The rain beat down on Katsuki's shoulders, and puddles splashed around him each time his boots hit the pavement. It was cold and slippery and not a fun day to be out patrolling. It was also a disappointing Valentine's Day.
For the first time, Katsuki had been looking forward to Valentine's Day. He actually had someone he cared about, so—though Katsuki wouldn't readily admit it—he was slightly excited. Katsuki used to be indifferent about romance, but now that he had a girlfriend, he had expected his first Valentine's Day with her to be a bit special. Instead, they had to go to their work study in the rain. At the very least, they were together.
Katsuki glanced at Kuri through the hood of his clear oversized poncho. She frowned as she used the sleeve of her hero costume to wipe her glasses. The incessant raindrops against the bright orange plastic were undoubtedly annoying her. Kuri pulled the hood of her poncho further down to shield her eyes and caught Katsuki staring.
"What a lovely date, am I right?" Kuri asked, laughing dryly. "I can't believe the agency still expects criminals to be out when it's pouring."
"It's lucky that we're work partners," Katsuki remarked. "Otherwise, we might've spent this day apart."
Kuri nodded, acknowledging that it could be worse, then sighed.
"I still hope the rain will let up soon." They both peered up at the raging storm clouds overhead. "When do you think it'll stop?"
"Probably in a few hours," Katsuki shrugged. Kuri groaned and clutched her arms, probably trying to retain what little body heat she had left after spending an hour and a half outside. "So much for a romantic day..." Katsuki muttered.
Kuri hummed in agreement, and they walked without speaking for a while. Katsuki couldn't wait for their shift to be over. Only thirty more minutes left on their patrol route...
"Hey, what do you want as a gift for Valentine's?" Kuri suddenly asked.
"Whatever you can manage to put together once we get home, I guess," Katsuki replied. "Because you won't have much free time left when we get back."
"Oh, right," Kuri sighed resignedly. They strode along in relative silence—the only sound was the rain striking rooftops and the road they walked on. "I guess I won't have time to fix up something homemade. You'll have to either take from my snack stash or ask me for something later."
"What kind of something?"
"Like a date," Kuri grinned.
"Then, I'll take that."
During the week leading up to this surprisingly weak day, Katsuki had daydreamed about different date scenarios to celebrate the holiday (yes, he knows that's embarrassing, no need to remind him). He knew they'd be working in the afternoon, but maybe Endeavor would let them out early, and they could swing by somewhere fun. But, no, Endeavor Agency functioned as if there were nothing special about February fourteenth, so Katsuki and Kuri had to trudge through the drenched city in search of nonexistent criminals.
"Do you have any suggestions for what to do on this date?" Kuri asked. "I'm cool with anything except study dates because we've had more than enough of those."
"Well, it is the easiest to do," Katsuki shrugged. "No need to leave the dorms."
"But we haven't had a real date since December. Don't you wanna go out and do something exciting instead of quizzing each other on history?"
"Yeah..." Katsuki said, recalling some of the date ideas he'd thought of recently, thinking he could bounce some off of Kuri to see which ones she liked.
Suddenly, the door to a convenience store a few meters ahead of them swung violently open, and a hooded figure dashed out, darting around the few people on the sidewalk as they ran at breakneck speed away from Katsuki and Kuri. Intuition told Katsuki that something was wrong, and his suspicions were quickly confirmed as a young woman frantically pushed out of the same door and called after the person to stop.
Kuri and Katsuki were by her side in an instant, asking what had happened.
Once the woman answered that the runaway had stolen her purse, Kuri quickly proclaimed, "Got it!" and took off after the thief.
Katsuki told the woman they'd be back with her purse soon, then he, too, took off after the thief.
Katsuki's boots pounded the pavement, and he braced his eyes against the rain beating against them and settling in his mask. With each pump of his arms and splash from his steps, Katsuki's grin grew. Finally, he'd get in some action on this uneventful, gloomy day. If he couldn't have a sweet date, he at least wanted to have some fun serving justice.
Several meters away, Katsuki could see Kuri in pursuit of the thief. The people walking along the street cleared the way for the three of them as they sped down the block, so Katsuki had a straight path to his target. Too bad he couldn't get there faster, though. If there weren't people and infrastructure to worry about, he could blast himself over there and get on the other side of the thief to trap them.
