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“I would love to watch a movie with you tonight,” Todoroki said, causing you to smile widely. “But--” your smile dropped, “--I already promised Yaoyorozu I’d train with her later.”
There was a guarded expression on your face as you tilted your head to the side. “Oh?”
He nodded. “She helped me with our English assignment earlier this week and I thought it’d be nice to return the favor.”
“Oh.” You gave him a small smile that was only a tiny bit forced.
You knew Shouto and Momo had always been close, and for the most part you had no problems about it. She was a great friend and one of the kindest, most caring people you had ever met. She was beautiful and sweet and lately had been spending more time with your boyfriend than you did.
But you had no problems with that whatsoever.
As the beginnings of a scowl began to form, Shouto tilted his head at you in question. “Would you like to join us?”
Us? Since when were he and Yaomomo an us ? You bit the inside of your lip before shaking your head.
You trusted both of them and knew there was nothing going on between the two, but you still couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in your stomach. Perhaps it was due to the alarming amount of times these past few weeks he blew you off to hang out with her.
Part of it was understandable. They had plenty of things in common and they worked well as a team both on the field and off. There was always a nagging thought in the back of your mind that Todoroki and Yaoyorozu would’ve been perfect together, but you hardly paid the idea any attention.
That was, until now.
You cleared your throat, rolling your shoulders back as you tried to rid yourself of your negative thoughts. You were beginning to grow anxious from your overthinking and you knew nothing good could come from that.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” you said, shrugging. With a sigh, you held his hand in yours, trying your hardest to smile. “How about we hang out tomorrow instead? We can get go out for dinner or just hang out at my dorm. Anything , Shouto. It’s been a while since just the two of us got to be with each other.”
The way the corners of his lips tilted downwards was enough to make your stomach flop-- And not in a good way.
“I’m sorry, Y/N,” said Todoroki, giving your hand a firm squeeze. “I really would, but Yaoyorozu asked if we--”
Your hand felt like it had been burned and you snatched it away from him with such force, his words died in his throat.
You tried to be understanding, you really did, but this was getting downright ridiculous. Shouto was your boyfriend, but with the amount of times he blew you off to hang out with Yaoyorozu, he might as well have been hers.
“You’re busy tonight and tomorrow night? With Yaomomo?” you asked, trying to keep the hurt out of your sharp voice. “And you couldn’t hang out last Friday either. Or the Monday before that!”
“I… Are you upset with me?” There was concern in his tone as he made a move to lace his fingers through yours once more. He rubbed the pad of his thumb in soothing circles against the inside of your wrist before suggesting, “You could join us if you want to spend more time together. I’d love to have you there and Yaoyorozu wouldn’t mind.”
He was missing the entire point! You wanted to scream and get angry, but you pressed your lips shut instead. It was hard to be mad at someone so oblivious to the situation at hand. And you knew that you not wanting to tell him the insecurities you felt wasn’t helping either of you either.
But no matter what you said to yourself, you simply couldn’t tell him.
What if he thought you were being clingy and insecure? Did you being jealous of Momo mean you didn’t want him spending time with one of his closest friends? (Of course it didn’t, but what if Shouto thought that’s what you meant? It would be better for everyone if you just kept your worries to yourself.)
“No, it’s...fine,” you said with a small smile, bringing his hand that was holding yours close to your face. You leaned your cheek against his warmth before letting go. “It’s no big deal, Shoucchan. Really.”
“Are you sure, Y/N?”
You nodded, giving him a thumbs up before heading to the front of the room. “Class is about to start, so I better head to my seat!”
Todoroki peered intently at you, but seemed to believe your words. After all, he didn’t see a reason why you would lie or hide the truth from him. “Of course. Later, then.”
“Later.”
You kept a smile on your face as you walked to your desk in the front of class, only letting it drop once you plopped down into your seat. As you rested your chin in your palm, you let out a quiet sigh, only to be disrupted by your annoying classmate behind you.
“Tch. Idiots.”
Your back tensed as you turned around to face the the desk behind you. “Are you talking about me?”
“Yeah. You and Icy Hot,” replied Bakugou with an eye roll. “And Ponytail over there, too.”
“And why exactly are we idiots ?” you challenged, quirking a brow at him.
“Well that dumbass Half-and-Half over there is an idiot for not realizing how him consistently blowing you off is affecting you.”
You blinked, taken aback be his words. If even Bakugou noticed before your own boyfriend, then you certainly had a reason to worry.
“I always knew he was oblivious, but I didn’t think he was this dense,” he scoffed. You opened your mouth to defend Todoroki, but were cut off by his harsh voice. “And you !”
