Work Text:
Shouto thinks he’s allowed to throw a few tantrums, especially if the tantrums tie back to his family, and particularly if it relates to…his…brother…who, Shouto is certain, only lives to make his life a living hell.
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Ochako tells him, slapping his back. “You just gotta suck it up.”
Bakugou is smirking, “Yeah, Santa, suck it up!”
Shouto swings his fake belly into Bakugou, who is dressed like an elf. Bakugou splutters, pushing him away, and Ochako snorts, “You had that coming.”
“So did he!” Bakugou yells, while Ochako pulls on his arm. “At least he gets to wear some pants, what the hell is this costume!”
Ochako grins, “I did hear Momo was part of the design team.” Which is also one of the reasons Bakugou hadn’t blown the whole place down yet. Yaomomo clearly knew his temper and had created special gloves to keep his explosions…relatively safe. As for all their skirts…she was slowly suspecting his was just a few inches shorter.
Midoriya comes over, also dressed as an elf, his face red, “What’s going on? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Shouto deadpans, “Yes. Permanently.”
Midoriya checks his watch and hesitates, “You do know you have to come back and that we can’t leave until everyone gets their picture taken with you, right?”
Everyone being the line of children and teens, and maybe a few Shouto fangirls.
“Wait, why are you the one taking pictures? Switch with me!” Bakugou growls.
Midoriya grins, “Kacchan, you’d probably scare everyone away instead.”
Shouto’s eyes widen and he moves to scratch his itchy fake beard. “Bakugou, switch with Midoriya. Make sure they all leave.”
Ochako waves at the little boy at the front of the line. She’s smiling, but everyone can hear the annoyance under her breath as she says, “You know who’s truly suffering? Me. We could have been halfway done, but you’re all just whining and complaining.”
“You wanna go round face?!” Bakugou challenges.
“Careful, you might blow yourself up in that outfit.”
Shouto stomps his foot and groans, “Uraraka is right. Bakugou. Go.”
“Don’t give me orders!” But he does as he’s told, swiping the camera Midoriya was holding.
Uraraka whistles as he goes, “Go get 'em, Baku-Grinch!”
The child who had been waiting in line, runs to Shouto’s lap once Bakugou lets him through and Shouto nearly faints when he sees the kid’s nostrils clogged with bright green boogers.
“Are you really Santa?” the kid asks in wonder and Shouto is, for once, glad he’s got a giant fluffy beard because he’s a thousand per cent sure he just saw some spittle fly at his face. He wonders if thoughts alone can curse his brother.
A hand roughly grabs his shoulder and he tries not to wince as Uraraka’s kind voice reassures the boy, “Of course he is. Now, tell us, what do you want for Christmas?”
Shouto lowers his voice and says, “Y-yes. Hohoho, I’m Santa Clause.”
The boy’s eyes widen and Shouto has to wonder how the boy can believe him. His scar is a dead giveaway and if anyone were to look at him just a little more closely, they’d realize he was nowhere near big enough for this role, and that his belly was starting to cave in, just a little.
But the boy talks a mile a minute, and Shouto tries to smile, he does, no matter all photo evidence proving the opposite.
Instead of driving the crowd away, the kids end up loving Bakugou and Shouto is ready to fire him. He can, right? Technically, this is his family's Christmas project and since Dabi all but shoved the responsibility onto him, that means he's everyone's boss, right?
They’re on a short five minute break and he’s done pretending to be Mr. Hohoho. He leans his head back against the couch he’s sitting on (because he was denied a bathroom break – we’re almost done and it’ll take longer to get you back into the uniform if you go, didn’t you say you wanted to go?) and listens to his friends complain about sore feet. He does feel a little bad. But only a little because Uraraka had co-conspired with his brother.
He hears shushing sounds and giggles and he opens his eyes to see his three elves circling around him. Even Bakugou has a smirk on his face, which makes him shiver.
“What’s going on?” he asks warily.
Bakugou aims the camera at his face, “Last batch of kids. Something tells me they’re on the naughty list.”
Shouto raises a brow. He’s pretty sure all the people he saw were on the naughty list. Nobody with a good conscious would make him suffer through this torture.
Bakugou moves out of the way and Shouto’s eyes widen as another blonde runs at him with a grin that is somehow more maniacal than the laugh that is escaping his ex-friend. He can hear the shutter going off constantly. The woman in his lap yells, “Little Dabi! I mean–” she giggles and whispers a little too dramatically, “Santa Clause.”
His brother sits down on his right and throws his arm over Shouto as Himiko gets off his lap and settles to his left. Shouto’s voice is a wheeze as he demands, “Why– You said– I thought–”
Shigaraki stands next to Bakugou and grins, “Looks like you broke your brother.”
