AN: adskcneackhds okay i know it's been forever, but I've been super busy with school and my new fan fiction, 14 Days! I'm not gonna ask you to check it out, because it's KiriBaku and obviously this is a BakuDeku book, but I just wanted to apologise. enjoy!

Warnings: Fluff

Word Count: 5619

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"Today, we'll be learning about Erastai - or, rather, it's counterpart, Anterastai. Can anyone tell me what it means?"

Silence ensued, the whole class shrouded in confusion as they stared blankly at our teacher, bemusement etched on their faces. After a few seconds, a girl with short blonde hair raised her hand.

"It doesn't sound like a Japanese word, sensai," she stated, eyebrows slightly furrowed as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

Our teacher laughed, moving to the board and picking up a piece of chalk. "That's because it isn't," he explained, scrawling the word on the blackboard. "Erastai is the Greek word for lovers, a long-standing phrase used by philosophers such as Socrates and many more." He turned back to face he class, staring at each of us in turn. I felt slightly awkward, for some reason. "If talked about incorrectly, the word can be confusing, as it only makes sense in the technical term of 'lovers' versus 'beloved'."

A sea of blank faces met him in return.

"Sensai, if you don't mind me asking," someone else said as he raised his hand. "Why are we learning this? Aren't we in English?"

Nodding, the teacher narrowed his eyes. "Indeed we are. But surely you know that a lot of the English language was devised from other languages such as Greek and Latin? It is one of the first things we teach you. Have you not been paying attention?"

The boy cast his eyes down. "I have, sensai."

He fixed him with a frown. "Very well." He spun again, scratching another word underneath the one already written. "Now, since you know the meaning of Erastai, can anyone guess the meaning of Anterestai?"

I pursed my lips, mind whirring as I considered it. I tentatively lifted my arm, and the teacher swivelled to look at me. "Yes, Midoriya?"

"Well, if Erastai means lovers," I mused. "Perhaps Anterastai means enemies? Or...rivals?" I looked up to see him smiling slightly. He clapped his hands once, loudly, before turning.

"Very good! Although you aren't quite right," he said, the chalk scrawling away once again. "Anterastai does indeed mean lovers, but simultaneously means rivals as well. To put it simply, it means rival lovers."

I rolled over in my bed, scowling to myself. Why couldn't I just get to sleep? And why, of all the things to be focused on, why was it that memory? Couldn't it at least be an interesting one, like one of the times I had been in a battle with a villain, or a happy one, like one of the many lunches I had spent with Uraraka and Iida?

Or one of your thrilling dreams about-

I groaned in frustration, sitting up and grasping my pillow in one hand. I cocked my arm and threw it, the force sending it flying across the room and hitting the opposite wall. Grunting and muttering accusing things that weren't really relevant, I swung my legs out of bed and padded across the room, slumping into my desk chair. I wasn't usually so grumpy, or lazy, but it was three in the morning! This was not acceptable.

Maybe it's all that pent up frustration from-

I smacked away the thought and switched on my lamp, opening a drawer and rummaging through it until I found what I was looking for. Hero Analysis #1.

For a moment I simply stared at the cover, studying the messy Kanji scrawled on the front in pencil, faded slightly from the wear and tear of the years. I must have been, what, four, five, when I wrote my first words in this?

Smiling slightly to myself, I opened the first page. Some of you might assume that ALL MIGHT would be written in huge letters, followed by my amateur childish knowledge of him at that age, but there it was, clear as day, printed before my eyes.

NUMBER ONE HERO: BAKUGO KATSUKI
HERO NAME: KACCHAN
QUIRK: EXPLOSION!!

I chuckled, reading on. I had written about the way he always smelled sweet, and how he was brave and confident and smart and he always knew what to do.

So unlike me, back then.

