Archive of Our Own

Shouto practically lives at Joann’s fabric store. Not by choice; he got this job purely by chance, because his best friend had put in a good word for him, and now he sells happy old ladies yarn that he doesn’t know the properties of. He’s learned a few things, simply from the stories people tell him as they buy things, but he could not sew anything if you held a gun to his head and said, ‘please sew me a new scarf for Christmas’. 

It’s the holiday season, so they’re busy. A lot of people are doing handmade gifts; it’s kind of sweet. All Shouto knows are monetary gifts, compliancy gifts, and gifts in exchange for silence. His family is not one for homemade things. Fuyumi sometimes bakes cookies, and the chocolate chip ones are very good, but Shouto thinks they’re from a premade cookie dough. He’d never voice that thought during dinner, or think any less of Fuyumi for it, but it’s true. 

Because he practically lives at Joann’s, especially during the winter months, he knows the regulars who come in. Sometimes he’ll get the sweet old woman Chiyo who likes to sew things for her granddaughter; sometimes he gets the confused old gentleman who constantly has to return packets of needles because he ‘ordered the wrong size’. There’s a young woman who is trying to start a new crocheting Instagram, and when she gave Shouto the url, he gave her a follow. He may not know anything about the art, but he thinks it’s beautiful, what she’s learning to do. 

He even sees Katsuki, the angry asshole from his High School, come in a lot with Eijirou. The two of them are roommates and Katsuki is probably one of the most skilled sewers -- is that even a word, Shouto wonders -- he’s seen. Eijirou is always showing off the scarves and mittens and jackets that his buddy made for him. Katsuki is still quite lippy, and it’s honestly fun to banter with him, but he’s calmed down a lot since school. He no longer threatens to blow everyone up, at least. Now he only threatens the people who slightly inconvenience him. 

Shouto almost counts down the days each week until he sees Izuku Midoriya walk into the building in his standard issue fireman’s jacket. It's been every Tuesday afternoon, consistently, for the past month. Like clockwork. He comes in, stares at the plushies and the children’s blankets, and scratches his chin for about ten minutes before he leaves without buying anything. 

Shouto went to High School with him, too. He had a crush on him -- he still has one, if he’s being honest -- but they haven’t really spoken much since they graduated. It’s not his fault Izuku was the first genuine friend he had in class, which is weird, because their friendship started out as Shouto literally challenging Izuku to a fight. He’s still friends with Izuku on Facebook but somehow Shouto feels like going over to Izuku and asking him, ‘hey, what are you looking for’ when he’s at work still feels like crossing some sort of boundary. 

His manager nudges his arm. 

“Can you go and see what that boy needs? He looks a little lost,” she says, and then she’s back on her phone. Shouto blinks, and his eyes glance from her face, down to her phone, and back up to her face.

“Sure.” he says, instead of fighting it. He walks across the floor and now he has a reason to be over here because if Izuku says something like, gross, why are you talking to me I forgot who you are, he can simply say his manager told him to do it. 

“Excuse me. Are you looking for something in particular?” Shouto asks. Izuku nearly jumps out of his skin, and turns to look at Shouto, and his eyes widen. 

“Shouto! You work here?!”

Shouto thought he stood out like a sore thumb behind the register or on the floor, with his half white, half red hair and big burn on his left eye, but apparently, he didn’t. “Yes.”

“Oh. Uhm. Wow! Hi. Long time no see! I hope you’ve been doing good.”

Currently Shouto is trying to move out of his father’s house, without relying on his money, and trying to avoid the crushing reality that making minimum wage at Joann’s isn’t quite cutting what he’s going to need to make to afford an apartment. But he just nods. 

“I am. Yourself?”

“I’m doing great! Tenya, Ochako and I just moved into our apartment!” 

Shouto feels a pang of jealousy; not just for the fact Izuku has his own apartment, but also at the fact one of his roommates is Izuku’s ex-girlfriend from High School, who he may or may not get back together with at any point in time. 

“That’s great.” Shouto says. Awkward silence floats between them. Shouto looks to the small plush animals on the shelf. “So… can I help you find anything?”

“Oh! Right! Uhm, well,” Izuku gnaws on his lower lip. “I’m trying to make a good present. But I don’t really know where to start.”

Shouto blinks. “Who are you making it for?”

“Err… well,” Izuku blushes and Shouto braces himself for Izuku to say that he and Ochako are back together and that this is a gift for her, “Her name is Eri. I helped her get out of a house fire a few months ago, but all of her things burnt down. She was really, really attached to this one stuffed animal she got from her mother as a baby. There’s pictures of it, but I can’t find an exact replica of this thing anywhere.”

He pulls out his phone from his jacket and shows Shouto a picture. It’s a cute little unicorn plushie, clearly well-loved. Holding it is a girl who can’t be much older than 9, with long platinum hair and a pink dress. Izuku’s expression shifts to look almost devastated. “When I got her out of the building, she was so desperate to go back in for it. I even disobeyed orders and went back into the building to look for it. But by the time I got back to her room, it was already gone.”

Shouto looks at Izuku. He remembers why he admires him so much, in that moment. He misses having Izuku in his life. The jealousy he’d temporarily felt fades.

“Have you tried looking for the brand online?”

“I have, yeah, but they don’t sell them anymore. So I was thinking I could buy a stuffed animal that looks sort of like it, but then it wouldn’t be the same. So I was considering, maybe, making one for her. But I don’t know how to sew anything, let alone make a stuffed animal entirely from scratch.” 

Shouto nods. He wants to help. More than anything, he wants to help Izuku at that moment. 

“Perhaps I can order the pattern online? Even if the design is discontinued, the prints might be available if I can locate the company.” Shouto says. “And I’m sure they have tutorials online. If you’d rather pay someone to make it, I’m sure we could find someone who would be willing to help.”

Izuku’s looking at Shouto like he just put the stars in the sky. He feels his face heat up.

“You can order the pattern online?”

“Perhaps.” Shouto says, because he doesn’t want to say yes and then look through the computer system and find that they can’t order it, and see the disappointment on Izuku’s face. “Let me go look at the computer.”

