A Chance Encounter (Chapter 4)

Katsuki woke up late, the sun already up beyond his windows, and with a yawn he rolled onto his side to check his phone. There was an email waiting for him, a booking confirmation for a train seat that made him immediately relieved, though when he saw the departure time of one p.m. he grimaced a little – so much for “late morning”. Regardless, he rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes as he fished around for his bag of toiletries.

“Morning Kacchan!” Izuku said brightly, the moment Katsuki opened the bedroom door. “Are you hungry? I’m making omelette!”

“Yeah.”

“Won’t be long, maybe ten minutes?”

“Can I use the shower?”

“Of course you can!” Izuku quickly abandoned the eggs he was beating, opening a small closet in the hallway to show Katsuki a collection of mismatched linens. “Towels are down here, washcloths up top if you want them, help yourself!”

“Thanks.”

He grabbed a couple of things and took them with him into the washroom, setting his towel on the counter and heading into the bath area. He turned the water up nice and hot, giving it a minute before he stepped underneath, and sighing faintly when the water washed over him. It took a minute to even regain control of his limbs, feeling the heat soak through him, but then he began his quick scrub, washing his hair and lathering up his body, letting the hot water clean it all away.

Soon he was out again, wrapping himself up in a soft towel, brushing his teeth over the sink and finally making his way back to the bedroom. Plates clinked in the kitchen as he walked by, and Katsuki nodded before Izuku could open his mouth.

“Be there in a minute.”

“Take your time!”

He felt the eyes linger on him as he moved, watching his bare back, but he didn’t bother to object. It wasn’t worth telling him to stop perving, he knew Izuku would just laugh at him for it, and he supposed after the whole sexuality discussion it was probably meaningless anyway. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not – he knew he was hot, obviously, so the idea of someone not thinking so was kind of… weird.

“Everything okay?” Izuku asked, when he returned fully dressed. “You seem tense.”

“Why were you perving at me?” he asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow when Izuku laughed. “What? You don’t like that shit.”

“I can still appreciate a good-looking guy,” Izuku grinned. “You don’t look?”

“I don’t know, I’m picky.”

Izuku carried two plates over to the living room, setting one down on the low table and getting comfortable on the couch with his own. Katsuki sat at the other end, nodding gratefully as he picked up the food, and for a little while they were comfortably quiet, just cutlery clinking against plates between them.

“Did you hear from the train station?” Izuku asked, as he swallowed his last bite. “Or do we need to go check it out?”

“They sent me a reservation but it’s not until one,” Katsuki sighed. “Either they got delayed more than they expected, or they foisted me off on a later one.”

“Well, expecting to finish overnight was already a big ask,” Izuku shrugged. “It probably just took a while. You talked to your boss, right?”

“Yeah, it’s cool, I’m going back tomorrow instead. Doesn’t really matter if I’m home later, as long as the trains don’t shut down again or some shit.”

“Let’s go do something fun, then.”

“What did you have in mind?”

Before Katsuki knew it, they were on a train heading over the harbour, looking out at the clear skies that surrounded the long bridge. He’d seen it lit up before, when he’d worked in Tokyo over the holidays, but the daylight gave him a much better view of their surroundings.

Izuku led him off the train after a couple of stations, not even thinking twice about taking Katsuki’s hand and dragging him along, just like they’d done as children before everything got so weird. When he saw the ferris wheel stretching above them he bit back a groan, but thankfully Izuku took him into a massive building instead.

“I’ve heard about this place a bunch but never had a chance to go,” Izuku explained. “I thought you might like it too.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an art installation, with lights and stuff.”

“Wow, you’re so descriptive.”

“It’ll be cool, I promise!”

Katsuki sighed, but continued to follow him obediently, watching him flash his phone at the staff and get the go ahead to step inside.

He would never admit it, but Izuku was very, very right.

The rooms were black, but the walls around them were painted with moving lights in neon colours, swirls that rushed around them and spread into the branches of trees and bursts of flowers. He felt like he was standing in space, surrounded by stars, or maybe falling through a firework display.

Izuku squeezed his hand a little tighter, and Katsuki found himself shifting his grip, letting Izuku hold on to him comfortably. He didn’t pull away, didn’t argue or even say anything, just let the hand lace through his as he watched the lights move.

“It’s so calming,” Izuku said softly. “Don’t you think? I could lie in here for hours after a long day a work and just feel like I’m floating.”

“Yeah.”

