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Sometimes Shouta ended up tuning out half the things Hizashi said, mostly because he was talking about other students in the class that he didn’t particularly care about. Which was why he only half-heartedly responded when Hizashi asked him if they wanted to get milkshakes, though he was confused as to why Hizashi looked as if the entire sky just rained stars. Maybe he just really likes milkshakes.
The old-fashioned themed creamery was popular for their milkshakes, and Hizashi got butterscotch while Shouta got vanilla, which made Hizashi frown.
“Thank you!” Hizashi told the cashier, moving to pay.
“You don’t have to pay for mine,” said Shouta, “I’ve got enough money.”
“No, I want to pay for our first one, yeah?” Hizashi gave Shouta a bigger smile than usual, which did funny things to Shouta’s stomach. He ignored it and opted to focus on his words, instead. First one? Did Hizashi plan to drink multiple milkshakes? This was like the Udon Incident all over.
Once they got their milkshakes, they sat at the counter to enjoy.
“Why vanilla? Vanilla is so--” Hizashi waved his arms around. “It’s like--it’s like opening your playlist on a song and then shuffling it several times only to end up on the exact same song anyways--”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It does to me.”
Shouta sipped from his milkshake. “I just like vanilla. Also, quit waving your arms, you’re going to spill it.”
“Nonsense! I do this all the time.” Hizashi smiled, before turning his attention to the sky outside. “It’s been really cloudy these past few days...Wonder if it’s gonna rain.”
“Maybe,” Shouta responded dully. “I don’t like when it rains when I’m walking home. Then everything is wet and it’s a pain to dry my clothes.”
“But rain makes plants look pretty,” Hizashi said, “and also you can dance in it. You can dance in the purple rain.”
Hizashi had that look on his face--that I-just-made-a-reference-and-I-hope-you-get-that-reference-face.
Shouta did not get that reference.
Hizashi walked Shouta halfway home, then waved him goodbye and went in the other direction to his house.
The next morning, Iida was being a bit obnoxious about something.
“Finally, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Huh? Huh? Yamada? Huh?”
“I’m not sure what you’re insinuating, but you’re blocking the doorway,” Shouta said. Iida stepped aside to allow him through. “What about Hizashi?”
“Aww, come on, Aizawa. You and Yamada went out for milkshakes.” Again, Iida waggled his eyebrows. They looked even more ridiculous than usual when he did that.
“Yes. We did.” Shouta frowned. “What, did you want to come?”
“Why would I--”
Their teacher called order to class, and their conversation ended.
After class, Hizashi approached Shouta, twiddling his thumbs nervously.
“Afternoon,” he said, which he never did, because Hizashi always plunged straight into whatever he wanted to talk about. “Uh...How was your day?”
Shouta blinked. “Fine.”
“That’s good! So, uh, do you wanna...Maybe go to the movies, today?” Hizashi placed his hands behind his back. “There’s, uh, this new movie out...With that one really popular actress.”
Shouta raised an eyebrow. “Is it the rom-com?”
“No--well, yes, actually, but I heard it was less rom-com and more rom-murder-mystery but that’s besides the point, the thing--uh, do you wanna go? Like...Today?”
He didn’t have anything better to do, having completed his homework in class so he could sleep without getting hounded by the teacher. So he just nodded and said “Sure.”
The walk to the nearby theater was filled with Hizashi’s rambling, as usual. Shouta liked to listen to Hizashi’s voice, which was something he would never admit to, ever. Maybe it had to do with his Quirk, somehow, but listening to it go on and on put Shouta at ease.
Before Hizashi could pay for the both of them again, Shouta held up the right amount of yen to make up for yesterday. Hizashi’s face split into a smile so wide Shouta wondered, amusingly, if it was possible for someone’s face to crack down the middle. They got popcorn and sat somewhere near the back because Hizashi’s eyes hurt when sitting too close.
