Chapter Text
Shinso and Kaminari were lounging in the common room, leaning against opposite arms of the sofa they shared, but still idly knocking their socked feet and ankles together as they quietly chatted while browsing on their phones.
“Ooooh! What about this one?” Kaminari asked excitedly, practically folding himself in half to shove his phone screen in Shinso’s face.
Kaminari insisted on making good on his date idea (read: threat) from a few weeks back, which consisted of some bastard combination of a cat café and… bowling.
Shinso didn’t like bowling- well, he couldn’t necessarily say that for certain, since he’s never gone before, but it just seemed like something he absolutely would not like. It seemed loud and busy and tiring, with dirty shoes and even dirtier ball… holes- whatever, it didn’t sound like fun. He didn’t need firsthand experience to know that Wii bowling was a thousand times better.
He mentioned that to the blonde, feeling incredibly guilty as he did, and Kaminari just tilted his head in that unfairly cute way he always did before snapping his fingers and asking, “What if it’s with the whole squad?”
Because apparently to Kaminari, if Shinso had an opportunity to antagonize Bakugo he’d agree to basically anything.
And to Shinso’s immense displeasure, Kaminari was right.
But right now they were looking at cat cafés in the area, and Shinso was man enough to admit that he wasn’t being very helpful because so long as he was promised coffee and cats (and Kaminari), he didn’t really care where they went.
But Kaminari was nice and he wanted it to be special, so he kept asking for Shinso’s opinion but Shinso didn’t have one.
He was basically just looking at the names of the cafés and the few pictures Google had to offer, which he knew was super redundant, but he didn’t know what else to go off of.
So when he gripped Kaminari’s wrist to straighten his phone and saw ‘Biscuits & Beans’ listed as the name for a nearby café, he couldn’t help chuckling a little bit.
It was sort of cute.
Kaminari immediately grinned at him, looking horribly pleased with himself as he said, “Cute, right?”
Shinso had the insane urge to disagree with him, solely because of who he is as a person. But Kaminari’s eyes were surface of the fucking sun bright and Shinso felt like he might be struck down by God if he dared to snuff out the light in them.
So instead he just murmured, “Yeah, it’s…” as his eyes slid away from the blonde’s blinding face and he finished with, “It’s pretty cute.”
“You guys talkin’ about me?” Kirishima’s cheery voice floated over them as the redhead strolled into the common room, followed closely behind by a disgruntled Bakugo.
Kaminari laughed as he settled back against his arm of the sofa, making sure to lock his ankle under Shinso’s bent knee as he did to playfully sway it side to side. “Oh, you know it,” he joked lightly, shooting Kirishima an exaggerated wink which made the redhead swoon, bodily falling back against Bakugo with a hand held dramatically to his forehead.
Bakugo looked about one second away from dumping Kirishima right onto the floor. He roughly shoved the redhead away as Kirishima only laughed in delight, seemingly charmed by the treatment.
Shinso seriously worried about him sometimes.
“What’re you guys up to?” Kirishima asked curiously, leaning over the back of the sofa between the two as Bakugo impatiently stood behind him, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
“Cat cafés!” Kaminari announced as he handed over his phone.
“Ooooh!” Kirishima gushed, excitedly elbowing Bakugo in the side as he showed the blonde Kaminari’s phone screen. “We’ve totally been here before!”
Bakugo’s glare remained solidly in place as Kirishima handed the phone back and continued without missing a beat. “It was really funny because apparently cats like sweet stuff, and Katsuki’s Quirk makes him smell like burnt sugar. He was worried that-”
“I wasn’t fucking worried!” Bakugo interrupted, bristling.
Kirishima rolled his eyes, but the smile stayed on his face. “Alright, I was worried that they’d stay away from him since he kinda smells like smoke.” He eyed Bakugo then, saying, “But-”
“Fuckers swarmed me,” Bakugo interrupted in a growl.
That had Shinso chuckling. He eyed Bakugo, raising an amused brow at him. “That’s literally the goal though?”
Bakugo whipped around to face him, hands tightly gripping the back of the couch as he shouted out in borderline distress, “Not when their wet-ass sandpaper tongues are assaulting your fucking skin!”
Shinso clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Where’s your whimsy?” he asked. “Those are literally little guys.”
And Bakugo just stared at him for a moment, scrutinizing him in uncharacteristic silence. He blinked once, twice, and then he shook his head, scoffing as he fisted a hand in Kirishima’s shirt and started physically hauling him towards the kitchen.
Kirishima laughed before calling over his shoulder, “It was fun though! Super chill place. It’s got…” He jostled the arm Bakugo was leading him by, asking, “What’s the thing it’s got?”
