"Oh wow." Midoriya blinked, sitting with his tray at the long lunch table where his friend's had gathered. "Todoroki chose to sit somewhere else today?"

The fact that their usual quiet lunch companion had settled elsewhere wasn't in itself surprising. Where he'd chosen to sit however was. Across the cafeteria an odd trio sat together, talking comfortably. Kirishima and Bakugo were a familiar sight, but Todoroki's white hair and quiet demeanor was an unusual addition.

"It's amazing what forcing two people to be in each others presence can accomplish." Uraraka spectated as she ate her lunch, appearing to have already been thinking along the same lines.

Iida nodded beside her. "Amazing indeed. From battling it out in the courtyard to sharing a meal together. This is truly a testament to the great tutorage of our teachers here at U.A!"

Tokoyami sat across from him sipping at his ramen bowl. "I'd have to agree. Aizawa sensei seemed to know exactly how to solve the unrest that had swelled between those two."

"But what was it all even about?" Uraraka questioned, frowning. "I knew kaachan really had it out for Deku, but his fight with Todoroki just seemed to spring out of nowhere."

"Well he was really upset after the sport's festival." Izuku pointed out.

"But it's been months! He would've let that go by now right?" Uraraka asked incredulous.

Izuku chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Kaa-Chan's never really been the type to let things go."

Meanwhile, across the busy lunchroom...

"What's it like rooming with a nuclear bomb, Todoroki?" Eijiro addressed the dual colored boy sitting across the round table from him.

"You trynna piss me off, shithair?" Katsuki warned beside him, not looking up from his meal.

"Wouldn't take much." Kirishima laughed. "Also, I purposely styled my hair after yours today to see if you'd still call it shitty!"

Todoroki glanced from Bakugo's blonde head to the red head beside him. He'd done a good job.

"Looks nothing like mine." Bakugo dismissed, not even looking. "The back is all wrong."

"I highly doubt you know what the back of your head looks like!" Eijiro accused. "Anyway, Todoroki dude, what's it been like?"

Shoto leaned his head to the side, giving the question a bit of honest consideration. "Hm. It's been pretty relieving, I guess. He's helped me get a lot of things out of my system."

"What??? Really? This guy?" Kirishima thumbed in the blondes direction and Todoroki nodded. It had obviously not been the answer he'd expected. "Wow! That's pretty amazing! Never would've expected you to be so handy." He beamed with a bright sharp toothed grin.

"Yeah, he's really good with his hands." Shoto affirmed.

Katsuki choked on his food.

"Psssh. You don't have to be his roommate to know the guys a master with his quirk." Eijiro laughed, misunderstanding. "I guess maybe you get it close up and personal being with him all the time though."

Real close and personal.

Shoto shook his head. "No I meant-"

"WHAT HE MEANT WAS," Katsuki erupted. Seriously? He looked across the table at his apparent airhead boyfriend. "Why the hell are you so interested, huh? Mind your fucking business."

Kirishima frowned "Dude, it's not a big deal… unless you guys are on some secret punishment mission together or something...Or maybe some hidden task for your makeup license?"

"No it's nothing like that." Todoroki reassured as he looked back to his soba noodles with the faintest of smirks.

"Oh yeah, another question. Why was your mom here?" Kirishima asked.

Shoto looked up immediately to watch his roommate sit in amusing discomfort

"Still with the questions."

"Oh cmon it's only fair! No one else has even been able to get outside letters yet. You got an entire parent in...you're not getting expelled are you?" Something a bit more sincere than concern for a friend flashed across Kirishima's face.

Todoroki caught it.

"Of course not. My stupid old woman is always meddling in something." Katsuki answered with an arrogant frown.

The red head wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Thank goodness. That was a blow I really didn't need, especially after almost losing you to the league."

Shoto's eyes flashed to their contact.

"You didn't almost lose shit, dumbass." Katsuki barked, swatting his hand away and leaning back from his empty spicy tray. "I had it under control."

Kirishima smiled genuinely. He looked comfortable and excited to be near his friend.

Shoot inhaled quietly. He hadn't noticed before, and it was probably because he hadn't had a reason to, but there was just the smallest ounce of something beyond friendship in the sharp eyes of katsuki's redheaded best friend.

"Being hard headed is one thing. Being completely unaware of your surrounding circumstances is just irresponsible." Kirishima pressed, disagreeing with the blonde.

Truer words couldn't have been said.

"I'm as aware as I need to be." He sniffed, leaning his chair on its back legs.

Incorrect. Shoto sighed, pushing his food aside. He was going to have to address this now. If there were something his prior frustrations had taught him, it was not to just let things be.

"Do something about it." Katsuki's voice whispered in his memory.

"His mother actually came to give us her blessing." Todoroki sat back in his chair with a sigh. He leveled his eyes with Eijiro.

Bakugo reddened.

