Painted Together [Kirishima x Tamaki Soulmates AU]

[NicTheDjinn]

Kirishima References: https://64.media.tumblr.com/079af448e6d ... 1_1280.png

Tamaki References: https://twitter.com/ms_masked/status/13 ... 3052969985
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EpAkzVFVQAAqOsF?format=jpg

Kirishima's Car: https://media.caradvice.com.au/image/pr ... fddefd.jpg
(Roof) https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0196/ ... 6966165826
(Interior) https://www.autonavigator.hu/wp-content ... source.jpg


The typical idea of college student life, the image most people get when they think of it, usually includes frats or parties and hangovers that leave the weekend unable to be enjoyed without a bottle of pills to fight off the morning migraines. However for the introverted art nerd Tamaki was, he spent is weekends behind a counter working until the after noon, then it was back to his studio apartment, where his fun began. From a chest of blooming roses to legs of beautiful landscapes, realistic butterflies, or cartoony rabbits. He put himself into his art, while putting his art on himself.

While of course it started out as an experimentation, after figuring out the water colored art he painted onto his skin showed up as clear as pen on his soulmate's skin as well, he started making it a routine to paint something for him every weekend and keep it for a while. He did this in places that could be easily covered, wanting to impress his soulmate with his skill, but not cause any trouble for him in the process. It was the one thing that really made him feel confident, finishing a piece and waiting for any little comments he'd receive, be it on his skin or on his blog. Slowly but surely, the raven haired male had gotten comfortable enough to respond again to his soul mate with little doodles of appreciation.

The day before Tamaki had drawn one piece he was especially proud of; a swarm of tentacles that started at his collarbone and wrapped down a bit above his wrist, every inch splotched in a flurry of splattered colors. Due to the cafe's policies, he couldn't have his art on display so he couldn't go much longer than a long sleeve shirt, despite his original desire being to have it lead down across his hand. Still, he was content to hide it even had they not been so strict, knowing he would only draw more unwanted attention to himself. It was hard enough working where he was, he was just thankful he wasn't around for the lunch rush during the week.

The café wasn't too packed, three of ten tables occupied, with only small groups. Many people came for this type of environment, or the free Wi-Fi. It wasn't necessarily the amount of people who worried Tamaki, though he was apprehensive about large crowds. He was more worried about how difficult some customers could be, even if for all the time he spent working there, he had only received a few complaints.

He was serving two frappes and a slice of coffee cake when he heard the soft clatter of windchimes. Head snapping up, he caught a glimpse of familiar faces before averting his eyes. "One- one second," He stuttered, still a touch worried about keeping customers waiting, even if they were just the high school regulars he had gotten used to. It didn't take him too long to rip out the bill for the pair he was serving, then turn on his heels and fast walk back around the counter before the group could get across the room. He set aside the black tray and let out a soft sigh to collect himself, a soft smile taking purchase on his face seconds later. "Hey, guys. What can I get you today?"

...

Eijirou's life hadn't been a bad one, truthfully, something he was very aware of and equally thankful for. He had a happy childhood even though his parents had divorced and he'd had good friends growing up. Come middle school, he'd met his best friend and he couldn't imagine his life without her. Honestly, the only thing that was really a problem in his life was that he'd been bullied a little. Nothing major, but he definitely wasn't part of the popular crowd. Still, over all, a good life.

From time to time, kids around him would get their first messages or drawings from their soulmates, something that was always cause for excitement. Sometimes soulmates found each other adorably young, sometimes age differences complicated things, but no one doubted that their fated was the one for them. Particularly lucky were those with soulmates that were artists. The first time Eijirou saw something swim up into existence on his he'd literally ran out of the class to show his dearest friend. After being lightly scolded for disrupting not one, but two classes, he returned to his seat. Despite the scolding, he was too happy to care. Sadly, he wasn't really an artist himself, but he did doodle a very happy face on the inside of his palm so that his soulmate could look at his hand and have it smile back at him.

For a time, they communicated like this as soulmates often did, but no matter how hard he searched, he didn't manage to spot anyone that had the same pretty drawings on their skin. It seemed his soulmate was shy too as they didn't even tell them if they were a boy or a girl or what they're name was. For a year they communicated this way, but then suddenly, right as middle school came to an end, communication stopped. The art, more and more beautiful with each new piece, continued, but he suddenly he didn't get any more words. Not a single response to his reaction doodles either.

Dread gripped him then and his issues with self-esteem amplified. His soulmate had changed their mind. They didn't want him anymore. They didn't want to talk to him. Maybe they were only continuing to draw on himself in hopes that it looked like their soulmate was really amazing rather than having done them themselves. After a good, hard cry, his dearest friend assured him that he was wonderful and that his soulmate surely wanted him. She insisted that he was someone incredibly special and that anyone would by lucky to have him. Lucky to have him? He was just some skinny kid... He couldn't even claim to be a skinny nerd because he wasn't even smart! Who would ever want him...

It was that day that he decided that he needed to do everything he could to change for the better. He changed his diet to be healthier and started to work out. He wanted to be cool and amazing for his soulmate! Surely if they found each other and he looked that impressive they would give him a chance, right? A few months later, he was entering high school with a some lithe muscle on him and his naturally black hair dyed a brilliant red in proud spikes. To show her support, Mina had even dyed her curls pink with him and ended up loving the look.

The trouble was, all the drawings on his skin were well hidden within the confines of his school uniform. The only time anyone ever got to see them was when they were swimming or changing in the locker rooms. It seemed that none of the boys in his class were his soulmate and out of desperation, he asked the girls if they had painted themselves 'like this' while showing them pictures of him shirtless he'd taken in a mirror. While he embarrassingly got compliments on his hard-earned muscles, they all apologized and admitted that they hadn't painted that. He even got desperate enough to have the class ask everyone they knew. Nothing.

Still, soulmates always found each other eventually, right...? He would just have to be patient. He unknowingly missed his first chance as they graduated up a grade, his soulmate leaving the school entirely. Only a year after that did they finally get another chance. During high school, he'd made new friends and one of them was very insistent on dragging them to study at a coffee shop he'd found and had been recently going to a lot. Their mutual friend, Sero, hadn't been hard to convince to follow, but Eijirou himself had been a little resistant.

In the end, a particularly good mood had finally gotten him to agree. He'd been gifted a particularly gorgeous piece by his soulmate and he'd wanted to show it off. He'd changed into something that would do just that before joining his friends and heading out. The three of them arrived and while Hanta was familiar with the place, Denki had the enthusiasm to take the lead to his favorite table. "Take all the time you need!" The blond had called when they were greeted, the three of them sitting themselves down and started putting down their things.

"You need to try the brownies here man!" Insisted the electric blond with a brilliant smile as he'd pushed the laminated menu over to the faux redhead.

"Dude, you know I can't just eat whatever... I've been working on these muscles for years, I'm not gonna get fat now," he grumbled, but still looked the menu over all the same. "How did he even convince you to come here? You're a health nut."

The brunette smiled the warm and wide smile he was known for and offered a simple reply. "They have good florentines."

"Eeeeey! Amajiki! Look, I managed to get another one of my friends to come today! This is Kirishima, Eijirou!" Greeted the energetic blond, motioning dramatically.

The faux redhead chuckled at his theatrics, but smiled brightly to the young man that had come to help them. "Hey there! Nice to meetcha! Kaminari wouldn't stop talking about this place, I really look forward to finding out what all the hype is." And there he was, a pretty man with long lashes, brilliant red hair now long enough to be worn in a pony tail, cute little eyebrows, and beautifully sculpted muscles. This final detail normally would have been hard to miss considering he'd chosen to wear a tank top that hugged his form and had a neckline low enough to show off the swell of his pectorals. He was a skinny kid with a little definition when he'd gotten into high school, but now he looked more like a statue sculpted from marble. Despite this, quite a lot of attention was stolen by the skin he was showing. From his collarbone, all the way down to the wrist, beautifully detailed tendrils danced along his skin in vibrant colors, all worn with obvious pride. Only a small sliver of the work of art was obscured by a shoulder strap.

...

Through the years, it was pretty easy for Tamaki to hide that he even had a soulmate. On top of uniforms obscuring his work and any responses he received, he never grew out of his shy phase, seemingly blending into the background and going unnoticed if it was for anything other than his grades. Whether it was his lack of presence, awkwardness in conversation, or the simple fact he didn't take initiative to interact with people that caused him to become so separated from everyone, and lack the confidence to get to know the person who would be stuck with him as a soulmate. He was just some shy teen with an interest in art, who could barely raise his voice above a soft shout.

Mirio coming into his life pretty early had been the one to start breaking him out of his shell and when he got his first message from his soulmate- panicked as he was- it had been Mirio to convince him to start with the drawings, some words, but words became too much. What he got out of their interactions made Tamaki so happy, and every little doodle he got back had him glowing. It was however his worry that this was all fleeting, that caused him to clam up. It wasn't like he never tried to respond, there were many times he wrote out notes on paper to find the right words, trying to predict a conversation that would eventually never happen because he'd chicken out.

However his soulmate seemed to love his art, even from the beginning. So if he couldn't write to him, he thought his art would do. His art was far more vivid and outstanding than himself, as it were.

Over his time in college however, he had relaxed some, opened up even. While he still found it hard to hold eye contact, or be in large groups, he could interact a bit easier, especially when it came to the work environment that pushed him outside his isolated comfort zones. Over hearing the conversation, Tamaki found himself chuckling a little, pulling out a few of the treats he expected his regulars to want, though waited for them to actually settle on a full order first. Meanwhile he turned to get some cups from the cabinet behind the counter before hearing his name called by the energetic blond, "Hmm?"

He had not been ready when he turned to look at the new addition to their group, having not given the other more than a glance in his rush, his eyes instinctively go from that bright fiery hair to the familiar tattoo that had the quiet man stumbling, almost dropping a few of the cups in the process. "Ah, he-hello. Always glad to have a new customer," He smiled, although his eyes flicked from the floor back to the tattoo as he set out a few cups on the counter in front of him. Picking back up his little notepad and pen, he rounded back around the counter to walk over to their table. "I'm Amajiki Tamaki," He bowed his head slightly upon reaching the table.

Getting a better look up close, the ravenette felt even more intimidated by the redhead. He was cute, from what few glances he could spare at Kirishima's face without making himself more anxious, on top of the musclemass he mentioned earlier. Tamaki himself wasn't exactly a slouch either, keeping up on exercise so his lean body held a fair amount of muscle- though Mirio still teased him for the ghost of a six pack he could manage. "If you're worried about staying fit," He started slowly, "I-I've been convincing the manager about adding high protein fruit smoothies to the menu since many people come in or go by on their runs. It's not official yet... but I can whip some up if any of you guys want?"

Then he quickly back tracked, voice shrinking, "Ah, sorry. Was that too pushy? We have plenty of other things on the menu too that are just as good and you can order whenever you're ready."

He was also quick to notice when he was talking to Kirishima that he had been staring at the art on his arm, subconsciously scrutinizing it and the small mistakes he recognized in his own art. Part of him still didn't want to really accept that it was his art but he can easily recognize the brush strokes and every part he was unhappy with. He had only posted a picture of his art that morning on his blog, so it would be nearly impossible for anyone to mimic.

...

Amusingly, though both Sero and Kaminari tensed when the cups were almost dropped, the faux redhead was halfway on his feet out of instinct with the clear intention of attempting to catch them. How sweet... Thankfully, there was no need and he was settling back down again when he was sure the older young man had a handle on things. "Nice to meet you." He repeated, flushing when he realized he'd already said that just a second ago. What's more, it occurred to him then that even if he'd tried to catch the cups, should they have fallen, there's no way he could have covered that distance in time. He's so dumb! Way to make a good first impression...

He was surprised to be offered something that wasn't even on the menu, however. That was so nice of him! "No, no, you're fine! That sounds really amazing and it's really nice of you to offer to make something like that for us. I'd love to try it, so long as it won't get you in trouble."

"Protein and fruit together sounds gross..." Muttered the blond, getting a snicker from the brunette and an eye roll from the redhead.

"Just because it has protein in it doesn't mean it tastes like bacon or something. Also depending on the fruit, they don't taste bad together." Placing the menu down now that he thought he wouldn't need it.

Sero on the other hand was happy to let them bicker a bit over what was or wasn't tasty while he ordered, not that he particularly needed to at this point. "Espresso Macchiato with a couple of florentine cookies, please."

This drew the attention of the high energy blond, "You always order the same thing..."

"I know what I like," came the lazy response with a smile that was equal parts amused and smug. "You're the only one that hasn't ordered."

"Shit!" Denki snatched up the menu then, not nearly as easy to predict in terms of what he wanted to order. There were some trends, but he liked to change things up fairly often, unlike Hanta which was very much one of those, 'the usual' people.

Now that Kaminari was distracted with trying to decide what he wanted, Kirishima was freed up again and it gave him the chance to notice how he was being stared at. He wasn't even shy about stretching out an arm and even leaning his head to maximize the visibility of the beautiful art decorating his skin. "Beautiful, isn't it? My soulmate's so talented... They send me pretty little doodles all the time, but I get a big piece like this once a week." He relaxed his posture again, fingertips lightly tracing along one of the tentacles at his forearm.

"I'm so lucky... I'm not an artist myself. I, heh, I think they don't like me because of that. I've been looking for them for years. Maybe they don't want to meet because I suck at drawing." He muttered, his smile slowly fading as he unintentionally vented at some poor stranger.

"Hey... You're a really great guy, I'm sure they'll love you! You just haven't found each other yet. My parents have a big age gap so it took them forever to find each other! Just give it time, man, it'll be okay." Urged the brunette, thankfully managing to coax the other's flagging smile back.

"You're right! I just gotta be patient! We'll find each other someday for sure! Maybe... Maybe they're just shy or something. Heh, that would be cute." He was back to fondly caressing the gift on his skin, apparently one of those, easy to cheer up types.

...

It was a sweet sentiment, seeing the red head stand up as if he could make it in time to help him, as well as the reassurance that he hadn't been too pushy when it came to the new product he had a hand in planning. "I won't get in trouble, but thanks for worrying. You can consider it a secret menu item until we've got more flavors and the menus reprinted," He smiled faintly at the other's consideration.

"Besides, it would be good to have more opinions on it," He nodded, jotting down the order.

Their little squabble over protein and fruit nearly got a laugh out of him that Tamaki had to block with his palm to retain. His attention focused back on Sero briefly when he gave his order, "Got it." Writing the order down with familiar ease, thought it was more for the end total rather than a reminder on his part. The pair had been going to normally enough that he could see a trend of what they'd likely order, however everyone liked change every once in a while so he'd go through the motions of asking every time.

His eyes flicked up from the art to the redhead's face when his attention was noticed, not expecting the compliments to start flooding in, and his suspicions confirmed. Would it be conceited to compliment his own art? Instead he nodded, trying to push away the embarrassed feeling that started to overwhelm him, hearing his unknowing soulmate gush about his work, but he didn't have to try too long when Eijiro began to vent to him. It was... surprisingly common for people to vent to or, well, at Tamaki. He was a good listener, quiet, and easy to talk to. However hearing his matesprit think down about himself had him speaking up just a bit, "That would be a silly reason."

He bit his tongue, letting his friends handle the situation, seeing how easily it seemed to cheer the red head up. Still, he felt like he should say something. He hadn't for so long, he was responsible for these feelings from his soulmate.

