Work Text:
No one told Izuku about the downsides of being an adventurer.
Sure, one could visit faraway lands, explore new cultures, and encounter vast amounts of beautiful creatures along the way. But no one told him about the fatigue or how to dress his own wounds in case he’s on his own. Or even just to cook a simple meal with things he finds on the way. Basic survival skills, essentially.
For a long time, he’s romanticized the adventurer’s life. His mother would read to him many tales of brave young men and women. But they were always triumphant in one way or the other. More often than not, Izuku’s found himself in a pickle or two. There was even a time he hobbled all the way to a seaside kingdom with a very poorly made cast on his leg and a brittle stick as a staff. Most of the things he should have learned before going off on his adventures were learned as a trial by fire.
But after several years of many trials by fire, he’s gotten used to it. He knows what to bring and what to leave behind. His basic combat skills have improved exponentially and he’s a halfway decent self-trained medic too. He’s gone on many adventures with different folk, all who impart new knowledge upon him at every turn. He’s fond of all the adventuring partners he’s had so far.
But none have captured his heart quite as much as Hitoshi Shinsou.
Izuku met Hitoshi when he was assisting the warriors of a small town how to fight with more advanced weaponry. Hitoshi wasn’t much of a fighter — never had been and never will be. But they would always hang out by the stream, watching Izuku wield swords shirtless beneath the setting sun. Izuku would have been a fool not to notice them staring.
“Would you like to learn how to swordfight?” He asked once when Hitoshi wasn’t able to hide from his sight quick enough. Izuku was met with a gorgeous creature with bright purple hair and deeply alluring violet eyes. Izuku could look at them and immediately recount the many constellations he saw within those curious eyes. Hitoshi, however, loved to play hard to get. No matter how bold or subtle Izuku’s courtship was, they never gave Izuku the proper time of day.
That was until Hitoshi got horribly injured during an unexpected town raid.
Izuku fought in the frontlines, protecting this town as if it was his own. It might as well have been with the way they treated him like he was living with them forever. He luckily got out of that raid with only a few cuts and bruises. But Hitoshi had it worse.
The side of their head was bleeding from when the enemy’s horse nearly kicked them straight through an old hut. Their arm was clutched tightly against their body, wailing in pain any time anyone remotely touched it. And when Izuku was finished treating his own wounds, Hitoshi nearly collapsed on the cot beside him, likely suffering from a harsh concussion from the blow.
Izuku had never been more scared to lose someone in his life.
Hitoshi didn’t wake up for almost a week, worrying the entire town. Izuku stayed by Hitoshi’s side for days on end, cleaning up their wounds, replacing bandages, and even telling them little stories from his adventures. He would always end them in a cliffhanger in hopes that Hitoshi would wake up and ask him what happened next.
“Then there was this huge dragon that emerged from the lava!” Izuku was retelling with all the gusto he could muster. Hitoshi still laid peacefully sleeping on the same cot. But this time, they’re covered with a little knitted quilt that the children at the local orphanage made for them. The hues of purple matched their eyes that Izuku fervently prayed would open one day.
“But my dear friend Ochako – I hope you remember her! – had a magnificent spell ready that would buy us some time.” Izuku couldn’t help but run his fingers through Hitoshi’s hair. It was soft to the touch as Izuku made sure they were still bathed in warm water and fragrant soaps everyday. Izuku bent down to place a small but tender kiss on the crown of Hitoshi’s head. “It was quite marvelous, really. Nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
Izuku glanced out the window of the infirmary, at the sun setting slowly over the horizon. He smiled ruefully, his fingers never leaving the soft purple tresses. “But maybe I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.”
Just as he’s about to stand up, he feels the faintest brush of hesitant fingers on his arm, with just the slightest ounce of desperation in its grip. Izuku looked back with wide eyes. Then his heart leapt into his throat as he sat back down next to the bed and watched Hitoshi slowly rouse themself from sleep.
“Oh donkey shit, my back hurts.” Were Hitoshi’s first words and Izuku couldn’t help but laugh. Hitoshi shifted and rubbed at their eyes with a massive yawn. “Fuck… How long have I been out?”
