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A refreshing breeze fans Izuku’s freckled cheeks. He exhales in serenity, the familiar sound of Uraraka and Iida’s playful bickering filling his ears. The blades of grass tickle his arms as he lays on it, hugging his skin.
“You look happy.”
Izuku smiles, as if the voice were a trigger. “It’s because I am.” His eyelids slowly lift, momentarily blinded by the bright sun. That beautiful face that he adores so much comes into focus. The sunlight flares around him like an angelic halo, and Izuku can feel his cheeks go warm. “I’m happy.”
Shouto blinks slowly, his eyes telling Izuku more than his mouth could probably ever say. His face nears closer until their noses brush against one another. Izuku tilts his head just a bit, the distance between their lips paper thin.
“Me too,” Shouto whispers. He leans down and allows his soft lips to brush Izuku’s, barely touching. Izuku bites back a whine. Shouto notices this and lets out the smallest chuckle.
Izuku, growing impatient, lets his tongue swipe over his lips, the tip grazing Shouto’s bottom lip. With that, Shouto closes the miniscule distance between them and presses his lips against Izuku’s. Izuku sighs into Shouto’s mouth, as if to silently say, ‘finally’.
Izuku loves a lot of things. He loves Katsudon. He loves the feeling of accomplishing something he’s been working towards. He loves his mom. He loves animals. He loves heroes. He loves helping people. He loves a lot of things.
But, kissing Todoroki Shouto has got to be his favorite thing. There’s no doubt in that.
The sound of a camera shutter makes the pair detach from each other, Izuku’s eyes darting over to Uraraka, giggling behind her phone. Izuku feels his cheeks burn with embarrassment, Shouto sporting a similar expression. Iida faces the other way, hunched over his bento box, but Izuku imagines he looks about the same as them.
“Uraraka!” Izuku yelps.
She snickers, snapping another picture. “Ah, sorry, sorry,” she sings, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “You’ll thank me for taking all of these,” she says with a bright smile.
“Will we?” Shouto coughs into his hand, sitting up straight and grabbing his water bottle. “It sounds unlikely,” he mutters.
Uraraka shrugs. “Maybe someday.” A giggle bubbles out of her, and Izuku can’t help but smile along. “You two are going to be the most famous power couple when you become pro heroes, you hear me?! These pics are going to be worth millions!” She holds up her phone like that scene from The Lion King. Izuku swears her eyes take on the shapes of dollar signs.
Power couple? Izuku’s already burning cheeks seem to shoot up another fifty degrees. He feels the heat spreading down his neck, engulfing his shoulders and his chest.
“Uraraka… that’s a bit... much…” he stutters, turning his face away.
A small gasp gets caught in his throat when he feels Shouto’s gentle fingers mindlessly playing with the curls of his green hair. His stomach flutters. Even after two months of being together, Shouto still never fails to make Izuku’s heart do cartwheels inside his chest. Izuku bites down on his tongue. No matter how long they’re together, Izuku doubts that feeling will ever go away.
He doesn’t want it to.
Shouto’s face is millimeters away from Izuku’s once again. A small smirk plays at the corner of his mouth before it reattaches itself to Izuku’s. Shouto hums, vibrating Izuku’s lips and sending a tingle down his entire body.
“You taste like strawberries,” he mumbles against his mouth.
“I-is that so…” Izuku scratches his burning cheek. His emerald eyes peek over to his finished bento box, an empty carton of strawberry milk sitting next to it. Maybe he shouldn’t have drank—
“Tastes good,” Shouto says. “It’s sweet. I like it.” Izuku doesn’t think it’s possible to blush any more than he already is, but Shouto always tends to prove him wrong. “Can I have some?”
“Eh? A-ah, I drank all—” Shouto cuts him off, swiftly capturing Izuku’s lips with his own once again. Izuku swallows back a shirek when he feels the gentle caress of the other boy’s tongue along his bottom lip. Shouto pulls away and Izuku blinks at him, stunned.
