Chapter Text
xXx
Irritation simmered in Katsuki's gut as he carefully adjusted his earpiece.
He couldn't believe he was being forced to cover some extra's shift because he was the only one who could do the airborne portion of the patrol route. Even if none of the other losers in the agency were able to use their quirk, there should've been some sort of crappy support gear they could've used to compensate for their shitty quirks.
The nerd had always been going on endlessly about how support gear could change the heroics industry entirely. He didn't believe that shit, there were top-tier heroes like him and then there were the wannabes. But how hard would it be to figure out how to use a jet pack or something so that the top heroes weren't inconvenienced on their days off?
He had his routines for a reason, dammit. It would be one thing if it were a large villain attack or something, he was always willing to beat the shit out of shitty villains who thought they were tough. But to cover a quiet patrol cause a sidekick had a sniffle? He didn't have time for this garbage.
Finally satisfied his earpiece was secure, he ignored the agency channel and switched over to the radio broadcast station that Present Mic used. None of the class had really talked to him since he and Deku had split, the crybaby had probably gone to the others and told some sort of sob story about how mean Katsuki had been to him. Hah, he'd probably even tried to go to the news outlets but even his status as the number one hero wasn't enough to make them buy such trash.
He'd known that the others would come crawling back once they realized Deku's true colors. He'd even been willing to take them back, although they would have some major groveling to do, for treating him like some sort of extra. To his surprise, it had been Shitty Hair that had reached out first. Although maybe it wasn't surprising, he'd been one of the first to recognize Katsuki's greatness back in high school.
Because of this, he decided to cut him a bit of slack. It wasn't his fault that he was a good-hearted idiot. But next time, he'd know better than to fall for whatever sob story bullshit Deku was peddling. Maybe he'd even be willing to speak out publicly against it. It wouldn't do for Katsuki to be caught in the middle of some scandal, but Shitty Hair was popular for some reason, he'd be able to take the hits without his image dropping too far. It was only fair in exchange for doubting him.
However, it was weird that all his text had said was: You should listen to Put Your Hands Up radio on Valentine's Day. There's going to be something on it that you'll want to hear.
He knew how much Katsuki hated surprises but hadn't bothered to answer any of his return texts asking for an explanation. Which meant that it was something big. Maybe another announcement about that shitty serial killer that had been rumored to have been caught at Christmas time.
He still wasn’t sure what all had gone down, but he’d dumped his little diversion once the news broke how the killer had fixated on that loser. He couldn’t even remember the extra’s name now; no wonder scum had gravitated to him. He’d been a bottom feeder anyway, even if he’d been attractive enough for a passing moment.
Or maybe Deku had lost his number one slot that All Might had bought for him for some reason. The former number one was probably tired of the deku now that he wasn't connected with any worthwhile heroes. Maybe he’d even known about Katsuki and Deku’s connection and had been using the greenet to get closer to Katsuki. That was probably it.
Not only that, the Hero Billboard had been out for a few months now, it would probably take a while to cut through all the red tape to correct any mistakes they'd made. People were always more forgiving on holidays; they were probably announcing a correction today.
He grinned as he blasted off to start the patrol, the familiar intro music playing in his ear. Yeah, that would be the perfect Valentine's Day gift from Japan to him, announcing him as the Number One Hero and dumping Deku back down in the mud where he belonged. Kami, he couldn't believe that he'd put up with the loser for so long. If it hadn't been for Auntie Inko, he would've probably never even considered dating him in the first place. But not even Auntie's cooking was worth being stuck with that loser for the rest of his life.
He'd made it halfway down the block, keeping an eye out for any idiots who thought they could start something while he was on patrol when the dumbass music finally ended. Kami, he couldn't stand the man's fake cheerfulness and awful taste in music. He'd thought he was well shut of the man when he finally left UA. If it hadn't been for the announcement today, he wouldn't have bothered tuning in at all. But he couldn't miss this life-changing announcement for anything.
"Hey there, listeners, hope you're having a rocking Valentine's Day. Whether you're single or have been together forever, remember that you are important and loved. The world would be a darker place without your bright light in it, so keep on rocking, everyone."
Katsuki scoffed, rounding a corner with a well-timed blast. This sort of sentimental crap, everyone gets a participation trophy nonsense was another reason that he couldn't stand the man. As-if. No one was his equal and everyone would soon know that.
