Archive of Our Own

Shoto wasn't entirely sure how he ended up in this position.

One moment, he was on his way to Midoriya's room—an excuse of wanting to look at his friend's All Might figure on his lips—and the next moment, he was being dragged into the neighbouring room, which belonged to the most repulsive character in class A.

Shoto tried not to look at the walls. He was mostly unbothered by the numerous pairs of tits around him—after all, there was only one broad chest that made him flustered and it wasn't a double D cup—but he really wanted to be able to look Midnight-sensei in the eye during class, so he kept his gaze firmly ahead. Shoto shuffled from where he was sitting on the floor, protected from the suspiciously stained carpet by the jacket he had placed on top of it and would later have to cremate.

He'd rather not contract an infection, especially when he didn't really want to be here in the first place.

'I've called you here today because I want to talk, man to man.'

Shoto raised an eyebrow when Mineta narrowed his eyes at him.

'Then talk.'

'I don't like your attitude, pretty boy.' His classmate pointed a gross finger at him.

Shoto refrained from getting angry. No matter how often he was told that the nickname "Pretty Boy" wasn't a cruel joke, it still poked him the wrong way. Only Midoriya could call him that… not that he ever did, but Shoto could dream.

'Get to the point.'

'Fine!' Mineta paused for dramatic effect, while Shoto considered just getting up and leaving. 'Make me more attractive so I can pull!'

‘Pull what?’ He tilted his head to the side, genuinely confused. ‘Are you referring to training?’

‘Stop playing dumb with me.’ Mineta bared his teeth, albeit Shoto remained resolute. The two continued to stare at each other—a game of wills, of which Shoto was a seasoned veteran—before Mineta finally broke. ‘You’re supposed to be smart! Ugh, fine! Pull means get laid.’

‘Laid?’

‘Sex!’ There was a pulsing vein on Mineta’s head—Shoto briefly wondered if he could get it to pop, but figured that might be unheroic behaviour. Instead, he held his chin between his fingers in thought.

'Okay, I think I understand… So, you want me, someone attracted to men, to make you attractive, so you can get girls to have sex with you?' He maintained a careful mask, betraying nothing. What a fucking idiot-

'Kinda!' Mineta exclaimed. ‘Being gay pretty much makes you a girl anyway, what's the p-p-problem?… Don't look at me like that! Anyway, it doesn't matter because there's actually… someone I reckon I have a chance with who isn't a girl.'

The silence that followed was deafening.

'Wait a minute.' Shoto raised his hand and shook his head, confused. ‘You like guys, too?’

‘Of course!’ He crossed his stout arms and jutted out his bottom lip. Midoriya and Uraraka were going to be so pissed off when Shoto told them that Mineta was a fellow bisexual. ‘Why limit yourself to only one sex when you can have both of them?’

‘I know you’re not the best at biology, but there’s more than two sexes.’ Shoto pointed out. ‘More than two genders too… That being said, I shouldn’t have assumed that the person you like is a girl, so please, continue.’

‘Whatever, I don’t care. My point still stands.’ Mineta waved him off. That was a better reaction than he had expected, but still, Shoto felt uncomfortable anticipation. The conversation wasn’t over yet. ‘I need you to make me handsome so I can get Midoriya to be my boyfriend.'

Silence.

Shoto relaxed his expression into a mask of complete nonchalance. There was no way—he’d misheard, surely?

‘I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?’

‘I need you… to make me handsome…’ Mineta began, elongating each word in a condescending manner. ‘So I can get Midoriya… to be my boyfriend.'

Shoto blinked once, then twice.

‘Nope. Still not getting it.’

‘You stop that!’

‘Stop what? I genuinely don’t understand.’ Shoto frowned irritably. ‘You’re telling me you have a crush on Midoriya and actually think you have a chance at him returning your feelings?’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Mineta exclaimed, jumping to his feet; even sitting down, Shoto was at eye-level with him. ‘You think I don’t have a chance?’

‘Correct.’

Admittedly, part of the reason Shoto thought that was because of his own feelings for Midoriya. He knew it was selfish, but the idea of Mineta being romantically involved with the man who owned Shoto’s heart was—for lack of a better word—revolting. That being said, it wasn’t the sole reason: someone as amazing and smart and beautiful as Midoriya shouldn’t settle for… the class pervert. Shoto knew he had a lot of competition—he didn’t need to be the brightest when it came to social interactions to notice the way some of his peers looked at his best friend—so he supposed he wasn’t about to declare war on Mineta just for being one of them.

