Chapter Text
shoto’s footsteps echoes against the polished for of the endeavour agency. his father’s voice trailed after him like a gust of hot wind; sharp and relentless.
‘‘you’re not taking this seriously shoto.” the voice behind him grated like nails on a chalkboard. shoto didn’t turn his head, refusing to look back at the man.
“i’m here every day,” shoto replies, huffing “training, doing paperwork, going out on patrol. everything you asked of me.
“you’re here, but you’re not here. do you know how much scrutiny is on this agency? on you? the son of the number-one hero doesn’t get to slack, and coast through training and pretend the camera’s aren’t watching.”
shoto stopped in his tracks, finally turning to his father “what does it matter if they do? let them watch.”
“it matters because perception is everything,” enji snaps, the flames on his hero suit sparking with anger. “you can’t just ignore how the media portrays you, and how the public reacts.”
never hang your dirty laundry in public, huh?
“this family has worked too hard to build it’s image, i won’t let you drag it down.” the words made shoto’s jaw tighten. he crossed his arms, waiting for the man to continue.
“say… bakugou for example,” the wheels in shoto’s mind start turning. “do you think associating with someone like that helps your image? he’s reckless, volatile—” enjoy spits with disdain. “exactly the kind of person you should avoid.”
shoto’s eyebrows furrow. bakugou, his classmate. or great lord explosion murder dynamite. he wouldn’t label their relationship as ‘good’, more so ‘fine’. they would both always be bickering (as in bakugou having tantrums and shoto enduring them) while midoriya wasn’t involved. obviously.
“bakugou works harder than anyone here. he’s not reckless.” the wheels are in motion now, churning and twisting with an idea.
“he’s a walking PR disaster,” enjoys shot back. “and if you insist on keeping him close, keeping him here at my agency, you’re going to ruin your own reputation. is that what you want? to be seen as irresponsible? directionless?”
for a long moment, shoto said nothing. then, he turned and walked away without a word, leaving his father standing alone in the hallway.
yes, he had an idea. which may or may not get him killed.
-
the dorms were quiet when shoto returned, the glow of the common room lights casting soft shadows across walls. bakugou was cooking something in the kitchen, head nearly buried in a cooking bowl.
“bakugou.” the boy looks up, the signature scowl etched onto his face.
“huh?” looking at who it was, he looks back down. “what do you want?” shoto takes a deep breath, meeting bakugou’s eyes.
it’s honestly now or never, and shoto internally prepares himself for a beating.
“will you marry me?”
the whisk in his hand stops, slipping and landing into the bowl. looks like he was making some sort of cake. cute. “what in the actual fuck did you just say to me?”
“i’m being serious. i’m sure you’ll be able to move in with me, and you can continue attending the hero course—” bakugou holds his hand up, silencing shoto.
“excuse me?”
shoto holds his deadpanned expression. “i’m serious,” unfazed, he continues. “my father thinks you’re bad for my image, so i thought i’d prove him wrong. or right. i haven’t decided yet.”
“wait wait wait,” his face in a shade of pink shoto can’t quite put his finger on, and it intrigues him. confusingly. “you’re serious?”
“of course i am. this would be the perfect way to get under his skin.” there are so many calls and texts he can ignore, he’s bored of it at this point.
bakugou looks at him as if he’s grown a second head. then, he lets out a laugh, more of a bark really—short, sharp and incredulous. “you’ve lost your fucking mind, halfie.”
shoto was expecting punches. anger, an explosion of some sort. this, honestly, was a little scarier.
-
the morning at endeavour’s agency was the usual. slow build of noise, sidekicks rushing around to check their assignments and reviewing their schedules. the faint hum of distant alarms signalled the city waking up to another day. shoto wouldn’t of minded the buzz of noise, if only it wasn’t his father’s office he stood inside of.
shoto stood aimlessly in the room, tightening his utility belt. bakugou was nearby, muttering under his breath and adjusting the straps on his costume. midoriya hovered in the middle, flipping through a clipboard and rattling off about information for the day.
