Peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich [Shouji x Junpei]

[NicTheDjinn]

If highschool was considered the start of his journey to becoming self-sufficient and starting on the rest of his life, Junpei hadn't exactly had much luck. Frankly, he had thought being born in a body that he was unhappy with was punishment enough, but after a relationship spiraled out of control and he was put into a position that made him feel even worse, he was left to his own devices for a year and a half. He hadn't spent that year and a half doing much, especially not in the academic sense.

Most of his time had been spent saving up the money he got from odd jobs he picked up like mowing his neighbors' lawns and going to the theater to watch movies all day long. He had been watching a movie about the late Symbol of Peace when he had retreated into his mind, his cheek cushioned in his palm as he considered what kind of life he could have if he was able to get into U.A. Academy. The rest of the movie had passed without Junpei noticing, and soon he was being politely asked to make his way home, as it was the last showing of the night.

He'd been teased about his Quirk relentlessly after breaking up with Ito, his bullies mocking him for having the spine of a jellyfish as well-- which was to say, no spine at all. Still, for the rest of the year after, he spent more time in his backyard practicing and strengthening his control of the jellyfish his Quirk summoned. Sometimes his mother would even join him, sitting on the back steps and tossing things into the air for Junpei to either attack or protect.

Once he was strong enough to maneuver them quickly enough with enough accuracy to allow a fragile object like a glass vase to land ontop of the bells of his jellyfish, he then began to save the money he got from the previous odd jobs to purchase the application papers for U.A.. His mother had offered to cover some of the cost, but Junpei had coyly waved her off with the reasoning that he was taking his life into his own hands from now on.

The Entrance Exam proved Junpei's skills well, gaining a high number of both combative and heroic points. Despite his worries that he'd end up in General Studies, the letter of acceptance and congratulations on making the Heroics Department had arrived shortly afterwards. It was needless to say that tears were shed on both his and his mother's end upon being congratulated by the Symbol of Hope, Deku.

And that's how he ended up in his current position, a first year student despite being a bit older than his peers and still catching up on the lessons he missed while he was out of school. Still, he was given every opportunity that his peers were, and so he ended up with a paid internship! He had gotten a few offers from different Heroes, but had politely declined them and taken up an offer from a former 1-A student based on how he interacted with the public.

He didn't particularly like the questioning that came with admitting who he was working with, but he bit his tongue and reminded himself that he didn't have to answer for anybody except the people he wanted to. Tentacole was a respectful Hero, quiet and kept his personal information out of the prying hands of the public. Junpei liked that about him. He was never rude about denying the public information about his personal life, even if he had every right to deny interviews and tell people to quit being so nosy.

Hell, even Junpei has never seen his face uncovered, and he's more or less accepted that he might never. He didn't mind that. What he did mind, however, was the fact that despite not knowing what he fully looked like, Tentacole had a way of making his heart flutter and his knees go weak.

Which is exactly what brings him to where he is now, in a T-shirt and sweatpants after a day of patrols and some combat training. His shirt is baggy, making him much more comfortable about not wearing a binder. He's been making it a habit to give his body a break after a day of hard work, plus working on being kinder to himself despite not having the body he wished he had.

"Tentacole-sensei," He starts, though using Shoji's Hero name feels a bit awkward. Perhaps he'd ask permission if he could call him by his surname if this went well. "I'll start out by saying that I don't mind if you feel uncomfortable with me as your intern after I admit this to you. If you'd prefer I choose a different Hero and transfer, I understand. I just feel like it's wrong for me to not admit this to you myself. Um, if that makes sense."

"You're always aware of everything happening around you. I know that you've seen the way I look at you, even when I think you're not paying attention to me." He pauses, feeling quite small all of a sudden. It would be nice if he could duck underneath the table he was settled at, but instead he just continues to rest sitting on his heels. "I guess where I'm trying to go with this is that I really look up to you, but I also... think of you in ways that aren't strictly teacher-student. I think you are very attractive, and it's been on my mind for a long time that I maybe... have a crush on you."

.....

Despite the multiple brushes with villains during his time in U.A., those years were still the most influential in Shouji, Mezou's life. To this day, he still thought back on them fondly. He'd made many friends during his time in the hero course which helped boost his confidence, but one of the things that had helped him become the hero he is today was his internship. Gang Orca had been an excellent mentor and a comfort for his appearance. He was well aware that he was going to end up on the list of heroes that look like villains and interning with someone that ranked so highly on that list helped boost his confidence. Despite the hard exterior he showed when teaching, he found the whale-like man was actually very kind and had insecurities similar to his own.

