stills and he peers at the radio with a gaping mouth. It’s turned on. He’s not hallucinating.

He ignores his flushed cheeks and goes back to eating. “Whatever, eat your food before it gets cold,” just because he’s the one who suggested eating together doesn’t mean he’s going to entertain Shouto.

But Shouto seems like he doesn’t mind. He goes back to praising Katsuki’s cooking, talking about how long it has been since he ate a homemade meal. Katsuki shyly grumbles, “It’s whatever, not a big deal,” and continues to shove more food into his mouth as he listens to Shouto blabber about everything and nothing at the same time.

The window shutters rattle. The storm shakes the tower and the pillars creak under the heavy rain. A bolt of lightning cracks the clouds in half and illuminates the shaking cabin through the gaps between the shutters. 

Katsuki writhes under the sheets and clenches his chest. He gasps but he can’t hear his own breathing over the thunderstorm. 

Is he even breathing?

Another lightning strikes nearby and Katsuki shoots up from his bed, clutching his chest. He tries to breathe but his lungs feel like they’re shrinking, unable to take in any air.

Is he even breathing?

It’s dark–the stove must have gone out. Katsuki tries to look for his flashlight but the pain shoots through his chest, making him stagger. He only manages to save himself from falling to the ground by leaning against the wall.

The wood under his palm is damp.

Katsuki hates rain.

Sharp pain cuts off his airways. Katsuki inhales but only feels his lungs collapsing in desperation. By sheer force of will, he manages to raise his head and look past the white patches threatening to take over his vision.

The radio.

His legs are numb. Katsuki can barely feel them, let alone try to walk to where the radio is. Out of options, Katsuki makes a last ditch effort and throws himself over to the radio table, clenching his jaw when the edge of the table digs deeply into his side.

His vision is blurry, his fingertips numb, and he’s not sure if he’s actually pressing any buttons. Thankfully, the radio lights up but Katsuki can’t distinguish between the loud ringing in his ears and the static noise.

His eyes are wet–why are his eyes wet? He isn’t sure whether it’s tears or sweat as his body fights going into full panic mode.

He’s dizzy. He lays his head down on the table and feels the pounding of his heart in his head. It’s uncomfortable and he feels nauseous so he closes his eyes and grits his teeth in irritation.

When the headache seems to be subsiding and his ears are able to hear past his own heartbeats, Katsuki recognizes a voice calling his name.

“Katsuki? Do you hear me? Tower eight copy.”

It’s Shouto’s voice. Katsuki raises his head to respond, but his tongue can’t articulate words and he lets out a loud wheeze.

The pain in his chest is back. He holds on to the table for dear life to not fall onto the ground because he will not be able to get back up.

Katsuki forces himself to take in short breaths, too many, before he’s able to push words past his numb lips. 

“I can’t— breathe—”

Before he can hear Shouto’s response, Katsuki falls to the ground. He thinks he hears Shouto calling his name,asking, “Are you okay?” 

Shouto’s voice sounds steady despite communications being affected by the storm. But the ringing in Katsuki’s ears gets too loud eventually, and blocks off the rest of it.

Katsuki can’t breathe.

He curls into himself in pain, clutching his chest tightly. 

If it’s not real, why does the pain feel real?

His heart hammers rapidly in his chest, his breath comes in short puffs, and his clothes stick to his body like a second skin.

It’s not real, but the pain is there. A consuming fire burns through his chest and he struggles to not black out.

Fuck fuck fuck—! Katsuki curses internally. He flips onto his side and clutches the carpet between his fingers, looking for anything to keep him grounded.

A bolt of lightning strikes and shakes the cabin. His ears ring and nausea rises up. God, he really doesn’t want to throw up right now. He’s going to feel even worse and the place is going to stink.

Sweat drips off his forehead. He clenches his jaw and bites his tongue to keep the bile down. Katsuki keeps having to blink the tears away. He thinks some might have fallen down his cheeks but his vision is too blurry to know for sure.

Katsuki is not sure how much time has passed, maybe seconds, maybe hours. But the cabin door slams open. He jolts from his dissociative haze —did he forget to lock it?

A flicker of clarity cuts through the fog. Katsuki raises his head to see a disheveled-looking Shouto, wet clothes dripping with rainwater, chest heaving like he had run all the way here. 

Did he actually do that?

Before Katsuki could wrap his head around the fact that Shouto is here, flesh and bone, he finds himself being cradled by the same man. He doesn’t even notice that Shouto’s wet clothes are seeping water into his— doesn’t think he’d care anyway.

“Katsuki, are you with me? You’ll be alright, you’re okay. I got you, you’re okay.”