Gently placing the book to the side, I delved deeper into my stash of notebooks, finding more of my Analysis books, until I came across one I didn't find immediately familiar. I frowned, scooping it out. It was plain, and black, covered in a thin film of dust around the edges. I opened the first page, and all the memories came flooding back. I could feel the pressure building up in my chest, reminding me of everything I was trying ignore so I could get back to sleep, so I swivelled in my chair and threw the book with all of my might, hoping the book would just combust, or implode, or burst into flames. What I didn't expect, though, was to hear a grunt of surprise and to see a hand snap out to snatch it from the air, a look of intense annoyance on his face.

"Ka-Kacchan!" I squeaked, jumping to my feet. "What are you doing in here?"

Katsuki glared at me. "It's too fucking early to be awake, you nerd. Go to bed."

I stared at him. "But...but you're awake!" I protested, getting to my feet. The light was dim, only coming from the lamp, and it was casting him a light that shouldn't have been attractive but somehow was, his eyes shadowed and tip of his nose lit, hair shining in a way I wouldn't have assumed would come from him.

"Because of you!" he shouted, then scowled and lowered his voice. "What are you doing, throwing your shit at the walls?" Katsuki gestured to the various items that were littered at the sides of my room, clear signs of my insomnia-fuelled nights.

I huffed, too annoyed to care about irritating him more as I turned away. "I can't sleep."

When he didn't reply, I frowned, so I swivelled around to see him opening the book and beginning to read. My heart spiked and I lunged forwards. "Don't read that!" I squealed, grabbing for it, but he just stepped out of my way. I spun instantly, coming for him again and tackling him round the middle, sending us both to the floor as I tried to snatch it from his hands. Katsuki's face, previously bored, morphed into anger as I landed heavily on his chest, clutching the book with one hand.

"What the fuck are you doing, nerd? Get off me!" Katsuki hissed, rocking his body to the side trying to dislodge me. I refused, clenching my thighs around his sides as I wrestled for the book.

"No!" I retorted, still trying to grab the notebook. "Just give it back!"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. In a more conscious state, I would have recognised the action and steadied myself, but as it was I didn't, so when he flicked his legs up and arched his back I lost my balance, hands flailing and letting go of their grip, Katsuki ripping his arms back and holding the book tight. I toppled, landing on my side with a thud as the blond jumped to his feet. I went to stand, trying to get my feet under me but Katsuki stood on my chest, forcing me down. I struggled, writhing on the floor but he was too strong.

"Don't read it," I begged weakly, reaching up futilely to grab at it.

He scoffed. "What did you write in here? Your deepest, darkest desires?" Clicking his tongue and opening the first page, he missed my dark blush that spread over my face as I lay, helpless, on the floor, bringing my hands down to cover my face. I stopped moving, accepting my fate and inevitable doom as I heard him turn another page.

There was silence, a heavy one that I wanted to fill will pained, embarrassed squealing but I managed to refrain from it, inhaling deeply.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Katsuki spoke. "Is this true?"

"Huh?" I peered up at him through my fingers, eyes widening slightly when I saw his face blank, not a trace of emotion crossing over it.

"Is this true?" he repeated, oddly - scarily - calm, pointing to the black book in his hand.

I stared. "I-I...uh..."

He looked down, opening a page and reading from it. "It says 'With Kacchan, there is so much I want to do. I want him to hold me when I am afraid, when I am cold and-'"

I shrieked and pushed up, knocking Katsuki's foot off of me and leaping up, grabbing the book. I quickly turn away and clutch the book to my chest, hiding my face. "I think you should go."

I could feel his cold yet searing eyes on me. "Is that tr-"

"Just go!" I blurted quickly, feeling the tears begin to form as my emotions took over, the overwhelming feeling of rejection making my heart ache and chest tighten. I forced myself not to let the salty water spill over, even though Katsuki couldn't see me.

He said nothing more, but I heard his footsteps pad to the door and it open, then shut soon after. Once I was sure he was gone, I stopped holding back, dropping the notebook to the floor and falling onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow and letting the tears flow, making sure the sobs were inaudible to anyone who could be listening.

