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Chapter Text

Katsuki and Megumi were walking next to each other, but since it looked like they were having a competition for who could look the most unapproachable, it couldn’t be said that they were walking “together”. A few feet ahead, Yuji and Izuku were locked in an excited discussion about the movie they’d just watched. The two of them were so focused on talking to one another that they didn’t notice when Izuku almost walked right into a trash can. Katsuki noticed, though, and grabbed Izuku by the collar to stop him.
“Watch where you’re walking, nerd,” Katsuki said. Megumi grabbed Yuji by his collar as well and dragged him along, leaving Katsuki and Izuku behind.
“Kacchan, I told you to stop calling me that in public,” Izuku said. “People are gonna think you’re abusive.”
“It’s not my fault you can’t walk right.”
“Not this time.” Izuku joked, making himself blush. Katsuki’s cheeks turned red to match. He tugged Izuku by the hand into a shadowed corner of the theater hallway.
“You can’t say crap like that so loud!” Katsuki whispered harshly.
“So I shouldn’t say that you-” Katsuki slapped a hand over Izuku’s mouth.
“One more dirty word out of that mouth of yours while we’re in public and I’ll beat you for real,” Katsuki warned. He dropped his hand slowly to let Izuku talk, even though he could still see Izuku’s eyes alight with mischief.
“See, that’s the sort of thing that’s going to make people think you really are abusive, when really you’re sweet, and clingy, and needy, and you can do this thing with your hips-” Katsuki covered Izuku’s mouth again.
“Shut it!” He shouted.
Izuku wasn’t phased for a second, and rather than letting Katsuki continue to clamp his words down, Izuku shoved his tongue against Katsuki’s salty palm and licked a big wet streak.
“Agh! You freak!” Katsuki pulled his hand back and wiped the spit off.
Izuku laughed at Katsuki’s dramatic response and grabbed his hand. “Come on, Kacchan, let's catch up with the others. Yuji wants to go to Splendid Sushi.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes because Yuji always wanted revolving sushi, and the others always went along with it. Katsuki couldn’t stand those places. Izuku could read Katsuki’s distaste and attempted to make him feel better.
“Just be good for one hour, and I’ll give you a treat when we get home.”
“I was already going to act nice. You don’t have to tell me like some bratty kid.”
“Oh, so you don’t want a treat after?”
“No, I–” Katsuki lowered his voice to a grumble and looked away to hide his embarrassment. “I want a treat.”
Izuku gave Katsuki a quick peck on the cheek and sped away to join the others in front of the theater. Katsuki’s cheeks turned beet-red, and he stood there stunned for a second before catching up. It seemed no matter how long they had been together, Katsuki would never get used to how happy little things like that made him, even if he did despise PDA.
Seeing the last bits of red still draining from Katsuki’s face when they made it back, Yuji couldn’t help but point it out.
“Hey, you guys were doin’ something freaky over in that corner, weren’t you?”
As he said it, Megumi came out of the bathroom with a similar flushed look. Ikuzu couldn’t help but shoot the tease back.
“It seems you were busy in the bathroom yourselves?” He said.
Katsuki and Megumi both grumbled denials that could barely be heard and were obviously lies. Yuji and Izuku locked eyes, then both burst out laughing. Katsuki and Megumi leaned away and crossed their arms, hoping they could make it look like they didn’t know the giggling idiots.
While their laughing died out, Mirio stuck his head in from outside and called out to them.
“You guys coming? My little Sun-Eater needs sustenance!” He shouted. Behind him, Tamaki groaned like he was in great pain.
“Please stooooppp.” He pleaded, tugging on Mirio’s arm to drag him back outside. Sensing an opportunity, Cheng Xiaoshi poked his head through the door next to Mirio and made his own call across the room.
“Yeah, hurry! My Guang Guang’s tummy is going to cause an earthquake.”
Behind him, Lu Guang dropped his forehead into his hand and sighed in exasperation. “Bringing the four of you together was a mistake.” He said, sounding very tired.
“Ohh, you love us!” Mirio said. Katsuki and the others walked over to join the others outside and walk to the restaurant.
“Of course, he does!” Cheng Xiaoshi agreed.
“Who does he love?” Izuku asked.
“None of you.” Lu Guang tried to answer, but Cheng Xiaoshi answered over him and with a louder voice.
“All of us!”
“We are pretty lovable!” Yuji agreed adamantly.