Now that he was a pro, he recognized that he was in a position to offer the same sort of comfort and guidance he'd been shown. Coming to a decision, he waited till he was well established enough to feel confident in his ability to protect an intern should things unexpectedly go South, he contacted U.A. about taking on interns. At first, when he was lower-ranked, he mostly took first years, though as he got higher in rank, he was allowed second and eventually even third years! He didn't regret a thing. Each one was a chance to learn about new quirks and how they could work together as well as a chance to help shape the future heroes, boosting self-confidence or cooling tempers for example.

Though he always applied and took students on every year, he found that his interns didn't stick around. He tried not to dwell on it and instead focus on the next student coming into his care. This year had taken an unexpected turn, however. As all heroes that took interns did, he watched the U.A. sports festival. So many brilliant and unique quirks were on display, always more powerful than the year before. It was both fascinating and terrifying to think of how quickly powers grew in strength from generation to generation... It made his work that much more important. When he would no longer be strong enough to hold his own against younger, more powerful villains, those that came after him would take on the torch.

Of those participating this year, many were eye-catching though he was never quick to make his choice. He'd be honored to have any of them and though he'd never been left without an intern since he'd signed up for the program, that didn't mean he was people's first choice. Often, in fact, he was the one being turned down, not the other way around. He'd had more than one teen admit that they had only become his intern because no one else had been interested in them. Despite this, every single one had also gone on to assure him that they couldn't be happier that they had worked with him as it really helped them both improve and develop new outlooks on life. It was nice to hear, though it stung a little that he was never someone's first choice.

This year, one particular first year stood out, for better or worse. The teen was old enough to be a third year, but was among the first years. This already put him at a disadvantage and it grated on him how Present Mic, as he usually did, pointed out 'interesting' details like that. It would hurt his chances in the future. Poor kid... He wasn't bad either! He had a good quirk that was both flashy and more importantly, versatile and practical. He'd make a great hero for sure, should he find the confidence to push for it. High school made up the forming years for heroes and often it wasn't hard to spot the ones that would make it far. Others needed a little more help.

Given the teen's quirk, even as he submitted interest in him, he had also contacted Tsukuyomi about the boy as their quirk similarities might be good for the boy. They had actually gotten together for some tea over the matter which had been quite nice as work schedules made relationships of any kind harder to maintain, particularly with how high ranking Fumikage now was. He was deeply proud of his friend and it was a pleasure to catch up.

Much to his shock, despite having 'better' choices, the teen had accepted his invitation over the others he'd gotten. It was a pleasant surprise and one that he hadn't been able to help inquiring about. Apparently, his demeanor had been the deciding factor for the teen and that had been a much-needed boost to his own confidence. It showed that despite his appearance, there were still people that recognized he was a good and kind person even before meeting him personally.

Only after the internship had started had he found out about the state of the other's gender and the fact he was only finding out about it at this point pleased him. U.A. had made not the slightest indication the teen was in any way different to the other boys in his class, as it should be. His gender wasn't the business of anyone other than himself and the only reason he found out was the boy outing himself when he hesitated joining him in their first shower after training. Poor kid looked mortified at what he might think, but he was nothing but supportive, simply offering to allow the teen a shower first.

He'd done a little research after that, but found himself in a bit of a difficult position. He didn't know how far along he was in his transition, nor what changes he'd like done in the future, if any. This was not the sort of conversation he liked to start, but it was an important one to have. He'd waited for a day when the boy seemed to be in a particularly good mood, then gently brought the subject up, starting off by assuring him that this was a private matter and he had all the right to deny him any information at all. The only reason he cared about it was the worry of if he had access to the hormones he needed as well as the risks that came with using a binder while participating in extreme exercise. He asked only about those things as those were the only ones that concerned him for the moment, but he was open to listening to anything that he wanted to share.

Things went as smoothly as they always had, but with a new found connection between them built on understanding, acceptance, and support. It was this bond that had lead him to offer the only spare room in his modest home. He'd even encouraged the boy to decorate it as he wished to make sure he didn't feel like he was obligated to follow the minimalist style of living Mezou himself preferred. With the agreement that the teen did, in fact, wish to continue his internship with him, he felt he might light to stay with him between semesters to help him improve even when school was out.

It was during this time that he'd noticed little changes in the teen's behavior. Little looks, standing closer, casual but appropriate touches, things of that nature. They hinted at feelings he would have never expected to get from anyone, let along his sweet and cute intern. Surely he was reading into that wrong. This had to be his own loneliness projecting feelings onto the kid, that was all. Or so he'd convinced himself. He now found himself being pulled into a conversation that seemed to be causing a fair amount of anxiety in his poor intern.

What could possibly be worrying him this much? Was he reconsidering? After living with him had he decided that he wanted to move on and find a different internship? No, his mind was being irrational, he literally opened with the worry of Shouji not wanting him so clearly he didn't want to leave. What was it then? Had he been doing something to make him uncomfortable, perhaps? Ah, so he was well aware that his recent behavior had been noticed. Such an observant boy. He was so proud of him... He seemed to be having some trouble getting whatever it was that was weighing on him out, but that's alright. He wouldn't push him to say it any faster. He would get it out when he was ready and he was more than willing to wait for that moment.

