Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

prologue

Everybody look at me, me
I walk in the door you start screaming
Come on everybody watch you here for?
Move your body around like a nympho
Everybody get your necks to crack around
All you crazy people come on jump around
I want to see you all on your knees
you either want to be with me, or be me

- Nelly Furtado (Maneater)

◆════●◁ II ▷ ●════◆

"Are you sure about this? "Shoto asked, adjusting the hood of his sweatshirt over his cap.

His friend looked at him with a bright smile, it had been a year since Bunny became a viral phenomenon on all social media.

It all started as a joke, one where Izuku dressed in a silly hoodie whose hood had two huge bunny ears, a black mask that covered half his face, dark goggles, baggy shorts and the well-known red sneakers. He recorded himself doing a dance move that he had been practicing, just that.

It went viral.

He didn't quite understand how the Tiktok algorithm worked, but in less than a couple of days, he had a sizable group of hip-hop dancers duetting his video.

The second video was a bit more complicated choreography, Izuku didn't expect that matter to be even worse. The comments of the videos were bursting, between people tagging other people, comments where they praised him and the occasional smartass saying that they could do better than him.

The duets were endless.

That little "video uploading" joke soon became one of his biggest hobbies, which he only told one person about, his best friend and classmate: Shoto Todoroki.

And there was a very good reason why Izuku had to hide his face behind Bunny's black mask and goggles.

Izuku Midoriya was a scholarship student at the famous Todoroki Special Dance Academy, the birthplace of the greatest exponents of contemporary ballet. The principal, in his prime, was one of the most famous dancers in the business, going so far as to found his own company that would remain in the hands of his ex-wife after the divorce while he would stay with the school.

It was fortunate that Izuku could get a scholarship thanks to his talent for ballet (and maybe a bit of pressure from his best friend, Shoto) so he couldn't risk losing his place at the school after Enji Todoroki declared himself a public enemy of the Street dance.

Izuku had to remain anonymous for his own sake, the full scholarship that the Todoroki gave him was his best chance.

Shoto helped him record the videos behind his dad's back, the boy adored anything Enji hated, so that added value to their antics that they recorded in the parking lot of the apartment complex where Izuku lived.

But there was a fine line between dancing on video and performing live.

"We'll be fine, Shoto." The green haired man said, adjusting his goggles.

Thus, they both got out of Shoto's car, being greeted by the cold night that gave them an impure silence. They had driven to that side of town on purpose, one that Izuku knew quite well but was surely completely new to his friend.

Guided by the sound of music, they came to a club that was packed with people. Shoto tried to stay close to Bunny, (not Izuku, Bunny) because he didn't want to get lost in the tide of people. Normally, Shoto always attracted attention for his strange condition that made him have half red and half alvine hair, that was why he also had to cover himself as Bunny.

"Is that Bunny? "He heard someone from behind, a rumor that would start to sound louder and louder.

Both were in Plus Ultra! which, according to Izuku, was the mecca of street dance, where groups met to prove their worth, his father would have a heart attack if he knew they were stuck in a seedy club. As soon as they stepped onto the floor, the music hit their faces like a blast of sorts.

Shoto Todoroki had been raised as a kind of "Bocchan", someone who was to follow in Enji's footsteps and fill the space that his brother Toya left when he was kicked out of the house. He was trained since he had the ability to stand up to be the next great dancer, someone to put the Todoroki surname back within the company that was now owned by his mother.

Perhaps that is why he was fascinated to see all those people dancing so freely, without rules, without techniques or figures.

He knew a bit of street dance from Izuku, helping him record his videos and seeing with him the duets that other professional dancers did to Bunny.

But that was another level.

Was…

"Dazzling ... " The boy whispered.

"Right?" Izuku replied, laughing next to him.

At one point the music stopped and the lights came on, Shoto knew Izuku was grinning widely under the mask because that little rascal had responded to a direct message from the Plus Ultra! DJ, an open invitation to do his first live performance.

"Dear listeners!" Shouted the DJ from the stage, behind the mixing console "Tonight we are visited by royalty!"

The people on the track cleared the space and the lights illuminated the stage. Shoto could hear a giggle from his friend, who didn't wait a single second more before walking calmly towards the center of the dance floor.

"Bunny?"

"It's Bunny! It's Bunny!"

"I told you I saw him come in. I told you!"

Shoto couldn't hold back his laughter for long either, pulling out his cell phone to log into Bunny's Tiktok account and start broadcasting Bunny's first performance live.

The DJ made the music start playing, Shoto couldn't tell if he knew the song or not because the only thing that mattered was seeing how his friend moved, so free, so full of himself.

The people around were chanting and cheering for Bunny, the comments on the live were not far behind; from those who wanted the exact address of the club to those who recognized it right away, saying they were on their way to see the dancer. More than one cell phone pointed at his friend, it would surely be trending in the morning.

But Shoto had more than one job.

The live had to end after about ten minutes, because Izuku told him that they should quit Plus Ultra! Before anyone noticed, he knew his friend could slip out of the club without a hitch and now that he knew the way out, he would too.

From his sweatshirt pocket he pulled out a generously sized sticker, one in the shape of a green rabbit like the color of his friend's jacket. He hesitated a little, he was not very sure, it was one of those things that a bocchan should not do.

He walked a bit with the stiker in his hands until he reached the bar, where the bartender winked at him in complicity, nodding at the wall next to the bar. Shoto found him to be an extravagant person, his dyed blue beard matching his long hair tied in a bun on his head gave him a playful vibe.

Finally, the boy went to the wall, where more stickers were stuck, logos of all the dance groups that ever danced in Plus Ultra!.

And now, in the middle of all those logos, was the figure of a green rabbit, with its yellowish teeth stained red.

It was the first time that Bunny visited the club, but it definitely wouldn't be the last.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Chapter Text

1. The way i are

I don't have money,

I don't have a car to take you on a date,

I can't even buy you flowers,

but together we'll be perfect soul mates.

-Timbland (The way i are)

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Things weren't right, not how they were supposed to be.

After doing the bank transaction for that month's rent, Katsuki realized that he probably had to live on instant soups for at least the rest of the week. He sighed heavily as he saw the ballet slippers on the table in front of him, it was obvious that they needed a replacement, he had tried to fix them so many times that it would not be possible to sew over seams.

He did not find it strange, that pair of slippers was a gift that his parents gave him when he told them the news that he had been hired in a major ballet company, they were almost one year old when their useful life was about four months, less , taking into account his size and the hours that Katsuki work his ass on the floor.

The plan was supposed to be simple: after being accepted into the company, he would kick the butt of any extra he needed to land his first starring role, because Katsuki Bakugo was one of the best dancers Todoroki Special Dance Academy ever gave birth.

But Katsuki never thought about how damn competitive the ballet world was, where nothing else mattered but your stupid last name and, if you were unfortunate enough to be born into an unknown family, the right contacts.

He thought that Enji Todoroki's endorsement would be enough, the boy belonged to the select group that had the privilege of receiving classes from the former dancer. But in the end, he was not a Todoroki, being sidelined by talented morons whose last names outweighed his mastery of dancing.

He almost spits out bile when he hears that the next starring would be for Yuga Aoyama, the idiot he was sure of, sleeps with the director.

And, just makeing things worst, his parents' tailor shop was about to go bankrupt.

Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugo had burned their eyelashes in their little tailor shop to give him an education and, not only that, to fulfill the whim of studying at the Todoroki Academy. He knew his parents were proud of him, his mother cried at his graduation performance a couple of years ago.

But his dream was not paying the bills.

The salary he was receiving for continuing to be a background dancer was almost entirely on rent, food and transportation, he was not even able to buy new shoes and it was a matter of time before they needed them.

He jumped in surprise at the incoming call on his cell phone. The blonde sighed again, rolling his eyes at the name on the screen, deciding whether or not he was in the mood to answer him.

Ultimately, he answered the call.

"What the hell do you want, Keigo?"

"I haven't seen you for almost a year. And this is the way greet me? " Said the man on the other side of the line.

"I could tell you the same, idiot. " he laughed " Did your sugar daddy give you permission to finally call me?"

"Enji is not my sugar daddy, dummy! He's my fiancé, f i a n c e e, even if it costs you more work, Katsuki."

A silly laugh came from the blonde's lips. Keigo Takami was a old classmate whose career was almost 100 percent focused on getting the principal to surrender to his "charms" or whatever. When Katsuki was accepted into the dance company, Keigo decided that he would stay in an administrative position at the school to be close to his boyfriend.

No one was going to tell Katsuki that Enji Todoroki was not Keigo's sugar daddy.

"I heard about the tailor shop. " Keigo said.

It was inevitable, Yuuei was a relatively small city and that kind of news flew fast, especially when a multinational company with a tailoring department had just set up a few blocks from his parents' old tailor shop.

"I also know that you are not doing very well there."

"If this is to tease me, Keigo ..."

"That really offends me, Katsuki." He chopped, with an unseemly seriousness "If it hadn't been for your parents, idiot, I wouldn't even have been able to have the money for the Todoroki Academy enrollment."

