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Chapter Text

One of the first things Katsuki learned about his quirk as soon as it manifested was how it worked.

He spent hours reading up about the chemical reaction that created his iconic explosions and he prided himself on his perfect understanding of quirk.

This understanding had saved his ass many times in the past, whether it be by getting himself out of dangerous situations or avoiding the ones that had the potential to be.

This understanding was also the reason he felt like decking himself right now.

He had always been so careful, but of course, when it came to Half-and-half, the intelligent part of his brain decided to fuck right off to who knows where. Apparently the part that he blamed for all the mushy shit he felt (aka the part of him that obsessed over how pretty Shoto’s long, different colored eyelashes looked against his pale skin) lacked any minuscule amount of sense.

So really, this was all Icyhot’s fault.

That didn’t stop him from leaving Bakugou to take the heat, both figuratively and literally.

It had happened a few weeks after they started dating. Katsuki had felt no desire to tell his self proclaimed “friends” and endure their relentless teasing and badgering for information, and Shouto hadn’t minded, seeing no point in making a big deal out of their relationship if it would make him uncomfortable. They had established a nice balance and neither of them had any desire to upset it by adding the chaos of 1-A to it.

A part of this balance had been taking everything slowly. Both Bakugou and Todoroki were inexperienced and unused to physical contact, so they had agreed it would be best for them to work at their own pace. They had kissed in the comfort and privacy of both of their rooms on several occasions and had just begun implementing more casual affection into their relationship. Namely, hugging, laying on a bed together (Katsuki refused to call it cuddling, fuck off Shouto), and...holding hands.

For literally any other couple, this wouldn’t be an issue at all, but nothing could ever be that fucking simple for them.

To be fair, Katsuki had been really fucking tired that morning -being dragged downstairs by a group of idiots deadset on watching stupid movies until 1 am would do that to a person- and Shouto was always really, really warm, so on instinct, he had leaned into his boyfriend’s left side and grabbed his hand on the walk from the changing rooms to the training grounds when they had finally gotten a moment alone. He had done so without thinking and Shouto’s surprised, but the pleased smile had been worth the slight reddening of his face at the time. If only he had any idea how wrong he had been.

See, the problem with holding hands was the contact itself.

Both Bakugou and Todoroki had different, but incredibly powerful emitter type quirks. What that meant for Shouto, was that he could create fire and ice at will. For Katsuki, it meant he literally sweated a dangerous and highly reactive chemical and had the power to ignite it on his palms.

In literally any other situation, Katsuki would’ve thought about his actions for one second and immediately seen the problem, with plenty of time to correct it. This time, he only realized what was going to happen when it was too late.

Katsuki released his arm once the doors were in sight, immediately missing his warmth. He begrudgingly pulled a jacket on over his gym uniform, frowning at the uncomfortable feeling of the fabric against his palms. The sleeves were too long and he could guarantee they would not last to the end of class, no matter how many times he rolled them up.

They were working on quirk use in extreme temperatures so Gym Gamma had been made to feel like a frozen wasteland. Bakugou despised this kind of weather, it made using his quirk tricky and limited his movement. The idea of willingly putting himself through that was annoying but necessary. If he was going to be a pro hero, he needed to be able to adapt quickly, he understood that. That didn’t mean he had to like it. Todoroki, however, excelled in this environment and there was no way in hell Bakugou was going to let him get ahead of him, boyfriend or not, so he forged on.

After a quick speech from All Might, the students were separated into pairs. They would be taking turns sparring, while the rest of the class observed and took notes. Bakugou, having been in one of the first pairs to go, was sitting off to the side, when it happened.

He enjoyed watching Shouto work more than he was willing to admit. Todoroki was up against Denki and while the other student had improved a lot over the past few months, Shouto was going to kick his ass. And Bakugou was going to fucking savor it. Everything Shouto did was done with a simple poise. Whether it was natural or it had been beaten into him, Shouto wasn’t sure, but from what Bakugou knew about Endeavor and had heard about Rei, there was no doubt in his mind that it was his mother’s influence. Watching his almost hypnotic movements somehow both calmed and exhilarated him at the same time. Bakugou had long since gotten over his initial frustration at this revelation, so now he was content to just watch him with extreme pride.

When All Might had signaled them to start, Todoroki unsurprisingly started to shoot ice. Kaminari narrowly dodged and it became a game of cat and mouse going on until ice began to crawl up Shouto's neck to crystallize across his cheek.

Bakugou smirked, knowing what was about to happen. 

Then, he noticed something glisten and spark in an extremely familiar way in Todoroki’s palm, and his mind finally, finally, registered his earlier mistake. All he managed to get out before Shouto activated his left side was an “oh fu-” before-

BOOM

A loud explosion filled the Gym and sent both Shouto and Denki flying.

All eyes immediately went to him, but Katsuki was too preoccupied with running over to Shouto to give a shit. Once he reached his stunned boyfriend, he was able to deduce that he hadn’t suffered any major burns, but the blowback from the equation had thrown him back into one of the walls. Upon further inspection, he was fine other than a few nasty bruises that were already starting to show.

Once everyone knew that both Shouto and Denki were okay, Bakugou and the former were bombarded with questions from his classmate. It took Aizawa -who had been sitting in on the class- sending them a withering glare for them to quiet completely.

All Might approached the two calmly. “Young Todoroki, Young Bakugou, do you know what just caused that explosion?” There were a few silent seconds as Bakugou scrambled for something to say until the answer must have clicked in Shouto’s head. That or his brain had been severed from the rest of his body when he hit the wall without Katsuki seeing him because he laughed.

He had the nerve to fucking laugh. And not just a snicker or his usual scoff. No, he lost his shit, doubled over wheezing at the apparently hilarious situation, leaving Bakugou to come up with some reason why this was happening, while also being incredibly beautiful distracting off on the ground behind him.

“I- borrowed his gloves and then my sweat must’ve gotten on it or something.” He muttered lamely. Fucking Deku then decided it was a good time to fill his daily quota of butting into someone else’s business.

“But how wo-?” All Might stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and then turned to Bakugou and Todoroki with a knowing smile. “Ah, yes. Try to be more careful in the future.” Bakugou nodded angrily. Shouto said nothing, too busy dying. “Well, you may escort Young Todoroki to his room, to be sure he is uninjured. You have both done enough for today,” Bakugou gave an audible sigh and grabbed Todoroki by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the Gym. Shouto had barely managed to lower his volume down to quieter giggling when Katsuki pushed him inside the dorm building and towards the elevator.

“What the fuck Half-and-half?!” He grumbled, smacking the button for his own floor much harder than necessary. Todoroki just smiled for a second. “The hell are you looking at?”

“You,” Shouto replied honestly. Bakugou growled slightly. He could feel heat rising to his cheeks. What the hell? He hadn’t even said anything embarrassing. Before he could finish cursing his own reaction, Shouto recaptured his attention. “Hmm, so that’s what it’s like to use Explosion. Midoriya would be jealous.” He wondered aloud, mischief clear in his tone. Bakugou snorted at that.

“Tch yeah right. It was more like it used you.” Shouto laughed quietly, and at the ding of the elevator, they walked over to Bakugou’s room together. “It was still amazing,” He said after cuddling lying on Bakugo’s bed for a while.”Your quirk, there is so much power in it,”

“...Yeah, but it’s also been used for less than amazing things,” Todoroki turned to face Bakugou. “I know that now, and fuck I will use it for amazing things.” Shouto just looked at him for what felt like a long time but was probably only a few seconds of stillness.

“I have no doubts that you will.” He said resolutely, and Bakugou felt warmth travel through him at the clear affection in his tone. A comfortable silence followed his words.

Then, the idiot broke it.

“So...no more sharing gloves?”

POP POP POP

“Shut the fuck up! You couldn’t have done any better!” Shouto’s laugh filled the air again as small blasts of pure irritation sounded.

BOOM

Chapter Text

Nightmares weren’t uncommon among Class 1-A. Neither were panic attacks or other trauma-related disorders. Maybe they were in the beginning, but that quickly changed after they were attacked again and again by the League of Villains. Later, when they were pro heroes, they would admit just how much those incidents impacted them, but for now, they did what they could to be there for each other when things got bad. All of them had grown much closer over a short time. They were bonds built on blood, sweat, and tears as they learned to trust each other with their lives. And somehow, despite the darkness they encountered almost everywhere they went, they remained determined and stubborn in their hope and in their dreams. Their spirits stayed relentlessly high. 

This didn’t mean they didn’t struggle. They did. All of them, whether they did so openly or only let themselves break behind closed doors.

