Work Text:
“Do you want to go out with me?”
”Will you go out with me?”
“Really?”
”Why?”
“Yeah, really.”
”Because I like you.”
“Then yes, I do.”
”Do you?”
“Are you sure?”
”I do.”
“Yes.”
”Okay.”
“I really like you Midoriya.”
”Lets not tell anyone.”
“I like you too.”
”Okay.”
“Do you mind if we don’t tell anybody?”
”Thank you.”
“Okay.”
”Okay.”
——————
It was always the same. No matter what he did.
It was a little different, but the differences were the same.
There wasn’t anything he could do.
——————
Izuku Midoriya was officially dating Hitoshi Shinsou. They didn’t tell anybody, because Hitoshi didn’t want to.
He told Izuku it was because he was afraid of telling the class he liked boys. Izuku understood, that didn’t mean it was different.
Because Hitoshi Shinsou was Izuku Midoriya’s second boyfriend. And the second to keep it a secret.
Izuku liked Hitoshi, he really, really did.
——————
Izuku Midoriya was officially dating Syouma Katou. They didn’t tell anybody because Syouma didn’t want to.
He told Izuku it was because he was afraid of people knowing at all. Izuku understood, that didn’t mean he liked it.
Because Syouma Katou was Izuku Midoriya’s first boyfriend. And he was the first to keep it a secret.
Izuku wasn’t sure he liked Syouma.
——————
Dating Hitoshi was fun. They hung out almost every night, talking and laughing and enjoying life together.
Just like Hitoshi asked Izuku didn’t tell anybody. When Uraraka asked if they were spending more time together Izuku shrugged and said they were friends. When Bakugou gave him a side eye he smiled awkwardly.
Every night Hitoshi would apologise. He’d say he wished he could tell the class, he wished he could trust them. Izuku would say it’s okay, he didn’t mind being a secret.
On the nights they weren’t together Izuku would sit in his room and stare at the wall. He’d think that maybe he was okay with being a secret.
The longer he would stare the more unsure he became. He didn’t like secrets.
——————
Dating Syouma wasn’t fun. They hung out almost every night, talking and laughing and enjoying life together.
In the beginning.
Just like Syouma asked Izuku didn’t tell anybody. Nobody asked, nobody looked.
Every night Syouma would remind Izuku why it was a secret. Just because he liked Izuku didn’t mean the others did. Syouma didn’t want their classmates to bully him like they did Izuku, just because he liked him. Izuku would say it’s okay. He didn’t mind being a secret.
On the nights they weren’t together Izuku would stare at the wall. He’d think that maybe he was okay with being a secret.
The longer he would stare the more unsure he became. He didn’t like secrets.
——————
Copy and paste, Izuku thought when Hitoshi told Kirishima they were friends.
——————
Izuku didn’t like being bullied. Day after day people would laugh in his face, trip him in the halls and shove him into walls.
He didn’t want to put Syouma through that, he didn’t want to put anybody through that.
He knew, as unlikely as it seemed, that Syouma wasn’t messing with him. Their relationship wasn’t a joke.
That didn’t mean it was healthy.
They would talk and laugh and enjoy life together. Until Izuku realised that they didn’t.
Syouma would talk and laugh and enjoy life. Izuku would sit there watching and listening.
Six months. Syouma never became bored with him, never asked him to change, never lied to him. In six months.
Izuku was the one to end it.
Nobody knew in the beginning. And nobody knew in the end.
——————
“I think I’m ready.” Hitoshi spoke in the minute of silence between them.
Izuku was still laughing from the nothingness they had been talking about. Laughing with Hitoshi.
“Ready for what?” He smiled from his place on the bed. They were lying next to each other, faces turned into one another. Hitoshi was smiling too, smaller but hopeful.
“To tell them.” Izuku’s smile dropped quickly. “That we’re dating.” Hitoshi smiled brighter.
It had been six months since they began dating.
“What?” Hitoshi looked at Izuku, really looked at him for the first time in a few moments. He saw the confusion, the hesitance, the fear in Izuku’s face.
He sat up. “What’s wrong?” Izuku sat up as well, shifting to adjust their positions.
