Chapter Text
One of the things Katsuki Bakugo values in life is having his alone time.
It’s not like he’s a total shut-in who wanted to be cooped up all the time, he just didn’t like having people in his business. He didn’t like having to babysit people for their stupid actions or choices, having to listen to authority, or being told no. It was all annoying, all things that put brief halts in his plans. He makes a schedule for himself and he likes to stick to it.
Like today, when Kirishima and Denki tried keeping him downstairs to watch movies with the rest of the class, insisting on a horror marathon with the arriving Autumn season.
Almost, if not all, the 3-A students were excited and adamant about spending time together.
Ever since the revelation came that this was their last year together, a lot of students started becoming sentimental and desperate for quality time. Just some nice relaxation before they were fully thrust into the world of Hero Vs. Villains.
But, if Bakugo did stay downstairs, then it would’ve put a damper on his nightly ritual. He had a routine to upkeep. He had to keep himself sane someway through the month’s loneliness.
Saved images and videos on his phone keep him company through the night, headphones securely plugged, lights switched off, with the blaring light of his phone screen all he can focus on. Cock hard and already in hand, Bakugo lets his senses be taken over by the sight of Shouto Todoroki sitting on his lap, riding him with the vigor of a porn star.
His skin has a soft sheen of sweat that glistens in the low lighting that makes him shine, with red and purple marks to ruin the porcelain complexion of his neck and chest. His normally graceful movements are now reduced to jerky rutting on his lap, hands resting on his chest to keep some semblance of balance as he works.
Most of the time when they fucked Shouto simply laid back and let Katsuki plow him while making pretty noises and faces up at the alpha. Or he bent over and just buried his face to keep himself quiet when their classmates were still awake to overhear their rendezvous.
It was slow and steady before he’d made the amateur video. Bakugo remembers this day so vividly, having Shouto insist on having the reins and then taking his sweet-ass time to get them off. Desperate little gasps and whimpers leaving his lips, he looked ready to collapse with every little shock to his nerves when he bounced his hips.
After having his hands smacked away for the fourth time so he couldn’t take control, he’d admittedly become a bit spiteful. So, he reached over and picked up his phone to leisurely scroll through his notifications until his omega could get his shit together.
That’s when Shouto really got into it. The damn camera didn’t even have to be on and yet he’d immediately whined and started moving with purpose. The shakes and shudders that wracked his body were now an afterthought as he worked. It was like having his phone out lit a match under his ass.
He wanted to be good for the camera- wanted to perform for it- and who was Katsuki to waste an opportunity when his omega liked it? So, he turned the camera app on and started recording.
That first video became the catalyst for plenty more, videos and pictures alike. He let Shouto take the reins more so long as he kept that crazed energy and the omega always did when he was filmed.
They never talked about it out loud, it was just something that happened that they silently understood they liked and wanted to keep. He moved the files all to an encrypted gallery so then if anyone went through his phone it wouldn’t be super easy to find them, and they went on with their relationship.
Until they broke up a month ago, and the videos were still there. They sat on his phone and taunted him for a week as he grieved a year-long relationship that stopped so suddenly. He went through some fucked up stages of grief and decided that he was going to have one last gander at the history before deleting them all. And well, he’s a month in now and not at the point of deleting them yet.
Because he’s watched this one at least a hundred times, over and over like some sort of arousing punishment that he likes to pretend isn’t painful at all.
“Oh, alpha,” Shouto moans out, his words hardly making any sense mixed in with the panting and whining. His head is tilted back exposing the pale column of his throat, and even though he isn’t there his jaw aches to bite into it. His mouth fills with drool just thinking about it, being able to press against that spot and inhale the alluring strawberry scent of his omega-
Video Katsuki just growls, low and possessive before one of his hands moves and grips the omega’s hips while he thrusts up into him. He becomes almost transfixed with staring at Shouto’s soaked cunt through the screen, how easily it takes in his cock as if he belongs there. Every time they fucked it was like magic, because something about Shouto’s silky insides rubs him just right, and the show he gets from him does wonders as well.
