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Hanta has a good thing going with Katsuki and Momo. It's a weird, temporary kind of peace, born out of an unfortunate circumstance, but Hanta can’t bring himself to mind it. He kind of adores it, actually.
It’s been about a week since Hanta’s entire apartment complex was flattened in a fight against a giant villain- since Katsuki had scooped him up like a stray puppy and brought him to his & Momo’s house, gave him home-cooked food, comfortable clothes, and the guest bedroom for as long as he needs it.
Thinking about how easy it’s been here with them makes his heart beat feebly out of rhythm. Momo and Katsuki… they’ve been solid as stone together for about as long as Hanta can remember, but that doesn’t stop Hanta’s traitorous brain from wanting them. From loving them.
In their first year at UA, it was Momo who helped him see the usefulness of his quirk. It was Katsuki who wouldn’t let him mope after a loss. It was the two of them who walked the halls confidently, beautifully, gracefully- it isn’t even Hanta’s fault that he fell for them. It was entirely against his will, and even after years of willing the feeling to just go away , he’s still here. He hasn’t been able to bring himself to get over them enough to last more than a first date with anyone else.
He knows it’s kind of pathetic- to want an established couple so much that he sabotages his own attempts to move on. But there’s always a tiny, stupid part of his brain that wishes, and hopes, and yearns for the day they’ll make room for him.
It’s not all sad though- truthfully, he’s not really sad at all, most of the time. He's adult enough to be able to enjoy their friendship for what it is. His favorite days are when he comes over early in the morning and helps make breakfast- if it’s a weekday, it’s Katsuki he’s helping, and if it’s a weekend, it’s Momo. And he loves the days where he’s at their house long enough to spar with Katsuki for hours and still be around to help Momo tend to the garden in the late hours of the evening. They grow all kinds of vegetables and spices, but Hanta is partial to the little area where Momo grows her flowers- bright and vibrant and full of vitality.
He can’t help but wonder why no one else chooses to visit nearly as often as he does. In the early days, back when Katsuki and Momo had just moved into their home, he couldn’t help feeling like he was… overstepping? Crowding them? He'd forced himself to stay away for a few weeks, but that was quickly stopped when Katsuki and Momo showed up on his doorstep early on a Saturday morning and all but demanded to know why he was mad at them, and then dragged him back to their place anyways.
He knows he gets a bit of special treatment from them- and he knows without a shadow of a doubt that the two of them consider him their closest friend. Denki or Izuku would never be allowed to take up as much of their space as Hanta does, and the thought kind of gives him butterflies.
He isn't stupid enough to let himself be convinced it means anything more. He isn’t selfish, jealous, or stupid. He will happily take what he is offered and keep his longing for more to himself. Their friendship is the most important thing in the world to him.
No matter how often his dreams tell him of a beautiful life with the three of them, it isn’t his reality. No matter how often he gets off to the thought of them touching each other just one room over. No matter how many times his brain thinks for three seconds that maybe he’s been misreading things, maybe this isn’t just platonic friendliness- he’s content with his reality.
This week, though… damn, it’s been testing his mettle. It’s been pure bliss, and he finds he has to keep reminding himself it’s temporary. These people aren’t his to keep, this is not his home, and this is all temporary.
Right now, it’s a little after 8 in the morning on his seventh day of staying with them. He has their Sunday schedule memorized by now- Momo will be reading either in the lounge or her bedroom, and Katsuki is out doing their grocery shopping for the week. Sunday is the only day they fully take off from responsibility, and most weeks, Momo has to force Katsuki to relinquish even that much. The man never wants to stop working.
Hanta flips restlessly where he lies in his (temporary) bed and decides that mopey introspection has no place in his Sunday schedule, and that Momo probably needs a tea refill.
He stands and makes his way downstairs to bring her lavender tea with two sugars, just how she likes it.
//
Okay, listen- Katsuki has known since the second he’d laid eyes on Elbows in high school that he was as dense as a goddamn rock, and more self-effacing than any pro-hero has the right to be.
But surely he’s just playing dumb now, right? There’s no fuckin’ way Hanta can possibly be missing all of the (very obvious) signals and cues that he and Momo are sending. And that they are just as interested as he (obviously) is.
Hanta is at their house more than he is his own, has his own share of the household chores, and even fuckin’ went on vacation with the two of them last year. They include him in every little aspect of their lives. They’re essentially a hero trio with how often they all team up. Yet he’s always been seemingly fucking oblivious to his special treatment.
