Chapter Text
Shoto is trying really hard to get over his general uncomfiness around people, he really is. Some things, however, just can't be avoided, like galas that celebrate the asshole that calls himself a father. #1 Hero, Endeavor.
He's developed a system for any type of gathering that consists of more than just his close friends. He finds out how big the venue is, how many people will be attending, how long everyone is planning on staying, and he prepares accordingly.
It's a solid system, and 90% of the time, it works perfectly. But then there's that other 10%. The times where people were invited last minute or they change the venue the day of and everything just gets thrown out the window, and Shoto just starts spiraling.
When that happens, Sero sits down next to Shoto and makes sure he still wants to go. The last thing Sero wants is for Shoto to feel like he was forced to go. If he is still up for it, Sero checks in on him frequently. On their way to it, a few times during, and he makes sure to see how he feels afterwards. Most of these check-ins consist of Sero lightly pulling his boyfriend to a quiet part of the venue and ask him; "Mi amor, on a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling right now?"
Lately, things have been going well and he's responded with a solid 8, sometimes even a 9! They have yet to say 10 but to be completely honest, even a 7 is a huge amount of progress for him. Other times, Shoto tries really hard to lie, however, he hasn't exactly found a good way to hide his tells. He'll respond with a shaky '8' and Sero will feel his hands get sweaty or notice him avoiding eye contact as his eyes fill with tears, or even the slightest lip quiver and he'll pull him into a hug and remind him that it's ok, he was ready to go home anyway It doesn't matter how long they've been there. The thing that matters most to Sero is Shoto Todoroki.
Sero has been a tremendous help in getting Shoto to come out of his shell. Bit my bit, the world gets to see just how amazing the love of his life is. Sero is constantly reminding Shoto how proud he is of him and Shoto's heart never fails to skip a beat. He gets all red and stumbles over his words. Looking at them, you'd think they had just started dating when in reality, They've been together for almost 5 years! Everyone was so happy for them after Sero finally got his head out of his ass and asked Shoto out after he punched Sero in the nose during training.
Well, almost everyone. Only close friends know about their relationship. Shoto's family doesn't even know. Which brings us to our current predicament.