Thankfully, he had swapped his sunglasses for regular glasses that tinted when the lighting got bright, so it didn’t strain his eyes as much and he was able to keep up a running commentary on the movie while Shouta listened. The popcorn box sat in Shouta’s lap, and it was mostly Shouta eating it, since Hizashi was too busy commenting on the protagonist’s rather silly actions.
At one point, Shouta reached in to grab a handful again, only for his fingers to brush against Hizashi’s. Hizashi looked over, eyes wide, and Shouta withdrew his hand as fast as he could without looking suspicious. His heart had jumped at the contact, as stupidly cliché as it was, and he berated himself. Calm down, you big idiot. He’ll just figure out you have a crush on him faster.
Their hands did not meet for the rest of the movie because Shouta kept his firmly latched beneath the popcorn box.
Afterwards, Hizashi walked Shouta halfway home, said goodbye, and ran off in the other direction because it was only a few minutes before his curfew. Shouta tried not to think about how warm Hizashi’s fingertips were as he got ready for bed.
The next day was Saturday, and they were off, so Shouta didn’t really expect to see Hizashi. However, to his surprise, there was knocking on his door some time around three and he opened it to see Hizashi standing there, dressed casually. He was wearing normal glasses again, though for how much they were tinted in the hallway light they might as well just be sunglasses.
“Shouta!” Hizashi exclaimed loudly, looking the other way. “That’s--uh, your pants! You’re not wearing any--no pants. You’re not--pants.”
Shouta glanced down at his legs, which were mostly exposed, seeing as he was wearing only an old t-shirt and boxers. “Well, you’ve seen me getting dressed before.”
“W-well, what if it was someone else at the door who wasn’t me, like a neighbor?!”
“I don’t care enough.”
“Okay then. Well, do you want to go out today?” Hizashi leaned into Shouta’s apartment, glancing around. “Wow, your place is huge. Anyways, wanna go out again today?”
“And do what?”
“I don’t know. Dinner, maybe?”
“It’s three in the afternoon,” Shouta pointed out. He frowned. “You know, we don’t have to go out every day.”
A part of Shouta wanted to go out every day with Hizashi, but he didn’t want Hizashi to feel as if had some sort of social obligation to spend time with Shouta every day. The boy was too damn nice for his own good, and besides, they hung out at school together all the time.
“Oh. Sorry, I just--” Hizashi raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “I’ve just wanted to do this for so long, you know? Well, maybe you don’t know, but it’s...”
“You’ve wanted to go out to dinner with me for so long? What, breakfast and lunch weren’t good enough for you?”
“Hey! Don’t try and overcome my feelings with your humor!” Hizashi protested. The corners of Shouta’s lips tugged upwards, and Hizashi’s face turned an alarming shade of pink that had him concerned.
“What?”
“Nothing, I--Well! No dinner, today, then! I’ll see you Monday!”
Hizashi turned on his heel and marched away, and it would’ve been comical had he not looked so down at announcing that. Shouta shut the door and tried not to think about how much he did want to go to dinner with Hizashi.
On Monday morning, Shouta ran into Hizashi on the way to school, who gave him a smile and a wave when he saw him. The two fell into step besides one another, Hizashi commenting on the cloudy sky again and Shouta responding quietly.
For a moment, Hizashi’s hand slid against his forearm, before tangling itself with Shouta’s, and Shouta jumped a bit, eyes wide.
“Sorry,” Hizashi apologized, retracting his hand quickly, “I just wanted...Nevermind, I know you don’t like...Public stuff, sorry.”
Shouta’s heart pounded embarrassingly fast. This stupid godforsaken crush made even the simplest of gestures bigger than they actually were. Hizashi just wanted to hold hands as friends, because that was the type of person he was. Shouta hasn’t had a lot of friends, though there was one as a child who really liked hand-holding, so it was something he was (sort of) used to. And he was pretty sure he’d seen Hizashi holding hands with that Misaki girl from Class 1-B for a couple of weeks, so Hizashi was definitely that type of person.
