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There are some days that Shouto tended to block out of his mind. They may not seem that important or special to other people but for him it was just too much. These days he would always spend the day in bed struggling to shut down his mind enough for him to maybe sleep the day away. When he couldn't do that due to work or even other peoples interference he spent the time in extreme discomfort feeling as if everything was off. On the days he couldn't avoid he settled in for a long day.
One of the most painful days for him was Christmas. There were many reasons for this, from growing up in a hyper aggressive household where gifts and positive family experiences were few and far inbetween, to even the holiday feeling meaningless to him emotionally. It was the same every year, everyone came home for a day of snarky comments and pretending that nothing ever happened bad to them while growing up, and that the heavy emotional trauma didn't weigh on him every second of every day. Each year he swore he wouldn't come back and each year he returned just like clock work to stay in his childhood bedroom surrounded by old memorabilia. He hated every moment of it but could never stop himself from continuing the cycle.
For the passed couple weeks he had been dreading the moment that the invitation would fall into his mailbox. The same invite that was sent every year by his sister inviting him to the same dinner that happened at 7 at the Todoroki estate with his father, brother, sister, and sometimes even his mother when she was 'stable'. When it finally came Shouto wasn't the one to see it. Instead it was found by his boyfriend Izuku Midoriya.
Their relationship would be what people described as, in the honeymoon phase. They'd barely been together for 2 months, having fallen together after meeting up when they stepped into a joint partnership together to take down a mafia group in the beginning of the summer. They hadn't kept in close contact when they had graduated from UA for no other reason than they didn't think it was needed. That was how it was with many of his old classmates. He ran into them every now and then and congratulated them on twitter when they made big busts or even just ranking up. It was the typical upkeep and careful responses that the media ate up, so when him and Izuku came together again the fire that was lit in high school turned into a forest fire.
Shouto fell in love with Izuku when they were first years. It was all simple and easy back then, puppy love to the first person to ever treat him like something other than an item. He was Shouto Todoroki with Izuku and it had felt right. As they grew so did his love but never had said anything, mainly because in their second year Uraraka had confided in Shouto her crush on Izuku as well. Being the type of person he was, Shouto had encouraged her to go after her love and she had. Izuku and her had dated long into their third year, only breaking up due to their different choices of agencies for their internships. They left on good terms but by that time Shouto had resigned himself to a life of watching his first, and dramatically, last love be in love with someone else. By graduation he had learned to lock up any feelings toward the other aside from friendship away, so their goodbyes were as friends and seemed to stay that way.
When they had met again it was nothing more than a happy accident when they both were working the same case from two seperate perspectives. They had come together at the last minute and taken care of the group putting over 55 criminals behind bars. It felt like when they were in school all over again, perfectly insync and trusting each other with everything. After that moment they began messaging, and messaging turned to calling, and calling to meet ups and the meet ups to dates. It all came together perfectly and they couldn't deny their feelings any longer and Izuku was the first to break. He asked Shouto out while over some cheap ramen in their favorite hole in the wall after an all nighter. It was stuttery and tired but it was perfect.
That was how they got to this moment, Shouto laying on his stomach face pressed into the couch after a 12 hour shift while Izuku fumbled through the open door carrying his mail and some takeout. He was loud and clumsy but just the sound of him helped lift the weight of the day off his shoulders moment by moment.
"Rough day?" Izuku questioned when Shouto didn't stand to greet him like normal. Instead of formulating a response, Shouto just pressed his face farther into the cushion on the couch listening to the sound of his footfalls as he moved into the kitchen to set the takeout on the counter like he always did and get out some plates.
His lack of response caused a pause in Izuku's normal routine and he tenses for a moment before relaxing as a hand runs through his hair and a kiss is pressed to the crown of his head. The hand retreats after a moment and Izuku is back in the kitchen making a racket like normal getting dishes for their takeout and humming to himself. The song must be new because it is one Shouto hasn't head before and it is stinted and off beat as it comes out of Izuku as if he doesn't fully know it. It felt natural, beyond domestic for him to be here in Shouto's space as if he always has been.
After the humming sputters out and the sound of Izuku eating taking its place Shouto finally shifts around to look up at the ceiling. It had been a long day, four large villain encounters, a larger handful of lower level criminals, two burning buildings, and one child abuse case. The last one hit a little too close to home for him, some kid being beaten up by his dad who had a problem with his quirk, just some low level things but it reminded him of his own childhood. It always took his mood down when he was forced to unrepress some long forgotten trigger memory. From the kitchen he hears the sound of flipping mail and disinterested noises before silence falls.
"Hey Shou? You have a letter here from Fuyumi, do you want me to open it?" Shouto just makes a noncommitted grunt assuming it was another one of her 'call-me-you-hermit' letters which he never responded to.
Izuku makes a sound of acknowledgement before the sound of letter opening can be heard. There is silence for a moment before Izuku shouts, "You're invited to our Christmas dinner!" The sound of the kitchen chair being knocked back and aggressive pitter pattering of feet is the only warning Shouto gets before Izuku is throwing himself over the couch and onto his chest.
He gasps for air when he is crushed into the couch by his boyfriend before blinking down at him in astonishment, "Oh, it's that letter." He mumbles out into the curls on top of Izuku's head. He reaches one hand up to lightly tangle his fingers into the curls trying to get a look at his boyfriends face.
There is vibrations against his chest but he can't make out any words and after a moment he tugs lightly on the curl, "What are you saying, I honestly cant understand you."
"Can we go? Please? I know you said you didn't enjoy these dinners but this is our first christmas together and we already agreed to spend christmas eve with my mom and it is only fair if we get to see your family, but i understand if you aren't interest and would prefer to skip it all and i support you and we could instead-" Shouto makes a shushing sound to cover up Izuku's aggressive muttering before letting out a slow breath. He closes his eyes for a moment and thinks.
The silence in the room is only broken by their even breathing and their equal heart beats. After the silence settles around them and their warmth seems to blend together shouto can finally think. He hates Christmas with his family, this will never change and will forever be the most truthful part of his holiday memories, but he loves Izuku even more than that hate. He knows that if he said no, if he asked for the other to just throw the letter away and forget he saw it he would, he would never say anything about it again. Then again, he also knows Izuku would be disappointed even if he had met his family multiple times before and after they started dating. He let out a slow breath and thinks about the fact that Fuyumi had already been gushing in the group chat how mom would be there and how Natsuo already planned on bringing his ever growing family. He thought about all he would miss if he didn't go and it hurt to think that, maybe he was considering it.
After a moment of thought he finally lets out a loud exhale his chest rising in a deep breath after, Izuku lifting with it so their eyes meet. He has a soft look in eyes, full of nothing but love and respect, the same look they shared all those years ago in each moment they trust each other to make a choice. He knew what he had to say.
"We can go, but the moment Natsuo breaks out the wine we have to leave because as soon as that happens the cards come out and I cannot handle another year of beating him at his own game." As he talked the smile on Izuku's face widened until he was doing nothing but grinning. The energy running through the other man's body is enough for Shouto to know he is going to stay all night at that damn party to see that smile, but deep down he thinks, maybe this year it won't be as bad because he finally has someone on his side, and by his side.
He closes his eyes and shoves Izuku off to run off to make plans and gossip with Uraraka or someone about the new development but before his boyfriend disappears a soft kiss is pressed to his lips and a gentle, "I love you." Whispered to him. He smiles, chest a little lighter and the dread of christmas day not as dark as before.