The Two Types of Wingmen [Bakawks] - Part 7

[Click for Ch6] 

It had been a long time since Katsuki went home on a weekend – normally he stuck to holidays or the occasional “when they beg” day. To show up on a whim with just a “coming for dinner” text had probably set off alarm bells in their heads, but he knew the Todoroki lectures had held some truth. If he was going to pursue dating Hawks, an established pro-hero, he was going to have to talk to them first.

“I kind of met someone,” he mumbled, when the opportunity presented itself. “And uh, I’m not sure you guys will approve, so... Yeah, this is... A thing.”

“Why wouldn’t we approve?” Masaru asked gently. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, he’s just... Older.”

“Oh no,” Mitsuki sighed. “Come on, kid, you have a great Dad, don’t start with the daddy issues.”

“He’s not old,” he snorted. “Just... Older. Than me.”

“How old is he?” Masaru pressed, concern clear in his eyes. “Like... Over thirty?”

“No, god no. Um, twenty-five?”

For a moment the room was silent, Mitsuki sitting back with her arms folded, Masaru sighing faintly as he considered it.

“I guess that’s not so bad,” Mitsuki said finally. “In a few years it’ll seem normal, even if it’s unusual now. But you need to talk to us about this.”

“I just did, hag,” he scowled. “Why the hell do you think I’m here?”

“She means continue to talk to us,” Masaru clarified, before Mitsuki could turn it into an argument. “I know you’re a good judge of character, so there shouldn’t be any issues, I hope, but if any red flags start popping up, we need to be able to help you.”

“I know you won’t talk to me,” Mitsuki grimaced, nodding toward Masaru slightly. “But talk to him, alright? I know you trust your Dad.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki nodded, swallowing hard and trying his best to meet Masaru’s eyes. “I’ll... Keep you updated.”

“Just consider, for me, why he would want to date someone your age, okay?” Mitsuki continued. “Why he wouldn’t want someone his own age, what he would get out of dating someone so much younger. I hope it’s nothing nefarious, but there are possibilities like that.”

“I know. And I don’t think he set out to find someone young, we’re not even really dating... Yet? But I think I was just... There. And we became friends. And I like hanging out with him, and he seems to like hanging out with me, and... I mean, he’s hot so- Never mind, forget I said that.”

“Can you tell us his name?”

Katsuki flushed bright red, and he didn’t have to look up to see that his parents would be shocked by it – Katsuki wasn’t exactly a modest or a shy person.

“It’s uh, he’s... Hawks?”

Mitsuki’s jaw dropped, and Masaru blinked at him a few times as if he didn’t quite believe it, mouthing the name to himself slowly.

“I know, it sounds... Ridiculous, like a movie or... Or a bad fanfiction, ‘my parents sold me to the number two hero’ or some shit. But he’s like... Friends with the Todorokis. So when Half-and-half found out about my dumb celebrity crush - yes I know you guys know about that, don't start - he made me come over to hang out and we just... Turned out to get along really well. I um, I’ve been hanging out with him every afternoon, pretty much. And he kinda joked that if I baked him a good cake he’d take me on a date, so I did, and... It seems like he’s gonna follow through. So I don’t know if it’s gonna go anywhere, but- Ugh, forget it, I’m talking too much this is stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Masaru assured him, reaching out to pat his knee awkwardly. “I’m glad you’re telling us all of this. You have fun with him, right? Even just as friends?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“And not just because you’ve been crushing on him for a decade?” Mitsuki clarified.

“No, he’s... He’s fun. I like talking to him and stuff.”

“Then keep it at that,” she said firmly. “You can go on dates without it having to be so different from just hanging out as friends. Take your time.”

“You trying to tell me not to fuck him?” Katsuki snorted, his cheeks burning no matter how confident he tried to sound. “Wasn’t planning on it any time soon. Who the hell puts out on the first date, anyway? Don’t answer that.”

“Just be safe, alright, brat?”

“I will. I’m trying, at least. Speaking of which, um, you guys talked about... Red flags. What uh, what would that look like?”

