Note: Happy Birthday Midoriya Izuku, you're a great inspiration and, real or not, I love you with all my heart! ^-^
"Is everything ready?" Shouto whispers into his phone, looking around the hall to make sure he's alone.
End of semester exams are looming over their heads like a dark cloud threatening heavy rain and everyone is busy freaking out about getting all their studying done lately. However, there's also a certain someone's birthday just before they finish up school for the summer holidays. About one week before the end of the semester, right before their last exams (including the ones pertaining to their hero training) and his boyfriend decides to get a year older. At the very least the fact that it's on a Sunday makes things decidedly easier but scrambling to plan out a surprise party while spending almost all of his time with Izuku has been driving Shouto near to madness. There were only so many excuses he could use to sneak around to take calls much like this one.
"Yeah, Satou just finished up the cake. It looks delicious by the way. I kind of want to eat it." Uraraka's voice chirps from the other end.
"Well don't. Is everyone else set?"
"Yep, don't take too long. Otherwise you can say bye-bye to the cake." And with that the call ends.
"Set for what?"
Shouto feels ice shooting straight up his spine when he hears Izuku from behind him, still haphazardly drying his hair with a towel as he steps out of the showers' locker room. For once, he is actually thankful for all the years he's had to practice keeping his emotions to himself, his eyes only widening slightly as he twists on his heels to face his boyfriend's amused grin. He carefully slides his phone into his pocket, trying not to act too stiff. It's a good thing Izuku can easily assume that he was just startled, though he should probably answer the question before he starts getting suspicious.
"Studying." Shouto says quickly, the lie already practiced for a moment such as this. "Iida decided to set up a group study for the coming exam week. I'm sorry that everyone's cramming on your birthday."
Izuku offers him one of his ever-bright smiles and waves a dismissive hand as he lets the wet towel hang from his neck, standing on the tips of his toes to place a gentle peck on Shouto's lips.
"It's alright, I understand. It's not their fault I was born on the most inconvenient time of the year."
Humming so that he doesn't actually let anything slip, Shouto returns the kiss with one of his own, taking his time to actually wrap his arms around Izuku's waist and pulling him close. They share a few more chaste pecks, Izuku giggling against his mouth whenever he keeps going back for more. It's only to keep up appearances really, after all Izuku is convinced that Shouto feels bad for not taking him somewhere special today or doing something fun with all of his friends. It surely has nothing to do with the fact that he's addicted to the soft touch of Izuku's mouth against his own, tempted to even swipe his tongue over his bottom lip and get a taste of him, to savour that sweetness that is unique to him and Shouto can never get enough of.
The towel starts slipping from Izuku's shoulders and neither of them seem to care enough to pick it up once it finally falls to the tiled floors, too focused on getting lost in each other's arms. That simple exchange, soft and slow, is enough to make Shouto forget anything else, to cloud his thoughts with a haze of overwhelming love and leaving no room for anything other than Izuku. All that hard work be damned, he has half a mind to just disregard everyone else and just sweep his boyfriend off his feet, carrying him to one of their dorms to keep him all to himself so that he can shower him in his love and give him all the affection he deserves. The others can have the cake for all he cares…
The loud ping of a new text coming from Shouto's phone is the only thing that manages to pull them apart, however reluctantly, and Izuku whines lowly at the loss. Shouto can certainly relate to that feeling. With a sigh, he checks the notification, seeing Uraraka's name flashing back at him and throwing his previous plans out the window. As much as he may want to be just a little selfish, Izuku cares about his friends too.
"We should get going. I think the others are waiting for us." Shouto finally breathes, bending down to pick up the fallen towel and drape it over his shoulder.
Taking his outstretched hand, Izuku pulls him back in for another kiss, letting his tongue slip past Shouto's lips for a few more delicious seconds, stealing all of his breath along with any semblance of composure, before parting and shooting him an extremely satisfied smirk.
"Okay, now we can go."
Shouto stands a little stunned, watching as the other starts on his way to the common room with a spring in his step that sets his heart to frantically drumming against his ribcage. With a quick shake of his head, he runs back to Izuku's side, not wanting him to get there before him. He feels his heartrate pick up even further, a bubble of nervousness bursting in his gut and spreading a cold feeling all the way to the tips of his fingers. A hint of excitement hides underneath the anxiety, though, mixing together with the little bit of pride swelling in his chest at the thought of Izuku's face when he finally sees all that he and his friends have done for him, how much they really care. He really hopes that Izuku will be happy, that he already is…
Lacing their fingers together, Shouto leans into Izuku, feeling his warmth seeping into his right side as they approach the entrance. He holds his breath as they cross the threshold, bracing himself for what's to come.