Hearing Shouto’s voice in real life is different. It soothes the pain in his chest, to the point that Katsuki becomes conscious of himself sobbing in Shouto’s lap. He hides his face further into Shouto’s embrace and gasps for air, inhaling Shouto’s scent. It’s like cold water, putting out the fire in his veins and the aching in his bones.

Shouto notices Katsuki’s fist clutching at his chest and covers it with his. “I’m here Katsuki, you’re okay.”

Katsuki nods as a sign that he hears him, shuddering out more broken sobs. Shouto pries Katsuki’s clenched fist open and intertwines Katsuki’s fingers with his own. Shouto rubs soothing circles on the back of his hand using his thumb and strokes Katsuki’s hair with the other hand until Katsuki’s cries subside and his breath evens out.

Katsuki sniffles and takes a shaky breath, “I— a couple of years ago, I got stabbed.”

The hand stroking his hair pauses for a second before continuing. Shouto hums for him to continue and, god, hearing it in real life makes his heart flutter.

“In my chest. It was a stormy night. An old friend of mine found me laying in a puddle of blood and carried me to the nearest police station,”.

Katsuki stops to regain his composure. Shouto tucks his hair behind his ear, hums again, gripping his hand tighter as if to communicate, “I got you.” “A police officer— he did the impossible to save me— and I… he praised my strong will to survive—” Katsuki chuckles, remembering the police officer's words.

“They caught who did it— some crazy lunatic but I still— sometimes, I still have nightmares about it.”

“Katsuki,” Shouto’s voice is protective, firm. He gently cradles Katsuki's face between his palms and wipes the tears away. With a determined face, Shouto says, “I’ll protect you. No one can harm you now,” he raises Katsuki’s clenched fist and plants a soft kiss on his knuckles.

Katsuki’s cheeks flush an embarrassing shade of red. How can he just say that? It’s even worse than hearing it through the radio, now that he can see the real deal saying the cheesy stuff in person.

With a beet-red face, Katsuki gathers his courage and goes for a kiss. A soft, shy touch of lips. Shouto stills for a moment before reciprocating, sneaking his hand through Katsuki's blond hair and cupping the back of his head.

Katsuki sighs into the kiss. Relaxes his hold to circle his arms around Shouto’s neck. Chest vibrating with the new closeness. 

Shouto’s tongue slides across Katsuki’s bottom lip causing him to part his lips in a silent gasp and gives Shouto the chance to further claim his mouth.

A shiver races up Katsuki’s spine, his toes curl and relief tears press against his eyelids.

Shouto’s warmth bursts like tiny stars beneath Katsuki’s skin, warming his panic-cold limbs.

Face feels like an inferno, they pull away. And Katsuki has some time to gain some of his senses back. He avoids the intense gaze being directed at him and grumbles, “I can’t believe you ran here during a storm in the middle of the night,” sue him, but complaining is his only way to hide his embarrassment.

“Hey,” Shouto hushes him and holds Katsuki’s face between his hands, guiding him back to look at him. “And I would do it all over again,” he says, not breaking their eye contact.

Katsuki’s heart skips a beat and he definitely isn’t pouting. He will not get used to Shouto spouting all kinds of sappy shit anytime soon, let alone have a response to it.

“I biked about halfway, then the wheels got stuck in the mud. Had to run the rest of the way,” Shouto adds, almost like an afterthought.

Actions are Katsuki’s way of expressing himself so instead of saying something, Katsuki wraps his arms around Shouto’s shoulders and pulls him into a hug.

He hears Shouto chuckle before leaning into Katsuki. Shouto wraps his arms around Katsuki’s waist, pulling him into his lap and hugging him tightly.

Even with the cabin door still wide open and the raging storm shaking the tower, Katsuki has never felt warmer. Engulfed by Shouto’s taller frame, Katsuki tightens his hold and rests his head on Shouto’s shoulder. Relishing in the feeling of peace he didn’t think was possible 30 minutes ago.

They stay in each other’s arms for what must be more than ten minutes before Shouto breaks their bonding moment. “Hey, this is our first time meeting in real life.”

Katsuki blinks a couple of times to chase the sleepiness away. Shouto’s body warmth almost made him fall asleep but when the words fully registers in his head, he sobers up so fast.

“Damn. I can’t believe our first meeting went down like that,” Katsuki groans. Shouto opens his mouth to object, probably about to spout another cheesy line, but Katsuki cuts him off with a thumb sealing his lips. 

“Shut it, I don’t want to hear no more! You’re going to spend the night here and tomorrow I’m going to make you the best breakfast ever.”

Shouto smiles, eyes sparkling and cheeks tinted a little pink. 

“Yeah, I’d love that,” he puts his hand on top of Katsuki’s, the one Katsuki used to shut Shouto’s mouth. Shouto intertwines their fingers and pulls Katsuki’s hand to his lips, laying kisses on the back of his hand.