“Thanks.” Shouto smiles.
“If you guys get any cuter, Iida-kun might actually explode,” Uraraka teases with a light chuckle. Her thumb scrolls through her phone before she lets out a tiny gasp. “Ah, I forgot! Iida-kun and I promised Tsuyu-chan that we’d study with her during lunch! Iida-kun, we need to go!” Uraraka hops to her feet and grabs her half-finished bento box.
“What? We never— Uraraka-kun!” Iida shouts as Uraraka presses the tips of her fingers on his shoulder blade. His large body slowly becomes weightless as he begins to ascend off of the ground. “Why—”
“Let’s go, Iida-kun!” She beams at him, grabbing his tie and pulling him away like a dog on a leash. “We’ll see you two love birds later! Bye bye~” she sings as she skips away.
Izuku gulps. Uraraka never fails to make it so Shouto and him are left alone. Izuku doesn’t even know if he appreciates it or not. He can already feel his heart rate accelerating as it pounds against the wall of his chest, begging for an escape route. Why does he always get so nervous when he’s left alone with his boyfriend? Why is it more than okay when he’s with Uraraka, Iida, Kirishima, or… hell, he isn’t even this nervous when he’s next to Bakugou. Well, his anxiety does reach a whole new level when Bakugou is around, but… it’s different.
With Bakugou, Izuku isn’t nervous about what he says. Izuku isn’t thinking about how he looks or if he has something stuck in his teeth. He doesn’t worry about if his skin is clear or if his hair is just a little too messy. His stomach doesn’t flutter. His heart doesn’t feel like it’s stuck in his throat and ringing in his ears. His face doesn’t flare up with heat, his cheeks reddening just enough to resemble a pair of strawberries. No, he never feels like that.
So, why does it happen around Shouto?
Izuku gazes at the other boy, who is now sitting up straight and reading a book Izuku had recommended to him recently. Shouto’s fingers still run gently through Izuku’s messy green curls, the red and white threads of his own hair dancing with the flow of the breeze.
There’s no way this person can be real, Izuku thinks. Someone this beautiful can’t… there’s just no way. Does Shouto even know how beautiful he is?
Izuku swallows heavily.
Shouto...
Now that he thinks about it, he’s never called Shouto by his first name. Izuku always calls him Shouto in his head… but…
“Shou…to,” Izuku mouths, testing how it would feel on his tongue. His cheeks burn with embarrassment with how much he likes it. His scarred hands move to cover his face, his head shaking back and forth.
“Midoriya?” Shouto’s voice is like a slap back to reality. Izuku stays hidden behind his mangled fingers, feeling his face go redder when Shouto’s fingers move from Izuku’s hair to wrap around his wrist. “Midoriya,” Shouto repeats, tugging at his wrist in an attempt to move Izuku’s hands away from his face.
“Mnf,” Izuku mumbles incoherently and fights back against Shouto’s insistent tugging. “Stop,” Izuku whines like a child as the heat of his blush begins to spread down the rest of his body.
A giggle, a small one that’s barely audible, makes Izuku’s heart jump. Shouto’s smiles and laughs, although they have become more frequent, are still quite rare… and Izuku cherishes every single time he has the honor of witnessing them.
He feels his middle and ring finger of his left hand unintentionally separate, giving him a small peephole. His vision focuses on Shouto’s smiling face. Shouto’s fist has gone up to conceal his mouth and muffle his laughter, but Izuku can still see the grin hiding underneath. Shouto’s eyes are closed, a light shade of pink dusting his cheeks.
Izuku can feel the flames begin to ignite in the center of his chest, the warmth traveling down and into the pit of his stomach. He gulps, Adam’s apple bobbing.
So unfair, Izuku thinks.
Shouto’s laughing slowly fades, his mismatched eyes coming back into view as he looks over at Izuku. “What is it?” he asks, taking advantage of Izuku’s state to move his hand away from his face.
