[Implied/referenced cheating (not between the main pairing]
[Izuku? He's THAT bitch.]
[Tokoyami is supportive and also concerned.]
[NO HEROES AU (still has quirks though)]
—————

"-Izuku, let me get this straight." Tokoyami pinches the bridge of his.. beak, eyes squeezed shut. He was probably coming down with a fucking migraine. "Your boyfriend cheated on you."

"Mhm." Izuku brandishes his nails idly.

"And you fucked the girl he cheated with behind his back."

"Yep."

"And you let the both of get caught when he got off of work, just so you can rub the fact that she said you were a better fuck than your boyfriend?"

Izuku snickers, brushing his unruly curls back with a tiny grin on his face. "That's absolutely right."

"... Izuku."

The exasperated tone makes him laugh harder- head thrown back, flawless bod on display because of his tank top. It was slightly warm in the bar, too much body heat, Tokoyami said, with people putting in an obnoxious amount of effort to show off their shitty dance moves on some too-fast rap song blaring through bad, crackling speakers hanging from the ceiling.

The only reason why Tokoyami even dared to breathe in here was because of his coworker, Izuku.

He was an angel, really. A foot taller than Tokoyami, being a year older, nineteen years old with around six piercings. Two for his ears, one for his tongue, one in his eyebrow, and- these ones he was particularly proud of- nipple piercings that he showed Tokoyami two months earlier. He sure fucking worked out too- judging by his rippling muscles he used to throw some mug that decided to grope their server- Uraraka- who coincidentally was Izuku's best friend.

In short, he was perfect.

Which is why Tokoyami has a tiny, teeny crush on him. Just a small smidge. He swears.

"Hey stupid," Izuku barks at a man clearly reaching over to snag a- Tokoyami squints, his eyesight is so shit- a bottle of Crokat on the stacked shelves of alcohol behind the bartenders for quick access. "Get your grimy, little dumb paws off our stuff."

That's another little quirk that Tokoyami liked- he avoided swearing, vigilant of his words, which means him putting effort in censoring his cusses and still sounding intimidating.

The man, wearing a glaringly bright yellow jumpsuit, flushes and thankfully slips away without a fight, so Izuku huffs and goes back drying the shot glasses. Tokoyami just stares.

"By the way, Yami," a nickname he came up with the moment they met, "you wanna go and grab drinks? Not in this place," Izuku adds quickly. "There's a coffee shop two blocks from here."

And because he was definitely only low-key interested, Tokoyami blurts out yes with a squeaky voice as if he was suddenly called on by a teacher while he was asleep in class the whole time. So he clears his throat, feathers ruffled as he avoids eye-contact. "I-I mean, it would be lovely going out with you. Uh. Izuku." Dark Shadow was probably jeering and laughing by now.

Izuku flashes him a smile full of sunshine. "I'll pay."

—————

"Yoooo, Izuchan?"

Izuku chokes, and he almost scampers away from the counter before he realizes he has Tokoyami in tow, so he faces Shindou with a crooked smile. "Yo-nii.."

Wait.

Nii??

"You have a brother?" Tokoyami implores, eyes wide as "Shindou" (his tag reads) laughs heartily, tugging at his brown apron. Izuku rolls his eyes.

"A boyfriend, little brother? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Just give me a macchiato, Yo," Izuku grumbles, sliding his card as his brother has a shit-eating grin slowly growing on his face. "Don't tell mom."

"Of course I won't." He winks at Tokoyami, before turning back and registering the order. "Anything else, bird boy?" Dark shadow bristles.

"Yo."

"Sorry, sorry." He waves his hands in dismissal, and Izuku nudges Tokoyami. "Get you want."

—————

"What's up with different last names? Not that I wanna offend." Tokoyami mutters, sipping his drink through a straw.

"Parents are separated. We got the same dad. Girl he knocked up left him so Shindou was taken care by my mom all by herself while dad became some deadbeat."

"... Oh." Tokoyami sours. ".. I'm sorry."

But Izuku shrugs, snickering as mirth settles in his dark green eyes, directed mostly at his companion. "It's fine. He was a total prick anyway."

——————

"Holy shit." Izuku says, in genuine awe as Tokoyami hits the faraway target with a squirt gun. "Your aim's godly, Yami."

Somehow, they'd end up in the carnival a neighborhood away. Not that the bird boy was complaining. Dark Shadow preens like a little shit under his praise.

