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1.
It wasn’t that Koji wasn’t brave. He knew he could be when the situation called for it. With everything their class went through, he stayed strong and kept fighting. When facing a villain, he could put his fears aside, yet somehow, he still couldn’t find the courage to ask out his crush.
He sat at the edge of Sato’s bed, watching the other boy bake a fresh batch of cookies as he chatted with Ojiro and Hagakure. If they hadn’t been friends for so long, he doubted he would be able to hold a full conversation with him before his nerves took over. That was one of the best things about him, even with his crush making him nervous after talking to him for a few seconds, his anxiety would start to melt away.
Sato could calm him down any time he had an anxiety attack and always seemed to know when something was off. He made sure no one ever left Koji out during group activities and drew attention away from him if he could tell he needed a break. To an outsider, he might look like an average meathead jock, but Sato was one of the kindest people he knew.
“-da. Koda!” he realized he’d zoned out as Sato’s voice called him back to reality. “You good?”
He nodded, unable to think of a good excuse for why he’d spent the last few minutes staring at Sato. If he didn’t do something about his crush soon, there was no way he would stay oblivious. Even if most people couldn’t read him, his friends always knew what was up.
“Hey Koda, can we go grab Yuwai-chan?” Hagakure asked suddenly, saving him from further questions about why he zoned out. It also meant she’d probably figured out why all on her own. She seemed to have a sixth sense for people’s crushes. “I want to play with her.”
“Okay, let’s go,” he agreed, taking the out she gave him even though it would probably mean more questions from her. Even if he hadn’t agreed to go now, she would just ask him later.
As they stepped out of the room and into the hallway, she didn’t say anything, so for a moment he thought she may not have caught on. He should have known better, though, because the moment the elevator doors closed behind them, she turned his way with what would likely be a huge smile if he could see her face. She definitely knew.
“So you like Sato,” she said, not even bothering to make it a question.
He was honestly more surprised it had taken her this long to catch on. Most of the time, she could clock someone’s crush from a single interaction, and since she seemed to think of herself as some kind of matchmaker, that meant trouble. She caught Ojiro’s crush on Kaminari the first time the other boy played with his tail, and he had to ask for her notes. From there, she hadn’t given up until they ended up dating.
“Maybe,” he whispered, even though he knew there was no escaping this now. Unfortunately, the elevator was quiet, and even if she hadn’t heard, she wouldn’t give up so easily.
“OMG, that’s great!” she squealed, grabbing his arm in her excitement. “You two would be so cute together! You have to ask him out!”
“I don’t know Hagakure,” he replied, as the doors slid open on his floor. “I can’t just ask him out.”
“Of course you can!” she insisted, and he wished he could have her confidence about the situation. “You’ve faced down villains and fought through stuff most adults couldn’t handle. Asking out your crush should be no big deal!”
“But what if he says no?”
“He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Just a hunch,” she explained, scooping Yuwai-chan into her arms. “I’m good at picking up on this kind of thing.”
She didn’t push any further as they made their way back to Sato’s room. She didn’t need to. Hagakure had managed to get her words into his head, which was probably her main goal. She would give him at least a little time before she started trying to meddle. For now, planting the suggestion in his mind was enough.
Maybe she was right, and he should just go for it. She seemed so sure when she said, ‘ he won’t ’ and was normally right about people’s crushes. Did Sato like him back? Even if he did, could Koji actually just ask him? He would probably end up panicking if he tried and fail to get the words out.
The rest of the night, as they hung out in Sato’s room, his mind kept wandering back to the idea of confessing his feelings. He did want to do it, but could he? No matter how much he wanted to say something, he worried the words would die in his throat the second his anxiety kicked in. Hagakure was right, they had faced things most grown adults never could, so how was this scarier? How did confessing his feelings scare him more than villains ever did?
He kept thinking about asking until the light outside the window dimmed and their curfew approached. Ojiro headed out first, saying he should probably review for their test tomorrow before bed. Hagakure followed soon after, with a cheeky ‘have fun boys’ as she headed out. If he was going to do it, this was his chance. She believed he could do it, so now he just needed to believe in himself. He could do it.
“Hey Koda, before you go, do you think we could talk about something?” Sato asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He’d taken a seat next to Koji on his bed without him even noticing.
“Sure,” he squeaked out, trying to keep his nerves under control. He finally made up his mind to say something, and now Sato wanted to talk. Did he know? Was it something else entirely? Would it be weird for him to confess after whatever this conversation was?
There was silence for a moment as Sato seemed to steel himself for whatever he was about to say. Was it something bad? What if he was mad at him? Had he done something wrong? He searched his mind for something he could have done, but could think of nothing. Was he just worrying too much because of what he planned to ask?
