Work Text:
It all starts with a forgotten sweater, of all things. Todoroki had asked Izuku for help studying for an upcoming exam on History of Heroics and he had been all too eager to aid him. For one, Izuku could go on about the subject for hours, and that was already reason enough for him to agree, but adding to that the fact that he has a big, fat, head-over-heels crush on his friend definitely tipped the scales over from ‘I’ll do it’ to ‘why aren’t we in my room already?’.
Izuku went all out with his own studying: flash cards, carefully written and overly detailed notes and hand-picked questions fashioned into various mock-tests. His hero obsession had to come in handy in some ways, at least. All he really had to do was apply all that hard work to help Todoroki memorise the finest details of Hero History for the exam.
That was the easy part. Trying not to spill his feelings all over the place? Now, that, was a challenge, especially when his room’s AC kept it warm and toasty enough for Todoroki to shed his sweater the moment they sat down to get started. It wasn’t so much seeing his friend in the form fitting t-shirt he had underneath that sent his heart into overdrive so much as it was the act of him taking off the sweater itself. There’s just something about seeing Todoroki’s stomach peeking from under the hem of the t-shirt as it hiked up with the movement that makes it look all the more enticing.
And of course, that was enough to put a near-permanent blush on his cheeks for the remainder of their time together, Izuku’s mind drifting back to that image as he kept berating himself for even staring in the first place. But he did his best to focus on their studies and, for the most part, he would say that he did a pretty good job of not giving away what else was going on in his brain.
Still, each time they got a little too close to each other, their arms brushed against one another, or Todoroki offered him one of his little smiles that barely lasted a second when Izuku went on another rant about the big Heroes that started it all, he felt like his soul was ready to leave him. Come the time for them to part ways, Izuku’s heart was torn between being crushed with disappointment and fluttering with relief. But his anxiety and panic tended to win out and, in his haste to send Todoroki off with a warm smile that didn’t look too eager or depressed, he ended up ushering him out of his room without giving him back his sweater.
Granted, even Todoroki seems to have forgotten it entirely, considering that Izuku only noticed it when he was about to go downstairs for dinner and it was hanging over the back of his desk chair where he usually tossed his own hoodie. He had figured he would just take it with him then, since they would eat together anyway, but when he picked it up and felt the soft fabric underneath his fingers, he faltered.
Blood rushing to his cheeks, Izuku brought it up to his face, rubbing it against it as his eyes fluttered closed and he imagined himself hugging Todoroki, nuzzling his crush’s chest and feeling the sweater’s fuzz against his skin. Then he sucked in a deep breath and his nose filled with Todoroki’s scent, a strange mix that he could only call freshly fallen snow laced with the smoke of a warm fireplace and he swears his knees went a little weak.
Staring towards the door and biting on his bottom lip, Izuku told himself there was no harm in returning it the following day. Or maybe, Todoroki would just ask for it at dinner and come up with him to his room before heading to bed and they would get another moment together, no matter how short, which was all the better for Izuku. Except Todoroki didn’t mention the sweater at all, they each went their separate ways once the elevator doors opened on the first floor, and now Izuku is lying in bed, staring daggers at the sweater hanging from his chair after having spent a good half hour snuggling it.
Izuku swallows thickly, his stomach twisted into painful knots. Whether it’s the shame or just his overwhelming feelings for his friend plaguing him, he isn’t sure. Perhaps it’s both. But he still throws the covers off his body and walks the short distance to his desk, taking Todoroki’s sweater into his arms and walking back to bed, curling up in a tiny ball as he buries his face in the soft fabric and inhales. His chest fills with a warm and fuzzy feeling, not unlike the sweater’s touch, and he drifts off into a dream-filled sleep that features one head of white and red hair, and an awful lot of kissing.
Shouto is somewhat confused when Midoriya knocks at his door right before curfew the day after he helped him study for their next exam. Not so much because of the strange hour, but more so for the reason behind the impromptu visit. His friend is shyly balancing on the balls of his feet, scratching at his head as he apologises for bothering him when he knows he would be going to sleep right about now, cheeks coloured in a rosy red that never fails to take Shouto off-guard. And in his other hand, Midoriya has the sweater Shouto had been wearing.
“You um—you forgot it in my room, so I just… came by to give it back.”
“You could have given it to me tomorrow morning.” Shouto says simply, and Midoriya’s eyes widen slightly, face turning another shade darker as he stares down at his feet with a nervous laugh.
“No, yeah, I know, it’s just… Well, you already spent today without it, and I guess I didn’t want to forget to give it to you tomorrow again. Like I did today.” He clears his throat when his voice cracks at the end of his speech. “Anyway, here it is. Sorry again for bothering you.”
“It’s alright. Thank you, Midoriya.” Shouto says quietly, taking the sweater off his hands.
“N-no problem. Okay. Goodnight then, Todoroki-kun.” Midoriya bows his head stiffly, turning on his heel and disappearing into the elevator.
Not really knowing what else to do, Shouto slowly makes his way back inside his room, dragging his feet to his futon and absently rubbing his tired eyes with the sweater. He pauses when he senses a familiar scent woven into the fibres, a distinctly citrus-y smell that Shouto has grown accustomed to whenever he is near Midoriya, especially when he has just showered. Must be his bodywash…
Part of him wonders how his sweater smells so much like his year-long crush, but rather than question it, Shouto simply settles in to his futon, rolling it into a tiny ball of softness and holding it close to his chest. That night, Shouto is sure he sleeps better than he has in years and he purposefully holds off throwing the sweater into his laundry basket when he goes to wash his clothes in the morning.
The next time he goes to Midoriya’s room, he makes sure to ‘forget’ his hoodie there too. When Midoriya returns it the following night smelling just like him yet again, Shouto makes a mental note to keep leaving clothes behind and praying that his crush doesn’t notice.