#mate date

“____ wouldn’t have fucking said anything unless he meant something to her.”

The last thing Katsuki ever wanted was for you to get back with your ex. More so than with anyone else in his life, Katsuki had done his best to cheer you up and get you over your breakup.

“Maybe she just wants you to say don’t go back to him?” Eijirou pondered, aware that one word out of place would put holes in every one of Katsuki’s bedroom walls. When one of those walls connected to Eijirou’s room, the redhead very much wanted to avoid the damage.

“What if she wants my fucking blessing to get back together with him?” It was hard to tell if Katsuki was more scared or angered by the thought. It was true that you had confided most in Katsuki while trying to get over your ex. What if you now saw him as your go-to for advice? There was absolutely no fucking way he could or would give his blessing to that relationship.

If you were anyone else, Katsuki would have told you exactly how he felt; how shitty your ex was, how you needed to block him, throw out everything that reminded you of him. Yet, because it was you, he couldn’t. After many discussions (arguments) with Eijirou, Katsuki was told to keep those opinions to himself if he ever wanted to keep you as a friend, let alone have a chance with you one day.

“If you think ____ might go back to him, show her she can do better. Even if that means being single. Taker her on a mate-date.”

“Mate-date?” Katsuki asked, finally relinquishing the death grip on his pillow. Eijirou grinned. Katsuki was easier to read than everyone thought.

“Distract her. Do something active. Keep her occupied and don’t let her near that phone.”

oOo

And so, here the two of you were, suited up for a game of laser-tag. You looked as thrilled to be here as he did.

Katsuki stole glances at you as you headed up to the arena. It felt like you were on a different planet to him and the rest of the world. He could tell the cogs were spinning in your head faster than anyone could hope to keep up with. The only positive was that your phone was locked away in the dressing rooms and you wouldn’t be able to get to it for at least an hour.

Now all he had to do was get you so engrossed in the game that you forgot about the outside world—forgot about absolutely everything except him, and you, two laser-guns and an arena covered in neon paint, ramps, slides and power-ups. He knew you were competitive; it made laser-tag the perfect place for your mates-date, of all places.

Trying to ease the stagnant atmosphere surrounding the two of you, Katsuki playfully jabbed you in the side with his gun.

“First to ten buys the food afterwards. Hope you’re feeling lucky because I’m fucking hungry. When you're done paying up, you'll be destitute.”

You snapped away from your thoughts for a second to laugh, though it was very half-hearted. Katsuki grumbled. That was it. He was going to annihilate you, make you buy as much food as you could afford then make you feed it to him. Going broke and hand-feeding him might, at least, distract you for a while. He still expected waterworks but at least they wouldn’t be over your ex.

Once you were in the arena, luckily you took the game more seriously. As soon as the two of you stepped onto the floor, the countdown began before the guns and body-targets went live. The two of you darted off in different directions, putting space between you. Katsuki zipped across the arena, scoping out hidden power-up targets and secret cubby holes. He parked himself behind a ledge with a mirror so he could see if you were close by, then he waited.

He wondered if you had enough sense to seek out a power-up before you came for him. Invisibility might help you, but a rapid-fire gun would be your best shot.

Once the claxon sounded, Katsuki waited for one minute exactly before he got impatient. He jumped from his hiding place, snagged a power up then headed out to find you.

It didn’t take him long. There you were, perched on your haunches with your gun to your chest in a cubby hole, as if hiding from the world. You were so engrossed in thought that you didn’t see him coming. By the time you did, he had already shot you.

Katsuki knew your mind was elsewhere but he couldn’t scold you for it. He chose instead to goad you, hoping to strike that competitive streak inside you.

“The fuck was that?” He asked with a smirk. “It’s not much target practice if you sit there.”

You caught yourself and apologised, standing up. You moved to get past him, out of the cubby, only he shot you again. The targets on the vests had ten second cooldowns to allow players chance to run. If you weren’t going to make use of the time, Katsuki wasn’t going to show mercy—not that he would anyway.

“Katsuki,” you grumbled, swatting at his gun. “Give me a chance.”

“I’m thinking we go for a three course meal after this, yeah? Since you’ll be the one fucking paying.” You glared. He shot you again. He smirked, seeing the angry flare in your eyes. “I’ll cook you a meal of your choice if you can land one hit on me. Not tonight though. You’re going to buy me dinner tonight.”

He grinned, dodging when you used the gun like a sword, slicing it through the air at him. Bingo. There was that little smirk of yours. The one that told him you were ready to fight back.

“I’m going to make you eat those words, Katsuki.”

“Bring it, bitch.” He shot you while you tried to think of a comeback. That was the last straw. He saw the look in your eyes before you dashed off, disappearing into the arena. Oh, it was on.

oOo

Katsuki didn’t like to hide but he wanted to give you a fighting chance in the spirit of sportsmanship. If he tried to find you it wouldn’t take him long, so the searching was your job. He waited beside a power-up, ready to grab it once you showed up. He wouldn’t have to worry about you zoning out. That look in your eyes told him there was no way you were getting distracted now.

Then again, when you didn’t come to him after five minutes, he decided to double back to check you weren’t wallowing in self-pity somewhere. He was nice like that—at least, he thought so. It was irrelevant that he planned to shoot you as soon as he found you.

It was odd though. The longer he searched for you the more he felt he would never find you. The arena was large, but not that large, yet for some reason Katsuki couldn’t pinpoint you. He had to wonder if you had abandoned the game completely and gone downstairs to your phone in the lockers.

No, surely you couldn’t be that fucking hung up on your ex. Fuck, he really hoped not anyway.

As he continued his hunt, he heard a sudden noise. It was a clattering sound, like you had dropped your gun. He grinned devilishly. You were bound to slip up eventually. At least you were playing, even if you were bad at it.

Never one to sneak up quietly, Katsuki charged you, guns blazing.

When he jumped into the hole where the noise had come from, though, you weren't there. It was a small space, not nearly big enough to shroud you in shadows or anything.

He heard your gun fire. The target on his vest lit up, telling him he had been hit. He whipped his head around, expecting to see you looking at him with a smug expression, but you weren’t there. He pulled himself out the hole, waiting long enough to remove the cooldown but before he had chance to pursue you, his vest lit up again.

He looked up and down the corridor but you were nowhere in sight.

“What the fuck…” he muttered. Then he spotted a mirror strapped to the wall. It hadn’t been there before. He shot at it, and the laser fired into the glass then rebounded off to the side. Oh, that was a smart trick.

But now he knew what you were doing.

He kept his aim on the mirror, shooting sporadically in case you were waiting for an opening. But when he got there, you weren’t there either. You had nowhere to run to. He couldn’t understand it.

All of a sudden you appeared, lunging over a small wall. Katsuki was so shocked that he didn’t react. You landed gracefully, shot him with your gun then scampered past him, laughing and grinning.

“You owe me three home-cooked meals, Katsuki.”

For a moment he didn’t move. He was over the shock of your surprise attack—that was fine – it was the expression on your face that had him rooted. You were happy. Genuinely fucking happy, and he hadn’t seen you like that in so long that he had forgotten how beautiful it was to witness.

“What’s the matter?” You called back to him, sounding very pleased with yourself. “Or are you too amazed by my skills?”

Bakugou scoffed.

“Hardly.”

He gripped his gun with readily renewed determination to pummel you. He was taking no prisoners now.

Your shrieks of laughter filled the arena as Bakugou charged down the corridor after you, inciting his Quirk to get there quicker.

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I've had this story on my YouTube for ages, but I completely forgot to post it here as well!