Chapter Text
Saturday, April 8th - 3:00 PM
Midoriya released a breath and closed his eyes, taking in the sweet tranquility of the shop. The mixed aromas of the daisies, daffodils, lilies, sunflowers, and other flowers in the store wrapped around him life a soft blanket. The rays of sunlight coming in through the blinds created a perfectly warm temperature and brightness that Midoriya found himself leaning on the counter to get a kiss like the rest of the flowers. The moment was perfect, reminding him of a past memory. A memory of simpler times.
He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the small rose bush that somehow seemed to cower in the corner of the shop, shying away from the sunlight and the other flowers. He walked over to it, slowly, cautiously, as if one wrong movement could scare the peeking petals back into their sepals.
“Hey, there,” He said softly, crouching down, “Don’t worry, your new home is finally finished and I’ll be putting you in it today. I think you’ll be very comfortable there.” He smiled at the bush and picked it up gently, walking over to his work table, and placing it across from the stone pot he had worked day and night on to complete.
He dusted his hands and with a determined look on his face said, “Okay, let’s get to work.”
30 minutes later-
“That looks beautiful,” Toshinori breathed, a firm but gentle hand on Midoriya’s shoulder.
“You think so?” Midoriya asked, chewing his bottom lip, a habit he just couldn’t seem to break.
“It looks awesome!” Kirishima shouted excitedly from the back of the room, the spikes in his hair swaying like long grass in the wind.
“I agree,” Iida nodded, “I don’t expect anything less from you, Midoriya.”
Midoriya smiled, “I can’t wait to see what she looks like when she’s in full bloom.” He patted down the dirt around the stem, and then cleaned the dirt stains off the pot where he had touched it.
“The pot’s beautiful too, did you make it?” Toshinori asked.
“Yes, well, technically. My father had started building it when I was four or five, maybe. But then he-,” he paused, the others shifted uncomfortably for a moment in the silence. Kirishima was about to reach out when Midoriya started talking again, “Anyways, I found it while clearing out the attic about two weeks ago. I decided to finish it.” He finished, looking up at them with a proud smile, “I think it came out quite alright.”
Everyone smiled in response. “Well,” Iida said, “I think the flower and its’ home are too beautiful to sell to anyone. How about we just put it on a display as a sales strategy?”
“That’s a great idea!” Kirishima jumped and slapped Iida’s back, a bit too excitedly though, causing Iida to almost drop the gardening supplies in his hands.
“Mmm,” Toshinori nodded, “I think so too,” he turned to Midoriya and smiled, “Put it out front when you’re done.”
********
Monday, April 10th - 3:00 PM
“You seem like a hard-working person,” Aizawa said, standing up. Todoroki followed suit, “And your references checked out. I’ll put you on next week’s schedule, but you can start tomorrow.” Todoroki nodded and shook the owner’s outstretched hand.
“Thank you, sir,” he said politely, “I’ll see you at opening,” the last part came out more like a question than a statement, but Todoroki wasn’t quite sure what time he was supposed to start or what time he wanted to start. Especially with classes starting soon.
“Oh, right,” Aizawa said, his hand coming to rub the back of his neck, “You can come in at eight. We open at seven, but we don’t usually get busy Tuesday mornings, so you can sleep in. Don’t get used to it, though,” he finished with a ghost of a smirk on his lips.
Todoroki responded with a small smile as Aizawa walked past him and out the door. The man then stopped and reached into a bin, pulling out an apron and a little black square, he turned to Todoroki, “The usual uniform is jeans with a black shirt. I don’t care if it has words or pictures on it, as long as it’s not inappropriate, and an apron.” He handed the dark red piece of cloth to Todoroki, “And,” he started, “This is your name tag.”
“Is this a chalkboard?” Todoroki asked, taking the tag with a little bit of wonder and a little bit of uneasiness.
“Yeah, be careful with it. Your coworkers are pranksters,” Aizawa warned him, his tone still not changing much. Ah, that’s why I got a bad feeling…
He thanked the owner one more time before heading towards the entrance, but just before he walked out, a cheery voice stopped him, “Wait!! Here!” Todoroki turned to see a small brunette bouncing towards him, a cup with the shop’s logo on it in her hand.
