「ᰔᩚ」 :: how would it be if the golden trio had a crush on you? individually!!

feat. izuku midoriya, katsuki bakugo & shoto todoroki.

tags: reader insert, fluff, high school sweethearts kinda, oblivious reader, ua high, first crush, kinda mutual pining, slowburn.

izuku midoriya

starting off with our favorite hero.

god... i don't think he's the type who never realizes his feelings. if anything, i think he's painfully aware of them. izuku is far too observant—especially with himself. he's spent years analyzing people, heroes, battles... of course he'd eventually notice the way his heartbeat betrays him whenever you're around.

he notices the little things first.

how his thoughts drift to you during class.

how he unconsciously looks for you whenever everyone gathers.

how hearing your voice somehow makes his shoulders relax.

and then it clicks.

"...oh."

"...i like them."

cue the internal crisis.

if someone accidentally bumps him into you, or iida—let's say he knows—makes one of his painfully obvious comments...

"...you two work really well together."

izuku is immediately convinced everyone knows.

his face burns.

his ears burn.

he can't even look at you without feeling like every cell in his body is screaming.

"i-iida! t-that's not..."

he doesn't even finish the sentence.

he simply malfunctions.

...

but here's the thing.

i don't think he'd only be nervous.

this is our resident nerd we're talking about.

and i've always imagined izuku as having this quiet confidence whenever he's helping someone.

a soft kind of leadership.

the kind that isn't loud, but naturally makes you want to trust him.

because, well...

he's a nerd.

you know it.

i know it.

everyone remembers the hero notebooks.

it genuinely doesn't matter what your quirk is.

he has notes.

probably several pages.

possible weaknesses.

possible strengths.

training methods.

support equipment that might benefit you.

little observations he made during practical lessons.

not because he thinks you're weak.

quite the opposite.

he wants to see you become someone incredible.

he'd spend hours thinking,

"if they adjusted their footing by just a little..."

"what if they combined that attack with—"

he can't help it.

he wants to help you shine.

...

training together becomes dangerous for his heart.

he'll spend a few minutes quietly watching your stance before mumbling to himself.

"mhm... maybe..."

"...no, wait..."

he shakes his head.

"actually..."

before you realize it, he's already walking over.

"would you mind if i...?"

he hesitates.

you nod.

he smiles—that small, genuine smile that always seems to calm people down.

then he carefully steps behind you.

his hands gently cover yours, adjusting the angle.

another hand lightly corrects your posture.

"i was thinking... maybe something more like this?"

his voice is warm.

patient.

completely unhurried.

"there you go..."

"yeah—just like that!"

his eyes brighten immediately.

"reader-san, you're amazing! that's perfect!"

he gets so caught up helping you that he completely forgets how close the two of you are.

until...

"oiii, midoriya!"

someone whistles from across gym gamma.

"getting a little cozy there?"

...

silence.

izuku freezes.

his soul leaves his body.

his face becomes the exact shade of all might's hero costume.

he stumbles backward so quickly he almost trips over himself.

"s-sorry! i wasn't—i mean—we were just—training—and i—"

by the time he's done apologizing...

he's somehow twenty feet away.

poor guy.

...

he absolutely watches you during class.

not in a creepy way.

more like...

admiration.

i genuinely don't think izuku can fall for someone he doesn't admire first.

he notices how hard you work.

how kind you are.

how determined you look after a bad day.

how you keep trying, even when something doesn't go your way.

sometimes he'll catch himself smiling without realizing it.

just because you laughed.

...

i don't really see him as the jealous type.

he trusts people too much for that.

but...

he is protective.

if someone crosses a line with you, he's surprisingly firm.

his voice loses its usual hesitation.

"they said they weren't comfortable."

"please respect that."

it's calm.

polite.

but final.

there's no arguing with him after that.