Shouto leads the way to the register. His manager has relocated herself, so now she’s wandering around on the floor somewhere. The other cashier is humming along to the radio while she restocks her aisle. Shouto inputs his employee number into the computer and opens the database for patterns. 

“What’s the name of the brand?”

“Sunshine Toys.” Izuku says. “The serial number is 45891.”

“Perfect.” Shouto says. He puts in the number, and the brand, and hits search. He’s incredibly grateful that the pattern is there, because when he looks over at Izuku and tells him he found it Izuku’s face lights up like the sun. 

“How long does it take to order the pattern?” He asks. 

“About one week.” Shouto says. He looks through the notes and finds that there’s a serial number and brand for the fabric and stuffing used for the product, too.

“How much does it cost?”

“Provided you also buy the fabric you plan to use to make the doll here, nothing. I have the numbers for those here.” Shouto says. He prints out the sheet -- after sending in the request for the pattern -- and offers it to Izuku. “These are the fabrics needed. If you can’t find them in store, I can order them online.”

Izuku nods. “Thank you!” he takes the paper and looks over it. He bites his lip again. It’s very cute. 

“Would you like some help finding them?” Shouto asks. 

“Oh! I don’t want to distract you or…”

Shouto shrugs. “It’s not too busy right now. I don’t mind.”

Izuku beams. “Thanks!”

* * *

Shouto hadn’t expected for Izuku to want to catch up with him over a coffee, after he’d rung his High School friend up for the fabric he’d ordered. He had expected to cash him out, then see Izuku again next Tuesday, when he had the pattern in and could give it to him. Shouto was thinking that he might suggest Izuku contact that girl who was learning to crochet. He didn’t know if crocheting was applicable to creating plush animals, but he figured, the worst she would say was no. 

He simply didn’t expect Izuku to ask him, “do you want to grab a coffee tomorrow if you’re available?”, as soon as he had paid for the fabric.

And, yes, Shouto is closing Joann’s tomorrow so he’ll be working from 5 to 9 at night, but he’d much rather spend his morning with Izuku Midoriya, so he says, “yes”, and Izuku tells him he’ll message him on Facebook about it.

When Shouto clocks out of work at 5 (the same time the closing cashiers arrive), he looks down at his phone and sees a Facebook message from Izuku. It reads: hey! Thanks for the help today, I really appreciate it! And has a cute emoji giving a wave following it. Shouto can see the last conversation they had, long before the message Izuku sent an hour and a half ago, was when they were trying to meet up at Ochako’s graduation party for pictures. Nearly 5 years ago. 

So much had happened in the span of 5 years. Shouto remembers watching as Izuku changed his relationship status on Facebook, watching him start his job at the local small-town fire department, and watching as his feed transformed from silly Marvel memes to smokey-the-bear level advice about how to prevent fires and photographs of his coworkers and friends. Shouto had liked the pictures periodically, he’d posted happy birthdays on Izuku’s wall every July 15th and Izuku returned the favor. They’d played the usual alienated friends dance for years. 

Shouto responds: not a problem. I’m glad to help you find the perfect Christmas gift for her.  

Immediately, Shouto can tell Izuku has seen the message and is typing. It’s almost concerningly fast; Shouto locks his phone and continues walking home. 

His father’s house is not too far a distance from his work, which is inside a mid-sized mall. He refuses to drive his father’s maroon F-150 to and from work, so Shouto walks. It’s not so bad, even in winter. It’s cold out, but the walk is bright because of the street lights lining the sidewalk. There’s a light bit of snow spitting out from the clouds, but not a lot. It’s just enough to give Shouto a faint dusting on the top of his red beanie and black jacket, looking a bit like dandruff. 

He gets home and takes off his shoes in the entryway. His father had this house built when he married Shouto’s mother, and it’s beautiful, traditionally Japanese and well-kept by the Todoroki family and their various chores. Normally it’s himself and Fuyumi cleaning, these days, because Natsuo lives with his girlfriend in the heart of the city and Touya ran away when they were kids.

Shouto goes upstairs, to his room. Thankfully his parents are busy. His mother usually paints when she has the time, and his father usually spends his time in the dojo adjacent to the house training. Shouto’s just thankful he’s no longer forced to accompany him these days. 

Once in his bedroom, Shouto shuts the door and sits at his desk. He opens up Facebook on his laptop, and sees a few notifications from Izuku.

[Izuku Midoriya: 5:09 PM] 

Have you been to the Nighteye Cafe? It’s open tomorrow and they have a few lunch sandwiches if you’d be interested in going there!

Although if you’d prefer to go somewhere else or even not get lunch I get it! 

A fair warning also I’ll be on call all day!! Sorry if I get called into work!

And sorry for spamming you, I’ll wait until you reply to this since you’re probably still at work.

Izuku has always texted like he talked -- rambling, unable to stop unless interrupted. A lot of their classmates had teased him about it, or said Izuku thought with his mouth, but Shouto thinks it’s endearing. It’s certainly the opposite of himself, who bottles up his thoughts and emotions. He used to use wrestling as an outlet for his emotions, which was ironic, as most of his emotions stemmed in some way from his father’s rigorous training methods. 

At least, most of his emotions could be tied back to that source until he developed feelings for Izuku. Then it just became a clusterfuck in his mind.

[Shouto Todoroki: 5:34 PM]

Sorry. I was walking home. It doesn’t bother me to grab lunch or that you’re on call. Fires don’t put themselves out. Nighteye Cafe is fine. Does 11 work for you?

Shouto sends the message, with somewhat clammy hands. He wonders how long his crush on Izuku is going to last, given any chance he has with the man fizzled into nothing when he’d started dating Ochako as a High School senior. He had literally tripped and fallen into the closeted-gay-boy-falling-for-the-straight-jock sterotype he hated in fiction so much. 

He gets a message a few minutes later: yes!!! See you then!!! Along with the same emoji Izuku had sent before. 

Shouto stares at it until he shuts down his laptop and goes to bed. 

* * *

A good thing about Joann’s is that Shouto is able to wear whatever he would like to his job, within reason, so long as he can fasten the green Joann’s apron over the top of it. He prefers a more conservative style, so Shouto usually wears turtlenecks or sweaters. It’s extra perfect in the wintertime, because then he doesn’t feel the need to explain himself to his coworkers who wonder why he insists on wearing long sleeves and clothes that cover his neck. In High School he used to do that to hide the bruises from training, but now, he just likes how it feels and looks. It’s almost like a comforting hug without the human interaction, being wrapped up in warm clothes.

