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It started as a joke - really, the whole thing was meant to be a joke. Izuku had been looking forward to his first Valentine's with Ochaco. His first Valentine's in a relationship ever. When he'd been a student, in high school of course, his class did something they called 'Palentines' but he never got to experience the romantic version—the gifts and fancy dinner and flowers and oversized stuffed animal. The kind of stuff from movies.
"I just really wanted to do all the stupid cliche Valentine's things~" He whined, placing a fully graded homework sheet on top of the other finished ones. He placed his head on the desk, squishing his cheek against the cool wood in between two stacks of paper. "And I thought Ochaco would want to do those things with me." Instead of breaking up with him a week before the holiday he’d been so excited about. A hand patted his curls gently.
"This is really important to you, huh?" Keigo soothingly messed with his hair, looking up from his own stack of papers. What had once been an odd friendship had become a pillar for Izuku. He couldn't fathom not having this man in his life. He had a lot of those relationships, all of them featuring a retired pro hero—All Might, Gran Torino, Endeavour. Middle school him would have a heart attack if he could see the company he now kept. Keigo though, he was the most important even though Izuku hated playing favourites.
"It's stupid, I know," the younger sighed. The hand in his hair yanked on a handful but he didn't react. He had known worse pain; they both had.
"It's not stupid~" Keigo growled, tugging harshly on a lock of green. "I think it's cute." Izuku groaned;
"That's worse! I'm a twenty-six-year-old man, Keigo! I'm not supposed to be cute." He slid out of his seat and sprawled out on the ground beneath the desk. His friend nudged him with his shoe as he let out a deflating balloon noise. He's pretty sure he heard a faint 'cute~' but that was probably his imagination. Or Keigo teasing him.
"If it makes you feel any better, I've never done those things either." The foot nudging his vanished as the retired hero crawled under the desk as well. He’s either giving up on paperwork for the day or he finished. Likely the former. "Valentine's never occurred to me, you know. Not when I was a teenager or a hero or even now to be honest but it does sound nice, the way you talked about it."
With an arm pressed against his own, Izuku had a brilliant idea. . . or a really stupid one. "Would you like to be my Valentine?" The back of his hand brushed his friend's. "We can do all the silly, cliche things and just have fun with no expectations or worries."
Keigo was silent next to him which was not good for his anxiety but he also knew that the older man sometimes took a while to process words. There were several minutes of silence before he finally responded. "What are the 'cliche' things we would be doing?"
Izuku perked up, turning his head to smile at his friend. That wasn't a no! "I did so much research, Keigo. There's the basic dozen red roses, box of chocolates, giant stuffed animal, and store-bought card as a gift. We'll do some baking. After that, a romance movie or two with champagne, or red wine which is my preference, and cuddling on the couch! Then a candle-lit dinner at a super fancy restaurant where we'll split a dessert and finally, go for a stroll on the beach." He recited his research and the plans he'd made before he got dumped.
"And that's all?" Keigo's eyebrows scrunched together, he was confused about something or expecting something else.
"Well, that's the PG version." He shrugged the best he could while lying on his back as the blonde snorted.
"What's the non-PG version?" Izuku knew his friend was teasing him but he wasn't a starstruck teenager anymore, he could tease back.
"You mean breakfast in bed in my lacy red lingerie? Staying in bed until we're both in desperate need of a bath, so we have a nice soak with bubbles. Maybe putting on a movie but not watching a second of it. Doing a couple boudoir photo session." He wondered if he would've been able to say any of that to someone else. Keigo was just different like that. "Is that what you'd prefer?"
"The first option is fine with me. I'll pick the restaurant and you can pick the movie and handle the baking stuff." The former hero's voice sounded off in a way Izuku couldn't decipher but he was too excited to try.
"Thank you so much, Kei!" The younger rolled on top of the older, hands on either side of blonde hair and thighs caging his waist. "We're going to have so much fun. You won't regret this!" Izuku smiled down at his friend whose face seemed a little awestruck for whatever reason. Maybe he was just as excited to get to celebrate Valentine's Day with someone.
-
The morning of February fourteenth had Izuku nervously pacing back and forth in his living room. His nicest outfit ever bought was laid out on his bed, ready for later in the evening. His kitchen counters had all the needed, non-refrigerated items lined up with measuring cups and mixing bowls ready for baking. A large red teddy bear with a neat white bow took up an entire couch cushion with a heart-themed gift bag on its lap and a vase of roses across from it on the coffee table. He eyed the unopened bottle of red wine he got as a gift from a student's parent—it was made the year he was born and he'd been saving it for a special occasion. Everything was ready which meant so was he. This was all just for fun anyway, so why was he so nervous?
A knock on his door had him jumping towards it like he still had One For All. He didn't, obviously. Not even the embers were left but sometimes he moved like he still had it.