“N-nothing… it’s just...” Izuku sighs as Shouto’s hand cradles his jaw. He leans into the touch. “I just like when you smile.”
The pad of Shouto’s thumb runs over Izuku’s cheek in all different directions, connecting the hidden pathways between each freckle. “Says the source of my smile.”
Izuku’s immediate reaction is to hide his face again, but Shouto is prepared this time and keeps a tight grip on his wrist. “How can you just… just say things like that?!” Izuku splutters.
Shouto tilts his head to the side. “Like what?”
“You know…” Izuku huffs, turning his head to break his eye contact with Shouto. “You’re just always so calm about all of this.”
“All of this?” Shouto parrots.
Something between a sigh and a whine leaves Izuku’s lips. He knows by now that Shouto isn’t one to pick up on subtle hints. He needs to be told what’s on one’s mind, or else there’s less than a five percent chance he’ll catch on.
“This whole… you and me,” Izuku mumbles while he looks away from Shouto’s intense gaze, embarrassed by the words coming out of his mouth. “Everything comes so easy for you and I feel like I’m the only one who’s nervous.”
The expression on Shouto’s face softens. God, it’s like he’s photoshopped, Izuku muses. Shouto maneuvers Izuku’s hand to place it over his chest. Flashbacks of the night the two of them confessed swim into Izuku’s mind as he feels the rapid thumping of Shouto’s heartbeat against his palm.
It’s drumming against Shouto’s chest with so much power, each beat pulsing through Izuku’s body. Izuku gulps. “Still think you’re the only one who’s nervous?” Shouto whispers.
Izuku looks away. “Well… you’re a lot better at hiding it then.” He pouts.
Shouto chuckles again, the action sending vibrations down Izuku’s arm, his hand still resting over Shouto’s heart. Izuku turns back to look at his hand, his fingers curling ever so slightly into the fabric of Shouto’s school uniform.
“I still can’t believe I do this to you,” Izuku breathes out shakily.
Shouto removes Izuku’s hand and brings it up to his mouth. His lips press a gentle kiss onto Izuku’s wrist, right where his pulse point is. Izuku lets out a sigh of content.
“Why is it so hard to believe?” Shouto mumbles against Izuku’s wrist.
“Because you’re you,” Izuku exasperates. Shouto raises an eyebrow at him and Izuku groans. “You’re killing me.”
Izuku feels Shouto’s lips curl into a smile against his wrist. “The feeling is mutual,” he says. “Out of context, this sounds like a pretty toxic relationship.” Izuku barks out a laugh.
—
“A test of courage?” Uraraka asks, tilting her head to the side.
“Yes!” Ashido exclaims, bouncing over. “Don’t you guys remember when we went to the training camp and we did one? Kaminari, Kirishima, Satou, and I weren’t able to play with you guys.” She pushes her bottom lip out.
“You mean the time the League of Villains attacked us and Bakugou—”
“Shut up!” Bakugou snarls, cutting Shouji off. “Don’t fucking bring that shit up.”
A beat of tense silence passes before Kaminari claps his hands together. “Okay, but the League of Villains are done with, so what’s the harm? We’ll be staying on campus anyway!” He pumps his fist in the air. “It’ll be fun! Class 1-B can join in, too!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Kirishima cheers, miming Kaminari. “We didn’t even get to do an actual test of courage last time — we can’t let that one time ruin it for us!”
“You have way too much energy,” Jirou mutters.
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” Ashido claps her hands together, ready to beg. She bows her head to the group, Kaminari and Kirishima joining her. “It’s not fair that we didn’t get to play with you guys last time!”
“We were attacked—”
“Oh, you know what I mean!” Ashido hisses at Tokoyami.
Satou looks over at Iida and Yaoyorozu. “Well, what do you think mom? Dad?”
Iida sputters, choking on the water he had been drinking. “M-mom?!”
“Oh my God, the ‘mom’ part was for Yaoyorozu,” Sero snickers.
