roses for the sun

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/35758675.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Underage
Category: M/M
Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero
Academia
Relationship: Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto
Character: Bakugou Katsuki, Todoroki Shouto, Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Mitsuki,
Bakugou Masaru, Kaminari Denki
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Alternate
Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Friends
to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings,
Misunderstandings, Fluff, Friendship, Jealous Bakugou Katsuki,
Oblivious Todoroki Shouto, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Idiots in
Love, Christmas, Explicit Sexual Content, Top Bakugou Katsuki, Bottom
Todoroki Shouto, Gryffindor Bakugou Katsuki, Gryffindor Todoroki
Shouto
Language: English
Series: Part 3 of bktd christmas '21
Collections: Redonthemoon Requests - CLOSED
Stats: Published: 2021-12-17 Completed: 2022-01-06 Chapters: 8/8 Words:
50914

roses for the sun

by redonthemoon (lamortemagica)

Summary

A story about how Katsuki and Shouto relationship evolves through Christmas in
Hogwarts...

Or how a one-sided rivalry blooms into something more, even if one is too stubborn to
admit it and the other too oblivious.

Notes

Based on: I've been searching for a bakutodo Hogwarts au which has Christmas as theme
since forever. I was really excited when you said that you were collecting prompts for
Christmas :D
So if you like this idea, maybe chapters-fic or one shot on bakutodo Hogwarts au...?
(probably both of them being gryffindors.. or your wish, houses don't really matter)
Enjoy!
 1st Year

He sees the weirdo, Mr. Pure Blood sitting on an armchair as they are all leaving. Katsuki
scrunches his nose as he observes him. He has never liked that dumbass with his superiority
complex, big sad eyes and weird hair. The idiot thinks he’s so superior and better than anyone else
that he prefers to be alone rather than with others, tsk, he’s so disgusting.

“Hey Bakugou, you should stop glaring at Todoroki.”

“SHUT UP EXTRA!”

His outburst is meet with whispers and once more, he hears the same shit he’s been hearing ever
since he got chosen as a Gryffindor: why is he here? With that attitude he should be in Slytherin, he
surely is a snake…

He hates them, he hates every single person that is standing in the common room but specially the
weirdo in the corner who is now looking at him.

Sneering, Katsuki sticks out his tongue before he turns around and huffs, annoyed with the world.

“Yo Bakugou, you left one of your ties in your bed.”

Glancing up, he sees one of the extras he has as a classmate coming down from the stairs.
Nodding, he picks his bags and makes his way upstairs once more. The bedroom of the first years
is bare, except for Todoroki’s shit. They are all going back home for Christmas except that
dumbass.

Katsuki glares at the bed next to his as he can’t believe he has to have him as his roommate and
bed-neighbour, ugh so bothersome. He easily finds his red and golden tie, laying forgotten over his
bed post and shoving it inside a random bag he’s carrying, he takes one last look at all his area to
make sure he’s not leaving anything else behind before he goes back downstairs.

He’s meet with utter silence as it seems everybody else has left… except for Todoroki, who is still
sitting in the farthest armchair, hugging his legs and observing the landscape through the window
as his chin rests over his knees. The image is kind of pathetic if you ask Katsuki and once more,
curiosity hits him. Ever since they got asked if they were going to stay in Hogwarts or going back
home for Christmas, he’s been wondering about Todoroki. Everyone answer at the unison home
except for him, who simply whispered here, while looking at the floor. At first, Katsuki snorted as
he wondered if maybe Todoroki’s grades have been so pathetic he was afraid daddy was going to
get mad at him, but no, later he discovered the fucker was barely behind him except in herbology,
where he excelled and got a higher grade than Katsuki.

He has also heard on the grapevine that Todoroki received a howled from his father, demanding
him to come back home… so yeah, he’s a little bit curious, especially since the dumb fucker looks
like a kicked puppy whenever someone mentions Christmas or going back home.

Todoroki glances at him and Katsuki freezes as he realises he’s been looking at him like a dumbass
for at least a couple of minutes and he has no valid excuse or reason to explain why.

“Merry fucking Christmas,” he sneers as he quickly bolts from the common room.

Before he crosses the painting that serves as their entrance, he swears he hears a whispered, “merry
Christmas to you too, Bakugou.”
Huffing, Katsuki curses the stupid backpack as it weights too much. He knows he could
technically use wingardium leviosa to make his things float and follow him around, but he also
knows physical strength is important and he should be able to carry his things even if his stupid
mom has overstuffed his bags with useless things as a way to ask for forgiveness for making him
return to Hogwarts way before he should. His father is sick and so is the rest of his family. Mitsuki
decided that since technically Christmas is already over, Katsuki should return to school to not
catch whatever disease his father has. So there, this is why he’s back the 27th instead of the first
week of January like he was supposed to.

As he kicks his bags across the main hall of the castle, he hears several of the paintings scolding
him, so he flips them off, making them all gasp offended. In the end, it’s worse the remedy than the
disease as now he has to hear the whole way up an endless parade of old warts telling him that he’s
extremely rude and should change his mannerisms and yada, yada, yada.

When he finally gets in the safety of the common room, he sighs and pulling out his wand he uses
the levitating spell as his arms feel on fire and his breath feels way too short. As he reaches his
room, he freezes when he sees the unmade bed of Todoroki. Crap, he had completely forgotten the
other was around… Wary, he peeks out of their room and checking over the banister, he doesn’t
see the weirdo anywhere around.

Glaring at Todoroki’s bed as if it had offended him, he unpacks his things and leaves everything
completely tidy.

Smiling with satisfaction, he sneers at the still unmade bed.

“So much for being better than us and the dumb pure-blood can’t even make his bed. Bet he’s
waiting for someone to do it for him.” Pulling a falsetto voice, he bats his eyelashes as he says,
“anything for his royal highness. Blergh.”

Since it’s almost lunch time, he decides to head downstairs but soon he’s reminded of why he was
in such hurry to get into his room as the paintings keep giving him the stinky eye and scolding
him.

Screaming in anger, he storms away and somehow ends up in one of the outside patios that lead to
the forbidden forest and the hut of the keeper. But that’s not what makes him halt, no, it’s the
lonely figure that is sitting in the middle of the snow without even wearing a coat. Dread fills him
as he can feel how icy the wind seems to be and how still that dumb fucker is… because of course
he knows who is that stupid that seems to be running for icicle of the year; that hair is impossible
to miss or confuse.

Torn between concern and not wanting to be seen as if he cared about him, he makes a snowball
and throws it at Todoroki’s head. If the boy is dead, Katsuki guesses he won’t move and if he’s
alive… he crouches down and prepares a second one just in case. As he’s done, he sees that no,
Todoroki isn’t dead as he’s looking at him with confusion.

“Bakugou? What are y—”

Katsuki throws another ball at him, hitting him straight on his face. Todoroki simply blinks as the
snow falls down his face. Somehow his lack of expression seems hilarious to Katsuki, who bends
over and laughs as he points him.
“Oh my, are you even human or are you a robot?”

Standing up, Todoroki approaches him. “A robot? What is that?”

“You don’t know what a robot is? Gosh, you truly are dumb. A robot is a machine that does things.
It can be pretty much anything but in your case I was talking of robots as an android. Kinda like the
ones from Asimov.” As he sees the blank expression on Todoroki’s face he rolls his eyes and
sighs. “The writer. I, Robot?”

Todoroki shakes his head and some snow falls from his hair. “I don’t know what that is.”

Katsuki grimaces, not only because the boy is as dumb as rock, but because his lips look kind of
blueish and his skin is even paler than usual. Without even thinking about it, he takes off his scarf
and wraps it around Todoroki’s neck.

“You are going to die from hypothermia, dumbass.”

Todoroki’s eyes widen and then he almost offers him a tentative smile as he caresses the scarf.
“Thank you, Bakugou… may I ask you something?”

He grunts and wonders what kind of stupid thing is going to come out of Todoroki’s mouth.

“What was that thing you did before? It was snow, I know that, but the way it hit me… I think I’ve
seen others do it before but I never got the chance to ask.”

For a second, Katsuki wants to shove him into the ground as he believes the dumbass is messing
with him, but as he glares at him, he sees that no, Todoroki’s eyes show honesty and curiosity.

“You don’t know what a snowball is?! You have never had a snowball fight?” Todoroki shakes his
head and mumbles a no. “Holy fuck, what kind of childhood have you had?”

Somehow, he knows that was not the appropriate question to ask as Todoroki’s mood simply
withers. His shining eyes dull and his almost half-smile completely disappears as his blank
expression returns. Katsuki is sure this has been the first time he has seen the other boy show an
emotion other than blank and now he wants to see it again.

“Do you want me to show you how to do one?” He blurts.

The expression stays the same, but he sees his mismatched eyes show some spark of interest.

Crouching, he takes some snow and gathers it together before he shapes it as a ball. When he sees
Todoroki trying to imitate him with his bare hands, he quickly stops him and grabbing him from
his arm, he marches with him inside the castle, not letting the other go nor protest —not that
Todoroki is doing either of those things, the guy could perfectly pass as a doll. As they head
upstairs, the paintings start to fuss again and Katsuki bares his teeth and hisses at them to shut the
fuck up already. He’s almost going to rip one apart, when he hears the booming voice of Present
Mic coming from downstairs, demanding to know what is this ruckus about. Katsuki doesn’t care
that much about him, but is the second voice what truly makes him fly upstairs. He’s definitely not
in the mood to receive another lecture from their Professor of Potions again.

“Shit not Aizawa, run half and half, run!”

Panting, both boys reach the Gryffindor common room and as the painting closes behind them,
Katsuki can’t avoid but laugh a little.
“Why are the paintings mad with you?”

“Huh? Oh that, I might have offended them.”

Tilting his head, Todoroki asks him, “how does one offend a painting?”

“With turpentine?”

His reply is meet with a snort and then a tiny chuckle. Astonished, he glances at Shouto and checks
that yeah, it was him who has just shown some amusement. It’s not something wild or super
expressive but it’s there. Observing him, he sees his skin still looks pale as hell. Pushing him
towards the fireplace, he sees a couple of other students that have also stayed, playing Wizard’s
chess. From the amount of red fragments on the table and the floor, Katsuki can bet the white one
is winning. He shoves Todoroki in an armchair that is closest to the fire and then throws his jacket
over him.

“Try to not die from becoming an icicle, will you?”

Then he marches upstairs, into their bedroom and heading towards Todoroki’s bed, he seeks
around until he finds a coat. Throwing it over his shoulder, he goes to his trunk as he deems there is
no way he’s going to look around Todoroki’s shit that much to find a pair of gloves when he has a
spare ones. On the last second, he grabs a wool cap his mom knitted for him last year before he
heads downstairs once more.

Throwing at the other boy everything, he yanks his coat back and crosses his arms over his chest as
he taps his foot against the floor, show off how his patience is running thin.

“Get dressed. Like hell I’m going to get another scold from Shuzenji just because your dumbass
has deemed that playing in the snow without proper clothes is fine.”

Todoroki blinks slowly before he does as he’s been told. Katsuki wastes no more time before he
heads outside and grimacing, he sighs as he knows he has to go through the stupid paintings once
more.

“You take the railing side,” Todoroki mumbles as they get close to the staircase.

“Huh?”

He wants to scream at him that no one gives him orders, but as they reach it, he sees why Todoroki
has said that. For once, Katsuki decides that whatever, he guesses he can follow a suggestion, but
he still shares his piece of mind. “I’m only walking on this side because I want to.”

His remark is met with silence and that irritates him a little bit. As they move downstairs, the
paintings keep reproaching him his behaviour until Todoroki addresses them.

“Aren’t you supposed to show example then? You are right now insulting an eleven year old for
no reason whatsoever. If you preach good behaviour and mannerisms, perhaps you should start by
doing so.”

“Jeez, did you swallow a dictionary or what half and half? Do you always talk so prim?”

Todoroki glances at him. “I talk strangely? I apologise, I’m afraid I do not know the nuances of
modern language. My tutor was an old man that spoke like this.”

Katsuki sneers at that. There you go again, the bastard is showing off once more his family status.
He glares at him and as the boy doesn’t even flinch, he gets even angrier. He’s considering pushing
him downstairs when the paints start to mock him as well.

“Oh, the great Todoroki. I knew your father. He too was a—”

“I am not my father,” Todoroki hisses.

Katsuki blinks perplexed as finally, he has seen some real emotion in the boy. The way Todoroki is
shaking, fists clenched and glaring at the paint is familiar and when Todoroki keeps talking and
adds, “I am nothing like that bastard.” Katsuki feels shook to the core as he hears the other curse.

Laughing, he flips off the painting again. “You’ve heard him, fool, he’s nothing like his old man.
Now take this!”

Grabbing Todoroki, both start to run downstairs, ignoring the yelps and indignant screams from the
paintings. As they reach the outdoor patio, they bend over, heavily panting and as Katsuki sees
how close they are one from the other, he quickly moves away and kicks some snow.

“Alright halfie, let’s make some snowballs. Even an idiot can do them, okay? And for fuck’s sake:
do not take the gloves off unless you want to end up being the only wizard that holds his wand
with his mouth.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because your fingers will fall off!”

“Mmh, I’m pretty sure the nurse must have something that cures ice burns.”

“Wanna give it a try?”

Todoroki shakes his head and crouches, burying his hand in the snow as he observes it. Katsuki
stares at him intently and even if it’s hard as hell to tell, he can see that the boy seems excited as his
eyes are shinning a little and one corner of his mouth seems to be slightly higher than the other.
Kneeling next to him, he grabs some snow and presses it together, making a compact ball as he
mumbles aloud what is he doing. He sees Todoroki observing him before he starts to imitate him,
making a smaller and irregular ball. It’s ridiculous and Katsuki is going to mock him when he sees
that the fucker actually seems proud of himself. It’s weird, in class Katsuki has decided that
Todoroki is his rival and he sees him as that because in the end, it’s the two of them who are
always answering the questions of the teachers. True, they always miss whenever they have a
shared class with Yaoyorozu from Ravenclaw, but otherwise, if Katsuki fails to answer, the
Professor always asks Todoroki, who answers in a monotone voice the correct answer. Katsuki
thought the boy did it in a mocking way, showing off his superiority over him but now that he can
actually see how Todoroki looks when he’s proud of himself… he realises he might have been
wrong all along, not only in his answers but also in his analysis of him.

He hates being wrong.

They keep making more snowballs and Todoroki taps him on the arm and shows him a perfect
ball.

“For you. I did one that looks like yours.”

“Dumbass, you can’t give me your ammo.”

“My what now?”

Rolling his eyes, he pulls out his wand and makes his snowballs levitate with a smirk. “Now that
we have enough, the war begins. In a snowball fight, you throw them at your rival. Me in your
case, you in mine.”

“Oh.”

Moving away, Katsuki waits to be five steps away from Todoroki before he takes one and quickly
throws it on his head.

“BULLSEYE!” He screams.

Todoroki stays still and Katsuki wonders for a second if perhaps he hasn’t got the point in the
whole thing, but when a snowball hits him on the back, he turns around just in time to see two more
incoming. Dodging them, he throws one at Todoroki and sees him with his wand out, guiding them
at him.

“OI! That’s cheating, we said a snowball fight, a regular one, not a magical one!”

Todoroki lowers his wand. “Oh, I apologise.”

Before Katsuki can mock him, Todoroki throws one at him and fails as he gets short with the
strength. The ball falls in the middle, between them and Katsuki can’t avoid it, he laughs so hard it
hurts his stomach while he mocks him between puffs of air. “Wow! You have no strength. My
baby cousin has more than you. She threw her pacifier across out living room as if nothing I’m
telling y—”

A snowball hits him straight in the face and as the snow falls, he sees Todoroki with a raised brow
an a tiny smirk as he’s crafting another ball. “You were saying?”

“Oh fucker, it’s on. It’s so on you won’t even see it coming.”

“Pretty sure I will since magic is not allowed. You can only throw them from my front.”

Katsuki grins as he accepts the challenge. Rushing, he skids on the ground and hides behind some
trees before he starts to make some balls. As he hears Todoroki approaching, snow crunching
under his boots, he quickly throws one mock ball on the left and quickly runs towards the right
where he finds that the boy has fallen for his trap as his back is facing him. Katsuki smiles
viciously before he hits him three times with three perfect throws in the head.

Todoroki counterattacks and soon, Katsuki stops keeping a score as he’s somehow having fun with
the boy that seemed to not even know what the word meant or that it existed. As he feels his
fingers getting numb, even if he has the protection of the gloves, he shakes off all the snow he has
got on his hair and calls to the other boy to stop shooting.

“Oi, my fingers are going to fucking fall off and I’m hungry as hell. You up for some food?”

“… okay. I’d like some Christmas cookies if there are still some left.”

Peeking from behind the wall he was using as coverage, he sees Todoroki isn’t with a snowball on
either of his hands, ready to threw them at him, going against their truce, so he releases the one he
was holding (just in case) and approaches him.

“Christmas cookies? That’s what you’ve eaten?”

“No. They also had roast turkey, potatoes and pudding. Well, there were more things, but I mainly
ate those.”

He feels the question on the tip of his tongue: why did you stay instead of going back home?, but
remains silent as they are not friends and he definitely doesn’t want to come of as if he cared about
what Todoroki does or doesn’t do.

As they go to the Great Hall, Katsuki sees the illusion of snow falling from the ceiling and the
Christmas decorations still up along with the remains of the feast. They seem to be the only
students around and as they sit, Katsuki hesitates as he usually sits on the other side of the table,
not next to Todoroki… but that would be weird right, since there’s only the two of them now.
Sitting next to the bicolored boy, he starts eating in silence as Todoroki does the same.

Once they are almost finishing the desert, he sees Todoroki hesitating before he quietly asks him,
“I was thinking of going to the library to study a little bit. Would you like to come with me?”

He doesn’t even need to think about it too much. Passing on the opportunity of studying as much
as his academic rival does? No way.

“Lead the way, halfie.”

“Shouto. My name is Shouto, not halfie or half and half. I believe you have also called me that?”

Shrugging, he ignores his question as he stands up and taking the coat he has left on the bench he
starts to walk ahead with Todoroki following him.

Maybe spending half of Christmas in Hogwarts with this boy wasn’t on his plans, but that’s how
Katsuki spends it and somehow once the rest of the students come back, he finds himself
voluntarily sitting, studying and eating in silence with the other boy, who doesn’t seem to mind his
outbursts, teasing or blunt nature as Katsuki finds out he too is quite blunt, but not in the same
manner Katsuki is: Shouto simply has no filter and little to barely non-existent knowledge of the
real world. Once more, Katsuki is curious, so, so curious about the boy born with everything.
 2nd Year
Chapter Summary

He’s definitely not the cold prima donna Katsuki initially thought he was, quite the
opposite: Shouto is kind of humble, gentle and goodhearted… which means that he’s
dumb, clingy and annoying as hell and where the heck is he?

Kayama is once more with the Christmas list, asking one student after another if they are going to
stay in Hogwarts or going back home. Katsuki yawns as he rubs his face. He’s in the couch with
Shouto, reading a book about potions while the other is writing his transfiguration homework.
Katsuki has been reminding him since yesterday that he should do it but no, of course the dumbass
had to wait to the day before its due to finish it. Tsk, he’s so stupid.

“Bakugou?”

“Home.”

He doesn’t even raise his eyes from the book and ignores the answers of every extra that comes
after him except, “Todoroki?”

“Stay.”

This year the answer is clear, not mumbled under his breath like last year, but it still shocks
Katsuki. Yeah, now he knows Shouto’s father is a piece of crap, he’s been with the boy too many
times as his father has sent howler after howler demanding stupider and stupider things one after
the other, but still… even if Hogwarts offers a nice feast and free gifts from what he has heard,
wouldn’t it be better to go home? From what he can see, once more Shouto is the only one from
their year that is staying, which means that he’s going to be all alone.

That doesn’t sit well with Katsuki. The image of the lonely boy, sitting all by himself in the middle
of the snowed patio comes back to him.

Kicking Shouto on his thigh, he raises a brow and silently asks him, “why are you staying?”

Shouto’s eyes widen a little bit before he quickly lowers his head and using his bangs, he hides his
eyes as he keeps writing or pretending to do so, refusing to answer Katsuki’s question.

Angry, Katsuki slams his book shut and stands up, stomping his way upstairs. Whatever, if Shouto
wants to be an ass it’s his problem. As he throws himself over his bed, one of the extras chuckles
and then asks him, “you finally fought with your friend?”

“My what?”

“Your friend, Todoroki.” Pipes another one.

Laughing dryly, Katsuki opens his book. “We ain’t friends. That fucker and I ain’t friends.”

“… that’s not what he says.”

He knows. Katsuki is fully aware that Shouto calls them friends. He knows because the fucker
keeps repeating it on his face and every single time, Katsuki has told him the same: we are not
friends; yet Shouto keeps saying it, repeating it like a parrot. The little fucker is annoying like that.
Ignoring the stares of the other boys, he keeps reading and mindlessly flips them off as they keep
stealing glances at him five minutes after he has settled the issue. As he’s almost finishing the
chapter, Shouto comes through the door and carelessly throws his things over his bed, before he
plops down on Katsuki’s bed and says, “I’m hungry.”

“Good for you. Now get out of my bed.” He kicks him for good measure but Shouto easily dodges
it.

“Katsuki, can we go down? I’m really hungry.”

“Should have eaten more… like I told you.” He doesn’t need to look away from the page to know
Shouto is pouting a little. Rolling his eyes, he finally concedes a tad. “I think I have some bread on
my table as I knew your dumbass was going to go all bitchy with hunger.”

Shouto quickly moves and soon, Katsuki hears him munching the bread before finally, he goes
towards his bed, where he lies down as he keeps eating.

Feeling the eyes of the extras, Katsuki flips them off again and decides that since he’s been
disturbed so many times, he should re-read the page to make sure he has got all the information in
the correct way. Once he’s done, he goes back to the beginning of the chapter and covering the
page, he starts to mumble under his breath what he has just studied. As he’s almost on the half of
the chapter, Shouto sits in front of him with his legs crossed and taking the book from his hands, he
quickly scans the page and starts to ask him a random question that Katsuki obviously answers
correctly.

“What is the main property of Flobberworm Mucus?”

“It’s used to thicken potions.”

“Like…?”

“Wiggenweld, Herbicide, cure for boils—“

“List the ingredients of the wiggenweld potion in order of usage.”

“Salamander blood, lion fish spines—”

“How many?”

“Five… what, you’ve already forgotten? Tsk, it’s a beginners potion, halfie.”

“What else?” The boy says, dismissing his taunt.

Rolling his eyes, he keeps listing them. “Flobberworm mucus, honey water and boom berry juice.
Those are for the basic.”

Shouto nods and keeps asking him. Katsuki nails every single one of them and as they reach the
end of the chapter, he stretches and standing up, he rolls his eyes and mumbles, “let’s fucking eat.”

“Finally,” Shouto says as he rushes towards the door.

As Katsuki follows him, he hears one of the extras saying, “so much for not being friends, right?”
He growls and glares at him with his most vicious snarl before Shouto comes back and starts to
pull of him, whining that if he passes out from the lack of food, Katsuki is going to be the
responsible one to carry him downstairs. That makes him snap.

“Like hell I’m going to carry your ass all the way down! Sorry princess, your idiot is in another
castle.”

“Oh? But we are in a castle and I thought I was the idiot? Are you implying you are the idiot?”

From that moment on, Katsuki follows Shouto all the way to the Great Hall listing all the reasons
why if there is an idiot between the two of them, that has to be Shouto, not him. He’s on the reason
number 46 when Shouto shoves a spicy piece of chicken on his mouth, hushing him.

“If you don’t eat now, you’ll be hungry later… and I can’t promise I’ll keep a bread on my night
stand like you do.”

Swallowing angrily the meat he barks, “the only reason why I’ve food around our bedroom is
because otherwise you won’t shut the about how huuuuungry you are.”

Shouto simply hums and keeps eating, ignoring him. Katsuki imitates him and once he’s finished
he resumes his list.

“Reason number 46 why you are an idiot…”

It’s the day before they have to leave home and as he’s packing, he realises he hasn’t seen Shouto
for at least a couple of hours which is strange, incredibly so; the other boy is like a pest, kinda hard
to remember how he used to be last year, when Katsuki considered him to be so pompous and
stiff… he’s still a weirdo, but he’s definitely not the cold prima donna Katsuki initially thought he
was, quite the opposite: Shouto is kind of humble, gentle and goodhearted… which means that he’s
dumb, clingy and annoying as hell and where the heck is he?

Clearing his throat, he asks the extras, “oi, has anyone seen halfie?”

“Yeah man, I think I saw him going towards the clock tower.”

Nodding, he grabs an extra scarf as he knows the idiot for sure isn’t wearing one and if he’s in the
top, where the clock is open, for sure he’s going to catch a cold.

As he climbs the stairs, taking two at the time, he dodges a couple of students that are here and
there and as he reaches the clock, he sees Shouto in his favorite corner, observing the forest.
Throwing the scarf at his head, he approaches him. Shouto offers him a quiet thanks and wraps it
around his neck as he keeps observing the landscape. Sitting down, Katsuki waits as he knows that
sometimes Shouto needs some moments to collect his thoughts and speak up, that if he does talk.
Katsuki doesn’t mind, he hates unnecessary talking, so he’s more than okay with the other being
sparse of words.

After several minutes, Shouto sits down and traces some invisible lines on his pants before he
addresses him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”
“How do you celebrate Christmas? I mean, what does your family do?”

Taken back by the question, Katsuki frowns as he tilts his head back and observes the ceiling of
dark rock. The constant ticking of the clock is kind of relaxing, which he knows is one of the
reasons why Shouto comes here. Swinging his feet from the little balcony, he lays on the ground as
he tries to think of what Shouto might exactly want to know.

“Loud,” he finally says. “The hag is really loud and so is her family. Dad’s tamer. We usually
reunite with the whole family the day before and after Christmas; spending the 25th just the three
of us.” He glances at Shouto, trying to read him, trying to see if he’s answering what the boy truly
wanted to ask him or has missed. He doesn’t see any change in his expression, so nose twitching, he
keeps going. “Usually the old man cooks while the hag bosses us around. She uses magic to do all
the shit dad can’t or leaves to her and usually it’s annoying as heck because they always put some
stupid music on and end up dancing while drinking some wine… kind of forgetting I’m still there,
which is awful.”

“It sounds lovely,” Shouto whispers.

“Lovely?” Katsuki snarls. “Fuck no. It’s awkward as hell!” Sitting up, he tries to scowl at him but
freezes as he sees how sad Shouto looks. “Shouto?”

The boy suddenly stiffens and swallowing, he quickly rubs his eyes before he buries his face on
the scarf. Lost, Katsuki tries to comprehend what has just happened but Shouto finally talks. He
does it quietly and since he still has his face buried in the scarf, it’s kind of muffled.

“My father only yelled at my mother. I don’t want to go home because if I stay here at least I can
pretend I’ve a normal Christmas.”

Katsuki has never been one to stop and regard other people’s feelings. The whole ‘sympathise’
thing has always eluded him, nor that he has even tried to. His only aim in Hogwarts is to graduate
at the top, proving himself worth of being a wizard no matter his background, proving old warts
like Shouto’s father that pure-bloods can eat shit. He has never wanted to make friends or even
allies in his formation years, he never considered the idea of getting close with someone worth the
time… just like he has never stopped and considered the hypothetical situation where a celebration
so average and mundane as Christmas can be something unattainable or impossible for some kids.
He still remembers how surprised Shouto was last year with the whole snowball thing, just like he
was super excited when Katsuki’s birthday came and he gifted him some stupid book about the
history of magic; the book was neat don’t get him wrong, it was the fact that Shouto was more
excited about gifting it to Katsuki than anything, almost as if it was his birthday, not Katsuki ’s and
how he casually said, “it’s the first time I celebrate a friend’s birthday” and how can Katsuki
forget when he said, “you are my first friend Katsuki. Thank you.”?

Mouth dry, he stays silent as he looks ahead, at the same forest Shouto is looking at. He knows it’s
already too late to change certain things, but maybe he can still change some.

When Katsuki enters their bedroom, he sees the lump in Shouto’s bed. Going to his own bed, he
loudly drops his stuff and waits, but Shouto doesn’t even stir. Snorting, he takes the two steps that
separate their beds and kicks with all his might Shouto’s mattress… but nothing.

“Fucking unbelievable,” he mumbles. Pulling away all the bedclothes from Shouto’s body, he’s
going to scream at him when he stops as he sees the dry tear tracks on Shouto’s cheeks. “Fuck.”
He left earlier while everybody was packing and leaving because he had to send an owl back to his
family as they had sent a reply to his letter from last night. He had briefly explained to his parents
his decision and they have congratulated him, asking him what does Shouto like and then his old
man had ended the letter with:

I’m really proud of you Katsuki. I’m glad you are growing and becoming such a fine little man.
Your mom and I are really happy.

Sappy. His old man is a fucking sap.

Sitting on Shouto’s bed, he tucks away a couple of locks that are over his eyes before he pokes him
on the cheeks. When Shouto frowns, Katsuki grins and using both of his hands, he starts to play
with Shouto’s puffy cheeks like he has always secretly wanted to do. It’s just the bastard has such a
squishable round face…

Fluttering his eyes open, Shouto groans before he lightly slaps his hands away and mumbles
something unintelligible as he tries to roll away.

“Go away Kat.”

“Nope. Get up, you lazy ass.”

“Mmmh… no.”

Shouto offers him his back and places his pillow over his head, trying to muffle him. Kicking his
shoes off, Katsuki stands up on Shouto’s bed and starts to jump. He has seen some of the extras
doing it and so far none of the other beds has broken… and if it does at least it’ll be Shouto’s, not
his.

“Wake up halfie! WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!”

Shouto smacks him with the pillow twice before he throws it, aiming at his head. Katsuki laughs
and dropping on his knees he freezes as the bed cracks loudly. He sees how Shouto too, seems to
have stilled before he quickly turns around and with narrowed eyes he weakly tries to threaten him.
“If you break it, I’m taking yours.”

“I fucking dare you to even get closer to mine… I could help you switch it for one of the extras,
tho.”

“Deal, but you do most of the pushing.”

“Fuck no.”

Groaning, Shouto falls back and pouts. “Why did you wake me?”

“Because it’s not nighttime, dumbass, and if you keep sleeping now then what are you going to do
when you actually have to go to sleep?”

Shouto shrugs and offers him a half-hearted grunt. Katsuki stays silent, sitting on the edge of
Shouto’s bed as he waits for the other to finally wake up and realise. It’s okay, he knows Shouto
needs at least like half an hour before his brain reboots and he’s a decent human being or at least
one that can pass as functional. As he’s listing spells and mentally reciting and making the wand
moves while he waits, Shouto suddenly gasps and sits up staring at him with wide eyes and a
quivering lip.
“What are you doing here?” He whispers.

Katsuki shrugs. “The hag was getting on my nerves. I decided it’d be better if I stayed. Someone
has told me that the food is good and that there are free gifts for all the students so… Also, this
year we were going to my aunt’s house and as you know, I can’t withstand her. Annoying nosy
bitch.”

Shouto bites his lip as he observes him. Then he releases it and smiles.

