《 my one and only 》

“Don’t tell me yer tryin’ to run away. It’s too late ya already said ‘I do’. I’ll fuckin’ hunt you down if you leave and would be well within my rights to,” a growly voice behind you says.

You turn to see Katsuki standing behind you, dressed in a black tux with a mermaid pendant of his own, pinned to his chest. His arms are crossed over his chest and he tries to look grumpy but the joy and elation in his eyes is too grand to give in to the grumpiness.

You beam and reach a hand out to him. “Pfft, if you thought you’d be able to get rid of me that easily, you thought wrong,” you snort.

He rolls his eyes playfully but grabs your hand and lets you pull him to you. He wraps an arm around the small of your back, rests a hand over yours while lightly running a finger over the diamond encrusted band on your left hand.

“What’re ya doin’ out here anyway? Everyone’s lookin’ for the Bride,'' he asks softly, tenderly, the voice he reserves only for you.

“Just wanted to step away and look at the tree again,” you reply, turning back to crane your head up and look at the blossoms on the tree again. His tree, or rather your tree now, always soothed you.

He smacks his lips playfully and gazes up at the tree as well.

“Tsk, you and this damn tree,” he tuts.

Pouting, you  push your lips out and knit your brows together. “Me and this damn tree saved your skin. So show some respect, dummy,” you say, jabbing him in the chest with a finger.

He kisses the tip of his index finger and pokes at where your brows are pulled together, making gentle circles there until you’ve stopped frowning. When you finally do, he pulls you closer to him, giggling.

“Yeah yer right. Wouldn’t be Paradise without it,” he shrugs.

“Still can’t believe you actually named the farm that on the deed.”

He lifts your chin, gazing into your eyes seriously. A flower from the tree flutters down between you two and he catches it before it hits the ground. Then he takes a strand of your hair without disturbing its intricate style, and adds the flower to your hair.

He bends down to place a soft kiss to your lips but before he does he says, “If yer here with me, it’s always Paradise.”

You sigh into the kiss, arms moving up his body to wrap around his neck and card your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. When you pull back, you’re grinning.

“Alright, please give me back my non-mushy husband. I married you because you were an asshole, not because you were sweet,” you say chuckling.

You suddenly hear Hizashi calling for you from the house and you peek around Katsuki’s shoulder to see him on the porch, yelling about a toast.

Katsuki scoffs then moves his hand down to squeeze your ass. “I’m gonna make ya regret that later just you wait.”

He pulls you back toward the house, holding your hand tightly and you can see his wedding band glistening in the sun. You take one final look at the tree over your shoulder, taking in all its glory before turning back to Katsuki and saying with a grin,

“Can’t wait.

Year 3

“Fuck you mutt!” Katsuki screams at Frenchie as the dog growls ferociously at him.

This fucking dog, the nerve of him. Growling at him for tryin’ to touch his own wife. And wouldn’t you fuckin’ know it, you’re no help at all,siding with the dog instead of him.

“Katsu be nice,” you reprimand like he’s a kid. You don’t even look up from your book as you sit rocking back and forth in the rocking chair. It creaks with every movement.

Katsuki rolls his eyes, “Me? be nice? He’s the little shit that’s growling at me!” he retorts, throwing his arms up in frustration.

“He’s just being protective. Hanta said he’d get like that,” you say offhandedly, still rocking slowly in your chair and lazily flipping the page.

He pouts and glares down at Frenchie sitting next to you with his head in your lap. You’re idly rubbing his ears as your eyes flit across the pages of Wizard of OZ again. There’s a blanket over your legs and when you’re not scratching Frenchie’s ears, you’re rubbing your swollen tummy and humming quietly as you read.

“Stupid dog. It’s MY kid in there. And she’s MY wife. I should be able to touch her all I want,” he grumbles.

You chuckle and put the book down. Patting Frenchie’s head, you keep him occupied while reaching out to grab Katsuki’s hand. He puts his hand in yours instantly and you bring the back of his knuckles to your cheek and he moves to brush your soft skin gently before sighing and cupping your face in his hand.

“See, you can touch me,” you say smiling.

Katsuki groans in frustration but doesn’t dare drop your hand. “That ain’t what I meant,” he grunts.

He sighs a deep breath. He’s been on edge for a few weeks now. You’re coming up on the end of the third trimester, your belly is swollen, your ankles are swollen and Frenchie, sensing the baby is sure to be coming soon, has become more protective than ever.

He paces around the house, hovers behind you whenever you walk to do anything. He barely lets you hold or pick anything up. You haven’t seen the cows in weeks because he refuses to let you go out and tend to them.

You smile up at him and instantly his frown softens and he’s bending down in front of you, ignoring the warning growls from Frenchie. He glances at his watch.

“Ya sure ya wanna go today?” he asks for the thirteenth time today. You really should be resting. You’re eight months pregnant for fucks sake!

‘Course I do! I wouldn’t miss the Flower Dance for anything! It’s one of my favorites!” you beam.

“Yeah but ya won’t be able to do much dancin’,” he retorts.

You shrug. “I’m ok with that. I like seeing all the flowers. Plus, I’m sure Hizashi will have a bunch of questions for me about how to work Gramps’ stove, “ you reply giggling.

You’d spent a lot of time at your old farm, helping Shouta and Hizashi move in and make it their own after you’d moved in with Katsuki and gifted them your grandfather’s old farm.Though there were still things they didn’t know about it, you’d always been more than happy to help. You entrusted it to them after being married and knew they’d take the best care of it.

Katsuki only rolls his eyes but he stands and holds out his hands right as you're saying “Alright help me up!”

He hesitates and as you’re pulling yourself up, he stops you and plops you back down in the chair. His eyes meet your questioning stare.

“What’s wrong Papa Bear?” you say with a tiny smirk. The new nickname isn’t lost on him, he’s been blushing since you started using it three months ago.

He shakes his head to clear his thoughts and focus again. “I sorta gotta surprise for ya,” he says sheepishly. Your eyes grow wide.

“A surprise? What for?” you ask.

He scoffs, “Reckon I just wanted to do somethin’ special for my wife so. Why’s there gotta be a special occasion?” he asks, walking toward one of the closests.

You squint in suspicion but you smile and watch him dig through the closet and hide something behind his back. He takes a deep breath, then presents it to you. Here goes nothin’.

He places a wooden box on your lap with a golden lever sticking out of the side of it.

“It’s a box,” you say unimpressed.

“Tsk, open it idjit,”” he says, rolling his eyes. He hopes you can’t see how much of a nervous wreck he is.

Slowly you open the box and slap a hand over your mouth as you gasp. It’s a music box with words etched into the wood.

So come with me

We’ll go and see

The Big Rock Candy Mountain

There are two tiny figures in the center of the box—you as a kid with two puffs on your head holding a fishing pole and your Grandfather’s likeness—standing on a contraption that will spin when you wind up the handle and when you do, that silly song you’re always singing starts. The twinkling sound of the music box fills the silence and Katsuki watches you intently, praying that you like it.

When the box stops and he can no longer take the silence he clears his throat.

“Eiji helped with making the box and etching the quote, Hanta helped make the music portion. Oh uhh Hizashi and Shouta gave me a picture of you and your grandpa to whittle the figures, and lemme tell ya, shit is harder than it looks. But I’m awesome so I nailed it and got it all painted…” he trails off as he watches you stare at it with glassy eyes.

Do you not like it? Did he catch you in one of your mood swings?

Suddenly you look up at him. “You made this? For me?” You whisper in a tiny voice.

He smirks, “Course I did. And I was thinkin’ that uhh maybe…maybe we name the lil guy Teddy,” he says rubbing your belly with a large hand.

You tenderly put your hand over his and when he looks up at you you’re smiling warmly. Huge tears well up in your eyes and gently roll down your cheeks. Your lip trembles and a sob breaks through you. It doesn’t sound painful, in fact it sounds as if you’re laughing.

The sun shines through the window and when you look at him to mutter a tiny “thank you”, your eyes do that thing that he loves. They catch the sun and glimmer, like a crystal of amber held up to the sky. Nothing could ever compare to the look on your face right now, and he’d spend 1000 years in rehab if it meant he could always be the one to make you feel this way.

He cups your face and the kiss he bestows on you turns into a smile, the smile turns into a giggle, and finally the giggle is hearty laughter between the two of you.

“Our little Teddy,” you cry, cradling your belly. You give Katsuki a smug look before holding your hand out for him to help you back up.

“I knew you didn’t actually hate the song,” you tease.

Katsuki chuckles, pulls you up out of the chair and grabs a shawl for you to wrap around your shoulders during the festival. “Figured since you’re always singin’ it to him, might as well give ‘em the damn music box. Glad ya like it.”

“It’s perfect.”

It’s quiet.

The moon is overhead, you’re asleep in bed curled up into Katsuki’s side and his eyes shoot open at the sound of Frenchie whining and trotting down the stairs. Usually he sleeps with the two of you, at the foot of the bed, right near your feet.

Katsuki yawns, sleepily looks over to see you still sleeping peacefully, checks the time on the alarm clock, then glances at the door and the sound of paws tapping on hardwood.

“Fuckin hell French. It’s too late for this shit,” he groans. Slowly he untangles your arms from him, pulls the blanket over you and creeps out of the room and down the steps.

There’s a bluish light beckoning from downstairs and Katsuki wonders if you left a light on downstairs. He moves slowly and carefully as Frenchie continues whining. The sound is coming from the living room and as Katsuki inches closer he can swear he hears faint whistling.

Is there somebody here? The tune is one he recognizes.  It’s the tune you always whistle while doing the dishes, that you hum to yourself when you’re painting. It’s the song he heard you singing to yourself the very first time he saw you in his special fishing spot.

It’s a song you sing to his son, growing in your belly. A silly song that Katsuki teased you about knowing but also went out of his way to give to you in a homemade music box.

Katsuki shakes his head and continues down the steps, turning the corner as Frenchie’s whining gets louder. He’s sure he’s just hearing things.

“What is it, Mutt? You’ll wake Sweets up and we both know how cranky she gets when she’s woken up,” he grumbles but he stops suddenly.

There’s somethin’ that looks like it’s in the shape of an old man. Katsuki stays quiet and stunned. It’s 3AM, he didn’t wipe the sleep from his eyes before coming downstairs, or maybe he’s still dreaming. It has to be. He reaches to try and pinch himself but before he can, the figure moves and Katsuki notices he can see right through it.

He stands in shock as it moves to pat Frenchie on the head softly. Frenchie the little traitor, barks happily and wags his tail, closing his eyes as if the ghost– if he can even call it that– is actually petting him. Katsuki can’t speak for some reason. He feels frozen, like he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. He doesn’t know if it’s fear or contentment that keeps him from yelling or threatening the thing but he stays staring at it in amazement.

Slowly it turns to look at him and Katsuki recognizes some of its features as your grandfather’s. When he is facing Katsuki completely, he smiles and Katsuki intakes a short breath.

“Tell her I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

His voice is like a ghostly echo around the room, yet soft enough that the sound won’t reach upstairs. It’s almost as if Katsuki can only hear it in his mind. Despite being weirded out, he finds himself nodding at the apparition in front of him. It’s not like he doesn’t believe that your grandpa wouldn’t be proud of you. Of course he’d tell you that. Yet when he nods, there's a warmth that surrounds him and makes him feel tingly.

The apparition smiles again, and looks as if it’s starting to fade away. Katsuki takes a step forward, voice still lost in the darkness. He wants to stop it from going and call you downstairs so you can see him for yourself. Even if this is a dream, you deserve that closure.

Instead, your grandfather’s smile only grows wider and with his last few moments he makes Katsuki swear something to him.

“Take care of her for me.”

“Always.”

His response is immediate, a sure promise that he will never break.

As your grandfather dissipates into a an array of tiny light fragments, Katsuki beckons to Frnechie who pads over to him and rubs his head against his knee. It almost feels like he’s telling him what he saw wasn’t a dream.  He slowly makes his way back upstairs with Frenchie on his heels,  climbs back into bed, and grabs you to pull close to him. You hum a little at his warmth and when he kisses your forehead, you mutter his name, like you always do.

Katsuki’s never been a man who believes in ghosts or magic so he can’t tell if what he saw was real or not. One thing was for sure. He’d promised to take care of you.

And he always keeps his promises.

END

Building after building passes by the tinted windows and as the car delves into the concrete jungle, Katsuki grows more and more on edge. It doesn’t help that you aren’t here with him. You had to get here a day earlier to get everything set up. He’d heard you chatting with your friend on the phone, heard her squeal and complain on the other line when you sternly told her you needed to make some changes to the paintings on display.

He’d also heard the amount of people who had paid to show up to the art gallery, all for the chance to purchase one of your paintings. It was an absurd amount, Katsuki doesn’t even think he knows that many people.

He should’ve known you were this popular, honestly. You’re fucking good at painting, there’s no question about it and you had every single person in town wrapped around your finger in a matter of weeks when you first arrived in Pelican Town. So he should’ve known you’d be this big shot artist from the city. It makes sense, it’s what you deserve; the praise, the attention, the money, but it doesn’t make being here easier.

It also doesn’t make having to tolerate Eijirou, Denki, and Hanta fawning over every single goddamn thing they pass as the limo swerves through the streets.

“There are so many people walking around. How do they all not bump into each other constantly?” Eijirou asks.

“These buildings are taller than my parent’s silo,” Denki breathes in astonishment.

“Holy crap there are so many Joja stores here,” Hanta replies as he stares nervously out the window. “How do any of the other shops stay open?”

Katsuki huffs. “There are more people in one of these buildings than in Pelican Town alone and those shops have plenty of uppity clientele. That’s how they afford to stay open,” he grumbles, folding his arms over his chest.

This sucks. Why couldn’t he have come with you earlier? He wouldn’t have minded getting here early and helping to set up if you were here by his side. His hand itches and his leg bounces with the jitters. He just needs to see you, you’ll calm him down for sure. He thinks about humming your funeral song to himself, but decides against it and instead imagines you singing it to him to calm him down. It doesn’t help a lot, only makes him want to hear you in person.

A hand on his arm tears him out of the blanket of nerves and he turns to see Eijirou smiling at him. “Don’t worry man. I think we’re almost there,” he says encouragingly. He squeezes Katsuki’s arm for an extra boost of confidence and again Katsuki is comparing how much you Ei are scarily alike.

“Thanks,” he mutters before turning back to look out the window.

Katsuki wonders what this is all about. When you’d asked him about the art show, you’d made it seem like this would’ve been the answer to all of his problems but he can’t see how this would help. Like any of these fucking people give a shit about his farm? Still, he trusts you and even if this isn’t part of the plan to buy his farm back, he wouldn’t miss the chance to support you.

So he takes a deep breath as the limo pulls in front of a very clean and modern looking building. The sooner he gets this over with the better.

The minute Katsuki steps out of the car, the city stink hits him in the face. He wrinkles his nose, it smells like garbage and smog and exhaust.The sun is starting to set and with the retreating sunlight, the city becomes more and more gray. He rolls his eyes but immediately searches for you. When he finds you, he sighs in relief. You’re standing at the door of the gallery speaking swiftly to someone dressed in all black and looks to be one of the waiters. Beside you stands a tall woman with light blue shoulder length hair, wearing a mint green dress that Katsuki assumes is your agent, Neijire Hado.

Already you look so different from what he’s used to. Your curls are straightened, your hair sleek and shiny. You’re wearing a white dress that hugs your body, accentuates your curves and shows a hint of skin in all of his favorite places. Your cleavage, your lower back, a slit to peek your thigh out as you walk. However, Katsuki feels completely at ease when you turn and make eye contact with him. Your appearance is different, but that smile you only show him looks exactly as he remembers and dofr that he’s grateful.

You and Nejire make your way over to Katsuki and the others standing outside of the art gallery. As soon as you’re close, he’s wrapping you in his arms and pulling you tight to his body, breathing in your familiar scent and humming to himself in relief. All the anxious energy pours out of him as you nestle against the empty spaces of his body, his missing piece.

“Missed you too Katsu,” you whisper into his chest and he grunts in response.

“Ah so you’re the famous farmer boyfriend, right? She wouldn’t shut up about you the entire time, you know,’ Nejire says, breaking into the brief tender moment. You whip around to glare at her as the others laugh.

“Don’t tell him that! I’ll never hear the end of it now,” you whine as Katsuki flashes you a shit eating grin.

“Don’t worry Darlin’. Kats was just as eager to see you. Shoulda seen him jitterin’ all the way here,” Eiji pipes up. Katsuki glares at him.

“You fuckin’ traitor,” he replies squinting at Eijirou.

Eiji’s attention seems to be elsewhere though. He’s staring at Neijire like a buffoon, mouth slightly agape as his eyes roll up and down her frame. When you turn to look at Neijire, you give Katsuki a quick wink as he watches her bat her eyes at Eijirou.

“Oh…you didn’t say all of your farmer friends were coming,” she flirts.

You smirk behind your fingertips and then clear your throat as you introduce them all to her. You leave Eiji for last, gesturing to him with an open palm as you inform her “and this is Eijirou Kirishima, sweetest man I’ve ever met.”

Eiji smiles at her, grabs her hand and places a chaste kiss on her knuckle before saying, “Good Evenin’ Miss. Thanks for havin’ us.'' His smile is almost blinding and Neijire’s cheeks are puffed up so much from smiling Katsuki can tell her whole face will ache a bit later.

Katsuki rolls his eyes as you grab his hand and address the rest of the group. “Shall we go in?” you ask, leading him away with another wink over your shoulder.

The art show takes place in a large bougie modern looking building with bare white walls and floors. It’s all pristine and sleek with covered canvases hanging all over the walls, way too clean and colorless for Katsuki’s taste. Where’s the greens of the trees and the deep browns of the soil? It’s no wonder you were so captivated by the big oak in his backyard. Katsuki can count on one hand the number of trees he’s seen since coming here.

It makes up for the lack of color by being filled to the brim with people. The room is buzzing with conversation, and although Katsuki and the others are dressed to fit in with the rest of the people here, it’s so painfully obvious how much they stand out. He sticks close to your side as you mingle through the crowds, greeting people, smiling, and shaking hands. He keeps an arm wrapped tightly around your waist and is thankful that you stay tucked into his side. When you introduce him, he gives curt nods and polite enough greetings.

“You’re doing well Katsu,” you whisper to him when the two of you finally have a moment alone.

He blows out a long breath. “Can we go home yet?” he asks, squeezing your hand lightly. The nerves are starting to settle into his limbs and he thinks the only thing keeping him from losing his shit is your hand in his. Squeeze so that I know you’re still here with me. That’s what you’d told him when he was comforting you. He didn’t know how much that actually helped, until now.

You smile and kiss the back of his knuckle, leaving a red lipstick print. “Soon Katsu, I promise,” you assure him. He squeezes your hand again and you peer up at him. He feels your hand cup his cheek gently and he immediately leans into it, shutting his eyes and enjoying the warmth.

“Why did we have to come here? I thought you were done with the city. You look pretty comfortable with all these people. Plus, you’re fuckin’ famous. Why would you wanna live out in the middle of nowhere?” he says, voice edging toward irritation.

“Because you’re there,” you reply simply and it immediately shuts him up. “And I’m not famous, this is just more people than you’re used to,” you explain with a smile.

He stares down into your eyes. He’ll never get tired of the way you look at him, the way you calm him. How you manage to look at him like he’s the only thing that matters in your world, every single time he has no clue. He takes a deep breath in and out to calm himself again.

“I know this is rough and I’m very proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone to be here with me.” The light praise does wonders for his ego but he narrows his eyes and hooks his finger under your chin to make you look up at him.

“Oi, I’ll always be here to support ya. So don’t go thankin’ me for shit I should be doin’ anyway,” he replies seriously.

“I love you, you know that?” you say squeezing his hand.

“Yeah I know.”

Your watch beeps suddenly and you clap your hands together and squeal, “It’s time!”

Katsuki watches you take your place at the podium on the slightly raised stage in front of the gathered audience and all the attention drops to you. You smile big and bright, a natural at this truly, and Katsuki can’t help but be in awe of you. You clear your throat and start your speech with thanking everyone for coming out.

“As you’re all aware, this will be the last art show I will be participating in. That means this show is special and it means every single piece is special. My hope is that you all will be able to see something different and more lively in this painting series. As it is unveiled I would implore all of you to stop and imagine yourselves in the paintings. Find one that really speaks to you and should you find one, let that be the one you bid on,” you say with a smile.

There’s murmuring in the audience, Katsuki even overhears one of the stuck-up women in the crowd whisper “This series better be as good as she says” to another woman next to her. Katsuki clenches his fist at his side and bites his tongue to stop him from saying something to her. He can’t believe you actually tolerate these people.

You press a button and the curtains hanging over each of the canvases hanging on the wall slowly part to show all of the paintings. The room is silent, as everyone takes in the paintings. Katsuki holds his breath as he observes. He’s stunned, every painting is like a snapshot of a place in Pelican Town. Some even feature some of the residents.

There’s one of Eijirou sanding wood back behind his carpentry shop, the green trees of the forest stand like silent guardians behind him, the sun glistens on his skin. There’s another painting of Denki sitting at the front desk of the library, thoroughly engaged in reading a book he has propped open. There’s a beam of light shining from above, most likely the sunroof of the library, shining down on Denki as he reads as if he's an angel. You even manage to get his “focused” face just right. There’s one of Hanta smiling gently down at a baby calf, his large hand resting on the top of its head, and even ones of Shouta and Hizashi’s chicken coop.

When people finally start to speak again, murmuring to themselves in awe, you continue your speech.

“I know I know, these weren’t the pieces you were expecting to see and purchase. But if this is going to be my last show, I figured you all should see why I’m choosing to retire early. This is my home. Pelican Town, where I grew up, where I returned, where I met some of the most amazing people I will ever know.” When you say that, you pause and look directly at Katsuki, smiling big and proud. His heart tumbles over itself and the overwhelming feeling of

“For all of its beauty and fantastic people, it is struggling to stay afloat and rather than sit here and do nothing as I’ve been prone to do in the past, I’ve decided I am not going to do that anymore. So, I’m pleased to announce that with every painting that is sold, the gold will go toward the restructure of Pelican Town.”

“There’s one more surprise for all of you. A painting that is worth more than any of the paintings in this gallery as it is the last one I worked on before retiring. It is being revealed exclusively to all of you here and it will help in saving a place that means more to me than anything in the world. “

Two men bring an easel with a covered canvas out from behind you and set it down next to you. You gesture to it with an open palm, before pulling the cover off of it and showing the crowd. Everyone intakes a breath all at once and Katsuki can tell they all are thinking the same thing.

The painting is of his farm. Specifically, the huge oak tree, glowing with the lanterns he hung on the branches. The rolling hills in the background are perfect, his girls are out grazing in the field near the tree. You even managed to capture the tiny hole in the lawn that looks like a dip in the line on the horizon. It’s perfect and it’s stunning, almost like it’s out of a fucking fairytale or something. Katsuki’s chest feels tight and he swallows a lump in his throat.

“This will be sold to the highest bidder, the proceeds will go towards saving the place this painting depicts. Every single purchase is appreciated and I am sure all of the townsfolk in Pelican Town would join me in thanking you all for experiencing the beauty the town has to offer through my paintings. But if the paintings aren’t enough, if you just can’t help but to see the breathtaking views in person, please come experience the fresh air for yourself. I teach a painting class at the community center. You are all welcome to come visit, in fact I insist. Please enjoy the exhibit and know that with every bid you are saving the livelihoods of a ton of people and I can not thank all of you enough for it. Thank you.”

When you step down off of the podium the room erupts into applause and cheers. You step down and grab Katsuki’s hand as he helps you down from the stage beaming at him. He stands looking at you in awe.

“What?” you say with a cheeky grin.

“You… yer…”

“Amazing, incredible, astounding, glorious, beautiful. Yes yes I know,” you joke, waving a hand absentmindedly.

He doesn’t laugh or anything. Just stares for a long time before he pulls you in for a kiss. No words could describe the way he feels so he thinks maybe a kiss will. It’s heated and desperate and he’s reluctant to pull away.

“Come on, you look like you could use a break from all of this,” you suggest as you gently rub your nose against his.

“Idjit, ain’t you supposed to stay here at the gallery?”

“Neije will handle the crowds, we'll be back in a bit, don't worry.” Weaving through the crowd is easy for you. You smile and nod as all of the people pat you on the back or shower you with praise, yet you stay focused on pulling Katsuki with you toward the back of the hall.

You pull him to an elevator, press the button and slip into it, quickly pressing the close door button. When the doors shut and the bustling hum of the crowd is silenced, you let out a deep breath and nestle your face into Katsuki’s chest. He automatically wraps an arm around your back and leans down to rub his cheek against the top of your head. The two of you stay like that for just a moment before you reach over to hit the key that goes to the roof. You pull a tiny key from your little purse and put it into the elevator for access.

When the doors open Katsuki can hardly believe what he’s seeing. Millions of lights twinkling out across the horizon as the sun begins to set behind it. There’s a cool crisp breeze that would normally chill him to the bone, given that it is the middle of winter, but being in the crowded gallery makes the air out here feel clean and refreshing. In fact, now that he thinks about it, he can’t smell any of those disgusting scents he smelled when he first arrived here. It smells crisp and clean and when he takes a deep inhale in, it fills his lungs with comfort.

You walk to the edge of the building, gazing out at all the millions of lights with a dreamy expression. Katsuki thinks he’s seen that look before. He knows he has. It’s the same look you had when you looked at his oak tree. He stands in amazement gazing at the picture in front of him, the lights, the sunset, and the main subject of the picture, you, in all your glory. You’re stunning, so beautiful it aches in his chest and he thinks, how lucky he is to have someone like you love him.

“Gonna stand there all night, or do you wanna join me over here,” you yell over your shoulder.

He approaches, but stays silent, eyebrows knitting together as he basks in the overwhelming feeling of adoration pumping through his veins. You grab his arms to pull him to you, stand in front of him and make him wrap his arms around the front of your torso.

Again you both stay quiet. There’s so much he wants to say. So much he wants to thank you for but it’s all lost in the tumbling emotions floating around his mind and gut. He’s thankful when you finally speak.

“I used to feel like I belonged here. Used to tell Gramps this is where I was supposed to be. I never admitted aloud to myself but deep down I knew I was wrong.”

Katsuki stays silent. He knows you aren’t finished and frankly he doesn’t have much to say anyway, so he lets you think about your next words.

“Funny enough, when I moved back to Pelican Town, I thought I was finally doing something right. Making the right choice, going back to where I truly belonged but the truth was…Pelican Town wasn’t my home either.”

That makes him pull away from you, and you turn to look at him with a calm expression. What the hell do you mean Pelican Town isn’t where you belong? Of course it is. He’s in Pelican Town and you belong with him.

“The hell are you talking about?” he asks in a suspicious voice.

You smile and he’s confused. Why would you be smiling right now? Are you about to end it? Was he wrong all along? Were you just like Camie?

“Before you got here, I was a wreck. An anxious nervous wreck. Neijire had to calm me down so much. And before I knew you in Pelican Town, I was a wreck. Avoiding my feelings, pretending to be someone I’m not. Can’t you see the common denominator here?”

“What’re ya sayin’? That it’s my fault you were all fucked up?” he asks incredulously.

You giggle and now Katsuki is sure he doesn’t know what the hell is going on.

“I’m saying quite the opposite you dummy. I’m saying that it doesn’t matter where I go or where I live, as long as I'm there with you, I’m happy. You are my home Katsu. Can’t believe it took me that long to freaking figure it out but there it is,” you say shrugging. Fat tears brim in the corner of your eyes and he has to bite his lip to not cry with you. He reaches out to cup your face and catch the tear that rolls down your cheek.

“Yer doing all this for me?” he whispers finally as he touches his forehead to yours.

“No, actually.”

“Hah?” he jerks back, face starting to twist in anger. You grab his hand, intertwine your fingers into his and kiss the back of his fist.

“I did it to help you and the entire town. The more attention the small town gets, the more shops will stay open. If city folk come to enjoy the quiets of the country at one of the little festivals, think about how that will help all your friends’ shops.”

Oh. Holy shit, you thought of everything. If this works, you will have single handedly saved the town. He doesn’t know how to express how much what you’re doing means to him. You love the town, it’s your home and you want to protect it. His farm is Paradise but with you, it’s more like heaven.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned from Joja, it’s that people will pay an arm and a leg for sentimental things, which is why that painting of your farm is gonna sell for a shit ton of money and help you buy it from Camie. I figure we can give Joja Mart a taste of their own medicine by swiping the sale out from underneath them,” you finish giggling.

Katsuki doesn’t know what to say. He can feel a lump in his throat but swallows it. He’s never met anyone like you before and he doesn’t think he ever will again. It’s then that it becomes clear and suddenly all his mind can focus on is the idea of spending the rest of his life with you. It’s then that Katsuki Bakugo realizes that this is real love, that you were what he was kissing in life. And now that he’s found you, he’s intent on never letting you go.

He gulps then turns to look at you, brows pulling together as he struggles to say something. Finally, he mutters under his breath so quietly you almost don’t hear him.

“Marry me.”

You turn to look at him incredulously. “W...what?”

“I ain’t got a ring, and I gotta wait for that sketchy guy to show up at the beach to get the fuckin’ mermaid pendant. I mean who the hell only shows up at the beach to sell shit while it’s rainin’? Shitty business practice ifin ya ask m–”

Katsuki’s tirade is cut off by the smashing of your lips against his and like always they feel like home. He hums against your lips, your tongue dances inside of his mouth and you taste divine. His hands hold both of your cheeks tightly and your body presses into his so tightly he can feel your breasts on his chest. When you pull back away from him you’re slightly out of breath but you chuckle, “You talk too much.”

He scoffs and tightens his grip on your waist. “That a yes, then?”

“Of course it is!”

You’re about to kiss him again when your phone vibrates and tears your attention away. You whip it out of your tiny purse to look at the message and then grin like a kid keeping a huge secret.

When you don’t speak for a long time, Katsuki rolls his eyes and huffs. “For fucks sake what is it?”

“The sign up sheet for the art classes at the community center is full and one of the paintings just sold at triple the starting bid price,” you explain, still grinning like an idiot.

“Holy shit,” Katsuki gasps, momentarily impressed that your art is worth that much. But you’re still staring at your phone, almost vibrating with excitement and Katsuki knows there’s something else.

“What else has ya smiling like a gator that just came from the dentist?” he asks, rolling his eyes.

You giggle at his silly saying then hand the phone to him to look.

“Looks like we aren’t the only ones falling into romance,” you giggle.

On the phone Katsuki looks at the picture. It’s a number written on a slip of paper and a name scribbled underneath. “Eijirou.” Beneath the picture is a message from Neijire that reads “You won’t be the only one with a new farmer boyfriend!”

--

It’s been a while since he felt this way, and because this is the first time he’s been hungover in a while, it knocks the wind out of him.

What happened last night?

When he's finally able to piece together what is happening, he immediately panics. He looks at the other side of the bed, searching for you. There’s no sign of you having laid in bed, the empty spot next to him absent of warmth. Katsuki has a quick flash of the first night he went to bed without Camie and he winces and pushes it away.

In one swift movement, he’s pulling the blankets off of him and rushing to his bedroom door. He’s shirtless, the wound on his arm pulsing with pain under the bandage. He has on a pair of thick red flannel pajama pants that he’s sure he wasn’t wearing yesterday.

Katsuki bounds down the stairs, his home is clean, nothing looks out of place. There are a few scrapes on the wood floors, a few vases he had on a shelf in the living room are missing, but other than that the house is tidy and in order.

There’s music playing, a soulful slow rocking beat drifting from the kitchen as the smell of something frying in grease wafts into Katuski’s nose. As he gets closer the song gets louder, the smell of food gets stronger, and he can hear humming and the sizzle of something cooking. Katsuki takes a deep breath as he turns the corner to the kitchen and bears witness to a lovely sight.

It’s you, hair dripping with one of his plaid shirts draped over your body. It falls to your knees, buttoned sloppily over the pair of simple light blue underwear you wear. Only a few buttons are fastened and one sleeve of the shirt hangs off of your shoulder. The exposed skin, your shoulder, a peek of your stomach, and your cleavage all looks soft.

You’re humming along to the soulful song that, surprisingly, Katsuki recognizes. You’re rocking your hips slowly as you gently push the bacon around in the pan. You hum and mouth the words to the song while you cook, completely unaware of his presence.

Fuck, you look good, the sun spilling through the window illuminates you like an angel. A dusting of snow outside reflects the sun and makes you look even brighter. The pounding in his head is agitated more by the brightness but he doesn’t care if it means he gets to look at you.

See, I've been having me a real hard time

But it feels so nice to know I'm gonna be alright

The lyrics you're singing catch him off guard. Iseverything going to be alright? Katsuki clears his throat to get your attention. You stop singing but you don’t turn to look at him and he’s a bit nervous.

“Eat,” you command, pointing to a plate Katsuki just noticed was on the tiny table in his kitchen. The plate is full of fried eggs, bacon–cooked just the way he likes it, fuck, you were made for him– and toast all swimming in grease.

Katsuki obeys, pulling the chair out and scraping it across the linoleum as he sits and mutters, “Thanks.”

You shuffle over and place a mug of coffee down in front of him. He wrinkles his nose, pushing it away.

“No thanks.”

“I didn’t offer. You get drunk and hungover, you drink the coffee. Those are the rules. Now, drink .”

Your expression doesn’t change from the calm nonchalance you’ve been sporting all morning but the bite and command in your tone shuts down all thoughts of refusal. He drinks as he watches you remove the last of the bacon from the pan, shut off the stove, and grab your own mug of coffee.

You sit down across from him at the table, sipping your coffee. You’ve turned off the music so it's silent now. Nothing but the birds chirping outside and the scrapes of Katsuki’s fork on his plate as he continues eating the breakfast you cooked–which is fucking delicious by the way.

It’s too quiet for too long as you sit and watch him eat. You take occasional sips of your coffee, blinking slowly as you watch him. Again you don’t look angry, in fact you’re watching him with a small content smile on your face and Katsuki thinks that maybe everything will be alright, despite the circumstances.

“Where’d you get booze, Katsuki?”

Or maybe not.

For some reason he can’t look at you, fear and shame pulling his eyes to the floor like gravity. He’s quiet, he feels the heaviness of guilt in his chest and it almost makes it hard to breathe. He growls to himself. A year and a half of sobriety, down the toilet.

“Katsuki.”

He sighs. “There was one pack in the cellar. Emergency stash, just in case.”

“There any left?”

No answer.  You don’t make any noise or move, you just stare and it scares him. Will you leave now ?

“Keys to the cellar?” You ask.

He nods his head to a hook behind you.

“Ok.”

The eerie awkward silence fills the room again, up to the brim so much it feels like Katsuki may drown in it. Your eyes never leave him except to occasionally glance out the window at the fat snowflakes accumulating on the sill while you sip on your coffee. What are you thinking? Are you pissed with him? You should be. He’s pissed with himself.

“So you gonna tell me what happened?” You ask, taking a sip and breaking the silence.

He doesn’t wanna talk about it. Can't he just enjoy this morning with you? It’s the first in a week that you two have shared a morning. He missed you. He missed your face, missed the way you’d stand and speak to the girls as he took care of their stalls and filled the troughs. And then it hits him. It’s morning he hasn’t fed the girls. He scoots back in his seat.

“The girls—“

“Fed with new water and hay. They’re in the barn and fine,” you interrupt taking another nonchalant sip. When you gaze at him again you give him a tiny smirk.

