Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

She was pretty. Her black hair flowing in the spring air, her glossy eyes lighting up in the sunlight, her dainty hands held softly against her bag. Every boy would dream to date her … right?
Todoroki walked next to her as they entered the rowdy classroom. He thought she was pretty, he liked her dark hair and how sweet she was to him. She truly was a great girlfriend. Todoroki has never dated anyone before, but he knew the basics. He knew to compliment her, and to hold her hand, but that’s about it. He wasn’t so hot about kissing or hugging though. He knew people in relationships usually do those things but, for some reason it felt off for him. His dad was very pleased to see him join hands with a member of the Momo family. His dad believed this was a great way to join both families together for publicity and for both agencies to benefit from it. It sounded a lot less depressing when he explained it though. However, Todoroki was ok with it because Momo was happy, and his dad wasn’t bothering him.
He liked her, he did.
Well he has never experienced “love” or “intimacy” before so he wouldn’t really know, but he was pretty sure it felt this way. To be honest he thought it was pretty underwhelming. The movies make it seem like something so much bigger. Love seemed like a distant land that only the bravest adventurers achieve to reach. But to Todoroki, that land seemed a lot closer. To Todoroki, love seemed a lot more awkward than he thought. But he knew that’s what it was supposed to feel like.
But then again he wouldn’t know.
He sat at his desk watching the other students pile into their seats. He fiddled with the pencil in his hands when a loud yell came from the hallway. Bakugou walked through the door, his hands aiming right for Denki and Kirishima who were right behind him. They were both laughing as Bakugou continued to bark at them. He peered at the others walking in when Mina and Sero entered the room. Mina ran ahead to join the group at Bakugou’s desk, while Sero walked over to his own seat. His hair was half pulled up, in a mini ponytail, and his jacket was rolled up to his elbows. His hair was jet black and it fell perfectly against his neck. It reminded him of Momo’s.
Todoroki was very fond of Sero. Sero was about the exact opposite of him but that’s what made Todoroki drawn to him. Todoroki never understood him, his weird style, his relaxed attitude, his outgoing personality, it was all foreign to him.
And anyways, his dad would kill him if he dressed the way Sero did. He would say it's “a bad image” for the family.
His thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt sound of the school bell. Their teacher, Mr.Aizawa slowly walked through the door, yawning of course. Even though it was a Friday, he obviously had no energy. Mr. Aizawa stood in front of the class organizing the papers in his hands. He blinked slowly, adjusting to the brightness of the room and finally spoke, “Good Morning… class.” He took another big yawn before continuing, “Yesterday we went over the History of Heros in Japan, so today we’re starting a project.”
“I want you and a partner to research one Prohero from any day in age. You can make a poster, write an essay, I don’t really care as long as you have all of the criteria.” He rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand and zipped up his yellow sleeping bag. “So I guess Partner up or whatever, just get it done by Monday.” He said as he fell to the ground and fell fast asleep.
Oh great.
Todoroki was not very good at partner projects, he preferred to work alone. He turned to look next to him but everyone was already up and moving. Deku was with Iida, And Tokoyami was with Shoji.
Dang it.
He turned to Momo but she was sitting with Jirou. Momo made eye contact with him and froze, “Oh sorry did you…” she started to stand up, almost feeling guilty that she did not think of him first.
“No it’s ok.” He said as he continued to look. It was fine, it would have been weird to work on a project together, and anyways she wasn’t really his first choice.
But he still liked her. He did. He just didn’t want to work with her. That’s totally normal.
“Yo Roki!”
Todoroki turned his head to see Sero walking to his desk. “I don’t have a partner, wanna work together?” Todoroki turned his head to see that the others in his little friend group were already in pairs. He turned his attention back to the person before him. Sero’s hands were resting on the desk and he was leaning a little forward. Todoroki looked at his eyes, their black glare dancing in the sunlight. He was close to him, Todoroki could see his eyelashes that spread across his eyelid. They were oddly very pretty.
“Ok.” He said firm and short. He drew his attention away from Sero. Looking at him for too long made him feel strange. A feeling he never felt before. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.
“Sweet, so you wanna come to my room after class today?” Sero asked as he brushed his hand through his hair. Todoroki has never really been in Sero’s room before, only the one time he saw it during the room tours. The question caught him by surprise, why not work in the commons? But I guess friends can hang out in rooms together. Yeah, they were just friends.
“Ok.” Todoroki regained eye contact with Sero and gave him a small nod. Sero did the same and walked back to his desk. Todoroki didn’t know why but he was happy. He bit the inside of his cheek trying to redirect his mind. It was unnatural to feel this excited to study.
Yeah, he was feeling this way about the project… just the project.
___________

Todoroki walked with Momo out of the building. He heard something before about boyfriends walking their partners home, so he does everyday. The walk to the dorms is usually quiet, and slow. Todoroki doesn’t really know what to say to her when they’re alone. They’ve been together for about a month now but it still feels awkward. “So…” Momo started, “Who are you and Sero doing for your project?”
She was obviously trying to make conversation, which Todoroki envied, “We don’t know yet, we’re gonna decide once we start working tonight.”
Momo nodded her head and they kept walking. “Jirou and I don’t really know either.” She stated after a bit. “We’re also hanging out tonight to figure it out.”
“Ok.”
The walk continued in silence, both of them awkwardly glancing at each other. If this is what love is, maybe Todoroki doesn’t want it. They finally arrived at the doors to the dorm, ending their long silence. Momo turned to Todoroki, “ I’ll… Um.. I’ll text you later. Bye.. I guess. Oh! and thank you for walking me.” She smiled and walked to the girls elevator.
“Bye.” Todoroki waved at her as he headed up to Sero’s floor. Todoroki knew walking with her was not totally ideal for him, but if that’s what you're supposed to do in a relationship he’ll deal with it. And anyways Momo was a nice girl, she deserves a good boyfriend.
The elevator clicked and opened slowly revealing the fifth floor. It was nice that he was right next to Sero because he doesn’t have to travel far. He quickly entered his room and got out of his uniform. He opened his top drawer and grabbed a black shirt. He put it on and stood in front of the mirror.
Maybe he should wear his blue shirt, since it looked better.
Obviously he was only doing it because he liked the blue one better, not because he cared what Sero would think. He quickly changed and grabbed his bag again while he headed out the door.
He stood before Sero’s dorm room holding his things. Why was he nervous?
They’re just going to study.
He knocked on the door three times before he heard footsteps approach him. The door opened to Sero in a black tank top and flowy sweatpants standing with a cookie in his mouth. “Oh Hey.” he said, the cookie crumbling into pieces.
Wow.
Todoroki has never seen Sero in a tank top. Even when they change in the locker room he faces away because it makes him dizzy for some reason. But now seeing it right in front of him makes him feel dizzy again, more dizzy than before.
“Hello.” Todoroki spoke, his eyes darting quickly to the floor.
“Come in! Want a cookie?” Sero asked as he guestered the door open. “No I’m ok.” Todoroki walked through the door and took off his slippers. Sero’s room was a lot cooler than he remembered. The interior design was so detailed, and the carpet had a cool pattern on it. There were posters plastered all over the wall of different bands and movies that he assumed Sero liked. He liked Sero’s room, it felt cozy. “Make yourself at home! I need to find my folder real quick.” Sero pointed out as he began to walk around the room.
Todoroki didn’t move.
He wasn’t nervous, he just didn’t want to mess with anything. Yeah that was it.
He stood at the doorway, fidgeting with his hands. Sero turned around and laughed. “Dude did you not hear me? Here come sit over here.” Sero pointed to a spot on the floor where they could sit together. Todoroki walked over and set his bag down. Sero eventually joined him on the floor once he found his notebook. “Alright man I was thinking about doing GunHead. What about you? I mean he’s pretty cool.” Sero turned to Todoroki but he wasn’t paying attention. Todoroki’s eyes were on the polaroid pictures that hung on the wall next to them. “Oh those…” Sero started, “Yeah those are mainly of Kirishima cause he stole my camera when we were hanging out a while ago haha.”
Todoroki was not staring at the ones of Kirishima though. There was one picture on the far left of Sero, his head was hanging off of the edge of a bed, his hair falling off his face. He was laughing, his eyes shut. He was wearing chains, and they fell across his neck, highlighting his Adam's Apple.
Wow.
He couldn’t stop looking at it. He felt strange, his heart was pounding, his head was spinning…
Is he sick?
Todoroki realized he was being silent for too long and forced himself to speak, “S-Sorry… Um. Yeah Gunhead is fine.”
He did not look him in the face when he spoke. Sero smiled and opened his computer. “Cool, ok. I can start getting research.” Todoroki finally glanced up at the boy before him, the curtains were slightly open and the sun was hitting his skin, making him glow. Todoroki stared at him typing on his keyboard. He didn’t like this feeling he had, it hurt. He didn’t know why but the way Sero smiled in that picture made his heart hurt, his head hurt, everything just felt weak. He has never felt this way before, he didn’t know what to think. He took a deep breath, and directed his attention to the task at hand.
___
The boys sat in silence working on their project. For some reason this silence was a lot different than the one that he has with Momo. It was comforting. They worked until the sun was mostly set, and the cicadas were singing their song outside. Todoroki had completed his research and was now transferring it to the poster. He grabbed a marker from the table and crawled over to where the poster sat, right next to Sero. He began to write when Sero turned to him, “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Todoroki was a little startled by the sudden question, but faced him, “...Ok.”
Sero hesitated at first, “ Where… where did your scar come from?”
Oh.
He wasn’t hurt by the question, he just didn’t want to go into explaining the whole ordeal. It honestly hurt him more that people could see it.
“Ahhh, I’m sorry nevermind forget I said it!” Sero said frantically, as he waved his hands in front of him. “No it’s ok.” Sero looked at him again, “You're sure?”
“Yeah.” Todoroki looked back at the poster and played with the marker in his hands. “My mom accidentally spilled hot water on my face, it wasn’t her fault though. My dad had yelled at her before and she freaked out. She felt awful afterwards and tried to ease the pain by using her ice quirk but it created this.” He pointed to his scar that lived on the right side of his face. Sero turned his body towards Todoroki and rested his head on his knee, “Dude.. I… I’m sorry man. Dang I probably shouldn’t have asked. Sorry, I just thought it looked really cool.”
Todoroki looked up from the poster. His eyes wide.
Cool.
It looked cool?
No one has ever said that to him before. Todoroki has always hated his scar, he thought it made him look ugly. But it’s cool?
“It’s ok, I’m not upset. Thank you.”
“Of course man.” Sero giggled a little before turning back to his work. “If it makes you feel any better I’m almost done. You're a fast worker man!” Sero nudged Todoroki's shoulder with his own, giggling as he did it.
Oh my god.
Why, why, why did he feel like this.
Is this normal to feel like this for a friend?
Maybe he was tired. He didn’t know, he was just happy to be here.
___

They finished their project in an efficient amount of time. Todoroki thanked Sero for his hospitality and packed his bag. Sero met him at the door, walking him out. “Hey you know we never really hang out man, wanna come over some time and watch some movies?”
Yes. He did. He really wanted to. As friends. Yeah… as friends.
“Ok, that’s fine with me.”
“Sweet, does tomorrow work?”
Without thinking, Todoroki blurted out a yes.
“Cool, see you tomorrow Roki.” He said smirking as he closed the door. Todoroki didn’t move. He forced his legs to walk to his room, and open the door. He shut it and stared at his dark room. He put his bag away and sat down on his bed, the only sound coming from the rocking ceiling fan.
Shit.
He covered his face with his hands and let out a breathy laugh. He had no idea why he felt this way, but he didn’t hate it.

Chapter Text

Todoroki woke up to the late morning sun hitting his face. He had fallen asleep as soon as he lay on his bed last night. His breath smelled horrible, and his back hurt from the awkward position he was in. Todoroki rose from his bed and grabbed his phone.

11:21 AM

He groaned as he turned over and placed his feet on the floor. It has been a while since he had slept in this late. He had no idea what made him so tired.
He dragged his feet over to the bathroom where he grabbed his toothbrush from a plastic cup. He stared at himself as he rubbed the brussels across his teeth. Todoroki glanced up at his scar. He replayed what Sero had said to him earlier before. It looked cool.
He smirked a little as the scenario played through his head again. Todoroki had no idea he would react like that. He was honestly quite surprised he even shared that story with Sero. The only other person who knows the truth is Midoriya, not even Momo.
He spat out the toothpaste and whipped his mouth with a towel. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something was different when he told it to Sero. He shook the idea out of his head and put the towel back on its ring. He shouldn’t be thinking about this right now. It’s not important. And anyways it’s weird to think of a boy this much.
Well that’s what his dad told him anyways.
Todoroki never understood why his dad was against that idea so much. Endeavour always told Todoroki that liking the same gender was not natural and was a bad family image. He never agreed with his father on that, but he never spoke up about it. He just let his dad speak his own truth. Todoroki always thought it was a little weird that his dad enforced that rule so much but then obsessed over All Might every moment of his life. Not to mention that Hawks guy that he’s always around. He also never said anything about that.
Todoroki exited the bathroom and headed over to his dresser. He changed out of his clothes and slid his feet into his slippers that sat at the entryway of his room. He started to leave his room when his phone vibrated in his hand. It was from Midoriya.

11:34 AM
Hey Todoroki! wanna eat breakfast with Iida and I? We’re sitting in the commons if you want to stop by :)

Todoroki already planned to go down and eat, so it wouldn’t hurt to sit with his friends.

11:35 AM

Ok.

He made it to the end of the hallway and hit the elevator button. The doors opened and Todoroki stepped in. The doors began to close when he heard a voice come down the hallway, “Hey wait!”
He turned around to see Sero running down the hall, trying to catch the elevator. Todoroki reached out and placed his hand over the door, stopping it just in time for Sero to slip into the small space. “Thanks man! That was a close one.” He said as he pulled his hair slightly back. He seems to pause and look at his hands, then to Todoroki, “ Dang it. Hey, do you have a hair tie by any chance? I forgot one.”
Todoroki shook his head, “Sorry no.” Something about Sero putting his hair up made Todoroki feel strange. It made him look pretty.
Pretty as in the way girls look.
Yeah, the way girls look when they put their hair up.
His jawline was more visible, and his eyes became the center of attention. His deep eyes. His really, really deep eyes. Todoroki looked back at the floor. If he looked at his eyes for too long he might get pulled in. Sero let out an annoyed sigh and let his hands fall out of his hair, “Nah it’s ok man.” Sero turned his head to face Todoroki, looking down a little bit to reach his height, “Wanna eat breakfast with me? Well me and the others.” Todoroki looked up at him. He really wanted to. He really did, but he already made plans. “I can’t. I’m sorry I already have plans.”
Sero seemed to bite his lip and turn forward again. “No it’s ok man! And anyways we’re gonna hang out later.” Sero giggled a little as the elevator doors opened to reveal the common area of the dorm. Oh yeah, they were hanging out. Todoroki stepped out of the elevator looking back at Sero as he joined him in the hallway, “What are we going to do when we hang out?” Todoroki asked as they walked over to the others. Sero shrugged his shoulders with his hands in his pockets, “ Well I was thinking of watching a movie but we can do whatever you want.”
Todoroki inhaled deeply. Alone with Sero.
They were going to watch a movie.
Alone.
He knew it was just a friend thing, but he was getting really nervous. The last time they hung out was for school work, but this time, this time it’s solely because they want to. Todoroki didn’t know what to feel. Last time he was sure he was excited to hang out because of the project they were doing, but why is he feeling the same way this time? The conflict was giving him a headache.
Todoroki looked up and realized they had already made it to the tables that sat by the kitchen of the dorm. Sero patted his shoulder as he drifted off to where his friends were sitting, “ Alright man see you tonight! Text me when you’re heading over.”
Todoroki paused, “I don’t have your number.” Sero looked back at him for a second, almost in disbelief, “Wait really?”
“Yeah sorry.”
Sero giggled a bit and pulled his phone out if his pocket, “ Don’t sweat it man, here-”
Sero signaled to Todoroki's phone which he held in his hand. Todoroki unlocked it and handed it to Sero. He watched him press the white buttons on his phone, “Here.” Sero tossed his phone back to him and started to walk off. “See you tonight!” Todoroki watched him walk off to the other set of tables where Kirishima seemed to be talking to Mina. God. Oh my god.
He had his number. That’s normal right?
He had Midoriya’s number, so it can’t be that weird. Yeah.
And he had Momo’s too. Yeah.
He looked back up, seeing Midoriya and Iida sitting at a table near the window. He walked over and sat down next to them. “Good morning!” Iida said, handing him a plate full of food. Midoriya giggled looking at how confused Todoroki seemed. “Sorry we just thought we would bring you some since we were already here.” Todoroki signed peacefully and took the food from Iida’s hands, “Thank you.”
He just needed to take his mind off of tonight before his brain overflows.
_____

Since it was Saturday Todoroki had nothing really to do. He had worked out after breakfast with Midoriya and Ochako, finished his homework, and showered. It was currently 3 pm, and Todoroki was sitting out on his porch. He had no idea when Sero had wanted him over, their plans weren’t very specific. It was too early right?
Todoroki exhaled sharply and started to step back into his room. He began to open the screen door when he was interrupted by a loud eruption of music coming from Sero’s room. Todoroki glanced over at Sero in his room picking up what seemed to be clothes, off his floor. He guessed Sero was about ready to hang out so he pulled out his phone. Todoroki was never really good at starting conversations, but he tried.

3:04 PM
Hi, it's Todoroki. Is it ok to come over now?

It only took a few seconds for him to receive a response. Todoroki glanced back at Sero in his room, he was smiling at his phone.

3:05 PM
Of course man. Head on over here.

Todoroki put his phone back in his pocket and headed out the door. Oh god, the feeling hadn’t gone away yet. It was too late now though. He had been avoiding it for the whole day, but it had all flown back into his mind as he was standing before Sero’s room. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. He knocked three times. A moment later Sero opened the door, greeting Todoroki with a cheerful smile. “Welcome back man.” He opened the door wider and let Todoroki in. God why was he more nervous the second time?
“Ok I already had a movie in mind but if you have a different one just let me know.” Sero sat down on his bed and opened his laptop to the netflix page he originally pulled up. “Sorry man We’re gonna have to watch it on this.” Sero said jokingly. Todoroki looked around the room, sitting on the opposite side of the bed frame. Something about being right next to Sero on his bed made him really jittery. “No it’s ok. I don’t mind.” Todoroki said, looking back up at Sero. He smiled back, “Alright. Here we can watch it over here.”
He placed the computer on the table that sat in between the bed and desk. Todoroki now realized that Sero had already placed blankets on the floor for them to sit on. “Oh that-” Sero rubbed his neck in embarrassment. “I just thought it would be more comfortable than to sit on the hardwood floor.” Todoroki looked down at the pile of blankets scattered on the floor. Pillows were set up perfectly against the bed frame, almost like a couch, and the table was set up directly in front of them, as if they were in a movie theater. Sero had obviously planned this out, like a good friend should. Todoroki looked back up at Sero “Thank you.” Was Sero always this considerate?
Todoroki sat down on the floor and adjusted himself on the blankets. Sero smiled and joined him against the bed frame. “Oh wait!” Sero said, springing up and grabbing his phone. “I need to send you something for our project. I forgot to add it haha.” He moved his fingers around before Todoroki’s phone pinged. He opened it to see a few pictures of the notes they took. “ Did you get it?” Sero asked as he peered over Todoroki’s shoulder. Oh he was close. He was really close. “Yeah I got them.” Todoroki looked to the side to see Sero’s face looking down at his phone. He looked confused.
“Hey I don’t have a profile pic.” Sero mentioned as he sat back down. Todoroki glanced back at him. Was he supposed to have one?
“Do I need one?” he asked. Sero giggled at him, “ No not really, but I always have them. Matter of fact I need one of you… Do you mind if I take a pic of you?” Sero asked, holding the phone in front of him.
Todoroki flinched a bit. He was never really good at posing for pictures, a matter of fact he hated taking them. But for some reason this felt different. “...Ok.” Todoroki turned to Sero.
Sero faced the camera in front of him and clicked. Todoroki had no time to prepare for the flash that lit up the whole room. He flinched and closed his eyes. “Oh shoot, sorry!” Sero said, pulling the camera away from his face.
He looked down at his phone to see the results. The picture was a blurry mess of Todoroki squinting his eyes, and one of Sero’s fingers in the corner. Sero erupted in laughter. Todoroki only looked at him in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Sero gasped for a breath, “No it’s nothing… BAHA.” He showed Todorki the picture. Oh god he looked so stupid. “I look bad.”
Even Sero was laughing at how bad it was. Oh he hated it. Sero looked back at Todoroki, finally calm, “No man you look great, I just thought it was funny. It’s perfect.” Todoroki peered up at Sero, startled by what he said.
What.
He liked it.
He said he looked great.
Sero said he looked great.
Todoroki’s nervousness was now replaced with a gut feeling, a good one. Sero edited The photo to fit the frame and put it as Todoroki's profile picture. It was dumb but if Sero liked it he was fine with it. Sero turned his head to meet Todoroki, “Thanks man.”
“No problem.”
Todoroki glanced around the room. He wanted a picture for Sero too, but something different. Todoroki stopped at one wall, satisfied at what he found, “Hey Sero, can I use that as your picture.” Sero looked to where Todoroki was pointing. It was the polaroid picture of him. Sero paused for a second, “ Why that one?”
Todoroki hesitated before he was able to say something. Shoot what was he supposed to tell him?
Todoroki hadn’t thought of a reasonable answer before he spat that out. He can’t say that he liked how he looked because he didn’t, he didn’t think he looked good because that’s weird. That’s not normal. He can’t say that. He needed to say something though.
“You look cool.”
Sero sat there for a second, making Todoroki nervous. He said the same thing Sero said to him, that’s not weird right? He assumed it was ok since Sero said it first. Sero pushed his hand through his hair and looked up, “ Yeah go for it man.” He looked red.
Todoroki stood up and waddled over to the pictures hanging on the wall. He clicked the camera and adjusted the photo to fit the frame. God, it looked even better the second time. Todoroki turned back around and made his way back to his original spot. He held out his phone to show Sero the results. Sero grinned and pulled up his phone also, “ Not bad, I think these fit perfectly.” Todoroki took a deep breath as he stared at the photos before them.
Why? Why did he feel this way? Todoroki couldn’t handle it, he just looked so… so-
“Yo man you good?”
Todoroki snapped back into reality to see that Sero had already pulled up the movie and was settled down against the bed frame. “Oh sorry.”
Todoroki had no time to think about that stuff. They were just friends and that was it.
___

He settled down against the cushions and focused on the movie. Sero had pulled up an older action movie, a pretty popular one before quirks had been around. The main character seemed very similar to Sero and his quirk, to say the least he was almost exactly like him. Todoroki was never really into all that stuff, but he didn’t mind it. He glanced over at Sero who seemed fully into the plot of the movie. His eyes were big and bright, reflecting the light of the screen, his chin resting against a pillow that sat in his lap. Todoroki had never seen him so enthusiastic about something, it pulled something in his chest.
“Do you like this movie Sero?”
Sero moved his attention over to him, “Well, yeah I guess you could say that.”
He placed the pillow that sat in his lap on the floor, “I just always looked up to the main character, he’s just like me, and when I was younger I always wanted to be like him.”
Sero sighed and laughed a little, “ Sorry that probably sounded stupid.” Todoroki quickly intervened, “ No it didn’t.” He watched the screen as he spoke, “It’s not stupid.” Todoroki was never great at giving compliments and such, but he knew he had to say something. Something as a friend.
Sero grinned, staying silent, looking at Todoroki.
Todoroki brought his attention over to Sero. He stared back, his eyes focusing on all the spots on Sero’s face, his really detailed face. His features looked hand crafted, like out of a museum, and oh, his eyes. His eyes were so deep and dark, and oh god, Sero was staring right at him, he was staring back.
He was burning up.
The feeling came back, his breath. Oh, his breath was gone.
He was red, he knew it. What’s wrong with him?
The movie playing in the background started to fade out of Todoroki’s mind, only Sero. Sero was only on his mind.
It was only him.
He couldn’t describe it but Sero just looked…
He looked so-
A ping came from Todoroki’s phone. Both of the boys flinched from the sudden sound. Todoroki, now out of Sero’s trance, took a deep breath. He had no idea what happened, what was that? He had never experienced anything like that with Momo, or anyone as a matter of fact. His heart was still beating quickly. He didn’t know how to make it go down. He tried to take a deep breath again as he glanced down at his phone.
“Oh no.”
Sero glanced over his shoulder confused, “What’s wrong Roki?”
Todoroki stood up, his phone still unlocked,
“I forgot…”
Sero stood up also, “Forgot what?” Todoroki was panicking, how could he forget something so special?He rushed over to the end of Sero’s room, trying to get his shoes on,
“Momo…. Her birthday was today.”
Sero’s eyes widened, “Dude... “ Todoroki put his phone in his pocket, “I forgot we planned to hangout tonight. I’m sorry.” Sero let out a laugh of disbelief, “How could you forget? Bro, that's like the first rule of boyfriends. Did you not put a reminder in your phone?”
Todoroki paused, “You can do that?”
Sero laughed even louder this time and placed his hand on Todoroki’s shoulder, “You gotta go man. We can always reschedule for a different time.”
Todoroki slid his feet into his shoes and turned back to face Sero, “I’m sorry-”
“I told you it’s fine! How about you just come over tomorrow?” Todoroki opened the door frantically, pausing before he closed it. He really felt awful leaving like this, was this really what he had to do? He couldn’t just give up on Momo right now though, she had to be first,
“Yeah. Yeah, let's do it tomorrow.”
Sero smirked at him, “Alright well good luck man.” He closed the door, leaving Todoroki alone in the hallway. How could he be so stupid? Sero was right, this was the one thing boyfriends were supposed to do, and he messed up. He ran down the hallway, and over to the elevator. He read the texts Momo sent again.

4:15 PM
Todoroki are we still on for tonight? You didn’t text me so I just wanted to make sure.
4:17 PM
Hey I’m heading down to the commons if we're still on.
4:22 PM
Do you wanna cancel?

Shit. He felt awful. He really was a bad boyfriend. He didn’t know what happened. For the past two days all he was thinking about was…
No. he doesn’t have time for that. He needed to focus on Momo.

4: 24 PM
Hi I’m on my way. I will meet you in the commons soon.

The elevator rang, letting Todoroki run out into the room.
He needed to regroup. His main focus should always be Momo. Because he liked her. He was dating her. She was his girlfriend. He knew he should feel bad but why…
Why does he feel worse about leaving Sero?

Chapter Text

Todoroki entered the common rooms, his phone still in his hand. He peered around trying to find Momo’s distinct black hair. He was nervous. He had messed up badly this time. She was probably mad at him, and he deserved that. Todoroki finally found her sitting on the couch surrounding the tv. When Todoroki got closer he noticed she was talking to Jirou. Both girls were giggling as they sat. Momo had a box in her hand, it was carefully decorated with a blue ribbon, and stripped wrapping.
Shoot. He forgot a present.
Oh god now he really messed up. Todoroki panicked as he pulled out his phone. He was only a few feet from the couch where the girls sat, but both of them didn’t seem to acknowledge him. He opened google frantically, and pressed his finger on the search bar.
He paused.
What would Momo even like?
Now that he thought of it he had no idea what her interests were. Heck he didn’t even know her favorite color.
“Todoroki?”
He looked up to see that Momo had turned around in her seat. Todoroki had no idea what to do. He had nothing planned like he was supposed to, he had no gift, god he was such a bad boyfriend.
Todoroki only gave a slight wave with his hand as he made his way around the couch, “Hello. Sorry I am late.”
He peered over at Momo again as he sat down on one of the open chairs. She didn’t seem as upset as he thought she would be. Momo grinned at Todoroki before speaking, “Don’t worry about it, Jirou was keeping me company.” She placed her hands on the box that sat on her lap, “She even got me this…” Momo said her fingers traced the lining of the stripes.
“What is it?” Todoroki asked. He knew Jirou and Momo were close so maybe seeing what Jirou got her would help Todoroki find a gift for Momo.
Momo turned towards Jirou looking for approval to open the box. Jirou giggled a little and nodded, “It’s your gift, go ahead.” Mom smiled and slowly opened the neatly tied bow. The ribbon fell to the box's sides and onto her thighs. She then ripped the wrapping paper with her finger and pulled the excess pieces away. Todoroki watched her face light up as the present revealed itself. Inside was a white jewelry box that held a beautiful red necklace. The silver chain held onto the red charm, dancing across the corners in a neatly designed pattern. Todoroki had to admit, it was a really pretty necklace.
Momo held her hands against her face, not saying a word. Todoroki had never seen her look like this before. Her face was super red, and her eyes were glossy.
Did she not like it?
Todoroki was confused.
He turned to Jirou for help but she was also super red.
We’re they both sick?
Momo finally spoke up, choking on her own words,
“Jirou...this…. is so beautiful.”
Todoroki looked up at her eyes and, oh.
Oh she was crying.
She had tears falling from her eyes, happy ones.
She was happy.
Todoroki had never seen her cry joyful tears. He had never made her feel this way. Jirou seems to be super special to her, a kind of special that Todoroki doesn’t understand.
Todoroki sat in his seat, watching Momo cry. He didn’t understand. How could someone make her this happy?
He glanced up at her again, watching Jirou’s hand slowly make its way up to Momo’s face. Jirou seemed to hesitate, but slid her finger across Momo’s rosy cheeks. Momo giggled in embarrassment as she placed her own hand on Jirou’s.
Todoroki’s eyes widened.
Wait.
Wait, why did she…
He wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t mad or upset at all, he was almost sad.
He felt bad that Momo was being comforted by someone else. He felt bad that she felt happier with someone other than him.
Was he really that bad of a boyfriend?
He had never dried her tears, he had never gotten her a gift, he had never made her cry happy tears. He was losing in a competition that was already a lost cause. He needed to fix things. He needed to say something, anything, he opened his mouth, but Jirou beat him to it.
“Momo.”
Todoroki quickly shut his mouth and slouched back in his seat. Maybe what Jirou had to say was more important, and anyways she was doing a better job at celebrating Momo’s birthday with her than he was.
“Momo I was wondering if you wanna hang out and celebrate the rest of the day together.”
Both Todoroki and Momo froze. Momo glanced over at him, hesitating with the right words. Todoroki also blanked. Todoroki understood that He wouldn’t be upset if she hung out with Jirou, but that’s exactly the reason he is conflicted.
Shouldn’t boyfriends and girlfriends spend birthdays together?
Then why is Todoroki not jealous right now?
“Jirou…” Momo started.
“I really want to but I think Todoroki al-“
“No.” Todoroki blurted out.
Momo paused her speech, surprised at the sudden interruption.
“It’s ok Momo, you can hang out with her.” Todoroki said. Momo stayed silent for a bit, her lips quivering, “Are you sure?”
Todoroki gave a small head nod, and turned away. He knew it wasn’t right, but Momo should be with the people that know her better, even if one of them isn’t her boyfriend. Momo stood up and walked over to him. Before Todoroki could process what was happening Momo already wrapped her arms around him.

