(A/N: Greetings, dear readers! We're back with another update! And this is kind of a celebratory one on my part.

If you don't follow the tumblr or don't use the discord, I've been having a stressful month since last update. Once again someone posted part 1 of BC as a podfic on youtube without my permission. This time wasn't as cut and dry as the first because I had to seek legal consultation on what I needed to do. I've worked really hard on this fic and am not afraid to fight for it. Anyway, despite the stress, the video has been removed. However I need to state for the record that I do not and did not give DN WhatIf permission to post my work. Same for Plush Books from the first time. This statement has already been added to part 1 and I will add that to the others as well.

Warnings for teasing of course because they're kids. :P There's some gossip sharing with the girls but not exactly teasing. There might be snippets here and there but not many note worthy. There is one at ["You made sure..."] that's a bit stronger. That's about it though.

One more thing I'll say here, I am considering discontinuing posting on this website. The above issue of unauthorized posting stemmed from here and I've had other issues regarding using fanfiction to post. A little too much trouble to make it worth it. So I still haven't officially decided but if I do end up doing that, you can still find this on AO3.)

...

Izuku was whisked away by the girls and seeing as he had asked for it, he let them do as they wished. Besides, they looked like they were having fun and they were willing to help him cut his hair. It also gave him an opportunity to get to know them better so a win-win for everyone, right? He was led to Ochako's room and they all piled inside. Thankfully her room was able to fit all seven of them due to her frugal style.

"Over here, Mido!" Ochako directed, pointing to her desk chair as she spun it around. "It'll make it easier to cut your hair if I can turn you."

He nodded as that made sense and took a seat as the other girls did themselves. Hagakure threw herself on the bed making it bounce with only her clothes and the dips in the sheets showing where she laid. Tsuyu joined her but with less bounce outside of what came from her Quirk. Momo followed sitting neatly on the edge and gracefully placed her hands in her well-ordered lap. Jirou then took the floor chair at Ochako's kotatsu with one leg stretched out and the other bent up to prop up her arm. Ashido however was too excited to sit at all.

"Oh, I can't wait to see what you'll look like!" the pinkette squealed as she stood next to Ochako who was searching on her phone. "You are going to look so god and Todoroki is so going to love it!"

"You think so?" Izuku asked bashfully.

"Mhmm!" she replied with a confident grin and her arms on her hips. "You are going to be so fab, babe!"

He blushed as she winked at him. Izuku hadn't spent much time with Ashido outside of class, training, and their match in the Sports Festival. Because of that, he wasn't used to her special brand of energy being directed at him. Ashido was bubbly and in-your-face intense. Certainly not afraid to speak her mind.

"Alrightly," Ochako said, her eyes focused on her phone still. "I think I've got how to do your undercut! Different from straight hair but I'm pretty confident I can do it."

She looked up at him waiting quietly for his permission which he was grateful for. It's not like you could reconnect the hair once it was cut, but if Ochako was feeling confident he would trust her.

"Okay, let's do it," Izuku nodded with a sure smile.

Ochako gave him a grateful smile followed by a reassuring wink as Ashido squealed again in delight. The pinkette babbled on about how excited she was as Ochako coordinated with Momo for whatever supplies she needed and paid her back with some of her favorite snacks. With the creation girl happily munched on mochi, Ochako was sizing up his hair after she secured a towel around his shoulders.

"Hmm, okay, I think I've gotta plan," she said as she played with his hair checking the sides and the front. "Do you want the undercut to blend or contrast?"

"Um, I guess whatever looks best?" Izuku answered really not knowing what he was doing.

What will mom think when she sees?

His friend nodded before gathering some hair at the top of his head and catching it in a clip. Izuku still had the mirror from Momo earlier so he could see what she was doing. With his hair partially up, Izuku thought he looked a little silly with some of his hair up and the rest sticking out all messy on the sides. Hopefully not so silly once the cut was done but for now, he put the mirror down in his lap.

"Alright, are you ready?" Ochako asked, checking in with him one more time.

She really is a great friend, Izuku thought giving her a smile.

"Ready," he answered confidently for the most part.

One more nod and she went to work. Admittedly he was a little nervous when she first brought the clippers to his head but come on! The buzzing blade made him scrunch his eyes shut but he didn't dare move his head in case he made her mess up. Izuku kept them closed as she carefully moved from one side of his head and around to the other.

The feel of the clippers was a little unnerving but then again Izuku has only ever had his hair trimmed. He's always liked his green curls even though they could be a pain in the ass. Which was why he usually just left them to do what they wanted. Doing his best to ignore the buzz of the clippers, he instead opened his eyes and focused on the gossip being directed at him from the girls.

"So, how is Todoroki?" Ashido asked, her yellow eyes glinting in excitement.

"Oh, yes, please tell us!" Hagakure added eagerly. "Todoroki is a hard guy to read sometimes."