Instead, as he sprinted with all his might, Katsuki relied on Kuri to make the first move at subduing the thief. He was almost getting closer to them, but Kuri and the thief kept a constant distance as they went impossibly fast—probably because neither was actually running. Kuri was propelling her strides with jumps, so she was basically leaping successively, while the thief seemed to skate across the thin layer of water coating the concrete. Katsuki fought to keep up with the two, finding himself actually doing so as the thief slowed to turn a corner. Kuri followed close behind the thief, nearly within arm's reach, and Katsuki lingered only about three meters away as they all spun around the block.
The side street they'd stumbled upon was narrow and nearly deserted; they were the only people on the sidewalk, meaning no one could get caught in the crossfire. Kuri seemed to see this as an opportunity to jump and topple the thief with the kick to the back. However, the thief happened to turn their head, noticed her poised in the air, a moment from attack, and suddenly disappeared. The purple handbag they'd stolen dropped to the floor.
Stunned, Kuri landed on one foot and slipped on the large puddle beneath her. Katsuki, finally just a moment away, reached his arms out to catch her before she fell. He caught her by the arms and helped her stabilize her footing. She shot him an appreciative glance.
The two scanned the street for anywhere the thief could have gone. Clearly, they'd used their quirk to escape, but if their power wasn't a form of teleportation, it could be that they were hiding.
As Kuri reached down to retrieve the purse from the ground, the puddle she stepped on coalesced into a human form—the thief!—and shoved themself out from under Kuri's boots. Kuri stumbled back as the thief snatched the purse and clumsily but speedily pushed themself to their feet and took off again. Their mobility seemed worsened, perhaps from injury after Kuri landed on them, so they were slower. Still, their feet seemed to skate across the water, and—considering their quirk—Katsuki understood how.
He darted after the thief, knowing Kuri would easily catch up, pursuing them down the path. With an outstretched hand, he reached for the thief's jacket in the hopes of stopping and apprehending them, but the thief suddenly darted into an alleyway beside them. Katsuki quickly corrected his course to follow them down the narrow passageway.
In the cramped alley, Katsuki could hear his, the thief's, and Kuri's footsteps echo, each loud splash against the pavement reverberating between the buildings on either side of them. They dodged trash bins and boxes of junk sitting beside backdoors, and with each new obstacle, Katsuki felt like the thief was getting farther away. How could he be losing such a petty criminal?! He wished he could just blast his way over and subdue the thief with a small but forceful explosion. Fuck "preserving infrastructure," what about preserving his dignity?
Katsuki saw the light at the end of the alley, and time seemed to slow as the thief slunk even farther from his reach, perhaps gaining speed from their growing hope for escape. But, suddenly, Katsuki realized he hadn't heard Kuri's footsteps for a short period. In their place was the sound of a thumping from above, oscillating between either building beside Katsuki. He peeked up and saw Kuri juggling herself between the walls, hopping from side to side in a rapid motion that somehow kept her up.
Within seconds, Katsuki understood what Kuri had planned, and he powered forward to ensure he'd be closing the thief in on his end.
Once the sound of Kuri's hopping reached the end of the alley, they abruptly stopped, and she descended from the sky, landing on top of the thief. As the thief toppled to the ground from the impact of Kuri hitting them, they cried out in pain and disintegrated again into water droplets, disappearing into another puddle and abandoning the purse.
Kuri was left sitting on the wet ground, but she scrambled up and grabbed the purse, slinging it over her shoulder. She stomped on the puddles around her and muttered under her breath that they couldn't escape that easily. Though Katsuki joined her attempt to attack an invisible enemy, he knew their actions were futile. In a city covered in water, how were you supposed to find a specific puddle? Especially if it was likely they could move around while in non-human form.
After a minute or two of kicking puddles, they searched the surrounding area for the thief to no avail. Eventually, they decided to find that lady again and return her purse since she'd been waiting for a while.
Back at the front of that store, the woman happily took back her purse and thanked them for retrieving it. Kuri asked for her statement and a description of the thief, explaining that the purse-snatcher got away because of their handy quirk. The woman relayed the information, and Katsuki and Kuri returned to the Endeavor Agency building.
After an hour of completing all the paperwork required whenever one lets a criminal get away, Katsuki felt ready to relax. He'd spent a full day attending classes, then doing tedious busywork at the agency, and all he'd wanted was a date with his girlfriend. Was that too much to ask for?