But even someone as broken as Shoto liked to think he stood a better chance.

‘Why?’ A whiny voice shook him from his thoughts. ‘All the girls want me. Is it so hard to believe that Midoriya does too, he’s just afraid to admit it?’

Shoto held back a grimace. He’d had enough conversations with the girls to know that they wanted nothing from Mineta except his expulsion. As for the latter statement, it was exceedingly hard for Shoto to believe that Midoriya would have feelings for Mineta. However, his best friend was one of the only ones in the class who actually spoke to him amicably—whether or not that was a result of Midoriya’s inherently kind nature or this supposedly secret affection for Mineta, Shoto couldn't say, but he could understand where he might've gotten the idea…

But Midoriya was nice to everyone, goddamnit!

Stubby fingers snapped close to his face. ‘Hey! Wakey wakey!’

Shoto slowly turned to look at Mineta; the vein on his forehead was now bulging.

‘Yes?’

‘Why, you!’ An unintelligible screech escaped his mouth, which then promptly snapped shut. Shoto watched, intrigued, as Mineta took a deep, composing breath. When his classmate next stared at him, he’d sobered up significantly; he even looked sincere. ‘Doesn’t matter. Look… I need your help. Please, Todoroki.’

Well, shit.

It suddenly hit Shoto just how serious Mineta was. He was genuinely asking for help, desperate enough that he’d gone out of his way to ask him, despite their animosity. As much as Shoto didn’t want to think about it, or assist Mineta—or anyone—in garnering Midoriya’s affections, he was training to be a hero, and heroes helped others, even those they didn’t think deserved it. Plus, he’d asked nicely, which was all it really took to get Shoto to agree to something nowadays.

That being said, he placed a contemplative hand under his chin, and pretended to think about it—maybe if he played on Mineta’s impatience, he’d give him a reason to decline to help. However, the seconds passed and his classmate just stared pleadingly.

Shoto let out a resigned sigh.

‘Fine.’

‘Are you sure about this?’

‘It’s what I wear all the time.’ Shoto shrugged, watching as Mineta kept fiddling with the top of his turtleneck. It was one of his old ones that had shrunk in the dryer. That being said, he was still surprised it even fit his smaller classmate. ‘You don’t have to wear it, but you want to copy me, right?’

‘Copy is a strong word.’ He grumbled, unsuccessfully stretching the material around his neck. ‘I prefer the term “take inspiration from”.’

‘Yes, you and every other person about to commit plagiarism.’ He rolled his eyes, before swatting Mineta’s hand away from the shirt. ‘Okay, so I guess just follow my lead after I give the signal.’

Shoto, himself, was wearing a large faded purple t-shirt, along with joggers and slippers. Apparently, in order for Mineta to gain Midoriya’s attention, he had to wear something that wouldn’t put him in the spotlight. That was perfectly fine for Shoto… usually. But he liked being the centre of his best friend’s attention.

Sue him.

Waiting for a nod, Shoto walked into the common room, where most of his classmates were residing. The majority were around the sofa, playing video games on the tv, while some others were at the dining table, engrossed in work. Predictably, Midoriya was amongst the latter group, pinching his lips with his fingers as he quietly mumbled to himself. However, when Shoto walked by, he noticed that green mop of hair move, and then his best friend was smiling at him.

Naturally, Shoto nodded in greeting, but when Midoriya waved in response, he felt obliged to do the same. He raised his arm so it was level with his chest and, while it was significantly more subdued, that beautiful face lit up in response. That was all Shoto needed as he bashfully looked away and approached the kitchen counter. As he made the signal—grabbing two glasses from one of the cupboards—his gaze alternated; he kept one eye on Mineta, whilst the other scanned Midoriya for any reaction.

The former was much more embarrassing to witness. For starters, Shoto did not strut, thank you very much, so he wasn't entirely sure why Mineta was shaking his ass with each step. Secondly, Shoto did not have a resting bitch face—he preferred the term "face of neutrality"—yet Mineta was frowning like someone had taken away his porno magazines. And finally, Shoto definitely did not stare at Midoriya that much.

Well, actually…

'Woah, Mineta. Looking very Steve Jobs.' Kaminari called from one of the armchairs. 'If that's what you were going for, good job!'

Their classmate didn't respond to the not-quite-a-compliment, and continued forwards.

'Is he trying to impersonate you, Todoroki?’

Shoto turned to find Tokoyami perched on top of the fridge, observing Mineta.