He’s in a black turtleneck and dark blue pants, and good walking shoes. Nighteye Cafe is located in the food court of the same mall Shouto works at, so he figures after he eats lunch and Izuku is called in for a fire, he’ll just wander around until he has to go to work. There’s a herbal paint shop not too far from Joann’s he can look into. He was thinking of getting his mother a gift from there.

Shouto is there first, but not for long. He’s talking to the person at the front of the store when he hears a call of his name and turns to see Izuku running up. He’s in a black tee shirt that hugs his arms well and highlights how much more muscle he’s gained since graduating and training to become a firefighter. Shouto swallows; his throat is suddenly dry. 

“Hi, Shouto!” Izuku says. Shouto looks over at him and gives a small wave. 

“Hi, Izuku.”

“I’ll cover your sandwich and drink today!” Izuku says, “It was my idea, and besides, it’s a thanks for helping me out.”

Shouto wants to argue and say that he was literally just doing his job, but that makes this feel sort of like a date, and Shouto allows himself to be selfish for a minute and just nod. “I appreciate that very much, but I would have helped you regardless.”

Izuku laughs. “I know you would have. You’re a good person, Shouto.”

He fights the blush. “I was just doing my job.”

“Your job, which is helping people, which makes you a good person!” Izuku says. “Just because it’s your job to be nice doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be thanked for it.”

Shouto really wishes everyone thought that way. 

After ordering their drinks and sandwiches, Izuku leads the way to a little booth, slipping into it. Shouto takes the seat opposite him and unwraps the sandwich. It’s a simple egg and cheese on a flatbread. Izuku has a large croissant with sausage, cheese, bacon, and something else Shouto can’t name. 

Izuku scarfs down his food as though the world is about to end and he only has ten seconds to eat. Shouto has barely raised his flatbread to his mouth, and Izuku’s halfway done.

Izuku looks over -- midbite, his eyes look so big from over the croissant -- and then flushes, purposefully chewing a little slower as he pulls the sandwich away. 

“Sorry, I’m used to eating in a rush. If I get a call…”

“I understand. Don’t apologize for it.” Shouto says. Unlike Izuku, he’s always had plenty of time to eat his food. Shouto is very familiar with trying to make it last, until the very last bite, because if he can distract himself with food he doesn’t have to make small talk with his father.  

Shouto takes a sip of his drink (a sugarplum macchiato, which tastes less sweet than Shouto had thought it would, but not in a bad way) and looks over at Izuku. He remembers being in High School and sitting with Izuku and all of Izuku’s friends around the lunch table as they talked about their teachers and practice after school. 

“You know, I told Tenya and Ochako I ran into you yesterday! They say hi!” Izuku says.

Shouto nods. Tenya was their class president, and Ochako was one of the brightest, most outgoing people in their class. He genuinely did enjoy their company, even if he was always jealous of Ochako and Izuku’s closeness. 

“I say hi back. How are they?”

Izuku puts his sandwich down to take a lengthy sip of his drink. “Good. Tenya’s working at his brother’s bank and Ochako is getting ready to spend Christmas with her girlfriend’s family.”

Shouto nearly spits out his coffee. He respectably doesn’t, although he nearly chokes in the process. “Ochako has a girlfriend?”

“Remember Tsu from school?” Izuku laughs. “Turns out, Tsu had a giant crush on Ochako ever since we were kids. They got together a few months ago, actually.”

“But isn’t that…” Shouto feels his heart racing for literally no reason. “Wasn’t she dating you at the time?”

Izuku blinks. “We broke up right after graduation? Did you not know that?”

“...well, I did, but you two, still, dated. Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable to know Tsu was her best friend during the whole time?”

Izuku looks taken aback for a second -- like he didn’t expect that question. He grins. “Well, a little bit, I won’t lie. It made me jealous, especially because I knew they were so close when we were together. But Ochako and I are better off as friends anyway, and Tsu’s a good person. I really like her.”

Shouto had thought Izuku and Ochako would get back together inevitably; this news throws a wrench in that theory. “I see.”

Izuku tilts his head to the side. “Are you uncomfortable with her dating a girl?” 

“Not at all, I just am a little confused. Since she dated you in the past, I’d assumed she was straight. It was wrong of me.”

“Oh, yeah, I try not to assume that anymore, but I used to be guilty of that too. She’s bi.” Izuku says, like it’s just common knowledge. And maybe it is common knowledge, to their friends, which makes Shouto feel even more like he’s on the outside looking in. Izuku shakes his coffee a bit, the ice rustling in the cup. He’s avoiding eye contact, and just staring at the drink. “I am, too.”

Shouto’s breath catches in his throat. He suddenly feels like his face is on fire. “Ah.”

Izuku goes back to his drink and sips at it, nonchalantly, as though he hadn’t just rocked Shouto’s whole entire world with that statement. Shouto thinks back to those days in school, when he and Izuku would share those little glances and nudges and he wonders if maybe, he wasn’t the only one feeling that sort of way. The Christmas pop music has faded to gibberish in Shouto’s mind. The radio station could have changed to playing heavy metal for all he knows. 

“Izu -- “

BZZZT.

Shouto snaps his mouth shut when he hears Izuku’s phone. Right. He’s on call. 

Shouto stands, as Izuku answers his phone. Shouto grabs his jacket and hangs it over his arm. “I am glad we got to catch up, Izuku. When the fabric comes in for your stuffed animal, I’ll call you.” 

Izuku looks up at him, looking a little bit like he wants to say something else. But instead he just smiles, blindingly. “I’ll talk to you then, Shouto!”

* * *

Work goes on, filled with customers asking questions Shouto tries to figure out the answers to to distract from his own internal crisis. When Izuku’s pattern arrives, he calls Izuku’s cell phone. Izuku answers and his voice is different over the phone  -- a bit more coarse, a bit gravely, and a lot closer than he’s ever heard Izuku’s voice. He tells him when to come and pick up the pattern and it’s then, two Tuesdays before Christmas, that Izuku walks into Joann’s with a pep in his step and walks right up to the counter.

