[he does. he does know, but he also knows he isn't going to. he isn't as obsessed with spiting his father as he used to be, isn't as fixated, but he can't just leave. not yet. he's still got so much to do. and maybe he still can't give up on the old man.
it takes shoto half a step to realize bakugou has stopped, the arm around his waist pulling him to a stop, too. he isn't sure what's coming next; he hadn't expected him to stop at all. to move his hand, to push shoto away maybe, to tell him to stop being a fucking idiot or whatever else he can come up with. to remind him that he isn't like that.
his arm does drop away from shoto's waist, yeah, but then he's grabbing his arm instead and pulling him around to look into his eyes, unflinching, looking as serious as ever and a lot more calm than shoto himself is feeling. he can feel his heart beating as bakugou asks that question, and he considers the answer. of course there's one. even through his usual stoic expression, it's almost impossible to miss that flash in his eyes, or the way his hand tightens on bakugou's shoulder.]
I thought you said you didn't do that sweet bullshit.
[despite stating as such, bakugou knows that shoto was nothing like his father, and that shaking him or forcing him to go against his old man wouldn't stop him from trying. it's a work in progress, and maybe bakugou can figure out another way to get shoto to understand that endeavor doesn't need a spot in shoto's life, but it would take some time. this was his father, as shitty as he was.
he would need to figure out another method, a different approach to this.
but it's a thought that comes to linger as he stares down at shoto, barely catching the glint in those eyes. there. he was right. there is something to this. the hand gripping at his shoulder only confirms it. of course, leave it to icyhot to not tell him, but not deny bakugou's question either. it earns a roll of eyes and a sharper tug to shoto's body.]
Asshole. Stop pussyfooting around.
[shoto isn't wrong though. bakugou stays far away from anything overly sweet and romantic. he prefers rough, passion, and intensity. yet, despite that, he feels as if he needs to know, needs to hear what's going through shoto's head.]
Are you complaining? That sounds like complaining. Maybe I'll have to fix that.
[the next photo is a live photo, only three seconds, but that's enough to show a hand sliding down his bare stomach, fingers catching in the waistband of those briefs and starting to tug them down, exposing a long glimpse of bare hip.]
[Normally Monoma would shrug off his robe and shed his pyjama top before Todoroki could even sneak his hands beneath them, but again, this time is different. He really does need to feel like he's wanted for himself, for something more than his willingness and availability. Instead, he slides a hand up the nape of Todoroki's neck and into his hair and takes the time to really notice its texture, fingers combing through it without ever getting a firm grip.
He sneaks his other hand up under Todoroki's shirt and marvels anew at just how tautly his skin is stretched over rock-solid muscle, how deep each crevice carves into his body and how high the ridges rise. Of course Man Mountain Endeavor's son wouldn't be a gangly beanpole or anything, but Todoroki's compact enough to hide most of his bulk under his clothing, so Monoma can all too easily forget. Todoroki is just so... so...]
Exquisite... [- is what Monoma ends up breathing against Todoroki's mouth, because of course he can't just say "hot" or "sexy" or something when they're wrapped up in such a dramatic moment. He has to rise to the occasion.]
Bath, bed, beach sounds good to me. In that order. You're right, though, the private bath is huge for something like this--it's practically a swimming pool. I'm looking forward to enjoying it with you.
[It's such a weird concept! What's resting? What's chill? Who can say, really. But they're at least gonna give it a shot for a day!]
it'll probably have to be back to the bath after the beach, sand really does get everywhere is there soap and stuff there already or should i get some?
[Hence all those marks on Ojiro's tail, and he's pretty sure there are some other marks on his thighs, too, not to mention his--]
It's--kind of disappointing I don't remember the whole thing. I think I had a really good time. I just think I might have panicked when I woke up really late in a room that I didn't remember falling asleep in. I kind of wish I'd stayed.
