"I, uh, I have something to tell you?"
Nothing made Izuku as anxious, scared, doubting and shaky as 'can we talk' and 'I need to tell you something' conversations.
Well, anxiety time because Hitoshi apparently decided that it was a perfect time to have one.
He looked about as scared as Izuku felt which was helluva lot and then some.
"What— What is it?" Greenhead tried to keep the shaking from his voice but his stutter was unstoppable. Hitoshi was a little pale, even more so in contrast with his purple hair which he decided to grow out lately.
But the worst thing was that he wouldn't meet Izuku's eyes.
"I, um… To be honest it would be better if I showed you..? Probably," he stood up awkwardly from where he was sitting on the bed. "I'll need you to, um, close your eyes for a moment? You can't peak." He sounded even more nervous right now… although no, there was something else in his voice, something that made it shake too but it was also… happy? "It's… It shouldn't change too much but I just— I want you to know." Hitoshi finally stopped looking at the ground and looked at Izuku with fire dancing in his eyes. Ah, that was excitement.
Izuku felt his worries go down momentarily. For all he knew Hitoshi might have stolen a cat and wanted to show it to him. Whatever it was it definitely wasn't bad.
"Sure." I trust you. "I'll just sit here, eyes closed, no peeking." Trust me.
"Cool. Yeah, cool, cool, cool. Now come on, eyes closed." Izuku did as he was told, smiling at Hitoshi's little quirk of repeating that damn word. He used it way too much…
Something was rustling like a cloth and Izuku had to gather all his willpower to not crack an eye open. Was Hitoshi dressing up? Weird. Oh well, maybe he bought that Balbasaur onesie Kaminari pointed out jokingly to him on the last class shopping trip? Trust Hitoshi to make a huge secret out of something like that.
"Um… a moment more?" Hitoshi sounded way more stressed than minute ago.
"I'm fine waiting as long as you need me to. Please, calm down." Okay, so probably not pokemon-themed onesie. But what could that be?
"Cool." There it is again. "I'll just…" There was a distinctive sound of one of his creaky drawers opening and he pulled something out, fast enough that it bumped into the wooden furniture piece. "Shit." Hitoshi fumbled with something a little, dropping it twice before taking a few deep shaky breaths. Izuku wished he could pull him close and reassure him but that would require opening his eyes and moving, and that would probably make Hitoshi mad, or even more nervous.
"Hey, Hitoshi, could you do something for me?" The boy gave out a surprised questioning hum. "Count to ten and then backward. Aloud."
"Oh," the boy in question breathed out, almost unhearable. "Okay, cool, cool. One." Another tumble of something. "Two. Three." A sigh, almost disappointed. "Four." A rustle, then something plastic hitting even more plastic. Some kind of sticks? "Five. Six. Seven." There was some kind of weird smell in the air Izuku couldn't put a finger on, but he also recognized it. What could it be? "Eight. Nine." Hitoshi sounded significantly calmer now, breath no longer shaky. "Ten." There was a snap of something being closed and then the drawer got closed. Izuku heard Hitoshi's steps nearing until the boy stood in front of him.
"Ten… Izuku? Can you open your eyes on one?" He nodded. "Nine. Eight. Seven." A sigh. "Six. Five…" The counting seemed to drag on. "Four…" Hitoshi gulped, there was some more rustling despite him not moving. "Three… Two…" Izuku felt electricity pulsing under his skin. God, he was so curious… "One."
Izuku's eyes flew open, he had to blink a few times to adjust them to the light and…
Oh.
Suddenly the smell's familiarity made sense. He knew it because of his mother. That was how make-up smelled like.
Hitoshi looked… breathtaking. His eyes adored by a thick streak of eyeliner sharper than his wit and orange eyeshadow, contrasting with his violet eyes.
Izuku's eyes traveled lower to Hitoshi's pink lips, now covered in lipgloss that made them look a little more kissable than usual, which was just enough to make Izuku absentmindedly rise from the bed and reach out before his eyes trailed even lower.
He couldn't help the gasp that left him upon seeing it.
Because Hitoshi was wearing a sundress.
It was beautiful, white with a simple patter of sunflowers, frilly, but still staying elegant and… pure, Izuku couldn't really find other words for that.
"You…"
"I'm trans," Hitoshi blurted out taking a step back. "Well, genderfluid but it kinda, overlaps in some parts? I don't know, I don't really do— labels…" He gripped his arm with a hand, looking down once again.
If Izuku had more than two functioning braincells he would have probably smiled and reassured Hitoshi that it's fine, and that he liked him? her? them? all the same.
But alas Izuku didn't have those braincells so the only thing on his mind was—
"Can I kiss you?"
Hitoshi's eyes snapped to hi—their face so fast Izuku had half a mind to worry if he didn't damage his neck in the process.
"You don't… think less of me?" they whispered, the hand previously gripping their arm going to the neck in the display of lingering anxiety.
"No. I just think you look beautiful." Hitoshi's breath hitched and not even a second later they were kissing, the world forgotten for a moment. Izuku could figure out what to call them—boyfriend obviously no longer worked—and what pronouns he should use when later.
For now, he just cherished Hitoshi, who was beginning to melt into his arms.