Izuku dreams of nonsensical things that batter his fragile emotions. He's in a white convertible with red leather seats driving way too fast, and a fork in the road is rapidly approaching up ahead. The fact that real-life Izuku doesn't even have a license apparently means nothing to his subconscious, because Izuku is certain he'll face genuine consequences for whichever side he picks. Right or left? Left or right?
"Choose wisely." Mina appears in the passenger seat beside him, smacking her lips as she applies cherry lipgloss. "You wouldn't want to mess this up, now, would you?"
She leans over and captures him in a sugary sweet kiss, forcing his eyes off the road, and Izuku turns blindly. He isn't sure which side he ended up choosing until he turns back to the road, only it's not a road, anymore, and both Mina and the car are gone. It's just Shouto, standing in front of him with a huge smile, saying, "You made it. Finally."
"Izuku?"
He forces his eyes open, cringing at the sunlight streaming in from the balcony, and quickly turns his face back into the warmth of his pillow. He's so comfortable, his mind slips right back into that soft place only ever accessible in the early morning. Then his pillow moves, shifting under him, and a growl of irritation escapes him. It keeps moving, trying to edge away, so Izuku whines in protest and hugs his pillow tighter. This seems to have done the trick because it freezes, and then there's a sudden ruffling of sheets. Izuku appears to have kicked off the heavier blankets during the night, which surprises him zero percent, especially since his pillow is so warm. The soft fabric of the sheets drag against Izuku's bare thighs, eliciting a sigh.
"Izuku. Are you awake?" Shouto grits out.
Izuku experiences a full-body shudder at the sound of that voice so soon after his dream, so deep in the morning, and then he registers that the voice seemed kind of close.
"Um." Izuku keeps his eyes safely shut. "Shouto? Are you...I did it again, didn't I."
Shouto sighs, his chest rumbling underneath Izuku's head. "I didn't know you were such a cuddler."
"Okay, in my defense, I can't control how I sleep." Izuku sits up, rubbing his eyes.
He glances down at Shouto, who tips his head back as he meets Izuku's gaze. His throat looks...holy heck. Izuku thinks absently that he should do the whole world a favor and tip off Hatsume to design the collar of Shouto's costume a bit lower. Preferably below the sharp lines of his collarbones.
"Hi," Izuku says softly.
"Hi," Shouto replies, stretching his arm back behind his head. Izuku tries not to watch how his bicep flexes. "Did you sleep okay? You were whining."
"I wasn't—what?" Izuku splutters, rudely brought out of his reverie. "I don't whine!"
"You do. I would've woke you sooner, but it didn't sound like a nightmare. I wouldn't want to interrupt such a good dream," Shouto replies.
Izuku's mouth falls open, and he grabs his (real) pillow and slams it into Shouto's stomach.
"Take it back!" Izuku shouts over Shouto's laughter. "Say I don't whine in my sleep! I wasn't even really dreaming, shut up!"
"You were whining like a baby," Shouto calmly says, grappling for Izuku's wrists. "In fact, you talk in your sleep, too. Did you know you say my given name? I'm glad I gave you permission since you're apparently apt to use it, anyway."
Izuku abandons the pillow and dives to the end of the bed, taking shelter under the covers. Shouto just keeps laughing, the mattress shaking underneath them.
"This is the worst day of my entire life," Izuku groans, curling up into as tight of a ball as possible.
Shouto pats his back once before sliding off the bed, his soft footfalls leading him towards the bathroom.
"Next time I wake up to you calling my name, I'll just assume you're not awake and let you keep sleeping." Shouto sounds kinder, then, like he genuinely thinks he's doing Izuku a favor.
Izuku only groans again, and Shouto laughs as he shuts the bathroom door.
"Okay, enough of that," Izuku says to himself, untangling himself from the mess of blankets. "Time to get dressed."
He pulls off his pajama shirt and boxers, leaving them abandoned on the floor as he locates clean underwear, jeans, and a sweater. Izuku's pulling out all the big guns for his date with Katsuki—jeans bought during first year that are now tight enough to warrant a public indecency charge and his dark green sweater, the one his mother assures him brings out his eyes. Izuku's already dressed in full by the time Shouto wanders out of the bathroom, stretching his arms up towards the ceiling. Izuku hurries into the bathroom before Shouto can start stripping again.
When he emerges, teeth and face clean, Shouto's waiting on the edge of the bed, clearly ready to go. Izuku has to swallow twice before he can speak once he takes in Shouto's outfit. It was always a crime how good Shouto managed to make his school uniform look, and he apparently knows it, too, since he's wearing something remarkably similar today. A plain white button down and black jeans make Shouto look like a model, rather than a mostly-broke high school student, which is the vibe Izuku's pretty sure he's serving.