“About a week.” Izuku gently helped Hitoshi sit up in bed. “You made us all worried sick. I think it would be wise to keep you away from horses.”
Hitoshi sighed dramatically. “There goes my dreams of asking father for a pony.”
Izuku laughed again, elated that Hitoshi was well enough to make jokes again. He missed hearing their sarcastic quips and deadpan observations. They were truly the highlight of his day.
“What are you waiting for, sir?” Hitoshi said, effectively taking Izuku out of his thoughts.
“Hm? Waiting for… what?”
Hitoshi then smiled at him — a genuine one — and it made Izuku’s heart flutter.
“Continue your story. You were talking about your witch friend Ochako? What happened next?”
Izuku blinked slowly, not quite processing what Hitoshi just said. Did they just say to continue his story? Then that means…
“You could hear me the whole time?”
That’s when Hitoshi actually blushes and looks away to pick at a stray thread on their blanket. Izuku thinks they look adorable blushing like that. Hitoshi doesn’t know this but Izuku has stared at them just as much as Hitoshi pretends to not stare at him. How could he not? Izuku has met many people on his adventures — maidens and knights alike all in a whirlwind of courtship.
But Hitoshi was the first person whom he was attracted to from the very beginning.
Does Hitoshi know how gorgeous he is in the afternoon sun? How his smile could put the moon and stars to shame? How he’s seen so many beautiful things on his travels but none of them compared to Hitoshi? Perhaps Izuku is just mad, just a hopeless romantic at heart, but he can’t deny how long his heart has yearned for Hitoshi even before he has acknowledged it.
“Just because I was in some deep sleep, it doesn’t mean I couldn’t hear you.” Hitoshi said, still not quite looking at him. Izuku leaned forward just a little bit so that Hitoshi knew that they had his undivided attention. “Sometimes I feel like your stories were the only reason I fought to stay alive.”
Izuku bit his lip to try and tamper down his own smile. “Well now that you’re awake, I can tell you as much as I can before I leave.”
That’s when Hitoshi finally whipped their head around to look at Izuku. Their wide purple eyes reflected a myriad of conflicting emotions. “Leave? Why are you leaving?”
“Hitoshi,” Izuku started, knowing that saying this is just as painful for him as it is for them. “I’m an adventurer. I can’t just stay in one place. I’m destined to travel around the world, never quite settling down.”
“But…” Hitoshi’s voice was soft and Izuku’s heart ached at hearing the barest notes of sadness in his tone. “You’ve stayed here for almost three months now. I’ve never heard an adventurer take refuge in a town for more than a week.”
That was something Hitoshi got right. No other town has ever gotten such special treatment from Izuku. No other town has had Izuku long enough to teach children and warriors. No other town had Izuku helping defend its borders from village raiders and thieves for as long as Izuku has. But the thing is… no other town was quite like this one.
“Because,” Izuku says, bravely taking one of Hitoshi’s hands in his own. Hitoshi kept looking at him with wide eyes until he said, “No other town has you.”
The pretty blush that was already adorning Hitoshi’s cheeks flushed an even deeper red. Izuku watched as Hitoshi’s mouth opened and closed as if he was trying to formulate a response but failing miserably. Izuku’s smile widened, trying not to make it as if he was mocking Hitoshi in any way. Oh no. He would never mock an object of his affections.
Perhaps in jest, yes. But today was not that day.
“You stayed.” Hitoshi finally said after a few minutes. “You stayed because of me?”
“Who else was gonna take care of you so ardently? I’d like to take responsibility as well for not protecting you like I should have.” The guilt of not keeping Hitoshi in his sight while fighting the raiders. They were right next to him, covering his blind spot whenever he could, and then Izuku repaid them by letting them get hurt.
Hitoshi furrowed their brows at that, their thumb now rubbing circles on the back of Izuku’s hand. “So you’re taking care of me because you’re indebted to me, is that it?”
“Oh, heavens no!” Izuku took their other hand, nearly pulling Hitoshi close enough for them to be face to face. “I’m taking care of you because I want to! Hitoshi, in what way should I word my affections towards you for you to believe me?”
Hitoshi’s eyes widened further. “A-Affections?”
