Chapter Text
Denki, Mina, Eijirou, and Katsuki were all sitting together in the lunch room laughing over a joke that Denki had shared. Hanta had been oddly silent the entire lunch period. He was looking off to the side, seeming to be in lala land. Denki picked up on it and got a little concerned.
“Hey Hanta, you ok over there buddy?” Hanta didn’t seem to hear him and remained silent.
“Hanta, sweetie, did you hear what Denki said?” Again silence.
“Bro, you in there?” Once again, silence.
“Hey, Soy Sauce, pay the fuck attention!” Katsuki smacked upside the head and that seemed to get his attention.
“H-huh, what?”
“I asked if you were ok. You’ve been pretty out of it all lunch. Is there something on your mind?” Denki placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“W-what, y-yeah I’m a-ok! No need to to worry about me!” Hanta's face lit up a bright red and he started to laugh nervously. The other four looked at each other with skeptical looks.
“Yeah, sure Hanta. We definitely believe you,” Mina exclaimed with sarcasm dripping from her voice. “So tell what you’re really thinking about.” The four pressed into Hanta to get an answer from him.
“H-honestly guys, it’s nothing.” Hanta was starting to sweat now. ‘I need to get out of here.’ Hanta suddenly stood up from the table. “I-uh forgot a… a thing I had to do, soIgottagodoitbye!” And just like that, Hanta was gone.
“That was weird. I wonder what was up with him.” Eijirou watched as his friend retreated from the cafeteria.
“Fucking dumbass. Does he really think that we believe his obvious bullshit lies?” The three left at the table each gave Katsuki the same confused look.
“Hey, what’s this?” Denki picked up a notebook that was sitting where Hanta had been sitting mere moments ago.
“I think that’s Hanta’s doodle notebook.” Mina answered back.
“Oh cool, I’m gonna look through it.” Denki started to flip through the pages. There were some basic doodles like trees and stuff, which were actually pretty good for doodles. There were also some pictures of their classmates and squad which were really impressive. Then there started to become an increasing amount of pictures of Todoroki. “Huh, weird. There’s a lot of pictures of Todoroki in here. Wait.” Denki stopped short when he came to the most recent page. Then the electric boy started to laugh to himself. “Dudes check this out.” Denki turned the notebook around for the others to read. On the page was a giant heart that took up half the page. In the center of the heart was a single phrase. Hanta x Shouto.
~8~
“Make sure that you get your assignment done by class tomorrow. Class dismissed.” Aizawa stepped away from the front of the class and grabbed his yellow sleeping bag before walking out of the classroom. Hanta stood up from his desk and quickly grabbed his things. He had been avoiding his friends ever since lunch and it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore them. Hanta knew that if they ended up cornering him, he was bound to spill the beans and he wasn’t ready for that. ‘All I have to do is make it to my dorm and everything will be fine. They’ll probably forget about it by tomorrow anyway.’ With that thought, he continued down the hall at a slightly faster rate than normal. He was almost to the stairs when a familiar yellow and black blur rushed right up to him.
“Heeey, Hanta.”
‘Oh shit.’
“Y’know you should probably check to make sure you have all your things when you leave a place. You might leave behind something important.” Denki then held up the notebook that Hanta had left at the lunch table.
‘Double shit.’ Hanta stopped walking and looked at his friend with a heavy blush on his face. “Oh haha thanks man.” He ripped the notebook out of Denki’s hands and held it close to his chest. He looked down to the feet in embarrassment.
“We’ll be waiting for you in Katsuki’s room. When you are ready to talk to us.” And like that, Denki was gone. Hanta released a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. ‘Oh geez, this is a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into Hanta.’ Hanta put his notebook back into his backpack and started to solemnly head back to the dorms. He went into his dorm room and changed out of his uniform. He reached into his backpack and took the notebook back out. Hanta climbed onto his bed and the book close to him. He started to flip through the pages with a heavy blush on his face. When he made it to the most recent page, he noticed that there were new words on the page.
