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Denki caught Izuku’s eye from across the room and had to hold his breath. Izuku was so twitchy on nights like this. Denki knew he didn’t like the crowds and the noise that followed the class, especially on the monthly ‘bonding’ nights as Mina and Iida had dubbed them. That pair combined was a disaster for anyone who didn’t wish to be involved. The first time Shinsou had been around for one of these nights he had tried to avoid it.
Needless to say, Shinsou had been at the bonding night.
Izuku kept glancing around and shifting slightly, nerves evident in every action he made. It always baffled Denki how many people just ignored his boyfriend’s quite obvious tells. Uraraka was especially guilty of this. She was always trying to get in his face, or hang off of him in some way. Izuku hated when people touched him without warning and permission. Denki was one of the very few, if not the only one, with blanket permission so long as Izuku saw him before he touched him. It always made Denki’s heart clench tightly at the trust Izuku held in him.
Crossing his eyes and scrunching up his nose when Izuku caught his eye, Denki relished in the slight relaxing of Izuku’s shoulders. He loved the grin that Izuku sent his way before turning back to talk with Iida and Mina. These bonding nights had really brought them together and no one was surprised when Mina skipped up to Iida one day and locked their fingers together. They had all seen the small blushes and the silent eye contact. It was disgustingly cute. Denki had loved every moment of watching the pining.
At first he had envied their easy affection, had envied Kirishima and Bakugou holding each other in the common room or even Sero just going up and kissing Todoroki’s cheek. That hadn’t lasted for long though. Izuku and him weren’t hiding their relationship, in fact they talked about each other and the time they spent together for dates often . Denki was just waiting for his friends to get sick of him talking about Izuku, but they hadn’t yet, so he kept talking.
No, they weren’t hiding, but Izuku was so uncomfortable with affection. He was beyond touch starved and hated attention. So Denki made himself content with hip bumps, wrist squeezes and smiles meant just for them. In private was different. Behind closed doors Izuku was happy to hold Denki or have Denki hold him. He was thrilled to tangle their fingers or feet together and he loved when Denki would kiss his face or his hand or his lips. It was sweet and made everything feel just a bit more special once Denki realized that Izuku wasn’t ashamed of Denki, but was instead scared of everyone else.
He hated that Izuku was so scared of being told off, that he feared even the briefest hint of contact with someone not breaking his boundaries or hurting him. When Denki had found out about Izuku’s middle school he had almost short circuited the dorms. He had almost marched to Bakugou’s room and decked him. Izuku didn’t let him though. Izuku was good and kind and sweet . Denki might be good and occasionally sweet, but he wasn’t kind by any stretch of the word.
Denki was a snarky bastard and he knew it. Izuku was too, but he was better at keeping the comments to himself until no one was listening. It was admirable, really, how Izuku could smile so sweetly to someone’s face, how he could help them with any issue and they leave feeling better about themself, but right before they’re out of hearing distance, though clearly not listening, he would roast them to kingdom come. It was awe inspiring . How people still thought Izuku was innocent, Denki would never understand.
Well, he would. It probably had to do with the blushing anxiety, the stuttering and the freckles. The wide puppy dog eyes and beaming bright smile didn’t hurt either.
Izuku had been slowly picking his way through the crowd to get closer to Denki and once he was within distance, Izuku’s hip bumped lightly into Denki’s. The grin that stretched across Denki’s face at the contact pulled at his cheeks a little bit. He could easily get sore cheeks from grinning when Izuku was around, especially when Izuku initiated contact. Sometimes it was sweet how his boyfriend waited for permission with ever single touch, but then Denki remembered why Izuku did that. So incredibly similar to why Denki did.
Growing up with a strong electricity quirk didn’t lead to a childhood filled with hugs and highfives. Denki always hesitated to check his quirk was under control before he allowed himself to come into contact with anyone . It had been years since he accidently zapped someone, but it was better safe than sorry. Izuku never really had that issue with Denki’s quirk. Not only did he have amazing and overwhelming trust in Denki, he also liked the small shocks. They eased the painful bite from his bones, or at least that’s what he told Denki. Izuku hadn’t lied to Denki before, so he was inclined to believe him.
Izuku kept out certain details sometimes, though. He never lied, but he never told Denki everything . He promised that one day he would and Denki trusted him.
Reaching out slowly, Denki curled his fingers around a scarred wrist and sent a very small shot of electricity out his palm. Izuku had been tensing his hands all night and Denki knew he only did that when his arms were hurting him. A syrupy sweet smile slipped over Izuku’s face and his emerald eyes warmed to a toe curling jade. Those looks were dangerous and Izuku knew that. “Thanks, Denki.” Denki could feel his face beginning to flame at the soft, gentle tone slipping through his brain.
Izuku absolutely knew what he was doing right now and it wasn’t fair .
“Guys!” Uraraka came bounding up and locked arms with Izuku. Denki noticed his boyfriend tense and pull away from her, but she had an iron grip like usual. He hated that she never respected Izuku. One of these days he was going to zap her stupid for it, but Izuku didn’t want that. Something about Denki getting expelled. The consequences didn’t really factor in when someone was hurting Izuku.
