Reaching out to Todoroki took a backseat for a few days as Izuku was plied with overtime to work on the upcoming case, but he eventually managed to text Hitoshi casual mentions of where he would be and sure enough, Bakugou showed up like clockwork. He had enough self control to keep to himself and Izuku wasn't sure if he was grateful or irritated about that. As much as he didn't like public scenes, having Bakugou make a scene in front of a lot of people would make Izuku's life ten times easier. But he didn't, so Izuku tucked that away to sulk about later.
It was still good practice for when they would need to draw Bakugou out. Humming to himself, Izuku mentioned to Shouta, "Maybe one of these days we can have Todoroki pass on some incorrect info so we can actually have a date that doesn't get crashed by Bakugou." Shouta's fervent agreement made him laugh.
For the beginning of the second phase of the Media attack on Bakugou, Izuku actually didn't have a role, so he stayed as far away from it as possible. He knew Bakugou already thought he was behind everything that was happening-and he was right-but having that sliver of doubt was what was keeping Bakugou from returning the attacks.
So he used the overtime-he made sure that Sonic saw him buried in work, with no time to be the person causing the whispers about Bakugou's attitude towards those he considered beneath him. People were talking about the way he spoke to and about 'extra's'-something that most people had brushed off when he was a middle schooler and even throughout UA was something that raised eyebrows now. Especially when pointed questions were starting to be asked about how he treated Quirkless people.
Here was the thing.
Children spout the opinions of their parents-but far less subtly. Most adults had no interest in being blatant about their Quirkist opinions-they were invested in appearing polite and well mannered. So when the rumors started, helped along by questions that reporters and news casters were asking, there was a lot of pearl-clutching and loud protestations of 'surely not!' People wanted to make sure everyone knew they weren't Quirkist, and Bakugou's approval ratings started falling. It was slow, at first.
And then Izuku started his part.
He searched out former classmates from Aldera that had been in Bakugou's main circle of friends- Izuku's main tormentors. And he started nicely enough, asking them to just tell the truth during interviews-interviews he would make sure they were offered. Some of them agreed-they had
grown up, and looked back on their behavior with shame. One woman even told Izuku that she had a daughter who was Quirkless.
"I don't know what I would do if anyone treated her the way I treated you in Middle School," she admitted to him, her voice breaking slightly. "I was too ashamed to even admit what I did to my husband for a long time, let alone my daughter. I don't know that she would ever forgive me."
Others took a bit more...convincing. But Izuku was Nedzu's student through and through, and he got every person he needed into an interview eventually. If some of them were twitchy and glancing over their shoulders every five seconds, well.
It wasn't Izuku's fault they were overly paranoid.
But every single one of them spoke about Bakugou's behavior-about how he treated other students, everything the teachers had let him get away with, and how blatantly Quirkist he was towards the one Quirkless student in their grade. Per Izuku's request, none of them mentioned him by name and none of the reporters asked. Listening to their version of his Middle School years, Izuku had to swallow down his hurt and fury like it was all happening again. But he'd known this would hurt- he'd known that it would bring up things that he'd never really dealt with. It was why he already had an appointment with Abe-san lined up. And the results were absolutely worth the pain the interviews caused him. Bakugou's approval ratings had already been dropping slowly but surely- enough so that Best Jeanist had officially benched him for the foreseeable future out of concern for his Agency's reputation.
Now his approval ratings dropped like a stone.
It was almost like a dam had broken, after those first interviews. Civilians started to come forward with stories of rough treatment and unkind words, especially those with 'useless' or less flashy Quirks.
Izuku sat back and watched it all unfold. "It's like tipping over the first domino in a row of them," he murmured as he sat on the couch with Shouta one night, triumph lacing his voice as they watched the journalist rip into Bakugou's every action since graduating from UA. "Once that first one fell, all the rest came tumbling down right after."
