Work Text:
Katsuki slumped back against a perched concrete slab. Debris accumulated from the recent villain fight probed sharply into his back, but the pain helped him remember he was still alive. He was pretty sure he had another broken rib and a nasty head wound, judging by the slight trickle of red clouding the vision in his left eye. Each wheezing breath he took caused a stinging burn to spread through his side as the adrenaline died down.
Katsuki won, though; he wanted to always win.
He was supposed to be meeting Eijirou after patrol, but Katsuki knew his agency would demand they observe him for the next few hours at the local hospital until they evaluated his wounds and cleared him to return home.
He had really been looking forward to tonight.
Not only was it Katsuki’s birthday, but Eijirou had demanded to cook for him tonight. Something about turning 25 being a big milestone. Katsuki was sure that was a lie, but Eijirou had refused to take no for an answer, and Katsuki was a sucker at turning him down when he really wanted something.
Katsuki wasn’t even sure if Eijirou knew how to cook anymore. When they moved in together after UA, Katsuki had taken over the kitchen. He never once allowed Eijirou to go hungry, trying out new recipes and letting Eijirou taste everything because he valued his opinion over any other extra he had fed in the past.
“Come on, Ei, you know I don’t really give a shit about my birthday.” He had told Eijirou that morning. The two of them lounged against a counter in the kitchen as they scarfed down a quick breakfast before Katsuki had to leave for patrol.
“Yeah, but this is a big one. This year is gonna be different, Kats. Let me cook for you, just once,” Eijirou had pleaded, those damn red eyes conveying an emotion Katsuki wasn’t sure he understood.
He seemed almost desperate for Katsuki to agree; that thought alone set Katsuki on edge, but he trusted Eijirou. Whatever the man was planning, he wouldn’t do anything that made Katsuki uncomfortable, so he agreed.
“If it tastes like shit, you’re banned from my kitchen.”
He took another wheezing breath, his vision blurred a bit as he leaned his head back to glare up at the clouds. Growing up, Katsuki didn’t think he would even live to be 25. He thought for sure he would go out fighting some shitty villain and die an unforgettably cool death, and he almost had.
If it weren’t for Best Jeanist and Edgeshot, he would have died in the war his first year at UA. Wouldn’t that have been something? An honorable death, fighting one of the world’s worst villains, but Katsuki still had a role to play. He had to come back to finish what he started so that they could win the war.
It wasn’t only the war that Katsuki wanted to come back for, though.
When he was dying, and every injury since then, he thought only about what one shitty redhead would think if he wasn’t around anymore.
Katsuki was so helplessly in love with his best friend that even on his deathbed he only wished he could hear his voice one more time. He would think, if I survive this, I’ll tell him, please just let me survive.
But years after the war, Katsuki still bottled up his feelings. He spent countless hours in therapy, decoding how he felt after literally dying on the battlefield. Years of seeing the same woman three times a week, and still he refused to confront some of his biggest feelings.
He worked through the trauma of being a Pro Hero, worked through how much of a shitty kid he was, and he was even at the point now that he was okay apologizing when he messed up. He fought with himself constantly on his insecurities and aggression, but at least now he didn’t explode shitty extras when they asked stupid questions.
It was progress, Katsuki knew that, but digging into his romantic feelings and what that would mean for his friendship was another level down that he wasn’t sure he wanted to dig into just yet.
He could hear the sirens of incoming police getting closer, backup to assist the search and recovery team already on scene. He had warded off a few heroes that attempted to help him first, pointing them toward people he had attempted to keep safe during the villain attack.
“Help them out first. I’m good.”
They didn’t question him. Katsuki was a top hero, and they trusted him to know his injuries well enough to judge if he demanded priority. They probably wouldn’t trust Katsuki if they knew he would rather die than take help away from a civilian, but he was alive and breathing right now so that’s all that matters.
He adjusted against the slab, his feet kicking out to relax a bit while he waited for civilians to be cleared. Katsuki made sure the police had a good handle on the villain before stumbling to his current spot. He liked to wait on scene until everyone had left — he needed to know if he wasn’t able to save someone. Katsuki knew logically that you can’t save them all, but he needed to know for sure or he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
Something many people didn’t know about Katsuki is that he showed up to show respect for each person he failed to save. He struggled the hardest with the guilt of not being good enough to save them. He would apologize to the one he let down and promise to win in the future. It was something he picked up in therapy; speaking to the dead and not expecting a response or judgement helped him with apologizing to people he actually had to face.