“Koda, I really like you,” Sato blurted out suddenly, and just like that, all the worried voices in his head went quiet. “I have for a while, actually, and Hagakure keeps telling me I should just go for it, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds. I guess what I’m trying to ask is, will you go out with me?”
He’d been so worried about confessing his feelings that Sato beat him to it. He really needed to stop letting his worry get the better of him.
“Koda, please say something,” Sato asked after a few moments of silence, his worry clear on his face. In his surprise, he’d completely forgotten to give an answer.
“Oh, sorry! Yes!” he quickly rushed out, trying not to stumble over his words. Then, a little quieter, he added. “I was just trying to come up with a good way to ask you the same thing.”
“Wait, really?” Sato asked, his worry melting into a soft smile. “I guess I didn’t have anything to worry about then.”
“I guess not. Worrying is more my thing anyway.”
And then Sato started to laugh. He had a soft and sweet laugh for someone so big. Koji didn’t know why he’d ever worried so much about asking him out. Next time, he wouldn’t let his worry stop him. He would make the next move.
2.
It had been almost four months since they started dating. Three times, Koji had come close to kissing Rikido, got scared, and chickened out. He wanted to kiss him, he really did, but what if the other boy thought they were moving too fast? Or maybe he didn’t want to kiss him.
He knew he was overthinking things; Hagakure had told him as much. When he mentioned his worries to her and asked for advice, she told him to stop thinking so much, but that was easier said than done. He’d never been able to stop thinking about anything. She was right, though, if he wanted it, he needed to ask.
So, as he got ready for their date, he promised himself that before it ended, he would make his move. At some point, there would be a good opportunity to ask, and he wouldn’t let it pass. Sure, he was nervous, but that wasn’t going to stop him. Tonight was the night.
As he made his way down to the commons, his mind was still racing as he tried to calm his nerves. His brain didn’t calm down until he saw Rikido waiting for him near the door, a picnic basket in his hands, and a smile lighting up his face at his boyfriend’s approach. Somehow, his smile set Koji’s mind at ease. He would be just fine.
“I made us a picnic since we aren’t supposed to leave school grounds,” Rikido explained as they made their way outside. “I’m not as good with cooking as I am baking, but I convinced Bakugo to help me a bit, so it should be good.”
“How do you get him to help you?”
“Midoriya told me he’ll do anything if you phrase it as a challenge. I just suggested he thought he couldn’t teach me, and suddenly he was dragging me to the kitchen. He honestly wasn’t a bad teacher. Hopefully it turned out alright.”
“I’m sure it’s perfect.”
And it was. That whole date was. He’d found the perfect spot tucked in some trees on the UA grounds where it felt they were much further away from anyone else than they were. The food was delicious, Bakugo’s cooking tips had definitely paid off. They stayed out longer, even after they were done eating, enjoying the sunset, and talking.
They fell silent for a moment as their conversation reached a natural pause, and he finally remembered his plan for the night. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t back out. Now he just needed to find the words before they headed back inside.
“Hey, Koji,” Rikido asked, his voice softer than before.
He turned toward his boyfriend, finding him staring at him, looking a bit nervous. It reminded him a bit of the time he first asked him out. As Rikido’s eyes flicked down to his lips, he knew exactly what he planned to ask before the words even left his mouth.
“Can I kiss you?”
Koji nodded quietly, unable to keep the smile off his face. Once again, he was saved from having to find the words by Rikido beating him to it. He really needed to stop thinking he had anything to worry about with him.
The kiss wasn’t much, but it was perfect. Short and sweet. The soft press of their lips against each other. He’d never seen the fuss over intense first kisses anyway. They could take things at their own pace from here now that someone made the first move.
3.
As they finished their third and final year at UA, the main topics in their class quickly shifted to two things: which agencies they would be working for and where they planned to live. Many of their classmates were already talking about being roommates when they found apartments, whether it was with their friends or significant others. Most of them wouldn’t be able to afford living alone, and even those like Yaoyorozu who probably could seemed to favor having someone to live with.
Koji was yet to ask anyone, not because he didn’t want a roommate. It was because he was once again trying to find the right words. He wanted to ask Rikido to move in with him next year. It made sense given that the agencies they would be working for were in the same city, but he also just wanted to move in with him. They’d been together for two years now and lived in the same building for most of it. Plus, if they shared a room, that meant they didn’t need as big of an apartment.
Was it too big of a step to move in together right out of school? He knew he wanted to, but what if Rikido didn’t? Would he think they were moving too fast? What if he already had a different plan? He was probably just overthinking again, but this was a big step. Much bigger than sharing feelings or kissing.