"Rival lovers..." I mumbled to myself, scribbling the words down onto the page in front of me. My eyes drifted from the page and it took me a moment to realise I was staring at Katsuki Bakugo's back, his hair spiked just enough upward to give me a view of the nape of his neck, the skin smooth and clear. I gulped, mind wandering to places it shouldn't.

"What the fuck are you looking at, Shitty Nerd?" a low, angry voice spat, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I started, eyes flicking up to meet the scorching red. "Ah, n-nothing, Kacchan!" I responded instinctively, my gaze sticking to my page. I felt his eyes on me for a moment longer before the hairs on the back of my neck flattened. I risked a glance up to see he had, indeed, turned back to the board. I wondered, briefly, if he really had kept looking at me or whether it had simply been my imagination.

The words seemed to glow slightly on my page, drawing my attention. I almost laughed. Rival lovers. More like rival one-sided-love.

The next day I was exhausted, having spent the rest of the night alternating between crying and staring blankly at the wall, unable to get Katsuki's face out of my head. I stumbled downstairs, eyes scanning the kitchen and dining area but seeing no sign of any blonds, bar Kaminari, who was gushing to Sero about some new video game, and Aoyama, who was sitting cross-legged on one of the tables boasting about the new material he was planning to make his new cape out of.

"Where's Kacchan?" I mumbled to Kirishima as I opened the fridge, the red-head pouring some milk into his bowl of cereal.

He shrugged. "Don't know, man. He left super early this morning. Maybe he had to get to school early."

I nodded absent-mindedly, taking out a carton of orange juice and tipping it's contents into a glass. I sipped from it, wondering if Katsuki left early so he didn't have to see me. Probably, I decided. It was just be very awkward for both of us. Well, maybe not for him. He always seemed to be composed; he never got flustered.

After hurriedly eating breakfast and rushing to my room to get changed, I was on my way to school. The whole way, I couldn't stop thinking about Katsuki.

He just looked so...plain. I was at least expecting him to be angry. In fact, I would rather him be angry! At least that way I would know what he was really thinking. But this; this was torture. He didn't seem to be interested or intrigued, but not bored either. It was almost like he couldn't quite decide what to think. Could that be a sign he liked me back?

No. I told myself firmly. No, there's no point getting my hopes up because there is no way that Katsuki likes me back. Katsuki was more likely to go for...well, anyone. Sure, to an outsider he may not have the most attractive personality, but he was very - hot - handsome, and any girl would go out with him, definitely. He wouldn't settle for me, the Quirkless kid he used to bully.

Before I knew it, I was walking through the halls of UA, the hustle and bustle of students snapping me out of my reverie and forcing me to pay attention to where I was heading, despite the sleep deprivation I was so obviously suffering from. In fact, it wasn't long before someone stopped me.

"Midoriya?" Shinso asked, sounding surprised. "Are you alright?"

I raised my head to look at him, chuckling weakly. "What? I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be..."

Narrowing his eyes, Shinso didn't look convinced. "Uh huh. You know, getting enough sleep is important. It can really affect the rest of your day."

I mentally shooed away the thought that told me to point out his own obvious lack of sleep and nodded. "Yes, Shinso, I will."

The boy grunted and moved on, heading towards his home room as I continued on towards mine. As I approached I could hear yelling, the noise I had long since associated with Katsuki. I readied myself, hardening my resolve so I wouldn't blush when I saw him, and slid open the door.

A crowd was gathered around the centre of the room, surrounding Katsuki, who was knelt over someone, hands around their neck as he roared curse words.

"Where the fuck did you get that picture?" Katsuki demanded, voice filled with anger and emotion, which - for some reason - comforted me. It was nice to know that I hadn't broken him.