“You were right. Sweet Mama is a stubborn girl. But we had girl bonding time and we’re great friends now. She’s doing fine by the way. She’s off her leg and lying and relaxing in her stall,” you reassure him.

“Heh, told ya she was a stubborn one,” he brags, sitting back down and smirking.

You don’t smile though. You stare at him, or more so through him. Serious and stern and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to get your expression out of his mind.

“That wasn’t a question by the way. You’re going to tell me what happened. Right now,” you command, setting your mug down on the table.

Katsuki gulps and his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. He’s never heard you be this stern or look this sharply at him. He knows you mean it. He stabs a sausage with his fork, takes a bite, revels in your good cooking, swallows, and then he looks at you frowning.

What does he say? Does he just blurt it out to you? He’s honestly not sure what happened, there are too many things running through his mind for him to understand it. The drinking, if anything, helped numb it. But now it sits heavy and aching in his chest.

Katsuki takes a second to peek through his lashes up at you. Your head is tilted, face smooth and calm as you take another sip of coffee. You patiently wait for him to form the words, and as you do, he thinks there will never be a more perfect person than you.

“Joja is…” he starts and then stops as the words get caught in his throat.

It’s a shitty situation all around, and he’s partly to blame for it, yeah. But Katsuki knows it’s not just him. It wouldn’t be like this if Camie had never left. This wouldn’t be a problem if she’d kept her promise to him. It is easier to share the blame, at least right now it is, so Katsuki quickly rephrases his sentence.

“She’s selling my farm to those fuckers,” he replies finally.

It’s not technically a lie. Maybe it’s not entirely true but still, she’s at fault. The sound of the words makes him wince again and Camie’s voice replays in his mind.

Suki, I’m sorry but the farm’s bein’ sold to Joja.

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion, you know exactly who he means but you don’t flinch or wince like he does when he mentions her and  he wishes for half a second he had some of your courage.

“How? How can she do that? She needs your permission too, right?. You’d both have to sign a contract and–”

“Deed has her name on it,” Katsuki huffs.

“What, why?”

Katsuki slams a fist down on the table in anger, the dishes clang loudly and you move quickly to catch the mug that almost tips over from the force. It’s a valid question and of course you’d ask it. He grinds his teeth in frustration and speaks through them in a hiss.

“This is her family’s land. They let us have it when we decided to move out here but then she left and it never got passed to me. I shoulda fucking checked that shit out but I was drunk every day after she left. I’m such a moron. Don’t know how those Fuckers at Joja found out but they reached out to her and offered her a pretty penny. She must be hurtin’ in funds,” he explains.

Nothing can make him feel like less of an idiot right now. He should’ve gotten the deed changed as soon as she left. But going to her and her family to discuss it meant he’d have to see her and talk to her and Katsuki doesn’t know if he would’ve been able to handle that. He saw her on the Joja commercial and look what happened.

Again you’re perplexed, trying to see all the pieces he’s giving you and fit them together. Yet he can tell, it still doesn’t make sense to you, with good reason.

“She…She has to know how much this place means to you, I mean, that much is clear even to people who don’t know you. So why would she do this?” you ask, putting a finger to your chin like you're a goddamn detective.

Anger gurgles in the depths of Katsuki’s belly.  Why are you questioning her motives? It’s not like you know anything about her. Why can’t you just trust that when he says Camie fucked him over again , she did. Are you taking her side? His blood boils over and he’s yelling again.

“Because she’s a bitch. I don’t know!” he snaps back at you. His fist is tightened as it sits on his thigh and the ache in his arm feels like it burns every time he flexes.

You surprisingly stay calm and when you meet his eye, your stare is burning.   “You don’t mean that.”

You’re right–surprise surprise–he doesn’t mean it. But how the fuck would you know that? You couldn’t know. Your grandpa didn’t abandon you . Your grandpa didn’t promise you that you’d both take care of this farm together. Your grandpa didn’t promise you that he’d spend his life with you and then up and leave in the middle of the fucking night.

He glares at you, “ How the fuck would you know what I me—“

“Because if  you thought she was just a bitch you wouldn’t flinch every time her name was mentioned! You wouldn’t completely erase her name from your vocabulary or ban your friends from saying it!” you interrupt and this time you have a glare that matches his.

Your outburst catches him off guard and he leans back in offense before he shakes it off and fires back at you. He stands suddenly, throwing the chair he’s sitting in back and it tumbles to the floor.

“Why does it matter, hah? Why are you asking me all these damn questions? I’m gonna lose my farm! What more do ya need to know?!” he cries. He bites his lip, trying not to let tears roll down his face. This ain’t the time to be all emotional and shit.

“Because there is clearly a lot more going on here that you aren’t telling me and I’m trying to help you figure it out. It’s clear you haven’t dealt with any of the Camie shit and I think it’s time for me to call you out on your shit so you can deal with it. You know, the exact same way you called me out in the cellar?” you snap.

You stand then too and shout the loudest you’ve ever yelled at him. Your face twists into a scolding expression, like you’re lecturing a young child and if Katsuki weren’t paying close attention to what you just said, it would’ve made him angrier.

His eyes widen as he watches you huff angrily across the table from him. He hasn’t dealt with it? Course he has! He stopped drinking, he met you, for fucks sake he cried and told you he loved you while drunk and having a mental breakdown just last night!

“It ain’t—“ he starts but you stop him again and what you say almost makes him break completely.

“You love her.”

It is so simple. Just three words that put everything into perspective. But, it can’t be true though because Katsuki is sure of his feelings for you that much is clear.

“I love you ,” he states.

Strange how easy it is to say it now that he’s already said it. It rolls off his tongue naturally now. You smirk, the tension in the room dying down as you sigh.

“Yes I know, but you love her too. And that’s why I’m not gonna let you keep looking at her like she’s the Wicked Witch of the West in your story,”

Unfuckingbelieveable. You’ve just pointed out how he still cares for his ex and you don’t even sound jealous. There's not a hint of anger or resentment or suspicion when you say it. You just say it, like you're stating a fact or teaching a class. Katsuki can’t say he’d react the same way if the roles were reversed but again he thinks, this is why you’re perfect for him.

“How come you ain’t angry about that? About how… I feel… about her,” he stammers. He wants to ask you how you could even know that he still loves her but he thinks that may be too much to dive into right now.

You look dumbfounded. Almost like…like you expected him to feel this way. You raise an eyebrow and chuckle and he wonders if it’s that obvious.

“It would be silly to believe you’re over someone you literally don’t talk about because it hurts you too much. How can I be angry when you’ve been here for me countless times?”

Again, you make a lot of good points. Which is again, annoying. Katuski wonders if maybe you went to a class for shit like this. Maybe you and Ei went to the same class since you’re both able to get inside his head like this. He rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh as he bends down to pick up his chair. He sits back down at the table with his arms folded over his chest, pouting. You only smile and sit back down as well, crossing one leg over the other.

“Now that that is out, I’ll ask again. Why would Camie sell the farm when she knows how much this place means to you? I don’t know her, so maybe she is an evil witch, but something tells me that’s not the case. So, quit hiding stuff from me and tell me what’s going on. ”

He guesses he should tell you the whole thing. He briefly remembers the way he got pissed with you in the cellar for doing the same thing. Tellin’ half truths' that were so clearly not who you made yourself out to be. You’d unleashed everything on him after he called you out and it’d made him see you in a brighter light. It was a big fuking leap in figuring out he wouldn’t be able to get you out of his head either.

You deserve that same respect. He shouldn’t hide from you. He blinks, inhales deeply then releases the longest breath he’s ever inhaled. His eyes drag up your body to settle on your eyes and he holds your stare before he licks his lips and lets it all out.

“When we talked, she said she left because this wasn’t what she wanted. And the deed was in her name and she forgot to change it over. She ain’t sellin’ the farm, her family is. Shit ain’t going well for them and they need the funds.”

You don’t say anything, letting him take all the time he needs. You take a sip of your now cool coffee and when you realize he needs a bit of reassurance, you nod and say, “Go on. You can tell me Katsu.”

He grits his teeth again. This is…hard. Thinkin’ bout all of this again, even retracing the conversation with Camie, it makes his hand itch again, makes his throat dry. He swallows and clears his throat lightly. He's thankful when you get up–without being prompted–grab a glass of water, and scoot it in front of him. For fucks sake, you’ve gotta be a goddamn mind reader or something.

He takes a sip, and then continues. “ She called me to warn me about the sale. And then she uh… apologized for leavin’. Like really apologized, told me about the modelin’ shit, how it’s been hard to find gigs and shit but….she fuckin’ sounded happy. Even though she’s strugglin’, she sounded happy about it. Never sounded that happy out here pullin’ weeds with me,” he grumbles as he twists his fingers together anxiously.

She had apologized for her family and had apologized for not being able to stop them. The apology wasn’t empty or hollow. It was full of remorse and it hung in his chest. Talking to her, hearing her voice was painful, but a relieving pain, one that he needed in order to feel better, like pressing the venom from a wound.

He chuckles sarcastically, “And wouldn’t ya fuckin’ believe it? I wasn’t pissed with her. She said she was happy and my stomach got all twisted and shit, like the time I finally beat Ei at checkers. Guy is a goddamn master but I finally beat em,” he says, a devilish grin on his face. You smile and shake your head at him but you don’t say anything still and he sighs as he continues.

“Like a fuckin' idiot I couldn’t even be upset because I…” he trails off but you finish his sentence, as you always do.

“You still love her.”

Katsuki sighs and hangs his head in shame but you don’t stop there.

“You still love her and you were happy because she was happy. And you couldn’t be angry at her, which pissed you off even more and confused you…”

You sound as if you're piecing together a mystery, staring at him with a tilted head as you think through everything. You pause for only a second, again putting a finger to your chin and gazing at him for a long while. He can feel your stare but he doesn’t dare look up at you.

“And that’s why you got drunk,” you finish.

“Yeah.”

More silence. Katsuki’s never felt this comfortable but tense at the same time in the wake of silence, but with you, the silence still means peace, as long as you’re still here with him. He knows that now, and he rests easy.

“I suppose the stuff with Sweet Mama didn’t help either, huh?”

Katsuki sighs again, lip slightly pushed out to pout a little. “And not seein’ ya for a week,” he adds as if it’s obvious and it is. He’s sure if that stupid fucking storm hadn’t kept you away from him, he’d have at least been able to stay calm enough not to get drunk again.

You sigh as well. “Yannow, someone once told me, ‘Bottlin’ shit up is never good for ya’' you say in a mocking country twang that actually makes him chuckle.

Is this how it’s supposed to go? Arguments with a spouse? Not saying you’re a spouse but after all this, he’d be damned if he wasn’t thinking about making you one. Especially when you reach across the table to grasp his hand and untangle them to place your hand between them.

“The next time you feel like you don’t know how to feel, the next time all of that confusion and bottled up shit makes you so angry you don’t know what to do other than drink, tell me, ok?” you speak gently but firm so he knows that you mean it when you say it.

He raises an eyebrow, “How’d ya know that I fel-“

“At this point, I’m clearly a Katsuki expert. I could teach a class,” you say giggling and placing a kiss on his knuckles. “I’m serious Katsu. You don’t have to deal with shit alone anymore. And if we need to just sit and do this,” you gesture between the two of you,“Yannow, talking shit out so you understand a little of what’s going on. I’ll do that with you. You don’t have to punish yourself or be self destructive and drink again. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here with you now, Katsu.”

There’s pain in his chest again, a good pain that flows through every muscle in his body and warms him. His chest squeezes his heart but instead of it being cold like when he thought about Camie, it’s warm and grows hot the longer he stares at you. For some reason he thinks about how doctors used to burn away infection from wounds and decides this must be what it’s like.

He doesn’t say that though, instead he snorts, “Tsk, can’t believe you called her the Wicked Witch of the West. ”

He watches you roll your eyes. “Hey! I said I’m not gonna let you make her the witch! Big difference! Besides, the Wicked Witch of the West was my favorite character!” you say a little smug.

Katsuki rolls his eyes as well. “That don’t surprise me,” he says sarcastically.

You stand, walk around to place a kiss on his forehead and grab his plate to clean up from breakfast. Something is still bothering him though. He grabs your wrist, “What about my farm? I’m not gonna fucking lose this place. It’s my home.”

You slip onto his lap and he wraps an arm around your waist to pull you closer to him. You cup his cheek and he immediately closes his eyes and leans into your touch. Then you shrug your shoulders nonchalantly. “Oh easy peasy. We’ll just offer a better price. They sell it to you for a better number, you pay it and they get their money. Everybody wins…except maybe Joja, but who cares.”

Katsuki chuckles darkly “yeah, lemme go down to my gold room and grab a coupla wagons full of money to give em,” he says then tacks on a “That’s sarcasm Sweets,” for good measure.

“Har har. How much is the farm selling for?” you ask, still easy going and optimistic. His throat goes dry after he tells you the amount and your optimism almost vanishes completely.

“Holy shit, your farm is worth that much?” you ask incredulously.

He tries not to sound too smug when he replies “‘Parently so,” but the twist of your lips into a cute little pout tells him he’s not as good as hiding it as he thought.

You sit in his lap, kicking your feet in the air and absentmindedly playing with his fingers as you think. This is the calmest he’s been all morning. He loves watching your brows knit together and your lips pucker while you think but he likes it even more when your face lights up with an idea.

You stand quickly, back to him as you stare off at nothing. “Oh my god. I’ve got it.”

“The hell are ya talkin’ bout?” Katsuki asks, standing with you.

“Holy shit, so some good will actually come out of this thing. I owe Nejire a drink.” you mutter to yourself. Katsuki clears his throat to gather your attention again. What the hell are you muttering about? What thing?

Suddenly, you whip around to face him, a giant smile on your face. “How would you and the gang like to go to an art show?”

—

You haven’t seen Katsuki in days, and it almost feels like you’re missing a part of yourself. Your days don’t feel complete if you don’t see him and it kind of scares you how much he’s become part of your life. He’d told you to stay safe and indoors and not to risk driving to see him,(even though you’re pretty sure you could make it).

He’s unable to come to you when he finds out Sweet Mama is indisposed with a swollen hoof. He was moodier than usual, feeling hopeless because there wasn’t much he could do until the storm stopped. Not to mention with the off season, more shops in town are going out of business. Joja Mart was sweeping them under the rug, no longer interested in selling products at lower costs. They’d apparently moved on to purchasing businesses. That was enough to make Katsuki’s mood sour even more.

When the snow isn’t blocking the phone lines you’re able to call and chat with him. When you do, he sounds on edge, harsh clipped sentences when you ask him about his day.

“How’s Sweet Mama?” you ask one day while slicing sausage for Frenchie.

“Still shitty,” he grumbles on the phone. In the background you can hear something clattering in anger. “And with the fuckin’ storm no vet can get out here to check her out.”

You sigh, “It’ll be alright Katsu. She’s a stubborn gal, remember? Like hell something like this will get her spirits down,” you say trying to cheer him up.

He doesn’t buy it. He only grumbles again to himself and snaps, “She fucking needs medical help. And I can't do shit about it. Your frilly words ain’t gonna help her.”

The bite in his voice throws you off. It’s not the usual teasing tone he uses when he’s trying to act like he’s a hard ass but really he’s being soft. This time it almost sounds like he means it. You pause mid-slice and Frenchie, who’s sitting at your feet gazing up at you with big begging eyes, nudges your knee with his head. Your silence is enough of a hint for Katsuki and you hear him sigh.

“Fuck, I’m sorry Sweets I’m just…”

“Stressed. It’s ok. I understand,” you reply, cutting him off with a gentle tone. You hear him blow out an exasperated breath and you can picture the way he’s running his fingers through his spiky blonde hair.

“Have you been sleeping?” you ask, feeding a piece of sausage to Frenchie and rubbing between his ears.

“Slept a bit in the barn last night,” he grunts.

“The barn?” you ask, placing the knife down and walking toward the living room to sit on the couch.

“Been sleeping out there with her. Can’t just leave her all alone and shit,” he mutters and you can hear the exhaustion in his voice, the helplessness he feels. You picture him out in the barn, lying on the hay next to Sweet Mama, wrapped in a blanket as the storm rages outside. It warms you and you wish you could be there with him.

As if he’s inside your head he says in a voice thick with emotion, “Wish you were here. You’d do your weird talking thing with her and make her feel better.”

You chuckle, “Wish I was there too. I miss you,” you reply and your heart aches at how true the statement is. God, when did you become the girl who can’t go a week without seeing her boyfriend?

He hums over the phone, and you hear rustling as he settles onto his couch. “Mmm say it again. I like when you tell me you miss me,” he says in a husky voice.

You giggle and bite your lip. “I miss you Katsuki.”

“I miss you too,” he replies almost instantly. His voice always makes your heart skip a beat.

Something crashes to the floor in your kitchen and it makes you jump in fright. Frenchie scatters from the scene as you get up and run toward the knife now on the floor and the half-eaten sausage.

“Frenchie! You know better!” you shout and Katsuki guffaws in your ear.

You roll your eyes. “I gotta go and make sure he didn’t eat my entire supply. Make sure you’re warm if you’re sleeping in the barn Katsu. And you should try singing or humming to her. Fatima likes when I hum while I milk her. Try it out,” you say quickly before saying good bye and hanging up quickly.

The snowstorm is definitely putting a damper on things. You hope for his sake, the storm eases up soon.

It’s finally clear enough to drive a few days later and you’re ecstatic. Shouta and Hizashi came by your place as soon as the storm ended to exchange gifts and help you install snow chains on your car. You spend all day making Katsuki’s favorite meal, Pepper Poppers and finally perfecting your grandmother’s peach crumble recipe. You even bring a tiny painting of Sweet Mama you worked on while stuck in the house.

Surprising Katsuki is going to be great! It’s crazy how much you missed him. You can clearly imagine the shock on his face when he sees you come into the house, how it’ll change to joy. Maybe he’ll run and pick you up and spin you around like in the movies.

Yes, it’s silly but you do wear your twirliest dress, just in case.

It takes most of the day for you to get the crumble and the pepper poppers together but you want it to be perfect. You’re a bit surprised that Katsuki didn’t call as soon as it stopped snowing. You’d thought you might have to talk him out of hurrying over to your house after the storm stopped but you hadn’t heard from him. It was a bit strange but considering how worried he’d been about Sweet Mama you’d thought perhaps his first priority was going to get the vet so they could check her out.

Either way you’re vibrating with excitement when you pull into his driveway. The sun has set and the sky is littered with thousands of sparkling stars. It’s a clear calm night and you take a big gulp of the cool air before hopping out of your truck and gathering the food.

You tiptoe up the stairs of his porch, fiddling in your pocket for the key when something catches your eye. The door is slightly ajar, a sliver of light is peeking through the opening, cutting through the dark night. You pause, staring in confusion at the door. Why’s the door open? Katsuki wouldn’t leave it open, even if he was running out to the barn for a second. Plus if that were the case, he’d go out the back door.

You take a step forward and a shiver of fear shoots up your spine.What’s going on? Is someone here? Is there an intruder? Your heart races, your throat becomes dry. Should you call someone? Maybe Eiji? It would take too long for him to get here. What if Katsuki was hurt? All of your thoughts move too fast in your mind and start to ramble together to form nonsense.

There’s suddenly a crash, something smashes and shatters inside the house and you hear grunting and panting, like there’s a struggle. You race into the house, dropping the food and running into the living room screaming his name.

“Katsuki!”

The house is a mess. Furniture is flipped over, vases and glasses are shattered all over the floor. The pots and pans you got him as a gift are strewn about all over the place. There’s a path of disarray that leads you to the living room where Katsuki is standing, or more so swaying, as he throws a book at the wall.

You’re confused, trying to look around for an intruder but the only one here is him.

“Katsuki?” you pant trying to figure out what’s happening. He whips around at the sound of your voice and instantly you know when you see his eyes. Bloodshot, hazy and misty, slow blinks and dark circles under his eyes. You don’t even have to look at the bottle in his hand to know.

Katsuki is drunk.

He glares at you, like you’re his enemy and it’s more intense than when he first showed up at your home that day you two met. He takes a swig of beer from the bottle he’s holds tight in his fist, then wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his black sweater he’s wearing and slurs, “Get the fuck out.”

It takes you a minute to fully grasp the situation. You stand there with squinted eyes as you take in your surroundings. Investigating Katsuki, he’s barefoot, black sweatpants hanging from his waist sloppily. His sweat shirt is damp, maybe from a spill or from sweat, you’re not sure but it clings to his chest. He sways with his hands out to his sides to keep his balance and there’s streaks of red pouring down his arm where his sleeve is pulled up to show an injury.

“Katsuki….you… you’re bleeding.” you enunciate each word carefully so he can understand you and take a step toward him with your arm outstretched toward him.

He winces and steps back away from you. “I said get the fuck out!”

You watch him for a long time, trying to piece together what might’ve happened. Did something happen to Sweet Mama? It…couldn't be that. He wouldn’t start drinking again because of that. You shake your head. You’ll figure it out later, right now, you need to take care of his arm.

“No,” you reply simply.

He looks like a bull ready to charge you. “You’re in my fucking house, on MY property and I want you to GET THE FUCK OUT.”

You’re frightened but you stand your ground. “I said no, Katsuki,” you reply firmly.

The look he gives you is one you’ve never seen on his face, even back when you thought he hated you. This expression is one of extreme disdain and it is all directed at you.

“You think you finally belong? That doing all of this shit will make your grandpa come back? Sorry to be the only real one here to tell you that’s not how it fucking works. He’s dead and nothin’ you do now will erase the fact that you left him.”

He spits those words at you like poison. He emphasizes every syllable. He wants it to hurt, to sting like salt in a wound. His eyes are so red he looks like an enraged beast standing there staring at you. His words hit you square in the chest, like they’re solid and heavy. It hurts so much you gasp like the wind has been knocked violently from your lungs and for a second all you can think is: Is this how Gramps felt?

Tears you no longer can bite back and hide from him spill down your cheeks as you clutch at your chest and stare at him in disbelief. He falters for only a second, hints of regret displayed in his cold stare but then his expression changes back to that twisted snarl and he’s spewing venom again, eager to pound the final nail in the coffin.

“Why don’t you ever know how to mind your fucking business? Ya think anyone wants you here? Ya think I want you here? You were just a good fuck. I hadn’t had any pussy in a while and you happened to be the best candidate. That’s it. So why don’t you fuck off and go back to the trash heap where you came from.”

If you were smart, you’d leave. If you were smart, you’d yell at him and cry and run out of there and leave him alone to wallow in his anger and self pity.

If you were the woman you used to be, you would’ve.

But you’re not. You're the woman your grandfather always knew you were and that’s why he never gave up on you. And now why you won’t run away from him. You take another step toward him, head held high, shoulders pulled back and proud. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and wipe the tears from your cheeks. His shoulders tense and his limbs lock as you come closer to him. He takes a step back and he almost looks frightened. You make sure to stay focused on his eyes, make sure he can see how much you care, how much you love him and when you can see the smallest crack in his angry exterior you take another wary step.

You’ve already decided. You’re not leaving anyone you love behind ever again.

Why did he say that to you? Why did he do that to you? Why does he want to hurt someone like you? Someone he’d finally been able to open up to. Someone who understood him. Who didn’t shy away from him when he yelled or got angry.

Why did he say that to someone he loves?

“You finished?” you ask in a small but steady voice and he hesitates.

What do you mean? Will you leave? He wouldn’t blame you after the shit he just said. His vision is blurred, from the alcohol or the tears, he’s not sure. In the confusion he doesn’t know if he’s hearing correctly either.

“What?” he barks.

“I asked if you were finished, Katsuki,” you say sternly.

He doesn’t understand. You don’t even look angry. How could you not be angry with him? If the situation had been reversed, if you’d said such terrible things to him, he’d shatter then destroy you with the most evil words he could think of.

You’re way too good for him and now you must know it. Katsuki doesn’t respond. He stands in the middle of the room still glaring on wobbly legs as he tries to keep his balance. You sigh and take a wary step toward him.

“I am not going to leave you Katsuki. You can stand there and scream all the terrible shit you want at me. Go for it, get it all out. But I’m not leaving. If there’s one thing I learned from my Gramps, it’s patience. He never stopped trying with me, even though I said terrible shit to him, even though he sat dying in a hospital and I never visited him. He still left me his farm, his pride and joy.”

You’re walking toward him, crunching over the shattered glass and dodging the overturned tables as you speak. Your voice wavers when you mention your grandfather and all of his limbs react to it instantly, wanting to reach out and hold you, but he doesn’t.

“I’m not letting him down again. I’m not running away and hiding like I did before. So, I'm not leaving. Keep yelling if you have to, but at least lemme stop the bleeding on your arm before you pass out,” you explain, reaching out to him.

You never take your eyes from his and he wishes you would. He wishes you would stop looking at him like that. It’s not what he deserves, not after what he just said to you. Everything in the room is fuzzy, clouded by the alcohol pumping through his veins.

Everything is fuzzy, except you.

You’re standing directly in front of him now, he grinds his teeth, trying not to cry in front of you. His fists are clenched so tightly at his sides he knows his fingernails are piercing the skin of his palms. It only makes the blood oozing from the wound cascade down the muscles of his arm faster.

Why won’t you go away? Why won’t you go and find someone worth doing all this shit for? If you leave, it only cements the fact that there must be something wrong with him. Camie left him and now you will too. So why don’t you?

He shuts his eyes, he doesn’t want to look at you anymore. He doesn’t want to see the pain on your face. He doesn’t want to see how beautiful you look despite the pain. He doesn’t want to see the way you still look at him like he’s the greatest thing to ever happen to you.

“Why?” is the only thing he can muster up to ask. It’s the only thing he has the courage to ask.

He hears you sniffle and chuckle. “Because I love you, stupid.”

Your tiny hand wraps around his and you unfurl his fists. As soon as he feels your warmth, he lets go, collapses on his knees in front of you and cries out in agony. He clutches your legs, presses his ear against your stomach and lets the tears flow like a babbling river down his face. It feels good to let go, but it feels even better to let go when you bend down with him and pull his head into your chest.

He tightens his grip on your dress when he wraps his arms around your back. You’re so warm. You smell like home. You feel so right, like one of his favorite days on the farm, when clouds are in the sky but the sun is still out and he can see the blue of the sky. And even in this drunken pitiful state he knows he’d have been the world’s biggest idiot to let you leave out the door.

You run your fingers through his hair as sobs wrack his body and he tries to focus on nothing but you. The way your heart is beating, the way your chest moves slowly up and down as you take deep breaths. Your nimble fingers are scratching his scalp. Your gentle hums—it’s that same song as before— as you calm him and your sweet swelling breath as you place a heated kiss to his forehead.

He loves you. He should tell you. He should tell you just how much but it’s caught in his throat again. He wants to feel your lips on his. He has to. He’s never needed anything more than your lips right now. So he pulls back from burying his face in your chest, cranes his neck up and presses his lips against yours. It’s hard, desperate, and the second he feels how soft and plush and warm they are, his hands are reaching up to hold your face and keep you there.

You part your lips and his tongue enters smoothly to taste you. It’s a heavenly sound when you whimper against his lips. You pull his hair and groan and he knows you want him just as much as he wants you.

He pulls away from your lips and opens his eyes to gaze at you only long enough to whisper against your lips, in a voice thick with sadness and admiration.

“I love you.”

There isn’t enough time to fully undress, so he pushes the debris and glass out of the way to make a clear patch of floor for him to lay you down. He has enough foresight to grab a blanket that’s nearby, shake it off and drape it over the floor before picking you up and gently lowering you on your back.

Your legs part automatically when he slots himself between them, he’s already unbuttoning his pants as he litters sloppy open mouthed kisses down your jaw. You lift your dress and both his hands and yours find the loop of your panties and drag them down your legs.

The cool air in the room swirls around his heated cock and it makes him shiver. You’re panting, mewling desperately as you arch your back and pull him closer. Neither of you speak, communicating only through the fevered caresses, heavy breathing and moaning as he readies himself at your entrance. He slides the tip of his cock through your folds, drenching him in your slick before he finally pushes into your tight heat and your cunt sucks him.

Both of you cry out in relief, him a long winded “Yes” as he drags the last syllable out and you a pretty little gasp of his name. He nestles his face into your neck, pulls out and snaps his hips against yours. The room swells with the sounds of your moans, his grunts, and the shifting of the damaged property surrounding the two of you as he pounds into your cunt. The heat between you is burning, his heavy balls slap against your thighs and with every slap Katsuki feels an increasing amount of admiration for you.

Right now, while buried to the hilt inside of you, nothing else matters. Not the pain in his arm, not the farm, the mess of glass and splintered wood littered around his home, not his past, not the girls or his garden, nor Ei or Camie or anyone.

Nothing feels as good as being with you and having your pussy squeeze him and your nails dig into his skin as you beg him for more. He fucks you hard and deep, panting and growling like some feral lovesick beast. He can’t get enough of you, and he desperately tries to feel all of you as he presses your legs against your chest. He knows you’re close because you're shaking, probably from the way his cock knocks against your cervix with every push of his hips.

He feels you come, feels the way your cunt spasms and he welcomes it proudly, happy to have gotten you to ecstasy. When you pull the hair at the nape of neck he growls out, “Fuck!” before he’s thrusting back into you one last time and spilling a load of cum, thick, creamy and hot inside of you.

He collapses down on top of you and you both stay there for what feels like hours, catching your breath as you rub his back softly. He’s exhausted, on the brink of sleep as he rolls off of you and onto his back. He still holds your hand, the room spinning as a liquor headache forms behind his eyes. All he wants is to sleep next to you and maybe all of the pain will go away.

Panic settles deep into his gut when you push him off of you and pull your dress back down to fall around your ankles. You move to get up but he tightens his grip around your wrist. His limbs are too relaxed and he only has enough strength to tug your sleeve.

He slurs in a voice too vulnerable for anyone’s ears but yours, "Don't...don’t leave me.”

You lean down to press your lips softly to his and again he feels that everything will be ok as long as he’s able to keep kissing you like this, for the rest of his life.

“I told you I'm not leaving you. But I need to get something for your arm. Stay. I’ll be back,” you say against his lips.

You take off the sweater you’re wearing and drape it over him. It’s warm and it smells like you and when he inhales your scent, it enraptures him and sobers the drunken hazy thoughts in his mind. He stays conscious just long enough to see you return to him with a wet rag before he passes out and his world becomes dark.

--

Katsuki tries to keep the grimace on his face as you drag him around in the fucking snow and cold to people’s houses but he can’t help but smile when he watches you happily hand over the gifts to the unsuspecting parties. Right now, he’s watching you listen to a joke Vincent is excitedly telling you. You laugh a big hearty laugh as he delivers the punchline and Katsuki can see the triumphant expression on his face as he watches you.

“Here. Sweets thought it’d be a good idea to cook ya something instead of dropping off more tomatoes,” Katsuki grumbles, shoving the casserole dish into Jodi’s arms.

Jodi smiles up at him warmly as she takes the casserole. She stands a bit closer to him to whisper so you don’t hear.

“It looks good on you,” she replies, winking at him.

Katsuki raises an eyebrow, “Hah?”

Jodi giggles as Vincent launches into a fit of laughter at the joke you just told him. “Being in love. It looks good on you and it’s nice to see after watching you be grumpy for so long,” she says gently.

Katsuki has always had respect for Jodi, she’s always been sort of a mother figure for him. She keeps her distance but she’s always been observant. He swallows loudly. In love? Is he in love with you? It seems too soon for that. When he thinks about it too much, something aches inside of him. He’s only ever thought that about Camie, and after her he thought that was it.

Katsuki is thinking about it the entire time you’re out visiting everyone’s homes. You drop off books and sweets and pies to Denki, Hanta, and Eijirou and Katsuki has to put his hands over his ears when you visit Hizashi and Shouta and gift them a painting of the two of them standing with your grandfather that makes Hizashi wail louder than a baby at birth.

You both finally make it back to your home where you’ve decorated as if the festival is being held in your home. A decorated tree that would usually stand in the middle of town square during the festival, sits in the corner of your living room.  Plants with little red berries are placed on the window sills and mantle on the fireplace. There are wooden frames with snowy landscape paintings hanging on the walls. Long deep red drapes cover the windows and a matching rug is laid out in front of the fireplace as well. It looks exceptionally more warm and lively in your home and Katsuki thinks it’s a show of how much more comfortable you are in Pelican Town.

“You went all out, huh?” he mutters, pulling your coat from your shoulders and hanging it on the coat rack.

You smile up at him, bright with stained cheeks from the cold and something inside him aches again. “I wanted to make sure The Feast of Winter’s Star could still be celebrated,” you reply as Frenchie pads up to you excitedly.

You’ve dressed him in a red sweater and the mutt looks happier than usual. Katsuki’s throat is dry. He wonders why he feels so strange today. This is supposed to be a happy occasion but Jodi’s words keep replaying in his mind.

Love. It’s way too fucking soon for him to be in love with you. Yeah, you make him smile and shit and sometimes he’s annoyingly thinking about being with you when you’re away, but that’s normal for people who just recently started fucking. Especially after how long it’s been before he started anything with you. But how does he explain the constant thumping in his chest whenever you smile at him or say his name? That’s more difficult.

“Alright, what is it?”  you ask, cocking a hip as he follows you into the kitchen.

He’s distracted from his internal rambling as he peers into your suspicious eyes. “What?” he  argues.

“You’re doing that thing again where you seem like you’re having a good time but you’re like not here all the way. So what’s going on?” you ask with an eyebrow raised and pouted lips.

Damn, he’ll never get over how fucking observant you are, especially when it comes to him. “Just thinking about shit,” he replies, poking the wrinkle in your forehead gently.

“You’ve been doing that a lot. Penny for your thoughts?” you say moving closer and placing a hand on his chest.

Again your touch feels like it’s burning him and he intakes a sharp breath. It’s not painful, more like it awakens and warms him from the inside out. There’s a snowflake caught on your eyelashes that hasn’t melted yet and as he stares into your eyes he thinks the mushiest shit he’s ever thought when looking at you.

Your eyes are so clear now that the wall you were hiding behind has been broken. Sometimes when he looks at them he thinks it’s like looking at a clear night sky, where everything is simple and vast and beautiful. Maybe Jodi was right and maybe it doesn’t need to be complicated for it to be love.

Or maybe he’s getting soft as hell in his old age.

“Just thinking about if you’ll actually accept the gift I gotcha,” he says, pulling you into his arms.

Your brows knit together in frustration and he bends down to kiss between them.

“You’re lying, but I’ll drop it for now because I have been dying to give you your gifts,” you say, cupping his jaw and giving it a tiny pat.

You pull out of his grasp as he sputters, “Gifts? You got multiple?” he asks incredulously.

Figures, of course you got multiple gifts. You pull him into the living room and push him onto the couch and as he settles in, Frenchie jumps up on the couch and plops down in his lap happily.

“Of course I did. You deserve multiple gifts,” you say matter of factly. Before you can rummage through your closet to get the gifts you must’ve been hiding from him, he stops you.

“Oi, hold it. I wanna give you mine first,” he says, holding up a hand.

You almost look surprised, as if he wouldn’t get you a damn gift. He shifts Frenchie off of his lap and shuffles over to the basket of blankets you keep near the fireplace. He pulls out three perfectly wrapped gifts and a bone with a bow on it that instantly grabs Frenchie’s attention. He’s off the couch and jumping up on Katsuki, panting happily and wagging his tail.

