Archive of Our Own

Activity #1: Wash Day

He knows how much you fuss over your hair, the long hours with music or a podcast or one of your favorite shows playing as you either take it down, do it up, wrap curls around your fingers or twist or braid. He’s assisted you with wash day before, careful as he helps separate the thick coils of your hair, his scarred fingers helping to use the end of the rat tail to gently part a waypath. He’s helped massage the shampoo into your scalp, help you put the plastic cap on your head in wait for deep conditioning. He’s always helpful, and when he can’t (he’s often fumbled with braiding extensions), he simply watches you in awe. Emerald eyes slightly hooded as he gazes at you with a soft smile curled upon his lips. His eyes watching the flex of your wrists and the semi-concentration on your face. He wants to do this for you, and he’s ready.

How He Prepares:

• Midoriya is a lover, and as such, he pours as much of himself into everything that he can, especially learning, and especially learning about you.
• He watches several youtube tutorials of Black women showing how to braid hair. 
• Talks to your friends, goes to the local African shop and begs for a lesson and they think he’s so cute, all freckled face and determined so they say yes.
• So Midoriya stands his ass in a chair with one of the women “Grip it tighta! From the roots! Cross your hans’ like this, okay? Yeah yeah, he’s doing good!” She grins, nudging Midoriya’s shoulder. His cheeks are pink as he interweaves the braid on the kinky haired mannequin head. He’s going to get this right. 
• He asks for help from others too. He asks Mina who happily teaches him how to do crochet braids and their benefits, and finds himself more drawn to that style of braiding, something he feels he can do easier and so he focuses on practicing that. 
• He hides a mannequin in his office, having planned this months ahead, to which whenever he has a few minutes before a meeting he sits and practices. He wants this to be good for you, wants you to be able to proudly wear the braids.
• He also goes shopping beforehand to get all the materials you’ll need. New shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, all the brands you leave stacked in his linen closet. He buys new ponytail holders and beauty supply rubber bands, oils and shea butter. He even buys you a new bath robe.
• While he’s there he bulks up on luxury items for the bath he’ll draw you on your birthday: lavender, lemongrass, cherry almond, cocoa oatmeal. He’s going to make it special.
• He has you take the three days off before your usual two (a week long vacay baby!) And while he as a pro-hero cannot take the entire time off, he strives to take at least the last three off, and the other two he is careful to make it home early.

What He Does:

