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The First Year
Neither of them remembers who suggested it first- it doesn't really matter. They're kids entering their second year of high school, who've gone through war and come out the other side. None of them know how to readjust, they're all in each other's space constantly and half of them didn't go home for spring break because there wasn't a house to go home to anymore.
The last of the parents are still living on campus by the time April arrives, and the teenagers are going crazy.
No one remembers exactly what spurred it- the teasing from their friends, maybe, the endless comments about being attached at the 'everything', wolf-whistles when Eijirou helps Katsuki with carrying things or darts ahead to grab doors. That doesn't really matter either.
What does is that at some point during a typical rowdy dorm dinner, Katsuki and Eijirou's eyes meet, and both of them lean in. It's soft, just long enough for their friends to notice and then it's over. The ensuing flurry of questions is answered with a grin from Eijirou and an order from Katsuki to look at the calendar.
In cruder language, of course.
The Second Year
It's definitely Katsuki who suggests it the second time around. It's him, Eijirou and the squad at the boardwalk, and they're trailing a bit behind the others thanks to Eijirou's still-healing sprained ankle. He's casual with it, just blinks rapidly a few times when the thought comes to him and nudges Eijirou's side with his elbow.
"Hey." He says under his breath. "Wanna prank them again?"
He doesn't have to explain what he means- Eijirou already knows. He always does, it's part of why he likes him so much.
"Yeah, bro, obviously!" Eijirou flashes those teeth at him and Katsuki smirks, watching his friend's eyes narrow as he scrutinizes their squadmates. "Denki's gonna turn to check on us in three...two..."
He doesn't finish the countdown, swooping in to press their lips together. Katsuki closes his eyes and turns towards him, careful to avoid the cup of soft-serve Eijirou's carrying.
Denki squawks loudly, followed by gasps from the others, and Katsuki giggles into Eijirou's lips. They pull apart smiling while Katsuki flips their friends off.
"April Fools, bitches!"
There's a round of groans, sighs and exasperated arm-tossing, but Katsuki just cackles and laces his fingers with Eijirou's to bounce happily down the boardwalk.
When he licks his lips a few minutes later they taste like chocolate ice cream.
The Third Year
Bright lights roam over the walls to the beat of the music rattling his bones as Eijirou careens back to Katsuki. His laugh is more brilliant than any of the sparkling dresses or brightly-colored outfits filling the room as he misjudges the distance slightly and bumps into the wall.
"You gonna stand here all night?" he shouts over the music. Katsuki rolls his eyes and hoists his cherry soda higher.
"If they played any good fuckin' music in this joint I wouldn't be in the corner!" he answers. Eijirou leans in close to hear him, so Katsuki buries his fingers in the newly-shorn spikes of his hair. "What the fuck did you do to your hair anyway?"
Eijirou laughs and spouts some story about Mina and bubblegum and not having any peanut butter, but Katsuki doesn't care about any of it- too distracted by the play of the club lights over tanned skin and muscle. The song changes and Eijirou woops, bouncing on his heels.
"Aw, hell yeah! I love this song!"
Katsuki laughs. "I know! You play it all the time!" Eijirou grabs his wrist and pulls. "What do you think you're doing?"
Eijirou throws his head back and laughs like sunshine. "Dance with me! Come on bro, just one song! Please??"
"Fuck you!" Katsuki shouts. He follows.
They join the dance floor, squeezing out a space of their own amongst the thrashing bodies. Their friends are here too, all of them dragged along by Mina's insistence on having a "real graduation party," one that wasn't heavily chaperoned. Eijirou's hands are on Katsuki's hips, and he grins suddenly.
"What?!"
"It's April first!" Eijirou says. "But not for long!"
Katsuki gets his point though. He laughs, wraps his arms around Eijirou's neck and reels him in. It's messy, both of them being buffeted by people all around, and he doesn't know or care if any of their friends can see. Someone bumps Eijirou and Katsuki's lip tears on the sharp point of a shark tooth, but he doesn't care enough to stop.
When they break apart he licks the blood away and leans backward, trusting Eijirou's arms around his waist to keep him from falling as he lets out an adrenaline-fueled whoop.
"Whooo! Fuck yeah!" he shouts. Eijirou laughs, tossing his own head back.
"April fucking Fools!"
They dance for hours. Katsuki's lip scars. He never tries to tell any other story to explain it.