On the way to the restaurant, Yuji, Izuku, Cheng Xiaoshi, and Mirio cut out ahead on the sidewalk to chat while Megumi, Katsuki, Lu Guang, and Tamaki trailed behind in content silence.

Chapter Text

About One Year Ago….

The music pounded a steady beat in the chest of everyone in the room. Rainbow lasers flashed around, illuminating rainbow flags and the dancing people dressed in flashy, colorful outfits. Four men in particular shone brightest on the dance floor. They were strangers before the song came on, but their energy fed so naturally off one another that they were soon dancing as a group in an excited, almost childlike way.
Across the room, four men, stark opposites of the sunshine men on the dance floor, sat in a line at the bar. A pair of girls stumbled in front of them, and all four men leaned one way or the other to see around them. One of the girls, drunk, hiccupping, and hanging off her friend, noticed the four men and stopped in her tracks.
“Woah.” She slurred lazily. “Are you guys in a band or something?”
The four men took their eyes off the dance floor for the first time to observe their surroundings. They glanced at one another. They wore black hoodies and plain pants, had the same drink in the same hand with the same amount of liquid drunk from it, and they were all sitting in the same position– not so subtly watching someone on the dance floor. As if choreographed, they all stopped looking at each other at the same time and turned their direction back to the dance floor so they wouldn’t lose sight of who they were watching. It would have been impossible for the girl not to notice, no matter how sloppily drunk; they were that obvious about it.
“Oooohh,” she said, “Look Han, they’re all pining.” The girl bumped her companion on the shoulder. She said it loudly but added a rasp to her voice as if she were trying to whisper. Her friend gave an apologetic look and tried to shuffle her away, though the men at the bar were no longer paying them any attention.
“They’re going pine-for-pine.” The drunk girl went on. “Is somebody gonna match their pine?” She sang out and giggled, then gasped suddenly. “What if it’s for the same person? It’d be just like Love Remedy!! Can we stay and watch how it plays out?”
The drunk girl tried to turn back around and stick with the men, but her friend managed to shove her out the door. Though not one of them knew what “Love Remedy” was, the girl’s words made every one of the men tense. Each of them was so head-over-heels for their crush, and thought so highly of them, that it wasn’t hard to imagine three other men wanting them too. Not hard to imagine at all, but also not acceptable. They looked one another over again until eventually the spikey blonde-haired one snapped.
“Hair colors, now! And you better not say green!” He demanded. The other men were unfazed by his aggressive tone and sudden outburst, and were curious enough in their own right that they answered quickly so they could hear the others’ answers.
“Pink.”
“Black.”
“Blonde.”
They said, then all sighed with relief.
They returned to their silent watching, but from that point on were too aware of the curious coincidence. Katsuki sat on one end and couldn’t stop himself from glaring at the others every few seconds. The two in the middle, Megumi and Lu Guang, somehow looked even more tired and bored than they did before, which was no small feat. And on the other end, Tamaki lifted his hood over his head and tried to shrink smaller, and kept looking towards the exit. None of them were watching with nonchalant, blank stares like before; awkwardness had taken over.
As they watched their respective crushes in the crowd of dancers, they spotted each other’s crushes as well and saw how they all happened to be dancing and laughing with one another. They were radiant. A joyous and brilliant sight to behold. Megumi rolled his eyes and broke the silence.
“So we’re all-”
“Hopeless and desperate for men that are far too good for us?” Lu Guang cut in. “It would seem so.”
“I'm not desperate, you losers are!” Katsuki yelled.
“I'm desperate to go home.” Tamaki mumbled.
Another silence descended. It was clear they were not an agreeable group. Not one of them had any interest in talking to the others, but it was also obvious they all had an extreme interest in talking to someone they couldn't, so an unusual understanding had grown among them despite all their sourness and stubbornness.
Lu Guang sighed.
“I have an idea.” He said reluctantly. He did have a plan, and he thought it might just work, but that didn't make working with these gloomy strangers any more enticing.
“Take your idea and die, old man.” Katsuki said, referring to Lu Guang’s white hair.
“Okay so the loud mouth is out.” Lu Guang quickly brushed Katsuki’s attitude off and settled on trying to recruit the other men. “Are the other two of you at least smart enough to hear me out?”
“Loud mouth?!” Katsuki yelled. “I'm smarter than all three of you, and whatever your dumb plan is won't work. I don't need anyone’s help anyway.” Katsuki scoffed and turned his body away from the others to show his displeasure.
