Work Text:
Taishiro Toyomitsu let out a tired huff as he stepped off the train, feeling the relief of once again having elbow room. Normally, the BMI Hero: Fat Gum was one to avoid mass transit due to how much space he usually took up.
But that’s the thing, right now, Taishiro wasn’t Fat Gum. Heck, he wasn’t even fat. He’d burnt through all his fat stores while out on patrol, needing the extra power to take down a villain with a diamond-skin Quirk. He and Tamaki were successful, but boy did it leave him drained.
Then again, it was nice to not be recognized during his trek home for once. Given his normally eye-catching appearance, that almost never happened. It kinda made him wish there was a way to switch between Fat Gum and ‘Slim Jim’ on the fly. But alas, he was ‘cursed’ with having to build up his fat stores the old-fashioned way.
“Oh no, I get to eat a tub of ice cream, how terrible,” He sarcastically joked to himself as he searched through his key ring for the one that opened his apartment door. Despite his snarkiness, that was probably his course of action for the night. As much as his boyfriend valued schedules and consistency, he did not have the energy to cook something for himself. “Should’ve at least stopped at McDonald’s.”
Finally wrangling his door open, his nose was immediately treated to the deliciously familiar scent of grilled meat, accompanied by that oh-so-satisfying sizzle you get when grease meets pan and pan meets fire.
It didn’t take much thought for Taishiro to realize what was happening. Stepping into the kitchen, he was met with a familiar head of silver hair standing behind the stove, his back turned to the off-duty hero. Beside him sat a plate of five American cheesesteaks, the beef looking beautifully browned and the provolone melted to provide an even coating throughout, with a delectable dosage of onions and red peppers mixed in. Absolutely perfect for gaining a few dozen pounds in only a few minutes.
Hoping his boyfriend didn’t notice him coming in, Taishiro snuck up from behind and wrapped his arms around his torso in a surprise hug.
…Or at least he tried. His boyfriend had a lot of large, thick muscles, and Taishiro wasn’t as tall as he liked at the moment. As such, he struggled a bit when it came to completing the hug.
But he wouldn’t let a small setback like this stop this display of affection, he simply hugged harder. Though that proved a challenge against his partner’s rock-solid musculature. “Hnnnnnnnngh! Almost there…”
“Don’t strain yourself,” Sekijiro gently chided, not even bothering to look up from his pan as he continued cooking the beef to perfection. Once that man was given a task, it usually took a lot to pull him away from it.
“Sorry. Just wanted to say hi.” Taishiro leaned up and pecked his boyfriend on the cheek. Kinda funny, considering it was usually Sekijiro who had to lean up to get any kisses in, but Taishiro was a good deal shorter without his piles upon piles of fat. Oh, how the turn tables. “You didn’t have to do this for me, you know. It was my turn to cook tonight. We could’ve ordered out or something.”
“I wanted to,” Sekijiro answered shortly and bluntly, as he was known to do, “I saw you on the news today. You did good, but I knew you’d need something filling afterwards.”
“Hit the nail on the head with that one,” He chuckled, “Still, need an extra set of hands?”
“Mind keeping an eye on the onions?” Sekijiro glanced at another simmering pan.
“You know I never do.” Taishiro slipped over to his boyfriend’s side and grabbed the pan by the handle. From there, the two stood in a comfortable silence, letting the gentle crackle of the grilling ingredients fill the room.
It was certainly a calming experience for the pair of heroes. If he knew Sekijiro moving in would lead to moments like this, Taishiro would’ve asked him to do so a long time ago.
Part of him wanted this singular instant to last forever. Just him and his lover, touching shoulders, sharing affection through the simple action of preparing food. But if it never ended, then the food would never be done, so it was a necessary sacrifice.
But still, that didn’t mean the moment couldn’t be enjoyed presently. “So, how was school today?” Asked Taishiro.
Sekijiro hummed. “Not much to say, I’m afraid. The class did some standard Quirk training, Momona said something stupid, and Kendo dealt with him accordingly. Oh, but I’ve also noticed Kamakiri and Shiozaki sparring together more often, likely to help strengthen each other’s Quirks.”
“Huh, from what you’ve described of them, I didn’t think they’d get along too well.”
“They don’t. It’s called a rivalry, and it pushes them both to perform better.”
“Within reason.”
“Yes, within reason. You know I‘d step in if things got out of hand. I wouldn’t simply leave them to their own devices while I’m off sleeping on the job. Who do you think I am, Aizawa?”
Taishiro shorted out a laugh at Sekijiro’s unexpected joke. Looks like he’d been rubbing off on his boyfriend more than he thought. “Didn’t realize there was a level of pettiness there.”
“Not pettiness, rivalry,” He stressed, though Taishiro personally doubted that.
“Right, right, whatever you say. You’re the teacher here, not me.”
“You’re selling yourself short.” Sekijiro once again put his bluntness on full display. “I’ve seen all the good you’ve done for that Amajiki kid. I have no doubts that it’s because of your help he managed to become a member of the Big Three.”
Taishiro pretended the red tinting of his cheeks was thanks to steam from the stove. “Aw, thanks Babe. I don’t know what to say.”
“You already said thanks,” He casually shrugged, “That means more than enough to me.”
“Yeah, but I wanna say something more.” He rubbed his shoulder against his boyfriend’s, even though they were already touching. “How about something like ‘you think I could come down to UA and try to teach a lesson on my own?’”
Sekijiro seemed to like the idea of seeing his boyfriend during work, if the small blush was anything to go off of. “I can’t guarantee anything, but I will certainly suggest the idea to Nezu.”
“Thanks, Babe. Can’t wait to see the look on Tamaki’s face when he sees me walkin’ down the halls.”
“You’ll have to send me a picture.”
———————————————
From there, the pair finished cooking and brought their small stack of cheesesteaks to the dinner table. As he prepared to take his first night, Taishiro couldn’t help but notice Sekijiro looking at him a bit more… intensely. “I didn’t realize I looked so eye-catching when eating,” He said.
Selijiro’s look softened. “I’m just… curious about what you’ll think of dinner.”
Taishiro smirked lightly, cocking an eyebrow. “Really? You think I won’t like your cooking? Did you get hit by an amnesia Quirk or something?”
“It’s not that.” Sekijiro looked away, his boyfriend admiring the rarely-shown bashful side of his personality. “It’s just my first time making cheesesteaks.”
To quell the Blood Hero’s worries, Taishiro shoved the cheesesteak into his mouth, devouring it all in one bite. “Well, you could’ve fooled me. That was delicious,” He said, patting his already fattening stomach.
Sekijiro groaned, pinching the bridge of his knows. “Taishiro, will you ever learn to chew?”
“I’m a hero. I don’t have time to chew,” He laughed, earning a reluctant chuckle from his boyfriend as well.
Yeah, these were the moments of their relationship worth cherishing.