Work Text:
Saturday night at Abe-san’s izakaya had been a tradition since Shouta and Hizashi were old enough to drink. The beer was cheap, the seats sufficiently cushioned, and it was just seedy enough to keep the prying eyes of the public away for fear of embarrassment. Shouta liked it for its dim lighting and the free kaki pi. It was the perfect place to unwind after a busy week, but it was still close enough to the UA if there was ever an emergency.
They’d been drinking for the last hour, and his usually chatty companion was uncharacteristically tight-lipped. It was as close to silent as Shouta had ever seen him. Hizashi’s curtain of blonde hair hung limply in his face, looking downward, staring despondently into his glass.
Shouta was not terribly tuned in to the feelings of others, but even he was observant enough to notice something was off tonight. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Hm?’ Hizashi regarded him, blurry eyed. He was on his fourth shot.
‘You’re quieter than usual.’ Not to mention he made less of an effort of hiding the alcohol's effects.
Hizashi slumped, reaching for his cell phone and sending it skittering across the table towards him. He caught it instinctively and squinted at the image, flicked a scroll downwards to the accompanying article.
‘My Night With Present Mic’?
‘Turns out that cutie?' Hizashi held up his pinky in the most dejected use of the gesture Shouta had ever seen, '-was a reporter.’
As Shouta recalled, this was not the first time Hizashi had picked up a reporter at a bar. They could be pretty wily and with his blonde hair, and green eyes he was easy to spot even out of costume.
‘It’s not even a flattering article’, Hizashi mumbled glumly.
‘Ah.’
‘I hate dating.’
‘To be fair,’ Shouta drawled, swirling the amber liquid in his glass as if he's more interested in the visuals that making any eye contact with the other man, ‘you don’t really date.’
‘What do you mean?’ Hizashi pointed at his phone with a little indignance. 'I dated the reporter!'
‘You hookup with women at bars.’
‘So what’s the difference?’
Shouta snorted. ‘Actual affection? More than one date, anyway.’
‘Well, what do you do?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘About dating?’
Shouta scoffed, rolling his eyes, ‘When’s the last time you saw me go on a date?’
‘Well...what do you do about... ‘ Hizashi gestured vaguely, eyes darting around the bar. The alcohol wasn’t doing much to soothe his paranoia.
Shouta eyed him, unbelieving of his naivete, and said, ‘What do most single people do, Hizashi.’ He spared him the lewd gesture and took another swig from his beer.
‘But you’ve, you know, before, right?’
‘I’m thirty years old, Mic. What do you think?’
‘I was just curious!’ He lowered his voice, a remarkable achievement for Hizashi, and leaned in to ask, ‘So. When’s the last time?’ He had moved in closer than he absolutely needed to be, even for the topic--Shouta’s doubted very much that anyone is paying too much attention to their conversation in such a rowdy bar. There were certainly more interesting things happening around them, and much more loudly.
Shouta sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘I don’t know. At least a year?’
It sounded a bit pathetic now that he was saying it aloud, and the inexactitude of the date was probably less intentional than he'd have wanted it to be. Still… He’d rather be alone than have his face splashed all over the tabloids, like Hizashi. And so far it had worked. Shouta still wasn’t recognizable outside of the academy walls, but all the UA staff had been subject to media scrutiny recently and he’d not been immune to that, even if he wasn’t as well known as Present Mic.
‘Shouta.’
He shrugged noncommittally. ‘I hardly have the time.’ It sounds like a reasonable explanation. Sort of.
'Come on.' Hizashi stands suddenly and with purpose, perhaps a bit unsteadily, tugging Shouta by the shirt sleeve. ‘We’re going to your place.’
___
The key was barely in the lock when Hizashi asked, ‘Where’s your computer?’
‘You wanted to go to my house to...use my computer?’
‘It’s easier than doing this on a phone.’
‘It’s on the kotatsu.’ Shouta mumbled, utterly confused. From the way their conversation had been going, he’d thought for a moment...but, no. That was ridiculous. Hizashi had never shown an interest in men before, and certainly never in Shouta, specifically.
Shrugging off the thought, he wandered to the cabinets to grab a bottle of whiskey, busying himself in the ritual of preparing a nightcap. The walk to his apartment had killed some of his buzz but he may as well keep the party going. He poured a glass for himself, and one for Hizashi, joining him on the couch.
