Not Around - IzuJirou Christmas Oneshot

Not Around

It was a cold winter evening, a young adult woman by the name of Kyouka Jirou was seated on her living room couch, wrapped in a blanket for warmth as she waited for her lover to come home so that the two of them could discuss their plans for this year's Christmas.

The couple had been together since early in their highschool years, and due to them sharing a dorm, often had a ritual of spending the week leading up to Christmas just reflecting on the year and just enjoying each other's achievements and presence (Or, presents alternatively).

This tradition came around due to them first getting together near Christmas, and because they were of the select few to live near one another in Shizuoka, they decided to spend time together just before Christmas rolled around. It was at that time that the couple reflected on their feelings and admitted to how afraid they were to share the truth of their relationship.

They were afraid. Everyone could feel that the world would be changing soon, and despite all of that they took the opportunity to change the nature of their friendship and become a couple right before a big assignment that changed the course and nature of society.

The battles, those that they won, and those that they lost... It was painful to go through all of that just after having such cheerful and intimate moments together, but in the end all of it shaped who they were today, and it helped strengthen their bond even further by relying on one another.

"God... What's taking him so long..?" She mumbled to herself, turning her head to stare at the threshold of the couple's shared apartment. Not even a jingling of his keys, or a turn of the doorknob rang throughout the apartment despite how late it was getting. She grew worried, frantically checking her phone for any sort of text, or update from the media about the number one hero's whereabouts, yet there was nothing.

Where was he? What could he have been doing that held him up for this long? It had to have been important, and if it wasn't, well... She'd just have to have a little chat with him, but she was sure that he'd never be late on purpose.

Right at the moment, the jingling of keys was heard from outside the apartment, and after the click of the lock Izuku stepped through the front door, letting out a stress-filled sigh as he kicked the door closed behind him and began to remove his coat. The crisp winter air was killer.

"Hey, you okay? No major injuries or anything right?" Kyouka questioned, rising from her position on the couch as the blankets that surrounded her fell back onto the couch. "...You're pretty late, I got a little worried."

Izuku smiled as his girlfriend approached him with an expression labeled with concern before his smile fell and was replaced with a more somber expression. "Right, sorry..."

Kyouka could read Izuku's expressions; he was thinking about something. Something that would probably explain his sudden shift in demeanor and she needed to know what. "Is... Is everything okay? What's wrong, 'zuku?"

Izuku stared into the purplette's onyx eyes with guilt spreading throughout his heart before placing his scarred hand to her cheek, rubbing it softly with his thumb before leaning in and giving the girl a surprise chaste kiss.

Kyouka returned his kiss in kind, placing her hands onto the man's chest, gripping onto his shirt slightly out of surprise before they separated and that's when she saw it: Izuku's guilty face. "Izuku..?"

He grit his teeth at the way she called his name, it was so soft and gentle that he almost felt revolted by what he was about to share.

"Kyo, I..." He started, struggling with his words as he gripped onto her hands that laid upon his chest. "I have to leave overseas. I can't stay with you for Christmas this year..."