[Ojiro blushes a little more but his lips curl into a smile when Todoroki mentions he was good. The mention of distraction has Ojiro rubbing the back of his neck.]
I think it wasn't a bad distraction. Especially considering what came after you getting distracted.
[He's not expecting those direct words.]
I wish you stayed too. You could...stay now if you want.
[It takes a little while for Todoroki to get back to him. Probably a good sign, right? Except.]
That was probably the most awkward fifteen minutes of my life. And that's including the time my mom told All Might about how I used to talk about marrying him when I was four...
I messaged him, but every time he'd say something flirty, I'd realize after I'd already answered him like it was a serious question
I definitely need more practice at this, it feels like an exam I haven't studied for
And also I'm in my underwear in front of the class
Hey, if you want some practice you can do it with me! I won't judge you at all, and you can work out how to flirt with my help! That way you won't feel so out awkward when someone you actually want comes along!
You'll catch up. The general studies are the same, it's just the hero courses you need.
I'm behind in some ways. I never used my fire quirk before the sports festival, so there's still a lot of work I have to do to get it up to speed. Sometimes I'll do extra training after hours. Room for one more if you want to come sometime.
Ugh. I'm never going to be free from you and him. We're all going to be drop-kicked into the same retirement home by our children, friends, and/or co-workers by the time we hate eighty. I see it now.
I'll be there in seven. Flamin' just flagged me down for coffee.
Well, she's the one who still wants to be a family. She's probably worried he'd completely lose it if he found out any of us were any kind of not straight. Which, he probably would.
...
...I don't know. Maybe? I mean, it's just we're so busy with classes and the internship and the villains who keep trying to kill us. Who's got time to even figure out that kind of thing
And it's...harder. I don't really know how to talk to anyone about that kind of thing, but at least if it were girls I could ask any of them for help.
There's never enough time to figure that stuff out. Classes, school work, life in general. Sometimes you just got to go with your gut. You're young, you have time to figure things out.
You can always talk to me or Nee-san. We're here for you. We've always wanted to be there for you and now that we can we're going to be in your corner 100%
[WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN NAOTO HE THOUGHT HE WAS SAFE WITH YOU]
My friends are fine, we're all just busy with school and the internship and all the stuff going on with our class. I mean, they're pretty cool. It wouldn't be the same without them.
No???? I mean who has time for that kind of thing. And anyway, I'm just turning 16, it's still kind of early to worry about, right
[For once, he won't get any argument from Shouto. Plenty of time for words later, but right now at least they're on the same page. The door is shut and locked, his shoes kicked off, and as he approaches the duvet he sheds both shirt and pants, well aware of how it makes every muscle on his toned frame stretch and flex. The show might be just a little intentional, even if it is rushed.
It's only a moment before he's down to his underwear, also very obviously already hard, kneeling down across from Bakugou with a dangerous smile playing over his lips.]
You can try. You know I'm not gonna make it easy for you.
If I wanted it easy I'd fuck someone else, like Kaminari.
[He very obviously rakes his eyes over Todoroki's form. No matter how many times he sees it, he can't help but appreciate just how good the other looks.
Once he's done ogling, he meets Todoroki's dual-colored eyes and lunges at him, hands out, and manages to hook a thumb into the black briefs as he pushes Todoroki to the ground.]
[A mini-date. Preliminary date. Protodate? Whatever. He's going to make sure the next one is better, he'll do whatever discreet research he has to do to figure that out. It's not like he's been on that many--one or two, and neither very successful--but for Izuku, there isn't much he wouldn't do. Not much at all. Later. Once they're both over the shock.
The silence is heavy. There's no one else in the house, and the walled estate has enough of a ground that even the sounds of the city are minimal; right now, they could be the last people on Earth. His hands itch to reach for Izuku, but... he's not sure. How do you start this kind of thing? Maybe that's why he's asked the way he did. To open the door.