As soon as I took one step inside Uraraka was beside me. "What's happening?" I asked her with a worried look, craning my neck to see who Katsuki was strangling. Kirishima was clinging to his shoulders and trying to pull back as Iida was telling him off, how this wasn't 'hero behaviour', whilst Kaminari held Katsuki's other arm, trying to help Kirishima with his futile attempts.

Uraraka just shook her head. "Mineta has some photo, I'm not really sure. Bakugo doesn't seem to want him to have it."

I frowned. "Is it a...lewd photo?"

Uraraka choked on seemingly nothing. "Deku-kun!" she exclaimed over the racket. "I didn't think you could be so blunt!"

I blushed. "Ah, sorry. I'm a little tired."

She nodded understandingly. "You should get more sleep!"

I hummed in acknowledgement, eyes wandering over to the top of the spiked blond hair, just as a stream of tape shot out from Sero's elbow and wrapped itself around his arm, yanking him off balance and away from Mineta. The small boy leapt to his feet and stumbled away.

"You're crazy!" he yelled, squeaky voice angering Katsuki further as he struggled to rip free from his bindings. Mineta held his phone close to his chest, sneaking a look at it, which was presumably where the picture Katsuki was so upset about was. I was curious as to what it was.

"Give me that photo or I'll kill you!" Katsuki shouted, face the very epitome of fury as he smacked an arm down on the tape, the force snapping it as he lunged. Mineta shrieked and dived backwards, out of Katsuki's clutches and into Mina, who promptly shoved him to the side with a vaguely disgusted look on her face, not offering him any protection. In fact, with Kaminari still trying to tackle Katsuki, no one was even bothering to help Mineta. They all seemed perfectly fine with watching the scene play out.

It was when Katsuki's body curled inwards, back curved with his palms turned outwards. The early-morning sun that streamed through the windows illuminated the thin sheen on sweat on his skin, the moisture glistening slightly. That was my first warning.

The second was the way the sweat rippled on Katsuki's palm, how his fingers fisted and his expression contorted as he focused, eyes narrowing and bottom lip being gently pulled into his mouth as he bit onto it.

Then everything was in slow motion. Me, dropping my bag onto the floor as I rushed forwards, pushing past Uraraka and jumping between two tables as Katsuki took a single step forwards, his fingers beginning to snap open as he prepared to release a blast on Mineta. In such a close vicinity to him, the damage could be really serious; I wasn't thinking of the possible repercussions to my body, only that someone was in danger.

Just as the first spark popped in his hand, I was there, standing between them with my arms spread out wide, eyes screwed shut. The explosion came almost instantly, the force of it shooting me off of my feet and sending me hurtling backwards, crashing into a desk, then a chair, then skidding to a stop. My skin burned, I could smell something charred and my head felt light. There was a searing pain in my abdomen that made me want to scream, but I stayed silent. It wasn't long before someone was at my side, yelling for Recovery Girl and a teacher. It sounded like Iida.

A fuzzy face swam into my field of view, concern and worry displayed on their features, but I couldn't make out who it was. In fact, I wasn't even focused on them. The last person I saw before I passed out was Katsuki, face blank once more.

"Why the fuck were you staring at me in class, Deku?" Katsuki growled, shoving me against the wall, the bricks rough and hard, even through my thick school uniform. I didn't look at him, averting my eyes and rubbing the back of my head where it hit the surface.

"I...I wasn't," I mumbled, eyes scanning the alleyway for the best escape route, but none immediately came to mind. I refrained from groaning.

Katsuki bared his teeth. "Liar!" He shoved me again, with more force this time, and my head smacked against the wall, the sound loud and sickening in the silent, empty space. "Do you think I'm fucking stupid? I saw you!" He raised his right hand, sparks flying in his palm. His face was lit up by the temporary light, just momentarily but enough to see that his eyes, whilst definitely filled with enough rage to last him a life time, were also tinted with...confusion? No, curiousity. He genuinely wanted to know.

