Archive of Our Own

“Sorry! I promised Mina I’d take her to the mall. Apparently there’s a sale on summer dresses! There’s also a display of weights I wanna go look at!”

“Sorry, Kacchan, maybe we can train together tomorrow? I’m taking Ochako-chan on a date, it’s our three month anniversary and I want to do something special.”

“Sorry, date night.”

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

Katsuki was tired of hearing that word. He might even be starting to hate it. He never got to spend time with any of his friends now that they all had...girlfriends.

How did that even happen, anyways? He knew that Kirishima and Ashido had gotten together during the break between second and third year. Obviously, Izuku and Uraraka had begun their relationship three months ago. But Todoroki? And Yaoyorozu? Seriously? Even ‘Icy-Hot’ had a girlfriend now.

Thoughts swirled in his mind as he trudged up the stairs to the roof. He often went up there to sort his thoughts. The roof was his sanctuary, the one peaceful place he could go and no one could disturb him.

He swung open the door and froze when he heard a surprised yelp.

“Frogger?” he blinked at the sight of his classmate.

“Oh, Bakugo, you scared me,” Asui placed a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

He shut the door and walked over to the railing, looking out over the school campus.

“Why are you here, Bakugo, kero?”

“It’s Friday night,” he said. “Universal date night. And no fucking ‘single’ friends to hang out with.”

“Oh, I see.”

He went back to his previous thoughts of dating. How did one even date anyway? He could envision the classic fancy restaurant, the late night walks through the park, the cliche amusement park date. But, how? How did all those idiots manage to land themselves a date? Multiple dates? Was there really such a thing as love and have they found it?

“Have you ever been on a date?” he found himself asking.

“Me? No,” Asui shook her head. “Why?”

“I’ve never been on one,” he rested his elbows on the railing, “just thinking about how the fuck you do it.”

There was silence, then, “How about we go on a date? To try it out?”

Katsuki blinked, looking over at the woman in shock. Did she just ask him out? Wasn’t usually the guys who did this sort of thing? But perhaps, it is a new century, girls can ask out whoever they want just like guys. Especially lesbians, since they don’t even like guys.

“You want to date me?”

“It’s just one date,” she shrugged. “That way we both know what dating is like for when we find the people we love for real, kero.”

She had a point. A date to know what you’re getting yourself into. Might be worth a try. Katsuki would probably ace at dating anyways, this was just to test his dating abilities.

“Um, okay,” he said carefully. “Right now?”

“It’s Friday night,” Asui smiled, quoting his words, “Universal date night. But I want to change out of my uniform first, kero. Meet in the commons in twenty minutes?”

“Sure,” he nodded.

Then Asui turned and left the roof to get ready.

Holy fuck he had a date! Two years ago he would’ve laughed in her face and told her to shut the fuck up, number one heroes don’t date. But now, it was lonely at the top. Top of the class, that is. They still had half a year before graduation.

He quickly ran down the stairs and burst into his room. He stripped off his uniform and pulled out a nicer outfit. He’d chosen black jeans, an army green collared shirt, and a leather jacket with his nice shoes. He freshened up his deodorant and made sure he had his wallet, keys, and phone before walking out the door.

It only took a few minutes of waiting for Asui to arrive. She looked cute. Katsuki couldn’t believe he was doing this. She wore a long green dress and tied up her hair.

“You look very nice, Bakugo, kero,” she said.

“Uh, fuck, you look nice too,” why was he so bad at this? If he was going to be a pro at dating he needed to step the fuck up.

“So, have you any thoughts as to where we should go, kero?”

He quickly thought back to Kirishima telling him about his and Ashido’s first date. They’d gone out for dinner and a movie. Seemed harmless enough. He still had a couple thousand yen in his wallet from his allowance, that should be enough.

“Dinner? Movie?”

“Sounds like a good idea!” she smiled. “Can we have sushi?”

He fucking hated sushi.

“Sure,” he turned around to walk to the door but froze, remembering his manners. He offered his elbow and Asui lit up at the gesture.

“Oh! Thank you, Bakugo!” she placed her hand in his elbow and let him lead the way to dinner.

There was a sushi place near school, so he took her there. Luckily, not many other people were having cravings for sushi that night. They were able to get a good table.
Katsuki let her order whatever she wanted.

Then came the waiting. After putting in their order, they waited for their food in silence.

“Bakugo, I think this is the part where we get to know each other, kero,” Asui placed a finger to her lip in thought.

“But we already know each other,” Katsuki furrowed his brow, “right? We’ve known each other for a whole two years?”

“I don’t know what your favorite color is, I don’t know what your favorite movie is,” she shrugged. “Or your favorite place to go in nature, your past times, your hobbies, what you spend your money on-”

“Okay, okay, Jesus,” he cut her off. “Um, my favorite color is orange, my favorite movie is...the All Might Movie,” he flushed at the mention of All Might. “I like the mountains. I like hiking and camping and rock climbing. Uh,” he trailed off, thinking of hobbies he had, wasn’t that hiking? “I don’t really buy a whole lot of stuff. Maybe some gear if my current stuff breaks or something.” He ended that with a shrug. “What about you?”

“My favorite color is yellow,” Asui said, “My favorite movie is Twister. I enjoy lakes and rivers deep in the forest, kero. I love swimming, both competitive and recreational, and I sometimes like to go to the children’s shelter and read them books-”

Katsuki blinked at her confession. He wished he had the courage to willingly hang out with kids. Kids were scarier than the fiery inferno of hell itself.

“That’s really nice of you,” he said.

“Thank you, kero,” she smiled.

“And hella brave,” he added. Asui cocked her head. “Kids are fucking devils.”

“Bakugo-” he could hear the reprimand in her voice, but she was cut off by the waitress bringing their orders. When she left, Asui continued, “kids aren’t scary, you just have to understand them, kero.”

He popped a sushi roll in his mouth.

“Anyway,” he changed the subject, “which movie do you wanna go watch after this?”

“I chose dinner, you choose the movie, kero.”

“You sure?” he raised a brow. “You don’t wanna watch a frickin’ chick flick or shit?” She shook her head.

“This is a date, it’s not about me, it’s about both of us, kero,” she said.

Again, she had a point. Man, Asui must be a dating genius. Wow, Katsuki needed a hell of a lot more information if he was ever going to be a dating pro. After the movie, he’d go to his laptop and research.

“Um, okay,” he said, eating another roll, “how about an action or a thriller? Hey, isn’t that new hero movie out?”
Asui nodded with a smile.

“We can watch that one if you like, kero,” she said, happily munching on her sushi. “It’s fine with me.”

“Okay.”

“Say, Bakugo,” Asui tapped her chin with her finger, “which hero is your favorite?”

He instantly flushed. He hated talking about his favorite hero cuz it made him sound like fucking Deku. But, he was just as much of a fanboy as Izuku, collecting rare posters and cards, watching every movie and video clip about the hero, memorizing moves and lines.