...

he absolutely gives you little gifts.

all might merchandise makes up at least half of them.

the other half?

pressed flowers he thought you'd like.

cute keychains.

limited-edition hero pins.

little handwritten notes tucked between notebook pages.

"good luck today!"

"you've got this!"

they're simple.

but somehow...

you end up keeping every single one.

...

and yes.

all might notices immediately.

he's nothing but kind and respectful toward you as your teacher.

but every chance he gets...

he teases izuku mercilessly.

"young midoriya!"

"should i assign you two as partners again?"

"...for educational purposes, of course!"

izuku has never wanted to disappear more in his life.

meanwhile all might is trying—and failing—to hide the biggest grin imaginable.

katsuki bakugo

our angry king.

i once saw someone say that katsuki with a crush is basically a teenage girl experiencing her first crush, and honestly...

that's painfully accurate.

because i don't think he notices right away.

liking someone isn't something that happens overnight for him.

at first, you're just...

another classmate.

he doesn't go out of his way to talk to you, he doesn't give you special treatment, and he definitely doesn't suddenly become nicer.

if anything, the biggest accomplishment is that he actually remembers your name.

you're not "extra #27."

you're reader.

which, coming from bakugo, is practically a love confession.

...

i don't think his feelings begin until after the whole kamino incident.

after the fight with izuku.

after all might.

after everything.

that's when he starts becoming... more aware.

of people.

of relationships.

of how his words affect others.

and, naturally...

of you.

...

i also don't think he'd ever fall because of someone's appearance alone.

that's just not him.

what catches his attention is resilience.

someone who doesn't shrink whenever he raises his voice.

someone who rolls their eyes and argues back.

someone who refuses to treat him like he's some untouchable force of nature.

if you glare at him and tell him,

"you're being annoying."

...

oh.

he'll think about that for the rest of the week.

...

he's not obvious.

at all.

he's convinced he's hiding it perfectly.

everyone else?

not so much.

somehow, kirishima is the first one to notice.

he doesn't even have proof.

just a feeling.

one afternoon, while everyone's hanging around the dorm lounge, kirishima casually nudges him.

"so..."

"...you and reader, huh?"

silence.

"..."

"..."

"...the hell are you talking about?"

"nothing, nothing—"

boom.

an explosion goes off so close to kirishima's face that his hair lifts from the blast.

"...okay."

"...so i was right."

...

bakugo doesn't give compliments.

not directly.

if you beat him in something, he'll tell you it was luck.

if you improve, he'll say,

"about damn time."

if someone else compliments you...

he pretends he wasn't listening.

...

but he shows he cares in strange little ways.

say he's about to absolutely obliterate midoriya during training.

you're standing a little too close.

he clicks his tongue.

walks over.

grabs your wrist.

pulls you a few steps back.

a little rough.

not enough to hurt.

just enough.

"move."

"..."

he lets go immediately after.

doesn't explain.

doesn't apologize.

just turns around and goes back to blowing things up.

...

he has absolutely no idea how to express himself.

which makes your indifference incredibly frustrating.

because...

how are you supposed to know he likes you?

he treats you almost exactly like everyone else.

and somehow, that bothers him.

he'll catch himself thinking,

"why don't they ever come talk to me?"

...

sir.

have you considered saying hello?

...

katsuki is terrifyingly observant.

truthfully...

it's not even special treatment.

he notices everyone.

everything.

every weakness.

every habit.

every routine.

it's just who he is.

so you probably assume he doesn't pay any particular attention to you.

you'd have no reason to think otherwise.

what you don't know...

is that he remembers almost everything.

how you always choose colder drinks over warm ones.

how you hate overly sweet snacks.

how you unconsciously rub your eyes whenever you're tired.

which side you part your hair on.

what time you usually wake up.

little things.

hundreds of little things.

he never mentions them.

he just... knows.

...

let's say your quirk lets you walk on walls.

just as an example.

one afternoon you're upside down on the dorm ceiling, quietly reading a book because, honestly...

it's comfortable.

mina walks into the common room.

