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It was at the beginning of their second year at UA that Izuku braved playing truth or dare with the Bakusquad and ended up with double ear piercings. It was that fall that he and Todoroki started dating.
It was the first real relationship for either of them. First everything for Todoroki. And Izuku was perfectly okay with that. He liked that Todoroki trusted him with his firsts. Todoroki was overtly conscious of the baggage that trailed him, never wanted to rush anything in case Izuku changed his mind. So, they took their time.
Boy, did they take their time.
The first time they held hands was 3 weeks after they started dating as official boyfriends (the are-they/aren’t-they weeks before that didn’t count).
It was late October. They’d just finished a long day of internship with Endeavour and were walking back to the dorms from the train station. Izuku, rambling away about nothing in particular, had stepped off the curb before the light turned red and would have been struck by the oncoming truck had Todoroki not grabbed his wrist and pulled him back on the sidewalk at the last moment.
Todoroki had kept a firm grip on his wrist as he tugged him across the street when they got the go-ahead. Had wiggled Izuku’s fingers through his own by the time they’d made it half a block. And they walked back into Heights Alliance like that. Fingers entwined, Izuku blushed beet red from his hairline to his chest, and Todoroki ignoring their classmates surprise and marching toward the elevator. It was only once they got to Izuku’s bedroom door that Todoroki looked down at their joined hands and let go with a mumbled “sorry.” Izuku had smiled all wobbly and said, “don’t be, I liked it.”
In November was when they slept together for the first time. Not like that. Just slept.
Having an entire Saturday free from schoolwork and work studies, Izuku had decided to show Todoroki his favourite computer game. They’d spent the entire day on Izuku’s high end laptop creating characters that resembled themselves and their friends, building a massive house to fit all of them, and even getting a dog- they called her Mara, and she had her own bedroom on the main floor.
They played until the sun long set and their eyes stared blearily at the screen. Izuku, in a moment of exhausted clarity, hit the save button before snuggling further beneath his duvet. Todoroki didn’t fare much longer. The mouse hovered over the same item for long seconds at a time as his tired eyes fought to stay open and his head lulled on his shoulders. It was Izuku who shut the laptop and tugged Todoroki onto the pillow beside him. And within minutes, they were out. Their soft breaths mingled between them, smelling faintly of pepperoni and strawberries thanks to their dinner and desert.
It was in December that they shared their first kiss. It wasn’t planned. None of their first were until far later in their relationship. It just sort of happened.
Izuku would thank the Christmas spirit for gracing him with a good thing. Todoroki would silently thank Endeavour for making his childhood shit. For it was because of that shit childhood that Todoroki had never decorated a Christmas tree. As soon as Izuku had heard that and as soon as they’re started dating, Izuku begged every classmate of theirs to let them decorate the tree alone. It needed to be special. Perfect.
And, sure, maybe Izuku had gone a little too wild on ornament shopping. But it was a big tree, 7 feet tall and nearly touching the ceiling. And of course, every person in their class needed a special ornament. For Izuku it was a silhouette of All Might’s fist raised proudly in the air. For Bakugo, a bottle of hot sauce. For Kaminari, the energizer bunny. For Todoroki, it was a matching Snow Miser and Heat Miser set. (Anyone who wanted to argue about Todoroki getting 2 ornaments could do so when they also have dual quirks, says Izuku).
They spent the afternoon with music playing from a radio set up in the corner, a plate of fruits on the coffee table, and more hot chocolate than should ever be drunk in a day.
Izuku had placed all the ornaments in a basket between them and they picked from it at will. It was disorganized and sporadic but more fun than Izuku had had in ages. Todoroki even smiled! A proper toothy smile, not one of those tight-lipped wobbly things. It sent Izuku’s heart soaring.
When the tree was done- a little patchy with strings of tinsel hung over branches in clumps- they sat back on the floor and basked in their creation.
In the basket in front of them sat a lone red and silver bauble. Izuku looked from it to Todoroki and nodded his head in a silent invitation. Todoroki took it, weighing it in his hands as his eyes skirted over the tree. But, instead of standing up and securing it to a branch, Todoroki placed it on the floor, leaned over, and with nimble fingers began to fiddle with the stud in Izuku’s left ear. He pulled the backing off with only a little trouble and placed the two pieces back together in his palm. Then, he grabbed the ball once again. And, once again, he took Izuku’s earlobe in hand and slid the hook of the bauble through the hole.
It hung heavy against Izuku’s shoulder. Tickled his neck as it swung in place. But he didn’t dare show it on his face. Todoroki looked so proud. No way was he going to ruin that.
“To- Todoroki,” Izuku stammered on his words. “Why are you decorating me like a Christmas tree?”
Todoroki thought for a moment. Then, for only the third time in their relationship, his cheeks flushed a pale pink.
“Because you’re pretty like one.”
Izuku’s breath caught in his throat and, in no time at all, his once dry eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill at a single blink. Instead of crying and likely scaring his boyfriend, he did something equally as stupid and leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his warm cheek.
Izuku sat back almost immediately and that’s when what he did hit him. It hit Todoroki at the same time by the look of it, as his eyes went wide and doe-like and, in Izuku fashion, began filling with wetness all their own. His right hand raised to his cheek, right to the spot Izuku kissed.
“Todoroki. Shoto, I’m sorry. I-” Izuku was cut off by the determined press of plush lips against his own. They were pursed tightly, clumsy yet insistent, and Izuku couldn’t help but melt into it and kiss back. It was nothing more than two mouths pressed together, but to them, it meant the entire world. It was all the love and gratitude and care put into one simple action that, stoic as it was, spoke volumes to their relationship. To them.
And it didn’t matter if people thought their dynamic was strange or too slow or not enough, for them it was perfect.