They came from a fairly close-knit community, Keigo's family was not exactly helpful, wanting their son to stay away from the arts and what they considered "Fag things", stupid. Katsuki's parents ended up taking Keigo into their home after he decided that he would run away from their home to attend Todoroki Academy.

Now the fucking son of a bitch could afford to offer full scholarships, at least it was a good way to spend his benefactor's money.

"I'm not taking your money, Keigo."

"There you go again, asshole. Can you even have the decency to let me speak?"

Sigh.

"Speak then."

"Recently a teacher quit, leaving a class without  teacher, Enji and I are covering while we find someone… but he's very picky and no teacher reach his damn expectations… not even me. Can you believe it !?"

"You can suck his cock, but not teach his students? That is new"

"Katsuki, focus!"

"Well, well ... What's so special about that class?"

"t's his son's class."

silent,

"Did Toya came back?"

"Pff… As if that idiot had the courage to show his ass around here again." Paused "I mean Shoto, Do you remember him?"

"Yes, vaguely, the half and half brat."

"Well, the "half and half brat" is now in his first year and Enji wants the best teacher he can find."

"And…?"

"And that's where you come in, glycerin brain. I asked Enji to consider you and as you were from the group of his outstanding students, he told me to call you, so what do you say?"

Katsuki opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything to him, Keigo narrowed down what his pay would be and closed his mouth right away. At the company, he was earning enough to survive, and he didn't see a way to climb the way he thought he would, unless he got on his knees with the director, just like Yuga.

"Give me a week to screw this company full of assholes to hell."

Keigo's laugh caught him.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

A week later, Katsuki was getting off the plane that had brought him back to his hometown, Yuuei. After his disastrous year in Tokyo chasing pipe dreams, he returned, but not with his tail between his legs, because Katsuki Bakugo was too cool for that. No, Katsuki Bakugo was returning with a new promise to prosper, even if it was far from the spotlight (for now).

His house was just as he remembered it, it gave him a twist in his stomach to see the closed tailor shop as he climbed the stairs to his parents' apartment above.

"Ungrateful brat!" It was the first thing Mitsuki Bakugo said when she saw him, although he knew that she was glad to have him back "How dare you come back like this out of nowhere?"

"Shut up, old hag, I came back because I wanted to. " He said "The job Keigo offered me is much better for us while the tailor shop is in trouble."

"For your information, we are not broke ..."

"Yet"  Completed Masaru Bakugo, followed by a pitiful sigh "It's good to see you again, son."

The man hugged his son, who received him without making a fuss, everyone in the family understood the sacrifices that were being made in general. Now the tailor shop was only open for half a day to save some costs, taking advantage of the fact that orders were scarce.

After leaving her bags in his old room and a quik shower, Katsuki joined his parents at the dining room table for dinner, though they basically caught up on everything.

"I don't know if it's a good idea to try to save the tailor shop, you know? " Masaru sighed and Mitsuki imitated him very reluctantly.

The family business was once his father's dream, like ballet was his, so Katsuki fully understood his father's feelings. The multinational that was a few blocks away had most of the customers and they could not blame them, they handled low costs and a ridiculous delivery time, it would be foolish to compete.

"You won't sell the building, will you?"

His parents looked at each other, sharing a resigned sigh.

"I've thought of opening a laundry… " Musaru mused " We could reuse some of the furniture, but… still, it would be a significant investment."

"I will get the money, ok?"

"Kat ..."

"Old man, shut up, don't you think I can do it?"

Mitsuki's laugh interrupted them, their mother was always a pain in the butt, but the kind that Katsuki secretly liked, because she reminded him of himself.

"Let the boy do it, darling, it's the least he can do for his poor old parents"

Katsuki couldn't catch the smile that escaped from the corner of his mouth.

"By the way."His mother continued "I took the liberty of telling Eijiro that you were back because you are a stupid child who surely did not tell his best friend anything."

"That? Mom! I have to see Keigo early morning"

"Monday... is Friday, Katsuki."

"But ..."

"Don't you remember when they got kicked out of Plus Ultra! when they were brats?"

"That was different."

Despite his mom's laugh, he couldn't feel angry, anyway, he had to call Eijiro at some point.

But go back to Plus Ultra!?

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Since moving to Tokyo and joining the ballet company, Katsuki would go to bed at eight o'clock to be fresh and rested the next morning when his alarm clock rang at four thirty in the morning. Being a professional dancer demands a lot, your body had to be in optimal condition, always fit, always ready.

But there he was, leaning against the metal curtain of the tailor shop at nine thirty at night, waiting for his stupid best friend to go straight to Plus Ultra!, the most famous club on that side of Yuuei.

If it were up to him, Katsuki would never have set foot in a place like a club, such crowded places were not exactly something that excited him. But, his best friend, Eijiro Kirishima, was a fan of everything the club stood for.

Plus Ultra! It was where all the dancers and street dance groups came together, this variant of dance that Katsuki never quite understood but that his friends were fascinated by.

He was secretly proud of them too. Eijiro and his other group of friends formed Riot, which would join the many names of street dance groups that were swarming around. It was his understanding that Riot hadn't disbanded, his dumb friends were still dancing together at the club, participating in local competitions, and having some relevance on social media.

The lights of Eijiro's car managed to get him out of his stupor, the redhead stopped the old truck without turning off the engine, waiting for Katsuki to get on.

"Bud, but look at you, you are thinner." Sentenced Eijiro as soon as he closed the door "I bet you weren't eating well all this time, right?"

"Shut up, Shittyhair." He huffed "I'm glad to see you too, idiot."

The road to the club was relatively short, but Eijiro chose the long route, the one that was full of unnecessary turns and traffic lights that took forever to turn the light green. Katsuki always complained about it, but that night he decided it was fine, he wanted to know what had become of his best friend and the others.

"Denki and Hanta are already waiting for us at Plus Ultra! " The redhead explained "They are excited to see you."

"It seems like it's been an eternity. " He sighed "That shitty company just made me waste my time " Paused "Where's Mina? I thought Riot wouldn't dance without her."

"Ah!" he said, scratching the back of his neck " Riot will have to dance without her for a while ... because she is pregnant."

Katsuki's eyes were wide on his friend who only just stared at the road squeezing the steering wheel.

"She wanted to come see you too, but you know, clubs aren't the best place for pregnant women."

"What are you going to do?"

Mina was a couple of years younger than them, she and Eijiro had been a couple since they met in high school, Katsuki was fascinated by the time of that relationship. It was a matter of time for it to happen, he and Eijiro were already twenty-five years old, they were expected to settle down and form families like their parents before them, but not under those circumstances.

"It's what Mina always asks me." said embarrassed "she wants me to dissolve Riot ... street dancing doesn't pay the bills."

"Sounds plausible, we are no longer teenagers. "He replied, thinking of his own dream being destroyed.

"But…"

"Of course there is a "but" in this." He sighed "I knew you wouldn't get rid of Riot so easily right?"

"I have a plan, one that will solve everything."

Laughing was inevitable, his friends always had these crazy plans to fix everything, Eijiro was the king of these "wonderful plans". Mina played along, but this situation warranted a little more seriousness, Katsuki was not surprised that her friend did not want to continue trying miraculous plans.

In a show of driving mastery and tremendous irresponsibility, Eijiro reached for his cell phone, typed a few things, and then handed it to Katsuki without even passing the speed limit.

It was an advertisement for a street dance competition. Katsuki was about to tell him to stop that nonsense. Riot had participated in a couple of competitions organized by Plus Ultra! Very local things whose prizes were nothing more than advertising and maybe discount coupons in some restaurant.

But when he continued reading the ad, he knew why Eijiro was so interested.

Riptide, a street dance competition that encouraged all groups from Yuuei and surrounding cities to participate. The scope of the call was not only statewide, but there would be dance groups from all over the country congregating to have a chance to participate. And it was no wonder, the first place prize was the modest amount of a million dollars plus a three-year contract with a hotel in Las Vegas, in America.

"Eijiro ..."

"It's huge, man! Enormous!"

"Precisely for that reason, it is enormous, the chances of winning are few ... not that I think they have no talent, but ..."

"I know what you mean, Kats, Mina already gave me the talk." He sighed, Katsuki felt bad for making the comment "But I have an ace up my sleeve, bud, you'll see."

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Plus Ultra!  was just as he remembered it. The old club that had been running since they were all teenagers, when Eraser, the owner, kicked them out for being underage until he simply ended up warning his two boyfriends not to sell alcohol to the brats who kept sneaking inside.

He and Eijiro entered, being greeted by the music and the screams of DJ Mic. The mass of dancing bodies opened from time to time to give space to a dancer who dared to take more daring steps, being encouraged by the DJ.

They both went to the bar, where a familiar face welcomed them. Katsuki smiled, responding to the bartender's handshake, he didn't understand how it was that he still looked the same after so many years.

"Kats my boy! " The bartender greeted "When did you come back?"

"In the morning. It's good to see you again, Oboro."

The blue-haired man winced at his first name, Katsuki just snorted in amusement.

"Loud." He rectified "How about polygamy? You're old now, you could break your hip one of these days."

"Brat!." He laughed without being really annoyed "Mic and Eraser's butts are what keep me alive on this earth."

