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It’s not every day that Shouto gets a text from someone that isn’t either one of (if not both of) his boyfriends, Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Iida, or Fuyumi. It’s so rare in fact, that when he sees a notification from someone not included in the list above, he freezes up and stares at his phone as if it were some entity of trickery and not a phone.
Of course, he is in the massive class 1-A groupchat, organized and maintained by Kaminari and co, but he had shut off notifications from that particular chat within the first five minutes. He’s had notifications from other people before, of course, but that doesn’t make this one any less… odd doesn’t seem to be the correct word to use. Out of place, perhaps? Out of the ordinary? Something along those lines.
Midoriya Inko: hello, Todoroki! I was wondering if you wanted to come to our house for Christmas dinner?
For as much of an angel as Midoriya Inko is, this is definitely not something he had expected. A text would have been unexpected in its own right, but an invitation? And on top of that it’s an invitation to go for Christmas dinner? Shouto could have never imagined ever receiving a text of a similar sort in all of his life from anyone other than Fuyumi, and she wouldn’t necessarily be inviting him either, she would simply check to be sure he would be there.
The notification comes at breakfast one morning at the dorms and, well, Shouto very nearly drops his chopsticks in surprise once he’s read it. The look on his face must be a sight, because he hears Kaminari choke and smother a laugh into his rice, while Izuku looks up at Shouto with a small noise of confusion.
“Shouto?” Izuku’s voice is sweet, as it always is, “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” This is what Shouto tries to say, but all that comes out when he opens his mouth is a soft, breathless noise. He has no words in his throat.
Eijirou clears his throat from Shouto’s left. “I uh. I got one too?”
When Shouto manages to tear his eyes away from the screen of his phone, he looks at Eijirou’s. An identical message illuminates the screen, from the very same sender and with Eijirou’s name in place of Shouto’s. They both look at each other, some level of shared confusion passing between the two of them.
“Guys,” Izuku pipes up from across the table, “C’mon, what’s going on?”
Shouto breaks eye contact with Eijirou and carefully schools his expression once more for his own comfort. He looks to Izuku and raises his phone toward him, showing him the message, and he gets a front row seat to how wide Izuku’s eyes go as he reads it over. His eyebrows rise on his forehead and his lips part ever so slightly and, based on this reaction, Shouto begins to wonder if he’d been in the right to freak out so much over it because clearly this is a big deal. Izuku looks beyond stunned, shocked silent, and Shouto can sense unease coming from Eijirou that perfectly mirrors his own. Wonderful.
When Izuku keeps staring at Shouto’s phone screen, Eijirou reaches forward and snaps his fingers in front of his face to get his attention. “Hey, Izuku.”
Izuku jumps and shakes his head, snapping back to the present.
Shouto tucks his phone into his pocket and slowly says, “I take it that’s a big deal?”
“I… I mean yeah, kind of.” Izuku stammers, pushing a hand through his wild hair, eyes fixed somewhere on the tabletop, “It’s always been just the two of us for Christmas, so it’s odd she would invite anyone over. What’s shocking me most is that she has your phone numbers somehow which, all things considered, shouldn’t be possible because I never gave them to her and neither of you gave them to her, but that’s not what we’re worrying about here.”
Shouto blinks, quickly processing his boyfriend’s ramble. Then he nods a little and says, “Alright, so what do we do?”
“I… guess you come for dinner?” Izuku says sheepishly, “If you want?”
“I’ll have to double check with my moms.” Eijirou muses, “But I should be able to make it.”
“Oh. Oh good.” Izuku’s smile is wobbly. “And what about you, Shouto?”
“I can ask Fuyumi.” Shouto says slowly.
“Alright.” Izuku nods. Then he smiles brightly, back to a million watts all at once. “This means you’ll both get to try her Christmas ham.”
Shouto blinks. Eijirou tilts his head to the side.
“You’ll love it, trust me.” Izuku beams, “It’s a North American tradition and it’s amazing.”