Oh.

He had never hugged her before.
He was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t push her away. It was a lot different than a hug from his mom. Those hugs were a lot more comfortable. He knew she didn’t mean to make him feel this way, so he just let it happen before Momo pulled away awkwardly and joined Jirou.
“I’ll text you tonight.” Momo said as she started to walk away with Jirou. “Oh and thank you.”

——

It has been three days since the birthday incident. Todoroki and Sero had turned in their project, easily getting an A. He didn’t want to say he was surprised at Sero’s work ethic, but it was definitely something he didn’t expect. Todoroki knew Sero was a hard worker when he wanted to be. The day had gone by slowly, as the rain trickled down the window sills. It was break, and the students were talking amongst themselves. Todoroki wasn’t in the mood for talking so he sat quietly at his desk, finishing the worksheet Midnight had assigned only moments ago. He was focusing until he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He picked it up viewing the notification. It was from Sero. Todoroki looked up at Sero who was looking directly at him. Todoroki was a little confused on why he didn’t just come up to him, but he played along anyways. He opened the text,

1:34 PM
Hey wanna come over after school?

Todoroki looked over to see his profile picture.
God.
It never gets old. He doesn’t know why but it always makes him feel so warm, and breathless, and shaking and, and-
His phone buzzed again, bringing Todoroki out of his trance.

1:35 PM
Hello?

Todoroki shook his head trying to refocus himself. He shouldn’t listen to those feelings, they were confusing and wrong. Todoroki tapped away on the buttons, and placed his phone back into his pocket.

1:35 PM
Yes. Let’s hang out.

Todoroki saw Sero smile at him before he also put his phone away. It has been a bit since they had hung out, was Sero excited to see him too? His cheeks warmed up at the thought again. Something was wrong with him. He knew it, but he didn’t want to admit it.
Todoroki glanced over at Momo, who was talking to Tsu and Ochako. She was wearing the necklace that Jirou gave her. He still felt awful that he forgot about a gift, but now it’s too late, and anyways he still has no idea what she likes. She did look pretty though. The red really complimented her eyes. Todoroki inhaled sharply and rotated his attention back to his worksheet. He had more important things to think about currently.

At the end of class Sero rushed back to where Todoroki was sitting. He looked awfully excited, as he circled Todoroki's seat. “Come on, I wanna show you something.” Sero said. Todoroki packed his bag, and stood up. “What is it?” Sero grabbed Todoroki’s arm, making him extremely red.
“It’s a secret.”
Todoroki wasn’t that big on surprises, but he trusted Sero. The boys walked together out of the school and across the street, off school campus. Sero guided him through the busy streets, past numerous stores and restaurants. The city was busy all around, people walking by, hero’s patrolling, kids playing. Todoroki wasn’t really comfortable in big crowds. When he was younger he had social anxiety, but now that he’s older he’s able to control it more. It can still get bad, but for some reason today, even though he’s in a huge city surrounded by hundreds of people, he’s completely fine. He realized that if he focused his energy on Sero, his anxiousness went away, almost completely.
“Well here we are!” Sero said with a smile. He guestered his arm to the restaurant that stood before them. It appeared to be a new building, it was small but it looked busy. Sero opened the door letting Todoroki enter first. “Why did you bring me here?” Todoroki asked. Sero smiled weakly and turned his head to the tables around them. “Well I wanted to get food that you would like so I asked Deku for advice and he said you like soba… and well…”
Todoroki froze.
He went out of his way to ask Midoriya just for me?
“Why didn’t you just ask me?” Sero shrugged his shoulders almost trying to complete his sentence with gestures, “Well I wanted it to be a surprise, and anyways-“
Sero was interrupted by a voice coming from the back, “Is that Hanta?!” Both of them turned to see a tall woman standing over the counter. She slid over it and walked over to them. She looked to be in her early 20s, with dark black hair pulled into a messy ponytail. She smiled at Todoroki as she put her arm around Sero. “Mia stop!” Sero said as he tried to push the ladies arm off of him. “Mia?” Todoroki asked.
Was this Sero's girlfriend?
Sero has never mentioned her before.
The lady let go of Sero and held her hand out in front of Todoroki, “That’s me! I’m Sero’s older sister.”
A sister?
Todoroki had never known Sero had a sister. Well now that he thought of it Sero has never really opened up about his family before, he’s kind of a quiet person about that stuff. Todoroki extended his arm and shook Mia’s hand. She seemed really nice, but loud, just like Sero. She smiled at him and turned to face the tables, “Yep and this is my restaurant. Just opened a few weeks ago.”
Sero placed his hand on Todoroki’s shoulder, “That was the other surprise.” Todoroki looked at him and then back at the restaurant In front of him. It was a nice open space, white tables placed equally across, and in the back stood a counter which Mia entered from. He glanced at Sero who was standing with his arms crossed in front of him. He was smiling. Todoroki knew that he must be proud of her.
Todoroki’s thinking was interrupted by Mia who grabbed both of them and placed them down at a table next to a window,
“I’m so happy that you came by Hanta!”
She then crouched down and whispered not so quietly, “Is this the friend you were talking about?” Sero shot up and quickly covered her mouth with his hands, “Shut up!”
His face was turning bright red as Mia laughed at him,”Ok, ok, I’ll leave, but look at the menus before I come back!” She said before she bounced over to another table. Todoroki looked back at Sero.
He wanted to ask what that was all about, but decided that it probably wasn’t important
Sero was still red.
“You never told me you had a sister.”
Sero removed his hand from his mouth and made eye contact with Todoroki, “ Well now you know.” He grinned before he propped up the menu before him. Todoroki sat there, glancing at Sero, when it all hit him.
Oh he was eating a meal with him.
They had only ever hung out in their dorms before. Was this normal? Was this normal to do as friends? Oh god he was so distracted by Mia that he totally forgot what he was doing. He was eating at a restaurant with Sero. He has never done that with Momo before! Was this ok? He never even asked Momo if it was ok to hang out with Sero, he just kinda left. Todoroki squinted his eyes, trying to think.
“Yo dude are you ok?” Sero asked. He had lowered his menu and was staring directly at him. Todoroki met his eyes in a panic. “Is this ok to do as friends?”
Sero laughed briefly at him, “What are you talking about?”
Todoroki looked away, eye contact in this situation was not helping him calm down, “We are out to eat...Don’t couples do that?”
Sero choked on his water he was drinking a moment before. He cleared his throat by pounding his fist against his chest, creating quite a scene, “ What? No friends are allowed to hang out like this. Uhh, let’s just not think about that.” Sero rubbed his neck, he looked even redder than before. Todoroki didn’t understand it that much but if Sero said it was normal then I guess it was ok. The boys ate their soba, which Todoroki thought was delicious, while Sero talked about music. Todoroki knew Sero liked music, but watching Sero’s eyes light up as he talked about his favorite albums, or the different genres, made it have a new meaning to him. Todoroki was never a big music guy but for some reason Sero made it seem so interesting. They talked until the sky was golden, and their soba was gone. They thanked Mia and headed out the door. They walked down the busy streets and passed the cars speeding by. Todoroki was silent for most of the way back, not because he had nothing to say, it was because he didn’t want to say anything. He wanted to just watch Sero’s eyes, and his hair light up in the golden sun, and to see him smile every time he speaks. Todoroki couldn’t put his finger on it but it made him warm. It made him feel calm, but made his heart race at the same time. He was so caught up in Sero’s lips moving that he didn’t even notice that they had made it back to their dorm. They both entered and walked into the common room, which was filled with most of their classmates. Sero turned backwards so he was facing him as they walked. “I promised Mina I would watch a show with her, but do you wanna hang tomorrow?”
Todoroki stopped in his tracks. He wanted to hang out again? He was surprised that someone would want to see him so often. Even his own girlfriend only hung out with him every three to four days. Was this what friendship is? If so, maybe it was better than being in love.
Todoroki nodded, “Ok.” Sero smiled and ruffled Todoroki’s hair before turning back around. “See you later Roki.”
Todoroki watched him walk off. His heart was pounding out of his chest. Todoroki had no idea what just happened but he didn’t care.
He didn't care that his hair was a mess now.
It felt so good that he was actually feeling happiness, a different happiness that felt genuine.

Chapter Text

“You’re a failure Todoroki. How dare you disgrace our family like this.”
Todoroki stood before the tall figure, shaking in fear. The figure towered over him, his flames bursting from his head.
“Get out of this house. I will not let anyone like you stay here.”
The figure raised his flaming arm. The flame grew enormously, as the figure grew in anger. The figure then aimed his arm right to Todoroki, letting the fire lose right at him. Todoroki tried to run but the fire got closer and closer every step he took. He ran and ran, his legs burning with each leap. He had no destination, every time he looked back, the flames trailed him. He pushed on, passing corner around corner, looking for any hope in escaping. Even though the flame got closer, Todoroki stopped to see a wall right in front of him. He was stuck. The wave of fire rushed toward him, with no intent of stopping. Todoroki covered his ears in fear, he felt the heat, the flames, the anger. His throat started to swell, was he going to die? He panicked, gasping and gasping for air. “No, no, NO!”
Todoroki rose from his bed, breathing rapidly. He looked around his hand resting on his sweaty forehead. A bad dream. The morning light was resting on his wood floor, the birds were singing their songs. Todoroki glanced over to his clock.
6:17 AM
He lay back on his bed, steadying his breath. It’s been a while since he had a bad dream. He sat there on his bed for a bit before deciding that he should just get up then try to sleep again. Todoroki placed his feet on the floor and stood up slowly. He felt disgusting with the amount of sweat he had on his body. Todoroki grabbed a towel and his uniform from his room and headed down stairs to the baths. No one was really up since it was pretty early in the morning. Only Iida and Tsu seemed to be up. Tsu was in the kitchen making something out of dough. Iida seemed to just be getting back from a morning run, his headphones still in his ears as he stood by the doors. Todoroki raised a hand to both of them as he made his way around the hallway. He didn't have to leave for school for about another hour and 13 minutes so he could take his time. He opened the door to the bath, obviously being empty. He washed his body off with cold water and hopped in. The heat was comforting as he slowly sunk in lower. Todoroki exhaled deeply, pushing his hand through his hair. He was still shaken up by his dream. He has had dreams before about his father but they were never about disappointment. He didn’t know why he was dreaming about that now, it sort of scared him. He was frustrated that he didn’t fight back in his dream. If that were the real thing he would have at least countered the attack. Oh well there’s nothing to do about it now. Todoroki inhaled sharply and sank completely underwater. The water rushed over his ears, making a ringing silence fill the area. He sat there limp in the water. He liked this feeling, the feeling of openness. His hair tickled his face as it danced through the currents of the water. Todoroki lay there completely relaxed. He wished that if he could switch his quirk with anything it would be to breathe underwater, because this relaxed state can only last for a few moments. His throat started to tingle, but he didn’t listen, he was completely, undeniably-
“TODOROKI WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
He felt arms reach under his armpits lifting him up above the water. Todoroki gasped for a breath as his face lifted. He turned around to see Iida still holding him up.
“YOU CANNOT JUST LAY THERE. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT SCARED ME?!” Todoroki pushed his damp hair away from his eyes, “Sorry.” Iida sighed and let go of him carefully. “Please refrain yourself from doing that, you’re lucky I saw you in time.”
“Yes. Sorry.”
Iida slowly sat beside him placing his glasses on his towel that sat on the edge of the bath. He quickly dunked his head under the water and flicked his hair back. Todorki watched him sit down, laying his arms up on the side of the pool, resting his head back. The two sat quietly for a while, before Iida spoke up, “ Are you ok Todoroki? I know you are quiet but something seems off. You’re never up this early.”
Todoroki avoided his eyes, watching the ripples in the water, “ I’m ok. I just had a weird dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
Iida leaned forward, putting his chin in the water, “Ok well if you ever need someone to talk to I will always be open to listen.”
Todoroki finally looked up at him and nodded, “ Thank you.”
Iida smiled at his response, placing his hand on Todoroki’s shoulder, “ Of course! That is what the class president should do, Care for his fellow classmates.”
The boys finished their baths, and changed into their uniforms before heading out into the common rooms. It was still only 6:46 in the morning but only a few classmates were gathered in the commons. Todoroki had sat down with Midoriya for breakfast, eating at one of the tables near the center. Tsu had made breakfast biscuits, offering them to everyone. Of course Todoroki took one, seeing how early she had woken up to make them. By the time they had finished eating everyone was downstairs waiting to leave for school. Momo who was talking with Mina on the couches. She had her hair down, only the front strands were pinned back. She glanced over to where Todoroki sat, and began to walk over. She held the sides of her backpack as her hair flowed behind her. She stood before Todoroki and Midoriya greeting both of them. She nodded respectfully, smiling before speaking, “ Todoroki, I was wondering if you would like to come to my family dinner tonight.” Todoroki delayed his response. He was confused on why she had to ask permission. Usually His father plans dinners out between the two families and Todoroki just tagged along with whatever. This was the first time Momo had asked him. “Sure.”
Midoriya, who was sitting there the whole time, noticed how he was obviously third wheeling and excused himself from the table. Momo stood before Todoroki tucking her hair behind her head. She seemed to notice Todoroki’s confusion.
“My grandparents are visiting and want to meet you. Just you this time thought.” Todoroki sat up from his seat, “Ok what time?”
Todoroki picked up his backpack and the two of them started to walk to the door, “ Tonight at 6. I will have to leave directly from school, but I will just meet you at my house late.” She said as they exited the building.
“Oh and wear something nice. My grandparents are sort of old fashioned.” she blurted out. Todoroki hummed in response, “ Ok I will do that.” Momo smiled at him, content with his agreement. The two continued to walk before they heard someone call both of their names. It was Denki. He was running right to them, his hair still wet, and a biscuit in his hand. He stopped before them, gasping for air. “Have you guys seen Sero? We don’t think he even woke up yet.” Todoroki and Momo turned around to the rest of their classmates walking to school. Sero was not among them. “I haven’t seen him.” Momo said. Todoroki shook his head. “Shit-” Denki said as he turned to run back into the dorms. “Wait-” Todoroki said as he grabbed Denki by the arm. “I’ll get him.” Todoroki had no idea what he was doing, but he thought it was probably better for him to go than Denki. Denki gave him a confused look but let him pass, “ Ok well hurry up, class starts soon.” Todoroki nodded and jogged back into the dorm. Everyone had already left for class, making the dorm room completely empty. He ran to the elevator and pressed the button to their floor. The elevator clicked, lifting him up throughout the building. The doors opened to the hallway, letting Todoroki out. He ran over to Sero’s dorm, knocking three times.
No response.
He knocked again, louder this time.
This time there was a loud groan from the other side followed by a forceful thump.
“Ouch.”
Todoroki stood before the door, pondering on what to do. “Sero school starts in- '' He glanced over to the clock that sat on the wall on top of the elevator. “-13 minutes.” This time he heard a louder response, “ WHAT? Oh god dude I can't, I feel like shit.”
Todoroki placed his hand on the handle, “Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
Todoroki opened the door slowly to see Sero lying on the floor, his blanket tangled in his legs. His shirt was folded up, revealing his toned abs, making Todoroki blush. “Are you ok?”
Sero giggled a little, placing his hands in front of him, “ I fell.” Todoroki looked at Sero’s face. Even though it was dark in Sero’s room, he could tell Sero was sick, from his darkened bnags, and red nose. Sero put his weight on his hands and tried to lift himself up “ ahh, OW-” He groaned, falling back down on the floor. “Dude, I have the biggest headache.” Todoroki ran over to him, placing his hands under his armpits, lifting him up. He tried to ignore how hard his heart was beating in the chest. He sat Sero up slowly against the side of his bed. He sat in front of Sero placing his hands on Sero’s shoulders to stabilize him. “Roki, you're gonna be late for school. I’ll be fine just- mhm” Sero furrowed his eyebrows in pain, placing his hand over his forehead. “You are sick Sero.” Todoroki said, looking directly at him. Sero sighed, “ I knowww.” He trailed off. Sero let go of his forehead, his eyes still closed. Sero slowly leaned forward, leaning his head directly on Todoroki’s shoulder.
Todoroki stifferend at the sudden contact. He looked down at the sight before him. His heart started beating even faster than before, he felt like he was about to explode. He couldn’t move, all he could do was look. Look at Sero’s dark hair, rest peacefully on his shoulder, and fall down his front. His hands were still on Sero’s shoulders, gripping his muscles, his big, back muscles.
Shit.
He wanted to stay like this forever, but before he knew it Sero lifted his head. He was only a few inches away from Todoroki’s face.
“Sorry I shouldn’t touch you, I don’t want you to get sick also.” Todoroki did not let go of his shoulders. “No, you need help. You are sick.”
Sero smiled and dipped his head to the side, “ You gotta get going man, just tell Aizawa I can’t make it.” Todoroki peered over at the clock that sat on Sero’s bedside.
7:40 AM
He had five minutes to get to class.
Todoroki felt Sero’s hand press his cheek to face him. His fingers felt so soft, so comforting. Oh god Todoroki couldn’t handle all of this right now. He wanted to push away, but at the same time he couldn’t. He looked directly at Sero, and Oh god. His eyes.
They were so detailed up close. He wished he could stare at them forever. Todoroki was so stuck in a trance he didn’t hear Sero speak to him at all. “Roki.Go.” Sero let go of Todoroki’s cheek and shoved him lightly. Todoroki recollected himself and picked himself up off the ground. “...Um. Do you need help getting back to your bed?” He asked to avoid eye contact. He really couldn’t handle looking at his face right now. “No I'm a good man, I'll see you after class.” Sero slowly leaned against the bed, pulling himself up weakly. “I’ll be back.” Todoroki said. He couldn’t just leave Sero half dead could he? He grabbed his bag and exited the room. He tried not to think about what just happened. He created an ice path for himself, sliding at full speed to the school ground. He ran through the front doors, and into the hallway. Most of the students were already in class. The final bell rang as he slid through the classroom door, making a scene . Everyone was sitting at their desks, staring back at him. Out of breath Todoroki made his way to the back of the classroom and sat down next to Momo. “Where is he?” Momo asked, playing with her hair. “He is not feeling well so he will not be in class today.” She hummed in response before she turned to face the front of the room.
____

Lunch had finally arrived after a long first half of school. He had been waiting for Lunch to come since he sat down at his seat. He dashed over to the cafeteria where all his classmates sat, but he did not join them. He grabbed an extra box and headed to the dorms. UA has a 45 minute lunch, meaning that students could basically sit and eat anywhere, including their dorms. Todoroki walked into the elevator and headed up to the 5th floor. He stood before Sero’s door and knocked three times.
There was a long pause before The door opened abruptly. Sero had used his tape from across the room to open the door. “Why are you here?” Todoroki lifted his hands to reveal the boxes of food he had. Sero smiled and sat up, “Dude you didn’t have to.” Todoroki placed the food before him and sat down on the bed. “I knew you had no food in here so I brought you some.”
Sero smirked as he opened the box, “ Thank you I’m literally starving.” They both ate quietly, enjoying each other's presence. Sero ate his food almost immediately. Todoroki told him about what had happened in the classes he missed, and the assignments he had to do. Sero pushed his hand over his mouth, and yawned, “Yeah I should probably focus on school work tonight. Sorry man, we should just reschedule.”
“I was actually gonna tell you that Momo invited me to dinner, so I couldn’t really hang out either.” Todoroki said as he packed up the garbage from their lunch.
Sero gasped dramatically and widened his eyes, “OooOoh, you’re meeting her parents?”
He said mockenly. Todoroki, obviously not understanding the joke, answered him normally, “ I have already met her parents, I’m meeting her grandparents.”
“Oh that’s even more serious.” Sero said, smirking at him. Todoroki did not respond. For some reason he was annoyed about what Sero said. It wasn’t that serious right? There wasn’t something that special about it. He didn’t even want to start thinking seriously about his and momo’s relationship. “...yeah I guess.” Todoroki said as he threw away the trash he had in his hands. Sero watched him sit back down before speaking again, “ Why are you so down about it?”
Todoroki was a little startled by the question. He wasn’t upset about it, he just…. Didn’t feel like it was the best time to do this. Todoroki only shrugged.
“Aw dude you should be excited! Come over after school I’ll help you get ready.” Sero said happily. Todoroki looked at him in surprise, “Really?”
Sero started to cough again, nodding between them. “Ah dude my head is on fire.” Sero said as he lay back on his bed. Without thinking, Todoroki got up and placed his hand on Sero's forehead. “What are you doing?” Sero asked, looking at him with wide eyes. Todoroki avoided his gaze, his cheeks blushing bright red, “Just… Let me try something.” Todoroki activated his ice quirk, cooling down Sero’s burning forehead. Sero relaxed into the touch, exhaling peacefully. Todoroki made sure not to be too aggressive with his quirk, letting it slowly pool out as a cool breeze brushing against his skin. “That feels so good.” Sero mumbled, placing his hand on top of Todoroki’s.
It hurt. It hurt Todoroki so much. His chest was already beating so rapidly, and his face was so red. Why...why did he have to feel this way? Oh it hurt in the best way possible.
He watched Sero drift off, his sleepy eyes closing peacefully. His hand still rested on Todoroki’s. He wanted to cry. But why though? Was it happy tears? He never wanted to leave. He wanted to sit and watch Sero sleep, his chest rise and fall, his hand lose its grip on top of his. His mind was screaming at him, but he never wanted to admit what he wanted to say. Instead he slowly let go of Sero’s head, watching Sero’s hand fall off his. Todoroki sat up, putting the covers over him. He stood in the doorway for a bit, regretting getting up. He wished he could stay, he really did, but he only had a few minutes left of lunch. He closed the door slowly and walked out into the empty hallway. He placed his own hand on his forehead, cooling it down. He had never been this red before. Maybe Sero really did get him sick.
___
School ended quickly, leaving the rest of the day for the students to finish their work. CLass 1a had ended their day with weight training, leaving them all sweaty. Todoroki walked into the dorms with Midoriya who suggested they wash off. The boys headed to the baths where Todoroki decided not to, basically, drown himself again. After washing off Todoroki headed up to his room putting on comfortable clothes as he washed his face. He wasn’t really good at doing his hair and such, but he tried. He dried and combed it out like he always did. By the time he walked out if his bathroom it was 4:30. He had about an hour before he had to leave, so he headed over to Sero’s. Todoroki was never good at styling outfits, his dad usually chooses what he wears to dinners. He trusted Sero since his style was nice. He knocked on the door like he always did. The door opened with tape attached to it from where Sero sat in his bed. Todoroki walked through the door and took his shoes off, “I need you to help me pick an outfit.” Sero giggled a little as he rubbed his eye. “Yeah of course, what are the options?” Todoroki paused. Was he supposed to have outfits picked out? “Um… I don't have any.” Sero silently laughed, his voice was raspy from the coughing, “ Go grab your suits and bring them in here.” Todoroki stepped out of the room and into his. He only had a few, but he brought them anyway. He walked back into Sero’s room with a handful of clothing. He lay the three suits he had on the bed side by side. Sero stood before them with a blanket around his shoulders. He rubbed his nose as he was thinking. “ The red one is too flashy for a dinner date.”
“It’s not a date.” Todoroki blurted out.
Sero turned to him, squinting his eyes, “uhh sure…”
He turned back to the two options left. One was a plain black suit, and the other was a blue floral one. Sero pointed his finger out and turned to Todoroki, “That one. Go try it on.”
Todoroki liked both of the suits but if Sero thought this one was better, he would wear it. “May I use your bathroom?” Todoroki asked as he picked up the suit. Sero nodded as he sat back down on his bed, and pulled out his phone, “ Come out when you're finished.” Todoroki obliged and closed the bathroom door. He quickly pulled the suit on and buckled the dress pants. He adjusted the suit in the mirror before he started to open the door. Todoroki was never great at modeling, but he needed Sero’s opinion. Todoroki walked out slowly, his right hand holding onto the door, the other resting by his side. Sero hadn’t looked up yet, occupied by his phone.
“Um Sero…”
Sero put his phone down, “ Ye-”
He cut off his own words, his mouth didn’t seem to move. Todoroki was confused. Did he not like it? Sero stared at him for a good moment. His eyes trailed up and down and paused back up at his face. Sero looked like he was trying to say something but was cut off by his own breath. Todoroki sat there awkwardly waiting for a response. Sero put his hand over his mouth and turned away,
“...uh, it looks good. I like the blue” His face looked red. Todoroki walked toward him, bending down, trying to meet Sero’s gaze which was looking the other way. Todoroki didn’t know why, but he kind of liked the way Sero was acting. “Sero.”
Sero glanced over at him a couple times, laughing awkwardly. “...Yeah?”
Todoroki noticed how red Sero was getting. He guessed it was from his sickness. “You’re red.”
Sero paused. He tried to form a sentence but failed miserably. Todoroki pulled his hand up, “ I can ice your head if y-”
“NO, no Haha... no it's ok. You should probably get going.” Sero said, one hand covering his face, the other pushing Todoroki away. Todoroki nodded, stepping away and picking up the other tux. “Thank you for the help.” He said as he stood in the doorway. “Of course man. Have fun” He said smiling.
Todoroki nodded with a small smile. He opened his dorm door and placed his other tux on his bed. He almost wished Sero could go with him in the other suit.

Chapter Text

“Oh welcome Todoroki!” The woman at the door said. She opened the door wider offering him to come in. Todoroki stepped in slowly and bowed. She watched him take his shoes off before she guesterd him to follow her. He followed the women into what seemed to be the living room. He sat down on the circular red couch that surrounded a coffee table. The lady set down a glass of water In front of him and smiled, “Ms.Yaoyorozu will be down here shortly. Please wait here.” Todoroki nodded swiftly, looking off in the distance. The lady walked out of the room leaving Todoroki alone. He had been in Momo’s house before, but this time it felt strange. It was so quiet, and the lights seemed a lot duller. Todoroki peered around the room. He wasn’t going to lie, her house was really nice. The windows reached the floor, giving the whole house a wider feel. Outside was a garden surrounded by a stream of water. The koi fish danced their way through the currents. The subtle sound of the water trickling down the stream filled his ears.
“Hello, sorry I’m late.”
Todoroki turned to see Momo standing in the entrance of the room. Her eyes and cheeks were red, and her nose looked puffy. Something was off, but Todoroki didn’t want to mention it. He thought it would be best not to talk about it.
“You look pretty.” Todoroki said as he stood up awkwardly. He heard boyfriends were supposed to compliment their partners when they get dressed up, but he wasn’t the best at it. He honestly felt weird complimenting her. He wasn’t going to lie, she did look pretty, she really did, but he almost felt forced to say it. Momo was wearing a nice black dress that fitted her perfectly. It was a strapless, that poofed up around her waist and ended right before her knees. Her hair was down, with a gold clip pulling a few strands behind her ear. “Thank you.” She said playing with her hair. “I- uh… like your suit.” Todoroki looked down at himself, almost forgetting what he was wearing. “Oh thank you. Sero helped me pick it out.” Momo laughed at that, inching closer to where Todoroki stood. “He had good taste.” Todoroki nodded in agreement, “ He knows more about fashion than me, so I trusted him.” Momo smiled at him, her eyebrows starting to burrow. She stared at him, almost trying to find something. Her eyes started to gloss, as she bit her cheek. She was processing something, but Todoroki had no idea what. Momo took a deep breath and blinked the forming gloss in her eyes away. She looked really upset. Todoroki was not the best at reading emotions but even he knew something was up. “Are you ok?”
Momo turned away and wiped the corner of her eye gently, she shook her head subtly almost to clear her mind and refocus her thoughts, “ Oh- yes! Haha, sorry don't worry about me.” This time she made eye contact with Todoroki and smiled, “ I’m fine…I’m just nervous. I'm excited. Trust me, but today’s the day my grandparents approve of us or not, which decides our whole… future….” She paused and sighed. Todoroki watched her face drop completely.
She was right.
Todoroki hadn’t realized before how big tonight was supposed to be. He took a shaky breath, trying to calm his overflowing mind. If tonight went well him and Momo would be set for life, planned to marry and bear children to carry on the legacy. They would be millionaires, and make one of the best agencies in history. He would make his family so proud. It was everything he wanted. Everything…
Everything… he….
Todoroki bit his cheek.
It wasn’t.
He didn’t want it.
It was the first time he really opened his eyes. He saw his own reflection looking at him, but he didn’t recognize himself. This wasn’t him. This wasn’t what he wanted or what he needed. He needed someone else. He let go of his now bleeding cheek, and brushed his hand through his hair. He knew it. He knew what he wanted but he couldn’t admit it. No. It was shameful. “Todoroki?”
He looked back up at Momo, who was standing in front of him now, she reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. “We should go.”
He watched her exit the room, and followed her footsteps. He wanted something else but he needed to do what’s right.
He needed to give Momo everything she wanted. Todoroki knew she was so nervous about tonight because she was scared her grandparents would say no. She wanted this future.
He may not be 100% sure but if Momo wanted it he would not drag her down with him. He would do whatever to make her happy and to make his family happy. That’s what love is.

