Tied to Another

Chapter 7: The Epitome of Romance

   Izuku was feeling well, great even. Today hadn't been the best day despite his optimistic mood. Mostly because Kirishima asked about his new soulmate and Bakugo got agitated with the fact Izuku had taken a micro-second of Kirishima's attention and the whole fiasco ended with Bakugo being lured off and out of the common room by Kirishima, and Izuku getting several fresh burns, as well as a lot of attention from class 1-A, who brought it up around the upperclassmen (a bunch of whom asked after Izuku's elusive new soulmate), 1-B (who also inquired), and the teachers (who were more concerned Izuku might not have a soulmate than who it could be).

   Now, with Hitoshi, Izuku worked out in the dead of night without permission at a 24/7 gym close to the school. They both have problems sleeping, Izuku from disturbing memories and distracting himself with a variety of things, Hitoshi from unspecified reasons.

   Izuku thrust up with his arms against the heavy weights, letting out a huff as he did so. He glanced over with his usual sunshine smile at Hitoshi who was running on a treadmill. He pulled his arms back to his body carefully, continuing to watch Hitoshi run with a fondness he realized he felt for people as he got happier with life overall.

   Once again pushing up, now with affection induced vigor, he thought about how grateful he was to have someone like Hitoshi in his life. He let his mind settle on another memory with every push and pull on the bar. From their first meeting him to the sports festival, from hallway conversations to various training sessions, from Hitoshi's first class with 1-A to the countless times he stopped by Izuku's dorm before and after he cut his and Bakugo's string, from Izuku apologizing for being rude to talking about nonsense, to Hitoshi making an effort to spend more time with him to an hour before curfew when they decided to go out, to now. He barely contained a giggle. How could he be lonely when he has a Hitoshi in his life?! He glanced back over to Hitoshi who was now giving him a look halfway between confuddled and amused and began to laugh.

   They'd fixed themselves in the gym showers, got some strange stares from passersby, and began to explore town. They'd been there before, but at night it felt like an entirely new place. The usually loud streets now quiet, the normally bright skies now dull and starless. Izuku bounded down the streets, engaging in a sort of play with Hitoshi, both laughing at their new sense of union.

   "All right, you win, Hitoshi!" Izuku said in a tone neither had heard him use before. Well, Izuku has but it's been too long to remember quite when. He found himself questioning a lot lately if he had ever been this happy before and found himself more often deciding the moment at hand was the best possible ever to have been lived. Especially when Hitoshi was around. He wondered, silently, if this was romantic attraction and that he'd been wrong with thinking he was aromantic before quickly reminding himself it was an umbrella term for a general lack of, not a permanent absence of romantic love.

   Hitoshi chuckled. "I'm glad you're feeling better!" The two had now slowed to a walking pace. Izuku took note of Hitoshi's subtle guiding but chose not to call him out on it. "It was strange without you," Hitoshi paused, looking around before gently nudging Izuku a bit more left, returning to subtle control. "classes were a bit boring without someone calm to talk to."

   Izuku shot him a playful glare that Hitoshi threw back. Softly knocking against Hitoshi, he teased, "Todoroki's pretty chill!". A habit he'd picked up somewhere along their friendship.

   Hitoshi yawned unintelligible annoyance before once more bumping into Izuku. "But he's boring after a while, and he's excitable when he wants to be. Then again, so are you." He grabbed Izuku's hand and pulled him through a door he hadn't realized they'd reached. A café, Izuku noted. "But you know how to calm down and are excitable in a different way. Todoroki wanders down long, winding roads of conspiracies while you tend to just ramble about the topic at hand; you gracefully fall into conversation where Todoroki does an admirable stumble into talk."