“Oh Katsuki, you’re too innocent,” Mitsuki teased, a hint of fondness over-taking her concern. “I knew I should have insisted on that birds-and-bees talk.”

“Shut up, hag, I was asking the old man.”

“Trying to distance you from your friends and family would be a big one, I think. If it seems like he wants to have you to himself and not share you with anyone.”

“Mm, yeah.”

“Or if he wants you to do anything you aren’t ready for, especially if he tells you that someone mature would do it, or anything like that.”

“He prefers making fun of my age to manipulating it,” Katsuki snorted. “But yeah, I get your point.”

“I appreciate you coming to talk to us first. I think that speaks volumes, compared to if you’d hidden it and gotten mad at us for interfering.”

“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead, at first. Hadn’t exactly expected it to go somewhere. But the halfie – um, Shouto – his older sister and his father both noticed it and said I should talk to you guys before it went any further. And I guess I saw their point, or whatever.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t say that, it’s weird,” Katsuki grimaced. “I’m not bringing him over, so don’t even try me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

─────

For maybe the first time in his life, when Katsuki looked in the mirror, he hated what he saw. Objectively, he knew he was attractive – at least in the sense that he was muscular, but so was everyone Hawks interacted with. He was nothing special, in the man’s life, and that was far more infuriating than Katsuki had expected.

His bedroom was littered with discarded outfits, everything either too boring or too old or too casual or too formal. He should have gone out to get a new outfit over the weekend, but his stupid brain had been preoccupied with homework and parents, it hadn’t crossed his mind until it was far too late.

Part of him was even considering his Hawks t-shirt, so he could at least play it off as a joke instead of just having nothing in his damn closet, but the idea of hearing Hawks tease him about it all night like he was a stupid little fanboy was far worse than just having a shitty outfit.

“Hey, Splodey, can I- Woah, what happened in here?”

“Fuck off, pink-ass.”

“Very creative, you must be stressed. Wanna talk about it?”

Mina sat down on the edge of his bed without waiting for an answer, swinging her legs lightly while she waited for him to choke out the words, and Katsuki gnawed on his lower lip for a minute.

“I have nothing to wear,” he said finally.

“You have a lot to wear,” Mina laughed. “I think your closet is fuller than mine! But what exactly do you need an outfit for?”

“I swear to God if you tell anyone I was-”

“I wouldn’t,” Mina assured him. “Come on, Blasty, open up. You have a date, don’t you?”

Every muscle in his body fought against his nod, but he managed to force one out all the same, avoiding her eyes but catching a glimpse in the mirror of the grin that spread across her face.

“I’m so proud of you! Where are you going? Somewhere fancy?”

“No. Just… Dinner. Not a restaurant.”

“Casual dinner, got it. What’s wrong with all the stuff you threw aside?”

“Everything.”

“Alright,” Mina laughed, standing up to survey the mess. “Where’s that blue shirt you wear as a jacket a lot?”

“It looks stupid.”

“No it doesn’t, blue looks good on you. Is that it in the corner?”

“Mm.”

He grunted when she threw it at him, catching it all the same, and watched warily as she picked through his open drawers. It didn’t take long for her to find what she wanted, grinning as she held up a pair of dark jeans he’d worn one time, relegated to the “never again” pile after his friends had gone on and on about his ass all night.

“I fucking hate jeans,” he growled, glaring when she laid them over his arm. “They’re the worst.”

“Yeah, I know, but they look cute on you, so wear them anyway.”

“Ugh.”

“And wear the shirt properly, but roll the sleeves up. All guys look good in a button-up with the sleeves rolled up, it’s just a law of the universe.”

He half-expected her to leave him be, but instead she just stood back, waiting patiently as he kicked off his sweatpants and wriggled into the jeans. She shot him a thumbs-up when their eyes met in the mirror, but he didn’t bother to engage, busying his hands with fastening his fly instead of blowing her up.

“Perfect,” she grinned, as he buttoned up the stupid shirt. “You look amazing, Blasty. Who’s the lucky guy?”

