Work Text:
Katsuki is actually looking forward to dinner with Shinsou, but apparently the world is against them because not even an hour after he leaves Shinsou a villain shows up, making such an entrance that Katsuki just knows that he's not going to make dinner.
By the time Katsuki gets alerted to the situation several houses are already demolished and there's no way in hell he's going to be done by the time their agreed time rolls around.
Clean up alone is going to take forever and Katsuki curses his job, the villain and the world in general, but of course as soon as the alert comes in, he's off.
And because his preferred method of travel doesn't lend itself to writing messages, he presses his earpiece, speed dialling one of the pre-saved numbers.
"Kats?" Denki greets him and the confusion in his voice is obvious, because of course Katsuki is already en route and he's not one to call during work. Or at any time, really.
"I need a favour," Katsuki yells over the sound of his travel and Denki sucks in a surprised breath.
"A favour? You need a favour from me?"
"Sparky," Katsuki bites out because he needs him to relay the message and with every second that Denki wastes it's a second closer to Katsuki having to engage in combat.
"Oh, yes, sure dude, what is it?"
"I need you to tell Shinsou that I need a raincheck for today."
The silence that greets Katsuki at that is almost deafening and Katsuki grinds his teeth together.
"Not a word," he threatens over the sounds of his explosions as he propels himself across the city. "Can you tell him or not?"
"Yeah, I can, sure I can, no problem at all," Denki rushes out and Katsuki wonders if he shouldn't have asked Deku for this but now it's too late.
"Great, thanks," Katsuki bites out and cuts the call because the villain is in sight now and Katsuki dive-bombs right in.
And then all hell breaks loose.
~*~*~
It's been several days since the cancelled dinner and Katsuki hasn't managed to get a hold of Shinsou again. He texted, he even visited Aizawa's home again, but nothing. He was met with a whole lot of nothing and by now Katsuki is almost shaking with rage because how dare Shinsou just ghost him like that.
If he doesn't want to go to dinner with Katsuki then he should just say that—Katsuki is a big boy, he can take it, and it's not as if he isn't used to being brushed off by Shinsou.
It happened enough times during their school years after all.
But for now Katsuki can't reach him and he's not desperate enough to text him like every other hour—once a day for the first three was enough and Katsuki is smart enough to take a hint.
So he's sufficiently confused when, on the fifth day, his phone tells him there's an incoming call from Shinsou.
Still, he accepts, because what else is he supposed to do but he doesn't have to be nice about it.
"What?" he snaps as soon as he picks up and if he had to take a guess, he'd say the silence on the other end is guilty but Katsuki has long ago given up on trying to read Shinsou.
"So," Shinsou starts and he sounds guilty, too. "I've been a bit of an idiot."
"It's always good to be self-aware," Katsuki replies and then leaves Shinsou hanging, because he called so there must be something he wants to talk about and Katsuki is done trying if nothing comes from Shinsou.
He's tried enough, he thinks, and without a hint from Shinsou if he even wants Katsuki to try, he's simply not going to bother again.
"I thought you used work to call off dinner because you didn't really want to go with me," Shinsou rushes out as if he needs to get the words out there as fast as possible and Katsuki blinks.
"The attack was all over the news," he finally says because what the ever-loving fuck is Shinsou even on about.
"Yeah, about that," Shinsou replies with a self-deprecating little huff. "I might have been a little depressed lump of sadness and not checked the news."
"Bit of an idiot, too, huh?"
"We already established that," Shinsou lightly gives back before he grows serious again. "But I'm also traumatised to the point where I can't check hero news after a mission gone wrong."
Katsuki doesn't need Shinsou to remind him that his last mission went very wrong, apparently, but of course it's no wonder that he doesn't want to hear anything about heroes doing their job if his own went sideways so badly.
"You should probably talk to someone about that," Katsuki replies, because Shinsou really fucking should and Shinsou groans.
"I know. We're working on it. But—that's not the reason I called."
"Why did you call then?"
"I called because I thought you lied to me to get out of dinner by claiming a work emergency but today Denki called me up and apparently apprehending that villain catapulted you up into the top three and they want to throw you a surprise party. And I figured you wouldn't like that. And it made me realise that maybe you really couldn't come."