Katsuki’s always been a direct person, often to the point of brashness. If it were up to just him, he’d spell it out plainly for Hanta in a way he couldn’t possibly misunderstand it- the same way he’d marched right up to Momo’s dorm room and told her that she was smart, capable, and pretty, and therefore the perfect match for Katsuki.
But… it’s not just up to Katsuki. Momo is just about the exact opposite of Katsuki on this front. She’s of the mind that they should show Hanta how serious they are before they ever even consider saying it.
But this fuckin’ week should surely show her, once and for all, that they’re just going to have to come out and say it.
They can’t be more obvious about it- Momo blushes like a fuckin’ virgin every time Hanta refills her tea, or asks about the book she’s reading, or helps her in the garden. Katsuki’s been making a point to tell him how good, how solid he looks when they spar. They’re obvious .
Katsuki wants to throw him against a wall and kiss him until he gets it. Wants to drown him under so much praise that he’ll never think he’s less-than again. Why can’t Hanta see that Katsuki’s always about a half-step from jumping his bones at any given time?
Katsuki’s so frustrated thinking about it that he’s walked down this same aisle in the grocery store four damn times and still not found what he was looking for. They’ve gotta come up with something , damn it, because Katsuki is driving himself crazy having Hanta- beautiful, sweet, funny Hanta- in his house all the time without being able to kiss him stupid, and he knows Momo’s feelin’ the same way.
Momo is reluctant to put Hanta on the spot, but… maybe they can think of a way to say it without saying it? Fuckin’ somehow?
God, where the fuck is the dry pasta?
Katsuki huffs, looks at his half empty cart, and leaves anyway. He’ll grocery shop when he’s acquired a fuckin’ boyfriend.
//
Momo Yaoyorozu is a polite, capable, and put-together woman. Level headed, calm under pressure, and well-rounded.
But everytime she watches Hanta Sero saunter into her bedroom, still damp from a morning shower, to bring her fresh tea and play with her hair- god, she just about loses her mind.
She doesn’t remember when she first started wanting Hanta- he’d always been a close friend, and after all they’ve been through together, the lines have never really been drawn definitively in the sand. But it’s starting to come to a boiling point and, for some reason, he just won’t take the hint .
How many times, and in how many ways, does Momo have to emphasize Hanta’s importance in her and Katsuki’s lives? How many ways are there to say something without really saying it?
God, Momo just wants to take him by the shoulders and shake him until he understands that she loves him, but every time she thinks about confessing - she gets all wobbly. And a bit queasy.
Katsuki’s definitely dying to just come out with it- honestly, Katsuki’s a step from buying a bigger bed and just moving Hanta in- but Katsuki’s always been good at confrontations. He's confident and cocksure and charismatic. Momo, well, is none of those things.
Momo has never confessed to anyone before. If Katsuki had never asked her out, she never would have said a word of her own feelings. And while she could easily just have Katsuki do the confessing, it just doesn't feel quite right if she doesn’t say something herself. And sadly, she’s afraid she’s just a bit too much of a coward for that.
It’s… it’s not like Hanta would refuse her, would he? Katsuki talks so much about how obvious Hanta is, and Momo can’t say she doesn’t see at least some of it, but part of her is still scared. Hanta means so much to her, and he’s involved in so much of her life- to put that at risk is terrifying. Scarier than any villain she’s ever faced.
It would be much easier to let Hanta come to the conclusion himself. That she’s in love with him, and so is Katsuki, and they have been for a long time. And that the guest room has never belonged to anyone but him. That they only grow flowers in their garden because they know Hanta loves the colors. That Katsuki only so easily takes Sundays off work because he knows Hanta will be at home with Momo, waiting to spend time with him. That she’d worship him fastidiously given a good opportunity.
Sadly, it’s been years , and Hanta still hasn’t realized.
The other side of the bed shifts, and Momo is brought back to the present. In her bed on a Sunday morning, freshly brewed lavender tea on one side of her, and Hanta- sweet, funny, beautiful Hanta- reading a book on the other side. His hair has gotten long. Momo wants to run her fingers through it, wants to kiss his eyelids as he sleeps, wants to count the individual swirls of his fingerprints.
She wants to see where the deep V of his hips leads. To see if his long, deft fingers can be put to use in more… entertaining methods. To leave lingering kisses on every taught muscle.
Momo can’t take this anymore. She’s sure of it now- she has to talk to Katsuki, and they have to do something.
