Author's Notes: Thank you so much for stopping by and spending some of your precious time reading my story. 3 All of the boys are in for a wild ride, but I promise it will be worth it in the end. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Hero On-Call

Almost Five Years Later…

"Todoroki-San!" Alyssa-chan leapt from her hospital bed and dove into Shouto's waiting arms. The first time she'd flung herself at him he almost hadn't reacted in time. He hadn't expected her joy to have such a violent rebirth, but it had been glorious to witness.

"Good morning Alyssa-chan." Shouto squeezed the girl close and spun in a tight circle. Her fingers curled tightly in the light blue material of his scrubs, and her shrieking laughter cracked against his eardrums. "Are you all packed?"

"Mh hm! I made my bed and everything!" Alyssa-chan thrust her arm into her former room and pointed at the narrow hospital bed that had very nearly been her death bed.

Shouto leaned over the sheets and made a show of examining them. "Excellent work. Our lead nurse couldn't have done better."

Tiny red fists shot into the air. "Yay!"

"Alyssa?"

They both turned and watched Alyssa-chan's mother, Evelyn-san, step into the room. She was an immaculately groomed businesswoman with straight black hair and a wrinkle free tailored suit.

"Mama! Todoroki-san said I made my bed better than the lead nurse!" Her proud smile was effervescent.

Evelyn-san lifted her arms and beamed at her daughter. "Of course you did." She stepped forward and plucked Alyssa-chan from Shouto's arms. "You practically run this place now."

Alyssa-chan giggled and nestled into her mother's neck. According to Evelyn-san, Alyssa-chan had always been an affectionate child. Shouto hadn't known either of them before the accident, so it was hard to tell if she was returning to normal or reveling in the fact that she could be held again without pain.

"You're not going to forget to come back for your check-ups, are you?" Shouto asked.

"I won't forget," Alyssa-chan promised. "It's not right to leave your friends all alone."

Technically they were nurse and patient, but all of Shouto's patients became attached. It was a natural side effect of receiving referrals that were the worst off. He had enough thank you cards to open an art gallery, and invitations to more parties (graduations, weddings, everything) than he could possibly respond to. It was almost like having a life, almost like feeling.

"We'll look forward to seeing you back in a few weeks, okay?" Shouto brushed his fingers lightly across Alyssa-chan's brow. Her hair that had survived the fire had grown thick and lustrous. It was woven in intricate braids which traced delicate patterns through stretches of bald, burned skin. At first glance it appeared to be a deliberate cut and style. Hopefully Alyssa-chan would continue to find ways to make it her own. "You'll have to tell me what all your classmates are up to."

"I can't wait to see Hina-chan again!"

"You just saw her last week," Evelyn-san noted, an amused smile curled the edges of her lips.

"But that was here!" Alyssa-chan protested. "It's been forever since we could go to school together!"

"And before that we have to get you settled back at home and make sure all your school supplies are in order." Evelyn-san set her daughter on her feet and pressed a kiss right between her eyes. "Ready to go?"

"Almost." Alyssa-chan turned and lifted her arms towards Shouto. It was not a request. Shouto leaned down and tugged Alyssa-chan up into one last tight hug. "Thank you for saving me, Todoroki-san."

Shouto squeezed the child in his arms. "You did all the hard work. I'm just a mobile cooler."

Alyssa-chan pressed a messy and affectionate kiss against Shouto's cheek before scrambling down to join her mother. Evelyn-san locked eyes with Shouto before bowing to him. Alyssa-chan followed her mother's example with less grace and more enthusiasm. Evelyn-san's eyes were shining with tears when she straightened, and her next words were all but whispered. "Thank you."

Shouto blinked and nodded, uncomfortable with the ferocity of the gratitude directed at him.

Evelyn-san situated Alyssa-chan's backpack over her thin shoulders then took her daughter's hand in hers. Shouto stepped into the hallway with them, then watched them go. It wasn't a long corridor, but their progress was slow. Alyssa-chan had been all but adopted by everyone who'd encountered her during her lengthy stay, and no one was letting her get away without wishing her luck.

When mother and daughter finally made it to the edge of the burn ward, Alyssa-chan turned and waved to Shouto. Shouto waved back somewhat more sedately. Alyssa-chan walked backwards the last few steps, waving until the closing door cut her off from view.

