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It all started with a sneeze.
Just one dang sneeze.
Todoroki was slightly unsure what exactly happened. One moment he was slouching forward on his desk, struggling to listen to Midnight’s disturbingly thorough lecture on the history of leotards--no that wasn’t right. It was the history of Pro Hero Aerodynamic Fashion . And the next moment a strange burning sensation tickled his nose. He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of the weird feeling, but it only grew, expanding, as a startling heat that was definitely not healthy began to color his face a bright scarlet.
He should have known it was bad when Momo turned to him, eyes widening in concern as she raised an eyebrow at his reddening face.
“Todoroki, are you--”
“AH-CHOOOOO!”
The entire class yelped, diving out of their seats to take cover under their desks as an immense torrent of flames crashed over their heads.
The students cautiously emerged from their shelters, fully expecting to confront a villain who had somehow infiltrated the school. But all they saw was Todoroki, eyes wide, mouth dropped open in uncharacteristic embarrassment as he gawked at the new singe mark decorating the ceiling.
Todoroki sniffed, wrenching his gaze away from the long black gash to meet the eyes of his classmates.
“...I’m sorry?”
He was prepared for insults, for reprimand, maybe even a stern punishment.
What he was not prepared for was the entire class bursting into laughter.
Todoroki pouted as Kirishima pounded a fist against his desk while desperately trying not to choke on his own tongue. Kaminari’s head was tipped back, shamelessly giggling while wiping tears from his eyes, heck, even Bakugou had pursed his lips to stifle a laugh, but he couldn’t hide the teasing smirk that tugged on his mouth.
Todoroki attempted to school his features into a familiar apathetic expression, but when he saw Midoriya, nose scrunched up adorably as he laughed, face already a soft pink from trying to hold back his giggles, the red and white haired boy didn’t have to catch Uraraka’s knowing smile to know he was blushing madly.
He didn’t know how long he’d been staring, but the next thing he knew that same green haired boy was in front of him, graciously offering a tissue. His dazzling emerald eyes danced with mirth and all Todoroki wanted was to reach forward and brush his fingers over that freckled face.
“Thanks…” he murmured as he reached forward to accept the tissue, hand bumping against Midoriya’s.
He blinked as that single touch seemed to make Midoriya short-circuit.
“I-uh-thanks! I mean it’s fine-no I mean you’re welcome! N-no big deal…” Todoroki gulped as the green haired boy bit his lip and shyly ducked his head.
His hair looks so soft…
If he wasn’t blushing before, Todoroki was absolutely certain he was now. Why did he feel the irrational urge to tangle his fingers in that mass of green curls? He took a deep breath, frantically trying to slow his racing heart.
It doesn’t matter, this won’t happen again…
✦ ✦ ✦
“Deku...you’ve got it bad .”
The green haired boy jumped as Uraraka suddenly materialized in front of his desk. “W-what do you m-mean? Got what bad?” The brunette gave him a deadpan expression and Deku laughed nervously under her penetrating stare.
“I mean...you should go talk to Todoroki. After yesterday, it’s obvious he likes you back!”
“L-likes me back?! Who said I like him ?!?!”
Uraraka sighed, leaning forward to gaze intently into her friend’s wide green eyes. “The simple fact that you’re trying so hard to deny it is all I need to know you have a big crush on him.”
Deku fumbled for a response, but just as he opened his mouth to fervently deny her accusation, a rough, exasperated voice cut him off.
“Damn, Deku, you’re the most oblivious little shit ever!” Bakugou snapped, turning around in his seat much to the surprise of his two classmates. “Can’t you actually use your damn nerd brain for once?!”
“Bakugou--” the brunette attempted to interject.
“Lemme handle this, Angel Face.”
Uraraka spluttered, opening and closing her mouth like she was trying to find a comeback, but was coming up short. Deku bit back a laugh at her petulant pout and rosy, well rosier , cheeks.
“Look, Nerd, you n’ Icyhot over there have some weird nerd love goin’ on between you and it’s driving me insane . If I have to see you two damn bastards blush and stare at each other like idiots one more time I’m gonna kill you. So use that crappy nerd brain of yours and take a hint . Half-n-Half likes you, so stop being a damn coward and go get him .”
Deku just stared at him in awe. Did-did Kacchan just give him a pep talk? About love ??
“Woah Bakugou, didn’t know you had it in you,” Uraraka’s eyebrow quirked up in surprise, and...Deku could swear there was a glimmer of fond admiration buried deep in her chocolate brown gaze.
“Shut up, Pink Cheeks, tell anyone that I did this and I’m gonna make you regret it.”