Katsuki shivered as he lingered in the break room, coat on and ready to leave. Shoto and Deku stood around, too, chatting idly as they looked out the window at the rain, which was finally lightening up. Kuri emerged from the changing room, zipping up her jacket as she shuffled toward Katsuki.
"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Katsuki said, letting Kuri link arms with him once she reached his side. "Wanna grab a bite before we head home?"
"Alright," Kuri smiled. She tapped her chin as she brainstormed a place to go, then her face lit up with a seemingly goofy idea, considering her smirk. "We should go to that convenience store where the theft happened and get some snacks. Maybe there'll be clues or something."
"Pfft, sure," Katsuki chuckled, knowing she was trying to make up for the shitty day.
"Could we tag along?" Deku piped up, sporting an oblivious grin.
Katsuki shot him a menacing scowl, wishing Deku would burst into flames.
No way are you ruining my date, dumbass.
Deku's eyes widened, and he made an exaggerated expression of realization.
"Actually, never mind!" Deku waved his hand and backed out of the room, pulling Shoto along with him. "You two should be allowed to go on your own. Have fun!"
Katsuki and Kuri looked at each other, and she smirked at him for the death glare.
"So, ready to go?" she asked, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.
"You bet."
After finding the store—conveniently located between the agency and the train station—they each bought a warm onigiri and a hot tea. Kuri led them to the bench outside, and they sat under the overhang, watching the rain as they ate.
"I've never spent Valentine's Day at a convenience store," Kuri mused. "Then again, I've never had a date for today." She glanced at him fondly. "I'm glad I get to share this abnormal first experience with you."
"Same here, Bunny," Katsuki said with a smile. "Although, last year was a pretty weird first experience too. No one's ever given me rice crackers before."
Kuri laughed awkwardly.
"Oh, yeah, it must've been obvious that I liked you, considering you were the only person I gave homemade food to."
That wasn't why it was obvious...
He wanted to tell her that already. For exactly a year, Katsuki had hidden from Kuri that Eijirou had accidentally told him about her crush. Why had he kept it secret? Would it have been that horrible to tell her earlier? Well, yeah, probably, considering even after he tried to ignore her feelings for months, she told him anyway and changed the course of their relationship. After they started dating, it couldn't have been catastrophic, yet he continued to refrain from telling her. All out of shame for keeping the secret in the first place.
Katsuki gazed gently at Kuri, who was grinning sheepishly at him as she recalled last year's Valentine's. She looked so cute, her hair a bit mussed from the wind and rain, her eyes still bright despite the subpar day.
Katsuki smiled back at her.
Everything would be okay.
-----
"Wait, what...?"
Kuri stared at the boyfriend in abject confusion. How was it possible?!
Katsuki glanced away, seemingly embarrassed to reveal this information. He chugged his tea to avoid looking at her.
Kuri understood his trepidation; anyone would feel awkward after saying, "Actually, it was pretty obvious because the day before, I found out that you had a crush on me."
Her brain stalled after hearing those words come out of his mouth, then a shiver ran over her skin as she took them in.
Somehow, Katsuki knew about her crush on him months before she ever said so at the pool. Of course, she had some suspicions that day when he asked out-of-the-blue if she loved him, but never would she have thought he knew since February thirteenth—five and a half months before her poolside confession. It couldn't have been intuition alone that indicated she liked him—Katsuki was too dense for that—so someone must have told him.
"How'd you find out?"
Katsuki hesitated before answering.
"Eijirou let it slip."
"Oh...?" Kuri said, surprised by the peculiar answer. She had expected him to say one of the girls' names... but Eijirou? How did he even know... Kuri suddenly had a pang of realization. "Oh!"
Right. Eijirou had found out on the night of the school festival when they were first-years. He must've said something about Kuri's crush while Katsuki was around to hear. Kuri recalled that Eijirou had been mysteriously awkward and apologetic around her for the second half of February, and she never figured out why. At least a year later, she had some closure.
Kuri chuckled internally. She couldn't wait to see Eijirou's face when she told him she found out. She glanced back at Katsuki, who still looked nervous.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Kuri asked.
Katsuki shrugged in response.
"Because it'd be awkward to bring up, considering we were barely friends."
"Aw, I considered us decent friends," Kuri said, earning a tender smile from Katsuki.
