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Having been homeschooled his entire life, Shouto did not know what to expect when he started going to UA. Obviously, he knew that he would have a group of classmates that stuck with each other for their entire time there but he had assumed that all of them would be like him, no-nonsense and no time for friends. Boy was he wrong. All around him the entire class was partnering up and laughing about inside jokes. It was only the fifth day of school, they had been off the day after the USJ Incident, and everyone already seemed overly fond of making friends. The only other person who wasn’t keen on making friends, besides Shouto, was Bakugou, though he wasn’t a person Shouto wanted to really be compared to. The perpetually angry boy with an explosion quirk seemed to hate his supposed childhood friend, Izuku Midoriya. Shouto had been confused at first as to how Midoriya and Bakugou could be friends until he overheard Midoriya telling Iida, the class president, and Uraraka, the infinity girl, that they had known each other for practically their entire lives. And no Shouto had not been eavesdropping. He simply wanted to know more about the boy All Might had picked. It’s not like he sat near them so he could listen to Midoriya talk excitedly about class and heroes or anything.
Even though Shouto hadn’t spoken it aloud yet, Midoriya was his rival and obviously he was trying to get as much information so that he could beat him. If anything, Midoriya had the potential to be the biggest distraction for Shouto because when he wasn’t thinking about how much he hated his father or what to do to become a hero, he was thinking of Midoriya. How could someone creep into his mind that quickly when he’d known him for only five days and spoken barely anything to him? The only explanation for Shouto was that they were meant to be rivals. Endeavor, his father, and All Might, Midoriya’s father, were rivals so it made sense that he and Midoriya should also be rivals.
Currently, Shouto sat in Present Mic’s class listening to him explain their first project. He spoke into a microphone as did all of their teachers, the only strange thing was that it was never amplified within the classroom itself but Shouto shrugged it off. “You will be split into pairs and given a hero at random to critique. The connotation of the critique is up to you, however, you must include at least three positive points and three negative points. After writing an essay critique, you will be presenting your critique to the class. One of you will discuss the positive point and the other will discuss the negative points.” A couple of people raised their hands so he continued, “Partners were already chosen at random.” A few hands went down. “This will be done in English and will be graded on content, argument, presentation, and grammar.” The rest of the hands went down.
On Shouto’s desk, sat the project outline and everything Present Mic was explaining could be found in it. He knew because he already glanced through it. He figured it was so that some of their classmates had a physical copy of the directions and couldn’t pretend like they never got the instructions. However, out of the corner of his eye, Shouto noticed Midoriya leaned forward and listening intently to Present Mic speak as if he were internalizing everything. It was as Midoriya needed to see Present Mic in order to hear him.
Present Mic began his list of pairs. As long as I’m not with Mineta or Bakugou, I should be alright. “Todoroki and Midoriya will be paired up and will do…how unfortunate…Endeavor.” Midoriya turned around and sent a sunshine smile at Shouto. I’m absolutely screwed to hell and back. With his best effort, Shouto forced his face to remain even which caused a frown to cloud Midoriya’s expression. For some unknown reason, this caused Shouto’s stomach to drop and he frowned in response. Midoriya is your rival, it doesn’t matter if you don’t smile back when he radiates like the sun to you.
The rest of the pairs were named and everyone moved around to meet with their partners. Before Shouto could even contemplate standing up, Midoriya was standing in front of him shifting from one foot to the other. “Hey, Todoroki-Kun, how are you?”
“Skip the pleasantries and sit down,” Shouto said with his arms crossed over his chest. Midoriya pulled the chair from the desk in front of him and turned it around before he plopped himself down. He fidgeted with the hem of his uniform jacket while chewing his lip. “Is there something you want to say?” Shouto asked, his voice coming out harsher than intended which caused Midoriya to flinch. A frown spread across Shouto’s face and he couldn’t help narrowing his eyes at the other boy. What could have caused Midoriya to flinch when I talk that way? Eyes scanned the room seemingly without purpose, as he tried to understand until they landed on someone. Bakugou. Eyes narrowed and it was met with a snarl from Bakugou.