And then, of course, in typical fashion, Izuku just kicks it down and takes half the metaphorical wall with it. I have toys I use. I pretend they're you. He's really not prepared for the rush that sends through him, adrenaline and endorphins coursing through his veins, making his fingers tingle and something low in his belly tighten and coil. The images his mind is providing him right now are definitely not helping, and there's no way Izuku could miss the way Shouto's eyes widen and then go dark, his tongue sliding over his lower lip as he steps closer to Izuku, closing the distance between them.]
You...pretend they're me? When you're...
[He doesn't sound mad. He sounds...well, very, very turned on, voice husky and dropping half an octave as he lifts a hand, brushing the backs of his fingers lightly over Izuku's flushed cheek.]
Of course I want that. I want you. I've...I mean, you're not the only one who's...pretended.
[His hand slides down the side of Izuku's neck, thumb stroking along his chin as Shouto looks down into his eyes, his own gaze flickering down to his mouth briefly, then back.]
Are you sure? We don't have to rush. I'm not going anywhere.
[Izuku is really good at kicking down doors and/or walls, physically and metaphorically. He's got the legs and the personality for it.
Izuku bites his lip a little and just nods in confirmation at the first thing Shouto says, his gaze zeroing in on Shouto's lips with want when the other licks them. At the second thing, though, now it's his turn for his eyes to widen.]
You... You've really... thought about me like that before...? [He takes a step closer too when Shouto does, half consciously pressing his cheek against Shouto's hand to feel more of his touch. God, he wants Shouto's hands on him, all over him, skin on skin, not caring if his touch might be hot or cold, just... craving him.
Izuku tilts his head to rub his chin into Shouto's touch after Shouto lowers it down to his neck, his eyes closing halfway as he soaks in the feeling. He reaches down to gently grasp Shouto's other hand and bring it up to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly in reassurance while looking at Shouto with desire burning in his eyes.] I'm absolutely one hundred percent sure. Shouto... Please...?
[Shouto looks down as Denki finishes his circle, for once mildly shy. It's just a very different sort of situation than he's used to, one very new and full of surprising insights.
Of course, the fact that he's looking down means it's impossible to miss just how his classmates is reacting to the sight of him.
His throat suddenly feels dry, and he swallows a little convulsively as he feels those too-small briefs grow just a little smaller. He can't help it, not with the other saying things like that and watching him all the while.]
...What kind of help are you offering, exactly? This isn't part of some other type of competition, is it?
[It's no secret that Denki has an interest in other guys, and that doesn't bother Shouto in the slightest, given the fact that personality matters to him much more than gender seems to. It's just that he's a very private person, and doesn't exactly like everyone else knowing what he's been up to with who.]
[Oh, Shouto being shy? Talk about being too cute!]
Oh, helping you take them off, and if you want, help you take care of that hard-on you got.
And don't worry, I don't do this for competitions unless the other person is part of it.
[Though people will probably find out about this sooner or later. He might not go brag about it, but he'll will eventually overshare to Kirishima and Sero.]
So if you want....[He steps closer, making sure not to touch Shouto yet, still smiling, but a bit softer now.]
[It's a close call, and there's a very large part of him that's tempted to lay there and let Bakugou win. After all, the idea of fucking him right there in the gym is a very appealing one, touching nerves he didn't know he had.
But also, well. He's having too much fun to let it be over that easily.
Bakugou is laughing, grinning in his face, and Shouto is grinning back as he grabs the other boy's wrist and tries to roll them, doing his best to leverage his slightly longer legs and gain the advantage. No matter which one of them wins here, they're both probably going to get what they want. He's too interested in the idea now to not let Bakugou get what he wants.]
[He struggles as Shouto rolls them over and he's almost pinned to the ground. Todoroki has more weight on him, more bulk, and as much as Bakugou hates to admit it, more raw strength.
Just a bit, mind you. But enough so that Katsuki is good and pinned under Shouto.]