//
“Katsuki,” Momo whispers into the scant space between them in the bed. She traces her fingers over the dips and curves of his chest, grounding herself in the familiar.
“Hm? You alright, baby?” her husband answers, drowsy. Momo had unintentionally waited and waited to bring this up- talking herself out of it and back into it about a dozen times, but in the comfort of their bed, thinking of Hanta alone in a different one, she finds her confidence.
“We have to do something about Hanta. I- I think we’ve waited long enough. He’s never gonna get it on his own,” she admits.
Momo can feel it when Katsuki processes her words. The deep shaky breath he takes in is mirrored by Momo’s own, but she isn’t expecting Katsuki to suddenly sit up in the bed and throw the blanket nearly across the room.
“Wha- Katsuki, I didn’t mean now ! What would we even do? Kat, wait-” Momo exclaims, barely managing to grab his arm and keep him in the room.
“Momo,” Katsuki grits. “It’s been years . We can go to him now.”
Momo knows that there is little to no fighting Katsuki when there’s this much determination in his voice. But, still…
“We have to at least have a plan. I can’t just wing this. We’ll make a plan, and then we’ll go. As soon as we’re finished, I promise,” Momo compromises.
She can see him think it over. Momo knows him well enough to know exactly how the thought process goes, and she can see the exact moment he concedes.
“Fine,” he breathes. “Okay, smarty pants. We’ll make a fuckin’ plan. C’mon.”
And with that, Momo is tugged back into bed and the most nerve-wracking planning experience of her life begins.
//
Hanta wakes unexpectedly in the night to the feeling of his hair being tucked away from his face. It’s due to his instincts that he tenses away from the feeling, but when his eyes snap open, it’s Momo and Katsuki that he sees. Despite his confusion, he relaxes back into Katsuki’s touch.
“Awe, look at you,” Katsuki murmurs. “So sweet.”
“Hhmmph?” Hanta sounds- something between sleep-doused confusion and a whimper. Is this another dream?
“It’s alright, Hanta,” Momo tells him, soothing some apparent crease in his brows.
“Wha- uh, what is happening?” Hanta manages to say, suddenly very aware that this is not a dream and that Momo and Katsuki are very much in his bed right now.
“We have some questions for you,” Katsuki tells him. His voice is a low timbre, like the way it sounds through the walls at night when he’s fucking Momo. Hanta was never supposed to hear it.
“They aren’t scary questions, but you need to tell us the truth, yeah? It’s important, sweetheart,” Momo whispers, still dragging her fingers over his face.
“Um,” Hanta says, swallowing thickly. What is happening, he wants to ask. “Okay,” he says instead.
“Good,” Katsuki says, then helps Hanta move into a sitting position. His hands are warm and dizzying on Hanta’s skin. Once he’s sitting, he pulls his knees into his chest and wraps his arms around, hoping to bring some sort of comfort to himself, or something, god, all of this is so confusing.
“How are you feeling?” Momo asks, smiling a kind, patient smile.
How is he feeling? Hanta doesn’t even know what’s happening . He was sleeping two minutes ago, and now his brain is firing on all cylinders. He’s somehow drowsy and wiry all at once. He feels both sluggish and wide awake, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to piece together what’s going on right now.
Did something bad happen? Is someone hurt? No, if it was that, they wouldn’t be smiling… Is he in trouble for something? If so, then why are they being so nice?
He knows it’s nothing bad, but still, what is it?
How is Hanta feeling?
“I don’t know,” he says honestly. “But good, I think.”
Twin smiles are shared over his head, and Hanta suddenly gets the feeling that he’s in over his head, and he doesn’t even know why.
“Good,” Momo says. “That’s good. Can we ask another question?”
Hanta shakily nods his head. These are his best friends, and he can trust them.
“You love us, don’t you?” Katsuki asks plainly.
Hanta freezes, then immediately starts shaking his head. How? This can’t be right, they were never supposed to know. His heart thuds rapidly in his ears as he starts to try and explain himself.
“N-no, I do-” he starts, panicked, but Momo is shushing him as soon as he starts.
“You can be honest with us. You said you would, remember? It’s okay, Han, we know you do. You can say it,” Momo says, and it sounds so sweet coming from her. Like she’s not mad or disgusted by it, like she’s known forever. A look at Katsuki tells the same story.
You can say it , Momo’s voice echoes in his head. We know you do.
