Chapter Text
It’s your first day in a new town, and you’re starting at UA High today. You feel nervous but hopeful for your fresh start and working toward your goal of becoming a hero. When you arrive on UA’s campus, you’re greeted by the two cheeriest future heroes, Izuku and Mirio. You become friends with both of them pretty quickly and they show you around. While being given a tour of campus, Tamaki notices you with Mirio and instantly is mesmerized by you. He hears your voice and laugh and gets super bashful, so he hides to avoid you noticing him. When you leave for class, he immediately finds Mirio and asks him about you. Mirio excitedly tells him about you and watches his best friend’s reactions, knowing already that he has a crush on you. He doesn’t call attention to this, though, because that would make Tamaki more nervous. Instead, he waits for lunchtime. He calls you over from across the cafeteria and invites you to eat with the Big Three. You accept, and sit down across from Tamaki. He tries to introduce himself to you, but gets too flustered to even say his own name. Thankfully, Mirio and Nejire are there to help. They explain that he has a lot of anxiety and you reassure him that you know what that feels like, because you do too. He lights up a little bit and then is able to actually respond to you. He tells you that you don’t seem like you have anxiety because of how confidently and openly you carry yourself, and that he really admires that. You look at him quizzically for a minute, since this is the first time you’ve seen him. He realizes that you didn’t notice him watching you with Mirio and his face turns bright red. Mirio chimes in to say that Tamaki had noticed you earlier in the day and had asked him about you. You start to blush and he smiles shyly.
Mirio and Nejire notice the tremendous amount of chemistry that already exists between you, and they subtly find a way to leave you two alone to eat. You ask Tamaki about his quirk and he excitedly shows you - he had some takoyaki in his lunch. You are fascinated by this and you tell him how incredible his quirk is. He asks about yours, and you explain it to him. You have the ability to make people feel calm by touching them, which makes you a great candidate for a sidekick, since you could calm anyone who is being attacked or watching a villain in action. The only downside to your quirk is that it doesn’t work on you, so your anxiety always remains. Tamaki’s eyes widen and he asks you to use it on him. “Are you anxious right now?” You ask him. “Well, y-yes...I don’t talk to p-people besides Mirio and Nejire very often...”
You smile at him and reach for his hand. As soon as your hands touch, his face flushes red but he doesn’t look away from you. “D-did you do it? I s-still feel kinda anxious, ” He says. “Not yet,” you say, “but I can if you want me to!”
His eyes widen and he takes a deep breath. “Y-you know, I don’t think I want you to. Not y-yet, anyway,” he says softly, still holding your hand. “But I...I also want to keep holding your hand, i-if that’s okay.” You smile, feeling your own cheeks burning. “Of course it’s okay. I like holding your hand.”
You and Tamaki spend the rest of lunch getting to know each other, and you find out that you have very similar interests and personalities. He works up the courage to ask you if he can take you out after school, and you excitedly say yes. As soon as you leave the cafeteria, Mirio and Nejire find you and ask about how things went. You tell them that he asked you out and they’re both so excited that Tamaki found someone who seems to be so perfect for him. They each give you their phone numbers because they want updates on how your date goes (and because they both really like you, too). You then head off to your next class.
Tamaki finds his friends and tells them that you have a date after school. They brainstorm ideas of things you can do together while they go to class. He decides that he wants to take you to his favorite restaurant, since you’re new in town, and then go for a walk in the park. You spend the rest of your day unable to focus on any of your new classes or classmates, you’re too busy daydreaming about how nice it felt to hold Tamaki’s hand and how excited you are for your date.
When school ends, Tamaki finds out outside and asks if you’re ready to go. He starts walking with you and telling you his favorite things about UA and living in the area. He tells you about his favorite places and promises to take you to each of them, but only if you want him to. At one point during the walk, you trip, and he catches you. He holds onto you for a second after helping you up, but the second he realizes what’s happening he lets go and starts to blush. You laugh and thank him for saving you.
“I always manage to make a fool of myself,” you say with a laugh, and he stops dead in his tracks. He looks you in the eye and says, “you could never make yourself look foolish...at least, I could never think that you look foolish.” You smile and feel your cheeks burning, while you softly thank him again. You keep walking to your destination, and while you walk, Tamaki reaches for your hand. “I j-just don’t want you to fall again,” he chuckles. “And...I also really l-like holding your hand.”