“A-All Might,” he finally answered. Her eyes widened. “You are fucking sworn to secrecy. If I find out you’ve told anybody-”

“Don’t worry, Bakugo,” she smiled. “Your secret is safe with me.”

He sighed in relief.

“Why is he your favorite, kero?”

He spent the rest of the dinner ranting about All Might.

--

There was something about that date that didn’t sit right with Katsuki. They’d had perfectly good conversation, there was nothing especially distasteful about the date, save for the fucking sushi, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.

Maybe they just didn’t click. They weren’t supposed to, it was a trial date. But there was still something about the whole thing that didn’t work.

He sighed into his pint of mocha ice cream.

“Dude, what the fuck?”

Katsuki’s chin jerked off his palm in surprise, whirling around to see Sero standing in the entry to the commons kitchen, brow raised at his pint.

“What?” Katsuki asked, playing it cool.

“You’re carving into a pint of ice cream like a goddamn middle aged woman who’d just gotten her heart broken,” Sero crossed his arms. “That’s what.”

He took a seat at the bar next to Katsuki.

“Maybe,” Katsuki pointed the spoon at him, “it’s none of your fucking business, that’s what’s what.”

“Or,” Sero took the ice cream and spoon from Katsuki and began eating, “you tell me what’s up and maybe I’ll help you.”

He watched as Sero took a bite out of the ice cream and pondered the suggestion. It wouldn’t hurt getting more info and ideas from someone else. Even though Asui was the dating goddess.

“So,” he rested his elbows on the counter and laced his fingers together, “I went on my first date last night, with Frogger.”

“She broke your heart?”

“No,” he shook his head, “it was a trial date. We both had never dated and wanted to see what it was like. At the end of the night, it was mutual we wouldn’t do it again.”

“So why the ice cream?”

Katsuki considered his next words carefully. How to tell him what he was feeling when he didn’t even know himself?

“Something….wasn’t right...about the whole thing,” he sighed.

“Maybe she wasn’t your type?”

He blinked.

“My type?”

“Yeah, your type,” he scooped out the last bit of ice cream and ate it, setting the carton aside and keeping the spoon, “what you look for in a potential partner. Tall, short, skinny, thick, introvert, extrovert, that sort of thing. Tsu is very calm and easy going. Maybe you need someone who can keep up with you?”

He had a point. God fucking dammit, why was everyone so good at this whole dating thing and Katsuki wasn’t?

“Don’t fucking tell anyone,” he bit his lip, “but I think you’re right.” He set his chin in his palm. “Also, you ate the last of my ice cream and you fucking owe me.”

“Fine, fine!” Sero held up his hands in surrender.

“So how do I find my type?”

“Well what do you like?”

“I don’t know,” Katsuki shrugged. He needed an example. “What’s your type?”

“My type is someone dedicated, smart, hardworking, attractive-”

“That’s like, the entire goddamn class, idiot.”

“You didn’t let me finish, idiot,” Sero snapped back, “someone who is pretty, who will let me be the big spoon, someone willing to stand up for their beliefs, someone who is so fucking strong they could probably snap my neck.”

Katsuki mulled these qualities over in his head. Sero wanted someone strong and dependable. What did he want?

Katsuki was loud...did he want someone quiet, or someone just as loud as he?

“Hey,” Sero waved a hand in front of Katsuki’s face. He shot a glance over at his friend, “Since I ‘owe you’ for the ice cream, my family’s celebrating Ramadan next weekend, since we get three days off for teacher meetings. You should come! It’ll be lots of fun! Lot’s of good food and such-”

“Ramadan?” Katsuki blinked.

“Well, we’re not religious, but Mom’s country is, so we kinda celebrate it. Basically we have a party where we-”

“No, I mean, what is it?”

“Oh! Ramadan is an Islamic fasting month, totally religious, washing away your sins and all that,” Sero said. “My mom is from India, half the country celebrates it. So she’s kinda used to it, but when she married my dad, she gave up the fasting bit. Now we just party it up. Dad loves it cuz that’s when Mom makes all her famous Indian dishes-”

“You’re half Indian?”

Sero raised a brow.

“That’s all you got from that?” he asked. “Yeah, man, I’m half Indian, half Japanese. Anyways, party? Next weekend? You wanna come?”

“Uh, sure,” Katsuki shrugged. Why the hell not? Parties were fun. He’d never been to an Indian party before so maybe it’d be different, new, exciting. One more thing to cross of
the imaginary bucket list.

“Sweet! I’ll message my Dad, see if we can get an extra train ticket.”

“I can buy my own goddamn train ticket-” he paused. Hadn’t he spent most of his money on the date with Asui last night. “Actually never mind, I have no money.”

“Thought so,” Sero pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. “And by the way, our family is vegetarian….hope that’s not gonna be a problem.”

“It’s only three fucking days,” Katsuki picked up the empty ice cream carton and chucked it towards the recycle bin, “yolo.”

--

He was regretting accepting Sero’s offer as he stared at his train ticket. It was leaving at four...in the goddamn morning.

“I can’t believe this,” he moaned, plopping down on the bench next to Sero. It was currently three fifty in the morning, and they were waiting for the train.

“Can’t believe how much fun we’re gonna have, hmm?” Sero elbowed him. It was an honest to god miracle that the man was bright eyed and bushy tailed at three fifty am.

“Fuck you.”

“Don’t you wake up early anyways?”

“Yeah, five thirty, not three fucking am,” he snapped.

“Well it’s an eight hour train ride,” Sero said, “if we time it right, we’ll get there right around lunch time. And we can have my mom’s cooking!”

“Eight hour-how the fuck did you get to school every day if you live eight fucking hours away?!”

“I moved in with my sister when I got accepted to UA,” he explained, “she lives about twenty minutes away. Luckily, they came up with the dorm idea, so I didn’t have to live with her for three whole years.”

“Yeah, we have to live with idiots now.”

Sero burst into laughter. His eyes crinkled in the corners, his thin lips upturned into a pretty smile-

Wait, pretty?!

Katsuki checked himself. He could blame it on sleep deprivation, right?

...but seriously, how the fuck was Sero so pretty? Was this his type? Oh god, now the whole weekend was going to be so awkward-

“Oh, our train’s here,” Sero bumped Katsuki’s chest with the back of his hand to get his attention. Katsuki shoved those thoughts aside and grabbed his duffel, following Sero onto the train.

They found their seats and situated themselves for a long ride. He caught a glimpse of Sero’s almond shaped eyes behind his bangs and wondered who the fuck allowed guys to be pretty.

He thought about other guys...was it just Sero? Izuku was cute, he supposed, freckles be damned. Kirishima was handsome. Todoroki was….holy fuck.

“Hey Tape Face,” Katsuki said.

“Yeah?”

He was glad they were the only ones in their section of the train.

“Can guys be pretty?”

Sero blinked at the question, then smiled.

“Hell yeah, dude,” he said. “There are so many pretty guys out there….you still thinking about your type?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki flushed.

“What are you thinkin?”

