The Story Of Forever (Todobaku)

Embracing the New

Shouto's smile left an indent in his pillowcase. It had been a while since he went to sleep on such a high.

Last night was a whirlwind. Shouto anticipated he'd want to leave Neito's party early. He might've even anticipated getting into an altercation with Neito. But never could he have anticipated Katsuki Bakugou confessing his feelings for him. If Shouto graded his shock on a ten-point scale, ten being the highest, Katsuki's confession scored a 500.

And yet, it made so much sense.

Shouto couldn't remember a time when he and Katsuki weren't connected. It was as he said: any challenge life threw at one, the other was right beside him. Perhaps the universe realized their bond went deeper than friendship sooner than they did. It was a long journey, but Shouto wouldn't trade any of it. The end result was just as satisfying as the path to getting here.

He rubbed his eyes when he woke up, yawning and smacking his lips together like a tiny puppy. The Dynamight sweatshirt encased him in a cozy embrace. It lost the scent of Katsuki's cologne not long after he gave it to Shouto, but sometimes Shouto swore he could still smell it, and he loved it when he did. This was one of those times.

He jolted after turning toward his laptop screen. Katsuki was still there, dressed in his day clothes, flipping through what Shouto recognized as one of his old sketchbooks. Their video call was still going on. 

Had they been FaceTiming all night?

"Um, hi," he said nervously.

Katsuki glanced at the camera lens, his face brightening when his eyes landed on Shouto. He lowered his head against his pillow and placed the sketchbook out of view.

"Hey. How'd you sleep?"

"Good." Shouto tilted his head. "How long have you been awake?"

"Couple hours."

"And you didn't hang up?"

Katsuki flashed his teeth in an award winning smile. "I wanted to be here to tell you good morning."

Shouto did his best not to combust. "Well, good morning."

"Good morning. Your bedhead is adorable."

Shouto yanked the hood of the Dynamight sweatshirt over his head, tucking most of his face behind it. "Stop," he whined, smiling through his growing blush.

But Katsuki's smirk only grew wider. "Nah, don't think I will."

Shouto covered his face. He wasn't used to Katsuki being so...flirtatious. Hopefully he didn't go into cardiac arrest before he grew accustomed to it.

He could spend the entire day like this, chatting and laughing with Katsuki over FaceTime. Or even better, in person. Katsuki was a great hugger, so no doubt he was a fantastic cuddler. Shouto wouldn't mind settling into those toned arms and drifting into a peaceful sleep.

However, he had commitments to uphold. Snuggles with Katsuki would have to wait.

"I have to start getting ready."

"Sure," Katsuki said. "Gotta make sure you look good for those senior citizens."

Shouto playfully shook his head. "Shut up."

Katsuki sat up, adjusting his camera angle in the process. "I gotta go anyway. My mom gave me extra chores to do since I forgot to clean up my laundry last night."

Shouto brushed his right index finger over his left. "Tsk, tsk."

Katsuki snorted. "Whatever. Later, loser." Then, with a softened expression, he added, "Can't wait for tonight."