Work Text:
For all his life, Izuku has been a man of many interests. He was also quick to obsession, pouring his entire soul into his newest interests until, just as quickly as he fell in love with something, he moved on to the next. That isn’t to say he lost interest completely—it honestly depended on the thing, given he had gone through five fandoms in just as many weeks one time, yet also been constantly immersed in one other for pretty much over a decade.
The All Might comics had been critically acclaimed since they first debuted, and being someone who was always inclined to help people, Izuku couldn’t help feeling drawn to the story of a superhero dedicating his life to saving others with a smile. This series had accompanied him throughout so many other of his newer obsessions, always a comforting safety-net for him to fall back on when he felt betrayed by a particular development in another show he had decided to offer his heart to.
When All Might’s creator announced there would finally be an animated series to go with the long-running comic, based on one of its most beloved arcs, Izuku was excited to dive right back into the fandom with renewed vigour, ready to meet new fans just getting into the series. Some might call him childish for still being so neck-deep into something clearly geared at a younger audience, but in his humble and totally unbiased opinion, one of All Might’s greatest appeals was how it was fun for all ages.
Who cares if he was a broke college student dangerously close to overdosing on caffeine to get through the countless papers on criminal profiling his pain-in-the-ass of a teacher was hellbent on throwing at him every other week? Certainly not him.
It’s not like Izuku was the only one anyway. He had met plenty of people his age through online events for this series and countless others. The person who gave him most grief about still engaging was Kacchan, and he may deny having any interests at all, but being his oldest friend, Izuku knew very well he could oftentimes be just as much of a hardcore fanboy as Izuku, if not even worse. After all, Izuku was probably the only person aware of his super-secret collection of mint-condition limited edition All Might figurines—Izuku still drooled over it when he visited his house with his mom for the holidays.
Plus, he was sure that Kacchan was bouncing in his seat when that first episode aired too, whether he would ever admit it or not. Only real difference between them was that Izuku was shameless about his interests. Catch him openly crying in the club at a ten page fan comic of All Might trusting his successor to keep the city safe once his power finally left him for good, then leaving an incoherent reply thanking the author for stomping on his heart.
After the most recent twist the animated series dropped on everyone, Izuku was finding himself amidst a chaos of outrage and excitement in one of the servers he had joined lords knew how many years ago to rave about each new issue of the comic. The server wasn’t all that big before, but after the series started, the mods decided to drop a link in their socials to invite new fans, eager for more engagement, more people in love with the hero they grew up with. And with this new development, there was no doubt in Izuku’s mind that All Might would amass even more fans.
What Izuku hadn’t really expected was to find a little more than just a couple new friends to gush with.
It all started with a stupid gif.
—> A wild strawberry_shortcake appeared.
strawberry_shortcake Today at 12:36 AM
joining a fandom late like:
https://media.giphy.com/media/BfiL8ZJWqfw7C/giphy.gif
How was he supposed to resist that when it nearly made him snort his drink out of his nose from the unexpectedness alone? Of course, he ended up ensuring the newbie that everyone in the server was friendly despite the overall anarchy that was currently taking it over, and the cheeky ‘seems fake but ok’ that followed hooked him for good.
After shortcake introduced himself to the server, a couple gif exchanges in the general chat turned to enthusiastic discussions about shortcake’s theories on how All Might’s protégé was definitely his secret lovechild that he dug from the system after years estranged. The obvious progression from there was a friend request dropping in his inbox so that he could scream at him in DMs about how he is right and Izuku is just too blind to see it without bothering the other people in the server any further.
That then went into Izuku digging up screenshots from the comics to prove his point over the course of a few days, shortcake’s schedule seemingly more all over the place than his own. Yet every time, he would come back with another piece of so-called evidence from the show to convince him otherwise, picking the conversation right where it stopped as if he had just been gone a couple minutes to get a drink rather than leaving him on read for literally half a day. Eventually, Izuku’s curiosity got the better of him, and he had to ask if he was from the other side of the world.
strawberry_shortcake Today at 01:11 AM
depends where the other side of the world is for you, I guess
Izuku really couldn’t argue with that, and given he was the one to ask, it was only right that he give his location up as well.