"Um, sorry if I'm over stepping but... it seems like they care about you a lot. I-I mean. You said they do that once a week, and draw a lot so..." He shrugged, eyes fixed on his note pad as one hand came up to rest against the back of his neck. Perhaps he should have stopped there, but he kept going a bit, "Artists are very critical, of themselves and their work. Maybe they are just worried what you'll think of them?"

He could just say who he was, or tug down his shirt a bit and reassure the other, but that was far too intimidating of a task. Even if he excused it as shyness, and the redhead called it cute, Tamaki couldn't feel any less cute with his anxiety. He said he had been searching for Tamaki, but if he knew he found him, would he be disappointed? They were soulmates, sure, but he's heard stories about soulmates rejecting each other.

Clearing his throat, his attention flicked back to the rowdy blond he'd become familiar with, "If you need more time to decide, I can grab you a waterbottle and that brownie you talked about for now."

It wasn't the smoothest transition from deep talk right back to working, but it gave him the nerve he needed to unweld his eyes from his notes and feet from the floor. "The sweets are warm and ready, it will just take me a few moments to get your Espresso Macchiato and Vanilla Berry Blend Smoothie done," He already started back for the counter to get Sero and Kirishima's orders done.

Shaggy black hair hung in his face as he focused on his work, the nerves briefly leaving him for the time it takes him to prepare them both behind the counter. In the time it takes for him finish the Espresso Macchiato and start to plate his serving tray, Mirio had walked in from the back of the café and hovered briefly.

While Mirio could be a bit oblivious at times, he recognized the art from a mile away and recognized the situation. "Hey guys," The tall, muscular blond waved at the table from his space beside the counter, the sudden talking so close causing Tamaki to jump slightly. "Mirio-" The ravenette's face bloomed a harsh red, already seeing that hint of mischief in his friend's eyes- he knew what he was going to do and accepted his fate.

"I need a quick talk with Tamaki," The blond beamed, picking up the tray from the other side of the counter to deliver the warm treats and hot drink as Tamaki begrudgingly made his way to the kitchen.

It didn't take long, their conversation lasting only a few seconds once they stepped in the room between a frantic Tamaki and excited Mirio, "You found him- or he found you- anyways, it's your chance."

"But Mirio, he's so intimidating, and he thought I was disappointed in him but it's me and I don't even know how to say it," The anxious artist fiddled with a lock of his hair, tugging slightly.

"Well you don't have to say it, show it- Look he's showing off your art right now-"

While they weren't particularly loud, Tamaki still covered Mirio's mouth with his hands out of embarrassment, quiet until Mirio tugged his hands down to try again to gently nudge his childhood friend, "You both thought you'd be disappointments, right? So he's just as anxious as you. I think you'll both be happier if he knows."

There was a few more seconds of debating in the back of Tamaki's mind before he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Mirio to get back to work, only he'd take a bit of his advice. Rather than be direct and be a nervous wreck, he decided the best thing he could do was what he always had. "Sorry about that," He quickly apologized for the wait. Returning back behind the counter, he quietly turned off the blender he had going and turned to Eijiro's cup. He didn't want to do anything big, but something noticeable. So pulling a red pen from his apron, he drew a small lotus flower on the lid of the cup before filling it, hear hammering a little harder in his chest.

"Did you three think of anything else you wanted while I was occupied?" He tried to stall a bit to give him time to replicate the same lotus flower in the same red ink on his wrist, just under the cuff of his shirt.

...

"Oh good! I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for my sake." How sweet, he actually sounded concerned for what was to him a complete stranger. "I'm sure it will be really good! Thanks for suggesting it!" Just Tamaki's luck... His soulmate was a ray of sunshine... Like he didn't have enough of that with his best friend. It seemed the universe was intent on spoiling him with enthusiastic sweethearts with positive attitudes.

"Thanks." Sero was generally polite to the other brunette and very much aware of his anxiety. Despite the fact he could be as loud and energetic as the rest of his friends, he kindly spoke quieter and calmer to their poor anxious acquaintance. They hadn't interacted too very much and certainly not outside the coffee shop, but the guy seemed incredibly sweet so felt the effort to be soothing was worth it, particularly when he was here with someone as high energy and in your face as Kaminari.

He looked up when the notion that his soulmate wouldn't want him because of his lack o artistic talent. "I guess... But maybe he was hoping I would be another artist so that we could do art together. I tried learning, I really did! Got books and everything, but I just don't have the talent for it." He quietly mourned before his friend was offering reassurance. Little did he know just how soon his soulmate woes would sort themselves out. His attention was drawn back to the brunette again and the encouraging words got him smiling even more brightly, looking down at the lovely piece of artwork on his arm. "Yeah! Maybe you're right! Makes me think of my best friend, honestly. He's a major perfectionist. He's really critical of others and stuff, but that's got nothing on the standards he places on himself, ya know? He doesn't like people pointing it out, but he needs a lot of reassurance that he's doing good. I'm not sure how to let him know how good his art is at this point though. We used to write messages, but it seems awkward to do it at this point... I'll figure something out."

For now, he wouldn't worry about it too much. He was here to study with his friends so that should be his biggest concern. The last thing he needed was to do so poorly in class that he failed and didn't manage to get into college. Technically he could still be a personal trainer without it, but it would help set him apart if he was a nutritionist too.

"Yeah, that will be great! I'll figure it out quick, sorry for the wait!" Apologized the blond sheepishly, trying to pick something quickly.

"Thanks again, Amajiki!" Called the brunette after him as the anxious young man moved away, closely followed by a, "Yeah, thanks!" by the once again cheerful redhead.

The two regulars were quick to greet the boisterous blond in return and naturally no one at the table was fussed about the fact their server was then occupied. None of them were in a hurry and Denki was still being indecisive anyway. Instead, they started to pull out books to start figuring out what they needed to go over together. In this particular case, they were attempting to help each other with chemistry. All three of them really wished they'd convinced Bakugou to come with them, but while they had managed to get Kirishima to come along, the explosive blond already had plans of his own and refused to change them. They accepted that it would be the dumb leading the dumb this time around. At least it wasn't pure math...

"It's cool! You do what you need to man! When you get the chance could you add a nitro cold brew with sweet cream for me?" It seemed Kaminari had finally made up his mind, setting aside the menu then pulling out his own books with a sigh. He was literally at the bottom of his class so he knew, of all people, he needed to study. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it... "So... Chapter 15, right...?"

"16," the faux redhead corrected, earning a groan from the blond as he so casually revealed how behind he was. Still, as the one with the highest grades at the table, he knew that he was the one that would have to lead the way this time, even if he was only an average student. Lucky for Tamaki, the fact they were starting to settle into their books also meant they weren't paying attention to him. Not one noticed anything was out of place as Eijirou tried to explain what they needed to cover in this chapter. Then explained it again as neither of his friends managed to follow. This was going to be a long afternoon...

...

The universe just seemed keen on blessing and cursing him with good people in his life. It really touched him hearing how Eijiro thought about him and wanted to connect with his artistic, shy self. That alone was one of the sweetest things he could ask for, and to be compared to someone already close to Eijiro that he speaks so highly of- it was a bit embarrassing. "I'm sure. You're probably doing a lot better than you give yourself credit for," He nodded with a soft smile, knowing that any response he got from his soulmate since the very beginning had encouraged him greatly.

Speaking of a blessing and a curse, being dragged to the backroom for a peptalk had spurred Tamaki to act, but it also gave the group time to start getting ready for their study session. Of course, Tamaki should have remembered thats why the group was there- he had gotten distracted and completely forgot. "Nitro coldbrew with sweet cream- got it," Tamaki chimed, writing that down on his notepad as he floundered with his feelings. Maybe he should just give Kirishima a different lid for his cup and forget he was even going to tell him. He was supposed to be studying, he didn't want to distract them from being diligent students.

Leaving the fruit smoothie to work on Denki's coldbrew, He mentally debated with himself back and forth on what to do. Well, maybe he won't notice. It is just on his wrist, but the red drawing on the lid might catch his eye and how would I explain that? "I was just doodling?" Slowly Tamaki sunk down, quietly facing away from the rest of the room, out of sight from everyone else to try and calm his anxiety.

Slow, deep breaths, Tamaki. He rocked slightly on his feet as he did, taking in five deep breaths before he heard the soft chime of the front door. "Ah-" He popped up from behind the counter, but instead of seeing new people walking in, he saw a couple walking out, their money and dishes left behind where they once sat. Right, he had work to do, he had to focus too. So with a new resolve, he put the lid on Eijiro's cup and took both drinks to the table of students. "Here's your drinks," Setting them down in front of each, he pulled the notepad back out from his apron and tore out the little slip of paper, "And the bill. Good luck studying, you guys."

He sighed softly with a smile before starting toward the other table. At least Nejire isn't here, he reassured himself. She would have made it worse, insisting on telling the red head out right or even accidentally telling him herself without knowing that Tamaki hadn't told him already. He could just imagine the embarrassment, and the feeling of wanting to disappear into the walls.

Rolling up his sleeves a bit, he piled the plates and empty plastic cups onto his black tray. With the very ends of a few tendrils peeking out the bottom of his sleeve, he didn't think much of it and hauled the dirty dishes back across the café to the kitchen. "Dishes," He called, pushing open the door a bit with his foot, cueing Mirio to come and take them. The blond beamed down at Tamaki once he has them out of the ravenette's hands, "You okay?"

Tamaki nodded a bit, getting his hair immediately ruffled by the blond as he admitted, "Just needed a minute. But, back to work. We're going to need more brownies soon."

The blond chuckled with a knowing smile, and a gentle nudge, "Got it. But step outside if you need some fresh air. I can cover."

"I'm okay, mean Mirio," Tamaki teased a bit, reassuring that he was alright now. The chime had been enough to bring him back to the present, which was what he really needed. Which brought him back to the counter, cleaning up any small spills and rotating the cookies in the display with newer ones, the idle things he had to do at work.

...

"Thanks man. That means a lot. Not just saying that either, I really mean it!" He insisted, feeling much more encouraged. He would make sure he would think of something once he and his friends had parted ways. Once he was back in the comfort of his bedroom he was sure that he would think of something then. For now, they had chemistry to worry about... He much rather think of something nice to do for his soulmate, but so was life, he'd just have to wait till later.

And so the study session started, the three of them reading to each other, answering each other's questions and asking questions in return. This was more effective than one would think as it was helping reinforce lessons as they had to think hard on how to explain in their own words, each taking turns answering questions even if they've already been answered, just to give everyone the chance to let things sink in. It wasn't the most efficient learning method, but it was effective at least.

When their drinks arrived, there was a round of honest 'thank you's 'round the table though they were somewhat distracted at the moment. Why did chemistry have to be so hard...? While Kaminari didn't actually need to understand it and was just taking it because it was mandatory, both Sero and Kirishima needed at least a basic understanding of the subject so there was no avoiding it. Things continued for a while like this till suddenly Kaminari, who's mind was starting to wander, gasped dramatically.

"Dude!" Came his exclamation a second later, the two confused about the outburst. The next moment he was snatching up his friend's wrist and brandishing it at him.

Eijirou blinked at once blank skin, now sporting a lovely red outline of the many-petaled lily. "So pretty..." He cooed softly, apparently not having noticed what it was that had the blond so excited. It's not like it was the first time they'd seen stuff appear on him.

"No, stupid! I mean, yes, but not that!" Snapped the blond, snatching up his smoothie and shoving that in his face instead, nearly getting the straw up his nose.

"Dude, wh---" And then he saw it and froze, eyes widening. A second lotus. Nearly identical. Same red color. He stood sharply, enough to make his chair screech against the floor and almost tip over. Leaning a hand on the table and hunching over the now set down cup, his vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes, lips trembling as he stared at it, positioning his wrist next to the lid so he could look at the flowers side by side. They were so similar... It couldn't be a coincidence. A part of him registered the voices of his friends excitedly congratulating him, his mind and heart racing. His soulmate was letting him know he was here. Who had made this?! It was either them or the person that made it surely had to have seen who had doodled on the lid.

Wait. If his soulmate was here right now, why hadn't they said something? His mind provided the answer on the spot. He'd been right. His soulmate WAS shy! He swallowed hard, bringing his arm over only to hug the doodled arm close to his chest with the other arm. He wasn't even sure what to do with himself. The choice was made for him as books lightly thumped closed around him, drawing him back to reality. He looked around in a mix of mild confusion and alarm as his friends packed up. He hadn't even noticed them quietly agreeing on a plan around him.

"Cover the tab this time, would ya? We'll take turns the next couple of times." Started the blond as he got up, shouldering his pack.

Hanta thankfully took pity on him with how utterly confused and a bit betrayed he looked. "Stay here and talk with them, Kirishima. If you need anything, you can text us." With that the two were picking up their drinks and treats then together took their leave. They all knew none of them would get any studying done now. Maybe if they were lucky, they would be able to catch one of their particularly smart friends free instead.

Gulping nervously, plunking himself back down in his chair, pulled over the bill, but didn't bother looking at how much he owed. He simply pulled out his wallet, plucked a credit card out and placed it on top. His soulmate didn't want attention called to them so he needed to calm down and keep quiet. Be patient. You've waited for literal years, you can wait a few more minutes. The only trouble was the fact that now he was alone with his feelings. Sure he hadn't been registering his friends right off, but a little emotional support would have been nice. Still, if his soulmate was shy, perhaps having less people around him would be for the better.

And so he put his books away and resigned to waiting by himself for his chance. He sipped at his drink, humming softly as he enjoyed the taste. It was very good, particularly now that he was paying attention. The thought that his soulmate may have made this for him made it that much better. With nothing better to do till he was approached, he took to gazing at his wrist as he sipped his drink. A red lotus. His mind drifted to the knowledge Katsuki had always insisted was 'useless'. He smiled softly, cheeks warming as the tears made their return. It had been an incredibly long time since he'd felt this happy!

...

Seeing as the group didn't notice immediately eased a bit of Tamaki's nerves, allowing him to focus. Giving refills to the other patrons at the café, bussing tables, taking orders for a few new comers who were getting off work. When he got the chance he'd look back over at the group studying hard, feeling a small bloom of happiness in his chest at the sight of them before returning back to work.

At the screech from the chair, Tamaki was startled while pouring a hot cup of espresso. But thankfully, with practiced ease, he didn't spill any of it on himself or the counter. He gazed at the little scene with other wandering eyes returned to their business.

Feeling piercing blue eyes on him shortly after, the nervous barista avoided looking toward the kitchen, knowing already to expect his friend's overly supportive face peeking at him. Why did he have such outgoing, eager friends?

He'd finished the order and delivered it in silence, only to catch the blond and brown hair leave the café from the corner of his eye. Whipping around, the sight nearly broke his heart. Yes, the redhead looked happy- clearly he was, but Tamaki felt guilty for the outcome, mentally berating himself for not waiting until the group had finished studying. Then again, his shift was ending soon, so would he have even gotten the chance?

Rolling back up his sleeves a bit to avoid crumbs, Tamaki took his time walking over. Silent at first, he collected the abandoned plates, setting them on his tray before speaking, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't think they would ditch you like that..." Specifically using the shaky hand that held the exact same doodle on it, the red flower, he slides the redhead's card back toward him, and collects the receipt. "I'll take care of the bill... as an apology for interrupting your learning," He bows apologetically, dark hair shadowing his face as his hands clasp together in front of him. His next words came out just above a whisper, "And for... worrying you so much."