“Is this for me?” He asked, his brows going up in surprise.
“Mmm,” she nodded, handing the cup to him. He took it and opened his mouth to say something but she spoke again, “We have tried every drink on the menu. It helps a lot when customers ask for recommendations or when they try to explain a drink they can’t remember the name of.” She smiled at him.
“Makes sense,” he replied, taking a sip of the drink. “Mmm,” he said, the sound slipping off his tongue before he knew it.
“It’s our famous All Might Macchiato,” she giggled, “Aizawa-san lost a bet. So he had to name the drink after his boyf-”
“That’s enough, Ura,” Aizawa appeared from the back suddenly. Ura laughed and the ashy-blonde boy behind the counter smirked. Todoroki cocked an eyebrow, but before Ura could whisper the gossip to him, Aizawa walked around the counter and came to stand behind her. “Bakugo,” he started, nodding towards the blonde, “will train you.”
“Awh,” Ura groaned, shoulders slumping and her hair falling in her face, “Why does Bakugo get to do it? He might scare off the new guy before the lunch rush comes in.”
“WHA- What does that mean?! I will not,” the ash blonde, Bakugo, shouted. Ura laughed again. He then turned to Todoroki his eyes red like fire, “As long as you don’t fuck up, we won’t have a problem. You better have your shit together.”
Todoroki stared at him, his eyes level and his face expressionless. After a moment, he ran his fingers through the left side of his hair and gave Bakugo a small smirk, “It takes more than shouting to scare me away. I think we’ll get along swimmingly.” Ura’s eyes widen and Aizawa coughed to hide a chuckle.
“Oh, looks like we have another person who’s not afraid of you, Baku,” Ura grinned, waggling her eyebrows. Bakugo turned away from them with a tch and continued to wipe down the counter.
“Is the list that short?” Todoroki asked.
“Mhm,” Ura nodded, “Aizawa, me, you, and,” she paused and turned to look at Bakugo. The girl hadn’t even said anything yet, but Todoroki could see the faintest of blush start on his face. “The really gorgeous redhead who works at the flower shop across from us.”
“Flower shop?”
“ All Mighty Flowers . Shop across from us,” she leaned in closer to Todoroki and directed his attention to the small white building across from them. There were wooden flower pots with red anthuriums, white carnations, yellow daffodils, and violet delphiniums hanging from the ceiling. Todoroki smiled, an image of his mother surfacing to the front of his mind, Yellow daffodils in a large group represent joy and happiness, and white carnations mean pure love. He shook his head, a small feeling of disdain pulling at his heart. He glanced back up at the flower shop and took in the rest of the plants.
Large ferns decorated the front of the store with little pots of yellow lilies and gerberas sprinkled around. The store was about the same size as the coffee shop, but something about the flowers surrounding it screamed more. And from the little knowledge Todoroki had of flowers and their meanings, it was very welcoming.
The colors were strong and soft at the same time. Their presence a whirlwind of textures and shapes. His eyes took in every pot, every flower, until he reached the right corner of the shop’s front. His heart stopped. A stone pot stood proudly with intricate designs carved onto it that reminded Todoroki of waves. The swirls of the stone were tamed, though, by green, blue, and red glass-like little squares following each other in lines parallel to the top and bottom of the waves. In all, the holder of the plant was stunning and bold, the colors complimenting each other beautifully, but what really caught Todoroki’s attention was the blooming rose bush that rested peacefully in the soft brown dirt of the pot. The petals were barely beginning to show their faces, but their color was visible. Todoroki touched his hair.
“Oh-” a voice said next to him, bringing him out of his daze, “there he is! That’s Bakugo’s boyfriend- Kirishima!” Ura said. Todoroki watched as a very attractive redhead stepped out with a plastic watering pot. His hair was spiked in all different directions reminding him of-
“Shut up! He’s not my boyfriend!” Bakugo shouted angrily from somewhere behind them. Yeah, it reminded him of Bakugo’s hair. Todoroki resisted the urge to laugh, but a pathetic sounding cough escaped his mouth. “What are you laughing at, half and half?”
Todoroki opened his mouth to respond, but Ura beat him to it.“ Yet. He’s not your boyfriend yet. And he won’t ever be unless you grow some balls,” she sing-songed.
