Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Temperature doesn't have a scent. Clearly. At least, that's the kinds of things you're told in science class and by anyone else you might ask, but Shouto could smell it; the sharp crispiness to the air that bites your cheeks in the same way it tears up your insides on the way down like broken glass. Not that he'd eaten broken glass, but he could assume that swallowing ice might feel the same as swallowing fragments of shattered windows or mirrors--at least until it started to melt. 

It was kind of the same thing as being able to hear temperature. Temperature doesn't have a sound. This one was a bit harder to prove than his first observation, but he believed it nonetheless; sometimes, when he ran the kitchen faucet too long, and the water got too hot to touch, something about it sounded rounder than when it was cold, but that was just as silly an observation as the first. He couldn't prove that temperature had sound by saying that sounds were shapes--not when neither of these observations made any sense to a sane person. 

But maybe Shoto wasn't sane. Maybe something about spending most of his childhood locked up in that house made him see things just a little differently than other people.  

"Sho?" 

Shouto looked over his shoulder, turning his attention away from the fresh snowfall out the window and toward the source of the voice. It was Midoriya, his roommate, who was looking at him from the kitchen like he expected the answer to some kind of question. He hadn't been listening that intently, though, with his thoughts on things sharp and round, and it was hard to know what Midoriya was thinking when he always had that same look in his eye as he did then. 

Warm, expecting, and something entirely foreign that scratched at the back of Shouto's neck. That's what his eyes were. 

"I said I made dinner if you wanted some," Midoriya said with a smile. It was the same smile Shouto saw the hero use on TV when trying to reassure people after saving them, and sometimes, when he thought too hard about it, it offended him that Midoriya would smile at him like this. He wasn't sure why, though. Again, it was a constant itch at the back of his neck that was too deep under his skin to scratch. 

"What did you make?" He asked, standing up from the sofa. It didn't matter what it was; Shouto liked Midoriya's cooking and would eat it anyway. 

"Just a simple curry," he replied, returning to the kitchen. Shouto followed him in and smelled the aroma from the stovetop dishes. It was something Midoriya cooked often enough that Shouto was familiar with the smell. Neither of them were very great at cooking, but Shouto was a liability in the kitchen, so the responsibility often fell to Midoriya if they both wanted to be fed. Shouto often opted for takeout or microwave noodles whenever the other wasn't home. He'd been told that he eats like a toddler, but he simply had no interest in burning the kitchen down, is all. 

They'd seated themselves at the table across from one another like always and began to eat the food that Midoriya had prepared. Shouto ate slowly, holding his chopsticks just so--his manners on par like always. Midoriya knew how to use chopsticks and had good manners, too, but something always looked a bit clunky in the way that he handled things. It was probably his fine motor skills suffering from all those times he broke his arms and fingers as a teenager while learning to harness his quirk. 

"Hey," Midoriya said, and Shouto looked up from his plate to face his roommate. "I have a question for you."

Midoriya looks unsure--an odd expression crossing his features as he eyes the other man across the table. 

"What is it?" Shouto asked, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. 

"I-" Midoriya's eyes darted away from Shouto's, and the latter could tell he was feeling uncomfortable about something, and Shouto could only hope it wasn't his fault as his pulse started to pick up-

"Would you be okay with Kacchan staying over tomorrow night?" Midoriya asked. 

And Shouto relaxes immediately. It was nothing he did, he thought to himself--though then again, the question of why Midoriya seemed so hesitant to ask in the first place as if Shouto would say no popped into his head. 

"You know I don't mind when you have guests over," he replied. Despite his personal feelings about those types of things, he could only answer with diplomacy, for the last thing he'd want was to run off one of his very few friends by making them feel judged or uncomfortable. 

"Well, yeah," Midoriya said, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "But it's different, you know. And we haven't seen each other in a while. So, we might not be, um-"

"I can find somewhere else to be tomorrow night if that's what you'd prefer." 

And honestly, Shouto would prefer that, too, rather than listening to Midoriya and Bakugou make love all night. It was a common occurrence that they didn't stop for hours once they got started. It was a love life to be jealous of, for sure--not that Shouto had anything at all to compare it to. 

But Midoriya and Bakugou were in love. Given the dynamic between the two pro heroes, it only made sense that they were so passionate in the bedroom. 

"I wouldn't want to make you do anything like that!" Midoriya backtracked. "I mean- I don't want to kick you out, but the chances of hearing something you don't want to are probably greater than you'd like." 

Midoriya gave Shouto a sheepish look as he scratched the back of his head. It was a silly thing to Shouto; he'd heard them before, and there was nothing shy about the sounds that Midoriya made when he was in that room with his boyfriend. But the man before him was so coy about it that it almost made Shouto want to laugh. 

But he doesn't tease about things like that. It would be awkward if Shouto had anything to say about Midoriya's love life. There would be no reason to justify teasing him like that. 

"I can talk to Shinsou," Shouto replied. "I'm sure he won't mind letting me stay over." 

"Only if it's not too much of an inconvenience," Midoriya pressed. "I don't want you to feel like I'm kicking you out of your own home."

"Don't worry," Shouto said with a smile. They always feel odd on his face, like they don't quite belong, but he'd learned to file those feelings away a long time ago. After all, seeing the way his smiles softened Midoriya up was worth the weird, achy things he felt in his throat when he smiled. "I don't mind."

It was worth noting that Shouto was in love with Midoriya Izuku. 

It was worth noting that Shouto believed he was in love with Bakugou Katsuki, too, though that one snuck up on him a little more than he'd like to admit. 

The third important thing to note is that neither Midoriya nor Bakugou cared for Shouto in the way he cared for them. 

Shouto would die for them. Hell, he would live for them, which was saying a lot, considering the number of times he'd considered not being careful with himself on the job or running away and starting over entirely as someone who wasn't connected to the Todoroki name. 

But he couldn't do any of that. Not when Midoriya and Bakugou were some of his first friends ever. It would feel selfish since he knows that they care about him. It's just not in the way he cared for them—end of story. 

And he was okay with it. He was okay with the fact that he was on the way over to Shinsou's house with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder so he could crash in his spare bedroom for the night. It was okay, he told himself, because they didn't care for him, and he didn't care to hear them caring about each other from behind the wall. It was okay anyway because he hadn't seen Shinsou in a while, either. They were overdue for a movie night anyway. 

In his overnight bag, he'd brought along some of his favorite candies, hot tamales, and some hot chocolate packets. The cinnamon candies weren't a lot of people's favorites, but Shouto likes to stock up on them. It was okay to have a spot in the kitchen for them because Midoriya liked them, too. He was glad to be able to give Midoriya anything. As for the hot chocolate, Shinsou was more of a coffee drinker, and with all the fresh snowfall, he wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch under a soft blanket with his beloved sweet drink. 

Shouto didn't know many of his favorite things, but he knew that he liked hot tamales, hot chocolate, and cold soba. But everyone knew that last one. 

Upon arriving at Shinsou's house, the door opened right as he began to kick the snow off his boots at the door. His purple-haired friend gave him a small smile and welcomed him inside. 

They were quick to settle in on the sofa with their drinks and snacks. They were two seasons into some TV show from the 80s that Shinsou introduced Shouto to. As they watched, Shouto would take a hot tamale and chew it up a little bit before sipping the hot chocolate. It was an odd flavor combo, but it hit him in all the right places for some reason. It was a common practice to put cinnamon into hot chocolate, so it made sense to him to eat these two treats together like that. 

Shinsou scoffed beside him. Shouto quirked his eyebrow at his friend. 

"What?" he asked after swallowing what was in his mouth. 

"I don't know how you do that," Shinsou laughed. "You shouldn't like those two things together like that." 

Shouto shrugs. 

"I like them together. It makes sense to me," he replied cooly before popping another candy into his mouth. 

"So you've said." Shinsou rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the television screen, and Shouto did the same. 

"It's way too fuckin' early for this shit," Bakugou grumbled. He turned a cold shoulder to the group of Christmas Carolers on the corner, striding ahead of Midoriya and Shouto on their walk to the restaurant. 

It was a 'friend thing' they did twice a month, just the three of them. After all, the three of them had been best friends since their high school days and remained that way well into adulthood. 

The only thing that changed from then was Bakugou's confession to Midoriya shortly after the former moved in with Shouto. 

He knew that Midoriya probably regretted signing that lease and would much rather live with Bakugou now, but they could do nothing about it for a few more months. January would bring about the start of a New Year, and Shouto would have to start looking for a new roommate. 

Or, he could live alone, but the rent was expensive, and none of them were making that much money as pro heroes right out of graduation. It would be a few years before they would make enough to really live off of. 

Shouto had absolutely no idea about who to ask to move in after the lease was up. No, he hadn't talked to Midoriya about it yet, but he was sure that those two would be moving in together at the earliest convenience, and Shouto wasn't part of that equation. 

Right now, Bakugou was rooming with Kirishima and Denki. 

"Don't be a Grinch, Kacchan!" Midoriya called after his boyfriend. He caught up with the blonde, and the two locked their arms together. Shouto followed behind, pocketing his hands in his jacket. 

As he walked, he kicked at the slush on the path, watching it squish and slide under his boots. 

Today would simultaneously be one of the slowest days of the month and, unfortunately, one of his favorites. 

Today would be the kind of day he looks back on fondly, even though it feels like a knife in the heart. 

It was his own fault, though, for falling in love with two people who were already happy with each other. Bakugou and Midoriya fit together like two puzzle pieces, and there wasn't room for Shouto. It was his own fault for digging that knife into his chest, to begin with. 

It was that, or he could take it by the hilt and slash at those puzzle pieces--forcing them apart so he could shove himself in the middle. 

No. Never. He could never do something like that. He could never do a thing to interrupt the perfect beauty that those two were together. There was simply no room for Shouto, and he knew this. 

And so the knife will stay buried in his chest for the foreseeable future. 

He wondered if they were ever planning on getting married. 

"-and then the intern actually stuck their tongue out at Fatgum! They were lucky that Fatgum is so nice, because I can't imagine that anyone else would have handled their poor attitude like that!" 

Midoriya was prattling on about something that happened on the job last week, and Shouto was listening as if his life depended on it. He loved to listen to the green-haired man talk, regardless of what it was about. 

He rested his chin on his hands, watching his mouth move quickly as he spoke. Looking in Bakugou's direction, it seemed the blonde was doing the same thing. 

Something twisted at the bottom of Shouto's gut, reminding him that Bakugou had a right to stare at the beauty that was Midoriya like that, but he didn't. 

And now there he was, zoning off while staring at Bakugou like he had any right to do that either. 

They were beautiful. They were perfect. 

He focused his gaze on the half-eaten sandwich on the plate in front of Midoriya instead. 

"Sho?" 

His gaze snapped back up, his eyes meeting a set of green ones. 

"Yes?" Shouto leaned back in his chair, almost as if to pretend he hadn't been listening so intently in the first place. 

"Did you hear what I said?" 

Shouto bit the inside of his cheek. Apparently, he'd stopped listening at some point and got lost inside his head. 

"He asked if you were going to that stupid Holiday Gala they're doing," Bakugou interjected. 

"It's not stupid!" Midoriya frowned at the blonde. "Besides, you agreed to take me, Kacchan. So it can't be that stupid." 

"So what's your plans then, Peppermint?" Bakugou asked with a teasing tone. 

"I'll probably be there," he replied, ignoring the nickname. He'd been called all sorts of things by Bakugou at this point, so the names didn't phase him anymore. 

Shouto wasn't great at the whole public connection part of the job, so his agency liked to make him go to these events to at least make some kind of appearance on TV. They quickly learned that interviews were a disaster with him, and he wasn't good at talking to civilians. Something about him taking questions and teasing too literally for him to be able to come off as personable. 

"Probably?" Midoriya questioned. 

"My PR hasn't brought it up yet," he supplied. 

"But do you want to go?"

"Not really." 

Things like this were far too social and taxing for him, so he wouldn't be there if he had a choice. Part of him thought they might be easier if he did have a date--someone he could stick next to the entire time--but that was never something on the table. He always showed up alone, stood alone, sat at a table alone, and went home alone. That's just how things were. 

And that was perfectly fine, of course, because there was no one he would want to go with, anyway. 

"Well, if you go, don't forget to come say hi to us since we'll be there!" Midoriya said excitedly. Midoriya loved those kinds of things. And Bakugou tended to like the things that Midoriya liked--or at least tolerated them. 

"Okay." 

As their 'friend date' drew to a close, all three ended up walking back to Midoriya and Shouto's home. Midoriya and Bakugou went inside first, but Shouto took an extra minute, kicking every bit of snow from his boots on the doorframe. 

He took a long breath and watched the puff of condensation spill from his lips. 

When he finally entered the house, Bakugou and Midoriya were already seated on the couch, the former scrolling through one of the streaming platforms on the TV to find something to watch. Shouto removed his coat and shoes and headed for his room, trying his best not to stare at the couple on the couch as they oozed into each other on the sofa. 

"Sho?" 

He turned and looked back down the hallway toward the living room. They were looking over the back of the couch, tracking Shouto as he disappeared into the unlit hallway. 

"Where are you going, Peppermint?" Bakugou asked with a frown. 

"To my room." 

"I thought we could all watch a movie together," Midoriya pouted. "You don't want to?" 

Shouto shuffled his feet, grabbing at the edge of his sleeve. 

Of course, he wanted to join them. But he didn't know that he should. He never knew what he was and wasn't supposed to do around his friends anymore, now that they were together. He was the odd thing on the edge of the painting that didn't quite fit the painter's style- the thing that would keep art enthusiasts confused for years after the artist's passing. When the painting was hung in grand halls, people would always want to know why that odd thing was there in the background because it was evident to anyone who looked that it just didn't belong. 

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Shouto finally stated. Because that's all he felt like he'd been doing as of late when it came to his two best friends. Of course, he wanted to spend time with them. But he couldn't help feeling left out whenever he was around them, even though it wasn't their fault. 

He would never fault them for loving each other. Their love was beautiful, and Shouto was not jealous. He would never be envious of them. How could he, when he knew firsthand just how loveable those two were all on their own? 

"But I'm cold, Sho; you should come sit under the blanket with me!" Midoriya reasoned. 

"You can sit under the blanket with Bakugou, then," Shouto argued cooly. 

"But your quirk makes it so much cozier!" 

He bit at the inside of his lip, wondering what to do. He had difficulty saying no to anything when they asked, even when he wanted to. Being that close to them was torturous. 

"Alright." 

And so he headed over to the couch toward the couple. Midoriya held the blanket open, and Bakugou scooted over to make room between them, and Shouto could feel his chest aching at the gesture. The minute he's seated, they sandwiched him in, Midoriya cozying up extra close to his warm side, even going as far as nuzzling under his arm to tuck himself against his torso. 

He hoped that Midoriya couldn't hear his heart. His pulse was raging beneath his skin. 

He didn't understand how they were so casual about these kinds of things. They were able to initiate these kinds of touches and situations like nothing, while Shouto could never justify reaching out to them like this in his own head. He could never find a reason to touch them and be close to them, yet they were able to reach out to him without a single issue. 

He supposed it is much easier to be comfortable around people if you don't love them. Shouto could easily sit this close to Shinsou without freaking out. But it was a very different thing when it was Midoriya and Bakugou. 

These small touches were hardly justifiable- Midoriya cuddled against Shouto's side like they were dating, and even Bakugou, who thought it okay to spread his hand across Shouto's thigh like it was nothing. Like there was nothing intimate about the way they placed him right in the center of them. 

And that was just it; to them, there was nothing intimate about it. 

It did not make their hearts race. It did not make them sad, or excited, or anything- because there was nothing intimate about the way they touched Shouto. Nothing. His brain was just trying to make it into more than it was, but he wouldn't let that happen.

He couldn't let that happen because he couldn't lose them. He had to be careful not to do anything to lose them. 

* * *

Playlist I Listen To While Writing This

Chapter Text

Leaning over the bathroom sink, Shouto splashed the cool water on his face. Straightening back up, he eyed his reflection in the mirror. 

He wondered what it was about people that made them loveable. 

Of all the lessons he'd learned in his life, he wondered if just once, if he'd ever been loved. He didn't want any more lessons. He just wanted to be loved. 

It was well into the night, but Shouto couldn't find it in himself to fall asleep. His mind wouldn't stop running (a common occurrence, even in the daytime), and he'd been tossing and turning for hours. 

Midoriya was fast asleep, and his light, trilling snores could be heard in the hallway, filtering out of his room through the cracked open bedroom door. 

Shouto wondered if being loved made you sleep more soundly. Midoriya always seemed to sleep soundly. 

It was always late at night whenever his super self-deprecating thoughts seemed to come to light, which was always unfortunate. It made him a walking zombie in the daytime, hardly able to focus on his daily tasks. He couldn't have that, considering his profession as a pro hero. He needed to be on top of his game so that no one suffered because of him. 

Heading back to his room, he sat on his bed and began digging through the drawer on the bedside table. He found the small bottle he was looking for and twisted the cap off before dumping triple the recommended amount of melatonin into his open palm. Once he'd swallowed everything, he laid back down and closed his eyes. 

Sleep finally came, but he felt odd upon waking in the morning, seeing as melatonin always gave him odd dreams. 

There was nothing odd or abnormal about Shouto's day. Nothing out of the ordinary. Everything went exactly as he thought it would. He stopped a few burglars and purse-snatchers, but nothing too crazy happened. It was a Monday. 

Most people said they hated Mondays, but he wasn't sure why people said this. It was one of those societal norm things- one of those things people said when greeting each other on Mondays- and he just didn't get it. 

Sometimes, it felt like the entire world was part of some inside joke, and he was the only person who had been left out. He doesn't remember a single time in his life when he didn't feel odd or different. 

Midoriya was among the first to treat Shouto as if he weren't weird or different. He acknowledged what Shouto said and did and didn't make fun of him for them or treat him differently because of who his father was like the other kids in UA. That's why he and Midoriya were quick to get along. 

It was the first time in his life that he felt like he was breathing air instead of smoke, and the aching in his lungs would subside when he was around the green-haired hero. At first, Shouto didn't understand it. He'd never had a real friend before, and it took him a long time to realize that that's what they even were. But once that was established, he was happy to spend as much time with Midoriya as possible. 

Bakugou had always been in close orbit with Midoriya, and before he knew it, he was friends with him, too. This one took longer, and they didn't get along immediately. He thought that Bakugou didn't like him at first, with all the names and insults constantly thrown his way. It took him a while to figure out that this was just how the blonde treated people he was close with. He didn't need to get offended on Midoriya's behalf when he called him names, and he shouldn't feel hurt himself when he was insulted. 

Peppermint wasn't an insult. He supposed he did look like a peppermint, after all. 

When you ignore the name-calling, you start to see the other things that Bakugou did to show he cared. 

Even though he hated cooking for others, Shouto would constantly find bento boxes in the shared fridge with his name on them or treats left by his dorm room door. The blonde would continuously claim that he preferred to be alone but would often come to Shouto's room to study, even if they weren't studying the same thing or even speaking to each other while they did their homework. Then there were the even more subtle things, like how Bakugou would sit closer to him after Shouto would get off of a heated phone call with his father or how he would make sure to visit with him after he went to see his mother. 

It took him a while to see it, but he knew Bakugou cared for him. 

In return, it was hard for Shouto not to fall in love with them both. It certainly didn't help that they were the two most beautiful people he'd ever seen in his life, and it definitely didn't help that even after all these years, he hadn't managed to scare them away. 

Shouto knew he was odd. They knew it, too; they just didn't care. 

Upon arriving home after his shift, he was immediately hit by the scent of something cooking. He followed the smell to the kitchen and saw Bakugou standing over the stove while Midoriya leaned against the counters at the opposite end of the kitchen. 

"Oh, hey, Sho!" Midoriya said, his face brightening up upon seeing his friend. Bakugou greeted him with a nod before returning to whatever he was cooking up. 

"Hello," He greeted back. 

"Have you eaten yet?" Bakugou asked as he stirred the pot on the stove. 

"Not yet." 

"Then you're joining us," he stated. 

Whatever he was cooking did smell good, but Shouto also didn't want to intrude on their evening. Shouto knew the two hadn't seen each other outside work in over a week. This would qualify as a date night for them, save Shouto's presence, which is why he should decline. 

"I'm not hungry yet," he replied. "You can save me a plate, but I'm going to my room." 

"Tch, whatever," Bakugou scoffed. "I'll try to save some for you, but don't blame me if Deku eats all the leftovers." 

"Hey!" Midoriya huffed, crossing his arms. "It's not my fault One For All gives me a super fast metabolism!" 

The two began one of their normal back-and-forths, and Shouto took that as an opportunity to disappear down the darkened hallway. 

He had just finished pulling on a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved shirt when a knock sounded at his bedroom door. Before he even crossed the room, the door opened; Midoriya slipped inside and closed it behind himself. Shouto stood at the opposite end of the bedroom, trying to decipher the look in the other's eyes, but just like usual, he had no idea what the green-haired hero was thinking. 

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Midoriya asked, wringing his hands together. 

He looked nervous. It made Shouto's gut twist in a funny way, seeing anything other than a smile on Midoriya's face. 

"It's alright," he reassured him. "I'm sure you and Bakugou would like some alone time. It's been a few days since you've seen each other, so I understand." 

At least, Shouto thought this would reassure him, but Midoriya's frown deepened at his words. 

"We haven't seen you in a while, either," he pouted. "We want to see you, too." 

"It's really fine," Shouto doubled down, trying his hardest to get the point across. "I'm certain you two are tired of including me all the time."

Midoriya took a step forward, the frown on his face still present despite Shouto's attempts to reassure him that it really wasn't an issue. He understood that the two of them were in love, and Shouto was only getting in the way of them spending time together. Even if they did want to include him, he was certain it was only out of a feeling of obligation more than anything. He knew Bakugou and Midoriya cared for him and probably didn't want him to feel left out. 

"That's not-" 

"Just leave it, okay?" Shoutos sighed. "I don't need you two to keep doing things like this. You two deserve your alone time. Besides, I have other friends. I don't need to tag along with you on all your dates all the time." 

The words came out a lot harsher than he'd intended, telling by the sour look on Midoriya's face. Pair what he said with his uniquely dry way of speaking, and what he said almost sounded hurtful. 

Shouto immediately cringed at his own words, and Midoriya reached for the doorknob. Shouto takes a tentative step toward the other man, his eyebrows pressing into a line. 

"Wait, that's not what I-"

Before he can finish the sentence, the door is already closed in his face. 

He let out a long breath and retracted his hands, curling his arms around his torso tightly. 

What's done is done, he thinks to himself. 

Even if Midoriya was upset by his words, at least they'd stop including him like they always do. The couple would finally have room to breathe and flourish now that Shouto wasn't constantly intruding. 

And it was true; if they were worried about him being lonely, he wouldn't be. He did have other friends, even if they weren't the ones he preferred to spend most of his time with. 

Even the thought of being away from Bakugou and Midoriya made his chest ache in a funny way, but it would be for the best. 

At least, that's what he would tell himself. Even if it didn't feel right to be away from them for long, it was the right thing. They would come to understand it, and Shouto would just have to get used to being alone. 

It certainly didn't feel right anymore, but there was no going back on what he'd said. He could tell they were offended, but in the end, the two ended up spending a lot more time with each other without Shouto constantly getting in the way. 

Two weeks had passed by. 

Shouto couldn't remember the last time Midoriya had invited him to the dinner table, even when Bakugou wasn't there. He would take up his perch by the window, watching the heavy December snowfall, coming to conclusions in his head about all things round, sharp, hot, and cold, and Midoriya would be cooking in the kitchen. 

Shouto would start to wonder how it was possible that every snowflake was a different shape when he heard the plate clatter against the kitchen table. By the time the sound of a chair scraping across the linoleum flooring reached his ears, he would start to think about things like what popsicles looked like under microscopes. 

When Shouto woke up the following day, a bare pine tree was set up in the living room--a real one--and the house smelled like fresh pine and sap. A sparse trail of pine needles trailed through the living room and to the door, where he spotted Midoriya with a broom and dustpan, cleaning up the evidence that he'd dragged the tree through the house. 

Midoriya looked up at Shouto, pausing his ministrations with the broom. 

"I hope the tree is okay," Midoriya said, no smile on his face to be found like usual. The sight was almost unsettling, but Shouto filed those feelings away. He had no room to be selfish about things like Midoriya's smiles, for he'd done nothing to deserve them. "I know I didn't ask or anything before, and I probably should have, but I didn't think you'd mind." 

"It's alright," Shouto replied. 

He'd never had a Christmas tree in his home before. 

Well, there had been one back in the dorms when they were in school, but this was the first time he'd ever had one in an actual home. 

"Good," Midoriya said. He returned to his chore, and Shouto slipped past him and out the door to head to the agency to begin his day of hero work. 

Shouto went straight to his bedroom that evening after work, bypassing Midoriya and Bakugou in the kitchen. They might have glanced at him on the way by, but they didn't say anything, and neither did Shouto. 

It was apparent they were having some kind of date night, told by the opened bottle of wine on the counter and the soft Christmas music playing from the stereo in the living room. 

It was obvious this was a special date night, and Shouto would not have been included anyway, even before what he'd said the last time he had a full conversation with his roommate. 

From inside his room, he could hear the light-hearted chatter of his two best friends in the kitchen, though he tried his best to ignore it. It only reminded him of how thin the walls were in the small house. If Bakugou were staying over, it would probably be best for Shouto to find someplace else to sleep tonight. 

Shouto grabbed his phone and pulled up Shinsou's contact. He hit the call button, held the phone to his ear, and listened to it ring. There was some shuffling on the other end, and then Shinsou's voice came through. 

"Hey." 

"Hi," Shouto greeted back. "I was wondering if you were busy tonight. Midoriya invited Bakugou over." 

"As much as I sympathize with your situation, I've got Denki over tonight, so my place wouldn't be much of an improvement." 

Shouto sighs. 

"Alright. I'll figure it out. Have fun with Kaminari." 

"Oh, I definitely will," Shinsou replied, and Shouto could hear the smile in his voice. 

He lowered his phone to his lap in defeat before going to plan B. He dialed up another one of his contacts and returned the phone to his ear. It wasn't long before the person on the other end picked up. 

"Greetings." Tokoyami's voice was low and quiet like usual as he answered the call. "What gives me the pleasure of speaking with you this evening?"

"Midoriya invited Bakugou over." It wasn't the first time he'd called Tokoyami for this kind of thing, either. 

"You can come over as soon as you'd like, then," Tokoyami replied. "I would be happy to save you from your misfortunes."

After thanking his friend, he got up and immediately began packing things into his backpack to get out of there as soon as possible. Once everything was in his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and headed for his bedroom door. 

The Christmas music poured into the hallway. It wasn't a song that Shouto recognized, but when he listened to the lyrics, he had no idea how it constituted as a Christmas song at all. 

I'll have a blue Christmas without you
I'll be so blue just thinking about you...

He frowned at the words to the song, wondering why anyone would make such a song at all. The harmonies weren't all that sad, sounding like any other Christmas song, but the words turned it into something sour and sweet and achy, and he wasn't sure that he liked it. 

He walked a short distance down the hallway and stopped just short of the living room when he saw the scene before him. 

...Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me...

Bakugou and Midoriya were laughing--a rare sound to come out of the blonde at all--as they gathered around the tree Midoriya put up that morning, adorning it with shiny ornaments and lights. 

They looked happy together like that, doing something that he often heard families and couples would do together around this time of year. 

Something in his chest tightened as he watched Midoriya stretch onto his toes to put one of the red, glittery, bell-shaped ornaments on a particularly high branch with a smile. He couldn't find it in himself to cross the threshold from the hallway and into the living room, lest he pop their bubble and ruin the moment with whatever stupid, heavy things were on his mind. 

This was his home, too, and maybe for a moment he felt a bit jealous of what they had with each other--wondering if he would ever have the opportunity to do such sweet things with someone else like that.

But he didn't want to do sweet things with anyone else. He wanted to do sweet things with them- and there was no room in that beautiful picture by the tree for Shouto to join them. For a split second, he let himself feel how hard it was to watch the two people he loved get along just fine and happily without him before he remembered that he shouldn't dwell on those kinds of things.

He shook his head, clearing away the weird, heavy thoughts. 

Before he could think too hard about it anymore, he stepped into the room, entering their private little bubble. For a moment, he could feel the warm energy in the room--he could feel it, whatever it was--but he crossed the space as quickly as he could, ignoring their falling smiles as he made his way toward the front door. He put on his boots and grabbed his coat as swiftly as possible, finding it hard to ignore the next sad stanza of that stupid song playing over the stereo as he laced them up.

...And when those blue snowflakes start falling
That's when those blue memories start calling
You'll be doing all right
With your Christmas of white
But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas.

He closed the door softly behind himself and found himself immersed in a quiet snowfall. Yellow streetlamps intermittently lit the streets, and the fresh inches of snow on the residential street had yet to be touched by tire marks. 

A lone set of footprints trailed behind Shouto as he trudged farther and farther away from that house, and it was odd, because he swore he felt what he thought was a raindrop slide down his cheek. 

He lifted his fingertips to his face and swiped away the offending liquid. It obviously wasn't a raindrop, and Shouto hadn't even realized what was happening until he physically felt the tears slipping down his cheeks. 

Shouto could count on one hand the number of times he remembered crying, yet none of them felt like what was happening at that moment. 

His tears were usually sharp and sour, convoluted and tainted by something angry and hot burrowed in his chest, but when he looked inside himself—when he felt around in that space that had been holding that jar of ugly, tainted things—he found nothing. 

They were hollow tears backed by aching, empty things that had no place taking up space in his chest at all. 

He really thought he had a handle on the whole Bakugou and Midoriya situation, but seeing them together by the tree like that may have proved that theory wrong. 

Chapter Text

Shouto had always viewed people as flavors in his head. He doesn't remember when it started; he only remembers that whenever he met a new person, his brain automatically filed them away in his thoughts under whatever flavor their personality was. 

Shinsou Hitoshi was flavored like a vanilla mocha—probably with a double shot of espresso. His personality was on the sweeter side of the coffee spectrum despite the fact that he only drank it black. 

Tomoyami Fumikage was the flavor of grapes—not like a grape straight off the vine, but the flavor of grape-flavored things, like those skinny popsicles or the purple fruit snacks. 

Shouto considered himself the flavor of peppermint. However, Shouto doesn't like peppermints very much, nor do many people. 

Some thought peppermint to be the mint that came on too strong and often opted for something like wintergreen mint. That's why the cheaper restaurants always gave out the peppermints in clear plastic wraps, while the fancier places had the soft mints that were often sweeter than the others. Some places even gave out Andes Mints because the mint was too strong on its own and needed to be softened and sweetened to something more palatable with the addition of the chocolate topside and underside. 

To put it simply, peppermints were not favored by many people. Shouto had yet to find a person who preferred peppermints over the other kinds. 

It was a rare morning where Shouto, Shinsou, and Tokoyami all had the day off together. Well- Shinsou most always had days off, but it was hard to get him out of bed earlier before the afternoon. So, Tokoyami and Shouto had the day off- and they took it upon themselves to drag Shinsou out to one of their favorite cafes at noon so they could enjoy a coffee together. 

Some people thought they were an odd group together, but the three of them together made perfectly good sense to Shouto. 

Back in high school, they were the ones who often opted to stay on the outskirts of the room when the class got rowdy and were labeled introverts by those around them. It only made sense that they befriended each other, relishing in their shared love of a good silence or a calm conversation. 

They sat around a small table, each sipping their drinks; not one had taken up the torch to start a conversation yet, but that wasn't odd to them at all. 

Shouto was enjoying the light atmosphere in the coffee shop, admiring the soft Christmas lights strung about the room and the smooth jazz versions of Christmas songs coming over the speakers in the small cafe. 

Shouto was about halfway through his drink when Shinsou finally broke the silence. 

"So Midoriya called me the other day." 

Shinsou raised an eyebrow at Shouto, eyeing him intently to watch for some kind of reaction to his words. Of course, Shouto was having a reaction, but it was a reaction better kept internally than shared with anyone else. 

"Oh?" Shouto pretended that the name did not sting him. 

"He asked if you were alright," Shinsou continued. He took a long sip of his coffee and set the cup down on the table, folding his ringed fingers around the cream-colored mug. 

"I find that an odd question, considering you two live together and think of each other as best friends. Wouldn't you say that it's odd?"

"I don't talk to him every day," Shouto defended, intentionally leaving out that they haven't spoken in several days.

"Did you two have an argument?" Tokoyami questioned. 

"It wasn't an argument," Shouto slumped. 

"But something did happen, it seems," Shinsou pushed. "Are you going to share with the class? Or am I going to have to squeeze it out of you? You know it's not good to keep stuff bottled up anymore." 

"I know." 

Shinsou and Tokoyami were people he'd always been able to talk to about things. They were some of the very few people who helped Shouto realize that he didn't have to keep his feelings hidden all the time and liked to help him work through things instead of internalizing them. 

But he hated it right now. He always hated it when it was happening. 

 "You seemed like you were in a pretty dark and desolate place last time you were at my apartment," Tokoyami added. "I was curious about why, but I didn't want to push. But perhaps it would help if you were to talk about it." 

"I'm not sure that I can," Shouto replied after a moment of silence. 

He'd thought about telling them for a long time- but couldn't. He could never tell anyone he was in love with Bakugou and Midoriya. No one would understand it, and voicing those feelings out loud would only make them more real. 

Right now, they existed in a quiet, isolated place deep in the pit of his gut, and if he were to start digging those kinds of things up, he was afraid that they would never stop coming out. It would leave him an empty, hollowed-out mess- one he had no interest in cleaning up. It was in his best interest to keep these things chained up tight and swallowed away where no one would find them. 

"Well, if that's the case, I'm just going to come out and say something. You can be angry and deny it if you want, but I've been told that I have a keen sense of observation when it comes to others," Shinsou stated. 

Shouto eyed his friend, trying to read the tired look in his eyes to no avail. 

"You're in love with them. And I mean both of them." 

Shouto's heart sputters to a stop. If he'd known, why hadn't he said something sooner? Why not confront him? It was an awful, terrible thing to want someone who was already taken, let alone two people who were taken with each other-

"And I'm not talking little 'l' kind of love." 

He stared down at the mug of hot chocolate in front of him, finding the way that the now-gone whipped cream was swirling on the surface of the warm brown drink-

"We're talking big feelings. Capital 'L.'" Shinsou's eyes never left Shouto as he ripped those feelings out of him and laid them on the table for everyone to see. 

"We're talking 'big as they get' kind of feelings, aren't we, Shouto?" 

He could see them now, out in the open, spread out on the table in front of Shinsou like a cat proud of its kill. Tokoyami had yet to say a thing--his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the scene before him unfold. 

"I guess there's no point in denying it anymore," Shouto sighed. He'd been found out. Leave it up to Shinsou to notice it, even though he thought he'd been hiding it exceptionally well. 

"Well, this certainly changes things," Tokoyami commented. "It definitely makes more sense why you're so keen on going somewhere else whenever Midoriya has Bakugou stay through the night." 

Shouto nodded solemnly. 

"How long has this been a thing?" Shinsou asked. "I noticed it a while ago, but I can't help but feel like it's been longer than that." 

"It's been a while." 

"Months?" Tokoyami asks. 

"Try years," Shouto stated solemnly. "Way before they got together. Back when the three of us were all on equal footing--back before they realized how much better off they were without me, I suppose." 

"Well, someone's bitter," Shinsou joked. "Though I can understand why. But there is one thing I wanted to ask you about." 

"And what's that?" 

"Didn't you see this coming?" 

Shouto frowned at his now lukewarm hot chocolate and thought about it. He looked back to the beginning of their relationship and searched his memory for signs- anything that might point toward what ended up transpiring. 

"I can't say that I did," Shouto replied. "Though I've been told I'm not good at reading or understanding people." 

And that was the truth. Unless someone told him how they were feeling with their words, he had a hard time piecing things together based on their body language and facial expressions alone. He liked to blame this on his dad and the fact that he'd kept Shouto separated from other people his age until he was well into his teen years. It wasn't his fault he never learned how to get along with others, but it was coming full circle and biting him in the ass in the worst ways possible. 

"And you've never told them, right?" Tokoyami questioned. "I mean, I can't imagine that you have, seeing things are as bleak as they are. It must be difficult, and I do sympathize with you." 

"I can't tell them." 

That's one thing that Shouto is absolutely certain of. 

"I can't do anything that could possibly hurt them. If keeping these things to myself for the rest of my life is what I must do to protect their peace, then so be it." 

It was the hand he'd been dealt, and like hell he would fold and pass his misfortunate feelings on to anyone else. Midoriya and Bakugou were happy, and he had vowed to himself that he would never do a thing to dampen their happiness. 

"But what about your peace?" Shinous asked. 

"I've never known peace," Shouto stated matter-of-factly. "There's no reason to go looking for it now when I'm perfectly fine dealing with these things." 

There was no way he would sacrifice their peace for the slight chance that he might find his. Above all else, even himself, did he care for Bakugou and Midoriya. 

He'd already thought about it at great lengths; there was virtually no possibility that one of them loved him too, and even if one of them did, the chances of both of them having feelings for him were astronomically insane and impossible. So no- he wouldn't say anything to them. He couldn't. He'd spent enough time casing the outcomes of sharing his feelings with them. He just couldn't. 

"You're playing a dangerous game, my friend," Tokoyami stated darkly. 

Coming away from that conversation, he felt raw and exposed and wasn't sure how to handle the new feeling. He felt found out and slightly embarrassed, having never intended to share any of that with anyone in the first place. 

Upon arriving home, he was extremely ill-prepared for the confrontation waiting in the kitchen for him. 

Midoriya sometimes had this look in his eye when he was feeling especially determined; he saw it whenever the green-haired hero sparred with Bakugou or faced off against a particularly challenging villain. 

It was a scary look, and one of the very few looks that Shouto understood the meaning of. 

Shouto pretended that he hadn't spotted him yet as he removed his coat and shoes by the door, taking a moment to steel his nerves before stepping into Midoriya's space. He supposed he could bypass him altogether by crossing through the living room instead of the kitchen to get to the hall, but he felt that would just light more of a fire under Midoriya. 

They hadn't spoken in weeks now. With the knowledge that Midoriya was calling Shinsou to ask how he was told Shouto that Midoriya was starting to get antsy about the distance, which didn't make sense. 

He was absolutely certain that the space would do the couple good; without Shouto intruding on them, they would have more time to spend with each other. He was sure this was what they wanted—something they'd been too afraid to ask for for fear of offending Shouto. 

But he would do anything for them. Even without them having to ask. 

"Sho?" 

He hadn't realized how long he'd been standing by the front door, spacing off until Midoriya called for him- using the nickname that always managed to pull Shouto from his thoughts when nothing else could. Something about the way he said it all soft and unsure always tore him free when he got lost too far in his thoughts. 

He stepped into the kitchen, unsure of what to expect. 

Midoriya stood by the sink, his hands clasped in front of him. If it weren't for that fiery look in his eye, Shouto might have said that he looked nervous, but none of his expressions matched up, and he had no idea what to think or what conclusions to draw. 

He was always behind on this kind of thing. People might walk into conversations knowing how to handle them based on what the other people were expressing before they spoke their feelings into words. They might have more time to prepare how to respond, but not Shouto. He never knew what to expect going into those kinds of things. 

"Yes?" he replied. 

"Y-you're not mad at me, right? For anything?" 

Shouto's eyes widened at the question. Midoriya thought-

He was actually thinking that-

"No." His answer was swift, the word spilling from his mouth quicker than his brain even processed that he was replying. 

How could he even think that? Shouto wasn't sure where he went wrong or where this was coming from. He knew the last time they spoke to each other hadn't gone great, but he didn't think his words had come across like that. He only intended to make them see that Shouto was getting in the way--because he certainly was--not to make them think that Shouto was mad at them. 

"I could never be mad at you." 

"Well-" Midoriya tensed up even further, his brows pinching together. His lips were parted as if he were about to speak, but he paused- letting Shouto marinate in the silence, guessing what he would say next. 

"Well, you said that you didn't want to spend time with Kacchan and me anymore. Even if you're not mad, I want to know what I did." His green eyes seemed to pierce straight through Shouto, who wasn't even sure what to say. "I don't want to lose you. Whatever I did, I swear I can make it better." 

"You didn't do anything," Shouto stated softly. "You- you're..."

Perfect. 

He was perfect, in every way, Bakugou too- and to think he'd somehow convinced them that they were the ones in the wrong here made him feel as if he'd swallowed a dozen hot stones. 

"There's nothing you could do to make me angry with you." Those were the words he settled on even though he wanted to say much, much more. 

"Then-"

He took a long breath. 

"Then why don't you want to be around us anymore? Is it because we're dating? Does it make you uncomfortable? Because we can cut down on the hand-holding and kissing and all that PDA stuff if it makes you feel weird-"

Shouto opened his mouth to speak, but Midoriya was on a roll now, the words falling from his mouth at a speen Shouto couldn't halt. 

"I know it must be weird for you, considering how long the three of us were friends before Kacchan and I started dating. I'd understand it if you were feeling weird about it, is all. I want to do what I can to make it better for you so that you'll want to spend time with us." 

Shouto squeezed his hands into fists, pressing the blunt tips of his nails into his palms in an attempt to ease the pressure he felt building up underneath his skin. 

"That's not how I feel at all," Shouto told him. "Your love doesn't offend me." 

"Then- then why? What can I do to make things go back to normal?"

Normal. 

No, things would never be 'normal' again, not as long as Shouto had to hide his affection while the other two were so in love with each other like they were. No, they couldn't go back to how things were when all three of them were on equal footing with one another. Shouto knew that their being together would always take precedence over Shouto. That's what it meant when you loved someone, and they sure as hell loved each other more than anything. Anyone could see that. What they felt toward each other would never equate to how they felt toward Shouto. 

"I only intended to give you two more time to be with each other- without me intruding all the time. I know it must be weird for you to feel like you have to take me everywhere with you all the time. I don't want you two feeling obligated to spend just as much time with me as before."

"But I want to spend time with you, Sho," Midoriya pouted. 

"Then we'll spend time together." He was trying his best to reassure his friend that nothing was wrong, but it seemed that nothing he said was coming across the way he wanted to. He had no idea what to do. "We can spend time together, but I know that you two will want to spend time together alone, and I want you to know I'm okay with that."

He swallowed the weird lump in his throat before continuing. 

"I feel like I've been intruding on your relationship, and it's not right of me to interject myself right into the middle of it when I have no place there to begin with." 

"Oh, Sho, that's not-"

"I'm not finished," he said, interrupting the other. He was determined to get everything out on the table now--well, aside from the part about his own feelings--hopefully to avoid a situation like this in the future. 

"I need you to know that you two are important to me, and I never want to do anything to ruin your happiness. If keeping my distance will allow you two to be together properly and happily, then it's what I'll do. I don't want to lose you guys, either." 

"Sho, we want you with us. We- we- want you around." 

Shouto shook his head, frowning. He didn't understand. Midoriya just wasn't listening to him.

"Like I said, I've been intruding on what you two have, and I've only recently realized it. What we have-" he waved a hand between them, "-and what you two have are two completely different things. You can't treat them the same. You can't treat me the same as him and expect things to work like that--because it won't. Treating me like an equal in your relationship will only make things messy. You don't want messy- and I don't want to make things messy for you." 

He ignored the look in Midoriya's eye as he finished, hoping that this time, he would finally understand what Shouto meant. 

He thought it would be common knowledge that you don't treat your friends like you treat your significant other. It doesn't work like that, and all it did was make Shouto feel like he belonged when he knew he didn't, and it would probably cause issues between Midoriya and Bakugou as well. That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't care how he felt as long as his two best friends were happy. 

"Alright." 

Shouto's eyes snapped back up to meet Midoriya's gaze. 

"I get it now. Clearly, you've been trying to set boundaries with us, and we've been ignoring them." 

It was still not what Shouto was going for. But it was better. Closer to the truth. 

"I just don't want to ruin the good thing you two have, is all," Shouto supplied. 

"You won't. You can't, Sho, you wouldn't ruin anything." 

He would ruin it. He would, and they had no idea how close he was to ruining things between them every day. How hard his chest ached at the thought of not being able to reach out to them and touch them and love them. They didn't know he could ruin it so easily if he didn't care for them so much. 

He had to draw that line in the sand if they wouldn't. He saw what they had- the beautiful love they shared with each other- and Shouto would protect that at all costs. He would not be the one to hurt them or cause them to split up. 

* * *

Chapter Text

Many unsaid things still swirled about the air around them, but for the time being, Midoriya and Bakugou were at least talking to Shouto again. 

He no longer hid in his room when Bakugou was invited over, and the couple were back to inviting him along on some of their outings. But things like cuddling on the couch—any overly friendly touches—Shouto tried not to engage in. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss it, but these were the conditions he pushed for them to agree on, so there was nothing he could say. 

He'd never been able to reach out to them before. And they would no longer reach for him. It stung, but this was the way things were supposed to be. 

Thinking back to his conversation with Shinsou and Tokoyami, he began to worry that his feelings were more obvious than he thought. Because of this, he was trying just a little bit harder to distance himself from those feelings when he was around Bakugou and Midoriya. He couldn't risk them finding out. 

The three were having a movie marathon, which Midoriya demanded when he discovered that Shouto had never seen the Santa Claus movies. This was constantly happening to him; his friends would bring up something apparently vital to anyone's upbringing, Shouto would tell them that he had never experienced it, and then they would freak out. And then, they would force him to do whatever that thing was in order to make it right. 

He didn't feel the same way about these things as they did. Of course, he was bitter that his childhood differed from everybody else's, but he saw no point in being bitter about it anymore. It's not like he could go back and change it. He had to live with these things every day, and if he were still bitter about it, that would get pretty tiring. 

And so, here he was, on the couch with Bakugou and Midoriya (with a healthy few feet between him and them, of course), watching these Christmas movies because Midoriya was so offended that Shouto had never experienced them. Bakugou acted like they were childish and annoying but stopped complaining about it when Midoriya slugged him in the shoulder. 

The movies were alright. Shouto never quite understood the big deal about these things. 

Midoriya was tucked against Bakugou's side as they watched, and Shouto did his best to keep his eyes on the screen instead of the couple cuddling beneath their own blanket. It was only ever a few hours that they hung out at a time anyway, and he would do his best to pretend for those few hours that he wasn't madly in love with them. 

It was alright. He would be alright. It was selfish of him to feel bitter about these kinds of things, especially when he was the one who demanded a wall be erected between them in the first place. 

Shouto had been idly snacking on some of his favorite candies- the hot tamales- and Midoriya seemed to only now notice. 

His eyes darted between Shouto and the small box in his hands.

"Did you want some?" Shouto finally asked, shaking the box toward the other. 

"Yes, please," he smiled. He crawled out from under the blanket and closed the distance between them, stopping on the couch cushion next to Shouto on his hands and knees. He sat back on his legs, pausing to give Shouto an odd look he didn't quite understand. He held out the snack toward Midoriya, who made no move to take it. 

"Feed it to me?" 

Shouto's brain short-circuited at the question. 

Midoriya was perfectly capable of eating them by himself, and Shouto was hesitant to put his fingers anywhere near the other man's mouth. He didn't quite understand why he wanted this. 

"Um- sure," Shouto replied, clearing his throat to try and hide the nervousness laced into his tone. He glanced up and over Midoriya's head at the blonde, whose crimson eyes bore into him, making him squirm a bit. 

Midoriya- bless his stupid, cute heart- parted his lips, resting his tongue on his lower lip. 

This was much too close, too intimate, but he couldn't find it in his heart to deny Midoriya's odd request. He probably should have, given the way Bakugou was staring him down. 

Taking one of the candies from the box, he raised it to Midoriya's mouth, careful not to accidentally brush his lips or tongue with the tips of his fingers lest he send himself into cardiac arrest. It was a futile effort, though, because the minute the candy made contact with his tongue, he swept it upward and intentionally licked his finger. 

He retracted his hand as if he'd been burned. His own lips were parted slightly, almost as if to mirror the actions of the man kneeling next to him. 

Midoriya never took his eyes off Shouto's as he slowly chewed and swallowed the candy. 

He could feel that wall crumbling again as he watched him, wondering what the purpose of this was. Nothing about this was normal. This wasn't something innocent and friendly, and Shouto couldn't pull himself out of his head quickly enough to make sense of it. 

To put it simply, he was drowning in the way Midoriya's tongue felt against his finger, pushing against the stupid, dirty need in his chest to shove his fingers in his mouth- but deeper. He had no idea where such thoughts were suddenly coming from. 

It wasn't right, and it certainly wasn't helping that no one was saying anything about how odd or weird this was. 

Bakugou was watching from his spot on the couch with odd, half-lidded eyes, and Shouto swore he could feel a zap up his spine when he locked eyes with him for a second. 

"Another?" Midoriya asks. His eyes snapped back to the man kneeling next to him. 

Before Shouto knew what he was doing, he pulled another tamale from the box and lifted it to Midoriya's open mouth, ignoring how his tongue was sticking out slightly farther than his bottom lip this time. 

Maybe it was okay to be a bit selfish, he thought to himself as he slipped the candy just a little farther into his mouth than the last. This time, he let the tip of his finger run across the entire length of Midoriya's tongue. A short, sharp exhale escaped Shouto's lips when the warm and wet muscle pushed back against the digit, creating contact with more of his finger than just the tip. 

Shouto's heart skidded to a stop in his chest when he realized what he was doing. 

Scooting back on the sofa, his eyes darted between Midoriya and Bakugou, wondering why no one had shouted yet- why nothing was exploding in his face. He couldn't get his mind to stop racing about how colossally he'd just fucked up. 

"I, um-" He swallowed, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "I'm going to go put on some tea," he finally finished. 

He stood up from the couch swiftly. 

"Bring us some, too!" Bakugou called as he shot toward the kitchen. 

Leaning over the kitchen sink, Shouto was completely spaced off as he ran the faucet at its hottest temperature. He tried to focus on the sound, using it as an artificial static to ground his thoughts. He was supposed to be making tea, but he forgot all about it somewhere between getting off the couch and heading to the kitchen. 

His pulse was racing beneath his skin as he took in shallow breaths, trying to get a grip on himself. The terrible thoughts that plagued him wouldn't stop; if there was a switch to turn it off, Shouto had yet to find it. 

"The fuck are you doing?" 

Shouto snapped back to attention, noticing the teapot screaming on the stove. Bakugou removed it from the heat and turned off the burner. 

Shouto turns the faucet off, tensing up the closer the blonde got to him. 

"Sorry," Shouto mumbled. "I got distracted." 

He was terrified he was about to be told off for his behavior in the living room. He would be told that he wasn't allowed around them anymore for stepping over that line, running miles past the one he put in place himself. He felt so stupid for doing that, and he wasn't sure what to do. 

Bakugou grumbled but didn't reply. Instead, he suddenly stepped into Shouto's space and reached toward the cabinet above the sink. Bakugou's chest pressed against his back for just a second, but it was enough to force a quiet, stuttered breath out of Shouto, who was still on edge and feeling like an exposed nerve ending after what happened with Midoriya. 

The blonde seemed to take his time rummaging around the cup cabinet, pulling out three mugs and setting them on the counter next to the sink. Shouto remained as still as possible, ignoring how the tips of his ears burned. 

He knew it was all in his head, but something about the contact felt different this time- more charged- though he couldn't explain how or why. All he could do was endure and remain calm until Bakugou backed off. 

"So what's got you so distracted, Peppermint?" 

Shouto almost choked. The words were right against his ear. He could feel Bakugou's breath on his neck. 

"Um-" he gulped, his hands gripping the counter's edge tightly as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Sorry, what? I-" 

This was not what they'd agreed upon. This was worse. This was so much worse, and he had no idea what to do about it to get it to stop. He was being punished somehow, cruelly teased by Bakugou for what he did earlier- 

"Kacchan." 

Bakugou instantly removed himself from Shouto's bubble, and the latter turned around to see Midoriya standing on the threshold between the living room and the kitchen. Shouto was frozen, unsure of what to do; he was certain that they could see the pink on his cheeks; he was certain that-

"Don't be mean to Sho," Midoriya said, shooting Bakugou a pointed look. 

He crossed the kitchen and poked Bakugou in the forehead. He didn't look mad--neither of them did--but whatever Bakugou was doing wouldn't have looked right from the other man's perspective. Shouto was effectively confused. 

He turned back around and busied himself, making the tea like he was supposed to do this whole time, eager to keep his hands and mind busy. 

"Tch- I wasn't being mean," Bakugou argued slyly. Something about his tone was different, but he wasn't sure how to describe it. 

Softer, maybe, but Shouto wasn't an expert in those kinds of things. 

Regardless, he had no idea what had just happened. 

Now, Shouto had never considered himself a sexual person. 

There were even jokes and questions back when he was in school about whether or not he was asexual, and he might have believed the rumors himself if he wasn't sure that he was in love with Bakugou and Midoriya. 

But that was just it- even though he loved them more than anything and thought about them all the time, the thoughts had never been inherently sexual or dirty. 

He usually fantasized about holding their hands, getting soft head pats, or forehead kisses. He wanted to cuddle up with them and sleep in the same space as them. 

But as he lay in bed that night, his brain wouldn't stop producing images of them in dirty positions and situations. 

Sometimes, it was him pushing multiple fingers past Midoriya's hot and wet lips, filling his mouth all the way back to his throat. This led him to think about how sinful the green-haired man would look on his knees with his lips stretched around his cock with tears in the corners of his eyes as he took him in deep. 

The images and fantasies made him sweat and ache in his bed. He was harder than he'd ever been, writhing on his mattress, refusing to pleasure himself with the images his mind was conjuring up. 

And it definitely wasn't just Midoriya on his mind. 

No, he could vividly picture and feel Bakugou, too--wondering how he might differ in bed from Midoriya. 

Bakugou would be rough with him, and Shouto knew he would like it. 

He closed his eyes and swore he could feel it, and his breath stuttered when he let himself get lost in the fantasy. 

He was face-down on the mattress with Bakugou plastered across his back as he pounded into him. Shouto wanted to be filled with him; he wanted to feel every inch of Bakugou inside him, and maybe, Midoriya would be under Shouto, too, as the blonde fucked him-

Shouto groaned out loud in the empty bedroom, pulling himself out of the fantasy, stopping his hand just short of his erection. 

He wouldn't. He couldn't. 

It was such a betrayal to let himself think these things about his friends who loved each other, and not him. It made him feel dirty and gross and wrong.

He'd never had these kinds of thoughts before, but he couldn't stop them now. It frustrated him and brought hot tears to his eyes. 

The room was way too warm, and the hard-on he currently sported just wouldn't go away. 

 Sitting up, he peeled his shirt off and chucked it across the room in frustration. It sickened him that he was thinking these things when Midoriya was sleeping soundly on the other side of the wall from him. 

His best friend was thinking of him on his knees, sucking his-

No. 

He had to stop this. He just didn't know how. 

And gods, it didn't help that he knew what they sounded like in the bedroom, having had the painful pleasure of listening to them make love to each other in the past. 

The sounds seemed to plague him even more than before. The breathy neediness of Midoriya's whimpers and moans played on a loop in his brain, and when he let himself fall back down that rabbit hole, he remembered Bakugou and the filthy, sinful things he would spew into his lover's ear as he fucked into him. 

It was only worse now that he imagined himself between them. 

Maybe if he touched himself (just this once, he promised), the thoughts would disappear. If he let himself come, he could leave this all behind him. 

With a great deal of hesitance, he slipped his fingers under the band of his boxer briefs. Sucking in a breath, he pushed them down and let himself spring free from the confines of his underwear. The cold air on his shaft sent shivers and goosebumps across his entire body, and he hissed when he shifted to finish removing his bottoms, causing his dick to brush against his abdomen. 

He was so turned on he could feel his pulse in his erection, and every brush of the sheets against his warm, sticky skin almost made him whimper. 

He wrapped his fingers around himself and gave an experimental tug and immediately had to clamp his free hand over his mouth to stop himself from making any noise. He slowly worked his hand over himself, running his thumb across his slit to disperse the bead of precum already forming. He was so wet already, and he'd hardly started--his precum slicking up his shaft as he slowly worked himself into a pleasurable rhythm. 

Shouto's mind ran wild with fantasies of them, and for the first time, he didn't do anything to stop it. He imagined the things Bakugou would whisper to him, imagining that it was his hand around him, working him closer and closer to the edge. He kept his other hand pressed tightly over his parted lips to muffle the sounds he made, utterly helpless to the way they seemed to crawl up his throat and threaten to sound in the quiet, empty bedroom. 

The sheets stuck to his sweaty back as he quickened the pace. His hand didn't feel like enough, and the frustration of it all was starting to boil over in the form of pouty, hot tears. He paused his ministrations so he could flip himself over. Pinning his erection between his abdomen and the sheets, he bit down on his pillow and started to messily grind his hips into the mattress, eagerly chasing his pleasure. 

Tears continued to stream down his cheeks the closer he got to the end. His ministrations were messy and imperfect, and the closer he got the harder it was to keep up the rhythm he had. He was so close and so frustrated with himself, needing more than what he currently had. 

He wanted to be filled to the brim with cock, he wanted to be shoved down and mercilessly fucked into oblivion, and his own lonely movements against the mattress were a poor substitute for the things he needed. 

He needed them so badly his skin was screaming- he was so sensitive and so fucking close- 

In his last act of desperation, he reached down and clamped his hand around his erection, whimpering into his pillow when he finally felt himself reaching his peak. 