“You want to tell people?” He didn’t know why he was surprised, Hitoshi had always been different.
Because whilst they were together, they were together. Izuku didn’t know why Syouma had wanted to date him, he would never really know. But they hadn’t been together.
“I do, I think I’m ready.” And Izuku smiled, he smiled and smiled and smiled more than he should have. He kissed Hitoshi quickly, laughing when the other laughed, crying when Hitoshi didn’t.
Hitoshi laughed at his tears, not at him, and smiled in the way that no one but Izuku got to see. “What’s wrong?” He asked again.
“I really like you, Hitoshi.”
“I really like you too, Izuku.”
——————
”I think we should break up.” Izuku spoke in the silence of the room.
Syouma had just finished laughing about nothing and everything, looking at Izuku like he should understand the joke. He didn’t.
Syouma became serious quickly, turning to face Izuku from their places on his bed. “What, why?”
“We’re not good together Syouma. I’m sorry.” Izuku didn’t look up to meet Syouma’s eyes. It wasn’t fair.
This was his first real relationship, dating or not, that Izuku had made in years. He didn’t want to give this up.
“We are! I like you Izuku, we have fun together!” He was begging, and Izuku didn’t understand.
He didn’t like Syouma like he should have.
“I can’t keep being a secret. You won’t even walk with me at school.” It wasn’t fair to ask Syouma to give up his entire social life to be with Izuku. Because that’s what would happen if everybody knew.
Syouma looked like he was going to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Izuku.” He put his hands on Izuku’s legs gently, begging him. “We can tell them, I’ll tell them.”
Izuku shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I’ll do it anyways.”
——————
Hitoshi told the class the very next day. Ashido had made a comment about Hitoshi having a crush on Izuku and he had laughed.
“I’d hope so, he is my boyfriend.” Izuku was just as surprised as Ashido was.
Her hands slammed on the table, practically pushing herself to her feet as she looked between the two of them. Hitoshi was smiling and Izuku was staring. “What!” Was all she said, repeatedly.
“How could you not tell me!” Hitoshi laughed, and Izuku did as well.
——————
Six months and nobody knew.
——————
Six months and everybody knew.
——————
The next day Syouma stood in front of Bakugou and told him to stop as he shoved Izuku to the side.
Bakugou asked what he was doing. Syouma had gone to say something and Izuku walked away. He didn’t want to know if he’d do it.
He had his answer the next day, when Bakugou was talking to Syouma and sneering at Izuku. He wasn’t upset.
He didn’t expect anything different.
They didn’t speak after that.
——————
“You told everyone.” Izuku couldn’t keep the surprise and fondness out of his voice.
They were lying together like they did every night, faces towards each other and laughter dying on their lips.
“Of course, you’re my boyfriend.” Hitoshi smiled again. It had become so common to see on his face. “Did you expect me not to?”
Izuku had never told anyone. He kept his promise to Syouma. But he was too happy to care about promises made lifetimes ago.
“Syouma didn’t.” Hitoshi was confused, but didn’t ask. And Izuku didn’t explain. He didn’t know why.
They returned to their talking, to their laughing and to enjoying life. Together.
——————
”I’m sorry I couldn’t tell them.” Syouma told him, the first words they’d spoken in a year.
“I didn’t expect you to.” Izuku smiled, but Syouma was sad.
He always seemed sad, at least for a while after they broke up. Izuku didn’t know if he looked sad. He didn’t feel any different.
Not because he didn’t care, but because nothing had really changed. It was a secret and he was good at keeping them.
“I do like you Izuku.” Izuku knew that.
“I hope one day you like someone enough to tell the whole world.”
——————
It was always the same. No matter what he did.
It was a little different, but the differences were the same.
There wasn’t anything he could do.
But as Izuku sat pressed against Hitoshi in front of the whole class he smiled.
And he realised that it hadn’t really been the same at all.
Because Syouma liked him, but Izuku didn’t. And Hitoshi liked him, and Izuku did too.
They were together.
Hitoshi was Izuku’s second boyfriend. But he was the first Izuku could talk about.