Eijiro laughed as well as Loud prepared their drinks, he didn't even have to ask them 'cause Katsuki and his friend always drank the same thing since they were able to drink alcohol.

"I heard that Aizawa adopted a little girl." Eijiro said making Loud laugh.

The blonde looked at them with a raised eyebrow, he had only been absent a year, but he missed a lot. The blush on his friend's cheeks made him see that Eijiro felt uneasy with the matter of the baby on the way, there would be time to chat with Mina about it.

"Yes, a very smart girl, by the way, we didn't even have to explain her why she has three dads." He said putting the couple of drinks on the bar. "This one goes by the house, welcome back, Katsuki."

They both appreciated the drink and continued on their way, not having to go far before running into the other two whom Katsuki would never admit he was dying to see.

"Kaaaachaaaaan! " The blonde crooned, followed by the black-haired man who just waved.

"I told you not to call me that, Pikachu." He complained, although he received him with a warm hug.

Katsuki didn't even say anything when Denki took the drink from his hands to take it himself, he let it be, because it was Hanta's turn to hug him.

"Man, you look terrible." The black-haired man scoffed, taking him by the neck "We miss you a lot, pendejo."

The four of them laughed, Katsuki had the luxury of laughing too. Riot hadn't been complete for a long time, even though it wasn't exactly part of the choreography, his friends called him an “honorary member”.

"Hey, Kats" Denki said "I want to introduce you to someone."

The blonde didn't even notice her, a petite girl, dressed in cargo pants and a croptop. This girl reached out to hug him too even though they were strangers, because in Yuuei everyone was family in some way.

"Kyoka" She said.

"Katsuki" He answered dryly.

"Kyoka is Mic's niece." Denki explained "She came from America to dance with Riot. Eijiro already told you about Riptide?"

As it turned out that Kyoka had been sent to Japan with her uncle when she didn't get the student scholarship she needed for college, Katsuki didn't find it strange that Mic ended up picking her up. The Riptide affair suited her like a glove, her uncle would end up contacting her with Eijiro who invited her to be part of his group.

Katsuki envied her a little, she was quite a young girl, nineteen years old, he did not know why he felt so old, after all, they were only a couple of years apart. To his surprise, he got on well with the girl, the dreamers always ended up in the same boat.

The conversation soon took the direction Eijiro wanted from the beginning, Riptide. Hanta and Denki were already aware of it and shared their leader's idea, even though, regardless of Kyoka's inclusion in the group, they were still short of dancers.

Katsuki heard them after making Denki get him another drink, sitting at one of the perique tables near the dance floor. As an honorary member and someone with zero knowledge of street dancing, he told them that he would support them with whatever he could.

"I would love you to help me put together the choreography." Eijiro told him.

"Bud, I dance ballet and none of you have prima ballerina wood… not even you." He told Kyoka before she could say anything.

"Kat, please ... "Begged the redhead "That would entitle you to a part of the prize."

The blond opened his mouth to protest, but closed it immediately. The money would not fall badly for him, it would be enough to help his father open that laundry he talked about and he would have money left over. Katsuki sighed resignedly, the truth is that he lost absolutely nothing, he still had the backing of the job at the Todoroki Academy.

His boss, Enji Todoroki, was a known detractor of street dancing, one of the reasons he didn't even try to dance with Riot in his time at school. Despite that, the treatment offered by his friend was not bad, there would be no need to participate in the presentations and if they were to win, the work at the Academy would no longer matter.

"Ok" He huffed, ignoring the victory cry of his friends "But how the hell are they going to get more dancers?"

"Remember I told you about an ace up my sleeve?" Eijiro responded excitedly and he just nodded.

As if it were an omen, the lights dimmed along with the music, Katsuki instinctively looked at the DJ stage in front of the dance floor, where people were clearing the space.

"This is what I was talking about." The redhead muttered.

The lights focused on the stage, Katsuki looked curious at the petite figure of a boy in a dark green sweatshirt with two huge and ridiculous bunny ears, goggles and a black mask with what looked like drawn teeth.

"Make some noise for our guest of honor! " Mic yelled from his place.

It wasn't until the music started playing and this guy picked up the beat that he recognized it. Bunny, a Tiktoker that his companions in the company kept talking about, a street dancer who was the sensation on the internet, he himself came across a couple of videos on Instagram and Twitter but never paid attention to it ... until that moment.

"He has been coming for a couple of months now." Eijiro explained. "Everyone here tries to talk to him, but he always disappears after finishing his routine."

"You want him in the group, right?"

Eijiro nodded energetically and he could not agree more, someone with such an important presence in networks would not hurt Riot, not to mention how well he moved. Katsuki had the luxury of looking around; As a professional dancer, the audience was always the most important thing, and seeing how everyone around him celebrated fascinated him, Bunny was impressive.

"I have not even been able to get close, I've tried to contact him since I know he comes here but he has not answered a single of my messages."

The blonde nodded, continuing with his review of the audience, his friends were also too enthralled with the little dancer to realize that Bunny was not only an ace up his sleeve, Bunny could represent Riot's victory.

Then, he stopped, seeing something that caught his eye, someone he knew. Among the attendees, dressed in a heavy hoodie and holding his cell phone pointed directly at the dancer, a hair that he could not not recognize.

"Eijiro" He called and his friend looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That boy. Does he come often too?"

"Now that you mention it, yes, he comes since Bunny doe. Surely it's a fan, a lot of them started coming since Bunny dances here. Why?"

"Because that boy is Shoto Todoroki, he's my boss's son."

"Todoroki? What's a rich kid doing on this side of town?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Chapter Text

2. Toxic Valentine

Sex and white lies
Handcuffs and alibis
She lays her halo on the pillow where she sleeps
Her heart beats, red wine
My toxic valentine
-Lays her halo on her pillow that used to be mine

-All Time Low (Toxic Valentine)

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

They Almost couldn't get out of the club, every night it became a little more difficult to sneak out of Plus Ultra! but it was definitely worth it. Shoto caught up with him in the alley behind the building, the DJ was kind enough to show him that route after his second performance, he and the bartender were amazing, they didn't even demand to show his face.

“Tonight there were more people” Shoto commented, lowering the hood of his sweatshirt.

“I know! It was incredible”

“Izuku…” Shoto said, wanting to sound serious, but the smile on his face was too loud.

Both boys ran to Shoto's car while Izuku took off his goggles and mask, it was lucky that many people started wearing hoodies like Bunny's, so it could go unnoticed.

After the first few shows, the boys learned that the safest and most comfortable place to park the car was a few blocks from the club, so there would be no risk of being followed.

Or so they believed.

“I Almost didn’t reach you ...”

They both freezed, instinctively Shoto shoved Izuku behind him as he turned to meet a familiar face.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The boy hissed.

The aforementioned smirked.

“I just wanted to say hi, lil bro” he laughed cynically .

Izuku's hand on his shoulder made Shoto surprised, he relaxed without exactly letting his guard down, because he didn't know what his brother was capable of.

“What do you want, Toya?” Izuku asked, squeezing Shoto's shoulder.

“Honey, I haven't seen you for almost three years. Couldn't you be a little more excited?” Izuku didn't answer. “I knew you would be here, in fact, I have come to see you a couple more times but I hadn’t been able to reach you”

Of course the only person who could recognize him even in disguise was Toya Todoroki, Izuku hated knowing that this man knew him too well for his own well-being.

“Hey, I came in peace, baby” He said, raising both hands and showing his palms “I don't come as your ex boyfriend, I come as… I know! An ambassador”

“What do you want?” Shoto barked.

“I want Izu to join LOV” He blurted out “You'll already know about Riptide, right? Well, Tomura wants you in the group and ...”

“Of course!” Izuku huffed “I will join the dance group of my ex boyfriend and the man with whom he was cheating on me…”

“Toya, go”  Shoto sentenced, ignoring Izuku's comment “You have a restraining order, remember? Or do I have to remind you why Dad kicked you out of the house?”

Toya laughed again.

“Everything was consensual, Shoto, wasn't it, Izuku?”

Izuku didn’t respond.

“Well” He sighed resigned “If you change your mind, Izuku, you know how to find me”

Both boys watched him calmly walk away in the dark of night, getting lost after turning the first corner.

“Do you know how to find him?” Inquired the bicolor and Izuku just shrugged “Izuku!”

“Ok ok! I may have recognized his username on Tiktok, that's all, I haven't spoken to him since… you know” He sighed.

“Izuku”  Shoto sentenced more seriously “You were sixteen, he was twenty-four, it's a crime ...”

“I don't know Sho ... I ... I said yes ...”

“Minors cannot consent, Izuku” He reminded him “He manipulated you, played with you and...”

“And he left with Tomura in the end”

Shoto looked at him with blank eyes, he didn't know how to get his friend into his head that what he had with his brother wasn’t a relationship.

“Let's go now, I'm exhausted”

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

After Bunny finished his routine, the lights went out for a couple of seconds, it was enough for the dancer to disappear and for Shoto Todoroki to also disappear, Katsuki could not help but hear Eijiro's complaints about another night without having caught up with Bunny.

