A/N: hope you guys enjoyed the holidays! ❤️✨

The ring is burning a hole in his pocket. 

It's a little frustrating for Izuku because he can't tell whether he's actually missing out on what could be the perfect time to make a move or if he's just overreacting which, honestly, he knows he has a tendency to do. Still, they're about three hours in and he didn't want to hijack Denki and Mashirao's party so he was planning to wait until the tail end to do this but…

There doesn't quite seem to be an end in sight. 

"You good, bro?" 

Eijirou effectively snaps Izuku out of his thoughts with a slight jab to his side. "Uh. I think so." He says, leaning back against the wall. Denki and Mashirao are currently entertaining Tamaki---or rather, they're fawning over his swollen belly. He looks as if he's about to burst any day now so Shouto's been glued to his side since he and Eijirou arrived to make sure he's comfortable. Parties aren't exactly Tamaki's scene, easily prone to social anxiety and panic attacks. He's much more comfortable surrounded by close friends and the last thing they wanted was to stress him or the baby out. 

Izuku is admittedly a bit envious of Eijirou. 

Tamaki is absolutely glowing, carrying with such grace. Eijirou has every reason to be prideful and yet he's remained humble, concerned only for the happiness and well-being of his mate to make sure they bring home an equally happy and healthy pup. 

Izuku can't wait to have that with Shouto. 

He'll carry gracefully; he knows that much. He can imagine how gorgeous he'll be with a full tummy, skin glowing and thriving in the happiness of their life together. Maybe he'll grow out his hair again---Izuku used to love when he'd wear his hair down. 

All Izuku has wanted since he was seventeen was to make Shouto a happy wife. 

He's hoping for a litter on the first try.

"You're not gettin' cold feet are ya?"

Izuku manages a smile through his anxiety, offering Eijirou a shake of his head. "No way, man. The opposite, actually. Just thinking that I can't wait to have what you have with Tamaki. You guys are so good to one another---so happy together. I can only pray that I'm half as good an alpha." 

There's a pink tint dusted across Eijirou's cheeks as he smiles into his cup. 

"Aw, seriously, dude? That means a lot to me, that someone sees how hard I work for my baby and how much I love him. How much my family means to me. But you don't have to strive to be like me. You and Sho are gonna be beautiful parents and have some beautiful pups. And you're gonna be the best husband and father that you can be. So don't sweat that, yeah?" 

Eijirou has always been good at encouraging others. His speech has Izuku's enthusiasm stronger than it was before and though he's still rather nervous that he might make a fool of himself, he's excited about the possibilities of what his and Shouto's future together will hold. 

"Thanks, Ei." 

"Anytime, my man. You gonna do this thing or what?"

Izuku supposes that now is as good a time as any. 

Now or never, Izuku. Don't fail. 

#

"C'mon, babe, we're gonna miss it." 

"Miss what, exactly?" 

"The show!" 

Touya had received a text from Izuku that he was finally about to go through with it and Touya didn't want to miss a single second of what could quite literally be one of the most important moments of his little brother's life. 

Well...that and Izuku had put him in charge of taking photos. 

He'd been tonsil deep into a make-out session with Katsuki when he'd gotten the text and thus, it had taken him a good five minutes to actually read it. He just hoped to hell he hadn't missed it already. 

"Where the hell are you guys runnin' off to in such a hurry?" Hitoshi asks as Touya almost bulldozes him and Fumikage both in his mad dash for the main room. "Living room! We're gonna miss the thing!" 

"The...thing?" Fumikage parrots curiously and Katsuki simply grabs his hand and tugs him along with a giggle. 

They make it there just in time. 

Touya comes barrelling into Eijirou but the massive alpha barely even budges, watching as Izuku drinks down his last bit of liquid courage and approaches Shouto in strides of determination. The half-and-half boy seems so confused, a concerned expression spreading across his face as he peers up at Izuku with a bit of an anxious smile. His eyes dart around the room as he realizes that the music has stopped and people are growing quiet. 

"Er...hi, baby. Is...everything okay?" He asks, mutely noting that Eijirou is blatantly recording in their direction. He begins to wonder if he's about to be punked or pranked. "Why is everyone staring at me?" 

