Izuku ate his breakfast in a daze, idly cutting his pancakes into quarters one by one.

Shortly after Todoroki's shocking announcement Bakugou had demanded they leave the common area, Todoroki and Izuku retreating back to Izuku's room. Bakugou finished making them food while fending off the invasive questions of their shocked classmates alone. Izuku hadn't noticed when Todoroki had led him from the common area to sit him down in front of his coffee table, nor when Bakugou returned and placed a plate in front of him. He'd been simply unable to process the news he'd just been hit with, the news that no one—no one!—had even an inkling of before it dropped into their midst like an atom bomb.

Alright, hear him out. It made no sense. It was even more far fetched than the thought that Todoroki and Kacchan were attracted to him. No matter how many times Izuku turned what he knew about the two of them over in his mind, he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Bakugou dating Todoroki and being...sweet to him? When he'd never, not once, indicated that he even tolerated the other boy? Todoroki being okay with Bakugou's tantrums and overbearing personality, so similar to that of his father's that Izuku would have thought he'd loathe him?

Just. Where did it come from? Why? It was beyond Izuku's comprehension. Izuku tilted his head, eyes distant as his laden fork missed his mouth once, twice, then paused to rest against his cheek as he considered.

Okay, maybe he was just oblivious. Izuku could admit to himself that he could sometimes be dense about these things. After all, what did he know about dating? No one had ever given him the time of day.

Maybe he should start by outlining what they had in common, then go from there.

It was true that they were both attractive and powerful, so there was that. They both wanted to be the number one hero, even if their reasons for it were intrinsically different. They both. They both…

Hm, now that he thought about it, they were fierce rivals, although Izuku thought that it had been one-sided on Bakguou's part. He remembered during the school festival—unfortunately second-hand, though Izuku would have adored to watch the fight—that Bakugou practically begged Todoroki to face him for real, had been insanely jealous that he'd used his fire for Izuku and no one else.

Wait. He might be onto something. Izuku latched onto the thought, placing a hand over his mouth and completely ignoring the sticky mess on his cheek as his fork clattered to the plate unheeded.

"Um…"

A low growling started in the background, but Izuku had a lead so he didn't pay it much mind.

Bakugou had been jealous. Maybe that was the start? Bakugou hated it when the people around him held back and lost it if he thought he wasn't being taken seriously. Maybe he'd spent so much time trying to get Todoroki to consider him strong that it turned into something more.

But what about Todoroki, then? Izuku had a hard time imagining that the soft-spoken, thoughtful boy would tolerate Bakugou's rather intense personality. As far as he could remember, Todoroki did his best to ignore Bakugou at the best of times and as much as Izuku hated to admit it, he couldn't blame him. If what Todoroki told him was true—and Izuku's instincts about Endeavor were accurate—then Bakugou was uncomfortably like his father. Except...except Bakugou acknowledged when someone was strong. In his own way, sure, but he still did. Perhaps Todoroki found that attractive, as he secretly wanted acknowledgment from his father.

Izuku, more than anyone else, understood what an incredible rush it was to gain Bakugou's respect...

Also, what was that saying about ending up dating your parents? Did Izuku get that right, or was he just making things up? Izuku chewed slowly, stirring his fork across his plate aimlessly and not even tasting his food. Hm. It was entirely possible that he was overthinking this.

"Midoryia, that's not...you'll make yourself sick."

The growling got louder and the table started to vibrate. It almost pulled him out of his thoughts when Izuku was struck with an idea.

What if he was overthinking this and it was as simple as physical attraction? That was the first thing that came to mind after all. A slight flush rose in Izuku's cheeks as he groped for a drink to wash down this rather chewy meal. He was finding it hard to swallow, but that might just be the fact that it was really inappropriate to think about the two of them together like that while was eating—

"Deku, will you shut the fuck up and eat your food already?" Bakugou shouted right in his ear before slamming his hand down with more force than strictly necessary.

Izuku shrieked, brought out of his musings violently as his plate nearly upended into his lap. Immediately he paled and started hacking, sputtering to try and get the awful taste out of his mouth. What had he been eating? He didn't realize that Bakugou's cooking would be so bad!