His friends didn't stop talking about Riptide and how excited they were about it, Kyoka was kind enough to explain the matter to her in more detail. The auditions for the first round of the competition consisted of recording a video presenting a routine, only 10 groups would be chosen for the competition and a part of what would be taken into account to be one of the 10 finalists, would be the interaction with the video.

Katsuki understood a little more everything. Kyoka needed the money to be able to study; Denki needed the money for the mastectomy that wasn’t covered by his insurance or that of his boyfriend Hitoshi; Hanta needed the money to finally open the tattoo studio he dreamed of; And Eijiro needed the money for… well, for the baby that was on the way.

And that contract, everyone wanted to know that they could live off their dream.

Katsuki Bakugo was not a street dancer, he certainly never would be, but he also needed the money and could use the matter of the contract.

But for now, there he was, standing in front of Moe’s desk, Enji Todoroki's personal secretary, waiting to be able to speak with his former teacher and new boss.

“I heard you made a scene when you submitted your resignation, Bakugo” Moe laughed, leaning on the back of the chair.

“That director was a dickhead”

“I worked with him, he certainly is a pig”

He shared a laugh with Moe before she let him pass by to see Enji Todoroki who, obviously, was accompanied by his ex classmate, Keigo, sitting at the desk.

“I hope I don't interrupt anything” Katsuki blurted out at the blond's ecstatic gaze.

“Keigo” Enii insisted “I have told you that I don’t like that you sit at my desk”

“Honey, you and I both know that's a lie” Keigo laughed, standing up “Besides, I also wanted to say hello to Katsuki”

His friend's sinic laughter and his boss's sigh of resignation made him struggle not to laugh as well. Enji Todoroki was an old, tired man with the pretense of keeping a twenty-something happy, he felt sorry for the poor man knowing that Keigo was someone complicated.

“I want you to take care of the twelve o'clock class, it’s the class of my son Shoto and my other outstanding students" He sighed once more "I'm too old to take care of it by myself and Keigo is very conscious of them. Can I trust you?”

“Yes sir” He answered right away.

Enji Todoroki sighed again, this time in relief. The office walls were upholstered with his accolades and old photos from when he was a prolific young dancer, he even kept a photo of him posing with his ex-wife after one of their performances.

He remembered how demanding Enji Todoroki was, he couldn't expect less from someone so famous, but he also remembered the scandal that made Toya Todoroki end up leaving not only the academy but also leaving a huge stain on his last name. Enji had to evade the press for months after his 24-year-old son was found with a 16-year-old boy. The identity of the boy was not revealed to the media, but it was known that the little fool advocated for the idiot, which is why he evaded jail.

It did not seem strange to him that it was now weighing on Shoto's shoulders to reclaim the family name again.

It was more than obvious that his boss was unaware that his son liked to sneak into clubs on the troubled side of town.

He suspected that Shoto had something to do with Bunny.

“Keigo will explain the details to you” Said Enji “Now please take him out of my office, Katsuki”

The blonde laughed again while Keigo just rolled his eyes.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Thanks to the generosity of Keigo Takami, the unofficial stepfather of his best friend, Izuku was able to enjoy a full scholarship at Todoroki Academy, but most of all, because of his hard work. Bunny was a street dancer, but Izuku Midoriya was breaking his feet on the floor, learning all he could to train himself as a professional dancer.

He had known Shoto since high school, he was the only person who approached him despite the label of "scholarship" that could be doom in an elite school, since then they were inseparable. It was perhaps fate, but his relationship with Shoto Todoroki led him to meet many things, including Toya Todoroki.

Toya was the oldest of the Todoroki siblings, a promising ballet dancer with a taste for street dancing that drove Enji Todoroki crazy. Izuku would end up falling in love with both of them, with Toya and the street dance.

“I didn’t sleep well last night” Izuku said to Shoto, both of them sitting next to each other on the floor, adjusting their shoes before class.

“Maybe we should stop going out so often at night”

The green-haired man just snorted with a smile, Shoto knew as well as he did that it wasn't Bunny's activities that made him sleepless. It was true that he hadn’t seen Toya since the incident three years ago, but it felt strange thinking about everything, he believed that they were all very harsh about it.

“Have you talked to Momo?” Izuku asked, wanting to change the subject and, by his friend's sigh of resignation, he had succeeded.

“Yes, our parents keep insisting that we should go out together…” he sighed again.

Momo Yaoyorozu was another girl that Izuku managed to befriend in high school thanks to Shoto, she was the only child of a renowned dancer and a theater director. The girl was anyone's dream, but her voluptuous figure made it impossible for her to be a ballet dancer, finding her place as a theater actress.

“I've been thinking of telling her about the Bunny thing too” Izuku said more softly to Shoto's surprise “We could use an extra pair of hands”

“I'm not sure we should take her to Plus Ultra! It's not a place for girls like Momo”

“It's not a place for guys like you either. Remember?”

Shoto's blush gave him away right away, Izuku remembered how nervous he was the first time he took him to Plus Ultra! He knew his best friend didn't exactly belong to the club, he wasn't even interested in street dancing, but somehow it would make Shoto open up a bit more.

Izuku wanted Momo to do it too, they both deserved it.

Rich kids had a bad habit of sinking into their very expensive cut glass glasses with imported water.

“I'll tell you to come with us on Friday” Shoto said finally.

They continued to fix their slippers in silence while other classmates arrived. One of the girls sat down with them, putting down her bag before joining them on the floor.

“I heard that we will finally have a new teacher and he is very handsome” The girl screamed, smiling up to her ears, puffing out her freckled cheeks.

“Toru” Izuku sighed #How the hell do you find out about everything?”

“Handsome?” Shoto asked.

“I may have stopped by Keigo's office before coming here”

They could not continue talking, the classroom door opened again, this time more abruptly. Everyone was silent before the new individual, Izuku looked at Toru who only gestured "H A N D S O M E", making Izuku have to bite the inside of his cheek not to laugh.

Because it was true.

He was gorgeous.

A muscular figure, white skin and a fine layer of blond hair on his chin. And long, thin, fierce ruby eyes.

This guy was moving gracefully, grabbing all the attention, narrowly and Izuku did not notice Keigo coming right behind him, with a complacent smile on his lips. The class gathered curiously in front of Keigo and this new individual who kept an expression between boredom and having gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

“We're all here?” Keigo asked, but they didn't even have time to answer before continuing to speak “I know that Sekijiro's resignation makes them all very sad, especially when I tell them that I will no longer be able to continue being their substitute teacher...”

Keigo kept talking about himself so Izuku slowly stopped listening, the new teacher taking up most of his attention. The blonde chittered something about being an alumnus of the academy and having worked in a small company in Tokyo while the aforementioned was still stoic, scanning them with his eyes.

He noticed that the ruby orbs stopped at Shoto, of course, he supposed it must be because he was the principal's son. It was not a secret that this class was practically the one that mattered the most to Enji Todoroki, the principal had no qualms about making his intentions to make his friend the replacement for Toya very clear.

The green-haired man bit his lip, he was still thinking of Toya after all.

It was when he realized that, in fact, the professor's ruby eyes were now on him. Keigo's voice was still in the background, chattering about what seemed nonsensical to him. Izuku bit his lip a little harder and cut eye contact by lowering his head, and even with his eyes fixed on the floor he could feel the inquisitive gaze of the new teacher.

Izuku wished this man wasn’t so attractive.

“Anyway” Keigo let out followed by a sigh “Bakugo will be your teacher from now on, okay?”

Shoto nudged him to stop being distracted, Keigo soon left the classroom leaving them alone with the new teacher who was still silent. Izuku realized that Toru was exploding for saying something, but judging from Professor Bakugo's expression, if the girl dared to say the wrong thing, everyone would end up regretting it.

“Well” Bakugo finally said and Izuku felt his knees tremble, not only was he gorgeous, but he also had a deep voice. Katsuki Bakugo would surely have come out of some teenage fantasy “In a row, let's warm up”

The green-haired man started off with Shoto, but not before giving the professor one last look, finding himself full of rubies.

Red, red, red.

Izuku bit his lower lip, avoiding his gaze once more. The blond seemed to have the ability to see right through him, as if he knew something he didn't.

“Are you okay?” Shoto whispered and he only noded.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Surviving the three hours of class with Katsuki Bakugo turned out to be more complicated than they expected, even Toru stopped flirting with him after the first hour when the blonde made her repeat the same twist more than five times.

Izuku also soon forgot about that attractive aura of the teacher, Bakugo did not mince words and corrected them in a rough way. No one complained, they almost missed Professor Kan, who, compared to this dancer, looked like a kindergarten teacher.

Shoto, Izuku and Toru ended up sitting at the cafeteria table in front of their lunches free of saturated fats and harmful things, although none of the three had enough strength to lift the fork.

“He's a dictator, a dictator ...” Toru complained “A fucking dictator with a beautiful ass”

Izuku laughed, the truth was that her friend was absolutely right about it, the teacher was hot as hell.

“Changing the subject” Toru said again, finally raising the fork to start with his salad “Have you heard about Riptide?”

The two boys shared a look because of course they knew about the street dance competition. Bunny's DMs were flooded with people begging him to join their groups for the competition, knowing that one of the important points to pass the audition was a good broadcast on social media.

