Work Text:
It’s almost time.
Almost…
Now.
Izuku’s phone rings and he quickly answers it, a familiar face appearing on screen. He smiles brightly and props his phone up tag ainsi the headboard of the hotel bed, crossing his legs and just smiling. The view on the other side shakes a little and, just a moment later, Shouto’s tired face looks back at him.
Izuku waves. “Hey Shou.”
Shouto hums softly and rubs his eyes, “Hey.”
“You okay?” Izuku frowns, brow creasing in worry, “It’s late for you, do you want to do this later?”
“No, no.” Shouto mutters, “It’s alright.”
“If you’re sure…” Izuku hesitates.
“Izuku, I love you, but you can’t go back on something we have had planned for months now right when it’s happening.” Shouto grumbles.
The view shifts and shakes a little as Shouto adjusts how he’s sitting before he pushes a hand through his hair. Izuku leans closer to the screen to be able to watch Shouto tie his hair back in a knot at the base of his neck. It all brings a little smile to Izuku’s lips.
Shouto must notice because he asks, “Something funny?”
“No,” Izuku shakes his head, “Just… your hair looks good. Really good.”
“Oh.” Shouto’s cheeks darken in that oh so familiar way, faint but clear enough that Izuku catches it through the screen. “Thank you.”
Izuku gives him a smile and pats the gift box sitting in front of him. “Want to go first?”
“Um… up to you.” Shouto shrugs, hands falling back to his side.
“You got first then.” Izuku says, “I want to watch you open my gift.”
This causes Shouto to huff a small laugh and shake his head, a small but fond smile working its way onto his lips. Izuku’s heart twinges with fondness and a softness that really only Shouto can produce. He’d always liked watching Shouto smile, part of why his ‘Shouto smiling’ photo folder on his phone is several hundred photos strong, and being on facetime now doesn’t change that one bit. He stares, enraptured, at the way the corners of Shouto’s lips curl up, and Izuku can’t help but want to screenshot the call right there.
Of course, that would involve moving and grabbing his phone which could disturb Shouto and make the smile disappear so, after some consideration, he tamps down on the desire and stays where he is.
Shouto’s smile dies naturally, fading into something neutral yet slightly pleased as it always seems to be when they’re together and, in a moment, he has begun to carefully unwrap the gift in front of him. Izuku waits with bated breath, excited and hoping to be able to see Shouto be pleased with his gift. If he doesn’t like it, that’s perfectly fine. Izuku can always bring him something else back.
Opening the gift takes about five times longer than Izuku expected because wow, he knows Shouto doesn’t like wasting things too much, but he is refusing the tear the wrapping paper at all. Izuku has already protested once, but Shouto shushed him and just kept going. Really, it’s a little ridiculous but Izuku finds that he doesn’t mind all that much. Besides, it’s building the anticipation and Izuku would be a liar if he didn’t appreciate a little suspense.
Finally, the gift wrap falls away and Shouto starts opening the actual box. He uses a chunk of ice to slice open the tape and slowly opens the box, bottom lip finding its way between his teeth. Izuku only wishes he could remedy this, but he’ll have to wait until he gets back.
There’s a soft gasp over the phone speaker and Izuku returns to the present to find Shouto staring wide eyed at the contents of the box, jaw slack. Izuku waits impatiently, fidgeting furiously with the box in his lap as he awaits the final verdict.
“Izuku…” Shouto lifts the gift from inside the box and cradles it between his hands. “I…”
“What do you think? If you don’t like it, I can get another one-”
“Izuku, if I could hug you right now, we’d have both fallen off the bed.” Shouto whispers, bringing one hand up to cover his mouth, eyes sparkling. “It’s beautiful.”
The gift itself is a crystal statue of sorts, glittering beautifully in the light (or so Izuku thinks, he can’t really tell through the phone screen), and it’s in the shape of two rather familiar silhouettes. One is broader and shorter, whilst the other one is taller and a little more lean. They’re entwined together, frozen mid-waltz, and Izuku watches Shouto’s face.
“You like it?” Izuku asks.
Shouto raises his eyes back to the camera and nods. “It’s beautiful. Where did you- how did you get it?”
“There was a vendor selling them at a market sort of thing, and she was offering custom statues.” Izuku explains, “I asked if I could commission her and, well, after she recognized me, she grinned and said she knew exactly what to do. About a month later, she asks to meet at her studio and shows me that. I cried, as you can expect.”
Shouto nods, a faint huff of laughter making it’s way through the mic. “Yes, I can imagine.”
“Shush, I’m telling the story.” Izuku beams, “Anyway, she said it would be finished a week later and, sure enough, a week later I went back to her studio and it was all finished. Then she helped me pack it with way too much bubble wrap and we sent it off. She sends her best, by the way.”
“If you see her, tell her ‘thank you’ from me.” Shouto says, looking back down at the statue. “Izuku, it’s perfect. She even got your hair right.”
Izuku snorts ungracefully at that. “I was more excited at how your hair looked.”
Shouto nods a little. “It’s longer than mine is in real life, but you’re right. The energy she captured in it is beautiful.”
“So-”
“If you ask me if I like it again, I’ll say no just to spite you.” Shouto says immediately.
“Sorry!” Izuku squeaks, “I’m just worried!”
“There’s no need.” Shouto looks back up at the camera, smiling that same soft smile from before, “It’s beautiful and I love it. Thank you.”
Izuku beams. “You’re welcome.”
The two just stare at each other through the screen for a long moment.