"I know," he said. His gaze flitted down to his hands, cupped around his tea. "That day, a year ago... It was probably when I started realizing I had feelings for you." Katsuki paused for a moment, letting his words sit in the air. Kuri's heart stirred as she realized what that meant. "Though, it took me months to figure that out because I was an idiot."
"I'd say idiot is too strong of a word. You were oblivious, but it was endearing," Kuri giggled. "Also, Katsuki, I need to reevaluate every moment of our friendship starting from a year ago because my mind is blown right now."
"Take all the time you need," Katsuki chuckled.
And so she did (it was about a minute because she didn't want to make Katsuki wait long).
Kuri recalled everything: their final exam; competing in the sports festival; investigating the vigilantes; the day before the pool disaster when he'd hugged her after her tattoo disappeared. Katsuki always knew Kuri liked him, and instead of pushing her away, he let her become part of his life.
She appreciated his effort to keep her close despite her feelings for him, but also, holy shit, it was embarrassing to find out he knew for months before she told him. Kuri wondered what his thought process was when he found out, so she broke their silence to ask.
"How did it feel? When you first found out, I mean," Kuri asked.
"Shocked, mostly," Katsuki answered. "That night, I could barely sleep because I was wondering what the hell you were thinking. I didn't get how you could like me considering we fought since day one."
Kuri chuckled and took a sip of her warm tea.
"Sometimes, I'm not sure what drew me to you either," she remarked. "But I'm glad I fell for you."
"Me too," Katsuki concurred with a grin. "I think that once I knew you liked me, it helped me think of you differently. Then I could accept that I actually found you pretty and fun to be around."
"You're so cute, Katsuki," Kuri cooed, making him blush. "I'm glad knowing about my feelings made things turn out this way."
Katsuki agreed, and they sat silently for a minute, just snacking. They watched people pass by, huddled under umbrellas as they hurried down the sidewalk. Kuri wasn't ready to get out there and brave the storm again, even though she had finished eating, so she picked up the conversation again.
"Y'know, it's kinda hard to get over the fact that you knew all along."
"Sorry for not telling you I knew..." Katsuki muttered. Kuri patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry about it, Katsuki. You can't change the past, but if you did, I have a hunch we wouldn't be dating right now," she said.
Katsuki looked grim, as if he were worried she was just putting on a happy face, and that really she was furious. He hesitated before he spoke again.
"So, you're not mad that I kept it a secret?"
"Nope!" Kuri grinned. Her boyfriend was concerned about something trivial, so she felt she needed to smile at him. As soon as she did, Katsuki seemed to soften. "On the contrary, I think it's funny that you and Eijirou managed to keep the truth hidden for a whole year. Nice secret keeping!"
Okay, what am I even saying now... I think I'm taking this reassurance thing too far.
To her relief, Katsuki laughed.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Also, everything worked out in the end, so there's no reason to argue over it," Kuri continued. "I mean, we're dating! Who cares if you knew my feelings months before I confessed? That stuff is behind us now."
"True," Katsuki said, getting up to toss his trash since he'd finished eating. "I guess I was worried over nothing."
"Well, it wouldn't have been nothing just a few months ago, so I understand your hesitancy to tell me," Kuri shrugged. "Good thing we're chill now!"
Katsuki hummed in agreement as he returned to her side. He looked deep into her eyes with his crimson ones, then suddenly clasped her hand and intertwined their fingers. Kuri nearly broke his stare to look down at their joined hands in surprise. She felt warmth rush to her cheeks.
"You know, Bunny, I really love you," Katsuki said, and it felt like all the meaning in the world had poured into his words. Kuri stared at him as his face reddened in turn. They were both feeling a bit shy. Kuri wanted to say those words back to him, but for some reason, she felt she didn't need to; Katsuki already knew them in his heart. But those were just excuses because his sudden affection had caught her tongue. All she could do was slowly nod. Katsuki cleared his throat and looked away, still holding her hand. "So, should we head home now? It's getting late."
Kuri finally shifted her attention away from her boyfriend and back to the street, where people and cars rushed past, and the rain cloaked the city in gray. Just a few minutes ago, this would have been a depressing sight. Now, with Katsuki holding her hand, it felt like an easy challenge.
"Yeah," Kuri said, glancing back at Katsuki and giving his hand a small squeeze. "Time to go face the rain again."
Katsuki opened his umbrella, and the two of them huddled underneath it as they hurried to the train station. It was only a few blocks from the store, but the rain sure made it feel farther away.