There was a slight hum from the laptop as Hizashi powered it on, and Shouta found himself leaning over his shoulder to check the screen as he sipped. ‘So, what are we doing, exactly?’
‘We are making you a dating profile.’
‘No.’
‘Shouta.’
‘No, Hizashi.’
‘Yes, Shouta. You haven’t been laid in more than a year. I’m stepping in. As your...friend and,’ He took a sip from his whiskey, face screwing up in a grimace. ‘God, Shouta. This is like drinking lighter fluid.’
‘Does that mean you want ice?’
Hizashi held out his glass imploringly.
Sighing, Shouta took the glass and, after dropping in several ice cubes, he added a splash of water in for good measure. He returned to the couch, adding no more space between him and the other man than he had before as he sits.
‘Is this sufficiently diluted for you, Your Highness?’
‘Mm. It might actually be drinkable now. Thank you. Remind me to buy you better whiskey the next time I’m at the liquor store…’
‘Hrmp.’
‘Now. Let’s see.' He reached his long arms out in front of him, cracking his knuckles against one another and then bringing them up over his head for a stretch.
'Gender: Male, yes.
'Race: Japanese
‘Religion: Shinto
‘City: Tokyo
'Hair: Black, wavy… curly? No?
'Eyes: Brown… and, Height… 1.8 meters?’
‘Why are we doing this? I’m never going to use it.’
‘Just humor me.’
Normally he would put up more of a fight, but he was too drunk to care properly about much at the moment. Instead he sighed, gave in, know it better to just let the other man's eagerness run its course.
‘Sure.’
‘Interests?’
‘Sleeping.’
‘Shouta.’
‘You’ve known me half my life, Hizashi.’
‘Passion for teaching, and furry animals, then. Favorite colour...black. Hobbies?’
Shouta shot him a meaningful look before eyeing the yellow sleeping bag folded lovingly in the corner of the room.
‘Napping isn’t a hobby. Definitely not an attractive one. How do you expect women to date you if all your interests revolve around being unconscious?’
Shouta winced a bit at that. Of course Hizashi was under the impression he liked women. It wasn't as though he'd ever given him reason to think otherwise. This had just made the leap from mildly annoying to incredibly awkward.
‘I don’t want to do this, Hizashi.’, Shouta mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.
‘I’ll just put down kendo. You still do that, right?’
‘...yes.’
‘Great! See? This isn’t that hard. Career: Teacher and Pro Hero. Strong but with a soft side, that’s a major selling point.’
Shouta groaned, rubbing at his perpetually tired eyes.
‘Alright. Orientation.’
Ah, fuck. He blinked, face heating and suddenly thankful for his thick veil of hair to mask the blush. ‘Hizashi. Can we please do something else? I’m not...interested in this.’
Hizashi pouted, eyebrows furrowing slightly. ‘But it’s almost done! I’ll just click ‘straight’ and we’ll take a photo. Though maybe not now. You look a little drunk.’
‘But I’m not.’
‘Oh, you absolutely are drunk.’ Hizashi choked on a bubble of laughter, apparently finding that observation hilarious.
‘No. It's- I’m...not straight.’ He stumbled over the last part, having never bothered to put it into words before.
‘Oh.’
‘Yeah.’ Shouta took a deep gulp from his whiskey glass. Prayed for a blackout and cursed that he wasn't nearly that drunk.
‘So...you’ve only been with guys then?’
When he looked up again, his prayer unanswered, Hizashi was looking at him with his big green eyes only slightly glazed from their night of drinking but excitably intense. It wasn’t exactly the reaction he’d expected and he came up speechless.
‘No. I was with a woman once. I thought I could make it work. It was disastrous.’ He blanched at the memory. It had seemed like such a logical solution to his ‘problem’ at the time. He’d greatly underestimated the power of sexual attraction--or the lack thereof.
Hizashi’s hand smoothed through his copper blonde hair, not disturbing the shape in the slightest. ‘So, um, would you consider someone who’s inexperienced but interested?’
‘...What?’
Now maybe he was a lot more drunk than he thought because that sounded an awful lot like a proposition. But--
‘I’ve always been curious. About guys.’
Well. Not that drunk, then...
Shouta blinked. Struggled to think. He couldn't deny his attraction to Hizashi. It had been ever-present, even when they were teenagers. He’d all but written off the possibility of anything more than friendship with him relatively early on, but it didn't mean the attraction hadn't haunted him.
