moving up

Chapter 21

When Tenya is home alone and gets an unexpected knock at the door, he almost thinks it's Katsuki for a minute, before he catches himself. He still hasn't gotten out of that habit, it seems, but he knows that, whoever it is, it isn't Katsuki; that is long over. Whoever it is, it's probably a mistake, or maybe someone broke down and needs to use a phone? Tenya isn't sure, and is on guard as he goes to answer, just in case it's somebody dangerous.

He opens the door a crack, only to see someone very familiar, but definitely dangerous. Somehow, it is the person he first assumed, and, through the crack of the door, he can see Katsuki scowling at him.

Naturally, Tenya has no idea what to do now, and is so surprised that Katsuki is really here, that he just stands there, not opening the door for him further, but also not closing it in his face, which is probably what he should do. He just stands there, until Katsuki starts to shove against the door, muttering, "Are you gonna let me in, or what, Four Eyes?"

Finally, Tenya is able to react at least a little bit, and steps back to allow Katsuki to come in without getting the door shoved in his face. Even so, he still hasn't fully come back to his senses, nor is he completely convinced this is real. Did he fall asleep without realizing it? Is he dreaming about this? How embarrassing that would be! Does he really miss Katsuki that much?

But he doesn't think that it is a dream, which means that Katsuki is here and...possibly missed him? Tenya shakes his head, not allowing himself to think about that for too long. Instead, he finally speaks up, saying, "What are you doing here? Couldn't you have called first?"

"Shut up," is all Katsuki says at first, and Tenya considers asking what the point of coming over was if he's not going to actually say anything, but then he follows it up with, "We really need to talk."

Considering how difficult talking about any of this has been for Katsuki, Tenya really does appreciate the effort, and he nods, waiting for Katsuki to continue. He has a fairly good idea of where this is going, but he doesn't say anything more, letting the other man say what he needs to say.

"I wasn't just fucking you," is what Katsuki settles on, and though it stings quite a bit, Tenya can't actually say he's surprised, nor is he surprised when Katsuki confirms that it was Izuku.

"I kind of knew," he replies, and Katsuki glares at the floor, almost looking guilty.

"Well, I didn't want to," he says. "I mean, I wanted to, it wasn't like that, I just...look, it's not like I wanted that with him or you, much less both!"

"Thank you?"

Groaning in frustration, Katsuki continues, "It doesn't make any sense, I know it doesn't, but...fuck! Whatever happened happened, and that doesn't make any of it right, but it did, so..."

He trails off, and does not say anything else for some time, so Tenya figures it must be his turn to speak. "So, what are you trying to say?"

"I don't know! I just wanted you to know what happened, he said I should talk to you, so I did!"

Izuku again. It's pretty clear that he's very important to Katsuki, and Tenya's heart sinks, even though he should know better by now. He should have known better to begin with, and then he wouldn't be in this situation at all. It's hard to imagine Katsuki liking anyone at all, but it's selfish of Tenya to think that it should be him, just because of their brief affair. He shouldn't want Katsuki to like him to begin with, and he isn't able to understand why he does, even now.

"Are you two...in a relationship now?" Probably not the best way to ask it, and probably not his question to ask.

"Wh-what the hell?! No! Why would you even think that?"

"Because you both care a lot about each other. Even I can see that."

"That's not...that's none of your business, alright?!"

"But you do, don't you? And you want to be with him?" Maybe he's asking because he knows this is the only way to get closure. If he has Katsuki tell him outright that he wants to be with Izuku, then it will be easier for him to accept it, and get on with his life. Whether it hurts or not, at least he will be able to let him go for good.

"I guess!" he huffs, looking around as if the answer is hidden somewhere in the room. "But I..."

"But?"

"Quit asking so many damn questions!" he snaps, stepping closer, and Tenya can already tell where this is going. Later, he will probably use his typical density to claim to himself that he didn't know what was going to happen, as an excuse for why he never stopped it, but in the moment, he already knows where it's going.

"I just want to know what's going on," he insists, but he still isn't putting up the necessary effort to stop this. "You say you do care about Izuku, so-"

"So maybe he isn't the only one I care about!" Naturally, this is when Katsuki smashes his lips to Tenya's giving him no chance to respond to that, and things devolve quickly from there.

Just like that, it's like nothing ever happened, like no time has passed since the last time, and through all of this, Tenya comes to realize that Katsuki must care about him as well. And he knows well enough by now that, for whatever reason, he likes Katsuki, so this means that his feelings are requited.

He should be happy and, in a way, he is, but Tenya also knows that this only makes everything more complicated for both of them. This isn't a resolution, not even close.