<< the distance between us >>

- bakugou/kirishima (side: midoriya/uraraka)
- cw: major character death (not involving main pair), references to terminal illness, angst with a happy ending

❀

By the age of twenty-five, Eijirou’s pretty sure he’s happy.

Living humbly in a two bedroom apartment - the apartment that he and his roommate moved into immediately upon graduation. The place where they both set out to become some of the world’s greatest heroes.

A place he now shares with his former roommate, now boyfriend, Bakugou Katsuki.

Just a pair of rookie heroes on the rise, nursing a five-year relationship. Living life, making love, saving the world by day, night, even sometimes at noon.

Villains and natural disasters always knowing how to keep a hero busy. But Eijirou wouldn’t change it for the world.

Because he’s happy.

This is the big start of his and Katsuki’s careers - the start of their forever.

That’s why he refuses to bat an eye when his boyfriend starts coming home from work later.

It starts off small; maybe two or three of the five days Katsuki goes in, he will stay out a little later than his usual. ‘Taking care of something’, coming back home with a few more bruises and a lot more exhaustion. Even on nights he patrols the deadest part of the city.

It’s...unusual. As long as he’s known him, Katsuki’s been a man of structure - routine. He’s going to go to bed at nine. Dinner on his night’s to cook almost always ready by six on the dot.

He sets the shower temperature to an exact 44° Celsius and Ei’s mince meat if he tries to be funny and change it.

That’s just his boyfriend; his Katsuki.

As unpredictable as he seems in the field or what he’ll say to a reporter on live television, he’s actually the most predictable person Ei’s ever known. He’s a creature of habit. (Eijirou loves those habits.)

He cooks on Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving the rest of the week besides Saturday to Katsuki. Saturdays are takeout on the couch with a movie. They go for runs at five any morning they don’t have hero work. Sundays are the days friends come over or they go out to visit family.

Maybe it’s monotonous, but it’s theirs. It’s something built in a sum of odd years, some of which they weren’t even together yet.

Eijirou loves his life with Katsuki.

A few late nights won't ever change that.

❀

“Well, he’s getting popular as a hero. Maybe his workload getting heavier s’all it is?” Denki says through a bite of stir fry. Hanta’s graceful cooking after another Sunday spent without their favorite Blasty Boy.

“But if that’s all it is, he should tell Eiji that!” Mina insists, perking up from her self-appointed chair spot, the one she always hogged if they stayed over. “Why would you be vague if you’re just having a tough time at work!”

“I don’t think Bakugou would take kindly to you saying work’s giving him a ‘tough’ time.” Hanta comments, coming back from the kitchen. He passes Denki a filled glass, who chugs it down greedily, before settling back on the couch.

“Then he should be here to defend himself about it!”

“Guys,” Eijirou clears his throat, bringing the attention in the room back to him, before any of them get too worked up,

“Denki’s probably right. I mean, it is Katsuki we’re talking about. If things were getting slightly harder for him, he wouldn’t say anything until he really had to. It’s his way of beating it - or something like that.”

Denki nods fervently, like it’s what he’s been saying the whole time, comical in accompaniment with his food stuffed cheeks. Which he almost chokes on when Hanta shoves a napkin in his face.

His lanky friend directs a smile at him. “You would know best, Ei. You’re our Bakugou expert after all.”

Eijirou smiles back, but not as confidently as he would like. A small bubble of uncertainty forming in the pit of his stomach. He looks over and catches Mina’s stare, her thinned lips and hard brow boring into him like she’s seeing something in him that he can’t.

He sends her back a brief smile, using Denki’s coughing as an excuse to stand up and flee for a drink.

They don’t talk about Katsuki’s absence on Sundays again.

❀

Things only seem to escalate from there in the coming months.

It happens gradually. So slowly, Eijirou doesn’t even notice, at first. Katsuki goes from only sometimes skipping their Sunday visiting days, to occasionally skipping both of his two days off, coming back later every time he goes on patrol.

Occasional skips become bi-weekly no-shows.

...and then bi-weekly to none.

“But that’s what you ask for by dating a hero, Ma.”

Eijirou tucks his phone between his shoulder and neck, flapping the shirt he’s pulled down from the line before folding it, setting it down in the laundry basket and moving on to do the same thing to the next one. Laundry was so much easier these days, just doing it for one.

He hears his mother’s soft sigh through the static on the line. “I know, sunshine. A hero’s job never stops. I’ve watched both of you run from my living room many times, even during your own birthday party…”

There’s still a ‘but’ in her tone.

Ei doesn’t know why, but it makes his stomach flip. A sharp burst of fear shooting down his spine. He rushes to continue the conversation.

“I mean, it’s not like I don’t do the same thing. Push my hours the latest I can, go in on days I don’t need to. It’s how we push through the ranks. Don’t forget, Katsuki’s going to be number one.”

He snaps a towel with a little more force, a tiny hum from his Ma coming through the receiver.

“Of course he is. He’s a very talented young man.” His mother easily agrees. “I’m not saying he’s done anything bad. But you know how I am. I just worry about you, hun”

She says it with sincerity he can feel down to his fingertips. It makes him regret not waking up in time to take the train to see her even more.

“I’ll come visit you tomorrow then.” He promises, switching subjects. “I’ll go ahead and take the day off. Does that sound good?”