• The first day of your week off, he has set the living room up in front of the flatscreen with the prep for your hair: microfibre towel, two bottles of water, shea butter, a mixture of oil (jojoba, tea tree, rosemary oil, a tiny bit of black castor), your favorite gel, your favorite leave in conditioner, rose water in a spray bottle, a rattail comb, a detangling brush, a wide tooth comb, and 8 bags of pre-looped  14in passion twists in two colors. He’d gotten an extra few packs just in case. 
• He wakes you up that morning, fingertips brushing over the soft skin of your shoulder. He presses a gentle kiss upon your forehead as you stir, kneeling next to you on the bed in an old faded white T-shirt and a pair of comfortable shorts. His eyes are sparkling, having set the kitchen up after your breakfast nap. 
• “Hey.” He says softly, soft smile reaching the freckles that’ve spread across his face. A mini constellation. You grumble softly, shifting your feet beneath the comforter, eyelashes batting open as you slide an arm out, hand blindly reaching for him before he presses the warmth of his cheek into your palm. “Hey..” you grumble back quietly, voice slightly heavier in the sleep fog. He nuzzles your hand for a moment, cupping it before placing a kiss on the pulse point of your wrist. “Ready to shower? I’m washing your hair today.” He says, confidently but still quiet enough not to hurt your adjusting ears.
• You blink at him, grin spreading across your plump lips as you make a soft humming noise.
• “Oh?” You ask, reaching up to make sure your bonnet stayed on. He laughs softly, nodding his head. “Yep! I’ve got it all planned out. I even bought a shower cap so you wouldn’t have to use a grocery bag.” 
• You snort softly, pinching his cheek and he makes a soft pout in response. “Mm.. Okay. I pretty much detangled it anyway. I was gon’ style it for my birthday anyway.” You yawn, sitting up and letting the covers fall off of you. Zuku’s eyes follow the exposure of your curves before flicking back to your face at attention. “Can’t be out there lookin like a bum. Ma girls would clown me.” You sigh dramatically, shifting to sit cross legged. Zuku’s still kneeled in front of you, but a soft huff of a laugh comes through his nose.
• “I would never though. You’re always beautiful to me, no matter what. The crinkle of your nose, the raise of your eyebrow, the crease of your smile--” He rambles, prattling off of the things he finds naturally beautiful about you. The shape of your eyes, nose, lips, the feel of your skin on his, you find yourself grinning in embarrassment, moving your hands away from him to press a foot on his chest.
• “Alright alright! I love you too you goof but you know that ain’t what I meant. You might think I’m cute lookin’ like’a rats nest but sure as hell nobody else would. But its mo’ for me anyway.” You say, shrugging. “Plus, have you seen yoself? Our fineness needs to match baby, we not goin out there lookin like Raggedy Ann an’ ha man.”
• Izuku laughs, eyebrows creased as he shrugs his shoulders. “Alright, alright. I concede.” He raises to full height, holding his hand to you which you accept and stand to your feet. “Lets get you cleaned.” 
• The shower is nice, warm water cascading down your bodies. Your shared home is spacious itself, and the bathroom more so. A separate shower and a tub. Zuku’s fingers work gentle wonders against your scalp, careful to avoid tugging any curls. You lean against his chest, head bobbing gently with his ministrations. Izuku’s not the most playful in the moment, considering it more intimate but he does laugh at the occasional stumble or bopping of suds on one's face. He lathers the shampoo in well, separating your hair into four sections, deep conditioning it and then placing the shower cap on to retain the heat and to let it “marinate” he had said with a beam, which caused you to cackle and playfully swat on his arm as he made his way out of the shower to instead draw a warm bath in the tub. 
• You rinsed out the shower, he got the water right and the two of you scrubbed each other down in the tub before hopping back into the shower to rinse your hair off. Once you were done and you opened the cabinet to take out your wide tooth comb, you paused in confusion. Your entire styling cabinet was empty aside from the edge control. Zuku had rinsed the rest of your curls down the drain, scrubbed the floor with comet and a sponge mop before he rinsed it, towel around his waist. 
• “Zuku, wheres my hair shit?” You asked, and the man paused for a second, shoulders tensing and you watched his freckled back. He set the mop aside after ringing it out and then smiled back at you nervously. 
• “Ah.. about that. I was gonna do your hair for you.” 
• You blinked at him. Staring. He stared back, and there was a moment of silence. Anxiety began creeping up his back and he began to wring his hands, a nervous habit from your younger days. He softly blew a few strands of his curly green moss from his eyes. “I-i mean, if that's okay..?” He stammered.
• “Deadass?” You asked, eyeing him wearily. Zuku helped you but he didn’t do it himself, not often. He usually was able to do your hair naturally. His favorite was creating the twists for your twists out, and doing the bantu knots. He felt proud that his strong hands could also be delicate enough to help with those styles. “I wasn’t planning on doing my hair naturally--”
• “I want to put crochet hair in.” Zuku cut in.
• You stared at him again in silence. Before you could respond he stammered. You adjusted your towel. “I promise I’ve been practicing! I’ve studied this for months. I asked the shop you go to, I asked Mina, I even have a mannequin in my office I can do this.” He said, then said again more firmly. “I can do this and- you can watch the entire time and if I fuck up you can stop me but--” “Okay.”
• Izuku goes quiet then. He stares at you, brain trying to catch up to your answer. He opens his mouth, closes it, a guppy in the water before in a quiet, confused voice he replies “Okay?”
• “Okay.” You smile at him, step forward in your shower flip flops and softly pat his cheek. “I trust you in my hair, and if you’ve had as much practice as you say you have, I don’t mind. Plus it’ll be a nice treat. You doin’ my hair for my birthday is tooth rottin’.” You kiss him on his nose, which increasingly dusts with rose. You leave the bathroom and he washes his hands quickly and follows after you. 
• “I’ll do my best!” … And his best he does.
• You’re both sitting in comfortable house clothes, you slotted between his legs on a pillow and eating snacks, Castlevania playing on tv as Zuku has your wide tooth comb between his teeth. He’s got a towel draped over your shoulders and a towel on his lap to catch the cute little shedded curls and hair products. He’s always amazed at how your hair shrinks, but finds it fascinating. He can’t help but stretch the sections as he moisturizes your scalp and hair using the L.C.O. method. Liquid, leave-in conditioner mixed with the rose water, the shea butter, then the oil to lock it in. He massages it all into your scalp and down the strands of your hair until it's nice and moisturized. 
• He isn’t able to cornrow yet but he told you not to worry and instead used a method he’d learned on youtube. It consisted of making regular front to back parts like usual and slicking their edges with gel to make clean sections. He parts a small square at the front of your hairline and creates a single braid, then parts another square right behind the first and places the previous single braid in the middle of the part, and braids using that. He continues until he runs out of hair at the nape of your neck and the part ends, creating an illusioned cornrow. Once your entire head was done he placed a wig cap with a grid over your hair, careful before he took the crochet hook and began sliding and tying the passion twists in, filling up the cap and the expanse of hair on your head. 
• The two of you talked about everything and nothing in between, and surprisingly
• Izuku didn’t struggle. He looped, secured, and continued on as the two of you talked, occasionally holding up a mirror and having you hold one up to check the progress of the back, and occasionally you’d lift the other bottle of water to his lips to let him take a sip, or feed him one of the snacks on the table.

