Behind the Seams [Chapter 8]

Katsuki watched as Izuku and his friends laughed and chatted with the interviewer, digging out his phone to snap a quick photo of his own, while no one was paying him any attention. He sent it off to his father, to create some kind of pretence for taking it, even though he knew no one would believe it anyway – least of all Mina, sitting beside him and sketching on her tablet, who could glance over at any second.

“I know your work when I see it, old man,” Katsuki typed out along with the photo. “What happened to being more hands-off this year? You better not be overworking yourselves back there.”

“It was fun!!” Masaru replied, surprisingly quickly. “I woke up in the middle of the night with ideas and had to go sketch them out before I went back to sleep.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“I won’t, I promise! Your mother has been helping out too, she’s having fun with the pleats and the asymmetry and things on Ochako’s skirts.”

“Can’t leave you two alone for a moment, I swear.”

Katsuki’s head darted up from his phone when he heard his name – well, part of it – and he felt his face warm when he found the idols showing off their outfits, pointing out their favourite details. They were simple ones, nothing on the glory of their stage show the night prior, but everything was clean and stylish and surprisingly well-tailored considering they hadn’t been able to do proper fittings during construction. Mina had done one tiny alteration on a skirt length, when they’d gotten dressed that morning, and Katsuki had moved some belts and buckles around on Kyouka’s pants, but other than that, everything had been perfect.

“They’re so talented,” Ochako gushed. “I used to spend hours fretting about what I was going to wear to events or on stage, and I never looked half as good as I do now!”

The group laughed, although Katsuki heard a sigh from Tenya behind him.

“Really though, it’s such a load off our backs, knowing we have people whose entire job is to make us look good. We’re really lucky to be in a position where we can have them here with us on the tour.”

“Izuku, what are your thoughts on the whole fashion icon thing? The general consensus in the fandom seems to be that yours is the most drastic change. Was that strange for you?”

“Not at all!” Izuku insisted, face a little pink. “I definitely couldn’t put together anything like this myself, but I trust the Bakugous so much, they always do their best to make us comfortable as well as stylish. And I’m in love with this jacket, you probably noticed. They always want to me to try other ones, but it’s just so perfect!”

“It’s beautiful,” the interviewer agreed. “It looked great on stage that first night especially, with all the colourful lights reflecting off it.”

“Right?! And look at my little bunnies!”

He held his sleeve out, and Katsuki watched as three different cameras scrambled to get a good zoom, focusing on the little silver rabbits that were barely visible against the white. He’d been focusing on stars for the next outfit, but suddenly he was full of regret, wondering if he should have gone in harder on the bunny rabbits.

Soon the interview was wrapping up, thankfully, and Mina and Katsuki swapped tablets, taking a moment to glance through each other’s notes and sketches while the group said goodbye. By the time they all filed back onto the bus, they were on the same page about their next steps, even without exchanging a word.

God he loved working with Mina.

“I’m so tired,” Denki whined, as he fell onto the couch. “How long do we have before the meet and greet?”

“Less than an hour,” Tenya informed him, getting a long groan in return. “Lunch is being delivered to the hotel as we speak. I’ll hand you off to Bakugou for our next plans.”

“Oh,” Katsuki said stupidly, glancing at Mina. “Um, your next outfits are all hanging on a rack in our room, so you can change whenever you’re ready. Hopefully there won’t be any alterations to do, since they’re the really simple ones. Maybe just come through as you finish eating, and we can sort things out from there?”

“You need to eat too,” Izuku pointed out, pouting. “Can’t we all eat first, and change after? I don’t want to spill food on my clean clothes, either.”

“The hotel has a conference room we can use, if that helps?” Aizawa offered.

“Does it have a bathroom or something?”

“I believe it’s directly across from the lobby bathrooms.”

“Okay,” Katsuki agreed, resisting the urge to groan. “We’ll bring the stuff down, we can all eat together in the conference room, and you can go off and change when you’re ready so we can check it all out as a group. Happy?”

“Yup!” Izuku said gleefully. “I’m so excited for this meet up, the park looks so pretty!”

