Fuselage

♡~♡ Chapter 22 ♡~♡

"No I don't." Katsuki hissed, eyes darting around to make sure they weren't garnering attention.

Eijirou snorted, "You just fucking were." His face was flat, "I wear a permanent reminder of homophobia, I went through years of physical therapy to remind me of the cost of what being like that meant around here." Arms flexed, eyes watered. "So, Kat," he spat the name, "It doesn't matter if I like someone. It doesn't matter if I love someone. It doesn't matter if I want to fuck them or not. It matters if they keep my family happy. Because if they don't-" His face blanched as his words, what he was saying, caught up to him. "I-I mean... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... To go off like that, that was an accident."

Katsuki reeled as he tried to connect the dots, absorb the information. "Did your family... Did your family hire people to-"

"Don't ask Katsuki." Eijirou turned away. "God, please, please just let this drop."

"Ei." A hand reached out, fell away, "Ei we're..." His heart hurt, bled, broke. "Ei you're my best friend. It's just a mask. It doesn't mean anything."

Eijirou straightened, looked at the ceramic piece in his hands. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We're best friends." The sly smile that made Katsuki's heart trip as the mask twisted and rose to Eijirou's face. "There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Katsuki couldn't hear anything beyond the pounding of his pulse on his ear drums as Eijirou tied the Oni on around his head while Katsuki paid.

"Whaddya think?"

The idiot grimaced, posing just outside the stall, just off to the side, just a little out of the way, just a little where they wouldn't be in anyone's way. Katsuki froze. Eijirou was looking positively ridiculous. Absolutely beautiful. Katsuki had never wanted to kiss anyone more than he wanted to kiss Eijirou in that moment.

"Ei." Breathless.

Firelight from the lanterns lighting him up golden, his hair a fiery contrast of reds and oranges and yellows. Katsuki's hand fell to rest on his forearm as light danced in warm red eyes, equally lost. Equally hurt, broken. A lifetime of wanting and searching and right fucking here was-

"Ei, I-" fuck. Fuck where are the words?! "Ei you look-" Closer.

"What Kat?" Squid breath, angry undertones just a reach away.

Pain, Katsuki glanced at Eijirou's lips, knowing he saw him. Eijirou would taste like pain if they kissed now. Gazes met again. But Eijirou didn't pull away. Eijirou never pulled away. It was always Katsuki first.

Nerves consumed Katsuki, grip tightened around his phone. Just inches away. They were inches away. He'd never been this close before. This close to kissing Eijirou. Closer than at the airstrip, closer than at Yagi's. God he could almost- If he just stepped forward. His pulse beat so strongly Katsuki could feel it in his temples.

"Eijirou I'm-"

"There you guys are!" Denki's voice broke through the crowd.

Immediately Eijirou rocketed back, a frown - a true frown - marring the previously dreamy features.

"What," Hanta chuckled, eyes narrow as a hand moved to his Tengu mask to pull it up further. "What were you two doing?"

"Selfie." Katsuki answered fast, wiggling his phone. "Looks like you two got masks too though."

Eijirou lit up again, "Group picture?"

"Hell yeah!" Hanta fist pumped, "And then the carousel. And then-" The look he gave Katsuki was chill inducing, "Initiation."