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Eijirou's love life before Izuku was nonexistent. He blended so nicely into the crowds that girls didn't pay him attention, and even if they did, Eijirou would be drooling over the male models featured in online catalogs. When he met Izuku in their first year at Yuuei, he knew he wanted to at least chat with the super-strength Quirk user. Eijirou developed a debilitating liking to Izuku incredibly fast, and when he found out his best friend was childhood friends with his crush, he became keen on actually dating Izuku. He'd suck up any information Katsuki offered, despite it being little to none. When Eijirou asked Katsuki for his permission to pursue Izuku, the blond nearly blasted him to the sun. While Eijirou put on a brave face when it came to his interest in Izuku, he couldn't ask the other boy out until the middle of their second year at Yuuei.
It was the most (first) romantic thing Eijirou had ever experienced. Eijirou nervously invited Izuku to a new movie release. It was a Red Riot Biography. Eijirou might've told a white lie, saying he accidentally bought two tickets when he meant to buy one. Izuku, being the hero enthusiast he is, accepted without question. Their streaming was at nine, but the theater overflowed with Red Riot fans. When something intense happened, Izuku's body would wind up, and he'd lean out of his chair with a hand ghosting over his mouth to stop his muttering. Eijirou would have to buy the movie and rewatch it cause his eyes kept wandering over to Izuku and his frequently changing expressions. Izuku was never one to avoid touch, so when Eijirou snaked his arm around Izuku's shoulders, Izuku leaned into the muscular arm and even played with Eijirou's fingers.
When the movie ended, it was nearing eleven, and Eijirou took Izuku to a truck stop. They wandered around together, chatting about the film and getting slushies. Izuku ran to the bathroom while Eijirou paid for the cold treats without Izuku's knowledge. When the freckled boy returned, he had a Red Riot plush held between his hands and stomach. Izuku bought the soft item and took the slush conspicuously placed on the gas attendant's counter. Izuku gave Eijirou the toy with a knowing smile. Eijirou felt his heart squeeze and put the stuffed toy in his sweatshirt pocket for safe-keeping. Eijirou insisted on riding the bullet train to Shizuoka with Izuku, claiming he'd go to Chiba after walking Izuku home. The trains were nearly empty, so Izuku's laughter was louder than it had been, and Eijirou struggled to keep his cheeks cool.
Eijirou walked with Izuku until they got to the parking lot of the looming concrete apartments that cast shadows even in the night. Izuku's cheeks were flushed, and the circles under his eyes were darker than Eijirou remembered. Izuku had a tired smile and gave a small bow, "Thank you for inviting me," He straightened up, eyes looking up at Eijirou despite his growth over their time in Yuuei, "This was fun." Eijirou gulped down his indecision. The night air blew past their bodies, pushing Eijirou forward as if a divine being was pressing against his back, urging him to make the final step. Izuku seemed surprised when Eijirou reached out to grab his hands, pulling them to Eijirou's chest and cupping them against him so gently. Izuku's green eyes flickered between their connection and Eijirou's nervous gaze. Eijirou spoke softly; despite his preachings on manliness, he was unsure, "It was fun, yeah?" Izuku nodded, his cheeks only getting warmer. Eijirou wondered if the heat was a result of him or the cold.
"I want to do this again." Eijirou offered lamely. He was unsure if Izuku had another in his heart or if Izuku's preference extended to Eijirou. If he told Izuku what he wanted, would Izuku run away? Would their relationship shatter? Uncertainty flooded Eijirou's mind, "If you'd like to." He added. Izuku began looking anxious, his eyebrows knitting together, and his lips pulled tautly, "Your heart," Izuku mumbled, "It's beating fast, are you okay?" He finished with a worried look into Eijirou's eyes, "I'm great!" Eijirou responded quickly, dropping Izuku's hands. Izuku glanced down at his hands before looking back at Eijirou, "You can tell me if something is bothering you. It's not healthy to keep things bottled up." Eijirou debated his options. There were too many outcomes, some of which were outlandish and impossible, but still flooded his head the way rain flooded the rivers. Izuku grabbed Eijirou's hand this time, "Do you want to come inside and talk about it?" Something in Eijirou snapped, "I like you!" He stated, face matching his dyed hair. Izuku paused in his movements, comprehending the words.