“DO YOU WANNA FIGHT, URARAKA?!”
“Let’s go, Blondie!”
“No fighting,” Aizawa said, nonchalantly, his eyes more focused on the drink he was preparing than the argument between his two employees.Todoroki was starting to understand his new boss’ personality, but he also guessed the teasing between his new coworkers was something that occurred frequently, based on the quiet chuckles from the few customers in the shop. Ura and Bakugo continued bickering, but the sound became a buzz as Todoroki continued to stare at the shop across. The redhead was beautiful, and if his smile was anything to go by, in terms of character, he was probably the complete opposite of the firecracker that Bakugo seemed to be.
The redhead suddenly looked up and his bright ruby eyes met Todoroki’s. He smiled and waved, and Todoroki gave a small wave of his own. Kirishima opened his mouth as if to shout something, but then quickly turned his head towards the door. A man with blonde hair, lean frame, tired eyes, but bright grin had stepped out. He said something to Kirishima, who in turn, nodded. Then he quickly went to water the rose bush Todoroki had been staring at. When he finished, Kirishima paused, a fond smile appearing on his face. He turned, gave Todoroki one more wave, then ran inside after the blonde man, whom Todoroki could only guess was the manager.
Todoroki took a step, ready to turn and say his goodbyes to his new staff, but just before he did, he caught a glimpse of green hair that reminded him of the leaves on the rose bush.
********
Wednesday, April 19th - 7:47 AM
“You have my order already ready, Bakugo?” Aw, what a sweetheart,” Kirishima teased, as he grabbed the cup holder from an angry and pouty Bakugo.
“Shut up, shitty-hair. You’re holding up the line. You come here every morning and it’s always ready, anyways,” Bakugo responded quickly, the tips of his ears turning red.
“Aw, Bakugo, why you always gotta be so mean to me?” Kirishima asked, his full lips turning into a pout. Todoroki chuckled. If Bakugo wasn’t flustered before, he sure as hell was now. He kind of felt bad for his coworker. He didn’t stand a chance against the beautiful ray of sunshine that was Kirishima, and the redhead’s ability to take Bakugo’s insults and temper like nothing, just soft feathers bouncing off his hard-shelled skin, was quite impressive.
“Shut up, half-and-half. Get back to work. The line’s just getting started,” Bakugo shouted over the buzz of the customers. Kirishima laughed as he took the bag of bakery items from a very tired Aizawa.
“Is the cinnamon scone you promised the boss in here, too?” Kirishima questioned, his tone light, his smirk very evident.
“Yes. Who do you think I am? I always do my job right,” Aizawa responded with a heavy sigh. Ura laughed from the drive-thru position and Kirishima just grinned.
“See ya at lunch time,” Kirishima waved. “Oh, before I forget,” he pulled out a single red tulip and handed it to Bakugo, who took it without thinking and then blushed furiously when he realized what he had done. “Don’t miss me too much, Bakugo,” Kirishima winked, walking out the door. Todoroki laughed. He wondered if Bakugo knew the meaning behind the flower.
Bakugo ignored him, but the damage had been done. His entire face competed against the redness of the tulip he threw on the counter behind him (rather gently, if you asked Todoroki) as he continued to take customers’ orders. Todoroki shook his head as he finished a customer’s drink. “Mina!” He shouted, placing the cup on the pick-up counter, and quickly starting on the next order of drinks.
Bakugo wasn’t kidding when he said the morning rush hours were going to end him, but Todoroki preferred these rush hours to the lunch ones. The lunch rush hour always made him think about all of his past wrong-doings, wondering when exactly he fucked up so badly that Life decided to punish him with annoying, rude customers and six different types of paninis that all sounded the same to him.
“Hey, Icy-Hot.” Todoroki scowled at the nickname, knowing full well he should have checked his name tag before putting it on this morning. “Get your head out of the clouds,” Ura tapped his shoulder, bringing him back to reality just as the foam reached the top of the container.
“Thanks, Ura,” he sighed gratefully, pouring the milk into a cup. Ura gave him a quick thumbs-up before going back to her own work.