He came hard, his teeth nearly biting through his pillow as he shuddered and moaned into the spit-covered fabric. A sheen of frost shot from his fingertips and spread across the sheets on one side as he continued to work his other hand over himself, milking himself of every drop as he came down from his high. 

When he finally unclamped his jaw from the pillow, it ached from how hard he had to bite it to keep himself quiet. He was surrounded by a mess of his own spit, cum, and the melting frost he'd produced without realizing it. 

It took him a minute to catch his breath before he was ready to clean up. His chest burned from the exertion, but every physical sensation was overridden by his desire to bury himself alive. 

He felt ashamed.

This was supposed to make him feel better, but it only deepened his resentment toward himself. Empty, hollow tears continued to spill down his face as he forced himself to remove the sheets and clean himself up. He felt so much worse than before and didn't know how he would ever face them again after this. 

He was disgusted with himself. 

Chapter Text

Katuski never in a million years thought he'd find himself falling for anyone that wasn't Midoriya Izuku. 

For years, even, after he met Shouto, he didn't love him. Did he care for him? Yes, but he didn't love him. He'd always loved Izuku, though. And to him, even thinking about the possibility of either of them ever loving anyone else filled him with a deep, discomforting rage and need to blow things up. 

He'd never tell anybody this, but thinking about the possibility of Izuku ever falling out of love with him made him ache. He'd loved him as long as he could remember—for as long as he knew what love was, it was always Izuku. 

For years, he punished himself for it; he knew he'd done nothing to deserve being loved back. He didn't deserve to love him, yet there he was, completely and irrevocably in love with him. 

If he were being honest, he'd say that he never intended to confess to Izuku. He planned to go the rest of his life harboring the curse that was his love because he knew that he didn't deserve him. Nothing he could ever do could make him worthy of loving someone like that, and the idea that Izuku might love him, too, made him angry. 

Because Izuku was better than that. He was meant for greater things than Katsuki. 

He was completely content with the way things were. 

Well-

Until Izuku moved in with Shouto. 

Until Izuku moved in with Shouto, and Katsuki started spending more time around the dual-quirked hero, and he saw the way Izuku looked at him. 

It was the quiet smiles, the eyes that lingered when Izuku thought no one was looking, but Katsuki was looking--he was always looking-

-and it burned like a boiling sea in the pit of his stomach. It made him physically ill.

It made him feel jealous. 

He was no longer okay with the way things were. It had never crossed his mind that one day, Izuku might find someone else to love, and Katsuki would have to watch from the sidelines. 

And so one evening, when it was just him and Izuku, he came clean. He told the other man every dirty and cutesy feeling he'd ever had for him in hopes that it wasn't too late--because he had to have him, for fear that someone else would come in and swoop him up right in front of him. 

And to Katsuki's surprise, Izuku loved him back. 

Izuku--sweet, perfect, Izuku loved Bakugou Katsuki back. 

And for a while, things were alright. They loved each other. They went on dates together. They spent all the free time they could together. 

But there was this odd thing on the edge of the room- something neither of them had addressed for the longest time, and it was that Izuku was still looking at Shouto. Izuku was still looking at Shouto, even when Katsuki was right there with him, and Katsuki didn't know what to do. 

He hadn't meant to, but he started to watch Shouto, too, trying to figure out what he had that Katsuki didn't. There must be something he was missing if he'd managed to grab Izuku's attention. Maybe if he figured out what it was, then he could somehow fix what was happening. 

He didn't want to lose Izuku. 

There was also another thought, settled somewhere deep in the back of his head telling him to be careful, because he didn't want to lose Shouto, either. But this couldn't go on. Izuku couldn't have feelings for both of them. 

As time passed, Katsuki kept a close eye on Shouto, and over time, something weird started to happen that he didn't anticipate. The more he thought about Izuku and Shouto together, the less strange it began to feel. Something about it didn't feel as wrong as before, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. 

It wasn't until late one night, when he was letting his mind run, that a particular thought struck him. Instead of obsessing over the image of Shouto and Izuku together, his mind conjured up something new. 

It upset and angered him when he thought about Izuku and Shouto together without him. But this new thought--something he had never considered until then, was different. When he imagined a scenario where Shouto and he both got to have Izuku, he didn't feel that same resentment. 

Maybe Izuku could date them both, and then Katsuki would still get to have him. Perhaps he was just tired or at his wit's end. Either way, this didn't seem like a bad option. 

As he lay there, he let himself explore the possibility further, and that's when he had another peculiar thought-

If Izuku was somehow in love with two people, Katsuki could be in love with Shouto, too. 

After all, Shouto was pretty. Shouto was so pretty and so kind, almost to a fault. Sweet Shouto, who Katsuki had never thought like this before about, was suddenly on his mind too, and he didn't feel guilty or strange because of it. 

Shouto was on his mind, and Katsuki let himself run over the possibilities about how something like that would go. He could picture himself loving Shouto. He could picture himself kissing Shouto, too- the thought making him squirm with anticipation just a little bit. It would be hot as hell, sweet even, if Shouto and Izuku kissed, too. 

He could picture Shouto loving Izuku alongside himself, and he didn't feel weird about it in the slightest. 

After that, he realized he needed to bring up this discovery with Izuku. 

As expected, Izuku was elated. He shared with Katsuki that he'd felt incredibly guilty for secretly harboring these feelings for their shared friend. He was now happier than before- now he knew there was a possibility he could have them both. 

The conversation shifted gears, and Izuku wanted to discuss Katsuki's feelings. 

"It took me a while, but I see why you're in love with him," Katsuki said. "He's-"

Pretty. Kind. Thoughtful. 

"He's perfect." 

"And you love him, too? Right?" Izuku looked up at Katsuki with big, hopeful eyes, seeing all these pieces fall together and questions answered. This was the best-case scenario for Izuku, after all. 

"I-"

He wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't thought that hard about it- only that he'd be okay with including him if things ever went that way. But he understood how Izuku looked at Shouto and felt the same way whenever Izuku talked about him. 

It was a love that snuck up on him more than he'd like to admit. A love that made his mouth dry and his heart race when he thought too hard about it. 

"I think so." 

Izuku gave him a big smile. 

"But I don't expect him to love me back." 

Now, that was something that plagued Katsuki, too; Izuku was so loveable that he could understand it if Shouto loved Izuku. Shouto was so quiet and minimally expressive that it would be hard to know how he felt about all of this. They'd have to cross that bridge when they got to it, and Katsuki knew that the possibility of Shouto loving him, and not just Izuku, was near impossible. 

He hadn't been kind to Shouto. He cared for him, yes. But he'd never been a particularly loveable person, so he couldn't imagine he'd be loved back. Every day, he was still shocked that Izuku loved him. 

So the possibility of both of the kindest and bravest people he knew loving him back was nonexistent. 

While Izuku was something loveable, Katsuki didn't see himself that way. Izuku was easy to love, and Shouto probably already loved him. But Katsuki wasn't yet sure where he fit into the picture. 

He'd have to find out somehow, and he couldn't let himself get upset when he found out what he already knew. 

* * * 

To say that Deku was distraught was an understatement, and Katsuki was getting extremely fucking tired of it.

It wasn't that Katsuki wasn't also feeling a bit unsure of what to do--no, it was just that Deku started motor-mouthing over thirty minutes ago and hadn't let up.

He and Deku had the day off today, so Deku was over at the apartment Katsuki shared with Kaminari and Kirishima. Neither of them were home that day, so it was just the two of them; Katsuki sat on the sofa, watching Deku pace a hole in the ugly shag carpet that Dunce Face insisted they buy.

"Deku."

He stopped and turned toward the man on the couch as he bit down on his bottom lip, finally going silent.

"It's gonna be fine," Katsuki said, crossing his arms over his chest. Izuku groaned.

"What if we went too far? What if he really isn't interested, and we lose him? I don't want that. I can't have that."

Katsuki didn't want to lose Shouto either. But he was good at reading people—good at reading Shouto specifically—and he just knew that there were unsaid things there—something the Peppermint head was trying to hide from them.

Whether it was genuine discomfort for the fact his friends were dating or jealousy was what he and Deku were trying to decide. The longer Katsuki and Izuku had been together, the weirder Shouto was getting around them. 

It didn't help that the couple was trying to be more affectionate with Shouto, hoping to see his true feelings. Things could go south extremely quickly if they weren't right. 

Katsuki had already cast his vote, and even though he'd gotten Izuku to agree with him about upping their efforts yesterday, the nerd was a mess of nerves. Katsuki was nervous, too, but he wouldn't show it. As unsure as Izuku was, adding any sort of fuel to his worries at this point would send the whole operation spiraling.

"It was working," Katsuki finally pointed out.

Deku frowned, his teeth still digging into his lower lip in thought.

"If anything, he was turned on." Katsuki was sure of this.

"He was not," the other reasoned.

Katsuki chuckled to himself as he recalled yesterday. The fact that Izuku didn't see it was astounding. Shouto had been so affected by what Izuku was doing that he had to leave the room, and when Katsuki stepped that far into Shouto's personal space, the man hadn't been able to form even a single coherent sentence.

This at least told them that Shouto was attracted to them.

But it didn't tell them what they really wanted to know.

For fear of ruining their friendship with Shouto, they decided they couldn't just come out and say what they felt for their friend. If he didn't feel the same way, it would only make things more awkward and potentially drive him away.

"You weren't looking close enough, then," Katsuki grinned. "He was red as shit, and he couldn't take his eyes off of you."

"God, I still can't believe I did that," Izuku groaned, burying his face into his hands. "I have no idea what that was. I didn't mean to be that forward."

"It was hot as shit, is what it was," Katsuki chuckled, lifting himself from the sofa. He crossed the room to where Izuku stood, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist. He leaned down, brushing his lips against his boyfriend's ear. "Fucking sucking on his fingers like a little slut."

Izuku sputtered, his cheeks turning bright red.

"I did not suck on his fingers!"

He buried his face against Katsuki's chest with a grumble.

"At least I didn't pin him against the counter like you," he rebutted. "You were practically humping him when I walked in!"

"And he liked it," Katsuki defended, a devilish glint in his eye. "He fucking liked it."

A long breath came from Izuku as he nuzzled into his chest like a damned cat. Huff as he might about the way Izuku acted sometimes; it always warmed his chest when he was so affectionate with him.

"He did, didn't he?" Izuku finally agreed. "So what now?"

"I've got a couple ideas." 

Katsuki had maybe half of a plan, but it was better than nothing. 

Shouto was attracted to Katsuki, which was enough to warrant doing what he was about to do. 

Maybe Shouto wouldn't love Katsuki, but he could seduce him. Katsuki wasn't blind; he knew he was a good-looking guy. And having tasted the small reaction Shouto had to being flirted with, he was ready to up the ante just a little bit. 

He didn't know how to make someone love him, but he knew how to make someone want him. 

Chapter Text

For the past week, Shouto has been living in a weird haze in his attempt to remove himself from his feelings and ignore them altogether. Time is moving, things are happening, and he goes through the motions; most of the time, it feels as if he is watching himself perform his actions through a hazy television screen. 

He tried his hardest not to think about anything too hard because he couldn't handle it when he did. He would save his tears and twisted emotions for his pillow because no one would understand what was happening to him. 

How was he supposed to explain to anyone that he had regularly started jerking off to his best friends, whom he just so happened to be madly in love with? How was he supposed to tell anyone this sad fact when anyone looking at the situation would know they would never love him back? 

Things were terrible at home because all Midoriya had to do was reach for something and arch his back just slightly, and Shouto's mind would begin to supply him with dozens of fantasies and images of Midoriya in all sorts of compromising, tempting positions. 

He'd seen Bakugou kissing Midoriya in the living room the other day when they hadn't known Shouto was looking; he'd caught sights of Bakugou's tongue poking out from his lips to wet Midoriya's, and he nearly started having heart palpitations. His mind was suddenly filled with questions about what it would feel like if Bakugou were licking him instead. 

He had only barely been able to get that hard-on to go away without sneaking back to his room to deal with it manually. 

To put it simply, Shouto was having a complete crisis, and the only way he could get them to stop thinking and seeing these things was to disassociate himself into oblivion like he used to do as a child. It was a sure-fire way to get his brain to turn off. 

The Hero Holiday Gala was a fundraising event that usually took place the week before Christmas. Every year, the organizers picked a cause, and the heroes who attended could donate money. 

Shouto had gone to many of these, even before becoming a pro hero himself, because his father was Endeavor. 

He just saw it as an excuse for rich people to throw their money around on live television. Newbies like Shouto wouldn't have much money to commit to the cause anyway, but it was a good way to show that you cared for the community just by showing up. 

At least, that's what his PR team told him. 

Upon arriving at the agency that morning, they pulled him into their office and told him he'd be attending—hopefully to make up for his lack of public appearances as of late—aside from his actual hero work. They would dress him and provide him with a vehicle and driver for the event, but aside from that, he was on his own. 

He would show up and hopefully leave as soon as he could. 

Another reason he hated things like this was the possibility of running into his father, whom he hadn't spoken to much since high school. Shouto doesn't talk to any of his family members that much, all for different reasons. 

He doesn't talk to his father because he's a dick. His mother was still in the hospital and wasn't always up for visits, but he tried to when he could make the time. Natsuo and Fuyumi both had their own significant others and families now, too; Fuyumi was no longer as obsessed with trying to make them all get along, instead focusing on her own family. He never knew the two of them that well, so it was always awkward whenever they saw each other. As far as Dabi, or Touya went--he wasn't sure what he was going by these days--he was in maximum security prison, with no visitation. Not that he was sure he'd visit anyway, even if he could. 

So Shouto didn't really have anyone when it came to family. He didn't see them on holidays, and the closest thing he usually got to conversing with them was sending each other a text on each other's birthdays, but that was the full extent of it. 

He wasn't really a fan of The Holidays. They weren't anything to Shouto except a reminder of how alone he was. 

The evening of the gala came swiftly, and Shouto was dreading the arrival of the car that would take him to the event. He had been sent a nice white suit with a blue tie; simple, yet tailored to his measurements precisely. He'd tried to mess with his hair and see about styling it but ultimately decided against that, having no clue what he was doing. It ended up in the same style he wore every day. 

He'd been hiding in his bedroom, afraid of what his body might do if he saw Midoriya and Bakugou in their formal attire. All his body seemed to do was betray him as of late, so he was hesitant to supply it with any opportunity to do so. 

Instead, he sat on his bed and stared at the cream-colored walls. He picked little shapes out of the textured walls, desperate to try and occupy his mind in any way. 

Despite his best efforts at attempting to believe in some god just for this one thing, his prayers went unanswered as a knock sounded at the door. There were only two possible people it could be, so he took as deep a breath as he could before standing to let them in. 

The door was opening before he even got his hand on the doorknob. 

It was Bakugou, who was wearing a deep red suit that just so happened to accentuate his perfectly tapered waist beautifully.

"Hey, Peppermint," Bakugou greeted, stepping into the room. He closed the door behind himself. 

"Hello Bakugou." Shouto swallowed, trying not to drool over the sight of the blonde in a suit. 

The blonde took a step closer, reaching out toward Shouto. He remained frozen as Bakugou adjusted the collar of his shirt, attempting to ignore the light brush of his fingertips against his flushed neck. 

"You look good," Bakugou said, his voice low. 

Shouto needed an escape. He couldn't handle this- the blatant tension in the room. He knew it was all in his head, but it was getting harder and harder to handle with the intense way Bakugou looked at him. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce straight through him, stripping him of all flesh, leaving him a pile of shivering bones. 

It was completely over for him when he reached up further, pushing Shouto's hair back and brushing his lengthy bangs away from his forehead. The touch gave him a full-body shiver. 

"Um-" Shouto swallowed, trying to gather himself. This--his behavior--was wholly unacceptable. "You look nice as well." 

"I know," he grinned. "Not gonna do anything with your hair?" 

He brushed his hand even more deliberately, carding his fingers through the strands down to his scalp. His hand rested on the crown of Shouto's head, digits buried in the dual-colored mess. 

He tried to keep his breathing steady, trying not to part his lips and pant at the touch. The proximity was causing him to lose his grip on himself, and it wasn't often he was touched so nicely like this, if at all. 

"N-no," he replied, remembering he'd been asked a question. "Does it look alright? Should I do something with it?"

"Your hair always looks good," Bakugou told him. "Don't need to do shit to make it look good."

Shouto tried not to blush at the small compliment but found it hard not to. He averted his gaze to the floor, eager to remove himself from the penetrating gaze that Bakugou was giving him. 

"Why do you still do that?" Bakugou suddenly asked, and Shouto had no idea what he was referring to. 

"Do what?" 

"You still call me Bakugou. We've known each other for years, Peppermint." 

He frowned. He honestly wasn't sure why this was still the case, either. It's just what he'd always called him--Midoriya, too--and it would feel weird now, too intimate, to suddenly switch it up and call them by their given names. 

"You don't call me Shouto, either," he argued, keeping his eyes on the floor. 

Bakugou gripped his hair lightly, still tighter than the hold he had on it before, and pulled, forcing Shouto to meet his eyes again. 

And fuck, Shouto was having a hard time keeping a handle on himself. He could feel the heat stirring in the pit of his stomach at the gentle yet dominant gesture, and he tried to think of the worst things he could to keep himself from getting aroused. 

"I like your nickname better. It suits you." 

"I suppose it does, Katsuki," Shouto whispered, unable to produce anything more.  

The grip on his hair tightened. It was only for a second that Bakugou--no, Katsuki--gripped the strands like that, but Shouto suppressed the need to whimper. He felt it crawling up the back of his throat, and he immediately sealed his lips shut as tight as he could. 

"Fuck, you should say my name like that more often, Peppermint," Katsuki said, grinning like a cat. 

"Um- what?" Shouto was confused. He let go of his hold on Shouto's hair, finally allowing him a second to gather himself. 

He felt like he was being hit on. But he was sure that's not what it was. It couldn't be that. 

"Nevermind. I was supposed to ask if you wanted to ride to the gala with Deku and me. He's out in the living room waiting." He nodded toward the door before looking at Shouto expectantly, who was still trying to find his voice. 

"I've got a ride," he finally replied. 

"I didn't ask if you had a ride," Katsuki scoffed, stepping back and pocketing his hands. "I asked if you wanted to go with me and the nerd." 

"You don't have to-"

"None of that shit," Katsuki said, cutting him off sharply. 

Shouto fell silent. 

"No more of that bullshit about you 'intruding,' or whatever. You think I wouldn't tell you if you were being annoying? Since when have I ever let you fuckin' annoy me without saying something about it?"

Well, he was right. If something bothered Katsuki, he always made sure to say something. He was one of the most assertive people Shouto knew, and he couldn't imagine him going through with something if he didn't want to. 

So, that begged the question: Why would they want him there in the first place? Did it not feel as strange to them as it did him to have him tag along with them constantly? He just couldn't understand it. 

"Deku's waiting," Katsuki snapped. "You coming with us or not?" 

"Oh, um," he started, pausing to think about it, trying to figure out exactly what they meant. 

They were definitely only offering to ride to the venue with him—nothing more. Upon their arrival, they would probably part ways, attending the event as they normally did. 

After all, they were a public couple. They didn't keep their relationship hidden from the news. Shouto would be an odd addition to the duo; he wasn't sure that was something they'd want. If he remained close by throughout the duration of the event, it might raise odd questions from the public, and he's sure that their friendliness didn't extend this far. Shouto didn't want anything to get misconstrued or messed up because of him. 

"Fuck, you're thick," Katsuki grumbled, reaching out to grab Shouto's forearm. He dragged him toward the door before Shouto could even react. He hauled him out to the living room, where Midoriya was waiting, smiling and bright-eyed upon seeing him with Katsuki. Midoriya looked good in his suit, rendering Shouto speechless. It was a dark, almost black, shade of green that only glinted off the color when the light hit it in the right way. Midoriya in anything close to black should have been illegal. 

"You're coming with us?" Midoriya asked excitedly. 

"Yep." Katsuki answered for him, not even giving him a chance to speak. 

He'd let his driver know he no longer needed a ride to the event since the duo were adamant about Shouto riding along with them. When the car arrived, Midoriya entered the vehicle on the street side, and Katuski held the door open on the other, beckoning for Shouto to enter first. This would put him right between the two of them, and while Shouto couldn't think of a worse torture at the moment, he didn't argue. He slid into the center seat, boxed in on both sides by the other two heroes, who didn't seem as tense about the situation as he did. 

The car started to move, and Shouto rested his hands in his lap, pulling his legs close together so as not to brush them against Bakugou or Midoriya. 

"So," Bakugou started, breaking the silence that had taken over the car. "Peppermint here told me he wants to start calling you 'Izuku.'" 

Shouto tensed up as Bakugou made up the lie. Midoriya's face lit up, and he turned, gripping Shouto's thigh. 

"Really? I've always wanted you to call me that, but you never did! Though I suppose I never asked." Midoriya, in his excitement, starts to speak rapidly, and Shouto can't get a word in edgewise, not that he'd know what to say anyway. "I've called you Shouto for so long; I always wondered why you never called me by my given name. What made you want to start?"

"Oh, I-" he cleared his throat, shooting the blonde a sharp look. "I figured we've known each other long enough."

He had to play along, not wanting to hurt Midoriya's feelings, when the prospect of being called his given name by Shouto made him so happy. Bakugou had effectively backed him into a corner, and based on the look he was giving Shouto, he knew this, too. 

"Can you say it? Just once? I don't think I've ever heard you say my name before." 

Midoriya gave him a shiny, expecting look. Shouto's gut twisted together in an odd way as he parted his lips, preparing him to say it. 

He'd said Katuski's name just moments before in the house without much issue, but being asked to say it like this made it feel different. 

"Izuku." 

The green-haired hero sucked in a small breath, his grip tightening ever so slightly on Shouto's thigh. He'd been way too aware of the hand on his thigh to have missed it. 

"C-can you say it again? Please? I like the way it sounds when you say it." 

He looked at Katsuki from the side of his eye, noticing the feline grin he held on his face. Shouto could feel his ears and neck flushing as he squirmed a bit in his seat. In his fantasies, he always got to call them by their given names. Now, calling those names only made him itch with a want he knew he wasn't allowed to have. 

"Izuku." 

He couldn't help the low timbre of his voice as he said it- not with the thoughts running through his head at a million miles an hour. 

"Please, only call me that from now on. Please," he replied--borderline begged--leaning even further into Shouto's space. He had to hold his breath, fearing how shaky they would come out at the proximity. 

Everything about this evening so far had put Shouto in an awkward, terrible place, edging on uncomfortable. Yes, he wanted them so badly that he ached--his fingertips constantly twitching with the need to reach out and caress them when they were near--but these were two people he couldn't have. 

Why were they doing this to him? Did they know that they were doing this to him? Did they know how bad it hurt him when they were so nice to him? 

Not that he faulted them for being sweet and kind, but sometimes he'd wish that they were the jealous types and didn't want Shouto this close at all. Sometimes, he wished they would just ignore him like they were supposed to because it would make everything so much easier. 

When they were affectionate and sweet to him, all it did was confuse his poor heart into thinking there was a possibility they wanted him back. It made his heart swell up and fill his ribcage to the point he could hear his pulse in his throat, choking him with the need to be near them. But he was confident that they would never feel the same way about him that he did them. 

They were too perfect. They were perfect, just the two of them, and they had to know that. There was just no room for someone like Shouto. As of late, he had to constantly remind himself that they would never love him, even if it hurt to stomp down his hopes like that. 

There was no room for hope in his heart. 

Hope would visit him on occasion, doting him in small caresses and making him feel like he could be someone they wanted. But then hope would make its exit like always, leaving behind its close friend—grief. 

Every day, he grieved the loss of something he'd never had. Every day, he could feel grief tangled like yarn around his spine, tightening itself to the point it was all he could feel. Every day, Shouto wished that the hope would stop visiting and leaving that awful monster of grief in its wake. 

"Sho?" 

It was Mi- Izuku, leaning into Shouto's space again. 

He snapped out of that awful train of thought and noticed the car had stopped moving. 

"We're here," Izuku told him with a soft smile. "You ready?" 

He smoothed his sweaty palms over his pants and took a long breath. "I suppose." 

Let's get this over with, he thought to himself. 

* * * 

Chapter Text

The very thing that acted as an anchor to Shouto--keeping him grounded and present at the moment--was the same thing that was causing him to lose his grip on the situation; it was the tight hold of Katsuki's hand on his elbow, forcing him to stay close by his side as they made their way from the car and into the venue. Izuku flanked him on the other side, keeping Shouto effectively boxed in. 

The outside of the venue was decorated beautifully with warm yellow lights and gold ribbons and decorations. From what he could see past the entryway, the inside was decorated in much the same way. The air was brisk and chilly, but the night sky was clear. A golden carpet on the walkway leading up to the building was roped off from the hoards of onlookers, journalists, and reporters, all eager to catch glimpses of the heroes attending the event. 

His stomach twisted into a knot as he made his way up the walkway slowly, his friends boxing him in on both sides. They were standing too close—way too close—if they didn't want the media to misconstrue their friendship. 

As the trio carved a path up across the golden carpet, questions were shouted at them from all sides; some were for Shouto, while the other two got many of their own. They were asking anything from questions about their personal lives to their hero work, most of which Shouto ignored, like always. Of course, there were questions for Katsuki and Izuku about their relationship, completely ignoring the fact that Shouto was sandwiched right between the two of them, which relieved him some. 

"Frostburn!" 

One of the reporters caught his attention, calling his hero name. He turned to face the young woman, who had a cameraman beside her, filming the encounter. He sighed inwardly, knowing that since he'd already acknowledged her, he had to entertain her to a certain degree before he could continue, lest they feed into the rumors that Shouto was cold and unapproachable since the encounter was being filmed. 

"When can we expect to see you at one of these events with a date of your own?" 

The grip on his elbow tightened as the reporter asked the question. 

"Oh, um," Shouto tried to search for a diplomatic answer to the question that wouldn't reveal more than he wanted. "I don't think romance is in the cards for me. But I'm happy to share these experiences with friends." 

"So you don't ever intend on dating anyone? Is that right?" the reporter pushed. 

He could feel Katsuki bristling at the statement, and Shouto wasn't sure what to say or why the blonde was getting so worked up in the first place. He knew that Katuski hated reporters, so maybe that's all it was. 

"He's obviously here with us tonight," Katsuki bit, glaring at the woman. "So keep your nosy-ass, stupid questions to yourself, you hag! I doubt you're getting any dates with the ugly mug you've got!"

Shouto's eyes widened at the blatant rudeness, unsure what to say or do to diffuse the situation. 

"Kacchan." Izuku peeked out from Shouto's other side, grabbing the angry blonde by his arm. "Don't be mean. Let's just go in." 

Katsuk grumbled but listened to his boyfriend, letting Izuku lead him inside. Shouto shot the flustered reporter an apologetic look before following after them. He watched their backs as they rushed the rest of the way inside, wondering about Katsuki's statement to the reporter. 

He's obviously here with us tonight. 

Was it obvious? It didn't seem that way to their onlookers, and it definitely didn't seem that way to Shouto. If anything, he saw himself as a fungus that the pair just couldn't rid themselves of. He didn't know why he kept returning- no matter how many times he'd tried to tear himself from them by the roots. 

The inside of the venue was even more spectacular than the outside. While it still felt very Christmassy, they had stuck to gold, silver, and white decorations. The room was surrounded by fake trees of all sizes, each of them reflecting the colors of the room in its shiny, silver-tinseled needles. Strings of lights filled the space above them, filling the space with an ethereal golden glow, casting appealing light on the attendees' skin and faces. A small string ensemble filled the space with soft Christmas music as heroes poured into the space. 

He didn't think he'd ever get over how Izuku and Katsuki looked in the soft lighting.

Katsuki was bathed in a softness that he rarely saw in the man. His features were smoothed and traced in gold, and Shouto tried as hard as he could to file the image away in his mind to keep forever. 

Then there was Izuku, looking just as beautiful as he always did; his smile was warm and sweet as he greeted some of their other friends from UA. The golden glow made his hair shine in all the right ways, and every time he turned, Shouto got a glimpse of the green hiding within the dark colors of his suit. 

Izuku clutched Katsuki's hand tightly, lacing their fingers together. Shouto could still feel the fantom touches on his skin from earlier when they'd grabbed him in the car and again on the way into the venue. The memories and lingering tingles from the touches weren't enough--not that he'd ever be able to ask for it or receive it when he wanted it. 

He only got those things when he was lucky enough to have them caught up in the moment- when they didn't realize what they were doing. At least, he hoped they didn't realize what they were doing because it was far more intimate than they should ever have been with him. 

A server had brought a tray of drinks by, and Shouto grabbed a chute of champagne before slowly beginning his normal routine for events. He started to disappear toward the edge of the room, greeting a few people he couldn't dodge on his way. 

"Hey! Peppermint," Katsuki called out before swiftly beelining over to him- Izuku hot on his heels. "Where the hell are you going?" 

"I don't like these things," he stated plainly, lifting his drink to his lips. "I usually stick on the side of the room to avoid being talked to." 

 Katsuki grabbed his arm again, instantly sending tingles across Shouto's body. 

It was stupid how easily they affected him without even knowing. It wasn't fair to them that he got so worked up about those kinds of things and didn't even know they were doing it. They should be able to be friendly to Shouto without him making a big deal about things, but anything from them turned into a bigger deal than he wished it would. 

"You're not gonna do that tonight," Katsuki told him. "We want you here with us, so you stay by us. The whole evening." 

Shouto's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the request. He was sure that he and Izuku would want to spend a nice evening like this by themselves. But they kept taking him along with them—whether it was the ride here or facing the reporters—they'd kept him by their sides. 

"I'm incredibly boring," he finally reasoned, unsure of how else to get them to stop trying to include him. He didn't need it. He didn't need them feeling sorry for him that he was there alone. They had attended the Holiday Gala as a couple, and Shouto was absolutely infringing on their time together. "You won't have much fun with me around." 

"Nonsense!" Izuku chimed in from beside Katsuki. "We like being around you, Sho! You're not boring." 

"Who fuckin' told you that you were?" Katsuki grumbled. 

"No one had to say it," he replied.

"Well, we don't have to talk to anyone else," Izuku argued. "The speeches start soon anyway, so we can find a table and hang out there!" 

"Good plan," Katsuki agreed. He tugged Shouto's arm to follow as they started off toward the section of tables by the stage. "I don't wanna talk to any of these extras, anyway. Grinds the shit outta my gears." 

He could do nothing against the tight grip the blonde had on his arm as he forced Shouto to walk close by his side. 

The room was set up in two-ish sections; there was the first open space when you immediately entered the building, which was well-lit compared to the other half. There were refreshment tables in the first half of the room and space for people to move around and talk. The second half of the room held the tables and the stage, with a small space between them, presumably for dancing later in the evening once all the speeches and items on the agenda were completed. That was how most of these things went. Once the drinks started flowing and the attendees began to relax, they switched from classical music to songs played over the speakers at a higher volume, inviting the heroes to cut loose. 

Shouto was always gone by this point in the evening, leaving shortly after it was socially acceptable to do so. After all, they only televised the first half of the evening, cutting off all recordings once the last speech was given, allowing the heroes to socialize without worrying about the media. 

They seat themselves at a table near the edge of the room. Again, Shouto is sandwiched between Katsuki and Izuku. Keeping his limbs tucked in and hands in his lap, he only wished to make it through the evening without issue. 

The rest of the tables filled up shortly after they sat down, and the presentations and speeches began. Shouto had inadvertently tuned most of this out, too aware of how Izuku's hand rested on his thigh, slowly snaking higher and higher as the evening went on. It didn't help that Katsuki had an arm slung over the back of Shouto's chair, keeping him from being able to squirm or escape if he dared. 

He was mostly just frozen in place, afraid to move wrong against Izuku's hand; he had to keep a tight grip on himself if he didn't want his thoughts to run without permission. 

But it was so, so hard when Izuku touched him like that- idly brushing the tips of his fingers along his clothed thigh. Even with the material between his leg and Izuku's fingers, it sent a sharp zap through his entire nervous system. 

Every time the waitress made a pass by their table, Shouto took a glass of champagne. He'd felt his cheeks warming a while ago but kept drinking, hoping the substance would dull his senses. He was four small glasses in by the time Katsuki shot him a sharp look the next time he reached for a refill. 

"No more," he growled quietly so as not to disrupt what was happening on stage. He then shot the waitress a mean look, sending her scurrying off to her next table. 

"Why not?" Shouto pouted. 

Katsuki grabbed at the ends of Shouto's hair with the hand slung on the back of his chair and yanked. Shouto frowned and returned Katsuki's pointed look. 

"Don't want you drunk." 

Shouto ignored the long, sideways glance the blonde was giving him. 

"Why does it matter if it makes it easier to get through this?" 

Katsuki scoffed quietly, taking his arm off the back of the chair. Shouto silently mourned the loss but rejoiced it at the same time, for he could finally take half a breath. Izuku was none the wiser to the minor spat between him and his boyfriend, keeping his warm hand on Shouto's thigh as if it belonged there. 

The speech on stage suddenly ended, and the rest of the audience gave applause- but Katsuki's eyes remained fixed on the dual-tone-haired hero. It was the last official event of the night, and others began rising from their seats to fetch refreshments and drinks or to hit the dance floor with their friends and lovers. 

"Am I really that terrible for you to be around?" Katsuki suddenly asked, sounding wholly offended. 

Shouto sputtered, wondering how he'd come to that conclusion. Sure- it wasn't the best thing to constantly be surrounded by the people you loved unrequitedly, but he enjoyed their presence nonetheless. 

"What have I done to give you that impression?" Shouto questioned. 

"Literally everything you've done recently! I'm starting to think you really don't want me around anymore. Is it because I'm dating the nerd? Are you jealous or something?"

"Kacchan!" Izuku interjected, finally catching wind of the conversation happening next to him. "Don't accuse him of things like that. It's not true. Right, Sho?" 

Frantically looking back and forth between the two of them, he wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, he thought it would be best if he left; after all, he always left around this time during events like these. But he also didn't want to leave and prove Katsuki's assumption right because nothing could be farther from the truth. 

He could feel himself being driven between them like a stake and was eager to remove himself from the situation. However, he feared his actions would be misconstrued again, and Shouto wasn't sure what to say or do. 

"That's not how I feel," Shouto eventually settled on, unsure how else to word his feelings. 

"Then tell me how you feel. I don't understand you and your bullshit." 

"My bullshit?" he countered. "What do you mean by that?" 

Katsuki crossed his arms over his broad chest, leaning back in his chair away from Shouto. 

"Yeah. You and your silent martyr bullshit. Always acting like we feel sorry for you or some shit when I don't even know why we'd feel sorry for you in the first place! You're creating problems inside your own head and then pretending they're real by forcing them onto us." 

Shouto glared down at the silver tablecloth, bunching his hands into fists. People were looking at them now that Katsuki had raised his voice at Shouto, who instantly clammed up at the outburst. 

His pulse was pounding in his ears, and he could feel a toxic ache climbing up his throat, clogging the way for words. He couldn't get a handle on himself and explain what was going through his head in the slightest--and Katsuki was getting angry at him because of it. 

"Katsuki," Izuku said sharply, causing both Shouto and the blonde to suck in a sudden breath. "Stop it." 

It wasn't often- if ever- that Izuku said Katsuki's real name. 

Shouto could feel the rift forming between them on his behalf- devouring his senses like a blizzard- and he wanted nothing more than to have left before any of this happened. 

"I- I need to leave," Shouto said quietly, ignoring how Izuku's hand tightened on his leg when he spoke. "I'm sorry for ruining your evening. Please don't be upset with each other because of me. I'm sorry." 

He stood up suddenly, his chair sliding sharply against the floor behind him. Before he could listen to what either of his friends had to say, he made his way to the nearest exit. His breaths were coming short and fast, and he knew if he didn't get out of there quick enough, he'd end up making a scene, and that's the last thing he wanted. 

He pushed open a side door he spotted between two Christmas trees lining the room's walls and left the loud, overwhelming room, finding himself in a dark, empty hallway. Moonlight spilled in through a window along the wall, but he was bathed in darkness beside the soft glow of the night filtering in through the glass. 

He sank to the floor and tried to catch his breath. He pressed his nails into the palms of his hands, trying to stop his body from shaking under the pressure of what had just unfolded in the next room. 

This was bound to happen, given how things had been going between them all. It was stupid of Shouto to think otherwise when he kept letting himself get so close to them. All this time, he'd been flying too close to the sun, and he knew it. He knew this would end with both his friends upset and confused, yet he let himself be close to them anyway. 

He counted his breaths, trying anything to get his breathing to even out. He wanted to leave so badly, but it was only then, in the dark hallway, that he remembered he'd told his driver he wouldn't need him for the evening- that he had it taken care of. Izuku and Katsuki were his ride, and unless he wanted to walk or hail some kind of taxi or rideshare, he would have to go back in there and play nice. He knew his PR agent wouldn't be happy with him if he left in a taxi, knowing how that would look after showing up with his friends. 

People always assume the worst; if he didn't leave with them, everyone would assume there was some kind of fight or disagreement. That was one more stain on his best friends' lives that he couldn't let happen. 

And so, he would have to calm down enough to go back in there. He tried his hardest to still his breathing and stop the shaking in his body so he could make another appearance. 

Right when he thought he had a handle on himself, he heard the door to the hallway open. 

Sounds from the party on the other side slipped into the hallway for a few seconds as whoever it was made their leave from the hall. He could only see the silhouettes of the two people against the backdrop of light coming through the door, but that was enough to know who they were. 

Izuku and Katsuki immediately spotted Shouto on the floor and headed toward him. He supposed he could run away again, but that wouldn't do him much good at the moment, so he steeled himself and prepared for the vocal lashing he was sure to receive from them for his behavior. 

"Peppermint," Katsuki said softly, coming to a crouch at Shouto's side. Izuku slid down the wall and sat down on Shouto's other side. For the third time that evening, he found himself right between the couple--right where he shouldn't be. He could even look at him now, feeling incredibly embarrassed by his behavior as of late. "Fuck- I didn't mean that. Back there. I didn't mean to upset you." 

"I'm not upset," Shouto said, quick to lie. He didn't want them to think he was too affected by what had happened- not want them to think the wrong things about the situation. Sure, he was upset by what had happened, but he knew that this was bound to happen, and it was all his fault for not stopping it. 

If he let himself be upset because of this, they would know there was more going on than what he'd been telling them, which might drive an even wider chasm between Izuku and Katsuki than before. He didn't want them to fight or be upset because of him, so he would do anything to avoid letting that happen. 

If it meant going back to not talking, then so be it. He could clam up and pretend nothing was wrong if it would help their relationship. 

"Bullshit." Katsuki grabbed Shouto's chin and forced him to look him in the eye. Shouto sucked in a small breath at the contact, hating the way his body betrayed him and reacted like that to the slight touch.

"I call bullshit," he reiterated, giving him his penetrating, crimson gaze. "There's something going on in your thick head that you're not telling us about."

"You know you can talk to us, right?" Izuku chimed in, leaning forward to look at Shouto. "We're your friends. We care about you a lot. So if there's something on your mind, we want to know about it." 

"I can't tell you," he croaked, removing his face from Katsuki's grasp to stare down at the floor.

He didn't even know where the words were coming from. He didn't know why they'd come out at all, knowing that this was one of the worst things he could say. 

"I can't tell anyone," he said, amending his prior statement. "It's not something I can- or want- to share. I can't." 

"Oh." 

It was Izuku, giving him a sad, longing look. Of course, it bothered him that he couldn't share with them how much he loved them. But it would destroy them--all of them--if he were to let that truth come to light. 

"I mean-" Izuku started, putting a hand on Shouto's knee. And fuck, it sucked that he was doing things like that so often, but he couldn't say no or push him away. He just couldn't. How was he supposed to turn down such a beautiful offer from one of the men he loved? 

If his heart could be quelled and his love could be quenched with just the simplest of touches, then why should he want more when he didn't deserve it? 

"I- I just need you to know that whatever it is, we won't judge you. Or be mad. Or whatever it is that you think will happen," Izuku finished. 

Izuku. Izuku. Izuku. 

It was still so strange to him that in just one night, he'd gone from referring to them by their surnames to their given names, even in his own head. It was a step he never should have let himself take, even if Katsuki had backed him into it. But now, it was all he thought of when he let his mind think about them, and he hated it. 

Oh, but he loved it, too. 

That was just it—he hated everything when it came to himself and them, but he loved it even more. He supposed that was why he let himself get hurt over and over and over, that the small bits and pieces of gratification he received out of it were enough to outweigh the bad, even if the bad was always greater in the end. 

One step forward, three steps back. 

And it was enough for him. It was more than enough, and eons more than what he deserved for loving them--for believing he had a right to in the first place, even if he'd never tell them he did. 

"Why don't you come back out there with us?" Katsuki finally said. "We can just forget about it if you don't want to talk about it. I won't be a dick, and Izuku will get to dance with you like he wanted." 

Shouto froze. 

"Y-you want to dance with me?" 

Izuku shifted closer, forcing his face into Shouto's line of sight. 

"Of course I do!" He smiled. "As long as you want to, of course. Kacchan wants to dance with you, too, even if he won't say it." 

He ignored the faint redness on Katsuki's cheeks. No- he wouldn't let himself think that was anything it was not. 

"You two should go dance with each other, not me," he stated. 

They both looked at him strangely, as if it wasn't normal for two boyfriends to dance with each other instead of someone else. 

"We will," Katuski said. "But you first. We won't take no for an answer, Peppermint." 

He wanted to say no. But just like always, he was presented with a guillotine--and just like every other time, he knelt and rested his neck under the blade. 

"Alright. Fine. I'll dance with you," he told them. 

And then, the three of them got up and returned to the party like nothing had happened. 

The lights were soft, the music was hard, and Shouto tried his best not to overthink the situation. 

Izuku had taken his hand first, leading him out to the open space between the tables and stage to dance. 

"I'm a terrible dancer," Shouto told Izuku as they embraced each other. Izuku pressed himself against Shouto unexpectedly, causing him to tense up and inhale sharply. His hand gripped Izuku's waist tightly, and he let the small action anchor him to the present moment to keep his head clear of unwelcome thoughts. 

"So am I," Izuku chuckled, looking up with eyes shining brighter than the lights that lined the room. 

Izuku snaked the hand that was supposed to be resting on his shoulder around Shouto's neck, causing him to break out in an awful flush that he was sure would be visible to any onlookers. The proximity was killing him; he could practically feel Izuku's breath on his neck as they swayed back and forth to the music playing over the sound system. Shouto worried about what Katsuki would think if he saw the pair of them together like this. 

When Katsuki's turn with Shouto came, it became evident that whatever closeness he'd had with Izuku, Katuski wasn't jealous about. 

He didn't understand it. 

Things like this had been happening for a while; he'd get a little too close to one of them, and he was sure they would hate him because of it, but that never seemed to be the case. Katsuki took Shouto into his arms, pulling him close to his body just like Izuku had. 

Something became clear to him then. 

It was evident that the duo didn't mind getting close to him, no matter how unfathomable this truth seemed. 

"What're you thinking about, Peppermint?" Katsuki asked, bringing his face close to Shouto's ear, involuntarily causing the latter to shiver. 

"N-nothing important," he replied quietly. 

He was trying his best to enjoy the moment, knowing that this closeness- this intimacy would most definitely be isolated to this one instance. It was just because they were dancing together that the pair had allowed Shouto to be this close to them- nothing more. 

"Then quit thinking. I can smell your gears turning, and you're ruining the fuckin' moment." 

Well, Shouto couldn't argue with that. 

He allowed himself to be drawn close to the blonde, enjoying how his skin seemed to sizzle and spark against the other man's body. 

The ride home was a bit chaotic. Izuku had one or two drinks, which was just enough to loosen him up to the point of climbing across Shouto and Katsuki's laps to witness the wholly unspecial view out the window he wasn't sitting up against. 

Something told him that it was just an excuse for him to get close to his boyfriend, as Katsuki had taken the opportunity to lathe kisses upon his exposed cheeks and neck. Shouto knew this was somewhat of a private moment for the two of them, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Izuku giggled and let out breathy sighs as the blonde pressed his lips into his skin, completely capturing Shouto's attention. He only hoped they wouldn't notice him staring. 

"I'd prefer it if you would stay buckled," the driver said, peeking at the heroes in the backseat through the rearview mirror. 

"Right! Sorry!" Izuku apologized, climbing back to his side of the car. Shouto totally didn't notice or inhale sharply at how Izuku used his shoulders to steady himself as he returned to the correct sitting position. 

They were dropped off at Shouto and Izuku's home, and they made their way inside quickly to beat the cold night air that stood between them and the front door. 

When they were inside the house and their shoes removed, Izuku suggested they watch a movie. 

"I've had fun tonight, and I'm not ready to go to bed yet!" he told them. "I want to spend more time with you!" 

Shouto, of course, knew that Izuku was only talking about Katsuki, but he could only dream that he was included in the statement. Like a blind fool, he agreed to the proposal before heading to his room to change out of the stuffy white suit he'd been wearing all evening. After putting on a plain, dark blue long-sleeve and a pair of gray sweatpants, he returned to the living room to find that the couple had done similarly. 

Katsuki had enough lingering items in the home to have something comfortable to put on as well. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt and matching sweats. Izuku had decided on a pair of Allmight-themed pajama bottoms and a plain, light blue shirt that hung loosely on his muscled frame. He often wore loose and baggy clothing that hid how many muscles he really had. 

This evening had really been a treat for all involved, seeing as they got to witness the hero in a suit that was actually tailored to his measurements. 

Izuku and Katsuki were already seated on the couch with a fair amount of space between their bodies. Izuku smiled when Shouto appeared and patted the space between them for him to sit. Unable to say no, he sat down right between them. 

This situation happened so often tonight that Shouto had no idea what to think. The way they were so content with shoving Shouto right in the middle was odd and confusing. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he settled into the seat, welcoming the added comfort when Katsuki threw a blanket over all three of them. 

Izuku chose the movie, going with some romantic comedy that Shouto had unsurprisingly never seen before. Once the movie started, they all went quiet, focusing on the television screen. 

About halfway through the movie, they got to a scene where the leading actress kissed her love interest, and Izuku began to squirm in the seat beside Shouto. When he dared to look over at him, the hero was flushed across his neck and cheeks. 

"The fuck you getting all squeamish for?" Katsuki asked, looking over at Izuku.

"I'm not getting squeamish," Izuku grumbled, fixing his lips into a pout. 

"They're just making out," Katsuki teased. "You act like you haven't done much worse before." 

Shouto really, really wished that Katsuki had stopped there, but he didn't. He hadn't realized that he'd been watching Izuku so intently, but Katsuki must have. An arm was suddenly thrown over the back of the sofa, and a warm hand was placed along the side of his neck in an almost possessive manner. Katsuki chuckled beside him, causing Shouto to shiver and lose track of the movie's plot. It was hard to focus on things whenever Izuku or Katsuki were this close to him.

"He's usually so obscene." 

Katsuki's words were a low growl right in Shouto's ear. He swallowed hard, trying his best to keep his eyes on the television screen. 

"You should hear the mouth on him." 

"Kacchan," Izuku breathed. 

Shouto hadn't noticed, but Izuku was saddling closer to his side as well, sitting nearly flush against his body, gripping Shouto's forearm tightly. What should have been a plea to stop Katsuki from sharing such details didn't sound that way at all. If anything, Shouto might think that Izuku was... turned on. 

"He's got a filthy mouth," Katsuki continued, bringing his face even closer to Shouto's. "When you fuck him hard, it's like he has no control. You'd think it would stop that motor-mouth of his, but it only makes it worse." 

Shouto risked a glance at Izuku, and fuck, did he wish that he hadn't. Katsuki's words were already stirring his gut and making him feel hot in all the wrong places, but seeing that hungry look in Izuku's dilated eyes nearly made him whimper. 

"The only way you can get him to shut up is by filling that pretty little mouth of his," Katsuki purred directly against Shouto's ear. He could feel the blonde's lips brushing against his lobe, causing him to grab the blanket on his lap in a white-knuckle grip. 

He was so confused but so turned on that he didn't know what to do with himself. He was so thankful for the sherpa blanket lying across his lower half, hiding the hard-on he no doubt had. He shifted his legs, trying to relieve the pulsing pressure between his legs and in the pit of his stomach. 

 Katsuki squeezed his hand around the back of Shouto's neck, and he had to bite his lips to keep any sounds from escaping. 

"And he likes it," Katsuki continued. Izuku whimpered so quietly that Shouto almost missed it. He took in a shaky breath of his own, trying to keep himself under control. Izuku was right there, and the way Katsuki talked stirred thoughts and feelings inside him that he normally kept between him and his dark bedroom walls. 

When compared to the fantasies in his mind when he touched himself, this small taste of them was so much better.

"He likes having his throat fucked." 

Shouto inhales sharply. He can feel the heat on his cheeks, but that's a given at that point, with the things being said. 

"He'll come- just from having his pretty little face fucked," Katsuki said. He grabs Shouto's thigh under the blanker rather suddenly, causing Shouto to jump a bit under the contact. Katsuki slides his hand up his leg a dangerous amount, thankfully stopping right before Shouto's erection before giving a hard squeeze. 

Izuku was right in Shouto's ear, breathing hard as he clung to his arm. 

"Bet you'd like to know how it feels." 

Shouto froze, refusing to let the needy sounds crawling up his throat see the light of day. His chest heaved with his efforts to keep his desires at bay. 

"Don't you want to?" Katsuki asked. "Don't you want to fuck his throat? Bet you'd do a good job, Peppermint. He likes it hard and fast. He's a perfect little cock sleeve. You'd give him just what he wants. Wouldn't you?" 

"Fuck," Shouto whimpered before he could stop himself. His breaths came short and fast as he lost control of his mouth. "God, please." 

He squeezed his eyes shut, afraid to see the reaction to his words. Whatever foreplay was happening between the two of them right now was most definitely not supposed to include Shouto. He was sure of it. Yet, he couldn't help himself from the things he said at this point. His mind was muddled with cotton, and his body was aching to be touched. Every small brush against him was like a brand against his skin. 

His eyes were still closed when he suddenly felt Izuku shift at his side, suddenly slinking away from him, relinquishing his grasp on his arm. He thought for sure this was when they would pull away and scold him for reacting the way he did, but no. 

That's not what happened next at all. 

His eyes snapped open when he felt something shift against his legs, and when he looked down, Izuku was on his knees in front of him- removing the blanket over his legs. He immediately reached down to cover the shameful erection he sported, but his hands were swiftly grabbed and pulled to his sides by Katsuki. 

Izuku's feather-light touch spread over his thighs as he ran his hands up and down the length of his legs before he grabbed his knees and forced them apart. Scooting closer, he settled himself between Shouto's legs, reaching out to stroke the small strip of exposed flesh between Shouto's sweats and where his shirt had ridden up, and he arched ever-so-slightly into the touch. 

It was like his body was moving on its own--his touch-starved skin eager to get a taste of whatever it could before this all came inevitably crashing down around him. 

Katsuki's grip remained on his wrists as Izuku leaned forward to nuzzle his mouth against the inside of his thigh. He let out a sharp noise he didn't even know he was capable of as he took in the sight below him. 

"He wants it, too," Katsuki told him, pressing his mouth impossibly closer to his ear. "He wants you."

Izuku moaned, mouthing at his thigh, slowly bringing his mouth closer to Shouto's clothed length, leaving dark, wet spots along the sweatpants in his wake.

"Y-yeah?" Shouto sighed weakly, leaning his head toward Katsuki to deepen the sensation of his lips on his ear. 

The blonde suddenly bit down on the bottom of his ear. Shouto's jaw fell slack as an impossibly needy sound spilled from his mouth. 

"Yeah," Katsuki replied--just as breathily as Shouto had sounded seconds before. "You want it?" 

Shouto exhaled sharply. 

No. 

No, he really shouldn't. 

This was all so wrong, yet he couldn't find it in himself to resist. It was completely over for him when Izuku finally pressed an open kiss over his clothed cock, which strained painfully against the confines of the fabric. Shouto shivered, feeling the wet warmth of his breath soak through the fabric. His whole body was shaking in anticipation now. 

"I-" Shouto swallowed, the sound audible in the heat of the room as the sound of the forgotten movie played in the background. "I- I want it. God, I want it- Please." 

Izuku smiled up from where he rested between his legs as he finally dug his fingers into the band of his sweats. Katuski relinquished the tight hold he had on Shouto's wrists to assist Izuku as he began to yank his bottoms down his legs.

"Lift your hips," Katsuki ordered, and Shouto did just that to ease the banishment of his pants. 

He shivered when the cold air of the room brushed his cock. He briefly wondered how he'd gotten into this mess before dismissing the thought altogether. It was apparent they wanted this, so who was he to say no to when the offer was so tempting? 

At this point, he couldn't say no if he wanted to, as turned on and needy as he felt. 

"Grab my hand," Katsuki ordered. Shouto turned to look at him. "Trust me; you'll need it. He's fucking good at what he does." 

Shouto grabbed Katsuki's hand and unconsciously settled his other one on the crown of Izuku's head as he hungrily looked at Shouto's exposed member with wet, parted lips. 

"Ready, Sho?" Izuku asked, giving him an ironically innocent look. His tongue darted out to lubricate his soft, pink mouth, and Shouto took a strangled, uneven breath. Even when about to suck dick, Izuku was characteristically polite. 

Shouto swallowed hard, gripping Katsuki's hand tightly, interlacing their fingers before answering. 

"Ready." 

Chapter Text

Katsuki gripped the hem of Shouto's shirt, lifting it to allow him an unobstructed view of what was happening before him. 

Izuku peered up through his eyelashes, his breath hot between Shouto's legs. Even though Izuku hadn't even touched him yet, he was already shaking, anticipating what was yet to come. He'd never done anything like this before. He squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what to expect. The grip he had on Katsuki's hand tightened as he waited, eyes closed, for something to happen. 

"Relax, Sweetheart," Katsuki spoke against his ear. He squeezed Shouto's hand. "It's gonna feel good. Promise. Just relax." 

The flush on his cheeks was unbearably hot, only increasing in temperature under the new nickname, and he feared what his quirk might do when he felt this out of control already without even having started. 

Part of him was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

A rough hand suddenly gripped the base of his erection, and he sucked in a sharp breath, eyes snapping back open to witness what was happening. A zap of pleasure shot through him at the contact, and he found his chest heaving for air. Under everything he felt was a layer of embarrassment for already being so affected when nothing had even happened. 

Izuku gave an experimental tug on his shaft, and Shouto nearly thrust off the sofa as a choked sound crawled up the back of his throat. 

"I—" He tried to talk, to tell them that maybe this wasn't a good idea, but no words came. 

He wanted it so badly but was feeling incredibly embarrassed that his touch-starved body was reacting the way it was and almost didn't want them to see. Throwing an arm over his eyes, he buried his face in the crook of his elbow to hide whatever stupid expression he was no doubt making. 

"Sho?" 

It was Izuku. He couldn't ignore him like this, so he took a long breath and peeked out from under his arm. 

"Sho, baby, are you- are you alright? You still want this?" He rested his cheek against Shouto's bare thigh and gazed up at him, his cheeks looking just as flushed as Shouto's felt. "It's okay if you don't." 

He couldn't help but note the disappointment in Izuku's voice as he spoke. 

Did Izuku really want this? Was he sure he wanted Shouto like this? 

"I-" He tried to speak again, swallowing roughly, trying to get a grip on his words. "I-I've never- This- I-" 

Shit, he'd never even kissed anyone before, yet here he was, about to get his dick sucked by one of his best friends while the other one watched. He didn't know how he got himself into this situation in the first place, but he was sure he would embarrass himself once they realized how inexperienced he was. 

Because that's all this was- that's what he'd come to realize upon getting himself into that situation; they had been flirting with him all along, when he'd convinced himself they weren't. But he knew that this- whatever this was- was only this, and nothing more. Yes, maybe they were attracted to him, but they weren't kissing him or telling him they wanted him, or-

"Shhh, Sweetheart," Katsuki said softly. "We know. I'll be right here the whole time, and you just let me know if you want to stop, yeah? It's probably gonna feel kinda overwhelming at first, but I know you'll enjoy it." 

Shouto swallowed again as Katsuki reached up and removed the arm from over his face. 

"No hiding, alright? We wanna see you, Sweetheart," he cooed. "You want this? He's good at it. He'll make you feel really good if you let him, Peppermint." 

He looked down at the man on his knees, who was patiently waiting for a green light from Shouto- his hand still wrapped firmly around the base of his cock. He was harder than he'd ever been in his life; he could feel his pulse in his dick as he waited to feel the inside of Izuku's mouth. 

"I-I'm ready. I want it," he told them with a nod to Izuku.

Izuku smiled up at him as he stroked his shaft again. 

"Good," he replied, his voice dark and thick as he continued to stroke him slowly. "I really want this, too. Been thinking about doing this for years."

Shouto's lips parted as he ran his tongue across them, licking his lips at the sight below him. His breaths were hot and heavy- stuttering at the other man's words. 

"I'll be so good for you, Sho baby- I wanna make you feel good." 

Izuku leaned forward, keeping his eyes locked on Shouto's as his tongue poked out from his lips to land a tiny lick on the tip of his cock, swiping up the small bead of precum that had already formed there. Shouto tensed up, unable to take his eyes off of him as he let out a small noise of pleasure. 