"hey, has anyone seen reader?"

before anyone else can answer...

bakugo lazily points upward.

doesn't even look.

doesn't lift his head.

he already knows where you are.

"..."

"..."

mina blinks.

"how did you know that?"

"..."

"..."

he doesn't answer.

because he doesn't have one.

he just does.

someone laughs.

"why are you even up there?"

you shrug without looking away from your book.

"it's comfortable."

a beat of silence.

then...

a quiet snort.

barely audible.

coming from bakugo.

that's it.

that's your reward.

...

he swears a lot when he's nervous.

way more than usual.

but around you...

he actually tries not to.

his mom's voice echoes somewhere in the back of his head.

"you sound like a damn delinquent."

so every time he almost lets out a particularly colorful insult...

he bites it back.

it physically pains him.

...

one afternoon he overhears you complaining about math.

not once.

not twice.

every single week.

he doesn't offer to help.

obviously.

it's bakugo.

instead...

he drops a worksheet onto your desk.

"do it."

"..."

"...are you tutoring me?"

"did i say that?"

...

you work through the problems.

five minutes later...

"ugh..."

another five.

"...i'm literally failing."

you dramatically let your forehead fall against the table.

bakugo clicks his tongue.

"you're not failing."

you slowly lift your head.

"...i got a thirty-four."

"that's not failing."

"...yes it is?"

"nah."

"...bakugo, that's objectively failing."

you stare at him in disbelief.

he doesn't even look up from his notebook.

"if you spent half as much time studying as you do whining, you'd pass."

"..."

"..."

"...that was almost encouraging."

"shut up."

...

he never yelled at you.

well.

not nearly as much as everyone else.

and somehow...

coming from katsuki bakugo...

that was practically tenderness.

shoto todoroki

and finally...

mr. fine.

mr. perfectly fine.

no, this is definitely not a taylor swift reference.

...

just like bakugo...

you don't exist to him during the first few months.

he's busy.

brooding.

avoiding his left side.

hating his father.

having his own little internal monologue twenty-four hours a day.

you know the drill.

...

you probably tried talking to him once or twice.

because...

well.

you're nice.

he wasn't.

not intentionally.

he just... wasn't good with people.

especially back then.

so maybe one afternoon you approached him after training.

"hey, your ice walls are really impressive."

he barely glanced at you.

"mind your own business."

"..."

"focus on improving yourself."

his expression never changed.

"at your current level, worrying about someone else is a waste of time."

...

ouch.

...

to you?

it wasn't the end of the world.

you blinked.

thought,

"well... that was rude."

and moved on with your day.

to shoto, however...

that interaction would eventually become one of the most embarrassing memories of his entire high school life.

because then...

he falls for you.

and suddenly his brain loves replaying every rude thing he's ever said.

...

after the sports festival—

after izuku helps him finally accept his left side—

he changes.

not overnight.

but enough.

he smiles more.

he speaks more.

he lets people in.

and thanks to fuyumi...

someone becomes surprisingly gentlemanly.

holding doors open.

carrying things without being asked.

making sure everyone gets home safely.

little things.

...

the problem is...

you stopped trying.

after that first interaction, you decided there wasn't much point in bothering him anymore.

you'd still speak to him.

of course.

you weren't immature.

but only when it was necessary.

group projects.

training.

class discussions.

nothing more.

and shoto noticed.

immediately.

...

except...

our wonderfully blunt and neurodivergent king has absolutely no clue how to fix it.

(i'm joking.)

(...mostly.)

...

he starts unintentionally following you around.

not because he's trying to be creepy.

he genuinely thinks he's just...

keeping an eye on you.

making sure you're okay.

looking for opportunities to help.

the issue is...

he never realizes how often it happens.

he'll look up from his lunch.

you're there.

he walks to training.

there you are again.

he finishes class.