“I’m thinking about pretty guys, fucking obviously!” He was one hundred percent positive his cheeks were bright fucking red now.
Sero laughed again, the sound ringing in Katsuki’s ears. What the fuck is happening?

“You gay?”

“I dunno, you?”

“Nah man, I’m bi.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I like both men and women.”

“That’s a thing?!”

“Yeah,” Sero nodded. He stretched his long legs out into the aisle. “There’s also different ones, like pan, demi-”

“What do those mean?”

“I cannot believe we’re having this conversation,” Sero ran his hands over his face, “at four o’clock in the morning. Okay. So, pansexual means you don’t care about gender when deciding your type. Demisexual means you only care about one person.”

“One person?”

“Yeah, you only want to be with the one person you spend all your time and energy on,” he explained.

“I don’t have one person,” Katsuki said. “Hell, I don’t have any person.”

“Not yet,” Sero held up a finger. “Someday you’ll have your person.”

“So I’m demi?”

“Not necessarily,” he sighed.

“You’re confusing me.”

“I think you may be right,” Sero said. “My bad.”

“It’s okay,” Katsuki crossed his arms, “this is more information I’ve ever gotten about dating since last week.”

“Can I ask you something?”

Katsuki nodded.

“Why the sudden interest in dating? You’ve never been interested before.”

“I wasn’t interested, until all my friends got fucking girlfriends and left me alone,” he said. He still couldn’t believe they all just up and left him. They didn’t even want to hang out anymore because they’d rather spend time with girls.

“I see,” Sero nodded. “You want to know what all the hype is about, huh?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said. “They’d rather make out with a girl then hit the gym. Last year it wasn’t like that. Remember? We’d all go to the training field every fucking weekend. Now, it’s like...they’re not the same people.”

“Dating someone you love changes you.”

“How?”

“Well, for one, you love them, you want to spend time with them, making them happy. Oftentimes, that means you sacrifice some of your usual habits to make room for new habits. In this case, Kirishima sacrifices his Friday training time to take Mina to the mall cuz he knows it’ll make her happy.”

“So dating is basically...making the other person happy,” Katsuki pursed his lips.

“So to speak, yes,” Sero nodded. “For example, if I were taking you on a date, I’d take you out for spicy ramen, then we’d hit the gym till we pass out, and to finish off, we’d cuddle watching All Might movies until we fall asleep, obviously I’d be the big spoon.”

Katsuki felt his cheeks burning. It was scary how accurate that whole example date was.

“Holy fuck,” he said, “I’d be so down for that.” But that would make Katsuki happy, how would Katsuki make Sero happy? “What would your date be?”

“I don’t really care, as long as I get to spend time with them.”

“Wow, okay,” Katsuki huffed. That gave him so much to work with. Then he pursed his lips in thought. Spending time with them…. “If I were to take you on a date, we’d go to the arcade, have an air hockey tournament. I’d win. Then we’d hit the smoothie place for dessert, go for a midnight walk under the stars, go home and dance to cheesy eighties music and end up cuddling, obviously I’d be the little spoon.”

He looked over at Sero, finding his cheeks a dusty shade of pink.

“Holy fucking shit,” he said, bringing his hands up to hide his face, “c-can we for real actually do that? I’m shaking. I love that idea. God.”

“We can, only if we get to do your date for me first,” Katsuki flushed.

“Next Friday will be your date,” Sero dropped his hands and smiled. “And next Saturday will be my date. We’ll see who can outdate each other.”

Competition sparked inside Katsuki. Now, it wasn’t just about dating, it was competitive, trying to outdo each other. He might have to add some more aspects to his date to make it better.

“Deal,” they shook hands.

After a beat of silence, Katsuki spoke up.

“So tell me about this party we’re going to.”

He fell asleep listening to the sound of Sero’s calm voice.

--

Katsuki woke to Sero’s nudging his arm. His head was leaning on Sero’s shoulder. He sat up quickly and muttered an apology.

“They’re serving breakfast soon,” Sero waved off his apology.

“They do that?”

“On early trains, yeah,” he nodded. Katsuki pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was nearing eight thirty. About four hours left. He looked out the window. The sun was climbing the sky, lighting up the countryside. He saw endless fields of grain and rice.

A train attendant brought them trays of food and small bottles of orange juice. He opened his package to find scrambled eggs, sausage links, and rice.

“Oh, there’s sausage,” Sero grimaced as he peeled back the foil on his breakfast. He scooped it into Katsuki’s bowl.

“Oh yeah,” Katsuki happily ate the meat, “I forgot you’re vegetarians.”

“Prepare to eat a lot of veggies and fish.”

“Better not be fucking sushi.”

“My mom hates sushi.”

“Thank fuck,” Katsuki sighed happily. “Sushi is fucking disgusting. I’d rather eat a bowl of the blandest curry in the world than eat sushi. Frogger is one lucky bitch, lemme tell you-”

“She requested sushi on your date, didn’t she?”

“I got that sushi that wasn’t really sushi, you know, the stuff with cheese and ham inside,” he fake gagged, “shit was still fucking gross.”

Sero giggled...and holy fuck that giggle.

“Sushi isn’t that bad,” he said. “You just don’t like raw fish.”

“Still,” Katsuki stuffed his breakfast into his mouth, “there are better foods out there I’d rather eat.”

“Can’t argue with that, just wait until you try my mom’s food.”

After breakfast, Sero pulled out a deck of cards. They played almost every game they knew, Sero even taught Katsuki a new game.

Sero’s phone chimed about an hour away from his hometown.

“Oh, Mom wants to know what size you wear,” he said. “She wants to buy you some clothes.”

“She doesn’t-”

“Once she sets her mind to something, there’s no going back, dude,” Sero raised a brow. “What size?”

Katsuki muttered his sizes under his breath, crossing his arms.

“Then what was the purpose of me bringing my own clothes?”

“These clothes are probably for the party,” Sero texted the sizes to his mother. “Damn, you’re a whole lot slimmer than I thought you’d be.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki growled. Sero cackled.

“What colors do you like?”

“Black, orange, and green.”

“Oh shit yeah, I feel like I should’ve known that,” he texted his mother the colors, “Since your hero costume is those colors.”

“Your hero costume is also black and orange though.”

“True, but I also like other colors. I just liked the design of my costume with those colors better.”

He got another text.

“Oh, she found a couple,” he flipped the phone and showed Katsuki. “She found this one, and this one.”

Katsuki peered at the picture Mrs. Sero had sent. There were two short-sleeved tunics side by side, one black with gold and green embroidery, the other a dark army green with gold stitching. They both looked good.

“They both look good,” Katsuki said. “Which one do you like?”

“I think you’d look better in the green one, but it’s up to you, man.”

“The green one then,” he said.

“Okay,” Sero sent his mother a text with the decision. Then, “do you want black pants or gold pants? Oh, here.” He tilted his phone again, this time, a picture with the green tunic and two different pants, gold and black.”

“Gold.”

“Got it! Damn, you’re gonna look hella good.”