Being in a less populated city this time, they hadn’t bothered to hire out a building for the meet and greet. Instead, they’d listed the name of a local park, and Izuku had been gushing over the pretty red bridges and the possibility of fireflies if they stayed long enough – not that anyone wanted to stay that long, fireflies or no. Izuku would do it, though, they all knew. If there were still fans waiting to say hello, he’d be there until midnight if they’d let him.

“After the meet and greet, we’ll head back to the hotel again, and have a few hours of downtime before we head out,” Tenya picked back up. “We can arrange dinner, shower and change, then settle on the bus for the night. All Might is going to get some sleep while we’re at the park, so please try your best not to disturb him, so he can drive us safely tonight.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Ochako said, raising one hand in a salute. “Do we have a hard out for the meet and greet?”

“Four o’clock. It’s scheduled until three, so that gives us plenty of time for delays and such. We need to then be out of the hotel by nine, so we can drive through the night, and make the ferry at five.”

“Oh right, it’s that night,” Kyouka lamented. “We’re gonna die.”

Tenya sighed at her, but the rest of the group laughed, so he didn’t bother to complain.

“We have a solid few days at the other end, so we just have to power through the next day or so,” Aizawa assured them. “After that we have our two-in-a-row set, so you can all get plenty of rest before that hits us.”

“Can’t wait,” Shouto said quietly.

The group became a flurry of motion the moment they got back to the hotel; to their credit, they knew how to hustle when they needed to get somewhere in a hurry. Katsuki and Mina wheeled their rack into the elevator, its neat, colour-coded hangers swinging, and when they emerged at the other end they found Ochako and Izuku already waiting, snatching the rack away to let Mina and Katsuki just carry their other bags instead. All Might had already disappeared for some sleep, but Aizawa waited in the conference room, setting out trays of food that Katsuki suspected had come from the hotel restaurant, despite Tenya describing it as a delivery.

The idols had already changed out of their interview outfits, everything folded nicely and stacked in boxes nearby, and Katsuki couldn’t help but be impressed – they’d really gotten the rhythm down, and they’d all stepped up to help maintain it wherever possible.

“Bakugou,” Tenya called, from the other side of the room. “There’s coffee here, I’m led to believe it is the good kind.”

Katsuki cracked a smile, setting his bags down to head over, pouring a mug each for himself and Mina.

“Thanks,” he said quietly.

“My pleasure. It’s the only thing you’ve asked for, this entire trip, so we can hardly begrudge you some decent coffee.”

Katsuki blinked at him, surprised by the comment – he was there to work, of course he wasn’t going to ask for things. Wasn’t that a normal way to work?

“Feel free to let us know if you’d like anything else,” Tenya added, apparently picking up on his confusion – maybe the nerd wasn’t as oblivious as Katsuki had thought. “We’re more than happy to accommodate any requests.”

“Uh... thanks.”

Tenya gave him a last nod, heading off to start on his checklists, and Katsuki carted his mugs back to Mina, holding one out and chuckling when she looked at him like he was a god for it. He glanced over at Izuku next, at where he was trying to shove Ochako and Tsuyu toward the food table, while they tried to sneak peeks at their next outfits instead. Katsuki smiled softly, covering it up with a sip from his mug – Izuku really was the mom-friend of his group. It was no wonder Tenya was so strict about scheduling time for people to eat and rest, Izuku would run himself ragged trying to do it himself, otherwise.

“Alright, while you eat,” Aizawa began. “Did everyone pack up their outfits from this morning?”

They all nodded at him, other than Denki who burbled something unintelligible through his mouthful of food.

“The hotel is going to ship them back to the Bakugou building for us tonight, so if you’ve missed anything, please let me know before I tape them up. Now as a reminder, we’re in a public space for our meet-and-greet today, so please do your best to not disturb any of the public who are sharing the space with us. Tenya and I will be on deck to help wrangle people into a respectable space, and we’ve notified the city about the event, so they are kindly sending some security to help out as well. Please make sure you follow any directions they give you, or if you don’t think it’s a good idea, wave me over to discuss it.”