Something that she surprisingly didn't have trouble with despite being invisible. The other girls all expressed their shared interest in knowing more about their stoic classmate.

Izuku thought for a moment before he said, "Well, he's…funny."

"Funny?" Jirou questioned as she played with her earphone jacks. "How is the ice prince funny?"

"I don't know," Izuku shrugged with a fond smile. "He's funny to me at least. Not that he really means to be. He grew up kind of isolated and isn't familiar with some things. I find it endearing."

Izuku had grown up similar in his own way and was easily willing to help Shouto learn what he didn't know. As best he could anyway because there were things he didn't know himself. That's where friends came into play to pick up the slack.

"What else? What else?" Hagakure encouraged, hugging a pillow on the bed.

"Shouto is…sweet," Izuku replied, thinking of everything his boyfriend has done for him. "Sometimes in an intense sort of way. Do you want to know what he did to figure out if he had feelings for me?"

Honestly it was still ridiculous and over the top but also so very him. And while Izuku wouldn't tell the guys about this, he had a feeling the girls would find it as sweet as he did.

"Ooo, tell us, tell us!" Ashido said with a clap of her hands.

She had finally settled down on the floor in front of Hagakure who started playing with her hair. The pink curls moved by invisible fingers as if there was a breeze in the room. She along with the others looked at him full of curiosity.

"Through 'research and experimentation'," Izuku quoted with airquotes. "He told me once that he had a 'personal project' he was working on. Turns out that project was to find out if he liked me and if I liked him."

A round of giggles filled the room.

"Research, huh?" Jirou snickered with an amused tone. "How do you research liking someone?"

"That's what I wanted to know," Izuku chuckled. "He said, and I quote, 'shoujo manga'."

The girls lost it and broke out into more giggles. Even Momo gave a muffled chuckle with her hand covering her mouth. Izuku laughed with them because seriously it was just so ridiculous but it also showed how much effort Shouto was willing to put in for them.

"Oh my gods, are you serious?!" Ashido gasped out as she wiped tears from her face.

"Completely," Izuku affirmed, still giggling but trying to stay still for Ochako. "His mom actually suggested the manga and apparently, he expanded his search from there. He's got a full box in his room labeled 'research material'."

Which prompted more laughter from the bunch. Talk of Shouto then drifted to other topics as they chatted while Ochako worked. It was a great opportunity for him to get to know them better. He already knew Ochako liked mochi and the star chart on her wall marked her love of the starry sky. Makes sense that she would go for a more astronaut theme for her Hero costume. Same with how Tsuyu enjoyed the rainy season having the traits of a frog and it turned out that her favorite snacks were jelly treats.

As for the others, Momo loved to read with her favorites being encyclopedias to help her better use her Quirk. Jirou was apparently very into music though he already knew that from her dorm room. And while she loved all music, she expressed a preference for rock which he could also see based on her personality and style.

Hagakure had a sweet tooth for caramels which she actually had one in her pocket and popped into her mouth. Izuku couldn't help but to track the movement curious whether he would still see the candy or not. She hummed happily as it disappeared from sight. Hagakure also confessed she was obsessed with hidden-camera pranks shows and he wouldn't be surprised if she took advantage of her Quirk to pull such shenanigans at times.

Then there was Ashido who absolutely loved to dance. In her room, in the shower, in the kitchen, and just anywhere the fancy struck her. It explained how she was so flexible and dancing was a good way to build up strength. A fun hobby that also would help her in a fight. Ashido also said she loved okra and natto which were both a similar texture to her Quirk. The others gave mixed reviews to their own preferences to the slimy foods.

There was one other thing though that the pinkette loved and that was gossip. She always wanted to know the who, the where, the what, the why, and how it all came together. Which could also be helpful too for a Hero to collect intel, but it was a little embarrassing when that kind of attention was put upon yourself.

"Alright, enough about us," Ashido said, redirecting the conversation. "I wanna know more about you two lovebirds."

She got a warning from Momo not to push which Izuku was grateful for. While he didn't necessarily mind talking about him and Shouto because honestly the experience was kind of novel. Izuku never had something like this happen to him growing up. Huh, who knew he would ever be treated like one of the girls. It was kind of fun.

"Like what exactly?" Izuku asked, playing along.

"Like how did you two meet?" Hagakure piped up.

Izuku blinked for a moment wondering why they were asking that when they already knew.

"The same day I first met with the rest of Class A," he replied, earning confused looks. "It was that first training with All Might. You know, the battle trials?"

"Oh, that's right," Ochako said, coming into his view for a moment. "When we got to use your Hiro spy name for the first time."

"It wasn't a spy name," Izuku retorted as he stuck out his tongue. "I just needed a little disguise at the time, that's all."

