Of Giant and Tiny Boyfriends [Mezou x Fumikage | Dark Shadow x Katsuki]

[cynnabnnuy]

It had started after the camping trip their first year in high school. The man in question was strong, calm, collected, and bright. He was beautiful, even if that didn't register quite yet. They were confused and in the throws of fully realizing themself out alongside needing to communicate with Dark Shadow near constantly, regardless of feeling up to it or not. Romance and attraction were simply something they didn't have the energy for, nor the interest. And honestly, who really did in high school? Well- quite a few people, but there were more things to focus on when studying to become a hero.

Yet, despite the lack of emotional or energetic bandwidth, he found himself trying to get closer to one of two people. Specifically, one because the other had a group they weren't particularly comfortable around. Not that they were bad people, quite the contrary, but they were extroverted. He was not. Shouji Mezou, however, was far easier to reside in the presence of. The group surrounding him was far quieter, more reserved, and less... mean. They didn't judge the group unofficially dubbed as the 'Bakusquad' for their dynamic, it just wasn't their cup of tea. Solitude and soft speech were their comfort zone, the others were caring, sure, but they could be a lot at times. They seemed to be closely knit, though, so good for them.

The closer he got, though, the harder it was to ignore that there was something more than platonic behind his reasoning. As much as he hated that, he tried to push it aside, to get over his little crush and go back to it being just him and Dark Shadow like before. It didn't work, of course, but he genuinely tried on his own. He tried, failed, and felt himself shatter a bit when he found out that the two people who'd caught his eye were together. Of course, he wasn't as close to Bakugou, but it still hurt to see them interact on their own more.

Starting college made that pain easier to manage, but the feelings that caused it refused to subside. However, it also left him with far more downtime to think. By himself. Sure, Dark Shadow was there, influencing things in a similar way to how he influenced him, but things with him could easily become an echo chamber. It often left him feeling like he had barely even talked to another being, even knowing well enough that he had.

So, he wrote a letter. He wrote a letter, sealed the envelope with a darkly colored wax, and approached the other man. Sure, they had been nearly half his height for years, but they'd never felt so small around him. Not that it mattered, he just wanted to deliver the letter and run, frankly. But it would be fine, they just had to go up to the other when he usually had lunch, addressing him with a brief greeting before handing him the parcel. The papers looked intentionally aged, off-white, and a bit yellowed, the other's name was printed on the envelope with the inside containing scrawled words written in dark red ink. Yes, he absolutely did the most to get it like that, a lame feather quill and writing by candlelight as well because he wouldn't settle with anything less than perfect for the other.

Shouji,
Despite the knowledge of my inexorable despondency, I find myself and my Shadow no longer able to refrain from admission. As egocentric as that may be, as futile as my words may find themselves becoming, I still wish to admonish such self-centered feelings. Of course, both He and I know this is, at best, a fantastical daydream, yet still, we implore you to read my words unescorted. Should I find opprobrium at your rejection, my sole hope is to retain my dignity thereafter.

Regardless, I find myself seeking your camaraderie quite regularly. My Shadow and I have found ourselves an apathetic approach to the fallacy of romantic endeavors, a solitary revelry in the darkness. We have come to understand the beauty of our mutual lack of interest in heat, a lack of desire for that which is found under the light of the sun. Yet I yearn to join the warmth of another within the forbidden garden, limbs intertwined with naught but blinding affinity to guide the tremors within my feeble chest. Alas, this also has not come without repercussion.

Without consequence, we would remain in the dark, disinterested in light not brought from within. In a perfect world, we could be mature and strong enough on our own, but this world is anything except. You have become a beacon, along with the twin flame of your partner and I have been left as but a mere moth seeking such a light. It has become increasingly apparent to me that, even in the face of dismissal, forsaking this degenerate yearning will only begin to increase in difficulty as time continues its steady march.