It’s not a half or lopsided smile like always, the ones Katsuki is so used to see, no: it’s a real one.
Shouto is radiant with his front teeth peeking a little bit as his lips are slightly parted and the
corners of his eyes are crinkled. Katsuki’s breath hitches as he sees the twin dimples that appear on
the corners of his lips, next to his pump cheeks and oh no, don’t get him started with his eyes: they
are shinning.

Stunning. Shouto is simply breathtaking and as Katsuki is witness of this miracle that is Shouto
Todoroki smiling, like actually smiling… He feels weird. His stomach does a strange thing and he
suddenly feels his hands getting clammier as he feels and urge to— shove Shouto down against the
mattress. Yes. As he does it, he snorts and quickly grabs the pillow from the floor before he throws
it to his head.

“C’mon slowpoke! I’m hungry as fuck. Let’s go eat something.”

Shouto huffs and rolling his eyes, he stretches like a cat while he yawns. Almost three minutes
later, the lazy bastard slowly gets properly dressed and follows him towards the common room.

As they are getting down, Katsuki feels a little touch on his hand followed by a whispered,
“thanks.”

As he predicted, when night arrives Shouto is obviously not sleepy but Katsuki sure is. He can feel
his eyelids closing, getting heavier and heavier as Shouto keeps happily humming as they are
playing regular chess on his bed —no way Katsuki will ever play wizard’s chess on it and get
stabbed in the middle of the night with a shatter of it.

He moves his knight sloppily and he knows it because Shouto immediately kills it with his rook.
Feeling the eyes of the other on him makes him irritable. Grunting, he moves his queen and takes
down one of Shouto’s bishops… but leaves an entrance for a fucking pawn. Groaning, he stares at
the board with contempt and his companion laughs.

“Mmh, I’m sorry Katsuki but I’m not like you. For me a victory is a victory and I want to have,
how do you call it? Leverage? Yes, that over you.”

“Fuck off. This half-assed victory that by the way, you still don’t have; won’t affect me.”

“Really?” Shouto hums and moves his remaining bishop. “I think that in the end, your pride
doesn’t like losing, being it a half-assed one or not. But I might be wrong, of course. But so far
that’s what I’ve seen from our friendship.”

Katsuki mumbles a fuck off before moving his queen… and losing it because he has just left her
perfectly placed for Shouto to kill her. Huffing, he lies back on the bed and closes his eyes as he
throws an arm over his eyes.

“Are you tired already?”

Shouto stays silent and when he peeks at him, he sees him with a blinding smile. Pffft, as if this
victory counted.

“You didn’t deny it,” the boy finally whispers. Looking up, from the board to him, his true smile
finally reappears and once more, Katsuki’s breath hitches and he feels weird as he takes it in. Well,
now he knows why Shouto never smiles, it’s certainly a hazard. “You always reply ‘we are not
friends’ but this time you didn’t. I’m— thank you.”

Katsuki freezes as his clouded and sleepy brain recalls that yeah, he has just done that. Looking at
how happy Shouto seems and how empty the room and the castle is, he deems that whatever, not
denying something is not the same as admitting it, so he stays silent.

Shouto beams even more and starts to tide everything up, placing the game back on its place and
everything. As he comes back he seems to hesitate and stands in between their beds.

“Katsuki?”

“What?” He grunts hugging his pillow tightly. He feels so, so, tired.

“I’ve never done it but I believe there’s this thing called sleepovers, right?”

That rouses him. Sitting up, he points at Shouto’s bed and then at his. “The distance between our
beds is minimal.”

Shouto nods excitedly and pulling out his wand he bewitches his bed as he moves away and makes
the distance that Katsuki was pointing, disappear completely. Now their beds are touching and
before he can even complain, Shouto is worming his way inside his blankets and facing him with
that dumb smile of his that seems like only Katsuki knows about and how powerful it is.

“Just for tonight?” Shouto whispers. “Just for Christmas.”

“… okay. But if you somehow touch me during the night or disturb my sleep I swear I’m going to
kick you all the seven floors down, got it?”

Nodding, Shouto closes his eyes and sighs.

Observing their new bedroom disposition, Katsuki can’t avoid but roll his eyes. When Shouto
started to ask about a sleepover, he wasn’t expecting this, he thought Shouto wanted to sleep with
him, not right next to him. In a way, he feels a tad disappointed. Studying Shouto’s profile he
frowns as he realises what he has just thought. Why does he feel like that? Why would he want to
share his precious space with a little leech like Shouto who is dumb as fuck, clingy like a plague
and— He feels weird once more. The more he observes him, the weirder he feels. His fingers kind
of tingle and he feels the need to stretch his arm and touch Shouto, only to make sure he’s there.
How strange.

Forcing himself to close his eyes, he tries to sleep, but now he’s no longer sleepy.

“Oi, how does tomorrow exactly work?”

“What do you mean?”

“The present and feast shit.”

“Oh you see, the presents from the castle and your family should be at the feet of your bed. It’s a
spell and it doesn’t activate until you are sleep. The feast is like all meals, but Principal Nezu does
a Christmas speech, I think… I didn’t listen to it last year, I was kind of sleepy and too focused on
my hunger.”

Katsuki snorts as he can picture it. Shouto for looking so proper and serious is a goof. His brain is
empty except with dumb shit and food. It’s almost as if he only moved for basic needs like food,
sleep and repeat. Bastard.

“Weren’t you complaining about wanting to go to sleep?”

He throws a pillow at him and rolls over, giving his back to the asshole… who seems to be
chuckling.

“Die,” he hisses.

“Well, they say sleeping is like dying, so you too?”

He would be more offended if Shouto’s voice wasn’t kind of endearing. Stuffing his face into his
remaining pillow, Katsuki forces himself to fall asleep and it seems that Shouto’s breathing is what
does it. He focuses on its rhythm, the familiar beat of it and suddenly warmth that starts on his
chest spread through his body, surrounding it. He falls asleep with a tiny smile on his face…

… and wakes up with a heavy weight over him and something really soft and silky all over his
face.

Fluttering his eyes open, he sees red and white and from the hues of it and the extra warmth he has
over half of his body, he knows what it is or more like who it is. He pushes the other away and
rather than wake up and complain, Shouto simply makes a tiny sound before he sleepily seeks a
new pillow to smoother with his arms and keeps snoring.

Katsuki observes him with a pounding heart and a fluttery-like feeling on his stomach. What the?
Why was Shouto all over him? Rubbing his eyes, he suddenly recalls last night. Checking that he’s
still on his own bed he snorts as he sees that yeah, it was Shouto who somehow has moved and
ended cuddling with him on his bed.

“Clingy bastard. I’m calling it ever since day one. Oi, asshole! I told you to stay on your stupid bed
and to not disturb my sleep.” He pokes him on the shoulder and Shouto groans something before he
squirms and moves a little bit away from Katsuki’s range of touch.

Snorting, he keeps poking him until Shouto rolls over and slaps his hand away with a deep scowl.
“Five minutes more.” And then he tries to go back to sleep.

Katsuki laughs. He falls back against his pillows and laughs loudly as Shouto keeps groaning and
complaining. Gosh, this is priceless. Teasing Shouto to get up is the best. Kicking his legs, he
keeps chuckling as Shouto groans louder and louder.

“I hate you,” Shouto mumbles before he yawns and stretches. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he sits up
and hums lowly as he looks around. “It’s too early, Katsuki. We don’t have class today.”

Snorting, he kicks him once more and receives a pillow in the face. “Oi dumbass, merry Christmas
and all that.”

The effect is immediate. Shouto quickly blinks and his scowl transforms into an easy tiny smile.
“Merry Christmas to you too Katsuki. Shall we open our presents?”

“Sure thing, halfie.”

“Mmh, I wonder what Fuyumi has sent me this year—” Shouto stops talking as he crawls his way
down to the bed. It makes Katsuki frown and he too, quickly gets down as he fears the worse…
and it is. Shouto only has two presents, while he has— “I’ve two.” Shouto mumbles with
happiness. Glancing up, he smiles at Katsuki with another pure smile and this one is even more
blinding than the previous ones. “Two,” he says again.

“What… what do you mean?” He asks him slowly, fearing the implications of it.

Bouncing, Shouto picks the two presents and caressing them as if they were the most precious
thing he has ever held, he glances at him. “Only Fuyumi sends me stuff. I mean, her presents are
also from Natsuo, but that’s it. Oh, I wonder if maybe this year Natsu has gifted me something…”

Katsuki can’t believe this shit. “Isn’t your father loaded?”

It’s a wrong move, as Shouto freezes and his face falls. With his nail playing with the tape of a
wrapper, he whispers, “my father doesn’t like Christmas. He—” Clenching his fists, Shouto
glances up and Katsuki immediately hates the blank expression he sees on his face. Where is all
that emotion he had just few minutes ago? Where is the radiant boy? “He doesn’t like that I stay
here.”

“So he choses to not send you anything?”

Shouto scoffs. “Well, he does send me howlers to remind me what an ungrateful son I am.”

Katsuki sees red. “Fuck him.” He says it with spite and from the bottom of his heart.

“Yeah, fuck him!” Then Shouto chuckles and offering him a lopsided smile, he bites his lip. “Is
it… is the other yours?”

Katsuki’s mouth dries and glancing away, he nods curtly. “From me and my folks.”

“Oh. I’m sorry Katsuki. I’m an awful friend, I haven’t—”

“Doesn’t matter. Just… just open the fucking thing and pretend you like it even if you don’t.”

“Of course I’ll like it!” Shouto protests. “If it’s from you, I’m bound to love it.”

“Whatever,” he mumbles embarrassed.

Once more, he feels weird. As Shouto opens the first present, he observes him, rather than opening
his own. The way Shouto so careful peels the tape away with shinning eyes and his marvelled
expression as he pulls out a beige sweater that looks really soft along with a card. Shouto caresses
the sweater and then offers it to Katsuki to do the same as he reads the card.

Smiling with sadness, he places the card down and looks through the window for a couple of
minutes before he picks Katsuki’s present. “Thank you Katsuki.”

“Tsk, you haven’t even opened it, dumbass. What are you thanking me for?”
Shouto ignores him as he starts to peel the tape in the same manner he did before, really careful to
not break the paper and Katsuki wants to scream. He’s completely nervous and wants to get over
with it as he wants to see Shouto’s actual reaction to what’s inside. As the last piece of tape is off,
he swears he feels almost as if he could bite his nails off.

Shouto’s face becomes blank for a couple of seconds before he beams. Picking it up, he holds the
Gryffindor coloured scarf Mitsuki has made. It looks identical to the compulsory ones they have to
wear along with their uniforms but this one has: “Cat paws.” Caressing the tiny black cat paws
Mitsuki has embroidered on the ends of the scarf, Katsuki clears his throat as Shouto keeps
caressing it with awe. “Th-thank you so mu—”

“There’s more.”

Blinking, Shouto pulls out the scarf and gasps before he raises the matching pair of gloves.
“Katsu…”

“I expect to never ever again see your dumbass with frozen fingers or a bare neck, got it?”

Nodding, Shouto puts on the gloves and then the scarf. “Can I wear it?”

“What the heck are you going to do with it if not?”

“No, I mean everyday.”

“Except on summer, yeah… idiot. That’s why I told mom to make the paws little. Rules say we’ve
to wear our uniforms so there, the matching scarf the uniform has… but personalised and it’s tiny
enough no one can say shit. I’ve seen guys with enamels pins on their robes, so if someone says
anything, fuck them.”

Shouto approaches him and hesitantly places a hand over his forearm before he gives it a soft
squeeze.

“Thank you so much, Katsuki. This is the second year I feel I’m celebrating proper Christmas and
it’s all thanks to you.”

“What the? Last year I wasn’t here.”

“No, you weren’t,” Shouto agrees. “But even if you came a couple of days later, you gave me your
friendship and snowball fights. Thank you.”

His face feels on fire. He feels strange since last night and he doesn’t like it. He wants… he
wants… he wants to punch Shouto for making him feel strange, yeah, but since he doesn’t want to
hurt him, he simply pushes him away and starts to tear away the paper of his gifts under Shouto’s
eyes as the boy keeps playing with the ends of his scarf with a stupid smile. Dumbass… Shouto is
an absolute dumbass.
 3rd Year
Chapter Summary

“He’s coming home with me.”

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Writing the last sentence of his exam, Katsuki smirks as he checks the time and sees he still has
over twenty minutes to review all his answers and add more information to get even a better score.
As he’s adding some data about how arithmancy helped in the wizard war of the XIV century, he
sees Shouto handing his before he waves at him and pointing at the hall he mouths, “I’ll be waiting
outside.”

Rolling his eyes, Katsuki makes a face, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes as he already
knew that: Shouto has been doing the same for the past two years ever since they became friends.
Stupid candy cane.

Speeding up the rest of his exam review, he quickly gathers all his quills, ink and leftover paper
and hands his exam without even glancing at the teacher as his eyes are fixed on the door where he
can see Shouto’s robe peeking from a corner.

“Oi dumbass, what did you answer in the fifth question?” Is the first thing he says the second he’s
past the threshold.

Shouto hums and shrugs as he starts to move away, towards the staircase. “Just five paragraphs of
what we studied yesterday on the library.”

“Motherfucker! I already know we studied that yesterday! I’m asking you what did you write…
and what do you mean five?” He thinks he has written like four paragraphs! Lengthy ones for sure,
but still four, not five.

Shouto snickers and keeps moving, ignoring his question completely. Katsuki grabs him from the
back of his robe and pulls him in a headlock as he starts to mess with his hair. Shouto huffs and
tries to move away, but Katsuki doesn’t let him go until they reach the stairs. The castle of
Hogwarts might be the safest place against curses and evil forces… but it’s a hazard on itself: old
as fuck and with lethal stones everywhere, yeah they better not mess around the staircase.

He keeps taunting Shouto, trying to get an actual answer out of him even if he doesn’t even care
about the stupid exam anymore. They are getting closer to the great hall when Kirishima, a newbie
in Gryffindor calls for them.

“Bakugou, Todoroki! I think third years are being asked to go to Present Mic’s class.”

“Thank you,” Shouto mumbles before he grabs Katsuki from his wrist and starts to pull of him.
“I’m hungry,” he hisses. “We need to get over with this as soon as possible… you haven’t done
anything, now have you?”

Katsuki gasps offended. “Me? I’m a model student!”

“Yes, yes you are… except for that attitude of yours. Seriously Katsuki, you should stop getting
into screaming matches with the poltergeists nor anyone from Ravenclaw over who is right and
who is wrong. You know they are the house of wisdom, right?”

“Pfft, and if I want I could easily beat them.”

Shouto offers him a smile. “I know. You could easily be in any of the houses.”

“What do you mean?” He asks him shocked.

“Well, you definitely have Slytherin’s ambition, Ravenclaw’s intelligence, Hufflepuff’s loyalty and
of course, Gryffindor’s bravery. Those are just some examples, but you actually have many more
qualities.”

Speechless, he feels a little bit dizzy as he takes in what Shouto has just said. Of course he knows
he’s awesome and all those things… but hearing them coming from someone that actually means
them feels different — and damn it, he does care about what Shouto thinks. As they reach Present
Mic’s class, he sees they are not the last ones, of course not, a couple of their classmates are still
doing the test, but since arithmancy is an elective, the others that take divination are already here.

Cracking his neck, he sits carelessly in one of the desks and kicks the chair next to his for Shouto
to do the same. As the boy does, he kicks him lightly on the calf. “C’mon halfie, answer me once
and for all.”

“I no longer remember the contents of the test.”

And Katsuki knows he’s not even lying. Groaning, he leans back on the chair and glares at the
ceiling, wondering what their Charms teacher might want now from them.

Clearing his throat as the last student arrives, Present Mic claps his hands and calls for their
attention. “As you know, Miss Kayama is currently out for family reasons, so she has asked me to
take her duties which means that you have to tell me if you are staying or going home for
Christmas.”

“Seriously?” Someone says. “Professor, couldn’t you have asked us tomorrow during, I don’t
know, class?”

Katsuki wants to agree with him but stealing a glance at Shouto, he’s kind of glad that Mic has
decided to do it like this… but the extra’s comment gives him the perfect opening as he would
rather not have any witness for what he’s about to do.

“Oi, once you have given him your answer, just leave the class.” Looking at Mic he raises a brow.
“That’s good, right?”

The professor twists his moustache and nods. “Yeah, yes of course. Once you give me your
answer, you can leave. I only need to know whether you are going or staying. You already know
the drill ladies and gentlemen. Well, let’s start with the girls.”

Katsuki disconnects and avoids looking at Shouto as his stomach twists with knots. Once all the
girls are asked, they leave like a flock and then his name is called.

“Bakugou?”

“Home.”
He stays right where he is and no one seems shocked. As the class slowly gets empty, it’s only the
two of them and three more boys waiting for his friend’s turn when Shouto’s turn arrives.

“Todoroki?”

“Sta—”

“Leaving,” Katsuki shouts, cutting Shouto. Mic frowns and it makes him click his tongue. “He’s
coming home with me.”

He feels his face growing hot as he can feel way too many eyes on him, so once he sees Mic has
wrote it down, he simply stands up and leaves with Shouto hot on his heels.

“Katsu—”

“The hag insisted. The old man too.” Turning around, he finally dares to look at Shouto. “Are you
okay with it?”

He sees Shouto shaking, especially his arms and how harshly he’s clenching his fists on his sides.
It surprises Katsuki, because if playing Quidditch has taught him something is how to read a
person’s body language and right now Shouto’s screams: I want to hug you but I’m holding back.

Swallowing, he tries to get rid of the lump that has appeared on his throat as he nods and resumes
walking.

“Thank you Katsuki,” Shouto whispers as they reach their common room.

“Whatever.”

For the first time, Shouto is packing and it’s obvious he has no idea of what to do. Don’t get him
wrong, he knows how to but he has always packed all his shit to go back home for the summer,
never for a brief period like now, and Katsuki has to admit that at first it was kind of hilarious to
see him putting on his summer clothes on the trunk only for him to realise a couple of beats later
that yeah, Katsuki’s house is located within the country and right now it’s winter in this side of the
hemisphere so yeah, no summer clothes. The idiot even mumbled it along as he was moving
around, making Katsuki lose it.

So yeah, it was fun… now it’s kind of exasperating.

Huffing, he stomps his way there —which only takes him three steps because of course they are
still bed-neighbours— and moving Shouto around, he makes him sit and barks, “stay fucking put
and don’t get in my way.”

He’s almost done when he hears someone chuckle and say, “man, Bakugou knows where Todoroki
has his things even better than he does.”

“True. Remember that morning Todo couldn’t find his blazer and Bakugou yelled from downstair
the precise instructions for him to find it? Hilarious.”

A deadly glare works and the merry-band of extras vanishes into thin air. As he’s finishing
Shouto’s trunk, someone knocks on the door. Since it’s so weird that that happens, Katsuki glances
over his shoulder and sees it’s Kirishima.
“What’s up?” He doesn’t find the boy too insufferable. He’s a rabid Quidditch fan and claimed he
wants to join the team next year. Since Katsuki is a beater and one of the best —something his
stats proof, not only his own personal opinion— Kirishima has been following him around, asking
him for advice. At first it was kind of bothersome but somehow the boy has got under his skin…
kinda like Shouto did.

“Oh, the coach wants to have a last minute meeting. You know we have the match on the third day
after classes resume.”

“Yeah shitty-hair, I know my schedule.”

Kirishima nods and approaches them. “Todoroki, can I join you to cheer for him?”

“Of course.”

Rolling his eyes, he closes the trunk and rasps it with his knuckles. “Oi, everything is already
inside and perfectly placed, aka: don’t fuck it up. I’ve left you some clothes to use tonight and for
tomorrow when we take the train. Do not open it. I mean it Shouto.”

Nodding, the other boy stands up and much to his annoyance plummets into his bed before he
grabs one of the books he has on his nightstand.

“Isn’t that your bed?” Kirishima pipes.

“Yeah. Fucker has that nasty habit of not giving a fuck about boundaries.”

Kirishima hums and seems to be ready to say something before he shakes his head and simply
turns around. Katsuki frowns and follows him. “Oi, something on your mind? Then fucking say it.”

“Nothing it’s just… I’ve seen Todoroki around, I mean without you. He’s different. If I had to
describe him I’d say he’s to opposite of stepping over people’s boundaries, just saying.”

“What does that mean?”

Kirishima seems amused before he shrugs. “If you had to ask an eleven year old for that kind of
advice it means you really need help and I’m not the most suited. Try to ask someone in a
relationship.”

There are so many things Katsuki wants to retort and ask Kirishima what the heck does he mean,
but the one that resonates with him the most is the help part.

“I NEED NO ONE’S HELP!”

Walking down his street with Shouto right next to him feels weird. His parents offered to pick them
up on the station but Katsuki refused, arguing that he wanted to show Shouto around. The excuse
worked as Mitsuki backed down immediately. He can already tell that his mom is going to be
enamoured by Shouto; she’s already been nagging him non-stop about the other boy ever since last
year, asking him endless questions about his friend and demanding Katsuki to do something other
than just send owls back and forth during summer, but to actually invite Shouto to spend some days
with them… Katsuki considered it, he was almost tempted to ask Shouto if he wanted to come
around and visit, but when the other mentioned that he was going to live with his sister the rest of
the summer, he simply gave up the idea. He knows how much Shouto loves his big sister and how
much he craves the sense of a family. The reason why Shouto doesn’t spend Christmas with her is
because she’s working and since she’s a teacher in another boarding school, she can’t take Shouto
in.

“What is that?” Shouto whispers as he points at a stupid gnome statue one of his neighbours has.

“That’s an ornament. Shit muggles have to decorate their gardens.”

“Oh. I’ve never seen one like that… I think.”

This is also one of the reasons why he first hated Shouto so much before he got to know him: he
thought Shouto was like his father, a pure-blood that looked down at everybody else who had
some mixed blood… or someone like Katsuki, whose father is a muggle. Heck, his mom is also a
half-blood, so yeah, Katsuki’s blood is less than perfect but that doesn’t mean that he’s less of a
wizard. But Shouto is nothing like that. Yet, he’s still a little bit wary about introducing him to his
dad. It’s not as if they have ever discussed muggles, so who knows and neither has taken Muggle
Studies either so he’s going in blind right now.

“This is my place.”

Shouto tilts his head as he studies his house. “I like it. It has a lot of windows that are big. Mine has
a lot of small ones. I also like the flowers.”

That makes Katsuki chuckle. “Of course you do, you flowery witch.” The insult comes out too soft
as he can’t avoid but remember how excited Shouto is whenever they have herbology class and
how somehow he always ends up with dirt on his cheek and clothes as he likes to work with the
plants, offering himself voluntary whenever he has the chance. It’s pretty much the only class he
talks without a teacher forcing him to do so.

“On Christmas muggles do this market thing in the centre of the town, there are some stalls with
flowers and plants. Non-magical ones… would you like to go?”

“Yes!”

Shouto’s excitement is so palpable it makes Katsuki do a double take. Nodding numbly, he opens
the front gate of his house and mumbles the name of some of the flowers his mom has. Shouto
approaches them all and gently caresses them, sniffing their fragrance and comparing them to some
magical ones Katsuki has never heard of. It’s so weird. He and Shouto come from such different
places…

The front door opens and Mitsuki starts to yell.

“BRAAAT! Is this way of treating a guest?” Then she switches and becomes all sweet and gentle.
“Shouto honey, welcome. Please, allow me to hug you. Oh my, you are so handsome. Can I?”

She opens her arms and Shouto seems kind of spooked, which makes Katsuki snort as Mitsuki
hisses at him like a cat. Then she approaches Shouto and simply hugs him, mumbling praises.
Shouto looks ridiculous as he stays completely stiff between her arms, looking at Katsuki in pure
panic as he silently asks him for help regarding what to do.

“Push her down the street. When the dumpster truck is around if you can.”

That earns him a soundly smack in the back of his head, but oh, so worth it. As he and his mom are
going at it, yelling back and forth, his dad peeks from the door and quietly approaches Shouto,
offering him his hand and apologising for the show.
“What show?” Both Katsuki and Mitsuki growl.

Masaru raises his hands and tries to calm them. “Why don’t we take care of Shouto’s things,
moving them inside and show him around? Mitsuki, you could give him a tour, showing where
everything is and Katsuki, you could help me install him on your room.” Then he glances at
Shouto. “Is it okay if you two share a room? We have a spare one for guests but we thought that
since you already share one in Hogwarts and you don’t know us, you would be more comfortable
staying with Katsuki.”

“Yes thank you, I like being with Katsuki.”

“Oh, so polite!” Mitsuki says elbowing Katsuki.

“Hag please, don’t fail for the trick. Shouto is not polite. He’s as bad as I am. Just pulls it out with
his stupid big doe eyes.”

Mitsuki hits him again as Shouto blinks. “Doe eyes? What is that?”

Masaru offers him a smile and starts to carry his trunk all the way inside. Once they enter the
house, Mitsuki uses magic to send all their belongings upstairs before she starts to give Shouto the
most boring tour of the world. As she’s going on about their wonderful new blender and worst of
all, Shouto goes on and asks her questions about it with equal amazement. Katsuki wants to smash
his own head against a wall… until Masaru gently grabs him from his arm and points upstairs.

“He’s a pure-blood, isn’t he? Then I bet he’s amazed by all our muggle things.”

Shit, of course his old man is right. Shouto’s been asking him non-stop about every stupid thing
they have come across ever since they left King’s Cross station.

“You know who his father is, right?” Katsuki darkly mumbles.

Masaru observes him. Even if Katsuki is glaring at his desk, he can feel his father’s eyes on him,
the silent question. His dad squeezes his shoulder. “I also know you like him a lot and if you’ve
insisted so much on bringing him here and have stayed with him for so long, he must be a good
person.” Katsuki’s head snaps up as he wants to deny all that but the smile on his father’s eyes
stops him. “You are a good kid, Katsu. I’ve always known that beyond that temper of yours, you
are just like your mother: a golden heart that is willing to give his best at those they love.”

“I’m not like the hag,” he finally sputters.

Laughing, his father ruffles his hair. “Oh yeah, my genes are clearly visible… although you’d also
rock being a brunette.”

“I’d rock any hairstyle.”

“That, you would.”

Deeming the conversation is over, he starts to unpack some of Shouto’s things and places them on
the space his parents have cleared for them on his closet, while his dad does the same but with his
own things.

“Won’t your friend, mind?”

“Hah? I packed his shit. Fool was doubting the whole time and even considered bringing some of
his stupid summer clothes. That’s where I traced the line. Stupid. He’s soo fucking dumb, I swear.”
Masaru stays silent but with a tiny grin that makes Katsuki be on the edge as he doesn’t like it. As
he’s finishing unpacking everything, he likes even less how much time has been going on ever
since they left Mitsuki all alone with Shouto… he rushes downstairs, skipping a couple of steps
and finds his mom and Shouto still in the kitchen, Mitsuki using her wand as she makes some
ingredients fly all over the kitchen and Shouto is softly talking about his sister.

“We are making cookies,” Shouto says once he sees Katsuki on the threshold. “Your mother says
we can make them Christmas themed and eat them after dinner. Isn’t it wonderful? I’ve never done
cookies and we are going to use the blender! Did you know the latest model of the FT- series 3000
turbo is the best in the market?”

He can feel his smile making his way on his face… as well as his mom’s eyes, so he forces himself
to scowl. “The f-what? Hag, since when are you one of those peddlers that goes around houses
selling trinkets?”

His mom smacks him and Shouto asks, “trinkets? Peddlers? What is that?”

“Trinkets are stupid and useless things.”

Shouto gasps offended and points at the dumb gizmo. “But this blender is not stupid Katsuki!
Muggles are truly awesome. They have objects that do all their work for them… I think I’d like to
study muggle studies next year. They seem so awesome,” he whispers with awe. “I’d use a spell to
blend food Katsuki but your mom uses the FT-series 3000 and—”

“Please stop it,” he cuts him with a grimace. “Now you sound like a broken record. Stop calling
that thing by its full name as if you were an info-commercial.”

“A what?”

Rolling his eyes, Katsuki picks up the tv remote control and turns it on as he quickly seeks one of
those bullshit channels that only showcases an endless parade of awful ads with shit no one truly
needs. Shouto seems amazed and Katsuki curtly explains to him that they are a scam.

“They are peddlers?”

“Yeah, no, kind of. What I meant is that some muggles work as sellers that go around houses
selling those kinds of things. Like, they come into your house and open their suitcase and show off
all their merchandise, proclaiming their shit is the best and that you need it to go on with your life
because everything is easier with it and blah, blah, blah. Lies.”

Shouto nods. “I see… I don’t think anyone has ever come to my house with such intentions. Then
again, I highly doubt someone would be willing to come around.”

“I would,” he says without thinking. Shouto’s eyes widen as he turns around and faces him.
Katsuki feels his face warmer than usual and quickly rushes, “just to fetch you. Yeah, like if in
summer you want to hang out or something I would go there to visit you or break you out of your
house or— FUCKING HELL!”

“KATSUKI WATCH YOUR MOUTH!”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Turning around, he choses to fight with his mom as he’s
desperate to move away from Shouto and his stupid pretty eyes that are watching him in a strange
way and making him feel in that way ever since last year. Gosh, he still has no idea of what it
means, but sometimes Shouto almost makes him want to throw up, or feel as if… and not in a bad
way, like the way he feels is just weird but not bad-bad and that messes with his head even more.
His mom bites the bait and starts to hit him and yell even louder as he screams back. Before
Katsuki realises, he’s angrily mixing some ingredients on a bowl as he and his mom are still going
at it. She’s now branding a spatula as a weapon as she threatens him while she keeps stirring
something as well.

Shouto is on a side, watching them with a tiny smile.

“Oi, oi, oi! Candy cane weren’t you the one who wanted to do shit?”

“KATSUKI!”

“SHUT UP HAG!” Approaching Shouto, he grabs him from his wrist and drags him all the way to
where he has left the bowl. “Alright, grab this and start to mix it while I add the sugar. You need to
do it like this so no lumps appear, okay?”

“Yes, I think I do.”

The cookies look neat and Shouto is beaming with excitement on his side as he tugs of his arm a
little and whispers, “we made those. I made those.”

Katsuki blinks and sighs as he cleans away some flour Shouto still had on his cheek. “Yeah, yeah,
you did halfie…”

It’s a nice and quiet moment until Mitsuki snaps a picture of the two of them and Katsuki starts to
scream and run after her, demanding her to delete it. When he returns to the kitchen, he stops before
entering as he sees Shouto with a stupid smile, caressing the edge of the tray where the cookies are.
He’s so cute, softly smiling at the stupid cookies, eyes glistening from happiness and—

Wait, wait, wait. Did I just call Shouto cute?

His internal panic gets cut as Mitsuki pushes him inside the kitchen. “What are you doing in the
door? Did you forget to walk?” Katsuki is ready to snap at her, when she snorts and winks at him
before she points with her chin at Shouto and whispers, “I see, I see… soooo a friend, huh?”

He has no idea of what that voice tone means, but whatever it might be, he doesn’t like it. He
doesn’t like the way his mom is smiling as she glances between him and Shouto, back and forth as
if it was a ping-pong match. It’s ridiculous and getting on his nerves.

