Chapter Text
Next March
Shouto can’t believe his father hired another person to clean their pool.
“We don’t need another person to clean the pool.” He says, during family discussion. It’s dinnertime, Inko has just been dismissed. She’s gathering her coat by the entryway. “I’m moving out in a month, and I was the only one who really used it in the first place.”
Inko turns towards the table with a smile on her face, one hand on the doorknob. “Be sure to send me pictures when you’re all settled, by the way! Izuku said he would, but you know my son, when he’s focused on one thing he tends to forget everything else.”
Shouto smiles fondly at the mention of his boyfriend. “I will.”
It’s been almost a year since scandal befell the Todoroki household. Well. Scandal is a generous word. Although Shouto’s relationship with Izuku Midoriya is public -- they’ve been photographed together going out to lunch, going on dates, they’ve even clearly stated their relationship status to the paparazzi -- no one knows how they met. The title of ‘poolboy scandal’ within the Todoroki family is reserved for Touya and Hawks, and frankly, Shouto wants to keep it that way.
“That’s all the more reason for us to have someone come and clean the pool, Shouto. If it’s unused it will gather filth and bugs and I will not have that.” Enji says.
“Ah.” Shouto says. Their interactions are different than they were before. It’s not ‘ whatever I say is necessary, Shouto ’ anymore.
Shouto looks at his father across the table, who’s giving him a neutral look. His father has been trying to treat him with more respect than he used to and Shouto’s not sure what to make of it. It might be that Shouto is serious about moving out now. Upstairs, his bags are packed, and he’s just waiting for the move-in date to lug all of his things out of the house to start to call a new place home. Perhaps Enji has finally realized he’s going to lose two of his sons at this rate and is desperately trying to change.
Shouto glances at his phone, where Izuku’s name has lit up his screen. Izuku has already picked out some posters that’ll decorate the walls. Shouto’s never had posters on his walls before. He’s excited for it. Natsuo clears his throat and Shouto glances towards his brother.
“So what you’re saying is that you hired a new guy who can sweep Fuyumi off of her feet this time?” Natsuo pipes up, snickering. Fuyumi, beside Natsuo at the table, flushes dark.
“Natsuo, I’m not interested in -- “
“That is not going to happen.” Enji says, “Fuyumi has far too much respect for me to do that,” here he pauses, and dramatically looks at Shouto, as though that comment means literally anything to him. Shouto simply sips on his cold soba noodles, maintaining unwavering eye contact. Enji continues. “And I trust Fuyumi. However, to prevent that from happening I have hired a female pool cleaner this time who has no intentions of fraternizing with my children.”
Natsuo puts. “Damn. I’m already taken, otherwise this would have been the perfect opportunity for me.”
Enji glares at his son, but folds his arms on the table, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Finally, we’ll have a normal summer in this household.”
Shouto is not interested; he looks underneath the table and sneaks another peek at his phone. Izuku sent him a meme this time. Shouto has toned his father out entirely, just composing a text back to Izuku.
“SHOUTO!” His father suddenly roars. Shouto jumps out of his skin, dropping his phone on the floor. Shouto looks up to glower at him. Enji grits his teeth. “Were you texting at the table? During family discussion?”
Shouto acts unbothered. He grabs his chopsticks and turns towards his food, like nothing is wrong.
“I wasn’t texting anyone.” He lies.
“That’s a lie! Fuyumi, he was texting someone, wasn’t he?”
Fuyumi, who has a very view of the cell phone currently face down on the floor, shakes her head. “No. He was just fixing his fly is all. It came undone.”
“Fuyumi,“ Shouto glares at his sister, flushing. Fuyumi gives her brother a look before she turns towards her food.
“It is rude to text other people at the table.” She says, tone cool. “Father isn’t the only person you’ll be leaving in a month, Shouto.”
Shouto frowns. He looks at his sister, who is slurping her noodles. He’ll miss being able to see her every day. Fuyumi has never talked about moving out, and Shouto is fairly positive she has no intention of doing so.
He wonders if she feels pressured to stay for their mother’s sake, or if she actually enjoys living at the Todoroki estate. Fuyumi could live on her own if she chose to -- she’s the one who’s helped Shouto begin to budget when he got that job on the beach, she’s the one who taught him how to open up a bank account in his own name, and taught him how to fill it with his money. Nothing he borrowed from his father. His money. Fuyumi is plenty capable of living on her own and supporting herself. Yet, Fuyumi is still here.
