*Major Cussing Warning*

"You do understand that this next mission doesn't require you to come, right Midoriya? If you're still shaken from what happened Monday, wouldn't it be preferable for you to stay here?" Todoroki double-checked with his green-haired friend, staring deeply into his sparkly-like, seafoam eyes.

"Yes, I do get that, Todoroki-kun. I just...need to learn how to suck it up someday, don't you agree?" Izuku shakily answered, his hands busy fidgeting and running through his thick curls as he spoke. True, he had many, many questions about the bodies, and the person he saw in the house, and yes, he did have a nightmare about the events that took place at the murderers' house every night since then, but he signed up to this school knowing he was going to kill people.

His career was now taking the lives of others for money; so why did he feel so many complicated emotions about the assassination, while also feeling extremely empty inside? Was he not made to kill? Yes, probably. But that didn't matter anymore, he had to kill, no matter what he thought, and no matter what he felt.

He was sure disregarding his own feelings so he could get the job done would bite him in the ass later on; but, just like everything else, that didn't matter. At least, not then.

Todoroki gave him a skeptical glance as he used his foot to nudge his friend, Kastuki, to move over a bit on his bed, since he was sitting in the middle of it. The three teammates were currently in Katsuki's bedroom, much to said male's complaints, making it seem as though that was now their hangout place. Unsurprisingly, in the blonde's opinion.

"Oh c'mon, Sho. Just let it go, the stupid nerd wants to torture himself by helping us out? Let him," Katsuki boisterously advised, earning a cold glare and a smack to the back of the head from Shoto.

Izuku clasped a hand over his mouth at their small exchange, trying to contain the giggles that were uncontrollably falling from his mouth, but failing supremely as soon as the dual-haired and ash-blonde haired boys started to get into a small argument about something that was completely off-track from the smaller boy.

Then he laughed. Izuku Midoriya, the sassy soon-to-be-assassin, in front of the two classmates he was desperately trying to keep a facade up around the most, laughed. And it wasn't some small chuckle that could easily be excused, no, it was a deep, hearty laugh that caused him to clutch the sides of his stomach as he doubled over. He could barely get any air in as his eyes watered and his face hurt from smiling so much.

His smile, oh his smile. It was wide and bright, capable of dispelling even the scariest of darknesses. It only lasted for a few moments, but it was all Katsuki and Shoto needed to stop getting at each other's throats for a few moments, and just simply look. Look upon the rare sight that they never knew they so hopelessly needed until that very moment.

What was it about that beautiful, shining smile that had the both of them instantly wrapped around Izuku's little finger in that moment? they wondered.

Izuku wiped the small tears that had shed while he had his laughing fit with his hand, and let his mesmerizing smile slowly fall from his face as he looked back and forth between Shoto and Katuki with curiosity and slight concern take over his features instead.

But only then, and only then, did he realize his mistake. He had let his guard down completely. He let emotions other than amusement, anger, and sass show, and he didn't hold back in the slightest. Izuku was internally starting to freak out, what if they didn't like his laugh or smile? What if letting a small percentage of his vulnerabilities through the wall he had built would backfire in the worst way possible for him?

He hated himself, oh how he hated himself within that moment. Because he had already let a big piece of him, the only pieces of joy he had managed to preserve and lock away, were put completely on display, and he knew he couldn't let his inner turmoil seep through the cracks that were inflicted on his well-built emotional block.

So he covered it all up by breaking the silence that felt awkward to him with no emotion clear one his face.

"What is it, guys? Did I do something wrong?" Izuku asked, his voice only scarcely losing its elatedness because of Izuku's cover; the airiness being gained while he was laughing his ass off.

Katsuki was the first one to snap out of the small trance he was put in unknowingly because of the green-haired boy, and was able to stuff the small blush that was creeping its way up his neck and onto his cheeks down before it was noticeable. Clearing his throat, Katsuki shook his head frantically and subtly pushed his shoulder into Shoto's, trying to get him back to reality. He did, but Shoto wasn't able to get rid of the redness that was suddenly gracing his features as quickly as Katsuki had; Izuku taking notice of it immediately, and noting when it went away almost as quickly as it came.

Izuku nodded his head suspiciously and shook his head back at the two boys in front of him and their actions, slapping his hands on his knees and getting up from his place on the carpeted floor of the dorm.

"I'm hungry, but it isn't lunch yet, so I'll go get snacks for us, and we can focus on our plan for the infiltration of our targets' house. Sounds good?" Izuku explained, stopping in the doorway and turning back for confirmation. All he got in return were two nods, neither bothering him as much as one might've figured, granting him enough satisfaction for him to continue his journey that would surely lead to his scavenging for food.

