Taken

Chapter One: Never a Day Off

Izuku huffed as he stared at his phone. It was the third time he'd tried to call you today and you stubbornly refused to answer. It was like you were intentionally trying to worry him but he settled for texting you his eighth apology. You two had an argument before he left for work today and your pride apparently meant that you were giving him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day.

Well, technically he wasn't supposed to be working today but a villain had appeared downtown and the three heroes fighting were on the losing side. He was called in at the last minute, he couldn't just ignore something like that. The fight took longer than expected and the villain had destroyed a few buildings, which meant he had to fill out all the tedious paperwork plus some fun bonus paperwork to account for the damaged property.

But you both had the day off and you were excited to finally get to spend some time with him. In the three years since you'd been married, it seemed like he was called into work more and more. People were depending on him and you understood that. He was the number one hero after all. That was just a part of him you had to accept when you married him. Your own work as a nurse at the hospital kept you on your toes plenty but you were able to secure the day, so why couldn't he? (Yes, that was a little selfish on your part but your alone time with him was dwindling and you were allowed to be upset, right?)

He glanced at the time, it was only a few minutes after two and his mound of paperwork didn't seem to be shrinking at all. He picked up his chopsticks and shoved some food into his mouth, willing the phone to ring but the damn thing seemed determined to ignore him too.

He tried one more time but was immediately met with that frustratingly familiar busy tone. Your cheery voice told him to leave a message. Did you seriously just turn your phone off on him? He stared at the screen in disbelief before setting it down.

Across from him sat Shoto Todoroki, the number three hero and close friend of you both. The two worked at the same agency so they would often have lunch together. Shoto sat silently slurping his soba, staring at you. He knew why Izuku was calling and he knew you would probably be upset with him but he stayed silent, waiting for Izuku to talk first.

Izuku rubbed his face. "I think I really upset her this time."

Shoto set the bowl down, ready to listen.

"It's not like I wanted to leave her this morning but I couldn't just ignore this." He eyed the paperwork sitting in a sloppy pile at the end of his desk. "She was really looking forward to today too."

Shoto nodded. "Was today some sort of special occasion?"

Izuku's eyes widened as he mentally recited all the important dates in his head but there was nothing today, nothing for the rest of the month even. No, it was just a day you both had off to spend some much-needed quality time together. You were pretty upset when he got the call. You didn't mind chewing him off when he needed it but your temper would sometimes get the best of you so you both left angry with each other. Except now Izuku was regretting leaving you so upset.

"No." He pushed the rest of his food aside and set the stack of paperwork in front of him. "But I have to get this finished, I told her I would try to get home as soon as I could. I'm sorry we have to cut lunch short."

Shoto pushed his bowl aside. "I'll help you."

Izuku looked up at him. "No, no, it's fine, I don't want to trouble you."