"Eighty percent!"

Shouto winced when Aia-san, the daytime nursing supervisor, aggressively fist bumped his shoulder. She was a tall woman with closely trimmed hair that cascaded away from her face in wild curls, despite the short cut.

"Good afternoon, Aia-san."

"Burns over eighty fucking percent of her body, and not only does she live, she's walking home with her mom!" Aia-san shimmied around Shouto in a semi-circle, her brown eyes crinkled in tireless mirth. "That has to feel pretty damn good, Mr. Freeze!"

Shouto shook his head and reached for Alyssa-chan's chart. He had to send it to records for final processing. "That is a ridiculous nickname. I wish you you'd stop teaching it to the new hires."

"We have to call you something!" Aia-san insisted, following him to the department filing room. "You're a goddamn legend! You even keep your pro hero license active, right? Do you ever actually use it?"

"My name is Shouto; that's more than sufficient." He drew the fingers of his left hand across the official envelope, activating the seal without having to lick it. "And I keep my hero license active so that I can use my quirk to fight villains if they ever attack the hospital. It's practical."

Aia-san sighed and leaned heavily against the copier. "Yeah, because you're always here. Do you even have a life outside of the hospital?" She gestured vigorously at the vivid scars that still covered his right wrist. "What does your soulmate have to say about your crazy work schedule?"

Shouto's fingers squeezed reflexively over his palm. "She understands." He gave as little detail as possible to anyone outside his family. In five years no one had actually pressed him for a name. If they ever did, he had his cover story ready. "Shouldn't you—" he stopped abruptly and turned his head towards the sound of running feet pounding in the hallway.

Incoming.

Shouto and Aia-san sprinted back towards the lobby of the burn unit. Their new patient and a parade of doctors weren't far behind. Normally Shouto's focus was cataloging patient injuries—assessing where he could be most helpful—but his attention was arrested by a familiar pair of grenade gauntlets. His gaze shot up to a shock of spiky blonde hair and crimson eyes narrowed into painful slits.

Bakugou Katsuki.

"I-Icy-Hot?"

Shouto fought back a swell of conflicting and powerful emotions. Bakugou was in rough shape. Deep burns cut across his ravaged midsection, several blood bags hung from his IV pole, and his body was cushioned in a distressing amount of bloody gauze.

"Todoroki-san; we'll need you in surgery," The attending barked. "We're heading over now."

Shit.

Shouto nodded and fell into step beside them. He drew his breath in slowly to refocus his mind.

"Sir, you can't come with us into the operating theater." That was the voice of another nurse Shouto wasn't familiar with. There were so many staff following the gurney.

"You have to let me say goodbye first!"

Shouto tripped, barely catching himself on the moving handrail of Bakugou's gurney.

"I'm not dying, Deku," Bakugou grumbled. "I'll be right as rain in a few hours."

Deku…

Midoriya shouldered his way through the staff and leaned over the gurney. "You'd better be, Kacchan! I'm counting on you!" Tears streamed across freckled cheeks that were smudged with dirt or ash.

"Sir, we need to take your husband back right away." The gurney had come to a halt just outside the surgical suite.

Midoriya nodded and leaned down for a kiss. Bakugou lifted one hand to cup his husband's cheek, holding him in place. It was a forceful, loving kiss that looked a lot like the one they'd shared on their wedding day. The picture had been in every paper for months afterwards.

Shouto forced himself to draw breath. He had a job to do.

The lovers exchanged a few more whispered words before the surgery suite doors swung open and the gurney started to move again. Midoriya tracked Bakugou with his eyes, leaning after him as if he could follow through sheer force of will.

"I promise he'll make it out alive."

Shouto never made promises like that, to anyone, especially before he'd been able to properly assess his patients. There were too many risk factors, the risk of infection alone was just too high.

Midoriya's shocked gaze snapped to his. "Todoroki…?"

"Everything's going to be fine." Shouto turned and followed the last of the medical staff behind the gurney. He had to scrub in. Midoriya was counting on them to save his husband, and Shouto would deliver, damn the consequences.

Shouto followed the gurney as it rolled, his body swaying with the gentle movement of the wheels and something approaching exhaustion. His eyes never left Bakugou's sleeping face. The hard edges he usually showed the world were soft now. He looked more like the child he'd been so many years ago.

