Archive of Our Own ^beta

Izuku worried about many things, but one of the things he worried about was Todoroki.

Mainly, he worried about his emotional wellbeing; they'd become closer over time, and his friend was much more open than he used to be, but Izuku still couldn't help but be concerned. He could see the stiff way Todoroki carried himself sometimes, like his feelings were turning to stone in his limbs, cold and heavy and unspoken.

So, seeking gentle advice, Izuku had asked his mum about it.

"How do you make a friend feel better?" she'd repeated back to him, voice audibly full of joy even through the tinny phone - she still wasn't used to him having friends.

"Yeah. We talk sometimes, and I think that helps, but it just doesn't feel like it’s enough. I want to help him more!"

Inko had paused for thought, humming softly. "Well, in those times when he's upset, why don't you offer him a hug, sweetie? Sometimes that's all you really need, isn’t it?"

Izuku hadn't stayed on the phone long after that, thanking her profusely before ending the call, filled with fresh determination.

It wasn't like Izuku was used to being affectionate with friends - far from it, considering that Kacchan had been the closest thing he'd had to a friend before UA. But at least he'd had his mum to provide a constant stream of love and affection while growing up. In comparison, Todoroki had been very isolated as a child, and Izuku suspected he still had a slightly awkward relationship with his siblings.

Thinking of a small Todoroki, alone and untouched in a big house, Izuku’s heart clenched painfully. Todoroki was so good and so kind, such a loyal friend, and it hurt to imagine him so distanced from any caring attention.

With Inko's advice ringing in his ears, Izuku vowed to himself that when the chance came, he'd take it without hesitating.

~

He didn't have to wait long for an opportunity, though it felt like an eternity. Izuku had been fidgety for two days, watching Todoroki anxiously from behind his books, wondering if he should just go for it and hug him randomly. But doing that would've been more for his own comfort than Todoroki's, and besides, Izuku didn't want to startle him. So he'd waited for a good reason, and finally, one had come along.

Hero training had been rough that day, with Aizawa having pushed them all ruthlessly until they were on the brink of exhaustion. Todoroki was normally fine with being worked shockingly hard, accepting brutal training regimes more readily than perhaps anyone else in the class - and Izuku silently cursed Endeavor's name for that - but today, Todoroki had stumbled, tired legs sending him askew, and his fire had singed Ojiro's tail.

Ojiro was fine after seeing Recovery Girl for the minor burn, and had brushed the incident off with a relaxed grin, but Izuku had seen Todoroki's face when it had happened; just for an instant, his cool expression had been polluted by a flash of horror and self-loathing, and he'd been even quieter than normal ever since.

"Wahh, I'm starving!"

Izuku started at Uraraka's exclamation, having been deep in thought the whole walk back to the dorms. He gave her an absent smile as he followed her into the shared living space, still distracted by the way Todoroki's shoulders were high and tight as he walked.

"Yes, I'm hungry too!" Iida proclaimed, then gave Todoroki a kind smile - clearly he had picked up on their friend's withdrawn mood, too. "I think I am having soba tonight, if you'd like to join me, Todoroki?"

Todoroki, already half turned towards the elevators, paused to give Iida a polite look. Izuku could see from the slow way he was moving that the stone was back in his limbs again.

"That's okay. I'm tired, so I'm just going straight to bed. Thanks."

Iida took a deep breath, clearly gearing up for a lecture about the importance of nourishment for a hero student, but deflated when Uraraka put a hand on his elbow. She was frowning, and behind her Izuku could see Tsuyu tilting her head in curiosity. Clearly they had all noticed that something wasn't right with Todoroki, and Izuku took a millisecond to bask in the pleasure of his friends' sheer goodness.

Todoroki nodded to them all, awkward under the weight of their assessing gazes, and then turned to leave.

Izuku didn’t want to let Todoroki leave when he was clearly not himself, imagining him lonely and brooding in his room. He was nervous about his plan, palms getting sweaty, but his determination to comfort his friend after his bad day was stronger than any fear, and he thought that words wouldn’t do much to help assuage the guilt he suspected Todoroki was harboring, despite how frequently they all got hurt in training.