The battle was much more difficult than it had any right to be, but at least they had won. Still... even though, objectively, Titus's costume was fairly light and airy (a short tunic with a long, draping cape, modeled after a Roman priest's garb), right now it felt almost unbearably heavy, hot, and constricting.
He kept it together by white-knuckling his staff (...the metal one that he used to channel his Quirk, that is) and concentrating on staring straight in front of him. The instant the vehicle taking the villain into custody started driving away, though—well before it was even out of sight—he turned urgently to Shouto, gripping his wrist. "S-sorry, but I can't stand it much longer," he managed, voice strained. "Please take me right now."
Shouto's used to heat. After all, it's half his quirk: fire and ice, hot and cold. He can deal with both extremes. But this heat...this heat is different. It's like a living thing inside him, coiling deep in his stomach, feeling like it's waiting to claw its way out. He's almost envious of Titus's light, airy costume; right now it feels like the bodysuit he wears is made of sandpaper, rubbing over every nerve ending he has in the most irritating way. He wants it off. He wants something else against his skin. He wants...
His eyes are fixed on Titus as the other hero watches the truck drive off, like a predatory cat fixed on a bird. That's what he wants. Soft skin, flushed cheeks, the way his lips are almost trembling. His own fists are clenched around his utility belt to keep him from reaching out, finding out exactly what Titus wears under that tunic.
Maybe that's why when the other turns to him with that pleading expression, it's all Shouto can do to keep from throwing him to the ground right then and there. Thank god for some kind of self control. There are still news crews and police around, and as ready as he is, he doesn't want to end up on the front page for that.
He doesn't even trust himself to speak. Instead, he twists his arm a little roughly, gripping Titus's hand with his own and squeezing a little tighter than he would normally, all but dragging the other teen off into a nearby office building that had been cleared out. At least it'll be out of view, and that's all he needs. He makes it as far as a restroom in the lobby, practically pushing Titus in ahead of him, and the second he's turned the lock in the door he's on him, pushing his back into the wall and pinning him with a desperate kiss.
[Does he know? He hopes, maybe, and how stupid is that, but maybe he does wonder, a little. If there's anyone else Katsuki's been with. Fortunately, he's never been that shy about asking direct questions.]
Not really. I've fucked Kaminari when we moved into the dorms and Kirishima earlier in the year when we thought we'd be more than just friends. Which obviously didn't happen. Since we're fucking.
[Attached to the message is exactly what was promised: A selfie from roughly waist up of Shouto in the bath, head resting on a towel at the edge, damp hair pushed back away from his face and skin practically glowing. It'd be accidentally hot if it weren't for the fact that he's also flushed and feverish and looking maybe a little like death.]
Feel free to enjoy it, it might be the last time if I die here.
[Melodramatic? Maybe. But god is he sore. At least he's in the privacy of his own room where he can complain about it. God forbid Bakugou hear, though, which is enough to get Shouto to lift his head, eyeing Kaminari.]
Good. He should be suffering, after that match. Just...don't tell him I'm like this, too.
You're not going to die. You're really melodramatic when you're in pain.
[He looks down on the floor, where Kacchan's room is located.]
I won't. Promise.
[He kneels down and sets his bag down and begins to rummage through it, pulling out some massage oil and pours some in his hands, then straddles the other boy's hips to begin to knead his shoulders.]
[It's supposed to be a simple over-the-weekend mix of training and an easy mission. Stay at a small cabin at the midpoint of a mountain trail and assist anyone who stops by for help. The rest of Class 1-A is stationed at the base camp at the foot of the trail. It'd made sense for Todoroki to go what with his ability to use fire, and Izuku volunteered to go with him because he's all too happy to do an assignment that should consist of nothing more than helping people.
That, and because Uraraka offered him up as tribute. His friend knows how he feels about Todoroki and had to have known that sure, yes, absolutely, spending a weekend alone with Todoroki would be wonderful.