In yellow pen it said, ‘Why didn’t you tell us? owo’
In pink pen it said, ‘That’s adorable, sweetie. ^3^’
In red pen it said, ‘Get it Hanta!’
And finally in green pen it said, ‘Just ask him out, Tape Arms!’ The words really touched him that his friends cared so much about his stupid crush on Todoroki.
‘Maybe I should go talk to them.’ With that encouraging thought, he made his way down to Katsuki’s room. When he reached the door, he hesitated slightly before heading into the room. Eijirou and Katsuki were on Katsuki’s bed scrolling through their phones, Denki was playing some game on his DS, and Mina was filing her nails. “H-hey guys.” Hanta jumped in surprise when Denki, Eijirou, and Mina ran at him.
“Hanta!” The three chorused out and wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug.
“Don’t fucking crowd him dumbasses.” The group backed off slightly, but still stayed close enough to where it was still comforting.
“Hanta, why haven’t you said anything to us about this?” Mina asked after a while.
“I-uh thought that you guys would laugh. I mean, how could someone like me ever have a chance with someone like Todoroki? He’s attractive, smart, powerful, and I’m no-”
“Don’t talk like that bro! You are all of those things. And you have other great qualities too! Like you have a great smile and you help Katsu-bro keep us out of trouble. Don’t look down on yourself, Hanta!” Eijirou finished his passionate speech and wrapped his arm around Hanta’s shoulders.
“Heh, thanks Eijirou.” Hanta smiled, grateful to have such good friends.
“Now that that’s all out, time for us to help Hanta get his hunkscicle,” Denki replied, looking at Hanta with excitement.
“W-whoa, just because you guys know about my crush, doesn’t mean that anything has changed or that I even have a chance with Todoroki.”
“Nonsense, Hanta. By the end of the week, we will get you a date with Todoroki. Trust me.” Mina gave Hanta a blinding smile and he almost believed her too. “We just need a plan! So guys, start brainstorming! How do we get Hanta a date with Todoroki?”
“He could get Todoroki a gift to show him he likes him,” Denki threw out.
“I don’t know, I think Todoroki is too dense for that. But good idea Denki.” Mina looked at the other two.
“We could ask Midoriya and the others for help. They are really good friends with Todoroki,” Eijirou provided.
“No way are we asking Deku and his group of extras for help!” Katsuki aimed a glare at Eijirou’s head. “Besides that shitty nerd can’t keep a damn secret. Just ask Icy-Hot out on a date, Tape Arms!”
“The direct approach: I like it! Now we just need a place for Hanta to take him. I’m thinking movies.” Mina looked to the others for ideas.
“I dig that idea, Mina!” Eijirou yelled exuberantly.
“I don’t think I have the confidence to ask out Todoroki,” Hanta replied nervously.
“Not a problem. I’ll be there with you when you ask him out.” Denki gave Hanta a reassuring smile. “I’ll be your confidence boost. Just count on me!”
“Really?” Hanta looked around at his friends all giving looks of support. Even Katsuki was showing his support, in his own Katsuki way. “You guys are the best!”
~8~
Hanta was sitting at his desk, looking at the clock tick nervously by. It was Friday and he was waiting for class to end so that he could out Todoroki on a date. He was super nervous, practically shaking at his desk. He really hoped that Todoroki didn’t notice his nervousness. Kyouka did happen to notice and decided to comment on it. “Hey Han, why are you so shaky back there?”
“I feel like my heart is trying to beat out of my chest. I-uh, I’m planning on asking Todoroki to go to the movies with me tonight. On a date. Denki said that he was going to be there to help give me confidence when I ask him, but I’m still pretty nervous,” Hanta whispered back nervously. Then he got an idea. “Hey, you’re dating Yao-Momo. Do you have any last minute advice?” Kyouka thought for a moment.
“Hard to say. Momo and Todoroki are pretty different, but they are pretty good friends. Hm, be direct. Make sure he knows that it’s a date. Have confidence and don’t doubt yourself. Best I got.”