“None of your business.”

“Come on, man, I’m dying to know! Not someone from our class?”

“No.”

“Someone from our school?”

“No.”

“Someone from… That remedial course group?”

“No.”

“I’m running out of guesses,” she pouted. “Someone from a previous school?”

“God no.”

“Family friend?”

“No.”

“At least give me a hint.”

“Ugh. He’s… A friend of a friend, I guess. That’s all I’m saying, so fuckin’ leave it alone.”

“Which friend?”

Katsuki glared at her, but Mina just grinned back, fixing up his sleeves for him to neaten the folds.

“Halfie,” he admitted finally, his voice surprisingly quiet. “Leave it alone, alright?”

“Okay,” she conceded, hugging him lightly despite the way he grumbled about it – as usual. “I’m so happy for you, Blasty. Have a great time, okay?”

“I will.”

“And be back by ten!”

“Fuck off, you ain’t my mother.”

“If I was your mother I wouldn’t even know you had a friend, let alone a boyfriend!”

“She knows about him,” Katsuki smirked, watching Mina’s eyes widen as she fumbled for words. “Thanks, I guess. You can go now.”

She gaped for a moment more, but finally decided to cut her losses – she was maybe the only one in their squad who knew when she was pushing her luck, and Katsuki was quietly grateful for that every day of his life.

With the door shut behind her, Katsuki turned back to the mirror, pulling a face as he ran a hand through his hair. Damn spikes never behaved themselves when he wanted them to.

─────

Hawks met him just beyond the school gates, already leaning comfortably against the wall in wait by the time Katsuki arrived. For a moment Katsuki just stopped to stare, like every cliché in the sappy shitty movies he got roped into watching with Mina on occasion, dumbfounded by the way the golden light of sunset highlighted him like a god-damn angel.

“There you are,” Hawks grinned, straightening up. “Look at you, dressed like an actual human for me!”

“Shut up,” Katsuki snorted. “Not like I’m gonna wear my gym gear out to dinner.”

“You just get out of the shower?” he continued, chuckling a little as he stepped closer. “Your hair is all flat.”

He ruffled it fondly, fluffing it back up into the usual mess of spikes, and Katsuki grumbled to himself quietly as he let it happen – there went those damn twenty minutes trying to tame it.

“Much better.”

Whether he’d looked dorkier than he thought, or Hawks just liked it better when he could call him Hedgehog, Katsuki couldn’t be sure. Either way though, he supposed it amounted to the same thing. Hawks was okay with his shitty hair just the way it was.

“I thought we could get ramen down the road?” Hawks suggested. “I know you’re not meant to be out late, so I figured somewhere close was good. Do you eat ramen?”

“I do. That sounds good.”

“Cool!”

It took Katsuki a moment to find the courage to walk at Hawks’s side, but Hawks waited patiently for him to dig it up, wearing a fond little smile as he watched Katsuki’s turmoil. He was so used to telling all the shitty extras to walk behind him, it was hard to make himself act like Hawks’s equal when he knew he was light-years away.

“There he is,” Hawks sang, when Katsuki finally dragged himself closer. “Proud of you.”

“Shut up,” Katsuki huffed, blushing bright red. “What are you even talking about?”

“I see right through you, Katsuki. I know exactly what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours. You are my equal, alright? Even if you weren’t already, I made you that, when I asked you on a date. But you already were.”

“You kick my ass on a daily basis.”

“Not everything is about fighting.”

“Isn’t it?”

Hawks narrowed his eyes, searching Katsuki’s face for some kind of tell, and finally Katsuki cracked a little smirk. Hawks sighed with relief, shoving him lightly in the arm.

“You had me going,” he admitted. “Cheeky hedgehog.”

“That might be the longest you’ve lasted from ‘hello’ to ‘hedgehog’,” Katsuki huffed. “I thought maybe you’d moved on.”

“You don’t like Hedgehog?”

Katsuki gave him a sarcastic look, and Hawks hummed as he contemplated, staring at Katsuki’s face even as they walked.