“Boys, would you like to come with me shopping?”

Just in time, Masaru joins them and Katsuki takes it as he wants to be as far away from his mom as
he can. Shoving one cookie into Shouto’s mouth, he grabs him from his wrist and starts to drag
him all the way to the garage.

Shouto happily chews the cookie and gets on the car, observing it with eyes full of curiosity.
Katsuki rolls his eyes and helps him with the seatbelt before he curtly tells him everything he
knows about cars.

“Oh, they are better than brooms when it’s raining.”

“Tsk, yeah I guess… but one can’t play Quidditch with a car.”
Shouto offers him a lopsided smile that makes Katsuki squeeze his thighs as he feels once more
something strange. “You really like it, don’t you?”

“Y-yeah.” Clearing his throat he tries again as he can’t believe that meek answer has just come
from him. “Yeah. Mom showed me what it was and then one day she took us to see a match. It was
really cool, but you know, with my dad we couldn’t really see too many of them…” He recalls how
for the first time he realised that some wizards thought lowly of his father due to his muggle status.
It’s a painful memory, so he tries to quickly move on. “Anyway, as you know last year
Gryffindor’s team was full so I waited for this year and now… voilà!”

“You truly are an amazing beater,” Shouto says.

Masaru gets in the car and glances at them. “Ready boys?”

“Yeah, we’ve our seatbelts.”

“What’s their usage?” Shouto pipes.

Masaru chuckles. “They offer protection. Let’s pray it doesn’t happen, but if we get in an accident,
they hold you down, against the seat so you don’t get hurt… or too much hurt.”

Shouto touches the belt, inspecting it as he pulls it a little bit and studies it. “I see. Wow, you
muggles are truly awesome.” Then he looks at his dad and offers him one of those smiles that only
Katsuki had so far got the privilege of seeing.

On one hand, he’s happy to see that his initial fears and prejudices about Shouto are trash, but on
the other, he’s kind of pissed that now someone else that is not him has got to see that side of
Shouto. It’s kind of unfair. Shouto is his friend. His dumbass. He’s the one who’s been with him
for two whole years and his father has got to know him for what? A couple of hours? Fucking
unfair that he’s been gifted with one of Shouto’s rare smiles.

His momentary teenage brood gets soon forgotten as Shouto starts to grab and shake him from his
arm as he keeps asking him a hundred of questions per minute regarding everything. They see a
mailman and Shouto is amazed that a human does the job of owls; then they see some kids on
skateboards and Shouto is even more shocked as he never considered that a board could have
wheels and be a toy… every mundane thing that has always been meaningless for Katsuki, just
mere background noise, is an amazing discovery for Shouto. It breaks his heart as much as it
warms it. He starts to make a mental list of everything they can do before their vacation period
ends as he wants to make this a memorable experience for the other.

Once they reach the commercial district, he gets out of the car and quickly hurries to Shouto’s side,
afraid the other might get lost amidst the crowd or wander too far away, but Shouto is simply
staying where he is, eyes wide open and mouth shaped in a tiny o as he takes in everything that
surrounds them. Gently, Katsuki guides him and as they enter all the shops his dad has to, he
remembers the first time he went to the Diagon Alley and saw what magic stores were like… now
it’s the same but the other way around. He explains to Shouto how muggle money works and
Shouto whispers and points that credit cards do sound like magic. That makes him snort and leads
them to computers. Katsuki has always found kind of annoying how wizards and witches are so
beyond in the technological aspect, yeah, they can make anything with magic but you give them a
smartphone and a brick and they can barely tell the difference.

“Dad, mind if I show Shouto the cybercafe a couple of streets over?”

Masaru frowns. “I don’t know, it’s kind of late and it’s kind of crowded out here Katsu.”
“C’mon,” then whispering he adds, “I’m Gryffindor’s beater. You know I’ve played in the middle
of a thunderstorm for almost nine hours and nothing happened.”

“Yes, but you were under direct supervision of adults, Katsuki.”

Huffing, he glares at a wall. Shouto intercedes. “It’s fine. Maybe once you are done, you can walk
us there, Masaru.”

“That I can do.”

Rolling his eyes, he punches Shouto on the shoulder and parrots low enough for only he to hear,
“Masaru?”

“Your father asked me to call him that. Your mother too… after she said I could call her mom if I
wanted. I think something got inside her eye as well. She was blinking weirdly.”

Katsuki wants to kill her. He feels all murderous all of the sudden. Seething, he thinks of possible
ways he can get revenge in a painful and extra annoying way. Fuck his hag, seriously. Fuck her.
His dad finishes shopping and stops as he sees him. “Katsu? What’s wrong son? Are you still—?”

“I’m gonna kill her.”

Laughing, his dad shakes his head. “That’s not a nice thing to say about your mom, son.”

“Then she should stop being a shitty mother for once.”

Masaru keeps looking at him with amusement before he asks Shouto if there is any shop he would
like to visit before they go to the cybercafe. Shouto considers it and mumbles that the flower shop
looked interesting.

“Of course you would chose that one. You truly are a flowery witch, huh? Dad, don’t you have
some gardening books back home? Think you could lend them to us? Shouto is really interested in
muggle plants.”

His dad is looking at them with an… interesting expression that he quickly tries to hide as Katsuki
frowns as he looks back at him.

When they enter the flower shop, the smell of plants and greenery overwhelms him and it’s kind of
weird but he can already tell from just the smell that this place is different from the greenhouse
Hogwarts has. That place smells like dirt and magic while this one is more flowery. Hogwarts also
smells like rain and like Shouto he guesses, since the boy is always there after class, helping
around and dragging Katsuki with him unless he has Quidditch practice… but when that happens,
Shouto always comes to give him ‘moral support’.

“These are roses, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do they have properties or an usage?”

Katsuki frowns and scratching the back of his neck, he glances around and seeing that no one is
around he says, “love. I think most people gift them to people they love. The red ones especially.”

Shouto’s breath hitches and a soft smile appears on his face. “How beautiful. That’s wonderful
Katsuki. I think I’ve seen roses around, they do exist in our world too of course, but decorative
plants are not that common… Love. Wonderful. Muggles are simply wonderful.”

Katsuki’s mouth is drier than the Sahara. He feels his fingers tingling and as he looks at Shouto he
wants to blurt, you are wonderful too, and that sudden thought scares him, because what the heck?
Like okay, yeah, Shouto is wonderful but why? Why is he thinking this now? From where are
these thoughts coming and why does he have this urge to tuck behind Shouto’s ear that stupid lock
of red hair that is all over his scarred eye?

Before he can do anything, Shouto is already moving towards some tables that are in the middle of
the shop, displaying some poinsettias.

“What are these and why are there so many?”

“They are poinsettias or Christmas flowers. Most people buy them for this time of the year. They
are pretty I guess, but they only last a week or even less.”

“What? That’s awful,” Shouto mumbles.

“Yeah well, muggles don’t have magic to keep their flowers alive and most only buy them for
decoration, knowing they won’t last that much.”

“But they are living beings,” Shouto insists.

“They are not mandrakes, Sho. They have no feelings.”

“How do you know? Have you asked?”

“Please, do not come close any vegetarian I’m begging you. Refrain yourself from them.”

“What’s that?”

“Nothing!” He quickly snaps, fearing that Shouto, an unconditional lover of cats might end up
becoming one of them. Gosh no, he knows the boy and every single time Katsuki eats meat, he
knows Shouto will pout and silently try to convey his love for veggies. Hell no.

“Katsu?”

“Do you want a rose?” He blurts. He has no idea why that flower in particular, perhaps because
they have just come from there and because he has the eerie feeling that a beautiful flower like a
rose will suit Shouto, but that’s what comes from his mouth.

Shouto blinks slowly and then Katsuki swears he sees a faint hue of red on his cheeks, before he
glances away and shyly nods.

This is the first time he has seen Shouto act like this. The boy is forward, blunt and shameless… so
why is he now acting like this? Why is he behaving like a shy maiden? Confused, he heads towards
the roses and picks up a couple that are dark red as they seem to be the most beautiful ones the
shop has, and goes to the counter to pay for them. He has some spare money and as the girl asks
him if he wants them in a little piece of paper, Katsuki shakes his head and simply asks her to take
away the thorns as he knows Shouto is going to caress them and it would be unfortunate if he
stabbed himself with his present.

Once he has the flowers, he finds Shouto still in the same place he left him and as he offers him the
flowers with a curt, “here you go.” Then he sees it: Shouto is blushing and his eyes hold a myriad
of emotions he can’t even begin to describe them. Lost, he blurts once more, “why the fuck are you
acting like this?”

Biting his lip, Shouto takes the flowers. “You said… you said gifting roses meant love. Red ones,”
he raises his, “you said that these especially meant love… Thank you. I also think very highly of
our friendship, Katsuki.”

If a bludger had hit him in the face he would be a hundred times better than how he is now.

He’s an idiot. Yeah, that’s what he is. Feeling his face on fire and knowing now it’s him who is
blushing like crazy, he tries to explain himself, but the only thing that comes out of his mouth are a
series of squeaks and half-started words that lead to nowhere. Until he finally manages to say,
“SHUT UP IDIOT!” And then he storms out of the shop, fuming as he can’t believe this shit.

Masaru quickly follows him and behind him there’s Shouto, who is still looking at the roses with a
dopey expression. His father asks him what is wrong and at the silence Katsuki offers him, he
glances at Shouto and then chuckles before he looks at Katsuki with once more that stupid
expression he had before.

“What?” He snaps.

Shaking his head, his dad smiles. “Nothing Katsu… it’s just, you are growing so fast. Mitsuki told
me and I thought she was wrong but I guess I was the one who was wrong. Katsuki,” his dad
approaches him and squeezes his shoulder. “You know I would never care about that, right? Not
me nor your mom. Love is love.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Moving away, he gets free of his father’s touch. “Geez old
man, did you trip on that shitty store or what? Hit your head with a hanging potted plant? Stop
spilling weird bullshit and hah! Highly doubt the hag is right about anything.”

His dad keeps looking at him like that for a couple more of seconds before he offers them to go to
the cybercafe. Once they reach it, he leaves them be, paying for an hour on a computer and some
hot chocolates for the two of them as he excuses himself to Shouto, explaining that he still needs to
do more shopping.

Shouto observes everything marvelled and whispers more questions at Katsuki until he hushes as
he discovers what a computer and Internet are like. It’s kind of fascinating seeing how Shouto is
constantly amazed by everything. If you press a button the computer screen turns on? Wow,
incredible. If you press a letter on the keyboard it appears on the screen? Like magic. You can
communicate with someone from the other side of the world in seconds? That’s even faster than
with an owl!

The hour passes by in a blink and Katsuki observes how in all that time, Shouto never let go of his
roses, not even for a second.

Dinner goes by in the same way it always goes in the Bakugou household: full of screams, hits in
the back of the head, delicious food, more screams and Mitsuki and Katsuki fighting while Masaru
tries to call for peace. But now Shouto is there too and the main source of why Mitsuki and
Katsuki are constantly fighting.

His mom is getting on his nerves even more than usual. She keeps smirking and every single time
Katsuki does something she doesn’t like, she somehow brings up the stupid roses… He’s tempted
to burn them down if it wasn’t because Shouto keeps brightening whenever the flowers are brought
into light. Katsuki can see the boy stealing glances at the little vase Mitsuki has lent him to keep
the roses and the tiny smile that appears on his face whenever that happens.

The weird feeling on his stomach keeps happening the whole night and for a second he’s tempted
to tell his mom so he can annoy her by implying her food is shit and to get some medicine or
remedy against stomachache but he doesn’t.

Finally, they are free to get upstairs to his room and the second the door closes, Katsuki lets out a
huge sigh as he rolls his shoulders. Today has been an exhausting day and he can’t believe this
morning he was in Hogwarts and that tomorrow is Christmas’ Eve.

As he plummets down his bed, he sees Shouto observing his room while he holds the vase with the
flowers of discord.

“Leave them on the desk.”

“Oh, okay. So, where am I sleeping?”

Sighing, he throws an arm over his face and grimaces. “Much to my dismay, here.”

“I know that. Your parents said so—”

“No dumbass, I mean in my bed. There’s only one bed and as you can see it’s a queen size. Mom
bewitched it to make it bigger. She’s an idiot and mumbled something about a sleepover.”

“Oh, you mean like the one we had last year?”

His stomach twists again as he recalls how the morning after that he woke up with Shouto over
him. Standing up, he hastily leaves his room as he heads for the bathroom. He’s pretty sure his
parents have to have some medicine for the stomach because this is most definitely not normal.
Perhaps he should visit Hogwarts infirmary once they go back to school. Yeah, he’s been feeling
like this for awhile, for sure the origin is that stupid castle, maybe a curse or a spell gone wrong or
the mold from the rocks or one angry poltergeist or—

“Are you okay? You seem pale.”

Meeting Shouto’s eyes through the mirror, he closes the medicine cabinet and turns around,
leaning against the sink. “Stomach feels weird. I was looking for some pills.”

“Oh. Did you eat too much?”

“Don’t know. Been feeling like this the whole day.” Year.

Shouto hums and approaches him. “How strange.”

“Why?” He snaps defensively.

“I also feel weird. Like a tingling sensation on the mouth of my stomach and my chest also feels
strange.”

“You too?” Katsuki gasps. “Holy fuck, I knew it! For sure it’s some shitty thing from Hogwarts.”

Shouto frowns. “You think so? I mean… I don’t think it’s a bad thing, you know? It’s actually kind
of nice, I guess.”
“Nice?” He sneers. “You call feeling weird nice? Wow, you truly are a dumbass, huh?” He flicks
him on the forehead for good measure and Shouto simply offers him a smile… his stomach twists
again and Katsuki hates it.

As they are brushing their teeth, he sees Shouto inspecting all the things they have in the bathroom
and although he doesn’t see anything special, he guesses some trinkets his parents have are muggle
shit that wizards do not have. He waits for Shouto’s questions but none come, only a loudly yawn
that makes him yawn as well.

Both boys head back to his room after they yell a good night from the top of the staircase.

Laying in the dark, Katsuki feels nervous as he can feel the warmth of Shouto’s body really close.
As the moonlight casts strange shadows on his ceiling, he thinks about how Shouto has reacted to
all the muggle stuff and if someone asks, he’ll blame it on this bizarre feeling that has been
messing with him the whole day, the darkness and cosiness of his room…

“The reason why I hated you so much was because of your father. Everybody knows Todoroki
means pure blood and hatred towards half-bloods or muggle borns. My father is a muggle and my
mom is a half-blood like me. I simply struck before you could.”

He waits for Shouto to hum or thank him for his honesty or some weird shit he might pull out of
his ass, but the reaction he gets never crossed his mind.

Shouto quickly sits up and pretty much straddles him, placing his hands over Katsuki’s shoulders
as he pushes him down, against the mattress.

“I don’t. I’m nothing like him. I like muggles. I think that all human lives are the same, magic or
not. I don’t think less of you because your father has no magic on his blood or because your blood
does not hold many generations of magic on it. Your father is an awesome man, Katsuki. He’s an
amazing father and a really kind man, I can tell. I do not think pure-bloods are the only authentic
wizards. That’s archaic and stupid and should be abolished. I apologise if I ever gave off that
sensation, I’ve been told I used to give off those unapproachable vibes before we became friends.
I’m sorry if I ever offended you. You are an amazing wizard Katsuki and I’m really grateful that I
can call you my friend.”

Katsuki is beyond shocked and as Shouto moves away, falling back into the bed with a tiny huff,
he can’t stop but replay his words over and over. This is the first time he has ever heard Shouto talk
for so long and with such passion.

He feels once more that strange feeling on his chest and stomach and his fingers twitch as he feels
the urge to roll over and hug the other boy.

Everything Shouto has just said is everything he feared. But there’s a point that needs to be cleared.

“You never did,” he whispers hoarse. “You never gave me any bad vibes or anything. I was simply
an ass. I saw you as my rival because you are intelligent and because I was…” afraid. He can’t say
it, but there is no need because Shouto simply knows.

Shouto’s hand finds his under the sheets and Katsuki feels his body on fire, especially that hand.

They fall asleep holding hands.

The next day is more or less the same. This year the Bakugous are spending Christmas all alone as
Mitsuki knew Shouto was coming. This summer, Katsuki knows he’s going to be coming and
going from an endless parade of houses and stupid family dinners in exchange. Ugh.

His mom undoes all the Christmas decorations she had placed around and then tells Shouto to go
crazy and put them back however he wants to. The boy does, he’s constantly putting on and off the
different trinkets his mom had, trying to decide which place they should go and worse, asking
Katsuki what he thinks about it.

“I don’t know. The stupid angel looked good there.”

“Where? You’ve said it looks good in the three places I’ve showed you.”

“Ugh… in any of them?”

Shouto pouts a little and seeing how his shoulders sag a tad makes Katsuki snap and grabbing the
stupid angel, he puts it on the first place Shouto showed it to him.

“Here, here looks better! Happy?”

“Yes. So what about the reindeer? I was thinking that since it’s brown maybe it’ll look good on the
fireplace since it’s white—”

Katsuki wants to disconnect and he kind of does, but still follows Shouto all around the house,
carrying the ginormous box with the decorations as the boy keeps putting them on and off and
asking him where they look better and which ones combine and which ones crash.

He hates it.

He loves it.

Dinner is a similar affair to the previous one but this time Mitsuki tones down her teasing and
Katsuki too relaxes a little. His parents comment how good Shouto has decorated the house and his
friend seems to fluster a little bit.

“Thank you, it’s the first time I did. I’ve never celebrated Christmas until Katsuki showed me
how.”

“Really?” Mitsuki pipes grinning like a cat. “How so?”

“It was with a snowball fight. He returned earlier from here and I was all alone in the patio when
he threw a ball at me and then explained what it meant.”

“… you brat! You go around hitting people just because?”

“Not hitting. Just an innocent snowball and you have heard him: he liked it.”

Shouto nods. “Oh yeah. It was really good. We became friends after that.”

“And before?” Masaru asks.

Katsuki stiffens a little and Shouto’s smile twitches a little. “There was… a misunderstood. We
thought about the other differently than how reality was.”

That piques his curiosity. How did Shouto perceive him? He wants to ask but decides not to as they
are still with his parents and anyway it’s not that hard to get right? Katsuki did his best to
antagonise Shouto and showed it off, trying to make him uncomfortable —he never achieved that
— and constantly fought him in class to achieve the position of ‘best student of the year’.

Once more, when they are both laying in the darkness of his bed, he feels brave enough to
apologise.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was such an ass to you at the beginning.”

Shouto remains silent for a couple of beats before he whispers, “it’s okay, I understand why you
did it. My father has that effect on others.”

His answer makes Katsuki sit up and then kick the boy with all his strength under the sheets.
“What the fuck?” He hisses. “You are nothing like your fucking father! I mean, I don’t know the
bastard personally but from what I’ve heard, he sounds like a fucking ass.”

“He is,” Shouto mumbles. Then he sits up too, his shadow only partially visible as the room is
really dark and Katsuki swears he’s moving but he doesn’t know how… until his hand gets
surrounded by warm. Holding his hand, Shouto’s voice cracks as he thanks him. “Thank you. I…
that you think I’m not like him means the world to me.”

He still recalls how Shouto was shaking, fist clenched on his sides as he wanted to hug Katsuki as a
thank you for inviting him over here… so he moves. He frees his hand and their bodies collide as
he tackles him down, in a hug that he will deny to anyone who asks, even to himself. Rubbing his
nose against Shouto’s neck, he lays over him, arms tightly wrapped around his neck as Shouto’s
warm puffs of breath hit the back of his neck. They stay like that for what feels like hours and
seconds; for too long as his heart won’t stop pounding on his chest and yet when they move away
his body immediately misses Shouto’s.

Neither says anything, both too flustered to function and as Katsuki falls asleep, he still has
Shouto’s scent on his nose and the warm feeling of his body against his. He feels a little tingle as
he wants to touch the other and when he dreams, he dreams of a heavy weight between his arms.
He squeezes it and the little sounds it makes make his heart flutter as whatever it is, it feels like
home.

When morning comes, he feels a déjà vu as his world is in shades of red and white… wait no,
that’s just Shouto’s hair all over his face, never mind. Groaning, he tries to move it away but he
can’t as his arms are trapped. Frowning, he tries to blow the hair away to see what is going on.

Discoveries are supposed to make you feel great and wonderful but right now Katsuki is on the
other side of the spectrum as he’s having a breakdown and a realisation that he’s cuddling with his
best friend, holding him so tightly he wonders how Shouto is still breathing, and the fucker is: he’s
soundly asleep, relaxing short puffs of air and sleepy sounds Katsuki is more than used to hear
coming out of his mouth. He’s actually so used to them that it takes him almost a week to get used
to not hear them whenever he comes home during summer.

By sheer miracle and the worst luck in the world, Shouto wakes up. Yes, the sleepy fucker that
could sleep through a bombing flutters his eyelids open without Katsuki teasing him to wake up
and not only that, it doesn’t take him the usual five to ten minutes to actually be awake as his eyes
meet Katsuki and then he sees it: the comprehension of what are they doing… of what they are still
doing.

“Oh.”

Katsuki immediately releases him and moves away. He glares a hole from how hard he’s staring at
his knees, too ashamed to look at Shouto.

“It felt nice,” the other whispers and finally, that makes him snap his head up. “Do you think…
that perhaps you could do it again?”

“What?”

Shouto seems to be having a hard time talking as he makes subtle faces, trying to think. “I, um, it
felt nice? Friends hug, right?”

He doesn’t know. He tries to recall the other extras they live with and he guesses they do. The boys
casually touch each other, throwing and arm around each other’s shoulders and are constantly
teasing, ruffling their hairs and shit like that.

“Do you want that?” He mumbles with a tiny voice.

Shouto nods once.

Slowly, almost as if he was approaching a wounded animal, he moves back to where Shouto is and
with a shaking arm, he surrounds Shouto’s shoulders before he leans over. The second he feels the
familiar warmth, everything feels alright.

Shouto falls against him and Katsuki easily catches him. They stay like this until he hears his mom
moving around. He quickly pulls back and Shouto nods at him again, both reaching a mutual
agreement: we’ll only do this when it’s just the two of us.

When they get downstairs the Christmas tree is full to the brim with gifts and Shouto sheds a
couple of tears as he realises that no, they are not all for Katsuki, but that he actually has more than
a couple. He opens his sister’s first and then everything the Bakugous have gifted him. It’s mostly
clothes but there are also last minute purchases such as a bag of seeds for him to plant and some
empty pots.

“We can ask if you can have a little space in the greenhouse. I’m sure no one will say anything if
the best herbology student asks for a little of dirt.”

“But these are not magical plants,” Shouto rasps.

“So? A lover of plants once told me that plants are plants,” he teases him back. “We can also have
one of the pots in our bedroom, pretty sure none of the extras will complain and if they do…” He
cracks his knuckles and grins menacingly.

“KATSUKI NO VIOLENCE!” Mitsuki roars before she smacks him.

“THEN START TO APPLY IT TO YOURSELF HAG!”

“RESPECT BRAT!”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!”

“IT’S WHAT YOU ARE!”

Chuckling, Masaru approaches Shouto and squeezes his shoulder as he whispers something. That
makes Katsuki snap out of it and quickly move away from his mom just in time to hear Shouto’s
answer.
 “Everything is perfect… but I’m afraid Katsuki has already gifted me the best thing.”

He doesn’t add anything and he wonders what it might be.

The roses? The little cat notebook? The promise of having a plant in their bedroom?

The doubt stays with him the rest of their time in his home and when his parents drive them to
King Cross Station to return to Hogwarts, his dad whispers, “your friendship, Katsuki.”

Chapter End Notes

Check this out if you want.

 4th year
Chapter Summary

He thought their relationship was going to be eternal too.

What a fool he was.

Shouto isn’t sure of what he has done but he must have done something or else Katsuki wouldn’t
be mad at him. In a way, it feels like a throwback to their first year, back when he and Katsuki
weren’t friends. The boy used to glare and sneer at him with contempt, huffing loudly whenever
Shouto even dared to look at him and of course Shouto did; how could he not when Katsuki was so
different from everything he had ever known? The first time he had seen Katsuki, it had been in the
train station. Somehow he had managed to fool his father, making him believe the train was
leaving at 12 due to some new muggle reforms in the station, rather than at 11 like always. Shouto
was quietly sitting on a bench with his luggage, waiting for the Hogwarts Express to arrive before
his father found out about his trick when the loud voices startled him.

Never before, Shouto had seen a mother smack her son like that… only for the son to keep barking
on her face a tirade of curses that shock him. He was considered disrespectful, or so said his father,
but this? This was a new level and then, to even more of his shock, he saw the duo hugging each
other tightly —the boy pretending to be annoyed— before a quieter man hugged the boy as well
and patted him fondly in the head.

Shouto was curious about Katsuki ever before knowing his name and when they got placed
together in the same house, for a second he wondered if maybe they could get closer… but of
course not. No one wanted to get close to him, everybody was too aware of the shadow his father
casted over him, so Shouto threw himself in the only thing he could: his studies.

But Katsuki always seemed to be in his orbit, like a little moon spinning around his world; or
perhaps it was the other way around, maybe it was Shouto who was spinning around Katsuki,
because now that he knew him, he could say that Katsuki was the sun, the brightest star he has
ever known and Shouto was nothing but a little planet, trying to get close to him, but never too
much as he could get burned and destroyed beyond recognition.

Yet this is different. Back then, Katsuki openly yelled at him and proclaimed to be the very best,
cursing Shouto loudly and sticking his tongue out in a mocking way as he teased him about getting
a couple of points over him in a test… now Katsuki is coldly glaring at him, mouth twitching with
ire as if Shouto’s mere existence was an offence to him and Shouto has no idea of why. He’s
desperately trying to recall what could he had done lately. Has he perhaps embarrassed Katsuki?
He’s pretty sure he hasn’t, they are always cautious and only hold each other in dark corridors and
secret passageways no one else seems to know. He’s sure their grades are toe to toe, so no way he
can have wounded his pride and even so, Katsuki would never act like this. Throw a tantrum? Of
course and after that, he would drag Shouto all the way to the library and demand him to study
with him until their grades were back to the same ground. So what is it? What has set Katsuki in
this mood?

“Are you even listening to me?”

Shouto blinks slowly and looks back at the mysterious girl that has pulled him away from Katsuki.
They were exiting muggle studies when this girl suddenly grabbed him and pulled him apart,
mumbling that she needed to talk with him.

“No.” He bluntly says. “I haven’t listened to a single word you have said. I was thinking about
something. What is it?”

The girl’s eyes widen and her lips seem to quiver before she presses them in a tight line. “They
warned me about you. How you were a though cookie, but it’s okay, I don’t mind… You see, I like
you Todoroki and I would like if you go out with—”

“Why?” He interrupts her. Taking a step back, he observes her, trying to recall any situation they
might have talked before today and he comes empty handed. “What is even your name?”

“What?! We’ve been in the same class ever since the year began! You are telling me you don’t
even know who am I?”

“No. That’s what I just said,” he replies slowly, more confused than ever.

The girl looks at him as if he was a monster and then bursts into tears pushing him away and
yelling, “you are an asshole Todoroki! I hate you!”

She’s gone after that, leaving a very puzzled Shouto behind. Scratching his head, he wonders what
has exactly happened here and as he glances around, he sees a huddle of people have gathered
around the hall and now they are whispering among themselves. He catches his name in it. He’s
going to ask one of the closest ones what it was all that about when Katsuki grabs him and starts to
pull of him in the other direction. Looking up, Shouto freezes as he sees Katsuki is barely holding
his laughter. Shouto knows the only reason why he’s not guffawing is because he doesn’t like to
show his emotions in front of people but he also knows the second they are all alone, Katsuki is
going to end up bended over and with tears falling down his cheeks.

As he predicted, they end in one of the side corridors of the first floor, in an area most students
don’t come across as Peeves the Poltergeist likes to be around. Wiping away his tears, he sees
Katsuki trying to talk but failing as he can’t stop laughing. Shouto isn’t sure of why Katsuki is
laughing like this, but he takes it as he prefers this over whatever has been going on ever since the
year started. He hates this cold distance, this gap that has appeared between them. He loathes it.

“Oh my god, that was hilarious. I mean, her face.” That makes him crackle even louder and his
back hits a wall, while Shouto stands right there, head tilted as he tries to comprehend it.

“I do not understand. She was crying right?”

“Yeah, because you are a savage. Oh my, what a way of turning her down. Epic, dude, epic.”

Turn her down? Oh. “I guess it’s true,” he comments, deep in his thoughts. “She said she liked me
and I think she was trying to ask me something else. She got mad when I asked her what her name
was and why does she like me… I guess she doesn’t anymore.”

As he glances back at Katsuki, he sees his friend’s expression has gone dark again. His jaw is set
and his red eyes are shinning with murder. “Oh yeah,” he spits. “Did she say why?”

“No. She got mad and then ran off.”

“So? Do you want to know, huh?”

Shouto observes him, trying to decipher why this sudden change in Katsuki’s attitude. Since he
comes empty handed, he focuses on the question. “I guess I do.” It’s only appropriate to know the
name of the person one apologises to, right? He’s not sure of why he has made that girl cry but he
knows it’s not nice to make someone burst into tears. He should apologise and then try to move on,
forgetting this incident has happened and—

Katsuki harshly pushes him away, making him stumble and almost fall. Gaping, he studies him.
“What’s wrong with you?”

“ME?! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, ASSHOLE!”

Speechless, Shouto can only observe Katsuki leave, fuming and cursing whatever and whoever he
comes across.

The hollow Shouto hasn’t felt ever since his first year takes home on his chest. It hurts.

Two days later, Katsuki is still not speaking to him. Shouto feels on the edge and goes back to his
old ways. He throws himself into his studies and moves to the back of the class, where he idly
listens to the lessons before he quickly rushes out, seeking the comfort of the clock tower or the
library, depending if he wants some fresh air or not.

There’s a Quidditch match tomorrow and he’s not sure if he should go or not. He has never missed
a game, not since Katsuki plays and especially not a Christmas match. It’s always a big event and
Katsuki has been talking non-stop about it for weeks until— The sheer memory of their last quarrel
makes his heart throb. Clenching a fistful of his shirt over his heart, he sighs and keeps moving. He
misses Katsuki. He misses him a lot. He misses his presence, his warmth, his eyes, his touch, his
scent, his harsh answers and jokes, his endless teasing and cunningness, how even the most
mundane things become an adventure next to him. Shouto feels… incomplete; almost as if he had a
phantom limb and it hurts, it hurts a lot.

Dragging his feet, he reaches the library where he accidentally collides with someone.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry Shouto. Here, let me help you.”

Perplexed, Shouto tilts his head as he observes the girl in front of him. He has never seen her so
how does she know his name? Do they perhaps share any classes?

“Are you okay, Shouto? Did you get hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m sorry, who are—?”

“Himiko. My name is Himiko Toga. Oh, here. As an apology, have some chocolates.”

“Chocolates? But it was me who clashed into you, I should be the one who apologises—”

“No, no, no! I insist, here. Take this.”

