Love Like You

Half of What You Think of Me

A/N: Another Kirideku centric chapter feat. Sleepy Kacchan and Tired Boi Shouto. I know it's moving a little slow right now in comparison to Safe Space but it's for the plot, guys! The next chapter will be...better.

"Are you guys okay?"

The tension is thick enough between the two of them that Shouto could cut it with a knife, and it honestly isn't any of his business but they are his friends so he figures it would be courteous of him to at least ask.

Eijirou gently hands a sleeping Katsuki over to him, face covered in chocolate cake and Ellie clutched in his hands.

"I'm sure Katsuki will answer that for you when he wakes up." Is his only answer. Shouto doesn't push any further since Eijirou obviously doesn't want to have any variation of that conversation. "Ah. Thanks for looking after him. I didn't realize I'd be gone so late."

"Speaking of which, are you okay dude? You look like you got mugged by a gorilla on the way here."

Shouto grumbles. "Yeah well I didn't think Ojirou would be so fucking aggressive." Eijirou snorts. "So in short, you got your ass handed to you."

"I did not expect to be dealt hands that powerful. Also, being smacked with his tail is the equivalent of being tackled by a rhinoceros."

"He ping-ponged your ass, didn't he."

"I felt so disrespected and couldn't even defend myself—I had to apologize."

Eijirou and Izuku are laughing at his expense, which is fine since it does well enough to clear the air a bit even though he's far from joking. He's gonna feel that beat down for days.

"People shouldn't take Ojirou so lightly. If we didn't have quirks, he'd be absolutely dominating." Izuku points.

"He's already dominating."

Shouto definitely doesn't want to throw hands with him again.

"He's so underrated."

"I couldn't agree more. I feel like he should be interning with Aizawa and not Manuel." Eijirou says and Izuku scoffs. "They'd never get anything accomplished if Toshi and Mashi worked at the same agency. They'd just fuck every time they got the chance."

"You mean like y'all?" Shouto points.

Izuku scoffs indignantly.

"Don't attack me like this."

"After the kick in the balls I just took today, I'm all claws." Shouto says jokingly. Their banter is cut short by Katsuki stirring in his arms and Shouto adjusts him so that his nose is buried in the crook of his neck but it does little to nothing to lull him back to sleep.

"Daddy?"

"Hey, yeah baby. Daddy's here."

He begins to turn and twist excitedly, trying to sit up in Shouto's arms even though he can hardly open his drowsy eyes. He whines in frustration when he's not able to right himself.

"Now, now, shhh, it's okay. Daddy's not going anywhere, Kitten, I promise."

His response is a string of incoherent babble that sounds something akin to 'but daddy!' and a sob, but Shouto silences him by pressing a kiss to his neck and rocking him back to sleep, soothing him with soft praises and gentle reassurances.

"I should probably get him home before he becomes even more irritable. Thanks again for watching him."

"No problem! You know I'm always happy to help with him. Are you sure you don't want a ride home?"