Work Text:
Izuku meets Kai two years after graduating from Yuuei. Unlike some hero-civilian relationships Izuku knows of, they meet after an accidental bag swap at a local grocery store, rather than a villain attack. Izuku doesn’t understand how those types of relationships would work. Especially working as a hero focused on their job, Izuku wouldn’t agree to a date of any sort at that period. Additionally, it seems super unprofessional.
At first, when he saw Kai, Izuku was in awe at the amount of self-confidence that surrounded the guy. He carried himself with a beautiful posture and a brilliant, charming smile that easily graced his lips. That’s not to say Izuku instantly fell in love because that wasn’t the case. When they had first met, yes, Izuku thought these things, but he was in a hurry and after a brief thank you, he took off to his work, leaving Kai behind where he stood at the bench of the park.
They end up meeting again while Izuku stands in line at a nearby coffee shop a few blocks away from his agency. When he feels a light tap on his shoulder, he thinks that someone had recognized him and wanted an autograph or something. What he was met with was the man he has exchanged yellow bags with once.
“Oh,” Izuku says dumbly. “It’s you!”
“It’s me,” he smiles. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Izuku nods, trying to scan his brain for a name. For some reason, he couldn’t recall exchanging names. He gazes at the selection of the menu and tries to make his decision, the line moving rapidly.
“Hey, how about I get you a coffee?” The man offers to Izuku.
That day, Izuku had the time, so he agreed. From then on, the two started dating.
Izuku, even though he was a popular hero ranking at the no. 7 spot, was pretty good at keeping his private life as it was, private. Initially, the thought of dating someone, let alone a civilian, was dangerous and something he didn’t exactly feel compelled to participate in. A few dates here and there scheduled around his free time were fine, but doing so consistently was something Izuku was having trouble imagining.
He didn’t think it was realistic, nor did he like the idea of potentially endangering the other person, in this case, Kai.
But after a little while of getting to know Kai better and better over their sparse dates, Izuku was ready to ask Kai to be his boyfriend. Kai seemed so good, and suddenly, Izuku’s days were filled with ideas of possible ways they can hang out and spend time together. Izuku was genuinely enjoying Kai’s company, and Izuku felt that it was the same for Kai as well.
Popping the question was easy. When Kai said yes, Izuku felt his heart flutter and closed the space between them with a kiss.
From there on out, they were together. Izuku was happy and everyone around him saw that. To the hero world, his smile was brighter and his numbers were never better. His friends saw how happy he was and that he was enjoying his life. To his even closer friends and family members, they saw Izuku grow to love another person.
They had simple rituals, Izuku and Kai. Despite Izuku’s hefty paycheck, Kai oftentimes offered to pay, insisting over and over again that he could handle it. It was sweet to Izuku, thinking of the commitment Kai had to Izuku. It was heartwarming. Alongside this, they had smaller, sillier habits when they went out. Whether it was syncing their steps together as they walked down the street or running to the door, trying to compete to hold open the door for each other first. It was all Izuku could have ever desired in a relationship. Someone who allowed Izuku to ramble about quirks and heroes and not be off-put about his fan-boy tendencies.
Months piled on until the couple was about to hit their year-and-a-half anniversary. Truly, Izuku didn’t care much for anniversaries outside of a year mark. They seemed a bit overbearing, and there was no way Izuku could consistently find a good present for his lover if it came to every month they shared. Either way, about a year and a half in, Kai asks Izuku to move in with him. Thinking it over, it made sense to the man. He was spending a third of his free time at Kai’s place anyway, with another third on dates and Izuku’s place while that last sliver was for Izuku’s friends and family members. To Izuku, he noticed he was spending less time with his friends, but it was difficult as many of them were heroes with busy schedules.
Kai asking Izuku to move in with him was another milestone and a whisper into Izuku’s ear that Kai was committed to their relationship.
Izuku was happy, so, so happy.
More and more of Izuku’s time became consumed by one-on-one time with Kai. Izuku didn’t mind at first, getting over the honeymoon phase of moving in and spending time doing most domestic things. But Izuku wanted out of the apartment for a while. He wanted a slightly different scenery. As of late, it had been to the apartment to work and then back to the apartment again. It was draining to the hero, so on one of his early days off, Izuku meandered his way to the mountains, inviting some of his fellow hero friends.
During this break and seeing the world, Izuku had his phone off, so he could fully dedicate his time to his lovely friends as they do for him. He was having a great time hiking up the mountains, taking pictures, and tripping over an occasional root.
Izuku didn’t realize just how much time he was spending with his boyfriend until Iida mentioned how long they’d been able to hang out as a group, not including Kai. Thinking back on it, Izuku could only remember having Kai by his side for the past few months for every encounter outside of work with Izuku’s friends. It was surprising, but none of Izuku’s friends minded Kai. In fact, they liked him. They saw how well Izuku and he got along and how well they were treating each other, so they had no room to argue over their blossoming relationship.
Laughing it off, saying he’d try to spend more time with his dear friends, they began to descend the mountain, regaining cellular service about half of the way down.
Izuku’s phone dinged around a hundred times incessantly. It started the small group and had Izuku scrambling to open up the unread, missed messages. He immediately called back.
“Hello?” he questioned.
“Izuku? Are you okay? I couldn’t find you in the apartment. Where did you go? Why was your phone off?”