"Listen here, eyebags. If I didn't want to come I would just tell you, I don't have to invent emergencies for that," Katsuki reprimands him because he has enough backbone to tell someone to fuck off. No deception needed.
"Noted."
"Second. I am smart enough to come up with a lie that is not easily corroborated by checking the news or asking literally anyone."
"True," Shinsou replies and the fact that he thinks that yes, Katsuki is smart enough for that should not send a hot shiver down his back.
When the fuck did Katsuki become so easy?
"Third. What the fuck do you mean surprise party?"
That makes Shinsou laugh and the sound shouldn't feel so warm.
"It means just that. You're supposed to meet Kirishima to help him with something in his apartment, right?"
"Right?" Katsuki is already en route there, though he considerably slows his steps down now.
"Wrong. Everyone will be there. Mina was in charge of planning."
"Oh hell no," Katsuki breathes out because there is no way in hell that Katsuki is going to attend a party like that.
Never ever.
"Thought so. So, since it came to my attention that you weren't trying to brush me off and I don't want to see you suffer under the love of your friends, I have a counter proposal."
"Don't make it sound as if I'm the most ungrateful bitch on the planet, them organising a party for me is akin to torture and has nothing to do with love."
"Okay, okay, sorry," Shinsou chuckles out. "You wanna hear the counter proposal?"
"Sure, shoot," Katsuki replies because whatever he says now must be better than being ambushed by his friends.
It just has to be.
"I am currently camped out in a cat café and I think you should join me."
"Mh. A hot drink and cats against a surprise party by the idiot squad."
"A hot drink, cats and me, but sure, whatever," Shinsou replies and Katsuki would like to think that there's some nervousness in his voice, but—again—he's already been wrong about Shinsou so often that he barely even dares to make assumptions anymore.
"My drinks are on you for being an idiot about me calling off dinner," Katsuki offers and Shinsou huffs but doesn't protest. "Send me the address."
Katsuki doesn't wait for a reply before he hangs up and a few seconds later his phone chimes with a location pin. It's not that far away, but Katsuki gets moving almost immediately, maybe a touch too eager to meet Shinsou—not that he ever has to know that.
When he arrives and takes a seat across from Shinsou, Shinsou looks at him with wide eyes, as if he didn't expect Katsuki at all.
"The fuck are you looking at?" Katsuki grumbles out as he tries not to stare at Shinsou too obviously, because fuck that haircut is really doing it for him.
He made Shinsou too hot and now he has to suffer under it. That was not the plan, not at all, and maybe he should have let him have his depression haircut, if only to spare his poor heart these palpitations.
"I—didn't really expect you to come," Shinsou admits as if they hadn't just talked about Katsuki joining him.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm me? And you're you?" Shinsou offers as if that makes any sense at all and Katsuki frowns at him.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I really don't understand why you're bothering with me," Shinsou mutters under his breath, distracting himself with a cat in his lap. "Okay, so don't kill me for even assuming but like. Dinner. Would that have been a date?" he then asks, though he doesn't quite dare to look at Katsuki, who lets out a deep sigh.
"Could have been," he says as nonchalantly as he knows how to and then orders himself the biggest hot chocolate they have because if they really are going to have this conversation now Katsuki gets to indulge.
"Could have been," Shinsou quietly repeats as if he can't believe it and Katsuki rolls his eyes.
"What about 'I tried to like you plenty during school' did you not understand? You're the one who always brushed me off and I can take a fucking hint, you know. Took me a while, but I did, eventually," Katsuki admits because maybe he tried for longer than was really advisable but he couldn't help himself.
Apparently still can't help himself, because he's here, after all, trying again, despite the signs not being that different.
Shinsou hadn't cared during school and it's unlikely he cares now.
"When? When did you take the hint?" Shinsou wants to know and Katsuki would snap at him, accusing him of fishing for compliments or an ego boost or whatever, but he still remembers the depression hair, still hears Shinsou telling him outright he's traumatised and fine. If a little ego boost is what he needs, Katsuki can give him that.
"First half of second year. I tried for over a year—practically from the moment you transferred into our class. But thanks for noticing, I guess."