His eyes catch sight of color bobbing just out of the corner of his eye, and hazards a peek. Instantly regretting it, he sees Neijre just outside the café window from across the store, excitedly bouncing up and down at the scene which only embarrasses the artist more. Face flaming red, he straightens up, but keeps his eyes fixated on the tray in front of him, trying to switch back to that work-centered part of his brain again, "If-if there's anyth-anything else I can get you d-don't hesitate to tell me."

Tamaki could swear he was hearing his heart beat in his ears from how nervous he was. He didn't want direct confrontation, it scared him so much more than writing on his arms to his soulmate because-- well you can't think through your words a million times before settling on what might have made him sound cool, or at least less embarrassing.

So he quickly tried to retreat back to his comfort zone, taking up the tray of dirty dishes to go hand them over to Mirio who was already at the door to the kitchen, grinning like an absolute idiot.

...

The faux redhead looked up when he found he was no longer alone to find their waiter standing there, an absolute ball of nerves. He very much understood the feeling at that moment. This man was either his soulmate or had definitely knew who it was that drew the lotus on the lid of his drink. He smiled down at said drink, pulling it a touch closer, but not drinking from it just yet. "Nah. It's cool. We have the rest of the week to study." The way the other had apologized though... It suggested it was his fault, but some people apologize for things that weren't their fault. His card was being pushed back to him and there was a clearly purposeful flash of an identical lotus to his own. There was no question now. He'd found him.

A half sob, half laugh bubbled up out of him, leaving him rubbing the tears from his eyes, but it wasn't really working as fresh ones almost instantly replaced them. "I've spent years working out and getting ready so I could impress you... I wanted to show you that I was cool and manly for you when we first meet and now I'm a crying mess... I... I hope you're not too disappointed. Shit, I'm younger than you too! I hope that's okay... I promise I'm 18, I'll be 19 in October!"

When asked if he wanted anything else, he couldn't help smiling, sniffling softly as he forced himself to look back up to him. "There is something you could get me... Your number? If you're really feeling generous, some of your time?" It was SO hard to be bold right now, but the soul-deep fear that he might not get another chance was impossible to resist. A part of him realized it was ridiculous as he now knew where he worked, but he couldn't help it. Reluctantly he released the cup that was currently acting as his lifeline so he could pull out his wallet and slip his card inside. He wondered if Tamaki would allow him to cover dinner or something similar, it's not like he couldn't afford it.

"I-I don't know if you have a car, but if you don't, it's okay, I do! So, ya know, I could pick you up! Or if you don't want me to know where you live, I could pick you up someplace neutral. O-or we can just meet someplace, whatever you want! If you want to at all! Shit... I'm rambling... Sorry, just... You don't have to answer now. Just think it over? Please?" Poor boy... There was so much hope and desperation in his voice and openly painted on his face. It wasn't hard to tell he was very plain and open with how he felt at the very least. Despite that, he was trying his hardest to be both sweet and considerate, even though the thought of missing this chance was literally the scariest thing in his life what's more.

...

While the laugh caught Tamaki off guard, he was practically stunned into silence at his soulmate's confession. He had already expressed how he had tried to get better at art as a way to connect with him, but dedicating his time to getting fit- refraining from sweets just to impress him? Tears stung at his own eyes, but he quickly wiped them away before they could threaten to fall.

"It- It's okay to cry- and I'm not disappointed at all," He smiled, his voice wavering slightly with every word to fight back a voice break "And it's okay- I mean- we kind of waited this long so." Even if he met Eijiro when he was too young to start a relationship with him, they were soulmates, he would have gladly waited. The insinuation however had him embarrassed, not used to saying such things and especially because he felt like it had been blurted out too quickly. He was just... really happy.

He bit his lips, too embarrassed to divulge his own feeling so openly in the café, especially after seeing his two friends cheering him on and hearing Eijiro's earnesty. His vocal cords tied in knots, choking him from spilling his guts, his insecurities so openly. He nodded eagerly at the request for his number, not hesitating to write his number down on his little note book and tear out the page for the redhead, however hesitated to answer request for a bit of his time. Like a date? Or for the moment? He had to work, of course the café was slow and some of the patrons seemed to be either minding their own business or enjoying the little show as he glanced around.

Once Mirio took the plates from his hand and shooed him back toward the table, he was going to ask for a time when Eijiro beat him to it, the ravenette listening patiently. His rapidly beating heart squeezed a bit at the sight, the desperation from the redhead was endearing, but he felt like it was undeserved. "One- One second," He pulled one of the the chairs from around the table, sitting close to Eijiro as he pulled out a few napkins from the pocket of his apron. One hand left a soft, delicate touch against his jaw, allowing Tamaki to wipe away the tear streaks that riddled Eijiro's face.

"... My shift ends in thirty minutes," He started, eyes unable to meet Eijiros as his fingers moved to guide his face the other way, allowing him to continue wiping him up.

"I... really don't deserve the chance, or your tears... I-um... I would really like that. Maybe-" A startled yelp quickly interrupted those thoughts as his apron is pulled off him. He hadn't realized through the interaction that Nejire had walked in and started hovering behind him. With one tug of the cords behind his back and the neck of the apron being lifted over his head, she happily takes it away from him. "Ha-Hado-"

"Nope! If you two are going on a date, I'll be taking over my shift early. you can just work an extra half an hour on my shift sometime," The bubbly gal grins, not taking no for an answer.

That's when the perky blond peeps up from the kitchen again, "Your manager approves!" Defeated, Tamaki sinks into his shoulders a bit, mumbling, "Why did I ask to work here again?" Rhetorical as it was, he was grateful that he did now, even with all their hovering and support.

"Kirishima? Looks like I'm suddenly fr-free, then," He rubs at his neck anxiously, eyes darting toward the door of the café.

...

He laughed softly with a sniffle, giving up on trying to rub them away. "If I'm allowed to cry, then so are you. It's only fair. You don't have to hide from me." He assured ever so gentle, his smile soft and warm. Well, at least he wasn't high energy all the time, that would probably be exhausting for someone like Amajiki. He chuckled softly, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Just because I'm a hormonal teenager doesn't mean we gotta do that either, I just wanted to be sure you didn't worry about my age." He tried to keep a straight face and he would have succeeded if it weren't for the way his cheeks turned noticeably pink.

"Ah! Thank you!" He chirped, eagerly accepting the slip of paper. Almost on the spot he was pulling out his phone and putting the number in to save under the other's name. He was fairly sure he'd spelled that right, but he could correct it later. Putting his phone away again, he placed the slip of paper into his back then finally focused on drinking down the remains of the smoothie. He'd liked it too! He might try and convince his gym buddies to come here and ask for them to help get it on the menu.

Once he'd slurped up the last of it, he carefully took off the lid and slid the straw free if it. He licked most of the smoothie away from the lid, then took up a napkin to clean off the rest of it. Once it was completely clean, he placed that in his pack where it wouldn't likely get squished and damaged. He'd make sure to put that somewhere safe when he got home. Maybe buy a shadow box to keep it in... He found himself laughing again, not sure how to process so many strong feelings all at once. He'd found his soulmate! From the looks of things he wanted him too! He smiled as he held his face in his hands, the tears still coming. This was easily one of the happiest days in his life! Sure it was supposed to be, but it's not like you could be prepared for something like this!

He came out of hiding when he was once again accompanied, smile fading when he was told to wait. Was everything okay? What was wrong? Was something wrong? He didn't know, but the brunette was sitting down and then there was a hand at his jaw, gently lifting up his head. He was confused, but his cheeks grew very bright at the realization that they might be kissing! Was that what was happening? He'd of course had intended to kiss him, but hadn't expected it so soon! Maybe he was just excited to have finally met him! While this was probably true, kissing was not the reason for the head tilt.

A moment later, a napkin was patting his cheeks dry. Ironically, the sweet gesture only managed to summon more tears of happiness. He allowed his head to be moved without complaint or resistance, turning this way and that as Tamaki pleased. Half an hour wasn't long to wait and now that studying wasn't a long wait, he could definitely do that.

"Hey... It's not a matter of deserving or not. I'm yours now." He cooed back, calloused hands starting to reach out towards the older boy's face only to snatch them back like he'd been burned when a yelp snapped into the air. He looked on wide-eyed in shock as the apron was suddenly stolen by a very bubbly girl. He quickly figured out that this was at least a coworker, but she seemed too friendly to be just that. So Tamaki worked with a friend. That's so nice! Wait, hold on!

"Ah! N-no! It's okay, really I don't mind wai---" Oh. So he was friends with his manager too? Extra nice! It also meant that he wouldn't be getting into any trouble at least. "My name is Kirishima, Eijirou! It's nice to meet you! I hope you have a nice shift!" He called after the girl, offering a sheepish wave to the bright-eyed blond as well. "That escalated quickly... You alright?" At the very least the shock of the interruption seems to have reset his emotions so he was no longer crying.

"Wow... I didn't expect to go on a date or anything so suddenly. Now I feel super under dress." He laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um... Sorry, I've never done anything like this before. Is there anywhere you'd like to go? I mean, a movie is sort of standard I guess, but you don't really get to know each other in a movie..." He tried to come up with something the other might like, but knowing so little about him was making it difficult.

He didn't seem like the type that would enjoy a loud, crowded place like an arcade so he didn't suggest something like that. An art museum might be good, but he was too afraid of not knowing enough about art to keep up with that sort of conversation, so he though better of that too. Ugh, maybe he should just wait and see what he suggested and hoped it wouldn't be a 'whatever you want to do' answer...

...

It was nice, those reassuring words, as flowery as they were and harder to do than say, they eased him. However, Eijiro's whispering caught him off guard, fce similarly blooming in color, "That was- that didn't cross my mind-" oh but now the thought was there, and Tamaki wanted to sink into the floor out of embarrassment. He was lucky, however, having actions to occupy him long enough for his cheeks to cool down. He even could vaguely sense the plan going on behind his back, even without stealing glances at his friends.

While he could move past the comment, flustered as he was, his cheeks being rosy wouldn't go away as quickly, as he focused on drying the redhead's cheeks that matches his own. Then there were those sweet words again, and hands reaching for him. He was almost a bit upset at his friend for interrupting, curious of what Eijiro was actually about to do. Hold his face? Kiss him? Oh, if he was kissed in the middle of the cafe with his two best friends watching, someone would have to clean him off the floor because he would be too much of an embarrassed mess for that.

"Hado Nejire. It's nice to finally meet the guy who got Amajiki here so into art. Then again he's never really written to you, right? I saw him write so many letters try-" her mouth was eventually covered by the embarrassed ravenette, giggling against his palm before stepping back. "Okay, I get it," she beams at the two, "be nice to our little Tama, alright?" And then she's off around the counter, still watching but letting them speak.

Hearing Eijiro mention the fast pace, he nodded, "Thats them... But, well she was watching through the window for a while. So they probably planned it," he sighed, "sorry about that. I'm fine, but they kind of... Stuck you with me. "

A soft laugh escaped him at the mention of being under dressed, "Well. You are talking to someone in their work clothes." Without the aprpn on it was a bit more apparent that he wasn't exactly in a casual outfit, nor one fitting an artist. An off-white button up and dark brown slacks; while it may be considered dressier than a muscle shirt, he also wasn't restaurant-ready. "I mean, we don't have to think of it like a date," he hummed, but how did extroverted people usually get to know each other? Usually shared aspects, he supposed. But the only things he could think of was art, school, and working out. None of which sounded like a good fit.

He supposed, maybe he could offer to show Eijiro his other artwork, but he hesitated. "Um, well, we could go for a walk around the block. Theres plenty of places, we could probably find something we want to do. But even if we don't, it would still give us a chance to talk," He shrugged, that being the best idea he could come up with. There were plenty of stores, restaurants, he was sure even if they'd just went window shopping they'd be able to get to know each other more.

Hell, he even knew of a few fun places that he could casually bring up and see what Eijiro thought of them. He seemed like an energetic, friendly guy, but would something like lazer tag seem too childish to him?

He pats down his pockets, whispering out a quiet checklist of the things he brought with him before standing and pushing his chair back into place. "I'll just go get my jacket and punch out really quick," He excused himself to walk back to the kitchen, seeing Mirio happily cooking up a new batch of cookies. The blond was very pleased with the outcome of their meddling, even humming and bumping hips with Tamaki as he punched out his time card. The blonde could have said anything, but that knowing look on his face said it all, You'll thank us later.

Annoyed, but relieved, he just moves along to get his jacket from his hanger. Sliding the heavy dark galaxy hoodie on as he walked back toward the exit of the kitchen, he didn't catch Mirio following him until he was almost back to Kirishima. "Have fun, but no smooching," The blond teased, the comment lighting up Tamaki's face again, but by the time he whipped around to say something, Mirio had disappeared into the back room, chuckling to himself.

...

When he was corrected or at least informed that he'd gotten the wrong impression, he was right back to blushing, brighter than before. "Shit! I-I...! I really hope you don't think that's all I'm after! I just... I've heard stories of it getting weird between soulmates because there's an age gap! I didn't even as how old you are... I don't care, but it's something I should know, isn't it?" He caught himself panicking and he stopped, closing his eyes and calming himself with a slow breath. They only just met. There's no reason for him to know much of anything about him. Stop stressing. You're not a bad soulmate.

Thankfully things moved on from him embarrassing himself only to get derailed by the brunette's friends. They seemed really nice, if enthusiastic. He blinked lightly at the extension of the girl's introduction, eyes widening. He'd worked that hard for him? And he'd been writing unsent letters on top of that? The tears were back and he smiled as he nodded to her. "Of course. I'd never hurt him on purpose." He promised without hesitation, rubbing the tears away again as he tried to gather himself. He had other things to focus on right now.

"They seem really wonderful. My friends can be pretty high energy too. You already know Kaminari and Sero. My childhood friend Ashido is pretty even with Kami. Bakugou... Well... I think we should wait a little before introducing you two. He's... Well, he's a good guy, but it's really hard to tell till you get to know him. He's getting better..." He cleared his throat, shaking his head a little. "We're stuck with each other from now on, right? Why would I mind? Besides, I've been waiting for so long for today, I really want to get to know you!"

"Heh, you're better dressed than I am. It's alright, we couldn't get reservations someplace real fancy on such short notice anyway. You're fine for semi-nice places." He blinked lightly at the suggestion to take a walk around the block. Well, that was certainly easy to do and it would give them the chance to talk. "Would you be comfortable in those clothes for a walk? I could take you to your place so you can change first, if you want?" Well, that at least gave them a direction to start in. Ah, right, clocking out would help wouldn't it? "Sure, no rush!" He assured, standing up and shouldering his own pack. He tucked in his chair then threw out the trash to leave the table as neat as he could.

And so he settled in to wait, unable to help the smile that bloomed as soon as the other returned. He was really excited about all this, okay? Oh, and the blond friend was coming out too? He wondered what for. Ah. Last second teasing it seemed. "No promises!" He joked back as the other retreated. Well... Half joke. If Tamaki wanted to kiss him, he certainly wouldn't be against the idea. Just to be sure though. "We won't kiss till you're ready. Seriously, no pressure." He assured, walking side by side to the door and even opening and holding it open for him only for his heart to sink at the soothing sound that trickled in.

