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Midoriya shouldn’t have been so surprised to find Shigaraki laying on his bed, playing a game on his switch but he was. Over the past couple of days Shigaraki seemed to be more on edge than usual for some reason which he was unwilling to divulge to Midoriya. The villain lifted his head as he walked into the room, once it was confirmed that it was his boyfriend and not someone randomly walking into the room his attention immediately went back to his game. Midoriya saw this and frowned. This wasn’t the usual greeting he got whenever Shigaraki visited. Normally Shigaraki would be up off the bed, hugging him and saying how much he missed the hero in training.
“Hey Tomura, what are you doing here?” He asked while putting down his backpack at his desk.
“Can’t I visit my boyfriend?” Shigaraki snapped, continuing to play his game. The teen froze, slowly looking at the other male.
“Of course, you can Tomura, but we talked about this. It’s getting too risky for you to be here during the day.” Midoriya leaned back against his desk, arms crossed over his chest as he watched his boyfriend. A part of him really didn’t want to deal with whatever issue was going on with Shigaraki but another larger part wanted to curl up next to him and sooth all his frustrations. Shigaraki scoffed, his agitation was clear by his actions when his movements while playing his game became more aggressive.
They stayed like this for several moments, Midoriya watching Shigaraki and Shigaraki trying to ignore Midoriya by playing his game. Eventually Shigaraki got so annoyed he slammed the game device down on the bed and sat up. “What? Are you going to tell me to leave now? After I came all this way?” Shigaraki voice was raised, causing Midoriya to panic. He started waving his hands frantically, trying to gain the angry male’s attention. “Oh? You want me to be quiet? Don’t want your precious friends to know you’re dating a villain?”
“Yes!” Midoriya shouted, getting more and more frustrated with his boyfriend. Shigaraki moved to the edge of the bed and glared at Midoriya. “Please Tomura, you can’t-“
“Can’t what? Talk?”
“No, of course you can, you just can’t be loud. We can’t let the teachers find you here,” Shigaraki stormed over to Midoriya, rage was radiating off of him. This was making Midoriya wish he wasn’t pressed back against his desk. “Tomura, please just calm down.” Shigaraki’s eyes widened at this before narrowing. He reached behind Midoriya and grabbed one of his All Might action figures. “What are you doing?” Shigaraki had grabbed the figure in such a way that only his pinky wasn’t touching it as he held it out before him.
“I think I finally understand it now. You don’t really love me. You’re just using me, aren’t you? Trying to gain information about the League?” Midoriya was shocked. Using him? Didn’t love him? What was Shigaraki talking about! He couldn’t wrap his mind around why he was saying all of this. “You just want to give me up to your idol, don’t you?” He gestured to the figure with his free hand as if it were All Might himself. A look of disgust and annoyance on his face.
“No, I do love yo-“
“Stop lying to me!” As Shigaraki shouted this, his pinky curled around the figure and decayed it. Midoriya watched, heartbroken as his boyfriend destroyed one his favorite collectable action figures. Shigaraki stared down at his hand in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what he just did. “Izuku, I’m-“
Midoriya raised his hand, cutting off the other man before he could apologize. His hand was shaking slightly for how angry and upset he was with him. “I think it would be best if you left right now.” Shigaraki could only nod, pulling out his phone carefully, before sending Kurogiri a text. Midoriya refused to look at Shigaraki as he stepped away from him. “Call me when you aren’t being so cruel.” The portal opened shortly after that, neither of them looking at each other as Shigaraki stepped through it. Midoriya continued to stand there for a couple of minutes after he had left. Tears started to drip down his face. Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground where the decayed remains of the figure lay.
It wasn’t the loss of an expensive collectible that bothered the young hero in training but the accusations that Shigaraki had thrown at him. Wasn’t it just a month ago that they had had a lovely dinner together? The token of affection that he had received that night now laid heavily against his chest as if it were a lead weight. Something must have brought on such behavior from Shigaraki but to have him take it out on him. He didn’t deserve that. Midoriya did love Shigaraki, All Might help him, he did but that wouldn’t stop him from kicking the villain’s ass if he thought he could treat him like that and get away with it.
Shakily Midoriya stood up, still looking down at the figure and told himself that some space between them would be good. Perhaps Shigaraki would come to his senses or at the very least stop being such an asshole. With this hope in mind he left his room to fetch some supplies to clean up the mess.
Shigaraki felt like shit. Of course he did, he had acted like a complete jackass to his boyfriend. Destroying something that Midoriya held dear. Even if the villain didn’t like All Might and blamed him for the society that they currently resided in, didn’t mean that he could just destroy something Midoriya loved. “Maybe I should give him something of mine to destroy.” He mused out loud, staring off into space as the other villains were standing around talking to each other. Dabi looked over at him, eyes narrowing at his distracted expression.
“What are you mumbling about over there?” Dabi asked, shifting closer to interrogate the currently taller man. Taller due to the fact that he had hopped up on one of the large crates in the warehouse that a meeting was about to take place in. He was only there for a short while before heading out on another errand, but it wouldn’t do to have Shigaraki distracted. It was an important meeting after all.