He lurched forward, grabbing Todoroki's sleeve.

"Ah, Todoroki, wait!"

Todoroki paused, looking down at Izuku’s hand. "Midoriya? Are you okay?"

“Yes! I’m fine- I just, um.” Izuku took a breath. “You know, my mum always used to hug me when I was feeling bad, or upset, or just felt like I wanted it. She still does, actually. I think that’s pretty normal, and-”

Todoroki frowned. “Midoriya, are you feeling bad? Do you need something, are you sick?”

“No!” Izuku said quickly. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

He tightened his grip on Todoroki’s sleeve, worried the other boy might leave before he was able to get to his point.

“Todoroki, can I hug you?”

Todoroki stared at him, completely nonplussed. “If you want to?”

Izuku was glad not to be turned down, but it was almost as upsetting to see Todoroki’s complete lack of comprehension - most of his other friends would have had some kind of emotional reaction to the offer of a hug, but Todoroki’s blankness just suggested he had no experience to tell him how to feel about it.

Izuku’s nervousness melted away under the renewed intensity of his need to help his friend however he could.

“Okay, thank you,” he said firmly.

He flashed Todoroki his best reassuring hero smile, then stepped forward and slid his arms around him, glad for the way Todoroki leaned forward a little to compensate for his height.

Todoroki was lean and athletic in a graceful way, but he held himself incredibly stiffly as Izuku embraced him. He stood there, arms at his sides as Izuku just held on and hoped it would help somehow.

Closing his eyes, Izuku tried to remember the soothing, glowing warmth that his mum’s hugs always brought. There was still a lot of space between them, so Izuku stuffed his embarrassment down and shuffled a little closer, until he was able to feel the faint temperature difference between Todoroki’s left and right sides.

Feeling like something more was needed, he rubbed Todoroki’s back gently with one hand, and was barely able to restrain his surprise when his friend suddenly let out a long sigh.

“Oh,” Todoroki said, in the smallest voice Izuku had ever heard.

And then he was sagging against Izuku, leaning into his hold, as limp and soft as a puppy.

Izuku adjusted his feet to better support them both, letting Todoroki drape himself over him, completely boneless. His head rested weakly against Izuku’s shoulder, as if his neck couldn’t support him anymore. He was quiet, but every now and then he would sigh - not the heavy exhale of before, but a small, comfortable huff of breath.

Izuku felt a smile spreading across his face, and dared to open his eyes.

Their friends were staring from a few feet away. Uraraka’s eyes were sparkling as she silently fist pumped, and Iida was hiding a surprised smile by fixing his glasses. Tsuyu still had her head tilted to one side, but there was a smile on her face now, and she blinked with slow satisfaction when Izuku met her gaze.

It was working!

At his grin, his friends waved and began dispersing to make food or go to their rooms. Izuku closed his eyes again, resettling his arms around Todoroki and feeling his smile grow as his friend’s hands came up to hold weakly onto the back of Izuku’s jacket.

“Aw, look! That’s so manly!” Kirishima’s enthused voice came from somewhere behind Todoroki, sighing gustily. “That actually looks really comfy. You think-”

“Don’t even think about it, Shitty Hair!”

Stomping footsteps sounded, and Izuku felt a rush of hot air as Kacchan passed by, muttering under his breath about gross nerds. He couldn’t find it in him to worry about what Kacchan thought, though, too focussed on Todoroki’s limp weight against him, so pliable and vulnerable.

Still curious, he cracked one eye open, just in time to catch Kirishima’s disappointed expression. Kaminari clapped him on the back cheerfully.

“Ehh? Surely you didn’t really expect nasty Blasty to give you a hug, dude?” Seeing that Kirishima’s smile hadn’t returned, Kaminari flashed Izuku a conspiratorial wink. “C’mon, I bet I give way better hugs than he ever could anyway!”

Kirishima was instantly cheered by this and threw himself at Kaminari for an energetic hug that involved lots of laughter and back-slapping. Even when they parted and trotted off into the kitchen, Izuku was still wrapped up with Todoroki, quiet together in their embrace.