“If our previous events are anything to go by, there may be people already waiting when we arrive,” Tenya added, when Aizawa looked over at him. “The parking area is further down the street than where we told everyone to meet, so hopefully they won’t swarm us too quickly, but be prepared.”

With the briefing done, the pair sat down to join the idols eating, but before Katsuki could head over to inspect what was on offer, Mina was grabbing his wrist, keeping him back.

“Hey, question,” she said quietly. “Would it be a real pain in the ass if I hung out here?”

“No,” Katsuki answered immediately. “You okay?”

“Feeling a little headachey. I thought getting some decent sleep might help, but with the bus trip tonight, it might not be the easiest.”

“Stay and rest,” Katsuki agreed. “I don’t think we’ll be needed anyway, I thought I might just hang out on the bus and get some sewing done. Maybe I’ll stay with you instead.”

“Don’t be silly. Go hang out, watch him do his thing. If they have any weird wardrobe malfunctions, you’ll be there to help, or god forbid if they need an extra pair of hands for security, you’re pretty intimidating to look at.”

“I’ll have my phone, if you need anything,” Katsuki reminded her. “I can go for a walk and grab painkillers, I’m sure there’s a pharmacy nearby.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling softly. “I appreciate you.”

“Shut up, sap.”

She released him, and together they headed for the food table, squeezing in between munching idols to reach the trays. One end of the table was laid out as a whole-ass salad bar, so Katsuki loaded himself up, oddly delighted by how fresh and colourful everything was. Usually when he travelled he was lucky to get a little cabbage and carrot salad from a convenience store, or maybe some raw vegetables from a supermarket – it wasn’t often he got an actual selection to work from. They even had roasted chickpeas and pomegranate seeds! He needed to shake hands with whoever had put their lunch together.

“It’s kind of sad that the first time I’ve seen Bakugou truly smile is over a salad,” Denki said, turning Katsuki’s face beet-red in an instant. “Come have a burger, bro!”

“Kacchan doesn’t like bread,” Izuku told him, with no hesitation. “I wish I liked salad, I envy him! It must be a really good salad!”

“It looks amazing,” Mina answered, as she scooped out her own. “I’m a sucker for fresh vegetables, I can’t pass up all of this!”

“They’re making me want salad,” Kyouka whined. “Why would you do this to me?”

“It’s right there, just go eat it!” Izuku laughed.

“But it’s salad.”

Katsuki slid into the seat beside Izuku, a little awkwardly with all the attention being given to his food, and Izuku leaned over to look, pressing his warm shoulder into Katsuki’s lightly.

“It does look pretty,” he mused. “What’s the brown stuff?”

“Roasted chickpeas. Haven’t had them in ages.”

“What do they taste like? I don’t think I’ve had one.”

“Try it,” Katsuki offered, nudging his bowl across. “They’re crunchy.”

Izuku plucked one from the bowl neatly, chucking it in his mouth, and Katsuki couldn’t resist a laugh when Izuku’s nose wrinkled up.

“I’m good,” Izuku said, pushing the bowl back to Katsuki. “That tastes... weird.”

“They’re mostly good for the texture,” Katsuki admitted, stabbing a fork into his bowl to get a bit of everything. “They don’t taste like much with everything else in there, but I don’t mind them alone either.”

“Sorry, I’m sticking with burger,” Izuku said with a grin, picking up his bun to take a bite – the thing was loaded so tall that he could barely get his mouth on it, and that fact seemed to delight him. “At least I can say I tried!”

One by one, as people finished their meals, they grabbed their collection of hangers from the rack in the corner. Katsuki was relieved to see that they all wiped their hands on a paper towel first, rather than get burger grease all over the brand-new clothes. Kyouka returned first, in a shirt that was more straps than actual fabric, and Mina forgot about her salad immediately, jumping up to go delight over how it had turned out. Katsuki knew she’d been working hard on that one, so he was admittedly glad to see it turn out well, too.

“I’m gonna go change!” Izuku said brightly, when he’d finished off his food. “I’m excited to see it!”

“It’s nothing fancy,” Katsuki reminded him.

“It’s all exciting when Kacchan makes it, though!”