As if sensing a fight, Midoriya spoke up and his voice cracked slightly, “Todoroki-Kun.” Just as Shotuo turned his head, Midoriya cleared his throat and spoke in a more determined voice, “A lot of groups are probably going to write positive reviews.” He paused as if to study Shouto, who simply nodded. “So I was thinking, and I know that Endeavor is your father, but I was thinking that we write either a negative review or…” he trailed off.
A grin spread across Shouto’s face, “We can write a negative review. Just because he’s my father doesn’t mean I can’t see he needs to drastically improve.” Midoriya was silent for a span of a few seconds as he blinked owlishly at Shouto with eyes like glistening emeralds. Shaking his head, Shouto continued, “I was actually going to suggest that we do a negative critique anyway so I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Oh good!” Midoriya said as he picked again at the hem of his jacket. “Did you want to come over to my house tonight? We can work on it together. My mom is pretty cool and loves having people over so she would make you whatever you want. Plus I have tons of notebooks where I’ve analyzed different heroes and even though Endeavor’s never been anywhere near the top of my list of favorite heroes, I still analyzed him.” He continued his explanation and some of the people around them started giving him looks but Shouto didn’t mind. Sure he would have preferred to take charge of everything but having someone that didn’t mind talking so that he didn’t have to was great.
“How far do you live?” Shouto interrupted, uncrossing his arms finally.
“Oh,” Midoriya blushed and scratched the back of his head. “Not too far, just on the other side of town in the apartments over there.”
“Then we can start it tonight and hopefully get it finished,” Shouto replied. “I’ll tell my sister that I’m doing a project for school and will be home late.”
“Sounds good,” Midoriya smiled shyly. “Did you want to exchange numbers so that we can discuss it and plan for the presentation outside of today?” Quickly, Shouto agreed and shoved his phone at Midoriya, he didn’t need the other boy smiling at him like that. They were rivals and nothing more. “Thanks, Todoroki-Kun.” He shows his true nature when I’m calmer with him. As his rival, I should bring out his best so that when we face each other in competition I can show my true power.
The rest of the day seemed to fly by and before Shouto knew it, the day had ended. With a sigh, he packed his things quickly and as he made his way over to Midoriya’s desk he heard the tail end of Bakugou’s snarl, “Listen Shitty Deku, you might as well quit now ‘cause we all know that you’ll never be a good hero. Not with your new quirk or with your worthless dreams. You should’ve listened to me years ago.” Bakugou loomed over Midoriya with a furious glint in his eye and his hands poised. Mini-explosions crackled out of his hands and Midoriya flinched away violently. A memory took root in Shouto’s mind:
~Shouto lay on the floor of the training room. He was covered in his own vomit and gasping for breath. A kick landed on his side and he heard the growl, “Get up, Shouto, you worthless heir. What was the point of making you if you’re going to be so weak.” Fire encased him and a scream ripped out of him.~
Shouto shoved someone, Mineta, out of the way to get to Midoriya’s side faster. The room became deadly quiet and Midoriya sniffled. However, despite the tears that were threatening to fall, he seemed to have a cold fury in his eyes. After taking a shaky breath, Midoriya spoke quietly, “No matter what you say, I’m never going to give up. When I considered giving up a year ago, I was shown repeatedly that I have always been a hero. So now with the monumental support of so many amazing people, I am taking my dreams and turning them into reality. I will become the Number One Hero whether you like it or not, Kacchan. You no longer have power over me.”
As Bakugou snarled again at Midoriya and lunged forward, ice shot out of Shouto’s right foot and trapped Bakugou in an impenetrable wall. Gasps echoed through the room and Bakugou let out a growl and tried to use his explosions to break himself out. “You fucking bastard!”
Again ice encased Bakugou. “I can do this all day,” Shouto drawled. “However, Midoriya and I have some things we’re planning on doing together, so if you’re quite done bullying him, I’d like to leave now.” Several people in the room choked back laughter, Bakugou made a disgusted noise, and Midoriya squeaked and blushed reminiscent of a sunrise. “Now will you stop being an ass, so I can unfreeze you? I don’t think having someone die of hypothermia because of me would be a great start to my hero career.”