“Todoroki?” he asked softly, not wanting to startle his suddenly meek friend.

“Mm?”

“You okay?”

“Mhm.”

Izuku smiled fondly. “Okay.”

Hugging Todoroki was super comfortable, even with having to support the greater part of his weight, and Izuku was happy to stay like this for as long as he wanted. Todoroki’s hair was silky against his cheek, and Izuku could feel his steady, even breathing. He thought this might be the most relaxed he’d ever witnessed his friend - sure, Todoroki was usually pretty calm, but that wasn’t really the same as true relaxation.

Izuku didn’t know how long they stayed there, just hugging in the middle of the living area. The sounds around them lessened as their classmates went upstairs or settled onto the sofas in quiet pursuits - mostly reading, or studying. All of them were tired, so there wasn’t as much noise as usual.

Eventually, Todoroki stirred, pulling in a longer breath than before.

“Midoriya?” he said quietly, close to Izuku’s ear.

“Yes, Todoroki?”

“Can we do this again?”

Izuku felt a smile stretching across his face as his heart lifted. “Of course we can! Anytime you want to, that’s what friends are for!”

Todoroki nodded against his shoulder, and seemed to gather his strength before finally withdrawing from Izuku's arms.

Izuku patted his arm one last time, enjoying the slightly dazed expression on Todoroki's face, one cheek reddened where it had been resting against Izuku's shoulder.

Searching his friend's face carefully, Izuku felt pride swell up in him as he noted that the tension had left Todoroki's shoulders, and there was a softness about his body language that had been sorely lacking before.

"Thank you," Todoroki said, his voice low and sincere, and just a little hazy around the edges. "I don't have much to go on, but I think you're very good at that."

Izuku felt himself colour up a bit at the compliment, and his heart tripped happily at the knowledge that his planning had all been worth it.

"O-oh, thanks, I'm glad it helped!" He shifted to the other foot, hesitant to let this soft, vulnerable Todoroki go just yet. "I'm going to make some dinner now, if you want to join me?"

When Todoroki agreed, Izuku felt his happiness jump up another notch - not only had he comforted Todoroki, but his friend was now willing to eat something before retiring for the night!

Buoyed up by everything, Izuku sped through preparing a basic meal, clattering around the kitchen while Todoroki accompanied him like a quiet, patient shadow, agreeably fetching ingredients from the top shelves or holding things Izuku handed to him.

Izuku was in a good mood and couldn't hold back the words that spilled out of him, thoughts racing from his brain to his mouth without pause, talking his way through everything from training that day to the latest guests on Present Mic's radio show. Several times he caught himself, embarrassed at his own babbling, but Todoroki would just watch him patiently, waiting for him to continue the story. And wasn’t that incredible, to have friends who really didn’t mind Izuku’s rambling?

By the time they had eaten and Izuku had finally talked himself out, all the remaining tension had bled out of Todoroki, and he looked practically serene as he bid Izuku goodnight.

Feeling happy and pleasantly tired himself, Izuku was just heading to his dorm room when Uraraka suddenly appeared out of nowhere, materialising at his side and bouncing on her toes excitedly.

"Deku! You hugged Todoroki and he liked it, he totally liked it!"

Izuku beamed, his satisfaction roaring back to life. "Yeah! I was worried he'd be uncomfortable, but I had to try anyway, you know?"

Uraraka nodded thoughtfully. "I don't think he's used to physical affection. Oh, maybe he's even touch-starved!"

"Touch-starved?" Izuku’s eyes widened with this new information, already planning to research more when he was alone. "I didn't know there was a name for it!"

"For sure! Of course, we don't know if that's the case with Todoroki, but it's pretty obvious he needed that hug today either way. You did a great job, Deku!"

Izuku felt himself flush at Uraraka's smiling compliment, and ducked his face to the carpet awkwardly.

"Oh, thanks! I just really wanted to try and see if it helped him feel better." A thought occurred to him, then, and Izuku turned to his friend with sudden excitement. "I'm sure it would be even better if you guys could do it too! You know, just try and comfort him with a hug or something when he seems to need it? Todoroki's such a good friend, he deserves us to be the best friends we can be to him!"