Huh… how'd he get up there?

‘I guess you could say that.’ Shoto replied, sparing him a quick glance. After agreeing to help, he’d been forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement, so he legally couldn’t expand further.

Mineta was now walking towards the study group. Most of them had already looked up from their work, staring with mixed reactions—mainly amusement and horror—but Midoriya remained blissfully unaware as he scribbled in his notebook. It was only when Uraraka elbowed him with a snigger that he looked up.

'Hi, Midoriya~'

The way Mineta pronounced the name felt weird—too many "ee"s and "ah"s—and Shoto frowned in confusion. Was he trying to sound like him? He didn't usually say his best friend's name so passionately, right?

'Mineta, hi.' Midoriya smiled in greeting; there was the slightest hint of amusement in his expression. 'New outfit?'

'You noticed, huh?' Mineta smirked, running a hand down his side. 'Don't you think it compliments my handsome body?'

Shoto wanted to slap his forehead, but instead grabbed the strawberry milk powder. However, he didn't miss the grimace Midoriya tried to hold back.

'Well... erm.' He rubbed the back of his neck, pained; Shoto had to restrain himself from rescuing him. 'I guess?'

'Really?' Mineta's eyes widened with hope. 'You think I look handsome?'

Midoriya froze then—his kindness at war with his honesty—as he struggled to find a response.

'Answer the question, Deku-kun.' Uraraka nudged him with a snort. 'You think he's handsome?'

'I... uhh...' Verdant eyes darted around the room, before focusing on Shoto's own. Admittedly, their intensity—partnered with the sudden smile—took him aback. 'Todoroki-kun, what was that? Sure, I'll help you with the lid.'

Before anyone could react, Midoriya sprinted from his seat over to Shoto, who quickly tightened the lid on the strawberry milk powder so as to not raise suspicion. Clearly dejected and feeling betrayed, Mineta shot a glare at him.

Not my fault he doesn't like you.

'Hi, Midoriya.' He handed over the container, trying not to dwell on his own pronunciation of his friend’s name. 'I could get it off myself, but here you go.'

'I know. Sorry, Todoroki-kun, but I just really needed an out.' He easily unscrewed the lid and handed it back. 'I kinda feel bad. I didn't want to upset Mineta-kun, but like, not just anyone can pull off a turtleneck.'

Did that mean… Shoto also couldn't pull off a turtleneck?

His face must've given him away, because his friend suddenly snorted. 'Of course you pull it off. You could pull off anything.'

Shoto tilted his head to the side. Midoriya was complimenting him—which in itself wasn't unusual—but this time, it was in reference to his physique.

Distantly, he recalled Mineta's explanation about "pulling", and cleared his throat with embarrassment.

'Thanks.' He smiled gently. 'You also-'

'Hey, guys.' Mineta appeared at Shoto's side, discreetly standing on his foot. 'Gee, Todoroki. I thought you were meant to be one of the strongest members of the class, yet you couldn't even open the strawberry milk. Even I can do that.'

Shoto said nothing, taking the comment with a pinch of salt.

‘Is that so?’ Midoriya tightened the lid once more and handed it over to their classmate. ‘In that case, go for it.’

‘You wanna watch me flex my arms, eh?’ Mineta wiggled his eyebrows. ‘Gee, Midoriya. Are you flirting with me?’

His friend spluttered, while Shoto refrained from sighing.

Mineta frowned. ‘I was just joking. No need to look so disgusted.’

‘S-S-Sorry.’ Midoriya squeaked. 'It's not that I find you disgusting. It's just, erm, I-I well…'

Noticing his friend's discomfort, Shoto stepped in.

'Can you open the jar already so I can make our drinks?' He looked pointedly at Mineta. 'You wanted to show off, didn't you?'

'Patience, young one.' Gripping the lid with unparalleled confidence, he smirked as he applied pressure. However, when it refused to budge, Mineta’s eyes widened and he twisted harder. When that didn't work, he tried using his shirt, then a towel, then tapping it against the counter, but it was fruitless. Despite the bravado and steadily increasing aggression, the jar simply refused to open.

'Fucking hell, give it here.' Shoto yanked it back with a roll of his eyes. Admittedly, the lid was a lot tighter than it initially had been, but it wasn't impossible. He just needed to try harder; he couldn't show himself up in front of Midoriya.

'Todoroki-kun.' His friend rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 'I really don't think-'

Pop.