Because that’s what it was. It might not be physically causing him pain, but emotionally he was a wreck. Izuku hated being touched and he also didn’t want to hurt his friends. The war that always went on behind his eyes drove Denki insane. He hated seeing Izuku upset and people hanging off of him made Izuku upset.
Mina jumped onto Denki’s back with a squeal and a laugh that pulled on Denki’s smile. Mina was one of his best friends and he loved seeing her so happy. “Come on! Hurry up! It’s game time. ” With a sigh and a shared eyeroll, Denki and Izuku shuffled over to the already formed circle on the floor. Mina jumped off Denki’s back once they reached the edge and she dove into Iida’s lap with a mischievous grin. The two of them should not have been as cute as they were. “Tonight’s game is, drum roll please!” Kirishima, Sero and Denki all complied echoes of laughter flowing from Izuku and Momo at their antics. “Truth or Dare!”
Mina looked so pleased with herself and Iida was smiling that indulgent little grin he only ever wore around Mina. Izuku finally settled into his spot of the circle. Hip to hip with Denki, knees brushing with so little space between them. Denki felt euphoric . Izuku was getting better. The longer they dated the easier time he had with casual touch, with small hints of affection. It was amazing to witness the small, subtle changes. Every new step filled Denki with such extreme glee.
Denki was so thrilled he barely even noticed Uraraka crowding Izuku until Izuku finally, gently, pushed her away a bit. That was also a huge step. Izuku had been working with a therapist and dealing with everything . From when he was little and everything that had happened in first year. One of the biggest things that he had to work on was establishing healthy boundaries and maintaining those boundaries. It had been easy for Denki to follow and abide by what made Izuku comfortable, he loved Izuku afterall, everyone else not as much.
Izuku’s elbow was brushing against Denki’s when the game finally got started. Mina began and it was clear she was gunning for something . The way her eyes sparkled and danced with glee had Denki leaning back onto his hands. Whatever happened tonight was going to be entertaining at the very least, reality show dramatic at the most. Izuku caught the look as well and he had to stifle his silent giggles at the way Denki exaggeratedly rolled his neck.
Yes, Denki absolutely exaggerated a lot of things just to see his boyfriend smile. He had no shame.
Shooting a wink towards Izuku, Denki delighted in the soft blush that arose. Izuku was adorable, he was cute . He was just also handsome and fine as fucking hell. Denki didn’t understand how it worked, but he was not complaining in the slightest . The questions and dares slowly amped up and the sparkle in Mina’s eye got brighter and brighter until finally it was her turn again. It became clear very quickly who she had her sights set on.
“Midoriya! Truth or dare?” Her grin was borderline a smirk. Izuku noticed it, he usually noticed things like that, Denki could tell by the way Izuku’s knee settled more firmly against Denki’s. A small act of self soothing that Denki was happy to assist with.
Bakugou leaned forward with a wide smirk in place. Izuku and him had an odd sort of competition. Denki didn’t really understand their relationship, but he didn’t need to. Izuku was happy with it and it wasn’t hurting anyone. If the two wanted to challenge each other at every turn that was fine. Bakugou had chosen dare his last round and somehow if Izuku didn’t also choose dare then Bakugou would win whatever competition this one was. Mina’s dares were legendary when she had her sights set on you and everyone could tell she had latched onto Izuku like a dog with a bone. Worse than a dog with a bone.
A steely determination filled Izuku’s face, wiping away the previous nerves and Izuku held Bakugou’s gaze with a smirk of his own. Denki knew this was going to be interesting!
“Dare.” Mina whooped out loud and seemed to be bouncing in place. That nervousness cracked through the determined veneer again as Mina leaned forward and dug her elbows into her knees.
“I dare you,” She always did this. Pausing for ‘dramatic effect’ is what she called it. Denki called it funny . He could practically hear Izuku’s heart racing out of his chest. “I dare you to kiss the prettiest person in the room!” Izuku blinked. And then he blinked again before a small blush and a sweet as hell smile filled his face. Denki was already turning to meet Izuku as his boyfriend sighed into the air between them.
“Hey.” Denki grinned at the coy look Izuku was giving him.
Little shit.
“Hi, Baby.” Izuku giggled slightly before tilting his head and brushing his lips against Denki’s. It was a short kiss, chaste and closed mouthed, but it was everything . Denki loved kissing Izuku. He loved everything about Izuku really, but kissing him was a special experience all it’s own.
Plus, this was the first time he had gotten to kiss Izuku in front of all of their friends.
The two didn’t really notice the overwhelming silence at first. This moment was important and Denki wanted to make sure that Izuku was doing okay with it. He had been working so hard on being more comfortable with affection and if a silly party game set him backwards Denki might cry. “You doing good?” The soft grin and softer eyes told Denki everything he needed to know. The gentle nod didn’t hurt either.
