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Izuku was a bit of an overthinker – if by a bit, one really meant by a large margin from nearly their first waking moments until their body finally gave up and unconsciousness washed through them.
Their mind was always in a constant loop of thoughts, ranging from the mundane nuances of their day as a Pro all the way to how they could have handled a situation during their high school days that could have maybe potentially changed certain aspects of their lives. Their lips were almost always being gnawed on and their fingernails were nearly nonexistent from subconscious biting.
They’ve been a Pro Hero straight out school, hardly stopping because really…crime never stops. It won’t let up just because they’d been up for a few nights straight unable to slow thoughts and scenarios down to let his mind sleep and rest (that analysis of a quirk one of the newer sidekicks in their agency has been hounding their waking thoughts since they had come across it whilst on patrol, and Kacchan’s last training session had brought to light a new combo move that perhaps they could do if they only could visualize it a bit better!).
How they had been able to fight the villain with the earthquake quirk similar to Grand (Yo-san’s quirk was much more powerful; this villain could only send vibrations a few meters in front of him, and only stomping his foot caused said vibrations) was a miracle, more than likely aided by the fact that both Chargebolt and Red Riot had been assisting.
Properly chastised by Endeavor and sent home for the rest of their patrol, that overthinking had pushed into overdrive but in the negative. Assaults that felt almost physical seemed to spiral around them as they tried to make something substantial to eat (had they really only had a protein bar today? Kacchan can’t know that or he’d skin him alive and shove bentos down their throat for a week); luckily the rice and veggies could be left unattended, as their brain was three levels deep in self-depreciating insults that stabbed at them and made his palms physically ache.
So focused on not spiraling into a slight panic attack, they missed the opening of their apartment door and the call of Keigo wondering where they were. They also missed the vibrant red feather fluttering around their lithe body, and nearly jumped a few feet at the light touch of calloused hands across their undercut and up into their curls. With a ragged inhale of breath, verdant eyes flickered and met inquisitive gold.
“Hey Zu, you in there? I’ve been here for a few minutes and you’ve been staring at that wall like it personally offended you!” he said with reserved mirth, a smirk on his face but concern in his eyes.
Izuku blinked and bit the right side of their lower lip, shrugging slightly and glancing at the simmering veggies.
“Yeah, I’m here,” they responded quietly, leaning a bit into Keigo’s touch as fingers started lightly massaging their scalp.
The two were nearly the same height, Keigo slightly taller than Izuku; he used that to his advantage to rest his head against Izuku’s shoulder, slowly wrapping his other arm around their waist after gauging how adverse to touch they could get when extremely anxious. They appreciated the care immensely and showed that by smiling very softly and kissing Keigo’s cheek.
The two had started seeing each other shortly after Izuku graduated; they hadn’t really been in each other’s orbit until Izuku had established themselves as a Pro. Pro Hero Hawks, naturally, assisted Endeavor as often as he could and when Izuku had joined Endeavor’s agency the two had eventually started a friendly competition of who could arrive at scenes faster.
Their friendship solidified when Izuku had been first on scene for a villain attack that had left Hawks with a lot of his feathers out of commission; Hawks teasingly called that attack when Izuku had swept him off his feet with their fierce protectiveness from the moment they had landed in front of a downed Hawks and the viciousness with which they dispatched the villain.
Izuku had visited Hawks a few times during his recovery time, asking all about the intricacies of his quirk and eventually assisting with the preening of the growing feathers. It was only after the two starting dating that Hawks made the offhand comment that preening was something he’d only ever done himself, not trusting anyone else to do it until Izuku.
“Tough day at the office?” Hawks said with a little more mirth in his tone, a feather shooting past the two and rounding the corner into their shared bedroom.
Izuku snorted and looked away from Hawks, staring pensively at the kitchen counter.
“I guess, if you call me getting my ass handed to me by a villain a tough day. Luckily Denki-kun perfected his aim with his Sharpshooting gear…and that Kirishima-kun was there to block a falling bus station from falling on my incompetent head,” they replied sourly, more self-loathing entering their tone the more they spoke.
Keigo’s eyebrow rose and a small sigh escaped his lips, his fingers never ceasing the massage on Izuku’s scalp.
“Izu, you’ve been taking more patrols than anyone else; of course there will be a point where you can’t be your normal badass and gorgeous self – that’s what support and back up is for,” he responded.
The feather returned with an oversized Hawks themed sweatshirt, well worn and loved if the thumb holes on both sleeves were any indication. He led his anxious partner away from the stove and set him in a chair, untangling his fingers from their hair only to lean down and rest his forehead on theirs.
“You’re one of the most passionate Heroes I’ve ever met; you keep me motivated to do the best I can do. You deserve a break every once in a while, one that doesn’t involve you picking apart what you could have done. You’re going to go gray before me and everyone will think I’m the sugar baby in this relationship,” he teased, kissing Izuku’s nose softly before thrusting the sweatshirt in their hands.
Izuku’s eyes shone with unshed tears, nodding softly and pressing the sweatshirt to their nose and inhaling the scent of Keigo’s cologne that permeated the material. Knowing that the trail of thoughts had ceased for the moment anyway, Keigo turned to the stove and looked at it with a cocked head.
“Ok, Bun; how do I help you cook and not cause a fire to burst into the apartment?”