Tentatively, Shouta slipped his hand back into Hizashi’s, and tried not to cringe when Hizashi nearly crushed his fingers as his face lit up with glee.
Really, he was extremely over-excitable. But despite his aching fingers, Shouta found that this was...okay. Yeah, their palms were sweaty, and both of their hands were rough and calloused, but it was still nice. Hizashi swung their hands back and forth, and Shouta wondered if they would ever get to do this again.
When they got to class and Hizashi went to ask another classmate about something-or-other, Iida decided to be annoying again.
“Have you been to his house yet? Has he been to yours?”
“He swung by Saturday,” Shouta said, more or less to shut him up. Iida’s eyes widened and his face was dusted pink.
“Whoa, really?”
“He left soon after, though.”
“Oh.” Iida smiled. “Well, don’t forget about me, okay?”
Shouta turned to face him, feeling a bit confused. “Why would we?”
“It just happens,” Iida shrugged one shoulder, though he looked a bit sad, despite his smile. “My friends in middle school--”
Their conversation was once again interrupted by their teacher telling them to take their seats.
After school Hizashi asked Shouta to go to dinner with him again, and this time Shouta said yes.
The place was nicer than what Shouta had been expecting. He thought they would just go to some hamburger restaurant, though this one served pasta and pizza and lasagna and all sorts of Italian food.
"My parents eat here all the time," Hizashi said as he flipped open his menu. "I like the lighting."
"Its...dim," Shouta said. "And makes it hard to read the pasta sauce options."
"Yeah, but dim lights means I can wear my normal glasses!" Hizashi tapped his frames. "They're not even tinting that much! Tell me, Shouta, do I have pretty eyes?"
Yes, thought Shouta.
"No," he said.
They eventually ordered and ate, taking their time to eat. The food was good, and Shouta made note in the back of his mind to visit again one day.
“Man, why haven’t I been here sooner?” Hizashi asked, staring at the remains of his calzone. “That was awesome!”
“I’m full,” Shouta responded, resting his elbow on the table. Hizashi’s eyebrows drew together.
“Oh, really? I thought--maybe we could share a dessert?”
Shouta wanted to say no, but the look on Hizashi’s face made him reconsider, so he sighed and asked,
“What kind?”
In the end, they ordered a big cookie with ice cream on top and Shouta tried not to get distracted by the way Hizashi licked the spoon when scooping up the whipped cream.
Tuesday was spent listening to Hizashi and Iida talk about some video game, and Shouta, tired due to lack of sleep, became hyper-aware of every time he and Hizashi’s knees knocked together. There were subtle touches too, ones he normally wouldn’t have noticed, but now that he did he couldn’t stop noticing them.
They went out for milkshakes again, though this time Hizashi invited Iida, and the whole time Hizashi brushed their legs together, and, at one point, curled his fingers on top of Shouta’s hand. Shouta tried not to read too much into the situation.
"It's probably going to rain tomorrow," Hizashi said.
"It wasn't on the weather forecast." Shouta stared into the dregs of his milkshake.
"But look how heavy the clouds have formed!" Hizashi remarked, nodding to the sky.
"Bring an umbrella, just in case," Iida told Shouta.
They finished their milkshakes, and Hizashi walked Shouta halfway home.
On Wednesday afternoon, it rained.
Shouta stared blearily at the sky, wondering what he’d done to deserve this sort of divine punishment. Well, that might be a bit overdramatic, but his limbs were sore from sparring today, and rain was the last thing he needed.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Hizashi holding an umbrella above both of them.
“Told you it was gonna rain,” Hizashi grinned.
"Oh, shut it."
Hizashi was a few inches taller than Shouta, which made it easier to hold the umbrella over them as they walked, though it was rather small, and Shouta’s side was slowly getting soaked. Hizashi paused in his talking and wrapped his arm around Shouta, tugging him closer so they were pressed up against one another and Shouta wasn’t getting hit by the rain. Shouta tried to keep his expression calm, though he was really kind of freaking out.