How it Ends:

• Three to four hours later he’s done and you stand to stretch your arms above your head, popping your back and letting out a soft grunt as you do so. Your neck doesn’t ache as much as you’d thought it would but your head did feel a little heavier, as expected.
• Izuku wiped his hands nervously and smiled at you. “Well! Look, take a look!” He exclaims, standing up as he folds both of your towels and nudges you towards the mirror in the entryway. You gasp, and Izuku’s emerald eyes are sparkling with glee.
• Your hair looks incredible! Especially for a first timer. He’d cut the stocking cap to give you a side part, and cut around the edges to remove the thick band so it looked a lot more natural. You turned your head this way and that, admiring yourself and grinning ear to ear. Izuku was behind you, practically trembling with excitement. “Do you like it?”  He asks, voice wavered slightly as he eyes you through the mirror and you toss some of the strands of hair over your shoulder.
• “Yas! You did amazing baby! Thank you so much!” You turned to him and wrapped your arms around his neck, dragging him down to pepper kisses on his face. Of course his face turns rosy, warm large hands clasping your waist as he grins, eyes closing as he accepts the affection. “You’re welcome! I’m happy it came out good. I was worried.” 
• You shook your head. “No sweetness you did great. Thank you baby!” You grinned, squeezing him a little tighter. 
• Izuku was happy too. Your arms and hands didn’t have to be tired and wrinkled, he made you feel good, helped shape your hair into one of the beautiful styles you loved. His chest swelled with pride and happiness, nestling his nose into your shoulder. 

Activity #2: Spa Day

Next is more pampering! You’re beautiful to him always, soft brown skin glowing in the sunlight, skin richening in the silver glow and indigo sky at night, but he wants you pampered and feeling like a queen upon your birthday, and so he takes it upon himself to book you an appointment at your favorite Day Spa, for all of your favorites: dip powder manicure, spa pedicure, etc.

How He Prepares:

• He calls the day spa over a month ahead to make sure you’re scheduled in. He’s taking no chances. He also schedules it on one of your days off from work. 
• He schedules it for two, yes, he’s coming with! You’re always chastising him about not taking better care of himself so he decides what better way than a spa trip with his beautiful partner? He knows not only will you get to relax and enjoy yourself, but you’ll relax further knowing he’s doing the same.
• He schedules it all, really. Body massage, facial, waxing, princess pedi, mani, facials, and chilllin’ in a steam room.
• Knowing that this would be easiest served if all done at once, he makes this overnight stay. He borrows the keys to a suburban house that Momo’s family owns, out by the lake. He cleans up there early, adjusting dishes to the way you like them organized, leaving little love notes in the places he’s sure you’ll find. He lays out your favorite nightgown and body spray on your side of the bed.
• Leaves your favorite body wash and body scrubs in the shower, along with his own.

What He Does:

• That morning the two of you have a nice breakfast at a local owned cafe. The two of you chat together on the little patio under the sun, sharing food, reminiscing, talking about plans. 
• Once you’ve had your fill and wander around the neighborhood near the Day Spa for a bit, Zuku opens the door for you as the two of you enter. He tells your names for the appointment book, and the woman in the front in the cute floral scrubs and light pink clipboard, turns to you with the softest of smiles. “Happy birthday! While it's a couples booking for the two of you today,” she leads you two into a back room, and Izuku gently places a large warm palm on the small of your back as the door softly closes behind you all. “We’ve lowered the price and we offer complimentary wine for the two of you.” She exclaims before leading the both of you to the massage room. It's cream and brown and glowing gently with candles, which decorate the light aside from the decorative lamp attached to the ceiling, also admitting a soft warm, gentle golden hue. 
• The both of you are asked if you have a gender or identity preference for masseuse and if you have any injuries to report before you’re both told to strip to your comfort level, lay down and relax, and the masseuses come in to work their magic. 
• Almost earthy with hints of sweet smelling lotions, fingers gently grinding and kneading into your backs, shoulders, sliding down the dip of your waists, curving gently down your spine. They work the knots out, gently working into your thighs and legs and ankles and the both of you practically turn to jelly. The entire experience is quiet, warm, and just as relaxing as you’d liked. They’d even turned on light music for the two of you. 
• Once it’s done, the two of you are asked to dress in towels provided and led directly into the sauna attached to the room where you’re able to sit next to each other and relax. 
• Your breathing is slow, eyes closed back breathing gently before you feel the warm hand gently touch yours before sliding into your own. You open your eyes softly to glance at him. Izuku’s head pressed back against one of the boards. His eyes are shut and there’s gentle perspiration on his skin, not enough to bead water to drip but enough to appear softly flushed. His curly hair is currently all pulled up into a high ponytail, bobby pins trapping his bangs up and backwards. He’s also breathing quietly, skin flushed a gentle pink. You smile and slot your fingers together, gently squeezing back and massaging the scar on his hand. 
• Once the sauna time is over, you’re gently swept out, given a new towel to dry off with, and then lead back into the room to lay again on your backs and receive your facials! 
• Both of your heads are gently rested back on comfortable rolled back towels as they apply the gentle cleanser, massaging it into your skin. It smells vaguely like citrus mixed with cucumbers. They then use a soft facial sponge to remove the cleanser, warm water and ask quietly if it's the right temperature. You're practically purring a hum of confirmation as they continue. 
• Izuku opens his mouth to speak and quietly asks, “A- ah..a bit hotter, if it's not too much trouble?” and a soft smile appears on your lips as the individual working on him responds “Of course not! Ask for anything you like, this service is catered to you” before you hear the water running gently, and the bowl placed back onto the table again with a very quiet clink. 
• “You so cute.” You tell your boyfriend, and he tenses for only a moment before his face flushes again and he has to be told to “please stop wrenching your eyebrows or I can't clean the soap from them..” and he apologizes. A soft giggle jolts your body gently and your own Esthetician gently tuts at you to which you also apologize and try to soften your smile. 
• Next comes exfoliation, a gentle oceanic summer breeze smelling scrub is applied to your face, massaged in, and Izuku mumbles something about the two of you needing a beach trip. You agree quietly, a quiet murmur of “Matching swimsuits” as your esthetician massages your cheeks in circles. 
• The next processes go quickly, extractions if needed, gentle massaging, and finally cucumber face masks. 
• Once the entire process is over and the two of you are relaxed and warm and feeling good, they hand you slippers and gently usher you into a different room for the pedicure and manicure processes. 
• They allow you to pick your colors, and Izuku the same if he wishes and the two of you are set next to each other back in your regular clothes as they work on gently pushing back your cuticles, massaging your hands, etc. You’re given nail tips if you like, and the dip powder process starts while Izuku gets his hands massaged, and he opts for a deep forest green polish himself as the two of you talk. Izuku laughs.
• “It tickles a little.” You tilt your head at him as the woman brushes off the particles and begins to massage your hands and apply a lotion to them. You’re tempted to ask if he prefers your hand massages, and the quirk of your lips makes Izuku fluster slightly. “I-it’s nice though!” he follows up, voice tapering off to a soft squeak and you shake your head at him. “It always feels and smells nice huh? And cute color Zuzu. I thought you’d go plain again.” Izuku’s cheeks pinken slightly and he gives you a dorky smile. “I uh- almost did but I was curious to what it’d look like. It matches the same color as my suit and I think it’ll look nice.” 
• You coo at him and careful to keep your hands still, lean your chin on him and glaze at his hands as the scars are carefully massaged over. Even though the largest was years ago, there were still new cuts and scrapes from his regular work, and the callouses. “It will boo. And the color just suits you anyway.” You say, and, and Izuku, shyly leans his head over on yours, before the two of you are released to go sit in the back and soak your feet. 
• The two of you allow your feet to sink into your respective tubs and both sigh in release at the same time. The water is hot, and the bubbles almost tickle as the water seeps heat back up within your bodies. Izuku visibly sinks back into his cushions, and you pick up the little remote controlling the different massage settings. “Use it.” You urge him, setting your own and he glances at the one on his side, lifting it to inspect before hitting a setting and letting out an “Oh!” in gasped surprise. 
• You’re laughing at him and he whines, back shifting. “I just wasn’t expecting it to be that intense!” 
• “Boy you should’a known from the get go. Here bae lemme see.” He hands you the controller and you lightly press to lower the intensity and Izuku relaxes again. “Thanks..” and you’re shaking your head and rolling your eyes. “Of course.” 
• After a bit, the Estheticians came back over to the two of you, lifting your feet gently out of the water and using a pumice stone, foot file, and Izuku jumped slightly. It wasn’t his first spa day, no, but his feet, while he may not have said it out loud, were slightly ticklish. You laughed at him and reached out your hand so he could grab onto yours to focus on that rather than the feeling on his foot. “You’re a baby.” 
• He made a soft whine “S’not true. Just tickles.” You shake your head and cock an eyebrow. “I feel like you would’a kicked me in my face if I was doin it.” Izuku huffs and leans over to push his face into your shoulder. “Wouldn’t--” he paused, voice muffled. “Would feel too bad.” and the huff of a laugh you give makes his head bounce on your shoulder. 
• What follows is the cuticle clipping, the nail filing, “Would you like them painted?”
• “Yes. Same color as his nails.” You say, lifting your boyfriend's hand to show. Izuku blushes just a bit, pride swelling in his chest.
• The man gets up to fetch your color, and Izuku opts for a clear coat. Both of your Estheticians get to work on massaging your feet. Their fingertips and thumbs rubbing circles into the soles and heels, working out the crinks after applying their lotion. Both of your feet are placed in the paraffin wax bags, the wax a hot orange color, like an orange icle that has yet to be frozen. You shudder gently at the heat, and Izuku practically becomes mush. You wiggle your toes once, the hot wax oddly soothing once you’d gotten used to the temperature. Once it was complete, your feet were removed from the bags, wiped with a gentle tissue, patted down with hot towels, and then moisturized one more time before they started painting your nails.

