From Distant Lands - Juro's Return

Chapter One

By the time I was eighteen years old, I'd experienced more trauma in my life than most adults would ever get the chance to. Kidnapped, tortured, and forced to watch the same things happen to the people I love, it'd be easy to see why someone like me might end up on the wrong side of things, but I was lucky. It's been four years since then, four years since my tormentor promised he'd find me again, and four years since I promised to defeat him once and for all.

Now, I dance around my kitchen to soft music as I make breakfast, a lighthearted smile on my face. The small apartment I rented out last year is exactly the kind of place I always imagined I'd be after graduating UA, though I'd always thought it'd be with Shiori, it's easier than I expected to spend my mornings like this. I flip over another egg, still proud of my unexpected expertise in the kitchen, and as I reach over to grab some pepper out of the dish, I feel two warm hands at my hips, pressing under my tank top and sliding up against my skin. I grin, turning my head to look over my shoulder at Katsuki in all of his sleepy glory, blonde hair disheveled and red eyes watching me lazily. He already looks hungry and it's not in the wow, breakfast smells really good kind of way.

"Good morning" I smirk and he pulls me against him, watching me cook. As we've grown older, he's only gotten slightly less explosive in attitude, but to me? He's what he's always been. My grumpy, stubborn, and surprisingly gentle other half.

"You're up early" he murmurs and I shrug. It's true, I'm more of an afternoon riser.

"I knew you had an early day today, so I set my alarm. No big deal" I tell him. He leans in suddenly, burying his face against my neck and planting kisses beneath my ear, making me squeal and struggle against his hold.

"Katsuki!" I giggle, finally turning around. Once I do, he pulls me closer, guiding my mouth to his and kissing me deeply. I forget about breakfast for a minute, melting into him. Katsuki was definitely not one of the things I imagined when I first started at UA, but damn am I glad for that surprise.

"What if we..." he begins suddenly, breaking the kiss for a moment. I pull away instantly, giving him a look as I busy myself with the eggs again. I know what's coming, but we've had this discussion a million times already.

"I don't think we're ready for that" I say before he finishes, eliciting the same frustrated sigh as usual.

"Neither of us ever end up going home alone these days anyway. What's the difference? If we get a place together, we'll end up saving more money too" he argues and it's an argument that I've practically memorized the script to. I try to avoid his points by serving breakfast, dividing the eggs and pork between two plates before setting them on the small kitchen table and switching off the cook top.

"Why have you been pressing this so much lately? Are you really that eager to live with me?" I wonder, motioning for him to sit with me. Katsuki narrows his eyes, obviously irritated, but he sits anyway, prompting me to smile at him. I know I'm probably agitating the hell out of him, but I have my reasons for wanting to wait. He of all people should understand that.

"And if I am?" he demands, eyeing me expectantly. His eyes bore into me, merciless and bold, making my heart stutter and I have to look away, my own eyes drifting over to my kitchen wall instead and I find myself distracted by all of the memories there. When I first got the place, I lined this wall with an enormous cork board and in the time since, I've been pinning every photo and item worth remembering here from the last five years I've spent in Japan. I wanted to remind myself of the people and things that mean the most to me... the people who got me through some of my darkest moments all those years ago. There are millions of photos of me with Shiori, photos of Deku and Shoto, Kirishima, Ochaco, Momo, Iida, and Jiro... even Endeavor and All Might made the cut. But the photos my eyes are drawn to now are the strip photos of me and Katsuki the winter after graduation. In each one of them, I'm posing wildly and smiling while Katsuki is mostly either looking at me or looking away, a faint blush in his cheeks after I made him share my scarf with me. Out of everyone, Katsuki got me through most of it. He fought for me the hardest, even when he didn't know where we'd end up, even before I could tell him I loved him and even after I had to leave him. I look back at him now and smile fondly, heart squeezing.