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Throughout his entire life, Izuku wanted nothing more than to be a hero like All Might. He worked hard to get there, to save people with a smile and carry the torch that was passed down to him by the man himself. After so many years, Izuku would like to say he had managed to uphold a certain standard in the world of Heroes, though not quite as impactful as his mentor before him. At least in his humble opinion, no one could ever hope to replace All Might in people’s hearts. Perhaps that is why he had never thought he would become as popular as his idol. Well, really, he hasn’t, but it still boggles his mind that he even gets recognised in the streets at all when off duty, or praised while on it.
It might stem from his insecurities, his fear that he might turn out to be a disappointment, as useless as he felt for most of his childhood despite constantly striving to be better and reach newer heights every day. Izuku can’t help but think that all of his friends have a lot more going for them in terms of popularity. Ochako is cute, Kacchan is explosive (pun most definitely intended), Tenya has that eccentric way of moving, and he’s dependable to boot, Fumikage is cool and edgy, Momo is smart and beautiful… The list goes on and on, and it ends right with Shouto and his mysterious and aloof guy persona that paired with his drop-dead gorgeous looks makes the crowds go wild. And that’s not just his stupidly obvious crush on him talking.
It comes as absolutely no surprise that fans would approach his aforementioned breath-taking best friend and partner (at work only, but Izuku can dream of one day having the guts and emotional availability to make him a partner in life too) during their patrols. They ask for autographs, photos, squeal and swoon by his side, giggle at his dry humour like it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard in the entirety of their lives. Izuku can’t really blame them, Shouto is just that charming in his deadpan delivery.
And it’s nice—really nice—to see Shouto interacting with all these people who love him for all that he does. Especially the kids. In spite of his usual muted demeanour, when little children flock to him, it’s like his entire being lights up. Smiles that rarely make it onto his face easily spread across his thin lips as he picks up a little boy or girl when they ask to hug him, and it’s one of the most precious sights Izuku has ever had the pleasure of gazing upon.
When a young girl approaches them both that afternoon as they walk through the streets side by side after their shift, Izuku naturally expects her to stop Shouto for whatever she may want. Yet the shy and barely audible “Deku-san?” that follows her small call for their attention has him doing a double take. He blinks for a moment, opening his mouth and closing it, as if he has suddenly turned into a goldfish staring at the rounded walls of his glassy home, then points at his chest with a questioning hum. The girl nods, extending both her hands and blushing as a bright green rose stems from her open palms.
“For my favourite hero.” She mumbles, balancing in the balls of her feet, and Izuku feels his heart squeeze tightly with an overwhelming feeling he can’t quite put a name to.
Izuku does his best not to start crying right then and there, not wanting to frighten his little fan with his wayward emotions. Taking a deep breath and putting on his best smile, Izuku reaches for the pretty flower to pluck it from her hand. She barely waits for him to thank her, twisting on her heels and running back to her mother’s skirts before they both walk away with excited waves that Izuku returns just as enthusiastically, effectively forgetting the fact that roses tend to have thorns and holding on a little too tightly.
Hissing out a breath, he gingerly switches the rose to his other hand, frowning at the tiny picks of red poking out of his skin. Shouto chuckles beside him, shaking his head and reaching into his messenger’s bag to take out some things before carefully placing the rose inside.
“You’re such a disaster, Izuku.” He berates him, though the fond upturn of his lips betrays his amusement. “This is why I carry first aid with me everywhere.”
With a warm hand, Shouto takes Izuku’s right, swiping a disinfectant wipe over his palm then pulling out a roll of bandages.
“That’s a little excessive.” Izuku pouts but makes no move to pull away, enjoying the feeling of Shouto’s cold fingers working the gauze around his hand.
“Only the best care for my favourite hero.” Shouto says simply, mismatched eyes staring right into Izuku’s and pinning him in place.
Izuku swallows thickly, his mouth suddenly feeling impossibly dry as he processes what Shouto just said. Does he actually mean that or is he just being silly? Probably the latter, right? So, obviously, Izuku should return the favour, dish it back out in kind, right?
Letting out a stuttered and nervous little laugh, Izuku diverts his gaze to a random shop to the side before shrugging as nonchalantly as he can manage.
“Then you should kiss it to make it better.”
Without a single word, Shouto leans forward, invading Izuku’s personal space. Then, expression soft yet neutral, he places a hand over Izuku’s waist, pulling him to his chest and closing the distance between their lips in a short kiss that steals the breath right out of his lungs. It may have only lasted a second, perhaps two, but in that moment, everything grinds to a halt. Izuku’s thoughts cease, giving way to unintelligible, high-pitched noises that might be what he would imagine a series of exclamation marks to sound like. Time slows down as his heartrate picks up, jackhammering against his ribs as if it is trying to beat right out of his chest.
When Shouto pulls away, Izuku is torn between an urge to scream and a desire to grab at his jacket and drag him right into another kiss, one he can’t escape so easily. Though it seems Izuku’s embarrassment wins out in the end, a burning red flush crawling to his cheeks as he covers his face with his arms and lets out a garbled noise.
“My hand, Shouto-kun!” Izuku squeaks, and Shouto doesn’t even have the decency to look bashful, blinking at him like a cat who knows it did something bad but is thoroughly unbothered.
“Ah. Right. Sorry.” As if Izuku hadn’t suffered enough, Shouto takes Izuku’s right hand, easily prying it away from his face and bringing it to his lips to leave a gentle kiss behind. “All better?”
“Are you actually trying to kill me?” Izuku chokes.
If he didn’t know any better, he would swear he saw a hint of a smirk ghost past Shouto’s lips before he releases his hand once more. “Of course not. I kissed you to make you better.”
“You can’t just—People are watching and—I can’t—Why did you—”
“Izuku.” At the sound of his name, he snaps his jaw shut with an audible click, staring at Shouto like a deer caught in headlights and feeling his blood chill at the frown slowly tugging the corners of his friend’s mouth. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I really thought that you felt the same from how you…”
“I do!” Izuku blurts out, holding on to Shouto’s arms before realising they’re still very much in public and putting some distance between them. “Oh god, our PR team is going to have our heads.”
“It’s okay, no one was looking.”
“You say that, but you always have like twenty paparazzi following you around.” Izuku grumbles, casually pulling the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to cover his still flushed face.
“Do you mean it though? You like me?”
Not trusting his voice not to crack, Izuku nods quietly, butterflies swarming violently in his stomach with an exciting sort of anxiety that comes with knowing his feelings are returned. He shifts his weight from one foot to another, playing with the strings of his hoodie as he takes a look around for any unwanted eyes. Nothing greets him but for random people walking with their noses buried in their phones or focused on the road ahead of them, hardly paying them any mind.
With a sudden burst of confidence, Izuku takes a step closer to Shouto standing on the tips of his toes to steal a short kiss of his own. Shouto gasps slightly the moment their lips touch, and Izuku feels a spark of pride that is quickly crushed by the overwhelming embarrassment. Going back to fidgeting with the little knots at the end of the strings, Izuku feels a wobbly smile creeping up to his mouth.
“That’s for kissing me out of nowhere in public. Now we’re even.”
Shouto huffs out a breath of a laugh, scratching at his cheek just beneath his scar. “That seems fair. So, if I kiss you again, does that mean you’ll have to even out the score once more?”
At that, Izuku chews on his lower lip, starting down the street and not waiting for Shouto to follow because he knows he will. “Maybe. Guess you’ll have to find out.”
“Guess I will.”