Izuku was having the time of his life. He hadn't been to a fair since he was really young, probably around ten. He forgot how much fun they were. He and Sero had been playing stupid and probably rigged games for the better part of an hour now. The fun came less from the games and more from them goofing around and being idiots together. 

Izuku's face was starting to hurt from smiling so much. 

They had just finished a very heated game of ring toss, walking away from the booth with loud laughter and tightly linked hands, when Sero slowed their pace just a fraction. "You getting hungry yet?" 

Izuku quickly nodded, the thought of fattening fair food overtaking his mind. "Yes! I want a funnel cake so bad," he said with a small whine, just the idea of the fluffy food making him nearly drool. 

"Should've known that's what you'd go for," Sero said with a sweet smile, already leading Izuku in the direction of the proper food stand to get his requested treat. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Izuku asked with furrowed brows, but his voice was still light and teasing. 

"Nothing bad, I promise. It just fits, I don't know," he said with a quiet laugh as they got in line. 

It wasn't long after that Izuku got his sugary treat with a wide smile. He ended up splitting it with Sero, unable to eat the monstrosity of a funnel cake on his own. They found an empty picnic table off to the side and sat across from each other, eating and joking the whole time. They discussed their plans for the rest of the day and decided to head back to the house until it got dark. Izuku was very insistent on seeing the lights. 

The pair was just about to leave when the shorter man froze, eyes wide, and caught on something. Sero glanced down with a small frown, unsure of what caused him to pause. His eyes trailed Izuku's line of sight until they landed on the form of Shinsou. 

Shinsou was at the fair with Monoma, Kendo, and a few other people Izuku only vaguely recognized from around campus. He was wearing a tired smile, joking around with the group as they waited in line for a ride. 

Sero gave Izuku's hand a small tug, concern etching itself across his face as he looked down at the smaller man. "Hey, don't worry about it, baby. We can still leave and come back tonight, and we never have to talk to them, okay?" he said in a quiet voice, just loud enough to hear. The group was across the makeshift path, too far to hear them speaking even if they were louder, but Sero thought Izuku would appreciate the soft tone. 

Izuku quickly nodded, tearing his gaze away from the Shinsou and keeping his eyes trained on the ground in front of him. It wasn't great seeing him laughing and enjoying himself with his friends after kicking Izuku out of his room and abandoning him the previous night. Clearly, he wasn't torn up about how they parted ways. It was fine. It was whatever. Izuku wasn't dwelling on it (or at least he was trying not to) because he was hanging out with Sero and smiling more than he had in years. Izuku was fine. 

"C'mon," Sero instructed gently, giving a small tug to Izuku's hand to continue to lead him out of the fairgrounds. 

"Hey! Short stack!" 

Izuku's whole body froze up, his grip on Sero's hand tightening at the sound of Monoma calling for him. 

"We can keep walking," Sero said in a rushed whisper, not turning around until Izuku wanted to. 

He shook his head a fraction, taking a breath and forcing a smile on his lips. "It's fine. Monoma's a friend, and I would feel awful if I just ignored him," he mumbled, whirling around and smiling at the blond jogging toward him. 

"Hey, Monoma," he greeted, hoping that he didn't sound too strained. 

If the blond noticed his discomfort, he made no mention of it, just smiled at Izuku in that half-smirking kind of way he always did. "Hey. I didn't see you leave the party on Saturday. Snuck out without saying goodbye to the host? That's mean, short stack," he chided, but he didn't seem all that bothered. 

Izuku awkwardly laughed, giving Sero's hand a small squeeze to try and steady himself. "Yeah, sorry. I'm kind of a mess when I drink," he said, scratching at the back of his head with his free hands. 

The action called attention to the hand still locked with Sero's. Monoma's eyes trailed down to where they were connecting before he looked back at Izuku. "I get it, don't worry. So, what're you doing here with..." he trailed off, glancing at a scowling Sero, "the riff-raff." 

"Hey," Izuku called as soon as the name had left his lips. "Knock it off. He's just trying to cheer me up." He almost kept talking, just to really tear into the blond. It was his friend who'd hurt Izuku to the point of needing to be cheered up, after all. 

Monoma sighed, not appearing too bothered by the call out. "Yeah, he told me about last night. Listen, if I had known he was with you, I wouldn't have been such a dick about him coming over. It was my fault, really." 

"Oh, so he didn't even mention we were together until he was there. That makes me feel so much better," Izuku drawled sarcastically, glancing around Monoma to see his group of friends. Shinsou wasn't even looking in their direction, just chatting and laughing with the people he was hanging out with. He didn't even care enough to come over and apologize himself. Great. 

"He's trying, okay?" Monoma insisted, running a hand down his face and looking exhausted all of a sudden. "Relationships aren't exactly his strong suit." 