She hands him a little thing wrapped in red and Shouto takes it and examines it. The chocolate
wrapper makes a pair of eyes flash on his mind. The reason why he hasn’t apologised with Katsuki
is because he has no idea of why he should apologise and he knows that Katsuki does not
appreciate ‘half-assed things’… but damn, even a candy wrapper reminds him of the boy.
Placing the little gift on the top of his books, he looks at Himiko. “Can someone apologise without
knowing why?”

“Huh?” She mumbles taken back. Laughing nervously, she eyes the chocolate. “Yeah, I mean,
sure, why not? Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“Later,” he dismisses off-handly thinking about where Katsuki could be at this time. Maybe he
only needs to apologise and if Katsuki gets mad, apologise for apologising without knowing why.
Yes, that sounds much better than leaving things like this.

Turning around, he hurries towards the Quidditch field where he believes Katsuki has practice.
Only when he arrives he realises he’s an idiot: Gryffindor never trains the day before a match, it’s
the captain’s policy to rest the most and take it easy and—

“Todoroki!”

Kirishima. He sees the younger boy running towards him with his broom. He has made it to the
team and plays along with Katsuki as the other beater. Apart from Shouto, Kirishima is the only
friend Katsuki has.

“Hello there Kirishima. Have you seen Katsuki?”

“Pfft, who hasn’t? Hey, I wanted to ask, has something happened with Bakugou? He’s acting more
feral than usual. Has he got like a bad grade or something?”

“… I’d like to know that as well,” he confesses in a whisper.

Kirishima’s eyes widen and he offers him a toothy grin. “I see. So you two got in a fight, huh?
That’s fine dude! Best friends are supposed to fight and then make up, you’ll see: everything will
go back to how it was. Now say, what went down?”

Shrugging he glances at the field. “I don’t know. He’s been acting weird since the year began. It’s
true that lately he’s been—” A scary thought hits him. “Do you think he hates me? Perhaps he’s
tired of me and wants to get rid—”

“DUDE NO!” Kirishima grabs him from his shoulders and shakes him harshly. “Never. No, no.
Baku is crazy for you… Oh shit! No, no I mean, huh… Hah, I’m so dead.” Turning pale,
Kirishima releases him and grabs his spiky hair as he starts to mumble under his breath a lot of
things at high speed.

Shouto is even more lost than before. “I don’t understand. Katsuki is ‘crazy’ with me? Then you
knew it? Why Kirishima, why is he angry with me? Please, I want to apologise and I’d do
anything, anything to get him back.” His voice denotes his desperation and finally, Kirishima
snaps out of it and observes him with wide eyes and a slacked jaw. “Name it. Whatever I’ve to do
to get Katsuki back, just say it. I don’t care. I just want him. I need him.”

Kirishima starts to cry and clap. “Dude that’s so manly! You two are definitely made for each
other. Oh dude, I’m so happy for Baku. Nothing Todo, you don’t have to do anything just go and
tell Baku what you’ve just told me.”

“Really?” He asks him sceptic.

Kirishima nods eagerly, wiping away his tears. “Yeah, bro. Just go and get your man!”

“Oh… okay?” As he’s going to leave, he stumbles and Kirishima grabs him just in time, but his
things fall on the floor. Kirishima helps him pick them up and Shouto sees him observing the
chocolate, huh… Hi-something gave him. “Thank you. Would you like that? A girl gave it to me as
an apology. It was bizarre, I collided with her, yet she apologised.”

“Really?” Kirishima says. “Weird. You sure?”

“Of course.”

“Sweet!”

Standing up, Shouto thanks Kirishima again and as he’s going to leave he realises something: he
still doesn’t know where Katsuki is.

“Kirishima, where is Katsuki?”

“Huh? Oh, he’s in our common room. I’m heading there too, I need to grab some stuff and then
I’m meeting with Kaminari.”

Shouto remembers him. He’s from Hufflepuff if he’s not wrong and friends with Kirishima as he
has seen him around the field whenever he came to see Katsuki during his training sessions.

Once they reach Gryffindor’s entrance, Kirishima squeezes his shoulder and pats him harshly.
“Good luck dude!”

Shouto follows him and his eyes scan the common room, looking for a puff of ash-blond hair and
there he is, in a corner of the couch, reading a book as his quill is taking notes on a piece of
floating parchment. Taking a deep breath, he makes his way there and sits right next to Katsuki,
who stills and stiffens.

“Katsuki, I’d like to apologise for whatever is it that I must have done. I want us to be friends and
I’m willing to do anything to—”

As Katsuki frowns and opens his mouth, ready to say something, a sudden scream comes from
upstairs.

“HIMIKO! OH HIMIKO, WHERE ARE YOU MY BELOVED?!”

Shouto turns around as that was Kirishima’s voice and that name… it sounds familiar. Katsuki
quickly stands up and heads towards the staircase, where they see several second years trying to
hold back Kirishima who is still screaming about someone named HIMIKO and how he loves her.

“What the fuck is wrong with you shittyhair?”

One of the boys holding Kirishima huffs, “please Bakugou, help us. He’s too strong.”

“Tsk, ‘course he is. He’s a beater, you idiots.” Approaching Kirishima he snaps his fingers in front
of his face and barks, “oi, shittyshima, who is that Himiko chick?”

That makes Kirishima stop struggling. “Himiko? Oh, Himiko… she’s the the most beautiful
creature that has ever—”

“Love potion,” Katsuki says.

Shouto nods as he sees it too. “Yes, the effects match. He should be fine in a day but it’d be better
if we bring him to the nurse. Maybe the potion was brewed incorrectly.”
“Most definitely,” Katsuki says. “Tsk, when I find that Jimiko extra I’m gonna beat her black and
blue.”

“Himiko,” Shouto corrects him and then gasps as he remembers why the name sounded so
familiar.

Katsuki raises a brow, silently asking him what was that, but before he can reply, Kirishima breaks
free and starts to run towards the door.

“Petrificus Totalus!” Both he and Katsuki say.

Kirishima stays still and Shouto quickly enchants him again, “wingardium leviosa.”

“We take it from here,” Katsuki mumbles.

Both carry Kirishima all the way to the nurse and Katsuki curtly explains what has happened.
Chiyo sighs as she shakes her head and observes Kirishima. “I’ll ask Aizawa to brew some
antidote. Could you unfreeze him? I need to know who did this.”

“I did,” Shouto whispers. He feels two pair of eyes on him. “Himiko Toga gave me the chocolate
and I gave it to Kirishima.”

“Oh dear, it’s not your fault,” Chiyo tries to reassure him.

The deathly glare Katsuki is giving him seems to say otherwise. Ashamed, he glances away and the
second Chiyo guarantees them that Kirishima is going to be okay, he leaves in a hast. He’s running
across the halls, ignoring everyone and everything as he needs to breathe. Reaching the clock tower
is liberating in the same way that it’s asphyxiating. He always comes here whenever everything
gets too much, but he also knows he’s never going to be alone for too much as Katsuki always
comes to fetch him whether he’s bored, they have to study or is dinner time. Sitting in his favorite
corner, he clenches his teeth as once more, he tries to review everything that has happened in these
past days that might have triggered Katsuki.

He can’t think of anything and annoyed, he punches a wall. The hit makes him feel okay and
angry, he starts to punch the wall over and over as the pain on his hand is a thousand times better
than the one inside his chest. Why? Why is Katsuki acting like this? What has he done to offend
him?

“I didn’t mean to accidentally poison Kirishima, he knows that, right?”

Oh no. He realises too late that he has poisoned Kirishima the day before the match against
Slytherin. Oh, now the reason why Katsuki looked so pissed makes sense. He finally breaks.
Falling on his knees, he silently cries as he can’t believe he has messed this too. First his friendship
with Katsuki and now the match.

“He must hate me even more…”

Yet as he stays on the clock tower, he doesn’t look at the landscape like always, he keeps looking
at the staircase, waiting for his best friend to appear and drag him inside, scolding him for not be
wearing proper clothes in this cold weather and for whatever is it he has done to make him go back
to his angry stares and clenched fists.

When dinner time is over and curfew approaches, that’s when he truly hits rock bottom. Hiccuping,
he brokenly cries as he knows now for sure that there is no turning back: Katsuki no longer cares
about him, somehow he has messed with the only good thing in his life and he still doesn’t know
how or why.

“I know most of you are excited about the match,” Professor Kayama says. “This is why today we
ain’t doing class. Yes, hooray!”

Everybody starts to yell and call her the best teacher in the world. Some even look at Katsuki and
chorus his surname, praising him and his abilities. Shouto doesn’t look away from their professor.
Ignoring his problem is less painful.

Kayama bows and smiles, winking and blowing kisses to everyone who is still praising her before
she claps her hands and calls them to calm down. “Only one thing and you are all free to go. I
completely forgot, not going to lie, I know, I know, I’m an awful head of Gryffindor. Anyway, you
already know the deal, I call your name and you tell me if you are staying or leaving home for
Christmas yay!”

Shouto wants to throw up. His treacherous eyes raise from his desk to Katsuki and he sees he’s not
the only one having a serious struggle. Katsuki too looks on the edge of snapping and Shouto can’t
avoid but compare him to the same boy who gave him a red rose, a symbol of love, the same one
who has given him a new meaning to Christmas from an awful holiday that made him feel sick to a
warm and special date on the calendar that now he looks forward… or used to.

He can feel tears pooling on his eyes as he knows, looking at Katsuki he knows that their plans of
spending another Christmas together are long gone. Shouto puts on his blankest expression and
forces himself to look ahead. To anyone who looks at him, they will see a role model student,
someone who is behaving in class, calm and composed… but the truth couldn’t be farthest from
that; he’s innerly crying, on his knees trying to hold the remains of his last happy moments with
Katsuki, praying in vain —he knows it— that this year he’s also going to hear and witness Katsuki
and Mitsuki arguing over and over again with Masaru gently trying to calm them down and—

“Bakugou?”

“Home.”

The curt and harsh answer might seem like his usual tone, but Shouto knows to whom that answer
is truly addressed… Yet he’s a true idiot, a dumbass, an airhead and all the appellatives Katsuki
has been calling him for years because he still holds his breath and last hope when Kayama calls
his name.

“Todoroki?”

He waits. He waits for the miracle, for Katsuki to step up and bark, “ home, with us.”

But nothing happens. Some whispers arise and he feels someone touching him. He flinches away
as the touch is wrong, it’s not Katsuki’s, he doesn’t like it.

“Todoroki? Are you staying here or going home?” Kayama asks him again.

Defeated, he whispers, “stay.”

The second the last person is asked, he bolts from the class. He has no idea of where to go as the
clock tower no longer feels like a shelter (it’s the place where Katsuki failed him yesterday).
Before he realises, he’s standing in the same patio everything began and just like that day, he sits
on the middle of the snow and silently cries. Hugging himself, he tries to stop it, but he can’t.

He feels heartbroken, torn and frayed beyond repair and it only gets worse as he can see two ghosts
from the past, two young boys playing all around, throwing at each other snowballs; how one is
teaching the other and the other is slowly catching up. His breath becomes even harsher and
burying his face on his knees, he hiccups as he tries once more to think about why. Why has
Katsuki abandoned him? What awful thing has Shouto done to him? He has no idea and he hates it.
If only he knew, he could fix it, he could ask for forgiveness and fix it.

“I miss you, I miss you so much Katsuki…”

He does. He can’t imagine three and a half years like this, being all alone without his best friend
by his side, seeing Katsuki become friends with other people while Shouto stays behind, withering.

Oh no. Wiping his tears away, he quickly stands up and rushes towards the greenhouse as he has
remembered that it’s been two days since he last visited his precious flowers, the same ones
Katsuki and his parents gifted him. As he skids on the corner that leads to his little flower bed, he
falls on his knees as he sees that his plants are okay. At least this little piece of Katsuki is still
perfect, at least, Shouto still has this.

Caressing the little roses, his smile wobbles as he sees once more Katsuki’s face when he
awkwardly gifted him those two roses. Shouto was so happy because they were so beautiful and so
meaningful. Katsuki spent his own money on them, it was a gift that came from his heart and
Shouto cried when they died… but Katsuki, always so intelligent and perfect, took the drying
flowers and pressed them between heavy books, only to gift them back to Shouto, contained inside
a beautiful glass. Now his roses were eternal, or so claimed Katsuki.

He thought their relationship was going to be eternal too.

What a fool he was.

When he makes his way back to the tower for the second time without eating dinner and barely
making it before curfew, he ignores the couple of looks he receives and the several worried,
“Todoroki?” the guys throw at him. He feels like a ghost, dead on the inside, simply roaming
through the endless corridors Hogwarts has.

Entering the bedroom, he forces himself to look only at his bed and as he changes his clothes, he
tries to ignore Katsuki’s eyes on him. Like a coward, he hides under his blankets as he’s too afraid
to face him. Not tonight, today he’s had enough.

But Katsuki is a cruel creature and ignores Shouto’s clear signs that he needs to be alone as he
approaches him and hisses, “where were you? Too busy to see me playing, huh?”

Yes, Shouto was too busy crying and caressing his roses to go and see the boy who used to love
him and now hates him for who knows what reason.

“Congratulations,” he rasps.

“What?” Katsuki seems shocked. “We lost, idiot.”

What? Now it’s Shouto’s turn to be perplexed. Sitting up, he faces Katsuki. “Oh. I’m sorry Ka—”
He bites down his tongue as he no longer knows if he’s welcomed to address him by his first
name.

“You have cried,” Katsuki whispers. Approaching him, he raises his hand almost as if he was
intending to touch Shouto, but seems to think it twice and keeps it down. “Why?”

Shouto blinks and observes him. Why does he care? Isn’t it obvious why his heart is broken? Isn’t
Katsuki conscious of what his actions, what his cruel behaviour has done to Shouto? For a split
second, Shouto hates him; he hates him because Katsuki has shown him what life can be, has
shown him how beautiful brightness is, how warmth feels like, how a home can be a person not a
place and now… now Shouto only has his memories and the sour taste in his mouth of what could
have been and will never be.

Angry, he glares at him with all his contempt and his feelings must have been conveyed, because
Katsuki flinches and takes a step back.

“Shouto?”

Silently, Shouto lays back on his bed and turns around, offering his back to Katsuki, just like the
other has been doing to him for the past days.

A tension raises in the air. When the rest of the boys enter the bedroom, they immediately sense it
and their mood sombers as they glance at them. Shouto loathes it. He has never enjoyed being the
centre of attention, especially for such stupid things like this, or because of his surname.

“Uh, Todoroki I haven’t seen you in dinner today. Aren’t you hungry?”

“What? You haven’t eaten today either?” Katsuki snaps.

Why do you care? He wants to ask him, but instead he buries his face deeper against the pillow and
covers his body with more blankets as he doesn’t want to face anyone.

He can feel people still looking at him and that mixed with his inner turmoil makes it almost
impossible to fall asleep. By the time all the boys are sleeping, he’s still awake. With a heavy heart,
he silently slips out of bed and pads downstairs where he finds the fireplace fire half-extinguished.
He sits right in front of it and observes the flames as he wonders if there is a spell that can help him
fix this mess. He eventually falls asleep and when he wakes up, he does it in a couch and with a
blanket thrown over him. Rubbing his eyes, he tries to remember when did he make it to the couch
but looking at the blanket, he guesses that it must have been someone… but who? Who could have
found him on the floor and carried him all the way to the couch and then tucked him under—
Katsuki. No. Impossible. They are no longer friends, the other has been pretty clear with his actions
that he no longer considers Shouto worth his time.

Standing up, Shouto goes back to his room and changes his sleeping clothes for regular ones as he
knows one thing: he doesn’t want to be here when everybody leaves him behind.

Returning to an empty tower feels like a kick in the stomach. Seeing the vacant room he shares
with his fellow Gryffindors, with him, hurts. He doesn’t cry, he no longer has any more tears left to
shed, he’s sure of it, but this empty feeling inside of him only grows, covering everything. He can’t
avoid it, he goes to Katsuki’s bed and falling into it, he takes a deep whiff of air and smiles softly
as he feels Katsuki’s scent. He has always loved how Katsuki is such a walking contradiction,
looks though and harsh, is a sweet and caring boy who smells like burnt sugar. His spiky edges are
only there to hide a puff of warmth.

He lies on his former best friend’s bed for who knows how long until his growling stomach
becomes a nuance. He guesses it’s only normal since he hasn’t eaten anything in almost 24 hours.
He skipped dinner and breakfast and even at yesterday’s lunch he barely ate.

Going downstairs is a nightmare as the castle is decorated with Christmas things and he can’t avoid
but remember how excited he was last year when Mitsuki gave him a box full of Christmas
ornaments and told him to decorate everything. He knows Katsuki was bored, completely bored out
of his mind, yet he indulged him because he’s a nice friend who is all bark and no bite. Shouto
used to understand him with just one glance. He wonders when that stopped.

He sees the great hall nearly empty, yet he choses to sit as far away as he can from the other
Gryffindors that are in the table. Observing the false snow that falls from the ceiling, he forces
himself to chew and swallow the meat of what he knows it’s a wonderful roasted turkey, yet it feels
like ashes on his mouth. Everything he eats feels bland, flavourless and inconsistent. Even water
has a sour hint and for a second, he considers if he’s cursed to be eternally unhappy and alone.
Perhaps he should get used to the idea that he’s unlovable and—

Someone drops on the seat next to him, really close to his body and it takes his brain almost three
seconds to recognise him: his warmth, his body, his scent, his familiarity. Blinking, he turns around
and sees Katsuki’s profile as the boy is looking ahead, jaw set tight. Shouto waits for something
and when Katsuki simply starts to eat without saying anything, he feels disappointed. He’s not sure
of what he was expecting but definitely not this.

As they keep eating, he has a myriad of questions.

Why are you here? Have you stayed behind for a reason? Are you leaving later? Are you here for
me? Are we still friends? What have I done to deserve this? Can you forgive me? Can you take me
back? Was it you who took care of me last night? Have you been looking for me, is that why your
cheeks are red and your breath seems kind of short and you were so late to dinner? How is
Mitsuki? And Masaru? Can I still give you my Christmas present? Why did you lose yesterday?
How did you know I wasn’t there to cheer for you? Why did you say Home and stayed silent when
Kayama asked me?

Do you still love me?

He feels a pang on his chest at that last question.

Both remain silent and when he has eaten a couple of bites from a cookie, he stands up and leaves.
He’s going to the greenhouse again, when Katsuki approaches him.

“I hate it when those stupid extras interrupt us.”

“What?” Shouto is confused. Who has interrupted them? No one, right? They had eaten in peace
and—

“This fucking year. Every single time we were doing something, some stupid girl came around and
started to fucking flirt with you in my face. I hate it.”

Frowning, Shouto tries to recall it. “Flirting?”

Katsuki nods curtly and clenching his fists he says, “Kirishima yelled at me.” Kirishima did what?
“He told me… He told me about what you told him in the field and I realised that I’m an idiot and
that I don’t deserve you, but I’m a selfish asshole and you already know it, so deal with it.”
Running a hand through his hair he curses and then faces him, staring straight into his eyes. “What
I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry Shouto. You did nothing wrong, I did.”

You did nothing wrong.

You did nothing.

Sorry.

“You mean you still love me?” He blurts.

Katsuki chokes and starts to cough. Red faced, he observes him, gaping and with wide eyes as he
squirms on his place. “Wh-what?” He titters and continuously looks everywhere except at him,
avoiding Shouto. “What the fuck halfie?”

“The roses. You gave me roses because you love me. I love you too, you are my best friend.”
Taking a step close to him, he hesitates before raising his arm and touching him. “I don’t care
about anyone else. I only want to spend my time with you. I’d rather talk with you than with
anyone else, you know that, right?”

Katsuki finally looks at him and Shouto sees a storm of emotions buried beneath those red eyes of
his. He sees self-hate, pain, sadness and a hint of hope and finally, he comprehends everything:
Katsuki pushed him away because he was afraid of being left behind, so instead he left Shouto. It
hurts, it still hurts a lot but at least now he knows. He can cease his endless thinking, wondering
what he did wrong.

“I’ll compensate you,” Katsuki hurries. “Please, I know I don’t deserve it and you have all the right
to be pissed at me but—“

“No.” Shouto hurries. “I don’t. I only want you. I only want things to be like they were, I want our
Christmas. I want to—”

“Deal.” Katsuki whispers.

And then he pulls him in a hug. Shouto is too amazed to say anything. Katsuki is holding him in
the middle of the main corridor, where anyone could come and see them… scratch that, where all
the paintings are observing them. He wants to move as he fears Katsuki deeming this is too much
to handle, but he has missed him so much and he’s so weak to the power of Katsuki’s touch, that he
simply gives up. Wrapping his arms around his dearest friend, he sighs as the hollow inside of him
lessens and lessens as Katsuki makes Shouto’s heart his home once more.

When they finally break away, he smiles at him and Katsuki observes him with a soft expression
before he starts to tug of him towards the greenhouse. He can’t avoid but smile, as of course
Katsuki knew where he was heading before.

They sit near his bed flower, observing the rose buds in silence.

Playing with the end of his tie, Shouto bites his lip as he has a hundred of questions now that this
storm of feelings inside of him has calmed down a little bit. Katsuki is right: he’s pissed. They
could have talked before, solved this misunderstanding between them and instead, Shouto has been
suffering for a simple tantrum.

“Never again,” he finally says. “If you have a problem with me, you tell me.” He feels Katsuki
ready to retort, so he turns and glares at him. “I’ve cried for you.” That makes the boy pale. “I
thought you hated me.”

“Never. I could never hate you—”

“You acted like back then! You only sneered and glared at me”

“No!” Shaking his head, Katsuki grabs his hand. “No, no… I mean, kind of? But not really. I
was… uh…” His voice lowers to a tiny whisper. “I was glaring at them. You don’t see it, but
there’s always a flock of them near you and I thought— I’m sorry, okay?”

“No.” Yanking his hand away, Shouto crosses his arms over his chest as he observes him. “What
did you think? You’ve kept me in the dark long enough. You say I did nothing wrong and that you
want to repay me, so here: I want you to talk and yes, I know how much you hate that. There you
go: repay me.” Standing up, he turns around before sitting once more. “Now talk.”

“You are being ridiculous,” Katsuki mumbles but Shouto feels his back resting against his. Shouto
knows how hard it is to talk about feelings and fears, but he also knows how easy it can be with the
right person and in the dark or not facing them. “I… Girls are in love with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“That they like you. Do you remember that chick you turned down?” No he doesn’t and Katsuki,
seemingly reading his mind adds, “the one who pulled you away and then ran away crying and it
made me laugh so hard I cried.”

He remembers now. “That’s when you started to act like an asshole, more than before I mean.”

“… yeah. Because you wanted to know more about her!”

“Because I wanted to apologise for making her cry… although I still don’t understand why.”

Katsuki stiffens behind him. “What do you mean?”

“I think the minimum one can do when they apologise to someone is to know the name of the
recipient, right?”

“Wait, wait, wait. You mean that back then you meant that? Not like, that you were interested on
getting to know her to date her?”

Shouto has to fight the urge to turn around really hard. “No. Why would I do that? I don’t know her
and that’s what I asked her: why do you like me? If you or Kirishima say those words, I can
understand it. You know me, but her? Why would a girl I have never talked to, like me? It makes
no sense.”

Katsuki makes a tiny sound and then leans even more against Shouto, finally resting all his weight
against him. Shouto smiles as his warmth surrounds him, unfreezing all the hidden spots where ice
had made home on his heart.

“I’m fucking sorry,” Katsuki blurts. “Gosh, I’m a fucking idiot. I thought you were going to go
after her and—”

“Why?”

His simple question is nothing like that; it’s complex and hides beneath a lot of ramifications: why
did you think so? Why do you care so much if I date someone or not? Why are you so sure I’m
going to push you away that you felt the need to push me before that happens?

Katsuki starts a lot of sentences but never finishes them. Shouto patiently waits, never cutting him
or paying too much attention to any of those false-starts. Whenever Katsuki is ready to talk, he
knows he will. Several minutes pass and then he feels a hand tugging softly of his cardigan.
Moving his arm, he feels Katsuki holding his hand, intertwining their fingers. He can’t avoid but
look down and see how right it feels to hold Katsuki like this. A warm feeling explodes on his heart
and that strange sensation on his stomach returns at full blast. It’s like Katsuki said last year, it’s
like feeling sick from stomachache but not in a bad way. Shouto kind of missed this, because
before it was the bad kind of stomachache.

“I don’t want you to date anyone. I don’t want you to pay attention to anyone else that is not me. I
hate that idea. I don’t want to miss you and I don’t want anyone butting in our business. If I want to
hang out with you, I don’t want to compete against anyone. I want to be your number one just like
you are mine. And now I just sounded like a complete asshole.”

Shouto can’t avoid but chuckle. “A little bit, but it’s fine, luckily I’m well versed in Katsuki. I
know what you mean.” Thinking about his words he tries to put himself in Katsuki’s place and
sees that he too, was yesterday crying at the mere idea of someone else replacing him, of Katsuki
being friends with someone else that wasn’t him and leaving him behind. “I feel the same,” he
confesses at last. That makes Katsuki turn around, still holding his hand. “Let’s make a deal.”

“What?”

Shouto caresses Katsuki’s knuckles softly as he tries to think of how he could say it, but in the end
he choses that the straightforward way is the best. “If we ever date someone, we will still be best
friends and we’ll still hang with the other as much as we do with our girlfriends, deal?”

Something crosses Katsuki’s face and for a second, Shouto fears he has said something wrong but
Katsuki squeezes his hand.

“Deal. But I want to add something,” he whispers. Avoiding Shouto’s gaze, he whispers it so softly
Shouto almost misses it, “or boyfriends.”

“Oh? Is that an option?” He never considered it.

Katsuki’s head snaps up as he stares at him with his mouth wide open. “What do you mean?”

“A boy can be with another boy? I didn’t know it. In sex education they always talk about men and
women and you know how my… family is. My father is already talking about me setting down
with a nice pure-blood woman—”

“WHAT?!” Katsuki seems livid.

Shouto shrugs. “It’s okay, he tried to do the same with all my siblings and you know none of them
is dating anyone. It’s like a stage in the life of all Todorokis: endure my father’s whimsies of a pure
bloodline, bullshit if you ask me. So, tell me more about boys with boys?”

Katsuki’s face becomes red and he squirms on his place. “I, uh. What do you mean?”

Shouto considers it. “Why is it like a secret?”

“Huh?”

“Why don’t schools teach it?”

Katsuki’s face falls a little. “Some people don’t like it. They think it’s unnatural.”

“Why?”

“Because the normal thing is a man with a woman.”

“I don’t get it. I assume that like in all relationships they love each other, right? Then what’s wrong
in that? If they both agree on it and love the other, what does it matter if it’s not ‘the usual’?”

Katsuki observes him with such intensity Shouto feels weird. He can feel heat warming his cheeks
and his mouth getting dry as he can’t look away from Katsuki’s piercing eyes. Is it him or do they
look even more stunning that usual? Observing his friend’s face he can’t avoid but smile.
“Whoever is it that you date is going to be really lucky, Katsu. You are a wonderful person… a tad
asshole from time to time,” he adds with a dry hint of humour, “but amazing nonetheless. Do you
perhaps have someone on your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” His heart throbs at that and he doesn’t understand why. Hasn’t it been just him who
proposed the idea of a deal if that situation happened?

“Don’t.” Katsuki says. “I’m not leaving you. Nothing is going to change between us, I swear
Shouto. He’s not interested in me like that.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers… but a tiny part of him is happy, which is definitely not okay. He
shouldn’t be happy that Katsuki’s love interest is not into him. “Come here.” Pulling him in an
embrace, he sighs the second Katsuki’s arms surround him. This is what he has missed, this is what
he’s been craving.

“And you?” Katsuki finally whispers.

“Huh?”

“Do you… do you like someone?”

He considers it. The only person who comes to his mind is Katsuki. He loves his friend, Katsuki is
his world pretty much. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve never asked myself that. I’ve enough with you.”

Katsuki gasps and when Shouto tries to check if he’s okay, he can’t move as Katsuki pulls him
even tighter against his body. He doesn’t struggle with it and relaxing his body, he moves his
fingers up and down Katsuki’s back as he enjoys being hold like this. Katsuki’s scent floods
everything and he feels his heart ready to burst out of his chest from happiness. Whenever he’s
with Katsuki he feels safe, calm and happy, but today he feels all that and more. It’s kind of
dizzying in the best sense of the word.

When they eventually move away, a shiver runs through him and he sees Katsuki eyeing his
clothes warily, ready to scold him for wearing something so thin in this weather. He moves without
thinking, simply placing himself between Katsuki’s legs, resting his back against his friend’s chest.

“This way we are both warm, right?” And you are still holding me.

“Yeah,” Katsuki rasps quietly as his arms slide around Shouto’s waist.

Observing his roses, surrounded by his favorite person in the world, he feels like floating. Now it
finally feels like his perfect Christmas is here.
“I was so sad,” he mumbles. “Thinking that I would never share this with you. You are my
Christmas, Katsu. I was also thinking that I’d never see your parents again—”

“Don’t. They love you. The hag is always asking me about you, you know that. She sends you
letters, right?” He nods at that. “See? Come home next year. And this summer. I know you want to
be with your sister but—”

“Okay. She has to leave early anyway. I was going back… there the last two weeks of August. Can
I go to yours instead?”

“Yeah. Yeah, Shouto stay with us. As long as you want. My house is yours.”

Nodding, he brightens as now he has something else to look forward. “What will we do?”

“Whatever you want.”

Titling his head back he observes Katsuki. “I want to do muggle things. Of course I’ll practise
Quidditch with you, but I’d like to do like last Christmas, I want to know more about your father’s
world, your world.”

Leaning forward, Katsuki presses his forehead against his, making their breaths meet. “Yeah, okay.
I’ll tell my dad so he can start making a list.”

They stay like that for a little, until someone else enters the greenhouse. Standing up, Katsuki tilts
his head towards the Quidditch field. “Wanna help me out? I need to beat the shit out of Slytherin
in our next match. I played like shit yesterday.”

“Of course, although you know I’m not as good as you.”

“Tsk, you are decent enough. C’mon, but first we need to change.”

On Christmas Day he receives many presents from the Bakugous and from Katsuki himself. It’s all
a variety of cat themed articles and gardening tools. “Oh, a muggle water can shaped like a cat!
How wonderful.”

“That thing is ugly as fuck. Say, Shouto why don’t you have a cat?”

“Father doesn’t let me. He says that an owl is enough.”

“Really? Well, then I guess I’m going to be in his shit list for a long, long time.”

And like that, he pulls one last present for him. A tiny cat with black fur and golden eyes. Shouto
is speechless and crying, he glances between his new cat and Katsuki. “Is… is it for me?”

“Yeah. I’ll take care of him as well. It’s my way of apologising for being a complete asshole to
you. I’m really sorry Shouto. I’ll keep treating you, making it up for you, don’t worry. I know what
I did is—”

He half-tackles him as he’s careful with the cat, but still pulls him in a bone-crushing hug. The cat
meows and picking it up, he offers him his hand so it can get used to his scent. “Hello there
handsome. I’m Shouto and you are…?” He glances at Katsuki who simply shrugs. Humming, he
observes him. “You are black… Shadow?”
“Dude you are so lame.” Katsuki blurts.