“I like holding yours, too,” you say with a smile. “So where are we going? I know I’m new around here, but I don’t recognize anything around us.” Tamaki explains that he wants to take you to his favorite restaurant, and then to the park after you eat. “D-does...that sound like a nice time to you?” He looks doubtful and puts his head down. You stop walking this time, and with your free hand you lift his face so that you can see him. “That sounds absolutely wonderful, Tamaki. I can tell that you put a lot of thought into it, so why are you doubting your good ideas?”
He struggles to maintain eye contact with you. “I...I just wanted to make sure that it was good enough...t-that I’m good enough...” his voice gets quieter and trails off. “Hey,” you say gently, “If I didn’t think you were good enough, I wouldn’t be here right now.” You softly brush his cheek with your thumb and it reminds him that your hand is touching his face. His cheeks flash bright red, but he doesn’t pull away from you. “Your h-hands are so soft,” he says, nuzzling his cheek against your palm. You smile and rub your thumb against his cheek again. “Should we keep walking?”
“Y-yeah, let’s go!” He says, tugging on the hand he’s holding. You continue walking hand-in-hand, passing some of your new classmates on the way.
“Hey, Y/N!” Izuku calls out. You look over to see him, Ochaco, and Tenya walking together.
“Hey, guys!” You say back. “Thanks so much again for showing me around today, I really appreciate it!” They start walking your way. You feel Tamaki’s hand tense up and you turn to him. “Do you mind if I say hi quickly? I don’t want to make you anxious!”
“No, it’s okay! I know these guys,” he says, smiling. “Take your time!”
The trio approaches you. “Oh, hey Tamaki! I didn’t see you at first,” Izuku says. “What are you guys up to?”
“Tamaki is showing me around! We’re about to go to his favorite restaurant and then to the park, I think,” you say, blushing. He nods in agreement. Ochaco notices you holding his hand and nudges Izuku. “We should get going, you guys! We don’t want to keep these guys from their date!” Tenya and Izuku’s eyes widen, not realizing what Ochaco had about your day.
“I had no idea you two were going on a date!” Tenya exclaims, “My apologies!”
“Yeah, Y/N, I had no idea! I’m happy for you two, though!” Izuku chimes in. “Well, we’ll let you get to it, then! See you tomorrow!” The trio continues on their walk home.
You squeeze Tamaki’s hand. “Sorry about that!”
“It’s o-okay, I don’t mind at all,” he says, smiling at you. “We’re almost at the restaurant, anyway!”
“Oh, awesome!” You say, “I’m so excited to try it!” His eyes light up as his cheeks flush pink.
“Y-you know, I’ve never actually done anything like this before,” he says softly. “Going...uh, going on a date, I mean.”
“Honestly, I haven’t either,” you say, “but I’m glad that we get to be each other’s firsts today!” His eyes widen with the realization and he squeezes your hand. When he does, your heart flutters.
“I’m glad too,” he says, hair falling in his face. He tugs your hand and says “h-hey, we’re here.” You look up and see a sign for a small ramen shop. Tamaki opens the door and releases your hand long enough to gesture at you to enter before he does. You find a table in the corner and sit down facing one another. Tamaki’s gaze barely leaves the table. “I’m s-sorry...” he says softly, “I just g-get nervous when I have to make eye contact with someone.”
You reach across the table and grab his hand. “It’s okay,” you say, “I understand. What if I look down at the menu?” His eyes dart up to take in your face while you try to decide what to order.
You both take turns reading the menu to avoid too much direct eye contact, and after you’ve placed your order you and Tamaki start to get to know each other better. You talk about adjusting to a new city, missing your hometown and friends, and how excited they’ll be to hear that you’re doing so well - and on a date, no less! Tamaki talks about his family, softly mentioning that they tend to put a lot of pressure on him and don’t really understand his anxiety. You take both of his hands into yours and say, “I’m so sorry. That must be incredibly frustrating.”
He looks at you, eyes dark. “Everything is always my fault,” he says. “My brother can do no wrong, and I can’t do anything right.” You can feel him getting tense so you squeeze his hands.
“We don’t have to keep talking about it right now if it’s too much,” you say softly. “I can tell it’s making you upset, and I don’t want that.” He nods slightly, eyes pointed down at your intertwined hands. At that moment, your food arrives, giving you a break from the discussion.