“Hell yeah,” Katsuki chuckled. “So, wait, tell me quick about the party.”

“I told you earlier.”

“I fell asleep.”

“Bitch,” Sero rolled his eyes. “Okay, so tonight, we’re just gonna chill, since people are still arriving at the house. We’ll probably order pizza or noodles or something. Tomorrow morning we begin preparations for the party, then we party until Sunday afternoon, when we get on our train to come back to school.”

“A two day party?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna be dead on Monday,” Sero smiled, “but it’s gonna be hella worth it.”

“Damn right,” Katsuki smirked. “I don’t do anything half-assed.”

“Except your date with Tsu-”

“That doesn’t fucking count, Tape Face! If I’d been given more time to plan, I would’ve dated the green right off her dress.”

Sero’s laugh was contagious. Katsuki found himself chuckling along with him. It was surprisingly good to laugh with Sero.

“Hey,” Sero said, after the laughter had died down, “you’re gonna want to call me ‘Hanta’ when we get there….I have a big family. Everyone is a Sero.”

“Isn’t Tape Face enough?” Katsuki teased. “Or maybe I could go back to ‘Soy Sauce’, remember that one?”

“Oh god,” Hanta snorted, “I haven’t heard that one since first year.”

Katsuki chuckled and then hummed.

“Hmm, Hanta, huh?” he tested the name on his lips, “Hanta...Hanta?”

“That sounds weird coming from you.”

“It does,” he agreed, “I’ve never called anyone by their first name before. Even Deku. He’s always been Deku to me. I mean, I think about him with his first name, but I never call him that.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah, I’ll try my fucking best but you get no promises from me.”

The train began to slow and Hanta lit up.

“We’re here!”

When it stopped, they stood and stretched. Then they gathered their belongings and trekked off the train.

Sero’s father was waiting for them at the station, a tall man with short black hair and a familiar smile. He wore a long black tunic and white pants, similar to the clothes Mrs. Sero had bought for Katsuki.

“Ah, you must be Bakugo Katsuki, hm?” he held out his hand. Katsuki shook it with a nod.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good to meet you,” Mr. Sero smiled wider. “Now come on, we’ve got a good home meal waiting for you boys back at the house!”

“Yes!” Hanta pumped his fist. “I’m hungry!” Katsuki nodded in agreement.

The ride to the Sero House was short, but the house itself was large. Almost mansion-like. It was beautiful, not in any traditional Japanese style, or even Western style. It must be Indian then, he deducted.

“Your house is fucking huge,” Katsuki’s jaw dropped upon seeing it.

“It was the size that made me buy it,” Mr. Sero smiled. “We have a rather large family- at least my wife does. When she moved here, she brought her sisters and her parents with her.” He parked in one of the many spaces in the courtyard.

“And then my dad’s side of the family is big too, he’s one of five brothers,” Hanta smiled. They hopped out of the car and grabbed their bags.

“And Hanta is one of seven children,” Mr. Sero said. “All his elder siblings have already married and have their own children.”

“No shit?” Katsuki blinked, following Hanta into the house, slinging his duffel over his shoulder.

“Ah!” a woman burst out of the front door, wearing a blue and gold dress. “Hanta!”

“Mom!” Hanta gave the woman a hug.

Standing side by side with his parents, it was obvious they looked alike. Hanta had his father’s coloring, but his mother’s features. The thin lips, the almond shaped eyes, the curve of his cheekbones.

“And you must be Bakugo, hm?” Mrs. Sero turned to Katsuki with a smile. Her Japanese was flawless, with a slight accent at the end of her words.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, it is good to meet you! We never get to meet any of Hanta’s friends because we live to far away,” she clasped his hand, “and no one is willing to make the trip.”

“He’s not much of an open book, either,” Katsuki shook his head, “I had no clue he was Indian until he invited me down for Ramadan!”

Her eyes widened and she turned to Hanta.

“You are a piece of work, do you know that?”

“I have Dad’s coloring, it’s easy to let people assume I’m Japanese!” he defended. “I don’t necessarily have to show my family tree to anybody and everybody!”

“Still,” Katsuki sighed condescendingly, “I’ve known you for how long?”

“Two and a half years?”

“And it took you that long to tell me?”

“True, I’m a piece of work,” Hanta groaned, trudging into the house. Katsuki burst into laughter and followed him.

The Seros followed them in.

“Hanta, show Bakugo to your room, I’ve set up an extra bed in there for him! I’ll put lunch on the table!” Mrs. Sero exclaimed. “Wash up on your way down!”

Inside the house was even more extravagant. Ornate rugs and golden wall decor, plants in almost every corner, plants hanging from the ceiling, painted tiles on the floor.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered.

“Come on, my room’s this way,” he grabbed Katsuki’s duffel strap and tugged him up the stairs.

Sero’s room was huge. Almost the same size as the living room in his parent’s apartment.

“Oh my god,” Katsuki dropped his duffel on the edge of the cot Mrs. Sero had set up for him. His green and gold outfit was folded neatly on top his pillow. “What the actual fuck, Hanta?!”

Hanta flushed.

“Wh-what?”

“Everything! Every fucking thing? Why don’t you tell people about this?”

“It’s not mine, it belongs to my parents! I just...borrow,” he said. “That’s why I want to be a hero. So I can support myself without my parents.”

“Hanta-”

“Bakugo-”

That sounded fucking wrong.

“No, first off,” Katsuki held up one finger, “if I’m calling you Hanta, you better fucking call me Katsuki. Second, your reasons for being a hero are yours. I have no right to judge you. But fucking hell man, this is you. You are Indian. People deserve to know that about you. You don’t have to hide it.”

“I know,” Hanta sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know.”

Katsuki sighed, running his hands over his face.

“Let’s go fucking eat.”

--

After lunch, Katsuki offered to help with the dishes, but was immediately turned down.

“No, no, no! I will not have a guest tire himself with chores in my own household!” Mrs. Sero exclaimed. “You go and have a good time with Hanta.”

Freed from chores, Hanta gave Katsuki a tour. He showed him the backyard, the greenhouse, the barn, then they circled back to the house and showed him the library, and the dance room.

“D-dance room?”

“Yeah, when we were little, Mom would bring us here and teach us traditional dances!” Hanta said, walking into the dance room with a smile. “Hey, maybe I could teach you a dance or two for tomorrow?”

Katsuki cautiously stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Mom said it’s usually girls who dance, I think? I dunno, we’ve always done it as a family, guys and girls. But since when are we a traditional Indian family, am I right?” Hanta giggled, making Katsuki flush. How the hell is he so pretty? How the fuck did he make giggling look pretty and not annoying?

“Teach me,” he said.

Hanta lit up. He walked over to the old tape player and played the soft, traditional music.

They spent hours in the dance room, going over the steps. It was hard, almost as hard as a good training session. Indian dancing required muscles Katsuki didn’t even know he had. But he dug down and did his fucking best.

He was Bakugo Katsuki. He never half-assed anything.