Satou looks over at him and knits his eyebrows together. “No. The ‘mom’ part was definitely directed to Iida,” he deadpans, making the room erupt in giggles.
Yaoyorozu sighs and rubs her temples. Jirou gives her a gentle pat on the thigh, making Yaoyorozu smile fondly in her direction. “I suppose… there isn’t any reason for me to say no.”
“It is a Friday night, after all,” Iida adds while he pinches the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up a bit in the process.
With permission from the class parents, the students all file into the courtyard, and Yaoyorozu sends a quick text to Kendou from Class 1-B to inform her of their plans. Only a few minutes later, both classes are crowded outside.
“Alright, let’s start making teams of two,” Ojirou says. He looks over at Izuku and gives him a small smile. “We have even numbers now, so you won’t end up alone like last time,” he chuckles.
Izuku narrows his eyes into a playful glare. “I can’t believe you all just left me hanging like that!”
“It’s not like we picked our partner!” Ojirou says defensively. “I’m sure if we had been free to pick who we’d want, you wouldn’t have been alone.” His friendly smile morphs into something that could be considered a smirk.
Izuku’s cheeks flare up. “W-what is that—”
His breath gets stuck in his throat when he feels someone’s fingers loosely tangling with his own. Mismatched eyes are looking down at him, a soft look on his face as he hooks their pinkies together.
“Wanna be partners?” Shouto asks quietly.
The color on Izuku’s cheeks deepen when he sees a similar shade tinting Shouto’s face as well. A wobbly smile grows on Izuku’s lips. “I’d love to.”
“Ah, Shinsou!” Izuku whips his head around at the sound of Tetsutetsu’s voice to see him beaming at that mess of purple hair currently tied back into a ponytail. “You’re gonna join us?” Tetsutetsu asks excitedly.
Shinsou yawns and stretches his arms up. “Ah, yeah. Izu texted me about it,” he replies sleepily.
“Izu?!” Uraraka exclaims, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. “Did you just call him Izu?!”
Shinsou’s half lidded eyes slide over to her. He blinks once. “Yeah. Why?”
“Cute nicknames, huh? I didn’t realize you two were so intimate with each other - ribbit,” Tsuyu says.
Izuku is 99.99% sure he’s less than five seconds away from bursting into flames. “T-that’s not it!” he protests, running over to Shinsou’s side and releasing Shouto’s hand in the process. “He uh, he called me it when he was half asleep and when he apologized, I told him it was more than okay if he wanted to call me that. It just uh, kind of stuck… I guess.” Izuku lets out a nervous giggle and rubs the back of his neck.
Uraraka squints at the two of them. “Sheesh, Deku-kun. I never pinned you for that kind of guy…” she tsks.
Izuku tilts his head, confused. “What… kind of guy?”
She giggles, lips curling into a smirk. “Deku-kun… you’re a flirt!” she squeals.
Izuku chokes on his own spit. “I am not—”
“Okay, is everyone ready?!” Iida’s booming voice cuts him off. Izuku sighs, shooting Uraraka a glare that only makes her snicker into Asui’s shoulder. “We’ll start here and the trail will go all the way around the perimeter of the school. We’ll enter one group at a time, sixty seconds in between each group! Class 1-B has already scattered—”
“Us first!” Kaminari laughs with Sero by his side. Sero grabs Ashido by the wrist, Kaminari grabbing Kirishima’s and simultaneously ripping Kirishima away from Bakugou, as the four of them start making a run for it.
“And where the fuck do you think you’re going?!” Bakugou growls, sprinting after them.
“What happened to groups of two?” Jirou snorts.
“They were never the type to follow the rules,” Yaoyorozu replies. “I had a feeling they were going to do that. I don’t have the energy to try and stop them. They’ve worn me out over the years.”
Jirou barks out a laugh. “You really do sound like a mom, you know?”