He’d looked at a few apartment options in the area they were moving to, but still hadn’t shared any of them with his boyfriend. At least he had them ready for when he worked up the courage to ask, and given how little time was left, that would need to be soon.
He glanced over at his bed, where Rikido was playing with Yuwai-chan, then back at his closed laptop. He just needed to ask, and then he could show him. There was one that looked just perfect. Koji was so sure he would love it. It was in a good area, had a good kitchen, and there was a park right across the street where he could take his animals to play.
“You know, we should probably start looking at apartments soon,” Rikido said, looking over at him as he scratched the rabbit’s head.
Wait what? Had he missed something? Yes, he was hoping they would move in together, but he figured that was something they would talk about first. His surprise must have shown on his face because Rikido sat up from where he’d been casually lying, looking worried.
“Oh shoot, I completely forgot to ask you if you wanted to move in with me, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but I was trying to figure out how to ask you anyway,” he answered, trying not to laugh. With how much Koji got in his own head over everything, Rikido always made stuff seem so simple. It was one of the things he loved most about him. He made everything easier.
“I thought I brought it up weeks ago, but I guess it slipped my mind with everything going on.”
“I’ve actually looked at a few places, if you want to see.”
“That sounds great,” Rikido replied, moving over to make space on the bed next to him. “At least one of us remembered to start looking. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
+1
“What if he says no? Or what if I get nervous and can’t get the words out?”
Koji flicked open the box in his hand again, staring down at the ring. He’d spent hours trying to pick the perfect ring and even longer trying to plan the perfect night. He didn’t know what he would do if things didn’t go according to plan.
“Koda, as I have told you at least ten times just tonight, he will definitely say yes,” Hagakure insisted, taking the box from his hands and closing it. “You’re just worrying yourself. Put the ring away and tell yourself things will be just fine. I know you can do it, so now you need to know it.”
It was definitely good that he asked Rikido to meet him there instead of both of them leaving their place together. His boyfriend would have noticed something was up before they even left the house. Hagakure’s suggestion of proposing before they went to dinner was truly a lifesaver; he wouldn’t have been able to make it through that without his nerves getting to him either.
“Everything is going to go perfectly,” she assured him again, and even if there was no way to know, he did his best to believe her. She was right, worrying wouldn’t help. He tucked the ring back into his pocket. “Now he’s going to be here soon, so I’m gonna get going. You can do it!”
She turned to walk off, leaving him to wait, but then she stopped. She turned around and ran over, giving him a big hug. “I’m so happy for you guys. And I better be a bridesmaid at your wedding.”
He laughed softly, her little joke doing more to put his mind at ease than she knew. The people he met in class 1A were truly some of the best things to ever happen to him. He didn’t know where he would be without his friends.
“Thank you, again,” he told her. “For all your help.”
This time, she actually headed off. He didn’t have to wait alone very long, though, because soon he spotted his boyfriend walking towards him. He looked a bit confused, but gave a cheerful wave. He’d expected at least a little confusion when he told Rikido to meet him outside UA without explanation, but it was the perfect place.
“What are we doing back at school?” Rikido asked as he reached him. “Your message said to meet you here before dinner, but you didn’t respond when I asked why.”
“I wanted to show you something.”
He’d known meeting here would spark a few questions, but decided it was easier to keep answers vague than coming up with a story. He never came up with good lies anyway. Everyone figured him out right away, especially Rikido.
He headed onto the campus, his boyfriend following behind. He got a few more questions about their destination and what Koji planned to show him, but only gave vague answers about how he would see soon. As they reached the trees where they had their first kiss, Rikido stopped asking. He was too busy looking around at the small clearing.
Dozens of fireflies surrounded the clearing, looking almost like fairy lights. Hagakure had suggested lights at first, but he came up with a better idea. Instead, he used his quirk to gather as many fireflies as he could to light the space.
“How long did it take to get so many-”
But he stopped as he turned back towards Koji and noticed the other man was now on one knee. The soft smile that spread across his face was all he needed for the last of his worry to disappear. He could do it.
“Since I’ve met you, you have been one of the best people in my life. You always know when I’m worried about something and how to help me calm down. You’ve been by my side, though all the crazy things we managed to survive. You’re strong, kind, and can always make me laugh. You’re an amazing hero, an incredible baker, and so much more. You’re my favorite person, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Sato Rikido, will you marry me?”
And as he said the last few words, he pulled the box from his jacket, opening it. He didn’t have to wait even a moment after asking the question because Rikido was already saying yes.