You make small talk while you eat, mostly discussing how good your ramen is. You and Tamaki shyly take bites of the other person’s food and he watches your face light up as you exclaim, “this is delicious!” With a mouth full of noodles. He tries to stifle a giggle, but it escapes his lips and makes you laugh too. The rest of your meal is filled with laughter, smiles, and rosy cheeks.
When it’s time to pay, you both reach for your wallets. Tamaki immediately gets flustered. “N-no, Y/N, I’ve got this,” he says gently.
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind paying for myself!”
“Yes, of course. I...I want to be a gentleman, s-so that means our first date is on me,” he says, confidence growing in his voice. You smile and thank him.
Leaving the restaurant, you notice that the sun is starting to set. Tamaki looks slightly disappointed. “I didn’t realize the sun would be setting this early today,” he says. “I was really hoping we could go to the park for awhile, too.” His head drops slightly and you can sense the disappointment he’s feeling. You put your hand on his face and pull it up so you can look in his eyes.
“Hey, it’s okay! We still had a wonderful first date. And we can always go to the park another time! Maybe...tomorrow?” He looks at you, surprised.
“T-tomorrow? Really?” He asks. “You...you want to see me again that soon?”
“Of course I do,” you say with a smile. Tamaki’s face flushes red and he puts his hand on top of yours, your thumb brushing his cheek gently. Unexpectedly, he turns his face into your palm and plants a soft kiss into your hand. You feel your own cheeks burning as your eyes widen.
“S-sorry...” he stammers, “I j-just...was feeling brave for a moment.”
You smile and let out a nervous giggle. “It’s okay,” you say gently. “It was very sweet!” Tamaki lets out a tiny sigh of relief.
“Well, I-I’m glad you didn’t mind,” he says. “Would...would it be okay if I walked you home? I want to make sure you’re safe.” You smile and nod your head. Tamaki takes your hand in his and you start walking together. He lets you lead, keeping his head down and eyes on the ground or your intertwined hands. You find your way back to your new home, and Tamaki walks with you to your front door.
“I...uh, I’m really happy that I met you today,” he says, shyly looking into your eyes. “A-and that you wanted to go on a date with me, too.”
“I’m really glad too, Tamaki,” you say. “I couldn’t have asked for a better first date, or a better first day at UA!” He takes a step closer to you, looking nervous.
“C-can I ask a favor of you?” He asks.
“Sure! What is it?”
“W-would you mind using your quirk on me for a minute? There’s...something I want to do, but I’m really nervous.” You just know that what he wants to do is kiss you, and the thought alone sends your heart into overdrive. You don’t want your first kiss to happen because you had to use your quirk on him, so you decide to try and find a middle ground.
“I...think I know what you’re thinking,” you say, “and I’m nervous too. Why don’t we be nervous together and hope for the best?”
Tamaki gently wraps his arms around you and pulls you in for a hug. Your face rests on his shoulder, and he lets out a happy sigh. Pulling away for a moment, his eyes lock with yours, and for a split second, you can’t see the anxiety building inside of him. He lifts a hand to cup your face and gently gives you a kiss. Fireworks erupt inside of your head, heart pounding, butterflies in your stomach. It’s your first kiss, which seems fitting for the end of your first date.
When he pulls away, the anxiety returns. “Was...was that okay?” He asks, eyes unable to meet yours. You can’t help but smile at him.
“It was perfect,” you say. “The perfect first kiss to end the perfect first date.”
“Th-that was your first kiss, too?!” You nod and let out a giggle. “Well...I-I guess it’s only right to share another first with you...right?”
“It felt right to me,” you say. “And I can’t wait to see the park with you tomorrow.” He smiles.
“I...I should probably head home. My f-family might...wonder where I am,” you sense a wave of apathy coming over Tamaki. You take his hands and ask him to let you know when he makes it home, and that you’ll be there if he needs to talk about anything before tomorrow. He gives you another quick kiss and then starts to head home.
You go inside and head to your bedroom. There are still plenty of boxes to unpack, but you can’t be bothered. You fall onto your bed and replay the day’s events over and over in your mind. You send a quick text to Mirio and Nejire and tell them that your first date went very well. They both are overjoyed at how brave Tamaki was with you, and they tell you that you seem like a perfect match for him. A short time later, Tamaki lets you know that he’s home and that he can’t wait to see you tomorrow. You drift slowly off to sleep, dreaming of the perfect day you just had.