When Shoto looked up—jar now open in his hand—Midoriya was staring at him. A fierce blush captured his whole face, making him look like a strawberry, and his mouth bobbed like a fish.

'Well, I loosened it for him.' Mineta suddenly exclaimed. 'You can't claim all the credit!'

Shoto's jaw clenched with frustration. While he wished he could say what he was thinking, he'd entered a contract. He was supposed to be helping Mineta, yet since they'd entered the common room, everything Shoto did seemed to sabotage their plan. He needed to throw Mineta a bone, even if it meant sharing Midoriya's attention.

'Yeah, I suppose you must've loosened it for me.' He nodded his head. 'Thank you for your help.'

Mineta smirked, but the comment had no effect on Midoriya, who continued staring at Shoto with a mixture of shock and awe.

He cleared his throat, feeling slightly flustered. 'I'll make our drinks now.'

'Okay. I'll just sit at the counter and brood sexily.' Mineta chambered up onto one of the tall chairs around the kitchen island, then leant his chin on a closed fist and stared off into the distance.

Verdant eyes continued to stare at Shoto.

'Todoroki-kun.' Midoriya eventually shuffled over and gestured him forwards so he could whisper in his ear. 'I used One for All to seal that jar.'

Shoto blinked.

'Oh.' He held his chin thoughtfully. 'So that's why it was tighter than usual.'

His friend let out a choked noise.

'Yeah. So, erm, I'll just leave you to it. Thanks for your help, Todoroki-kun… oh and Mineta-kun.'

As Midoriya shuffled away, mumbling to himself, Mineta turned to him with a victorious smile.

'Well, despite your sabotage, I think that went well. He thanked me.'

Shoto didn't spare him a glance, instead watching his friend retreat.

'Yup.'

The next stage of the plan involved less mirroring and more independent development, albeit Shoto wasn't sure how effective it would be.

'I need to stop being… Pervy?' Mineta wore a look of divine horror. 'You know that's, like, my whole personality and the sole reason I was created.'

'Your parents didn't conceive you for the purpose of sexual exploitation.'

'You know that's not who I'm referring to!' He groaned, slapping his forehead. 'Anyway, being a perv is charming. You know what you're getting with me.'

'The whole point of recruiting my assistance is because you see me as the "ideal", am I correct?' Shoto felt nauseous calling attention to the fact that anyone would think him the ideal of anything remotely positive, yet he persisted. 'So when I tell you to stop being a disgusting little pervert, it's for everyone's benefit.'

'Yeah, but-'

'Nope.' Shoto stood up from his seat in Mineta's room. This time, he'd had the foresight to bring an empty bin bag to sit on to prevent contamination. 'If you're going to argue, you're in breach of contract and I'm leaving.'

'Ugh, fine!' He yelled, flailing his arms about. 'But I hate you.'

The feeling is mutual.

Face carefully blank, Shoto sat back down.

'Okay, tomorrow, Iida has organised another Class A swimming session. There, you'll demonstrate that you can restrain yourself.'

'If I can't thirst over people, what am I supposed to do?'

Shoto crossed his arms and raised a single eyebrow.

'Swim.'

The next day, Shoto arrived at the pool with Iida, having left the dorms before Mineta had the chance to latch onto him. While they had an arrangement, that didn’t mean Shoto was obligated to spend every waking moment with his classmate.

In all honesty, the whole situation had been making him feel uneasy and exhausted anyway; not only was Mineta difficult to work with, but actively helping someone—regardless of who it was—try to steal Midoriya from him made his chest ache.

Get a hold of yourself. Midoriya was never yours in the first place. He’s his own person.

Shoto shook his head, then removed his shirt and placed it with the rest of his things. He was keen to show off his new green swimming trunks—he'd had a certain person in mind when he’d bought it—so he tried to forget about the whole Mineta situation and began stretching.

He managed ten seconds of peace, then several other members of their class began to arrive.

'Todoroki! Why did you leave without me?!'

Shoto sighed, before turning around and extending his leg to stretch his hamstring. However, when he noticed what Mineta was wearing, his eye twitched.

'Nawww, you guys are matching again!' Kaminari sounded genuinely thrilled by the knowledge that Mineta had somehow managed to nab himself the exact same green swimming shorts. 'It's like looking in a mirror, eh, Todoroki?'

Shoto chose not to acknowledge him, and instead focused on hiding his frustration over the entire situation.

‘Hey! Earth to Pretty Boy.’ Mineta poked his leg. ‘Don’t ignore me!’

He took a deep breath, then switched legs.

