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When two of them started dating, their friends laughed on them.
Not in a bad way per se; it was better to say they mocked them, Kirishima supposed. He had never been really good with his words, though – for that, he had Izuku.
Two residual sunshine boys started seeing each other. Both of them so honest, almost naïve about their feelings - they would not announce being a couple without being completely sure about each other, two boys too pure for this world (Mina said that, not him); future heroes. With both of them so friendly and considerate, dating each other should have been a piece of cake.
It was not.
They had their moments, of course – the moments Kirishima would remember for the rest of his life, not only because Izuku was his first serious boyfriend. That night Izuku confessed to him while Kirishima walked him home – his face determined, only to broke in relieved grin and few tears soaking Kirishima´s shirt the very moment Kirishima confessed his crush back. Holding each other tightly in the middle of an empty street, just with streetlights as their witnesses, just because it felt right.
Then Izuku took his hand and took him home – chatting with Izuku´s mother, all easy smiles and good laugh with stomachs full of delicious food (and how long he did not have a luxury of home cooked meal) holding hands under the table.
Moments when Izuku failed asleep on him, his face hidden in the crook of Kirishima´s neck – his boyfriend was surprisingly tiny for a muscles he had, he was a power house with or without his quirk – it was so easy to forget that with how easily Izuku usually filled the room, with how easily he accepted any challenge.
(He had seen Izuku taking down buildings just with few punches – and to see the very same calloused hands stroking Kirishima´s skin… his brown skin contrasting with Izuku´s paleness… there were so many things to process, it was overwhelming in the best of ways).
Izuku tutoring him when Katsuki could not – his voice always soft and patient, giving him small pecks on cheeks when he answered some difficult question.
Izuku helping him colouring his hair, not questioning why that red was such big part of his identity.
And still…
There were some things – to be honest, many things – Izuku was not willing to talk about with him.
All Might.
His relation – his history – with Katsuki.
His insecurities – and God help them both, Izuku had many of these.
Also, Izuku was truly willing to touch him in any form in front of other people only in truly stressful life-treating situations. His bones broken or one of them facing danger, bleeding…as if he was able to be honest with himself and to Kirishima openly only if there was a possibility of one of them dying.
(Kirishima would never forget Izuku´s face covered with blood, yelling, begging, leading them all to fight, being just as young as them and at the same time, bigger than life itself.)
Kirishima was, on the other hand, very tactile person, even clingy. He wanted to show their relationship off, to touch and hug Izuku without overthinking everything when he felt like that and Izuku… did not. And although Izuku reassured him that he did not mind… who would not feel discouraged with partner shying away from your touch every time they were not alone?
(He suffered because of that. Izuku always find a way how to make up for that, at least for few moments, but…).
Kirishima knew that both are guilty there – Kirishima had his own problems with self-esteem, but put all of their personal burdens together and add pressure they were under…
It felt like they were just a step from letting each other down phenomenally. And if there was one thing nor Kirishima nor Izuku were willing to do, it was hurting their partner – even if that meant to break up before they fell too deep for each other.
Kirishima did not want to.
So he was going to ask for advice, because…
“That´s manly thing to do.”
*** *** ***
With not only one, but two queer couples around him, he was rather lucky.
Nobody talked about that on public, especially in relation to heroes, since homophobia (not manly at all!) was still a thing – but among heroes of UA, it was known that All Might (or Yagi Toshinori, as he insisted, since his true form was revealed) was a taken man for years.
What they had was a quiet thing, Kirishima noticed, and without knowledge of their relationship, one would never guess they were in love, with how discrete both of them were. But compared to Izuku and him, these two seemed absolutely comfortable with that dynamic.
When you saw a one, you could be sure that the other is not far behind.
They were rather strange combination – detective Naomasa-san with his stoic nature and rather plain look, spoking softly to everybody, following rules and sheer logic.
And Yagi-sensei, exact opposite of normal of unassuming, overexcited of everything and happy to help everybody.
Kirishima was lucky enough to encounter them being alone – it was one of those weekends when everybody went home to see their family, leaving their dormitory behind – they were cooking in dormitory kitchen, oblivious of Kirishima watching them from the sofa in the common room.
They were truly that quiet type of partners, Kirishima decided, seeing them almost dancing around each other while cooking, in perfect sync, not bumping or stumbling, not even once. Yagi-sensei talked and laughed for both of them with responses of the detective too quiet for Kirishima to hear.
“Carefully, Toshi,” Naomasa said, catching Yagi-sensei´s sleeve just moment before the distracted blond added oil in boiling water.
“Oh,” he said, but it was all. He just nodded and then their continued in their own little world.
They were good for each other, Naomasa-san grounding Yagi-sensei, keeping him in line. Then he laughed on himself rather – Izuku´s analytical tendencies rubbing on him, it seemed.
(Kirishima wished that he and Izuku were so good for each other, too).
“Are we going to continue with the files of that case after dinner?” Yagi-sensei asked.
“Sure, but first, we´re having a hot bath. You need to warm up properly.”