"Her blessing? To wha-"

"We're dating now." Shoto finished.

Eijiro jolted. His shoulders hunched high and he clenched his sharp teeth. It was shock if Shoto had ever seen it. "What…" his voice was quiet, as if he were asking himself. He turned wordlessly to the boy beside him.

Katsuki's sat, with his face hidden in his hand. He looked like his usual 'about to erupt' posture. Kirishima however didn't miss how his deep red ears sat in sharp contrast against his blonde hair.

"You're...you guys are like dating-dating?" The redhead asked in a quieted disbelief. He looked from Shoto to Katsuki and back again. Shoto nodded.

"If you make a big deal about it, I'll blow you the fuck- eh? What's wrong with you?"

Kirishima looked wide eyed into his lap. He didn't speak as he looked down into his hands as if his entire world had been turned upside down.

Katsuki frowned. He'd expected the boy to explode with an annoying flurry of questions and exclamations. You're me best bud! How did you not tell me! I didn't even know you liked someone! The class is gonna flip!

But there was nothing, just a quiet look of shock.

He almost looked hurt.

It clicked.

"Fuck, you-"

"Missed my chance." Eijiro finished, smiling suddenly at the two boys that shared a table with him. He suddenly felt very misplaced. Standing from the table, he shook his head. It was easy to see something swelling under the surface.

"Where the hell are you going? What the fuck- I didn't- you never-" Katsuki reeled, easily losing a grasp on what was happening. Leaning after the red head, he teetered his leaning chair onto one leg and it began to flip.

"Ssshit-" katsuki cursed, losing balance. Shoto quickly began to stand, but it was kirishima's quick reflexes that caught the back of the blonde's chair and pushed him swiftly back down onto all four legs. A second hand rested on his shoulder and katsuki had grabbed at his arm reflexively.

Katsuki flinched at the impact that didn't come before looking up, wide eyed at his savior. Wasn't the first time the red head had pulled him out of a pinch. Kirishima blinked down at him wordlessly, wearing a pensive expression. Shoto eyed the hand he kept on the back of Bakugo's chair and the loose, unnoticed grip his boyfriend kept on his blazer.

He wasn't the only one.

Eijiro stood in place for a moment before moving his arm away. "I'm fine! Really." Kirishima reassured with a goofy smile that would surely fool most. "...Just feels like you kinda came outta nowhere Todoroki." He leveled his eyes with the boy across the table, but then let his eyes fall back to the blonde. "Guess I thought I had all the time in the world."

Shoto sat quietly as the third boy dismissed himself, leaving him alone with a whiplashed boyfriend.

"The fuck." Bakugo muttered quietly under his breath looking at the table as if it were the source of his confusion.

"He likes you." Shoto explained.

"Yeah I got that much!" He barked back. He groaned, leaning back into his chair kicking his feet into the table.

"You're not going after him?" Shoto asked, gauging Katsuki's reaction to this latest development. He had always been closest to Kirishima and it was more than possible that had he himself not interfered, things would be a lot different. Possessive feelings swirled in his abdomen and frowned at them. This was what he'd felt toward Midoriya… but those feelings had been unwarranted.

"I'm not interested and I'm not going after him... so fix that stupid look on your face." Katsuki sighed. "I'm just...how did I not notice?"

Shoto resumed his food, finding solace in that response for now. . "I'm sure he wasn't nearly as problematic with his feelings as I was."

Katsuki scoffed. "Problematic? What a fucking understatement." He closed his eyes, working to ignore the eyes he felt watching the two of them. Eijiro wasn't one to be visibly upset, so his classmates were bound to become curious. A frown pulled at his lips however. "More like making yourself blatantly impossible to ignore."

Shoto frowned at himself feeling his face redden. He'd done and said a lot of invasive and unreasonable things. Forced kisses and violent meltdowns. He put his face into his palm.

"Don't get embarrassed now, idiot. Way to start caring about presentation after-the-fact." Bakugo spoke, with a snort.

His roommate sighed looking at him levelly from across the small round table. "I suppose you're right; especially with me not really regretting any of it. It's somehow landed me where I want to be."

The blonde blushed, eye twitching. Talking to Todoroki while knowing full well how he felt toward him was going to prove to be a challenge. Since the initial liberation of his restrained feelings, Shoto had been considerably more upfront with his thoughts. It was jarring to say the least. Bakugo could face a lot of things with confidence. Romantic dealings was not one of them. Would he become unnerved talking to Kirishima as well?

He groaned, pushing both hands into his hair in frustration.

Dual colors blinked across from Katsuki. Shoto could feel complications coming in the form of a sudden urge to sit closer. Maybe it was the awareness, or maybe it was the after effects of how intimate their relationship had suddenly gotten, but there was blatant intolerance toward anyone with questionable intentions… and Katsuki clearly cared.

The feeling felt immature and possessive but it was there nonetheless.