Scars That Mend - Kiribaku Emergency Services AU

UA High School: Third Year

It was the end of our Spring break when my Mom finally contacted me. I received the words 'come home' on a Tuesday morning, just before the sakura trees were starting to bloom. Katsuki looked up from his desk at the disgruntled noise I made in response to the message.

"What?" He queried, squinting in my direction. Living with him, I'd learned the blonde needed reading glasses, but refused to wear them because he thought they made him look weak. 

"My Mom." I said quietly, passing the phone to my boyfriend. He glared at the text for a moment before tossing it back over to me. 

"Guess you've gotta go back then." He mumbled, turning back to his work. "Want help packing?"

I shook my head, a pit opening in my stomach. I didn't want to go back to a house where my sexuality wasn't accepted, but I wasn't eighteen yet, so moving out would be more like running away from home. Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugo had been more than hospitable regarding my extended stay, and I was incredibly grateful, but I knew I couldn't keep pushing it. I had to go back to live with my Mom.

"You could just...stay here." Katsuki sighed, scribbling out a line of text in his notebook. "My parents wont mind."

"You don't know my Mom." I mumbled, rolling onto my back on the bed. "She'll call the police if I don't go home. I don't want your parents to be inconvenienced like that."

The blonde worried his lip as he turned to me, getting up from the chair and flopping on top of me on the bed. His face burrowed into the curve of my neck, breath rustling my too-long hair. The roots had grown out, so I needed to dye it again, but my Mom had insisted on me having it natural for third year. I guess part of me was still thinking about her rules even if I hadn't seen her for months. 

"I don't want you to go back to that house." The blonde grumbled into my neck. "She clearly doesn't fucking approve of us - not that I'd ever let her break us up. You're stuck with me, Shitty Hair."

"That might be her ultimatum for me coming back." I sighed. "She's already told me I have to dye my hair back for third year - I can't imagine what kind of demands she'll give me if I go back."

The blonde lifted his head, crimson eyes boring into mine. "Then don't."

"Katsuki..."

"No, we'll figure it out." He huffed, sitting up so he straddled my hips. The thoughts that jolted through me made heat pound in my core. "Look, I wasn't going to say anything yet, but..." His eyes trailed down to my neck, unfocusing slightly as if he was deep in thought. When they returned to mine, his cheeks were slightly flushed. "But the Hag offered to get us an apartment - until we go to college, anyway. For once we fucking agreed on something: you shouldn't go back to live with your mother if it's not a safe environment."

"...What? An apartment? We're seventeen-"

"It's only a few buildings away from here, so we'll be close enough to my folks that nobody will really question it. Besides, I'll be eighteen in a few months, and so will you in October." He paused, glancing down to where his hands rested on my stomach. "Or...we can wait until you're eighteen. Your mother can't do anything then."

I shifted under the blonde, pulling myself upright and burying my face into his chest, my arms hugging his body tighter to me. Neither of us moved or spoke for a moment, until I felt Katsuki's fingers tangle in my messy hair. 

"Look, Ei." He said softly, his chest vibrating against my cheek. "I wanna fucking protect you, okay? I can't do that if you're living with your Mom. But at the end of the day, it's your choice. I won't fucking force you to live with me."