The look on your face is priceless. You’re surprised, happy, and suspicious.

“When did you hide those there?” you ask as Katsuki rips the bow off the bone and hands it to Frenchie. He takes it from his hand and trots over to the rug to lie down and enjoy his new treat.

“You should pay more attention when people come over to your house Sweets,” he teases as he shoves the gifts into your arms.  You purse your lips and stick your tongue out at him.

“Sorry I trust the people I bring into my home,” you snap back playfully.

Holding the gifts in your arms you continue rummaging through the closet and pull out a large box. Katsuki has to hurry over to you to grab it before you lose your balance and tumble over.

“The hell is this?” he asks.

You pull out a canvas covered in wrapping paper as well from the closet and over your shoulder throw him a “your gifts!”as he rolls his eyes. The box is a bit heavy and he takes it over to the couch to set it down on the floor in front of his seat on the couch.

When you’re finally situated, you join him, squishing in close to him on the couch and staring excitedly at him.

“Well…you gonna open it?” you ask, shaking like an excited puppy. Katsuki raises an eyebrow.

“You first,” he insists. You roll your eyes and sigh.

“Fine fine,” you surrender, huffing out a breath.

You slowly tear the paper and Katsuki is gnawing the inside of his cheek. He holds his breath when you rip the paper away and you’re met with the emerald and gold cover of a vintage Wizard of Oz book. You breathe in astonishment, running your fingers over the raised lettering on the cover. The loops and swirls look like gold vines swirling over the emerald green cover. The pages are thick, slightly yellow, and have a painting of the yellow brick road from the story painted along the edges that you can only see when the book is closed.

He watches you carefully, praying that you like it. It took him for fucking ever to find it and he and Denki spent hours on the computer at the library tracking one of these down.

“Katsuki this is amazing,” you breathe. “I… I love this story so much, how’d you–”

“Think you’re the only one who pays attention? I’ve seen you reread that book at least three times since I met ya. I figured you're either a really slow reader or you’ve read it a bunch, which clearly you have,” he explains shrugging his shoulders. Your eyes are wide when you look at him and they’re a bit misty before he’s quickly stopping you.

“No tears, idjit! Open the rest of them,” he says, booping your nose playfully.

Katsuki ended up getting you more paint supplies and sewing ear muffs for Fatima to wear during the winter.

“I made ‘em for my girls and they seemed to like ‘em a lot so I figured making one extra pair wouldn’t hurt,” he says, trying to shrug off your thanks.

When it’s time for him to open his gifts you’re practically bouncing next to him. He thinks it’s cute and purposely takes forever opening the huge box and watching you from the corner of his eye. When he finally gets the box open, he can hear you hold your breath and crane your neck to see his expression.

You’ve gifted him new pots and pans and they’re really fucking good pots and pans. The ones he has now are worn, chipped, stained and spotty from the years of cooking but these are sparkling new, no scratches and he chuckles to himself when he realizes it’s the same brand he’d circled on an advertisement in the paper a few weeks ago. One that he threw out.

He smirks, “Went digging through my trash I see,” he snorts. He expects you to pout but instead you beam proudly at him.

“It’s not digging if it's sitting on the top of the trash and I happened to see it and pick it up!” you say matter of factly.

“Still a creep,” he asserts.

“You’re welcome,” you say, sticking your tongue out at him.

Katsuki’s about to get up and grab the two of you a drink but you tug his sleeve. “Hold on. There’s one more thing,” you say timidly.  You set the covered canvas in his lap and take a deep breath.

“I uhh…I painted this for you…” you stutter.

You’re nervous for once and Katsuki is squinting suspiciously as he watches you twiddle your thumbs. Carefully, he unwraps the canvas and when the paper is discarded on the floor he sets his jaw and stares for a very long time at the painting, silently.

It’s…it’s him, standing with his forehead pressed against Belle’s snout–he can tell from the way you perfectly recreated her pattern. There’s a soft glow of the sunset behind him. You’ve perfectly captured every aspect of him, his square jaw, his long blond lashes, even the dusting of freckles over his nose and shoulders. What really stuns him is his expression.

Katsuki knows he’s known for his sneer, it keeps people away, just the way he likes it. But in this painting, you’ve portrayed him in a way that’s more peaceful than anything he’s witnessed before. The edges of his lips are curled ever so slightly upward, his face is smooth, his lips are pink, hell he can hardly believe this is him. All of the colors are brilliant and bright, the sun behind his head almost looks like a halo as it illuminates him.

Is this how you see him? Holy shit.

Katsuki swallows hard, his heart is beating so fast, he can’t look away from the painting. His calloused fingers run over the planes of the canvas lightly. He doesn’t have any words, doesn’t know what he can say to fully express what he’s feeling. He’s not even sure he knows what he’s feeling.

And then Jodi’s voice plays in his mind.

It looks good on you…being in love.

And in an instant the world feels like everything has lined up and fallen into place. It all makes sense.

Katsuki Bakugo is in love with you.

“Do…do you like it? Thought you could hang it where I assume a picture of you and Cam–”

You’re cut off by him smashing his lips into yours. He’ll never get tired of how you immediately adjust to his kisses, how you sigh and move your lips against his, and how they fit perfectly against his. He reaches up to caress your face gently, carding his fingers through your hair as he pulls back from you.

“Course I like it, dummy. I’d be an idjit not to and I ain’t an idjit,” he breathes against your lips.

Again you smile and release a relieved breath before gently pressing your forehead to his. He knows now, this is real.

How to tell you though? That’s a different story.

An idea sparks as the two of you sit basking in each other’s presence. Katsuki suddenly stands and makes his way over to the record player in the corner of the room. He fishes through the box of records, searching for the one he knows should be here given your music taste. When he finds it, he snickers and mutters a “I fuckin’ knew it”, then puts the record on and plays the song.

He strolls back over to you on the couch and holds his hand out for you to take it. You look confused, looking from the record player, to his hand and up at his eyes, raising an eyebrow.

“Aww come on, don’t tell me you don’t like dancin’ anymore,” he teases. He watches you purse your lips before putting your hand in his and as he pulls you up off the couch and into his arms, you giggle.

“I thought you didn’t like this artist,” you challenge as you wrap your arms up around his neck.

Katsuki drops his hands to your hips, and wraps his arm around the small of your back to pull you closer to him.

“This is the only good one,” he says in a low voice. Your foreheads are pressed together again, and as you both sway back and forth with each other, the lyrics fill the room.

You fill up my senses

Like a night in a forest

Like the mountains in springtime

Like a walk in the rain

Katsuki knows how mushy this seems but it’s the only way he can think to tell you right now. He hopes you’re listening to the words, hopes that you’re putting two and two together. Yeah this singer isn’t his favorite but it’s gotta be a sign that this guy made a song that says everything Katsuki has ever wanted to say to you.

Fuck, he hopes you get it. He hopes you understand. You understand so much about him already. He hopes this is clear enough for you.

You drop your arms from around his neck and wrap them around his back. The guitar and sweet simple melody swells. You lay your ear against his chest as you continue to rock back and forth, listening to his heart. Katsuki thinks his heart will explode when you start singing the lyrics.

God, he loves your voice, it’s beautiful, sounds better than this fucking guy singing it and he thinks for just a minute that maybe, just maybe you’re singing these lyrics to him.

Come, let me love you

Let me give my life to you

Let me drown in your laughter

Let me die in your arms

Katsuki finds himself humming along with you, his deep voice rumbling through his entire body.

He holds you close. He holds you tight, like you’ll slip through his fingers. He’s never felt like this before even when he was in love with Camie.

You’re something new. Something warm and comforting. Something he thought he’d never find again. Something he constantly searched for in the work he put into making his farm his own little slice of paradise.

A light snowfall has started outside of the window, the song has reached the instrumental bridge and Katsuki thinks, this is as good a time as any to tell you. He should tell you right now how he feels. He loves you, he thinks he always has and the universe has set this entire scene up just for him to deliver the climax. It’s just three little words, that’s all he has to say.

He buries his face into the top of your head and you smell divine. You smell like coconut and vanilla with a hint of cinnamon, sweet with a hint of spice. Perfect for you. Yeah, that’s the word, “perfect”.

You’re perfect.

“I think...” he mutters, his cheek still pressed against the top of your head.

“Hmm?” you hum, head still pressed against his chest. Your eyes are closed and he can feel your fingers twisting into the fabric of his shirt.

“I uhh…” he stops. He digs his fingers into your waist nervously. His heart speeds up, his mouth goes dry, the words get caught in his throat and he’s cursing himself.

For fucks sake just spit it out, he thinks.

There’s no doubt that he loves you. Any day he gets to see you smile at him is the greatest day of his life. But whenever he tries to tell you that, it dries up in his throat. Why can’t he just tell you? Fuck, why is this so fucking hard.

“Katsuki?”

Fuck he got too caught up in his own head. Now you’re going to think something is wrong. He ruined it. He ruined the moment. He should say it now to regain the moment. Shitshitshit.

“Thank you,” you say simply.

Hah? What are you playing at? He pulls you back from him, big hands on your shoulders as he stares into your eyes.

“Fer what?’ he grumbles. He’s frowning but you look…breathtaking.

“For being the home I've been looking for since I got here,” you say smiling bright, your sparkling teeth glistening in the warm glow of the fire. Your eyes are clear again and the reflection of the falling snowflakes from the window really do make your eyes look like a galaxy.

You fill up my senses

Come fill me again

The song flutters to a close as you smile at him. Damn, how do you fucking do it? You can always say what you’re feelin’ and make it sound all pretty and crap. Though he’ll admit, the idea that someone like him could be a home for someone as bright as you?

That’s pure paradise.

“Anytime Sweetheart.”

–

It hasn’t been cold enough for the falling snow to stick to the ground, yet the shawl you wear over your head and shoulders is covered in delicate little snowflakes. A few even get caught in your hair.

“Oi shut it. If you’re gonna stand there at least grab a shovel and help,” he grumbles.

Belle saunters over to you to nudge her head against your shoulder and you smile and drape the shawl around your shoulders over her back and kiss her snout. Katsuki watches you tenderly put your head to her snout.

“Can’t, I’m busy with my new best friend,” you say waving a hand while closing your eyes and nuzzling her.

It’s fucking astounding how you can get anyone to fall for you–no matter how hard they try not to.  Since the Fair, the two of you have been inseparable. Katsuki hasn’t been able to keep his hands off of you and when you have to go home to take care of your own farm, he feels disgustingly clingy, itching to have you back with him. He huffs out a breath, this is still so new to him. He hasn’t felt like this since she left and it worries him. What if you leave to go home one day and never come back?

He shakes his head. Don’t be fucking stupid, he thinks.

You ain’t her.

Katsuki props the shovel against the stall and approaches you. He snatches the gloves off of his hands and tosses them over his shoulder. Wrapping an arm around your waist, you gasp as he pulls you into his chest, puts a finger under your chin to tilt your head up and plasters his lips against yours. 

You instantly adjust to the kiss, opening your lips to welcome his tongue. You twist your fingers into the fabric of his coat and whine like you always do when he pulls back from you as if the kiss didn’t last long enough.

“Wha…what was that for?” you ask, panting slightly.

He only smirks devilishly. “Provin’ a point,”  he says leaning down to kiss you again.

If the chill of winter doesn’t nip at his sanity, Joja Mart definitely does. They have “holiday sales” and although the produce isn’t as fresh as what’s grown at the local general store, No one can turn down the prices. It puts Katsuki in a foul mood, listening to some of the townsfolk complain about funds being tight.

But it’s not only that. He’s been on the lookout for the perfect gift to give you for the Feast of Winter Stars. He wants it to be perfect but he’s having trouble figuring it out.

He rolls his eyes. He can just hear you now. “You don’t have to stress yourself out, Katsuki. I'll love anything you get me.” Spoken like someone who already has the perfect gift picked out and of course you do.

“You never fucking talk about what you want or anything. How’s anyone supposed to buy shit for you?” he asks one morning while the two of you are lying in bed.

“I don’t want people to buy anything for me,” you reply cheekily. You’re lying on your back, staring up at the ceiling and looking serious.

He grumbles to himself. You’re hopeless, the first person he’s ever wanted to buy a gift for without thinkin’ he has to repay them, and you don’t even want it.

“Why the hell not?”

You turn on your side to face him, the sun shining through your hair and illuminating your skin.  Your eyes are sparkling, your lashes are long and even though your hair is a bit wild from being smashed against the pillow, you still effortlessly pull off looking hot. If there’s one good thing about Winter, it’s the fact that he can take it easy and spend a few minutes lounging in bed gazing at you.

“Because I don’t deserve that,” you say seriously. A stinging ache hits him in the chest when he witnesses how serious you are when you say it. You say those words like it’s absolute. The truth. A fact and he can’t believe you’d think something so clearly false about yourself.

“Hah?!” he cries and purses his lips. “Tell me yer fuckin’ jokin’ Idjit,” he growls.

He thinks you might be when you giggle and place a hand on his bare chest, but your tone doesn’t change when you peer into his eyes and whisper.

“I’m not.”

Katsuki frowns, squinting his eyes slightly before he grabs your wrist and pulls you over to lie on his chest. Why would you think that? Don’t you know how good you are? Don’t you know how bad he is?

Your cheek is soft and warm against his pecs, he can feel your lashes brushing against his skin when you blink. You’re not even emotional about what you just said, your breathing is even, you trace the lines of his muscles idly. You’ve accepted it that much?

Hell no.

The palm of his hand is so big on your cheek, and he doesn’t move it when he grunts “Oi, look at me,” and you prop your chin on his chest to gaze into his eyes.

“That ain’t true,” he insists and you roll your eyes.

“Katsuki, don’t—“

“Shut up and let me finish,” he growls out.

You’re shocked now, maybe even slightly worried at the anger settling in his gut. “I told ya once before, didn’t I? You ain’t a terrible person. Even if ya think ya don’t deserve shit, that ain’t the truth. Quit actin’ like it is. I’m gonna get you the best damn gift you’ve ever fuckin’ seen and yer gonna love it. Got it?,” he finishes. He pouts, pursing his lips and daring you to refute him.

He breathes a sigh of relief when you smile and stretch up to give him a kiss. Your lips smack against his and your eyes close as your tongue flattens against his and fuck, if you keep kissing him like this he’s definitely gonna pop a fucking boner and ruin this stupid tender moment.  He wraps his hand around the back of your head to deepen the kiss and when you pull back from him you’re flashing him that sexy sneaky smirk.

“Thank you Katsu,” you whisper.

The nickname catches him off guard and strangely enough makes his stomach do a flip. It’s cute, especially when you say it all shy like that and immediately he wonders how it’d sound dripping from your lips while he was above you watching your face twist in pleasure and–

There goes the boner.

Your thigh is draped over his torso and as his cock twitches, you giggle and bite your lip. “Oh, you liked that, huh?” you tease and like the fucking minx you are, you grind your thigh against his inflating dick.

He breathes in and groans as your hand snakes down under the blanket. Your hand is so damn small when it’s wrapped around his cock and it only makes him grow harder at your touch. His hand falls to grasp and squeeze your ass.

The pads of his fingers dig into your soft skin and he hears you moan under your breath. When you’ve managed to shimmy his underwear down his thighs and stroke him, slowly coating him in the pre that drips from the tip, he’s sucking air through his teeth and closing his eyes to focus on how warm your hand is.

“Fuck,” he breathes and you smile against his jaw.

You lean up to brush your lips against his lips, licking and biting playfully. His breath shudders, your grip tightens and he’s raising his hips and clenching the sheets between his fists.

“You’re too good to me,” you say, nibbling on his bottom lip.

Katsuki doesn’t know why that phrase makes him ache again but his eyes open and he looks at you and caresses your face.  His thumb runs along your cheek, and then he kisses you, plunging his tongue into your mouth. He quickly rips your underwear down your legs then pulls you on top of him.

Your hips are steadied as he rubs and squeezes you, keeping you balanced. He positions his cock between the cheeks of your ass. The shirt you’re wearing, his shirt,  pools in your lap as you straddle him. He takes the end and lifts it so your breasts are exposed, sitting plump and heavy in front of him.

He pulls the hem of the shirt up to your lips and commands “Open” before you open your mouth and take the fabric between your teeth. Palming your tits and pinching your nipples as you grind your warm cunt against his thighs, he stares into your eyes. You’re dripping already, and he wants you so much it fucking hurts. But this is important and he wants you to fucking pay attention.

“Gonna show you just how good you are to me sweetheart,” he says, rocking your hips back and forth. You only moan in response but he can see your eyes glimmering.

“Yer gonna ride me, “ he says suddenly lifting your ass slightly and hovering you over his weeping tip. Katsuki wants to see your face and watch you bring yourself pleasure. He wants you to use him, to reward yourself so you know you deserve all of this and more.

The hem of your shirt stays fixed between your teeth and you whine and whimper as Katsuki slowly eases you down onto his cock. He watches himself disappear inside of you, your cunt stretching to welcome him and god, he’ll never get tired of watching the way you take him so perfectly.

You’re already clenching and grinding your hips so his thick cock head is rubbing against the spongy soft patch that makes you squeal and dig your fingers into his chest.  You lock eyes with him and move your hips back and forth. He reaches up to play with your tits, a devilish smirk on his face when you throw your head back in pleasure.

Your eyebrows are knitted together, your hips are swaying, and you’re performing moves on his cock he’s never seen anyone do before. He knows you're close when your breath is shuddering and your body starts to tense up.  Your jaw drops,the hem of your shirt falls from your lips, damp with your spit as you throw your head back in ecstasy. Your eyes roll to the back of your head and he thinks he could come just from watching your face.

“Come on baby. You can do it. Come for me,” he growls as he draws deep hard circles on your clit.

“Oh f…fuck…Katsu…” you moan and come completely undone as you ride out your high.

White cream froths around the base of his cock as you continue moving your hips and when Katsuki lifts his hips to fuck into you, it only takes three more thrusts for him to paint your insides white.

You slump down on top of him, exhausted, sweaty and panting and he pulls you off to his side to hold you close to him and catch your breath.  In the post-coital glow, Katsuki takes the moment to be serious. As he traces up and down your spine, he scolds you.

“Don’t ever say shit like that about yourself again, ya hear? You fuckin’ deserve way more than you give yerself credit for and if I gotta show ya, I will,” he states, staring up at the ceiling.

You hum an affirmation and nestle yourself closer to his body.

Another thought passes through his mind and he sighs and keeps his serious tone. “Oi, we gotta talk.”

Immediately you sit up, “What’s wrong?” you ask. Your eyes are wide and you almost look frightened.

“Relax, it’s not anything crazy. I just… I want ya to know…” he stammers. Why is his throat closing up all of a sudden. He knows if this is gonna last, if he wants it to last–and he fucking does– he’s gotta tell you.

You’re patient with him as you watch him struggle over his words. He clears his throat and elects to just blurting it out so he can get it over with.

“I wanna tell you about her.”

You blink in confusion for only a second before understanding creeps onto your face and you reply, “Camie.”

Hearing her name still stings, but when it comes from you it’s strange. It’s unfamiliar, like he doesn’t know who that person is. He’s surprised you even know her name. He’s sure he’s never said it to you before.  He raises an eyebrow and you smirk guilty.

“I asked Eiji when you mentioned a girl,” you say sheepishly.

Katsuki snorts, “Oh so ya did some research eh?” he teases and you pout.

“I was curious and you gave me NO details. For the record, neither did Eiji. He just mentioned her name but said I should ask you,” you reply rolling your eyes.

Katsuki makes a note to himself to thank Ei and find him a date ASAP.  He sighs and sits up so that he’s facing you as he speaks. He takes a deep breath as he prepares himself to walk back down memory lane.

“Guess I'll start back in high school.”

Katsuki Bakugo was in love. It was strange to admit but he’d found his one and luckily pretty early on. High school, he and Camie hit it off despite her being obnoxiously opinionated; her determination was what caught his eye. Her charm and confidence came after and before he knew it he was hooked on her. They were inseparable, young, dumb, and in love. One of the last things Katsuki would ever think to describe himself as, but looking back he should’ve seen the signs.

Regardless he didn’t and in the middle of college the two love birds decided “college just wasn’t meant for them”. Camie had said “It wasn’t in the stars” whatever that fucking meant. Her dreams of being an actor were shattered when she realized how hard it was to be scouted when there was a giant pool of good looking girls searching for the same thing.

Katsuki, being unhappy with the constant cycle of class and homework and the hustle and bustle of trains and cars and people moving constantly and never being able to stop and smell the fresh air, agreed with the ditching of college. Instead they pooled all the money they had, savings from their parents, a “new car” jar of money Katsuki had from saving money from the rinky dink jobs he’d had during college to make ends meet, and bought a plot of land.

Camie had found it and described it as perfect. It was dirt cheap–with good reason now knowing about the battle between the town and Joja Mart– and the house included on the land was just the right type of project a young couple needed to grow together. The year working on renovations on the house and making it their own was a success, Katsuki had never felt more content and at peace. He’d gone out and bought a ring, a plan to cement his life with the woman he loved forever.

But not everything ran as smoothly as he assumed. While Katsuki was thriving, Camie was suffering and the day he’d decided he would propose he was met with a letter on the dining room table. Opportunity came knocking for Camie and she answered without a single word to him. She left half the closet empty and a note saying I’m sorry.

There aren’t many words to describe the darkness that hovered over Katsuki’s life after that. He withdrew into himself, put on a mask of hate and surliness and found his only comfort in bottles and bottles of whiskey. The drunken haze provided a cloud of numbness Katsuki nestled himself into and with it, his poise, his focus and even some of the treasured crops on his farm shriveled up and died.

All he knew was loneliness and betrayal from a woman he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with. Who would’ve thought the feel of one glass of whiskey sloshing down his gullet could numb the pain he’d never experienced before? How could his body crave this as medicine for a broken heart?  One glass became two, two became four, and four became a 6 month supply. Six months of constant booze and clouded thoughts and numb emptiness before his heart was reawakened by a voice on the Tv.

“Joja’s got what you need and at a lower price.”

Katsuki knew that voice. He’d know it anywhere. And when he focused his attention on the screen his heart awakened but so did the rage and resentment.

And Katsuki’s only thought was pain. He needed it, he craved it. Obsessed with the need to make her feel the pain he did, in a drunken rage he stormed out to his car. He hadn’t even noticed Eijirou coming by to check on his friend again despite the constant prickliness and dismissal of any help. He hadn’t heard him ask what was wrong, what he was doing, where he was going, is he…drunk?

Katsuki’s thoughts were too fucking loud, the soshing in his belly drowned out Eiji and any reason or regard for safety as he climbed up into his truck behind the wheel. He didn’t even remember grabbing the keys or getting into the truck or hearing Eiji screaming behind him, chasing the car as he drove away.

A commercial. She was in a commercial. For fucking Joja, what a goddamn coincidence. She wanted to hurt him.  She had to have known that that commercial would be everywhere, that he'd see it, that he’d see her.

She wanted to torture him. To make him suffer more than he already did. To twist the knife deeper and deeper into his back.

Katsuki didn’t know where he was going and it was a little too late for him to realize that he didn't know how to get to her. The road in front of him was dark, way too dark to see. Fuck, did  he have his headlights on?

It’s only a few seconds his eyes are off the road. Just a few, to look for the fucking switch to turn on the headlights. That’s all his mind could focus on. Headlights, Camie, Joja,Pain. A cycle going round and round until everything in the car is spinning, even the truck .

The truck had done three full flips before landing in a ditch on the side of the road and Katsuki couldn’t remember a thing.  The night was hazy, his head ached and he became increasingly aware of a pain in his shoulder that intensified the more he sat on the brim of consciousness in his truck.

The last thing he remembers before passing out completely is muttering to himself over and over “Why would she leave?”

It is silent for a long time as the crisp morning air beats against the window of his bedroom. He doesn’t look at you, he doesn’t think he can after telling you everything. So he focuses on tracing the curves of your body, running his finger down your shoulder, into the dip of your waist and over the swell of your hips.

“What happened after the accident?” You inquire in a small voice.

“Ei and the Boss found me. Took me to the hospital, got me patched up and into one of those rehab centers the next town over. Toshi gave me a job at the Saloon, Ei stayed with me to make sure I was good,” he replies.

“Did you hit anything?”

“Nah just swerved a lot and flipped the truck.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

It’s quiet again as you ponder everything. Katsuki’s heart races. Are you deciding if you still want this? Will you still wanna be with him after hearing about how fucking pathetic he used to be? He should’ve told you all of this before you’d spent the last few weeks fucking like rabbits. But at least he’s not in too deep if he needs to cut ties.

When he can no longer take the suffering silence he sighs. “So that’s everything. Still think you wanna be with someone as fucked up as me?”

You lift your head from his chest to gaze into his eyes with confusion. Fucking hell, he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the way you look at him. You tilt your head in confusion and he can see you contemplating what you want to say.

Finally, you respond. “How long has it been since you had a drink?”

Will his answer decide whether you stay or not? He licks his lips and swallows loudly.  “Since that last night, ‘bout a year and a half ago,” he mutters.

He huffs impatiently. You have a right to ask him about everything and he wants to be honest with you. He owes you that much, especially with how open you’ve been with him about your grandpa. You’re still tracing light circles on his chest and now you're humming to yourself. He wants to stroke your cheek but he refrains. He won’t do anything more, not until you’ve made your decision.

“Is that why you rushed to find me in the storm?” you ask, smirking up at him. Immediately the atmosphere is less tense and he’s sighing in relief.

Again the flash of your red truck in a ditch somewhere makes him wince and he shakes his head and glares at you. “I went to find ya in the storm because I knew you were gonna be stupid and go back for the dog,” he cements.

You place your hand gently on his cheek as you giggle and immediately he sinks into the soft warmth of your palm. He closes his eyes and revels in it before your voice pulls his attention again.

“You really think a man who risks his own life for a dog and a woman he hates is a bad person?”

Katsuki’s heart swells in his chest, so much that it almost hurts. “I never hated you. I couldn’t,” he assures, placing a quick kiss to your wrist.

You smile a very smug smile and he rolls his eyes.

“I fucking tried to but you made it impossible,” he grumbles.

You move closer, gently rubbing the tip of your nose against his and he breathes in your scent. “You are something I could never get tired of. You are determined and caring, and–in your own weird little way–sweet and kind. So yeah, I think I can handle someone as ‘fucked up’ as you.”

You say this with so much confidence that Katsuki lets out a relieved breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He pulls your face back to his to kiss you again more passionately and you moan against his lips. He’s sure of it now, sure that having you here with him makes him the luckiest man on earth.

When you pull back from him, panting and grinding against his leg again he’s smirking and grabbing your ass. “Plus, the sex is way too bomb for me to leave now,” you say biting your lip.

Katsuki growls, flips you on your back, and wedges his hand between your body to sweep against your clit as the two of you settle into bed for round two.

–

Now you’re sitting in his truck on the way to his home. You haven’t stopped smiling since the kiss and if Katsuki wasn’t so fucking nervous about his next step he’d probably be a smiling dummy as well. You squeeze his hand for the fifth time, as he keeps one hand on the wheel and gazes at the way your fingers wrap around his calloused hands. It fits perfectly in his palm and every time you squeeze, a shock of energy and some warm dumb feeling settles deeper into his gut.

The sun is setting, leaving it’s miraculous string of colors in the sky, both warm and cool colors blending to make a gradient Katsuki is sure can only be witnessed from the wilderness on his farm. When he pulls up his driveway and helps you down out of his truck he takes your hand and guides you into the house.  He’s nervous again, heart pounding in his chest as he opens the door and lets you step in.

This is the right choice. Yeah, maybe there will be a chance you walk away but, he’s decided it’s a risk he wants to take. You stroll into the foyer, pulling your thick cardigan from your shoulders.

“So what’s for dinner?” you ask excitedly.

“Wanna show ya somethin’ first. Keep your shoes on and follow me,” he replies, taking your hand as you gaze at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong? We visiting the girls first?”

Katsuki smirks. He likes the way you say “the girls”, like you’re familiar with them. Like you belong. He opens the back door and pulls you out onto the porch, holding his breath.

You gasp, and breathe out an amazed  “Oh my god,” as a gentle breeze rolls through your hair and flowy dress and your sweet scent billows into Katsuki's nose.

The big old oak tree, the one you were amazed by the first time you came here now sits illuminated by handmade paper lanterns Katsuki has hung from the low hanging branches. The sky behind it looks beautiful, splattered with shades of pink and purple as the sun slowly descends out of the sky. The remaining golden glow peaks behind the nearly naked branches and the remaining red leaves look like a brilliant warm flame as they catch on the soft light of the lanterns.

The sight takes your breath away and Katsuki watches you as you stumble forward, drawn in by the gorgeous sight. Your lips are slightly parted, your eyes wide as your irises find the last glimmer of sunlight.  Katsuki noticed the first time he gazed into your eyes, that first day he met you he noticed that your eyes always catch the sun. He used to find it annoying how you were glowing, how your eyes were so clear, and how it was so hard to get them out of his head. But now, he’d give anything to have this moment replayed in his mind forever.

“You… you did this? Why?” you breathe out incredulously.

Tsk, is it not obvious? Fucking hell he’s gonna have to spell this out to you, isn’t he?

He huffs, “You said you wanted to paint it right? If yer doing a painting of my farm I obviously gotta make sure it looks the best,” he boasts lifting his chin in pride.

He can see the apples of your cheeks lift as you smile, yet your eyes stay fixed on the tree in front of you. You step out of your boots and walk barefoot into the plush grass toward the tree in awe. Katsuki follows behind you, enthralled with how encapsulated you are.

“I uhh…you can come over and paint whenever ya want. I… erm… I made ya a key if you’re interested. I mean if you ain’t comfortable or whatever you don’t gotta stay or anything but I just mean…” He struggles with his words so much he hasn’t noticed that you’ve turned around to stare at him.

He shoves his hands in the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a little silver key.  “Yer welcome here. My door’s always open fer you,” he finishes, staring down at his boots nervously.

You’re in his arms, running and leaping up to wrap your arms around his neck and he doesn’t miss a beat when he catches you, scooping his arms underneath your ass. You’re hugging him tightly, burying your face into his neck and mumbling something over and over that he can’t quite make out.

“Hah? What’re ya–”

“I don’t feel like an outsider anymore,” you say, pulling back from his neck to stare into his eyes.

Your cheeks are glistening and a spare tear falls down your face as he watches you.  He wipes it away gently with his thumb, moving it down to trace your lips as you lean your forehead against his. He sighs. All this time he knew you felt like an outsider. He’s glad he can give this to you. This is the best feeling in the world and if he could jar it up the way you taught him how to jar up his vegetables, he’d keep it on his shelf forever.

“You were never an outsider, dummy,” he replies.

Katsuki folds the key into your palm and then plasters his lips against yours again. You squeeze your legs around his waist pressing your breasts against his body and deepening the kiss. He hears a tiny moan when you part your lips and he slips his tongue into your mouth.  Blood pumps straight to his groin and his fingers dig into the globes of your ass.

“Kinda chilly for a blanket under a big tree but uhh…” he starts, gazing into your eyes before he gently presses another kiss to your lips. You raise an eyebrow and smirk knowingly.

He wants you, he’s tired of beating around the bush.

In a husky grunt he hisses through his teeth, “I want you.”

Slowly you fist your fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, your breathing increases, your thighs tighten around his waist and you grind expertly against the rapidly growing bulge in his pants.  He sucks in air through his teeth when you pull lightly at his hair. Your eyelids are heavy and you lick your lips and look up at him through your eyelashes. Fucking hell if you keep looking at him like this, he’ll take you right here on the lawn. He needs to hear you.

You brush your lips against his and whisper the answer Katsuki has been waiting for.

“Please.”

It’s been a while since Katsuki has had anyone in his bed, but fuck if you don’t look absolutely perfect in it right now. He could spend hours staring and mapping out the planes and courses of your body. He revels in the way his fevered skin feels against yours, the way his lips move to all the places on your body he knows will make you squirm and squeal. You even bless him with a giggle when he kisses gently down the side of your jaw and flicks the tip of his tongue on the lobe of your ear.

“Mmm tickles,”  you breathe with a huge smile.

Better get all your laughs out now sweetheart, cuz the rest of the night you’ll be screaming.

It’s been too long since he’s felt the soft hands and plush thighs and hot cunt of a woman aroud his cock and although he’s aching to be inside you, Katsuki decides to take his fucking time. He remembers what you said back in the cellar. It’s been a while for you too. Which means, he’ll be the first to fuck you in a while. So he should make it count.  He should have you screaming until your throat is raw and he will.

As if you can read his mind you wiggle your hips and groan and he chuckles.

“Impatient arentcha?’  he teases, kneading your waist through the fabric of your dress.

Katsuki pulls the straps of your dress down tracing your collar bones with his tongue. Your sighs and the way you grasp his shirt let him know he’s on the right track. Shit, if your sighs are enough to make his cock jump in his pants, he can’t imagine what your whines and moans will do to him. The imagined sounds of you mewling his name as he tasted you speeds up his progress a bit. He’s pulling your dress down your body, kissing a trail as your breasts–finally– are exposed to him.

He pauses to take you in, eyes rolling over your frame as he smirks.

“You’ve got such perfect fucking tits,” he says as he palms one of the warm lumps of flesh. He leans down to kiss between your cleavage, sighing at how warm and soft it feels.

You giggle again, “Thanks, I grew ‘em myself,” you joke as he rolls his eyes and continues kissing down your body.

Unbelievable. “My face is between your tits right now and you’re makin’ jokes?”

“Mmm hmm, whatcha gonna do about it?” you challenge pulling your bottom lip up between your sparkling teeth. The bratty little glint in your eyes awakens a deeper hunger in him.

He latches on to your nipple with a growl, biting down on the raised bud before licking to soothe the pain. You arch your back and moan loudly, pushing your chest further into his mouth. The vibration of his growl makes your fingers dig into the sheets.

With the dress discarded over his shoulder, Katsuki is able to fully take in your body. It’s perfect although you’re still wearing underwear but he knows if your body is this perfect, your pussy must be the promised land. You chew on your nail, eyes flicking up and down at him.

“Like what you see, hmm?’ you purr and laugh when his cock twitches in his pants again. “I think it’s only fair I get to look at you too,” you pout as you paw at the hem of his shirt.

“Whatever ya say sweetheart,” he replies, pulling his shirt over his head. He takes a moment to shed his jeans as well and stands before you on the edge of the bed in his underwear as his cock strains against the fabric. He knows it’s a good sign when you gasp and lick your lips.  You sit up quickly and drag a nail down his chest tilting your head in amazement.

“I knew it,” you whisper to yourself and Katsuki raises an eyebrow.

“Knew what?”

“That you were sculpted like some freaking country Adonis or something,” you mutter, eyebrows pulling together as you continue tracing his abs.

He snorts at that and his ego grows just as much as his cock at the thought of you fantasizing about him. “Where the fuck do you come up with this shit?’

Your fingers reach the band of his underwear and you tug at them gently, gazing up at him through your lashes again. Katsuki bites his lip and you place a soft kiss where the band of his underwear meets his hips. He groans, thinking of how soft your lips are, how perfect they’d feel around his cock. His cock is pulsing, leaking at the tip through his underwear, practically weeping for your lips to be around it.

You take your time pulling them down his hips and when the flushed mushroomed tip of his cock peeks out from the fabric you gasp and kiss it gently. Katsuki grinds his teeth together and watches the way his pre stains your pretty lips, like a gloss. It isn’t long before he’s stepping out of his underwear and your fingers are wrapped around his girth.

