i got bored while waiting for covers so i'm posting the first chapter without one lolz. if ur interested in making covers for Crimson Eyes and Violent Eyes let me know, i have to put the poll up soon to let you freaks vote on your favorite.

The past two weeks had been a blur. Ever since Shigaraki was killed nothing felt real, like it was all some dream I'd wake up from at any second. I still freaked out every time my phone buzzed and I struggled to be in my room alone, but I was working on it.

By working on it, I meant never being in my room without Eijirou or Katsuki. We'd pretty much been attached at the hip, unbeknownst to my mother, who had no idea anything had even happened. We snuck through each other's windows every night, all three of us sleeping in one bed.

Uraraka, Todoroki, and Shinsou had flown back home a few days after the incident. Dabi had stayed true to his word and taken care of everything, so I had yet to see any news covering Shigaraki's death. The everyone else in the world, he was still hiding somewhere.

It was the first Friday of the second semester and I had just gotten back from school. Eijirou had given me a ride, and both he and Katsuki wanted to hang out. They spent a few hours at my place, all of us cuddled up on the couch with some shitty Netflix horror movie.

We were about to start the second one when I heard my front door open. I reflexively tensed in Katsuki's hold, leaning back against him while my legs were draped over Eijirou's lap. The blond calmly ran his hand up and down my arm as I heard my mother call out for me. "Just your mom," he whispered, placing a soft kiss against my temple. He'd gotten more openly affectionate recently, but neither Eijirou nor I commented on it. Life and death situations tend to change things.

"Izuku?" my mother called again. "Are you home?"

"In here," I said, watching as she turned the corner into the living room.

"Oh," she said with a surprised smile. "I didn't know you boys were here."

My mom had really warmed up to Eijirou and Katsuki in the last two weeks. After the whole fake break-up thing, we'd obviously 'gotten back together', and Mitsuki had invited my mother and me over for dinner. Oddly enough, it was actually kind of fun. Mitsuki and my mom were basically best friends already, and I even got to meet Katsuki's dad. He was the calm to his son's and wife's storms.

"Sorry," I said with a sheepish smile. "I forgot to shoot you a text."

She waved it off because apparently, she was willing to bend her set-in-stone rules for my boyfriends. I wasn't going to complain. "Oh, don't worry about it. But they'll have to leave for dinner, I have something to talk to you about."

By that point in time, I knew exactly what my mother sounded like when she was about to lecture me about rule-breaking, and this wasn't it. It almost made me more nervous, because if she wasn't going to yell at me, what could she possibly be kicking the boys out for?

"Not a problem, Inko," Eijirou said with his dazzling smile that usually got him anything he wanted. "Kats and I have a project we have to work on anyway." It was a total lie, I knew that, but my mother didn't. He just came off as a hardworking student, totally fishing for brownie points from her.

My mother nodded her head with a pleased smile, excusing herself to start on dinner.

As soon as I knew she was out of earshot, I turned to the redhead. "You little liar," I accused, nudging one of my knees into his ribs.

"It was a polite lie," he defended, holding his hands up in surrender. "She always feels guilty when she has to kick us out." He was adorable, and sweet, and the most considerate person I had ever met.

"Kiss ass," Katsuki said under his breath, causing me to fall into a fit of laughter at Eijirou's betrayed look.

The boys left after another fifteen minutes, each kissing me goodbye at the door. I nearly skipped into the kitchen as my mom started to plate our dinner.

"I like seeing you so happy," my mom said with a soft smile, handing me both our plates.

I happily carried them over to the table while she put a few ingredients away. "I like being so happy," I agreed, setting our plates down in our usual spots.

She joined me at the table, taking her seat next to me. It was a rounded table, nothing too big or fancy. "Well, I hope what I have to tell you makes you even happier then." She was smiling brightly as she took her first bite.

"The suspense is killing me over here," I teased, digging in as well. She'd made katsudon, my absolute favorite. As much as I adored Katsuki's cooking, nothing would ever beat my mom's homemade katsudon.

After another bite, she set her fork down and folded her hands in front of her. Oh shit, it's getting serious, I thought.

"I know how much you miss your old friends," she started. A very good start for me. Was she about to tell me that she'd planned a trip to go visit them? Or that they were coming back out here? I had no idea, but I liked where it was going.

"Recently, Himari has reached out to me. It seems she's going through some financial troubles," my mother pressed on. My heart dropped hearing that Shinsou's mom was struggling, but I wasn't sure what that had to do with missing my friends. "She has to sell the house, and well, you know that they don't have any other family-"

"Mom," I cut in, knowing that my rambling habit came from her. If I didn't jump in, she'd take ten minutes to get to the point. "What's going on?"

She sighed, picking her fork back up. "I offered for them to move in with us. She can have the guest room and your room is plenty big, so Shinsou can share with you. I know it's a lot to ask, so I let her know that you had to agree first."

I blinked at her owlishly. There was no way I'd heard her correctly, right? Did she really just tell me that she wanted Shinsou and his mother to move in here? For me to share a room with him?

"What?" was the only lame response that would leave my mouth.

"You two could finish out your senior year together, and I'm sure he'd fit right in with all your new friends." She kept talking about it like it was a gift from god or something, with no idea how complicated it would actually be in practice.

I blinked again, trying to gather my thoughts. "You'd just be okay with Shinsou and I sharing a room? You banned sleepovers two years ago," I reminded her, not that the ban had done anything to stop my friends from sneaking in, or me from sneaking out.

She shrugged, not seeming bothered. "I've thought about that, and I don't think I have anything to worry about, now that you're dating Eijirou and Katsuki." Her eyes narrowed at me for a split second. "I don't have anything to worry about, right?"

Other than the relationship-threatening drama that will unfold if she follows through with this plan? "No, of course not!" I exclaimed, a little annoyed at the suggestion.

"Wonderful," her voice was all sunshine and rainbows once again as she continued to eat. "Should I let Himari know, then?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to put my foot down and explain every reason why Shinsou and I couldn't live together, let alone in the same room, but then I thought about his mom. A widow who had been struggling to make ends meet for as long as I had known her. She worked at least two jobs at a time, and yet still tried to be there for Shinsou as much as possible. My mom was offering her help, something she desperately needed, and I was going to throw a fit because Shinsou had been pushing my buttons lately? I'd never claimed to be a good person, but even I wasn't that heartless.

"Yeah," I conceded with a sigh. I couldn't say no.

My mom reached for my hand, smiling at me with so much understanding it almost made me wonder if she knew about the Shinsou drama. "It'll be a big adjustment for all of us, but we'll figure it out."

I nodded and turned back to my food, suddenly too anxious to stomach much more of it.

"I thought you'd be a little more excited for your friend to be staying with us," she mused in an honest tone. "Is there something I don't know about?"

I rested my elbow on the table and used my hand to hold my head up. Her green eyes, a carbon copy of mine, the same worry I had grown used to. "It'll just be a little awkward, living with my best friend who I, kind of, dated before we moved."

"Was it serious?" she asked, no judgement to be found.

I shook my head, despite the fact it was only a half-truth.

"Then, I think you two will be just fine," she amended with her easy going smile once again on her lips. She pointed her fork at me as she added, "For future reference though, dating friends usually ends up in a mess."

I sat back in my chair, my eyes trained on the half eaten food in front of me. "Trust me, I know."