His Ma’s immediate happy voice in his ear makes him smile, hands having an easier time going back to the laundry now that she’s making excited plans of all the shopping centers they’re going to visit while he’s home.

(Trying not to think about the fact he hasn’t gone into the office during the weekend since he and Katsuki started dating.)

❀

It’s only when he’s sent out on a mission with Uraraka that he actually finds out what Katsuki’s been so preoccupied with that he’s had to miss out on...well, everything.

They’re waist height in sewer sludge, chasing down a villain. Uraraka’s wading through, closely behind, prattling away because it’s much better to be talking than thinking about the...fluids they’re soaking away in.

The stench has already melted his nostrils beyond smelling ever again. He doesn’t think he’ll even be able to breathe in the extra hot chili from spicy curry nights.
Maybe now his taste is gone, it won’t make him cry..

Ah. It’s been a while since they’ve had curry.

“Maybe I could try…?” Curry shouldn’t be too hard to make, but he’d have to be careful not to get the spices in his eyes. Again. Katsuki had a field day laughing at that one.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Uraraka’s voice chirps behind him, close enough to make him blink a few times, taking in their surroundings again.

Right. Mission. Gotta focus.

“Ah.” Ei lets out a tiny laugh, “Sorry ‘Raka. I was just thinking it had been a while since Katsuki’s been home early enough to make curry. Thinkin’ about making some for us if it’s not too hard…”

It wouldn’t be easy or as good as Katsuki’s. But.

Behind him the anti-gravity hero makes a small, almost soundless ‘oh’.

“Do you think he’ll be there?” Eijirou can’t place her tone, but he knows it’s definitely not the cheery one she’s unmistakingly known for. “At your home, I mean.”

There’s an unnecessary amount of inflection on the word your.

Something sour fills his mouth, tasting the words, think he’ll be there on the tip of his tongue. Nobody but the squad and maybe their parents knew of Katsuki’s increasingly late nights, so how did ‘Raka even…?

He tries to hide the sudden annoyance he feels hanging over his shoulders. “I’m...not sure what you’re trying to say, Uraraka? Is there a reason Katsuki shouldn’t be coming home?”

Because he was. Albeit later than normal. But he still came in and tucked himself in behind Eijirou every night, pressing his nose to his neck and breathing him in like it was what he waited all day for.

(He loves it, because hearing Katsuki take that deep breath makes him feel like he can breathe himself.)

He hasn’t given Eijirou any reason to doubt his whereabouts aside from being worried he was overworking himself.

Ei wishes he could turn around and look at her face to face. But it’s pointless in a space so dark and dank, especially when they were supposed to be tracking down a villain. But he does hear her tiny gasp and the little distressed sound she makes after that.

“Oh! No Kiri I- I didn’t mean for it to come out that way!” ‘Raka fumbles, her fingers gently grazing his back before pulling away, like she’s afraid to touch him. Eijirou feels his annoyance die the second it sounds like she might cry.

“‘Raka, I know you didn’t mean-”

“It’s just-!” She interrupts, voice way higher than her normal. “Bakugou-kun is always at the house when I get home. Like- always! Not that I mind, I love that they’re better friends now, it makes me happy to see them together and not fighting. But I just- Izuku’s not-”

She’s talking faster than she’s even breathing.

Eijirou stops, spinning around so he can stop both of them. He reaches out, squeezing one of her shoulders firmly.

“Uraraka, it’s okay. Breathe.”

She does. Instantly. Sucking in a big gasp, small hand moving so she can squeeze his. Ei hopes that she can see his reassuring smile this close.

“It’s okay,” he repeats, “I’m not mad. You don’t need to explain anything. Katsuki’s been staying out late too and I’ve just been a little butthurt about it. But I swear I’m not mad and you didn’t do anything wrong.

Please don’t let me make you cry, I’ll feel like the world’s biggest asshole.”

Her sudden, surprised laugh makes the knot loosen in his chest. Even more so when she responds with, “Sorry, but I think first place actually goes to your boyfriend, Kiri. You’d have to take second if you were one. Not sorry.”

Man, he’s going to give her the biggest hug when they get out of this hellhole.

Both their coms go off simultaneously, HQ alerting them to the presence of another being in the sewers, not far from where they’re standing.

Their hero faces go on immediately, not even flinching as they start booking it through the nasty waters, conversation all but forgotten in the wake of getting the job done.

-

In the end, they catch the bad guy, save the day, and go their separate ways for a deep, cleansing shower. Eijirou stands in the locker room, in front of the mirror, towel sashed around his waist while he combs his wet hair with one hand, web browsing with the other.

> spicy curry recipes
> very spicy curry recipes

He forwards a few to Katsuki, setting his phone down to put on his street clothes.

Ei doesn’t check his phone again until he’s walking out the door of FatGum’s agency, bag over his shoulder, pushing a headband back into his down hair.

His heart jumps when he spies one from Katsuki. He fumbles his phone, trying to open it immediately.

>>> Katsuki ♡
don’t bother, won’t be home for dinner

The disappointment shouldn’t feel this bad when he already had a feeling. But it still makes his stomach lower, to the point he almost doesn’t feel like eating now.

He almost drops his phone when it goes off in his hand. Ei blinks, clicking when he sees the name.

>>> Raka
Do you want to go get pizza?

Eijirou doesn’t hesitate to call her.