“Do you think Bunny participates?”

“I doubt it” Shoto said, starting to eat too “The competition is as a team, right?”

“Yep! But someone like Bunny shouldn’t have problem finding a group”

Izuku sighed somewhat wistfully, he hadn't dared to open any of the messages from people begging him to join them because he didn't even know if it was a good idea to participate. He had never participated in any street dance competition, the closest he got to that were Fridays at Plus Ultra!, but never a competition, he didn't think he had what it took.

Besides, there was the school. Izuku was the recipient of a full scholarship, so he had to maintain a good GPA if he was to continue studying, not to mention the fact that he had earned a place in the most demanding class. He couldn't afford to be distracting himself like this.

The times he and Shoto went out to the club were brief, usually they always ended up going to dinner at some burger restaurant and he was back home before two in the morning, although it wasn't like someone was waiting for him at home anyways.

Since his mother had remarried, she and her stepfather ended up moving to a house in the countryside, where his mother's husband could write quietly. Izuku was fine, he called home a few times a week and on Sunday he was forced to video call, his stepfather always made sure to send him some money and visited them on vacation.

In short, Izuku had no motivation to join any group and participate in Riptide.

Although he was dying to do it.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Katsuki always boasted of his insight, he liked to think that he was a smart person.

But he didn’t understand how it was that nobody had noticed before, when everything was clear.

He searched for a compilation of some Bunny’s videos on Youtube just to be sure, he understood the confusion a bit then. The dancer looked relatively different on camera, it was a quality that digital media had, he also understood that seeing him live did not guarantee anything either.

Those who saw it from their phones and computers were people like the students of the Todoroki Academy, boys who would not dare to set foot in a place like the Plus Ultra! club and, those who saw him live, did not have the same point of comparison as him. In addition, there was the matter of Shoto Todoroki, who was also not surprised to learn that no one in the club recognized him.

It was pretty obvious that the freckled, green-curled boy was the one behind the ridiculous green hood.

He sighed heavily, putting his cell phone to his ear, waiting. They answered on the third ring, he knew that Eijiro was on his break from work, he didn't like to disturb people's mealtimes, but his great little discovery was worth it.

“Kats?”

“When does Bunny dance at the club?”

“He almost always does it on Friday nights”

“Perfect”

“Why?”

“Because I caught the rabbit for you”

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Chapter Text

3. Hallelujah

I want to dance until I'm drunk on the feeling
Dance like it's my first time
I want to dance dance' til I speed up the healing
Get up, shake  up ‘til I find somebody like you

-Years and Years (Hallelujah)

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

“Where are you going?”

Shoto suddenly stopped with the car keys in his hands. Enji watched him from the living room next to the hall, with Keigo at his side.

“Enji” The blond demanded “Let the kid be”

The boy bit his tongue, he hated that someone only a couple of years older told him that he was right or wrong to do, because at the end of the day, Keigo Takami was the reason why his old man no longer controlled him so much.

“I just want to be sure” The man growled.

“I'm going out with Momo” He said, purposefully omitting Izuku's name.

His dad's face softened, Enji himself was trying to force some kind of relationship between him and Momo, not even caring if they agreed. He knew that the problem wasn’t coming out with his dad, sexuality was always fluid in his family and the twink hugging the old man's neck only confirmed it. However, Enji Todoroki was someone who cared about status, the stupid status that Toya took it upon himself to shatter along with his best friend's sanity.

“Tell her I said hi” Enji finally said “I'll transfer you some money so you can take her to a good place”

“Thanks” He answered simply before returning to his path.

As soon as he got in the car and headed, he couldn't help but let out a relaxed sigh, he also laughed at the sound of the notification on his phone indicating that his dad surely transferred a ridiculous amount of money to him.

His dad would have a heart attack if he knew not only that he was going to take the Yaoyorozu heiress to a club on the "bad" side of town, but that he was going to take her to watch street dance.

The Yaoyorozu mansion wasn't far from Todoroki’s, so it didn't take him more than ten minutes to park outside, where Momo was already waiting for him.

“You look… stuning” the bicolor said, without hiding his amusement at his friend's party dress.

“Is it too much? Should I change?”

“No, no, you're fine like this”

Shoto felt a special connection to Momo, they were long-time friends after all. He identified with her in many ways, he believed that they were both trapped in golden cages, bearing the stigma of their surnames on their backs.

They both had this chain with which their parents intended to unite them.

Shoto was not interested in women.

Momo was not interested in men.

They were screwed, but at least they were together.

“I am excited about this” Momo said and Shoto smirked.

“Remember that this is a secret, if the old man finds out, they could expel Izuku”

Momo only manages to laugh nervously as she tries to adjust the skirt of the dress tight to her body. Shoto glances at her, thinking things would be easier if they could just fall in love with each other, because this girl was anyone's wet dream.

“There he is…” Shoto whispers.

The green-haired man was waiting for them with his back leaning in the apartment building until he saw the headlights of the approaching car. Izuku approached the vehicle with his usual backpack where he carried his alter-ego, Bunny.

“Izuku!” Momo greeted and the green-haired man smiled as he closed the door.

“Momo, you look ... Wow ...”

The girl giggles playfully, the two of them take it upon themselves to put Momo in context about all the online activity Izuku has been having for the past year. Due to her strict education, Momo barely has time to be on social networks, although she saw some videos of Bunny.

“Wow!” This time it was the girl's turn to get excited “That's incredible, Izuku!”

Izuku and Momo soon engage in a conversation about videos and street dance, the black-haired girl promises to create an account in this app that she didn’t know to follow Bunny. And Shoto smiles because he likes to know that his friends are enjoying themself, he does too, moments that he treasured very much despite the demands of Enji Todoroki.

He sighed melancholy again, wanting those moments to be etched in his memory as if they were tattoos. Not only were they his friends, there was also the pleasure of disobeying his dad and the old-fashioned ideas about what the art of dance should represent.

For Enji Todoroki, street dancing was  for criminals and lazy pople, something that only "the lower classes" could enjoy. And maybe it started as a rebellion, the favor he was doing for Izuku of recording his routines, at some point it also started to be a hobby for him, he had even learned some video editing on his own to make Bunny's videos more spectacular.

He found very interesting the “behind the scenes”, even though his dad insisted that it had to be someone who was in the spotlight. When Shoto began to visit the technical department of the academy, he did it for the sole purpose of helping Izuku, to be able to use some computer equipment and edit videos, but he ended up coming back just for fun.

But in the end, his place was on stage.

“It's here?” Momo released when he saw that they were approaching the club.

“Welcome to Plus Ultra!” Izuku replied with a laugh.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

The music was hitting his ears like always, just barely and Katsuki forgot the feeling of alienation that only Plus Ultra! could give him. That night was special, not only was he reunited with all his friends, but he was secretly amused by the reaction of Eijiro who kept jumping like an anxious brat.

With Riptide's proximity, many street dance groups met more often at the club with the same intention as Eijiro about recruiting Bunny. Finding out the identity of the dancer gave them the upper hand, but only a very small one and having the redhead fool around the club was no help.

“Mamacita...” Katsuki heard Hanta whisper

In the years that she knew Hanta, Katsuki had learned a few words in Spanish and that was definitely something that should be worth seeing.

But he almost choked on the beer when he saw, not only Shoto Todoroki back in the club, but he was accompanied by Momo Yaoyorozu dressed as if she were going to some kind of elegant event. Rich kids definitely had no idea how to go unnoticed.

Todoroki kept her very close to him, guiding her gently with one hand on her back as the girl looked around as if she had never taken her nose out of her father's huge mansion. Katsuki sighed heavily, a rich kid was bad enough, but having a young lady made it that much worse.

“W-who is she?” Kyoka asked then.

“Woman with taste, I like it, I like it” said Hanta before receiving a punch in the arm courtesy of Kyoka “She is with Kats’s rich boy, I guess you know her, right?”

“She's Momo Yaoyorozu” The blonde replied, ignoring both Hanta and Kyoka's surprise.

“Yaoyorozu? Just like the actors?” Kyoka inquired.

“She’s the daughter”

They couldn't continue talking, the lights dimmed again along with the music, but Katsuki could see a familiar glint in Kyoka's eyes before attention shifted back to the dance floor, where Bunny was getting ready to start his routine.

“Come on” He told Eijiro, taking him by the elbow.

“That? Bro, it's just getting started ...”

“Forget about it, do you trust me or not?”

The redhead sighed heavily, taking one last sip of his beer before leaving his friends and following Katsuki out of the club. The blonde felt much more clear there, where he could breathe calmly without so many people around.

“What do we do?”

“We're looking for Todoroki's car” He explained, starting to walk with Eijiro just keeping up with him.

Eijiro followed closely without really understanding what they were doing, Katsuki didn't pay too much attention to him as he was guilty of not having bothered to give his friend more details. It secretly thrilled him too, it was like going back to high school days when he stayed with Riot all afternoon to watch them rehearse.

His friends were always the best, he missed being with them and, although he did not fully understand street dance, he understood everything that came behind, he even understood Bunny / Midoriya, who put his ass at risk for something as daring as being one of the most influential street dancer on the internet. He had to give the boy credits. Katsuki had read the file that Keigo left him, seeing that it was a boy with a scholarship.