This moron. Katsuki can’t possibly blush more than this or smoke will start coming out of his ears. Literally. He leans in and steals another kiss. God, he didn’t have time to prepare himself for how handsome Shouto is.

Lost in his own little world, Katsuki doesn’t resist when Shouto grabs him by the chin to guide him into another kiss. This time, he slots their lips together perfectly and parts his to open Katsuki’s mouth to suck on his lower lip. Shouto squeezes Katsuki’s chin to make it go slack, making more space to push his tongue in and lick the roof of Katsuki’s mouth.

Katsuki lets out an embarrassing sound, definitely not a moan, and pulls back. His whole face is on fire as he wipes the spit running down his chin with his sleeve and stands up, leaving Shouto’s arms hanging in the air.

That was dangerous, it’s too soon for this kind of stuff. Katsuki seriously doesn’t think his heart can handle it, no matter how much Shouto looks like a wet, kicked puppy sitting on the floor.

“Stop pouting and get up, you’re still dripping all over the floor. You can borrow some of my clothes. After all this rain, I doubt we’ll see any wildfires anytime soon.”

Shouto looks at him for a few seconds before a sly, teasing smile curves his lips.

Katsuki does not like that.

“Won’t they be a little too small on me, princess?”

Katsuki takes two steps back, grabs the towel he keeps around the entrance, and throws it aggressively at Shouto’s smirking face. “Wipe yourself down then, asshole!”

Shouto does end up wearing Katsuki’s clothes, because he’s not that much of an asshole to let Shouto freeze to death in such weather, even if his biggest sweatpants only reach Shouto’s ankles.

Extra blankets are only given if the weather gets too cold, so making Shouto sleep on the ground isn’t an option. He knows they’ll settle for sleeping on the bed but Katsuki still didn’t want to say it, not when he knows Shouto is going to give him that tiny, knowing smile that’ll send his heart into a spiral and not get a wink of sleep after.

Katsuki suppresses the urge to just go sleep in the shack solely because he knows Shouto is going to find his way there too.

Katsuki takes a deep breath and faces Shouto, who’s already sitting on his bed. “We can share the bed, there’s not enough blankets to use as a futon,” He says with flushed cheeks. There’s no way Shouto wouldn't notice but he’s hoping Shouto wouldn’t be an asshole and comment on it.

Shouto doesn’t respond, instead he lays down and extends his hand toward Katsuki. “Is it okay if we cuddle?” He suggests casually, as if he didn’t just turn Katsuki’s brain into mush.

The pink blush creeps up his ears and neck, flushing a rosy color. “I hate you,” Katsuki groans before deciding to claim his side of the bed.

“I like yo- ow—” Katsuki cuts Shouto off by kneeing his stomach, by accident, and gathers the blankets to cocoon himself with them. He is not going to have this conversation tonight.

“But Katsuki, we can’t cuddle if you wrap yourself like that and face the wall.”

Katsuki keeps quiet, but who’s he kidding? Like a few blankets would actually make Shouto back off.

A hand sneaks to rest on top of the blanket Katsuki’s wrapped in and he feels Shouto come closer and lean close to where his ear is.

“Katsuki, are you embarrassed?”

“I will throw you outside to be eaten by bears.”

Katsuki hears a chuckle and feels Shouto scoot back to make space between them with only his hand staying on top of his blanketed body.

“Goodnight, Katsuki.”

“…good night,” in Katsuki’s defense, he barely had time to process that Shouto’s here—this close—with nothing but a thin blanket between them. Katsuki can’t hear a thing aside from his own loud heartbeats. His entire body is on fire inside the blanket and he feels so close to erupting into a supernova.

The room settles into a softer quiet. Katsuki feels the pillow dip under the weight of Shouto’s head, and the hand on top of the blanket shifts—no longer tense, just resting there, a guarding weight. Shouto’s breath evens out into a steady rhythm.

Katsuki swallows and peeks out. He doesn’t move—just lies there in the dark, staring at nothing, feeling Shouto’s breath tickle the back of his head.

His heart hammers like it’s trying to beat through his ribs. Katsuki wants to look—wants to turn, just a little, just enough to see if Shouto’s expression is as calm as he sounds, but he can’t—doesn’t want to disturb the serenity between them.

Katsuki’s fingers curl into the fabric of the blanket, just to keep himself anchored. Listens to Shouto’s soft breaths like a sweet lullaby ready to sweep him off his feet.

The birds have already started chirping outside. The crackling of firewood is familiar yet so different when combined with Shouto’s calm breathing. Dawn has already started to break through the dark of night, and even though his heart hadn't calmed down yet, Katsuki couldn’t ignore the tingling warmth through his limbs.

Fuck. 

He’s excited, isn’t he? 

Katsuki can’t wait to make the best breakfast ever.