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Hitoshi feels sick with nerves as he opens the door to his parent's home. He must look like it, too, because Katsuki stops him before he can really enter the hallway.
"We don't have to do this," he quietly says, one warm, steady hand on Hitoshi's arm and just that makes some of the tension leak out of him. "We don't have to explain ourselves."
It's true—they don't. It's no one's business what their relationship is like, not really, but the thought of his parents continuously referring to them as boyfriends makes Hitoshi almost more sick than the thought of setting the record straight and that alone is probably indication enough that they really do have to do this.
"I couldn't stand it if they continue to—I can't," he gets out and Katsuki nods in understanding.
"So we tell them. What's the worst that can happen?" he demands to know and Hitoshi throws a glance over his shoulder, into the hallway that leads into his home, to his parents, who are already peering around the corner and staring at them with a frown, but clearly understand that for whatever reason they need another moment.
There's a reason Hitoshi and Katsuki decided to start with Aizawa and Yamada and it's precisely because if anyone understands—or simply accepts it—then it's them.
"They don't understand," Hitoshi finally breathes out and Katsuki nods.
"But?" he then prods and Hitoshi feels centered enough to roll his eyes at him.
"They'll accept it, because it's us asking."
"There, idiot, and now stop overthinking this," Katsuki almost snaps at him before he marches into Aizawa's and Yamada's place as if he owns it and Hitoshi can do nothing but stare fondly after him.
He's right; he's absolutely right. Even if his parents don't understand their relationship, they are going to accept it, because it's what they are asking of them and then they'll stop referring to them as boyfriends and Hitoshi can stop feeling so sick whenever that word drops.
Hitoshi takes one last deep breath before he follows Katsuki into the apartment and just like he expected, Aizawa and Yamada are waiting for them, squished into the doorway to the living-room, because they are noisy bastards who at least tried to pretend to give them some privacy.
"Everything okay?" Aizawa asks, his eyes narrowed, because he could always read the stress right off Hitoshi's face and there's no doubt about the fact that he can still do it.
"There's something we have to talk to you about," Hitoshi tells them, his throat almost closing up and he didn't realise before that this is something he worries quite so much over.
He knows that being called boyfriends doesn't sit right, like a tiny splinter under his skin but the thought of his parents telling them they are wrong, ignoring what they are going to tell them makes him sick in a way he wasn't quite prepared for.
"Uh, this seems worrying," Yamada mutters and Katsuki glares at Hitoshi before he speaks.
"It's not. The idiot is just over-reacting," he declares and then marches into the living-room, shouldering past Aizawa and Yamada and Hitoshi is so incredibly grateful for him because there's no way he could get through dinner first and like this, there's no doubt about the fact that they need to talk before they eat.
Aizawa and Yamada follow Katsuki, who sits himself in the middle of the couch, leaving Hitoshi enough space to sit as close to him as he wants, and just like that something settles in Hitoshi's gut.
No matter what his parents say, he has Katsuki. And Katsuki understands and feels the same and that's really all that is important in the end and it gives Hitoshi the strength to walk over and sit next to Katsuki, as close as possible and not even the raised eyebrow he gets from Aizawa for it can change the fact that this is where he feels safe.
"You or I?" Katsuki asks after a moment and presses his shoulder to Hitoshi's letting him know that he's there, no matter what and despite his bristly behaviour, Hitoshi knows that he always, always has his back.
And that's enough for him to speak.
"Me," he decides and steels himself as he turns towards his parents.
"Hitoshi, is everything okay?" Yamada asks before Hitoshi can even start and Hitoshi attempts a reassuring smile.
"No one is dying or sick," he lets them know. "It's just—the other day you said something—"
"Assumed something," Katsuki interjects and Hitoshi nods.
"Assumed something that isn't right and it's not—it doesn't make us feel very good."
"What is it?" Aizawa asks, the same moment Yamada almost instinctively says "Sorry," and Hitoshi slumps against Katsuki because.
Well.
It's more than clear he worried for nothing, and no matter if they understand, they truly will accept it, simply because it's important to them and that's all he needs to speak with more confidence.
"We're not boyfriends," he tells them and then waits for a moment for them to call him a liar or whatever but Aizawa and Yamada just patiently stare at him as if they are waiting for the second part of the explanation but when Hitoshi opens his mouth to explain what they are, his throat closes up.
Thankfully, Katsuki knows him better than Hitoshi does himself sometimes and he cuts right in.
"What troll doll is trying to say here is that we're not romantically involved and we don't love each other like that."
"But—you do love each other," Aizawa says, and it's not accusing, he's not trying to call them liars, it's just him trying to understand, Hitoshi knows that, and yet he still flinches.
Katsuki's hand immediately moves to his forearm, providing an anchoring weight and Aizawa and Yamada watch it all with rapt attention.
"We do, but not in a way that makes sense to you, probably," Katsuki says and Aizawa nods as if that makes sense to him anyway.
"So not boyfriends but—partners?" he tries out and the word feels just as wrong as boyfriend, somehow.
Even Katsuki makes a face at it.