"Happy birthday!"
Their whole class erupts in cheers as soon as they're inside, jumping out from their terrible hiding places – even Hagakure was somehow visible, which is impressive, really – and moving towards Izuku with bright smiles on their faces.
"Oh, wow. This is amazing guys, I had no idea." Izuku smirks, voice a monotone that could rival Shouto's and dripping sarcasm. Shouto's stomach sinks slightly.
"You knew?"
"Of course I knew, Shouto. You're terrible at hiding things from me. It's really sweet though, thank you."
A frown tugs at his lips but Izuku's vibrant green eyes, lit with amusement and fondness, tug at his heart instead, pulling him in and away from everything else, and he smiles in spite of the mild disappointment. As long as you're happy, that's all I care about.
"Oh, come on! Todoroki-kun you blew the cover!" Uraraka pouts, shoving his shoulder before crashing into Izuku and lifting him from the ground with a grunt as he squeaks. "And you! How dare you be so perceptive?! This is why we can't have nice things!"
"I am deeply sorry for the fact that I can see through my boyfriend like glass. Truly, it's a shame." Izuku replies with a giggle as she sets him down.
The others follow and Shouto steps aside slightly, chatting with Uraraka as she pokes his side and teases him for being so transparent. He just shrugs it off with a smile, watching as Izuku laughs, his eyes brighter than the most precious emeralds, filled with an unbridled joy as all of their friends and classmates congratulate him on staying alive yet another year. For Izuku this is really a feat, in all honesty. The scar faintly marked across his face is more than enough proof.
To his credit, however, he has managed to stay mostly out of trouble ever since, much to everyone's relief. It could just be that there really haven't been that many incidents lately, but Shouto can tell that Izuku is trying to be more aware of his actions, considering how to react before actually doing something reckless.
"Oi Deku…" Bakugou's voice pulls him out of his thoughts and he watches as the explosive blond rolls his eyes in exasperation when Kirishima shoves him towards Izuku with a jab to his ribs for good measure. "I'm going, for fuck's sake hair-for-brains, chill the fuck out."
Izuku is fighting off a grin as Bakugou clears his throat and scratches at the back of his head, mumbling a barely intelligible "Congrats on getting old or whatever" and Shouto can't help the small chuckle at the exchange either. He ignores the scarlet glare he gets for it, one that shines with a promise of a challenge soon to come. Maybe if he pretends he didn't see it Bakugou will just let it go. Unlikely, but one can dream.
Soon, the small crowd disperses and Izuku is back by his side with Iida and Tsuyu in tow, throwing his arms around his shoulders and pressing his lips to his cheek. Shouto kisses him back over the bridge of his nose, over the scar, to a chorus of 'aww's that are mostly from the girls though he's fairly certain one of them is actually Kouda. Reluctantly, he lets go and pulls away, not wanting to give their classmates even more of a show. His affections are meant for Izuku and him alone, not to be made some sort of spectacle of, even if he is overcome with the urge to shower him with them.
It's his birthday after all, shouldn't he do just that?
But Shouto resists the urge, letting Izuku be dragged away by Hagakure and Ashido towards a disorganised pile of gifts wrapped in silver age All Might wrapping paper, something that is sure to make his life a living hell for what's supposed to follow. He sits down and enjoys his fanboy of a boyfriend's struggle to unwrap every single present without tearing it in the slightest, turning the gifts in his hands and inspecting every piece of tape (which is also All Might themed, props to Yaoyorozu for finding that one) methodically. It's adorable, really, and Shouto makes sure that he's filming it so that he can look back on the absolutely charming way he sticks his tongue out and works the wrapping like the hardest puzzle he's ever had to solve.
"Careful, if you rip off All Might's head you've got seven years of bad luck ahead of you."
"That's breaking a mirror, Kaminari-kun." Izuku mumbles in response, flicking one of the discarded blue bows at his head with a short laugh before returning to the task at hand.
