"...So yeah...that's basically it…." Shouto Todoroki mumbled as he looked away from his friend
"Ah, I see" Tenya Iida casually responded like it was nothing to discuss. He took another sip of the orange juice that he ordered from the small cafe that both he and his friend were spending the afternoon in, to the increasing consternation of his friend.
"Is that all you're gonna say about this?" Todoroki hissed
Iida stroked the scraggly beard that he had adopted since his marriage "What would you want me to do?"
"I…" Todoroki sighed "I don't know but you always know how to handle things like this! And you're like her dad so I thought that maybe you could help."
Iida let out an amused chuckle as he wiped some stray hairs from his eyes "I appreciate the fact that you care enough about Ochako enough to come to me about this, but she's a grown woman, Shouto…"
Todoroki scratched the back of his neck nervously "I know, I know...but to be honest this is more to help calm me down than anything else…"
Iida's ears perked up in interest "Oh? Tell me more, if you must."
"We've been together a long time, Tenya and I've done some thinking…" he trailed off
"I think I know where this is going, Shouto." Iida said calmly
"You do?"
Iida held up his hand to show off the gold band with various gemstones adorning his ring finger "I've been in the same position as you are in right now."
"You have?"
"Yes. I think I could gauge how you feel about Ochako right now, Shouto. It's an odd feeling but not entirely bothersome, isn't it? But then you think about tomorrow and you realize that you can't imagine a future without her by your side."
"Yeah…" Todoroki said softly as he nodded hesitantly "It's exactly like that."
"So, you're admitting that you love Ochako?"
"I guess I am…"
"Well I'm glad that you managed to come to the conclusion all by your lonesome." Iida teased with a good-natured chuckle
"Just what are you laughing at?!"
"The fact that it you asked Ochako out on your fifth date with her, Shouto!"
"Hey, how was I supposed to know that those were dates?"
"So, going to dinner, taking long walks at the park, beach trips with Ochako and so much more were just things that regular friends do together?"
"I thought they she was just being nice!" Todoroki blurted out "You know, it kinda made sense that whenever I asked you or Izuku to tag along you two always had reasons to not go with us." Todoroki mused
"Yes, we didn't want to tell you the reason why Uraraka wanted to be alone with you since we thought it would be better if you found out yourself and decide what you thought of all of it but we didn't think we would have to make up excuses so many times!"
"I did find out though...that she had feelings for me and I have to say that you two not telling me was the right decision. If you hadn't let me found out on my own, and told me that when she asked me out for the first time I would have panicked and avoided her for about a month." Todoroki admitted truthfully
"And either I or Izuku would have beaten you senseless for being so foolish." Iida said casually, masking the grimness of the thinly veiled threat as he took another sip of his beverage.
"Appreciate the honesty…" Todoroki grimaced awkwardly "But when I finally found out that she had feelings for me and all those "friend dates" were actual dates I started to think about her...differently, you know?"
"I suppose I have an idea of what you're talking about. But please continue if you may…"
"Well, learning that Ochako had feelings for me opening my eyes to...everything about her. The way she smiles, how her laugh just lights up your day, when she holds your hand and everything feels right in the world." Todoroki's speech devolved into dreamy sighs which Iida found absolutely adorable since his longtime friend was still fairly stoic most of time. He was almost disappointed when Todoroki caught himself and began speaking normally once again, though clearly flustered by his previous tirade.
"I mean, uh...of course you know what I mean. You're married!" Todoroki sputtered out
"Yes, I am." Iida crooned with a wide smile "And Yes, that's how it feels when you're with the person you love. You just want to spend every waking moment by her side, don't you?"
"So, you do get it...As I expected."
"I take it you want me to help you with the wedding plans? Iida asked
"I think I should start with proposal plans first…" Todoroki admitted
"Well typically you get a ring and ask the woman you love to marry her. It's pretty simple, really" Iida snarked, prompting Todoroki to give him a pointed look.
"I know that. I just don't know when is the right time to pop the question... Do you have any ideas?"
"I'd suggest that you don't do it when there's a deluge of people around you. That could add unnecessary pressure for Ochako and she might float herself, as she tends to do when she gets nervous."
"Not a lot of privacy when both of us are famous heroes and when one of us comes from a really famous family…" Todoroki grumbled "You faced the same problems, didn't you? How did you propose to Camie?"
Iida let out a drawn-out sigh as he recounted how his proposal went. It was clear from the wide smile on his face that the memory bought him nothing but joy. "It was wonderful, Shouto…" he began.