But now he was now acutely aware of their proximity, shoulders brushing, knees knocking together, the whisper of Hizashi’s breath and the smell of alcohol. He leaned in, long slender fingers tentatively grazing Shouta's thigh.
---
In minutes, Shouta found himself pinned against the armrest. Hizashi kissed him, mouth wet and open, one hand curling in his hair and holding him in place while the other pawed at his growing hardon. He never had been the shy type.
There was a logical part floating somewhere in Shouta's alcohol addled brain shouting that this was a terrible idea for a multitude of reasons, but it was quickly drowned out by a much louder voice reasserting how good it felt right now. He hadn't realized how touched-starved he had been until he felt Hizashi's skin on his.
Electing to ignore the first voice, he rolled Hizashi underneath him, moving to straddle his waist. Hizashi wasted no time and arched his body up to meet Shouta, clearly unwilling to move too far out of contact. Grinding up deliberately between Shouta’s legs, he dragged a moan out from the usually-stoic man that Shouta barely recognized as being his own. But, he could feel every bit of Hizashi’s erection through the thin leather of his pants pressing hotly against his belly, and, well, what other noise was he supposed to make?
‘Fffuck. Hizashi…’
‘Mmm’, was Hizashi's none-too-coherent reply, his mouth busy at Shouta’s neck drawing up bruises on the skin stretched over his collarbone. He assumed that he was doing well, with those lithe hands clutching his shoulders and his hips rolling steadily.
He ran his hands down Hizashi’s sides, slipping them under his t-shirt, fingers gliding over his smooth overheated skin and lean muscle. Knowing what Hizashi had gone through to gain and maintain that body only made him realize how long he'd wanted this even long after he'd convinced himself he didn't.
Hizashi pulled away, breaking the kiss and leaving Shouta to stare bleary-eyed at the man beneath him. For a moment, he worried that he's changed his mind but Hizashi surprised him by dragging off his t-shirt and tossing it in the corner with a single fluid motion.
‘It was in the way', he said simply, fanning his hands over Shouta’s chest and gathering the shirt fabric between his fingers. ‘Can I take this off?’
Shouta nodded mutely, and his own shirt is quickly added to the pile. Talking might mean babbling everything he's been thinking so far.
Hizashi fell silent but for his heavy breathing, chewing idly on his lip and his eyes raking hungrily over his figure.
‘Damn. If I had a body like yours, I sure as hell wouldn’t hide it in a baggy tracksuit.’ And as if to prove his words, his hands followed the path laid out by his eyes, fingertips tracing the line of his abs and ghosting over his many scars. ‘ We might have to talk to the support team about getting you a costume that better highlights your...assets.’
Shouta snorted, ‘ I’m not a bar girl, Hizashi. You don’t have to flatter me.’
‘Just being honest,' he hummed, pulling Shouta into another kiss. Shouta chose to believe him.
____
As they stumbled towards the bedroom Hizashi somehow managed to shimmy his way out of those impossibly tight leather pants he regularly wore and left them somewhere between the kotatsu and the entryway. He yanked and tugged Shouta’s jeans down his hips, pulling him impatiently towards the mattress in the corner of the room. Hizashi’s eager hands were on his hips, coaxing his boxers down between hungry kisses while he knelt and then laid back, drawing Shouta over him like a blanket as he crawled into his bed.
‘... Hizashi.’
‘Mmm.’
‘Are you sure you want to be on bottom?’
‘Uh huh.’ His hands tracing the trail of fur down Shouta’s belly and long fingers hooked into the waistband, he slid the fabric down over his erection. ‘I’ve used toys before,’ he assured him, paused, gaze lingering on Shouta’s cock, ‘though I’m not sure they’re as big as that.’
‘Lay back then.’
Hizashi went down without further comment and splayed himself out, looking like a wet dream come true; skin flushed, blonde hair tousled, his ridiculous orange briefs bulging obscenely. Shouta took that moment to commit it all to memory, as this would probably be his only chance. He felt a little pang at that thought. Though, if he was going to host Hizashi’s night of sexual experimentation, he may as well make it memorable.
He stood, making his way to the nightstand to rummage for supplies.He tossed a condom and some lubricant absently onto the bed, and getting close enough to the mattress meant that Hizashi was quick to pull him down. He captured Shouta in a devouring kiss, hips dragging against Shouta’s naked flesh.
‘Fuck, I want you so bad right now.’ It was in English but Shouta was pretty sure he got the gist from tone alone.