The Shouto’s pace quickens and Bakugo’s heart thrums to the rhythm of his movement, timed to every desperate bounce and grind. His hand is steady yet harsh on his own dick, practically about to tug the damn thing off his body with how badly he wants to feel his omega’s orgasm wrapped around him.
Shouto’s about to finish. He can see it by how his body tightens up and yet his face relaxes in the euphoria, with the desperate little pleas of– oh fuck, please, please knot me– escaping his slack lips. Bakugo grits his teeth and grunts as he watches Shouto come undone on his dick, his past self slamming his knot inside to finish at about the same time.
While his video self gets to cum into a gorgeous omega, his current self has a big mess all over his goddamn hand. He grimaces at it before turning to find the tissues he keeps on his nightstand. Instead of just being able to grab the tissues right away, his eyes catch sight of the little plant sitting beside the box. The evergreen succulent is still doing as amazing as the day Shouto gave it to him a year ago, with tight rosettes that go from deep green to a soft red at the tip.
“Shouto is just a bitch.” He scoffs at the greenery as if it can hear him, before grabbing the tissues beside the plant and angrily cleaning himself up.
With his mess cleaned and phone set to charge, Katsuki turns over in his bed and sighs, looking at the empty space next to him. It’s been a month now. One long, torturous month without Shouto there to cuddle with after an orgasm. Katsuki lets another growl crawl up his throat then shoves his face into his pillow. Sleep isn’t going to come easily to him. It hasn’t since they’ve broken up, but he still has to try so that he doesn’t look like some zombie in the morning.
There is nothing in the world that currently aggravates Bakugo more than how easily he and Shouto play pretend.
Shouto has mastered wearing the face of nonchalance. Whether it be watching the infighting of his family or friends, there is always something so leveling about seeing his icy face as he watches the war unfold before his eyes.
He doesn’t start fights, but he knows how to finish them. He doesn’t dare stroke the flames that rest under his skin. They’re always there, burning soft and slow, waiting for the right kindling to ignite into a burning inferno. He just stares in silence, hoping that soon it’ll end before someone gets hurt.
And Katsuki has mastered wearing the face of anger because it's easy to be mad at everything. Fuck the people that care about him and fuck anyone that ever told him he wasn’t worth his shit. He knows that he’s good, knows that if he just keeps pushing he will be better than his own twisted expectations to achieve everything he sets his mind to.
It’s easier to hate the world and keep it at a distance than to sit with insecurity and wonder if the old hag was right. That he is weak because he had to be saved from the League Of Villains and wasn’t strong enough to help himself.
They wear those faces so well that it was easy to build a facade that they weren’t seeing each other behind everyone’s backs.
Bakugo wanted to be celebrated for his skill, not for his romance and whatever tribulations that came with it. The idea of having the hard work he put in simplified for some tabloid of them holding hands or kissing in public was nauseating to think about. He liked Shouto and wanted to be with him, but in a way that didn’t take away from his spotlight. He needed the world to see him first, not their relationship.
Todoroki wanted to keep it away from his father, because even if the man would try to be supportive there would still be those microaggressions. That not-so-hidden frustration that his son is dating such a hothead and putting his career at risk if they were to ever commit fully to each other. He just wanted to enjoy what they had and not have it soured by some crappy opinion.
Even now Katsuki can look back and agree that yes, they had every reason in the world to hide their relationship and it was no one’s damn business.
But now it’s annoying, because there’s no one he can rant to about it.
He has to sit and soak in the fact that Shouto broke up with him over text and hasn’t spoken to him since, has to stand at the sidelines and watch as his omega sits with Deku and Co, listening to their ramblings while pushing cold soba in his mouth with a certain grace no one should have while eating noodles.
Or when Todoroki with his still full mouth gives a small smile to his childhood friend’s endless rambling as he chews his meal. Even just the smallest warmth on his face seems to have it glowing, and something about that has Bakugo nearly breaking his chopsticks.
That softness in Shouto’s face was always something for him. It started after their first provisional license class. Both sleepless and sitting in the quiet of the dorm living room, when time would crawl unbelievably slow. Reality had begun to settle in the full picture of becoming a real hero. Civilian casualties, destruction, search and rescue, and gangs like the League of Villains waiting for their chance to destroy the foundations of society.