Letting out a breath of relief at his small triumph, Izuku throws his arms in the air victoriously, staring proudly at the feat and finally looking over all the gifts as the others point out who got him what. By the end, there's one large limited edition All Might figurine Izuku had been flirting with for the past month but couldn't afford that remains unclaimed, but two people have yet to make their gift known. Shouto shrugs when he looks at him and Izuku smiles knowingly at Bakugou.
"The fuck are you looking at, nerd?"
"Nothing." Izuku smirks wider and turns to everyone in the room. "Thanks guys! These are all really sweet. Shouto, I may need your room to display all the merch."
"Your room is already a mess."
"My point exactly."
"I should have bought you a display case." Iida muses and Izuku's eyes shine with the possibilities.
"That's a brilliant idea…"
Before he can devolve into a mumbling rant, his thumb already coming to rest over his bottom lip, Satou announces that he's going to the kitchen to retrieve the cake. Looking up from the distant point he'd been focusing on, Izuku springs to his feet with an idea shining in his gaze, and he saunters over to Shouto while strapping the black and green cape Tsuyu made for him around his neck. He strikes a pose and Shouto can't help but let out a short bark of laughter at it.
"What? Doesn't suit me?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows at him and flexing his muscles.
"I don't know. I think that short lady in that one animated movie had the right idea." Shouto stifles another laugh.
"No capes!" Uraraka shouts at the obvious prompt.
"I think it's aesthetically pleasing, kero." Tsuyu croaks in mock sadness. "But I suppose it is a safety hazard."
"Too many places you can get caught." Izuku ponders, resting a finger on his chin thoughtfully, but with a smile playing at his lips nonetheless.
"A true hero considers every factor, including the functionality of their costume. I agree with Uraraka-kun, capes should be avoided, no matter how aesthetically pleasing." Iida concludes, speech punctuated by his colourful hand gestures.
They all break into playful laughter except for the class president, who looks at them at a complete loss, clearly not understanding the reference. For once, Shouto isn't the one being left out of the joke, though he supposes he has Izuku to thank for that. There are a lot of things he owes Izuku gratitude for, starting with all the friends smiling along with him in that very moment. His chest warms as he takes it all in and, for a moment, wonders who is really celebrating what.
Their conversation is interrupted by everyone chanting at the arrival of the long-awaited cake, Izuku's eyes lighting up even further as soon as they lay on it.
"Chocolate…" He sighs dreamily, already looking like he's ready to drool all over it.
Shouto snorts when he notices the words below the candles, a bold 'Happy birthday Mini Might' that no one doubts is Uraraka's doing. To absolutely no one's surprise, Izuku blushes the whole time they sing for him, scratching at his cheek as he shifts awkwardly from one foot to another before giving up altogether and just hiding his face in Shouto's chest. Delighted, he just holds Izuku tight, closing his eyes to savour the moment until he has to let go so his boyfriend can turn back to the cake.
Ashido and Uraraka squeal as he blows out the candles, yelling for him to make a wish as he does.
"Come on, come on! Tell us what you wished for!" Uraraka demands, tugging him away from Shouto to take both of his hands in hers.
With a small laugh, Izuku looks back at Shouto, his eyes softening and filling with the purest love and admiration. Shouto's heart jumps to his throat, his breath hitching at that glance as his boyfriend flashes him the most tender smile, pouring all of his emotions into it and looking down at his feet as a bright pink flush crawls to his freckled cheeks, suddenly bashful. He fidgets with the hem of his shirt, his lips trembling slightly as he lets the words turn over inside his head.
"I can't tell you that… If I do, it won't come true." He finally breathes out, lifting his head to stare back at Shouto, and their eyes meet once again. "And I really want it to come true…"
There's a lump in his throat and Shouto swallows around it, feeling his own cheeks heat up at the sight, overwhelmed with emotions he can't quite make out as they run wild inside him. I love him so much.
"Cake time!"
Hagakure shouts, shattering the moment into a million pieces as everyone starts stuffing their faces with cake, but Izuku smiles at him fondly and closes the short distance between them, hugging him one last time before they get a slice of their own. Shouto pretends not to notice Izuku sneaking forkfuls from his own slice when he thinks he isn't looking, not caring that he hardly gets two bites when he sees Izuku's satisfied grin. It's all worth it for that look of unadulterated joy as he sighs at the sweetness and enjoys every single second, crying as soon as it's over and there's no cake left for him to get seconds (or thirds).