"What the–say that to my face, bastard! My cooking is the best, you're just too much of a freak to eat it properly!" Bakugou snarled before snatching the fork from Izuku's hand as if Izuku couldn't be trusted not to hurt himself with it. On Izuku's other side, Todoroki patted Izuku's coughing frame on his shoulder, gently pulling the half-eaten napkin from his hands. With syrup running down Izuku's cheek he stared down at the disaster zone that was his plate, a little shocked that he'd made such a mess. "Give me that," Bakugou said shortly, removing Izuku's plate to attempt to rescue his tortured breakfast.

"Here," Todoroki said lightly, pulling Izuku's face around by the chin and dabbing at the mess on his cheeks with a damp, unmolested napkin.

"Uh, thanks," Izuku said dazedly, still distracted. His head spun. He felt a bit like a chick being cared for by two particularly motherly hens and he honestly had no idea what to do with all of this affection.

"Jeez, you really are out of it," Bakogou sighed, waiting impatiently for Todoroki to finish his ministrations. "You know, if you would actually eat something instead of muttering so damn much, you might feel better."

...He had a point. But Izuku rarely felt hungry these days, so he was finding it hard to make it a priority, especially when his whole world had been turned sideways! He turned to Bakugou to tell him just that when he paused in shock.

Bakugou was staring at him with an irritated scowl, which wasn't unusual in itself. He always looked at Izuku like that. But what was a little bit strange—and heck, maybe Izuku was overreacting, but he just couldn't process what was right in front of him–was the fork that he held in front of Izuku's mouth expectantly as if he...expected Izuku to eat off it. "Uh. What?" he said dumbly, not quite comprehending what Bakugou wanted.

Bakugou's brows drew downward, scowl becoming fiercer. "You just said that my cooking was shit and you haven't even tasted it! What, you'd rather eat your goddamn napkin than eat something I made? Ha?"

Izuku thought he was rather missing the point! "N-no! Th-that's not—mf!" Bakugou didn't seem to care what he had to say because he shoved the food into Izuku's mouth the second he opened it to reply.

Flavor exploded across Izuku's tongue and his eyes widened at the burst of sugar, mouth salivating at once. He'd been wrong. Bakugou's cooking was—

"Delicious," Izuku mumbled with a full mouth, expression melting into a delighted smile.

"Of course it is, that's what I said, isn't it?" Bakugou snapped, though the wrinkle between his eyes had lessened quite a bit with Izuku's admission. He scooped up another forkful and offered it to Izuku and this time the younger didn't hesitate to snap it up, humming with contentment and licking his lips. It was only when he opened his eyes that he caught the tail end of Bakugou's tongue disappearing behind his own lips, leaving them slightly damp. He froze, eyes flickering from Bakugou's mouth to his intense gaze and realized belatedly what he was actually doing. Izuku's heart sped up but he couldn't bring himself to lean back, suddenly fiercely glad that they'd relocated to somewhere a bit more private because he wasn't sure if he could handle the peanut gallery on top of the mortification making its way swiftly up his neck.

Bakugou didn't seem to share his trepidation because he slowly lifted the fork back up to Izuku's mouth, waiting expectantly for him to take another bite.

Too bad Izuku was too busy freaking out on the inside to take it.

Todoroki stared at both of them, something like curiosity sparkling in his eyes. "It's just like TV," he said, breaking the tension between them like a bull in a china shop. Izuku went rigid. Todoroki took a bite of his own breakfast that was quite a bit less sugary than Izuku's as if this were a commonplace event to watch two of his classmates who could barely have a civil conversation most days feed each other.

Bakugou sighed, maybe realizing that Izuku wasn't about to take another bite, and lowered the fork. "What are you on about?"

"You're feeding him like in the shows," Todoroki elaborated, staring at the fork in Bakugou's hand like it held a morsel of the most delicious veal rather than a rather messily cut glob of pancake.

Bakugou glanced down at the fork with a lifted brow. "I guess." His eyes narrowed before he examined Todoroki's face closer. Todoroki was staring right back, leaning around a stunned Izuku with his head practically resting on the table. A slow smile grew on Bakugou's face and Izuku nearly choked on the mouthful of food that he still hadn't managed to swallow, a cold trickle of sweat making its way down his neck. "Need something, Icy-hot?"

