Work Text:
PHOTOGRAPH + Izuocha
Todoroki could tell that Midoriya was nervous, although it wasn’t that difficult to figure out. Outside of hero work where he projected a confident, strong persona to keep people at ease, Midoriya was very open with his emotions. When he was angry, he clenched his hands into fists and declared war against anyone fighting him. When he was upset or even incredibly grateful, he cried a river. When he was happy, he smiled and laughed excitedly. When he was thoughtful or confused, he lost himself in his muttering.
When he was determined, he wore a grin that told everyone to watch out for him, his eyes lighting up. It was contagious, as Todoroki found out during the Sports Festival. His emotions burned bright enough for everyone in the world to see.
Seeing someone so openly display their emotions had been so startling. Todoroki hadn’t really known what to think about it when he first saw him in action during his fight with Bakugou in Combat Training. Showing emotions was looked down upon at home. Aside from anger and determination, he didn’t really know what else there was. After his mother left, Fuyumi tried to be soft and caring, but Todoroki wasn’t allowed around her much.
His mother was still reserved to this day. The only one person he remembered showing so much emotion was Touya, but even he burned out in the end to the point where Todoroki almost forgot about him and forgot what it was like to be open. It had taken him months of being at UA before he was comfortable enough to start showing his emotions more. Even after that, it was hard for him, and he looked to his friends for guidance.
Right now, however, judging by the way Midoriya was muttering under his breath and tapping a pen against a notebook, he might be the one in need of guidance right now.
Todoroki placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Midoriya snapped out of his daze, jerking his head up and blinking. “Wha–?” He turned around, and they connected eyes. An anxious smile popped onto his face. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine! I’m just– I’m thinking too much, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, you’re kinda making my head hurt,” Todoroki said. He pulled his hand off Midoriya’s shoulder. “You need to calm down.”
“Calm down?” Midoriya shook his head. “This has to be perfect.”
Todoroki frowned. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re right,” Midoriya gasped. “It has to be picture perfect!”
“No, that’s–” Todoroki held a hand over his face. “That’s not what I meant.”
Midoriya crouched down and pressed his hands against the glass case despite holding a pen and phone. “What do you think of that one? The back right one, I mean. That looks nice, right?”
Todoroki leaned to the side to look at the ring in question. “It looks...like a ring.”
“That won’t work at all!” Midoriya moaned in dismay, dropping his forehead against the glass. “It has to be the ring – the best ring – not like the one ring to–” He caught Todoroki’s blank expression. “Ah, right, you never watched those movies with us. Ochako loves them, but she loves fantasy movies, so it makes sense, although she did wish there were more girls in them…”
Honestly, Todoroki wasn’t sure what Midoriya was talking about, but it was sweet – how well he knew Uraraka and adored the little things about her. After all, she was the reason why they were in this jewelry store in the first place.
When Midoriya anxiously told him that he wanted to propose to Uraraka, Todoroki hadn’t been surprised. The two of them had been dating since their last year of high school and living together for almost a year. Everyone could see how much they loved each other, and it had only grown since they’d truly dived into the hero world. The media ate it up, but it wasn’t a publicity stunt. It was just who they were.
Yes, their hero work was important to them, but Midoriya had finally learned that it wasn’t the only thing that mattered in life. It had been his sole focus in school, which almost caused him to lose sight of his friendships, but they were here now, and he knew what else was important in his life. Uraraka was important, and he made it a point in his life to show her that no matter how much being the number one hero took out of him. Hell, even at the ceremony where he was officially awarded the title, he left early to go home with her and celebrate privately.
It shouldn’t have shocked Todoroki to find out that Midoriya had a notebook filled out with multiple proposal ideas and concepts, but he still hadn’t been prepared for how intensely detailed each plan was. He was absolutely enamored after all these years and wanted the proposal to be perfect, but he was kind of being a little manic about it. Even the salesperson behind the counter was eyeing him strangely, and this was after realizing that it was pro hero Deku looking for an engagement ring.
“What am I going to do, Shouto?” Midoriya groaned. “If I can’t find the perfect ring, then what’s the point?”
Todoroki stroked his chin. “I might not have been the best person to bring.”
“But you’re my best friend!” Midoriya exclaimed, jerking his head around to look up at him. “I need you here.”
“Yeah, but wouldn’t Asui or Ashido know what Uraraka likes more?”
Midoriya hesitated and furrowed his brow in thought. When he couldn’t come up with a conclusive response, he sighed and stood upright. He opened his notebook again, flipping to the page with multiple ring descriptions. There were so many different kinds that even Todoroki felt a little overwhelmed. They all looked the same in the end to him. It didn’t help that he’d never actually been to a wedding. His mother hadn’t worn an engagement ring. Actually, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if she’d worn her wedding ring either or if she had one.
“I want to find something that she could look at and smile about when she thinks about the proposal,” Midoriya said, running his fingers along the glass. He gazed down at the rings. “I don’t want to mess up. Remember how I asked her out the first time?”
Todoroki nodded. “You stumbled around so much that she thought you were asking her to help you ask me to dance. I still don’t know how you did that badly.”
Midoriya ran his fingers through his hair. “It was awful. I can’t mess up like that again.”
“You won’t.”
“And it all starts with the perfect ring–”
“No, it doesn’t,” Todoroki cut in, bringing Midoriya’s attention back to him. “It starts with you two – the love you have for each other, how you want to spend the rest of your lives together. The ring is just a symbol of that.” Midoriya stared at him, a faint hint of understanding glowing in his eyes. “And Uraraka will get that. She won’t care what ring you get her. She’ll care that it came from you.”
Midoriya’s mouth was parted in awe. “Wow, Shouto, that’s…” He nodded. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. Ochako isn’t going to complain if it’s not the perfect cut. I just… I don’t know. I want it to be perfect.”
Todoroki shrugged. “It probably won’t be.”
A frown crossed Midoriya’s face. “Well, that’s not reassuring at all.”
“But it won’t matter,” Todoroki continued resolutely. “Trust me. You probably won’t even be able to stammer through the question before she says yes.”
“You think so?” Midoriya asked, wearing a hopeful expression. It made him look three years younger. Even as the Number One Hero, he hadn’t yet outgrown his baby face.
“I know so.”
After all, it wasn’t a proposal that made the engagement or a ring that made the marriage, not really. It was the love that two people shared for one another. Todoroki’s parents might’ve been married, but they hadn’t loved each other. It had been more of an arrangement than a marriage. Midoriya and Uraraka were different. They loved each other as fiercely as a storm. He was positive that love for one another could weather anything, even a not-so perfect proposal. Nothing would break them apart.