Katsuki throws his head back and lets out a long loud groan. It’s been too fucking long. A few shower jerks could never top the way you lick slowly up his shaft. You stop to leave little red marks that you suck into the delicate skin and he has to really concentrate on not coming all over your face when you lean down to slip one of his heavy balls into your mouth.

“It’s so pretty Katsuki,“ you croon as you tap his mushroomed head against your lips.

Katsuki locks eyes with you. He brings a hulking hand up to cup under your chin. He pulls your bottom lip down before you lean down to take his thumb into your mouth. Man, you’ve gotta be a pro at this and Katsuki counts his lucky stars you’re here doing this with him.

“Thanks, the last girl thought so too,” he teases in a gruff voice and he laughs when you push out your lips and pull back from him.

“Do you not want me to suck your cock? Because this is how you get me to not suck your cock,” you say with an eyebrow raised.

Laughing like some kind of villain mastermind, Katsuki pushes you back on the bed and crawls over you. “See how jokin’ ruins the mood? Payback’s a bitch huh Sweetheart,” he growls, pulling your panties down your legs.

You roll your eyes but lift your hips as he pulls them down and tosses them over his shoulder. Truth is, he doesn’t know if he’d be able to hold back if you put his cock in your mouth and he knows he wants to come while fucking you so he dives between your folds, kissing a trail of sloppy open mouth kisses up your inner thigh.

Your moans are some of the prettiest sounds Katsuki has ever heard and when you pull on his hair and push your cunt further into his face, it almost makes him rabid. You’re warm, dribbling with slick as he peels back your lips and flattens his tongue to lick from your ass up to your clit.

“Oh my god,” you cry out and he chuckles against your pelvic bone, sending another sensation of pleasure up your spine.

You taste heavenly, as he expected and he can only imagine how you’ll split and fold around his cock when he finally takes you. He pushes his tongue into your heat  and his eyes roll to the back of his head. Your briny flavor drives him mad, all he wants is more of it on his tongue, more of you. He’s growling as he tongue fucks you and Katsuki thinks for just a moment, this could be his new addiction. You’re pulling his hair and whining, Your legs are tensing up and closing around his head as you climb to your orgasm.

Katsuki makes sure to keep your legs open. Pressing the pads of his coarse fingertips into the plush flesh of your thigh.

“Mmm Katsuki… I- I’’m gonna–” you stammer in a pathetic little voice that he finds ravishing.

“Cum on my tongue. Wanna taste you,” he moans between your thighs. And wouldn't you know it, despite being a little brat at the beginning you do exactly as you're told and cum all over his face. Your thighs shake, your back arches up off the bed, your head is thrown back and a wail of his name fills the room.

Panting, Katsuki kisses up your body again, lingering for only a second to suck and bite your nipples. When he reaches your lips, he licks your bottom lip and smiles at your fucked out expression. Before a snide comment can come out of his mouth, you’re crashing your lips against his, licking his lips and pulling them between your teeth. KAtsuki groans into your mouth when your tongue swirls around him. Lord knows you’re fucking talented with that thing.

You lay your head back, wrap your legs around his waist and pull him closer to you. Your eyes are ablaze and he knows without you saying anything what you want.

“Heh, want me, dontcha?” he asserts and you nod feverishly.

Katsuki takes a deep breath and pumps himself. He's throbbing, aching for you and when he slips his dick between your sopping wet folds, hears the lewd squelching sounds as your lips part around him, it’s almost as if he’s entered another realm. He thumps his cock against your clit, it’s heavy and pulsing, ready to be inside you.

He holds your cheek tenderly before he whispers “Look at me. I wanna see you.” You gaze at him, stare so hard it’s like you’re staring into his soul and he doesn't think he could look away from you if he tried.

Slowly, he enters you, holding his breath as the warmth envelopes him. You’re tighter than he thought and the way you’re stretching around his thick length again makes his ego swell. He savors every movement, the way your chest heaves up and down as he pushes further into your cunt. He hisses when he rubs against a sensitive spot inside you and you clench hard around him.

Finally, he bottoms out and lets out the breath he was holding. He heaves as you dig your fingers into the blankets and watches how you gnaw on your lip. You look as if you’re trying to steady yourself, is he too big for you?

Katsuki is in pure bliss. “F…fuck I…I could stay inside your pussy for days…unf… you’re so tight.”

You growl like an angry cat, “Well I don’t wanna stay like this for days. Move Katsuki, please”

Again that word, something about the way your lips curl around the word, the way it falls from your lips, your desperate little tone. It makes him throb inside of you, caress the ridges of your cunt and makes him even harder.

“Heh ask me again nicely and maybe I’ll do it.” It’s his turn to tease you but when you look at him and pout he almost comes instantly at the sight of your puckered lips and hazy eyes.

You lick your lips and stare up into his eyes. Your face is still glistening with beads of precum and he dons a cocky little smirk, rustles his hips and twitches inside of you. The smirk vanishes the second you take a deep breath and with lidded eyes and a breathy sigh you pant.

“Fuck me, Katsuki. Please.”

As much as he wants to pound into you, to lose control and fuck you so hard you’re creaming and screaming his name, he doesn’t. He moves slowly, rolls his hips out and back into you, sinking deeper than the initial thrust. He savors you, savors every fluttering breath flitting off the tip of your tongue. He pays close attention to the way your back is arched, the way your pert nipples bead in the cool air of the room, the way your hips roll in rhythm with his until you’re moving like a well oiled machine.

He pulls out and back in, grinding against your clit, humming to himself as you clench around him. The feel of you molding around him, the way he moves and carves his cock into your walls; it’s as if you two belong together. The empty spaces between you fit together to form a completed picture. Lewd squelching noises from his cock pumping in and out of you adds to the euphoric moment of hearing you moan loud and long for him.

“Feel good, yeah?” He hisses as he watches the base of his cock disappear into your pussy again.

You nod, your eyes are squeezed shut and holy shit, Katsuki’s thrusts stutter.

You’re beautiful.

Yes, he noticed you were beautiful before, between the glances from the side of his eye or watching you smile while you chatted with Denki and Eiji. But right now in the throes of pleasure, pleasure he’s giving you, it’s a different kind of beauty.

It’s then when he can no longer keep his slow pace. He leans down, pulling your body close to his, lips attaching to your neck as he angles his hips and fucks you. Your nails dig into his back, and he brings a hand up to rest atop your head as he slaps his hips against yours.

Both your bodies are sticky and sweaty, plastered against each other and each time your hips pull apart, the slick and sweat make reluctant webs between you, wanting to stay connected with every movement. You’re wailing now, splitting the skin open on his back as he moves faster and faster chasing the prize at the end of the finish line, your cunt milking all he has to give you.

“O…Oh shit…can’t hold back. Can I…inside?” Katsuki says through labored breaths. You're completely lost in the way his cock drives into your pussy, panting and whining. Again he has to hear you say it so he holds back, knocks his forehead against yours to garner your attention and pleads through his teeth.

“Please?”

“I don’t care! I don’t care, just don’t stop!’ you cry out.

You drop your jaw and he feels it, feels you convulse and clench so tight that he cries out a whimpering moan that sounds as if it’s a mix of pain and wondrous pleasure. Katsuki spills into your cunt, wave after wave of heat filling you as he plugs you and keeps it all inside. You wrap your legs around his ass and push him in further, waves of aftershock moving through you as you both collapse into a mess of sloppy open mouth kisses and drift off to sleep.

It’s fucking mushy as hell to say, but Katsuki believes you belong in his arms. The way your body curves and nestles into the empty pockets between your two bodies is just too perfect for you not to belong here.

You’re asleep, curled up into his side with your cheek resting on his bare chest. Your leg is draped over his body and your hand is right over his heart. With his arm wrapped around your torso, he pulls you closer to him, pressing a very light kiss to your hairline so as not to wake you. Your eyelashes flutter slightly when his lips touch your skin and a sleepy hum escapes your lips. Tracing the contours of your body with his fingers is like art, you’re perfect in every way.

It feels like a dream, everything that’s happened between the two of you and for once it’s ended with a happy ending. You’re his, and although the thought of you possibly leaving terrifies him, right now he feels nothing but absolute complete bliss. Your light snores are music to his ears. You twitch a lot in your sleep, mumble sometimes and Katsuki notes, you’re a clinger and a blanket hog.

As your chest rises and falls slowly he takes the liberty of enjoying you peacefully lost in slumber. He twirls a strand of your hair around his finger. He’s never thought about it, but your hair is–apart from your freakishly expressive and gorgeous eyes–his favorite. The way you sometimes blow the loose tendrils out of your face when you’re hunched over a canvas always made him stop whatever he was doing to stare at you.

“You scare the hell outta me, ya know that Sweetheart?” he mumbles to you in the dark.

You sigh in your sleep and Katsuki holds his breath when he thinks you’ll wake. But when you gently rub your cheek against his chest, shiver and wrap your body more around his legs for warmth, he chuckles.

He’d never tell you that aloud, and he’ll make it a habit of whispering all the things he’s too afraid to say to you while you’re awake to your slumbering form.

“I dunno how Ei thought I could help you but he was right about one thing. Yer changin’ me and it’s fuckin scary,” he mutters. He brushes hair from your forehead and you smile in your sleep, the dimples in your cheeks forming.

In the darkness, you mutter something that sounds like his name and his heart sings. This might be the scariest thing he’s done, but ain’t no way he’s letting you get away.

–

“Nope,” he replies, shaking his head and keeping his eyes on the lake in front of him. From the corner of his eye he can see Eijirou stammer as a shocked but offended look shoots across his face.

“Wha– you don't even know what I was gonna say!”  he retorts, throwing his arms up.

“I do know. And I'm sayin’ nope.” Katsuki tries to busy himself with readjusting the fishing rod. He hasn’t had so much as a nibble since they started fishing, but if it’ll move the attention away from the topic he knows Ei wants to talk about, it’s worth checking again.

Katsuki winces when Hanta speaks up, curiosity bleeding into his words. “Wanna fill us in on your weird best buds telepathy thing?” He clicks his tongue in annoyance when Eijirou glances over to Katsuki and he returns the look with a pointed glare.

Eiji starts, “I was gonna ask Kats about Min–”

“It’s none of your business. Plus there’s nothin’ to talk about,'' Katsuki interrupts, huffing out an impatient breath.

Eijirou purses his lips and folds his arms over his chest. “Oh yeah? Cuz I think running out in the middle of a tornado to save her sounds a lot like somethin’.”

Fucking hell, there it is. Now he’ll never hear the end of it. Denki and Hanta are sputtering and falling over themselves. They’ve always been overdramatic and Katsuki wishes he could wipe that dumb smirk off of Eiji’s face. This is all his fault.

“Woah, that’s why you weren’t at the community center with the rest of us?” Hanta asks with wide eyes.

“Shut it idjit.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes to avoid eye contact, the back of his neck feels hot as they settle back down. This is ridiculous. It’s almost as if they’re all back in high school again talking about girls and crushes and shit. It’s idiotic. There’s nothing going on between you and him. Like he said, there’s nothing to talk about.

“Come on Kats. You can tell us that you care about her. It’s pretty obvious at this point,” Eijirou replies, slapping an arm around his shoulder. He tries to shrug him off to no avail.

So what if he went to save you? If Eiji or any of these other idiots had gone to help you out, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. So why the fuck are they all staring a thim like he’s got a third fucking head.

“Yeah not to mention, she’s smokin’ hot,” Denki adds, shrugging and biting his lip.

Immediately, Katsuki glares at Denki and it doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone in the group. He’s not allowed to talk about you like that, even if it is true. There’s a long moment of silence as everyone realizes what his reaction to Denki’s words mean.

Finally, Hanta’s sigh breaks the silence. “Ask her out man. Don’t be a wuss.”

“Yeah you could ask her to the Faire! I’m sure she’s going,” Eiji chimes in, beaming an encouraging smile at him.

“Hey Eijirou–weren’t you planning on ask–ouch!” Eiji jams his elbow into Denki’s side before he can finish the sentence, yet his face doesn’t change from the encouraging smile.

Katsuki’s eyes snap up to Eijirou. Fucking hell, he knew Eiji had a thing for you. Last thing he ever wanted was to come in and swoop his girl up.

What is he saying?  He’s not swooping you up. You aren’t his. He would’ve gone out into a storm to save any of these idiots here. Why should you be any different? At the very least the two of you are friends. So of course he’d treat you like one.

The way he can’t get your smile out of his head, the way he remembers how good you smelled, sweet with a hint of spice, the way he still feels relieved when he thinks about the moment he found you sitting in the tub with Frenchie…those don’t mean anything.

Right?

“Kats, you should do it man. Ask her,” Eiji says softly. He stares into his friend’s scarlet eyes and he knows he’s being serious. Katsuki scoffs.

“What makes you think she’ll agree to do anything with me huh?” He can hardly believe it when all three of his friends erupt into fits of laughter. Denki holds his sides as he coughs up a lung, Eiji wipes a tear from his eye and Katsuki sits in the middle of them all steaming like a vegetable.

“That’s what you’re worried about? Her saying no? Are all you pretty guys this dense?” Hanta says between laughs.

“I mean ya did save her from a storm so even if she wanted to say no, she probably wouldn’t. Yannow to pay you back from saving her,”  Denki replies in a tone that suggests he thinks his comment is helping.

“You’re not helping Idjit!” Katsuki shouts. He wishes they would drop it.he’s not in high school again. This isn’t some dumb schoolyard crush. You’re a person with baggage and shit and not to mention he’s got baggage of his own. You probably don’t have the time to deal with someone like him anyway.

“Man come on. Ya gotta know that she’s not gonna turn you down. Just as obvious it is that  you’ve got a thing for her, she’s got a thing for you too. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes, “Tsk, you don’t know shit.”

Eiji’s serious now. His chair squeaks underneath him as he leans over to put a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder and squeeze.  “You don’t have to keep punishing yourself. You’re allowed to move on dude.”

A hard dry lump forms in his throat as he glares at Eiji from the corner of his eye. Punishing himself? That’s not what he’s doing, is it? Of course not,because if he was that would mean he considered you a prize, something he doesn’t deserve.

A flash of your smile, the sound of your giggle, the warmth of your hand in his, washes over him and he can’t quite pinpoint the pang of emotion that courses through him at the thought. He turns to Eijirou now, lip curled up in anger.

“Yeah and what about you, hah? Think I don’t know that you got a thing for her? You’ve had yer eye on her since she moved in!” he shouts.

He tries to gain control over his emotions as he speaks but the slight sound of possession isn’t missed as Eiji smirks knowingly.

“So have you,” Eiji replies gently.

“That ain’t–”

“Look man, Minnie’s great…” Eiji pauses, putting a finger to his chin before he shrugs and continues.

“Actually, she’s more than great and yeah you’d have to be blind and dumb not to fall for her. She makes it way too easy, but I’ve seen the way you look at her and how you act around her. Have ya noticed you leave the house more since she moved here? That we don’t hafta ask you more than once to hang out with us anymore? Heck, you’ve even started laughing more since talkin’ to her.”

Denki and Hanta both nod quietly as Katsuki continues to pout.

Eijirou smiles, the big stupid bright one that everyone–yeah including Katsuki– finds comfort in. “She’s changin’ you. She’s good fer you and it ain’t just that. I think you may be good fer her too. So if ya think I’m gonna be mad at ya or something for askin’ her out,that couldn’t be farther from the truth man. I’m happy fer you, I’m happy ya found someone good fer ya,” he finishes. He gives Katsuki’s shoulder one more assured squeeze before he settles back into his chair.

It’s quiet for a beat as everyone let’s Eiji’s words settle into the atmosphere. Katsuki is just about to refuse again when Denki speaks up.

“Ok so it’s agreed, you’ll ask Minnie to go with you to the Fair tomorrow while everyone’s prepping.”

“I never agreed to anythi–” Katsuki’s pole jerks suddenly and the reel spins quickly, stopping his sentence cold. He moves quickly to grab it and reel the fish in, a muttered “goddammit” under his breath.

Seems the fish agree. It’s not a bad idea.

Katsuki gets his chance to ask you out not even a week later. Tents are being set up on Friday afternoon and of course, you’re there to help put them up and get all the activities for the games at each stall put together.

He steps into your conversation with Pierre in  just the right amount of time before the man can start bragging and passive aggressively hinting about you not going against him in the Grange. You’re smiling—fake smiling Katsuki notes— as Pierre goes on and on about it.

“Have I been living under a rock or has Pierre always been insufferable?”

Katsuki stifles a chuckle as you give Pierre the stink eye.

“He takes this shit seriously. Like he’s gotta prove that his crops are the best because of Joja,” Katsuki explains.

He watches your sneer drop instantly at that, curiosity and concern overtaking you.

“What do you mean?” you ask, pulling your brows together and cocking your head.

“This is the only time people from out of town come to Pelican Town to get a look at all the displays.  He’s hoping it’ll bring in some outside business,” he says, moving to stand closer to you.

“Oh…” you say in a tiny voice as you watch Pierre.

You’re so sympathetic and gentle, can’t help feeling bad for others even when they annoy you. Katsuki’s slightly grateful for that. Hell if you weren’t this way there’s no way he’d be twisting his fingers together nervously while trying to ask you to go to this stupid fucking Fair with him.

“I guess I didn’t think about it like that,” you say sadly.

Again that guilty look creeps back onto your face, god he hates when you look like that. It’s like a bad toothache watching you torture yourself.  Katsuki raises a hand to pat your head gently.

“Eh don’t worry about it. The guy can be pretty annoyin’ about it too, even if he does have somethin’ to prove,” he says shrugging.

The guilty expression is gone and replaced with a tiny smirk, a hint of an upward curve on your lip and his heart is doing leaps and bounds inside his chest. Now’s his chance. He should ask now that there’s a lull in the conversation. You’re comfortable, his hand is still resting on top of your head casually, he can do this. Just ask.

“So uhh…” he starts and the words get caught in his throat.

Fucking stupid.

You raise an eyebrow and cock your head, waiting for him to finish his statement. He struggles, like he has to cough up the words to dislodge them. It shouldn’t be this fucking hard! He’s a grown man you’re a grown woman, for fucks sake he should just ask you already!

He takes a deep breath and before he can say anything you cut him off.

“I’m excited. I haven't been to the Stardew Fair since I was a kid,” you reply beaming up at him.

He blushes. Fuck, you know he’s gonna ask you to this. You have to know. Damn you for being so godamn inquisitive all the fucking time.

“They do the same thing every year. It’s nothin’ special,” he grumbles folding his arms over his chest.

Shit. He shouldn’t have downplayed your excitement like that. He winces, immediate regret washing over him and in the midst of it, you giggle.

“Well it’ll be special to me. My first one since leaving. I wonder if everything’s the same as it used to be when I was a kid. It’ll be nice to wander around,” you reply almost dreamily.

Fucking hell. This is torture. How do people do this shit on the regular? He only stares at you, watching your far off gaze as you watch Shouta and Jodi's oldest son Sam, pitch another one of the red and white tents. It's quiet for far too long and just as the moment is slipping into awkwardness you sigh and turn to him.

“So are you gonna ask me out or do I have to write you a script?” you say putting a hand on your hip.

He sputters, face turning beet red and hot.  “Wha- I wasn’t- who the hell do yo-”

“I’d say yes, you know. If you asked I’d accept, if that's what you’re worried about. But I can't accept unless you man up and ask me,” you say the last part with a teasing grin, put your hand on his chest and he takes a sharp breath.

He blows air out of his nostrils in a vapor that floats away in wisps.  All of his nervousness hisses out of him like a balloon under your touch and he focuses on the feeling of your hand on his chest. You smile and get so close he can feel your warm breath on his  face.

Then he licks his lips and says in a low gentle voice, “Wanna go with me to this thing?”

You quickly look at his lips and then up to his eyes and even though Katsuki heard you say you would accept if he asked he’s still relieved when he hears your answer.

“I’d love to.”

This is happening. A date with Katsuki. Your first date with Katsuki. If you were back in the city, you’d have spent hours shopping getting your nails done, having your hair straightened, picking the perfect outfit for some lamo who was just trying to get in your pants for the night.

But everything about this is so different from what you used to do. Your fingernails are clean but your hands are calloused from the work on the farm. You’re not in your everyday clothes, instead thinking you should dress up at least a bit. You’d spotted a beautiful long dress with long puffy sleeves and flowers the color of autumn embroidered up the side in one of the little boutiques a few weeks back. This would be the perfect time to wear it.

Instead of spending hours straightening your hair, you undo your normal two braids and let it fall and frame your face. The finishing touches are a flower nestled right above your ear in your hair and a bit of lip gloss.

“How do I look?” you ask Frenchie who’s wagging his tail and watching you intently from the doorway of the bathroom. He’s panting happily, the big goofy grin you love plastered on his slobbering face. You smile big at him and he barks when you give a little spin in front of him.

The work– or lack thereof– pays off when Katsuki comes to pick you up and quickly drops his eyes to the floor nervously when he sees you. You smirk and try to lighten the mood again.

“It’s ok, you can say I look pretty,” you say, grabbing the ends of your dress and twirling in front of him.

You giggle when he clears his throat and mutters something along the lines of “S’pretty I guess” under his breath.

The festival is extremely nostalgic. Smells of spiced cider, wet leaves, bon fires, and grilled food fill the air. It’s a chilly day but the sun is out and warms you. The sky is pretty clear with only a  few big fluffy clouds as they move lazily across the sky. Ringing bells and pops of the string from the slingshot game sound in the area. People are laughing and chattering. Today seems to be the only day people want to ignore the empty shops, closed down because of Joja Mart.

The long dress and boots you’re wearing match Katsuki’s red flannel and jeans and you realize you both look like an actual couple. It makes you shiver in excitement next to him as the two of you arrive at the red and white tents and stalls of fish and produce together. Your arm is hooked under his and you try to smile up at him to let him know you’re happy to be here with him but your smile stutters when you see him looking straight ahead.  He looks lost in thought.

Is he worried about something?

You blink and tug on the sleeve of his shirt. He turns to look at you–finally–and you smile and nod your head at the Strength test.

“Wanna test your strength?” you challenge and the light in his eyes shine again.

“You think I’ll fail or somethin’?” he tuts,  raising an eyebrow at you.

“I don’t know, I heard it was pretty tough,” you say walking toward the stall and giving him a goofy grin over your shoulder.

He growls but hurries after you as you skip over to the Smashing Stone. To say that Katsuki is fucking hot when he tightens his fists around the heavy mallet and flexes his muscles as he readies himself is an understatement.  He’s glistening in the sun when he raises his arms over his head, the bulging muscles of his back stretching as he steadies himself in front of the stone.

Although it looks like it should be extremely heavy to hold the mallet above his head, Katsuki makes it look like it’s a sack of feathers he’s lifting. You swallow loudly and nibble on the inside of your cheek. You were not expecting this little game to make you hot and bothered but here you are.

A few fantasies of watching Katsuki heave heavy sacks of seeds across the farm, shirtless, sweating, and glistening like some stupid country greek god fill your mind. It’s stupid but you almost bite down on your lips so hard it bleeds as you imagine him coming over to grab a glass of lemonade from you, tapping your chin and grinning sensually at you to thank you.

The ringing bell signifying Katsuki as the winner breaks into your daydreams and as Katsuki takes his token, that “I told ya so” smile is on his face again. For the first time though, you’re not annoyed by it, in fact, it only makes him look hotter.

You and Katsuki continue going from tent to tent playing the games the Fair has to offer. He absolutely knocks it out of the park at the slingshot game and wins a crap ton of tokens which you try–and fail–not to be jealous of. You do manage to do way better than him at the fishing game and he pouts and tries to ask you the secret.

“It’s called skill. There’s no secret,” you tease and he grumbles in protest.

Katsuki listens to you giddly point out things at each stall for the Grange display. Willy’s display is your favorite, his catch of fish is impressive and he looks proud to show them off and explain the different types of fish he caught and what lures he used. You listen intently, asking questions and smiling as Katsuki stands idly by watching, the groups of outsiders filter into the town and gaze at Pierre’s produce. He seems distracted and it worries you a bit but you drop your hand to twist it into his and keep moving to explore the rest of the displays.

Pierre wins first place and although he spends a long time giving a very non humble speech, you’re happy for him. It’ll definitely do the town some good for its general store owner to win the Grange Display.  You take a minute to watch as people bustle from different stalls. Some have brought their children. A little boy runs past with a Burger, no doubt from Gus the other cook at Toshi’s Saloon, in his chubby fist. He’s happily chirping to the girl he’s chasing after about how good it is and how she should try it.

You smile, it’s a good day. You’re happy and enjoying yourself and it’s the first time in a very long time that you aren’t thinking about the grief. It’s still there, just dormant and allowing you a single day of sunshine, like one stray gray cloud in a perfect blue sky. Again you glance up at Katsuki, wanting to share your glee with him. He’s the reason the day has been this great and he should know it, but when you look at him he doesn’t look happy.

Katsuki’s stare is far away as the two of you make your way to the square.  A tiny stage has been set up for a band to perform and you and Katsuki find a small round table to sit and watch the performance as the sun starts to set. His eyebrows are pulled together as he pulls the chair out for you to sit. His lips are pressed in a straight line and you’re starting to think maybe you got the wrong idea.

What do you do? Do you cut the date short? Maybe this isn’t a date? Maybe he is bored with you. Maybe he changed his mind about this whole thing.

“Would ya quit it. S’goin on with you?”

Katsuki’s hand is over yours on the table holding it tightly as he glares at you.  You blink as he tears you out of your inner thoughts.

“Huh?” you stammer. Your leg is bouncing nervously, you’re biting the inside of your cheek as you twiddle your fingers, a portrait of nerves.

“Wanna explain why you’re more jittery than a spooked horse?” he grumbles, looking pointedly at your twitching leg.

You blink again and his hand squeezes yours, a hint of concern in his eyes.

“I’m not,” you reply, turning away from his piercing gaze. His stare feels as hot as the sun and for some reason it makes you want to cry in frustration.

“Don’t lie to me,” he commands. When he says it, he’s serious, so serious that he grabs your chin with his thumb and index finger and makes you look at him when he says it.

Your lips part a bit and your eyes grow wide, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks. It was such a good day but maybe… maybe it was only a good day for you.

“I… I was just worried you weren’t...enjoying this. Because I am! But…but if you’re not we don’t have to keep… I mean you can go if you want, you don’t have to stay here with me, I can find a ride home and….” your voice catches and you tear your eyes away from him to look at the ground.

He puts a finger to your lips to shush you gently yet his eyes never break the intensity.

“M’sorry,” he mutters.

He’s getting better at apologizing. He sounds remorseful and he lets out a long breath before he continues. “Nothing’s wrong, I like bein’ here with you. Just thinkin about a lot of shit.”

You tilt your head and move in closer. “Like what? What’s wrong?” you ask, concern oozing from you.

“Nothin’s wrong,” he repeats but this time he squeezes your hand again and says “Promise.”

He stares at you a while and you’re about to argue but the band strikes up a familiar tune and both you and Katsuki look in the direction of the stage.

“Oh I love this song.”

“Fuck, this goddamn song.”

You watch as Katsuki drops your chin and rolls his eyes and just like that, the comfortable atmosphere is  back. You feel better knowing that he is at least having a good time.

His taste in music though? Insulting.

“What?!? How can you hate this song? It’s instant happiness!” you say in a high pitched shriek, throwing a hand to your chest in mock surprise.

Katsuki folds his arms over his chest. “It’s overplayed,” he states simply.

“Pft I can’t believe this. You call yourself a country man and you hate the one song that literally says ‘thank God I’m a country boy’. A shame ,” you snort, shaking your head and smirking at him.

He tilts his nose in the air and pouts his lips. “I can’t help that everyone else has shitty taste in music.”

“Shitty taste?!?” you squeal again and you chuckle when he shushes you as people look over to your table in curiosity.

Suddenly, an idea sparks as the crowd claps along to the beat and the band  wraps up the song. People laugh and cheer at the end and you quickly turn to Katsuki with an outstretched hand.

“We’ll see about that. Gimme five gold.”

“What?” He looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.

“Please?”

You know what that does to him. It has him wrapped around your finger and as you watch his lips twitch and his back stiffen the same way it always does when you beg him, you smile to yourself. You shake your hand in front of him again, urging him to hurry as he sighs in defeat pulls five gold from his pocket and hands it to you.

“Thanks!” you say as you get up and skip over to the guitarist on stage.

You whisper a song request and hand him the five gold before chuckling and adding on “Can you dedicate it to ‘A very grumpy Katsuki Bakugo.’”

When you’re skipping back over to Katsuki, he’s staring at you with squinty eyes.

“The hell are you up to?” he asks apprehensively.

You only give him a shit eating grin as the band starts the song.

“This is dedicated to a very grumpy Katsuki Bakugo from a special lady,” the guitarist says with a big smile.

The song starts, the crowd laughs and Katsuki turns beet red before he’s growling at you. “You’re gonna pay for that,” he says through his teeth.

You giggle again and his snarl softens and he rolls his eyes, the threat becoming empty.

As the lead singer starts the lyrics, you sway back and forth, letting the music consume you. It’s such a good song, perfect for the situation also.

They paved paradise

Put up a parking lot.

You reach a hand out to Katsuki who’s still sitting in his seat watching you sway to the music. There’s a small dance floor set up in the middle of the square and a few couples have pulled their partners out into the crowd to dance together.

“Come dance with me. It’s physically impossible to hate this song,” you say to him.

Katsuki looks at your hand and then at the crowd of people on the dance floor. He looks nervous and the twinge of blush from earlier hasn’t left his face. He shakes his head in dismay.

“Not a chance in hell, Sweetheart. I don’t dance,” he says and crosses his arms and legs for good measure.

You move closer to him, kneeing his legs apart to stand between them. You tower over him, peering into his eyes as you move closer.  This is definitely the most flirty you’ve been with him, but there’s no way you’re not gonna dance to this song. Plus, he needs to lighten up and you did dedicate this song to him.

You lean down slowly so your foreheads are almost touching, you never break his gaze and you can hear him intake a sharp breath as you move closer to him. He licks his lips, eyes flicking to your lips before he stares stubbornly into your eyes.

In a voice as sultry and soft as you can muster you smirk and whisper, “Please Katsuki?”

You know what you’re doing and as you suspected he doesn’t stand a chance. His eyes widen for just a second before he frowns, rolls his eyes, releases the nervous breath he was holding and relents by standing quickly and pulling you to the dance floor by the wrist.

Katsuki is so awkward it’s almost adorable. He stands in the group of people as you dance and twirl around him. He wasn’t joking, he doesn’t dance, but his eyes never leave you as you hop and sway your hips, smiling and singing along to the tune. He’s not frowning, in fact he looks happy just to be watching you enjoy yourself, albeit a bit uncomfortable.

He relaxes however when you wrap your arms around his neck and pull yourself closer to him. He melds into your body almost instantly and the hint of a smile is on his face when he drops his hand to grab your waist and hold you tightly.

“Don’t it always seem to go, That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” you sing to him and somehow, it feels like it means more.

His eyes light up and he starts to rock back and forth with you.  You remember the way he complimented your voice in the cellar and it brings heat to your cheeks. His eyes close as the two of you continue to rock together and you sing to him. He breathes deeply, in and out like he’s calm, like nothing else matters but the sound of your voice.

You realize for the first time today it looks like he’s having fun, like all he needed was to be this close to you. In your arms it’s like he’s accepted something and that makes your heart thump loudly as the song comes to a close.

The last of the lyrics play and as you sing them and end the song, a bubble of joy bursts from you and you giggle a hearty eye-squeezing laugh. When you open your eyes, Katsuki is staring at you. It’s different from anytime he’s stared at you before, even different from the way he looked at you in the cellar.

Your breathing increases and you lean into him, his warm breath tickling your nose. Slowly he cups your face, wraps his muscular arm tighter around the small of your back so your tits are pressed against his chest. His palm feels rough against your cheek. His arm is strong, protective, and possessive.

His eyes burn into yours. It’s like he’s trying to tell you something. It sits on the tip of his tongue but he doesn’t say it. You’re not sure what it is but you can feel it in his touch, the way his gaze reaches out, like cutting through the brush and spiny bushes for one single touch.

You rise up on the tips of your toes. He’s so much taller than you, he always feels lightyears away, but right now in the expanse of this small moment the two of you have created, he’s attainable. As his silent gaze is reaching out for you, you are there to accept him and pull him into you.

He leans down, fingers tangled in the loose strands of your hair. He pushes them away to have an unobstructed view of your beauty. Your lips part, you taste his breath, just as you did in the cellar. But now there’s nothing to stop you. Now there’s no uncertainty, no wavering resolve in the idea of giving a piece of yourself to him. Not all, obviously, but a little piece is enough.

He licks his lips, and closes the distance and then…everything is perfect.

Kissing Katsuki is an experience, it’s not just an action. He’s always so closed off but right now, as his lips slot roughly against yours, you can tell how much he’s wanted this. How much he’s wanted you. Despite being a tad rough, he’s still hesitant, afraid to give you his all. It’s understandable, you feel the same.

In this moment, you’ll take what you can get from him. So you open your lips ever so slightly, and flick your tongue against his bottom lip. An experimental little action you’ve grown quite fond of. He accepts, a simple grunt simmering in his chest as he parts his lips and flicks his tongue against yours.

So many things are said through the connection of your lips though no words are spoken. You allow your feelings to bleed into the motion, soft and tender yet hungry and passionate. Your heart is like a galloping horse across rolling hills and it coasts to a stop when you pull away from him and see the way his eyes are low and his kiss bruised lips are pulled into smirk almost as if he’s just won a prize.

His thumb gently rubs over the apple of your cheek and he continues staring at you, crimson irises persuading heat to your core. You bite your lip and he finally speaks.

“Come over for dinner.”

You blink. Surely you thought he would ask you to go back to his place for...something else.

“Huh?” you say dumbfounded.

He snorts a wily grin on his face. “Got yer mind in the gutter? What’d you think I was gonna say?”

You gasp and then roll your eyes and try to pull away from him to hide your embarrassment.

“Shut up,” you seethe.

As you try to pull away his grip on you tightens, his hand drops away from your face, the arm around your back pulls you closer and his fingers dig into your waist. The determination in his eyes burns through you and for a second your body melts into his will because he’s  intimidatingly gorgeous.

He bends down to purr in your ear, in a gravely deep tone that moves through your entire body and makes your legs wobbly. “C’mon Sweetheart. Just say yes.”

“O...ok,” you stammer dumbfounded.

He smirks again, intertwining his fingers through yours as he places a quick kiss on your knuckles then pulls you away.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

–

Katsuki answers the door almost immediately after you knock. Was he waiting for you? Did he see you drive up? He looks different standing in the comforts of his own home, more relaxed as he stands barefoot in a simple black shirt and sweatpants. As always he looks good, but something about him being comfortable even though you’re around, makes your stomach do flips.

“Afternoon, Katsuki. Hope you’ve got a sweet tooth,” you say, beaming up at him.

He raises an eyebrow and you hold the fancy ceramic baking dish up for him to catch a whiff of the treat.

“Thought you said you were makin’ a dumb ass casserole or somethin’,” he replies stepping aside to let you in.

“I don’t think you’ve earned my cooking yet,” you joke and he snorts.

The inside of Katsuki’s home is also not what you expected. It’s open just as the land outside is. Clean, organized, not heavily decorated but containing all the essentials. Nothing’s out of place and it feels very generic, save for the huge round rug in the middle of the living room.