SmolMight Today at 01:12 AM
fair enough
I’m Japanese, born and raised. You?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 01:13 AM
same
hm
smol world, one could say.
SmolMight Today at 01:15 AM
ajgnakejgnakejgnakgj
don’t think I didn’t see what you did there!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 01:15 AM
https://media.giphy.com/media/2bRl9YbY60FMs/giphy.gif
I know not what you accuse me of
SmolMight Today at 01:16 AM
aegbajegakgja
fine, be like that
but about what really matters, then why?
why on earth do you reply at such weird times?!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 01:19 AM
I have weird schedules
SmolMight Today at 01:19 AM
…
are
are you…
an entertainer? ifuknowatimean
strawberry_shortcake Today at 01:21 AM
https://media.giphy.com/media/GHl7ywzbuT8KQ/giphy.gif
I can neither confirm nor deny that without the presence of my lawyer.
SmolMight Today at 01:22 AM
not sus at all
strawberry_shortcake Today at 01:22 AM
not at all.
anyway--
back to why All Might definitely adopted his long lost child
SmolMight Today at 01:23 AM
OH MY GOD STAPH! I will literally drop the entire wiki on your ASS
That argument lasted at least a couple more days of intermittent texting, but Izuku was sure that was the tipping point. Growing up, Izuku didn’t really have that many friends. He was always quirky, overly analytical, and his incessant ramblings when he was passionate about something drove a lot of people away, and those who stuck around, it was often just to make fun of him. Truth is, Izuku never really fit into a mould, always fascinated by things others found weird or creepy.
It was most likely why he ended up studying forensics, his deep desire to help matched with his niche interests and penchant for diving too deep into a theory, to get to the bottom of a mystery and come up with the solution to a problem that most didn’t even care about. Really, it was kind of a mystery how shortcake had been the one to bring up a theory first between the two of them, defending it with his very honour until Izuku pulled so many counterarguments out of his vastly founded knowledge he literally had no leg to stand on. But perhaps that was exactly why Izuku was so happy to have met him.
It was really nice having someone to bounce off of, someone who was just as fervent about the show as him despite not having been into it for that long. He was drawn in by the mainstream popularity it garnered, but he stuck around long after the season ended, not quite picking up the source material but still offering his opinions on what he did know of, listening to Izuku rant about all that he didn’t. And then their friendship went beyond All Might, took a step into somewhat more personal grounds, and Izuku found himself feeling far too excited for something as simple as sharing names.
strawberry_shortcake Today at 03:45 AM
you’re right, names are important to define a character
I definitely hold an appreciation for Yagi-sensei’s masterful use of puns for names, all things considered
so, in light of the topic, it seems like the appropriate step in this arrangement of ours for me to ask your name
SmolMight Today at 08:36 AM
oh crap, sorry, I totally fell asleep halfway through that convo huh?
what gives you the right to think we’re already at a point where we can share names?!
lol kidding
I’m Izuku
some friends call me Deku tho if you’d prefer that
strawberry_shortcake Today at 08:37 AM
Deku?
SmolMight Today at 08:39 AM
I’m not even gonna ask what you’re doing awake at this hour when you last texted at 4 in the god damn morning
but yeah
at first it was kind of a mean name, to be honest, but then someone said it sounded like “You can do it” and I kinda… took it
might have been cus I found her cute
but it’s okay, I like the message
strawberry_shortcake Today at 08:46 AM
whipped
SmolMight Today at 08:48 AM
SHUT UP!
okay maybe
but that’s in the past, we’re just friends now, OKAY?!
a-anyway
what’s your name?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 08:55 AM
Shouto
SmolMight Today at 08:55 AM
Shouto?
your name is Shouto?
and you’re Japanese?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:01 AM
yeah…………
SmolMight Today at 09:02 AM
appreciating the puns--
strawberry_shortcake--
ooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
that’s a
https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj5jcfswnA1qdabzno1_500.png
pun
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:10 AM
damn right it is.
