Chapter Text
“-and i know you might not feel the same, and that's okay, but I needed to tell you anyway. I like you Todoroki-kun.”
Midoriya finished his ramble, let out a relieved breath and looked up wearing a happy, slightly nervous expression. His face fell when he took in Shouto’s reaction.
Shouto was sure he looked ridiculous with his jaw basically on the floor, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.
He WHAT?
“Uh...Todoroki-kun?”
Shouto shook out of it and focused on Midoriya.
He took in the smaller boy standing in front of him, fluffy green hair ruffling in the soft breeze, emerald eyes sparkling with concern. Shouta tried to force out a response.
“I..Uh…”
That was all he managed to get out before bursting into flames.
Midoriya had jumped, and though startled, had quickly helped stifle the flames and graciously helped a stunned, slightly singed, Shouto back to the dorms. He had left Shouto standing in the common room, and had hastily apologized before scurrying off blushing in embarrassment, leaving him standing stick-straight for Uraraka and Iida to find.
That leads him to his current predicament.
Uraraka cracked up and rolled around on the floor as Iida reprimanded her for being rude and how she should show more compassion for their friend.
Shouto, although not as red as before, still had a strong blush spread across his cheeks, and Uraraka’s laughter was not helping.
After standing around for a few minutes, Iida and Uraraka had walked in, and unable to get an explanation for his expression and ruined clothing, had urged him to get changed and then meet them back in the common room when he was ready to talk. He had given a small nod and managed to make his way up to his room and changed into a new shirt, his brain feeling as fried as Kaminari’s after he overused his quirk.
He had calmed down a bit by now, and had taken a deep breath and filled in the two UA students.
He talked about his initial reaction of nervousness at Midoriya needing to talk to him alone. How he had relaxed when they met up in the courtyard and Midoriya only seemed excited, not angry or sad, and how he tensed up when Midoriya had started talking about their friendship, how his first thought was that maybe Midoriya didn't want to be friends anymore.
Iida and Uraraka nodded occasionally, sitting cross legged with him on the floor, facing him side by side.
“And what happened when he told you that he liked you?” Uraraka pressed, leaning forward.
Shoutos blush returned. His gaze fell to his lap, twiddling his fingers. “Well I...I sort of...caught on fire?” He didn't look up at the two, too embarrassed.
Uraraka broke the silence with a small noise in the back of her throat, and Shouto dropped his head into his hands with a groan. She howled with laughter, and he heard a thump as she fell onto her back.
“SO THATS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SHIRT?!?!?”
“Ochako I urge you to hold yourself together! This is very inappropriate! It is rude to laugh at our friends misfortune!” Iida scolded her, most likely chopping through the air with his signature hand motions.
Shouto only looked up when she calmed down. He glared at her, but there was no malice behind it. These were his friends after all, and he knew Uraraka well enough now to know that she wasn't being mean-spirited.
She giggled again when she met his gaze, but one stern look from Iida silenced her before she could start another laughing fit.
Uraraka shrugged sheepishly. “Well...I’m sorry hon, but the only person who didn't know was you.”
Shouto paled. “Knew what?”
“Er...about Midoriya’s feelings for you.”
His brows furrowed.
“But I thought...he and Bakugou are so close.” I thought I didn't have a chance.
Uraraka opened her mouth, but Iida spoke up, interrupting before she could respond. “While it's true that they are closer than our first year at UA, I believe it is more of a best friend relationship. A brotherly love, if you will. Besides, I don’t think Midoriya is the object of Bakugo’s affections at the moment.”
Uraraka squeaked and shoved her face into a pillow.
“Iidaaaaaaaaaa” She whined.
The boys ignored her, fully aware of her crush on the explosive blonde, and denial of said crush, and instead faced each other.
“I am not the best person to give advice, Todoroki, but I am confused. Isn’t this what you wanted? If Izuku has confirmed his feelings for you, then isn't that good?
“Yeah Tenya’s right!” Uraraka jumped in, nodding enthusiastically. “If Deku-kun likes you back, and you like him, then what happened? Didn’t you tell him you liked him too?”
“I...Uh…”
Uraraka gasped and Iida shook his head.
“I sort of...just burst into flames and ran away?”
“TODOROKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII” Uraraka screeched. “YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM YOU LIKED HIM BACK?!?!”
Shouta grabbed a pillow and leaped to cover her mouth. “Quiet!” He hissed. “Do you want him to hear?”
Uraraka raised an eyebrow at him and he lifted the pillow.
“Yes!” She hissed back. “He thinks you rejected him, todoroki-kun!”
“O-oh…”
Uraraka sighed. “You dork.”
She pushed off the couch and stood up. Walking over to him, she held out a hand. He took it, and let her pull him up with unsurprising ease. After the sports festival their first year, she had worked fiercely to strengthen her mind, body, and quirk, and it showed. She often dragged the “deku-squad” into her training, and Shouto had been on the hard end of a few of her new quick attacks, so he was confident that when the opportunity presented itself, Bakugo would find himself pleasantly surprised by her progress.
He had full faith that she would be able to “kick his angry pomeranian ass into the sun” as she had once put it, although he still didn't fully understand why she had chosen to phrase it that way.
He nodded, once at Iida, once at Uraraka, his way of saying thanks. He still wasn't the best at communicating, he knew that, but he was finding it easier to let down his guard and show his emotions, and it meant a lot to him that his friends had been so understanding and allowed him to go at his own pace.