Eijirou knew, though, of course he did. Idiot would follow Katsuki to every shrine, sit with him as he apologized, and be that comforting presence that Katsuki needed, but would never ask for. He was always there to support Katsuki when he was hurting. The only one that Katsuki let see him break down after a terrible fight.
The first time Katuski had been caught in his feelings, he had lost a kid during a villain fight. She was hiding and nobody knew she was even in the building, but thanks to the villain’s quirk and a few explosions from Katsuki, the damn abandoned building had collapsed.
Because of the amount of damage, they didn’t find her for a few days. Katsuki heard about it on the news while eating dinner with Eijirou. He couldn’t hide his breakdown like he normally would, locked away in his agency office before coming home to act fine. Eijirou watched him crumble into a panic, but also helped put him back together again. Held him while he cried, stayed curled up with him in bed the next day, and didn’t push when Katsuki just wanted to grieve without words.
After that, Katuski didn’t grieve alone. He would meet Eijirou at home and let his best friend put him back together. Katsuki did the same when Eijirou had a dangerous shift. He would listen as Red Riot rambled and cried about not being strong enough to protect someone in need. He would comfort him with small touches and words of affirmation that he knew Eijirou needed in that moment. They grieved differently, but Eijirou and Katsuki knew how to take care of one another.
“Hey, man, slipped your phone from the office on my way over.” Katsuki glanced up as Hanta Sero, fully geared up as Cellophane, handed out Katsuki’s phone.
Katsuki grunted in thanks. Even if they didn’t know all of Katsuki’s habits, most of his hero friends knew he stayed on scene until cleared. “You get called for some cleanup?”
Hanta stretched, his arms cracking as he limbered them up. “Yeah, I think Uravity is here. The usual tape and float quick combo.”
Katsuki hummed, talking too much was making it difficult to breathe, and he needed to avoid going to the hospital for the time being. Once the scene cleared, he would comply with company orders and get checked out.
He clicked through his phone notifications, ignoring most of the news articles that tagged him in the fight. A few texts from his mom, one from Izuku, and two missed calls from Eijirou.
Kat, you good? Eijirou texted a few minutes after the last call. That was nearly an hour ago and Katsuki’s shocked he didn’t continue his tirade of messages after his first went unanswered. He assumed Eijirou had probably looked him up after not answering the calls and seen the villain fight was in progress.
Katsuki texted Eijirou back, I’m okay.
He ignored the rest for now, the phone screen irritating his already impaired vision and oncoming migraine. Hanta left Katsuki’s side a few moments later when he was called into cleanup action.
He focused his eyes on the cleanup, diligently watching as they found victims among the rubble. Most seemed to have superficial injuries, but Katsuki wouldn’t let himself relax until they completed every rescue.
A few minutes later, he could hear another set of footsteps approaching from behind. The heavy thump of a familiar pattern made him smile briefly as Eijirou rounded the corner of the slab.
He glanced up to take in Eijirou’s flushed face, eyes filled with brief worry that subsided when he took in Katskuki. His hair slightly spiked, but falling in places that showed Eijirou’s tick of thumbing his fingers through it when stressed or thinking too hard about something. His dark sweats flecked with dust from his walk through the rubble and the orange, baggy Dynamight hoodie from an old merch collection that Katsuki hated, clashed horribly with his red hair. A small grocery bag dangled from his fingers.
The sight made Katuski’s heart squeeze uncomfortably in his chest.
“Ei, you didn’t have to come.” He chastised pointlessly. This wasn’t the first time Eijirou had shown up when Katsuki was involved in an attack that would take longer to clean.
Eijirou kicked a few rocks away from Katsuki’s side, plopping down with a deep exhale of breath. “It’s your birthday, Kats. If you need to be here, so do I.”
Katsuki scoffed, biting roughly on his bottom lip to distract himself from retorting with his normal irritation. Though he wouldn’t admit it, he was thankful for that sturdy comfort by his side.
“Besides, I brought snacks.” Eijirou continued, pulling out a container of onigiri and Katuski’s favorite sports drink. Eijirou paused before handing over the contents, glancing wildly at Katsuki. “Wait, what injuries do you have?”