“Well, then, I’m looking forward to it!” Bakugou’s eyes widened as he whirled on her, mouth open to deliver a stinging retort while Midoriya faintly wondered if this was their weird way of flirting. But before the blond could get his words out, Kaminari’s frantic warning popped the little bubble of their conversation.
“DUCK AND COVER!!” The electric quirk user screamed, pointing dramatically at Todoroki, whose nose twitching slightly.
“Ah…”
Several screeching sounds echoed through the suddenly silent classroom as students scrambled under their desks.
“Ah…”
There were a few muttered curses.
“AHHHHHHH...”
They braced for the raging inferno that would no doubt incinerate them if they even dreamed of venturing out of the safety of their temporary shelters.
“Ah- chew. ”
Deku’s head popped up from underneath his desk. Did...did Todoroki just kitten sneeze?
The green haired boy’s eyes widened as a bright pink blush painted over his skin. Todoroki sneezed again, the tiny noise making his eyes scrunch closed and his eyebrows furrow cutely. A cloud of little snowflakes fluttered gently around the boy, some melting as they impacted the ground, others nestling safely in his multi-colored hair. When Todoroki’s eyes opened again, he went cross-eyed looking at a little snowflake that settled on his nose.
If it were possible, Deku’s cheeks reddened even further, skin the color of flame as he fought against the ridiculous grin plastered on his face.
Todoroki was so adorable .
The green haired boy was snapped from his daze when Todoroki sneezed again, and again, and again. He couldn’t stop. A miniature blizzard formed around him as he coughed and sneezed uncontrollably. Deku immediately scurried to his side, embarrassment pricking him as the eyes of his classmates followed his movements, but it was fleeting. He gently rubbed circles on Todoroki’s trembling back and whispered soothing words as the heterochromatic boy’s shoulders curled inward. Deku’s eyes rounded with worry, he could practically feel the heat radiating off of his friend. His condition was not good.
With all the commotion, Aizawa blinked open his blurry eyes, finally peeking out of the fog of sleep. “Midoriya, can you take Todoroki to the nurse? He’s obviously sick,” their teacher yawned, before snuggling back into his sleeping bag.
“Don’t...get...sick…” Todoroki mumbled, coughs wracking his body.
“Well, there’s something wrong. Stop being stubborn and just let us help you!” Deku shot back, earning a surprised look from the other boy at his stern tone. Inwardly, Deku cringed, but he didn’t back down from Todoroki’s multi-colored stare.
Huffing in annoyance, he finally let Deku pull him to his feet, arm wrapped around his shoulders to support him as they staggered to the nurse’s office.
Deku tried his best to focus on his task, but it was impossible not to dwell on the muscles in Todoroki’s slender shoulders, or how silky his hair felt when it brushed against Deku’s skin, or how being this close to him, Deku caught a whiff of his scent. A strange, natural smell of spicy cinnamon and cool mint. Two things that shouldn’t mix, but did. And when it did, it formed something glorious.
“Midoriya?” Todoroki’s voice was smooth and creamy like ice cream. Just as refreshing, and just as sweet.
“Yeah…?” Deku murmured dreamily.
“We’re here.”
“OH! RIGHT!” the green haired boy laughed obnoxiously loudly to cover up how he’d been blatantly staring at his friend before pushing open the door and hurrying inside.
“Midoriya?!” Recovery Girl called out, “Is that you, again?!”
“Uh...yeah it’s me,” Deku smiled nervously as the old lady fixed him with an exasperated glare.
“I can’t believe you hurt yourself, again !”
Todoroki’s wheezing coughs interrupted Deku’s response. “Actually, no it’s Todoroki. I think he’s sick.”
“Not...sick…” Todoroki choked out.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Recovery Girl grumbled, rushing to the other boy’s side and gently guiding him to a bed. “You’re burning up.” Todoroki flinched at her touch, shivering slightly as he curled up on the bed.
The old lady pursed her lips, fingers drumming against her elbow. “I can’t afford to use my quirk on him right now,” she murmured to herself, “I have to save my energy for the dimwits who are no doubt going to hurt themselves sparring today…”
She made a soft noise of realization as she scurried to her medicine cabinet and rifled through the contents. Deku shifted awkwardly, wondering if he should sit down when Recovery Girl appeared at Todoroki’s side again, coaxing open his mouth and popping in a couple of pills.
“He should be completely fine by tomorrow morning,” Deku sighed with relief at her words, “Listen, Midoriya, I have to go watch the sparring rounds in case someone gets hurt, could you look after him for me? This medication is especially... potent so he may be very disoriented, so it isn’t safe to leave him alone.”