He turned away from them and started toward Midoriya’s room with a fierce determination in his step.
I can do this.
Shouto’s fist hovered above Midoriya’s door, poised to knock. Shouto knew the greenette and explosive blonde were probably together, and he hesitated for that reason. What if Iida was wrong? What if Bakugou beat me to it? Had he already confessed? Was Todoroki too late? He should probably just turn around and-
“OI HALF AND HALF. Are you gonna knock anytime soon or are we just gonna have to keep staring at your shadow under the door?”
Yep. They were definitely together. Fine.
Shouto took a deep breathe in and lowered his hand to the doorknob, holding the breath as he pushed open the door.
Shouto noted the two figures sitting on the bed. Oh. The bed. He looked at the pair's faces, taking in Bakugou’s in its usual grumpy frown, and Midoriya’s ever present sunshine-like glow, though Shouto could see his cheeks were damp.
“I..I am sorry for intruding, I need to speak with Midoriya.”
Bakugo grunted. “It’s fine Icy Hot, I was just on my way out anyways.”
Shouto watched Midoriya as Midoriya watched Bakugou get up and move towards the door, breaking away and making brief eye contact with him as he sidestepped to allow Bakugou access to the door. Bakugo paused for a moment, looking ahead out at the hall, and Shouto mirrored it, staring at the wall across from him. Bakugo murmured something low enough that only he could hear, and Shouto was barely able to keep the surprise from flickering across his face before schooling his features and nodding solemnly.
And Bakugou was gone, closing the door behind him, and leaving Shouto and Midoriya alone. They stayed silent for a while, just staring at each other, Shouto memorizing every feature of the others' tearstained face.
How is it that a chemical reaction triggered by sadness can make a person look even more beautiful?
Eventually, he broke the silence, “Can I sit down?” He winced at the way his voice cracked, and how weak it made him sound. Confidence, Shouto. You can do this.
Midoriya smiled softly, and nodded his head towards the spot on the bed that Bakugou had recently vacated. The bed again.
Despite most of his classmates' suspicions, Shouto Todoroki wasn't as blind as he seemed.
He knew that a person's room was a special space, and as he already felt intrusive bringing this conversation to a place so intimate, being invited to sit on the bed, Midoriya’s bed , was just the cherry on top.
But bright green eyes shined up at him, and whatever qualms Shouto had instantly evaporated, so he sat.
As the two boys stared down at their laps, the room was filled with silence again. Shouto was tired of it.
“Midoriya I-”
He was cut off with the air being shoved out of his lungs. A hug. Midoriya was hugging him. Shouto just sat there shocked, the smaller boy’s arms wrapped tightly around his middle. His arms were hovering uselessly in the air, and he forced himself to bring them down and tentatively hug the boy back.
Midoriya mumbled something incoherent.
Shouto hummed, something that had come to be somewhat of a signal among Class 2-A when they couldn't understand Midoriya. The smaller boy shifted his head away from Shouto’s chest.
“i'm sorry”
“What for?”
Midoriya mumbled something again and he sighed.
“Midoriya…”
“I’m sorry...for scaring you off.”
Okay this is it. Shouto swallowed. “You didn’t...I wasn’t…”
Dammit Shouto get it together .
“You didn’t...scare me.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Off, that is.”
The greenette snorted into the folds of the fabric. He pulled his face away and peered up at Shouto, eyebrow raised with an unnatural amount of sass for a cinnamon roll. “Todoroki-kun, you caught on fire.”
Shouto rolled his eyes and huffed, a small smile on his face.
Midoriya finally released his death-grip on him, and pulled his legs up onto the bed, crossing them and staring down at his lap.
Oh god not more silence. Anything but that. Do something!
Desperate not to fall back into the bottomless pit of awkwardness, he stammered out “Sh-Shouto.”
Now it was Midoriya’s turn to look surprised. “What?”
Shouto gathered his courage. “You can call me Shouto.” He took in Midoriya’s stunned look and deflated.
“If you want, that is.”
His hands were moving rapidly, trying to backpedal “Well it's just that at this point everyone in our class is on a first name basis and I know that I’m weird for being the only one who isn’t and you’re really special and I care about you a lot and I like you too and I’m just-”
“Are you sure?” Midoriya cut him off. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. No one blames you Todoroki, or thinks you’re weird.” Shouto met his eyes and found determination blazing in Midoriya’s eyes. There was no hesitation or joking tone, he was serious.
“Yes.” Shouto returned the look. “I’m sure.”
“Okay Shouto-kun. ” Midoriya grinned“You can call me Izuku.”
And Shouto almost catches on fire again, right then and there because his smile oh my god his smile
It was like looking at the sun itself, and Midori- Izuku’s , whole face lit up with its glow.
Shouto swears that he’ll do his best to make Izuku smile like that everyday. Every single day till he dies.
“Wait a minute...DID YOU JUST SAY YOU LIKE ME TOO????”
Shouto stared Izuku straight in the eyes, face and voice completely void of emotion. “I’m sorry hon, but the only person who didn't know was you.”
Izuku’s shriek could be heard all the way across campus.
In the girls dorm, Uraraka frowned, and took one of her earbuds out, before shrugging and going back to her homework, humming along to the song currently playing.
O-ohh o-oo-oh
She’s just a girl but she’s on fire