Izuku simply smiles and reaches into his pocket as he sinks down onto one knee. 

A cacophony of hushed cheers and gasps ring out and Shouto's hand claps over his mouth in sheer shock, eyes frantically darting between the black velvet box in Izuku's hand and the freckled alpha's overjoyed grin. 

"I thought about the best way to do this, you know." He begins, fingers brushing over the top of the box as he gathers his words. "Thought about the right words to say. About how to make this heartfelt and sappy. About how many ways I could make you fall in love with me all over again. But kneeling here right now? It all seems a little superficial. You know exactly how I feel about you. About how I spend every day of my life thanking the universe for sending me to you." 

He opens the box and Shouto's free hand claps over the other, trembling uncontrollably as his eyes gloss over with tears. Touya's snapping as many photos as he can, grinning ear to ear like an absolute madman. 

"I-Izuku...what is this?" It comes in a shaky breath, slightly muffled behind Shouto's hands that now hover over his lips. 

"This? This is me asking if you'd be willing to spend the rest of our lives together. If you'd allow me to cherish and honor you---to father our children and build a beautiful life together. Would you...would you be willing to do the kindness of marrying an asshole like me? I swear, I'll love and protect with you everything that I have. You mean so much to me, baby---my world. Please. Marry me." 

The silence that follows seems to have the entire room on edge, Shouto unable to gain control over the full-bodied tremors that have overtaken him. The tears finally fall but he says nothing still, staring at the ring as his jaw scrapes the floor. 

Izuku is beginning to worry that this was a bad idea. 

"B-Baby…?" 

His worried voice seems to snap Shouto out of his stupor and he sobs, throwing himself into Izuku's arms. 

"Y-You wanna be with me forever?"

Izuku frees up a hand to wrap an arm around Shouto's middle, nosing against his mating gland. 

"For however long forever may be." He affirms and Shouto nods, unable to form coherent words as his emotions gain the better of him. 

After a moment, he finally manages to choke out a very happy "yes". 

The room erupts into cheers and applause, Izuku lifting Shouto up from the floor to strip the ring from its box and slide it onto his lover's finger instead. He leans in to capture Shouto's lips to seal the deal. 

Katsuki's never seen them so happy before. 

"Way to grow some fuckin' balls, Midoriya! Whoo!" Touya cheers and Izuku sputters into a laughing fit, turning to promptly flip him off. 

A loud whistle draws everyone's attention to the far side of the room near the punch table. Denki and Mashirao both have their cups raised into the air. 

"We just wanna thank you guys for coming out tonight and congratulate so many of our friends to new beginnings. To Touya, for finding a higher purpose in love. To Eijirou and Tamaki for bringing in the first addition to their amazing family. And lastly, to Izuku and Shouto for who have chosen forever together. We love you guys and we're so proud of you." 

"That's right! Cheers, my bros! May the odds forever be in your favor!" Denki adds. The room offers a unified cry of 'Cheers!' before the music starts once more. 

#

Katsuki feels damn good. 

Somehow he managed to convince Touya that he was sober enough for another drink and that drink turned into to more and---

Let's just say that he's a little bit tipsy.

Okay, a lot tipsy. 

He's out on the dancefloor with Shouto and Denki, Denki more than happy to be sandwiched between them both as they twirl and dance around him. Mina makes a comment about being a little jealous of him, as Shouto and Katsuki have both had enough to drink that their dance moves are…

Very sensual. 

And a little raunchy. 

"Amazing what a couple of drinks can do to your inhibitions. Those two look like they're tryna make love instead of dance. Next thing you know, we're gonna look up and they're gonna be lip-locked over there." Eijirou chimes and Mina lets out a low whistle. "Not gonna lie, I'd pay to see that. Pretty hot." 

"Not me watching my wife drool over two twinks." Ochako snorts and Mina flashes her a sly wink. "Oh, please, I see you watching them too. It's okay to look, babe, Jesus." 

"Are you looking or are you fantasizing?" 

"There's a difference between looking and fantasizing?" 