Exiting after him, he kept under the awning and pouted rather adorably up at the sky. "Aw man... So much for taking a walk... You're friend was lucky she got here when she did or she would have gotten caught in this." It wasn't raining particularly hard, but it was strong enough to be a rain and not a drizzle. Not good walking weather. Well... It could be, but walking in the rain was more pleasant when you were prepared for it. Then he lit up. "Oh! The mall! We could do the same thing, but there! I know it's a little more crowded, but we can still window shop and there's food there too for later! Unless you're hungry now, we can get a little something first."

Casually he was pulling out his phone, opening an app, and navigating to a screen with a red car displayed at the top and a large rectangular green button under that. He tapped the button then appeared to be waiting. It was then that realization dawned on him. Tamaki was about to see his car. His friends were used to this aspect of him and didn't react anymore so he hadn't even thought about it. He paled and ducked his head, flushing an adorable pink all the way up to his ears and down his neck. "P... P-please. Don't make a big deal about this...?" He asked, unable to look at the man. Embarrassment was eating him up alive, but it was hard to tell why with so little information.

The answer came in the form of a gorgeous red car slowly pulling up towards them. It had no driver. When it was before them, he pressed the button in the app and it stopped on the spot. This was a 7,200,000 yen vehicle. What's more, it was a foreign vehicle which meant it had to be imported no less. Though the latter was true, what couldn't be taken in at a glance was the fact that this was not a 7,200,000 yen car. Due to the features it had, it was actually around 16,300,000 yen...

He forced himself to approach the vehicle as he pocketed his phone and touched the silver panel on the door. It slid out to reveal that it was a door handle. He opened the door for the other, still looking mortified as he waited for him to get inside. There was little he hated more than people knowing how rich his family actually was.

...

There really was a fumble with intentions there, Tamaki worrying the red head thought his initial comment meant he would wait for Eijiro to become of age before doing anything physicalwhich- yes, but he would, but he had only pure intentions and he relaxed a bit at Eijiro's floundering as well. "I-it's alright," he tried to reassure Eijiro, seeing as they both seemed to be miss understanding. Besides, Eijiro didn't seem to show any interest in Tamaki before he knew they were soulmates, which spoke wonders for his loyalty and intentions. "I'm actually 19 now, but I'll be 20 in March, so the age gap isn't huge or something to worry about," Not that there was much wrong with an age gap as long as both were responsible and above age if they were to get in an actual relationship. A year and a half was nothing in the scheme of things anyways.

There was their friends group though, which Tamaki was clearly embarrassed but fond of his own, and got along well with Kaminari and Sero at least, so he was sure there wouldn't be much of a problem with most of Eijiro friends. "The critical one you mentioned," He nodded a bit, knowing having two critical people in one room, one who's both anxious and insecure- well that probably wouldn't be the best at the start. "I'm glad you have so many good friends," He beamed, "You've kind of met all of mine... Mirio's a childhood friend of mine, and Hado I've known for maybe... 4 or 5 years? Which in hindsight, probably explains why they were so pushy. To get me out of my comfort zone." Honestly, if those two hadn't become his friends, he likely would have barely left his studio and scraped by completely off dedicating what time he didn't spend on college, on commission work.

With the new addition of his soulmate, he was already sure nothing about that would change. The red head bringing up movies, restaurants, while not exactly offering them, they were thoughts that came to mind, so he could only imagine those dates may come to pass in the future, and if he was stuck going to very public places, at least he could be stuck with someone else there too.

As much as he didn't want to inconvenience his soulmate, he did worry slightly that his long shift might have gotten him a bit sweaty, and he'd rather not smell bad if they were going to spend longer together, "That would... actually be great, if you don't mind." He just had to change, put on more deodorant, and he'd be good to go.

Things were going surprisingly smoothly. Sure, there was a bit of stumbling, some miscommunication, but they were both worried so it couldn't be helped. Even as he was teased, Eijiro's surprising quip back surprising and in equal parts embarrassing him, the redhead reassured him still. "Thank you for that," his lips curled back briefly into a wider smile than the smaller ones he had offered. Maybe he would. Maybe he would give Eijiro a small kiss later on. Something chaste like a kiss on the cheek, if their little date continued to go well.

But of course as fate had it, the rain had started. "I don't remember hearing that it would rain," He mumbled to himself, briefly musing to himself about Eijiro's cute pout, "Yeah, Hado has a pretty lucky streak when it comes to weather." He was sure his bubbly friend had even brought her own umbrella.

He could have asked to borrow it, but Eijiro was also in a muscle shirt, if the rain didn't touch him, the cold breeze still would. But Eijiro had a much better option, "The mall?" Well, it did have plenty of stores and things to do. He might be a bit concerned with the crowd, which there would probably be a bigger one with the weather like this, but it was a better option. "Okay, I would like that. We can even grab something small to walk around while we eat, if we want," He nodded in agreement, a little peckish himself since he had to spend the day around such tasty sweets and only had a bit for lunch.

Still, he starts to take off his hoodie as Eijiro looks at his phone, planning to give it to his soulmate so he doesn't get cold and wet during the walk between the awning and his car. But he stopped halfway through seeing the redhead's sheepish behavior. eyebrows scrunching together confusedly, he ducks his own head down to peek at the side of Eijiro's face, "Is everything alright, Kirishima?"He doesn't quite understand his answer and waits a bit, only to find himself stunned into silence again, only this time with the confusion still clear on his face as he notices the driverless car first.

"They... actually have cars that can do that now?" He wasn't too into cars so most advancements pass right over his head like late night commercials, so he didn't know exactly how advanced or expensive that really was, but he had a general idea. Of course, he was surprised Eijiro had such an expensive and high-tec vehicle, but he didn't want Tamaki to make a big deal out of it so he kept his thoughts to himself. He's in high school and he has a car like this? He watches it stop on it's own at the little push of the button on the app and his eyes widen a bit. What is he going to say when he sees my studio? It doesn't even have one of those fancy security systems that send alerts by phone.

Through his thoughts and beneath the vague sense of worry, he pulls himself away from the awning shortly after his soulmate. "W-wait-" Slugging off the last of his hoodie, he stopped in front of him to sling the large hoodie around Eijiro's shoulders and pull the hood up, "Don't just walk out into the rain in a muscle shirt- ah- please." He quickly tried to recover, not wanting to sound bossy. Then he quickly climbed through the door Eijiro opened for him, whispering a quiet, "Thank you." He buckled up, though looking around the interior, he felt out of place. He had never seen a car so obviously expensive with his own eyes, let alone sat in one.

Waiting for the other to join him in the car, he messed with the sleeve of his shirt as he watched the water hit the glass rhythmically. "You know," He started quietly once he was rejoined, "I feel a little bad. I kind of imagined something a lot different, more... umm." He could he put it into words, "Well, when I first saw you I thought you were- kind of really intimidating so I expected something more... bad boy of you? Would that be a good way to describe it?" He laughed softly, scratching his cheek. Expensiveness aside, he really did expect Eijiro to ride something a bit different from a sensible smart car. "Sorry for assuming like that. You look intimidating, but you're... actually really sweet and cute," He could tell that much. Between the reassurance and respect of his own comfort- hell all the things he did to impress him, it was all so adorable.

...

He'd be 20 in March? He'd have to ask what his birthday was so he could put it into his phone, but it did make him feel better. While fated pairs with large age gaps happened and of course resulted in happy and healthy relationships, society could be cruel. Not that he wouldn't have fought tooth and nail for his soulmate had that been the case in either direction, but he couldn't imagine someone this anxious would have handled that kind of pressure well. He could be wrong, certainly, but he was glad he wouldn't have to find out either. "That's one less thing to worry about then."

He couldn't help snickering, but nodded all the same. "Yeah, that one. Bakugou was really... Intense when we met in first year. He was used to being the best at everything and had been taught that he shouldn't be anything less. He'd started viewing people more like stepping stones to the top rather than people. That kind of pressure and mentality isn't good for anyone... He's grown a lot since then. Before he did everything at 10 and jumped up to 11 all the time. Now he's more like a constant 8 and slowly works up from there. We're still working on it... I promise, he's a good guy though and more harmless than he lets on. He's just... Kinda... Uh... Yelly?" He didn't know how else to describe his hot-headed friend, but he supposed that would do.

"Your friends seem really awesome too! I look forward to getting to know them. I think our friends would get along." At least he hoped so... They would find out soon enough, he supposed. He honestly had no idea how to even introduce Tamaki to Katsuki. Ugh, he'd have to talk to Katsuki about it... "It's good to push your boundaries. Stepping outside our comfort zones is the only way to grow, but you just have to remember that our comfort zone will still be there so when things get too uncomfortable, you can step back again. Nothing wrong with taking a break before getting back to it. Speaking of, I'm proud of you! It must have been really scary running into me today, but you handled it really well, I think."

"Sure, I don't mind at all! I like driving my friends around so I would be happy to drive you too!" Honestly, he was just happy the other agreed. Though his own shyness sometimes cropped up to this day, he was much shyer when he was younger so he understood how hard even accepting offered help could be. Maybe he should pop over to the house and change too... He didn't intend to go anywhere particularly nice, but maybe something better than very casual clothes wouldn't be a bad idea? He'd have to think about it.

"Of course! Honestly, I'm just glad that he didn't come back out because he took the joke seriously. I don't know your friends well enough to know if they would take offense to something like that, but it seemed to have worked out." Oh. Oh, no! He'd already been taking notice of how attractive his soulmate was, but that smile! He suddenly felt like his life should be dedicated to bringing out that smile as much as he possibly could! "You have such a pretty smile..." He murmured, barely realizing that he was speaking until he'd said it. He flushed a bit, but he was not about to take back the compliment.

"I don't usually pay attention to stuff like that. I probably should..." He commented, hoping his friends made it onto the bus on time. He'd really owe them for giving them some space like this... Same for Tamaki honestly, considered he'd volunteered to pay the bill for them. He hadn't made a fuss about it as he felt that everyone had the right to pay for themselves and others as they saw fit. Always covering the tab was not only unfair to him, but also stripped his friends of some of their independence and neither of those things was okay. All the same, he hoped they were alright and was happy Nejire had made it to work alright. It sucks getting wet on your way home, but it was significantly worse when you were heading to work and didn't have a change of uniform with you.

"Sweet! We can pop by the food court first then. I don't mind sitting down to eat if you want though, it doesn't have to be portable." He added, already excited about their little outing. It wasn't much, but it was the first time they were hanging out and the mall provided many opportunities to show each other things and interestest they were into. "This time I pay for the food though! You really didn't have to cover our coffee and stuff for us like that."

As soon as he noticed the other peeking down at him, he couldn't help looking away, though he stayed put. Though he couldn't bring himself to make eye contact, he wasn't going to actively hide from the older teen either. "Yeah, yeah... I'm fine, just... I don't like making people feel bad." He muttered vaguely, only for things to be cleared up by the very object of his embarrassment. Time and again, revealing the fact his family was rich had changed people's views of him or even their behavior. He'd have people he'd once considered friends use him for his money, others that weren't as privileged not wanting to be friends with someone that had it so easy, and others that were ashamed or spiteful to not have what he was so fortunate to have. He didn't like any of it.

The trouble was, when he was shopping for his first car, his friends had been eager to put in their suggestions. He knew he wanted to get an electric car because it was the most eco friendly, but as he was also the only one getting one he'd wanted their opinions. They'd encouraged to get it in red as it was his favorite color, better than standard tires, Sero had joked that it should be self-driving as Kirishima's own driving was 'okay', and it was all rounded off by Katsuki... Well he pretty much just picked the car for him. The best milage and most efficient of the electric cars available. He honestly loved his car and the fact that is powerful enough to take road trips in was amazing, but he really didn't like the looks he got...

"Yeah... My friends helped me pick it. I love my car, I really do, but the attention it gets me..." He sighed, pressing the button to stop the car and open the door for him. "Huh?" He froze when he was told to wait, looking mildly alarmed and then confused. Why was he taking his hoodie off in the rai---and then it was resting warm and soft on his mostly bare shoulder and the hood was pulled up over his brilliantly red hair. He looked stunned at the gesture, cheeks growing a touch pink as he forgot his embarrassment. "Th... Thank you." He murmured letting go of the door to slip his arms into the sleeves before gently clicking the door shut and going around to get in himself.

Taking out his phone, he placed it inside the wireless charging dock and was about to speak only to find himself spoken to. He frowned a little in concern only to feel rather conflicted a moment later. Still, he allowed him to speak and get out what he was trying to. He wasn't even entirely sure how to handle what he was being told. "Am I really? Shit, I never realized I read that way..." He'd always wanted to make people feel safe around him and as far as he knew he was successful too. Where had he screwed up? He couldn't help laughing when he expanded on his thoughts, admitting that he'd thought Kirishima was a 'bad boy' only to flush brightly when called 'cute' and 'sweet'. That's more like it! "Here I was trying to look cool and I apparently missed the mark. Sorry about that. Heh, would you prefer I borrow Bakugou's motorcycle for next time?" He snickered at himself then. "The answer to that question should always be 'no'. He has to correct my balance all the time, I would get us both killed." He reached out and brought up the GPS app on the car's rather large screen. "Can you put in your address for me?" With that he was fishing his phone back into his hands and fiddling with it.

A moment later and he was turning the screen towards his soulmate. "This is our resident 'bad boy'. This is also the expression you will see on his face pretty often." After he'd gotten a good look he once again looked through his phone then presented it again. "He's more caring than he comes off as because he doesn't like people knowing. Eventually, you learn to read into what he means and not what he says, but look at him! Look at how pretty he is when he's not all frowny! This was after one of our workouts. He threatened to kill me if I didn't delete this as soon as he'd noticed I'd taken it."

...

Hearing Eijiro talk about comfort zones in such away got a little sigh out of him, whole heartedly agreeing. "Yeah, I still struggle a bit with trying to remember that I don't always have to have one foot in my comfort zone. But yeah, I've definitely gotten better, thank you," It was almost overwhelming to hear that his soulmate was proud of him. Of course, he hadn't seen Tamaki's little moment behind the counter, so he'd think he had done pretty well. He also had Mirio yards away, and was in an environment he was used to. He was still in his comfort zone then, but he was trying now with their little date. "Not exactly... but I'd really like to meet all of your friends sometime. Of course, including Bakugo too. What kind of soulmate would I be if I didn't man up enough to meet such a close friend of yours?" He'd be nervous, probably very scared about saying something wrong, but he trusted Eijiro on the fact he wasn't a bad guy.

As far as his own friends went, he was sure Eijiro had no problems at all. "Actually, he probably took it very seriously. But, knowing Mirio he also probably appreciated your answer because it embarrassed me and you didn't agree to just do as he said," He shrugged, though he was pretty sure the main reason was because it was all in good fun. Although with Eijiro complimenting his smile, he was sure he'd have both of them on board with embarrassing him more in the future too.

With the idea of their date and what to do for food, he wasn't sure what he'd want once he got there anyways. "I guess we can sit then-" but having Eijiro offer to pay has him pause a moment. "Okay, if you want- but I wanted to pay for you guys before... Even if I didn't feel guilty for interrupting your studying and causing your friends to ditch you for me- W-well.. I would have still wanted to pay for you. As a thank you to them, and because maybe you'd think I was... kind of cool?" He did try to slide the card over in a way to perfectly show off the lotus doodle for a reason, anyhow.