Metal clanked, and the rubber of Shouto's practical trainers squeaked on the shiny, highly disinfected vinyl floor.

"Easy." Aia-san's hand squeezed Shouto's shoulder until the world stopped tilting. "We're in the recovery bay." Her eyes darted to Bakugou's prone form. "You were amazing in there… but maybe it's time you took a break?"

Shouto shook his head sharply. "I'm fine." He was stretched thin, but that was hardly a reason to stop. He might not use his hero license much, but UA had taught him how to push himself when someone needed him.

Compressed air eased itself between Aia-san's teeth. "Just don't become a patient, okay? I'm going to go tell his husband things are looking good."

"Midoriya can come back to visit if he wants."

"Todoroki—"

"It's fine. He won't cause trouble."

"His husband isn't even awake yet. You know how disorienting it is to come out of anesthesia. Relatives promise you up and down they won't get hysterical and—"

"It's fine."

Aia-san continued speaking, but Shouto had stopped listening. He needed to focus. Heat radiated from the skin under his fingers. He'd have to treat to Bakugou's legs and back eventually, but they could wait until tomorrow morning.

Footsteps retreated, and he caught a fraction of Aia-san's faint grumbling. Izu…Midoriya would be here soon. Shouto closed his eyes and concentrated on the ambient heat from Bakugou's abdominal wound. Bakugou's steady breathing pushed his injured skin into the cool chill of Shouto's narrow fingers. Not all the heat was from the burn. Blood was pooling in Bakugou's veins, sending white blood cells to fight infection. Bakugou never did anything halfway. He'd probably have a fever tomorrow, but not a bad one. Antibiotics for the first month. Vitamin E oil after the scar tissue started to cool.

Vocal cords ground together with a short burst of air. Someone was clearing their throat. Shouto turned his head just enough for green to flood his peripheral vision.

"Can I have a moment alone with him, Todoroki?"

Shouto shook his head sharply. "I'm sorry. I'm still treating him." The muscles of his throat contracted, forced the rising lump back down. "You can come closer, talk to him, if you want. Pretend I'm not here."

Air pressure shifted when Midoriya crowded the other side of Bakugou's hospital gurney. Midoriya's left hand slotted into Bakugou's and lifted their joined fingers to his lips. Their wedding rings flashed like needles against Shouto's heart. Midoriya's gaze was fixed on Bakugou's face, and the fingers of his free hand lost themselves in spiky blonde tufts. The energy radiating between them was palpable. Two soulmates bound only to each other. Shouto was glad they had each other, that they got to keep each other.

The next breath Midoriya drew was wet and shaky. "Kacchan…. Will he—"

"He'll live," Shouto promised. His heterochromatic gaze settled on a wide sea of green. "We stabilized him quickly in surgery. It'll be a rough road, but he'll come home with you."

A hiccupped breath was Shouto's only warning before Midoriya seized him in a one-armed hug that stole the air from his lungs.

"Thank you, Todoroki! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Shouto blinked, then nestled his cheek over the crown of Midoriya's head. His motives weren't virtuous, but he'd never turn away Midoriya's thanks. He smoothed his left hand along Midoriya's spine, allowing warmth to seek through the torn hero costume. "Deep breaths."

Moisture spread across Shouto's neck when Midoriya nodded. It was still a few minutes until the shorter man pulled away, returning his gaze to his husband. "When—" Midoriya hiccupped and sniffed. "When will he wake up?"

"Maybe tonight," Shouto replied, "Tomorrow morning at the latest. We're going to have to keep a close eye on his liver and kidney functions."

Midoriya nodded. He looked focused and determined, a hero on a mission.

"We had to take skin grafts to close his abdominal wound," Shouto continued. "His legs and back will feel sunburned for a while."

Shouto watched green lashes press closed against a swell of tears. "The villain we were fighting…" Midoriya shook his head. "His name is Wrench. His quirk is gasoline related. He has long sharp claw attachments on his costume." A familiar furrow rippled between Midoriya's eyebrows as he recalled the battle. "He swiped at Kacchan, moved to push his fingers in the wound. Kacchan tried to blast him away and…"

"An explosion from the inside out."

Midoriya nodded.

"It fits his injuries," Shouto mused, adjusting his hand lightly across Bakugou's abdomen. A familiar scarred hand circled his in an iron grip.

"But he'll… he'll live?"

