These Things Take Forever (I especially am slow)

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Katsuki sighed as he took out the keys to their apartment, they took up most of the room in his bag as the number of key chains kept growing. He'd tried to tell Shouto to knock it off, that he didn't need a shitty tourist souvenir from everywhere he got dragged out to on mission. He especially didn't need some cheesy keyring bear proclaiming 'Greeting from Cleveland'. Who the fuck even got souvenirs from Cleveland? Unfortunately, Shouto was yet to take any heed of his threats blow up the next key chain he presented to him. And as much as Katsuki likes to win, even he had to admit the situation was lost when a newspaper clipping of him taking out a pickpocket by throwing his keys at their head, made it onto their fridge.

Katsuki ambled his way into their apartment, swearing at the prissy cat that howled at the injustice of being locked out of their bedroom all day. Shouto might be able to put up with the furry monster, but fuck if Katsuki was dealing with waking up to a cat sleeping on his face, especially one as ugly as Princess Deathwish.

She stared judgementally at him from her single eye, as though she could hear his thoughts. Katsuki and Princess had never had a brilliant relationship, but they muddled together for the sake of Shouto, which in way reminded him of his relationship with his father-in-law.

Katsuki changed into his sweatpants before chopping up some vegetables and starting to boil some water on the stove, relaxing into the repetitive knife movements and the soothing sound of metal hitting wood, slowly releasing the tension from the day out through his hands. Cooking was always something that helped him wind down, especially after a day as frustrating as that had been.

It could only have been ten minutes later when he heard the sound of a key in the lock and quiet movements at the door; movements that could only come from one who'd learned to move silently from a young age and had only improved in the years since. Katsuki managed to suppress the urge to run up and greet his husband, but couldn't keep the smile from taking over his face. At least he could blame his blush on the heat of the stove, but then again, Shouto had always been able to read him all too easily.

Katsuki relaxed into the feeling of arms wrapped around him from behind as his husband appeared at his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"What you making?" Shouto asked, nuzzling his nose against Katsuki's neck.

"Who says your getting any? Not like you told me you'd be back this soon," Katsuki tutted before turning round. He carefully took in the full visage of his husband, noting the tired eyes and slightly greasy hair before checking him over for any signs of injury, absentmindedly touching at his chest and arms as he did so before leaving a quick kiss on Shouto's forehead, going back to his cooking.

"And how has my beloved been since I left?"

The words caught Katsuki off guard, unused to such affectionate language from his rather stoic husband. He whirled round, mouth slightly open, only to be greeted with Shouto's laughing eyes from over the top of Princess Deathwish who was snuggled in his arms and starting to purr loudly.

"Tch."

Shouto let out a quiet laugh before placing the cat on her cat tree, allowing Katsuki to see his smile. Shouto looked beautiful, he always did. Even exhausted from a mission, his mismatched eyes seemed to glow in the gentle light of the kitchen, his strangely delicate heart-shaped face framed by his long hair. Katsuki paused a moment, struck by the image. Shouto's beauty was an objective reality, recognised by everyone, but the way it made Katsuki feel was entirely unique to him.

"You look tired," Katsuki sighed, finally turning back to the stove, "go run a bath, you smell like cheap hotels and shitty airplane food. I'll be there once I've put this to slow cook."