You stared at him with wide eyes as you pointed to yourself. “Me?”
Bakugou glowered. “Yes, you. Dumbass. You’re an idiot for not telling him how you really feel. How do you expect someone as dense as Icy Hot to figure it out if you keep telling him everything’s okay.”
“That’s because everything is okay!” you said defensively. You glared at him. You didn’t have to explain yourself or your relationship to some eavesdropper.
“Which explains why the tension was so thick you everyone in the room could feel it,” he mocked. He considered his words before shrugging. “Well everyone except your incredibly intelligent boyfriend.”
“You leave him alone!” Folding your arms at his blatant sarcasm, you puffed your cheeks up. “Stop saying rude things about Shouto. It’s my fault for not telling him, anyway.”
Bakugou’s frown deepened but you could’ve sworn the expression on his face grew ever so slightly softer. “Tch. It’s not all your fault, okay? He should be able to tell something is bothering you, but since he can’t, all you can do is tell him yourself.”
You were startled by his harsh, yet well-meaningful attempt to comfort you, and you knew he was right-- The easy way to solve this problem was to tell Shouto. But you couldn’t .
A small but profound part of you wondered if he was getting bored of you. Months ago, you were over the moon when you started dating him and you thought Todoroki felt the same way. But lately, he’d been making less and less of an effort to hang out with you and you couldn’t help but think it was because his feelings were fading away. That maybe the more time he spent with you, the more he realized he didn’t want to stay.
You couldn’t possibly admit that to him-- No matter how much it hurt.
“I…” your voice trailed off as you took a shaky breath. “I don’t want to tell him, Bakugou. Okay?”
He looked at you incredulously, but didn’t push. “Okay. But then how is he ever going to know you’re jealous?”
That was a valid question.
How could one of the densest guys you knew (you loved Shouto, but even you couldn’t deny the fact) figure out your feelings if you tried so hard to keep them hidden? Especially if he had never felt those said feelings himself.
Your eyes widened as you slapped your hand against the top of Bakugou’s desk. He jumped in alarm before flipping you off.
“I have an idea!” you whispered in excitement.
“All Might save us all,” he muttered, clenching his jaw.
You ignored him. Nothing could deter you from your incredible plan. “Listen-- Maybe Todoroki will understand I’m jealous if he feels jealousy himself!”
“Y/L/N…”
As you said the words aloud, you realized just how genius they were. “That’s definitely it!” you cried with a nod. “How could I have expected him to know how I’m feeling if the emotion is probably one he never experienced?”
Katsuki gave you a blank stare, probably wishing he sat anywhere else in class but here.
“Don’t you see?” you asked conspiratorially. “We just have to make Shouto jealous and then everything will fall into place!”
He shook his head. “No-- You listen here.”
You sat back in your seat with a pout.
“First of all,” he started, “there is no ‘we’. This ridiculous plan that will blow up in your ass is all yours.” Bakugou ran his fingers through his hair and glanced surreptitiously back at Todoroki and Yaoyorozu seated in the back of the room. “And second of all, why go through all the trouble when you can just stop lying to him and confess how you feel?!”
Following his hesitant gaze, you noticed Momo and your boyfriend talking to each other while at their desks. They leaned closer together to hear what the other had to say and when Shouto laughed at something she told him, your chest tightened uncomfortably.
You bit your lip, tearing your eyes away from the painful scene and looked back towards Bakugou who was trying not to look sympathetic.
“It’s because going through all this trouble is worth finally being able to figure out if he still has feelings for me, okay?” you forced out, voice small as your vision grew blurry with unshed tears.
“Y/L/N…”
You shook your head, interrupting him. “He spends all his time with Momo and she makes him so happy. You can see how obvious that is if you just look at them even right now,” you said, your cheeks growing embarrassingly wet. “What if he’s happier with her than he is with me but doesn’t want to tell me? What if he doesn’t have feelings for me anymore and I’m only fooling myself--?”
“Stop crying, dumbass!” he cried in alarm, backing away with a slightly look of disgust at the waterworks in front of him. “Icy Hot obviously still likes you-- He’s just a big fucking moron.”
That did absolutely nothing to help with your crying.
Bakugou growled, growing annoyed with your silent sobs. “Look, stop the tears already! I’ll be part of your stupid plan!”
You stared up at him in surprise. “You will?”
“Maybe,” he grumbled. “What do I get in return?”
With a shaky breath, you wiped a stray tear from the corner of your eye. You would have time to cry later on, but for now, you had a plan to formulate.
