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Shouto didn’t really know how he got there. That happened more than he’d like to admit. (He still wasn’t adept whatsoever at reading people despite it being the third year of UA). All he really did know at that moment was that he sat on the corner of a couch in the dorms surrounded by the rest of class 3-A with some sort of alcoholic beverage in his glass.
With a shrug, he knocked it back without flinching. It burned, but in a pleasant way like a gentler version of his fire.
“Damn, Todoroki!” Kaminari cheered as everyone else gaped at him. “You drank it without even flinching!”
“Was it supposed to be hard?” Shouto asked, confused.
“Todoroki… that was straight vodka.” Midoriya looked absolutely shocked.
“So…?”
“We should have known Todoroki could hold his liquor!” Ashido exclaimed, already tipsy.
“I don’t see how this is relevant.”
“Let's play truth or dare!” Uraraka suggested later when everyone’s at least slightly tipsy. Some, like Ashido and Kaminari, were fully drunk, while Iida and Momo were just barely drinking. Shouto himself had about four drinks, but he wasn’t feeling the effects.
“Fuck no!” Bakugou protested, crossing his arms. He had had enough to bring a pretty flush to his cheeks and lips, but apparently his decision making wasn’t impacted yet.
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Ashido begged.
“No, it’s okay, man. No one would blame you if you were too nervous.” Sero baited with a drunken grin.
Bakugou growled, clearly aware of the trap but he took the bait anyway. “I’m not fucking nervous! Fine, I’ll play!”
“Yay!” Squealed Hagakure. “Everyone get in a circle!”
Once a circle has been loosely assembled, they begin. Shouto found himself sandwiched between Midoriya and Uraraka.
“Who goes first?” Ashido asked.
Shouto found himself curious as to what would occur so he raised his hand. “I’ll go.”
“Are you sure, Todoroki?” Midoriya worried. “These games can get kind of… involved.”
Shouto shrugged. “Why not?”
Midoriya looked like he had a long list of reasons not to, but Ashido cut him off. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.” He decided to start easier.
Ashido thought for a moment before asking. “How many people have you slept with and who was the last one?”
Shouto furrowed his brow, counting. “Hold up, I need to think. There was the girl with the angel wings, the boy who had blue hair, the one with the cat…”
Class 1-A watched in bewilderment as Shouto listed off people, finding it hard to believe their resident dense boy had had sex with so many people.
“I’m fairly certain that I’ve had sex with twelve people, and I think the last one was named… Akiko?”
“What the fuck, Icy-hot?” Bakugou asked with his ears red.
Kaminari was the first to recover. “Damn, who knew Todoroki was a slut?”
“Are you at least good in bed?” Uraraka asked.
Midoriya choked on his drink, but Shouto just shrugged. “I’ve never gotten any complaints and most of them have tried to come back.”
“Tried?” Ashido asked.
“Yeah, I didn’t feel the need to lead them on. I’m only interested in one person, those were my ways to try and forget them. Unfortunately didn’t work. Anyway, Iida, truth or dare?”
Iida stuttered before acquiescing. “Truth, I suppose.”
“What’s the worst thing you’ve done besides commit attempted murder?” Shouto asked. Iida’s face turned red as everybody whipped their heads around to face him. “Oh shit. Is that still confidential?”
An explosion of questions turned to Iida, and he, in his panic, blurted out something to distract their classmates. “Todoroki called the Chief of Police a damn mutt!”
Shouto’s classmates turned back to him like they were sharks and he, the blood in the water.
“Again, what the fuck, Icy-hot?” Bakugou yelled above the rest of the raucous.
“Well, I lost my temper.” Shouto shrugged. “He was being a ‘damn mutt’ as I so eloquently put it.”
The class was left once again gaping at Shouto, and he hated that he was starting to see a pattern.
“Well, Iida, are you going to answer my question?” Shouto asked once more.
“Ah, well. The worst thing I’ve done is probably drinking underage right now.” Iida replied.
“Besides the attempted murder, you mean.”