The two made their way down the hallway and into the dining room. Todoroki tried to calm his breathing as silently as he could, his eyes looking at the ground. Inside was a huge dining room table that could easily hold a dozen people. Momo guesterd Todoroki to sit in one of the middle seats next to her. They sat alone in the room for a while, their minds pondering about their distant future. Momo did not speak, she only played with the skirt of her dress. Todoroki knew he was bad at comforting, so he stayed silent for the time being. Eventually the dining room door opened. Momo’s mother and father walked through, wearing nice formal clothing. Momo’s mother smiled at Todoroki, mouthing a silent hello. Her father on the other hand walked over to Todoroki and placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled and nodded his head, “ Thank you for joining us tonight Todoroki. I don’t know if Momo told you but my parents would like to meet you tonight.”
“Uh yes sir.” Todoroki said.
Her father ended it there, sitting down at one of the seats across from them. Momo’s mother sat down at another seat leaving two empty seats between them. Todoroki assumes her father did not mention that her grandparents would assess him to not make him nervous. However, he was already sweating. He really, really did not want to be there. He was just waiting for this meal to be over.
The door opened once more revealing Momo’s grandparents. Both Todoroki and Momo flinched at the sound of the doors opening. Todoroki watched as they walked into the room before ducking his head once more. They were both tall and well dressed. They paid no attention to everyone else in the room and sat down directly across from Momo and him. Todoroki refused to look up. He feared if he did he would have to face his future. “Todoroki.” Momo whispered, tapping his arm. He looked over at her hesitantly. She lifted her fingers slightly, signalling him to lift himself up. He followed her instructions, slowly lifting his head, to meet her grandparents' gaze. They gave no remorse for his nerves and stared him up and down harshly. It was uncomfortably silent. “Boy…” The old woman uttered. Todoroki met her gaze. She inhaled sharply, burrowing her eyebrows. “What is… that?” She said her hands waved in circles, guestereing to his face.
Momo’s mother gasped indiscreetly, placing her hand over her chest.
“Mother…” Momo’s dad said, shocked.
Todoroki gripped the sides of his seat.
He wanted nothing more than to just leave.
He thought his hair covered it but he was wrong. He thought no one would notice it but he was wrong. He thought his scar wouldn’t define him but he was wrong.
He suddenly felt a hand reach over to him and squeeze it gently. Momo glanced over at him, and let his hand go. She looked angry. She looked back at her relatives and sat up confidently.
“There’s no need to ask him about a past he doesn’t want to share.”
Her grandmother raised her eyebrows sarcastically and looked over at her husband. He only grunted.
The lady readjusted her hair with her dainty hands.
“Pardon me, I just wanted to understand why the new face of our family had a… scar.”
Only silence followed her comment. Suddenly a bell rang, signalling six servants to bring platters of food into the room. Each of them placed a plate before them, lifting the mental cover up to reveal their dinner. Todoroki looked over at Momo. Her mouth was bunched up angrily, but her whole body was calm. She looked like a ticking time bomb waiting for the last little push to finally knock her over the edge. Before Todoroki could thank them, they vanished back out of the room. The six of them ate peacefully, the only sound being the clinking of silverware. The conversations continued, Momo’s grandparents asking most of the questions. Todoroki started to calm down after a bit, finally being comfortable opening up about his life. He never really liked talking about himself so he kept his answers to a minimum. Most of the time they talked about money and his fathers agency, which was expected. Todoroki tried his best to answer In the right way, so as not to mess up Momo’s future. He had come to the conclusion to ignore his own wants for hers. Even if he wasn’t happy, it's what he should want. He can’t just be selfish about his feelings, Momo’s and his family's success all depends on him. Todoroki turned to Momo. She had been awfully quiet the entire dinner. She looked different than even a few minutes ago. Almost like she was on edge. Todoroki tried to read her face but didn’t get much from it. He had always been bad at understanding emotions. She only gave him a delicate smile before turning her attention back to her grandparents. Todoroki did the same. It would be best to just talk to her after.
“Todoroki, you look strong. Your build is the ideal body type for a hero.” Momo’s grandfather said sturdily. Her grandmother smiled wide, and looked over at Momo, “ I bet if you mate your children would have great quirks that could sponsor the agency!” She gasped excitedly before continuing, “Oh Momo, with that body of yours, it wouldn’t even be a problem for you and Todoroki to have children!”
Momo’s mother and father both laughed at the comment. The room was filled with adult laughter, spilling through their ears. Todoroki sat there,mortified. He could never imagine doing… that … with Momo. He couldn’t even hold her hand. Todoroki gripped his fork, holding back his urge to run out of the room and far far away.
He wanted to leave. Now.

They were just kids.

He turned to Momo. Her head was slouched, her hair falling before her face. She was gripping the sides of her chair tightly, making her palms white. Something was wrong. He couldn’t tell but something was really wrong. Before he could ask her, Momo seemed to reach her limit.
“Excuse me for a moment.” She blurted out, standing up. She quickly pushed her chair back and bolted out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Todoroki was confused.
He thought she was upset but wasn’t sure. Should He follow her? Isn’t that what boyfriends are supposed to do?
Todoroki stood up slowly, still indecisive if he should go or not. He looked over at Momo’s parents, who seemed to pay little to no attention to what just happened, conversing with her grandparents. Todoroki decided that he did not want to stay there alone and left the room also. He closed the doors to the dining room softly as he peered down each end of the hallway. He had no idea why he was following her but it just felt like it was the best thing to do.
From his earlier visits to the Yoyorozu household he knew enough of the layout to know where her bedroom was. He felt weird going into a girls bedroom alone, but he had a feeling she was in there. He made his way over to the tall, wooden door and knocked.
Only silence followed, so Todoroki started to walk away. He didn’t know where else she would be, but he would rather look for her than to be in the dining room. He only got a few steps down the hall when he heard the sound of a door opening. He turned back around to see Momo sticking her head out in the small crack she left between the doors.
“Oh Todoroki. I’m sorry, come in.” She said moving the door open more. As Todoroki got closer he realised Her makeup was smeared, and her eyes looked red. Even redder than before. He stepped into her room cautiously, only standing in the door frame as she shut the door behind them. Momo took a deep breath and pulled her hair into a low-ponytail. She sat on the end of her bed, arms crossed in front of her, “ I didn’t mean to run out like that. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you The truth.” Todoroki stayed quiet, he was confused to say the least. Momo looked pale, almost like she was scared half to death. She patted the side of her bed telling Todoroki to come sit next to her. He followed, sitting awkwardly next to her, arms rested between his legs. Momo whipped her eyes, messing up her makeup once more before continuing. “Todoroki before I tell you I just want you to understand I really tried to live this life, but I just…. I can’t handle it anymore.”
She tilted her head up as she sniffled her nose. “ I really don’t want you to hate me just…. Please try to understand ok?”
Todoroki nodded, eager to hear what she had to say. She hesitated at first, almost catching herself before she said the wrong thing. She finally turned to him and placed her hands on his,

“Todoroki I like someone else.”

Oh.
Todoroki didn’t know what to say. He bit the inside of his lip, as he thought to himself. He was surprised that he wasn’t upset. Like at all. He was relieved to say the least. All the guilt and stress from this arrangement finally fell off his shoulders, as if it was holding him down.
“...That’s ok.”
Momo looked over at him, letting out an airy laugh. “ You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better.”
Todoroki shook his head , “ No I mean it.” Momo played with her hair nervously, “ I’m sorry. I knew you wanted this, and I just like… ruined it.”
“No… no I didn't want it.” Todoroki blurted out, almost shouting.
Momo turned to him in disbelief, “ What? But I thought…”
“I never wanted it. I thought you did so I just went along, trying to atleast make you happy.” Todoroki interrupted.
Momo looked at him, a smile appearing on her face. Then, she laughed. A genuine, happy laugh. She covered her mouth as she rocked back and forth on her bed. Before he knew it, Todoroki was smiling too. “Todoroki I was doing the same for you! How could we be so dense?” She asked playfully. Todoroki shrugged, letting his shoulders finally drop from the pressure. Momo fell back onto her bed, facing the ceiling. “ All this time we were just pretending.” She turned over, resting her head on her hand. “ I’m glad we could both come clean before all of this was official.” She said, emphasizing her words with her eyes.Todoroki maneuvered himself to face her, “Can I just ask one thing?”
“Sure.”
“Who do you like?”
Momo caught her breath in her mouth, biting her lips. She made eye contact with him and gave an embarrassed laugh. “Why do you want to know?”
Todoroki then paused also. Why did he want to know? There was nothing he would gain from it but he just felt like he needed to know. “I don’t know. I just felt like asking.”
Momo giggled a bit at the comment but quickly returned to her worried expression. “...Do you promise not to tell anyone?”
Todoroki nodded, he was a little confused on why Momo was making it such a big deal. Momo sat back up and placed her head on her hands. She completely avoided Todoroki, facing the ground. She tried to form a sentence but couldn’t get one word out. Her face looked defeated.
“You don’t have to tell me if yo-”
“No. You deserve to know. Just don’t hate me.”
Todoroki tilted his head to try to meet Momo’s gaze, “Why would I hate you?”
Momo finally broke, covering her face with her hands, tears spilling once more from her black eyes. “ Because I…” She paused. She let her head drop completely into her lap, arms folded over her shoulders.
“...I don’t like boys.”

Todoroki’s eyes widened, his hands gripping Momo’s white bed sheets. “What?”
Momo stayed in her slumped position, not moving a muscle, “...I’m lesbian Todoroki. I don’t and won’t ever have feelings for any guy.” She choked. Her breath was shaky, and Todoroki could see her hands quivering. His heart sank. She looked so scared. Todoroki had no idea what to do. How could she just admit that? Wasn’t it wrong? It’s not allowed, right? He wanted to tell her everything would be ok but he didn’t know himself if it would be. He wanted to tell her that she’s allowed to do that, but he himself didn’t know. His mind was swirling more than ever. All of his dad's words started to spiral through his brain. “...Momo, how did you know?”
Momo finally rose from her lap, pushing the loose strands of her hair behind her ear. “ Know what?”
“That it was ok. That you could admit that you like girls.”
Momo sniffled her nose and turned to Todoroki. “ I’m still figuring it out myself, but I knew that I could never be myself if I let my parents hold me back. And if I couldn’t be myself then I would never be happy.” She said. Todoroki didn’t understand. He so badly wanted to agree with her, but something was gripping on to him and holding him down. “Momo I don’t hate you. I see you the same way I did before.” Todoroki said, eyes facing the bed. Momo smiled at that, more tears falling from her eyes. Momo looked genuinely relieved, and even Todoroki saw that. He slowly placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it slowly. It was definitely out of Todoroki’s comfort zone, but he knew she needed a little comfort. Momo finally shed her last tear and sat up properly, “ Thank you Todoroki, for you know, listening to me.” She admitted. Todoroki nodded, he was still unsure of what to think about the whole situation, but he knew there and then that it made Momo happier.
“... Oh I never answered your question.” Momo blurted out. She reached for her neck, and held the jewelry tightly. She smiled back up at Todoroki.

“I like Jirou.”

Chapter Text

( Author's note: HEY SO UM SORRY I'M LATE WITH THE DEADLINE AGAIN I'M SO BAD AT THIS I'M SORRY. But anyways today I really wanted to focus on Momo and Jirous' relationship since I love them and they deserve it. I know the main focus of this story is seroroki duh, but I really wanted to give them a chapter :). )

Todoroki sat back and let her talk. She seemed like she had a lot on her chest, spilling it all onto the table at once. To say the least he was confused. He didn’t understand how Momo could just admit that. He’s not angry at her, or upset that she’s gay. He just wants to understand.
“Momo.”
Momo turned to him, she had been talking a lot, and her makeup was smeared. “Yes?”
Todoroki Inhaled waiting for something to come out of his mouth, but it was only silence. He tried again, holding his knuckles in his other hand. “When did you understand that you liked her?”
Momo giggled at that, almost like she was embarrassed. “I don’t know… there really wasn’t a distinct time when I thought ‘oh I like her’ you know?”
She paused and turned away from him, she smiled to herself as if she was hiding something. “Well… I mean there kinda was this one time, but it’s a long story.”
Todoroki sat up straighter, leaning in towards her, “Tell it to me. Please.”
Momo faced him this time, smiling through her embarrassment. “Really..? It’s not that interesting…”
“Please?”
Momo sighed and tossed her hair behind her head, “Ok. I guess it started after my birthday. We hung out the day after…”

“I don’t know Jirou, maybe we should just stay here.”
“What no! We’re going.” Jirou blurted out. She was sitting on the floor in front of her full body mirror doing her makeup. “You said you always wanted to go to a concert so you can’t back down now.”
Momo gripped her elbows, pulling on the sweater she was wearing, “Yeah I know, I’m just a little nervous. I don’t really listen to metal.”
Jirou turned around, a makeup brush in her hand. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be with you the whole time, we don’t even have to go in the mosh pit.”
Momo furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “What’s a mosh pit?”
Jirou looked at her, almost in horror. She proceeded to look Momo up and down, observing her. “You know if you wear that you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.” Momo looked down at what she was wearing. She was wearing a tight black turtleneck, and nice grey dress pants. She had on black flats, and her hair was up in a bun. “Oh. Well I only own clo-“
“Here. Wear this” Jirou said as she tossed Momo a jacket. Momo held it up before her, admiring it. The jacket was a leather one with tiny spikes spilled across. There were also many decorative patches, hand stitched onto the sleeves and back. Momo tried to read the symbols but didn’t understand them. “Sorry it’s the patches are loose, I’m not the best at stitching.” Jirou admitted with a smile. Momo slipped on the jacket and zipped it up. It was a little tight on her, since she was a little more developed than Jirou, but it looked nice on her. Momo got up from Jirou’s bed and stood before the mirror. “I like it.”
Jirou smiled at her and turned back around to finish her eye makeup. Momo wasn’t used to this style, it quite literally would give her parents a heart attack.
“Oh by the way-“ Jirou started. “Those shoes are gonna be stupidly uncomfortable by the end of the night. Do you have casual ones to wear?”
Momo looked down at Jirou who was applying eyeliner. “These are my casual shoes…”
Jirou put down her eyeliner pen and raised her eyebrows sarcastically. “Ok rich-girl hold on a sec.”
Jirou reached for her phone and typed in her password. “Hey Siri call ‘stupid fucking Bitch’” she said into her phone. Siri followed the directions, FaceTiming the number. “Who is that..?” Momo asked. Jirou laughed, opening her mouth to answer when a voice interrupted her from the phone. “Bitch I’m in the middle of a game, I’m literally beating Bakugou's Ass.”
“NO HE'S NOT. DUNCE FACE A SWEAR TO GOD I'M GONNA KILL YOU.”
Both laughed at the ruckus happening behind the screen. “Kaminari can I borrow your converse. Momo doesn’t have any other shoes.”
Before he could answer, Bakugou overrided him , “Why the fuck would you borrow this idiots shoes. They smell like actual dog shit.”
Kaminari dropped his phone down to his hip. The only view being his sad face looking in Bakugou's direction. “They do not smell!”
Bakugou only laughed.
“I’ll bring them to you in a bit. I need to beat Bakugou.”
And with that Jirou ended the call.
“We can meet him in the lobby when we go down.”
She stood up and adjusted the band's t-shirt she was wearing. Jirou then walked over to her closet and grabbed her pair of converse. She slid them on (not so easily) and stood in front of her mirror, next to Momo.
“You should wear your hair down.” Jirou said, opening her door. “You always look so pretty when you do.”
Momo immediately turned red
“You think so?” She said, completely turning her head away from Jirou’s gaze. “Duh. I’ve always thought so.” This time Momo turned to face Jirou only to be met by the girl's eyes. She slowly let her bun down and the hair fall down her face. The two stayed silent for a bit, the only communication through each other’s eyes. Momo wanted to look away but she couldn’t. She wanted to not like her and her beauty, but her eyes kept pulling her in. Momo noticed how close they were to each other, the tension was thick. She had no idea what she was doing, or feeling, god she was so confused. Their eye contact was broken when Jirou’s phone buzzed, breaking the tension into a million pieces. Both of them backed away awkwardly, laughing weakfully. “it’s Kami. He’s in the lobby. We should go get the shoes and head out.” Jirou said, opening the door wider. Momo has no idea what just happened but she decided to avoid it. They headed into the elevator, and down the floors. The door finally clicked open to reveal the main lobby where most of the students were. They passed through the commons and over behind the couches where Denki was sitting with Sero. “Hey stupid, hand over the shoes.” Jirou said as she shook Denkis head with her hands. Kaminari swatted her hands away and turned in his seat. “Here. And please don’t get them dirty.” He handed the shoes off to Momo. She went over to one of the side couches and proceeded to put them on. “Where are you guys going?” Sero asked from the side. “We’re headed to a concert. Wanna come with us it’s open house?” Jirou suggested. “Oh well I was actually-“ Sero was cut off by Kaminari’s whining. “ Let me guess. You're gonna hang out with Todoroki again.” He said, hanging his head. Sero readjusted himself on the couch, “ Well… yeah but what’s wrong with that?” Denki let his head fall forward to face Sero again, “ The problem is that you never hang out with us.” He grabbed Sero’s shoulders and shook him dramatically, “ we’re your friends too ya know! Jeez it’s like you wanna make out with him or something.” Kaminari joked. Momo and Jirou both laughed at the comment, but Sero stayed quiet. Momo noticed him try to hide his now red-flushed cheeks. Momo stood up, signalling that she was done tying her shoes. Jirou noticed and stood up from the ledge of the couch. “Ok well you guys have fun or whatever.” She said, waving her hand. The girls headed out of the dorms and off of campus. Jirou led Momo through the city and onto the train. They watched the sun set as they zoomed throughout the city, everything blurring across the windows. “This isn’t the way to the concert hall…” Momo stated as she peered out of the window confused. Jirou smirked at the comment, trying to stay silent in the busy train, “ Momo it’s a rock concert, not an orchestra.”
“Oh right. My bad.” Momo said, giggling in embarrassment. The train finally came to a stop, where the two exited the train and out of the station. Momo was a little skeptical about where they were. If her parents caught her out here she would be dead meat. Jirou finally stopped in front of what seemed to be an abandoned building. “Jirou where-“ Momo whispered before being interrupted by a shush. “Trust me.” Was all she said before grabbing Momo’s hand and heading through the doors. They walked through the empty hallway and out the back door. Momo’s eyes widened at the sight before her. A backyard stage was set up where a band was exploding their music through the huge speakers. A large crowd filled with all kinds of people spilled throughout the open area, dancing to the music. Lights were flashing all different colors, through the dark night sky. It was amazing. Momo stood in awe watching the story in front of her. She couldn’t understand how something so loud could be so welcoming. She tightened her squeeze on Jirous hand. “It’s loud.” Was all that was able to come out. Jirou laughed, tucking her loose bangs behind her ear. “I know, isn't it great? Come on-“ Jirou tugged Momo forward, leading her through the wave of people. She couldn’t even see Jirou ahead of her, only holding onto her hand as she was dragged into the light. Before she knew it she was standing front and Center with Jirou standing next to her. The music was blasting, and the lights were giving her a headache, but she didn’t care.
She was happy. For the first time in a while.
She didn’t know the songs, but she bounced with the crowd, following the beat of the music. She was smiling watching the main guitarist shred an absolutely amazing riff on his red guitar. She was never able to be this free before. She turned to her left watching Jirou. Jirou knew all the lyrics and was singing as loud as she could. Her hands were up as if she was reaching for something. Her hair fell gracefully down her face, blowing in the breeze. Momo stopped. She stood still as Jirou and the crowd around her jumped all around. She watched the lights flicker onto Jirous' face. Red. Then blue. Then green.
She couldn’t help but stare at her perfect jawline, outlined by the shadows of the dark. Momo couldn’t help it. She couldn’t help but stare at her. Jirou seemed to notice Momo’s sudden drop of energy and turned to her. “What’s wrong?!” She screamed, trying to be louder than the music. Momo had no idea what she was doing, her hands moved on her own. Her heart was beating louder than the bass of the music, but she couldn’t stop herself. Momo placed her hands on Jirous hips, making her Jump at the sudden contact. “Jirou.” Momo Mouthed. Jirou had turned bright red. Redder than the guitar on stage. She looked up at Momo and slowly put her arms around Momo’s neck. The music seemed to stop, the screams of the crowd tuned out of their ears. They stared at each other in this position for what felt like an eternity. Momo’s hands were shaking. She had never done something so bold in her life. She didn’t know what to do, she just had this urge. She needed more. She knew what she wanted but didn’t know if she had enough in her to ask. She inhaled sharply, not breaking eye contact.

“Jirou can I kiss you.”

Jirou smiled at the question but quickly turned it to a frown. “What about Todoroki?”
Momo flinched at the mention of his name. She knew what she was doing was wrong. She knew she was cheating but she had never felt this much attraction to a single person in her life. She didn’t want to think about it now. “Not now… please.” She squeezed out. Jirou seemed to understand and slowly lifted her head. Momo mirrored her motion and dipped her head slightly so that their foreheads were against each other. Jirou gave a small nod indicating ok. So Momo followed.

Their lips met.

The taste of cherry filled Momo’s mouth. She felt like crying. Why? She didn’t know. She had never been felt with more happiness and fear in her entire life.

—-
“You kissed her?”
Todoroki said emotionless.
Momo nodded. “ After that on the way home I cried. It all hit me there and then what I had done. I felt like such a jerk.”
She buried her face in her hands, hiding from her shame. “ I was going to tell you but my parents told me about my grandparents coming and I just…. Couldn’t.” Momo made a line with her lips, accepting defeat. “I wish I would’ve told you sooner, because then we wouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Todoroki stood from her bed. Facing her door. “I won’t tell them. We can just… pretend.”
Momo joined him standing to the left of him, “You’ll do that for me?”
Todoroki nodded and began to walk to her door. “ You can be with her Momo . I just want to go back to the dorms. I’m tired.”
Momo laughed and opened the door for him , “Me too. I’m exhausted.”
Todoroki nodded in agreement, smiling.
“Friends..?” Momo offered awkwardly.
“Yeah. We can be friends.”

—-
Momo and Todoroki said their goodbyes to her parents. They were angry at them for running out of the dinner. They told Todoroki that Momo’s grandparents liked him, and that they approved of his presence in their family. He knew that was supposed to be exciting but he could honestly care less. He was free. Well not entirely, but more than he was. Momo and him were driven back to their dorms, where most of their classmates were now asleep. They walked back together into the building. The silence they once had doesn’t feel awkward anymore.
They finally made it to the elevator, when Momo stood before it. She smiled and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for listening to me. I know it was a handful.” Todoroki hummed in response. “No it was ok. It was probably for the better.” Momo nodded and entered the elevator. “Goodnight.”
Todoroki waved her off and entered the other elevator to his floor. He stood in silence, the only sound was the rushing of his head. He was emotionally tired and needed sleep. Or company. He didn’t know. He just wanted to be comfortable. Whether that be in his own room or with someone else. Todoroki got off of the elevator and into the hallway. He slowly crept to his room, trying not to wake the rest of his classmates. He opened his door, and slid inside.
Finally.
He was back to his room.
Todoroki kicked his shoes off and hung up his jacket. He quickly changed out of his uncomfortable fancy clothes and into a t-shirt and shorts. He then made his way into his bathroom contemplating if he should brush his teeth or not. He really didn’t eat much at Momo’s house due to his uneasiness, so he decided to head back downstairs for a late night snack. It was only 12:45 am on a Friday, but most of his classmates were exhausted from today’s training, so they weren’t up late. Todoroki headed back out of his dorm and down the hallway once again. When he made it down to the common area, the lights were turned off, meaning that even Aizawa went to bed. He turned the corner to where the kitchen was. To his surprise one of the lights was on, and someone was working on the stove. They had a hoodie on so he couldn’t get a good look at who they were until he got closer.

“…Jirou?”

The girl jumped at the sudden noise making her yell, “Shit you scared me!”
Jirou turned to face Todoroki, still. Clutching the spatula in her hand. “Sorry did I wake you up?”
Todoroki nodded a no and made his way over to where Jirou stood. “No, I was hungry so I decided to go down here.”
“Hmm me too. I’m making pancakes want some?”
Todoroki nodded as he sat on one of the stools that were placed by a nearby table.
Silence only followed as Jirou worked on the stove. Todoroki and Jirou weren’t really close, so a casual conversation was almost impossible. “So…” Jirou started. “How was Momo’s”
“It was ok I guess.” Todoroki answered. Jirou spun around and tilted her head sarcastically, “Just ok? I thought today was like a super important meeting with her grandparents.”
She paused and turned around again. “Did you guys not get approved or something?”
Todoroki looked over, playing with his fingers, “ No we did.”he answered. Jirou’s shoulders drop and her head seemed to tilt.
“Then why was it just fine?”

“Because we broke up.”
Jirou dropped the spatula onto the floor, startling herself again. “WOAH WOAH WOAH, wait why?!”
Todoroki shifted awkwardly, he didn’t expect that reaction. “… she told me about how you guys went to a concert-“
Jirou scoffed, closing her eyes. She dragged her face with her hand, “Aah, shit. Look Todoroki, It was in the heat of the moment and she felt SUPER bad after. Like she was crying and shit-“
“Jirou.”
The girl finally opened her eyes, he hand picked up the spatula that fell on the ground. “I’m not mad at you or Jirou. I don’t really care that you guys kissed.”
Jirou gave Todoroki a confused look, “Then why did you break up with her?”

“Because I never liked her. I realized that now. I never liked her the way she likes you.”
Jirou said nothing. She only watched and listened.
“Our relationship was never romantic or felt almost… forced.” Todoroki said. Saying it out loud made him realize it even more. Jirou finally moved around and placed two pancakes onto two plates. She walked over to where Todoroki sat and placed one in front of him. “What are you guys gonna do about your parents?”
Todoroki shrugged his shoulders and picked up the fork Jirou handed him. “We’re pretending to be together for now but I don’t know what we will do later.”
Jirou took a long sighed before taking a bite of her pancake. “I’ll help you guys if you want. I mean, you guys have to deal with a problem you never asked for.”
Todoroki finished his bite before speaking, “ hm . Thanks Jirou.” Silence again fell, the sound of chewing filled the room.
The two finished their meal and placed the dishes in the sink. “You know Todoroki when I first met you I thought you had literally no emotions.”
Todoroki gave her a blank stare, “ Why?”
Jirou gave an airy laugh as they walked over to the elevators, “ I don’t know, I just thought you didn’t care for anyone or anything. Like a psychopath.”
She slapped her mouth shut almost immediately after speaking, “SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT.” Todoroki smiled a little, loosening Jirou’s fear. She continued after figuring it was safe. “… but after seeing you in class and stuff, and even today, I see that you really do care for people.”
She smiled at him as she entered the elevator, “ you’ll find someone that you will truly like one day. You never know she or he might be in your life already.”
Todorokis eyes widened at the comment.
She or he?
He?
He wanted to ask why, but the elevator doors closed, leaving Todoroki alone in the lobby.
Could the person already be in his life?
He stood there waiting. He wanted to think of a person but he knew if he did one person would stick out more than the rest. And he just couldn’t admit that yet.
Not yet.

Chapter Text

Todoroki woke the next morning with a throbbing headache. He had fallen asleep almost immediately last night when he came back up to his room. The day before had been so mentally exhausting, he couldn’t handle trying to process it this early in the morning. It was a Saturday, meaning he had the whole day to catch up on homework and training, but Todoroki had no desire to do them. He reached for his phone and turned it over.
8:35 am
It wasn’t too early, but early enough on a Saturday for Todoroki to turn over and try to fall back asleep. As Todoroki’s eyes were dipping, his phone pinged. He lightly turned over and grabbed his phone from his charger.

Midoriya
Hey!! are we still meeting to go work out?

Todoroki’s eyes widened and he hopped out of bed quickly. He had forgotten he had made plans earlier that week with Midoriya. Todoroki entered his bathroom to brush his teeth as he responded to his friend.

Todoroki.
Yes, sorry I forgot. I will be down soon.

He vigorously brushed his teeth and fixed his morning hair. He entered back into his room where he changed into more appropriate clothing and shoes. Todoroki wasn’t really in the mood to socialize right now, but he couldn’t just let his friend down like that. He dropped his phone into his pocket and closed his bedroom door quietly, as to not wake up his still sleeping neighbors. He walked farther down the hallway, when he stopped to look back at Sero’s room. He hadn’t heard from him since last night before the dinner. It was weird to not always be talking to him. Even if Todoroki was mostly listening, he liked when Sero would go on and on about his hobbies. Something about him made Todoroki want to stay next to him. Todoroki sighed and walked along to the elevator.
When Todoroki reached the main floor, Deku and Iida were already standing near one of the entrances talking amongst themselves. “Oh Hey Todoroki! Iida decided to join us today.” Deku informed Todoroki as he approached them. Todoroki only nodded in response. Midoriya smiled at him thinking nothing of it. The three boys headed out of the dorms for a morning run. Iida had run ahead, obviously, leaving Todoroki and Midoriya alone. They jogged peacefully, the only sound being the light taps of their footsteps on the cool pavement. The morning mist tickled their ankles as they passed through the open path. They threaded along a river pass, watching the grass to the side of them that danced in the breeze. Todoroki tried not to think about last night, but the silence only welcomed the ideas. He had this uneasiness in him, something itching the back of his head. He wanted to just ignore it and move on with his life but it seemed to keep growing. He needed to itch it. He needed to admit it.
“Todoroki?”
Todoroki blinked rapidly, bringing him out of his trance. He turned to his friend, who was looking right at him. “Do you wanna stop here?” Midoriya asked. Todoroki nodded, avoiding his gaze. The boys came to a slow stop, gasping from their run. The sweat trickled down their necks and onto the grey pavement beneath them. Todoroki used his ice quirk to create a cold breeze for them to breathe in. “Thank you…” Midoryia started. “Are you ok? You seem even more quiet than usual.”
Todoroki turned towards him, unsure of what to say, “I’m just tired I guess. Yesterday was long.” Midoriya raised his eyebrows, making an “O” shape with his mouth. “ Yeah I heard you went to Momo’s yesterday. Was it bad or something?”
Todoroki shook his head, stretching his leg as he did. “ Not really, just a lot to take in, you know?” Midoriya hummed agreeably and shook his legs out before turning to face the other way. “If you need anything Todoroki I’m always here. You never have to go through something alone.” He smiled back at him with a thumbs up. It may be corny, but Todoroki appreciated the positivity. A ping came from Midoryia’s pocket, queuing him to reach for it and open the text. “Iida let me know that he was on his way back. He’ll probably catch up with us by the time we get there so we better get going.”
Todoroki stood up from his stretch and joined Midoriya. They started their jog once again. Todoroki knew his friend meant well, but he really wasn’t sure if he even wanted to tell anyone what he was thinking. It was killing him.
The boys made their way back to the school, Iida passing them on the last block and speeding in front of them. When Todoroki and Midoriya made it to the dorms, Iida had already gone and brought water bottles for them. The three of them sat and talked on the front steps of the dorm building. “I’m sorry guys but I really need to shower, I stink!” Midoriya spat out, laughing at himself. “That’s an excellent idea, I shall join you.” Iida said, standing up. Todoroki stood up unconsciously and followed them into the building. The three made their way to the baths where they soaked in the hot water. Not many people were up this early on a Saturday, leaving lots of space for them. After a few relaxing moments Midoriya had to leave due to training with All Might. Todoroki envied Midoriya’s work ethic, even if he didn’t understand what he was doing. Iida eventually stood up, queuing his leave. “Please don’t drown yourself this time.” Iida said as he exited through the door. Todoroki smirked a little at the comment, remembering the last time. He was grateful for his friends, they always knew how to brighten his mood a little. Todoroki sat alone in the bath, feeling the soothing water slide up and down his chest as the currents circled him. He slid down just enough for only his nose and up to be above the water. He felt the heat rise throughout his body, a comforting feeling. He watched the bubbles he blew through his nose flow through the water, and eventually vanish.
He finally felt calm. Finally.