Todoroki, as one of the people who had joined UA with his own assortment of issues, knew that well. He did what he could to help when he could, no matter who it was. Days could be completely thrown off by the largest or even simplest of things. Some were easier to recover from, and sometimes it felt like the weight of it all was too much to bear, on the worse days, bearing it didn’t seem worth it anymore. He never wanted anyone of his classmates to be alone when it did.

So as he sat on his boyfriend’s dorm room floor with Katsuki, counting aloud. Speaking in short and clear sentences. Keeping his distance, but letting him know he was there. As his breaths began to steady and his red eyes came back into focus, he waited patiently. 

A choked cough sounded and he spoke again, softly. At a nod, he stood up slowly picking up a plastic cup from the desk. He placed it on the floor between them and sat back down. A gradually steadying hand reached out and took it. 

After a few sips, another question. There was another nod and a small grunt of affirmation. Now Shouto let his voice fill the silence. 

He talked about everything and nothing. Stupid things he had done or said. Things he wanted to do. Things he liked. The way the leaves changed. His hopes for the future. The cats that he encountered on his way to the train. His so-called “conspiracy theories.” Anything he could think of until there was a small smile on the other’s face and he felt okay enough to lay on the bed together. 

Not touching, the bed was just big enough for them to be apart. The stimulation could be overwhelming, so he didn’t make any move to get closer. He let Katsuki have the option to have his space if he needed it. 

Eventually, a gruffer voice joined his, and even later a hand, slightly smaller and much warmer than his right, grabbed on and he let his fingers curl around it. He kept talking until it was dark and Katsuki’s breaths evened out and small snores replaced the afternoon’s shaking words and gasping breaths. Only then did he let himself close his eyes, ignoring the dryness in his throat in favor of letting sleep take him. 

“Shouto?” The voice was familiar and warm, but sleep was better. He felt like he was safe and warm and floating all at the same time.

“Really IcyHot? I swear you would sleep all day if you could get away with it,” Too loud, he turned to face the other way. 

“Oi, I know you heard that. Come back here,” The bed dipped and a warm hand tugged on his shoulder. 

“It’s time to wake the fuck up,” The whisper in his ear sent a pleasant tingling through him. He smiled and opened his eyes. Katsuki was sitting next to him on the bed and the morning light made a halo around his messy hair. 

“You slept in your uniform,” he said, running his thumb over the wrinkled fabric of his collar. Leaning closer to straighten out his tie. Shouto leaned up and kissed him lightly on the forehead before laying back down and throwing the blankets over his head. They smelled like caramel, just like Katsuki. There was an audible facepalm followed by a loud sigh. 

“Damn child in a sixteen-year-old’s body,” He muttered reaching out to drag his ass out of bed. 

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang

A rapid pounding on the door made both of them sit up. Bakugou had grown accustomed to what the sound meant. Incoming. 

“Did you lock your-?” Shouto started prior to being pushed off the bed and into the closet. The doors shut right behind him. It was done just in time for the door to slam open, letting in the rowdy teenagers, laughing and talking like they hadn’t just barged into someone else’s room.

“What the fuck?!”

“Heeeeeey! Bakubro!” Denki said, clearly responsible for obnoxious knocking. Kirishima and Sero were right behind them.

“Bakugou, good morning!” Kirishima greeted happily, Mina walked around him and took a seat on the bed, where Todoroki had been merely seconds ago.  

“I tried to stop them,” Shinso stated flatly, moving to stand against the wall, directly across the room from the closet. Shouto quieted his breathing and wondered if the slants in the doors would hide him well enough should he turn his head.

“How many times do I have to tell you extras to fuck off! And don’t barge into my room!” Bakugou yelled, his palms sparking warningly. Shouto couldn’t suppress an amused grin. He was a little annoyed that they had gotten interrupted, but Bakugou’s friends were interesting. The energy they brought to things was refreshing.

“You were taking too long and we got hungry,” Sero stated simply, this made Bakugou send a quick glare at him before turning back to yell at the other three. Sero was the least annoying for the time being. The boy remained unphased and picked up the silver water bottle sitting on the floor. He looked around to see a familiar backpack on the ground. It was a blue satchel, with black straps and a small explosion charm. Bakugo’s had two straps and he was pretty sure it was grey. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked back and forth between the two items for a second. His eyes widened and he set it down. 

POP POP

“I’m not your fucking butler!” 

Shouto almost laughed at that. Their whole friend group definitely took advantage of Bakugou’s cooking skills. He had to admit he had definitely used his boyfriend status to his advantage on multiple occasions. If there was one thing everyone in Class 1A could agree on, it was that if Bakugou was willing to cook for you, you would take it.

“Yeah, yeah, we know, but Satou’s eggs aren’t as good as yours!” Kaminari whined, turning to Kirishima who nodded enthusiastically. 

“What if I’d been changing you perverts!” His exasperation was showing, but like always, they kept pushing. 

“Ooh breakfast and a show, you’re too good to us Bakugou~” Mina purred, twirling her hair exaggeratedly.

“That’s it, GET THE FUCK OUT!” He yelled, punctuating his statement with two loud explosions. 

BOOM BOOM

Mina cackled as Kirishima grabbed her and Sero’s arms and pulled them towards the door. 

“Don’t wait up blasty, we’re gonna go find some food!” Kirishima yelled over his shoulder, running to avoid the pillow hurled at his head. Denki stubbornly pouted at Bakugou and stayed put. 

“Pikachu!” 

Shouto was now covering his mouth with his hands, forcing himself not to snicker at the tangible annoyance practically radiating off of Katsuki. He wouldn’t admit that he took pleasure in the purposeful rilling up of his partner or encourage it, but even he had to admit it was entertaining to watch his reactions. 

Judging by the slight upturn of his lips, Shinso agreed with him. The boy rolled his eyes and shook his head. Then, he stilled, his eyes locked onto something that looked suspiciously like the very closet Todoroki was currently inhabiting. The latter did his best to blend into the background of black and slightly lighter black garments Bakugou owned, but he guessed that if Shinso had really seen him, his hair alone was definitely enough to give him away.

He did his best not to move or breathe until Shinso finally looked away. 

“Okay Denks, I think you’ve antagonized him enough for now.” He pushed off the wall and walked over to the still pouting blonde. “Let’s go, I want some coffee.” Shinso said, gripping Kaminari’s bicep and gently pulling him up. He didn’t resist, but right before Bakugou could slam the door shut, Shouto caught the beginning of his whining response.

“But you already had some this morning! And I’m hungryyy, Hitoshiiii-” 

Shouto let out a startled laugh when the closet door was violently tugged open and he was pulled into Katsuki’s arms. Maybe getting interrupted, wasn’t such a bad thing if he got hugged like that afterwards. 

“Well, that was close.” He whispered. All he got back was a “Shut up, and kiss me dumbass.” muttered into his ear. It made him feel more than he knew what to do with, but it didn’t sound like a bad idea and who was Shouto to deny either of them the... practice .

Chapter Text

Class 1A was chaos. Anyone who had any experience with them knew that. Perhaps it was the combination of so many large and distinct personalities or it could just be that they brought out the worst best in each other. One of the many ways this energy accumulated was in group “bonding” activities. This usually meant them doing stupid shit as a group and usually finding some way to get themselves in trouble. 

A more regularly scheduled one was their infamous movie nights. 

They happened a few times a month depending on if they felt up to it or if enough of them could agree on what to watch to do it together. The events varied in attendance, but most of the students joined in when they could. It was a much more relaxing alternative to their usually dangerous or messy schemes. 

Or at least it was supposed to be. 

Bakugou was already in a bad mood when the idiots dragged him into yet another stupid waste of his time. Or rather, he was already in a mood because his stupid classmates wanted him to watch the dumb horror movie with them. “So he could protect them.” As if. That stupid slasher dude was a terrible antagonist, if they couldn’t avoid his painfully obvious traps, they deserved whatever happened after he got to them. 

The only nice thing about being down there was the small smile Shouto sent him from his place by the counter. They were using him as an ice machine for the drinks again. Bakugou scoffed and walked over to him, brushing his fingers against his waist, disguising it as reaching for a cup.

They had made a lot of progress in their physical affection. It had become a more natural and casual part of their relationship. The touches, whether they were gentle brushes in passing or grabbing firmly to bring them closer together, weren’t as awkward as they once were, now they were nice and comforting. 

Of course, now that they had finally gotten to that point, everyone else in the goddamned world wanted to cling to Shouto and never let go.

It was the main reason he didn’t go to these stupid things. Without fail, every single fucking time they had movie nights. They would fight, yes fight , over who got to sit next to or even in  Todoroki’s vicinity. It got so much worse when it got colder. 