After Eijiro explained and he saw what the fuss was about, things connected in his head and he could... kind of understand. "I get it... Being quiet, you hear a lot of the bad sides of people," It was almost as bad as how hair salons were portrayed in movies. Barely noticing the barista sometimes, or even just the quiet man on the streets, he's heard some pretty mean things directed at people who had wealth- flaunting it or not. He didn't feel bad seeing the car, nor jealous just- surprised. "I mean, I can also see why people would be like that. But... honestly, I'd be more jealous of who you are than what you have. I'm happy with what I have.." But he's not always happy with who he is. He doesn't finish that thought, though. "Price doesn't really matter if it makes you happy," at least, that's what Tamaki always believed.

After putting the hoodie on Eijiro, he was a bit more focused, not staring off in surprise, or trying to ease the other. So that blush hadn't gone passed him, or that little stutter that just sounded so cute coming from the redhead.

He almost felt twice as bad, seeing the little frown on his soulmate's face while he explained how he felt. "Oh- no no no," He laughed softly, "You look really cool, no motorcycle needed. You're just... buff and attractive and- maybe it's the sleeve I gave us, but I'm easily intimidated anyways. Seriously- I was nervous about talking to Kaminari until he started talking." It was honestly very silly in hindsight, the blond was very nice to him, even if he was very out of his element talking to him. "I was just... more intimidated by you because I didn't want to ruin your real first impression of me," He sighed a bit in relief at that, knowing while it wasn't the best situation, it went pretty well.

He didn't even mind that he'd be giving Eijiro his address, readily reaching up to type it in. The apartment he stayed in was in an unsurprisingly less populated part of the city, a reasonable distance away from the mall and stores, however a bit far from his work for someone without a car.

He then leaned back against the seat, sinking against it a bit at how comfortable it was after a long shift to just sit down and lean back. He perked up a bit when the phone was turned to him, quirking a brow and listening to Eijiro talk about his friend. Snickering a bit at the second picture, he tilted his head, "And you still have it?" Although he wasn't sure if it would be weird to agree the blond was cute, he just nodded a bit with a soft hum, "He definitely looks less intimidating. Is he more relaxed while working out? Maybe I could join you guys sometime- unless that's intruding."

...

"Aiming for self-improvement is good, so long as you keep your mental health in mind. It wouldn't be good if you pushed yourself really hard and hurt yourself instead. Take it at your own pace. Moving forward slowly is still moving slowly. It's more important to make progress in general than make progress quickly." He urged on. It didn't sound like this was the first time he was giving advice of this nature and it was because he had.

"There's really no need to thank me though. I'm just telling the truth!" He was a little surprised he would be so willing to meet the explosive blond even after the general warnings about him. It honestly meant a lot as he'd said a lot that could make people reconsider being introduced to his grumpy best friend. "That... That really means a lot to me. Thank you... I'll talk to the others and see when everyone is free so they can meet you. I'm sure they'll all be excited to get to know you."

"Well, I mean... I assumed that him telling me not to kiss you was sort of an older brother kinda joke. Even if it wasn't, it's your choice who you kiss and when, not his. If he had told me not to hurt you or something, then I would have totally promised that, but it's not up to him what you choose to do or not." He shrugged sheepishly, not sure if he should be saying something like that, but it was true and he preferred to be honest. He hoped he hadn't come off as disrespectful.

He blinked as the explanation of why Tamaki had insisted on paying. He bit his lip, smiling almost shyly. That was so incredibly sweet... "Thanks, but... I already think you're so cool! I mean, look at this!" He brandished his arm again to show of the art still displayed there. "This is amazing! You're so talented and you paint so many different things! I've always thought you were really cool!" He insisted on, apparently not at all shy about gushing at him. "Now I even get to find out what other ways your cool is all."

Good. He understood. While Kirishima tried very hard to be charitable with his money and not show off, he still got negative reactions just because of the money his family's business brought in. "Yeah, that. Honestly, though, I'm really glad you're happy with what you have. Money doesn't bring happiness. I mean, I get that it can help, but eventually, it doesn't anymore. What brings real happiness are the people around you, the good ones. It's not just them of course, but they're really important." He frowned a little at that thought. "I've met the kind of rich people that have more money than they could ever need, but are still miserable. I'm really sad for those, ya know? They're focused on the wrong parts of their lives."

"I hope that you'll think I'm cool and not just scary someday. Guess I really missed the mark in terms of impressing you, huh?" He laughed a little awkwardly as so far it seemed that he was just the scary nice guy. At least he found him attractive too so there was a silver lining there as well. "Kaminari? Really? He's like a straight twink! I guess he can be kinda in your face with his energy levels though." He sighed trying to reassure himself that he hadn't messed things up too bad with his literal years of effort to look good for his soulmate. Would he ask him to stop and let his muscles fade away so he could be soft and pretty again? Surely he wouldn't... Right? "I get that feeling. I wanted to blow you away when I found you, really sweep you off your feet. Maybe even literally. Instead, I just broke down into a stupid crying mess. It was so lame!" He mourned with at same adorable pout from earlier.

Once his soulmate was done looking at the pictures he'd shown, he placed his phone back in the charging dock and set the GPS to go. The car started to move before he'd even gripped the steering wheel, clearly driving itself. Despite this, he took hold of it and moved along with it for some reason. He obviously wasn't actually driving the thing. "Nah, it's all about mood with him. He gets all soft when he feels safe and relaxed. You might not see him look like that for a while. He's kinda slow to warm up to people. You can totally join us though! Uh... I mean if you want to. I'll try to get him not to yell at you about your form or whatever. Like I said before, the only person he's more critical of than other people is himself. I'll see if I can get Tetsutetsu to come join u---" He cut himself off then with a gasp.

"Oh! You totally need to meet him, too! He's my twin! We didn't even know we were twins at first, we just met in high school. Our parents divorced when we were babies, Mom got me and Dad got him. She changed her name back to her maiden name so we didn't even have the same family name. We live together with my friends now in a big house." The faux redhead was so adorably excited about it all, the high of having found his soulmate helping to distract him from the fear of not being good enough.

...

He really couldn't help but admire his soulmate; his advice really hit a cord with him, his sweet words of encouragement sparking a bit of pride in him and his resolve on insisting Tamaki be the one to choose what he does. Maybe some might see it as a decent human thing to think, but it really touched Tamaki knowing he meant it when he said there was no pressure there. And the reassurance that he thought Tamaki was cool wasn't anything to pass over either. The ravenette seemed to practically glow with that delicate, wide smile that caused his eyes to squint a little. "I guess my plan to win you with my art really did work then," His soft whisper cracked slightly behind the patter of rain, though he didn't tear up.

He nodded a bit in agreement at Eijiro's thoughts on happiness. Although Tamaki tried not to place all his happiness onto people. People could leave, hurt you; purposefully or not. However a big part of his life were his friends, and he knew Mirio wasn't going anywhere on him soon since they've been together for so long. "I can't agree more. Which is why it's so great you got the car with your friends. Even when the price, the style, when all that wears off, it still has a lot of value because you still have the memories and the meaning. Thats worth a lot more than something you buy just because it's new or flashy." He had a few things from his friends strewn about his studio, things that even just looking at them practically sent him back in time and put him in the best mood. Honestly, he couldn't wait to make even more memories with Eijiro now.

He was a bit embarrassed how his words seemed to be coming across- he was giving his soulmate the wrong impression by not being straight forward and vulnerable. Nodding a bit at the words "straight twink," getting a soft snort out of Tamaki that he quickly tried to cover up by covering his mouth. "Exactly! When I say intimidated, I don't really mean scared," He ran a hand through his hair embarrassedly, "I know I don't look like much, I'm 5'10" and quiet- and I wear large clothes so it's not really noticeable- but I'm pretty strong. I don't really worry about someone trying to yell at me or hurt me-- b-but I didn't think you would!"

He tried to quickly back track, wanting to set things straight. "I was just worried you'd... not like me, or at least not like the impression you got of me, and reject me," He messed with the collar of his shirt anxiously, flipping it up and back down. "I knew you were nice from how you jumped up when I almost dropped those cups, and how you spoke so proudly of my art without knowing it was me- and through all the years your encouragement- even if it was just drawing small smiley face, you made me so happy. But that just made it more intimidating because I thought I'd be the biggest disappointment," He shrugged a bit, a sad smile coming to his face, "You are cool, and you do impress me, Kirishima. You don't need to sweep me off my feet. Actually, if you literally did that... I-I don't even know how I could react to that. I'd probably forget how to speak out of embarrassment."

While he didn't want to intrude on his soulmate and his best friend, he thought it might have been a good idea, but hearing that it wasn't the working out, but Eijiro, he nodded understandingly. "I uh- I don't think we'll have a problem with my form, but I'll leave you two to your best friend time, then. But when I do meet him- I'll try my best to make a good impression," He stubbornly promised himself then that he'd make a good effort not to run from it or let Eijiro stick up for him instead. The gasps catches him off guard a bit, head whipping up from where he had been absentmindedly staring that the hands that went through the motions of driving.

Hearing about Eijiro's home life had Tamaki's eyes widening a bit. "Wow, thats amazing," he thought how crazy it would be to suddenly find out he had a sibling- no, a twin even, and they went to the same school on top of that. "I'm an only child, and my parents are a little on the older side, so I can't imagine living in a packed home like that," Pushing back some of his hair, he sunk back into the seat, lolling his head to the side to look at Eijiro, "I would like to meet him too. Although, I can't promise I won't be embarrassed about meeting one of your family members... I also can't promise I won't try to make a brother-in-law joke and end up embarrassing myself." Mirio had always told him to try breaking the ice with jokes, laughter, although most of the time it was hard to do when there wasn't anything funny to speak of.

Meanwhile the car drove through the streets, passing through the packed neighborhoods, the soft pitter patter of the rain getting a gentle smile from Tamaki who leaned his arm on the door to press the back of his hand against the cool glass. It would take a little while but they'd drive out to the suburban part of the city. Not entirely less busy, but less large corporate buildings and more small family run corner stores. Tamaki's apartment was just past the railway bridge and a few shops. A pair of modern looking concrete buildings stand on either side of a small parking lot, four stories on each with large glass windows, a balcony on the second and fourth floors for each. It's not an entirely huge place compared to most, but it was filled with aging flowers, slowly melting chalk drawings, and it was quiet.

...

He laughed, looking down at his arm fondly. "Oh yeah. I've taken pictures the whole time. I always thought of them as presents from you so I wanted to keep all of them. Each one was precious to me and the thought that there was someone perfect for me out there really helped me through some dark times. Your art meant the world to me." Right, he was supposed to be 'driving'. He looked back at the road and looked a little more convincing as he moved with the wheel. "I can't imagine anyone not being impressed with you. You're so amazing, Tamaki!" He assured only to hesitate, "Uh... Is it okay if I use your given name? Or would you prefer I use your family name?" He asked, realizing he hadn't checked earlier. "You can call me whatever you want, I don't mind."

"Yeah! Exactly! When this car starts to tucker out, I'll probably be donating it someplace so they can auction it off and I just get a new one. Huh... This car was big enough when it was just the five of us, but with you, that's not enough seatbelts. Guess I'll have to get a bigger vehicle when the time comes. I've had this one for less than a year though so it might be a few years. I'm sure we'll manage." He shook himself back to reality, clearing his throat in his embarrassment as he realized he'd been babbling a bit.

His smile did make a return at the little snort his 'twink' comment brought about. It's not like it wasn't true. Kaminari had always been clearly attracted to girls, but people often made assumptions based on his pretty-boy appearance. Thankfully he hadn't had to suffer for very long as he'd found his soulmate in their first year of high school. The tomboyish musician had not been amused by the adorable little heart he'd drawn under the outter corner of his left eye for them. It was a very cute heart and they'd both looked equally cute with them, but having her soulmate literally paint it on their faces had gotten quite the reaction. Apparently, as 'tough girl' as she liked to be, she was actually quite shy.

As he explained himself more clearly, his nerves about the bad impression he'd made being soothed. He hadn't made a bad impression, the poor guy was just shy and easily overwhelmed. He blinked lightly at the admission that he was strong though. The way he held himself and such really gave the impression that he was just a scarecrow under there. Oh. Oh no. He thought he was cool! Oh no! His soulmate was adorable beyond words too!! "Oh, I'm gonna have to at some point now... I'm sure I could lift you and that sounds really cute." He laughed softly at the thought of him all blushy and embarrassed in his arms and that only made him want to do it more!

"Seriously though, I think you're amazing! I'm not just saying that, I've always thought that, ever since your first doodle showed up on me. I've been in awe of how amazing my soulmate is ever since and I've been so excited to meet you all this time." He let go of the wheel with one hand, reaching out only to freeze sharply enough to cause a bit of a bulge in his bicep. He hadn't gotten permission to touch. Instead, he lowered his hand and flipped it palm up to lay on the console between them. It was an open-ended invitation to hold hands.

"Huh? Oh, nah, you can totally come! It's quality time you guys could get in and it's not like other people don't join us sometimes anyway. The more time you guys spend together the more used to it he'll get. He's... How to say this...? He's sort of the angry kinda shy? I'm not sure if that makes sense... It makes more sense when you meet him." Even when he heard him say it he wasn't sure it made sense. It sure as hell did once you'd spent enough time with the explosive blond, but many people didn't think the hassle of getting to know him was worth it. He knew this to be dead wrong, but still. "Honestly? Bakugou is the loudest and most defensive, but he generally keeps to himself. It's Ashido that you gotta worry about. I love Mina, I do, but I think gossip is what sustains her."

He couldn't help laughing at how he and his twin had met. "Right? Sounds like something out of a movie or something! Before you know it, we'll be pretending to be each other so we can get our parents to get back together or something. I'm not serious, we're not identical, just sorta similarish. Definitely look related though. Heh, we all live together mostly because we want to. Sero is the only one that doesn't come from a rich family. Uh, not that Bakugou's help him. He and Sero have jobs because they want to contribute though, even though we told them it was cool." He snickered, lightly biting his lip as his cheeks tinted pink. "You can make your joke, I bet he would find that funny. He might hug the air outta your lungs though."

As the world around them changed, Eijirou took notice, his smile growing wider as he took it all in. "You live here? It's so pretty! We're renting a house close to the school so it's just houses and stuff, but look at this place! Everything has so much personality! It's nice not seeing those cookie-cutter houses everywhere... Aw, no! See the pretty chalk? It's getting washed away! It's okay... I'm sure whoever drew you will fix you right up and even if they don't, you'll come back looking different and even more beautiful, you'll see!" He consoled the warping bits of artwork, such a sweet soul, comforting beauty that so many people thought of as pretty, but lifeless. How wrong they were... Even though he wasn't an artist himself, he clearly understood that art wasn't just made, it was breathed to life.

...

Hearing that his art meant so much to the redhead had Tamaki practically beaming, back a little straighter even, although the felt a bit guilty of his lack of communication too. "I... I'm really glad I could do that, even if I was worried I was bothering you sometimes. That's why I made them easy to cover up," He smiled, the praise only made it a bit harder to not tear up, relief settling over him hearing his soulmate talk highly of him. "Well I don't show many people around me my art, usually it's my grades that are complimented- but I never really stuck out in a crowd much," He shrugged, knowing that when he did, it was often Mirio who stole the attention to give him a bit of a break.

Hearing his name come from Eijiro's mouth caused a small flutter in his chest, face starting to flush with heat as it suddenly felt very intimate and he couldn't help but stutter. "You-you can call me Tamaki, if you'll let me call you E-Eijiro.." While he called Mirio by his given name since they've known each other for so long, he still referred to Hado by her family despite knowing her for possibly 4 years. He could only hope the energetic gal wouldn't take offense to him calling his newly found soulmate by his given name. It felt intimate but decidedly right at the same time.