Deku froze, mind suddenly running through a countless number of possibilities where this arrangement could go horribly wrong.
...Or it could go horribly right .
Uraraka did say that he should confess to his crush, but the mere thought of it made something deep inside Deku recoil in fear. What if Todoroki rejected him? What if he laughed? What if a villain were to infiltrate the school at that exact moment, blow up a building just as he finished his confession and Deku was forced to wait for days until Todoroki finally had time to tell him--
“Midoriya?”
Deku snapped out of his daze, nodding numbly as the old lady swept passed him and out into the courtyard. Just as she slipped passed he could of sworn she said something, but it was too soft to make out the individual words.
“You really need to work on your mumbling habit, Midoriya…”
✦ ✦ ✦
Todoroki felt fuzzy. His head was like one giant cotton ball superglued to his aching body. The entire world was tinted a strange, cotton-candy pink and for some reason, he just wanted to laugh maniacally at literally everything in the room.
Motion caught is eye and as he turned his head to the side, his entire world started to spin as a bolt of pain split his forehead in half. Wincing, he squinted his eyes to find a concerned-looking Midoriya hovering at his bedside, wringing his hands absentmindedly as those soft green eyes raked over his body. Todoroki wanted to hide, he couldn’t even imagine how terrible he must look right now, hair hopelessly disheveled, eyes drooping, face a sickly pale color, heck, he was probably drooling too.
But Midoriya looked gorgeous.
Wild mane of green hair perfectly ruffled, big eyes the most beautiful shade of emerald and Todoroki could have sworn up and down that each one of his freckles had been meticulously placed to make him look the absolute cutest he could be.
“Midoriya...look cute…” Internally Todoroki screamed, why did I just say that?
“Mmmm like freckles…” Turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!!!
“Touch...hair…?” Inner Todoroki stared, dumbfounded, as each and every thing he thought flashed through his mind only for a moment before stumbling out of his mouth unfiltered. He wanted so badly to crawl into a little hole and just die.
And by the looks of it, Midoriya wanted that too.
The poor boy’s entire face had gone scarlet, eyes hidden by his bangs as his hands clenched tightly at the white sheets on the bed.
Todoroki wanted to cry. Must be that damn medicine!
“Mmm sorry…” he whispered, as spontaneous tears started pricking his eyes. Dang...he really had no control over his emotions, everything was just pouring out of him. All the longing, self-loathing, bitter hope and dark insecurity. He could feel it rising out from deep within him, heating his skin, threatening to bubble over and fall out of his mouth. “...know you don’...like me…”
Midoriya’s gaze suddenly snapped up, those familiar eyes rounded with shock. “You think I don’t like you? ”
Todoroki nodded, trying to turn his head to hide his face, but he ached too much all over to move even an inch. His body vibrated with tension as Midoriya’s mouth dropped open at his answer, fingers tightening further around the sheets.
“W-why would you think that?”
“S’ truth.”
“ No, it’s not. ”
The heterochromatic boy glanced up at his friend in confusion. “No…?”
A wobbly smile spread across Midoriya’s face. Glowing with an anxious hope and nervous excitement. “It c-couldn’t be f-farther from the tr-truth. I...I l-like you.”
Todoroki inhaled sharply, not even noticing the tear that wormed its way down his face. “ Really…?” It came out softer than he thought it would. It was just a whisper, a faint mumble from the tiniest part of himself that dared to hope that Midoriya would want him just as much as Todoroki did.
“Y-yeah…” Midoriya faltered for a single moment before he said it again. Like a prayer. That single word of affirmation echoing over and over again. His voice shook every time he said it, but Todoroki didn’t care. He cherished every single break, treasured all the stutters and mess-ups and jumbled words.
Midoriya liked him.
He liked him.
Him .
Him, Todoroki, the quiet boy in the back of the classroom who didn’t speak unless spoken to, who radiated an intensity that made everyone back away, who had so many bruises and scars hidden underneath his clothes that his body could have been some horrifying, twisted work of art.
And Midoriya wanted him.
Todoroki blinked as a new weight scrambled onto the bed. His eyes fluttered, just on the edge of unconsciousness as lean, strong arms weaved around him in an embrace full of strength, yet laced with tenderness. He struggled to stay awake as fingers carded through his multi-colored hair, soft breath ghosting his ear.
“Sleep tight…”
“Don’t...go... please, ” he whispered as the world dissolved into darkness around him.
“Trust me…” Midoriya mumbled, knowing Todoroki was too exhausted to hear. He curled around the boy, daring to press a kiss to his forehead, “I’m never going to leave.”