"Not Mina fantasizing about my little brother and my fiancé." Izuku chides half-heartedly and Mina shrugs, feigning innocence with that smug smile still tacked onto her face. Izuku merely offers a fond shake of his head. 

He mutely wonders where Touya has run off to, eyes scanning the room until he finds the tattooed alpha standing in some far off corner with Hitoshi. He seems to have pulled him to the side---a heated discussion if Hitoshi's exaggerated hand movements are of any indication at all. Touya seems rather bored with the conversation---bored and exasperated---so he sighs, shrugs, and says something that gets his lilac-haired friend to relax a bit. 

Izuku can't help but wonder if they're talking about him. 

He debates going over to talk to him, maybe under the guise of asking Touya about the photos he took but there's always the chance that Hitoshi would just leave. The only way to get him to pay any attention to Izuku at all would be to physically make him listen. 

Which is just begging for violence. 

But if Izuku is being honest? He's willing to take the risk.

Tonight's been good to him. Got to see his closest friends. Got engaged to the love of his life. Tonight felt like redemption. 

And some part of him was very much okay with redemption equating to being decked in the fucking jaw. 

"Hold my drink, dude." He says, absently passing his cup to Eijirou who is much too confused to do anything more than take it and watch him go. "Uh, Deku? Dude, this is a bad idea---you're just instigating!" He calls as a sort of warning once he realizes that the smaller alpha is walking towards his inevitable doom. 

"I'm aware." 

"And you're okay with that? Bro, you're either really fuckin' stupid or a masochist." 

"Let's go with 'really fuckin' stupid'. He's probably about to break my jaw." 

Eijirou sighs. 

"Good luck, I guess." 

"Thanks, man." 

Though he's got a pretty good idea that luck could give fuck-all about him right about now, he's gonna need as much of it as he can get. 

This is about to go south fairly quickly. 

#

"Toshi. Just quit being a pussy and congratulate him if you're really that happy for him." 

"Fuck no. He can congratulate this dick---I'm not talkin' to him until he learns that I'm not---" 

"Hey, guys. Toshi." Izuku butts in, fully expecting the cowed expression on Hitoshi's face and the raised brows that Touya offers him. 

"Izuku. Man, you're really ballsy today." Touya chuckles and Izuku shrugs. "Really feelin' that vodka I had earlier, you know?" He titters and Touya's eyes roll back with a snort, playfully jabbing Izuku in the side with his elbow. "Yeah, yeah, mate, I hear ya. You two need a minute?" 

"Why are you suddenly more Australian lately?" 

"Think my old man's startin' to rub off on me. You need a minute or not?" 

"Not." Hitoshi says flatly, turning on his heels to leave but Izuku grabs his shoulder---not roughly but Hitoshi still swings on him anyway and Izuku is just barely able to dodge in time. He raises his hands in surrender. 

"Hey---listen. I don't wanna fight you. I just wanna talk. Please." 

"Too fuckin' bad, cause I wanna fight and I don't have much interest in talkin'." 

"But---dude, why ? I get that I was an inconsiderate asshole to you and I'm sorry. I deserved every bit of that anger you gave me and I deserved that punch to the face---" 

"It was a headbutt." Touya corrects, shrugging when the younger alphas turn on him with a narrowed gaze. 

"What? I'm just sayin'." 

"Touya. Go find something to do." 

"Why? This is fun." 

"What-the-fuck-ever." Hitoshi scoffs, ready to make an attempt to leave again. "You always pull this shit, Midoriya---being a selfish fucking prick and coming to apologize to me when you get tired of being a lonely shit just so you can keep me around to haul all of your fuckin' baggage for you until you treat me like I'm disposable again. 

"For years, I've been there for you but the one time I needed you to actually be my best friend and not some guy who just claims to give a shit about me---the one time I was ready to be vulnerable and needed your fuckin' reassurance---you called me a bitch and antagonized me until I got violent with you when all I needed was the love that I gave to you, reciprocated to me." 

Izuku was prepared to be told off but this? This wasn't anything remotely close to what he'd been expecting. Has he really been that bad of a friend? Has Hitoshi always felt like this? Izuku had always just assumed that this was the way things were in their friendship. Hitoshi was never one to open up about his problems and talking about his emotions had often been an uncomfortable topic for him. He'd always be there to cheer Izuku up when something went wrong, no matter how large or small. They'd even often use banter to help each other get through the day. 