"You like me?" Izuku questioned, seemingly lost. Eijirou nodded, ashamed enough to lower his eyes to stare at his shoes. He pulled his hand out of Izuku's grasp, "I do. I'm sorry. I know you and Ochako have something going on. I don't- I don't want to hide it from you. It's not manly." Eijirou heard a small titter from Izuku, "Kirishima, can you look at me?" He struggled, but eventually, he met Izuku's pleased gaze, "I'm so happy you told me. I don't have anything romantic with Ochako. We're just friends. And, um," Izuku averted his eyes, red overtaking his cheeks, "I- you know. Me too." Eijirou furrowed his eyebrows, "You too?" Izuku nodded, "You- I like..." Izuku was stuttering, but Eijirou caught on fairly quickly to what he was trying to express.
They were rounding their third year as a couple, and it was everything to Eijirou. After graduating from Yuuei, they made the mutual decision to live apart and work at different agencies to limit possible distractions. But, they made it a point to spend every waking hour of the weekends together. Eijirou would go to Izuku's apartment, and they'd ignore the piles of paperwork in favor of laying on the couch binging game shows and clinging onto each other. Sometimes Izuku would dye Eijirou's hair, and in return, Eijirou would cook actual food for Izuku. When Izuku would drop by Eijirou's home, he'd bring Eijirou's favorite sweets and snacks, and they'd crawl into Eijirou's bed to nap and cuddle all day.
Their relationship was by no means hidden from the public, despite them agreeing to keep it quiet as they tried to make their Hero debuts. The secret was spoiled by some paparazzi catching Eijirou and Izuku on a beach date in which Izuku climbed onto Eijirou's lap after having one drink too many and kissed him while crying over how happy he was to see Eijirou. The image captured was of Izuku pressing a kiss onto Eijirou's lips, and it caused quite the stir until they both came out and explained their relationship. While they both suffered a decrease in public approval, the increase filled the hole left and even overfilled it. They were relatively open about their frequent visits, taking pictures of each other and posting them with grossly gooey captions. They never missed a day together.
So, when Izuku told Eijirou that he wouldn't be able to come over the entirety of the weekend, it genuinely worried Eijirou. Izuku brushed it off as having too much paperwork to fill out, and Eijirou trusted Izuku's words. The subsequent weekend, Izuku canceled on Eijirou again, claiming he was spending the weekend with his mother. Eijirou didn't want to intrude, so he told Izuku to have fun. The third time, Izuku told Eijirou that he had taken the weekend shift for his agency. When the fourth weekend rolled around, Izuku claimed he caught the flu, and it'd be best if Eijirou stayed home so he wouldn't get sick. It was to the point that Eijirou was becoming bothered. He wondered if Izuku was avoiding him or if it was only coincidences. Eijirou didn't remember saying anything mean to Izuku. In reality, Eijirou liked to shower Izuku in praise because the older man had some of the worst esteem issues Eijirou had witnessed. Eijirou questioned if he crossed some boundary. He wasn't insecure in his relationship with Izuku, but to think Izuku might be hiding something from him made him upset because they were so open.
Instead of trusting Izuku's word, Eijirou decided to invite himself to Izuku's apartment. He rapped on the door, and it took a little while for Izuku to open up. In all fairness, Izuku did look sick. His nose was red, the bags under his eyes drooped lower, the whites of his eyes were red, his cheeks were red, and he was sniffling. But, when Izuku was sick, he'd pretend as if he wasn't. He'd take ibuprofen and call it a day, pushing through until forced to go home because his fever made him delirious. Izuku wasn't ill. He was sad. Izuku blinked at Eijirou, "I told you I had the flu, didn't I?" Eijirou pursed his lips, "You did, but I have the feeling something else is wrong." Izuku looked fearful, "No," He rushed out, "Nothing is wrong. You should go home before you get sick." Eijirou felt hurt, but leaned against the door, "Let's talk about it, Izuku. I want to find out what's bothering you, why you've been avoiding me." Izuku pushed on his side of the door, "I haven't! I've just been busy. I'm sorry."