“I have two tickets for a concert next month to Kirishima’s favorite group,” you said once your breathing returned to normal.
“And?”
“And I can give them to you so you can take him.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why the fuck would I want to bring Shitty Hair to a dumb concert?”
“You’re not the only observant one in this class,” you said teasingly, forgetting your earlier tears and grinning cheekily at him. “The concert is next month… And it’s already all sold out… I bet he’d really appreciate the tickets…”
Katsuki held your gaze with a glare so intense your eyebrows felt like they were going to catch on fire. Heaving a sigh, he looked away, annoyed. “They better be some good fucking seats, dumbass.”
“They’re floor seats right in front of the B-stage.”
“Fine,” he said with a glower. “You have yourself a deal.”
- - - - -
The beginning parts of the plan were the hardest.
It involved you spending less time with your beloved boyfriend and more time with quite possibly the most infuriating person you had ever met.
But in order for Todoroki to actually be jealous, he would have to think you and Bakugou had (heaven forbid) some sort of connection and liking towards each other. And since Shouto was oblivious as he was, planting that thought into his mind took more effort and time than either you or Katsuki could have mentally prepared for.
“Is this stupid plan of yours almost over?” grumbled Bakugou, sprawled out on your bed, forcing you to take the floor.
“Yes-- Thank goodness,” you bit back. “All we have left is tonight. And if tonight isn’t enough, then it’s official. Todoroki no longer loves me.”
With unnerving force, Katsuki grabbed a pillow from behind him and chucked it at your head. “No, you dumbass! The only thing it would prove is your plan was stupid like I said.”
You caught the pillow as it bounced off your face, rubbing your nose as he sat up.
His gaze was stern, but when he saw the look of concern that clouded the forced smile on your face, he sighed, getting off the bed to sit next to you. “I still think you should just tell him how you feel and stop this before it gets out of hand. But since reasoning with you obviously isn’t working right now, just…stop worrying, Y/L/N. He will notice and get jealous. Even he can’t possibly be dense enough not to.”
“You really think so?”
“Did you lose your hearing or something? I just said that I thought so,” he said, lip quirking downwards in irritation. “And even if it doesn’t work, you still owe me those tickets. Shitty Hair wouldn’t stop talking about the group the other day and taking him to the concert will be the only way to shut him up.”
Sure. That was the reason he wanted to take Kirishima, you thought with a smirk.
Despite his dismissive attitude, the soft look in his eyes told you a different story. As much as the two of you got on each other’s nerves, you did grow to care for each other along the way.
“Listen, there’s no use in worrying about it, okay? Let’s just see what happens before you annoy me even more with your constant chattering.”
You smiled as he rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Bakugou. You’ll definitely be getting those tickets regardless of what happens.”
He snorted. “Good. That’s all I care about.”
That was a blatant lie, but you let it slide, instead standing up from your seat and walking towards your door with a grin. Tonight was a class movie night in the common room and coincidentally the perfect opportunity to make Todoroki jealous.
You were to sit next to Bakugou and leave no space for your boyfriend and then obnoxiously (if you were less than obnoxious, Todoroki wouldn’t notice a thing) talk and laugh with Katsuki until you got some sort of reaction out of Shouto. And while it pained you to try to get a rise out of him like that, you genuinely believed this was the only to figure out if he truly still had feelings for you.
“Hey, Y/N,” you heard his soft-spoken voice from behind you as you made yourself comfortable in your seat on the couch next to Bakugou.
“Oh-- Hi, Shouto,” you greeted, giving him a smile but making no move to make some space for him.
When Todoroki moved to squeeze in next to you, you nudged Bakugou on the side.
“Oi!” he exclaimed as he rubbed his ribs, glaring as you tried to communicate with him through the frantic look in your eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to get it. “Scoot over, Y/L/N. I don’t have enough room over here.”
You shifted over to the very edge of the sofa before Shouto could sit down, pretending to looking irritated at Katsuki for telling you what to do. “Is that better?”
“Much.”
Todoroki glanced at the once empty spot that was now filled by your folded legs and Bakugou’s fat ass, but shrugged, heading over to the open seat in the couch adjacent to yours. The open seat that just so happened to be right next to Yaoyorozu.
You threw your head back against the cushion, wishing the surface was something harder. The world loved its irony.
As the movie marathon started, you tried not to be too downcast about your boyfriend not putting more of an effort to sit next to you. After all, there would be plenty of other opportunities to make Shouto jealous throughout the night.