“Oh good, then you can show us idiots how it's done?” Megumi taunted. “Go get your man.”
“You don't need to tell me what I'm already gonna do!” Katsuki said.
He stepped off of his stool, glaring at each of the other three men individually. Lu Guang and Megumi were completely unfazed but Tamaki shrank from Katsuki’s intimidating look.
Katsuki took two steps towards the dance floor in his leather combat boots. His eyes were trained on Izuku, who was dancing without a care in the world. Izuku looked up suddenly as if he could feel Katsuki approaching. Izuku’s face broke into a wide smile and he waved him over. Katsuki turned tight on his heel and walked back to the bar.
“Alright fine, what’s your dumb plan?” He said. He rested his head on his fist trying to seem bored but the other three could tell he was covering a blush.
“The four of them seem to get along.” Lu Guang started, gesturing to their crushes. As he said it, as if to prove his point, the four men on the dance floor clustered closer and started talking as a group. Lu Guang continued.
“We tell them we met and are- friendly... We go on group outings and all help each other gain time and favor with his- crush.”
“What makes you think we can’t get that on our own?” Megumi asked, an edge of defensiveness to his tone.
Lu Guang chose not to answer and let Megumi come to his own conclusion. It was clear none of them handled their feelings well, otherwise they would already be with their crush instead of staring at them longingly from across the room.
“Okay, I’ll rephrase,” Megumi said. “How would doing it as a group be any easier?”
“With my plan-”
“Screw your plan,” Katsuki interrupted. “Let’s make it a competition. Whoever gets with their…” He trailed off.
“Crush?” Lu Guang offered.
“Whatever– Whoever does it first wins.”
“‘It’ being… sex?” Megumi asked.
“No! Dating, what do you think I’m some perv?!” Katsuki rebuffed.
“We can use my plan and make it a competition.” Lu Guang offered.
“Please leave me out of your ‘we’,” Tamaki asked so quietly that none of the others heard.
“And what does the winner get?” Megumi asked. “I have plenty of money.”
“I don’t need your chump change.” Katsuki said.
“Nor do I.” Lu Guang agreed. “It seems we are all well off, so money would not be a sufficient prize.”
“I wouldn’t mind some-” Tamaki started, but was briskly ignored again.
“I want the cotton-swab to bow down to me and admit I’m better than him.” Katsuki said, pointing at Lu Guang.
“You just met me. You would waste your win on a petty show of submission from a stranger?”
“That is a dumb prize.” Megumi agreed.
Katsuki growled at them both. “Oh yeah, and what the hell would you want?”
“I just want Yuji.”
“What the hell’s a ‘Yuji’?” Katsuki yelled. Megumi rolled his eyes, and Lu Guang answered for him.
“Yuji is obviously the name of his crush.”
“WHaaatt?? You called my choice dumb and then said you want nothing if you win? What the crap is that?”
“Yuji isn’t nothing.”
Katsuki gave an exasperated, unimpressed huff instead of replying. Lu Guang took initiative a final time and rallied them back on point.
“Okay, if blondie wins I will bow to him and say he’s better. If you win, you get Yuji. If I win, I want blondie to bring me milk tea whenever I ask for it for a year, and if purple hair over there wins, we all give him 50 bucks. Fair?”
“No, that's not fair! My name’s Katsuki Bakugo and you better remember it cotton-swab cause I’m changing my win. If you get a year I want a year too. You gotta do it every day.”
“Fine.” Lu Guang easily agreed.
“You’re that confident you will win?” Megumi asked. Out of all of them, Lu Guang was the only one Megumi was actually starting to grow some respect for.
“No. I’m just confident hothead over there won’t.” Lu Guang said. The corner of Megumi’s mouth almost tilted up in a smile.
“I want 100.” Tamaki spoke up meekly.
“Hm?” Lu Guang asked. He hadn’t heard him over the music in the bar which had turned to an especially raucous song at the exact wrong moment.
“I want 100 dollars. From each of you!” Tamaki sat straighter and raised his voice over the music to be heard, then immediately shrank back and turned a red so vibrant he looked like a cherry glow-stick.
“Okay.”
“Fine.”
“Whatever.”
The other three agreed easily. Tamaki grumbled to himself that he should have asked for more.
“Then we have a deal.” Lu Guang said.