“It’s nothing.” Dabi just stood there and waited. Shigaraki shifted awkwardly under his gaze before sighing. “I destroyed something of Izuku’s while upset and I made him mad.” Still Dabi did nothing but stare at him. “And I might have accused him of not loving me and using me for information.”
“You damn idiot.” Dabi shook his head in disbelief. How the hell was this moron their leader? “Why did you do that?” Shigaraki shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with Father in his hand.
“Well isn’t it true? How can someone that’s destined to be a Pro-Hero want to be with a villain?” He asked, tilting his head down as he stared at Father. Dabi couldn’t believe he was going to do this. It was ridiculous but what else should he have expected from Shigaraki.
Dabi rubbed the back of his head, already feeling a headache coming on. “If he didn’t love you do you think he would have continued to risk getting discovered for so long? I mean, you left the kid love letters for goodness sakes and he became your boyfriend. Just man up and apologize to him. Maybe replace whatever you destroyed and get on your knees and beg.” It was disgusting to see how cutesy the two of them could be together on the rare sightings of the two. For Shigaraki to be questioning now just seemed to be the move of a moron.
“I tried to apologize after but…” Trailing off Shigaraki looked up at Dabi. “Do you think he really loves me?”
“Oh, for the love of All for One, yes! Do as I say and talk with him. Don’t just assume something like that without any proof or talking with him about it. That’ll be what splits you up, not him leaving you.” Maybe I should have become a relationship therapist, Dabi mused to himself.
Taking a deep breath Shigaraki nodded. “Yeah. Thank you Dabi. You aren’t so worthless after all.” The fire user just shook his head, tsking at the younger man.
“Just do as I say. Now you need to focus. We can’t have you fucking up when you’re facing the Yakuza.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get out of here.” Taking his que to leave, Dabi left the warehouse and a slightly more upbeat Shigaraki behind him.
For two days Midoriya found himself obsessively staring at his phone for any text from Shigaraki. So far there have been no communication since the villain had left. It still hurt to think about the words he had said but there was still hope that he would hear from him. Sighing deeply, Midoriya flopped back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe he should text him? Just to see if he was alright…even though he was still mad at him. “Dumb Tomura.” He muttered, glaring up at the ceiling as if it had personally offended him. He should be focused on his upcoming internship interview and not what his boyfriend was doing. Ex-boyfriend? No. He couldn’t think like that! He still wanted to be with Shigaraki, despite what happened.
Vibrations pulled Midoriya from his thoughts, drawing his attention to his phone. On the screen flashed, ‘Toma-Chan’. In a flash he answered the call, “Tomura?” His voice sounded so hesitant as he called out to the other through the phone.
“Izuku. I, uh, I was wondering if I could meet you in a few days. I want to properly apologize for my behavior, and I want to do it in person. Not over the phone.” Shigaraki sounded good, which brought some much-needed relief to Midoriya. “I also don’t want to put you at risk from your friends or with the villains, so I was thinking we might meet up elsewhere.”
“I’ll try and get a pass out. I’ll let you know when I’m free. Bye.” Midoriya started to feel the same anger and upset that he had felt after Shigaraki had left. He didn’t give the other man a chance to say anything more before hanging up on him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have done that, but it still felt right to do even if it was a bit petty.
It took some convincing but Midoriya managed to get a day pass from All Might to go visit his mother. Which he did do, but he wasn’t planning to spend all his day with her. After their phone call and once he knew he had a pass, Midoriya had let Shigaraki know what day he was available to meet up. He got a time and location and had sent back a simple, ‘I’ll be there’ text.
Midoriya had forgotten how good it was to spend some time with his mom. They spent their time together catching up and cooking. Despite enjoying time with his mom, Midoriya found his attention constantly straying towards the clock. This didn’t go unnoticed by his mother. It was only after they had lunch together that she decided to approach Midoriya’s nervousness. “Izuku honey, what’s going on? You keep looking at the clock. Do you feel like you have to go back to school already?” She inquired, placing a hand on her own cheek in concern, watching her son as he washed the dishes.
He placed the bowl that he had been cleaning into the rack and turned his attention to his mother. “No. I just,” he hesitated for a moment, considering what he should tell her. “I’m meeting someone after this before heading back to school. I’ve got another hour before I have to go meet them.” This seemed to intrigue his mother more.
“Oh? Who are you meeting? A friend?” Her overprotective mother senses insisted that she find out more about what her son was going to be doing before returning to school. Afterall, the whole point of him living on campus was so that he would be protected from villains. It wouldn’t do them any good if he was just out there wandering around with no one aware of his location.
“Umm…Actually, it’s my boyfriend.” Midoriya felt his hands shake a little bit as he said it out loud. But it felt so good to finally admit to someone that he was dating Shigaraki, even if he didn’t out right say his name. He glanced over at his mother and found a teary-eyed expression on her face as she looked up at him. “Mom?”
“Oh honey! You’re dating! I’m so happy for you!” She cried, wiping at her tears. Midoriya wasn’t sure what he had expected when he told his mother that he was dating a man, but this wasn’t exactly it. “Come here.” She motioned with her hands for Midoriya to come closer, which he did. Inko pulled her son into her arms and hugged him, feeling so proud of the man that he had become. That wouldn’t stop her from worrying about him, but she was very proud none the less.