for a second there I almost thought…
SmolMight Today at 09:16 AM
…
thought what?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:16
that you wouldn’t get my brilliance
SmolMight Today at 09:18
it would have been a tragedy
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:18 AM
truly
I have to go to sleep now
SmolMight Today at 09:20 AM
I am literally getting ready for my morning classes, what the hell are you doing with your life?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:20 AM
I ask myself that question every day honestly
SmolMight Today at 09:21 AM
ok but mood
I really gotta go tho
sleep well then :)
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:25 AM
https://media.giphy.com/media/1iTItUOuJLsbev28/giphy.gif
SmolMight Today at 09:25 AM
cute
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:26 AM
no, you
SmolMight Today at 09:28 AM
w-wat
strawberry_shortcake Today at 09:29 AM
I said what I said
That was the first instance. The first time shortcake—or Shouto—said something that truly made Izuku’s heart beat just a little harder. He didn’t quite notice at first, brushing it off as two friends playing off each other. But the more it happened, the more he felt it. Even when he dished back the flirtatious remarks tenfold, whenever Shouto didn’t hesitate to send even more of his own, Izuku’s felt his breath catch and his stomach flip.
Little by little, those palpitations at the occasional cheeky compliment began blending with the uncontained excitement of just getting a message from Shouto, the flares of guilt when he noticed he had gotten distracted with something or other before replying to him and only returning hours later. Suddenly, even when he wasn’t online, just going about his day, his mind would start drifting to Shouto, to the next time they would speak, to that last message he sent that had gone unanswered due to that ridiculous schedule of his. It was strange how his every thought started being consumed by someone whose face he had never even seen. Every new thing he learned, every new interest he found, Izuku’s first instinct was always to tell Shouto all about it.
SmolMight Today at 10:33 PM
omg, I think I just found my new favourite show!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:34 PM
Oh no
Does that mean you’re going to move on from AM and stop talking to me?
SmolMight Today at 10:35 PM
oh hey, you’re actually here
was kind of expecting you to be gone until ass crack of dawn again
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:35 PM
I’m bored at a thing, so I’m just on my phone
And you’re dodging my question
SmolMight Today at 10:37 PM
I’m nooooot >.<
I was genuinely surprised
am I not allowed?!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:39 PM
And yet you still haven’t answered
https://media.giphy.com/media/ANbD1CCdA3iI8/giphy.gif
SmolMight Today at 10:40 PM
akjgnag STOP THAT
you know I’m an AM fan for lyf
no way I’d ever leave the fandom at this point
it’s ride or die baby
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:43 PM
Good
We’re ride or die, baby
SmolMight Today at 10:45 PM
omg
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:45 PM
If you leave me, I will find you
SmolMight Today at 10:45 PM
wow, really getting them yandere vibes from you right now
do you love me that much?
if you can’t have me, no one will?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:47 PM
Now you’re getting it
SmolMight Today at 10:47 PM
akjgnakgna
p sure you legally own my soul from the moment you caught me actually slipping on AM facts
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:49 PM
That is correct
Glad we’re on the same page on the fact that I own you
SmolMight Today at 10:50 PM
Shouto-sama pls have mercy
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:50 PM
No
SmolMight Today at 10:51 PM
waaah {{ (>_<) }}
I can’t tell if I’m scared or turned on
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:52 PM
https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7aCRloybJlXpNjSU/giphy.gif
SmolMight Today at 10:53 PM
omfg
this conversation is going way off the rails
I came here with a purpose
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:55 PM
To steal my heart?