At least Frog Face had a good excuse. And she wouldn’t use it as an opportunity to milk the situation for everything she could get like Racoon Eyes or Drooly or even Eye Bags (That was only because the warmth helped him sleep but still!). It was infuriating in a very strange way, seeing people curl up with his boyfriend (Yeah, they didn’t know that yet but still ). The way his stomach twisted and his scowl deepened wasn’t completely deterred by Shouto’s constant reassurance. 

He even asked him once if he would like him to stop being close to the rest of their class like that. 

Katsuki had looked him dead in the face and said “Fuck no,” 

He made a point to know Shouto better than anyone else. He was incredibly proud of himself for it. It was one of the best choices he had ever made. It gave him the power to make him smile and it was incredibly worth the many hours of awkward conversations they had in the beginning.

Katsuki knew, what the class meant to him, -- you know what? fuck it-- what the class meant to both of them. He also knew that Shouto hadn’t ever been given the chance to be close to people in such a safe and healthy way and there was no way in hell he was going to be the one to take that away from him. Not when he saw the way he lit up when someone initiated contact with him. It was like he couldn’t believe that anyone would willingly be close to him. That fact made him want to explode that bastard’s face off.

Because of how he grew up, casual affection hadn’t come easy, and part of him getting adjusted had been through just how touchy their classmates were with everyone. He would never admit it out loud, but he was so fucking proud of how far he’d come. 

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t complain about people putting their dirty paws on his boyfriend.

As usual, he missed most of the movie. His eyes just kept drifting over to the couch to his left. Shouto was sitting by the arm closest to him. Katsuki had a feeling it might’ve been on purpose, but with him, you could never truly be sure until you asked him. His left arm was taken by the Frog and she was being respectful as always, only leaning slightly into him and checking up on him periodically. Four eyes was on her other side, and he had his arm around both of them, but he too, valued boundaries, unlike some people .

Round face was seated on the floor beside the arm of the couch on the absurd amount of pillows that she and Eye Bags had somehow managed to amass. Speaking of Eye Bags, he was seated with Dunce Face in front of Todoroki’s left leg while Shitty Hair happily stuffed his face with popcorn from his place by the teen’s right. (He and Uraraka always ran too hot for whatever reason,)

Fucking Sero , was sprawled across Shouto’s lap, occasionally leaning down to steal popcorn or pillows from the unassuming students below him. Sometimes, he would pass some up to Racoon Eyes who was somehow balancing her weight on the back of the couch without falling onto its inhabitants. Bakugou would almost be impressed if she hadn’t nearly kicked their class rep in the head earlier.

The sight of the pink girl running her hand through Shouto’s hair made him want to just jump on him and kiss him right there and show them just who he belonged to (Or he could just accidentally tug down the neck of his grey turtleneck and let the marks littered across his porcelain skin speak for themselves, but he didn’t trust Shouto’s ability to make up believable excuses or explanations without completely exposing both of them so that probably wasn't a good idea).

He stopped and took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He could wait until the dumb movie was over, he could have Shouto to himself all night if he wanted to, a few hours wouldn’t make a difference. 

Then Sero turned to cuddle into Shouto’s torso and fuck that , Katsuki’s resolve was gone.

He stood up abruptly, the loud sound of his feet hitting the floor drew people’s eyes. 

“I’m gonna go get some water,” He ground out, making direct eye contact with Shouto, before heading in the direction of the kitchen.

“I am also thirsty, so I will accompany you,” Todoroki said, offering a few apologies at the whines from his classmates.

As soon as Shouto was in the room, Katsuki pushed him against the counter and his hands flew back to balance himself. He then slotted himself against his chest. 

“Fucking leeches,” he muttered, his shoulders untensing when Shouto’s arms finally came forward to wrap around his waist. He was pleasantly warm and he could feel his boyfriend’s words rumble in his chest and the movement of his chin when he spoke up.

“I find it endearing.”

“Yeah well you’re still mine ,” Shouto smiled at the way the arms around him tightened. He pulled back slightly to meet his red eyes.

“Are you jealous?”

“Pft of what? That’s the closest they’ll ever get to you.” His bicolored eyebrows rose, and his lips tugged up into an unfair smirk. Katsuki eyed his lips before looking up at him through his eyelashes.

“True,” Shouto met his eyes. “I would never do any of this with Sero, it would be far too awkward,” Katsuki couldn’t stop his huff of laughter at the dumb joke. He sighed and leaned in to press their lips together. He was addicted to the way he could feel Shouto smile against him. 

It started out soft and sweet and slow, but then Shouto’s hand brushed under the hem of his shirt. In response, Katsuki used one hand to grip the counter he was still pressing his boyfriend against, the other buried itself in red and white hair, tugging lightly in a way he knew would make Shouto gasp and groan. He was the one smirking now, well internally, his mouth was a little busy.

Katsuki could feel his whole being coming alive. 

It was like the exhilarating adrenaline rush of a good fight paired with the need to touch. He could now admit that Shouto was hot. Very hot. He definitely won in the boyfriend department. 

He had known that he was attractive even back when they hadn’t even spoken. Bakugou was stubborn, sure, but he also had fucking eyes. And Shouto was too pretty for all of their sakes. 

Now that he was actually allowed to touch, he would whenever he got the chance, so yeah, he was going to make out and maybe get a little handsy with him in the kitchen, it’s not like anyone else was there to see-

At the sound of the door to the kitchen opening, Bakugou jumped back from a confused and dazed-looking Todoroki. In walked ponytail with Deku following her, looking like a lost puppy. 

“Ah, Todoroki, Bakugou, I was wondering where you had wandered off to,” She said, offering them a smile before walking around Bakugou to get to the fridge. The nerd took one look at them and immediately put his blushing face down, much more interested in finding some more snacks in the pantry. 

“Are you enjoying the movie Yaoyorozu?” Shouto managed to get out, his voice sounding a bit strange and breathless. His face was still a bit red and his head was still resting against the overhead cupboard behind him. The usually neat line between red and white was mussed and his lips were a shiny rose color. Katsuki felt incredibly proud of himself. 

“It’s pretty interesting actually, I really like the main character,” Ponytail retrieved a bag of various candied fruits before moving on to grab a box of chocolate something. “How about you?” When Todoroki just stared back at her blankly, Bakugou took it as his cue to take over. 

“Yeah he seems cool,” She laughed slightly at his response, which was confusing, but he just elected to ignore him. Deku hastily grabbed a bag of brightly colored candy and returned to Momo’s side by the door. He began to follow her out but she stopped.

“Kanako is a cool character, isn’t she Midoriya?”

“U-uh yeah, very clever!” He said, mustering up a nervous smile. 

“Well, anyway, we’re gonna head back, good luck with your,” she paused, looking both of them up and down “water break.” she finished, giving them a smug smile before leaving, Midoriya close behind her. 

Bakugou looked over Todoroki. His eyes were widened and his face was even more flushed now. Katsuki sighed, walking over to stand right beside him, leaning into his shoulder. Shouto moved to wrap his arm around him. 

“She figured it out,” Katsuki said, the statement muffled by the fabric of Shouto's shirt. The latter let out a resigned sigh.

“Definitely,”

Chapter Text

Whoever sold Mina and Denki water balloons and water guns clearly didn’t know the grave mistake they were making.

Shouto had been there when they were getting the supplies and the terrifying smirks on their faces should’ve been enough reason to deny them service or at least require them to sign some sort of release form. The carnage that the UA grounds would see by the end of the day was astounding and frankly, Shouto wasn’t surprised. 

Sure, he didn’t have any experience with this kind of fighting, but when Katsuki’s friends were involved, chaos would surely follow. It didn’t help that everyone in the class was participating in some way. Most of them were extremely competitive, so once the balloons were filled and the plastic weapons were distributed and Aizaawa (their reluctant referee and chaperone for the day) signaled them to start, projectiles were flying and people were screaming and it was overwhelming the most amazing way. 

They ended up splitting up into their usual groups in the beginning, and Shouto took a lot of pleasure in shooting water at Katsuki’s hair to make it droop ridiculously. It was even worth the water balloon to the face he got in return (Damn his perfect aim). He enjoyed teaming up with him to dominate everyone else even more. 

By the end of it, they were all soaked and hungry, but happy. It was the little moments that they got to just be normal kids that were the most precious. Even Aizawa didn’t look as drained as he watched them bicker over how to cook the food.

They eventually got it together and they enjoyed the surprisingly good (not really a surprise, Bakugou helped them) food. Shouto just let himself relax into the mayhem that was his class. From his seat between Midoriya and Katsuki, he could hear and take part in multiple conversations, or even just listen. The mix of their voices and the light brush of his boyfriend's hand beneath the blanket they were sitting on, in the grassy area behind the dorm building was a welcome change of pace after a long day of running around. 