"Now, as a special treat, it's time for the big news that I've been promising all week, one that is very fitting on this Day of Love."
Love? What the hell did that extra mean by love? Other than the fact that all of Japan should love him as their new number one. That must be it.
"Although you'll hear all the deets in an exclusive interview later this week, I've been given permission to go ahead and make the announcement now."
Katsuki's grin widened as he accelerated so everyone in the area could see him. Let them see the emergence of the new number one."
"It's official, guys and gals and nonbinary pals, the number one hero Dekiru is officially OFF THE MARKET! That's right, folks, this Valentine's Day, cupid's arrow has found its mark and Dekiru has found his match."
If there was more said, Katsuki didn't hear it. No, the last thing he registered was the overlarge grin on Deku's face right before he crashed into the large electronic billboard playing an ad of some sort.
Then all he knew was darkness.
xXx
Hoisting his pack higher on his shoulder, Shouta's grin widened as he listened to Hizashi telling the world that Izuku was officially off the market. Handing over a wad of cash to the cab driver, he told the man to keep the change before making sure that the earbud was still securely in place, the cord having gotten caught slightly on his pack. He didn't want to miss a word of this, even though he knew that his friend would give him a copy of the show if he asked for it.
Which he was going to.
He wanted to keep track of every single milestone in his relationship with Izuku, both the official and unofficial ones. Every single moment, no matter how small was worth cherishing and remembering.
He knew that Izuku had been burned by his past partner, so he'd been surprised when Izuku had been the one to suggest having Mic make the announcement about their relationship. In fact, he'd been so surprised that he'd been silent for too long, making the younger man backpedal and apologize repeatedly.
When he'd finally managed to get a word in edgewise, he'd reassured him that he was extremely pleased to shout their relationship from the rooftop if that's what Izuku wanted. He just hadn't thought that Izuku would be ready yet.
Izuku had given him a shy smile and said that when it was right, you just knew.
At that moment, if Izuku had asked him to go limelight, he would've made it happen in a heartbeat. How he'd gotten lucky enough to manage to catch Izuku's eye, he'd never know, but he'd thank anything and everything for the rest of his days that he had.
And if he managed to pull off today, he would get to do that from beside Izuku.
Right then, his phone buzzed repeatedly, and he fished it out of his pocket with a scowl. This had better be an AfO-level emergency, otherwise heads were going to roll.
However, when he swiped his screen open, he was greeted by multiple texts from Hizashi, who should still be doing his show. Curiosity filling him, he thumbed open the texts.
LoudOne: Row of laughing emojis
Shou!
Shou, you have got to see this!
Talk about poetic justice!
This was just caught live and it's already going viral!
And according to time stamps, it's when I made the announcement about you guys!
You've gotta watch this! (I'll send you some of the better ones with music when they start popping up)
[Link]
His curiosity even greater now, he clicked on the link, only to scowl when the title came up.
Lord Explosion on Patrol
Bakugo had never been one of his favorite students, much too brash, entitled, and arrogant for his tastes. He'd done his best to make a competent hero out of him before he'd graduated but he'd never been able to impart the need for compassion or empathy to the spiky-haired blond.
Don't get him wrong, the kid had been respectful enough to his teachers, but Shouta had never quite been able to shake the concern that they were potentially unleashing another Endeavor upon Japan. Thankfully, that hadn't happened since Bakugou was meticulous in his drive to be the best and that included property damage, but he was far from a good person, even if he was a decent hero.
So when he'd learned that Bakugou was the one who'd had the nerve to first cheat on Izuku and then dared to try and pin the blame on him, Shouta had seen red. He'd almost hung up on Izuku right then and there to call Nedzu and invoke their Containment Protocol.
It was something that Nedzu had created when he'd first opened UA. He'd refused to train up heroes and unleash them on the world without a failsafe to reign them in if they should choose to be corrupted in the future. The HPSC had fought him tooth and nail over it, but Nedzu had won in the end, as he would repeatedly in the future as well.
Thankfully, Izuku had managed to talk him down from it. He had told Shouta that he'd rather not think of Bakugou ever again and that the best revenge was a life well lived. The smile he'd given after saying that had diverted Shouta's thoughts from anger to a much more pleasurable future.