“deku, shut up” bakugou groans, rolling his shoulders back.
midoriya frowned, but kept going. “—a high traffic area, so we need to be careful about how we’re presenting ourselves.”
shoto barely listened, as if it was a car radio. there but not really. he replayed the conversation with bakugou the night before. he wasn’t sure why he had asked bakugou of all people. maybe it was because bakugou was shamelessly himself, the perfect antithesis to his father’s carefully curated image. or maybe it was bakugou bakugou didn’t back down from anything. or maybe…
“yo, icy-hot.” bakugou’s harsh words cut through his thoughts, as usual. “you ready, or you gonna daydream all morning?” he huffed, cracking his knuckles.
shoto glanced up, meeting bakugou’s gaze. “i’m ready”
he hadn’t agreed per say to his proposal last night (however, he hadn’t rejected the idea). obviously, the day will be normal, shoto told himself. it won’t ever be brought up again.
“good.” bakugou stepped closer, his movements deliberate. the room was still bustling with noise and movement, but a few heads had turned at the tension between them.
and then, without warning, bakugou grabbed the front of shoto’s hero costume, pulled him in and kissed him.
kissed him
it wasn’t subtle. well, how could something like this be subtle?
some sidekicks gasp, most stunned into silence. midoriya made an intelligible squeak as the clipboard from his hands slipped, clattering on the floor.
what was happening? shoto doesn’t know what to do in this situation. he’s never kissed anyone before. he’s seen it in movies, and the one time midoriya was dared to kiss uraraka’s cheek. but here is some first hand experience, the boy in front of him, lips pressed on his like a challenge.
shoto didn’t move, his mind now fully blank as bakugou pulled away, his usual scowl in place. but, there’s a slight quirk in the corner of his mouth, smug.
“that should do the trick for you, shoto,” bakugou mutters into shoto’s ear, the action sending shivers down his spine.
”k-k-kacchan!” midoriya breaks the silence, quickly grabbing his clipboard with exaggerated movements. “what are you doing?!”
“mind your business nerd.” bakugou hisses out, wiping his mouth. his tone is a sharp as ever, shoto notes in his mind.
”shoto” a deep, unmistakable voice called from across the room. endeavour stands in the doorway, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable, although the furrow in his eyebrows and the intensity of his flames slowly shining. “what’s going on here?”
before shoto could quip back, bakugou stepped forward, his usual swagger in every step. “what’s it look like, old man? we’re making headlines.”
-
the patrol route was supposed to be simple. a straightforward loop through one of the busier districts to reinforce their presence as heroes-in-training. but nothing about the day felt simple.
midoriya walked slightly ahead, wringing his hands like a lifeline. bakugou and shoto followed behind, their costumes sharp against the morning light. bakugou has been uncharacteristically talkative—or rather, loud—all morning, hurling comments shoto’s way with a smirk that practically screamed ‘look at me’
”you’re walking way too slow.” bakugou nudges shoto with his shoulder. strangely enough, shoto’s arm feels like a mini firework show, the touch lingering. strange.
“i’m walking normally.” shoto comments, tone flat as usual.
“normal for a damn glacier.” he reaches out, and grabs shoto’s hand.
the fireworks have ignited again. he can almost hear him.
the commotion was enough to draw fractions of attention. passersby begin to snap pictures non discreetly, whispering and pointing.
“kacchan!” midoriya hisses, looking in the direction a block ahead.
a camera flashes, and bakugou pulls shoto forward.
he slightly stumbles, balancing himself onto bakugou’s shoulder. “really useless without me, hm?” and there was the shit-eating grin.
the crowd reacted accordingly. gasps paired with the groups of camera’s coming closer, zooming in on their proximity. the crowd grew, a mix of civilians and reporters inching closer. but what really threw him off wat the intensity in bakugou’s eyes. he was enjoying this.