At the mention of the size of the car, he quickly waved his hand back and forth dismissively, "Ah, that's alright! if we do anything with such a big group- w-well I could always call Mirio or Hado to join us and then we'll have a second vehicle." He probably would have preferred that to being stuck between people in a car, or forcing others into uncomfortable positions. Of course, the brief idea of lap sitting came to mind (particularly Eijiro sitting in his or vice versa) but that was a bit too dangerous, even with how the car seemed to be able to drive itself.

He could see the surprise on his soulmate's face at the suggestion he was strong, a small pout tugging on his face- oh but he could just show him later! They were both men, and he had to change, so showing off the definition of his torso wouldn't be too odd. Then again, with Eijiro teasing him, it made him rethink a bit. "Thats not fair! Just- not with other people around if you do that, please," He pause before quickly adding, "Or- or I'll do it back to you too." Of course, that would probably just embarrass Tamaki more, but he could at least try to embarrass Eijiro a little.

Seeing the hesitation, the restraint to touch him- at first he wanted to feel sad, like he didn't want to touch Tamaki for one reason or another. But seeing the silent offer, the idea completely disappeared from his mind. "I've... really wanted to meet you too," He smiled, fingers gently dancing down the palm of Eijiro's hand before lacing together with his. With a gentle squeeze, he grinned down at their entwined hands, heartbeat picking up just a bit at the sweet touch.

Hearing Eijiro talking about his friends and family only made Tamaki more eager to meet them. While Katsuki would be a bit intimidating at first, he was sure he could get along with him, and Mina sounded kind of fun with the way the redhead talked about her. "Sounds like you are worried she'll tell me something embarrassing about you," He snickered, actually looking forward to learn more about Eijiro from him, but hearing some things from his friends point of view seemed great too. And then his brother; a snicker left Tamaki at the mention of the cliché movie plotline, "How fun." He nodded a bit at the knowledge they weren't identical. So Tamaki wouldn't need to put a noticeable doodle on them to tell his soulmate from his brother until he could spot the differences. "I might have to take that risk to make a good impression then," He tried to give a solemn face, but couldn't help the crick of the corner of his lips forming a smile.

Then- hell that smile couldn't get any wider at Eijiro's reaction to his home. "Mhm," He hummed, "My parents preferred rural life compared to city life, so I guess I chose what I was used to. It's also only one bus away from my college and two from my work." His innocents words toward the fading chalk had Tamaki's chest squeezing though, whispering to himself, "How is my soulmate so adorable too?" He unbuckled slowly and sat up, "I don't doubt once the ground dries, the kids will be out to save them. So, come on. You can come in and see the place."

Once he stepped out of the car, he jogged to the large glass doors to the front of the building and held it out for Eijiro to follow suit.As he did a small white haired girl in a yellow raincoat and red rainboots carrying collapsed carboard boxes and a black haired boy in matching boots with a green raincoat and and more boxes ran out past him. "E-Eri?," He called, but the girl waved, running off, yelling, "Can't talk! Dad gave us a mission to save the kitties from the rain!"

With a small shake of his head and a laugh, he pointed towards them, "Those are the little artists- and animal rescuers, apparently," He chuckled a little, knowing that her adoptive father and his old teacher was probably watching from their apartment window, as always. So he didn't have to worry too much about the two getting into any mischief. He does call out however, "You shouldn't stay out too long, you two. You might get sick." But the kids didn't hear him and with a sigh he walked into the building.

Once inside there was a desk that was empty, a set of stairs to one side and an elevator to the other. Choosing to opt for the elevator, it doesn't take too long on their way up, deciding to mention, "I babysit Eri sometimes when her adopted father, Mr. Aizawa is busy. Sometimes with Mirio and his soulmate too." He assumed Eijiro knew the teacher because from what he has overheard from the redhead's friends, they at least went to the same school and complained occasionally about the strict teacher.

"Sorry if the place is a bit of a wreck, I kind of fell asleep at my desk last night," He laughed softly when they got to the third floor, heading down the hall a bit before Tamaki unlocked the door and pushed it open. Walking in there was a little place where Tamaki toed off his shoes before stepping in. It opened first to a small kitchen that Tamaky tried to section off into it's own space with folding shoji panels. Then they stepped out into the livingroom which was pretty bare. A dark purple loveseat set against the side wall, a small box tv set beyond a small kotatsu. The far wall had two large square panel windows and the wall opposite the couch had both the desk and a large full body mirror where a stool sat beside a camera on a tripod. The desk was covered in school notes and some idea sketches that lead to Tamaki's current art piece on his arm. Above it were small photos of Tamaki with his friends; Nejire, Mirio, Eri and her friend, and then there were some with a younger guy, with a mess of dark curls and freckles slung under Mirio's arm. Cloth covered canvases rested against the wall beside the desk, and in front of them was a box of papers and letters.

"Make yourself at home, you can get a drink from the fridge or anything- but if there is only one red juicy left in the fridge, please don't touch that. Eri always has dibs on it," He laughed softly, turning to walk back on the other side of the shoji wall he made, a small staircase leading up to a small loft, under it being a door to the bathroom, presumably. The loft has no wall or shutter to give him some privacy at the top, but a small half wall that cuts out of the view below his hips as he starts changing out of his work clothes.

...

"You never bothered me at all! I was always super excited to check myself in mirrors to see if there was anything new!" He bit his lip at the admission of what the other was usually praised for, however. "Man... My grades aren't great. Heh. I'm not at the bottom of my class, buuuut I'm... Well, I rank 15 out of 20. Hope you weren't hoping for a smart soulmate." He laughed awkwardly, not quite able to bring himself to look at him, but also not wanting to lie about his grades. He'd find out eventually so may as well be up front about it. "The bottom of the class consists of mostly my closest friends, with the exception of Bakugou. He ranks 3rd and thankfully tutors us pretty regularly."

He smiled, happy that he hadn't overstepped himself. "Yeah, man! Of course, you can call me Eijirou! Sorry for using your given name without asking first, but I'm glad you're okay with it. Heh... Tamaki. I really like your name. It feels nice to say." The faux redhead was proving himself to be one of those people that just said things as they came to mind. If that natural sort of honesty was a good or bad thing really depended on the situation though. It wasn't hard to see how that habit could lead to some really embarrassing situations.

"Ah, that's fine if they want to join us too, but I wouldn't want to inconvenience them either. Honestly, though, it would give Bakugou an excuse to ride his motorcycle to meet us there and give him an easy way to leave again. Don't tell him I told you, but he's not really great with people. Like interacting with strangers I mean. Sometimes he gets overwhelmed and wants to leave, but since I'm the only one with a car, usually he's stuck. Sometimes it's bad enough he just takes the bus home so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind the excuse so he can drive himself there." He hesitated as a problem of the same nature hit him. "Ahhh... But you're probably like that too! Maybe we should ask your friends to come with, at least till you're used to everyone? Or I can always drive you home early if you want, I wouldn't mind. I offered the same to Bakugou, but his pride took it as admitting defeat so he's never asked me to."

He couldn't help laughing at the distressed compromise. "I won't do it unless you tell me it's okay. You can carry me if you want, but I weigh 100kgs. If you can lift that, go for it man, but don't hurt yourself to show off, okay?" He wondered if it was pride or confidence that had his soulmate threatening to carry him back. He certainly wouldn't be upset to find he was physically stronger than he thought he was. He was no bodybuilder, that much he was sure of, but that wasn't a bad thing either. Bodybuilding came with a rather dangerous environment... He'd stayed out of it himself by only working out with friends, but he'd seen other people at the gym with bodies that were impossible to achieve naturally.

His relaxed fingers shifted to open further and offer his palm, shivering at the pleasantly light touch. He didn't have to wait long for fingers to slip between his, his own closing down to interlock properly. Now that he was sure hand-holding was okay, he shifted into a more comfortable position, giving the hand in his a gentle squeeze. His skin felt so soft! He really hoped he wouldn't be put off by the roughness of his skin... He mitigated it with lotions, but working out as much as he did inevitably did a number on your hands. As he continued to speak again, his thumb even took to affectionately caressing the back of the brunette's hand.

He laughed, nodding helplessly. "She's known me since middle school, I'm sure she'll have plenty to say." The faux solemness got a rather adorable snicker out of him. "Guess so. Best to accept your fate now. You're part of the family and there's no escaping now." He gave a sagely nod, but he was doing an even worse job of keeping the smile off his face than Tamaki was.

"Man, I've never lived in a place like this. Not even close! The smallest place I've lived in is the house me and my friends are renting and that's four-bedroom place! Well... Five sort of... There's a pool house and that's were Bakugou lives. His soulmate will probably be joining us soon. We're honestly surprised he hasn't come to live with us already, but I think that has more to do with Katsuki's pride than anything else." He was still smiling like an idiot, not even pretending to be driving anymore. "This place is something else though!"

"Huh?" He blinked out of his awe, missing the whispered words, but accepting the ones that came after as the ones he'd missed. "Good, good! Aw, man... I haven't drawn on the sidewalk since I was really little. Probably for the better, I kinda suck at it. What's important is to have fun though." He finally took over driving at the car's prompting, bringing them to a parking space only to cue the car to park itself. He was startled when invited to come inside however. "What? Really? S-sure!" He was out of the car a second later, beeping the alarm on and following at a jog himself to keep up.

He flushed a bit as the door was held for him, ducking inside with a shy smile. He was used to holding doors for most everyone else. It's not like people didn't hold them for him ever or that there was anything wrong with a door being held for a guy, but it hit different when it was his soulmate doing it for him. He was snapped out of his warm thoughts as a couple of kids came stampeding past them, the redhead side stepping to get out of their way. He smiled widely as the little scene put itself together before him and he was bringing his hands up to his mouth to amplify his voice a bit, apparently not having any issues being loud. "You little heroes go rescue those kitties! Be careful you don't slip and fall or you might make them sad!"

'You have the cutest neighbors, holy shit... And you get to babysit her? You need to invite me over sometime, I love kids. Wait. Aizawa-sensei?! Holy shit... He was my homeroom teacher in first year. He was a real hardass, but I think he was just trying really hard to hide that he cared about us. Our grades were shitty back then too so he was on our cases a lot... Never thought he was the adopting type. Or the kid type for that matter." He smiled fondly back at where he'd last seen the children running off, clearly not worried that the man was neglecting her in any way. If anything, he looked proud.

"Nah man, you're good. I live with seven other people. I seriously doubt that you've got anything on that kind of chaos. Hell, the fact that Kaminari and Ashido are two of those people are enough to blow you out of the water I'm sure." He did frown a little then, hand shyly reaching out to give the other's a squeeze. "You shouldn't fall asleep at your desk though. If you feel sleepy, you should get to sleep. Even if you have something due in the morning, you can just set an alarm and wake up earlier to finish it. You'll work better refreshed from sleep than nodding off."

Following his soulmate inside, he was quick to toe-off his own sneakers and then looked around curiously. He smiled softly at the kotatsu, always having been fond of them. He made his way over to the windows then, or that had been his intention before he was distracted by the desk. He bit his lip, eyes misting up at the familiar sketches. He hadn't just made it all up. He'd thought long and hard and practiced before committing it all to their skin. The beautiful works shared with him weren't nearly as effortless as he'd thought they were and that made them all the more precious. Tamaki actually put real effort into each one. What's more, he seemed to cover them up so that meant that all that effort was all for him. His soulmate was so wonderful... How was he this lucky...?

He blinked back to attention and chuckled sofrtly. "I'm good! That smoothie you made me was really good and we'll be hitting the food court when we get to the mall anyway. Thanks though! I'll keep your warning in mind for the future all the same. Wouldn't want to ever deprive cuties of their juice." Now that he'd unstuck himself from the sketches, he moved himself away from the desk. He was curious sure, particularly of the covered canvas, but he restrained himself. There was a difference between making himself at home and blatantly snooping. Instead, he finished his treck to the window and looked out. "Nice view." He commented lightly, glancing up in the direction the older young man had gone only to freeze, eyes widening.

There was his soulmate, sliding his shirt off and at this angle he couldn't be sure if he had pants on or not, but he sure as hell looked naked. "Nice... View..." He muttered again, barely even noticing he'd spoken. Okay yeah, he definitely went to the gym. He had some gorgeous lean muscle on him and there was the twin to his own tentacles, the real ones his echoed. He was gorgeous... Breathtaking... NOPE! Nope, nope, nope, nopenopenopenope! He forced himself to look away moving over to the loveseat instead and sitting himself down, cheeks burning. He was NOT about to pop a boner only a few minutes into entering his soulmate's home for the first time!

Instead, he pulled the borrowed hoodie in closer and snuggled down into it, trying not to think about the beautiful body he'd accidentally peeked at. Oh, he smelled nice too... He closed his eyes and bunched some of it up over his nose, contently breathing it in. By the time Tamaki came back down to rejoin him, he would find Eijirou curled in a happy little ball in the corner of the love seat, nuzzling the hoodie affectionately, and blissfully unaware that he'd been caught doing it.

...

Hearing that Eijiro wasn't exactly book smart didn't change his perception much, there were much more important things about a person- so he waved it off easily. He was far more thrown off just by the red head's tendency to say what came to mind, which was both endearing, and a little flustering. Trying not to make a problem for Eijiro and his friends for the hypothetical scenario of them all needing a ride only seemed to complicate things a bit more. "Ah... a little, but I would be fine. I just... don't want to put anyone out, so if the situation comes to pass, maybe we should ask Bakugo first," He hummed, hoping that would be a better suggestion than going back and forth on solutions and worrying. If all else failed, Tamaki didn't mind a bus ride.

He was determined however, that he'd show his soulmate how strong he was under all the baggy clothes. His worrying about Tamaki hurting himself to show off was nice and all, however he had wrestled with Mirio since they were kids. He was sure he could lift Eijiro up, he just wasn't sure if he could easily walk around with him. His feet might just be stuck to the floor, but that just meant he'd have to work out more to impress him. He didn't work with a lot how hard to use art mediums so his hands were definitely softer compared to Eijiro's but a few slight calluses on his hands proved some work of his. Despite any worries Eijiro had about his own hands, Tamaki was actually a bit impressed, easily being about to tell about his well worked hands. He returned the gentle squeeze, smiling down at their intertwined hands.

If Tamaki hadn't heard how many people were living with him, he might have sputtered verbally at the amount of rooms they had- and a pool house? What even is a pool house? Tamaki didn't know. "Well, guess you're in for a change then. My apartment is a loft studio, so the only separate room is the bathroom," He laughed softly, enjoying himself just watching Eijiro's face as he looked around and worried on about the chalk drawings. What's more, his flustered look and nerves from being invited inside, Tamaki really was given an adorable soulmate.

It was a bit surprising to hear Eijiro was good with kids. Most people his age, at least that Tamaki met, weren't too good with kids. Tamaki himself wasn't that great with them before Aizawa had an emergency he had to attend to and he asked the ravenet to watch her for an hour. It was an awkward five minutes until Eri discovered his art and they instantly became coloring buddies. "Sure, I would love some company. Fair warning, your hair will probably be braided at some point," He quickly jumped at the idea of having his soulmate over again. He nodded again, knowingly, "I was surprised when I found out as well. He's always been standoffish and gruff, however he's very gentle and warm when I see him with Eri. Still a very tired man, though."

