Fuselage

☆~☆ Chapter 8 ☆~☆

"Piece of shit!" His wrench bounced off the engine with a metallic clang, ricocheting back to hit the wall with a dull thud before falling to the ground heavily.

Sakura whimpered, her tail tucking as she scuttled to the opposite side of the hangar, eyes wide.

"Shit, I'm sorry baby." Katsuki whispered, wiping his hands off on his jeans. "C'mere." His tongue clicked on the roof of his mouth as he advanced on her slowly, watching her head lift, ears perk. "That's right. You're such a sweet baby. I'm just an asshole, you're such a good girl, aren't you?"

He didn't smile exactly when her pink and black spotted tongue darted out to taste the oil and grease on his hands, but it was damn close. His other hand moved to pet her soft black fur as he whispered his sweet nothings, sitting and pulling her into his lap.

"You're the only bitch in this town who is worth a damn." He buried his head in her neck, ignoring the way she nibbled at his scalp like he was a puppy in need of grooming, probably making his bed head a million times worse. "What a good girl. And I go and scare you like that. Like a fucking asshole. God." A weight at his back and heavy breathing alerted him to Aki - back dew claws digging into the base of his spine like the mutt was threatening to climb his shoulders. "Oi, oi, oi. Chill, mutt. I've got enough to worry about with this goddamned hunk of junk." Fingers tightened into the black fur. "I'm not a goddamned engineer, fucks sake." His chest felt congested again, heavy, weighted. "Fucks..." Face buried in the dark fur as Aki's tongue laved at his ear and hair, sloppy and slimy. "Good mutts." Katsuki gruffed, choking on a laugh.

"Aww, you out here bonding with my dogs again?" Mina's smile was audible.

"I hate you." He growled, not moving away from them, shooting a glare up through the swirl of fur.

"You want to hate me," Mina clarified, "but you just can't seem to get there." She whistled, both dogs vanished in a hurried scratch and patter of paws. "So how's the-"

A vicious snarl stopped the words. "I need a break." He stood, wiping himself off. "I'm done for the day."

"Alright." She nodded. "Well Denki's got lunch starting over at the cafe."

That made Katsuki pause. "Lunch? I thought they were a-"

"It's a new thing they're trying out since the village has received some tourism since your stunt down in the city." A hip cocked, a brow raised. "Auntie is doing tours to the shrines again, we're offering packed lunches and seeing a small boost in business. Everyone wants to meet the local hero with the foul mouth."

"Ah." The catch. "So your job is to get me in town so people can see me and get pictures."

She shrugged, "Something like that."

"Fuck." Katsuki wanted to vomit.

He had come here to avoid people.

"But," Mina stood, adjusting her too tight shorts and strappy crop top that revealed a belly ring Katsuki wasn't sure was real or fake. "Y'know, with the town being more alive this year maybe there's something more it can offer you too."

He snorted, "What the fuck ever. But I guess I owe the Kirishima's too, don't I?"

Mina hesitated, scratching at the magenta ink swirling over the stretch marks around her toned abs, "I mean..."

"Of course I do." Katsuki snarled, striding towards his truck, tossing his tools in the bed. "Because everyone owes them a debt. This is so fucked. Like some kind of twisted relationship I had no say in entering."