Work Text:
Iida stared at the mess on their coffee table. Papers lay strewn across the surface in a way that suggested they used to be in piles but had succumbed to half-hearted sorting. If the mess hadn’t been Todoroki’s, Iida would be annoyed. However, he knew the other man was constantly busy, leaving after a quick breakfast and returning late in the evening, too tired to do more than shower and collapse into their bed. Iida himself had a similar schedule. They were both busy and hardly saw one another. He couldn’t be angry about something so petty.
So instead of being annoyed with his boyfriend about the clutter, he merely did what he could to tidy up. He flipped through the mail first, separating out the bills from everything else. They were lucky all of the advertisement offers and fan mail went through the agency—Iida wasn’t sure their little mailbox could handle Todoroki’s fanbase. Todoroki was popular. His endorsement in any product guaranteed a marked rise in sales. If anything, the fact that he shared an apartment with his “close friend, Ingenium” boosted his popularity.
Iida stopped mid-shuffle. The tan envelope in his hands was heavy. It was addressed to Todoroki’s agency and looked to come from some automobile company, but obviously it was important enough for the other man to bring home. The seal was already broken, and Iida was curious. He carefully thumbed out several photographs. They were of Todoroki, as Iida assumed, but what Iida didn’t expect was to see his boyfriend straddling the seat of a motorbike, leather jacket artfully falling off one shoulder, helmet under arm, staring directly into the camera. It was rare, but Iida found himself at a loss for words. He licked his lips, aware of how dry his mouth felt.
He flipped to the next photo. Todoroki lounged against the front of the motorbike, long, lithe body hid under tight clothes and that same jacket. In this one he gazed off to the side. The next photo had him posed standing next to the bike, one hand on the handle, the other slinging his jacket over his shoulder.
Iida would be the first to admit that Todoroki had a very handsome face. The delicacy of his childhood matured into more refined, handsome features. He was never bothered by the burn that scarred his left side, and Iida knew that confidence carried into his appeal. His boyfriend was absolutely stunning. If he wasn’t so dedicated to his hero work, he could get a second job as a model easily.
Speak of the devil, Iida heard a key turn in their lock. Todoroki’s familiar footsteps stopped in the entryway before continuing into the living room. He saw Iida and smiled. “I’m home.” He approached and leaned down to kiss Iida’s cheek.
“Welcome back.”
Todoroki paused when he saw the photos in Iida’s hands. His face visibly blanched. “Ah, you found those.”
Iida glanced at them again, but they paled in comparison to the real person before him. “Yeah, they’re, uh. They’re very nice.”
The other man smiled at his bashful stuttering. It reminded him of when they were students and first started dating. Iida had been so nervous on their first date and asked permission to hold Todoroki’s hand. It was amazing how far they’d come since. “They’re for an ad campaign I shot a few days ago. The final prints will be touched up.” Todoroki affected nonchalance. “They let me keep the motorbike.”
“Really?” Iida blinked in surprise.
Todoroki shrugged. “The CEO was a huge fan of Endeavor. He insisted. Even if I don’t particularly associate with my father, it seemed rude to refuse the generosity.”
“What are you going to do with it?” Iida leaned forward to set the photos back onto the table. He sat back and Todoroki joined him, warmly pressed against his side. Iida could smell sweat and that special shampoo made for fine hair that Todoroki liked.
“I’m keeping it at the agency right now. I was thinking about getting my license?” His lowered gaze begged for Iida’s approval.
Iida thought about it. He obviously couldn’t stop Todoroki if the other man wanted to get his license. He wouldn’t. He just worried about Todoroki’s safety. On the other hand, their jobs as heroes was far more dangerous than the possibility of getting into an accident. “Go for it,” he answered finally. “Of course, you’ll have to worry about your fans thinking you’re even cooler.”
Todoroki frowned. He wasn’t fond of being fawned over. “I want to.”
Smiling, Iida leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. “Better start studying, Shouto.”
Iida couldn’t believe it. Somehow, Todoroki looked even better on the motorbike in real life than in those photos. His fingers itched to reach out and touch him, but he had to behave.
It was late at night, late enough that few cars passed them as they idled in the small parking lot. Iida was waiting outside their apartment complex when Todoroki arrived.
