Work Text:
It seems almost fate that the two women who live next door together find out that they’re pregnant around the same time, and the fact that they go into labor and give birth on the same day feels like more than some wild coincidence. The two boys they have grow up together and are friends practically from infancy, and even though, when they’re older, they think they should feel like they were forced together, they don’t.
Eijiro and Tetsutetsu both realize that they would have clicked whether they were neighbors and whether they were born on the same day or not. That’s just the way their friendship is.
When they’re still young, they can almost always be found outside together, unless the weather prevents it- and even then, they do whatever they can to not let it get in the way. One of their favorite pastimes is exploring whatever areas they’re allowed to walk to in and around their neighborhood, and, no matter how many times they’ve seen the same place, they make up new adventures every time, not allowing it to get boring.
The area that they call the “woods” barely counts as anything of the sort. There are some trees and bushes that lend to a slight feeling of seclusion, but they can still hear all the cars that pass by on the nearby road, and it’s a good five minute walk from both of their houses. Still, it becomes their favorite place to explore and hide out for long stretches of time, and it’s the place they are when things first begin to feel different between the two of them.
They’re right years old when Eijiro mentions a girl from school and asks Tetsutetsu is he likes her. “You and Shiozaki were talking a lot this week, and somebody asked me first. So? Do you like her?”
“No way!” he replies, making a face of disgust, typical of a boy his age. However, what he says next leaves Eijiro a little confused. “I don’t like any girls at all. I don’t think I ever will.”
But Eijiro doesn’t say anything, because he’s heard that a lot of boys his age say that, and that they’ll change their mind. When he thinks about it, he can’t think of any girls he would like anyway, so it does make sense to him. Besides, this is Tetsutetsu, and he really doesn’t care if he likes girls or not.
~X~
It’s only a year later when people start teasing Eijiro about liking a girl, and when he complains about it to Tetsutetsu and says, “I wouldn’t like Ashido even if I did like girls,” he remembers their conversation from before, and wonders if it’s something he’s going to grow out of soon.
Tetsutetsu just says, “Yeah, me neither. i wouldn’t like anyone,” and Eijiro at least knows that he hasn’t changed, and he doesn’t know why he’s so relieved.
Another few years pass, and nothing changes on that front, and even though they’re starting to get a little old for pretend adventuring, but their hidden “forest” is still their favorite place to go. The two of them are in junior high when they discuss girls again, because one of their friends is head over heels for a girl, despite getting rejected at every turn.
“It’s not the first time he’s liked somebody, but he’s never had a girlfriend at all,” Eijiro says.
“Kaminari’s always been hopeless,” replies Tetsutetsu.
“Jiro feels different, though. He’s never been this persistent.”
“Well, maybe he really likes her. Still, he’s probably not gonna have much luck!” The two of them laugh.
“None of the girls at school really catch my eye,” Eijiro says after a pause.
“Same here. Or, well...I don’t know, I guess I just don’t care? Is that weird?” asks Tetsutetsu. “I don’t really know what I’m trying to say.”
“If you mean that you have no idea what kind of girl would catch your eye, then I know just what you mean.”
“Yeah! Like when everyone starts talking about what their type is and you just have to make something up cos you have no idea!”
They go back and forth for a while, and Eijiro is glad that at least Tetsutetsu understands exactly what he’s going through. No matter what, it always seems like Tetsutetsu understands him perfectly, but maybe that’s just because they’ve always been together. They’ve shared so much that it only makes sense that they share these feelings too, and when he thinks about it, Eijiro can’t really imagine having a girlfriend, since that’s something he can’t share with Tetsutetsu.
He doesn’t tell him about that, though, because he’s sure it would sound weird.
~X~
When they’re in high school, they’re in different classes, so they spend most of their time together outside of school, getting caught up on what the other is up to. Eijiro makes sort-of friends with a very aggressive guy in his class who really isn’t friendly in the slightest. Bakugo is a loner, but Eijiro has never been the sort who can leave anyone alone, so he latches onto him anyway. And when rumors begin to circulate about Bakugo, Tetsutetsu knows he can get reliable information from Eijiro.
“Is he really going out with a guy?”
Eijiro has to pause before he can give a proper answer. “I honestly don’t know what’s going on between him and Midoriya. They were best friends when they were young, kind of like us, but they grew apart a lot, and Bakugo mostly always seemed annoyed with him. He won’t talk about it, so all I really know is somebody claims to have seen them kissing behind school one morning.”
“Do you think they could be going out?”
“They might be, I don’t know. Bakugo gets really defensive about it, and I’ve never known him to have any interest in girls, so…”
That causes both of them to pause, remembering all the times that topic has come up between the two of them, remembering how close they’ve always been, and realizing that their might be some similarities between the two of them and Midoriya and Bakugo. Tetsutetsu is the first to finally speak up about that.
“You know, I’m still not…”
“Me neither.”
“That’s not always what that means, but…”
“You think it is? I mean, for you?” Eijiro holds his breath after he asks this.
Tetsutetsu exhales before he says, “Yeah, I think it is. You don’t think that’s…”
“You’ve been my best friend my whole life. I don’t care who you like, or what you’re into, or anything.”
Tetsutetsu’s face softens, and he looks close to tears as he says, “Thanks, man, that...that means a lot, you know?”
“I don’t...I mean, I think I might…” Eijiro trails off.
“You too?”
They were best friends when they were young, kind of like us…
I’ve never known him to have any interest in girls…
You’ve been my best friend my whole life…
“I mean, I never cared about girls or trying to go out with anyone, or anything like that. Really, I always thought you were the only one I needed, so…” He takes a deep breath. “Would you think it was weird if I said I might love you?” He didn’t mean to come out and say “love” already, but he does it before he can think it out, and even though he knows that it’s true, he wonders if he should have kept it at “like”.
“I…I don’t think...I mean, I…” Tetsutetsu swallows, and instead of trying to finish his answer, he leans forward and, in their secret place they’ve been exploring and having great adventures in since childhood, the two of them kiss for the first time. From that point on, it becomes easier to understand and express their feelings, and even though they’re quickly much more than friends, things don’t change that much between them at all.