Shouta obliged, working his way down Hizashi’s body and bringing bruises up to the surface of his skin in a trail towards his stomach with bites and hard, sucking kisses. He stopped at the line where his underwear cut into his skin, paused and then dipped lower. There was an appreciable moan when his mouth brushed over the bulge, Hizashi’s hips rising to his lips' touch.
‘Hng. Shouta…!’
Loving the way he name sounded on Hizashi’s lips, he repeated the gesture, nuzzling against the throbbing heat of his cock straining beneath the fabric. There was a raw desperation there, the way his voice dropped a tone when he was aroused. File that under things Shouta could think about on lonely nights.
He considered running his tongue down Hizashi’s cock, for the reaction alone... But it was probably cruel to tease so much. After all, the man was already teetering on the edge. And, aside from that, Shouta was finding it more and more difficult to ignore his own needs. He tugged Hizashi’s briefs down, tossing them over his shoulder and into to some darkened corner of the room.
‘Tell me if it doesn’t feel good,' he said, warming a dollop lubricant between his fingers as he looked for that small, breathless nod of acknowledgment. He dropped a few tender kisses on Hizashi’s thighs, tasted his heartbeat in the inner curve of muscle before beginning to work into him.
The first finger sank in to the knuckle easily enough, meeting little resistance and even a little bit of pull from the ring of muscle. He curled it just a bit and Hizashi’s breathing hitched, quickening. Chest rising and falling in rapid succession being the only expression of arousal Shouta could see from his current perspective.
‘There?’
He managed little more than another nod, which was followed by a moan that was loud enough to rattle the windows when Shouta pressed against it again.
Shouta leveled his gaze at him and cutting him short, rubbing his ears with his free hand. ‘Ow.’
‘Sorry, sorry’, Hizashi croaked, ‘Please, don’t stop.’
He smirked, finding Hizashi easy to forgive. He was amused by how quickly the other man came undone, and maybe a little thankful he’d remembered to clip his nails this morning as a trip to the bathroom would have been a bit of a mood killer. He moved to massage the bridge of flesh beneath his sex- eliciting another gasp. Hizashi’s hand twined in his hair, hips pitching forward reflexively.
‘Still okay?’
‘Nng, yeah…’ Loud, but not ear splitting. Between that, Hizashi’s barely held restraint, and those little panting breaths, he was doing wonders for his ego. He worked to establish a rhythm in fucking Hizashi steadily with one hand while the other stroked his perineum.
‘Tell me when you want more.’, Shouta said, resting his cheek against Hizashi’s thigh, finding himself nuzzling the surprisingly soft skin despite himself.
‘Fff-okay’, English again but simple enough for Shouta to grasp.
He listened to Hizashi’s breathing hitch with every thrust inwards, his keening moans becoming more and more desperate. It doesn’t take long for him to start rocking back on Shouta’s finger, baring down in an attempt to increase the friction.
‘Feels so good. God, Shouta…!’
‘Mm?’ He waited for the response, wanting to be sure.
‘Please...I need...’That was clear enough, not in language, but by the chord his wanting tone struck down the center of him.
Shouta slicked another finger and trailed kisses down Hizashi thighs and stomach before moving to work them both in slowly. The second digit met a bit more resistance than the first, though not as much as Shouta expected; a testament to Hizashi’s level of arousal. Shouta pushed gradually, letting him adjust to the new thickness before drawing out again, and is rewarded with another ragged moan and Hizashi’s fingers tightening in his hair.
He reestablished the rhythm as he felt Hizashi opening up steadily around him with every thrust and his confidence grew. Shouta ventured a glance up at him over the curve of his thighs. He is the picture of debauchery: skin flushed, head lolling on the pillow, right hand fisted in the bed sheets, blonde hair sweaty and plastered to his forehead. Shouta’s eyes lingered over his cock, lying hard and heavy against his stomach, wanting to feel the curve and texture against his tongue.
He can’t remember ever having wanted someone so badly.
Hizashi rolled his hips back to fuck himself on Shouta’s fingers, body undulating in a way that was almost mesmerizing. His breath came in more and more shallow gulps, heels digging into Shouta’s back. He could feel himself getting lost in that moment of meditation when he felt a tug on his hair, ‘Come up here.’ , and it certainly sounded like an order, rather than a request.
Shouta readily obeyed, crawling up over Hizashi. His kisses were hungry, even devouring, hands trailing down Shouta’s body to pull him closer.