I was speaking before I even comprehended what I was going to say. "Well, our teacher said about rivals, and e-enemies, and I just...I don't know, I thought of us and-" I clapped a hand over my mouth as soon as my rational thoughts took over, eyes wide and face flushed with embarrassment.

Katsuki scoffed, arm lifted but not moving towards me. "What, that Anterastai bullshit? You think we're lovers?" he asked incredulously. "What the fuck!"

A few moments later I was on the ground, face scorched and uniform burnt and ruined, but luckily my bag was intact. I stared at the blond's retreating form, wondering why he had been so curious about my staring in the first place.

I murmured something incoherent that even I wasn't sure was an actual word as I felt my body and mind fade into consciousness, and tried to sit up. A flash of blinding pain shot across my stomach and I moaned in muted pain, slumping back down and hesitantly clutching my hands to my belly.

There were soft sheets beneath me, not dissimilar to the feel of my ones in my dorm room, but I knew they weren't. The space around me smelt floral, like some sort of air freshener, but almost like it wasn't masking a harsher scent beneath it. It took me a moment to catch a whiff of the disinfectant which instantly told me where I was; the Infirmary.

I could tell by the muted light - or rather, lack of it - that I could see through my closed eyelids that it was around dusk, and that I had been left in the medical room over night, alone in the school building. It certainly wasn't the first time, but the eery feeling of being left in school alone was always unnerving.

I blearily opened my eyes, rubbing a hand over my face and wincing as I felt the heel of my palm scrape over burnt skin. As I blinked a couple of times, getting my bearings, I thought I heard something. The sound of someone moving, beyond my line of sight, which didn't extend very far.

"Hello?" I called hesitantly, the word weirdly loud in the silence. My voice was hoarse.

A grunt answered me, and I heard movement again, the sound of a chair scraping on the linoleum flooring and fabric brushing against itself. After a moment, a face peered around the curtain. I thought I was hallucinating, because that looked very much like-

"Kacchan?"

The boy, body and hair silhouetted by the window he stood in front of, stepped forwards. I couldn't see his face.

"What...what are you doing here?" I managed to croak out, suddenly wishing I had some water.

"Tch." For a moment, he turned his head away, allowing me to briefly glimpse his features and expression as the streams of light from the sunset illuminated him. My heart stilled when I saw it was blank. "Does it matter?"

I looked around. "Uh, yes?" If I could have, I would have gestured to the otherwise empty room. "The school's closed."

Katsuki huffed, but said nothing more. I stayed silent, the atmosphere overbearingly awkward. We stayed like that, Katsuki turned away from me, staring at the wall as he stood a few feet away from my bed. I kept my eyes away from him, deliberately averting my gaze. The silence hung over us like a blanket on a hot summer's day; overbearing and uncomfortable. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth, and all I wanted to do was say something that would break the tension.

"I'm sorry," I blurted after a few minutes, causing Katsuki's head to whip around to face me, so fast I thought he might give himself whiplash.

"Why the fuck are you sorry?" he spat, venom curling around his words.

I flinched, then winced at the movement that caused my burns to burst into flames and spasm over my skin. "Be...because..." I trailed off, the overwhelming heat that had erupted on my cheeks embarrassing me further than I already was.

"Because?" Katsuki prompted sullenly, his voice having lost its sharp edge, turning into something softer, pushing me into continuing but not with his usual violent temperament.

I could feel all of my bottled feeling, repressed and bursting at the seams, shoving to escape, the words forming in my throat. I opened my mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again. 

"You look like a fish. Just spit it out," Katsuki scoffed, turning away and stalking over to the window, crossing his arms and leaning his elbows on the sill, gazing out over the UA grounds. 

