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Uraraka is the first one to notice it. It’s subtle, but the longer it goes on, the more others seem to catch on too.
“Do you think Todoroki-san is sick?” Yaoyorozu asks, as she and the other girls sit together during lunch. “He normally has such good control over his quirk, this is really worrying…”
“He doesn’t seem sick. He pays attention in class and doesn’t look extremely pale or anything,” Uraraka says. “He’s fine when we’re practicing in the training rooms. But when we’re in class -- “
There’s a loud yelp as Kaminari suddenly stands up, fanning a piece of paper that is smoldering in his grasp. Uraraka gives him a pitying look and then hers and all the other girls’ gazes fall onto Todoroki. He’s in conversation with Midoriya, who’s laughing about something. Uraraka puffs her lips and looks back at the other girls. Mina is already mid-conversation with Hakagure about something else, and Jirou is on her phone, but Yaoyorozu looks just as focused as Uraraka is.
* * *
“Firstly, are we sure that it is Todoroki? It’s not someone else?”
“No one else in our class has a fire quirk.” Uraraka says.
“But Kaminari could have used his electricity to create smoke.” Yaoyorozu says. The two of them are walking together down the halls towards the lunch room.
“That’s a good point.” Uraraka thinks about it. Tsuyu is beside them. Even though Tsuyu isn’t saying much on the matter, Uraraka knows she’s concerned. This is their friend, after all. “I think we should observe him. Maybe follow him?”
“Follow Todoroki around? Wouldn’t that be awkward?” Yaoyorozu flushes. Uraraka narrows her eyes; up ahead of them, Todoroki is flushed, and being pulled by Midoriya up the hall, There, to the left of the boys, a poster is turning to ash. Midoriya and Todoroki are already halfway up the hall, but Yaoyorozu and Uraraka act fast and extinguish the small flame before it can char the whole poster. Uraraka stares at the “ fun movie night ” poster Mina had peppered all over the dorms that is now illegible from the center down.
“What’s more awkward, following our friend around or him burning down the dorms?” She asks.
“I agree with that…” Yaoyorozu says. “But, Uraraka-san, could we just ask him if there’s anything going on, instead?”
“You know, that’s a good point.” Uraraka nods. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?”
* * *
“No.” Todoroki says.
“You haven’t noticed?” Uraraka blinks. “You’ve been setting things on fire.”
Todoroki pauses and looks at his left hand. “I thought my power was under control.”
“Well -- it’s not as though you’re setting the whole room on fire.” Yaoyorozu tries to reason. “It’s just small things. Papers, posters on the walls, boxes, uhm, the corner of the couch…”
Todoroki looks down and if Uraraka isn't seeing things, his ears are pink. “I know about that one.”
“Oh? What happened?” Yaoyorozu asks, thinking there might be a common factor between that incident and the other ones.
“Midoriya startled me.”
“Izuku? What did he do?”
“He…” Todoroki looks mildly uncomfortable, and Uraraka almost feels bad for asking. “He just showed me something on his phone that startled me. I quickly extinguished the flame.”
There’s silence as Uraraka tries to process this. It would be too much to ask for Todoroki to tell them what exactly it was Izuku showed him, but without knowing that, Uraraka can’t think of something that is recurring in the incidents.
“It seems like there is a common factor,” Yaoyorozu finally says. Uraraka looks at her. Yaoyorozu looks between Todoroki and Uraraka and smiles. “Midoriya-san!”
Todoroki’s eyes widen just slightly as he looks at her. Yaoyorozu looks back at Uraraka.
“Remember the poster incident?” Yaoyorozu offers, for clarification.
“Izuku had been talking to you, Todoroki.” Uraraka says.
“And remember the box incident?” Yaoyorozu continues.
“Izuku had just gotten the whole class’ attention. I think your foot touched the box behind you and that’s why it started to catch.” Uraraka nods eagerly. The girls look at Todoroki, glad they’ve found a common factor. “Todoroki, do you think there’s a reason Izuku’s related to this?”
“I can’t say I can think of one.” Todoroki looks up and to the left, as though he’s trying to scroll through his memories for specific incidents. “Perhaps I should ask him if he’s noticed anything?”
“Maybe he challenges your fighting spirit.” Uraraka offers. “After your epic battle during the sports festival, maybe you’re just itching for another sparring session!”
“I, uh.” Todoroki considers this. “I don’t think so.”
“Damn. It would’ve been the most logical conclusion ever.” Uraraka half-mutters.
* * *
After that it gets worse. Uraraka thinks telling Todoroki about this was a bad idea.
They’re in class and Aizawa-sensei isn’t even there yet. Uraraka watches as Midoriya approaches Todoroki’s desk and they have a conversation she can’t hear. About halfway through, Midoriya laughs and Uraraka can see it in Todoroki’s posture before it happens -- he stiffens, his eyes widen a fraction, and flicks of flame begin to appear on his right hand before he clenches his fist. Izuku notices the flames and gasps and quickly leans in, saying a louder, “are you okay, Todoroki?” while Todoroki clears his throat and nods slowly. He mutters out an “I’m fine, Midoriya”, so quietly Ochako almost can’t hear it.