He licked the head again, more deliberately this time, pressing the tip of his tongue against the small slit at the top. Shouto wholly moaned this time, unable to stop himself, even though Izuku had just barely started. 

It was a full-body shiver when Izuku leaned down and licked a stripe up the underside of him, tracing the vein with his pink, wet tongue; his hazy, dilated eyes remained on Shouto throughout it all- as if to gauge his every reaction to his ministrations. Shouto gripped Katuski's hand tightly as Izuku licked up and down his shaft, lubricating the whole length with his spit. 

"Fuck, he looks good like that," Katsuki breathed, shifting on the couch beside him. "Doesn't he?" 

"So pretty," Shouto marveled softly, almost inaudibly. But Katuski had caught his words.

"Tell him, then. He likes praise. Gets him off." 

Shouto spared a glance at Katsuki, who was looking at Shouto the same way Izuku had been as if just seeing this was enough to get him riled up. 

His eyes whipped back to land on Izuku as his lips finally closed over the head, his lips stretched tight as they adjusted to his girth. He sucked lightly, causing Shouto's whole body to twitch in pleasure as his free hand shot out to grip Izuku's hair. 

He gave an experimental tug on the strands--not hard, but enough to sting probably--and felt it in his whole lower half as Izuku moaned around his dick. He tugged again, harder this time, pulling him closer, forcing him to swallow more of him down. Shouto watched as Izuku's eyes rolled back a bit at the sting, and all Shouto could do was marvel at how stunning Izuku looked like this. 

"Izuku," he breathed. "Baby, you- fuck!" 

Izuku suddenly sunk down further, nearly taking in Shouto's whole length, effectively stealing his words right from his mouth. 

"'S hot when you curse," Katsuki growled beside him. "Never get to hear you talk like that." 

He couldn't even respond as Izuku began to bob his head slowly, hollowing out his cheeks as he sucked down his length again and again, creating a rhythm that was slowly pulling Shouto closer and closer to the edge.

"You're so pretty like this, Izuku," he was finally able to say, and he could feel the vibrations of Izuku's moan in his cock and lower stomach. "So pretty on your knees like this- like you were made for this." 

Izuku sped up at the praise, his moans growing louder. On every bob, his nose brushed against Shouto's pelvis as he took him deep into his velvety, soft throat. Shouto swore he could hear colors and taste sounds with how far gone he was. 

"So good, baby, just look at you," He continued, unable to stop the words from spilling from his mouth. He no longer had any control over himself with how Izuku was taking him in like that. He tightened his grip on those green curls, needing to feel him deeper, needing to feel himself push against the back of his throat even harder. Izuku seemed to like the manhandling, otherwise Shouto might have felt bad, but the look on Izuku's face was one of pure pleasure. 

"Such a good boy, letting me fuck your throat like this," he moaned, leaning his head back against the couch but keeping his half-lidded eyes fixed on Izuku. He wouldn't dare miss a second of what was happening. He hardly knew what he was saying anymore, but Izuku seemed pleased with his reactions, and the closer he got to the edge, the more his inhibitions began to disappear. 

"Jesus," Katsuki breathed sharply. When Shouto looked over, Katsuki was palming himself through his sweats, getting off at the sight of his boyfriend sucking Shouto down like that. "Who knew you'd have a mouth on you, huh? Where the hell have you been hiding this?" 

Shouto went to respond to Katsuki but immediately choked up when Izuku leaned forward, taking him impossibly deeper before holding himself there, slack-jawed with his throat filled to the brim. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes as he cut off his oxygen supply, taking him deep like that. He swallowed around his length somehow, making Shouto buck his hips up into Izuku's face, causing him to gag and pull himself off. 

He cringed at his action, worrying that he'd just hurt him. 

"Sorry," he said quickly, relinquishing his grasp on his unruly curls. "I didn't mean-" 

"He likes it," Katsuki said, cutting him off. "Don't apologize. I told you he likes having his throat fucked."

Izuku took him in again with a moan as Katuki grabbed his hand and put it back into Izuku's hair. 

"You can be rougher. Fuck him like you mean it, Peppermint. He'll let you know if it's too much, but I doubt you'll hit that limit." 

"I can be rougher?" he asked, looking down at Izuku, who came off Shouto's length with a lewd pop. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth, wetting his chin. 

"Kacchan's right," he replied, reaching up to grip Shouto's waist. Pressing his fingers into his flesh, he leaned forward, resting his cheek across Shouto's spit-covered cock. "I want it. I like it hard. Please, don't hold back. Wanna feel you, make you feel good, too, Sho." 

"Wanna try something a little different?" Katsuki asked, and Shouto cocked his head, not understanding what he meant. 

Katsuki rolled his eyes before standing up from the couch, grabbing Shouto's arm to haul him up, too. Izuku backed up with an eager smile on his face, rising up on his knees to bring his face level with Shouto's hips, and immediately began kissing up and down his length. 

"Now, I want you to fuck his throat good this time," Katuski ordered, slipping behind Shouto. He grabbed at the bottom of Shouto's shirt and tugged it up. "Lift your arms, Peppermint. Wanna see you, baby." 

He did as he was told and let the blonde remove his last piece of clothing, immediately feeling goosebumps break out over his freshly exposed skin. Katsuki immediately plastered himself to Shouto's back, wrapping his arms around his torso. His fingers ran lines along his abs, stopping to draw small circles over his nipples. Shouto shivered at the sensation, unaware he was so sensitive there. 

When Katsuki took one of the pink buds between his thumb and forefinger, pinching it roughly, Shouto arched forward into the touch, whimpering like a needy whore. The man behind him only chuckled. 

Izuku waited until then to take Shouto's cock back into his mouth, immediately sinking down to the base. Katsuki continued to roll his nipple between his fingers as he took Shouto's other hand and placed it back in Izuku's hair.

"Remember what I said earlier?" Katsuki asked him, leaning over his shoulder. "He'll come if you fuck his throat good enough."

His fingers tightened in Izuku's hair. 

"Don't you want to see that? You wanna make him feel good?" 

"Yeah," he replied dazily, making a shallow thrust across Izuku's tongue. "Wanna see you come, baby." He looked down at Izuku, who whimpered with his mouth full of cock, tears staining his cheeks from taking him so deep a minute ago. 

He trusted again, deeper this time, listening to the lewd choking sounds that filled the room once he started to build a slow pace. Izuku's jaw was perfectly slack, even as his tongue lathed on the underside of his erection with perfect skill. 

Shouto shoved himself in deeper, waiting for someone to tell him to stop- that it was too hard, but no one did. 

He could so easily lose himself like this- being given this much control. After taking a second to steady his breathing, he began to fuck his mouth in earnest, earning him a chorus of broken, staccato moans from the man beneath him. 

Katsuki pinched at his nipples again, forcing a drawn-out cry from Shouto as he snapped his hips against Izuku's face, his pelvis meeting his nose with every thrust forward. Izuku moaned like a whore around his cock, his hands trembling as they gripped Shouto's thighs. 

Then, Shouto saw it--and it was the most beautiful, perfect thing he'd ever witnessed; Izuku's whole body began to tremble, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. 

Katsuki's lips brushed against his ear. "He's coming. Don't stop. Don't slow down," he informed Shouto, who watched with awe as he kept his pace steady. 

He suddenly felt it- that heat, nearing its peak in the pit of his stomach, intensify at the sight below him. Izuku choked and whimpered around his cock, taking him impossibly deeper as he came in his pants. 

"I- I'm close," he choked. "Fuck, I'm so close." 

Katsuki grabbed Shouto's chin, forcing him to look over his shoulder at him. 

"Then come," he growled. 

And that was all it took to put him over the edge. 

He convulsed as he came deep into Izuku's throat, his knees nearly bucking beneath him. If it weren't for the strong hold Katsuki had around his middle, he would have dropped to the ground. Izuku kept his lips tight over him, sucking every single drop from him as he shook and cried out, his head falling slack against Katsuki's shoulder. 

Izuku finally pulled off of him with a pop, a hand coming up to wipe away the spit and cum from his chin. 

"Damn," Katsuki said behind him, still holding him up. "That was hot as fuck." 

Izuku remained on his knees, pressing kisses into Shouto's groin and thighs. Overcome with a sudden urge to kiss him, Shouto slipped out of Katsuki's arms and slid down to his knees, reaching toward Izuku's face with open hands- needing to touch him- needing to feel him more.

Cupping his freckled face in his hands, he glanced down at his swollen, spit-slicked lips, bringing his face closer-

But he stopped himself just short- his soul crashing back down to Earth, colliding with his body in a harsh realization. 

That wasn't part of whatever this was-the romance, the real intimacy- 

No, they had let Shouto touch them and be with them, but he knew that was as far as the offer extended. 

Who was he to take more than what he'd been given? He'd received so much more than he ever thought he would, so he should be happy. He should be content to quit while he was ahead so he wouldn't ruin whatever this was. 

"Deku, come here," Katsuki ordered, and Shouto knew what was happening. 

That was the end. That was all he would be receiving and giving that night. 

Izuku crawled across the carpet and met Katsuki in a tight hug, and Shouto sat right beside them, watching the intimate embrace with a jealousy he shouldn't be allowed to feel. He couldn't bring himself to regret any of it, but that didn't make him hate himself any less. 

"Right- well," he said, reaching for his discarded pants, trying not to let the awkward aftermath take shape.

"Sho, you alright?" Izuku asked, peeking out from where his face was buried in his boyfriend's chest. 

"Y-yeah," he replied, slipping his sweats back on. He stood up on shaky legs. 

He couldn't even look at them after that--couldn't bring himself to meet their gaze for fear of what he might see there. 

"Gonna go clean up and go to bed," he informed them, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

"O-oh," Izuku said quietly. 

 "Um- thank you, I guess. Goodnight." 

He turned and started walking toward his room. 

"Wait, Peppermint," Katsuki called after him. He froze but couldn't bring himself to turn and look at them. 

"I-" Katsuki stuttered--an odd sound from the blonde, considering how sure of himself he usually was. "Nevermind. Goodnight." 

"Night," he said lamely before heading down the hallway. 

He sank to the floor once his bedroom door was closed behind him. His legs were jelly, and his heart was mush. So many things were running through his head now, and he couldn't get them to stop. He clamped his hands over his mouth as his breathing started to pick up. 

Why did he let that happen? He thought to himself. 

He knew better than that. He wasn't sure what to think of himself or how to feel. Unsure of what else to do--but knowing he needed help of some sort--he scooted across the floor and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. 

He typed up a text to Shinsou and hit send. 

I did something really stupid, it read. Please meet me for coffee tomorrow. 

He knew he needed to figure this out, or it might ruin him. Shouto can't have them. He knew that. But he had to do something to stop that stupid hope from taking root in his chest. 

It was just a stupid blowjob, after all. He was blowing this way out of proportion--pun certainly not intended.

It didn't mean anything to them, anyway. So why was he letting himself feel like this?

Chapter Text

"Well, that was, um-" Izuku stuttered, breaking the silence that had formed between him and Katsuki in Shouto's wake. 

"Yeah, it was," Katsuki replied with a frown. 

He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. Shouto had seemed so into them, but the minute he was spent, he ran away from them again. It seemed like they were always chasing after him these days, fishing bits and pieces of his true feelings from a dark well that had no bottom. 

Katsuki had wanted to do more. He'd hardly got to touch him or feel him. Now that he'd had that small taste, he didn't want that to be the end of it. 

He sat on the floor, stewing in frustration with a very antsy Deku in his lap. 

"He likes us, at least a little," Izuku offered, trying to ease the hurt of being left in the living room as they had. 

"He likes you," Katsuki snapped. "He- he didn't-" 

He buried his face in his hands, sucking in a harsh breath. He almost didn't want to put his feelings into words, knowing that the minute he shared them, it would turn the thought from something hypothetical into something very real, and very dangerous. 

"What are you saying?" Deku asked, pulling Katsuki's hands away from his face. The blonde snarled and swiped at his hands, not wanting the painful expression on his face to be seen. 

"What if—" he started slowly, trying to put his feelings into words. He was so bad at talking about feelings that he had no idea where to start or how to even try the conversation without going into it with a hot head. 

But years of practice in toning down his defensive and aggressive behavior helped him as he took in a few deep breaths before trying to speak again. He told himself he would never take things out on Izuku, no matter what anymore. He didn't deserve it. Katsuki needed to learn how to deal with himself and not let his actions hurt others anymore. 

Deku looked at him expectantly. He tried his best not to get angry despite the fact that he was stupid enough to let himself feel hurt over what had happened. 

And that was the worst part of it all; Katsuki had repeatedly reminded himself that the chances of Shouto wanting both of them were slim to none. So why was he getting so butthurt about finding out it was true? 

"What if he doesn't want me, too?" He couldn't look his boyfriend in the eye as he finally put his feelings out in the open. 

"Oh, Kacchan, that's not true." Deku forced Katsuki to look at him again, gently guiding his chin with a rough, scarred hand. He peered up a normally smiley Deku to see a sad expression etched into his soft, freckled features. 

"If anything, he doesn't want either of us. Or, at least, that's how it feels, doesn't it?" Deku continued. 

Katsuki audibly scoffed at this, the shock of the statement hitting him immediately. 

"What the fuck makes you say that shit?" Katsuki growled. "He wanted you so bad. He had you. And after he had you, he didn't want anything to do with me! He fuckin' ran again." 

"He didn't hardly say anything," Deku said. "If he liked us, don't you think he would have said something? But he left right after we were done. It makes me think-"

The green-haired man frowned, biting at his lips. 

"It makes me think that's all he's wanted from us. That we had it wrong about the feelings part of it, and it might be too late to ask, you know? Like what if after doing that, we try to get him to talk about how he feels, and he doesn't feel the same way, and then everything's all awkward and ruined between us?"

Katsuki hadn't even thought about that. He hadn't thought about the possibility of that being the only thing Shouto would want from them. He hated the way it felt, though, thinking of that as a possibility. 

"That wouldn't happen. He loves you," Katsuki assured him. 

"He loved the blowjob he got. He didn't say anything else. He didn't hardly touch us back, and he didn't say anything. I don't think he wants anything more from us besides that." 

"Well, that's even worse, then," Katsuki grumbled. "Because he didn't want me at all." 

If Shouto somehow truly didn't care for Izuku, then he must really not care for Katsuki, going by the way things went that evening. 

"Again, with that!" Deku scolded. "You're wrong! He liked it when you touched him and talked to him. He did. I know it!" 

"Then why did he leave after only having you? He didn't want to have me, even though he could have." 

Deku frowned, absorbing and mulling over Katsuki's words before somehow coming up with a reason for Shouto's behavior. An excuse, if anything- because Katsuki already knew the truth. 

And he hated it. 

"Maybe he didn't know he could have you, too. Maybe we should try again. Even if he doesn't love us back, he at least liked what we did tonight. We could try that again."

"That fucking sucks, though! I don't just want sex from him."

"I know," Izuku said dejectedly, folding in on himself slightly. "Me neither. But if that's all we can get, then maybe we should just be satisfied with that and not push it? This is more than I ever thought we'd get from him. I never thought he liked us at all." 

"He fuckin' likes you, alright? So quit with that shit! He loves you. End of story. I'll go drag his ass back out here right now and prove it to you!" 

Izuku sputtered, trying to come up with a response, but ultimately came up empty. 

"We can drag him back out here and make him talk." 

He'd honestly had enough of the guessing and the not-knowing. While he didn't want to somehow ruin their friendship with Shouto by forcing these things out of him, leaving things as they were now wouldn't be much of a better idea, either. 

"I don't think that's a good idea." 

"It's a fuckin' fantastic idea," he grumbled, pushing Deku from his lap. He stood up and started toward Shouto's room, but Deku grabbed his arm and held him back.

"He could be sleeping!" he tried. 

"I don't care! Don't you think this back-and-forth shit with him has gone on long enough? If you really don't think he loves you, then you're a fucking idiot!"

"That makes you an idiot too, then, because he loves you, too, Katsuki. He has to. If he loves one of us, then it's you. Not me." 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. 

"I don't think we can talk to him yet," Izuku tried again. "I think we need to give him time. Maybe he'll come to us. You never know." 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Katsuki finally relented. Maybe Izuku was right. Maybe it would be too much if they tried to push things now. As much as he hated the feeling of not knowing, he didn't want to do anything that might risk losing him altogether, like Izuku said. 

"fine," Katsuki stated.

* * * 

It was the very next day that Shouto ended up sitting across the table from Shinsou at the coffee shop they usually met at.

Neither of them had yet to speak, and Shouto was afraid to break the ice, fearing what he might say if he started to talk. 

Part of him wanted to just run away from everything and forget what happened because he knew what it was as soon as it started. 

They didn't love him. Based on how things went, they were only physically attracted to him, and they didn't want to date him. Part of him thinks that he should have stayed after everything was done to talk, but he was afraid to hear what he knew was true. 

He knew that if he were to tell them how he felt, whatever happened the night before would be ruined- with no chance of ever happening again. 

He could be satisfied if that were all he would ever get from them. If it was something they wanted to do again, then he could accept that. After all, he couldn't picture himself being able to say no--end of story. 

He was never able to say no to them. 

He wasn't going to be the one to bring it up to them, either, in case he was wrong, and they didn't even want to be with him physically again. That thought hurt, too, that maybe he wasn't even enough for them, just in a sexual sense, when he already knew he wasn't good enough to be with people like them. 

"Alright," Shinsou started, breaking the silence. "Enough with the sad puppy dog eyes. Tell me what this stupid thing you did was."

"I- You want me to just- say it?" he sputtered, not quite sure how to tell his friend what happened. 

"I mean, that's generally how these things go. My quirk doesn't extend to mind reading." 

The purple-haired man took a long sip of his dark, dark coffee and, with a light thud, set the mug back on the table. 

"Alright. Well, it's not exactly..." He wasn't sure how to put it. "PG." 

Shinsou raised an eyebrow at his admission. "Now I'm even more curious."

He just needed to say it. He had to tell someone, and Shinsou was about as impartial with these kinds of things as one could get. He always had good advice, and Shouto knew he wouldn't be made fun of. Well--maybe a little, but a lot less if he were to go to anyone else about this. 

"I let Midoriya give me a blowjob." 

Shinsou nearly does a spit-take at the statement, his eyes bulging in his head. 

"What?" He whisper-yelled. "How did that even happen?" 

Shouto let out a long breath as he ran over the events in his head, still not a hundred percent sure how it all came to be, either. There wasn't much of a story there, to be honest. It really had just... happened. He somehow hadn't seen it coming. 

"And Bakugou? What does he think about that? Does he even know? How the hell-"

"Bakugou was there," Shouto was quick to explain. "He, uh, watched. He has quite a filthy mouth. So." 

Shinsou blinked, giving him a baffled stare. 

"Well, I wasn't expecting this when you said you did something stupid. Did you guys talk? What did they say afterward?"

"We didn't really talk about it. I left the house before I could run into either of them this morning."

"Do you think-" Shinsou thought out loud. "Do they-"

"They don't love me back. That's not what it was." 

He instantly knew what Shinsou was thinking, and while it was a nice thought, it couldn't be further from the truth. They couldn't love him. 

"Oh," he frowned. "How do you know if you haven't talked to them?" 

He stared down at the tabletop, looking at the distorted reflection of his face on the varnished wood, unable to pick out even the color of his eyes in the odd, warped image. He'd done a lot of thinking last night, unable to sleep, and all his thinking had led him to the same conclusion before everything that happened the night prior. 

"I just know." 

"I don't mean to be insensitive or mean, but you're not exactly the sharpest light in the box when it comes to these kinds of things." 

"What do you mean?" He frowned, his eyes darting back up to meet his friend's gaze. 

"You're extremely bad at reading people. You know- facial expressions, tone of voice, all that stuff. There's a lot you could be missing about this whole thing, so I just want to remind you to keep an open mind and not to decide how they feel without talking to them first." 

Shouto took his time on the walk back to the house. No one would be home, but he was hesitant to even step into the space, knowing what had gone down there the previous night. He wasn't sure he could ever look at that couch again without thinking about what took place on it. 

Freshly fallen snow covered the streets, and the air was still and quiet despite it being midday. He had the day off and wasn't really sure what to do with himself. He listened to the fresh, dry snow crunch under his boots as he walked, occasionally glancing behind himself to see the trail of footprints packed down in his wake. 

The ability to regulate his body temperature was something that came with his quirk. However, despite this, he still liked to wear the puffy jackets and coats that everyone else wore around this time of year, finding a certain comfort in the thick, puffy fabric. He liked how the coats sounded when they rubbed against itself as he swung his arms when he walked. The sound gave him something to focus on as he walked instead of letting himself get too lost in his thoughts. 

When he finally reached the front door, he still wasn't ready to go inside. Instead, he sat on the front porch, huffing out a breath he could see in the cold air. His bottom was wet from where he sat down directly on the snow-covered step, but he couldn't care any less about that. 

Watching the silent snowfall, he held out the hand on his cold half, cooling the temperature down so that the snowflakes he caught wouldn't melt. After catching a good few, he looked down at them, still baffled by the fact that each and every snowflake was unique. 

It didn't feel possible that it was true, but it was, nonetheless. 

Chapter Text

Shouto was told to try talking to them, so he figured that's what he should do. The only problem was that he had no idea how to broach the subject. It was odd because neither Izuku nor Katsuki said anything about what had happened between them. They were acting as if everything was normal. 

They hadn't been extra touchy or anything, so he wasn't sure what to think about it. Maybe it really was just a one-time thing, and he'd been wrong to get his hopes up that it could possibly happen again. 

Shouto sat on the couch in the living room, absolutely not thinking about the events of a few days ago as he stared at the lit-up Christmas tree on the other side of the room. 

Staring at the tree, he realized he'd not gotten any of his friends presents this year. The thought filled him with dread because he was an awful gift-giver and never quite knew what to get anyone when the time came to pick things out. In comparison, his friends always gave him incredibly thoughtful and lovely gifts, making him feel even worse. If he could ask that they not get him anything at all, he would. But he'd tried that once before, and Izuku got him something anyway, and he was left feeling even worse because he hadn't got him anything in return that year. 

So, he would have to go shopping and try to pick out things they liked. This was a taxing train of thought. 

The smell of something cooking in the kitchen stole his attention away from the tree. Katsuki was supposed to be cooking dinner tonight, so Shouto knew that whatever he smelled would be delicious--not that he'd been invited to eat with them this evening yet. 

At least I'm not hiding in my bedroom this time, he thought to himself. He was doing better about these things than he had been in the last few weeks, no longer avoiding them. After all, he wanted to talk to them; he just wasn't sure how to go about it. 

Unable to keep himself away, Shouto gets up off the couch and pads over toward the kitchen, following the tasty scent until he reaches the threshold between the two rooms. Hunched over the stove is Katsuki, stirring something in a pot. 

"Smells good," Shouto commented, leaning against the doorsil. 

Katsuki glanced at him over his shoulder before quickly returning his attention to the task at hand, not saying anything. Stepping further into the kitchen, Shouto tried to peer over the blonde's shoulder to see what he was making. 

"Back the fuck up, Peppermint," he grumbled. "Can't fucking do shit with you looking at me like that!" 

"Looking at you how?" he asked, genuinely unsure what he was doing. 

Katsuki scoffed as he turned the burner off and removed the pot from the heat. 

"You know what the fuck you're doing. You do that shit all the time. Gets on my nerves." 

Shouto's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what he was doing, which was apparently bothersome. Unable to figure it out, he stepped back out of Katsuki's space and leaned against the opposite counter. 

Izuku came into the kitchen a second later, and Shouto had to double-take when he saw what he was wearing. 

"Smells super tasty in here!" Izuku commented, crossing the kitchen in a baggy Allmight t-shirt and perhaps the tightest and shortest shorts he'd ever seen him wear. Shouto has never seen him wear anything like this around the house. It also didn't help that the black shorts had an orange 'X' right across his cheeks, donning them a pair of Dynamight merch. To put it simply, he looked good in them. Seeing Katsuki's hero colors on him unexpectedly made him blush. 

Izuku sauntered right over to Katsuki and pressed himself shoulder-to-shoulder with him. 

"Get the fuck back! You know-" Katuski looked down at Izuku and spotted the shorts. Shouto watched the blonde's throat bob and knew he was feeling the exact same way Shouto was. 

"The fuck are you wearing?" 

"Oh! Um- they're part of your new merch line that just came out! I know they're part of the women's workout line, but I thought I'd look good in them, too!" 

Katsuki put down the utensils he was holding and planted a hand firmly on Izuku's ass, squeezing his cheek tightly as he turned to pull him flush against his front. 

"Jesus," he groaned into Izuku's neck. "You look fucking amazing in those. Fuck." 

Shouto watched Katsuki lick a wet line up the column of Izuku's neck, causing the latter to part his lips and let out a soft gasp. Shouto gripped the counter at his sides tightly as he watched, unsure what to do. He was frozen, watching the scene before him, not knowing if he was supposed to leave. Afraid to make sudden movements, he averted his gaze to the floor, trying to regulate his body temperature enough to rid the burning flush across his face and neck. 

When he heard another breathy sigh spill from Izuku due to Katsuki's kisses and touches, his body moved before he could tell it to, and he swiftly backed out of the room. It was an instinctive reaction after having been around the couple long enough. He knew to give them their space when they started to get touchy like that. Only this time, he felt odd because they included him the last time they were like this. 

Seeing them then, so caught up in each other and completely forgetting he was there, only solidified that he wouldn't get to participate in anything like that with them ever again. It was a one-time thing. 

Even though he knew this, he couldn't help the ache that bloomed in his chest at the thought of never getting to touch them like that again. Even then, he'd only got to touch Izuku the way he wanted. For all he knew, Katsuki wasn't interested in him like that at all, and it was only Izuku who had wanted him like that. Maybe Katsuki had played along--just the once--to let Izuku have what he wanted. It made sense when he really thought about it. It made sense why they hadn't wanted to talk about anything with him after it happened. 

"Wait- fuck-" he heard Katsuki say from the kitchen. Shouto hid just past the doorway, trying to calm himself down. His heart raced even faster when he heard someone crossing the kitchen toward where he hid around the corner. 

Katsuki rounded the corner with flushed cheeks and a furrowed brow. 

"Did you-" Katsuki cut himself off, quickly angling his face to the floor as he cursed under his breath. 

Shouto stood there, unsure what to do. He hadn't expected to be chased after. He hadn't expected this at all. 

"Would you want to-" 

This was very uncharacteristic behavior from the blonde, and Shouto wasn't sure how to interpret it. It also didn't help that he was still trying to get a handle on himself after witnessing Izuku in those shorts. 

"I think he wants to know if you'd- you know-" Izuku chimed in, peeking around the corner. 

"What?" Shouto asked, pushing his nails into his palms hard enough to leave marks. Every part of him wanted to turn and run, but something told him they'd come after him again if he did that. 

"Fuck. Just- can I kiss you or some shit?" Katsuki finally spit. 

Shouto's eyes widened, and he parted his mouth as he tried to formulate a response that wasn't all stutters and embarrassing sounds. 

"Y-you want to kiss me?" he asked quietly, treading lightly. 

"I asked, didn't I?" he gritted, finally raising his face to meet Shouto's eyes. There was a dark rouge tint to his cheeks as he eyed Shouto carefully. He'd never seen the blonde look so... shy. "Tch- you don't have to if you don't want to. Don't look so scandalized or whatever." 

"No!" Shouto was quick to correct. He reached out but withdrew his hand swiftly when he realized he was doing it, not knowing if it was okay to touch. He hadn't been permitted to do that. "I mean- I want that. If you want to do that. I've just- I've never-" 

"You've never kissed anyone before, Sho?" Izuku asked, peering over Katsuki's shoulder. 

Embarrassed, he shuffled back, gripping himself around the middle tightly. He was so inexperienced with things like this, and he knew that probably wasn't what they were looking for. If they just wanted a physical relationship with a third person, he was perhaps the worst option. 

"No," he finally replied. "I haven't." 

He was already in his twenties, and he'd never kissed anyone--solely because the only people he'd ever wanted to kiss were standing right before him. 

"You don't want to waste your first kiss on me, huh?" Katsuki asked, putting up his familiar defenses. 

"I never said that," Shouto told him. "I-" 

He wasn't sure if he should be honest or not. But then again, he'd been told to talk to them about how he felt. While he was still afraid to come out and say how he felt, perhaps he could have some tact and attempt to show them instead—if he could handle that. 

"I would really like it if you were my first kiss." 

He couldn't hide the redness on his own cheeks when he finally voiced a fraction of his truth. 

"Oh." Katsuki lifted his head. "Well- shit, come here then." 

It was like a magnet at that point, and Shouto couldn't hold himself back any longer. He shot forward and pressed himself against Katsuki, and the blonde instantly wrapped his hands around his waist. Already breathing hard, he reached up and placed his shaky hands on his shoulders. 

Nearly nose-to-nose and sharing the same breath of air, they both paused. 

"You sure, Peppermint?" 

Shouto's resolve was entirely gone. 

"Please," he whined quietly, squeezing his eyes shut, unable to say anything else standing that close to Katsuki. 

When their lips finally touched, it was much, much softer than he'd expected. The Katsuki he knew was all rough edges and jagged insults; this Katsuki was gentle, kind, and so, so soft. 

Shouto's lips fell completely pliant to Katsuki's whims as he moved their mouths together, his grip tightening ever so slightly on his waist. When Katsuki's lips parted, and the tip of his tongue came out to wet his bottom lip, he couldn't hold in the soft, surprised moan that escaped him. 

Katsuki parted from him as soon as the sound left him, and Shouto opened his eyes to see what he'd done wrong. Katsuki frowned, casting his eyes away from him, and Shouto's heart sank. 

"Was it... bad?" he panicked as he began withdrawing from Katsuki's hold. "Did I do something wrong?" 

The hands on his waist tightened, stopping him. 

"Shit, no," Katsuki chuckled, pressing his forehead into the junction between Shouto's shoulder and neck. "You just can't be making sounds like that." 

Embarrassed, Shouto didn't know what to say in response to that. 

"This is just supposed to be a kiss," he continued. "So you can't be doing that if you don't want me to jump your ass and fuck the shit out of you. So you have to fuckin' relax or something."

His breath stuttered at the other man's admission. 

Despite what he'd just said, Katuski raised his face enough to press a kiss against his neck, causing Shouto to shudder. He bit down on his bottom lip hard to keep himself from making any more noise. 

"Do you want him to, though?" Izuku suddenly asked. When Shouto looked toward him, he stood much closer than he was a minute ago. With those sinful shorts he had on, it was impossible for Shouto to miss the way his cock strained against the fabric as Izuku observed them embracing each other. It only reminded him to pay attention to what his own dick was doing, and he wasn't faring much better than Izuku was. 

Katsuki's hands tightened around his waist again. 

"Want him to do what?" Shouto asked, almost innocently.

"To fuck you. I'd really like to watch." The dreamy look on his face as he shared his desire was delicious enough to eat. 

"I'm still in the middle of making dinner, you insatiable fucks," Katsuki growled before pressing yet another kiss against Shouto's neck, just below the ear. 

Shouto couldn't have cared less about dinner. He was hungry for something else entirely now, though he felt too shy just to come out and say it like Izuku had. After all, he'd had practice asking Katsuki for these kinds of things. Shouto still wasn't sure what he was and wasn't allowed to do around them. He was even less sure of himself around them than ever--since that night on the couch. 

Feeling just a tad bit brave—and turned on, which inadvertently removed some of his inhibitions—he finally told him what he wanted. 

"I want you to fuck me." 

Even just saying that out loud sent a shiver throughout his body. Running off that same wave of bravery, he ran his fingers through his hair, which, like the kiss, was much softer than he'd anticipated. 

"If you want to," Shouto added. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure him into doing something he didn't want. 

"If I'm gonna fuck you, I'm going to do it right," he said, leaning into Shouto's hand. "That means I need time. No rushing. I wanna take my time taking you apart, Peppermint." 

Shouto swallowed hard. 

"That means you're gonna let me finish making dinner, you're both going to fucking eat it and like it, and then I'll have you." 

Shouto had definitely intended to talk to them about things before doing anything like that again, but there was no way he would do anything now to mess up what was about to happen. 

There will always be time after, he told himself. 

Shouto followed Izuku and Katsuki back into the kitchen. He sat at the table with Izuku--who had chosen to plop down in the seat right next to him. 

They were both lost in watching Katsuki move around the kitchen with purpose and skill as he prepared the meal. Shouto's stomach was a bundle of nerves as he tracked the blonde's movements, wondering about how their after-dinner activities would go. 

He was so inexperienced and had little idea what to expect when it came to sex. He didn't know if he would be any good for Katsuki, and the thought of not being enough to satisfy him terrified Shouto. 

"Sho?" Izuku said, pulling him from his head. 

"Yeah?" he replied. 

"Um-" Izuku scooted closer, leaning into Shouto's space. "I want to kiss you too. Can I do that now? I really want to. It's okay if you don't want to." 

Shouto immediately leaned forward and closed the gap between them, pressing his lips firmly against Izuku's. He pulled back after a second, but Izuku chased after him and sealed their mouths together again- his hands sliding forward to grip Shouto's thigh under the table. 

When they finally parted, Izuku smiled brightly, all the way up into his eyes. 

"Why would you think I wouldn't want to kiss you?" Shouto asked. 

"I just wanted to be sure before I did it," he replied. "Kissing is a little different than... other stuff." 

"Yeah, it is," Shouto replied breathily. 

His heart was pounding in his chest, and he could hardly hold back the broad smile he felt threatening to splay on his own face. The genuine smiles always felt different--less straining than the fake ones. The smile he let form on his face felt like one of the easiest things he'd ever done. 

Kissing was definitely different. It was a level of intimacy he didn't think they'd want with him, yet here they were. He wasn't sure what it meant or if it meant anything at all, but he was happy to have had the opportunity to do it at least once. 

When dinner was finally ready, the three of them could hardly look at each other as they ate because it would impede Katsuki's instructions to finish eating before they could do anything else. 

Among the feelings of longing, want, and anxiety in his gut swirled a new one:

Excitement. 

Chapter Text

It might come as a surprise that Shouto had never actually stepped foot in Izuku's bedroom before, aside from the day they moved into the apartment when he helped him navigate his mattress into the space. There were touches of Izuku everywhere; there was a single Allmight poster on the wall above the desk, with a few figurines of the man on the shelf. It was nowhere near the amount of Allmight merch he'd had in the dorms back at UA, but you could still tell it was Izuku's room. 

There was evidence of Katsuki there, too; from the black skull T-shirt thrown over the back of the desk chair to his smokey scent hanging in the air and tangled with Izuku's sweet, citrusy scent, you could tell he was here more often than Shouto was. 

Shouto never had much reason to be in Izuku's room in the first place--not when they constantly saw each other in the home's common spaces. 

A hand suddenly landed on his lower back, ushering him further into the space. Izuku entered the room on his right, instantly launching himself onto the bed, spreading out like a cat on the gray sheets with a smile. 

"You still wanna do this?" Katsuki asked. Shouto felt his hand on him like a hot brand, and even just that one, utterly nonsensual touch was stirring something deep in the pit of his stomach and making his skin feel like TV static. "Don't feel like you have to. You can say no at any point, and we won't be angry with you." 

"I want to," he answered quickly- softly- blushing furiously already.

"You gotta relax, then," he said, grabbing Shouto's elbow, guiding him toward the bed, where Izuku laid in those shorts that very much should be illegal. "We'll take good care of you, Peppermint." 

Izuku sat up to his knees with spread legs as Katsuki guided Shouto to the bed. As soon as he seated himself on the edge, he felt his anxiety spike. He wasn't sure he could do this. He could mess it up so many ways if given the chance, and he was sure he would. If he couldn't do this exactly how they wanted him to, there was a strong possibility that he wouldn't be invited back- and the thought of never touching them again hurt. 

So, he sat with his hands in his lap, waiting for some kind of order to be given for fear that if he moved of his own accord, he would do the wrong thing. 

"Sho, come here," Izuku asked. He looked over his shoulder and into Izuku's warm eyes. Unable to deny him the request, he turned and inched forward on the mattress until he was face to face with the green-haired man. 

"Are you nervous?" Izuku asked softly, stroking his cheek with a light touch of his fingertips. The touch lingered, trailing toward his eye, stopping just at the bottom of his scar, where he gently rubbed a thumb over the rough skin. 

The touch was so gentle--so loving--that Shouto nearly combusted on the spot. He could feel his right side heating up at the touch, and he had to clench his hand into a fist and dig his nails into his palm to keep flames from forming on his skin. 

Shouto nodded at Izuku's question, knowing words would fail him if he tried to speak. 

"Please don't be scared of us," Izuku told him. "We want you to have a good time, okay? Just let us know if you need anything, and we'll do what we can to make sure you're enjoying it. We want you to enjoy it." 

Shouto leaned forward slowly, and Izuku immediately knew what he wanted, meeting him halfway with a kiss. Izuku crawled even closer, shocking Shouto as he hoisted himself into his lap to press their bodies against each other. 

"Is this okay?" he asked, breaking away from the kiss. Shouto nodded and grabbed his waist, giving it an experimentally rough squeeze--satisfied with the small sound Izuku made. Kissing him again, Izuku melted against him, coating him like molten gold as their lips moved against each other. He could feel himself heating up against him, and when Izuku parted his lips, it was all Shouto could do to lick into his mouth, eager to trace out and map every crevice. He tasted so, so sweet, his scent completely enveloping him to the point he nearly jumped out of his skin when Katsuki bent down behind him and placed an open-mouth kiss against the back of his neck. 

He had to pull away from Izuku and harshly bite down on his lip to keep himself from making a sound. When a hand reached around his neck in a possessive hold, he looked over his shoulder to see that Katsuki had abandoned his shirt already. 

Already panting, he let Katsuki give his neck a light squeeze- an action that seemed to stake some kind of claim over him- making him feel even hotter all over. It was then that Izuku decided to roll his hips against him. Shouto hadn't even noticed that he'd gotten hard, but feeling their erections rub against one another made him moan before he could stop himself. 

"Fuck," Katsuki growled. "Seeing you two like this..." 

The hand around his neck tightened. 

"I wanna see you fuck him first," Katsuki said, leaning down to speak against Shouto's ear. "You wanna fuck Deku?" 

"Oh, god," Izuku moaned, grinding his hips down harder in Shouto's lap. "Please say yes- Please." 

Shouto's breath stuttered, his mind completely overrun with thoughts. That fantasy he had- the first time he ever touched himself to the thought of them came to mind; Shouto, between the two of them--buried in Izuku while Katsuki split him open from behind played on loop. 

He wanted it—to feel them both at the same time—but he wasn't sure how to ask for it. He wasn't sure what he was and wasn't allowed to have. 

"Do you think-" he started, befoer cutting himself off. He scrunched his face, burying it against Izuku's shoulder, feeling embarrassed, even though he hadn't come up with the courage to actually ask. 

"What?" Izuku asked. 

"Tell us what you want, Sweetheart," Katsuki purrs. "Anything for you." 

The mattress dipped down behind him, and Katsuki pressed himself against his back, fitting them together. Shouto couldn't help but notice the way the three of them seemed to... fit. With Izuku in his lap and Katsuki behind him, lathing kisses against his neck as he reached around to fit a hand into Izuku's curls, the three of them pressed against each other felt so right. He leaned his head to the side, granting the blonde more access to the soft flesh of his throat. 

"I want both of you," Shouto finally told them. Izuku ground his hips down again- Katsuki biting the junction of his shoulder and neck at the same time, forcing him to speak again, "need you." 

He knew he sounded ridiculous, his tone somewhere between a moan and a whimper as he spoke, but it only seemed to instigate them further. 

"You'll get both of us," Katsuki told him between kisses. "I told you you'd get whatever you want." 

"No-" Shouto corrected. "I mean-" 

He bites back another pitiful moan when Izuku begins to nibble at his jaw. 

"I want both of you. At the same time." 

There. He said it. He recoiled into himself, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as he waited for the response. 

"Oh," Izuku sighed, melting into him further. "H-how? Like, logistic-wise, how do you want it?" 

His cheeks heat up with embarrassment at the question. He knew it was a ridiculous thing to ask. He knew that his stupid fantasies weren't real, yet he'd-

"I fuck you, while you fuck him?" Katsuki asked. "Is that what you want, Peppermint?"

He fitted himself even tighter against Shouto's backside, letting him feel the hard-on that Katsuki sported. His hands twitched where he held Izuku, and his whole body felt like cotton. He couldn't get his mind to turn off long enough to settle into the moment, and he was starting to feel frustrated with himself over it. 

"I-" he sucked in a breath. He made a frustrated sound as his hands began to shake. 

"You can tell us what you want," Izuku reiterated. 

"I- I want that." Shouto swallowed hard. "What Katsuki said. That's what I want." 

Face burning and limbs shaking, he finally opened his eyes. He saw Izuku first, whose eyes were blown wide and full of desire. He was afraid of how they'd react to the admission. Was it too much? Was it wrong? He wasn't sure. 

"Is that alright?" Shouto asked quietly. 

"It's more than alright," Katsuki told him, burying his face into Shouto's neck. "Fuck, I couldn't think of anything better. It's your first time, right? Might as well make it as memorable as we can. Right, 'Zuku?" 

"Yeah," the other man sighed. "I wanna feel you, Sho."

Shouto gripped Izuku like a lifeline before kissing him again, unsure what else to do with his hands and body as the other squirmed in his lap. 

Katsuki suddenly slipped his hands up the back of Shouto's shirt, spreading goosebumps in their wake. 

"Wanna see you. Gotta get this shit offa' you," he groaned. Izuku slid out of his lap and grabbed the hem of Shouto's shirt on the other side, helping Katsuki lift it off of him. Shouto raised his arms over his head and let them remove it altogether, and the minute the shirt was off, Izuku was working at the buttons on his pants, unwrapping him like a child excited to remove the wrapping from a present. Katsuki immediately began to spread kisses and touches across his back wherever he could reach. 

"Izuku," Katsuki called, and he looked over Shouto's shoulder at his boyfriend. "Take that shit off. Gonna have him prep you, okay?" 

Shouto tensed up, his eyes going wide as Izuku slipped off his lap and began undressing himself. The shirt came off first, and he couldn't even enjoy the sight of Izuku in nothing but those sinful shorts from how bad he was freaking out at the prospect of touching Izuku in any way. 

He had no idea what he was doing, or how he was supposed to go about doing anything like that. Looking over his shoulder, he throws Katsuki a terrified look. 

"I can't," he panicked. "I can't do that. I- I don't know how. I can't do that." 

"Shouto," Katsuki said, and the calling of his name jarred him, having hardly heard the blonde call him that. He could count on one hand the number of times Katsuki had called him by his real name. 

He wrapped his hands around the dual-toned hero's waist, holding him tenderly in a way that made Shouto's heart hurt. 

The soft touches- all the things he wished he could have on a regular basis- made his heart hurt, but he wouldn't say anything. He wouldn't deny them, and he wouldn't let himself think about things like that. 

With everything going on, his pulse was racing. 

"I'll guide you," Katsuki said. "I'll be right behind you the whole time. I'll tell you exactly what to do." 

"You will?" He braced himself against the blonde, speaking in a hopeful tone. It suddenly didn't feel so terrifying- handling Izuku- if Katsuki was there to tell him exactly how he liked to be touched and handled. 

Of course, he wanted to touch Izuku; he was just so afraid of doing the wrong thing. But Izuku's boyfriend would know. After all, they've been with each other for months now. They must know each other--inside and out. Shouto is the new, odd thing on the edge of the picture, and he wasn't quite sure where he fit in yet. 

"Of course," Katsuki tells him. "No need to be nervous. I've got you." 

He melted into Katuski as the assurance washed over him. He could look at Izuku now, who was just beginning to play with the hem of the shorts that strained over his cock. Face red and eyes half-lidded, he didn't take his eyes off Shouto as he peeled the fabric from his body. 

As it turns out, Izuku hadn't been wearing any underwear- not that he could have, with the way those shorts fit, but seeing the confirmation as he took the shorts off, his ass pouring out over the tight fabric as he peeled them away, was enough to make Shouto vibrate with the need to touch. 

Izuku leaned back into the pillows, still keeping his eyes on Shouto. 

He parted his legs, and Shouto sucked in a breath at the sight. Seeing Izuku so ready for him to touch- to taste- sent him reeling. His length rested hard against his abdomen, twitching when Shouto's eyes lingered there while he ran his tongue over his bottom lip. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this was really happening. He was about to have Izuku, and Katsuki would have him. 

"Go on," Katsuki said, giving Shouto a light push toward the man sprawled out on the sheets. 

His pants started to slip down as he crawled- due to Izuku having unbuttoned them. Katsuki must have noticed, because before he could even reach Izuku, Katsuki slipped his hands into the band of Shouto's pants and yanked, sending them and his boxer briefs sliding down his thighs. Crawling out of the clothes, he came to a stop between Izuku's legs. 

Reaching out, he placed each of his hands on Izuku's thighs, enjoying the way he let out a small, choked breath when they made contact. Katsuki was still behind him, acting as a grounding anchor as he took in the sight of Izuku. 

It was almost too much, seeing him like this, knowing he was about to have him--finally. The revelation was almost enough to make him cry. 

"Here, take this," Katsuki said, handing him something over his shoulder. He closed his hands around a bottle of lube, feeling the weight of it in his hand, proving to him even further that this was really happening. "Put it on your fingers. You're gonna touch him now." 

Izuku moaned as Katsuki said that, as if just knowing Shouto was about to have his fingers inside him was enough to get him off. The green-haired man writhed on the sheets in front of him in anticipation, the beautiful blush on his face spreading all the way down his chest. 

He popped the cap off the bottle with shaky hands and squeezed, pouring a liberal amount of the substance onto his fingers. It was cold on his hands, so he smoothed it between his digits in an attempt to warm it up. 

"Alright," Katsuki said, resting his chin on Shouto's shoulder. "You ready, Peppermint? Deku?" 

Izuku nodded furiously, and Shouto took a deep breath as he nodded, steeling himself in preparation for what was to come. 

"Alright. You're gonna start slow." He can feel Katsuki's breath on his shoulder as his body presses into him from behind. "One finger. Go in slow." 

Upon his instruction, he set the bottle of lube to the side and leaned over Izuku. 

"You sure you want me to-" Shouto nodded toward his lower half, wanting to be certain that Izuku wanted this. The last thing he wanted was to do anything they didn't want or to take more than he was allotted. After all, they'd only talked about Katsuki having Shouto, not anything else. This was already more than Shouto thought he'd ever have. 

"Please," Izuku sighed. "I want it. Wanna be good for you- wanna have you inside me, please-"

They'd hardly started, and Izuku had already been reduced to a begging, squirming mess. It caused the heat in the pit of Shouto to stir, making him wish he could just touch himself to the sight and come right now, but he had more important things to worry about now, like Izuku's pleasure. 

Izuku was all that mattered right now. 

Lowering his hand, he pressed a single finger against his puffy, pink hole, watching as he twitched as soon as there was contact. Relishing in the sight- the power of being able to make him move like that, he massaged the edges of the hole, spreading the lube over the surface, listening to the needy sounds that came from below. When he finally felt like the teasing was too much, he pushed that finger inside up to his first knuckle, feeling the tight heat surround his fingertip. 

It was hardly just a finger, yet feeling Izuku's heat wrapped around him like that was almost too much. 

"That's it, Peppermint," Katsuki purred. "Give him some more. Make him feel good." 

He pressed that finger in further, listening to Izuku pant beneath him as he felt the heat on his own cheeks grow. After it had sunk in as far as it could go, he started to pump the digit in and out in a slow rhythm, watching Izuku's face for cues as to what felt good. 

"Add another," Katsuki whispered.

Following the instruction, he pushed in a second finger. Izuku's back arched off the mattress just slightly as he threw an arm over his reddened face. Shouto wouldn't have that, though--he needed to see him. He needed to eat up every reaction he made like his life depended on it. There was no way he would miss a single moment of it. 

Shouto grabbed his arm and pulled it down. Izuku looked wrecked already, wanting to look anywhere but Shouto. 

"Look at me," he said. He hooked his fingers a little bit, pressing into what must be just the right spot inside of him. Izuku's back jackknifed off the bed as he let out a broken, choked moan. His eyes were squeezed shut as he writhed on Shouto's fingers. 

"Izuku," he tried again, pressing against that spot once more. "Open your eyes. I need to see you, baby." 

He hardly knew what he was saying or doing at this point, letting himself be entirely driven by the heat in his lower abdomen. 

Izuku's eyes snapped open. They were completely glossed over and needy-looking. Shouto ate up every expression, letting the obvious pleasure on his face spur him on. 

"Put in a third," Katsuki said. 

Shouto listened, pressing in yet another finger aside the other ones. Izuku writhed and cried out, this one sounding more broken than the last, causing Shouto to still his fingers. 

"It's alright," Katsuki told him. "He likes the stretch. Likes the burn."

Izuku moaned again. 

"Don't you, Deku?" Katsuki continued. "Like to feel all stretched and full, like a little slut? Such a fucking whore for cock, aren't you?" 

Shouto pumped his fingers faster, watching Izuku writhe under Katsuki's words and his own ministrations. 

"Fucking made for taking things up the ass, like a perfect little cock sleeve--fuck- look at you, baby... Fucking sucking his fingers up all greedy like that." 

Izuku clenched around his fingers, his breath hitching as his back arched even further off the bed. The sheets stuck to the sweat of his back as his hands fisted into them at his sides. His face was contorted in pleasure, his eyes burning into Shouto, who was panting above him at the sight. 

"Gotta slow down," Katsuki said, pivoting his tone to whisper in Shouto's ear. Shouto tensed up, worrying he was doing it wrong, but then Katsuku spoke again. "He'll come soon if you keep doing that shit. Fuck, you're a natural. I don't want him coming until you're inside him. Wanna see him come on your cock like the fucking slut he is--don't you?"

"Yeah," Shouto replied instantly, sounding just as desperate and broken as he felt. His own abandoned cock throbbed between his legs at the admission. 

In a sudden shock, something slick and cold pressed up between Shouto's legs, causing him to jump. 

"Relax," Katsuki said. "'S just me. Gonna get you ready, too." 

Shouto, still tense, nodded, letting Katsuki circle his rim with a lube-covered finger. It was an odd, foreign sensation. He'd never even played with himself like that before, so he had no idea what to expect. Whatever he did, he was hoping he was good. All he wanted was to be good for them so they'd want him again. 

The thought of doing a single thing wrong, making them not want him anymore made his breathing pick up and heart race. His fingers were still buried in Izuku as Katsuki played with him, pulling at the edges of his hole, and he couldn't get himself to relax and fall back into the mindset he was in seconds ago. 

"You gotta relax if you don't want it to hurt," Katsuki said, pressing the tip of his finger past Shouto's rim. 

He couldn't help the way he tensed up at the foreign intrusion. Panic was starting to inch its way back up his throat. He retracted his fingers from Izuku and braced his hands on the mattress on either side of him, trying to get himself to calm down. Katsuki pulled back and crawled to his side, grabbing Shouto's face to force him to look at him. 

Shouto squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the burning sensation building behind his lids. 

"I- I can't," he said, "it's too much." 

He choked back the emotions bubbling inside him. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"Shhhhh- it's okay," Izuku said, leaning up to press his forehead against Shouto's. "Just tell us what you need. Tell us what will make you feel more comfortable." 

"I want-" he chokes back the lump in his throat. "I want it. I do." 

He takes in a deep breath, trying to figure out why he was suddenly freaking out, not sure where it came from all of a sudden. 

"Is it too much? We can try something different. We can do whatever you want. We don't want to scare you or hurt you, Peppermint," Katsuki told him. 

"I don't know," he replied, pressing his nose against Izuku's. "I don't know why I'm freaking out. I wish I knew." 

A small silence passed, and Shouto was sure the two were about to throw him out for ruining the mood. He wasn't what they wanted--he was sure of it. He was so inexperienced, and now he was freaking out. He wasn't sure what to say or do to get them to keep him, so he stayed silent, even though he knew what was about to happen. 

"Izuku, lean back," Katsuki said.

"A-alright," Izuku replied, listening to his boyfriend. Shouto was left untouched in between them, and he brought his arms in tight, hugging them around his torso. 

"Shouto," Katsuki said. He sucked in a breath, waiting for his invitation to be rescinded- preparing himself to get up off the bed to collect his things and turn back to his own room-

"I want you to suck his dick."

His eyes snap open right as Izuku's lips part, his mouth hanging open as he sighs softly. 

"Oh, will you? Please?" Izuku asked. 

"Y-you want me to-" Shouto was having a hard time finding the words as his chest hollowed out. They were trying so hard to find something he was good at--some way to wring pleasure from him so they could keep him, but he was failing. He couldn't measure up to their expectations, and they were starting to realize their error. "I- I can leave. I'm not- I can't- I'm not good enough for this." 

"Oh, baby, no," Katsuki said, uncharacteristically soft compared to what Shouto was used to. "No, we're not trying to get rid of you. We want you, got it? We're not doing this without you, dumbass."

Shouto stuttered, trying to find a sensical response to that statement, but ultimately came up dry. 

"You can fuck off with all that self-deprecating bullshit, alright? We asked you to be here because we want you." 

Katsuki gave him a serious look, and Shouto could have cried. 

Well, he did cry, because he could feel the tears forming in his eyes, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the tears to stay put. Hugging himself tightly, he tried his hardest to still his breathing so as not to freak them out or ruin the moment more than he already had. 

"You want us, right?" Katsuki asked. 

"Y-yeah," he choked. "I do." 

"Then you're gonna have us. I said we'd do whatever will make you feel the best. So tell us what we can do to make you more comfortable." 

"I- I don't know," he said. "I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just ruining it." 

"Oh, Sho, you're not ruining it," Izuku chimed in. "Like Kacchan said, we want you here. It's okay if you're a little nervous. We'll figure out what works and what doesn't, okay?"

"I think I figured it out," Katsuki suddenly said.

Both Izuku and Shouto looked at Katsuki, waiting for what he had to say. 

"You're touch-starved, Peppermint. Not used to being touched." 

Shouto frowned and averted his eyes down toward the mattress. It could be true, he supposed, though he'd never thought of that before. It made sense, seeing that he was so sensitive to touch, especially from them. Every single brush of the finger or lingering gaze sent him into a spiraling heat, making him feel like he was stuffed full of cotton and on the verge of a panic attack. 

"Sho," Izuku lamented. "Baby- you are."

"I guess," he grunted, unsure what to do now. "It's not like I can change that."

He was quick to defend himself. There wasn't anything he could do about the fact that no one's wanted to touch him before. If no one wanted him, that was their business, not his. He understood it. 

"I never said it was a problem," Katsuki grumbled. "Just gotta figure out how not to overwhelm you. Because I'm assuming that's what's happening. I think we just have to distract you a bit, yeah? Then I can touch you and ease you into it. Once I get my fingers in you, it should be easier from there. You just have to get used to the way it feels first." 

"Yeah, but how?" Shouto asked. 

"Suck his dick," Katsuki replied. 

"Why?" 

It was not that Shouto didn't want to; he just didn't understand how that was going to help him. 

"Like I said. You need a distraction. Let me touch you, and you just focus on him. We'll see if that works." 

Shouto swallowed again, trying to get his mind to turn off long enough to consider what he was being told. He shook his head, trying to gather himself enough to focus on Izuku. Shouto wasn't even hard anymore, but looking down at Izuku, all he wanted to do was make him feel good. 

The look Izuku was giving him was something like concern mixed with desire, though Shouto didn't know which way it leaned more. 

"Alright," Shouto said. "I'll do it. I'll try." 

He couldn't walk out now. It seemed they really wanted to make this work with him, so he was desperate to try anything at this point to keep them with him- to make the moment last longer. 

Leaning down, he braced his hands on either side of Izuku, positioning his body between his legs. The closer Shouto got, the more Izuku's chest rose and fell in rapid succession. Licking his lips, he pressed the tip of his nose into Izuku's hip, breathing in his sweet scent.

Every small touch filled him with sparks and anxiety, but he elected to ignore the latter as he parted his lips and let his tongue fall out to make a tentative lick against the side of Izuku's member. The small action caused Izuku to suck in a breath. Shouto looked up, catching sight of Izuku staring down at him.

He can't fail this time. He has to give them what they want. Opening his mouth wide, he took the head of Izuku's cock into his mouth. Behind him, Katsuki whispered small praises and quiet words as he re-slicked his fingers with lube. Shouto tried as hard as he could to follow the instructions he was given, but the moment Katsuki was pressing a finger against his hole again, his whole body twitched. 

"Easy, Peppermint," he said. "Just focus on your job. Don't worry about what I'm doing." 

The finger pressed inside him, but he concerned himself with the weight of Izuku's cock on his tongue. He hollowed out his cheeks and attempted to suck on it the way Izuku had done to him that first time, sinking down low to take more of him in his mouth. When he felt him pressing up against the back of his throat, he breathed out through his nose and steeled himself, trying as hard as he could to push down his gag reflex and keep the tears in the corners of his eyes from falling. 

That finger pressed in further, but Shouto was starting to get used to the feeling. 

Katsuki's plan was working. It was starting to feel good. 

He moaned around Izuku's erection, taking him even further into his mouth, watching the way Izuku trembled and whimpered as he did so. He sucked hard, lathing his tongue against the underside of him, relishing in all the small movements and sounds he was able to pull from the man. 

The pressure in his hole increased, Spurring Shouto to suck harder- moan harder- especially when those fingers curled inside him and pressed into some spot against his wall, making him shudder.

