Chapter Text
It's a clear starlit night with a light breeze.
The three friends sit in an open, grassy field, on the back of Eijirou's red pick up truck. They have a small cooler in arms reach and a portable CD player, which currently hums Matt Elliott's album, Drinking Songs.
Denki gazes up in silent contemplation, taking the occasional sip of cheap beer as he reminisces to himself. At his left, Eijirou yawns, laying down with both hands behind his head and a carefree smirk on his face. At the other end, Izuku twists open a fresh bottle of water, proceeding to down half of it in one go. He wipes his face, and takes a brief look at his friends, smiling to himself.
For a few minutes, no one says a word.
“Hey. Here's a question.” Denki breaks the silence.
The anxious blonde clutches his beer with both hands, and continues staring at the stars.
“Hypothetically speaking, let's say you've been dating someone for almost a year now...”
“Uh-huh.” Eijirou smirks.
“... and your anniversary is coming up pretty soon, and you happen to be both a nervous wreck and a fucking idiot.” He lets out a defeated sigh. “What would you do?”
Eijirou chuckles to himself. “This is about Kyouka, right?” He grins, already knowing the answer.
Denki nods slightly in response. “Possibly... Probably... Definitely... Yeah.” He lets his head hang low.
“I mean, no shit man.” The playful redhead closes his eyes, still laughing. “You couldn't have made that more obvious.”
“Why are you acting so embarrassed about this?” Izuku jumps in. “You can be upfront with us you know? We'll listen.” He shakes his head and waves his hand. “No judgment.”
Eijirou pinches the air in front of his face. “A little judgment.”
“Be quiet.”
Denki looks up just a little. “Okay then.”
He sits in silence for a few moments, then slaps himself in the face, pushing his head back.
“I don't know what to fucking do!” He groans.
“Hey, hey! Calm down man. It's gonna be fine.” Eijirou sits up. “Now how many days do you have left?”
He exhales. “About thirty-two.”
“Thirty-two!.. That's over a month.” Eijirou exclaims. “Jeez man. The way you were acting, I thought you only had a couple of days.” He relaxes.
“Denki.” Izuku places his bottle down. “That's more than enough time to think of something.”
He slides his hand down his face, and eyes Izuku. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, of course. Trust me.” He smiles. “I haven't really talked to her much, but from what I know about Kyouka, I don't think you'd have to try very hard to impress her. She'd probably just be happy knowing you remembered your anniversary.”
“He's not wrong.” Eijirou chimes in. “Although you should still, definitely, take her out that day. Go to a nice restaurant. Maybe see a movie. You know, typical date night shit.”
Denki stares down at the grass for a moment. “But that's boring.”
“Boring?” Izuku raises an eyebrow.
“Yes, boring!” Denki hops off the truck, and turns to face his friends. “Dinner and a movie!? That's not special.” He spits. “That's a last resort for people lacking in creativity, or people who didn't give half a shit to begin with.” He waves his hand in front of him. “I'm not saying the occasional dinner and movie date is a bad thing, far from it, but this is our fucking anniversary man, come on.” He takes a swig of his beer, then turns around, glaring up at the sky with determined eyes and a clenched fist held up to his chest, the wind blowing his hair and jacket. “It's our first one together. I need to make this the one to be remembered. I need to show her that she means the fucking world to me. I need to do something over the top and really really stupid, but in a heartfelt way you know? So even if I end up making a fool of myself, it'll be memorable, it'll be special, and we can all laugh about it later and fuck and shit and... gah.” He finishes off his beer, than gasps, catching his breath. “Do you guys get what I'm trying to say?”
He turns back to his friends, and is taken aback when he notices them gazing at him in awe.
Eijirou clears his throat. “You know man, this almost feels unnecessary. I'm sure you both already know how much you love each other. BUT MAN if that wasn't inspiring!” He blurts out, clenching both of his fists in front of him. “I admire your passion Denki. There's nothing more manly than going all out for the one you love.” He grins wide. “I'd be happy to help you plan something awesome!”
“Eijirou.”
Denki hops back on the truck, and Izuku places his hand on his shoulder.
“It's funny. All this time I've known you, and I've never seen you this determined about anything before. I can this mean a lot to you.” He smiles. “I don't have much experience with this sort of thing, but I'll do whatever I can to help.”
“Izuku. You guys.” Denki's voice cracks as tears form in his eyes.
“Are... Are you crying?” Eijirou asks, confused.
“Shut... Shut up.” Denki sputters. “I'm drunk.”
Izuku opens his mouth to speak, but pauses for a moment. “You've only had one beer. How are you drunk already?”
“Ha! You fucking lightweight.” Eijirou teases.
“Fuck off. Gimme another.” He shakes his empty bottle as he wipes his face.
“Are you sure about that.” Izuku asks with mild concern.
“Please.”
He sighs, and grabs another beer from the cooler. Before he can hand it off, Denki wraps his arms around him and Eijirou, pulling them in.
“I love you guys.”
“Hey man.” Eijirou grins. “We love you too.”
“Yeah.” Izuku smiles.
And with that, Denki begins sobbing.
…
TWO HOURS, SEVERAL BEERS, AND SOME WATER LATER
“I've got this from here.” Izuku holds Denki on his feet.
They were lucky to get to the second floor without causing any damage.
“You sure about that?” Eijirou stands close, ready to catch either of them if they fall.