How it Ends:

• By the end of it all, the two of you are slugs, warm and relaxed all over and honestly, the rest of the day goes by quickly. Izuku is always clingier when he’s tired, or relaxed, or sleepy, and as such he’s always touching you in some way as he pays the tips, fingers interlaced with yours, standing behind you with his head pressed against your braids, opening the door for you, the other hand on the small of your back. Even in the car ride home, mostly filled with silence, one of his hands stays magnetized to your thigh, thumb rubbing circles into it. 
• When the two of you step in the door, Izuku’s arms are immediately around your waist, pulling your body into his as he inhales your scent and sighs, his chest rising and falling against your back. “Shower? Movie? Takeout..” He mumbles, and you’re laughing, reaching behind you to stroke your manicured nails through his hair, gently scratching his scalp. His entire body vibrates with almost a purr as he sinks his bodyweight into you further. “Yeah bae, yeah. Pizza?” Izuku gives a weak nod and a soft “mmmhmm..” in response.
• The shower is quick, and you’re dressed in one of his larger shirts and a pair of panties for comfort and him simply in sweatpants and a T and the two of you curl up together in the bed, throwing on a comedy movie as you grab your phone and order dinner. 
• The day is relaxing overall, and the night all the same. 
• “Want me to get your hero symbol on my thumb next time?” Izuku whines at that, face planting into your thighs. 

Activity #3: Picnic & Presents

His last gift to you is more quality time, but with a little extra bonus on this little house he’s rented. Zuzu’s aware of your love for flowers and your enjoyment of heartfelt gestures and so the last gesture he plans outside of the home includes a Park Picnic for dinner outside by the lake during sunset. He decides a home made dinner but, eaten outside would be nice. He also admits he loves the way that golden hour glow illuminates your skin, your soft lips, the way your dark eyes brighten softly within the light. He’s a sucker for you, always, but in the sunset and sunrise? His heart beats out of his chest, and he sees the rest of his life with you.

How He Prepares:

• He knows you love home cooking, putting his heart into the meal. So of course he cooks as much as he can for you.
• Otherwise, with the nice breeze and the weather teetering on well, he knows this plan will work. 
• He gets a picnic blanket, extra large: thick oxford polyester top and a waterproof PVC bottom. It's durable, water resistant, and a gentle lavender plaid.
• He uses a raised slab of wood he'd gotten with a blanket over it as a makeshift table for the food. He knows it could be placed on the ground but being the ever careful planner he is, uses the wood slab anyway, better for posture and all that.
• Foods he preps:
  • Fruit sando made with strawberries
  • Ricotta and spinach filo parcels
  • Miso Beef onigiri
  • Picnic Fruit Punch
  • Water
  • A bottle of your favorite alcohol
• He also tried to make a few dishes from your culture as well. He knows soul food can knock you out so he’s a little more careful with what he picks from it. 
  • Deep fried okra
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Potato Salad
  • Chicken Katsu 
• Your gifts! He has three extra special ones this year.