He felt a happy sort of warmth when the teen admitted to looking up to him, the same kind of warmth many of his past interns had instilled in him with similar words. Somehow it meant a little more coming from someone that had chosen him to start with rather than having settled for him due to a lack of options. He wondered if Gang Orca had felt this way when he'd done and said the same to the older man. Things changed when the rest of the sentence hit though. No... He couldn't possibly be admitting something like that. Perhaps he had started to view him as a father figure of sorts as he lacked one?

His eyes widened as a small breath left him, sitting up a little straighter as he turned his head at a better angle to look at him. His eyes were naturally set a bit further apart than humans so a bird or reptile-like head tilt was more comfortable for him. "You have feelings for me." Came his warm, deep rumble, not bothering to make a new mouth to speak. Normally he did so out of habit, but those he was closest to were the ones he usually spoke to directly, outside of emergency situations at least. It was worth noting that this had been a statement and not a question. He'd noticed the crush already, of course, but simply couldn't bring himself to believe it was what he thought it had been. This was also a rather delicate situation. Heroes were in the spotlight and the media ate up things like this.

"You're sure you'd want someone like me? Surely you could find someone better. You're a wonderful person and a very handsome young man. Anyone would be exceptionally lucky to be with someone like you." He was being honest, though clearly hard on himself. Between the bullying he'd gotten in his home town and the fear his appearance garnered, he couldn't help thinking little of himself in that regard. "You also have to realize that I'm in the top 50. The higher up you are in the rankings, the more attention you get from the media. We would have to either be very secretive or be willing to go public about it and take whatever repercussions come." So far, he hadn't admitted to feeling the same directly, but talk how they would have to approach something like this left clear hints that he'd kept quiet about his own feelings towards his intern.

.....

"I have feelings for you." He repeated the statement, feeling as though he'd discover a secondary shrinking Quirk if he kept at it for long enough. He felt so small, and it didn't help that he was quite small for somebody his age. At least, a boy his age. He supposes he either ended up with a father who was shorter in statue or he just got the shorter end of the stick, because his mother was actually quite tall for a woman.

He was only taller than three or four of his fellow first years, which didn't exactly do him much for his self esteem, but he always tried to remind himself that there were plenty of Heroes that were small in statue. Comicman was only 5' even! Though, his speech bubble head made it hard to gauge an actual height because it could shrink or grow at will. Junpei hoped for a growth spurt, but the reminder that he was seventeen already stomped that hope down quite a bit.

His body had went through puberty at the normal female rate, and as such, he had hit a growth spurt in middle school that had given him quite a confident boost since he was taller than most of the boys in his class. It was nice while it lasted, but once he entered highschool, that confidence had been stripped away pretty quickly. Ito was nearing 6', though he was already a second year when he and Junpei had dated.

"I thought I liked somebody closer to my age once, but I was stupid to think someone like him had any interest in me besides carnal, teenaged lust." He frowns, his hands loosely curling into fists. Suddenly, he swore the cigarette burn scars scattered across his body from his forehead all the way down to his upper thighs burned like they were fresh despite it nearly having been two years since the last one was created.

"I see him in the hallways sometimes. I don't think he notices me, but I can't just look away and pretend like he didn't do those things to me. I can't make the scars go away. I don't want to continue letting what I used to think was love get in the way of my future."

He lifts his gaze to meet Shoji's, though it makes his cheeks burn with embarrassment over such a childish thought. A crush is childish, isn't it? When did adults lose that sort of feeling and it became something... less childish? Did that even happen at all? Junpei's innocence has been stripped away more than he'd care to admit, but he still didn't know that most adults don't really know what they're doing, either.

"You're kind, Sensei. I'm never uncomfortable because of something you do. Every instance I can think of when I haven't been in my comfort zone is more of my own fault than it is anybody else's, especially your's. I don't mind the secrecy that will come with a relationship. I mean... part of why I picked your Agency is because I like how private you are. It's nobody's business what you look like or what your opinions on uncomfortable topics are."

.....

Despite the fact he'd said it as a statement, acknowledging the boy's feelings, having them restated like that still felt like it was cementing them down further. The story that followed was seriously concerning, however. He wasn't sure what exactly might have happened, but based on the choice of words and the clenching of the teen's fists, he could hazard a guess. There's no way he would be able to know exactly without asking, but even what little he could gather was unsettling.

"I can assure you that not all teenagers are like this. I have a few friends that have remained with their high school sweethearts and a couple that have even married. With that said, that doesn't mean love cannot happen between people of different ages. It just brings in some negative attention from the world sometimes so it's something to consider." He quieted down again as the teen started to speak again, laying out some of the reasons for his feelings. It was flattering to say the least and embarrassingly he could feel some warmth pool at his cheeks.