“relax deku,” bakugou replies coolly, tone sharp but oddly… playful? he leaned in closer to shoto, his eyes glinting with mischief. “we’re just giving them a show.”
a show. this felt more like a circus, discombobulating and unorganised, however that was intended. shoto’s stomach churned, his sense of unease deepening.
yes, he had asked for this. but the spotlight burnt his eyes, the clamour of people, strangers, scared him overall. it wasn’t about what his father thought right now. it wasn’t about what anyone thought right now. but the people circle the trio like coyotes, ready to attack.
he squeezes bakugou hand, a rush of calamity over his body. however, bakugou pulled him closer. and then, before shoto could react, bakugou stepped forward and kissed him—hard, unceremonious and for everyone to see.
the camera’s clicked furiously, capturing every movement. flash after flas illuminated the street as the crows erupted in a frenzy.
“kacchan! this is… this is going too far." midoriya stood frozen, his face pale with fear.
enji’s voice broke through the chaos “shoto!?”
shoto pulled away from bakugou, his heart pounding (he didn’t know it was the exposure, his father, or bakugou). he quickly turns to face his father, who was storming toward them, his eyes blazing with fury.
“you—” enji’s voice was a deep growl, full of rage. “what in the hell is going on here?”
bakugou smirked, unamused by the anger radiating off of enji, the atmosphere turning humid. “you’re welcome,” he said ever so casually, as if the kiss hadn’t just set off a media storm.
shoto was at a loss for words. he’s dealt with bakugou before, but this was a new level on insane he hadn’t grasped yet.
enji’s face contorted with fury as he stood before his son and bakugou. “shoto, this is unacceptable. do you understand what you’ve just done?”
shoto barely met his father’s gaze, his chest tight. “it’s not my fault the media decided to make a spectacle of it.”
“oh, it’s not the media’s fault,” Enji snapped. “it’s yours for not thinking ahead! you’ve put everything at risk!”
midoriya shifted uncomfortably, glancing between the two. “i—i just don’t understand why you’re doing this, kacchan,” he said, his voice a little shaky.
bakugou grinned, unbothered by midoriya’s confusion. “it’s simple, deku. i’m just having some fun.”
shoto’s mind raced. this was spiraling, fast.
“fun?!” enji exploded, his voice booming across the street. “you think this is a joke?”
shoto couldn’t bring himself to answer.
bakugou’s smirk never wavered, and in the midst of the chaos, shoto realised something: bakugou wasn’t going to stop. not now, not ever
-
shoto kept his gaze fixed on the ground, trying to ignore the buzz of the media still lingering in the air, cameras aimed at every angle. the flashes had only gotten more aggressive, more insistent, as if every photographer were competing to capture the perfect shot.
but even as he tried to block them out, a sharp pulse of heat coursed through his veins. his palm was still slightly damp from where it had touched bakugou’s, the remnants of that earlier hold lingering in the back of his mind.
he couldn’t stop thinking about it. why did it feel so… different?
his heart was still pounding, but now it was more than just the stress of the situation. every time bakugou’s gaze flicked to him—flicked into him—there was this… pressure. his chest tightened, his stomach fluttered. the same fire that had burned through his face earlier was igniting again, but now it spread deeper, settling in places he couldn’t name.
he clenched his fists at his sides, trying to focus. he shouldn’t be feeling this way. it was just bakugou. the same person he had fought with for years, the same person who always pushed his buttons and made his blood boil. but now…
shoto’s throat felt tight as he tried to make sense of the confusion swirling inside him. why did he feel this heat every time bakugou’s hand brushed against his? why, when bakugou looked at him with that stupid smirk, did his heart tighten in a way shoto couldn’t ignore?
it was wrong. it had to be.
no, shoto thought, trying to push the thoughts away. this isn’t wrong. this is just…
rebellion.
shoto had never embraced it—not in the way bakugou did. he had always walked the line, staying in control, staying quiet, staying frozen. it was easier that way. but now? now, with bakugou standing beside him, the weight of his father’s judgment heavy on his shoulders, everything felt… different.