The Fourth Year
It almost doesn't happen this time around. They're exhausted, just coming off of a hellish disaster-rescue and ready to drop when Eijirou spots a storefront with a clock in their display. He tugs Katsuki over by the waist, pointing a shaking, dirt-smeared arm at the glowing digital face.
"K, look." He coughs. "It's tomorrow."
"Fuck, I thought it was taking a while." Katsuki rasps. "Can you call a cab? I can't lift my arms."
"Yeah bro, I got you. Gotta be yours though, mine got crushed. Again."
Katsuki twists his hips and Eijirou reaches into his back pocket, retrieving the miraculously intact phone and unlocking it to enter their information. "Woah, shit man."
"What is it?"
"It's not tomorrow. It's the day after."
"Ah, fuck me, no wonder I feel so dead," Katsuki groans. Eijirou half snorts, half coughs behind him.
"Hopefully nobody wants to fuck you if you're dead. That's kind of illegal. And seriously disgusting."
"Ew, Eiji. That's gross. You're gross."
Katsuki leans backwards against Eijirou's chest to combat the increasing swaying of his legs.
The cab driver gives them an odd look when he pulls up- granted, he probably wasn't expecting two rookie heroes covered in dirt and blood that's not entirely their own when he got the call, but still. By the time they reach their apartment building Katsuki's falling asleep against Eijirou's shoulder, and doesn't bother to protest when he feels Eijirou scoop him up to carry him the rest of the way home. The surging adrenaline that had been combating his exhaustion is crashing now, and it's all he can do to stay awake while Eijirou gets him undressed and clean and pajamaed.
"How're you so good?" he mumbles. Eijirou smiles at him, tired but warm.
"I didn't have to use my quirk as much as you did. Trust me, that's the only reason I'm standing right now- I'll be asleep as soon as I lie down."
Katsuki hums, too tired to argue.
For his part he doesn't even try to pretend like they won't be sharing a bed tonight- Eijirou slides in beside him after his own shower and Katsuki tucks himself into his chest with a contented sigh.
"You know," he mumbles, barely coherent, "if today's the day after...it's April first."
Eijirou's voice resonates under his ear, gone deeper with exhaustion. "Mm, so it is."
He rolls them over just a bit, just enough to cradle Katsuki in his arm, lean over him and press their mouths together. Katsuki's eyes were already closed- he moves his jaw with Eijirou for a few gentle, warm moments before Eijirou's lips drag over to his cheek and then leave entirely.
"Goodnight, Katsuki," Eijirou murmurs, but he doesn't hear it, already out cold. It doesn't take long for Eijirou to follow.
When they wake up again sixteen hours later neither of them acknowledges that this time their friends hadn't even been there.
The Fifth Year
"I'm just saying, if you two are dating you can tell us! We wouldn't judge!" Denki exclaims. Katsuki stares at him, unimpressed.
"We're not dating."
"Yeah, man, it's April Fools day." Eijirou seconds. Denki lets out a wordless noise of frustration, throwing his hands over his eyes. Hanta pats his shoulder comfortingly while Jirou takes over the grilling.
"Kiri, my guy, you are actively sitting in Bakugou's lap right now. We've literally been sitting here while you made out for the last five minutes- this goes a bit beyond a running gag and you know it."
"Yeah obviously." Katsuki snorts. He pats Eijirou's thigh, giving it a good squeeze when he knows Denki will see it. "It's a tradition."
Denki groans. "I hate you."
The Sixth Year
"Katsuki!!"
Eijirou sprints towards him, arms circling his waist just as he starts to fall. He lowers them to the ground, cradling Katsuki's torso in his arm and pulling his legs over his lap. Frantic tears drip down his face- Katsuki hasn't been able to look down yet, but whatever Ei's seeing must be bad.
"Hey, Katsuki, keep your eyes open. Come on, look at me, you can do it. Just look at me, don't look away."
Katsuki huffs. His stomach doesn't like that. It feels warm, and wet, pulsing with the rhythm of his heart. "Idiot. 'M always looking."
His stomach twinges again and he tries to look, see what's happening but Eijirou stops him. "Don't move."
"Where's th' kid- wha's going on?" Katsuki asks. "Did I get hurt?"
"Yeah. Yeah, you got hurt." Eijirou sniffles. Katsuki can taste his tears where they've dripped onto his face. "But the kid's safe. You saved him- he doesn't have a scratch on him. You're gonna be okay, alright? I've got you."
"Okay." Katsuki whispers. It hurts less that way. "I trust you."