He ran off with his hangers, and Katsuki could only smile fondly at his back, watching him go like the big sap he was.

“Would you like to take the leftovers?” Tenya asked, jolting him out of his staring.

“Huh?”

“Of the salad,” Tenya explained, gesturing toward the trays. “I know it won’t be quite as fresh, but if you’d like to take salad for later, please do.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah, actually, that’d be great.”

Tenya set a pile of plastic containers down beside it, moving on to begin his clean up, and Katsuki finished his last bite of his lunch, heading over to make up his next meal. There was plenty left, of course, so Katsuki went bold, filling four containers – two for himself, and two for Mina. He kept the dressings separate, in much smaller containers, and loaded them into a bag, making a mental note to stick them in the tour bus fridge when they headed out again. Tenya appeared to be packing away some leftovers too, making up two more burgers and carefully sealing them in containers – Katsuki suspected they were for All Might, and he actually found that kind of sweet.

Denki was the next one back, posing like an idiot in his new threads, and Katsuki just gave him a nod, watching him turn slowly to let Katsuki see every angle. He’d been worried the pants were too long, when he’d first unpacked them, but with the chunky boots he’d been sent to go with them, they actually worked pretty well. Apparently his parents’ staff could function while Katsuki wasn’t there, good to know. He wished they’d act that way when he was there.

Then again, his mother was probably cracking the whip, with how important this all was to their family and their business.

By the time Izuku returned, in a simple white t-shirt with silver stars lining every hem, that made his face glow with excitement, everything was cleaned up and ready for them to head out. Mina finished up doing hair and make-up with the girls, did a few touch-ups on the guys, then set them free into the world – or at least the hotel lobby.

“You sure?” Mina asked, as she and Katsuki followed the group out toward the doors.

“Obviously,” Katsuki assured her. “I’ve got this.”

“I know.”

She waited for Aizawa to finish talking to the receptionist, then fell into step beside him, unsurprised when he stopped knowingly.

“I’m gonna stay here for the afternoon,” she explained quietly. “I could use a little extra rest, is all. Katsuki has it handled, so it should all go smoothly.”

“It’s no problem,” Aizawa assured her. “Do you need anything?”

“I think I’m good. Thank you, though. I hope it all goes great!”

Katsuki bumped fists with her as he passed, dragging the empty rack with him to load back into the bus, and she gave him one last nod of thanks before she split off, heading to the elevators. Katsuki prayed to every god he knew that she’d feel better later; he wasn’t sure how he’d survive the rest of the trip if she came down sick.

─────

Lightning flashed beyond the bus windows, lighting up their world for a split second then plunging it back into darkness. They were moving at little more than a crawl, the rain pelting the windows so hard that Katsuki could hardly see beyond them, and he wasn’t remotely surprised when Aizawa opened the door to the driver’s area, looking out at where half the group were crammed in on a single couch, controllers in hands.

“We’re pulling over for the night,” he informed them. “There’s a rest area up ahead, we’re going to stop there and wait for the weather to pass.”

Katsuki wasn’t surprised. He knew how to drive – not that he did it often – but even a little bit of rain put him on edge, making sure he could still see road markings and signage through it. He couldn’t imagine driving to drive a whole ass bus in such an awful storm. The wind had been rattling the windows and shaking the entire vehicle, and that was creepy enough without being the driver.

“We have a few hours of leeway in the schedule, but if it takes longer to pass, we’ll call ahead and try to arrange a later ferry. Thankfully we have a free day on the other side, if we need to catch up. I recommend you try to get some rest soon, I’d hate for the power to run out while we’re parked, and it would be a good time to get some sleep while the bus isn’t moving.”

Half the group had been struggling to sleep on the moving bus, so it was a good call, really. It was about the right time for people to start heading to bed anyway, and it would give Katsuki a little quiet time to get some more sewing done before he hit the sack himself. He only had a few days left to finish what he’d started calling the Rainbow Jacket in his head, and while it was getting close, it had turned out difficult to work with the fabric when it came to hand stitching. His sewing machine had gone through it with little effort, that part had been done days ago, but when it came to the smaller, finer details, it had been slow work just to get the needle in and out neatly. He was thrilled by how it was turning out, though, and he hoped Izuku would feel the same way. He’d settled for a plain t-shirt underneath, since it wouldn’t be seen anyway, but he still needed to make the pants, too – he was trying not to think about that fact.

