Actions

Work Header

the lights we saw in each other were saying the same thing

Summary:

Izuku is not entirely sure he understands all of Shouto's rules and habits, despite Shouto's efforts to explain. He's doesn't think Shouto understands either because when they'd talked about it he'd said he doesn't know why certain things make him upset. Just that they do.

Izuku presses his thigh back against Shouto's and feels the other relax. He smiles at Shouto and sees the corner of his mouth raise the tiniest bit in return.

Notes:

late treat time!! hope you enjoy <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

"Whoever's bouncing their fucking leg needs to stop because it's annoying as fuck, the whole fucking row is shaking!" 

Izuku feels Shouto tense up next to him.

He stops bouncing his legs, presses his right thigh against Izuku's left leg instead. Izuku watches as Shouto does this thing where he presses his thumb and his forefinger together, then moves on to his middle and ring finger and finally his pinky before he repeats the action, beginning with his thumb and forefinger again. 

One repetitive action exchanged for another one. One that's less likely to get people's attention. One that most people won't even be realize he's doing. 

Izuku does realize because he watches. 

He knows all the little quirks Shouto has - or most, there may be some he doesn't know about.

He knows he always skips the fourth step on stairs and never steps on a sewer gate. Knows he listens to the sound of keyboard clicking or book pages being turned on full volume when they're outside and the noise gets overwhelming. Knows Izuku's hand on his lower back calms him down in crowds. 

He knows Shouto always needs a wall behind his back which is the only reason they are always sitting in the last row of the lecture hall with a bunch of people who have no interest in listening to what their lecturer says.  

He knows the bouncing leg is something Shouto needs even if he isn't nervous. If he doesn't bounce his legs it's his fingers pressing together. Sometimes he'll tap his foot on the floor rhythmically or rub two of his fingers together. 

Izuku also knows that Shouto finds other people doing similar things highly disturbing. He hates when Katsuki taps his foot to the rhythm of a song he's listening to on his headphones because it's not the same rhythm Shouto is used to. Not the one he needs.

Izuku isn't sure he understands, despite Shouto's efforts to explain. He's not entirely sure Shouto understands either because when they'd talked about it he'd said he doesn't know why certain things make him upset. Just that they do. 

Izuku presses his thigh back against Shouto's and feels the other relax. He smiles at Shouto and sees the corner of his mouth raise the tiniest bit in return. 

 


The three of them enter the restaurant, a small establishment they've been to more times thn Izuku can count. It's one of three restaurants they go to together. Sometimes he goes to different ones with Kacchan but when it's the three of them the choice is between the same three, always. 

They wait for Shouto to examine the room and choose a table. There have been times he'd said he couldn't eat somewhere because the free tables just weren't right but those times were rare. 

He chooses a table in the corner of the room, back to the wall and Izuku sits down next to him while Kacchan takes the seat in front of Shouto. 

Shouto orders the same food he always does - cold soba. Kacchan orders something ridiculously spicy and Izuku is continuing his mission of ordering every single item on the menu - he gets to cross out this store's kaisendon today. 

"I've been wondering for a while," Izuku says and tries not to laugh at the way the other two look exactly the same with their chopsticks stopped right in front of their mouths, waiting for him to continue speaking. "Where did you get your chopsticks?"

Shouto looks at his chopsticks, the ones he always carries around because he refuses to use the ones offered at restaurants. Or at other people's houses. There is nothing particularly special about how they look; they are completely black and made from stainless steel.

"They are from a store down the street of my family's home," Shouto says, "But it closed quite a while ago."

"Are there others you can use?" 

"I like these," Shouto mutters almost defensively.

Katsuki clicks his tongue in annoyance before he shoves one especially red and spicy looking piece of food into his mouth. 

"Deku's asking so we can get them and you don't have to bring yours when I fucking cook for you," Kacchan explains and Shouto's eyes widen slightly, "Some that feel similar. Same length or weight or whatever your fucking criteria is." 

"Oh," Shouto says, "That's—I don't know."
 
"Let's find out then, yeah?"

Shouto just nods and Kacchan hums in approval.

 


When the three of them move in together it feels a bit like they are teaming up on him, Kacchan and Shouto.

Kacchan is stupidly neat so he has no problem adjusting to Shouto's rules and habits.