“Thanks Kyouka.” Hanta gave her a smile in appreciation.
“No problem. You get your man.” Kyouka gave him a thumbs up. Pretty soon, Aizawa dismissed class for the day. Hanta got up from his desk and steadied himself. Denki stood next to him and placed his hand on Hanta’s shoulder.
“You ready for this?”
“I think so. Let’s do it.” The two boys approached Todoroki, who was engrossed in a conversation with Midoriya and Iida. Hanta breathed in slightly and steeled his nerves. “H-hey Todoroki. Do you think I could talk to you for a second?” Todoroki looked away from Midoriya and at Hanta.
“Ok. Pardon me for a moment, Midoriya, Iida.” The two mentioned nodded and the small group went into the hallway. “What did you need to talk to me about Sero? And why is Kaminari here too?”
“Well uh-” Hanta stopped short. He looked over to Denki for help.
“Well, Todoroki, my dear friend Hanta here would like to ask you a question.” Denki was about to say more, but Shinsou walked out of the classroom and right by the group. Denki watched as Shinsou walked by and he started to walk after him.
“Hey Shinsou.” The tired boy ignored the blonde and continued on. Denki followed after him.
“D-denki! Where are you going?” Hanta called after his friend, but he didn’t seem to hear him. Hanta looked back at Todoroki who was looking to him in confusion. Hanta opened his mouth to try to continue without Denki, but he was, pun unintended, frozen.
“Sero, are you ok?” Todoroki looked at Hanta slightly concerned. Before Hanta could try to flounder a response, his savior came, in the form of Kyouka.
“Hey Hanta. Hey Todoroki.” She lightly placed her hand on Hanta’s shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. Hanta was relieved at Kyouka’s appearance and regained his confidence. He turned to Todoroki.
“Todoroki, I want to know if you’d like to go with me to the movies tonight? Just you and me.” Todoroki looked like he was about to respond when Hanta cut him off. “On a date. A romantic date.” Hanta was both relieved and even more nervous than before. He looked at Todoroki anxiously, trying to judge his reaction. Todoroki’s reaction was hard to judge, with him being very stoic, though there did seem to be a faint blush on his face. Todoroki looked away from Hanta and his blush seemed to grow a little deeper.
“Y-yeah, I’d like to go to the movies with you.” Hanta was sure he was about to spontaneously combust. After a while, he forgot to respond. Then Kyouka poked Hanta in the arm.
“Ah, right. Meet in the common room at 7?”
“Yeah, meet you then.” And then Todoroki walked away, slightly steaming. Hanta was frozen for a second and then he started to scream internally. Kyouka removed her hand from his shoulder and gave him a hard pat on the back.
“Good job, Han. You got your date. Knew you could do it.” She gave him a thumbs up.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it weren't for you. Thanks Kyouka.”
“Well, shouldn’t you go get ready for your date?”
“Yeah, I will.”
~8~
Hanta was standing in the common room, waiting for Todoroki. When he got back to the dorm, he was dragged into Mina’s room by the rest of his friends, demanding to know what happened. After explaining the good news, and Denki profusely apologizing for abandoning him, the squad proceeded to help him get ready for his date. It took them the better part of an hour, but he finally felt ready. He looked up from his phone when he heard someone clearing their throat. Todoroki was standing awkwardly by the couch. “Uh, hi Sero. I’m here for our date.” Todoroki looked everywhere except Hanta.
“Ok well, let’s head out then.” The two left the dorms and started to head towards the movie theater. As they were walking down the street, Hanta looked over to Todoroki. He noticed that Todoroki seemed even more nervous than before. He placed his hand on Todoroki’s shoulder. “Are you ok Todoroki?” Todoroki jolted slightly at the touch.
