i.
Midoriya is not the first person Yuuga's met whose body isn't built to handle their quirk. He has, over the years, met many, in a variety of support groups, in a variety of group therapy sessions, in schools in both France and Japan.
Hell, he's not even the first person Yuuga's met who's looked at their quirk, the one that's imperfectly aligned with their body, who's gritted their teeth and said 'I will make it work anyways'. Yuuga is, after all, one of those people himself.
Midoriya is, however, the first Yuuga's seen to take it that far. And something about that—
Something about that makes something inside of Yuuga burn.
ii.
Aoyama is the first person to ever give Izuku cheese as a gift. Now, to be fair, it's in the form of a stunningly creepy message left outside on the deck of his dorm room in the middle of the night, so he's not sure he should count it.
A better first: Aoyama is the first person to say 'I'm like you', meaning: my quirk doesn't fit either. You're not alone in this. Izuku feels… lighter, after that. Sure, their quirks don't fit their bodies for different reasons (Izuku's body was never meant to have a quirk) but… they're in that situation together, regardless of the reasons why.
iii.
The first time Yuuga eats lunch with Midoriya (and Midoriya's friends) is a Wednesday. He carries his lunch to the lunchroom and sits down, right across the table from Midoriya (right next to Tsuyu, who's holding hands with Uraraka under the table like they're being subtle). The grin on Midoriya's face as he greeted Yuuga made something in his heart flutter, and, were he not a practiced romantic, Yuuga would have most definitely blushed, all the way to the tips of his ears, the way he had once, in middle school, the first time someone had flirted with him and meant it.
iv.
Aoyama is not the first person Izuku's had a crush on. There was Ochako, something that had lingered for months before settling into a solid friendship. There was the brief crush on Mirio, one that lasted a few weeks until resolving into a steady partnership in the field. There had even been some before high school, the kind that were destined to go nowhere and never become anything (nothing like the strong relationships that he'd built with Ochako and Mirio).
(There'd been Kacchan, once, and maybe Izuku would never be over him, but nothing could happen between them)
(too much already had)
So, safe to say, Izuku had at least some experience with the feelings in his chest, the way his chest seemed to fill with fizzy bubbles when he spent time around Aoyama, the way his heart jumped when Aoyama smiled at him.
But there was no way his crush was requited… right? Aoyama was this weirdly flirtatious with everyone… right?
v.
Midoriya is the first person Yuuga can point to and say, 'yes, I definitely, 100% have romantic feelings for this person'. Yes, Yuuga's a practiced romantic. Yes, Yuuga's had boyfriends and girlfriends and datemates before but he's never been this sure, and, looking back? None of those relationships had this same pulse of emotion driving them.
(His sister was the first person who'd introduced him to the concept of being aromantic, a few months after he'd started high school, and Yuuga had seen it and gone, ah, yes, this is me. It looks like he'll have to readjust his view of himself, though, since he has a crush on Midoriya Izuku.)
He has a crush on Midoriya Izuku.
Midoriya Izuku is his first crush.
Thinking that phrase to himself gives him the stereotypical butterflies in the stomach (or was that just backlash from overusing his navel laser in class earlier?).
Oh, no, wait, he hadn't actually overused it (compared to where he's at with it, now. A year ago? Yeah, the extent he'd been using it in class would've absolutely been overuse).
He's just… very in crush.
vi.
The first time Izuku thinks that, hey, maybe Aoyama does reciprocate my feelings, comes during a field trip. They're returning to the USJ, finally, finally getting to really dig deep into rescue work as a class.
(You know, after their provisional license exam, but better late than never.)
13 is one of their teachers, of course, and Aizawa and All Might are both there, but they've also called in several guest teachers to help.
But the guest teachers aren't the important part.
The important part is when Izuku manages to make Aoyama blush.
Aoyama never blushes, not over people.