The walls are empty, the furniture looks comfy but plain. He doesn’t have a tv, or pictures or anything that would hint at anyone actually living here. It smells like lemon cleaner and you wonder if he’s been cleaning all day in preparation for your visit.

“Shoes off?” you ask, looking up at him as he closes the door behind you.

“Iffin ya don’t mind. Don’t like all the mud and shit on the floors and rugs,” he grunts, blushing slightly.

You smile to yourself; so he does care about his home. It’s strange that there’s no other decorations. Maybe he’s just not that into interior design? You make a mental note to ask him about it later as you slide out of your boots. When they’re off and sitting propped by the door, you both stand in the foyer awkwardly.

You bite the side of your cheek as you sway awkwardly and wait for him to say or do anything but he only stares out the window in the living room with his arms crossed over his chest. You take a deep breath, ok so he needs a little help. That you can do.

“So uhh..can I take these to the kitchen? I’m watching you eat at least one before I leave so you can tell me how great of a baker I am.”

You hold the dish up again and he smirks—thankfully—before he brushes past you and beckons you into the kitchen.  As you stroll through the hallway you notice the bare walls again. They definitely stand out, is it because they’re bare like yours? How long has he lived here? Certainly long enough to have some decorations up.

You’re even more curious when you notice the ghost of a picture frame on the wall the stairs lead up to. So he did have something hanging there. What was it and why is it gone now? You get the feeling there’s a long story behind it, he did tell you about an ex-girlfriend when you were in the cellar together.

The kitchen is more lively when you step in and place your pan down on the island. You’ll bet that he actually spends most of his time here which is…hot. A man that can cook? Hot.  A man that likes to cook? Even better.

Do not think about cooking together in the kitchen. Don’t be stupid.

His kitchen has huge windows like yours. He must like the natural light and warmth of the sun while he cooks as well. His appliances are newer than yours but his pots and pans are worn or loved is what your Gran would have called them and again that makes you smile.

Everything is still tidy, but there’s more evidence of someone living here, an obvious difference to the rest of the house. Like a half empty glass on the wooden island, condensation leaking down the side and pooling beneath it. You twitch your fingers, it needs a coaster but this isn’t your house so you refrain.

Your nose is in the air when you enter, it smells like coffee, freshly brewed and instantly you’re dying for a cup. It’s still brewing, the sound of the brown liquid dripping into the pot is like a symphony to a coffee addict like yourself.

You raise an eyebrow, “Coffee? Didn’t take you for the type,” you say nodding toward the coffeemaker.

It looks brand spanking new which means he either never uses it or he bought it with the intention of serving coffee today. You shrug off the idea though, there’s no way he’s that interested in trying to impress you. He pulls a mug from a cupboard behind him and when noticing your eyes flicking over to the leaking glass he —thankfully, good gosh— slides a coaster under it.

“I ain’t. But I figured you were,” he mutters, trying to bury his consideration under a gruff nonchalance. He tacks on, “Shitty bean water but you city folk go nuts over it,” for good measure.

As the coffee brews, you chat more and it’s normal. It’s like popping rows of bubble wrap. Each little pop of new information he shares with you is like a rush of joy sent to your head. You find out little things about his hobbies and find yourself craving more. Peeling back his layers could be one of your favorite pastimes.

He makes his own fishing lures, which turn out to be very impressive because he has an eye for creativity. You knew this, clearly from the way he picked up the painting techniques you taught in class easily, but this seems more his speed. The ones he begrudgingly show you are extremely well crafted with no mistakes or weird knots in the thread. He’s got a steady hand, and you see him blush from the corner of your eye when you stare in amazement and compliment how beautiful his creations are.

He also likes to cook—called it—and spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking of new recipes to use the plentiful amount of veggies he harvests every year. You blow his mind when you suggest he jars his veggies and keep them saved for winter and you smirk to yourself when he accepts the offer for you to help him get started at a later date.

Sitting on the stool against the island, you notice how much closer he is to you. He’s leaning on the counter toward you with an arm resting near yours. You almost want to reach out and put a gentle hand over it.

You’re swooning–well not outwardly–when he talks about how much care goes into planting and taking care of the crops he grows. He almost looks like a different person. His shoulders are relaxed and he looks dazed when he peers out the window over the outstretch of his land. There’s no wrinkle between his brows, he leans close to the open window above the sink, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in and out.

“It’s paradise,” he mutters in a voice akin to a father praising his newborn son.

You think you get it now. Seeing him in this brief moment makes your heart swell, it makes you wish he was always this comfortable and calm and free. You’ve caught glimpses of it for sure, when he played with Frenchie at the fishing spot, or when he painted those perfect mountains on the canvas in your art class. But nothing beats the few seconds of him appreciating his home and his land and hardwork. If you could pause and take a picture of this moment, you would.

The slow drip of coffee in the pot soothes the atmosphere and as it dribbles to a halt you barely notice. You’re in the middle of a heated discussion because he had the nerve to call you a music snob. Like he has any right to call anyone a snob, he just got done telling you about how he only uses “fresh herbs” when he cooks.

“I’m not a snob because I like the authentic sound of a record, asshole,” you say pouting as he laughs at you.

“Ya see, that’s exactly what a music snob would say. ‘Authentic sound’, what a nerd! “ he mocks, wrapping an arm around his stomach and laughing harder.

When you poke your lips out further and –very childishly- stick your tongue out at him, he surprises both of you by lightly grasping your chin between his thumb and index finger. It’s a very quick gesture but it doesn’t manage to go unnoticed by both of you. It brings the conversation to a halt and you’re left blinking and blushing in surprise as he clears his throat.

“Coffee’s done,” he mutters and turns away to grab a mug and pour some for you.

Shake it off, don’t make this anymore weird than it already is, you say to yourself.

You were doing fine. Conversation seems to run smoothly when you both let yourself stay loose and enjoy the moment. Why do you keep fighting this? Why do you keep pulling back or being surprised when he touches you. God, you’ve never been this indecisive when it came to dating any of your exes, but with Katsuki it’s like an entirely new experience.

“How do you take it?”

His voice tears you out of your mind babble. “Oh uhh just a bit of milk or cream,” you sputter.

He gives you a look, that “I’m judging your choices look” and instantly you poke your lips out and pout again. “Last time I checked you were a farmer not a judge, so quit judging me,” you snap shimmying off the stool and grabbing your dish of pumpkin squares.

He smacks his lips and rolls his eyes as he adds cream to your coffee, sets the mug in front of you, then moves to grab two saucers from the cabinet. It’s fluid, natural, like you’ve both been doing this for a long time and it makes you think about how if you lived together, your morning routine would be a piece of cake.

Oh geez, morning routine? You feel like you’re a kid again, drawing your name with your crush’s name in hearts on your notebook. Pathetic. You’re not even sure this man actually likes you like that. A few months ago he hated your guts.

You sigh and he places the saucers down in front of you. Then he moves behind you, a hand on the small of your back and grunts, “sorry” before he opens a drawer and pulls out a spatula for you to serve the cake. You still feel the warmth of his palm on your back and the hair on your arm stands up.

Ok so maybe he does like you.

The smuggest smile you can muster is plastered on your face when you watch Katsuki take a bite of your pumpkin square. You’d watched nervously as he sniffed and smelled and grimaced at your pastry before hesitantly putting it to his lips and taking a bite. But the second it hit his tongue his grimace changed instantly to shock.  He continues chewing as you take a sip of your coffee to hide your delight behind the mug.

“The fuck did ya put in this?” he asks as he takes another bite. This time you can’t help the squeal of excitement that escapes you.

“Is it that good?” There’s something about hearing praise from him. It makes you tingle, makes you shiver in excitement. It makes you feel special. You get the feeling he doesn’t give praise out willy nilly. Checkmate.

“I made the cream cheese myself! Used Fatima’s milk and spent like three days making it into cream cheese and then making it a sweet frosting was easy after I got the right consistency,” you explain putting a finger to your lips and rambling.

“Fatima?” Katsuki grunts as he shoves the remaining bite into his mouth.

“Mmm hmm. My cow,” you nod.

“You have a cow?”

“Yeah! I got her two weeks ago. That’s why I've been so busy. Been trying to get her accustomed to her new home,” you say proudly.

You don’t miss the small breath of relief that escapes him when you explain. So he did think you were avoiding him –you were but he didn’t need to know that–but you’re happy he believes otherwise. His shoulders relax a bit more and he’s no longer clenching his fists.

“Her and Frenchie get along perfectly. She’s a good gal. Easy to talk to,” you continue.

“Easy to talk to? Right, I forgot you talk to your animals like their humans.”

It always comes back to this. He really should try it before he judges you. You remember his confusion when you mentioned his “lonely look.” It’s still there, behind his eyes and in the way he speaks and moves but you’ve noticed it’s not so prominent anymore.

“I’m telling you, don’t knock it til you try it,” you shrug.

“They don’t talk back dummy, how am I supposed to have a conversation?” He argues, folding his arms over his chest.

“They talk back…in their own way. You just gotta listen to them,” you insist moving closer to poke him in the chest. This time the action is more casual, teasing, and friendly. Yeah, you got this.

“Pft,” he scoffs.

The spark of an idea lights up your face then and you hold your hand up to his face,  palm upward.

“I’ll prove it. Take me to the cows,” you say, shaking your hand in front of him so that he gets the hint to grab it and guide you. Is this a ploy to try and hold his hand? Maybe. But also his cows deserve this so it’s a win for all parties involved.

His eyes swivel between your hand and your face a few times before he rolls his eyes and grabs it, pulling you toward the door in the kitchen. His hand tightens around yours and you can’t help thinking how perfectly your hand fits in his.

When you both pull back on your shoes and he pulls you outside,  you’re hit with a crisp autumn breeze that blows through the knitted holes of your cardigan. The back of his home is even more beautiful than the front and you’re left speechless as you stare out onto the land.

More rolling hills in the distance illuminated by the golden afternoon sun, a few trees that still cling to their colorful leaves for warmth but none more grand than a huge oak tree that stands taller than any of the plants or buildings on his property. It’s gorgeous, something about it draws you in. You stare in amazement with parted lips and wide eyes.

“What? Don’t tell me they don’t have trees in the city?” he groans.

You’re too immersed in the scene to fire back a snappy comment. Instead, you keep staring and whisper in a dreamy voice, “It's beautiful. So old and lovely. Like it’s holding so many stories and memories. It’s fantastic.”

“Would you let me paint it one day?”

He pauses and with  a cocked eyebrow stares at you for what seems like hours. He must think you’re nuts, going all goo goo eyed over a goddamn tree. Still, you do really want to paint it, you can almost feel your limbs moving to outline it now. He turns away and you catch the way the tip of his ears are bright red under his tanned skin.

“Iffin ya want,” he shrugs and pulls you forward to continue leading you to the cow pen.

Katsuki has five cows and it’s super impressive. You’ve had a bit of a rough time trying to get into the groove of taking care of Fatima and for a few days you thought about giving up and giving her back to the seller. But you prevailed and now she’s become the greatest cow who ever lived, at least in your mind.

Katsuki’s cows are all beautiful, well fed, healthy, pretty coats, everything you expected after seeing the way he dotes on other portions of his home. When you approach the pen and Katsuki unhooks the gate and steps in, one of the cows looks up and takes a few steps toward him. You smile as the others snort and groan, sticking their noses in the half full trough.

The cow who’s slowly making her way over to Katsuki, bellows a low groan and when she reaches him, she knocks her head against his shoulder. He smiles and pats her snout, rubbing it gently before giving her a once over and deciding she still looks good.  You tiptoe over to her with a hand outstretched, smiling warmly before she sniffs your hand and licks it.

She is a beauty, chocolate brown with a few white spots across her belly. Her snout and udder are a powdery pink, her fur soft, and when she looks at you her eyes radiate warmth and understanding. She knows you’re a friend and it makes joy bubble up inside of you.

“Hey pretty girl,” you say sweetly.

You move to look into her eyes, she’s gentle, friendly and from the way her ears perk up at your voice, eager to communicate. You nuzzle your nose against her snout then turn to Katsuki who’s watching you like you’re a Disney princess talking to all her little animal friends.

“Does she have a name?” you ask.

“Course. They all do.  I ain’t a monster. I just don’t have weird small talk with ‘em,” he grumbles. He pushes his lips out pouting and you giggle. What a baby.

“What’s her name?”

Katsuki glances at the pattern on her side then says simply “Belle.”

“Belle! That’s cute. And the others?” you squeal stroking her snout as her tail swings back and forth.

He hesitates and huffs and you can tell he’s contemplating whether he wants to share or not. Fortunately, he lifts a finger and points to each cow. “Lucy, Himiko, Mara, and that’s…”

He trails off and grits his teeth in frustration. Strange. That’s the first time he’s looked annoyed since coming out to the pen.

You raise an eyebrow. “That’s…?”

He growls and his jaw sets before he sighs in defeat. “Sweet Mama.”

No fucking way.

“Sweet Mama?! Oh my god,” you gasp, then double over laughing so hard Belle huffs an annoyed breath at you for being so loud. You quickly apologize, scratching behind her ear and soothing her before you address Katsuki. “I would’ve never thought you- “

“I didn’t.” He seethes. “I lost a bet while drinking with that damn idiot Denki. He won so he got to name her,” he explains in a rush.

Drinking? But, you thought he didn’t drink. You’re not sure where you got that idea from, no one told you but for some reason you always got the feeling he was uncomfortable around booze. Something about his body language or the way he is always sipping water at a get together. Granted, Eiji did tell you he works at Toshi’s so he can’t be too bothered by it.

“I’m surprised you stuck with it,” you reply honestly and he tuts.

He lifts his nose into the air stubbornly and folds his arms over his hulking chest. The muscles in his arm flex under the afternoon sun and you quickly tear your eyes away to look into Belle’s eyes. You swear she slides you a sly wink and you clear your throat quietly and mutter ”quit it,” to her under your breath.

“I keep my promises. No matter how stupid they are,” he says proudly. Your heart leaps at his statement and you remember the way he peered into your eyes and said  I ain’t gonna let anything happen to you or the dog, alrite? I promise.

“Plus, stubborn gal won’t answer to anything but that. I think she fucking likes it,” he groans, giving her a sour but sweet frown.

You giggle again. “Ok we’ll start with Belle then. She seems like she knows you the best,” you say rubbing her side gently and blowing her kisses.

Katsuki looks surprised, “Well uhh…she was the first cow I got but how can you tell that?” he asks, moving closer to her and throwing an arm over her neck.

Is he being serious? He really doesn’t see it? You want to make a snide comment about how he must be really good at shutting things out not to notice the obvious enamored expression this cow is giving him.

Instead you shrug and say  “She’s the only one who took a step toward the gate when we opened it.”

“So?”

“So…it means she’s looking forward to seeing you. The others know when the gate is open it probably means you’re cleaning or getting them water or food or something, so they move toward the trough. She stepped toward you to greet you because she loves you,” you explain, keeping your eyes fixed on Belle as you rub her softly.

He stares a bit dumbfounded. Does he think he’s unlovable? Even from the animals he takes care of everyday? You knew Katsuki had baggage, but that thought makes you want to clutch your chest in pain. Instead you shake your head in mock disappointment trying to keep the mood light. “Wow, you’d think I was the country expert.”

“Shaddup,”he grumbles back.

“Ok, now look in her eyes and say hello,” you instruct, pulling his hand to replace yours on her snout.

Katsuki looks down at his own hand  then back to you with hesitation before he –finally–mumbles a hello. He’s awkward, fidgety, and frustrated as he stumbles over his words. You’re petting Belle’s snout and whispering sweet things in her ear as she huffs and picks up on her farmer’s emotions.

“This is fucking stupid!” Katsuki yells suddenly and Belle grunts loudly with him taking a few steps back. You can feel her huffing in and out in the same frustration.

You reach out to Katsuki who has turned away from the cow and folded his arms over his chest, pouting again.

“No no it’s not! You’re doing great. She’s already connecting with you. When you get frustrated or nervous, so does she. Look!” you grasp his hand and it’s very warm.  In your clutch he instantly calms and you try to push his delicious scent back out of your mind to focus on Belle again.

You pull his hand to her side so he can feel her breathing and when you instruct him to take a deep breath in and out to calm himself, the cow huffs out with you both.

“It’s ok mama. He’s calming down now, see?” you whisper to her in reassurance.

You stare into her eyes and you can see something that wasn’t there before. Then you glance around her to stare at Katsuki and nod for him to continue talking to her.  He watches you as you soothe her, and you see a tiny spark in his eye as he realizes how connected Belle is to him.

He speaks gently this time, taking another deep breath and focusing all of his attention on the animal.  He’s very sweet, way less harsh than his usual bite and growl. It’s unusual but comforting and for a second, just one tiny blip of a second you picture him speaking to a baby in his arms who looks just like him.

He scoffs as she butts her head against his chest and you can’t tear your eyes away from him.

“You think your nips are cold? Shoulda seen me last winter shoveling the entryway for you gals. Straight through my shirt, almost tore it,” he jokes and pats her head. He seems lost in the conversation and it’s a shame when your guffaw interrupts the moment and Belle groans and moos loudly.

Katsuki tries to look angry at the interruption but he smirks at you, unable to keep up the snarl on his face.

“She said quit laughing at me. She’s the woman of the house. She’ll stick up for me and kick your ass if you keep it up,” he pouts, pushing his lips out.

“Haha I guess I should apologize,” you say, patting her side and smiling big at him.

As Katsuki continues muttering sweet things to Belle, you watch his hands tenderly rub through her fur. You notice how long and thick his lashes are and how strong and prominent his jaw is as he smiles to himself while chatting with her. He’s… handsome, beautiful even, when he’s calm and looking like this. Your heart skips a beat and then speeds up.

“I’m sorry for bein’ an asshole to ya when ya first got here and at Toshi’s,” he says suddenly.

You’re caught off guard as he moves a hand over yours.  He squeezes it and you swallow hard. The intensity of the light hearted moment shifts into something more intimate and again you have a pull in your gut that tells you to move in to press your lips against his.

You push it away and instead say with a shrug, “I’m sorry I remind you of bad memories.”

“You don’t.”

He says it a little too quickly it almost sounds desperate and when he realizes it he turns his attention back to Belle quickly. Yet his hand stays planted atop yours. You grab it and he intakes a sharp breath that you ignore as you pull him back toward the house.

“Let’s have more cake, yeah?” you say cheerily as he walks behind you.

You don’t have to turn around to see his stifled delight as he squeezes your hand again and mutters, “Yeah, ok.”

—

Shoot, he totally knows. You hadn’t mentioned anything about Katsuki breaking down your door to save you during the storm. Hell, you haven’t spoken to Katsuki since the two of you emerged from Jodi’s cellar, soaked and cold and flushed from the weird electric atmosphere. In fact, you were avoiding him at every moment you could.

It was so incredibly stupid of you to word vomit all your thoughts about your grandpa to him. Him, of all people in the town. You’ll never be able to look in his eyes again, let alone have a regular conversation with him again. It also doesn’t help that you’ve thought about the entire situation non-stop since it happened. Even going so far to dream about it.

It's true you don’t have control over what you dream about, the issue is when you wake up wishing you could still be in the dream. Especially when it involves the way his rough hands held you and the intoxicating smell of his breath and cologne, and the way his eyes burned into yours as he leaned in to kiss you.  But more specifically you keep thinking about what he said to you.

Yer grandad would understand I think. I mean, if the guy thought you were actually a bad person, I fuckin’ doubt he’d keep tryin’ with you or leave his farm to you. So you shouldn’t continue hiding’ all yer feelings. If you’re grievin’, fuckin let yourself grieve. ‘S the only way you’ll get better.”

He had a point and it’s been easier to speak your mind rather than having to filter all your words through a “polite screen filter” in order to make sure people liked you. You’d slowly but surely started being comfortable and saying what was on your mind. Whether it was because Katsuki told you to or not didn’t matter—or so you tell yourself—but the fact that you’re doing it anyway is good.

You take a deep breath and arrange the teacups and teapot on a tray. “Umm Katsuki Bakugo had to break it down during the storm,” you say quickly but nonchalantly.

If Hizashi were sipping tea right now he would’ve spit it out dramatically. Instead his eyes grow wide and his jaw drops. Shouta walks over to sit on the couch and gently caresses his husband's face and closes his mouth.

“I didn’t know the two of you were close,” Shouta replies. The edges of his lips twitch and you know he’s holding back a smirk.

“Yeah! In fact I thought he hated you and everyone except those three guys he spends time with,” Hizashi tacks on.

For some reason, that irritates you. You know for a fact Katsuki cares a lot about his job at Toshi’s based on the end of the conversation you overheard that night. And your neighbor Jodi gushes about how he’s always giving her free tomatoes and how he’s so good with her son Vincent. You clear your throat and tiptoe over to them, balancing the tray delicately.

“Actually, he’s not that bad once you get him talking, “ you mutter. When Shouta flicks an eyebrow up in suspicion again, you know you’re not being as casual as you’d assume.

“Why did he need to break the door down?”

“Umm well, I…was stupid...and was worried about Frenchie...and he came to help me out during the storm,” you stammer handing him a cup. It’s not a lot of details about what happened and you realize that but thankfully he doesn’t ask for more.

“Hmm...well try to be more careful next time. We don’t know if Katsuki will always be around to save you if you’re in trouble,” he berates.

The way Shouta says Katsuki’s name is suspicious. Is there some kind of a double meaning behind his words? He definitely thinks you’re hooking up with him. Is he asking “should we expect him to always be there to save you or is this just a fluke?”

You’re honestly asking yourself the same. Based on what you know about “flukes”, it doesn’t seem that way. Katsuki’s been at the right place at the right time all the times you’ve been afraid or nervous or panicking near the trash cans outside of a bar. Not to mention, spilling your guts to him and almost jumping his bones in a cramped cellar.

You nod in agreement and give Shouta a tiny grin. “I’ll be more careful. Promise.”

The inevitable happens a few weeks later. Eijirou calls you and invites you over to his place for a small get together before everyone in town becomes too busy with preparing for the fair toward the end of the season.

“Plus I haven’t seen ya in a few weeks now! I miss ya Darlin’,” Eiji pouts over the phone.

As always it’s hard to say no to him and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss him too.  You’ve been spending most of your time at home and with good reason. After making the repairs to your farm and spending hours jarring your fruits and veggies from the harvest, you’d locked yourself away trying to perfect a few of your grandmother’s recipes. The peach crumble hadn’t been successful, but you were determined to get it perfect. You’d also finally purchased a cow, and making her feel at home had been your number one priority.

With all the new exciting additions to the farm, you’d completely forgotten that the one person you’d been trying to avoid would also be there. And now you can currently feel him staring daggers at you from across the room as you chat with Hanta about your new cow.  Ignoring him is hard, you really want to see if he’s angry or if he’s just as unbothered as he usually is, but you aren’t ready for either of those reactions. Instead you excuse yourself to the kitchen to grab a drink.

“You been avoidin’ me?”

Your ears ring when you hear him again and warmth shoots through your entire body. He doesn’t sound angry, per say but hurt lingers on the edge of his words. He’s behind you and you square your shoulders and take a deep breath before spinning around to look at him.

Of course he’s gorgeous as always, same flannel he always wears in a varying shade of orange—you wonder how many of those he has—and a black fitted shirt that spreads over his pecs and hugs his tiny waist. It must’ve been a while because you don’t remember how much he towers over you until right now. He stands in the kitchen doorway, leaning against it casually with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips.

You swallow loudly and lick your now dry lips. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve just been busy. Why would I be avoiding you?” you try to shrug like he is being ridiculous but you know he’s not and so does he.

He pushes himself off of the doorway and strolls to stand directly in front of you. “I don’t know Sweetheart. You tell me.”

Your heart flutters at the nickname. No. Keep it together. To distract yourself you snort and try to joke with him.

“Sweetheart? Couldn't resist not calling me Minnie like everyone else, huh? Had to have a special nickname that only you call me?” you tease.

“Yeah.”

He doesn’t tack on a mean comment or flash you a sassy look. He just looks at you with a calm smooth expression and waits for you to reply.

“Oh,” is all you say.

It’s awkward again. Damn, you are not good at this. He snickers and flashes you a crooked smirk before brushing past you to grab a water bottle. At his touch, you shiver. He’s always so warm and when his arm slides against yours, there’s an aching need to have them wrapped around you.

There’s more than enough room for him to get around you. He doesn’t shove you out of the way or nudge you. It’s gentle, a minute gesture that definitely divulges more than what he’s just said to you.

Is he flirting with you? Shocking. You didn’t know Katsuki Bakugo could flirt. And you’re pretty sure he doesn’t ever want to flirt with you.  Still there’s no mistaking, he’s being a tease.

It’s the worst possible moment for you to be hearing Shouta’s voice in your head, but it makes its way there. He’d grabbed you before he and Hizashi left your house that night. He’d whispered it quickly under his breath as if it were just a quick little reminder to pick up milk the  next time you were in town. Yet it stuck with you like it was your life’s prophecy.

Stop punishing yourself and stop doing everything you think everyone else wants you to do. Do what you want, take care of the farm in your own way. Teddy would want that. He’d want you to forgive yourself.

It’s annoying how much his advice sounds like Katsuki’s. What do you want? Is it a sign that you haven’t been able to stop thinking about Katsuki since the storm? Maybe starting something intimate wouldn’t be the best idea, but then again there’s never been any harm in just flirting.

Well shit, it shouldn’t be this hard. You need to calm down and stop overthinking everything. In a last ditch effort to stop yourself from ruining everything you shoot out the first thing that pops into your mind.

“Hey where do you live?”

It definitely helps in quieting your thoughts but does nothing for decreasing the awkwardness of the situation. To your surprise Katsuki spins around, twists the cap off of his water bottle and raises an eyebrow before putting it to his lips. He takes a few swigs, flicks his tongue over his top lip then smirks at you.

“Tsk, kinda a breach of privacy dontcha think?”  he teases and he keeps that smug smirk on his face. Almost like he’s pleased you’re asking about where he lives.

Naturally you pout, planting a hand on your hip and cocking it to the side. You see his eyes light up ever so slightly. “Well you’ve been to my house uninvited twice now, and both times, if I remember correctly, were quite unsavory. I had to get a whole new door because of you.”

Katsuki takes a step toward you but it’s not in an intimidating manner. Although he’s glaring, it feels like he just wants to be closer to you.

“Remind me next time you’re stupid enough to hide in a bathtub during a storm to leave you there,” he grunts folding his arms over his chest.

“Pft, yeah like you’d actually be able to leave me there,” you scoff, rolling your eyes at him.

You’re not sure when it got so easy to go back and forth with him like this but the comment is out of your mouth before you have a chance to catch it. He pauses and this time it’s your turn to smirk a crooked smile at him. Two can play at this game.

Katsuki is blushing. He tries to hide it by turning his face away slightly but he stood so close when he approached you, it’s almost impossible not to see the back of his flushed neck. He stuffs his hands in his pockets while trying to keep that grimace he always dons on his face. As a mercy to him you try to get back to the original question.

“I wanna bring you a gift to say thank you for saving me and Frenchie’s life. Isn't it like, country law to say thank you with a casserole or something?” you reply, playfully nudging him.

“Country Law?” There’s something charming about the stupid grimace he sports when he looks at you like you’ve lost your mind. He makes it so easy to relax and be yourself, despite being prickly and seemingly easy to anger.

“Yes. It’s real shut up,” you huff. Instead of laughing like you thought he would, he closes back up and you’re worried now that maybe you misread the atmosphere.

“S’not a big deal. You don’t gotta thank me,” he mutters. He drops his eyes to the floor. Oh. He’s embarrassed again.

“Come on, please?” you ask in a soft voice reaching out to him.

His shoulders tense when you ask, like he can’t believe you just pleaded with him. You don’t mean to sound this desperate but it comes out that way anyway and you bite your lip. Maybe you subconsciously really want to go to his house.

It’s only fair. Like you said, he’s seen your house twice now and you’ve never seen his. In fact by the end of your rationalization you’ve convinced yourself that he should be inviting you over.

He steps closer to you, so close you have to raise your head slightly to look up into his eyes. Your lips are pursed, your chin is raised, ready to argue if he tells you no but the way he stares down at you, the way he steps a little closer than anyone else having a normal conversation would, makes you hold your breath. You try—and fail—to ignore the way his red irises flit down to your lips and quickly back to your eyes.

He breathes out through his nose, keeping his eyes trained on you, looking down through his blonde lashes. You gasp when he reaches around you to grab something on the counter behind you.

“Fine,” he mutters in a husky voice.

He grabs your hand, and flips it over to rub his thumb idly over the smooth skin of your palm before he bites the cap off of a pen—oh that’s what he was grabbing—fastens it to the other side of the pen with his mouth and writes his address on your palm.

It’s all in one fluid motion and your eyes widen as you watch him. Your heart speeds up when he reapplies the cap to the opposite end of the pen with his teeth, then leans in close to your ear as if he’s going to whisper a secret.

You feel his breath on your neck and it makes you shiver.

“Try not to sweat too much and make it rub off. S’the only time I’m givin’ it to ya.”

You swear you see a piece of your soul leave your body when he turns to walk away and leaves you standing dumbfounded in the kitchen.

Katsuki Bakugo is definitely flirting with you.

--

“Whatcha mean weird?” Eiji asks as he hands him a large slab of wood. Katsuki holds the wood above his head as Eijirou jogs around to the other side of his truck with a bunch of rope on his shoulder.

“Don’tcha feel it? S’like some kinda pressure or some shit. Whatever it is , it ain’t good,” Katsuki says, sniffing the air.

They’re both standing outside of Eijirou’s carpentry shop tying a piece of wood down in the bed of his truck. Katsuki’s barn doors need to be replaced and he and Eiji have been trading blueprints and plans for the past few weeks.

Eiji tosses one end of the rope across the truck bed and Katsuki catches it easily.  Then he blinks in confusion as he watches Katsuki quickly tie a knot around the wood.

“Can’t say I know whatcha mean buddy,” Eiji replies shrugging.

Katsuki huffs out an annoyed breath. His instincts are usually never wrong and Eiji may be a bit dense but he wonders how he can’t feel how strange today feels.

Speakin’ of strange, a red pick up truck pulls across the street and Katsuki watches you hop down out of the cab. You’re wearing a different dress under your thick sweater today, it must be new. It clings to you differently, exposes your clavicles and a hint of cleavage that Katsuki has to tear his eyes away from. Your hair isn’t in the regular two braids and there’s no bandana tied around your head; it’s loose and free, swaying in the autumn breeze. On your arm is a basket and you’re heading into the general store.

Since the Spirit's Eve Festival, you’ve been different. On too many occasions he’s thought about how soft your hand was in his, the way you squeezed his arm when you were afraid, the way you looked at him when you said “So I know you’re still here with me.”

The pride he felt to be the one to help you feel safe is something he doesn’t like to linger on for fear of where it might go. Still, he knows that you climbed another level with him and he hadn’t meant for you to climb that far.

He pushes the thought aside, shaking his head before flushing at the idea of being caught staring at you. To his chagrin, he meets your eye and you smile from across the street and give him a friendly wave before you head into the store. His heart speeds up again, your dimples and warm smile crashing their way into his imagination again.

For fucks sake, you’re just a person. He needs to get over himself and calm down. Why does he keep acting like a kid with a dumb crush? What happened to keeping you at a distance, not getting involved? He’s pathetic, just as much a slave to a pretty face as the rest of his friends.

He huffs and rolls his eyes. No. He’s decided no more falling for your goo goo eyes. You’re just another person who lives in the town, like Jodi or Willy. Simple. The wind whips around his face as Eijirou comes around the truck to stand next to him.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” he asks, following Katsuki’s gaze.

“Storm’s comin’” Katsuki says turning to look at the clouds.

Eijirou hums in approval and cranes his neck to watch the fluffy gray clouds rolling in. “We didn’t have many storms during storm season. This one’s pretty late, eh?”

Katsuki glares up at the sky and takes a deep inhale and blows it out. “It’ll be a big one, not more than an hour away,” he determines turning to look at Eiji with determination.

He nods in agreement, Katsuki’s always been scary good at knowing when storms will hit. The whole town takes his predictions seriously.

“Better give Town Hall a call and have 'em start up the sirens now to give people enough time to get in. I’ll start gatherin’ people here in town at the community center,” Eiji replies jogging across the street to the general store.

The sirens echo through the empty town square, bouncing between the buildings as a line of people hurry to the community center.  It’s raining now, cold droplets slapping Katsuki’s back as he helps people file quickly into the community center with Eiji.

The wind is howling loudly and biting at any exposed skin. Katsuki sniffles and wipes his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. His spiky hair is now dripping and plastered to his forehead, icy droplets slide down the side of his face as he gazes out into the storm. Trees are leaning, barely hanging on to the ground by their roots as the wind bullies them out of their stationary homes.

Something still doesn’t feel right. For a split second, your face pops into his mind and he shoves it away as he tries to focus on the last few stragglers running into the building. He can talk to you after everyone’s shut in and safe. Eiji is inside, passing out blankets and directing people to sit in the middle of the huge gymnasium away from the tiny windows.

Katsuki wonders if you’re frightened by the loud claps of thunder shaking the building. He remembers you jumping every time a noise spontaneously caught you off guard while walking through the maze. He chuckles as he remembers and the wind fights him for control of the door he’s holding open.

Now that he thinks about it, he wonders if you’ve ever been through a storm like this one. Do you know what the sirens mean? You’re probably used to loud ass ambulance sirens but do they even have storm sirens in the city? He makes a note to ask as he stumbles into the lobby of the community center dripping wet.

“All good?” Eiji asks, handing him a blanket.

“Don’t see anybody else out there so it fuckin’ better be,” he says using the blanket to towel off his wet face. Eiji laughs and slaps his back to gesture him toward the gymnasium.

It isn’t until Katsuki hears the buzzing crowd of people in town pause when a large booming thunder bolt shakes the building again that he mentions you to Eiji.

“Oi Romeo, you wanna check on your girl? She ain’t a fan of loud noise. If you’re still tryna get in her pants, it’d be the perfect way to cuddle up to her,” he teases. As soon as he says it though, his stomach churns.

“Huh?”

Katsuki grits his teeth. Guess since you’re not the shiny new plaything anymore, everyone’s done obssessin’ over you.

“City girl doesn’t like loud noises. Which is fuckin’ weird considerin—why the hell are you lookin’ like that dumb ass?”

Eiji gulps, his eyes are wide and he bites his lip nervously. “I uhh…I didn’t see her come in…” he stammers quietly.

Katsuki doesn’t know why his fists are clenched at his side suddenly, why he’s moving to grab Eiji’s shoulders and glare at him with a heated stare. His eyes are wide, blonde eyebrows chasing his hairline.

“The fuck do you mean you didn’t see her come in? Everybody in town is in this goddamn building! They heard the sirens! Why wouldn’t she be he—“

He stops, looking past Eijirou’s head as the realization slowly comes to him.

You’re not stupid, you’d know what the sirens meant. If not exactly what it meant, you’d at least have the common sense to know it signaled danger. You’d follow the crowd to the community center. Hell, you probably would’ve  been outside with him and Eiji, making sure everyone got in safely. So if you aren’t here, there’s only one thing that would keep you from bunkering down with everyone.

The swelling of the storm outside quiets almost as if it’s taking a huge inhale before it releases all of it’s wrath upon anyone still dumb enough to be in its wake.