The comment brought about a round of concerned looks and he suddenly remembered they all knew why and exactly who he had needed the disguise for. But he and Katsuki were on much better terms now so they seriously didn't need to worry. Not perfect of course but enough that he felt safe.

"It's okay," Izuku said, trying to assure them. "Katsuki and I are much better now. Maybe not friends but we kind of bonded, um, recently."

Kind of hard not too after being kidnapped together even if by accident on Katsuki's part. And especially not after learning of the twelve-foot mountain troll of an elephant in the room about his father being the Villain. An unfortunate fact that Izuku was very much ignoring to the best of his abilities in his own mind. He simply left it at that and hoped the use of Katsuki's first name would be enough to sate their curiosity. Ashido obviously wanted to know more about it but a pointed look from Momo stopped her.

"You were saying you first met during our training," the creation girl commented as a way to steer the conversation back to topic.

"Oh, um, yeah, I wanted to talk to him about his Quirk," Izuku said, thankful for the change back to subject. "I think we all noticed he was only using one aspect of it. His ice."

All of them nodded because freezing an entire building in seconds was hard to miss.

"Well, I offered to help him with training his Quirk so we met up after school one day. I watched him work and took a closer look at his hands. And then after he…"

Izuku trailed off with a blush and took a moment as the girls waited in anticipation.

"He did what, kero?" Tsuyu asked, undisturbed by his sudden bashfulness.

She was known to be blunt and honestly Izuku admired that she was never afraid to speak her mind. Didn't help the current state of his reddened cheeks.

"…he held my hand for the first time."

The girls all cooed at the confession. Izuku didn't know why he was feeling so embarrassed telling them that. Maybe from digging up memories of his surprise from back then, but it also made him smile now knowing that simple impulsive gesture had led them to what they were now.

Boyfriends.

"Ooo, so Todoroki was the one to start things," Ashido warbled with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"H-he did, but at the time it wasn't anything special," Izuku replied. "Well, I mean it was special but not beyond what friends would do."

"What do you mean?" Hagakure asked, he could imagine her tilting her head.

"Well, Shouto and I didn't have what would be considered 'normal' childhoods," he did his best to explain without revealing too much. "I grew up Quirkless and didn't really have any friends before UA. Shouto was also isolated growing up and so we didn't get as many social opportunities as other people."

He avoided their eyes not wanting to see their pity.

"We were both not used to sharing something as simple as holding hands," he went on. "Shouto was impulsive and I liked how it felt as well so we kept doing it."

"Well, be that as it may, however it started I can see that Shouto is happy with you," Momo said, giving him a comforting smile once he looked at her. "I grew up with him attending events as is expected of children of prominent families. I really must say I have never seen him happier than he is with you."

And the blush was back as the other girls nodded in agreement.

"You two are cute together," Jirou commented with her own smirk. "I'm happy for you."

"For real," Ashido agreed, smitten with them. "So, who kissed who first? Was it Todoroki the initiator or was it you?"

"Mina," Momo said in warning.

"Whaaaa?" the pinkette whined. "What's wrong wanting to know about that?"

The vice class rep gave her a look making her pout.

"It's okay, Momo, I don't mind," Izuku reassured his friend before turning to Ashido. "I-It was Shouto. In the hospital."

Though it certainly hadn't been the first attempt. Izuku saw the almost kiss on I-Island in a very different light now.

Ashido wolf whistled in approval before asking, "Is he a good kisser?"

Izuku blushed as he thought of the feel of Shouto's lips and the intricacies of the dual sides of his Quirk. The heat of his left side and the coolness of the right united in the middle in a pleasant warmth. A kiss that was unique to him.

"I've never kissed anyone else before him so I can't really say," Izuku confessed, freckled cheeks a light dusting of pink. "But I really like it."

I really like him, he thought as the girls cooed.

At that point, Ochako was finished with the sides and turned him to work on the hair clipped at the top. The girls chatted amongst themselves as Izuku quietly watched his friend do her thing. It was kind of cute because Ochako had her tongue sticking out slightly as she concentrated on trimming his remaining curls. With the sides down, his head already felt lighter and Izuku suppressed a shiver now that his head wasn't as protected by hair.

Izuku let her do what she needed. He closed his eyes again and felt her carefully trimming each section of hair. Once she was done, the clippers were back for last minute touch ups and he was getting excited to see what she did. Nervous but excited.

"Alrighty! You're all done!" Ochako then announced, drawing everyone's attention. "Ladies, I present to you the new Izuku."

With a dramatic flair, she spun him around and Izuku was met with hoots and hollers of the girls. Momo and Tsuyu were the tamer of the bunch giving him supportive smiles and nods of their heads in approval. Jirou shot him with a smirk and wink. Hagakure was squealing and wiggling on the bed as Ashido pumped her fist in the air as she whooped in excitement.

"Now that's a makeover," the pinkette grinned as she snapped a picture. "Here, take a look!"