"Breakfast?" Izuku manages to choke out.
"Let's go," Shouto agrees, standing up. Izuku nearly passes out as Shouto looks down at him—why is he so fucking tall—but they somehow make it downstairs without incident.
Izuku peers around for Katsuki, wanting to gage his mood before their date, but the entire Bakusquad appears to have come down early, for once.
"Hey, you guys!" Ochako calls out. "Over here!"
"Are we late or something?" Izuku asks, hurrying over.
"By about forty-three minutes, yes." Tenya taps his watch. "I know you're not one for missing sleep, Midoriya, but I expected better from you." He frowns at Shouto.
Shouto's cheeks darken as he looks at the floor. "Sorry. I slept in."
Izuku stares at him with an open mouth. What is he talking about? Shouto was awake long before Izuku—
Oh. Did he really make them late, just to let Izuku keep sleeping?
"Jeez," Izuku mumbles to himself. "This trip feels like we went to an alternate plane, instead of just Kyoto."
"That's not a bad thing," Ochako cheerily says, looping her arm with Izuku's. "Come on, we grabbed you guys some bars! It was all we could take after the breakfast buffet closed, sorry."
"No worries," Izuku assures her, smiling as Tsuyu passes him a handful of bright wrappers.
"Thanks," Shouto agrees, munching on his own granola as they venture out of the lobby.
"So." Ochako smiles brightly. "Where should we go?"
"I want to visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine," Shouto immediately says.
Izuku blinks at him. "I didn't know you were religious."
Shouto shrugs a bit uncomfortably, but Tenya comes to his rescue with, "It's one of the most famous attractions in all of Kyoto, Midoriya! You simply can't visit without seeing it."
"Oh, have you been here before, Iida?" Ochako prompts.
He puffs up. "Yes, in fact, I have. My family used to take a trip to Kyoto once a year. I quite enjoyed it."
"Then, how about you lead the way?" Izuku offers. "Since you know the area."
"I would be delighted!"
The five of them troop off down the crowded streets, grabbing onto each other as needed to stick together. Tenya keeps a running commentary going as they pass places he's visited, occasionally offering little tidbits of history. By the time the five of them reach the bottom of the path leading up to the shrine, Izuku's all but forgotten his anxiety over his upcoming date.
"It takes about two hours to hike to the summit," Tenya warns, shielding his eyes from the bright sun. "Are we all willing to make the trek?"
"I have nothing else to do." Tsuyu shrugs.
"I don't have anywhere to be until later," Izuku adds.
"Yeah, let's go!" Ochako cheers.
Shouto just nods, and when Izuku meets his eyes, they share a small smile. These opportunities they have together as friends will come fewer and fewer as they near graduation, and once they're all employed, it'll be much harder to get everyone in the same place. Izuku reminds himself to enjoy each moment of this trip to the fullest, and to not let his bullshit with Katsuki influence the rest of it. Because the rest of these moments, comparatively, are really special. They're the sorts of moments Izuku knows he'll hold onto for the rest of his life.
The time they spend climbing the mountain passes as slow as molasses and as quickly as the space between two heartbeats, all at once. Izuku knows he spends most of it laughing his ass off, but he can't quite recall what exactly was so funny. He knows that they reminisce over everything that's happened the last three years and that they each share their own favorite memories. He cements in his mind the way Shouto looked when he flushed bright red after Ochako brought up an incident from their second year where Shouto had been responsible for setting the dorm on fire while asleep. The next time Shouto makes fun of him for his sleep habits, Izuku resolves to bring it up. He silently thanks Ochako for the ammunition.
At the top of the mountain, they fall silent, each demonstrating proper respect for the shrine by bowing to the torii before entering. They quietly remove their shoes and approach the fountain in small groups, with Tenya going first, Ochako and Tsuyu going next, and Shouto and Izuku bringing up the rear. Tenya and the girls finish before Shouto and Izuku, so they wait quietly to the side. After rinsing their hands, Shouto and Izuku take turns ringing the bell before placing their coins into the offering box. They bow twice in unison, clap twice, and bow a final time. Izuku makes to leave, but Shouto kneels, clearly wanting to pray for longer, so Izuku makes himself scarce and joins his friends. Shouto appears a few minutes later, looking a little bit withdrawn but otherwise, neutral.
"You okay?" Izuku asks quietly, falling in step with Shouto behind the others as they begin making their way down the mountain.
Shouto nods without looking at him, so Izuku tugs on his shirt sleeve, slowing them.
"Hey." Izuku frowns. "You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?"
Shouto finally raises his eyes, and the force of his gaze takes Izuku aback.
"I know. Do you remember in first year, how I told you about my family in between events at the sports festival?"