Izuku smiled again, bending down just slightly to place a soft kiss on Hitoshi’s hands. Hitoshi’s gaze followed his actions. When he glanced up, he was delighted to see that Hitoshi was smiling too. That one rare smile that could make all the celestial bodies in the sky bow down in its magnificence. What Izuku would do to keep that smile on Hitoshi’s face even longer.
“May I have one request from you, good sir?” Hitoshi suddenly said and Izuku kissed their knuckles again as an affirmative. Hitoshi looked him straight in the eyes, gathering up all the courage he could muster. “Can you kiss me? I want a good memory of you before you leave.”
Despite the implications of his inevitable departure, Izuku complied and gave Hitoshi a kiss to remember.
And so, against all odds, Izuku stayed for one more week.
There were many reinforcements that needed to be done to the town’s defenses. So whenever one of the kids asked why he was staying a bit longer, he just said something along those lines. He’d tell them that he was gonna help out with cleaning up the place and building up their first line of defense better. It’s not like he was telling them a lie.
But it wasn’t quite the whole truth either.
The only one who knew the truth was Hitoshi, who couldn’t really leave their bed without Izuku’s help more than half the time. Izuku has had his fair share of raids and enemy attacks before. But this was the first time where he was overwhelmed by sheer numbers. He was also injured in multiple places but none that warranted as much treatment as Hitoshi.
So, to ease his conscience and as a very valid excuse to stay by their side, Izuku took care of Hitoshi. They never seemed to complain about it and were almost docile whenever Izuku would gently clean their wounds and change out their bandages. Izuku liked this entire arrangement. It seemed to help both of them tremendously.
When Izuku asked them once if they enjoyed being taken care of, Hitoshi confided in him something he hasn’t ever told anyone else.
“I always took care of my little sister. When I was old enough to do chores, I wasn’t quite… babied anymore. If that makes any sense.” Hitoshi’s cheek was smushed up against Izuku’s chest, his ear pressed up against him to hear his steady heartbeat. “I didn’t know how to tell my parents that I wanted to be taken care of. I was old enough to take care of myself.”
Izuku’s arms tightened around Hitoshi. It makes perfect sense that Hitoshi would want that. Izuku was an only child so a lot of his mother’s attention was mainly on him. And her natural inclination to take care of others rubbed off on him. Izuku has always wanted a sibling. Someone to be a big brother to. Then he grew up to want to be the person who takes care of others no matter what.
People like Hitoshi.
But he does so in a different way. In the throes of battle, no one thinks about the aftermath. No one thinks about how this could affect someone who isn’t a fighter, who isn’t a hardened criminal, or a soldier. Izuku thinks about that constantly. Especially when it came to Hitoshi, his mind was running a mile a minute on how to tend to Hitoshi even after all their injuries have healed.
Izuku enjoyed taking care of Hitoshi too. There was something about their grateful smile and soft voice that thanked him every night that heals him. Hitoshi would ask him to hold them too. After feeding them dinner and making sure they drank enough water, Hitoshi would reach out for him and wordlessly ask for a hug.
Izuku would give it to them every time.
Knowing how long Hitoshi has probably craved for someone to treat him like this made Izuku stay. It made him hold Hitoshi tight against his body, whispering reassurances in their ear until they fell asleep. It made him watch Hitoshi as they slept, wondering how anyone could look so ethereal as they enter into their dreams. As Hitoshi allows him to take care of them, Izuku allows himself to forget about the fleeting time they had left.
For at the end of the week, he will have to leave again. He will have to spend his nights without Hitoshi asking for his touch. He will have to wake up to a bed where all the blankets weren’t all stolen by Hitoshi in the middle of the night. He will have to wander the world again.
All by himself.
“Izuku?”
“Hm?”
“Can you tell me another story?”
Izuku chuckled, kissing the top of Hitoshi’s forehead fondly. “Of course, darling. Which one would you like?”
Hitoshi yawned and snuggled deeper into Izuku’s chest with a contented sigh. “The one about the dragon.”
But Izuku doesn’t want to think about that now. He can tell them stories of his travels without the thought of leaving them behind. Right now, he has Hitoshi in his arms, and everything is alright.