‘You’re driving me crazy’, it was almost a growl, low and throaty, punctuated by a few vigorous strokes to his aching cock. Shouta hissed, leaning into the touch reflexively and Hizashi coaxed him down, legs wrapping around his lower back, hips grinding against his, and the friction was like fireworks.
This was getting urgent; he needed to get off.
His hands groped blindly for the condom he dropped...somewhere. He probably should have been paying closer attention but he got caught in the moment. Now Hizashi was pressed against him, lips and hands everywhere, rocking hips bringing him closer to the brink.
‘Stop’, he panted.
Hizashi blinked, frozen in place. ‘What? What’s wrong?’
‘Condom.’
Hizashi scrabbled, moving to the side. He looked down, cheeks heating visibly, ‘ I was sitting on it.’ He held the square up between his fingers, ‘Can I?’
The rest of the question was implied. Shouta agreed easily, taking the opportunity to drink in Hizashi as he tore the package open with his teeth.
He guided Shouta back, hand smoothing through his tangle of hair. Shouta leaned into the touch, lips brushing tenderly across Hizashi’s palm. It’s far too affectionate a gesture and he inwardly cursed himself for getting lost in the moment. He's not Hizashi’s boyfriend, just a safe way for him to satiate a curiosity.
But then Hizashi drew him in, pressed his mouth against Shouta's, and managed to push those thoughts to the back of his mind by rolling the condom down over his cock with a practiced hand.
He laid back, blonde hair fanning around him, legs spread, hips rising to Shouta’s touch. He hooked his arms around Hizashi’s knees, hauling him upward. There’s a sharp intake of breath when he sets the crown against his entrance.
‘Tighten up as much as you can for as long as you can, first. It will make it easier. Trust me.’ Shouta said, lips next to Hizashi's ear as his cock teased the prospect of penetration.
Taking in a heroic gulp of air Hizashi brought whole body going tremoring-tight in compliance, closing down on the throbbing head of his cock.
'Now. Try to relax,' Shouta said, but he wasn't sure if it was Hizashi he was telling or himself.
Hizashi nodded anyway, going red from lack of oxygen and then shook a moment, straining to do as he was told, before he melted down around the tension of his shaft. A long and keening racket that only seemed to grow louder and louder for every millimeter deeper he sunk into him until Shouta could feel Hizashi's cock pulsing just beneath his own navel.
Fighting back the urge to give in and give Hizashi a hard, fast ride, he settled instead for drawing back to scan his face and make sure he hadn't killed him. Bracing against the urge to buck, his voice broke as he asked, 'Is that o-okay?'
Was that him? Did he sound like that?
Hizashi panted, blonde hair slick with sweat, ‘Hng. Definitely bigger than my toys.’ He smiled weakly, teeth worrying his bottom lip and the effect that little gesture had on Shouta's cock was particularly troubling, with the way it jumped inside of Hizashi and made his vision blur at the edges. 'Yes, it's okay.’ then in that language he didn’t quite grasp, ,‘C'mon, baby."
The vice-tight drag around his shaft as he pulled out slowly made it no easier, and when Shouta got to the point where he could nearly pull out all the way, Hizashi clamped down tighter still. He set a shaky pace, teeth on edge, head swimming. Hizashi squirmed below him, gasping, hands digging into the mattress. His volume rose steadily through octaves with every thrust and soon spiraling out of the range of the average human's vocal chords.
Shouta winced when his bedside water glass began to vibrate. He fixed him with a look, quirk momentarily cancelling out the din. It took a moment for Hizashi to notice, green eyes fluttering open and locking with his, sheepish smile returning.
'Sorry,' he mouthed overtly, clearly not meaning it, but Shouta could have forgiven him a lot in that moment. He was more worried about focusing on those half-lidded eyes without turning to water.
Hizashi seemed happy to help him with that task, wrapping both long arms around Shouta's neck and pulling himself onto his cock with determination. Falling back onto his elbows, he knew that allowing Hizashi run the show was nothing new for them, but never before had he been able to enjoy it like this.
The other man shifted their balance, knelt wide over Shouta's lap, gripped at his upper arms and rolled his whole body from shoulders to hips as he pulled himself off and sank back onto Shouta's straining cock.
His voice was a symphony of gasps and groans and babbling in that moon-language he spoke, all of it increasing in intensity, sure, but still well within normal ranges.