Katsuki blinks, Eijirou furrows his brow in confusion, the entire gymnasium seems as if the sound is quickly wiped from existence, like someone pressed mute on a remote.

Swift silence and then…

“She went back for the fucking dog.”

Crash!

The building shakes violently as something outside topples over and makes the metal chairs stacked in the corner of the gym fall like loud messy dominos. In an instant, all the sound comes rushing back and it’s too loud to hear anything.

Eijirou is shouting at Katsuki but all he can think about is you trying to drive back to your house in a storm like this. All he can remember is the way you grasped his arm in fright when the bird flew out from the corn stalks. And the look on your face when you thanked him for walking you through the maze.

And then he’s running back toward the entrance with Eijirou on his trail.  He grasps Katsuki’s wrist and is surprised when he sees the deadly glare on his friend’s face.

“Whatdya think yer doin man? The storm is gettin’ nuts!”

Katsuki twists out of his grip turning to stare at the doors of the community center. There’s a brief flash in his mind of your truck in a ditch somewhere, dented and smoking as the bumper folds around a pole, and you unconscious, a line of blood oozing from your head. He grinds his teeth, shakes the terrifying daydream from his mind and grabs Eiji’s shirt, pulling him close to his face.

“Make sure you get this back closed when I leave. And for fucks sake, pass out the blankets and make sure everyone else is ok,” he growls.

Eijirou blinks in confusion again, “What’re ya do—“

“Just fuckin’ do it Ei!” He screams, dropping his friend’s shirt and sprinting toward the heavy door of the entrance again.

It’s hard to see two feet in front of him, the rain pours in thick curtains and the wind blows so hard the slanted freezing raindrops feel like little needles.  He quickly pats his pockets, feeling for his keys. His truck starts without stalling thankfully and soon he’s screeching down the wet gravel road.

His mind is racing, he tries to remember if he saw a cellar at your home. Fuck, he wasn’t paying that close attention.

Does he even remember how to get there?

Shit, why is his heart beating so fast?

Why does he feel like he could blow chunks right now?

His fists tighten on the steering wheel, there’s vapor wisping from his nose and mouth as he breathes heavily.

Did you even make it home before the storm started? What happens if he can’t find you?  He shakes his head and stomps harder on the gas pedal, pistoning down the road.

He’ll find you, he has to. You’ve been unavoidable since you fucking got here. Like hell he won’t be able to find you in this shit.

Luckily, he makes it to your home in one piece. He shuts the truck off and kicks the door open, battling with the raging wind and rain to stay upright. He stomps up the steps of your porch and bangs on the door right as a huge clap of thunder shakes the house.

There’s no answer and the blood in his veins runs cold. He assumes the worst, shakes it off, and bangs louder on the door, screaming your name.

“Minnie! Fuckin’ open the damn door!” he screams.

Rain continues its torrential downpour, biting at the back of Katsuki’s neck as he stands banging on your front door. The wind is so loud in his ears, it’s as if a waterfall is spilling into his ear drum.

You can’t hear him.

How the fuck is he going to get to you?

Fuck, are you even still here?

Katsuki takes a deep breath, he knows you’re still here. He doesn’t know how he knows, but he knows. The same way he knew you’d come back to get your fucking dog.

He takes a few steps back and rams his shoulder into the heavy wood of your front door. Once, twice, three times and the splintering wood from the broken lock is scattered across the floor of your home.

He steps in quickly, yelling for you again. Your house is fairly tidy, the windows in the kitchen are open and some of the glass jars sitting on a shelf have toppled over and shattered on the floor. On a hook next to the fireplace is a leather leash. Katsuki grabs it and two blankets that sit neatly folded  in a wicker basket next to the hearth.

He yells your name again, scarlet eyes scanning every room of your home. Where the fuck are you? You have to be here. You have to be. Katsuki pants in frustration, the storm swells again outside.

It gathers all of it’s breath, mustering up the most energy it can. In the empty space, the silence before the thrashing sound of thunder outside, he can hear a tune and his ear locks onto it.

A quiet melody, like a ringing bell. It’s coming from upstairs. Katsuki follows it as another earth shaking boom rattles the house. He bounds up the stairs, skipping some as he leaps.

He stays focused on the singing, mind only drifting just enough for him to chant over and over to himself, You better fucking be ok.

Following the sound, he finds himself in a huge bedroom, standing at a closed door to what he assumes is a bathroom. He yanks the door open quickly and something teetering on the edge of anger, relief, and joy washes over him.

You’re there, crouched in the bathtub, eyes squeezed shut with your body over Frenchie’s as if you’re protecting him from the storm. Frenchie is in your lap, tail between his legs as he looks up at the ceiling and yelps in fright. You’re shivering from the cold and fear.  Your face is buried into your dog's fur and you have a blanket wrapped around the two of you.

Another boom and you hug him tight to your chest and Katsuki can’t believe it, but you’re singing. You’re singing in a sweet little voice, albeit dripping with fear and littered with small cries and yelps of fright during each loud crash. But you’re rubbing Frenchie’s fur gently, shushing him and calming him while you sing:

As I went down to the river to pray

Studying about that good old way

Goddammit! Katsuki doesn’t have time to fawn over your voice right now. He shakes himself out of a stupor and stomps over to the bathtub.

“YOU GOTTA DEATH WISH OR SOMETHING? WHAT THE HELL ARE YA DOING?” he roars and your eyes shoot open.

You're looking up at him like you can’t believe he’s actually here.

“K..Katsuki? What are yo-”

He reaches down to grab your arm and pulls you up.

“Come on get up!”

You’re light, being pulled like you’re a ragdoll and fuck it, Katsuki can’t stop himself from pulling you into his chest and wrapping an arm around your back protectively. He sighs when you hook your arms around his waist and bury your face into his chest.

It’s only a second that you two sit embracing each other like this but it feels like an eternity. The only thing that brings him back to reality is Frenchie’s growling and snarling. His teeth are pulled back menacingly over his muzzle and he’s crouched like he’s about to lunge right at Katsuki.

Right as it’s about to be too late to dodge the dog’s attack, you spin around and yell “Frenchie, sit!” and the dog immediately obeys.

Katsuki takes the end of the leash from around his neck and bends down to clip it to Frenchie’s collar. Frenchie sniffs his hand and his snarls dissipate almost instantly. He recognizes Katsuki’s scent and when you scratch between his ears while one arm is still wrapped around Katsuki’s waist, the dog understands he’s not your enemy.

Once Frenchie is latched to the collar, Katsuki hands you the loop to hold the leash and the blankets , scoops the dog up in his arms, and grabs your hand to pull you out of the bathroom.

You both scurry clumsily down the stairs and it sounds like the storm outside is becoming more violent. It’s too late to take you back to the shelter. The three of you need to get somewhere safe as soon as possible.

He squeezes your hand to garner your attention and you look up at him, shivering.

“You got a cellar?” he yells over the storm. You shake your head. Fuck. Where else can he take you?

Katsuki growls to himself as he thinks, Frenchie barks in his arms when a tree branch snaps and falls to the ground loudly right outside the house. Luckily, he remembers Jodi doesn’t live that far from you and he knows for a fact Jodi’s prepared enough to have a fucking cellar.  It’s a few miles down the road, opposite the way the storm is moving.

He can do this.

You squeeze his hand when something, possibly a tree bashing against the side of your home makes the house shake. He gazes at you, your eyes wide but only focused on Frenchie wriggling in his arms.

You’re afraid he can tell, but all you can focus on is making sure your dog is ok. There’s a slight ache in his chest from watching you. It’s a foreign sensation he’ll have to figure out later, but for now everything in him just wants you to be safe.

He sets Frenchie down for a moment but keeps a big hand on his back, rubbing him gently to keep him calm. Then he grabs your shoulders and peers into your eyes seriously.

“Look at me. I ain’t gonna let anything happen to you or the dog, alright? I promise.”

It’s the most serious he’s ever been and he fucking means it. If there’s anything he’s gonna do today, it’s make sure you and this dog survive this shitty storm. You nod hesitantly.

“You gotta trust me and do everything I say,” he says gently and he resists the urge to cradle your face.

“Ok,” You mutter. It’s the first time you speak but your voice is too soft to hear over the roaring wind. He reads your lips, watching them closely as your bottom lip trembles from the cold.

He wraps a hand around your head and pulls you closer to him to settle his chin on your shoulder. You wrap an arm around his back and squeeze, fingers digging into his wet shirt and skin.

“I’ll carry the dog. Hold tight to his leash. When I count to three we’re gonna book it for my truck,” he explains in a quick whisper in your ear.

When you nod again to signal you know the plan he grabs one of the blankets from you and wraps it around your shoulders and over your head. “Keep this wrapped round ya.”

“O..ok.”

“Last thing,” he shouts as he gathers Frenchie up in his arms and heads toward the front door. He holds his hand out to you, “Don’t leggo my hand. Got it?”

This time when you nod it’s just once, sharp and serious and when you say “I won’t”  you slide your hand into his and squeeze it. Katsuki turns back toward the door, takes a deep breath and runs his thumb over your knuckle lightly before he reaches down to grab the door knob.

“One, Two, Three!”

Jodi’s cellar is cramped and Katsuki can understand why they always make their way to the community center when a storm is brewing. This cellar is clearly only big enough for one person so squishing two people and a dog in here is like tryin’ to stuff two pigs in  a chicken coop.

There’s a cot in the corner with blankets and a sleeping bag and a battery powered lantern on the floor. It smells like a basement and wet dog and Katsuki tries not to mutter and complain about how bad it smells.

You haven’t said anything to him since you left your house. The storm rages outside and the wind rattles the doors of the cellar loudly. Frenchie keeps shaking himself dry and dousing you both in wet dirty flicks of cold rain. He seems less nervous as you command him to sit and wrap him in a blanket.

Now that you’re safe, Katsuki doesn’t know what to say to you. How does he explain everything that just happened? How does he explain the way he dropped everything to come find you at your house during what is sure to be a fucking tornado going on outside.

He can hear your teeth chattering, your hair is damp and wavy, a leaf is caught in it and he clenches his fist to stop himself from pulling it out of your hair.

He shouldn’t touch you anymore today. He’s touched you in ways more intimate than acquaintances would touch each other. At the sound of your chattering teeth, he throws you another blanket from the pile on the cot.

“For fucks sake take this before you bite your own tongue off,” he grunts.

His back is to you, he doesn’t wanna look at you. Doesn’t want to see your wide eyes, or your long wet eyelashes, or the way you nervously bite your lip as you figure out what you should say to him. Not to mention your goddamn white dress. Your thin white dress, your thin wet white dress that is now plastered to your body and broadcasting the fact that you aren’t wearing a bra.

“Thanks,” you mumble as your feet scrape against the concrete floor and then your hand is on his shoulder and he jerks.

He spins around to look at you, which is a fucking mistake because of course you’re looking at him with those big doe eyes again.

“You’re soaked. You should dry off too,” you say in a small voice, handing him a blanket.

He hates it, that stupid timid thing you do. Are you ashamed of him? Do you wish it was someone else who came for you? You’re probably wishing you were stuck in a cellar with Eiji. If he were here, he’d probably have kissed you already. You’d probably be shivering in his arms and he’d hold you to keep you warm.

“M’fine,” he grunts, turning away from you.

You huff and throw the blanket over his head.

“Don’t be so stubborn. Here,” you reply and he recognizes the irritation in your voice.

He moves to sit on the cot and smirks to himself. You’re starting to sound like yourself again and he’s thankful for it.  You’re both quiet for a long time, listening to the rain outside and Frenchie’s panting as he lies down next to you. You start humming again and this time Katsuki asks you about it.

“S’that?” he says, turning to look at you.

Your legs are sprawled out as you sit on the cold floor. The blanket is over your head and you look like a nun humming a hymn in the pale golden light of the lantern.

“Hmm?”

“That song? You were singing it when I found ya. Sounds like a funeral song or somethin’,” he explains.

You blink as if you don’t notice that you’re humming. “Oh uhh...it’s a song my grandpa taught me,” you say nonchalantly.

Fuck. He should not have brought up the funeral thing. You don’t seem bothered, you continue to rub Frenchie’s ears and stare at the wall silently.

“You sound nice… I mean...it’s nice… the song...shit…”

Why does he sound so stupid right now? Why is his heart goin’ crazy at being stuck in this tiny ass cellar with you. He’s not even supposed to like you. He needs to get his shit together.

You giggle, “Thanks. He used to sing it to calm me down when I was scared.”

Stretching your arms over your head, Katsuki can again make out the way your breasts poke through your dress.  In the shadows, he hopes you don’t catch the way he stares. He swallows hard then tears his eyes away quickly.

“Here sit on this thing,” Katsuki says, moving so you can sit on the tiny cot.

You crawl toward him and in the tiny space, you have to push past him. Your breasts press against his chest and for half a second your faces are so close, he can smell your breath. It smells sweet, almost appetizing and he instantly holds his breath so he’s not smelling you anymore.

As you're scooting around him to sit on the cot, you lose your balance and tumble forward. Before you can crack your head on the ground, Katsuki catches you, his arms underneath your pits as he steadies you. His fingers dig into your back and idly squeeze your waist as he maneuvers you to sit on the cot.

“Would it kill ya to be careful?” he snaps.

You pull your legs up to your chest. Silence again as you sit staring at the wall and Katsuki picks at the loose skin around his nails.

When he can’t take the awkward silence anymore he blows out a frustrated sigh, but before he can say anything you beat him to it.

“How’d you know where to find me?” you ask suddenly. Is that what you’ve been thinkin’ about this entire time?

He scoffs and rolls his eyes ,“Knew you wouldn’t leave the dog,” he throws you scolding scowl from the corner of his eye, “Which was stupid by the way,“ he tacks on.

Surprisingly you don’t snap back at him. You shrug your shoulders like you’re unbothered. “He’s my best friend. I couldn’t just leave him.”

Quietly and to what he thinks is himself he whispers, “Yeah I know.”

“And you still came after me?” you ask, giving him the wide doe eyed look again.

He doesn’t say anything but he remembers the sinking feeling in his gut when he realized you weren’t at the community center. The relief that rushed through him when he found you. Katsuki thinks about how he thought you were so good, sitting in a bathtub singing to your dog to calm him during a storm.

He doesn’t meet your eye, nervous about what he’ll see if he does, but when he hears you sigh, he almost wants to spill everything. He bites his tongue and after another long awkward silence, you pipe up again.

“How long are we gonna stay down here?”

That question he can answer. “‘Til the wind and rain stops,” he shrugs.

You click your tongue, “There’s not a radio or anything to pass the time?”

He raises an eyebrow, “Why dontcha sing your funeral song?” he teases.

“Nah. I’m not scared anymore now that I’m here with you.”

Why do you fucking do that? Why do you say shit like that? It’s like you know it’ll make him get all stupid. He clears his throat,

“Oh, “ he mumbles under his breath.

“This could be a good time to get to know each other better,” you suggest with a hopeful lilt in your voice.

Katsuki wants to shoot you down, to say “absolutely fucking not” but instead he shrugs and looks expectantly at you.

You smirk, “Ok I’ll go first. What do you want to know?”

You turn toward him, folding your legs. He catches a quick glimpse of your underwear and quickly stares at the floor.

What does he want to know about you? Does he want to know anything  about you? He’d had the plan to keep his distance from you, so he wouldn’t get attached. Now though, he’s way past that point.

“Why’d you come here?” he asks finally and he realizes he does want to know why you’re here.

You wince and he quickly backtracks, “You don’t gotta tell me shit if you don’t wanna,” he grunts.

“No. It’s ok. I… I want to tell you,” you say quietly. He smirks to himself, that’s a good sign.

You take a deep breath, “Uhh..well… My grandpa died and left me his farm house and land so I thought it was the right thing to do to move here and take care of it. Ya know, since it was his dying wish and all,”  you respond.

It bothers him how unbothered you sound. Clearly there’s more to this. Especially considering you wince like you’re being pinched every time anyone brings up your grandfather or the fact that you had to leave a party to calm yourself after having a goddamn panic attack when his favorite fishing place was mentioned.

He raises an eyebrow at you, the light shining on your face as he stares at you. When you don’t take the hint, he waves an annoyed hand.

“And?” he goads.

“And that’s it,” you say, shrugging.

You’re doing it again. Hiding. He doesn’t know you,  but it’s so painfully clear to him that this isn’t the real you. You’re holding back. It’s not a bad thing, considering he hasn't uttered a word about himself to you, but for some reason it pisses him off that you think you have to be someone you’re not around him. Katsuki grinds his teeth and stares at you for too long before you get uncomfortable and frown.

“What?” you ask in an annoyed huff.

“Nothin’,” Katsuki grunts.

“It’s clearly not ‘nothin’,” you shoot back, rolling your eyes.

His jaw tightens. Fine. If you wanna hear it so bad then…

“Tsk just like a city girl to be uncomfortable in yer own skin," he spits.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” you reply, voice growing louder in the tiny space.

Frenchie lifts his head in alarm. The flash of anger Katsuki saw in your eyes that night in front of Toshi’s is present again as you glare at him.

He glares back at you, licking his lips and getting closer to you as he speaks.

“You parade around town like you’re this cute little naive woman but you and I both know that ain’t the truth. Anybody with eyes can see ya got baggage and it’s weighin’ you down. You think yer walking around like yer happy go lucky but really yer like this dog that’s been kicked too much and hides behind a smile cuz it’s better than dealin’ with the shit that keeps kickin’ ya and puttin’ ya down.”

The words spill out of him and as much as he tries to stop them, it’s like someone else is in control. He watches your face twist in fury and hurt and he finally sees all of your walls come crashing down.

“Don’t talk like you know me! Ever since I got here you’ve been such an asshole! What did I ever do to you, huh? All I do is try to be polite to all of you just so I can fit in this fucking town. I’m just trying to do what my grandpa would’ve wanted! Why’s that such a bad thing?” you counter, getting riled up.

“It ain’t bein polite if yer pretendin’!”

“I’m not pretending!”

Katsuki chuckles darkly. “Ya really think people only wanna see that stupid fake smile you always plaster on your face? If yer so damn afraid that people won’t like the real you, you should fuckin figure out what it is about ya that’s so damn terrible that you wanna hide from everyone. But cut the fake shit. If yer terrible, own it. If ya don’t wanna be terrible change it, but  don’t be a fuckin poser.”

He doesn’t notice that he’s up on his knees leaning toward you to get in your face when he’s speaking until he feels the heavy breath you push out of your nose before exploding on him again.

“You’re right, ok?! You’re right, I'm a terrible person! I left him. I abandoned him. I didn’t wanna be here anymore and I felt like he was trying to trap me here. So I fucking left and went to the city and chased my dream!  And yeah, I ignored all his calls and at Gran’s funeral when he begged me to come home I told him no and left and never came back. I didn’t even say goodbye. He died in that stinking cancer center by himself thinking I hated his guts! So excuse the hell out of me if I don't wanna spend every waking moment of my life reliving the guilt! And excuse me if I wanna plaster a smile on when I’m meeting people who don’t know shit about me and pretend like I’m a good person even though I know I’m not!”

This is more than Katsuki expected to hear from you and he knows you can see that on his face when he pulls back in shock at your words. So you did leave, just like she did. And you ignored your grandfather and fuck, did he really die thinking you hated him when it’s so incredibly clear from looking at you right now that you never did?

Katsuki wants to compare you to Camie, he really does. He wants to get angry and call you names and say “all you city folk are the fucking same.” But looking at you, trembling with angry hot tears brimming under your lashes, staring down guilty at the ground and twisting your fingers together nervously, he can’t bring himself to do so. Somehow he knows, you’re nothing like her and something in his throat dries up, like he couldn’t compare you to her even if he wanted to.

Still he stares for a long time in silence as you sniffle and fight back tears before he shakes his head. “That’s stupid.”

“What?!’

He should stop. This is none of his business. You’re none of his business and how you deal with the crap in your life is nothing for him to worry about but…

“That’s fuckin’ stupid. Bottlin’ shit up is never good for you,” he growls, glaring at you from the corner of his eye.

“You think I don’t know that?” you ask incredulously as you wipe your nose on your sleeve.

“If ya know it then why are ya still doin’ it?” he challenges.

“I don’t know geez!” You sigh, throwing your hands up and rolling your eyes. Then you peel them back toward him and with a sassy head jerk you continue,  “Maybe I just like waiting for some asshole to call me city trash so I can explode on him and get it all out then.”

Katsuki laughs as he remembers your pouted lips and the way you snarled at him in anger that night in front of Toshi’s. The way you menacingly flipped him off with a dainty finger as you drove away in your truck.  Your passion and annoyance when you told him not to leave his cigarette butts on the ground.

“It was kinda hot. Seein you lose your temper. When you flipped me off I almost bust… erm nevermind,” he blurts but quickly backpedals.

You raise an eyebrow. Fuck why is it so easy to speak his mind when he’s with you? He clears his throat in the coming silence and quickly tries to change the subject.

“For the record, you ain’t a terrible person. Terrible people don’t risk their lives to make sure their dogs are safe durin’ twisters. Morons maybe, but not terrible people. This you is way better than the pretend you,” he says gently.

It’s soft, like a whisper but he makes sure it’s loud enough for you to hear. He wants you to know. You ain’t terrible. Far from it.

He can feel you staring holes in the side of his face but he refuses to look at you until he hears you sigh and murmur.

“Thanks. Sorry for telling you to go to hell even though you absolutely deserved it.”

He chuckles but doesn’t reply and you pull your knees up to your chest and rest your chin on top of them. Katsuki feels calm wash over him but there’s something still churning in his gut. He doesn’t want this moment to pass before he says one more thing.

So he turns to you, looking you in the eye this time, because this feels too important for you to miss.

“Yer grandad would understand I think. I mean, if the guy thought you were actually a bad person, I fuckin’ doubt he’d keep tryin’ with you or leave his farm to you. So you shouldn’t continue hidin’ all yer feelings. If you’re grievin’, fuckin’ let yourself grieve. ‘S the only way you’ll get better.”

You only blink and your lips part a bit as you stare back into his eyes. When a tiny smirk plays at the corner of your lips, Katsuki turns back toward the wall to stare at the lines and pretend he’s not flustered.

It’s quiet again as the moment settles. The thunder overhead only a slight rumble. Below the rumbling you whisper in a hesitant voice.

“Why do you hate the city so much?”

The way you ask, there’s something lingering in your words and immediately Katsuki knows what you’re really asking.

Why do you hate me so much?

He wants to close back up, snap shut like a cold flower in winter but he can’t find it in himself to do that to you. You’ve been so open with him, it’s only fair that he shares too. Katsuki remembers when you asked him about what he was afraid of. How you knew something was wrong and helped him with the hand squeezing thing. You just told him you think you’re a terrible person, why shouldn’t he tell you?

“I had a girl once. We both decided we’d move out here for a fresh start. I loved it, she didn’t. She left. I stayed. End of story,” he grumbles.

“A girl as in? Like a girlfriend?”

“Don’t sound so surprised sweetheart.”

“I am surprised. I thought you were an asshole to every woman you met. Nice to know it’s only me,” you say sarcastically.

“Guess there’s just somethin’ about ya,” he tries to deliver the line in an annoyed joking manner but instead it comes out softer than he intended. And of course you pick up on it, blinking quickly and turning away from him.

“Why’d she leave?”

“Fuck if I know.”

“She went to the city?”

“Yeah.”

“She left you.” It’s not a question.  And Katsuki doesn’t answer or say anything.

“You loved her,” you state. And he glares at you.

“You loved her. And she left. And she broke your heart. And now you hate any and everything to do with the city.”

He presses his lips into a line and stays silent. Why is he able to hear you say this without getting angry? The ache he usually feels when she’s even brought up is there, but somehow, it feels like removing a splinter from underneath his skin, talking about it with you.

It could have something to do with the fact that you don’t give him the dumb ass pitiful frown that everyone else gives him on the rare occasion when he brings it up. In fact, you don’t look sad at all. You look guilty . You look like you understand.

“Hmm…well this was insightful.”

“Tsk, shut it.”

He can feel your hot gaze burning the side of his face and it only persuades more heat to his cheeks and the back of his neck.

“Stop starin’ idjit,” he grumbles.

You giggle and turn away.

“Sorry I was just thinking.”

“What about?”

You open your mouth then shut it, quickly rethinking your statement before you respond.  “I never thanked you for helping me and Frenchie.”

“Pft, it was nothin’.”

“No it was something! I thought we might’ve died,” you say in a small voice. You crawl off of the cot and bend down next to him to grab his hand.  His heart speeds up the second he feels your hand in his.

How does your hand feel so soft and warm and fit so perfectly in his huge palm.  He gazes into your eyes, so wide he can almost see his reflection in them. He doesn’t realize he’s inching closer to you but warmth radiates from you and he doesn’t notice how cold he is until he feels you close to him.

You smell good, even in the midst of the dingy basement and wet dog smell. You smell sweet, like coconut and vanilla. He licks his lips and stares at yours as you speak and move closer.

“But then you came and…”

You don’t finish your sentence but when you speak he can almost taste your breath. It would only take a few centimeters to close the distance between you two and before he knows it, it’s the only thing he craves.

You squeal as Frenchie’s tongue invades your face and both of you pull away from each other quickly.

You’re giggling and instructing Frenchie to sit.  “Alright alright, thanks for the love bud,” you say exasperated.

The dog plops down next to you, putting his head in your lap as you rub it and gaze at him lovingly.

Katsuki grunts. His heart is still beating fast and he can still smell you. The ghostly  feeling of his lips parting to accept and slot against yours quickly melts away in the playful atmosphere now present.

“Probably not the best idea, “ you say quickly with a nervous chuckle.

Katsuki tries–but fails– to shrug it off, “Yeah.”

“Besides, if I’m gonna get some for the first time in actual years, it’s not gonna be in some dingy cellar,” you joke, trying to laugh and loosen up the mood again.

Katsuki is elated to hear it’s been a while for you too. Not that it matters, he’s not trying to get in your pants or anything, but he snorts.

“Lemme guess. You’d rather do it in a cushy hotel, in a big ass bed where the guy goes down on you all night?”  He retorts. He’s surprised when you don't shy away from his vulgar statement.

“Actually I’d wanna do it under a nice big tree. Under the stars on a blanket in soft grass,” you say dreamily.

You turn away and blush as Frenchie licks your face and garners your attention.

Katsuki’s not trying to get in your pants. But does he save that little tidbit of information in his mind?

Maybe.

--

Like how you have a thing for dumb ass jokes. You tell them to some of the kids in town and they laugh like it’s the funniest fucking thing they’ve ever heard. They’re really not. The jokes are stupid.

When Jodi, one of Katsuki’s most loyal customers who adores his tomatoes, stops by her son, Vincent bombards him with the jokes he’s heard from you.

“Hey Mr. Bakugo! Why did the tomato blush?” he asks excitedly. Katsuki raises an eyebrow as he loads a basket full of tomatoes for Jodi to take home.

“Hmm? Uhh I don’t know kid, why?” He says a little distracted.

“Because it saw the salad dressing!” he screams and laughs so hard he’s holding his belly.

Jodi only gives him an apologetic smile and mentions something about you telling him a new joke every time you come by to babysit. Katsuki frowns, you’re already so embedded in a lot of things in the town, he’s kind of envious. He didn’t know you were babysitting for Jodi, though he guesses it makes sense since you’re neighbors.

You’re also not bad at this painting thing. He’s picked up a lot of new skills in listening and watching you when you’re teaching. You’ve got weird little quirks, like how you write with your right hand but you paint with your left. Your shoulders are more relaxed and your sassy comments slip out on more than one occasion when the two of you are casually chatting.

Katsuki noticed that while attending one of the painting classes alone for once. Eiji was sick and had to cancel and Katsuki usually only goes to these things because Ei drags him along. The stupid painting shit does actually calm him. It feels the same as when he’s making new fishing lures, letting his thoughts turn off and focusing on his masterpiece. Plus, the shit is free and he doesn’t have to justify doing something he wants to do, especially to you.

He glares at you when he strolls into the room and sees the surprised “o” on your face fall into a smug grin.

“What? Just because Eiji gets sick and can’t make it doesn’t mean I can’t show up. I fucking signed up for this shit,” he pouts.

“I didn’t say anything!” you say in a squeaky high pitched tone.

“Ya didn’t have to. That dumb ass grin said it all,” he grumbles back.

You chuckle and hand him one of the brushes you know he likes. When he’s sitting on a stool toward the back of the room, he watches you glide around, smiling at people and reassuring them they’re doing great. While you work on your own painting, you squint and poke your tongue out like a toddler trying to tie his own shoe.

Something about trying to figure you out is amusing to him. It’s like he’s trying to find some reason to dislike you. That may make it easier not to get too attached. But the more he searches, the more he can’t find anything.

“Watching me won’t help you finish your painting,” you tease, appearing next to him seemingly out of nowhere.

“Yer the damn teacher right? Ain’t I supposed to be watchin’ what you do?” he mutters back, trying to hide the embarrassment he feels from being caught staring at you.

“You’re supposed to be creating your own experience and artwork with a little guidance from me.”

You lean down next to him to inspect his canvas. He can feel the heat radiating from you and can smell your sweet fragrance. This may be the closest you've ever been to him. Should he scoot away? Should he tell you to back off?

He does neither, instead he turns his head ever so slightly to look at the side of your face. He watches your eyes flit up and down the canvas, your eyelashes dust your cheeks when you blink. You’re so focused, but he can tell you’re completely enamored with your task.

“Your mountains are really nice. You’re good at seeing where the light will hit objects you’re painting,” you praise. The tips of his ears grow hot and he clears his throat loudly.

“Yeah well, turns out it ain’t so hard once ya get the hang of it,” he shakes off your compliment, shrugging a shoulder as if it’s no big deal. It isn’t a big deal, you praise everyone in the class, you’re just doing your job.

So his heart needs to quit goin’ nuts and fuckin’ relax.

The moon climbs overhead as a herd of townspeople make their way to townsquare. It’s a full moon, the moonbeams shine down brilliantly. The chill in the air sends a shiver up your spine and if not for the warm atmosphere of your friends surrounding you as you follow the crowd, you’d be freezing.

Eijirou, Denki, Hanta, and surprisingly Katsuki are with you, joking and talking excitedly about the events of the night. Well, all but one of them are laughing and joking. Katsuki stays quiet, as he always is when you’re with them.

He walks slightly behind you, hands shoved in his pockets and glaring at the ground. You'd thought the relationship— if you could even call it that—was getting better between the two of you. Apparently not as well as you thought. He’s always so tough to read. You never know if he’s in his normal grumpy mood or if he’s in the “grumpy but I’ll be cute and play fetch with your dog” mood. You sigh as something Eijirou says catches your attention.

“Yeah, there’s a new Haunted Maze at the Spirit’s Eve festival this year,“ he chats excitedly with Denki and Hanta.

You gulp, a haunted maze? That...does not sound like fun.

“A umm… a haunted maze?” you ask, falling in step with Eiji. He wraps an arm around your shoulder when he hears the nervousness in your tone.

“Don’t worry Darlin’. It ain’t that scary,” he says smiling.

Behind you, there’s stifling laughter and if you weren’t extremely nervous about the maze, you would’ve turned around and said something to the blonde. You press your lips in a tight line and continue toward town square.

The decorations are beautiful. There are pumpkins everywhere and it smells like freshly baked pies and cider. Gaslit lanterns hang from the poles in the square and cast a creepy yet comforting glow amongst the cobblestone.

Scarecrows and Jack-o-Lanterns hang from the trees and sit along the walkways as the bustling townsfolk saunter around in the cool night. The maze is straight ahead, a large hedge of grass that looks like a dark menacing wall. Stalks of corn peak over the top if it. Great, hedges and corn. You take a deep breath.

Immediately, you teeter on the edge of an anxiety attack. You could bite the bullet and tell the others you don’t want to go in the maze, but then you’re labeled a killjoy. Plus, it’s the first festival you’re attending since moving back. They were nice enough to invite you, you shouldn’t back out. Still the idea of being trapped and lost in the maze really makes your knees knock together in fright.

You’re humming a bit to yourself in line while Eiji and the others make bets about who will get out of the maze first. No, you got this. You’ll be fine. You’ve braved the subway at 1 Am and during rush hour. This will be a piece of cake. Everyone enters the maze one at a time. First, Denki, then Hanta, Eiji is in front of you and right before he enters he gives you a little wave and wink.

“See ya on the other side!”

That doesn’t sound foreboding. It can’t be that bad. A small town corn maze? Nothing to be worried about. You close your eyes and right as you’re about to take a shaky step into the maze, a deep grouchy voice behind you makes you almost jump out of your skin.

“S’matter with you?”

Katsuki. You’d completely forgotten he was there. When you whip around he’s staring at you with his arms crossed over his chest, a shit eating grin twitching at the corner of his lips.

You blink then frown and roll your eyes. “Nothing. Nothing, I'm just…getting ready…” you stammer gazing down the dark path again.

“You look scared shitless,” Katsuki scoffs and there’s a hint of amusement in his tone.

“I’m not scared,” you fire back immediately. You’re almost afraid this will cause another argument like the one the two of you had in front of Toshi’s. All that progress trying to be friendly with him, down the drain.

“Sure look scared to me,” he huffs, turning away as if you aren’t his problem.

Shit. Why’s he watching you like this? He raises an eyebrow when you spin back around to glare at him.

“Well looks can be deceiving. I’m just… trying to think of a game plan,” you snap back.

He snorts and mutters “whatever” under his breath.

You stand at the entrance again, contemplating whether you should just call it quits. The “I told you so” grin that would plaster itself onto Katsuki’s face if you did leave, keeps your feet firmly planted in front of the entrance.

“Yer holdin’ up the line, idjit! I’ll just go in with ya.” He grasps your wrist and pulls you with him as he stomps into the maze. There’s no time to argue or pull out of his grasp before most of the light is hidden by the large stalks of corn and you both are only illuminated by the light from the moon.

You trip a bit over your feet as he drags you along, his grip on your wrist isn’t tight so you snatch away from him.

“What the hell, Katsuki!? I was gonna go in myse-”

A rustle in the stalks of corn stops your statement cold. You scan where the noise came from, peering into the night and praying for your eyes to adjust and make out whatever is making that rustling noise.

You scream and almost pee your pants when a bird flies out from the corn stalks, wings flapping loudly in your ears as it passes closely overhead. You don’t even notice you’re grasping or more so wrapping yourself around his side until he clears his throat and you quickly take three huge steps away from him and blush.

“Heh, still not scared?” And there it is, that “I told ya so” grin you were dreading.

You dust yourself off, smoothing your jeans and playing with one of the braids in your hair nervously.

“No. Just…corn just freaks me out,” you explain. It’s a stupid excuse and you curse yourself for not finding a wittier comeback.

“Corn…freaks you out? Bull shit, sweetheart.”

This is the second time he’s called you that. You’re not sure if you like it or not, but when he says it now, it’s exceptionally softer than when he said it back in front of Toshi’s. Your heart does a flip, why does it sound so different and comforting now?

“Shut-“ A scream in the distance makes you jump and again you grab his arm and close your eyes.

To your complete surprise and shock, he doesn’t pull away from you in disgust. He looks down at you clutching his arm, gives you a smug smile then mutters “Heh, I gotcha.”

Why’s he being so...nice? Should you ask him? Will that set him off? Maybe it’s best not to. Especially considering you have to get through this stupid maze now and he has forcibly made you his partner.

You gaze up at him blinking quickly, then pout your lips and look at your feet. “You lead the way,” you reply.