When a particularly amusing scene came on, Katsuki made a snide remark under his breath and you ran with it.
“ Ha ha ha! Bakugou-kun! Ha! You’re so funny!” you said in between laughter, clutching your sides as your classmates glanced over at you in concern.
Beside you, Bakugou shrank down in his seat, tips of his ears growing red as he massaged his temples with his index and middle fingers.
“Calm the fuck down,” he hissed quietly to you, an angry look of embarrassment on his face before turning to your friends who were staring curiously at the obviously forced fit of laughter in front of them. “What the fuck are you all looking at?! The screen’s that way.”
When the attention was no longer on you the two of you, you whispered, “Sorry. Maybe that was a little too obnoxious…?”
“A little?!”
You held your hands up defensively, turning back to the movie with a sheepish expression.
Okay, so maybe you weren’t the best at this whole acting thing, and yet somehow, throughout the whole shitshow, Todoroki only looked over at you once-- And that was only because your forced laugh sounded like you were choking and he grew worried.
The first attempt was an utter failure but you had the remainder of night.
During the rest of the first movie, you and Bakugou kept making smartass remarks about the plot and your giggles went from visibly fake to genuinely amused. His wit and sarcasm made him a lot funnier than you originally gave him credit for and you reckoned he wasn’t the worst person to be stuck with all night.
In fact, you were enjoying yourself and the movie so much, you didn’t even notice Shouto’s staring growing longer and more intense as his fingers dug into the edge of the armrest.
“Icy Hot’s looking this way,” said Katsuki quietly, leaning towards you so no one heard what he whispered.
Your eyes widened in surprise but you made sure not to look over and give the plan away. “Really? He’s looking here?”
“Isn’t that what I just fucking said?”
“Watch your mouth! You make my head hurt.”
“Look who’s fucking talking.”
By the time you and Bakugou finished bickering over absolutely nothing, you looked over to the screen to find that the first movie was almost over. And throughout the two hours, Todoroki still had not given any indication of jealousy other than the supposed staring.
As you grew more and more helpless, a last-ditch idea popped into your head. You strategically placed your head on Katsuki’s shoulder, blinking blearily in faux drowsiness.
His shoulder bumped your jaw as he involuntarily twitched, looking down at you with a wrinkled nose and lips curled in a mixture of confusion and distaste. But your expression pleaded with him to go along with it.
“Isn’t this going too far?”
“I’m desperate,” you said in a defeated voice. “This is the last attempt and if it doesn’t work… I’ll officially give up on us.”
Bakugou shook his head. “Or--instead of that nonsense--what you could give up on is your stupid plan and simply tell him how you’ve been feeling.”
“Solid advice coming from the most tsundere person I’ve met,” you shot back.
He grunted but couldn’t argue with that logic. “Whatever, dumbass.”
You rolled your eyes before briefly shutting them, unable to shake the feeling of guilt in your chest. Yes, you were jealous of how much time Yaoyorozu and Todoroki had been spending together, but you were certain he wasn’t doing anything to purposefully make you feel that way.
And yet, you let your insecurities and fears drive you to try to make the man you loved feel a way no one deserved to feel.
Sighing deeply, your eyes shot open as you were about to lift your head and apologize to both Bakugou (even though he was willing, it still wasn’t right) and Todoroki. But the sight in front of you rendered you speechless.
With a dark look clouding the normally calm and content expression on his face, Shouto stood mere inches in front of you and Bakugou on the sofa, his hands curled into fists by his sides.
“Y/N,” he said in a strangled voice as he tried to control his volume. “Can we talk for a second?”
You blinked a few times before nodding, pushing yourself off the couch and exchanging glances with Katsuki as the rest of the class pretended not to be intrigued by the potential drama.
At the incessant ogling of your peers, you jutted your chin towards the stairs. “Want to talk in private?”
He nodded almost imperceptibly, his face unreadable as he stormed up to the second floor with you in tow. The tension in the air was thick as you walked there in silence and--though you supposed you got the reaction you wanted (which was to say, any reaction at all to let you know he cared)--you still felt terrible.
“What the hell was that?” Todoroki finally asked as the two of you stopped in the middle of the hallway.
The way he glared made the room feel as if it had dropped 20 degrees.
You gulped. “What do you mean?”
“Are you seriously asking me that, Y/L/N?” he said harshly, causing you to wince. He was right. Stupid question and you knew it. “This whole night you and Bakugou were practically flirting right in front of my face. And then when you laid your head down on him like that? If anyone were to have walked in, it would’ve looked like the two of you were the ones dating!”