And suddenly, it clicks in her brain.
“Oh man, Yaoyorozu,” Uraraka approaches her friend, “This is top secret. We can’t tell anyone because I don’t want Todoroki to think we’re spreading rumors.”
“Tell anyone what?”
“That he has a crush on Izuku.”
Yaoyorozu pauses. She has her hand on her notebook. “That is a… presumptuous accusation to make, Uraraka-san.”
“I don’t think it is.”
“Well firstly it’s rude to assume that Todoroki is… that he prefers… that, well, he could be nervous around Midoriya-san for many reasons.”
“I’m not assuming anything! It doesn’t matter if he prefers boys or girls or anything else, all I’m saying is that I’m pretty sure he likes Izuku at least. He acts like… like how I used to act around Izuku.” She speaks quietly. Yaoyorozu pauses and Uraraka is not blind, she can see the pity wash over Yayorozu’s expression.
“I mean,” Uraraka continues, not wanting to talk about her decision to give up on Izuku a few months ago, “Just think about it. His power -- which he normally has complete control over -- is suddenly going haywire. It’s only when Izuku is around him or Izuku is mentioned. And he blushed when we brought it up. Remember?”
Yaoyorozu nods. “Well, I, yes. I remember.”
“And every time it’s when Izuku smiles, or laughs, or touches Todoroki. It’s not because he sees Izuku as a rival.” Uraraka says. “He sees Izuku as adorable . Which he definitely is.”
Yaoyorozu looks behind them. Midoriya and Todoroki are no longer talking, Midoriya is sitting at his desk flicking through his notes, but Todoroki makes eye contact with Yaoyorozu. Uraraka watches Todoroki blink, before he bends down to grab something out of his bag.
Then Midoriya drops something and bends down, and he’s so close to Todoroki that their hair is mixing together, and suddenly Midoriya’s hair is smoking.
“Oh no,” Yaoyorozu says, as Todoroki apologizes profusely and extinguishes the flame while the rest of the class bursts into laughter and starts equating Midoriya to a burnt piece of broccoli. “We need to stage an intervention.”
* * *
“We figured out the problem. But I don’t know how receptive Todoroki will be to hearing it.” Uraraka says. She and Yaoyorozu are in her dorm room, just vibing. They’d just finished some of a new rose-blueberry tea that Yaoyorozu’s mother had given her, homework done. Now they just have to find a solution for their other assignment.
“I think a good indicator would be whether or not Midoriya-san returns the feelings.” Yaoyorozu says. She looks at Uraraka, and Uraraka feels a bit awkward under her gaze.
“The thing about Izuku is that he’s super busy with hero training. I don’t think he’s really thinking about romance or dating anyone.” Uraraka stares at her ceiling, and holds her hand above her head. She thinks back to when she was made so flustered by her friends teasing that she’d floated herself up to the ceiling, granting herself a good view of Izuku training outside. It had been dark out, but he’d been glowing with green light. Seeing his determination had both inspired her, and made her realize she needed to rethink her priorities. “I don’t know if he likes Todoroki that way. I don’t know if he likes anyone that way.”
Yaoyorozu nods. “I wouldn’t want Todoroki to feel uncomfortable. Perhaps we should bring this up to him alone?”
“Yeah.” Uraraka says. “Maybe somewhere not flammable?”
* * *
They convince Todoroki to meet them in the kitchens. It’s not ideal, but they are there first, making sure all the parchment paper and cereal are far enough away from Todoroki so that he can’t set them on fire.
Todoroki arrives in a blue turtleneck sweater and black pants paired with slippers. He looks a bit uncomfortable.
“Hello. You said you had an idea what might be going wrong with my Quirk?” He says.
“Yeah, we did!” Uraraka says.
“I hope it doesn’t involve Midoriya-san.” Todoroki says. “I would hate to have to ask him to distance himself from me.”
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu exchange a knowing glance.
“Todoroki-san, you’re close to Izuku, right?” Uraraka asks.
“Ah. Yes. We are friends.”
“No, I mean really close.” Uraraka says. “And when you look at him, you think he’s amazing. He’s open minded and outgoing, and he’s a true hero at heart. He’s strong, he’s determined, he’s someone you look up to a lot. He’s someone who you think is a good role model. Seeing him makes you think, ‘hey, I want to be someone people can look up to, just like him’. Right?”
Todoroki is giving her a confused look, but he's not refuting her points. Uraraka feels her cheeks warm as Yaoyorozu gives her that pitying look again, but she doesn’t want the pity. She adores Izuku. Regardless of whether or not she’s given up on him romantically. “Your eyes always find Izuku first in the class when you walk in the classroom. You get flustered whenever he smiles and waves at you. You literally said Midoriya-san and others when you addressed a group of us that included Izuku,” she says.
“I didn’t do that on purpose, I just noticed Midoriya first.” Todoroki’s ears are pink. Uraraka is thankful to see Yaoyorozu already in the process of creating a fire extinguisher in case she needs it.