"Bakugou will live, Midoriya," Shouto repeated. "The only thing in question is whether or not he'll be able to return to full time hero work."

Midoriya sucked in a sharp, painful sounding gasp.

"I'm going to work hard to make sure he can," Shouto vowed. "His internal organs took a beating. I'm surprised he still has a spleen. That's why we need to monitor different levels in his blood. We should know in a few weeks if he's stabilizing or if we need to explore other options. Worst case scenario he finds a desk job, but he will get to go home with you."

Tears sparkled and fell from Midoriya's lashes as he nodded. "Thank you, Todoroki," he breathed. He sniffled loudly and turned to look at his husband again.

Bakugou's face was calm and still. Shouto had only seen Bakugou resting a few times during their time at UA, but he'd always stopped to look a moment or two longer. It was such a sharp contrast from the face Bakugou wore in public. It wasn't hard to see why Midoriya had become…attached. If anyone needed a soft place to land it was Bakugou, and Midoriya had never left anyone to suffer when he could offer sanctuary.

Shouto swallowed hard. "Your five year anniversary is coming up soon, isn't it?"

Choked sputtering sounded in the room. Midoriya was fighting off tears again. "In three and a half months, yeah."

"Are you planning anything special?" This wasn't an unusual conversation. Patients and their families often needed a distraction, something to look forward to.

Midoriya shook his head. "I-I hadn't thought that far yet." Hero work was dangerous and immediate. It wasn't unusual for a pro-hero, especially the #1 hero, to live more for the moment than the future.

"Bakugou should be back on his feet by then. It might be a good time to take a trip. Get away from it all, just the two of you."

"He'll be in the hospital that long?" Distressed green eyes latched onto his.

"He should be back at home within a month," Shouto replied. He kept his voice low and even, hoping to soothe Midoriya's jangled nerves. "What I meant is he should be back to what most people would consider normal in a few months. You might want to take advantage of the timing to get away before he increases his routine and returns to hero work."

Midoriya hummed softly, and the furrow between his brows returned, a sure sign of deep mental calculations. His fingers stroked through Bakugou's hair and caressed the side of his husband's face. The movement turned Midoriya's wrist and showed Shouto the clear crisp lines of Midoriya's soulmate mark.

Bakugou Katsuki

The edges were so well defined they might as well have been a brand on Midoriya's skin. Bakugou's mark was just as deeply imprinted. Shouto had never seen marks so clear…except for the one he'd burned off his own skin over half a decade ago.

Shouto jerked his eyes back to Midoriya's face and immediately settled on the shadows and lines around his eyes. "You can lay on the gurney with him if you want."

Izuku's tongue darted out to moisten cracked lips. "Is that really alright?"

A tender spot in Shouto's chest pulsed when he nodded. Midoriya was always so concerned about doing the right thing. "This isn't UA, Midoriya," Shouto murmured. He looked at the prone form between them and lowered the safety rail separating the two spouses. "He's your husband. Cuddling is hardly scandalous, and it isn't going to strain his injuries." Shouto's gaze slipped to a bright white of the recovery room walls. "It might even help him sleep better."

Shouto felt the weight of Midoriya's glance but didn't return it. A breath later and a green covered knee pressed into the pristine white sheets on Bakugou's left side.

"It's cold…"

"It's a cooling pad to help with the pain of the skin grafts," Shouto explained.

Midoriya hesitated, and the itch of his penetrating green gaze slipped to Shouto's right hand. "You're doing more than just cooling."

Shouto felt his bangs brush his eyebrows. "My mother taught me." He cleared his throat. "If the cold bothers you I can give you a little warmth." He gestured to the empty space on Bakugou's left. "Lay down."

Midoriya shuffled until he was pressed tightly to Bakugou's side, his head pillowed by Bakugou's shoulder.

Shouto lifted the sheets up to Midoriya's chin, covering both men with room to spare. His left hand pressed into the fabric covering Midoriya's back, warming that area exclusively for him. "How's that?"

Izuku nodded and snuggled down beside his husband. "Thank you, Todoroki."

It was less than two minutes before Midoriya's breathing evened out. "You're welcome."

Author's Note: Hungry for more? I promise you won't have to wait long! I update every Friday in the afternoon/evening PST. Please stop by next week to see how the next chapter of the story unfolds! ^_^