017 ⋆ 'til the storm passes by 🌸

                                    

                                          
ship: kiribaku
special: written during hurricane Dorian
                          
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They should've prepared for the hurricane better.
                          
It had been raining a full twelve hours when the power suddenly went out. A full blackout.
                          
"Should've set up that generator when you had the chance," Kaminari teases, a beacon of light flooding the hall as he enters the living room. Katsuki glares at him as he does, candle in his hand, feet curled up under him as he waits for Eijirou to light the one in his. Kaminari sits across from them and shuts off his flashlight, the darkness that followed quickly replaced with the faint orange flow of the now burning candle. Kat hands Ei the second candle—a three-wick—and Eijirou excuses himself as he stands and disappears into the darker part of the room.
                          
Kat's attention switches over to the candle, which burns calmly yet dances wickedly. A fleeting stream of smoke comes from its flickering top and a pleasing scent of cinnamon and apple fills the space.
                          
It's quiet.
                          
Heavy rain peppers the roof and peters from the flooded gutters. The wind picks up suddenly and scratches a tree against the side of the house; Kat hopes nature won't overstay its welcome more than it already has and invite itself into their shelter.
                          
It would make logical sense to close the window, but there's something about the sound of pelting rain mixed with the symphony of the birds and frogs that's oddly compelling.
                          
As the winds pick up again, Katuski vaguely makes out the tick of Eijirou's lighter before a soft glow of light grabs his attention. Ei's visible again, lit candle and lighter in either hand, his silhouette a broad figure in the corner. He sets it down on top of their TV stand, and his voice cuts through nature's melody moments later.
                          
"So what now?"
                          
Katsuki shrugs. Kaminari offers nothing but a low rumble of his throat until he's able to form a question. "Wanna sing a song?"
                          
"What?"
                          
"No," Katsuki interjects. Denki's stare is choppy in the wavering light.
                          
"How about a game then?"
                          
"No."
                          
"A story?"
                          
"Absolutely fucking not."
                          
"Well—" Kaminari stands. "—I'd rather not sit here playing The Quiet Game, so I'll go wait this out with Sero."
                          
"Don't go gettin' high at a time like this, asshole!" Kat gripes to Denki's retreating back. Kaminari directs a middle finger to him before he's swallowed up by darkness. Silence befalls them again, though the quiet spell is broken briefly by Eijirou's deep sigh. Katsuki looks to his right and sees his head engulfed by most of his hoodie, pinched together until nothing but his lips and the very tip of his nose remained. Katsuki takes in what's visible—the faint sheen of his nose and the subtle movement of his lips whenever he sucks in a part to nibble. He travels down to where his hands were tucked into his pocket, and his knee bounces restlessly beyond that.
                          
"You about to leave me next?" Kat asks, noting the subtle flush of his lips when his teeth release its flesh, and he licks them over before giving him an answer.
                          
"Nah." The wind picks up again and a cool breeze pours in through the window whilst the side of the house takes the brunt of a wall of rain. Katsuki curls into himself further.
                          
"You about to nap?"
                          
"No."
                          
"Then the fuck's up with the leg bouncin'?" Said leg activity ceases after that, and Ei draws out a breath and outstretches his legs, that briefly subdued energy transferred to jerky foot syndrome. "Quit it."
                          
"Sorry, it's just—" He sighs again, taking his hands out from his pockets to pull his hood off his head. His hair's disheveled from the friction, but he didn't seem to mind. "I didn't save my game."
                          
Katsuki chuffs.
                          
"Bro, it ain't funny! I've been grinding the game all day and I just reached level 45!"
                          
"And then the power went out."
                          
"And then the power went out!" Ei sinks back into the couch with a groan. "I just wasted a whole day..."
                          
"That's you every day."
                          
"Shut up."
                          
Katsuki lets himself smile in the comfort of ample darkness. Ei pouts, stuffing his hands back into his pockets and continuing his restless knee syndrome, grumbling, "It's whatever though. I'll pick it up the next day I have off or whatever..." It's then that Katsuki peers over at him. At the same time—seemingly—Ei peeks over at him too, and in the coppery filter of the candle, he looks as soft as he is beautiful. Flames flicker in the embers of his eyes, and Katsuki could've sat there staring at them all night under the crackling candlelight—a beautiful song that came with an even more beautiful visual—but Ei moves, shifting his elbow across the back of the couch to rest his head on a closed fist.
                          
"So," he starts, "how long before the food in the fridge goes bad?"
                          
Katsuki hums. "Like four hours or so."
                          
"What about the freezer?"
                          
"Two days if we're full."
                          
"How long before we all go insane and start eatin' each other?"
                          
"I give it two hours tops," Kat snorts. Ei smiles.
                          
"Someone's apocalypse ready."
                          
"Someone isn't."
                          
"Hey!"
                          
Katsuki continues. "You're gonna die first."
                          
"Wow."
                          
"We'll eat your corpse too."
                          
"Wow!" Eijirou pouts. "Y'all hate me."
                          
"No, it's just you'll probably taste ten times better than Thing 1 and Thing 2 since you actually eat real food."
                          
Eijirou's brows furrow as he smirks. "Sero's a whole vegan, babe." 
                          
Katsuki shrugs. "Black lung ain't no joke."
                          
Ei's snort is muffled by the sudden explosion of rain against their side of the roof, though Kat makes no move to hide his grin when his boyfriend's nose wrinkles and his eyes crinkle close. Temptation leads to Katsuki leaning in to kiss the very tip of that nose, a small, subtle peck that cuts through the playful air abruptly. Eijirou's laughter halts in a gasp, eyes wide with surprise. Kat's lips press together in a bashful grin, and he's thankful he's able to the rosy-faced mess he's surely become under an oversaturation of orange and amber. It's as warm as the lips pressed against his; as tender as noses slotting together and hands cupping faces. Their kisses are slow—unhurried—lingering seconds longer than needed but wanted all the same. The sounds and songs of croaking frogs, chirping crickets and the heavy downpour of rain swallow their sighs of contentment, and they're more than happy to revel in it when a hum rings through the house and white light floods the room.
                          
Down the hall, they hear Kaminari cry out, "Finally!" and they look to each other with smirks wide and cheeks ruddy. Ultimately, they decide to turn the lights back off in favor of the comfort of its absence, freely able to kiss and cuddle as they please until the wind ceases and the storm passes by.