If that weren't enough, the secrecy that he'd been worried about was something Junpei wanted. He hadn't expected that. In his experience, teenagers usually wanted their relationships out in the open, to show off their 'catch' so to speak. It was a matter of pride leading to the want to show off to the world how wonderful their partner was. Shouji on the other hand was a generally very private person. It's not that he would be against sharing his relationship status at all, but it would be something reserved for those close to his heart. He didn't see the point in sharing such intimate things with strangers. It seemed that Junpei felt the same in this matter.

He finally broke eye contact, looking down and frowning a touch as he considered things. It would be risky to accept. If things didn't work out, there was a very real chance that his name could be dragged through the mud for having a relationship with his intern. What's more, due to the private nature of this relationship, he couldn't even prove any accusation made against him wrong. Then again, he would probably be able to counter anything he said for the same reason. Ugh, this was one of the aspects of hero work he hated. You always had to carefully think things through or you might have a PR nightmare on your hands. Mezou was well known for his clean as a whistle reputation and he'd like to keep it that way.

At the same time, it's not like he didn't have an interest in romance. He'd never tried to seek it out simply because he honestly thought no one would ever have a real interest in him beyond the novelty of his unusual appearance. As a result, he'd never actually been in a relationship before which was further complicating things because he only knew what little he'd picked up from conversations with other people and movies. His lips parted to speak then he hesitated and closed them again. This could be a huge mistake and he knew it. He'd never been one to make impulsive choices like this and was indeed uncomfortable with doing so, but...

...but he was lonely. He wanted companionship, the sweet and loving kind you read about. Could he really find something like that for himself? He'd always assuming that such things were beyond his reach, a sweet fantasy that he strove to protect for others, but one he was destined never to have for himself. More to the point, could he really find something like that with this boy? That was the real question. Another good question was if it was worth the risk to even attempt such a thing? He'd been doing fine without it so far...

...but he was so lonely...

"I..." He failed to start again, taking a deep, calming breath through his nose before slowly letting it out again through his mouth, mask puffing up just a bit as he did so. The warmth at his face was a familiar comfort as well. He regularly fought supervillains... Why was this so frightening? You can do this. Try again. Another breath...

"I never thought anyone would be interested in such a thing with me, not just you." Another small moment of hesitation came before he was forcing himself to move forward and open up to the boy. "I grew up in a town that shunned people that didn't look 'normal'. They made it clear that a monster like me is unloveable. It's ingrained enough in me that it's hard to believe they may have been wrong. My hesitance must be making you anxious. Please forgive me, this is very difficult for me to do. I hope you understand..." One more breath.

"I have feelings for you too. I have for a while. I... I'd like to try, if you'll have me." He huffed out a single breathy laugh, unable to maintain eye contact for a bit. "I've never been with anyone else so I suppose we'll have to learn how to manage a healthy relationship together. M... May I hold you...?" He realized he might be getting ahead of himself, but his own anxiety was getting the better of him. Shockingly, it showed. He looked uncharacteristically anxious, almost fearful like he expected it all to be taken back at any second when the kid realized exactly who it was he was trying to enter a relationship with.

.....

Growing up being ridiculed for the way he looked wasn't necessarily the same thing Junpei struggled with in the past, but it had been made abundantly clear that he was not born a male once his relationship with Ito had been ended. Junpei hadn't been sure what he expected, honestly. Ito had never recognized him as a guy in the first place, and certainly didn't treat him like one.

It had surprised him quite a bit how many people were totally fine with him until he decided to reject the 'love' of somebody who didn't respect him in the slightest, though. So many people went from barely acknowledging he existed to hating his guts all because of what one person said about him. It was the word of an incredibly popular boy versus the word of somebody who could have disappeared and nobody would have noticed, though. Hell, after he dropped out, he doubted anybody did notice he was gone. They all just moved onto somebody else to pick on.

He saw them around town, and they skipped school to go to the movies every once in a while as well, but they always sat way in the back and talked over the films. Annoying, but if they didn't pick on him, he didn't see why he should let them drive him out of the one thing that made him happy. He'd seen a lot of re-runs, anyways, so he could recite most of the movies they were at word-for-word. If he really wanted, he could just catch the next showing and ignore what the theater staff thought of him.

"I was tormented for not being born a boy after I broke up with him," He mentions, but he isn't quite sure if it helped the scenario or not. Sympathy was hard for Junpei. He's grown to think people are immediately bad, even if they haven't yet said or done anything to make him think that. People are mean. People think mean things, they look at him like he's not worth their time, they call him slurs in their thoughts. He knows it. He knows it and it hurts and he wants it to stop but--

"I don't think you're a monster. You're kind and hardworking. Those things alone are attractive to me, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't physically attracted to you as well. I don't know what your face looks like and I respect your privacy, but... I think about it." He gets a bit coy, changing his fists to instead folding his hands and rubbing the top of his thumb with the other one. Would it be bad to admit those things? He thinks... it would give the other some confidence, if not elaborating on how often Shoji occupies his mind.