The simplest course of action, which was at the forefront of each of their minds, was to walk over right that moment and ask their crush out. Whoever did it first would be the clear winner and get their prize, but they stayed frozen in their stools.
As the next song ended, Mirio ran over to Tamaki.
“Come dance with me Tamaki!” He said.
“No.” Tamaki answered quickly.
“But you promised you’d dance at least once and I’m hungry so this was gonna be my last song.” Mirio grabbed Tamaki’s hand and lifted his full weight out of the bar stool. Tamaki leaned backwards, both fighting the pull and willingly moving his feet to follow. On the dance floor, Tamaki stood stiff as a board as Mirio danced around him unphased by his rigidity.
“That doesn’t count.” Katsuki said definitively.
“Agreed.” Lu Guang said. “It must be a clearly defined romantic relationship for it to be a win.”
Katsuki and Megumi nodded. They watched as their own crushes approached Tamaki and pestered him with questions. Tamaki shrunk away from every advance, but the other three couldn’t stand it any longer. Working as a group was already proving to make things more motivating. All three of them got up and went out to join the others.

Chapter Text

After that last dance at the bar, they all exchanged numbers. Everyone except Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi had come with a larger friend group so they returned to their other friends for more drinks or to get dinner. Early the next morning, Katsuki started a group chat.

GROUP CHAT NAME (in Katsuki’s phone): loser extras from the bar
KATSUKI: All of you delete Izuku’s number now!
LU GUANG: or what?
MEGUMI: who put you in charge
TAMAKI: please take me off this chat, I did not agree to your deal
KATSUKI: Do it or you die!
MEGUMI: all three of us?
KATSUKI: YES
LU GUANG: how would you know if we actually deleted his contact? Couldn't we easily lie and say we did?
MEGUMI: none of us want your guy anyway
TAMAKI: please take me off this chat
KATSUKI: I'm going to kill you all!!!!!
MEGUMI: are we going to use this chat to talk about the plan? Cuz if not, quit blowing up my phone
KATSUKI: I'm gonna blow up your face you spikey haired freak!
LU GUANG: Step one is to become a friend group. We need to meet all together so that we can create opportunities for each of us to break off from the group with our crush and spend time in date like situations without it being suspicious
KATSUKI: how the crap are we supposed to do all that?
LU GUANG: we start small, like with a group lunch, then go from there
MEGUMI: I don't want to eat lunch with you idiots
LU GUANG: are you out of the competition then?
MEGUMI: not like I would get anything when I win anyway
KATSUKI: that was your own damn fault
MEGUMI: I want cotton-swab’s prize when I win
LU GUANG: can we please not let that nickname catch on
KATSUKI: What!?!!! You can't change it now. You get your Yugi or whatever as a prize. Not like you were going to beat me anyways
LU GUANG: you want blondie bringing you milk tea?
KATSUKI: blondie!?!!
MEGUMI: no I want vegetable donburi
KATSUKI: you better not have me in your phone as blondie
LU GUANG: if you're going to change your prize I think it's only fair that you agree to bow to him as well if he wins
MEGUMI: fine
LU GUANG: your contact name in my phone is not blondie
TAMAKI: it's probably worse
KATSUKI: what is it? Tell me now!
LU GUANG: it's not your business
MEGUMI: it’s definitely worse
LU GUANG: Cheng Xiaoshi and I are free for lunch next weekend
MEGUMI: Yuji will clear his schedule for revolving sushi
LU GUANG: revolving sushi is fine
TAMAKI: Mirio likes ramen better
KATSUKI: STOP IGNORING ME!!!!!
MEGUMI: Sushi Yori has both
LU GUANG: perfect, eleven o'clock next Saturday then

-10:50 am the following Saturday-

“Wow, it's like we did this on purpose!” Yuji exclaimed. All of the men had just arrived at the door to Sushi Yori at the exact same time.
“We are meeting on purpose.” Megumi said flatly.
“Yeah but all eight of us being the exact amount of time early is kinda crazy, right?” Yuji said.
After how their conversation ended in the group chat, the four grumpy men were surprised they’d all even showed up.
“I'm getting a table.” Katsuki declared, barrelling through the gap in the men and into the restaurant.
“Sorry about Kacchan,” Izuku said. “He doesn't mean to be rude.”
“Yes I do!” Katsuki yelled over his shoulder. Izuku gave a timid shrug for the other men’s sake and followed Katsuki inside.

