Work Text:
i.
Hizashi nervously paced the living room as he waited for Shouta to exit their bedroom. Today was their cat café date and he couldn't be more nervous. Theoretically, he had nothing to be nervous about, they'd been going to that café for the past nine years, ever since they were first years. Here they celebrated passing tests and exams with Oboro and Tensei, here they commiserated their failed missions and lost opportunities. Here Shouta confessed to him in their second year. Here the trio spent countless hours post graduation planning their agency together. Here Shouta and him went on a date at least twice a month on Sundays ever since they got together. That place witnessed so much of their lives, and now it was about to see another.
Hizashi anxiously patted his slacks, sighing with relief when he felt a ring box in the pocket. It wasn't like he expected it to be gone since he last checked about two minutes prior but it was a relief nonetheless. He had an urge to take it out and see the silver band with engraving again but in that moment Shouta stood in the bedroom door and Hizashi squashed that urge.
“Ready, Starlight?” Hizashi asked with a bright smile as he came up to his boyfriend. Shouta nodded with a small smile and kissed Hizashi's freckled cheek before turning towards the genkan.
They arrived in the café rather quickly and Hizashi was buzzing with nervous excitement. It was going to be ok. They talked about it, they both agreed marriage is something they both want, so there was nothing to be worried about. So why did he feel like he was about to pass out?
They sat in their usual corner and Shouta was immediately swarmed by the small army of cats. Hizashi couldn't help laughing at the look of absolute delight on his boyfriend's face. It didn't matter how many times they visited, Shouta always looks like he was just granted entry to his personal heaven. Hizashi has sworn to himself that as soon as his paycheck as a radio host allowed, they'll move into a pet-friendly apartment immediately.
They ordered - or rather, confirmed their order hadn't changed since that first visit almost ten years ago - and Hizashi did what he loved doing the most in this place.
Filling the camera roll with photos of Shouta with cats. In the beginning, all Hizashi used to receive were glares and frowns but over the years Shouta got over it and now he just looked up from the kitten in his lap and sent Hizashi a soft, loving smile. The kind of smile that still made Hizashi's heart make a little happy flip.
He was about to reach into his pocket and propose right at this moment but the commotion at the front desk stopped him. They turned around and noticed a big party of about fifteen children and a couple adults entering the establishment. The kids quickly ran into the main area and took the seats, some of them already chasing after the cats. From what could be heard over the chatter, it was a birthday party.
The boyfriends shared a look and nodded at the same time, standing up and gathering their belongings. Hizashi couldn't help the pang of disappointment he felt in his chest. It was fine though. He'd have more opportunities to propose.
ii.
Shouta triple checked the picnic basket he had prepared for their beach date and patted his pocket to make sure the box with a golden band was still inside. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled through his nose. He'd been planning the proposal for three weeks now (and bought the ring even earlier than that) and today was finally a perfect day for the beach outing. He knew just how much Hizashi loved the ocean and wanted to propose there on a hot, sunny day. His personal Sunshine deserved nothing less.
He smiled as he felt two lean arms sneak around his waist. Hizashi pressed himself against his back and started peppering soft kisses to the nape of his neck, using the opportunity that it was on display for once since Shouta put his hair in a high bun.
“We should get going,” Shouta remarked after a couple of moments of basking in his boyfriend's attention. Hizashi grunted in agreement and finally let Shouta go, grabbing the basket and heading towards the entry.
After arriving at the beach, they quickly located a prime spot near the shore and set everything up. Things seemed to be going according to plan but Shouta eyed the clouds on the horizon warily. There was no mention of the downpour that day and he hoped the clouds would pass in a different direction.
His attention was quickly pulled towards Hizashi who ran into the water, laughing airily as he struggled against the waves, and Shouta felt the warmth blooming in his chest. It never ceased to amaze him how Hizashi always found joy in the simple things and did his best to share it with others. That's what made him great at dealing with civilians and what was soon to be noticed by the radio station Hizashi was interning at, Shouta was sure of it.
For now, he let himself enjoy the warmth of the sun and sight of his happy boyfriend. Soon, Hizashi came back to their blanket and plopped down on the sand, squeezing excess water from his hair. He looked up at Shouta, eyes sparkling with mirth and Shouta knew then that this was the moment. He opened his mouth and reached to his pocket when a huge akita ran into their blanket, sending the food and drinks flying.
They cursed as they tried to save whatever they could, as the owners of the dog ran up to them and apologised profusely for their pet. Hizashi reassured them it was all fine with his patented Present Mic smile, while Shouta was fuming and glaring at the mess of their food. Today was supposed to be perfect, damnit.