“Yeah. Great actually.” Denki could feel his face dripping in the soft way it did whenever Izuku said something incredibly endearing. He wrapped his fingers around Izuku’s wrist and squeezed it slightly three times. Izuku blinked back three at the same pace. A small thing they had started doing. A silent and gentle way of reminding each other that they loved one another.
A hiccup broke Denki and Izuku apart sharply. Uraraka was crying with her hands pressed to her mouth harshly. Mina was gaping and a few others looked completely baffled. The only people who didn’t look shocked were Sero, Todoroki and Bakugou. “How long?” Sero’s face was stretching into a wide grin and he was bouncing his eyes between Denki and Todoroki. “Kami, man, how long have you two been together I want to win a bet.”
Denki finally released Izuku’s wrist with a final squeeze. “Six months. How come you haven’t asked before?” Todoroki sighed heavily before handing over a stack of bills to Sero as Denki’s friend cackled with glee. With a final shake of his head, Sero leaned against Todoroki heavily. Denki’s heart soared when Izuku pressed their arms together again.
Izuku had said he was great, but Denki was still expecting a little bit of pulling away after so much contact tonight. “Kami, my guy, my partner in crime, you are a shit liar and we thought that maybe you two were trying to keep it a secret.” Bakugou smirked towards Izuku as Sero spoke and Denki had to take a moment.
Uraraka took advantage of this moment. Her crying got louder and her hands fluttered in quick motions. “How could you?!” Izuku leaned heavily into Denki to get away from Uraraka’s wild arms. His eyes were wide and cheeks flushed a bright red, so red Denki could barely make out his freckles. “What about us?!” Denki’s arm slipped behind Izuku as he moved closer to get further from Uraraka.
“Wha-” Izuku’s voice was shaking and his eyes swimming with confusion.
“How could you go around with some, some slut ?!” Everything stilled and the air grew just a bit colder as Izuku sat up straighter.
Oh she fucked up.
Denki didn’t particularly care that people thought he slept around. He was a flirt and he knew that. It didn’t matter to him what people said. Izuku, however, was very protective of Denki. He didn’t like when people insulted Denki. At all.
It was cute and more than a little hot.
“You did not just say that.” Izuku’s voice was steel cold and his spine straighter than a pole. “You did not just call him a slut. I know I must have been imagining things.” Shivering slightly, he pressed his arm against Izuku’s back again for support.
Denki might not care what people said about him, but he loved when Izuku defended him.
“Deku, you can’t seriously be dating him. I thought we had something!” Izuku leaned harshly into Denki’s arm and scoffed through his nose. It was dismissive and rude as fuck . Denki adored that sound.
“Denki is amazing , you fucking bitch . He’s my boyfriend and has been . We haven’t been hiding this! Are you just too wrapped up in your own little world? Is that why you kept hanging off of me even when I asked you not to? Even when I told you it made me uncomfortable? I talk about him all the time!” Izuku’s hand had started waving at some point and Denki was starting to get a bit concerned. Izuku wasn’t just mad and it was showing.
“Deku-”
“No! No, you do not get to make me the bad guy. We have never been and will never be anything. I love Denki and if you had been paying attention for the last eight months you would know that. I spent two months pining like a fool over him before we even started dating!” Denki couldn’t help the smile that slipped over his face as he pulled Izuku closer. He remembered those two months. For awhile he had thought Izuku hated him since he never spoke to Denki and always ran away when they were in a room alone together.
“I love you too, Baby.” Denki placed a soft kiss on Izuku’s temple to try and ease just a small bit of the tension. Izuku was hurt and Denki didn’t like seeing him hurt. Sighing, Izuku turned and tucked his head into Denki’s neck. He needed to go to bed, but Denki needed to deal with something first. Izuku just needed to last a few more moments.
Mina’s eyes were wide and a hint of regret shone through. “Kami-” Shaking his head, Denki looked around the circle.
“Did you guys really not know? We didn’t keep anything a secret and you all saw how uncomfortable Uraraka made Izuku at some point. Even if we hadn’t been dating how could you all just watch that? Encourage it?” Uraraka made an aborted protest before fleeing from the room. Everyone else looked vaguely guilty, except Bakugou. He just looked smug, which was fitting. Denki could remember a few times where the explosive blonde had called Uraraka out on not listening to Izuku when he said no. “It’s messed up, real messed up.”
Denki stood as gently as he could, pulling Izuku with him. His boyfriend was clinging to Denki like a lifeline and he wasn’t about to let Izuku go. A few people tried to say something as Denki led Izuku to the elevator. Izuku needed to go to bed and Denki would greatly appreciate some cuddles. Once they were safely in the elevator with the doors closed, Izuku pulled his face back just a bit and placed a light kiss in Denki’s cheek. “Thank you, love you.”
Running a hand in soothing strokes over Izuku’s back, Denki hummed in acknowledgment. “Of course, Baby. I love you, too.” Izuku nodded and nestled his face back into Denki’s neck.
Yeah, cuddles were definitely in order.