Once they were settled at their table, some idle chatter, led mostly by Mirio and Cheng Xiaoshi, ensued. Despite the easy flow of conversation, it didn't seem like most of the group was really clicking. Lu Guang tried to exchange glances with the other three that were in on the plan to see if they were noticing the problem as well, but they were very purposely avoiding eye contact with anyone, which was likely part of the problem. No wonder none of them had been able to date their crush yet.
Lu Guang made an exaggerated show of leaning towards Yuji to talk to him.
“Have you ever played Kings Game?” Lu Guang asked. It was an innocent enough question but since Megumi couldn't hear it, he assumed the worst.
“What?” he bumped Yuji. “What did he say?”
“He said we should play King's Game.” Yuji answered Megumi first, then Lu Guang. “But I've never heard of it.”
“King's Game?” Mirio overheard from across the table and exclaimed. “We have to play it then! Everyone should get to play King's Game at least once!”
Mirio quickly arranged everything they would need for the game and explained the rules. The group decided not to make it strictly a drinking game since Katsuki couldn't drink, and then they drew their first lots.
“Now remember the king has an “x” and is in charge for one round. Nothing too extreme so we don't disturb the other patrons. Ready?” Mirio asked.
Most of them nodded yes. Those who didn't were ignored.
“Okay, check!”
The eight of them turned over their sticks to see what they got.
“King, reveal yourself!”
“It’s me.” Izuku smiled nervously. “I'm the King.”
“Give us your orders, oh mighty one!” Yuji gave an awkward, joking bow.
“Um,” Izuku put a hand up to his chin and began muttering under his breath. Most of them couldn't hear what he was saying over the noise of the crowded restaurant, but Katsuki must have caught a few words because he suddenly exclaimed “I'm not doing that,” with no explanation of what ‘that’ was.
“This is a lot of pressure.” Izuku said apologetically. It was clear he didn't want to have to go first. Katsuki leaned forward out of his lackadaisical slouching to whisper in his ear.
“Oh, thanks, Kacchan! That's a great idea.” Izuku beamed. “Number one, give number four a hug.”
“Hug?!” Katsuki cringed. “I said make them slap each other!”
“Yeah but that wouldn't be very nice so I changed it.”
“It's a game, not some-”
“I'm one!” Mirio interrupted Katsuki excitedly. “And I brought my hugging arms today so number four better be ready for an amazing embrace.” He smiled around the table expectantly. “Who is it?”
Everything was still and silent for a moment, then Tamaki slowly raised his stick with a “4” on it into the air as an answer. Katsuki rolled his eyes, highly disappointed he didn't get to make Mirio slap his quiet little friend, and suddenly much more excited to get his own turn as King.
“Perfect!” Mirio yelled. Wasting no time, he pulled Tamaki in a tight bear hug and held it for way longer than any of them thought was necessary.
“This is nice.” He said with a bright grin.
“You can let go now.” Tamaki said softly into Mirio’s chest.
“Well now I don't want to. Can someone else shuffle please?”
Cheng Xiaoshi collected everyone's sticks to mix them while Mirio kept clinging to Tamaki. Only after they were all dealt did Mirio finally release his friend.
“Okay, now I'm done. That was great. We should really hug more often.”
“Ah man,” Yuji whined as he looked at his new stick which had a number and not the x. “Who got it this time?”
“I wanna go home.” Tamaki muttered as he looked at his own stick. Mirio slapped him playfully on the back.
“Oh man, Tamaki, you're one lucky guy. A great hug and then you get to be King right after? I'm jealous!”
“Great, you take it then” Tamaki tried to push the King's stick into Mirio's hand but Mirio refused it.
“No can do, my friend. Not how the game works.”
“Please.” Tamaki urged.
“Nope. Won't do it.” Mirio insisted.
“I'll take it!” Yuji offered. Tamaki took the opportunity immediately, tossing the stick across the table like a hot potato.
Yuji caught it and slid his original stick over. He stared at the “x” on his new stick with a delighted grin.
“Suddenly I feel so powerful.”
“Don’t make me do anything stupid.” Megumi requested.
“Stupid? I would never. I don't even know what number you are, how could I?”
Megumi lolled his head to the side like he didn't believe Yuji.
“As your King, I demand all odd numbers, stick a Takoyaki in each cheek and recite the alphabet backwards.”