“I see.” Enji says, which jolts Shouto out of his thoughts. He turns in time to see his father shaking his head. “So all of you are lying to me now. I thought I raised you better than this.”
The entire table is silent. Natsuo and Shouto exchange annoyed looks.
“As I was saying ,” Enji says, as though he hadn’t just interrupted himself to berate Shouto, “Miruko will be starting first thing Monday morning.”
***
Shouto meets Miruko. She’s short, but strong, and demonstrates this by lifting a very heavy pool table with one hand even though no one asked her to. All of Shouto’s siblings sans Touya are there to say their hellos, and Natsuo laughs and nudges Shouto, saying, “man, if I wasn’t dating Shia, she’d be my type”, which gets him an elbow to the side from a very flustered Fuyumi.
Shouto likes her, even though she’s a bit loud.
***
Shouto and Izuku had agreed to get an apartment together after a confused but well-meaning agent had assumed they were moving into a place together when Izuku accompanied him on a tour. and gave them her business card.
“It’s difficult to find a first apartment as a new couple, but if you need help, feel free to give me a call”, she’d said. She’d taken one look at them and thought, ‘that’s a couple’.
It had embarrassed Izuku but made Shouto ecstatic. Shouto had been staring at the business card in his hand, his eyes lit up, almost in awe. She’d really looked at them and thought he was suited for Izuku. The same gorgeous, sunkissed, passionate Izuku he’d watched from his window was someone he was suited for.
Shouto had looked over at Izuku a moment too late, only to see those green eyes soft and gazing at him. The look on Izuku’s face had taken his breath away. Izuku had asked him if he wanted a roommate, and Shouto nodded.
And here he is now, standing with Izuku at the threshold of their apartment together. There’s two bedrooms. There isn’t much in terms of view, their apartment complex overlooks a parking lot. That’s the one thing Shouto will miss about his father’s house. He misses that gorgeous pool. He misses looking out of his window and seeing Izuku at the edge of it, stretching his muscles and watching the sun creep up the rolling hills as it rose. Their apartment complex has a pool but it certainly isn’t the same.
It still gives Shouto plenty of area to practice, though. He’s got his eyes set on the 2024 olympics. It’s difficult to balance out practice with the second job he’d gotten. He’s not a very good waiter, but it’s a job right at the beach. When he’s on shift, he looks out towards the sea and can see Izuku cleaning up the beach. He’s basically being paid to stare at Izuku’s broad shoulders and freckles, and sometimes during a slow moment Izuku can trot up to the fence dividing the restaurant’s patio from the beach and steal a kiss.
Shouto pulls out his phone, aiming his camera at Izuku. Izuku is currently in the process of hanging up a poster on the wall to the left of the balcony. It’s a photograph of the famous actor, Toshinori Yagi, from the movie 9000 Leagues Under the Sea . It was a good movie. It’s Izuku’s favorite, Shouto’s quickly learned. They’ve watched it at least 20 times since they started dating. Shouto started incorporating quotes from it in his conversations with his coworkers.
All around the living room are sea-based trinkets, supplied by Izuku; seashells that his niece Eri gave him, a globe that spins on a golden axis that he used for his cartography class in college, a miniature of the Titanic as a centerpiece on the old coffee table Inko gave them as a welcome gift. Shouto snaps quite a few images of Izuku -- he’s struggling with the framed poster, it’s always wonky, it’s always too far to the left for his satisfaction.
“Perhaps you should use a ruler.” Shouto suggests.
“But it’s almost -- I don’t -- I don’t need one,” Izuku is stubborn about the littlest things. It’s endearing. Shouto can’t fight the small smile on his lips as he leans against the frame of the door, as the clouds part and sunlight streams in through the window. Gold dances on Izuku’s skin. A beam of light connects one freckle just underneath his elbow to one at his wrist. He almost forgot he was supposed to take pictures of the apartment for Inko.
“Wha -- what?!” Izuku is looking at him now, and Shouto is sure to capture Izuku’s flustered, mortified expression as he stares at Shouto from the wall. “Are you recording this?”
“I was taking pictures of the decorations for your mother.”
“And you chose to take a picture of this ? Right now?”