“Just let me go, you fucking nasty,” Bakugou growled. With a shrug, Shouto walked over and with his left hand unfroze Bakugou, who promptly stormed out of the room once he was freed.
“Thank you,” Midoriya said with clouded eyes. “Kacchan’s always been like that. You get used to it.”
“That’s not something anyone should have to get used to. I don’t like bullies and he shouldn’t be treating anyone like that let alone you,” Shouto replied, turning his attention to Midoriya. The other boy seemed like he had something he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words. “Are you ready?” Shouto found himself asking in a softer voice. A nod was Midoriya’s response so the pair left the room without a word.
It was a five-minute walk to the train station from school then a ten-minute train ride across town. After that, it was a five-minute walk from the train station to Midoriya’s house. The entire trip found Midoriya chatting away happily about the hero news from that day. Instead of annoying Shouto as he thought it would, it actually calmed his nerves and he found himself giving his input on different heroes. This was familiar territory Shouto because his father had forced him to study other heroes, however, what surprised him was that once he opened his mouth, Midoriya started asking his opinion.
“What do you think of Kamui Woods and Death Arms teaming up?” Midoriya asked.
Head cocked to the side in thought, Shouto took a second before replying, “They could work well together if Kamui Woods uses Lacquered Chains Prison against the villains and Death Arms jumped in and used Reaper’s Grip.”
“You make a good point!” Midoriya beamed at Shouto, whose heart jumped. A faint pink snuck onto his cheeks and he had to look away from Midoriya for a moment.
The two fell into a comfortable conversation and it wasn’t until they reached Midoriya’s home that Shouto even realized that he was actually enjoying himself. Rivals can have pleasant discussions about heroes. However, the defining moment of our rivalry will be how he feels about father. Shouto’s face darkened considerably and so missed the look of concern on Midoriya’s face.
“It’s not much, but it’s home,” Midoriya scratched the back neck before opening the door. The two of them took off their shoes and Shouto followed Midoriya down the hall. A blush crept up Midoriya’s neck to his ears as they passed his room and Shouto caught a glimpse of the All Might memorabilia.
“Wish I could have even a fraction of that,” Shouto found himself muttering.
Midoriya stopped short and turned around which caused Shouto to run right into him. “Did you say something?” he asked doe-eyed. His freckles splashed across his face and snuck down his neck and Shouto briefly wondered if they covered his entire body. At this thought, he turned his head away and focused on the All Might sign that said Izuku on it. “Oh, yea,” Midoriya scratched the back of his neck. “I’ve got a lot of All Might merchandise.”
Turning his attention back to Midoriya, Shouto found himself saying, “All Might has always been my favorite hero. I remember curling up on my mom’s lap and watching him with my siblings. Until....well, the only All Might merchandise I had was a keychain that my father got rid of years ago.” Why am I telling him this?
Emerald eyes were wide with...concern? “I’m sorry that your father didn’t let you have any merchandise of your favorite hero, especially since it happened years ago and every kid needs someone to look up to and make them feel safe.” Midoriya placed a gentle hand on Shouto’s shoulder. “Did you want something of mine?”
“Something of yours?”
“Sure!” Midoriya bobbed his head. “I’ve got plenty of All Might stuff! You can choose whatever you want and take it home with you.”
An ache resonated in Shouto’s heart. It was obvious that Midoriya was an avid collector of All Might merchandise and one of his biggest fans, yet he was willing to let Shouto pick something out and keep it. Clearing his throat, Shouto spoke softly, “Why don’t we start our project first and then we can decide later what I pick?”
“Sounds good to me!” Midoriya replied sending Shouto another smile that caused the ache in his chest to throb. “C’mon let’s go to my room and we can get started. Did you want to sit at my desk or on my bed?”
Shouto ended up taking the desk because he felt uncomfortable laying on someone else’s bed. Before they could get down to business though, Midoriya jumped up and said, “I’m going to change into something more comfortable. Did you want to borrow any clothes or would you rather stay in your uniform?”
