His Piercing Gaze - Chapter 2

The moment Shouto walked in with his new eyebrow piercing, the dorm went nuts. He could barely hear a word any of them said, through the madness of intersecting conversations, but his eyes fell on Izuku rather than try to decipher it all. When he saw how nervous Izuku looked, he decided against bringing it up, instead just shrugging.

“I saw someone else do it and it looked cool,” he explained, when Ochako pushed him for an explanation. “So I got one too. Do you think my father will hate it?”

“He'll lose his mind,” she laughed. “It looks so awesome! You're such a badass! And did you go shopping too?”

“Izuku needed some new clothes,” Shouto shrugged. “I had my father's credit card, figured we'd go make use of it.”

“Oooh! What did you get?” Ochako gushed, pawing at Izuku's bag. “Let me see!”

“Not yet!” Izuku squeaked, clutching it to his chest. “It's, um, it's a surprise? You'll see them when I wear them, right?”

“Try them on for us, then!”

“That's so embarrassing!”

She took pity when he burned bright red, hiding his face behind the bag, and settled for patting him on the shoulder fondly.

“Okay, later then! Let's hang out after dinner, maybe you can show us then!”

“Y-Yeah, okay,” he conceded. “I guess I can show you later.”

“Yay! I can't wait!”

Izuku's hand wandered to his stomach, gently feeling the bandage beneath his t-shirt, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips. He was kind of proud of himself for going through with it, a little stunned as well, not to mention the nerves over what he was going to tell his friends and his mother.

God, she was going to kill him.

His friends were so enthusiastic about Shouto's, though. As embarrassing as the attention would be, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to show them? Maybe they'd be excited for him, too.

When he found himself back in the quiet of his bedroom, only Ochako, Tenya and Shouto as his company, he found his fingers trailing under his shirt. It was about time to remove the bandage anyway, they'd only told him to leave it on for an hour in case of bleeding, and he was honestly itching to look at it himself.

“Are you gonna show us what you bought, now?” Ochako pushed, nudging at his plastic bag from the store. “You going all fashion-forward on me? I can't wait to see!”

“I'm not,” Izuku blushed. “There's just... Something I've wanted for a while? And Shouto convinced me to get it.”

“Show me!”

“Y-yeah, um, okay. I'll... I'll just go change, give me a minute.”

He ducked into the bathroom, heart pounding as he reached into the bag, pulling out soft, black material. In his hands, it just felt like a normal set of sweats – the kind of thing he wore for a morning run or lazing around in his room on a day off. He hadn't wanted to go for anything too drastic, wanted to stick with something that was at least comfortable, otherwise he'd have never dared to put it on.

He went for the pants first, soft and warm and hanging low on his hips. He had to admit that they accentuated his abs nicely, showing off a small symbol of his past three years, working to build a proper hero physique. So far, so good.

He pulled his shirt off next, tossing it at his laundry hamper, and took a moment just to stare. It was the moment of truth, no going back, and he slowly peeled away the medical tape, letting the gauze fall off his body. There, against his skin, lay two shiny stones, like dark, fiery embers on each end of the bar. He couldn''t resist a smile as he stared down at it, admiring the gorgeous colours against his stomach, then finally he turned his gaze to the mirror.

The skin was still red and slightly swollen, but even so, it made him so happy. It might have been the first time in his life that he'd looked at his reflection, scars and all, and actually thought he looked okay. Better than okay, even. He kinda looked... Good.

He pulled on the new shirt, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows and admiring the way the hem fell perfectly on his waistline. The slightly baggy fabric made his waist look a little slimmer, and when he clenched his muscles, his abs popped perfectly around the jewellery.

He reached for his phone, pulling up his camera, and pointed it at the mirror. If he cropped his head out just right, with his flushed, freckled face, he could almost pass for one of the models he constantly followed on social media.

Hell, almost? He could definitely pass for one of them. He looked hot.

Tucking his phone away, he took a deep breath and unlocked the door, stepping out into the bedroom again. He saw a smirk pass over Shouto's lips, but Ochako and Tenya just stared at him, mouths hanging open.

“Looking good,” Shouto praised, managing to squeeze some actual emotion into his tone.

“Holy shit,” Ochako spluttered. “Deku, you look so good.”

“It's pretty cool, right?” he asked, smiling nervously. “I'm still kinda in shock, too.”

“I assume you two had this done at a safe and reputable establishment?”

“Yeah,” Izuku chuckled. “We did, Iida, it's okay. Thank you for the concern.”

“Well then, I'm proud of you for doing something that made you feel good about yourself. Piercings might not be my style, but it certainly suits you well, and I applaud your bravery.”

“Thank you, that means a lot.”

“You know you have to show the others, right?” Ochako insisted. “Mina is going to go insane, I bet Jirou will too! Oh man and Kirishima is going to think you're so cool!”

“No way!” Izuku blushed, covering his face with his hands. “It's so embarrassing! It's already bad enough letting you guys see me dressed like this!”

“Huh? But you look hot.”

“Don't tease me!”

“She's not teasing,” Shouto shrugged. “You do.”

“Not you as well!”

“I can't tell my best friend he looks hot?”

“No!”

“That doesn't seem right.”

Izuku groaned, jumping when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders.

“You don't need to be embarrassed, you really do look super cool!” Ochako smiled, when he cracked an eye open to peek at her. “But if you aren't feeling confident, that's okay! Were here for you no matter what!”

“Why do you have to be so understanding?” Izuku pouted, his eyes watery. “It's not fair.”

She hugged him a little tighter, stifling her giggles, and Izuku managed the faintest of smiles in return, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I like how it looks,” he admitted. “I like all of it. The piercing and the bar itself and the c-crop top and... I feel good.”

“Yes! So you should!”