Nodding, Shouto rubs Shadow under its chin. “Shadow it is. Is it a female or a male?”

“Male. Only boys allowed in this tower, remember?”

“Of course.” He’s so spellbound with his new cat that he almost forgets his present for Katsuki.
“Oh, here’s mine.”

Snorting, Katsuki takes it and opens it with a smile on his face. “Dude. This is… this is too
expensive! Holy shit Shouto.”

“It’s nothing. My father paid.”

That makes Katsuki halt and then laugh. “Oh damn, then I’m definitely going to use them. Thank
you. Wow, some of this Quidditch matches are going to happen when you are with me, so I guess
you’ll also enjoy your gift, huh?”

Shouto hums. Yes, he’s going to benefit the season-pass for all of Katsuki’s favorite Quidditch
teams true, but not because he’s going to see the match per se, but rather because he’s going to be
next to him, enjoying something Katsuki loves with all his heart. He doesn’t say it though, he
simply keeps playing with Shadow and Katsuki.

They spend the rest of the Christmas break doing the same. They move their beds together,
creating a larger one and have sleepovers with Shadow nested between them in the beginning of the
night, wake up in a tangle of limbs, have breakfast, study a little, hit the field for Katsuki to
practice, have lunch, play with Shadow and talk for hours about everything they haven’t in these
past months while they had their ‘misunderstanding’.

The day before the rest of the students return, Shouto is a little bit wary and afraid so he decides to
give example and bites the bullet by asking Katsuki, “are you going to get angry again if girls or
boys approach me?”

“What?”

“I said if you—”

“Yeah, I got that. No. I promise I’ll behave. I don’t like it but I guess I should accept it… just, for
fuck’s sake don’t accept more laced chocolates, okay?”

Grimacing at the reminder of what happened with Kirishima, he nods. “I won’t. But Katsuki you
don’t have to worry. As I said, I don’t like anyone. I only spend my time with you and how can I
like someone else that is not you if I don’t get to know them?”

“But you could do that.” Katsuki says through clenched teeth.

He considers it for a beat before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think I can. I like spending my time
with you and I don’t want to change that. I like the way we have our schedule. I don’t see where
someone else could fit.”

Red faced, Katsuki glances away. “Okay, yeah, whatever. Loser.”

“Why am I a loser? And if that’s so, then so are you.”

Thus began a little quarrel between them, with Katsuki listing all the reasons why he’s not a loser
and why Shouto most definitely is. Laughing, they somehow end up in the patio, holding another
snowball fight. As Shouto runs carefree across the snow, he remembers how at the beginning of
Christmas period he thought he was never going to do this again with Katsuki. Throwing several
balls at his friend, he sneaks behind him and tackles him down, until they are rolling all over the
snow, teeth clattering from the cold.

“Thank you,” he mumbles.

“What for?”

“For being my friend. There is nothing I treasure more than my relationship with you. Thank you
so much Katsuki.”

He has never told him, but he knows Katsuki must have guessed it by now: he’s Shouto’s first and
only friend; never before he got close to someone, never before he bonded with someone to the
point that he feels lost without them. Once more, as he observes Katsuki he feels like a tiny planet
being lured, pulled by the force his brightest star has, and just like Icarus, Shouto knows first hand
how much it hurts to get close to sun, get burnt and then fall down, crashing into the cold
ground… but he’s willing to do it again because these moments where he’s close enough are worth
it.

If he could, he would gift a rose to Katsuki everyday.

“A rose for my sun,” he whispers.

Katsuki frowns. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You are so weird. C’mon, let’s go back before we get a cold.”

When the next day the rest of the Gryffindor fourth year boys arrive, they all sigh and clap as they
observe them.

“Congrats.”

“Yeah, we were worried about how long this was going to keep going on.”

“Congrats on making up!”

Shouto stills a little as they have got caught: he’s sitting between Katsuki’s legs while Shadow is
on his lap, getting petted by him. Katsuki meanwhile was reading a book and rubbing Shouto’s
shoulders with his free hand. He holds his breath as he waits but nothing happens. Katsuki simply
grunts, “die,” as he flips them off and then keeps massaging him.

Relaxing, he leans back and keeps petting his cat with a bright smile on his face.
 5th year
Chapter Summary

Kaminari gapes and then frowns. “Well, it’s not as if everybody can have a perfect
relationship with their soulmate, you know? You two are the fucking worst. Although
you Shouto, you are the worst. You are already—” Kirishima elbows him and shakes
his head making Kaminari frown. “Eh?”

“Dude, don’t.” Is the only thing Kirishima says.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“Oh man, I thought this time was going to be it, you know?”

Shouto peeks from Shadow to Kaminari, who is theatrically pretending to cry while Kirishima tries
to comfort him. The four of them are sharing a compartment in the train as they are heading home
for Christmas and from what he has heard, Kaminari has tried once more to ‘score a date with an
awesome chick’ (his exact words) and got turned down… again.

“Dude, why don’t you try—?”

“AGAIN? Kiri this is the fourth time she says no.”

Katsuki snorts at that. Shouto hides his smile as he keeps petting his cat. He’s stretched all over the
seat with his legs up and back rested against Katsuki’s side while he’s reading the newspaper on
the seat closest to the window. From time to time, Katsuki slides his arm around Shouto’s waist
and pets Shadow before he tickles him a little, trying to make him laugh. A useless thing as he
should know by now. Shouto is only weak behind his knees and right now, sitting like this, he’s
safe.

“Bakugou you are cruel. Don’t make fun of me, man! Can’t you see I’m already down?”

Shouto hums. “Well, she has said no four times Kaminari. I don’t think she’s interested.”

“Dude,” Kirishima says with a hint of amusement. “Savage.”

Kaminari gasps and points at him. “Traitor! You used to be sweeter.”

“HA!” Katsuki scoffs. “Shouto has always been blunt as fuck. Never been one to sugar-coat shit.”

“It’s true,” he reaffirms. “Kaminari, why do you want to date her so badly?”

He’s curious, from what he has seen Kaminari is always near Kirishima or another short boy from
Ravenclaw. He has never seen him near this infamous girl he’s so ‘in love with’ and to be honest,
Shouto has been wondering lately more and more about what ‘love’ is. These days, everybody he
knows seems to be dating someone. Breakups in the middle of a lesson are a daily thing and every
day he and Katsuki find a couple kissing or holding hands on their way to class. It seems that once
you reach fifth year, you need to date or be dating someone, like a ritual of passage… it’s so
bizarre.

“She’s hot.”

“That’s it?” Both he and Katsuki say.

“How disappointing,” Shouto adds.

“Lame,” Katsuki sneers.

Kaminari gapes and then frowns. “Well, it’s not as if everybody can have a perfect relationship
with their soulmate, you know? You two are the fucking worst. Although you Shouto, you are the
worst. You are already—” Kirishima elbows him and shakes his head making Kaminari frown.
“Eh?”

“Dude, don’t.” Is the only thing Kirishima says.

Clicking his tongue, Kaminari glares at them and then at Shouto. “What is your secret?”

“My secret?” Tilting his head he tries to think of what he can mean. He can only come up with one
thing. “Oh, you mean that. The key is to water them first thing in the morning and make sure you
have enough nutrients on the soil. For the first, I’ve a spell that irrigates them as there is no way I
can wake up that soon and for the second, Masaru, Katsuki’s dad, always sends me some dirt bags
so I can keep my flower bed pristine.”

Katsuki guffaws with his whole body, making Shouto move as well since he’s still tucked against
his side. Even Kirishima laughs a little but tries to cover it with his hand. Lost, Shouto tilts his head
back and looks at Katsuki, trying to understand what is wrong. The image of his friend laughing,
knocks the air out of his lungs. Katsuki’s hair has always been something almost ethereal for him,
but now the way the light is hitting it makes him look like one of those old paintings muggles used
to do back in the Renaissance. An angel, Katsuki looks like one… if only there wasn’t poorly
concealed mischief in his eyes and a perpetual smirk on his lips. He’s more like a sin than
anything.

Warmth pools on his stomach and heart, and he feels weird as he can’t look away from him. It
seems to be happening more and more these days. Shouto wonders why.

“You dumbass,” Katsuki finally says, “he didn’t mean your secret in gardening. You stupid
flowery witch.”

Shouto hums and leans back, smiling at Katsuki as he likes the nickname he has given him. It’s
true, he loves flowers and it’s thanks to Katsuki that he has his own personal garden of magical and
non-magical plants.

Katsuki’s fingers trail down his face and Shouto feels a residual tingle wherever they have just
passed by.

Clearing his throat, Kaminari observes them with a scowl while Kirishima is giving them a thumbs
up and mumbling, “so manly.”

Katsuki rolls his eyes and returns to his newspaper. “You shouldn’t date anyone, dunce face. You
are too fucking young. Third years should focus on their exams, not in sucking face with people
they don’t even know jack shit.”

“That’s not true!” Kaminari protests.

Snorting, Katsuki lowers his paper and smirks with such viciousness Shouto knows someone is
going to end up being butthurt.

“Yeah? Then name three things she likes. Say, what’s her comfort food? What place does she go
when she needs a moment to breathe? What’s her favorite color? That one is basic, consider it a
gift. C’mon, I’m waiting.”

Shouto can only nod. Those are basic things that everybody should know if they like someone.

“What? That’s impossible to know,” Kaminari retorts.

“No it’s not,” he pipes. Shrugging he starts to list, “spicy food, Quidditch field or my flower bed
and orange. Those are Katsuki’s. And I’m pretty sure, meat, also the Quidditch field or if not the
owl tower and red. Kirishima’s. See? They are basic things. Katsuki is right, you can’t like
someone without knowing them.”

“Busteeeeed,” Kirishima singsongs before he looks back at him. “Thanks dude and you are right,
three out of three.”

“Tsk. Noodles, greenhouse or clock tower and baby blue.” Katsuki whispers.

Shouto squeezes Katsuki’s arm. “You got them all right.”

“Of course I did. Because I know shit, not like dunce face here.”

“Yeah, of course you know him. You two are pretty much married by now— OUCH!”

Shouto glances at him just in time to see Kirishima hitting Kaminari on the back of his head and
Katsuki kicking him from across his seat.

Silence overtakes their compartment after that with only Shadow’s purring and the passing of pages
from Katsuki’s newspaper interrupting it. When the trolley witch comes and offers them some
candies, Shouto buys some of Katsuki’s favourites —some hard candies that taste a little bit sour—
and Katsuki buys some of his favourites for him, red liquorice and chocolate frogs.

Feeling that someone is looking at them, he sees Kaminari with a somber expression. “So unfair.
I’m telling you Todoroki, life is unfair. Why do you have all the chicks thirsting over you? Like,
everybody knows you are taken and yet they keep hitting on you!”

“Kami, stop it,” hisses Kirishima.

Shouto feels Katsuki tensing behind him as Kaminari keeps talking. “I just don’t get it. How many
girls have confessed this month, Todo? And let’s not forget last Valentine’s Day when you got so
many laced chocolates it wasn’t even funny. Almost seventeen girls where harshly punished for
trying to bewitch you and we all know the only reason why they didn’t succeed was because your
guard dog here dropped those on Eraser Head’s office as soon as you got them.”

Kirishima and Katsuki start to talk at the same time but Shouto, moving away from Katsuki raises
his voice until he’s the only one talking as this is where he traces the line. “First, I do not know
why that happens but I can tell you this: I don’t enjoy it. I have never talked with any of those girls
and I can’t comprehend why they have decided to like me. I simply can’t understand how someone
can proclaim to be ‘in love’ with me when they don’t even know me. They don’t know my weak
points, my fears and my vices. Can you really love someone without accepting or acknowledging
all the faces they have? I think not.
“Second, I want you to stop for a second and consider what you’ve just said. Those girls tried to
drug me and put me under a spell to make me do things I was unwilling to. Kirishima was victim of
one because of me. Sorry once more for that.”

“No hard feelings dude,” Kirishima says with a toothy grin before he drops it and looks at
Kaminari with scrunched brows. “And he’s right. That shit is not cool bro. I still have nightmares
whenever I come across Himiko.” He visibly shivers as he says her name.

Shouto nods and keeps going, “third, ‘Eraser Head’? My ‘guard dog’? Are you talking about
Aizawa and Katsuki? Kaminari, that’s no way of addressing Professor Aizawa. He’s harsh but fair,
and it’s thanks to him that Kirishima recovered quickly and no one else has got to suffer that awful
potion.”

“AND you are a fucking moron who is asking for new teeth unless you don’t fucking drop this
right now,” Katsuki hisses. “Yeah, Shouto gets lot of unwanted attention, can we talk about
something else?”

Shouto can feel the tension coming from Katsuki and he nods, wanting to switch topics as well. He
still recalls what happened last year because of this. It is true that Katsuki has behaved and even if
Shouto has seen him on the edge and really close to snap, he has never pushed him away like last
year. Shouto knows Katsuki hates whenever someone interrupts them and asks him to ‘come for a
second as there’s something they need to tell him in private’. He hates it and lately he’s getting
more and more tired of it, but unwilling to make another girl cry, he indulges them. He would
rather be with Katsuki, listening to whatever his friend was trying to tell him before they got so
rudely interrupted, but alas he might be blunt and curt and kind of harsh — he’s been called all that
— but he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, so he always caves in, offering a half-smile to Katsuki as he
silently begs him to wait for him so they can resume whatever is it that they were doing before
they got so rudely interrupted.

Kaminari though, doesn’t get the memo and even if the three people next to him clearly don’t want
to keep talking about this, he insists.

“Like seriously Todo, what do you do?”

“I don’t know,” he replies tiredly. “But I wish I knew so I could fix it and make them go away. It’s
really bothersome.”

“What?! Why?”

Glaring at Kaminari he finally snaps, “because it’s uncomfortable and I don’t like it! I’d rather be
with Katsuki than in an isolated corridor listening to empty words about how someone I have never
talked with ‘likes’ me so much and wants to go out with me. I hate it because no matter what I say,
they always look hurt and I do not want to hurt anyone so yeah, lucky me.”

Taking Shadow, he stands up and leaves the compartment looking to stretch his legs and get some
air. He needs a moment to be alone and—

“Hey, ignore him, okay?”

Turning around, he falls against Katsuki’s chest, with Shadow sandwiched between them. The cat
meows and rubs his head against Katsuki, recognising him as his other owner.

“You know I don’t like it.”

“… I know. I hate it too.”

A pang of fear hits him. He knew it, he knows how much Katsuki loathes it… what if he gets tired
again and decides to—

Squeezing his waist with his arms, Katsuki hums, softly calling for him. “Oi, my parents are going
to pick us up, okay? The hag wants to take you to that little restaurant you liked so much back in
August.”

“The noodle bar one?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki says with a little chuckle. “And the old man says he has missed Shadow.”

“Oh, I’m so excited of seeing them. I’ve missed your parents a lot. They are wonderful.”

Katsuki’s face does something weird but he hides it quickly before he nods and tucks Shouto’s hair
behind his ears. “Yeah, I know. I guess they are okay. They have missed you too, but you already
know that.”

“Do we have a list?”

Katsuki laughs at that and nods. “Yeah, dad told me on his last letter that he has made another list
of shit muggles do for Christmas and that we are going to do it. Some you’ve already done, like
bake cookies and decorate the place, but others are new.”

“I’m excited. I liked everything we did this summer. The water battle was fun and going to the
amusement park was exciting.”

Katsuki snorts and smirks at him. “Pffft, if I’m not wrong, you nearly passed out when you saw the
roller coaster.” Flickering his nose, he continues. “You imitated a koala pretty well, grabbing my
arm so harshly I thought you were going to break it and crying, ‘Katsu, that’s a suicide. That thing
can’t work without magic we are going to die!’” Shouto tries to smack him and he huffs as he did
not sound like that… Did he? “Do you know what ballet is?” Shaking his head, Katsuki explains it
to him. “Mom has some tickets for something called the nutcracker.”

“Sounds interesting.” Before he can add something else, someone approaches them. Shouto tenses
as he sees it’s a girl but when he sees who it is, he relaxes. “Hello, Yaoyorozu.” Since both are
Perfects, he has got to know her better this year.

“Ponytail.”

“Bakugou, Todoroki, good to see you and Merry Christmas. Have you seen the trolley witch?”

“Yes, she was in our compartment just few minutes ago, she can’t be that far away.”

The Ravenclaw girl nods and thanking them, she moves away. She sometimes joins them in the
library to study. Katsuki seems to like her as he sometimes is the one who approaches her and asks
her if they can have a little knowledge contest for their upcoming O.W.L. exams. From what
Shouto recalls, Katsuki has always considered her and him his rivals in academic matters. It flatters
him that Katsuki holds him in such high regard.

When they return to their compartment, Kirishima offers them a smile while Kaminari seems to be
brooding on his seat. As the train is reaching the station, the boy blurts, “sorry Todoroki. I didn’t
know you disliked it so much… but I’m still jealous. It’s just, I really want a girlfriend, you
know?”

“But why?” He asks him. “Why do you want a girlfriend so badly?”

“Dude, you for real? Look, if I had a girlfriend I could do so many things…”

“Like what?” He’s curious now. What does one do with a girlfriend?

“Like, you know,” Kaminari says wiggling his brows and making some weird gestures with his
fingers.

Kirishima blushes and hides his face behind his hands. “Dude no. Todo, don’t listen to him.”

“Dumbass,” Katsuki sneers. He too looks a little flustered and Shouto is even more curious until he
realises what it might be.

“Oh, you mean sex. That’s sad Kaminari.” He feels three pair of eyes on him so he explains. “I’ve
nothing against it, like if you only want to have sex, go for it? Nothing wrong there, but I think that
only wanting to be with someone, like in a relationship, for only that is not ‘cool’ or manly as
Kirishima would say. I personally cannot imagine myself having sex with someone unless I love
them or I hold them very dearly. It would be too cold. Trust me Kaminari, you can be surrounded
by a lot of people and still feel lonely. Sometimes,” he glances at Katsuki and smiles at him, “you
only need one person to have your world complete.” Then glancing back at the boy he nods. “Yes,
I think that if you want to find someone special, you should, but don’t focus only on their looks: go
beyond.”

“Dude… that’s so deep,” Kirishima mumbles. “And he’s right Denki, getting on a relationship only
wanting that is not cool.”

“Thank you, I think. It’s just, I grew up all alone. I was surrounded by a lot of people but I always
felt cold, lonely. People flocked me only for shallow reasons. I never connected with anyone,
never had anyone I could call a friend until Katsuki came around. This is why I think vacant words
are just that. You need to know someone to give them a rose.”

“What?” Kaminari says with a frown.

“Love them,” Katsuki translates for him. “Shouto always mixes roses with love.”

“Why?”

Neither boy says anything but they look at each other for a second before glancing away as they
recall two years ago.

“No reason,” Shouto finally says.

When the train finally stops, the four get out and say goodbye, going in different directions except
Katsuki and Shouto who stay together and slowly make their way to the parking lot where they are
supposed to meet Katsuki’s parents.

As they are waiting in the blistering cold, Katsuki steps behind him and holds him, rubbing his
arms up and down his chest as he tries to warm him up. Shouto leans back and places his head
against his shoulder, observing the sky. He loves this and how it’s such a normal thing for them
now. He feels that he belongs between Katsuki’s arms and it makes him elated to see that Katsuki
seems to think the same.

“Can we watch the stars?”

“Maybe. But nights are really cold here, remember? If we stay out late for too long, you might
catch a cold.”
“Funny how it’s always me who will get sick. What about you?”

“Me? Tsk, I don’t get sick.”

“… really? Mind if I ask your mom?”

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

Laughing, Shouto turns around and wraps his arms around Katsuki’s neck. They are right now
more or less the same height, although Shouto swears he feels slightly taller but Katsuki keeps
denying it. It doesn’t matter, even if Katsuki ends up being shorter, Shouto wants to always be the
one who gets hold.

“Katsuki,” he whispers.

There is no reason why, he simply feels the need of doing so, of saying aloud his name, just
because he can, because he’s one of the few people who can call Katsuki by his first name.

“Shouto.”

His heart does a funny thing and he feels his face getting suddenly warm… but why? Katsuki has
called him by his name countless times, why now from all of them? Why does it make him feel
like this? Breathless, he meets his eyes and once more, he feels dizzy. His blood seems to rush to
his head and he feels weird, all tingly.

“Shouto, I—”

“BOOOOOYS!” Mitsuki’s loud scream makes them jump away from the other and although
Shouto kind of wishes she hadn’t interrupted them as he wants to know what Katsuki was going to
say, he’s excited of seeing her. Facing her, he beams as he sees her coming towards them with
Masaru still in the car. “SHOUTO!”

He hugs her and closes his eyes as her perfume surrounds him. “Mitsuki, I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, we’ve missed you a lot too, sweetie.”

Coughing, Katsuki clicks his tongue. “Oh, thank you mom, I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

Rolling her eyes, Mitsuki pinches Shouto’s cheeks before she moves towards Katsuki. “Tsk, I
know you are fine Katsuki. Come here.”

“Pass.”

“…SEE?! THIS IS WHY I WENT FOR SHOUTO FIRST!”

“LET ME GO, HAG!”

Chuckling, Shouto observes how Mitsuki forces Katsuki into a hug as she starts to kiss his cheeks
and ruffle his hair, annoying him. He leaves them be and approaches Masaru, sliding inside the car
as Mitsuki has even left the passenger door open when she jumped out of it.

“Hello, Masaru. Nice to see you.”

“Shouto, so good to see you too. Come in, put the seatbelt and don’t worry, Mitsuki can sit behind
with Katsuki.”
Nodding, he closes the door and leans for a hug before he puts the seatbelt on. “Thank you for
picking us up. I know it’s a three hour drive.”

“Oh no, don’t worry. It’s nothing, plus we wanted to celebrate.”

“Oh yes, Katsuki has told me that we are going to the noodle bar!”

Masaru laughs gently at that. “Oh yes, Mitsuki has already called and booked a table and warned
that you are coming. They have already stocked their pantry for the occasion.”

He bites his lip a little bit embarrassed as he recalls last time they went there. The so called ‘cold-
soba’ was so delicious he ended up eating five servings much to the astonishment of everyone else.
When the remaining Bakugous get inside the car, Shouto feels that now the real Christmas has
begun.

There is a lingering tension in the air and Shouto isn’t sure of what it might be. Katsuki and
Mitsuki are getting into endless fights and it’s not the usual playful banter Shouto has come to
adore. Those two are simply loud and show their mutual love through screams, that’s it. Both are
just too similar and clash… but this is different. This feels different.

Katsuki seems on the edge and Mitsuki keeps looking at him. Shouto smiles back at her and it only
makes her chuckle… which makes Katsuki snap. He’s confused, he doesn’t understand what’s
wrong. Now they are decorating the house and as Masaru is helping them untangle the Christmas
lights, while Shadow is trying to play with the ends of the cable, Mitsuki comes and shakes a plant.
Mistletoe. Katsuki quickly shoves the lights he was holding into Shouto’s hands and starts to
scream, shooing his mom away.

“What’s wrong? I’ve seen mistletoe in Hogwarts, why is Katsuki—?”

Masaru titters and keeps untangling the lights. After a couple of beats he finally answers him. “Do
you know what happens when two people meet under mistletoe?”

“No. Something happens?”

“Well, tradition says you’ve to kiss that person.”

“Kiss them?”

Nodding, Masaru offers him a smile. “Yes. Sometimes people hang mistletoe with the intention of
triggering a reaction or a situation.”

“How?”

Playing with his glasses, Masaru’s mouth twitches before he looks intently at the lights. “Let’s say
two people like each other and it’s obvious to everybody who sees them. For whatever reason it
might be, they are not together so their friends and family place some mistletoe around and create
situations that might make them meet under it. They hope that once they are forced to kiss, sparks
will fly and finally these two boys will realise they have been in love all this time along.”

“Sounds beautiful,” he whispers. “I like it. I’d also want to help my friends like that. But how can
you know for sure they like each other?”
His question makes the man cackle. “It’s really obvious. It’s in the way they look at each other.
You can see their love and how no matter where they stand in a room, before you realise they are
together, constantly seeking the other’s touch. Also, neither is shy to say that they love each other.”

“Then how—?”

“Shouto, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Rather than directly ask him, Masaru keeps untangling the lights until the whole cord is completely
untangled.

“Can you differentiate between friendly love and love-love?”

“What do you mean?”

“You… you love my son, right?”

“Yes.”

“How? If you had to describe it, what kind of love would it be? The love one has for a friend or…”
glancing at the fireplace, Shouto follows his gaze and sees a framed picture that showcases him and
Mitsuki on their wedding. “The kind of love I feel for my wife?”

The lights fall from his hands. Taking a step back, Shouto stares at him with wide eyes as he gapes.

What?

Masaru quickly releases the lights and gently helps him sit on the couch before he hurries away
and comes back with a glass of water. Taking little sips, Shouto tries to calm himself as his brain is
a scrambled mess of thoughts.

What kind of love does he have for Katsuki? What does that mean? Is there more than one kind of
love one can have? Why has no one ever told him about it? What—?

“Would you like to go out for a walk?” Masaru squeezes his knee and offers him a hand.
“Whenever I need time, I like to walk around the city, it helps me clear my mind.”

“O-okay,” he croaks weakly.

Masaru soon returns with their coats and as Shouto makes a beeline for the front door, he stops as
he sees Katsuki stomping downstairs with a deep scowl and a sneer that bares his teeth. When their
eyes meet, Shouto feels his heart skipping a beat and it’s even worse when Katsuki’s face relaxes…
until he sees his outfit. “Are you going out? Where? Can I come?”

Panicked, Shouto feels the bad kind of dizzy as he needs to get away from Katsuki to clear his
mind and—

“Sorry son, but I’m kidnapping Shouto for a special mission. Just the two of us. Hey, why don’t
you and Mitsuki cook something delicious for when we come back?”

“WHAT?! Me and the hag? Are you insane old man? The last thing I want is to be near that shitty
woman.”

“Katsu,” Masaru reprimands him. “Be more respectful with your mom. She has found a recipe for a
cake with you know what flowers just for Shouto.” Katsuki’s face changes at that and quickly
glancing at him he nods. “Good, now go and ask your mother to help you. We’ll return in a couple
of hours, okay?”

“Ok.”

Guiding him, Masaru gently pushes Shouto through the door but before he moves away, he steals
one last glance at Katsuki, who is still on the stairs, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

When the door closes, he feels once more overwhelmed as he can’t avoid but question everything
he has always known and taken for granted. They walk a couple of blocks away from the Bakugou
household before he starts to ramble aloud.

“I just don’t understand it. What… what do you mean what kind of love I have for Katsuki? W-we
are friends, he’s my best friend and I want him to keep being so. I don’t… where does this come
from and why? I just. There are different kinds of love? I’m so confused and I just— is this not
how friends feel for each other?”

“No,” Masaru finally says. “I mean, maybe, but no, I don’t think that’s your case. Do you have
other friends apart from Katsuki, Shouto?”

He considers it. “I guess Kirishima.”

“Oh, he’s Katsuki’s teammate, right? I think Katsu has mentioned him several times. They are
friends too, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Okay, so, how do you feel about Kirishima?”

“Huh?”

“Like, mmh, if he got hurt you would be sad, right?”

“Of course.”

“Way more than if it was a stranger, because he’s a friend.” Shouto nods after considering it.
“Good, that’s caring for a friend. It’s what we would call friendship love. One person cares about
another because they are friends. Now, if Katsuki got hurt… how would you feel?”

Just the mere idea makes him want to throw up. “Awful. What kind of hurt are we talking about?”

Walking ahead, Masaru only stops as he reaches a crosswalk. “Let’s say it’s dark and you are
walking home and someone assaults you. They hit you and give you a mild contusion to steal your
money. If that happened to one of my friends, I’d feel sorry and ask if they are okay and wish them
to get better soon. If that happened to Mitsuki I’d be pissed, livid. I’d make sure she goes to the
hospital and I wouldn’t move from her side until I hear the doctors say she’s okay no matter how
much she yells that she’s fine. Then I’d feel guilty because I should have been there for her and
given the chance, I’d trade places for her. If someone has to get beaten, better me than her… it
pains me to say this, but I wouldn’t do that for a friend. And you? If it was Katsuki who got hurt?
How would you react?”

Shouto halts mid-step as he doesn’t even need to give it too much thought. The second one. He
would immediately rush to Katsuki’s side and make sure he’s okay. He would also trade for him,
take the hits if that means Katsuki is safe and sound and unharmed.
He doesn’t realise he’s crying until Masaru puts him on a hug. “Shh, it’s okay Shouto.”

“I don’t— I hate just the idea of Katsuki getting hurt.”

“I know. I know Shouto, I feel the same. Do you know what’s the first and the last thing I think
about when I go to sleep and wake up?”

Somehow he does and when he thinks about himself he cries harder as it’s always Katsuki who
pops into his mind.

“Don’t cry Shouto… but let it all out if you need.”

“I just… I don’t want to lose him.”

Masaru draws back a little. “What do you mean? No Shouto you got it all wrong. Katsuki wouldn’t
—”

“They all breakup. Back in class, everybody is always fighting! My parents… my father destroyed
my mother. She’s now locked on a mental institution because she did this to me,” he points at his
face and sees Masaru’s eyes widening. “It wasn’t her fault. I just look like him and she needed
help. I don’t blame her. I miss her even if she must hate me. You and Mitsuki are the first couple
I’ve seen that is normal and good. I just… that kind of love seems too complicated and messy, I
can’t live without Katsuki. What if I mess up? What if he doesn’t feel the same? For sure he
doesn’t. No, no, no. I can’t lose him.”

“Shouto, Shouto, you are not going to lose my son.”

“But I already have!” Taking a step back, he runs a hand through his hair as he recalls last year.
“You don’t understand: he has already pushed me away and it hurt. It was like hell. I hated it. He
left me and I felt like dying. Now it would be worse.”

“I didn’t know that… is that why last year for Christmas, Katsuki suddenly decided to come home
and then mid-way changed his mind?”

Nodding, Shouto sees Masaru sighing as his shoulders sag. “Please, excuse my son. He’s a prideful
creature that pretends to be tougher than he really is.”

“I know.” He whispers. “I know why he did it. He was afraid of me leaving him behind, so he left
me before that could happen. I don’t want that.”

“What if you could get more?”

“More what?” Shouto snaps. “No, I don’t need more. I’m happy with how we are, thank you.”

Masaru’s face falls and giving him some space, he quietly asks him if he wants to keep walking
around. Shouto isn’t sure, but finally concedes as the idea of going back and facing Katsuki after
this revelation feels like too much.

So he’s in love-love with Katsuki Bakugou, his beloved friend, his best friend. What a mess. What
is he supposed to do now? Hugging himself, he stills a little as he wonders if now he can still
accepting Katsuki’s touch like always. He shouldn’t, should he? For Katsuki it won’t mean the
same. It’d be unfair if Shouto seized it to fill his dark desires over the other boy.

“Why did you have to tell me?” He spites with contempt. “I was happy not knowing it!”
“Were you, really?”

“What? Of course,” facing Masaru he tries to explain what he has just thought. “How can I face
him now? How can I go back there and accept his touch when it doesn’t mean the same for me
than it does for him? How can I look at him and withhold his gaze?”