‘I’m sorry, did you need something?’

‘I know what you said about not ogling people, but literally, look at Yaoyorozu and the way she’s dressed. She’s just gagging for it.’

Shoto furrowed his eyebrows, and looked up to find the aforementioned in a normal dark red swimming costume, looking in good health and certainly not like she was going to vomit.

‘Gagging for what?’ He tilted his head to the side.

‘Gagging for my dick, of cour-’

Shoto immediately blacked out and punched Mineta squarely in the jaw, sending him tumbling backwards into the pool. As soon as the splash alerted their classmates, several of them cheered, while others laughed.

‘I don’t know what he said, but he probably deserved that.’ Ashido slapped him on the back as she passed. ‘Thank you for your service, Todo.’

Shoto nodded his head in acknowledgement, then continued stretching as he waited for Mineta to emerge from the pool, soaking wet and looking a lot less smug than before. His feet slapped against the tiles as he stomped over, squeezing one of the purple balls on his head to wring out the water.

‘Okay. You’ve made your point. I won’t say anything like that in front of Midoriya.’

‘Don’t say anything like that, full stop.’ Shoto told him firmly. ‘If you can’t control yourself, then you’re in breach of contract, and I will be morally obligated to have Uraraka punt you into the sun.’

‘Alright, calm down!’ Mineta waved his hands frantically. ‘I won’t say any more perverted things in public. I’ll-’

‘Hi guys!' A familiar voice called out 'I'm so excited for today—thank you for organising this, Iida-kun!’

'Good morning, Midoriya-kun! I'm glad to hear that.'

Shoto and Mineta simultaneously turned around.

'Midoriya~' They both chorused.

Shoto wanted to set himself on fire. He really did say his name that passionately.

Fucking Mineta.

'Hi, Todoroki-kun. Mineta-kun.' Midoriya tilted his head to the side, bemused. ‘You’re matching. Was that intentional?’

‘Not at all. Todoroki is just trying to copy me, of course. Honestly though, I got this because green is my favourite colour.’ Mineta lifted his hand and nonchalantly checked out his fingernails. ‘It goes well with purple, don’t you think?

‘You’re colour blind, aren’t you?’ Shoto raised an eyebrow, prompting Mineta to bite his bottom lip and bare his teeth at him. ‘No matter. It’s just a coincidence we're matching.’

‘Oh, okay then.’ Midoriya smiled. ‘I’m going to go put my things down, then how about we do a couple of laps?’

‘Sou-’

‘Sounds good!’ Mineta exclaimed, shooting him a thumbs up.

As Midoriya walked away, a befuddled look on his face, Shoto rolled his eyes.

‘You don’t have to interrupt me, you know?’

‘I can’t help it. You make me look bad!’ He countered. ‘It’s like you don’t even want to help me.’

‘I have literally told you multiple times that I don’t want to help you, yet here I am.’ Shoto shook his head, then went to follow Midoriya. ‘Hey.’

‘Oh, hey.’ His friend looked behind him, searching. ‘You finally gave Mineta-kun the slip, I see?’

‘Ah, yeah.’ Shoto scratched his cheek awkwardly. ‘I can’t go into it, but he’s been wanting my help with something.’

‘Is it to be more like you?’ Midoriya bit his lip. ‘Because he’s been trying his best to look like a little mini-Todoroki since yesterday, it’s almost adorable.’

Adorable?

Shoto’s stomach felt funny; did this mean that Midoriya was actually starting to find Mineta attractive?

‘You know, in a son-trying-to-emulate-his-father kind of way.’ His friend clarified. ‘Oh no, he’s getting separation anxiety, Otosan.’

‘Never call me that again.’ Shoto shivered, just as Mineta appeared at his side. ‘I thought I’d gotten rid of you.’

‘Oh, Todoroki, you’re so funny.’ Mineta flicked his wrist. ‘Are you ready to do some laps, Midoriya?’

The aforementioned took off his oversized All Might shirt, so he was just in his navy blue swim shorts, then took a swig from his water bottle.

‘Sure. Four laps: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, front crawl? Whoever wins can pick the next activity.’

‘B-b-breas-’

Shoto conjured some ice and pressed it against Mineta’s back, eliciting a loud screech.

‘Sounds good, Midoriya. No quirks though, okay? Otherwise you’ll be done before we even hit the water.’

‘Stop being over-dramatic.’ His friend laughed, a light blush dusting his cheeks. ‘But okay, no quirks.’