Izuku looked around at his friends waving his hands back and forth, silently telling them that no one was injured or hurt in the hours they were hiking.
“No, no, I’m okay. I’m hiking with Iida, Uraraka, and Tsu! We didn’t have any service towards the top.”
“Izuku,” the voice sounds exasperated, “please tell me where you’re going next time. I was so worried. Better yet, how about you take me instead?”
“Honey, you had work today.”
“I could’ve taken off.”
Izuku laughed and began to walk alongside his friends.
“No, don’t do that; you’ll get in trouble. Look, I’ll be back home soon. I should put my phone down before I trip again.”
“Okay, mister. I better see you back here within the hour. I’ll get you some of your favorite ice cream.”
“Okay, bye, Kai.”
Izuku didn’t think much of it, but this was the beginning of how Izuku no longer saw his friends without Kai excluding work hours. Even at work, Kai was beginning to drop Izuku off and pick him up.
Izuku didn’t realize just how often Kai was by his side until Katsuki mentioned it.
“You and that boy-toy of yours are inseparable. I don’t mean that in a good way,” he snarls.
“Kacchan, don’t be like that. We’re not together that much, besides, we live together. That requires a lot of time to be together.”
“Deku. Think. When was the last time just the two of us hung out?”
Izuku racked his mind for answers, unable to remember.
This same conversation popped up more and more with various coworkers and friends.
Izuku didn’t realize how bad it was until Kai started limiting the days off he could spend with his friends.
His days with other people got shorter. His time spent out of the house was condensed. He no longer shopped, Kai willingly doing it all for him.
Izuku wasn’t that bothered by it because Kai was still the same caring person he always was with Izuku. However, every time he talked on the phone in the house while his boyfriend was around, Kai would ask who it was immediately before adding a comment of his opinion about who he was talking to. Oftentimes when it was Katsuki he was talking to, Kai would roll his eyes and mutter something under his breath before taking a seat across from Izuku, pulling out his phone or a nearby book.
Slowly, Izuku’s calls had a sit-in during them all, even ones with his mother.
One day, while Kai was out shopping, Izuku called Iida, updating him on a new hero he saw on the news that day when Kai pushed the door open. Immediately, Izuku greeted him from the couch and went back to talking on the phone with Iida. The next thing Izuku knew was that his phone was on the floor, the call had ended.
“Kai! What was that for? I was on the phone!”
“I don’t want you talking to other people when I’m not around,” he said blatantly.
“What? Why? I do that every day during my job. Kai, this is ridiculous!”
Kai sighed, dropping his weight on the couch next to Izuku.
“Izuku, I’m sorry. I’m just,” he fiddled with his fingers, looking to the floor, “worried that someone’s going to steal you from me.”
Instantly, Izuku was at Kai’s side, comforting him, and assuring him that he wouldn’t leave Kai. Then he made a promise to give his phone to Kai while they were in the house, starting a new “no phone policy” while they were together. Izuku would only get his phone when he was off to work or during a weekly call with his mother.
It was fine for Izuku. He planned on being able to talk to his friends at work. Besides, if Kai was uncomfortable now, then Izuku needed to attend to his liver and make him the priority.
Not long after, Kai’s demeanor becomes more agitated. More of their conversations end with a snarky remark from Kai and then Izuku leaves the room, not wanting to subject himself to the foul mood that Kai is in. Always, whenever Kai was ready, he would apologize to Izuku. And Izuku? He’d always readily accept it.
Then it turns to light smacking on his arms. Izuku brushes it off because he barely feels a thing. He battles villains for a living. He knew how to take a punch. Even before his days of villain fighting, he has a high pain tolerance. The point is, the smacking from Kai wasn’t anything concerning to the man.
They’ve reached the three-year mark now, and Izuku’s beginning to yearn to see his friends. It feels like ages since he’s had a decent conversation with them. For people he lived with for three years and had constant contact with them ever since it was a stark lack of people in his life, and it left a hole in Izuku’s social desires.
But he’d have to coordinate through Kai.
It was getting draining. Maybe he should ask Kai to back off. When he does, he’s met with a stinging slap on his face, holding his cheek in his palms, shocked. He can’t speak as Kai yells at him, accusing him of wanting to cheat on him. Accusing him of wanting to break up.
No, that’s not what Izuku wants at all. He wants to explain, he truly does, but nothing can come out. He’s frozen in place, holding his cheek as tears threaten to fall.
“Oh, jeez. Now you’re gonna cry. Izuku, you’re such a crybaby. I don’t want you to see them, can’t you see how badly it affects me? Don’t you care for me? I thought you loved me,” he says, his own eyes watering.
“I do,” Izuku says. “I love you. I see it’s bothering you, so I won’t see them. Only you, Kai.”
Kai sniffles and rushes to hug Izuku. And Izuku, who has been unable to get any other outside affection, wholly accepts Kai’s embrace. Oh, how Izuku misses his cuddly friends and neat smack on his back, congratulating him.
Izuku’s only now starting to see how this is wrong. It’s the first time he truly understands that he needs out of this relationship. He needs to get away from Kai, but he doesn’t know where to begin.
He needs out of this. He can’t bear to remain docile and neglect his needs.
He needs out and doesn’t know where to start.