Mouth going completely dry, Shouto could only blink at Izuku for a second then without his brain’s approval, his mouth decided, “I’ll borrow some clothes, please.” But it came out sounding more breathless and high-pitched, so it took a moment for him to register it was his own voice. It didn’t seem to register as weird to Midoriya because he happily riffled through his drawers to find some clothes. What Shouto ended up being handed was a pair of gray sweatpants and a red, white, and blue shirt that said SMASH on the front. Just as Shouto thought he had recovered from his bout of nonsense, Midoriya took off his shirt revealing more muscles than Shouto had ever expected. Constellations of freckles danced down Midoriya’s shoulders and crossed the expanse of his perfectly defined chest, down his washboard abs, ending at his hips where his pants hung. Splattered across Midoriya’s body like blackholes were starburst shaped scars that interrupted the flow of freckles. Some of them were smaller no bigger than the size of a child’s hand but some were larger and he wagered they could measure up close to someone his own age. But who had a quirk that could give Midoriya those scars? Shouto thought of his own scars. The obvious one around his left eye but then also the burns on his back, arms, and torso as well from years of fighting his father. He felt burning anger rise up inside him, so it seemed him and Midoriya were more similar than he had originally imagined. “Bakugou gave you those.” This was a statement and not a question.
A tremor shook Midoriya for a moment and he looked away as if staring at the fury burning in Shouto’s eyes hurt. “Kacchan and I used to get along a lot better when we were really small. Then…” Midoriya gulped. “Then he got his quirk and everyone praised him for being so strong and told him he was going to be an amazing hero. He has a tendency to be as explosive as his quirk and I more often than not tended to be his target. A lot of people thought for a long time that I was quirkless, including Kacchan, so I was bullied relentlessly for it. He started it but a lot of other people perpetuated it. Most of our teachers turned away and pretended that they never saw anything which only bolstered his confidence that he was doing the right thing. But I can’t hate him. He’s going to be a great hero one day and I can’t take that away from him.”
The temperature of the room dropped and Shouto felt ice creep down his right arm. He knows exactly how I feel. Shouto let out an icy breath and forced himself to be calm. Remain calm. You haven’t lost control of your quirks in years now. “So what the entire class witnessed today was something that used to happen on a daily basis?” Midoriya nodded. “And him using his gauntlets to nearly kill you last week?”
Head turned away, Midoriya didn’t say anything at first and it made Shouto ache inside for some reason that he couldn’t put his finger on. “You know the best thing about UA?” Midoriya finally asked and Shouto shook his head. A hint of a smile ghosted Midoriya’s lips, “In elementary and middle school, none of my teachers gave me accommodations for my hearing loss so I had to quickly learn how to read lips and write extensive notes. Every year mom would go up to the school and fight with the teachers to get what I needed and it was always a struggle. But since coming to UA, everything’s been completely different. All the teachers back up their lectures with visuals, captions, and give out a copy of the notes. Plus the microphone they speak into is linked to an FM System that goes directly to my hearing aids.” He tilted his head to the side and for the first time Shouto noticed the small beige hearing aids in the other boy’s ears.
“Oh, I never noticed,” Shouto immediately apologized but Midoriya waved him off.
“Don’t worry about it, most people don’t.” For some reason this made Shouto feel worse.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Shouto began, uneasy. “Were you born deaf?” He had a feeling he knew the answer and he hoped that he was wrong.
A humorless laugh escaped Midoriya and he looked down at his feet. After a moment, he looked back up at Shouto and answered him in a croaking voice that made Shouto worry he’d burst into tears, “Kacchan’s blasts were what caused me to lose my hearing. It was gradual and I didn’t realize it. My mom used to be angry because she thought I was purposely ignoring her but then at my yearly checkup when I was six, the doctor referred me to an audiologist. I’ve been going to see Dr. Nishigori ever since.” Shouto stared at Midoriya in abject horror. “What?”
“Bakugou...not only scarred your body but also caused you permanent hearing loss...and no one besides your mom did anything about that?” Shouto felt cold, unadulterated fury. It was going to be difficult interacting with Bakugou at school from now on. “Bakugou is beginning to sound more and more like my father,” he spat.