Uraraka perked up instantly, her eyes gleaming with this new idea. "We could totally try that! And Todoroki will just tell us if he doesn't like it, he's always super honest about things. I'll let the others know!"

Izuku nodded enthusiastically, and said a hasty goodbye as Uraraka bounced off to find Tsuyu. Warmth spread through him at the knowledge that his friends would be there for Todoroki, too. They were all bound to have more bad days to come, but if they could comfort each other, then Izuku was sure they'd be alright.

~

Shouto laid in his futon, arms heavy and loose at his sides, head cushioned on his favourite pillow. The faint sound of Sero’s bedtime playlist drifted through the wall, soft and comfortingly familiar. He felt blissfully relaxed, warmed through as if he’d had a long, hot bath.

He hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time, and yet Shouto found that he wasn’t quite ready for sleep. It wasn’t a bad kind of wakefulness, though - quite the opposite, actually. His thoughts kept gently winding back, retracing his evening until he felt the secure, comforting warmth of Midoriya hugging him all over again.

Shouto couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt something like that.

Fuyumi and Natsuo hugged him sometimes, but it always left him a little sad and wistful, like it should feel easier and more comfortable than it did. The three of them had been getting closer as Shouto got older and was able to spend his time as he wished, but he saw the way siblings in other families interacted, noting the ease and familiarity with which they joked and touched and fought, and recognised that it wasn’t quite the same in his household; yet another wrong he could lay at Endeavor’s feet, he supposed.

Midoriya’s hug, though, had been nothing but sheer comfort. Shouto had agreed to it at first because he’d thought it was something his friend needed, and he was always happy to learn a new way to support his friends. But then Midoriya had embraced him, had rubbed his back with a touch that was effortlessly soothing, and it was like all of the ice had bled straight out of Shouto's heart and he’d melted right then and there. The guilt and disgust at having hurt someone with his fire had no room to grow when he was quite literally being held in acceptance by someone whose opinion he valued so highly.

And best of all, Midoriya had said that they could do it again.

A small sigh of satisfaction left him at the thought. He wondered how he could be so affected by a simple embrace; was this something that everybody needed? Shouto couldn’t imagine someone like Bakugou relaxing into a warm hug, but then again Bakugou wasn’t exactly the model of a healthy state of mind. Maybe it was something special to Midoriya, which wouldn’t be very surprising given the history Midoriya had of reaching Shouto in ways other people never could.

He thought again of the utter peace he’d felt, being held so close and safe, and his eyes drifted closed as Sero’s playlist moved on to the final, most gentle song.

Shouto’s last thought before he sunk into a deep and peaceful sleep was a tentative hope that maybe he’d get to experience more hugs again soon.

~

As it happened, his hope was fulfilled, and rather sooner than Shouto would ever have expected.

Midoriya’s hug seemed to kickstart some instinct in their friends, for Shouto suddenly found himself confronted by willing and easy affection at every turn.

The first person to follow Midoriya's lead - the very next morning, in fact - was Uraraka.

Shouto was in the kitchen, waiting for the rice cooker to finish so he could have breakfast; he had woken before his alarm, feeling unusually refreshed and well-rested. Most people were still asleep or perhaps in their rooms getting ready for classes, but Shouto could see Bakugou in the common room, smacking Kaminari over the head with a booklet as he coached him through some frantic, last minute homework.

Just as Kaminari's pained whines were making Shouto wonder whether he should intervene, there was a rush of fresh air as all the girls of 1A burst in through the front door. Given that they carried gym bags, Shouto assumed they had been working out together. They were all chatting, their bright voices pleasantly noisy, like a flock of energetic birds. Ashido immediately separated from the group and inserted herself into Kaminari's conversation, much to Bakugou's loud displeasure, but Yaoyorozu looked over and spotted Shouto in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Todoroki," she called with a gentle smile and a wave.

Shouto nodded back politely. He liked Yaoyorozu; she was a very reasonable and kind person, and a good class vice-president.