Half a sob lurches out of Eijirou's throat and through fluttering, struggling lashes Katsuki sees him bite his lip to keep the rest of it in. "Hey, no," he whines, "don't do that. You'll get all scarred up like me."
"I like your scars."
Katsuki flops his hand dismissively. "They're whatever. But you're not supposed to get them. You're Unbreakable, you're always supposed to be safe."
Eijirou sobs again, trembling. "I don't feel very safe right now."
"I do."
Katsuki smiles through the sudden heaviness in his body, dragging his leaden arm up to brush his knuckles over Eijirou's cheekbone. A streak of red smears away the tears. "You're here. So I'm safe."
He's dimly aware that these are things he'd never say normally, but the fuzzy warmth in his body has spread to his mind and he's finding it very hard to think much of anything.
"Katsuki! Stay awake!" Eijirou begs. "The medics are on their way, you just have to keep your eyes open a little longer!"
He tries, he really does, searching for Eijirou's face, but his eyes don't want to focus anymore. "Ei? Eijirou I can't see you." he whimpers. Searing warmth streaks down his cheeks. "Please don't leave me."
Then there's warmth on his lips and in his mouth, soft and solid. He presses into it, tastes it on his tongue. It's too much movement for him as his ears ring, drowning out everything but the feeling of Eijirou all around him.
The warmth moves away from his face and Katsuki thinks he makes a sound, says something, but he can't hear himself over the rush of his ears. Then, something shifts- pain spikes through his body and Katsuki disappears.
-
When the world returns the warmth is gone, only a hint left at his fingers. Katsuki lifts his head and smiles at the loose cascade of red over the sheets of his hospital bed where Eijirou's fallen asleep holding his hand. He squeezes it and red eyes blink open, widening when they see him awake.
"Katsuki!" Eijirou gasps, and this time there's only relief.
"Are you okay?" Katsuki asks. Eijirou nods.
"I am now. You were out for four days."
He calculates. "We missed the first."
Eijirou flushes. "Oh! Well, not exactly, I kind of-"
"Better make up for it then." Katsuki finishes. Eijirou only hesitates a moment before he's sliding his palm along Katsuki's cheek and leaning over him to bring their lips together with a desperation that's never been there before.
"I was so scared," Eijirou whispers. He hasn't gone far, resting their foreheads together; Katsuki can feel the shape of his words against his lips. "I thought I'd lose you."
Katsuki kisses him gently, just a soft pressing forward to remind Eijirou that he's still here. "You won't. If I ever die I'll haunt the shit out of you 'til you get me back."
Eijirou snorts, laughter sneaking out of his nose when he tries to hold it in. "You're impossible."
The Seventh Year
Cameras flash, reporters shout. Eijirou squints, trying to avoid being blinded. He's going to look so dumb in the photos from tonight.
"Uravity, over here!"
"Ingenium, how does it feel to wear the suit solo?"
There's a deep sigh from down the line and Eijirou smirks, bracing himself.
"All of you shut up and take turns!" Katsuki shouts. "You're not gonna get any answers if you're all shouting over each other."
The room quiets down to a loud murmur.
"If I may, I have a question for all of you!" calls a young woman in the front. "It's been five years since your collective graduation from U.A., but your class remains the most closely-connected of all active heroes in the field! Has anything changed for you, as you've matured in your skills and personalities?"
On Eijirou's right, Hanta laughs. "Not much! We've all grown as people, but the bonds between us haven't changed a bit. We still share the same interests and even new ones."
"Yeah, and let's not forget the jokes haven't changed, either." Denki adds. "All we've done is gather more material."
"May we have an example?" the reporter asks, and Eijirou grins.
"Oh no." Hanta mutters. Eijirou leans back behind the others and calls over to the right.
"Hey, Kat! Isn't today the first?"
The audience breaks into confused murmuring. "The first? What does that-"
"I didn't think Dynamight allowed nicknames."
"He's not serious, is he??" one of his classmates hisses. Eijirou just keeps his sunny smile in place and waits.
At first he doesn't think Katsuki's going to acknowledge him.
Then he stands up so hard his chair scrapes against the floor and whirls, striding across the stage while their classmates frantically try to explain or distract from what's about to happen.
"For context this is a prank they've been pulling since high school!" Uraraka rushes into a microphone.
Katsuki's reached him now- Eijirou turns his seat to face him and Katsuki drags him in by his faceguard to kiss him so hard he sees stars.
Denki groans. "Not again."
When he's released, all Eijirou can do is grin while the cameras go wild.