“Yes, Todoroki, besides the attempted murder.” Iida sighed like Shouto was the bane of his existence. Shouto nodded satisfied. Maybe the vodka was affecting him a little. “Shinsou, Truth or Dare?”
“Dare.” Drawled Shinsou from where he was lying in the corner. Iida thought for a moment before he continued.
“I dare you to… describe the most attractive quality of everyone in the room.”
Shinsou groaned. “Come on, man. That’s embarrassing.”
“You chose dare.” Iida replied stiffly.
“Fine.” Shinsou begrudgingly began, lifting his head to look around the room. “Ashido is very… optimistic. Jiiro has mastered sarcasm. Kaminari is funny, Kirishima is kind, and Sero is chill. Bakugou is passionate, Iida is tall, and Uraraka is persistent. Yaoyorozu is brilliant, Asui is empathetic, and Midoriya is very… stubborn. Todoroki is, apparently, a delinquent which, honestly, I respect.”
The game went round for a while more before it finally reached Shouto again.
“Todoroki, Truth or Dare?” Kaminari asked him, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Shouto just decided to play it safe with this one. “Truth.”
“Tell us all about the one you’re trying to forget without using their name.” Kaminari ordered. Damn it. Shouto forced his eyes not to stray towards Bakugou.
“They are… stunningly gorgeous like the sun. Brave and brilliant, even if you don’t see it at first glance. They are strong, nearly as strong as me.” Shouto smirked at the idea of what Bakugou would say if he knew it was him. Something like fuck you, halfie. I’m stronger than you! “They are brash, blunt, and loud. They never hold back and demand that everyone else does the same. They are emotional and soft, but they cover it up as though that makes them weak. I’ll get them to realize one day that it isn’t true.”
The class stared at him in awe. It made sense, he rarely said that many words at once.
“Wow.” Yaoyorozu uttered. “You really like this person, don’t you, Todoroki?”
“Yeah.” Shouto sighed. “Love them, actually. Since the start of second year. There hasn’t been anyone else since.”
“That’s super romantic dude!” Kirishima encouraged. “Why don’t you just confess?”
Shouto scoffed. “They’d never want me, and they deserve better anyway.”
“Oh, shut up, halfie.” Bakugou ordered with a scowl on his red face. “They’d have to be crazy to reject you.”
If only he knew, Shouto thought. “Bakugou, Truth or Dare?”
“...Dare, halfie.” Bakugou ceded.
“I dare you to…” Shouto stalled trying to think of something. “Video yourself announcing that I am a superior hero and put that as your ringtone.”
“Fuck no! I’m not going to lie on video!” Bakugou yelled.
Shouto tilted his head innocently, and fluttered his eyelashes. “But you wouldn't be lying?”
“I will kill you, Icy-hot! Don’t test me.”
“You wouldn’t dare. You love me too much.”
“That’s it!” Bakugou lunged forward, face flushing. “Say goodbye, halfie.”
“Whoa, whoa.” Kaminari said. “Bakugou, my man, you have to do the dare. Unless, of course, you’re quitting?”
“Fuck you too, Dunce Face!” Bakugou growled. “I’m no fucking quitter!”
“Great!” Mina cheered. “I’ll record!”
After the recording was secured, the game continued on. Sero was dared to do an interpretative dance, Midoriya was asked who his crush was and blushingly admitted that he liked Uraraka, and Ashido had a dramatic break up with the couch. It was complete with all five stages of grief.
“Truth or Dare, Todoroki?” Ashido asked, leaning forward.
“Truth.” Shouto answered.
“Is your crush in this class?” Ashido asked with a cunning glint in her eye, and Shouto must have been more inebriated than he thought because he answered.
“Yes.”
There was a cacophony of voices that Shouto elected to ignore.
“Mmm… Kaminari. Truth or Dare?” Shouto interrupted.
“Dare, Todobroki!” He replied cheerily.
“I dare you to… call your parents and tell them that you got married then hang up.”
Kaminari gaped at him. “Dude. So not cool. They’re going to kill me!”