“So, it doesn’t bother you that I’m dating a guy?” Midoriya asked softly, squeezing his mother close.
“No, of course not! As long as you love them and they love you, that’s all that matters.” She pulled back from him a bit and touched her son’s face. “I just want you to be happy. Now, when do I get to meet him?” Midoriya blushed, giving her a happy but sad smile all at the same time.
“I’m not sure when Mom. Uh, we had a bit of a fight a little while ago and I’m not sure if we are still together or not.” He admitted, pulling out of her embrace to fidget with the hem of his t-shirt. Inko frowned, it seemed that whatever this argument was must have been pretty serious.
“Is that why you two are meeting up today?” Midoriya nodded, sighing a little as his shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’m sure you two will work it out.” She tried to reassure him to the best of her ability in this situation.
“Thanks mom.” They smiled at each other and proceeded to spend the rest of their time discussing other various topics about school and friends. Eventually Midoriya headed off towards his meeting with Shigaraki. The closer he got to the spot, the more anxious he began to feel.
Shigaraki had sent him the location they were meeting at. It was a public garden that had many private little spots that people could sit and relax amongst the flowers, bushes and trees. The villain stood outside of it, shifting nervously as he waited at the entrance. He made a slightly odd sight with his black hoodie pulled over his head and a gift bag hanging off his arm but to Midoriya it was good to see him. When Shigaraki finally noticed Midoriya walking towards him, he rushed over and met him halfway.
“Izuku, I’m glad you came. Let’s go in, I found a spot where we can talk privately.”
Midoriya followed after Shigaraki as he led the way through the near maze-like garden, resisting the urge to reach out and hold onto his arm. They walked for a good five minutes before Shigaraki stopped at a little nook. It was beautiful there, the hedges were filled with pink blooming flowers, there was a small waterfall that led into a pond with a few koi fish and lily pads and a bench nearby for people to sit enjoy. Shigaraki led him over to the bench and gestured for Midoriya to sit down, while he himself still stood. He sat and looked up at Shigaraki, waiting for the other man to talk.
“I really want to apologize for my behavior. I should have never shouted at you or destroyed your figure. I don’t expect you to forgive me but here, I got you this.” He shifted the green gift bag off his arm and held it out to Midoriya with two fingers. Midoriya took it, pulling out the tissue that was stuffed inside and smiled. There in the bag was a replacement figure, not the same one that had been destroyed but one of the rarer figures that was out there for All Might. Along side that were some snacks that Midoriya enjoyed as well. Mentally Midoriya was laughing at the thought of Shigaraki going out in public and actually buying him an All Might figurine.
“Tomura this is too much.” He looked up at Shigaraki, watching as the man shifted awkwardly in front of him. “I can’t take this.” Shigaraki shook his head, pushing the bag back towards Midoriya when he held it out.
“No. I won’t accept it back. I just want you to know that, that day, I had convinced myself that you couldn’t possibly love me. That we are ill fated but Izuku, no matter what I want to fight for us. Even when I do something stupid.” Midoriya sniffled, wiping at his eyes as Shigaraki talked.
“Are we still dating?” Midoriya asked, hugging the gift bag to his chest, seeking some sort of comfort. Shigaraki knelt before Midoriya, placing his hand on the hero in training’s leg, his pointer finger raised slightly.
“If you still want me after how I behaved.” Midoriya leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Shigaraki’s lips.
“Yes, but I will kick your ass if you think I’ll ever let you treat me badly again.” Midoriya threatened, reaching out to grab the edge of the villain’s hoodie. Said villain smirked as he pecked Midoriya’s lips.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They shared a smile before Shigaraki moved to join Midoriya on the bench. They sat there quietly for a bit while Midoriya tried to dry his eyes and Shigaraki tried to subtly wipe his own away. Not that he would ever admit that he cried in front of Midoriya.
“I told my mom I had a boyfriend, not that it was you. I’m still not sure how to approach that subject.” Midoriya fiddled with the bag, glancing over at his boyfriend. Shigaraki looked surprised and pleased as he slung his arm around Midoriya’s waist.
“Oh? How did that go?”
Midoriya hummed as he leaned against the taller male, “It went well, she’s really happy for us. But we do need to figure out how to introduce you without her completely freaking out.”
“We’ll think of something. For now, let’s just talk about us.” So that’s how the next hour went by. Shigaraki and Midoriya spent time reaffirming their relationship while discussing some boundaries as well. Shigaraki would always text now before coming over just in case something changed and Midoriya would greatly consider telling his friends about him dating Shigaraki. Although he was still unsure if he wanted to specifically say it was him or try and be vague about it. Shigaraki agreed that due to their positions and how they were now that he would let Midoriya take everything at his own pace. But they were the just made both of them feel more comfortable, freely discussing their fears about their relationship as well as what the future might hold for them.
Together they walked back to the train station, parting with gentle, reluctant kisses before going their own ways. Both secure in their minds that their relationship was stronger than villains and heroes.