Chapter 1
“Izuku! Izuku, no, stop!”
“I-It’s okay, S-Shouto.”
“I know, I know it’s okay! You’re gonna be fine, I can fix this!”
“W-We both know t-that’s not true.”
“Izuku please… please don’t do this.”
“I love you, Shouto.”
----
Shouto sat up with a gasp in bed, clutching at his head in an effort to calm himself. The nightmare was already starting to slip away from his memory, but the feeling of it was going to bother him for a while. It was only when he felt a gentle hand against his back that he calmed down, the touch instantly helping him feel at peace.
“Shouto, are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?”
Todoroki took a deep breath before responding.
“Yeah, I think I did.”
“Do you wanna talk about it? I’m always here for you.”
Shouto turned to look at his husband, whose sleepy eyes were completely and utterly focused on him and his problems. Todoroki wished he could take away the worry in Izuku’s eyes every time he saw Shouto struggling. He reached down and gently took Izuku’s hand in his own, using his other to gently comb through his husband’s hair.
“Seeing you is already making me forget what it was.”
Izuku smiled, closing his eyes and curling back up next to Shouto.
“That’s good. You should come back to sleep now, we’ve got a busy morning.”
Shouto complied, wrapping his arms around Izuku as his husband did the same.
Whatever his nightmare had been about didn’t matter. As long as he had Izuku everything would turn out alright.
----
Todoroki woke up calmly this time, his alarm gently reminding him to get ready for the day. Izuku held on tightly to him at the sound of it, refusing to let go of Shouto or allow either of them to get up.
“I don’t wanna work today… Shouto…”
Shouto laughed softly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Izuku’s head before reluctantly pulling himself away. Izuku whined at the sudden loss of warmth, but slowly sat up as well.
“I know. But you like your job right? You know, if you don’t I’m fine being the one to-”
Izuku shook his head.
“It’s alright I promise. Your dad put you through enough trying to make you run his company, and I like working! I just don’t like leaving you.”
Izuku leaned back against Shouto’s shoulder, his husband’s pout nearly causing him to say they should both put off their work for the day and stay in bed. But they were still new to the neighborhood, and of course it wouldn’t look good if they didn’t make an appearance for the day.
“I don’t like being away from you either. But I’ll see you tonight. It’s a special occasion afterall.”
Izuku hesitated.
“Of course it is! And I’ll be home to be with you for it!”
What was the special occasion again…? Shouto wasn’t sure why he had brought it up, but… he also couldn’t remember what the occasion was in the first place. Still, Izuku seemed to know what it was, so it must be important like he said.
With that, both of them finally decided to drag themselves out of bed. Izuku got ready for work, and Shouto put on some of his more casual clothes. He had things to do today, and he liked to surprise Izuku with different gifts whenever he got home. Shouto felt guilty for making Izuku be the one to work sometimes, but after years of being trained to take over his father’s own company, he just didn’t have the passion for it anymore. He liked the calm environment of just being able to stay at home and take care of things for both him and Izuku. Besides, Shouto had plenty of money stashed away from when he lived with his father, and Izuku had a lot of drive for his work, so they were well enough off that they didn’t need to worry.
Speaking of, he really did need to find out what the special occasion for today was. He’d see Izuku off, and then figure it out before his husband realized he didn’t remember. Izuku always did read him like an open book though, so he’d have to play it off well.
“I’m off, Shouto!”
Izuku called from near the doorway, a smile on his face as he waited for Shouto to say goodbye. Todoroki grinned, abandoning his thoughts for a second to place a kiss against Izuku’s cheek. Izuku always had been a romantic, and refused to leave without both of them saying a proper goodbye to the other. Izuku quickly returned the kiss onto Shouto’s own cheek before waving and closing the door behind himself.
That gave Shouto about seven hours before Izuku would be back and ready for… whatever was happening tonight.
He rushed into the kitchen, and locked his eyes onto the day’s date on the calendar. It just had a heart, which wasn’t much to work with. Was it their anniversary? When… When was their anniversary? He and Izuku were still newly weds, but…
Shouto pushed the thought aside. It must be their anniversary, he was just getting confused.
A sudden knock at the door broke Shouto out of his thoughts. He wasn’t expecting anyone, especially since Izuku had been the only one to really talk to their neighbors so far. Still, Shouto wasn’t expecting to see a couple smiling right outside.
He stared at them awkwardly as he opened the door, the pair quickly introducing themselves.