"That's it, Sweetheart," Katuski said gently. "You're doing so good, baby." 

Izuku was mumbling something low under his breath, but the pulse pounding in Shouto's ears kept him from being able to hear anything too quietly spoken. He could tell Izuku was starting to fall apart under his ministrations, and it was getting harder to keep them up as Katsuki pressed his digits around inside of him- stretching him- pleasing him-

-he came off Izuku with a lewd pop to let out a coarse, breathy moan when another finger was added, and he couldn't help it when his hips pressed back onto those fingers to take them even deeper. That heat in the pit of his stomach was almost unbearable now as Katsuki worked him open, and Shouto knew he was getting close. If anyone touched his cock now, he was sure that he would finish so quickly that it'd be embarrassing. 

"I think you're ready," Katuki told him, removing his fingers. 

Shouto whined at the loss, missing that feeling of being filled. He craved more, driving his hips back toward Katsuki in a silent plea. 

There was movement behind him, and when Shouto looked over his shoulder, Katsuki was finally removing his pants, revealing the pulsing erection he'd been hiding. Both Shouto and Izuku moaned when they saw it, ready to get to the main event of the evening.  

"Open your legs, Deku," Katsuki ordered. "You ready, Peppermint? Are you doing alright?" 

"I- I think so," he replied, setting himself between Izuku's thighs. 

Being here with them, despite his nerves, felt like coming home to somewhere you hadn't been in years. For Shouto, he'd never really felt like he had a place he belonged, but when he was with them, that feeling of 'home' settled itself deep in his chest, helping to ease him into a feeling of comfort. He focused on these feelings as he inched closer to the man under him. 

Katsuki gripped his hips from behind. 

"Want you inside him first, alright?" he said.

Shouto nodded, grabbing the underside of Izuku's thighs. He lifted them, gripping tightly into his milky, smooth flesh, feeling the tip of himself settle between his cheeks. 

"You've got this, Peppermint," Katuski said. Izuku was nearly vibrating in anticipation beneath him, shifting his hips in some kind of attempt to press Shouto's member against him harder. 

Giving Izuku what he wanted, he reached down and grabbed the base of his erection, and pressed the tip of himself against Izuku's slicked hole. With a slight push, the head slipped inside, Izuku and Shouto moaning softly in tandem with each other. Not wanting to hurt him, Shout continued to push inside slowly, curling his toes to keep himself from succumbing to the pleasure of finally being inside him. 

He was inside Izuku. 

A small thrust more, and he was fully sheathed inside of him. The hot warmth of him surrounded him, engulfing him completely. He gripped Izuku's thighs tightly when he tried to wiggle himself down on his length, afraid that he would come if he started to move. 

"Wait-" Shouto rasped, "trying not to come, fuck." 

Katsuki chuckled behind him. "let me know when you're ready for me." 

After a long minute of not moving, Shouto let him know that he was ready. He wanted to feel them both and was no longer worried that he'd come if he moved, even though Izuku was still flexing his hole around him- desperate to feel him move. He needed to wait for Katsuki before he could do anything. 

When he felt the tip of him press against his entrance, he tensed. 

"Relax, or it's not gonna feel good," Katsuki told him, massaging his shoulders lightly. He pressed lazy kisses onto his sweat-slicked back and neck as he pressed a little more. 

By the time Katsuk was fully inside him, Shouto was open-mouth panting. He felt so full, so burning hot, that he didn't know what to do with himself. 

When Katsuki pulled out and thrust back inside roughly, pushing Shouto even deeper into Izuku, all three of them moaned at the movement. 

It took a few thrusts, but once they had a rhythm going, the pleasure began to build up quickly, their pants and moans filling the room. Katsuki gripped Shouto's hips tightly as he bounced back and forth between the two of them. Lungs burning and brain effectively turned to mush, Shouto did nothing but stare down into Izuku's eyes and let Katsuki set the pace between the three of them. 

"G-gonna come," Izuku said breathily between thrusts. "'M so close!" 

"Then come, you slut," Katsuki growled over Shouto's shoulder.

Izuku let out a broken cry as he reached for Shouto to bring him closer. Shouto leaned down as far as he could, feeling Izuku's blunt nails press into his back- the sensation beginning to sting the closer Izuku got to his peak.  

"How you doing, Peppermint?" he said quieter, against Shouto's ear. 

He couldn't even answer aside from a broken whimper, but Katsuki seemed to take that for the answer it was, picking up the pace as he fucked into Shouto even harder. 

Izuku was suddenly convulsing beneath him, and Shouto's couldn't take his eyes off him as he covered himself in his own spend. He looked up at Shouto, his chest covered in white droplets, with a completely hazed-over expression. 

Shouto was so overwhelmed, but in the best of ways, caught in between the two of them like that. 

With Izuku completely spent, Shouto tried to pull himself out of him, but the minute he tried, Izuku leaned up, grabbed his hips, and yanked him closer. 

"Keep fucking him," Katuski said. "He's a perfect little slut when he's like that. Just look at his face. He's loving this." 

Shouto glances down at Izuku again as Katsuki fucks into him. Izuku's eyes are completely glazed over, his body limp and spent as Katsuki forces Shouto to keep boring himself into his tight hole. 

"Kiss me," Izuku breathed, and it was almost too quiet to hear. Immediately falling into Izuku, Shouto locked their lips together as Katsuki kept that tight grip on his hip- plastering himself across Shouto's back to press hot, open-mouth kisses into Shouto's skin as he made out with Izuku. There was nothing perfect or smooth about the way they kissed each other, but Shouto loved the kisses nonetheless, licking into Izuku's mouth as he rocked back and forth from the thrusts coming from behind. 

He feels so full- completely split open on the blonde's large cock. Whatever sounds were coming out of him were completely unavoidable at that point. 

It's then that Shouto notices the building pressure inside him, letting him know that he's close. However much he tried to hold it back, he could feel the orgasm coming on quickly; there was nothing he could do to stave it off. 

"C-close," he said; it was all he could muster between the whimpers and cries that sounded from someplace deep within him. Izuku continued to jerk and writhe in overstimulation beneath him as his orgasm suddenly hit him. He pushed into Izuku with one more rough thrust, letting his seed coat his insides as far in as he could reach. 

"That's it, Sweetheart," Katsuki cooed into his ear, his grip on his waist tightening. "You look so good. So fucking perfect on my cock. Gonna fill you up, now. Can't wait to see it dripping out of you." 

He didn't think it was possible, but Katsuku began to fuck into him even harder, and the burning tears in the corners of Shouto's eyes began to fall as he was worked through his orgasm. 

"Please," Shouto begged, completely unaware of the things he was saying at that point. "Fill me up! Wanna feel you all over. I wanna be good for you-"

With one final slam of the hips, Katsuki sheathed himself into Shouto as far as he could- that grip on his hips tightening to a bruising pressure as Shouto felt the odd sensation of Katsuki's cum filling up his hole. 

He continues to thrust lightly, working himself through his peak until there's nothing left. 

Then, everything was quiet, aside from the hard breaths that filled the space as they all came down from the high. 

When they finally parted from each other, Shouto couldn't help but feel the seeping cold in his bones. He was no longer connected with them and knew it was over. He was no longer a part of them. 

Just a piece, he was removed from the puzzle with the same ease that he was added into the mix, and reality came crashing back down around his shoulders. 

He was completely frozen as Katsuki crawled out from behind him, placing a passing kiss on his shoulder as he made his way toward Izuku. 

Izuku belonged to Katsuki, and Katsuki belonged to Izuku. Yes- that's the way it was. Shouto didn't belong to anyone. He was here to bring them pleasure--nothing more. 

How could he forget?

Katsuki wrapped Izuku up in his arms, and unable to stop himself, he lay beside them. He ran his hand over Izuku's curls. The green-haired man was already falling asleep, still covered in cum. Shouto could feel it dripping out of him, but he paid it no mind as he lay there with them, soaking up the last bits of that 'home' feeling that he could. 

They'd been so accommodating that he almost could have been convinced that they wanted more than sex from him. But he knew this wasn't the case. 

"You okay, Peppermint?" Katsuki asked, raising his head to look at his boyfriend to meet eyes with Shouto. 

"Yeah." 

It's all he can muster. It's all he can say. There's no room for anything else right now, not when he knows what this is. 

A small part of himself reminded him that he was supposed to talk to them, but coming down from their highs like this, he knew it was not the right time. 

Not with Izuku, who was now fast asleep, exhausted from their endeavor, and Katsuki, who was only concerned with making sure they were alright. 

Katsuki seemed pleased enough with his answer. 

Letting the weight of his head rest on the pillow, he lay there until enough time passed that Katsuki fell asleep, too. Shouto looked them over one last time. 

They were completely wrapped up in each other's arms. They wouldn't even notice it if Shouto slipped away--perhaps hinting at the fact that this was supposed to happen all along. 

He carefully slid off the mattress and let his feet hit the cold, wooden floor. The effort it took to keep himself upright shook his thighs. 

He looked back at them again- and he really shouldn't have. 

They were so perfect together. Shouto already knew that. They'd all got what they came for, and it was time for Shouto to leave. 

So that's what he did- no matter how heavy it made his heart feel in the process. 

Chapter Text

Waking up the following day, Shouto wasn't sure what to expect. 

Perhaps he was supposed to act differently—or maybe they were. Regardless, he had no idea how to act when he stepped out of his room the next day. 

They were already in the kitchen when he finally worked up the courage to face them after what they'd done. It's not that Shouto regretted it--there was just a messy tangle of things in his chest now that he had no idea how to go about untangling. Whatever he was to do, he couldn't loosen his grip on those strands, no matter how tangled they were around his ribs and lungs. He couldn't let go of them, even if they impeded his ability to breathe and move properly. So be it if this tangled mess was all he'd ever get from them. He would take what he could get. 

Izuku leaned against the counter with a cup of steaming tea in his hands while Katsuki handled a pan over the stove. It smelled good--whatever it was--but Shouto didn't have time to stop and talk today. He swore he didn't do it on purpose, but he didn't leave his room that morning until it was time for him to head to the agency. 

"Hi, Sho," Izuku greeted, smiling over his mug. His eyes were tired but happy--sated, even--and Shouto couldn't help but wonder if his peaceful expression was any of Shouto's doing. "Off to work?" 

"Yeah," he replied, passing through the kitchen without stopping. 

"Be safe!" Izuku called after him with a smile in his voice. 

Katsuki didn't say anything. He didn't even look at Shouto as he passed through. 

Shouto shoved on his boots, grabbed his puffy coat, and headed out the door. 

The cold air hit him immediately. Despite the cold and slushy snow on the ground, it was sunny out. He zipped up his coat—not that he needed to —but enjoyed the swaddling comfort it brought him. His chest was still buzzing with unsaid things and odd feelings, but he wasn't sure what to do about any of that now. 

He was told by Shinsou to talk to them, but after the brief interaction with them in the kitchen, he wasn't sure what to say or how to go about it. 

They seemed content to act as if nothing had happened, no matter how brief the interaction. They didn't appear to be acting different from before, which made Shouto believe that the previous night spent with them had changed absolutely nothing. 

Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, though; he knew they didn't love him, and it relieved him to know that what they did hadn't impacted their friendship. It made him hope that perhaps it could happen again. He would be open to that. He could keep a tight lid on his feelings and enjoy what he could get without ruining things. 

When he arrived home that evening, no one was home. Assuming Izuku worked tonight, Shouto took up space in the living room to let himself decompress after a long day of work. 

He'd had an especially tough time today after dealing with a case related to domestic violence, and he couldn't help but take note of the things that reminded him of his own situation from when he was still a child. 

He didn't like to let his mind linger on those kinds of things, but occasionally, there would be things to dredge up those feelings without his permission--the witnessing of abuse on children or women being one of them. 

It would remind him of how he was never hugged as a kid—not after his mom was admitted, anyway—since he was always kept away from his siblings. Perhaps this had something to do with him being 'touch-starved,' as Katsuki had put it the night before when Shouto found it overstimulating to be handled by them. 

He shifted on the couch, letting the sight of the Christmas tree fill his line of sight. He had to stop thinking about those kinds of things. He'd been told it wasn't good to dwell, but what had he been doing all this time if he still had such an unconscious aversion to touch? 

Frowning, he gently shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts and the frustration brought along with it. While he'd been stuck in his own bubble, Shouto hadn't noticed the opening and closing of the front door- nor did he realize when someone approached him from behind the sofa where he sat. 

"Hey, you're home already!" 

Shouto jumped to the sound of Izuku's voice. 

"Oh, sorry!" Izuku apologized, coming around the couch with an apologetic look. "I thought you heard me come in." 

"I wasn't paying attention," Shouto admitted. 

Around him, the room was silent. The TV was off, most of the lights in the home hadn't been turned on, and Shouto was still in the clothes he'd left work in. 

"Rough day?" Izuku asked, seating himself beside Shouto. 

Of course, Izuku could tell, being a hero himself. They could all see it in each other when they were having a hard time—something that came especially easy to those in class 1A who had gone through many hardships with each other. Of course, Izuku would know if something was wrong. 

Still, Shouto didn't want to upset or worry anyone on his behalf. So, he found it a fitting time to tell a small lie. 

"It's nothing," he said. "My body is just tired from today." 

And last night, he sighed to himself, though he wouldn't share that one out loud. If his ass was still sore, so what? 

"Are you sure there's nothing else you want to talk about?" Izuku asked. "Anything at all? Even if it's not about work, I'll listen if there's anything on your mind." 

Shouto stared down at his hands resting in his lap as he bit the inside of his lip. Sure, there was plenty on his mind, but nothing he could quite share. He wasn't in the mood for being peeled open at the moment, not quite having it in himself to handle that agonizingly raw feeling. 

"I'm fine," he said, looking up at Izuku with a tight smile. Izuku didn't seem to relax at this, which confused Shouto. 

The room was tense, and even someone as socially inept as Shouto could feel it. 

The green-haired hero rubbed his hands over his forearms, not wanting to meet the other's stare. Shouto's chest stuttered, knowing that he'd somehow done something to upset him, even if he didn't know what it was. 

Something between Izuku walking through the door and right now had wiped the smile off Izuku's face, and Shouto was the only possible factor that could have done this. 

"Is something wrong?" Shouto finally asked. "Have I done something to upset you?" 

He asked the second question with a hint of hesitance, knowing the answer already, even if he didn't know what exactly he'd done. All he was certain of was that it was his fault. 

Izuku frowned- deflated- and Shouto's spine straightened, waiting for his reply. 

"Oh, Shouto, no," he said, almost in a sigh. It was odd to hear Izuku say his real name instead of the nickname he always called him by. This in itself was a cause for alarm.

A strike of confusion carved a path through Shouto. 

"You haven't done anything to make me upset!" he told him. "What makes you ask?" 

"You don't seem particularly... happy, and I can't help but wonder if I'm the cause of it." 

He was being honest now, unsure what else to do. He'd been told before that honesty was best, though he wasn't sure if that was right because he didn't like how Izuku was reacting. He was so quick to backtrack and attempt to appease Shouto instead of telling him what was wrong. It made his gut twist in an odd manner as he thought about when else he might have done such a thing. 

"Sho, you make me very happy," Izuku told him. There was a slight smile on his face, and Shouto was having difficulty telling whether it was fake or real. It was always so hard for him to tell these kinds of things. "Have-"

Izuku looked away; his sentence was left unfinished for what seemed like forever. 

"Have I done something to make you feel like you don't make me happy?" 

"No, that's not what I meant," Shouto backtracked. 

Honestly, he wasn't sure how the conversation had gotten there. All he wanted to know was if Izuku was upset, and somehow, it seemed that Shouto had made things about himself and caused Izuku even more upset. 

"I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong by you," Shouto reiterated. "I want us to always get along. So I need you to tell me if I've done something wrong." 

Izuku straightened up- sucked in a shallow breath. 

"Is this about last night?" he suddenly asked. 

Shouto opened his mouth to answer but clamped his jaw shut before some other stupid thing came out. He wasn't sure how the conversation had traveled to this topic. He hadn't meant for them to talk about it. 

"Because I wanted to talk about that, but not because you've done anything wrong," Izuku told him. "I just wanted to clarify some stuff." 

"Alright." Shouto didn't want to say anything else he might regret, so he prepared himself to listen unless prompted to do otherwise. 

"Kacchan and I wanted to ask if you were... okay with everything that happened last night." 

His green eyes swirled with unanswered questions and other shiny, bright things that Shouto could never understand, no matter how long he'd known Izuku for. 

"I'm okay," he said, hoping this was the correct answer.

"I mean to ask if you liked it," Izuku asked. "It's just that you left before we could check in with you or ask you how you felt- you know- during everything." 

"Oh," Shouto breathed, his cheeks warming up at the question. "Of course I did. It- It was good. Enjoyable. All those kinds of things."

He felt so awkward talking about it. He'd never talked about something like this with someone before. Hoping that there wouldn't be this much talking involved, Shouto hadn't prepared himself to answer such questions. 

"Did you like all of it? Or was there anything we could do better?" 

"Better?" Shouto asked. "Like- for next time?" 

He hadn't meant to sound so baffled, but it was the truth. It sounded like he was asking how to improve as if it was something they wanted to do again. Shouto couldn't help but feel slightly excited at the prospect, though it hadn't been confirmed yet. 

"Oh! Um- I mean- we don't have to do anything like that if you didn't want to do it again, but Kacchan and I really liked it, and we wanted to let you know that we talked and wanted to do more. If you wanted, of course. You can always say no! We don't mean to pressure you or make you feel like we expect anything! Of course, nothing will change if you say no, and we promise not to overstep if it isn't something you want to do again." 

Izuku had scooted closer while he talked, even if he hadn't noticed--but Shouto did, and suddenly, he couldn't help but notice the way Izuku's thigh just barely brushed against his. He loathed the way such simple forms of contact were able to swallow him whole like that. 

"I-" he swallowed. He wanted to make sure that he was about to say exactly what he meant. He was tired of being misunderstood. "I'd like it if we did it again. And of course, I don't want anything to change about our friendship because of it. I enjoyed what we did, and I'd love it if you two wanted to have me again."

Diplomacy was the goal, and Shouto hoped he checked that box with his answer. 

"Oh, good," Izuku replied, his shoulders visibly relaxing. "We really, really like it. Like a lot! And we want to do it again; we just wanted to check in before coming onto you or anything like that." 

Shouto blushed. 

They wanted him. 

Maybe it wasn't in the way he always hoped they would, but they wanted him for something, and that was good enough. It was more than enough, more than he ever thought he'd get from them. 

"I am definitely not opposed to doing that again," Shouto told him candidly, embracing the heat on his cheeks as Izuku gave him a bright expression. Izuku placed a scarred, crooked hand on Shouto's thigh and gave it a light squeeze, and Shouto tried not to explode. 

Izuku smiled brightly. 

"Great! I can't wait to tell Kacchan. He really enjoyed himself, too, last night. He'll be glad to hear you want to do it again." 

Shouto ended up meeting up with Shinsou and Tokoyami for an emergency coffee date the following day. 

He had never thought he'd be in this situation- invited into a physical relationship with the two people he loved- and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Simply put, he needed advice, and who better to ask than the two most impartial people he knew? 

"I really didn't expect this," Shinsou replied after Shouto was done updating them on his new development. "After what you told me last time, I assumed they would just ask you out or something. It's why I suggested talking." 

"I told you that would never be the case," Shouto replied. "I know they don't love me. I'm never going to let myself hope for anything different." 

"I don't agree with this, though I know you'll do what you want," Tokoyami told him. "I don't mean to tell you what you should do, but I'd hate to see you hurt over this. If darkness finds you, you must not succumb to its promising call." 

Shouto took a long sip of his drink (hot chocolate, of course), unsure how to reply. 

He knew how self-destructive this was. In the pit of his gut, he knew he would end up hurt whenever they decided to call it off. There was no way they wanted to sleep with him forever and keep that kind of thing going, especially after their relationship inevitably advanced. 

They would move in together, and Shouto would be left as the odd man out. 

Then, they would get married, and Shouto would still be alone—not factoring into whatever grand plan the two had for their life together. 

What they had was just an immature infatuation with Shouto. He was just some shiny, new thing in the bedroom- nothing more than a toy they'd inevitably end up getting bored with. But for whatever short amount of time he had, Shouto would have them in whatever capacity they saw fit to share themselves, and that would have to be enough. 

He would take whatever they would give him, and he would never ask for more. He couldn't do that to him. There was no room for him to make demands, and whatever he ended up receiving would have to last him the rest of his life. 

Shouto never saw himself falling in love with anyone else. Even if he ever ended up in a relationship, he never saw himself being able to care for someone as much as he cared for Izuku and Katsuki. That wouldn't be fair to whoever he dated, so he just wouldn't date. 

He was cursed by his love for them and would always be alone--and he would just have to be okay with that. 

"Just promise me something," Shinsou said, pulling Shouto from his depressing train of thought. 

Shouto eyed his friend, waiting for whatever it was he had to say. Given the look on Shinsou's face, it was severe--whatever he was about to make Shouto agree to. 

"Promise me you'll back out if things get hard or if it starts to hurt." 

"I can't-"

Shinsou cut him off. 

"Promise me." His eyes were hard--Shinsou was dead serious in his demand. "Promise me you won't let yourself get fucked over with this. I don't want to see you get hurt. I won't have it. I won't be able to forgive them if they hurt you, but I won't be able to forgive you if you let yourself walk right into the fire." 

Shouto chewed the inside of his lip. 

He knew that wasn't something he'd be able to do. Even if it hurt him, he wasn't sure he had the strength to pull out so long as there was anything they wanted from him. So long as they still wanted him, he would make himself available. 

But he couldn't disappoint Shinsou, either. He was coming from a place of care, even if he didn't understand how Shouto was feeling to the full extent. 

"Fine," he replied. Lied. "I promise." 

Chapter Text

It was two days before Christmas when it finally happened again. 

Shouto hadn't been expecting it, though he wasn't sure what to expect in the first place after the conversation he'd had with Izuku. Aside from that one talk, things had been utterly normal. 

To Shouto, this made sense; Izuku and Katsuki were the ones dating and in love with each other after all. Shouto was owed nothing on that front. Their friendship would remain unchanged, separate from their shared time in the bedroom. 

The three of them sat in the living room together, due to Izuku's insistence, to open the gifts they'd gotten each other early since Katsuki and Izuku would be gone on Christmas day to visit their parents together. 

Shouto sat on the floor with Izuku while Katsuki sat above them on the couch. 

"Open the ones from me first!" Izuku beamed. He crawled forward and nudged a box toward Shouto, then plopped a bag in Katsuki's lap before sitting back down with his legs crossed. "I hope you guys like what I picked out. It took me forever to pick what to get you guys this year." 

Shouto could say the same thing. Gift-giving was not on his list of skills, and he was certain that what he got them would not be enough compared to whatever he'd receive from the couple. 

He looked down at the box in his hands and admired how carefully it'd been wrapped, with a cute green bow on top. 

Katsuki tore into his first, pulling out a sleek bento box. 

"I saw yours was getting pretty rough, so I thought you could use a new one," Izuku explained. "Plus, it has two layers, so you can pack more stuff if you want!" 

"Thanks," Katsuki replied, turning over the bento. "Though I know you only bought the one with the two layers, so I'd pack shit for you too." 

He gave Izuku a playful smirk. 

"Oh, that's not why!" Izuku defended. "It was just the nicest one I saw. Kacchanc deserves the best of everything."

"Damn right," Katsuki chuckled. "I'm just teasing you. I make lunch for you anyway, nerd." 

He set the box to the side, and their eyes shifted to Shouto, who had yet to unbox his gift from Izuku. 

"Go on," Izuku said, his eyes shining with excitement. 

Shouto carefully undid the ribbons on the box and laid them to the side before removing the wrapping paper. Removing the colorful wrapping paper revealed a plain, brown box, so Shouto lifted the flaps on it. 

Inside the box was an odd-looking device, and Shouto wasn't entirely sure what it was. A power cord came out the back, and a few buttons on the front. 

"Um-" he looked over at Izuku. "What is it?" 

He didn't want to sound rude in not knowing, but he had no idea what the machine was. 

"Oh, it's a sleep sound machine," Izuku informed him. "I noticed that you've been having a hard time sleeping. I also know that white noise helps calm you. I wasn't really sure why you did it for the longest time, but you tend to run the sink when you're feeling anxious or overwhelmed."

Shouto was almost too stunned to speak. 

It was a weird thing that he did- he knew that- but Izuku had somehow noticed it and not thought of it as the odd thing it was; instead, he somehow knew why Shouto did it, even though he himself didn't know for the longest time why he did things like that. 

Izuku had noticed such small things about him. He noticed. That meant he had been paying attention to Shouto, even when he thought everything he did had gone under their radar. It had never been known to him that he was being watched this closely. 

"How-" Shouto tried to speak. He swallowed the lump of emotions in his throat, trying not to overreact at such a small gesture. "How did you know? I didn't even know you were watching." 

Izuku smiled softly, coming closer to put a hand on his knee. 

"I'm always watching you," Izuku replied softly. "How could I not?" 

Shouto wasn't sure what to say. Izuku suddenly looked away, a redness spreading across his cheeks. 

"N-not that I'm like spying on you or anything creepy! I just mean that I live with you, so I notice things when you're around. Not that I'm staring-"

"Deku." 

It was Katsuki calling his name and putting a stop to Izuku's word vomit. Shouto's cheeks were red, too, now. 

"Thank you," Shouto finally said. "This is very thoughtful. Really." 

His chest buzzed with warmth at the small gesture. Just like every year, he was gifted something incredibly thoughtful. This made him realize even more that the gifts he'd chosen didn't match the caliber of care put into their selections. What he got them was utterly inadequate. 

"I'm glad you like it," Izuku said. "I was worried you wouldn't." 

"Of course, I like it." He gives Izuku a warm, genuine smile. "I'd like it, no matter what it was, because you're an incredibly thoughtful and kind person." 

Izuku blushed even more, and Shouto drank in the sight, placing the present to the side. 

"Well, I wanna open yours next," Izuku said, and Shouto's stomach knotted. 

It wasn't anything special, what he got. If anything, what he'd picked out was selfish. 

Izuku reached for the gift and eagerly began to unwrap it. Chewing the inside of his cheek, all Shouto could do was watch. The green-haired hero pulled the garment out and unfolded it, eyeing it carefully. Shouto held his breath. It was a piece from Shouto's unreleased hero merch line: a blue sweater with the gray markings on the front, just like his hero uniform.

"Oh my gosh, I love it!" Izuku said, hugging it to his chest. "And this is unreleased, isn't it? I haven't seen this anywhere. You hardly have any merch at all!" 

Shouto's eyebrows shot up. 

"You like it?" he asked hesitantly. 

"Of course he does," Katsuki answered for him. "Deku's a nerd for that shit. You did good."

Looking back over at Izuku, he was already putting it on, and heat grew on Shouto's cheeks at the sight. After all, that's what he'd been thinking about when he picked it in the first place. He'd grown used to seeing Izuku in Dynamight merchandise, but some small part of him wanted to put that invisible claim on Izuku, too, by having him in his colors. 

He couldn't deny the heat in the pit of his stomach as his eyes traced over Izuku's form in the oversized sweater. 

"It's so comfy, too!" Izuku commented, rubbing the sleeves against his cheeks. 

"It looks good on you," Shouto said. 

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Shit. 

Of course, it looked good on him. 

And Shouto was having a hell of a time dealing with it. Unable to come up with anything else to say, he turned his attention to Katsuki- though he was also having difficulty looking at him as well. 

Katsuki's eyes were on Izuku, his crimson eyes sharp and unreadable as he eyed his boyfriend. Shouto suddenly wondered if he'd overstepped by gifting him something like that, based on how the blonde stared Izuku down. 

"Do you want to open yours?" Shouto asked him, trying to divert the attention. He was hesitant to give Katsuki his gift, but anything to shift the room's attention off the sweater would be a welcome thing. 

"Alright," he said, tearing his eyes away from Izuku. "Give it here." 

Shouto handed him the box. Katsuki unwrapped it without any ceremony. He pulled out a set of cooking knives from the wrapping paper. Katsuki looked them over with an unreadable expression. 

"I know you were complaining about how Izuku ran your other ones through the dishwasher. You said they were dull now, so I thought you could use some new ones," Shouto told him, hoping the present made sense. 

"I apologized for that," Izuku pouted. "Why have a dishwasher if you can't put your dishes in it? Makes no sense." 

"Cooking knives are different," Katsuki grumbled. "But thanks Peppermint. These are really nice." 

Shouto nodded and averted his eyes to his lap. Katsuki had said thank you. He liked it. Again, Shouto's cheeks were warming up. 

"I'm glad you like them. I hope they're as good as your old ones."

Katsuki turned the pack of knives over in his hands, looking them over with that unchanging and indecipherable expression. It was times like these that Shouto wished he could read people. He wished he had the same social aptitude that everyone else seemed to have but him. 

But Katsuki had said he liked them. He was hoping this was true. 

Staring down at his lap now, he wasn't sure what else to do or say. 

"Peppermint." 

His head snapped back up. Katsuki was looking at him now with sharp eyes and a sharp smile- sending a sharp pang to Shouto's chest that he didn't quite understand the cause of.

"C'mere," he ordered, his voice low. 

And Shouto understood--remembered. It was the voice he'd used the other night in the bedroom to order him around. It was the voice that made Shouto's skin crawl in a pleasurable way and instantly made him want to drop to his knees in front of the blonde. 

How one word had such power over him, he didn't know. Nothing about it made sense. In all reality, Shouto wasn't sure what Katsuki wanted, but his body was responding to the call before his brain could even rationalize it. 

There was a shift in the room's energy, and everyone responded accordingly.

On hands and knees, he crawled forward until he stopped at Katsuki's feet. His eyes flickered up to Katsuki's nervously, worried he'd gotten the memo wrong, as he often did. 

Katsuki patted his lap. His lips parted, and Shouto caught sight of the blonde running his tongue along the back of his teeth swiftly as if the appendage were trying to sneak out of his lips for a taste of something--perhaps (and hopefully) Shouto. 

"Up," Katsuki ordered. 

Shouto obeyed without a second thought, allowing his brain to shut off for the time being. He kept his eyes fixed on Katsuki's as he climbed into his lap, depositing his legs on either side of the other man's. Unsure of what to do with his hands, he held them close to his own torso until Katsuki gripped them and threw them around his shoulders, forcing Shouto to slide closer. 

"Still shy as shit, huh?" Katsuki asked.

"I'm not shy," Shouto defended, the tips of his ears burning.  

"Oh yeah?" Katsuki grinned. His hands reached for Shouto's waist, gripping it tight. Even through his shirt, he could feel the warmth of Katsuki's palms. "Then tell me something." 

He leans close. 

"Why haven't you asked to be fucked again? I know you're fucking gagging for it. I can see it all over your face. Especially right now, Peppermint." 

A sudden brush at Shouto's side causes him to look over to his right. Izuku had somehow slinked over when he wasn't watching and was now paying rapt attention to the scene between Shouto and Katsuki. 

He had no idea how he ended up here, once again, between them like this. 

"I asked you a question," Katsuki pressed, giving his sides a light squeeze. Shouto had to bite his tongue to keep from making an embarrassing sound. 

"I- I don't-" he stuttered, trying to form words between his already quickened and shallowed breaths. 

"Didn't you like it?" Katsuki goaded. "Izuku said you did. Said you told him so. Don't you want me to fuck you again?" 

Oh, fuck. 

He nodded. Shouto nodded, leaning into Katsuki, knowing his words would fail if he tried to speak. 

"Then why haven't you asked? You could ask me to fuck you whenever you want, and I'd say yes," Katsuki told him. 

Shouto hadn't even been touched, yet his dick was already standing at attention in his pants, straining against the fabric. Never mind the fact that he was saddling Katsuki like a bitch, but Izuku was right there, still in that damned hoodie. He'd been turned on the last time when he saw Izuku in those Dynamight shorts, but this was somehow worse, even though there was way less skin showing this time around. 

"Answer me, Peppermint." 

Shouto stuttered again, trying to figure out what to say. 

Of course, he wanted Katsuki to fuck him again. Of course, he imagined it frequently--imagined being bent over the kitchen table, shoved down into the couch, or pictured himself getting his mouth stuffed full of cock. He'd never done it before, but he was sure he'd be a fast learner if given the chance. 

"I want it," he rapsed, unable to say much else. "I have wanted it." 

"Show me how bad you want it." 

Shouto didn't need to be told twice. 

Like a rubber band that had been pulled taught, he snapped back, his body pressing up against Katuski's eagerly, his hips rolling without permission as his lips sought out the other's. They clashed in a heated press of tongue and teeth, Shouto hungrily licking into the blonde's mouth as if it were his last meal. Katsuki growled into his mouth, taking his hips into his hands, forcing Shouto to grind harder against him. He moaned, feeling Katsuki's erection against his own, knowing that he was just as turned on. 

There was suddenly a hand on his chin, jerking his face away from Katsuki. It was Izuku, who was giving him a pout. 

Shouto's stomach dropped at the sight. He must've done something wrong. Maybe he was too eager- or maybe he should have asked for permission from both of them-

"You're hogging him, Kacchan," Izuku frowned. "Kiss me, too, Sho." 

Shouto's eyes softened, his chest warming in relief, and he leaned over to press his lips against Izuku's too.  

Izuku's lips were plump and soft and hesitant, but oh-so warm and inviting, melting Shouto from the inside out. He reached out a hand to cup his face, brushing a thumb over one of his precious, freckled cheekbones. 

Shouto kissed and kissed Izuku until Katsuki buried his face in his neck, lathing kisses across his exposed skin. He was only able to focus on Izuku until the kisses turned to bites. The minute he felt the nip of his teeth, he was helpless to the moan he let out against Izuku's mouth. Both of them seemed to eat it up, the honest sound spurring their movements. 

Suddenly, there was movement, and Shouto was being... lifted. 

But Shouto knew he was heavy. Being a pro hero, it had been part of his regimen to pack on muscle to his already tall build. But Katsuki was lifting him, carrying him toward the hall. Shouto clung to his shoulders, wrapping his legs around his waist, immensely turned-on by his display of strength and dominance. Izuku followed eagerly behind, nearly tripping over his feet to keep up. 

"Gonna take you to bed," Katsuki told him before nipping at his ear. "We're gonna fuck the shit out of you- fuck- you're too fucking perfect." 

Shouto whimpered. He should have been embarrassed about the sounds he was making, but he couldn't find it in himself to care--not with the things Katsuki was saying to him. 

"Gonna take you apart, Peppermint." 

A short while later, Shouto found himself pressed face down on Izuku's mattress with sweat-slicked skin, and a very aggressive blonde plastered across his back. Shouto moaned like a whore as Katsuki pounded into him to the point he could feel tears forming in his eyes, all the while Izuku whispered soft and sweet praises into his ear like an angel on his shoulder. There was a hand at the back of his neck, clasped tight as it forced him down while the other one held his hips up high to get just the right angle for Katsuki to repeatedly hit Shouto's prostate over and over again. The pleasure bordered on too much, but it was so good, and Shouto couldn't get enough of it. 

The real thing was so much better than any of the fantasies he'd ever had about Katsuki and Izuku. 

"You're doing so good, Sho," Izuku told him, pressing a kiss above his ear. "You're taking him so well. You're perfect. So pretty like this." 

Shouto couldn't answer him—he couldn't say anything to them at the moment, not between the moans sounding from his mouth and the one, singular thought playing on loop in his head. 

I love you. I love you. I love you—so, so much. 

If he attempted to speak, he knew what would come out, which would mean the end of this new arrangement. So he wouldn't answer him- wouldn't reciprocate the sweetly-spoken words that Izuku peppered his soul with. 

Katsuki yanked his hips up again, somehow deepening his thrusts. Shouto was getting close now, but between Katsuki's movements and his own moans, he had no way of letting them know he was about to come. 

Katsuki must have known, though, because he began to thrust harder and with more purpose, and all at once and seemingly out of nowhere, Shouto seized up, his hole clenching around Katsuki's cock as he came undone beneath him. He shivered as he was fucked through his orgasm, all while Izuku continued to feed praises and kind words directly into his ear. Katsuki kept going, and when his movements started to lose rhythm, Shouto knew he was nearly there, too. 

With one final thrust, Katsuki shoved himself deep inside, and Shouto's knees gave out as he was pressed against the bed, stuck between Katsuki as he came inside him and the sweaty, cum-covered sheets. 

When all was said and done, and everything was quiet aside from their shared labored breaths, Katsuki pulled out slowly, and Shouto almost whimpered at the odd emptiness that seemed to replace him. 

He clutched his hands into the soiled sheets, trying to get a handle on himself. Every part of him was sensitive and overstimulated, and he shivered as he felt Izuku's soft fingers trace lines up and down his spine. 

Katsuki flopped down beside him, and the mattress bounced, but Shouto was too tired and spent to care about the jostled movement. There was a hand on his head--Katsuki's--softly running his blunt fingernails across his scalp, working out the small knots that had formed in his dual-colored hair. 

It was a nice place to be--this weird in-between state after having sex with them. If he cut out every other factor of the arrangement, he could almost say he felt... loved. 

What a stupid, dangerous thought. What an empty wish.

Chapter Text

"Kacchan and I are meeting at the station, so I'm heading out now!" Izuku called to Shouto, who sat on the couch. 

It was Christmas Eve, and Izuku and Katsuki were headed off to see their families. They would be staying overnight and likely wouldn't be back until late evening on Christmas Day. 

"Safe travels," Shouto called back, looking over the back of the sofa at Izuku, who was standing near the door, getting his shoes and coat. He watched him put them on, but right before Izuku opened the door, he turned back around. 

"You know, you never told me if you had plans yourself," he said. "You know you'd be welcome to come with us. Kacchan wouldn't mind waiting an extra minute if you wanted to pack some stuff really quick." 

The offer was tempting, but he knew it wasn't a real option. Not only did he work Christmas Day, but there was no way he'd let himself crash their plans like that. Plus, their families wouldn't be aware of the sudden addition, which could ruin their plans entirely, depending on what they were. 

"I have work tomorrow," Shouto told him. "But thank you." 

"Oh, that's right. I forgot," Izuku sighed. "It sucks to work on Christmas, but I suppose they can't give every hero the day off!" 

"Very true," he replied. "Have fun. You should get going, or Katsuki might have a fit." 

"Right," he smiled. "See you tomorrow, Sho. Be safe tomorrow! Oh--and Katsuki left you some soba in the fridge for later!" 

Having to do something to distract himself that evening, Shouto picked one of the many unread books from the small shelf in his room. It was a fantasy novel that Shinsou had recommended, but he had never read it. Most of the time, his brain was moving at too quick a pace for him to really focus on reading, but that evening, he'd take anything to help distract him from the aching silence that filled the home. 

Not long after he began, his phone rang, jolting him from the pages. Reading the caller ID, he saw that it was Tokoyami calling, so he picked it up and answered it. 

"Hello," he greeted, putting the device up to his ear. 

"Greetings, friend," Tokoyami replied. "If I remember correctly, you're unbusy this evening." 

"That's true." 

"They've put up lights in the City Park," Tokoyami told him. "I lack any plans as well, and I was wondering if you'd want to take a walk through The Park with me." 

Well, Shouto had been eager to find something to do tonight, and he couldn't think of anything better than spending it with a friend. 

"Sure," he said, feeling lighter already. "What time?" 

"Meet me at the entrance in an hour?" 

"That works. See you then." 

He hung up and got off the couch to get himself ready. 

With fresh snowfall underfoot and quiet snowflakes filling the air, the City Park was beautiful, lit with thousands of little lights. They lined the walkways and dotted the trees, creating a perfect landscape of soft, gold light flecked here and there with bits of color. In the center of it all was a massive tree lit up from top to bottom. Along the walkways, there were even stalls for things like apple cider and hot chocolate, the latter of which Shouto and Tokoyami enjoyed while they made their way up the path as they admired the scene. 

"This was a good idea," Shouto stated, sipping his warm and sweet beverage. 

"I agree," he replied. "It's good to be able to do something festive." 

Tokoyami would also be working tomorrow, even though his shift was a bit later in the day than Shouto's. As far as he knew, Tokoyami wouldn't be visiting family or anything, either. Shinsou was out of town with family, just like Izuku and Katsuki were, so it was nice that he could spend time with Tokoyami. 

"I tend to feel a bit melancholy around The Holidays," Tokoyami continued. "My family lives pretty far away, and most friends don't stick around for Christmas. I'm not usually one to complain about solitude, but something about it just makes me all the more aware of the absence of others in my life. So, I thank you for coming out with me tonight. I appreciate your friendship, Todoroki." 

"I appreciate you too," Shouto smiled. "I was feeling a bit down myself, but this is just what I needed." 

And it was the truth. Being home alone when he knew Izuku and Katsuki were away and spending time with their loved ones wasn't anything new by any means, but this year, it just seemed to hit him harder than usual. Perhaps it was his ever-growing feelings for the pair or something else, but being alone in that house had felt overwhelming and wrong. He didn't like how it felt to be apart from them. 

Not that he could do anything about that. Things were as they should have been. Shouto wasn't going to mess anything up just for the sake of feeling less alone; if there were a possibility he could ruin the friendships he had with them, he wouldn't do a thing. 

"I also had a question for you," Tokoyami said. "Forgive me if I'm overstepping, and you don't have to answer if you don't want, but I was only curious about something."

Shouto eyed Tokoyami, who walked with one hand in his coat pocket and his eyes on the path before his feet. 

"Your... arrangement, with Midoriya and Bakugou--if they don't feel the same way as you, you are aware that it will probably end at some point, right?" 

Shouto frowned down at the paper cup in his hands. A sudden chill spread up his spine--an odd sensation, given his quirk and the fact that he was wearing a coat. 

"Of course I know that," he replied softly- bitterly- "I know this isn't the smartest choice I've made before, but I'm not that stupid." 

"I agree with Shinsou's advice that you should tread carefully. Letting your feelings go unheard is already dangerous for your soul, but I fear this might have far worse consequences--so do be careful. And I'm here to talk if you need an ear." 

"I appreciate your concern, but I promise I'll be fine," Shouto assured him--even though he knew this most likely wouldn't be the case. 

Like many family-oriented holidays, Christmas had one of the lowest crime rates, making for a boring shift. 

At least, that's how Shouto thought patrol would go. 

He supposes that the knowledge that fewer heroes are out and about on Christmas Day provides a specific opportunity for those trying to avoid getting caught by the pro heroes. 

Shouto had been patrolling the streets for a few hours when the earpiece he wore came to life- the sound of one of the dispatchers coming over the frequency. 

"Frostburn, do you copy?"

He perked up at the call, pressing his finger to the earpiece before speaking. 

"Copy." 

"There's a bank robbery in process down 45th," the dispatcher reported. "They're requesting backup. So far, they've identified four known criminals, one with some type of ice quirk, so the heroes on the scene are requesting you for backup."

He took off down the street toward the bank as soon as he had the location. 

"Are there any hostages? Anything else I should know?"

"No hostages- the bank was closed, and the security guard made it out, so no worries there! Just get there as fast as you can! The other heroes at the scene have already engaged with the villains, so be prepared to fight as soon as you get there." 

"Copy. I'm en route; estimated arrival is five to eight minutes," he replied. 

True to his word, Shouto showed up outside the bank in six minutes, immediately taking in everything he could about the scene. There appeared to be a few lesser-known heroes on the scene who had two of the villains under control, but the one with the ice quirk seemed to be causing them many problems. He hadn't even laid eyes on the fourth one yet, but he sprung into action as soon as he saw an opening. 

From what Shouto could tell, the ice quirk wasn't just ice; he was taking and controlling the slushy snow on the ground, hardening it even further to use as projectiles. His quirk seemed to allow him to not only control water but also change its form. 

He engaged in combat with the villain, and all was going well until another very unexpected hero showed up at the scene as well. Shouto nearly got struck by the villain because of his own shock. 

It was Endeavor- someone he'd gone out of his way to avoid entirely since High School- yet here he was, running in to face off against the same villain as Shouto, who very much had it handled. 

"What are you even doing in this district?" Shouto called out as he dodged another blast of ice projectiles. 

"I was called, so I came," Endeavor shouted back. "That is what heroes do." 

Shouto scoffed, then fell back as another rain of ice came down upon him- blocking the onslaught with a wave of fire, causing the projectiles to melt. He couldn't use his ice to face off against this villain, lest he use it against Shouto or the other heroes on the scene. 

"Your patrol district is all the way across the city!" Shouto yelled in frustration. Endeavor cut out in front of him, barreling straight for the ice villain. 

"And like I said, I was called here," he defended with a scowl as he grabbed the enemy, forcing him to the ground. Shouto was quick to come to his side, offering up the pair of quirk-canceling cuffs he had hanging from his utility belt, which Endeavor took and put around the villain's hands. 

Having a quick look around, it appeared that everything was under control. Shouto hadn't expected to see his father today, and being unable to prepare caught him off guard and frustrated him. 

"Since when have you responded to calls like these? You most likely knew I would be here. You knew I would have it handled." 

Endeavor straightened back up and shot his son a stern look. "Is it such a crime to want to see my son? You haven't spoken to me in ages. Did you change your number, too? I've tried to call."

"I'm not giving you my phone number," Shouto grumbled, trying to walk away from his dad. 

He couldn't take being around him- just seeing him or knowing he was near made his blood boil and caused him to recall all the awful things that happened throughout his childhood. No matter the man's efforts to reconnect and apologize, Shouto would never take it. Not when his siblings didn't know who he was- not when Touya was turned into a villain because of Endeavor- and certainly not when his mother was still in the hospital because of him. These were all things Shouto preferred not to think about, but looking his father in the eye made it nearly impossible to forget about those awful memories. 

"Your sister invited me for dinner tonight," Endeavor told him. "I was curious whether or not you were attending."

Shouto frowned. 

"I wasn't invited." The thought that his family was getting together without him irked him, but he wouldn't express it. Not now. "Fuyumi most likely knew I wouldn't want to see you."

She'd long since stopped trying to make them play happy family. 

"Don't you feel any obligation at all? We're your family. Yet you've chosen to estrange yourself from us like we did something wrong. Do you really want your siblings to hate you? That's all you're going to get from this." 

Shouto bristled at this statement. 

"Don't use them against me like that," he spat. "They don't hate me. How could they, when they don't even know me?" 

He took a step toward his father. 

"It's your fault we can't eat together on Christmas like a normal family. Take responsibility for your actions for once!" 

He was losing it now--he knew that--but seeing him today and hearing the things he said sent Shouto spiraling, and everything he'd been holding in was starting to come out. 

"I do not want to speak to you. I make it a point to work on the opposite side of the city as you. Leave me the hell alone, and stop trying to upset me." 

"Upset you?" Endeavor scoffed. "It's not my fault you react like a child. It's not my fault you're not man enough to put the past aside and be there for your family." 

When he said that, Shouto laughed. He was in utter disbelief at his father's blindness. 

"You're one to talk! Whatever it is that you think I'm doing can't possibly be worse than the things you've done to the people you're supposed to love, Endeavor." 

"You realize you're causing a scene right now, Shouto," his father said, crossing his arms. "Not a very good look for an up-and-coming hero."

Shouto rolled his eyes and turned away from his father, ignoring whatever else he had to say--as well as the odd looks from the others on the scene. Because he was right- he'd gotten worked up at his words and allowed himself to overreact in public when he knew bystanders and other heroes would be watching. It was embarrassing, really. 

He hadn't intended to see any of his family today. Shouto had already been feeling the effects of being such a lone person before talking to his father, but with everything else dragged to the surface, it was nearly too much to handle. 

He hadn't intended for any of this to happen. 

Due to his overreaction after the fight, Shouto was sent home early to 'cool off.' They assured him there was enough coverage for them to do so, though he got the memo that he would be sent home regardless because of how he'd acted. 

Pouting on the sofa alone in his home, he couldn't get his stupid brain to turn off, and there was absolutely nothing to distract himself with. He didn't really watch TV by himself, and he couldn't read a book, knowing he didn't have the energy to absorb it properly. He'd already eaten the soba Katsuki left for him and done all the chores around the house he could think of--and he didn't even like to clean. 

Izuku and Katsuki wouldn't be home until much later. Shinsou was still out of town, and Tokoyami had likely started his patrol shift already. 

There was nothing he could possibly do to distract himself from all the self-destructive thoughts and feelings he currently harbored. 

What he couldn't get out of his head were some of the things his father had said about his siblings. 

Had his sister really invited everyone to dinner except Shouto? Why was Endeavor invited but not him? Would Natsuo be there, too? Was he somehow the root of all the problems? 

Frustrated, Shouto got up off the couch and headed for the kitchen. Nothing was turning his brain off, so he turned the handle on the kitchen sink for the hot water and let it run. Sliding down to the floor, he tried his best not to stew on what happened and instead tried to get himself to think about literally anything else, no matter how difficult that was. 

Looking around the kitchen, something on the top of the fridge caught his eye. 

It was a bottle of whiskey that Sero had gifted Izuku and him as a housewarming present. Neither of them drank very often, so it was still sitting there untouched from the week they moved in. 

He'd had far stupider ideas recently--exhibit one being his decision to enter a sexual relationship with the two people he was in love with--so he figured this idiotic idea wouldn't hurt much in the grand scheme of things. 

Lifting himself off the floor, he reached for the bottle on top of the fridge and brought it down. Turning it over, he thought about it again. 

Izuku and Katsuki would be home that evening, but there was still plenty of time for him to drink to distract himself and sober up before they arrived. 

He uncorked the bottle and raised it to his nose, taking a small sniff of its contents with a grimace. Shouto never understood people who drank often, but he did commonly hear that people used it as a way to outrun their emotions. 

Perhaps this was the distraction he was looking for. Before he could have any second thoughts, he put it to his mouth and took a large swig. 

It burned unpleasantly on its way down, burning all the way up into his nose. It did not taste good, but he took another long drink. 

After a few more swigs, he started to feel the familiar warmth of the alcohol in his chest. 

A few hours later, he was regretting his decision. He could hardly keep himself upright, and whoever had told him (probably Ashido at some point) that alcohol helped when you were upset was definitely a liar. 

His chest burned, and it wasn't just the alcohol. He was having a hard time keeping the heat of his quirk under control, and the only thing that seemed to help was sprawling out on the cold tiles of the kitchen floor like a starfish. Shouto had no idea what time it was, only that it was getting dark outside. 

He had no idea why he'd started drinking in the first place--his mind was scattered everywhere--but the familiar, achy sensation of his negative feelings had seemingly amplified, and there was no outrunning them. His pulse pounded in his ears. He was highly uncomfortable, thinking repeatedly that a single hug from either Katsuki or Izuku would fix all of his problems. 

In search of some form of comfort, Shouto stumbled down the hallway, somehow ending up in Izuku's room. He could smell them here- both of them- and it made his eyes start to burn. As he flopped down on Izuku's unmade bed and nestled himself into the blankets, he couldn't stop the tears that came. 

He didn't even know why he was crying. It was more of an overarching feeling of loneliness that he couldn't seem to shake no matter what he did and the realization that he'd likely be alone forever. 

Nobody loved him. Not in the ways he craved. This was an undeniable truth; the two people he loved would never love him back, and he would never be able to open himself to being loved by anyone else. He wouldn't have anyone else. Not ever. 

He hadn't remembered falling asleep, but he woke to the mattress dipping. Through squinted, puffy eyes, he couldn't quite make out who it was in the darkness of the room. A hand ran through his hair, and he nuzzled into the sensation, enjoying how their fingertips felt on his scalp. 

"What time is it?" Shouto asked. 

"It's five." It was Izuku. "Are you drunk?" 

Shouto remembered his activities from that afternoon and realized that, yes, he was still incredibly drunk. He sat up and felt the room begin to spin. 

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

"You left the sink on," Izuku informed him. "...And you're in your underwear." 

Shouto looked down at himself. 

"Huh."

He hadn't remembered taking his clothes off. He wondered where they were. 

"Are you okay? You're supposed to be at work still." 

Frowning, Shouto flopped back down onto Izuku's pillows, suddenly remembering that, yes, he was upset. He was very upset. Today had been an incredibly shitty day, and the alcohol was doing him no favors in disguising that fact. 

"No. I'm not okay," he answered candidly before he could stop himself. 

There was another set of footsteps in the hallway, and a second later, Katsuki was at his side, too. 

"What happened?" Izuku asked. 

There wasn't a good answer to that question. Shouto was lonely. He was sad and lonely, and nothing he could obtain could fix this. 

"I saw my dad today." 

"Shit," Katsuki breathes. "What did he do? Did he say something to you?" 

"It's nothing important. I'm alright. I'm fine." 

Frowning, Izuku looked down at him with an odd look in his eye that Shouto wasn't sure how to read. 

"You just said you weren't," he pointed out. 

"I lied." Shouto squeezed his eyes shut. His head was starting to hurt, and it was hard to focus. He didn't like all these questions. He just wanted a hug- or for Izuku to put his hand back in his hair. 

"Which time?" 

Shouto groaned and turned over in the bed to hide from him, but Katsuki was on the other side, waiting with one of his usual scowls. 

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Izuku asked. Shouto squeezed his eyes back shut. 

A hand brushed over his cheekbone; though the touch was small, he nearly melted beneath it. He didn't know who was touching him as his eyes were still closed, but it felt nice. 

"Touch me," he replied, leaning up to brush his lips against their knuckles. The hand was warm, probably making it Katsuki's. 

"You're drunk, Peppermint," Katsuki stated. 

Shouto frowned. 

"I didn't--I meant like--oh, never mind." He folded inward and scolded himself for that. 

He ignored the burning behind his eyelids. For a second, he had allowed himself to forget that he wasn't allowed to ask for things like that. How could he forget that they weren't his?

What was he doing? 

"You meant like cuddles?" Izuku asked. 

Shouto sat up and started to slide toward the end of the bed, trying hard not to let the tightness in his chest turn into something more. He held his breath, hoping that would help calm his stupid heart. 

A hand gripped his arm. "Wait! We can do that," Izuku said. "You don't have to go." 

"I don't want it anymore," he grumbled bitterly, yanking his arm out of Izuku's grasp. "I don't want it. Don't need it." 

He just needed to get away from them. Being around them was suffocating, and he was afraid to say something even more stupid than he already had. 

His feet hit the cold floor, and it took him a second to find his balance. Ignoring their protests, Shouto left the room and headed for his own. He didn't even know how he ended up in Izuku's to begin with. It was a stupid mistake. It seemed that's all he'd been good for as of late. 

When he finally reached his room after stumbling down the hall, he shut and locked the door. There were knocks and soft voices on the other side, but he plugged his ears. He couldn't handle that right now. 

Once he'd flopped down on his bed, he grabbed his pillow and shoved it over his head to block out all the noise. 

Maybe he cried too- but that wasn't anyone's business. It didn't matter anyway. His tears meant nothing. 

Stuck in some twisted version of a movie theater, Shouto's mind replayed the day's events on a loop, even as he tried to fall asleep again. 

Merry Fucking Christmas, he thought to himself bitterly. This was undoubtedly one for the books. 

Chapter Text

When Shouto woke up the day after Christmas, his head felt as if it had been split in two. With puffy eyes and sweat-covered skin, he stretched out on his bed with a groan, cursing the too-bright light that streamed in through the crack in the curtains covering the window. 

He recalled drinking the day before, though the details were a bit fuzzy, to say the least. He remembered lying on the floor in the kitchen, and there were flashes of Izuku and Katsuki in his mind, but the details of what transpired the day before eluded him. Cringing at knowing they'd seen him like that, he hauled himself out of bed with the desire to shower. 

He went to open his bedroom door and found that he'd locked it last night. This was odd because Shouto had never locked his door in this house before. He trusted Izuku and subsequently Katsuki, and never found the need to do such a tedious thing. He pushed that thought aside for now and headed down the hall in his underwear toward the bathroom. 

Izuku had patrol today, so Shouto would be home alone. Of course, he missed them after not really being able to see them yesterday, but he appreciated the time to clean himself up and gather his thoughts again before facing them. 

After all, he had no idea what he'd said or done after they came home yesterday. 

He closed himself in the bathroom, flipped on the light, and then started the shower. While he waited for the water to heat up, he looked himself over in the mirror. 

To put it simply, he looked like absolute shit. His eyes were red, puffy, and tired, and his already light-colored skin was paler than he'd ever seen it. He supposed drinking would do that to someone. He never had much experience with being hung over, but this one experience was enough to tell him that he didn't enjoy drinking. 

He took a long shower, letting the water hit his skin until it started to run cold before stepping out. He dried himself off and wrapped a towel on his waist before leaving the bathroom. 

As soon as he stepped out into the hall, he jumped back when he saw Katsuki standing on the other side of the door. 

"Jesus," Shouto breathed. "You scared me. I had no idea you were here. I thought I was home alone." 

Katsuki looked him up and down with one of his famously indecipherable expressions. 

"I wanted to make sure you were alright after last night," Katsuki told him. "How are you feeling?" 

"Like I got hit by a car," Shouto complained. "My head is killing me."

"I fucking bet. Come drink some water, and I'll make you something to eat." 

"Let me get some clothes on first," Shouto said, blushing when he suddenly remembered he was in nothing but a bath towel. 

Once adequately dressed, Shouto made his way out to the kitchen. Katsuki immediately put a glass of water and some Tylenol in his hand, and Shouto took it with a small smile before gulping it all down. He hadn't realized how dry his mouth was. 