The past few days had been weird, and Hizashi was acting weird, with all this going out a lot stuff and making more physical contact than usual. Was Hizashi..?
Shouta had entertained the thought of Hizashi liking him back, and while he had been positive Hizashi didn’t like him back before, now he was uncertain. Was he reading too much into the situation, making too much out of nothing?
“What’s the matter?” Hizashi asked, brows furrowed. For all his loudness and movement, he was surprisingly perceptive. “Oh, is it...This?”
He wiggled his fingers, which rested on Shouta’s side.
“Sorry, I know you don’t really like public stuff, but it’s raining and you don’t like getting wet and I don’t want to get wet so I just thought this was--”
“It’s fine,” Shouta cut him off, face warm.
This time, Hizashi walked him all the way home, though by then the rain was getting really bad and their pants were soaked.
“Do you want to wait until the rain lets up?” Shouta asked Hizashi, whose eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly. He texted his parents to let them know the situation while Shouta put their pants in the dryer. Luckily, Shouta had some sweatpants that fit Hizashi.
"Aw, look at the kitty paws," Hizashi cooed.
"I will not hesitate to throw you back out into the rain," Shouta warned.
They sat on the couch together, the distance between them practically non-existent. Shouta paid more attention to what Hizashi was saying rather than what he was watching, and he eventually found himself leaning into Hizashi. With a jolt he realized what he was doing and made to move away, but an arm snaked around his waist and he froze. Looking over at the blond boy beside him, their eyes met, faces inches apart.
Shouta was pretty sure the world was screaming. Or maybe that was just the blood roaring in his ears. Then Hizashi closed his eyes and leaned in and Shouta found himself jerking away, shocked.
“Sorry,” Hizashi said immediately, throwing his hands up, “Should I ask permission next ti--”
“What,” Shouta interrupted, heart pounding and eyes wide, “Are you doing?"
Hizashi looked confused. “Uh, trying to kiss you?”
“But why?”
“Isn’t that--isn’t that what boyfriends do?” Hizashi’s face turned into one of concern. “Are you feeling alright?”
Shouta’s mind was reeling. Boyfriends? What? How did they get to that?
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, we’re dating now, and I thought...” Hizashi looked sheepish. “Sorry.”
Shouta’s confusion managed to overcome the shock. “We’re dating?”
“Uh...We’ve been dating since last Thursday?” Hizashi’s eyes went comically wide. “Hang on, have you been going on all these dates with me without knowing they’re dates?!"
"...Oops?" Shouta didn't know what to say, and Hizashi seemed bewildered by his response.
Well. Now Shouta kinda wanted to die. Maybe being around Hizashi so much was turning him into more of a dramatic person, but he definitely wanted to do that.
“I didn’t...” Shouta swallowed, trying to come up with the proper words. “I didn’t realize.”
There was a stretch of silence, before Hizashi gave a humorless laugh, rubbing his hand over his face. He looked quite tired and put-out. Even his hair seemed a bit down.
“Well, now I just look like an idiot,” Hizashi sighed, voice strained, “and...back to square one.”
Shouta frowned, taking in how sad Hizashi looked. Had they really been dating without his noticing for nearly an entire week? If anyone looked like an idiot, it was Shouta.
Hizashi’s words suddenly registered with him, and he straightened up, garnering Hizashi’s attention. “We don’t have to be back at square one.”
Hizashi looked at him, eyes hopeful, and Shouta found himself leaning forward, his stomach doing that obnoxiously weird thing again that only Hizashi managed to make it do. Their kiss was brief and Hizashi’s lips were too wet because he licked them as a nervous habit and Shouta was sure his lips were the exact opposite, but it still ignited something within him that made him feel stupidly warm and, ew, fuzzy.
“So,” Hizashi breathed as they pulled away, “not back to square one?”
Shouta leaned in for another kiss. “Not back to square one."