“Dandelion,” he concluded, grinning again when Katsuki almost tripped over his own feet. “You’re right, you’re prettier than a hedgehog. Dandelion it is.”

“Fuck off.”

“Never.”

He was still burning red and tripping over his words by the time they got to the shop, Hawks far too satisfied with himself, but when he leaned over with a menu for them to look together, Katsuki couldn’t help but feel a little warm and fuzzy inside.

“It’s my treat, of course,” Hawks told him. “I asked you, after all. Pick anything you want!”

“You don’t need to pay.”

“No, but I’m going to,” Hawks said firmly. “You want the spicy one?”

“Yeah.”

“With extra egg for more protein,” Hawks hummed. “Wanna split some gyoza with me?”

“Sure.”

“Are you just agreeing with everything I say no matter what?”

“Me?” Katsuki scoffed. “Look who you’re talking to.”

“So I’m just good at figuring out what you want?”

“Yeah, guess so.”

“Perfect.”

He ordered for both of them with a confidence Katsuki kind of envied – he was so bad at being polite to staff and waiters, always had to think about his words and tone to make sure he didn’t piss anyone off, but Hawks did it all so easily.

It only took a few minutes for their bowls to arrive, drinks and steaming gyoza along with them, and Hawks watched eagerly as Katsuki took his first bite. A stubborn part of him wanted to wait, wanted to make Hawks eat first just to spite him, but he forced himself to ignore it – this was a date, after all. He didn’t want to be a shitty brat on their first date, he needed a few under his belt before he could start being an ass.

“Taste good?”

“Really good,” Katsuki nodded, chopsticks already reaching for another mouthful. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure!”

He took another bite, contemplating, and when their conversation paused for a little too long, he finally spoke up.

"I'm shitty at this," he said. “Um, sorry.”

"At what? Eating ramen?" Hawks smirked, reaching for his bowl. "Need me to feed you? I can do that."

"At dating."

"What? No you're not."

"I'm useless at small talk, I'm awful at even holding a conversation, let alone... Flirting."

"You don't need to flirt, Katsuki, I already know you like me." Hawks laughed, watching the awkward face turn pink again. "And I like you, too. I like talking to you, we don't need small talk. We talk all the time and I always enjoy that, so just do what you always do."

"Isn't it meant to be different or some shit?"

"I don't care about 'meant to', do you?"

"No, I guess not."

"We wouldn't be here if I wanted anything other than exactly who you are every day."

"Sappy goose-man."

"You know it."

Katsuki took a mouthful of his food, chewing silently as he thought for a minute, and Hawks just waited patiently.

"I don't know anything about... Holding hands or hugging or... All the other shit. I've never been a touchy person. I um, I'm sorry for that too."

"Neither do I," Hawks smiled. "I know the media paints me as this popular playboy or whatever but I've never actually dated anyone."

"No one?"

"No, when would I have had the chance? You know how taxing it is to be a hero."

"Yeah... I guess I do."

"We'll figure it out together, yeah? If you want to do something or try something, if you like or don't like something, we'll talk about it."

"And you'll talk to me about it too?"

"Of course."

Katsuki nodded once, going back to his food a lot less tense than they'd started out, and Hawks just watched him for a moment, the smile still tugging at his lips.

"I want to hold your hand," Katsuki admitted, eyes still locked on his bowl. "When you walk me home and stuff I always want to but I guess if we’re dating now it might be okay now? I still don't know if I should or how to do it or if I'll blow you up by accident."

"We can do that," Hawks agreed easily. "I trust your quirk control. More than pretty much anyone's."

"Pretty much?" Katsuki asked, finally meeting Hawks's eyes as he smirked. "Who do I need to beat?"

"Just me," Hawks grinned. "I still trust myself more than you."

"We'll see about that."

Hawks laughed brightly, catching Katsuki smiling at him much more genuinely in response, and despite the way his arm hesitated a little, he clapped Katsuki on the back fondly.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest."

[Click for Ch8]