"Great!" Todoroki exclaimed, his first problem seemingly solved "Alright, continue."
"It was early in the morning and I woke up with Camie nestled right beside me, the light of dawn filtering from the blinds illuminated her being, the radiance she was casting made her the spitting image of an angel-"
"I don't see how any of this deals with my question…" Shouto chimed in, his question dragging Iida back into reality.
"Oh yes, how I proposed…" Iida got back on track as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well, what I was getting at with my anecdote was that it made me question why I held off on proposing to Camie for so long. I bought the ring ages ago but I was looking for the "right moment" but when I saw her first thing in the morning, looking like a literal goddess, I realized that one moment isn't important...it's the lifetime that we'll be sharing that is."
"So...it was an impulse thing?" Todoroki questioned "Of all the people who I thought would meticulously plan out their proposals, I figured you would be on the top of that list…"
Iida chuckled, "Well, I suppose we can always expect the unexpected when it comes to our lives, don't you agree?"
Todoroki tapped his fingers along the edge of his table "You got a point there. Momo and I always thought that we would be in an arranged marriage together due to our statuses. We even dated for a while but things didn't work out when we tried to become more than friends. She wanted more spice in her life while I preferred something sweeter…"
"And what could be spicier than Katsuki or sweeter than Ochako?" Iida joked with a wry grin.
"She also told me that her family considered you as a potential suitor as well so…"
Iida spat the juice he was drinking back in the expensive glass he was holding "Momo and I?" he questioned with a chuckle "That certainly would have been a... situation."
Todoroki smiled back at his friend "Yes, it is...considering who both of you are married to. You both are into blondes who don't act like you at all, apparently."
"Yes, well...let's be glad that none of us were forced to get into any arranged marriages." Iida mused "Well, you're currently not in any marriage, to be fair…"
Todoroki gave him a pointed look "Yes, which is why I asked for your help in all of this...and you just gave me vague answers."
Iida shrugged "It's rather complicated, Shouto...I don't think Momo, Izuki, nor Kirishima could explain it any better than I could as well. But you're an intelligent fellow, and I'm sure you'll know what to do when the time comes…"
"Well, you seem pretty confident about my chances and you've never minced words with me before so I'm still going to you for my questions…"
Iida raised an eyebrow in interest "I just told you I can't explain much about proposals aside from the fact that you should try to tell Ochako out of the eye of the public."
"I know...I just wanted someone to be with me when I go ring shopping. Normally I would just go for the most expensive thing and I know that's what those people in the stores would direct me towards. But I know "expensive" isn't the be all and end choice for a ring…"
A proud grin crept on Iida's face "An excellent decision...well, the fact that you recognized the expenses aren't important but rather the need for a ring that properly conveys your feelings for Uraraka."
"Yeah...I'm going to give you a call when I can go to a jewelry. But between hero work and Ochako, that's going to be a long time-"
"Let's go tonight" Iida cut him off and now it was Todoroki's turn to spit out his drink.
"Tonight?!" Todoroki exclaimed "Seems a little fast, don't you think?"
"It's always good to be prepared, Shouto. It would be quite awkward when you find the perfect moment and not have any rings in your possession…"
Todoroki stroked his chin in thought "Damn, you bring up a good point."
"If you're about Ochako catching on, I'm sure my wife would be more than willing to provide any distractions. I can give her a call anytime, you know…"
Todoroki let out a resigned sigh "...Fine, we're doing this tonight…"
Iida clapped his hands happily "Yes! I was hoping you'd concede!"
Todoroki dragged his palm down his face as he groaned in annoyance "Something tells me that you and Camie somehow planned this…"
"We haven't...I just know when to take an opportunity when it's given to me…" Iida guffawed
"Okay, you're down with planning whatever but before you call your wife? Do you think she'll be okay with you just roping her into all of this?"
"oh, you don't have to worry about me, Shouto. Camie always relishes a chance to stir some havoc and she enjoys taking part in our "secret plans" as she lovingly describes them as…" Iida bragged
"You two are the absolute worst, do you know that?" Todoroki said with a harsh glare.
"This is for your benefit, Shouto and besides, I'm sure Ochako will relish the opportunity to spend some time with a good friend."
"Fine...You can call Camie and tell her all about your little plan but I'm not sure if Ochako is going to be fine with last minute plans."
Iida waved off his friend's concerns as he pulled his phone out of his pocket "Don't worry Shouto, Camie has her ways of convincing people to follow through her plans."