The weight just got heavier on their shoulders, and those nights just sitting in the darkness of the dormitory living room were comforting. It was the beginning of their mutual understanding of each other’s grief. He remembers how Shouto would sometimes blurt dumb questions into the silence when it got too stifling, how they were ridiculous enough to make him laugh even when he felt horrible.
“Would you die if you drank cough syrup when you aren’t sick?”
“What’s the point of a handkerchief? It’s just a snot cloth, I could just use a napkin instead.”
“Is England a city in Paris?”
“If Kirishima had a pet, I think he would have a snail or turtle. Y’know, because they got a hard shell too.”
“If I put my hands together and activated both of my quirks, would that make hot water? Bakugo, am I a tea kettle?”
“Hey Kacchan, you good man? You just broke your chopsticks.” Denki is the first to chime in on his friend's odd behavior, looking the blonde over and very slowly moving his food in case the other tries to attack it.
Bakugo looks down at the broken wooden sticks and huffs, smacking them down onto the table and picking up a new pair. “I’m fucking fine, Pikachu. Focus on eating, I don’t wanna hear you whining in math about being hungry and trying to steal my snacks.” He remarks before going back to shoving food in his mouth, refusing to look up at his friends who are surely trying to size him up to find what’s wrong.
It’s not like he hasn’t been acting off lately, staring off into space more and being a little more reserved with his judgments. But so fucking what? It’s not like they actually care about him, no way in hell. They just hang onto his coattails because they don’t have anything better to do with their lives than to piss him off. It’s not like they’d believe him either if he just outright said he’s had a secret relationship with the school's pretty boy for the last year and misses the fuck out of him, not without any proof.
Well, he does have proof of their relationship. It sits heavy on his phone, a constant weight on his memory card, remnants of what they had during that year together. All those explicit pictures and videos that he looks back on each night when the grief reaches its all-time high.
It would be so easy to take it out of his pocket and show them all that he was with a beautiful omega that everyone was fascinated with and no one saw through their carefully made exteriors-
“Bakubro, are you sure you’re okay?” Kirishima is the next to ask, his hand resting on the alpha’s right shoulder to grab his wandering attention. He growls and immediately works on shrugging it off, despising how calloused his friends' fingers feel. They should feel cold and soft like Shouto’s, light because he’s always unsure whenever instigating physical touch.
He should be here sitting next to him, with that pretty smile and that cold soba he insists tastes great and those stupid little questions he asks when he’s left with his own thoughts for too long. He wants to know what’s going on in that dumb pretty head of his, to know why he smiles at Deku’s mumbling or laughs when Ochacco takes a piece of Iida’s food.
He needs to see him get frustrated again at something trivial, like a video game or trying to cook because it’s always the menial things that manage to get under his skin. Bakugo wants to know everything about him like he did before when there were no secrets between them.
Icyhot (9:12pm): Hey.. Sorry, I can’t do this anymore. We’re done.
Remembering that final message is what keeps Bakugo from reaching for his phone. Shouto didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. That break-up text was dry and to the point, leaving no room for arguing or even asking why things were ending so abruptly.
It was just over. And while he had gotten better about talking about his emotions, this was just one thing he wasn’t going to let be pried out of him. He plans to take this shit to his grave, and maybe one day in five years they can look back on their high school endeavors knowing they were what they needed at the moment.
“If you guys keep asking me if something is wrong I will flip this goddamn lunch table. Just shut the fuck up and finish before the bell rings.”
Bakugo leaves it at that, finishing off the last of his rice bowl and picking up his tray to put it with the others. He refuses to let himself chase after Todoroki like some lovesick dog when it is clear that he doesn’t want to be with him anymore. But, he could at least award himself the mercy to mourn the good thing he had with him.
Shouto has always been the pinnacle of elegance. Sure, when he talks it’s with blunt speech, but that’s because he didn’t get many chances to socialize in childhood. His actual movement is quite graceful, years of learning old-fashioned etiquette from the current number-one hero have worked well in molding him to be refined no matter the situation. Hell, even when he’s snapped and ready to burn down a house or capture a criminal no matter the destruction, there remains elegance in his movement while watching the world burn.