Bakugo looked so done with the conversation. “Ambiance,” he grunted, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, that,” Kirishima laughed. “Shinso, you’d like it! The cats are cute and Katsuki said the coffee was really good.”
“I said it was fine!” Bakugo seethed, finally achieving his goal of pulling the redhead into the sanctity of the empty kitchen.
Once the pair was out of earshot, Kaminari’s eyes slid to land directly on Shinso.
“Well,” Kaminari mused, nudging Shinso’s leg with his own. “The cats are cute and the coffee is really good, that sound about your speed, Hitoshi?”
Shinso rolled his eyes despite himself, looking to the blonde across from him. “You know that it is,” he muttered, trying not to sound too interested despite the wobbly smile he felt taking over his face.
Sue him, he was getting a little excited (and nervous).
Fuck, Shinso was getting so nervous.
He knew he’d have a good time with Kaminari- there were no doubt about that.
The problem was that Shinso’s never been on a date before, and he kind of always assumed that people would keep staying away from him like they always have and he’d never even have to worry about it.
He’s long-since accepted that as just being a part of his life.
But now he had friends and a boyfriend, and that made him feel so lucky.
But it also made him feel like he was a hair’s-breadth away from using up all the good fortune he somehow earned, only to be being plunged back into the convenience of solitude he knew before joining Class-A.
Everything just felt very real all of a sudden- and Shinso didn’t really know what to do with that.
“Hey,” Kaminari murmured quietly, lightly jostling Shinso’s knee to get his attention. “You okay, Toshi?”
Shinso looked up at that, eyes wide. He scratched at the back of his neck, debating whether bringing up his worries would be what tore apart this fragile relationship he’s finally managed to build.
He licked his lips, choosing his words carefully as he quietly said, “Yeah, I’m just-” Then he cut himself off, and then Kaminari suddenly looked worried.
And the guilt at having caused it settled like a heavy mass in Shinso’s stomach.
“I’m just nervous,” he admitted quickly, looking off to the side. “I’m not- I’ve never done this before.”
“I haven’t either, so,” Kaminari murmured before concluding with, “I’m nervous, too.” Then the blonde was clasping his hands together in his lap, adding a quiet, “Really nervous, actually.”
“What? Why?” Shinso asked, tilting his head.
“I dunno, I guess I just…” Kaminari idly waved his hand around, trying to find the right words. “I’m just afraid you’ll have a bad time, or I’ll annoy you- but you’re too nice to be honest about it.” He looked down at his lap. “I just don’t wanna accidentally turn you off or anything,” he quietly admitted, looking to Shinso with the most unsteady little grin on his face.
“You’re not gonna turn me off,” Shinso assured, rubbing at his neck. He glanced at Kaminari again, sounding more sure this time as he said, “That won’t happen, Denki.”
Shinso was absolutely certain of that, because he thought he knew Kaminari pretty well at this point, and the blonde’s never once given Shinso a reason to not like him.
Then Kaminari’s face was going red as he breathlessly laughed out, “Am I crazy or is talking about this like, insanely embarrassing?”
Shinso deflated in agreement, leaning to push his forehead against Kaminari’s knee. He idly wound his arms around the blonde’s calf, murmuring, “Yeah, it- it is.”
They only stayed like that for a moment, with Shinso’s nerves easing for every pass Kaminari’s fingers made through his hair.
“Alright!” Kaminari suddenly cheered, punctuating his words with a clap of his hands. “So now we just need permission to leave campus, right? Who do we go to for that, anyways?”
And just like that, Shinso’s heart plummeted back into his stomach.
“…Aizawa.”
Kaminari raised a brow at his somber tone. “Why’re you saying that like it’s a bad thing?”
“I’m not,” Shinso muttered in a rush. “It’s just- I mean… it’s Aizawa.”
“You ashamed of me, Hitoshi?” Kaminari asked, amused as his eyes crinkled on a smirk.
Obviously that was not the issue. And Shinso knows that Kaminari knows that.
“No,” he said firmly, looking away as he scratched at his neck. “I mean, it’s just gonna be… weird.”
“Aw, c’mon,” Kaminari said, an assuring smile on his face. “It’s not gonna be weird!”
It was fucking weird.
Actually, mortifying might be a better word.
It’s not that Aizawa made Shinso uncomfortable, because he totally didn’t. But Aizawa was probably the most perceptive person in existence, so when the man quickly glanced over Shinso’s filled-in form, keen eyes searching for something specific, Shinso knew he’d been caught.
Caught at what? That he wasn’t sure of, because he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He just felt… caught.