Katuski rolled his eyes, “Head, ribs, few cuts. Haven’t got checked out yet. Thought you were cooking tonight.”
He fought down the blush as Eijirou’s eyes flicked from Katuski’s bloodied and tattered hero suit to his now crusty head wound. Eijirou’s eyes dimmed slightly in concern, but he didn’t comment on the injuries. He did, however, reach forward slightly, pushing some of Katuski’s blonde hair out of the bloodied mess of his forehead.
“I’m probably banned from the kitchen in the future,” Eijirou said softly, the words floating over Katuski’s head for a moment as he’s lost in the touch. “Snacks now, and we can get takeout on the way home.”
Katsuki narrowed his eyes. “Do I want to know?”
Eijirou shook his head, a quick apologetic laugh escaping his lips. “When we get home, it might be best if you just don’t go to the kitchen until I fix it.”
“Fix it?” Katsuki’s brows rose as Eijirou fumbled through a brief explanation involving a small fire, the extinguisher locking up, and a mess of a situation that he couldn’t completely clean up before Katsuki got off work.
Katsuki bit back a laugh as his rib ached against the involuntary movement. Eijirou stopped talking immediately, his fingers reaching for Katsuki’s shoulder as he wheezed.
“Breathe.” His voice was soft, breaking through the haze that accompanied the pain. His fingers prodded gently at Katsuki’s shoulder until moving away when Katsuki could sit back in somewhat comfort once again. “You sure it’s just the ribs and not a punctured lung?”
Katsuki nodded, “Pretty sure.”
They quietly watched a rescue hero assist a civilian walking toward the medical station. Neither of them spoke as Eijirou opened the energy drink and handed the bottle over to Katsuki for a drink. He popped open the onigiri container, glanced at Katuski for a moment before picking one up and holding it out in front of Katsuki’s face.
“Your hands are disgusting, man.” He explained quickly, the pink tint to his cheeks making a return.
Katsuki opened his mouth to take a bite as Eijirou held the snack still. It was the type of intimacy that the two of them had shared before. Little moments here and there: sharing popcorn during late movies, or feeding the other a taste of food at a restaurant. No matter how often it happened, Eijirou’s face always tinted with a dust of pink, and Katuski was slightly obsessed with it.
The two fell into a routine, watching the cleanup, bites alternated between, and the comforting silence that came with knowing each other for years. They watched the rubble slowly ebb away, victims of the attack becoming few. The more the rubble cleared, the more the tension holding Katsuki hostage ebbed away.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Eijirou said. Katsuki watched as he tugged at a string dangling from the sleeve of his hoodie. “I was gonna bring it up at dinner, maybe, or when I gave you your birthday present.”
“You mean cooking wasn’t the present?” Katsuki scoffed, attempting to lighten the anxiety he felt pouring from the other man.
It made Katsuki nervous. Eijirou wasn’t secretive; he usually came to Katsuki the moment the thought entered his mind. They didn’t have secrets, or at least none that Eijirou kept from Katsuki.
Eijirou puffed out a laugh, “No, that was just something I wanted to do for you.”
Katsuki knocked his fingers against Eijirou’s in another attempt to defuse the anxious strain. “You don’t have to do anything for me, Ei.”
Eijirou moved away from Katsuki, tilting his body so he could make direct eye contact. “I’m serious, Kats. You do so much for me, and just this once I wanted to give back to you. You’re the hardest person to do things for because you’re so self-sufficient, but it’s your birthday, and I knew if I was going to do something it had to be today.”
Katsuki furrowed his brow. He didn’t know what the hell Eijirou was going on about. He did things for Katsuki daily. Fuck, Eijirou just brought him snacks and a drink, hand fed them to him too, just because he had a bad day at work. He was sitting next to Katsuki, watching a cleanup crew pick up rocks because he knew Katsuki wouldn’t leave until it was all done. This redheaded idiot did more for Katsuki than anyone else in his life.
“Ei, look where you are right now. You do shit for me every day.” Katsuki growled out. The look Eijirou was giving him caused that ache in Katsuki’s chest to grow. The one associated only with Eijirou and his feelings toward him. Katsuki hated that he couldn’t see his own worth and even years later he still felt like he should be doing more.