As Midoriya grabbed his goggles and walked past them to the pool edge, Shoto became very aware of how tight those swim shorts hugged his figure. Not only was his upper body incredibly toned, but his thighs had grown significantly since he’d started focusing on his leg training; he was divine to look at.

Shoto would never say it out loud, but sometimes he wished Midoriya would crush his-

‘Man, what I wouldn’t do to have those thighs crush me like a watermelon.’

For once, Shoto remained silent—he couldn’t exactly reprimand Mineta for having the exact same thoughts as himself—then cleared his throat, donning his own goggles and nose peg.

‘Come on.’ He closed Mineta's agape mouth. 'And don't trip over your tongue.'

Once all three of them were ready, Midoriya counted them down, then they dived into the water. The cold immediately hit Shoto and he grit his teeth; even though it wouldn’t give him much of an advantage, he refused to use his quirk to warm himself up out of principle. Instead, the temperature drove him to swim faster, and by the time he broke the surface, he was a metre ahead of the other two.

Kicking his legs like a dolphin, he tried to remember the correct arm movements as he ploughed through the water. Butterfly was his least favourite kind of stroke, but as he managed to maintain a decent speed, he was proud of himself for keeping to the technique Iida had taught him back in first year.

Shoto had dared not admit to any of his other classmates that he’d never learnt to swim prior to coming to UA and that was why he’d used his ice the first time the class had gone swimming together. Luckily, Iida had been very discreet.

Once he made it to the other end of the pool, he flipped his body around in the water, then pushed off the wall into backstroke. He liked backstroke—it was easy and it didn’t get his face as wet as the others—but as much as the sky was very pretty to look at, he didn’t like not knowing how close he was to the other side.

As a result, he wacked his arm on the pool edge, which messed up his transition into breaststroke. If he were honest though, it didn’t really matter: now that he was able to see again, it was clear Midoriya had long closed the gap between them and was about eight metres ahead of him. Absent-mindedly, he also noticed that Mineta had only just begun his backstroke, but that wasn’t surprising.

By this point, he had well acclimatised to the water, and was actually starting to get out of breath, but he persevered, even when it became obvious that he was never going to catch up to Midoriya.

Now, Shoto had a new goal: lap Mineta.

It was going to be a struggle, but he welcomed the challenge, and by the time he flipped into front crawl, Midoriya had finished, while Mineta was frantically kicking his legs as he continued his backstroke. Shoto sliced his hands through the water, trying to control his breathing as best as he could, but he was aware that he wasn’t pacing himself very well. He’d started off averaging about five strokes before coming up for air, but by the time he caught up to Mineta, he was gasping every other wave of his arm.

It didn’t matter though. He’d accomplished his task, and when he pressed his palm against the tiled edge of the pool, he felt victorious.

‘Good job, Todoroki-kun. You’ve come so far since first year.’ Midoriya called out from where he was sitting, feet lazily kicking the water. Shoto had forgotten that he’d also told his crush about never learning to swim. 'Your form has gotten a lot better.'

'Thanks, Mi-' He'd already started, might as well finish. '-doriya.'

His friend smiled in response, then looked out across the water.

'I think this is the first time I've seen him actually swim and not just ogle the girls.' He snorted. 'I'm almost impressed.'

'Yeah.' Shoto hoisted himself up and mimicked Izuku's position, settling his goggles on top of his head and wearing his nose peg like a ring. As they sat there in silence waiting for their classmate to finish his laps, he decided to just say what he was thinking. 'Do you reckon you'd ever date Mineta?'

Midoriya spluttered out a laugh, before slapping a hand over his face; he couldn't hide the way his shoulders shook up and down. He was going bright red and the wheezes coming out of his mouth had Shoto smiling with amusement.

'Oh, that's funny.' He finally sighed, once he'd regained his composure. 'I may be bi, but I have standards. I don't know what's going on between you two, but if you're worried I'm going to steal Mineta from you, don't be.'

Shoto blinked once, then again, then reached to the side and pushed Midoriya into the water.

His friend's shriek was swallowed up by a loud splash, and when he emerged—spluttering and frantically wiping his eyes—Shoto couldn't help but laugh. Midoriya seemed to recover fairly quickly, but instead of scolding him, he smiled.

'I take it that reaction means you aren't madly in love with Mineta.' He lightly punched Shoto's leg. 'Or are you just touchy about it?'

'Hush your face.' He kicked his fist. 'If I was going to fall in love with anyone, I wouldn't be Mineta.'