What He Does:

• You’re aware of this gesture too, and while he doesn’t let you help him cook or prepare, occasionally pouting at you when you’re tasting food, he doesn’t make you leave the kitchen. In fact the two of you make casual conversation as he puts everything together. 
• You two are currently matching. You’re in a nice yellow bodycon dress with white outlining the sleeve cuffs, collar, and the bottom hem that stopped above your knees. Izuku’s dressed in a yellow T-shirt with “White” written on the front in white Kanji lettering, and a pair of dark blue shorts. 
• “I’m honestly glad they even let you get this time off.”
• Izuku’s currently rolling rice balls, nodding his head as he glances back at you. His dark curly hair is currently pulled up in a half ponytail. “Ah..it is hard. But I put in extra hours and Todoroki and Uraraka are keeping an eye over my part of patrol to help..And the new interns at the agency are doing well, and since I don’t often ask for time off they were really accommodating.” He spoke, and you hummed, sitting behind him on the kitchen island. 
• “I’m happy. I’ve missed you, wakin’ up to you and not some empty space, or goin to bed and you bein’ there and not slidin in late. Ain’t seen you as relaxed as the spa in so long. Zuku last time we had a spa day like that we was in highschool. You need’a be takin’ mo’ time for yoself even without it being for me. You know that right?”
• Izuku had stiffened, his cheeks warming as he carefully curled the seaweed and placed the onigiri in the container with the others. “Y-you’re right. I know.. I just- it’s hard. I want to be the best hero that I can be and sometimes..I don’t- There’s so many people who need help. And I want to help everyone that I can.” 
• Your heart aches a bit as you hop off the island and wrap your arms around his waist from behind. You shift your body to plant a kiss on the back of his neck. He visibly shudders. “I know bae but you can’t take care of nobody if you ain’t takin’ care of yoself. If you half dead and wound up like’a overheatin’ spark plug you just gon’ explode. Take more care of this.” You said, reaching up to playfully squeeze at his pecks. He stiffens and places a hand over yours, and you’re laughing, pressing your face into his back. “Take care of yourself. If  you end up broken somewhere who gon tell me I look cute with my bonnet on and dried drool.” 
• He laughs at that, lifting a hand to gently brush his lips against it. He’s quiet for a moment before he smirks against your skin. “I’ll leave a recording--” “Izuku!” You smack him on the back and he’s laughing full force before he turns, maneuvering to face you and dragging your body into his own. His body is radiating warmth, as usual, and he cups your cheeks. His eyebrows are drawn in, and he looks a little sad almost. “But really, I know. I will, for you, and for me..and because of my mom’s phone calls.” He says, pressing a kiss to your forehead and you’re the one with warm cheeks now. Nodding your head. “Good. So use yo damn days off and don’t be pickin’ up extra shifts.”
• He stiffens. “..But-”
• “No buts.”
• “ … Two on, two off?”
• “What did I just tell yo stubborn ass?” Izuku whined. “Can you at least think about it?”
• “I did and I said no. Babe you workin at least 25 days a month and with yo damn overtime I’d be surprised if you ain’t clockin’ in at 400 hours or some shit. Take the time for yourself and if I gotta bribe you I will.”
• Izuku huffs at that, leaving it alone before the oven beeps and he gently maneuvers out of your hold to take the filo parcels out. 
• …
• He leads you to the backyard where he’s already set up the picnic blanket, the food sitting out with covers just in case. The breeze is cool and the sun is setting, orange and yellow and soft purple hues cascading over the sky, the wind causing the water of the pond nearby to gently wave, rocking the water lilies. The Creeping Jennys gently curved over the planted rocks, the Cardinal's red gently fluttering along the plants edge. The pond itself is beautiful, especially with the sun setting around it. Cameillia's bloom in proximity to Hydrangeas, Iris's near the Cardinals. There’s a mixture of color in the garden, along with a few bamboo stalks. It's a beautiful place, and it’s easy to often get caught up within the colors. The breeze and the slightly cooler temperature keeps it from being humid or overwhelming. There were also insect traps to keep from the bothering pests like flies, gnats, and mosquitos if they happened to venture by. 
• The occasional Japanese Wagtail and Tit would patter along the flowered lands. Flying overhead, giving soft chirps of appreciation for the greenery as they flapped their gentle wings, on their way home from their own long days. 
• You sit with Izuku on the picnic blanket. He’s got a cooler on one side with all of your drinks in them, capped, and two chilled glasses there for the two of you. He hands you a plate, the rest of the food laid out neatly and with their tops gently for protection if needed. A heat resistant mat laid out to hold the warmer pots and pans and trays.
• Izuku pours you a glass of your choice of drink before handing it to you, watching as your eyes scan the sunset. 
• “It’s so pretty out here.. The city blocks all the natural light. And these flowers..Who even does the upkeep for this pond, it's beautiful..” You mutter, eyes gazing over the Autumn-like petals of one of the Cardinal flowers and Izuku is smiling at you. 
• “Yeah, I’ll keep this view forever.” He says, voice softer than usual, almost breathless. You turn to see him staring at you with those beautiful green eyes and you smack his chest playfully and smile. “Alright lover-boy. I’d rather keep you than the view though.” Izuku’s cheeks dust rose for just a moment as he gave a gentle rub to his nose. “You can and will.” He says quietly, and the two of you make soft talk while eating, watching the sunset and the changing of the reflection color in the pond. 