Izuku walks back over to Shouto, face completely engulfed in red. Shouto looks over to him with an unreadable expression, and it makes Izuku squirm. Is he bothered by the fact Shinsou calls me by a nickname? Shouto has never been jealous before, at least not from what I’ve seen. Is Shouto even capable of being jealous? Does Shouto even care whether or not someone calls me by my first name? And why is it so stupidly easy for Shinsou to call me by a nickname version of my first name, and yet I can only call Shouto by his first name in my own head?! Why is it so—
“You’re doing it again, Midoriya.” Izuku snaps his head up, the voice cutting off his internal crisis.
“Eh?”
“Mumbling.”
“O-oh. I’m sorry,” Midoriya says quietly, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
Shouto’s lips twitch. He walks closer to Izuku and hooks their pinkies again. “It’s endearing.”
Heat pools in Izuku’s stomach, the blood coursing through his veins becoming unbearably warm. His body moves on its own. He just wants to hide his face, knowing he resembles a strawberry. Izuku buries his face in Shouto’s shoulder and lets out a small whine. This guy... is he even real? Or have I just dreamt this whole entire relationship?
“You’re going to be the death of me,” Izuku grumbles, making Shouto’s body shake as a gentle laugh leaves his lips. “Glad to know my embarrassment serves as entertainment to you.”
“Sorry,” Shouto replies teasingly.
Izuku tightens his scarred pinky around Shouto’s. “Uh, Todoroki-kun… about Shinsou—”
“I knew you were going to worry about that,” Shouto says with a sigh. “Don’t. Worry about it, I mean. Don’t worry about it,” Shouto assures.
Izuku’s teeth fiddle with his bottom lip. “It doesn’t uh, bother you or anything?”
Shouto smiles softly at him. “No.”
“Okay.” Izuku lets out a heavy exhale of relief as Uraraka and Asui start down the trail. “You ready to go?” he asks, his nose nudging Shouto’s collarbone.
Shouto pauses. “I’m sleepy,” he mutters.
Izuku muffles his fit of giggles in the crook of Shouto’s neck. “Why’d you agree to do this if you’re tired?” he questions through his laughter.
“Thought you wanted to.”
Izuku hums. Shouto is too good for him. “You’ve changed,” Izuku sighs.
“Have I?” Izuku can’t see Shouto’s face, but he doesn’t need to to know that his eyebrows are knitting together — the image is adorable and just the thought of it makes Izuku’s cheeks flush.
“Mm. Sort of.” Izuku lifts his head and looks down the path of the test of courage. Jirou and Uraraka’s screams are the most distinct, but Kaminari and Ashido are right up there with them, shrieking at the top of their lungs. Izuku purses his lips and sneaks a glance up at Shouto, who is already looking back at him. “If you want, we can go back inside,” Izuku suggests.
“But you wanted to hangout with everyone.”
Izuku swallows down his embarrassment, inhaling a shallow breath. “I’d rather just hang out with you… if that’s okay…” Izuku’s heart stutters in his chest.
Izuku’s breath hitches in his throat when Shouto’s lips press a gentle kiss to Izuku’s forehead. “That’d be nice.”
The two of them begin to walk down the path, but when they look over their shoulders, they see the rest of their classmates occupied with each other. They sneak through the doors and maneuver back inside, finding themselves standing in front of Izuku’s room.
Even though Shouto has slept in Izuku’s dorm before, and vice versa, Izuku still feels butterflies swarm in his stomach whenever he invites Shouto into his room. No matter how many times he does it, he never gets used to the intimacy.
Not to mention he’s wearing that stupidly gorgeous black turtleneck that makes Izuku’s knees buckle. It’s such a simple article of clothing, but the way the fabric hugs Shouto’s muscles makes him look unbearable sexy and beautiful and wow Izuku is smitten.
“Midoriya.” Shouto’s voice, laced with concern, snaps Izuku out of his trance. “Are you feeling okay?”