“Oh, fuck,” Bakugo muttered causing all three employees to look up from the task they were doing. Todoroki cringed and from somewhere behind him, he heard Ura give a very audible groan. Aizawa muttered something under his breath, his entire being suddenly looking more tired than usual.
“How’s my favorite coffee-shop doing?” Mineta’s voice boomed through the entire store, causing some customers to jump, while the usuals just rolled their eyes in response.
“Wait you’re fucking turn, you grape,” Bakugo gritted through his teeth, glaring daggers at the guy who just walked in. His hair seeming to spike up even more. Usually, Aizawa would chastise him for being rude to the customers, but in this instance (and for good reason), he just continued to prepare the pastries that were running low.
“Right, right, I’m sorry,” Mineta apologized, flinching. Bakugo scared him, but not enough to deter him or to keep him from coming back. Unfortunately. “How’s my beautiful Ochaco? Looking flawless and bodacious as always,” he said, his eyes on Ura, a hungry and disturbing look on his face.
Ura narrowed her gaze at him, her eyes not leaving his as she perfectly sliced a pastry in half. Then she smiled sweetly, “Don’t bother me while I’m working. Actually, don’t bother me at all. Got it?” She finished, tilting the knife perfectly so that the light glinted off it. Todoroki chuckled as he finished a set of drinks, and Bakugo gave a small smirk as Mineta jumped back a step.
“Of course, of course. I’m sorry. I forgot how much of a hard-worker you were, and that’s a quality that I-”
“Hey,” Todoroki said, his unfamiliar voice catching Mineta’s attention. Not looking up from the tea he was preparing, he said, “Shut up. There’s a line.” His voice was naturally nonchalant, but he added some crispness to his words to (hopefully) get across just how done he was with this guy’s antics.
“O-of, yes, okay. I will patiently wait my turn,” Todoroki glanced up, “Quietly. I will wait my turn quietly,” Mineta added. Todoroki stared at him for a second more until he was satisfied.
“Good job,” Aizawa complimented, offhandedly, as he passed behind Todoroki to the storage room to get more ingredients. Todoroki felt a small swell of pride at getting praised by his stiff and hard-to-impress manager.
“You did it,” Ura giggled next to him, washing the blenders, “When the boss gives you a compliment- it means you’ve officially been accepted into the team.”
She left before she could see the small smile form on Todoroki’s face.
********
Thursday, April 20th - 3:15 PM
“Did you hear?” The person in the seat next to Todoroki whispered to the guy in the seat on the other side of Todoroki.
Why don’t they just sit next to each other, Todoroki thought, rolling his eyes slightly as the guy responded to his friend.
“Are you talking about him joining our class?”
“ Yes,” his friend answered excitedly. “He’s easily one of the smartest people in this department, and a favorite amongst the professors.”
“He’s cute, too” a girl added, plopping down in the seat by the window, “Sorry, I just overheard your conversation and instantly knew who you were talking about. Have you guys had a class with him?”
“Yeah, I have,” one of the guys nodded eagerly. “He’s incredibly smart and insightful. I loved it when he talked, and he’s so easy to talk to. He also explains things if you don’t get it. He’s better than some of my professors,” he added, releasing a breathy laugh.
The excited chatter continued, but Todoroki wasn’t interested. He had no clue who they were talking about. It may be because he just transferred to this university, but even if he had been here since freshman year, Todoroki probably wouldn’t have cared anyways. He was on the President’s list, and all his professors liked him, despite only knowing him for a week. Whoever this person was, he better be ready for some competition. Todoroki had been excited about this class since he registered for it, and he was not about to let some stranger take his spotlight. He will get the best grade in this class.
Besides, Todoroki was good at defeating anyone who he thought was competition. The only person who could keep up with him at his old college was Momo. She was brilliant, and Todoroki had enjoyed their class discussions and debates. He sighed. I hope this guy knows his stuff as well as these people are saying.
“Oh, but,” the girl whispered, her tone piquing Todoroki’s interest, “the transfer student is really smart, too.” She was quiet, but he was still able to pick up what she said. Todoroki raised a hand to his mouth to hide the small smirk appearing on his face. So, he had made an impression already, and it had only been two classes.
“True. He definitely understands the material better than anyone in our class,” the guy next to him responded, trying to whisper, but failing.