• By the time the two of you are done, your plates clean, he gently packs them away back in the basket he’d brought outside. Anything that could be leftovers was already put away and the heavier pots brought back in earlier. Izuku comes back out with a vibrant purple gift bag in his hands and sits down with a smile. He takes your hands in his. “Ready for your physical gifts?”
• And you’re grinning at him, turning to face him and cupping his cheek. “You’ve done so much shit for me already Zuzu but show it to me babe.” You say, and Izuku plants a soft kiss to the inside of your palm before letting your hands go and placing the bag into your lap. You’re shaking your head, he’s already done so much for you that you’re grateful. Even the amount of time exceeding what the two of you have had since highschool. 
• You open the bag and blink at the contents inside: 
• The first thing you pull out from the tissue paper is a notebook. Not just any notebook either. On the front cover is a gouache painting of you and Izuku on your third date. Where the two of you are holding hands and smiling, while Izuku holds an umbrella between the two of you. It’s a painting of a picture Sero had taken of the two of you in highschool, and it's gorgeous with the vibrancy of the reflections of the water, the reds and yellows and oranges, the blues and greens and gentle lavenders all to create a scenic piece. While your faces weren’t completely clear, your silhouettes were both ingrained with colors representing your energies. Your hairstyles are clear, it's easy to tell it's the two of you. You're speechless.
• "... wow."
• Izuku's watching you expectantly. A smile spreads over his lips and he nods. "Open it, please?" And you look up at him for a moment before back down at the notebook. You figured it was just an empty engraved book but when you opened it, the page right after the first, was Izuku's handwriting:
• "Love Letters for My Love."
• It's cheesy but cute, and Izuku has doodled on the front page, like in the early 2000s American movies. There's a tree with a heart and your names in the middle and little hearts gently filling in some of the space on the page.
• As you turn the page and start looking through the book you realize the book is a compilation of journal entries and poems about you, written about you and for you. Some dedicated directly to you, like when you were busy one week completing a project for work and the letter detailed everything from.the way you bit your pen to the furrow of your eyebrows as you typed up your report. He talked about how proud he was of you, and how he admired you.
• Others were love poems to parts of you that you were occasionally more conscious of: stretch marks, birthmarks, etc.
• Some were ranging back to things he'd written about you in highschool, dated correctly. Some were things he'd taken notes of about you, like favorite smells, hair products, jewelry styles etc.
• You started to tear up a bit at how heartfelt this book was, and the entire hardcover journal was full. Not one page was empty, and some pages even included pressed flowers that you loved, the occasional scribble of a drawing he'd tried to do. Your heart swelled with just how thoughtful Izuku was and how loved you were to have someone care about you enough to memorize and notice the little things. 
• You fanned your face for a moment and wiped your eyes from the hot tears as you reached for Izuku's hand and he gladly took it, rubbing his thumb over your skin. 
• "Izuku I love this.. it's so beautiful. Boy, who taught you how to woo a girl this good?" You laughed softly through the tears and Izuku smiled. He had been worried you were upset when he saw the tears and he scooted closer to gently wipe away your tears. 
• "Ah.. just. I thought.. you know." He shyly kept his eyes on the now closed notebook. "It'd be nice for you to know how much I love and think about you. I know I'm not around much and it can get lonely sometimes. I miss you when I'm on patrol and I'm always thinking of you and I just wanted you to know how much I love and think about you.. you mean so much to me and I just can't see my life without you so.." his cheeks flushed softly.
• Your heart melted at his words. He was darting his eyes down and his free hand occasionally squeezed his knee in increments, another nervous habit. You cupped his cheeks and lifted his head to yours and smiled at him, giving a soft sniffle. "I love you so much Izuku. I've never doubted how much you love me but this is just.. I'll cherish it forever. And when I tell my girls they gon be so jealous." You laughed and Izuku couldn't help but laugh at that too and he softly removed your hands from his cheeks, giving them a kiss. "Look, there's more." He gently nudged his head towards the bag and you rolled your eyes and smiled.
• You dug through the bag again and in it was a new ankle bracelet and waist beads. The last item in the bag was a photo album, and upon opening it were Snapshots of the two of you. Some selfie, some with face masks or  you getting ready for a gala. Some were taken by others like Izuku removing your shoes the time your heel broke, or you testing a new makeup palette on Izuku at Minas house. It was an album of your friendship with each other, from highschool studying to QR codes leading to videos of you running the track with Izuku and telling him to slow down. One of the QR videos lead to Izuku's first time getting drunk and him crying about how much he loved you, and telling a non-flirting Iida that he was "happily in the best love with the most beautifulest partner in the world!" And upon hearing that one, Izuku's ears had turned red. You shook your head and hugged him tightly.
• "You dork! I love this all so so so much!" You squeezed him tight and kissed his cheeks. He laughed, squeezing you to his chest as he buried his face into your shoulder.
• "I'm glad! Happy birthday Sweetheart.." and you squeeze him tighter. "Thank you Broccoli bae." Izuku laughs and then nudges his head against yours.
• "... can I help you put on the waist beads?" You snort softly, knowing he'll just use it as an excuse to worship you, as he always does. You softly bump his forehead with yours. "Yes, cute stuff.. thank you.. come on. Let's put this stuff up and go in."