Eijirou's mind fell onto one of the worst outcomes, "Do you want to break up, Izuku?" He was scared to ask, but he needed to know. Izuku's eyes shot open, "Bre-Break? No! I'm sorry, please don't break up with me." Tears swelled in Izuku's eyes, "Please don't break up with me." He repeated, Eijirou jumped to remedy the situation, "No, I would never! I thought that maybe you wanted to because you were distancing yourself. I wasn't saying we should." Though, Izuku's sensitivity was slightly surprising to Eijirou. Every argument they've had that led to talk about breaking up has driven Izuku to take on a calm, soft tone and seriously talk with Eijirou about the dispute. Izuku did cry often, but when they argued, Izuku was always level-headed. Eijirou felt something was bothering Izuku, making him hypersensitive. Eijirou didn't know what, and considering how long Izuku had been dodging Eijirou, it had been three weeks since this emotional state had been dragging along. Eijirou pushed open the door, met with no resistance from Izuku. Eijirou spied his sweatshirt on Izuku, along with stained sweatpants. Izuku stepped out of the way, obviously fighting tears as his bottom lip trembled, and he caught it harshly between his teeth.
"Come on, let's talk about it."
Eijirou led Izuku to the bedroom by placing his hand on the barely shorter man's back. He let Izuku fall onto the bed with abandon, and he noticed how Izuku had the curtains drawn and lights off, making the room dark. Eijirou stepped on an empty water bottle. When he looked down, he found the floor littered with plastic bottles and granola wrappings. Izuku pulled the hood over his head and laid down, seemingly too exhausted to sit up. Eijirou leaned over Izuku and petted the fabric covering the tangled green mess of hair, "I'll clean this up." Izuku shuddered out a sigh and nodded. Eijirou grabbed a recycling bag from Izuku's kitchen and gathered the mess, throwing it in the orange bag while Izuku seemed to mull over his thoughts. As Eijirou made his way back to the kitchen, he wondered what had caused this slump. There hadn't been any accidents recently. As far as Eijirou knew, there weren't any deaths in Izuku's patrol area. The media wasn't bothering him any worse than they usually did, and Izuku was even on the rise, placing ninety-five on hero billboards while the rest of their old classmates had yet to break one-hundred.
Eijirou quickly returned to Izuku, only growing more curious as to what was troubling Izuku. Instead of jumping into the conversation, Eijirou crawled onto the bed and fit himself against Izuku, holding him close and spoiling himself with Izuku's presence. He had missed Izuku, and being repeatedly told that he wasn't allowed left him aching to see Izuku. Izuku's forehead was flush against Eijirou's chest when Eijirou decided to speak, "Were you honestly busy?" He didn't want to make Izuku start on the hard stuff. He'd ease the conversation into the root of the problem without stressing out Izuku, "No." Izuku muttered, "I wasn't busy." Eijirou nodded, "Okay. You lied?" Izuku was silent before nodding into Eijirou's chest with a shaky inhale. Eijirou sighed, "Why'd you lie?" He moved a hand to cradle Izuku's head. Izuku mumbled something that Eijirou didn't hear, "Hm?" Izuku went silent.
"I lied because I didn't want to bother you." He said, louder this time. Eijirou nodded, "I see, but you should always be honest with me." Izuku agreed, "I know. I'm sorry." Eijirou held Izuku impossibly close, "It's okay. What did you do the whole time?" Izuku buried his face into Eijirou's chest with a shrug. Eijirou looked at the drawn curtains, "You don't remember?" Izuku shook his head. Eijirou wanted to hear Izuku's voice, "Is it okay if I hear you?" Izuku stiffened before he answered again, "I don't remember. It's a blur." Eijirou hummed, and Izuku relaxed, "Do you remember going to work?" Izuku sighed, "A little." Eijirou pursed his lips, "I see," He sat up, unwrapping himself from Izuku.