Midoriya's dossier spoke of him being, in fact, one of the recipients of the full scholarship program that Enji Todoroki's Sugar baby started. And if Todoroki found out about his activity on the internet, he would kick him out of the academy.

He smiled amused, that boy had guts.

Guts, charming curls and eyes that sparkled on the dance floor.

It reminded him a bit of himself when he was a student, just a little braver.

“Shit, man” He heard Eijiro passing by him.

He guessed they had arrived in Todoroki's car and knowing that a rich kid like him was driving something flashy enough not to leave it parked nearby, he took Eijiro a couple of streets behind the club.

And seeing Eijiro excited in front of the black BMW told him that they hit the mark. The blonde looked at his watch, it was already about fifteen minutes since they left the club, surely Bunny, Todoroki and the Yaoyorozu’s girl would be back soon.

Katsuki leaned against the car, letting his best friend continue to surround him as if he were a small child.

“Look, there you have your rabbit” Katsuki said to get Eijiro's attention.

His friend left the car to look in the direction Katsuki was saying. Katsuki smiled, the three boys were having fun with each other, he was surprised to see Yaoyorozu with her heels in her hands and walking barefoot, holding onto Midoriya's arm.

The three of them laughing as if they had eaten the world.

He envied them a little.

And then, rubies met emeralds.

The three boys stopped, watching him with a combination of fear and curiosity. They looked at each other before deciding that they would continue advancing, the green-haired man said something to his two companions so that they would stay behind him.

“L-listen” Said the green-haired man just approaching, without paying much attention to Eijiro “I-I can explain it, I ...”

Katsuki raised his hand in a gesture for him to be quiet and the boy did, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu soon caught up with him, but stayed behind.

“Pr-professor…” Midoriya stammered, looking down.

“Professor?” Eijiro inquired at his side and Katsuki didn't know whether to laugh or hit him “Are you Bunny's teacher?”

“Shut up, shittyhair” He told his friend “Midoriya, you're not in trouble, I came to look for you because I want to talk to you. What do you think if we go have dinner?”

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

The silence in Shoto's car weighed more than they would have liked to admit, the bicolor boy was closely following the car of Eijiro Kirishima, Professor Bakugo's friend. Momo had put her shoes back on and Izuku sank into deathly silence.

“Stay calm, ok?” Shoto said, without taking his eyes off Kirishima's car “I'm not going to let dad find out”

He heard a heavy sigh from the back seat and Shoto took a moment to look in the rear view mirror, his friend was crying. That night was supposed to be like the others, Bunny would dance and then they would go to dinner together with Momo, but now they were driving to who knows where.

They finally saw Eijiro's car park in front of a Mexican food restaurant that, judging by the time, should be closed.

“Izuku?” Shoto said as soon as he parked the car behind Kirishima's “Hey, hey, I won't let you get expelled, okay?"

He saw Momo who was about to say something before someone knock the back seat window, startling Izuku. The green-haired man gave Shoto a terrified look before opening the door and leaving.

“Let's go too” Momo told him.

“Oi, chill out, I already told you I'm not going to tell Todoroki about this Bunny thing” He heard Bakugo say to Izuku.

Shoto walked around the car until he caught up with Momo as he watched Bakugo wipe Izuku's face with his thumbs and comfort him. The bicolor sighed slowly as Momo took him by the arm to prevent him from going with them, it seemed that Izuku was comfortable with the blonde touching him and inevitably thought of Toya.

“Why did you make us come for, Bakugo?” Shoto interrupted.

“Let's talk inside, Ok?” Bakugo said, gently taking Izuku's chin.

Bakugo let him approach Izuku who had calmed down by now, the blush on the green-haired's cheeks was an unequivocal sign of danger. As his best friend, taking care of Izuku was something he took very seriously, especially after the “Toya thing” that seemed not to be completely healed.

“Come on, Shoto” Momo insisted, taking him by the arm.

Although they entered through the main door, there was no one inside, only a couple of lights were on and a single table was still standing, where Eijiro Kirishima and a group of people were sitting. He felt Momo's grip tighten on his arm so he instinctively turned to see her, meeting with a hitherto unknown gesture.

Momo's immaculate face was scarlet red, and she was nervously trying to adjust her dress with her free hand. Shoto looked in the same direction as her, believing that one of these subjects was making her feel uncomfortable, although he only found another girl in the same conditions.

“Look, Kyoka!” Said the blond guy sitting next to the aforementioned “She's the girl you liked at the club. Sis, Kyoka likes you… Ah!” He screamed because of the punch that Kyoka gave him in the arm.

“Why don't we just sit down and talk about what really matters to us?” Bakugo said.

The noisy blonde kept motioning for Momo to go sit with the other girl, his friend looked at him with a pained smile and he nodded, amused to see her so nervous, but at the same time excited to be with someone. Izuku sat next to Bakugo who seemed to have calmed him much better than him, so he just stood there.

“Bunny” Eijiro Kirishima started “We are Riot and we need you”

Shoto blinked fast, leaning back on the empty bar of the restaurant. He told himself that he would listen to Riot and only intervene if it was strictly necessary and to prevent Izuku from saying or doing anything stupid.

“Riot? “ Inquired Izuku “I know that name ... you are a local crew, right?”

Kirishima puffed up with pride, as did the others, including Bakugo as well, who seemed not to want to let out the hidden smile.

“That's how it is! Although we already met a while ago ... My name is Eijiro Kirishima, I am the leader of Riot and this is my family” He said, smiling “Denki, Kyoka” He started, introducing the blonde and the girl who was now very comfortable with Momo “And over there is Hanta”

Shoto instinctively turned his head as did Izuku and Momo. He did not even notice that there was a person standing leaning against one of the pillars of the premises.

Tall, thin, dark hair in a loose ponytail that revealed the underside of a shaved head. He smiled cynically as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing two arms covered in tattoos.

It was everything her father would hate.

But when his black eyes met his, and that cynical smile relaxed into a more casual gesture just for him, he felt his insides churn.

That man was devilishly attractive.

“we lack dancers” Eijiro continued “And you are the perfect candidate”

“B-but the school ...”

“I can cover us with Todoroki” Said Bakugo “Besides I have Keigo on my side, nothing will happen to you, Izuku”

Focusing on his friend was much more difficult now that he was aware of Hanta's existence. Izuku blushed at Bakugo calling him by his name, to tell the truth, the blond's soft expression was nothing like when they were in class.

“I… “Izuku hesitated.

Even though he hadn't given an answer yet, Shoto knew that expression on Izuku very well, the emotion that was hidden in the smile that was struggling to come out. Izuku loved street dance almost as much as he loved ballet, joining Riot and participating in Riptide could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I’ll join...” he said finally, blushing to his ears.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

When Izuku agreed to join Riptide, the other members shouted and clapped, Momo included. Eijiro asked them to call them by their first names instead of their last names because they were now family, even though neither he nor Momo were actively part of the group.

“You’re just like Kats” The redhead told them “Honorary members”

They would discuss the details later, because that was a night of celebration.

Shoto remained leaning against the bar while Hanta and Denki brought in food and beer from the kitchen. He discovered that it was Hanta family's business, that it came, in fact, from a Mexican-Japanese family.

He sighed, it was the Latin charm, it must be the Latin charm.

“Won't you join?”

Shoto jumped upon hearing Hanta, his voice deep and velvety. The black-haired man offered him a beer as he leaned against the bar next to him.

“Ah… no, I don't know, I… am, am Shoto Todoroki”

“Hanta Sero” He introduced himself, moving the bottle of beer he offered him.

“I-I'm sorry…” Shoto said, rushing to accept the drink.

He took a sip from the bottle in a somewhat awkward silence, he didn't want to see Hanta's face because he knew his own face was red. Instinctively he searched for Momo with his gaze, finding her laughing flushed along with Kyoka.

“Hey, I don't want to bother you… “Hanta told him, scratching the back of his neck.

“No i- I don't mind, I like you… Shit! I mean, you know ... “He took a breath “I'm going to stop talking right now ...”

The black-haired laugh made him feel better, it was not a mockery but rather something like understanding. Shoto didn't want to see his face, he felt really embarrassed.

“You don't have to stop talking. I'd like to hear you, I think that means I like you too, right?

Shoto covered his face with his free hand, hearing Hanta laugh again. He knew that all of this was going to lead to his ruin, not just the Riptide thing and the street dance, but the smile on Momo's face and the way she was looking at Kyoka; Hanta's laugh, his own hopeless clumsiness.

Getting back into the mold Enji had made for him was so much easier, going with the flow and telling Momo to give up, go out together even though they were both too gay to take in.

But the truth was, he didn't want to.

It all started helping his best friend to record videos for the internet, he thought that he would only be the companion on Izuku's journey, that he would see him find his place in the world because Shoto already had one. But the truth was, maybe he wasn't happy either, because the way Hanta gently grasped his chin melted him.

“Would you like to do something tomorrow after the meeting?”