Oh wait, never mind
It’s already yours
SmolMight Today at 10:56 PM
SHOUTO PLS
be serious
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:57 PM
I am
Deadly serious
SmolMight Today at 10:57 PM
ANYWAY
ABOUT THE SHOW I JUST FOUND
these friends from uni told me about it, it started tonight
I thought it was just gonna be your run of the mill boring procedural but just the first episode got me HOOKED
Shouto
Shouto you don’t even know
it’s got everything
compelling characters
the first mystery was so well written
and the main character is just so interesting!!!!! he’s really mysterious and one of those lone wolf types who goes off on his own when everyone around him seems like they aren’t up to the task, but he’s also really compelling and kind and just arghagejbhghb
I can already tell there’s gonna be an overarching plot about his missing childhood memories, I KNOW IT
and I just can’t wait to get more juicy details so I can start theorising
plus the actors are all so great! the main character is played by this super hot actor who kinda went off the radar for a while but talk about a comeback!!!!!!
oh my gosh I’m totally rambling aren’t I
I’m so sorry
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:09 PM
It’s fine
I keep telling you I like seeing you excited about stuff
SmolMight Today at 11:10 PM
(*/_＼)
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:10 PM
The show sounds fun btw
SmolMight Today at 11:11 PM
IT IS
you should check it out!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:12 PM
Hmm don’t know if it’s something I would enjoy watching
But I’m happy you’re enjoying it
I’m sure I’ll get a good enough gist of what’s going on from your gushing
SmolMight Today at 11:13 PM
I honestly can’t tell if I should be offended by that last part
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:13 PM
Lol definitely not
Okay that sounded sarcastic
But I swear I meant it
Really, it’s nice to hear you talk about the things you enjoy, even if I don’t watch it
I don’t want you to stop talking about something you like just because I’m not… in on it?
SmolMight Today at 11:17 PM
TT^TT Shoutooooooooo
you’re too sweet
what did I ever do to deserve your friendship?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:18 PM
You were born
SmolMight Today at 11:19 PM
｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
if you keep saying things like that I’m gonna seriously fall in love with you
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:20 PM
Guess I should do just that then
Izuku had to take a break after that. Luckily, having classes early next morning was the perfect excuse for him to casually throw his phone to the side and bury his face in his pillow to scream. If Izuku were honest with himself, that was a bold-faced lie. At this point, he wasn’t kidding anyone, much less himself. Having seen him or not, having heard his voice or not, Izuku had already fallen hard for Shouto. The only real mystery was whether Shouto felt the same, or if everything he told Izuku was nothing more than risqué jokes, emboldened by the relative anonymity of the screens between them.
Sure, they knew each other’s names, but even then… who was to say they weren’t just as fake as their handles? Just because Izuku hadn’t lied about his own, he couldn’t be sure Shouto had offered him the same level of trust, as much as his aching heart wanted to believe otherwise. They joked around a lot, they were friendly, sometimes borderline more than that, but Izuku could never know if there were real feelings beneath all the flirting.
But even so…
Call him a hopeless romantic, part of him held on to the hope that maybe… just maybe… they shared something deep and genuine.
Izuku started testing the waters. First, it was an inconspicuous picture of his hand holding onto a paper cup with his name scribbled on it after he stopped by a coffee shop on his way home from his last class of the day. He didn’t really want to expect anything to come out of it, trying to shield his heart from cracking, at least in part. But then Shouto responded with a picture of his own holding up some soba noodles with his chopsticks and Izuku nearly dropped his phone in his excited squirming.
SmolMight Today at 05:09 PM
That’s a handsome picture you got there
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:10 PM
Fuck why didn’t I think of that one?!
I’m ashamed now
SmolMight Today at 05:10 PM
It’s okay, I forgive you
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:10 PM
This is what happens when I don’t eat anything until 5 in the god damn afternoon
SmolMight Today at 05:11 PM
I’m sorry you didn’t WHAT?!?!?!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:12 PM
Today was a bit hectic at work. This is kind of my first break.
SmolMight Today at 05:12 PM
THAT IS SO NOT OKAY! SHOUT YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!