“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m sorry I’m so awkward. It’s just…” He paused for a moment, seeming embarrassed. “I’ve uh, never been on a date before.” Hanta chuckled a little. He noticed his mistake though when Todoroki looked away and blushed in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t laughing at you. I just thought it was kind of funny that someone as cool and attractive as you has never been on a date before.” Hanta realized what he said and started to blush himself. It looked like Todoroki was steaming again.
“You really think I’m cool and attractive?”
“Y-yeah, I do.”
“Oh, um, t-thank you. You are as well.” Hanta’s entire chest filled with extreme warmth at that comment. He was about to reach out and take Todoroki’s hand, but paused and moved his hand away.
“Oh, uh, we’re here.” The two walked into the theater. Hanta walked to the ticket taker and gave them the two tickets he had.
“So, what movie are we watching?”
“It’s a comedy movie! I heard that it was supposed to be really funny, so I thought it was a good idea.”
“Sounds like fun.” Hanta and Todoroki made their way into the theater room that was playing the movie they were watching. They sat through the commercials and previews in mostly silence, unless one of them commented on a cool looking new movie. Soon, the movie started up and they remained quiet. That didn’t last very long. The movie had many jokes in it that made the theater erupt in laughter. Hanta would laugh very loudly at most of the jokes; Todoroki, however, would only occasionally chuckle. The movie had made it through about half of it’s runtime when something happened that Hanta would never forget. A particularly funny joke was said and Todoroki’s face lit up in the brightest smile Hanta had ever seen on his stoic classmate's face. Todoroki then exploded into a fit of laughter and Hanta was sure that his heart stopped right then and there. His heart was filled with affection and before he could think about it, he reached over and grabbed Todoroki’s hand. Said boy ceased his laughter and looked at his companion with a large blush on his face. Hanta, believing to have made a mistake, let go of Todoroki’s hand. He was quite surprised when Todoroki grabbed his hand back almost immediately. Hanta blushed heavily, but didn’t pull away. The two remained like that for the rest of the movie, each with their own bright face. When the movie was over, the two walked out of the building and stood outside of the building awkwardly for a few minutes. Todoroki spoke up first. “I had a really good time tonight.”
“Yeah, me too. I’m really happy that you decided to come with me tonight,” Hanta replied, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It means a lot to me. So, I guess we should head back to the dorms.” Hanta turned to leave, assuming Todoroki was following him, when he was spun around by the very boy. Todoroki’s face was the brightest it had been all night and his hands seemed really shaky. His quirk also seemed to be acting up because he was steaming and frosting over. Hanta was about to ask him if he was ok, when Todoroki covered his mouth with his hand.
“There’s something I need to tell you. Something important.” Hanta nodded his head and Todoroki uncovered his mouth. He placed both his hands on Hanta’s shoulders. “I’m… not very good with feelings, but I’m pretty sure I know what I’m feeling this time. Everything about you is amazing: your laugh, your smile, your confidence. I know everyone assumes me to be super confident with this kind of stuff, but I’m completely clueless. What I do know is that I want to be with you more. When you held my hand, I felt a warmth that I’ve never felt before. I want more of that feeling and more of you. I don’t know what the next step is, but I want to take it with you.” Todoroki looked up at Hanta after his long confession. Hanta was at a loss for words. He didn’t expect this to come from just one date or at all if he was being honest with himself. Todoroki seemed to take his silence as a bad thing, however, and removed his hands and looked down at the ground. “I-I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have-” He was cut off by Hanta speaking.
“No, don’t say that. You’re fine. I was just… a little shocked I guess. But, I definitely feel the same. I want to be with you too.” That put the smile back on Todoroki’s face. He reached to take Hanta’s hand, but hesitated.
“C-can I hold your hand?” Hanta nodded his head eagerly. Todoroki took his hand and held on fairly tightly. “So, what does this make us?”
“Well, what do you want us to be?”
“Definitely more than friends, but I don’t really know what that means or entails.”
“Well, we can put what we call it on hold for now and work out the details as we go. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good.” And with that, they made their way back to UA, hand in hand.