“Look, fuckfaces.” Bakugou pipes up from another table, “Aunt Inko’s ham is really fucking good. Blows anything a restaurant could make right out of the goddamn water.”
And, well, with that astounding review from the resident best cook, how could Shouto not be anticipatory?
————————————
Fuyumi purses her lips.
In all honesty, Shouto didn’t expect her to outright decline his request because, well, she’s Fuyumi and she’s a goddess. But he doesn’t expect this will be an easy ‘yes’ to get, either. She loves Christmas dinner, especially since she can show off her ever improving cooking skills, and she has never wanted any of them to miss it.
One time, she even got upset when Enji missed one for work. She’d passed it off as nothing, but Natsuo and Shouto alike had been able to tell that she was clearly upset. To make it up to her that year, they had both pitched in to make a special Boxing Day dinner. Enji had attended, Fuyumi had almost cried in happiness, everything had been golden, Natsuo gave Shouto a high five under the table. All in all, Shouto enjoyed the dinner without his loving father, but seeing Fuyumi’s eyes light up when they could be all together was entirely worth it.
This year, however, Shouto’s asking to miss it entirely. He watches as the light in her eyes dims and he winces internally. Gods, he hadn’t wanted to upset her…
“Shouto…” Fuyumi starts and stops again, hesitating. Shouto can almost see the cogs in her head turning as she searches for the right words to say. She tries again, “Shouto, I know you don’t like our father-”
“That’s not why.” Shouto cuts in.
Fuyumi’s eyes widen behind her glasses. “It’s not?”
“Well, not entirely.” Shouto says, “Mostly it’s because I want to spend the evening with my boyfriends.”
That seems to be exactly the right thing to say because Fuyumi’s eyes grow soft and a smile spreads on her face. She nods a little and says, “I understand. You do that, then, alright?”
Shouto sighs in relief, “Thank you.”
“Ah, don’t thank me.” Fuyumi shakes her head, “But we will have to make up a missed family dinner later, alright?”
“Alright.” Shouto nods.
“Good.” Fuyumi gently (and almost timidly) ruffles his hair. “Now, go pack. I’m assuming you’ll be spending the night?”
“I…” Shouto is a little stunned by the hair ruffle but he doesn’t flinch away from it. Progress. He clears his throat and says, “I’m not sure. I’ll ask Izuku.”
Fuyumi nods, “Alright. And when do I get to meet these boyfriends of yours? They sound lovely.”
“Um… I’ll ask them that too.” Shouto whispers.
Fuyumi smiles. “Good. I’d love to meet them. Now, go on.”
Shouto nods and turns to head back to his room. Then he stops and looks over his shoulder at her for a moment. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, wanting to say something. Then, finally, he manages to say, “Thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for.” Fuyumi says, eyes glittering.
Shouto nods a little and heads upstairs.
Their relationship is still a little strange and odd, but they’re getting there.
The hair ruffle is a tribute to that.
————————————
As it turns out, Shouto will be staying the night and, by the looks of the food Mrs Midoriya has set out on the table, he will be asleep for quite some time. It all smells wonderful and he freezes in the doorway, staring in shock. He hears Eijirou at his side do the same, and Shouto doesn’t doubt that his mouth fell open in shock.
Mrs Midoriya’s blush is almost audible and she waves a hand around, flustered. “Come in, come in.”
Neither Shouto nor Eijirou move until Izuku nudges them both. Shouto quickly toes off his shoes and steps inside with a soft ‘sorry for the intrusion.’ Eijirou does the same and, when they’re both inside, Mrs Midoriya bows a little.
“It’s so nice to finally really meet the two of you!” She’s radiant with happiness, “Izuku will not stop talking about you!”
“Mom!” Izuku’s face goes as red as a tomato in seconds. “You promised you wouldn’t embarrass me.”