"No," Hitoshi and Katsuki say at the same time and Yamada huffs out a small laugh.
"Clearly," Aizawa deadpans. "Significant other?" he then offers and that, somehow, feels right in a way the other two didn't.
Because Katsuki is significant to him and he feels like his other half most days and Hitoshi nods before he can even look at Katsuki.
"That works," Katsuki decides and it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted of Hitoshi because both Aizawa and Yamada nod, and he just knows that from now on they are never going to refer to them as boyfriends ever again.
"Thank you," he breathes out and Aizawa frowns at him.
"Did you think we wouldn't go along with your wishes?" he asks and even though there's no judgement in his voice, Hitoshi feels as if he disappointed him somehow.
"Troll doll was scared you'd question us, that you wouldn't believe us when we say it's not romantic." He hesitates for a moment and then admits "I did, too. It's not really—conventional."
"Are you happy?" Yamada asks and Hitoshi and Katsuki share a brief look because being what they are makes them happier than anything else.
Katsuki is Hitoshi's rock and Hitoshi is Katsuki's home and even though none of that is romantic in any kind of way, it's the most important thing to both of them.
"Yeah," Hitoshi says just as Katsuki snaps out a harsh "Of course," and they are met with warm smiles for it.
"Then that's enough for us. We don't have to understand how you two work, we don't have to get it, but as long as you're happy, both of you, then that's the most important thing for us," Yamada gently tells them and Hitoshi can feel his eyes burn.
"You were really worried about this, weren't you?" Aizawa asks and Katsuki clicks his tongue, though he doesn't protest.
Sure, Hitoshi was the outright worried one, but he knows that it didn't sit right with Katsuki either and despite everything, he still looks up to his former teachers so much. It wasn't easy for him, brave bluster or not.
"Might have cost me a night or two," Hitoshi finally admits and Yamada lets out a sad sigh, before he visibly shakes it off.
"Did we say or assume anything else that didn't sit right with you?" he wants to know, clearly more than ready to accommodate whatever Hitoshi and Katsuki should say but they both shake their heads.
Nothing stood out to them as wrong as the boyfriend thing and so it's safe to say that everything else barely matters to them.
"Great! Now, thank you for telling us, for trusting us with this but I think after all of this we deserve some good food, right?" Yamada offers and just like that it's all good.
Hitoshi really loves his parents.
~*~*~
"Oi, eyebags," Katsuki calls out as soon as Hitoshi lets himself into his apartment and when he rounds the corner to the kitchen, he finds Katsuki leaning against the counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his foot rapidly tapping on the ground.
Hitoshi immediately moves towards him, hands already outstretched in an attempt to sooth whatever has Katsuki this upset, but Katsuki's shoulders move up to his ears, so he drops his hands and simply stands in front of him.
"What?"
"I don't wanna explain shit to my parents," Katsuki snaps at him, avoiding eye contact but the tension in his frame is undeniable. "I know it's important to you that people don't assume stuff about us, but—I don't want to clarify anything for them."
Hitoshi takes a moment to let that sink in, to give it some thought and during that time, Katsuki's tension only winds higher and higher until he practically snaps.
"Say something!" he almost yells right into Hitoshi's face but Hitoshi only nods before he slumps against Katsuki, making him take all of his weight.
"That's fine," Hitoshi tells him and he can practically feel the confusion radiating off Katsuki.
"How—how can this be fine, when it was so goddamn important to tell your parents?" Katsuki demands to know and when Hitoshi leans on him some more he finally gets with the program and buries his face in Hitoshi's hair.
"I love my parents. It's important what they think of me," Hitoshi explains and rubs his cheek against Katsuki's shoulder. "I don't like your parents. I barely know them. They are not—it's not personal with them. They could be complete strangers to me and, let's be real here, we can't correct everyone's opinion of us. There will always be people out there who think we're together after seeing us interact and we can't correct them all and that's fine. It's not fine when it's people I love. And, sorry Kats, but I really do not love your parents."
"Barley love them myself some days," Katsuki mutters into Hitoshi's hair, voicing for the first time what Hitoshi has always suspected but despite the serious topic, Hitoshi can feel the tension flowing out of Katsuki. "So you're fine with not telling them?"
"I'm perfectly alright with that. They don't have to know cause I don't give a shit about their opinion. I will probably correct them should they ever refer to us as boyfriends in my presence but correcting them and explaining to them are two very different things and I'm not going to do the latter."
"Thank the fucking gods," Katsuki breathes out and Hitoshi nudges his cheek with his nose.
"You were really worried about this," he states because he doesn't quite understand why.
"You were so adamant with your dad's and it stressed you out so bad that they got us wrong. And I feared the same goes for my parents which clashes kind of horribly with what I want them to know about me."
"I see," Hitoshi mutters and pushes away from Katsuki, taking his face into his hands. "Kats, it's us. That means my opinion alone isn't enough. If I wanna and you don't then we gotta compromise on something. I would have never forced you to talk to them."
He searches Katsuki's face for a hint of disbelieve but there's nothing. His expression is open and trusting and softer than even Katsuki probably realises.