At the sound of her greeting, Uraraka's face popped out from behind Yaoyorozu's taller form, immediately beaming him a smile that plumped up her wind-pinked cheeks.

"Oh! You girls go on ahead," she said, waving Tsuyu's questioning look away. "I'm going to have breakfast first, and then shower!"

Not waiting for their replies, she skipped into the kitchen, inhaling deeply and smiling brightly at Shouto. He could almost see the sparkles in her eyes, full of life and positivity, like something from a shoujo manga.

“Ahh, don’t you think the smell of rice cooking is the most comforting thing ever?”

Shouto considered this, then nodded. “I hadn’t really thought about it before, but it is quite nice.”

Uraraka beamed up at him, then dropped her bag onto a stool, got out her own rice bowl, and leaned companionably against the cupboard next to Shouto, joining him in his wait. They didn’t really spend much time on their own together, always with Midoriya and the others, but Uraraka was comfortable to be around, so it didn’t feel awkward. He eyed her gym bag curiously.

“Have you been doing extra training this morning?”

“Yeah!” Uraraka looked down at her hands, clenching them into fists. “We decided that we wanted to do extra combat practice together some mornings. I’m working on the drills that Gunhead taught me, and the other girls asked me to show them some of the moves.”

“I should do that more,” Shouto said honestly. “It’s good to share techniques, I think.”

“It really is, especially since some of the world still thinks girls are weak, despite there being strong female heroes,” she said, looking suddenly fierce. “So we’ve got a lot to prove wrong!”

Shouto felt a little untethered by this, confused about how anyone could think Uraraka was weak in any way when her expression was filled with such determination. “People think you’re weak?”

Uraraka smiled at him. “Well, yes! But not just me, I mean girls in general. It’s still a gender stereotype, you know? That’s why everyone was calling Bakugou out at the Sports Festival, even though he was just fighting me like he would any opponent.”

“Oh. I thought people just didn’t like how angry he was.” Shouto frowned, feeling like he had so much more to learn about the world than he had realised. Maybe he would ask Fuyumi about it next time he went home. “Uraraka, would you be willing to tell me more about gender stereotypes sometime? I’d like to understand them better.”

“Of course!” Uraraka clapped her hands together, sharp and enthusiastic. “I’d love to! Not that I'm really an expert, but maybe we can learn together?"

Shouto nodded. "I'd like that very much. I think heroes - good heroes, I mean - should understand the struggle of all types of people, and be willing to learn when they don't."

She considered him for a moment before breaking into a huge smile and throwing her arms wide open.

"You're gonna be the best ally ever! Can I hug you now, like Deku did yesterday?"

Shouto nodded without even thinking, his mind instantly and happily filled with the memory of Midoriya's hug. Uraraka bounced on her toes excitedly and then threw her arms around him, tucking herself under his left arm and snuggling herself into his side.

After a moment's hesitation, Shouto let his arm settle around her shoulders. He felt a little more awkward about this than about returning Midoriya's hug, but Uraraka seemed to have no such qualms; she cuddled him tight, sighing happily as she pressed her cheek into him. She smelled pleasantly fresh and sweet, like strawberries, and her grip was surprisingly strong, almost squeezing the breath out of him. Shouto thought he should feel accosted, but instead it just felt nice, like she really wanted to be there, hugging him.

"Waah, you're so nice and warm on this side," she said, slightly muffled but sounding satisfied. Shouto was suddenly reminded of the way Ashido had encouraged him to use his fire to cook during the summer training camp. It was nice to feel like his fire was useful for something other than fighting. Shouto concentrated on raising his temperature just slightly, and couldn't help a small, pleased smile when Uraraka sighed again and snuggled in closer.

"You're a good person, Todoroki," she told him, face still pressed into the warmth of his side.

Shouto's eyes widened. "So are you."

Uraraka giggled, gave him one last snuggly squeeze, and then finally let go. Shouto looked down at her silently, not sure what to say next, but she just gave him a smile so big that it crinkled her eyes, and then turned to the rice cooker, just as it started beeping.