“The same way you’ve been doing so far. Shouto, these feelings of yours have been there all along.
For years if I’m not wrong.”

“But I didn’t know!”

Has he been in love with Katsuki for that long? He guesses he has… but how could he not?
Katsuki is simply wonderful. He’s intelligent and handsome; true he’s sometimes too brash and
prideful, but Shouto doesn’t mind, he’s not perfect either and they complement and balance each
other.

Maybe Masaru is right, maybe he’s been in love with him all along.

“He’s my sun,” he whispers. “Without him my world is cold and lifeless. I know that if I get too
close I might get burnt, but I still want it. I used to think that if I could, I would shower him in
roses… what an idiot I have been. I should have seen it coming, shouldn’t I?”

Holding him from his arm, Masaru nods and smiles at him. “Why roses, Shouto?”

“Because they mean love.”

“Yes… and how do you know that?”

He’s confused. Why is he asking him this? “Katsuki told me. You know it, you where there when
he did.”

“Yes, yes I was… and what else Shouto? What did my son do after that?”

Katsuki explained to him what roses where and what they meant before they kept walking around
the shop and then— “he bought me some roses.”

“Yes, yes he did. And not only that, he made sure you could have them eternally. That’s what he
said, right? Mitsuki overhead you and rushed to me to tell me how cute you two were being.
Shouto, c’mon you’ve already realised half of the issue, now unravel the other half. Consider this
your mistletoe experience and me and Mitsuki as your family and friends, dying to see those two
boys open their eyes.”

Wow what a bunch of cryptic words. As he resumes walking, he tries to consider what Masaru
might mean. Katsuki bought him some roses because he loves him. Masaru is now talking with
him because he wanted Shouto to realise that he loves Katsuki as more than as a friend.

Oh.

“Do you… do you think Katsuki loves me as in like… love?”

Sighing, Masaru slides his glasses back and stares at the night sky. “It’s frightening, isn’t it? I still
remember when Mitsuki and I met. She chased me down and gave me no way out. Before I
realised, I was married and with a son. Then in the blink of an eye, I get my son so grown up he’s
already in love with a wonderful boy who I’m proud of call son as well. Yes Shouto, I think and I
know Katsuki loves you. You are his sun too.”
It’s too much. There’s too much information going on. First of all, the discovery that his own
feelings are not as platonic as he thought they were; then Masaru saying that Katsuki feels the
same and then…

“You… you think of me as part of your family?”

“Of course I do! Since I got to know you Shouto, I’ve liked you a lot. Since you left last summer,
me and Mitsuki have been asking Katsu to bring you back at the slightest chance he got. Christmas,
summer, we always want you to come.”

He breaks. He doesn’t cry but he’s no longer functional. He has grown up parentless, without a
mother and loathing his father. His siblings were also distant, because his father wanted it to be like
that. His sister crossed that bridge first, offering him the chance of having the remains of his family
back together, piece by piece. It’s thanks to her that he’s got to know Natsuo… but does he? He
knows more about Mitsuki and Masaru than he does about his brother.

“I also like you. I don’t want to lose you either.”

“You won’t. Even if things with Katsuki don’t work, you’ll always have us. Trust me, Mitsuki is
with me, she adores you.”

With a glassy sight, he observes the muggle street. The Christmas decorations warm his heart and
it’s so stupid it makes him laugh. The good kind of stomachache… what an idiot he’s been all
along. He’s such a loser. All the hints where right there: how much he thinks about Katsuki, how
he’s constantly seeking him, how his heart flutters when he sees, hears or touches him; it was all
there. They started off as friends and then as best friends but somewhere, the line blurred and he
crossed the threshold without even realising it.

“What if you are wrong? What if he loves me but not like that? I mean, I know he loves me but
what if it’s not in that sense?”

“He does. I know he does. But it’s okay Shouto, I’ve only told you this because I felt it was the
right time. Are you feeling better already?”

“No, far from it. I’m scared. I don’t want to lose anything. I like what we have going on so far, I
like how he holds me and is always there for me. I like how he shows me his vulnerable side and
accepts my help without pushing me away. It has taken me a lot to reach this point… I don’t want
to lose that.”

Masaru hums and silently points at a bench. As Shouto sits down, he sees the man leaving, rushing
towards a little shop nearby and return soon enough with some hot beverages, chocolate from the
smell of it. Quietly thanking him, he takes a sip and sighs as it’s really good.

“Katsuki has changed. Last year, whatever it was that happened between you two, it changed him.
I’ve noticed it and so has Mitsuki.” When he takes a sip of his own chocolate his glasses fog,
making them chuckle. Taking them off, he cleans them and narrowing his eyes, he glances down
the street. “He still has a lot to learn and room to improve, but I think my son is not a bad person.”

“He’s not,” Shouto assures him. “He can be an asshole when he wants to, but deep down he cares.”

Placing his glasses back, Masaru hums. “Then why are you so afraid? You don’t need to confess
your feelings, lord knows he hasn’t and he has known for years…”

“Years?”
“Mmh. I can’t say too much, otherwise I’m afraid he won’t talk to me for a long period of time,
broken trust and all that, but yes. You see, you haven’t noticed anything strange in him, right? So
there’s nothing you need to fear. Act like always with him but now you know what to look for. If
you ask me, you two are already dating.” Laughing he shakes his head. “The problem is that only
you two haven’t realised or dared to call it by its name.”

You are pretty much married by now.

Kaminari’s words echo in his mind. It’s not the first time he has heard something like that either.
Their roommates have also made some off-hand comments about them asking him once where his
boyfriend was. Shouto never gave it too much thought because there was no mocking or teasing
hint on their voices… Could it be?

“How do… how do normal friends behave? I mean, from what I can guess Katsuki and I do not
behave like average friends, right?”

“Nothing wrong in that.”

“But how do friends behave?”

Leaning back, Masaru finishes his chocolate as he cranes his neck and glances at the stars once
more. Shouto lifts the collar of his coat and buries his nose inside of it.

“I don’t think you should worry about that,” the man finally says. “I only wanted to help you
acknowledge your feelings. Perhaps now I seem cruel to your eyes, but I think that in the long run
is better. I don’t think discovering that all alone would be nice and as you have said… Katsuki can
be complicated when he wants to be.”

The euphemism makes him smile. Looking up at the sky, he feels his heart calming down. He’s
still overwhelmed by the evening and everything he has discovered in such little span of time but
looking at the stars and the moon, he recalls how vast and infinite the universe is and his problems
seem trivial in comparison.

“Do you think everything will be alright?” He finally asks with a thread of voice.

“Yes, I know it will.”

He trusts him. Masaru is an honest man, just like Katsuki.

Standing up, he faces the street they have come from. “Let’s go home,” he whispers.

When they reach the Bakugou household he’s scared but as the front door opens and Katsuki
rushes outside heading straight towards him as he yells, “fucking finally! The hag is driving me
insane, old man be a good leash and keep her on her place. C’mon Sho, please give me some peace
and calm.” He glances at Masaru and offers him a nod.

Yes, everything will be alright.

Waving at Mitsuki as Katsuki is still dragging him he sees her smiling with a knowing look. He
steals a peek at them, at Masaru and Mitsuki, the only couple of functional adults he knows before
Katsuki pulls inside his room and he feels a pang on his heart. He wants that. He finally
 understands what Kaminari meant, what all their peers have been experiencing this year. Sitting on
Katsuki’s bed, he watches him walking up and down his bedroom as he tells Shouto how awful his
mom has been ever since they left and he knows it for sure: he’s in love with Katsuki Bakugou. He
feels the kind of love that makes his heart pound against his ribcage as if it had declared a war
against it, the kind of love that makes him want to grab his face and pull him in a ki—

“Oi, are you even listening to me?”

Blushing as he becomes aware of his train of thoughts, he lays back and stares at the ceiling as
blood pounds against his ears.

Katsuki kneels on the bed and squeezes his thigh, making him glance down, meeting his
concerned gaze.

“You okay?”

“Yes,” he replies breathlessly.

Katsuki glances at him with a puzzled look before his nose twitches and crawling over the bed, he
places himself behind Shouto and curses loudly as he touches him. “Fuck! You are cold as hell.
Come here, let me warm you up. Jeez, what was the old man thinking? You feel like a block of
ice.”

Perhaps he is… but in any case, he’s melting right now as his personal sun is holding him.

Asking him to resume his rant is the appropriate thing to do as Katsuki’s rumble lulls him to sleep.
As he’s almost dozing off, he feels a featherlike touch on his cheeks. Half-opening one eye, he
sees Katsuki looking at him with a soft expression.

It’s obvious. It’s in the way they look at each other.

Masaru’s words accompany him as he keeps looking at Katsuki… could it be?

“Katsu?”

“Yeah?”

“Roses. I want to give you red roses. One everyday for the rest of my life.”

There. That’s the most he can confess for now.

Katsuki gasps a little and he gently squeezes him as his eyes fill with something Shouto can’t
decipher.

“Me too,” the boy rasps.

Happy, Shouto falls asleep. Perhaps it’s not a confession, not yet, but for now is enough.

Chapter End Notes

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a nice day, evening or night ❤️
 6th year
Chapter Summary

"I also want to gift you all the roses in the world.”

“What a beautiful garden we can create.”

When the second task is almost going to start and Shouto is still missing, Katsuki feels a heavy
weight over his heart. Where is he? Glancing at his rivals, Yoarashi from Durmstrang and Hado
from Beauxbatons, he rolls his shoulders as he glares at the Black Lake.

He still has no idea what this task is supposedly about. The first one was kind of easy and
awesome, retrieve a golden egg from a dragon. That beast was nasty as fuck but damn what a blast
it was to use his broom as he bombed the rocks around to distract the dragon. He got in first
position proving once more that he’s the best. If he wins the Triwizard Tournament he’ll be one
step closer of proving it, of proving that your blood means shit and has nothing to do with being the
motherfucking best wizard… and where the fuck is Shouto?

“Champions! Get on your positions as the second task is officially going to begin.”

Ignoring the judge, he keeps looking around, trying to find any hint of red and white.

“Dude, focus Bakugou.” Kirishima pushes him forward all the way to the platform and points at
the lake. “You know that if he’s not here there must be a good reason—”

“And that’s exactly what worries me!” He snaps. “What if something wrong has happened, what if
—?”

“Dude, the ministry of magic is here. Nothing wrong will happen to Todoroki. He’s fine, just… I
don’t know. He must have a reason. Kami is looking for him.”

“Oh yeah, the dumbass is looking for Sho, gee now I feel much better.” He dryly retorts back.

Kirishima smacks him. “Dude, not cool. Anyway, you know that if Shouto was here, he’ll be the
first one to kick you inside the lake, so go. Go, go, go, go! Before you get disqualified or
something.”

A loud whistle is blown and stealing one last glance at the crowd, resigned, Katsuki goes to his
position and gets ready for whatever is waiting for him inside the lake. That’s everything they
have uncovered from the second task. Once Yaoyorozu pointed that perhaps the golden egg should
be placed underwater, he and Shouto did it and hearing the stupid song only gave him a clue: the
black lake, that’s it. What is the aim of this task? No idea, but whatever it might be he’s going to
get it and then kick Shouto’s ass for not being here when he needed him the most. Stupid asshole.

As he finally joins the other champions he feels Yoarashi looking at him.

“What?” He snaps.

“Nothing! Just wondering where that handsome friend of yours is.”

“Leave Shouto out of this!”

Before they can argue any further, the whistle is blown again and finally the task is revealed and as
Katsuki comprehends it, his stomach jerks as fear clutches his heart.

“Champions, your next task will start on my whistle. You have precisely an hour to recover what
you hold most precious and has been taken from you.”

No one needs to be a genius to add one plus one: Shouto isn’t here and what is more precious to
Katsuki than him? Nothing.

Getting ready, he clenches his teeth as now is no longer a matter of pride and winning to prove
himself but also of saving Shouto. Whatever danger awaits for him in the depths of the lake can
also be a hazard for Shouto and that’s unacceptable. The second the whistle blows, he quickly
enchants himself and jumps into the cold water. The bubble-head charm works as well as he has
practiced and swimming with all his might he ventures into the lake without any fear except for the
one of being too late.

As the first monster comes at him, he doesn’t even hesitate to send it with a blast to hell. Whatever
tiny movement he sees, he shoots first and asks questions never. To hell with this. How and where
is Shouto? Is he okay? He has to be, right? These motherfuckers of the ministry and their school
can’t be careless enough to endanger his life for real-real, right? Fuck, he’s going to kick Nezu
from the top of the astronomy tower for allowing this if Shouto even has a tiny scratch, mark his
words.

Some really ugly creatures that he identifies as grindylows, start to flock him from all the sides,
ready to attack him. He smirks as he allows them to come closer, pretending to have missed to
notice them. When all the beasts pound on him, he sends them all to hell with a powerful blast.
Looking up, he believes he must have given away his position for the spectators of the tournament
as he’s pretty sure he has sent some of those nasty bitches up in the air. Whatever, he doesn’t care,
right now he’s too pissed and there are no rules that say he can’t go as rabid and wild as he wants.
He needs to unwind, fucking sue him.

As he keeps swimming, he makes a tiny spell that allows him to find Shouto. He berates himself
for not have done it before and cursing, he follows the tiny butterfly made of light that appears. He
guesses he owes one to the hag. It was her who gave him the idea. Both he and Shouto wear
matching bracelets that allow them to sent messages to the other and in this case, locate the other.
They only got the permission to wear them as both swore they wouldn’t use it to cheat in exams
and obviously were believed as everybody knows about their still on-going rivalry on academic
matters —well, perhaps one-sided rivalry as he’s sure Shouto has never given a single fuck about
that, definitely not after they started their friendship.

He only fights more of those wannabe octopus ugly bitches in a maze of giant algae that he has to
cross and then the butterfly disappears, indicating him that he has arrived. Glancing around, he sees
he’s in an underwater clear. It’s kind of hard to distinguish anything as the water is kind of dirty
and dark green but he still does, how could he not to recognise the silhouette of the fucker that has
been with him for so many years?

As he gets closer and actually sees him, he freezes.

Shouto’s hair is floating all around him as he stays completely still, floating as he’s chained to
something in the bottom. He looks dead and Katsuki wants to throw up. Looking around, he sees
no danger and rushes towards him, ignoring the other two girls that are also there. Whatever, they
are not his problem, only Shouto is. Freeing him, he quickly checks that he’s okay, only under
some kind of spell that seems to have frozen him and once he finds his heartbeat as strong as
always, he starts to swim up, making sure Shouto doesn’t suddenly wake up from the spell and
drowns. The idea paralyses him and afraid, he casts another bubble-head charm on him just in case.

The second they reach the surface, Shouto wakes up and coughing, he grips Katsuki tightly as he
looks around with scared eyes.

“What? Where?”

“Shh, it’s okay. I got you.” Caressing his face, he tries to move his hair away from his eyes and his
heart throbs as Shouto leans into the touch, expression softening as he sees him.

“Katsu,” he sighs. The way he says his name as if Katsuki was precious gives him a shiver. Yeah,
Shouto is going to be the death of him. “They called me to see Nezu and then… I don’t remember
what happened next.”

“I’m gonna murder them.” He promises through clenched teeth. “C’mon, get on my back, I’ll
swim us toward the platform. Just hold on tight.”

Nodding, Shouto does as he’s been told. It’s kind of hard to swim with someone on your back as
his movements are kind of restricted, but Shouto helps him using his legs as well. As Katsuki
approaches the stupid platform he glares with a murdering intent at the judge and all the adults his
sight can reach. Some flinch and others stand right there, like Aizawa, looking back at him,
unimpressed.

That’s it. He’s going to murder them all. How dare them?

As his hand touches the stupid wooden edge, some fireworks explode and he’s announced the
winner of the task. He doesn’t care, and growling at anyone that dares to get close to them, he only
accepts the towels and hurries to cover Shouto’s shivering body with them until only his face is
visible, peeking from beneath all of them.

“You okay? How cold are you? Are you injured, does anything hurt?”

“I-I-I’m f-fine… y-you sh-should co-co-ver t-too.”

He sees how badly Shouto is still shacking; how pale his skin looks and how his lips have a blue
hue… yet he’s insisting on Katsuki taking one of the towels to cover himself. Selfless. Shouto is so
selfless and Katsuki so unworthy of him. Kneeling before him, he stares at him, only focusing on
Shouto, ignoring everything and everyone else that surrounds them.

Shouto still looks as pretty and perfect as always and Katsuki can’t do it anymore. He can’t keep
fighting these feelings inside of him anymore. He can no longer keep denying the truth. The way
he has feared, even for a second that he might be too late, that if he failed this task he could have
lost him…

“Shouto.”

“Y-yes?”

“Go with me to the Yule Ball. As my date,” he adds to clarify his intentions, leaving no margin to
misinterpretation.

He hears a couple of gasps around them but he doesn’t care. He only has eyes for the blushing boy
in front of him who shyly nods. “Yes, I’d l-like t-to.”
Only then he accepts a towel. Sitting behind Shouto, he rubs his arms up and down his shivering
body as Shouto leans back, silently asking him to hold him.

“About time,” Kirishima say as he crouches next to them. “Dude, it was so harsh seeing you two
dancing around each other for so long.”

“What?” Shouto mumbles.

“Bro, every time someone approached Katsuki to ask him if they could come as his date to Yule,
you looked as if you had just swallowed a lemon and don’t get me started with Katsuki when you
were the one who got asked.”

“We get it,” Katsuki snarls. “Fuck off, shittyhair!”

Laughing, Kiri moves back but before he does so, he smirks and adds, “also, a little bird has told
me that during Mrs. Kayama’s dance lessons you two were paired together after certain ‘accidents’
happened to your respective dance partners… how interesting.”

Katsuki throws his towel into his head and it only makes Kirishima laugh harder. Clicking his
tongue, Shouto takes off one of his towels and places it around Katsuki just in time for Yoarashi to
arrive with a blond girl.

“Shit, that’s Camie,” Kaminari sighs.

“Where the fuck where you?”

“Looking for Shouto. Oh hey! Look at that, you’ve already found him.”

Shouto holds him down as he reads his murderous intentions with dunce face and whispers, “not
worth it, Katsu. Too many witnesses and no way my Christmas date might end up in Azkaban.”

His heart skips a beat at the word date and glancing back at Shouto, he nods.

He’s not sure what’s exactly going on between them. Something is different, something changed
since last Christmas. At first, Shouto acted a little bit strange, almost with caution around Katsuki
—which hurt and made him want to rip his hair out from the frustration— but then he kind of
switched and started to act bolder around him. Shouto has always had this weird thing where he
simply stares intently at something without even blinking, silently asking for whatever is it that he
wanted from it… now Katsuki was one of the things he stared at without blinking. It always made
his stomach flutter and the tingle on his fingers intensified as there was nothing he wanted more
than to shorten the distance between them and touch him, but he held back.

And that’s not it. Every single weekend, Shouto and him have gone to Hogsmeade and at first,
Kirishima and Kaminari were invited and welcomed to join them, but one day Shouto asked him if
it could only be the two of them hanging out. From that moment on, it’s been like that. Shouto is
also touchier with him and there are moments where Katsuki swore it almost looked as if Shouto
was going to lean down and kiss him… but that never happened, which pity.

When Hado emerges from the water with the other girl, someone with short reddish hair, the judge
announces their classification and finally, they are dismissed. Without even hesitating or
questioning it, he picks Shouto up and carries him back to the castle, bride-style as he ignores the
feeble protests of the boy and the wolf-whistles of everybody else who is observing them.

“Who would have thought Bakugou is such a gentleman?”

“Well, it’s pretty obvious he cares about his boyfriend a lot.”

Some of the comments do reach his ears and he feels his face getting warm. He heads straight for
the Prefects’ bathrooms on the fifth floor, where he and Shouto have shared many baths. Both he
and Shouto have the right to use it, himself as the new captain of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, and
Shouto as Gryffindor’s Perfect. At first it was kind of awkward as he was a flustered mess and
Shouto didn’t seem to be faring any better, but it has got better and after all, they have seen each
other naked countless of times —it’s what happens when you share a room with someone for six
years and both of you are only separated by forty centimetres.

Getting rid of the towels and his swimming trunks, he dives in the warm water and offers Shouto
some privacy to get naked himself. When he hears the telltale of a body joining him in the water,
he turns around and approaches Shouto, still leaving a distance between them.

“Oi, are you okay? Do you feel strange or anything?”

“I’m fine Katsuki, don’t worry. I remember everything now: I agreed to this. Nezu asked me if I
was willing to do this.”

“AND YOU FUCKING SAID YES?!” He roars livid.

Shouto’s body collides with his and his hands gently cradle his face. “I knew it was going to be
okay. I know you, Katsu. Just like I would, I knew you would never let anything happen to me.”

“Damn right,” he mumbles hoarse. Staring into Shouto’s mismatched eyes, his thumb caresses the
edge of his scar. “But what if… what if for whatever reason I couldn’t get to you in time or—?”

“Nothing. Katsu no harm could have happened to me. I was protected. Nezu insisted on that: we
were safe, even if you fail the task, nothing would had happened. I was never in any real danger.”

“This shit is dangerous Sho, you said so, you told me how people have died in the past.”

Shouto smiles sadly at that, “yet here you are, participating.”

“Tsk, one task left and so far I’m killing it.”

“Mmh, as humble as always.”

“You know it.”

Somehow, as their conversation has been going on, his arm has slid around Shouto’s waist like it
always does, making their bodies get closer until their chests have meet… the biggest difference is
that now they are completely naked. When he realises this, his first impulse is to move or push
Shouto away and apologise, but Shouto simply smiles at him and places his arms around Katsuki’s
shoulders, fingers softly caressing his scapulae as his nails leave tiny scratches. He feels on fire and
without looking away from his eyes, he moves forward until their foreheads meet.

Standing in silence, holding each other in such an intimate way, both boys are lost into the other’s
eyes.

Shouto is so beautiful. He’s an ethereal being and Katsuki has no doubt that he’s a lucky
motherfucker for being one of the few people in this world that has got the chance of getting to
know him.

“My sun,” Shouto whispers.

“Huh?”

Rather than talking, Shouto simply smiles and gently moves away. Katsuki lets him go and
observes the delicate curve of his neck —he wants to bite it— along with his impeccable milky
skin —he wants to ruin it with his marks—. Diving into the water, Shouto disappears for a couple
of seconds before he emerges, messy hair with his halves all mixed. Running a hand through his
hair, he slides it back before he glances over his shoulder at Katsuki.

Breathtaking. Shouto looks breathtaking with his hair like this. Without his soft bangs covering his
face, he looks hella sexy and Katsuki has a hard time standing up and not falling on his knees.

“Do you have appropriate clothes for the Yule Ball?”

“Of course I do. As a champion I’m forced to attend, you already know that.”

“Mmmh, I do, I do. But you have always turned down everybody’s advances.”

“So have you.”

Neither says it but the mutual question is there: why? Where you waiting for me?

Since Katsuki has already asked him out and Shouto has said yes, he decides to be brave again and
approaches him. “I meant it. I want you to be my date.”

“I know.”

Clenching his fists, he forces himself to spell it as it’s clear Shouto doesn’t get it. “No. I mean as a
date-date. More than just friends.”

“I know.”

Perplexed, Katsuki blinks slowly as he observes Shouto.

Smiling, the boy caresses his jaw before he whispers, “roses, Katsu. I meant it. I’d gift you one
everyday for the rest of my life.”

Oh. He’s an idiot. Katsuki finally understands why the hag laughed at him last summer, when he
brooded for half an hour as they went to the swimming pool and Shouto got a lot of attention.
Feeling that he was going to throw another tantrum that might hurt them, he went off for a little
walk and Mitsuki followed him.

“Idiot. You are being a complete moron. Maybe your father should have talked with you, not with
him. Dumbaaaaass.”

“How long?” He asks him.

Shouto hums and simply moves away, exiting the water without answering him.

Katsuki blushes but doesn’t look away, drinking up how good Shouto looks naked, especially his
defined ass. He wants to grope it.

“Make it a memorable date and I’ll tell you,” is the last thing he says before leaving.

Challenge accepted.
Tugging the hems of his suit jacket, Katsuki waits at the end of the staircase that leads to the great
hall for Shouto. Today is Christmas and they have spent the whole day together along with
Shadow in their bedroom, opening their presents and simply laying in Katsuki’s bed, talking about
everything and nothing, just another normal day for them… except that from time to time both
remained silent, simply looking at each other, a dust of blush appearing on their cheeks as both
recalled that in just few hours they were going on a date, an official one.

And now that moment has finally arrived after years and years of silent pining, Katsuki is finally
going on a date with the boy that has stolen his heart and soul.

Kirishima has taken Shouto down to the fourth year’s bedroom to help Shouto get ready, while
Katsuki stayed up, in the sixth year’s with Shadow. Kiri assured them that it was for their greater
good… but this endless nervousness in his stomach disagrees with him. Whenever he feels bad he
seeks Shouto for comfort and right now, he needs him… even if he’s the cause of his state.

Playing with the little gift he has for Shouto, he fights once more the urge of messing with his hair
and ruining the hairstyle he has done to himself. Just a simple slide back, nothing too fancy but he
knows he looks good —not Shouto’s levels of looking good, but good enough.

When he hears a chorus of gasps, his heart stills on his chest as he knows it, he knows who it is, he
knows who has just reached the top of the staircase, making an appearance. And even if he knew
it, the air still gets knocked out of his lungs and he combusts as he takes him in.

Dressed in a modern suit that matches his, Shouto looks amazing in a dark red shirt and black dress
pants and jacket. His hair is also slicked back, with the red side more prominent than the white
half. Katsuki knows sometimes Shouto gets a little bit too aware of his scar, but for Katsuki that
has never lessened his beauty, quite the opposite. Puffing his chest out with pride, he waits for him
to get his ass down as he wants to link their arms and show off his date, he wants to rub into
everybody’s face how amazing and spectacular his date is… but Shouto is still in the top of the
staircase, not moving, only looking at him.

“OI DUMBASS! GET THAT ASS DOWN HERE.”

That makes him snap, and smiling, Shouto rushes down.

“Hello Katsuki.”

“Tsk. You forgot how to walk or what?”

“I did indeed. I forgot everything when I saw you. You look really good.”

Katsuki’s brain malfunctions for a couple of beats and he feels his face igniting at Shouto’s words.

“Thanks,” he says at last. “I know I’m fucking hot. You look kinda good too, I guess.”

Smirking, Shouto slightly turns around and points back at the stairs. “Only ‘kinda good’, huh?
Well I guess I can change if you—”

“Fuck no.” Grabbing him from his hand he starts to drag him towards the Great Hall, only to
remember his gift half-way there. “Here.” Placing the rose on Shouto’s suit pocket, he flicks him
on the chin and smirks. “Look at that, it even matches your shirt.”
“A rose,” Shouto whispers.

“Well, duh. It’s our flower, isn’t it?”

Shouto doesn’t say anything aloud, but his eyes say enough for him. There’s no need for words and
for a second, Katsuki feels the impulse of sending everything to hell and just push Shouto into a
dark corridor to kiss him senseless… but no, he has messed with shit long enough, he needs to do
this correctly at last. Squeezing Shouto’s hand, he resumes their way to the Great Hall where the
ball is being held.

They get scolded a little bit for being almost late since he’s a champion and it’s tradition that the
three champions open the dance with their dates. As they stand in the centre of the room, only
surrounded by the other two couples, Katsuki feels a little bit nervous until his eyes find Shouto’s.
The smile on his eyes calms him and his familiar scent and body warmth lull him into a floating
like feeling. Everything else unfocus, blurring in the background and his eyes only take Shouto.
When the first beat of the music begins, he tightens his grip on Shouto’s body and both start to
move with ease. It’s not only because they have been practising over and over in the solitude of
lonely halls and the greenhouse, but because they are like this, two gears well adjusted to the other,
in perfect tune after years and years of working together.

Dancing with Shouto is magical. It’s easy as breathing and he likes it. As he presses his body close
to his, hand sliding towards his lower back, he can’t avoid but smile as once more he’s doing his
favorite thing in world: hold Shouto between his arms, where he belongs, where he’s supposed to
be… and from what he can see in his mismatched eyes, the feeling is mutual.

They move all across the room, spinning and laughing carefree, dodging the other couples, never
stopping for a break and ignoring whoever tries to talk with them. They just dance and dance and
dance, switching only the rhythm, following the beat of the music the orchestra is playing. Katsuki
burns in his eyes the lovely image of Shouto spinning around, his pearly teeth peeking through his
lips as he’s having fun, the way his hair is moving, getting messier and messier as they keep
moving around. He tries to memorise the way Shouto’s fingers are dug on his shoulder, the way
their hands are joint and the electrical feeling he gets whenever they get too close and their chests
touch for a beat.

As the night goes on and people start to leave, Shouto rests his head against his shoulder, seizing
that the song is one of the slowest they have danced to so far.

“This might be the best Christmas I’ve ever had. The best you’ve ever given me. Thank you.”

Shouto’s whispered words make his heart double its beating and nervously swallowing, he glances
down at him, meeting his eyes and slowing down a little bit, he blurts, “we could do it again.”

Shouto snorts. “I’m pretty sure we can’t attend another Yule Ball, Katsu. The Triwizard Champ—”

“No… I meant—” Halting all the moves as they are in a corner of the room, he takes this semi-
private darkness to go out with it. “Go out with me. Date me, dumbass. Be my boyfriend and
that…” He feels dumb and his awkward ending denotes it.

Gaping, Shouto stares at him with wide expressive eyes and a hint of blush appears on his cheeks.
Even if Katsuki’s heart knows what his answer is going to be, he still needs to hear it. Grabbing
Shouto’s hand and intertwining their fingers, he pulls him towards the exit. Shouto easily follows
him until they reach a dark, isolated corridor that leads towards the kitchens nearby. Only the
domestic elves come and go around here.
Pressing Shouto against a wall, Katsuki cages him and stares at him intently, still waiting for his
answer… but the way Shouto’s lips are parted as he’s panting a little bit is distracting and
Katsuki’s treacherous fingers move, softly caressing Shouto’s bottom lip. A tiny whimper escapes
the taller boy and Katsuki can’t help himself.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, please.”

He leans forward and closes his eyes the second their lips finally touch. Even if it’s just a peck, just
their mouths meeting, Katsuki is in cloud nine. He feels his merry heart pounding with such
intensity in his ribcage he fears Shouto might notice it and make fun of him —something he knows
it’ll never happen as Shouto is not like him—. As he moves away, he feels short of breath and
lightheaded, and the sloppy smile on Shouto’s face tells him that he’s not the only one who has
enjoyed this.

He ignores who whispers again or if maybe it’s the two of them who have said it, but he leans once
more and meets Shouto’s eager mouth. This time, he tries to be a little bit bolder and recalling all
the kisses he has unfortunately witnessed, he parts his lips a little and gently takes Shouto’s bottom
one between his. The tiny gasp he receives followed by Shouto clinging into him, boosts his
confidence. He moves slowly, still a little bit unsure of what to do, but calmed as he knows it’s also
Shouto’s first kiss and he’s as lost as Katsuki is. It’s fine, it’s okay, both can do it, they can learn
together how to master the art of kissing, just like they have learned together each other and the
magic of friendship and amazing teamwork.

