Chapter Text
It was 6:28. Todoroki had dug a cream-colored turtleneck out of his closet. Midoriya had agreed to meet Todoroki outside the dorms and when Todoroki saw him, it took a lot of willpower to keep his Quirk under control.
Midoriya was dressed in one of his nicer t-shirts, and he had thrown on a denim jacket over it. He was also wearing ripped jeans and his signature red shoes. Honestly, he could have shown up in sweatpants and still look gorgeous, but Todoroki appreciated how much effort Midoriya had clearly put into his outfit.
“You look nice, Midoriya. Ready to head out?”
He chuckled nervously. “Y-you do too. Look good, I mean! Uh, yeah, let’s go!”
Fortunately, the restaurant was in walking distance. On the way there, Todoroki felt his hand brush Midoriya’s a few times. Just take his hand, he thought. As if Midoriya had read his mind, he intertwined their fingers. Todoroki felt his heart skip a beat and he almost fell on his face from tripping over his own feet. Luckily, he was able to catch himself.
“Are you okay? Do you wanna stop?” Midoriya started to pull away, but Todoroki kept his grip firm.
“No, this is much better,” he said. Todoroki took this opportunity to use his thumb to feel Midoriya’s scars. He knew that Midoriya found them ugly, but Todoroki personally thought they were just as beautiful as the rest of him. He couldn’t wait for the day that he’d be allowed to kiss them and tell him that.
Dinner went off without a hitch. Honestly, Todoroki had expected it to be more awkward, with long silences and maybe a couple flat attempts at conversing. Of course, he should have known better. Midoriya could get almost anyone to feel a little lighter with his mere presence, and despite his size, he had a lot of air in his lungs, which he used to talk. Some might have been annoyed, but Todoroki was always a better listener. And Midoriya was cute when he spoke about his passions.
After they ate, Midoriya tried vainly to get Todoroki to split the bill. He waved off his remarks, saying Midoriya should consider it fair for having invited him out.
“I will pay you back,” Midoriya promised, but it was easy to see he wasn’t too upset.
“You can try,” Todoroki replied, chuckling. “But I won’t accept it.”
The walk back to the dorms was just as wonderful as everything else had been that night. Midoriya glowed in the light of the street lamps, and the entire time, he never let go of Todoroki’s hand. They stopped in front of Midoriya’s room, which Todoroki had insisted on accompanying him to. Midoriya smiled up at him with those bright green eyes and Todoroki could safely say that this was the best day of his life.
“Thanks for tonight. I really enjoyed it,” Midoriya said. It might have been the light, but Todoroki thought he was blushing.“I-um, would you like to do this again sometime? My treat.”
Todoroki didn’t even have to think about his answer. “Absolutely. I could do this a million times over and never tire of it.”
Midoriya smiled and his eyes crinkled. He still hadn’t let go of Todoroki’s hand. Then he leaned forward and Todoroki’s world came to a halt.
Midoriya was kissing his cheek. It was right under the scar, where Todoroki’s skin met the rough patch of scar tissue. It was like time had stopped for a moment. Everything else faded away, including Todoroki’s ability to form much coherent thought. He vaguely wondered if this was how Kaminari felt when he short-circuited.
Midoriya pulled away and, still smiling, a mix of shyness and smugness, opened the door to his room. “Good night, Shouto,” he said, pulling the door closed.
Todoroki didn’t know how long he stood there. But, even as he eventually managed to pick his feet off the carpet, he was smiling wider than he could ever remember having smiled.