It’s probably why Bakugo has an abundance of videos of the omega sucking him off.
Because even when doing something as filthy as having a mouth full of cock, Shouto still looks absolutely captivating while doing it.
He sits on his knees before Katsuki, looking up at him with teary lashes and stretched lips. Shouto’s pupils are so dilated he can barely see the heterochromatic iris, with long duo-chrome hair now a tangled mess between the alpha’s fingers as he guides his partner's head back and forth. The poor thing had started the work of pleasing him, only to get so blissed out that he simply couldn’t move anymore and just cockwarmed him for a couple of minutes while whimpering.
So, Katsuki had to take the reins and make sure that Shouto could accomplish his task.
“Look at you, so fucking pretty sucking my dick. You’re such a good slut,” Video Katsuki praises. He watches how the words make Shouto whine, how he closes his eyes and leans back into the alpha’s hand, trusting him as a guide. And Bakugo doesn’t break that trust, moving him back and forth at a steady but quick pace. His hips push up to meet halfway, Todoroki’s nose bumping against his pelvis when he bottoms out.
And the noises- they’re all so fucking obscene and wet. From the little huff, Shouto lets out when his cock hits his throat, the smallest smacks of his lips when they slide up to the tip, how he makes sure to lick a stripe along the head before taking him back into his mouth.
He’s trained himself to learn how to do this, how to hit every weak spot Bakugo has to try and make him a mess. Katsuki never buckles under the pleasure, but he dances in this orchestrated performance all the same because his omega needs him.
He knows that Todoroki needs this ache when things get too out of his control, to be held and cared for, and knows the moment he gives any signal of discomfort he'll stop. And some part of his heart is warmed by the sentiment, by the fact that when things are falling apart, Bakugo is the one he searches to rebuild it all with.
“C’mon Halfie, you can’t expect me to do fucking everything, do you? I know you’re a whore, so put in some work to get me off.” A whimper of complaint is all he gets in response initially, but the moment he slows down his movement Shouto’s eyes open back up with urgency. He adjusts how he’s sitting and surges forward, hands grasping at the meat of his thighs while swallowing Katsuki’s dick down with such determination in his gaze. There’s absolutely no thought behind those lusty pupils other than wanting to make Bakugo cum a mess down his throat.
Shouto finally moves more, staring up at him and the camera pointed down capturing every second of his slutty behavior. His mouth works eagerly, lips creating a tight suction around his cock as his tongue rubs against the ridges. The drool starts to slobber down his chin and drip atop his thighs, and Katsuki becomes tempted to rub the mess between his stupidly horny boyfriend's legs so he can finger fuck him.
It’s not like he’s not already wet- probably already soaked through his boxers- but he wants to let Shouto know just how filthy he is for being this enthusiastic and desperate.
“Fuck- there we go.. I’m so-so proud of you, princess. Ah ah- Look at you, an absolute mess but s-still so goddamn pretty. I know you can make me cum so go ahead, and swallow it down like a good boy.” He smoothes through Shouto’s tangled hair, only tightening his grip when the other goes near his knot, because the last thing he wants to do is break Shouto’s teeth off to make sure he doesn’t choke to death.
His omega is a symphony of muffled moans, and those added vibrations send electrical shocks to the top of his head and down to the blonde’s goddamn toes. If he hadn’t mastered better control of his quirk, he probably would’ve fried the omega’s hair and caused an explosion so deafening it put ringing in both their ears.
Bakugo is so fucking tightly wound it’s unbelievable, he can’t stop the animalistic growl that rips from his throat as he finally fucking cums, and Shouto’s movements slow to work him through it. A happy purr starts to trickle out of his satisfied omega, content with the spend he’s been rewarded.
Only when Katsuki has finished does Todoroki pull back, open-mouth panting and showing the leftover release still staining his tongue a translucent white. He moves his hand from the other’s hair to instead cup his cheek, thumb moving into Shouto’s mouth and pressing against the muscle.
“There we go. God, you’re such a perfect whore, halfie. Next time I do an internship with your old man I should tell him how fucking good you are with your mouth.” Shouto’s face warms at the heartfelt praise, body going slack. He sucks Bakugo’s thumb clean before turning his face into the other’s hand and pressing kisses into his sweaty palm, looking back at him with an endearing smile.