He tried to laugh off the fact his apartment was a bit of a mess, but having his hand squeezed shut him up pretty quick. "Sorry," He sighed with a smile, looking down at his feet almost like a kid in trouble, "It doesn't happen too often, but I'll remember that for next time." He couldn't help but gently bump shoulders with Eijiro on their way to his apartment, a gentle sign of appreciation for his concern, followed by a gentle squeeze to his hand before they had to split.

While some of the art Tamaki did on his body was spontaneous and unplanned, many of the big pieces he knew were more likely to be seen, he planned out down to the details, including little notes about where on his body they'd go. He really did try his best, spend hours even to make sure they were perfect to impress Eijiro. The fact they were used for his portfolio was just a bonus after already doing it for a while. He wondered, briefly, if he could convince Eijiro to model for him sometime. Seeing how the lights bounced off the drops of water in that bright hair of his was already a vibrant enough picture for him to want to capture, even as he stumbled over the practiced welcome, completely forgetting that he had given him a smoothie before in his flustered moment. "Ah- right, right," He laughed softly, turning back, tossing his discarded pants to the hamper.

The apartment's view is of the parking lot, a great view of the flowers and the chalk art, but the best part of the view might be the sun that descends in the distance on the other side of the apartments, though peeking through cloudy skies, it doesn't have the same vibrant beauty. He hummed at the comment about the view, taking a glance when he hears the much softer muffled voice, catching as Eijiro looked away. Something about that both flustered Tamaki and boosted his confidence. One hand gripping at his discarded shirt and the other subconsciously running down the flat of his stomach. His own face burned as he pulled on a loose t-shirt and sweat pants; the shirt not exactly being form fitting to his torso, but clinging to his chest and pooling at his hips. Then he grabbed himself a large grey hoodie to carry along and came back down only to pause at the bottom of the stairs.

At the cute sight Tamaki shouldn't help himself. He sneaked over to his camera and turned it around on the tripod. Zooming in on the unaware red head buried in his other hoodie, he grinned at the sound of the camera shutter. "Perfect," He giggled softly, "There really is beauty in the honesty of people when they don't think they are being watched." He let his eyes flick from the screen, up to Eijiro, "Don't worry, I'll delete it if you want. But. Want to take a picture with me? To... mark the occasion?" He had a habit of catching pictures of people when they least expected it, finding them to be the most genuine pictures you can get, but he's always deleted them if Hado, Mirio or his boyfriend Midoriya asked him too- which wasn't too often. But, clearly he had liked collecting photos from the ones he had decorating the apartment.

Messing with the camera a bit, he zoomed out enough to fit himself in frame, grabbed the little remote from the hook on the tripod and made his way over to sit on the couch beside Eijiro. He tossed his grey hoodie onto the arm of the loveseat, offering out the remote with one hand and his open palm in the other. "W-we can also just head out but I thought this would be too good of an opportunity for me not to offer at least."

...

"That's fair... That's actually one of the few things that actually make him mad, people making choices for him. He's always been really independent and taking any of that away from him doesn't end well." He decided then it was best not to worry about it too much. They would figure it out when the time came, he was sure. It wasn't hard for him to distract himself with how nice it felt to hold the older teen's hand. "So you live in a loft apartment? Well, if it's just you, that's fine! Even one roommie is okay in that setup, I think." He didn't seem at all put off by the distinctly smaller size of Tamaki's home, even before seeing it.

When warned that his hair would be braided, he couldn't help laughing. "I'll make sure to leave my hair down then. May as well accept my fate now." He made a show of thinking then. "I shall have to think of a good peace offering with me when that happens. Only the most extravagant would do for such a beautiful little princess! I bet Mina would totally help me make some glitter slime. Do you know her favorite color? And her friend's for that matter. Little princes deserve nice gifts too." He couldn't help snickering with a nod then. "Yeah... So you had Aizawa-Sensei too? Did he bring a sleeping bag to class t---wait. Aw man! That means we went to school together when I was a first year! How many times did we pass each other in the halls and never noticed? So much time we could have had... Well, we'll just have to make up for lost time! No problem!"

Goodness this kid had a lot of energy... At least he recovered quickly even when he thought of something sad, often perking himself up all on his own it seems. He was in quite the good mood by the time they got into the apartment, the faux redhead beaming as they bumped shoulders. Shy as he'd been when they first met, Amajiki clearly had a playful side to him! So cute! He was buzzing happily as he explored a little while trying not to be too nosy either, right up till he got a good eye full of beautiful boyfriend. How was he ever going to survive? His soulmate was too much! Adorable, cute, pretty, and sexy?! Too much, too much!

He needed to stop thinking about what he'd just seen, awkwardly plunking himself down on the love seat and hunkering down into his borrowed hoodie. For the first time he was discovering the other's scent and he was surprised at how quickly it relaxed him. It didn't take much longer for him to draw his legs up and cuddle into the soft hoodie, closing his eyes to focus on his scent. Contently he nuzzled the soft material, his throat growing a little tight at the thought of having finally found his soulmate after so long. Sure, some might argue that he was still young and had plenty of time to find his destined life partner, but youth often made you impatient.

"Mmmrrrr...?" The click of a picture being taken pulled him out of his warm place and he did so with a cat-like start-up noise no less. Perfect? What was? He noticed the camera and his cheeks grew a little pink, but surprisingly, he didn't look flustered. Instead, a soft smile pulled at his lips. "You wanted a picture of me? Nah, it's okay, you can take as many pictures of me as you want. I'm about as likely as Bakugou to kill you for them." He snickered softly, uncurling himself when a picture together was suggested. "Bring it on in!" He agreed, honestly loving the fact that Amajiki was the type that liked to take photographs for memories. Taking the hand offered to him and pulling himself up onto his feet. Thinking for a second before shrugging out of the hoodie so that their matching arms could both be seen, undeniable proof of their bond.

He didn't even hesitate to slip an arm around the older teen's waist, stepping in close enough to be hip to hip. "This okay?" He asked, unable to help but flush just a bit at how close he'd brought them. "Or did you have another pose in mind? You lead, I'll follow."

...

It was striking to hear Eijiro speak so excitedly about coming back, joining him, and taking part in his life. Having him help babysit Eri and Kota- well he wasn't sure how well it would go but he knew it would definitely be more fun with the energetic redhead around. Just hearing Eijiro talk about bringing her a peace offering and even referring to her as a little princess- he was sure she'd enjoy the extra imaginative mind joining them. "She likes pale blues, however she's been obsessed with red recently thanks to Kota, the little playmate of her's. He always wears this red hat that matches his shoes, and she thinks its so cool," He smiled softly as he talked fondly of the kids he's gotten to know like siblings.

It was a shame they couldn't have met earlier, that they spent time walking past each other and never meeting however part of Tamaki was glad they hadn't. His fear of the past still clawed at him, but now was different, he was sure of it. "Yeah, we've got plenty of time to make up for it," A life time, really, "and now that you know where I live, you can drop in anytime." He doubt he had to tell the redhead that, but it was an open invitation. Knowing that Tamaki stayed up late, that he baby sat, he didn't doubt the redhead would drop in sometime, even if he decided to tell him before dropping in.

Tamaki would be lying if he said he hadn't been impatient himself for this. The hand holding, the sweet and even the not-so-innocent looks that had them equally flushed. When he was younger, as shy as he was, he wanted the romance. He wanted his own prince- well, at the time, princess before he realized his orientation. So sitting behind the camera with his newly discovered prince bundled up in his hoodie felt almost unreal. Like he was gazing into one of his dreams. "If course I want a picture of you.
What if I wake up tomorrow and think you were just a dream," an almost nervous smile tugged at his lips at his other comment, however, "I don't know if I like that comparison." Still, he easily helped pull Eijiro to his feet, allowing him to have a moment to strip off his jacket for the photo.

He had not anticipated the arm wrapping around his waist, of the close proximity when he turned his head up to look at Eijiro. Breath catching for a second, he barely catches Eijiro's words as the shutter of the camera went off, a slip of the finger from a flustered Tamaki. "Ah- it's- It's okay," He laughed softly, trying to brush it off. "You just startled me a bit- we can take a proper one, but I do have another idea in mind, if you don't mind taking a picture focused on our arms."

He looked down at the little remote in his hand and took a deep breath to compose himself before leaning his head against Eijiro's shoulder, relaxing against his side. "Ready," He questions before counting down, "Smile." He actually made sure to alert the redhead this time before pressing the button, the shutter resounding again and the remote blinking in response of it taking the photo.

His hand rested against the one around his waist, a silent request for it to stay there. "While I've always painted on my body to impress you, I've actually been using the photos of that art for my portfolio. It actually got me into school for art studies in the first place. So..." He gently reached for Eijiro's other hand, leading him to turn sideways so their decorated skin faced the camera, and his pinky linked around Eijiro's thumb. He was extremely conscious of the space between them, feeling Eijiro's body heat from the closeness, but not resting back against his chest, wondering if that was just a bit too close.

"If you don't mind another picture, is this okay," He questioned softly, keeping his eyes between the camera and the remote to try and not become more pink than he already was.

...

"Light blue and bright red, got it!" He chimed back, sure that he and Mina could put something together with that alone. He wasn't sure what exactly they could do with that as slime wasn't his thing specifically, but he was sure his bubbly friend would be quick to come up with something when he told her. He was so hyped to play with them too, the kids looked so cute! That was a worry for the future though, but he was still very excited for said future.

"Can I come visit any time? Really? I mean, I would be sure to give you a head's up first, of course, but that's gonna be so much fun! College is hard though, isn't it? I would feel awful if I distracted you or something so please, tell me you're busy or something, don't always say yes because I asked." He was admittedly a little worried that the brunette might be the 'can't say no' type so he wanted to make it clear that this was a thing he shouldn't be afraid to do. "It would be really nice to get to know each other better though and get comfortable, ya know?" Eijirou was well aware of the fact that he was more comfortable with people up front than most, but even he had his limits and sometimes his anxiety was eating him up inside.

He blinked lightly only to flush at the thought that the brunette thought he was wonderful enough to have been dreamed up, a shy smile pulling at his lips. "I know what you mean... I'd be really upset if all this wasn't real when I wake up." He couldn't help but laugh as he was pulled to his feet. "He's harmless, I promise. He just doesn't like people thinking that." He assured, lightly biting his lip at the adorable way his soulmate got all flustered when pulled in so close. He still couldn't get over how cute he was! "Sure, we can do whatever you want, I'm game!" He promised only for his own heart gave a little jump as his head came to lay on his shoulder, but he still ran with his urge to follow through and lower his own head to rest against his soulmate's hair, his smile for the camera carrying real happiness in it.

The wordless request to keep his hand in place was met with his fingers spreading open only to interlock with Tamaki's and give them an affectionate squeeze. "Yeah? I'm not surprised really, so many of your pieces were so amazing! Thank you for them." He still cherished every picture he'd taken of everything he'd been sent. When guided, he moved without resistance into the position the other wanted, smiling as he realized what he was going for. The fingers of his other hand closed a bit, forefinger lightly caressing the pinky so adorably hooked on his thumb, but his other hand was even less idle.

Without releasing his hand, he moved them both further around till he was gently pressing it to the other's belly, stepping forward while pulling him carefully back. He pressed flush against him with a happy sigh. Well, the question of his comfort over the new position could be put to rest, that's for sure. "More than okay. I'll take all the pictures you want, no matter what it is you want me doing in them." He promised, his own cheeks growing pink at the thought of what pictures they might take. He tried not to think too hard on the kinds Denki mourned Kyouka wouldn't give him. Instead he focused on the warm body pressed to his, kissing his hair before he even realized when it was doing. Shit. He really hoped that wasn't too much! He tried to play it casual, turning his head to face the camera and once again rest his cheek in soft hair.

...

Of course Tamaki had some level of resistance to be able to say no to things, otherwise he would definitely be worse off than he was. There were just a select few people he could never say no to, and in time Eijiro would surely become one of them. Still, he nodded in agreement. "I promise to tell you when I've got a written assignment that's keeping me busy. But when I'm doing a piece of art for class, nope," He smiled softly, knowing he could easily entertain guests even if he was up to his elbows in paint or charcoal. Who knows, maybe he could get a bit of inspiration from the redhead like he had before.

"You don't have to thank me for them," He waved Eijiro off quickly, "I should thank you for wearing them so proudly." If Eijiro had worn a long sleeve, or a hoodie, they might not have gotten to know each other. Eijiro would just have been another cute guy at the cafe and Tamaki would have just been the awkward barista. If Tamaki had painted something smaller the next week when the group would come to study, he might have never noticed.

But man was this guy going to be the death of Tamaki. He already seemed like quite the catch; he likes kids, takes care to mind others feelings, and seemed super supportive and loving. Then he has to go and pull such a smooth move, pulling Tamaki closer than he'd dared to go, large warm hand pressed to his stomach, broad hardy chest to his back- he felt like he'd melt between how arm and soft he felt. It wasn't the most protective hold, but something about it just made him feel so safe, and the kiss didn't help much with the fluttering feeling worming its way in his stomach, almost like it would burst from his throat at any second.

However such a vague statement also got his head swimming just a bit, heat flooding up the back of his neck, to the tips of his ears. He remained quiet before the countdown to the picture. Then right after the click, despite knowing he'd be as red as Eijiro's hair in it, he turned off the camera. Tamaki dropped the remote to the coffee table and lifted the hands of their painted arms to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Kirishima's knuckles. "You-you know, if I wasn't the type of person I am, that would a really dangerous offer. Someone could take advantage of your kindness..."

A joke simultaneously ran through Tamaki's mind, and it took all his will power not to make a titanic reference as he leaned back into his soulmate's chest. He really did want to hesitate, to stay just a bit longer, but he didn't want things to turn awkward just because he might have been a bit touch starved, and this almost-a-hug was so nice. "So, to the mall? We've both got hoodies, and I can grab an umbrella at the door for the walk through the parking lot. Unless you want to rick it and run," He chuckled softly, switching gears a bit as he turned sideways in the redhead's grasp to look at him, releasing the hand he had held captured to kiss.

[NicTheDjinn]

"Thank y-HAH! Yes. Good. Be cheeky. It's the only way you'll survive my friends. They're all nice, I promise, but they like to tease and some are a little spicier than others." Honestly, he looked forward to the day that he got to watch his soulmate actually work on his art. He'd only ever gotten to see it bloom to existence across his body and really liked the idea of actually watching the creative process that happened 'behind the scenes'.

"But I do! You put in so much effort to make them look as beautiful as they are and on top of that, I couldn't show them off if you didn't paint them to begin with! You're so amazing..." He trailed off as he looked down at his own arm. It was still hard to fathom how artists did what they did. He'd honestly given it his all to try and improve his art skills and failed. Well... Technically he did improve, but he just didn't have the natural talent for it. Without the basis for a skill, there was little hope of being anything more than mediocre at best. He was so lucky... His soulmate could make such beautiful things and he himself was beautiful in every way that was important as well as physically. He'd had to wait longer than he'd liked to meet him, but he was sure the wait will have been worth it.