God I can’t even type your name right
That’s how shaken I am!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:14 PM
Your concern is very touching
But I’m fine
I’m eating now, as you saw
SmolMight Today at 05:15 PM
Okay…
If you say so…
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:17 PM
I do say so
Your nails are cute btw
Green looks good on you
SmolMight Today at 05:18 PM
You don’t even know what I look like
strawberry_shortcake 05:18 PM
I know you’re cute
SmolMight Today at 05:19 PM
If you actually saw me, you probably wouldn’t say that…
Most people say I’m plain
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:20 PM
Most people must be blind then
SmolMight Today at 05:20 PM
ajegka
Again, you don’t even know what I look like!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:21 PM
I don’t need to
Just talking to you, I know you’re beautiful
Inside and out
Besides, out of the two of us, I can bet I’m the one whose face would turn the other away
SmolMight Today at 05:24 PM
DON’T SAY THAT
I won’t let you insult my friend like that!!
Take it back!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:25 PM
I could keep arguing, but if I want to finish this meal before I have to go back I really can’t
I’ll talk to you later
SmolMight Today at 05:26 PM
Alright… But please make sure you eat and drink plenty of water this time!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 05:27 PM
Yes mother
But just in case I forget and pass out, make sure you come wake me up with a kiss <3
SmolMight Today at 05:28 PM
OMFG
TAKE YOUR HEALTH MORE SERIOUSLY!!!!
Despite the overall tone of the conversation, Izuku couldn’t help but be concerned for Shouto after that. He really hoped he wasn’t being overbearing, but he couldn’t help from sending him casual reminders to eat proper meals whenever he had his own from then on, always getting a word of gratitude in return that sent his heart to racing. With Izuku’s added concern, he started getting glimpses into Shouto’s vulnerabilities, his insecurities, and his heart grew heavier with sympathy, fondness, adoration. The feelings that had been planted in his soul when they began chatting finally blossomed into something unlike anything he had ever felt before, and each new message drew him closer to madness.
Izuku was overcome with a need for more than this, those casual pictures he sent growing more and more daring as he started sending snippets of his everyday life in a hopeless hope that Shouto would somehow piece together a puzzle he wasn’t even aware he had started. Shouto’s pictures were fewer and far between, never much more than a forearm or his legs and without any identifying marks. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder if there was a wedge between them, if there was a boundary Shouto wasn’t willing to cross that he kept trying to push into.
It was wrong of him to want more out of something that was probably never meant to go beyond interactions within a specific fandom, right? But how could he resist this longing, when despite the apparent distance he kept between them with his carefully taken photos, their conversations kept going, and they started sharing more concrete stories of their past, their present, their dreams for the future. If this was all just a bunch of lies, then Izuku wasn’t sure how he would react, how he would survive learning the truth.
Having poured so much of himself into some of those talks, even going so far as to dissolving in a puddle of tears when his lonely childhood spent ostracised by his peers came up, Izuku truly felt like a piece of his heart was now in Shouto’s hands. And if they really weren’t as tender and kind as they looked in every single one of those photos, it would surely break and bruise until it could never be put back to the way it had been before. Still, call him foolish, call him naïve, but he truly felt like he could trust him.
It was something about the way he spoke when they talked about more serious things, when their flirtatious banter gave way to softer, more heartfelt topics. In those times, Izuku could see someone who reminded him so much of himself back in those middle school days: desperate for a meaningful connection that wouldn’t end in hurt. And Izuku wanted so desperately to reach out and be that person who’s hand he could take without fear of being let go.
Maybe he was reading too much into it, spurred by this fantasy in which this somehow led to a future outside of that All Might server, outside of their direct messages, outside their screens.
Was it nothing more than wishful thinking, or was there really more to their interactions than what could be seen on the surface?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:15 PM
the new episode just ended right?
SmolMight Today at 10:15 PM
omg I was just about to text you about it!
I WAS RIGHT! HIS PARTNER KNEW HIM FROM WHEN THEY WERE KIDS!!!!
I bet everyone thinks she hid it bcs she’s shady, but I honestly think that she’s trying to protect him! the writers have been too good to fall into such a boring plot twist, I can feel it in my bones
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:19 PM
wow spoiler alert
SmolMight Today at 10:19 PM
oh shut up you already said you wouldn’t be watching it, I’m allowed to spoil you
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:20 PM
what if I started watching it for you?
