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Their first date was a bit of an accident.
Izuku, bless his heart, was the type of person who piled work on top of work until his weekly schedule looked like a sturdy brick wall, zero sunlight coming through. Literally, he had an excel sheet filled with classes, study groups, friend hang-outs, family time, training, writing, and thankfully, sleep.
All this to say that, sometimes, something got mixed up or forgotten.
That is why Shouto was on the phone outside of the library, an out-of-breath Izuku stumbling over apologies on the other line, while Shinsou, sleep-rumpled but in no way lacking the usual effortless beauty, poured the contents of his backpack on one of the large wooden tables, claiming way too many seats than was necessary.
Shouto cursed under his breath as he watched Hitoshi open a random notebook and promptly mash his head against it, hoodie pulled up over his head.
“I can’t do this, Izuku, I’m leaving.”
“You will absolutely do no such thing. Hitoshi is nice and sweet… if you know how to read his sarcastic remarks. But that’s good! You speak the same language really, you can totally do this!”
“No, you don’t understand.”
“I understand just fine. I also look like an idiot whenever I try to speak to Kiri, but I am already holding hands with him, so it’s worth it looking like a fool. Right, Shouto-kun ?” Izuku was doing his murder will come to those who disagree voice, so Shouto agreed with him and ended the call.
“This is ridiculous.” He said to himself, and pushed through the glass doors to go sit next to Hitoshi, who predictably did not move or give any signs he was awake at all.
It’s not like he and Hitoshi haven’t talked. They have actually been speaking quite a bit for a while, mostly texting though, which was, in Shouto’s opinion, an easier way to communicate. You can’t answer with memes in real time. Or perhaps you shouldn’t. He had had an education, after all. He knew how to behave. For the most part.
After what could have been an entire five minutes, Shouto decided the safer way to do this was to simply poke Hitoshi awake.
Hitoshi was unaffected, but awake at least. He turned his head so he could face Shouto and blinked the darkest eyes at him. Not dark as in bad, but distractingly deep and bright.
“Are we going to study at all?” Shouto asked, though he had most of his work in order and it wouldn’t bother him if they ditched and went somewhere else entirely. Like the roof. Where they would lie down and look at the clouds. And Hitoshi would let him hold his hand and they might kiss.
“Ow!” Shouto hissed, rubbing at his forehead where Shinsou had just flicked him. “What the hell?”
Hitoshi shrugged, unbothered. “You weren’t listening to me.”
Shouto narrowed his eyes. “Bastard. What were you saying?”
“That I don’t have anything to study.”
“Then why did you come?”
Hitoshi paused, seemingly considering his question as if it was difficult to answer.
“I wanted to hang out.”
Shouto hummed, his expression not betraying the hopefulness he was feeling.
“Then let’s hang out. Somewhere else.”
“Oh? Where?”
“Let’s get food first and then the roof.”
“Sounds like you had a plan already.”
“So?”
Hitoshi shrugged and gathered his things back into his bag.
Shouto couldn’t help but feel somewhat nervous. He had just asked Hitoshi on a date. Sort of. He hadn’t explicitly said it was a date but food and hanging out could be a date. It could also not be a date and he was reading way too much into it because he did like Shinsou and he did want to kiss his mouth. Oh well.
They made their way downstairs and then outside of Yuuei to get their food.
They ordered two servings of tonkatsu and a bunch of different kinds of sushi.
“Smells nice.” Hitoshi said taking a deep breath, hands warm from the heat of the food he was carrying.
Shouto nodded and smiled. “I like this place. Izuku and I order from here a lot. He forgets to eat.”
“He forgets a lot of things, it seems.” Hitoshi remarked, though it was stated as a fact and not an accusation.
“He puts too much on himself.”
“Do you?”
“Do I what?” Shouto echoed, confused.
“Do you put too much on yourself?”
Shouto frowned, dumb-founded by the intimacy of the question. He could shrug it off, simply say no and move on. Or he could be honest with someone he genuinely wanted to get to know. He was aware that you had to give some of yourself to get back something of someone else. It wasn’t easy though.
“I-... I try to handle my own feelings by myself a lot. And it’s hard. And it makes me feel alone.”
Hitoshi was looking at him curiously, like he wasn’t expecting such a sincere answer.
“But you’re not.” Hitoshi offered and Shouto shook his head.
“I’m not. I know that. But who would want to hear about all the ugly that-” Shouto pointed at his chest, as if trying to say, all the ugly that lives here, inside.
“The people who care for you.” Shouto sighed.
“Izuku has enough on his plate. And Fuyumi well… she’s dealing with her own stuff.”
“They’re not the only ones who care about you.”
Shouto stared at him like he was reciting an overly complicated riddle.
Hitoshi huffed. “You can’t be this dense.”
“Do you mean…” Shouto pointed at him.
“Yes, dumbass, me.”
“Oh. I wasn’t aware we were already at the revealing my childhood trauma stage of our friendship.” Shouto said, though he meant to be funny.
“We can be at whatever stage we want to be. I’d be sad if I couldn’t see you when I want to. That’s enough for me to know I care.”
Shouto nodded. “I care too. About you, I mean. I- I don’t-” He sighed in frustration, of his stammering, of his difficulty of expressing the way he felt. Hitoshi waited, just kept walking with him, patient.
“I don’t like it when people doubt you. I hate it if they look at you wrong. And I like seeing you. I like seeing you fight and I like seeing you in class. I just… like seeing you.” He finished, quite lamely he thought. He wasn’t expecting to confess his feelings tonight. Then again, the fact he had any feelings to be spoken of was a surprise in and of itself.
“Is this just a friendly “I like to see you” or…?” Hitoshi pressed.
“It’s not just. That.” Shouto admitted.
“Ah. That’s good to know.” Hitoshi said, smile taking over his sleepy features.
“It is?”
“It definitely is, Ice Prince. Now come on, I’m freezing here, let’s get to school.”
“Oh, why didn’t you just say so?” Shouto said before wrapping one arm around Shinsou and warming up his body.
Hitoshi was frozen for a second, the unexpected touch startling him, but soon he melted into the warmth radiating from the other boy, surrounding the air around them.
“Handy trick.” Hitoshi hummed, the heat making him even sleepier. Shouto jostled him, receiving a very offended glare.
“Don’t fall asleep on me. We still have to eat.”
“Yeah yeah.” Hitoshi burrowed closer, face smashed against Shouto’s soft pullover.
Shouto smiled as he kept a tight grip on the other boy, Yuuei approaching in the background.
Come tomorrow, everything would be different, but not by much.