The Seventh Year
The first of April dawns clear and cold. Eijirou's breath steams in the chill air as he makes his way back to the apartment with his last-minute grocery haul.
"I'm so sorry, dude, I swear I meant to go yesterday but then I had to stop that runaway truck and I just-"
"Shut up." Katsuki grumbles, snatching the bag and pulling out all the ingredients he needs for the hot pot they'd planned for today.
"Awww, K, you're too sweet." Eijirou teases, swooping in to kiss his cheek. Katsuki turns his head and he winds up at the corner of his mouth, pulling back with an awkward laugh. "Sorry- missed my aim there."
Katsuki shrugs. "It's the first, doesn't matter."
"Oh yeah!" Eijirou grins. "I'm not sorry, then!"
"Whatever. Come here and do it properly."
So he does, making sure to swipe his tongue over that permanent little nick in Katsuki's lip he put there years ago. There's this cute little noise Katsuki makes whenever he does it- it's practically torture making him wait an entire year any time he wants to hear it.
He's feeling bold this year, so he licks into Katsuki's mouth to see if he can make out what he had for breakfast even if he already knows what it was.
Katsuki lets him, even reciprocates- he pushes at him until Eijirou's spine hits the doorframe and then stays in his space, holding him there by the hips. His hands are hot through the fabric of Eijirou's pants, practically searing the skin where the hem of his shirt has lifted. Eijirou drapes an arm over Katsuki's shoulders and pushes a hand into his chest to feel the heart beneath it pulse against his fingers.
For a moment he thinks Katsuki will push it away, but all he does is breathe in deeply and push harder into the kiss like he's trying for another scar.
Eijirou loves April first; he can push as far as he wants, take whatever he wants and Katsuki never stops him.
Maybe next year he'll have the courage to ask why.
The Eighth Year
Katsuki's hand is warm where it lays tangled with Eijirou's on the blanket they've slung over their laps. The movie Mina dragged the whole squad to her place to watch is at its climax, orchestra swelling as the leads collide in the middle of a rainstorm to kiss all their problems away. Eijirou sniffles, blinking hard. Katsuki bumps their heads together, using Eijirou's head being on his shoulder to his advantage.
"We should do that," he whispers. Eijirou sniffs again, and giggles, brushing at his tears with his free hand.
"You hate the rain."
"I wouldn't mind it so much, if it was you." Katsuki tells him. His eyes are warm when Eijirou lifts his head to look at him, filled with something neither of them have been brave enough to name.
They lean in together and it's never really been for the joke but this time's different anyway.
When their friends notice it's with quiet little 'oh's before they look away and leave them to their work.
Next year. Next year he'll say something for sure.
The Ninth Year
"ARGH!!" Denki closes his phone and chucks it across the couch. Eijirou chuckles.
"Gifset?"
"Fuck you, man." his friend groans, flopping dramatically backwards into the couch cushions. "It trends every year and then I have to watch you guys kissing even if you're not in front of me!"
Eijirou laughs, because that's what he's supposed to do, even if he doesn't really feel like it. "Well, you won't have to worry about it this year. He doesn't get back from New York until Wednesday."
Denki doesn't move his head, watching Eijirou out of the corner of his eye. "You don't seem too happy about that."
He shrugs. "I'm not. I miss him."
"And it's got nothing to do with the kissing thing?" Denki asks, eyebrow raised to the sky. Eijirou sighs.
"Maybe partially. I don't know, it's just weird. This'll be the first year since we started the whole thing that we haven't done it." Even the year Katsuki nearly died for the second time, Eijirou'd still kissed him on the first. No matter if Katsuki hadn't remembered it when he woke up, it still counted.
Denki shrugs. "If you ask me, it's about time you end that tradition anyway. It's not funny to anyone but you."
His eyes prickle. "It's not funny to me."
Denki's eyes widen. He sits up straight, looking to Eijirou with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"We don't do it to be funny." Eijirou says. He looks down at his hands, twisting his fingers nervously. "I can't tell you how many times I want to kiss him the rest of the year, and I know it's the same for him, we see through each other too easily to hide it. But so much of our lives is acting- there's always cameras and people who will recognize us and post whatever we were doing online. I don't care about how people talk about me but I'm worried that it would affect things for him, you know? But April first is different. Because it's a 'joke' we have the chance for something real- we can just do what we want and not worry about it changing things."
His smile pulls tight at the corners. "The moment we let that part of ourselves show outside of a 'prank' it isn't for us anymore. It's a performance, like everything else. He's the best part of my life, I don't want loving him to be for other people, you know?"