“Yes. It’s very amusing.”
“I -- I -- Shouto ,” Izuku groans, “You could take a picture of the kitchen. That room is actually done.”
“Hm. You’re right.” Shouto says, even though he wants to take more pictures of a struggling Izuku in the living room. He turns off his phone and steps closer, until he’s right in front of Izuku, who just rolls his eyes and grabs Shouto by the collar of the shirt and pulls him down into a kiss.
“You’re really a brat, you know?” Izuku mumbles against Shouto’s lips.
Shouto hums. “You love it.”
“And you just love to tease me.”
“You’re not wrong about that.” Shouto says, stealing one more kiss before he opts to go into the kitchen.
It’s nice, with soft blue walls. It’s tiny, but has a lot of natural light. Shouto goes to the window to open the blinds for his photoshoot and he blinks when he sees a familiar ponytail walking up the street.
He’s in shock, for a moment. Fuyumi going to the beach in and of itself isn’t shocking. She’s allowed to go to the beach. She likes to walk on the shoreline, sometimes she’ll bring a romance novel and make herself comfortable with a beach towel and spend a saturday morning there. No, Shouto is in shock because he saw her hand laced with someone else.
“Oh.” Shouto says.
***
It doesn’t take much to convince Izuku to go down to the beach with him after everything is settled.
Shouto knows Fuyumi is an adult. She is allowed to date if she wants. Shouto doesn’t even have any right to be upset at her for hiding it, because he hid his relationship with Izuku when it first started. Yet somehow, he feels entitled to information on it. After his and Izuku’s relationship came to light Fuyumi was one of his biggest supporters, his listening ear when they came across scuffles or problems, and his primary source of advice. So perhaps it’s a little selfish of him to be so irritated she didn’t tell him she was seeing someone.
Izuku can tell something’s off about him when they’re on the boardwalk.
“Are you okay?” Izuku asks. He squeezes Shouto’s hand, and Shouto turns to look at him. Izuku’s eyes look like a forest in the sun; different shades of green reflecting in the sun.
“I’m fine.” He says. “I was just concerned because I thought I saw Fuyumi down here.”
“Oh! Fuyumi!” Izuku lights up, and he starts searching the beach, like he’s going to suddenly see her now. “How’s she doing?”
“Well.” Shouto says. “I think she might be here with a date.”
“I didn’t know she had a partner?” Izuku says, but it comes out as more of a question.
“Me either.” Shouto says, and he sounds stupidly glum about it.
He’s almost forgotten about looking for his sister when Izuku starts to take him up the boardwalk. It’s not quite the heart of summer yet, it’s only mid-April, but the tourist attractions are just starting to open. Izuku is in the process of winning Shouto a pointlessly large bunny rabbit plush (because it’s half white, half red like Shouto’s hair is) when Shouto sees her.
Fuyumi is walking down the boardwalk. She’s got a straw hat on her head, shielding her from the sun, and a flowing light blue cover up over a bathing suit she’d bought when the two of them had ventured to the mall last weekend. She looks flustered and is not wearing her glasses. Instead, when Shouto looks beside her, he sees Mirko with a shiteating grin across her face and Fuyumi’s glasses on her nose.
“You really are blind, huh Yumi?”
“I really can’t see, please give them back.”
“What, are you going to make me?” Mirko leans over, her face inches away from Fuyumi’s. Fuyumi’s cheeks darken, and she nods, fiercely. Mirko hums dangerously and licks her lips. “I’d like to see you try.”
Shouto isn’t prepared to see Fuyumi throw her arms around Mirko’s shoulders and pull her down into a kiss, slide her fingers through the other woman’s hair, and steal her glasses back as she pulls away. Fuyumi giggles, happier than Shouto thinks he’s ever heard her, andslips her glasses back onto her nose.
“Ah.” Shouto says. “This explains everything.”
He didn’t mean to be so loud that Fuyumi heard him. But Fuyumi turns towards him so quickly that Shouto is worried her neck is going to snap. She stares at her brother, her eyes blown wide.
Mirko turns towards them, too. “Hey, Shouto! How’s it going?” She says.
Izuku, now with the bicolored bunny in his arms, looks between Fuyumi and Shouto. “What’s going on?”