“What? Yeah, of course.” Izuku chuckles nervously. Shouto’s expression remains unconvinced, and Izuku huffs. Shouto raises his eyebrow, urging Izuku to go on. “It’s just, uh…”
Shouto tilts his head. “Hmm?” Izuku swears he sees him smirking.
Izuku groans and flops down onto his bed, moving his arms up to cover his burning face. “Don’t make me say it.”
The bed dips next to him, and Izuku doesn’t bother protesting when Shouto moves his arms away from his face. “Say what?” Izuku pouts at him in response. Shouto leans down and presses his lips gently against Izuku’s, making him turn to jelly. “Say what?” Shouto repeats, mumbling against Izuku’s lips.
“You— hnng,” Izuku moans softly when Shouto’s teeth graze the sensitive skin of his bottom lip. “I just… you look good… in that sweater,” he manages to breathe out in between soft moans and whimpers.
“Oh?” Izuku can feel Shouto’s smile against his neck as Shouto begins to pepper kisses down the length of his throat. Izuku shivers when Shouto’s cold tongue traces the shape of Izuku’s collarbone. “Thank you.”
“T-Todoroki-kun…” Izuku’s pulse rings in his ears. His breaths stagger, heat starting at his cheeks and spilling down the rest of his body. Shouto has hardly touched him, but Izuku already feels like he’s going to combust.
Shouto lifts his head from Izuku’s neck, pupils so dilated that Izuku can’t even see the color of his irises. Shouto presses his forehead on top of his, their hot breaths mingling together.
“Can I stay with you tonight?” Izuku is nodding before Shouto even finishes speaking.
—
Izuku isn’t sure when they fall asleep, or, at least he doesn’t know when Shouto fell asleep because Izuku is still more than awake. The clock on his nightstand tells him it’s already two in the morning, but Izuku’s heart doesn’t sound like it’s going to let him sleep anytime soon. It’s hammering against his ribcage, begging to escape. Izuku unconsciously moves his hand up and grabs his chest. The pounding of his heart is almost painful.
Shouto has slept in his dorm multiple times before, so why is he such a mess this time? It could be because, in the heat of the moment, the majority of their clothes had been tossed to the floor, leaving them in nothing more than their boxers. Izuku flushes a scarlet red when he recalls Shouto’s teeth sinking into his neck, Izuku’s nails dragging down Shouto’s bare back. He remembers the feeling of Shouto grinding his hips down into—
His hands slap over his mouth to suppress a shriek. With Shouto clinging to him from behind, arm draped around Izuku’s waist, Izuku forces himself to stop thinking about the events that unfolded only a few hours ago before things got really awkward for him down there.
Izuku focuses on his breathing, letting his eyelids flutter shut to attempt at least a few hours of sleep. He focuses on Shouto’s heartbeat pulsating through his chest, the vibrations transferring to Izuku’s shoulder blade. He listens to Shouto’s steady breathing, every exhale fanning over Izuku’s nape.
Izuku sighs with a smile on his face, as exhaustion and serenity slowly begin to win over his still pounding heart.
Just as sleep is about to bless Izuku, he feels Shouto twitch. Izuku’s eyes snap open. He spasms again. “Todoroki-kun?” Izuku whispers.
“S-stop…” Shouto’s voice makes Izuku spin around, so he’s face-to-face with Shouto. “Stop,” he repeats, face scrunched up in pain.
Is he having a nightmare? “Todoroki-kun—”
“Don’t touch me!” Shouto spits, although his voice comes out cracked and strained. “Stay away!”
Izuku places a hand on Shouto’s arm, his heart crumbling in his chest when his palms comes into contact with a thin layer of frost. “Todoroki—”
“I said don’t touch me!”
Izuku yelps and jumps back, only to be stopped by the wall of his small dorm room. He raises his arms up to protect his face and hisses when he feels the skin of his forearms burning. He cries out in agony, thankful that the flames disappear only moments later.