“Hi, you must be our new neighbor! I’m Ochako Uraraka, and this is my husband Tenya Iida. We just wanted to introduce ourselves!”
“Oh, hello. I’m Shouto Todoroki.”
“It’s nice to meet you Todoroki!”
The man called Iida held out his hand, and so Todoroki tentatively shook it.
“Same goes to you.”
They both smiled at him for another moment, before Uraraka began to speak and push her way inside with Iida right behind.
“Anyway, we went ahead and made a pie for you! Why don’t we all heat it up and eat some of it now?”
Shouto didn’t really get a chance to protest as these two strangers continued to move around his home.
“I must say, your home is very well maintained. I really like the decor you’ve chosen.”
“Oh, thank you. It doesn’t tend to ever get that messy though, and my husband Izuku picked out most of it.”
“Oh you’re married?”
Uraraka beamed at him, opening the kitchen door as him and Iida followed.
“What’s your husband like? I love Iida but he really can be a stick in the mud sometimes!”
“Ochako please-”
She giggled at Iida’s embarrassment, but still reached over to place a gentle hand against his arm.
“Darling, you know I love you. But you really are so formal sometimes! Oh, but wait! We don’t need to be so flirty right now, Todoroki was just about to talk about his husband!”
They both turned to him expectantly again, and Shouto suddenly wondered if pretending to be sick could get him out of this interaction.
He coughed awkwardly but they kept staring.
“...His name is Izuku Midoriya. He actually just left for work a few minutes ago. Today’s our anniversary actually.”
Todoroki wasn’t sure if that was the case, but it felt right, somehow.
“Oh that’s so nice! Are you doing anything special? Tenya and I always go out dancing for our anniversary! We’ve been married for three years already, I still can’t believe it!”
“Neither can I, everyday feels like a dream!”
The two giggled at each other. Uraraka moved away from Iida after a moment, the skirts of her dress flowing behind her as she spun to turn the oven on.
“That should heat up soon! I really wish your husband was here to join us, but we’ll have to all get together for dinner another day! Still, we’ve been excited to meet both of you! It’s not often we get new neighbors after all!”
Todoroki suddenly wondered why they were heating up a pie so early in the morning. Did he really have to sit and wait for a pie to heat up before they would leave?
“Of course. Say, when did you make that pie? I’m sure it’s amazing.”
Uraraka blinked.
“Just this morning, actually. I just wanted to make sure it’s still nice and warm for us to enjoy.”
Iida nodded.
“She really does make the best food, you know. Although I do have to convince her not to buy the cheapest items at the store. We have more than enough, and I have made a budget for us to follow to a tee!”
Uraraka rolled her eyes with a giggle.
“That’s just like Tenya to compliment me but make things about money again.”
Todoroki nodded awkwardly. He really wanted these new neighbors out of his house. They seemed nice enough, but Izuku was a lot better at the weird introductions and conversations that came with meeting people. So, Shouto nodded along, before reaching over to feel the sides of the pie tin.
“Uraraka, are you sure this isn’t still hot? Our oven here can be really finicky at times, I don’t want it to get burnt.”
Having ice and fire powers really did come in handy when he was working around the house, and so Shouto hurried to heat up the pie in his hands. He leaned forward to inhale the scent of the now reheated pie.
“It really does smell good!”
Uraraka blinked.
“I guess it might not have been that long. It does still smell good!”
Iida blinked.
“I’m excited to eat anything my wife makes, but Todoroki, if you ever need anyone to fix your oven just let me know. My family is full of mechanics, but I’ve tinkered with a few kitchen appliances myself, so I don’t mind looking at it.”
Shouto shook his head as he set the pie down.
“I really should just turn it off for now. We’ve already called someone to come look at it tomorrow.”
Iida and Uraraka seemed satisfied for the moment, and after cutting a slice for each of them and leaving another for Izuku for when he got home, the pair finally decided to go back to their own house. Shouto could only describe himself as relieved.
Were all their neighbors going to do that? It was already stressful enough living on the same street as his in-laws, especially when he was still intimidated by Izuku’s father. He didn’t need every neighbor to keep knocking on his door. Still, Izuku would be excited to make friends with all of them, he always did.
A few minutes of peace passed by before Shouto heard their phone ring. He picked it up, and after a quick hello he could hear his husband frantically whispering on the other side.
“Shouto, honey, you have everything ready for tonight, right?”
Todoroki smiled. Izuku must be excited.
“Of course I do.”
He didn’t but he would think of something soon enough.