But boy was dancing making him regret it.

“And that’s it! Let’s put it all together now, shall we?”

Katsuki shifted to the first position for the first part of the dance. Together, and in sync, they ran through the motions, dancing along with the music. It felt wonderful, now that he actually knew how, dancing along with Hanta to the music.

“I still need fucking practice,” Katsuki was breathing hard.

“Let me teach you one more, and then we can practice them more, okay?” Hanta smiled.

It was nearing dinner time when they left the dance room. Katsuki felt tired and sore all over. But it was a good feeling, he’d never felt this wired after a hard training session.

Just like Hanta had said, they ordered take out for dinner, probably in preparation for all the home cooking they’d eat tomorrow at the party. Katsuki stuffed himself full of veggie pizza.

“Here,” Mrs. Sero handed him a piece of paper.

Katsuki took it and read what was written down. It was a recipe.

“Would you boys mind helping me make some dessert for tomorrow?” she smiled.

“Sure! What’re we making?” Hanta leaned over Katsuki’s shoulder to read the recipe. “Ooh,” he whispered, Katsuki could feel the breath on his ear, sending a shudder down his spine, “this is good.”

“What is it?” Katsuki asked.

“Gulab Jamun, your basic Indian donut,” Hanta smiled. “This’ll be fun.”

“I’ll also be making some coconut laddo,” Mrs. Sero said. “Easy desserts to eat for parties.”

“Ooh!” Hanta lit up. “Damn, we’re getting a feast tomorrow...and Ramadan is supposed to be about fasting…”

“We don’t do it that way anymore,” Mrs. Sero waved a hand. “Now, it’s just an excuse to invite family over and dress up and party all day long.”

“And eat delicious food!” Mr. Sero chimed in.

“True, true!” Mrs. Sero got up and collected the empty pizza boxes and plates. Once the table was clear and the trash put away, Hanta pulled Katsuki into the kitchen.

“Let’s get to work!” he smiled.

They pulled out the ingredients and took turns adding them to the bowl, mixing, and dropping the balls into the fryer. Katsuki didn’t think he’d ever had this much fun cooking before. He loved cooking, it was usually a destresser for him. If he ever got caught up in his head, if it was ever too much, he’d go down to the kitchen and cook. Curry, noodles, katsudon (once), the list goes on.

Now, cooking with Hanta, Katsuki teased and flirted and laughed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh this much,” Hanta commented.

“You, somehow, don’t manage to piss me off like the countless others in our stupid class,” Katsuki said honestly. He never lied. Wasn’t very heroic. “You’re fun.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” Hanta smiled. “At least there’s one person who doesn’t piss off Bakugo Katsuki.”

“Don’t push your luck, Hanta,” he drawled his name with a smirk on his lips. “It’s thin ice.”

“Oh is it now, Katsuki?” Hanta singsonged each syllable of his name, making Katsuki laugh at the sound.

This new feeling, deep inside his chest, swirled dangerously close the surface. He wasn’t sure what it was...but it happened whenever Hanta teased and flirted back.

“Yes,” he said.

They rescued the almost-burnt donut balls from the fryer and added more. Hanta cut one in half and brought it up to Katsuki’s lips. He opened his mouth and accepted the piece of pastry. It was hot, delicious, and melted on his tongue. He moaned.

“Fuck, that’s good.”

“Told ya,” Hanta taunted.

“I never said I didn’t believe you,” Katsuki leaned his hip on the counter and crossed his arms.

“True,” he said. Then they locked eyes, he stared into the dark obsidian, getting lost in the depths of Hanta’s mixed emotions. Katsuki felt that new feeling again, stirring and rising and bubbling, and floating. He felt light, weightless, if only Hanta could keep staring at him like that, Katsuki might be able to figure out this feeling.

Eventually, Hanta looked away with a small blush on his cheeks.

“Almost forgot about the donuts again,” he mumbled, rescuing them from the fryer. “Damn.”

“Hanta-” Katsuki broke off, maybe he shouldn’t say anything until he was sure what these feelings really were. And even then, did Hanta even feel the same way?

“Sorry.”

“Don’t fucking apologize to me, I hate that word,” Katsuki growled. “Just tell me.”

“I think I might like you.”

The kitchen fell into heavy silence. Katsuki was frozen, his mind running a thousand kilometers a second, processing, thinking. Hanta busied himself by adding the next round of donuts.

Katsuki finally found piece of mind. Hanta liked him, and he was starting to like him. There were so many qualities about him he liked. His sense of humor, for one, he always made Katsuki laugh. There were no others who could do the same. He could go on and on, but Hanta was standing there, cheeks pink, waiting for him to say something.

“So,” he smirked, “you found me irresistible?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Hanta flushed. “Jesus, all you attractive people who know you’re attractive are all loudmouths.”

“Oh, I know something I could do with my mouth-” he started, Hanta shoved a donut ball in his mouth to shut him up. He almost choked on how dangerously far it went before he could chew on it. He glanced up at Hanta and burst into laughter. He chewed and swallowed. “Your fucking face.”

“Katsuki!” Hanta whined.

“Priceless,” he snickered. Then he reached out and grabbed Hanta’s hand, threading his fingers with Hanta’s long, thin ones. “Obviously, I’m not good at this stuff, hell, dating is a whole different universe that I’m barely beginning to understand. But fuck it if you aren’t so fucking pretty, and funny, and kind. Your quirk is so unique and strong, and damn, you’d make a fine hero someday….” he trailed off, not really knowing what to say next.

“Are you letting me down?” Hanta sighed.

“No,” Katsuki shook his head. “I’m picking you up off the goddamn floor and launching you straight to the fucking moon. I told you I wasn’t good at this but you goddamn fucking stole my mind.” It was true, all his thoughts were occupied by his smiles, his pretty eyes, replaying his laughs and giggles.

“Don’t you mean ‘heart’?”

“Damn, that too.”

Then they were hugging, and holy shit, hugging him felt nice. He was so thin and lanky, but so strong. And tall too, Katsuki only now realized the height difference between them, Hanta had definitely inherited his father’s height, as Katsuki could fit perfectly under his chin.

He smashed his nose into Hanta’s collarbone and fisted his hands in his shirt.

“How did this happen?” Hanta asked.

“Fuck if I know.”

--

The next morning dawned earlier than Katsuki was ready for. He quickly dressed in the outfit Mrs. Sero had bought for him, it fitting perfectly. Hanta dressed in a maroon and gold outfit. Together, they went down for breakfast.

A couple of Hanta’s older siblings had arrived last night, so Katsuki met them at breakfast. The remainder of the family would be arriving before lunch.

The rest of the morning was spent preparing for the party. Katsuki helped hang decorations, put out dishes of food on the table.

Then he watched as Mrs. Sero pulled out some red powder. With her ring finger, she made a red dot on her forehead in the middle of her eyes. She then did the same to all of her daughters, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren.

“Bakugo, would you like a bindi too?” she asked. He looked over at Hanta, who had refrained from the tradition this time. He shrugged.