“I agree,” another guy nodded, “but,” he turned and made eye contact with Todoroki, surprising him with his boldness, “You better not underestimate Midoriya. He’s going to give you a run for your money. Mark my words,” the guy grinned, his eyes golden and bright like sunshine hitting a bottle of whiskey. Todoroki blinked once, then took a long look at the guy in the seat across from him. His hair was blonde and shiny, a black lightning bolt on one side, and a brilliant grin on his face. His tone was teasing, but Todoroki could tell he was, on some note, being serious.
Todoroki nodded, “Noted. I look forward to meeting him, then.”
Golden eyes laughed, a pretty sound, “Serious as always, Todo-kun.” He looked at Todoroki again, his eyes shining, “I’m looking forward to you meeting him, too.” Todoroki squinted at his words. There was definitely a double-meaning there, but before Todoroki could ask, the professor walked in.
“Okay, class, take out the reading you were supposed to do for today’s discussion…”
********
Sunday, April 23rd - 8:32 AM
“Kirishima’s late,” Bakugo said, his voice going for nonchalant, but Todoroki caught the slight tones of irritation and worriedness woven in.
“Maybe they had a lot to do this morning,” Ura responded, normally, shocking Todoroki. No teasing? “Stop pouting. He did warn you about missing him too much,” she added in the same casual tone. Todoroki chuckled. Ura never disappointed.
“Shut up,” Bakugo seethed, “I’m not worried. I just… He says that to me everyday, anyways.” Todoroki couldn’t see him, but he could hear Bakugo crossing his arms, and he was 100% certain that the boy had his lips in a small pout. It was quite cute, but Todoroki would never tell him that. Ura did once, and it was one hell of a argument- amusing for him, though, even Aizawa released something close to a laugh during it.
The pair continued bickering, a sound Todoroki was finding to be rather comforting while he worked, when the bell at the entranced jingled, alerting them of a new customer.
“Todoroki,” Aizawa tapped his shoulder, “Would you mind getting more milk and sugar from the storage room? I’d do it, but my hands are,” he raised his flour-ridden hands, “not suited for that right now. Unless we want our customers to think the staff has a coke problem.”
Todoroki resisted the urge to chuckle. It was rare for his boss to make jokes, but when he did… It was a shame he didn’t make them more often. Todoroki nodded and turned just when Ura shouted eagerly, “IZU!”
Todoroki chuckled, of course Ura knew the customer. Todoroki had come to realize just how popular she was. He had seen her a couple times on campus, and she was always surrounded by people. She even introduced him to some of them. A few of them were in some of his classes, too. It was nice, knowing people and having them voluntarily sit next to you and strike up a conversation. Sometimes they would even say ‘hi’ to him. Todoroki liked this. He’s never experienced that before. Friendship. And he was excited, if a little weary, but it was only to be expected. His childhood was…. No, Todoroki shook his head, I won’t think of that. Now’s not the time. I’m here. I’m free. I’ll be okay.
He walked back to the shop, the ingredients balanced perfectly in his arms. A few more customers had wandered in, but the shop was still slow like it usually is Sunday mornings. He placed the stuff on the counter next to Aizawa when Bakugo shouted his name.
“Oi, half-and-half, prepare this fucking drink for me. I’ll take care of the rest of them,” he slid a foam cup across the counter, directly into Todoroki’s hands. His accuracy was impressive, Todoroki had to admit.
“Why won’t you make it?” He questioned, “You’ll make the rest of the order, but not this one?”
Bakugo muttered something under his breath. Ura gave him a proper answer, “That’s because it’s Deku’s, and Bakugo thinks he’s the God of Coffee and he hate,” cue air-quotes, “Deku. So, he doesn’t like making his drink because he doesn’t think Deku is worthy of his coffee skills.” She finished will a roll of her eyes. Then she leaned in and whispered, “But that’s just for show, because he happily makes it when said boy isn’t here.”
“You know I can fucking hear you, right?” Bakugo said, his head turned towards them, his hands expertly pouring the drinks into their cups without spill.
“Oh, oops,” Ura sing-songed, shrugging her slender shoulders, “I forgot you were there for a sec.”
“It’s too early in the morning for your goddamned jokes, Uraraka.”
