Izuku didn't see Katsuki for several days after their date night. Izuku only felt a little conflicted on how he should feel about the lack of the god's presence. He supposed that he should feel relieved, Katsuki did end up keeping his promise to Izuku, about leaving him alone after the date. But Izuku still felt unnerved by the god's sudden disappearance. Izuku had thought that the god was completely self-centered, loud, impulsive, and controlling, but the lack of pressuring from him these past few days made Izuku think differently.
Izuku had his shop closed for a few hours today as he made deliveries for the completed commissioned swords he forged. He had completed five out of the total eight swords and daggers he was ordered to make, and thought it best not to keep the completed blades waiting to meet their masters. They were fine blades, and Izuku was proud of his work, hoping that the quality, while up to his own standards, was also up to his customer's.
Tugging the bag which contained the sheathed blades closer to his back as he walked, he rounded the corner and continued on.
As he made his deliveries, Izuku's mind wandered about. From Katsuki, to how his shop was slowly flourishing, what he and his mother should eat for dinner, to Katsuki, then to the cost of metal nowadays, then back to Katsuki again. Izuku sighed, unnerved by how much Katsuki consumed his own thoughts.
'Alright, I'll make a visit then.' Izuku decided, no sense in waiting around and thinking about what to do. Since his thoughts were always about Katsuki, and not in a bad way for once, Izuku supposed the best thing to do was to see the blonde haired god. A trip to the temple would be good for him, not just to ask to see Katsuki, but to pray to the other gods as well. It had been a while.
Izuku knocked on the door of his first delivery. A few moments of silence before the door inched open. "Yes?" A tall man answered, and while not burly, he still towered over Izuku. "H-Hello! My name is Izuku Midoriya from All Mighty Forge! Is this, uh, the Ashido residence?" Izuku said, overriding his stranger-nerves by will. "I'm here to deliver a gutting knife, ordered by a Mr. Kenta Ashido."
"Oh, yes! That's me, I thought I might waiting longer on my order since it looked like there is only one person working at that blacksmith's shop. You're the one that forged the blade?" The man asked. "I- Yes, I did. I worked very hard on it." Izuku said and removed the cloth bag from his back, opening it up and looking for a blade with a tag which read 'Ashido' on it. Finding the sheathed knife, he grabbed it, closing his bag and putting it back on his back.
He handed the blade to the tall man, and he took it out and inspected it quietly, his thump brushing up against the sharp edge of the knife. "Feels good." He commented.
"Thank you, sir! With half paid upfront, your current total is one silver piece and twenty-five copper pieces." Izuku said, digging into his pocket to remove the small receipt booklet he kept. "Ah, okay. Here, give me a moment, I'll be right back with payment." The man said, handing the sheathed knife back to Izuku before turning and stepping back inside to retrieve the money.
Izuku stood by himself for a few moments, until Mr. Ashido returned with the payment. The two exchanged money for goods, Mr. Ashido signed his name, confirming payment and that he received the product he payed for, and Izuku set off to the next house.
The process repeated itself four more times, reaching a house and dropping of the blade that was ordered. House after house, Izuku felt pride in himself grow as the day went a long. Three knives and two swords, all of them received without any issue, compliments were to be had and money was earned. Although this money would mostly be put towards his shop and not practice items such as food, Izuku was happy regardless. It would take a few more months of work until Izuku began to earn enough to make an income, not just keeping himself out of debt.
Once finished with his rounds, Izuku trekked back to his shop to drop off the cloth bag and to do some last minute tidying up. Using the key, he unlocked the padlock on the outside and opened up the door to the shop. He felt his stomach drop as he was met with a back facing him, a man leaning against the counter of his stop. The man had his back to Izuku, but Izuku could tell he was fiddling with something on the counter.
"Can I help you?" Izuku asked cautiously. A person in his shop when it was closed and locked up meant one of two things: A thief, or a god.
The man straightened up before turning to face Izuku. His hair was silver on one side, and a deep red on the other, a burn scar covering over his left eye. "Izuku, correct?" The man said, monotonously. Izuku pressed his lips together and swallowed thickly. "Yes, that's me. You are... Todoroki, right?" He asked nervously. While Izuku had met Ochaco, Tenya, and Katsuki, they never really felt all too god-like. Perhaps Katsuki, but merely due to his overuse of The Passion.