“Um, sure,” he held still and felt a tiny pressure on his forehead.

“Oh, it matches your eyes! How lovely and pretty!” she smiled.

“I brought henna!” one of the daughters exclaimed. Mr. Sero started up the music and with that, the party had begun.

“It does match your eyes,” Hanta whispered into Katsuki’s ear, after his mother had left to get her arms decorated. “You look pretty with a bindi, Katsuki.”

He flushed.

He needed a subject change. Anything other than his appearance.

“Wh-what’s henna?”

“Temporary tattoo paste, my sisters are really good at the traditional designs, want to go get some?” Hanta grabbed Katsuki’s hand and dragged him over to one of his sisters. “Laia! We want matching henna!”

“Oh?” Laia smirked, snipping the tip off a new tube. She reached for Katsuki’s right hand. The paste was cold, and smelled weird, but it branded his skin with swirly designs and flowers and it looked so cool. She decorated both arms, then reached for a new tube for Hanta, giving him the same design as Katsuki.

When it dried, Hanta took them to the bathroom to wash it off.

“Damn, this looks so cool!” He raced the rings on his fingers, the dots, the swirls, the flowers.

“Let’s take a picture!” Hanta pulled out his phone and posed in the mirror. Katsuki held up both hands, flipping the bird, and stuck his tongue out with a smirk. Hanta repositioned himself right behind Katsuki, tucking him under his chin, and loosely wrapped an arm around his neck, then copied his tongue-out-smirk.

“Damn that’s a cool picture! Send it to me!” Katsuki smiled. He pulled out his own phone and saved the image. Then went around changing all his social media profile pictures. “New profile pic.”

“Me too,” Hanta chuckled. Then the music changed to one of the dance songs that Katsuki knew. “Let’s go dance!”

They ran out and joined the group of dancers on the dance floor, jumping right in. Katsuki was praised for his knowledge of their dances, he only flushed and said it was Hanta who’d taught him.

A couple people asked him if they were together. He blushed harder and shook his head. At least not yet, they weren’t.

Somehow, Hanta had gotten a hold of video footage of the both of them dancing and sent it to Katsuki. He saved it with a smile.

The party was a blast, probably the most fun Katsuki’s ever had in his whole eighteen years of existence. He danced to the songs he knew, binged on good Indian food when he took a break, flirted and teased Hanta, then jumped right back into dancing again.

At sunset, the party migrated outdoors. They chowed down on various dinner foods, Katsuki stuffing himself full of the delicious food.

At midnight, the party showed no sign of stopping.

Mr. Sero had a bonfire going and a couple of his brothers and in-laws were setting off fireworks. The firework show last a while, then they passed out sprinklers. When they lost the lighter, Katsuki offered his quirk, going around lighting the sprinklers from the sparks on his fingertips.

When people began drifting inside, Katsuki and Hanta remained outside by the fire, feeding it branches and twigs to keep it alive.

“This is a fan fucking tastic party,” Katsuki sighed.

“Yeah, it always is,” Hanta agreed. “We’re going to be so dead tomorrow though.”

“Ugh, don’t fucking remind me.”

The sky began to grow lighter, the sun was rising.

People began to drift outside for the sunrise, bringing the breakfast dishes with them. They helped themselves to even more delicious food. Katsuki didn’t even find it in him to complain about it being vegetarian. It was the best fucking food he’d ever eaten in his goddamn life.

“God, I’m moving in here,” he whispered to Hanta. “Your mom’s cooking, hmmm. Ten out of ten would fucking recommend.”

Hanta laughed, leaning in to steal a slice of bread from Katsuki’s plate.

“Glad you think so,” he said. “Or, we could room together after graduation. I can make most of these dishes too, you know.”

“Hmm, even better,” Katsuki smiled.

With the morning came even more dancing, Katsuki and Hanta jumped right in to dance with the rest of the family, twisting, turning, smiling, sweating. But hell if Katsuki didn’t love it.

Hanta eventually got tired of dancing and flopped on a nearby chair. But Katsuki didn’t stop, he kept dancing with Hanta’s sisters. He was probably the center of attention. Good, keep Hanta’s eyes on him.

He smirked when Hanta pulled out his phone to film his dance. That’s when he threw himself into the moves, licking his lips seductively, smirking when he saw the blush on Hanta’s cheeks.

Lunch came around, and Katsuki couldn’t find it in him to be tired. He’d been up for hours, but he was still wired.
Hanta pulled him aside to his bedroom after the meal.

“What? I was having fun!”

“True, babe, but we gotta get on a train and get back to UA,” Hanta said. “We have a couple hours to shower and pack.”

“Next time we party,” Katsuki said, feeling bold from sleep deprivation, “I want a dress like your mom’s.”

--

“Excuse me, sirs?” a quiet voice gently shook Katsuki awake, then shook Hanta. “We’ve arrived at the final destination. You may exit when ready.”

Katsuki sat up and immediately regretted it. His body was sore, sore from dancing, sore from sleeping in an awkward position, sore from partying for twenty four hours straight. But damn, he’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Hanta stood and stretched, exposing his stomach when he lifted his arms. He held out his hand and Katsuki took it. Together they walked off the train and to UA. They signed in at the gate and headed towards the 3-A dorm building.

“My room, or your room?” Hanta asked.

“My room,” Katsuki pushed the button for his floor in the elevator.

The next time Katsuki woke, it was to his alarm going off. The arm around his middle tightened and he felt the vibrations of Hanta’s groan in his chest.

“That was only three hours of sleep,” Hanta groaned.

“Plus three on the train, that’s six.”

“Still not enough!”

Katsuki chuckled and untangled himself from Hanta and found his uniform. He put it on and continued getting ready for school.

Hanta was still laying in his bed when he finished brushing his teeth.

“Go get ready,” he said. “I’ll meet you at breakfast.”

“Ugh, fine,” Hanta rolled himself out of bed. He paused at the doorway and placed a chaste kiss on Katsuki’s cheek.

Katsuki blushed. He couldn’t wait until their dates this weekend. As soon as Hanta left, Katsuki felt...sad? Hollow? Lonely? All of the above? He couldn’t wait to see him again, he’d gotten used to Hanta in the short amount of time they’d spent together.

They’d gotten to know each other well, their likes, dislikes, many hours during the party where dancing had gotten boring, and there was no food to eat, they spend talking. Talking about themselves, their goals, everything. He was starting to get to know the real Sero Hanta, and Hanta was getting to know the real Bakugo Katsuki.

Soon, it would grow to more than just ‘like’. There was a great potential for Katsuki to love him.

He grabbed his school bag and began the trek to the cafeteria. Hanta caught up to him on his way there. They grabbed breakfast, though it was way less interesting than Mrs. Sero’s breakfast, and sat together at a table.

“Oh, you guys have matching tattoos!” Ashido plopped her tray down, Kirishima sitting next to her.

“We do,” Hanta smiled. “It was my idea.”

