arranged marriage | todobaku

13 | insecurity over albinism

When Katsuki and Shoto awake up later in the morning, the sun is peeking through the blinds. Katsuki inhales deeply, trying to get his body to wake up.

"Good morning," Shoto whispers, slowly sitting up, and making the covers rustle loudly. Katsuki grasps his arm to keep him to moving and letting the heat from under the sheets escape.

"I'm cold, wait." Katsuki murmurs, still not really awake. Shoto all but collapses back onto Katsuki's chest, clearly at ease with the idea of spending all day in bed with him. "Why did I agree to meet those extras at the lagoon?"

"Because you're a good friend?"

Katsuki snorts, grabbing his sunglasses from the nightstand and putting them on his face. "Yeah, okay."

Shoto chuckles, sitting up. "Matching outfits?"

"That's so gay."

"We're gay, so it's perfect!" Shoto smiles brightly, running to the closet. Katsuki smirks. Did he just assume my sexuality? "You know, for someone in the fashion industry, I've seen regular people have better clothes." Shoto remarks, shaking his head.

Katsuki watches with a fond smile as Shoto puts pieces together, sometimes stopping to make sure it's okay if he mixes clothes. Of course, Katsuki doesn't mind. He likes the idea of Shoto wanting to wearing some of his clothing.

For Katsuki, it's a black shirt (his favorite one, in fact) with ripped jeans and khaki's shoes. A red wristband and a white wristband for his arm and a backpack for his stuff.

For Shoto, a black shirt, with a slightly larger white shirt underneath. He always gets khaki's jeans and black shoes to match Katsuki. He has a gold watch for his left arm, his way of matching Katsuki's hair.

When Shoto finishes the two outfits, he starts dressing himself. Katsuki, who has already seen his body, doesn't feel a lick of shame in watching the two toned boy change in his clothes before him. He's seen him completely naked, so what is there to embarrassed about?

Shoto clips his fanny pack around his waist and perches his personality glasses atop his head. "Ready to go?"

Katsuki looks at the clothes on the bed. "I haven't gotten dressed. I haven't used the bathroom! Calm down, okay?"

"I'm excited."

"I can tell. I don't know why."

Shoto starts fidgeting, obviously anxious about his answer. Before Katsuki can ask why, he's at the bedroom door, leaving. "Right. I'll go make breakfast."

Katsuki watches his fiancé scurrying out of the room, feeling slightly flabbergasted. What is on his mind that makes him so fidgety? "Okay, then."

He takes his time using the bathroom, shaving the small amounts of scruff that appear along his jawline. Katsuki has never been fond of facial hair. He takes a quick shower, dressing in the outfit Shoto laid out.

Then he takes off his sunglasses and stares at his pink eyes in the mirror. He never shows his pink eyes to anyone. Either he gets his contacts him while he's around them, or he makes sure it's too dark for them to properly see his eyes. For example, last night. It was a close call, Shoto seeing his eyes as red instead of the insecure pink he sees them as.

"Albinism," he murmurs, putting in his red contacts. He blinks a couple times, then dabs the corners of his eyes to dry his reactive tears. "Shoto seems fine with it. That's more I can say about other people..."

He meets Shoto in the kitchen, accepting the food he's prepared. "Can you believe Americans eat pancakes for breakfast?" Shoto asks once they're seated at the table. "I tried it once, and it was much too sweet."

Katsuki hums. "They eat pastries, too. It's like a child's dream. I've yet to see an American who eats soup in the morning."

Shoto chuckles. "I would've loved to live in America as a child. Pancakes with bacon. Oh, and waffles! I love waffles with strawberry sauce on top."

"Me too," Katsuki agrees with a wide smile. The rest of breakfast is silent, and Katsuki spends his time admiring how Shoto eats. Small, thoughtful bites and when he swallows, he blinks three times. Katsuki isn't sure why he's taken the time to notice this about Shoto, but he does.

"You put your contacts in," Shoto says, catching Katsuki's attention.

He nods. "Of course I did."

"But we're going in water. Shouldn't you take them off?"

"They're waterproof," Katsuki explains. "I wore them when we went snorkeling the other day, remember?"

Shoto blinks. "Yeah. I didn't realize they were contacts though."

"You haven't seen my real eyes."

"I want to."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not? We're going to be married, and then-"

"And then I still won't show you my real eyes," Katsuki says, his voice steadily rising into a shout. "We're not close enough for that, and we won't ever be! I will never show you my real eyes!" Katsuki slams his hand on the table, making Shoto jump.

"Well, I'm sorry, then," Shoto says with a huff. He aggressively grabs his plate, rinsing it off. His cheeks are tinged red- along with the tips of his ears- and his eyes are glossy. He's clearly hurting over what Katsuki said, though he's trying not to let it show.

And yet, Katsuki doesn't feel sorry. He knows he should, obviously he should feel bad for hurting Shoto's feelings, but he can't bring himself to feel remorse. He stands by everything he said. He never wants Shoto to see his real eyes, and he never will. Not so long as Katsuki is alive.

Katsuki stays silent as Shoto holds onto the handle of the door that leads to the front, not bothering to spare him a glance as he speaks. "I just remembered I have something to do today with Tenya and Tsuyu. You can go to the lagoon by yourself."

Katsuki jumps as the door slams, bitting his lower lip. Shoto isn't just sad anymore; he's pissed. And Katsuki really fucked up.

i hope i haven't offended with anyone over my albinism comments ; i don't have albinism, so of course i can't comment on how it feels to actually have it

however i've done limited research, so while i would never call myself an expert, i feel informed enough to write about it

if i ever get anyone wrong, let me know kindly 💕

- tia