Seeking counsel on this has wrought less than favorable ideas, so I have resigned myself to writing this in hopes of sparing myself. The ignominy of stumbling over this in an attempt to vocalize it would be far too much for a man such as myself to bare. However, with that said, I do so hope this letter finds you in good health and pleasant standings emotionally. I wish not to cause you any additional turmoil or stress, nor to cause any pressure on seeking a response, be it rejection or not. I am certain your days are likely already filled with studies and interpersonal connections, therefore it is not my intention to rush anything. Of course, despite my hope for an answer, I am also aware that may not be in the cards at present and have accepted such as a possibility. You are free to take as long as needed or simply throw this letter out. I will never hold any ill will against such an astonishingly sublime friend.

All the best,
Tokoyami Fumikage.

[NicTheDjinn]

When he had first been accepted into Yuuei's hero program, he'd been very anxious about it. Most, if not all of them, probably has been, but as someone with a particularly extreme mutation type quirk he'd had more to worry about than most. Upon meeting his classmates, he would find that there were several other students with obvious mutations, some as mild as having unusual elbows or a tail all the way to a boy with a girl that looked halfway through transforming into a frog and a boy with a literal bird's head. Having been born and raised in a small town that was less than accepting of people that looked different, it was a comfort to see he wasn't the only one.

As he would come to discover in time, not being alone in his unique appearance wasn't the end of it. In San entire class of 19 other students, none of them treated him poorly. Well... More or less. He was reluctant to count Bakugou was treating him poorly was he treated everyone like that. A better way of putting it would be to say that he wasn't being treated any different by anyone. It was a nice change in comparison to being looked at like a monster. At the start, he didn't have much in the way of friends as he was admittedly a little shy, but he was still happier at school than he was at home.

He was used to being alone so this was still more friendly interaction than he was used to and things only escalated when they were taken to a training camp. For the first time their class spent a significant amount of time together outside of class. They hung out when they weren't training, the boys and girls were segregated for sleeping, but it was still group sleeping, they shared all three meals together, even cooking it together! He already cared about all his classmates before then, but he felt closer to them than ever before. They had gone from being a class to being family. This fact made it all the more devastating when villains attempted to kidnap not one, but two of them. They had managed to save Tokoyami, but Bakugou had been taken from them.

Guilt had eaten at many of them for their failure to save him and further in the inability to rescue him. In the end, they had all almost gotten expelled for not having prevented their fellows from doing exactly that, but he was just happy that Bakugou had been brought back to them safely. Their lives didn't get simpler after that either, let alone safer. That was the reality they were having to face now but they did so together. What he hadn't expected was how his relationship with the blond would develope.

The first incident had happened in the middle of the night. He'd come down to the kitchen for a drink and there was Bakugou, sitting by himself in the dark and breathing irregularly. He'd found out much later that he had a nightmare and his room has felt too small, but back then, he didn't ask. Instead, he'd fetched not one but two mugs and made some tea, sitting down with the blond and offering him one of them without a word. He'd hesitated, but accepted the drink and they say in silence together, slowly draining their mugs. Even when they had finished, he simply sat there with him. Eventually, Katsuki stood, took his mug and washed both of them before heading back to his room and only then had he returned to his. A month later, he'd gotten a text in the middle of the night from Bakugou that simple read, "Arms, make me some tea."

After that, Shouji found himself summoned more regularly and eventually found himself opening his bedroom door to allow Bakugou to have tea within. His tea was better. In time, he didn't even bother with the tea simply coming to sit with him which eventually escalated to sharing a futon. Neither of them spoke of it till Bakugou did. Only then did he get confirmation of the nightmares he'd already suspected. It was during these quiet time in his room, sitting on his futon, that he gained the blond's trust, always letting him say what he needed to when he was ready and no sooner. A particularly bad night had caused a shift in their little meetings from sitting next to each other to Katsuki bundled in his lap, this too slowly escalating into their first kiss. He couldn't be more thankful that he hadn't given him a hard time about accepting the mouth he'd offered him and hadn't tried to remove his mask.

