Chapter Text
Midoryia hadn’t doubted Kirishima when he had offered to help him make friends, but he also hadn’t expected the level of dedication Kirishima would put towards the task either. He made a point to include Midoryia in conversations, would invite him to sit with him and his friends at lunch or even sometimes bring different friends to sit at Izuku’s table as well. He invited Izuku to group study dates and made sure he was included in any get togethers in the common room.
Izuku sometimes worried that he was just a fifth wheel but anytime he’d start feeling awkward or anxious it seemed like Kirishima could sense it and would go out of his way to make Izuku feel comfortable and included again, throwing an arm around his shoulders or steering the conversation to a topic Izuku could easily participate in. Izuku didn’t think he had ever had a friend so in tune and concerned about his feelings before and to put it simply, it was nice.
The friend section of his chart was filling up faster than he could have ever hoped, and he knew it was all thanks to Kirishima. It had all been so fun and so easy and Izuku was immensely grateful for the effort that Kirishima was putting in to helping him and all the great friends he now had as a result.
Izuku had thought that once Kirishima had helped him get to know their classmates better that he would probably back away some, after all he already had his own group of friends who he was rather close with. But much to Izuku’s surprise, and delight, that didn’t seem to be the case at all. In fact, it seemed that the opposite was happening.
While in the beginning they had mostly hung out in group settings, that slowly began to change. Kirishima would text him, usually with a funny story or work out tips, or would come to Izuku’s room just to talk. Soon they began walking to and from school together and sometimes Kirishima joined Izuku during his daily jogs. They did their homework with one another and sparred together at least a few times every week. They’d even caught a couple movies together and had dinner off campus a few times, just the two of them.
These were all things that Izuku did with his other friends as well but it felt different, somehow, with Kirishima. It took Izuku awhile to pinpoint exactly what the difference was but when he did his heart swelled with happiness.
He realized that Kirishima made him feel seen, and not just in the ‘oh wow, Midoryia did something brave or cool or stupid or annoying or weird’ sense that Izuku got from a lot of other people. Kirishima seemed to see him in different ways, noticing things others only rarely did. And for someone like Izuku, who had spent his much of his life being overlooked, forgotten, scanned over, reminded of just how plain he was, it was like a breath of fresh air.
When Izuku was unusually quiet, Kirishima would take the time to ask him what was on his mind. When the bags under Izuku’s eyes became darker than normal, Kirishima would find away to make sure he got rest, letting Izuku lean his head against Kirishima’s shoulder as he napped or ending a study session early so Izuku could go to sleep. He’d notice if Izuku skipped a meal, tossing him one of the extra protein bars that he always kept stashed in his backpack or bringing him up something to eat for dinner.
He asked about Izuku’s interests and never made fun of him no matter how dorky they might have been. Instead he smiled fondly as Izuku showed him the true extent of his All Might collection, even occasionally bringing Izuku new collectibles to add to his stash. Kirishima thought Izuku’s notebooks on heroes were especially ‘manly’ and the two boys spent several weeks going through them and discussing different heroes and their strengths and weakness and how they might use them to their benefits, even applying some of what they discussed in their joint sparring sessions.
Kirishima was a never-ending fountain of support for Izuku as well. Encouraging him during class and in training. Offering constructive criticisms in a way that was actually helpful and never condescending. Not only that but Kirishima encouraged Izuku to do the same for him, valuing his opinions and accepting his praise with a proud and sure smile or a clap on the back.
As the two boys grew closer, Izuku got to see a side of Kirishima that he hadn’t noticed before either. Kirishima liked to ask about Izuku’s childhood and middle school days and as Izuku opened up, Kirishima shared about his junior high days as well, less than flattering stories that seemed to shape the man that Kirishima was turning into. It was eye opening for Izuku to see that even someone as confident and cool as Kirishima had his own insecurities and doubts about himself.
It wasn’t long before the two of them were on a first name basis with one another. Kirishima prompting it during one of their off-campus meals together when he had let Izuku know that he could call him Eijiro if he wanted to. Izuku had beamed and happily let Kirishima know he could call him Izuku as well. Anyone that looked at their table night were probably blinded from the two bright and matching smiles the boys wore.
It was about three months from the time Kirishima had accidently discovered the friendship chart that Izuku moved the last name onto the friendship section of his chart.
He and Kirishima had went to the arcade that day with Bakugo, Kaminari and Sero. Sero being the last person he still considered just an ‘acquaintance’. But after Izuku had beat Bakugo three times in a row at one of their favorite arcade games, inciting the standard rage and slew obscenities from the explosive boy, Sero had laughed, throwing an arm around Izuku’s shoulders, and said that he was glad that Midoryia had become part of their squad.
Midoryia and Kirishima had shared a secret smile, both knowing what those words meant and as soon as they got back to the dorms the two boys had raced up to Izuku’s room. Shutting the door behind them, Izuku flipped the All Might poster over to reveal the chart and pulled Sero’s name from the acquaintance section.
“Would you like to do the honors?” he asked, holding out the name tag to Kirishima.
“Nah, dude. It’s your chart, you should do it.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you though,” Izuku insisted, stepping closer to press the name into Eijiro’s hand. “It would mean more to me if you did it!”