The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon once they had all finished and cleaned up after themselves. Shouto had just finished cleaning off the grill when Sero and Uraraka ran up to him, pulling Sato along behind them. 

“Heyyyyy Todoroki~!” Sero said casually, looking at Uraraka who was smiling widely. 

“Hello,” 

“Can we ask you a favor?” Todoroki made no effort to hide his suspicion. Those words from Sero’s mouth rarely ended well, but Uraraka and Sato were apparently in on it so, in theory, it couldn’t be too bad. 

“Yes…?” Their smiles widened and Sato stepped forward to reveal something in his hands. At Todoroki’s confused look, he elaborated.

“We’re gonna need your quirk!” 

Popsicles. 

They needed him for popsicles.

The system they worked out was efficient and they seemed incredibly proud of themselves for thinking of it. Sero went around getting orders that he then relayed to Sato, who prepared the ingredients and set them in the molds. It was Todoroki’s job to freeze them and then assist Uraraka in handing them out to their classmates. They had dispersed slightly, most remaining outside, but separating into smaller groups to sit in the shade until the sun went down. The heat would be less intense then and they could spend a bit more time outside before heading in to get ready for bed. 

The work wasn’t hard and honestly, he didn’t mind using his quirk in what some might consider “trivial” ways. He would never turn down some training on precision so he helped them without any complaints. It wasn’t like it was hard work and the minimal effort was more than worth the delighted looks his classmates gave them when they handed over the frozen treats. 

It was even more worth Bakugou’s reaction.

Well, he didn’t exactly react in a certain way, it was what he did with it that really got to him. 

It was no secret that he found Bakugou attractive. He wouldn’t be involved with him the way he was if he didn’t. On any given day, he looked great, but there was something about the way he looked today that made him want to get as close as possible.

The water had mostly dried, due to the heat and the thickness of Katsuki’s hair, but a few stubborn pieces in the front were still drooping and he kept having to shake them out of his eyes. The movement accentuated the line of his neck and when Shouto came over to give him his popsicle, he could almost taste the caramel scent in the air. The water mixing with his sweat had been strengthening it all day. 

Mango with tajin chile.  

Satou had really hit the mark with that one. The combination of sweet and spice was always a good choice, especially for Katsuki. Bakugou, always up for some heat, had plenty of spices imported from wherever he could get them from and when he could, Satou had added them to his normally sweet concoctions. It was made clear that it was a match made in heaven (or hell) when he managed to win Bakugou’s satisfaction, through his baking.   

The popsicle was orange and red in color with a higher concentration of the powder toward the top before spreading out more as it continued down the wooden sticks they had used. 

The excited smirk on his face was worth the irritation that the spice had caused to his eyes earlier in the process and what happened next was about to go even farther. 

It had never occurred to Shouto that he had never really paid attention to Katsuki eating or drinking anything, but now he was definitely going to have to make a point to do so in the future. 

Just the sight of him licking at it was enough to send a strange shiver through him. 

The way his tongue poked out from his parted lips to taste up and down and anywhere else it could reach. The utter concentration he was demonstrating. The absurdly lewd sounds he was making by lapping at it in a certain way. The way the heat of the spice managed to add some color into his soft cheeks. How he was sweating in the summer heat and the way the dangerous droplets traced his exposed jawline before curving down under his stupidly tight black tank top. The way the cold began to melt and he was forced to trace the underside of the popsicle and then suck whatever had managed to escape off his now sticky fingers. 

It didn’t help that while Shouto was well aware of what that tongue was capable of, he also knew near nothing of its... other capabilities and damn was he in the mood to find out right now.

So with, less than pure thoughts clouding his mind, he couldn’t help but openly stare at Katsuki.

It was almost as if he was under some spell, entranced to see him and only him. The rest of their little world had long since faded away into the white noise.

Of course, with the copious amount of blatant staring going on, Katsuki noticed, and being the clever person he was, he almost immediately figured out what was going. And instead of helping the uh- rapidly developing situation , he looked from Todoroki to the popsicle and then back to Todoroki again. His smirk practically screamed mischief.   

Then, with no regard, whatsoever for their surroundings or the consequences of his actions he proceeded to look him right in the eye and -for lack of better word- deepthroat the fucking popsicle. 

The temperature seemed to jump and now his collar was too tight and his face was burning in a way he wasn’t completely positive wasn’t his quirk responding to his strong reaction.  

He could see the way his cheeks hollowed out to make room and how his tongue swirled around the tip when he brought it back out momentarily before taking it further into his mouth. All of this while making steady eye contact and not hesitating once. 

Shouto, while incredibly inexperienced, had a very good idea of what image he was attempting to convey. And it was working too well. His hand reached up to pull at his collar, unbuttoning it a bit of the way down and he swallowed heavily. Then an icy breath came out without his consent, his body’s unconscious way of telling him to calm the hell down.  

Katsuki just smirked wider, his lips still stretched around the popsicle that was steadily melting in his mouth. Eventually, it dissipated enough for him to swallow it with a satisfied hum. 

“I-” Shouto started, his voice rough and low. He cleared his throat and tried to gather his thoughts into a coherent sentence,  “-you...that was- can- ugh!” His face flushed even deeper as his frustration and desperation grew. Katsuki only made it worse by laughing at his inability to remain composed. 

“What’s wrong Shouto? Lost your voice~?” He teased, licking his lips in a way that only added to Shouto’s desire to jump on him right there. Luckily, he had just enough sense left to know that they shouldn't do whatever it is that they were going to do out in the open air within the hearing range of their classmates. 

“You fucking- that's it!” 

Katsuki’s eyes widened at Shouto’s warm hand on his upper arm, but he didn’t resist when he dragged him towards the entrance to the dorm building. They didn’t even look at their classmates as they passed, too invested in getting inside to respond to the few goodnights sent their way.

If Uraraka observed anything out of the ordinary when they passed by her and Tsuyu on the steps, she didn’t say anything, not that either of them were in any shape to notice or care whether or not she did. 

The doors opened at a quick shove from Todoroki and they passed Kirishima without a glance before stepping into the open elevator and jabbing at the button to close the doors.

The second the metal touched, hiding them from view, Shouto slammed him against the wall and pressed as close as he could. His arms were wrapped around his shoulders and one of his legs was propped against the wall in between Katsuki’s legs. The urgency in his kisses made his boyfriend smirk despite his surprise. Shouto was not usually the bold one when it came to things like this, but apparently, his playful torment had been enough to get rid of his usual shyness. 

He turned his head to deepen the kiss and let out a low groan at the taste. 

Mango and chile.  

The spice danced along his tongue and sent a wave of heat through his being. 

Kissing Katsuki was always a thrilling experience, but there was something about the haphazard nature of which he smashed blindly at the elevator buttons before going right back to letting his fingers roam the plane of his back. The spontaneity and vibrant passion that shone through was intoxicating.

As the elevator began moving up, Katsuki’s hands moved further down, but before they could get lower than his belt, he pulled back breathing heavily. Shouto, looked down at him, blinking blearily. 

“Is this okay?” He motioned towards his lower half. Shouto smiled, Katsuki was always respectful and attentive. 

“Yes,” They immediately crashed back together and this time his hand wandered down to grab at his ass. He let out a loud moan and Katsuki moved to kiss at his neck. Shouto let his head fall back against the wall and he bit his lip to try to quiet down. His eyes fluttered open to look down at the blonde currently busying himself with nibbling on his ear. 

Katsuki was no doubt going to leave more marks that he would have to find a way to cover by morning, but that was the last thing on his mind in the moment. He was more focused on the way his breath hitched on a low whine when he bit down on his shoulder. In his haze, he managed to lock his gaze forward and force his voice box to work.

“Mm K-Katsuki-” a well-aimed scrape against his collar bones made him gasp. “Door,”

Red eyes aimed themselves towards the opening and Shouto took a moment to examine his ruffled appearance. 

His hair was mussed in a way only he got to see and he was breathing hard. The red of his bruised lips was like a polished version of the flaming color of his eyes. His shirt was pushed up slightly and his jeans were hugging him in all the right places. As his mismatched eyes darted down, he noticed that they were particularly tight in the front. He licked his lips and smiled hungrily.

Then, without any warning, he grabbed his waist and lifted him into his arms. Instinctively, he wrapped his legs around his torso but pulled back to give him a look. 

“This is your floor,” he simpered, nodding to the side to motion to the number displayed on the screen. 