And so what seemed to be the most unlikely couple had been formed and much to his shock, Bakugou didn't keep it a secret. While he wasn't going around gossiping about what they did in private, he wasn't shy about the subject itself. When Mezou had plucked up the courage to ask him why, the answer was as simple and to the point as Katsuki usually was. "I'm not ashamed of you and you shouldn't be either." He was glad he'd asked him about it in private as he hadn't been able to stop the tears.

Now they were in third year and they were still going strong. He honestly still couldn't believe it was true and it seemed he wasn't alone. He'd even been asked by some outside of their class if he was alright. It showed they didn't know him well... Bakugou strives to be the best at anything he deems worth his time and this was certainly worth his time. Katsuki was an incredible and attentive boyfriend, actively doing whatever he could to make sure Mezou was happy. It seemed life wasn't done surprising him, however.

He'd been waiting for his boyfriend to have lunch when he was approached by none other than Tokoyami. He'd befriend the small teen early in their first year and they had been close ever since. He was happy to have his company while he waited, but it seemed that he wasn't here for a friendly chat, instead, handing him a letter. He looked so nervous too... Looking at the letter that looked so small in his large hands he realized that whatever the letter contained, it must be important. The paper had been stained to look aged and there was even a wax seal. While his goth status was far from being a secret, he'd put a lot of effort into this. After carefully opening the letter, he would discover that it was more than he even initially thought was this was clearly not written with something simple like a ball point pen. Must be very important if he's pulling out his quill for the job.

He turned his head slightly so he could see better with one of his wide set eyes and started to read. More correctly, he started to translate. Fumikage had a tendency towards the grandiloquent... Oh. Oh... They had feelings for him? Wait no, there was a reference to Bakugou. So feelings for them. This was all very unexpected. The fact one person was interested in him was a shock, the fact that now this pair was too... This was such a delicate issue, particularly as he found he wasn't opposed to the idea of adding the pair to their relationship. He carefully folded up the later again and placed it into his bag gently so as to not damage it. Forming a new mouth for himself, he spoke.

"I'm deeply flattered, honestly." Geez he sounded so dumb after getting something so extravagantly written... "I can't make this decision on my own. I have to take to Katsuki about it, I'm sure you understand." Next an eye formed to look around so he didn't have to look away from Tokoyami as he spoke, making it clear that he expected the blond to be there any minute. "I think it would be best if I spoke to him in private first. I promise to find you as soon as we've talked." He was trying to be polite about asking him to leave, knowing how sensitive Bakugou could be. If he saw the two of them talking, it might make him anxious.

Once alone, he continued to wait for his boyfriend to arrive, standing himself up when he finally did. "Katsuki," he greeted simply smiling softly for him. "Would you mind if we ate in one of our rooms today? I want to talk to you about something."

[cynnabnnuy]

Tokoyami was no stranger to Bakugou's... precarious mental state. They had assumed the answer to the admission would have been a no, though. It wasn't that he saw himself and his Shadow as unappealing or anything of the sort, but there was still that seed of doubt. Shouji was with Bakugou, and there was no way he would be interested, right? It took long enough for him to gain an interest in Shouji, and even if he didn't want to date him, Tokoyami still had to worry about the rejection of polyamory.

When asked to leave, the smaller of the two nodded and bowed his head in acceptance. Of course, they understood, who would they even be if they chose to simply neglect the necessity of conversation between the current partners? Sure, Dark Shadow was going to pout about it when they stepped away, but he knew going into things that they both might not get what they wanted. Regardless, the avian took a step back as he spoke. "Of course, I would expect nothing more. You know how to reach me, but I'll be off, then." The nerves were showing, his tone cautious while speaking before offering a slight wave as he proceeded to remove himself from the space. He was keen on making himself at home in his dorm until his next class would come around, working on other assignments while he did.

The world always felt too small. Was that too edgy? Well, coming from the guy who almost solely wore a black skull shirt for years, there wasn't much he did that wasn't edgy. But he managed well enough most of the time. Sure, we could go into the mass amounts of trauma he has, but everyone knows about that already. So, onto things post-dorm creation.