"You're a larger person, me... not so much. You have six arms, and you've subdued villains with them in front of me before. It's not a friendly gesture in those scenarios, but I always think it looks like a really big hug and I guess I just... crave that sort of thing? I think that's normal for people in general, but I know that people would be surprised to hear that coming from me of all people."

He's glad to hear that the feeling is mutual, and it's admittedly pretty cute how flustered Shoji was getting over it as well. Junpei thinks that people who are large and quite powerful being reduced to shy, stuttering and mumbling is really attractive. He probably would've been a big fan of how cutesie All Might was when he wasn't maintaining his image. When he asked Deku if he wanted to have lunch together? Holy shit.

He puts his palms flat against the table, using it as leverage to help him get up to his feet. He's wearing two separate colored socks, and he wiggles his toes a little bit in excitement before he steps around the side of the table and holds his arms out. Though, he supposed the anatomy of Shoji's six arms didn't lend so well to people hugging him so much as Shoji hugging them. Still, he wanted his intent to be known very clearly to get rid of any anxiety Shoji might have had about him deciding to get up.

"I've wanted to be held for a long time, so if you don't mind, I would like to take you up on that offer."

.....

His heart ached at the thought of him being treated so poorly for something as trivial as his genitals not matching up with his gender. The discomfort of living like that was one he could only vaguely imagine thanks to his own discrimination, but to think that he would have to suffer at the hands of other people too for something that didn't even really deviate from what humans generally looked like. It was so sad...

"I promise you, not everyone is like that. All the same, I'm sorry you had to go through that. You're in the hero course now. Most kids that are are wonderful people. I'm sure you can make some wonderful friends among them, at the very least. I did." He was hoping to be encouraging, but he realized in the face of so much long-standing trauma, a few kind words weren't going to flip some happy switch and make everything better. Still, the effort needed to be made and hopefully, he would be able to help him sort through it all in time.

He smiled a little weakly as the teen assured him that he wasn't a monster, something he'd been told before, but it was still hard for him to believe thanks to his upbringing. What he hadn't expected was for that to escalate all the way up to the assurance that he found him attractive. Like actually attractive. It seemed the brunette was actually trying to imagine what he looked like despite how little there really was to work with. More notably, it suggested it wasn't just curiosity that drove the teen. From the sound of things, Junpei actually fantasized about him and that definitely wasn't helping the warmth at his cheeks.

"That's true... But I also use these arms to rescue and comfort people. I hope you will get to see more of that as we continue to work together." He chuckled softly, some of the anxiety starting to leave him as the brunette seemed receptive. "I'll be sure not to squeeze you too much." He promised though it was partially a lie. He didn't intend on squeezing very much at all. He was a gentle soul and that certainly didn't change when he hugged someone. Honestly, it was a direct result of that strength! He was very much aware that he could easily crush a human skull one handed before he even got into his first year of U.A. That sort of strength inspired a sort of gentleness in people like him.

He watched on as the boy stood wordlessly, a touch of that anxiety returning only to melt right back out of him as a pair of welcoming arms were spread. Goodness, he was cute too! The socks, those wiggling toes! You'd have to be heartless not to find the display adorable on some level. For Shouji, the level was quite high, thank you. "Who am I to keep you waiting any longer then?"

With that, he was standing up himself, closing some of the distance between them only to kneel. He slipped his arms under the others and gently coaxed them over his shoulders before properly wrapping his arms around the teen to hold him close. The gesture didn't end there however as he simply stood up and took the kid right up with him as if he weighed nothing. His other arms came into play then, growing extra hands as needed to literally bundle him up and cradle him to his chest.

His warm smile was hard to see through his mask, but it was there. Not that the angle was a good one for long as he tucked in his chin, his unusually long face tilting down so he could gently bring his forehead to rest against his... Boyfriend's? Did this mean they were official? He wasn't sure, but a part of him hoped so. With a contented eye, he allowed his eyes to drift shut, basking in the warmth they were now sharing with each other.

.....

"I've made a friend, or at least I think he's my friend, since I started the year. I still feel kind of weird that he's actually the age of a first year and I'm not, but that's a bit hypocritical, isn't it?" He can't help but laugh a little bit at the idea, but he guesses in the end it didn't really matter how much their ages differed as long as they had a common interest or just generally found eachother to be friend-worthy. And so far, he thinks the boy he's talking about is the type of person who ends up being friends with everyone he meets.