She turned her phone around and showed him a boy who looked very much like him but at the same time completely different. Same eyes, same freckles, same face and yet Izuku didn't recognize who he was looking at.

"I-is that really me?!" he exclaimed as he tugged at his hair finding shaved sides and bouncing curls.

Ochako giggled as she gently grabbed the mirror in his lap and brought it up for him to see.

"It is so really you," she said kindly, snickering at how his eyes were impossibly wide.

She was right and it was true. It really was Izuku staring back at himself only different. New. Ochako had left a pillow of curls on the top keeping remnants of his former look. The sides were shaved down though making him look more mature. Still baby faced as ever with his round cheeks but nothing he did helped with that.

The change left him feeling lighter. Not just from the lack of hair but also mentally. Izuku wasn't the same Izuku that had been in Kamino. It was like he had cut that part off along with the bad in his life. Izuku was making himself his own person and not the Villain his father wants him to be. A new haircut to go with a fresh start on his life and a step in his own chosen direction.

Izuku couldn't help but tear up in gratitude and relief as he muttered, "Th-thank you."

"Any time, Mido," Ochako replied, pulling him into a hug.

"S-sorry," he mumbled, his face being pressed against her stomach as his tears soaked her shirt.

"Don't sweat it, dumby," she dismissed, holding him for as long as he needed. "It was bound for the wash anyway."

Izuku could only nod as he clutched onto her and appreciated how the others let him be. They kept to themselves as he worked on composing himself. With a few more sniffles, he eventually pulled away and looked up at Ochako. She smiled down and ran a hand through his freshly cut hair.

"It suits you," she said with a smile.

He smiled shyly as he replied, "Thanks. And thank you for doing it. I really appreciate it."

"Of course!" Ochako chirped as she let him go. "It was super fun to work with someone else's hair for once."

"You did a good job, kero," Tsuyu commented with a wide closed mouth smile.

"Very much so," Momo agreed. "Quite professionally done."

The others agreed making Ochako a flustered mess as she said, "Oh you guys!"

They showered praise on her making her flush even more and Izuku joined in because she deserved it. Ochako tried to playfully smack him to make him stop but he easily dodged it while laughing. It all helped lighten the mood and they were much happier for it.

"So, Midoriya, you ready to show your man?" Ashido asked, grin bright and full of mirth.

Izuku blushed wondering exactly how Shouto would react.

"S-sure," he said, a little unsure. "Let's do it."

...

"Hey, I think I spotted a village!" Kaminari exclaimed excitedly.

"Great, maybe we can get some carrots or beet seeds that we can farm later," Hitoshi replied, following after the blonde in the block-by-block world they were exploring.

They ended up playing Minecraft not really in the mood for any fighting games. Well, other than killing monsters for needed drops. It was fun smashing a spider's face in just so he could get some string to make bows and fishing rods. And while this was more of a solo game for himself when he felt like it, it was fun to play with a friend.

Fun. That was the bottom line. Hitoshi was having fun. No need to comment on how close Kaminari was sitting next to him. The blonde had not at all been shy to take the spot by his side almost touching. So they could better see each other's screens he had said with a bright smile. Which was true as they mined away on different laptops in a shared world.

It didn't change the fact that Hitoshi was aware of Kaminari's close presence to him, but he allowed the feeling to simmer in the background of his mind. Simply choosing to exist in the moment and have fun spending time with his new friend. They would playfully nudge each other whenever one of them ended up dying. Like when Kaminari got KOed by a creeper the first night or when Hitoshi managed to fall into surface lava. Yeah, that had been a hoot. Thank the gods they both liked cheats and were able to keep their inventories. They needed that shit because of reasons.

Though both of them were trying very hard not to die now because they were far from the first spawn point exploring their blocked world. They had chosen to focus on finding a village to save time on building. Then they would have a prebuilt safe spot to keep their collected goodies. Though maybe if this became a regular thing they could decide on something to build over time. For now, their goal was to find a base and then gather materials. And seeing as they had finally found a village, they could get down to serious minecrafting business.

Once they found the village, they had made sure to set a couple of the village beds as their new spawn points. It would have sucked to get separated now if one of them died and get chucked back to their first one. Having to use coordinates to find their way back would be such a pain in the ass.

The two exchanged friendly small talk between snarky comments. It was cute when Kaminari would find some iron and proclaim it aloud in pride. He had run off into a nearby cave while Hitoshi explored the village to see what resources they had to work with. He managed to find some book cases in a spawned library. Sweet. It was a good head start for boosting an enchantment table once they found diamond, obsidian, and lapis.

It was as Hitoshi stumbled upon some surface coal and Kaminari was hunkered down deep in the caverns underneath the village that they get a group text.

Kaminari was quick to check and said, "Oh, looks like they finished up with Midoriya."

Hitoshi also looked at the dozens of emojis and excessive use of exclamation points from Ashido and rolled his eyes.