SmolMight Today at 10:20 PM
wait, did you?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:20 PM
no lol
okay but really
there’s
something I want to talk to you about
I was just waiting for you to finish. didn’t want to bother you
SmolMight Today at 10:23 PM
hey Shouto… is everything okay? you’re worrying me
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:23 PM
yeah, everything is fine
and well
I hope it will be after I say this too
fuck I’m nervous
SmolMight Today at 10:26 PM
Shouto?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:27 PM
Izuku… I need to ask you something and I need you to answer me honestly
I know that
we flirt and stuff
and it’s all fun and whatever
but I
SmolMight Today at 10:33 PM
Shouto, you can’t just start a conversation like that then not continue!
is something wrong?
did I do something wrong? did I make you uncomfortable or
we can stop if that’s what you want I just
Shouto please answer me
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:35 PM
shit sorry
I
my hands are shaking
you didn’t do anything wrong, and I don’t want us to stop
it’s… the opposite
Izuku, please tell me honestly, do you like me?
SmolMight Today at 10:38 PM
of course I like you
you’re my friend
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:39 PM
not like that
god damn it I feel like a kid saying this but do you like like me?
SmolMight Today at 10:40 PM
I--
strawberry_shortcake Today at 10:44 PM
it feels like you are my first real friend you know
everyone who ever tried to get close to me was either trying to get close to my father or they just wanted to make themselves look good
everything felt frivolous
meaningless
and I didn’t even have any interests of my own
it felt like everything was decided for me and I was just along for the ride that was supposed to be my life
but then I got into the All Might animated series and decided to do something for myself for once
and I met you there
and we started talking
and god, Izuku I swear I started falling for you the first day we started talking
and I need to know. I need to know if you feel the same way before I do anything else, bcs I can’t risk losing what I have with you like everything else I allowed myself to think I had before
fuck you’re not saying anything
please tell me I didn’t scare you off
SmolMight Today at 11:02 PM
I’m here
sorry, I’m just crying
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:04 PM
shit Izuku I didn’t meant to make you cry
SmolMight Today at 11:05 PM
It’s not bad!!
I’m just really happy haha sorry
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:06 PM
stop apologising please
SmolMight Today at 11:06 PM
sorry
ah
I mean
I like you
I should say that instead
I fell for you too
hard
haha oh god I can’t believe this is actually happening
I thought I was just living in a dream and that you would never…
excuse me while I go get some tissues
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:12 PM
take all the time you need
you have no idea how relieved that makes me
I feel like I haven’t been able to breathe until now since I decided to tell you
SmolMight Today at 11:15 PM
okay I’m back
I’m only crying a little now
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:15 PM
you’re adorable, you know that?
god I’m so fucking happy right now
I don’t think I have ever smiled this wide in all my life
but now that I know how you feel, that’s not all I have to say
SmolMight Today at 11:17 PM
are you actually trying to kill me? I don’t know if my heart can take much more tonight
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:18 PM
bear with me please
just for a little while longer
SmolMight Today at 11:19 PM
okay
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:20 PM
okay
remember that time way back… when you asked if I was an entertainer?
SmolMight Today at 11:21 PM
holy shit are you actually like a cam boy or something?!
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:22 PM
no…
I’m an actor
have been since I was a child
SmolMight Today at 11:23 PM
oh?
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:24 PM
I took a break from it in my teens so that I could focus on my studies but then I got back to it when a friend came to me about a show they were pitching and they wrote it thinking of me as the lead
SmolMight Today at 11:25 PM
wait
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:25 PM
so, what I’m trying to say is
SmolMight Today at 11:25 PM
WAIT
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:26 PM
SmolMight Today at 11:26 PM
WAUT AFUCKING SECOND
There it was. In all its glory. A selfie of Todoroki Shouto, the Todoroki Shouto, the lead actor on the show he had just been watching on TV a little over an hour ago, looking a little shy as he curled in on himself, a hand resting atop his head and his chin resting on one knee. He looked a little different from his character, his hair split between white on the right and red on the left rather than all black, matching the heterochromia of his eyes that he was so well known for back in his teenage years.