Without talking, Katsuki pulled a few ingredients from the fridge and set them on the counter before putting a pan on the stove. Shouto got himself another glass of water before leaning against the opposite counter to watch Katsuki cook. 

He always liked watching Katsuki move around the kitchen. He was so confident in everything he did that Shouto couldn't not watch him whenever he got the chance. 

"So," Katsuki started as he cracked an egg open on the side of the pan. "Do you remember anything from last night?" 

Shouto frowned at the glass in his hand as he wracked his brain, trying to make sense of the few jumbled images and things he could remember. 

"Not really," he finally replied, unsure what to make of his memories. "Did I do something strange? You're very quiet this morning." 

And he was still here, which was odd in itself; whenever Katsuki stayed the night, he always left in the morning if Izuku had work. He had no reason to stick around beyond that. This was already uncharted territory, and Shouto couldn't help but feel something was amiss. 

"You were moody as shit," Katsuki informed him, and Shouto froze. "Something to do with your dad, but you didn't say much else." 

Ah. 

Shouto remembered that, of course. His father had been a prick, and Shouto was sent home early. He laughed inwardly at himself, wondering why he'd thought drinking was a good idea. 

"He said some insensitive things. Nothing worse than his usual," Shouto explained. "Apparently, my sister had the family over for dinner last night, except me--and my mom, obviously." 

Thinking about it now made him feel a touch of bitterness. He would have thought, if anything, that Endeavor would have been the one excluded--but it was Shouto, instead. And he understood, of course, knowing she likely wanted to limit the drama, and not including Shouto was the easiest way to do that. 

It's not like he knew his sibling much, anyway. He had no right to feel as bitter about it as he did. 

"That's shitty," Katsuki said. "Fuck him. Seriously." 

"Yeah," Shouto sighed. 

"You know you would've been welcome to come with Deku and me, right? The nerd said he invited you." 

"I was supposed to be working all day. They sent me home early, though, because of my old man. I hadn't planned on being home alone." 

Katsuki didn't reply. His expression was tense as he cooked. Shouto was starting to worry that there was more to last night than what Katsuki was letting on. If only he remembered it, then he'd know what to say.

"What all did I do last night? I don't even remember you and Izuku coming back." 

"It's nothing to worry about," he was told. "Like I said, you were moody, but nothing else happened. You did fall asleep in Deku's bed, though. That's where we found you when we got home." 

Shouto did not remember this--not that he'd expected to. He felt the embarrassment creep up his neck at his actions. He usually had a pretty good hold on himself, so knowing that he might have said or done anything outside his usual control made him feel a bit uneasy. 

"I'm sorry if I was any trouble," Shouto apologized. "I guess I'm not that used to alcohol, and I didn't know how much was too much." 

"You shouldn't drink by yourself anyway, you idiot. That's like rule number fuckin' one." 

"I didn't know." 

"Tch- obviously." Katsuki removed the pan from the heat before reaching into the cabinet to pull out two plates. "Come serve yourself. I'm not your maid." 

Shouto chuckled and followed the order, entering Katsuki's space to plate some food. Their elbows brushed as he plated it, and Shouto cursed himself when he felt goosebumps trail across his skin from that one tiny brush. 

It was ridiculous, really, how much of an effect they had on him. How much control they had over his emotions. Not that he minded- loving them was simultaneously the easiest and hardest thing he'd ever done, but he wouldn't give it up for anything. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he didn't love them. 

Even after Shouto had eaten and his headache had subsided to a dull ache in the back of his skull, Katsuki stayed. 

And Shouto wasn't sure why. He didn't mind it, but he was afraid to ask. Ever since he and Izuku started dating, there was rarely a time when Shouto saw one without the other, and that was often just because he lived with Izuku. He wasn't sure what to think about having Katsuki all to himself. 

They watched a movie on the couch with about a foot of space between them. The small space was like a living thing in Shouto's mind, eating away at his attention span. Of course, it's not like he could close that distance- sink into the blonde's side like he belonged there- because he didn't. With the way things were between the three of them now, it was something that he constantly had to remind himself of. In just a few weeks, he'd gone from being satisfied with never having them to being able to touch them, and he wasn't sure how to handle himself anymore. He wasn't sure what kinds of things were allowed and which things would get him kicked out of the arrangement altogether. 

He was sure that cuddling could do that. After all, to Shouto, it wouldn't be some platonic thing, and there was no way that Katsuki would see it as something innocent between friends after the things they'd done. The last thing Shouto wanted to do was make Katsuki feel like he was coming onto him--especially when Izuku wasn't there. That could pose some serious problems for his and Izuku's relationship, and the friendship Shouto had with them. 

"Peppermint." 

Shouto looked over at Katsuki, the sudden calling of his nickname jarring him from his train of thought. Katsuki was giving him a narrowed look. 

"What?"

"What's on your mind? I can tell you're overthinking or some shit." 

Frowning, Shouto tried to form a reply, but wasn't sure what to say. He certainly couldn't tell Katsuki any of the things he was just thinking about. 

"It's nothing."

"Bullshit." 

"I swear!" he tried again. 

"You think I don't know when you do that shit? I've known you for years. I know when you're overthinking. I can smell your bullshit a mile away." 

Shouto rolled his eyes. There was nothing he could say at that moment to appease the blonde. He could keep denying it, but it was apparent Katsuki wasn't going to let up--and there was no way he could share his actual thoughts. 

"Gonna be a brat, now?" Katsuki asked, narrowing his eyes even further. 

"I'm not being a brat," Shouto pouted. 

"You fuckin are. I could make you talk if I wanted." 

Shouto scoffed. He wasn't sure where Katsuki was going with this and had no idea how to react to that. 

Suddenly, Katsuki was leaning into Shouto's space. He watched the blonde's eyes dart down toward his mouth for a fraction of a second. Shouto held his breath, wholly frozen and unsure of what to do. 

Was he flirting right now?

"Is that what you want, Peppermint?" 

"I-" Taken back, he blinked a few times- his mouth hanging open as he reached for something to say. 

"You're real fuckin' talkative when you're on my dick," he said, causing Shouto to blush furiously. He had no idea how Katsuki could just say these things. "I could stuff you full and make you talk. I bet you'd open right up for me, wouldn't you, Sweetheart?" 

Shouto completely ignored the double innuendo there, reeling in shock. 

Izuku wasn't home. Surely, this wasn't allowed. Izuku would be upset that Katsuki was talking to him like this without him being here. Shouto knew that he would be the one to feel the full consequences whenever they decided they couldn't be friends with him anymore. There was definitely a line being crossed here. Shouto just wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Katsuki-" Shouto tried, swallowing the lump in his throat, ignoring the growing heat in his lower abdomen. "We can't- this isn't-" 

"You're worried because Izuku isn't here," Katsuki stated. 

Shouto nodded. 

"We talked about this shit. We can touch you without the other one here if we want. I know we didn't say anything to you, but we didn't think you'd mind. Do you?" 

Shouto shook his head. No, he didn't mind; he wanted to be touched so bad right then. If they really had talked it through and everything was okay, then there was no reason to deny Katsuki, right?

"After all, it's not any different when Izuku and I do shit without you." 

Shouto frowned. 

"But it is different," he argued. "He's your boyfriend. I'm just-"

Just-

Just a toy. 

He knew that's all he was to them, even if he didn't say it aloud. But when Katsuki looked at him like he was then, there was no denying him. 

"Right." Katsuki's gaze darted down, and his expression contorted for a second before returning to normal. 

He didn't know what to think about that. Katsuki looked--dare he say, disappointed- but there wasn't time to consider it or even think about anything like that, not when Katsuki was suddenly leaning forward and pressing his lips against Shouto's. 

Like fireworks, Shouto's brain fizzled and popped at the sudden contact- his fingers twitching with the need to touch. When Katsuki's tongue darted out to trace the seam of his lips, his resolve melted, and everything he'd been thinking about was placed on hold. A careful hand cupped the side of Shouto's face, ebbing him closer. Shouto couldn't deny him. It didn't matter what his previous thoughts were on the matter; Katsuki had power over Shouto, and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for him. 

Without being asked, Shouto scooted forward and carefully placed himself in the blonde's lap, pulling his face just far enough away to gauge his reaction as he seated himself on his thighs. With slightly parted lips and dilated, hungry eyes, Katsuki watched him take that small initiative with a look that made Shouto shudder. 

"Gonna talk now?" Katsuki suddenly asked, gripping his waist.

Shouto, feeling slightly cheeky and a little bit brave, replied, "I might need a little more convincing." 

With a grin, Katsuki slid his hands down the small of Shouto's back- the tips of his fingers teasing the skin just below the waistband of his sweats. Nosing forward, Katsuki licked a stripe up the side of his neck up to his ear, where he nipped his teeth along the lobe. Shouto let his head fall back, allowing the other man further access to his bare skin. He pressed kisses all along the expanse of skin while his hands snuck further down the back of Shouto's pants before giving the flesh there a tight squeeze, causing Shouto to groan. 

"There we go," Katsuki purred. "Love it when you make noise for me, Sweetheart." 

The tone that Katsuki spoke in sent shivers and goosebumps across Shouto's skin, making him to press himself closer with a frantic need to be touched everywhere--anywhere--and once that feeling zipped through him, he couldn't turn it off. His hips ground down against Katsuki's lap needily as the blonde continued to kiss and bite along the column of his neck. 

Small gasps and sounds came from his lips- various pleas slipping out here and there as he gripped Katsuki's shoulders and sought friction against his already painfully stiff erection with the jerky gyrations of his hips. For what he was begging, Shouto didn't know. He just wanted to be touched. Just needed to be wanted, even if only for a few minutes while Katsuki let him writhe in his lap like a needy whore. 

That's all he was these days whenever they let Shouto touch them like this--a needy fucking whore who wanted nothing more than to fuck and be fucked. It was all he could get and all they wanted him for, so that's what he would be for them. If it meant they wanted him at all, he would become whatever version of himself they were after. 

"Wanna do something for me?" Katsuki asked, pulling a hand out of Shouto's pants to grab his chin, forcing him to meet his crimson gaze. 

"Whatever you want," Shouto replied breathily. "Please-" he added desperately, still not sure exactly what he was begging for. All he knew was that he needed more. 

"Think you can suck my cock for me? You're so pretty, Sho; I wanna see what you can do with that perfect mouth of yours." 

"Oh god," he moaned, arching against Katsuki at just the idea. Sure, he'd thought about it before, but he'd never been brave enough to ask for that. He still wasn't sure how much initiative he was allowed to have with these kinds of things, so he'd been waiting. 

Always waiting. 

"Yes, fuck, please let me- please," he begged, rutting into his lap even harder. 

"It's sexy when you curse like that, Peppermint," Katsuki chuckled. "Never get to hear you like this. I fucking love it." 

Love. 

What a funny word to hear at a time like this. It immediately sent Shouto's mind spiraling in a way he wasn't prepared for as he thought about the meaning of that sentence. Of course, it was just something uttered in arousal, which told him it didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. 

Katsuki loved him like this. Loved him only like this, need he remind himself; there was nothing more to it than that. And while it felt nice to be wanted in some capacity, it was still a word he didn't like being used like that. Not when he so desperately wanted to be loved for real. 

"Hey," Katuski whispered against his ear. "Where'd you go? You still in there?" 

Suddenly jerked away from his thoughts, he remembered what Katsuki had just asked him to do. He was hit with a wave of anxiety at the notion now that he let himself fully consider what was being asked of him, and he was sure that he wouldn't be able to do it the way Katsuki liked. He'd seen--no, he'd felt what Izuku was capable of- what Katsuki liked, and Shouto knew there was no way he'd ever compare to that feeling. When it came to things like that, Shouto was still practically a virgin. He had no idea where to begin. 

"Am I asking for too much?" Katsuki asked, suddenly sounding concerned. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Don't wanna pressure you, Peppermint. We go at your pace, always." 

"I don't- I can't-" Shouto's voice cracked, and he shut himself up, swallowing hard. There was a lump in his throat the size of Allmight's left buttcheek, and he couldn't get himself to properly speak his mind. 

"It's okay; we don't have to do anything like that. We can just keep kissing if you want. There's no need to get all worried and shit." 

Shouto wasn't sure what to say to that, either. 

Wasn't the kissing just a stepping stone? A means to an end? Why on Earth would Katsuki be satisfied with just... kissing?

"I can do it." 

Shouto swallowed hard before pushing himself away from Katsuki, pulling his hands away from his body. 

"Baby, you don't-" 

"I can do it," Shouto said again, this time more firmly. 

He knew that if he didn't, whatever moment they were having would be over. Katsuki might kiss him a few more times, but ultimately, he'd be done. Shouto was here so that he could receive pleasure, and if he couldn't give that to Katsuki, then he wasn't sure what else he could do to keep Katsuki's attention on him. 

Shouto slid off Katsuki's lap and landed on his knees between the other man's legs. Looking up at Katsuki, he wasn't sure what to think of the look he was receiving. His face was flushed, and his eyes were fixed solely on Shouto, but he couldn't read anything beyond that. 

But Shouto had to press on. He had to do this. Had to. 

Even though his pulse was pounding in his ears, he nosed forward, gripping Katsuki's thighs in his hands. Pressing his nose into Katsuki's groin, he spared another look up at the blonde, whose breathing had started to pick up. 

But something was wrong, or at least it felt that way, because Katsuki wasn't touching him. His hands weren't on him anymore, and it frustrated Shouto. 

Parting his lips, he mouthed the outline of Katsuki's erection through his pants, feeling the fabric dampen from the heat of his breath. 

"Stop," Katsuki suddenly said. "Stop." 

Following the order immediately, Shouto backed off, removing himself from Katsuki and folding his arms tight around his own torso. 

"A-are you sure?" Shouto asked, trying not to let his voice wobble. 

It was over. He'd fucked it all up somehow. 

"I can still do it. I'll try really hard to be good for you," he tried again. 

"I said no," Katuski stated with finality, and Shouto nodded to signify that his wants had been heard. 

His throat was tight. His hands were clutching his sides tightly as if to keep the gushy, bloody pieces of his heart from spilling out between his aching ribs. He was trying his best not to get worked up over being told no--he'd always listen if they told him no--but the rejection still stung. 

Taking in a long breath, still unable to meet Katsuki's gaze, Shouto tried to still himself and shove down the things he was feeling. There was no room for feelings here. That's not what this was. 

"Did I do something wrong?" Shouto asked. 

A hand reached out and gripped his jaw, forcing him to look up. Instead of giving Katsuki what he wanted, Shouto squeezed his eyes shut. There was no way he could look at Katsuki right now. 

"No, baby, you're perfect," he tells him. "You're amazing. Everything you do drives me insane." 

"Then- then why-" 

"I don't want you feeling like you have to do something for me when you clearly don't want it." 

"But I-"

"Shouto." 

He opened his eyes just a crack and finally saw the look of pure concern on his friend's face. 

"Baby," he breathed. "I do want you. But not like that. Not gonna force you to do shit if you're not comfortable. Alright? That's the end of it." 

Shouto finally nodded in reply, sinking down into himself, unensured that it wasn't anything he did wrong. 

Because he did want it. He wanted it so fucking badly; he was just so terrible at asking and taking the things he desired that his anxiety was being misconstrued as disinterest. He wasn't sure how to fix it or prove to him that he really did want it. 

The hand on his chin fell away, and Shouto almost found himself leaning forward to chase after the sensation but stopped himself. 

The moment was over. He'd ruined it. 

"Alright," he said, feeling resigned--giving up. "I'm sorry." 

"Don't be sorry," Katsuki said. 

Frowning, Shouto lifted himself off the floor and back onto the couch, this time putting a good bit of space between him and the other man. 

Neither of them said anything else. Shouto wasn't sure what there was left to say. He could feel Katsuki's gaze on him, but ignored it in favor of keeping his cool. 

He pretended to regain interest in the film still playing on the television, but his mind was far, far away--drifting through endless possibilities as to what he'd done wrong to make Kastuki push him away. 

Chapter Text

Shinsou Hitoshi

Shinsou Hitoshi was worried for Shouto. With little he could do to prevent that trainwreck, all he could do was advise where Shouto saw fit to ask and be there for him when things inevitably didn't turn out how he hoped. 

Now, Hitoshi wasn't one to meddle--but he considered the risks and decided it was time for an intervention. Not that he would stop Shouto from seeing them--the poor man was in love. But something needed to happen. Something. 

Shouto had told him a few things about their... arrangement. And Hitoshi couldn't be more upset on his behalf. They'd met for coffee--along with Tokoyami--three days after Christmas, and Shouto told them some things about what had been happening. 

Both Hitoshi and Tokoyami were beginning to worry on their friend's behalf. 

Not only were they not communicating properly with him about anything, but conversations were happening about Shouto and the arrangement without Shouto. Hitoshi was not polyamorous, nor did he know many people who practiced that kind of thing. Still, he could at least acknowledge that if a situationship like that were to work out, there would have to be a baseline for communication, which just wasn't happening. 

Hitoshi thought about the things he could and couldn't do. 

Number one on the 'not allowed' list would be telling Midoriya and Bakugou how Shouto felt. He would never betray Shouto's trust like that. It had taken him years to finally let Hitoshi in on that heavily guarded secret. 

He also couldn't make assumptions about how Midoriya and Bakugou felt about Shouto, even if he had seen how they occasionally looked at him. It could genuinely just be a platonic thing. 

What he could do was somehow alert them that Shouto was hurting without letting loose any one of Shouto's secrets. He could try really hard to get them to communicate without crossing any lines. He'd already tried to get Shouto to do the same, but he was too anxious and afraid to lose them, stopping him from bringing up any of their mistreatment. 

He still wasn't sure exactly what he would say--only that he needed to say something. 

* * * 

Midoriya Izuku

When Izuku and Katuki received the invitation to meet Shinsou for coffee, they weren't sure what to expect. All they were told was not to inform Shouto. 

Which was odd. 

Shinsou was one of Shouto's best friends, so Izuku found this really strange. It made him anxious, wondering if they'd done something wrong and had somehow upset Shouto. 

"What if he knows?" Izuku asked nervously on the walk to the cafe. 

Katsuki scoffed beside him. He walked with his hands shoved into his pockets with his face just barely sticking out over Izuku's Allmight-colored scarf. 

"He fuckin' knows something," Katsuki told him. "Shouto's probably told him about the things we've been doing. Those two have always been close. Hell, that bird-brain motherfucker probably knows, too."

"Shout we be... mad that Shouto told them?" Izuku asked, trying to make sense of Katsuki's mood. "They're really close, so it would make sense that he told them to me." 

"Peppermint can do whatever the fuck he wants," Katsuki responded. 

They had reached the cafe, and a quick look through the front window revealed that Shinsou had already arrived. 

"Let's just get this over with," Katsuki grumbled. 

"Be nice," Izuku reminded him, tugging his arm and leading them inside. 

"Don't tell me what to do," Katsuki grumbled. 

The little bell above the door rang out when they stepped inside, and Shinsou's eyes immediately met Izuku's. Izuku waved and dragged Katsuki to the table, where they sat down across from Shinsou. 

"Hey," he greeted. "Thanks for coming." 

He was sipping on a mug of black coffee and looking them over with curious eyes. 

"You said you wanted to talk," Katuski stated dryly, skipping the pleasantries altogether. Izuku kicked him under the table and shot him a pointed look. 

"I did," he replied. "It's about Shouto." 

Izuku and Katsuki stiffened up, unsure what to expect from the conversation. 

"You two are confusing him." 

The couple shared a quick look before turning their attention back to Shinsou. 

"How?" Izuku asked. 

"Well- you know how he gets," Shinsou replied. "He's an overthinker. He's really bad at reading body language and things like that." 

"Of course, we know that," Katsuki frowned. "We've known him for years, same as you." 

"Well, you should know that what you're doing is confusing him, then," Shinsou stated. "You can't assume everything, and you can't possibly believe that he's understanding your intentions if you never tell him your intentions. Speaking of--what exactly are you two hoping to gain from this?" 

"Well, we-" Izuku started before cutting himself off. 

Katsuki and Izuku had talked about it, sure. They wanted Shouto. They loved him. But they couldn't tell anyone that--not when their entire friendship could be put at risk if Shouto found out. 

As far as their intentions went--they just wanted to be with him. They wanted Shouto however he would allow them to have him. If that were only while they were having sex or pleasing each other, then Izuku and Katsuki would have to accept it. In fact, they already had. It was obvious that Shouto didn't want anything else from them. 

Every time they slept together, Shouto left afterward. He would never sleep in the same bed as them and would never stick around long after cleanup. There was no cuddling and nothing sweet about it. It was obvious that the only thing Shouto wanted from them was the physical aspect of things. He had seen himself out after the main event every time and left Izuku and Katsuki by themselves. 

"It's just sex," Katsuki eventually stated. 

"Is it?" Shinsou asked, quirking a brow at them--mostly at Izuku. After all, he would probably be easier to crack than his counterpart. Izuku had never been good at lying. 

"What Katsuki said," Izuku reiterated. Lied. "Nothing else. That's it." 

Shinsou took a long drink of his coffee. Katsuki and Izuku looked at each other again, unsure what to make of this. The other man was trying to extract information from them. 

"Well, you need to make clear boundaries to whatever it is you three are doing." 

Izuku blinked. 

Hadn't they? 

They all knew it was just sex--that this was what Shouto wanted. What else was there to negotiate? There wasn't anything else Shouto was obligated to give them, and they knew that. They would never ask for more than what Shouto was willing to give. 

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked. 

"Like rules," he explained. "Shouto told me that you two were making rules without him--like him being able to be with either of you without the other present. That's not something you two can just decide without him. What if he wasn't comfortable with that, and you just decided that for him?" 

"I asked-" Katsuki began to defend, but Shinsou cut him off. 

"You didn't ask until it was already happening, and you and Izuku had already discussed it without his input. That was wrong. You can't just keep making rules behind his back and expecting him to play along, and guess what you two want from him." 

Izuku cringed at hearing it out loud. He hadn't even considered that this was what they'd been doing. A seed of panic planted itself in his gut when he truly thought about what Shouto must be thinking. 

"You two need to have a real conversation with him," Shinsou continued. "A real one. Where you discuss what's okay and what isn't. What you're doing to him isn't right. Hell, he deserves the fucking moon, but he'd never ask you for it. He's too afraid to ask you for anything."

"He's... afraid?" Izuku asked. "Of us?" 

Katsuki remained silent with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face as he listened to Shinsou's words. 

"Of course he is," Shinsou scoffed. "You two are together. He doesn't want to cross any lines, and you haven't put any down for him. He's afraid to overstep. He doens't want to make either of you unconfortable or risk putting your friendship in a weird spot." 

"Then why hasn't he brought this shit up with us?" Katuki finally said. 

"You're the one who said you knew him," Shinsou retorted. "What do you think?"

He was scared of them. Shouto was afraid of them. Had they really done this? Izuku was beginning to spiral, wondering how they could fix it. 

"Look-" Shinsou sighed. "Just go home; have a conversation with him. He'll be happy you did. Though I would prefer you not tell him about today. He didn't ask me to do this, and I don't think he'd like it if he knew. He's trying to take all this on himself, and he doesn't know when to stop and ask for help or how to tell people they're hurting him." 

* * * 

Todoroki Shouto

When Shouto arrived home from work that evening, Katsuki and Izuku were seated on the couch. Nothing was playing on the TV, and it was oddly quiet in the house. He couldn't help but tense up with the atmosphere. He felt like he'd interrupted a conversation or something. 

"I'm home," he called out once the front door was closed behind himself. He toed off his shoes and hung his coat on the rack. When he looked back up, they were both looking at him over the back of the couch, causing him to straighten up. 

"Welcome home," Izuku said with a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. 

Shouto wasn't particularly good at reading people, but he knew Izuku's smiles. This wasn't a genuine one, and he knew it. 

"Is something... wrong?" he asked, thinking of what had happened when it was just him and Katsuki home. 

He was sure they were about to end it. He was sure. With the way they looked at him, it was all he could think about, and it sent painful spikes of anxiety through his chest. 

"Nothing's wrong," Izuku tried to reassure. "But we do want to talk if you have a second." 

He crossed the floor to the living room and sat down carefully on the opposite end of the sofa. Digging his nails into his palms, he tried to calm himself down. He knew the blow was coming, and he couldn't react. He couldn't freak out or make demands or worry them. He would accept it like any mature person would do in this scenario and move on. 

"Alright," he said, keeping his voice as steady as possible. "What did you want to talk about?" 

Izuku shifted uncomfortably, and Katsuki kept the same scowl on his face, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"It's our- well, our arrangement, I guess we could call it," Izuku says. "We wanted to talk about it. We realize we haven't really had any conversations about any of it, and we need to do that. You know--communication and all that." 

Okay. 

So maybe they weren't calling it off. Maybe it would be okay. 

Still, he kept his defenses up. He was master at misunderstandings and wouldn't let himself fall victim to misinterpreting anything. 

"Alright," Shouto replied. 

"Well- like Kacchan said the other day, he and I talked. We think it's okay if we do things with you without the other person being there," he told him, then added, "as long as you're okay with that, of course!"

Shouto finally let himself relax just a little bit. They really weren't calling it off! He was so sure that it would happen after the way things had gone last time. But instead, he was getting clarification. This was way better than he thought this was going to go. 

"That's fine with me," he replied candidly. 

"Is there anything you don't want us doing?" Katsuki asked. "Any shit we've been doing that makes you uncomfortable?" 

"No," Shouto replied. 

If he was uncomfortable, it was just because of his nerves. But if he were finally going to receive some rules as to what he could and couldn't do, then that would help him ease his anxiety. 

"I'm open to anything."

"What about when?" Izuku asked. "Do we need to set aside time for this? Or certain days? We can do that if you want. Anything to make you more comfortable so you know what to expect from us." 

Shouto considered his question, biting the inside of his cheek. 

Perhaps it would be wise to do something like that, but he wasn't sure. What if he wanted something outside of those times? What if they did? 

"Is that something you two want?" Shouto asked. 

"Oh, I mean, I'm fine with not scheduling it. We can do things like that whenever. I'm not opposed to it, I mean," Izuku answered, his cheeks flushing a pretty pink as he averted his eyes. 

"The nerd's saying you can bend him over the table and fuck him whenever you want," Katsuki said. "That's what he's asking for; he's just too shy to say it." 

"Kacchan!" Izuku exclaimed, slapping his shoulder. 

Katsuki grinned. 

"What, am I wrong?" he goaded. 

"I mean, no-" Izuku grumbled, turning an even brighter shade of red. 

Now Shouto was blushing, too.

"So I'm allowed to initiate?" Shouto asked nervously. "I can... touch you guys, too?" 

Izuku and Katsuki stared at him blankly. 

"You didn't think you were allowed to before?" Katsuki frowned. 

 He wasn't sure how to reply to that. It had always made more sense to Shouto not to be the one to initiate anything. After all, it was their relationship, and Shouto was just something on the side for them. It would have made perfect sense to him if he wasn't allowed to.

"I mean, you never asked for anything, but I didn't know that's why," Izuku pouted. 

"I never want to impose," Shouto told them, folding his hands in his lap. He was scared to have any of his own demands with something like this, fearing it would wreck what he could get. 

"You're not imposing," Katsuki grumbled. "I told you to knock that shit off before we even started this. You're never imposing. You hardly ask for anything, Peppermint." 

Well, he was right. Shouto didn't ask for anything. But how could he when he was already receiving more than he ever thought he would? Even if it was a bit frayed and burnt along the edges, it was still something, and it was everything to him. 

"Okay," Izuku said. "Back to the important stuff--the rules. So we're all comfortable with whenever, and any one of us can initiate it. What else? What other things do we need to talk about? What about things like safety?" 

"What, like condoms and shit?" Katsuki asked. "I'm not fucking anyone else. I'm obviously safe. You better be, too, Izuku." 

Izuku rolled his eyes. "You're the only person I've ever been with," he stated, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his T-shirt. "Well, and Shouto, now, too." 

They both looked at Shouto, whose ears began to warm again. 

"I've never been with anyone else before, so," he replied shyly. "I'm comfortable not using them. And we haven't been, anyway." 

He left out the part about him loving the sensation of being filled with Katsuki's cum. He also left out the part about him getting half-hard just thinking about the blonde coming inside him. 

He also left out the current scenario dominating his headspace, which was getting to suck the blonde's cock. He wanted to feel his cum in his throat, too. His mouth watered just thinking about it. This thought was causing him to worry, too, due to how things went the last time he tried. Maybe Katsuky knew he wouldn't be any good at it, and that's why he'd rescinded the offer. 

But he filed that thought away for later, instead focusing on the important conversation at hand. 

"Okay, so that's settled," Izuku stated. "Is there anything else? And hard limits, Sho? Things you don't like?" 

"I'm still new to all this," he replied honestly. "I don't know what things I don't like. I guess I'll make sure to tell you if something comes up." 

Honestly, they could spit on his face, and he'd probably thank them. But again, he wouldn't tell them that. He didn't want them to think he was a pervert or something. 

"Okay. Alright. This is good," Izuku said. "I think this is going to help. Does this make you feel more comfortable?" 

He looked to Shouto. 

"Yes, it does," he replied. 

He was still stunned that they hadn't called it off. That's what he'd been preparing himself for since that last interaction with Katsuki, so this whole thing had come as a surprise. 

Izuku's leg bounced as he sat there, biting down on his bottom lip. He looked nervous, but Shouto couldn't fathom why--especially after hashing all that out. 

"Are we... done?" Izuku asked.

"Unless anyone has anything else, then yeah," Katsuki said. "Peppermint?" 

"I'm good." 

The words had barely left Shouto's mouth before Izuku pounced, throwing himself into Shouto's lap and crushing their mouths together. He wasn't as anxious this time as he let his hands fall onto Izuku's body, slipping under his shirt to feel his heated skin. Their teeth clacked together from the force of Izuku's kisses, but Shouto didn't mind. He couldn't. 

He smiled into the kisses, finally feeling more sure of himself with whatever it was that they had with each other. 

It was more than enough, even if it wasn't what he wanted. He would enjoy it while he could. 

* * * 

A song that I think embodies this story pretty well !!

Chapter Text

With the new knowledge that Shouto could proposition them whenever he wanted to, living in the same space as Izuku became completely unbearable, especially when he kept deciding to wear those tiny Dynamight shorts around the house when he cleaned. 

Shouto almost thought he was doing it on purpose. 

Who gets on their hands and knees and dusts the underside of the lowest tiers on a bookshelf?

It was driving him insane. He still wasn't completely sure how he was supposed to ask. But whenever he spotted the bottom of Izuku's perfect butt hanging out of those barely there shorts, his mind would reboot, and he just wanted to jump him. 

He bet they'd look good pulled down- just under his cheeks, while Shouto spread him apart on his fingers. Seeing Izuku in either his or Katsuki's hero colors was apparently one of Shouto's biggest turn-ons that he hadn't known about. 

After sporting an erection nearly all day, Izuku wanted to watch a movie and invited Shouto to join him. Shouto went to his room to change into more comfortable clothes, and when he came back out, not only was Izuku still wearing those shorts, but he had on the oversized sweater he'd got Izuku for Christmas. 

He was dying. He was truly and utterly dying. 

Not only that, but Izuku was bent over again, his arm stretched out under the couch. 

"What are you doing?" Shouto asked, stopping a few feet away as he adjusted his sweats and boxers over his painfully hard member.

"I'm looking for the TV remote!" he replied. "I just dropped it." 

"Oh." 

Shouto quietly got down on his knees behind Izuku. How was he supposed to help himself when Izuku was wearing those and bending over like that? 

His back arched perfectly as he reached under the sofa, and Shouto had to touch him. His entire body was alive and vibrating with the need to touch him. The hoodie slid up his back from the way he bent over, revealing a strip of perfect, freckled skin. Reaching out, Shouto carefully wrapped his hands around Izuku's waist over the stretch of bare skin. 

Izuku immediately tensed up, and Shouto's hands reeled back quicker than if he'd been burned--if he could have been burned, that is. Izuku looked over his shoulder at Shouto, who was frozen and unsure what to do next. 

His mind was screaming at him that he needed to run, telling him that he'd done something incredibly wrong, but then he saw how Izuku was looking at him. 

Izuku retracted his hand from under the sofa and pillowed his cheeks on his arms before deepening the arch of his back, swinging his hips just barely in a tantalizing and tempting manner. 

"Are you gonna touch me now, Sho?" he asked softly and breathily, spreading his legs just a little more. 

"You want me to?" Shouto replied. 

"I've been trying to get you to do it all day," he complained. 

"Oh." 

Shouto didn't need to be told twice. In a sudden burst of unfamiliar boldness, he scooted forward, pushing Izuku's knees apart to fit himself between his legs. Izuku leaned back impatiently, pressing his backside against Shouto's erection with a small gasp. He fit his hands back around his waist, pushing the sweatshirt further up to reveal more of the other man's skin. 

"You're already hard," Izuku commented. Shouto pulled Izuku's hips back against him even harder, forcing another breathy sound out of Izuku. 

"I've been hard for you all day." 

Izuku let out a moan in response to Shouto's admission. 

Shouto was obsessed with all the sounds Izuku made and wanted to see what other reactions he could get from him. He leaned back on his feet and slid his hands over Izuku's bottom before giving it a tight, experimental squeeze. The outcome was in his favor; Izuku was almost whimpering now, desperately trying to push his hips back against Shouto again. 

He ran his hands down further, running his thumb along the middle seam of Izuku's tiny shorts, stopping right where he knew his hole was hidden before pressing down on the fabric. Izuku pushed back against his hand with equal excitement as he muttered something under his breath that Shouto didn't quite catch. Rubbing circles over that spot, he leaned over Izuku, bringing his lips close to his ear. 

"Tell me what you want," he said before placing a kiss just below Izuku's ear. 

For the first time, Shouto finally felt like he wasn't doing anything wrong as he touched Izuku like this. He only wished that Katsuki could be here, too. It would have been near impossible for him to perform this well with the blonde watching, too, but he always wanted both of them. He wanted Katsuki's help in taking the green-haired hero apart. He wanted to hear all of Katsuki's little tricks and secrets to make Izuku tremble. 

Chanting under his breath- fuck me, fuck me, fuck me- Izuku looked back at Shouto with dilated, needy eyes and rosy, flushed cheeks. 

"Anything you want," Shouto said, pulling back. 

He paused for a moment, debating whether or not he should get up to grab some lube or attempt to use his spit so he didn't have to leave Izuku waiting on the floor, but before he could decide, Izuku was reaching back under the sofa. 

When he pulled his arm back out, a bottle of lube was in his hand. 

"You planned this," Shouto accused, amused at the other man's actions. 

Izuku pushed the lube toward Shouto with a mischievous grin on his face. 

"Maybe," he teased. 

Shouto squeezed a hand over his ass again--harder this time--causing Izuku to shudder. His own breaths were picking up now, and his fingertips were twitching with the need to be inside him. He'd been thinking about putting his fingers in him all day, remembering how tight and warm his hole had felt the last time he was allowed to feel him like that. 

"Hurry up," Izuku grumbled, shaking his butt at him. "Please take them off. Just take them off already!" 

Following Izuku's order, Shouto grabbed the waistband of the shorts and pulled them down his legs. Izuku was eager as he stepped out of them and kicked them away. He immediately resumed his position, spreading his legs wide to grant Shouto unobstructed access. 

Shouto couldn't help the low groan that sounded in the back of his throat at the sight. 

Slipping his thumbs between his cheeks, he pulled on the edges of his hole as if to test the elasticity, and the hole fluttered and tightened at the touch. Izuku groaned impatiently. He ignored that, though, in favor of exploring Izuku's body just a little bit more; after all, he didn't have a lot of experience, and he wanted to learn every aspect there was to Izuku- needing to know all the ways to drive him crazy, make him beg, and cause him to whimper. 

His thoughts rolled back around to the mental debate he'd had about the lube--more specifically, using spit to wet his hole. 

Perhaps he could just use them both. 

Swishing his tongue around his mouth, he collected a small sum of spit before leaning forward and letting it fall onto Izuku's crack. He watched it drip over his hole as he held him open. 

"Can I put my mouth on you?" Shouto suddenly asked. He had suddenly been hit with the urge--no, the need--to taste him. He wondered how loud he could get Izuku to be without using his dick. 

"Please," Izuku moaned. "Sho, please-" 

He devolved into a begging mess before Shouto had really even touched him. 

Watching him fall apart beneath him like this was a powerful feeling. Watching Izuku moan and shake in desperation was one of the best things he'd ever witnessed, and to think--Shouto was the cause of this. 

He had done this. 

Something akin to pride flushed through him as he bent down and licked a wet strip from his taint to his hole. 

"Oh-!" Izuku exclaimed, his voice going up several octaves. Taking that as a good sign, he pressed his tongue against his entrance again, teasing him by pushing the tip of his tongue just barely past his rim. "More- please, don't stop. Please."

Listening to Izuku's pleas, Shouto pushed his tongue further, feeling him tighten around the wet muscle as he plunged it in as far as he could reach- gripping his flesh and holding him open so he could feel him as deep as possible. 

Izuku was a mess now, shuddering and pushing back against Shouto's tongue as he started to thrust it in and out of him. Shouto moaned against him, unable to restrain himself because he was finally, finally tasting Izuku--finally taking him apart and turning him into a mess. 

He kept working him open with his tongue until it slid in and out easily, and only then did he reach up and begin to push in a finger alongside his tongue. 

Arching his back further, Izuku pushed back against Shouto, his thighs quaking from the other man's ministrations. Shouto closed his eyes and continued exploring with his finger, looking for the spot he knew would drive Izuku insane. 

He pushed his finger in just a little further, hooking it ever so slightly, and that's when Izuku cried out and spasmed around him. Pulling his face back, he touched him again in the same way, this time watching Izuku's wrecked face with parted lips and bated breaths as he added another finger- repeatedly pressing his digits against his prostate. 

"Sho, please, I need you," he moaned, peering through his lashes at Shouto with a watery eye. "I'll come if you don't stop." 

"Then come," he told him. "I'll still fuck you after." 

It didn't take much longer for Izuku to do just that. In a matter of seconds, he was shaking and moaning- his hole clenching around Shouto's fingers as his mouth fell open. His hands clenched tightly into the carpet as Shouto continued to pump his fingers inside him, watching his cock spill its load onto the carpet below him. 

They'd have to clean that up sooner rather than later, but Shouto couldn't care less at that moment. 

"So good, Izuku," he praised. "You're so pretty when you come for me." 

He couldn't help the words that came out of him when he saw Izuku like this. It was a blessing--a prayer answered--that he got to see him like this at all. He never thought he'd be in this position. 

"-Want you inside me," Izuku whimpered, still shaking from the force of his orgasm. 

"You're not stretched enough," Shouto said, leaning forward to lathe kisses across Izuku's back. "I don't want to hurt you." 

"I don't care," Izuku cried. "I need you." 

Shouto didn't want to wait, either, but there was no way he'd let himself hurt Izuku when he was supposed to be making him feel good.  

"Just a little bit longer," he promised. "Can you be patient for me, Izuku? I promise I'll make you feel good soon." 

Izuku gave him a slight nod, and Shouto pushed in a third finger, scissoring them slightly to get him to loosen up. Shouto was careful not to press against his prostate too frequently to avoid overstimulating him as he fingered him- carefully watching his facial expressions to make sure he still felt good. 

He kept going until Izuku started to get hard again; he was begging now, pushing back onto Shouto's fingers, desperate to feel him deeper. 

Pulling his fingers out, Izuku made a quiet sound in protest, muted as he pressed his mouth into his forearm. 

"Don't worry," Shouto said, running his hands along his sides. "Are you ready?" 

Izuku nodded his head furiously, and Shouto took that as a go-ahead. Removing his sweats and boxers in one swift movement, he kicked them to the side and let his forgotten erection free. He was so hard that it hurt, and he wanted to be inside of Izuku yesterday. 

Grabbing the bottle of lube, he popped the cap open and squirted a generous amount onto his hand. Stroking his hand over his cock, he let out a low groan at the stimulation--the first he'd received since they started. 

He lined himself up with Izuku and pressed the head against his entrance. Izuku pushed back against him, popping the tip past his rim with a sigh. Shouto gripped his hips tightly, already feeling that heat in the pit of his stomach coil up like a tight spring at the sensation. Pushing inside slowly, he held his hips as Izuku tried to force him in faster. 

"Slow," Shouto ordered. "Don't wanna come too soon." 

Izuku protested with a groan, his brow pinching tight as he tried not to push back onto Shouto. 

Slowly but surely, he worked himself inside and let out a low moan when he finally bottomed out inside him. It was hot and tight, impossibly so after all the work he'd done to open him up, and he had to put all his focus into keeping his breathing steady not to come before they'd even started. 

He reached up further and gripped the hem of the blue sweatshirt that Izuku was still wearing, gripping it tightly. 

"Move," Izuku pleaded. "I'm ready." 

He pulled back and thrust in sharply, and Izuku cried out. It was beautiful and perfect and felt so good, and Shouto needed more. Using the sweatshirt as a grip, he began to fuck Izuku in earnest, pulling him back harshly as he thrust into him. 

The sound of Izuku's staccato moans and the slapping of their flesh filled the room. Shouto could feel his pulse in his ears as he watched Izuku unravel beneath him, rocking back on him with just as much force as Shouto was using. 

Shouto leaned back just far enough to watch himself repeatedly disappear inside Izuku's tight hole, watching it swallow him up eagerly. He was perfect like this--some mix between an angel and a devil, effectively stealing away all of Shouto's control. 

And so Shouto told him how perfect he was. Izuku responded well to praise, after all. 

He showered him with sweet words that completely contradicted the way he fucked into him like an animal with no inhibitions about it. He told him how perfect, how beautiful he was like this. 

Of course, there was one thing he really wanted to tell him--the words sitting right on the tip of his tongue. 

But he clamped his jaw shut when the urge to tell him he loved him even crossed his mind. He couldn't let that slip- especially at a time like this. 

"Want you closer," Izuku pleaded, throwing a needy look over his shoulder at Shouto. "Need you." 

Shouto could feel that pull, too, like magnets that begged to meet like two opposite poles. 

So, he wrapped his hands around Izuku's torso and hauled him up onto his knees. He needed to feel more of him, so he peeled the sweatshirt off of Izuku, lifting it over his head and tossing it to the side. With one hand around his waist and the other reaching up to grip the base of his neck, he plastered himself across Izuku's sweaty back and began to thrust up into him. 

The new position somehow felt deeper than before, and if Izuku's loud cries told him anything, it was that Izuku was feeling it, too. 

"Right there-" Izuku breathed as Shouto fucked into him. "Please don't stop- I'm so close, wanna come with you Sho, please."

Shouto hadn't realized until then how close he was, too. He was strung so tightly that he felt like he was about to combust. This only drove him to work harder, making sure that he was able to fulfill Izuku's request to come at the same time. 

His thighs began to quake, and he couldn't hold it back any longer. The second he felt Izuku shudder against him and tighten around him, he let go.

And he came hard. 

Small ice crystals began to form across his skin as the hairs on his neck raised. His flames licked just beneath his skin, begging to be let free.  

With one final thrust and a loud cry, he spilled inside Izuku. Amid his orgasm, he had to press his lips into the junction of Izuku's neck and shoulder to keep himself from speaking. 

He would have told him that he loved him. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself if he hadn't pressed his mouth against him, digging his teeth into the flesh there, probably hard enough to leave a mark. 

When their breathing began to even out and they were both coming down from the high, Shouto carefully lowered Izuku to the ground, rubbing his hands softly over the spots where he had tightly gripped him on his sides. 

Izuku--one of the strongest heroes he'd ever seen--had been reduced to nothing but a puddle. Shouto pulled out slowly, and Izuku let out a half-baked and quiet whimper at the loss. Falling back into a sitting position behind him, Shouto reached forward and swiped his thumb over Izuku's hole, watching as it spasmed and dripped. 

He liked that--seeing his cum inside him, dripping out of him like that. 

He put that there. He had done this--had made Izuku feel good. 

"That was some of the hottest shit I've ever seen." 

Shouto jumped at the words that came from somewhere behind him. 

Turning around, he saw Katsuki sitting on the sofa's armrest, watching the two of them decompose into the carpet. 

"How long have you been there?" Shouto asked, still breathless. 

"Long enough," he grinned. 

"Geeze, Kacchan," Izuku sighed, sitting up just enough to throw Katsuki a pointed look. "You scared me. Don't do that, you creep!" 

"Think you got another round in you, Peppermint?" Katsuki asked with playful intent in his eyes. He could see the blonde's erection straining against his pants. 

Shouto's heart jumped excitedly in his chest at the implication of his statement as he returned Katsuki's look. 

"I think so," he replied cooly. "I'll just need a minute to catch my breath." 

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu was throwing a New Year's Eve party for the members of their graduating class. Shouto had debated not going, but everyone would be--including his typically reclusive friends Shinsou and Tokoyami. Plus, he'd rather not be bothered with questions about why he didn't go from other members of the class- so, Shouto sucked it up, put on a nice outfit, and was now waiting by the door for Izuku, who would be walking with him to the party. Bakugou would be a little late because of his patrol shift running long, but would be there well before midnight.

"Ready?" Izuku asked, bouncing out from the hallway with a smile. Izuku was wearing one of his typical outfits (he'd once heard Ashido say that Izuku dressed like someone called Adam Sandler, but he had no idea who that was). The only thing that set this outfit apart from the others was that the light green T-shirt read 'dress shirt' in very plain, black text. 

"I am," Shouto replied as Izuku toed on his red shoes. They headed out a minute later, Izuku gripping Shouto's arm tightly to keep from slipping on the slick walkways that lined the quiet, residential street. 

It was snowing lightly outside as they walked. Shouto had always been sure-footed on ice and snow, given the properties of his quirk. Still, it seemed that Izuku was having difficulty keeping himself upright, holding Shouto's arm tightly to keep himself from falling on the ground. Shouto suspected it might have had something to do with the red shoes that Izuku always wore, seeing as they were incredibly ill-suited for the weather and offered no traction. 

Shouto tried really hard not to focus on the touch too much. 

It seemed that no matter what he did with Izuku or Katsuki, their touch would always be an overwhelming presence. It wasn't in a bad way, of course--but it made it incredibly difficult to focus on anything else when it was happening. 

"Sho?" 

He looked down at the man on his arm, pulling himself away from his thoughts and back into reality. 

"Did you hear me?" Izuku asked, looking up at him with rosy cheeks and wide eyes. His breath came in a puff of condensation from his lips. 

"I didn't," Shout replied. "I'm sorry." 

"I asked you if you were excited for the party!" he smiled. 

Shouto looked away and turned his face to the sky, feeling the tickle of tiny snowflakes hitting his cheeks. 

"Not really," Shouto answered honestly. Parties weren't really his thing, which was a widely known fact, but their graduating class didn't get together often enough for Shouto to justify not going. Plus, Izuku and Bakugou wanted him to go. Well-Izuku did. Bakugou acted indifferently about things like these, but he could tell he was glad when Shouto said he would go. 

"Why not?" Izuku asked with a pout, stopping to swivel around and face Shouto. "It's gonna be fun! Everyone will be there, and they'll be happy to see you!"

Shouto shrugged. He had his reasons. It's not that he didn't like being around other people; it's just that he had no idea what to do with himself when he was around others--like there was some sort of script that had been handed out to everyone at the beginning of the get-together, but Shouto wasn't given one. They all knew what to say and how to act, and he never did. And when he tried to fit in and do what everyone else was doing, it was somehow always wrong. 

"Well, you can just stay with me the whole time, and you won't have to worry about not having fun," Izuku assured him, giving his arm a squeeze.

As soon as they were moving forward again, Izuku stumbled as they hit a particularly slippery spot in the path. Shouto tried to keep him upright as Izuku's feet slid out from under him, but all his efforts did was send them both tumbling to the ground with a thud. Izuku fell directly onto his butt, and Shouto tried not to fall directly on top of the other man but was only half victorious- ending up sprawled out over the top of him with his hands on either side of Izuku's head. 

He stared down at Izuku, who was grimacing from the fall. 

"Are you alright?" Shouto asked. 

"Yeah," he said. "Sorry I made you fall." 

"It's alright."

The soft orange of the streetlights shone in Izuku's eyes, and Shouto's heart leaped in his chest as he looked down at him--a completely involuntary reaction that seemed to be happening more and more frequently these days. 

When he looked at those freckles, he knew how they tasted. When he looked at those beautiful green eyes, he knew how they looked when they cried tears of pleasure. And those lips--those sinfully perfect lips--he knew things about those, too. 

Before Shouto could react, the man beneath him was gripping the collar of his jacket and yanking him down into a kiss. For a blissful few seconds, Shouto savored it, leaning in to deepen the contact as his pulse sounded in his ears. Izuku sighed into the kiss, fisting his hands into Shouto's clothing to pull him impossibly closer. 

But then Shouto remembered where they were. They were in the middle of a public street, where anyone could see them doing this and snap a picture. 

He pulled away swiftly, rising to his feet before stretching out a hand to Izuku, who still sat stunned and breathless on the icy ground. Izuku sat there for a second before taking his hand. 

It wasn't until they were walking again that Izuku spoke again. 

"Why'd you stop?" Izuku suddenly asked. The icy slush crunched under their feet, and Shouto focused on the sound to keep his mind quiet. 

"We're in public," he stated matter-of-factly. "You shouldn't touch me in public at all." 

That should have been common sense, Shouto thought. Not only were they not together, but Izuku was publicly dating another hero. Anyone could have taken a picture of what had taken place, and Izuku could be deemed a cheater because the public wouldn't know the full story.

"Sorry," Izuku said quietly. He also let go of Shouto's arm, though that wasn't what he meant for Izuku to do. He immediately mourned the loss of his touch but didn't say anything about it, knowing it was probably for the best. 

"No reason to apologize," Shouto said. "I just don't want the public forming false opinions about what's happening. That's all." 

By the time Shouto and Izuku got there, most of the class had already arrived. The party was being held at Yaoyorozu's house. Her house was huge, which Shouto supposed was why she was hosting. He doubted anyone else in the class had a home big enough to comfortably host twenty people for a party. 

The party was in a large sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows along the back wall overlooking a large backyard. Shouto could see Kaminari and Sero already letting off fireworks through the window. Music played throughout the room while everyone else were either chatting on the small ring of sofas in the middle or gathered around the bar that took up one of the corners. The first person to approach Shouto and Izuku was Ashido. 

"What's up, guys?" she asked with an energetic smile. "Isn't this place crazy? She has a whole bar here! Did you see?"

"This place is so cool," Izuku said, returning her smile. "It was so nice of Momo to invite us here!"

"So, where's your boy toy, huh?" she teased. 

Izuku blushed a bit--a funny reaction since they'd been publicly dating for a while now. 

"He's working late, but he'll be here," Izuku told her. 

More of the class was approaching Izuku to greet him. Over in the corner, Shouto spotted Shinsou and Tokoyami, and let Izuku know he'd be disappearing to go say hi. 

"Alright," Izuku told him. "I'll come find you in a little, then!" 

After that, Shouto was beelining through the room toward his quieter friends. Somewhere on the way, one of his classmates had put a drink in his hand. Upon taking a sip, the drink was made strong. 

Oh well. 

It was New Year's Eve anyway. Most people drank on New Year's Eve. Plus, Katsuki had said that you weren't supposed to drink alone, implying you had to consume alcohol with at least one other person present. At least fifteen other people were present, so he was allowed to drink--according to Katsuki. 

He would just have to pay attention to how much he drank in order to avoid a repeat of the last time he decided to partake in the beverage. 

"Hey," Shinsou greeted once Shouto reached the corner of the room. Tokoyami greeted him with a curt nod but then closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, seemingly off in his own world and not paying attention to much of what was happening around him. 

"Hello," he replied, leaning against the wall on the other side of Shinsou. He took another sip of the drink, trying not to grimace at the bitterness that met his tongue. 

"Did Hagakure make that drink?" he chuckled. "She's been handing them out to everyone. She gave me one, but it tasted like shit." 

Shouto nodded. 

"It's not so bad if you don't smell it," he replied with a small smile. He looked away, focusing on what was happening on the other side of the large windows. They were letting off bottle rockets, which lit up the sky above the house where Shouto couldn't see. He only saw the trail of sparks that carved a path in the dark of the night and then the loud boom once it had flown out of view.  

"I thought you didn't drink," he stated quizzically, raising an eyebrow at Shouto's drink. 

"I don't, usually," he replied with a shrug. Another loud boom sounded outside, shaking the glass of the window.

"Don't overdo it." 

Shouto rolled his eyes. He could handle himself just fine. He looked back out the window at the commotion, watching as Kaminari lit up another firework while Sero held it with his bare hands. Shinsou was looking out the window, too, now. 

"I think I'm going to propose to Denki," Shinsou suddenly stated. 

Shouto's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Tokoyami turned his head as well, suddenly gaining interest in the conversation. 

"Oh wow," Shouto replied. 

"We've been together since High School, so I think it's time," he said. "We're getting ready to move in together as well." 

"Well, good luck," Tokoyami chimed in. "Not that you'll need it. He's sure to say yes." 

"I agree," Shouto added. "You two seem really happy together." 

Shouto bit the inside of his lip. He was really happy for Shinsou. He'd known this was coming at some point, seeing as they'd been together so long and loved each other a lot. It wasn't necesarily jealousy that Shouto felt, but his stomach turned a little bit when he started thinking about things like marriage. 

Izuku and Katsuki were sure to get married at some point. Whatever it was that they had with Shouto would most definitely come to an end before then, and Shouto didn't like to think about it. Of course, he knew he needed to be ready for when that happened, but he wasn't sure what he could even do to prepare for something like that. 

It would hurt- he knew that. There was no way around something like that. 

"How's your thing with Midoriya and Bakugou going?" Shinsou asked, changing the subject. 

"It's going fine," Shouto said. 

It was the truth, after all. Now that they'd actually talked things over and better defined what they were doing with each other, Shouto knew what to expect most of the time, easing his anxiety over the situation. 

"They're being respectful to you?" he questioned. 

Shouto nodded in response as he took another drink from the cup in his hand. It was almost empty now, and he could feel the heat of the alcohol beginning to stir in his gut and warm his cheeks. 

"Good." Shinsou gave Shouto a meaningful look. "Remember what you promised?" 

"Yeah," Shouto replied. "Not to let them hurt me. I know. They're not." 

Now, that was a lie. He wasn't sure there was any way for him to be with them that wouldn't hurt. They would never want him all the way. He would cling to them the best he could, but there would be claw marks when he finally had to let go of them. 

Katsuki had finally arrived about an hour after Izuku and Shouto did. The couple immediately hugged each other in greeting, and Shouto watched from across the room. 

He decided it might be best to keep to himself and let them have the evening together. After all, he had no idea how to act around them in a setting as public as this and didn't want to risk any kind of slip-up. 

It also didn't help that he'd already had a few drinks and felt a bit loose-lipped and off-kilter. 

Regardless, it was New Year's Eve. Katsuki and Izuku should be allowed to share the night as a couple without Shouto's hindrance. 

Shinsou had headed elsewhere when Kaminari came back inside, and Tokoyami disappeared a while ago, and Shouto had no idea where he'd gone. So, he was alone in the corner, trying not to stare as the couple sat down on one of the couches--Izuku climbing into Katsuki's lap. 

"Hey!" 

Shouto jumped at the sudden greeting. It was Hagakure, who was wearing a shimmery pink dress. 

"You're super pretty, you know," she said, and Shouto tilted his head in response, not quite sure where she was going with that. "Have you ever worn makeup?"

"Um- I haven't," he responded. "Guys don't really wear makeup?" 

Her invisible hand was suddenly on his forehead, lifting his bangs away from his face. 

"Let me do your makeup!" she exclaimed. "Some of the girls are in the bathroom putting some on! 'Chako brought some cool glittery stuff. You should really let me do it! Please?" 

He flinched backward from her hand. 

Not having much else to do at the moment, he agreed. He was immediately grabbed by the arm and led out of the large sitting room into a hallway. Shouto could hear some of the other girls' voices a few doors down. Hagakure led him inside. 

It was a large bathroom with three sinks and a mirror that ran the whole length of the wall. Ashido was sitting on the counter, doing something with a pencil on her eyes, while Uraraka used her fingers to rub something on Tsuyu's cheekbones. They all looked over when Hagakure dragged him inside. 

"Todoroki said we can do his makeup!" she exclaimed. 

"Oh yay!" Uraraka smiled. "Come sit down! This will be fun!" 

A few minutes later, he was surrounded by all of them as they dabbed various things across his eyelids and cheeks. They even added something to his lips to make them shinier. When they were all done, and he looked in the mirror, he supposed he did look a little pretty. 

There was glitter lining his cheekbones and a subtle glimmer on his eyelids. The underside of his eyes had been darkened with a liner, and his lips shone under the bright lights of the bathroom. 

As he eyed himself in the mirror, Jirou popped her head into the bathroom. 

"Yo, the guys wanna play some drinking games," she called into the room. "They're starting in a few minutes if you guys wanna join." 

They all filtered out of the room after her, but Shouto didn't follow. He continued to eye himself in the mirror as he thought about a few things. 

Part of him was beginning to wonder about his looks--and if that was why he hadn't found anyone who loved him yet. Maybe it was the scar, though he'd been assured before that it didn't take away from his looks. But you could never be too sure. He certainly couldn't be everyone's cup of tea. 