This wasn't something I wanted to say without him looking at me, directly in my eyes so I could look into his, I knew. This needed to be an intimate moment. Even if he rejected me, even if he couldn't leave the school until morning and we had to spend the rest of the night locked in this room, I couldn't put it off any longer. So, I used my left arm to push the comforter off my body, casting it to the side as I deliberately avoided looking at the horrific scorches that adorned my skin. Maybe it would hurt less when-

I screwed my eyes shut, readying myself before swinging my legs across and placing my feet on the cool linoleum, refraining from crying out but still inhaling a sharp breath of air, pushing my nails into my palms as I let the pain die down. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Katsuki tense but not turn. I briefly wondered why Recovery Girl hadn't just healed my injuries.

After another minute of agony as I manoeuvred myself to my feet, I stood beside the blond. He was angled away from me, the dusk light only allowing me to see blurry shadows. "Kacchan, I..." I gulped, keeping my gaze trained on him, studying for any movement or reaction but seeing none.

Blank.

"I..." Say it. "Do you remember that lesson, in middle school?"

No reaction.

"It wasn't very interesting," I continued, watching him closely. "Just a plain, boring English lesson. We were learning about the origins of the language, and the word Erastai came up. Do you remember it?"

No reaction.

"It meant...lovers. Two people in a close, mutual relationship. That doesn't go with us, obviously." I was surprised to find tears pooling in the corners of my eyes, welling up but not spilling over. "Because our relationship has always been detached, hasn't it? You've always been strong, confident, and I've always been following you, trying to catch up with you but never able. That's kind of like Anterastai."

At that word, I saw Katsuki's shoulders tense slightly, an indication that he was not only listening to me without interrupting, but that he remembered, at least a little bit.

So I kept going, despite the tears that were coursing down my cheeks. "Anterastai with a twist, because I had always viewed us as...rivals, I suppose. Two people, both aiming for the same thing but on two completely different levels. But our relationship has the complicated aspect of Anterastai, because I...I'm-"

"You like me." I blinked, the words taken from my mouth before I could say them. Although I was still looking at Katsuki, it took a moment for my eyes to focus and realise he was looking at me too, his piercing crimson irises locked onto my confused green ones.

"I-I...yes," I said lamely. "Yes, I like you." I brashly wiped the back of my hand across my eyes, ignoring the searing pain that shot up my arm, although I did grimace. 

Katsuki frowned. "Why?"

My head shot up. "Why?" I repeated dully, mind swirling with a thousand different thoughts and feelings.

"Don't make me say it again!" Katsuki snarled, but his sharp words slid right past me. A weight had settled in my chest. On my heart.

"Does it matter?" I muttered, gingerly moving away from him and heading back to the bed, but a calloused hand closed around my arm, Katsuki's vice-like grip locking me in place. He wasn't touching any of the burnt skin but still, it hurt.

"Stop."

I was breathing heavily, chest heaving as he tugged on my arm, causing me to stumble backwards. My shoulders bumped into his chest and I could feel his warm breath on my ear. My heart was pounding, threatening to break free from my chest as Katsuki leant down, just enough so that his lips brushed against the top of my ear. I was frozen, a dark blush spreading over my face. Katsuki's fingers, the ones that were enclosed over my forearm, began to circle, making small patterns on my skin.

"Let me tell you something, Deku," he murmured huskily, his low voice sending tingles up my spine as I struggled to draw in a breath. I felt very light-headed. Was I about to pass out?

I tried to say something in affirmation, to tell him that yes, tell me whatever you want, but my shallow breaths weren't barely drawing in enough air to let me form a coherent thought, let alone a word, or a sentence. Still, Katsuki seemed to get it, because he leaned closer, and when his lips parted I could hear the slight smack it made, and feel his bottom lip brush against the top of my ear, the briefest of agonising touches.