"Hm," Todoroki hummed as if he was seriously considering the question. His gaze was drawn back to Bakugou's hand and then Izuku's mouth, lingering there for a good twenty seconds while Izuku tried and failed not to break out into goosebumps. He looked slowly back to Bakugou's hand before meeting his eyes, clearly coming to a decision. "...Yeah. I want. That."

Bakugou's canines flashed as Todoroki opened his mouth expectantly, and Izuku felt a little dizzy as it became entirely too hot in here. "All you had to do was ask," Bakugou said imperiously, but with a distinct husk to his voice that hadn't been there before. He rested his cheek on his closed fist smugly as he held the fork that he'd been feeding Izuku with to Todoroki instead. Without hesitation, Todoroki leaned across Izuku's lap and took it into his mouth, teeth scraping over the tines of the fork obscenely loud in the quiet room. Izuku was fairly certain he felt the sound like fingernails dragging down the back of his neck.

With a completely straight face, Todoroki chewed, throat working as he swallowed it down and he had to be doing this on purpose. "It's too sweet," he complained, wrinkling his nose and Bakugou snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes good naturedly, which sent Izuku for an entirely different loop.

"That's because I didn't make it for you, candy cane."

They were flirting. Oh god, they were flirting while practically sandwiching Izuku between them. Finally swallowing his mouthful in one painfully large gulp, Izuku realized between gasping breaths that he may need to reevaluate once again, because that was way too familiar and natural to be new, what the heck!

Had he really been so out of it the past couple months that he didn't see this coming? It was true that he had been distracted with work study and Todoroki and Bakugou had been doing the remedial course together. He hadn't exactly seen them outside of class for any length of time in a while, but—were they always like this? Had Izuku been so obtusely unobservant that he completely missed two of his classmates falling for each other?

"Oy! Don't get distracted again, dammit!" Bakugou snapped, pinching Izuku's face between harsh fingers and making him look him in the eye. "You need to eat!"

Shaking off the grip with a disgruntled pwa, Izuku weathered a spike of irritation and hurt with a wide-eyed glare. "How the heck do you expect me to eat when I find out that two of my friends are dating and I never noticed, Kacchan?" Why hadn't they told him? They were friends, right? Kind of? At least, he thought so! He looked pointedly at Todoroki but paused when the boy looked just as stunned as Izuku felt.

"We… we're dating?" Todoroki asked slowly, looking at Bakugou as if he'd never quite seen him properly before.

"…"

The clatter of the fork hitting the table startled Izuku so badly that when he caught sight of Bakugou's face he nearly cut his losses and bolted for the door.

Bakugou didn't react for an unsettlingly long time, expression completely blank and lips slightly parted as if he'd taken a blow to the face.

"A-ah, um? Was I wrong?" Izuku said nervously, wringing his hands. "You said that you sleep together, so I th-thought…" They were dating, right? Bakugou just spoon fed Todoroki, for goodness sake. Izuku might have been dense about these things, but that was kind of hard to misinterpret!

When Bakugou failed to respond, Todoroki answered instead. "...We do sleep together, sometimes. But we haven't been on any dates…?"

Todoroki's brows were drawn together in confusion, looking to Bakugou like he was a complete mystery for all that they must know each other intimately. Bakugou, for his part, looked like he was struggling internally, eyes blank and distant as if he couldn't decide which emotion he felt the strongest. Izuku could practically see the fuse shortening on top of his head, though, and dreaded when it finally ran out.

"T-Todoroki, maybe we sh-should," Izuku stuttered, slowly getting up from his seat and backing away, pulling at Todoroki's shoulder urgently. Todoroki didn't seem to feel it, didn't take his attention from Bakugou. Finally, Bakugou seemed to come to a decision. Gaze narrowing, he grabbed Todoroki's wrist.

"Get up." Hauling Todoroki to his feet, he backed him up until the fairer boy's back hit the wall with a dull thud.

Izuku's heart was pounding so quickly that he was afraid it would jump right out of his chest. Oh god, oh god, they were going to fight, he really shouldn't have said anything! "K-Kacchan, please don't—"

Bakugou paused, looking at Izuku for a few seconds, scanning him from his frightened face to his hand extended in entreaty. His eyes seemed to lose focus for a second, the tension between his brows easing ever so slightly, but a moment later he shook it off, turning back to Todoroki who still looked confused. "Tell me something," Bakugou said lowly, crowding into Todoroki's space. "Do you think I'm the kind of man who would sleep with just anyone?"