“...Roki?”
Todoroki raised his head, afraid to turn around. He recognized that voice a little too well. “Hey man, haven’t talked to you in a bit.”
Shit.
Todoroki eyed his side just enough to see the figure remove his green shirt and throw it to his pile of belongings.
Shit. shit shit.
He felt his breathing completely stumble, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He blinked his eyes forward, focusing only on the water. He felt hot, and it wasn’t from the water. His face felt like it was going to explode. He didn’t dare to move. He felt the water move, and splash as Sero entered the water next to him. He was completely fine with Midoriya and Iida. Why did he feel like this with Sero? They’ve been to a public bath before as a class, but now they’re alone. Just them. alone. together . Todoroki turned a little, trying to not make any obvious signs that he was looking. He almost choked on his own breath, seeing Sero’s bare chest with a single chain necklace dangling from his neck.
“...I uh.” Sero began. He, too, was avoiding eye contact. “I was feeling worse than yesterday so I thought I would take a hot bath to try and calm my....” Sero paused and finally turned his face towards Todoroki. “Are you ok? You seem off. Usually you say something like ‘ Hi Sero.’” He said playfully. Todoroki tried to get a word out, but his mind was in a million pieces. He knew he was a mess right now but he couldn’t avoid Sero any longer. “ … Hi Sero.”
The boy laughed, his voice nearly gone due to his sore throat. “ That’s it?” Todoroki watched Sero’s face, the way his mouth aligned when he smiled. The way his cheeks rose when he spoke. He couldn’t help but smile also. Something about him just made Todoroki happy. Todoroki smiled at Sero and nodded his head no. Sero smirked at the remark, combing his hand through his hair. “ How was Momo’s?”
Todoroki smiled sarcastically at the comment, annoyed that he had to talk about this again. “We broke up.”
Sero flinched backward, creating a wave that exposed his toned abs. “Dude what?!”
Todoroki bulged his eyes forward, trying to ignore Sero, and his beating heart. “She has feelings for someone else.” Todoroki said awkwardly, rubbing his neck. This time Sero moved towards him, placing a hand on Todoorki’s shoulder. “Dude I’m sorry… that sucks man.” Todoroki looked at the hand on his shoulder trying not to flinch. The touch of Sero’s fingers felt so soft, so warm on his coarse skin. “No. I’m not upset at all. I realise now that I never liked her in the first place.” Todoroki said, drifting off as he spoke. Suddenly Sero removed his hand, making Todoroki upset at the sudden loss of contact. “Sorry I forgot I was sick, don’t want to give it to you haha.” Sero started to back away, when he felt a hand grab him. Todoroki had no idea what he was doing. His body just kinda moved on its own. The two stared at each other in a long, uncomfortable silence. “...Uh… it's ok. I don’t care if I get sick.”
Todoroki let go of Sero’s arm, waiting for his response. Sero only let out an airy giggle, due to his sore throat. “If you say so.” Todoroki smiled at him and sank down further into the water. Sero joined him, only their heads above the bubbling water. The two recognized an unofficial rule that silence was ok between them. They sat there, letting the water flow between them, connecting them, as they drifted off into a common peace. Sero eventually drifted completely underwater letting his hair soak. He sat up and flipped his dark hair behind him. Todoroki looked up at him, still from beneath the water. The light hit him perfectly, creating an almost golden outline of his body.
God, he wanted to just watch him forever.
“We should get out, I’m hungry.” Sero said, tilting his head back to stretch. Todoroki sat up also, silently agreeing. Sero smiled and began to stand up, making Todorki close his eyes and direct his attention away. He heard Sero rustle behind him, putting his clothes on. “Here.” he heard from behind him. Todoroki turned to see a towel on the floor. He picked it up and tossed it around his waist rapidly. Sero and Todorki changed back into their clothes and headed out of the bathroom.
They headed down the hall when Sero stopped walking. He placed a hand over his head and groaned. “ Ah dude that definitely helped my head but like, it’s still pretty bad right now.” Todoroki stepped back and helped Sero to one of the couches in the common area. “You should rest some more, it’s probably the best thing right now.”
Sero nodded and laid down on the couch. Todoroki stood in front of him, watching Sero settle into a comfortable spot. “Do you want me to grab you something?” Sero’s face lit up, his eyes wide, “ Oh can you grab me one of those breakfast sandwiches in the kitchen?” Todoroki nodded and headed off to his new destination. He rounded the corner and entered the now busy kitchen. Many of his classmates were up now, eating and talking to each other. “Good morning Todoroki!” Uraraka said from one of the stools. She was eating eggs and bacon while talking to Tsuyu who sat next to her. “Good morning.”
Todoroki opened the fridge and grabbed one of the prepact sandwiches. He grabbed one for himself and closed the door. “Oh Todoroki do you know where Sero is?” Uraraka asked from her seat. “Yeah he’s over on the couch.”
Uraraka grabbed something from her bag that was on the floor. She extended her arm, handing him some sort of package. “ Here give this to him. I was getting mail when I noticed this was his.” Todoroki took the package and examined it. It was quite small, and soft. He didn’t question it, and took off for his friend on the couch.
Todoroki handed Sero his food and sat down at the opposing seat. “Thanks man, and what is that?” Todorki looked at the package before tossing it over to him. “It’s yours, Uraraka said to give it to you.” Sero looked over the plastic wrap, trying to remember what he ordered. He read the label and smiled. “Ohhh. It came early! I’ll hang it up when I'm feeling better.” He let the bag fall onto his lap as he bit into his sandwich. Todoroki finished his bite before talking. “I can hang it up for you.”
Sero hesitated. He took a bit to find his words. “Uh, well...sure I guess you can.”
He sat up, stuffing the last of his food in his mouth. “Let's go, my headache is coming back.”
Todoroki left his seat and joined Sero at the head of the couch. They walked down the hall and into the elevator. The doors shut, making the shuttle shake. They headed up, standing in a comfortable stillness. A sound clicked and the doors slid open. The boys made their way to Sero’s room where he propped the door open and slipped inside. Todoroki joined him, slipping his shoes off before walking any further. Sero fell onto his bed, groaning in pain. “Hold on a sec, let me just rest for a bit.” He covered his forehead with both hands, scrunching his eyes closed. Todoroki walked over to him, sitting down on the bed. He softly placed a hand onto Sero's signalling for him to let them go. Sero followed and allowed Todoroki to place his bare hand on his forehead. Todoroki activated his ice quirk, cooling down the overheating boy's head. He watched Sero’s face relax into the touch. “Ahh that feels so much better.” Sero opened his eyes and grinned at him. “You really have the best quirk for this.” Todoroki focused on his hand, making the ice create a soothing breeze. “I try my best.” Sero laughed and grabbed the package he threw beside him. “ Here we can hang this up now.” He sat up, letting Todoroki know to let go, and began to open the plastic. He ripped it open and slid his hand into the bag. Before pulling it out Sero looked up at Todoroki. He exhaled nervously through his nose and pulled out the cloth in his hand. Todoroki watched him unfold it revealing a piece of material with pink, purple, and blue stripes. Sero whipped it in the air, and laid it down on the bed. “I guess this is a weird way of telling you this…”
Todoroki looked at the thing before him. Then back at Sero.
“...What?”
Todoroki had no idea what Sero was trying to say. Sero looked at him in disbelief trying to see if he was joking or not. “ You don’t… nevermind let’s just hang it up.” Sero rose from his bed and handed Todoroki one corner of the fabric. “You can go stand over there and lean it against the wall, I’ll tape it down.” Todoroki fully grabbed the fabric and stood against the wall where Sero pointed. “Perfect, just hold it there…” Sero said, aiming his shoulders to one of the corners. He shot out the tape, hitting it perfectly. Todoroki let go of that side and moved over. Sero aimed again, hitting the right corner. He backed up, admiring their work. “Alright! It looks great. Thanks man.”
Todoroki let the fabric go and joined Sero where he stood. Todoroki viewed the colors before him, they were pretty but he was still confused on what they meant. “ What does it mean?”
Sero snickered, ducking his head. “You really are dense aren’t you?” He said jokingly.
Todoroki only stood there, anticipating what he was going to say. Sero let his previous words die out, letting silence take over. Todoroki noticed him bite the inside of his mouth, waiting before speaking.
“...It’s the bisexual flag.”

Todoroki shot his head towards him. “...What?”

Sero smiled timidly, “I like boys and girls.”

A shuddering breath came from Todoroki’s mouth. His mind was so confused. How could he just admit that? Why would he hang that up? Wouldn't he want to hide that?!
“Why are you hanging that up? People will find out?!”
Todoroki stepped back. He raised his voice more than he wanted to. He couldn’t control it, he was breaking down. He didn’t know why.
Sero raised his eyebrows in surprise, scrunching his mouth together, “ I don’t care if people know... “
“Why not?! Like what about your parents? Won’t they get mad?!” Todoroki was heating up. He felt his voice strain. He was yelling now.
Sero’s eyes sank, his mouth propped open. He turned away from Todoroki,
“... They’re not around.”

“Well when they are, won't they be upset!?”
Sero scoffed, his shoulders rising with his breath, “Todoroki you don’t understand. They’re not around.” Sero said, emphasizing his words with his hands. “The person that raised me the most was Mia, and she was never upset, she told me to be prideful in myself.” Sero turned around. Todoroki was shaking, he didn’t know what to do. “You need to take it down-” Todoroki grabbed one of the corners of the flag and started to pull it down. “Dude what the fuck!-” Sero gripped his hand and forced it off.
Todoroki noticed how angry he looked. “... What do you think you’re doing?! Do you think I should be ashamed or something?!” Sero nudged his body forward, shaking his head as he spoke. Todoroki has never seen him like this before. He looked so angry, so upset, so… sad. Todoroki felt his heart sink, he felt like he was freefalling into a pit of fire. “My dad just always told me that.. I just- I don’t understand why.” Todoroki couldn’t look Sero in the eyes. “Understand that I like boys?I thought you said you wouldn’t be like your dad, so why are you STILL listening to his shit ideas?!” Sero’s mouth was shaking, his eyes couldn't take it anymore. “Maybe you should learn to be your own person before judging me.”
Todoroki watched Sero’s face as a single tear fell from his eye. “I thought you were different from him, but I guess not.”
“I AM-” Todorki shouted, his eyes stinging.

“Then maybe for once listen to yourself.”

And he did. With that final phrase Todoroki broke. He understood.
He understood it now. He finally admitted it to himself.
Todoroki ran from his room, slamming the door behind him. He was running, where? He didn’t know. He figured it out. He knew it now and he hated himself. Everything was blurry, he didn’t even feel the tears stream down his face. He was just running, no thoughts in his mind. He wanted to drown, sit in the bath and let the water overflow his head. Watch the bubbles float up, the lights blur through the waves. He wanted to feel the stinging in his eyes so bad.

He finally regained himself to see he was in front of a door. All he heard was his breathing. His ears were ringing. His head was spinning.
Todoroki knocked on the door, his knuckles numb. The door opened slowly.
“...Todoroki?”
Momo stood before him, concern written all over her face. “...What’s wrong?”
Todoroki blinked, his face felt numb. “Can I come in?”
Momo opened the door wider. She placed a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder and guided him in. “Of course.” She sat him on her bed, letting him calm down a bit. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Todoroki shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything anymore. He was so confused, and alone. “Take your time, you can tell me whenever you are ready.”
She walked over to her desk and pulled out an electric kettle, and poured the water into a cup. “ I was just about to make some tea. Do you want some?”
“Ok.”
Momo placed the tea bags into each boiling pool of water, waiting for it to simmer down. She walked over to Todoroki and handed him the steaming cup. They sat together drinking their tea, the only sound being the clinking of their cups. Momo waited patiently, she didn’t want to rush him in anyway. She placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it slowly. “You ready?”
Todoroki took a long, deep breath. He knew if he said it out loud it would be official. But he knew he couldn’t just hide it away forever with it eating him alive. He couldn’t stall it any longer. He turned to Momo. gripping the tea cup in his shaking hands.

“I think I like him.”

Chapter Text

Author's note!
Hey Y'all I’m just putting a slight trigger warning for Homophobia, but that’s all! enjoy :)

The ringing in his ear. It finally vanished.
The itch in the back of his head. It vanished. He finally took control of his wave.
He cried. He finally let it out.
It all spilled out, oozing all over Momo’s bed, spreading around the room. The only sound being his soft weep. He admitted it but at what cost.
Momo placed a hand on Todoroki, rubbing soft circles on his back. She knew exactly what he was going through. The guilt, the anger. But Todoroki had one thing Momo didn’t, and that was her. He had someone who understood him. They had each other.
“Who? Who do you like?”
Todoroki placed his shaking hands on his face, he couldn’t even face her. He was so conflicted with himself. “Sero.”
Momo nodded and leaned her head onto his shoulder while her hands wrapped around his side. “That’s ok! Please don’t cry, you’re allowed to feel this way.” She whispered softly. Todoroki knew she didn’t mean any of her actions in a romantic way, which gave him more relief than anything. Her whipping his tears from his cheeks felt more comforting as friends than it did when they were dating.
She let him cry, the way she cried to him. She knew this was hard for Todoroki. He had it a lot worse than her. The way Endeavor put so much pressure onto him made her so angry. She just hoped he would learn to love himself, his true self.
“He’s gonna kill me..” Todoroki whispered into his hands. Momo felt him shake harder underneath her.
“HE'S GONNA KILL ME!” Todoroki erupted, choking on his own breath. It all hit him. He was so scared. He could never face his own father ever again. He was breaking down, harder than he has ever before. “Momo… please!” He finally dropped his hands from his face, revealing his tear stained cheeks. “ What do I do?”
He gasped for a breath, his crying had stolen the air from his lungs. He didn’t speak, he only read Momo’s face, her eyes, trying to find an answer, something, anything to help him.

Momo read his eyes, his sad, sad eyes. She had no answer for him, she just looked through him, trying to calm him down. Todoroki dropped his jaw, shaking. He had finally come to a realization. The one that would break everything. He looked at Momo one more time, her figure blurry through his glossy eyes. “...I’m gay.”
Momo grabbed his face, leaning him into a hug. His tears stained her shirt.
“Todoroki. That’s ok…”
He only cried.
___
They sat on Momo’s bed for more than an hour, talking, discussing. Todoroki had finally calmed down, his eyes and nose still bright red. He had apologized for his breakdown, making Momo laugh because she had done the same thing. Momo listened to Todoroki talk and let everything out. She knew she wasn’t the best at advice, but she did give him one thing to remember. “You’re living your life for yourself, not for them. So make it something you want.”
Todoroki was still skeptical of all of this stuff, he was scared to say the least. He wanted more than anything to be free from his stupid dad and his future. Todoroki knew he had a whole hill to conquer but he was finally taking his first few steps instead of running away.
Now that he understood his feelings, everything started to make sense. The gate that was locked in his mind was finally opening. “Momo. I messed up.” Todoroki said, placing his now empty teacup on the bedside. “I said some hurtful things to Sero. I wasn’t thinking right, I was jealous that he was able to be loved and proud of himself while I was hiding it.”
He said in his monotone voice. Momo watched him speak. “You could be proud of it too, you just need to learn how to.” Todoroki looked over at her. He was upset at himself, he knew that, but he just wanted to be free. Like Momo, and Jirou, and Sero.
“I want to tell him, but…” Todoroki paused, eyeing the floor.. “ What if he doesn’t like me back?”
Momo breathed out deeply, thinking of a response. “I think if it will help you learn to understand yourself then I say go for it, it doesn’t matter what Sero says.” She smiled at him, placing a hand on his knee. “Just don’t let it get to your head, Sero will accept you even if he doesn’t have feelings.” She laughed and nudged him playfully. “To be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if he likes you.” Todoroki raised his eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”
Momo looked up as if she was finding the thought in her mind, squinting her eyes. “I don’t really know it’s just- He’s always looking at you during class.” She looked back down at him with a reassuring look. “I didn’t really think anything of it, but after what you’ve just told me it’s starting to all connect.” Momo finally stood up and grabbed the teacup that Todoroki placed on her bed stand. She walked over to her tableside and placed the dirty dishes in the corner. “When are you thinking of telling him?”
Todoroki watched her clean up, still situated on her bed. “ I don’t know. When it feels right I guess, but soon.” Todoroki wanted to fix things right now, but he had no idea what to say. He knew if he ran over to Sero’s right now he wouldn’t get one sentence out. “I don’t want it to hold me back though. I want to be like you, and Jirou.” Startled, Momo turned around embarrassed. “Oh no, Todoroki I was being childish and wasn’t planned for anything-”
“But you're happy now…” Momo stopped in her tracks, mouth still open. “ Well… yeah but I wish I had planned things out beforehand.” She sat back down next to Todoroki. “I’m still happy I did it, because it helped both of us. '' Todoroki nodded in silence. The two sat together reminiscing over their conversation. A lot has happened in the past 24 hours, and to be honest both of them were mentally exhausted. “Thank you Momo.”
“Of course.”
___
Todoroki had headed back to his room. He and Momo had been talking for more than 2 and half hours, leaving only a few more hours of daylight left. He was now situated on his bed reading manga. He needed time for himself after all of that. He was actually quite embarrassed that he had cried that hard infront of Momo. Todoroki listened to the birds chirping outside and the rustle of leaves through the crack of his porch door he opened. The breeze slid in, creating a nice and cool environment. He was reading his book when his phone vibrated on his desk. Todoroki placed his manga down and grabbed his phone. Once he saw who the text was from he rolled his eyes.

Endeavour
4:50 PM
Shoto, how was Momo’s? I presume it went well. Anyways I need you to come over tonight. We have to do a suit fitting for an upcoming photoshoot with Ms. Momo.
Todoroki scoffed at the message. Of course his dad had to bother him now out of all times. He would rather do anything else rather than to go over to his house, but if he didn’t his dad would be pissed. Todoroki was also confused about what his dad was talking about. A photoshoot? He hated doing press stuff.

Shoto
4:51 PM
What’s the photoshoot?

Endeavour
4:51 PM
I’ll explain once you get here. I sent someone to pick you up, they should be there any moment now.

Todoroki put his manga away and put his shoes on. He wondered why his dad needed him now. It was quite annoying to Todoroki. He loved living in the dorms because he was free of his dad’s craziness. Todoroki avoided his classmates in the common area and headed out the door. Whatever this was, he just wanted it to be over quick.
Todoroki walked outside and into the car his dad had sent him. On the car ride he sat near the window, watching the sky turn a bright red and orange. The car came to a complete stop in front of his bright house. He entered through the main gate and to the front door. He didn’t even get a chance to knock when the doors swung open.
“Shoto!” He was submerged into a big hug from his sister. “Hi Fuyomi.” Todoroki said, slightly hugging her back. “Dad’s in the back room with some other people.” She announced, guiding him down the hallway. “Once you’re done there we can eat dinner.”
Todoroki nodded and headed into the busy room. There were three other people Shoto did not recognize, setting up suits on a rack. His father was talking to one of them, pointing something out when he saw Shoto enter the room. “ Ah, finally we’ve been waiting.” He waved his hand signalling for him to come over to where he was. “What shoot is this for?” Todoroki asked, eyeing the room. He was grabbed by one of the workers, who started measuring his arm. “Shoto, you and Momo are scheduled to do a photoshoot for the media. This will be your guys' big debut as young heros together.” He smiled deviously before beginning. “This will bring you guys a lot of fortune and fame, which will be great for both agencies.” Endeavour crossed his arms and sat down on one of the couches in the room. “We’re doing a suit fitting to find the correct sizes for you.”
“Why can’t I just wear the suits I have now?”
Endeavour furrowed his eyebrows and sat up. “ Because this is your Debut. You have to do something new.”
Todoroki looked around at all the colorful clothes he had to try on. This was so annoying. “Does Momo know?”
The door opened slightly to reveal Fuyomi holding a plate with glasses of water. “Hi sorry to interrupt, I just thought I would bring everyone something!” She said nervously, handing everyone a glass. Endeavour took a sip and continued. “I Don’t know Shoto, but she will find out anytime now since the shoot is next week.”
One of the workers interrupted their conversation by grabbing Todoroki and handing him a suit. “Here try this one on.” Todoroki grabbed the clothing and headed into the blocked off changing area. Fuyomi sat down next to her father, deciding to be another judging eyes. “Shoto sure is getting old isn’t he.” Endeavour kept his eyes forward. “Yeah.”
Todoroki stepped out wearing a red suit with a black undershirt. Fuyomi smiled and clapped her hands. “I think it looks great!” The workers stepped in immediately and began to adjust the jacket to fit him more. Todoroki stepped onto the platform for his father to judge. He stood there awkwardly as his father judged him. “I don’t like it.” Endeavour said bluntly. “It makes that scar stand out.” Todoroki kept his mouth shut. He wanted more than anything to just slap the shit out of his dad right now, but he contained himself. Fuyomi shot him an angry look. “Dad…”
Endeavour only shook his head, avoiding both of his children. “Next!”
Todoroki was now handed a new suit before he could even process what was going on. The cycle continued on, he would try one on, Endeavour would hate it and he was handed a new one. Todoroki wondered if this would ever end, and anyways, what did his dad know about fashion? Todoroki wasn’t that stylish himself but he didn't really trust his dad’s judgment.
___
Todoroki was back in the dressing room trying on yet another suit. He slid the jacket admiring himself in the mirror. Todoroki liked this one more than the others, it was a plain grey suit with white undergarments. What made this suit different from the others was it had a dark black scarf wrapped around his neck. He didn’t know how to tie a scarf correctly so he wrapped it around lazily hoping one of the workers would fix it. At that moment Todoroki remembered just last night when Sero had helped him try on suits. It was a lot more fun back then, seeing him get so excited. “Shoto hurry up!” He heard from outside. Todoroki sighed and pushed the big curtain to the side revealing himself. Fuyomi raised her eyebrows and smiled. The workers hummed agreeably and nodded their heads. One of them walked over to Todoroki to adjust his scarf. “No stop. Just take that thing off.” Both the worker and Todoroki turned to see Endeavour with a fist to his mouth. Fuyomi whined at her dad’s judgment. “ I like it, dad. He looks good!” Endeavour gave her a look of disgust. “ Are you kidding me? That looks so gay.”
Shit.
Todoroki flinched at the word, making his eyes go wide. He looked over at Fuyomi who seemed to be just as shocked as him.
The worker obliged and took the scarf off of Todoroki’s neck leaving him just in the blank grey suit. “There we go! That’s the one!” Endeavour said smiling.The workers relaxed, realizing their job was finally done. Endeavour stood up from his seat and began to talk to the workers about sizing and due dates. Todoroki only stood on the platform, stiff. He wanted to go home right now. His real home, with his classmates, with Sero. Oh god, he just wanted to be with Sero. He rushed back into the changing area and took the suit off as quickly as he could. As soon as he was dressed he handed the workers the suit and walked over to the door. Fuyomi followed him, confused as to why he rushed out. Todoroki headed towards the front door and sat down to put his shoes on. “Wait where are you going? What about dinner?” Fuyomi asked. He turned around looking at her upset face. He felt bad but he really just needed to go back. “ I’m sorry Fuyomi, something came up. I’ll be back another time.” She gave a disappointed smile and pulled him in for one more hug. “ Okay… but please visit more. I miss you bud.” He nodded, hugging her back. Todoroki said his goodbyes and headed back to the dorms. He knew what he needed to do and he needed a plan now. He rushed all the way back to the campus, and through the dorm doors. He waved to his classmates as they sat watching their late night shows. He rushed to the elevator and through the hallway. He finally made it to his dorm where he slipped into his dark room. He wasted no time and grabbed a pen and paper from his desk and sat down. He had no doubt in his mind that he needed to do this. He didn’t care anymore about his dad. He didn’t care if he hated him, because frankly he didn’t like him much either. He wanted to live his life the way he wanted, and with the people he wanted. And that person was Sero.
He had never confessed to someone before, in fact he had no idea what to say. Writing things down beforehand would definitely be a good idea for him, except now that he was sitting down with a pen in hand he still had no idea where to start. He tried his best, scrapping the pen across the blank paper.
“Hello Sero, I’m sorry for-” He paused his thought and erased aggressively. “Sero I want to say sorry for being rude-no, no.” He said aggravated, erasing once more. He was never one with words but he wanted to try hard for Sero. He tried again writing down what sounded right. He wrote what he felt, what he actually felt. He paused for a moment and grabbed his phone. If he was going to confess it had to be soon, not tomorrow though, that was too soon. He needed some time to prepare himself, so decided on Monday. He opened the message app and slid into Sero’s contact. He waited, only staring at Sero’s icon and that beautiful picture of him. Yes, he could finally admit it, how pretty he is. He hovered his finger over the text box, thinking of what to say.

Todoroki
10:45 PM
Hi Sero, I want to apologize to you in person. Can we hang out on Monday?

He sent the text and placed his phone down on his bed. He was anxious. He didn’t dare move, he only sat there watching the back of his phone, waiting. After a bit his phone pinged and he whipped the phone into his hands.

Sero
10:49 PM
Yeah sure. I’m not feeling any better though so I don’t know how conscious I will be lol.

Todoroki read the text with a smile. He was going to fix things.

Todoroki
10:50 PM
Ok sounds good. Have a good night.

Todoroki shut his phone off and placed it on his nightstand. He picked up his pen once more and began writing again. He had a plan now, it was all set in stone, he just needed to finish what he was going to say to Sero. He had written only a few sentences, and was already out of things to say. He tilted his head back trying to regain his train of thought. He let his body fall down onto his bed, and sink into his grey sheets. Todoroki puffed out a large breath, watching his stomach rise and fall. He wanted more than anything for this anxiousness to all be over.
_______

Todoroki abruptly sat up, gasping for air. He had fallen asleep. Annoyed, he peered around his still lit room trying to find the end of his bed. It still looked pretty early for a Sunday, the sun still settling in for the day. He got up to pee and entered his bathroom, while he was there he decided to brush his teeth since he hadn’t last light. Once he was done he trudged back into his bed where he actually went under his covers this time. Once He was settled in he reached for his phone, looking at the time. Surprisingly it was already 9:30 in the morning. Even more shocking, there was a text from Sero. His eyes were still blurry from the sudden light of the morning, so he couldn’t make out what it said. He opened his phone and rubbed his eyes with the back of his palm. He opened the text and read the grey cylinder.

Sero
9:25 AM
Hey Todoroki so I actually got like no sleep last night and I think I got even sicker so I’m taking the train this morning to stay with Mia to prevent any of you guys from getting sick. I’ll be back by Tuesday if you want to hang out then. Sorry!

Todoroki shot up from his bed. No. This can’t be happening. He rushed out of bed and threw on his shoes. Phone in hand he ran down the hallway and into the elevator. He had no idea what he was doing but there was a feeling in the back of his head telling him to go. The elevator clicked and Todoroki ran out. He ran through the dorm, the noise of his classmates chattering was completely shut out. He just ran. He ran out the door and into the streets, passing blurs of people. He didn’t even know if he would miss him, but he had to try. He used his ice to glide him faster down the pathway, the morning wind made his body shiver as he sped through the city. He finally made it to the train station, the only problem was that he rarely used the train. His family usually drives him everywhere so there was not really a need to go on it. He had been on one once when they went to Kamino, but other than that he rarely ever used it. He wished he could ask someone, but he had no time to waste. He ran up the many steps that led up to the large building. He opened the doors abruptly revealing the hundreds of people moving in all directions. Great. He was stuck. First of all he had no idea what he was doing, even if he found Sero he would freeze in front of him, since he left his sheet at home. Second, he had no idea where Sero was, since he didn’t know what train he was taking.
Todoroki whipped out his phone and went to messages.

Todoroki
9:48 AM
Send me your location.

He stood there impatient, waiting for Sero’s response. After a bit his phone vibrated in his hand.
Sero
9:49 AM
Um ok here? [ ] Why do you need it?

Seen 9:49 AM

Todoroki ignored Sero’s question and followed the directions on his phone. He dashed into the sea of people, pushing his way through the wave. His eyes were glued to the screen, watching his little icon make its way closer and closer to his destination. He guessed Sero’s train would leave at 10 AM, leaving him only 10 minutes, but it was better than nothing. He ran up another flight of stairs pushing through a large group of people. He finally lifted his eyes from his screen, looking throughout the crowd. He looked for the boy and his jet black hair. He needed to find him, more than anything. He was doing circles, looking back at his phone and then back on the screen. He was beginning to lose hope. He couldn’t give up now, but there was only 8 minutes left and he had no sight of Sero. He wished more than anything that he had a scouting quirk like Shoji’s or Jirou’s. He decided to run to one side of the platform and start there, he made his way down the line hoping for any sign of Sero. each face seemed to blur together, their figures contorted. He was overwhelmed, he just needed-

“Roki?”
Todoroki spun around trying to find the voice that called him. Through the standing people he finally saw him. He found him. Todoroki ran over to Sero, pushing through the group of people. He kept his eyes locked with Sero's, afraid that if he looked away he would vanish. Sero had turned towards him, eyes wide and a smile on his faded face. Todoroki finally stood before him, his mouth wide open. He was breathing heavily from running, but he never lost eye contact. He had no idea what to say, even just standing before him he felt so much happier.
“What are you doing here?” Sero asked in shock. “I couldn’t let you leave without telling you how sorry I am.” Todoroki stood up taller, reaching his hand out to Sero. He lightly placed his hand on his shoulder, watching Sero’s eyes follow his hand. “Sero.”
Sero looked back up at him, his face was flushed red. “I’m so sorry about yesterday, the truth is I was jealous of you.”
Sero furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Todoroki never dropped eye contact. His hands were shaking on Sero’s shoulder, and his head was spinning. The loud noise around them seemed to vanish, all he saw and heard was Sero. Todoroki took one last breath and finally spoke.