Honestly, he wasn't sure what Izuku and Katsuki thought about him—not sure if they really found him attractive. Of course, they called him pretty when they touched him, but that was just bedroom talk. It didn't mean anything if they didn't say it any other time, right? 

He debated removing the makeup but was hesitant, knowing that the girls had worked hard on it. It didn't look bad, but he didn't like that it would draw more attention to him when he went back out into the main room where everyone else was currently gathered. 

The door to the bathroom opened again, and this time, to his surprise, it was Katsuki and Izuku. He wondered what they were doing so far from the group. 

"There you are," Katsuki said. "What are you--what's all over your face?" 

"Oh, um-" Shouto looked away, feeling his cheeks burn. "The girls, they-"

He reached for one of the hand towels by the sink. 

"I was going to take it off. I know I look stupid." 

Izuku ran forward and grabbed his arm just as he was about to put the hand towel under the sink faucet. 

"No!" he said. "I think it looks good! It's cute!" 

Cute?

Shouto blushed and looked away from him, unsure what to say. He surely didn't feel cute, or anything, for that matter. He knew he looked ridiculous. He'd seen himself in the mirror. 

"I never said it looked bad, Peppermint," Katsuki grumbled, moving closer. He grabbed Shouto's chin, forcing him to make eye contact. "It looks fine. You're pretty without that shit, too." 

"Oh," he exclaimed softly, feeling the tips of his ears warm. He knew he must be redder than a tomato by then because of the compliments, but there was no way they thought it looked good. He looked stupid, if anything. 

Before Shouto knew what was happening, Katsuki was kissing him. It was warm and heated and all-encompassing, sending his entire nervous system into overdrive as his eyes immediately fluttered shut. But as quickly as it started, he was pulling away. Shouto didn't want that, though- so he chased after his lips, leaning in quickly to steal just one more kiss before he let the blonde pull away. When he opened his eyes again, Katsuki was licking his lips while giving him a heated stare. 

"Tastes good, too," he said, his voice low. 

"What?" Shouto breathed. 

"That lipgloss, or whatever. It's sweet." 

There was another hand on his cheek, pulling Shouto the other way to meet another set of lips. Izuku kissed him softly before opening his mouth and making a wet lick across his closed lips. 

"You're right," Izuku commented with a mischievous smile. "You taste good, Sho." 

His heart was pounding in his chest, and he had no idea what to say to that. He flexed his hands, trying to rid himself of the need to reach out and latch onto them and kiss them more. They were at a party, for heaven's sake- the others were probably wondering where Izuku and Katsuki had gone off to. 

Katsuki slipped his hands under Shouto's shirt and gripped his waist tightly, drawing him back against his chest, and he bit his lips to keep himself from making the embarrassing sound he could feel crawling up his throat. 

It was astounding how quickly they could overwhelm him and steal away his senses until all he could think about was them. It felt amazing, yet it was torture to know they had this amount of control over him. 

Katsuki began to kiss a line down his neck as Izuku stepped forward and claimed his lips, pushing himself flush against Shouto's front. His skin was on fire, and he could feel his flames licking just below the surface. He kept his hands away from them, afraid that he might accidentally burn or freeze one of them with how overwhelmed he felt. 

He didn't even know why it was so overwhelming this time; they'd done much worse to him before. It felt like his entire body was thrumming with need, and he couldn't get himself to calm down. 

Izuku's lips were soft and persistent as he used his tongue to pry open Shouto's lips to taste more of him. Shouto keened as he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling Katsuki begin to suck on his skin just below the collar of the shirt he wore. One of Katsuki's hands snaked up his chest and clamped around his throat, guiding Shouto's head to the side to grant him access to the whole expanse of his neck. 

"Holy shit." 

All three of them froze at the sound of a foreign voice that did not belong to any of them. 

Looking over his shoulder with a flushed face, Shouto looked past Katsuki at the bathroom entrance to see a surprised-looking Ashido standing on the threshold. 

Chapter Text

Ashido stared at them with wide eyes as her jaw dropped to the floor. Shouto was flushed head to toe now, wholly frozen and unsure what to do. Izuku buried his face in Shouto’s chest as Katsuki turned around to face her.

“Is this what I think it is?” she asks. “Oh my god. It is. It is! You were both kissing him! Oh my god!”

“Shut the hell up, Raccoon Eyes!” Katsuki countered, sending her an aggressive look. Shouto kept his gaze on the floor now, unable to even think about making eye contact with her after what she’d just witnessed. “It’s not what you think it is.”

“Are you dating?” she asked, pushing the subject further. Izuku tensed up against Shouto.

“No,” Katsuki replied sharply. “It’s not whatever the fuck you think it is, and if you say shit about this to anyone, then I’ll come after you. Got it?”

“Geeze, Blasty,” she remarked. “What is it, then, if you’re not dating? Fuck buddies? Or is this like the first time it’s happened? I'm just so curious.”

“Just get out,” he grumbled, turning back around to face Shouto, who still couldn’t look anyone in the eye. His chest was burning with weird feelings now at hearing him declare so plainly that they weren’t dating.

Of course, he knew that. He obviously knew there was nothing there. But perhaps with the hindrance of the alcohol in his system, things were a bit more muddled now, and his mind was having a hard time putting up that wall separating the stuff he did with Izuku and Katsuki and the love he felt for them.

“Todoroki?” Ashido asked, her voice softening. Confused, he looked up and met her eye. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he told her. When he spoke, he was surprised at how his voice cracked. And why was his face so warm? Why-

“Are you sure? You’re crying, sweetheart,” she said, stepping further into the room, pushing past Katsuki. “He wasn’t being mean to you, was he? You wanna come with me?”

She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he stopped himself from rudely recoiling at the sudden touch. His eyes flitted between Izuku and Katsuki, who were giving him wide-eyed and unsure expressions. Shouto rubbed a hand at his cheek to find that Ashido hadn’t been lying, and he really was crying.

He didn’t even know precisely why.

“Let’s go,” she said. “You can hang out with them later if you want, but I’ve got you for now, okay?”

He nodded.

He couldn’t stand the awkward air between him and Izuku and Katsuki and needed to escape it. If Ashido offered that to him, he’d gladly take her up on that offer. With the alcohol in his system, he also found himself in an oddly agreeable state of mind and couldn’t find any reason not to follow her as he took his hand and led him toward the door.

She led him from the bathroom. Neither Katsuki nor Izuku said anything, nor did they come after him. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that–or anything for that matter. 

Ashido finally let go of his hand once they were a few doors down in what appeared to be a guest bedroom. Closing the door behind them, she put her hands on her hips and sighed. 

Shouto sat down on the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets tightly, trying not to think too hard about what had just happened. 

"So," Ashido started. Shouto looked at her with reddened eyes, still unsure why he'd been crying, waiting for her to speak. He had no idea what to expect from this conversation. "Has that happened before?"

He wasn't sure what to say. Based on Katsuki's reaction, it was obvious they weren't supposed to be telling others. And shit--he'd told Shinsou and Tokoyami about it! Izuku and Katsuki would probably be upset if they found out more people than just Ashido knew. 

"Hey, you in there?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "I'm not trying to pry for gossip, I just want to make sure you're alright. I've never seen you cry before."

"I tend to get a bit moody when I consume alcohol," he told her. 

"Well, then that would make it even worse- if they were doing that to you while you're drunk," she frowned. 

"I'm not drunk," he corrected. "I've only had a few drinks." 

"Still. Not cool."

"It's happened before," he finally told her. "It's a... thing. That's all." 

Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline. She didn't respond for a while, but she sat beside him on the bed. 

"So you three are just hooking up?" she finally asked. 

"Yeah." 

She laughed. Taken aback, all Shouto could do was look at Ashido as she laughed. He didn't think it was funny, so he wasn't sure why she reacted this way. 

"And whose bright idea was that?" she asked when she finally stopped. "Not that I'm laughing at you, honey, I'm just really confused." 

"What's confusing about it?" he asked in return. It was a pretty straightforward concept that he neither found confusing nor funny. None of her reactions and questions were making any sense.

"So let me get this straight: you three are just hooking up? Nothing else?" 

"Correct. It's what we all discussed and wanted."

"Okay, so to circle back around: why were you crying then? Did they say something to upset you?" 

Shouto debated on how much he could tell her--or how much he was able. The feelings he had for Izuku and Katsuki were one of his most heavily guarded secrets. The only reason Shinsou and Tokoyami knew was because they were able to sniff it out themselves. So, how much did he want to tell her? What would the end result of that even be? 

Ashido had always been a cheerful, supportive friend, even though he'd never been especially close with her. But he knew she liked to talk. He doubted she would spill a secret like this unless given permission, but he was still hesitant to tell her the truth. But then again--maybe another opinion on the matter would help. Shinsou's advice had definitely helped on a few occasions, and maybe another perspective wouldn't be a bad thing. 

 "Kind of," he said in response to her last question. "I already know that I'm not dating them. I know there's no possibility of that. But it still hurt to hear it out loud from Katsuki like that." 

"Oh, fuck, so you like them back." 

Wait. 

Wait wait wait. 

"What?" he asked sharply. "What do you mean 'like them back'?"

"They like you, Todoroki. Like, they're crazy about you! You didn't know? It's really obvious to anyone who spends even the smallest amount of time around the three of you. Have you not noticed the way they look at you?"

It didn't compute. It didn't make sense. There was absolutely no way this was true. She was making something out of nothing--wishful, hopeful, thinking on her part. 

"That's not true," he said. "There's no way. I would have noticed." 

"I don't mean to be rude, but you can be a bit dense sometimes," she chuckled. "It's cute, but damn, you really don't see it?" 

"They don't like me like that. I'm sure of it," he told her with frustration. He shouldn't get his hopes up about something as serious as this. He couldn't. "They don't. They think I'm attractive, but they don't love me. They don't think I'm beautiful. They don't want to kiss me unless it's for sex. They don't hug me unless it's going to lead to something else, and they certainly don't love me." 

He was rambling now--not making much sense at all--courtesy of the alcohol he'd had. 

"I guess I wouldn't know what goes on in private," she reasoned. "But I'm usually pretty good at sniffing these things out, and I wouldn't say there's nothing there. Have you not asked them or told them how you really feel?" 

"I can't risk it." 

He couldn't risk losing his friendship if they didn't feel the same way. And now, with the things he was allowed to ask them for, he had that to lose, as well. They probably wouldn't want to continue their arrangement if they knew how he truly felt. 

"I say you go for it," she stated. "I think it's worse to sit here and suffer by yourself, rather than being honest about something this serious. Anyway--let's go back out there and join the class! I'm sure I've given you a few things to think about," she winked. 

Back out in the main room, Izuku and Katsuki immediately found him. Ashido went off to be with her friends, leaving him to fend for himself with nothing but a wink and a knowing look. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Izuku asked tentatively. "We're not sure what happened. I know you said not to do things like that in public, but we really had no idea anyone was going to follow us in." 

"I'm fine," Shouto said, trying to deflect and rid himself of the whole situation. It was just too much to think about at the moment, and he knew that he had more than just a few things to mull over now, thanks to Ashido. "I just get a bit moody when I drink. It's nothing to worry about."

Katsuki crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You sure? You don't cry often. I need to know that we didn't do anything to upset you." 

Well, yes, he had, but Shouto wouldn't tell them that. He didn't want to worry them about something he wasn't even sure about himself. 

"It's nothing," he reassured him. The blonde gave him a narrowed look but didn't press the issue any further.  

"You wanna join the others for some games?" Izuku asked, changing the subject. "They're playing truth or dare!" 

"Sure," Shouto replied. 

He followed them back to the center of the room, where most of the class were gathered on the sofas around a table. 

"The rules of the game are simple," Kirishima stated after everyone had quieted down. "You ask someone truth or dare. They have to take a shot if they don't do what you ask. Then they get to pick someone to ask, and it keeps going!" 

Maybe Shouto hadn't really thought this out. He hoped no one would ask him anything too personal--that, or he'd have to pick dare every time. Or he'd just end up super drunk. 

None of them sounded like particularly pleasant options. 

Why were they choosing to play this game? 

"Alright! I wanna go first!" Kaminari called out. No one argued with him on that, so he began the game. 

He asked Jirou the question, who ended up picking dare; she ended up showing the class that yes, she was able to do a handstand. 

The game started out pretty tame, all of the dares or truths being easy to complete or answer. But as the game went on, things began to get a little more interesting. No one had targeted Shouto yet, for which he was glad. 

But it didn't last long. 

Ashido had just got done putting lipstick on with a tube held between her breasts when she decided it was time for Shouto to participate. 

"Todoroki!" she called in a sing-song voice. "Truth or dare, mister?" 

He hoped she wouldn't do anything too volatile with the things she'd learned from him tonight. He silently cursed himself for having been so loose-lipped about it in the first place. 

"Dare," he selected, feeling it was the safer of the two options. 

"Interesting choice!" she grinned. "Give me a second to think of one." 

There was a devilish glint in her eye, and Shouto prepared for the worst. 

"I dare you to sit in Bakugou's lap for the rest of the game," she said. 

He shot her a deadly look. This was betrayal of the highest order, in Shouto's opinion. There was no way Katsuki would be comfortable with that in front of everyone. No way. How could she do this?

"Well?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, completely ignoring his icy stare. 

He looked over at Katsuki, who was lounging back against the couch with his legs spread. His expression was unreadable, but his crimson eyes bore into him in a way that made Shouto's skin tingle with uncertainty. 

"You comin' over here, or not?" Katsuki barked, acting way less annoyed with the notion than he should have been.

Shouto sighed and rose from his seat. There were some oo's and ah's from a few of his classmates. He caught Shinsou's eyes as he crossed over to the other couch, who was giving him a curious expression.  

He stopped in front of Katsuki. Izuku was sitting right beside him- his wide eyes surveying Shouto for what he would do next. Turning around, he placed himself carefully on Katsuki's lap. The blonde immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him into a more comfortable position. Izuku was grinning at him for some odd reason, and he didn't even want to look at Katsuki to see what kind of expression he was making. 

"Your turn now, Peppermint," Katsuki said, a little too closely to his ear. Shouto ignored the way it made the hairs on the back of his neck raise. Katsuki's arm remained moored around his waist, keeping Shouto from being able to squirm or pull himself out of the position Katsuki had him in. He had to throw an arm over Katsuki's shoulders to make himself more comfortable. 

"Alright," Shouto said. "Kirishima." 

He didn't have anything specific in mind, nor was the dare he'd given out after that as crazy as some of the others, but he was eager to get some of the attention off of him and Katsuki, and having the redhead chug the remainder of the drink in his hand seemed to do the trick. 

Katsuki wouldn't stop shifting beneath him, and it was causing Shouto to have a hard time focusing on anything else happening. The game just seemed to go on and on, and the dare had stated that he must remain seated until the game was over, whenever that would be. Shouto's legs were starting to ache from the position he found himself in, so he tried to move to alleviate some of the strain on his muscles. He'd been sitting so tensley so as to not make Katsuki uncomfortable, but his muscles were starting to protest. 

"Stop moving," Katsuki hissed quietly into his ear as he tightened his grip around Shouto's middle. Shouto frowned, wondering what the deal was, but then he shifted again against the other man's orders, and-

Oh. 

He felt it now. Katsuki was hard. 

His cheeks instantly darkened, and he wasn't sure what to do. Surely, him remaining on Katsuki's lap wouldn't help, but if he got off now, it would call attention to them and their classmates might notice what had happened. 

There was no good way to solve the issue. 

"Sorry," Shouto whispered back.

"What are you two whispering about?" Izuku chimed in quietly with a curious look on his face. 

"Fuckin' nothing," Katsuki whispered sharply. Despite the blonde's denial that anything had happened, Izuku gave Shouto a little, knowing smirk. 

Which was of no help. 

"Shouto!" Kaminari called, pulling his mind out of the gutter in which it currently sat. Apparently, it was his turn again. "Truth or dare?" 

Shouto would not survive another dare, he decided--so he went with truth. 

"Alright," Kaminari smiled. "You've been single long enough. So tell us--have you ever been in love? Give us the dirty deets!"

Shouto froze. He couldn't answer that question--nor did he think it was okay for him to lie. He couldn't. Not out loud like this--especially when at least three people in the circle knew he was lying. 

"Pour me a shot," Shouto stated. The hand on his waist shifted- tightened. 

There were more exclaimations and questions that followed from the class. Of course, they'd be curious. Shouto had never dated anyone, and his refusal to answer would definitely pique their interest. But he wouldn't indulge them. No--he'd rather drink. 

A shot was handed to him (a rather full one, he might add), and he downed it in one go the best he could, coughing a bit after it burned its path down his throat. 

"You can't leave us hanging like that!" Kaminari lamented. "Are you really not going to answer?"

"I took the shot, and you only had one question," Shouto stated. 

The game continued. No one bothered Shouto much after that. 

When the game finally came to an end, Katuski had kept his firm hold on Shouto until the class had dispersed. Izuku was chuckling next to them, which earned him a sharp smack on the shoulder. Once everyone was out of earshot and no longer paying attention, Katsuki pushed him off his lap and onto the sofa between him and Izuku. 

Not much better in Shouto's opinion, but he wouldn't argue. 

"Fucking hell," Katsuki groaned, adjusting his pants over his groin. "She's relentless." 

Of course she would be. With what she saw in the bathroom and the things she'd heard from Shouto, there was no way she was just going to forget it and move on. 

"What did she say to you, anyway?" Izuku asked, leaning closer. 

"Nothing important," Shouto deflected. 

They both eyed him warily, but he elected to ignore it for the time being. 

After a small break after truth or dare, the class had begun to play other games, such as beer pong and other activities that Shouto had neither heard of or participated in before. He ended up playing a few of the games, dragged into participation by some of his drunk and overly enthusiastic classmates. 

Shouto had ended up drinking far more than he'd intended, and was having a hard time focusing on things and keeping himself upright. He'd at least managed to keep his mouth shut and not share anything he wasn't supposed to, thought he found the urge to do so incredibly hard to resist. 

He was leaning on Tokoyami now, mostly unable to keep himself from tipping over without support. His friend thankfully didn't seem to mind. 

The whole class had gathered in the backyard now. Apparently Yaoyorozu, with her extensive wealth and property, had arranged for their to be a firework display upon the stroke of midnight. Everyone (aside from Shouto) was shivering as they waited for the seconds to pass. 

Being New Year's Eve, there was a certain tradition that many in the class would be taking part in--this tradition being the New Year's Kiss. 

Shouto would not be receiving such a thing, and he'd repeatedly ordered himself not to get upset about it. That was a hard thing to do though, as he stared at the backs of the two people he loved more than anything else in the world as they embraced each other and whispered quietly in each other's ears, paying Shouto not an inch of attention. 

Not that they should have been, or that Shouto should have expected any. After all, he wasn't theirs. 

Shinsou was standing next to Kaminari, and Kirishima and Ashido were cuddled up against one another as well. 

Shouto tried not to think bitterly about any of the lovey things happening around him, instead attempting to opt for enthusiasm toward his friends' success in romance. 

The class had started a countdown--ten seconds to midnight. He didn't have the energy nor the mental capacity to count along with them as he watched Izuku and Katsuki smile softly at each other. 

"Thee! Two! One! Happy New Year!" everyone shouted. 

They all looked up at the sky as the fireworks began, but Shouto's attention had been completely captured by the sight of them kissing. It was sweet and it was soft and it was everything that Shouto wished he could have for himself. 

"Pardon me, but you are staring," Tokoyami told him, leaning in close. "If you're trying to remain covert, you might want to avert your eyes." 

He immediately turned his attention to the ground. The fireworks lit up the pale snow in the yard as they banged and popped overhead, but he didn't care to look at them. 

When everything was over and they class was heading back inside, the air felt cheerful and light- except Shouto couldn't find himself to enjoy any of it. Tokoyami did his best to support him as they made their way back into the house. 

"I have to use the bathroom," Shouto told Tokoyami, who only nodded and changed their path toward the hall. 

When they reached the bathroom, Tokoyami went inside with him. Shouto didn't really have to go, but he could feel his emotions bubbling up inside his chest and didn't really want to be amidst the others when it inevitably boiled over. 

The alcohol had warmed his chest and his skin, but it was a poor substitution for the warmth he really craved. 

The warmth he needed. 

"Are you alright?" Tokoyami asked. 

It had to at least be the fourth time someone had asked him that tonight. It was beginning to grow old. 

He choked up, unable to keep his breathing steady. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to tell the truth, even as his words came out as a broken sob. 

"I'm fine."

Tokoyami didn't call his bluff. Instead he wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he started to cry in earnest, rubbing small circles into his arm as a means to comfort him. 

He knew this was a terrible time to be doing this, and usually he had a better handle on these things. He hated the fact that he was burdening Tokoyami with his emotions right then, but once the tears started, they wouldn't let up. 

His mind was running--running in ways he didn't want it to, repeatedly shouting at him how utterly unwanted he was. The thoughts swirled around in his head as he shook with the soft sobs he tried to swallow down and force back into the pit of his stomach where they belonged. 

"Why don't they want me?" he whispered out loud, not even intending to. 

Tokoyami sighed beside him. "I can't tell you why things are the way they are, but I'm here to offer you support in any way you might need," he told him softly. "I'd like for you to stay at my house tonight. A break from your current situation seems much needed, especially given the state you're in." 

All Shouto could do was nod. 

He was given a moment longer to somewhat gather himself before Tokoyami was leading him out of the bathroom. They'd almost made it to the exit when they were approached. 

"Hey, stop." 

It was Katsuki. Shouto kept his eyes fixed on the floor in an effort to hide his face as he clung to Tokoyami's side. 

"What's going on? Is he alright?" Izuku asked softly. "Sho?" 

"Respectfully? Fuck off," Tokoyami said sharply. Shouto winced at the harshness of his tone but didn't speak up or raise his head. 

Shouto couldn't remember a time at which he'd ever heard his friend curse before. 

"The hell? The fuck you telling me what to do for?" Katsuki bristled. Tokoyami kept his cool and resumed walking, pushing past them and out the door. 

"Get back here! What the hell? Is he okay?" Katsuki shouted. Shouto only hoped that he wasn't drawing any more attention to his current situation. He was embarrassed enough for crying as it was. 

"Kacchan, just let them go," Izuku pleaded. 

Katsuki let out another string of explicit words, but didn't chase after them. 

"We'll see you at home, Sho," Izuku dejectedly called after them. 

Shouto didn't respond, instead just clung to Tokoyami as he led him away from Izuku and Katsuki and out into the cold night. 

Chapter Text

Izuku paced the length of the kitchen with messy hair and unbrushed teeth, completely unable to focus on anything other than Shouto and what had happened last night after the fireworks. The minute he woke up the following morning and Shouto still wasn't home, his anxiety spiked.

"It was our fault," Izuku muttered to himself. Katsuki was on the opposite end of the kitchen, fiddling with the coffee maker. He had remained mostly silent since last night and still hadn't said much about anything.

"We didn't do anything," Katsuki grumbled quietly, pouring himself a cup of the warm beverage, finally breaking his silent streak. "We would know if it was our fault. We would."

He acted calm and collected, but Izuku knew better than to believe that. He saw the quick, twitchy way he moved about the kitchen and the tight frown on his face. He knew that Katsuki was just as nervous as he was.

"Do you think it had something to do with whatever Ashido said to him?" Izuku asked, mostly thinking out loud. Still, Katsuki answered.

"Fuck if I know," he said. "He told us he was fine."

"How many times have we heard him say that, though? And how many times was it actually true?"

Izuku considered this. It partially bothered him, though, to know that Shouto had been hiding any of his feelings from them. They had been friends for so long that Izuku hoped Shouto would trust them enough to tell them when he wasn't feeling okay, but last night had revealed that this obviously wasn't the case. It only made things worse that Izuku and Katsuki seemed to be the source of his negative mood, but he had no idea why.

Izuku grabbed his phone off the counter and dialed Shouto's number again. He and Katsuki had been trying to reach him all morning without any luck. Still, he tried, hitting the call button in hopes that this time, they might have different results.

It rang but went through to his voicemail. Izuku had already left several of those, as well.

"Maybe we should go see him in person," Izuku offered. "Tokoyami must have taken him home last night."

"He's probably still sleeping," Katsuki rationalized, taking a long sip of his steaming coffee. "He had a shit ton to drink last night."

"It's past noon, Kacchan," Izuku frowned. "He never sleeps in this late. I'm worried."

"I say we just fucking wait," Katsuki snapped. "There's nothing we can do about it anyway until he's ready to talk."

Izuku nodded. He then continued to pace.

His mind was running a million miles an hour. He'd already been scolded for mumbling out loud a few times that morning, so he kept his lips tightly sealed to avoid annoying Katsuki any further. He could tell the blonde was just as worried as him, even if he didn't outright say that he was. 

Suddenly, Katsuki's phone was ringing. 

Izuku perked up at the sound, brimming with anticipation. Katsuki checked the caller ID. 

"It's not him," Katsuki sighed, silencing the call. He slammed the device back down onto the counter and pinched the bridge of his nose with a groan. 

A few hours later, they still hadn't heard a thing from Shouto. They'd even started to call Tokoyami, but hadn't heard anything back. Every single call went unanswered. Izuku was trying really hard to relax, but the longer Shouto's absence stretched, the harder he found it to do. 

All he could do was sit there and run through every interaction the night before and search for things that he might have done to upset him, but he kept coming up empty-handed. 

They had been caught kissing by Ashido, but as far as he could tell, Ashido hadn't told anyone. Yes, she'd teased them about it and definitely gave them a hard time during the game of truth or dare, but she hadn't told anyone. The only person she might have told was Kirishima, but he doubted that he would have told anyone, either. He had always been a trustworthy friend. Then, there was Shouto crying after they'd been found out, but that could have been chalked up to several conclusions. He could have just been embarrassed about it. Maybe he was ashamed? Maybe- maybe, he didn't want anyone to know they were a thing because it really was just a purely physical thing. 

Was it so bad for people to think that they were dating? After all, that was the first thing Ashido had thought upon seeing them. It made Izuku's gut twist uncomfortably to think this, but once the thoughts started, they wouldn't stop. 

After a while, Katsuki sat next to him on the couch. He had been extremely quiet all day, which was equally discomforting. He'd never been particularly good at talking about things, and it worried Izuku to think about what Katsuki might be feeling about everything. 

There was a sudden knock at the door, and both Izuku and Katsuki tensed at the sound, sharing an uneasy look. It wouldn't have been Shouto, because he wouldn't have knocked. Curious as to who their visitor was, Izuku followed Katsuki when he hopped off the couch and headed for the door. 

When the door was opened, it was revealed that Tokoyami had come to pay them a visit. 

"I've come to collect some of Todoroki's things," he told them, and Izuku's stomach sank as his eyes widened with worry. "He will be staying at my home for a few days." 

Katsuki flexed his jaw and gripped the door tightly as he opened it the rest of the way to let him inside. 

"Is he... doing okay?" Izuku asked tentatively. He clutched his hands together tightly to alleviate some of his nerves, but no matter how hard he squeezed, it did nothing to help. "He hasn't spoken to us." 

"I am in no place to speak for him," Tokoyami replied, stepping into the house. "He will talk to you when he is ready." 

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek. He followed Tokoyami as he made his way toward Shouto's bedroom. He watched as he grabbed a bag from his closet and began to pack up some of his essentials and some spare clothing. 

"I must apologize for my sharp tongue last night," Tokoyami said as he shoved the items carefully into the bag. "It frustrated me to see that my friend was upset, and I took out my anger irresponsibly." 

Behind Izuku, Kastuki began to speak. 

"You could at least fucking tell us what's going on, because it feels like it has something to do with us," Katsuki grumbled, ignoring Tokoyami's apology. 

Izuku shot him a glare, but he didn't relent. 

"We have a right to know if it's us that he's mad at. Doesn't do anyone any good to cut us off if we don't know why he's in a shitty mood." 

Tokoyami paused his packing and let out a sigh before meeting Katsuki's burning gaze. 

"Like I said, I'm in no place to speak for him. But seeing as you have no idea why he's been feeling the way he has tells me he has even more right to feel the way he does." 

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked. "So we did do something?" 

Tokoyami ruffled a hand through his feathers, looking up at the ceiling as if searching for an answer.

"It's more of what you haven't done, if anything," he tells them. 

Furrowing his brow, Izuku tried to make sense of this. 

What they haven't done?

It didn't make sense. He wasn't sure what he meant by that. 

"Enough with the cryptic-ass bullshit!" Katsuki snapped. "Just tell us what's wrong so we can fix it!" 

"Like I said," Tokoyami spoke forcefully, obviously at the end of his rope. "I have no room to speak on this as I am not directly involved. I am only here to collect Todoroki's things. He will be staying at my house for a few days to have some space from you, and he will talk to you when he's ready. Do not fault him for needing space. His heart can't handle much more of what you two have been putting him through, and while I cannot tell him or you what to do, for that matter, I will do my very best to support him in any way he needs. And right now, what he needs is space." 

Both Izuku and Katsuki were silent for a beat. 

Izuku was frowning, pulling at the hem of his shirt as he took in Tokoyami's words. 

Even after Shouto's things were collected and Tokoyami was gone, neither of them spoke to one another. They were too busy stewing over what had just happened and the things they'd just learned. 

Out of all the things that Tokoyami had told them, one thing in particular was sounding through Izuku's mind on repeat.

His heart can't handle much more of what you two have been putting him through. 

He thought about it over and over and over again, trying to figure out what Tokoyami had meant- how any of this had to do with Shouto's heart. After all, he didn't have feelings for them. Right? 

Unless. 

Unless they'd been wrong. Unless they'd been incorrect this whole time, and Shouto really did have feelings for them. But still- why wouldn't have Shouto said anything? 

"Izuku."

It was Katsuki, speaking his name so suddenly that he was jarred from his thoughts with a startle. When he looked over at Katsuki, he was giving him a severe look. 

"Kacchan?" he asked, unsure where this wave of terrifying seriousness had come from. 

"We need to talk to him," he told Izuku. "He-" 

Katsuki cut himself off, grimacing as he averted his gaze to the floor. 

"Don't you get it?" Katsuki tried again, his tone quiet and somber. 

"Get what?" 

Izuku wasn't sure what to make of Katsuki's sudden shift in mood. All day, he'd been silent and irritable, but now- he almost looked sad. 

Katsuki suddenly stood up with his hands on his head, pulling at his hair roughly as he let out a loud groan of frustration. 

"God, I can't imagine what he's fucking thinking right now. What he's fucking feeling." 

"Kacchan, just tell me what's going on!" Izuku exclaimed, coming to stand in front of him. 

Katsuki lowered his hands and gave Izuku a deadly serious look. 

"Peppermint has feelings for us. And we've been fucking him." He grimaces at his own words.

Izuku froze. His mind had completely stopped working. It didn't make sense--it couldn't be true. Shout had so many opportunities to tell them if he had feelings for them, and hadn't. 

But then again--hadn't Izuku and Katsuki also had every chance in the world? And then they'd go and propose an arrangement like they had, and-

Oh god. 

Katsuki was right. Shouto was probably in pieces right now, thinking that sex was all they wanted from him. Izuku's pulse sounded in his ears as the horror of what they'd done to their dear friend finally hit him. 

"He has feelings for us," Katsuki reiterated. "That's what Tokoyami meant. Even if he didn't mean to tell us." 

It all made sense now. It probably hurt Shouto to see the two of them together when he also wanted to be a part of them. It must have confused him when they suddenly wanted to involve him in things, because he didn't think they actually wanted him. And poor Shouto--so terrible at picking up on signals and other tells, must never have thought they loved him. 

Because they wanted so much more than just sex from him. Izuku wanted soft cuddles and to sleep in the same bed as him and to be able to hug him and kiss him whenever he wanted. He hated the walls they'd had to put up between him and Katsuki and Izuku, all because they thought that Shouto didn't feel the same way, when all along, he had. He had. 

Suddenly, Katsuki's phone rang, and both jumped to grab it off the couch's armrest, hoping it would be Shouto. They saw the caller ID. It was not Shouto. 

It was Kirishima, of all people. 

They ignored the call in favor of digesting this new revelation, wondering what they could do about it. 

The phone rang again. Katsuki declined the call. But then it rang again. In an angry fit, Katsuki picked up the phone and accepted the call. 

"What the hell do you want?" he shouted into the receiver. "It better be good!"

Izuku couldn't hear what was being said on the other end, but Katsuki's face dropped, and Izuku could tell it was serious, whatever it was. 

"Oh shit," Katsuki said into the phone in reply to whatever Kirishima had told him. "I'm gonna go. Thanks."  

He lowered the phone. 

"Turn on the fucking TV," he said, running a hand over his face. 

Izuku scrambled for the remote, feeling the severity of the situation through Katsuki's tone. 

"What channel?" Izuku asked, pressing the power button on the remote. 

"Any fucking news channel."

Following his orders, Izuku turned it to the first news channel he saw. The image that met Izuku's eyes immediately sent him into a panic. 

Shouto had been right, he thought to himself. 

It was a picture of them on the ground from last night after Izuku had slipped on the ice and pulled Shouto in for a kiss. The caption on the bottom of the screen sent him into a panic. 

"It was on the way to the party," Izuku explained quietly as the TV played in the background. "I didn't know anyone was watching us." 

Without explanation, this was enough to ruin both his and Shouto's careers as pro heroes. 

'Hero scandal: Deku cheats on his boyfriend Dynamight with Frostburn.'

All the journalists were talking about was Shouto being a homewrecker and the lowest of the low for doing such a thing. They weren't even insulting Izuku nearly as much as they were Shouto, which enraged Izuku. His mind was already running through how to do damage control. 

Izuku's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he absentmindedly pulled it out to check the notification as he watched the television screen. He thought it must be a member of his PR team because of what was airing on the news. 

His eyes widened when he saw the notification. 

"It's a text from Shouto!" he exclaimed as he clicked it open. His heart dropped when he read the text. He read the text aloud to Katsuki. 

"I'm sorry, but our arrangement has to end. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. Please forgive me."

All Izuku and Katsuki could do was stare at each other in shock as they processed everything that had just happened. 

Chapter Text

Bakugou Katsuki

Katsuki couldn't sleep that night when he returned to his own home after everything that had happened. 

There had been so many calls and texts from friends, but he couldn't bring himself to answer any of them. They were all concerned, thinking he'd been cheated on by Izuku, who would never do such a thing. And Shouto- he would never do a thing like that, either. If anything, his hesitance to be brought into the arrangement he and Izuku proposed could be explained now. 

He had been afraid to somehow come between them. He also had feelings for them. It was confirmed. What Tokoyami had said couldn't mean anything else. 

It also didn't help that neither he nor Izuku could get ahold of Shouto. Even though Tokoyami had ordered them to give him space, Katsuki couldn't stop himself from sending repeated texts and calls his way, begging for Shouto to talk to them. 

They just needed to talk. He needed to tell him how much he loved and wanted him, and they needed to figure out how to clear up the mess with the media. There were so many things that Katsuki needed to tell him, but Shouto was choosing to give them the silent treatment. 

He had no idea what Shouto must be feeling. 

He imagined whatever he was going through wasn't very pleasant. After all, Izuku and he had essentially brought him into a sex-only relationship, and Shouto had harbored feelings for them the entire time. Just as they had been pining for Shouto's love, he had been pining for theirs. 

And now that Katsuki knew for certain that their love was requited, he couldn't do anything about it. 

Part of him wanted to go to Shouto and demand to speak to him, but he wasn't sure how receptive Shouto would be now that they'd hurt him so badly. He hoped he would still be open to being with them after all the dust had settled. 

As he lay in bed, he just couldn't get his mind to turn off. All he wanted was to clear everything up and finally be with both of them. He loved them both so much it hurt sometimes, and now that he finally--finally knew he could have them both, he should have been so happy. 

But it might be too late. He might have fucked it up so badly that they'll never get to be with Shouto, too. And Izuku--poor Izuku, who was suffering, too, because of it. 

If only Katsuki had believed sooner that his feelings had been requited. He couldn't stop beating himself up because of it. 

The next day, he was called in for a PR meeting with his team and Izuku's. Apparently, Shouto had called out of work, and no one from any of the agencies had been able to reach him, either. Knowing Shouto, the thought was worrying; he probably thought he had to shoulder this all on his own without any help and was suffering because of it. 

Izuku and Katsuki were told that a press release would have to be made to explain the situation and save their reputations. Well--not Katsuki's, since the whole country thought he was a victim right now. 

The only victim here was Shouto. But there was nothing to be done about that until they were able to reach him. He didn't have any idea if he was reading any of his or Izuku's text, either. He and Izuku also felt that a confession over text wouldn't be enough, so they would have to wait until Shouto was ready to face them again before they could do anything. 

They had to disclose the relationship (if you could even call it that) to their PR teams. To say they were shocked was an understatement, but it was a good explanation for what the media had seen. Now, they only needed to know how Shouto felt about it before they were able to do anything. 

If only they could get ahold of him. If only anyone could. 

"What if we're too late?" Izuku asked him, once they were on their way home for the evening. "What if he never wants to talk to us again? What if we've lost him?" 

"Don't talk like that!" Katsuki scolded, giving him a light push. "We just have to wait until he's ready to talk. We'll sort it all out."

"What if he never wants to talk to us again?" Izuku asked- for the second time. 

"He'll come around." 

He did not tell Izuku that he was thinking all of the same things and was just as--or maybe even more worried as him. 

* * * 

Todoroki Shouto

Shouto had so many missed calls and texts that he didn't even know what to do. 

He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. He hadn't meant to worry any of his friends, and he certainly hadn't meant to worry Izuku and Katsuki. Shouto had been drunk and overreactive, and now he was in an entire mess of things he had no hope of untangling. 

And then there was the media, which was having a heyday with that picture they'd managed to capture of him and Izuku. He felt the smartest move was to cut off their arrangement and try to continue on as normal as possible. 

He didn't want to make any public statements--at least, not until he heard what the couple wanted to do. He wasn't sure if they were comfortable publicizing what had been going on between the three of them. Shouto knew that would be the easiest way out of the mess, but there was no way the media would let that one go, either. No matter what they did, they wouldn't see the end of this for a while. 

So, ignoring all the calls and messages he'd received, he'd sent that text, putting an end to his connection with Izuku and Katsuki. He'd repeatedly told himself it was the best option, completely closing himself off from anything he might feel because of the choice. 

What he'd had with them had lasted maybe a couple of weeks, and it was the only taste of them he'd ever get. He would let it hurt later once everything had blown over. For now, though, he would shove it all down and ignore it the best he could for the sake of his best friends. 

There was one thing, though, that Shouto was having difficulty forgetting. On New Year's Eve, he'd had that conversation with Ashido, and it had given him quite a few things to think about. One, was the possibility that Izuku and Katsuki felt the same about him. 

But when he looked back at their behavior over the last few weeks, he was having a hard time finding truth in her observations. 

They wanted sex from him- nothing else. They hadn't even hinted that they'd wanted something else. In the face of being caught together, Katsuki had so aggressively declared that they weren't together. They never commented on him leaving directly after sexual activities and not spending that tender time with them after, and they never asked him for things like hugs or cuddles. They never held his hand, and they certainly hadn't asked him on any dates. 

Shouto didn't know much about dating, but he'd seen how Izuku and Katsuki had been with each other when they'd started their relationship, and they were most definitely not treating Shouto the same way. 

They saved their sweet touches and kind words for the bedroom, where they could be muddled up with sexual activities. Nothing they ever did held any true meaning beyond bringing them pleasure when Shouto was with them. They didn't talk about feelings. They didn't do any of the things that defined a real relationship. 

Shouto was so confused that he didn't know what to do. 

They most definitely did not have feelings for them. The only thing that could convince him otherwise was if they came right out and said it. Even then, he's not sure he'd believe them. Nothing they'd done up to that point told him that they did. 

And he was hurt. No matter what he told himself or what he did to distract himself from his feelings, they kept coming to the forefront of his mind, and it was near crippling. He couldn't do hero work like this, and he would not be able to have a clear conversation with them about anything until he was able to keep himself in check once more. 

He'd hardly been hanging on before. Now, he didn't know how he was supposed to do it at all. He'd been carefully holding the pieces of himself together for their sake for so long that he didn't even know how to put himself back together anymore. He was cracked and chipped and chunks were missing--taken by them when he wasn't watching his back--and now, he had no idea how he went anymore. He had no idea where the pieces belonged. 

Whatever he was, he didn't belong with them--he knew that much. His love for them had turned him into something ugly and convoluted, and he didn't belong with them. He would never be good enough for them in the shape that he was in. There was no way they would want him, even after everything settled. 

So, he ignored their text and calls, utterly unsure of what to say to them or how to face them. 

He sat across the Tokoyami's table from him and Shinsou. They'd been talking for a while at that point, trying to help Shouto figure out what the next steps would be. The only problem was that none of them wanted to agree. 

Shouto wanted to ignore it. He wanted to ignore the things hurting him, push them away, and distract himself from ever feeling them again. But he knew this wasn't a good option, and his friends seemed to feel the same way. Shinsou insisted on a straightforward approach, while Tokoyami had been softer and more agreeable with what Shouto wanted to do. 

Shout wasn't sure what to do. He didn't feel worthy of their love, and he wasn't sure that he'd be able to accept it. There was hope at the edges of everything, trying to work its way in, but he did his very best on pushing that down in order to lessen the hurt he'd feel at the end of all of it. 

He wasn't sure what to say to them. They wanted to help him--he knew that--but he wasn't sure what was to be done about the situation he'd put himself and them in. 

"You need to talk to them," Shinsou stated, breaking the silence. 

"I think space is a viable option," Tokoyami countered. 

Shouto groaned inwardly, rubbing at his face. 

"I don't think I should do anything," he told them. "I put them into this mess. I have no idea how to get them out of it, and anything I might do right now could make things worse."

"Hence why you need to talk to them. Have you even considered the possibility that they feel the same way you do?" Shinsou pushed. 

"Regardless if that's the case, I don't think they've done a good job expressing it," Tokoyami argued. He looked at Shouto before continuing, "You have every right to be upset with them, even if they did feel the same way." 

"But there's the chance that they do," Shinsou countered. "There's a chance that they've been feeling the same way. If they didn't know your feelings, that would explain how they've acted. I don't condone any of the pain you've gone through over this, and I absolutely want to tear them a new one, but I think that you three need to talk it out. I can be mad about it later." 

"I have considered the possibility," Shouto finally inputted. "And I don't think that they have feelings for me." 

Shinsou sighed. 

They were at an impasse, it seemed, about what the best course of action would be. Where Shinsou seemed intent on pushing Shouto out of his comfort zone, Tokoyami seemed to be supporting the exact opposite, which was entirely unhelpful. He had wanted solutions. But all they were doing was giving physical form to the battle he'd already had inside his mind. 

Really, he knew what he had to do; he was just dragging his feet. 

"I need to talk to them," Shouto said. "I don't know if I'm ready to talk about my feelings, but if there's any hope of resolving the issues with the media, I'll have to talk to them and see what kind of statement they want me to make." 

"You know what? Actually, no," Shinsou suddenly said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled his phone out and set it on the table. "I'm done watching you three pussyfoot around each other like this. Let's resolve this, once and for all." 

He unlocked his phone and started scrolling. Shouto leaned over the table to try and see what he was doing. 

"What do you mean?" Shouto asked. "What are you trying to do?" 

"We're going to call them." Shinsou clicked open Izuku's contact. His finger hovered over the call button. "You don't have to talk. Let me ask then the questions, and you can just listen."

"But is that fair to them if they don't know I'm listening?" Shouto asked. "I don't like tricking them into sharing something they might not be ready to share."

"Are you afraid?" 

Shouto frowned. 

Afraid?

Why would he be afraid? 

"What do you mean?" 

"Are you scared to hear what they'll really say? I think there's more of a chance they feel the same way than not." 

His nerves bubbled up in his chest at the thought of finally hearing that they didn't feel the same way out loud. But then again, maybe he was finally ready to rip off the bandaid and hear the truth. 

"Alright. Fine." 

Tokoyami was next to speak up. 

I'm not sure this is wise," he said. "But I agree. I think it's time for you three to stop beating around the bush and be honest with each other."

Shinou's finger remained an inch above the call button. 

"Just do it," Shouto let out nervously, gripping the table's edge in a white-knuckle grip. 

He watched Shinsou hit the button, then put the call on speaker. The three of them listened to the phone ring, and he almost thought that Izuku wouldn't pick up. 

But then, he did. Shouto held his breath. 

"Hello?" Izuku's voice came over the phone. 

"Hey," Shinsou greeted. "I had a question for you and Bakugou. Is he there with you?" 

"He's right here." 

Shouto held his breath for what would come next. 

"Alright. I just wanted to get clarification on something. Do you two have feelings for Shouto? Any at all?" 

There was some shuffling on the other side. Shouto thought he might have heard some whispering. 

"Why are you asking?" Katsuki questioned. 

"Can you just answer the question?" 

"Um-" Izuku paused. "Yeah, yeah- we do."

"You do?" Shinsou pressed. "Do you love him?" 

"Fuck- how could we not?" Katsuki replied. 

The answer was almost too simple--too anticlimactic to feel real to Shouto. Was it really this simple all along? Did they really love him? How was it possible? How did he miss this?

His chest ached with all the unsaid things and caged in emotions he felt toward them, and he was unsure what to do. His skin was vibrating now with the need to be close to them, and he had no idea what to do- where to begin-

"Is he there? Can we fuckin' talk to him? We've been trying to call him since yesterday to talk to him about this shit." 

Before anyone could reply, Shouto was up out of his seat, heading for the door. He needed to see them. He needed to talk to them- to hear it face to face and, by the gods, to tell them how he felt. How he had felt for years- all of these things, he'd been harboring like hefty weights. For all the things he felt--weighing on him like a burden--he knew he had a place to set them now. For the first time in his life, when that feeling of hope seeped into his bones, he let it stay there- he let it fester, and he allowed himself to soak in it and bask in it. 

He quickly put on his shoes and coat without saying goodbye to his friends at the table. He didn't even hear what Shinsou said to end the call before he rushed out the door. 

Chapter Text

His feet carried him toward his and Izuku's shared home where he knew they must be, the snow crunching under his feet as he went. His breath puffed in front of him as he kept a brisk pace. 

He needed to get to them. He needed to be with them- to touch them and kiss them and do all the things he'd always wanted to do with them. He wanted to hold their hands and give them soft words and kisses and oh- just thinking about it made his heart swell up to an impossible size in his chest, sweeping his breath away from him in a flurry of emotions he had no names for. 

There were things he felt that he hadn't felt in a long, long time--not since he'd first been able to call them friends and had felt excited at the prospect of having people he could even call friends. 

His fingertips felt like they were buzzing, and despite the cold, his entire body burned impossibly hot at the thought of finally being loved like he'd always dreamed about. The falling snowflakes melted and sizzled the minute they touched the hot side of his body at the sheer temperature due to everything happening beneath his skin. 

There were so many questions swirling about in his head, like how and when they began to have feelings for him. He didn't know that he deserved such feelings. He was hardly a whole person anymore and wasn't sure that someone like himself should be wanted. 

But he would finally have a chance to ask them all these things. He would have a chance to talk to them and finally be honest with them about how big and heavy these feelings were and how difficult they'd been to keep inside all this time. 

It was an old game now, keeping those feelings locked deep in himself, knowing they'd never see the light of day. So to feel them licking just beneath his skin--something hot and heavy and all-consuming--was a completely foreign feeling he didn't know how to handle. 

Before he knew it, he had arrived at home. He carried himself swiftly up the short walkway to the door, ripping it open with nothing but intent to finally see them and talk to them. The minute the door was open, he couldn't help but feel how quiet and still the house was. The air was tense and thick like a physical living presence, immediately wrapping Shouto up and squeezing him of his breath. Still, he shucked off his coat and shoes before making his way into the living room. 

They were already coming toward him, having jumped off the couch the minute he arrived. There was Izuku, with parted lips and worried eyes, scanning Shouto from head to toe, thinking god knows what, and Katsuki--whose eyes were uncharacteristically soft. His shoulders were slumped and unsure as Shouto made his way over to them. 

He reached Katsuki first, and immediately wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in his chest, inhaling deeply as the word 'home' sounded in his head on repeat. Izuku was behind him in an instant, and Shouto found himself sandwiched between the two of them. His breath was gone, and his chest was tight, and he felt like his heart was about to burst and trickle out between his ribs at any moment. Thankfully, they were there, though, to hold him tight and keep him in one piece- guarding him from all sides as he let his emotions take control. 

It was an odd sensation, succumbing to the emotions in his chest that had been threatening to spill out for months now. Maybe years, even. 

So when Shouto started to cry--full-on chest heaving, sobbing, crying--he didn't feel ashamed or guilty or wrong for the first time in his life. 

There was no one in his ear telling him how weak he was. Instead, they gave him soft, comforting words. 

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Katsuki whispered against his ear. "We've got you." 

Izuku stretched up to press his soft lips against the back of his neck, and Shouto nearly melted- being held up by nothing but the two sets of strong arms that held him. He let himself go completely pliant in their arms, feeling for the first time that he had a safe place to land when he fell. 

Sure- he needed to talk. He needed to hear them say those words to his face, but with how they embraced each other, he could feel it, like an unsaid bond that tied the three of them together. 

"Is something wrong, Sho?" Izuku asked tentatively and softly. "You can tell us what's on your mind." 

"Nothing's wrong," he choked, finally letting go of them to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "far from it, actually." 

"Oh?" Katsuki breathed, reaching out to wipe a thumb across Shouto's cheekbone, right along the bottom edge of his scar. He nearly combusted at the small touch, feeling like sparks were shooting through him. It was still so crazy to him how they managed to do that--how easily he was reduced to a submissive puddle, the second he was caressed by one of them. 

Because, god, he loved them so much. They could utterly ruin him if they wanted to. They had ruined him already- ruined him for anyone else who might ever love him. Because for Shouto, there would never be anyone else. 

"I think it's time for me to be honest about something," Shouto said thoughtfully. He had to take a step back from them as he was completely unable to form a coherent sentence when their hands were on him.

Both of them gave him expecting looks- almost as if they already knew what he would say. 

"Um- for the longest time--and I really mean for a long time-" 

He swallowed. He was about to say it. 

"-I've loved you. Both of you. So much." 

Izuku's shoulders visibly relaxed, and there was a hint of a smile playing at the edges of Katsuki's lips. 

"Really?" Izuku asked softly. "You mean it?" 

"I mean it. I'm more serious about this than I've ever been about anything." He wiped at his face again, inhaling deeply to try and steady his voice. "I thought for the longest time that I'd ruin our friendship if I said it out loud- if I told you how I really felt. And I couldn't have that. I don't think I could survive losing either of you like that. It would kill me." 

His tone was somber and truthful, laden with emotions he had no way of discerning or recognizing. He'd never heard himself speak like this or sound like this, but part of it was refreshing to know he was finally letting these things out. 

"I thought things would be okay if I never said anything," he went on. "I thought I could keep my distance and keep being your friend without ever having to come to terms with my feelings. I never believed that they'd be reciprocated. But I don't think that matters anymore. Because-" 

His voice wavered as he thought about his words- as he finally put his emotions out in the open for them to see. Both Katsuki and Izuku seemed to hold their breath as they waited for him to finish his statement- both staying silent and allowing him to finish. 

"-becuase it hurts to keep them trapped inside. I- I love you both so fucking much that it hurts to bear it alone. I don't think I can keep it to myself any longer. Seeing you two happy together, wishing I could be a part of what you two have--it's been killing me." 

He felt himself start to choke up again, but he kept speaking, wanting to make sure he got it all out before he ran out of bravery. 

"Seeing you two embrace each other so softly and lovingly makes me ache so badly." Shouto looked away when their expressions shifted to something contorted and painful, unable to see the effect of his words. After all, that's not what he'd intended to do; he didn't want to hurt them. But it was important to him that he share his side of things to make sure they fully grasped how much he had been keeping locked inside. 

"I've never wanted anything more in my life than to be a part of what you two have," he told them, keeping his eyes on the floor. "And even if you never care for me as much as I care for you, I wouldn't mind. I'd never want you two to feel guilty for not loving me the same way. I just needed to tell you how I felt. I hope you can forgive me for all the trouble I've caused by keeping this inside. I'm not very good at showing how I feel, and I'm sorry if it's caused you two to hurt in any way at all." 

He finally spared them a look, and he wasn't sure how to interpret what he was seeing. After all, that had always been his weakness and the root of many of his recent problems. 

"Sho, I love you so much," Izuku suddenly said. "Like, way more than you could ever know. I just didn't think for the longest time that you-" 

He looked down and swallowed hard as if to keep himself from breaking. 

"I thought you were distancing yourself because we were making you uncomfortable. Not because you wanted us, too." 

"I couldn't keep myself from you two if I tried," Shouto laughed softly. "The minute you two proposed that arrangement, I couldn't help myself. I thought it was all I'd ever get from you. So- I had to take it. I had to take what I could." 

"You always could have had us," Katsuki chimed in, taking a step forward. He grabbed Shouto's face and brought it level to his own, giving him a serious look. "If only I'd fucking told you sooner, huh? We could have avoided all this. I'm so sorry, Shouto. I'm sorry I couldn't be honest sooner. I was afraid of losing you, too. I didn't think you could ever-" 

He looked away suddenly, tsking at himself. 

"I didn't think you could ever love someone like me," he said softer. "You're so- so perfect, Peppermint. So fucking perfect. I don't deserve it. Any of it. Yet here you fuckin' are, spilling your heart out and shit." 

Shouto smiled softly, leaning closer. 

"How could I not?" he told Katsuki. "How could I not love someone as brave and perfect and caring as you? You take such good care of me, and Izuku, too. You're always there for us, even in ways you don't realize. I couldn't not love you if I tried." 

There was a sudden sob off to the side, and Shouto and Katsuki looked over as Izuku started tearing up. 

Shouto immediately reached out and pulled him into a hug. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, already worried he'd said or done the wrong thing. 

"N-nothing, it's just- you two are so sweet," he laughed through his tears. "I love you. I love you a lot, Sho. I'm just so happy to hear you say it, too." 

Izuku gave him a teary smile before Shouto pulled him closer, pressing his lips against his forehead. 

"Love you so much, Izuku," he breathed into his hair. 

God, it felt so good to finally say that out loud. 

 As the three of them continued to embrace each other, Shouto was still internally struggling with the fact that it was real. He could have them, and they wanted him. 

They wanted him. 

"So-" Shouto suddenly spoke. "How does this work, then?" 

He knew there had to be some differences between three-person relationships and normal ones. He'd also never been in a normal relationship before, so he had no idea how this was supposed to go. 

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked. 

"Like- I mean- there's three of us," he replied nervously. "So is it any different? I've never dated. I don't know what to expect." 

Katsuki chuckled, and Shouto looked at him with confusion. 

"What's funny?" he questioned. 

"Fucking nothing," Katsuki smirked. "You're just cute and shit- asking how it's supposed to work."

He pulled away from them, but Izuku remained wrapped around Shouto's middle, pressing his face into his chest. 

"The hard part's done. We're together, right? This all means you're gonna be our boyfriend and shit," Katsuki told him. "If that's what you want."

He added the last part, looking down at the floor. Again, he seemed almost nervous--an expression Shouto didn't see on his face often. 

"I want you to be our boyfriend, too," Izuku spoke. "Do you want that?" 

"Yes," Shouto replied instantly. "Of course I do."

Izuku smiled into his chest, nuzzling in with closed eyes, letting out a soft hum of contentment. 

"I have two super sexy boyfriends," Izuku whispered, and Shouto smiled. He rested his chin on Izuku's head and locked eyes with Katsuki, who also had a smile on his face. 

"So- can we-" Katsuki said, stepping closer. "Touch you, stuff like that? I know we had our thing before, but I just want to make sure I'm not crossing any lines, Peppermint. I wanna make you feel comfortable." 

"You can always kiss me," Shouto replied, feeling his cheeks heat up at the statement. "Whenever you want."

He left out how desperately he wanted to kiss them- how often he thought about it- how it made his body burn with red-hot desire. Inwardly begging, shyly trying to convey his wants with his eyes, Shouto didn't look away from Katsuki as he answered the question. 

"Good, 'cause I really wanna fucking kiss you right now," he replied, closing the small distance between them. Shouto's mind chanted 'yes, yes, yes' as the blonde pressed his body against Izuku's back, who was still clinging to Shouto. He pressed a passing kiss to Izuku's temple, his eyes never leaving Shouto's. 

When Katsuki finally leaned forward and kissed him with his impossibly soft yet firm lips, it was like he could feel all the tension in his body leave at once. He tightened his arms around Izuku, who had adjusted his position to watch them kiss with warm and loving eyes. 

Shouto couldn't help but notice that this kiss felt different than the previous ones he'd shared with Katsuki; if knowing he was loved could make a difference, then it did, because Shouto's entire body simultaneously broke out in chills and sweats. It was sweeter and softer than any of Katsuki's other kisses, and Shouto leaned into the feeling, trying not to let the little sounds of contentment and desire slip up his throat. 

Then, there was suddenly a tug on his hair, and Shouto broke the kiss to see Izuku staring at him with determined eyes. 

"I wanna kiss you too," Izuku told him firmly, with pouty lips. "Kacchan doesn't get to hog all the kisses."

So, Shouto leaned down and kissed the pout right off his face, carefully bringing a hand up to cup his freckled cheek. Izuku sighed into the kiss, somehow relaxing even more in his arms. 