Moving his hands, he tangles one in Shouto’s soft hair as the other wanders down, claiming once
more Shouto’s lower back. The boy between his arms moans and presses himself closer to Katsuki,
which ignites him even further.

He feels Shouto’s hand on his neck, nails scratching his nape before one pulls of his hair a little bit,
making him groan in pleasure. Fuck, if he had been brave enough before today, could they have
been doing this sooner? Shouto demands his attention as his tongue licks his lips and Katsuki dies
right there as he opens his mouth, inviting Shouto in as the boy takes the invitation. The kiss turns
messy and at first they kind of lose their rhythm but soon find it.

Panting, he chases Shouto’s mouth whenever they break away to breathe and if it’s not him, it’s
Shouto who does it.

Addicting, kissing is too addicting and both have fallen victim of it.

Licking Shouto’s neck, he tugs his shirt down, loosing a little bit the white tie he was wearing and
sinks his teeth in there, leaving his mark as he has dreamed of doing for years. Mine. Shouto moans
brokenly his name and pushes his head further into his body, giving him a silent go to do it again.
Katsuki drags his teeth slowly, up and down the expanse of his exposed skin, before he goes back
leaving a trail of wet kisses that only end because Shouto ducks his head and claims his mouth.
Smirking, Katsuki allows the kiss but soon breaks away and starts to give a matching treatment to
the other side of Shouto’s neck.

Head hitting the wall, Shouto keeps moaning as his hands tug of Katsuki’s clothes. When Shouto
gets impatient, like the little spoiled brat he can be sometimes, he grabs Katsuki’s head and forces
him into another kiss, demanding him to pay attention to his mouth, not his neck.

Katsuki chuckles and tries to move away but Shouto won’t let him. Amused, he easily pins him
from his arms, holding his wrists together above his head as he hums and observes him. Shouto’s
hair is a complete mess and his lips look wet, red and swollen.

“Tsk, so impatient.”

“As if you weren’t.”

“You still haven’t answered me, Sho. Haven’t you heard? I’m a gentleman,” he snorts recalling the
comments they heard on the lake. “And gentlemen don’t go around kissing people—”

“YES! The answer is obviously yes, Katsuki. Yes, I want to do date you. Yes, I love you. Now
come back here and kiss me.”

He was expecting the first admission, he knew Shouto was going to say yes… but that second one
leaves him in shambles. His hands loose grip of Shouto’s and gaping, he stares at him as his heart
doubles its pounding.

Shouto loves him.

He already knew it… but hearing it in this context is, is… is.

“H-how long?” He whispers, repeating himself. He still remembers Shouto’s promise: make it a
memorable date and I’ll tell you.

Smiling, as Shouto seems to recall it as well, he easily frees his hands and caresses Katsuki’s
cheeks with his thumbs, rubbing tiny circles with them as his eyes shine, holding eternal promises.

“Since forever Katsuki, since forever. I might have realised not so long ago, but your father was
right: my feelings have been there all along.”

His dad? What does that mean? He recalls his mom teasing him about it, about how his dad should
have talked with him rather than with Shouto… could it be?

“My sun,” Shouto whispers again. “You are my sun Katsuki. How could I not feel anything but
love for you?”

He has no idea of why Shouto keeps comparing him with the sun, but it doesn’t matter; it’s like
roses, in Shouto’s language it means love, so he takes it.

“I love you too. I also want to gift you all the roses in the world.”

“What a beautiful garden we can create.”

It’s such a Shouto answer, he can’t avoid but laugh and kissing his matching laugher away, he
melts into Shouto as his lover does the same.

They stay in the empty hall, kissing and discovering the other under a new light until the end of the
night when they get rudely interrupted by a nearby teacher that is shooing students back to their
rooms. Breathless, they sneak around and make their way upstairs between chuckles and stolen
kisses here and there. They are so lost in one kiss that the staircase moves, making them end up in
a corridor they are not supposed to be.

“Oh, uhm, maybe we should stop and focus?”

“Fuck it. If a Professor comes just lie and say it’s part of your Perfect duties, that you’ve been
chasing a rebel student.”
Shouto’s eyes glint at that. “Oh? Is that student perhaps certain Quidditch captain? I heard he has
quite an attitude and reputation.”

Squeezing his ass, Katsuki pulls Shouto closer. “Really? Funny you say that, I’ve heard
Gryffindor’s Perfect can be a total spoiled princess when he wants.”

“What?”

“Tsk, is the princess deaf now?”

Laughing, Shouto shakes his head as he wraps his arms around Katsuki’s shoulders and hums,
tilting his head back as he observes the ceiling of the castle. “Oh I don’t know, does that make you
my grumpy prince?”

“As if,” one of the pictures retorts. “This one here is more like a villain than a prince… and by the
way, take away that awful flirting and go back to bed, brats!”

Katsuki is ready to start a fight with the stupid painting when Shouto clasps a hand over his mouth
and pulls of him towards the opposite side of the staircase. Pressing his body against the banister,
they kiss until the staircase moves back to where they need to go.

Once they reach the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, they enter with matching sloppy
smiles and holding hands only to get received by their stupid friends and some of the guys from the
Quidditch team who clap and whistle.

“FUCKING FINALLY BAKUGOU!”

“Yeah cap, about time you got your man.”

Blushing, Katsuki flips them off and sends them all to hell, while Shouto simply laughs and
happily thanks them before he soundly kisses Katsuki’s check.

“Wait.” Kaminari says. Taking a step forward he points at them and gapes before he turns around
and faces the other boys and then back at them. Katsuki feels on the edge and he swears that if
dunce face says something remotely homophobic he’s going to fucking defenestrate him and—

“You mean you guys haven’t been dating for years?!”

Wait.

What?

The silence that overtakes the common room is only interrupted by the crackle of the fire and the
giggles coming from upstairs, from the other bedrooms. This is one of the few occasions where
99% of the students have stayed in the castle to spend Christmas, discovering how lax the rules
become during this period of the year… and also because lets be honest, Shouto is not precisely
the most harsh of the Perfects, he’s pretty lazy and doesn’t care that much, only calling out
students that truly break rules that shouldn’t be broken.

“You’re an idiot,” Kirishima finally says.

Somehow the fact that it’s him from all the presents who calls Kaminari out makes Katsuki bend
over and burst into laughter. Maybe it’s because he’s still high from finally having got the boy of
his dreams, but he doesn’t care nor hide. He laughs out loud with tears running down his face at
the stunned face Kaminari did when Kiri called him an idiot. When Shouto joins him and soon the
rest do as well, he feels like home.

Pulling Shouto into his arms, he leans against him as he keeps laughing, knowing Shouto won’t let
him down.

“Idiot,” he manages to say between hiccups. “He has called you an-an IDIOT!”

Kaminari huffs, but the tiny smile he has denotes he’s not angry.

Kirishima apologies between chuckles and Kaminari punches him. “That was mean, bro.”

“Sorry, sorry. C’mon, you really should go back to your common room before someone sees you
here. You’ve already seen and tried to tease them, now let me walk you there.”

Waving a goodbye to them, Katsuki nods curtly at the rest of his team and tugs Shouto up, towards
their bedroom. When they enter, they see the others are also awake.

“You two have stayed dancing until now?”

“Kind of,” Shouto replies with honesty. “Katsuki and I are now dating.”

“Oh… you meant you weren’t? Well, that’s cool.”

Katsuki observes them with a frown. That Kaminari didn’t know he and Shouto were just friends is
ridiculous because as their friend, he should have known and the rest of the team also knew about
his long-time crush on Shouto because of his occasional brooding when too much people decided
to fucking hit on Shouto… but these guys? They have lived with them for six years by now, they
couldn’t also tell that they were not dating? How?

Shouto also seems puzzled, but shakes his head a little and crouching down, he picks Shadow and
makes his way towards Katsuki’s bed, where he kicks his shoes off before sitting, claiming the
right side like always. As he starts to undress and change into his sleeping clothes, he hears
someone clearing his throat behind him.

“Uh… just one thing guys. I think I talk in the name of everyone that please, if you want to have…
you know… just like, a heads up so we don’t walk on you?”

He chokes when he comprehends it and flustered, he throws his tie at the head of this fucking
moron before Shouto pulls him back.

“FUCKING DIE!”

“We will,” Shouto says. “Don’t worry, you won’t see us.”

“C-cool. Thanks Todoroki.”

Before he can complain, Shouto pulls the curtains around his bed, giving them some privacy.
Katsuki has never used them, no one truly has and it feels kind of weird but he sees the appeal.
Laying half-naked as he never got the chance to put a t-shirt on, he sees Shouto is still wearing his
suit and looking at him with half-lidded eyes that keep stealing peeks at his naked chest.

“Like what you see?”

“Yes.”
“Tsk. Kind of unfair, wouldn’t you agree?”

Their whispered conversation somehow makes it all seemingly more erotic, adding it a hint of
forbidden. Slowly, making sure Shouto is okay with this, he pushes him down and straddles his
body before he starts to unknot his tie and then undo his shirt buttons. As the last one pops out of
its buttonhole, he slides his hands inside the shirt and caresses Shouto’s warm naked skin as he the
boy under him bites his lip and slightly arches his body towards him. The low grunt he hears,
makes him swallow as he has a sin on his bed, underneath him.

Leaning down, he grabs Shouto’s chin and pulls him in a kiss that is all tongue and teeth. His
hands keep pushing Shouto’s shirt down and they only break away so Shouto can sit and properly
pull it off along with his jacket. Katsuki pushes him back down and observes him.

This isn’t the first time he has seen Shouto shirtless. He has seen him naked, he has even ogled his
naked ass, but this somehow feels different because finally, he’s allowed to look and touch as he
pleases or as much as Shouto allows him.

Hesitantly, his fingertips touch Shouto’s skin, right above his heart and feeling a matching
heartbeat that is going off-charts is quite a shock for Katsuki, who mumbles a quiet, “oh.”

Pulling him down, Shouto devours his lips as his legs wrap around Katsuki’s torso, making him
lose his balance and fall with a tiny huff over Shouto, who groans before going back to kiss him.
Who would have thought touching like this could be so addicting, so perfect and wonderful?
Fingers wandering up and down Shouto, he twirls his tongue around Shouto’s, both dancing back
and forth each other’s mouth as the rest of the world fades away.

They are so into the kiss, that it takes them several seconds to hear it.

“DUDE SERIOUSLY?!”

“Yeah, we’ve just asked you to not fuck with us around!”

“We ain’t doing anything!” He roars at them.

Under him, Shouto covers his face with his hands, still panting from their kisses.

“Really? That surely didn’t sound like anything.”

Katsuki freezes as he recalls that yeah, perhaps Shouto was moaning a tad too much and he too,
was making certain sounds that he’s not comfortable with anyone other than Shouto hearing.
Mumbling an okay, he forces himself to move away and definitely not-pouting —he’s totally
pouting— he glares at the ceiling, cursing his existence for having to share the bedroom with these
extras. If only they had individual bedrooms and—

Shouto’s hands caress his face and Katsuki takes it back. If they had individual rooms, he wouldn’t
be sharing it with Shouto, they wouldn’t have shared so many nights and days together, lazily in
their beds doing nothing except enjoy their mutual company.

Kissing his fingertips, he watches as Shouto slides out of the bed and disappears from his sight for
a minute before he returns with his sleeping clothes. Opening his arms, he sees Shouto smiling
before he tackles him and gets inside of them.

Holding him, like he has done countless of times, they get under the blankets to sleep… yet this
time is different. This time means something vastly different and his heart is filled to the brim with
happiness.
As Shouto’s breathing slows down, indicating he’s asleep or almost there, he whispers into his ear,
“I’ve also loved you for so long I don’t even know when it started. You are my first everything and
I want nothing else but for you to be my last everything.”

Shouto moves and wiggling his body, he turns around and faces him. Katsuki sees tears on his eyes
and leaning over, he kisses them away.

“I love you Katsuki.”

Smiling, he presses their lips together one last time, before he tucks Shouto’s head under his chin
and squeezes his body against his, inviting him to sleep.

The next day, everybody knows about them. They receive as many congratulations as questions
about if it’s true that they haven’t been dating all this time. That kind of pisses Katsuki off because
if some of these assholes thought he and Shouto were already in a relationship, then why the fuck
did so many of them asked Shouto out for Yule or in general? What the fuck is wrong with these
people?

When he tells this to Shouto, the boy hums and agrees with him.

“I don’t understand people either, Katsu. Luckily, I only need you. Can we go to the—?”

“Yes. Lead the way to your flowers, Sho.”

Happy, his boyfriend —he’s never going to get tired of that— grabs him from his hand with a
beaming smile and walks ahead, making his way to the greenhouse that is their secret haven.

No one dares to bother them for the rest of the day and they only leave to fetch some food before
going back to the greenhouse, where like always, Shouto sits between his legs, back pressed against
his chest as they talk about whatever pops into their mind. Only his owl interrupts them as she
brings them a letter from his parents:

About time, brat. Your father and I are really proud of you. Don’t you dare to mess this up Katsuki.
This boy is the best thing that has ever happened to you, so don’t you dare.

Shouto sweetie, you have all my support and permission to kick my son’s ass downstairs if he hurts
you ever again. Masaru asks you to try and talk about it first, but I repeat myself: violence is
allowed if he treats you like the jerk we both know he can be when he wants.

Katsuki, now for real: take a deep breath and think twice the shit that comes from your mouth
because now the harm can be twice painful. Relationships aren’t easy nor perfect and ups and
downs are a must. Work through them like you’ve been doing so far and everything will be alright.

Congratulations my boys, we are really happy for you. It was about time.

P.S. We are expecting you home for the summer break, Shouto.

P.S.2. Congrats brat from winning the second task, pretty sure you’ll master the third one too.

P.S.3. Your father wants to know if perhaps Shouto would like to invite his sister along one day for
our families to meet. I’d like to meet her as well, I’m sure she’s as wonderful as our Shouto.
Have fun boys and study lots!
 7th year
Chapter Summary

“Wanna hang in Hogsmeade for a bit? We could have some butterbeers in the Three
Broomsticks or even a glass of firewhisky…”

“Are you planning on getting me drunk, love?”

Katsuki’s hands slide inside his coat, fingers caressing his sides as he leans over and
whispers into his ear, “we both know I don’t need that to get what I want from you,
now do I?”

“No,” he whispers. “You definitely don’t need to.”

Chapter Notes

Hello and happy new year! I hope the Christmas season has been wonderful to you all

Fair warning, I've changed one of the tags of this story since I forgot to tag
UNDERAGE as a warning ♀️ I mean, both are 17, Shouto
almost 18 but you know... just in case.

Enjoy! ❤️

They decide to stay as from next year on they will celebrate Christmas with the Bakugous; but a
Christmas in Hogwarts? No, this is their last chance to do so. They are once more pretty much all
alone and although Kirishima made the attempt to stay with them, Katsuki told him something that
made the other quickly change his mind. Shouto wonders what it might have been… although he
might have an idea.

Still, they walk Kirishima and Kaminari all the way to the station and standing on the platform,
they chat with them through the train window until it’s time for them to leave.

“Guys, I’ll miss you so much,” Kiri sobs with watery eyes, body half-hanging out of the window.

Katsuki sighs and rolls his eyes. “Shitty hair, this is just Christmas break. It’s not the end of the
year.”

“Yeah, but still… this is the last Christmas break we are going to share.”

Katsuki smacks him easily, standing on his tiptoes. “Dumbass! Keep playing Quidditch and who
knows, maybe in a couple of years you can play professionally along with me.”

That makes Kirishima smile. “Heck yeah! I want that Baku. I’ll! Wait for me, bro!”
When the train finally leaves, Katsuki shakes his head. “Idiot. You know, when he comes back I’ll
step down as the captain and elect him.”

“Oh, will you be the co-captain, then?”

“Sure. I bet he will ask me to do that.”

Kissing his cheek, Shouto hums as he observes the train disappears in the horizon. His stomach
twists a little bit with worry, nervousness and dread. Katsuki’s future has already been set: ever
since he won the Triwizard Tournament along with match after match of Quidditch, he has
received several offers to join amazingly good professional teams, but has turned them all down as
he wants to finish his education and take all the N.E.W.T. tests he can. Once Shouto asked him
why and got a kick in the butt.

“Dumbass! I like playing Quidditch and I want to do it for many, many years but c’mon, I also
want to have something more. Quidditch is a sport and it’s exhausting. I can’t see myself with 40
years playing for 12 hours Quidditch. I need to have studies… and I want to.”

Once more, Katsuki showed him how mature and intelligent he is. Thinking in the long run like
that is something Shouto envies from him. He still doesn’t know what to do next year, none of the
careers the Professors have shown them calls him. He guesses he could try to be a Healer, he
knows he can get those scores… but he doesn’t really feel the call or vocation to do so. He would
also lie if he denied that he’s nervous about their relationship: Katsuki is going to be a famous
Quidditch player and meanwhile he’s what? A disinherited boy who likes to play around with
flowers? Yeah, what a catch.

His mood darkens as he recalls the awful fight he and his father got into last year once the news of
his love life reached him. Shouto knows his sister meant well, she was simply excited of getting to
meet Katsuki’s family and slipped, accidentally outing him. His father immediately threatened to
pull him out of Hogwarts and it was thanks to Aizawa, Nezu and other Professors who calmed him
down that he’s still here… in any case, he’s no longer a Todoroki, his father has made that clear:
“until you stop this nonsense, you are no longer my son. A half-blood… and it had to be that boy to
top it all! I heard his father is a dirty muggle—”

He punched him. The insults his father casted over Katsuki made his blood boil but when he
started to insult Masaru, he simply snapped.

“I don’t care, father. He is more a father to me than you will ever be.”

Those were the last words they have exchanged as he hasn’t heard nor seen his father ever since.
Good riddance as Katsuki would say… but it still hurts. He can’t avoid it, even if he and his father
never seemed eye to eye, he has always craved something, being good enough he guesses. Now
that bridge has been burnt beyond recognition.

“Oi, what the fuck is wrong with you? I can see a dark cloud floating all over your head.”

Offering him a smile, he pulls Katsuki in a tight embrace and nuzzles his nose against his neck,
taking a deep breath of his scent. He feels calmed in a second, especially when Katsuki starts to
kiss his neck softly, hands squeezing his waist as he pulls him closer. They stay like that for a bit,
softly kissing until the cold becomes too much.

“Wanna hang in Hogsmeade for a bit? We could have some butterbeers in the Three Broomsticks
or even a glass of firewhisky…”
Chuckling, he nips his chin like Katsuki always does with his cheeks. “Are you planning on getting
me drunk, love?”

Katsuki’s hands slide inside his coat, fingers caressing his sides as he leans over and whispers into
his ear, “we both know I don’t need that to get what I want from you, now do I?”

“No,” he whispers. “You definitely don’t need to.”

Smiling, he twirls around until Katsuki is holding him from his waist and both leave the train
station. Before they go to the Three Broomsticks, they make a little stop in Honeydukes as both
intend to spend Christmas Eve in bed, eating sweets and having fun. The shop is still crowded,
even if there are barely any students from Hogwarts, so they have to separate a tad to move around.
Once they have a bag filled with sweets, he hops into Katsuki’s back and pouting, he manages to
convince his boyfriend to carry him all the way there.

“You are the fucking worst.”

“I’m tired.”

“Die.”

“Mmh, we know you’ll be sad if that happens.”

Katsuki clicks his tongue but doesn’t deny it. They are almost reaching the pub when he finally
talks.

“If something happened to you, I’d do anything to get you back.”

The scariest part is not the implication that Katsuki would use dark and forbidden magic to do so,
no… it’s the fact that he too, would do anything if it was Katsuki. Kissing his head, Shouto
tightens his hold on his body as he mumbles, “let’s hope we never have to face that.”

“Yeah.”

Once they get inside the Three Broomsticks, they share a quick peck and the mood lightens as they
see the pub is as always. The familiar setting eases the mood. Sitting on a dimly lit corner booth,
both sit side by side rather than in front of the other. Katsuki complains a little, calling him clingy,
but Shouto hushes him easily with a kiss before their drinks float to their table.

“It’s cold, love,” he muses.

“Yeah and who is not wearing appropriate winter clothes?”

“… I prefer your body heat.”

“Fucker.”

Laughing, they clink their glasses before drinking. “For another Christmas together.”

“And many more,” adds Katsuki.

They stick with butterbeers, even if Katsuki wiggles his brows and points at the firewhisky, trying
to convince him. “C’mon, we can finally ask for it. Finally, finally, finally we can pretty much buy
and consume whatever we want.”

“No. Butterbeers also have some alcohol, enjoy that.”

“Pffft, this? This thing only inebriates house-elves… are you calling me short?”

He can’t avoid but laugh at that. He’s still taller than Katsuki, just two centimetres but it still
irritates the other. Shouto doesn’t mind, it’s something so small it’s not even a problem. Katsuki
still holds him, carries him everywhere and pretty much does whatever he wants with him. It’s
pretty obvious those centimetres mean nothing… but of course his boyfriend is his boyfriend and
Katsuki is many things and one of them is extremely prideful. So he decides to go for another
tactic: praise his shoulders and muscles.

“Mmmh, love, have I told you how broad your shoulders are getting? And your biceps. Must be
from carrying me everywhere. See? Having my ‘clingy ass’ all over you is a good workout.”

Katsuki’s eyes narrow as he observes him. “Don’t think I don’t know what you are doing,” he
hisses.

“Me? I’d never do anything, Kat.”

“Tsk, like hell you wouldn’t.” His hand slides down and grabbing a handful of Shouto’s ass, he
squeezes it harshly making him gasp. “Say, are you going to keep praising me, huh? Is there
something you want from me… baby.”

He has to bite his lip to withhold the moan that almost escapes him. Katsuki is so unfair. He’s
playing dirty as he knows how much that voice affects him. Katsuki’s normal voice is enough to
rev him up, but that low grunting one is the same he uses in bed or whenever he wants to mess with
Shouto. His body is by now conditioned to it and he can’t avoid it, he feels himself getting excited,
body tingling with desire as it knows that sooner or later pleasure is going to come his way.

“Sh-should we leave?”

“Already?” Katsuki says, faking perplexity. “But why, Sho? We still have plenty of money and
drinks.”

Right now he’s contemplating violence. Wiggling his ass back, against Katsuki’s hand that is still
groping his butt, he bats his eyelashes as he choses the seductive path.

“Mmh, c’mon love, we’ve already drunk enough. We could go back to Hogwarts and enjoy the
bedroom we have all for ourselves.”

“You want to play?”

“Yes.”

“Chess? Regular or wizard’s?”

He hits him. Punching him in the shoulder, he huffs and turns away from him before he drowns his
glass. Katsuki chuckles and his fingers move, up and down his spine, giving him a shiver.

“C’mon baby, don’t pout. It’s still early. Jeez, I was thinking we should stay here until lunch time,
then we go back, eat, take a nap and then we fuck like rabbits as long as you want or pass out.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah.”

Still pouting a little, he leans back, falling against Katsuki’s side, who simply snorts and slides his
hand once more around his body, keeping him as close as he can. Playing with Katsuki’s fingers,
he marvels at how calloused, yet soft his hands are. He knows how much Katsuki cares about his
hands, they are his biggest weapon along with his brain after all. Caressing every crevice in them,
tracing all their lines and the soft curve of his bones, he feels Katsuki observing him.

“Katsu, I’ve been thinking and I still have no idea of what to do once the year ends.”

“Huh?”

Eyes fixed on Katsuki’s hand, he still caresses it as he can’t face him, not yet.

“It’s just… you have everything planned already and I feel that I’m just discovering myself. I have
no idea of what to do.”

“So? Where’s the fucking problem?”

The way he says so, so nonchalantly, makes him blink and glance up slowly.

“Wh-what do you mean? I just told you—”

“Do you know what muggles do?” Puzzled, he shakes his head as Katsuki smiles a little and tilts
his head up, glancing at the ceiling. “What we are doing now is what they call High School. Some
muggles, not all, pursue a higher education called College or University, don’t ask me the
difference I ignore it, but they go there to specialise in a field. My dad took design… but before he
did that, he took a year off, a sabbatic year. My point is that I don’t even know what I’m going to
do, no, I mean in the future-future. There’s nothing wrong with taking a year off, babe. You could
even get a muggle job if you want.”

“I can?”

Katsuki snorts at that and finally looks at him. “Oi, let’s go back. I think I’d like to give you one of
your gifts a little bit earlier.”

“Why?”

Rather than answer him, Katsuki shrugs and approaches the counter to pay for their drinks.

The walk back to the castle is silent and Shouto can’t avoid but steal multiple glances at Katsuki,
who looks as serene as always… or at least, with him. He knows Katsuki can shift his face in a
perpetual grimace and sneer that haunts first years, but whenever it’s just the two of them, Katsuki
looks like this, extremely handsome, calm and composed.

Somehow, they end up in the patio where it all began. He knows it’s no coincidence as he has been
following Katsuki. He waits as they slow down their steps. Katsuki moves away and stretches,
loudly yawning. Shouto is so focused on the little patch of skin that gets visible that he doesn’t see
the flying snowball until it’s too late.

Blinking, he glares at him with betrayal but Katsuki’s words make him freeze.

“Oi, are you human or are you a robot?”

His heart skips a beat and he feels his eyes stinging as emotions overwhelm him. With a shaky
whisper he replies, “a robot? What is that?”

Katsuki takes the two steps that separated them and grabbing his face, he mumbles, “definitely not
you.” Before he kisses him.

Those where the first words they truly exchanged. Now he does know what a robot is and he
understands why Katsuki compared him to one… but the little addition, the novelty of Katsuki
reassuring him that he’s not one, that he’s no longer cold and emotionless like before —even if he
knew it— makes him burst with happiness. Pulling away, he glances down and smiles at Katsuki.
“My sun,” he whispers.

“So you keep saying. Oi, fancy having one last snowball fight for the sake of tradition?”

“The last one? We will never—?”

“No dumbass, just— ugh. Just have one with me?”

Nodding, he quickly crouches and half-shapes one that throws at Katsuki before rushing away.
Laughing, he hides behind a tree as he hears the cursed roars of his boyfriend demanding him to
return in this very instant right where he was. He makes more ammo and bewitching half of them,
he takes a deep breath as he knows for sure Katsuki has done the same.

Snow flies all across the patio for the next hour and their screams make some people join them.
Even if they only fight between themselves, it makes Shouto vibe with excitement as he sees others
having fun around him. His fingers kind of hurt as the icy snow has trespassed his gloves and
shivering, he approaches Katsuki with his hands raised, showing his wand to prove he’s
surrendering.

“I’m too cold.”

Katsuki nods and pulls him close, rubbing his arms all over his body to warm him before he kisses
him. Shouto is too lost in the kiss but he notices that Katsuki is mumbling something… his eyes
open wide as he recognizes the spell and not even three seconds later he shrieks as he feels snow
entering his clothes.

“KATSUKI!”

“That’s what you get fucker! That’s for your first ball.”

“My first—? It was you who attacked me first!”

Katsuki stops his taunting for a couple of seconds before he laughs and nods. “Oh yeah, now I
remember it. It was me. Oppsie.”

Indignant, he tries to huff and offer him his back, but Katsuki quickly grabs him and throwing him
over his shoulder, smacks his ass loudly before he starts to jog his way back to the castle.
Embarrassed, Shouto hits him and hisses, “Katsu we are still in public!”

“So?”

“You are awful.”

Katsuki’s only response is a snort and another smack on his ass. It’s not as if he’s exactly
struggling either. They bypass Mrs. Kayama who squirms and giggles as she looks at them. “OH!
Have fun boys~!”

It only flusters Shouto more as it’s obvious she knows what they are going to do. Luckily, it seems
even Katsuki is embarrassed. “Oh fuck,” letting him down. Shouto sees the tips of his ears are red.
“I thought you didn’t mind.” He tells him.

“Shut up.”

As they reach the Gryffindor tower, they are back in the mood. They heavily make out all the way
to the painting, stopping here and there as Katsuki has this compulsory need of biting him. Shouto
doesn’t mind, he never has. He wears more than proud any mark Katsuki leaves in his body, it
makes him feel giddy and excited whenever he sees his reflection in the mirror. It’s a nice reminder
of their physical love. Tugging of his hair, he tries to get closer to the entrance as even if he enjoys
kissing Katsuki, he knows he’ll enjoy it a hundred times more if they do it in one of their beds,
naked.

“Ka-Ka-Katsu… let’s— let’s move. W-we are in public.”

Katsuki groans and finally releases him.

He takes a little step back and his head hits a nearby wall. “Ouch.”

“Silly,” Katsuki mocks him before he takes his hand and tugs him towards the Fat Lady portrait.
She gives them the stinky eye and huffs before moving. She used to lecture them about decency
and other matters, but kind of gave up last year around April when she saw that no matter how
many times she scolded Katsuki, the boy kept lewdly making out with him in front of her portrait,
subtly flipping her off as he smirked. Shouto only knows this because one day Kirishima walked
on them and laughed.

“Dude Baku, you are so petty! Are you seriously flipping the Fat Lady off?!”

“Katsuki!”

“Shittyshima, you traitor!”

The common room is empty and he sees it in Katsuki’s eyes what his intentions are.

“No, no, no! Remember last time?”

“C’mon babe, now there’s barely students—”

“No.” He tries to sound firm as he knows that if he doesn’t, Katsuki is going to worm his way
around and manage to get his way… but no, they can’t; last time they got frisky in the common
room they almost got caught by some second years that decided to explore the castle during
midnight. Luckily, they heard them coming and he managed to get dressed with his shirt and
scolded them as he hid behind the couch the fact that had no pants and a really horny boyfriend
sucking him off… okay, okay maybe that was hot, but what if they had caught them? Gosh, what a
Perfect he is.

“The fireplace,” Katsuki whispers, seeing his struggle.

“N-no…” He cringes and curses how weak he has just sounded.

Knowing that if Katsuki starts to kiss and touch him again he’s going to give up and end up on his
four with Katsuki doing to him whatever he pleases, he bolts upstairs towards the safety of their
bedroom. Katsuki roars and quickly follows him, easily catching him on the third flight of stairs.

Shouto eagerly kisses him as he keeps moving up, bending over to keep their lips locked.
“Let’s go upstairs.”

“We are closer to the common room,” Katsuki retorts smugly.

Shouto frowns. “I’ll let you eat me out in the bathroom whenever you want, even between classes
if we go up.”

Not even two seconds later he’s once more tossed over Katsuki’s shoulder as the man takes the
stairs two at a time, reaching their bedroom in the blink of an eye. Seeing that Shadow is napping
on his bed, Katsuki throws him over his and then gently shoos Shadow out of the room. Their cat
huffs and his tail shows he’s not impressed with them. Meanwhile, Shouto starts to undo his
clothes, eager to get naked as Katsuki has revved him up for too long, ever since the Three
Broomsticks.

“Oh my, eager are we?”

“You know what you do, I can give you that,” he replies lowly.

Katsuki hums and starts to undress himself, leaving a trail of clothes behind him. Shouto kicks his
underwear off and plops down, bouncing a little bit. Moving Katsuki’s pillows around, he positions
himself in the middle of his bed and spreads his legs, offering him the show he knows Katsuki
wants.