As they moved around, they found a wall of neon fish swimming by, a room full of raindrops that diverged when Izuku touched the wall, even fields of blooming flowers and falling cherry blossoms, like they were back in a colourful spring. One room was surrounded by mirrors and full of hanging lamps in different neon shades, surrounding them with an infinite landscape of floating lights. And then they reached the bouncy-floored athletics forest, where the lights spread under their steps, and wooden platforms swung from the roof for them to climb. There were giant balloons to throw around, ropes to climb and swing on, even a field of posts to try and balance across. Even though they were both well aware it was designed for children, there was something so freeing about playing around with it all, surrounded by those calming galaxies of lights.

By the time they emerged from the dark building, it was already past noon, so they climbed on another train to head back to Izuku’s apartment. When Katsuki caught a glimpse of his reflection in the windows, he was surprised to find a little smile waiting for him – all traces of his usual scowl had disappeared, he wasn’t sure his friends would even have recognised him.

“Come back and visit again soon, okay?” Izuku instructed, when Katsuki had gathered his belongings and they were on their way down to the station. “It’s been fun hanging out with you, I’ve missed you since we left school.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki nodded. “Um, me too. I had fun, I mean, not all the sappy shit.”

Izuku laughed at him, and Katsuki didn’t bother to complain about it, still smiling faintly as they stopped at the station gates.

“Come visit me, next time?” Katsuki offered, cheeks slightly pink. “For a weekend, or whatever. I’ll show you around Sendai.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah I have a spare room too. I’ll clear my gym stuff out of it.”

“Okay! I’ll see you next weekend!”

“Seriously?” Katsuki snorted. “That soon?”

“Yeah! I have to work this weekend, but I’m free next one! Are you?”

“Yeah, I get all weekends off unless shit goes down.”

“Great! I’ll see you in a week and a half, then!”

“Sure,” Katsuki shook his head fondly. “Let me know when your train gets in, I’ll meet you at the station.”

“Looking forward to it!”

“And um, thanks. Again. For all of it. The bed, the food, this morning, the… talking. And this.” He held up his arm, stripy bracelet shifting slightly. “I um, appreciate it. All of it.”

“Can I hug you goodbye?”

“If you have to.”

Izuku laughed, and Katsuki cracked a smile of his own as the strong arms wrapped around him, awkwardly returning the gesture.

“See you soon,” Izuku said softly, his smile a little less bright as they parted.

“Don’t miss me too much, nerd.”

“I’ll try my best.”

He stepped into the glass booth to show his confirmation, getting a little ticket in return, and as he passed through the other side he raised one hand in a wave, watching as Izuku waved back frantically as if he was afraid Katsuki might miss it.

“Bye,” he mouthed, taking a step back to head for his platform.

“Bye, Kacchan.”

─────

Throughout the days they were apart, Katsuki found himself checking his phone more often. He’d been getting regular texts from Izuku, and he found himself actually looking forward to them, enjoying their sporadic conversations. The nerd was constantly in the back of his mind, something he was actually kind of used to – he’d practically paid rent on that space throughout high school – and somehow it didn’t seem to bother him.

As he lay in bed at night, that piece of his mind drifted to the scarred hand that had dragged him around town. In his dark room, he raised his hand, staring up at the bracelet with its stripes of black,  grey, white and purple, and remembering the way they’d laced together so easily. He wasn’t sure exactly why his mind kept going back to those moments, why he was so caught up in thinking about those hands, but just like the occupied space of his mind, it didn’t bother him.

By the time he got the message on a Friday afternoon, letting him know he’d booked a train, he was practically itching with anticipation. He had it all planned out, knew exactly where they were going to go and what they were going to do, had even cleaned out the spare room so Izuku would have a nice room to stay in for the weekend.

He got through the last of his patrol and hurried home to shower, giving his apartment one last clean before he threw on his street clothes and made the walk to the station. His new place was thankfully nearby, not like his old studio apartment that had been a further twenty minutes on the train, so he made it there with plenty of time to spare, fiddling with his hair as he leaned against a wall and tried to look relaxed.

In the end, he didn’t even see Izuku arrive. He was too busy crouched down talking to a little kid who had recognised him, nodding along to the boy’s stories as he signed a notebook for him. The kid chattered away like they were best friends, his mother smiling apologetically behind him, but Katsuki didn’t bother to acknowledge it. Kids were easy, it was adults that were a pain to deal with.

They snapped a photo together, and Katsuki waved as the boy finally accepted his mother’s hand, heading off to catch their train. The kid waved to him all the way to the corner, until he was out of sight, and Katsuki made sure to return the gesture.

“That was cute,” Izuku spoke up, making Katsuki jump. “Hey, I made it.”