“I just wanted henna, I didn’t care about design,” Katsuki shrugged. “But it looks hella cool.”

“Fuck yeah it does,” Hanta gave him a fist bump.

“We saw the videos of you guys dancing,” Kirishima lit up, “and Bakugo’s dance was so damn sexy!”

Katsuki’s eyes widened and he turned to Hanta.

“I might’ve posted the vids online,” he chuckled. Katsuki glared at him. “Don’t give me that fucking look.” Katsuki pouted. “Stop fucking pouting, dammit.” He sniffed. “Jesus Christ. I can take them down.”

“Nah,” Katsuki smirked.

“Fuck you!”

He burst into laughter at Hanta’s expense.

“That was fucking priceless, man!” Katsuki exclaimed.

“Shut the fuck up, or I’ll skip out on Friday night.”

Katsuki gasped.

“You wouldn’t-”

“What’s Friday night?” Ashido grinned.

“We’re training together,” Hanta said. “Stop teasing me or I’ll ditch you.”

“Fine, ‘Tape Face’.”

--

Just like they’d predicted, school was slow torture. Katsuki could feel the exhaustion on him like a heavy blanket. Sometime after lunch, he head a soft ‘thunk’, turned around, and saw Hanta conked out on his desk.

He couldn’t help the smile that wormed its way onto his mouth.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were usually training days. Katsuki had a routine and loved to follow it. He spent two hours fighting exhaustion in the gym then trekked back to the dorms for a shower.

Dinner was quick, Katsuki got his usual and sat next to Hanta, teasing and flirting even though both were completely exhausted.

Just as the first day, the rest of the week had gone by in a flash, until suddenly, it was Friday afternoon. Classes had let out and Katsuki found himself up on that roof again, waiting until Hanta came to take him on their date.

“Bakugo?” Asui had found him on the roof. That’s right, this was her spot too.

“Frogger,” he nodded a greeting.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked.

There was a lot on his mind. Most of it was about Hanta, his smile, the way his eyes lit up when someone told a joke, his laugh.

“Hanta…” he finally said.

“You two have been hanging out a lot lately,” she nodded.

“He invited me to his house last weekend for a party,” he shrugged.

“I saw the videos,” she said. “You’re a good dancer, kero.”

“I had a good teacher,” he smiled, thinking back to the day in the dance room, watching a patient Hanta correct his wrist movements and hip twists. A fluttery feeling forced its way into his stomach and up his throat. Before he could stop himself, he muttered the words, “how do you know when you’re in love?”

Asui gave him a knowing look, bringing a finger up to her chin.

“When you see them, you’ll know. They’re all you think about, all you dream about. They are the one person who makes you the happiest in the world,” she sighed. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard, kero.”

That made perfect sense. No wonder Asui was the dating goddess. He wondered if she had someone to love as he did...

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked, returning the favor.

She was silent for awhile, a breeze picking up out of nowhere to rustle their hair and clothes. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

“Tokoyami-kun,” she finally said.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I asked him if he would like to go out with me,” she sighed, “but he said he’s not interested in a relationship, kero. So I said we could be friends until he’s ready. We’re going to study tonight for the test on Monday.”

“Oh,” he blinked, “I hope it works out for you.”

“Thanks, Bakugo,” she smiled, “I hope it does too, kero.”

His phone chimed, it was Hanta, asking if he was ready for their date. Katsuki smiled and replied.

“I gotta date,” he said. “If you fucking tell anyone about this-”

“Don’t worry, Bakugo,” Asui shook her head. “I won’t tell a soul, kero.”

“Thanks for this, Frogger,” he gently punched her shoulder and bolted down the stairs to Hanta’s room.

He burst in without knocking, making him jump in surprise.

“K-Katsuki!” he yelled. “Fucking knock, man! Jesus!”

Katsuki felt his insides warm at the sound of Hanta’s voice.

“Oops,” he smirked. “Let’s go! I’m fucking starving.”

They were still in their uniforms, but it was okay, they’d change to workout clothes after dinner. Together, they walked over to the ramen shop and grabbed a seat at the bar. Katsuki ordered the kimchi ramen, Hanta ordered the regular without meat.

“I’m kinda excited about this,” Hanta whispered. “Well, mostly excited about tomorrow, but still excited for tonight...I rented all three All Might movies from the store.”

Katsuki’s jaw dropped. He’d forgotten about that part.

“Who told you I liked All Might? Was it Frogger?”

“No,” Hanta smirked. “It was Kirishima.”

“Jerk.”

“Hey, forget him, tonight’s about us,” Hanta reached over and laced their fingers together.

“Right,” Katsuki looked up into Hanta’s eyes, getting lost once again in their obsidian depths. “So tell me about your mom’s side of the family. Tell me about your traditions and stuff.”

Hanta smiled.

“My mom’s mom is Hindu, my mom’s dad is Islamic, it was an arranged marriage,” he explained, “so my mom grew up with both Hindu and Islamic cultures. Now that she’s here though, with her own family, she kinda just...makes her own traditions. But she made sure we knew about both cultures. Ramadan is an Islamic tradition, from her father’s side, but she made it her own, you know?”

“What’s the next festival?” Katsuki asked, finding himself excited to dance and eat again.

“The one we’ll celebrate next is at the end of August,” Hanta said, “called Krishna Janmashtami. It’s really fun, all the guys climb on top of each other to break pots.”
Katsuki chuckled.

“Sounds fun,” he smiled, “I can’t wait.”

Hanta beamed at him.

Their food arrived and they began to eat. Hanta talked some more about life growing up, cultures and traditions they leaned, both Indian and Japanese, he even managed to sneak a spicy noodle from Katsuki’s dish without him noticing.

Hanta paid for the food and they left. They changed into gym clothes and headed out for a hardcore training session. It was perfect, Katsuki loved every second of it. After working out, they decided to end with a quick sparring match. Katsuki rarely ever sparred with Hanta, due to their quirks not being a good match.

They found a way to work around it though, Hanta launching himself in the air, Katsuki aiming at him with direct explosions. He managed to land an attack on Hanta once, loosening his grip on his tape and falling straight on top of Katsuki, collapsing to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs and goofy expressions.

“Oops,” Hanta giggled, “sorry.”

“Don’t fucking apologize, don’t ever,” he gently reached up and tucked dark midnight hair behind Hanta’s ear.

Hanta smiled and leaned down, Katsuki felt his eyes closing, and he felt Hanta’s lips against his. Katsuki felt all his emotions swirling inside him, bubbling to the surface, all his love and fondness for Hanta, rising up.

He wrapped his arms around Hanta’s neck, pulling him closer, deepening their kiss, gasping when he felt a brush of warm tongue against his lips. Their mouths opened, and their tongues found each other, cautious at first, growing bold with every second.

Kissing Hanta was fucking amazing. He felt like he was drowning in Hanta’s scent, his kisses. When he pulled back, Katsuki whined at the loss of the soft warmth on his lips.