“Shou? That's ok, it's just food,” Hizashi said quietly when the couple retreated with the now-leashed akita.
But it wasn't ok, and shit, was that a raindrop? Shouta’s head shot as he looked up at the sky and sure enough, he totally missed the moment the faraway clouds drifted over them. Within seconds they were gathering their belongings and running towards the car as the sky opened and flooded them.
God fucking damnit. At least Hizashi got to swim in the ocean for a while.
iii.
This was it. It had to be it. Hizashi was so ready to propose. They were out and about with Nemuri, Oboro and Tensei and they planned to visit Musutafu high tower in the evening to admire the setting sun. It had the added benefit of his friends being able to record the moment, too!
As they walked around the park, Shouta bickering with Nemuri about something, Hizashi reached into his jacket’s pocket to feel the ring box…
Only to promptly realise he had decided to forgo the jacket altogether since it was so hot and the clothing was left on the chair, along with the box.
So that’s why he wanted to wear it when Shouta tried to convince him it was too hot. His mind went totally blank due to the stress and the only thing he knew at the moment was that it was important, not why.
Fuck.
iv.
Shouta was ready. The beach proposal was a complete and utter failure but this one surely was going to be alright.
They decided to go for a walk in the botanic garden, one that had a small gazebo hidden among the blooming plants. It was quiet, romantic and had an advantage of not being subjected to weather changes. Also, no pets allowed.
They were casually strolling among the trees and bushes, Hizashi running up to every new plant and smelling the flowers. He looked absolutely delighted and was dragging Shouta to the nicer ones to shove the petals up his nose. God, he loved his boyfriend so much.
Everything was going perfectly and they were getting close to the gazebo when they heard an explosion outside. One shared glance and they were both running towards the source of the noise, passing terrified visitors on their way.
First thing they noticed after leaving the building was smoke coming from the admin part of the building. With practiced ease they weaved among the panicked people and they carefully entered the area, Shouta picking up his phone to call in the attack.
They couldn’t do much without their support gear, Hizashi’s quirk too dangerous without directional speaker and Shouta not wanting to risk it without capture weapon, but they managed to locate two villains in control room and they forwarded the information to emergency services that were soon to arrive at the scene. The attackers had two hostages and Shouta kept watch, ready to intervene the moment it looked like it was getting dangerous. Hizashi left to direct the guests to a secure place, as he was more equipped to work the crowd, both thanks to his quirk and his personality. Shouta had no qualms letting Hizashi take charge, anything to avoid the spotlight.
Once the heroes and police appeared and the whole area was evacuated, it was quick work of subduing the attackers and Shouta couldn’t help but approach one of them before they were put in the police cruiser and asked them what their ultimate goal was.
The villain shrugged. “Just a bit of fun, really,” he replied unbothered and Shouta saw red - literally, his quirk flared up without him realising.
His proposal failed again because some idiots were bored.
v.
This was it. Today was definitely going to be the day he finally proposed. Hizashi made sure to book a table in a nice, cozy restaurant, elegant enough to show he cared but understated enough to not make Shouta uncomfortable. It was his third attempt, things had to go right this time, right?
He asked Oboro as much over the phone and his friend was quick to reassure him that absolutely nothing could go wrong. No children screaming, no villains attacking out of nowhere, just the two of them in an intimate, candlelit restaurant, enjoying each other's company.
Yet Hizashi felt like he was about to vomit when he waited in front of the building. They had different schedules that day and decided to arrive separately after changing at their agencies. It wasn't perfect, Hizashi would love to dress Shouta up and tease him a bit beforehand but he was set dead on visiting this particular place and it was the only time they had a table available. Whatever, he could work with that.
The waiting was killing him, the failure of the two previous proposal plans looming over him, and he paced the pavement until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to see his boyfriend standing in front of him, dressed in his nicest suit and hair pulled up in a half-do. He took it so seriously that he even shaved! Hizashi almost proposed right there and then but he knew Shouta deserved more. He deserved everything.
“Are you ok, Zashi?” Shouta asked, concern lacing his tone.
“Of course! You're here, after all,” he said with a wink and offered his arm to Shouta, who accepted it with a soft chuckle. They were quickly seated and the waitress left them to consider their orders after pouring them glasses of some of the finer wine.
Truth be told, Hizashi had never liked wine, he was much more of a whimsy cocktail person while eating out, and his go to drink for pizza nights was beer. He wanted tonight to be fancy though, so he wasn't about to complain, especially when the wine turned out to be actually tasty. It helped him relax and soon he was ordering the next glass. It was amazing how carefree he felt, none of the nerves from before present.