“Oh, that’s good to hear! There’s a lot riding on this Shouto, but I know you’ll pull everything together!”
Izuku hung up in a rush, leaving Shouto feeling a bit sadder with the lack of his husband’s voice. He’d have to make sure tonight’s anniversary was perfect! He had the best husband anyone could ever ask for, so Izuku deserved the best.
----
Tonight wasn’t their anniversary, that much became clear very soon. Shouto had been ready for a night watching tv shows and eating Izuku’s favorite foods when in walked another couple he had never met before. Shouto blinked for a second in confusion, but Izuku’s frantic looking smile made him realize he needed to play along with whatever was happening. He wished he had put on a more formal outfit for the occasion.
Shouto awkwardly grinned at the two strangers who had just walked into their house, a blonde man energetically shaking his hand while his wife laughed next to him.
“Nice to meet you! You must be Midoriya’s husband right? He’e said a lot about you!”
Shouto couldn’t stop the small blush on his cheeks.
“Has he really…?”
He didn’t need to look at Izuku to know his husband was blushing right back. The woman spoke then, lightly slapping Shouto’s shoulder before he had even released the other man’s hand.
“Ah don’t scare the kid! Look at how red they both are, I remember when we were still newlyweds! Oh speaking of, I’m Emi Fukukado, and this is my husband Jin Bubaigawara!”
Shouto nodded.
“Nice to meet you both.”
The man finally released his hand, a relaxed smile on his face.
“It really is nice to meet the man Midoriya has talked about so much! He said you had big plans for tonight, and we’re both excited to see what you’ve done for dinner!”
Shouto froze. He had only planned food for him and Izuku, and he had a feeling they wanted something a bit more extravagant… Shouto had to resist locking eyes with his own husband, who was still frantically grinning and glancing at him from behind the couple. He should have realized that the heart was for Izuku’s bosses, the two people who had been deemed the ‘hearts’ of the company. He needed to do something to impress them, for Izuku’s sake.
“I’m flattered that I've been talked so highly of. Well, go ahead and make yourself at home, I’ll go ahead and finish cooking dinner.”
Izuku silently sighed in relief, and smiled at Shouto as he mouthed a ‘thank you’ towards him. Shouto smiled back, quickly excusing himself to the kitchen as Izuku sat to talk to his bosses.
Except that’s when the real trouble started. Shouto hadn’t exactly even started dinner, and he didn’t have enough ingredients for all four of them… He and Izuku really only bought what was necessary for both of them, and Izuku was such a planner they rarely had extra from meals. So that meant…
Shotuo frowned. He needed to do something! If him screwing up dinner cost Izuku his job, Shouto didn’t think he would ever be able to make up for it. Sure, Izuku would probably forgive him and find a new job, but his husband also loved his work and had been so excited about his new office. He couldn’t be the one to take that away.
He thought for a moment, opening all the cabinets he could in order to find anything that would be good for dinner. There had to be something! Maybe making the Chicken Katsudon and giving it out in smaller portions would work? Some food was better than no food, and it was really one of the only dishes he knew how to make since it was Izuku’s favorite.
Still, was he going to disappoint Izuku?
Shouto hadn’t expected a knock to come from the back door, but the man who stepped through was both a relief and an added stress. Izuku’s father had never seemed to like Todoroki much, but if he saw Shouto failing at Izuku’s dinner with his bosses, their relationship was sure to get even worse. Then again, seeing Hisashi Midoriya already carrying bags of food in his arms as if he expected this almost seemed worse.
“Ah Shouto, you nearly forgot about dinner, didn’t you? No worries, I’ve brought everything for you. You know, for someone who stays at home all day now, I really expected you to be taking better care of my son.”
The older Midoriya wasted no time in putting out ingredients and continuing his speech before Shouto could say anything.
“I trusted you by letting you marry Izuku, you know? And I know you get along with Inko, but getting married doesn’t mean you’re done proving yourself as good enough for Izuku. If you have all day to do things, the least you could do is have food ready when Izuku’s bosses are over don’t you think?”
“I have food I’m making-”
“Chicken katsudon, yes, I know. I hear about it all the time from Izuku, how his husband is making his favorite food again, but you really need to learn how to make other meals. And really, Shouto, some chicken katsudon isn’t nearly enough for Izuku’s bosses.”
He hated that the man was right. Shouto had already messed up today, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Besides, Hisashi Midoriya had always been so quick to nitpick Shouto’s lacking qualities, but never thought about what Izuku wanted, and even if he doubted it himself sometimes, Shouto knew that Izuku wanted him around. Izuku had made that very clear.