"I'm impressed," Shouta admitted after a few moments of watching the gleefully vicious journalist start to go over damage statistics. "I knew you and Nedzu were planning something, but the two of you didn't really even have to do anything. What did you even do, really?" He asked rhetorically. "Nedzu planted the seeds of some rumors, but Bakugou watered those with his own behavior. And all you did was make sure that first group was interviewed-If Bakugou had matured and behaved better after graduating, no one else would have come forward, and it would have eventually died down." As scandals often did for charismatic Limelight Heroes, much to Shouta's irritation.
Izuku laughed, turning to Shouta with a bright, pleased grin on his face. "That was exactly the point," he said, bouncing slightly in his seat. "Neither of us wanted to do any overt manipulation that could come back on us later, so we picked our best weapon-other people."
Watching Izuku's bright eyes and wide smile, Shouta couldn't take it anymore. He had never found Izuku more attractive than he did at this very moment, slowly and systematically destroying someone's life. "Why," he demanded, "Do you have to be so attractive?" Before Izuku could do anything but laugh in surprise, Shouta manhandled him gently into his lap.
Knees pressed into the couch on either side of Shouta's hips, Izuku's smile slid into something a little more coy. "Can I help you?" He teased gently, sliding a gentle hand through Shouta's loose
hair.
Shouta hummed, one hand coming up to hold the back of Izuku's head firmly. "Yes," he said simply, before wrapping his other arm around Izuku's hips and hauling him closer as he tipped Izuku's head down for a slow kiss.
Izuku pulled back after a moment, and promptly pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the side. That, Shouta decided, was an excellent idea. He did the same, and Izuku groaned, catching Shouta's lips again. Shouta pulled him almost impossibly closer, one hand sliding between them to undo Izuku's pants. They both paused, heads turning to the door.
"I'm going to go lock that," Izuku decided, narrowing his eyes at the offending object. "Good plan," Shouta said drily. "Otherwise we'll be interrupted again ."
Izuku huffed as he slid himself off of Shouta's lap. "If we get interrupted again, I'm going to throw whoever it is out the fucking windown," he muttered irritably, stalking over to the door and flipping the lock. Before he could turn around, he found himself pressed up against the door. Shouta's lips trailed over his neck, and Izuku couldn't help the small, desperate noise he let out.
He had never been overly interested in sex before-his friends with benefits relationship with Shindo Yo had been more about Izuku being touch-starved than anything-but he felt like he was going to burn up from the inside out.
"Izuku." Shouta's voice was low and a little rough. "Can I take you to bed?"
" Please ," Izuku murmured, the sheer want in Shouta's voice sending shivers down his spine.
Shouta let out a low noise against Izuku's throat, and then pulled back. "Bedroom," he managed, his voice a little strangled.
Unable to help himself, Izuku backed him into the wall and kissed him hard before pulling back. "Bedroom," he agreed. They stumbled into each other as they both tried to strip and hurry down the hallway to the bedroom at the same time, and Izuku laughed as Shouta shoved him up against the wall just inside the bedroom door to kiss him again. "The bed is right there," he said playfully, eyes dancing.
Pulling back, Shouta let a small smirk curve his lips before he placed a hand on the backs of Izuku's thighs and lifted. Izuku wrapped his legs around Shouta's waist automatically, his brain cleared of all thought. "I think I'm good right here for now," Shouta murmured, his voice a little gravelly with want. "Problem?"
"Not a single one," Izuku said softly, the effortless strength Shouta displayed leaving him breathless.
"Great," Shouta muttered. He pressed Izuku harder against the wall, his free hand gripping Izuku's hair to tilt his head at a better angle to Shouta to kiss him.
Izuku wasn't ashamed to admit that he lost himself in the sensations. Shouta's lips and teeth and tongue, the tug of Shouta's hand in his hair and the bite of Shouta's fingers gripping the backs of his thighs all melded together as Izuku tangled one hand in Shouta's hair and traced over his shoulders with the other. It just wasn't enough. "Shouta," he managed after breaking away to breathe. "Shouta, please." He rolled his hips against Shouta's, making them both moan.