And goddamn, it was really tasty. By the time they finished their meals, Hizashi had drunk three glasses and he was sighing wistfully while looking at his boyfriend. Shouta smiled softly at him, unable to hide the blush on his cheeks since his hair was tied. Hizashi just wanted to kiss his cute, kissable face and proclaim his love for the man from the rooftops. Only ingrained awareness of how dangerous it was with his quirk stopped him from doing the last one. It didn't stop him from trying to kiss Shouta after he paid and they were waiting for their taxi, though. His boyfriend chuckled and kissed his temple, making Hizashi blush at the unexpected PDA. The blush didn't leave him until they got home and Shouta helped him change into the pajamas.
In the morning, the first thing Hizashi noticed was a pounding headache, and the second, a deep feeling of regret when he remembered what happened. He missed his chance. Again.
+ iv.
It was a quiet Sunday morning, almost six months after that first proposal at the beach. It was Christmas Eve and the group had booked a small restaurant for themselves, thanks to the combined Kayama and Iida family money (they were lucky at least some of them were rich). Normally, Shouta would be against such extravagance but he was getting desperate and if booking an entire place to ensure there were no dogs, bad weather or villain attacks (though that last one was a volatile element given the world they lived in) was what it took for him to propose, he wasn’t going to refuse. He’d pay them back somehow. Oboro and Hizashi also didn’t seem to mind Nemuri and Tensei were splurging on them, so he wasn’t about to ruin the mood.
He looked at the outfit spread on the bed, black slacks with silver button up and deep green handkerchief. It was his favourite one, not only it went perfectly with the shirt but also matched Hizashi’s eyes.
“Ready, babe?” Hizashi asked cheerfully as he entered the bedroom and planted a sloppy kiss on Shouta’s cheek. The blond himself was still in his bathrobe but he had already put his hair up in an intricate braid and was wearing light makeup that accentuated his features. Shouta was glad he didn’t go for a full face makeup and the freckles splattered on Hizashi’s face were still visible. He was so glad, in fact, that he put his hands on Hizashi’s slender hips and started pressing soft kisses to the freckles on his nose.
“In a moment,” he murmured, lips barely living Hizashi’s skin. The man giggled and playfully shoved Shouta’s arm.
“Come on, Kitten, we don’t want that money to go to waste,” he said and extracted himself from Shouta’s grip. “And I’m sure today’s gonna be worth it!”
Shouta sighed. He could only hope it was true.
They quickly dressed up and two hours later they were seated in a little restaurant, fireplace lit up and snowflakes drifting outside, making the atmosphere cozy and warm.
And romantic. That was vital.
They finished the appetizers and main dish and were waiting for the dessert when Shouta stood up and came up to the Christmas tree in the middle of the room.
“Hizashi, can you come here for a moment?” He asked his boyfriend who looked at him with curiosity in his bright, green eyes. Hizashi was quick to come up to him and Shouta pointed above them. Hizashi’s eyes widened when he saw the mistletoe and he looked back at Shouta… or tried to but his boyfriend was nowhere near his eye level. Hizashi looked down and gasped when he saw Shouta on one knee, ring box in hand. His hands immediately flew to cover his mouth.
“Hizashi…” Shouta started softly, a fond look in his eyes.
“WAIT,” Hizashi exclaimed and scrambled back to his seat. He yanked something from his jacket, much to Shouta’s confusion, and was back within seconds, Shouta’s confusion increasing when Hizashi dropped to his knee too.
It only clicked when he saw the box in Hizashi’s hand.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” Hizashi was whispering frantically, and Shouta was speechless and unable to gather his thoughts.
“Get ON WITH IT,” Nemuri shouted from behind her phone she was holding up to record the moment.
“Yeah, it took you long enough,” Oboro agreed with a maniacal grin. Tensei just sighed and sipped from his glass.
Both men cleared their throats at the same time.
“Together?” Hizashi asked with a small smile. God, he loved his boyfriend.
Shouta nodded. “Hizashi…”
“Shouta…”
“We’ve known each other for ten years…” Shouta started.
“And it was the best ten years of my life,” Hizashi added.
“You’re my best friend…,” Shouta supplied.
“RUDE,” Oboro exclaimed and was promptly smacked by Nemuri and Tensei.
Hizashi laughed. “My partner, love of my life…”
“And I hope to show you how much you mean to mean for the rest of our lives. So…”
They took a deep breath and said at the same time.
“Will you marry me?”
They didn’t have to say it. Their actions spoke for them. Hizashi’s face split with a grin and they leaned in for a soft, tender kiss.
“Fucking finally,” Hizashi sighed with relief when he slipped a ring on Shouta’s finger.