“I’m gonna head to my room,” he said, when Aizawa had retreated to the driver’s area again. “G’night.”

“Goodnight!” everyone chorused, shuffling to make room for him to escape. “Sleep well!”

Izuku followed him out, and he paused in the doorway to wait, enamoured as usual by the sweet smile Izuku wore when their eyes met.

“Are you going straight to sleep?” Izuku asked.

“No, I’m gonna work for a bit,” Katsuki answered. “How come?”

“Didn’t wanna keep you up if you were tired,” Izuku explained. “Is Ashido doing okay? I haven’t had a chance to ask.”

“Yeah, she’s alright,” Katsuki assured him. “She’s had a headache, but she was doing better after some sleep, she just wanted to get some more rest to make sure.”

Mina had retreated to her little bunk pretty quickly after they got on the bus, but she’d promised Katsuki it wasn’t a big deal, and he trusted her to be honest. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find out she just wanted a little privacy, in all honesty – he was certainly feeling that too.

“Okay,” Izuku said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Tell me if there’s anything I can do, okay? I know she won’t tell us, but she might tell you.”

“She will,” Katsuki agreed. “We tell each other... most things. I’ll let you guys know if she needs anything.”

“And you, too, right? You’ll tell me if you need anything?”

“Sure,” Katsuki said. “You’ve already been telling Glasses shit anyway.”

Izuku just giggled, not denying it – he’d already been suspicious about the coffee, let alone the salad and leftovers. His containers were sitting in the little fridge in the tour bus kitchen, and he kind of wanted to grab one as a snack just because it was there.

“Good luck with your work, Kacchan!” Izuku said brightly. “I’m gonna sleep soon, so goodnight if I don’t see you again!”

“Goodnight,” Katsuki echoed, ruffling Izuku’s fluffy curls in a moment of weakness. “Get some sleep.”

“I’ll do my best!”

He hurried back to the group, squeezing in and leaning against Denki’s side, sending a wave of jealousy through Katsuki’s entire being. He wasn’t the most affectionate of people, wasn’t someone who would go in for a hug or reach out to the person sitting next to him, but sometimes, Izuku made him wish he was. He was so free with his touches, so happy to snuggle up with his best friends, but he was also so respectful about Katsuki’s personal space, even when Katsuki didn’t want him to be.

He retreated toward his room before he could do anything stupid, only pausing at Mina’s bedside, smiling awkwardly when she rolled over to look at him.

“Doing okay?” he asked.

“So much better,” she assured him. “I’ve probably been dehydrated, water has been the least of my concerns most days, plus the lack of sleep, I think it all just caught up to me. Drink some water, will you? Don’t be as bad as me.”

“I’ve got bottles in my room,” he told her. “Come grab one if you ever need it.”

“Thank you! I think it’s mostly the lack of coffee, I’m not constantly drowning myself in it.”

“You sure you’re not just having caffeine withdrawals?” Katsuki teased.

“Maybe,” Mina laughed. “I’m just gonna chill tonight anyway, and hopefully I’ll be back to normal in the morning.”

“We’re pulling over for a while, until the weather dies down. Get a few hours in before we start moving again.”

“It’s pretty bad, huh?” Mina asked, perfectly punctuated by the rumble of thunder. “It’s been shaking the whole bus.”

“Yeah. I’m sure it’ll pass soon.”

“Are you heading to bed?”

“Gonna try to make a pair of pants first. At least the structure, if I can’t get all the details done.”

“Are these the starry ones?”

“Yeah. The jacket is pretty much done, but I haven’t even started on the pants.”

“I’m sure they’ll be great no matter what.”

“Fingers crossed.”

He shoved her lightly and moved on, hearing her settle back in behind him, finally closing himself into his little room. It was full to the brim, with his sewing machine set up on the tiny desk, stacks of fabric lining the walls, and his suitcase squeezed in between the two. It had become like his own little office, though – his home away from home – and he kind of loved it.