He shook his head to rid those thoughts away and opened his door. He stood face-to-face with a classic light brown teddy bear with a red heart nose. It was huge, unnecessarily gigantic. It was bigger than him and for a brief second Izuku thought this was someone with a teddy bear quirk. Green eyes caught two familiar hands holding the bear under its arms and he relaxed.
"Keigo, that thing is massive!" He squealed, grabbing one of the plush's hands with both of his. It was so soft!
"Please take it. I had to leave everything else in my car so I could bring it up." Izuku nodded even though his friend couldn't see him and grabbed the bear. It was stupidly heavy which made sense given its size but the young teacher didn't even falter. As soon as his hands were free, Keigo sighed in relief. "Thanks. I'm gonna go get everything else."
"Do you need help?" Izuku rested his enormous teddy against the wall. Even sitting down, the plush was taller than him and it had little red hearts on its feet and a red ribbon around its neck. It was cute, if oversized.
"Nah, I got it. Be right back!" Keigo ran off and returned with a garment bag in one hand and a gift basket with roses sticking out in the other. "We have a reservation at seven pm for dinner." He stated holding out the basket.
"We have plenty of time, then!" Izuku accepted the gift with a smile. "Thanks Keigo." He placed it on the entryway table and wrapped his arms around his dear friend. One arm hugged him back.
"We're getting ready at five and not a second later." Keigo's voice was stern but in a playful way. Izuku nodded, accepting his terms, and pulled him into the apartment.
"These are for you!" The younger gestured to the gifts he'd bought for his friend. He had thought the plush he'd gotten was big but Keigo loved to outdo him.
He watched the older man pat the red plushie softly before turning to his own gifts. Izuku pulled out a box of expensive chocolates and a bottle of wine worth a month's salary. If he wasn't used to his friend's love of gifting him expensive things he would probably have felt bad. For some reason, there were two cards in the basket. One had 'open now' written on it while the other had 'open later'. He wondered when 'later' meant.
"Do you wanna start baking so we can have snacks with our movie?" Keigo's question grabbed Izuku's attention away from the basket of goodies.
"Sure," he agreed easily. He put the card in his hand back into the bag and led them to the kitchen. "I have stuff for strawberry cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies and look! Red chocolate chips!" Izuku proudly held up the bag and shook it. The blonde laughed and it was such a beautiful sound he almost dropped his prize.
"Let's wash our hands and get started!"
Izuku, despite not being one to brag, was a beast in the kitchen. He'd been cooking and baking for as long as he could remember. The only person from his old class that could rival his baking was Sato and cooking? Nobody could cook quite like Midoriya Izuku. Once he made dinner for his class, it had been over for everyone else. And he loved it too. Not only was it good for his hands and mind, but he got tasty food out of it that he could share. He was the most popular teacher at UA for that alone, no matter what his friends like to say(it certainly wasn’t his looks, guys! Come on). Bring a kid a cupcake and you are now the best adult ever. Bring in sweets once a month for all of your students and you become the most beloved member of the staff. And it's not bribery, he's always done this.
Keigo, however, was a disaster in the kitchen. He didn't start learning to cook until his twenties and by then the damage was done. No matter what he tried or how many classes he took, it always ended up inedible. Really, his job was just to hand things to Izuku then stand back and look pretty, an easy job for him. Soon enough, trays were in the oven and he was promised to be allowed to decorate the cupcakes since he barely participated in baking outside of keeping the chef company.
The pair decided to play a game of life while their goodies either baked in the oven or cooled on the counters. Obviously, Izuku won. Izuku always wins games. When the game was over, they split their cupcakes in half and began to decorate. There weren't enough to bring to his students but Izuku had already brought in Valentine-themed brownies the day prior since the actual day fell on a weekend. Maybe he'd give the leftovers to the staff. They deserved sweet treats too.
Soon, it was after one. They each grabbed one cupcake and one cookie before getting comfortable on the couch. Neither wanted to ruin their appetite and decided not to snack too much while watching their movies. Izuku fit perfectly against Keigo's side, his arm over the older's chest with an arm over his shoulder. Fingers brushed against the scar on his cheek and his body felt warm. For a second, he wished he could stay in that moment forever. He barely noticed dozing off with wine in his belly and a heartbeat beneath his ear.
"Izuku~" A finger jabbed into his face, jerking him awake. "There you are, sleepyhead!" Keigo smiled down at him as he blinked slowly. What a nice face to wake up to. "Come on, Izu, it's after five."
"After five!" He shot up, just avoiding slamming his head into Keigo's. "You said at five not after five! I'm so sorry."
"Nah, don't apologize. I'm the one that didn't wake you." The blonde lazily stretched and flashed a perfect smile. "As long as we're on the road by six-thirty, we'll be fine. Now, can I borrow your guest bathroom to get changed?"
Izuku nodded, standing up. He did his own set of stretches as his friend grabbed the garment bag he'd brought and disappeared behind a closed door. Wait, I never opened the first card Kei gave me! The teacher went over the the basket, grabbing the card, before retreating into his bedroom. He would open it once he got dressed.