He doesn't mind him rearranging their drawers and shelves as long as everything is still tidy and clean. He actually got really excited when Shouto said he'd like to rearrange a couple of things, sort them by height or colour or in alphabetical order.

Most of their things have fixed places now that everyone's supposed to return them to which is incredibly useful but in the rare case of someone - Izuku, usually - not returning something to it's place Shouto gets upset. He won't say it but Kacchan and him both can tell. (One time a misplaced TV remote almost made him cry and when he realizes how upset he got about a piece of plastic he actually did end up crying.) 

Izuku doesn't mind these things, these tiny changes they did to make Shouto feel as comfortable and as at home as they could. It's a small sacrifice for Shouto's happiness, to show him how cared for and loved he is.  

He'd do everything for him - for both of them - but it's not always easy because sometimes he just doesn't understand. Or he forgets because many of the rules don't make sense, not even to Shouto. There's also the fact that he doesn't bring his rules up, doesn't tell them about what's bothering him, what needs to be changed unless Izuku or Kacchan realize he's upset and specifically ask about it.

Living with Shouto had made him realize how much Shouto had hidden and adjusted before. Had masked because he had been scared he was both too much and not good enough for them. 

 


Shouto is sitting cross-legged in front of a drawer in their room - Kacchan's and Shouto's room. 

It's not really their room considering all three sleep there most nights and all rooms belong to all of them equally - minus the kitchen maybe. It's just where Katsuki and Shouto have their clothes and some things they collect and everything's neatly folded and colour coded and all that. Izuku has his clothes and merch and a smaller, rarely used bed in another room because, well, he may be slightly chaotic sometimes. He can admit that. 

"What are you doing?"

Shouto doesn't look up when Izuku enters the room, he just keeps contemplating the contents of the drawer. 

"Trying to decide on a colour," Shouto says and Izuku looks over his shoulder at the different coloured yarn. 

He doesn't understand colours like Kacchan does so he doesn't feel like he's much help whenever Shouto asks for his opinion regarding colours. Still, Shouto always seems to be satisfied with Izuku's answer and that's all that matters. 

"I like this one," he says and points at one of the 4 shades of green yarn Shouto is trying to decide on, "What are you making?" 

"An angry avocado," Shouto replies grinning, "For Katsuki. He got angry at an avocado this morning because it wasn't perfectly ripe."

Izuki snorts because of course Kacchan got angry at a perfectly innocent avocado. 

Shouto had started crocheting only a couple of months ago after Izuku's mother had recommended it to him. It keeps his hands from fidgeting and helps him concentrate on a task. Keeps his anxiety in check which had been the whole point but Shouto ended up loving crocheting so much they have more than one fruit basket full of tiny fruit and vegetables with cute faces decorating their kitchen and living room. (He does animals and other things too but they all agree that the crocheted food is the cutest.) 

 

When Izuku steps into the living room, hair still dripping from his shower and dressed in Shouto's fluffiest cat pajama pants and one of Kacchan's skull shirts, the two of them are sprawled up on the couch.

Kacchan has his head in Shouto's lap, Shouto's long fingers playing with his hair. His eyes are closed as he listens to Shouto tell him about every single cat they met on the walk he and Izuku took earlier.

He always remembers every single one of them, in exactly the order they met them in. Remembers the colours of their fur, their eyes, the smallest details about them. What their meowing sounds like if he heard it, if they like to be pet or just watch from far away. He always knows if he's met them before and greets them like old friends. 

It's always Kacchan or Izuku who take pictures of every cat encounter because Shouto is too busy talking to and petting them. It's so endearing Izuku may have had tears in his eyes on a whole lot of occasions. 

Izuku joins them on the couch, placing Kacchan's socked feet (he's wearing a pair of Shouto's fuzzy cat paw socks) in his lap. Neither of them say anything to him. Shouto just keeps describing his cat friends while Kacchan listens to him, occasionally humming to indicate he's still listening. 

Izuku smiles to himself because this, being with his favourite people in their home, makes him feel so incredibly warm and happy. Simply co-existing in this shared space with them, all of them with their little quirks, fills him with so much love and he knows it's the same for them. 

They all love and care for each other, each of them showing it in their own way. 

Notes:

thank you so much for reading! (my twitter)

..if anyone thinks this was me throwing some of my quirks & habits at shouto no it's not.. absolutely not.. i would never.. haha /avoids eye contact