After breakfast, sitting with a cup of green tea and listening to Uraraka explain the girls' new training regime to a rapt Midoriya, Shouto wondered if there was any nicer way to start the day.

~

It was a few days before the next hugging incident, as Shouto had taken to thinking of them, occurred.

He'd been feeling good all week, like he was carrying a gentle glow in his stomach. Both Midoriya and Uraraka shot him special smiles occasionally, over their books and lunches, or behind their other friends' backs, as if they could tell that he still felt connected to them, still felt the acceptance and support (and something sweeter, gentler, that Shouto wasn't sure about - affection, maybe?) of their hugs. Shouto had wondered at first whether he should be concerned about the impact their actions had had on him, but had eventually decided to just accept it; he trusted them.

When it got to Thursday evening, Shouto found himself in Iida's room studying together, as was their habit. Midoriya was off somewhere with All Might, and Mina had dragged Uraraka and Tsuyu off for what she called a “girl's night” - Shouto wasn't sure what this entailed, but thought he'd try asking Sero later, since he would likely know more than Iida - so it was just the two of them.

Iida was a good studying companion, though, so it all worked out quite well. Shouto didn't mind his strictness, and they were often working at similar academic levels, which made discussions about assignments very interesting.

The room was quiet, filled only by the scratching of their pens and the faint ticking of Iida's wristwatch, so when Iida's phone suddenly buzzed on the table, they both gave a short start.

"My apologies!" Iida said, hastily grabbing the offending phone. "I will switch it off immediately so we're not disturbed again."

Shouto shrugged. "That's okay, it doesn't bother me, and someone is clearly trying to get hold of you."

Iida graced him with a grateful smile. "Yes, it's my brother Tensei. We speak on the phone every couple of days to catch up about his rehabilitation and how I'm doing here at UA."

Something stung inside Shouto, piercing the balloon of contentment he'd been carrying around all week.

"That must be nice," he said awkwardly, staring at his pen. "You're very close, aren't you? Even though there's an age gap between the two of you, I mean."

"Yes, we've always been quite close!" Iida adjusted his glasses with a fond smile. " Tensei has always been my hero role model, but he was also an excellent sibling. He practically raised me alongside my parents!"

Shouto nodded his understanding; he'd known this already. He didn't really know why he'd asked, when the answer was already obvious. Iida cleared his throat, and meticulously put his phone to the side so they could refocus on their homework. Shouto picked up his pen, scribbled some nonsense down on his worksheet, then put it down again.

"What if you hadn't been so close when you were younger?" he asked abruptly. "It wouldn't be the same now, would it? Your shared childhood years were too important." His chest felt tight and hot, and he could feel his friend's eyes on him, but kept his own gaze on the table.

Iida paused thoughtfully before answering. "I think that it is impossible to tell. There are too many variables in human nature to know for sure what might or might not have happened." His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, but still firm as he continued. "But I do know that no relationship is static. We can always improve our relationships with others, especially those we care about. In fact, I think there's nothing more noble and worthwhile than working on a relationship with a loved one. There is always hope, I think, when both parties are willing."

Shouto felt a surge of affection for his friend; people always focussed too much on Iida's intensity and overlooked how kind he was. He looked up in time to catch the tail end of a warm, knowing expression on Iida’s face, and was encouraged into speaking again.

“So if you and Tensei weren’t as close as you are now, how would you work on it?”

“Hmm,” Iida’s hand rose to his chin and made a thinking fist. “I think the first step would be to spend a little more time together. It seems like it would be very difficult to build a relationship without actually being around the person.”

“Right.” Shouto thought of Fuyumi’s messages, unanswered on his phone, and sighed.

“Are you…” Iida frowned, hesitant. “Are you close to your siblings, Todoroki?”

Shouto didn’t hesitate, feeling the weight of the truth pressing down on him. “No. Not like you and your brother. It’s not like we have a bad relationship, as such, but we never really got to spend much time together when I was younger, so it is a little... distant.” Cold, he thought inwardly. Cold like their maternal ice quirks.