A horrified look crossed Midoriya’s face, “What do you mean like your father?”
“There’s a reason that I want to do a negative critique of my father,” Shouto replied stiffly. Midoriya reached his hand as if to comfort Shouto but then immediately retracted it unsure. With a sigh, Shouto continued, “I’m not going into full detail but he’s made my life hell and ripped my family apart in his obsessive pursuit to beat All Might.” As if to signal the end of the discussion, Shouto took his jacket off and unbuttoned his shirt. He watched Midoriya’s expression closely as he slowly took off his shirt and sure enough he reacted as if on cue.
The horrified look Midoriya had just been wearing turned into one of...was that concern again? Littered across Shouto’s body were burns that he had done his best hiding up until now while he was changing in the locker rooms. But now they were on full display for Midoriya. “Your father gave you these?” Midoriya whispered through tears. Then he reached out and brushed his thumb across a large, furious red burn on his right shoulder. It was the softest touch Shouto had felt in a decade and he felt that ache again in his heart. He’s brushing them softly just like mom used to. Mom, I’m sorry for abandoning you but I’m not strong enough to face you. I’m not a hero yet and I’m ashamed of myself. Midoriya’s thumb ghosted across Shouto’s chest and brushed against another burn. “If this assignment is triggering for you and reminds you of your past abuse from your father, we could ask Present Mic for another hero. I’m sure he’ll understand even if you can’t vocalize everything that happened.”
A gasp flew out of Shouto’s mouth and he swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat. For the first time in years, he felt tears stinging at the corners of his eyes, “I can do the project. It’ll be fine. Cathartic even.”
“Only if you’re absolutely sure,” Midoriya replied softly. He brought his hand up and brushed his thumb under Shouto’s left eye as if on impulse. “Did he give you this one too?”
Shakily, Shouto said, “No, my mom actually gave me this one. But I don’t blame her for it. My father had been hurting her and she was close to running away and when she saw me she broke down and threw boiling water on me. My scream snapped her out of it though and she tried to use her ice quirk to try to help. It was because she did this that I didn’t completely lose all the sight in my left eye. Just most of it.”
“I’m so sorry,” Midoriya whispered as he continued to gently rub under Shouto’s eye.
“I don’t blame her,” Shouto replied softly as if trying to match Midoriya’s tone. “She was in a fragile state of mind trying to protect four children from an abusive husband. It was only a matter of time before she cracked and broke down.”
“I’m still sorry,” Midoriya said. “Even though it was your father’s fault, you’ve been through so much and you’re still so strong and have so much kindness. On the second day of school, when I got knocked out by Kacchan, Recovery Girl told me that you were one of the people who visited me during lunch when no one else but she was around. Hagakure told me that she was in the same place you were at the USJ and after the incident, you expressed your concern for her because you thought you had hurt her. That same day you had jumped in to save All Might rather than attacking the villains first. Recovery Girl told me that you had stopped by afterward to ask how All Might and I were. And today when Kacchan got ready to attack me you jumped in without a second thought.”
“My body moved by itself,” Shouto mumbled.
Surprisingly, a wide grin spread across Midoriya’s face, “All Might once told me that there are stories about every hero, how they became great. Most have one thing in common, their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through Shouto and he couldn’t help the smile that spread onto his face. Cocking his head, he suddenly said, “I’m sure All Might was talking about something else and not defending someone from a bully.”
Bashful, Midoriya bit his lip, “True, but I’m sure he would agree with my use for it. When no one else ever did anything and just watched from the sidelines or would actively participate, you stood up and defended me. Sure it wasn’t a life or death situation but it was still helping someone. I know you’ll be a great hero one day, Todoroki-Kun.”
“I’m going to be a hero one day,” Shouto replied softly. A flashback to sitting on the couch curled in his mom’s arms as she whispered to him the same thing Midoriya just had. Warmth started radiating from his left eye and he quickly reached up with his right hand to cool himself down. His right hand covered Midoriya’s and the other boy’s eyes went wide for a moment as they followed his movement. “Thank you, Midoriya. You have given me a lot that I need to think about.”