Because when Aizawa illegibly scribbled his initials on the bottom of the form, handing it back to Shinso without even sparing him a glance, and casually voiced, “Kaminari?” Shinso was certain he could feel every drop of blood in his body rushing into his face.
He didn’t know what to say.
But Aizawa actually chuckled a little bit, idly shuffling some papers around on his desk as he mused, “He’s loud,” like he was issuing Shinso a warning.
But Shinso knew that already.
And somehow, it didn’t bother him a single bit.
So he quietly mumbled, “Yeah, I know.” He lightly scratched at his neck, flushing red as a traitorous smile broke out on his face. “I- I don’t mind it. Really.”
Aizawa only hummed at that, still not looking at him, which Shinso was thankful for. He offhandedly wondered if that was on purpose. Then the man pointedly said, “Take it from someone who knows, loud blondes are the worst.”
And it should’ve sounded like Aizawa was complaining, but his voice was way too fond. The look in his eyes was almost… soft.
For him, at least.
Then Aizawa sighed, sitting up straight in his chair and looking to Shinso like he was about to give a lecture.
But all the man offered him was a low, “Be careful,” before looking Shinso in the eye and asking, “You do understand what I’m saying, right?” He clicked his pen in hand a few times, looking almost as uncomfortable as Shinso suddenly felt. “Because I don’t want to spell it out for you if I don’t have to.”
Oh…
Oh, God.
This wasn’t- Aizawa wasn’t about to give him a sex talk, right?
He fucking couldn’t be.
Shinso kind of wanted to ask- partially out of curiosity, but mostly out of absolute fucking fear.
“This isn’t-” Shinso started, his words breaking off as a hot blush climbed his neck. “You’re not- like, um-”
He didn’t know how to phrase it, as he wasn’t sure he could actually say the word sex directly to Aizawa’s face without hurling himself out of the window immediately afterwards.
“No,” Aizawa said firmly, perceptive as ever in the face of Shinso’s uncharacteristic stuttering. “And I ask that you never bring it up to me.”
Then Aizawa made a face. “What I mean is this,” he began quietly, sounding like he was choosing his words very carefully. He looked to Shinso in earnest, like what he was about to say meant the world to him.
Aizawa cleared his throat. “High school is a lot more temporary than it feels when you’re experiencing it,” he explained slowly, meeting Shinso’s eye before concluding with a pointed, “Don’t let yourself get hurt.”
And this was one of those moments when Shinso was reminded that yes, he did have friends and a boyfriend.
But he also had Aizawa.
For some horrible reason Shinso kind of felt like he might cry.
“I- yeah, I’ll, uh-” he stuttered, scratching at his neck as he muttered a tentative, “I’ll… do my best?”
A smile on Aizawa’s face- a very small one, a bare quirking of the man’s lips. But even so- a smile.
“That’ll be more than enough.”
Fucked up.
Shinso would’ve been mortified that his eyes were starting to water if not for the fact that Aizawa suddenly turned away after that, roughly clearing his throat like the man might be on the verge of something embarrassingly emotional, too.
They exchanged very awkward, forced goodbyes after that, with Shinso rushing out into the hallway the moment after Aizawa pointedly spun his chair around to stare out the window.
So it was weird, but not in a way that Shinso would necessarily consider bad.
He’d just skip that entire last half when Kaminari inevitably asked him how it went when he got back to the dorms.
All in all, getting ready for their trip to the cat café was going about as well as Shinso expected.
He was totally on the verge of throwing up.
Shinso was stood in front of his wardrobe, staring at the limited array of casual clothes he owned in blacks and greys and purples.
He’s seen Kaminari in “going out” clothes a few times now, and no matter what the blonde wore, he always looked kind of thrown together.
But in a really, really charming way.
So Shinso sort of felt like he had to match that energy, but he didn’t know how.
He half-considered phoning a friend for help, but the number of people who would- one, actually give decent advice and two, wouldn’t make fun of him for asking- was very limited.
He’s actually pretty sure that person doesn’t exist.
So he went with his instincts and opted for his favorite sweater- grey and threadbare- and tried not to second-guess himself as he tugged it over his head followed by a pair of dark jeans.
He didn’t even glance at himself in the mirror as he stuffed his feet into his boots at the door, because then he’d risk the chance of freaking out all over again and barricading himself in his dorm room for the remainder of the weekend.
Shinso took slow steps as he made his way down to the common room, jacket slung over his shoulder. He knew he was ready way too early, but he was so worried about making Kaminari wait that he ended up watching three entire Hot Ones episodes on the sofa before he heard the elevator ding and the doors whoosh open.