Todoroki snorted "Yeah, we'll see about that…"
"Thanks for coming on such a short notice, 'chako chip. That's why you're my gal!" Camie gushed as she sat on the chair she pulled out.
"It's fine, really! I rarely have time to hang out with anyone because of the hero business, of course you know what I mean…" Uraraka pointed out
"Damn right! It's a good thing the pay is good and we get tons of fans…" Camie listed while flipping her hair "The merch is unfair though, Tenya gets way more than I do…" she grumbled
"That's so true!" Uraraka agreed enthusiastically "It's the same with me and Shouto! I bet it's sexism…" she growled in annoyance.
Camie hummed "Yeah, Tenya told me his costume is "more conducive to merchandise ideas" or whatever but I think it's bullshit! I went shopping yesterday and I saw a figure of Tenya with skis called "Ice Assault Ingenium!" Camie slammed the table in anger, making the other patrons of the establishment to look at their direction before they calmly went back to their meal.
"Um...Camie...is it weird that nobody cares that two pro heroes are eating here?"
"Don't about that, 'chako. This place is the Hidden Tiger! It's a place where pretty important people could eat without getting annoyed. People see pros here all the time!"
"Oh! Is that why you invited me here?"
"That and the fact that the food here is bomb as hell!"
Uraraka clasped her hands in joy as the waiter arrived to their table and asked them what they wanted to eat. After their food arrived, Uraraka couldn't help but ignore the delicacy that was in front of her in favor of the monstrosity that her close friend was eating.
"Camie...how big is that steak you're eating?"
"Like, two kilograms I guess…" Camie said matter of factly between bites of steak.
"How the hell are you managing to eat all that?! Did you starve yourself all day?!"
"Nah. This is how I usually eat. Really sucked when I was growing up broke and couldn't eat how I wanted to. You feel me, right?"
"Um...I grew up poor too Camie, but I don't think anyone should eat that much on a regular basis! I don't think even Momo does and her quirk means she has to eat a ton!"
Camie shrugged "Whatever 'chako chip, you can keep eating your sushi while I eat real food."
"...It's a good thing you married into money" Ochako joked, prompting Camie to snort and then give her a wink.
"And they say my husband is the one who comes up with plans…"
"Speaking of marriages, didn't you two have your anniversary like a month ago?"
"Yeah…" Camie swooned as she recalled their anniversary before looking at Ochako "Speaking of marriages, you and popsicle gonna get hitched anytime soon?"
"Me and Shouto?" Uraraka felt her heats heat hotter than the surface of the sun "I don't know if that's really gonna happen" she mumbled as she twiddled her fingers.
Camie rolled her eyes in disdain of her friends' words "Do you seriously think that you're not good enough to be wifey material for Shouto?"
Uraraka lowered her head "Well, dating is way different than being married. Being married means I become part of his famous and influential family so-"
"Nuh-uh girl, I am not gonna be hearing about any of that crap!" Camie was nearly fuming at this point "Don't you know that Shouto doesn't give a damn about what his family or the public thinks."
"I know he doesn't…" Uraraka replied solemnly "But the fact that I may ruin his family's reputation makes me not want to go through with this. I don't want him or his family to go through any more than they already have."
Camie put her hand on Uraraka's shoulder in an act of sympathy before she spoke once more "Ochako, darling...that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, what the fuck?" Camie almost couldn't finish her sentence because of her laughter
"I'm being serious here, Camie!" Uraraka whined
"You're being seriously stupid. You're worried about something literally nobody else couldn't care less about."
"It will be all over the news!" Uraraka protested
Camie held up a finger "First of all- you shouldn't care what basic bitches have to say about your life." She held up another finger "second of all- are you low key calling me out when you talk about poor people ruining reps?"
Uraraka scrunched her face in confusion "What do you mean?"
Camie rolled her eyes once more "Man, imagine a poor girl getting into a famous and rich hero family through marriage? Won't that just ruin everything?"
Uraraka blinked once or twice before the realization set in "Oh my gosh Camie, I didn't mean to insult you like that!"
Camie let out a tired sigh "No offense taken...I guess. But you gotta know how whack it sounds hearing you moan about ruining your rich boyfriend's family while I'm married to a guy who uses a hero name passed down from so many people. You're dating a guy who couldn't give less of a fuck about his dad's legacy. If this broke girl could make it work than you could easily!" Camie appealed
"I guess...I guess you have a point" Uraraka admitted
"Promise me when Shouto proposes; I said when not if, that you'll say yes. I swear, if you break his or your heart because your worried about not being good enough, I'm gonna kick your ass!"