"Yes. Please do not be nervous. I simply came here to give you a warning." Todoroki said, leaning back against the counter. "I came to warn you regarding your... Relationship, with Katsuki." He began, and Izuku could only stand silent and listen.
"Katsuki is childish, and his current behavior is foolish. I'm imploring you to cease communication with him. It would be best for the both of you if you stopped seeing each other." Todoroki said, his two-toned eyes seemingly staring into Izuku's soul.
"W-While he and I did start our relationship on not the best of circumstances, we are working it out. If I may so kindly say, your lordship, please do not meddle yourself in our affairs. The development of our relationship should be based solely on our actions. If it is to fail, then that is what must happen. But it'll be up to us, not your interference." As the words left his mouth, Izuku nearly regretted them. Todoroki's presence was so different from the other god's, and the weight of his eternal lifetime truly weighed upon Izuku.
"Bold words. You make it sound like you two are already courting. From what I had witnessed, it seemed like you detest him." Todoroki said, revealing what he had been fiddling with. A clear orb, seemingly made out of glass, large enough to fit in the palm of a hand was grasped by Todoroki's slender fingers. "Shall I remind you what he did to you?" He said, his words phrased as a suggestion, but Todoroki's behavior spoke otherwise.
Images of Katsuki and Izuku's past encounters flashed through the orb, displaying Katsuki's angry face and Izuku's face wet with tears. Izuku clenched his teeth. "Please, I can't expect to be able to explain it to you, but somehow, I want to work things out with Katsuki. Where we end up is none of your business." He said, turning his head to avert his gaze away from the orb.
"If you insist. But I will remind you again: He has hurt you in the past, I'm sure he'll hurt you again. Relationships between gods and humans are never good. So I'll implore you to end your association with Katsuki sooner rather than later. I'll do as you wish and keep myself from interfering between you and Katsuki. But please do remember my warnings." Todoroki said in a dry, monotone voice before disappearing in a flash of light. Izuku was left alone in his shop with only Todoroki's words echoing in the empty shop.
'Relationships between gods and humans are never good.'
Izuku stared at the floor in thought. Todoroki was probably right, they should stop seeing each other. But as Izuku had stated before, he felt some sort of pull towards Katsuki. Although he was sure Ochaco was not using The Pull on them, he still could not seem to explain it. He felt a similar pull with Todoroki. Like the presence of the other god was familiar to him, and he remembered feeling a faint, similar attraction with Ochaco and Tenya. Although these feelings confused Izuku and he had no answer for them, he thought it best to keep them to himself. He couldn't tell his mother, and Katsuki was sure to get jealous.
Taking in a deep breath, Izuku walked to the counter and set the cloth bag down on top. He then left the shop, locking the door behind him and began to make his way towards the temple. Weaving through the crowds of the bazaar, he approached the temple. Washing himself before entering, he stepped inside. He quickly made his rounds, praying to the other gods first before getting to the last two.
Izuku stared up at the statue of Todoroki, their brief encounter replaying through his head. He was conflicted on if he should give a personal message to Todoroki regarding the events that just transpired between the two. Izuku decided it would be best to just give thanks to Todoroki then to make a comment on their meeting. He approached the statue, bowed and prayed to the god, brushing his knees off as he stood.
He then walked to Katsuki's statue, and Izuku felt his heart beat just a little bit faster in its' presence. He knelt down, knees, palms and forehead pressed to the floor. He prayed for thanks for the productive summer his mother was having for her garden before putting in his personal request. "In two days from now, on Monday, I have an entire day off from work. After lunchtime, please meet me at the northern path to the city, near the woods. I'll be waiting for you." Izuku whispered at statue, and feeling only a little nervous as he stood.
Izuku hesitated before the statue, feeling like he wanted to do something more than just pray and leave. He quickly glanced around him, the temple-goers either speaking with each other quietly, or praying to other gods. Izuku leaned in quickly and snuck a quick kiss against the god's hip, which came up to Izuku's nose. Once he did, he scurried out of the temple, face red as he made his escape.
He felt his heart beat quicker in excitement. Two days, two days. Izuku wasn't sure where his relationship with the god would lead him, but damn him if he wasn't at least a little excited to find out.