“Im Gay Sero.”

All in one moment, time seemed to stop.
His eyes began to tear up from fear, watching Sero start to blur. Sero stayed quiet. His eyes however seemed to tell a different story. Todoroki looked away, hoping he wasn’t about to ruin everything they had. Oh god he hoped he wasn’t about to mess it all up.

“Sero. I like you.”

Silence.
Todoroki didn’t even dare look up at him, he only waited. He began to lift his hand from Sero’s shoulder when he felt his whole body shift. Arm wrapped around him. He stepped back due to the sudden weight, eyes still on the ground beneath him. Todoroki looked over to see Sero's arms wrapped around his neck. Sero was hugging him. Sero was... Everything had changed. He couldn’t stop the tears from falling. He scrunched his mouth together to try and stop. He lifted his arms and gripped the body around him. He squeezed tightly, not wanting to let him ever go. He was so warm, his black hair resting on his shoulder. He smelled so good for someone who was sick. He didn’t know what it meant but it must be a good sign since he didn’t push him away. He didn’t, everything was ok. God it was better than ok. Sero began to pull away, and they parted slightly. He was smiling. Sero reached a hand up and whipped Todoroki’s tears with his thumb. “Please don’t cry.” He whispered softly. Todoroki leaned into his touch, his soft hands caressing his cheek. “Dude I’ve been waiting forever for this moment.” He laughed. Todoroki looked at him surprised. He had?
“What?”
Sero rolled his head back and scoffed. “ I’ve liked you since like, forever.” Todoroki flinched in surprise. “You have?” This time Sero let out a deep laugh, his eyes shut close. “Dude yeah! I mean why else did you think I turned down all of my friends to do the project with you?”
Todoroki stiffened. What? That one project they did together? He was confused. “But I thought you said everyone already had a partner?”
“No, Denki asked me first but I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally shoot my shot with you, and man I’m so glad I did.”
Sero regained eye contact with Todoroki and watched his eyes. Sero rubbed his thumb lightly across Todoroki’s cheek. “ God you are so beautiful.”
Todoroki immediately shot red, eyes almost popping out of his head. He was never told he was beautiful before, it shocked him a bit. Sero giggled at how flustered he was, dropping his hand from Todoroki’s face. Only silence followed as the two were lost in each other's eyes. It felt like a dream. Todoroki was only waiting for him to wake up in his dark room, and for Sero to still be mad at him. He had completely forgotten his father, and his dumb morals in this moment all he saw was Sero, and god he was so pretty to look at. He wanted more of him.
Todoroki slowly pulled Sero closer from his shoulders until they were only inches apart. He felt Sero’s hot breath on his lips. “Sero…”
Sero looked up at him, his breath was shaking, his shoulders rising unevenly.

“Can I kiss you?”

Sero smiled down at his lips. “ I’m sick so I don't kn-”
“ I don’t care.”
Todoroki used one of his hands to tilt Sero’s face up, so their eyes met. He had never seen Sero so flustered. Usually Sero is the confident one, playing the leader, but this Sero was completely different. He was bright red, and his chest was rising and falling rapidly. They watched each other as Sero lifted his arms and once again wrapped them around Todoroki’s shoulders. Their faces unconsciously leaned forward so their foreheads leaned against each other. Their breath intertwined in the little space between them. Sero licked his lips before nodding his head softly, giving Todoroki the ok. He leaned in slowly, closing his eyes.

Their lips collided gently, both of them still hesitant.

Todoroki’s head was screaming in a million different languages.
Oh my god. He was kissing Sero.
He was kissing Sero. Him. Sero.
Sero leaned in to deepen the kiss. Todoroki felt Sero’s lips slide against his chapped ones. He had never kissed anyone before, but this felt heavenly. Before he could hold onto the feeling any longer, Sero pulled away. He smiled once more at him, still hugging his neck. “I have to go, but I’ll see you Tuesday.” And with that he completely let go of Todoroki. Todoroki shivered at the sudden loss of contact. Sero wa sso warm, it felt good on this cool morning. The train had met their destination, pulling to a complete stop with a loud squeak. The other passengers were already boarding the cart, leaving only a few straddlers on the platform. Sero grabbed Todoroki’s face and planted a large, wet kiss on his cheek. “Bye.” He winked at him and turned to go onto the train. Todoroki felt like he was going to explode. He felt his cheek Sero had kissed in udder shock. He was pulled out of his trance when he saw Sero walk over to the sliding doors. “Bye Sero.”
Sero turned around just in time to say one last sentence.

“Call me Hanta.”

And he did.

Chapter Text

Author’s note: Hey so I just wanted to add that there will never be like an official label to their relationship. Like Sero will never blatantly ask Todoroki to be his boyfriend because they understand each other enough to know that they are dating. I mean like it wouldn’t be like any of them to cheat ya know? So they never really need to make it an official thing, it’s like it's already known. Anyways sorry that was all lol.

Hanta
9:45 PM
Heeeeyyyyyy Roki boy.

Shoto
9:45 PM
Yes Hanta.

Hanta
9:46 PM
Let's hang right when I get back tomorrow ok.

Shoto
9:46 PM
Wait, I thought we were already doing that.

Hanta
9:46 PM
I know I ‘m just excited.

Hanta
9:46 PM
I wanna kiss you again.

Todoroki smiled at the bright screen before him, slightly blinded by the light. Todoroki was reading their conversation they had last night. Yesterday had been a long and boring day for Todoroki. All he could think about was how much he wanted to be with Sero. They had been texting non-stop the whole time, even though Todoroki was bad at holding conversations.
Sero had almost fully recovered from his sickness, meaning he could return to school. Todoroki placed his phone down on his desk and sat up from his slumber. He yawned lazily and slid his feet across the floor. He placed the minty paste onto his toothbrush and scrubbed vigorously. Sero would be getting back only a little later than when everyone comes back from school. Todoroki knew it had only been a day and a half, but it felt like eternity.
He grabbed his school bag and slid into his shoes, opening the door as he did. He hasn’t told Momo about what happened at the train station, but he didn’t know if he wanted to yet. He was still so shocked about what happened that day. It truly felt like a dream to him. Sero was everything to him right now, it's all he thought about. He was broken from his daydreaming when his phone vibrated in his pocket. A notification popped up from “Hanta”
Getting to call Sero by his first name was a little hard to adjust too at first. There were only a few people, ever, that Todoroki calls on a first name basis. This is exciting for Todoroki.
He opened his phone, clicking on the text Sero sent him.

Hanta
7:30 AM
Good morning >:) I can’t wait to see you later.

Todoroki smiled at Sero’s message. He exited the elevator as he typed on his screen.

Shoto
7:30 AM
Good morning Hanta. And yes, I am excited to see you also.

Todoroki talked to Sero about their plans for tonight as he walked into the dorm kitchen.They Didn't plan anything specific, but they honestly just enjoyed each other’s company. Todoroki was broken out of his trance when he heard a voice call him from one of the tables to the right of him.
“Todoroki come sit with us!”
He turned to see Kirishima waving at him. He looked over to see he was sitting with Mina and Kaminari. He wasn’t super close with them, but everyone else was either finished eating, or working on something else. He grabbed a quick breakfast and sat down next to Mina, across from Kirishima and Kaminari. “Good morning.” Todoroki said awkwardly, he had no idea what to talk about with them. All three of them were like the complete opposite of him. So full of energy and positivity, nothing like Todoroki's quiet self.
“Whatcha eating there Todoroki?” Mina asked to spark a conversation. “Soba, but it’s cold. I like it that way.” Mina gasped dramatically and stood up from her seat, startling Todoroki. “ OH. MY. GOSH. Todoroki, Sero’s sister, is opening up a soba restaurant soon. You should totally go there!” She smiled at him excitedly. For it being only 7:30 in the morning Mina was bursting with liveliness. Todoroki however was confused.
Didn’t he and Sero already go there like a couple weeks ago? Didn’t Sero tell them?
“Oh yes. Sero already took me.”
This time all three of the others stood up.
“WHAT?!”
They all screamed in perfect unison.
“Dude Sero told us that it wasn’t opening for another week when we asked to go.” Kaminari whined. Kirishima and Mina laughed at him as they sat down again. “Yeah we were gonna go as a big group and stuff.” Kirishima said sadly. “I guess Sero just really wanted to take you instead.”
Todoroki paused. Had Sero really lied to his friends just so he could have some alone time with him?
“I’m sorry I didn’t know. He just said he wanted to take me there.”
The three others looked at each other in silence. Mina raised her eyebrows at them, almost letting out a laugh. “You guys seem close…”
“Yes.”
Todoroki did not understand what they were getting at. The others dropped their eye contact and began to eat their food again. “So any plans for tonight?” Mina asked as she stuffed rice into her mouth.
“Well I’m gonna hang out with Sero once her retur-“
He was interrupted by Kaminari laughing. “Dude you're totally his best friend now. Damn we were all gonna hang out tonight.” He sighed, smiling at Todoroki. “Why don’t you guys come by my room tonight. We’re all hanging out and we’re gonna watch one of his favorite movies.”
Todoroki had never hung out with Sero’s friend group before. He has no problem with them, it’s just he never has had the idea before.
“Sure.”
Mina, Kaminari, and Kirishima all smiled at him as they all finished their breakfasts. Together they all put their dishes away and headed for the door. They talked about current class projects and gossip as they walked. Todoroki did mostly listening, but he enjoyed listening to Mina go on and on about how she thinks Aizawa has a secret soft spot for people. It was interesting to him to hear what the others had to say about Sero. They talked to Todoroki about the times he would take their groups into abandoned places to go ghost hunting. “He totally believes in ghosts and all that jazz, but I don’t. I think that’s all fake.” Kaminari said confidently. Both Mina and Kirishima shot him a look. “Umm remember last time when Bakugou kicked a stupid can and you ran off screaming?”
Kaminari scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Well that was a reasonable reaction for a loud noise in a haunted building!”
Mina raised her eyebrows sarcastically. “I thought you said you don’t believe in that stuff.”
She smiled enviously and giggled at Kaminari’s frustration. Todoroki also did not believe in stuff like that but he was curious as to why Sero believed. He’ll have to ask him when he gets back this afternoon. The group made its way into the school, joining the other students in the busy hallways. They made their way into the classroom where most of their friends were already sitting down. Kirishima immediately made his way over to Bakugou’s desk, and Mina and Kaminari talked to Jirou. Todoroki went to the back of the room, sitting at his desk. Momo turned to him and smiled. “Good morning.”
Todoroki bowed his head slightly at her. “Good morning.” He still hasn’t told her about what happened Sunday, but he honestly just hasn’t had the chance yet. He looked around the room making sure no one was listening. To his surprise, no one was really back here.
Well no better time than right now.
“Momo, I need to tell you something.”
She leaned forward, her hand on her desk for support. Todoroki looked around the room once again just in case and whispered.
“I told him.”
Momo’s eyes widened and her mouth opened lightly into a smile. Her smile quickly turned down as she processed her thoughts. “Did it go ok?”
Todoroki turned his head to face Sero’s desk. He smiled shyly as his cheeks turned a shade redder.
“Yeah. He likes me.”
Momo gasped quietly and placed a hand on her mouth. “That’s great! I’m so happy for you!”
Todoroki turned to Momo once again, thanking her with an embarrassed smile. Todoroki really appreciated Momo’s encouragement. It was really helping him get over his dad's screaming voice in his head. Their conversation came to an end when Mr.Aizawa slowly sat up from the floor which he was just sleeping on. The class quieted down and sat at their seats. The ring of the bell closely followed. Aizawa began to talk, explaining the plans for today, but Todoroki wasn’t listening. He couldn’t focus at all. He was only thinking about tonight. He was beginning to get nervous just thinking about it. What was he going to say? Will he kiss him again?
He could barely hold in his excitement. Todoroki had never been in a real relationship before, so he had no idea what to expect. There were no rules to follow, no set up dates, no nothing. He was free to do whatever he wanted. He smiled to himself as papers were passed down the line.
Time passed slower than Todoroki could imagine, but he finally made it to their last class of the day, hero training. The boys all made their way into the locker room, hero costumes in their bags. Todoroki opened his locker and began to undo his tie. He slipped on his blue suit and tied his belt across his waist. As he was adjusting his sleeves, Kirishima waved for him to come over. They were right next to each other so Todoroki turned towards him. “Hey can you clip my mask? I think it’s stuck.” Todoroki nodded and grabbed the mask that lay on Kirishima’s head. He slid the two ends together and clipped them together. “Thanks man!” Kirishima said as he turned around. Todoroki’s eyes wandered until they were looking at Kirishima's phone resting on the bench. It was facing down so the case was upward. Todoroki looked closely to see a picture of him and Bakugou. Kirishima was kissing Bakugou’s cheek, and Bakugou was smiling. He never knew they were a couple. He wanted to understand why Kirishima would put that picture for everyone to see. “Kirishima, why do you have a picture of you and Bakugou in your phone case?”
Kirishima looked down at his phone as if he forgot it was there. “Oh well, I guess it’s because I can always remember him when I look at it.”
He smiled down at the picture, thinking to himself. “Also it’s just a cute picture that I like.”
He looked back up at Todoroki to see if he was satisfied with his answer. Todoroki pushed his hand through his hair. “ Is it because you aren’t afraid to let people know you are together?”
Kirishima scrunched his eyebrows thinking of what to say. “Well I guess you could say that.”
Kirishima smiled at him and grabbed his phone from the bench. He placed it on the top shelf before closing the locker.
“Hey shittyhair you better hurry up if I’m not waiting.”
Said a voice behind them. They both turned to see Bakugou, quite annoyed, leaning against the doorframe. Kirishima quickly slid his boots on and joined Bakugou. Todoroki watched them walk out, both smiling.
He glanced down at his phone, his plain clear case. Maybe he should put a picture there too.

——
Class finally came to an end after a hard day of training. Most of the class was worked to the brim, sweaty and tired once they finally made it back to the locker room. All of the boys rinsed off in the showers before changing back into their uniform. Todoroki tried his best to hurry through his routine. He rushed through the shower almost tripping on his way out. The others watched as he grabbed his things and rushed out. “What’s his problem?” Bakugou asked as he slid his foot into a pant leg. Kirishima just shrugged his shoulders, still watching the door Todoroki left through.
Since hero training is the last class of the day, they are dismissed to go back to the dorms once they are done changing. Today some of the class is going to stay after to study, but not Todoroki.
He burst through the school doors, half jogging, half walking back to the dorm. He had waited all day for this. Once the dorm building was well in his vision he began to pick up the pace. Most of the other students were behind him, leaving the sidewalk almost completely empty. He felt his feet go numb as he opened the dorm door. His chest rose rapidly, as he stood in the empty walkway. Todoroki entered the elevator and clicked one of the red buttons. The shuttle jolted and began to rise. Todoroki taped his finger on his pants impatiently as he waited for the doors to open. The ride ended, cueing the sliding doors to reveal the open hallway. Todoroki stepped out and dug his hand into his bag. He pulled his phone out, the screen lighting up slightly. No new messages.
Sero had told Todoroki he would text him when he got there, but so far nothing. Todoroki put his phone in his pocket and walked to his dorm room. He was a little upset with himself that he rushed all the way back for nothing. Todoroki opened his door and slid his shoes off. He decided to change into more comfortable clothes, since his school uniform wasn’t the best. He opened his shelf and pulled out a black t-shirt and grey shorts. Once changed, Todoroki sat down on his bed and pulled out one of his mangas. He had nothing to do but wait, and no better time to read than right now. He remembered how he used to share manga with Sero before any of this happened. He was so naive then. Todoroki flipped through the pages, reading the beautifully drawn out scenes. His mind was lost in the text when he heard something from outside.
It was a door opening.
Todoroki knew exactly who it was, running out of bed. He threw his door open, almost falling outside. He turned towards the noise, as he stood up straight.
“Hey.”
Sero smiled at him and lifted his hand up.

Finally.

Todoroki grabbed his hand, and was immediately pulled closer. He was only a few inches away from Sero, his body heat warming Todoroki up. He never wanted to go. He was finally at peace. “I missed you.” Sero said, hands wrapping around Todoroki’s waist. Todoroki was silent. He didn’t know what to say, he just wanted to be close like this forever. They stared into each other once silence fell over them. Sero was rubbing his thumb across Todoroki’s back, making him almost crumble into pieces right there and then. Todoroki placed a hand on Sero’s forehead. “You’re not sick.”
Sero laughed a little, his voice wasn’t straining. “Yeah Mia got me all better.” He let go of Todoroki and slowly pulled away from him. He only held onto Todoroki’s hand as he opened his dorm door. “I need to unpack and stuff but you’re more than welcome to wait here.” Todoroki followed him in and watched him set his bag down. Sero turned around and reached behind Todoroki to turn the light on. It flicked on but Sero did not move. Todoroki felt his face heat up, Sero was even closer than before. Sero giggled at how flustered Todoroki was getting. Todoroki had been waiting two days to do this, but now that he was in front of Sero he froze up. Sero seemed to read Todoroki’s mind and slowly leaned forward. He hovered over Todoroki’s shaking lips waiting for the ok. Todoroki nodded faintly, as he exhaled shakily. This was even more nerve wrecking the second time. Sero grinned into Todoroki’s lips, pressing deeply into them. Todoroki huffed out a breath when Sero came into contact, his head was spinning in a million different directions. The first time their kiss was very quick, like a peck, but this time it felt a lot more intense. Sero adjusted his face, leaning sideways as he cupped Todoroki’s face.
Todoroki didn’t know if he could handle this any longer. He felt like he was going to faint. Sero felt so warm on his cold skin. He had no idea what he was doing but he wanted more. Todoroki leaned into Sero’s hand, feeling Sero rub his cheek. They broke their kiss slightly only to crash into each other's lips once more. Todoroki wrapped his arms around Sero’s waist, pressing him closer to him. He was completely melting into Sero. He felt his breath shorten, his chest rise and fall, he was going to explode. He never wanted this to end. Their lips kept parting and connecting, leaving both of them completely mesmerized. Almost so mesmerized that they did not hear the door open.

“OH MY GOD.”

The boys threw their bodies apart, startled by the sudden interruption. Sero backed into his bag, tripping on it and falling back.The three stood there in silence. Todoroki looked at Sero. His face was bloodshot red. Todoroki was panicking in his head. Was it ok for her to know they're together? Was she going to tell everyone? He wasn’t really ready for people to know about them, but there was no turning back. Mina stood in the doorway completely still. Her hands were over her mouth and her dark eyes were almost sticking out of her head. She dropped her hands and slung the door shut. “I. AM.SO.SORRY.” She yelled from the other side of the door. Sero sighed and stood up. He looked over at Todoroki who was visibly nervous. “Hey it’s ok. I’ll talk to her.” He spoke softly, trying to reassure him. Todoroki only nodded. He didn’t really know what to feel right now. Sero smiled at him once more before exiting his room. Todoroki watched him leave before sitting down on Sero’s bed. He didn’t know why he was so nervous.
Did he just expose himself?
He sat there cracking his knuckles as he heard Sero’s soft voice from the other side of the door. After what felt like eternity Sero returned into the room. He walked over and sat down next to Todoroki. “Don’t worry about it, Mina said she wouldn’t tell anyone. She feels really bad actually.” Sero said, laughing a little. Todoroki nodded, he knew eventually he would have to come out to his class, but it was a lot at once. “She came over to tell us to come over to Kami’s room for movie night and well…” He ended it there.
“It’s ok. I mean if our class knows. I mean people were going to find out soon.” Sero turned to him surprised. “Are you sure?”
Todoroki nodded. “ But, can we just start with your friend group first?” Sero nodded and stood up offering his hand to him. Todoroki took it and they walked out of their room swiftly. Mina was waiting in the hallway, awkwardly standing across the hall. Once she saw Todoroki, she ran over to him, her hand on his shoulders. “TODOROKI I AM SO SORRY OMG.” she bowed her head, embarrassed to make eye contact. Todoroki guided her hands off his shoulder. “ It’s ok.”
Mina lifted her head, unsure of his answer. She read his face before smiling and walking ahead. “Ok. Well if it makes you feel any better I kinda already knew you guys were a thing.” Both of the boys jolted at that response. She turned around surprised. “Sero you literally told me you liked him, and anyways you only hang with him now.” Sero blushed, startled by Mina’s bold answer.
“Oh, I forgot about that…” This time Todoroki blushed. He had no idea Sero talked to his friends about him. “Ok well hurry up you two! Kaminari is going to get mad if we’re late.”
The two joined Mina and walked into the elevator.
When they walked into Kaminari’s room Kirishima and Bakugou were already situated on the floor. “Ugh, why is he here?” Bakugou snarled. He was leaning against Kirishima’s arm. Sero raised a hand to Kaminari, and turned to Bakugou. “You don’t get to be the only couple here.”
The three other boys all looked up at them in shock. Todoroki stood there awkwardly, making eye contact with all of them. Sero on the other hand continued to take his shoes off and sit down like it was nothing. “What?”
Kaminari shook his head and grabbed his remote. Todoroki watched them confused, as everyone just seemed to ignore it. Mina tugged at his arm, signalling for him to sit down with them. Todoroki situated himself sandwiched between Kirishima and Sero. Kaminari pulled up the movie and sat next to Mina excitedly. “What movie is it?” Sero asked, grabbing a blanket from Kaminari’s bed. He placed the blanket over him and Todoroki. “It’s this really cool movie I found.” He pulled up the movie screen, letting Sero read the title for himself. “Spiderman into the Spider-verse.” He smiled over at Kaminari. “ Dude, I love this movie!”
“We know.” The others said in unison. They all laughed, leaving only Todoroki confused. “You’ll like it.” Sero said to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Ooooh.” Mina teased. Sero shot her a look and grabbed a pillow with his tape, throwing it at her. She giggled and dodged it. “Guys stop, it's gonna start!” Kirishima said. Everyone hushed down, focusing on the screen before them. The screen lit up, displaying the story of a noble hero by the name of Miles. Todoroki watched the story roll out before him. Superhero movies are not really made anymore since well… There are real heroes today. Either way Todoroki enjoyed the movie. He looked over at Sero who seemed way invested in this movie. His eyes were lighting up, and he seemed so drawn into the story. He had let go of Todoroki’s shoulders and was full on leaning towards the screen like a little kid. It was like the other time they watched a movie together. He looks so cute when he’s excited. Todoroki watched the screen until his eyelids began to feel heavy. He unconsciously leaned his head on Sero’s shoulder, making Sero turn to him. He leaned back so Todoroki would be more comfortable. Sero watched him until he was completely knocked out. Sero lifted the blanket a tad, so Todoroki wouldn’t get cold before bringing his attention back to the screen.
_____

Todoroki was woken by the sudden tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Hey it’s time to get up.” Sero was in front of him, picking up the blanket. Todoroki looked around the room. Kirishima and Bakugou were both asleep on the floor, leaning on each other. Mina had already left, and Kaminari was picking up. Todoroki stood up slowly, “Did I fall asleep?”
Kaminari laughed, overhearing what Todoroki said. “Yeah, it’s ok though.” Sero said, walking over to the door. Kaminari and Sero did some weird handshake-hug thing that Todoroki did not understand before leaving. “Hey man you wanna play something tonight?” Kaminari asked Sero as him and Todoroki headed out the door. “Yeah sure, I’ll hop online for a bit.” Kaminari shot him a thumbs up before turning around. “Yeah I gotta get these two idiots out of my room first.” Sero laughed at the sight before him. “Good luck with that.” The two thanked Kaminair for his hospitality and walked over to their rooms. Todoroki barely made it to his room, he was still tired from just waking up. Sero giggled and watched him enter his room. Sero walked in just enough to plant a kiss on Todoroki’s forehead out of view from the hallway cameras. “Good night.”
Todoroki said in his groggy voice. Sero backed away so he was in the hallway once again. He gave Todoroki a look before speaking,

“Good night Shoto.”

And with that he closed the door leaving Todoroki alone with his now screaming head.

Chapter Text

It has been a couple days since Sero had gotten back. It was Friday meaning the weekend was just around the corner. Sero and Todoroki haven't really gotten the chance to hang out as much as they’ve wanted to, due to the fact that Sero was behind in school. Todoroki offered to help, but Sero insisted that he just focused on himself. Sero was a hard worker when he wanted to be, so when he got bored he would procrastinate like crazy. It took him three whole days to finish two days of assignments, but finally it was over.
Todoroki was sitting in his room reading his favorite manga. School had just previously ended a bit ago, leaving Todoroki some time for himself. He was actually waiting for Sero to finish his work, but he thought reading would distract his mind elsewhere. He couldn’t stop thinking about what the future meant for them. The future he wanted.
He was always told what to do in his life, so this was one of the only times he got to choose what he wanted. Todoroki had done some research on dates since he never really went on an official one before. Sure, he and Momo hung out, but it was never really considered a date. Todoroki had discovered so many new ideas for them to try. He had learned about this thing called a picnic, which he wanted to do. In his daydream. Todoroki reached to flip up a page when his phone buzzed on his night stand. He picked it up impatiently and opened the text.

Hanta
6:35 PM
I finished >:) come over the doors unlocked.

Shoto
6:35 PM
Okay.

Todoroki slid off his bed and placed his manga back into its place on his shelf. He glanced at himself in the mirror before he put his shoes on, making sure he looked presentable. He knows Sero doesn’t care what he looks like, but it still felt like something necessary.
He slid into his slippers and stood outside his dorm.
Todoroki stood before Sero’s door, listening for a moment. He heard subtle music playing in the background, and the sound of feet shuffling across the floor. Todoroki smiled, something about just knowing he’s there makes him reassured. The boy knocked on the door gently before slightly opening the door.
“Hi.”
Sero turned around from his position on the floor, grinning at the sight in front of him. “Hey Shoto, don’t mind me, I'm just folding laundry.”
Todoroki felt his face shoot red at the sound of his name. He still wasn’t used to it yet. Sero seemed to notice his flusterness, standing up once he saw. He made his way over to Todoroki and lightly grabbed his chin. He turned it to the side and planted a soft kiss onto his cheek. “I love how embarrassed you get.”
Sero smiled at him and guided Todoroki over to where he sat on the floor. “Hold on, I just gotta put this stuff away.” Sero said, grabbing the pile of clean clothes that were on the floor. He placed them into a specific drawer, carefully folding them together. Todoroki watched him work, he couldn’t help staring. He still couldn’t believe the luck he’s been having. He has never been this happy before, and that scared him. He was waiting for something, he didn’t know what but everything was too good for him.
“Sero.” Todoroki finally said.
Sero hummed, lifting his head.
“Do you ever get a feeling… like something’s wrong?”
Sero turned to him and gave him a confused look. “Not really, what? Do you have that feeling?”
Todoroki bit the inside of his cheek, letting out a sigh through his nose. “I don’t know.”
He couldn’t even understand what he was feeling, but all he knew was that he was with Sero right now, and that’s all that matters.
“Nevermind, I’m just tired.” Todoroki said to try and change the conversation. Sero raised an eyebrow but decided to stay quiet. He turned around and faced his speaker that was lightly playing music in the background. He grabbed his phone out of his speaker and began to type something in. “Come here.”
Todoroki stood up in confusion, walking over to where Sero stood. He looked over Sero’s shoulders to try and read what he was doing. Sero was scrolling through spotify trying to find a specific song, his finger slid down the screen until he paused, clicking one of the options. Todoroki read the title out loud, “Night Changes by One DIrection...” He turned to Sero with a blank stare. “What?! It's a good song!” Sero said, shrugging his shoulders.
The speakers immediately spit out a new tune. It was slow, and calming, something he would not expect from Sero. A peaceful piano solo played the opening bit, giving them a feel for the song. Todoroki was quite confused on what was happening, he kept looking back and forth between Sero and the speaker. He was interrupted by Sero’s hand on his shoulder. Sero smiled at him and was swaying Todoroki’s shoulders. Todoroki watched him bop his head as he dramatically lip synced the lyrics. “I’ve always wanted to do this with someone.” Sero said. Todoroki felt one of Sero’s arms wrap around his waist and the other grab his hand. Todoroki didn’t know what was going on, but still gripped Sero’s hand tightly. Sero guided Todoroki’s other hand to rest beneath Sero’s shoulder blade. “ Like that.”
Sero’s voice was so soft, so calming, it made Todoroki melt into him. He watched Sero’s beautiful eyes reflect the sun’s setting light that was peering into the room.
God.
He was so pretty.

They began to sway slowly to the music, Todoroki following Sero’s flow. He tugged Sero’s hand tighter, as if he was going to let go. Sero smiled down at him, gazing deeply into his eyes. They were both so flustered, so embarrassed, yet so unconcerned. Todoroki felt his heart beating out of his chest almost louder than the music. He leaned in slightly, pulling Sero in tighter so their chests were leaning against each other. Sero giggled at the motion, never breaking eye contact. They swayed their way all over the room, avoiding the mess in Sero's room. Steppig left and right over school work and clothes, completely lost in each other's movements. Todoroki lifted his hand that rested on Sero’s shoulder and wiped a piece of hair off of Sero’s face. Before Todoroki could take his hand off of Sero’s face, Sero leaned into it and planted a kiss. “Gotcha.”
Both of them laughed faintly, rearranging themselves around the room. Todoroki never wanted this to end, he truly felt happy.

