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Shinso felt jittery. On his second date with Aizawa, his nerves had been easier to contain, but this time they hummed through his whole body. He needed to calm down. It was just Aizawa, and he’d made it clear that Shinso was in charge of how far things went.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be physically intimate with Aizawa, it was that he was scared of what would happen to their friendship if he messed it up.
He gripped the drinks he’d brought and knocked on the door.
“Shinso, hey…” Aizawa said, sounding quite formal. The use of his family name jarred him for a second, Aizawa had taken to calling him Hitoshi when they were on dates. Having him revert back made Shinso uneasy. Was Aizawa upset with him? Had he done something wrong?
Aizawa glanced inside and then mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ to him.
“Come in,” he said aloud, holding the door open.
Shinso stepped inside to find a teenager sitting on the couch.
“Eri had a bit of a rough day,” Aizawa said.
“Oh, that’s too bad…” Shinso said carefully, looking to Aizawa for more explanation. Did this mean their date was off?
“She’s going to eat with us and watch a movie. Right, Eri?”
The girl nodded sullenly.
“Should I leave you guys to it..?” he checked.
“No,” Aizawa said. “We like the company. Don’t we, Eri?”
“Yeah…” she murmured.
Eri was in her first year of the hero course at UA. She was close to Aizawa, he had taken on a guardian role for her since she was six, so Shinso understood why she’d come to him if she needed someone to listen.
“Let’s put this in the fridge…” Aizawa said, taking the drinks. He threw Shinso a look and they both leaned in behind the open door.
“Sorry,” Aizawa quickly whispered, voice masked by the hum of the fridge. “Usually I check in on her, but she came to me. You know what it’s like, right?”
He did, he’d been exactly the same way as a student. Shinso nodded.
They straightened up and turned back to the girl.
“Right,” Aizawa said, pulling his hair back in a tie. “You like omurice, Eri?”
“Yes,” she said, perking up a little.
“Then you better get over here and help us cook it.”
They split the tasks, Aizawa naturally taking on the role of leader and teacher. They got the rice on to cook, mixed the egg, and then had fun taking turns trying to flip the omelette to create the perfect shape. Eri had an unfair advantage, she could use her quirk to rewind and try again if she messed up.
It was fun, and they all relaxed, especially Eri who was smiling by the time they sat down to eat.
Over dinner they talked about easy things, mostly what the top-ranked heroes were up to. Shoto was popular and steadily rising up the ranks. Bakugo was still screaming at every news camera pointed his way, his rank slowly slipping. As for Shinso, he wasn’t even in the top 50, undercover work didn’t get much traction with the public.
After dinner, they let Eri choose the movie. It was some popcorn action thing about heroes starring cute sidekicks that had some free time on their hands and wanted to make a bit of extra cash acting.
They sat either side of her, comfortable but separate, and Shinso couldn’t help imagining how nice it would be to do this again, just the two of them, maybe leaning together, Aizawa’s arm around him.
The movie wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t really get into the depths of what being a hero cost. Heroing wasn’t all flashy suits, cool gear and cheering crowds.
“Please don’t take any of that seriously,” Aizawa told her when it was over. “Listen to your teachers.”
“I will,” she agreed.
“Good girl.”
With her mood vastly improved, she headed off back to her dorm for the night.
Once she was gone, they sat back on the couch, that little bit of distance still between them. Shinso wasn’t sure if the date was already a write-off, or if it maybe it could get back on track now.
Maybe he needed to see if Eri’s problem was serious to gauge where Aizawa’s head was at.
“What was bothering her?” he asked.
“Hm? Oh, boy troubles, I think…”
Shinso smiled despite himself.
“Guess we all have those…”
Aizawa looked over at him and quirked a brow.
“Who’s trouble? Me or you?”
Shit. Shinso ducked his head. He’d kinda walked into that one, and either answer wasn’t good.