"Well guess that means we should head down," the brainwasher commented as he directed his character back to the village.

"I'll need to get out of this cave first," Kaminari sighed, trying to think if he could actually find his way out again.

"I've got it," Hitoshi smirked, placing his laptop aside before snatching his friend's.

"Hey!" the blonde exclaimed as he took over Kaminari's avatar.

Hitoshi looked around for something he had spotted earlier on his friend's screen. Once he found it, he directed the avatar over and knocked down a section of ceiling gravel threatening to fall. A few punches to the block and then it all came crashing down killing his character. The death screen popped and he clicked on respawn landing Kaminari back in his bed. He then simply handed the laptop back.

"There," he smirked. "Back home safe and sound."

"Seriously, dude?" Kaminari complained as he quickly saved the game before anything else could happen to his little guy. "I lost all my exp!"

"It got you out of that cave, right?" Hitoshi shrugged. "Besides you kept your inventory."

Thank you, cheat codes.

"Thankfully, you jerk," Kaminari jibed as he knocked their shoulders together. "I actually managed to find some diamond down there, asshole."

Hitoshi gave him a slightly guilty smile before nudging back.

"Come on," he said as he moved to stand. "Let's see what they've done with Izuku."

"Oh, sure," Kaminari replied as he got up too. "You can leave your stuff here by the way. We could play more a little later?"

The offer was more of a question that Hitoshi hadn't expected. He had been worried if he could even do this friend thing outside of his tight-knit group, but hearing that pleased him to know that they weren't done yet.

"Okay," Hitoshi said simply with a small smile.

Kaminari responded with a bright one of his own and together they headed downstairs for the big reveal.

...

Shouto was antsy. Izuku had been gone for a while with the girls and he didn't like not knowing what was happening to him. Overbearing sure and he planned to work on that, but it was too soon after the kidnapping. Too soon for him to be comfortable to let Izuku out of his sight for long.

Hitoshi had tried to reassure him which Shouto appreciated. Before his friend had gone off with Kaminari, he had gotten a book from his room and brought it downstairs to wait for Izuku to come back. He did his best to focus on the book but it wasn't helping much. Shouto kept getting distracted by the movements of the other boys. Some were up in their rooms while others were milling about the common room. Each time someone else came down he would look up hoping it was Izuku.

Each time he was disappointed.

Shouto's phone pinged but when he saw it was to the group chat he didn't bother to check. His focus was on Izuku and doing his best to be patient until he came back. Besides, he was interested in seeing what the girls would do to his boyfriend's hair.

"How you holding up?" Hitoshi asked as he suddenly took the spot next to him on the couch.

Shouto turned to him as Kaminari sat down on the other side.

"I'm fine," he answered though he felt otherwise.

He wouldn't be fine fully until he saw Izuku again. Though he knew that they couldn't be with each other all the time and that his anxiety was irrational. He just couldn't help it with the kidnapping so fresh. That and could you blame him for wanting to be with his boyfriend?

The rest of the boys from Class 1-A gathered in the common area taking the couches or pulling up cushions to sit on. Even a grumbling Bakugou was dragged down to join them by a kind but firm Kirishima who insisted that even though it was 'lame' it was important to bond with his dormmates. With a growl, the explosive blonde let himself be pushed into an empty couch spot and the redhead sat on the floor in front of him. Acting as a barrier perhaps to prevent escape?

Finally, the elevator dinged and out came the girls in a group but he couldn't see Izuku. They were crowding around him obscuring him from view. He only caught glimpses of green from where he was hidden behind Momo. She was only slightly shorter than himself but her height was enough to shield Izuku from view. Plus, her signature ponytail helped.

With the entrance of the girls, the boys one by one turned their focus to them. There was still some chattering from the more talkative of their bunch, but a clearing of a certain boisterous pinkette's throat was enough to quiet them down.

"Gentlemen," Ashido addressed them with her usual dramatic flair. "We the ladies of Class 1-A, and much thanks to our lovely hairstylist Ochako, are proud to present the new and improved Midoriya Izuku!"

She brandished her arms like a trained entertainer and presented the group of girls behind her. At her signal, her friends parted one by one until Momo was the only barrier. She glanced behind her checking if her friend was ready and with his nod, she too stepped aside to finally reveal the one and only Izuku.

There was a communal gasp of surprise at seeing their classmate. Izuku was the same but different. Everyone had their own opinions, but Shouto tuned all of them out. None of the exclamations of his classmates were as important to him as Izuku. Grey and blue eyes were locked onto him until they connected to green. He relished the small gasp he got from his boyfriend.

The entire world ceased to exist in that moment. Shouto could only stare until that wasn't enough and he slowly stood up abandoning his book. Izuku watched him approach looking a little scared and unsure, but he had nothing to fear from Shouto. Never ever from him.