For a long time the two of you walk in complete silence, You still hold tight to his arm and he slows his pace to walk with you as you slowly make your way through it. There are scarecrows hanging ominously around each corner and the wind sometimes blows through the leaves of the crops and makes you think someone is walking through them. Katsuki stares straight ahead as he walks, every once in a while he’ll stop when you jump or tighten your grip on his arm and mutter a quick “S’alright, just the wind.”

He hasn’t led you into a dead end and soon you’re relaxed enough to trust that he’ll get you out of the maze. He’s walking slightly ahead of you and you’re grasping the back of his shirt while walking when he finally breaks the silence.

“Kinda makes sense that a city girl would be afraid of corn.”

Is he...trying to make a joke? He doesn’t chuckle or change his tone into a light hearted joking manner like any other person would. Though you think it’s a joke, there’s no harshness behind the words, you don’t even think he’s teasing you. He says it nonchalantly, as if you both talk like this on the regular.

“I’m not actually afraid of corn. It’s loud noises and the whole ‘getting lost and never being able to escape’ part of the maze that freaks me out,” you reply shrugging. If he’s gonna be nonchalant, you should match it. It’s the quickest way to move past this awkward phase you’ve been in.

He stops and peers at you over his shoulder. You stare at him, a bit guarded and on the defense. If he snaps at you, you’re ready. He stares for what seems like way too long, then swallows and turns away. There was something unrecognizable in his expression, his brows furrowed ever so slightly and you could’ve swore he looked a little sad.

“Makes sense,” he replies and continues walking.

“You’re good at these,” you offer, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction. However, when you trip slightly over your own feet and run face first into his back with an oof, you succeed in continuing to look like a damn doofus in front of him.

“Pft, and you ain’t,” he chuckles and again your heart does a little flip. He sounds relaxed and you don’t know why but that makes you happy. In the light of the moon, you see the hints of a smile on his face and it gives you pause. It really is dumb how handsome he is.

“Which means we make the perfect team,” you beam at him and wink, then wonder if maybe that might’ve been too much.

“Team? I’m the one leadin’ us through the damn thing. What are you doin’?” he snorts, pointing a finger at you. It’s close to the tip of your nose and for a second you think he’s going to playfully boop you.

You put a hand to your chest in mock offense. “I’m the cautious one! The one who pays attention to our surroundings and warns you of the danger!’

You pout again and this time he actually laughs. It’s not a long winded one and it only lasts about five seconds but still it makes you feel like you’ve won a prize for the night.

“Yeah cause a bird flying outta the corn is dangerous,” he teases, leaning his nose down to mock you.

You turn away from him, crossing your arms with your nose in the air. “Birds are little assholes. Plenty of people have been pecked to death.”

“That sounds like a fucked up story they’d put on the news to scare all the people in the city from comin’ out to the country,” Katsuki says laughing again and this time you laugh with him.

Your laughs die down as you both catch your breath and the silence is awkwardly filled with the crickets chirping. Katsuki clears his throat then.

“We should keep goin’ if ya wanna get outta this shit hole,” he says. You smile a little to yourself when he lifts his arm out for you to grab.

As you stroll with him, you’re extremely aware of how warm he is. He’s wearing a long sleeve shirt but you can still feel warmth radiating through it. He’s like your own personal space heater, cozy and—dare you say— safe. The muscles in his arm are hard and sometimes when walking he tenses up and then relaxes when you unconsciously squeeze his arm.

There’s a question you want to ask him but you’re afraid you’ll ruin this nice moment between the two of you. Before you can overthink it, the words come tumbling from your mouth like word vomit.

“So what are you afraid of?” you try to ask it casually like he did before, keeping your eyes straight ahead and hoping that it won’t upset him.

He doesn’t sound upset when he grunts back “nothin,” but you do feel his whole body tense up and the muscles in his arm harden under your grip.

Taking the non-explosion of his anger as a good sign, you press him a bit more.

“Well you just tensed up like you saw a ghost when I asked so it’s gotta be something,” you reply.

He keeps walking but his body doesn’t relax. He stays rigid and uncomfortable as he walks, glaring straight ahead without looking at you. You’re thankful for that because now you can analyze him.

His brows are knitted together in frustration, but for some reason you can tell he’s not frustrated with you. He’s far away from here, thinking about something, perhaps whatever it is he’s afraid of and whatever it is you can tell he’s seeing it clearly projected in his head.

You bite your lip nervously, this wasn’t what you wanted. You thought that maybe he’d say spiders or something. Maybe snakes, like Indiana Jones. Shit, it’s no wonder he thinks you’re annoying.

Desperate to help, you tug the sleeve of his shirt lightly. “Hey Katsuki, can you do me a favor?” you ask in a small voice.

“Hah?” He blinks quickly like he’s being broken out of a spell cast on him and looks down into your eyes in confusion.

“Squeeze my hand,” you request, pulling your arm out from under his and holding your hand out to him.

His eyes flicker between your hand and your eyes, as if he thinks you’ll play a trick on him. “What why?” he grumbles.

You smile warmly, hoping that the warmth in your eyes reaches him and he knows, he doesn’t have to be afraid if you’re here.

“So I know you’re still here with me,” you say simply.

He hesitates and stares into your eyes for a long time before he finally wraps his hand around yours and squeezes, not too hard. His hands are rough and calloused and slightly sweaty, but it’s so big around yours it almost covers it completely. He stares with an eyebrow raised as he continues to squeeze and when you squeeze twice he relaxes and his hand goes limp in your grasp.

Under the light of the full moon drifting across the sky, you and Katsuki stare into each other’s eyes. You can tell he’s thinking, maybe searching for something in your expression. You instead enjoy how the moon shines through his hair and how his eyes look a bit softer than they did when you first entered the maze.

When you don’t let go of his hand and intertwine your fingers with his, he intakes a sharp breath that you choose to ignore. He continues leading the way, hand-in-hand with you and very soon you’re at the end and can see the low lamp light of the exit. Right before you drop your hands at the exit you give his a little squeeze.

“Thanks for helping me through it.”

You flutter your lashes at him, warmth coursing through you and heating your cheeks. You don’t miss the way the tips of his ears go red when he turns and walks away from you, throwing a “yeah yeah” over his shoulder.

--

The days are growing shorter and less sunlight during the day means less time for your plants to get what they need. Your strawberries are coming in beautifully but your biggest accomplishment? Nursing the small peach tree in the backyard back to health. Sizable peaches are now fruiting on the branches. If it wasn’t so unbearably dumb to do, you’d high five yourself.

It’ll be time to harvest soon, which means you need to get your supplies ready to jar up your fruits and veggies for the winter. Baking the peach crumble from your grandmother’s recipe book is on your list of challenges to accomplish this season.

You’re leafing through the big recipe book your grandmother keeps in the kitchen, balancing fresh picked vegetables in your arms one chilly autumn afternoon when your phone vibrates loudly on the counter. You know who it is before looking at the caller ID and roll your eyes. Frenchie trots behind you and you crinkle your nose in frustration.

He looks like he’s rolling his eyes too, huffing a huge lazy breath out and gazing up at you with his big brown eyes. He's not panting with the big happy grin that frequents his furry  face. He huffs another deep breath before plopping down on his favorite rug and watching you traipse barefoot around the kitchen, arms full of green and red veggies.

“Yeah, you’re tellin’ me,” you complain to him, dumping the veggies on the counter. “I’m the one that actually has to talk to her. Consider yourself lucky that all you can do is bark, buddy.”

He barks in response, a well needed push of encouragement.

You click the answer button on the screen,  “Hey sorry I missed your calls. Been pretty busy with the harvest,” you say in a high pitched tone. Hopefully she doesn’t pick up on how you’re trying to overcompensate for not being thrilled to take her call.

“The harvest? Ugh, you even sound like one of them now. I really can’t believe you’re doing this. You spent all that time trying to get aw—”

“Is there anything pressing you needed to talk to me about, Neijire?” You interrupt quickly, stopping the long rant you know she’ll absentmindedly get sidetracked into.

Neijire never fails to remind you that you spent most of your life trying to get out of this town. You used to appreciate the reminder, now not so much. She always means well but she’s never been one to have a lot of tact.

“Now I know you’re just yanking my chain. ‘Do I have anything pressing to talk about?’ she says. Of course I do! I am calling to ask you to reconsider pulling your work from the gallery and canceling the exhibition. It’s disrespectful!” She’s whining, drawing her words out in that squeaky annoying voice you’ve always hated.

You huff an irritated breath, “Just tell them I couldn’t handle it. Family shit, yannow?”

You hear her scoff and slam what you assume is her third cup of coffee down on the table of the cafe she's currently sitting in.

“Tell them you couldn’t make it because you wanted to play in the dirt? Uh uhn not gonna happen,”she sasses.

Maybe a different approach will work. You soften your tone, “Neijere please this actually means a lot to me. I really do want to retire,” you plead.

It surprises you how true that is. It’s not just to get her off the phone. You do want to be done with all of the art shows.

Her tone softens as well, sounding almost apologetic. “Ok then this is the perfect way to say goodbye and tell the fans of your work that to their faces. It will mean a lot to them. As a final huzzah, just...just don’t pull the paintings. Please?“

You sigh because her voice sounds solemn. Despite being that type of annoying that borders on endearing, Neijire has been a great agent to you over the years. She’s always had your best interests at heart and she handled business and took her job seriously.

“Ok fine,” you surrender with a deep breath.

She squeals and you have to move the phone away from your ear.

“Ok don’t worry. I’ll handle everything! Your outfit, your ride, Ooh I wonder if a limo will mind driving on those dusty gravel roads. Ahh, it should be fine. I’ll have to—“

“Ok Neijire thanks for calling. I'll talk to you soon. Send me an email of the game plan!”

You quickly hit the end button as she starts a new sentence, then breathe out heavily. One last time. That's all you need. This one last time and then you won't have anymore obligations to the life you left behind in the city.

Sliding the phone on the cabinet, you walk over to your easel and attempt to finish painting the portrait of Frenchie. He’s lying in front of the window, the autumn sun shining down on his sandy fur.  He stands and stretches when you plop down on your stool. Sensing your stress, he trots over to put his big head in your lap and gaze at you sadly.

“Yeah, I know. But I guess I kinda owe her though, right?”

He lifts his head off of your lap gently then plops it back down. A clear “yeah I guess you’re right” in Frenchie language.

You sigh, “That’s what I thought you’d say.”

“We’re here to learn how to paint!”

You whip around at the familiar voice behind you, beaming as you catch his wide toothed smile. Eijirou and– to your surprise–Bakugo stand in the doorway of the little studio classroom where you teach the art classes at the community center. His hands are shoved in his pockets and he looks like he was dragged here by Eiji, but his expression is pleasant enough.

He’s swapped out the white tank top he wore during summer and somehow the lack of exposed skin makes him look even more–annoyingly–attractive. Now he wears a sienna flannel shirt open over a black shirt. The cuffs are rolled ¾ up his arms so you can see the muscles, veins and the light blond hairs on his arms. The color doesn’t clash with his golden summer tan and it makes his eyes look more smoldering than they used to. When he’s standing next to Eiji staring intensely at you with a bothered frown, you can feel the heat from his stare.

“Oh! Mr. Bakugo, I didn’t think this was your thing,” you exclaim, setting down the jars of water you’re carrying.

He rolls his eyes and nudges Eijirou with his shoulder. “This one dragged me here. Said it could help me ‘relax’,”he mutters.

The two of you are much more cordial since the day you went fishing in Gramp’s favorite spot. You’re still impressed he was able to find it and wonder how long he’d been going there when you weren’t. You’d enjoyed that time and you think about it a lot. Not just because of the pleasant conversation but because you’d conquered a fear. Meeting him at your grandpa’s spot seemed to be a sign for you to start over with him and you’re glad that it’s been going smoothly.

Now if he runs into you at Eiji’s store or in town he gives you a slight nod or gives you advice on things if he overhears the conversation.

“If ya want a cow yer gonna wanna fence in the area around your barn for it to graze.” He’d said that with his back turned to you as he nonchalantly grabbed a bag of feed in Sero’s shop. You were there inquiring about the cow again.

Eijirou chuckles, “If I don’t drag him away from his farm during the colder seasons he won’t ever leave except to get stuff for his cows,” he teases, slapping a big hand on his friend’s back.

The blonde blushes, “Aw shaddup would ya,” he drawls putting a hand behind his neck sheepishly.

You smile, “I think that’s a good thing,” you reassure him.

He blinks and raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Hah?”

“It shows how dedicated you are to your farm,” you reply, giving him a warm smile. He gulps quietly and you think for just a second that maybe you’ve made it awkward so you tack on, “But maybe getting out of the house and doing other activities will make you look less like a grumpy old man.”

Eiji laughs—thankfully—keeping the mood lighthearted and fun as he agrees with you.

“Ha see I told ya you're like a grumpy old man,” he teases.

“I ain’t old! I’m only 29! Idjits,” Bakugo grumbles in response.

“Well I hope the class does help you relax a bit. It certainly helps me out.” You grab the jars of water again and start toward the spread out easels in the classroom.

“Maybe you need to relax more often,” Bakugo says matter of factly.

His expression  tells you that might’ve come out without him thinking. Is he saying you look stressed? Is he…concerned? You don’t call attention to it but it does make one big ka-thunk sound in your chest.

“Oh well umm, choose an easel anywhere you want.  The class will start in 10 minutes,” you stammer, turning your back to them quickly.

The class runs smoothly with your two new guests and you’re only slightly aware of Bakugo’s eyes constantly finding you as you drift around the room helping others with their paintings.  When you make it over to him and Eijirou, he’s pouting and looking between his easel and Eijirou’s.

“Mine looks like shit. This sucks,” he complains, putting his paintbrush into the jar of water and folding his arms over his chest.

You giggle as Eijirou leans over to glance at his work.  “It doesn’t look like shit man. It’s nice!'' he exclaims happily.

“Tsk look, I fucked up the tree and the branches and shit,” he mutters gesturing to his painting.

You smile warmly at him, moving to take a closer look at his painting before you say in a gentle voice, “This is art. There are no fuck ups. Let me see.”

You grab the paintbrush and bend over his shoulder. You hear him take a breath and you quickly move around him to fix his fucked up tree and make it blend into the rest of his painting seamlessly. You concentrate on the canvas, sticking your tongue out as you work and trying not to pay attention to how close you are to him.

He’s watching you in amazement and you see him staring out of the corner of your eye. You can smell him, hints of fertilizer but something sweet lingers in his scent. He smells like burnt chocolate, and the earth after it’s raining, with tiny hints of smoke. He must’ve been burning the leaves on his property, you gather. The fragrance isn’t strong, just ghostly enough to draw you in and keep you wondering.

What’s wrong with you? Wasn’t it just a few months ago where you were only referring to him as ”the asshole”. It’s true you’re trying to work on “starting over” with him but that doesn’t mean you start fawning over him like a love sick school girl.

“There! I think you can take it from here right?” you say handing him the paint brush back.

He stares at your handiwork for a long time. “How’d you fix it?” he asks in a low, impressed voice.

“I told you it wasn’t bad. Just remember you’re in control of what’s on the canvas and you’ll be fine. I have faith in you Mr. Bakugo,” you say, smiling warmly down at him.

You think you see the tips of his ears go red, but you ignore it.

“Enough with the ‘Mr. Bakugo’ shit. You can just call me Katsuki,” he huffs, turning his attention back to the canvas.

Your eyes grow wide for just a second before you raise an eyebrow and cock your hip.

“I’ll only call you Katsuki if you call me Minnie like everyone else does.” When he rolls his eyes and pouts his lips at you, you tack on “It’s better than ‘City Trash’,” and wink at him.

Are you flirting with him? Should you be flirting with him?

No. No you should not.

He clears his throat and mutters “Fine,” under his breath and you giggle again and head back toward the front of the class, stopping yourself from glancing at him over your shoulder.

You need to get it together. Just because a man is nice to you, or in Katsuki’s case, cordial and slightly pleasant, doesn’t mean you should be hearing wedding bells. It makes sense to admit he’s attractive, that’s obviously clear. You know it. He’s most likely aware of it. He’s gotta know, and with that being said you can move on. You can be friends. Just like you’re friends with Eiji and Denki and Hanta.

Turning to address the class as a whole now, you raise your voice, “Alright everyone, class is just about over. Start wrapping up and don’t forget to sign your creations!”

When everyone is starting to leave–and you’ve talked Eiji out of staying to help you put the supplies away–the room is quiet and you’re left with your thoughts. You’re thankful it was another successful session, especially with Katsuki present.

You’re about to shut out the lights and leave when a canvas still sitting on an easel towards the back of the room catches your attention. Everyone is supposed to take them home. You tilt your head in confusion and approach the painting wondering if someone propped it there to dry.

A small gasp falls from you when you see Katsuki's painting. The tree is finished and although it’s not perfect it’s nice. The colors of the sun he included are beautiful but, what makes your heart start thumping in your chest and pulls heat to your cheeks is his signature.

“K. Bakugo and Minnie” is scrawled in red paint at the very bottom. Maybe his attractiveness isn't the only thing you’ll have to admit to liking more than you should.

—

You wet a rag in the kitchen sink and tiptoe back to the paint stain. French Fry naps on the rug in front of you. He doesn’t move when you clean up the paint streak or when you grab the paint brush and plop back down in your chair in front of your easel.

You sigh and pick up your phone, reading the “4 missed calls” notification. They're all from the same person, Nejire Hado, your agent and owner of the gallery where some of your pieces have sold successfully. You swipe the screen up to read the text she sent.

Nejire (1:14PM): Really wish you had better service in that country bumpkin town you’re in. Call me back when you can it’s URGENT

You roll your eyes and groan. It’s not urgent. You know what she's going to ask you and the answer is still no. You’ve decided you’re not doing the art show. You’re going to pull your paintings from the gallery.

Maybe selling the remaining pieces online so some of the commission will go to Nejire would be a good idea. But as far as showing up, mingling with people who will gush over your art and scribble large numbers On a check to buy it, you’re over it. You’re done, and it’s a part of your life you want to leave behind.

Achieving your dream as a well-known artist wasn’t as amazing as you thought it would be. It came with fake friends and seasonal depression that became present in every season. You’d shocked everyone on your PR Team when you announced you were done with all of it and moving into your grandfather’s old farmhouse.

You’re thankful that no one here uses your real name. It might’ve caught on, someone might’ve recognized it, though you highly doubt that they would.

The townsfolk are so far removed from the media here it’s refreshing. Still, the chances of them finding out how big you were in the art world is something that stays on your consciousness daily.

You look down at French Fry who’s curled up on the multi-colored rug in front of you, dip your brush into the murky gray water to clean it, then dry it on your towel. He opens one sleepy eye at you and you sigh.

“Why can’t she take the hint, Frenchie? ‘I’ll think about it’ obviously means no, right?” you ask him.

He lifts his head and yawns big before nestling back down on the rug and falling asleep again.

“Glad you agree,” you say to him. You’re about to turn back to the painting you’re working on when a knock on your door garners your attention.

Eijirou is standing in your doorway, holding a small bouquet of flowers in his tight fist and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Eijirou? What’s this for?” you ask, looking at the flowers. He shoves them into your hands quickly.

“I wanted to apologize for last night.” He steps toward you.

For a second you’re confused but then you remember how he apologized to you the first time Bakugo came to your house. He’d told you he felt responsible for him and despite Bakugo being a good guy deep down, he’s got some issues he doesn't know how to properly deal with.

You sigh. “You don’t have to apologize for someone else’s behavior, Eiji. It’s ok,” you say holding the flowers and idly running a finger over one of the petals.

The flowers are lovely but they look like they were picked in haste and it makes you laugh. You'll never get over how good of a person he is. You gesture for him to step inside and close the door behind him.

He pouts, “It’s not ok! He shouldn’t be such a dick to you and I’m gonna chew him out somethin’ fierce don’t you worry. But I was actually apologizin’ for bringin’ up something painful yesterday.”

“Oh. You… saw that?” you say wincing again. So much for trying to keep your panic attacks on the down low. You’ve got to get better at that.

Eiji reaches out to rub your shoulder but at the last minute decides it’s not a good idea and drops his hand back down to his side. He interlocks his fingers in front of him and stares at his boots when he speaks.

“I uhh didn’t know it was a sore spot for you to talk about your grandpa and we don’t have to talk about it now either ! I just—ah hell,” he stammers, bumping his own forehead with the butt of his palm.

This time you reach out to him. His skin is warm when you touch his arm but he relaxes under your grasp and finally looks in your eyes. Was he really beating himself up over this?

“No Eiji please. It’s… it’s alright really. Gramps and I used to spend a lot of time at the lake. It was like our place, yannow? So I guess thinking about it made me remember that…I can’t go there with him anymore and that thought… kind of sent me spiraling,” you explain as you saunter into the living room to find a vase for the flowers.

It’s strange, talking about it now doesn’t seem to affect you as much as it did last night. You wonder why. Sure, it still stings but your breathing is still even and calm as you speak. It’s like getting rid of the pus from a festering wound and now you’re left with the cut. You even think about possibly taking a trip out to his favorite fishing spot to honor him. It’s nearing mid- Summer, so it would be the perfect time for it.

Eijirou looks around your home as you grab a glass vase and move to the kitchen to fill it with water. When you set the vase of flowers on the big open window sill in the living room, your cheeks burn bashfully.

“Sorry to have been stupid about it and I’m sorry I worried you. But I’m ok I promise,” you say, giving him a thumbs up.

He shakes his head and chuckles and you know he’s thankfully feeling better.

“Yer not stupid. Yer one of the smartest people I know. And the most creative apparently!” He gestures to your half finished painting sitting on the easel.

Shit, you weren’t ready to let people here know about your hobby. It’s too late to pretend like it’s not so you laugh it off.

“Oh, this is nothin’ haha. I paint when I’m stressed,” you say, waving a hand nonchalantly.

“Yer a painter?” he inquires, raising an eyebrow. He studies your paint stained overalls closely.

You should say no, but then he’ll think you’re really being weird about it. “Ha I suppose, yeah.”

“Mind if I have a look?” he asks, pointing at the painting on your easel.

“Oh uhh sure.”

“It’s Frenchie!” he exclaims pointing to the painting and laughing. At the sound of his name, Frenchie gets up and bounds over to Eiji happily. He jumps up on his hind legs to attempt to lick his face. He scratches behind Frenchie’s droopy ears. “Oops sorry I ruined your model.”

You giggle. The way people react to Frenchie never ceases to make your day. “Haha it’s alright, he’s not that good at staying still anyway.”

When Eijirou is done petting Frenchie and the dog trots over to his food bowl, Eiji glances around and notices more of your finished work sitting against the wall. They’re all depictions of your quiet life in Pelican Town.

“Wait, you painted all of these too?” The amazement in his tone can’t be faked and it makes your cheeks heat as you nod, tuck your head close to your body, and raise your shoulders timidly.

You don’t know why you’re nervous. It’s not like Eiji is a connoisseur of art. But you’re more nervous about what he will think of it. Maybe it’s because the paintings are all depictions of Pelican Town. With Eiji being a proud resident, it means something if he likes them. You bite your lip and tap your hands on your thighs anxiously.

“These are amazing. They’re all like little snapshots of the town. Peaceful but a little mysterious. It’s gorgeous,” he breathes.

Then his face lights up with an idea and he hurries over to grab your paint stained hands. “You should start a painting class at the community center!”

You quickly pull your hands from his and step back in shock. “What? No, no I’m not that good. Plus, who would want to take a painting class with me? I’m a new face here and–”

“Are you kiddin’ me? One look at these here paintings and they would be dumber than a box o’ rocks not to sign up!” He’s grinning that big bright winning smile again, the one that always makes you think everything will be ok so long as he keeps smiling like that.

“I mean, I’d sign up in a heartbeat if it meant bein’ taught by you,” he remarks gently, moving closer and grabbing your hand again. This time the burning in your cheeks coats your entire face. The way he’s looking at you would make anyone’s heart falter.

You blush. “Eiji I—”

“Seriously, it could really help the town out. It’ll take a few weeks to get everything together to start up a class like that but it would bring people together. Especially since a bunch of the shops have been closing because of Joja Mart. And I'm sure you’d get paid compensation for your time.” He interrupts you, squeezing your hand to encourage you.

It’s not a bad idea, especially considering he’s right about Joja Mart closing down a bunch of shops in town. Even for the month you’ve been here, two shops have gone out of business. It doesn’t hurt to try helping, and maybe this is a good way to combine the two things you love the most, painting and your hometown. This is your chance to cement your place here and stop feeling like an outsider.

You look up into Eiji's eyes, a determined grin on your face. You take a deep breath and then nod with confidence.

“Okay. I'll do it.”

It’s a nice fishing day. Mid Summer is always the best time to fish on the lake and Katsuki knows the perfect place. He deserves a nice relaxing day, especially after the stupid scolding from Ei a few weeks ago.

It's been weeks since the incident at Toshi’s and Katsuki hasn’t seen you or Eijirou around as much. The argument is still fresh in his mind and truthfully he hopes this fishing trip will help get it out.

Why is it bothering him so much? Did Ei have a point? There wasn’t really a reason for him to be that mean to you. He was just fired up from the Joja mart thing. He hadn’t planned on you firing back at him though.

It was...interesting to say the least. The other times he’d seen you, you were timid and soft spoken, smiling and hiding your giggles behind your fingers. It was weird, you are weird. Your eyes always had that unknown thing, the one thing Katsuki couldn’t figure out when he first saw you.

But that night he saw something different. He saw that thing disappear and be replaced with fire. He can’t get the pristine picture out of his head. Some days when he’s working out in the field or cleaning the grill at Toshi’s he thinks about your face.

He remembers the way your plump lips curled over your teeth when you growled insults at him. The way the tip of your tongue flicked over your top lip before you told him to go to hell—

No.

No. He’s not going to go down that path. You are trouble. Big trouble. No matter how attractive you are. Fuck, what’s going on with him? He’s not some horny teenager. Though it has been a while since he’s got some.

He doesn’t need it though. It’s fine. It must be something in the air. The changing of the seasons is coming up, which could explain why the girls were so fidgety this morning.

A shower should help clear his mind. Relaxing at the lake with the new lure he’d just made is a great plan and fuck, he deserves it. Summer was good to him, his crops were growing beautifully. Soon they’ll be ready to harvest. He’ll have to remember to take some tomatoes to Jodi before he takes the bulk of them to the market.

Katsuki is lost in thought when he steps under the hot stream of the shower. The dirt and grime from the cow pen washes down the drain and he massages his shoulder under the water. He groans in pleasure as he kneads the sore muscles, carrying the extra hay today was a struggle. He hadn’t slept well last night, Eiji’s nagging voice constant in his mind.

He hears it again as he continues to lather soap over his chest and with it comes your angry face drifting back into his mind. Your lips, why hadn’t he paid closer attention to them before? They have a perfect little curve, especially when you pout in anger. His hand idly moves down to his cock, slowly swelling under the pulsing flow of the shower.

It’s been a while. Maybe too long?

Grabbing his cock, he allows himself a five minute fantasy. Only five minutes of wondering what your face would look like upturned in pleasure. It’s natural to let off steam, plus he hasn’t done it since she left. He hadn’t really felt the urge to, until now. Guys jack it to women they don’t know all the fucking time. The sooner he takes care of it, the sooner he can stop thinking about it.

He slowly works his soapy hand up his shaft, throwing his head back as he tightens his grip when he reaches the head of his dick. Gnawing his bottom lip, he remembers your tits in that sheer shirt and bra you wore under it.

He can clearly picture the way your waist and hips curve, the way the tight black jeans you wore hugged them tightly. Your ass in overalls that hung loosely off of you is still plump enough to see a shape that satiates the sensual hunger in Katsuki’s mind.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath as his Adam's apple bobs in his throat. Water droplets cascade down his abs as he pumps himself, grunting when he rocks his hips into his own fist. His balls slap against his hand as his pace increases.

This doesn’t mean he wants to fuck you. This doesn’t even mean he likes you. He just needs to get it out of his system. Plus, it’s a fact. You’re attractive, anyone with eyes can see it.

He fantasizes about your tits bouncing, your ass slapping against his hips—NO just hips in general—and the sweet sounds that would come from you. He hopes when you fuck you’re not as quiet and timid as you usually are when you speak. He hopes you’re loud and whiny and mumbling his name while he pounds into your tight cunt.

“Oh shit,” he closes his eyes and grunts as his fist tightens around his cock. He’s on the cusp, thrusting so quickly into his own hand the soap and water slipping down his sack splashes up in his face.

He moans, slapping a sudsy hand on the tiled wall of the shower as cum shoots up his chest and dribbles from his spent cock down into the drain. He regains his breath, shoulders heaving from the load he’s just released.

It isn’t until he’s finished rewashing the coily tangled blonde hairs at his crotch and running cold water over himself that he realizes he may be a little fucked.

“Fuck…”

He should’ve known. He should’ve fucking recognized the stupid red truck with the Bob Ross keychain hanging from the rearview mirror parked up by the start of the trail. Should’ve paid closer attention to the small footprints in the mud leading down to the banks of the lake. He should’ve recognized the tiny ringing voice singing:

So come with me

We’ll go and see

The Big Rock Candy Mountain.

And what kind of dumb ass song is that? What young person—ignoring the fact that Katsuki also knows the song you’re singing—idly sings this song to themselves? He doesn’t realize he cursed aloud until he sees your shocked face as you whip around and drop your shoulders sadly at the sight of him.

That…doesn’t feel good. Why does he suddenly care what you think of him? Why does a pit form in his stomach at the thought of you sighing in disappointment when you see him?

He smacks his lips, “If this is your spot, I’ll go. I can come back another day.”

He watches your face twist into too many different expressions for him to properly analyze before it settles on a frown of surrender. You take a deep breath and then force a friendly smile. You look like one of those dolls who has their mouths sewn up into a happy face. It pisses him off.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind sharing the area,“ you say in a small voice.

Again the friendliness sounds forced. He raises an eyebrow at you. You’re clearly uncomfortable. It’s clear you don’t want him here. And he should leave anyway considering he just thought about railing you while fucking his fist in the shower.

“Oh come on. They’re biting a lot today. It’d be a shame to miss out on the haul.”

He analyzes every lilt in your cadence. This time you sound more genuine, like you actually do want him to stay. It couldn’t hurt, plus he really did want to fish today. This is a great spot, the fish always bite more here and the view is…not terrible.

“Fine,” he grunts.

He sets his bait box down and sets up the folding chair tucked under his arm. He makes sure to set it a ways away from you, but it’s still close enough for him to see and hear you.

Then he assembles his fishing pole, trying to stop his wandering eye. Out of his peripherals he can see your pole, tied neatly to the chair you're sitting in. The line is cast out into the lake.

The sun beats down, illuminating you like a spotlight. You don’t look up or in his direction, just continue reading the book nestled in your lap. Katsuki tilts his head just a bit to see what it is you’re reading and he swears you angle it toward him so he can see it easier.

He figures out you’re reading The Wizard of Oz when he’s finally casting his line and sitting in his chair comfortably. It’s quiet for a bit, nothing but the sounds of teeming lake life. Cicadas, bull frogs, ducks quacking near the edge of the pond, and the occasional sound of turning pages.

Usually when Katsuki goes fishing, he takes in the quiet, sits and basks in the natural sounds but now his heart won’t quiet the hell down. It’s thumping loud in his chest and he can’t stop himself from taking quick glances at you from the corner of his eye.

“Want one?”

Your voice breaks through the silence. He looks over at you holding a water bottle out to him. You’re leaning toward him and one of the buttons on your plaid blouse is open. From this angle he can almost see your cleavage. He tries to look at anything but you and his eyes fall on the can of beer next to your feet.

“What, you on your last beer and wanna keep it to yerself or somethin’?” he teases. He tries to make it sound playful, but it comes out the exact opposite.

Your eyes flick down to the beer can at your feet then back up to him with a confused look. “Sorry, I was just under the impression that you didn't drink. You can have one if ya want. There are plenty.”

He winces, and turns away in shame. “Nah, I’m good.”

Did Ei tell you about his past with drinking? No, he wouldn’t have. You just notice shit. You read him like he’s an open book and it makes him uncomfortable. It’s annoying. This whole situation is annoying. You’re annoying and why are you bein’ so goddamn nice?

“Thanks,” he mutters under his breath.

He watches you from the corner of his eye again, but you don’t even raise your head from your book. You just nod a bit and reply. “No problem.”

It's quiet again and Katsuki feels out of place. Should he leave? This is awkward. Though, this is the longest conversation he’s had with you and you aren’t screaming at each other.

You look calm, peaceful and he wonders what it was about talking about fishin’ with Willy that set you off that night. You seem fine now. You seem better than fine. Your shoulders aren’t hunched as much as they were that night.

A rustling in the woods behind the two of you derails his train of thought. Soon there’s a slobbering wet dog that seems to appear out of nowhere dropping a damp stick on his lap and shaking itself dry. Muddy droplets of water cover Katsuki and he frowns, throws the stick to the ground, and groans at the dog. “Ahh come on mutt. You’re getting me wet!”

You quickly close your book and race over to grab the dog by his collar and pull him back toward you. “Sorry! He’s a sharer,” you say apologetically. You’re petting between the dog’s ears as it pants happily.

Katsuki raises an eyebrow, “He yours?”

You give him a weird look, like you’re surprised he’s asking something about your life.

“Uhh yeah. I guess I kinda adopted him, or rather he adopted me. His name’s French Fry. Frenchie for short.”

Katsuki snorts, what a stupid name. “That’s—“

His sentence is cut off when the dog growls at him and he blinks in amazement.

“Don’t make fun of his name. He’s sensitive about it,” you say seriously. You’re still petting his ears, but now you’re bent down on your knees to be on the same level as the dog.

“The dog… is sensitive about his name?” Katsuki asks in a hesitant voice like you’re unstable.

“Yeah. He’s really smart. Sometimes when I’m talking to him, it’s like he understands everything I’m saying. Like a little old man in a dog's body.” You boop his wet nose softly and mock Frenchie’s goofy grin. It’s the first time Katsuki realizes you have dimples.

He snorts and rolls his eyes as he dabs a towel he brought with him over his wet clothes. “You only get weirder the more I talk to you,” he teases, turning away from you.

You stand and pull Frenchie back toward your chair. You reach into your bag, pull out a bone and toss it into the woods for the dog to run off and find.

“Well you could just fuck off. If I’m so weird then.”

Katsuki is thrown off by your statement. Again there’s that edge to your words, a bite, no, a nip hidden behind your pleasant little tone. Fucking hell, why does that get him goin’ so much? He rubs his thigh and shimmies his leg to ignore the twitch in his jeans.

“Sorry… that was rude of me,” you sigh, opening your book back to your page.

And now your polite tone is back. It’s like you're holding a portion of yourself back. Like you’re hiding behind something. A wall begging to be broken. Not by him of course, because you are not his problem, nor are you a puzzle for him to solve.

Still it doesn’t hurt to observe. You’ve been observing him too so it’s only fair.

He clears his throat. “S’fine. Sorry for sayin’ yer weird.”

He mutters it under his breath, hoping that you don’t hear it. He can feel heat in the tips of his ears. It’s a big step for him to apologize at all and of course you fucking notice that. You turn to look at him incredulously, then quickly turn away when you realize he’s embarrassed.

How the fuck do you adjust to shit like that so quickly?