Todoroki blinked, gaping. "...I don't know," he said honestly. "I thought you only slept with me because I was stronger than you."

"Who's stronger?" Bakugou's fist slammed into the wall beside Todoroki's head and Izuku lurched forward to intervene before things came to blows. But Bakugou shot him a glare, freezing him in his tracks. "Stay out of this, Deku," he snapped before giving Todoroki all of his attention. Yet still, to Izuku's relief his hand relaxed from its intimidating grip to rest flat against the dented wall. Izuku stepped back to watch carefully, ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Todoroki looked between Bakugou's crimson eyes rapidly, small frown pulling at his face. "Your power makes you a challenge, but don't think for a second I couldn't win a fight against you, half-n-half bastard!"

Todoroki looked, if possible, even more confused. "So...I'm a challenge?"

Bakugou inhaled sharply, mouth opening and closing several times as he seemed to struggle with himself. "No, that's…" he clenched his jaw, cutting off his words forcefully.

Izuku had his hands over his mouth so that he could hold back the gasp clawing at his throat. That couldn't be all. Was Bakugou just going to let Todoroki think that that was all he was to him? He felt his heart twinge in sympathy, a small whimper making it through his clenched fingers at the lost look on Todoroki's face.

"God, you may be a good fighter, but you're an idiot. Did it ever occur to you that I might actually be attracted to you?" Bakugou shouted as if the words were physically torn from him. He jerked his head to the side, making a slight wheezing sound as tremors started from somewhere between his tensed shoulder blades to radiate out to all four limbs.

He looked like he was in pain, yet Todoroki couldn't seem to speak, staring blankly at the boy pinning him to the wall. Izuku felt his dread grow, another whimper making its way out, but this time it was Todoroki's inactivity that gave him anxiety. Izuku's eyes filled with tears. He'd never seen Kacchan so vulnerable like this and he decided then and there that he hated it, Todoroki, do something, please—

It was then that Todoroki moved, placing a hand on Bakugou's shoulder. Bakugou's head jerked up in surprise, but Todoroki looked just as bewildered by his actions. "I...I respect you," he said haltingly. His brow furrowed and Izuku felt his stomach drop with...disappointment? "I consider you a friend?" He was starting to look distressed now and at this point Izuku was holding his breath. "I like it when you touch me!" Todoroki blurted, eyes wide and lips trembling. He looked on the verge of tears and Bakugou's shaking was only getting worse and Izuku just couldn't take the tension any longer.

"STOP!" Bakugou nearly screamed, ripping himself away from Todoroki and pressing his forehead against the opposite wall with heaving breaths. Todoroki's expression remained frozen as he fell slowly to his knees, looking all the world like he'd just been told someone he loved had died.

Izuku reared back, a sharp sting in his chest surprising him with its strength, obliterating every thought as he struggled and failed to understand what just happened. Concern gripped him as he couldn't decide which boy he worried about more. Had this been his fault? He really shouldn't have brought this up if this was going to be the result, he'd just been curious and maybe just a tiny bit hurt. Even so, this reaction was extreme. All he really wanted was for them to tell each other honestly how they feel.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Todoroki said brokenly as he buried his face into both hands, fingers pulling at his bangs in frustration.

"I—I—" Bakugou said, choking on his words as if he tried to physically gnaw them back. "Stop!"

Izuku panicked, wavering back and forth, though he had absolutely no idea what was going on or how to help. "Stop what?" he cried, only for it to hit him like a bullet train.

It was...him. It was Izuku that was causing this. The quirk. It was making them do what Izuku wanted. He paled, thinking over the last few minutes in a new, dark light. He'd asked if they were dating, but they clearly hadn't talked about it. Izuku wanted them to get along, so they didn't fight. He wanted clarification on their feelings so they–they–

Izuku looked at Todoroki, who hid behind his hands in distress because he hadn't given Izuku the answer he wanted to hear. Then Bakugou, who would never willingly talk about his feelings, much less before he even accepted them himself. Yet Izuku had selfishly forced his will over them, making them take a step they clearly weren't ready for.

In other words, he'd destroyed the organic growth of their relationship, maybe ruined it forever.