Izuku had helped Shouto so much. Supporting him from the very beginning. Open to his eccentricities and flexible to accommodate them. Always cared for him and did everything he could to help Shouto even when he didn't ask for it. With his Quirk, with himself. Absolutely no judgement of how he grew up. Only acceptance for who he was as himself and never anything connected to Endeavor. Choosing Shouto because he was Shouto.

He carefully reached out and gently touched the shaved sides of Izuku's head. It was so different but also so soft. A caress of hair that was once so curly and full of life now reduced to mere fuzz. However, it did nothing to take away from his looks. Izuku was different but the same. Despite the uncertainty in his eyes, the change gave him more of a presence. That he was him and that there was no one else who could ever pretend to be Izuku.

He was unique.

Shouto could feel Izuku shivering under his cool fingertips as he circled around and slowly moved from one side of his head to the next. The greenet was frozen as he let himself feel his boyfriend marveling at his new look from all angles. Shouto followed his path until he was in front of Izuku once more and moved his hand to cup his boyfriend's cheek. The sides were the same shortness but his signature green curls still existed on the top of his pretty little head which made Shouto smile.

"Beautiful," he said simply, running a thumb across Izuku's freckled cheek.

It warmed under his touch and flushed pink at his praise. Shouto could only see it as beautiful much like the rest of Izuku. His curls, his eyes. His mind and personality. How he has the ability to brighten up a room with just his smile alone. Izuku was amazing. And he was his as much as Shouto was Izuku's. His boyfriend. As such, Shouto leaned down and brought them into a soft kiss.

Many cooed at the sight, aka the girls and those with more romantic leniencies, while some of the others teased them with wolf whistles. Bakugou openly gagged. Shouto paid them no mind with his entire focus on Izuku who hummed happily into the kiss. He savored it for a moment longer before pulling away giving his boyfriend a fond smile. Izuku blushed before returning it with a giggle, his green eyes crinkling in joy.

"You really like it?" he asked smiling in relief.

"Yes," Shouto answered simply but meaningfully.

Though he would miss being able to tuck a curl behind his ears. Small sacrifices for Izuku to be so happy. Instead Shouto reached up and brushed his hand along the remaining curls on top. It made Izuku giggle again as he playfully pushed his hand away.

"I'm not a cat, Shouto," Izuku joked.

"Really?" he said back playfully. "You look like a kitten to me. Minus the ears."

"That can be arranged!" Ashido shot out with enthusiasm. "Right, Momo? You could make a headband. He would look so cute!"

Others shared their agreement much to Izuku's embarrassment but it seemed that was the tipping point for Katsuki. He had managed to sit there quietly for the most part. Any grumblings went mostly unnoticed as everyone only had eyes for the nerd. Which fair because damn did he look different from the baby-faced kid Katsuki had grown up with. And needed to apologize to but no way was he going to do that right this second. That was between him and Izuku, not these ex…his classmates.

Gotta work on that.

But not right now.

"Can it, Pinkie," Katsuki barked, annoyed but without much bite. "It's bad enough seeing them flirting all disgusting and shit. They don't need your help in making me want to vomit even more."

"Don't be such a party pooper, Blasty," Ashido shot back, sticking her tongue out. "Not even you can deny they're cute together."

"Disgustingly," he begrudgingly agreed while making a gagging face before getting up.

The air filled with a sudden tension as he started walking towards Izuku not knowing what he would do. For all the majority of them knew, Katsuki and Izuku were not on good terms. Like at all. But a lot has happened since his suspension, namely the therapy, the kidnapping, and finding out about Hisashi, and they were better now. Or well Katsuki secretly hoped. Not in a sappy way or anything! He just…he would like for them to be better even if it wasn't as necessarily friends.

They all watched apprehensively as he approached the pair. Izuku was watching him curiously and Shouto moved to stand supportive but protectively next to him. Katsuki eyed the latter and rolled his eyes before turning to the nerd. Izuku just stared at him. Not cowering or turning away. Instead meeting his eye head-on even if he was a bit shorter. Placing himself as an equal.

From everything they had been through Katsuki could not deny it. Shouldn't have denied it all along. He may have no Quirk but Izuku possessed another kind of power all his own. A determined conviction that he has never let anything snuff out. Not even Katsuki and all his hateful words and actions. In a way, that made Izuku stronger, and better, than Katsuki would ever be. Honestly, he thinks he could actually live with that strangely enough.

Katsuki gave one last once over before he grunted out, "Suits you, Zuku."

The compliment made the nerd blink before he smiled brightly up at him.

"Thanks, Kacchan."