Shouta considered the logistics of fucking Izuku's against the wall for a long moment before his logical brain kicked back in. He didn't want their first time to be up against a wall-he'd have to go
over to the bed to get the lube anyway. Glancing at the dresser, he reminded himself to buy more to put around the apartment.
Just in case.
He took a few stumbling steps away from the wall, lust making him a little clumsy, before dropping Izuku on the bed. Shouta took a moment to just look at the picture Izuku made for him. Sprawled out over his sheets, cheeks flushed and eyes a little glazed, Izuku looked like every fantasy Shouta'd had over the past few weeks. But better , because he was real. "You," he told Izuku, "Are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." And the blush that spread over Izuku's face just enhanced that.
"Shouta, if you don't stop looking and starting doing something, I'm going to take care of myself," Izuku warned, still able to feel the heat on his cheeks. And oh , the look that crossed Shouta's face when Izuku threatened to get himself off sent a bolt of heat through Izuku's stomach.
Shouta dropped one knee on the bed between Izuku's legs, hands pressed against the mattress on either side of Izuku's face as he said, "Not while you're in my bed you won't." He took one hand and scraped his nails gently down Izuku's stomach before wrapping a hand around him and giving a few slow, even strokes that made Izuku's breath hitch. "It's better when I touch you, isn't it?" Shouta's voice was low in Izuku's ear.
" Shouta ," Izuku bit out his name in frustration, hips chasing the man's hand as he pulled away. At Shouta's pointed, expectant look, Izuku groaned and tossed an arm over his face. "It's better when you touch me," he agreed grumpily, cheeks flooding red again.
Shouta laughed, gently tugging Izuku's arm away from his face. "Don't do that, I want to see you."
Huffing irritably, Izuku tugged Shouta back down and caught that laughing mouth with his own. He could feel Shouta shift enough to fumble in his bedside table while still attached to Izuku's lips, and he tossed his leg over Shouta's hip and rolled his own hips. He grinned against Shouta's mouth when he fumbled and nearly dropped the small bottle he'd grabbed. Shouta pulled his mouth away and arched an eyebrow at Izuku's smug look.
That smug look promptly disappeared when Shouta shifted just enough to get his hand between the two of them. Izuku's eyes fluttered shut and he let out a long, low moan as he rolled his hips down to match Shouta's careful movements. He didn't care what happened outside of this bedroom right now, all he knew was that this time they weren't going to stop unless someone set them on fire .
"Shouta..." Izuku groaned at the slow, patient glide of his fingers. The faint burn and stretch sent sparks up his spine as Shouta kept perfect control of the pace. He bit back a whine when Shouta pulled back, but his mouth fell open and the whine escaped when Shouta pressed into him slowly.
Using one hand to shift Izuku's position slightly, Shouta grinned at the noises he made before dipping his head down and swallowing those noises with his mouth. "I love you," he panted into Izuku's ear when they parted for air.
Izuku couldn't actually form words at this point, so he just dragged Shouta back down for a hard, messy kiss as the heat in his stomach spiraled and finally shattered. Shouta moaned into his mouth as he followed suit, pulling out carefully before collapsing on the bed and barely missing crushing Izuku as he dropped.
"I love you too," Izuku murmured once he could finally speak again, running his fingers through Shouta's hair gently. "But we need to get up and get cleaned up, otherwise we're going to be so uncomfortable in a few hours."
Shouta huffed, but shoved up off of the bed. He knew Izuku was right, but he had been so close to dozing off that he'd been willing to handle the discomfort later-until he remembered that Izuku would also be uncomfortable, which was unacceptable. "Stay," he ordered Izuku when he tried to get up as well. "I'll bring you a washcloth."