And that’s where the video ends, with Shouto Todoroki’s pretty boy face looking up at him with all the adoration in the world. And Katsuki Bakugo is stuck in the real world, with a cum-covered hand and a phone with too much porn of his ex-boyfriend.
He slams the phone flat on the bed and turns to the offending tissue box on his bedside table to clean up, a now regular occurrence that he’s getting sick of. Right beside it, there’s the stupid little succulent that he was given the day they started dating.
Bakugo growls at the thing while cleaning himself, throwing them away quite aggressively while he glares holes into that plant. He wants to throw it at the wall, wants to watch as the gray pot shatters into little clay pieces all over his floor with the dirt crumbling and that stupid plant dying from the shock.
The blonde pulls up his boxers and sits up, grabbing the pot and rearing his arm back to slam the stupid thing in, to break this cycle of fucking grief he’s become stuck in. If he just destroys this little thing then he can get rid of the rest of all of it.
The videos, the memories, the care he still has for that stupid bastard so he can just move on with his life and focus on the things that matter, the things that Shouto just distracted him from. It was probably all just some big fucking plot to steal the number one spot right under his feet, under the glory of his shadow where he and everyone belong.
Bakugo really means to throw it- he wants to do it so badly, but his muscles seize the moment he even tries to, and no matter the fight he gives he just can’t. He’s not ready to let go and that makes him so mad. Mad that he’s the only one feeling all this grief over their year-long relationship, mad that Shouto can prance around his daily fucking life while he’s left in these shambles.
His entire body is wracked with shivers as he lowers the plant, destruction burning at his fingertips but every other cell in his body wants to keep this dumb plant safe. The anger is boiling, staying inside with no escape out. A scream claws at his throat but he keeps it down by shoving his face down into the pillow, biting into the case to restrain himself from shouting.
Holding in his scream hurts. His nerves feel like they're on fire just trying to keep it in, every cell in his body trying to rebel against its command, but he has to. Everyone is asleep in their dorms and they’d absolutely hear him and then know.
The mask would slip and then he’d just be looked down on.
“Ha!? What do you mean stupid Deku isn’t coming?! You said you wanted to make this a dumb tradition of us coming over every year for food for the three of us!”
“Bakugo, I do want this to be for all three of us. But I already told you that Midoryia said that All Might wanted to speak to him in private and he couldn’t come. You’re my friend though so I don’t want you to be sad by not having any of Fuyumi and my mom's cooking. Plus, you get more food with Midoryia gone so I don’t know why you’re shouting so much.”
The alpha scoffs as Shouto rings the doorbell, muttering any obscenity he can think of to call him for not telling him sooner about this change. Granted, if he knew earlier he would’ve ditched this shit, but now he’s stuck without any buffer for all the feelings that are probably going to be passed around with bowls of mapo tofu and calamari.
Ever since Natsuo had that whole kidnapping incident a year ago, Endeavor has tried very hard to prove his actions follow his words of atonement. He paid out the nose to have a house built for the kids and his wife, got her removed from that mental hospital, and handed her divorce papers so she could leave him for good and gather the pieces of her life.
From what he’s heard when Todoroki was inviting him to this bullshit is that his parents are still legally married but not physically. The scumbag lives at the old place and the kids live with her at the new place, and the fucked-up couple go to weekly therapy so they can at least work on co-parenting comfortably while Shouto finishes up his second year.
The locks click and Fuyumi reveals herself, blue eyes shining and the biggest smile outstretched on her cheeks.
“Shouto, Bakugo! I’m so glad you guys were able to come! I know it was really hard to convince Nezu to let you out, but I promise it’ll be worth it. Come in, come in- food is just about finished so make yourselves comfortable.” She opens the door wider and lets them both in, closing it behind them and walking ahead. She doesn’t even take a second to question why Deku isn’t with them and he spots only two sets of house slippers left out instead of three.
Todoroki told her Deku wouldn’t be here before him.