"I wouldn't know," Izuku mumbled bitterly, pulling at Sero's hand to start walking again. He'd stayed, he'd talked to Monoma, he'd tried to be nice. He was going home now. "We don't exactly talk." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving the fair, Sero and Izuku didn't talk much until they got back to the house. Sero had tried to strike up a conversation in the car, but Izuku wasn't giving him much to work with. He settled for comfortable silence filled with soft music from the radio. As soon as they got back, Kaminari was joining them in the living room for video games, and that seemed to right whatever had been thrown off kilter in Izuku. He was joking and laughing, just like always, in under fifteen minutes. 

When night rolled around, Sero asked if Izuku still wanted to go back to the fair. He had happily nodded before turning to Kaminari and asking if he wanted to come with. The blond instantly spouted off some excuse about needing to do homework (the worst excuse he could have used, when had he ever done homework) and scurried up the stairs to his room. 

Sero had rolled his eyes at the interaction but was smiling as soon as they started for the door. 

The fairgrounds were a little less packed now that the sun had gone down. Younger children and their parents had already taken off, and it was a slightly older crowd that walked around from attraction to attraction. 

Izuku had a bounce to his step as he eagerly hauled Sero from ride to ride. They went on everything that spun, Izuku's wild eyes only widening when he realized Sero wasn't a big fan of dizziness. He just made the rides spin faster (when he was able). He cackled when they left, and Sero had to hold on to him in order to stay upright. 

"It's not that funny," the dizzy man whined, still waiting for the world around him to come to a standstill. 

"It's hilarious," Izuku corrected, his arms wrapped around Sero's middle to make sure he didn't start falling sideways. 

"How about something that doesn't spin?" Sero suggested as they debated their next ride. "We could go on the Ferris wheel. It's the only one we haven't done yet." 

Izuku frowned, looking up at the towering ride at the heart of the fair. "I don't like heights," he grumbled. 

Sero chuckled at that, already pulling him to the line. "C'mon, Iz. It won't be that bad, and it's a fair staple. We have to do it." 

"But it's so high up," he complained, dread already filling his stomach. 

Okay, so he was scared of heights, what about it? Everyone's scared of something. At least his fear was totally rational. 

Sero tugged him closer, drawing Izuku's eyes up to meet his own. He wore a soft smile as he tucked a loose curl behind Izuku's ear. "It'll be okay. I'll be right there with you. If it gets too scary, just look at me, mi corazon." 

Izuku felt his blush start to spread from the tips of his ears all the way down his chest. He groaned and let his head fall against Sero's chest, hoping it would hide his embarrassment from the other man. "You're telling me what that means tonight." 

"Maybe on the Ferris wheel," he bargained with a quiet laugh. 

It only took a few minutes for them to get loaded onto a cart, Izuku chanting that he hated Sero the entire time. He just laughed and said the view of the lights from up top would be worth it. Izuku begged to differ. 

As soon as the ride started moving, the old cart gave a nasty creek as they rocked. Izuku was holding onto the side for dear life as Sero threw his head back with a laugh. 

"This thing is older than me," Izuku complained, his wide eyes darting over every inch of their cart to ensure that nothing was about to give way. 

Sero rolled his eyes playfully, sliding closer to Izuku and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "So am I. What're you trying to say, baby?" he teased, finally getting Izuku to look at something other than the metal around them. 

"You're old," Izuku huffed but pushed himself closer to Sero's body. If the cart gave way and they fell, Izuku would be safer landing on top of him, at least, that was what he kept telling himself. Maybe he was just cold, and Sero's body heat was the reason he plastered himself against the other man. Who knows anymore? 

The cart gave a sharp jerk as they moved up. Izuku let out a painfully embarrassing yelp, clinging to Sero like he'd be able to make it stop. 

"It's fine, Iz," Sero mumbled into his hair, "I got you." 

"If we get stopped at the top, I will never forgive you," he threatened, but there was no heat behind the words. He was too scared to sound anything but weak and shaky. 

Of course, their cart stopped right at the top as the operator let on more people below them. 

A pathetic whine left Izuku's mouth, ripped from deep in his chest as he peaked down at the ground below them. The Ferris wheel really was his worst nightmare. 

"Don't look down," Sero said quickly, grabbing Izuku's chin and gently turning his face away from the side of the cart. He was softly smiling down at him as their eyes met. "Just look at me, mi corazon. You're completely and utterly okay. Do you really think I'd take you on something that would pose an actual threat to your life?" 

"No," Izuku mumbled, keeping his eyes locked with Sero's. Losing himself in the endless dark abyss was better than watching the ground below them, way better. 

"Exactly," Sero said with an amused smile, his hand still holding Izuku's chin in place. "We're just gonna be up here for a minute or two, then we'll go back down, and we can ask to get off if you want." 

"I have social anxiety, you ask," he said with a small pout. 

"Of course, baby." 

Izuku couldn't help it; his eyes were naturally drawn to the curve of Sero's lips as he smiled down at him. He'd always been a sucker for a nice smile, and Sero had the nicest. When his thoughts caught up with him, he tore his eyes back up, just to find Sero intently staring at his own mouth. He didn't have to think too hard to know what would happen next. 