The plan Eijiro formulated earlier was to meet again to discuss the most important details. Riptide would begin with an audition that had to be recorded on video and uploaded to any platform, the viralization of this would be taken into account and that is where Bunny came in.

But behind Bunny was Shoto.

He had started working on video edits a little more complicated than just fifteen seconds of Tiktok. He would not participate in the choreography because he couldn't risk his dad seeing it, but he would help in whatever way he could, make the audition video the most spectacular of all.

Hanta Sero was a plus.

“I'd love to go out with you, Hanta”

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Chapter Text

4. Crush

It doesn't take a scientist

To understand what's going on, baby.

If you see something in my eye

Let's not over analyze.

Don't go too deep with it, baby.

-Jennifer Paige (Crush)

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

They called her "triple threat" because she acted, sang, and danced.

At least until Momo was thirteen and his body decided that she would inherit the breasts of women from her dad's side of the family. Her mother was disappointed that her daughter did not have the body to follow in her footsteps as a dancer, she did not even let her try to apply to the Todoroki academy because she told her it would be useless, her breasts would look grotesque on a ballet dancer.

The triple threat became double, because any dance style, whatever it was, made her large breasts attract unwanted attention.

Men looked at her in an uncomfortable way, always reaching out to get a single thing from her, even the teachers and friends of her father.

There were older men praising her pubescent body, saying she had the image of a movie star. Then her mother had the idea that, if she couldn't be a dancer, then she would be an actress.

The surname Yaoyorozu was known by the line of theater actors and actresses that preceded her father, they were even named when it was spoken about the Japanese cinematography birth. The performance came in her veins, she was not surprised to learn that she did well and that, above all, she loved being on stage.

But men made it so stupidly difficult.

And it was as if everyone insisted on blaming her because her body began to develop from such a young age. Momo was just fourteen the first time one of her co-stars tried something by locking himself in one of the dressing rooms with her after rehearsal. The director said it was her fault for provoking it, because if she didn't want something like that to happen to her, she shouldn't show her breasts so lightly.

The girls moved away from her because they said that she only attracted attention and, surely, the protagonists she had were due to her last name and her body. Momo believed that they were partly right.

That was until she met Shoto and Izuku in high school, it was the first time that men spoke to her just for the fun of it. Her parents were pleased with the friendship she formed with the Todoroki son on her own, she didn't even care when her parents and Shoto's encouraged them to go out as a couple.

They tried, she and Shoto tried dating, but after the first kiss it was more than obvious that neither of them felt that kind of interest in the other. Even so, she and her friend continued to let their parents believe that they were dating in a romantic way, perhaps so they would not suspect that it was not only Shoto but that men in general weren't her thing.

Momo started dating Kendo in her senior year of high school, Shoto covering her with her parents by picking her up and taking her to where she was to meet Kendo.

That was until graduation, when Momo thought she might have a chance. She had been dating Kendo for a whole year and she thought she was the one, maybe her parents would understand her feelings when she introduced Kendo to them and told them how in love she felt. And it was perfect, Kendo was perfect, Momo gave her practically all her first times.

She loved her so much that she didn't even care when Kendo took a picture of her while they had sex.

She loved her so much that she couldn't even tell her parents that it was Kendo who took that picture and sent it to the whole school.

She loved her so much that she asked Shoto and Izuku not to do anything about it, she would deal with the consequences.

Momo thought she wouldn't be accepted into acting school, but apparently her last name weighed more than anything else. And even with everything, they kept giving her the leading roles because she was a spectacular actress, she left her soul on stage, she loved the theater, she really loved it. Her dad was always talking about castings for movie productions, but Momo didn't want to part with her beloved theater.

She loved the theater, despite the fact that in the corridors of the school it was only the pair of tits that everyone saw thanks to her ex-girlfriend.

Momo hoped Kendo would be happy, she had heard that she had just gotten engaged to an old classmate from high school.

Opening up to other people seemed to bring more trouble than joy, she wanted to tell herself that the only people who had permission to see her beyond that "The daughter of the Yaoyorozu" were Izuku and Shoto.

That she should not fall again, because loving when you have a bombastic name is one of the most dangerous things you can do.

But there she was, grinning like a fool not caring that she was ruining the silk pants her dad brought her from Paris by sitting on the floor of the old park that looked like it hadn't received maintenance in years. She didn't care, not only because Izuku and Shoto were there too, but because Kyoka Jiro was sitting next to her.

A thin  figure with short hair. Unlike the other members of Riot, she was her age and they shared something like their fondness for what they loved. Kyoka wasn't subtle at all from the night before at the Mexican restaurant, even though she needed a nudge from Denki.

“So ...” Kyoka said softly. Both of them were sitting in the back of the group while Katsuki and Eijiro discussed with Izuku the details of the audition, they wouldn't care if the two of them chatted “Which letter?”

“L-letter?”

Kyoka's smile disarmed her and she hated herself for not knowing what she was referring to, there was a kind of void regarding current pop culture as a result of her few friendships and online restrictions.

“Yes ... you know, do you hear Swetear weather? Or maybe Lady in red?”

Momo blinked in surprise and blushed up to her ears, she still didn't understand anything that this beautiful woman was saying.

“She’s asking you if you are a lesbian or bisexual”  Denki clarified not far from them “Americans have this strange habit of turning everything into a euphemism ...”

Silence, Momo blushed and looked at Kyoka who was smiling at her somewhat unsure. She never dared to say it out loud before because there was a part of her that wanted to keep pretending it wasn't true.

“I-I'm a lesbian-lesbian ... yes, I'm a lesbian”

She didn't know why it made her so happy to be able to say it out loud.

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Katsuki Bakugo was one of the dancers who were part of Enji Todoroki's special class, the last one before he retired from teaching altogether, and Izuku guessed that Keigo had a lot to do with it.

The night before he had cried himself dry thinking that it would be the end of everything, of his dreams and also of his peace. How could he go to his mother and stepfather to tell them that they expelled him from the school he worked so hard for?

But it was okay, Professor Bakugo, or "Call me Katsuki outside the classroom, nerd" happened to have grown up with the members of Riot, one of the local dance groups, who begged him to join them to compete in Riptide. And although he was thinking of refusing, because it would be exposing himself even more than he already was, there were two great reasons for accepting.

The first: Jeez, Riptide! A million dollars and a contract in America.

The second: Katsuki Bakugo.

Yes just that.

The night before, when he got out of the car, Katsuki greeted him by wiping his tears with his thumbs as if he were a small child and from that moment, the blonde made sure to keep him close for the rest of the meeting. Even now, they were discussing the details about Riptide and the upcoming audition.

Eijiro, Katsuki and Izuku were discussing  technicalities, he didn't know why the group leader would decide that he had to be involved in Riot's important decisions. He soon learned that Eijiro Kirishima took the matter of street dancing very seriously, he still did not know him fully, he only knew that he worked part time in the multinational not far from there as a mayor.

“My girlfriend is pregnan” Eijiro had told him the night before “That's why we lack members ... And well, she told me that this was the last chance, because street dancing is not going to feed the baby ... But if we win the money and the contract, I'll be able to open my own dance studio!”

It was a noble dream, he also told him that Katsuki would be a teacher there and that if Izuku wanted he was also welcome, because now he was family.

But that day, the three of them were sitting in a concrete planter chatting about the details of the competition while the rest of the members chatted with each other. Even then, Katsuki made sure to keep Izuku close, as if Eijiro was going to do something to him, even though they both knew it wouldn't happen.

“What are we going to do about the dancers thing?” Inquired Izuku “There is no minimum number of participants in the rules, but to put together a complex choreography we will need more than five people”

“We will be enough, I promise you”  Eijiro told him “We have you, Bunny ... and Denki promised to convince Hitoshi”

“Baggy eyes? Good luck getting you up before sunset, Shittyhair”

Eijiro sighed in frustration.

“We can make up for the lack of dancers” Katsuki continued “Deku is more than enough”

“Deku?” Izuku blurted out.

“Get used to it, Izuku” Eijiro said “his asshole never calls us by our names”

It was certainly not the first time he was called that, in high school there was a group of boys who discovered that his name could be read that way. He didn't like it, it reminded him of precisely that time, when it was just him.

“Whatever” Katsuki sighed, looking at him with a raised eyebrow “You are supposed to record a video right?”

“Yes” Eijiro continued "It must be before next month when the auditions close”

“What do you have in mind?” Izuku asked.

“Ah ... “sighed the redhead “The truth is that I have not thought of anything ... I mean, there are already some auditions online and they are great! They have huge and crazy locations ...”

There was silence between the three of them, relying solely on Bunny as an attractor would be shooting themself in the foot. This competition was national and, although Bunny was a viral phenomenon on Tiktok, there were groups that were equal to or more important than the dancer. They would need to do something interesting so that Bunny's presence wasn't wasted.

Izuku sighed heavily, feeling that Riptide's entire weight was on his shoulders.

“Hey ... “

The three of them were startled when they saw Shoto approach, his pale face was red as tomato and Izuku could not help but laugh when he knew that it was Sero Hanta's hand on his back that had him like this.

“Sho, tell them what you told me”

Sho?

Oh, Izuku wouldn't pass up that golden opportunity.