Of course, there were nightmares. There had always been nightmares. They just got worse as more shit piled on the kid. Bakugou started losing his hearing in his first year of high school. The more he used his quirk, the more it lessened until he was left needing hearing aids. He learned JSL after that began, adding an online class to his coursework to avoid the commotion that came regardless. The morons he was friends with wouldn't let him sleep if he didn't teach them. Then the entire class learned right along with them. It was nice, even if it made him feel looked down on.

Mixed in with that, however, was the process he so aptly named the "Nightmare Tea Ceremony" that he shared with Shouji. It started slow. He appreciated that. So much so that he let it progress past just drinking tea and managing his dreams with the other, past meeting in their rooms, past sharing his first 'real' kiss. It was weird being offered a mouth on the other's arm, but he wouldn't complain. Nor would he push the guy to do anything he wasn't comfortable doing. If anyone could get not wanting to take off safety clothing, it was him.

Today was a long way from those days, though. They were older, which didn't always mean much, but it at least gave them all more experience to work with, whether it was good or bad. He liked to think it had made him better, though. It sure as hell made his life better. The bad days still came, they were still terrible, but he had someone there. He had people he could trust, even if that was a task and a half. Mezou made it easier to go to him, but that was also a mix of dating him and his usual quiet nature.

After his most recent lecture, the blonde made his way to find his boyfriend. They had a routine, and Bakugou wasn't keen on changes in such things, even if they were small. Today's ritual included having lunch alone, a small break from their friend circles to spend time together if their schedules were full. It was his way of not going too long without seeing the man. He also liked having the time to destress on occasion. His friends were great, but they were loud and mean. The joking insults were okay. He just found he benefitted from having that moment of downtime with his partner.

So, when greeted, he returned it with a small, brief smile of his own. "Mezou." However, he paused at the question, a brow arched in response before he nodded hesitantly. "Don't see why not. Lead the way." Motioning for Shouji to go, his usual scowl returned, neutral as it could be. He had a resting bitch face. He couldn't help it! "Is there an issue with someone?" He'd been practicing controlling his tone. The custom hearing aid helped some, but he was paranoid and didn't want to show that he was affected by things more than necessary. Besides, once he made his way into the occupation, the press would have a goddamn field day if things got out. After all, who'd feel safe being rescued by a hero that couldn't hear? The answer was one he didn't want to find out, hence the hiding.

[NicTheDjinn]

Thankfully, the duo didn’t give him any trouble when he hinted that he needed to speak with Bakugou without them. A part of him thought they should really all talk together, but he knew Bakugou well enough to know he might get reflexively insecure and then also find himself unable to speak up about it and possibly agreeing to a relationship out of pride because saying no might make him seem insecure in their relationship. Things weren’t often simple with him, but in his defense, most people would have to approach a topic like this delicately. Waiting there on his own left him alone with his thoughts, but better that than having Tokoyami and Dark Shadow keep him company then rush to leave. That would look incriminating to anyone.

Thankfully, he didn’t have too long to wait as Bakugou was quite punctual. Things continued to go smoothly as his request to eat in privacy was accepted, but with hesitance. He doubted things would remain smooth and sure enough, he was not just asking if there was something wrong, but specifically asking if there was something wrong with someone. He couldn’t tell if it was Bakugou being paranoid or perceptive, but it was going to make the situation very sticky if he didn’t approach it right. He’d been really hoping to get to the room before broaching he subject, but he knew very well that telling him to wait till they were alone would only make the blond even more anxious.

“It’s not an issue, but it is a private matter and something we need to discuss and agree on. I promise it’s nothing bad, just… It’s a bit sensitive to be walking about out in public.” He hoped that would be enough to soothe his boyfriend’s nerves or at least keep him from getting more worried about it than he already was. “For now, how has your day been going? The lecture didn’t bore you, I hope.” A little distraction would probably help till they could have their talk and fill in the time while they get their lunches and made their way back to their dorm.