Then, Shouto snaps out of it and says, “Alright, open your gift.”
“Yes, dear.” Izuku rolls his eyes playfully and starts opening the present, tearing the gift wrap in what isn’t quite a childish display, but certainly isn’t Shouto’s level of precision.
Once the wrapping paper is cleared away, Izuku starts opening the actual box. Almost as soon as the tape is sliced through, a face explodes out of it. Izuku yelps and scrambles backwards, dropping the box as something grows out of it.
When he has recovered, he can hear faint laughter coming from his phone and he sends Shouto an injured look. But then he turns his attention to what just popped out of the box and his eyes widen. He scoots forward a bit and helps the thing fully out of the box before he’s tossing the cardboard away.
“Shouto,” Izuku says, staring at the thing in his arms, “You didn’t.”
“I did.” Shouto sounds entirely too smug.
Izuku hugs the thing tightly and whispers, “I love it so much.”
It’s a massive plushie, squishy as hell and about five or six feet long. It’s huge, wide enough that Izuku can’t really get his arms all the way around it, and it’s mostly blue with a familiar red and white top to it.
“I couldn’t come visit you, so I thought I’d send the next best thing.” Shouto sounds like he’s trying not to laugh.
“You sent me a massive chibi body pillow of you.” Izuku beams at him, maybe tearing up a little bit. “Shouto, I love it.”
“I’m glad.” Shouto smiles, “I was a bit worried after yours was so sappy, but-”
“Stop that, don’t. It’s perfect. I love it. Thank you.” Izuku is smiling so hard it hurts a little bit.
Shouto goes to say something else, but he shakes his head and just says, “You’re welcome.”
“I’m going to cuddle this every night until I get back, you realize.” Izuku says, entirely serious, “This is going to be my replacement you until I’m back in Japan. I’m going to hug it and cuddle it and not let go until morning and maybe even past that because it can’t complain about my morning breath.”
“I’m beginning to wonder about whether this was actually a good idea or not.” Shouto’s eye roll is almost audible. “But I’m glad you like it, Izuku.”
“I’m gonna cry.” Izuku tilts his head up, “Oh my gods I’m gonna cry.”
“You don’t have to hide it around me.” Shouto reminds him.
“I know, but if I cry then my vision gets blurry and if my vision gets blurry then I can’t see you.” Izuku huffs, “By the way, how the hell did you manage to fit this entire lad into this small of a box?”
Shouto doesn’t say anything for a moment. Izuku looks at him curiously to find him pursing his lips.
Finally, Shouto whispers, “Extreme persistence?”
Izuku snorts. “You’ll have to show me how you did it.”
“Aha, I knew you were into bondage.” Shouto deadpans.
“SHUT UP!” Izuku squeaks and buries his face into plushy-chibi-hero-Shouto in his arms.
Shouto’s laughter is quiet and a little tinnie thanks to the bad mic quality, but Izuku still hears it and celebrates it all the same. Any time he makes Shouto laugh is a win in his book, even if it means he has just been embarrassed to high heaven. If it means Shouto laughed, so be it.
When Izuku lifts his head this time, he catches Shouto mid-yawn. It’s such a hard yawn that it looks like it might split Shouto’s face open which is a little comical. He’d yawned like that for as long as Izuku had known him and, to Izuku at least, it’s funny every time. But he knows this means Shouto is tired and, because he’s a good boyfriend, he’s going to get Shouto to go sleep.
He smiles fondly and says, “Shouto, you should go to bed.”
“I am in bed.” Shouto mumbles.
“You know what I mean.” Izuku rolls his eyes, “Come on, get under the covers.”
Shouto grumbles something inaudible but he obeys, leaning over and putting the statue on a bedside table with utmost care. Then he slips into bed and grabs his phone, holding it above him. This gives Izuku a rather good view of his face and so Izuku stares unashamedly for a moment.
Finally, though, he says, “I’m gonna hang up now, okay?”
“Three more months…” Shouto sighs, not answering. “What am I supposed to do for that long?”
“Whatever you’ve been doing for the past four.” Izuku sighs and pushes a hand through his wild hair. “I’m sorry, Shou.”
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” Shouto says, “But you’re going to miss my birthday.”
“I’ll send something.” Izuku says determinedly.
But they both know that’s not what Shouto means. Of course, neither of them can really do anything about it, so they’ve both sort of decided to not mention that sort of thing. Wishing the other was near isn’t the way to survive this. They’ve been facetiming or at least calling every night or morning, whichever works best depending on their respective time zones, but despite this Izuku still can’t seem to clear his chest of the empty longing that has settled in. He doesn’t say any of this though, only gives Shouto a smile and blows a kiss.
“Sweet dreams, my prince.” He says softly, “I love you.”
“Love you too.” Shouto exhales slowly.
And with that, he hangs up the call.
Izuku’s phone screen goes dark and Izuku is once again alone in his hotel room in New York. He sighs and scrubs his face with both hands, willing himself not to cry. He’s cried enough. Besides, today was a good day. They opened presents together, he shouldn’t be upset.
But, even as he kicks the box off the bed and lies down, hugging plushy-chibi-hero-Shouto tight, he still can’t kick the feeling of loneliness. He doubts he’ll get rid of it before he gets back.
I can still try though, right? Izuku thinks to himself determinedly, Only three more months. I’m past the halfway mark.
He takes a breath, kicking his tears to the metaphorical curb.
I’ll be back soon, Shouto.