“Hey. You found me okay, then?”

“You’re right by the gates,” Izuku pointed out, grinning as he nodded toward the steady flow of people going in and out. “You didn’t trust me?”

“Not at all.”

“Fair.”

“Welcome to Sendai, I guess. Is this your first time?”

“Yeah! I’m super excited!”

“Let’s go out the front, then, so you can see it in all its glory.”

At first glance, their view didn’t look much different from Tokyo. A lot of tall buildings, plenty of bright lights, a stream of people heading in every direction. The first thing Katsuki had noticed, when he arrived, was the lack of cars. He’d thought it was just a pedestrian-only area, hadn’t thought much of it, until-

“Oh my gosh!” Izuku gushed, leaning over a handrail to look down at the streets below. “We’re in the air!”

“Yeah,” Katsuki chuckled. “This whole area has raised bridges, to help keep people and traffic separated. There are footpaths and stores down the bottom too, obviously, but the bridges are nice when you can use them.”

“This is so cool! Can we walk on them a bit? You’re not in a rush to get home?”

“I’m not,” Katsuki assured him. “If we go toward those stores over there, you can get a good photo of the station with the sign above and everything.”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Katsuki faltered for a moment when Izuku grabbed his hand, but thankfully he recovered quickly, accepting the hold and following him across the bridge. They paused halfway for Izuku to look down again, to watch the traffic passing beneath them, and the smile on his face was more than Katsuki had ever expected in his days of planning.

“I know there are pedestrian bridges in Tokyo too,” Izuku mused. “But it’s like, one bridge to cross one road, you know? This whole thing looks so... Futuristic.”

“Yeah, I like it too.”

When they made it to the other side, Izuku dropped his hand to reach for his phone, pulling up his camera to snap a few pictures of the station and the bridges. Katsuki gestured for the phone, when he seemed satisfied, and when there was a break in the people passing by, he took a few shots of Izuku in front of the scene, grinning as he pointed up at the sign.

“Perfect,” Katsuki assured him, handing it back to take a look. “You hungry?”

“I am, actually,” Izuku smiled sheepishly. “I should have gotten something before I got on the train, but it completely slipped my mind.”

“Let’s grab dinner, then.”

“Yeah! Take me somewhere good! I trust Kacchan!”

“Alright,” Katsuki snorted. “This way, then.”

He led the way into a little restaurant he’d been taken to on his own first day in the city, only two minutes from the station, and together they took two bar-stools at the counter. He expected Izuku to pick up a menu, but Izuku just continued to smile at him, letting Katsuki handle it entirely. It was a weird feeling, for someone to have such trust in him – and weirdly tempting to abuse it.

Before long, they had a dozen plates and bowls spread in front of them, full of steaming-hot meat and rice and soup. He offered the meat to Izuku first, watching him take a piece with his chopsticks, and Izuku hummed his approval as he chewed on it.

“So tender,” he praised, when he’d swallowed it and was reaching for more. “What is it? Some kind of beef, right?”

“Beef tongue.”

For a moment Izuku froze, eyes widening when he saw Katsuki’s smirk, but then he shrugged it off, picking up his seconds.

“Whatever, tastes amazing.”

“It’s a specialty in the area,” Katsuki explained. “It tastes a lot better than it sounds.”

“It really does.”

They traded bites of different dishes, chatting a little between bites, but when Izuku reached for his wallet Katsuki glared him down.

“You’re the guest,” he growled, pulling out his own cash quickly and handing it across the counter. “Don’t do that shit.”

“You don’t have to be all formal with me! We’re best friends!”

“Yeah, so shut up and let me buy my friend dinner.”

“Fine,” Izuku huffed. “This time, not for the whole weekend!”

“We’ll see.”

With their last thanks to the staff, they headed back out into the streets, a little chilly this time as the night breeze grew colder. Izuku immediately stripped off his hoodie, tucking it around Katsuki’s shoulders, and Katsuki gave him a half-hearted glare for his efforts.

“Long sleeves,” Izuku pointed out, holding up his arm clad in thin cotton. “Someone decided to wear a tank top.”

“I always wear tank tops,” Katsuki grumbled, pulling the hoodie on anyway. “Let’s grab dessert then head back to mine.”

“Dessert? It doesn’t have tongue in it, does it?”

“No,” he snorted. “Another specialty though.”

“What is it?”

“Zunda.”

“Like the dance-exercise thing?”

“No," Katsuki snorted. "Soybean stuff. They do good shakes and mochi, tastes kind of nutty.”

“I wanna try it!”

