Scars That Mend - Kiribaku Emergency Services AU

Karaoke

The bar was buzzing when I arrived. Clearly word had gotten around about the party, as I recognised more of the regulars were present than usual. I gave Hitoshi a quick wave as I passed him smoking outside; he joined me and we headed into the main bar. I noticed Midnight wasn't manning the cloakroom as I passed through, eventually seeing her at the bar with Mic and the Chief. 

I gave a quick wave to the dark-haired man as I passed, pacing quickly towards the back booth. I quickly saw Mina and Kyoka sitting with Denki and Katsuki. I slid into the booth next to the explosive blonde after he'd allowed Hitoshi to sit beside Denki, and saw a half-finished tray of shots in the centre of the table. 

"Ei, you made it!" Mina beamed, pushing the tray towards me. "Shots!"

I thought back to being suddenly called to work the last time I'd been at the bar, and hesitated. It was a long moment before Katsuki picked up two shots and handed me one.

"You need a night off." He grumbled, depositing the shot glass in my hand. I didn't see myself having much choice in the matter, so it threw it back at the same time as the blonde, hissing as the sweet-sour liquid burned my throat. He smirked at me and lowered his voice, the words coming out husky. "Good boy."

I felt my cheeks burn. Did I like being praised? That was new. 

"H-Happy birthday, guys!" I yelped, slapping my hand on my chest as I felt the alcohol travel through my body. "I didn't bring anything..."

"You brought yourself!" Mina exclaimed, her smile wide as ever. "That's all I could ask for."

"Same." Kyoka huffed, slugging back her whiskey and coke. "I just wanted to have a fun night out with friends."

The group continued their conversation. I noticed, as I watched my friends talk, that Hitoshi was more involved than usual. I put it down to his self-proclaimed 'situationship' with Kyoka and Denki, especially given the affectionate looks he directed at the blonde. For as long as I'd known him, Hitoshi hadn't been in a serious relationship; I hoped he'd finally found his match with them, whether the relationship continued as a throuple or he decided to date Denki alone. 

I realised I'd been zoned out when Katsuki nudged me gently, nodding at my hair.

"You dyed it again." He pointed out, looking at the exposed hairline. "No more covering the roots, eh?"

"Yeah, I thought it was time!" I laughed. "Was the bandana that bad?"

"Nah." He huffed, leaning back into the plush seating. "I kinda liked it. Looks good when you wear it down, too. Guess I just have a thing for redheads."

"Yeah?" I teased, trying to hide the panic that Katsuki admitted he had a thing for me. "Apparently I have a thing for blondes."

It wasn't a lie. Camie's hair had been dark blonde when we'd dated; it had actually been the thing that originally drew me to her. In fact, most of the people I'd been with since her had also been blondes.

Katsuki didn't reply immediately, staring down at the remaining shots on the table. After a few moments passed, he picked one up and threw it back, his face not changing as he slammed the glass back down on the table, hard enough for the plastic to shatter, attracting the attention of the rest of the group. 

"Stop breaking my glasses!" Mic yelled from the bar, his voice somehow exceeding a human amount of decibels.

"They're PLASTIC!" Katsuki yelled back, clenching his fist.

Aizawa held back the angry blonde bar owner as he attempted to make a beeline for Katsuki. The blonde beside me nudged my shoulder, pointing towards the door.