You stayed quiet, taking in the subtle fluctuations in temperature as Todoroki fought to keep his control.
“And not only that… These past few weeks you hardly wanted to spend time with me. It was always ‘you and Bakugou this’ or ‘you and Bakugou that’… Y/N, what’s going on with us?”
“You… You actually noticed?” you asked with a surprised blink.
His voice was appalled as he retorted, “How could I not notice when I had to witness it every day-- In class and out of it? Do you no longer have feelings for me anymore? Is it… Is it Bakugou you like now?”
Your stomach dropped as his tone grew defeated. Earlier he sounded angry and jealous--which, you supposed was the reaction you wanted in the first place (of course, you cursed how stupid that was only when it was too late)--but now, Todoroki simply seemed hurt and withdrawn.
“Shouto,” you said softly, shaking your head, “that’s not it at all.”
“Then what is it?”
“I was only trying to make you jealous, okay? You kept blowing me off to hang out with Yaoyorozu and I noticed how she makes you smile and laugh so easily-- I could never do that,” you broke off with a shaky breath. “You two would be perfect together and everyone knows it, Shouto.”
His eyes widened in realization as he took a step closer to you. But before he could reply, you held your hand up, giving him a small smile.
“But that’s not what’s important right now,” you said, wiping your clammy palms along the sides of your pants. “What’s most important is me apologizing for purposefully trying to hurt you like this.”
“Y/N…”
“I was angry and jealous and I was too scared and insecure to tell you that,” you rambled, speaking so fast the words had trouble coming out of your mouth in a coherent fashion. “I thought you liked spending time with Momo more than you did with me so I dragged Bakugou into this stupid plan to make you jealous--”
Todoroki opened his mouth, but you continued on.
“And it wasn’t his fault either! He tried to talk me out of it but I bribed him and it was wrong of me to do that to either of you and… I’m so sorry for making you feel this way.”
When you finished your spiel, you peered up at him apologetically, bowing your head slightly in shame. But instead of the reprimand you thought you deserved, Shouto simply moved closer to you, smoothing down your hair and tucking a strand behind your ear.
“What way?” he asked quietly, all the traces of anger and bitterness gone. “The way you were feeling this whole time but I was too dense to notice?”
You stared in surprise.
“I should apologize as well, Y/N. I didn’t mean to blow you off for Yaoyorozu and I should’ve understood how that might make you feel regardless of whether or not you told me yourself. She’s a friend but you’re the one I love. No one else can make me as happy as you do simply by existing. And I should’ve been more clear about that.”
Fervently, you shook your head at his apology. “It’s not your fault at all! I love you too and I shouldn’t have tried to make you jealous.”
“You shouldn’t have-- No,” said Todoroki, ruffling the top of your head with a wry grin. “But I understand why you did. I didn’t pay enough attention to what you were trying to tell me the first time you brought something up. And I didn’t make enough effort to spend time with you.”
Your stomach flipped at his heartfelt apology. His body was close to yours as your hand found its way into his own.
“It’s not your fault,” you repeated under your breath, lacing your fingers between his.
“And it’s not yours either.”
“I should’ve communicated more.”
“And I should’ve been more attentive,” he countered, bringing your interlocked hands to his lips as he pressed a chaste kiss against your knuckles. “There are plenty of things we both could’ve done differently, but there’s no changing that now. All I know is I love you and I don’t want you to feel that way ever again.”
You nodded, slowly wrapping your free arm around his torso as you leaned against the comfort of his chest. Shouto rested his chin on top of your head and you breathed in deeply, feeling at home in his embrace. He was strong and gentle, passionate and soothing, and you had never felt safer than the moments you were in his arms.
“Next time,” you mumbled into his shirt, “I promise to talk to you if anything is bothering me.”
“Thank you.” Todoroki nuzzled his cheek against you. “And I promise to be more observant and thoughtful of your feelings.”
You beamed, pulling away to stare up at him in adoration. “Thank you. I really missed you, Shouto. I miss talking to you and holding you like this and just spending time together.”
“I missed you so much, too,” he admitted, smiling as a light blush took over his face. “How about we leave movie night a little early and head up to my room? I’m sure our classmates will miss us, but they’re not the ones I care about most right now.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
Shouto leaned down as you cupped his jaw, your thumb lightly stroking the high points of his cheekbones. Before you could press your lips against his, you heard an exaggerated cough from behind the wall as a spiky head of blond hair peaked out from the corner. Your eyes narrowed at the interruption.
“Listen, before you two get all gross and affectionate… Could I get the concert tickets first?”