Shouto notices what Izuku is wearing; of course he does. He’s got bright red sneakers, jeans, and a tee shirt than has superman on the front. It’s more like what he used to wear in school. He must not be on call this evening, Shouto thinks. 

“I have your order.” Shouto says. He grabs the pattern. “And by the way, I contacted a friend, who is working on crocheting. If you want some help putting the doll together she says she might be able to help. I wrote her Instagram handle on the receipt.”

Izuku blinks, and looks down. He reads the handle. “Thanks, Shouto!”

This is it. The last time he’ll talk to Izuku, until the inevitable ‘happy birthdays’ and random comments on each other's posts until the end of time. Maybe Izuku will unfriend him in a giant ‘friend purge’. Shouto forces himself to return Izuku’s grin. 

There’s a beat of silence; Izuku doesn’t leave.

“Hey. Uhm, Shouto.” He says. Shouto tilts his head. 

“Yes?”

“If you don’t already have plans on Christmas Eve, there’s a banquet the Fire Department hosts every year. Tenya’s planning on going, and if you wanted to, I mean, you could come, too. Some of the people from our class will be there too. And I’ll be there! So, if you wanted to go, I mean, I’ll be there too.”

Shouto blinks a few times in rapid succession. “You’d like me to go?”

“Of course! I miss you!” Izuku says and he says it so earnestly it makes Shouto’s heart clench. “And there’s a Yankee Swap, so if you want to participate, you can bring a gift. I…” he looks at the bag on the desk. “I’m going to be giving Eri this during that banquet, too. Her and her family are going to be there.”

Shouto’s only plans on Christmas Eve are to watch a movie with his mother and sister and brother (and pretend his father is not there watching as well) but he thinks they’ll understand if he tells him he’s going to a banquet. His mother, in particular, always wonders about Shouto’s friends. Or lack thereof. He doesn’t want to worry her or Fuyumi. 

“I’ll see if I can make it.” Shouto says, and Izuku’s eyes light up like fireworks. 

* * *

He can make it. He tells his sister, first, about what he plans to skip their annual watching of a Christmas movie for. 

Fuyumi looks at him, then smiles. “The Fire House’s banquet? You’ve never wanted to go to that before.”

“Well. A friend invited me.” Shouto says. He should be embarrassed or insulted by how Fuyumi’s face lights up, but he can’t find that in him, because he’s genuinely happy to be invited somewhere. 

“That’s wonderful! Do you need a ride?”

“I think I’ll walk.”

“If you drink too much spiked eggnog, give the house a call, okay? I’ll be home.” Fuyumi says. “Natsuo too. Either of us can give you a ride.” 

Shouto nods. 

“Which friend invited you?”

“Izuku Midoriya.”

Fuyumi smiles at him. “He’s a good guy. Cute, too! Have fun, okay?”

Shouto can’t even hide the blush that extends towards his ears at Fuyumi’s comment. “I’ll try.”

* * *

Shouto approaches the Fire House, bundled up in a jacket and with his gifts in his arms. He’s got one for the yankee swap, and one for Izuku, which he hopes wasn’t a step out of line but figures that it’s fine because Izuku is getting something for Eri. He doesn’t think Izuku will get something for him, but he wrestled with the guilt of bringing something or not bringing something for an hour before leaving. Ultimately he decided to bring him something. If worse comes to worse, and Izuku really rejects the gift, he can always give it to the charity box instead. 

Shouto can see the Fire House is decorated well for the event. It’s not the official fire station -- that is currently in use, manned by some of the other firefighters who aren’t participating. The annual banquet -- which Shouto usually does not attend -- is put on by mayor Yagi every year. It’s a nice event, and there’s holiday hits playing from the speakers inside. Shouto can hear them playing.

He approaches the door, and sees Eijirou, who looks at him with a gasp.

“Todoroki! Man, Izuku said you’d be coming but I didn’t believe him!” He immediately goes in for a ‘bro-hug’, which entails Eijirou throwing an arm around his shoulders and yanking him down into a hug where he pounds his fist against Shouto’s back. Shouto is very tall, but so is Eijirou, so the position is a little awkward. 

“I was talked into it.” Shouto says. Inside the old fire house, there’s a largely decorated tree, with a myriad of gifts underneath. Eijirou follows his gaze and then smiles.

“If you brought a Yankee Swap gift, sign up over there,” He points to a table where the sweet older woman Chiyo is sitting, jotting down names as people talk to her and then go deposit their gifts under the tree. “Izuku is with the mayor, I think, but he’ll be out soon!”

Shouto thanks Eijirou and steps fully into the room. It’s something like a Christmas wonderland; the smell of freshly baked cookies and apple pie waft through the air. Shouto can see a bunch of stands set up, selling various goods. It looks like there’s a holiday dinner of some sort going on. He can see a few couples dancing on the dance floor. 

He spots little Eri before he sees Izuku anywhere. He recognizes her from the picture Izuku showed him. She’s between two gentlemen, a man in a thick grey scarf and a blond man with glasses. She’s smiling, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. 

“But by the time I got back to her room, it was already gone.”

It’s horrible for this little girl to have lost her home this close to the holidays. Her parents, too. They’re smiling, but there’s a heavy weight on their shoulders. 

Shouto looks down at the gifts in his hand. He should have gotten something for her, too. 

He looks around the room. There’s mistletoe hung up in the corner. 

“She’s going to be okay,” A familiar voice says from behind him. “Shouta and Hizashi were looking in the process of closing on another house when this happened. They’re working on finalizing that deal now while the family stays at a hotel,” Izuku makes eye contact with Shouto, and laughs a little nervously. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I could just tell you were worried about her.”

“I can’t help it.” Shouto says. “She’s just a kid.”

“I know. But she’s one of the strongest kids I know!” Izuku says. While Eri is distracted, Izuku turns around and shows Shouto a very cute unicorn plushie -- although it has mismatched eyes.

“I did my best.” He says, laughing.

“It came out well.” Shouto says. “You made it?”

“Yeah. I had that girl from Instagram help me out, though! She was super helpful.” He says. There’s a little ribbon around its neck -- a beautiful silver that seems to match Eri’s hair.