"Yo, Kami, you getting the Switch?" Kirishima shouts from across the room with a toothy grin.
"You know it!"
When Kaminari starts setting up his gaming consoles, Shouto somehow feels an impending sense of doom settling over him and starts considering disappearing for a while. Plans of escape foiled, Izuku drags him in front of the TV before he can even think of an excuse not to play anything. He looks at him with those large green eyes, pursing his lips at him and looking like a begging kitten, and Shouto regrets every decision he's made up until that point.
Just Dance will forever be the bane of his existence, and that game will haunt him for the rest of his life.
First and foremost, Shouto cannot dance. He's absolutely terrible at it. He'd never told anyone, but at the culture festival, even if he suggested a dance party himself, he was beyond relieved when the others assigned him to the staging crew. He would've lived through being in the band, he knew his way around a keyboard despite not having touched a piano for quite some time, but dancing? Shouto is pretty sure that he'd manage to even screw up Capoeira and his old man had made sure he was well versed in all kinds of fighting styles. One would think he would have some sort of coordination but no, he had been cursed with two left feet.
Now, if this was done in private, Shouto would've been fine with it. Izuku is allowed to bear witness to every awkward part of him. The thing is, their whole class was watching and they all had their phones out. The only way he will ever be allowed to forget that one time he twerked along with a neon orange reindeer to a song called Make it Jingle is if he leaves the country and changes identities, disappearing off the face of the earth without a trace. Well, at least Izuku had fun.
But still.
He pants as he leans on his knees – that routine is a surprisingly tiring workout – and glares over at his equally breathless boyfriend.
"I hear they're looking for people to colonise Mars. Sorry Izuku, it was nice meeting you, but I'm off to space."
Izuku smirks, shoving him to the point he falls onto his side. He doesn't make an effort to get back up, just turning onto his back and continuing to catch his breath as the other kneels by his side.
"Like you'd be able to live without me. Or did you forget all the promises we made each other?"
"Don't use that against me. That's a cheap shot. I hate you."
"I love you too, Shoucchan~" A delighted giggle tips from Izuku's lips and Shouto tries not to fall in love even further. Needless to say, he doesn't do a very good job.
"I hate you so much." His mouth stretches into a smile so wide that it almost hurts but he doesn't care one bit.
"Get a fucking room!"
Bakugou's disgusted shout pulls them out of the little bubble they've created, separating them from the rest of the world, and Shouto feels tempted to flip him off. To his shock, Izuku actually does it first, moving to plant a kiss right on his lips before pulling them both back to their feet with a hearty laugh when Bakugou starts setting off explosions. Shouto hardly has any time to react before Izuku is picking him up off the floor and carrying him over couches and jumping past tables while their angry classmate chases them down as everyone else ignores them.
Just a regular Sunday, I suppose.
Shouto's heart stutters as the scene unfolds, resigning himself to just let it play out as an unexpected pawn. Eventually, Bakugou either tires out or is held back by one of the others, Shouto isn't really sure, too busy rolling across the floor along with Izuku when he trips on something and they come tumbling down together. His boyfriend's little melodic chuckles fill him with glee and he could listen to those sounds forever, make them his ringtone, his notification alerts and his alarm.
Suddenly, Shouto is struck by the thought of waking up to the sound of Izuku's voice in his ear every morning, to Izuku's lips on his forehead or on his own mouth, and he feels his face heating up along with his chest. He hopes to have that in his future, to share a space with him and just be with him, surround himself with everything Izuku has to offer and just feel at home with him.
Sitting up, he pulls Izuku into his arms and holds him tightly, never wanting to let go and wishing with every fibre of his being that he could have that future now. Izuku stares up at him with a curious tilt of his head.
"Shouto? Everything okay?"
"Yeah… you're beautiful, you know that?" Izuku blushes and Shouto gets lost in those pools of jade, the very stars that guide him towards safety.
His mind drifts back to his room at that but he forces himself to sit patiently through the rest of the small party until their classmates start to trickle out one by one. In the end, they still have exams to study for, despite how welcome the distraction of Izuku's birthday really was. With Uraraka, Iida and Tsuyu's help, they all carry Izuku's gifts over to his room, the three of them giving him one last hug before going to get their last-minute studying done as well.
