A Comfortable Existence - #5 [The Food]

[Part 4]

It had been a long day. Katsuki had fought in a war as a teenager and still his day had felt longer than any he’d had before in his life. He hadn’t even had a chance to stand still all day, let alone sit down, or eat anything. He’d been planning to stop on the way home and buy something ridiculously unhealthy for the first time in months – he did his best to be better than that, damn it – but then his final incident of the day had left him drenched in sweat, mud, grass, and multiple types of blood, none of which were his own. It wasn’t exactly the best look for stopping at a store, and his agency was even further away than his apartment, so it didn’t make sense to go back and shower there rather than just head straight home.

He’d just have to suck it up and eat real food, or maybe hope Izuku fell asleep early so he could order something in without being judged for it. On the bright side, he was pretty sure he still had some ice cream left, hidden away in the freezer. Izuku still hadn’t been in there, which he only knew because he still hadn’t teased him about his shitty vice yet, so there was no reason to believe his last few packages had been stolen away at some point in the last few weeks. That was what had happened the last time he'd had housemates: whatever he bought, or made, it seemed to disappear from the fridge right before he really wanted it. He still didn’t understand how people could forget whether they had been the one to buy something or not, didn’t understand how his carefully crafted containers of meal prep looked like fair game, but at least he was away from that now. Izuku didn’t seem to cook much; he skipped breakfast most days despite Katsuki’s complaints about it, bought lunch with his coworkers, or ate at the school with his students, or occasionally ate from an agency cafeteria when he was working with a friend, and he either bought his dinner on his way home, cooked before Katsuki arrived or after he’d gone to bed, or just didn’t eat in general – Katsuki wasn’t sure which, because other than the few meal prep containers he’d shared in at Katsuki’s insistence, he never seemed to use any food or dishes or anything.

“Welcome home!” Izuku called from the next room, when he heard the front door open. “You’re back late!”

He poked his head out into the hallway to grin at him, but it quickly faded when he saw Katsuki in the doorway, his mouth hanging open as his eyes slowly raked up and down over Katsuki’s... mess.

“Not yours?” he clarified, when he saw the massive bloody patch on the side of Katsuki’s thigh.

“Everyone’s but mine,” Katsuki snorted. “I uh, I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Yeah, you are,” Izuku answered, then blushed. “Sorry, I mean—”

“It’s fine,” Katsuki assured him. “Um, I’m gonna strip here so I don’t... drip.”

“Yeah, of course! I’ll grab you... something to put them in.”

He ran off to the bathroom, presumably to grab a laundry basket, but Katsuki snorted when he returned with a bucket instead. Izuku wasn’t wrong, to be fair; he didn’t want to dirty up his laundry basket with all that shit, and the holes in the sides weren’t exactly conducive to keeping liquids contained.

“Thanks,” he said, when Izuku set it down within Katsuki’s reach, though he didn’t get close enough to be dripped on – smart man. “God I feel gross. And hungry.”

“I’ll heat you up some food!”

“Thanks,” Katsuki said reluctantly.

“Do you want something in particular?”

Katsuki didn’t answer right away, peeling off his disgusting shirt instead, and he found Izuku just waiting there when he finished, head tilted to one side slightly, like a confused puppy.

“I was kind of thinking about junk food,” Katsuki admitted. What was Izuku gonna do, after all? Laugh at him? “But I didn’t want to stop anywhere like this.”

“Ohhh, yeah, that makes sense.”

He shed his pants next, grimacing when they hit the ground with an awful, heavy, plop.

“Just... whatever looks unhealthy, I guess.”

“You don’t cook things that look unhealthy,” Izuku laughed. “You go get clean, I’ll sort something out for you and deliver it to the bathtub!”

“Eating in the bath?” Katsuki asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re still on that bullshit?”

“I finally have an excuse to make you try it,” Izuku said gleefully. “I’ll finally be able to convert you to tubdogs!”