“Yeah. I've got this.”
“Yeah man.” Denki mumbles. “He's got this.”
Eijirou holds his hands up in front of him, and backs off. “Okay, alright. I'll leave you to it.” He turns away. “You guys have a good night.”
“Will do. You too.” Izuku waves.
“I'll miss you.” Denki calls out.
Eijirou chuckles as he walks away. “I'll miss you too buddy.” He enters his room, shutting the door behind him.
“I fucking love you man!” Denki sings.
“HEY!!”
Both him and Izuku feel their hearts shoot up to their throats.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP OUT THERE!!!” Katsuki screams from his room. “DUMB FUCKS!!”
Everything turns quiet, and the two friends stand frozen in place for a few moments.
Denki covers his mouth. “Oh shit!” He silently laughs to himself.
Izuku is less amused. “Yeah, let's try and keep it down a little, okay?” He whispers nervously, and starts walking both of them down the hall. “We don't want to wake anyone else up.”
“Right. Right... Sorry.”
“It's okay, it's fine.” Izuku reassures him.
They soon reach Denki's room.
“Do you have your key?”
“Yeah, yeah.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls it out, shaking it a little. “Here it is.” He reaches forward slowly, towards the lock.
Izuku grabs it from him. “I'll handle that. You just focus on standing up, okay?”
He stares at the key for a second, then nods. “Okay... Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Izuku unlocks the door, and they step inside.
His bed is unmade, and there are small piles of clothing sitting on the floor and hanging from the back of his chair. A few empty bottles, cans, and crumpled bags are scattered on his desk.
“Rooms a bit messy. Sorry bout that.” Denki mumbles in shame.
“Don't apologize.” Izuku looks around. “It's not that bad.”
“The clothes are clean, I swear... I just, didn't feel like putting my laundry away.”
“I believe you.”
They reach his bed, and Denki plops face down on top of it, bouncing up a little.
“Oh my god.” He hugs the mattress. “It's so fucking soft.”
“I'm sure it it.” Izuku chuckles.
He grabs a trash can from under the desk and slides it next to the bed.
“I'll be back in a sec, don't move.”
“Alright buddy.”
Izuku steps out for a few moments, and returns with a gallon jug of water.
“Be sure to drink this throughout the night, okay?” He places it by the trash can.
“Okay.”
“Good. Do you need anything else?”
“Yeah.” Denki reaches out towards him. “Can you stay here for a bit? Please?”
Izuku briefly glances out into the hall, then back at Denki.
“Sure thing.” He sighs with smile, and sits at he edge of the bed.
“Thank you.” Denki mumbles. “You're a good friend. A good friend.”
“Come on.” Izuku closes his eyes. “I'm not that great.”
“Shut up... Just take the compliment.”
He looks at Denki's head for a moment. “Alright then. Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
They share a minute of silence.
“How's Ochako?”
Izuku jumps a little. “Uh, she's fine, I guess.”
“Uh-huh. Have you sealed the deal yet?”
“Wha... What are you talking about?” He sputters, scratching the back of his head.
“You know what I'm talking about.”
“I...” He sighs, and looks at the floor. “No. No I haven't”
“What's stopping you?”
“I don't know.” He shrugs. “It just, never seems like the right moment, you know?”
“Bullshit.”
Izuku flinches, and notices Denki looking at him.
“That's a bullshit excuse, and you know it. You can't just wait for, the right moment. What if that moment never comes. What then?”
“I don't... I don't know.”
Denki grabs his shirt. “You end up sitting back, watching some other guy with more balls take that next step before you, and let me tell you, there is nothing more painful than watching the girl you love end up with some other guy. Trust me. It hurts man. It fucking hurts.”
“I believe you.” Izuku mutters.
Denki sighs, and lets go of him. “Sorry man. I'm making you worry.”
“No.” Izuku shakes his head. “No, you're right. Absolutely right.”
Denki smirks. “In most cases, yeah, I would be... But Ochako's an exception.”
Izuku looks up a bit.
“You don't have to worry about her dating anyone else anytime soon.”
“What are you?..”
Denki looks him in the eye, and smiles. “Dude, she fucking loves you.”
Izuku's face turns red.
“I can see it. All of our friends can see it. You two however, are completely oblivious for some reason.” He closes his eyes. “It's fucking frustrating man. We're all wondering what's taking you two so damn long.”
Izuku clasps his hands together, and sighs. “I don't know why. I just... I don't know what to do... I guess I'm just scared.” He looks up. “I think about it constantly. Me, confessing. Telling her how I feel... How she makes me feel. Telling her how beautiful she is, and that I love her. I've loved her for years. Every time I do, it's wonderful. But for some reason, I can't bring myself to do it outside of my fantasies.” He looks at the floor. “She was my first real friend. We've been supporting each other since high school. She never made fun of me. She's always smiling and encouraging me. I love being around her... I don't want to fuck this up. I feel like if I confess, I might end up ruining our friendship, somehow. And that thought terrifies me, more than anything.” He shrugs. “I could just be overthinking this whole thing, but that's how I feel... I don't know. Am I making any sense?”
He looks at Denki, who is fast asleep, snoring quietly with one arm dangling over the edge of his bed.
Izuku smiles, chuckling softly. “Goodnight.”
He pat's Denki's shoulder, and stands up, quietly exiting the room, and shutting the door behind him.