“Of course, Todoroki-Kun,” Midoriya whispered. “If you ever want to talk about what happened, I’ll listen free of judgment.”
“Thank you,” Shouto croaked. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Let’s get changed so that we can start our project.” Midoriya hummed but for a moment did not move his hand, simply stared at Shouto with a soft yet intense look. Then finally he took his hand down and Shouto had to repress the burning desire to entwine their hands. His eyes followed Midoriya’s movement as the other boy changed and it took a moment before Shouto also changed. After changing, he felt the return of the warm, fuzzy feeling and he knew it had nothing to do with his quirk. This was the first he ever got the chance to wear All Might merchandise and he could help but trace the word SMASH on his shirt.
Once changed, the two boys resumed their positions, with Shouto at the desk and Midoriya sprawled across his bed. “Did you want to get the three positive points out of the way so we can end on a high note?” Midoriya asked and Shouto agreed. The two of them got down to business and again Shouto found that he actually enjoyed working with Midoriya, not that he would actively admit that or anything. Rivals can work well together. Aren’t good rivals supposed to be equals that bring out the best in each other?
They worked out the three positive points quickly: speed, strength, and reaction time. It took about a half-hour to write out the positive points and source them. Shouto found himself thankful for Midoriya’s extensive hero research and analysis because in addition to the notebooks he kept on heroes, he also had comprehensive notes on his computer. This made it easy work for the content portion so all they had to do was to translate everything into English. After they finished the positive points, Shouto found himself worried they wouldn’t be able to find as many sources for their negative points but again Midoriya surprised him. Scrolling down the same Endeavor file Midoriya had on his computer, Shouto found a considerable amount of sources that talked about the negative aspects of Endeavor’s career. And the best part? They were all credible sources. People who had PhDs in Quirk Studies and Hero Analysis. University professors. Hell, there were even international sources that critiqued the man. For a moment, Shouto found it difficult to breathe because there were people that saw under his facade of a good hero. People that saw the truly horrible man underneath.
Because of the number of sources that Midoriya already had, it took them about an hour to write the negative portion. The negative points were that Endeavor was more focused on beating bad guys than helping citizens, property damage, catching innocent victims in the crossfire, and overall interaction with other people. They explained that while Endeavor was strong, fast, and had a good reaction time, the damage he caused other people didn’t even out. He had left civilians to fend for themselves while he attacked the villains, even if that was at the cost of the health and safety of the civilians. He had a complete disregard for property and was known for using his fire to burn holes in buildings as he climbed up them or to cause giant waves of fire that burned entire city blocks. This doubled also when considering innocent civilians being caught in the crossfire. Sure he tried to avoid hurting innocent victims but his desire to close more cases and beat more villains at any expense caused him to have a complete disregard for his surroundings. Lastly, he never put anyone at ease. When he interacted with people, he had a tendency to tell them to get over themselves and to move out of the way while a Pro-hero was at work. It was rare for him to make an effort to put someone at ease.
Shouto noticed that Midoriya wasn’t as good as him at English and while the other boy was decent at it, he was as good as he, Shouto, was. However, with just a little bit of help from Shouto, Midoriya was able to flourish. “You really are a polyglot!” Midoriya praised him and Shouto couldn’t help but feel his heart swell with pride. “What other languages are you fluent in besides Japanese and English?”
“Well, I’ve been teaching myself Mandarin and Arabic in my free time,” Shouto shrugged. “Do you only speak Japanese and English then?”
“Mom and I primarily communicate using sign language when we’re at home, so if you count sign language then I speak two languages fluently and I’m still learning English,” MIdoriya replied. There was a glint in his eye as if daring Shouto to say that sign language wasn’t a real language.
“Is it easier for you to communicate using sign language?” Shouto asked. Can you learn sign language online? Maybe Fuyumi would know since she’s a teacher.
“Yea, I prefer it actually,” Midoriya ran a hand through his hair. “That’s why Aizawa uses sign language when he talks as does Present Mic when he’s not speaking in English. Present Mic said he’d let me do my end of the semester project for his class be on ASL, American Sign Language, and that I could present it both speaking and signing.”