Katsuki nodded and secretly preened at the use of his nickname. He then walked away with his hands in his pockets and trudged up to his room. That was enough wasted time socializing for him. They watched him go without another word with many utterly baffled at his rather lack of reaction. At least not explosively as they were used to, but then again, he had been changing a lot since they had first met him now that they thought about it. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Izuku was still a little surprised by the compliment as he tracked Katsuki as he left. He hadn't been sure how his childhood friend would react and was a little afraid that the progress they had made would be gone. However, he had refused to stand down or lower himself in any way to Katsuki. Izuku was not lesser and he was not a Deku. Not now, not ever. The compliment was surprising but appreciated all the same.

"Huh," he muttered with a small smile.

Shouto also watched as the blonde exited. He wasn't sure how to feel for the boy who had bullied someone he held most dear. Though he hadn't had much interaction with Bakugou outside of class and training. He wasn't a friend, simply a classmate he worked with from time to time. Strong in his own right but not the strongest as he had once boasted to be. And while Shouto detested the fact that he had bullied Izuku, he also couldn't deny that, despite that, Bakugou had done all he could to help Izuku when he needed it most. Both at the camp when it got attacked and he would assume during the kidnapping.

Not to mention his defense for Izuku when it came to finding out his father's true identity.

That fact alone was enough to appease Shouto that he didn't have much to worry about when it came to Bakugou in regards to Izuku. He gave the blonde no more thought and turned back to his boyfriend. The haircut was still new and he couldn't help study it as their classmates approached and began chatting with Izuku. Shouto was happy to simply look and listen beside him.

Izuku was smiling so happy as he talked with his friends. The curls left on his head bounced as he laughed and spoke as animated as usual. Oh how Shouto loved those curls as much as he loved Izuku himself. He smiled softly as he slowly reached out and connected their hands. Izuku merely shot him a quick glance before lacing their fingers together with no break in the conversation. Shouto shifted closer as his boyfriend continued to socialize and felt at peace.

After a little while, the class broke off to go do their own things. The girls took a moment for each of them to bid goodbye to Izuku personally and thank him for letting them all help with the haircut. Ashido insisted on a selfie to commemorate the moment and made sure to share it. He then gave hugs of thanks himself.

Ochako squeezed him in a bear hug and Tsuyu's was calm and warm. Momo was quick and polite while Jirou gave him a side hug. Hagakure's was a bit odd because he couldn't see her but obviously still felt her arms wrapped around him. Still all good hugs all around. Though Ashido's felt more like he was being squeezed by a constrictor. He giggled as she let go, gave him one last once over, and nodded approvingly before skipping off with the others. Hitoshi then came over followed by Kaminari as the other boys went about their business.

"Looking good there, Midoriya," the electric blonde complimented with a smirk.

Hitoshi nodded in agreement and said, "You sure do clean up nice, Green Bean. I'm sure someone appreciates it."

The brainwasher wiggled his eyebrows and made suggestive glances towards Shouto.

"Of course I do," Shouto said as Izuku rolled his eyes at his brother's teasing when it clearly went over his boyfriend's head.

"Thanks," he replied with a smile.

"So, you guys wanna go play video games together?" Kaminari offered, smiling.

Izuku blinked surprised at the invitation. He hadn't spent a ton of time with the other boy and hadn't expected it. It could be fun, right? But then again, the last time he had played was with the League. Not that the experience was going to keep him from playing games forever, but he wasn't really in the mood right now. Besides, he took note that Kaminari was glancing up at Hitoshi specifically with hope in his yellow eyes and the slightest of blushes blooming from the taller teen when he caught it.

"Maybe some other time, but thanks for the invitation," Izuku said, giving his boyfriend's hand squeeze. "Though I think Hitoshi would like too."

The purple haired boy shot him a sharp look while Izuku blinked up at him innocently. No way did he have any nefarious plans to get the two to spend time together after the little moments he had noted between them. Perhaps a budding friendship with a hint of a budding crush? Even then if nothing more came of it, it would be good to see Hitoshi making another friend.

"Oh yeah, we can continue beefing up that village we found!" Kaminari chirped excitedly, grabbing Hitoshi by the hand. "Come on, Shinsou! Let's go!"

Hitoshi blinked owlishly as he was dragged away. He cast a look back at Izuku and Shouto silently asking questions. However, their response was for Izuku to wave him off enthusiastically and Shouto to look away entirely to turn towards his boyfriend. Hitoshi sighed in resignation accepting his fate though honestly it wasn't so bad since he could keep hanging out with his new friend. Kaminari had offered earlier after all.

The young couple watched them go with Izuku giggling to himself. Shouto though wasn't paying them much mind as he preferred to focus on his boyfriend. Again, he reached up and ran his fingers through the shorter hair marveling at the change. The ticklish feeling again made Izuku laugh as he reached up to still Shouto's hand.

"So you really like it, huh?" Izuku asked, smiling in amusement.

"I like you," was Shouto's response before leaning down to kiss him.

Izuku blushed shyly into it before he hid himself into his boyfriend's chest.