“Don’t you have animals or pets you talk to?” you ask and he quietly appreciates the way you keep the conversation going.

“Not like that,” he replies simply.

“Maybe you should.”

“What?”

“Maybe you should talk to them. It’d help you feel less lonely.”

He immediately goes on the defensive, building his wall again and shutting you out. He remembers you calling him miserable and lonely and he swallows the anger he feels bubbling in his stomach. This was going well, he just needed to calm down.

“I ain’t lonely,” he finally replies after he’s calmed himself. Still it comes out harsh and finite, like he’s ending the conversation here.

Whatever hint he tries to give you that he doesn’t want to talk about this, you don’t get. Instead, you keep flipping the pages of your book and not looking at him while you speak.

“Well you’ve got the lonely look,” you say shrugging.

Katsuki squints and slaps his palms on his thighs loudly. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

You gaze at him in earnest, your eyes are wide and serious, like you’re looking inside him and it gives him pause. His heart races and he blinks in astonishment.

You stare for a minute too long and then you shrug again and look away before saying, “Just a look. That’s all.”

His heart stutters and he stares as you quietly read your book again before he turns away with heated cheeks and mumbles, “Mind your business.”

“Ok.”

Frenchie comes back up to him now, carrying the bone you threw in the forest. He drops it into Katsuki’s lap again and right as you’re about to scold the dog , Katsuki picks it up and stands.

He turns toward the forest, “Alright mutt, see if ya can find it when I throw it.” Then he reels back and tosses it into the woods.

Frenchie barks happily and sprints toward where the bone fell in the forest. Katsuki watches for a while as the dog disappears into the greenery and he can’t help but smirk when he comes trotting back with the bone in his jaws.

He tries not to pay any attention to you watching him play with the dog as he dumps the bone at his feet and he picks it up and throws it again.

He sneaks a glance at you out of the corner of his eye and sees that you’ve gone back to reading but your dimples give away the amusement on your face. Katsuki smirks, then shakes his head to regain his head. He’s just playing with the dog. It’s nothing serious.

Soon it’s about time for you to start packing up your things. Katsuki knows he caught you off guard when he grunts, “Thanks for sharin’ the spot,'' because it takes you a while to respond.

He gazes at you, brows furrowed in his normal frown. His heart skips a beat when you smile at him, a genuine smile, the first he thinks he’s seen from you since you moved in.

“No problem. Thanks for keeping Frenchie company. He seems to like you a lot,” you say motioning to the dog as he sits panting happily at Katsuki’s feet.

He bends down to pat his head and shrugs, “Meh. He’s just an energetic furball. He’d play with anyone who gave him attention. Just so happened to be me this time.”

You give him that look again, the one that made his heart stutter, the one that looks like you’re looking into him and he holds his breath.

“I don’t think so. I think he’s a great judge of character. He’s my best friend. Maybe one day he could be yours too. I don’t mind sharing him,” you reply, a hopeful lilt in your voice. Are you saying you want to talk to him again? He doesn’t get it.

Again he tries to play off the way you fluster him. “Tsk, whatever.”

You pat your thigh and gesture for Frenchie to come to you. Then you hook his leash unto his collar and gather all of your supplies under your armpits. You turn toward the trail through the woods to hike back to your car, but right before you leave you wink at him over your shoulder.

“Have a good evening Mr. Bakugo.”

Katsuki clears his throat as he’s left by himself. Your words repeat in his head as his fishing pole tugs with the presence of a fish.

I think he’s a great judge of character. He’s my best friend. Maybe one day he could be yours too. I don’t mind sharing him.

Katsuki tries to reel in the fish but it escapes as he stares at the ripples in the water. Your words are like a phantom in his mind and the way you winked at him before you left is playing on loop behind his eyes when he closes them. He groans loud and it echoes in the expanse of the grassy banks of the lake.

He’s officially fucked.

--

SUMMER END

The boss was happy to give Katsuki the rest of the day off. To no one’s surprise, he’d liked you too. Though to be fair, Toshinori didn’t dislike anyone. He was kind and friendly, the glue that kept the town together, which made perfect sense for his bar to be the center of any social gathering.

A sweeping cheer erupts from the tiny window Katsuki uses to peek into the dining area. You’ve just arrived—early of fucking course—carted into the bar by Hizashi who proudly pronounces you as the guest of honor. It’s the first time Katsuki really takes the time to observe you.

You definitely look different from the first time he saw you standing in your doorway. You don’t even look the same as you did the brief moments he saw you in town before he quickly headed in the opposite direction.

Your hair and clothes are different, more suited for the environment you currently live in and yeah he’ll admit, you don’t look bad. You’re casual, wearing a thin white shirt and oversized overalls that still find a way to cinch in at your waist. Your hair is tamed now, in two braids on either side of your head and covered with a bandana that fails to capture wavy little tendrils that stick to your forehead.

The most obvious change is the tiny smirk on your lips as Hizashi gestures to you and nudges you into the center of the crowd for everyone to see. You seem more comfortable, though still timid and withdrawn as people smile and introduce themselves to you. The only thing Katsuki notices is the same about you is that unfamiliar thing behind your eyes.

He hasn’t been able to figure out what it is. When he talked to Eiji, he thought it might’ve just been grief, but that’s obvious in the way you shrink and wince anytime someone mentions your grandfather or offers a quick condolence.  No, this is something different, it’s like a barrier, something you’re hiding.

Katsuki clears his throat and removes the almost burnt burger from the grill. From the dining room he hears Eiji’s voice. “Glad you could make it, Darlin’!” He quickly glances back through the window to see you almost skip over to him.

He swallows a lump in his throat. It’s no wonder Eiji can’t stop talking about you. You’re flirting up a storm. Of course he’d fall for you when you’re makin’ goo goo eyes at him like that.

Katsuki turns away again, finishing the burger and ringing the bell for the waitress. He sees the tips of her blue hair in the window as she thanks him. He grunts, “No problem,” before he shuts down the grill and goes to empty the fryers. He tries to tune out the voices of Denki and Hanta clearly trying to impress you as they speak over the country music and the chatter of the crowd.

“So, how you likin’ the book Sugar? It’s good right? Told ya you’d like it!” Denki flirts.

“I was able to get in contact with an old friend of mine who’ll be selling a cow in a couple of months when she’s a bit older. I’d be happy to go with ya to see her,” Hanta mentions.

Idjits all of 'em. Pussy whipped idjits. He rolls his eyes as he finishes shutting down the kitchen. When he can no longer find anything to do, he unties the apron from his waist, hangs it up on the hook, takes a deep breath and blows it out of his nostrils.

If he makes an appearance, if Eiji can see that he’s there and chat with someone on the outskirts of the crowd, maybe he can get away with being constantly bothered and guilt tripped into talking to you by him.

He steps out into the dining area, a classic rock song is playing on the radio, one that twangs the guitar the way he likes. He focuses on it, tapping his boot as he grabs a water bottle and leans against a wall, surveying the scene. You’re surrounded by the idjits, laughing and joking and he’ll admit, it looks like a decent time. However, he’s ok observing from a distance.

He can’t really hear what’s going on but he’s gotten pretty good at reading lips from the times he used to fall asleep in front of the muted TV. It seems like a bunch of harmless small talk.

You keep mentioning some book, probably the one Denki mentioned earlier and everyone in the group laughs when Denki very clearly tries to make a pass at you and you politely —of fucking course you do it politely—turn him down.

It goes on that way for a while and Katsuki is actually starting to enjoy himself. He keeps an eye on you out of the corner of his eye, hoping that you won’t make your way over to him, but you seem to be in your own little world and it doesn’t involve him.

When he finally leaves his safe spot on the wall to go and grab another water bottle, he hears the tail end of a conversation you’re having with Willy, one of the town’s fishermen that Katsuki occasionally buys bait from.

“So I heard you’re quite the fisher young lady,” he inquires.

It catches Katsuki’s attention. You like to fish? He didn't know that. Wouldn’t you fuckin’ know it, another thing you both unfortunately have in common. He strains his ear to hear your reply.

“Oh uhh yeah. Though it’s been a while since I’ve been,” you stammer nervously. Why do you sound nervous? Is fishing something you’re self conscious about? Dumb, what’s there to be self concious about?

“Oh yeah! Yer grandpa used ta take ya a lot right? I remember Mr. Aizawa said somethin’ about yer grandpa findin’ the perfect spot and only sharin’ it with you!” Eiji replies.

There’s somethin’ wrong when you reply, your voice quivers and it sounds like your words are caught in your throat. It takes everything in Katsuki not to turn and look directly at you. What’s yer deal? It’s just fishin’.

“Y...yeah. A while ago… back… umm...back when I was a kid. But I...umm...don’t know that I remember it now. I’m sorry,” you reply with tense nervous energy. All the comfort you had before vanishes and the atmosphere immediately feels awkward.

“Hey young Katsuki! I’ve been lookin’ fer ya!” A huge hand claps on his shoulder and distracts his eavesdropping.

Toshinori shakes him warmly and smiles big. Katsuki can already tell by how much he beams he has some news he’s not going to enjoy.

“S’goin’ on Boss?” he grunts, twisting the cap off the water bottle and taking a sip. Toshi’s smile drops a bit and he chuckles nervously before he replies.

“Sorry to take you away from the party, but I was hopin’ I could talk to you outside for a second?” he asks, slapping his hands together in an apologetic bow.

This can’t be good. Is he about to be fired? He doesn’t necessarily need the job to survive, he’s got savings but it’s emergency money. He swallows, then mutters a deep, “Yeah sure,” before he follows Toshinori outside of the bar near the garbage cans. He sneaks one more glance at you over his shoulder before he leaves.

Crickets chirp in the night air and the music and chatter from the party become a faint buzz in the background. Katsuki readies himself as he turns toward his boss. He can take it. If he is fired, he will figure something out. He always does.

“A couple of the Joja Mart investors came by my house earlier inquiring about buying out the bar,” Toshinori starts. Katsuki lets out a stifled breath of relief. Then he stares and folds his arms over his chest.

“Did ya tell em to fuck off?” he growls. Toshi winces at the intensity but continues to smile nervously.

“Well not in those words but yes. For now, we’re still doing alright enough not to sell but young Katsuki, it’s not looking good fer the other shops in town. Sooner or later there won’t be enough money comin’ in for them all to stay afloat,” he explains.

Fucking Joja Mart. It’s been nothin’ but a ghost town since they moved in and built a little store in town. They rob money from all the farmers in the area who sell their products in the general store.

Already a few local stores have gone out of business because it’s “easier to get all your products at Joja!”  Katsuki spits in disgust, just another reason to hate big ass corporations. They should’ve just stayed in the goddamn city!

“That's bullshit, Boss! The people in this town love this place. It’s where they all come together to act like idjits and get drunk and shit. You don’t got anything to worry about,” he interjects, throwing his hands in the air.

Toshi puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Katsuki can feel his blood boiling, feel himself getting riled up.

“I’m just trying to be realistic. You should too. If this place gets bought you’re out of a job. Your crops are good, perfect even, but if you don’t think about at least selling some to the bigger corpor-”

“Fuck no. I’m not growin’ the shit for people I don’t even know. I’ll sell my shit at the market like everyone else here. You don’t gotta worry about my funds. I got this,” he growls.

His words are biting, too harsh for Toshi's gentle voice. Katsuki’s not angry with him, he should calm down, but thinking about seeing his crops sitting on a shelf next to rotten fruit blinds him with rage.

Toshi sighs, then he steps closer and Katsuki can tell he’s no longer speaking as his boss. He wears that same expression Eijirou does. The one Katsuki hates. Pity, like he’s an injured dog.

“You know you can ask me for help, right? I wouldn’t leave you hanging. If you need anything or feel the urges again you can—”

“I’m fine. I don’t need anybody's help,” he retorts.

Everyone in town knows about Katsuki’s past and Toshi helped him out with a job. He respects him but the pity in his tone, the slight tinge of shame Katsuki feels when he speaks to him like this is too much.

He knows he means well, and he should be able to express that, but instead it always comes out harsher than he wants. He grinds his teeth in frustration as Toshi pats his shoulder sadly and returns to the party.

Katsuki stands near the empty trash cans, fists clenched tightly as he reviews the conversation. Fuck Joja Mart, Fuck the city, Fuck AA, and Fuck… her. He wants to shout or kick something but he refrains and instead shoves his hands into his pocket, pulls out a carton of cigarettes and flips it open.

He’s not usually a smoker but sometimes it kicks the urge of wanting a drink when he’s this worked up. He pulls one out of the box and balances it between his lips as he pats himself down for a lighter.

Right as he’s cursing to himself in frustration for not bringing a lighter, he hears footsteps approaching him. He looks up and as if things couldn’t get any worse, he’s met with your face, panicked as you take deep breaths in and out. You don’t seem to notice him and if he weren’t in an already pissy mood, he’d ask if you were ok.

Instead he groans loudly with the cigarette still between his lips, “Oh for fucks sake. Why are you followin’ me around?”

You don’t notice him at first still breathing heavily and trying to calm yourself. But when you gaze up at him, he’s surprised to see the way your eyes are red and wet but angry and fierce.

“You think because I stepped outside of the bar I’m following you? Man you must be tired all the time to be carrying that huge ego all over the place,” you say in a voice that is almost completely unrecognizable. You sound mean, bitchy, snarky and if Katsuki weren’t riding the high of his anger right now, he’d be a little impressed.

“What the fuck did you say to me?” he asks, stepping closer to you and growling again.  He expects you to step back like you did the first time but you step toward him too, your tiny fists clenched at your sides.

He watches your eyes flick to his face, you look like you’re telling yourself to calm down but the second your eyes fall on the cigarette, he witnesses the rage rush back onto your face.

“That shit will kill you ya know?” The statement sounds like it would be helpful but the way you spew it at him, with disgust and contempt, he’s thrown off and it momentarily makes his mind go blank.

He almost feels bad, like a scolding from you is something worse than a scolding from Eiji. Who the fuck are you? And why the fuck does he care what you think of him?

“Mind your own fucking business.” He turns away then.

He’s apparently gotten you started though. You’re like a completely different person. As he turns away and walks back toward the side door, you take another step toward him.

“It makes it harder to breathe, turns your lungs black, turns your teeth yellow and your gums black, puts you more at risk for lung cancer, and it fucking stinks,” you spit. You say the last word in exaggerated disgust.

He feels as disgusting as you make it sound and for a second he contemplates throwing the cigarette away immediately. The sight of it has definitely set you off, you’re pissed, more pissed than he’s seen you and he doesn’t understand why he’s more drawn to you now than he’s ever been. Regardless, he still matches your intensity.

“Shut your goddamn mouth. You don’t know anything about me,” he bites back, turning his back to you again.

“I don’t need to. You’ve given me enough information with your piss poor attitude and disgusting manners. You’re just a miserable lonely man who runs a farm and pushes people away because you’re afraid of commitment! That or you know you’re too much of an asshole to have any real friends.”

That makes him stop cold. He stiffens in place, the biting cold vicisiousess of your words creeping up his spine. Miserable? Lonely? Who the fuck are you to tell him he’s miserable and lonely? He’s not either. This is his home, not yours. He belongs here, not you. And you have the fucking nerve to tell him he’s too much of an asshole to have any friends?

Fine, two can play at this game.

He spins around and stomps back toward you. Your usual lovely face is twisted in rage, your lips poke out, your tongue flicks out quickly to wet your top lip. Your eyes are squinted but your irises are framed by your long lashes. Your teeth are clenched and your jaw is set. Katsuki leans over you, using his height as a way to intimidate you and make you feel small.

“That’s better than bein’ a stupid city girl bimbo trying to prove that you’re ‘one with nature’ or that you’re deeper than all of the other city bitches who look down on country folk. Think yer better than me ‘cause you know how to hail a taxi or ‘cause you lived in a fuckin’ skyscraper? You’re a fuckin’ poser.You don’t belong here. You don’t know shit about hard work, yer a coward and the second all of this becomes too hard for you, you’ll pack up your shit and flee back to the city with your tail between your legs.”

When he finishes, he looks you up and down again, studies your clothes all the way down to your feet then back up to your face where your expression has changed drastically. You’re hurt, and Katsuki wants to say good you deserve it but he can’t bring himself to. He takes half a step back when he sees your eyes become glossy.

“Go to hell,” you say in a low defeated voice. You shrink away from him and he knows he’s won.

“Ladies first, sweetheart,” he quickly retorts, crossing his arms over his chest.

You spin around so fast, the ends of your braids almost slap him across the cheek. He steps back and watches you stomp to your truck. He almost misses the way you angrily swipe away one tear flowing down your cheek. The pit in his stomach becomes abysmal when he sees it. It almost makes him sick. He should apologize.

The slamming door of your red truck rustles so much, the little Bob Ross figure hanging from your mirror falls. You’re seething now, the windows in your truck are already rolled down so Katsuki can hear you fumbling angrily with the keys and grinding your teeth together. He should apologize. There’s still time to fix this. Just apologize.

“Don’t leave your gross butts on the ground either shithead. It’ll fuck with the dirt. But I’m sure you already know that and don’t give a shit,” you spit at him as you pull the lever to switch the gears and drive away.

Apologize.

“Fuck you, city trash.”

Your screeching tires on the pavement of the parking lot are deafening, Katsuki barely hears Eijirou shuffling out of the door and waving his arms for you to stop. He does see your middle finger and the way you glare daggers at him right before you pull off. 

Your face stays branded in his memory but he doesn’t have any time to think about it further before Eiji is in his face, angrily asking him what he did to you.

“What the hell didja do to her?” he exclaims angrily.

“I ain’t do nothin’!” Katsuki pushes past him in a huff, now heading toward his own car to leave. Before he goes, he flicks the unlit cigarette in the trash, then turns on his truck and disappears in the night, leaving Eiji standing in front of the bar in confusion.

—

He’d apologized on behalf of his friend. His bright smile and the way he instantly made you feel welcomed the day he came by to introduce himself was a delightful experience and you decided to recognize that as your first instead of the one with the unfortunate asshole.

Apparently, the asshole had a name, Katsuki Bakugo, and surprise surprise, the assholeness was embedded in his personality due to “past experiences” and tended to make a showing anytime he opened his mouth. At least, according to Eijirou. You haven’t seen the Asshole for about a month now, so you take it as a good sign. Maybe that was the peak of your bad experiences here.

You shuffle down the driveway to your mailbox. You’re not expecting any letters from old friends but it always feels nice to check for any outstanding mail being sent to your grandparents. Inside, there’s nothing but a crumpled flier. It’s a crudely printed advertisement for Joja Mart.

Wow, Joja Mart is stationed all the way out here in the boonies?

You’re familiar with the large company, there was a store on almost every block in the city, so it’s surprising to see that they want to expand so far into the country. You flip the page over; in big red letters it informs you of a “gigantic sale you won’t want to miss!” For some reason, it rubs you the wrong way, it looks so foreign, like it doesn’t belong out here next to the handmade flyers about a student needing a math tutor.

You fold it and head back toward the house, trying to ignore the weird feeling it left in your gut. As you head back up the stairs of your porch, you hear the unmistakable sound of nails scratching dirt and wood. It’s close too, like right under your porch, close.

You’ve heard it before since moving and figured it might be rats or squirrels in the attic. Should you leave it be? If it’s an animal, it could be dangerous. Maybe it could have rabies or something. Should you wait until Eijirou gets here and ask him for help?

No. You’re not some silly damsel in distress. If you’re going to live out here, you have to get your hands dirty. You go back inside, grab a flashlight, and slip on some high boots. Your night gown flows behind you like a cape when you walk and clings to your body like tape when you approach the opening on the side of the porch and lean down to look into the darkness.

To still your trembling breath, you inhale and hum your calm song to yourself. The beam of your flashlight doesn’t uncover any creatures but you can still hear scratching and—is that, whining? Slowly you crouch and enter the dark undercarriage of your porch. Something’s under here and it sounds afraid, maybe it’s even hurt. That thought drives you forward without hesitation. You drop to your hands and knees and crawl further in.

Insects and spiders crawl over your fingers and twice you sneeze and break through cobwebs hanging from the rafters. The scratching is getting closer and you’re surprised that you don’t feel frightened. It’s like you’re a kid again, adventurous, risk-taking, courageous. You shine the light in the direction you heard the scratching and when you see the shadow of something crouching in front of you, you almost scream.

“Hey uhh, you alright under there?”

A random voice behind you scares the crap out of you and you do scream. The creature crouching in front of you whimpers. You’re able to make out the shape when you shine the flashlight and find two huge brown eyes staring at you. It’s a dog, thin, shivering and whimpering like it’s afraid you’re going to hurt it. You gasp and let out a little “aw” when you see it.

“Hello? Anybody here?” the voice speaks again. This time you recognize it and turn around to speak to him.

“Hi Mr.Kirishima! Sorry I’m coming right out,” you yell back to him then whisper to the shivering dog in front of you. “Don’t worry bud I’m not gonna leave you here. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

Crawling out of the space beneath your porch you meet Eijirou's eyes and suddenly you’re very aware of how you look. Is everyone in this damn town attractive? Not likely because if they were you probably wouldn’t have stayed away as long as you had. But still, he’s the second stupidly gorgeous man you’ve come across—even though the first was an asshole— so maybe you should count yourself lucky. You realize you’re staring—like an idiot—and quickly try to wipe the dirt and mud from your gown.

“Hi. Sorry, I’m a mess I-”

“Haha you look fine! Us country folk love seeing a pretty woman dusted with dirt,” he drawls. He beams at you and you tuck your chin close to your body and shy away from him. “So what’s goin’ on here?”

“Oh!” you say, remembering the dog. You lead him back inside your home. “There’s a stray dog under my porch. I need to get him out of there.”

He pauses in the parlor when you slip out of your boots and start for the kitchen. “A stray dog? Is it rabid? Want me to take care of it for ya, Darlin’?”

The way he says that makes a tingle run up your spine and you bite your lip. Darlin’? That’s strangely intimate. He’s probably just being polite, so you need to calm down. You turn to try and tell him that you think the dog is harmless but you're left speechless when you see him standing there.

He has to duck his head to step into your home and when he’s in, he fills the space in the parlor with a protective stability you didn’t know you craved until right now. Out of the morning sun you can see the tan lines of the tank top and what you assume are the overalls he wears on the daily. His hair dusted chest, the way he’s already glistening with sweat, and the dimples on display when he laughs makes you feel like you’re in high school again with a silly little crush.

“N...No no. I think he’s harmless, maybe a little afraid. I’m just gonna grab some food and maybe a bowl of water to try and coax him out,” you stammer.

He beams again, “Ok I can help ya!”

In addition to being extremely handsome, Eijirou proves himself to be the most gentle and kindest man you’ve met. It takes a while for the dog to be coaxed out of its hiding spot but he stays with you the entire time. You barely speak to him as you crouch on your knees at the entrance of the crawl space with your hand outstretched. The dog has your complete attention and as he inches closer and nibbles the pieces of meat you left out for him, you can’t help but feel strangely attached to it.

“It’s alright buddy. There’s no rush, you take your time,” you say in a soft whisper. You coo at him, keeping your voice sweet and patient, assuring the canine he’s ok and safe.

“Hope you like the sausage. I’m a huge fan of it myself. My grandpa used to make it with French fries when I was younger,” you continue.

It’s so easy for you to talk to him, almost like you’re having a conversation with an old friend. Yes, it’s a little awkward that you can talk to a dog like this but be nervous and blushing like an idiot when talking to Eijirou, but the dog wasn’t calling you sweet names like “Darlin’”.

When he’s finally out from beneath the porch, you’re able to inspect him in the morning sun. He’s a sandy shade of brown, with black spots littered over his body. He doesn’t look like a specific breed so you assume he’s a mutt. His ears flop down with a little chunk of it missing, there’s some kind of rash on his front paw and he’s covered in dirt. Your favorite thing about him are his large brown eyes. It’s like they have no secrets.

As he laps at the water in the dish next to you, you reach a hand out. Eijirou intakes a sharp breath behind you. He reaches out to you then pulls back as if stopping himself from a knee-jerk reaction.

“Careful, he may seem sweet but he can still nip ya, ” he warns.

You stare at the dog, who’s stopped drinking water and is now staring at you as if contemplating whether he can trust you. There’s something you can’t put your finger on but for some reason you feel like you know exactly what he’s thinking.

So you take a deep breath and say “I feel like you understand me more than I give you credit for so I’m gonna try something. Will you trust me?”

You raise an eyebrow as you ask and when he licks his chops and continues sitting, you slowly reach a hand out to him. It’s a good sign when he points his wet nose toward you and sniffs your fingertips. He licks it and you squeal in amusement, but before you completely let your guard down you flip your hand over to expose your palm to him. He rises and moves closer to you, bumping his head against your palm.

You gently pet his head, smiling and praising him. “That’s a good boy. That was very brave of you,” you say as his tail starts to wag. Soon the dog is plopped down in your lap as you rub his dirty fur. His tail’s wagging and his tongue drops out of his mouth.

“You’re pretty good with animals, huh?” Eijirou says softening his gaze. God, why does everything he says to you make you blush like an idiot?

“Not really. I just think we both needed a friend,” you say shrugging, trying to be nonchalant.

“Nah, animals know good souls and I think this lil guy knows you’ve got a good one,” he replies, moving closer to you. He had to have gone to a school for charming the panties off women because your heart is beating too fast for you to form a sentence that wouldn’t let him know you’re internally swooning.

Eijirou might be one of the nicest men you’ve ever met in your life. He helps you bathe the dog in your deep bathtub, holds him down when he starts to shake and gets mud all over the walls of the bathroom, and even wraps the rash on his paw. You don’t know why it makes you feel weird when you think about how nice he is to you but it makes you all jittery. He’s nice to be around, a comfort even, but when you think of him being anything more to you, you pull back.

When all is done and the dog is dry and eating more food in the kitchen, Eijirou stretches his arms up above his head. You grab his arm, blushing again as you watch his muscles flex when he stretches.

“Thank you, for all your help today Mr. Kirishima,” you say with bashful flirtation. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to what you actually came over for.”

“Ya know you can call me Eijirou and don’t worry Darlin’. Helpin’ out a pretty lady is always a good time in my book. Plus, I can always come back if you want me to!” he chirps with a huge grin.

You lick your lips quickly and look up at him through your lashes. “Eijirou, I’d like that,” you say then quickly backtrack because it sounds like you’re flirting way too hard and you’re not even sure flirting is what you want to do right now.

“I mean, that’s very kind of you!” you sputter.

You both laugh—thankfully—and it feels like a laugh between two old friends. “So you gonna keep him?” He tilts his head toward the dog.

“Yeah, I think so. He doesn’t have a collar so, I don’t think anyone’s looking for him,” you say watching the dog curiously sniff around the kitchen.

“I think I’ve seen him roamin’ around the town for months. None of us know when he got here but he’s always followin’ people around and the kids in town sometimes play with him,” Eijirou explains.

You hear claws clacking on the wooden floors as the dog pads up next to you and sits wagging his tail and watching Eijirou, like he already knows this is his home.

“So we’re the same, huh bud? Drifters from out of town looking for a home. Think this is a sign?” you say, patting his head. The dog only pants happily and wags his tail.

It’s late afternoon and the sun is about to set, which means Eijirou is reluctantly informing you that he has to head out. You have one very stupid fleeting thought to offer for him to stay the night before that too makes your stomach tighten and you shut it down. Before he leaves, he stops and turns to look at you.

“Hey uhh…I was wonderin’...” he starts.

Is he about to ask you out? Are you ready for him to ask you out? You have been flirting but there’s still that thing inside you, something that tells you you shouldn’t date, at least not right now. You swallow loudly and Eijirou’s eyes grow wide.

“Oh! Oh I'm not makin’ a move on you I swear!” he states, putting his hands up and shaking them while he blushes. You breathe out a relieved sigh and giggle.

“I just wondered if you wanted to go to Toshi’s Saloon with a coupla friends. It’s a nice way to get to know everyone in town. Plus, I think a lot of people would like to meet a sweet gal like yerself,” he explains it all in a rush of words and again you smile. He really is a good person.

You grasp his hand and he stops talking while watching you bat your lashes. “I’d love to,” you say simply.

Then he smirks, holds your hand and kisses the knuckle before he says “It’s gonna be a great time! I’ll let everyone know. Make sure you give your new friend a name!” He bounds down the steps of your porch and marches happily to his truck. When he drives off, you close the door and lean against it.

For once you’re content. Things are going well and looking up. If you avoid that one guy who seems to hate you for no reason, maybe this won’t be as bad. Maybe soon the pain will go away and it’ll be replaced with Eijirou’s friendship or the love of your new pet. The asshole’s words flitter into your mind and you desperately try not to let them linger.

You’ll be gone in a month.

What does he know? You shake your head, refusing to give it any other thought. You walk over to your new friend who’s staring at you, panting with a big open mouthed grin on his face. Bending down to look him in the eyes, you scratch between his ears.

“I think I’ll call you French Fry.”

Katsuki doesn’t fucking get it. How is it possible to run into someone he’s trying to avoid at every possible moment? You’re everywhere and it’s unbearable. The town’s not that small, there’s no way you both have to run the same errands at the same time and yet…

He saunters into the library, three books tucked under his arm ready to return to the book cart. He stops in his tracks when he hears an unfamiliar giggle and instantly he knows it’s you. At the desk in the middle of the library, you’re there with Denki leaning on the countertop as he points to an open book and winks at you.

“You’ll really like Dorothy, Sugar. She’s got a lot of the same feelings goin’ on that you do. Not to mention, she’s a pretty little thing like yerself,” Denki drawls with a charming smirk.

Katsuki watches you put your hand to your lips and giggle again. You’re being cheeky, are you flirting back? Doesn’t matter, he needs to get out of here. Spinning around on his heel he makes for the quick drop off, shoves the books in and exits quickly.

It’s like that the entire week. You’re at Eiji’s carpenter shop discussing blueprints for your barn when he comes in to purchase more nails. You’re at Hanta’s feed shop inquiring about obtaining a cow and buying a bunch of shit that looks like it’s for a dog. He didn’t even know you had a dog.

Fuck, you move quick. How’d you become friends with every single person he talks to the most in this town? They are all suckers for a pretty face, but damn you’ve got your hooks in them deep, especially Eiji. He’s always bringing you up in conversation, then stopping and changing the subject when he sees the look on Katsuki’s face.

He’s not gonna fall for your shit. Staying away from you is his best bet. He's doing well, keeping to himself, taking care of his farm. He doesn’t need to be around everyone all the time. Hell, he didn’t talk to anyone but Eiji the first three months after she left. If he can keep it up once you finally decide to get the fuck out of here, everything will go back to normal.

“Hey so ya comin’ tonight?” Eiji asks, one day while helping him in the garden. He struggles with one of the weeds near the roots of a cucumber plant. Katsuki leans over to toss him shears before he raises an eyebrow.

“Hah?” Katsuki carefully pulls a weed out of the ground and pulls a cucumber from the vine. He inspects it carefully, looking for any dents or imperfections. When he finds none, he tosses it into the basket next to him.

Eiji pokes his tongue out of his mouth while concentrating on snipping the weeds properly. He doesn’t look up when he replies casually, “To Toshi’s.”

Katsuki huffs, why is he asking a dumb question like this. Why wouldn’t he go? And why does he sound like he’s trying way too hard to be casual about it. “Of fucking course I am. Why wouldn’t I?” he responds nonchalantly.

His answer breaks through the forced casual tone Eijirou tries to keep “Wait really? I didn’t expect that.”

Something is definitely up. Eiji’s not usually this dense. “Moron, I’ve never not shown up for work.” Katsuki stops and scrutinizes his face. He looks nervous and scratches behind his head sheepishly.

“Oh. Did Denki not...dammit. Shoulda just told you myself.”

A vein pulses in Katsuki’s neck and his shoulder tense. A sharp pain shoots through his shoulder and he hisses to himself and tries to ignore it. Told him what? Again he thinks of her and his heart races. He clenches his hands into fists in the dirt as small pebbles and mud wedge under his fingernails. Eiji wouldn’t forget to tell him if she was coming back and he damn sure wouldn’t leave it to Denki to tell him.

“What?” he growls and he doesn’t mean to. He tries to keep calm but the thought of her being at Toshi’s while he’s there working makes his blood boil.

Eiji winces and then in a small voice explains, “Well, I invited Minnie out to Toshi's tonight to get to know everyone. Like a welcome party.”

Katsuki doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath until he releases it through his nostrils in relief. Then he blinks and searches through his mind. He curls his lip and frowns. “Minnie? Who the fuck is—”

“The woman you’ve decided to hate for no reason.” Eiji interrupts in a stern tone.

Oh, it’s you. He should’ve known. Who else would Eiji have been talking about? You’re his new obsession it seems. Katsuki wonders what you said to him. How’d you get to be so unavoidable?

“Thought her name was… something else,” he mutters, looking away and reaching for another cucumber.

“You don’t even know her name yet? She’s been here over a month now!” Eiji exclaims. He’s tossed aside the shears now as he crouches in the dirt.

Shit, it’s already been a month? He hadn’t even noticed. It’s been a month and you seem to be thriving and providing no hints of leaving anytime soon.

“I told you I'm keepin’ my distance,” he grumbles.

“Your loss, man. She’s actually really cool and nice. Everyone really seems to like her,” Eijirou shrugs, stands, and dusts off his jeans.

“Everyone? Great, all of ya are gonna be so let down when she packs up and leaves without saying goodbye,” he pouts, grits his teeth while picking up the basket of cucumbers and shoving it into Eijirou’s arms. He starts back toward the house, wiping the sweat from his brow as he shakes his head in disappointment.

“She’s not Camie.”

Katsuki stops in his tracks and winces at the sound of her name. He hasn’t said it since she left, and has forbidden all of his friends from saying her name. With her name comes the stinging pain and regret, the tingling in his palm and fingers to be wrapped around the neck of a beer bottle, his clouded view when he read her goodbye note on the dining room table.

He spins around and stomps back toward Eijirou, a finger jamming violently into his chest as he snarls at him.

“Don’t fucking say her name again,” he seethes.

Katsuki watches Eijirou give him that stupid fucking pitiful frown again and it almost makes him sick. He whirls away from him stomping back toward his house. He’s winding thread around an unfinished fishing lure when he hears Eijirou enter the house. There’s a large apologetic sigh and then Eiji’s large hand is on his shoulder.

“Look man, just… come. Come to the party. I know you’re gonna be workin, but maybe the boss will let you off a little early. You’ll have a good time. It’ll give you a chance to meet her the right way.” He speaks softly, like he’s talking to a child and Katsuki knows he doesn’t mean to, it’s just how he’s always been. He holds the bridge of his nose with his two fingers contemplating the request.

Eiji has a point, if you aren’t as bad as he’s thinking, it’ll make shit easier for him. But if you are….

“I’ll think about it,” he settles, blowing out a defeated breath.

“There won’t be a bunch of booze.”

“I said I'll think about it, Ei.”

Eiji sighs again. He’s still holding the basket of cucumbers Katsuki shoved in his arms. “How much do I owe ya?” he asks, trying to lighten the mood.

“Don’t be fuckin’ stupid. Nothin’. You’re the only reason I grow the damn things in the first place,” Katsuki mutters. Eijirou chuckles and thanks him before turning to leave the house.

When Katsuki doesn’t hear the door close, he turns to see Eiji flashing him a wink.

“7PM. I’ll let Toshi know so he’ll let you off early.”

He growls as Eiji quickly shuts the door and dashes to his truck.

--

Thanks for reading!