Uraraka placed her hand over her heart" I promise to say yes if Shouto ever proposes to me. But I don't want to get my hopes up…"
Camie shot Uraraka a sly smirk as she sneakily texted her husband "who knows? I bet he's gonna surprise you sooner or later…"
"She said what?!" Todoroki nearly yelled inside the high-end jewelry store that both he and Iida were in, causing stares to be thrown in their direction.
"Could you talk a little louder? I don't think they heard you over in America." Iida joked but the taller man ceased when he saw the solemn look on his friend's face.
"Listen, Shouto...Ochako is just fearing the worst. It's a bad habit of hers that she had since we were in high school together. I assure you that you aren't doing anything wrong here. Hell, she admitted that what she was feeling wasn't rational at all!" Iida tried to explained
"Well it sure feels like I'm being an asshole…" Todoroki murmured "Did I ever make it look like I didn't want Ochako to be part of my family"
"Not at all-" Iida began but was cut off
"Please...don't lie to me to make feel better, Tenya."
"Shouto, if you did anything to make hurt Ochako, I would have made it very clear. I'm not going to spare your feelings if you've done something wrong."
"You're right...but what should I do then?"
"Perhaps you should make it clear to Ochako how you feel about her? Perhaps with the assistance of the rings you just bought?"
"Well I guess it's time for me to finally pop the question."
"Hey babe, you seemed like you were gonna ask me something important before we were called to stop these guys." Uraraka said as she dodged a wave of what looked to be glue from the criminal her and Todoroki were currently fighting.
"Um...I think it could wait…" Todoroki replied as casually as possible
"You sure babe? You had that look in your eye that you only have when you're in your "serious" mode...or when you see some soba." Uraraka snarked
"Can we talk about it after we stop this bank robber?"
Uraraka let out a deflated sigh "Fine, you win this one…"
"No can you handle this guy? I can't really use fire or ice in crowded city streets…" Todoroki requested.
Uraraka nodded before clasping her hands together. She pressed a button to activate the jet boots she installed as soon as she became a pro and rocketed towards the criminal the two were facing. She deftly dodged globs of glue that he expelled from his hands with an array of aerial twists and turns. When she finally got close to him, the guy panicked and swung a sloppy haymaker at her direction. Uraraka caught the errant fist before flipping him around and delivering a devastating German suplex.
The crowd who was watching the entire affair hooted and hollered as they captured pictures and videos of what just happened. Todoroki ran up to Uraraka and her fallen opponent with two police officers at his side who quickly arrested the would-be robber.
"Now that the streets are a hundred percent villain free, can you finally tell me what you wanted to say?" Uraraka asked with a quick cock of her head
"Well...I Just wanted-"
"I'm Tokyo National News' Makoto Nomura and we've just witnessed a stunning villain takedown from one of Japan's most popular Heroine!" A woman in a red power suit suddenly arrived on the scene with a bevy of cameramen and producers.
"Now Uravity, how does it feel to become so popular in such a short amount of time?" the reporter asked before placing the microphone next to the pro.
"I gotta say it's a lot of pressure I guess." Uraraka answered hastily "There's always something going on but my amazing fans always keep me going!"
When the crowd heard that, they all let out a loud cheer in support of their idol.
"And not just my fans, I also have my own hero who's always by my side!" Uraraka cooed as pointed to her blushing boyfriend.
The reporter quickly moved towards Todoroki and began questioning him as well "So, what's it like being a well-respected hero in your own right and dating another famous pro hero?"
"Well...it's...um" Todoroki stuttered before he clenched his fists in determination "I fell in love with Ochako long before either of us became pro heroes so that doesn't mean anything to me."
Ochako let out a quiet gasp when she heard her boyfriend praise her for just being her and not bragging about her status as a pro hero. The crowd that gathered them reacted similarly, with some people even chanting "OTP" when they heard Todoroki spoke. Ochako made a mental note to tell her boyfriend what that meant later. The reporter whispered, "this is good stuff" to her cameraman before moving on to different questions.
"This if for you and Uravity as well so what's it like being among the "platinum generation" of heroes. A group of pro heroes that are around the same age who all burst on the scene in a spectacular fashion. If I recall correctly, aren't most of them good friends of your too?"
"Yup!" Uraraka chirped "my boyfriend was one of the two best men for Deku and Acid Queen's wedding!"