When Izuku turns back around, he must make eye contact with her, because Shouto watches her face lights up as he calls out her name. 

She runs over and Izuku envelops her in a hug. Her fathers -- Shouta and Hizashi, Izuku said, follow at a slower pace. Shouto looks over at them. 

He feels a little out of place, as Izuku looks up at the two gentlemen he clearly knows and talks. Shouto doesn’t mind it, though. He’s always been a bit aloof, and he likes to see the way Eri’s face lights up any time Izuku talks to her. 

Shouto steps away for a bit, to give them some privacy. But he can’t look away when Izuku focuses his full gaze on Eri, on one knee in front of her, and pulls the stuffed unicorn from behind his back. Eri’s face lights up and she looks at it, exclaiming something (Shouto can’t make out what it is) as she takes the unicorn from Izuku’s arms. Shouta and Hizashi have matching, tired smiles on their faces as Hizashi puts an arm across Shouta’s shoulders. Shouto’s eyes, however, are just fixated on Izuku, who’s wearing a gentle expression Shouto has never seen on his face before. 

“Wouldn’t he make a good father?” Ochako says, from beside Shouto. He blinks and looks over at her. 

“What?”

Ochako laughs. “Izuku! I think he’d make a great dad.”

Shouto doesn’t really know the relevance of that comment, but he nods. “He would.” 

He almost does a double take when he realizes who he’s talking to.

“Ochako?”

She looks up with him and grins. She looks different than she did in High School, not in a bad way. She fills out the red holiday dress she wears well, and has on black leggings and grey boots. Her hair is still in its short style, accented with a santa hat. She’s done her makeup as well -- it’s red and silver, and her face seems to sparkle in the light every time she moves. 

“Hi, Shouto!” She says. She stands up straight. 

“Izuku said you’d be with your girlfriend’s family today. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Tsu’s family actually decided to come here with us this year when they found out we usually come.” Ochako says, her eyes across the room. Shouto follows her gaze and finds it lingering on the familiar figure of Tsu Asui, with two people who Shouto figures are her parents. Shouto shifts a bit, and looks back over at Ochako. 

“That’s nice of them to follow your own tradition.” He says. 

“It is! They’re having a good time too. I convinced them to get some really nice gifts for the Yankee Swap!” Ochako rubs her hands together and Shouto can’t help but chuckle. Ochako was always teased by their friends about being a golddigger; it’s refreshing to see that she hasn’t changed. 

“I thought the Yankee Swap gifts all had to be ten dollars or under?” 

“Yeah, but they got things that were eleven dollars.” Ochako says. “No one’s going to scoff at one dollar difference.”

Shouto shifts the gifts he has, and Ochako watches him. She then nudges him towards Chiyo. “Let’s get you signed up, then. Who’s the other gift for?”

“Uhm,” Shouto feels his face heat up and he stares at the gift box. “Izuku.”

Ochako hums, and raises her eyebrow at him. “He’ll appreciate that.” 

“I hope so.” Shouto says. 

He goes to the Yankee Swap signup and writes his name down. There’s quite a lot of participants, and after he donates his gift to the swap, he tries to find Izuku in the crowd as he puts his jacket and the gift for Izuku in the coatroom.

Ochako has navigated back towards her girlfriend. Eijirou and Katsuki are there, by the bake sale. He can see another couple from their High School, Tooru and Mashirao, who seem to still be going strong with a toddler between them. 

Shouto spots Izuku on the dance floor, finally, twirling little Eri around. Shouto watches him for a while, until the song finishes, and Izuku looks up, and makes direct eye contact with Shouto. The flush that crosses Izuku’s face is adorable as he says goodbye to Eri -- who has spotted her friend arrive with his family anyway, and is running to show off her new stuffed animal -- and walks towards Shouto.

“Sorry about that, I got distracted.” He says.

“Don’t apologize. You were having fun. She looked happy.” 

“Ever since the rescue I’ve kept in contact with her family.” He says. “I just couldn’t not check up on her.”

“I think she appreciates it.” The two are watching as little Eri talks all about her plush animal. She starts making it fly around the room, while her friend takes off at a quick speed, and they’re running around the dance floor while Eri makes whoosh whoosh-ing noises. 

Now Shouto can hear the music. It changes to a slow version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas , and Izuku turns to look at Shouto with a flush to his cheeks.

“Would you, uhm, want to dance?”

Shouto blinks. He tilts his head. “Uhm. Sure.”

Izuku offers his hand out and Shouto takes it, and before he can second-guess his decision he’s pulled to the floor. Izuku takes the lead, which is only a little awkward because of their height difference and Shouto’s sudden case of two-left-feet because he’s dancing with Izuku Midoriya. 

“You don’t have to think too hard about it! Just have fun.” Izuku says, and that’s exactly what he’d said to Shouto during their senior prom, except then he’d gone off and kissed Ochako in the middle of the dance floor. Shouto nods. 

“Right, sorry, I’m just not a very good dancer.”

“It’s fine! I’m not an expert or anything.” As Izuku says that, he has the nerve to coax Shouto into a little spin, which Shouto has to duck under Izuku’s arm to complete.

“Of course you aren’t. Thinking so would be quite the embarrassment to professional dancers.” Shouto says.

“I think that’s supposed to be an insult?” Izuku says. 

“Of course it wasn’t, Izuku. That would be rude. I’m not rude.” 

Izuku laughs, shaking his head. “I really missed your sense of humor, Shouto.”

Shouto’s heart picks up at that. For some reason, the proximity of the dance doesn’t bother him, but those words out of Izuku’s lips send his heart into overdrive. 

“I missed your friendship too, Izuku.”

Izuku nods, and looks up at him, slowing their steps. “Why did we stop talking, anyway?”

Shouto thinks it might have had something to do with going to college for a year, and then dropping out, much to his father’s chagrin. “I moved. Temporarily. We fell out of touch.”

Izuku nods. 

“It’s such a shame,” he looks at Shouto, like he’s trying to search his face for an answer to a question he neglected to ask. His face looks determined, all of a sudden. 

“You want to know something funny?” Izuku asks.