Bakugo grumbles while working his shoes off, dropping them onto the shoe rack and slipping his feet into the house slippers laid out for him. Before he can step out into the main part of the building, Shouto stops him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, can you please not yell while inside? I know you like being loud, but my mom is still recovering and she doesn’t do good with that. If you could just keep it down for an hour or two it would help her out.” The blonde looks over his shoulder at the omega. His face looks neutral but he can still spot the worry in his eyes, the care he has for the woman who irreparably scarred his face, and how desperate he is for things to go well.
“Oh for fucksake-! Fine! I’ll keep my voice down. Now stop touching me, it’s weird.” He works his shoulder until Shouto lets go, watching the worry smooth away from his eyes and focusing on working his slippers on. Katsuki walks ahead into the main room and finds Natsuo, who is reaching for something on a high shelf for Mrs. Todoroki.
And dinner is… Nice.
There isn’t the same awkward strain there was the first year he had dinner with the Todoroki family. Natsuo isn’t angry, Fuyumi isn’t desperately trying to keep peace and Shouto isn’t having to be caught in the middle of the unbalanced energy. Without Endeavor here everyone works in tandem with each other. Mrs. Todoroki serves the big dinner she and Fuyumi prepared with the sweetest look on her face, eager to drink in every second of quality time with her children and guest.
She instigates talk and drinks a cup of tea while listening to it all. Her presence is magnetizing, and comforting. Bakugo finds himself sitting even past finishing his food just because she coaxes conversation from him, and he doesn’t even realize how much he’s just talking until there’s no more tea in his cup and Shouto is cleaning up the dishes from the kotatsu.
“Well, that was an.. Acceptable, way of spending my Saturday, but we need to head back to the dorms. Teach is going to throw a fit if we aren’t back by curfew.”
Rei raises her head from loading the dishwasher when Katsuki says that, clearly confused by the statement.
“Oh, were you guys not staying the night? The email from Nezu said there was permission for an overnight visit. I even bought an air mattress while at the store to make sure you had space to rest comfortably, but if you want to head back to the dorms I can call a taxi for you.”
.
.
.
What. The. Fuck.
First Deku isn’t coming and now this is supposed to be a sleepover?! How the hell did he get roped into this shit with Todoroki of all people? The half-and-half bastard filed the report for an overnight instead of pre-curfew, then shitty Deku is gone and he decided to tell everyone but him and-
…
Why would Deku be having a visit with All Might at 9 pm?
Shouto filed the paperwork, told his family it was going to be just them, and is having him stay the night.
It’s clear to him now that the omega is trying to get him alone, but for what?
The only way he’s going to find out is if he stays the night and lets this play out like halfie is trying to do.
“No need for a dumb taxi. We can do the sleepover, or whatever. I’m going to need the mattress though, I refuse to sleep next to your weirdo son.”
The white-haired woman giggles at his remark, finishing up with the dishwasher and drying her hands with a towel. “It’s already laid out in Shouto’s room, you boys will just have to turn it on and it should start to fill up. If you guys need any help just ask Natsuo, he’s used one before in college so he’ll know how to fix it.”
And then he’s following Shouto upstairs, glaring holes into the back of his neck as he figures out the most efficient way of murdering this scheming, underhanded bastard who basically trapped him here.
“You have some fucking nerve dragging me out here, halfie. Why the fuck did you invite me for actually? I know it isn’t just for some friendship bullshit, because shitty Deku would be here too and you wouldn’t have lied about it.” He practically growls out the words, but Shouto gives no response to his complaining, just walks ahead to his bedroom door and opens it up.
The first thing Bakugo sees in that room is plants.
Fucking plants. Everywhere.
They line every possible surface, shelves, his dresser, and bedside table; all covered in bright colors of flowers and ferns. Some hang down the ceiling in floating pots and carefully grown vines grow on one wall of the bedroom, and he wonders how the hell halfie got them to not overtake the entire space. And the bastard isn’t even phased by the plants. He smiles while picking up a spray bottle and starting to water some of them.
“Icyhot, why the fuck did you take me into a greenhouse?”
“This isn’t a greenhouse, it’s my bedroom. Do you like it? I could only bring a few with me to U.A., but my mom comes in to take care of them while I finish up my training. The vine on the wall is named Eiko, and then I have triplet ferns from the same greenhouse which are named-”
“I’m going to stop you right there- you fucking named them? What, do you talk to them too or something?”