“Yeah, I figured. Come on, then.”

He took Izuku back toward the station, into the building next door where various stores lay in wait. He knew exactly where to find the place, had developed quite an affinity for it himself, and once again Izuku just waited patiently and let Katsuki take the lead. The moment the shake was in his hand he started sipping at it, and if the way his face lit up again was anything to judge by, Katsuki suspected he was a fan.

With their spoils in hand, they finally headed for Katsuki’s apartment, passing through a couple more buildings and crossing more bridges, until they reached a tall, beige building.

“I can’t wait to see Kacchan’s apartment,” Izuku grinned. “Is it pretty?”

“It’s alright,” Katsuki shrugged. “Nice wooden floors and doors, but the kitchen is a gross shade of blue, and the toilet has this like, marbled effect on the walls? It’s weird.”

Katsuki unlocked the front door, waving Izuku in ahead just like Izuku had done almost two weeks ago. He watched from behind as Izuku padded down the hall in his socks, peeking through doorways as he passed.

“That one’s your room,” Katsuki explained, after Izuku looked into the first bedroom. “Sorry about the gym gear in the corner, I don’t have a lot of spare closet space.”

“It’s fine!” Izuku assured him. “It’s a pretty room!”

“It’s nothing special.”

“Wow, look at this view!” Izuku marvelled, looking through the sliding doors at a little balcony overlooking the city. “It’s so pretty!”

“You can open it.”

Izuku flicked the latch, sliding the door open to step outside, and Katsuki joined him on the narrow little balcony, leaning against the railing to look out over the buildings around them. He’d gotten an apartment near the top of the building, high above most of the city, and he had to admit it was nice to be able to see it all from above.

“Do you have the same money versus proximity thing as we have in Tokyo?”

“Huh?”

“If you live closer to the action, you get more money, but spend it on your rent. If you live further away, you miss out on half the fights and half the pay, but have lower rent.”

“Oh. No, we’re pretty lacking in heroes up here. I end up working all over the Miyagi area. All over Tohoku, sometimes. There’s a few good heroes way up in Aomori, but the others are all ranked in like the thousands. Fine for petty crime, but for anything more major they end up calling us in.”

“That’s so weird, I’m used to fighting to be the first hero on scene.”

“Yeah, everyone wants to work around Tokyo because of the big villains down there. There are some awesome people up in Hokkaido too, especially for all the rescues in winter, but Tohoku kinda gets lost in between.”

“I’m glad they have you, then.”

“Yeah. Anyway, this is my apartment,” Katsuki gestured toward the living room vaguely. “My room is off to the right there, bathroom is beside that, toilet is right by your room. Not much to see.”

“About as much as mine,” Izuku laughed. “I like it, it’s cute.”

“Apart from the blue kitchen.”

“Apart from the blue kitchen,” Izuku agreed, pulling a face. “You’re right, it’s not great.”

Katsuki found himself snuggling into the borrowed hoodie a little more when a breeze blew through, cheeks flushing pink when Izuku smiled at him, but he didn’t say a word, even when Katsuki tucked his fingers into the ends of the sleeves to keep his fingers warm. He had never expected Izuku to end up taller than him, but here they were, with Katsuki not even making it all the way to six feet, while Izuku was a comfortable two inches over. He wasn’t short, by any means, but next to Izuku he suddenly felt tiny.

“Thanks for taking me out tonight,” Izuku grinned. “I had a lot of fun! You planned a good date!”

Katsuki just stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth opening and closing like a stupid goldfish as his brain ceased to function.

“Relax, Kacchan,” Izuku giggled. “I was just kidding.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I’m sorry, I was just-”

“The kidding part,” Katsuki cut him off, hands trembling where they clenched into fists inside his sleeves. “I... I don’t think... That I want you to. Be kidding.”

“You would go on a date with me?”

Katsuki nodded awkwardly, and Izuku’s face split into a wider grin than Katsuki had ever seen before, making all the others that had seemed so bright in the moment suddenly pale in comparison.

“Someone with the same interests and Ace,” Izuku giggled. “I guess I knew him all along.”

“You were the first person I thought of when I was trying to figure out what a crush should feel like,” Katsuki admitted. “Maybe I was right after all.”

“Be my boyfriend.”

“Sure.”

Izuku wrapped him up in a tight hug, squeezing him to his chest, and despite Katsuki’s grumbled protest, he hugged Izuku back without hesitation.

“Best weekend ever,” Izuku grinned, nuzzling into Katsuki’s hair lightly.

“It’s only Friday.”

“Yeah, but I know it will be, now.”