As he worked, he regularly heard footsteps clomping up the stairs; one person after another they began trickling off to bed, the faint glow of the downstairs lights eventually disappearing, from below Katsuki’s window. He hadn’t drawn his curtains, letting the occasional flash of lightning set his room alight, beyond glass pelted with heavy droplets that left trails as they slowly trickled away.

He thought everyone had gone to bed, but then the little tapping came, and Katsuki glanced back at his bedroom door. Had Mina changed her mind? She would have come right in, though, surely. He climbed out of his chair, opening the door, his eyes shooting open wide when he found a sheepish looking Izuku waiting on the other side, the dim glow of his desk lamp revealing fingers that rubbed against each other repeatedly, occasionally pausing to clench into a fist before they began all over again.

“You okay?” Katsuki asked, stepping aside and waving Izuku in – even though it took a bit of squeezing. “What’s up?”

“I’m fine,” Izuku assured him quietly. “I’m just... not a big fan of storms.”

“Oh,” Katsuki said, gesturing toward the mostly-clear bed for him to sit down. “That’s fine, I’ll take care of you.”

He froze, immediately regretting the stupid words, but Izuku’s lips curved into a tiny, soft smile, so different from the big grin he was always flashing at people during the day, and Katsuki felt his heart grow warm – it was worth sounding stupid for that smile.

“What are you working on?” Izuku asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed nervously, like he might somehow mess it up just by touching it. “We have a few days off, kind of.”

“If I’m in here working, it’s always on a stage outfit,” Katsuki told him, with a flash of a grin of his own that he kind of surprised himself with. “The rest are quick.”

“I loved my starry shirt today.”

“Good,” Katsuki said, more relieved than he was willing to let on. “I uh, I know you like stars.”

“I do,” Izuku confirmed. “And that’s... pants?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed, managing to mostly stifle his laughter. “Can you hand me that silver tape beside you?”

Izuku picked up the shiny roll, taking a second to marvel at it before he handed it over, and Katsuki just watched him fondly. He’d been putting together his collection of shiny, sparkly, holographic materials for years, it was about time he got to see Izuku excited about it – they’d been bought with him in mind, after all.

“It’s so pretty,” he said, as he finally handed it over. “Do I get to wear that?”

“Yeah, it’s all yours,” Katsuki assured him. “Um, I made you something else, too; I hadn’t found a chance to give it to you yet.”

“You did?” Izuku asked, perking up a little. “For a show?”

“Kind of.”

He reached over, fishing around in his open suitcase, and finally pulled out the bag he’d pieced together before they left. It was mostly made of offcuts, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t noticeable after putting it all together. It was big, a little bigger than the old beat-up yellow one just to be sure, with a thick, padded strap so he’d be able to carry it comfortably over his shoulder. More importantly, though, it was made of the same white material as Izuku’s favourite jacket, the one that Katsuki had worn first. Every dark zip was finished with the silver star pulls, bordered with shiny holographic stripes that made rainbows with even the slightest amount of light on them; every hem was sealed with the darker holographic stuff, a little more subtle than the borders; and the flap on the top had two dark buckles and a black X, like so many of Katsuki’s designs, covering the rest of the bag when it was fastened. From the outside, it was sleek and professional, a perfect match for all the things he wore on stage.

“It’s beautiful!” Izuku gushed, turning it every direction to admire. “It even matches my favourite jacket!”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said, with a soft smile. “I had some leftovers, and with the hems and zips and things, you can’t tell that they were weird shapes and sizes to begin with.”

“Were they?! It’s flawless.”

“The top part is treated with an extra waterproofer too, in case of showers, or for easier cleaning. The inside isn’t, so maybe don’t throw too many damp towels in it. It should be fine to clean though.”

“I’ll take such good care of it.”

Izuku finally unfastened the buckles, and Katsuki couldn’t watch as he lifted the flap, freezing in place and falling silent. When Katsuki finally glanced over, he found tears streaming down Izuku’s cheeks, his arms wrapped around the bag in the most precious hug Katsuki had ever seen.