The two lay on Sero’s bed, watching the lights in his room change into various colors. The only sound was the light exhales of both of their chests. Sero turned onto his side, placing his head on his head. “Do you like girls at all?”
Todoroki turned his head, eyebrows raised. Sero’s eyes widened, as he realized how personal the question was. “ Oh Shit, sorry I didn’t mean to- Nevermind sorry.”
“No it’s ok.” Todoroki said, trying to reassure him. He had never thought about that before. Todoroki was still so anxious about labeling himself, it made him think about his dad. But, now that he thought about it, he never really did. “I don’t think so.”
He stopped himself. For some reason he just feels awful admitting that.
“Is that… ok?” Todoroki hung his head. Even though he was happy with Sero, he still had this guilt that his dad placed onto him. He hated how his dad still had a hold on him.
Sero grabbed Todoroki’s arms and pulled him into a hug. Todoroki gasped slightly out of shock. Sero rolled them over, pulling Todoroki on top of him. He tugged him harshly, placing a hand on his head. “Yes...yeah it’s ok Todoroki. It’s ok.”
Todoroki leaned into Sero’s body. Maybe one day this guilt will vanish, and he will never have to feel ashamed about himself anymore. He felt Sero’s chest rise and fall, his heart beating in a soft rhythm. “I’m sorry I asked that. I was just-” Sero interrupted himself by sitting them both up. “I wanted to get you something.” Sero released Todoroki a bit, letting him wiggle out of their entanglement. Todoroki looked back at him, waiting for Sero to continue. “Get what?”
Sero turned to his wall, pointing to the flag hanging from the ceiling. “I thought you could get one for your room, like a small one, but I didn’t know you were still uneasy with this stu-”
Todoroki stood up taller, clenching one of his fists. He eyed the flag they had hung up last week. All of the memories flooded back into his head. The anger, the sadness, he hated it. He never wanted to feel like that again. “No. Sero, I’ll get one.”
Sero paused mid sentence. “Are you sure?” Todoroki nodded his head. “ Yes.” Sero smiled, standing up from his bed. He grabbed his laptop that sat on his desk. Todoroki watched him open it up and click into new tabs. Sero pulled up a website, showing multiple different colored flags. “They have flags for me?”
Sero turned to him in disbelief. “ Yeah of course.” He moved his cursor and hovered it over a flag. It was colored with different shades of blue and green. Todoroki turned his head a bit to try and see the image better. It was pretty. He wanted it, he wanted to be proud like Sero. He knew his guilt was still there, but maybe these little steps would make it finally disappear. “I like it.”
“Well alrighty then.” Sero announced clicking the item into checkout. “I like it too.”
___

Todoroki looked out of the window of the moving car, watching the trees blur as they passed. He sat back up and turned to Momo who was sitting next to him. It was a bright Saturday morning, the roads busy with cars off to different destinations. The two were on their way to the photoshoot Endeavour had planned earlier this week.
“Do you want some?”
Todoroki looked down at Momo’s hand to see a piece of gum wrapped in silver. Todoroki lifted his palm a bit, letting her place it on his hand. “Thank you.”
She nodded with a grin and opened her piece also. “I’m nervous.”
Todoroki sighed. He wasn’t going to lie, he was also really nervous. “Me too.” They’ve never done something like this before, let alone as a “couple”. Todoroki watched Momo nervously fiddle with the necklace she had on. He looked closer to see that it was the one Jirou got her for her birthday. It had been a bit since they had caught up with each other, they’ve just been busy with other things. The last time they were together like this was when He was in her room. He cringed thinking about that night. He was a little embarrassed about how he cried to Momo. It definitely wasn’t one of his proudest moments. He envied Momo though. She really had helped him at his lowest.
“How are you and Jirou?”
Momo stopped her fidgeting, stumbling over her words. “Uh, well… ahh.” She laughed at herself and tried to calm herself down. “We’re good. How about you and Sero?”
This time Todoroki was the one to freeze. “Oh… we’re also good.” He was not expecting to get the question thrown back at him. Momo sighed and hung her head back. “I wish we could debut with them.” She shrugged her shoulders as she made a line with her lips. Todoroki agreed. If his stupid dad wasn’t around he would be 100% on board with that idea.
The car came to a stop at a tall, glass building dead center in the city. The driver got out of his seat and opened the door on Momo’s side. “Oh thank you! But you really don’t have too.”
The driver shook his head. “ No, it's my pleasure.” Momo quickly bowed her head, thanking the driver. Todoroki slid across the seats and stepped out of the car. He thanked the driver with a nod and followed Momo into the building.
The two made their way through the sliding doors and up the elevator. They followed the directions Endeavour had given them until they reached a wide wooden door. “You ready?” Momo asked, hovering a hand over the door knob.
“No.” Todoroki answered bluntly. Momo smirked, gripping the handle of the door. “Well, prepare yourself.” With that Momo turned the knob and opened the door. Todoroki followed her into the room, squinting his eyes at the sudden brightness. When his eyes adjusted he saw a blank white backdrop with lights aimed towards it. To his left he saw two vanities, the mirrors outlined with lightbulbs. A rack of clothing was sitting off in the far right, where Endeavour was talking to Momo’s parents. A group of workers were in the other corner preparing their outfits for the shoot. Endeavour seemed to notice Todoroki because Todoroki felt the ground shake as he got closer. “ Shoto you’re late!”
Todoroki stared at him blankly. “Sorry.”
Endeavour rolled his eyes and pushed him over to one of the vanities. Momo was still talking to her parents, leaving Todoroki alone with the makeup artist.
Todoroki wasn’t one for makeup, it made him feel itchy. He didn’t see a problem with boys weaning it, unlike his father, but it just wasn’t for him. The artists planted powder on top of his cheeks, caking him with products. Momo soon followed, getting patted down with cotton swabs and various brushes. Luckily for Todoroki he was supposed to look “Natural” so his makeover was cut short. Momo on the other hand was stuck in her seat.
Todoroki was ushered over to a changing stall where he was handed a pile of clothing. He closed the door and slid his shirt off. He changed into the outfit, admiring himself in the mirror when he was finished. He was dressed in black khakis and a blakc turtleneck. On Top he wore a long brown jacket, meeting his kneeline. He didn’t hate it so that was good, but still it didn’t fit him. Todoroki smiled to himself. He thought about how Sero would look good in this outfit. “Sir, are you done there?” a voice called from outside. “Yeah.” Todoroki yelled, picking up his other clothes. He walked out and placed his belongings onto a table near the changing rooms. Endeavour walked over to him, looking him up and down. “ Good. Now go stand over there.” Todoroki didn’t move a muscle. “Why?”
Endeavour shot him a look and shoved his shoulder. “Because I said so.”
Todoroki rolled his eyes and walked over to where Endeavour pointed. He just wanted to go home.
Todoroki stood in that spot until Momo walked out of her dressing room. She was wearing a black long sleeve with a pencil skirt the same color of his jacket. Her hair was down, curled away from her face. Her mother walked over to her and fixed a loose strand in her shirt. “You look great darling.”
Momo only nodded before she joined Todoroki where he stood. They exchanged uncomfortable glances before they were pushed onto the platform. They had no time to think, they were given orders and poses almost immediately. Todoroki was not photogenic like Momo was. Momo had done media training before, so this was almost instinct for her. Todoroki stayed expressionless, hoping it would work well enough.
After a free hundred photos they had finally reached their last few photos. For these last ones Momo had to drape her arms over Todoroki’s shoulders and he squatted down in front of her. Being this close wasn’t really uncomfortable anymore for them. They understood their boundaries and how they had no feelings for each other, so when the cameraman told them to get closer, they did. However there are some boundaries that they couldn’t cross. The cameraman snapped a few shots before standing up, thumb on his chin. He seemed to be thinking of something. The idea popped into his head, making him nod to himself. “Momo dear I want you to kiss his cheek for me.”
Todoroki felt Momo stiffened on top of him. He turned his head slightly, making eye contact with her.
What do they do?
Technically they're still together, but none of them want to.
Momo gave him a scared look, trying to avoid it too. Endeavour stepped forward staring them both down. “ Go ahead.”
Momo looked at her parents, but they shot her a mean look before she could say anything. The cameraman began to get annoyed and waved his hand for them to get a move on. Momo didn’t move. “ Can we try something else?”
The cameraman rolled his eyes. “Honey it's just a dang kiss, it won't kill you.”
Todoroki looked back at her. He swallowed his breath and gave her a slow nod. He hated it. He wished for more than anything for this not to happen, but he would rather not make his dad even more angry at him. Momo took a deep breath to regain herself. She slowly put her arms over his shoulders once more. Todoroki leaned down again waiting….. He held his breath, eyes forward.
He felt Momo’s breath slowly fade into his senses. She was so close.
A phone ring filled the room. Momo immediately pulled back, her face now out of view. Endeavour picked up his phone and stepped into the corner. Everyone unconsciously stood silently, waiting. Endeavour talked quietly, almost like he was trying to hide something. He hung up the phone and walked back over harshly. He talked to the Adults in the room. “ We need to go, a mission has been brought up.” He then faced Todoroki and Momo. “Your class has been recruited.”

Chapter Text

The car ride to the dorms was quiet. Momo and Todoroki had just changed as quickly as they could, and hopped into a car. They were both quite confused on what the emergency was, and why it was so sudden. All Todoroki knew was that this must be serious because even Endeavour came with them. Todoroki leaned his head on his hand as he watched the buildings blur as the car passed them. He wondered if Sero knew what was happening. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was honestly glad he was able to get out of that photoshoot. The silence was interrupted by Momo’s phone ping. She jumped a little at the noise, but reached for her phone that lay on the arm rest. Todoroki watched her fiddle with her password and open a text. He tried to read her expression as her eyes gilded across the screen.
“It’s from Jirou. She said the whole class was told to meet in the common room.” She let out a concerned breath before placing her phone down in her lap. “She said she has no idea what the mission is gonna be.” Todoroki took this opportunity to text Sero. He was certain that Sero was also clueless but it was worth a shot.

Shoto
3:15 PM
Are you ok? What is going on?

He waited a bit until his phone lit up.

Hanta
3:16 PM
I’m ok dont worry and I have no idea. All I know is we have a mission or whatever.

Todoroki pressed his fingers on the letters writing a response when another message popped up.

Hanta
3:16 PM
Please hurry back. I'm getting worried that you’re not here.

Todoroki smiled at his screen. He really did love when Sero would say things like that. It made him feel appreciated.

Shoto
3:16 PM
Don’t be worried I’m almost there.

The car came to an abrupt stop in front of the dorm entrances. Todoroki and Momo slid out of their seats and out of the car. Momo joined him on the pavement. They began to walk towards the building when Endeavour rolled down the passenger window. “We probably won't see each other until we’re on the mission so just don’t make a fool out of yourself.”
Todoroki rolled his eyes before turning around to face his father. “Okay.” With that Endeavour rolled the window up and the car sped off. Todoroki watched the car drive off until it was nearly a dot in the distance. Moments like these make Todoroki irritated. His dad always had to have the last word over him. He always just had to make sure he had control over everything. Todoroki wished his dad would just shut up sometimes.
Todoroki felt a tug on his shoulder, making him turn his head slightly.
“We should get going.”
Momo was looking up at him, almost slightly defeated. She made a line with her lips before letting go of his shoulder and walking away. He knew she was nervous about this mission, honestly he was too. He knew he signed up for stuff like this, but the fear always sits in the back of his mind. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head, brushing his hand through his, still hairsprayed and styled, hair.

Todoroki followed Momo through the doors and into the common area. They slid their shoes off and headed towards the many voices that sprinkled around the corner. Sitting down at the tables were all of their classmates, and their teacher. Everyone was dressed casually and was chatting away with their groups of friends. Jirou seemed to spot her and waved her over. Todoroki looked around slightly before spotting Sero. His back was towards him, as he was talking to the rest of his friend group. Todoroki made his way over to Sero and placed a hand down on his shoulder. Sero turned his head to meet his eyes. A big grin formed across his face. “Oh finally. I’ve been waiting.”
Sero scooted over and patted the empty seat next to him. Todoroki lifted his hand from Sero and sat down. “Aizawa just came back from a meeting with the pros, he's gonna tell us all of the details.” He paused and almost let out a laugh. “ We were all waiting for you and Momo.”
Todoroki sat up straighter in his chair, embarrassed. He looked around the room almost wanting to apologize. “Oh, we tried to get here faster-”
“No dude it’s ok, I was mainly joking.” Sero said, lifting his hands in defense. Todoroki calmed a bit after the realization but was interrupted by a booming voice coming down the hall. The room went quiet as All Might entered the front. “ Hello students! Glad to see you all are doing well!”
Aizawa groaned from his seat and stood up next to All Might. They seemed to exchange a more serious look before continuing. “As you know your class had been recruited to help out on a mission…”
Todoroki turned in his seat slightly to face the front. Missions were always a little nerve racking, but now that he has someone else to worry about, it makes them a lot more frightening. Of course before he always worried for his other classmates, but something about Sero was different. Todoroki slowly reached under the table as All Might continued the details about their mission. He blindly guided his hand over, grabbing Sero’s hand tightly. He didn’t want anything to happen to him. Sero shot his head down naturally at the sudden contact. He looked back up at Todoroki who was still facing the front. Sero gripped his boyfriend's hand and leaned back against his chair. Sero knew exactly what Todoroki was thinking.
The “meeting” only lasted about 30 minutes so the class had the rest of the evening to prepare. The mission was tomorrow morning, they had to be up around 6:00. It wasn’t that big of a mission compared to the other fights they’ve had to deal with, but it was still important. Aizawa explained that basically The League of VIllains had infiltrated a building containing information about the Hero ranks, and classified information about certain hero’s. Since the information is all digital it has to be hacked and downloaded, which could take multiple hours, meaning they were most likely to stay the night. They’ve hired lowlife thugs to guard the place and take control of the workers in the building. They were most likely holding these workers hostage so if the heroes threaten to attack they would kill off the innocent people. The idea was to attack tomorrow morning. By then, their high would go down, making them think they’ve gotten away successfully. They would most likely stop caring about the civilians and try to escape the building at that point. This will be the time to attack. Well, for class 1A it will be rescuing. Their main goals were to get all of the workers out of the crumbling building and avoid the thugs hired by the League. The Pros would be the ones going after the main group of villains.
Easy right?
____

Todoroki sighed and rolled over on Sero’s bed. He placed his manga he was trying to read on his night stand. Staring at the ceiling, his mind wondered.
“What’s wrong?” a voice called from the floor. Todoroki opened his eyes and leaned over the side of the bed. He tilted his head playfully, meeting Sero’s gaze. “Nothing.”
Sero seemed to not like that answer, causing him to shoot his tape out of his elbows, and around Todoroki’s waist. With a big tug he pulled Todoroki off the bed and on top of him. Todoroki had no time to react, only stuttering once he had fallen. “W-what was that for?”
Sero bursted out in laughter pulling him closer. “I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”
Todoroki sighed. He couldn’t avoid it now. He leaned his head down on Sero’s chest, finally relaxing. “...I’m nervous. For tomorrow.”
Sero stayed silent as he rubbed slowly circled on Todoroki’s tense back. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it almost immediately after. He processed his own thoughts before trying to speak again. “Y’know I am too but… We’ll be fine. I promise.” He lifted his head up from the floor making Todoroki lift his head also. Sero pushed a strand of Todoroki’s hair out of his face, never breaking eye contact. “We’ve been through worse, this will be nothing I promise.”
Todoroki read his eyes. He was serious. Dead Serious.
Something about Sero’s confidence made Todoroki’s nervousness almost completely vanish. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly, synching their breaths together. Todoroki leaned back down on Sero, feeling himself rise and fall on his chest. Opening his eyes he saw that he was facing that wall of pictures Sero had. He easily spotted the one of Sero that still made Todoroki blush. He couldn’t believe how he was able to be with someone so beautiful. The pictures also made him think of another memory, one from earlier this week. Todoroki stood up excitedly, shocking Sero. “What is it?”
“I want a picture of us together.” Todoroki said firmly. He had remembered the conversation he had with Kirishima before and wanted to make it happen, now. Sero, still very confused, shrugged his shoulders happily and grabbed his phone. Todoroki reached over and stopped Sero from raising the item up.
“No. One I can put in my phone.”
“What?”
Todoroki only stared back. “For my phone case.”
Sero’s smile widened as his cheeks flushed pink. “Oh, sure.” He stood up and grabbed a bigger camera from his desk. “This is my polaroid one, it’ll print them almost immediately.” Sero joined Todoroki back on the floor and flicked the camera on. “Ok ready?”
Todoroki didn’t know how to pose, so he awkwardly leaned closer towards Sero. He watched the camera, waiting for it to click when he felt a hand pull his face to the side. He was suddenly met with Sero’s lips on his. The camera clicked before Todoroki could process what had happened. It had been a while since they had kissed, and god, it felt so good. He had missed how sweet Sero’s lips tasted on his chapped ones. They broke apart slightly, faces only inches apart. Both of their faces were bright red, feeling each other's breath against their lips. The sound of the camera interrupted them, as the photo printed out. “It’s black…”
Todoroki said, confused. Sero put a finger up to silence him. He grabbed the photo and shook it around. “Wait for it.” Sero whispered. They both patiently watched the sheet begin to reveal the two figures. Once the photo became recognizable both the boys became flustered once again. It was one thing to be kissing Sero, but for it to be on film, something everyone can see, made Todoroki’s face feel hot. Todoroki brought his knees up to his chest, burying his face in embarrassment. Sero seemed to notice, because he let out a slight giggle. “ If you’re embarrassed I can have this one, and we can take another one.” Todoroki nodded into his knees. He liked the picture, but carrying that around with him would’ve been a bad idea. “Ok, here I'll put this one in my case.” Sero said, popping his clear phone case right off. He carefully slid the picture into the crack and pressed his phone back in. He admired his work before smiling back at Todoroki. “You’re so cute.”
Todoroki smiled at him. He wasn’t used to being complimented this much. He raised his head, leaning it against Sero’s shoulder. Sero took the opportunity to raise the camera and take a picture, PG this time. They waited once again for the photo to print and reveal itself. Todoroki held it carefully in the palm of his hands, afraid he would ruin it. “I like it.”
Sero came behind him and looked over his shoulder with a smile. “Good.” Todoroki opened his clear case and slid the photo in, he looked at it once it was set in place. He couldn’t stop staring at Sero. He was just so pretty. He really didn’t know how else to describe it. He never wanted to lose him.

______

“Careful everyone! Please take your seats quickly!”
Todoroki sat down at one of the chairs next to his classmates. It was 6:34 in the morning, the day of the mission. He was assigned rescue group 4, which consisted of him, Jirou, Iida and Tsuyu. They were in a secret location, meeting with the entire mission team once more before they conducted the attack. Todoroki has not been able to say much to Sero this morning since they were separated into groups almost immediately. He found Sero from across the room, who was already looking at him. Sero was with Kirishima, Shoji and Mina. They exchanged a smile before turning their attention back to the main leaders of this mission. They sat and listened to the directions
\ once more, everyone is impatient to get going. “Good luck everyone, let’s get this done.” The man upfront said releasing everyone from their seats. From that moment on the mission was a go.
Todoroki’s group was by one of the side doors, waiting patiently hidden behind a brick wall. Their cue was when the pros will break down the door and clear a pathway. The four sat in silence, their minds racing in different directions. No one dared to speak.
After what felt like eternity, pro hero Gun-Head made his way to the door, breaking it down in an instant. Jirou stuck her earphone jack into the floor listening to Gun Head's footsteps. “He’s clear, no ones there.”
The group made their way from behind the wall into the building. The alarm was blaring throughout the whole building. The villains obviously know they are there since multiple doors are being broken into at once. Gun Head had run ahead to meet the other pros, leaving the group on their own. “We’re clear for now. I don’t hear anyone.” Jirou whispered as they all trudged forward. The whole building was dark, except for the blaring alarm and red lights throughout the building. Todoroki lit a flame on his finger to give them a consistent light source. “The flashing lights are gonna give me a headache.” Tsuyu whispered.
Each group had a section to clear before the mission ended. Todoroki’s group was on the first floor. Technically it was the second since there was a basement. Each group had someone with a scouting quirk, to make it easier for them to find civilians. Jirou was theirs.
Their group slowly made its way down the hallway, trying not to make any loud noises. It was quiet, too quiet. Todoroki was going to speak up when Jirou held her arm out, stopping the group in their tracks. She turned around with a finger in front of her lips. She then pointed to one of the rooms up ahead and to the right. They all knew what she meant. Tsuyu climbed up one of the walls and made her way above the door frame. Todoroki and Iida stood before the door, ready to barge in. Jirou stood off to the side waiting to give a signal. The boys waited in hesitation watching Jirou scout out from outside. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open and she threw her hand up, giving the signal.
Iida ran rull force at the door, kicking it down. It slammed forward, causing people from inside to scream. Todoroki stepped inside ready to charge when a shriek came from the other side of the room.
“Don’t move.”
The dust finally cleared to reveal a tall, slim man holding a woman by the collar of her shirt. The man had long black hair and was dressed in street clothes. Obviously to them he was one of the thugs the League had brought with them.
“If you make a move this woman dies on the spot. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW”
The woman was crying hysterically, pleading for them to help her. Todoroki looked around the room, there were about 8 other people sitting helplessly in the corner. There were two other thugs guarding the group of people.
Todoroki hesitated. They had no idea what any of these people’s quirks are, and if their quirks canceled out. But the same thing could be said about them. These thugs didn't know Todoroki’s or any of the other’s quirks, let alone how many of them there were. Todoroki glanced over to Iida, who seemed to understand the same thing. However, The guy holding the women seemed to catch on too.
“Oh don’t you be planning anything you bastards!”
He tightened his grip on the woman, making her shriek. The two other men laughed at the woman as she cried. Their backs were to the walls, which was perfect for Tsuyu who was hiding up there. She had snuck in when Iida kicked the door down, not one of them had noticed her. She looked at both Todoroki and Iida giving them a certain look. The man kept talking, sliding the woman across the floor, holding onto her with a monsterous grip. “If you don’t leave I’m going to have to kill you AND this woman right here.”
Todoroki stayed calm, he wasn’t worried one bit, the three in the room had already come up with a plan without even talking to each other.
The man stopped in his tracks and lowered the woman to the floor. “You guys are getting on my nerves. You better make a move before I do!”

“Sounds good to me!” Tsuyu said from behind them all. Immediately one of the men guarding the civilians was grabbed and slammed into the other, knocking them both out instantly. Tsuyu jumped down from her hiding spot glaring at the only man left. The man smiled and lifted his hand. He was surrounded but was stupid enough to still make a move.
It all felt like slow motion.
The man aimed his hand towards the woman on the ground, ready to let out whatever his quirk was. Iida, with the speed of light ran towards him kicking his hand up from behind. As Iida fixed his hand Todoroki used his ice to freeze the man’s entire lower body to the ground leaving his legs trapped in ice. Once the man released his quirk it was aimed for the ceiling, only letting out minimal damage. His quirk looked to be metal like discs, leaving them trapped in the ceiling. Once his quirk was released Todoroki froze both his arms as quickly as they fell down to his waist. The three stepped back admiring their work.
“GOD DAMMIT YOU STUPID KIDS.” The man yelled trying to escape the ice. At this moment Jirou ran into the room shutting the door. “We’re all clear. I scouted the rest of the floor and this was the only room with people in it.” Iida nodded his head and gave her a thumbs up. “Great job team!” Jirou scoffed at the comment as she ran over to the civilians in the corner. Tsuyu held the two men she knocked out with her tongue. “I’ll bring these guys outside to the police. You guys can get that one.” She hopped away as soon as she finished her sentence. The other man was not having it. The civilians were still frightened of the man’s yelling even though he was completely immobilized. “I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL KI-”
“Ok that’s enough.” Iida said, hitting the back of his neck with his hand. With Iida’s speed the man was knocked out instantly. “I’ll get him out, you two help the civilians.” Iida announced grabbing the block of ice from the floor. Todoroki ran over to the group helping them stand up. Most of them were younger people, maybe in their early 20s. They were all in shock, others were crying. They were all quirkless.
Jirou stepped over to the woman who was held hostage. Todoroki watched her talk softly to her, offering a hand. The woman was about to grab it when a loud boom came from outside. The whole ground shook, dust flying everywhere. Todoroki looked over at Jirou in shock. What in the world could that be? Was it Bakugou? No, that was too big of an explosion for the situation they were in. That would’ve been way too dangerous of him, but then again it’s Bakugou. They all stayed still until the ground calmed and everything was still again. “Let’s get them out of here.” Jirou said, walking the woman out of the room. Todoroki didn’t question and helped the others out of the room. Once they made it outside they were met with Iida and Tsuyu who were just as confused. “Was that the pro’s fight?” Iida shook his head. “No that came from downstairs, the League is on the top floor.” Jirou looked back at the building shaking her head. “ Then what was that?” Todoroki looked up at the building.
He had a bad feeling.
Their group met up with their other classmates who had already finished their floor. Mostly everyone else was done except for Bakugou’s group, and Sero’s. However after a bit Bakugou's group walked out. Momo was in that group, making her way out of the building. She spotted Jirou and ran over, wrapping Jirou in her arms. Todoroki couldn’t make out what they were saying but still watched them. One group left. One.
Iida ran over to Bakugou who was angrily making his way to the police. All Todoroki heard was Bakugou’s screaming. “What?! I wasn’t in the basement you idiot how could that have been me?” He scoffed at Iida and walked away. “And anyways I would never make that big of an explosion INSIDE with PEOPLE AROUND.”
Iida turned around in defeat and began to walk over to Todoroki. He sighed deeply and placed his hands on his hips. “ I’m sure it’s fine. I mean things like this are what’s to be expected.”
Iida paused and glanced at Todoroki who wasn’t even looking at him. He was watching the entrance. Waiting for anything.
Anything.
Finally someone walked out. Todoroki unconsciously ran forward only to stop in disappointment. It was only Kirishima.
Kirishima.

Sero was in Kirishima’s group.

With the realization he began to run again watching the others make their way out of the door. One… two… three….
They were hurt, bloody, bruised badly. Really badly.
Todoroki felt his breathing stop as he watched everyone make their way out.
No.
No please no.
He rushed to Kirishima standing before him in shock. “Kirishima.”
Kirishima jolted at the mention of his name. He couldn't even look Todoroki in the eyes.
Todoroki couldn’t breathe. This can’t be happening.
“Where is he?”
Kirishima lifted his head finally. He was crying. His mouth was quivering, he couldn’t get a word out. “...Todoroki, listen, you might wanna sit down… I don’t-”

Todoroki stepped forward, staring right into Kirishima’s eyes. All was silent.

“Where’s Sero?!”

Chapter Text

It all crumbled down. Right there, right then.
“Kirishima…”
Kirishima looked away for a second, biting his own lip. Todoroki knew what he was going to say but did not want to hear it.
“We were downstairs. The ceiling was collapsing and there was this man who was stuck….” Kirishima paused and took a deep breath himself. He looked traumatized. Todoroki gripped onto Kirishima’s hand that was on his shoulder. He couldn’t listen any longer. He couldn’t. Everything he knew was broken now. The boom… it all made sense. It wasn’t Bakugou, it was the sound of the ground collapsing. “He ran to go help him but…. He ran out of time.”

Todoroki gasped a shaking breath. That was the moment. The noise they heard.
No.
No this can’t be happening.
Todoroki felt his legs go numb, his whole body went limp. He was still looking at the door, waiting. Waiting for Sero to come out, for everyone to be ok. For them to go back to his dorm and to stare into each other's eyes, to hold each other in their arms, to kiss him One. more. time.
His body moved on its own. He didn’t know what he was doing but he needed to go to him. He needed Sero. His body lunged forward but was met by Kirishima’s arms. He grunted, trying to run, run to Sero. He Fought and fought against Kirishima with all he had left, tears blocking his vision.
“Hanta…. HANTA!”
His whole face was numb. His ears were ringing. He wanted to scream, louder than anything in the world. He was gasping for breath, His arms trying to push himself free from Kirishima’s grip. “...No please….HANTA.”
He screamed out his name as loud as he could. He didn’t care if everyone knew about them, he didn’t care about anything anymore. His voice cracked through his tears. Kirishima leaned away from the building with all his might. He buried his face into Todoroki’s thrashing body, hiding his tears. He couldn’t handle the screams Todoroki was letting out.
“Todoroki we need to go…”

“NO...NO. He’s…. He’s still in there.”

“Todoroki…”
Kirishima gripped with all his might and began to push the broken boy away. Todoroki reached his arms out as one last hope. He reached as if Sero would grab on and he could bring him into the light. He reached for anything. His tears stained Kirishima’s bloody shoulder as they slowly walked away. He didn’t care that everyone was staring. He didn’t care that they were all silent. He only cared about one thing and now he was gone.
“HANTA!”
_____

Complete darkness.
Silence.
Todoroki lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was almost 5 PM in the evening.
His eyes and cheeks were swollen, and red, he couldn’t let out anymore tears. He had no reason for anything anymore. The only person who he was himself with was gone. It has been a day since the attack and Todoroki was back at his house. The school thought it would be a good idea to send kids home because of the incident. Todoroki had not gotten up at all the entire day. He lay in his old room with only his thoughts to keep him company since he woke up. His sister had brought him food but he refused to eat them. The plates of food have stacked up on his desk.
He couldn’t even face the truth, all he wanted to do was disappear. Todoroki rolled over on his side to try and fall asleep since he had nothing better to do. He closed his eyes and laid there for a bit, when his phone pinged. Todoroki immediately sprung up and reached his phone. It was from Momo. Todoroki scoffed and laid back down. He didn’t know why he got excited, it’s not like Sero would text him.
His eyes began to swell again, thinking of the messages they’ve sent to each other. Todoroki opened his messages but did not click on Momo’s text. He lightly pressed his finger onto Sero’s text watching the screen change. The messages from a couple days ago popped up, the blue light reflecting onto Todoroki’s face. He read the conversation throughout, the images getting blurry through his glossy eyes. He hated how everything was perfectly normal a few days ago. He hated that only a few days ago he was able to be with Sero, to kiss him, to see him, to hug him. He hated it. He hated himself. If he had just done something Sero would be with him right now. He knew Sero wasn’t dead. He was just missing, so technically he could be alive. He held onto those chances with everything in him. Without thinking, Todoroki began to type. His fingers tapped across the screen and before he even knew it, the message sent to the empty phone.
Shoto 5:01 PM
I know you’re still out there. I miss you.