Though the thing that really jumped out had to be the patch of rugged skin over his left eye, an old burn scar that Izuku had never once seen in any of the actor’s pictures throughout the entirety of his career. That time Shouto mentioned his face turning Izuku away jumped to the forefront of his mind and his stomach lurched, the vague notion that he should never have once thought that scar made him any less beautiful flitting across his mind.
But still… that couldn’t be…
SmolMight Today at 11:30 PM
THAT ISN’T REAL IS IT
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:31 PM
I thought you might say something like that so
since there could be a random Izuku in my life that I had done this for, I decided to use that nickname of yours instead
Sure enough, written in big bold letters across his forearm, that Property of Deku was pretty damning. Izuku swallowed thickly.
SmolMight Today at 11:33 PM
akgjnaekjgnakgejn
rhknrkajngkajgn
akejgnaekjgnakjegnakgjen
hlykjskjrakjgbagjkba
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:35 PM
I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have said anything after all…
SmolMight Today at 11:35 PM
nono
sorry
I’m just trying to process the fact that the actor for my favourite character in one of my favourite shows is a huge fucking dork
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:36 PM
w-well I--you’re the fucking dork
SmolMight Today at 11:36 PM
yes, yes I am. we both are.
and to top it off…
we like each other
omg
I can’t believe
is this real life
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:39 PM
no it’s definitely fanta sea
SmolMight Today at 11:40 PM
akengakejgnaeg
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:40 PM
are you okay? are we okay?
SmolMight Today at 11:41 PM
yeah
I am
we are
I’m still kind of pinching myself but yes
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:43 PM
me too
I’m really happy Izuku
you have no idea
SmolMight Today at 11:45 PM
I mean, I think I have an inkling
don’t think I’m going to treat you differently just cus you’re some big shot celebrity or something tho
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:46 PM
I wouldn’t want you to. really wouldn’t.
SmolMight Today at 11:47 PM
also, if you spoil me anything from your show I will murder you
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:48 PM
lol
wouldn’t have it any other way
but don’t worry, I won’t
I want to talk to you all night but you should go to sleep now
you have classes, right?
SmolMight Today at 11:50 PM
SCREW THAT
I have a boyfriend now
I can skip one fucking day, I’ve been good
but if you’re busy in the morning then we can call it a night
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:53 PM
wow
those double standards
SmolMight Today at 11:54 PM
shut up
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:54 PM
I was gonna say I’m free tomorrow but if that’s what you want--
SmolMight Today at 11:55 PM
wait no akegjaekgja
come back
Shouto!
I love you come back please
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:56 PM
tojhjekajbda
SmolMight Today at 11:56 PM
omg that made you key smash
I love you
I love you
I love you
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:57 PM
tenhkejtnh
Izuku please
you’ll kill me
then there won’t be a second season
SmolMight Today at 11:58 PM
this is a price I’m willing to pay
I love you Shouto
strawberry_shortcake Today at 11:58 PM
thijthkhjakhrg
They spoke all night after that. Because how could they not. Izuku had to make sure it was really happening every five minutes, if not more, sure that if he let his lids fall closed for one second too long he would wake up in his bed and go back to an empty chat, all of the previous messages nothing more than a figment of his overactive imagination. But when eventually they did say their goodnights, much closer to dawn than they should have, Izuku woke to that conversation still there, along with the promise that they would meet soon.
For real.
In person.
Izuku still couldn’t quite believe it, even with the evidence right there in his hands, shining on his phone’s screen. His heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest as he pushed himself out of bed, unable to contain his excitement for what was ahead of him. Who could blame him?
As he grabbed his keys, still a little tired from lack of sleep, he thanked his lucky stars for the day he started loving All Might and never stopped. It was hard to believe that was where it all started, but the truth was it grew from there. It grew so much Izuku felt fit to burst. And damn if it wasn’t the best feeling in the world.