his chest tightened at the thought of enji. the disapproval in his eyes had always been like a shadow hanging over him, suffocating and cold. enji had never understood. he had never seen shoto as anything more than a tool, a way to prove himself. and now, shoto realized with startling clarity, he was done with it.
he wasn’t going to be his father’s weapon anymore. he wasn’t going to bend and bow to his expectations just to maintain a perfect public image. he would rebel. and if bakugou was the one to help him ignite that rebellion… then so be it.
shoto took a deep breath, steadying himself, though he knew his heart was still racing. he glanced at bakugou from the corner of his eye, watching as the boy kept his usual cocky posture, unfazed by the chaos around them.
and for the first time, shoto didn’t feel the need to pull away.
if this was a fight, if this was rebellion, he would stand beside bakugou. it wasn’t about the media, or his father, or anyone else’s expectations. it was about what felt right.
and right now, with bakugou by his side, something felt right.
his pulse quickened at the thought, his face flushing under the weight of the realization. but it didn’t matter anymore. it wasn’t about being afraid of what others would think. it was about freedom.
and for the first time in his life, shoto was ready to take it.
-
the walk back to the agency was one filled with the electric tension of unsaid words. the weight of the argument hung heavy in the air, thick with the residue of everything that had just transpired. shoto could feel bakugou walking beside him, a quiet, steady presence—comforting, in a way. and for the first time in a long while, he wasn’t afraid of what was to come.
as they approached the entrance of the agency, enji was waiting, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. his face was a storm—angry, disappointed, maybe even a little… confused. but mostly angry.
“shoto,” enji called, his voice sharp. “we need to talk about what just happened.”
shoto stopped in his tracks, eyes locking with his father’s. he felt the familiar tension building in his chest—the pressure, the judgment. but this time, he didn’t flinch.
“no, we don’t.” shoto’s voice was steady, his expression hardening with every word. “there’s nothing left to talk about.”
enji’s brow furrowed, and he took a step forward. “you’re making a mistake, shoto. you’ve—”
“i’m not making a mistake.” shoto interrupted, his voice growing louder, more forceful. “and if you think i’m going to let you control my life, you’re wrong.”
bakugou stepped beside him, arms crossed, his usual fiery expression mirroring shoto’s defiance. “yeah, old man. he’s not some toy for you to play with.”
enji’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak. the silence hung heavy, and shoto could see the frustration building in his father’s eyes.
and then, with an almost unexpected calmness, shoto let the words slip out.
“bakugou and i are dating. you want to keep trying to control everything? you can start by accepting that.”
the words hit like a bombshell, and for a long moment, enji’s expression froze—shocked, speechless.
bakugou, ever the blunt force, only smirked. “what he said.” he leaned into shoto, one arm casually brushing against his.
shoto’s heart raced at the proximity. the weight of the moment settled in, and suddenly, everything felt like it was aligning. this was his declaration. this was his truth.
the world didn’t feel like it was closing in on him anymore.
shoto looked at bakugou, his eyes intense, and without another word, he reached up, cupping bakugou’s face. it was a movement that felt so natural, so right, that shoto didn’t second-guess it.
he kissed him.
but this time, it was different. this wasn’t the hurried, impulsive kiss that had come before. no, this kiss was slow, deliberate, a promise woven between their lips. it wasn’t just an act of defiance—it was the culmination of everything shoto had been holding back, everything he had been afraid to admit.
bakugou didn’t pull away. his hands found shoto’s waist, pulling him closer as if he too had been waiting for this moment. and when their lips finally parted, shoto could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears.
it was different. it felt real.
for once, shoto didn’t feel the weight of his father’s expectations. he didn’t feel the sting of every decision enji had forced upon him.
this was his choice.
enji’s voice finally cut through the silence, low and dangerous. “you’ve made a huge mistake, shoto.”
turned to him, unwavering. “no. you made the mistake. you never saw me for who i am.”
and with that, shoto walked past his father, bakugou following closely behind him. they entered the agency together, the door closing behind them with a finality that echoed through shoto’s mind.
it was done.
and for the first time in his life, shoto felt like he was truly free.