"Our relationship...is special. I thought, with these past few months, you would realise that. When was the last time I hit you? Deliberately," he added quickly, his voice sincere and contrite as he raised a hand to brush a finger across my face. I let out a shuddering breath, eyes closed but fluttering slightly at every word that left Katsuki's mouth. "I've wanted to tell you - to apologise - ever since we began our second year. I was an asshole. I still am, but I've been trying to change. Deku, you've always seen past my flaws, seen me; the real me." Katsuki moved back so his face was less than an inch from mine, staring deep into my eyes as he spoke. I could see the intensity and honesty glittering in his crimson irises and I wondered how much longer my legs would support me for. Not long, surely. "I want to know...why you like an asshole like me. Tell me that, Deku, and I'm yours."

He's mine. "W-well, I...I..." I stammered, unsure of how to continue. Hundreds of times, I had written letter after letter, note after note, confessing my feelings - so why, now, could I not say it? Why now, when I had the chance to tell my crush of ten years how I felt, did my throat block up, my mouth dry, my tongue feel heavy and unable to move? "I..."

Katsuki scoffed slightly. "I knew it." He took a step backwards, ready to move past me and go stand by the window again, forget this ever happened and continue with our lives as normal. Before I was even aware I was doing it, my hand was reaching forwards, clutching at Katsuki's shirt and forcing him to stop in his tracks. He did, but didn't turn back to face me. From the light cast through the window, I could see the red rising up from his neck, splotchy as it crawled it's way upwards.

"I like you, because you're Katsuki Bakugo," I avowed, raising my eyes to stare at roughly the height of where Katsuki's would be, waiting for him to turn. "Because you're strong enough to battle any villain without being afraid, so you are also fearless. You're brave, because you'be gone through countless horrible experiences and have emerged as the person you are today. Although you have an explosive personality, underneath it all is a caring side that no one knows exists. I want to be the one you show that side to - I want to be the person you can expose your deepest, darkest insecurities and desires to whilst retaining the knowledge that you can trust me implicitly. Because not only do I like Katsuki Bakugo, I love h- mph!" I was cut off by the sharp turn of Katsuki's head, and a pair of lips roughly pressing against mine. A hand looped around my back, not touching any burns and somehow holding me just right that I felt no pain at all. Or was that just the adrenaline, rushing through my veins?

I moaned into the kiss, pushing upwards and moving closer, pressing my chest against Katsuki's in an attempt to gain more intimacy. His hand carted through my hair, fingers tangling themselves around the locks as my arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him ever closer. The kiss was passionate but wasn't deepened, both of us enjoying the feel of the other. At one point, I felt Katsuki's fingers brush against my cheek once more, this time with more force, and illicited a lewd mewl from my mouth, which only made Katsuki kiss me harder.

After a few moments, we parted, panting and gasping for air, gazing into one another's eyes, filled with lust and wanton desire.

"I-" I started, but was swiftly cut off.

"Don't say anything," Katsuki warned, pressing a finger against my lips. "You'll ruin the moment."

Not one to argue, I simply moved my arms from around his neck to around his waist, ignoring the searing pain it caused, simply wanting him to be closer. Katsuki reprociated immediately, encasing me in his muscled arms. I breathed a slight laugh, inhaling his scent of burnt caramel and masked smoke, feeling it encircle me. This is what I had wanted to feel for all these years. This feeling of security, shelter. Even though I can certainly handle myself, this sensibility of comfort was overwhelming, and - inevitably - tears welled up in my eyes. Before long I was sniffling into Katsuki's shirt, my face a mess of snot and salty water and blotchy cheeks.

Katsuku pulled back, surveying me. "Hey, what's wrong? Do you...hate it?" The worried tone of his voice just made me cry more.

"N-no!" I protested. "It's n-not that at all! I'm just..." I let out another sob, hurriedly wiping a hand across my eyes. "I'm happy."

Relieved, Katsuki wiped my remaining tears away, calloused fingers gentle on my skin. "So they're happy tears."

I nodded vigorously.

He laughed softly, a blissful sound I found myself wanting to hear everyday. "Good."