“Did I?” Mrs Midoriya’s eyes shine, “Sorry, Izuku, I seem to have forgotten.”
Izuku groans and drops his face into his hands, blush spreading to his ears now.
Mrs Midoriya just laughs and says, “You can put your things in Izuku’s room, alright? Then when you’re settled, we can all have dinner.”
Izuku is still burning up when he leads them down the hallway to his room. In true Izuku fashion, nearly every square inch of space is taken up with pro hero merch, moreso All Might than anyone else. Shouto thinks it’s charming, that he admires his mentor so much, and he stops for a moment to take in just how cozy and lived in everything in the house seems to be. It’s nice, warm, and very familiar in an odd way.
Eijirou drops his back near the foot of Izuku’s bed and walks over to a display case with limited edition pro hero figurines as Izuku fidgets. Shouto drops his own bag near Eijirou’s and takes Izuku’s hand, tracing the knuckles of his fingers with his thumb in an attempt at a comforting touch. It seems to work, as Shouto watches tension flood out of Izuku’s shoulders.
“Woah.” Eijirou breathes, staring at a figurine, “Is that-”
“Limited edition twenty fifth anniversary Crimson Riot?” Izuku beams, “Yep.”
“They only make eight hundred of these.” Eijirou whisper-screams, “How did you get it?!”
“I saved up for years in preparation for it and stayed up for thirty six hours to wait for the exact moment it went on sale.” Izuku admits, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Mom still won’t let me live it down.”
Eijirou gapes at him. Then he looks back at the case. Then he looks back at Izuku. A goofy smile spreads on his face and he says, “I love you, did you know that?”
“You’ve mentioned it a few times.” Izuku grins, still blushing really hard in probably the best impression of a strawberry that Shouto’s ever seen.
And, because Shouto has never been able to resist it, he leans down and plants a kiss to Izuku’s flushed cheek.
This just causes Izuku to squeak as his cheeks heat up even more and Eijirou snorts abruptly which only causes Izuku to become even more flustered. He buries his face in his hands and Shouto hums, a soft smile spreading on his face. He gently draws Izuku into a hug and Eijirou hurries over to wrap his arms around the both of them.
And yes, Shouto decides, this was the right decision after all.
————————————
The food, to say the least, is as good as it looks. Shouto doesn’t doubt that he could eat this food for the rest of his life and never tire of it because Mrs Midoriya’s good is phenomenal. Eijirou seems to agree, if the way his eyes are shining is any indication. Shouto finds a small, barely there smile working its way onto his face as he keeps eating.
The conversation is easy, Mrs Midoriya leads it which, to Shouto, is a relief. He’s never been any good at keeping a conversation going. Eijirou talks with her excitedly about something, Izuku is still recovering from the latest round of embarrassment, and Shouto is just-
He’s happy.
The atmosphere is easy and joyful, he feels all light and warm, and before he knows it, he’s finished his plate of food and Mrs Midoriya is offering him seconds.
“I’d love some more.” Shouto nods a little, voice soft.
And, well, this is really good. It’s an excellent place for him to be.
It only gets better when he finds Eijirou’s fingers lacing with his under the table.
————————————
After dinner, Mrs Midoriya doesn’t even clean up (or let any of them help, for that matter) before she is up and off like a shot.
“I’m just going to grab some things, stay there!” She calls as she disappears off down the hallway.
Shouto stares after her, puzzled. He can picture Eijirou’s confused face as well (it’s fairly easy to imagine at this point), and they both eventually turn to Izuku, in search of an explanation. Izuku has to take a moment to recover from his flusterment, but he finally grins brightly at the two of them, more or less recovered.
“She’s getting your gifts.” He says.
Shouto blinks in surprise.
“She… got us gifts?” Eijirou sounds utterly baffled.
“Of course I did!” Mrs Midoriya comes back into the room, holding three wrapped packages, placing one in front of each of them. Her eyes shine as she sits back down and begins to fidget. “They were a little rushed, and I’m not sure if I got your sizes right, but I hope you like them!”