“Mr.Midoriya, thank you for helping me, but I’ll go ahead and finish everything up. Izuku is my husband, and I can make dinner for the both of us and his bosses.”
Hisashi stopped as Shouto practically pushed him out the door.
“I left instructions for you on how to prepare dinner. Inko really has the best recipes, so make sure you don’t mess it up. I’ll be down the street if you do, of course, screw up. Remember, I tolerate you only while Izuku wants you around, and he expects you to make tonight great.”
Shouto didn’t waste another second before closing the door behind the man, not bothering to say anything else. He knew Izuku was happy to have his father around, but that didn’t mean Shouto had to be. Besides, they seemed to have a mutual understanding; they were only tolerating each other for Izuku’s sake.
Regardless, for once his father in law had actually helped him out. Shouto looked down at the ingredients before him, and stared at the recipe. Hisashi really expected him to make a full three course meal? Was this dinner really such a big deal?
Shouto frowned, setting down the recipe cards as he heard Izuku call from the living room. He’d been making too much noise.
“Shouto, is everything alright?”
Izuku was about to read through him like an open book, so he quickly put on his best smile before peeking outside the kitchen.
“Just finishing up dinner! Don’t worry about me.”
Izuku smiled softly in relief, his eyes glued onto Shouto.
“I’m always going to worry about you.”
Shouto shut the door again to hide his blush, the excited looks of Izuku’s bosses enough to push him from the room.
He needed to make this perfect for Izuku.
An idea struck him suddenly. Izuku’s bosses seemed like a lot, but it didn’t seem like a full course meal was something they would really want. But with all the ingredients his father in law had brought…
Shouto knew how to make breakfast, and everybody loved breakfast.
It didn’t take much longer with his powers to make a range of breakfast foods to put out on the table, much to the surprise of their guests. Izuku was instantly beaming, much to Shotuo’s relief. His bosses seemed to be excited about the reveal too, neither expecting to see breakfast for their dinner.
“You know, of all the snobs we have at work at least we have one employee with some taste!”
The man laughed, shoveling food into his mouth faster than Shouto had expected. His wife wasn’t far off either, eating just as much as her husband.
“This really is good! We’re lucky to have Midoriya working with us, we’ll have to come over for dinner more often!”
Izuku laughed awkwardly.
“That would be nice! Although I think Shouto had wanted us to spend more quality time together, I feel bad leaving him at home all day.”
“Ah of course! Well, I guess you’ll just have to start bringing him to work with you!”
Shouto smiled the best he could in order to refuse, but luckily the conversation quickly changed topics. It wasn’t much longer until they had all finished eating, and Shouto and Izuku practically shoved his bosses out the door as politely as they could.
Izuku leaned against the door with a sigh of relief, smiling back to Shouto.
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t really do much though-”
Shouto felt Izuku place a hand against his cheek, and he naturally leaned against the touch.
“You did everything, Shouto.”
“Izuku… I almost blew it, if your father hadn’t-”
“I know how my father is, believe me. And I know you, Shouto. It’s okay you forgot, I almost did too. I guess being married to you has just made both of us so happy we forgot about everything else.”
Izuku laughed, the sound nearly bringing Shouto to tears. How had he gotten so lucky? He pulled his husband against his chest then, holding desperately on to him as if he could disappear at any second.
“You’ve always made me happy, Izuku. I can’t believe we’ve already been married for…”
Shouto stopped. How long had they been married? Izuku seemed to pause too.
“I… How long have we been married? Shouto…?”
He hesitated for only a moment.
“Well, we’re newlyweds. It hasn’t been too long, things have just been so exciting I guess it’s blurred together.”
Izuku relaxed, holding tightly to Shouto.
“You’re right. I’m just happy we’re together.”
“Me too. I won’t let anything come between us.”
Never again.
“I know. I love you, Shouto.”
----
All Might nervously paced back and forth the makeshift base. Whatever was happening couldn’t be good, and young Todoroki was trapped in the middle of it.
“What’s happened to you, Todoroki? Ever since-”
Toshinori stopped his muttering. No one had been the same since then, but it was unrelated to this. Whatever villain had done all of this needed to be stopped, and then they could all help Todoroki.
Bakugo frowned next to him, the young pro practically shaking in place.
“We can’t just break into it, so what the hell are we supposed to do?”
“...I’m not sure. But who knows how much time we have left.”