***
The four of them go to a little cafe. It’s across the street from where Shouto works. It’s not too crowded, thankfully, and they’re not being waited on. Izuku and Mirko volunteer to get drinks for the table, leaving the Todoroki siblings to talk.
“Please don’t tell dad.” Fuyumi sighs, staring at the table. She sounds so defeated and glum, it worries Shouto. “I didn’t mean to get involved with Mirko. I mean -- I don’t mean you’re doing it to spite dad, either. I know you didn’t. But I just -- “
“I’m not going to tell dad.” Shouto says, remembering how his siblings reacted when his relationship with Izuku was revealed. They were supportive of him. Of course he’s going to be supportive of them, too. “But he’s going to find out.”
“How would he find out?” Fuyumi asks.
Shouto stares at her.
“Don’t -- don’t give me that look!” Fuyumi sighs, and looks to the side. “I know, I know it’s pointless to hide it but I don’t want dad to get mad. And after what happened with Touya and Hawks, and you and Izuku, if I get involved with…”
“Does she make you happy?” Shouto asks. Fuyumi looks at her brother and then her eyes flick towards the counter. Shouto follows her gaze. He knows she’s looking at Mirko, but his eyes trail to the left and focus on Izuku. He’s smiling bright, talking to the barista. He’s full of energy. Mirko reaches over and elbows Izuku roughly, and he laughs as he rubs his arm and looks at her.
“Yes. She does. She’s amazing, you know. She’s been working since she was a teenager. She played football back in high school. She doesn’t take anyone crap, you know? I envy that. You know how much of a pushover I can be.” Fuyumi laughs to herself. “She’s gorgeous. Don’t get me wrong. But it’s not just because of how she looks that I like her. If that was the only reason, I wouldn’t do this to dad.”
“You’re not doing this to dad. He can get over himself.”
“Shou -- “
“I don’t mean that in the way that I’m saying I hate him and don’t want him involved in our lives.” Shouto says, “But he’s not allowed to pick and choose who we date. All I care about is that she makes you happy.”
Shouto looks away from Izuku and Mirko. Fuyumi is watching him with a smile on her face and her chin in her palm.
“He changed you.” She says, “You’re so much more open than you used to be.”
Shouto feels himself blush and looks down. His sister playfully kicks him underneath the table. “Sorry for keeping this from you, Shouto. I just didn’t want to jinx anything.”
Shouto hears Izuku and Mirko coming over before he sees them; Mirko slides right into the booth beside Fuyumi and Izuku slides into the booth beside Shouto, smoothly sliding his arm across Shouto’s shoulders as he puts their drinks on the table and takes a sip of his own.
Shouto liked Mirko when he first met her, but he likes her even more after he spends an afternoon with her and Fuyumi and sees how happy she makes his sister.
***
It’s their first night at their apartment. When they get home, Shouto sees he’s received a text from Inko thanking him for taking the time to send her a virtual tour of their apartment. Shouto smiles at the message and sends a thumbs up emoji as a response, turning towards Izuku, who’s yawning and stretching.
Shouto’s eyes trail from Izuku’s face down his body, to the way his shirt rides up and exposes the skin of his stomach. Freckles trail down the V that disappears below the helmine of his shorts. Shouto looks back up to meet Izuku’s eyes, and Izuku’s caught the way he was looking at him. The expression on Izuku’s face sends butterflies straight to Shouto’s stomach as Izuku tilts his head to the side and walks forward until he’s stood right in front of Shouto.
“Something caught your eye?” He asks.
“Maybe.” Shouto says. He reaches down and puts his hands on Izuku’s hips. His hands wander a little, his thumbs gently pressing against the skin just above Izuku’s waistline. Izuku’s skin is darker in the summer than it is in the winter; the sun brings out the pigment. Shouto loves the contrast between his own pale fingers and the skin he can feel of Izuku’s, warm and dark like the wood of the boardwalk during golden hour.
Izuku reaches up and pulls Shouto down into a deep kiss, tugging, forcing Shouto to step forward. Izuku turns them around so that he’s pinning Shouto to the wall outside of their bedroom, his hands slipping into Shouto’s shorts. Shouto’s breath catches in his throat, and his hands slide up to wrap around Izuku’s neck.
“Guess we should test out the bed, huh?” Izuku asks, a coy smile on his face. Shouto can’t find the words to respond, so he just pulls Izuku into another kiss.
fin.