“Midoriya…” Izuku peeks out from behind his still raised arms, immediately dropping them when he sees Shouto’s face. “Oh… oh my God.” Shouto’s hands move to cover his own face, his back hunching as he curls into himself.
“Todoroki-kun,” Izuku whispers, reaching his hand out. His fingers ghost over Shouto’s arm, making him flinch. “Todo—”
“Stay away from me.” Shouto’s voice trembles — his whole body trembles. “I…” Shouto doesn’t finish. Instead he turns around and swings his legs off the bed, pushing himself up.
“Todoroki-kun.” Izuku rushes off the bed, mirroring Shouto’s actions. “Todoroki-kun, stop—”
“Stay away from me,” Shouto repeats, frozen in the middle of Izuku’s dorm room. Izuku gasps when Shouto’s legs give out, his knees crashing onto the hard floor, one hand fisting the carpet while the other digs into the flesh of his chest.
Izuku moves in front of him, getting down on his knees as well and grabbing Shouto’s shoulders. The other boy jerks, an attempt to make Izuku let go, but Izuku’s fingers only dig deeper into his skin.
“Todoroki-kun.” Shouto doesn’t respond. A sharp pain pierces through Izuku’s heart when he sees the threads of salty tears tracing the shape of Shouto’s cheeks. Shouto is completely silent, but his quivering lower lip and shaking irises are somehow deafening. “Todoroki-kun.” Izuku gives his shoulders a shake.
Shouto is mumbling under his breath, too quickly and too quietly for Izuku to understand a single word. “Todoroki-kun,” Izuku pushes. He repeats his name over and over, shaking his shoulders between each time, but Shouto never replies.
Shouto’s hand slowly moves from his chest to his left eye. Izuku freezes as he watches Shouto’s fingernails push into the scarred skin covering the side of his face.
“Todoroki-kun!” Izuku panics, grabbing Shouto’s wrist. Shouto’s fingers dig deeper into the damaged skin, and Izuku can see a small drop of blood escape the new wound he had made. “Todoroki-kun, stop!” he cries.
“I’m him—” Izuku catches Shouto whimper. “I’m just like him—”
Izuku clenches his teeth, feeling his own tears singe his freckled cheeks. “SHOUTO!”
To Izuku’s relief, Shouto stops moving. Izuku uses his shocked state to his advantage, moving Shouto’s hand away from his scar. He places a hand on each side of Shouto’s face, thumbs caressing the soft skin that is streaked with tears and blood. Izuku inhales a shaky breath, his thumb brushing over the newly opened wounds on top of Shouto’s scar.
“Shouto…” Izuku whispers, leaning down to rest their foreheads against each other. He breathes out in relief. “You came back to me.”
“Midoriya… your arms—”
“Shhh…” Izuku coos. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he assures, rubbing their noses together. “I’m okay.”
“But, Midoriya—”
“Izuku,” he corrects with a soft smile. “My name is Izuku, and your name is Shouto.”
“Wha—”
“Your name isn’t Endeavor. It isn’t Enji.” Izuku’s thumb catches a falling tear. “Your name isn’t Todoroki. Your name is Shouto.”
Moments feel like hours as they sit there on the floor in complete silence. Izuku stares at Shouto, like he’s hypnotized.
This strong, amazing, beautiful person… is still a person. This perfect human being is still nothing more than a human being. A human that struggles and hurts and loves. Someone this incredible... needs him.
Shouto is the one who breaks the quietness, a strangled sob escaping his lips. “I’m so sorry,” he chokes.
Izuku shakes his head. “I know you are. That’s one of the things that makes you different from him,” he says. “You feel hurt by my own pain. Thank you,” he mumbles, pressing a quick kiss on Shouto’s lips. “You care about me on your own accord. Thank you.” Another kiss. “You are kind to me. Thank you.” Another kiss.
“Izuku—”
“I love you,” Izuku whispers. Shouto blinks at him, and Izuku smiles. “And you love me.”
Shouto lets Izuku take his lips again and sighs into them. “Thank you.”