"...And Ground Zero never fails to tell me how he's better than me." Todoroki snarked "My girlfriend was also the maid of honor for Froppy and Red Riot's wedding as well. I guess you can say that both me and her compete for the title of "best good friend."
Uraraka chuckled at Shouto's odd sense of humor "Well, it looks like my boyfriend and I are tied for that. Me, him, and Deku were Ingenuims' "people of honor" for his heading, I was gonna be Ms. Illusion's maid of honor but we both decided that making Ground Zero her maid of honor was too funny to pass up!"
"You two seem to go to a lot of weddings. Does it give you any inspiration?" the reporter teased, smiling as the two heroes struggled to answer.
"Ha! I'm just kidding" she answered her own question "I'm here to talk about the important stuff- like, how you decide to deal with villains solo compared to how you deal with other heroes…"
The impromptu interview went on for another hour and after that both Shouto and Ochako spent another hour or two signing autographs for adoring fans. By the time they got back home, the both of them were beyond exhausted.
"So Shouto...about what you wanted to me…" Uraraka said between pants of breath "Can it...Can it wait until tomorrow?"
Shouto felt a little wrong agreeing with her but she right, it was super late and they were both exhausted.
"Yeah...sure...will ask you tomorrow"
"Come on babe! We gotta go now!" was all Todoroki hear as he was shaken from his sleep.
"Ochako? Did you already get up?"
"Yeah! We got invited to a private brunch on Momo's estate! Everyone's gonna be there so we gotta get going!"
"Can't I sleep for five more minutes?" Todoroki whined
"Sorry babe, this is important! All of us rarely meet up together so this must be important. I bet we're gonna see a baby from one of them soon…" Uraraka teased.
"...Maybe. But I guess you're not gonna let me sleep this one out."
"Nope!" Uraraka chirped happily "Now get that tight ass off the bed!"
"You invited us all here so we could taste test your food, bro?" Kirishima asked Bakugou incredulously.
"I was asleep dammit…" Todoroki grumbled
"At least the food is decent…" Camie mused as she stuffed food in her face "But next time you talk about emergencies make sure it's actually an emergency bro."
"Fuck you guys, my food is worth it!" Bakugou growled as Momo rubbed her temples in annoyance.
"Well, while we're all here Shouto could announce he's marrying Ochako soon." Camie offhandedly said, making everyone stare at her in disbelief while Ochako uttered a confused "wha"
Camie almost choked on her food laughing "OMG, please don't tell me popsicle hasn't asked you yet." She turned towards Iida "Can you believe that? I thought you helped him pick out a ring?" All Iida do was gape at her brazen words
Uraraka immediately faced Todoroki upon hearing what Camie said "You bought rings?...Were you...are you planning to propose?"
"Yes, I was." he said firmly, "We've been dating for years and I...I know that I want to be by your side for the rest of my life, Ochako-"
"Wait a minute…" Ochako interrupted while cracking a smile "Was this the thing you want to ask me yesterday?"
"...Kinda"
Uraraka burst out laughing "This is too funny!"
Shouto rolled his eyes "Yeah, yeah...it's hilarious but it kinda gave me an opportunity…" Todoroki said as he looked at everyone in attendance before getting on one knee. The rest of the room either gasp or hollered knowing what was coming next.
"Ochako Uraraka...will you marry me?"
"Nah" Ochako said casually, making Todoroki actually stumble
"What?"
"Of course, I want to marry you, doofus!" she admonished lightheartedly "I love you! I just wanted to get back at you for making such a cheesy proposal in front of all of our friends!"
Bakugou laughed loudly at the sight before he somehow managed to brag at a time like this "See that nerds? My food is so good it makes people realize they love each other!"
Ochako snorted in derision "Momo, you sure you don't play second fiddle to Katsuki's love? Cause it looks like Katsuki is Katsuki's love…"
"Sometimes I wonder that myself…" Momo pondered jokingly
"Hey!" Bakugou barked I love you plenty, Momo!"
"Well, now that popsicle and 'chako chip are engaged only you and Queen Momo left…" Camie taunted
Todoroki quickly grabbed Uraraka and guided her to a soulful kiss as a way of reminding everyone on what just transpired before he spoke once more
"I believe celebrations are in order?" he quietly bragged. The rest of the gang cheered raucously before lavishing the lovers in their praise.
"Not the type of proposal I was expecting…" Ochako lightly whispered in Shouto's ears "but then again, I should have known always expect the unexpected when it comes to us."