“Perfect,” Shouto replied before heading down the hall with Bakugou still in his arms. It was as if Katsuki didn’t weigh anything at all. They stayed pressed closely against each other until they reached his room. 

Katsuki smirked and tangled his hands in Shouto’s hair, kissing him deeply. Shouto returned it eagerly, fumbling slightly with the door, but eventually shifting his hold to turn the knob and bring them both inside. With a light kick from Shouto, the door shut behind them and the hall was mostly quiet again, aside from the few sounds that drifted through the crack under the door. 

Upon exiting the elevator to get to their rooms later on, Sero and Satou immediately turned around, opting to bunk with their friends on other floors for the night.

Chapter Text

“Goodbye Bakugou! Todoroki!”

“Fuck off baldy,” Bakugou growled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Yoarashi didn’t even flinch, his smile stayed secure on his face. His partner sighed, turning around and tugging his bag over his shoulder.

“See you next week, Yoarashi,” Todoroki replied politely. With a final enthusiastic wave, he disappeared around the corner. 

“Finally, I swear I thought he was never going to leave,” He murmured before grabbing onto Shouto’s jacket sleeve to lead him down the street towards their usual train station. 

“He was just excited because class went well, we are getting really close to the retest,” Bakugou grunted in agreement. He was only half-listening, more focused on getting to the train. As they came up on the entrance he sped up, dragging an amused Todoroki behind him. Once they made it onto the platform, Shouto stopped him.

“What’s the rush? We have plenty of time to get back before curfew.” He said, lacing his fingers with Katsuki’s and smiling at the warmth of them. 

“We need to make this train.” He replied, quickly moving up and into the train car. They took a place towards the back of the car, holding onto the bar as the train began to move down the track. 

“Is there a specific reason why we needed to make this train?” Todoroki asked, keeping his voice low to not disturb the other passengers. Bakugou smirked and leaned back into a pole. 

“You’ll see,” Shouto gave him a curious look but didn’t ask any further questions.

They conversed quietly until they made it back to Musutafu. By the time they were walking down the street leading up to the U.A. campus, Bakugou still hadn’t explained himself. He knew that he had been more distant during the past week. He had taken multiple unexplained off-campus trips and canceled a few things to make some finishing touches. He only hoped that Shouto wouldn’t think anything was wrong or take it in a bad way. If he did, hopefully, the result of his efforts would make up for it in the end. 

They were coming up on the gates now and he was still leading Shouto, who had fallen into a pensive silence a few blocks ago. The two made their way up through the elevator, stopping at Bakugou’s floor. Shouto gave him another questioning gaze, but he just took his hand and led him into his room. They both set their bags down, but when the taller went to sit down on the bed, Bakugou threw a big hoodie at him. 

He fumbled to catch it. It was the big one with the X across the front that Katuki liked to wear to sleep. He knew it was Shouto’s favorite because of how often it was stolen from him. He wordlessly slipped it over his head and watched curiously as he did the same with a black school-issued UA High crewneck sweater. He subtly slipped something into the pocket without him getting a good look at it.

He also picked up a backpack that Shouto had never seen before. 

“Where are we going?” He asked as Katsuki grabbed his hand and led him out into the hall. 

“C’mon, we’re almost there,” They were approaching the door at the opposite end of the hall, marked with red letters. 

“The fire escape? What are we-?” The door opened and they walked out across the metal structure until they reached the connecting part of the two wings. They stepped over the raised edge and onto the roof. 

Shouto let out a little gasp and Katsuki let out a small sigh when he finally smiled. He had worked damn hard on this for him.

There was a blanket laid out with a multitude of pillows on top of it. A lantern sat in the middle along with two settings sitting on a square covered in a different cloth. 

It had taken Katsuki weeks to prepare everything for this date and he could only hope that he would like it. They hadn’t really gone on a more “formal” date yet -not that the roof was incredibly formal- but he had the idea and simply gone with it. Making everything himself had been a lot of work, but when it came to Shouto, he didn’t exactly mind it.

“Fucking say something,” Katsuki mumbled after a few moments of stunned silence. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after-

His thoughts were immediately halted by Shouto practically throwing himself into his arms. 

“It’s amazing Katsuki, thank you,” he whispered. Katsuki scoffed but gave him a gentle squeeze. 

“Sit down I made food,” They walked over to the blanket and sat down. Bakugou rummaged through the backpack and pulled out multiple containers as Shouto arranged the pillows so they could sit beside each other. 

“How did you do this? I’m impressed.” Katsuki smirked as he set the bag aside to open up the containers. 

He had really gone all out. If he was going to do something, he was going to play to win. And dating was no exception. He had definitely gotten the hottest boyfriend out there, but he was also going to be the best damn partner if it killed him. 

So of course he made the extra effort to not only make Shouto’s favorite, but also take the hour-long train ride to go to the only place in the area that made candied strawberries, and get Satou to help him with a cake for dessert all in one week. Shouto deserved the best, and Katsuki was gonna fucking give it to him.

He also immensely enjoyed his expressions of surprise and delight that he was able to evoke by simply doing nice things for him. They didn’t even have to be big. 

A few weeks earlier, Katsuki had seen a stupid cat stuffed animal at the mall that reminded him of Shouto. It was snow white and he remembered Shouto talking about seeing a similar one hanging around his house when he was younger. They weren’t allowed to have real pets in the dorms (Kouda’s rabbit was the only exception for whatever reason) so he figured it was the next best thing until he could. 

He brought it up to his room as soon as he got back and his reaction was priceless. His eyes widened at the sight of it and he held it close to feel how soft it was before pulling him down into a hug. He had named it Boom and claimed that he would sleep with it whenever Katsuki couldn’t be there. And then smiled and Katsuki felt like he was on top of the world. It didn’t have to be big. They were always filled with genuine happiness, or excitement, or fondness. And Katsuki would never want anything other than his genuine reaction. 

Now he was smiling, and leaning over to kiss him. It was slow and sweet. He felt himself relax beneath his touch. Eventually, they separated and Katsuki served them both. 

Over the course of their relationship - it had been a while now damn - he had discovered how to combine their tastes in ways that work for both of them. The best one he had made so far was what he had recreated today. It was Shouto’s favorite food, cold soba, paired with Katsuki’s love of all things spicy. They hadn’t even done it on purpose. A simple slip up in the shared kitchen had led to a revelation. Mixed together they were actually good. At first, Shouto couldn’t take the spice very well, but over time, he adjusted ( thanks to Bakugou’s perseverance and eventual smug pride ), and now it was a part of his everyday meals and Katsuki’s spicy noodles were a special treat.

They both quickly dug in, hungry from the hard work they had put in earlier that day. The conversation was light and the atmosphere was comfortable, and as the sun began to set, the focus shifted. 

“The view is incredible. How did you know how to get up here?”

“Earphones. She said she comes up here to think sometimes so I checked it out a few weeks ago. I talked to Aizawa and he said he didn’t care as long as we’re careful and make it back inside by curfew. Then he just went back to sleep, didn’t even question why I was asking or how I knew how to get up there.” He said, smiling down at his plate. This had worked out really well. When he looked back up, Shouto was staring at him. “What?” 

“I love you,” Katsuki went bright red and hid his face in his hands. 

Despite the fact that Shouto had used that word a few times already, it still made him feel...a lot.

He could feel his heart rate increase and smile take over his face. It almost pissed him off how easily those three little words could practically short circuit his brain like dunce face’s quirk. And he would be pissed if they didn’t make him feel like he was flying. Maybe if they didn’t make him want to laugh and cry and kiss Shouto until his lips bruised he would be mad. But they didn’t and he couldn’t really be mad even if he wanted to at that moment. Not with just how great it made him feel.

He hadn’t been able to return the sentiment out loud yet, but he did. Fuck, he loved him. So much. He felt so much for him sometimes that it almost hurt. But it never did, not with Shouto.

He hadn’t questioned him at all when he didn’t respond the first time or any of the times following. He just said that he didn’t have to say it until he was ready, or ever if he didn’t feel comfortable. He knew that Kastuki cared, and that was enough for him. That had made him feel warm and safe, but fuck did he want to say it, he wanted him to know that he did. He seemed sure, but Katsuki wanted him to have no doubts in his mind about how he felt. 

And if the rest of the evening went as planned, he would. 

Shouto smiled and admired his flustered reaction for a bit before breaking the silence.

“So, this is what you’ve been working on all week.” Katsuki cleared his throat and nodded, dropping his hands and forcing himself to calm down.

“Yeah, I needed to get the ingredients for the soba and...” He reached into the bag for another item.  