Black dress pants and a teal button-down later, green eyes glared at the red tie in his hands. Over ten years and he still can't tie a tie right. Keigo will just have to do it for him like usual. He wrapped it around the lifted collar of his shirt and let it hang. The fabric had a dark red feather embroidered into it, an old piece of Hawks merch from before the hero retired; before the war in its entirety. He had bought it on a whim, hoping hero merch would help him learn to tie a tie. It hadn't, obviously, and ended up shoved in the back of a drawer for an embarrassingly long time. He knew Keigo would love it. He always perked up and had this look in his eyes whenever Izuku wore his merch.
He opened his bedroom door and sat back on his couch with his card in his hands. Keigo was still in the bathroom, perfect to finally open his first card. It had cartoon lovebirds and hearts all over the front in the classic red, pink, and white. He smiled, opening it up. He half expected it to be filled with glitter or confetti. Thankfully it wasn't. Instead, there was a cheesy company-made message on one side and a handwritten message on the other. He skipped the printed text and zeroed in on Keigo's neat but small writing.
Dear Izuku
I should be saying this to your face, but every time I try I freeze up. And trust me, I've tried a lot but whenever my eyes meet yours the words just vanish. Now, you're a pretty amazing guy and a remarkable friend. You are so fucking special to me; I don't ever not want you in my life. That being said, I really need to tell you something.
I should give you this letter before Valentine's, but I'm selfish and I want to have this day with you before I go and ruin everything. Here's to hoping you're reading this after you get home from our day out and I am nowhere in the vicinity.
Before I drag on too long and run out of space on this card, I just want to say that I love you. No, not like a friend or a brother or any other ways you can love someone platonically. I am in love with you, wholly and truly.
If you don't feel the same, you can just burn this card. We can never talk about it if you wish. Just, please don't stop being my friend. I promise I can live with these feelings locked away forever, just stay in my life.
I love you as my best friend and I'm in love with you, Midoriya Izuku.
Yours Always,
Keigo
A tear splashed onto the page, blurring the ink. With watery eyes, Izuku glanced at the floor where the envelope had fallen face up. 'For Later' it read.
"Alright, I'm ready!" Keigo announced, exiting the bathroom. "I was as fast as possible but perfection takes time and why are you crying?" His voice went from joking to concerned in a flash.
Izuku walked over to the former hero and held up his card. "I read the wrong one." It wasn't the right thing to say, but he didn't know what else to say. He didn't know what to think. All of a sudden, his precious friend, the person dearest to his heart, was in love with him .
Keigo's face paled in horror. "Fuck. Shit. That's not how this is supposed to go." His eyes were so wide but the fear in them dulled their beauty. He caused that fear.
"Say it." The words came out clearly as the storm in Izuku's head cleared.
"Izuku, please." Pro hero Hawks never begged, but Keigo who was weak and fragile and human did.
"What you wrote, say it." Izuku would never call himself cruel, but he knew that's what he was being. It didn't matter though. This was more important.
"I-I," Keigo clenched his hands so hard his fingers turned white. His gaze locked on the card and he glared at it. "I fucking love you, okay! I love you. Is that what you wanted to hear?" He didn't sound happy to be saying that.
Izuku nodded, letting the card fall to the floor between them and stepped forward. Hands landed on his shoulders keeping him from getting too close. Vulnerability was written across the blonde's face. "I'm pretty sure I love you too. As in, I'm probably in love with you."
"Pretty sure? Probably?" Keigo seemed so uncertain and hopeful and the same time.
"I never thought about it before but it makes sense. You are my most precious person and if I could wake up next to you every day, I would. Is that enough for you?"
"That's more than enough for me." His friend whispered, lowering his head to rest their foreheads together. A common action that always left Izuku feeling dizzy, especially when he felt breath against his lips. He probably should've figured this out sooner. It really was so obvious.
"Yeah. I'm in love with you, Keigo." He decided right then and there because it was unmistakable and undeniable. He had been in love with his friend for a long time.
"Oh." The blonde was breathless and all kinds of soft. He loved that too; how easily he could read his friend. "Can I kiss you?"
Izuku didn't respond with words, instead moving his head to capture Keigo's semi-open lips with his own. Warmth filled his body and stars exploded behind his eyelids. Yeah, this was love .
Izuku and Keigo went to their reservation together, somehow managing to show up on time despite having an emotional revelation right before leaving. Instead of it being a platonic dinner, it became their first date. At least, their first official date. They shared a dessert and Izuku took his new boyfriend to Dagobah Beach. They held hands and walked along the shore under the moonlight. It was somehow better as a couple than as friends when barely nothing had changed barring a title and a kiss. Weird.
Keigo stared out at the sea with the most captivating smile. "Hey Izuku?" He hummed in response, caught up by the beauty in front of him. "Maybe next year we can do that second option."
Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you