Chapter Text
“I can’t believe I got to meet Shouto in person!”
Gritting his teeth, Dabi hunches in on himself as he attempts to ignore the gushing Alpha sitting across from him in the booth, the man going on about how beautiful Shouto looked in the warm afternoon light. Honestly, Dabi was getting tired of hearing this man wax poetics about his little brother. But no matter how much he wanted this bastard dead, he couldn’t kill him outright.
Not yet.
Reaching out, he grabs the glass of water and goes to take a sip when something on the T.V above the café’s cashier catches his attention. Eyes glued to the screen as he’s taking a sip, he sees a profile picture of Shouto from last year. The gossip channel hosts are talking of the Omega and how his actions are spurring other Omegas into action; they make it sound so heroic and revolutionary, unaware that said boy could care less about others. As Dabi starts losing interest in the idiocy playing out on screen, the picture switches to another photo of Shouto, but this time he’s accompanied by his Boy-Toy – and they’re holding hands.
This picture is recent.
“Young love? Or thousands of years of instinct at play?”
Suddenly feeling exhausted, Dabi internally curses.
Turning his attention away from the trashy channel, he sees Daishi is now silent, staring at the screen as the hosts start to talk about Omega society’s prime Omega being sweet on such a stereotypical Alpha. The segment continues with a list of their differences, speculating on how this relationship came to be, of what the sudden romance might mean for the future Omega hero, and how the hosts personally feel about this development: the male host is all for it, stating that Shouto is human, and of course he’s going to fall in love, so it seems unfair to put him on a pedestal he never asked for; meanwhile, the female host is apprehensive, stating that their timing seems suspicious and feels as if instincts that have been around for ages have played a major role in this sudden relationship, everyone saw the Sports Festival, everyone also knows that Omegas tend to bow to potential mates who are stronger than themselves or at least on par with them – but none of that matters, not when the freak in front of him looks like he’s about to go on a sudden rampage.
“That child does not deserve Shouto.”
Dabi keeps his expression neutral, “Hm?”
Daishi turns to face him, all traces of happiness gone and replaced with something colder, “I know you’ve watched the Sports Festival, you’ve seen how that Alpha acts, he’s a textbook brute. You can’t tell me you aren’t upset about this. You can’t tell me that you aren’t livid that this child thinks he’s on the same level as Shouto.”
The man’s anger is bitter, biting, almost calm in a way that puts Dabi on edge, “I don’t see him as a threat.”
Daishi’s brow twitches, “He’s touching Shouto so freely.”
“I don’t know if you know this, but that’s life. People are bound to come into contact with Shouto, and I’m not about to lock him up and tell him what he can and can’t do.” he narrows his eyes, watching the man as he says, “Besides, I thought we agreed when it came to Shouto being able to protect himself. Not to mention the fact that it’s some tabloid pull looking to get more views.”
That seems to knock Daishi out of whatever mood he’d been in, his eyes widen and he appears surprised, “You’re right.” he falls silent for a moment, looking thoughtful, then speaks once again, “But I believe there needs to be repercussions, this Alpha doesn’t deserve Shouto, he hasn’t shown his love the way you have. Has this child killed someone for Shouto? Has he protected Shouto and treated him like you have?” he sounds a tad preachy, it grates on his nerves, “That is the ultimate sign of love, of devotion.”
“Murder is the ultimate sign of love?” Dabi scoffs the stupidity falling from the man’s mouth, “I think you’re mistaken.”
“No. The thought behind it. The desire. You love Shouto enough that you would be willing to kill for him. Many say that they would kill for the ones they love, but do you think any of them would be willing to follow through with it if it came down to it? Or do you think they would hesitate and watch like spineless cowards?”
“I’m not talking about morality and what-if scenarios with you.”
“You know, if you want to off the child, I’ll support you.”
“How has no one heard this crazy bastard yet?”
“You’ve killed countless sleazebags, what’s one more?”
“I don’t know shit about the kid, but I know he isn’t a sleazebag.”
“That’s the point. You don’t know him. How are you for sure?”
Dabi is starting to get annoyed, “Why are you pushing this?”
“I know it makes your blood boil.”
“Don’t pretend you know a thing about me.”
“But I do.” Daishi hums, something is unsettling about his tone, “I know Shouto means the world to you, I know you walk him to and from school to make sure he’s safe, I know you two like to eat at that lovely little soba shop, I know you have dealings with the underground.” Dabi rolls his eyes, everything the man had listed involved Shouto, “I know your quirk takes a toll on your body, and that you can’t use it for too long or risk injury.” this makes Dabi tense, “I know you like keeping a low profile, so no attention is brought to you, I know where you live, I know what bar you like to visit when you’re bored, I know you don’t think very highly of heroes,” he smiles as he says the next line, “And I know you’ve already tried to kill the kid before.”