Eijirou glanced around, one hand coming up to weave through red locks. Katsuki watched as he tugged slightly on the ends, that stress tick making an appearance once again. “This is different. Kat, you cook for me almost every night, you make me coffee in the morning even though you don’t even drink it, you help me fill out paperwork when I’ve had a long week, and when I forget my lunch at home, you bring it by the agency like its nothing. But when I try to look for things to do for you, you’ve already done it. So on top of everything all the time, and I just wanted to have a reason to do one thing for you.”
Katsuki attempted to concentrate through the throbbing migraine caused from his head wound. He listened to Eijirou and tried to understand what was going on in that beautifully dumb brain of his. Katsuki didn’t do anything that he didn’t want to do. He wasn’t doing those things out of obligation, but because he wanted to make Eijirou’s life easier. He was better at things he could physically get his hands on, and it just came natural that he would do those things for Eijirou because he cared for him.
“You put on my music when we are in the car together even though I know you hate some songs on my gym playlist. Looked after me when I got drunk at Mina’s party and again the morning after when I was dying from a hangover. You do everything, Kats, and I can’t even make you dinner without catching our kitchen on fire.” Eijirou continued. Katsuki watched in mild horror as his friend’s eyes pooled with the threat of tears. “I planned, I got you a gift, I bought all the groceries.. I wanted to make everything perfect because you deserve something good.”
Katsuki held up his hands to stop the onslaught of emotions flowing from Eijirou. His concern was growing to where he wasn’t even focusing on the cleanup anymore. His entire focus was on Eijirou, his feelings and his hurt being the top priority.
“Listen, I’m not good at this shit, Ei, you know that. I’m going to say it once, and I need you to listen.” Katsuki gritted out, his jaw attempting to clench itself shut. Eijirou blinked back the tears, nodding gently for Katsuki to continue. It took a few moments before Katsuki could force out the rest of his thoughts into complete sentences. “I do all those things because I like to make your life easier. You don’t have to do that shit for me. I don’t need help with cooking, cleaning, or whatever the hell else you just blurted out. You help me with the things I’m not good at. The emotional side of shit. You’re there when I feel like I’m falling apart and I can’t fucking breathe. You give me security and a non-judgmental place to just BE. I can break down and have fucking panic attacks on you because I know you’ll support me in how I need. You don’t have to make everything perfect because you already are. You don’t need to change anything and I don’t know what the fuck has got into your damn head to make you think otherwise.”
Eijirou was fully crying now. Katsuki cursed softly, wanting badly to reach out and brush them away, but his hands really were disgusting. He opened one of his side pockets, pulling out a dark handkerchief that he only pulled out he needed to wipe some sweat from his palms to not blow something up. Luckily, he had just washed the thing prior to this shift, and he hadn’t used it after this villain fight.
He held it up, brushing the tears gently away from Eijirou’s face. “This is a stupid thing to cry about.”
Eijirou closed his eyes so Katsuki could clear all traces before opening them again to smile at Katsuki. “I know you hate speaking about your feelings, but you’re actually really good at it when you do. So manly, Kat.”
Katsuki scrunched up his nose in disdain. “I’m sure my therapist would disagree.”
Eijirou tugged Katsuki’s wrist away from wiping his face. “I love you, Katsuki. That’s what I wanted to tell you during dinner.”
Katsuki froze, his heart pounding loudly within the cradle of his chest. He had heard these words before. When Eijirou was drunk, he made it abundantly clear to every friend in the room how much he loved them, but Katsuki always took it at face value. The problem now was that Eijirou wasn’t drunk, and they weren’t in a room full of friends.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, unable to tamper down the hope that flooded his veins. This couldn’t be happening, right? If this was a hallucination from his shitty head wound, he was going to be pissed.
“That I’m in love with you, Katsuki.” Eijirou’s voice wasn’t timid — he wasn’t whispering or nervous now. His voice was calm, confident, and so matter of fact that Katsuki couldn’t fucking breathe anymore. “I can’t hold this feeling in anymore, man. I want to take you out on dates, call you mine, and kiss you every night before we go to sleep. I want more than just a friendship, and I think you want that too.”
Katsuki stared at Eijirou in unfiltered wonder. To be honest, he had never once thought he would hear those words. He had spent years pining after his best friend to where he was almost content in just being in his life, friend or otherwise, but he could have the chance to hold Eijirou, kiss Eijirou, love Eijirou how he truly wanted to, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity.