Shouto doesn’t know if what Izuku is going to say is funny, but he shrugs, and ducks under Izuku’s arm again in time with the song. “Sure.”

“In High School, I might’ve had a little crush on you.”

Shouto stops. He stops, and he freezes on the dance floor, his fingers still laced with Izuku’s. Izuku has stopped too, and is just giving him a smile. Shouto searches his face, his eyes, for some sign this is a carefully constructed prank. 

“I’m sorry?” Shouto asks, thinking he misheard.

“In High School I always thought you were really cool,” Izuku says, “And good looking. I used to wish I looked like you. Or wish that I was you. I always got jealous when the girls talked about how cool you were. And when everyone said you’d marry Momo after you graduated, it always left a funny feeling in my stomach.” 

Shouto hasn’t talked to Momo in a few months, but last he heard she was in New York, working on a Marketing Team for a toy company. They hadn’t even dated, they’d just been friends since their parents knew each other, and found it difficult to socialize with others. Their classmates all thought it meant something more than it actually did.

“But -- Ochako.”

“I did like Ochako, too.” Izuku says. “I’m not saying I didn’t. I don’t think the two of us could have ever dated in High School. I didn’t realize my feelings were like that . But I think I always… er, it’s hard to explain, really. Sometimes I thought you might’ve been, or I might’ve been, looking at you a certain kind of way. But then after homecoming, we sort of grew apart, and things got weird. Not on you! It wasn’t on you. It was because of me. It was because that’s when Ochako and I got together, right?”

Shouto thinks he might pass out. He can still remember watching Ochako and Izuku get together during the homecoming game, watching as Izuku lifted Ochako up and spun her around on the field. It feels like a lifetime ago. At the time it had been a stab to his gut, but now the memory is just a dull ache, like a scar that will never fully go away, but has already healed.

There’s awkward silence between them, and Izuku’s hands have gone clammy, and his cheeks are flushed as he continues to ramble. 

“You know, I think I realized it when I was looking back on your profile a few weeks ago. I kept thinking about that day in science class when you fell asleep on my desk after wrestling practice. And then that day you stayed at my apartment because you didn’t want to go home to your father. And that day you looked at my creative writing project and said that it was good. And that time when we were getting ready for prom and you were getting dressed in my room and I told you I looked away but I actually watched when you took off your shirt and wow, I should really apologize to you for that actually, that was so rude of me but I remember thinking that I wished my back looked like yours then but the more I think about it maybe I wanted to actually touch your back and wow! This is getting a little long winded and awkward, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry if this makes you uncomfortable or, or, just, please say something or I’m going to keep talking and telling you these embarrassing things I was thinking about you the whole time -- “

“You don’t have to stop,” Shouto mumbles, so quiet he can barely be heard. Izuku shuts his mouth and then tilts his head to the side. It’s goddamn adorable. 

“Huh?”

“You can keep saying -- things.” Shouto meets Izuku’s eyes. His heart is racing. He can picture every single moment that Izuku is mentioning. All of those moments where he’d been looking at his friend and feeling like some sort of pervert for the thoughts that had run through his mind. Now he has some of Izuku’s perspective. Now he knows. “I like hearing your thoughts.”

Izuku stares at him. He licks his lips and Shouto watches his tongue dart out of his mouth. When he looks up at Izuku’s eyes, he can see his friend staring directly at his lips.

“Can I kiss you instead?” Izuku asks. 

Shouto swallows a lump in his throat. He nods, and suddenly Izuku’s thrown his arms around his neck and his lips are on his.

Izuku kisses enthusiastically, desperately. Shouto has never kissed anyone before, so he doesn’t have anything to compare it to. He puts his hands on Izuku’s hips hesitantly -- what if it crosses some boundary to put his hands on Izuku’s hips -- but kisses back anyway. He kisses back like he’s always wanted to. Their lips slot together and he can feel Izuku’s hands sliding up from his shoulders to tangle in his hair, pulling their faces closer.

Shouto pulls away first, his cheeks flushed as he looks down at Izuku.

“Sorry for putting my hands on your hips.” He says.

“ Please keep your hands on my hips.” Izuku says.

“Okay.” Shouto says, and then he leans in and kisses Izuku one more time. 

* * *

The Gift Giving events are announced by Mayor Toshinori Yagi, who’s wearing a green and red elf suit. 

“He doesn’t want to be Santa, because the little kids all still believe in Santa,” Izuku tells Shouto, whispering in his ear. “He’s an elf instead, visiting from the north pole to help Santa give away some of the gifts.”

Shouto nods. He fixates Izuku with a very serious look. “Do you mean to tell me Santa isn’t real?”

Izuku laughs. “Of course not. He’s very real. Yagi’s just one of his elves.” 

Shouto smiles and keeps his hand around Izuku’s waist, watching as Toshinori calls up the participants first. There’s two gift giving events; one assortment of presents for the kids from santa, and one Yankee Swap for the adults. The kids go first, unwrapping their gifts. Eri gets an Easy-Bake oven and her friend gets a dance mat. The two of them look at each other, grin wide, and are already in the process of talking about when they’re going to meet up for a dance-baking party. Izuku watches them and laughs, then goes over to ask them how they’re liking their gifts. 

While Izuku kneels down and talks to the kids, Shouto wanders around the venue. He sees Ochako, who gives him a thumbs up, after making her girlfriend hold the plate of food she’d been in the process of eating. Shouto gives her a smile, but thinks it’s a little awkward being congratulated on kissing Izuku by his ex-girlfriend, so he doesn’t go over to talk. 

Instead he sees Katsuki, standing by himself by the window. Eijirou is holding the door open for an older woman and her husband on their way home. 

“Oh. It’s you.” Katsuki scoffs. 

“Hello, Bakugou.” Shouto says. 

“Don’t you have a nerd to go kiss?”

“He’s busy at the moment.” Shouto says. “Though I wouldn’t mind kissing him again.”

“Eugh.” Katsuki shivers, and shoves his hands into his pockets. 

He and Katsuki hadn’t been particularly close, but they'd been on the wrestling team together in school. Katsuki was determined, driven, and intelligent. He was also Izuku’s childhood bully, turned close friend. Shouto isn’t entirely sure how that works, but Izuku and Katsuki are still on good terms to this day, so he thinks that’s fine. 