Dabi narrows his eyes, “How long have you been watching me?”
Daishi hums thoughtfully, “Two years now.”
Dabi grits his teeth, “And Shouto?”
The man smiles peacefully, “Three.”
This obsession was somewhat new then, but how he spoke made it seem as if he’d been watching for far longer.
If the obsession was this bad with only three measly years, then Dabi had to tread carefully.
Daishi looks at his wrist where a watch sits, “Ah, seems I have to go.” he lets his sleeve fall back into place and smiles at Dabi, “Please do be careful whatever you choose to do.”
Blue eyes watch the man open a wallet and set a hefty amount of money onto the table – as soon as the man is gone, Dabi curses underneath his breath and grabs his phone, sending off a quick text to Shouto.
oOo
Once lunch arrives, Shouto answers the message he’d received during class, most likely from Touya than anyone else seeing as Katsuki was sitting in the same room, and neither of his other siblings texted him much. Then there was his father, whom he always left on silent or read.
Dabi: We need to talk.
Shouto frowns at the ominous wording and starts typing out his reply.
Shouto: About?
Just then, Katsuki approaches his table, “Come on, Halfie. Time to eat.”
Shouto looks up from his phone, “Just a moment, please.”
Katsuki frowns, leaning forward to see what Shouto is doing, the latter knowing he’s making things worse by hiding his screen from red-eyes. It’s evident in the way Katsuki stands back up to his full height and frowns even harder, the Alpha’s jaw gritting when they both hear the notification sound indicating a new message.
“Who the hell are you texting?”
“A family member.”
Katsuki sneers, “You wouldn’t be so dodgy if it were.”
Shouto arches a brow, “It could be personal family matters. Perhaps one of my brothers talking about an embarrassing rash, or even my sister talking about what our father will think if she starts a relationship with this one person.”
Katsuki’s nose wrinkles, oddly reminding Shouto of a rabbit, “Bullshit.”
Shouto sighs, “Why does it matter?”
“Because you’re hiding something from me.”
Shouto blinks, “Are you insinuating that I’m cheating on you?”
“No!”
“Aren’t we a little early in the relationship to be worrying about that?”
Katsuki flusters, “Shut up! I didn’t say you were cheating!”
“That’s both ridiculous and unfair judgment of my character.”
“I should be offended,” Shouto continues, deciding not to read the message, he sets his phone in his pocket as he stands, “And I am, but not enough to be upset with you.” he reaches out and grabs Katsuki’s hand, “You’re the only one.”
The ash-blonde blushes and Shouto smiles softly, the younger not expecting for the hand on his cheek or the lips on his.
When Katsuki pulls away, Shouto sees the look on his face, soft:
“Come on,” Katsuki still has his hand, “We’re already five minutes late.”
Swallowing, Shouto reaches up with a hand and grabs at the cloth above his heart, his face feeling as if it were burning.
“Oi! The fuck!?” Katsuki lifts their entwined hands to reveal a chunk of ice, “Unfreeze me!”
Flushing, Shouto starts melting the ice, “Sorry.”
As soon as Katsuki is free, he rubs at his hand, “What the fuck, Icy-Hot?”
Shouto dips his head, a tad sheepish, “I was – embarrassed.”
“Yeah?”
The interested tone in Katsuki’s voice makes his ears burn, chills not caused by his quirk sweeping throughout his body, a hand takes his once more, which surprises him enough to look up from the ground and to Katsuki. The blonde looks soft as he stares at him, he wants to duck his head once more, but Katsuki reaches out and stops him, pressing their foreheads together, cushioned by their hair.
Katsuki sighs as he says, “Why are you so pretty?”
Embarrassed, Shouto concentrates on not activating his quirk, “I – I’m not,”
“Don’t.” Katsuki growls lowly, his eyes are closed, “Don’t finish that sentence.” when he opens his eyes, Shouto feels his heart stutter, “Come on,” Katsuki pulls away, “Time to eat, we’ve wasted enough time.”
“Okay.” as they walk through the halls, Shouto decides to say, “You are too.”
Katsuki arches a brow.
Shouto flusters, “Pretty, too.”
The red-eyed male immediately looks away, face red, “Shut up.”