“I love you,” he admits, because what the fuck else is he supposed to do in this situation? God, he gets more confused by the second. He doesn’t feel as suffocated by the admission as he thought he would, though.
“Good,” Katsuki tells him. “Was hopin’ you’d say that. ‘Cause we love you, too.”
“For years,” Momo adds.
We love you, too. We love you. We love you.
Momo catches the first tear as it starts to fall from Hanta’s eyes, and god, he didn’t even realize he was crying. They love him? They love him?
This can’t be real, he has to be dreaming, but their hands on him are warm and real. Their words are softer and kinder than any dream Hanta could imagine. Hanta is awake, this is real, and they love him .
“Um,” he says, and it sounds embarrassingly soggy and tear-stained. “You mean it?”
Momo laughs, and it’s a sound so pretty that he would bottle it if he could.
“Han, we’ve been practically throwing ourselves at you,” she says, still laughing. “Of course we mean it.”
“Now get your ass up and come back to our bed, you mopey shit. Yours can’t fit us all,” Katsuki says, back to himself as soon as the confessions are done. The familiar behavior helps to settle the leftover shakiness in Hanta’s brain, and he willingly lets himself be tugged out of his bed.
It’s somehow yet another shell-shocking, life-altering revelation when he’s immediately pulled into a kiss, though.
Katsuki’s hands are rough and calloused against his face, and his kiss is hungry. It’s so Katsuki that Hanta almost wants to laugh, but he’s a bit busy to follow the urge.
Kissing Katsuki feels a bit like catching on fire- heat licking up and down Hanta’s body wherever he’s pressed against Katsuki. It’s good, and his lips are soft and smooth and glide easily against his own. There’s something desperate about it that makes Hanta believe that he’s wanted this for years.
He feels loved through this kiss, and it’s overwhelming. The overwhelm only grows when soft, gentle hands find his back.
When did Momo get so close?
She’s a warm, comforting presence at his back and she drags her lips as sweet as honey across the sensitive skin of his neck. It’s pure electric. It’s enough to make him forget why he never pursued this. Why he was ever scared in the first place.
“C’mon,” Momo whispers to them. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll have time tomorrow.”
Hanta can tell it’s reluctant when Katsuki moves away, but he does as his wife asks- leaving one last kiss on the tip of Hanta’s nose. Momo moves to head out the door in pursuit of him, but Hanta holds her back for just a moment.
Momo looks at him, confused for a moment, but just smiles sweetly at him when she understands.
Momo’s kiss is not as desperate as Katsuki’s, but that’s not a detriment. Her kiss feels like a wound healing over, like a warm meal on a cold day, like a hug. Hanta can’t help how he falls into her, wrapping his arms around her just to feel her that much closer.
Hanta can’t believe he gets to have this. That he gets to do this. To hold them in his arms and kiss them like he’s always imagined and be kissed back.
Momo pulls away with a grin, and Hanta can relate. He feels giddy.
They make their way to the master bedroom in a glorified huddle, and Hanta isn’t surprised when he’s immediately shuffled to the middle of the bed. The other two pile around him and adjust the blankets and pillows for him like well-meaning parents would for a sick child. It’s ridiculous, and Hanta makes sure to tell them as much.
“Tch. Fuck off and let us take care of you, Elbows,” Katsuki snorts, promptly hitting Hanta in the face with a pillow.
“We just want you to be comfortable,” Momo adds. “We all have work tomorrow, so we need to be well-rested.”
“If you wanted me to be well-rested, maybe you shouldn’t have woken me up at 2 in the morning to confess,” Hanta jokes, and even in the dim light of the room, he can see them both blush.
“You complainin’,?” Katsuki asks.
“Not at all. Not even a little bit. I kinda feel like I won the lottery, actually,” Hanta replies, and he revels in the chuckles he gets in reply.
It’s quiet after that- the other two fall asleep shortly after crawling into the bed, but Hanta lies awake for a while longer.
He can’t help but to imagine what the hell his life is going to be like now. He’s gotten the one thing he’s been longing for since high school, right here on either side of him. They chos e him. He didn’t beg or embarrass himself- it’s not out of pity or guilt. He was sought out and loved on purpose.
Tomorrow, he can ask them more. He can kiss them more. He can gather his thoughts and finally tell them, in his own words- how he’s always wanted to- that he loves them more than he’d ever thought possible before.
Tomorrow, something new starts. Something beautiful. And Hanta is so excited to be there for it.