“.. Of course? Me and my mom used to spend time together by going out into the garden and taking care of the flowers. It was probably my favorite time of the day, being able to relax and clip the dying leaves, and reading books about taking care of them over the winter… And then she left, and my dad didn’t like me talking to my siblings, but I had the plants still. I took care of them and they’ve really helped me think when I’m upset. Then Fuyumi bought me a succulent to keep in my room instead of outside with the others. I didn’t know you could keep plants inside before then. And then I just ended up getting more overtime as gifts from Natsu and her, so they’re all here.”
The explanation flows out of Shouto with ease, as if he’s telling a cheerful story rather than some developed trauma response. All Bakugo can do is stare as the man goes around, watering each one with delicate sprits and examining their growth, mumbling small praises to each one he passes like they’re friends he’s known for years. He looks at peace with the work in a way that’s hard to describe, just relaxed. There’s no tension in his posture or any deeper thought, just the joy of taking care of another life.
“Halfie, that’s fucking sad. I mean- plants as your only friends growing up? Jesus fuck, and I thought you were messed up before.” Bakugo only realizes how that isn’t the best thing he could’ve said in the moment after Todoroki turns to look at him, brows furrowed and lips drawn tight.
He looks genuinely hurt by the words and the urge to immediately apologize claws at the alpha’s throat, but he refrains. Instead, he eyes the dual-quirked male as he turns to his bedside table and sets the spray bottle down, picking up the little succulent with a gray pot and making his way over to him.
“I don’t think it’s that sad. It’s comforting to talk to my plants. They can’t judge you for anything you say and the Co2 is actually good for them. Do you wanna try?”
And then offers the plant up to him to take, the smallest bit of excitement biting at the edge of his voice. The blonde looks down at the plant with a grimace, eyeing the succulent red-tipped leaves and nicely kept dirt. Katsuki wants to immediately push the offering away and tell the omega that it’s crazy, but the omega looks so hopeful…
He huffs and takes the pot with both hands, giving a glance at the other’s brightening face before leaning in close to the plant.
“Your owner is fucking bonkers.”
The gasp of horror that leaves Shouto makes Bakugo cackle, watching as the omega glares at him like he murdered something in front of his poor eyes. It’s fucking funny, and seeing the normally dead-faced Todoroki Shouto actually look so offended is the cherry on top.
“You’re not supposed to talk to her like that.”
“Icyhot, it’s a fucking plant. Plus, you said that they wouldn’t judge me.”
“Well, they won’t but that doesn’t mean you can just say whatever you want to her. She can feel your energy and that will only make Ai’s leaves wilt. Can’t you at least try to say something nice?”
Bakugo huffs at the remark, giving an unamused look. First, the bastard asks him out here, then insists he keep quiet during dinner, and then makes him stay the night. Todoroki is pulling out all of the favors, and Bakugo is sick of giving in. He holds the plant out for the other to take back, grinning mischievously.
“Sounds hard, how about you show me how, Halfie?”
There’s a hitch in Shouto’s breath at the request and the room fills with silence, suddenly becoming tense. There’s a pink flush starting to creep up the omega’s neck and towards his cheeks, and he looks down at the plant in some lame attempt at hiding it.
“Alright,” he mumbles, and Katsuki expects him to take the succulent back to do his example. But he doesn’t, just cups his hands over the blonde’s to keep them on the pot before leaning forward to be face-to-face with the plant.
“Good evening, Ai, I hope your day has gone well. I heard Mom moved you to the window for a couple of hours to get some extra sun, so I bet that was nice. I had a nice day too. Today a friend from school came over for dinner, and it was really fun. Natsu and Fuyumi and Mom really seem to like him, and that makes me happy because.. I like him too. I know we’ve talked about that before, but I do. I’m still a little confused about all these feelings, but they feel good and I don’t want them to leave. I like him. I like how he yells and shouts but still finds ways to care about the people around him, I like how he smiles when I say something he thinks is funny, and I like being near him a lot. I hope he likes me too.”