He placed a white cardboard box on the makeshift table and turned it to face Shouto. Pulling the lid up, he revealed a cake. It had three layers, two of which were yellow sponge cake and the center one was white frosting and strawberries. The top was covered in clean white icing with multiple embellishments around the perimeter and rows of shiny strawberries across the middle.

“Strawberry shortcake?” Katsuki nodded and passed him a smaller plate, already feeling a bit of anxiety stirring in him. They were getting closer to the end of the meal. “Did you make this? It’s incredible,”

“Yeah, Satou helped,” 

“Thank you,” He said, smiling as the sweetness of the frosting hit his tongue. He hummed in delight before sitting up straight and licking his lips. “Wait, are those-?”

“Candied strawberries,”

“You remembered,” He said, his voice softening considerably. Katsuki rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his plate. Shouto had only mentioned the strawberries once, despite being very fond of the flavor. It was a part of a story that he had told about his older brother smuggling him treats. He would give him as much variety as possible without alerting their father, but his favorite had always been the strawberries. 

Katsuki had been ecstatic that he had trusted him enough to share such a tender and personal story with him. His family had always been a complicated subject, but his eldest brother had gone completely unmentioned for a long while. The most that he’d known was that he’d died young and Shouto didn’t remember him much. He had learned from Shouto that what he did remember was someone who cared enough about him to risk their father’s wrath. 

Upon hearing it, he committed it to memory and had planned to use it on a special occasion, and this was it. 

“I did,” He replied, reaching for Shouto’s hand. He took it easily and pressed it a light kiss to the back of it. They both smiled and Katsuki pushed on. “I’m sorry for being so distant this week,”

“You were working on something, incredibly sweet, you have nothing to be sorry for,” His smile was inviting and it made him want to keep going. “This has been amazing Katsuki,” He took a deep breath.

“It’s not quite done yet,” Katsuki replied. He could feel his hands getting sweaty and himself fidgeting. In his head he wanted to tell himself that it would all be fine, Shouto loved him, of course, it would be fine. But a smaller and somehow infinitely louder part was screaming at him to take it back. Someone like him could never get that lucky. He was going to laugh at him and leave him with nothing. The warring thoughts made him want to pull his hair out. He knew what he wanted, he did. 

But he was scared. So fucking scared. 

Of not being enough, of saying the wrong thing, of moving too fast, of hurting Shouto, of being hurt by Shouto even though he had never done anything to deserve the suspicion. He wanted to protect himself from the pain that came with being honest and bearing his soul. The vulnerability was terrifying, yet here Shouto was, gentle and patient, not expecting anything, but still giving it his all. 

Fuck, he loved him. 

So he kept going. 

“Do you remember when I went to the mall a few weeks ago with Mina and Kirishima, and I brought you back the cat because it reminded me of you?” Shouto nodded, giving him his full attention. 

This was it, the perfect segway, his opportunity to not be a fucking coward like-

Shouto squeezed his hand and Katsuki...

“Well...I got something else while I was there,” He could see the way his hands were shaking as he released Shouto’s to reach into his pocket. His fingers closed around the small wooden box. 

If he took it out, there was no going back. 

He took a shaky breath.

He wanted to do this, and he was going to see it through even if it killed him. Go beyond, right?

The box made a soft thud when it hit the table and Shouto looked down at it in surprise. Katsuki fumbled with the lid a few times before he finally got it open. He pushed it towards Shouto, who let out a small gasp. 

The inside of the box was lined with navy blue fabric with similarly colored stiff pieces of felt at the bottom of it. Between them, sat two rings, on separate chains. 

They were both simple metal bands, but they each had another strand of metal wrapping around them. In the center they each formed polished knots. One was a fiery orange and the other was a leaden blue. They were both shining in the light of the setting sun.

“They’re promise rings,” He held back a grimace at the unsure sound of his voice. “The lady at the store said that they mean commitment to a relationship and I’m committed to you. I want you to know- fuck it’s really sappy- I want to be with you, just you. Shit that’s kind of creepy and I know we’re still really young but-” Thankfully Shouto cut off his ramblings before he could say anything too stupid. 

“I love it,” He said, smiling wide and traced the orange and silver ring with his finger.

The next words out of Katsuki’s mouth were completely accidental. Apparently, his brain to mouth filter decided it was time to cut the crap. 

“I love you,” he blurted out in response. He covered his mouth with his hands, surprised at his own bluntness. That was much more of Shouto’s style than his own. 

Shit, Shouto! 

He had meant to say it in a more meaningful way, not yelling it randomly. He could only hope he wouldn’t mind. 

He lifted his gaze to look at his boyfriend and…

Katsuki had never seen him smile so brightly. He was beautiful and he loved him, and now he knew.

“And I love you,” Shouto replied, he gently removed the blue and silver ring from the box and leaned in to put it on him. Katsuki let him and after he clasped it around his neck, he let his hands linger on his shoulder. Their eyes met and Shouto smiled before closing the gap between them.

All Katsuki could feel was happy. So incredibly fucking happy. Everything that wasn’t Shouto had completely left his brain. He was filled with warmth and practically buzzing with adrenaline. His heart was pounding in a good way and he wanted to jump and cheer and scream, but they were on the roof, so he kept kissing Shouto until they had to pull back for breath. 

Katsuki’s eyes fell on the box again and he picked up the remaining ring, hands no longer shaking. He gestured for Shouto to turn. He complied, and he draped the chain around his neck. As he was connecting it, he spoke again.  

“What cheap hunks of metal,” he muttered, brushing Shouto’s hair back into place with his fingers. He shivered in response but turned around to face Katsuki again. 

“I love it,” He repeated, more firmly this time. His pale fingers were clutching the ring to his chest, creating an absurd combo with the pout on his face. 

Katsuki let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. He felt his eyes tearing up slightly.

He had been so scared literally minutes ago and now he was practically living in bliss. It made him so happy and proud that he had gotten up the courage to move forward with Shouto. 

Katsuki loved him. And Shouto loved him back.

He couldn’t fucking believe it. How could he have gotten so lucky?

Shouto pressed a light kiss to his forehead, distracting him from his flurry of thoughts and he let him. Leaning into his boyfriend’s waiting arms, he let himself just enjoy the moment, and the company, and the cooling air, and Shouto’s warmth, and his love.

They stayed like that until it began to get too dark to stay up there. 

By that time, Katsuki’s face had begun aching from the wide smile he had yet to be able to conceal. As they made their way down to the kitchen to wash the dishes, Katsuki found that he still felt giddy. He was planning to ride the high as long as possible, even as they entered the common area to find almost all of their classmates milling around. 

“Oh hey! Bakubro, Todoroki, where were you guys? We texted you about dinner, but you didn’t answer so we started it on our own, I think class prez put some stuff to the side for you?” Kirishima yelled upon hearing their voices by the elevator. He was sitting on one of the couches with Sparkles and Invisible Girl, watching a fashion reality show.

“Shut up, Shitty Hair, we already ate,” Kirishima rolled his eyes and turned around, opening his mouth to reply. Whatever he was going to say died on his tongue when he saw the genuinely happy look on his face. He just flat out stared, mouth half open and looking around to see if anyone else was seeing what he was seeing.

“Did classes run late? Kero,” Asui asked from her place at one of the tables with Roundface, fucking Deku, and Ponytail. “You usually come down earlier.” She added, flipping the page in one of the many books strewn across the table. 

Glasses, who had been conversing with Tail, stopped upon seeing them. He sped right up to them, hands already chopping the air. 

“Todoroki, Bakugou, you missed dinner and have almost missed the curfew. In the future, please try to be back in the dorms in a timely manner to promote a healthy schedule for your day,”

“We made it, calm the fuck down,” Bakugou responded lazily, moving around him to set the plates in the sink.

“Bakugou! That kind of language is not becoming of a future pro hero! You should refrain from-” 

“Iida,” Todoroki cut him off, holding out his hands placatingly, “Don’t worry, we'll be more punctual next time,” At the reassurance, he let out a sigh before walking off. 

Todoroki moved to stand beside Bakugou, who was already working on the dishes.

“So, if classes didn’t run late, what were you doing?” Roundface asked, looking up from her Algebra textbook to give Bakugou a not so subtle look. He chose to ignore it in favor of passing another plate over for Shouto to dry. 

“Yeah, did something happen?” Pikachu questioned slinking over to lean on the girls’ table. He tried to look over Ponytail’s shoulder to sneak a peek at her Modern Literature homework, but she just gently pushed his head away. Kirishima came up behind him and nodded his agreement. 

Bakugou looked over at Todoroki, passing him the last dish and leaning back on the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest and shot him an expectant look. (His soft smile might’ve dampened the effect of it but that doesn’t matter, shut up!)

