Work Text:
May 7 – Firsts
They were always busy, Tamaki reasoned. Final exam season aside, Tamaki had his internship and ever since Nighteye’s death and the loss of his own quirk, Mirio was taking an active part in raising the next generation of heroes. Always busy, so they didn’t have time for actual romance. Rather than dates at the park or a café like normal people did, the best they could hope for were stolen moments in the library or while studying. Carefree lunches together turned into snippets of conversation wedged between hurried mouthfuls of food.
They had been dating for months but had yet to kiss. There was a moment during White Day, as Tamaki privately handed Mirio his return gift, when he thought the other boy would make the first move. But Mirio had hesitated, redirected the kiss to his forehead, and thanked him with his brightest smile yet.
And now their final school year was almost over. What would happen then?
Tamaki was nervous, to tell the truth. Granted, almost everything made him anxious, but the thought of kissing Mirio made his stomach tie in knots. What if his breath smelled like takoyaki? What if he was bad at it? What if, halfway through, Mirio decided he was straight and that he’d much rather kiss a girl than him? What if Mirio wasn’t interested in kissing Tamaki because he didn’t actually want this relationship and was merely humoring Tamaki’s crush?
No, Tamaki knew with that last one wasn’t right. He could be suspicious of the whole world, but he knew Mirio. Mirio would never do something so cruel.
Mirio was his anchor in this unstable world and Tamaki refused to ever lose him. Sometimes Tamaki worried that he came off as clingy. Maybe that was why Mirio never kissed him. Maybe the other boy worried that if they took the next step in their relationship, Tamaki would become absolutely suffocating.
As if summoned by Tamaki’s thoughts, he heard a knock at his door. Mirio didn’t pause before entering. Compared to how the other boy used to just phase through the wall separating their dorm rooms, this felt entirely too normal. Tamaki didn’t like how fettered his boyfriend had become.
The blond boy grinned brightly—everything Mirio did was bright. Tamaki resisted the urge to shield his eyes from the metaphorical light that shined off of him. “Hey Tamaki, you busy?”
He was. He actually was very busy, because the history of quirk laws was tedious, and his exam was soon. But for Mirio, he would make time. He turned in his swivel chair and nodded. “I have time.”
Mirio’s smile faded and Tamaki’s heart pounded. What had he done wrong? Was Mirio hoping he’d decline? Was he actually being a nuisance? “What’s going on in that head of yours, Tamaki?” Mirio had a good handle on how Tamaki’s brain worked and could usually tell if he was anxious, even if Tamaki tried to hide it. “Anything I can do to help?”
Tamaki’s face flushed. He turned his chair back around and pressed his forehead against the surface of his desk.
Mirio’s arms wrapped around his chest. The other boy’s nose pressed against the back of his head. Tamaki could feel his breath as he spoke. “You know you don’t need to hide from me.”
Tamaki nodded and took a single long, shuddering breath. Mirio knew him. Mirio had been his first crush, way back in third grade, when the other boy just decided from day one that Tamaki was his friend. Mirio had been his first love as he pushed himself through school, trying harder than anyone else to utilize his quirk, and in a matter of a few years went from a student that no one expected anything of, to one of the greatest students UA had ever known. If it was Mirio, he could do it. Quirk or no, with Mirio, he could do anything.
Mirio gave a content huff against the back of his head before withdrawing so Tamaki could sit up and face him again. Instead of taking a seat on Tamaki’s bed like he normally would have done, Mirio crouched in front of the dark-haired boy. It felt weird to look down at him.
“Mirio.” Tamaki coughed into his fist, anything to buy him a few more seconds. “We’re dating, right?”
The older boy frowned. “Yeah, at least, last time I checked.” Concern etched his face and Tamaki felt terrible for causing him to look that way. “What’s wrong?”
Tamaki gnawed on his lower lip. “We haven’t kissed,” he stated. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to, I was just wondering.”
A series of emotions flashed across Mirio’s face. Confusion, realization, sheepish embarrassment. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Had he been expecting Tamaki to make the first move? Was it some sort of test? Did he fail? “I’m sorry for making you worry.” Mirio smiled sadly. “We’ve been so busy that it’s just never felt like the right time. It’s both of our first kisses. It’s our first kiss. I want it to be perfect.”
“So it’s not me?”
“Wha—no!” Mirio leaped to his feet, startling Tamaki. He grabbed Tamaki’s shoulders with a panicked look. “It’s me, I’m just being dumb.”
Tamaki chuckled. He felt a smile trying to emerge. “You’re just trying to be a romantic.” Mirio was too much of a sweetheart for someone like him, but they were each other’s, it seemed. Tamaki felt happy. Mirio made him happy.
“Can I kiss you now?” Mirio was dead serious. Tamaki froze, face flushed. He wasn’t anxious, for once, just nervous. There were no what-ifs, only a certainty that Mirio was going to kiss him. They were going to kiss for the first time. He nodded and stood, Mirio’s hands still on him. Heart pounding, jittering thoughts focused on the man in front of him, Tamaki tilted his face up and leaned in. Mirio stopped him with a finger to his lips. “I want to say something first!” he announced. He cleared his throat and continued, “I love you, Amajiki Tamaki. And after we graduate, I want us to get an apartment together.”
“You want us to live together?”
Mirio, the man who still shined even though he’d never be the hero he wanted to be, beamed at him. “Yep!”
Tamaki thought about it briefly. He could live with Mirio here, in the city. Or if Fat Gum made a formal offer for Tamaki to join his agency after their exams, they could discuss moving to the Kansai region. He and Mirio could return home to each other every day and he could finally feel safe.
“I think I’d like that,” Tamaki answered. He smiled. He liked that idea a lot. “What?” he asked, noticing Mirio stare at him.
“You’re beautiful and I want to kiss you,” Mirio answered, because sometimes he had as little an internal filter as Nejire. “Right now.”
Tamaki swallowed his nerves down and nodded. Mirio’s hand cupped his jaw. His entire face felt warm from the contact. When Mirio ducked down to press their lips together, Tamaki closed his eyes and held still for him. Neither of them knew what to do, so they merely pressed their lips together. Mirio snickered as he pulled away. “We need to practice.”
Tamaki wasn’t sure when he started gripping the sides of Mirio’s shirt, but he loosened his hold and nodded. “We have time to learn.” And he smiled again, shining brighter than the sun, Mirio’s Suneater.
Yes, Mirio thought as he leaned in again, lips parted and finding the resultant friction pleasant, they had time.