He felt so wonderfully warm against him... And he was sure it would make a great picture too! That's why they were this close. Right. Though he found he didn't want to move away, he didn't fight when Tamaki started to move. He allowed his hand to be lifted only to feel his cheeks warming as soft lips pressed to his knuckles. They'd both exchanged kisses now... Sorry, Mirio. We have smooched. Jokes aside, he couldn't help wondering how long it would take to seek each other's lips. "People do, but I trust you. Besides, I don't think there's a picture you'd want to take that I wouldn't agree to." If the innuendo wasn't clear enough, the darkening of the pink at his cheeks was a fairly clear giveaway. Goodness, he wasn't used to flirting, but luck favors the bold, right? Unless his soulmate thought he was a dirty pervert now or something... That was definitely not what he was aiming for!

"Yeah! Umbrella sounds good. I mean, I like walking in the rain, but walking around a mall in soaked clothes sounds like less than a good time, ya know?" Wow he was so close turned to him like this though. Despite the fact they'd only just met today, somehow he didn't feel uncomfortable with it. He assumed that was part of being soulmates, just a natural sense of comfort? Maybe they were just lucky there. Regardless, he was enjoying the closeness. "Ready when you are then. Oh, do you want to bring your camera? Even if the pictures aren't artsy, it would be nice to snap some of our first outing, right? If you don't want to bring your camera though, we can just use my phone, no biggy!"

[RulerOfNerds]

His soulmate really was too much. The praise for his work causing his face to radiate in embarrassment and also pride, knowing he had done it all to illicit something of the same reaction. He wanted to say it of course, that it was all for him, but the words crumpled up in his throat like an old letter. "You're so sweet," was all he could get out in response, really too soft for warms in the other's strong embrace. He wouldn't wait to print out the photos for them, and he hadn't even taken a peek at them yet! He didn't mind if they weren't exactly artistic or in his usual style; they were the first pictures of the two, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to pull a cheesy move. He could easily start collecting more photos of them both for a scrapbook or album, and down the line show all of their friends- but that was a fantasy thought, something for a distant future to decide.

As sweet and chaste the kisses were, the conversation surrounding them didn't quite sound as innocent. Tamaki had to take a deep breath, trying to cool off his face and push out the perverted little ideas that threatened to plague his mind. One glance toward Eijiro however confirmed that it wasn't just *him* with the dirty mind, so while it helped easy his worries about coming off as perverted, it didn't help the heat crawling up his ears. He quickly swipes a hand over his face, clearing his throat, "Maybe another time, then. We have a mall to get to."

Nodding along in solidarity, Tamaki couldn't help but gush, "Rain is probably my favorite type of weather- but when it's more of a drizzle and leaves the world more dewy than flooded." He let himself stay there a second longer, still well within his soulmate's grip and enjoying the closeness, still bit astounded at the fact he was there, and it wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought it would be. Sure, he was red as a tomato and his heart felt like it bruised his rib cage a few times there, but it was oddly more comfortable than even Mirio's hugs. Then again, Eijiro also wasn't trying to lift and squeeze him when he got the chance. "Ah, really?" He beamed at the chance to get more photos of them, "You wouldn't feel like it's too much? I mean you can always tell me to knock it off if I get too focused on it, but I'd love to bring my camera with us."

"I'll get my carrying case," He gave the faux redhead that beautiful, wide smile of his before moving across the room swiftly. He pulls a small black box with a neck strap attached from one of the drawers from his desk, obviously seeming a bit less used than the old camera as he drops a few plastic baggies from inside, onto the desk. Then he's darting back toward the tripod, spinning the little knob that unlocks it from the camera, which comes off with ease. He slides the camera into the box and zips it up before returning to the couch to grab his hoodie. "I'm all set then," He chimed, sliding the hoodie on, pretty excited to indulge in a bit of his work with his soulmate, even if he wasn't going to aim for anything professional.

[NicTheDjinn]

"I'm just telling the truth." He assured on, enjoying the reaction he was getting. He wanted his newfound soulmate to be happy and feel good and he felt like he had time to make up for. He looked so cute when he was flustered too! Totally worth embarrassing him a little. He tightened his hold on him a bit, just wanting a bit more of a hug, before loosening back up again. "Don't think they'll be any less special to me now that we've met either. Don't push yourself for me or anything, but I'll still love every piece that shows up on my skin."

He failed to stifle a laugh, the sound coming out in a snort instead as Tamaki prompted the mall trip again. "Yeah, daylight is burning." He agreed, finally making himself loosen his grip and so making it easy for him to 'escape' his embrace. He was happy to find that the brunette was rather reluctant to do so and only went through with it to go get what he needed to take a camera with them. "Yeah, man! Both Kaminari and Ashido are selfie fiends, it helps to like having your picture taken. I'll admit, I used to be kinda shy and stuff about it because I didn't think I was good-looking enough to warrant picture taking, but Mina really helped me get past that over the years. Besides, they're a good way of preserving memories! Not like the only memories worth remembering are big ones like weddings or holidays or whatever. Sometimes some of your fondest memories could be something small, like putting a baby bird back in its nest."

Oh. Oh no. That smile! He could feel his heart skip a beat, not prepared for how much seeing his soulmate happy would affect him. Fuck. No matter the cost he needed to make sure to make him as consistently happy as possible, that smile felt like it could sustain him for the rest of his life! Thankfully, Amajiki was busy gathering up what he would need which gave him the time he needed to stand there and just sort of be stunned. And so the other had everything he needed so they could get going and he forced himself to function again. "Hell, yeah! Let's get going then!" With that he plucked up the hoodie he'd been leant and pulled it on while making his way towards the door, though he left it unzipped for the moment.

Side by side they walked, the faux redhead unable to resist the urge to hold hands as they did, even if it was just till they got to the car. He wondered how the little kitty rescuers and their rescuees were doing... Like before, he touched the handle to get it to pop out and opened the door for him to let them inside, getting in a moment later and lightly tapping away at the large touch screen to get the GPS to take them to the mall. Like before, his hands remained on the wheel as the car started to drive on it's own so it looked like he was driving. "You can put on music if you want. Or we can talk. Or both I guess." He laughed, trying to keep it together. It was hard not to get swept up in the giddiness that came with going out with your soulmate for the first time.

[RulerOfNerds]

While Tamaki couldn’t imagine Eijiro being insecure in his appearance with the visage he saw before him, both back in the cafe and the moment on the couch, bundled in his hoodie, he understands. From what Eijiro has already told him about his self esteem and Tamaki’s own battle with insecurities he felt a bit of a kinship in that regard. He wasn’t confident in his own appearance growing up, even from time to time he still found himself not exactly confident in his looks. So once they started their walk from his apartment back down, he decided to speak up after weighing his words a bit carefully, “Y-you know… If you were half as picturesque as you are now, you were definitely picture worthy. I’ll have to ask Mina for any old pictures of what I was missing.” He laughed softly, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, knowing he had definitely been missing out on such a sweet guy. He can’t rewrite time, sadly, but he can definitely read it, which he wouldn’t pass up on.

Tamaki’s hand easily took up place in the other’s, no longer hesitating but still just a little pink in the face. He wouldn’t be getting used to the idea of holding hands with his soulmate so quickly, but he loved it. Just as he kind of loved the other’s sweet gesture of opening the car door for him. Thanking him quietly before getting in and settled back in the comfortable seat that he sunk into. The entire time there was a small, new sort of excitement riddled in his calm facade rather than it’s previous bashfulness. He was going to share part of something he loved with Eijiro, first hand, which while he wasn’t going to aim for something professional level, was still amazing.

“I’m… not sure if my music tastes are all that good for a ride,” He glanced out the window as they began to pull out of the apartments, the two little rescuers in a small patch of grass, piling kittens into boxes. The duo, now joined by the girl’s guardian with the addition of umbrellas. Caught up in their own world, Tamaki nudged Eijiro slightly, having already caught on to the self-driving car aspect to trust that he could spare a glance to see the sweet moment. “Look at the little heroes,” He beamed, hesitating as they turned the corner before ultimately deciding that this wasn’t one of the memories for him to capture. Some memories are best to just be enjoyed in the moment, not through a lens.

Once they pulled away, with them out of view, he looked back toward the red head, remembering the offer he had made. “Most of the music I listen to are kind of… background stuff, nothing to rock out to, so I could put something on if you want to talk. I really want to hear more about you, the things you like,” He started, trying to make a compromise- however stops with his hand just before the touch screen. A lot of his music was actually pretty sad, very moody music to paint to and vent, but he supposed he might have a few good ones? What were some that didn’t make him sound like a tragic artist?

Well, there were a few love songs that immediately came to mind when he looked at his soulmate, so with a small push of confidence, he typed in two songs specifically, setting them in a short list to play one after another, “Sweet Boi” by Chevy and “Would You Be So Kind?” by Dodie. Immediately after, he sits back and asks quickly as the intro instrumental starts up. “So, uh, hobbies? And working out doesn’t count,” He pops a question as a distraction, this time taking the initiative to set his own hand on the center console as an open invitation.

[NicTheDjinn]

He could feel his cheeks warming, but he made no effort to try and hide his past self from his soulmate. A part of him desperately wanted to, but he knew his friends would out him fairly quickly. "I was scrawny and boring. Nothing about me really stood out." He shrugged his broad shoulders awkwardly but tried hard not to hide himself from the other brunet. "I'm sure Mina has pictures of me from middle school somewhere and my Moms will probably be falling over each other to show you albums." He smiled softly at that thought. "I hope you like them. I'm sure they'll love you. Mom always told me I just needed to be patient and Mama would always help me take pictures of your work on me."

Once in the car and driving, he waited for the other to put some music on only for there to be an unexpected distraction. Sure enough, when his attention was called, Kirishima looked away from the road entirely and the "Awww!" that came was completely involuntary. "There's so many! Look at how little they are! I wonder what they'll do with them all... If they need help finding them homes, tell me!" Good thing he wasn't actually driving or they would be dead for sure by now, he wasn't even pretending to be watching where they were going. He didn't pull his eyes away till he literally couldn't see them, laying back into his seat with a goofy smile on his lips. "See? That's what I was talking about. Not all good memories need to be big ones. Some are like that."

His attention was pulled back in when music was brought back up, his smile staying in place. "That's fine. Background music is nice to have talks to. Put on anything, don't worry about it." The music started up and he didn't recognize it, but it did sound nice at least. Ah. Hobbies. That's a good place to start! He opened his mouth to reply, "And working out doesn't count," and he closed his mouth again. Fuck. "Uh..." He started intelligently. "Does it really not count...?" He chanced, but he was still scrambling to try and think of something else anyway. "I mean... I play video games with my friends too, I guess? Shit, now I feel boring... Oh! I go hiking and camping with Bakugou when we have the time! I tried taking up drawing, but I was really bad at it... I like singing, but I'm not good at that either... Shit, I really am just a gym rat... Most of my time is taken up by the gym and studying nowadays. I'm training to be a nutritionist and it's... A lot."

He jumped a little when his phone started going off, but was thankful for the interruption. Considering how he paled a moment later, that feeling didn't linger. "Shit. I'm in trouble. Guess now's as good a time as any for you to say hello..." And with that warning, he reluctantly answered.

"When were you going to tell me?!" Well. That was a hell of a greeting.

"I'm sorry! It all happened so fast! I was going to tell you while I waited in the car for him to come back down, but he invited me up to the apartment with him!" Insisted the faux brunet.

"He invited you... What did you doooooo....?" The girl sang into the phone, her tone suggestive.

"Oh, my God, Mina no! He just wanted to change out of his work clothes! We're on our way to the mall right now, please..." The poor guy actually let go of the steering wheel and covered his face in his hands in embarrassment, the red staining his face running all the way up his ears and down his neck.

"He's there?! Helloooo! My name is Ashido, Mina! I'm Ei's best friend from middle school! You better be good to him or I'm gonna beat you up! Don't think I can't just because I'm a girl!"

"Mina, please don't threaten my soulmate..." The please was a weak one, but at least he didn't sound legitimately alarmed so it was unlikely the girl would actually try to attack Tamaki.

[RulerOfNerds]

While Tamaki wouldn't call himself scrawny anymore, he was definitely thin, and would describe himself as boring. He often slipped into the background. Not one to often garner attention, step into the spotlight, or find himself the object of someone's affections. So he could understand, but also still wanted to see what he was missing out on all those years. So he was glad Eijiro wasn't adamant about hiding that side of himself away; he wanted to embrace all sides of his soulmate, even what he might find embarrassing. "I'm sure my parents and friends will do the same. My private instagram account is also kind of embarrassing, so we can call it even when the time comes," He tried to reassure Eijiro that he wouldn't be the only one to feel embarrassed. Though with him already meeting Mirio and Nejire, it was probably apparent that they lived to embarrass him. It was sweet however to think one of Eijiro's mothers had also helped take pictures of his art. The idea almost embarrassed him too, knowing that he had poured a lot of emotion into that art, and it was his attempt to really connect with Eijiro. Despite what he said, he really hoped they liked him, and weren't upset with how he decided to communicate to Eijiro.

"Absolutely," Tamaki beamed, knowing that every few weeks it seemed that the kids were finding new cats to take care of, and sometimes kittens. Their old teacher seemed to not have any problems finding them homes, or keeping them for the family he garnered. "If you ever want one, just tell me. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you one as long as they are weened off the mother. I also see them feeding some of the skittish strays pretty often." However he was sure Eijiro would be delighted to find out he'd get to play with some kittens come the day that he might be invited to hang out with Tamaki while he babysat little Eri. He'd leave that for a surprise, seeing as he lit up at the little scene as they passed by. The goofy smile however had pulled Tamaki's attention more, and as silly as it might have been to choose that over a picture of some kids and a bunch of kittens, he brought up his camera for a quick picture before that look could escape. Although, from an outside perspective it would definitely look a bit dangerous with how he was completely ignoring the road, Tamaki knew better at least.

He couldn't help the giggle that fell from his lips at the question about exercise, "It just doesn't count for this." He just wanted to learn more about the redhead, something new since he felt like he had been talking too much about himself. However with the question proving difficult, he understood fully. "No worries, I am a bit the same right now when it comes to my art. Studying, practicing, putting it into effect, it's time consuming. I do like video games when I get the chance, though." He nodded in agreement. He hadn't got the chance to play any long story based games, despite looking at them for inspiration, but Mirio always managed to get him to place some fun party games when they got time to hang out after work. He couldn't remember the last time he went camping, maybe back in middle school, and it was kind of fun at the time, except for when he fell down a hole from a prank and got poison ivy rashes all over.

He started to try brainstorming other ideas, things they might enjoy together, but the phone call startled him. Then he was worried, "in trouble? Why?" He was quiet, listening as he leaned back into the seat and fiddled with the lens cap. The voice that came out was familiar, and he imagined she was probably a customer at one time, but probably not as much of a regular as Sero. He felt bad when he heard the explanation given for the lack of a call, a small pout starting to form on his face. And then the insinuation caught him off guard.

Red inflamed poor Tamaki's face, hands coming up to cover all the way over his eyes as well, muffling a small squeak of embarrassment. Did it really come off that way? Surely, not soulmate pair would just right to something so intimate, or was Tamaki an exception for his bashfulness? Or rather Eijiro for his age? Perhaps both played a role, though it was a small gap in age and neither of them seemed to allude to anything more so soon, aside from the initial awkward slip up.

He flinched a bit at the excitable introduction, though calmed and pulled his hands away from his burning face. "He-Hello, Miss Ashido. I'm Amajiki, Tamaki. I would never think of hurting Eijiro, and I would never doubt a woman's rage," He smiled softly, looking to Eijiro for comfort that she, in fact, did not intend to hurt him. "Would Sero or Kaminari be there with you? I would like to apologize for earlier. I didn't think they would leave..."