"Oh no," Izuku said with a quiet gasp. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to force you to say things you didn't mean!" The two of them looked up from their positions on the floor, staring with hazed eyes as Izuku's own filled with tears. He hadn't intended this at all. "I forgot, I shouldn't have pried!" He'd had no idea the quirk was this strong. "When I heard you were together, I–" had imposed his own romantic ideals onto them instead of letting them get there on their own, because–

He choked. Because he'd been the little, tiniest bit happy to learn they didn't hate each other. They were two of the people that he admired most, that he wanted to get closer to, and it had always hurt to see them so at odds. Was Izuku's desire the only reason the two of them were able to get along now? Even if they had slept together in the past, maybe it was just physical release for them, a way to get rid of the tension between them other than with violence. And the quirk made them not only bound to Izuku's will, but forced to be together in a way they possibly didn't want to be.

Izuku flinched as two sets of hands sank into his hair, wrapped around him and gentled his face. His eyes sprung open to find Bakugou and Todoroki surrounding him with concern in their eyes.

"Shh, it's alright, it's not your fault," Todoroki said tremulously, running his fingers through Izuku's hair. Bakugou was decidedly less gentle as he rubbed over his back and shoulders vigorously.

"Stop thinking stupid shit," he muttered. "You look awful when you cry."

Izuku stared at the two of them blankly, hating himself even as their touch calmed him down and eased the stinging in his chest. They were comforting him? He didn't deserve that, not after what he'd done to them.

"I said, cut it out," Bakugou chided with a roll of his eyes. "Look, we're fine." Grabbing the front of Todoroki's shirt, the blond coaxed him forward. After a slight pause, Todoroki gave in, meeting Bakugou halfway in a shy kiss. He hummed, closing his eyes in contentment as Bakugou watched him through a half lidded gaze. Despite the flush heating his ears, Izuku found himself relaxing at the easy gesture between them, giving him hope that maybe he hadn't screwed things up after all.

It did make him feel a little bit lonely though, to see them close like that.

As if they'd read his mind, Todoroki and Bakugou pulled apart slightly with an obscene sound, pausing as they looked at Izuku beneath lowered lashes. Todoroki had a light dusting of red on his cheeks, lips damp where Bakugou had claimed them and Izuku's stomach swooped low and dizzying as without an ounce shame, Todoroki licked the moisture away with a small hum. Bakugou didn't take his burning eyes from Izuku as he slipped calloused fingers down Todoroki's jaw, unbelievably gently in a way Izuku had never known Bakugou was capable.

"Isn't he pretty, 'Zuku?" Bakugou said with a smirk in his inflection and Izuku made a startled sound in the back of his throat that couldn't have come from him, because it was too high pitched, too needy and he'd never shaped his voice in quite that way before. But he was too shocked to care, because for the first time in a near decade, Bakugou had used his name. It sent heat racing down his spine to thrash wildly somewhere behind his navel. His lungs restricted harshly, made it hard to breathe as Todoroki's brows rose up his forehead and Bakugou grinned predatorily. Izuku's skin suddenly felt too tight on his body, eyes dancing between the two of them as a rush of—of—shame? want? made his every nerve ending prickle like lightning over his skin.

"Uh-ah? Ka-Kacchan…"

"I said," Bakugou said slowly, deliberately. "Don't you think he's pretty?" Izuku blinked rapidly and couldn't help his gaze pulling back to Todoroki's serene face and realized abruptly how close the two of them were still, within arms length, close enough to touch.

Todoroki's fingers against his cheek had Izuku's spine locking up, shock immobilizing him as the boy drew closer, because there was nothing innocent or comforting about it this time. It was purely with desire that Todoroki looked at him now, moving slowly as if not to frightened a startled animal—which Izuku was starting to feel like, he thought hysterically—and sidled forward until he was hovering over Izuku and staring down into his eyes, knees on either side of Izuku's hips. He could feel his body heat, smell the peculiar wintry oak of Todoroki's scent envelop him as he sat immobile, and just when had he become so familiar with it?

Overwhelmed, Izuku could barely react as Todoroki's breath ghosted over his face, sugary sweet with the morsel Bakugou had fed him. "T-T-T-Todo..." Izuku stuttered, hands hovering somewhere in the vicinity of Todoroki's slim hips.