But somehow, Izuku manages it, just by telling him what an amazing job he's doing today, which is something he actually tells his friends on a regular basis? (Friends, accquantances, fellow trainee heroes, complete strangers-)
(The cincher is when, a few moments later, Aoyama smiles, something—something softer, than normal, and winks, and says, 'Oui, and you are doing absolutely stunningly as well!'.)
(Izuku thought his face would just… catch on fire, there. Aoyama had to know, seeing that.)
vii.
Yuuga's sister is the first person he tells about his crush on Midoriya. He calls her, in the afternoon, after classes are over and Midoriya definitely won't be in his room (because he'll probably be downstairs, working on homework in the common area with several of their classmates), and Yuuga needs him to not be in his room because the dorm walls are paper-thin, just like any apartment, and he can't have this conversation if there's a risk he'll voice will carry and the person he has a crush on will hear him gushing about him to his sister.
She picks up on the second ring: 'Hi Yuuga! Great timing: I just got home.'
Ah, good, he won't need to rush, then.
He spends the next two hours talking to her, mostly about his crush.
viii.
Mirio is the person Izuku goes to, to ask for advice/gush about his crush. He's one of Izuku's first choices because a) he isn't a gossip; he won't tell anyone else, b) Mirio and Amajiki have been together for, according to Hadou, a year and a half, so obviously Mirio must know something about romantic relationships, and c) y'know. He's Mirio.
So, he meets up with Mirio, and they talk. Izuku tells him about Aoyama, and Mirio tells him about Amajiki, and how he knew that he'd have to make the first move.
Does Izuku have to make the first move with Aoyama?
Is he even sure that Aoyama feels similarly?
'You don't have to be sure,' Mirio tells him. 'But you do have to be honest. It's better to have everyone on the same page, whatever page that ends up being!'
In the name of honesty, Izuku then spills that he did have a brief crush on Mirio, and they laugh about it, and then Mirio tells him about the crush he'd had, in his first year, on one of his own senpais, and they laugh about that, too.
ix.
Midoriya is far from the first person who's ever asked Yuuga out. As a matter of fact, Yuuga has never been the asker, only the asked.
However, the only reason Midoriya wasn't destined to be the first person Aoyama Yuuga's ever asked out is because his nose got broken in training and their planned afternoon walk date? had to be canceled because he spent the afternoon in Recovery Girl's office, waiting his turn to be seen (because apparently there had been some big incident involving most of class 2-B during their training so there was a long wait), and so the next day Midoriya beats him to the punch by not accidentally being on the deck behind their dorm rooms at the same time and then, right after saying hello, blurting out a mash of syllables that turns out to be (on the next attempt) 'do you want to go on a date with me?'.
Yuuga is stunned. All he can do is blink down at Midoriya for a few moments.
Obviously, that was the wrong thing to do, because within a few moments, Midoriya's looking away, fingers tangled in the curls at the nape of his neck, speaking fast about how Yuuga shouldn't feel pressured, and this doesn't have to change their friendship, and it's perfectly alright to say no, really, he won't mind and won't be hurt—
Yuuga cuts him off there.
'Yes,' he says. 'Yes, I want to go on a date with you.'
x.
Aoyama is far from the first person Izuku's ever asked out. Well, okay, Izuku's only asked out a couple other people and both times it went terribly.
(If Aoyama had succeeded at his afternoon walk plot, he wouldn't even be the first person to ask Izuku out.)
(He would be the first person to be serious about it, though.)
Aoyama is the first person Izuku asks out who doesn't immediately say no.
He does, however, freeze, and Izuku can't stop the words that come out of his mouth, because he knows he's far from the ideal boyfriend, for anyone, let alone someone as amazing and kind and beautiful as Aoyama—
Aoyama is the first person to say, 'Yes. Yes, I want to go on a date with you.'
Aoyama is Izuku's first boyfriend, first romantic partnership.
xi.
Izuku and Yuuga are each other's first kiss.
(It's hilariously terrible, but that's okay. They're willing to keep trying.)
x-posted from ao3 (username: Orkestrations)