“God dammit.” Todoroki whispered to himself. He threw his phone to the end of his bed, feeling the vibrations of the phone bounce through his sheet. He lay there scolding himself for the stupid act when there was a knock on the door. “I’m coming in.”
Endeavour walked into the room without permission, turning on the light as he did. Todoroki flinched at the sudden light, still facing the wall. Endeavour let out a very loud sigh before sitting on Todoroki’s bed. “You can’t lay there forever you know.”
Todoroki did not respond. Endeavour turned towards Todoroki as if he was facing him. “I know it’s hard for you, to see a friend go but…”
Endeavour faced the front before standing up once more. “You have to move on. I mean think about your future.” Todoroki shot his eyes open. Suddenly those tears of sadness turned into anger. He slowly sat up as Endeavour foolishly continued speaking. “ I just wanted to let you know that a huge Hero Debut Party is coming up in two weeks and I thought that it would be great for you and Ms. Momo to-”
“Are you kidding me?”
Endeavour paused. “What?!”
He watched Todoroki stand up from his bed, with an expression of anger he had never seen before. Todoroki was absolutely furious. All his dad cared about was his family's fame and fortune. He didn’t care at all that his own son was dealing with something so horrible, so mentally straining. “You don’t even care... “ Todoroki whispered in shock. Endeavour shot him a dirty look. “ What are you talking about? Of course I care! Why else would I be planning out the life you’ve always wanted?”
“I DON'T WANT IT.” Todoroki’s voice echoed in the empty house. He looked away from his dad, his left hand heating up with anger. He didn’t know why he was admitting this all now. Wouldn’t this ruin everything? He was too angry to think.
“I don’t want this stupid lifestyle. I never did. This was all you. Did you ever think of what I wanted?!”
Endeavor stared at him, eyebrows burrowed deep into his face. His mouth was quivering in anger. “Shoto, this is the life everyone wants. Did you even think about Momo? What she wants?!”
Todoroki looked right into his fathers eyes. He wasn’t afraid anymore. He wouldn’t be his dad’s little puppet for another second. “Last time I checked she didn’t want it either.”
Todoroki watched as Endeavour’s whole body shook with anger. His eyes were almost popping out of his head. “Did you break up with her?!” Todoroki stepped forward, showing his dad that he wasn’t afraid of him. “Maybe I did.”
Endeavour turned away from Todoroki, rubbing his hands over his dark eyes. He was breathing louding pacing around Todoroki’s room. “god-DAMMIT '' He yelled, his arm of fire brightening up the room. He stood there, facing away from Todoroki, trying to calm himself down. He retracted his fire and made his way over to where Todoroki stood. “Look... you’re an emotional wreck right now from yesterday and you’re not thinking straight. When you get over all of this you will apologize to Momo and ask her to get back with you.”
Todoroki gripped his hand, to contain himself. He never wanted to punch someone in the face more than right now. “You just expect me to act like yesterday never happened? Like he’s never coming back? Sero could be alive and-”

“HE’S DEAD SHOTO.”

A long cold shiver fell down Todoroki’s back. No. No he’s lying. He felt the tears come again. His face felt hot, his head was spinning, he wasn’t dead. Sero was not dead.
Endeavour rubbed his temple, somehow annoyed at Todoroki. “God, you're obsessed over that boy. Don’t tell me you’re one of those disgusting homos.”
Todoroki flinched at the word. That stupid word. The one that always terrorized him, that made him feel like a lesser being. He hated it, he did. He couldn’t stand it any longer. That was his final straw. He knew he shouldn’t but something inside him was igniting a fire inside him, telling him that it's ok. That he can be who he wants, no matter what Endeavour thinks because he knows no matter where Sero is, if he’s alive or not, that someone will still love him for his imperfections.

“Maybe I am dad.”

Todoroki looked his dad straight in the eyes. He was shaking like crazy. His stomach was doing flips. He didn’t know if his dad was about to kill him right here and now.

“Maybe I am gay, and Sero was the only person to love me for me.”

Todoroki had no idea what he was saying, he was just rambling random words, he was so nervous. Oh god, he felt like he was going to explode. His heart had dropped out of his chest, his hands were sweating like crazy. His dad hadn’t said a word, only watched. It was almost worse than if he said nothing, the possibilities of what he was thinking were endless.
“He was the one to teach me that even I can be loved, and that there’s nothing wrong with me so-”
Todoroki was practically screaming, he had no idea how loud he was speaking. He couldn’t hear himself, he only spoke. The tears began again, making him choke up on his words.

“I think I love him, dad… I’ve never felt this way with anyone before, not Momo. Not once. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like, but this seems like it. And… if he’s really gone then fine, at least I can finally recognize myself. I know myself now, and I’m not changing.”

The tears stained his cheeks. He finally stopped talking, his voice still quivering. He watched his dad’s eyes, waiting for anything. He wasn’t going to break eye contact, he had to let his father know that he was serious. Dead serious. He felt his heart beating out of his chest like a million drums being hit by a wooden mallet. His dad finally moved, walking straight toward his bedroom door. “Get out.”
Todoroki’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I SAID GET OUT!”
Todorki flinched at his fathers yelling. Endeavour's flames erupted from his body, almost setting his room on fire. “You betrayed this family.”
Todoroki let out a sarcastic airy- laugh. He stepped forward, letting his ice out onto the Endeavour's flames, making them go out instantly. “I never considered you family in the first place.”
Todoroki walked out of his bedroom leaving Endeavour in shock surrounded by the steam Todoroki created. Todoroki walked to the door, sitting down to put his shoes on. At that moment Fuyumi stepped out. He knew she heard everything, but he honestly couldn’t deal with another argument right now. “Fuyumi listen…”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence when arms wrapped around him, bringing him into a deep hug. He was shocked at first but melted into her arms. He didn’t realize how scared he was until now. He was all alone back there, and he did it. It all hit him there and then. His shoulders shook as he cried, they shook on every breath he took. Fuyumi rubbed his back, shushing his crying softly. “Let me drive you back okay.” She said in such a soft tone. Todoroki nodded against her shoulder. They broke the hug apart, Fuyumi still gripping his shoulders. She smiled at him as she rubbed the tears off of his cheek. “Don’t be upset. I will love you no matter what.” Todoroki nodded again, afraid if he spoke he would cry again. He needed that after what just happened. “Let’s go.” She whispered, grabbing her wallet as she slid her shoes on. The two left the house, the night still young.

______

Todoroki walked through the dorm doors expecting no one else to be there. Everyone else usually spends the week with their family after things like this, but to his surprise there were some of his classmates hanging out on the couches. He slid inside quietly, taking his regular shoes off and putting his on inside slippers. Their voices filled the room, and to Todoroki’s surprise most of them were laughing. He made his way over to the elevator and clicked the fourth floor button. “Hey Todoroki!”
Todoroki turned around to see Kirishima signalling for him to come over there. Todoroki hesitated a bit at first, watching the elevator doors open. He wanted some alone time but honestly it was probably better for him to be with his classmates. The elevator doors closed as he walked over to the others. Once he made his way over to the couches he saw who was actually there. Deku and Iida were sitting on one of the big couches, Uraraka sitting on the floor in front of them. Tsuyu was there sitting next to Momo on one of the chairs. Bakugou and Kirishima sat on another couch. Todoroki raised a hand greeting them with a wave. He stood awkwardly against the couch Deku and Iida were sitting on. “Glad you could make it back.” Deku said to him. He scooted over and let Todoroki sit down. Todoroki slid down, making himself comfortable on the brown couch. The others were having a different conversation that Todoroki didn’t understand. He turned to Deku who also seemed out of it. “I didn’t know so many of you were here.” Deku smiled at him. “Yeah we thought It would be best to just talk with each other instead of just avoiding it.” He rubbed his neck trying to think of something else to say. “How are you holding up?”
Todoroki bit the inside of his lip. He knew he couldn’t tell Deku the whole story, he still didn’t know about him and Sero, but he also couldn’t lie to him. “I’m trying my best.”
Deku held up his fist in a friendly way. Todoroki only stared at him in confusion. “It’s a fist bump Todoroki.”
“Oh right.”
Deu let out a light laugh, as their knuckles hit each other lightly. “Don’t give up hope yet. We still have time to save him.”
“I haven’t.”
_____

The group talked amongst themselves, as they watched a movie on the tv before them. Most of the group had fallen asleep except for a select few. Todoroki wasn’t really invested in the movie, but just hanging out with his classmates again did help him at least get his mind off of Sero for a bit. Deku and Iida were still awake, same with Momo and Kirishima. Todoroki glanced over at Kirishima and Bakugou. Bakugou was passed out on Kirishima, his head leaning on Kirishima’s shoulder. That’s all it took for Sero to flood back into his mind. The thought of him being here, arms wrapped around Todoroki made his whole mood shift. He stood up suddenly needing to get his mind off of him. “I’ll be right back.”
He walked away from the group and into the kitchen. Taking deep breaths he tried to calm his almost, shattered heart. He opened the fridge looking for something to distract him. Nothing. He closed the doors hoping something was in the pantry. He opened those cabinets rustling around the products. “Hey.”
Todoroki looked over to see Momo standing near the fridge. “You alright? I tried texting you but I don’t know if you saw it.” Todoroki mentally slapped himself. “Oh sorry I forgot to respond to it.”
Momo smiled at him. “No it’s ok I just, hope you're ok.” Todoroki closed the cabinet door, joining Momo near the fridge. “I know he’s alive. It’s just hard without knowing for sure.” Momo nodded, leaning against the fridge door. “Yeah. I have that feeling too.”
Todoroki also leaned against the fridge, arms crossed over his chest. “I told my father I’m gay.”
Momo slapped her mouth, letting out a loud gasp. She stepped forward in shock. “Oh wow. How did it go?” Todoroki shook his head lightly. “Not good.” Momo placed a hand on his shoulder, unsure what to do. “Oh I’m sorry. That’s a lot to deal with mentally.” She pulled him into a quick hug. Todoroki accepted the hug and leaned into her. She let go, smiling at him compassionately. “We’re all here for you Todoroki. We’re your real family, you don’t need him.”
Todoroki nodded. “I also told him we broke up.” He turned to her eyes facing the floor. “I’m sorry, I knew you wanted to keep it a secret.”He did feel bad about that. He wasn’t really thinking when he was speaking, it was mostly driven by anger. Momo tilted her head to try and meet Todoroki’s eyes. “Hey… don’t worry about it. That’s not important anymore. “ Todoroki looked up, meeting her gaze. “I knew it wouldn’t last forever, so I guess it’s better to face it now.” The two stood quietly, going back to their spots on the wall, staring out into the dark tables that stood empty in the dining hall. “Oh that reminds me.” Momo blurted out, breaking the silence. She ran back to the couches, being careful not to wake anyone up. She came back with some sort of package. “I was picking up mail this morning when I noticed this was for you.” She handed him the bag lightly placing it into his hands. Todoroki knew exactly what it was. He smiled. “Thank you Momo. I’ll hang it up later.” The two began to walk back to the couches, talking as they did. “Hang what up?” Momo asked. Todoroki swiped his finger across the cold plastic, feeling the product inside.

“A flag. A special one.”

Chapter Text

The cold morning mist trickled through Todoroki’s open porch door. It lightly glazed upon Todoroki's already awake body. It’s been two days since Sero’s gone missing. Todoroki knows the chances are slim Sero could make it, but he’s still holding onto a sliver of hope. Sero can’t die yet, not after Todoroki completely admitted he was in love with him. To be honest Todoroki was a little embarrassed about admitting that out loud, let alone in front of his father. He shook the thought out of his head and turned onto his side, facing the open room. Just as he did the alarm from his phone blasted through the air, starling Todoroki. He reached over and tapped his screen, turning the annoying blaring off. He hardly slept last night, nightmares haunt his every dream, the thought of Sero dying right beneath him. The dark eyebags rested on his pale skin. Todoroki looked at his phone,
7:15 AM
No messages.
He didn’t know what he expected. There wasn’t going to be a message that magically appeared from Sero. He scolded himself mentally for the stupid ideas. He sat up slowly, the blood rushing to his head, making the whole room seem to spin. He reached up and held his forehead, as if that would ease the pain. Once the world stopped spinning, Todoroki slowly reached his feet over the bed and slid his feet into his white pair of slippers. He shuffled his feet across the wooden floor heading for the bathroom. His room was dark, he had no intention of turning on the lights. He had no intention of doing anything. He just wanted to sleep. To disappear. To see Sero.
Todoroki looked up at his reflection in the mirror. He was almost shocked at how tired he looked. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were almost crusted shut. He vigorously splashed water onto his face, trying to wake himself up. He grabbed his dull toothbrush and plastered the blue paste onto the brussels. His mind wondered as he brushed his teeth. He wanted so badly to think of Sero. To think about his perfect smile, and his perfect face, and how confident he is, but…
If he thought about him anymore and how much he loved him, he would break down. He had already cried so many tears he didn’t know if he could produce anymore. He wondered if this was somehow a curse. When he finally found someone that loved the real Todoroki, that someone left as soon as he could find him. The minty taste soon stung his sensitive mouth, queuing Todoroki to spit out the wads of bubbles. He was going very slow today, pausing before he did another step in his routine. He made his way back into his room where he pulled out his school uniform. The school insisted that class 1a return to their normal schedule after the attack. Todoroki didn’t agree with that, but he would never complain. That’s his dad’s job.
Todoroki carefully adjusted his bright red tie in the mirror before sliding on his grey jacket. He looked at the sad person staring back at him. He missed smiling. He missed feeling warm.
He glanced up at the scar that ruined his face. “It looks cool!”
Todoroki’s eyes widened as he remembered what Sero had said to him so long ago. He almost laughs now thinking about how clueless he was of his feelings. He was so different then. So afraid. He never wanted his father to control him like he did back then. Todoroki never wanted to be like that person again. He traced the edge of the scar on his face with his finger. Sero was the one that taught him to love himself. Todoroki sighed as his red hair fell on top of his scar once again. Maybe one day he’ll learn to embrace his scar. He’ll need Sero’s help though.
Todoroki slid on his shoes and closed his dorm room door slowly.
_____
The day was slow and painful. Somehow seeing Sero’s empty desk hurt a lot worse than Todoroki thought it would. He thought back to when he would turn around in his seat just to smile at him. He missed watching him talk excitedly to Mina or Kaminari about something, and watch his eyes light up. Todoroki turned in his seat, not paying attention to Aizawa up front. He looked over at Momo. She was biting the end of her pencil instead of taking notes, something she’s never done. Todoroki watched as she looked down at her feet, not even paying attention now. He’s never seen her so unfocused. He turned his attention back to the front before eyeing Iida a few rows ahead. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that even Iida wasn’t taking notes. He was sitting straight as he always does, but he isn’t even holding a pencil. Todoroki could even see his face but he knew that something was wrong. Everyone was completely out of it.
Aizawa seemed to notice this, voice trailing off. He seemed defeated, more tired than unusual. He took a long, deep sigh as he peered over his unusually quiet class. “Let’s take a break…”
Aizawa slowly made his way out of the room before shutting the large door.
They all sat in silence for a bit before the girls began to small talk amongst themselves. Todoroki stood still. He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. He used to go up to Sero during breaks but well…
“Hey man can I talk to you for a sec?”
Todoroki looked up to see Kirishima standing over his desk. He looked distressed. Todoroki stood up and followed him out of the classroom. He didn’t know what was so important that Kirishima needed to take him out of the classroom, but he followed him anyway. The hallways were completely empty since other classes were still in session. Kirishima made his way over to a bench down the hall, near a window. He let Todoroki sit before beginning to speak. He hesitated a bit, trying to word what he was thinking correctly. “I-Well… I wanted to apologize.”
Todoroki scrunched his eyebrows. “Why?” Kirishima opened and closed his mouth but no words came out. He looked away for a second to collect himself. “For losing him. I… I could’ve saved him.” Kirishima dropped his face into his hands. Todoroki was appalled at what Kirishima said. He never once thought this was Kirishima’s fault. “I just… He was so determined to save that person that he just wouldn’t listen to me. I should’ve tried harder.” Todoroki was uncomfortable. He hated how Kirishima was putting all of this on him. “It’s not your fault though.”
Kirishima lifted his defeated face from his hands. “But… I let him-”
“It’s not.” Todoroki shifted his eyes down the empty hallway. “You didn’t know what would happen, so how could you have stopped him?” He looked back at Kirishima to see his eyes begin to gloss up with tears. “You’re not mad at me?”
Todoroki watched as a single tear fell from Kirishima’s red eyes. He realized there that Kirishima had been holding in this immense amount of guilt for days, thinking Todoroki was upset with him. “No.You tried. I couldn’t be mad at you for trying.” Kirishima shoved his face back into his hands. He let out a shaky breath. He finally spoke, his voice cracking through his tears. “...Thank you.”
Todoroki sat quietly, letting Kirishima release all of the weight from his shoulders. The empty hallway filled with his soft sobs.
He finally sat up, his tears coming to an end. He lay fully back onto the bench, his head leaning towards the ceiling. “He was totally in love with you, you know that?”
Todoroki felt a tug at his heart as Kirishima said that. His whole body went cold. Kirishima shifted his frown into a sad smile. “After that movie night we had he facetimed me until like two in the morning…” He turned to Todoroki, making direct eye contact. “He just went on and on about how beautiful you were.” Todoroki felt his whole head spin, his face was red hot. Kirishima scoffed a little, turning away, and smiling to himself. “He wouldn’t shut up about your eyes, God, he literally talked about them for like an hour, and how mesmerizing they were. I think I literally fell asleep during it because he just kept talking.” He laughed to himself a little before turning to Todoroki again. Kirishima’s face dropped.
Todoroki was crying. Oh, he couldn’t hold it in. He was trying so hard all day to keep it together and it all just fell apart in front of him. He was so scared and confused about what is going to happen in the next few days. His world could shatter before he could even tell Sero in person. Tell him how much he loved him.
“OH SHOOT! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to- I thought it would cheer you up!” Kirishima said nervously. Todoroki whipped his tears swiftly. “No. I needed that. Thank you.” Kirishima, totally not convinced, nodded his head dropping the subject. Todoroki exhaled loudly, before standing up from the bench. Kirishima followed, standing next to him. “We should get back.” Kirishima said. “Yeah.” They boys began to walk when Kirishima offered a friendly fist bump. Todoroki looked down, lightly tapping his knuckles against Kirishima’s. They walked quietly back into the classroom.
____

The rest of the day was boring since Aizawa basically gave up on teaching sometime during the afternoon. He was super frustrated with the school board for making his students come to class after losing a fellow classmate. The class basically had a free period for the last hour and a half before the bell rang and they were free to go back to the dorms. Most of the class was very quiet the whole day, lost in their own thoughts, while others like Mina and Kaminari were trying to keep people’s hopes up. Everyone acknowledged their hopeful mindsets but were already so lost in doubt that they only gave a pitiful smile when they tried to be encouraging. Todoroki knew they meant good, but he honestly just wanted some peace and quiet. The class separated as they entered the dorm building, everyone doing their own things. Todoroki heads to the kitchen where he picks up his cold soba he had kept in the fridge from earlier. He hadn’t eaten at all during lunch, his stomach was screaming for food. He opened the packaging and sat down on one of the tables. He quickly ate the cold noodles, not realizing how hungry he was beforehand. He remembered when he and Sero went to his sister’s Soba shop a while back. He wondered how she was holding up and all. He was interrupted by a chair being pulled away from the table. He looked up to see Jirou sitting on the chair, arms rested on the headrest. “Hey.” She said abruptly. Todoroki nodded hello to her, confused about what she wanted. “I was just wondering if you wanna study with me and Momo…” She paused looking back to where Momo was standing. “It might help get your mind off of… the whole situation.” She tilted her head waiting for Todoroki’s response.
Todoroki knew he should get his mind off of Sero for his own well being, but he also wanted to be alone.He didn’t know why but something was telling him not to, also it would be kind of awkward for him to be there, a third wheel. “Thank you but no. I’m fine here.” Jirou kept watching him, not convinced with his answer. She then stood up from her seat and pushed the chair neatly back into place. “Ok. Just wanted to ask, but if you ever want to join us don’t hesitate to.” Jirou walked off to Momo where the two of them headed over to the couches. Todoroki brought his plate over to the sink and washed it thoroughly. He avoided his other classmates and headed to the elevator and pressed the fourth floor. He made his way to his dorm, where he opened the wooden door. Back in his dark, cold room he went. He dropped his bag onto the floor and plopped himself onto his bed. He needed to distract himself from this aching in his heart. He pulled out a manga from his shelf and began to read it, hoping he would get lost in the story.
____
Todoroki had no idea what time it was when he finished the book. The sun had already set, and the hallway lights were off. He grabbed his phone and clicked the screen. 9:26 PM. He had been reading for almost 3 hours. He wasn’t quite tired yet and his mind was still a nervous wreck, so logically Todoroki did whenever he got like this. Take a bath.
He grabbed his towels and a clean pair of clothes and headed down the hall. Everyone was probably already in their rooms, leaving Todoroki almost entirely alone. He made it down to the main level when he saw Aizawa and Present Mic drinking some sort of tea at one of the tables. They usually stay up later than the students patrolling the dorm so no one stays down here all night. Todoroki glanced over at Aizawa who only batted an eye at him. Usually Aizawa would get mad at anyone who was up and about after 9:30, but he seemed as emotionally drained as the students and let it slide. Todoroki entered the bathroom where he undressed and rinsed himself off. He had the whole tub to himself which was usually nice, but today it felt especially empty. He slid into the warm water, letting the heat energise his tired body. He ducked fully underwater letting the soap he had put into his hair completely rinse out. He sat there listening to the air conditioner run throughout the building, the noticeable conversation Aizawa and Present Mic were having. He finally felt calm after hours and hours of stress. It was still lingering at the back of his mind but somehow, his body was completely relaxed. However, that only lasted a few minutes when he heard Aizawa’s voice growing louder. Not in an angry way, but in a shocked way. Todoroki perked his head to the door like a dog, trying to hear what he was saying.
“Right now?......Ok yeah….Uh huh….. I’ll be there in like ten minutes.”
Now Todoroki was even more confused, but he had an idea on what’s going on. He quickly hopped out of the warm water, his body physically shivering to the cold air. He dried his hair and slipped on his clothes as fast as he could, practically running out of the bathroom. He made it just in time to see Present Mic opening the door for Aizawa. The two teachers seemed to notice him, making Aizawa leave faster, shutting the doors behind him. Todoroki unconsciously walked over, but was met with Present Mic halfway. “What’s going on?”
He had never seen Present Mic look so panicked, so quiet. “Hey kiddo, just go back to your dorm for now.” He placed a hand on Todoroki’s shoulder and almost pushed him to the elevator. Todoroki planted his foot firmly on the ground, stopping Present Mic from moving him any further. They’re hiding something. “Where is he going?” Todoroki asked in a firm voice. “You don’t need
to know for now, just go back-”

“Is it about Sero?”

Present Mic paused, hand still on Todoroki’s shoulder. “Just please go back to your room.”
Todoroki needed to know. Right now. He needed answers. He was getting all nervous again. They know something. They know something and they aren’t telling him. He was so angry, but didn’t notice that he had already made his way to his room. He shut his door angrily and sat on his bed. Fist on the mouth, he breathed down his anxiousness to a calmer state. He lay his head on his neatly fitted sheets, lifting his phone case up. He stared at the picture they took together. They looked so happy. He tilted his head up in agony, huffing out a shaky breath. Please Sero.
He thought to himself. He turned over on his side, placing his phone on his nightstand. After what happened tonight he wondered if he would get any sleep at all again.
____

Todoroki rolled over once again, turning his alarm off before it could ring. Another sleepless night. He couldn’t get any rest knowing something happened that he didn’t know of. He was emotionally exhausted. He looked at his phone realizing it was probably a little early for a Saturday. He turned over anyway and slid off of his bed. He didn’t care to change out of his night wear as he sluggishly trudged down the hallway. He stepped into the elevator waiting for it to bring him down. He rested his head against the elevator walls, trying to get in a moment of sleep. The doors pinged and slid open, letting Todoroki out. To his surprise almost everyone was up. The girls were sitting around a table, drinking tea and chatting. They talked quietly, their mouths dipped into frowns. No one has been truly happy since the attack three days ago. Without warning Todoroki sat next to Midoryia and Iida who were previously chatting about school or something. “Oh, good morning Todoroki.” Iida said, trying his best to smile at him. Todoroki kept his eyes fixated on the floor, he only raised his hand a little to pitifully wave at them. He sat there not really acknowledging their words, watching the doors for Aizawa. He knew he hadn’t gotten back yet because only Present Mic was sitting at the teacher's usual table. “Are you hungry Todoroki?”
Todoroki turned his head to see Midorya holding out his rice and eggs, offering him some. He wasn’t going to lie he was hungry, but at the same time, he felt as though he would throw up if he ate anything. “No thank you-”
He was cut off by the building's door opening. His eyes widened as Aizawa slipped through. He looked malnourished and tired, his bags bigger than they used to be. The students all stopped as they watched him make his way over to the front table, which happened to be Todoroki.
Todoroki felt his heartbeat slamming into his chest. He was so nervous and so ready at the same time. Please. Please, anything would help. His panicked nights and fearful dreams needed to be over. He needed Sero more than anything right now. Just even knowing he was really gone would at least give him some conclusion.
But Oh please don’t let that be the case.
Aizawa rubbed his puffy eyes and sighed. He leaned his hands on a chair before him. The entire room was dead silent. They all knew what he was referring to, and they all couldn’t wait any longer. Aizawa turned to Present Mic, who gave him a slow nod.
Aizawa turned his attention back to his students once more.

“He’s alive. Sero’s survived.”

The whole room gasped and cheered. Todoroki felt the whole room spin. His ears were ringing so loudly, he couldn’t hear what anyone else was saying. Aizawa’s words kept echoing in his ears. He’s alive.
Alive.
Sero.
Sero is alive.
His breath was shattered taking shaky breaths, as tears unconsciously fell from his eyes. Oh my god.
Oh my fucking god.
He pushed his chair back and tried to stand up. He had no control of his legs, he was in utter shock. He tumbled to the floor, one hand still on the top of the chair. His hand was wrapped around his mouth, trying to control the intense gasps of air he was taking. He sobbed. He couldn’t even feel Midoryia’s arms grab him, and guide him up, because it didn’t matter. He didn’t care what side of him he was showing his fellow classmates. Sero was alive.

Chapter Text

The tears wouldn’t stop. He was still shaking as he sat back in his seat. Todoroki was so relieved. Aizawa is waiting for the class to calm down. Most of them were crying tears of joy as they smiled for the first time in 3 days. “Listen everyone…” Aizawa yelled. Everyone followed and sat back in their respective seats. Todoroki was bouncing his knee, his small sobbs calming down. He wanted to see him now. Right now. Like, leaving for the hospital right now, now.
Aizawa rubbed his head as he continued. “I was with him at the hospital. The rescue team had found him last night.”
Todoroki’s eyes widened in shock. Last night when he got out of the bath. That was when he overheard Present Mic and Aizawa….
He rested his chin in his hand, his palm covering his mouth and nose. He was so confused and so angry at the same time. That whole time, Sero had been alive, and they were just...hiding it. He had lost another night of sleep because they just decided to keep secrets. He looked Aizawa straight in the eyes, fire almost spitting from them. “Why didn’t you tell me last night when I saw you leave?”
AIzawa grunted as if he were going to answer him, but stopped himself. Something changed in him, he looked almost guilty. “When the rescuers found him he was in a coma, I left right away to check in on him and his family. I only wanted to tell you guys until I knew for sure he was going to survive.”
Aizawa quickly avoided the students' gaze. For the first time ever, they saw him break his tough shell. “If I told you guys the moment I knew and he ended up not surviving the night...” He paused and rubbed his dark bags. Todoroki immediately regretted calling him out. He just got it.
Aizawa had stayed up all night at the hospital with Sero and his family. He supported them for hours, declining his own physical and mental health. He didn’t even hesitate. He wanted to know just as badly as they did.
“...I wouldn’t have forgiven myself for giving you guys false hope. So I’m sorry, I just came back this morning once I knew he was fine.” He turned back to his students, taking a deep breath. They all looked at him. He looked over their small faces. He cared for all of them. Todoroki watched as the smallest smile spread on his face for an instant, that if you blinked you would have missed it. He turned around to face the door, and began to walk. “He’s finally up… meaning people can visit him now.”
A bell chimed in Todoroki’s mind. He had never run as fast as he did at that moment. His mind was racing with a million thoughts, ideas, things to say to Sero once he saw him. He had been dreaming of this moment for days. Was he allowed to kiss him?
God he missed how soft Sero’s lips felt on his. He could barely hold in his excitement as he made his way to the door. His other classmates joined him as they all made their way out of the dorm.
______

The bus ride felt so unreal. Todoroki didn’t even remember getting onto the white bus and sitting down. His whole head was filled with Sero. What was he going to say? What does he look like? Will he cry?
He bounced his leg and cracked his knuckles with his fingers. In his opinion the bus was moving way too slow. Eventually they made it to the hospital. Todoroki had completely jumped out of his seat, not wanting to waste another moment. Aizawa stopped him with his arm. “Not so fast you don’t even know where you’re going.” Todoroki looked back and forth to the building and Aizawa. He was so close. So.Close. “Hurry up.” Todoroki spat, eyes still fixated on the building. Aizawa let his arm drop and followed Todoroki out of the bus. The class all spilled out of the vehicle, trying their best to move as fast as possible. Aizawa led the pack, Todoroki close behind, into the building. Todoroki could only hear his own breathing as they entered the busy building. His chest was about to explode right there and then. He was so close. Sero was so close.
Aizawa brought them upstairs and into a waiting room. He left them there for a second, to talk to the doctors outside. The room was almost completely silent. Everyone was so anxious. The only sound came from the ticking of a clock. Todoroki sat in a seat next to Midoriya. He tried his best to calm his rapid breathing. He couldn’t help it, his chest felt like it was closing by the second. His eyes were already glossy, trying his best to hold it all in, just for a little more. He was trying so hard not to break down again.
Todoroki felt a hand lightly rub his back. He looked over to see Midoryia. “Hey, it's ok.” He whispered with a smile. “Just a few more minutes ok?” Todoroki nodded, taking deeper breaths, trying to open his airway again. He didn’t even notice his shaking until Midoriya squeezed his arm. “You’re fine Todoroki. Deep breaths.” Todoroki really appreciated Midoryia’s concern. He has never gotten like this before. It was so overwhelming. He was glad he had people around that truly cared for him to calm him down. He had finally calmed his short breaths when Aizawa finally appeared again. He looked around at everyone’s faces before speaking. “Sero can’t have all of you in the room at once. We need only a couple of you to go at a time. So please, CALMLY, decide who will go first.”
The entire class looked at Todoroki. Aizawa raised a hand and motioned for him to walk over. Todoroki stepped up from his seat. His legs felt like they were going to collapse, but he couldn’t break now. He stepped into the brightly lit hallway following his teacher. He took one step at a time. It all felt like slow motion. Step, step, step. His ears and face were numb; he just kept walking. step, step, step.
His shoes echoed down the hall, creating an uneven pattern.
He watched as Aizawa began to slow his walking, and pointed to a room slightly up further. Todoroki did not wait another second. He ran past Aizawa, his shaky legs trying to keep up with his body. He didn’t even hear Aizawa yell from behind him to slow down. His ears and face were numb, he could feel his rapid heartbeat through his whole body. He made it. He found him. He didn’t even hesitate to grip the door handle and slam the door open.