"..."

"...reader is going to the library."

why does he know that?

even he couldn't tell you.

...

if there isn't an opportunity to help...

he somehow creates one.

you'll be practicing together.

he watches for a while before speaking.

"is that your defensive stance?"

you nod.

"yeah."

"..."

"..."

it's quiet.

you almost think that's the end of the conversation.

then—

"it's inefficient."

...

oh.

"...you leave your left side exposed."

he says it with absolutely no emotion.

"that's probably why you get injured so often."

...

thanks?

...

before you can even feel offended...

he quietly walks over.

"may i?"

you nod.

he gently adjusts your stance.

moves your shoulders.

tilts your wrist.

"like this."

his touch is careful.

almost hesitant.

like he's afraid of being too rough.

"you'll waste less energy."

"...and it'll hurt less."

there's something oddly sincere about the way he says it.

suddenly...

his comment from earlier doesn't sting quite as much.

...

he genuinely believes he's being obvious.

he isn't.

not even a little.

...

he smiles.

rarely.

but whenever he does...

it's almost always directed at you.

small.

barely noticeable.

soft enough that half the class misses it completely.

you don't.

because somehow...

a smile from todoroki always feels different.

like he meant for you to see it.

...

after mt. lady made that comment about heroes dying young...

he quietly decided he'd prefer it if you stayed alive for a very, very long time.

he never tells you that, obviously.

instead...

he just starts asking,

"did you eat?"

"are you injured?"

"shouldn't you get that checked?"

"you look tired."

it's oddly domestic.

...

he has absolutely no idea how to behave around someone he likes.

fuyumi tries.

she really does.

but every piece of advice somehow gets interpreted... creatively.

"show interest in what they think."

"...i understand."

which explains why you start receiving messages at the strangest hours imaginable.

11:42 p.m.

do you think cats understand mirrors?

...

7:18 a.m.

good morning.

what season do you like the most?

...

1:03 a.m.

endeavor says tomatoes belong in fruit salad.

do you agree?

...

half the conversations don't even make sense.

but somehow...

you always answer.

...

he always gives you half of his soba.

always.

he silently slides the bowl toward you like it's the most natural thing in the world.

if you don't eat it after a while...

he'll quietly pull it back.

"..."

"...were you not hungry?"

"...i was saving it."

"..."

"...oh."

then he'll awkwardly push it back toward you again.

...

one winter afternoon, he made you a tiny ice crane.

it wasn't perfect.

one wing was a little crooked.

but he looked strangely proud of it.

you smiled.

took it carefully.

and before either of you could think to preserve it...

it melted.

you frowned.

"sorry..."

"..."

"...it's okay."

it wasn't.

he thought about making another one for three days.

...

more than anything...

shoto wants to know you.

that's what midoriya told him, after all.

"if you really like someone, ask about them. people like being listened to."

so he does.

constantly.

what's your favorite movie?

why?

what made you choose that hero costume?

what do you usually order for lunch?

what music do you listen to while studying?

what's your favorite season?

what flower do you like the most?

he remembers every answer.

every single one.

because if there's one thing shoto todoroki does once he falls in love...

it's decide that knowing you—

the real you—

is worth every awkward conversation, every late-night text, and every tiny step closer you let him take.

katsuki bakugo is shit at romance.

the first time he laid eyes on you — the first day of ua — something in him shifted. probably his heart.

his body instinctively moved to impress you: standing just a little straighter when near you, lingering at your side ( just enough to notice ), pulling off risky new moves when he knew you were watching.

bakugo was rough, explosive. sharp-tongued that never left anyone okay after talking to him, yet he still found himself dialing it back when talking to you, or even just when you were near.

and it was simple: katsuki bakugo, was absolutely, and completely, shit at romance.

that was the problem.

if you didn't make the first move, he wouldn't make the first move. if you didn't comment on it, neither would he.

and if nothing ever happened?