Fuselage

♡~♡ Chapter 20 ♡~♡

Katsuki wasn't surprised at the thought; it had crossed his mind a million times before. That Eijirou was beautiful. This time though, this time he could do something about it.

"I can help you my way." Katsuki offered.

Eijirou frowned, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Murder?"

The sudden joke made Katsuki laugh, Eijirou following suit. "No, asshole. Though I'm tempted. Circular ass conversation. Sounded, from what I could hear, like they just say the same things over and over to wear you down, man." Fingers tapped anxious over his cell keypad. "C'mon." He pocketed his phone, hand gentle over Eijirou's forearm. "Let's go for a walk."

"Yeah." Eijirou blinked, pressed Katsuki's fingers against his eyelids. "Your fingers are colder than mine."

"Don't be fucking weird." Katsuki snatched his hand away. "We're in a store, grab something refrigerated?"

"Ooo. Good idea, Kat! A whole ass date!" The wink as Eijirou shambled passed would have been far more flirtatious if his eyelids hadn't been swollen to shit.

It still made Katsuki blush.

♡~♡~♡

"So Tetsu is set to run things then?" Katsuki kicked at a rock in the undergrowth, taking a swig from his now too warm energy drink, ducking under a low branch. "This..." eyes narrowed at the ground, "family business?"

"Yeah." Eijirou grunted, behind Katsuki. "'Ts why Mina opted for the airport." Tree bark snapping. "Well-" heavy breathing. "That and she's a-" another grunt, a soft ow, "-a girl." Venom in the word.

Katsuki turned to face Eijirou, insulted on Raccoon Eyes behalf, ready to argue, startled by the sight of his friend adjusting his legs, positioning his knees repeatedly then swinging down.

"Hey! Kat, hand me my energy drink. I wanna see if I can drink it upside down."

Katsuki sized him, gaze sweeping up and down with scorn. Abs outlined by soft skin tanned in summer sun, shirt hanging down at his chin, hair swinging, face growing red.

Katsuki snorted, shaking his head low to curb the urge to touch... taste. "It's gunna go out your nose."

"Maybe!" That stupid smile, wild and half crazy, hand out as Katsuki fished the bottle out, opened it. "Alright!" Carefully Eijirou tilted it to his mouth, drank, sputtered. "Oh God. The carbonation." He coughed, pulling himself up.

"Told you, dipshit." Katsuki sneered, trudging forward, the heat oppressive. Emotions running rampant, smothering, inside the weak cage of his body. "So is this how you and Mina cope? This dumb bullshit you guys do?"

"Yeah." Eijirou grunted as he landed, catching up. "I guess so. Tetsu used to join us when we were younger."

"Do you think he stopped on purpose?"

"I-" Eijirou cut himself off, frowned, took a drink. "I don't know. I always thought he did. We fight so much I never really got to know." An arm looped around Katsuki's waist. A cheek pressed against the top of his head. "Why are we heading to the airstrip?"

Cold and hot flooded Katsuki in a rush. "H-how did. You-"

"There's not an inch," fingers dug into skin. "Of this mountainside I don't know."

"Just let me help you my way." Katsuki pushed out of Eijirou's reach, broke contact because fuck.

"Planes scare me, Katsuki." Eijirou's eyes narrowed. "Heights scare me." A quick correction. "You might love being airborne but it sucks for me. Even in those dragon dreams no matter how-" red eyes flashed dangerously, "how good, they always end so bad."

"Yeah?" Katsuki resumed walking. "What do you mean?"

"I'm..." Eijirou snorted, "you know, a dragon in them. God it feels dumb to say. But-"

"Spit it out dumbass."

"You know they all start in different places." He swung at undergrowth. "But ultimately it always ends up with-" Eijirou inhaled sharp, eyes widened, a flush over his neck and ears. "Hah, a-anyway. And I'm flying, and it's great. Everytime. Wonderful."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed as they emerged from the foliage. He could practically taste the 'but'.

"Sometimes the Barbarian King-"

"Me." Katsuki muttered.

"Y-yeah." Eijirou chuckled, swaggered a little when he walked at the admission. "You, I guess. Sometimes you're with me. Most of the time you aren't. But everytime the flying is... fun. Powerful. Peaceful. Like... like-"

Katsuki looked back to see Eijirou watching the sky. "Freedom?" He offered, earning a startled glance.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." He offered a fast grin. "But then I'm... I'm falling. I'm falling and hurting and... dying." A hand fisted at his sternum, brows tangled as they entered the airstrip. "And then I'm drowning and I know I'm going to die and I don't understand why. Everything is dark and wet and cold and no one is there to-"

Eijirou stopped, took a drink but Katsuki heard the accusation.

No one was there to wake him up.

And maybe that was also Katsuki's fault. The Barbarian King him. The him now. How often had Eijirou rescued him from the depths? And he'd never-

Katsuki pulled up at the Utility Room door, staring at the helmets. Burnt orange and red. A hand fell on his shoulder, the fridge hummed. Paws clicked on hard cement. A whine and wet nose nudged.

"Kat." A deep, sad, scared, desperately lonely man begged.

But not to be left alone.

Katsuki grabbed the helmet, shoved it at Eijirou.

"Buckle up." He demanded. "I won't let you fall." Red eyes met in equal parts determination and terrified despair, "not this time."