“Fuck. You are so fucking hot, babe.”

“So you keep telling me,” he mumbles with a hint of amusement.

Katsuki gets rid of his last piece of clothing as he reaches his bed and slowly crawls his way up,
until he has Shouto’s body enclosed under his. The body heat incoming from above makes him
arch his back, seeking it blindly. Raising his arms, he tangles his hands on Katsuki’s spiky hair and
pulls him down, in a messy kiss that is all tongue and passion… but it’s not enough. Throwing a
leg over Katsuki’s torso, he struggles to pull him down and feels Katsuki’s smile as he resists,
knowing fully well what Shouto yearns. Since his assholeish boyfriend won’t move, he bucks his
hips up, seeking some release. He humps Katsuki twice before he gets pinned down.

“Not yet princess.” Flicking his nose, Katsuki snorts. “I know a spoiled little princess like you
doesn’t know how to take a no, but trust me with this: patience is a virtue.”

“No, what is a virtue is multiorgasms and we both know we can do it. Katsu, you’ve been teasing
me ever since the pub: now give me what I want.”

“I’m showering you in love, babe.” There he goes again. That voice. Shouto moans loudly as
goosebumps appear on his skin. “Oh, look at that… you know, I’ve been wondering something:
can I make you cum with just my voice?”

The idea makes him gasp and seeing the spark of interest Katsuki’s eyes get, he decides to deny it
in vain.

“No, no… Oh please. Please Katsu, don’t. I’m begging you: just touch me.”

“Okay, okay. Consider it my good-deed for Christmas then… but one day.”

“Sure, sure,” he dismisses, bucking his hips once more, trying to get Katsuki’s attention there
rather than on teasing him. “Katsu, please touch me already.”
“Oh? But I am.”

To make his point, his hands squeeze Shouto’s pinned wrists, making him huff.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

He doesn’t really get it. Why does Katsuki love to tease him so much if he knows the other is also
dying to get some action? He can feel and see his erection, standing all proud between his legs,
screaming for attention, matching Shouto’s.

Humming, Katsuki releases him with a curt, “stay put.” And leans forward, lips caressing his
collarbones. Shouto relaxes as he knows that finally he’s going to get what he wants. “Fucking
princess,” Katsuki mumbles before biting his right pec harshly, leaving behind the clear red outline
of his teeth. Shouto groans and it turns into a moan as Katsuki starts to lick his nipple, softly
sucking its hardening bud as his hands are caressing the other, pinching and rolling it between the
pads of his fingertips.

Even if he has told him to stay still, he grabs his hair and pulls it, making Katsuki grunt and suck
him roughly. He only switches to his other nipple once it’s all swollen and red, too sensitive for
him to keep playing with it… yet that’s exactly what he does with his hand. Shouto feels his eyes
watery as it’s getting too much. Katsuki has a special magic that makes his body go oversensitive in
the snap of fingers. It’d be annoying if it wasn’t so pleasurable.

Panting, he trashes under Katsuki as his other nipple is also getting overstimulated, yet his
boyfriends keeps ignoring his broken pleas of, “stop it. Please Katsu… n-no mo-re… I-I can’t—”

“Mm? But Shou baby, you taste so good.”

To make his point, he goes back and sucks loudly of his poor abused chest, making him scream.
Fuck. He knows that if Katsuki keeps going it’s going to be bothersome to even wear a shirt, the
mere graze of the cloth against his chest is going to be painful. Pushing his head away, he tries to
make Katsuki move, towards his navel and forgotten cock, which is leaking against his stomach,
silently crying for some attention.

“Ka-Katsu… please. I’m begging you.”

Pulling away with a loud pop, Katsuki narrows his eyes and licks his lips. “First you beg me to
touch you, now you are begging me to stop. Make your fucking mind already, bratty princess.”

“I want you to touch me, just not there anymore.”

Katsuki pretends to pout. “Oh, oh… but what if I want to keep fondling your chest, huh? What if I
want to keep sucking you off right here?”

His mouth gets dry with the perspective. It’s painful… but it’s also so pleasurable. Biting his lip,
his eyes move back to the first nipple Katsuki teased as now it’s more calmed. Katsuki chuckles
and attacks, diving right back into the one he’s been abusing and is more than sensitive.

“Oh! No, no! PLEASE!”

He gets ignored once more. He knows that if he truly wants Katsuki to stop, he only needs to say so
and Katsuki will. That reassurance always makes his heart beat like crazy and love runs free
through his bloodstream. Finally, Katsuki moves down leaving wet, soundly kisses all over his
navel, tongue trailing up and down his bellybutton to his cock, teasing him.
Katsuki is a fucking tease. He’s a monster that loves to toy with him.

“I hate you when you are like this,” he hisses annoyed.

Katsuki chuckles and bites his hipbone, making him leap a little. Finally setting himself between
his legs, he taps his thighs in a silent command for him to spread them. Shouto stretches his arm
and easily finds the little bottle of lube the have before he throws it at Katsuki, who catches it.

Laying back, he closes his eyes and sighs as he knows that from now on, he’s getting what he
wanted. He feels Katsuki raising one of his legs, throwing it over his shoulder and his fingers
caressing his rim, touching it all over. Biting his cheek, he tries to not move as he knows that if he
does, he’s only going to rile Katsuki to keep his sick game of endless teasing. Still, the man moves
his hand up, nails softly scratching his taint, making him silently whimper for the loss of touch in
the area he actually wants some action.

Fisting the sheets, he tries to stay still, silently praying that Katsuki gives him what he wants.

“Tsk, so you do know how to take an order, huh? Oi, you can breathe you know? You’ve gone so
still your chest ain’t even moving.”

“Please,” he brokenly mumbles.

Katsuki observes him for a couple more of seconds before his hand moves and a finger slides
inside. Shouto sighs and squirms his shoulders, trying to get more comfortable against the pillows.
Katsuki moves his finger in and out with ease, down to his third knuckle.

“You are still kind of loose.”

“Yes, it tends to happen when one has sex regularly. We did it last night, remember? Not even ten
hours ago.”

“And then why the fuck are you bitching me to fuck you already?”

“Mmh. You should be happy that I want you this much, Katsu.”

Red eyes flicker up and Shouto smiles as he sees the silent answer his lover is giving him: I am.
I’m extremely grateful of having you. Katsuki has told him several times, not directly, but he has
dropped hints that he still believes Shouto could do better, which is ridiculous. Who would love
him more than Katsuki does? Who would know him as well as Katsuki does? No one. He loves
him and no one else. He doesn’t want to know anyone else, nor wants to spend a single second of
his life away from Katsuki. He hated it three years ago when they distanced.

Between some bickering and some bites on his calf, Katsuki opens him up until he can take three
fingers with ease.

“How do you want it? Face to face, on your four or…?”

“Like this. I want to kiss you.”

“Tsk, of course you do. Clingy little pest.”

“Your pest.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki rasps.

Shouto moves, meeting him halfway as he knew Katsuki was going to kiss him. Fingers gently
digging on his shoulders, he opens his mouth, granting him full access to it. His legs wrap around
Katsuki’s middle, but simply stay there, not pulling him down like earlier. One of Katsuki’s hands
slides under his torso, nails scratching his back as he does pull him closer, upwards, towards him.
They break apart and Katsuki sits on the bed as he tugs of Shouto to straddle him.

“How about this? We can still kiss.”

“Yeah, sure,” he replies breathlessly as he wants his lips again.

Plummeting into his lap, he swallows Katsuki’s huff with his mouth as he tugs of his hair, messing
with it in all directions as Katsuki’s hands tighten around his body, mandhandling him over his
legs, placing him right where he wants him. Shouto easily complies as he’s still getting the kiss he
wanted so badly.

Kissing Katsuki has easily become his favorite thing in the world. When he got asked what he
wanted for Christmas, his answer was clear: you. Of course Katsuki took it with a mixture of being
flustered, mad and amused, making angry sounds with his mouth, arms crossed over his chest as he
cursed him with half-shaped words. Basically he was flattered with his answer and annoyed by the
lack of a proper one.

Peppering his face with kisses he offers him a shy smile which makes Katsuki blush a little,
something that still astonishes him. Katsuki once confessed to him in the middle of the night that
sometimes when Shouto smiles, his brain disconnects. He literally told him, “when you smile, like
truly smile, I feel like I’m falling in love with you all over again. I think that’s when I actually fell
for you. Back when you gifted me your first real smile… I felt so weird and confused like… what
the heck?”

After that he has tried to recall when that was but he can’t. He has also tried to smile more, not
forcing them, but simply not holding back. Even if he doesn’t do it that much these days, old habits
die hard and it’s true that sometimes he has held back few. He no longer does that as now he knows
how much Katsuki actually likes them.

A painful bite on his neck returns him to the present and he wonders why is he sitting so close to
Katsuki’s cock but not over it.

“Katsu.” Hoarse, he tries to get his attention but the boy keeps licking and sucking his neck,
leaving his mark or rebranding some old ones. “Katsu,” he tries again. This time tilting his head
with his hands. “Please, can I?”

“Yeah, just let me.”

Grabbing him from his sides, he lifts him easily, flexing his biceps and making Shouto swallow as
goddamn it, he’s always been grateful of Katsuki’s hardworking discipline, but now? Yeah, in
situations like this he’s even more grateful. No one else —except Kirishima— takes physical
training as seriously as Katsuki does. Everyday he wakes up before class and goes for a run, only
returning to the tower to fetch him to take a shower before they get downstairs for breakfast.

When the tip of Katsuki’s cock touches him, he moans and his head tilts back as it slowly slides in.
He feels so full and complete… Katsuki licks his throat, nipping his Addam’s apple before he
kisses his cheeks.

“You look so pretty when you cry.”

Oh, he hadn’t even realised.

“Only good tears, right?”

“… of fucking course!” He snaps angrily. “I don’t want to ever see you crying again, Shou. Not
like that.”

He shifts uncomfortably as he recalls when was the last time he broke down, when his father
disowned him and kicked him out of his house with only the clothes he was wearing. When he
called Katsuki, using the little phone Masaru and Mitsuki had gifted him, he waited for eight hours
until the Bakugou car appeared and Katsuki sprang from it, rushing towards him as he took him in
between his arms.

“Are you hurt? Did that bastard hurt you?”

“No. I’m so sorry. Please, I just—”

“Shh. No. C’mon, let’s go home.”

When he got in the car he saw Mitsuki and Masaru on it and both looked at him with a feeling that
echoed Katsuki’s words. Yes, that day he went back home.

“Hey,” Katsuki whispers. “Come back to me.”

“Always. My sun, make love to me?”

“You’re such a fuckin’ sap,” Katsuki grunts before he snaps his hips up, making him gasp.

Getting a good hold on his shoulders, he starts to move, meeting Katsuki’s thrusts as he kisses him
senseless or gets kissed, who cares. Soon, he feels lightheaded as his heart is pounding like crazy.
The lack of air makes him break the kiss and pressing their foreheads together, both pant harshly as
he keeps bouncing on Katsuki’s cock, taking all the pleasure he can get.

He knows he’s mumbling nonsenses against those sinful lips of his lover, but he doesn’t care. Even
if Katsuki sometimes teases him, calling him an airhead ‘that loses all his brainpower with a little
bit of dick’, he feels comfortable enough to show him this side of himself. His nails scratch
Katsuki’s nape and he can feel the wetness of his sweat, running down his scalp. He licks it and
Katsuki growls, squeezing his ass as he thrusts rougher.

“Kinky motherfucker.”

“You are one to talk,” he mumbles back, although it’s hard to talk when one is getting ravaged like
this.

His body is moving up and down and he feels his head getting dizzy. Pleasure runs freely all over
his body and then Katsuki nails his spot. His scream reverberates across the room and he feels
Katsuki smile viciously before his grip on his body tightens, preventing him to move. He gets
ready as he knows now shit is truly going down.

Clenching his teeth, he hides his face against Katsuki’s neck as he gets pounded, his bundle of
nerves directly assaulted over and over. The teasing is over as now his lover is set in work mode.
He moans unabashedly under his chin, drool falling from his mouth and all over Katsuki’s chest as
his fingers scratch his body, trying to get a grip somewhere, anywhere.

He falls back and Katsuki curses as he slides out. Hovering him, Katsuki moves his legs, spreading
them apart before he penetrates him again and keeps moving.
“Fucker, you only had one job: stay fucking sat on my lap.”

He tries to reply but only a string of ah, escapes him. Katsuki chuckles and grabbing him from his
jaw, he forces their eyes to meet.

“You look so pretty when you are getting your brains fucked.”

He can’t say anything. He’s at his complete mercy. Leaning forward, Katsuki captures his lips
again, muffling his moans as he keeps thrusting, making his body move back and forth across the
mattress. They lazily kiss, teeth clattering a tad from the movement.

When Katsuki rhythm starts to falter along with his breaths, Shouto knows what’s coming.
Whimpering, he begs him to touch him and Katsuki huffs, calling him a spoiled princess again,
before his hand hastily jerks him, following the pace of his thrusts. He comes in a beat, cum
splashing all over his stomach, dripping down his sides as Katsuki’s breath gets even harsher.
Fighting the aftershocks of his orgasm and the sensation that his body feels like lead, he raises his
hands and caresses Katsuki’s face, mumbling praises.

“My sun… my beautiful world. I love you so much Katsu. Wanna share my life with you, wanna
never go to sleep without you by my side—”

Katsuki’s eyes darken and his jaw sets as he jackrabbits his hips at an impossible speed, chasing
his own release. He keeps mumbling ‘sappy shit’ as Katsuki playfully calls it and finally, when the
man comes, he does it with a loud moan, stilling over him before he falls over, mumbling his name
over an over next to his ear.

His heart explodes with happiness as no matter how many times they do this, no matter how he
knows Katsuki only thinks about him and has only done this with him, it still baffles him that this
boy… this man is his and wants him from all the people he could have.

Slowly coming down from their orgasms, Katsuki pulls out and grimaces at the mess the two of
them are.

“Fucking hate this whole the bathroom is in the other fucking end of the castle thing.”

He has to agree with that. It would be really nice if Hogwarts had bathrooms in each tower where
they live or wherever the quarters of the other houses are.

“Oi, no, no, no. Don’t you dare to fall asleep.” Katsuki snaps his fingers right in front of his face,
trying to lull him out of his sleepy mood. “I ain’t carrying your sore ass all the way to the bath.”

“Mmh, but you like to carry my ass… and why is it sore, huh?”

“Wiseass.”

“See… Ass. Ass everywhere.” He mumbles.

Rolling his eyes, Katsuki quickly cleans them and forces him to put some clothes on before he
relents and ends up carrying him all the way to bathroom.

“Oi, are you awake?”

“Mmh, no.”

Clicking his tongue, Katsuki shakes him. Annoyed, he kicks him and tries to hide himself under
the pillows but Katsuki insists. Growling, Shouto threatens him, or tries to; kind of hard to sound
threatening when your tongue feels so numb. Katsuki snickers and keeps shaking him, whispering
right into his ear sweet promises if he wakes up and joins him. It’s tempting, really tempting… but
sleeping.

“Don’t you want to get your gift?”

Opening his eyes, he frowns as he sees it’s still dark. Why—?

“Tsk. Of course that would rouse you.”

“Why? Katsuki what is it—?”

“Merry Christmas, Shou. It’s 12:08… yes, it has taken me eight minutes to get your ass up.”

Shocked, he blinks slowly as he tries to comprehend why has Katsuki awakened him at this hour.
Glancing down, he sees what he already knew: there are no gifts at the feet of their shared bed.

“Katsu, what?”

“Here.”

It’s the shaky whisper what finally makes him snap out of it. Observing Katsuki, he sees he’s
averting his gaze, looking everywhere except at him, while his arm is extended, hand opened and
over his palm a tiny black box is offered.

His heart leaps out of his chest as he sees the little box. What? C-Could it be…?

Eyes flickering up, he tries to look at Katsuki as he feels a knot forming on his throat and his nose
getting stuffed. Thousands of butterflies flutter on his stomach and trembling, he takes the tiny box
from Katsuki’s hand. He’s scared of opening it. With shaky fingers he manages to open it and no,
it’s not a ring what lies inside, but as if.

A key is inside. Taking it, his eyes fill with tears as he knows what it is, what it means.

“It’s also from mom and dad,” Katsuki whispers hoarsely. “It’s for us, if you say yes. To live
together once school is over. You have already seen it, it’s dad’s old studio. It’s not a big thing, not
a fancy house or you know… but it’ll be ours and—”

He cries. Clutching the key against his chest, he sobs as his chest hurts. He can’t withstand all the
love he feels for Katsuki. He can’t take it. Katsuki panics and tries to calm him, gently cradling his
body as he tries to comfort him, not fully understanding what’s wrong.

“N-Nothing… Nothing’s wrong. I’m just so, so happy. Thank you. Thank you so much for
everything: for giving me Christmas, for giving me a friend, a family; for being my first
everything: friend, crush... love. Thank you.”

He sees Katsuki’s lips twitching, the little hint of tears on his eyes as he says, “sappy little shit.”

Me too.

It’s left unsaid, but Shouto hears it nonetheless. Crying even harder, he tackles Katsuki down,
kissing him with all his love and passion, trying to convey all his feelings through it.
“Yes, yes Katsuki. I want to live with you… in our house.”

“Studio. It’s just a shitty little studio.”

“But it’s ours.”

“… yeah.”

Smiling like idiots, they keep kissing between whispered promises of a future together. Shouto’s
fears are still there, in a corner, he still has no idea of what he’s going to do next year but at least he
knows this: he’ll have Katsuki by his side and if not, Mitsuki and Masaru will be close by. For
now, that’s all he needs.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

 Epilogue
Chapter Summary

“Professor Bakugou, you opened the dance, right? Professor Katsuki was the winner
and rumor says you two were dating during your student years.” Shouto sees her
blushing and nervously glancing towards her left, where a boy stands. “D-do you think
that can happen to others? Like, is it possible to keep a relationship going beyond
school?”

The innocent question stirs something inside of him.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Standing in a corner of the Great Hall, Shouto’s eyes scan the crowd, trying to make sure all his
students are behaving while they wait for the last champion to join the room. Excited whispers can
be heard all over the chamber as everybody is waiting impatiently for the evening to officially
begin. Of course they are, Yule Balls in Hogwarts are always an amazing event. Smiling, he takes
a little sip of his glass as he recalls how almost twenty years ago he was shaking with nervousness
and happiness as finally, he was getting the date of his dreams with the love of his life, his sun, his
beloved Katsuki.

“Professor Bakugou, do you think we’ll have to wait too much?”

Blinking, he finds Eri looking at him with a tiny frown as she nervously plays with a silver bracelet
she’s wearing.

“Well, it’s tradition that the three champions and their dates open the dance. I’m sure that someone
surely has gone to fetch the missing one.”

Eri bites her lip. “Professor Bakugou, you opened the dance, right? Professor Katsuki was the
winner and rumor says you two were dating during your student years.” Shouto sees her blushing
and nervously glancing towards her left, where a boy stands. “D-do you think that can happen to
others? Like, is it possible to keep a relationship going beyond school?”

The innocent question stirs something inside of him.

Looking at Eri, he sees himself on his last year and his first one beyond these walls. Many nights,
he stood in the middle of their apartment’s little living room, wondering if he was worth Katsuki’s
time. His husband was away, training, becoming more and more famous, making a name for
himself and meanwhile, what was he doing? Nothing, just working in a little flower shop, a non-
magical one. True, he adored it; he loved working with plants and making muggles happy
whenever they saw the bouquets he had done for them, he treasured all the stories behind all the
flowers his customers bought… but was he worth Katsuki’s love? According to several wizard
tabloids no, he did not. In the wizard’s world, he was a scandal: a pure blood who had seemingly
turned his back to magic, relegated to the world of muggles, living and stealing the valuable time of
one of the finest beaters the Quidditch world had ever seen. He felt worthless, those articles and the
constant gossip he heard whenever he went to cheer Katsuki on the field made him feel inferior,
trashy, a leech that was holding back Katsuki from reaching something else, something beyond,
greatness perhaps.

He almost considered several times breaking up their relationship but he didn’t only because they
had promised: no matter what, we’ll talk about it. So he did, it was humiliating and he felt kind of
frustrated when he first told Katsuki about his fears. His boyfriend —back then— had simply
shrugged all those fears away, telling him with a curt scoff that he was being an idiot. In that
moment, Shouto had felt wounded and got lost in translation. What Katsuki meant was: I love you
just how you are and nothing will ever matter to me more than you.

But unfortunately for them, he didn’t get the message as he was spiralling out of control in a sea of
endless doubts… until he did, or more like, someone helped him read between lines. It was Mitsuki
who came one day along with her amazing blender —Shouto still recalls it as well as the first time
he and Mitsuki obsessed with the little appliance back when he had been just a kid— and insisted
on doing some Christmas cookies in the middle of March.

They were stirring the ingredients in silence when Mitsuki broke it, baring her heart to him for the
sake of their relationship.

“You know, my son and I are kind of similar, beyond physical I mean. Words… are hard. I know, I
know, who would have said it knowing me. I’m now more at ease with communication but I used to
be too much like Katsuki. I screwed up. I mean, no I didn’t because in the end I got Masaru and
thank god I did, but before him…” Sighing, Mitsuki’s lips pressed in a line as she glared at the wall
ahead. Shouto could easily see how tense her shoulders looked and her voice became strained yet
she continued talking, forcing the words out. “I had a boyfriend. I really fucked that up, Shouto and
I regret it deeply because the pain… I— There were many things I wanted to tell him and I didn’t
for fear and shame.

“I think my son is like that. He acts brash because he thinks and knows you can understand him
but sometimes he forgets that you are human too and when one is in pain, it’s easier to lose focus
of the general picture.

“He loves you, Shouto. His world is you. I know it’s unfair of me to ask you this, but could you
please give him another chance? Please, take the first step again and try to communicate with him.
Beat it into his skull.”

He was afraid but he did it. He sat down with Katsuki once more and tried his best to express
himself. He let it all out: how it did affect him what others were saying, how even if he knew that
Katsuki loved him he was afraid of him falling out of love, of discovering someone better than
him; how he felt inadequate and how he hated it because he loved his job but he couldn’t stop and
question if it was enough, if it was true what they were saying: that he was worth more, that he
wasting away his true potential… He was torn and exposing himself like this, showing off all his
cracks to Katsuki was hard. Terribly so.

Katsuki got angry, not with him, but with the world. It took them months to get back to their happy
bliss and still, it wasn’t the same. Many moments Shouto found himself asking if perhaps their
relationship was something that belonged within the walls of Hogwarts, if perhaps they simply
couldn’t make it work in the the real world.

Only time and hard work had proven those ideas to be wrong. Yes, it had been a bumpy journey but
so, so worth it because even if he had cried a lot of times in the solitude of the bathroom, he had
spent many more getting comfort between Katsuki’s arms and then there were the good moments:
waking up next to him, their goodbye and hello smooches, the back rubs after a long day of work,
sharing meals, secrets and confidences… yes, he wouldn’t change any of that and their wedding,
more like the happiest day of his life.

“It’s hard,” he finally says. “Relationships are hard. It takes a lot to make them work but I believe
that it’s worth it. In the end, all that hard work and struggles are more than worth it.”

“Really? But you two always make it look easy.”

Eri’s innocent words make him smile. “Thank you but it’s far from that. We are both too stubborn,
competitive and sometimes prideful, yes, even I. The key is to keep trying.”

“That’s what Professor Katsuki always says: keep working, keep trying, give your best and try, try,
try. That’s what he told me during my first year when I couldn’t keep my balance over my broom.”

Shouto nods as he recalls it. Eri is one of his favorite students: she’s quiet and has a green thumb
like himself. She too visits the green house a lot and Shouto still remembers when she first came to
Hogwarts, born from a muggle family, she was marvelled at everything. She was also extremely
little and shy and it took her a lot to control her broom… now she’s one of Gryffindor’s best
seekers. So far, she has only missed three Golden Snitches from all the matches she has played.
Even if Katsuki shouldn’t —it’s a referee’s duty to be impartial— Eri is also one his favorite
students.

“Why don’t you come to my office tomorrow or perhaps another day? We could talk over tea. For
tonight, just focus on having fun Eri.”

Smiling, she nods and Shouto sees she has some flowers on her updo… white roses. Watching her
go, he feels the need to—

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you all over.”

“Mmh. Perhaps you should be looking for our missing student.”

“Tsk, we were late that night too. Or have you forgotten?”

How could he? Turning around, he glances up and slides his arms around Katsuki’s neck. Talking
with Eri has made him nostalgic and now he can’t avoid but see the boy he fell in love with,
compare him to the husband he endlessly loves nowadays. The hair is still the same, same unruly
tufts of spiky hair but now trimmed on the sides shorter, giving him an undercut or so Ashido calls
it. His eyes are the same, maybe a tad more crinkled in the corners, but still as piercing and
stunning as they have always been. No, the biggest change is how hot Katsuki has turned; he was
always hot but now? Gosh, sometimes Shouto has to pinch himself to make sure that this is real,
that he’s not daydreaming. Katsuki is now broader than him, his shoulders impossible wide and
filed, so, so filled with muscles, defined muscles. He’s also taller, almost a head over Shouto… and
Shouto himself is considered to be tall. Yes, he has truly hit the jackpot.

“Why are you looking at me like that, huh?” Leaning over, he whispers into his ear, “you’ve the
same expression you always wear whenever you want to jump my bones.”

“Mmmh, I was just appreciating how gorgeous you are.”

“Is that so?” Smirking, Katsuki’s hand squeeze Shouto’s waist as he pulls him closer until their
chests collide. “Well, well, well, once night is over, what if we go back to our tower and I show
you how else you can appreciate me?”

Laughing, he steals a quick kiss that makes some of their students mumble a chorus of oooooh and
some blerghs. He feels Katsuki lifting his hand and flipping them off and not even three seconds
later, Aizawa’s booming voice scolding him.

“BAKUGOU! Behave, you’re a Professor now!”

Breaking away from him, Katsuki tuts. “And when are you going to retire old man? At this rate
you are going to become a dry ingredient for one of your brews.”

He smacks him in the back of the head, causing more students to giggle and quickly apologises.
“I’m so sorry Professor Aizawa, it won’t happen again.”

Sighing, the man shakes his head as he pinches his nose. “Always the same. Shouto, aren’t you
tired after almost thirty years of apologising for him?”

“No sir. Unfortunately, I’m bewitched under his wand.”

Katsuki wraps his arms around his waist and pulls him closer, “I’m gonna give you my wand later
on.”

“I was counting on it,” he whispers back.

Finally, the last champion arrives and both move away, going to the positions they are supposed to
be as Professors and supervisors of the Ball. The initial dance begins and soon all the students join,
spinning around the room with merriness. Shouto is swinging himself at the rhythm of the music,
humming under his breath as he observes them all and remembers how it felt to be in the dance
floor.

He’s in his own world, almost shivering as he swears he can feel Katsuki’s ghostly touch when the
music suddenly stops and all the students move away, leaving a little circle in the middle… and
glancing at him. Shocked, he sees Katsuki moving, standing proudly right there and stretching a
hand towards him.

Then he sees President Mic announcing, “ladies and gentlemen, now one of Hogwarts old
champions and winner of the 92nd Triwizard Tournament will dance with his date.”

Everybody claps and he just stands there, shocked-still as he tries to process everything that is
going on. Someone pushes him forward and that sets him into motion. Slowly, he takes Katsuki’s
hand and gasps when his husband easily places his on his lower back. They have danced so many
times he should be used to this but funnily enough, he can’t. Every touch of Katsuki still feels as
electric as the first. They regularly dance in their tower, with an old gramophone Professor Kayama
gifted them when eight years ago he accepted the position of Professor of Herbology and Katsuki
as their newest Flying Instructor and Quidditch Referee.

When the music resumes, he feels his vision watering as his heart bursts with happiness. He hasn’t
feel this happy since Katsuki said ‘Yes, I do’, sixteen years ago; or last month when Katsuki asked
him if he would like to start a family with him, if perhaps this summer they should start to look
into adoption agencies.

As students start to join them, he tilts his head back and observes the ceiling of the Great Hall.
How many years has he seen it? Almost half his lifetime and always next to this man.

“Hey Sho, see? I’m keeping my promise. You said we couldn’t dance in another Yule Ball and
here we are: fucking dancing in one.”

It makes him chuckle and moved, he nests his face against Katsuki’s chest, pressing his forehead
against his shoulder as he softly cries. “I love you,” he whispers. “I love you so much.”
“I know, I know silly, I know. Roses Shouto, roses. Everyday, you give me one.”

Yes, he still has a little patch of the greenhouse only for himself and in there, he grows his roses,
roses for his sun, his love, his world.

Just like they did two decades ago, they dance all night long, dodging the other couples and lost in
the other’s eyes. They hear the whispers with their shared surname, Bakugou, but neither cares: let
them talk, as Katsuki has been telling him over and over.

When the room starts to empty and he can feel tiredness setting on his bones, he silently tugs of
Katsuki towards the hall, seeking the same one they hid so many years ago. Katsuki chuckles and
playfully kisses his cheek as he pins him against the same wall and stares at him with an
unmatched intensity.

“You are such a sap.”

“Yet you married me. Now who’s the sappy one?”

Snorting, Katsuki places his hand under his jaw and his thumb caresses his chin and then his
bottom lip.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, please.”

This is were the recreation ends. The kiss is sweet, but it’s not unsure and brief, this one shows
years of practice and burning passion. He hops and Katsuki easily catches him, hands squeezing
his thighs as he wraps his legs around his waist, hands tangled on his blond hair, messing with the
little style Katsuki had done for tonight. They pant into each other’s mouth as they keep stealing
wet kisses, soft moans echoing against the walls as they forget where they are.

It’s perfect… and then someone throws a firework. Katsuki’s head snaps back and he roars:
“KAMINARI!”

Of course. Their old friend did get the girl on his last year… along with a kid. And said kid? A
walking nightmare.

“OH NO! UNLCE KATSU I SWEAR—!”

Shouto doesn’t hear how the sentence continues as he laughs. Katsuki glares at him and releases
him before he storms back to the main hall, yelling curses and scolding their nephew. Shaking his
head, he runs a hand through his hair, trying to comb it a little bit before he joins Katsuki and
assumes the role of mediator between these two.

The second he appears, his name is shouted.

“SHOUTO!”

Both, the boy and the man, look at the other with narrowed eyes.

“Help me uncle Sho, Katsu is being a pesky grinch!”

“You better tell the brat that fireworks are not allowed inside the castle!”

Biting his smile, he approaches them. Just another Christmas in Hogwarts… and he wouldn’t have
it any other way.
 [fin.]

Chapter End Notes

I hope you've enjoyed reading a little snippet of how they look like in the future. This
is set when they are around their mid/late 30s :3

Thank you so much to the person who originally sent me the prompt. I'll forever be
glad of you giving me the perfect excuse to write a bktd hp au like I've always craved
to do I hope the story has been up to your expectations ♀️

I'd love to read what you all have thought about this little fluffy fic of mine
❤️

You can also follow me on twitter @red_onthemoon I post snippets, ideas, polls about
future projects and sometimes I even open my inbox for prompts :3

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!