It had also changed Bakugou's fate as well. Instead of a swift and carefully calculated removal from Hero Society at large, Bakugou was now the focus of the concerted efforts of Shouta, Hizashi, Naomasa, Nedzu, and All Might, to remove heroes like him and create a better and stronger society. Because of Izuku's grace, Bakugou was going to become the poster boy for social reform and Shouta was going to enjoy every single minute of it.
However, Hizashi knew how he loathed the blond, so why was he sending him a video about him?
Swallowing down a growl, he reluctantly hit play. And sure enough, there was Lord Explosion, casually blasting his way down the street with a rather deranged smirk on his face. He was also clearly listening to something on his comms, which went against several very important hero regulations and protocols.
The person taking the video was speaking, noting something about how he was covering someone else's route but Shouta barely registered, studying him intently. He caught as the other hero frowned for a brief second before his smirk widened, as if he expected something amazing to happen.
He started to accelerate, and Shouta recognized that he was about to showboat with some sort of flashy move. What in the world was he listening to? Surely, he didn't think it was concerning him, did he?
Shouta's scowl darkened as an awful thought occurred to him. Surely Bakugou didn't think that Izuku was going to take him back after he treated him like scum. It would happen over Bakugou's dead body when hell froze over and not even then.
So lost was he in his dark thoughts that he almost missed the true moment of realization. For half a second, Bakugou froze, his face going pale. A large explosion burst from his hands, an almost uncontrollable burst. And then he proceeded to plow headfirst into a large electronic billboard playing one of Dekiru's most recent campaign ads for helping kids with different quirks.
That little campaign had been the signing bonus Nedzu had offered Izuku to sign on at UA and seeing it playing meant that Izuku had taken the offer, although he hadn't told Shouta yet. Probably meant to surprise him with the news, how adorable. His Sunshine was just too cute for his own good.
Snickering, Shouta rewound and watched Bakugou smack into the billboard half a dozen times before he remembered that he was on a mission.
Shooting Hizashi a thumbs up and grinning emoji, it would make Hizashi's day that he'd actually gotten Shouta to use an emoji and his friend deserved it after sharing that, he slid his phone away in his pocket.
Making his way to his destination, he raised his hand and knocked firmly on the wooden door.
xXx
Izuku flopped onto his couch and did his best not to pout.
He was bored and stuck in his apartment with stern orders from both Nedzu and his manager not to leave it for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Which seemed unfair but his manager had argued that since he had decided to air his private business to all of Japan, he needed to stay home so as to keep riots from breaking out.
Hearing the familiar intro music of Put Your Hands Up coming from his radio, Izuku abandoned his lounging and sat bolt upright, excitement jittering through him. This was it! The world would finally know that he was in a relationship with the most amazing man in the world.
He grinned, humming along with the catchy intro. It was funny, he'd never felt possessive over Bakugou, never felt the need to let others know that he was Izuku's and off-limits. His lip curled in disgust as he remembered how abjectly grateful he'd been that Bakugou had even considered spending time with him.
Having been in a healthy, loving relationship for the past few months with someone who truly respected and cared for him had taught Izuku exactly how much of a farce the whole thing had been. It didn't even deserve the name of relationship and Izuku was happy to consign it to the darkest, dustiest corner of his brain other than the occasional consult for what NOT to do.
But with Shouta, oh, that was a whole different kettle of fish. He both wanted to simultaneously show off what an amazing human he was while making it very, very clear that he was already taken and to keep their filthy minds away from Izuku's man, thank you very much.
Hizashi came on and did his usual greeting and Izuku called back, although he was alone in his apartment. He'd been so awestruck when Shouta had introduced him to Present Mic that his stutter had kept coming back. But Shouta had been right, he really did respect any boundaries that Izuku had given him, always willing to change the subject and talk about anything and everything.
Within a week, and a handful of conversations, Izuku felt nearly as comfortable with him as he did with Shouta. Mic became Hizashi and they found that they shared a lot of common ground and interest in the same topics. Hizashi even had a degree in quirk counseling, something that even hardcore fanboy Izuku hadn't known.
When Izuku had returned to Japan, Hizashi had stepped up and hung with him, sharing stories about Shouta from over their years of friendship as well as just talking with him. It was nice to have another friend who didn't care about Dekiru but cared about Izuku. It was heady and he definitely owed the man a nice gift for being such a good listening ear especially with how much Izuku had complained about being separated from Shouta.
