cherry blossoms just starting to bloom again. I stood under our usual tree—the tree. The one where so many words had been said, where so many eyes had met mine, waiting for answers I still didn't have.
Bakugou arrived first, hands shoved in his pockets, his expression unreadable. Then Todoroki, calm and silent as always. And finally, Toga—casually late, twirling a candy stick between his fingers like this was the least serious thing in the world.
They didn't speak at first.
I did.
"I don't know how to choose."
The words came out softer than I expected. My voice cracked halfway through.
"I care about all of you. Each of you makes me feel something different. Safe. Challenged. Seen. And I've tried to figure it out, to break it all down in my head, but I just… I can't. I'm not ready."
The silence that followed was thick—but not tense.
Todoroki was the first to step forward. "Then we wait."
Bakugou raised a brow. "You serious?"
Toga smiled, resting a hand on his hip. "Why not? I like a little chaos."
I stared at them, stunned. "You're all okay with this? With… me not knowing?"
Bakugou grunted. "It's not about being okay with it. It's about you. You matter. We'll deal."
Todoroki nodded. "Feelings take time. Yours matter most."
Toga winked. "And if we keep dating you until you figure it out, I get more excuses to make you smile. Win-win."
I covered my face with both hands, overwhelmed but—grateful. Deeply, stupidly grateful.
"I don't deserve you guys," I whispered.
"Maybe not," Bakugou muttered. "But we're not going anywhere."
A New Kind of Normal
So we did what no one expected.
We didn't end it.
We didn't rush it.
We lived in it.
Each boy kept taking me out—one at a time, no pressure, no ultimatums. Just… moments.
Todoroki took me to a quiet lakeside to read together and sip tea under the trees. His affection was subtle but warm—a hand brushed against mine, a smile shared over a page.
Bakugou brought me to an underground hero gym, where we sparred, laughed, and collapsed against the mats, breathless and covered in sweat and joy. Then he treated me to spicy noodles and refused to let me pay.
Toga took me on the most bizarre adventures—thrift shops, abandoned rooftops, late-night movie screenings in a graveyard—but he made me feel alive. Like the world could be strange and still safe.
And slowly, unbelievably…
They started talking to each other.
Then joking.
Then planning.
At first it was awkward. Bakugou snapped. Todoroki stayed cold. Toga stirred the pot. But somewhere between shared concern for my happiness and their own stubborn loyalty, a quiet understanding grew.
Not competition.
Family.
Well, that's what I thought but all good things sometimes come to an end.