Yuji's personality and appearance made him hard to dislike! His Quirk made people a bit hesitant to get close to him, but after Junpei had worked with him for an exam, he had realized that Yuji never used it for anything malicious. In fact, the memories he manipulated and created were only ever pleasant, allowing him to get his foot in the door against a villain or somebody who just generally had bad intent. He had even offered to help Junpei with some of the stress he had from the vague mention of his past being bullied he had let slip accidentally.

Junpei's automatic reaction to being picked up was to hang on for dear life, and with the strength he was building due to the physical toll training was taking on his body, he was able to link his ankles around Shoji's waist without too much effort. It felt nice to be held like this again! He couldn't remember the last time his mother had held him when he was younger, but honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if she still could.

He's probably not going to put that to the test. His mother is already very powerful in a well-meaning way, but knowing she could still pick him up would be kind of weird.

He thinks that Shoji could squeeze him a bit tighter if he wanted, but he can tell by his past of being bullied for the way he looked and people being scared of how powerful he was that he wasn't doing that for a reason. They could work on that together, no need to rush. He, however, doesn't hesitate to hug Shoji tightly around the neck and thread his fingers through the hair at the back of his head.

Shoji's head is pretty interesting in shape, Junpei wouldn't lie. It was a shape he enjoyed, though! He's seen the front of Shoji's mask change shape depending on whether he was raising his voice in a combat scene or just yawning, so he knows that he does have a mouth underneath. He just doesn't know what it looks like. He's thought about it quite a bit, and while there were some ideas that he was more fond of than others, he wasn't able to fully tell based on that alone.

Having a normal, forward positioned mouth could make a bit of sense, but it didn't quite settle right with Junpei. He just felt like it wasn't what lied underneath the mask. Shoji's head shape wouldn't lend very well to him having a proportionally smaller mouth positioned that far forward. He thinks that it being wider would make the most sense, but he wasn't entirely sure how wide it would be.

Due to how differently their faces were shaped, his forehead against Shoji's meant that he was pretty much at the perfect angle to kiss the top of Shoji's snout. It wasn't right on the nose, but it was a bit like if you kissed a dog's snout closer to their eyes. And so he does! It's a heat of the moment thing due to him being excited, plus he was already quite occupied with his hands. Otherwise, he would flap his hands or curl them into fists pretty hard and shake them up and down in a gleeful gesture.

.....

"I'm afraid that might be the case with everyone in that class." He pointed out the obvious gently. "I'm sure there's plenty of more people that would be happy to be your friend. If anything, they could admire you for not giving up and trying to become a hero even if you fell behind at the start. Determination is a good heroic trait after all. Maybe you should let your friend take the lead. If he invites you to hang out, try accepting. I didn't think I would be making any friends myself, but I'm still in contact with most of my class and we still make time to meet up when we can." It was more than he'd meant to say, but he already cared about the boy's happiness so he wanted to be sure to do what he could to help him in that regard.

Thankfully, his picking the teen up was not a bed choice and soon enough they were comfortable tangled up together. It felt nice to have arms around his neck and legs around his waist... It's not like this was the first time exactly, he'd been in the business of rescuing people for a while after all, but this felt different. He wasn't picking someone up in a dangerous situation to get them to safety or shield them with his own body, they were safe and wanted to be in this situation. It was an incredibly nice change from the norm.

Despite his promise to not be 'too' rough, his hold was light, only supportive where it needed to be to keep Junpei comfortably in place. His breath caught for just a moment as the arms around his neck tightened, finding he very much liked the feeling when it wasn't a fear reaction to what was happening around them. Yeah... This was definitely nice... The fingers in his hair were a completely new thing too and he found that he very much liked the feeling. It helped him relax and added an extra layer of intimacy he didn't know he wanted.

The moment they shared was quiet and peaceful. They were starting on a new path together and he was sure there would be hiccups to have to deal with along the way, but they would deal with those as they came up. What he hadn't expected was to come up to one so very soon.

Soft lips pressed against the bridge of his broad nose unexpectedly, causing an unpleasant jump in his heart and a very small, but impossible to miss flinch. There wasn't anything about him that he was more sensitive about than his face. "S-sorry... Please, just... Don't take it off." He didn't pull away, didn't put him back down, hell even the tension that had snapped into his muscles was already dying back down, but the reaction was hard to forget. The trauma surrounding his face was clearly still very much in place.

Despite this, he wasn't pulling away. In fact, he felt the need to reassure the brunette that he hadn't caused any harm, just startled him. And so he leaned in pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead. If that weren't enough one of his tendrils came up alongside his face, the end splitting open into a soft smile. It spoke, the voice higher than his natural voice, "Thank you for giving me this chance." With that, the new mouth started to press kiss after sweet kiss to the teen's cheek.