"You're telling me I get to touch you whenever I want, right?" Katsuki asked, sneaking around to Shouto's back. Shouto made a small sound in agreement but didn't break away from his kiss with Izuku. He couldn't--not with the little satisfied sounds the man in his arms made as Shouto gently bit down on his lower lip. He used the small, parted-lip sigh that Izuku made as an opportunity to push his tongue inside. Izuku immediately met him with equal excitement, swirling his tongue around Shouto's in a way that made his knees weak and that now-familiar heat swirl in his gut. 

There was suddenly a hand snaking around his side, coming to cup his hardening length in the front of his pants. Shouto groaned into Izuku's mouth, and Katsuki let out a small huff of amusement behind Shouto. 

"So fuckin' easy, aren't you, Peppermint?" Katsuki spoke against his ear- then he nipped it, making him shudder. "Already hard for us, and all we had to do was kiss you." 

His cheeks warmed in embarrassment, and he clutched onto Izuku like a lifeline as he panted into his mouth, already feeling overwhelmed, just like Katsuki had pointed out. Izuku continued to lick into his mouth, tracing the ridges of his teeth with his tongue while Shouto tried to remain upright. 

Between them like this, it felt like he'd been thrown directly into a fire, and there was little he could do to stop burning. There was nothing he could do to stop the way his heart pounded in his chest or the way those three words danced on the edge of his tongue, begging to be spoken aloud-

Wait. 

He didn't have to hide it anymore. He didn't have to keep it inside. 

"I love you," he whispered, his voice breaking slightly. 

Katsuki placed a warm, open-mouth kiss against his neck. 

"What was that?" he teased, gripping Shouto's cock again through his pants. "Can't hear you, Sweetheart." 

Shouto grumbled to himself, inhaling deeply to try and calm his stupid nerves. He shouldn't be shy about telling them that he loved them anymore. It still felt unnatural to let those feelings out after having kept them inside for so long. But he needed to tell them. He needed them to know how much he cared for them. 

"I love you," he said, shuddering again, licking into Izuku's mouth as Katsuki continued to palm him through his straining pants. The pressure wasn't quite enough to get him off, but god, his hands felt so fucking good. "I love you. I love you." 

He bit down on Izuku's lip, pressing his hips into Katsuki's hand to seek out more pressure- more pleasure. 

"Shit," he inhaled sharply as his inhibition crumbled before his own eyes. "I love it so much, when you touch me like this. Feels so good." 

He couldn't stop himself now that he'd started spewing words. Izuku was letting out high-pitched sounds into his mouth as their hot breath mingled together. Shouto, eager to grab onto something to anchor himself and needing to hear Izuku make more of those lovely sounds, brought his hand up to Izuku's neck, holding it firmly but not too tightly. 

"Oh- Sho," Izuku moaned. "Harder, please- touch me." 

Shouto immediately brought his hand down to Izuku's cock, pressing his fingers beneath his clothing to stroke him with a firm grip. He tightened the hand around his neck slightly, still not wanting to hurt him but wanting him to feel good. 

If Shouto went by the sounds Izuku was making, then he'd met his goal. 

"God, I love you so fucking much, Peppermint," Katsuki groaned. "Look at you, making him feel so good like that. So good, baby." 

As he continued to stroke Izuku quickly, Katsuki began to undo his pants, reaching inside now to touch Shouto at the same time. He immediately parted his lips and let out a quiet whimper at the feeling of Katsuki's warm hand wrapping around him- his thumb swirling around his tip slowly and teasingly. 

The blonde suddenly grabbed at Izuku's hip, pulling him flush against Shouto's front, taking both cocks into his large, calloused hand, stroking them at the same time. Their precum mingled together, lubricating the slide of Katsuki's hand as Izuku and Shouto moaned into each other's mouths. 

Shouto could feel Katsuki's hard length press into his backside as he worked his hand over them and nipped at Shouto's neck. He had a short switching pattern between soft kisses, bites, and licks to soothe the surely reddened and stinging areas. The press of Katsuki's teeth only made Shouto whimper. He kept his hold around Izuku's throat as he seemed to like it there; Shouto recalled Katsuki telling him that he liked to be handled roughly, and Shouto was happy to do anything to make him feel good. 

Katsuki bit down into the junction between his neck and shoulder harshly, dragging out a long, stuttered moan from him. He could feel himself getting close now as Katsuki stroked them- their hardened cocks sliding together easily from how utterly wet they both were under the blonde's expert ministrations. 

"Are you close?" Izuku breathed between moans. "I wanna come with you, Sho." 

"I'm close," he whimpered. "So fucking close- Don't stop, please don't stop- love you both so much- please don't fucking stop-"

His words became jumbled and messy as he approached his peak, and it nearly set him aflame when he opened his eyes to see Izuku's debauched appearance. His cheeks were blotchy and red, the delicious flush mingling with his perfect freckles as his mouth hung open loosely. Izuku locked eyes with him, and it felt so charged with so many feelings and things that Shouto thought he might explode. 

Ice crystals were forming over the back of his neck and across his arm now, and it took everything inside him not to let his flames out, too. 

"Look at you, such a mess," Katsuki goaded playfully, quickening the pace of his strokes. "Both of you are so fucking perfect- all fucking mine. Wanna mark up all your pretty skin, Peppermint." 

He bit down on Shouto's neck again before lathing his tongue across the mark he surely left there. 

"Gonna come," Izuku stuttered. "Sho, I'm gonna come, please-" 

Shouto felt his own release coming, and as soon as Izuku started to tremble, he did too. They came at the same time, and the feeling was magnificent, watching Izuku come undone with his eyes rolling back and his lips parted in a silent shout as his own pleasure peaked within him. They came, covering each other and Katsuki's hand in their spend, and the blonde kept stroking them through their orgasms, milking them both for all they had. Shouto relinquished the grip he had on Izuku's neck and instead grabbed his face, pulling him in for a harsh, colliding kiss, unable to stop himself from whimpering into his mouth as he laid claim to him like that. 

And for the first time, after they finished pleasuring each other, Shouto felt like he could kiss them like that- felt like he belonged. Even as he watched Izuku grab Katsuki's hand and lift it to his lips to suck their cum from his digits, Shouto's chest was filled with warmth, and he felt complete--wholly captivated by the two men he could now call his boyfriends. 

Shouto had two boyfriends. 

"That's fucking hot," Katsuki breathed, watching Izuku lick his hand clean. "Such a little slut, aren't you?" 

Izuku moaned around his fingers; his pupils dilated as he worked his tongue between each digit. Shouto could still feel Katsuki's erection poking him on his backside, and he immediately had an idea. 

He'd wanted to do it for so long now, and felt this was a good opportunity to do it, especially since Izuku was there to watch, too. Turning around to face Katsuki, he locked eyes with him and dropped to his knees with a light thud. Izuku continued to suck on his fingers as Shouto grabbed the top of his pants, waiting for either a 'no' or some form of approval. 

Katsuki grabbed his chin, pressing his thumb against his mouth, gently pulling at his bottom lip. 

"What do you want, Peppermint?" Katsuki asked with a slight grin. Unable to voice his wants, Shouto parted his lips and placed a small lick on the tip of his thumb, keeping his eyes locked on those penetrating, red eyes. 

"Gonna have to use your words, pretty boy," he teased, pushing the thumb past his lips. "Tell me what you want." 

There was movement behind Shouto, and Izuku was suddenly plastered across his back, licking the edges of his ear. 

"Tell him," Izuku goaded, brushing his nose against his ear softly- lovingly. 

Shouto swirled his tongue around Katsuki's thumb before coming off the digit with a quiet pop. He could hear Katsuki's labored breaths sounding above him, telling him that the blonde was content in teasing him. Shouto was still a bit shy, not fully confident in himself or his cock-sucking abilities. He wanted to make Katsuki feel good, too, but he was having difficulty getting the words out. 

Instead, he pressed his mouth against his tented pants, breathing a warm and heavy breath against the fabric- begging with his eyes for what he wanted, hoping it would be enough to get what he needed. 

He needed to have his mouth filled- he craved it, wanting to feel him as deep as possible; he'd fantasized about what it would feel like and taste like to have Katsuki come down his throat. 

"Peppermint," Katsuki said, gripping his hair tightly, using it to pull him away from his groin. He grabbed his chin with his other hand, holding him firmly in place. 

"Please," he whimpered pitifully. 

"Please, what?" Katsuki replied, raising an eyebrow. How he was so calm and collected was beyond Shouto. If he were in Katsuki's shoes, he would have lost his cool a long time ago. 

Swallowing thickly, Shouto finally let the words come out. After all, he was desperate for it. He had to have it, and if he was forced to feel a little embarrassed for begging for his cock, then so be it. 

"Please let me make you come," he begged- panting now. "Please let me suck your cock."  

Katsuki smirked and let go of Shouto for a moment to free himself from the confines of his pants. His cock sprang free, and Shouto eyed it hungrily as if it were his favorite meal.  

"That's all I needed to hear," he said. "Open up." 

Shouto immediately did as he said, letting his mouth fall open- his tongue resting on his bottom lip. Katsuki pried at his mouth with his fingers as if to test the stretch, and Shouto was already getting hard again, coming undone under his possessive touches. It didn't help that Izuku was right behind him, snaking his hands up his shirt to touch his chest with clever hands that knew all the right spots to squeeze and scratch to make him break out in chills. 

With a tight grip on his hair, he pressed the tip inside, rubbing it against his tongue. Shouto was already moaning at the sensation, ready to have his mouth filled. He tried to lean forward and take more of him into his mouth but couldn't because of the hold that Katsuki had on his hair and jaw. Huffing in frustration, he had to let Katsuki do as he pleased--which was only to rub the head of his cock against Shouto's outstretched tongue--nothing more. 

He tried again to move forward, but the hand in his hair tightened, yanking him back sharply. 

"Don't be greedy," Katsuki scolded, pulling himself out of his mouth. Shouto groaned in frustration. "You'll get what you want if you're good. You'll take what I give you." 

While Shouto found it incredibly hot to be dominated like that, he'd wanted this for so long that he almost couldn't stand it. He just wanted to make Katsuki feel good. He could be so good for him if Katsuki only let him!

"You're being mean, Kacchan," Izuku told him. "Look how good he's being." 

Feeling spurred on by Izuku's words, he looked up at the blond with a defiant look. 

"Fuck, fine," he grumbled. "You want it bad, don't you? Want me to fill you up, huh? A couple of brats, you two are." 

Shouto nodded furiously, opening his mouth again so Katsuki could fill it. 

Finally, finally giving him what he wanted, he pushed himself inside and loosened the hold on his hair. Shouto took even more of him into his mouth, sucking gently as he created a seal with his lips before pulling back to bobbing down again. Katsuki sucked in a few quick, sharp breaths, and Shouto felt proud of himself for it--for earning those minor reactions. 

He had finally built up a decent rhythm when Izuku whispered into his ear. 

"Hey, Sho." 

He slowed down and listened to him as he whispered something absolutely devious in his ear with a smirk and a hand cupped around his mouth to block Katsuki from reading his lips. Shouto considered what he said before looking up at Katsuki, who watched their exchange carefully. 

"The hell are you two whispering about?" he said. Shouto pulled off of him briefly as he thought about what to do next. 

Using his quirk, he cooled down his mouth, ensuring his tongue was cold. Then, he opened back up and quickly took Katsuki into his mouth, swirling his tongue around him as best he could. He gripped Katsuki's hips to keep him in place as he let out a string of curse words at the sudden temperature change. 

"Fuck, you little-" he cut himself off with a low, drawn-out moan, which satisfied Shouto and let him know that he was pleasing him. After the initial shock wore off, he warmed his tongue back up and licked up and down his length to soothe the cold. 

"You're fucking good at this," Katsuki breathed, gripping his hair again. Shouto moaned around him, taking more of him in, pressing down as much as he could. When his nose finally touched Katsuki's groin, he felt tears form in the corners of his eyes but didn't let up. He held himself there, swallowing around him until he couldn't hold his breath anymore. Pulling back, he started working him in a quick rhythm while breathing in and out through his nose so he could keep sucking for as long as possible. 

When Katsuki's thighs began to shake, Shouto knew he was getting close. At the same time, Izuku had brought his fingers up to Shouto's nipples, playing with them between pinches, causing him to shudder, too. He could probably come right now if he touched himself, but he couldn't bring himself to think about it--not when he had Katsuki down his throat, getting ready to come. 

He kept pace until Katsuki grabbed his hair, stilling his movements. He pressed himself in one final time as his body shook. Shouto felt him spill down the back of his throat, and he swallowed eagerly as he came. He tried his best to swallow it all, but he could feel some of it dribbling out the corners of his mouth as he sucked and swallowed. 

When Katsuki finally came down from his peak, he fell to his knees before Shouto. 

"So good," he praised, breathing hard. "You're too fucking good at that shit." 

Izuku came around to his side and grabbed his chin to take him into a kiss. He licked his lips and down his chin, cleaning up the cum that had spilled from his mouth. 

"I'm fucking lucky as shit," Katsuki said, watching the two of them kiss messily. "I can't believe you're both mine. Love you so much, Izuku. And you too, Shouto. Love you so much." 

"I love you, too," Shouto said, pulling away from the kiss with breathlessness. Izuku slumped against his shoulder, and Katsuki held them both in his arms. 

It was so much better than before, now that he could say these things out loud. Everything felt so much more charged than it previously had, and now he didn't have to feel guilty about wanting to hold them and to be held. He was allowed to want it. 

They loved him, and he loved them. 

It was completely unreal, and some small parts of him almost couldn't believe it. They were too perfect for someone like him to have, yet he did. They were his, now, and he was theirs. 

Chapter Text

After they were all showered and cleaned up, Izuku had proposed they go to bed. It was late by the time their activities had come to completion, and Shouto was exhausted. He hadn't had a proper night's sleep in what felt like forever, and he couldn't pass up an invitation to sleep in the same bed as them like he'd always dreamed about. 

With warm, loving hands, he was guided into Izuku's bedroom. When the three of them climbed under the covers, they positioned Shouto right between them--Katsuki pressed up against his back, and Izuku curled up in his arms. Izuku fell asleep first, and Shouto pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head as his breathing evened out, unable to look away from him. He never thought this was something he'd get to have. Never. 

But here was here in bed with them. They wanted him here. Had wanted him like this. 

He couldn't stop beating himself up about it. When Shinsou suggested he be honest with them about everything, Shouto should have listened. He could have avoided so much hurt and discomfort if only he'd told them the truth sooner. 

"Peppermint," Katsuki whispered, tightening his arm around Shouto's waist. 

"Hmm," he replied lazily. 

"What are you thinking about?" 

Shouto bit the inside of his cheek, wondering if he should share the kinds of thoughts he was having. Things were good at the moment- he was in bed with them, for crying out loud- but did he really want to ruin the mood with his heavy thoughts? 

"You can tell me anything, you know," Katsuki continued. "Even if you think it's stupid or whatever. I'll listen." 

"I just feel like I wasted so much time," Shouto whispered. "If I'd only said something sooner." 

Katsuki nuzzled into his hair with a soft huff of breath. 

"We've got you now, so it doesn't matter," he replied. 

"It does, though," Shouto argued softly. "It does." 

Years, it had been, that he'd been in love with them, and months that he had to watch his two crushes love each other, never knowing they wanted him back. And when he finally did get to have them, he was no more than a toy. It had hurt so badly to be treated like that while wanting more. It still hurt, looking back on those memories--now knowing they had wanted him, but continued to treat him the way he did, all because they thought he didn't love them. 

He did love them. He thought he had to keep up the facade that he didn't in order to preserve his friendship. He wanted them so badly and could have had them the entire time. 

It didn't matter that Shouto had been left wanting his entire life; Izuku and Katsuki had always been different. It was a pain he was used to but a quantity that he couldn't suppress. 

So when he said that it mattered--the pain that he went through--he meant it. All that pain wasn't for nothing, but it certainly felt like it now that he knew they'd wanted him, too.

"During the whole time we were--together, before," he continued, "I thought I was just entertainment." 

He swallowed thickly, trying to suppress his nervousness about sharing his feelings. He hardly talked about his negative emotions so openly, and they felt odd on his tongue. 

"I thought you and Izuku didn't actually want me. I couldn't bring myself to believe that you could. I wouldn't let myself believe my feelings could be reciprocated because I didn't deserve it." 

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. He didn't want to talk too loudly or move too much in fear of waking Izuku, who was still sleeping soundly. 

"I still don't think I deserve this." His voice shook as he uttered the last part. 

"What did I say about all that martyr bullshit, huh?" Katsuki argued, though his tone was soft and without bite. "We want you. You deserve so much more than we could ever give you. Got that? Don't forget that we wanted you just as badly." 

Katsuki tightened his arm around Shouto's waist, pressing his lips against his neck. 

"I didn't think you could love me, either," he told Shouto. "But you do. And I'm still fucking confused about it, but I'm not gonna kick a gift horse in the mouth." 

Shouto chuckled softly at that statement. 

"And you were always more than a quick fuck, idiot," he scolded. "I love you. A lot. It was never that for me--or Izuku. I'm fucking shit at words, but I need you to know that I'm crazy about you, okay?" 

"Okay," he replied softly, finally closing his eyes. "I love you, too." 

Shouto woke up the following morning feeling more rested than he had in months. Katsuki was already up and out of bed, but Izuku was still curled up in his arms. When he cracked his eyes open, Izuku was also awake, staring up at him with warm eyes. 

"Hi," Izuku greeted. 

"Hi," Shouto replied. He leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose, causing Izuku to smile. 

"Kacchan always gets up so early," he yawned. "It's nice having you here too, so I don't have to lay in bed all by myself in the morning." 

"It's nice," Shouto replied. "I always wanted this." 

Izuku burrowed in with a hum of contentment. 

"I always wanted it, too." Izuku inhaled deeply against Shouto's chest. "So comfy. And you smell so nice. Like a campfire in the snow." 

Shouto quirked an eyebrow at the odd comparison. He buried his nose into Izuku's hair and breathed in. 

"You smell like..." He inhaled again, making sure he didn't miss anything. "Like something sweet, but like... musky--or spicy? Maybe that's Katsuki. You always smell like him, too." 

Izuku giggled. 

"You smell like him, too, now. It's nice." 

The door to the bedroom opened. Shouto looked over and saw Katsuki. At the same time, Izuku started to bury his head under the covers. 

"Get up, lazy asses," he called, leaning against the doorframe with a straight face. "I made food." 

"Five more minutes," Izuku grumbled. "Too comfy!" 

Katsuki crossed the room toward the bed, grabbed the bottom of the comforter, and yanked it sharply, leaving Shouto and Izuku uncovered. 

"Rude!" Izuku commented, even though he sat up and peeled himself away, ready to get up and follow Katsuki out of the room. Shouto followed suit, heading down the hall after them toward the pleasant smell of whatever Katsuki had cooked up for them to eat. 

It got quiet once they were all seated at the table with their food. The sounds of forks scraping against the plates and Izuku's pleased moans filled the room--which Shouto tried really hard not to focus on. 

He always loved the little sounds Izuku made, and they always made it incredibly difficult not to think about something dirty. 

"So," Katsuki said, breaking the silence. "We need to talk about all the media bullshit." 

Oh, yeah. 

Shouto had been so happy since last night that he'd almost forgotten about all of that. He had no idea how they were going to handle that. He felt bad enough as it was and would happily take all the blame if he could. 

"We could just announce our relationship," Izuku stated. "Of course, if you're comfortable with that, Sho! It just seems like the easiest way to fix this. But we can figure something else out if you're not ready for that!" 

Shouto looked at him with surprise. It honestly hadn't occurred to him that they would want to announce this publicly. Yes, they had talked last night, and the three of them were in a defined relationship, but he hadn't thought they'd want other people to know. Three-person relationships were an oddity, and he wasn't sure how that would go over in the public eye. 

"You'd want that?" Shouto asked. "To tell people about me?" 

"Don't be stupid," Katsuki scolded. "Of course, we wanna tell people about you. You're not some dirty secret or some shit, if that's what you're thinking. You're important to us, and you're our boyfriend, so of course we're gonna tell people about you." 

"Mean, Kacchan," Izuku frowned. "But I second what he said. You're with us now, regardless of what other people want to think about that. Whenever you're ready to tell people about our relationship, we want that, too. We're not ashamed of you if that's what you think." 

All Shouto could do was blush at their replies. It was so odd, feeling so wanted, and they left him feeling silly every time he voiced his worries out loud--not that it was a bad thing. 

"I'm okay if we share the relationship with the public," Shouto finally stated. "Like Izuku said, it's the easiest way to clear up the misunderstanding." 

"We'll probably have to set up a meeting with our PR teams beforehand so they can set up some kind of press conference." Izuku took another bite of his breakfast with a thoughtful look on his face. "The sooner, the better, so the media has less time to make up more lies." 

Katsuki made a sound in agreement, and that was that. 

After breakfast, Izuku and Katsuki made some calls and organized the meeting to discuss their next steps. 

Shouto only then remembered that he had left his phone and other belongings at Tokoyami's, so he relied on the others to set the meeting. While that was being organized, Shouto left the house to go get his things from his friend's house after having Katsuki send Tokoyami a text letting him know his plans. 

He put on his coat and boots, this time pulling the jacket's hood up over his hair and wrapping a scarf around the bottom half of his face. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted by paparazzi on his way there, and he would have no idea what to say to them if they did. 

Keeping a swift pace, he went down the streets toward Tokoyami's. The weather was nice today—cold, though it didn't matter to him due to his body's natural adjustments—and a bright, cloudless sky. 

As could be expected, there were still some negative thoughts rolling around in his head. Try as he might, he couldn't get himself to stop his negative thinking. 

He had them now, sure, but what would happen when they decided they didn't need him anymore? Shouto saw how most relationships went with people his age; there was no way they would keep wanting him forever. There would most likely be a time when they didn't want him anymore. 

After all, Izuku and Katsuki went together so well--Shouto had a hard time seeing where he fit into the picture. Compared to them, he was a half-baked, poorly placed brushstroke on the edge of a painting where they were the main subjects. They were painted like the beautiful ending of a sunset where the stars were beginning to peak through; bright oranges and reds and purples dotted with little stars along the edges where the darkness had started to seep in. Shouto was one stroke among the many--found somewhere out of sight and out of mind, taking up a single stroke of negative space in the darkening sky. 

It wouldn't be long before they realized they didn't need him. 

As Shouto made his way down the city streets, he tried to focus on the sights and sounds around him to distract him from his thoughts. It wasn't healthy for him to think about the inevitable loss when they wanted him now and would probably keep him for a while. He should enjoy it while it lasts. 

Suddenly, somewhere up ahead, Shouto heard something--well, he saw it lighting up the horizon before the sound of the blast hit his ears, but he was off toward the source of the explosion before he could have any second thoughts about it. Never mind that he wasn't on a patrol shift. If there were anything he could do once he got there, then he would help. Creating a path with his ice, he skated along at high speed toward whatever was going on- his previous task of gathering his things from Tokoyami's completely forgotten. 

When he arrived at the scene, an entire apartment complex had somehow caught fire. There were already a few heroes with water quirks on the scene, trying to put it out, but the fire was raging. Off to the left, Shouto spotted Uravity attempting to keep openings on the lower floors so that other heroes and civilians could evacuate the building. 

"Hey!" he called, sliding in beside her. "Is everyone out? Is this everyone?" 

"Oh, Shouto! What are you doing here? You're not on today, are you?" 

He disregarded her question, helping to put out some of the flames by blasting his ice quirk on the lower floors of the building. 

"We don't know how many were inside," she told him. "Thirty apartments, and so far, we have about fifty civilians accounted for. It's going to be impossible to know until we can get the flames down and send more heroes inside." 

Approaching the building, he tested his body against the heat radiating from it, debating whether it would be safe for him to enter. 

"Shouto, don't even think about it!" she shouted. "There's multiple floors; there's no way it's going to stay up for much longer!" 

Amongst the flames, it was impossible to tell if everyone was out by looking at it from the outside. The building creaked under the flames that licked up the walls, eating away at the structure. It wouldn't be safe for anyone to enter, but he knew he could withstand the heat like no one else could. 

"There could still be people in there! I'm the only one who can stand the temperature. I'm going in!" 

Before she could protest, he rushed inside, using his ice where he could in an attempt to help the structure stay put. The ice wouldn't last under the heat, though, so his time was limited.

The first floor had been cleared of residents, so he found a stairwell in the back of the building and started to head up. Flames began to eat away at his clothing, so he ripped off his winter coat. Tightening his scarf around the lower half of his face, he tried not to inhale the smoke as he rushed up the stairs. 

He kicked in the doors to the apartments, clearing them all one by one. When he reached the one at the end of the hall, a family was trapped inside, all choking on smoke, crawling to keep away from the flames and smoke that coated the ceiling. It appeared to be a mom and a dad—the woman with a child bundled up in a blanket, being held close to her chest. 

"Where's the nearest window?" he shouted, hoping he could hear them over the crackling of the fire and the creaking of the unsound structure in which they all stood. 

The man pointed back across the room, and Shouto cleared a way through the heat and debris with his ice. Smashing out the glass with his elbow, he then created a slide of ice down to the street below with his ice. 

"Here!" he called. "Come through the window. There's heroes who will help you when you get out." 

As soon as they were ushered out the window and down the slide, he immediately returned through the apartment and out into the hallway. 

Suddenly, there was a large crack above him. He looked up just in time to see the ceiling falling, and he rolled out of the way right before it collapsed on top of him. Readjusting his scarf, he pushed onward, finding the next stairwell.

He was on the third and final floor and about halfway through his sweep. Hunched over in the hall behind a downed section of walling was a kid who couldn't be older than five. His face was covered in ash and tears, and Shouto could hear the wheezing in his breath from all the smoke. 

"Hey, I've got you," he said calmly, taking the kid into his arms. The kid latched on tightly, sobbing into his chest. Quickly, he headed for the next apartment and made his way inside toward the windows. Just like the last time, he created a slide of ice and told the kid to go down. 

"I can't!" he said, burrowing his head against Shouto's chest. "I'm scared!" 

"You can do it," he said. "It's just a slide, like at the park. You've been down a slide before, right?" 

The kid looked up at him and nodded. 

"It's safe. You can do it, alright? I'll be right behind you keeping an eye out, and there's heroes right down there who will catch you at the bottom. You can do this." 

With a great deal of hesitance, the kid separated from Shouto and allowed the hero to place him on the window sill. With a small push, the kid went down the slide and to safety. 

Now, he just had to complete his sweep of the last floor. 

He was back out in the hallway now. There were three apartments left to check, and then the building would be cleared. 

He'd made it through two of them, dodging the roof as it began to collapse on him, using his ice quirk where he could send up pillars of ice to keep it up just a moment longer. 

It was the last apartment now--all he had to do was check each room to make sure no one was there. He vaulted over the burning debris that stood between him and the hallway. But the minute he crossed the threshold into the first bedroom, it happened. 

Before he could react, the ceiling came crashing down around him--the sheer weight of the roof catching on his arm, dragging him to the floor. It was hot as hell, and he was pinned there, unable to move out of the way when the rest of the ceiling caved in around him. 

His right side was pinned, so he failed when he tried to use his ice quirk to save himself from the impact. He felt shooting, burning pain spread through his whole body before everything went dark. 

Chapter Text

Shouto woke up to the sound of a familiar, steady beeping. He'd been hospitalized enough to know what it felt like to wake up in one of these beds. His head was pounding, and when he opened his eyes, the bright, fluorescent lights were far too much stimulation on his retinas. Closing his eyes again, he swallowed thickly, wondering how long he'd been out. 

He remembered the fire and going in to check for residents. He remembered the family and the kid he sent down to safety, but nothing past that. He must have stayed inside too long and ended up under the rubble, telling by the way the entire right side of his body ached. Breathing hurt, too, so he guessed he might have cracked a few ribs as well. 

He opened his eyes again, blinking several times to get used to the light. He needed to survey his injuries- wanting to know how badly he'd been hurt. 

At the end of the bed, a nurse was looking over a clipboard. Her eyes flicked up to his, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "You're awake! I'll go get the doctor, 'kay?" 

He didn't have time to respond before she was gone. 

Left on his own, he tried to sit up in bed but found it incredibly painful. Aside from the steady beeping of the heart monitor he was hooked up to, he was alone. He still didn't have his phone to call anyone, so he'd likely be alone for a while. Uraraka had seen him go into the building but likely wouldn't know to reach out to Katsuki and Izuku for him, so they probably wouldn't know that something was up until he either didn't make it home when they expected him to or if the media covered the fire. He supposed this was okay. 

The last thing he wanted was to worry them, after all. 

When the door to the room opened again, the nurse was back with the doctor.

"You weren't very smart today," the doctor opened with. Shouto frowned and tried not to roll his eyes. "Three broken ribs, a broken arm, and a concussion. You're lucky you'll be able to walk out of here--and lucky, too, that those burns aren't going to scar, thanks to your quirk. It's entirely what kept you alive." 

"How long was I out?" he asked. 

"Only about an hour--nothing major! However, you'll need to take a few weeks from hero work to heal those breaks. And no strenuous activities for the next week or so." He grabbed the clipboard and checked it over as he spoke. "Don't want to upset that concussion or cause any pain in your ribs." 

Shouto sighed. He hated taking time off. He was never sure what to do with himself when he was home alone for extended periods of time. 

"We saw you don't have any emergency contacts listed," the nurse interjected. "Is there anyone you want us to call for you?" 

"I don't know anyone's numbers off the top of my head," he replied, biting the inside of his cheek. 

"Alright, hon," she said with a look of sympathy. "Well, they've been covering the fire on the news, so if your friends see it, they'll likely come visit. I'll let you know if anyone shows up." 

"We'd like to keep you for a few more hours just to monitor your condition and make sure there's no internal bleeding, as well," the doctor stated. 

And with that, the nurse and doctor left him alone again. 

There were no clocks in the room to tell him how much time passed. If the fire was being aired on the news, then why hadn't anyone showed up yet? 

Was it selfish to think that they would? 

He knew they had greater things to worry about at the moment, like setting up the PR meeting and getting the press conference scheduled, so maybe he was too needy by thinking they needed to be at his bedside. 

Shouto was alive. They surely covered that much on the news, so maybe they didn't think they were needed. He didn't really need them; he was alright. He was fine, if a little lonely. But that was no reason to force them to make a trip all the way to the hospital. If only he had his phone, though, so he could at least check in with Izuku and Katsuki. 

Closing his eyes, he took in a few deep breaths (or as deep as he could stand) and tried to relax. The quiet beeping of the monitors gave him something to focus on other than his own thoughts, so he started to count the chirps in his head. 

When Shouto's count reached the fifties, he heard some commotion in the hallway. The door to the room was closed, so he couldn't quite make out what was happening. All he could make out was someone yelling, though he couldn't discern what was being said. 

Then, the door to his room suddenly crashed open loud enough to make him flinch. Coming straight for him now was Katsuki with a panicked look. Izuku was hot on his heels and looked like he'd been crying. 

"Icyhot, you bastard!" Katsuki yelled. Shouto flinched back at the tone, unsure what to expect. Izuku was grabbing at Katsuki now, but he jerked his arm out of his grasp, coming right up to Shouto. "The hell were you thinking? The fuck?"

Shout wasn't sure what to say or do in the face of his anger. He wasn't sure why he was so angry or why Izuku had started crying- and he couldn't get his breathing to even out, and his chest hurt-

"You scared the shit out of us, you know that?" Katsuki cracked. He scoffed and whipped his head away, blocking his face with his forearm. "Fuck you. Seriously." 

"I-I'm sorry," Shouto replied quietly, unsure what else would be a good answer in this situation. His head and chest hurt and he was trying not to cry, but he hated being yelled at and wasn't sure why he was so mad at him in the first place. 

Izuku, white as a sheet with silent tears streaming down his face, had yet to say anything. Shouto wasn't sure what to think about that, either. 

He was okay, so why were they so mad at him? Had he done something wrong already? 

"Don't be sorry," Katsuki scolded. Shouto couldn't look at him any longer and instead focused on the cast on his arm, absentmindedly tracing his other fingers over the stiff material. "You shouldn't be doing this reckless bullshit in the first place! I've got one self-sacrificial idiot to worry about already. I don't need two." 

Right. So that's what this was about. 

"Um-" Shouto swallowed. His throat was still dry, and he was having difficulty speaking clearly. "I'm okay, so there's really no need to worry. I'm fine." 

Katsuki groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"That's not what I'm fuckin' upset about, dipshit! You can't just do things like that, okay? Don't be fucking selfish and run into a fire, for god's sake! Don't you get it? You can't do that shit." 

"Kacchan," Izuku tried softly, grabbing his arm again. 

"Selfish?" Shouto asked softly. 

"Yeah," Katsuki bit. 

"It would have been more selfish not to, since I was the only one that could. Four people would have died in that fire- if not for me." 

"It wasn't safe, and you knew it," he argued, pointing a finger in Shouto's face. "Yet you fucking did it anyway. And you almost died. You almost died, Shouto. I can't do this shit. I can't be constantly worrying that you're running into fires and collapsing buildings without any kind of plan or backup. It doesn't matter if you're the only one who can. It was suicide." 

"Kacchan," Izuku called sharply, and the blonde glared at him. Izuku then turned to Shouto with softened eyes. "We're glad you're alright. You worried us. But we're relieved you're okay." 

Shouto's hands shook as he tried not to cry. Digesting Katsuki's words, he tried not to get too upset, knowing that would make the situation worse. Izuku was soft and cordial as always--but Shouto knew what this was. Katsuki didn't want to worry about him like this, and Shouto understood- he really did. It didn't make it hurt any less, being yelled at like that, especially when he could guess what was coming next. 

It was just happening a lot faster than Shouto thought it would. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours. 

"I'm sorry," Shouto tried again. He inhaled deeply, ignoring the burning in his eyes as he tried to remain calm and collected in the face of what was happening. "I understand that I'm--I'm not- I won't-" 

He blinked harshly. 

"I won't be mad if you want to break up with me," he said quietly- beating them to the punch--then added, "I get it."

After all, that's where this was going, wasn't it? 

They couldn't deal with him. He'd known all along that he was too much and that they'd realize it sooner or later. 

It just so happened to be 'sooner' rather than 'later,' which was unfortunate but couldn't be changed. 

"What?" Katsuki spoke in a sharp whisper. "No. No, that's not what I-" 

Shouto bit down on his bottom lip to keep it from wavering as a wave of pure confusion washed over him. 

"Shouto, Sweetheart, that's not what I was trying to say," he said, his tone softening with his eyes. He suddenly stepped forward and cupped Shouto's face in both his hands, forcing him to make direct eye contact. Izuku came closer, too, resting a warm and comforting hand on his arm. "I would never do that, understand? I was just worried. You scared the shit out of me. I can't-" 

Katsuki's throat bobbed, and he squeezed his eyes shut when they started to gloss over. 

Was Katsuki- was he crying? 

Shouto had almost never seen that before. He'd never thought he would be a worthy cause to cry over in the first place--especially Katsuki's tears. 

"I just got you," he whispered, opening his eyes. "I can't lose you. I just got you." 

Izuku gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, carefully resting his head on his shoulder to avoid jostling him. 

"We would never break up with you. Ever," Izuku sniffled. "Don't ever think that, okay? It won't happen." 

"You don't know that," Shouto said, averting his eyes from Katsuki's. "You can't say things like that." 

"We fucking can," Katsuki stated. "We won't ever break up with you. End of fucking story. If we ever make you feel like that again, you tell us. I didn't mean to make you think that, and I'm sorry." 

Before Shouto could say anything else, Katsuki had leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, effectively silencing him, words and mind. He melted into it instantly, feeling the wave of pure emotion that the blonde poured into the kiss. It was thick and sweet and pure like honey, and all Shouto could do was accept what was being fed to him. It was different from their other kisses--charged with emotion in a completely different way than any of the others that came before. 

The minute Katsuki pulled away and Shouto tried to regain his bearings, there was another set of lips sealed over his own. Izuku kissed him with tender lips that tasted like the salt from his tears. Like most of Izuku's kisses, he was hungry and utterly all-consuming, instantly licking into Shouto's mouth with his wet tongue. Right as that heat began to swell in his lower abdomen, Izuku pulled away. 

"I love you," Izuku said. "And I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if we lost you, Sho." 

"Love you too," Shouto said, taking a deep breath. 

He felt so overwhelmed by everything that had just occurred that he wasn't sure where his mind was at. Just a second ago, he thought they were going to leave him.

But they had assured him they wouldn't, and Shouto chose to believe them. 

Some other friends had also dropped in to check on him, and Shouto finally got his phone back. There were several missed calls and texts from Katsuki and Izuku, plus everything he had left untouched ever since the mess with the media began. 

He ended up getting released from the hospital that evening and was taken home by Katsuki and Izuku, who took every opportunity they could to dote on and care for him. It all felt a bit much, but whenever he said he didn't need the special attention, Katsuki got abrasive—and Shouto knew to pick his battles with the blonde. 

As it turned out, Katsuki and Izuku had been able to do most of the work over the phone, resulting in no need for a meeting with their PR teams. 

"They want to do the press conference tomorrow," Izuku said, carefully cuddling into his side on the couch. "But we can push it out if you're not feeling up to it." 

"The sooner we can get it out of the way, the better," Shouto replied. "I can walk, and as long as I'm able to sit for the press conference, I should be fine." 

There was suddenly a pair of arms reaching out from behind him, bearing a mug full of steaming hot chocolate. 

"You don't have to push yourself," Katsuki said, pushing the mug into Shouto's uninjured hand. "If you're not feeling up to it, then we'll reschedule it."

"No, I want to," Shouto argued. "The longer we let this mess fester, the worse the lies get." 

And that was the truth. Shouto had done a little web surfing on his phone, and things were really starting to spiral. On social media platforms, people had begun to pick apart any picture of Shouto and Izuku they could find, looking for evidence of their 'affair.' 

"Fine," he replied, coming around to sit down on Shouto's other side. "Just don't be stupid. And tell us if anything's hurting." 

Shouto nodded in agreement. Then, Izuku flipped on the TV and chose an animated film that Shouto didn't know the name of. 

A few minutes passed before Izuku began to fidget beside him. 

"Hey, Sho?" he asked tentatively, bringing his knees up to his chest. 

"What?" 

"I wanna ask a weird question." 

Interest piqued, Shouto's turned his full attention to Izuku. Katsuki leaned in closer, tuning into whatever he was about to say. 

"Alright," Shouto replied. 

"So, um-" he cleared his throat, and Shouto watched as his cheeks turned a cute shade of pink. "That, uh, thing you did with your tongue. For Kacchan."

Shouto's cheeks were also red now. Katsuki chuckled beside them, amused at whatever was happening. 

"Could you maybe- do it to me, sometime? Likewhenyoueatmeout." he sputtered as if he was embarrassed. 

"Jesus, take a breath, Deku," Katuski laughed. Izuku buried his face in his hands. 

Shouto would gladly give Izuku whatever he asked, and was already getting hard just thinking about the sounds he would make. 

"I could do that," Shouto replied. "But I can't have sex for a while. Like a week, or maybe longer." 

"What." Katsuki frowned. "Why?" 

"My ribs? And my concussion? My doctor said no strenuous activities. And having sex with you two is always a strenuous activity." 

Well, shit," Katsuki replied. "I didn't think about that." 

In a flash, Izuku was down between Shouto's legs on the floor. His breath was already picking up just at the sight of him- flushed cheeks and all innocent-looking, though Shouto knew he was far from it. 

"We could still make you feel good," Izuku said, nosing along his thigh. "You wouldn't have to do anything." 

Katsuki reached down and slipped a hand beneath the waistband of Shouto's sweatpants and ghosted his fingertips over the tip of his hardening length. He sucked in a breath and nodded furiously, hoping they wouldn't make him beg for it. He set his hot chocolate down on the coffee table to give them his full attention. 

"Just relax," Katsuki said, brushing his lips against the shell of his ear. "We'll take care of you, Peppermint." 

Chapter Text

"I can dress myself, you know," Shouto told Katsuki, who was behind him, sliding a button-up shirt over his shoulders, helping him feed his uninjured arm through. 

"I don't give a shit," Katsuki replied. "Here, lift your other arm," he said, tapping the surface of the cast. 

It was only his forearm that was broken and in a cast, but Katsuki and Izuku insisted on dressing him that morning for the press conference the three of them were about to attend. Izuku, the little vixen that he was, had been entirely unhelpful while 'helping' him put his pants on and somehow ended up with his lips around Shouto's cock. Not that he was complaining, but Katsuki had taken up the role of a slave driver, insisting that they were going to be late now because of it. He noted that Izuku maybe had a bit of an oral fixation, but as Shouto said, he really didn't mind. Neither did Katsuki, for all the complaining he seemed to do. 

Katsuki rolled Shouto's shirt sleeves up to his elbows to avoid having to button the cuff around his cast, then assisted him in fastening the buttons closed on the front. Izuku was fussing with his hair in the mirror--no matter how many times Katsuki and Shouto told him it looked alright the way it was--insisting that he looked like a mess. It was probably Shouto's fault for tugging on it too hard earlier, but he wouldn't say anything about it. He always thought Izuku looked attractive. 

Fifteen minutes later, they were picked up by an agency car to be carted off to the press conference. 

Shouto couldn't help but feel nervous as he considered all the possible outcomes. Polyamory wasn't widely practiced and might be viewed as odd, though anything was probably better than their current predicament with the press. 

There was a sharp tap on his forehead, jolting him from his thoughts. 

"Don't be overthinking and shit," Katsuki scolded. "It's gonna be fine. If anyone decides to act like a dick, I'll put 'em in their place. So don't worry." 

"You can't be mean to the press, Kacchan," Izuku interjected. "You've already got several write-ups for that." 

"I'm not playing around with this shit." Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest and gazed out the window. "If they wanna act disrespectful, I'll show them what disrespect really looks like. See if I give a fuck." 

"You don't need to do that for me," Shouto told him. 

"I'll do whatever I want," Katsuki grumbled, laying his hand over Shouto's. "All you gotta do is sit there and look pretty." 

"You're not actually supposed to do much talking," Izuku pointed out. "That's what your PR teams said. They want you to confirm the relationship, but not to answer any other questions if you don't have to." 

"Do I look like a give a shit?" Katsuki asked. 

Shouto looked Katsuki over. "Not really." 

Izuku chuckled. "I'm sure that was a hypothetical question," he commented, and Shouto frowned. 

How was he supposed to know that?

They were let into the venue through a back door connected to an alleyway to keep them out of the way of the media and press until it was time. Now, they sat in a waiting room as the journalists filled the venue hall for the conference. 

There wasn't a lot of talking as they listened to their PR agents give them their 'yesses' and 'no's' for when they stepped out onto the small stage. They were told to stay away from overly invasive questions and to answer the simple ones that allowed for their relationship to be defined--nothing more. They weren't there to do any more than that. 

Shouto always hated these kinds of things and often avoided them at the request of his team, though he didn't argue with them about it. He had difficulty understanding certain questions and social cues that always made him look unfriendly or stupid. It would hopefully be better this time, though, to have Izuku and Katsuki with him to take some of the weight off his own shoulders. 

It was good to know that they would be there for him like that. He'd never had that before. 

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Asked one of the agents. 

The three of them nodded, and then they were sent out the side door and onto the stage. 

The minute they stepped out in front of the audience of journalists, the shouting started. They found their seats at the table and chairs set out for them. Each of them had their own microphone to answer questions. One of the agents--Katsuki's--followed them out and took up their own place at the end to help as a mediator if the need arose. Her name was Katsumi Ono, who apparently does a pretty good job at keeping him in line when need be, at least compared to other agents. She just had a little more backbone than most. 

Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. Hopefully, the journalists would be respectful. Shouto really didn't want to cause a scene and have any more media articles published about the three of them. All he wanted was to be out of the limelight and to be able to do his hero work without that particular stress on his shoulders. 

The agent on the stage with them was a younger white-blonde woman with purple-tipped hair, and a purple pantsuit to match. She had a serious expression with a pair of thin glasses perched on the edge of her nose. As they found their seats, she tapped a finger on her microphone to call attention to the room. 

"Hello, everyone!" she greeted. "Thank you for showing up to our conference today! I know you all have many questions, but I'd like to remind you to remain kind and curious to the heroes on stage today. Just like you, they are people, and they deserve your kindness and respect. With that, let's begin! We'll start with a statement from Dynamight, and from there, we'll accept a few questions." 

Murmurs filled the room, and Shouto tried his best to keep a straight and cordial face. He tried not to let his disdain bleed through into his facial expressions- not that he was ever aware of it when it happened.

"Listen up," Katsuki started, his tone strong and clear. "Shouto, Izuku, and I are in a relationship. Whatever the hell you think is going on--it isn't. End of fucking story." 

The PR agent on stage shot Katsuki a severe look. 

The room erupted in a chorus of shouts. Hands were raised, and people shouted their follow-up questions, hoping to be picked from the masses. 

The agent pointed at a reporter in the front. 

"You, in the red shirt," she said. "What's your question?"

The room thankfully went silent for him to ask, though he still raised his voice to ask his question. 

"How long has the relationship been going on?" 

Shouto looked over to Katsuki and Izuku, and the latter thankfully leaned forward, ready to give them an answer. 

"Unofficially, about a month," Izuku replied. "Um- officially? Just a few days. It's really new." 

"Which means we'd appreciate some fucking space," Katsuki said, scowling out at the audience. "We don't need to announce every goddamn thing we do." 

"Kacchan," Izuku whispered, away from the mic with a sharp look in his green eyes. 

Be nice, Izuku lipped at him. 

"Alright, next question," the agent said. "Two rows back; you with the spiky hair--yeah, you." 

"Question for Frostburn," he stated. Shouto tensed up in his seat. "Your father, Endeavor, has expressed outward disapproval toward the LGBTQ community. What do you have to say about that? Does he know about your relationship?" 

Of course he has, Shouto sighed under his breath. He didn't keep tabs on his father these days, but it sounded like something he'd do. 

"I don't talk to my father. That's not new news," Shouto said into the microphone. "Whenever the articles come out, that's when he's going to find out. I've never been in a relationship before, so he didn't know about my sexuality." 

He glanced to the side, catching an undiscerable look from Izuku before he continued. 

"To be completely honest, I've never been attracted to anyone before," he said. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say these things, but here he was, spilling his guts out in front of a bunch of reporters and journalists. "I've never been attracted to anyone except them. So, my sexuality doesn't really matter. It's just them. Always has been, for me at least." 

Being completely honest about his feelings was the least he could do for Katsuki and Izuku- especially after everything he'd put them through in the last month. He would gladly share how in love with them he was. Knowing that they loved him back gave him all the confidence he needed to shout it from the rooftops. 

The room erupted in questions again, and Shouto waited for the agent to call out the next person. 

When the shouts died down again, she picked another person. 

"The night the picture was taken, where was Dynamight? Why were the two of you together without him?"

Shouto looked at the others, not sure what they were supposed to say. But then, Katsuki leaned forward into his microphone. 

"We don't have to tell you people every aspect of our relationship. If Deku wants to kiss Icyhot over there, he's fu--he's allowed to," he spat. "We don't have to make a list of rules for you ingrates to have about our relationship." 

There were murmurs and follow-up questions sounding through the audience, but Katsuki ignored them and continued speaking. 

"All you need to know is that we're in a relationship, and you are not entitled to sit there and make up hurtful, shitty lies about them. Got it?" 

The agent cleared her throat after that, most likely not happy about his choice of words. He had dropped the 'F' word several times--which he'd been explicitly told to forgo. So there was that. 

"Alright, next question..." she sighed. 

After everything wrapped up and they were in the car again, Shouto was finally able to take a breath. Things had gone better than he anticipated, but he was still nervous; the press always had a way of spinning things to make them more interesting--even though a public polyamorous relationship between three heroes is big enough news, in his opinion. They'll probably be talking about it for a while, and they can look forward to cameras getting thrust into their faces any time they go out in public for the foreseeable future. 

At least they didn't think Izuku was a cheater and Shouto a homewrecker anymore.

To Shouto's left, Izuku was talking non-stop about something--he hadn't been listening properly enough to know what--but Shouto couldn't take his eyes off him. It was something about how his face tended to light up whenever he went off on one of his tangents that always captivated him. 

There was a warm feeling in Shouto's chest as he enjoyed their company. It was an odd, unfamiliar feeling, knowing he now had a right to watch Izuku and smile at him like he did--and he had a right to enjoy the way Katsuki's hand felt, splayed out on his upper thigh. He could just sit there and enjoy their company now because he belonged. 

All along, he'd been looking at them like two perfect puzzle pieces fit together, but all along, there had been a place for him there, too. He had just been too blind to see it before. 

He couldn't help but smile. 

When they arrived home, Izuku and Katsuki helped him undress, even though he told them again that he was more than capable. They stood in Shouto's bedroom, helping him out of his clothes with soft, careful hands. 

Izuku was at his front, undoing the buttons on his shirt while Katsuki pressed himself against his back, reaching around to unfasten Shouto's belt and pants. 

"How much longer with this whole 'no sex' shit?" Katsuki asked, slowly pulling down the zipper. 

"It's been one day," Izuku laughed. 

"Don't care," Katsuki replied, sliding the pants down Shouto's hips. He cupped Shouto's butt in his hands, giving each cheek a soft squeeze. "I wanna fuck you so badly. It's been too long since I've been inside you, Peppermint." 

Shouto could feel the tips of his ears burning. He should really shut this down, but it was incredibly difficult to form a coherent thought when Katsuki and Izuku's hands were on him. His shirt was unbuttoned now, and Izuku pushed it down his shoulders. It hung in the crooks of his arms, unable to slide down the rest of the way over his arm cast. His torso was still wrapped, too, due to the broken ribs. They didn't ache that badly, and Shouto really, really wanted to continue this, even if he knew it wasn't the smart thing to do. 

"I can be gentle," Katsuki continued, brushing his lips across his shoulder. 

Shouto shuddered. His whole body felt like it was on fire already, and he had to keep himself from panting and breathing too heavily in order not to cause his ribs any pain. 

"I could fuck you slow and easy, Peppermint." He bit down lightly on his neck. "I just wanna make you feel good." 

He could already feel his cock filling out his boxer briefs, and it didn't help when Katsuki ghosted the tips of his fingers along the length, causing it to stir with even more interest. His head felt like it was full of cotton; all he wanted to do was tell him yes. 

"Please," Katsuki begged, low and gravely, right against the shell of his ear. 

"Kacchan..." Izuku scolded, though there was no heat to his tone. "We really shouldn't." 

Shouto swallowed, feeling sparks over his skin wherever Izuku touched him, too, as he skated soft touches over his lower abdomen and along the band of his underwear. 

"Or..." Shouto said, as he was finally able to form a thought. "You could fuck Izuku, and I could-"

He inhaled sharply when Katsuki licked a stripe up the side of his neck. 

"You could what, Peppermint?" Katsuki asked in a teasing tone. 

"I- I could watch." 

God, he'd always wanted to watch them- but he could imagine how torturous that would be to watch them like that, but not be allowed to touch and take any for himself. He'd spent years waiting to taste them, and only to be able to look-

"Not a bad idea," Katsuki stated. "You sure you'd be able to do that? Watch me fuck him, nice and slow like that- and have you just sit there? Sure you could handle it?" 

"I-" his words were cut off with a whimper when Katsuki squeezed a hand around his erection. 

"Sure you could be good?" Katsuki asked. 

"I can be good," Shouto breathed quickly. "I'll be good." 

Izuku leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Shouto nearly combusted right there on the spot. 

They were torturing him. 

Katsuki reached around him and grabbed a fistful of Izuku's hair, pulling his head up so he could make eye contact. 

"Get on the bed, Deku," Katsuki ordered. Izuku was quick to follow his orders. "You too, Peppermint."

He did as he was told, feeling a wave of anxiety now about the whole thing. Izuku was already there, pulling off his clothes swiftly, getting himself undressed and ready for Katsuki, who stared him down like he was his prey. 

"Back against the headboard," Katsuki said, looking at Shouto. "Hands to yourself, and no touching. I don't want you to touch yourself, either." 

He couldn't help the pitiful whimper that left his mouth. His erection sat heavy and waiting between his legs, just begging for a release that he apparently wasn't going to get. All he got from Katsuki was a smug look as he tugged off his own shirt and began to undo his pants. Once he was fully naked, he climbed on the bed and grabbed Izuku by the hips, pulling him over onto his knees facing Shouto. He was close enough to touch if Shouto wanted to--his hands flexed and shook at his sides with the need--but he'd told Katsuki that he would be good. 

And he did; he really wanted to be good. 

"Look at me, Shouto," Katsuki said. "Keep those pretty eyes on me. Nothing else, got it?" 

Shouto nodded slowly with parted, panting lips. 

"Good boy." 

Shouto had to dig his nails into his palm to keep his fire under control. He could feel the heat of it, brushing just under the surface, swirling inside his chest like a time bomb. 

Katsuki held eye contact with him as he bent down, bringing his face level with Izuku's behind. Izuku was already fisting the sheets and breathing heavily in anticipation. Shouto wanted to see the faces he was making, but Katsuki had ordered him to keep eye contact with him. He couldn't disobey. 

Holding his gaze as he bent down and flicked his tongue along Izuku's crack was somehow one of the lewdest things he'd ever seen or done. He moaned in tandem with Izuku, feeling the heat spread through his own body like lava. His hands ached to reach down and touch himself to relieve the pressure and fire in his body. Katsuki never took his eyes off Shouto, and it felt as though they were connected by a live wire--electricity zipping between them like a bolt of lightning. 

Katsuki grabbed at Izuku's hips, keeping them held in place as he tried to fuck himself back on Katsuki's clever tongue, whimpering and panting out unintelligible words. Shouto couldn't quite see what Katsuki was doing but could hear the wet sounds of his tongue lathing over him, lubing him up with spit--and he knew the exact moment he pushed it past that ring of muscle around Izuku's tight hole. Izuku shook and moaned, and Katsuki continued to hold eye contact with Shouto with a sharp, knowing look in his eye. 

It went on like that for a while, and Shouto's entire body trembled as he struggled to keep himself planted there like he was told. Katsuki used his hands to spread Izuku open even further, pushing his tongue in as deep as it could go, all the while holding Shouto's steady, burning gaze. 

After a few more minutes, he finally pulled his mouth away, wiping the excess saliva away from his lips with his arm. 

"Lube?" he asked Shouto, holding out a hand. 

Shouto sprang into action, turning to root through the drawer on his bedside table for the recently purchased bottle. 

Before them, he hardly felt a need to touch himself like that- often opting to simply jerk himself off. But ever since he'd felt what it was like to be filled and stretched open by Katsuki, he'd needed something more in order to make himself come. He had to spread himself open on his fingers now when he touched himself- thinking--fantasizing--that it was them instead. 

He handed the bottle to Katsuki, who immediately popped the cap open and poured a generous amount onto his fingers. 

"Sit back," Katsuki said, looking at Shouto. He hadn't realized it, but he'd unconsciously scooted closer when he'd been given permission to move. Scooting back until he felt the cold of the headboard on his back, he let out a pouty huff at being told to back away. 

"You said you'd be good," Katsuki teased. "Said you'd be able to watch." 

"I'm being good," Shouto offered instantly, gripping the sheets at his side tightly--tight enough to feel an ache spread up his broken forearm. 

"You can't sit still," he said, pushing an unknown number of fingers into Izuku's waiting hole, causing him to arch his back and let out a soft, high-pitched sound. "I bet it's difficult for you, huh? To watch while I spread him wide like this. I know you want it, too." 

Shouto couldn't deny that it was true as he watched Katsuki pump his hand back and forth between Izuku's cheeks. Izuku pressed his reddened face into his forearms as he fell apart under Katsuki's touch. Shouto wanted to reach out and soothe his hands through his hair—touch his face and maybe his lips, too—but he wasn't allowed to.

It frustrated him. 

"I know how you like to be touched," Katsuki continued with a grin. "Just like this-"

He did something with his hand that Shouto couldn't see, and Izuku cried out against his arms. 

"You like to feel that stretch. You like it deep- Just. Like. This," he said, pushing his fingers inside harshly with each word. 

Ice crystals erupted across Shouto's back and neck, but they were almost immediately melted by the sheer heat radiating off his left side. The water droplets ran down his skin to wet the sheets, and his bangs stuck to his forehead from sweat. He hadn't even been touched, but he could imagine how wrecked he already looked. 

He ground his teeth together, clenching and unclenching his fists as he listened to Izuku's cries of pleasure, trying his hardest not to reach down between his legs to provide himself some respite from the pressure in his body. He felt as though he were about to combust. 

Katsuki suddenly pulled his fingers out of Izuku, eliciting a whimper of protest from the latter. But then, he lined their hips up and pressed the tip of his length inside with a groan--still keeping his eyes locked onto Shouto's--who was beginning to feel extremely frustrated with the situation. 

He almost regretted proposing this, to begin with--but it was also a sight to behold, watching two of the country's strongest heroes undo each other right before his eyes. 

"So fucking tight," Katsuki rasped, pushing further into Izuku's tight, wet heat. 

When Izuku suddenly reached out and stroked Shouto's leg, he thought for sure that Katsuki would scold them, but he didn't say anything. When Izuku realized he could get away with it, he reached out even further and gripped a calloused, shaky hand around his thigh, then used his sheer strength to pull Shouto closer with that one hand. 

Parting his legs, Shouto's still-clothed erection was brought right up to Izuku's face. 