“Well, it’s always too early for your goddamned pouting and love-sick whines for Kirishima, but you don’t hear me complaining.”
“Do you wanna fucking fight, shortie?”
Todoroki chuckled, “It’s too early for you guys to be this dramatic. ”
“Shut up,” they said in unison, resulting in a surprised cough from Aizawa.
Todoroki grinned and got to work on the coffee. He glanced at Bakugo’s chicken scrawl. Medium, All Might Macchiato, extra whipped cream, one shot of espresso. Todoroki’s eyebrows went up in surprise. The All Might Macchiato was already sweet and probably one of their most heavily caffeinated drinks, and this guy wanted extra whipped cream and a shot of espresso. Todoroki could not wait to meet the guy who could handle this.
As he prepared the drink (with ease, thank you very much, Bakugo wasn’t the only one who could make coffee), his mind kept creating images of what this person looked like. Did he look like Aizawa? With the same tired personality and stiff demeanor? Was he like the blonde guy in Todoroki’s class who was always so hyped up and energized? Or was he bouncy and bubbly like Ura (who Todoroki has seen down four cups of black coffee in less than an hour like nothing)? All these characters were coming to mind of what this, Izuku, as the cup read, could look like.
The wait was finally over when Todoroki called his name, the letters rolling off his tongue rather easily. Todoroki was ready to meet this guy, another one of All Mighty Flowers’ employees. He had imagined a hippie, a tired school teacher, a stuck up artist, but what he didn’t imagine was him.
The guy rounded the corner, his hair mussed up and a green so dark and vibrant, an image of a forest flashed in Todoroki’s mind. He walked up confidently, at first, but the closer he got to the counter, the more his eyes wandered. Look at me.
“Hi, or erm- good morning,” he greeted shyly. A sweet shade of pink spreading across his cheeks, which were freckled like a starry night sky, “That’s um- my drink.” He finished, finally looking up at Todoroki. His eyes were as green as his hair and Todoroki felt his heart stop. “You did call ‘Izuku,’ right?” He questioned, his voice uncertain and shaky, a hand coming up to rub the side of his face. “Um?” Todoroki blinked, and the beautiful boy in front of him squirmed.
“Oi,” Bakugo said, distracting him, “Give Deku his fucking drink, you shit.” Todoroki opened his mouth to respond to Bakugo’s rudeness. How dare he interrupt him while he was trying to count the freckles on Izuku- oh my god, his drink.
“R-right,” Todoroki sputtered, handing the drink to the guy in front of him, rather ungracefully, much to his coworkers’ amusement. Todoroki banged his hip on the counter and almost dropped the cup If it hadn’t of been for Izuku’s (Deku’s?) incredible reflexes, it might have landed and spilled all over the counter top. Ura giggled somewhere behind him, but Todoroki was too busy trying not to die from embarrassment to say anything.
“Th-thank you,” Izuku smiled, and holy fuck. Did someone open the blinds? Was the sun behind a cloud? Why was it suddenly so bright in here? Todoroki felt his knees go weak.
“You’re problem,” he responded quickly. Ura laughed loudly behind him, and Bakugo said are you fucking kidding me?
“Um… what?” Izuku smile faltered for a bit, and then Todoroki realized what he said.
His hand came up and smacked his mouth, “Oh, shit, I meant “you’re welcome” and “no problem” and my brain did the thing….” He finished lamely. If his professors could hear him now.
“Oh,” Izuku smiled even brighter in response (which, how is that possible? That shouldn’t even be legal) “I get it. It’s totally fine. Thanks again,” he finished, turning to grab the cup holder from Ura’s hands and then the pastries from Aizawa. “Toshi hopes you like the flowers Aizawa-san. He said to tell you they were a special delivery.”
Aizawa grunted in response, his eyes focused on the bouquet of white chrysanthemums in his hands. Todoroki made a mental note of checking the meaning behind those when he had the chance. Bakugo turned to clean some supplies, and Ura waved him off, “Bye, Izu! Let’s hang out soon! Oh, and thanks for the flowers last week. My mom loved them.”
Izuku laughed, a very beautiful sound, “I’m glad she did. And, yes, just let me know when you’re free. Bye!” And with that, he left. The bell chiming again, signalling his departure. Todoroki didn’t have time to wallow in his absence, though, because as soon as the door closed Ura and Bakugo were on him like lions.