He can allow himself one more dream where he and Hitoshi could stay here, entangled in each other for a lifetime.
On the day when Izuku was supposed to leave town, there was a strange sound of rustling right outside his door. It sounded like a weird combination of pots and pans and the crunching of leaves. Maybe it was one of the blacksmiths coming by to say goodbye. Or it could be the baker’s wife. She always gave him a fresh batch of bread first thing in the morning.
Izuku moved to open the door to his temporary lodging and nearly dropped his bag to the floor when he saw who was standing before him.
“Did you really think I was gonna let you leave me with a kiss? You must be out of your mind Izuku Midoriya.”
There Hitoshi Shinsou stood with crossed arms, a massive satchel strapped to their body, glaring at Izuku through narrowed eyes. Izuku was nearly too stunned to speak. But he was eventually brought back to reality when Hitoshi stepped forward to fix the scarf around Izuku’s neck. His eyes followed Hitoshi’s movements and he flushed at every graze of their fingers against his neck.
“I made you this scarf when I was trying to convince myself that I was never gonna see you again.” Hitoshi murmured, smoothing out the wrinkles of his coat. “But then I thought to myself, I don’t have to worry about that if I just come with you.”
“You… Run that by me again?”
“And I thought I had a concussion.” Hitoshi teased, a smirk on their lips at Izuku’s still dumbfounded expression. “I’m asking whether you have room for one more on your little journey.”
“You want to come with me? You want to just leave this town and live a life of inconsistency and danger?” Izuku stopped Hitoshi’s fingers from fidgeting with more articles of clothing. He knows that it’s a nervous habit of theirs. That one extra week where he just spent his time with Hitoshi has made him even more familiar with how Hitoshi moves and reacts. He wanted to commit it all to memory before leaving.
There’s a reason why he did it. As much as his heart yearns to stay, he can’t settle down here. Not when his adventure has just begun. Not when there are still so many parts of this world that he hasn’t discovered yet. He couldn’t sacrifice all of that for one person. Oftentimes he did consider throwing that all away — when he was lying down with his arms wrapped around Hitoshi.
But maybe that was it. Maybe his reluctance didn’t come from the thought of giving up his adventures. It was in the very real possibility that he might just die out there without coming back to tell Hitoshi how he felt. To show Hitoshi that his affections were not fleeting – that they were as real as the earth was spinning on its axis. That his heart burns for them in ways that he has never felt before.
However, his life on the road was a dangerous one. He’s made enemies on his travels and some even track him for long stretches of time until he turns them in to the proper authorities. There’s a part of him that is afraid of putting Hitoshi in the line of fire. Watching Hitoshi fly through the air and nearly break all their bones was enough to make Izuku justifiably terrified that it will happen again.
“Izuku?”
Hitoshi’s voice permeated through his anxious thoughts. He looked up and was met with the eyes he was so deeply enamored with since they first met. Amethyst irises that sparkled brighter than any crystal Izuku could unearth. A precious gemstone Hitoshi was to him. And Izuku’s urge to protect them and keep them safe grows only stronger the longer they look into each other’s eyes.
“I’d rather die by your side than live a long life without you.” Hitoshi’s smile was painful but so determined. Izuku could feel tears well up in his eyes. He doesn’t notice that they’re falling until Hitoshi reaches down to wipe them away. Their hand feels so warm against his cheek. Their gaze never wavered, despite all the doubts floating through their minds.
Izuku has never fallen in love before.
But this right here, with Hitoshi looking at him like he hung the stars in the sky himself, this might be love.
No other person has captured him like this. No other person has made him question the world and his place in it. No other person has kissed him and left him wanting so much more than that. It wasn’t until he met Hitoshi that he started doubting whether traveling alone was worth it. It wasn’t until Hitoshi kissed him that he wondered to himself whether he can live without the taste of their lips against his.
Maybe this was reckless. Maybe this was going to end in their demise. And maybe they were making the biggest mistake of their lives.
But it will be an even bigger mistake to let Hitoshi go.
So with a deep breath, he presses his forehead against Hitoshi’s, a watery smile on both their faces before he says...
“Then let’s go on our adventure.”