Todoroki was smiling. “It feels really great. It handles so smoothly.”
Iida laughed heartily. “If you don’t watch out, they’re going to have you shoot a commercial.”
“You want to race?” Todoroki stared at him with a smirk on his face and challenging glint in his eyes. Iida felt a stab of lust curl sharply in his stomach. His face heated and he felt grateful for how dark it was.
“I—you want to?” He struggled to maintain his composure and not drag his boyfriend upstairs that instant, but the idea of a race intrigued him.
Todoroki narrowed his eyes as he tilted his head. “Yeah. Let’s go out from the city center, somewhere without so many people or traffic lights. It’d be fun.”
Straight-laced Iida worried about the legality of it and how it would reflect upon them as heroes if someone saw, but when Todoroki looked at him like that, a challenge in his gaze, he felt stupid. Not stupid, really, but more willing to take risks. Okay, maybe a little besotted sometimes as well. “Let’s go.”
They made their way towards the edge of the city along the freeway, Todoroki on his bike and Iida on foot. Todoroki had offered to let Iida ride behind him, but the taller man refused, citing the need for a warm up. Todoroki looked at him fondly before taking off. Travel was slower than Iida liked, but he wanted to keep pace with Todoroki, who had to stop for traffic lights.
Finally, they made it to a stretch of road far out enough that they couldn’t see any cars. Iida stretched a little. He hadn’t the opportunity to let loose and go full speed in a while. His heart pounded in anticipation. “You ready?” he asked Todoroki as he flipped his visor down.
The other man revved his engine theatrically as they lined up. He leaned low over the handles, foot ready to lift with imminent acceleration. Iida settled into a running position. He dug a single yen coin out of his pocket. “Set.”
Breath bated, he flipped the coin into the air in front of him. As it fell, he readied himself.
The coin hit the road with a click that was lost in the sound of their sudden acceleration.
Wind tried to buffer against him, but Iida’s suit cut through like a hot knife. Its howling filled his ears. He couldn’t stop smiling. The only thing he missed was the feeling of that wind in his hair, but at this speed, it was liable to cause lacerations. He glanced to his side, catching Todoroki’s gaze through the visor of his helmet. His heart leapt, kept leaping with the passing meters.
He hadn’t stretched his legs in so long, hadn’t pushed his quirk to its full potential in what felt like years. Iida felt likened to a bird let out of a too-small cage. He’d wanted to share this joy of nearly flying with Todoroki and this was the closest they could come. They were giddy, they were exhilarated. His elated whoop was lost to their speed.
This was freedom.
The two men were equally matched as they cut through the darkness together. Iida pulled from the ecstasy in his gut to push a little harder. His engines felt hot. Just a little harder.
He edged ahead of Todoroki, whose motorbike was at its top speed. Seeing he was beat, Todoroki began to slowly decelerate. By the time he coasted to a stop, Iida had his helmet off and body bent over, hands on knees, panting.
Todoroki flipped the kickstand of his bike with a flick of his foot. He approached Iida quickly, dropping his helmet along the way.
“Hey, I won,” Iida chuckled breathlessly. He stood back up and blinked at Todoroki’s silence. “Shouto?”
When he got close enough, Todoroki lunged at Iida and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him hungrily. The competitive fire in Iida’s stomach turned towards desire. He wrapped his own arms around the pliant body against his. Todoroki licked and nipped at his lips. Iida opened to his insistence and possessed in return.
With one final, firm bite, Todoroki pulled back and came down off his tip toes. “Well,” he huffed, face red, “that was fun.” Iida tried to follow for another kiss, but Todoroki stopped him with one gloved hand against his mouth. Todoroki laughed softly. “It was like flying. There was no one else in the world but us.”
Iida leaned down to kiss one more time, and Todoroki allowed the chaste peck. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”
Todoroki, too used to fans complimenting his looks yet still unable to process how he should react to Iida’s remarks, rolled his eyes. His face felt warm. “Let’s go. You can ride on the back of my bike.”
Iida wasn’t sure he could handle sitting tightly behind Todoroki for the ride back, even with his bulky hero costume. But with Todoroki looking at him so expectantly, he found he couldn’t say no.