[DirtyDeku]

Surprisingly, his confession about seeing Shoji as more than a mentor had gone quite well. Even if the feeling hadn't been returned, he supposed he shouldn't have expected Shoji to react too unkindly, but his past experiences made him hesitant to start anew. If the last person he thought he loved could hurt him so much, what said that Shoji couldn't also hurt him? It had worked itself into his brain for the longest time, and even now that they were dating, he couldn't shake it completely. He was, however, getting better at ignoring that nagging anxiety and looking at what was in front of him. If Shoji wanted to hurt him, he would have done so by now, right? Ito certainly hadn't waited so long to start making him feel sick to his stomach about his own body. If he had any ill intentions, he was very bad at acting on them.

Throughout the past few months, he's slowly been coming out of his shell more and more. Maybe he'd talk more in-depth about his favorite movie series or he would tuck his bangs behind his ear without feeling ashamed of the circular cigarette scars that littered his temple. Hell, he had even gone so far as to change in the same room as Shoji, though they hadn't quite made it to the point where he felt comfortable with doing it directly in Shoji's line of sight. It was always back to back, neither of them watching the other-- even though Junpei kind of wanted to look-- and he was perfectly happy with that at this point. It made him feel like they had a mutual respect between eachother, even if it was a bit more platonic seeming than their relationship was. Baby steps, he reminded himself. Baby steps.

His current predicament was more of a leap, though. When he got dressed in the mornings, it was almost always the same exact routine. Generic underwear, binder, his school uniform which didn't do much for his appearance but also didn't take much away. He looked like any other student at U.A. and he liked it that way. During patrols and training, he wore his Hero Costume which was made to flatten his chest as much as possible without it being too hard on his body. Then, in the evenings, he typically wore a neutral colored bra underneath a baggy T-shirt to make his chest look as small as he could without having to sacrifice anymore of his comfort. Occasionally if he was more exhausted than usual, he would go without a bra, but it was very rare and he usually stayed in his bedroom. Though, during those days, he usually just ended up falling asleep almost immediately upon getting home.

He could remember the last time he wore something so... flashy... like the back of his hand. It wasn't a pleasant experience, in fact it was the reason he ended up breaking it off with Ito and bringing the hoards of bullies down upon himself, but he didn't want to continue letting that stop him from doing something that made him feel better about himself. Well, feeling better about himself might be making it seem like a bigger deal than it was, since this had really started as a curious endeavor. He knew that this particular set had fit him quite snugly the last time he wore it, and he was honestly curious to see how it fit now that he had lost a bit of weight and began to bulk up in muscle instead.

Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, he turned one way and then the other to see how his figure looked. He pinched the little bit of fat he still had on his tummy between his thumb and the rest of his fingers, smiling faintly at himself as he jiggled it idly. He used to be self-conscious about it, but now that he only had so much of it left, it was kind of cute! He could just barely pinch it which made him feel less out of shape, but it also meant that he still had a certain amount of softness to his figure that he liked. He's in the middle of squishing the bit of fat he had on his stomach around to make his navel take on different shapes when Shoji knocks on the door, which startles him.

"Oh-- Uhhh, come in!!"

...That wasn't what he had meant to say, but he's too surprised to say anything else. He lets go of his tummy, wondering if he could try to scramble underneath his bed in the time it took to get the door open. Shit.

[NicTheDjinn]

Despite his own self-worth issues, mostly stemming from hangups about his appearance, their relationship went wonderfully smoothly. Shouji was in no hurry so he always allowed Junpei to set the pace for them. The only real limit he'd set himself was about his mask. Even as months went by, he couldn't bring himself to let the boy see his actual face. This brought on a level of guilt as the teen opened up to him more and more, particularly when Junpei had grown comfortable and trusting enough to allow his facial scars to be on display. It felt hypocritical to continue to hide his own face while Junpei allowed him to see those.

Still, this didn't change the level of discomfort he felt and it's not like the teen had allowed him to see everything. He knew he would have to face his fears and reveal himself at some point, but he didn't feel ready for that yet. Honestly, he was both surprised and flattered with how comfortable Junpei was getting with him, particularly the first time the teen had wordlessly and shyly changed behind him for the first time. There was nothing but a head turn between them. This was particularly meaningful when you considered just how easy it is for someone to sneak a peek without even turning. He'd never and Junpei was so confident in this fact that they now changed together without a shred of awkwardness or anxiety. They both felt safe in each other's company.

Shouji actually found himself at a bit of a crossroads in fact. He wasn't sure if he should be encouraging him to be braver because he was safe to do so or just letting him continue at his slow pace. While he felt a little encouragement might be good for him, but he always came back to the fact that it wouldn't be fair to ask him to do something like that, when he still wasn't comfortable showing his face. He knew it was a stupid hang-up at this point, but he just couldn't get comfortable with the idea.