Izuku stops walking completely. "Yeah, of course. How could I forget?"
Shouto nods. "I haven't forgotten, either."
Izuku bites his lip, but accepts that answer as the best he's going to get. Trying to draw anything personal out of Shouto is like trying to tickle a rock. You can go at it all you want, but you'll have nothing to show for it but sore fingers and a bruised ego when all is said and done.
"Hey, should we go ahead without you guys?" Ochako calls out ahead of them.
"No," Shouto answers before he can. "We're coming."
The rest of the way down the mountain passes with quieter conversation, but Izuku feels just as warm. His friends, he realizes, are something precious. They've become his family over the last three years, especially after they all moved out of their childhood homes. Izuku would truly do anything for them, for any one of them. And if he can cling to his closeness with Shouto by agreeing to become roommates after graduation...would it be so terrible of him to agree, even knowing it's a little bit shady of him to do so while harboring a tiny crush on his friend?
It's not like Izuku hasn't done his best to eradicate the feelings. He's even dating someone else! In fact, he's dating the one person demanding enough to completely distract Izuku's attention from Shouto. Everyone in their class has fallen a little bit in love with Shouto at some point or other, he's pretty sure. It's not like Izuku is special.
"Shall we keep exploring?" Tenya asks them.
"Yeah, let's find a place for lunch. I'm starving," Ochako moans.
"Then, let us head north, towards the best restaurants in the area..."
What Izuku should be thinking of after his little heart-to-heart with himself is how excited he is for his date. And he really is excited. Finally, after all this time, all they've been through, he's going out with Katsuki.
"There's the shop my mother used to allow my brother and I to pick out candy from, they make the most delicious lollipops…"
Izuku tries not to smile too widely. He had a wonderful morning with his friends, and soon, he'll get to spend the rest of the day with his boyfriend. Does it get any better than that? He should take vacations more often.
"To our left is the Kurama Hot Spring. It is, in my opinion, the best onsen in Kyoto…"
Izuku hugs himself, glancing down at his sneakers. Maybe he should've thanked the Kami at the shrine a little bit longer. It feels like a blessing, like he's somehow gotten everything he ever wanted. How did he get so lucky?
"And there's the famous sushi spot where Chef Soma retired to after a lengthy career in Tokyo," Tenya reports, motioning to a traditional-style building. "It's quite an exclusive dining experience. I've only been twice, myself."
"Oh, yeah, I heard Mina talking about it!" Ochako enthuses.
"Isn't that Bakugou?" Tsuyu comments, pointing at the window. "How'd they get a reservation for five on such short notice?"
Izuku's prayers that she's mistaken go unanswered, because he'd recognize that blond hair anywhere. Sure enough, Katsuki, Mina, Eijirou and crew are all seated inside the very restaurant that Izuku had been promised to have his first date at. They're visible through the bay window, laughing and leaning back in their chairs.
"Jeez, some people have all the luck." Ochako pouts.
"I, um." Izuku tries to hold back tears. Katsuki's back is turned to him, but that almost makes it worse rather than better. "Can we go somewhere else? Please?"
Tenya's eyes widen with concern. "Midoriya, are you quite alright?"
Izuku sniffles, says in a very small voice, "No." and then Shouto's there, taking his arm and leading him firmly away from the crowded street.
Their friends hurry to catch up, Tenya making hushed inquiries to the girls of what could have possibly upset Izuku enough to make him cry.
"How about we go for ramen?" Shouto says, and though it's phrased like a question, it isn't a suggestion.
"You don't even like ramen," Izuku mumbles.
"I do," Shouto replies.
He leads Izuku into a small ramen shop full of homey posters and kitschy tourist figurines, and Izuku could actually bawl at the comforting familiarity. Because even though his boyfriend has ditched out on their date (choosing to bring his friends to the restaurant instead as a double hit), there's nothing in the world a hot bowl of ramen can't fix. Or at least make a little bit better. Shouto doesn't need to say a single word for the hostess to jump up and get their group seated, and for once, Izuku's grateful for his friend's intimidating aura.
"Okay," Ochako speaks up from across the table, ignoring her menu completely. "What's going on, Deku?"
"I—" he takes a deep breath, reminding himself that these are the friends that decorate his room each year for his birthday, these are the friends who know all his favorite movies, these are the friends who love and trust him and in Shouto's case, are willing to run blindly into an alley and fight a serial killer just because Izuku sent out his location. "Okay, so, I'm upset right now because Kacchan and I were supposed to meet up and go on a date at that restaurant we just saw them at."
Silence. Tenya's mouth hangs open like he's trying to recall how to formulate complete sentences. To her credit, Ochako takes this revelation in stride, nodding once before displaying polite concern and slight annoyance. Izuku knows she isn't truly annoyed with him (her expression would be far scarier), but more likely upset that she was kept out of the loop about something so important.