"Shouto," Todoroki said softly, and Izuku's skin exploded with goosebumps as he nearly pressed the permission to use his given name against Izuku's lips. "My name is Shouto."

Izuku's brain ground to a halt. "Wh-wh—"

A dark chuckle sounded in Izuku's ear, startlingly close enough that he could feel it's warmth against the side of his neck. "You heard him, 'Zuku. The man wants you to call his name," Bakugou husked and Izuku couldn't help but shudder and flutter his eyes as his own name in that voice sent lightning down his spine. "Maybe if you say it real nice he'll give you what you want."

Izuku locked eyes with Todoroki, who was holding himself achingly still and close enough that if Izuku really wanted he could have stretched up and stole the kiss that was just within his reach. Todoroki's eyes were hazed, fever-bright and there was a slight tremor in the hands that rested lightly on Izuku's cheeks, one slick with warm sweat and the other just the slightest bit cold. He was looking at Izuku with something that Izuku had never seen before, could barely identify because no one had ever looked at him remotely like this, like Izuku had hung the moon and stars in the sky. It made him feel. It made him.

Izuku's teeth and lips were forming around the word before he'd consciously thought of it, voice breathy and lower than he'd ever made it go before, something dark and covetous unfurling in his chest. "Shouto…"

Todoroki's—no, Shouto's lips against his were so incredibly soft and unexpectedly warm that Izuku whimpered as they touched him, eyes fluttering closed as the other boy pressed the whole front of himself into Izuku with a relieved sigh, as if he'd finally achieved the prize he'd been after for an achingly long time. But no, it was Izuku that had been waiting for this for far too long even if he hadn't truly realized it, Izuku the one who felt like he was winning the most precious prize of all as the boy he'd admired and respected from day one gave himself over eagerly to the press of their lips. Izuku's hands dropped from their uncertain hover to clutch at Shouto's waist, squeezing perhaps a little too tightly with his rather overdeveloped strength. But his brain turned to mush when Shouto moaned and lowered himself down on Izuku's crossed legs so he could press closer, settling encouragingly into Izuku's hold. Izuku gasped with a swell of molten, unbearable heat when he realized in a startled rush that he was—that they were both—achingly hard. Shouto pressed into Izuku's abs, the whole, hot length of him moving against Izuku in tiny, agonizing circles and Izuku clenched his eyes shut tightly, overwhelmed and shaking as Shouto pulled back slightly to lick at his slack lips, begging for entrance.

Another dark, amused chuckle and hot breath over his skin had Izuku twitching, dragging Shouto down so that there wasn't a hair of space between them, shivering when Shouto ground down obligingly with a pleased little hitch of his breath. Bakguou grazed his sharp teeth over Izuku's collarbone and he whined. It was overwhelming, too much, too much, he wanted—

Izuku wanted.

Wanted.

Izuku's eyes snapped open, body going rigid as ice encased his insides, dousing his desire with cold, terrible dread. Todoroki pulled back immediately with a startled sound, face falling in dismayed confusion, but Izuku couldn't see him, blinded by a horrible realization.

"Whoa, Deku–" Bakugou said, jerking away from his side as Izuku's skin lit with green lightning. Todoroki scrambled off of him just in time for Izuku to lurch to his feet, backing away so quickly that slammed into the wall as far away from the two of them as he could get. His lamp jumped on his bedside table before clattering to the floor, a poster of Allmight shaking loose from the wall to flutter onto the floor. Toshinori's grin gleamed accusingly at Izuku and he thought he was going to be ill.

Izuku's breaths came quickly as he wrapped his hands tightly around his middle to try and reign in his nausea. What was he doing? He just discovered that Bakugou and Todoroki were bound to his desires and here Izuku was, taking advantage of them. It was sick, he was sick, how could he? He knew that they didn't really think of him that way, that they had to do what he wanted and still gave into his desires like a creep.

It took him several seconds to realize that neither Todoroki nor Bakugou had moved, both heros staring at him silently, shellshocked. It was entirely different from earlier when they'd comforted him and Izuku found himself terribly grateful because the last thing he wanted was for them to touch him when they didn't actually want to.

As if he'd projected his thoughts Bakugou's face crumpled with anger and Todoroki looked hurt, hair mussed and lips still damp, a small spark of fear in his eyes. Izuku flinched, realizing that they had next to zero control over their feelings and likely took his retreat as rejection.