“You notice Izuku first because you have a crush on him, Todoroki.” Uraraka says. “I think that’s what’s causing your Quirk to malfunction!”
As if on cue, his Quirk malfunctions again. Todoroki’s eyes are panicked and wide as flames flick off of his arm. Yaoyorozu is ready, and uses her fire extinguisher to put out the flame before he can burn his turtleneck.
“I -- I don’t…” Torodoki says, and Uraraka feels bad, springing this on him all of a sudden. “I don’t want to crush Midoriya.”
Uraraka gives him a look. “You know exactly what I mean by crush, Todoroki.”
Todoroki flushes and Yaoyorozu apologizes. The foam from the fire extinguisher is coating his arm.
“I’m so sorry, Todoroki-san! I didn’t want you to damage your shirt!”
Uraraka gives him a patient smile. “It’s okay, Todoroki. You don’t have to agree with us right away. Just keep that reasoning in mind, okay? Maybe it’ll make it easier to control your ability.”
* * *
It’s a little easier for Todoroki to control his ability now, Uraraka thinks. She keeps an eye on him. When Midoriya comes over to him and starts a conversation before class, and smiles wide, Todoroki’s cheeks flush and he clenches his fist like he’s trying to fight the flames before they come. He only sets one thing on fire, and that’s Mineta’s backpack, but neither of the girls decide it’s a priority to save it especially when Mineta starts complaining about his ‘skirt-cam’ being destroyed in the process.
Uraraka can’t help but be invested in their relationship, or lack thereof. She wonders if Izuku returns the feelings, or if he’s truly just too focused on becoming a hero to even notice.
“Do you think Izuku returns the feelings?” Uraraka asks. Yaoyorozu hums.
“I’m not sure.” Yaoyorozu taps her pen to her chin. “Do you think Todoroki has accepted the idea of his feelings for Midoriya?”
“I think so,” Uraraka says. “He’s started to control it. He hasn’t set anything on fire in a week.”
Yaoyorozu smiles. “Then that is what is important, then. Regardless of whether not Midoriya-san returns the feelings, if Todoroki-san can control his flames, our class won’t be in danger anymore.”
“True.” Uraraka says.
Still. She can’t help it. She’s invested.
* * *
It’s been a month and a half. Nothing’s caught on fire yet. Uraraka has let her guard down.
So when she’s walking down into the kitchen at 10 one night, and she smells smoke, she’s immediately apprehensive. Perhaps a villain has broken into their dormitory and is trying to attack them. UA has been under attack lately, and she’s not willing to take any chances.
She’s in her pajamas as she sneaks down the hall, poking her head around the corner, trying to survey the situation. Her heart is racing in her chest, and she’s already prepared to use her phone to alert the teachers. She can hear voices coming from the kitchen.
“ -- Todoroki I am so, so, so sorry I didn’t realize that would cause that to -- to -- crap the curtain, how are we going to fix that, it’s burnt, I d -- didn’t think it’d cause your Quirk to -- “
“It’s all right Midoriya, it was my fault, I knew something like this might happen.”
Uraraka sighs in relief. She gets up and walks right into the kitchen. “Thank God it’s just you two, I was scared out of my mind it was the League.”
When she enters the kitchen, though, Uraraka sees the cause of the fire. Todoroki is leaning against the counter (very close to the burnt curtain) and Izuku is in front of him, with a scarlet face. They’re very close. Todoroki’s hair is messed up, the white strands mixing with the red, and there’s a pink tinge to Izuku’s lips.
Her jaw drops.
“U -- Uraraka!” Midoriya pulls away from Todoroki like he’d been burnt, too. “S -- sorry to scare you Todoroki and I w -- were just making some s -- snacks and I -- and, and well we, uh, well we got too, uh, close and then, and then it was my fault even though it was Todoroki-san’s Quirk, it wasn’t his fault, b -- but the curtain caught fire and, uhm, well, it, it burned. We’ll replace it! Or, I mean, I’ll replace it, because it wasn’t his fault! Please don’t tell Aizawa!”
Uraraka looks at Todoroki, who just squeezes his eyes shut and fights down another burst. “She knows, Midoriya.”
“Wh -- wh -- huh?”
Uraraka feels a swell of pride, especially when Midoriya looks between her and Todoroki like they have some big secret.
“So I was right, Todoroki?” She asks.
“Yes.” He says.
“And does he like you back?” Uraraka says. She wouldn’t have said that if she couldn’t read the room. Midoriya is blushing and groans. He rests his head on Todoroki’s chest with a gentle plop.
Uraraka feels like the moment is intimate -- too intimate for her to linger, but she gives them a smile. “Then my job here is done. Just please don’t actually set the kitchen on fire, okay Todoroki?”
Todoroki runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m much more improved, now. I promise the classroom won’t have any incidents anymore.”
She isn’t going to tell anyone else what she saw, although she debates telling Yaoyorozu. She’ll let the two of them tell her later.