Chapter Text
Shouto likes to believe he’s a kind person. Someone that can be trusted with otherwise private information - someone you come to in a time of need. Shouto also likes to believe that he exudes an approachable demeanour - however, that seems to be the one thing that falls just short.
He’ll admit, he’s got the kind of face that makes you weary. It’s not mean looking, per se, but it’s certainly not inviting. His sister always said he had a face like a slammed door. Eyes like a damp fireplace. A natural frown that made such a great uninvitation, if you will, that he may as well have been walking around with a sign that says ‘no.’
Which is why it baffled many of his friends when he made the abrupt decision to attend university for teaching, instead of following everyone else and going on to hero work.
“Really?” Uraraka gasped around a mouthful of bread. “I didn’t think that’d be your arena? You don’t seem to get on well with kids.”
“Yeah, Sho! No offence, but you’re kind of a clam when it comes to emotional vulnerability.” Izuku nods along. Shouto notes that he still hasn’t taken a bite of his burger, but says nothing anyway.
“Full offence, you have the emotional capacity of wet cardboard, kero.” Tsuyu chimes, and while that hurts, she’s not incorrect. Uraraka pinches her for the comment all the same.
Tenya’s the only one who offers any kind of welcome comment, god bless him. He’s always been the group’s “dad,” so to speak. Always looking out for them, keeping them out of trouble. He’s always been the best.
“I just find it a bit astounding that after all of that work, you’re still willing to pursue your true dreams.” Tenya muses. He bites into his own burger as he thinks on it. “I would’ve just gone with the original plans, purely out of convenience. Good for you, Shouto, you have determination I never could.”
-
Choosing a university was relatively easy. He wanted to teach younger kids - so early childhood was the way to go, he supposes, and there was very few options that didn’t offer what he wanted.
Izuku opened his acceptance letter with him, far more excited than him, jumping up and down and hugging him like he’d been given a prize.
He’d been thankful, then, that Izuku had proposed they moved in together. Rent would’ve made him lose his mind if he was going to continue going to school (of which his father had vehemently refused to fund.)
Living with Izuku was harsh, but manageable, and he’d been relieved when Tenya had opted to move in. Between the three of them, two with promising jobs, and one with one ahead of him, there was really nothing standing in the way of their dreams. It all sort of...came together, somehow.
Shouto was lucky - insanely so. And he’s grateful. He’s really not sure what could go wrong from here.
-
Izuku continuing to be friends with Bakugou after U.A never failed to infuriate something in Shouto, but the fact that every Bakugou came with a Kirishima made that much easier to deal with.
Shouto isn’t sure what it is, but something about the fiery red-head makes him happy. Content. His presence is calming, despite how bodacious his demeanour, and Shouto is drawn to him.
Even now, as Tenya, Izuku, Kirishima, and Bakugou all sit around their coffee table, slamming cards down like their game is really that important, Shouto’s eyes linger on Kirishima.
He leans on his elbows on the table, laughing every time Bakugou says something that isn’t funny. He stopped running that ridiculous gel through his hair during third year, and he finally looked like himself. Hair down around his shoulders, he looked real. Like Kirishima.
His roots needed touching up, if he wanted to do that, but Shouto won’t mention that. He’s got a game to play, and Shouto’s got his own paper to work on.
“Do you really have to work on that now?” Izuku asks suddenly, pulling Shouto’s eyes from his laptop screen. “You said yourself, you have plenty of time.”
“I want it out of the way.” Shouto says, turning his attention back to his typing. Izuku sighed, and for a minute, he sounded farther away than he was. He tried to ignore it, until his laptop lid closed and Kirishima’s face appeared in the space it left. He looks up at Shouto with those...eyes. The kind he’d use during school to get what he wants. It’s an impenetrable gaze, and Shouto is weak tonight.
“Come on, Todoroki!” He says, chin on top of Shouto’s laptop, eyes gleaming. “One game! Then you can back to it! Pinky promise!”
Shouto lays his head back and sighs, before perking back up and looking down at Kirishima with tired eyes. He nods, shifting his work to the side to move to sit by the table.
Kirishima bounds over beside him like an excited puppy, watching him pick up his cards and begin to play.
Like he said, he’s weak tonight. One game, and he’ll get back to work. Kirishima won’t distract him all night.
A boldfaced lie. He gets four hours of sleep and no work done. Kirishima is still there in the morning, having fallen asleep in Izuku’s room. Shouto wonders if Kirishima might’ve fallen asleep in his room, if he had left his door open.
He ignores the thought. He makes breakfast instead, busying himself. The distraction proves successful, as he doesn’t hear Bakugou and Kirishima slip out the front door while he flips his eggs.
-
“I don’t understand why they sneak out every morning.” Tenya says, absentmindedly. “It’s not like we don’t want to wake up and have them there. We have jobs but not all the time.”
“You’re just upset that Kacchan and Kirishima made plans to live together without telling you.” Izuku sighs, shovelling another whopping mouthful of eggs into his mouth, chewing loudly. “It’s okay, Tenya. You’re allowed to be mad at him - you guys have been dating for what? Nine months? That happens.”
Izuku shrugs the comment like it’s something everyone knows. Shouto doesn’t know. He’s never been with someone long enough to know whether that’s okay. Izuku was the closest he came to a relationship, and they both deduced it wasn’t working barely three months in.