"Yeah, yeah, eggplant, point taken," Katsuki mutters and wraps a hand around Hitoshi's wrist. "Now let go of me, you didn't even wash your hands yet."
"Cause someone was freaking out and ordering me over," Hitoshi shoots back but obediently takes his hands away from Katsuki's face. "What about the squad?" he then asks and there's that by now familiar curl of unease in his gut because the thought of them mislabelling them makes him feel sick but all Katsuki does is let out a scoff.
"They get to know. Can't have shitty face or Pikachu going around calling us boyfriends," he says with a small shiver and Hitoshi's lips twitch up in a smile.
"Good."
~*~*~
They sit the squat down for a talk two days later. Everyone is looking expectantly at them and Denki is almost vibrating in place but it's Hanta who gets the ball rolling, raising his hand as if he were in school.
"Yes?" Hitoshi asks, amusement so very obvious in his voice, even though he can't deny that he's nervous.
This is important. It's personal. He wants them to, if not understand then at least accept what they are about to tell them and he's not quite sure they are going to get that.
"Is this you finally telling us about your relationship?" Hanta asks and Mina squeals into her hands as Kirishima rolls his eyes.
"As if there's anything to announce," he mutters under his breath, even as Denki grips his forearm and almost jumps up and down in his seat with excitement and Katsuki silences them all with a glare.
"Yes, but not in the way you're probably expecting, so shut the fuck up and let us talk," he hisses at them, which makes all of them frown, but they also fall silent, which is exactly what he asked for.
"We're not together," Hitoshi says and takes a tiny step closer to Katsuki. "We're not boyfriends."
"And we don't love each other romantically and if any of you ever call us that I'm going to explode you," Katsuki tacks on and it clearly takes the squad a moment to digest the news because they stare at them with wide eyes before Hanta cautiously speaks again.
"But—you do love each other."
It's not even a question at this point and neither Katsuki nor Hitoshi see a point in denying that and so they nod.
"And if someone were to hit on either of you?" Denki asks next, tilting his head this way and that as if they are a particularly difficult puzzle that he needs a different angle on.
"Then I'm going to explode them on the spot, too," Katsuki pleasantly says, with the most biting smile he can muster and Kirishima snorts out a laugh.
"Sounds about right," he says and Mina taps her chin.
"Any kind of label you don't mind? Boyfriend is out, but is partner? Sweetheart? Lover?"
"Bah!" "Ugh!"
Their reactions are simultaneous and everyone freezes for a second before the squad breaks out into laughter.
"Your faces," Hanta laughs out and Denki slaps his thigh, doubled over from his amusement.
"Shut the hell up," Katsuki grumbles but he's smiling himself and even Hitoshi has to admit that this isn't bad at all.
"We like significant other," he finally says when everyone calmed down a bit and Mina rolls her eyes at him as Kirishima heaves out a sigh.
"Of course you would," he mumbles and shakes his head. "Just puts into words how co-dependant you are. It's a fucking package deal with you two."
"It is," Katsuki says, his hands curling into fists at his side and Hitoshi carefully reaches out to uncurl them again, trying his hardest to ignore everyone's stares. "That gonna be a fucking problem for you?"
Kirishima stares Katsuki down as if he's gearing up for a fight and now even Hitoshi tenses.
"Fuck no," Kirishima finally says and everyone relaxes again. "Thank you for telling us and for letting us know."
"We'll make sure to remember and if we slip up feel free to hit us over the head!" Mina tacks on and Katsuki grumbles as he crosses his arms in front of his chest but he's obviously relieved.
"Now are there any more revelations that actually make way too much sense or can we get to the movie part of this movie night?" Denki asks, reaching for the popcorn and Hitoshi pushes Katsuki over to the couch.
"Movie part," he decides, sitting down and immediately pulling Katsuki onto his lap because despite this being the squad and despite them hoping that they would accept this, it was stressful as all hell and he always feels a bit better when he gets to have Katsuki close.
Katsuki doesn't even protest, but makes himself comfortable and despite the way Hitoshi subtly observes the squad, no one says anything about it or teases them like they sometimes did in the past and Hitoshi loves these idiots so much, it's hard to control.
So he squeezes Katsuki as hard as he can, making him wheeze out a breath and whack him over the head for it.
"Oi, idiot, stop it," he mutters and Hitoshi puts his chin on his shoulder and looks up at Katsuki.
"We have good friends," he whispers at him, and Katsuki rolls his eyes.
"'course we do, I chose them back in school and my taste is impeccable," he says and clearly this is as far as the squad's goodwill goes, because Mina whips her head around to him.
"Excuse me?" she yells. "It was us who chose you, and we had to drag you in kicking and screaming, so shut the hell up! You're lucky to have us and don't you forget it!"
There's a beat of silence before Katsuki speaks and when he finally does it's a simple "I am," and that makes the rest of them stare at him with watery eyes before everything dissolves into a group hug that comes along with way too many stabby elbows.
And still, it's kind of the best place Hitoshi has ever been in, especially because he gets to smother his fond expression in Katsuki's shoulder.