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It all began when Shouto, Midoriya and Bakugou stumbled upon a public proposal during a patrol.
First, they thought the sudden commotion could be a villain attack, but stood down as they realized it was just an elaborate flash mob with acapella singers, synchronized dance movements and a very emotional speech by a guy on one knee in front of his girlfriend.
After an enthusiastic (and tearful) acceptance, the crowd quickly dispersed and the heroes continued their patrol as planned. Midoriya and Bakugou occupied themselves with an idle discussion on whether the display had been heartfelt or just tacky, but Shouto found himself unexpectedly deep in thought.
He had never thought about marriage that much. He had always assumed it was like what his parents had, and that experience didn’t exactly endear him to the thought. A means to an end, a seal stamped on a paper at the end of long negotiations – mostly concerning money.
The proposal he had just witnessed had been different – even with the pomp and circumstance, it seemed somehow more honest, more important.
When Endeavor found out about the…arrangement Shouto had with Bakugou and Midoriya, he had not been exactly pleased, but not really furious like he might have been some years earlier. There had been some pointed remarks about spending energy on frivolous things, but for the most part, that was the extent of it.
Shouto had been grateful for the unexpected peace until he realized that the silence wasn’t the result of his father approving or accepting the relationship, but instead a sign that Endeavor assumed Shouto wasn’t being serious. That whatever was going on with Bakugou and Midoriya wasn’t anything worth getting mad over. That Shouto was just rebelling, or experimenting, or living out the wild days of his youth before eventually doing the Sensible Thing and settling in for what was expected of him all along.
The idea sat like a cold stone at the bottom of Shouto’s stomach. Who else believed that the three of them were just a phase, an easy way to let go of the pressures of hero life? His mother and sister seemed supportive but a bit puzzled, while Natsuo just kind of didn’t address the whole thing in any way. His friends were…seemingly alright with it? Shouto often took things literally and failed to catch all the meanings woven into the fabric of conversation, so every now and then there was a joke that left him a bit hesitant.
On a few particularly dark occasions, usually lying awake in the dead of night, he even wondered if Bakugou and Midoriya thought he was with them for some temporary, light-hearted pleasure.
Shouto definitely wouldn’t say he felt like an outsider in their relationship. It was made of three equal parts, not a pair and a spare wheel dangling in the back. His partners made sure he felt loved and appreciated and wanted every day, and he wouldn’t trade any of it away for the world. But Bakugou and Midoriya had been in each other’s lives for so much longer. It was as if they were bound together by an invisible elastic cord – even if they tried to leave each other behind (and at points of their life, they certainly had tried), sooner or later they would slip and the pull of their connection would slam them together once more.
It wasn’t quite like that with Shouto. He was by no means disconnected from them, but he knew he had a knife beside him, that he could cut himself loose if he wished.
It was unlike him to think in metaphors like this, but that was simply how it felt.
Shouto used to not think about marriage that much, but after the proposal had put the thought in his head, he felt like he kept seeing it everywhere.
Midoriya had to grab him to stop him from walking into a light pole when his eye was captured by an advertisement for engagement rings.
Bakugou had stared like Shouto’s hair had turned blue as he caught him watching a variety show discussing “The Top 10 Cutest Viral Proposals” in the middle of channel hopping.
When asked about it, Shouto just shrugged and said it was nothing in particular. But the more he thought about it, the better he felt about the idea of proposing to his partners, showing he was willing to tie himself to them with a ring of metal, something that couldn’t be cut with a simple swing of a knife.
He chose the anniversary of their shared internship as the occasion – they had already agreed on cooking a nice dinner, and the history of their actual relationship was a bit too messy to be able to pinpoint a “real” anniversary. It felt like a good way to symbolize the connection of the three of them together.
He waited until the brief interim between the main course and dessert, clearing his throat to get the attention of the two others sitting at the table.
“Midoriya, Bakugou. There’s something I’d like to say to you.”
The pair perked up, sensing that there was something unusual going on. When Shouto was certain he had his partners’ undivided attention, he continued.
“We’ve only known each other for a few years, but it’s safe to say you’ve changed my life. I value you both as heroes, friends, and partners. There’s nothing I’d like more than being able to share everything with you, for as long as I live. So…”
He pulled out a custom-made box and opened it, revealing three rings sitting inside. They were a simple and sleek design, but the material was exceptionally durable, made to withstand emergency use of their Quirks.
“Ba- Katsuki, Izuku. Will you marry me?”
Shouto felt flustered just by speaking those names aloud. He still almost never used them, even less while fully clothed, so they seemed to make the whole moment so much more intimate.
Shouto stared at his boyfriends , who in turn stared at the rings. For a moment, no one moved. The stillness stretched on just long enough for Shouto to start thinking they had been attacked by a time-stopping villain, when the spell was broken abruptly.
“I can’t believe this!” Bakugou exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.
“Kacchan?!” Midoriya spun on his seat just to see Bakugou disappear into the kitchen. He gave a quick glance at Shouto, who wasn’t quite sure what to think.
Was this…rejection? Had he misinterpreted everything completely?
There was the sound of the refrigerator opening and closing, and then Bakugou was back, carrying the cake he had made. It was still covered by a plastic dome that hid the contents – Bakugou had been adamant about no one else touching it, insisting that they would mess up his delicate handiwork.
Midoriya looked equal parts baffled and angry.
“Kacchan, this isn’t the time for-“
Bakugou just put the cake on the table and lifted the dome without saying a word. The tips of his ears were red, which was…interesting.
Shouto brought his eyes to the cake and blinked – several times.
It was a gorgeous cake, as was to be expected of its creator: gold decorations complimenting the rich white cream perfectly. On top of the cake was a small pedestal and on the pedestal were…three rings.
They were quite different from Shouto’s: their shape was bold and angular, like their mere existence was meant to be a statement.
Bakugou slunk back on his chair with an exasperated sigh.
“Just because Shortcake couldn’t wait for five more minutes… If I’d had to guess who’d be the one to jump the gun on this one, it woulda been Deku,” Bakugou smirked at Midoriya, who looked a bit sheepish.
“Well, actually…”
He dug into his pocket and took out a small silk pouch. He opened the drawstring and turned the pouch upside down so that three rings fell on his palm. The shape and size was nothing unusual, but each ring had a small gemstone fitted inside: one green, one red, one blue.
Midoriya chuckled and rubbed his neck with his free hand.
“I was uh, thinking to wait until after dessert.”
The three of them fell silent again, taking in the fact that they now had…oh god, nine rings between them.
“…This is like the time we all brought toilet paper from the store on the same day,” Shouto said.
“But this…doesn’t this mean that the answer to us all would be…yes?” Midoriya asked.
“I’ll kick your ass if one of you tries to back out now ,” Bakugou huffed.
With the realization setting in, they wordlessly divided the rings between them, taking turns sliding them into each other’s fingers. Bakugou’s ring was cold in Shouto’s finger from having been in the fridge, while Midoriya’s still faintly radiated the warmth of his pocket.
The next day, they all went to a professional jeweller to have the rings welded together. The clerk was hesitant at first, asking several times if that was really what they wanted to do, but the trio was adamant.
The result was what you would expect: a strange mishmash of different designs, shapes and materials morphed together into an odd combination. The store clerk almost apologized as she showed the finished work to her customers, only to see three nationally acclaimed heroes smiling brightly.
“They’re perfect,” Midoriya said, admiring his set in his finger. Shouto and Bakugou exchanged a look before reaching for their own rings.
They really, really were.