What would Shouto do if someone asked him out now? He’d said yes to Izuku back then because he’d admired him. He found him fascinating. He was the only person who understood Shouto - sometimes he thinks he still is.
He’d say no, he supposes. He’s not ready. That’s normal, right? It’s normal to just not be ready for all of that. He’s got time. There’s no one he’s particularly interested in, anyway. He can wait.
“I’m not mad, I just wished he’d talked to me.” Tenya insists, putting his plate down fully. Shouto swallows his mouthful - Tenya was getting serious. “I don’t want to argue, it’s pointless, but I really wish he’d sat down and talked to me about it. Blah, blah, he doesn’t want to move in because he can’t promise he won’t get mad at me if we’re so close- I get that, I really do, but why couldn’t he just tell me that instead of planning alternate arrangements without me?”
Shouto slurps loudly on his food, hoping to at least make Izuku laugh so the topic will move on. Tenya’s in his element, though, and there’s nothing that makes him stop when he gets going.
“And why can’t he stay? In the mornings, I mean. I get it, three people under one roof, it’s awkward. But it would be just a little bit nice to wake up to my boyfriend for once.” He sighs, frustratedly picking up his plate again and picking around at his food. He doesn’t eat any of it. Shouto frowns.
“It’s alright, Tenya.” Izuku ignores that he hasn’t taken a bite. “You guys have time to figure that out. He’ll move in when he’s ready. Trust me - with the way he is, you should be savouring the time you have alone. He’ll get clingy soon.”
Shouto slurps loudly again, and this time Izuku giggles long enough at it for Tenya to start laughing, too. The topic of Tenya’s problems in paradise disappears with the rest of their breakfast, and Tenya and Izuku wish Shouto luck for his class later that day before heading off to their own big-game jobs. Shouto’s class isn’t for another three hours, so he’s got time on his hands to lay back on the couch and think.
Tenya and Bakugou have been together for a while now, and during school, Shouto rarely ever ran into them without the other. When he did, it was usually because they were fighting. Shouto wonders if this is the older version of that.
Bakugou’s just having a moment alone because he doesn’t want to scare Tenya off. Bakugou did that a lot - even before they were dating. He’d push Tenya away so he could calm down, before letting him back in. Shouto does that, too. Differently, but still.
He wonders if he’s doing it now.
-
He doesn’t understand why he agreed to come along. He doesn’t like going out, and he still has his paper to work on.
Maybe he’s weak again - Kirishima seemed far more convincing tonight when he flashed his eyes up at Shouto. He’d caved almost instantly, already grabbing his coat when Izuku piped up to offer his bout of begging to get him to come. He doesn’t think it’s worth it, though, as he stands in the freezing cold waiting for Tenya and Bakugou to stop making out and come downstairs so they can leave.
He curses Bakugou’s unearthly need to be attached to Tenya’s side every time he sees him - curses his incessant need to have his tongue down the man’s throat even harder.
“For fucks sake, I’m freezing!” Sero whines, stomping around in a vague attempt to keep warm. “Are these assholes having sex up there or what?”
“If they were having sex, they would be down here much quicker.” Shouto groans. Kirishima barks out a hearty laugh, moving closer to huddle against Shouto like a penguin.
“That’s a good one.” He snickers quietly, resting his head on Shouto’s shoulder. “Ever considered pursuing comedy?”
He’s humouring him, which Shouto usually doesn’t like, but Kirishima’s always been funny.
“On occasion, though I doubt I’d make it big with a one man crowd.” Shouto says, shivering as he watches the swirl of his breath rise and dissipate above his head.
“I’ll cheer extra loud,” Kirishima assures him, tucking his face against the warm crevice of Shouto’s left shoulder, “make sure everyone knows what they’re missing.”
Kirishima’s clingy. Not just to the obvious Bakugou, but to everyone. Shouto wonders why. Does he get something out of it? Surely there’s a reason he’s so...the way that he is.
Maybe Kirishima’s just like that, but it’s odd. How can someone be so okay with affection? Being so close with someone he was never really friends with - isn’t that hard? Is it just Shouto that’s weird?
“Alright, fuckers, let’s go. I’m freezing my dick off.” Bakugou coughs as he pulls Tenya by the hand past them. He leads the way to wherever they’re going, yanking Tenya along, who seems to have no complaints.
Kirishima clings to Shouto’s arm the whole way there, retaining any warmth he can. Shouto heats up that little bit for him, hoping it’s enough.
He looks over at Tenya and Bakugou, just in time to catch Bakugou’s flushed face as Tenya leans down to kiss the hard spot between his brows. Bakugou mumbles something Shouto isn’t close enough to hear, and Tenya smiles at him.
Thankfully, for nobody but Shouto’s nosiness, Tenya is loud enough.
“It’s alright,” he assures him, hand tightening in Bakugou’s, “I’m not mad. I just- I wanted to talk, was all. I’m sorry, too. I love you.”
Shouto stops concentrating when he hears Bakugou start to say it back, looking over at Kirishima, who’s happily snuggled against Shouto’s warmth.
“Kirishima.” Shouto calls for him, and Kirishima turns immediately. He should say something, too. Kirishima deserves it. “You’re a good friend. You make me happy.”
“Oh! Thanks, man!” He grins. “You make me happy, too.”
Bakugou’s sharp head turn is too fast for Shouto to make out whether he’d been looking at them or not.