Katsuki shook his head, but he didn’t bother to object. Izuku was gonna do it regardless of whatever he said, and he was starving, so he’d suck it up for the sake of food. He picked up his bucket of awful clothing, debating just throwing it straight in the trash and getting a new costume instead, and Izuku stepped aside to watch him pass, apparently still unphased by his nudity. Thank god.

He chucked the dirty stuff toward the bathroom drain, where it could rinse out under the water from the shower, then turned the tap on nice and hot. Most of the time he was a tepid shower kind of guy, but his muscles were crying out at him in protest, and they deserved a little treat for once, even if it would make Katsuki sweat more. He sighed as he stepped under the water, rinsing out his hair first and working his way down, before he reached for his bottle of shampoo. It felt fuller than he remembered, and he frowned slightly as he stared at it. He knew Izuku had bought him a new one not long after he moved in, and he’d appreciated that, but had the nerd been doing it again? He was meant to be saving for a new apartment, not funding Katsuki’s overuse of bathroom supplies.

“Stop buying me shit!” he yelled, hearing giggles just barely make it back to him through the sound of the water.

When he was all clean, he switched the tap over to the bathtub, throwing the plug in the hole and letting it start to fill. He brushed his teeth while he waited, to get the taste of mud out of his mouth, trying not to think too hard about what else might be in there. Then, he stared at his toothbrush for a second, grimacing.

He threw it in the trash.

“Knock knock,” Izuku said, opening the door regardless. “Oh good, you’re not in yet.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, but Izuku just shoved something in his hand, then chucked something else into his bath. When it began to fizz, Katsuki rolled his eyes. The nerd had bath bombs on hand? After losing everything he owned? Some priorities he had.

“Eat,” Izuku instructed, as he stepped back toward the door.

Katsuki finally looked down at his hand, eyes widening when found found a plastic-wrapped package in it, head darting up again to stare at Izuku. He wasn’t sure the nerd had ever made him feel so nervous in his life.

“I brought the strawberry, is that okay?” Izuku asked. “I thought chocolate might not be the most appetising colour today.”

Katsuki grimaced, nodding awkwardly.

“Yeah, um, I like strawberry.”

“I’m glad. I kind of assumed everything you had in there was a flavour you liked!”

“Yeah.”

He shuffled over to the bathtub, carefully lowering himself in, but still Izuku watched, a soft smile on his face as Katsuki got himself settled.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon with real food,” Izuku promised. “Until then, enjoy your bathtub ice cream!”

“You and your shitty agenda,” Katsuki huffed, unwrapping the plastic all the same. “Thank you.”

“Happy to help!”

He sank into the foamy water, sighing to himself as he took his first bite. It was a damn good ice cream. He didn’t even think he'd had any of that brand left, he thought he’d eaten the last one a week ago, so it was kind of nice to see that Izuku had somehow scrounged up one he’d missed. All ice cream was good ice cream, of course, but everyone had their favourites.

His muscles finally began to relax, with the heat soaking in, and he closed his eyes, sighing as he sank down into the water. The tub was still filling, not high enough yet to properly bury himself in the water, but it wouldn’t be long. Now the only important thing to worry about was making sure he didn’t fall asleep there; maybe he needed to tell Izuku to check on him every once in a while.

He opened them again when he heard the door open, reaching over to turn off the tap before he looked back. Izuku had a paper bag in his hand, and Katsuki just blinked at him, lost for words.

“I wasn’t sure what you had in mind, but I didn’t want to make you make decisions,” Izuku explained, pulling up a bath stool and sitting down to open the bag. “I know you used to love this place, though, so I hope it was a safe bet.”

He pulled out a paper-wrapped burger, and Katsuki had to wipe his face to make sure he wasn’t drooling.

“This is a limited time one,” Izuku continued, folding a hand towel around the package and handing it over, so Katsuki’s damp hands wouldn’t destroy the thing. “It’s like a spicy beef ribs thing?”

Katsuki’s stomach growled, and Izuku just grinned, watching him tear into it like his life depended on it. He silently set a package of fries on the edge of the bath, then pulled out a second, giving Katsuki a moment of silence as he threw a couple into his mouth.

“Really good,” Katsuki said gratefully, when he paused for a second to breathe.