"What would you like to do, Izuku?" Shouto then asked as he held him close and played with his hair.

Not that he had a preference or anything. What they did didn't matter as long as they could do it together. Izuku felt the same though there was one thing he did need to do and it was the unfortunate subject of summer homework. Most of it was finished, but even with the entire Kamino fiasco, the sad truth was that Izuku was still a student and had assigned work to do.

"Well, not necessarily would like to but I still have a little more summer homework," Izuku answered before shyly looking up at him. "Could I work on it with you? Unless you're finished and want to do something else I would understand."

"We can work on it together," Shouto said, smiling softly. "I have a little more as well."

"Okay, great!" the shorter teen beamed back. "And it would be good to get it done since school starts in a little over a week."

A strange concept with all that has happened recently but again they were all still students. And honestly it would be nice to be able to go back to some sense of normalcy. It should also help having all of his friends under one roof. If you think about it, the dorms are going to be like an extended sleepover except they all have their own rooms.

The couple made sure to grab some snacks before heading upstairs. Izuku popped into his room to get what he needed while Shouto prepared his own room for them to work. The low desk he had was big enough for two and once Izuku came back in they got to work. And while it was work, it was still fun to do it together.

The rest of the day went by uneventful. Hitoshi and Kaminari with their video games. Izuku and Shouto with their homework. Katsuki hanging out in his room until being bothered by the rest of the Bakusquad, sans Pikachu, to hang out. Annoying but he allowed it, he guessed. It made Eijirou happy so whatever.

Eventually night came and it was time for bed. They had training in the morning so once it was close to curfew, all activities were wrapped up for the night. It was as Hitoshi came back from Kaminari's room that Izuku exited Shouto's room.

"Hey," Hitoshi called out with a hand raised in greeting.

Izuku turned and seeing it was him, said, "Oh hey. Did you have fun with Kaminari?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Hitoshi replied, a slight blush to his cheeks. "I did."

Before he left Kaminari surprised him with a goodbye hug. It was nice. Of course, Izuku took notice. He also noticed this might be perfect opportunity for some payback teasing.

"You made sure to use protection, right?" Izuku joked with a smirk.

Hitoshi glared at him but not too harshly at the jab.

"It's not like that," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "He's just a friend."

A newly acquired and cute friend.

"If you say so," Izuku shrugged, thinking otherwise though it was still early in their friendship. "So, are you ready to start training again tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's weird though, right?" Hitoshi commented as he moved to open his door. "Like after all that's happened, things can just go back to normal."

Sort of anyway because honestly for either of them, life had never been 'normal'. Growing up Quirkless or being seen to possess a Villainous Quirk didn't really allow that.

"Yeah, it is a little weird," Izuku admitted, nodding. "On the other hand, it's kind of nice, you know?"

Having the ability to focus on other things rather than the ones that would breed bad thoughts. And tomorrow was going to be more training on their path to become Heroes. A worthwhile distraction that was for sure. Hitoshi simply nodded as Izuku moved to his own room.

"You not staying the night with Shouto?" the brainwasher asked.

"No, not tonight," Izuku replied, opening his door. "I'll need to get used to sleeping in my own room eventually."

Not that he didn't want to or anything. Shouto would have enjoyed having more time to play with his new haircut and falling asleep to that sounded kind of nice. However, he really did need to start sleeping in his own room. And with his new look, he felt refreshed in a way that made him feel less gloom and doom about actually doing that.

"True, true," Hitoshi nodded. "Well, I'll see you in the morning. G'night, Izuku."

"Good night, Hitoshi," Izuku bid as well before walking into his room.

It was still pretty plain and felt a little odd to be in for a long time, but he would make do. Izuku was a ward of UA and this was his home now. Bad things happened that led him to this point, but they were not going to control him. The past was the past. Izuku chose to look towards the future instead. To make this actually feel like home.

Maybe I could put up mom's frames?

They were still sitting in his closet covered up and put away out of sight. Before the training camp, they were an unhappy reminder of the home he had lost and the suffering his mother was put through. Now he's lost the respect for the man he thought his father but that didn't mean all was lost. Izuku still had his friends and mentors. He had his mother's love and he had Shouto. With them, he had everything he needed.

Izuku walked to his closet and opened the door. He pushed things aside until he could reach the frames. Carefully, he removed the coverings just enough to see what was inside. The article of the beach, his gold medal, and the collage of articles from Hosu. Testaments to his achievements and physical representations of how proud his mom was of him. They shouldn't be tucked away any longer.

He wouldn't hang them tonight. It would be too noisy and he might need some help deciding where to put them. Not to mention putting them up, but someone had to know how to do that. If anything, Izuku took the time to fully free them from the wrappings and brought them out to prop up against the wall. Once they were free, he got ready for bed and the frames were the last thing he saw before succumbing to sleep.

I'll do my best to make you proud, mom.

...

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