“Hey…” Aizawa said gentler. Shinso looked over at his mentor. Aizawa was always so patient with him. “You’re no trouble, Hitoshi.”
He didn’t quite believe that, but his chest did loosen when he heard Aizawa use his given name. He needed to offer something too, be braver. More honest and present.
He swallowed nervously.
“I like it when you use my given name…”
“Oh, yeah..?” Aizawa said, shuffling closer, fingertips brushing his arm. “Tell me more about what you like, Hitoshi…”
His arm was tingling where Aizawa touched him, and his heart hammered in his chest.
“I…” he breathed. “I like it when you touch me…”
“Well I can do more of that. Say stop at any time…”
“Mm,” he nodded, words lost for a second.
The fingers brushing his arm moved higher, gripping his bicep, and Aizawa’s other hand came to rest on his chest. Pausing long enough to give him a chance to protest. When he didn’t hear ‘no’, Aizawa moved his palm up, over Shinso’s collarbone, fingers caressing the bare skin on his neck. It definitely wasn’t the way you touched a friend.
“All good?” Aizawa checked.
“Yes,” he nodded, heart still hammering.
Aizawa’s thumb came up to brush over his chin, ghosting along his bottom lip.
His mouth was his most dangerous weapon, but Aizawa didn’t look scared. He looked hungry, and a touch like this lead to…
“Can I kiss you?” Aizawa asked, eye flicking up to meet his.
Shinso’s breath caught. He was being looked at in a way he’d only ever dreamed of, and the fact that it was the person he respected most giving him that look… It was like a miracle.
“Yes, Shota…”
Aizawa readjusted his position, leaning in so slow that Shinso had time to notice everything; the faint scent of clean skin and his woody cologne, the warm grip of his hand on Shinso’s arm, the way his dark lashes lowered as his gaze dropped to Shinso’s mouth.
He felt the couch shift slightly beneath them, Aizawa’s knee brushed his, and didn’t dare move a muscle as the gap between them closed.
Finally, Aizawa’s lips pressed against his, soft and gentle. He barely had time to process it beyond being warm and moist, before Aizawa pulled back just a touch, looking him right in the eye.
“Still yes?”
“Uh-huh…”
Aizawa’s mouth twitched up, and then they were kissing again.
This time the contact was firmer, and he yielded a little more, letting Aizawa deepen the kiss. The way Aizawa’s mouth moved was slow and deliberate. He could feel the older man’s hunger, but he could feel restraint too. It was desire tempered by care, and that had warmth flooding Shinso’s chest.
As their kisses grew bolder, bodies shifting to better align. He lost his balance a little, falling back, Aizawa’s knee planted between his thighs, and he panicked for a moment. He wasn’t ready to show that much of himself…
He made a noise of protest in his throat and pulled his mouth away.
“Wait…” he puffed, hands pressed against Aizawa’s chest.
Aizawa pulled back immediately.
“Sorry. That was too much…”
This was it, the moment he’d been dreading, the one where he messed up and ruined everything.
His throat tightened so much that he couldn’t speak, but he needed to fix this now.
“Hey,” Aizawa said, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. “Now we know how much is okay.”
He pressed a soft kiss to the back of Shinso’s hand. The lump in Shinso’s throat eased. Aizawa wasn’t upset with him.
“Sorry,” he choked out. “I do want this… Want more… It’s just because it’s you. I… I don’t know what I’d do if I messed this up and lost you.”
“Hitoshi, you’re not gonna lose me. You’re never gonna lose me. Got it?”
“I…”
Aizawa squeezed his hand tighter.
“Please trust me like you always have…”
There was a real vulnerability in that plea, and he realised Aizawa was risking something here too. He never wanted Aizawa to feel like Shinso doubted him.
In a moment of impulse, he clamped his arms around Aizawa and held on tight.
“I do,” he assured, nuzzling into Aizawa’s neck. “I know how much you care about me.”
“Good,” Aizawa sighed, rubbing his back, reassuring them both. “That’s the main thing.”