'Yeah, understandable.' Midoriya snorted, treading water. 'So, is there no one worthy of our resident Pretty Boy's love?'

Shoto felt a slither of a flame lick his cheek. He actually called him pretty! Even though it sounded teasing, he just knew he'd treasure that comment forever.

'Oh, um…' He coughed, deciding to go for honesty; he'd always had a tendency to be blunt. 'Well, I love you, does that count?'

'Come on, you know that's not what I meant.' Midoriya lowered his eyes; his smile was there, but something felt off. 'I meant romant-'

'Done!' Mineta yelled, finally finishing his laps. 'Take that, Todoroki!'

'Take what?' Shoto tilted his head to the side. Next to him, Midoriya chose not to expand on what he'd been about to say.

Mineta’s head snapped towards him, looking murderous. He panted heavily and pointed a shaking finger at him.

‘What?! You beat me?! No fair, you’re taller which gives you an advantage!’

Shoto frowned.

‘Midoriya doesn’t exactly have that excuse, yet he won, didn’t he?’

'He did?' Mineta swam over to Midoriya and hugged him from behind. His hands were dangerously close to his pecs. 'You're amazing! Show that Todoroki that the hierarchy is crumbling and that guys like us belong on top!'

'Erm.' Midoriya gently shrugged him off. 'Guys like us?'

'Yeah!' He exclaimed. 'The plain-looking guys who are shadowed by people like him… although I'm not sure what the appeal is considering the scar.'

Instinctively, Shoto raised his hand to trace the roughened scar tissue.

'What about the scar?' Midoriya's tone turned accusatory. 'You got a problem with it?'

'Oh no, not at all!' Mineta waved his hands in front of him. 'It's just, it's not exactly nice to look at, is it?'

Shoto said nothing, albeit he couldn't help but agree. His scar was ugly to look at—ugly to the touch—it was just an objective fact. He'd known for a while now that the "Pretty Boy" comments were made in jest because of his gross scar; he knew that no one was ever going to find him attractive because he was a patchwork of trauma… but to hear it out loud, from Mineta no less, hit different.

'You don't know what you're talking about.' Midoriya stated, firmly. 'Todoroki-kun is a beautiful person, both inside and out, and I'm tired of listening to you putting him down because you think you're entitled. Maybe instead of targeting someone who's done nothing to you, maybe focus on yourself.'

'B-but… I…'

'Come on, Todoroki-kun.' He pushed himself out of the water and stood up, waiting for Shoto to do the same. 'I need to talk to you about something. Don't even think about following us, Mineta-kun.'

Nodding once, Shoto followed. His stomach felt funny and his pulse drummed against his temples.

He also felt the urge to go to the toilet.

Once they were by their bags, Midoriya sat down on the accompanying bench and gestured for Shoto to do the same. 'I'm sorry you had to listen to that. He had no right to attack you.'

'He was upset, it's fine.' Shoto looked down at his lap, hands clasped together. 'Every time he tries to impress you, I get in the way.'

Midoriya initially said nothing—seeming to consider what Shoto had just said—before finally replying.

'Okay… just, what? What do you mean "impress"?'

'I'm contractually bound to silence and I've already said too much.'

Shoto pulled off his goggles, finding them too constricting on his forehead. He expected Midoriya to accept his response and leave it there, but instead, he seemed to have birthed a challenge, as evident from the way his friend pinched his lips with his fingers and started to mutter to himself.

'So what I'm hearing is that while you're not allowed to tell me, if I were to work it out for myself, then that would be perfectly acceptable and not put you in breach of the contract.' He hummed. 'So far, the evidence presented is that Mineta has requested your help with something that he trusts you to be able to guide him on. Automatically one would think hero training would be the topic, seeing as you're in the top five in the class. However, from what we've seen, he's been trying to impersonate you: yesterday through clothing and mannerisms, and today by electing to swim instead of partaking in his usual… activities-'

Shoto listened intently, almost intrigued as to whether his friend would be able to figure it out.

'-This, alone, isn't much to go by, but I’ve also noticed him trying to almost "one up" you whenever it comes to doing something—more than usual anyway—plus the fact you've said he's trying to impress me makes me think that he's potentially trying to pursue me romantically; he's previously stated that he's "fallen" for me, but I didn't take it to mean that way until now. I mean, why would anyone expect that? Therefore, I surmise that he's worked out that I've got a crush on you-'

Shoto's heart thudded violently. His body froze—quite literally—as webs of frost coated his entire right side.

