Fuselage

♡~♡ Chapter 17 ♡~♡

Strong hands held Katsuki against his body as he swam to the far shore, questions left unanswered as legs kicked.

"Let me fucking go, you piece of shit." Katsuki snarled, wet hands slipping off slick muscles and skin.

He hated it. He hated being this close to Eijirou, he hated smelling him, feeling his body against his, seeing the way the moonlight lit Eijirou up in bright highlights and hard shadows. Katsuki's stomach rioted in a complexion of tangles. He had to stop fighting or risk getting physically ill, hands resting against soft skin as Eijirou pulled him up to rest in the warm shallows, blessedly away from the group.

Katsuki took a deep breath as Eijirou untangled from him, sitting feet away, out of reach, "Remember, like, two weeks ago you asked about the dreams." Oh fuck. "And you saw me." Katsuki had to steady himself. "What... What did you see?"

Eijirou frowned, his scar and the light of the moon reflecting off the water making him look serious. "I saw you... swimming a few times." He exhaled, his chest collapsing dramatically. "There was a... corpse? He was going to drown you. But you were asleep. I know you were asleep for real. So I woke you up. I dragged you back to the surface but..."

"I figured that much. I recognized your voice." Your touch. Katsuki lay back in the water. "Anything else?"

"Uh..." Eijirou swallowed hard. "I've seen you... talking. To. Jin." Eyes flicked to him, back away. "The corpse. The shrine in your-?"

Shit. Katsuki felt cold, eyes wide. "What do you-"

"Laying in your hallway. Talking. Early in the morning. Maybe late at night. Hard to tell with you."

Katsuki let out a laugh, but it was humorless.

"Just things. Anything. Heartbreaking things." Eijirou sighed, slapping the water's surface. "I didn't even know you were real and then when I asked you about it you were so adamant it wasn't that I started thinking I made it up. That I'd seen you somewhere before and just... imagined it."

"I had dreams too." Eijirou stopped slapping the water to listen. "I was feeling what you were feeling, seeing what you were seeing. But still myself-"

"I know." Eijirou stopped him. "Fuck." The word was hard and angry; but the emotions weren't directed at Katsuki. "Fuck! Just so you know with Pony, I love her. You know I do. I know I do."

"Eijirou." Katsuki sat, hair dripping.

He ignored the way Eijirou's hands fisted, the way his face reddened, the way his chest heaved.

"I love my girlfriend. I... I want to fuck her, I want to- I-" He stopped himself. "And that question earlier with-" eyes shot sideways, "that was just- why do we always circle back to this, Kat?" The words were so soft, so heartbreakingly sad. "Why do I- What's wrong with me?"

"I felt it, Eijirou, you dumb fuck. I was you." Katsuki shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with you. You don't have to act or be someone you're not. Not with me, not with your friends. Not with your fami-"

"No." Eijirou straightened suddenly, pushed off the bank, swam out further, out of reach. "You don't know." He laughed hoarse. "You don't-" He shook his head, " You know, Kat, these aren't as fun as they used to be when we were younger." He tread water for a moment, gaze resting on Katsuki, head tilted like he wanted to say more. Instead his face crumpled into a fierce scowl. "Fuck." He jerked away violently. "Hanta!" Eijirou shouted, swimming off, "I need a hit."

Katsuki stood, letting the water drip off him as Eijirou dunked his hair, running his fingers through it, joining the others again, taking the offered drag. He was the outsider. It was painfully obvious sitting alone on the bank, watching the others sitting and laughing, drinking and getting high. He had intruded on them. Gaze drifted to the other outcast; Mina. He hated how he felt that solidarity in their aloneness.

"Fucking assholes." He muttered.

Angrily Katsuki walked back around the lake, passing by the pile of friends draped over one another. Eijirou looked up as Katsuki walked past, his own spliff in hand, Denki draped over him the way he was normally hanging on Katsuki.

Gritting his teeth the blond sat back down beside Mina.

"So you talked to him, huh?" She blinked slowly, throwing a stick on the fire.

"I tried."

"What did you-"

Katsuki growled, cracking open a water bottle. "So much for a 'fun grill out with friends'." He mocked, taking a swig.

"He knows." Mina frowned. "It's why he's getting high. He'll get drunk later too. I'll have to drag his sorry ass to bed and take care of him cuz those three will disappear in an hour or so to be together."

"And what about you, Racoon Eyes?" Katsuki grabbed up his phone, ignoring the raucous laughter behind them, feeling the eyes watching him.

"I don't do romance. I do one night stands. Friends with benefits." She frowned. "It's not that I don't want to be with someone, it's just easier. I like sex. I just don't do romance. From what Denki tells me, you are exactly the opposite. You big softie." Mina teased, her small smile falling as she ran a hand through her pink hair. "I wish Eijirou would just dump her already. I don't hate her. She's really nice. Too nice sometimes. But he doesn't love her."

Katsuki frowned, poking at the dirt. "Is that why you were in a bad mood?"

"I don't understand-" Her chest heaved with sudden emotion, voice fumbling over itself as it swelled with unshed tears, "Why I'm the bad guy in the family for being the way I am when-" Mina swallowed heavy, blinking hard. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to cry. I don't want to cry. It's just bullshit. He walks around lying to everyone, including himself, about his fucking 'perfect relationship'." Stubby plain nails air quoted, "Meanwhile I'm ostracised because I'm not settling down..."

"I-I'm sorry, Racc-" Katsuki ran a hand through his damp hair. "Mina."

Her head shot up, Mina blinked at him and smiled slow, wiping at her cheeks. "I knew you liked me, you little fucker."

"Don't be vulgar." He scoffed. "I don't like anyone. I just tolerate other humans to exist within the same atmosphere."

With a laughed she elbowed him.

"Don't be a stick in the mud guys!" Kyoka called over to them, "Come on and party!"

The other three joined in on the small chant until Mina snapped, turning back to Katsuki. "Fucking idiots don't realize someone has to make sure they don't drown later."

"That's it. I'm going to leave." Katsuki sighed, standing. "I already don't really belong to this kind of party." A pebble bounced off the log beside him and he heard Eijirou snicker. "And I think I'm just going to end up getting in a fist fight if I stay."

"I mean, Ei deserves it right now." Mina laughed, taking a drink and wincing. "They didn't even get good beer."

"Good luck." Katsuki nodded.

"Yeah, sorry they're being assholes." Mina sighed. "Hopefully next outing won't be like this."

"If I decide to join."

Her eyes went wide, "You mean-?"

A pebble hit his back, Eijirou crooned "Ten points!"

Giggles and whispers from the fuckers.

Katsuki's teeth grit, eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I fucking mean."