Across the bag, hidden away from general sight when the flap was down, were Izuku’s favourite little symbols: embroidered bunnies in silver and teal threads, all different poses that Katsuki had worked so hard on after the first fascination with them, and a myriad of stars, carefully cut from different shiny or holographic scraps and sewn into place with the utmost care.

“It’s so perfect, Kacchan,” Izuku whispered, hiding his face in the bag for a moment.

“I’m glad. I told you I could make you a good one.”

“Until you showed up, I’d never owned anything beautiful in my life,” Izuku told him, with a sincerity and a vulnerability that Katsuki would lock away in his heart for the rest of his life. “Singing was the one thing I could do that made me feel special.”

“You are special, and you deserve to show it off.”

Izuku sniffled a little, wiping away his tears with his pyjama sleeve, and Katsuki reached for him without thinking. Izuku accepted the hand, though, apparently unphased, and their fingers laced together like they were made for each other.

“Did I ever tell you about the first time I came to your show?” Katsuki asked quietly.

“I don’t think so,” Izuku answered, scrubbing at his face again with his free hand. “You’ve been there as long as I can remember.”

“Every show,” Katsuki admitted, his face burning. “All of them.”

“All of them?”

“Since your fuckin’ debut performance at that stupid little bar where the mic kept cutting out.”

Izuku’s jaw dropped, and Katsuki shrugged awkwardly, looking away to compose himself.

“I think I’d forgotten how important it was to me. Music, I mean. I was just there having a drink with a friend, and then your voice, I just... there was something about it. There still is. It just went straight into my chest, like I could feel it with my entire body. So I asked the bartender who you were, and he said you guys were a new idol group who were trying to get a foot in the door, and I followed your socials on the spot.”

“And since then?”

“Every. Fucking. Show.”

“There must have been one you missed, somewhere.”

“Nope. Never.”

“You really are dedicated.”

“Sorry if that’s creepy,” Katsuki grumbled, looking away again and giving Izuku a little freedom to pull his hand away, if he wanted to. “I just... feel more alive, at your shows.”

“I’m glad,” Izuku said, squeezing him extra tightly. “You deserve to feel alive.”

Katsuki had always felt so stupid even thinking those words, he’d never dared to say them out loud before, but Izuku accepted them so easily, without a moment of hesitation.

“I hope you know I think you’re amazing,” Izuku told him, flashing that soft smile again that made Katsuki’s heart melt. “I know I get over-excited and say it, but it’s not just the adrenalin and stuff, I really do think so.”

“You’re such a nerd,” Katsuki said, chuckling a little. “You’re the one up on stage hyping up a crowd and making it so thousands of people can’t look away, but you say that shit about me.”

“I’m okay with them looking at me, now that you’re here.”

Katsuki knew what he meant; he felt more confident, cooler, more like he looked the part, with Katsuki’s clothes on his back. But the way he said it, now that you’re here, filled Katsuki with more hope than he had any right to feel.

“You look exhausted,” Katsuki said, hoping it didn’t come across too terribly. “Do you want to stay here with me?”

Izuku paused, glancing back at the bed, and Katsuki almost took it back, regretting the words immediately. But then Izuku nodded, shuffling over to make space, and Katsuki set his sewing aside – he could finish the pants in the morning, after all. Izuku still held his hand, though he set his new bag down reverently at the end of the bed, so Katsuki was pulled along with him, gently coaxed toward the mattress.

They parted for a moment, to let Katsuki pull the blankets back, and then they were there, together, lying side by side between cool sheets, with Katsuki reaching out to turn off his lamp. It cast them into darkness, and Katsuki tried his best to be gentle as he wiggled to get comfortable, to keep from shifting the mattress too much.

Every time a gust of wind rattled the bus, Katsuki adjusted himself a little more, to find the right spot.

Every time lightning flashed, lighting up the room again, Katsuki found Izuku a little closer.

And by the time the storm calmed, and All Might crawled out of his bed to drive, they were both sound asleep, locked in each other’s arms, with a soft smile resting on green curls, and freckled cheeks no longer stained with tears, pressed against a broad chest.