Eijirou bounces back over and looks between them. Then he holds his hand out to Shouto for a high five. Shouto is a little confused, but slaps his palm against Eijirou’s. 

“Congrats, bro! You and Izuku, huh?” Eijirou says. “Can’t say I saw that one coming.” 

Shouto nods, he doesn’t know what to say to that. Katsuki scoffs. Eijirou continues speaking.

“You know, you should hang out with us sometime! Sometimes we invite the guys over for game night and -- “

“Oi, shittyhair, what are you doing, inviting more people to our apartment for game night --”

“Or you can even join us on discord and kick Katsuki’s ass from the comfort of your own home!”

“OI.” Katsuki snaps.

Shouto smiles. “I’d like that.”

Eijirou gives him a thumbs up. Then he opens his phone and shoots Shouto a message -- at least, Shouto is pretty sure that’s what happens because he hears his phone PING with a message. 

“The link doesn’t expire for 24 hours, so if you’re preoccupied tonight, it’ll still be waiting for you when you wake up. Or you can just message me for another invite.”

“Preoccupied?”

Eijirou gives him a look. Shouto seems to process what he’s implying a second too late. It’s not nearly as embarrassing as it is startling. “Oh. Right.”

“I don’t want to think about that.” Katsuki says. 

Shouto doesn’t necessarily want to think about that either, so he says goodbye to Eijirou and Katsuki and slips off just as Mayor Yagi announces that they’re about to start the adult Yankee Swap.

* * *

Shouto has never done a Yankee Swap before today, but it’s nice. He has a hot cocoa set that he thinks he’s seen in the department store. It’s peppermint, and they’re little chocolate-and-mint covered spoons that you swirl around in hot water or milk. He thinks it’ll be nice on a cold, snowy day. Izuku beside him got a pair of ‘one size fits most’ fuzzy socks. They’ve got little Santas on them. When she sees what he’s got, Eri comes over and wants to feel how soft they are.

Most people start to leave the venue by nine, people with kids leave earlier. Eri and her friend, Kota, leave around the same time. Eri’s fathers talk to Kota’s aunt briefly while they slip on their coats. Shouto only knows this because he’s stood beside Izuku while the conversations happen. 

It’s then that little Eri looks over at Shouto for the first time. She tilts her head, as though she’s considering him for a minute. Then she smiles and says, “I like your hair! It matches your eyes.”

Shouto gives her a smile. “Thank you. I like your hair. It matches the snow.”

He’s not the greatest with kids, even though he likes them. He’s just a bit awkward. He thinks that might have come out weird; Eri blinks and takes a strand of her hair and examines it. 

“Snow is pretty!” She says.

“Exactly.” Shouto says. 

Eri holds up her plush animal. Shouta is holding her easy bake oven. She hasn’t let go of the plush unicorn all night.

“Your eyes match Deku, too!” She says. 

“Deku?” Shouto asks.

“Yeah. I named him Deku!” She sounds very proud of herself, and Izuku overhears and has a little blush on his cheeks. Deku was a nickname Katsuki used to call Izuku in school. Shouto was never quite certain if it was an insult or a pet name, but Izuku kept the nickname for years, so it must have grown on him. 

“That’s nice.” Shouto says. “Izuku made that himself. I helped him pick out the fabric at the store.”

Eri’s eyes light up and she squeezes the plush unicorn tight. “Really? You helped?”

“Not really helped,” Shouto doesn’t want to take credit for what Izuku did. “I… gave him moral support.”

Eri nods, seriously. “Moral support is just as important.”

Shouto didn’t expect that sort of comment from the child, so he just nods. “Right.”

The families leave. Kota is given the toy Deku briefly, but Eri takes it back before they reach the snow outside and wraps it securely into her jacket. After the parents thank Izuku for the gift, Izuku turns back towards Shouto. 

“I think I should get home, too. My mom waits up for me every year.” Izuku says.

“Right.” Shouto thinks Fuyumi will be waiting up for him, too. She said she wouldn’t, but she’s the type of person who won’t go to bed until the entire family is home safe. 

Izuku reaches over and slips his hand into Shouto’s. He tugs him close. “I hope this wasn’t, uh, too weird for you.”

“Not at all.”

“And when I invited you here, I meant it as a date. I was just too nervous to say.” 

“I gathered that after our conversation on the dance floor.”

Izuku laughs, his cheeks flushed. “Yeah.”

The two go to the coat room, to grab their things. Shouto buttons up his jacket when he sees the gift he’d gotten for Izuku. Now, he’s scared that this will make Izuku feel bad, because he knows Izuku hadn’t gotten him a gift, specifically. 

“What’s that?” Izuku asks. He’s already seen it. 

“I, well.” Shouto clears his throat. He turns towards Izuku. In the coat room, there’s a cool breeze, because the large doors to the firehouse are open wide to the elements. It’s where the firetrucks used to park, so it’s almost like a garage out here. “I got a gift for you.”

“For me?” Izuku stares at it. 

“If it’s too much, of course, I don’t need to give it to you. I didn’t want to be rude and not give you a gift. Not that I think you’re rude for not giving me a gift. I just saw this and thought of you.”

Izuku’s eyes are wide. In the dark lighting of the coatroom, his freckles are nearly hidden in the shadows on his skin. “Shouto, you didn’t have to.”

“I know. But it is Christmas. And I, may have, wanted to leave some sort of an impression on you.” He meets Izuku’s eyes. “I didn’t realize you felt the same way about me that I felt about you a few hours ago. I thought this might be it.”

Izuku swallows. “It’s definitely not it.”

“I know that now.” Shouto says, and he smiles softly. “I’m glad for it.”

Izuku takes the gift. It’s weird, watching him open it.

Izuku is careful with the wrapping paper, he doesn’t rip it to shreds like Natsuo does. He slides the box out of its wrapping neatly, keeping the wrapping paper in a neat ball to dispose of later. 

The gift is an ornament for a Christmas tree. It looks like a snowglobe, but with some of the small white flecks representing snow suspended in gravity. There’s a firefighter in the center of the globe, sitting on a bench, with a Christmas wreath around their shoulders. The bottom of the globe, the base, has a plaque that reads ‘EVERYDAY HEROES’ on it. 