The crowd pushes past Izuku, most glancing up at him with either wonder, probably lust, and a bit of fear. The man at the desk shrugs and gives Tokoyami a brown bear, which was practically as big as him- and before they can turn to the next attraction, Tokoyami seizes the burst of courage and tugs Izuku's shirt.

When he looks back, he looks away, a flush under his feathered cheeks.

".. For you." He holds up the bear. Izuku beams like a ray of light, and squeezes both the bear and Tokoyami in a hug. Dark Shadows pretends to cough because he's a dick, apparently, ruining the moment.

——————

"Think I can give you a kiss Yami?" Izuku tilts his head, and Tokoyami nods, flustered.

Oh my god.

Izuku leans in to give a quick bird back by the side of his beak, warm lips then traveling to his forehead, before he pulls away with pink ears and a nerdy grin on his face.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Shift's at eight right?"

".. Y-Yeah," Tokoyami stutters, backing up into his own porch since Izuku had walked him home. "Bye. Be careful. Actually- I'll call a cab for you-"

"Nah." He shrugs it off, already turning tail. "I like jogging home. Bye, Yami."

He's so cool.

"... Bye, Izuku."

——————

It became a regular thing.

Izuku leans in to kiss his cheek, and much to Tokoyami's embarrassment, the bar whoops at the display like a bunch of college jocks whenever one of their boys score a girl.

Izuku laughs, chattering away with two of their main patrons, who cheekily waved at Tokoyami and gesturing what seems to be a game of charade that signals a.. wedding ring?

Izuku flusters at that. They've only know each other for like, what, two years? They're second years at the college they go to, Izuku wanting to be a nurse while Tokoyami studied to be somewhere along the lines of being a scientist. He's not sure, but hey- science? It's cool as hell.

Besides. It's not like they can afford to get married.

"We only have like," Tokoyami counts of his fingers. "Twenty-three dollars combined."

"Bad news. I bought noodle packs last week."

"... sixteen dollars combined."

——————

"Hey."

"Izuku?"

"Look."

Tokoyami scrutinizes whatever was in Izuku's hands.

".. Is that a push-pop ring?"

"Yeah." Izuku chuckles, huddled up next to him on his shitty apartment's roof. Should've brought a blanket. He was freezing his nuts off. "We're getting married."

Used to his antics, Tokoyami raises an imaginary brow. "Like. Right now?"

Izuku nods.

Tokoyami shrugs, and holds out his pinkie. "Go for it." But Izuku flicks his cheek with a huff.

"It's called a ring finger for a reason dummy."

—————

"... Got kicked out."

Izuku does a double-take at the red eyes of his boyfriend, standing at his doorway in fucking pajamas in freezing weather, carrying nothing but a backpack and a mini blanket.

"Oh fuck. Here," Izuku wraps him in a hug, bumping his hip on the door to shut it. It slams and wakes the cracked walls tremble. "Shit, Tokoyami.." he rarely swore.

"Is it 'cause somethin's wrong with me?" He all but croaks, sagging into Izuku's strong arms, melting like a broken hearted puddle of goo. "Izuku.. they saw us- my parents and-"

"It's cool. Hey. Hey. Sleep it off." Izuku rubs his back, holding him like he was his world. "I'll order take-out. It's okay."

——————

'Take your time off, Yami. I hit up Toshinori and told him. He said it was fine. I have leftovers, so eat, 'kay? :)'

The little sticky note made Tokoyami smile, even if it was dismal and tiny. He crawls into the covers and tries sleeping it off again. Dark Shadow wraps around him like a blanket.

——————

"Three shots of fireball."

Tokoyami nods, busying himself, and Izuku comes by and gives him an assuring squeeze on the shoulder. His heart thumps in his chest, instead of the painful squeeze he gets whenever he thinks about what happened.

It's.. a start.

——————

It's been three years.

"How was the internship?"

Izuku collapses on the bed, which squeak under his weight. "A patient started to grope my muscles," he says lamely, which makes Tokoyami tense. "Poked my lower back."

"What the hell- Izuku-"

"Don't worry." His boyfriend laughs, giving a wink. "I got switched instructors after, meaning I got a different patient this time. Only a year then I'll be making so much money and then," he boops the tip of Tokoyami's beak. "I'll be able to take you out on proper dates."

——————