And it was a good thing, too, because by now with the way Hizashi's hair had mostly fallen looked like he had planned it, how it plastered to his throat and fed into glowing blush that suffused through his skin, well... Shouta couldn't have focused enough to use his quirk if he tried.
Even the half-hearted thrusts of his hips up to meet Hizashi's rolling body slowly petered out and his jaw fell open as the blonde put himself on full display.
'Don't stop… Don't stop!'
Something about that phrase sounded recognizable. He couldn't have been around Hizashi as often as he had been to not pick up a thing, and Shouta, at the moment, strongly recalled what Don't meant. As well as Stop.
As the realization hit, he ground all motion to a halt and shaking with the effort, and Hizashi immediately met him with a wail of despair and sinking down on him until he could feel his entrance flexing at the very root of his cock.
'What?! Why did you stop?!'
'You said to!'
'I said NOT to stop! God, Shouta, please!' Hizashi moaned and fell back until his shoulders lay on the mattress and legs curling around his waist in an attempt to drag him back with him.
Shouta set his jaw, scooped Hizashi by the hips, and held him up as he set the pace just as had been requested and putting him right back to where he'd left the other man; hopelessly lost as he writhed against and clung to him in equal measure. Soon he was joining in on Hizashi's racket as he watched the other man enjoy himself completely, hands moving quickly from his own chest to bracing the base of his bouncing and cock, and then up to explore Shouta's body as well.
It didn't take them long until they found a half-manic rhythm within which they could both work, nor did it take them long to break it. Once Hizashi found that hooking his knees over Shouta's shoulders not only made it all the easier for him to counterbalance the weight of each of buck of his hips, but also freed his hands from gripping at the man's ass to massaging his own sack and working the shaft of his cock, he abandoned any semblance of restraint.
From the stream of incoherent English, he supposed he was doing well, and that was well and good because controlling himself was fast becoming an impossibility.
Hizashi gasped and crooned beneath him, hand fisting over his cock frantically, hips rolling, pulling him in deeper into that tight heat with every action. He sucked in a rush of air, trembling, sweat soaked, and hissed, 'Ssshouta- !’ then pleaded voice thready and ragged, ‘ God, baby I can’t- I need to-!’
The desperation in it made the meanings of the words unnecessary. Shouta quickened his pace, hips pistoning, driving Hizashi relentlessly into the mattress, as the pleasure built low down inside him. He was quickly losing himself as Hizashi’s voice rose to a crescendo- or maybe because of it-and there was a distinct popping noise, as the overhead light cracked under the assault of sound, plummeting them into darkness.
Shouta might have noticed had it not been coincidental with Hizashi’s eyes screwing shut, mouth hanging slack, and his lithe body going tighter than a bow string until it snapped, and he spilled across his stomach, coming with Shouta’s name on his lips over and over.
The white-hot and erratic contractions around his cock was enough to drag Shouta along with him, body shaking as he emptied inside him.
It took him several moments to collect himself, groggy and still tingling with pleasure. His legs were not to be trusted to move just yet, but below him Hizashi moaned softly in an elated agony and slid his legs from off his shoulders to assume a more comfortable position. Shouta pulled out gingerly, tying off and tossing the condom in the nearby waste basket.
‘Sorry about the light.’, his voice sounded more than a little hoarse, his breathing still rapid.
‘It’s fine.’, Shouta mumbled, squinting at him through the dim light pouring in from the street. It was more than fine. He didn’t dare tell Hizashi how much it had turned him on; an admission like that made it seem like he might expect them to do it again.
He moved his hand to brush the hair from Hizashi’s face, sweaty blonde strands still clinging to his forehead. Hizashi smiled faintly before his eyes fluttered shut.
_____
Shouta woke up to an empty bed. The left side of the comforter neatly tucked and even the indentation from Hizashi head on the pillow had been fluffed away. The tied off condom in the bed side trash, and the cracked light fixture the only evidence the night wasn’t just a vivid dream. So that was it then.
His head hurt. He shuffled into the kitchen, hoping he remembered to buy coffee, or at least more matcha.
‘Morning! I hope you like tamagoyaki with your soup. You were out of fish. We seriously need to talk about taking you to the grocery store. There’s some miso in your fridge that might actually be from the Edo period.’
Hizashi stood in his kitchenette, working busily over the cooktop. He’d showered, hair still damp and tied into a messy bun, his clothing from the night before looking slightly rumpled.