Shouto looked back up at Katsuki, who was watching the exchange closely. Shouto let out a shaky breath when he felt Izuku's warm lips press against the outline of his length, mouthing at it over his boxers. 

"Katsuki," Shouto tried, ignoring the way his voice shook. "Please." 

The blonde was fully seated in Izuku now, gripping his hips tightly as he ground down against him, burying himself impossibly deep. 

"Motherfucker," Katsuki hissed. "Jesus, Deku- fucking- suck him off. Do it. Shit." 

Feeling giddy now, Shouto peeled his boxers off and repositioned himself in front of Izuku, who immediately licked up the underside of his cock with a moan. Katsuki chose that moment to pull out and thrust back into him harshly. Izuku grabbed at Shouto's thighs for purchase, opening his mouth wide as he tried to close his lips around him as he was fucked into by Katsuki. Shouto eventually grabbed the base of his dick to help guide it into Izuku's waiting mouth and immediately shuddered and threw his head back when he closed his lips around it. 

He wasted no time in sucking him down to the base hungrily as tears formed in both their eyes. Shouto felt wave after wave of relief after being teased and untouched for so long, moaning unabashedly as Izuku worked his magic. 

Katsuki stuck to slow, deep thrusts, rocking Izuku back and forth on Shouto's cock in a perfect, steady rhythm. Shouto could feel his chest aching and tried not to breathe in too harshly in order to save himself from hurting his ribs even more. 

He was getting close- his orgasm approaching swifter than ever after having been denied for too long- and he could tell Izuku was getting there, too, telling by the way he shook and moaned around his cock, with Katsuki fucking him so harshly. 

Izuku came first, choking on Shouto as he trembled and convulsed. He gripped Shouto's thighs so tightly that he was sure there'd be bruises left behind. 

Then, Shouto came so suddenly and harshly- throwing his head back against the wall--white spots forming in his vision as he spilled into Izuku's hungry mouth that swallowed around him. He didn't know if he was shouting or if it was someone else, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Izuku continued to suck him down and milk him dry, swallowing every drop of cum that he spilled into him. 

"Fuck," Katsuki growled sharply, pulling Shouto back down to Earth. He locked eyes with him, feeling that zip of electricity spread through his skin again. "C'mere, Peppermint, gonna come on your face-" 

His breathing stuttered, and Shouto crawled forward, carefully positioning himself over Izuku, who was still shaking and crying out as Katsuki fucked into him--his speed picking up now that he was close to his own release. Katsuki's facial expression tightened, and Shouto looked up at him with reverence- still feeling so incredibly lucky that he could see them like this at all. 

With a sharp exhale, Katsuki swiftly pulled out of Izuku, fisting his cock a few times over Shouto's face before he came. Shouto closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out with a low moan, eager to taste the blonde's spend. He felt the small droplets and stripes coat his face and fall into his mouth. 

When he opened his eyes again, Katsuki looked down at him with a soft expression. Izuku carefully crawled out from under Shouto and to his side, where he began to lick the cum from Shouto's cheeks. 

"Such a fucking slut, Deku," Katsuki huffed. "God, look at you two. So fucking perfect, you know that?" 

Shouto's brain felt like putty, and he was unable to focus on or react to Katsuki's words as Izuku licked at his cheeks and mouth. Shouto couldn't help but grab his face and pull him in for a wet, messy kiss with a hum of contentment. His ribs hurt a little, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. 

Not long after, Katsuki left to fetch some towels to clean them up. Once they were all wiped down, they laid down in bed together; Izuku was sandwiched in the middle with his face pressed up against Katsuki's chest with Shouto at his back. Like always, Izuku fell asleep quickly. 

"How's your ribs?" Katsuki asked quietly, looking over the top of Izuku's green curls. "Anything hurt?" 

"It didn't make it worse if that's what you're asking." 

"Good." Katsuki reached over Izuku and ran a hand through Shouto's hair, brushing his messed up bangs out of his face. Shouto closed his eyes, feeling the sensation of his fingertips brushing against his scalp. The feeling made him sleepy, and he decided not to fight it. 

Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep. 

Chapter Text

Due to his injuries, Shouto had an excessive amount of time off and was completely unsure what to do with himself. Izuku and Katsuki were back doing hero work, and he was left home alone to entertain himself. 

About five days had passed since the fire, and he'd already made his way through several uninteresting TV series and books. He'd even thought about attempting to learn to cook but decided it was unwise to do so without another person in the house to keep him from setting fire to the kitchen. 

Thankfully, Shinsou offered to keep him company on the sixth day. Shouto knew it was mostly because he wanted to talk about Izuku and Katsuki, but didn't mind. It was reasonable that his friends would have questions about the relationship, especially after how he'd left the last time he was with them. They'd briefly talked about it when he was in the hospital, but in Shinsou's words, 'it was the wrong time to scold Shouto,' seeing as he'd been in a hospital bed. 

So he'd known it was coming--whatever it was that his friend had to say. 

He came over a little after noon--his shoulders and hair dusted in freshly fallen snow. He kicked the snow off his boots against the bottom of the doorframe before stepping inside. 

"Hey," Shinsou greeted, removing his coat and shoes. "Bored out of your mind, yet?" 

"Like you wouldn't believe," Shouto sighed. "Want me to make some coffee?"

"Yes, please." 

Shinsou made his way into the living room, and Shouto went into the kitchen to brew the coffee. After it was done, he poured a mug of straight black coffee--no sugar or milk--and then one for himself, with lots of each. Then, he headed into the living room, where Shinsou sat patiently on the sofa, looking at something on his phone. 

"Thanks," he said as Shouto handed him his mug. He sat down on the couch next to Shinsou. 

There was a short silence as the two of them sipped their warm beverages. Shouto watched the other man closely, trying to gauge how the conversation would go based on his facial expressions, but he couldn't form any conclusions—as was normal. 

He'd never been great at that. 

"So."

Shinsou lowered his coffee, and Shouto tensed. 

"Next time I tell you to just be honest and tell people how you feel, what are you going to do?"

"Tell them?" Shouto offered. 

"There ya go," Shinsou replied. "Gold star. This is my gentle parenting approach, by the way. I should be scolding you." 

Shouto sighed. "Probably. This whole thing was my fault." 

"And theirs, too," Shinsou argued. "You can't pin it all on yourself. You were all equally as thick and blind, and that's what caused it." 

Shouto couldn't argue with that, though he personally felt like he was mostly to blame. He wouldn't voice that thought, though, as it seemed Shinsou was going gentle on him. 

The Christmas tree had been put away, and the snow outside was starting to feel more like a hindrance, than anything. It was always beautiful for the first couple weeks of it, but after that, it got old. The snow would turn to ice and dirty slush, and it didn't look as beautiful, and it tended to cause lots of accidents and injuries, as well--which was something he hated about being a hero in the wintertime. 

Izuku had been telling him about a multiple-car pile-up on one of the busier streets in the city, and it sounded like a mess. Shouto was getting tired of being stuck at home, and was looking forward to his check-in with the doctor the next day to see if he could be cleared any sooner than was estimated. 

One week was already too much. He couldn't imagine going two. 

His ribs felt way better and hardly ached anymore. His cast would be coming off at the next appointment regardless, after he was able to undergo another round of quirk healing. If he was doing well enough, they might even heal his ribs, too--but he'd have to wait and see. 

Izuku laid across the couch with his head in Shouto's lap, and his feet on Katsuki's. Shouto idly ran his fingers through Izuku's hair as he talked about his work day, loving the way Izuku seemed to lean into the touches unconsciously as he did so. 

"How much longer with the 'no sex' bullshit?" Katsuki asked. 

That had become a commonly heard question in the house from him, which made Shouto laugh nearly every time. 

"My appointment is still tomorrow," Shouto replied. "It marks one week, and hopefully, I'll be cleared for more physical activity." 

"God, I'm going to fuck you so good when this shit's over with," he grumbled. "I just fucking got you, and I haven't even been able to have you properly yet. What a fucking scam." 

"Kacchan," Izuku scolded. "Be nice."

"I am being nice. I'm being so fucking nice right now. So shut up." 

Shouto smiled and closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the couch. It felt so nice to be able to sit with them like that--and not feel guilty about it like he used to. He was able to sit there like he belonged, because he did. 

"What's got you all smiley?" Katsuki asked, poking his forehead. 

Shouto exhaled sharply through his nose. 

"Just this." He cracked his eyes open and looked over at Katsuki, then down at Izuku, who was staring up at him with his bright green eyes and a wide smile. "It's nice. I'm glad I get to have this." 

It was just Shouto and Izuku the following morning, seeing as Katsuki worked. He had spent the night again like he had been almost every night that week, leaving extra early so that he could return home before heading off to the agency. 

Shouto was starting to wonder whether Katsuki would be moving in with them. 

He had always thought Katsuki and Izuku would find a place together and leave him behind, but there wasn't much reason for that anymore. He was sure that Katsuki would prefer to live with them, and their lease on the current house was almost up, so they probably needed to discuss that sooner rather than later. 

Shouto was at the sink, filling the tea kettle, when Izuku swooped in behind him and gave him a hug, wrapping his thick arms around Shouto's waist. He let out a sound of contentment when Shouto turned around to make it a proper hug. Izuku looked up at him with warm eyes. 

"I love you," he smiled. "A lot. Have I told you that yet today?" 

"At least three times already," Shouto laughed, running a hand through his messy, green curls. "I love you, too." 

Izuku nuzzled into his chest, warming Shouto from the inside out--no quirk needed.

"Your birthday is coming up," Izuku stated. 

That's right, Shouto thought to himself. He honestly hadn't given it much thought, what with everything else that had been going on. He never cared much for his own birthday, anyway. 

"What do you want for your birthday?" Izuku asked. 

"I have everything I want," Shouto answered without missing a beat before planting a kiss on the top of his head. 

"I'm serious," Izuku laughed.

"I am, too." He grabbed Izuku's chin, angling his face to kiss him good and proper. Izuku immediately melted against him, squeezing his arms around Shouto as he kissed him back. 

"Kacchan's gonna ask you, too," Izuku told him when they parted. "You're going to have to have a better answer than that. He won't be as nice about it as I am."

"I really don't need anything," Shouto pressed, looking at Izuku warmly and lovingly. God, his chest sometimes felt like it would explode, only because he'd looked at Izuku. He was so perfect and cute that it sometimes hurt to look at him. "I'm content right now. There's nothing I want that I don't already have." 

Izuku's face broke out in a delicious pink blush, and Shouto couldn't help but lean down and leave kisses all over his freckled cheeks, feeling the warmed skin against his lips. 

He was so, so happy that he could just do that now--whenever he felt like it. He hadn't realized how bad it was before when he was around them and had no idea how he'd been holding it back for so long. It felt nearly compulsory to shower them with sweet and gentle touches as often as he could, and even though it had only been a week, he couldn't imagine not being able to. 

Upon Izuku's assistance, they eventually made their way into Izuku's bed so that they could--according to Izuku--have proper cuddles.

Izuku was carefully lying with his head on Shouto's shoulder, gazing up at him with those stupidly cute eyes and dimpled cheeks. Their legs tangled together beneath the blankets, and Shouto wrapped Izuku tightly in his arms, holding him as close as possible. 

There was nothing better than being close like this. The only thing that could make it better was if Katsuki were there, too, but they'd have to wait until that evening to see if he could come back over. Chances were that he would--seeing as he practically lived with them at that point. He had no reason to return to his own home hardly at all anymore, now that the three of them were together. 

"Do you want to come with me to my appointment today?" Shouto asked. He didn't want to have to part with him for any reason at all that day. "It shouldn't take too long, but I'd appreciate the company." 

"Of course," Izuku replied. "Anything for you." 

That afternoon, Izuku accompanied him to the hospital for his follow-up appointment. They let Izuku come back to the exam room with him, too, which Shouto was happy about. He was never a fan of doctor's offices and was glad that he would have someone there with him. 

They had just finished taking x-rays of his ribs and were waiting in the exam room for the doctor to return with the results. 

"I hope you get cleared soon," Izuku commented, breaking the silence that had filled the room. 

"Me too," Shouto replied. "I'm tired of being home alone. I have no idea what to do with that much time." 

The door opened, and the doctor came in. 

His brow furrowed, and Shouto instantly wondered if he was unhappy. He sat down in a chair across from them. 

"Have you been doing any cardio?" he questioned, in a slightly accusatory tone. 

"No...?" Shout replied, feeling confused. 

"Your scans say otherwise," he grumbled. He eyed Shouto warily, even looking over at Izuku, who had gone quiet the minute he entered the room. "You really haven't been?" 

"I don't think so?" 

Shouto was sure he would know if he'd randomly decided to go for a run. 

"Well-" Izuku started, and Shouto glanced over to see him looking red in the face. "I mean-"

Shouto's eyes widened when he realized where he was going with that, and he clamped a hand over Izuku's mouth. 

"No," Shouto reiterated sharply. "No, I haven't been doing cardio." 

The doctor gave him a skeptical look but didn't press. He moved on with a sigh. 

"Well, you're ready for a second round of quirk healing if you're feeling well-rested and up for it." He clasped his hands together. "You should be able to return to work tomorrow if all goes well enough."

"Let's do it, then," Shouto replied brightly--ready to get off house arrest. 

"The fuck do you want for your birthday?" Katsuki had asked him that evening, as they sat down at the table to eat. The blonde had made them dinner, and Shouto was already a few bites in when the question came.

"I don't need anything," he replied. 

"That's not what I asked." Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "I didn't ask what you needed. I asked what you wanted." 

"I have everything I want." Shouto took another bite of his food and looked away from Katsuki. 

"Don't be stupid." 

"I'm not?" Shouto said. Izuku covered his mouth as he let out a small laugh. 

"And don't talk with your mouth full!" Katsuki grumbled. "A bunch of ingrates, I swear to god. Just tell me what you want!" 

Shouto finished chewing his bite and swallowed it before he again insisted that there was nothing he wanted. 

He had everything he could possibly ask for, sitting right there at that table with him--as cheesy as it sounded. He really couldn't think of anything he wanted. 

"If you don't tell me, I'm just going to come up with something on my own," Katsuki told him. "You don't get to say shit if you don't like it." 

"I promise I would like anything you got me," Shouto assured him. "But I really don't need anything." 

"Enough with that bullshit. Finish your goddamn dinner. Fucking Icyhot." 

Chapter Text

It was the morning of January Eleventh, which marked Shouto's birthday. He woke up to the feeling of soft lips pressing into the skin of his chest. He cracked open his eyes and looked down to see Izuku straddling his waist with lit-up eyes as he covered him in kisses. Shouto smiled at the sight, feeling the sensation of chills spread through his entire body. After a few minutes, Izuku laid down on his chest, pillowing his cheek against his forearm as he looked at Shouto warmly. 

Katsuki was already out of bed, as always, most likely in the kitchen, already pounding through his morning routine. 

"Good morning," Izuku said in a sleepy voice. "Happy Birthday." 

"Thank you," Shouto smiled, ruffling a hand through his curls. Izuku was shirtless--as was Shouto--and the pleasant skin-on-skin contact was making his whole body tingle pleasantly- though his mind had already started to drift elsewhere. 

Maybe it was the way Izuku was looking at him at that moment, with those sleepy, almost dopey-looking eyes--but Shouto was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to have him--the thought of seeing beautiful, lovely Izuku on top of him, taking his cock perfectly like Shouto knew he would.

It seemed that Izuku was on the same train of thought, too. He sat up slowly with a little grin on his face, positioning his hips right over the top of Shouto's. He could feel that Izuku was already hard, just like himself. When Izuku shifted his hips, applying more pressure between their groins, both of them let out a sharp breath. 

Izuku was already bracing his hands on Shouto's shoulders, whose grip had already migrated to Izuku's hips. 

"Can I ride you?" Izuku asked, grinding their hips together in a slow, teasing motion, with slightly parted lips. His face was already turning a delicious shade of pink, and Shouto couldn't take his eyes off of him. His hair seemed to glow in the early morning sun that poured in through the slatted blinds, and he looked like an angel seated atop Shouto. 

How could he deny him? 

"Please," Shouto rasped, lightly thrusting upward to find that perfect friction. Izuku made a small gasping noise. His grip on Izuku's hips tightened. 

Izuku reached down and slipped his fingers beneath the band of Shouto's boxers before sliding them down. Shouto shifted to help him pull them off the rest of the way and then assisted him in taking off his own. 

When Izuku seated himself back on Shouto, he couldn't help but reach out and close a hand around his cock, giving it a light tug as he locked his eyes on Izuku's face to catch whatever beautiful reaction he would make. 

And beautiful it was; he watched as Izuku's brow tightened, and his lips formed a little 'o' at the sensation, letting out a quiet, shaky breath. He was already so strung up, and Shouto had hardly touched him. 

He couldn't wait to get his fingers inside him. 

Before continuing, Shouto pulled Izuku down into a heated kiss, immediately using his tongue to pry his lips open and taste him. The kiss was sloppy and flavored like morning breath, but Shouto didn't care--not when Izuku was seated on top of him, rolling their hips together at a torturous pace--pressure in all the right places to make Shouto break out in chills. 

Gripping Izuku's backside, he squeezed each cheek roughly as he met the roll of Izuku's hips, keeping their lips locked together. Izuku eagerly licked into his mouth, making pretty little sounds whenever Shouto touched him or kissed him in just the right way. 

Before Shouto knew what was happening, Izuku sat back up, reaching behind himself to grip the base of Shouto's length. Lifting his hips, he positioned the tip at his entrance, but Shouto grabbed his hips and stopped him from sliding it in. 

"Hold on," Shouto said. "I haven't prepped you. I don't want to hurt you." 

"Oh, I- I already prepped myself," Izuku replied shyly. "You don't have to worry about it." 

"When?" He massaged his thumbs over Izuku's hips as they talked. 

"Before you woke up. In the bathroom." 

"Oh." 

Just to make sure, Shouto slipped a hand between his legs and pressed his fingers against his hole. The area was slicked up as promised, and his two fingers were swallowed up with ease. Izuku shuddered and pressed himself down on his digits as best he could, trying to take them deeper. 

"Sho..." Izuku whined. "Don't tease." 

Shouto always loved feeling his tight heat around his fingers. Opening him up was always one of his favorite parts, but seeing as Izuku did all that work for him, he couldn't deny him any longer. 

"Alright." He pulled his fingers out and let Izuku reposition himself. 

When his tip pressed up against Izuku's entrance, they both sucked in a sharp breath. 

No matter how many times Shouto did this with Izuku, that initial press left him breathless every time, nearly teetering him on the edge of bliss with no return. He had to tense up to keep himself from coming undone right at the start. 

Izuku slowly lowered himself, testing the hold Shouto had on him with a roll of his hips once he was fully seated; Shouto kept a tight grip on him to keep Izuku from moving too soon and causing it to be over before it even started. 

With a frustrated noise, Izuku tried to grind down on him, but that spool of heat in Shouto's gut had been unwound and pulled tight, and even the smallest of movements might make him come. 

"Give me a minute," he rasped, gripping Izuku tighter. "I don't want to finish too soon." 

Izuku chuckled but listened, stilling his desperate movements. 

After staying like that for a few minutes, Shouto finally allowed Izuku to move on top of him. 

And it was beautiful. 

With his hands steadied on Shouto's chest, he bounced himself on his cock, letting his breathy, soft sounds fill the quiet room. The morning sun hit his eyes just right, making his already glowy green eyes shine bright. He was flushed from his chest all the way to the tip of his ears as he chased his pleasure, and all Shouto had to do was lay back and watch him work--occasionally thrusting his own hips up into Izuku to force more of his favorite sounds from him. 

After a while, Izuku began to run out of steam, and his movements slowed. With a pinched brow, he began to roll his hips as small sounds of frustration began to crawl up his throat and pour out through his reddened, bitten lips. 

"Want some help?" Shouto asked--though he was enjoying watching Izuku fall apart like that. 

"Please," he begged with a vigorous nodding of the head. 

Readjusting his grip on Izuku's waist, Shouto bent his legs and planted his feet on the mattress to give himself the leverage he needed. Then, he began thrusting his hips upward into Izuku, unable to take his eyes off of the other man as he scrambled for purchase against the sudden change in tempo. 

The sounds of their skin slapping together mingled with their tandem moans and sighs, and Shouto was beginning to feel his orgasm coming. Izuku clenched around him, his hole growing impossibly tight around him as he suddenly came. 

Shouto hadn't seen it coming, and Izuku hadn't said anything, but suddenly he was spilling white ropes of cum across Shouto's chest and abdomen as he cried out against his quickening thrusts. He looked down at Shouto with hazy, watery eyes, and that's when Shouto came, too--staring into those impossibly green and beautiful eyes. 

With one more sharp thrust, he tightened his grip on Izuku and pulled him flush against him as he emptied himself inside. 

Twenty minutes later--after they were both adequately cleaned up--they entered the kitchen, where Katsuki had busied himself with the task of preparing breakfast. 

"Morning," Katsuki greeted as they entered the space. "Happy Birthday, Peppermint."

Izuku jumped up to sit on the opposite counter, while Shouto immediately stepped into Katsuki's space. 

He normally knew he would be scolded for doing so by the blonde while he was cooking, but he wondered if he'd get away with it because today was his birthday. 

Stepping behind Katsuki, Shouto wrapped his arms around his waist, snaking his hands under the hem of his black t-shirt. 

"The fuck are you doing?" Katsuki grumbled. He flipped the pancake on the pan before him but made no physical move to push Shouto from his space. 

"Giving you a hug," Shouto returned. "What does it look like?" 

"Feeling like a brat, huh?" 

Shouto let his hands fall lower, trailing them down Katsuki's abdomen to the band of his sweats. 

"Maybe," he said, lowering his voice. When he brought his hands a little lower, Shouto was surprised at what he found. "You're hard, Katsuki." 

"Of-fucking-course I am!" he snapped. "Listening to you two fuck like rabbits in there all morning. God damn." 

"You could have joined us," Shouto commented with a small grin. He gripped a hand over his hard length over the top of his sweats. 

"I'm trying to cook you some fucking breakfast."

His words were strained, and Shouto could tell he was starting to get to him- which was what he wanted. Maybe if he teased enough, he could get something from Katsuki that morning, too.

"Besides," Katsuki continued, looking over his shoulder at Shouto with a charged look. "I'll get my turn later. Better prepare yourself. I'm gonna make you pay for being such a fucking tease." 

Shouto couldn't stop the soft, quiet moan that slipped out at Katsuki's words. He was already getting hard again just thinking about it. 

"Go sit down," Katsuki ordered. "Be good, and maybe I'll play nice." 

Something about the tone that he used instantly flipped the tables on Shouto, pulling him from his small position of power. It instantly made his knees weak and his head all floaty in anticipation. 

"Okay," he replied softly, stepping back from Katsuki. 

Just like he was told, he sat down at the table and waited. Izuku joined him, too, and waited for Kastuki to finish up in the kitchen. 

When the food was done, Katsuki even served them at the table—which he didn't often do, usually spouting something along the lines of 'I'm not your maid, do it yourself'—which surprised Shouto and Izuku. 

He sat right across from Shouto. 

Katsuki made them pancakes and even went the extra mile to top them with strawberries. Izuku was instantly all smiles and hums of pleasure as he dug into his breakfast. Shouto began to eat, too, but was starting to feel a tad warm under the look that Katsuki gave him from across the table. 

The tension could be cut with a knife. Izuku was oblivious to it as he ate, but Shouto's cheeks heated as he tried to focus on his delicious pancakes. 

And he really should have let himself enjoy them more because it was rare that Katsuki made something so sweet and good for them, seeing as he usually opted to make healthy food. Of course, Shouto was thankful for anything Katsuki made, but the pancakes were definitely a special occasion, all on their own. 

With the way he was being looked at, he felt like he had to do something. Well--he should just sit down, eat, and be good like he was told, but he'd been struck with a sudden boldness and decided to act on it. 

Poking his fork into one of the syrup-covered strawberries, he lifted the fruit to his lips--all the while holding Kastsuki's sharp gaze--and licked the sticky substance from the berry in the most obscene way he could. He let his mouth fall wide open and brought his tongue out to curl around the strawberry. 

Across the table, Katsuki never took his eyes off of him. His gaze flickered between his eyes and lips, seemingly unsure where to look. Shouto thought he looked--dare he say flustered--as he stared him down. 

Suddenly, there was a loud noise as Katsuki's chair scooted away from the table and he rose to his feet. Shouto lowered his fork, wondering what he was going to do. Before he could even react, Katsuki stormed away from the table with a groan and headed down the hallway toward the bedrooms. 

Looking over to Izuku with a look of confusion, he wasn't sure what to make of that. 

Had he upset him? Or pushed him too far? 

He'd certainly done something wrong, and knowing this left a sour taste in the back of his mouth. 

"Is he mad?" Shouto asked Izuku, keeping his voice low. 

"Oh, he's livid," Izuku chuckled, but Shouto didn't know how that was funny. He'd upset Katsuki. What he'd done had somehow made him mad, and he wasn't even sure why. 

He ran over the morning's events in his head, trying to piece together the reason, but came up dry. So, he asked Izuku for the reason. 

"He had plans," Izuku explained with a smile. "But you've definitely messed them up. I don't know what he's up to now." 

Why was Izuku smiling? Nothing about this made sense. 

"Should I talk to him?" Shouto asked in a panic. He dug his fingers into his thighs, trying not to get himself worked up. After all, he'd been told that his sexual advances were welcome, but suddenly they weren't, and he was so, so confused. "He seems- I mean, should I apologize? I don't know what-"

"Sho, calm down," Izuku said with a pinched brow, grabbing his arm. "Just wait, okay? He's not mad at you. I promise. Just be patient. Everything is fine." 

"Oh." Shouto looked down at his half-eaten breakfast. "Why did he leave, then?"

"Just be patient," Izuku replied with a wink. 

Katsuki could be heard emerging from the hallway. Shouto turned to look at him as he entered the kitchen and saw him approaching with a wrapped parcel in his hand and a scowl on his face. When he reached Shouto, he thrusted the gift into his lap and backed off. He had something in his other hand, but Shouto hadn't been able to see what it was, and Katsuki was holding it behind his back now. 

Izuku snickered. 

Shouto was still very, very confused. 

"Since you wanna be such a brat, open that shit," Katsuki jabbed. 

With careful hands, Shouto did as he was told. Inside the wrapping was a T-shirt that Shouto recognized as one of the items from Katsuki's hero merch line. Unfolding it to give it a proper look, he noted the bright orange 'X' across the front of the soft fabric. 

"Um," Shouto started. "Thank you. I like it." 

Even though the gift was simple, it still put butterflies in his stomach. In the same way that Shouto had gifted Izuku a piece from the Frostburn merch line, Katsuki had essentially staked his claim over Shouto. 

It started with those skimpy Dynamight shorts that Izuku owned, but they were suddenly marking each other with their own merch. It had always turned Shouto on, and maybe it did the same for them- telling by the gift he'd just received. 

"Put it on," Katsuki ordered sternly. 

"Alright." Shouto peeled off his t-shirt and replaced it with the one he'd been gifted. "It fits nice," he noted.

"Fuckin' fantastic. Now stand up." 

Shouto did so slowly, not knowing where this was going. The sharp look in Katsuki's eyes was as unreadable as ever. 

"Deku, can you clear the table?" Katsuki asked without looking away from Shouto. 

Izuku made a slight sound in confirmation before quickly starting his task. 

"Come here, Peppermint," Katsuki grinned. Shouto obeyed, bringing himself across the small distance that seemed to live and breathe between them like a physical thing. His breaths were already unsteady, and his body was warming in anticipation. Katsuki was using that voice on him again, and he'd instantly fallen into the same submissive headspace he always did. 

"I had a well-thought-out, nice plan for you today," Katsuki began. "I was gonna treat you nice, make you feel good." 

Shouto swallowed thickly and flexed his hands at his sides. 

"I got you that shirt, and I wanted you to wear it while I fucked you nice and slow." His hand shot out and gripped Shouto's chin. "But you had to go and be a brat today. And after Deku treated you so good this morning, too. What a greedy slut you've become." 

He gave Shouto a devilish grin. 

Shouto wasn't afraid--of course, that wasn't it--but his entire body was already trembling with want. 

"Since you're so eager to be touched, I'm going to give it to you. I'm going to bend you over and give you so much that you won't be able to take it." 

"Alright," Shouto answered quietly--excitedly--which made Katsuki chuckle. 

"Just remember that you asked for it." 

Shouto nodded. 

Then, Katsuki revealed his other hand, which held a bottle of lube, and what appeared to be an anal plug. It was silicone, and Shouto noted the buttons on the base of it, indicating that it probably doubled as a vibrator. It looked just long enough to maybe brush his prostate if it was put in just right, but even then, he wasn't too sure. 

He was practically drooling now, having never experienced any kind of play with toys before. He'd never used them on himself and certainly never had anyone else touch him like this, either. 

"Is it okay if I use this on you?" Katsuki asked, holding out the plug. 

Izuku was back now, too, having finished with the task of clearing the table. He watched the exchange closely, with a hand already planted firmly over the groin of his pajama bottoms. 

Shouto nodded in reply to the question. 

"Alright." Katsuki grinned. 

Katsuki approached him swiftly, backing him up to the table, only stopping to push the chair away at the end before flipping Shouto around to face it. He pressed down sharply between his shoulder blades, forcing his chest against the wooden surface. His pants and underwear were immediately pulled down to his ankles, and he stepped out of them entirely. His skin broke out in chills when the cold air hit his bare skin. 

There was a kick to his feet, ushering for him to widen his stance, and he obliged, spreading himself wide open for the blonde. Izuku had himself seated in a kitchen chair to the side, watching with rapt attention at the scene unfolding before him. 

Shouto heard the pop of the lid coming off the lube bottle. From his position, all he could do was wait, as he was unable to see what was happening behind him. 

When the first cool, lube-covered finger brushed over his entrance, he moaned far louder than he should have, given that he hadn't even been touched yet. 

But he'd been so strung up since Izuku had him in bed that morning. He'd started it, and now Katsuki was here to finish it. 

Katsuki opened him up on his fingers, methodical and slow like always, turning Shouto into a mess. The lewd sounds of his slicked fingers fucking into Shouto's hole filled the kitchen, and all Shouto could do was grip the edges of the table and endure it. 

With knowledgeable hands, Katsuki found his prostate with ease, hooking his fingers to press into it with every thrust of his wrist--giving Shouto absolutely no time to breathe or collect himself. His knees were weak, and his breaths were heavy, and he could already feel himself getting close. 

"I won't fuck you until you've come at least three times," Katsuki informed him. "You tap out any sooner than that, and I'm not going to fuck you at all. Got it?" 

"Y-yeah," Shouto replied between moans. 

His first orgasm was already swiftly approaching. Katsuki repeatedly rammed the pads of his fingers into his prostate, making it happen with rapid ease. Before he knew it, he was shouting out across the table, gripping the edges of the wood tightly as his body tensed and shook with the force of his pleasure. He spilled out somewhere onto the floor below but wasn't given a chance to come down from it before Katsuki pulled his fingers out and pressed the tip of the anal plug against his hole. 

It went in easy, and the minute it was seated fully inside him, Katsuki turned it on. 

It was different, to say the least. His spent dick was already twitching in interest as the rest of his body trembled from the overstimulation, but he couldn't deny how nice it felt on the low vibration setting it was currently set. 

Gripping the flared base of the plug, Katsuki pushed it in deeper, and Shouto arched off the table with a sharp whine when it pressed against his prostate. The vibrations were nearly too much already, but even through all the overstimulation, Shouto could feel another orgasm coming. 

He had no idea how. His cock hadn't even been touched yet. 

Tears of frustration formed in the corners of his eyes as he squirmed on the hardwood surface. He was so close, but he just couldn't get himself over the edge. Katsuki had said three times, and Shouto wasn't even sure he'd make it to two. 

It was too much and not enough all at the same time, and he wasn't sure what to do. His cries turned into whimpers of protest as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will his body over the edge. 

Right when he was about to tell him he couldn't do it, Katsuki turned up the vibrations on the plug. 

Without any warning, he was suddenly coming again. 

White hot pleasure burned its way through his body, making even the tips of his fingers go numb. His head felt as though it had been stuffed full of cotton, and all he could even think about was the vibrations that never ceased as he jerked and whimpered on the table. 

"You're doing good, Shouto," Katsuki said behind him, massaging a hand over his lower back, calming him down a fraction. It was still too much--so, so much--but hearing that small praise from Katsuki made his breathing even out a little, even as his body continued to twitch and jerk. 

"So perfect like this," the blonde continued. He pushed the plug in again, angling it for direct contact against that overly sensitive, throbbing spot inside him. "You moan like a whore, baby. Who would have thought our sweet Peppermint was such a horny fucking perve, huh?" 

The mix between being praised and degraded made his head feel fuzzy, but hearing Katsuki's voice helped to give him something else to focus on other than the burning hot pleasure in the put of his stomach. 

His quirk felt nearly out of control, and he wouldn't doubt that there would be scorch marks on the table when they were through. He hadn't the mental capacity to have control over himself like that when Katsuki pleasured him like this. 

"I always thought you'd be all innocent and sweet," Katsuki told him. "But you're fucking dirty with the way you look at me sometimes. Like breakfast. What the hell was that? Since when have you been so bold, huh?" 

He pushed against the plug again, and Shouto moaned loudly. 

"Fucking begging for me to take you apart like this. Like you enjoy being fucked into oblivion. I can already see you, Shouto; already going all hazy over there." 

All Shouto can do is moan pitifully against the blonde's ministrations. 

"You enjoying yourself? Or do you wanna tap out? Just let me know if I need to stop." 

"Please don't stop," Shouto answered quickly, feeling entirely out of breath. 

Yes, it was bordering on too much, but he'd never felt like this in his life. He'd hardly touched himself as a teen, and hadn't even done it a lot in adulthood until recently, and had no idea that he could come multiple times in a row like this- no idea he could feel like this. 

Kastuki chuckled again in amusement. 

"I'm so fucking in love with you. Jesus- just listen to you. You're so pretty, even when you're moaning like a slut." 

Shouto was trembling beneath the praise, and he wanted to tell Katsuki he loved him too, but he couldn't even get himself to form a coherent sentence at that point. 

The pleasure in his gut was building again, and he wanted to come. He was right there--if only he could receive a little extra push to throw him over the edge. 

Shout was full-on crying now, unable to express his frustration in any other way. His hands couldn't grip the table anymore, so all he could do was writhe on the table as Katsuki pleasured him. 

"Can I touch him?" Izuku suddenly asked beside them, having come to the edge of the table--and Shouto let out a sigh of relief. 

An angel, true and sure, Izuku was offering to help him. Now, they only had to see what Katsuki would say. 

"I don't know," Katsuki replied with an errant click of his tongue. "Do you think you deserve it, Peppermint?" 

"He's been good," Izuku argued on his behalf. "I really wanna touch him. Please, Kacchan." 

"Peppermint, answer the question," Katsuki pushed. 

"I- I've been-" he moaned, unable to restrain the sound as it interrupted his sentence. "I w-want it. Please. I've- I've b-been good."

There were no words, but some agreement must have passed between Izuku and Katsuki because suddenly, there was a firm hand around his cock. 

It didn't even take two pumps before he was crying out--nearly blacking out from the pleasure--and coming again. 

It felt as though it went on forever, and Izuku gently worked him through the majority of it, milking his cock of every pitiful drop he had left. 

When Katsuki turned the vibrations off, he was filled with an odd stillness, though his entire body still quivered against the table. Then the plug came out slowly, leaving his hole to pucker and clench around nothing as he whined at the loss. 

Then, Katsuki pressed himself over Shouto's back, placing soft kisses into his neck and against his ear. 

"You did so good, baby," he cooed. "You're perfect. So pretty and so good for me." 

Shouto sighed in contentment at those words. 

But he still felt empty, with the promise of being fucked still at the forefront of his mind. He didn't know if he could ask for it at this point--not sure if he could trust his mouth to form the words, even. But he needed it. He needed it like oxygen and couldn't get it out of his mind. It felt like it was all he'd ever need, and he had to have it above anything else. 

His legs were jelly, but he did his best to press his bottom against Katsuki's groin, trying to hint at what he wanted with pitiful, half-hearted ministrations. 

"You still want me to fuck you?" Katsuki asked. His words skated across the back of Shouto's neck, causing him to break out in chills again. "Do you think you could handle it?" 

"Mmm," Shouto tried, nodding his head. "Need it." 

His words were weak, but he hoped his point came across. 

He must have done alright because Katsuki was suddenly gripping his thighs, lifting his feet off the floor to turn him over on the table. Once he was on his back, Katsuki stepped between his legs. His shirt had already been removed at some point, and now he was stepping out of his pants and underwear. 

With a sharp tug on his leg, Shouto's bottom was dragged off the edge of the table. Katsuki gripped his legs and lifted his knees onto his shoulders. All Shouto could do was lay there and wait until Katsuki was ready. 

When he finally pushed himself inside, Shouto sighed out in relief at the feeling. He'd felt so empty the minute the plug had come out and needed to be filled, and having Katuski like this made his body feel complete. Izuku was right there, too, whispering soft nothings into his ear as he held onto Shouto's hand tightly. 

Everything was hazy, and his head felt like it had been gutted and stuffed with wool; he felt as though he were looking through tinted glass when he tried too hard to focus on anything, and his entire body was trembling and lit up like a livewire with every momevent that Katsuki made. 

"Don't know how you're still so tight," Katsuki said with a pinched voice. He gripped Shouto's legs in an iron hold as he pulled back out before slamming himself back into the base. 

Shouto had never felt like this before. It was like everything else had sunk away into the background, and all he could think about were Izuku and Katsuki. 

They were all he felt and all he needed. 

It was pure bliss. He had been turned to jelly- not even knowing if he was making sounds at that point as he lay there and took it. 

The Dynamight t-shirt had ridden up and was pooled up around his chest and armpits, leaving just his lower half exposed as Katsuki trusted into him at an even pace. It wasn't nearly as hard as the blonde usually fucked him, but it was perfect. Katsuki was exceptionally good at knowing exactly what Shouto needed at all times. 

He didn't even know if he could come again, but seeing the hazy, lust-filled look on his boyfriends' faces was plenty; knowing Katsuki was using him like this made him happy. He certainly didn't feel used, but he loved that he could make them feel as good as they made him feel, too. 

Katsuki was speaking to him, but Shouto couldn't hear anything over the steady rhythm of his pulse sounding in his ears. He tried to listen, but he was too far gone- too buried beneath the pleasure that currently inhabited his body. 

Then, Katsuki was slowly pulling out, and Shouto's brow pinched at the loss. Carefully, Katsuki lowered Shouto's legs off his shoulders and took a step back from him. 

He didn't know what happened or what changed, but he was suddenly panicking at the loss of contact--his only anchor to the physical world being the tight grip that Izuku had on his hand. His stomach dropped, and he reached out the best he could, trying to form a coherent sentence to let Kastuki know he needed him--that he wasn't ready to part from him yet. 

Seeing his distress, Katsuki quickly enveloped him in a hug, lifting his back off the table to hold him close to his body. It was like a heated blanket around him, instantly calming whatever worries he had a few seconds ago. 

"It's alright, I've got you," Katsuki softly said. "You did so good, baby. I'm so proud of you. You were so good for me." 

All Shouto could do was smile lazily at the praise as he clung to Katsuki. Izuku came to his side and rubbed small circles into his back. 

It still felt as though reality was sitting on the other side of a pane of glass, and his only hold on the physical world was through his two lovers. He couldn't let go, and he thought that he might die if they let go of him. 

His mind was starting to drift. He felt safe and comfortable and so exhausted that he just let it happen. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensations of their hands and bodies- letting himself drift off to wherever his mind was headed. 

The first thing he noticed was how warm he was. He was wrapped up in a tangle of limbs, and when he cracked open his eyes, he was sandwiched between Izuku and Katsuki on the bed in Izuku's room. A hand was brushing through his hair, and someone was tracing small patterns into the bare skin of his arms, and he felt entirely at ease. 

He felt more relaxed than ever. For the first time in his life, his mind was quiet, and all he could do was focus on the gentle sounds and sensations that enveloped him in the quiet of the room. 

"You're back," Katsuki commented, running his fingertips over his cheek. "I didn't know you went that far into space."

Shouto frowned. 

"Space?"

"It's like a certain headspace some people go into after intense sex like that," Izuku chimed in. "I like it. It makes me feel all fuzzy." 

Fuzzy sounded about right. 

"Oh." Shouto yawned, still feeling the aftereffects of what they'd done. He looked down at himself and saw that they'd changed his clothes. His skin smelled clean, so they might have even put him in the bath, too, but he wasn't entirely sure. 

"Did you enjoy it?" Katsuki asked. "That was pretty... intense. We should have talked about boundaries and limits before doing anything like that." 

"I liked it," Shouto assured them. "A lot. I feel really good. My head is quiet, and I don't think that's ever happened in my life." 

"That's good," Katsuki said, sounding relieved. "Glad I could make you feel good. I got kinda worried when you didn't come back right away. It's my bad that we didn't talk about that before it happened. I didn't even mean to do that." 

"It's not a problem," Shouto told him. "I liked every second of it. I wouldn't mind feeling like that again. I liked it a lot." 

He really had. Waking up like this, feeling so utterly relaxed and connected to them, was perhaps the best feeling he'd ever felt. 

"I love you, Katsuki," he told the blonde. "A lot. And You too, Izuku--I love you. Both of you- so much." 

"I love you too, Peppermint," Katsuki said, leaning down to press his forehead against Shouto's.

Izuku hugged him tightly from behind. 

"I've been thinking about something," Izuku started. "I've been trying to find the best way to put it into words, but I just need you to know how much I love you. And how much I think you complete us. This--what we have with each other--it's like you were a piece we were missing all along, and it feels so right now that we have you. I still can't believe I get to have you." 

He nuzzled into Shouto's shoulder, pressing a small kiss into his bare skin. 

"I feel the same," Katsuki said. "You just fit. Sex with just either of you is great, but having both of you there just makes it feel right. Like it was meant to be that way all along." 

Shouto could feel himself choking up. It was too much- hearing them voice these things out loud; they were the very emotions he'd been feeling all along, too, and to hear that they felt the same way overwhelmed him in all the best of ways. 

"That's how I feel, too." Shouto's voice cracked, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to let the sudden wave of emotions rule him. "I've never wanted anyone like you--Izuku and Katsuki--and I never will. There will never be an end to how much I need both of you in my life. I've never felt more whole." 

Their hugs tightened, and they said nothing about his choked-up tears. Izuku was sniffling behind him, so he knew he must be feeling the same way. 

Everything was so perfect--Katsuki's soft breath across the lower half of his face and Izuku's silky lips pressed against the back of his neck. He felt safe, whole, and loved. 

He felt loved when he was with them--really, truly so, for maybe the first time in his entire life. 

Chapter Text

Izuku rested his head on Shouto's shoulder as they rode the train. It was quiet on board- the only sounds were from Izuku, who hummed an unrecognizable tune, and Katsuki, who was elbowing his side and telling him to shut up.

Shouto couldn't be bothered to react to that--too stuck in his own head about where they were going and what would be happening that evening. 

They were headed to Izuku's mother's house, where they were to have dinner with both the Midoriyas and the Bakugous. Katsuki had said introducing him as their official boyfriend was just a formality above anything else. After all, they'd already heard about the relationship through the publicized press conference and the articles and stories published thereafter. However, Shouto didn't know how they'd taken it or whether they approved. 

Izuku had insisted that his mother, Inko, liked him and wouldn't be upset about it. Katsuki said that his parents wouldn't care as long as Katsuki was happy, which Shouto hoped would be the case. 

Well--logically, he knew that Izuku and Katsuki were happy. But there was always that nagging part in his brain that whispered for him to think otherwise and to stay on edge- telling him he might be dropped from the relationship at a moment's notice and he needed to be ready for it. 

Logically, he knew they loved him and didn't want to hurt him. But he just couldn't get that part of his brain to quiet down that day. 

There was a hard flick to Shouto's forehead, startling him from his thoughts- pulling him out of the dark, bottomless pit he'd found himself falling deeper into. 

"What's going on in that stupid, pretty head of yours, huh?" Katsuki asked with narrowed eyes. 

"Nothing," Shouto replied quickly. He averted his gaze to the landscape out the window that skated by at quick speeds. He let his eyes trace over the tips of the show and ice-covered trees- trying to think about anything other than the awful, no-good train of thought he had just jumped off of. The only train he needed to be thinking about right now was the one he physically sat on--not the one he was currently riding in the metaphysical. 

"You're probably nervous, right?" Izuku interjected. "There's really no reason to be! Our parents already love you. They're probably thrilled by this, if anything." 

"It's not exactly orthodox," Shouto pointed out. "Even if they like me, they might not approve of the relationship as a whole." 

"Oh, bullshit," Katsuki exclaimed loudly, earning himself some pointed looks from some of the other passengers aboard the train. He paid them no attention. "If my mom gave a fuck about it, she would have called me and chewed my ear off already. And that hasn't happened. So you're gonna be just fuckin' fine, got it?"

Shouto supposed that was true. They were part of the way through February now, and neither of their parents had said much about the relationship as of yet, aside from the invitation to have dinner this evening. 

Maybe he really was worried over nothing. 

"Just relax," Katsuki soothed, running a hand through Shouto's hair. He shook his head and re-smoothed out the hair that Katsuki had messed up with a frown, which earned him a chuckle from the blonde. 

"Even if something happens, you know we wouldn't just leave you, right?" Izuku asked. "Their approval isn't everything. What matters is that you make me happy. And Kacchan, too." 

"That's right," Katsuki agreed. "So just sit back and quit thinking so damn much." 

After their conversation ended, the rest of the train ride was uneventful and not nearly as long as Shouto had hoped. He felt like he needed more time to collect himself. 

"Relax, Peppermint," Bakugou said as they walked up to the front door of Izuku's childhood home. "You walk like you got a stick up your ass or something." 

"I have nothing up my ass," he bit back, smacking Katsuki's arm away. "I have a right to be nervous."

"You really don't, because they already love you. This is just a formality, or whatever." 

Shouto followed them up to the door. Izuku knocked, and seconds later, the door opened to reveal Midoriya Inko, who was the spitting image of her son, with all smiles, green hair, and everything in between. She was just the shorter, older, female version of him. 

"Hello!" she greeted warmly. "Get in here! It's freezing out there!" 

Following her inside, Izuku was immediately pulled into a hug as they exchanged a few words of greeting. Then, Katsuki was next, and Shouto was surprised at how compliant he was as she wrapped him in the same friendly hug she'd just given Izuku. The minute she was done, Katsuki took off his shoes and jacket and made his way further into the home, where Shouto could see his parents waiting for their turn. Shouto took off his own shoes and jacket, eager to find something to do other than stand there awkwardly. 

Shouto froze up when she let go of Katsuki and turned toward him, unsure of what was coming next. 

"Todoroki! It's been ages since I've seen you!" she smiled. 

"You can just call me Shouto," he replied with a tight smile. His pulse was racing due to his nervousness, and he tensed up even further when she stepped closer and wrapped him in a hug. 

"And you just call me Inko! It's good to have you," she smiled. 

Well--if anything, receiving a hug was a good sign, no matter how awkward it was. 

"Oi!" a female voice called from further in the home--Katsuki's mother, Mitsuki, upon looking in their direction. "Get that boy over here!" 

"Quiet down, hag!" Katsuki shouted. 

Shouto took that as his cue to head over to Katsuki's parents to say hello. 

Everything about this felt awkward and forced in Shouto's eyes. Izuku's mother was just hugging everyone, and Katsuki's mom was already 'arguing' with her son while Masaru smiled at her side. They were far too friendly, and it was already so different from any of his family gatherings that had gone. 

But he supposed that every family was different, and comparing anything to his own would be weird; his really hadn't known him all that well, aside from his asshole father. Everything happening around him just reminded him of how fucked up his family was. 

He had no idea what was expected and what wasn't. 

"Well, look at you," Mitsuki grinned. "Just as cute as I remember. Taller, though."

She turned to Katsuki. "Not bad, brat. Don't know how you got two wonderful boyfriends with that attitude of yours." 

"Oh, shut it! I learned it somewhere, didn't I?" he came back. 

"That's no way to talk to your mother!" She turned back to Shouto with a warm smile that completely opposed the look she was just giving Katsuki. "So glad to have you as an addition to the family. You can call me Mitsuki. Is he treating you alright? Don't think because he's a pro hero that I won't give him a proper smack-down if he's not." 

"He treats me well," Shouto responded. "And Izuku, too."

"That's good to hear!" 

Things went pretty smoothly after they were all seated at the table. They asked him a few questions about his job and other trivial things but never brought up the press conference or any of the media articles, which he was happy about. He didn't want to have to talk about that with them. 

They were all so different, but seated around the table, everyone got along well. Izuku's mother was just as kind as he was, and Katsuki was almost a carbon copy of his mom. It was almost uncanny. Katsuki's father was quiet but chimed into the conversation when necessary, and even acted as a buffer between Katsuki and Mitsuki. It was a well-practiced dance, watching the way they all interacted with each other. Shouto was the shiny, new thing now, and they all wanted to ask him questions and really get to know hi--but didn't scratch too far below the surface--which he was glad for. 

It was absolutely overwhelming, but some small part of him warmed at the thought of having people like this in his life. He watched how Izuku interacted with the Bakugous and saw that they loved Izuku,  almost as much as their own son. It went the other way with Katsuki and Inko, too. 

He wondered if he'd ever be able to fit in like that- if he would ever be considered family in the same way. 

After dinner, Shouto found himself in the kitchen helping Inko with the dishes while everyone else was sitting in the living room. She washed, and he dried; neither of them had yet to say anything. 

"I can tell you're nervous about all of this," Inko finally said as they were about halfway done. "It's always hectic when everyone's under the same roof, so I don't blame you." 

"I had a good time," he replied cordially. "Dinner was good, and so was the company." 

"I approve of your relationship, by the way- if I didn't make that clear! You're very sweet, and I can see why they like you, and I'm definitely happy to have another son to dote on!" 

She smiled casually at him, but that statement made his heart jolt in his chest. 

How could she accept him so easily? It didn't make sense to him. 

"I'm glad you approve," he replied lamely, unsure what to say about the rest of her statement. "I feel very welcome here. Thank you for the invitation." 

He knew he sounded overly formal, but he didn't know what else to say to that. Still, Inko smiled warmly at his words. 

When the two of them finished up, they joined the others in the next room over. He sat beside Izuku, sandwiching him in between himself and Katsuki. The blonde immediately stretched an arm out behind Izuku and rubbed Shouto's lower back in a comforting motion while Izuku gave him a warm look. The parents had gone into a conversation between the three of them, which thankfully left Shouto a little room to breathe. 

"You doing okay, Peppermint?" Katsuki asked quietly. Both of them were looking at him now- wanting to check in with him. They both knew he typically hated things like this. It wasn't so bad though. It had been far easier than he thought it would, and it seemed that all his worries about not being accepted were for nothing. 

"I'm doing fine," he told them honestly. "Really." 

And they accepted his answer. 

* * * 

Three Months Later

Izuku stood with his hand on the doorknob and a wide grin on his face. 

"Are you guys ready?" he asked excitedly. 

"We've already seen the place!" Katsuki grumbled. "There's no need for a big reveal or whatever!" 

"But we own it now! It's really ours!" 

Izuku opened the door, squealing with excitement, and Shouto couldn't help but feel that same energy seep into himself as well. Katsuki was happy, too, though he was less enthusiastic about showing it. 

Shouto, Izuku, and Katsuki stood on the porch of their newly purchased home. It was a nice, two-bedroom house that had a cute little backyard. There were tall windows on the back of the home that overlooked the yard and would be perfect for letting in late afternoon sun. Upon Katsuki's request, there was a fancy kitchen that would be perfect for cooking their meals in. They had yet to move any of their furniture inside, but stepping into the space now that it was fully theirs filled Shouto's chest with a warm sense of belonging. 

This was their home. He would finally have a home together with the two people he loved. It was an insane thought, and even just six months ago, he wouldn't have believed it if anyone told him this was happening. 

Some might think they were moving too fast. But Shouto didn't think so, and neither, it seemed, did Katsuki or Izuku. The three of them loved each other and didn't want to waste any time building their lives together. 

They could finally come home to each other in the evenings and spend all their mornings together--now that Katsuki lived in the same space as them, too. He had come over a lot in the previous living situation, but it would be nice to know that Shouto could be with both of them, every night, for the rest of their lives. 

It was all he'd ever wanted. It was all he'd ever need. 

Izuku stood in the living room with his hands pressed up against the glass as he gushed about the backyard and all the gardening he intended to do while Katsuki scolded him for putting handprints on the windows. Shouto stood just behind them with a smile on his face. In his line of sight was everything important to him. 

They were his and he was theirs.

No matter how long he was with them, he would never stop feeling giddy at the thought of it. The feeling had only been renewed, now that he had not just a house to share with them, but a home. 

Really, they were his home. That was the truth. 

The next day was spent moving all their furniture into the space, bickering about where to put it, and unpacking boxes of their belongings. 

Katsuki told Izuku that his All Might shrine would have to go in the spare bedroom- claiming that it would be too weird to have sex with each other while their former mentor watched them from all sides--which earned a laugh from Shouto. 

Katsuki unpacked the kitchen space, kicking both Izuku and Shouto out while he did so. 

Shouto was given a reminder of how strong Izuku really was when he picked up the whole sofa all by himself to move it where he wanted it. Sometimes, with the way he and Katsuki handled Izuku, it was easy to forget what a powerhouse he really was. 

When the living room was mostly set up, Shouto made a brave move to enter the kitchen before Katsuki was fully done. 

"Don't fuck with anything," Katsuki ordered, the minute he stepped foot onto the tiled floors. "I'm not finished yet." 

"I won't," Shouto replied. 

"Why the hell are you in here anyway? Don't you and the nerd got other shit to do?" 

"I wanted a kiss," Shouto pouted, stepping fully into Katsuki's space. 

Not too long ago, asking so plainly for something like that would have sent Shouto into cardiac arrest. But it was the normal now, and he was seldomly told no. 

Running his hands up Katsuki's sides, he methodically softened the blonde, turning his scowl into a melted, buttery stare as he threw Shouto a look over his shoulder. 

"Then come closer," he said. His voice had dropped down to that sultry, commanding tone he liked to use on Shouto, and it instantly turned his insides to mush. When he talked like that, there was little Shouto could do to resist. 

Katsuki handled Shouto demandingly, switching their positions so that Shouto was pinned between his body and the counter. Then, Katsuki pressed his lips against Shouto's, and just like every single time they kissed, Shouto's body immediately felt like it was on fire. 

It never mattered how small or insignificant the touches were. No matter how much time passed or how often they touched him, the sensations always bordered on too much, yet not enough at the same time. All Katsuki or Izuku had to do was look at him sometimes, and he could feel that familiar heat stirring beneath his skin. 

When Katsuki's lips parted and he huffed out a small breath, Shouto caught the scent of something unfamiliar and strong on his breath. 

"Did you eat something?" he asked. 

"It's a peppermint," Katsuki stated. And then, for good measure, he stuck out his tongue and showed him the red and white striped candy in his mouth before sucking it back in and swirling it around. "Found a bag of 'em in one of the boxes." 

"Oh." Shouto leaned forward and kissed him again, pressing his tongue between Katsuki's lips for a taste. 

It was strong and minty and definitely not one of Shouto's favorite flavors, but he liked tasting it inside Katsuki's mouth. 

He hadn't been paying attention, but suddenly Izuku was at his side, rubbing up against them with a doe-eyed look. Katsuki angled his head down and gave him a kiss, too. 

"What are you eating?" Izuku asked, mirroring Shouto's question. 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. 

"So fucking nosey, all of you. It's a goddamn peppermint." 

"Let me taste," Izuku asked with a small grin. 

Shouto watched as they kissed again. He caught a peak of their tongues swirling together, and the sight alone was enough to make his dick twitch in his pants. When they parted, It was Izuku who opened his mouth and showed off the candy sitting on his tongue. 

The action was way hotter than it had any right to be. 

"Mmm," Izuku sounded. "I like peppermints. Where did you get it?" 

Katsuki nodded to the opened bag on the counter. 

Taking Izuku's face in his hands, Shouto gave him a long kiss. Izuku sighed into the gesture, instantly coming forward to close the small space between them to press their bodies together. When they parted, Izuku stared at him with those shiny, green eyes. Shouto couldn't help but smile. 

"I'm so happy," Shouto suddenly said. The words themselves were simple and in no way properly expressed the way he felt like his chest was about to explode when he looked at Izuku and Katsuki. "I still can't believe that I'm yours. I love you. Izuku and Katsuki. Mine." 

His words were musing and filled with every ounce of love that he could possibly express. It was so overwhelming and all-consuming, but he'd gladly let that love take him whole.

"You'll only ever be ours," Katsuki stated firmly. "Better get used to it. I'm not letting you go anywhere." 

"I love you both so much," Izuku said, his words gushing with affection. 

"Me too. Fuck, you two make me so goddamn soft," he grumbled, though his body language told them that he wasn't really all that upset about it. 

Shouto chuckled, and Izuku nuzzled between them, seeking to be as close to his two lovers as possible. 

It was insane in every way that Shouto got to have this, but nothing had ever felt more right. He loved them more than oxygen—needed them more than anything else in the world—and he finally got to have them. 

He was theirs, and they were his. And funnily enough, as it turned out, they both liked the taste of peppermints.