“Alright,” Kirishima agreed, swallowing hard as he closed his hand around Sero’s name, letting his fingers brush against Izuku’s as he did so. He pressed the tag to the right spot, making sure to line it up like Izuku would. When he finished, he turned back to face Izuku and was surprised when the shorter boy crashed into him and wrapped his arms around him.
“Hey, what’s this for?” he asked, resting his head against Izuku’s mop of curls as he returned his hug.
“I just wanted to say thank you. For your help with the chart… and everything else. I... I really appreciate it and I’m so glad we’re friends.”
Kirishima tensed up at the words. He’d been wanting to talk to Izuku about their relationship and after getting hyped up from his friends the past couple of weeks, he decided there was no time like the present.
“Uh, yeah actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the whole friends thing, dude,” he said pulling back from the hug just enough to be able to stare into Izuku’s forest green eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“I was thinking, that you know,” Kirishima began, keeping one hand on Izuku’s waist as he brought the other up to awkwardly rub at the back of his own neck. “That, uh, we should, or I guess you should, if you want to that is, move my name off the friendship section of your chart, you know?”
“Oh,” Izuku said in a small voice as he took a few steps back, his hands falling back to his sides as he clenched his fists. “Yeah, yeah. Of course.”
Izuku tried to keep his hand steady as he stepped to the chart and pulled Kirishima’s name from it. He clenched the name in his fist, not knowing what to do with it now. He had expected this, he’d expected Kirishima to back away once the chart was finished but he hadn’t expected it to happen so abruptly or so bluntly.
He thought he and Eijiro were friends, that they were… were something. Something special. Izuku supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. He’d went through this before, people he thought were friends leaving him or making fun of him, so he should be used to it by now.
But he wasn’t. And it hurt. And the fact that it was Kirishima made it all the worse. He didn’t even realize when tears started silently leaking from his eyes.
“Dude, hey,” Kirishima said, grabbing Izuku’s shoulders and trying to catch his downturned gaze. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing,” Izuku sniffled out, rubbing at his eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears now that he was aware of them. “I was just surprised you didn’t want to be my friend anymore but it’s okay. I understand.”
“Not be friends? Wait. Dude, no!” Kirishima said has he gently grabbed Izuku’s chin, tilting it up so that he would finally look him in the eye. “I didn’t mean to take me off the chart because I don’t want to friends, I meant it like, so we could be more than friends.”
“More than friends?” Izuku questioned, clearly confused.
“Yeah, uh, like boyfriends,” Kirishima explained, back to awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck.
“Boyfriends?!”
“Yeah. I mean, I really like you, Izuku. Like, like you like you. These past months have been awesome, dude and I feel like we have a good thing going. So… I guess I just thought that maybe you might feel the same way but it’s okay if you don’t! I still think you’re really cool and fun and I’d still want to be bros and everything and uh, stay on your chart or whatever. So yeah, your call, dude.”
“You… you want to date me?!”
“Well, yeah. You’re a catch, bro.”
“You think I’m a catch?”
“Of course, dude! You’re like hella smart and funny and strong and cute and manly,” Kirishima assured him, listing off his apparent attributes on his fingers as he went. “You’re like an all-around awesome dude! I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t think you’re a catch!”
Izuku stared at him with his mouth hanging open, slightly shaking his head in disbelief at Kirishima’s words.
“And you… you want to be boyfriends? With me?”
“Yeah, man! I mean as long as that’s what you want too.”
Izuku stared at him in open mouthed silence, Kirishima’s words apparently not sinking in.
“Is that something you’d want. Cuz honestly, you’re kinda hard to read right now, dude.”
“What?” Izuku said, snapping out of his daze. “I mean, yes! Yes! Of course! I really like, like you too, Eijiro! I’m just surprised that you like me! You could date anyone you want!”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but it doesn’t matter cuz you’re the only one I want.” Kirishima said, smiling down at the green haired boy. Izuku blushed and smiled back at him, moving closer so he could wrap his arms around Eijiro once again.
“Okay,” Izuku said as Kirishima’s hands came to rest on his waist. “Okay. Yes. I’ll be your boyfriend.”
Kirishima let out a loud whoop and held a laughing Izuku tight as he twirled him around, knocking down some All Might figurines in the process. As they came to a stop, Kirishima cupped Izuku’s cheek and leaned in to kiss him, almost breaking away to let out another whoop when Izuku didn’t hesitate to kiss him back. It took the boys, neither very experienced in the art of kissing, a few minutes to find their groove but by the time they pulled away from one another they were both smiling.
“Oh man, you don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to do that.”
“Probably almost as long as me!”
Kirishima laughed and began pulling Izuku towards the door.
“Where are we going?”
“To tell everyone! I wanna show off my new boyfriend,” Kirishima happily explained before suddenly stopping as something occurred to him. “I mean unless that makes you uncomfortable. We can wait to tell everyone.”
“No, no. It’s okay!” Izuku assured him, giggling when Kirishima started dragging him out the door again. “But really, I think I’m the one who you should be showing you off!”
Kirishima pulled the door closed and slung his arm around Izuku’s shoulders, pulling him close as he led the way to the elevator.
“We can show each other off then,” he amended, leaning down to press a kiss to Izuku’s still blushing cheek.
“I like that plan,” Izuku agreed, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend’s waist as they entered the elevator.
They rode it down to the common room in silence, enjoying the feeling of being wrapped against each other. When the door dinged open the boys stepped out together, ready to start their new future as a couple.