Shouta blinked, ‘You’re...still here?’
‘Well, hello to you too. Did you want some coffee?’
‘...Yes?’
Hizashi poured a cup, placing it on the kitchen counter. ‘ Might be hard to drink it from way over there, Shouta.’
Oh. Right.
He ambled over to the counter and took a seat at one of the bar stools. Hizashi worked to set a place for him, humming absently as he poured miso soup into bowls and doled out rice. Shouta wondered if this was his way of distracting himself. He imagined it is.
‘Is the coffee OK? I never know know how strong to make it.’
Shouta nodded. It could be stronger but he knew Hizashi preferred tea and that the coffee was purely for his benefit.
Hizashi laid their breakfast out on the counter, setting the tamagoyaki on a plate to share and then took the seat beside him. Shouta noticed he eases himself down on the stool a bit more carefully than usual.
He had only gotten a few bites into his breakfast when Hizashi cleared his throat, eyeing Shouta anxiously.
‘So,’ Hizashi began slowly, ‘about last night.’
Shouta cringed internally but kept his expression aloof. Leave it to Hizashi to let someone down over a homemade breakfast. He decided to spare himself the misery and end this conversation before his emotions had the chance betray him.
‘It’s fine.’ he lied, ‘ We don’t have to discuss it.’
Hizashi went silent beside him, hands visibly tightening around his mug.
‘It’s not my first one night stand.’ Shouta continued. And while technically true, he’d never had a night like that with a stranger.
‘Okay.’ Hizashi murmured.
‘We both had a lot to drink.’
‘Uh huh.’ There was a hollowness to it that made Shouta flinch.
‘It doesn’t need to change anything between us.’
For several moments, they say nothing, eating in heavy silence.
‘Shouta?’
‘Hm?’
Hizashi gnawed on his thumbnail, green eyes stormy and fixed on the countertop, avoiding looking at Shouta. He sighed heavily and finally looked up at him. ‘What if I want it to?’
Shouta blinked, ‘...You what?’
‘I ...I like you.’
The admission made his face flush, though he should be beyond embarrassment in front of Hizashi after last night.
But Hizashi continued, voice dropping down to little more than a whisper, ‘Since high school, actually.’
He is momentarily dumbstruck, studying Hizashi’s expression for some sign of deceit. There is none. He realized he was too silent by the fallen look on Hizashi's face and choked out a, ‘Then why didn't you say something?’
‘I thought you were straight! You don't exactly give a guy much to work with, Shouta!
Shouta raked his hand across his face, groaning. ‘I should have listened to Nemuri. She said you liked me years ago and I told her she was crazy.’
‘Tensei said the same thing about you.’ , Hizashi mumbled glumly.
‘I did. I do. Since high school, too.’ Shouta shook his head, sighing deeply. ‘Fifteen years, Hizashi, and we could have…’
‘Well, we have all day,’ Hizashi offered Shouta a sidelong glance, his grin growing. ‘You wanna start making up for lost time?’
____
‘So, uh, we have news’, Hizashi started, voice rising over the din of the sounds of the small, packed pub.
‘You slept together’, Nemuri smirked, taking a sip from her martini and shooting Tensei a meaningful look over the rim of the glass.
Hizashi sputtered, ‘Wait. How did you-’
‘God, finally. You owe me ¥ 5000, Tensei.’
He groaned, ‘You wouldn’t take money from a guy in a wheelchair, would you?’
She nodded, ‘Mmm hmm. Fork it over, Iida-kun.’ She leaned in on her elbows, eyebrows raising, ‘More than once?’
Shouta choked, beer sloshing on the pub table. ‘What the hell is going on?’
Hizashi blanched, eyes going wide.
‘Shouta, you absolute animal! That’s ¥ 7000 now, Tensei, if you’re counting.’
‘Oh, c’mon, guys!’, Tensei sighed, reaching for his wallet.
‘And let me guess, you were drunk?’ Nemuri continued.
‘A little?’ Hizashi said meekly.
‘¥ 8000.’ She extends her hand for payment.
Tensei held his hands up in supplication, ‘You’re killing me, Nemuri.’
‘You placed bets?’ Shouta hissed, turning red from more than just embarrassment.
‘Tensei thought you’d cave on your birthday. We all know how glum you get that time of year, Shouta. I said you wouldn’t make it that long. I win. So, ‘ she grinned, ‘when’s the wedding?’