Shouto's expression remains completely, carefully blank. He does not reveal even a single hint of his opinion about this new information. Shouto looks as though he could be perusing a menu of a restaurant he frequents regularly with the distant way he stares at Izuku's face.
Ever the blunt voice of reason, Tsuyu clicks her tongue. "A date, Midoriya? Are you and Bakugou an item?"
"Yes," Izuku admits. "We've been dating for...about a month? Since just before this trip got announced."
"No offense, Midoriya, but why?" Tsuyu cocks her head.
Izuku snorts. "You know, I sometimes don't know, myself. I can't believe he took his friends to the restaurant we were supposed to go to. Who does that?"
"So…Bakugou blew you off?" Ochako confirms.
"It looks like it." Izuku rubs his eyes. "I should've known better than to get my hopes up that he'd actually be willing to be seen with me in public." He tries to laugh, but it comes out sounding bitter.
"If you're dating, then surely Bakugou should be willing to be seen with you!" Tenya blusters. "My goodness, a significant other shouldn't treat you like that, Midoriya."
"I know," Izuku offers a weak smile. "And honestly, I am so tired of this. I'm tired of being a bad friend and keeping this from you guys because it's what Kacchan wanted, and for what? To get blown off without an explanation?"
"Dump him," Ochako immediately suggests.
"I already tried that," Izuku admits, lip quivering. "Last night. But he promised me that today would be the day we finally went on a date, and I believed him. Why am I so stupid?"
Shouto's eyes flash. "You're not stupid, Izuku."
Ochako's head swivels around to stare at him, her attention briefly averted from Izuku's dating crisis because since when have they called each other by their first names—but she turns back around when Shouto elects not to continue.
"Deku," she sighs. "You're way too good for him. Sorry, but it had to be said."
Izuku cracks a tiny smile. "Thanks, Uraraka."
"You're welcome," she huffs, as if he should've known it already. "I can text Mina and ask if she knows anything about this, if you want."
Izuku's head shoots up. "Did she say something?"
"No, but since when does anything happen without Mina knowing about it?" Ochako retorts, pulling out her phone. "Let me ask."
"Thanks." Izuku sighs.
"Um, guys," Tsuyu lays her phone out on the table. "Kaminari and Sero have started one of those live streams. They're still at the restaurant."
"Turn it up!" Ochako whispers, finishing typing out her text and locking her phone.
They all lean in.
"Hey there, folks!" Denki shouts, his face too close to the camera. "We're here at this super swanky sushi restaurant courtesy of our bro, Bakugou. Thanks man!"
"Whatever," Katsuki grunts, crossing his arms.
Denki and Hanta chatter at the camera, the angle showing Katsuki, Mina and Eijirou across the table.
The ramen shop crew watches as onscreen, Mina hands her phone to Eijirou with a questioning look on her face, and then the redhead turns towards Katsuki.
"Hey, dude," Eijirou's voice is just barely able to be heard over Denki's shenanigans. "Did you have a date planned with Midoriya today?"
Katsuki's face contorts as he practically spits out, "I don't fucking date, jackass! And even if I did, it definitely wouldn't be that worthless Deku!"
On the live stream, Katsuki slams his hand against the table for emphasis, his outburst causing everyone on camera to jump.
Izuku locks Tsuyu's phone and sits back in his seat.
And of course, his friends are all looking at him with grim expectation, just waiting for the tears to overflow. Because that's what Midoriya Izuku does—cries at the slightest sign of hardship, at the tiniest instance of emotional turmoil. If a video of a kitten can reduce him to tears, what can they expect when his boyfriend denounces their relationship and Izuku's worth on instagram live?
Tsuyu bites her lip, already reaching out a hand towards him with terrible sympathy in her eyes. Tenya has placed both palms flat on the table, braced like he's about to leave his meal and go ground Katsuki for his behavior.
Ochako's face is set, her back tensing the exact same way as when she's preparing for a battle, and Izuku knows she's ready for whatever he wants to do. If he wants to destroy something, she's in the alleyway with him making those dumpsters pay. If he wants to cry until he throws up, she's ready to kneel on the floor of the men's restroom until he gets his shit together.
But worst of all is Shouto. He looks at Izuku with a deep understanding of what has happened here—not specifics, of course, because contextual clues have always been above Shouto's paygrade—but with the clear knowledge that someone has hurt him. Someone has harmed Izuku, and for that, they will pay.
"Deku." Ochako's the one to break the silence. "What do you need?"
Izuku looks up from his lap, and his friends' faces turn white as a sheet as they stare back at him.
"Nail polish." He smiles. "I need a new bottle of nail polish."