“Uhm,” Shouto bit his lip to suppress a smile. When he wasn’t successful, he turned to put things up in the cabinets. “We had to go get...milk,” He answered levelly. Bakugou almost laughed out loud at that. Shouto was shit at excuses.

“Where did the plates come from then?” Ponytail asked, clearly suspicious. Todoroki was quiet for a moment before closing the cabinet doors. 

“...My room was messy.” He said, choosing to go with his terrible lie.

Judging by the looks he got from everyone around them, it wasn’t working.

“With plates?” At Mina’s question, he shot Katsuki a helpless look. He just smirked in response, far too amused and still riding the high of their successful date. He was feeling too good to care how this reflected on him.

“...Yes?” Shouto said, after turning to face their classmates. His tone was more questioning than asserting. Even the nerd wouldn’t let him slide with that shitty justification.

“Wait, but you guys came from the el-”

“I’m tired, I think I’m going to head back up to my room,” Bakugou scoffed at his cop-out response, but he followed him towards the elevator anyway “Good night,” He said, his voice rushed and verging on flustered. Well, as flustered as the ice prince himself could sound.

A chorus of goodnights was heard in reply until the elevator shut, cutting them off. Once the number displayed next to the doors went up to 2, Mina jumped onto the couch, jostling the students who had decided to sit there. 

“Well...that was suspicious as hell,”

Chapter Text

“Fuck,” 

The breathy murmur was almost covered by whipping of the wind through the trees. It ruffled through blonde and mismatched hair alike as they sat out on the steps. The tension was tangible in the strict line of Shouto’s shoulders and the constant barrage of tiny explosions bursting to life on Katsuki’s palms as he paced back and forth. 

“Fuck,” Shouto wondered if the word even held any meaning to Katsuki anymore. He had always had a foul mouth, but today it had been coming from him over and over. He thought it might be a sort of familiarity thing rather than using it for his usual emphasis. He hated the anxious and unsure tone it held, and he hated that he could feel the same kind of panic begin to rise in him like bile if he didn’t force himself to focus on his surroundings instead.

This test. These results, they would determine whether or not they could continue chasing their dreams. Their futures as pro heroes were riding on the scores. 

They had put in the work, they both had the fresh scars and lessons learned to prove it. The test itself hadn’t been this nerve-wracking. Especially after all their extra training, the hero work had been like breathing or summoning a blast of ice or fire. Second nature. 

Shouto had questioned for a long time if he wanted to be a hero. When he was little he had been afraid of what it would mean, taking up the same profession of that bastard. Now it meant much more to him. It meant being better and making sure no father could ever do that to another family again.

He wanted to be a hero who helped people and right now he was on the path to get there. 

If he was going to do that he needed to make the grade to keep going. 

They just needed to pass, that’s all it would take to get their licenses. All it would take was one point off, one simple mistake, and all those years of pain and hours of training and studying would be for nothing. 

They had attempted to wait up in Katsuki’s room, but they had both gotten restless. Before they took the test, they’d agreed to look at the scores together no matter what. 

The day had finally come and now their futures would be decided within the hour the scores were being sent out. It was nearing 5 minutes until the set time and Shouto could feel his stomach twist and hear his breath coming out in strange short bursts. 

He hit the refresh button on his phone for the umpteenth time to no avail. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked up. Katsuki had stopped his pacing and was standing in front of him, shifting uncomfortably. Little explosions still went off every so often, but as they stayed in relative silence, Shouto let his gaze drop to his hands. They were shaking. At first glance, it could be blamed on the recoil from the strength of even the small blasts. If examined more closely, it became clear that they were quaking at a constant rate. 

Shouto chilled his right palm and reached out to grab Katsuki’s, being careful of where he let his left rest atop them both. He could feel the quaking now and even though his quirk had stopped, it was clear that the tremors were entirely involuntary. 

Katsuki was staring at the floor, but his red eyes were as expressive as ever. 

This was his dream too and failing the test the first time had shaken him more than he’d ever admitted. He was scared. 

“Katsuki-” 

-Bzzzt-   ~Ding~

Their gazes immediately dropped to where their phones sat beside Shouto

Whereas earlier his hands were constantly twitching to check, now he felt like he had been frozen in place. He let out a shaky breath and looked to Katsuki. 

His eyes were hardened and he squeezed his hands before letting go to retrieve their phones. He handed Shouto his and gave him an expectant look. 

Shouto tried the code, missing it the first time, but eventually getting it open to the website. The scores were just a click away. He beckoned Katsuki closer and they both focused on the little rectangle. Shouto couldn’t bring himself to push it, so Katsuki, as determined as ever pushed it and scrolled down. 

Todoroki Shouto, 89, Pass 

Todoroki smiled and let out a breath, but didn’t say a word as Bakugou continued to scroll until he stopped on a name. 

Bakugo Katsuki, 93, Pass

Katsuki laughed breathily and looked Shouto right in the eye.

“I beat you,”

Shouto couldn’t stop himself from laughing at the stupid remark and he wrapped him up in a hug. Katsuki smiled even wider as he was lifted off the ground. His legs wound around his waist and his hands found his shoulders.

“I can’t believe it,” Shouto murmured softly. Katsuki’s smile only widened as he leaned forward to press their foreheads together.

“We fucking made it Sho,” 

He was right, they made it. A wave of overwhelming emotion flooded through him. He felt so much. He didn’t have the words to even hope to, but Katsuki knew, he always knew. With a single look, he knew to lean down and kiss him, letting him put everything he had into it.

The relief, the excitement, the fear for the future, the pride, the appreciation for his fucking amazing boyfriend. He let himself get lost in the sensation of the gentle hands in his hair and the addictive drag of Katsuki’s lips against his. The pace was sweet and languid and Shouto was vaguely aware of having dropped his phone at some point. He could only tell because of the sound it was making on the ground along with the soft yet repetitive dings. Judging by the fact that the one in Katsuki’s pocket was keeping the same time with its own mini seizure, it was most likely the group chat that Camie had made for them when their remedial lessons had first started. He would make sure to check it later. 

For now, the odd buzzes and dings were just the background music to their private moment. It was like those movies Kaminari had shown him. If their lives were a romantic movie this would be the climax with the dramatic shots and the fireworks and the cheering. 

But it was real life so of course there wasn’t-

Wait, that cheering sounded way too loud and way too familiar to be in his head. 

“Hell yeah! Get it Bakugou!” A female voice yelled accompanied by the sound of multiple people banging on the windows rapidly. 

A cough from behind them made them pull apart slightly. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but I believe you have acquired an unwanted audience,” Tokoyami said simply, before walking past them to enter the building. The nonchalance with which he did so had stopped surprising Shouto. He was just a very calm person and he had even come to appreciate his temperance. It was like the calm at the center of the firestorm that was their class. 

Speaking of their class, they were all gathered at the windows, watching with varying degrees of sheepishness (Midoriya was unsurprisingly red-faced yet again.), unabashed excitement and pride (Katsuki’s friends -His friends?- were as loud as ever), or smugness (Shouto could feel Yaomomo’s smirk from where he stood). 

Shouto hesitated for a second, unsure of what to do. It had been Katsuki, who had wanted to keep their relationship to themselves. Would he be mad? Should Shouto put him down and try to fix the mess he had made by not stopping to think? Shit, he should not have been so affectionate out in the open. If he had more self-control they wouldn’t be in this mess. He could only hope that Katsuki wouldn’t hold it against him. He had just been so happy and gotten carried away by the moment. Fuck he probably made him uncomfortable. 

Then, just as he was opening his mouth to apologize, Katsuki held up his middle finger towards the windows and made a show of pulling Shouto back into a heated kiss. His previous thoughts went out the window and he returned it eagerly. With his heart rate jumping back up and his senses being overwhelmed in the best way, the way his face was coloring and the quiet sounds he was making was not even close to a concern. 

More cheers and whistles filled the air as the doors opened and their friends ran out to meet them. 

Before they reached them, Katsuki leaned back again. 

“I had to let them know that you’re mine,” He whispered lowly, Shouto bit his lip in an attempt to hide a smile. Katsuki combed his hair with his hands in a haphazard effort to put it back into its neat state. He couldn’t see it, but judging by the amused look his boyfriend gave him as he put him down, it hadn’t worked.

He was smiling though, and that was all that mattered. He was proud to be with him. Proud enough to practically make out with him shamelessly in front of the whole class. Not exactly how Shouto had thought they would tell them, but it seemed to have gone well enough.

“Damn Bakugou how’d you manage to swing that?” Kaminari yelled from the top of the stairs. 