With that thought in mind, he surged forward to press his lips to Eijirou’s. The hand not being held came up to filter through the mess of red hair at the back of his neck to tug him closer. Katsuki didn’t care that he was probably getting blood and dirt all over Eijirou as he pressed closer; he didn’t care that his broken rib was screaming in agony, or that there were most definitely cameras on scene capturing this moment.
He was kissing Eijirou, and fuck he was kissing Katsuki back.
It started rough, Katsuki’s force causing them to clash teeth momentarily before it smoothed out into a sweet exploration. Eijirou’s fingertips brushed against his jaw, the touch light but spreading warmth through Katsuki as his tongue finally breached Eijirou’s parted lips.
He tasted like the damn energy drink the two had shared, the taste intoxicating now that Katsuki knew the taste was coming directly from kissing Eijirou. He knew in this moment would play on repeat anytime he drank that flavor again.
“Ei,” his name slipped from Katsuki as he backed off enough to break the kiss, but still leaning his forehead against Eijirou’s intimately. The cut on his head stung, but Katsuki ignored it. He was so full of other thoughts now that his injuries felt almost numb.
“Yeah?” Eijirou whispered, his voice a bit more hoarse than before, filled with an emotion that made Katsuki smile. A full smile that was rare for Katsuki.
“I’ve been in love with you for years.” He whispered back, his eyes finally opening to watch that damn pink blush blossom once again over Eijirou’s face.
“Really?” Eijirou asked, the fingers that hadn’t yet left Katuski’s face rubbing small circles into his jaw. “I thought, maybe recently you liked me, but why didn’t you tell me before?”
Katsuki groaned, resting back against the slab of concrete now that the ache in his ribs was becoming too much to continue leaning toward Eijirou. “Because having you in my life was more important than possibly fucking it up over feelings.”
Katuski was reaching his limit on emotional shit, he could feel himself getting overwhelmed, the walls trying to lock back into place. Eijirou was quiet for a moment, the two of them glancing back toward the cleanup crew as they finished packing up their equipment to leave the scene.
Katsuki let out the last of the tension in his shoulders at the sight. No casualties for him to grieve today.
As the tired exhaustion replaced the tension, he let his eyes focus back on Eijirou. “You gonna take me to the hospital now?”
Eijirou blinked out of his thoughts. He took in his surroundings before smiling softly back at Katsuki. “Yeah, Kats, let’s get you taken care of.”
Eijirou gathered up the trash from their snacks before stuffing them quickly into the bag he had brought them in. He jumped up, brushing the debris and crumbs from his sweats before turning around to hold out a hand to Katsuki.
Katsuki grunted, reaching up with a bloodied hand to grip Eijirou’s. He pulled Katsuki up easily, slow and with care that Katsuki wanted to argue with, but the moment was too soft. His feelings were out in the open and he was just so damn exhausted.
Hanta caught up to them as Eijirou held the door to the passenger side of his car open. “Hey, Blasty, forgot to tell you Happy Birthday, man.” He went to clap a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder before thinking better of it. “Sucks you got ambushed.”
Katsuki glared, “Fucking same as any other day, dumbass.”
Hanta grinned, his eyes glanced to Eijirou who was now leaning against the door, just watching Katsuki. “I can’t think of another day that two Pro Heroes made out on scene.”
Eijirou laughed as Katuski went to lunge at Hanta before hissing in pain and settling for his best combination of curse words. Hanta backed off quickly, returning the way he came.
“I’ll kill him.” Katsuki muttered, watching the retreating figure with disdain.
Eijirou held the door open further, gesturing for Katuski to slide in. “Come on, hop in. Hospital, home, a nice warm bath for you, and then I might let you open your present before you get some sleep.”
Katuski didn’t argue, slipped into the car with a sigh. Eijirou quickly shut the door and jogged around the front of the car before sliding into the driver’s seat.
Katsuki enjoyed the comfort of the ride, watching the streets glide by as he pondered his thoughts. He was thankful for Eijirou not pushing him to talk more about his feelings or what this meant for them. Eijirou knew him best and probably picked up on the emotional drain that Katsuki was experiencing. They would talk later, though; Katsuki wouldn’t let his emotional constipation ruin what this could turn into now that he knew what his lips felt like pressed against Eijirou’s.
He let his body relax into the seat, his head settled against the glass of the window, and he promptly fell asleep to the sound of Eijirou humming along with the radio.