Nevertheless, Katsuki's sudden affirmation of his love had Kuri pumped up, and the rain felt like less of a burden. Sure, the day sucked a bit, what with the escaped criminal and the bad weather, but they'd managed to redeem it through a mini-date!
"I'm happy about today," Kuri abruptly declared.
"Why's that?" Katsuki asked.
"I just feel content right now," she answered. "It's hard to stop smiling because I really love you, too. And now I've got that sorta happiness that makes me feel like I need to run a lap."
"Well, maybe wait until the rain stops before running around," Katsuki chuckled. "The pavement is pretty slippery."
"I'll be alright. The puddles can't stop me if I'm fueled by love!" Kuri exclaimed.
The exhaustion of the day must've been getting to her because Kuri realized too late that the words she was saying were nonsensical. At least it made Katsuki laugh.
"Really?" he smirked. "Is that your life motto now?"
"Yup," Kuri said, rolling with this concept now. "Nothing can stop my love for you. Not rain, not some silly, year-old secret about knowing I liked you — nothing!"
"I'm guessing not awkwardness either?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.
"Nope!" Kuri grinned.
"And not villains?"
"Nor vigilantes."
"Can't forget about those two," Katuski shook his head and let out a single laugh that sounded like a sigh.
Kuri hummed a little ditty to herself. She was glad she could joke about that stuff now. She'd spent a lot of time fixated on her grief, so it felt good to make light of that whole situation. Even if Kuri was just using humor to distance herself from reality again. Maybe ignoring her kidnapping entirely would be more effective for making the nightmares stop than joking, though...
Kuri shook her head to simultaneously toss her bangs to the side and shoo away her bad thoughts. She kept one hand firmly clutched around the umbrella she shared with Katsuki and her other arm linked with his. Hanging onto him kept her grounded. A tiny smile found a home on Kuri's lips. She was glad to be with him.
They marched along, speeding up as the train station came into view. Finally, some respite was in sight!
Then, Katsuki abruptly froze, and Kuri's momentum nearly let her speed off without him, right into the rain. She paused and swiveled her head to look at Katsuki's face as it inexplicably darkened. His expression filled her with worry.
"Hey, wait a second..." he whispered, almost like he didn't want to continue with his statement. Like it was something he didn't want to be real. Kuri searched his face for any sign of a joke or a hint that this wasn't as serious as it seemed.
"What's wrong?" she asked, patting his arm quickly. "You okay?"
Katsuki gulped, his face a pure expression of dread.
"What about when you have to go home?" he asked slowly, staring her dead in the eyes.
"Huh?" Kuri tilted her head in confusion. "Aren't we going home right now?"
She chuckled tensely, wondering why he was going overboard for a joke she didn't even understand.
The rain drumming against their umbrella was almost deafening as Katsuki closed his eyes and exhaled. Even though Kuri hadn't got it at first, once Katsuki opened his eyes again, and she saw he was truly upset, Kuri realized in her heart what he meant.
"No," Katsuki said. He paused, taking a moment to force his new few words out. "I meant California."
Reality hit Kuri like a semi-truck, knocking the breath out of her and weakening her stance. How could she have forgotten? Was she an idiot? Kuri knew all along that she would need to leave someday and part with all the people she met. Why did she let herself become inextricably linked to someone at UA?
"Oh," was all Kuri could say. Her gaze fell to her feet. She felt sick to her stomach. Her grip on the umbrella tightened, feeling like that one object was the thing to keep her from falling apart in the middle of the sidewalk. "Well... shit."
The rain, which previously felt like a source of motivation to carry on, now felt like a burden. Kuri's sneakers were waterlogged, and her socks felt damp. She hadn't noticed until then just how heavy her shoes felt. It was a disgusting sensation, standing there with wet shoes as the rain circumvented their umbrella and drenched the backs of her legs.
Kuri looked back up at Katsuki, staring at her hopelessly, as the first tear rolled down her cheek and off her face, joining the chorus of raindrops striking the ground.
So much for redeeming their Valentine's Day.
(A/N)
this conflict abt kuri needing to move away and leave her bf is suddenly super relevant to me as a high school senior about to graduate and go off to college 😭😭
also, in relation to me being a hs senior, i'm probably gonna be pretty busy from now until the end of may so apologies if updates aren't timely i promise this is what i spend most of my free time on but it still takes a while to write lol
- chris 😓