Light peered back at him. He squinted his eyes, but the tears began to pour, blurring his vision.
It was all in slow motion.

“....Hey Roki.”

Todoroki turned his head. And there he was. There was Sero. Sitting perfectly in his bed, with a stupid smile plastered over his roughed up face.
Todoroki couldn’t move. He completely shut down. He couldn’t feel himself step forward, tripping on his own feet, while running over to the bed.
He reached out.
Just like when he did at the attack, but this time, He grabbed him. Sero grabbed his arm, pulling him forward. He found him. He was here.
Todoroki fell into Sero’s arms, completely burying his face into his shoulder. He was immediately surrounded by Sero’s warmth that he missed so much. His mouth hung wide open, as he gasped for air. Tears and tears fell. He gripped as hard as he could onto him, afraid that if he let go he would vanish. He wouldn’t let him leave, not now, not ever. His tears stained Sero’s white hospital gown. Sero was alive.
Todoroki felt Sero’s bandaged arm rub circles on his shaking back. God, that felt so good after all this time.
“You’re alive…” All Todoroki was able to get out before he choked on his tears. They parted their hug, finally seeing each other face to face for the first time in days. Todoroki saw tears pour from Sero’s dark eyes. He was bruised all over, bandages covered most of his limbs and face. He even had a gauze on one of his eyes. Todoroki hadn’t noticed until now, but it was covered in blood. His heart shattered onto the hospital bed. Sero looked so broken, he hated it. He never wanted to See Sero be in so much pain. “You’re right, I am alive.” Sero said laughing. Todoroki wished he could take all of this pain away from him, take it all on himself, but there was nothing he could do. He squeezed Sero’s arms and stared into his perfect eyes. He missed getting lost in them. “I was so scared…”
Sero shushed him softly, bringing a hand up to Todoroki’s face. He rubbed the tears off of his cheeks. “Me too... I thought of you the whole time.” Todoroki watched as a bloodstained tear fell from his patched up eye. Oh my god.
Todoroki panicked and used his shirt sleeve to whip the blood away, not caring that it was a white shirt. “Sorry about that. It kinda does that.” Sero said jokingly. He sighed at Todoroki, tilting his head to the side. “God I missed your gorgeous eyes.” Todoroki felt his face go red. For the first time in a while, he smiled. Not just the grins he does, but a genuine, toothy smile.
Sero watched in awe. He had never seen Todoroki do that. Sero had been in a coma for about a total of 2 and a half days. All he could remember before passing out was Todoroki; and the first thing he did when he woke up was turn to Mia and ask, “Where’s Shoto?” Sero stared into Todoroki’s beautiful face. Sero understood now that he loved him. He did.
Todoroki felt hands grip his chin and lift his face up. His lips collided with Sero’s before he could prepare. They were so soft. His tongue felt so familiar, so comforting against his. Todoroki turned his head to the side, deeping their kiss. Feeling Sero’s hands guide him once again was so refreshing. He leaned into Sero’s touch, his cheeks warming to Sero’s palms. Todoroki’s hair glazed Sero’s forehead, tickling the nerves on his face. Sero laughed into Todoroki’s mouth, making Todoroki kiss his teeth instead. Todoroki felt the vibrations of Sero’s voice echo throughout his mouth. He smiled too. Their teeth awkwardly clashed together, but they didn’t care. They were together, finally.
The two broke their kiss slightly, their foreheads leaning against each other. Todoroki felt Sero’s breath against his mouth, making him almost want to kiss him again, but he waited. He had remembered what he had told his dad, that fateful day. He knew it was true and he wasn’t scared of it anymore. He was willing to shout it off of a rooftop, for everyone to hear. He was proud that he could finally admit it. And he was going to. Right now.
Todoroki grabbed Sero’s hands. He held them softly in his lap. He brushed his thumb across their entanglement, just like Sero always does. Their heads still pushed together, he took a deep breath.

“Hanta.”
He looked Sero right into his dark eyes. His beautiful black eyes.

“I love you.”

He watched Sero's eyes widen and then squint. He pulled his forehead back in shock, as tears began to fall. Todoroki panicked, not knowing if that was bad or good. “Oh, wait sorry.. I-”
“I love you too Shoto!” Sero practically yelled. Todoroki quickly shut up, somehow shocked that Sero said it back. Todoroki grabbed Sero’s face and pulled him into another passionate kiss. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sero sighed, annoyed they had to stop, before adjusting himself on the bed. He scooted over, making the perfect amount of room for Todoroki to lay. “Come here.” Sero said, patting the bed. Todoroki awkwardly stepped over Sero and cuddled right up to him. Another loud bang came from the door. “Oh My Go- you can come in!” Sero yelled as Todoroki adjusted next to him. He lay against the side of Sero’s stomach, With Sero’s arm wrapped around his back.
The door was opened abruptly as Mina, Kaminari, and Kirishima bolted into the room. “SERO!!”
They all yelled in unison. Bakugou also joined, slowly walking into the room silently after them. Sero, and some of Todoroki, were smothered in one big group hug. Todoroki sat up, letting Sero give his attention to Mina who was hysterically crying as she gripped into his arm. Sero calmed her down with a friendly lean on the shoulder and arm rub. She wrapped her arms around him, scolding him for being “So stupid and wreckless.” Sero apologized to her, patting her back. Todoroki knew him and Mina had a brother-sister relationship, so it didn't make him Jealous. Sero then first bumped Kaminari and Kirishima, who were praising him on his manliness. He talked to them about how he was doing, all the boring stuff. Even Bakugou raised a hand to him from the far corner of the room. “That would have been pretty shitty of you to just die on us you know.” They all laughed at the comment. They all knew Bakugou cared about Sero, but would never in a million years admit it. The group talked and caught up before they had to switch out. “Everyone’s waiting to see you outside dude.” Kaminari said as their group made their way outside. Todoroki sat up, even though he really wanted to stay with Sero. “I should let everyone else see you.” Sero grabbed Todoroki’s arm and huffed out a stubborn sign. “Fine...but once everyone is done can you come back?”
Todoroki smiled and nodded his head. “Of course.”

________
It has been about 3 hours since they had seen Sero. Only Todoroki, Momo, and Jirou had decided to stay behind while everyone else made their way back to the dorms for the night. Todoroki and Sero were asleep in the hospital bed, while Momo and Jirou sat and talked to Mia. They all let the boys rest. They’ve been so emotionally damaged, sleep was probably the best solution right now. “They really care for each other huh.” Mia said, sipping a cup full of jasmine tea. Momo leaned into Jirou’s arm that was around her. “Yeah they do.”
They all looked at the two peacefully sleeping, their legs entangled with each other’s and their arms wrapped around their waists. “God I remember when Hanta would come to me and ask me for advice on dating shit.” Mia said playfully. Momo smiled at Mia’s comment. She remembered how Todoroki would come up to her for advice. It’s sweet how things turned out. The girl's conversation was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.”I got it!” Mia yelled as she placed her cup down and ran to the door. She carefully opened the door and slid slightly out, blocking the girl's view on who it was. “Oh hello! I didn’t know the top hero would want to visit my brother.” Mia said from the other side of the door. Momo turned to Jirou with a nervous look. The door opened wider to reveal who was there. Endeavour.
Momo stood up taller, eyes narrowing, but for some reason Endeavour looked different. He wasn’t as confident and as scary as he usually is. Momo looked at his eyes. They looked so sad.
He was staring at Todoroki and Sero. Momo got up from her seat, and walked towards the man. something was wrong.
“Oh Ms.Momo hello…” Endeavour said politely. Momo watched his body language, hoping for an answer on why he was here. “Hello sir. Is there a reason you’re here?” She wasn’t going to walk around the question. She really did not want Todoroki to wake up. For all she knew, his dad was a huge reason for Todoroki’s mental doubt. “Well I was going to talk to Todoroki but well… I’ll just come back.” Endeavour began to walk out of the room, when Momo stopped him. “Sir I know this isn’t any of my business but I feel like we should talk.”
Both Jirou and Endeavour raised their eyebrows in confusion. Endeavour turned around and walked out of the room, stopping just outside the door frame. “...Okay.”
Momo took a deep breath and followed him. She turned back for a moment giving Jirou the “It’s fine” look before exiting the room.
The two walked further down the hallway, stopping near a large window. Endeavour turned around, waiting for her to speak. Momo awkwardly shuffled her feet. She honestly had no idea what she was doing, all she knew was to get Endeavor out of the room, but She guessed this would be the right time to explain her side of the story to take some of the slack off of Todoroki.
“So um… I basically wanted to let you know that it’s not Todoroki’s fault that we broke up.”
Momo waited a bit for a reaction, but Endeavour said nothing. “Both of us were not happy in the relationship, both of us decided to end it.” This time Endeavour turned towards her. “Are you really happier?” Momo looked at his eyes, He seemed so lost. “Yeah I am, and so is Todoroki.”
Endeavor crossed his arms across his chest. “Is Todoroki really happy with who he says he is?”
“Yeah. He is, and I’m happy with the person he is too.”
She rubbed her arm, hoping she wasn’t stepping into deep waters. “Look.... I don’t care what your views are, but Todoroki already talked to you about this, so I think if you’re just here to yell at him again you should probably go.”
She clamped her mouth shut and turned around. She has never said anything like that out loud before, let alone to the number 1 hero. “Wait!” Endeavour said. Momo turned around shocked that he responded. Endeavour looked at the ground, figuring out what to say. “I do want to talk to him, but just… not like that.”
Suddenly a door opened from down the hall and Jirou stepped out. ‘Hey um they’re awake.” She said awkwardly, not knowing how bad or good the conversation was going. Momo didn’t know what to do. She walked back to the room, aware that Endeavour was following her. She walked into the room and attempted to close the door. Endeavour clasped his hand onto the door, scaring both Jirou and Momo. “Please…” He said. Momo sighed. She really didn’t want him here. He was so scary, and a horrible person, but something about him right now was so different. She slowly let the door open.
Endeavour walked into the room. Mia immediately knew something was off and stood up from her seat. “Do you need something?”
Endeavour looked at all the faces in the room, everyone looked angry at him. “I just want to talk to my son.”
Todoroki had no idea what his dad was doing here but he wanted him to leave immediately. He began to stand up when he felt Sero grip the sleeve of his shirt. And god, that hurt so bad. Watching the person you love look so unsettled by your own father. Todoroki stood slightly in front of Sero in the bed. “I don’t need to talk to you anymore. You made yourself clear last time” Endeavour looked up and down at Todoroki and Sero. He watched how scared Sero looked, and how angry Todoroki was. He turned back out of the room, opening the door for him. “Please Shoto.”
Todoroki hated how upset his dad looked. It was killing him. He wanted to hate him with everything in his heart, but something was still hanging onto him. He stood up. He wasn’t going to forgive him, but he will listen. This will be the last time. He pushed past his father, shoving his shoulder slightly as he walked out of the door. “5 Minutes.”
The others watched as they made their way down the hallway.

Chapter Text

Todoroki followed his father down the hallway, his hands crossed over his chest. Why was he here? Didn’t he already disown him? Was kicking him out not enough to fuel his anger?
Endeavour turned down the bright hallway into a more secluded one. He waited for Todoroki to make his way next to him on the wall. Todoroki rested his back on the beige wall, avoiding all contact with his father. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence as patients passed by.
“Shoto….”
Endeavour finally spoke, his deep voice echoing through the halls. Todoroki did not respond.
“Listen, I know you are mad at me for what I said that day.” Endeavour turned to Todoroki, but he was not looking in his direction. Of course he was mad! He wondered what bullshit his dad was going to run off on.
“Shoto. I want to tell you that I just want what’s best for you and I think that-”
“But you’re wrong.” Todoroki interrupted, finally facing his father. He wasn’t going to take any of his stupid excuses. “You don’t know what’s best for me. I do. Just go away Endeavour.”
Endeavour’s eyes widened at the mention of his name. Todoroki did not stand down. He stared his father in the eyes, showing him that he wasn’t scared of him. Endeavour was the one to avoid eye contact this time.
“I know… and that’s why I’m here to apologize.”

Todoroki scrunched his eyebrows in disbelief. Apologize…?
Endeavour continued following the silence. “ I was in shock at first, and I said some bad things. I….” He hesitated and rubbed his neck in frustration. “I’m still trying to get used to the idea, ok. I’m trying to atone for what I’ve done in the past and I feel like I just ruined it all.” Todoroki did not respond. He was so unsure of what to say to his father. Endeavour shifted against the wall, trying to find his words. “Shoto. I’m sorry for what I've said, but you have to understand that it will take time for me to adjust to… this.”
Todoroki uncrossed his arms, letting out a long sigh. “Well it will take me some time to forgive you.”
Endeavour turned to him, surprised that he finally spoke. “Yes I understand that but... just come visit your sister at home once and a while.” He stood up from against the wall and now stood in front of Todoroki. “She was really angry at me after you left. Telling me about how disgusted she was about how I kicked you out.” He paused thinking over his words. “She was the one to open my eyes about this stuff.” Todoroki looked at his eyes. He hated how upset they looked. He hated that he was feeling bad. They were nothing like the anger filled glares he got from him. He couldn’t forgive him now, but maybe if he was willing to change he might eventually. Endeavour noticed how hard Todorki was thinking, trying to understand him.
“If you avoid me, then you also avoid her. Just… at least come see her when I’m not around. She misses you.”
Todoroki stared at his feet. “I know.”
Endeavour exhaled a deep sigh and began to walk to the end of the hall.

“I’m glad your friend is okay.”

“Boyfriend.” Todoroki interrupted confidently. Endeavour shut his mouth close blinking away any previous thoughts in his head. “right …. Boyfriend.” Endeavour turned around one last time, waiting for Todoroki to catch up to him. Todoroki stood beside him, although a few feet away. “If he gets in the way of your training then we’re going to have a problem.” Todoroki began to walk towards Sero’s room. “He won’t.” Endeavour nodded slightly in approval and began to step in the other direction. “I’ll leave you guys alone now, but you need to come home next Friday, that hero’s event is that weekend.”
“Okay.” Todoroki said, turning back down the hall. He began to walk back, not even thinking once of turning around to face his father. It felt good, leaving him in the dust like that.

_______________

“There we go!” Sero said, stepping back from the wall. Todoroki let go of the fabric and joined Sero where he stood. The boys stood there admiring their hard work. “I like the blue.” Todoroki said quietly. Sero smiled at him before hopping onto Todoroki’s bed. “Me too.” Todoroki stayed there for a second looking at the flag. It was the one they had ordered a few weeks ago, and now they finally hung it up. This time Todoroki was proud. He loved his decoration. He loved what it stood for and who he was. He was gay and he wasn’t going to hide it anymore. Todoroki smiled to himself before laying ontop of Sero who was situated on Todoroki’s bed. Sero inhaled sharply, rubbing his hand through Todoroki’s split colored hair. The two lay peacefully on top of the sheets, listening to each other's soft breathing.
It has been about a week since Sero had woken up from the hospital. Recovery girl had given him the full treatment, healing almost all of his wounds in a matter of a few days. He only had the eyepatch left, but his eyesight was suspected to return soon. Only a scar was supposed to be left. He did stay extra time in the hospital, just to make sure he was feeling 100%. Todoroki stayed there with Sero as much as he could, keeping him company in his lonely hospital room. Todoroki was so relieved when Sero was able to come back to the dorms once again. It finally felt like everything was finally in place now. Everyone returned back to their studies and were working hard just like they used to.

Sero buried his face into Todoroki’s neck, feeling the warmth from his skin. Sero grunted happily, squeezing Todoroki closer to him. Todoroki moved closer, wrapping his arms around Sero’s body. Todoroki loved moments like these. They were so small, yet so comforting. He lay there lightly moving up and down against Sero’s rising chest. “What are you doing Tomorrow?” Sero muffled, his face still buried in Todoroki’s shoulder. Todoroki thought for a moment before letting out a disappointed breath. “ After school I have to go to a Hero’s Event.”
Sero shot up, startling Todoroki. “ What?! Dude, that's so cool! Are you excited?” Todoroki blushed at Sero’s praise, looking down at his hands. “No, not really.” Sero tilted his head down trying to find Todoroki's eyes that were looking away from him. “Why not? Isn’t that like a big thing?” Todoroki nodded. “Yeah I’m there to represent my family since my father will be out on a mission, but I have to go with Momo.” Todoroki said, lifting his head. Sero let out a disappointed grunt. He grabbed Todoroki’s hands, biting the inside of his cheek, “Can’t you talk to your dad about that?” Todoroki shrugged. “He knows about me but I don’t think Momo is out to her family.” Sero scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. “Do you know she’s not out?”
Todoroki paused. He actually didn’t. “No…”
Sero lightly laughed, dipping his head. “Ok well why don’t we go ask?” Todoroki sat there for a second. “Wait let me go ask. Alone, if you don’t mind.” Sero hesitated for a second before letting go of Todoroki’s hands. “Sure but you better hurry up before I fall asleep.” Todoroki slipped his white slippers onto his feet and opened his door. “ It won’t be that long.”
Sero watched as he left the room.
Todoroki made his way down the other hallway and towards Momo’s room. He knew they were both avoiding the event hoping an idea would pop up for both of them to get out of it. The sound of his slippers dragging across the floor filled the empty hallway. He stepped a little further until he was face to face with Momo’s room. He knocked lightly hoping she was there. A few moments later light footsteps came from the other side of the door. It opened slowly to reveal Momo in a white button up and some black leggings. “Oh Todoroki… I didn’t expect you.” She said frantically looking around her room, judging if it was clean or not. “Come in.” She offered, opening the door wider. Todoroki stepped in, taking his shoes off as he did. Momo sat at her desk chair, her hands placed perfectly in her lap. “What are you here for?” She asked politely. Todoroki leaned awkwardly against the wall across from her. He had no idea how to word what he was going to say. He can’t just straight up ask her, can he?
“Uh, I was wondering if you told your family yet.”
Momo adjusted herself on her seat, thinking to herself. “Tell them that I’m lesbian?” Todoroki nodded. Momo scoffed a nervous laugh before continuing.

“Well um actually yeah.”

Todoroki turned to Momo with the biggest look of confusion on his face. “You did? When?”
Momo played with a piece of her hair, twirling it in her pale fingers. “It was actually the day you did, when everyone was home after the mission.” She smiled a little, reassuring Todoroki. “They actually were really accepting, just a little surprised. They said ‘as long as this is what you want.’” She let go of her hair, standing up from her seat. “I didn’t tell them about you though. I just made sure they knew that we broke up and all.”
Todoroki was speechless. He had no idea she had it in her to do that. “So are you going to go with Jirou to the Hero Event tomorrow?” Momo’s face lit up, her eyes widening. “Oh I never thought of that, I thought you would like it to be a secr-”
“No, I wanna be out. I want to be proud like you and Hanta.” Todoroki met her eyes, a determined flame growing inside him. “I didn’t tell you this but my father apologized to me. I didn’t really accept it yet, but I think it’s ok now. It’s ok for me to be with Hanta.” Momo shook her head in surprise, hands waving in front of her. “Woah, wait what? He apologized?” Todoroki nodded. Momo lifted a hand to her mouth, biting down at the tips of her fingers as she thought. “Well technically that means he accepts you right? So you can go with Sero and I can go with Kyoka!” Her smile widened as she spoke. Todoroki smiled softly at the ground. “Yeah.” He grinned at Momo before heading out the door. “I’ll talk to my father about us all going together. See you tomorrow.” Momo followed him out the door, seeing him off. “Right, yes, see you tomorrow.” Todoroki walked down the hall, grinning harder than before. He made his way back to his room where Sero was, of course, passed out on the bed. Sero jumped a little at the sound of Todoroki opening the door. “Jesus Shoto you’re so looouud.” He whined covering his head with one of Todoroki’s pillows. Todoroki ignored Sero’s whines and slid his shoes off before hopping right next to Sero. Sero giggled as he lifted the covers, letting Todoroki slide into them. They adjusted themselves comfortably, their warm and cool body heat mixing together. “What did she say?” Sero asked in his groggy, sleepy voice. “She’s out, and we can go together to the Hero Event.”
Sero shot up, somehow now full of energy. “WAIT. I can go with you?!” Todoroki leaned his head on his hand, looking up at Sero. “Well, yeah… you’re my boyfriend.”
“Sweet!” Sero said, lunging forward to pull Todoroki’s arms over him. They laid in the covers, their bodies tangled with each other. Sero brushed Todoroki’s hair out of his face, kissing his scar. “I’m excited.” Todorki’s face immediately turned red, unprepared for the affection. Sero noticed how flustered Todoroki was and giggled to himself. “You're so cute.”
This time Todoroki shoved his face into the pillows trying to hide his embarrassment. Sero laughed harder, pulling Todoroki’s red face out from hiding. They exchanged glances, staring into each other's eyes. Todoroki leaned forward, meeting Sero’s lips halfway. Their lips glided across each other at a slow, but comfortable pace. Todoroki loved how warm Sero’s breath was on his. They parted slightly, smiling at each other. Todoroki leaned back, ending their intimate moment. “I’m tired.”
Sero, a little angry that it was over so fast, lay down next to him and wrapped an arm around his slim waist. “Me too.” The two drifted into the silence. Their chests sync with each other's rising and falling. It was only 9:35 PM but the two were already fast asleep, their soft bodies pressed against each other.
____________

“Hurry up Roki!” Sero yelled from his spot on Todoroki’s couch. It was Friday afternoon and Sero was over to get ready for the Hero’s Event. “I’m trying.” Todoroki shouted from the other room. Two assistants were helping him into his suit, tying it up so his chest was a breath away from breaking the strings. Fuyumi sat excitedly watching Todoroki get all dolled up. “Oh I’m so excited for you!” She yelled, clapping her hands together. Todoroki smiled at her as the assistants did final touches. They step away from him, letting Todoroki finally see what he looks like. He looked at himself in the mirror, bushing his hand through his hair. “You look SO good!” his sister said as she stood up behind him. Todoroki turned around and off the platform. He liked how he looked too. It was a red suit with black undergarments. “Roki hurry please I’m dying over here.” Sero said from the other room. “Go hurry, he seems impatient.” Fuyumi said with a big grin. Todoroki agreed. He liked when Sero would get all flustered. “I’m coming.”
He stepped around the hall, making his way into Sero’s eyesight.
Sero immediately sat up, his eyes almost popping out of his head. “Holy shit…”
Todoroki walked forward, meeting Sero halfway, who was already standing up. “Dude oh my god...” Sero lightly placed his hands on Todoroki’s hips, inching him forward. “Do you like it?” Todoroki asked. Sero scoffed loudly, letting out a laugh. “Duh! you look so good.” Sero looked him up and down with the biggest grin Todoroki has ever seen. “Go change into your suit.” Todoroki said, softly pushing him towards the doorway. “Ok ok..” Sero whispered, still looking at Todoroki. He stopped at the doorway taking one more glance at his boyfriend before heading off to get changed. Todoroki sat down, trying not to ruin his perfect suit and shoes. He couldn’t wait to see Sero. His father insisted that if he were to come with Todoroki he would have to wear one of their suits. Todorki obviously agreed since he has never seen Sero in a suit before. He would never admit it but he was excited. Suddenly Fuyumi entered the room, leaning halfway into the doorframe. “Momo’s here!” She yelled before slipping out of the way. Momo and Jirou entered the room dressed in their attire. Momo was wearing a red slim dress that outlines her body perfectly. Her hair was down and her makeup was nice and subtle. Jirou was wearing a black pants suit, she wore a red lace top underneath. “You guys look so good!” Fuyumi said, admiring the group. Momo smiled at Fuyumi, her arm locked with Jirou’s. “Thank you.”
Jioru turned to Todoroki looking at his outfit. “Looks good man.” Todoroki silently thanked her, nodded his head. Fuyumi watched them tapping her foot impatiently. “Shoto, what is taking your boyfriend so long?” Todoroki only shrugged his shoulders. Fuyumi sighed and walked out of the room to go find Sero. “Are you nervous?” Momo asked, sitting politely at the edge of the couch. “A little. You?”
Momo tilted her head to the side before looking over at Jirou. Jirou smiled at her, rubbing the side of her arm. “I don’t know, I think I’m just more excited.” She said to him, leaning further back into Jirou’s touch. “Well I’m super nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before.” Jirou spat out, eyes wide. Momo and Todoroki laughed a little, easining Jirous tension. “You’ll be fine I promise, and I’ll be with you the whole time.” Momo stated, turning her head to the side to meet Jirou’s eyes. Todoroki watched as they laughed to themselves.
Footsteps came from down the hall, getting louder by the second. “Okaaay I hope you’re ready Shoto!” Fuyumi’s voice came from outside. Todoroki turned his attention to the doorframe, hearing Sero’s giggle get louder. “I got it, I got it.” Sero teased Fuyumi as he entered the light. He was wearing an opposing suit of Todoroki, a black suit with a red undershirt. His hair was pushed back revealing the eye scar that rested across his face. He looked amazing.
Todoroki didn’t know what to say, he was at a loss for words. The way Sero’s figure was sculpted through the fabric, and the way his jawline stuck out so beautifully in the lighting, made Todoroki’s face heat up instantly. “Wow…”
Both Fuyumi and Sero smiled at his reaction, Sero walking closer. “ Now you know how I felt.”
“Your hair is back…” Todoroki said, obviously staring at his scar. Sero noticed him staring and let out a relieved sigh. “Yeah I thought it looked cool like yours.” Todoroki met his eyes, astounded by what he said. He slowly raised his hand and pushed his hair back also, revealing the large burn scar. He messed with his styled hair until it stayed in place, revealing his whole face. “ I love it.” Sero said.
“I’ve always loved it.”
Todoroki looked off to the side, trying to hide his obvious blush. “Ok everyone, picture!” Fuyumi yelled, lifting her phone. The four of them huddled together in their matching attire. The camera clicked and a light went off slowly. “Awww you guys look so cute.” Fuyumi said, looking at the results. She waved her hand, signaling for them to follow her out the door. They all walked out of the house and to the front yard, where a large limo met them. Both Sero and Jirou ‘woahed’. The four entered the limo, Fuyumi closing the door behind them. “Ok go have fun you guys.” She waved them off as the car headed to the event.
The car made its way down the busy streets, and down secret roads that led to the main carpet they would be walking on. Momo eased Jirou’s nervous bouncing by holding her small hand. Sero on the other hand was bouncing with excitement. “Shoto, I'm so hyped right now.” He did some dancing with his hands to some imaginary music as the car pulled up to the entrance. Todoroki laughed at his energy grabbing his hand. “I know.” The car soon came to a complete stop, where the driver rolled down his window to the back seat. “Alright everyone we’ve arrived.”
Jirou took a deep long breath gripping Momo’s hand. The sounds of fans and cameras clicking filled their ears. Even through their tinted windows they could see the flashing lights. Todoroki glanced at everyone making sure they were ready. They all nodded at him giving him the ok. He looked at Momo one more time, giving her the “You really want to do this?” look just in case. She smiled at him, her eyes so much happier than he remembered. Ok, time to go.
Todoroki opened the door slightly before an assistant caught the door and opened it wider for them. Immediately he was met by thousands of clicking cameras and screams of fans. He looked back at the car offering a hand to Sero. Sero happily grabbed it, stepping out of the car. Todoroki has never done an event with a date, so he was a little unsure of what to do. Sero on the other hand was confident. Sero wrapped a single arm around Todoroki’s waist pulling him closer. Todoroki jumped a little at the contact but eased into his touch. He smiled over at Sero as they slowly made their way down the carpet. He was a little overwhelmed with the amount of noise, but he had Sero. And that was comforting to him. They waved lightly at the paparazzi and the hundreds of fans that were held back by a single red rope. Another huge wave of yells came, making the boys turn around. Momo and Jirou had stepped out of the car and were now making their way down the carpet. Jirou looked a little nervous but her smile was covering for her. Her and Momo were holding hands, swinging them slightly as they waved at the cameras. The girls made their way over to where Todorki and Sero stood and they continued together. For some reason Todoroki was not nervous. He didn’t care that the cameras were taking thousands of pictures of him and Sero, and Sero’s arm around his waist, and the way they look at eachother, and their matching suits. He didn’t care. He was proud. He was happy.
“Over here Todoroki and Momo!” A voice yelled from the right of them. The two turned to see a reporter signalling for them to go over. Momo glanced at him wondering what to do. Todoroki wanted to make it clear that they were not together, so he walked over there with Sero. Momo took the hint and walked over with Jirou, hands still intact. The reporter smiled at the two couples asking them what they were wearing and publicity questions. The camera shoved into each of their faces, capturing their perfectly done hair, and makeup. The reporter obviously caught on to their group, and raised the mic to Todoroki. “So who is this you are with?”
Todoroki looked over at Sero, whose big smile was plastered on his face. “This is my boyfriend Sero Hanta.” The reporter tilted her head and smiled. She gasped dramatically, “ Oh my goodness that’s new! Congratulations!” She turned to Momo who was to the right of her. “And I’m guessing this is your girlfriend?” Momo and Jirou nodded, laughing at how easily she guessed. The reporter turned once more to Todoroki, this time a little more serious. “So you and Momo aren’t together anymore?”
Todoroki blanked at the sudden subject change. He sighed, trying to choose his words wisely. Suddenly he felt Sero tighten his grip on his waist. He looked over for only a second, meeting Seros beautiful black eyes. Those same eyes he fell in love with. Those same eyes that looked at him with lust during their first kiss. Those same eyes that love him. Todoroki turned back to the reporter confident with his answer. He understood now. He understood how much he loved Sero and how much Momo loved Jirou. He understood that it was ok. He loved who he was, even his scar. He understood Momo, and their relationship. He loved Momo, but not the way he originally thought he did. It finally made sense to him. “Yes me and Momo broke up, but we are still very close. We’re just a lot happier now...” He turned to Momo once more, smiling at her. She smiled back, because she knew exactly the same thing he did. They were finally both happy.

“It was a bond that was meant to break.”