Shouto shrugged. It wasn’t his problem really.
Kaminari called his mom, and put it on speaker phone. “Hey Mom?” Kaminari asked when the call was answered. There was an affirming noise from the other side. “I kind of got married.”
Kaminari’s mother choked. “Excuse me?” She practically screamed over the phone. Then Kaminari hung up, and groaned.
“That was evil , Todoroki!” He whined, putting his hands on his face and laying on the floor. “She is going to murder me!”
Shouto simply shrugged again.
“Todoroki, Truth or Dare?” Kaminari asked. Shouto had a feeling that this was revenge. He did not appreciate it, but decided fuck it . It must have been the alcohol talking. He refused to believe otherwise.
“Dare.” He drawled.
“I dare you to kiss your crush.”
Shouto caught on fire.
After the fire was put out and crisis averted, everyone stared at Shouto and waited for him to complete the dare.
Shouto sighed and prepared himself to be exploded and ridiculed.
“You don’t have to.” Yaoyorozu said as he hauled himself up from where he was lying on the floor. “If you want to back out, no one will fault you.”
“Thanks, Yaoyorozu, but they would definitely get mad at me.” Shouto laughed to himself, cynically. He strode across the room to Bakugou, and sat down beside him.
“Hey. I don’t suppose I could kiss you?” Shouto asked Bakugou with his heart in his throat and wasps in his stomach.
Bakugou just gaped, and his face flushed a scarlet red. “W-what? You’re in love with me?” He stammered. “For two years? Why?”
Shouto sighed, might as well go all in. “As I said earlier, you are stunningly gorgeous like the sun, and as bright as it too. Brave and brilliant, even if you don’t see it at first glance. You are strong, brash, blunt, and loud. You never hold back and demand that everyone else does the same. You are emotional and soft, but you cover it up as though that makes you weak. You yell about my ‘shitty eating habits,’ but then you make me soba if I’m feeling sad. How could I not love you? ”
Bakugou’s face flamed an even brighter red, and he remained stunned. Then, in a gesture completely unlike him, shyly reached up and met Shouto’s mouth in a chaste kiss before drawing away.
Driven by sudden boldness, Shouto cupped Bakugou’s face in his hands and kissed him deeper. His lips were soft and sweet. They tasted like caramel and faintly of smoke, and Shouto was already addicted.
To his surprise, but not to his dislike, Bakugou allowed Shouto to control the kiss for the most part. That is, until someone cleared their throat and Bakugou pulled away from the kiss. Bakugou looked around like he just realised that they were surrounded by their classmates, and, once again, blushed furiously.
“Come on, halfie.” Bakugou muttered, and grabbed Shouto’s wrist to pull him up and out of the room. Shouto heard whispers erupt in the common room after they left, but he paid it no mind. Bakugou pulled Shouto into his room, and closed the door with a slam. Shouto cocked his head at him in question.
“You-you really meant all that you said earlier?” Bakugou asked, uncharacteristically nervous.
“I do.” Shouto softened. “I meant every bit of it.”
“And-you love me?”
“Yes. I have for two years, maybe a little more, but I don’t expect anything from you. If you don’t feel the same way then I would hope that we would remain friends if nothing else.”
“And… if I did feel the same way?” Bakugou asked quietly, hands fidgeting.
“Then I would be overjoyed, and I would love to be yours in any capacity you allow.” Shouto could barely dare to hope that Bakugou just might care for Shouto the way that Shouto cared for him.
“Well, I do love you, bastard. What are you going to do about it?” Bakugou asked gruffly, though Shouto could tell that he was anxious.
“I would like to love you for a long time if that’s alright? And I’d like you to call me Shouto.” Shouto replied, elated.
“Is that all?” Baku-Katsuki smirked, seemingly regaining his confidence.
“I’d also like to kiss you again.” Shouto said, dropping his gaze to Katsuki’s lips.
“I can do that.” Katsuki grinned and kissed him deeply.
Shouto loved Truth or Dare.