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echoes

The golden lamppost light fell over the both of them, chasing away the darkness and the clouds in his brain. 

Izuku didn't know when the change had occurred. He didn't even understand exactly what had changed.

Somewhere in the moments between denying his feelings and the realization that no matter what their relationship was Hitoshi would be there, Izuku had allowed a part of himself to let go. The right thing to do would be to protect himself and deny what was between them. It was what he had always done. Protecting himself had become his one and only move.

When he was with his mom he felt powerless. Powerless against her and all of her problems he'd protected her from when it should have been her protecting him. Powerless against his own emotions at times. He'd told himself he never wanted to feel that again. 

Falling in love was a different kind of powerless.

"You stayed," Izuku said.

"I stayed," Hitoshi agreed. 

The campus was darker than he'd ever seen it. Not that he frequently ventured about after dark. He left those creepy midnight strolls to Tokoyami and their principal. but it wasn't just the time of the day.

The place was empty. 

It seemed even the teachers had had enough and gone home. The only lights available to them were the two lampposts on the opposite sides of the school and the nearly full moon shining down on them. 

Their breathing stood out against the silence. Hitoshi's was even and slow coming out in little puffs against the cool air. Izuku's was fast and irregular.

He thought about going back to the dorms. He'd change, be reunited with his bed, and scroll on his phone for hours. It was a plan that never failed.

"We should probably head back," he said reluctantly. It seemed like if they left their little circle of light whatever had passed over them would fall away. Logic would once again surface and that would be the end of whatever this was. Whatever they were- were becoming.

Izuku started forward, listening intently for the sound of footsteps following. Then stopped. 

Fuck it.

His gaze flickered up. "Do you -"

"Yes," Hitoshi answered just as abruptly as Izuku had asked the question. A hint of playfulness dashed his tone.

Izuku smiled. He hadn't even known what he was agreeing to before saying yes. The amount of trust he had in Izuku was entirely unwarranted but he was thankful nonetheless.

In every training session, they'd had Hitoshi had thrown himself blindly into the fight, trusting that Izuku had enough control over his quirk that he wouldn't hurt him. Hitoshi had believed in him before he had even believed in himself. That trust had given Izuku the confidence to push forward.

He'd extended the same trust back to his companion, never hesitating when answering a question or thinking for even a moment Hitoshi would use his quirk on him. That just wasn't who he was. They held too much respect for each other. 

Hitoshi's hand squeezed his and before Izuku's head could catch up with his heart sparks of green flitted up, enveloping the both of them. He focused the energy on his legs and used the power to propel them up and forward.

Their grips tightened on each other but it was obvious Izuku knew what he was doing. He would never try something that would put his- well put Hitoshi in danger.

The freezing air whipped around them, drowning out all sounds. It was one of Izuku's favorite parts of using his quirk. For a few seconds, it felt like flying. Everything around him was gone and he could just be in the moment.