'-and therefore he is trying to act like you to get my attention, and that's why you asked me before if I'd ever date Mineta, because you were- wait.'

Midoriya suddenly paused, eyes widening as he slowly turned to face him. When he noticed the activation of Shoto's quirk, he squeaked and covered his mouth.

'Holy All Might, you were actually listening to my mumbling. I am so sorry, Todoroki-kun! Please forget I ever said anything, I was just rambling really. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.'

'I'll be honest, I probably won't be able to forget.' Shoto replied. After all, he didn't want to forget; it was literally a dream come true. 'Did you mean it?'

Midoriya swallowed thickly, his eyes darting around as he laughed nervously.

'Mean what?'

'Having a crush on me.' Shoto said. 'Does that mean you like me romantically?'

A beat passed as his friend simply watched him intently, as if searching for something.

'What do you want me to say?'

Yes, of course.

'For you to be honest, and I'll be honest with you, and you'll still be my best friend regardless of the outcome.' The last thing Shoto wanted to do was make things awkward between them. 'That is, if that's okay with you?'

'Of course!' Midoriya exclaimed, eyes glassy as he suddenly became more subdued. He held Shoto's gaze for another few seconds, before he looked out towards the pool. Lip wobbling, he sighed. 'I did mean it. I've liked you r-r-romantically for a while now. I just- nope. Don't you dare start rambling, Izuku. Just... yes.'

Noticing how forlorn his friend looked following his confession, Shoto shuffled closer. That crooked right hand that had saved him from himself—it felt like a lifetime ago—was clenched into a tight fist. Feeling bold, he reached out and loosened it, before placing his palm in Midoriya's own, intertwining their fingers.

'I like you too.' He clarified, in case the action alone wasn't obvious. 'I only agreed to help Mineta because he pleaded with me, and every time you noticed me instead of him, I was… so happy. It's the same with the rest of our class. I think everyone's a little bit in love with you.'

'You really think that?' Midoriya whispered.

Shoto nodded, smiling as he squeezed their hands. The next moment, a fluffy head of hair rested against his shoulder; he automatically leant into the touch.

'No one's come close to how I feel about you, Todoroki-kun.'

Shoto's heart soared. As they both looked out across the pool, they were able to witness Yaoyorozu kick Mineta in the balls.

Today was a good day.

During lunchtime the next day, Shoto walked over his group's table—tray of food in hand—only to find Mineta in his seat next to Midoriya.

He was loudly slurping cold soba, while the rest of Shoto’s friends looked mildly uncomfortable; Uraraka, in particular, looked murderous. Midoriya seemed to be trying to diffuse the tension with his nervous rambling, but his usual smile was nowhere to be seen.

As Shoto analysed the situation, he stood awkwardly to the side, albeit his presence could never escape Midoriya's gaze.

‘Oh, Todoroki-kun, hi!’

‘Hi.’ He took a step forward, before meeting Mineta’s gaze. ‘Why are you in my seat?’

‘The cafeteria has no assigned seats. I can sit where I want.’

‘But no one wants you here.’ Tsu was quick to respond. ‘We’d rather have Todoroki-chan.’

Iida—usually one to call out rudeness—remained silent, whereas Uraraka nodded her head and grumbled.

‘It’s okay.’ Shoto, as much as he agreed with his friends, had nothing to fear now. Midoriya liked him, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. ‘There’s enough room on the bench for me. Luckily, Mineta doesn’t take up much space.’

Not waiting for a response, he squeezed in on Midoriya’s other side; one leg pressed against his boyfriend’s thigh, while the other stuck out to keep his balance. He then set his tray on the table, snapped his chopsticks and began eating. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he didn't particularly care. It was only when Midoriya mumbled something incomprehensible and grabbed his legs to set them on top of his own, that Shoto looked up with confusion.

'Here, you'll have more room this way.' His boyfriend was bright red, albeit he looked triumphant as he wrapped his arm around Shoto's waist for support.

'Thanks.' He pressed a kiss to Midoriya's temple. 'Oh, that reminds me. Mineta? I'm going to have to nullify our contract, on account of the fact that I am now dating Midoriya.'

When Mineta simply stared, bog-eyed and mouth agape, Shoto raised his middle finger—just like Uraraka had taught him—prompting their entire group to exclaim their congratulations and shock.

It seemed Shoto finally got that vein on Mineta’s forehead to pop.

'Why you!!! You'll be hearing from my lawyer, you bastard!'