“It's just a lot of attention, you know?”

“Understandable,” Tenya nodded. “Of course, what really matters, is how you feel. If you feel good and comfortable and confident, then maybe a burst of attention isn't so bad, then you can move on and it won't be a big deal anymore! But if you prefer to go at a slower pace and spread the attention out over a longer period of time, that is also a perfectly reasonable option!”

“Is he using reverse psychology on me?” Izuku turned to Ochako, pouting. “He is, isn't he?”

“They're both perfectly reasonable options!” Ochako giggled again. “But if it feels like reverse psychology, then I guess one option makes a lot more sense to you?”

“You guys are the worst.”

“We love you too, sweetie.”

─────

Izuku took a deep breath, hands trembling a little as he stepped into the common area. No one seemed to notice at first, already absorbed in their own conversations, but when Denki looked up, his jaw dropped.

“Is that real?!” he asked loudly, turning every head his direction. “Oh my God!”

Slowly people began to follow his gaze, and Izuku burned bright red when he saw a dozen heads turn his way, one by one. Most of them were silent, staring with wide eyes as if they weren't quite sure they believed what they were seeing, but Mina was on her feet in a heartbeat.

“You look amazing,” she gushed, plucking at the hem of his crop top. “I've never seen you so fashionable, Midoriya! I love it! When did you get the belly bar? Super hot!”

“This afternoon,” he mumbled, looking away as she bounced circles around him to examine every angle. “It's brand new.”

“Oh! Did you and Todoroki go together?! That's awesome! You should have invited me!”

“S-Sorry.”

“Oh well, next time!”

“Yeah, n- Wait, what next time?”

Mina just laughed brightly, not bothering to elaborate, and Izuku pouted a little when she draped her arm across his shoulders.

“You look amazing,” she told him, her voice quieter, more sincere. “I hope you bought a dozen more crop tops, because you should never wear anything else, my man!”

“Th-thank you?” he choked out. “I'm just t-trying it out.”

“Let's go shopping together some time, it'll be great fun! I know all the best hipster places and goth places, we can find you some super sexy crop tops!”

“Ah, y-yeah, that sounds fun,” he smiled sheepishly. “Thanks for the support?”

“Oh sweetie, you have no idea,” Mina laughed, ruffling his tangled curls. “You're smokin'.”

“Haaah?! Who the hell is smoking in the dorms?!” Katsuki demanded, slamming the door shut behind him. “I heard that, you pink piece of shit, why the hell would you let someone-”

The moment his eyes fell on Izuku, he froze. His voice gone was as quickly as it came, without even the dignity of trailing off or being distracted by something else – just gone. Izuku had never heard Katsuki so quiet.

“You playing dress up on the damn nerd?” he asked finally, eyes raking down over the short sweater. “It's not like you're ever gonna make him...”

“Wasn't me,” Mina giggled, squeezing Izuku a little tighter. “Our sweet boy got his first piercing, now he's showing off his hot little bod!”

“Ashido, please,” Izuku whined. “Don't say it like that!”

“It's real?” Katsuki asked.

“Wh- The piercing?” Izuku stumbled. “I- Yeah? Do- Do they make fake ones? Oh my God that would have been so much easier!”

“You let someone stick a damn needle through your body and put jewellery through it?”

“That's... A weird way to phrase it, but yeah, I guess it's accurate?”

Katsuki took a step closer, their friends all dead silent as they watched. Katsuki moved slowly, eyes trained on Izuku like he might suddenly bolt, ready to pounce and trap him before he could escape.

Izuku shivered.

“You pick the colour?”

“Yeah,” Izuku swallowed hard, locking eyes with Katsuki's intense gaze. “I loved it the moment I saw it.”

“Like your damn red shoes,” Katsuki grumbled, eyes darting down to the piercing for a moment, then quickly back to Izuku's. “It's always red, with you.”

“I like red, it has a lot of good memories.”

“And shitty ones, no doubt.”

“None that matter.”

Mina retracted her arm from around Izuku, and with a little smile, she nudged him toward the door. Izuku didn't even realise he was moving until he was taking his first step up the stairs, glancing back to see Katsuki following him with his eyebrows knitted together.

“Why?” Katsuki asked, taking a few longer strides to catch up.

“I like it.”

“I mean why,” Katsuki gritted his teeth, torn between tearing his eyes away or staring at the shiny bar some more. “Just... Why.”

“You don't like it?”

“I didn't say that.”

“So you do like it,” Izuku teased, a hint of a smirk crossing his lips.

“I didn't say that either, you damn nerd!”

Izuku paused on the landing, turning to look at Katsuki's pink cheeks, avoiding looking at him for the first time.

“It looks better when I tense my abs,” Izuku informed him. “Wanna see?”

“Haah?! Why the hell would I want to see that shit?!”

Despite his words, he turned his head to look again, watching as Izuku stood up a little straighter and tightened his core.

“Shit,” Katsuki hissed, looking away again. “What the hell.”

“I would offer to let you touch it, but I'm not supposed to until it heals. I'll let you know when it's time, though!”

“When the hell did you get like this, huh?”

Izuku smiled to himself, shrugging vaguely as he surveyed Katsuki's flushed face.

“I feel good about myself.”

“Fuckin' clearly.”

“It's been a long time since I liked how I looked.”

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, glancing at a covered shoulder, where a huge scar lay hidden.

“Exactly,” Izuku said knowingly. “Maybe I was getting there, before the scars, but it's... Been a while, you know?”

“You look fine,” Katsuki grumbled, stomping on ahead. “No one fuckin' cares about scars.”

“I care.”

“Fuckin' shouldn't.”

He stormed off up the stairs, toward his own bedroom, and with a faint smile, Izuku turned around.

Maybe he'd go hang out with Mina some more, after all.