Izuku arched an eyebrow but nodded, biting back the urge 'woof' like he would if Hitoshi had ordered him around like that. Taking the washcloth handed to him gratefully, he said, "I'm honestly surprised that nobody interrupted us this time."
"Hopefully they've all gotten it out of their system." Shouta rolled his eyes. "Because I'm not going to be nice about it anymore."
Izuku laughed. "Yeah, last time I was so close to just kicking them all out." And then he'd remembered that, even though he lived there, it was Shouta's apartment. He hadn't felt right about kicking anyone out after he'd reminded himself of that.
Almost like he could read Izuku's mind, Shouta blurted out, "I'd like you to stay."
Blinking slowly, Izuku tilted his head in confusion. "I mean, I'm not moving from this spot for a while." Probably all night, if he was being honest. His muscles sort of felt like jelly, and he felt lazy and content like he hadn't in far too long.
"No, I mean..." Shouta trailed off, frustrated as he ran his hands through his hair, swearing when his fingers got caught in the tangles.
"Hey." Izuku reached out and gently untangled Shouta's hands from his hair. "Take your time," he soothed gently, "And then tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong ," Shouta huffed. "I just...I want you to stay." He paused. "Permanently." Izuku's breath caught in his chest, but after a moment he forced himself to take a slow, even
breath. "I-Shouta." He stared at him. "Are you asking me to move in with you."
"Technically you already have," he joked weakly, eyes falling to the bed in an attempt to avoid Izuku's wide eyed look.
"Shouta." Izuku's voice firmed up, making the other man look up at him. "Shouta, I really need to to be very clear about what you want, ok?" Because Izuku wanted him to want Izuku to move in permanently. But he couldn't bring himself to fill in the gaps of what Shouta was saying-not when it came to this. Not when it was the difference between being wanted there and imposing.
His fingers clenched on his washcloth briefly before Shouta let out a slow breath and met Izuku's eyes. "I want you to move in with me permanently," he said clearly. "I don't want you to look for another apartment, I want you to stay here." He swallowed before continuing. "I love having you here-I love the fact that you continually fight with me on paying at least utilities, I love the fact that we switch off cooking and doing dishes, I love the fact that you're here and I can see you whenever I want."
Izuku sucked in a shaky little breath, his eyes filling up with tears. "Ok," he breathed out, smiling through the tears that were starting to drip down his face. "I want to stay. I will stay," he corrected himself, laughing when Shouta dropped his washcloth to lunge across the bed and catch Izuku's
mouth in a messy, demanding kiss. He had never been wanted the way Shouta wanted him. It made all of his previous worries about how to convince Shouta to let him stay silly.
"Thank you," Shouta muttered against his mouth, pressing several short, sweet kisses against it as he stroked Izuku's back.
"I love you," Izuku said softly, pulling back and smiling at him. "I've been wanting to stay for a while," he admitted wryly, "I just didn't know how to ask." Well, he hadn't known how to ask without risking rejection, which is why he'd kept that particular want firmly behind his teeth.
Sitting back, Shouta shook his head and smiled faintly. "I'll give you anything you want," he promised.
Izuku shook his head and laughed a little bit. "All I need is to know that you want me as much as I want you."
"I'm about ninety percent sure I want you even more than you want me," Shouta informed him. "Otherwise we would have been in here the second night you stayed." The first night had been too traumatic for either of them to really think about sex, but the second night'd had enough distance from what had happened that Shouta could admit-even if it was a little shamefully, and only to himself-that he'd had trouble keeping his hands to himself.
Izuku just laughed harder, leaning against him. "I think we might have been trying to be a little bit too respectful of each other," he admitted, "Given that we both admitted we wanted to sleep together that first night I cooked for you."
Shotua snorted at that. "True." He tugged Izuku closer and after some maneuvering managed to get them both covered up. He stroked the back of Izuku's neck gently, and the motion was so soothing that they both quickly fell into a deep, sated sleep.