Shouto kicks at the air for a moment, feeling shy as he scratches at the back of his neck and considers his next move. Better to just get to the point.
"Will you come to my room, Izuku? I still haven't given you your gift."
The corners of Izuku's mouth pull up further. "I thought this was it."
"Well… Not all of it…"
"Alright, then, lead the way." he offers him a hand and Shouto takes it with a nervous smile.
Izuku clings to his right arm as they walk up to the elevator together. The closer they get to the fifth floor, the more butterflies spawn in his stomach. Shouto wonders if Izuku will actually like his gift. He'd spent so long trying to think of the perfect one, asking his friends, his mother, even going as far as going to Izuku's own mother for advice. He wanted to get him something special, something heartfelt, not just another piece of All Might merch, even if he would love it anyway along with all the others he was likely to get.
Shouto wanted to give him something personal, something that would stand out as 'from me to you', but he didn't have the talent or creativity to make something himself.
None of the suggestions he got from the others or from the internet seemed to be quite enough, didn't have that little detail that elevated the gift into something truly meaningful or otherwise lacked permanence, and he was getting more and more desperate as the days passed. By some sort of miracle, he ended up stumbling upon something in his many searches, something unique and unlike anything the others had told him to get, something that Shouto felt like Izuku deserved. At that moment he had thought it was perfect, but now, as he opened the door to his room and stalked over to his closet to pull out a box, he wasn't so sure anymore.
For the longest time, he just stood there, riddled with insecurities, scared that Izuku might not like it at all.
"This is dumb…" He finds himself mumbling, gnawing at the inside of his cheek.
Izuku closes the distance between them, hugging him from behind and kissing him between his shoulder blades. "Nothing from you can be dumb, Shouto… I will love it, I promise."
Swallowing down his nervousness, Shouto turns around to face him, forcing his gaze to stay on him rather than dart all around the room. He focuses on his eyes, on those beacons of hope in his life, the eyes that always see right through him, through thick and thin, and aren't afraid to love him, even the ugliest parts of him. Shouto takes a deep breath and feels his mouth run a little dry, finally handing the box to Izuku and letting him open it to reveal the pretty piece of paper inside.
Star Certificate, it reads, a star somewhere in their sky shining with the light of Izuku's name.
Finally losing most of his nerve, Shouto looks away, rubbing at the back of his neck as he explains himself even though he is struggling not to stumble through his words.
"W-whenever I look at you I see stars in every sense. You make me see stars because you make my head spin. I see them shining i-in your eyes when you look at me, brighter than any simple dot in the night sky. A-and I see constellations in your freckles…" He pauses suddenly feeling warm all over. "I've lost count of the times I've connected them all, making every shape imaginable and falling more in love with every single one. Plus, I thought that you deserve a star in the sky of your very own… So, I thought it was only fitting…"
Shouto can't bring himself to look up from his feet, waiting for Izuku to say something, anything. The longer he stays quiet, the heavier his doubts grow, slowly crushing him beneath their weight and making him feel a little nauseous. His stomach twists into knots and his heart clenches painfully, feeling the silence stretching him thin.
"S-sorry, I said it was dumb."
A harsh hiccup snaps his attention to Izuku's face and seeing it stained with tears rolling fat down his cheeks. For a second he thinks he's really screwed up but all of the uncertainties melt away when he sees the wide smile brightening up his expression, the wonderful look of adoration in those viridian eyes, and Shouto keeps falling more and more in love.
Careful not to wrinkle the certificate, Izuku throws his arms around Shouto's shoulders, staining his shirt with his overflowing tears as he laughs happily against his neck.
"Thank you, it's the best gift ever… I love it… I love you…"
Shouto doesn't waste a single moment to wrap him up in a tight embrace of his own, nuzzling his hair and blissfully breathing him in, their exams forgotten as he just enjoys Izuku's warmth and basks in his love. He feels at peace, safe and cared for, here in his arms, and he never wants to let go. A life spent in Izuku's presence is the only one he can see himself living anymore, the promise of forever holding on to this feeling grounding him to a world of light he never thought he'd be a part of. Izuku is his very own star, and he doesn't need a certificate for that.
"I love you too."
Note: The Just Dance song they danced to can be found on my profile lol