“I’m glad!” Izuku said cheerfully. “The fries are chilli flavoured; they probably won’t be spicy enough for you, but I thought you’d want to try.”

He reached over to grab some, oddly surprised to find them perfectly placed for his hand, so he didn’t have to twist awkwardly to reach. He probably had no reason to be surprised, since Izuku was the resident expert on eating meals in the bath, but his stupid consideration was always a little unexpected.

“I also grabbed you a bacon cheeseburger, in case the spicy one was no good, and the tartar chicken burger you used to like. I figured you can have some later if you get hungry again, or for lunch tomorrow, or something.”

“You eat one.”

“I got one for me too!” Izuku assured him, brandishing another package. “I ate a bit earlier, but I couldn’t resist.”

“What did you have?”

“For dinner?” Izuku asked, blinking at him. “I made curry soba, there’s leftovers in the fridge if you want to try some tomorrow or something.”

“Oh. Um, thanks.”

“My pleasure! You always share with me, the least I can do is save you some leftovers in return.”

With his fries polished off, Izuku unwrapped his burger, and Katsuki sank a little lower in the water again as he took another bite of his own. He sure as hell wasn’t gonna say it out loud, but maybe Izuku had been on to something, after all.

“Cosy?” Izuku asked smugly – damn him and his reading between the lines.

“Shut up,” Katsuki grumbled, with no bite to it. “Gimme that bacon one.”

He handed over his trash, and Izuku tucked the bacon burger into his towel instead, still looking far too pleased with himself as Katsuki began to eat.

“Want me to put the chicken one in the fridge?”

Katsuki paused. He was really hungry, but even he didn’t think he could fit three burgers and fries in all at once. It was probably a good idea, reluctant as he was to part with it.

“Half?” Izuku suggested. “So you can taste them all.”

Katsuki snorted, but nodded all the same. It was such an Izuku move, but he kind of loved it.

“Eat your fries for a sec,” Izuku instructed, gently taking the bacon burger back from Katsuki’s reluctant grip. “I won’t be long.”

He disappeared, and Katsuki pouted a little at the loss, even as he jammed a fistful of delicious fries in his mouth in its place. True to his word, Izuku was back before he’d even finished the packet, carefully slotting a neatly-cut half of each burger into Katsuki’s waiting hands.

“Eat up,” he said fondly. “I’ll grab you your pyjamas.”

“Wait,” Katsuki blurted out, freezing Izuku in his tracks. “Um. Stay.”

“Sure!” Izuku agreed, without a moment of hesitation. “Want to hear about my capture this morning? Then you can tell me about all your work, when you’ve eaten.”

“Yeah, tell me.”

Katsuki was pretty sure he only took in half the words as Izuku began to babble, more focussed on eating than on listening, but he knew he was getting the gist of it. Besides, he was gonna watch the news recaps later anyway, like always, so he’d fill in the blanks where he needed to. It was kind of nice, though, to have him there, keeping Katsuki company after a long, shitty day. Katsuki wasn’t sure there was anything more he could have asked for. He was clean, soaking in a hot bath, with ice cream in his stomach and his favourite burgers in his hands, and his best friend by his side; what more was there?

When the story was done, and Katsuki’s hands were empty, he began to sit up reluctantly. The water was beginning to cool, his fingers were beginning to prune, and he kind of needed to piss, which put a bit of a damper on the whole thing. But he’d had a long time in that perfect spot, and he couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed about the rest of it, when he was still wrapped in that bubble of comfort the world had seen fit to gift him with.

“I’m gonna go pull up the news,” Izuku said, standing up from his stool and holding out a fluffy towel. “I’ll turn on the aircon for you.”

“Thanks, Izuku.” Katsuki’s voice came out quieter than expected, but Izuku didn’t seem to notice, just smiling warmly in return. “For all of it.”

Izuku didn’t answer, but in a moment of apparent boldness, he reached out, ruffling the damp hair that had been sticking to Katsuki’s face and neck, and giggling when it spiked itself back up easily.

“See you soon, Kacchan,” he said, just as quietly. “I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.”