Shouto, for one, is still trying to process this information. He only comes back to the present when Eijirou nudges him and whispers, “You first.”
“Um.” Shouto says intelligently. He looks down at the package for a moment before oh so carefully opening it, making sure to not tear the wrapping paper.
It slowly reveals itself to be a hoodie, soft and a beautiful sea green colour. His eyes widen as he pulls it out, marvelling at it for a long moment. Then he sees the emblem emblazened across the front and the word on the hood and a smile spreads across his face.
It’s ‘Hero Deku’ merch.
Izuku squeaks and Eijirou gapes. Mrs Midoriya fidgets harder.
Slowly, Shouto lowers it and smiles at her. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Th-that’s not all!” Mrs Midoriya stutters.
“Oh my gods.” It’s Eijirou’s turn to blush now, and Shouto finds out why when he draws out a second hoodie from the package. It’s bright red, with a familiar emblem across the front and words on the hood. ‘Red Riot’.
Shouto draws the two hoodies into his chest and hugs them, burying his face in the fabric. His words are muffled when he says, “I love them.”
Is he talking about the hoodies? The heroes? Even he isn’t sure.
But Mrs Midoriya brightens and beams at him all the same. “I’m glad.”
Eijirou opens his next. There’s an identical (yet four times bigger) ‘Hero Deku’ hoodie, as well as an all blue one with a little coin sized emblem that’s half red and half white over where the heart would be. On each arm are the words ‘Frostbite.’ Shouto blushes and looks down at his lap.
Eijirou’s smile is blinding and he thanks Mrs Midoriya earnestly. When Shouto turns to look at Izuku, his face might as well have been on fire.
Izuku opens his gift next and out come a ‘Red Riot’ hoodie and a ‘Frostbite’ hoodie. He babbles something about adding them to his collection and thanks his mother about three hundred times which, Shouto and Eijirou will both later agree, is adorable.
The hoodies are wonderful, they all can agree. Shouto’s only lament is that he can’t wear them both at once.
————————————
Later that night, when they’re all crowded on Izuku’s mattress and futon (that they had all worked together to put on the floor), Shouto buries his face into Izuku’s hair, still smiling like a loon. Today has been a good day. Dinner was amazing, the gifts were beyond spectacular, and Shouto honestly could not be more happy with how everything turned out. He’s been afraid at first that he’d have trouble warming up to Mrs Midoriya, but she and him had found a common love of flustering Izuku.
Eijirou’s lips brush his forehead gently and Shouto hums softly, leaning up into the touch. He can feel Eijirou’s smile curl against his skin and that makes his heart do a silly little flutter.
Izuku presses closer to Shouto’s chest and murmurs, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more embarrassed in my life.”
“At least it was good embarrassment, right?” Eijirou says softly.
“Maybe…” Izuku puffs out his cheeks.
“I love the hoodies.” Shouto whispers.
“Same.” Eijirou grins.
“Me too.” Izuku agrees.
“You’re both adorable,” Eijirou says, “But can we sleep now? The food coma is about to kill me.”
“If it kills you then it isn’t a coma.” Izuku slurs, closing his eyes and nuzzling into Shouto’s chest.
Eijirou’s laugh is warm and spreads through Shouto’s body in a comforting sort of way.
“Goodnight, Eijirou. Goodnight, Izuku.” Shouto lets his eyes fall shut.
“Night.”
“G’night.”
————————————
Inko pads through the hallway with a yawn, sunshine spilling in from the windows. She’d made breakfast already, egg and rice and some fish. The hallway is utterly silent and, when she reaches Izuku’s door, she doesn't even knock.
Silently, she eases it open and pokes her head inside.
A smile crosses her face when she sees the three of them, tangled up in each other and fast asleep. She quickly closes the door behind her and heads back down the hallway to the kitchen.
Breakfast can wait.