He had stayed another week after the case had wrapped up, his manager ecstatic that he was taking time off for himself and that he didn't act like a soaked kitten anymore. However, being the number one hero came with its own share of responsibilities, and he'd had to return to Japan while Shouta had had to remain behind and finish up the healing on his leg.
It had been hard, but they'd called each other every day and managed to video call nearly as often. Not only that, but they were constantly texting back and forth. It had been one of the happiest times of his life.
Izuku frowned, chewing absently on his lip. However, Shouta had been acting a bit odd lately. He'd been unable to video call Izuku the past few days, only a couple of rushed texts here and there. He'd be worried that Shouta was growing tired of him, that it had just been a passing fancy. But the look on his face when Izuku asked if he was okay with Izuku announcing that he was taken.
Izuku fanned himself slightly, remembering that smoldering gaze. Shouta had looked like he'd wanted to devour him, as smug as the cat who'd caught the canary. And the rumbling purr of his voice when he'd told Izuku how much he liked the fact that it would be known that Izuku was taken, well, it might've starred in more than a few of Izuku's dreams afterwards.
No, he didn't think that Shouta was having regrets, but he did think that his partner was hiding something. He just hoped that he hadn't had any complications where he was so close to being released and was avoiding telling Izuku for fear of disappointing him. Of course, he would be disappointed, but Shouta's health was the number one priority. And he didn't want to be coddled, he wanted to be an equal partner, to shoulder whatever happened together with him instead of being protected.
Right then, the excitement in Hizashi's voice caught Izuku's attention and he tuned back in. "It's official, guys and gals and nonbinary pals, the number one hero Dekiru is officially OFF THE MARKET! That's right, folks, this Valentine's Day, cupid's arrow has found its mark and Dekiru has found his match."
Izuku grinned giddily, standing up and bouncing happily on the balls of his feet, unable to stay still because he was so happy. He really hoped that Sho had been able to hear the announcement but knew that Hizashi would send it to him if he missed it.
His feet left the ground as float activated; he was so happy. Now Japan and maybe even the entire world knew that he was taken. He'd be able to talk about Shouta in the interview later, although both he and Shouta had agreed to keep it vague since Shouta was Eraserhead and underground. Shouta had reassured him repeatedly that working at UA had more than equipped him to deal with any attention that came his way and even if his identity was outed, it would be worth it to be with Izuku.
Izuku firmly planned on that never happening and it was amazing what he could do with All Might and Might Tower with its myriad of lawyers backing him up.
Right then, his phone chimed and Izuku landed back on the floor with a light thump. That was his notification chime, and he was curious to see which hero was making news as he followed several. He knew it wasn't for his own name, which was surely going crazy now. He had all of his name and hero stuff blocked after he'd gotten depressed over some cruel comments that strangers had left. Now he had a very capable social media team and they handled all of that.
Speaking of which, he owed all of them bonuses for the firestorm they were all probably dealing with right now, on top of the bonus he'd already given them to brace for impact.
Opening his phone, he scowled when he saw that it was a notification for Lord Explosion. Without bothering to open it, he trashed the notification before going through his tags. After he and Hizashi had gotten to know one another better, Hizashi had managed to get the whole sordid story out of Izuku.
After a rather impressive spate of swearing in several languages, Hizashi had swiped Izuku's phone and promptly blocked Bakugou and any tag he might have on any and all platforms that Izuku used before returning it. He was a good friend.
Ah, and there was the culprit. The post had been tagged with #hellclass, something that Izuku had followed years ago when he was just Yagi's apprentice. He quickly modified it so it would only appear in posts that didn't include any of his other excluded tags. After all, he didn't want to miss out on his friends' posts.
Satisfied that that was handled, he set down his phone and went to go to his kitchen to organize his cupboards again and make sure he had the necessary ingredients for baking. Even if Shouta couldn't come home now, he could accept some baked goods, right?
However, he'd only made it two steps when there was a knock on his door. He frowned, looking at the door, but Danger Sense wasn't flaring like it would've been had there been a reporter on the other side of the door.
Who in the world could it be? Maybe Ochako or Toshi, coming to congratulate him after hearing the announcement?
Grinning, he bounced toward the door to let his friend in. Today was one of the happiest ones of his life.
xXx
Listening to the rapid footsteps approaching the door, he did his best not to hold his breath, glancing down to make sure that his appearance was presentable. Satisfied that he looked as put together as possible, he looked up just in time for the door to swing open, Izuku already chattering a mile a minute. "You really should've messaged before... Shouta!!!"