“Oh my god. Todo, you’ve got it bad for Izu, don’t you?” Ura squealed.
“Seriously? Fucking Deku? Out of all the hot people that have hit on you? Deku caught your attention?” Bakugo was thoroughly shocked.
“Shut up, Baku. Deku is beautiful. Everyone on campus thinks so. You’re just mad because Kirishima thinks so too.”
“For fucks sakes, Ura.”
“Ssssh, hush, this isn’t about you right now,” she waved him off, “Todoroki you gotta ask him on a date!”
“As if!” Bakugo laughed, “He couldn’t even give him his coffee or provide decent customer service.”
“Do you ever provide decent customer service, Bakugo?” Aizawa’s voice shocked the three of them. Ura was the first to react, laughing loudly and hardly, a snort escaping her. Bakugo shook with rage, but said nothing. Todoroki blinked twice.
“What did you want me to do? Throw insults at him like you do to Kirishima?” He finally spoke up.
“WHY THE FUCK DO YOU ASSHOLES KEEP BRINGING UP KIRISHIMA?”
“Because your hard-on for him is as evident as Todo’s for Deku,” Ura replied, matter-of-factly.
“Hold on, wait a minute,” Todoroki rushed, raising his hands, “What makes you say-” he didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Ura and Bakugo turned to face him, their arms crossed, eyebrows cocked, and a knowing smirk on their faces.
“For one thing,” Aizawa started, stepping up behind his two coworkers, “You almost dropped his coffee,” he brought his hand up to rest under his chin, like he was deep in thought, “Also, you stared at him for ten minutes before handing said coffee to him.”
His coworkers nodded, glad their boss was on their side. Traitor, Todoroki thought. But then the entire encounter replayed in his mind like a movie and he groaned. “ Fuck.”
Ura couldn’t stop laughing for the rest of their shift.
********
Tuesday, April 25th - 3:20 PM
“Prof’s late,” A familiar voice said. Todoroki glanced up to see Kaminari pull out the chair next to him. His golden eyes found Todoroki’s, and he could swear they were smiling somehow. “I bet it’s because they got distracted by a certain,” he waggled his eyebrows, “ someone.”
Todoroki snorted, “You’re honestly too excited about this.”
Kaminari laughed, “And you’re too serious and nonchalant as usual.” He placed his hands on Todoroki’s shoulders and brought their faces closer together, “Come on, Todo-kun ,” the nickname made Todoroki blush slightly, “Smile. I bet you’d stop even more hearts if you smiled every now and then.”
Todoroki shrugged him off, “Shut up.” His response only earning him another laugh from Kaminari. A pretty sound, but nowhere near as beautiful as-
“Class! I’m so sorry,” the professor scrambled in, her cheeks rosy, “I got caught up in a conversation with Professor Mic and with the newest addition to our class, which I’m sure you’ve all have heard about.” A chorus of yeahs and eager nods followed. “Right, good, then. Here he comes now.”
Todoroki’s phone lit up with a message from Ura. He grabbed it and checked it as the new student walked through the door.
New Message
Ura: Oh, btw, Todo, you remember Izuku? Of course you do. Well, you’ll be seeing him again. Very, very soon. ;)
What did she mean by soon? Very soon. Todoroki’s stomach fluttered and his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. It was so loud, he was afraid Kaminari would hear it. He was too caught up in Ura’s message, he didn’t hear his professor introduce his new peer.
“Well,” a familiar, and oh so beautiful laugh disrupted Todoroki’s mini heart attack, “You didn’t have to do all that, Professor Nemuri.” Todoroki slowly looked up, his heart ready to jump out of his ribcage, “But, yeah, hi.” Green hair. Freckles. A smile that would put the sun to shame. And green eyes. Green eyes that met his. This was a different guy than he had met at the coffee shop who was all blushed-cheeks and shy smiles
This boy radiated confidence and aura of intellect that shone through in the sparkle of his eyes, too.
“I’m Midoriya Izuku. Thanks for having me. I’m really excited to be taking this class with all of you.”
Todoroki was about 99% sure he wasn’t going to survive till the end of the semester.