How It Ends:

• With you and Izuku dancing in the living room to Cassie.
• Okay, maybe that's not how it Ends but yall definitely do.
• Your arms around his neck and his hands on your hips, the both of you swaying to the beat. He twirls you once and pulls you back in by your waist, hips moving against his, your back to his chest as the both of your hips move to the beat. 
• At some point you end up laughing as you try to get Izuku to twerk. "You got too much ass to not throw it back!" You laugh, even grabbing his hips to catch what he throws and it ends up with the both of you laughing and softly tipsy. 
• After the two of you have danced, warm from the buzz and the warmth of your bodies and the food, the two of you shower and get ready for bed, which, with his calloused warm hands running up your hips and your stomach, takes several hours of moans, trembling thighs and heavy breaths.
• …
• by the time Izuku is asleep, arms wrapped around you with his cheek pressed against your chest and your hand stroking through his hair, you're thumbing through the notebook again, reading one of the poems he'd written you:

• • You always say my freckles resemble constellations,
  • Your fingers a walking spaceship connecting the stars along my back.
  • You say my scars are shooting meteors and I think of how empty
  • This galaxy you've made of me would be
  • Without your dancing fingers to map them, to give them names and point to their shapes.
  • You've poured love into parts of me I didn't know yearned
  • To be wanted, needed, held.
• - 
  • Your pretty brown eyes
  • Have the same effect as the first sip
  • Of coffee in the morning. 
  • The tight curls of your hair are like springs holding 
  • the clouds together, they could swallow me whole 
  • and I would thank you. Whether it be box braids, faux locs,
  • feed in, or cornrows, your hair reminds me of what it means
  • to see a fracture of the beauty the earth has to offer
• - 
  • You call me the galaxy and I will claim you the ocean, 
  • your laugh lapping waves that change the rotation of my planets.
  • You've given me a submarine and I'll use my stars to light my way to your depths
  • And while Oceanographers and Astronomers say 
  • we are too vast to know, too different
  • I can only see us together, Can only see 
  • the way our depths merge and match and join as one
  • As always, and as forever, exploring 
  • what it means to be complex and surface at once. 
  • I want to spend my years exploring yours, 
  • and I hope you will spend yours exploring mine.

• As you turn the page to the next one, your eyes widen and your breath hitches.. your ears ring, heart thumping against your chest like thunder. Your hand leaves Izuku's head to cover your mouth as the tears begin to slide down your cheeks. Light, not even warm. You were crying without even meaning to but..! 
• Sitting within a groove in the book is a soft rose colored flower engagement ring, and above the groove, in soft curved font, Izuku's own messy cursive is written as neatly as possible, "Will you marry me?"