“I´m fine.”
“Toshi, you have cold hands even in overheated kitchen.”
His sensei sighed in a fond exasperation – Naomasa-sa taking one of Yagi-san´s hands and kissing his knuckles. It was a rather small gesture – but still, it felt so intimate.
He stood up from the sofa, heading out quietly– he did not want to interrupt their private moments any longer. He would ask them another time.
At doorway he bumped into Aizawa and Yamada sensei.
Or, better say, he heard them before he saw them – both of them bickering with occasional grunts from Aizawa-sensei or muffled yells from Yamada-sensei.
“You already eat, kid?” Aizawa grunted the very moment he saw him, somehow blunt and caring at once.
“No, sensei.”
“Then you´re going to eat with us. Naomasa and Yagi would not mind another mouth to feed.”
Kirishima blinked owlishly at him, “I don´t want to intrude-“
“Little listener, Izuku-kun is joining us, too,” Yamada-sensei added, wiggling his eyebrow playfully.
And, well. It shut up Kirishima rather quickly.
It was far from the first time Kirishima stayed at dormitory completely alone with the exception of his teachers. They were used to see him around without asking about his family anymore and he was used to them, too. Naturally, thanks to the extra time, he was little closer with his teachers than other students.
He had seen Yamada-sensei with his impossible long blond hair down many times. Or Aizawa-sensei in his favourite pink pants and hair in lazy bun. It was different – but good different. They looked so much younger, softer, like this.
Where Naomasa-san and Yagi –sensei were quiet, Aizawa and Yamada mocked each other – their nagging familiar background sound for Kirishima at that point.
“What´s eating you, little listener?” Yamada asked him – Aizawa -sensei leaning into his side heavily, resting.
“Izuku and me, I guess,” he said. With these people, he was past the point of vague responses – and, after all, his intention was to ask them anyway, “we… don´t trust each other with personal stuff, I guess,” he explained, looking at his own hands. It was true, but it hurt still to put it in words.
At that, Aizawa quirked his brow, “and how long you two are together, kid?” he asked.
“Eh, six weeks, more or less,” he answered, little embarrassed by fact he knew perfectly well how many days they were a couple. He would not forget their anniversary like, ever.
Aizawa did not say anything else – Naomasa and Yagi-sensei entered the common room with plates – Kirishima and Yamada stood up to help them. He quickly apologized for intruding their evening, although Yagi´s smiling face was a proof they truly did not mind him being there.
“I was wondering when would you come to say hello to us in the kitchen at least,” Naomasa said him kindly. Kirishima blushed sheepishly – of course that the man noticed him. He was a detective, after all.
When they all sit down around the table – Naomasa and Yagi at couch since they were the oldest in the room, and rest of them at floor, Aizawa continued with previous conversation.
“This idiot did not tell me that he´s practically deaf for two months,” Aizawa pointed at Yamada-sensei.
“Hey!” the blond protested meekly.
“And that idiot,” he pointed at Yagi, “did not revealed his second identity for six.”
“I started dating him as All Might. And my quirk was all off around him all the time, so I knew he was lying about something big.” Naomasa added.
“And you dated him anyway?” Kirishima asked him in disbelievingly.
“Yeah. I just hoped he would tell me when he was ready.”
“And I did,” Yagi added sheepishly, “and I was so embarrassed when he told me about his quirk being lie detector!”
To that, Naomasa laughed. “We managed. That´s all that matters to me.”
“My man, relationships need so much patience!” Yamada half –yelled. Aizawa covered his mouth in fond exasperation, rolling his eyes.
“What this goof´s trying to say is… look, most people enter this hero industry because they want to save people from shit they have been though themselves. They´re strong enough to face it, but they have emotional traumas. Burdens. It´s hard to open up about this stuff.”
“What they´re, sixteen? They´re too young for all they have been through,” Naomasa added, not unkindly.
“No. They´re not. The very moment they entered UA, they lost that privilege to be just too young for anything thrown at them,” Aizawa stated, as harsh as always. Nobody, not even kind Yagi, protested, though.
“Just give it time. We can´t guarantee it´s gonna work, but it worked for us just fine, so it´s worth a shot, little listener!”
At that, the door opened again – it was Izuku.
He did not seen surprised by Kirishima´s presence – Yagi-sensei probably let him know by message or something. He hugged Kirishima quickly and took a hoodie from his bag, giving it to Kirishima.
“I´d forget to return it otherwise.”
Kirishima soothed the material of the hoodie – his favourite one which Izuku lent often – he put it on.
Izuku looked at him questioningly – the room was warm enough even without the hoodie - and to hell with that. He needed to be more open and more patient, right?
“It smells like you. So, it´s like a constant hug from you.”
To that Izuku spluttered, flustered and avoided eye contact with him. This was so small, almost nothing in comparison to hand holding or anything else Kirishima initiated on public and Izuku reacted to this small gesture so strongly…instead feeling rejected and discouraged though, Kirishima took a deep breath – it will take some time for Izuku to accept any public advances. Right.
But they would get there.