The last was a surprised shriek and Shouta grinned, drinking in the green-haired man standing shell-shocked in front of him. "Who did you think was here, Zu?"
Izuku just shook his head, his mouth opening and shutting without emitting a sound. Contentment welling up in him, he moved forward, crowding into Izuku's space and snickering when the younger man hastily backpedaled several steps. Shouta stalked after him until they were both fully in the apartment, shutting the door firmly behind him and locking it without looking.
Setting aside his bag, he leaned against the door and said warmly, "Hey."
As if suddenly realizing that it was real, Izuku started to tear up, his voice cracking. "You're here, you're really here!"
He scrambled forward until he was cupping Shouta's face with his hand, peppering kisses all over his face. "How are you here? Did you sneak out of the hospital? Please tell me that you didn't sneak out of the hospital when you're so close to being done, cause my dad will kill both of us. Sho..."
Shouta cut him off, wrapping his arms around Izuku's waist and tugging him in for a proper kiss. They kissed for a long moment before Shouta pulled reluctantly back. His love had asked him some questions and he made it a priority to always answer him as soon as possible.
Resting his forehead on Izuku's, he allowed himself to get lost in rich emerald eyes. "Don't worry, your dad already knows. Matter of fact, he's the one who helped me get released early with a full bill of health. He and Nedzu made some sort of unholy pact to make it happen and I am not going to ask when it got me here to you today, which I would've broken out to make happen if they'd refused."
Amusement sparkling in Izuku's expressive eyes, he leaned in a stole a kiss from Shouta. "Oh? And why was it so important for you to be here today? If it's the announcement, Hizashi promised to send you a copy if you should miss it, which I doubt you did."
He tugged on the headphones dangling a little out of Shouta's pocket, smirking at him.
Resisting the urge to kiss the smirk right off Izuku's face, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to center himself. Nerves jittered in his stomach even as he'd never felt more sure of anything in his life.
Opening his eyes, he found Izuku staring at him curiously and he melted, all of his nerves melting away. No matter what Izuku answered today, it was going to be all right.
Taking Izuku's hands, he said calmly, "I was surprised when you asked if you could share that you were in a relationship. Surprised but overjoyed. I knew, in that moment, even more than after you took down Yoshihiro, that I wanted forever with you. I know that it's only been a few short months but when it's right, when you know, time doesn't matter."
Releasing Izuku's right hand, Shouta kept hold of his left hand as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet-covered box. "Today, the world is undoubtedly asking the question of who managed to lure Dekiru into a relationship. But I wanted to ask you a question, just between the two of us. Izuku, will you allow me to stand by your side, to be together forever?"
He flipped open the box one-handedly to reveal a simple onyx band ring set with emeralds. "Will you marry me?"
He held his breath as Izuku stared at the box, tears lining his eyes, and the nerves returned. Had he asked too soon and ruined everything? Was he coming across as possessive or controlling? Or maybe Izuku didn't want to get married and didn't know how to tell him.
However, his heart swelled with love when Izuku suddenly beamed tearily at him. "Yes! Yes!! A million times yes!! Like you said, Shouta, when it's right, you just know it."
He allowed Shouta to slip on the ring before pulling him into a kiss.
Forever sounded like heaven.
xXx
Hizashi slumped his way into his apartment, exhaustion tugging on his bones. It had been a long day and the station had been flooded with calls nonstop after his earlier announcement. He knew that it had been partially his idea to reveal it that way but man, he had vastly underestimated Izuku's popularity. He just hoped that Shouta had managed to pull off his part of the plan.
Rubbing the back of his neck to work the crick out of it, he toed off his boots and tried to decide if it was worth ordering in or just collapsing into his bed for the next eight hours and not moving a muscle.
The call of his bed was winning, and he was about to head that way when his phone vibrated its pattern for important calls. Groaning, he fished it out of his pocket and prayed that it wasn't his manager calling to tell him that their station call center had self-imploded or something.
Instead, there was Shouta's name flashing on the screen.
Thumbing it open clumsily, there was a picture of a pair of scarred hands wearing matching rings with the caption: He said yes.
Before he could squeal, a second text came through, causing Hizashi to melt into a puddle of happiness at his best friend's long overdue happiness.
GrumpyCat: Thank you for helping make this happen.
Kami, Hizashi just loved happy endings and new beginnings.