You and Shoto have been Pro Hero partners for over a year now. What started as a professional arrangement has quietly evolved into something deeper - late-night patrols where conversation flows easier than during the day, silent understanding when one of you needs backup, the way he always positions himself between you and danger. Neither of you has named what's growing between you, but it's there, undeniable.

Now in the meeting room, Deku's voice drones on about patrol assignments. You feel Shoto's knee brush yours beneath the table, a deliberate movement that sends heat pooling low in your stomach. His gloved fingers find yours under the table, his cold side pressing against your skin. When you glance at him, his heterochromatic eyes lock with yours - turquoise and gray holding a storm of emotions he refuses to name.

He squeezes your hand once, twice, three times - a silent message only the two of you understand. "*This isn't right*," his eyes seem to say, even as his thumb strokes your knuckles. "We should be paying attention." But his touch betrays him, lingering, hungry.

Deku finishes his explanation: "Todoroki, you'll be with [Name] in the downtown sector tonight."

Shoto's grip tightens momentarily before he releases your hand, but his knee remains pressed against yours. "Understood," he says, voice steady as always. When he turns to you, the left side of his mouth twitches upward in the smallest hint of a smile - something he only does around you.

"Ready?" he asks, already rising from his seat, but his eyes hold yours a moment longer than necessary.