“I don’t know if you have anything like this but I -- oh,” Shouto sees the tears falling down Izuku’s face. Izuku has always been a bit of a crybaby, if he’s being honest, but Shouto has never liked to see Izuku cry. “I’m sorry.”

“No! No, don’t apologize. I love it. I really, really love it.” Izuku shakes the globe. The other white dots float up to match the permanently suspended ones. Fake snow drapes across the firefighter’s shoulders, laying there thick, like a cape. “These are happy tears.”

Before Izuku can raise his own hand and wipe his eyes, Shouto reaches up, to wipe the tears away. There’s a pause as Izuku freezes and Shouto’s hand stiffens on his cheek.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”

“No, it wasn’t. It’s nice.” Izuku looks up at him, smiling. Shouto’s chest feels tight. It’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Izuku is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. 

Izuku leans up and Shouto meets him halfway, pressing their lips together again. They don’t have an audience anymore; no one else is in the coatroom and the only people left inside the firehouse are the volunteers cleaning up the event. 

Shouto brings up his other hand, to cup both of Izuku’s cheeks in his hands. They’re a bit wet from the tears, but Izuku seems to have stopped crying. Izuku’s still got the ornament in its protective box, and Shouto can feel it against his back when Izuku wraps his arms around his middle. 

They pull away from each other, but izuku keeps their foreheads together. 

“Do you need a ride home?” Izuku asks. Shouto can see their breath coming out in warm tufts between them, mixing together before climbing up towards the sky. Shouto shrugs.

“I walked, I don’t mind walking back home.”

“I’ll give you a ride.” Izuku says. “It’s not a problem. I helped set the banquet up, so I don’t have to help clean. Perks of picking the earlier job.” He grins.

Shouto nods. They should probably leave; they’re alone for the time being, but that can change at any moment, if someone else decides to leave the venue. 

They’re still close together, his hands are still cupping Izuku’s face. He knows they should pull away and head to Izuku’s car but instead he leans down and presses his lips to Izuku’s again. The wind blows by, and all it does is make Shouto want to wrap himself up in Izuku for warmth. 

Izuku laughs against his lips, returning the kiss, one of his fingers fisted in the back of Shouto’s jacket. 

* * *

Izuku drops Shouto off at his house. Izuku drives a large green Jeep, which shouldn’t surprise Shouto as much as it does. When he gets out of the car, Izuku follows suit. The Jeep is still running, to keep warm. The nighttime had brought with it a severe chill. It may have stopped spitting snow, but the two are bundled up tightly in their jackets. 

“Thanks for coming, Shouto.” Izuku says. “I’m really glad you got to see the banquet.”

“It’s very nice.” Shouto wonders why he’s never gone before. He knows he’s seen it advertised on their town’s Facebook page. He might have felt not personally welcome, which is something he’s always struggled with, no matter how many times his friends insisted he was always welcome. Maybe that’s why he fell out with people. He never made any sort of effort to maintain a friendship. 

He knows he has to go inside, from here, he can see the lights in the living room. Fuyumi is probably glancing out the window, curious as to who dropped her younger brother off. Shouto watches Izuku as he rubs his hands together in the cold. It’s cruel to keep Izuku outside for any longer than he has to. 

Shouto steps closer and grabs Izuku’s hands. They are cold. He wraps them in his. He doesn’t know how much warmer his hands are, compared to Izuku’s, but it seems to warm Izuku’s cheeks at the very least. 

“And thanks for the gift.” Izuku says, softer. “I’ll get you something for our first date, I swear.”

“Our first date?”

“Well -- yes.” Izuku laughs, nervously. “We’re dating now, aren’t we?”

“I thought this was our first date.”

“Oh.” Izuku laughs, nervously. “I guess it was. Our first date was on Christmas Eve. That’s kind of romantic.”

Shouto isn’t very knowledgeable about what is or isn’t romantic, so he just nods. “You don’t have to get me a gift.”

Izuku shrugs. “I want to.”

“Shouto?” Fuyumi has opened the door to the Todoroki residence. She’s in her robe -- it’s white and red plaid, that matches her hair -- with some bright red slippers Natsuo had gotten her last year for Christmas. “Oh! I didn’t realize you were here, too. Hi, Izuku.”

Shouto blinks over at his sister, who Izuku’s turned to look at. He looks nervous, his hands are clammy, but he doesn’t back away from Shouto. “Hi! Long time no see!”

Fuyumi smiles. “Yes, it’s been far too long. Would you want to come in for a hot chocolate or something?”

“Oh no! I have to get home.” Izuku says. “Thank you so much, though!”

“Of course. You’re always welcome.” She says. She makes eye contact with Shouto, and gives him a little wink. “I’ll let you say goodbye privately. But when you come inside, Shouto, I’ll have the hot chocolate ready.” 

He knows that means she wants to talk about this. Shouto flushes, but nods. “I’ll see you in five minutes, Fuyumi.”

She closes the door. Snow falls off of the wreath that rests against the door. Shouto turns back to Izuku. 

“Message me when you get home?” He asks. 

Izuku nods. “I will.”

He leans up again. Now, his gift is in the car, so Izuku’s hands are free. Shouto feels them slip between strands of his hair as Izuku pulls him down for a kiss. Shouto’s hands go to Izuku’s hips again, but he accidentally hits Izuku closer to his thigh than his hips. He’s about to apologize, until he hears Izuku whisper his name and all he wants to do is do it again. 

They pull apart, for the last time that night, and Izuku bites his lip and stares directly at Shouto’s chin. 

“Sorry. I missed.” Shouto says.

“I didn’t mind it.” Izuku says, “But I really should go home, and you should go have cocoa with your sister.”

“But you’ll text me when you get home.” Shouto says. “The roads still look bad.”

“Of course.” Izuku steps away, and the sudden coldness is almost like a slap. Shouto watches as Izuku climbs back into his car without shutting the door and then looks over at Shouto. “Merry Christmas, Shouto!”

Shouto waves back. “Merry Christmas, Izuku.”

Izuku shuts the door and pulls out of the Todoroki estate. Shouto watches him go, before he puts his hands into his pockets and walks up the steps towards the front door.