“That's exactly what I meant by stupid.” Megumi said, but since he was number two, he wasn't too upset about it.
Katsuki, on the other hand, slapped his stick down on the table in protest.
“Not happening!” He yelled.
“Come on Kacchan, the games no fun if people don't follow their dares.”
“Easy for you to say, number four!”
“In some versions of the game each person can request an alternative dare once per game.” Lu Guang offered.
“Fine. What the old man said. I'll do that.” Katsuki said.
“Old man?” Cheng Xiaoshi snickered.
“Because of my hair.” Lu Guang tried to claim, but Katsuki disagreed.
“It's more than just your hair. You act like a stuffy old guy too.”
“Kacchan.” Izuku admonished.
“Hush now, your King is speaking.” Yuji interrupted. “Your alternative Kingly declaration is…” Yuji gave himself a drum roll. “Odd numbers must go buy mochi from next door and sneak it back in here.”
Katsuki opened his mouth like he planned to refuse again, but Lu Guang laid his stick down and stood up.
“We can't change it again. Let's go, Blondie.”
“I’m odd too!” Mirio said and hopped up to join them. “How fun! This is turning out to be the best King's Game ever!”
“I’m five.” Cheng Xiaoshi said. “Let's do this thing.”
With that, the odd numbered players left the evens and the King at the table.
“Let's play a prank on them.” Yuji said once they were out of earshot.
“No.” Memumi said.
Izuku wavered but he didn't seem fully against the idea. “Yeah, I don't know. What kind of prank?”
“It can be small, like we can all change seats and pretend like we didn't.”
“I'm not moving.” Megumi said.
“Me neither.” Tamaki agreed quietly.
“Just you and I can swap?” Izuku offered. Yuji scooted the tiniest bit to the side but Megumi quickly grabbed his sleeve and kept him seated.
“He stays here.”
“That wouldn't be that funny enough anyway.” Yuji said.
“We could-” Izuku started but seemed to think better of it. Yuji urged him on.
“We could what?”
“Well, um, we could change the King stick to a number and then no matter how they are dealt one of us can always claim to have the King. Then they won’t ever get to do it. As we don’t show our sticks from now on and we all go along with it, we should be able to go a few rounds before the others notice anything weird.”
Yuki blinked a few times so animatedly that they could all practically hear his eyes make a sound.
“Woah…” He finally said. “I knew you were more fun than you looked. I love it!”
Yuji quickly scrapped the King's stick and took a new stick out and wrote a “7” on it while Izuku wondered what exactly about him ‘looked’ un-fun.
“Let's take turns so that we don't accidentally claim to be the King at the same time.” Yuji suggested. “And we can't make number seven do anything ever so we don't accidentally reveal that there are two of them. Megumi you go next, and then-”
“Please no.” Tamaki said as Yuji’s eyes landed on him next.
“Oh, right. Then Izuku will be next, then me again.”
Izuku spoke up next, with a new glint in his eyes from the mischief. “To make it even more fun, we can keep going until one of them notices and whoever is claiming to be the King when that happens has to do a sake bomb.”
“Deal. Megumi you in?”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“We're gonna need more food!” Yuji exclaimed. Izuku nodded enthusiastically and they went about ordering another dish for everyone at the table.
A few minutes later, the others came back with their smuggled-in mochi.
“Tamaki, I got you matcha!” Mirio shouted shamelessly and extracted the mochi from his shirt and set it on Tamaki’s lap. Tamaki grumbled something under his breath and went red in the ears. Cheng Xiaoshi passed a strawberry to Yuji and a black sesame to Megumi. Without looking at him, Katsuki nudged Izuku and handed him his.
“Mint chip, my favorite. Thanks Kacchan.” Izuku said with a wide smile.
“Yeah whatever, Nerd.” Katsuki said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice and covered his cheeks so no one would see him blush.
As they took sly bites of their treats and waited for their next round of food and drink, they went back to their game. Yuji passed the new sticks out.
“I'm King this time.” Megumi said after glancing at the “6” on his stick. Yuji was excited enough for it to be suspicious but no one but Megumi knew him well enough to tell his mood had changed.
“Three, four, and five have to be silent for the next round unless they are the King.” Megumi declared.
“Aw, I'm five.” Said Mirio.
“Three.” Said Katsuki.
“Four.” Said Cheng Xiaoshi.
“Sticks in.” Yuji said. They all passed their sticks back to him to reshuffle. He passed them back out and this time Izuku put himself on the throne.