Izuku just thought of it as harmless teasing. 

And he'd never thought too hard about those few times that they'd fallen out with each other. 

Never in a million years would he have thought that Hitoshi had felt like this the entire time. 

"Throughout this entire crisis I've had recently---that my family's been going through? Not once have I heard from you. Not once did you ever even try. Once you saw that your family wasn't in jeopardy---that your family wasn't falling apart? You pretended it never happened. Touya and Katsuki were there for Eri and I. But not you. Not someone who was supposed to be my best friend." Hitoshi continues and Izuku feels guilt begin to eat away at him---mostly because it's true. 

"You're a shitty person and an even shittier friend. I'm done being your crutch. And unless you actually want me to break your fucking jaw this time, don't fucking talk to me again." 

And when he turns on his heels to walk away again, Izuku doesn't go to stop him. He's helpless to do little more than watch him leave, jaw fallen to the floor in complete and utter shock. 

Touya appears at his side. 

"Well that went well." 

"Fuck you." 

#

Katsuki isn't quite sure of how he managed to get separated from Shouto, leaning against the wall of some far corner of the room as he attempts to orient himself. He's just a bit wobbly, unable to get himself steady on his feet. He'd left his cell phone in his purse where he and Fumikage had been sitting so he couldn't call someone to come and find him, either. 

Mutely, he wonders where Touya is.

He's starting to feel a bit sticky and tingly between his legs and---just as Touya had predicted---he's ready for him to take him home. 

And preferably take that dress off of him. 

"Hello, little lamb. Are you lost?" 

The voice barely makes it to Katsuki's ears, light and airy as it floats over the loud bass of the music thumping through the walls. His gaze follows, heavy-lidded and glassy as he locks eyes with a rather odd looking fellow. 

That is to say, he seems very out of place. 

From what Katsuki can tell, he's much older than a majority of the other party-goers there. Much older than twenty-five, that's for sure. He's got dark hair and though the color of his eyes is difficult to determine in the dark of the room---only illuminated by bright, color-changing lights---they seem to be fairly light in color. He can't quite make out too many other details about him. Not because he's just that drunk. 

The man is wearing a mask. 

"You seem a bit lonely." He says after he fails to receive a response the first time. Katsuki raises a skeptic brow. 

"Why are you talking to me?" 

This seems to catch the man off guard, but Katsuki can tell from the creases near the man's eyes that he's laughing. "My, aren't you a feisty one?" 

"Daddy told me not to talk to strangers."

"You're talking to me now, little one."

"If you touch me, I will kick you in the groin and scream." 

"I'll remember to give you your space then." He says, taking a step back and holding his hands up in a motion of surrender. It's as if he's telling Katsuki that he means no harm to him but Katsuki isn't so easy to let his guard down around some shady old alpha. 

After the last experience he had at a party, he isn't at all open to taking any chances.  

"What do you want?" 

"I just wanted to make a friend, that's all." 

"Daddy said that any old man who insists on making friends with people like me is probably a pedophile." 

"Your father seems to be quite an intelligent woman." 

Katsuki's eyes narrow. 

"I did not say that my father was female." 

This seems to make the stranger tense uncomfortably. 

"Oh. I just assumed." 

He's obviously lying, his demeanor much more sheepish and shaky than before. It's then that Katsuki begins to understand that this isn't just some chance encounter. 

He rounds the stranger with his back to the crowd, making sure that he never once takes his eyes off of him. 

"I am going to leave now. I do not know who you are or why you are stalking me but if I see that you are following me at any given time, I will tell my boyfriend and my brother. As a courtesy, I will tell you that it will not end well for you." 

The man seems more amused than anything else. 

"Oh? How very scary." He chuckles. 

Katsuki gets an unsettling chill up his spine, backing away into the crowd and waiting until he was sure the stranger could no longer see him before he'd turned around and made a staggering run for it. 

He should find Denki and Mashirao. Maybe they could get rid of their uninvited guest.

A/N: yes, the mask guy is Chisaki Kai lol