"Have you eaten anything other than granola?" Izuku remained on his side, staring up at Eijirou, "Yes." Eijirou reached down to brush Izuku's untamed curls behind his hidden ears, "What?" Izuku leaned into Eijirou's hand, "Takeout, it's in the trash can." Eijirou swiped his thumb under Izuku's eye, sliding over the bag under his right eye. Izuku's right eye fluttered shut, but his left remained focused on Eijirou, "What do you need?" Eijirou inquired, and Izuku furrowed his eyebrows and closed his remaining eye, "You." It seemed the question pained Izuku, so Eijirou didn't say anything more as he picked Izuku up and pulled Izuku onto his lap, holding him upright and cradling him. He rocked left to right and let Izuku rest his chin on Eijirou's shoulder. He kept at it for an undetermined amount of time, only stopping when Izuku began to weep.
"I'm sorry. I-I'm such a bad boy-boyfriend. I'm sorry." Izuku sniffled, and Eijirou rubbed his back, "I didn't want to tell you I was having tr-trouble because you were already stressed. I never wa-wanna add on to that, so I didn't s-say anything and made you more stressed anyway." Izuku stumbled over a few words, "I thought- I thought I was t-too clingy, and you were gonna leave me, so-so I thought if I distanced myself, you wouldn't." When Izuku cried, he seemed to revert to a childlike version of himself, keeping his words simple and expressing his thoughts in a minimalist fashion. Regardless, Eijirou understood, "You're not a bad boyfriend, Izuku. What made you feel clingy?" Izuku moved a hand to his face. Eijirou assumed he was wiping away tears, "I want to live together, bu-but someone told me it was bother-bothersome for you." Eijirou furrowed his eyebrows, "Who?" Izuku shook his head, "It doesn't matter." Izuku was right, but Eijirou couldn't help but feel annoyed. He pulled away from Izuku, who leaned back and continued to wipe away his tears with the sweater sleeves, "Why do you think I'd break up with you?" Eijirou pulled Izuku's hands away from his face and cupped his damp cheeks, working on swiping the tears away with his thumbs.
"I read an online article. I-It was speculating about us br-breaking up, and it just- it real-really got to me." Izuku must've already been sensitive, as he would send those kinds of articles to Eijirou, and they'd make jokes over it. But, Izuku was always nervous about being too attached to Eijirou. He often worried about being a burden, so Eijioru could understand why being indirectly called bothersome hurt his feelings. Eijirou took a moment to think while Izuku tried to recollect himself. It suddenly hit him, it had been one year since All Might died, and his anniversary was recent. Izuku saw the man as a father, so of course, he'd be emotionally fragile considering he's lost two fathers in his life. Eijirou tested the theory, "They never get to you, was something else bothering you?" Izuku looked confused at Eijirou's deduction before a new onslaught of tears flooded his eyes and subsequently dripped down his cheeks, "I-I don't know. I jus-just feel so alone." Eijirou frowned, "Abandoned?" Izuku sobbed and nodded. Eijirou sighed deeply, moving his hands around Izuku and pulling him closer again.
"I'm not going anywhere. Can you hear me?" Izuku nodded, gripping Eijirou's shirt tightly. Eijirou turned his head and placed kisses against the hood of the sweatshirt. Eijirou whispered against the fabric, "I'm here. Unluckily for you, I'll always be here." Izuku let out a watery laugh, "Luckily..." He quietly corrected. Eijirou grabbed the hood and pulled it off, now kissing Izuku's temple. He pressed their cheeks together, "I couldn't imagine breaking up with you. And, whoever said moving in together would be bothersome, they're wrong. Izuku, I've wanted to live together since forever. You aren't clingy, and if you were, it wouldn't be an issue because I love you." Izuku muttered, "Love you too." Eijirou petted Izuku's hair, "You can always tell me if something is hurting you." Izuku gulped, nodding. Eijirou leaned away and cupped Izuku's face, pressing kisses against his moist cheeks, "It's not healthy to keep things bottled up, right?" Izuku nodded. Eijirou kissed Izuku's swollen lips, "Okay, let's take a bath." Izuku looked pleased with the idea.