Arms wrap around his shoulders as Denki climbs off the sofa to reach out. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made fun of you."
"It's fine, you didn't know."
"No, it's not, and I did." Denki sighs. "We all know how much you two love each other, we just thought you were being oblivious. Have you said it?"
Eijirou shakes his head. "Not in so many words. But it's obvious, isn't it? We've never had to."
"Then don't."
Eijirou frowns. "Don't?"
Denki nods. "Yeah. There's no rule that you have to tell people if you don't want to. Just- be who you want to be. You deserve your privacy, Eijirou, but you also deserve to be happy. You're allowed to have something real that you don't have to pretend is a joke. Same for Kacchan."
Tears threaten to slip past his cheeks, and Eijirou wipes them away with a quiet sob. God, he always seems to end up crying on April Fools Day, doesn't he? Denki holds him gently, and rocks them back and forth, rubbing Eijirou's back 'til the tears gradually stop coming.
"Shhhh," Denki murmurs, "shhhhh. It's okay. I've got you."
He stays as long as he can, and hugs Eijirou again at the door, making him promise to talk soon.
"For what it's worth?" he adds as he's pulling away. "I don't think anyone would speak badly of either of you if you did go public. Pretty sure most of the internet already thinks you're married."
Eijirou waves goodbye until Denki's out of sight behind elevator doors and slumps, closing the door again and locking it with a sigh.
As the clock ticks steadily onwards he drifts through the apartment cleaning things that are already spotless, readjusting bookshelves and dusting the tops of the cabinets no one they know is tall enough to see.
He doesn't know why he's procrastinating so much- this isn't the movies, where the love interest swoops in just before time runs out and they live happily ever after.
But damn it, he doesn't want to wait for next year.
He winds up in the living room with a mug of spiced hot chocolate, watching the minutes tick down and scrolling through the DynaRiot tag online, past all the fanart and edits and analysis posts. They look so happy in all of them- all bright smiles and soft eyes, ignoring the cameras for the world they've created with each other.
A gif of him and Katsuki on some late-night talk show cycles an endless repetition of the two of them smiling, leaned in over the arms of their chairs as Katsuki kisses him on the temple and leaves a smudge of dark lipstick above his cheekbone.
He wants it. Why can't that be every day?
The clock hits midnight, and Eijirou is alone.
The End
It's ticking past 1am when Eijirou finishes cleaning up for the night. He shuffles towards the bedroom they've shared for the last five years, hair braided sloppily down his back for sleeping.
The doorbell rings.
Eijirou frowns, hardening rippling instinctively over his skin as he approaches the door. It's the middle of the night- who on earth would be calling at this hour?
Did Denki forget something?
He opens the door, and every thought falls away. Katsuki stands on the other side, out of breath and clutching a suitcase and the doorframe like they're the only things keeping him upright.
"I'm sorry," he pants, "I tried- but the plane-"
"Come in," Eijirou orders. "You'll catch a cold."
He won't, the temperature in the hallway is the same as their apartment, but Katsuki lets himself be pulled inside without complaint, gulping down the glass of water Eijirou pours him and half of another before he tries to speak again.
"How are you here?" Eijirou asks, awed. His fingers clutch at the sleeve of Katsuki's sweatshirt, needing proof he isn't a dream. "You weren't supposed to be back for another four days."
"I begged." Katsuki says, still a bit breathy. "Told them I had something urgent I needed to do back home and they let me go. I was supposed to get here in time, I'm so sorry, but the last plane got delayed. Came as fast as I could from the airport."
"You did all that for an April Fools Day gag?" Eijirou asks, hating himself for it.
Katsuki shakes his head, taking Eijirou's hands. "No, dumbass, for you. I want to kiss you every April first for the rest of our lives. Every day in between, too, if you'll let me."
Eijirou sucks in a breath. "That's a lot of kissing."
"It is- I'd understand if it's too much."
"It's not. But- are you sure it's okay? People will know, I'm no actor."
"I've wanted to shout it from the rooftops since we were in school, Ei. I won't regret it." He tilts his head, watching Eijirou's face closely. "Will you?"
"No," Eijirou says, and means it. No, not if it means he can have this. Katsuki smiles at him and leans in close.
"Then I just have one question."
"What's that?"
"Can I still kiss you on April second?"
It looks like Eijirou will be crying today as well. He nods, blinking tears away and this time when Katsuki kisses him he knows it's forever.