Shouto just smiles, forgetting his phone.
oOo
As soon as school lets out, both Shouto and Katsuki make their way out of the school, hand-in-hand and ignoring the others – up until they reach the gates of U.A and spot a horde of paparazzi waiting eagerly for something, or someone. Immediately, Shouto releases his hold on Katsuki’s hand and puts a little more distance between them, the sudden retreat catching the brash Alpha’s attention.
“What?” Katsuki challenges, a complicated expression playing across his face, “Embarrassed to be seen with me?”
“No.” Shouto sounds offended on Katsuki’s behalf, they’ve stopped in the middle of the pathway, he frowns in the direction of the gates, “I don’t want to give them any more details about my life. And, I don’t want them bothering you.”
Katsuki retakes his hand, grinning sharply in a way that makes Shouto feel breathless, “They’re nobodies, Halfie, they aren’t going to be bothering me anytime soon. Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I left you to fend them off yourself?”
Touched by Katsuki’s words, his confidence, Shouto smiles softly and holds firm, “Okay.”
The half-hot half-cold teen allows Katsuki to lead them towards the gates, he watches the blonde snarl at the reporters, acting as a barrier by standing between them and him. The youngest Todoroki hearing some of the questions that had been asked. It was an experience. But they had gotten through the horde, and Shouto couldn’t have felt more fond of the explosive boy still holding his hand.
“Thank you.” Shouto murmurs as soon as they’re a safe distance from the group of gossips, “They’re relentless.”
Katsuki scoffs, “They ain’t shit.” he eyes Shouto a moment, “You good for the rest of the walk?”
“Worried?”
“No!”
Shouto smiles, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Katsuki’s cheek, “You’re sweet.”
Katsuki’s cheeks burn bright red, slapping a hand to his cheek, “I said I wasn’t fucking worried!”
“Good-bye, Katsuki.”
Before Shouto turns away, Katsuki tugs him back and plants a kiss on his cheek, “Later, Shouto.”
Hearing his given name come from Katsuki leaves Shouto paralyzed, he watches the blonde smirk at him before he walks away. Biting his lower lip, Shouto attempts to smother the heat ruddying his cheeks with his ice quirk.
“Isn’t that sweet.”
Shouto tenses, turning his gaze to Touya, who steps out of the shadows of a nearby alley, “Touya.”
Touya steps up to him, staring in the direction Katsuki had disappeared in, “He must keep you busy.”
Shouto frowns and starts walking, “What are you talking about?”
Touya follows at his side, “Remember my message?”
That makes Shouto pause, “You wanted to talk about something.”
“You’ve got a stalker.”
Shouto looks to his brother, “What?”
“An Alpha by the name of Daishi. The guy’s been watching you for three years now; he’s been watching me for two. The crazy bastard doesn’t know much about our home life or our connection since he believes we’re an item.” Touya looks annoyed, “I don’t know what his quirk is yet, but he has several copies of incriminating pictures that could ruin both of us. Or make our lives complicated at the very least.”
“The pictures, what are they of?”
“Remember your heat?”
Shouto tenses, “Yeah?”
“They were taken during that time. The pictures show me sneaking into the house.”
“It would look like you were – helping me during my heat.”
“Exactly. Now neither of us wants those photos published, right?”
“What do we do?”
“The guy wants to meet you, says he’ll delete all copies of those pictures when you meet.”
Shouto frowns, “Do you believe him?”
“Not one bit.”
“Am I going to meet this man?”
“If we want those copies gone, yes. We show up, you get him talking, and I’ll see what I can pick up from the guy. If I think he’s telling the truth, we kill him then.”
“We?”
“I’ll kill him then.”
Shouto hesitates, “When does this happen?”
“I was thinking later tonight.”
“Tonight? Why so soon?”
“Because a picture was taken of you and your Boy-Toy this morning, holding hands, and displayed across the news and gossip channels. The bastard was already talking of murdering that thug of yours.” Touya arches a brow, giving him a quizzical look, “I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed before those leeches swarmed you.”
“I was in school.”
“They allow phones in U.A.”
“I was – busy.”
“Right.”
Touya says the word like he doesn’t believe the excuse is enough to warrant his obliviousness.
Either way, Shouto didn’t appreciate his brother’s tone or expression.
“Where are we going to meet this man?”
“A place I happen to know quite well.”
Shouto feels uneasy but nods – meanwhile, the man they’re talking about is watching Bakugou as the blonde walks home, Daishi immediately forgetting his investigation into the kid when he receives news from Dabi relating to Shouto and their meet-up. Quite happily, he leaves and starts making his way home in order to make sure he looked his best for when he would finally meet Shouto.