While he went on the hunt for the nutrition that the three boys' bodies needed, Katsuki and Shoto sat on the firsts' bed, side by side, thinking similar things about their situation.

"I'm pretty sure we have two things to address now, Kastuki, since one of them we somehow never got around to, and the other taking place not minutes ago," Shoto addressed, dragging out the word, 'somehow' accusingly as he turned his burning gaze from across the room and into the side of Katsuki's head, Katsuki easily being able to feel it.

"Ugh, okay, what's the first fucking one, Half n' Half?" Kastuki acknowledged, pulling out one of Shoto's old nicknames he had for him out of his ass randomly. Sporting a surprised look, Shoro responded with,

"My apparent new nickname that is definitely way more different than all the other ones you've had for me." This time, Bakugo was certainly not able to escape the red-hot blush that plowed into his face and made it look like a cherry.

"It's none of your fucking business, Shoto!" Katsuki shot back, not daring to face his partner as long his features were highlighted with such a bright hue. Shoto chuckled, as he could see the side of Katsuki's face and neck, both of which were as red as the rest of him. That was enough of an answer for him, if he had to be honest, so he didn't push it further.

"Then how about what just happened with Midoriya?" he asked, his own face reddening at the mere thought of the concentrated sunlight that was basically the green-haired males' smile. The question he asked Kastuki seriously did not help him with his already reddened face as he too, thought about Midoriya.

Katsuki tried his hardest to come up with something, anything that wasn't the truth, since even he himself didn't understand his true feelings. Though, predictably, he came up empty-handed. Which led to him doing the thing he was best at whenever he was deeply disgruntled; yell random stuff that came to mind so nobody questioned him any longer.

"Nothing fucking happened, Shoto! You're saying some weird shit that doesn't make any sense! You're acting as if the nerd's fucking special or something, which he's not, and you and I both know that." Shoto, being the good friend and smartass he was, could easily tell what the translation was, which was something similar to, 'I have no idea, all I know is that I liked it, and I wish that that feeling would go away.' He nodded his head and tapped Katsuki on his shoulder, not attempting to wash the blush evident on his face anymore.

Katsuki, after only a couple seconds of hesitation, turned to his friend with no blush in sight, and cocked an eyebrow, all of the confidence that had been blasted away from their time spent in his room, slowly trickling its way back into him, and influencing his every move once again.

"What?!" he slightly shouted impatiently, waiting for his friend to do whatever he was going to do. Shoto's eyes that were locked onto Katsuki's small side table by his bed, snapped to Katsuki's own, and scrutinized their every movement.

Shoto only stared into Katsuki's rather enchanting crimson orbs for a minute more, before he broke off the stare and continued his observation of the ash blonde's room. For some reason, a pit of embarrassment formed at the bottom of Shoto's stomach as his mind delved into dark crevices of his deep thinking.

He hesitated to speak, since after him and Katsuki's small staring contest was suddenly getting to him, and in the weirdest way possible in his opinion, his voice was slightly malfunctioning, but eventually got it to work in the end.

"I...think we might...both of us, Katsuki...might have a-"

"Hey guys, I got them and my planning notebooks! Wanna get started now, or would you like to wait?" Izuku's voice interrupted the tense moment between Shoto and Katsuki, his arms filled with bags of chips and boxes of chocolate, and three notebooks with each of their names scribbled onto them in different writing styles.

Shoto and Katsuki shared a look, before nodding and silently agreeing that they would continue their conversation later, Shoto telling Izuku that they could start whenever he wanted to.

Of which Izuku responded with a definite yes, his mind needing a distraction, and his heart wanting to explore more about what it felt; though fretfully being denied that chance as soon as the idea came into fruition.

'If only emotions weren't as dangerous as they are, goddamnit,' Izuku bitterly thought, putting on a fake, small smile that wasn't easy to distinguish from a real one as he flipped through his notes and started to go get the plans with his partners.

'I wonder...what it would be like if the word, 'partner' had more meaning to it...Would I be less willing to hide how I'm feeling and stuff, or...

Would I finally be less scared of the possibility of letting someone in?'

Herro, mi lovely readers! How is your day going? I hope well :D

Spammy spam, das all I'm gonna do for the next minute or sooooooo...idek what I'm sayinggggg...the end is neaaaaar...

Love y'all <33

Anyways, that's all for now, and,
To have a good day you shall! 🤍❤️🧡💚

-wen_ur_actual_trash
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