“Damn,” Hanta smiled, resting his forehead on Katsuki’s, “amazing. You kiss just like you fight, bold and aggressive.”

Katsuki hadn’t even thought about how he was kissing, all he had thought about was more, more, fucking more.

“That was my first,” Katsuki sighed into Hanta’s warmth, “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Well, it was good, a good first kiss for both of us, then.”

Hanta pulled away and stood, extending his arm to help Katsuki. He took it, standing back up on his feet. Then he let go and bent his knees, extending his arms into the first dance stance Hanta had ever taught him.

Luckily, Hanta caught on and copied his stance. They ran through the motions, harder without music, but Katsuki forced himself to focus on the dance and not the attractive boy next to him.

When their dance finished, it ended with Hanta and Katsuki’s forearms crossed together, flushed faces, and large smiles on both their faces.

“I’m going to teach you more dances soon,” Hanta decided. “Because dancing with you is probably my new favorite thing.”

“Mine too,” Katsuki admitted. Hanta dipped down and pressed another kiss to his lips, this time gentle and quick.

“Come on,” he said, “we have three whole All Might movies to watch.”

“Hell yeah!” Katsuki exclaimed.

He let Hanta drag him away to the dorms to shower and change into comfy pajamas. Katsuki stole one of Hanta’s oversized shirts and threw that on, cuddling next to Hanta on his bed while he started the movies.

Hanta made the best big spoon. Katsuki felt safe and secure nestled against Hanta’s chest with his arms tight around his waist. He hardly made it through the second movie when Hanta’s heartbeat lulled him to sleep.

--

Dating someone you love changes you.

Hanta had said those words months ago when explaining the behavior of their classmates. Katsuki hadn’t understood the full extend of those words until now. Until he’d fallen in love for himself.

Had he changed? A big fat yes.

He felt soft and gushy. It had been months since he’d first fallen for that smile and the laugh that usually followed, but it felt like yesterday. His heart pounded, his stomach fluttered, his palms grew sweaty. Definitely love.

Katsuki had never thought he’d find love for himself. Love, he’d decided at a young age, was for wimps. Now, he knew, love was for the strong.

Falling for Hanta had been like falling off a bike, instant. With a lingering pain that reminded him he’d never fall off a bike again, just like he’d never love anyone else the way he loved Hanta. A crude analogy, but it worked.

Had he changed? Really?

He’d changed in his heart. No longer looking at the world with condescending eyes, no longer looking down on his friends, no longer out of reach with his emotions. No, Hanta had changed all that.

Suddenly, Katsuki found the world fresh and exciting, with so many different cultures and traditions out there for him to discover. He found his friends to be strongholds in his life, leaning on them when he needed help or advice. He finally learned to embrace his emotions head on, feeling confident and bold.

Hanta had changed him.

Loving Hanta had made him embrace change.

Would he trade it for the world? Not even over his cold, dead body.

--

“Hey babe,” Hanta looped his arms around Katsuki’s neck and pressed a kiss behind the shell of his ear. Katsuki leaned back into the embrace.

Finals were next week, then the week after would be graduation. They were slowly but surely on their way to becoming pros. Katsuki had accepted an internship with Best Jeanist once again, Hanta accepted one with Gang Orca alongside Izuku.

The next few weeks were going to be busy, Katsuki and Hanta would have to savor the time they have very carefully.

“Hey.”

“I got you something,” Hanta set a cloth bundle on the desk in front of Katsuki. He picked it up and opened it. Gold embroidered black and green cloth spilled out.

“Oh my god,” Katsuki unfolded it and smiled. “Is this-?”

“It’s called a sari,” Hanta said. “My mother made it especially for you.”

Katsuki stood up and immediately began to strip his clothes. Hanta helped him dress in the fabric properly. It fit perfectly, and, if he didn’t say so himself, looked amazing on him. The top stretched over his muscles and ended with tiny beads dancing along his midsection. The skirt hugged his slim hips and draped seductively over his hips, and the beautiful embroidered wrap hung over his body beautifully.

“Fuck, babe, you look beautiful,” Hanta kissed his cheek.

“Thank you,” Katsuki smiled.

“All you’re missing is a bindi,” he watched as Hanta pulled out a small black cylinder. He pulled the cap and lightly pressed it to Katsuki’s forehead between his eyes. “There.”

“I feel so fancy,” Katsuki kissed his lover’s cheek, “we going to a party?” That’s when he noticed Hanta’s outfit, made to perfectly match Katsuki’s. A short sleeve black and green shirt, with green pants, both embroidered with the same golden design on Katsuki’s sari.

“Perhaps,” Hanta smiled. He gently gripped Katsuki’s wrists and pulled him out of the room, down the elevator, and to the common room.

“Surprise!”

The entire Sero family had set up the common room for a party, the entire class 3-A dressed for the occasion. Katsuki’s jaw dropped.

“Oh my god!”

“Bakugo!” Mrs. Sero ran up to him and gave him a hug. “It was Hanta’s idea, he wanted to surprise you for your anniversary.”

Damn, that’s right, their four month anniversary. Katsuki smiled and turned to kiss his boyfriend.

“Thank you.”

“Your welcome,” Hanta smiled, “now,” he took Katsuki’s arm, “how about some matching henna?”

“Fuck yes!” Katsuki turned and immediately spotted Laia finishing up henna on Ashido’s wrists. “Laia!” He dragged Hanta over to her.

“Katsuki-chan!”

“Matching henna please!”

“Coming right up!”

They spent the rest of the night dancing away and stuffing themselves full of food. At midnight, Hanta smiled, gripped Katsuki’s hand tight, and dropped down on one knee.

“Oh my god!” Katsuki exclaimed. The party came to a screeching halt as Hanta pulled out the small ring box. “Oh fuck.”

“Marry me?” he opened the box to present a thin band, embedded with diamonds.

Katsuki was presented with the option to be with the love of his life forever, and he accepted it without any hesitation.

“Fuck yes!”

Their audience went wild as Hanta sild the ring on his finger, standing back up for a kiss. The music came back full force and they jumped into dancing, bright smiles on their face.

In two weeks, they’d be on their way to becoming pro heroes.

But for now, they can just be together, with no one standing in their way.

“I love you, Katsuki,” Hanta whispered in his ear, molding his body to fit perfectly alongside Katsuki’s.

“I love you too, Hanta,” Katsuki kissed him, with the music playing in the background, with the dancers twirling all around them, with his lover right in front of him.

No, he never thought he’d find love. But love found him, completely unexpectedly. If Katsuki thought back, he can remember the exact instant he fell in love with Hanta. It was as vivid as if it happened yesterday instead of four months ago. He can hear Hanta’s laugh, clear as day, he can see the crinkle of Hanta’s eyes as if it was right in front of him. He can feel the same exact swirl of emotions deep inside his gut screaming at him, ‘this one, this one!’

Hanta swung him back into the dances, smile on his lips, laugh bubbling up from his chest. Katsuki smiled, thinking to himself, he was one lucky son of a bitch to land a man like Sero Hanta.