“Will he start using ASL then in class?”
“I think he said once we get more settled, he’ll introduce it and start using it especially if it helps me.”
“Will it confuse you by knowing two different sign languages?”
“Not really,” Midoriya shook his head. “It’s like speaking in Japanese and English. The hardest part is that the grammar for sign language is a little different, so it really is like learning a completely different language.”
“Is it hard?” Shouto looked down at Midoriya’s hands and tried to picture them moving into different shapes.
“For you?” Midoriya paused and studied him for a moment. “Probably not because you’re obviously a quick study when it comes to languages. It’s easier to practice it though with others as with any language. A couple of days a week I’m going to be teaching Uraraka-san, Iida-Kun, and Tsu-chan if you want to join us.”
“Yea, I’d like that,” Shouto found himself smiling. “It’ll help you communicate better and I’m sure it’ll help other people as well.”
As if opening the blinds, Midoriya beamed at Shouto so brightly that he couldn’t stop the blush that erupted on his cheeks. “Thanks! I’m glad that you want to learn Todoroki-kun! We’re meeting tomorrow after class if you want to join us.” Shouto agreed and texted Fuyumi to tell her that there was an after school group studying sign language that he would be meeting with. She replied instantly to tell him she was happy that he was making friends and he didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise, especially since she had sent a smiley face.
After reviewing their project one last time, Midoriya sent a copy to Shouto’s email and then also printed two copies for them both to keep. The two of them picked the earlier conversation on heroes back up and the conversation turned quickly to All Might. Anyone who has spent even a minute around Midoriya would know All Might was his obvious favorite but it suited Shouto well because he usually didn’t get the chance to talk about the hero. They were only interrupted by a knock on the door that Midoriya called for them to come in.
There was no doubt in Shouto’s mind that the woman, who stepped in the room, was Midoriya’s mom. They had the same color hair, the same wide, sparkling, emerald eyes, and the same nose. “Hey, mom!” Midoriya beamed at her and a soft smile settled onto her face causing her eyes to crinkle at the corners.
“Hey, Greenbean,” she replied and then turning to Shouto she bowed and said, “Welcome Todoroki-Kun. You’re the first of Izuku’s friends that I’ve gotten to meet.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Midoriya-san,” Shotuo found himself bowing. I’m never this polite with people, what is wrong with me today?
“Please, call me Inko or Auntie Inko,” Inko waved him off. “I was just checking on the two of you to make sure that you were doing your homework and not being distracted by All Might.” She gave Midoriya a pointed look and he looked at her bashfully and Shouto knew that this was a common occurrence.
“We finished our project already!” Midoriya cried, jumping up to show her their project.
Inko took the paper out of Midoriya’s hands and started to read it over and hummed every now and then. “You did a good job,” she said after she finished reading it. “I struggle a little with English but I think you were able to convey your point well and explain your reasoning as to why Endeavor isn’t a good hero even if he is the Number Two Hero.” A sympathetic smile graced her lips and Shouto knew that she had heard his and Midoriya’s earlier conversation. Before the dread could pool in his stomach, “If you ever need to talk about something, you can come to either me or Izuku and we’ll be here for you.” Shouto could only blink up at her as his heart swelled and ached because she reminded him so much of his own mom and he wished at that moment he could go see her.
“Thank you,” Shouto said and then without thinking, “I know where Midoriya gets his kindness from.”
A wide smile broke out onto Inko’s face and Shouto was hit with the fact that it was the exact same as Midoriya’s. “The highest praise a mother could receive is that she taught her son to be kind. Thank you, Todoroki,” she bowed to him. “Now, I made cold soba for dinner are you both hungry?”
“That’s your favorite right, Todoroki-Kun?” Midoriya asked as he picked at the hem of his shirt. Shouto’s mouth fell open and for a long moment, all he could do was stare at Midoriya. It had only been five days and yet he had noticed something that not even his father put in the effort to realize. Sensing Shouto’s shock, Midoriya waved his hands in front of his face, “Sorry if that was creepy, I just noticed that at lunch every day last week you went to the soba line and always walked back with the cold kind, so I just assumed that it was your favorite. Not that I watch you or anything! Just found myself looking to see where you went for lunch and watching you.” A blush had erupted on his face and his freckles played hide-and-seek in it.