“Yeah, that’s pretty impressive, even for you. The unattainable ice prince of the class.” Mina added, strutting up to them, arm in arm with Kirishima. 

“Congrats bro! I knew you’d find someone eventually!” Sero moved to lean on Kaminari to look over at the pair.  

“Todoroki huh? Nice,” He said, offering him a thumbs up. 

“You assholes should be jealous.” 

There was a tap on his shoulder and Shouto turned around to see Midoriya. He was facing him, but his eyes were focused on something behind him. 

“Congratulations Todoroki!” He said, giving him a bright smile, before walking right up to Katsuki. His voice became low and his eyes had sharpened in a very unmidoriya-like fashion. Iida, Uraraka, and Momo had followed right after offering their own words of excitement and support.

Shouto absentmindedly wondered if this was what it was like to be cared about. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve these people, but he did know that he was incredibly grateful for his own luck. 

He was brought back to the people in front of him by a deceivingly sweet smile from Mina. 

Shouto looked around and immediately noticed the change. 

Ah yes, the people who cared about Katsuki had some things to tell him.

“You know Bakugou may seem tough, but he’s a real softie and can be really sensitive sometimes,” She started. Her voice was still sugar, but her eyes were pure acid, just like her quirk. 

“Yeah, even he needs some people looking out for him, even he can have some rough times, though he won’t admit it,” Sparks of electricity were now filling the air, crackling dangerously in the crisp air.

“If you can’t be that person for him, you need to shape the hell up ‘cause I know for a fact that he would do anything for you,” Sero added, his voice screaming danger.

“I love you man, but if you break his heart, they will never find your body.” Kirishima finished, hands and forearms hardening in a clear warning. Shouto nodded. 

“A couple of months after we first agreed to try dating, I made a vow to myself.” He began, taking a steadying breath. This was a very personal story to him, but he wanted them to understand, to know, how he felt about Katsuki. And sharing some of his innermost thoughts without breaching his boyfriend’s privacy, would do that. “I had just seen him at one of the lowest points he’d had in the time we’d known each other and I never wanted him to feel like that again. So I promised that I would do anything I could to keep him from hurting. Whether it meant holding him, fighting by his side, or just supporting him from afar. I would be whatever he needed me to be,” They were quiet, but he knew that he held their attention by the way their stares bored into him. He continued, letting his words flow out of him honest and unfiltered. “That was the night I realized I loved him. I didn’t tell him that night, it wasn’t the right time, but I remember that it wasn’t just because he was strong or smart or beautiful. It was because he was so fucking resilient.” Smiles had started to form on their faces and the tension in the air began to dissolve. “He had a terrible day and was in a bad place that held seemingly endless darkness, but he still managed to come back from it afterward. He emerged from it and immediately threatened to kick my ass if I didn’t stop babying him.” Kaminari laughed and Shouto found himself smiling fondly at the memory. “I loved that he had the courage to keep going and to continue being brazenly himself no matter what anyone said or did. I loved-” he stopped, correcting himself “I love him, and I am going to be the best fucking boyfriend I can, for him.”

“That was soooo cute, Todoroki!” Mina squealed, hugging Sero’s arm to her chest. Shouto didn’t know when they had moved positions, but he felt himself redden either way. 

It was like a switch had been flipped, and any traces of distrust or warning had been cleared by his monologuing about his boyfriend. He was glad that they had accepted his answer. They were Katsuki's friends and he wanted them to approve of him of course, but he’d also come to consider them his own in the last couple of months, he wanted to make them proud too.

“I’m glad you feel that way, you both deserve the best,” He exclaimed, slapping him on the back. 

“Definitely and hey, if he ever gives you shit let us know, we’ll knock some sense into him,” Sero stated offering him a fist bump. Kaminari nodded emphatically. 

“And kick his ass if he treats you bad,” Shouto smiled and thanked them. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the situation with Katsuki was ongoing. The idea of that many people caring about him was...foreign to say the least.

It was strange to have people who were willing to be there for him in so many regards. Sure, his siblings had done their best to be there when they could and his parents had made their own efforts, for better or for worse. This was different, however. 

It wasn’t a life or death situation, but there his friends were, practically getting up in Katsuki’s face and telling him all the things they would do to him if he dared to hurt Shouto. They cared enough to support him in all of the ways they could, even if it meant possibly facing Katsuki’s powerful explosions in the process. 

That knowledge brought a fond smile to his face.  

He excused himself from their conversation to make his way over to Katsuki. The blonde had been doing better than expected at keeping his cool, in fact, he was listening to them seriously and giving serious responses. It was rare to see him interact with Midoriya without yelling, despite the improvements they had made in their relationship. 

The tension didn’t seem to be dissipating as it had with himself and Katsuki’s friends. It wasn’t surprising, there had always been more of a disconnect between them because of their issues in the past. 

Shouto took Uraraka stepping up to get Katsuki’s face as his cue to step in. 

“Katsuki got me this ring, look,” He said, taking it out of his shirt to expose the chain. Uraraka softened and traced it gently. 

“It’s beautiful,” She said sincerely, before turning to his boyfriend “Damn, Bakugou, I didn’t know you had it in you to be so romantic,” Momo hummed in agreement as she stepped forward to get a closer look at the ring. Katsuki’s cheeks had taken on a pink flush and he took a step towards Shouto, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Shut the hell up, round face,”

“Ooh it’s so pretty, oh my god Bakugou did you get that for him? I’m so proud of you!” Mina was squealing again, getting into his space. Shouto just smiled and let her have her moment, she was one of the more excitable people in the class.

As she continued to gush to Uraraka and Iida, Shouto noticed Kirishima and Katsuki talking off to the side in low tones. They were pretty quiet, but judging by the twitching of his lips and the way his eyes gave him away, the little “I’m really happy for you bro,” was indicative of the topic of their conversation. 

As his other friends joined him and added their own encouragement, the slight upturn of his lip grew into a real, genuinely happy smile. They somehow managed to even convince him to join in on a group hug. It was short-lived, but still incredibly sweet. Shouto was so glad that they had such amazing friends to support them. 

“Alright you shits, that's enough, get off of me. Fuck off, it’s almost dinner.” 

Somehow, he managed to get them to disperse with only a few whines and protests. Apparently, the prospect of food was enough to distract them. That or they wanted to give them some time alone. Shouto appreciated it either way.

As they filed back into the building Shouto turned to Katsuki who was already making his way over to him. 

“I think that went-” He was cut off by Katsuki grabbing him by the collar and connecting their lips. Shouto smiled and let himself melt into it, sighing happily. 

His hands came to rest in Katsuki’s jacket pockets, while Katsuki’s fiddled with his shirt. They eventually parted, out of breath, and just stood there in each other's arms. 

“I love you,” Right into his ear, whispered like a prayer or a secret too magnificent to be heard by anyone other than Shouto. He found that no matter how many times he heard it, it made him feel weak in the knees and light in the head. The only word he could think of to describe it was floaty. It was like being weightless and taking to the sky without a care in the world. Like seeing above the clouds and knowing that whatever storm came their way that it would pass like any other. It was getting close to drifting away and feeling the fear of being lost forever only to be pulled back down into the gentle embrace of the clouds. 

“I love you too,” another kiss, shorter, but impossibly gentle. He leaned back and took in the red eyes staring back at him, willing his mind to capture the moment and tuck it away to safety. Sweetness never seemed to last long before Katsuki, but now he had found faith in something that had been impossible to him months ago.

He felt something blooming in him. The warmth was back and stronger this time. Stronger than any fire he had ever seen, suffered by, or created. It was fierce like their storm but gentle like the clouds. Impossibly huge and imposing, yet comforting all the same. Whoever said love was a contradiction hadn’t been far off. Shouto had never been one for poetry, but as the days had gone by and the warmth grew he found that to wax poetic was becoming a part of his daily life. Little things were noted and added to the ongoing lists of similes and grand metaphors. 

It was laughable, but for some reason, the idea of it wasn’t upsetting. He did feel like laughing and smiling and doing other unsensible things. 

He managed to be unsensible without even thinking or trying and Katsuki was still proud of him. Proud to be with him. The warmth buzzed under his skin, lighting up beneath his touch and cooling slightly at the withdrawal. 

Katsuki stepped back, offering Shouto that ever-elusive but invaluable smile and a hand. 

He linked their hands, smiling down at them for a second before looking back at Katsuki. The fondness in his eyes was on complete display. He was proud to be with him. With the warmth emanating from his chest and spreading from their joined hands to the rest of him, Shouto knew he was grinning like an idiot. 

He was happy to find that he didn’t care give a shit. 

“Let’s go,”