That was before he realized just how small the cabin is. It's one room, really, with the only extra blocked off room being the toilet. There's not even a bath. There's the fireplace with a few comfy chairs in front of it, a little display area with maps and information about the trails, the bunk beds along the far wall, a little kitchen area with a portable gas stove, a table with four chairs around it, and that's it.
The first day mostly consisted of just chatting with the hikers who passed by the midpoint base or stopped in to use the facilities and warm up for a bit before heading on their way. Izuku answered questions about how far things were and the like, handing out maps and pointing out things like which way was the best way to go to get to such-and-such spot. It'd been fun and relaxing.
And then night had fallen. With not much to do, Izuku had started to second guess getting in to close quarters with someone who had gone way past the point of what you could call just a simple crush. You didn't have dreams about a simple crush, right? You didn't really really want to kiss them and do other things with them, he's pretty sure.
And then a blizzard hit. He and Todoroki used the radios to confirm that all the hikers out on the trail along with any classmates who had been out to assist them made it back to the base camp. Izuku had been relieved at that, grateful they didn't need to go out in the dark stormy white out to rescue anyone.
That doesn't really help their current situation though.
There's a fireplace, sure, and Izuku is now sitting in front of it, probably close enough he might light himself on fire if he leans forward a little bit more, but it's still freezing. There's no electricity up here except for what's powered by a generator, and that had decided to sputter and die a couple hours ago. Izuku does not have a clue how to fix a generator, and their cell phones are too far out of range to look it up on there. Their only point of communication is the radios. It's quiet now though, because it's just about past midnight and most everyone else is probably asleep.
Izuku should be sleeping himself and he's assuming Todoroki is, but he'd been shivering so much that he couldn't fall asleep, hence why he's now sitting as close to the fire as he possibly can without getting burned. Izuku's got three blankets draped around him, one over his legs and two over his shoulders, the largest one being the comforter from his bed that he's pulled snugly around him, and he still feels cold. He's really trying to keep his teeth from chattering, not wanting the noise to disturb Todoroki.]
A very good day, if he's honest. When he'd first volunteered to take the midpoint, it had only made sense for it to be him. After all, his quirk had the most use out here in winter, and he had the most first aid training. It didn't really matter who else was assigned with him, because he was confident in his abilities to handle any situation that might arise.
And then Uraraka had chimed in.
'Deku-kun volunteers, too!'
He's pretty sure his heart had almost leapt out of his chest, and he's equally sure that it shouldn't have. He was allowed to be excited, because they were friends and it would be nice to work alongside a friend, but even excitement didn't warrant a response like that. Fortunately, he'd always been good at keeping his feelings under wraps. Maybe a little too good.
But it was a good day. In between visitors to the cabin, he and Izuku got a chance to talk some; in fact, Izuku carried the conversation easily, and Shouto learned as much as he wanted to about the other boy's likes and dislikes, his favorite foods and childhood memories. Well. Maybe not as much as he wanted to. He always seemed to want more. And he still had no idea...
...It was dumb. He should appreciate what he had, and that was it. And that was what he'd clung to, all day and into the night, as the sun set and the temperature dropped and the wind began to pick up.
The storm was a bad one, but at least no one was stuck out in it. And they had plenty of supplies, plenty of firewood, it would barely be a hardship at all, he'd thought. He's slept through worse. And for a little bit, he'd managed to doze, at least, the howling wind almost soothing.
It was the sound of Izuku climbing out of bed that had woken him from his light sleep. Izuku shifting in the bunk below his, quietly climbing out of bed, moving close to the fire and settling there. He must be freezing. It is pretty cold in here; when the generator went, it must have taken the heat, too.
What should he do? Izuku was clearly trying not to disturb him, but he was just as clearly freezing. Maybe he didn't want Shouto to notice. Maybe he should just lay here.
Except he's moving even as he has that thought, a blanket wrapped around him as he drops quietly to the ground, padding over to join Izuku, sitting next to him and wrapping the blanket a little hesitantly around the other boy's shoulders, too.]
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