Suddenly Izuku was angry. With a strong surge of protective rage, Izuku determined that that was unacceptable, that he had no right to make them feel that way. This wasn't their fault, it was all Izuku's and that stupid quirk's and he had to make this right.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Izuku looked at them with eyes overfull but grimace determined. "I'm sorry. I know that you can't help it and I shouldn't have taken advantage. It won't happen again."

Bakugou's eyes widened with fury and Izuku couldn't stand to look at him anymore so he didn't, dropping his gaze to the floor. Izuku felt their gazes on him like ants on his skin and he ground his teeth together harshly, willing himself not to break down. He felt dirty, like the worst kind of villain. The room was too small, breath from his lungs too loud, and he couldn't stand it any longer.

"Please," he whispered, knowing that what he was about to ask was incredibly selfish, but he didn't want them to see him like this, wanted time to think. "Please, just for a little while...I want to be alone."

"What the fuck," Bakugou snarled, and Izuku flinched. "Don't fucking lie to our faces, Deku—"

"Please."

Bakugou stared for several more seconds before growling in impotent rage. He spun on his heel and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him so harshly that it bounced back open. Todoroki lingered for a moment longer with hurt and uncertainty hanging palpable in the air. Then he too left, quietly closing the door behind him so that it latched, the click echoing in Izuku's mind with mournful finality.

Izuku took three stumbling steps to his bed and collapsed on it with a strangled sob, clutching his pillow to his chest as if it's softness could soothe the sharp edges of his broken heart, but it couldn't because it still smelled like them. He pressed his face into it, wishing with a startling fierceness that this was real, and it shocked him to his core. It wasn't fair. It was so cruel that he had to find out that he liked them so much more deeply than he'd ever imagined in this way, with some stupid quirk messing them up inside and putting false adoration into their eyes. It wasn't real, and that hurt more than Izuku could possibly describe.

He couldn't stand Kacchan calling his name like that, couldn't stand the way Todoroki looked at him when it wasn't real.

Stop being so selfish, Izuku scolded himself harshly. It wasn't their fault, and still Izuku was being so self-centered. And Iida was concerned that they would take advantage of him when Izuku was the only one whose actions and feelings were his own. What kind of hero was he, feeling so sorry for himself when his two friends were obviously suffering?

As his sobs quieted, he replayed the last few hours again and again in his head. Bakugou and Todoroki definitely had feelings for each other. If they had truly done exactly as Izuku desired, then they would have said that they loved each other and been done with it. But their confession sounded like the truth, and they'd managed to stop Izuku before he could force them to say something they didn't really mean.

Izuku might have put a wrench in the natural development of their relationship, but maybe he could still fix this, help them realize...

Still, how was Izuku going to do that without imposing his will? He needed to find out more. If earlier showed him anything, it was that they could resist his feelings at least a little, at least when it came to each other.

He sat up slowly, wiping the lingering sensation of Todoroki's kiss away as his thoughts raced, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. Something good would come out of this terrible situation if Izuku had anything to say about it. Izuku was going to protect them from himself, and maybe when all of this was over, when they realized how they'd been manipulated by the quirk, when they realized that they hated him, they would still have each other, and maybe—just maybe— with just a little nudge in the right direction, their relationship would be stronger than before.

First thing's first; he needed to figure out how exactly the quirk worked so that he could be certain something like this didn't happen again. Then he would do his best to help. He owed them that, after all the trouble he'd put them through.

Izuku couldn't see the expression on his face, the broken smile that trembled on his cheeks and the resignation in his eyes. Maybe if he could have, he would have realized that nothing was ever so straightforward, especially matters of the heart.

AN:

Well, Izuku thinks he's being selfish. Who would have guessed? ;)

I feel like this story is going to end up being longer than I initially planned. I'm crazy like that. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying this! This uncomplicated plot is actually a nice break for me, although clearly I can't tone down the drama to save my life lol. (Will I ever write a fic that isn't poly again? Who the hell knows.) Just so you guys know, I'm drawing heavy inspiration from the series Fire in the Mountains by EllaBesmirched on aO3. If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend.

Thanks for showing your appreciation! What do you guys think Todoroki and Bakugou's true feelings are? See you next time :)