Dabi pulls Shouto closer and grins, “I can’t believe you actually did it. I was sure you’d throw a tantrum.”
Uraraka chokes something that sounds suspiciously like, He did.
Dabi pulls something out of his inner coat pocket and continues, “Well, Santa. I know you’ve come a long way, living in the North Pole and all, but I wrote my letter like a good boy and even made it here before you left.”
Shouto might still be a little comatose, but he manages to say, “Didn’t you say you would be on a mission…in Shikoku…how…”
But Dabi ignores him, all but putting his “letter” into Shouto’s hands. “Come on now, Santa. Aren’t you going to read my letter?”
“Oh!” Himiko yells, “I have one too!” But instead of giving it to Shouto, Himiko hands it to Ochako. “I’ll give it to your cutest helper!”
Ochako grins, “I’ll be sure to deliver it.”
Shouto opens Dabi’s letter.
Dear Santa, I’ve been so bad this year. I even lied to my kid brother about this mission. I can’t believe you fell for it. AGAIN. You’re so gullible. From your favorite brother, Dabi.
Yaomomo had prepared Bakugou’s costume with care, knowing his temper, but she hadn’t thought anyone else would have any…complications, which is why she never thought of fire-proofing Shouto’s outfit.
“TOUYA!” Shouto yells, his cheeks an embarrassed red, as Dabi laughs so hard, he’s holding his sides. Shouto’s Santa hat goes up in flames and Himiko yells out (luckily, Uraraka is quick and picks her up easily off the couch – they might have a bit of a moment, Himiko gazing into her eyes in awe and Ochako preening).
Meanwhile, Midoriya is yelling, “Todoroki-kun, calm down! The Christmas tree!”
Bakugou and Shigaraki just watch from the sidelines, Bakugou laughing a little too maniacally.
Someone comes running, yelling about a fire and, this isn’t what we paid for!
The Christmas tree also catches fire when Shouto reaches out to grab his brother by the throat (he misses, his brother isn’t a top rising hero for nothing).
The sprinklers go off, drenching everything and everyone and Shouto’s flame goes out.
He hears a little voice yell from afar and he turns to see the same boy with the green snot say, “You’re not Santa!”
Dabi snorts, then says, a little too loudly, “Santa’s been such a naughty kid this year!”
Shouto didn’t think he’d ruin his clothes so he doesn’t have anything to change into after everything gets cleaned up (and they get scolded). Dabi accepts the refund after the manager yells about all the broken dreams and we need actual professionals, not children in adult bodies. But he doesn’t care and neither does anyone else. They’re just glad to finally be out of their tights, too short skirts, and itchy beards.
“Wear this,” Dabi tells his brother.
Shouto pouts, “You are such a liar.”
“I’m your older brother. I have to prepare you for the real world.”
“By setting all this up? How is that preparing me for the real world?” he groans, taking the bag he’s offered. There are even some underwear inside and he narrows his eyes at Dabi. “You knew this would happen.”
“Of course I did. I know your temper. Now change. Mom is making my favorites.”
Shouto scowls, “Why is she making your favorites?”
Dabi grins, “Because everyone loves me. Even you. I’m not fooled.”
Shouto grumbles a “No, I don’t” while changing into dry clothes. When he grabs the “ugly” Christmas sweater, he rolls his eyes. He’d spotted Dabi’s own ugly sweater under his coat earlier. It was your typical red, white, and green, but had the words I’m the older brother embroidered into it. It didn’t make sense. His sweater had a Santa that looked suspiciously like him. “Did Mom make these?”
“Yup. So don’t think about not wearing it.” He looked a little too giddy.
Shouto rolls his eyes, but puts it on. His mom could make him a clown outfit and he’d wear it without (much) complaint. When he walks out of the changing room, Uraraka claps her hand to her face. It makes her cheeks go red. Midoriya coughs a little and then says, “We should, uh, go. It’s getting late.”
“I can’t believe that walking candy cane–”
Himiko cuts him off with a whiny, “Where’s MY ugly sweater DABI?!”
Dabi throws her a wrapped package and she grins.
They all file out of the mall, whispering and laughing, and Shouto doesn’t realize the back of his sweater has its own embroidery.
My older brother is the best.
(It's only after he's made it home, after dinner, where even his Dad had given him a strange look, as he's in the shower, undressing, that he notices. He yells, but controls himself, unwilling to damage something his mother had put work into. After he's out, he goes and throws it at Touya's laughing face. His Mom smiles and reveals sweaters for both Natsuo and Fuyumi. Both read: The older brother is the best sibling. Natsuo refuses to wear it and Fuyumi laughs).