“My dad and ... his fiancé, they are having an engagement party in a couple of weeks, that will leave the school totally empty”

“Shoto, there are security cameras…”  Izuku reminded him.

“We can deactivate them, we just need the keys to my dad's office”

Silence once more.

“My dad leaves his office keys in his bedroom, we just have to make sure he's not around while I take them… nothing will happen if we return them before he finds out”

“It sounds like a piece of cake” Said Hanta “Now we just have to focus on the choreography right?”

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

“Oi, Deku”

Izuku stopped packing his things to watch Katsuki approach, they had all been working together to put together some choreography that would work with the Todoroki academy facilities, using the knowledge of the two students and teacher to find something that would work.

It was only a couple of hours, it was not even something concrete, but Izuku was happy not only to have the opportunity to participate in Riptide, but that he could be part of a group.

That would keep his mind off Toya.

“Can you stop calling me that?”

Katsuki's sinic laugh was an unmistakable sign that his request was being rejected, so he just sighed.

“Do you have time? I'd like to talk to you about the choreography, Shittyhair doesn't understand half of what I'm saying, so I suppose you could translate my ideas into his “street dance” “He said, emphasizing the air quotes.

Izuku sighed, it wasn't like he had to get home early anyway.

“Yes, I do have time”

“Okay, let's go get some dinner then”

◆════ ●◁ II ▷● ════◆

Izuku discovered many things, such as that he and Katsuki had grown up in the same area, the green-haired man even knew about the tailor shop that was about to close its doors thanks to the multinational. He guessed that they never crossed paths because of the age difference and the fact that Izuku was kept in private schools.

He thought they would end up going to the Mexican restaurant the night before, but instead, he walked with Katsuki to a crowded hot dog stand.

“Wait here” Katsuki told him as he made his way through the people.

Izuku looked at him amused, it was not the kind of food they should eat as professional dancers, he thought that this would make Keigo cry. He ended up sitting in a nearby planter as he watched as the blonde seemed to greet everyone around him and Izuku had some envy of him.

Yuuei was a relatively small town and that side of the city was called the "bad side" not only by Enji Todoroki but by people like Momo's parents.

His mother was always busy working and he had to keep the scholarships that allowed him a private education, even after Inko met and married Toshinori Yagi, Izuku refused to accept his money, continuing the scholarships. Finally, when her stepfather told her that she wanted to move to a quieter place, and suggested continue to pay the rent for the apartment, he had no choice but to accept.

He didn't realize that he would end up locked in the same bubble as Momo and Shoto, rubbing shoulders with those kinds of people.

“Here” Katsuki said, giving him one of the hot dogs.

“Thanks”

And there was Katsuki.

Katsuki was like him in a strange way, two boys born from the streets who were given the opportunity for a good education. The blonde must have been an exceptional dancer to have been part of Enji Todoroki's select group back in the day before they offered full scholarships like his.

“How did you know it was Bunny?” Inquired Izuku, before biting into his hot dog.

“Are you kidding? Any idiot with eyes could guess… your small complexion and your hair, that's what made me hit you”

“Oh ... “

He had to admit that the "costume" that he and Shoto designed for their alter-ego was not exactly the most efficient, but it worked, it had worked for a whole year.

“Calm down” Said the blonde “ I could only find out because, I am a damn genius, I could see you up close at school and also in Plus Ultra!”

“Many people at school watch my videos ... “

“The half and half brat edits them, right? Also, it's hard to follow your face in a video, I guess everyone is paying more attention to the choreography”

Izuku Sighs. He watched Katsuki finish the hot dog and mimicked it in one bite, licking his fingers.

“You’re a mes” Katsuki mused.

The older one cupped Izuku's face with one of his hands and wiped a grease stain from his face with his thumb. Izuku took advantage of this gesture to take a closer look at him, Katsuki had an angular face and a strong jaw, the kind of people you wouldn't expect in ballet. He had to admit that that rough beauty gave him a very playful air, it reminded him a bit of Enji Todoroki who was not very easy to imagine in a leotard either.

“I want to do a choreography that mixes what we know with what Riot does” Katsuki resumed the word, leaving Izuku's face, making the green-haired man regret that he didn't keep touching him
“Something like what you do in your routines, Deku”

There was that nickname again.

Although Izuku did not grow up properly with the boys in his neighborhood, he soon learned that rich children could be just as cruel or more cruel. "Deku" was the nickname that some kids in class gave him because of the way his name was spelled, they didn't even stop when Shoto and Momo came into his life.

He thought that after graduation he would never hear it again.

He sighed, somehow he liked how it sounded on Katsuki's mouth.

“Why did you never dance with Riot?” He wanted to know suddenly “You grew up with Eijiro and the others, right?”

“I always thought that street dancing was rough, like you can't control it. Do you understand me? In ballet there are rules, forms, technique, you cannot just reach out and shake yourself like an epileptic dog”

Izuku didn't know whether to laugh or feel offended, but he couldn't help the nasal laugh he let go, meeting a fleeting smile from his companion.

“But your style is graceful, not just anyone can make a Flo Rida song sound classy”

“T-thank you?”

They kept talking a bit more about the choreography, going off on a tangent on some things and Izuku couldn't be happier about it. Katsuki Bakugo was a very interesting person in general, not only was he attractive, but he liked listening to him.

They also talked a bit about that year that Katsuki was in the dance company, Izuku couldn't help but be impressed knowing how difficult it was to become part of a company. Despite the fact that the blonde told him that he didn't want to work with "that kind of idiot" again, Izuku realized that the eyes of his interlocutor shone every time he brought up the subject of being in the spotlight.

“With the prize money, I can help my dad ditch the tailoring shop and start over from scratch”

“It's a shame” Izuku sighed “Give up your dream like this ...”

“I don't think that's it, Deku. Sometimes dreams simply mutate, change shape and adapt to the needs that we have”

They both began to walk, it was beginning to get dark. They discovered that the apartment complex where Izuku lived was not too far from Katsuki's house, so the blonde offered to accompany him.

“You do not have to do it”

“You're Riot's golden ticket, dummy, I can't let something happen to you”

The truth was that he was quite comfortable in Katsuki's company, he almost always moved in Shoto's car because when he went out, he did it with him. But it was fine like this, even though at some point she felt herself blush.

It was a silly dream, Katsuki Bakugo was older than him and also his teacher at the academy, he couldn't afford to fantasize about someone like that. But the truth was, it was very complicated, especially when the blond's hand landed on his back making him jump from the contact even though Katsuki didn't even turn to see him.

“Is the taste for older men a fetish?”

Both Katsuki and Izuku stopped in their tracks, Toya Todoroki approached at a slow pace, a sanctimonious smile on her lips.

“You have the guts to show your face again at Yuuei, Toya” Katsuki said, removing his hand from Izuku's back.

“Wow, buddy, It seems like yesterday when Keigo, you and I were inseparable right?”

“What did you come back to?”

“For the same reason that you are here, my friend” He sighed “Riptide”

“Are you now a street dancer?” He huffed.

“Do you remember Tomura?”

Katsuki snorted.

Izuku took a couple of steps back out of sheer inertia and hugged himself. He noticed how Katsuki realized it, but he didn't bother to say anything, his story with the black-haired man in front of him was more complicated than for a single hot dog.

“Anyway, I didn't come to see you, but Izu”

“What do you have to do with Izuku?”

Toya's smile gave him chills.

“Izu and I have history, I hope you don't mind my friend”

Katsuki looked at Toya with narrowed eyes and Izuku felt his stomach churn without understanding why.

“Did you think of my proposal, honey?”

“No, my-my answer is still n-no… I joined Riot for the competition”

Toya's smile slowly faded, Izuku felt like he wanted to run, he knew that gesture of disgust too well.

“Riot? Seriously?” He huffed “Honey, don't be stupid, Tomura is making an effort to have you on the team, baby”

Toya took a step forward, but Katsuki interposed with crossed arms, Izuku was fascinated by how it was that a ballet dancer had such a big and strong complexion.

“Toya… “ Katsuki sentenced carefully.

“What? Are they dating or something?” He looked at Izuku “Love, don't forget everything I had to do for you, Izu ...”

“He doesn't owe you anything, Toya”

Once again, Toya Todoroki's expression made Izuku wince. Why on earth did he keep torturing him like this?

“I almost went to prison for him”

And Katsuki's expression.

Oh, Katsuki's expression.

The blonde turned to look at him over his shoulder, he didn't even care about Toya's silly laugh.

“If you get bored of this ball of incompetents,” Said Toya “LOV still has the doors open for you, love, I'll come to see you later”

Toya walked past them, resuming his way and Izuku could only look at the ground. The Toya Todoroki affair would continue to haunt him forever, he could live with it, but he didn't quite know the reason why Katsuki's disgust hurt him so much.

“Deku” Katsuki finally said “Deku, look at my fase”

And he obeyed it.

“Are you that boy?”

He did not know why he was so taken with being called that boy.

Izuku didn’t answer.

“Well ...” Katsuki sighed “I'll take you home and you'll tell me everything”

The green-haired man's eyes returned to the older dancer's face as Katsuki's strong hand returned to his back.

For some reason, he was able to breathe easier.