“It’s me again.” He said.
“Don't do anything lame this time.” Katsuki told him.
Play went on for a few more rounds until most of them were more than a little drunk, all of them were very full from all the food, and Yuji claimed to be the King for the fourth time.
“Alright,” Cheng Xiaoshi said, and smacked his hands down on the table for dramatics. “I'll say it, I think there is something fishy going on here, and it’s not just the sushi.”
Despite his claim, Cheng Xiaoshi was obviously still in a good mood. Once Izuku's cheeks turned red from guilt, Cheng Xiaoshi swelled with pride from being the one who caught it.
“Ha!” He yelled, pointing at Izuku. “I knew it! You rigged the game.”
“Duh.” Katsuki grumbled before taking a drink of water.
“You lose, Yuji.” Megumi said and went to work ordering his loser’s sake bomb.
“Kacchan you already knew?” Izuku turned to Katsuki in disbelief.
“Of course I did! You never hid your damn stick from me. I saw you were lying every time.”
“But why didn't you-”
“Doesn't that mean Izuku loses?” Yuji said in his own defense.
“Loses what. Can someone explain?” Lu Guang asked.
“I thought you were smart, old man.”
“I'm usually quite confident in my intelligence but at the moment I'm feeling very tired. I am not used to drinking.” Lu Guang said with a sprinkle of slurriness in his mellow voice.
Megumi explained everything while he ordered yet another sake bomb. “The two of them switched the King's stick out while you were all getting mochi and we've been taking turns pretending to be the King. The deal was whoever was King when you figured it out had to do a sake bomb. I say you both lose, so you both have to do one.”
“Okay!” Yuji agreed enthusiastically.
“Yeah, that sounds fair.” Izuku agreed as well.
The sake bombs arrived and the others cheered as Yuji and Izuku downed them. After that, they paid the tab and did a group-stumble out the door.
“What a fun group!” Mirio cheered. “This was great, don't you think Tamaki?”
“No such thing as a fun group.” Tamaki said. His eyes flashed to an open bench where he thought he might be able to slip away and hide at while the rest of them did more chatting but Mirio slung an arm over his shoulders and kept him put.
“Yes,” Lu Guang agreed with Mirio. “We should all meet again.”
“Oo! We could all go to the mall next weekend and see Sling Slasher in the theater!” Yuji suggested loudly and drunkenly, then he shrunk a bit. “Oh except, Megumi you don't really like that kind of-”
“Sounds fun.” Megumi interrupted to say. Yuji lit up with joy again.
“Can we go to the game center after?” Izuku started. Katsuki rolled his eyes back like he knew what was coming. Izuku continued. “One of the 2v2 fighter games got a new character that's from my favorite magna. I've read up on his special moves and power ups but I haven't got around to visiting to try him out yet. I think after a few practice games I'll be able to get a high score but I'll need a partner. Ideally it should be someone who has played the game before and is familiar with the fighters with higher attack stats since the new character I would be using has lower attacks but much higher health and a-”
“I'll be your partner,” Katsuki said. “But you better get us that high score.”
“Really Kacchan? I didn't know you-”
While Katsuki and Izuku kept at their strange bickering, the rest of the group shuffled away so that they could talk.
“I’m free next weekend.”
“Same.”
“Sounds fun to me.”
They all went around agreeing. The next day Yuji started a group chat and sent a text with the movie showtime. Shortly after, Megumi sent a text to the smaller group chat with Katsuki, Lu Guang, and Tamaki.

GROUP CHAT NAME (in Megumi’s phone): Idiots
MEGUMI: I assume you have a plan cotton-swab?
LU GUANG: I will not be answering to that name
KATSUKI: you just did
LU GUANG: *sigh* Yes, I have a plan. Let's meet to discuss. Does Tuesday at 6pm work for all of you?
KATSUKI: just tell us now. I don't want to see any of you before I have to
MEGUMI: the sigh seems dramatic
LU GUANG: a single sigh over text is actually under representative of my true irritation
TAMAKI: I don't want to meet either
LU GUANG: Either we meet or you're all on your own. Makes no difference to me.
MEGUMI: I'll be there
KATSUKI: yeah whatever
TAMAKI: This is Tamaki’s bestie Nejire. I took his phone and made him tell me everything. He will def be there Tuesday ^^ and he is totes gonna win your bet!! Get your wallets ready!