The confession has Bakugo stunned into silence, face burning hotter and hotter with every sweet word that leaves Shouto’s lips. What the fuck is he supposed to say in response to that? It’s not like anyone has ever given him a love confession before!
Sure, there were those couple of White Day chocolates from underclassmen who decided that his grunge aesthetic was hot, but that was completely different. This has the full and tangible person standing before him, pouring his heart out in one of the most stupid yet thoughtful ways imaginable.
Not only was he letting Bakugo in on his feelings, but he was also letting him in on his life.
His family, his hobbies, the things he enjoys, and the tragedy of his childhood. Shouto is willingly exposing it to him. He’s letting him see all the good, bad, and ugly things in his life to take it all in, to face this confession with all the facts before making a commitment. He wants him to know everything he’s getting into before taking the plunge into what this is- what it could be.
If he just says yes and falls with this lovable idiot he’s been pining for since they sat those late nights in the dorm living room, working together to get their hero licenses, and going through hero studies together at Endeavor’s agency. It’s impossible to deny that they’re constantly gravitating to each other- a piece of connected string that tangles with each little rustle and pull, only pushing them closer together.
And he wants to- he wants this so bad.
But, for the first time in a long time, he’s been stuck in his head for too long, too silent for comfort. The tension has become suffocating, and Shouto’s face dims into a forlorn look. He clears his throat and takes hold of the pot's base, gently tugging it away from Katsuki’s sweaty palms.
“It was just a suggestion, I understand if you don’t reciprocate. We can still have a fun night, I’ll set up the air mattress and we can pick a movie to watch.” The words are cold- or maybe that’s Todoroki breathing because suddenly it’s coming out in little plumes of vapor. He walks stiffly back over to his bedside table and sets the plant back down. He doesn’t move after putting it down, just stands there, statuesque and dissociating.
The blonde growls at the sight and marches forward, putting his hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “You jump to too many conclusions, Icyhot. What, am I not allowed to think about what I’m going to say?” He turns the other around to look at him, seeing the ice starting to cover his right cheek and how he stares off, trying his best to not make eye contact.
Bakugo huffs and pulls him closer, which manages to grab the other’s attention a little bit. “Fine, if you don’t want to listen to what I have to say, I’ll just fucking show you.”
He grabs Todoroki’s cheeks and tugs him into a kiss, and his lips are cold. His quirk was reacting to his emotions and now his entire body seems frigid, the left side only retaining a bit of warmth compared to the right. It’s like kissing a piece of ice but he can feel the other’s skin thawing where they touch, and can hear the little gasps that Shouto takes in when they break apart, right before Katsuki surges forward and overwhelms him again.
Because even if Shouto needs air, the alpha doesn’t intend to stop until the other’s temperature is regulated again.
They kiss and kiss and at some point, Shouto opens his mouth and lets the blonde push his tongue in, shudders wracking through them both at the new sensations. It’s messy with their spit and downright filthy with the action, but fuck is it amazing. The omega’s skin gets back to normal temperature but then rises , climbing with his right side and Bakugo distantly wonders if he can get Todoroki to use his flames with just this.
Shouto stumbles back a little as his legs start to give out, and he trips on the box to the air mattress and falls back into his bed, rustling the blankets that hold up his nest. The dual-quirked man looks absolutely stupefied, laying there with spit covering his chin and lips swollen from their rough actions. It takes him a minute of just sitting there and panting before he looks up at Bakugo, raising his arms and doing a grabby motion, asking for the other to enter the sacred space.
Bakugo laughs at the sight of the omega being needy for more affection. Todoroki is such an idiot, but he’s a goddamn lovable son of a bitch.
He accepts the request and clambers onto the bed over the omega, pursuing his lips into another kiss. The blonde swallows down the blissful hum Shouto lets out, and enjoys the feeling of the other’s hands combing through the recently buzzed part of his hair before they tangle into the blonde mess. This make-out doesn’t last as long as the first, but it feels more intimate somehow.
“So, does this mean you’re my girlfriend?”
“Ha!? No! I’m your boyfriend, dumbass!”
“Oh.. Does that make me the girlfriend then?”
“For fucksake- no. We’re both boys so that makes us fucking boyfriends. I’m your boyfriend and you're my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriends… I like that a lot better.”