He shook the thought out of his head, letting himself into the house and bringing the groceries in, putting them away. As he put the last of the groceries away, he manifested an extra eye to peek in the direction of the spare room door. Even from down the hall, he could tell it was completely closed, which meant that Junpei was probably home. There was still a little time before it was time for dinner, but he may as well check to see if he was craving anything in particular. Leaving the small kitchen, he approached the door and gently knocked to see if he would get a reply. He didn't want to walk in on him changing or wake him if he was taking a nap after all. When he heard a startled reply he felt a touch guilty. Poor kid was always so anxious...

Not thinking the tone was too out of place, so he turned the knob and started to enter only to freeze only a single step inside. He hadn't even let go of the doorknob... The last thing he'd expected was to see his boyfriend dressed as he was, eyes flicking over his form on instinct. When they snapped back to his face he recognized the fear and panic there which made it very easy to realize that the anxious invitation to enter was probably a mistake. In total it only took a few seconds for him to turn his head away and avert his eyes, but there was still a part of him that was unsure if it had been an accident or if Junpei had wanted him to see and was simply anxious about it now that it was happening. Just in case, he pointedly didn't look at him. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?"

[DirtyDeku]

The trust between them was growing by the day, with both of them coming out of their shells about their own insecurities. It was like more and more weight was lifted from his shoulders each time he spent time with Shoji. There were still things that they both seemed to be a bit hesitant to talk about or do, but it was likely that they were both projecting a bit of anxiety onto eachother because of their own anxieties. Junpei was both a bit too shy to change in front of Shoji, but he also feared turning around too soon and seeing what was beneath Shoji's mask before he was ready to show Junpei.

He already knew that the hero feared he would be bothered by what he looked like or perhaps that Junpei would be disappointed if what he imagined under the mask wasn't what Shoji actually looked like. It went both ways, and for Junpei's second relationship, it made sense that they were both cautious. The last time he was intimate with somebody, something very upsetting had happened and... Junpei wasn't sure how to even begin unloading that. He knew that everything else he had opened up to Shoji about had helped him feel like he was healing bit by bit, but he isn't sure that now would be the best time to start unpacking.

"No, no! Um, I was just surprised is all," He begins, waving his hands in front of himself in an attempt to deescalate the awkward situation. His breaks jiggle quite a lot as he does so, which doesn't do much for his embarrassment if he's honest. He seems to be quite flustered, and his mind has other things to worry about rather than recalling the last time he used the restroom. It was a bad habit he's held onto, too many ambushes in the bathrooms at school in his past to feel perfectly safe. Plus, the sensation of a full bladder kind of did something for him, even if he didn't understand it besides a logical 'being aroused feels pretty similar to having to pee' way.

"Um, m-mom must've figured I'd need underwear and just... packed it together?" He tries to gain some confidence by snapping the strap of the bra against his shoulder, sheepishly smiling. Even though he'd rather not have breasts to worry about at all, he could at least understand that having more than one bra around was actually a good idea despite being flustered. He chooses to avert his gaze before he gets too overwhelmed by not knowing what to say or do, looking back at the mirror and poking himself in the little bit of fat that remained around his stomach. His bladder is pretty distended.

"All of my training is really paying off, huh? I don't think I've ever been in shape like this before. I'd gotten so used to being upset with the way I look, but... I think I'm getting over it."

[NicTheDjinn]

He should leave. Common sense told him he should. His anxiety definitely told him he should. However, in spite of this, he remained and waited for his answer, keeping his eyes averted for now. He didn't want the poor boy to feel ashamed of himself and he very well might if he fled. He was fairly sure that giving him the chance to tell him to stay or go would be for the best. His polite nature made it so hard though! Thankfully, his internal struggle actually wasn't given much chance to take root and he was assured that the teen had simply been surprised rather than upset. Still, this suggested that the whole thing had been unintentional.

Despite this, Junpei wasn't asking him to leave. This fact was enough to have him hesitantly turning his head to look, particularly with the way his opinion was being asked for a moment later. He couldn't exactly give his opinion without looking, right? He forced himself to leave the doorway and come closer, looking the teen over as he did. He'd never seen this much of him before thanks to their tendency to change back to back. He was honestly torn between being struck with how attractive he looked like this and honored that he was allowed to see this much skin, including his numerous scars.

"You look amazing." He agreed, voice quiet like he might spook him if he spoke too loudly. "I'm so proud of you, I know how hard showing yourself to people can be." Given the chance to look now, he, sure enough, found himself having trouble breaking his gaze away. He'd never really been given the chance to look at someone like this, at least no more than momentary glances in changing rooms. His eyes had never lingered on any of the other boys then as showing themselves to him wasn't the point of them taking off their clothes. They were just changing. Here though, he was being given permission to look, even if indirectly.

"You're so handsome, Jun..." He cooed on, meaning every word. He stopped near him and though he got the urge to touch, he resisted it. He didn't have permission for something like that just yet. "You've grown so much." He went on, fingers twitching with the want to touch. He wanted to hold him, to press kisses to those pretty bare shoulders...