Sero looked back up, meeting Izuku's eyes for a moment. He was silently asking for permission. When Izuku made no move to back away or put a stop to their little moment, he leaned forward, and their lips connected. 

Izuku had never felt sparks or fireworks from a kiss; this one was no different, but he thought he rather preferred it this way. Kissing Sero was warm, and comforting, and safe. Kissing Sero felt like home, like he was always meant to be here, and all the other kisses before him had just been stepping stones to get to this moment. Kissing Sero was right. 

Until the cart gave another sharp jerk, and he was brought back to reality. He pulled away, wide-eyed and panicked. What the fuck did I just do?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That shouldn't have- I shouldn't have-" 

"Breathe, Iz," Sero murmured, his voice soft and nearly carried away with the wind. "It's just me. You don't have to panic, okay?" 

"Too late," he wheezed. His hands were gripping the fabric of his pants, his eyes trained on the floor of the dirty cart. He was trying to get his breathing under control before he had a panic attack. 

"Breathe, Izuku," Sero said again, his voice taking a firm edge as he tried to get through to him. "Why're you panicking so much, baby? It was just a kiss." 

Izuku shook his head quickly, trying to clear his scattered thoughts. "I know you hate him, but Shinsou- He didn't even want you calling me a nickname. If he finds out about this, he's gonna be so hurt. I'm such a terrible person. I'm-"

Sero sighed, pulling Izuku back to his side and into a warm hug. Even if he knew he shouldn't, Izuku let it happen. He wanted to comfort too badly to pull away. "You're not a terrible person, Izuku. You guys aren't dating or even exclusive. If it bothers Shinsou so much, he should fucking do something about it, okay? You didn't do anything wrong," he mumbled. 

They were getting closer to the ground again, but Sero decided to stay quiet. It was easier to talk to Izuku this way, rather than having the other man take off as soon as they were on the grass again. Besides, he didn't seem that bothered about the height anymore. 

Izuku shook his head, clinging onto Sero's shirt like a dying man. "But-but he told me. He set a boundary, and I just-" 

"Iz," Sero chided, one hand moving to his unruly curls in an attempt to calm him down. "Do you want to know the real reason I'm so pissed at him?" 

Izuku blinked, once, twice, a third time, pulling back to look up at Sero. "I thought it was because he's stringing me along," he mumbled. 

"Partly," Sero confirmed with a nod. He wouldn't meet Izuku's eyes, and it caused a sinking feeling to form in the pit of his stomach. "It's mostly... Well, um, fuck. I really wanted him to be the one to tell you, but clearly, he's never gonna pull his head out of his ass. He's getting jealous and possessive of you, and you're not dating. That ticks me off, yeah, but the real reason I'm so unbelievably pissed off is because he hasn't stopped sleeping with other people." 

It felt like all the air had just been knocked out of Izuku. He'd gone stock-still, unable to move, breathe, think, function. He'd known it was bad, of course, he'd known that, but... He hadn't expected that. He hadn't expected to just be one of Shinsou's many. 

"Oh," he said softly, unable to think or say anything else. Oh, was all that was on his mind. 

"I'm sorry, Izuku," Sero whispered in a rush. "I wanted to tell you, but- but he's been one of my best friends for years. He asked me not to say anything while he figured his own shit out, and I figured it wasn't my place. I thought you guys were just hooking up, and no one was getting hurt, and everything was fine. Then I realized that you were getting hurt, and everything wasn't fine, and I just- I couldn't stay quiet about it. I should have told you sooner, and I'm sorry." 

Izuku weakly held up a hand, waving off his apology. "I'm not mad at you, Hanta. You were looking out for a friend, and I was a guy you'd just met. I would've done the same thing," he mumbled, his eyes still unseeing and directed at the floor. 

"Don't forgive me that easily," Sero urged. "Be mad. Yell at me. Say I'm awful. You have every right to." 

"You're not the one who deserves it," Izuku said with a small shake of his head. "You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen. It's my own fault." 

"I'm so sorry, Iz." 

He shook his head again, plastering on a fake smile in hopes that it'd become real soon enough. "No," he said quickly, turning back to Sero. "It's fine, I promise. I'm just gonna swear off boys for a little bit and focus on school like I should've been doing anyway. I'll be fine, Hanta. Hitoshi Shinsou isn't the first shitty guy to screw me over, and I'm sure he won't be the last." 

Sero didn't look convinced but nodded anyway. He blew out a breath, looking out over the fair below them. "At least Bakugou and Todoroki will be happy." 

A loud laugh erupted from Izuku. It was the first real break in the tension since they'd gotten on the cursed Ferris wheel. Tears were forming in his eyes as he nodded in agreement, "God, they're gonna throw a fucking party." 

I know you're all team Sero at this point, but you don't think it's gonna be that easy to give up on Shinsou, do you? I mean, come on. This is my fic we're talking about.