“You noticed?” Shouto blinked at him as if seeing Midoriya for the first time.
“Yea,” Midoriya blushed harder, he lowered his hands to scratch his neck. “When I was younger I didn’t have friends, so I’d watch people a lot. Most of the time it would be so I could study their quirks but…”
“No ones paid attention to my favorite...well, my favorite anything before.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself from speaking.
Both Midoriyas looked murderous at this revelation and Inko immediately spoke up, “You can come over here any time you want and have as much cold soba or anything you want. If you ever need to stay over, just let us know. It doesn’t matter if you call at two in the morning, if you need us then we will be here for you.” All Shouto could do was choke out a thank you to her and look away. He couldn’t meet her eyes yet when he turned his head to Midoriya, it didn’t help either because he had that look in his eye, the same one he had at the USJ right before he jumped in front of All Might.
“You said dinner was ready?” Shouto asked and Inko led them to the table. As soon as they sat down at the table, Midoriya continued their conversation about All Might with vigor and Shouto found himself glad that Midoriya had the tendency to talk a lot while also asking for his opinion. It’s not that Shouto didn’t like talking to other people, he was just unused to interacting with people in a positive setting, so it was still uncomfortable for him. Inko, as it seemed, was where Midoriya had gotten his love for All Might because she enthusiastically joined in on the conversation. The two of them spoke and signed but it seemed to Shouto that they were speaking more for his benefit rather than their own and it made him want to learn sign language even more. Obviously, it was easier for Midoriya to communicate this way and as his rival, Shouto wanted to be able to communicate with him in the best possible way.
Dinner passed and soon it was time for Shouto to leave. Inko immediately volunteered to drive him home so they all clambered into her car and he gave her directions on how to get to his house. When they pulled up, Shouto squirmed a bit because both Midoriyas’ mouths fell open. They each complimented his home but he waved them off, “Your apartment might be smaller but it’s filled with more love and makes it so much nicer than mine.”
“You’re welcome any time,” Midoriya spoke softly in the same voice he had used when he brushed his fingers against his scars and for a brief moment, Shouto felt something close to hope. Shouto thanked them quietly before getting out of the car and walking into the house.
Fuyumi greeted him at the door and asked him how his homework was while she bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation. A ghost of a smile spread across his face, “It was nice. Midoriya already had sources lined up because he researches quirks and heroes in his spare time so it was really just a matter of translating everything to English. Then we talked about the hero news and his mom made cold soba, which is my favorite.”
She smiled gently at him, “I’m glad that you had a good time with your new friend, maybe next time he could come over here.”
“Yea, maybe,” he said, absently tracing the word smash on his shirt.
She frowned at him, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he tried to reassure her. He looked at his feet and didn’t say anything for a moment, just trying to collect his thoughts. Then he raised his gaze to meet hers and took a shaky breath, “Inko, Midoriya’s mom, reminds me a lot of...she reminds me of mom.”
Tears collected in the corner of Fuyumi’s eyes and she threw her arms around him. Normally, the two of them kept their distance mainly because Shouto didn’t like being touched but he found himself burying his face in her shoulder and letting the tears that had been choking him the entire afternoon fall. “I miss her too, Shouto,” Fuyumi whispered hoarsely through her own tears. “Natsuo and I are going to see her tomorrow afternoon if you wanted to join us.”
Shouto shook his head. “I promised Midoriya that I’d learn sign language, so I can communicate better with him. Plus I want to talk to her one-on-one first because I think there are some things we need to talk about and forgive each other for.”
“I think you’ll find, mom’s never had anything to forgive you for. She was just sad as was Natsuo and me because we all thought you had lost your way,” Fuyumi pulled out of the hug and he finally got a good look at his sister’s face. She had tears fogging up her glasses that she didn’t even bother to wipe away. “This Midoriya is good for you and I’m glad that you became friends with him.”
A smile ghosted Shouto’s lips, “Me too.”