"Fuck," Shinsou says with feeling and scrubs a hand over his face. "Look, I had issues back then," he says and Katsuki snorts out a laugh, because he still has issues. "It wasn't until well into third year that I started to gain any semblance of self-confidence." He pauses for a moment, clearly bracing himself for something. "And it wasn't until then that I allowed myself to like someone."
Katsuki thinks back to their third year and he thinks he can roughly pin-point the time Shinsou is talking about, because one day he just started hanging around Denki and Sero and got almost assimilated into the squad by proxy.
Katsuki had been elated back then, but Shinsou had barely even looked at him, still, so he didn't treat him any differently.
"But you never—"
"I was done," Katsuki bluntly tells him. "I tried for a year and then I promised myself I would stop, so I did."
"Until you started again," Shinsou says and tugs on one of the strands framing his face.
"No," Katsuki denies because he didn't do it for that but Shinsou's face falls in a way Katsuki doesn't quite like so he rushes on. "Fuck, I mean—I did stop. Your haircut and general depressed existence bothered me so that's why I did it. I didn't expect anything but then you brought up dinner. And I'm just saying it could have been a date. Doesn't mean it has to be."
"You—still?"
"What?" Katsuki defensively snaps. "You wanna hear me say it so badly? Fucking fine: yes, I still have goddamn feelings for you or whatever. Happy?"
"Yeah," Shinsou breathes out but he barely gives Katsuki any time to process that. "It's just—why? Have you looked at me? I mean, I'm just—and you're—" He vaguely gestures at Katsuki as if that could explain anything and Katsuki rolls his eyes.
"You're—what? A dedicated, hard-working, successful hero with good looks and a killer sense of humour? Yeah, totally can't see anyone falling for that."
Shinsou blinks at him for a moment before he goes bright red in the face and the look on his face is almost enough to make Katsuki crack out a laugh.
"You can't just say that," Shinsou whines out when he finds his voice again and Katsuki rolls his eyes.
"I can if it's true." He takes a sip of his hot chocolate, burying one hand in the cat on his own lap before he says what he really wants to know. "Now the only question is what you think about that. About me."
"Fuck, Katsuki, I've been trying to get your attention ever since I realised I have a sliver of self-esteem," Shinsou rushes out and again, the use of Katsuki’s given name sends a shiver down his back.
"Can't be more of a sliver, with how you're acting," Katsuki mutters, and he pointedly doesn't notice the elated look on Shinsou's face when he goes red, too.
"Bakugo Katsuki, let me take you on a date," Shinsou—no, Hitoshi—says, leaning forward like an excited kid and Katsuki hates that he finds it charming.
Katsuki pointedly looks at the drinks in front of them and then back up at Hitoshi.
"Aren't we already?"
"No. No, this doesn't count. I would have put in more of an effort."
"Well, you saved me from getting ambushed by the extras, so I'd say you put in a whole lot of effort."
At the mention of the squad, Hitoshi's eyes light up.
"Right, the party! You're not safe yet, they could snatch you up at any time. It's best if I don't leave you alone for now. Dinner?" Hitoshi almost rushes out and now Katsuki laughs.
"Sure, dinner," he agrees and Hitoshi catches his gaze.
"A date. A dinner date," he says as if he needs to reiterate that and Katsuki rolls his eyes, even as his cheeks go warm again.
"Yes, Hitoshi, a dinner date."
"Hell yeah," Hitoshi breathes out, doing a tiny little fist bump and Katsuki should be annoyed, should find it childish as fuck but he can't help but to smile at Hitoshi's obvious excitement. "I would have grown out my hair much sooner if I had known that this would be the outcome," he says and Katsuki's eyes go wide in alarm.
"No. I am in charge of your haircut from now on and we're not going to let it get that bad ever again," he decides because fuck if he allows this again.
"Better keep an eye on me then," Hitoshi says, smug as anything, as if Katsuki didn't already agree to a date.
"I'm planning on it," he tells him and thinks he doesn't have to mention the butterflies in his stomach because going by the flustered look on Hitoshi's face, he's in the same boat.
And finally, they are in there together.