“I see. But you’d like to be closer?”

“Yes,” Shouto said, and somehow saying it out loud cemented the feeling of how badly he wanted that. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

Iida smiled broadly. “Then I wish you luck! I’m certain your siblings feel the same - perhaps they’re just waiting for you to make the first step towards them. You won’t know unless you try, right?”

Shouto considered this, then smiled at his friend. “I suppose that’s true. Maybe I should try calling Fuyumi now, since your brother is probably waiting to talk to you.”

“That’s an excellent idea!” Iida said, sitting bolt upright in his enthusiasm. “I can even ask Tensei for some tips, if you like. He’s always been very good with people.”

“Sure, let me know what he says.” Shouto knew he’d said the right thing when Iida’s eyes practically shone with zeal.

Feeling hyper aware of his own phone in his pocket, and motivated by their conversation, Shouto didn’t hesitate before packing up his things. He was ahead with his work anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt to follow through on Iida’s suggestion tonight.

When he got to the door, though, Shouto was halted by Iida suddenly joining him at the threshold, looking slightly sheepish despite his determined frown.

“Todoroki, I... that is-” His arms made an aborted twitch upwards, and Shouto suddenly had a feeling he knew what was going on.

“Iida, would you like to hug me?”

“Yes!” Iida blurted, dropping into a short bow, for some reason. “I would like to offer you a hug, following our heart-to-heart just now. Think of it as encouragement for your phone call.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you!” Iida straightened up immediately, then stepped forward and embraced Shouto without hesitation. Beginning to get used to the idea of hugging his friends, Shouto responded in kind, instantly this time.

It felt very different to hugging Uraraka, or even Midoriya; though neither were at all weak, Iida was by nature much taller and generally bigger, so where the others had fit neatly into the circle of Shouto’s arms, Iida felt broad and unyielding against him, like a strong pillar.

Iida patted his back, firm and kind. Shouto thought this might be how a close hug from an older brother should feel, and had a surprising pang of longing for Natsuo.

The hug didn’t last long, compared to the previous two, but Shouto still stepped back feeling somehow stronger, and warm to his toes. Iida smiled at him, unguarded and unaffected by his usual professionalism, and Shouto returned the gesture without thought.

“Thanks, Iida,” he said, quiet but heartfelt.

They bade each other goodnight, and Shouto returned to his own room, already thinking of things he could talk about with Fuyumi; she’d probably like to hear about his letters to mother, for starters, and he’d already been planning to ask her about his conversation with Uraraka. Maybe he’d even tell her about all the hugging. Natsuo would probably get a kick out of that, as well.

It was funny, really. For all of Iida’s advice about getting closer to his siblings, Shouto couldn’t help but feel like his friends had already been showing him how to do it, just through the way they acted with him every day. They lived together, cared about each other, and now were starting to show more outward affection. Shouto felt the warm glow inside him flicker back to life again. In a way, his friends were his family, too.

~

The next hug came in the middle of the night.

Shouto woke with a start, sweat beading on his forehead, and his pillow crackling with frost. He could see his breath in the faint light from his alarm clock, puffing from him in clouds of cold steam as his heart raced. It had been a while since a nightmare had affected him this badly, and Shouto couldn’t help a soft groan as he rolled shakily onto his hands and knees, reaching for his lamp.

The sudden flooding of light banished the most immediate pangs of his fear, and Shouto knelt quietly for a minute, trying to breathe calmly in the way Aizawa-sensei had shown them after discovering that much of the class were struggling with nightmares and anxiety after everything they’d been through together. The thumping in his chest slowed a little, and Shouto slumped in relief. He couldn’t even remember what the nightmare had been about, just remembered the abject terror that had seized him and the feeling of utter helplessness.

A little more in control of himself, Shouto carefully melted the frost on his bedding. It had spread from his pillow to his duvet, but luckily hadn’t reached the futon or the tatami mats yet. Still, his bedding needed drying off, and he didn't trust himself to control his fire that finely when he was exhausted and fresh from an unconscious loss of quirk control already.

Pulling his favourite jumper on over his pyjamas, Shouto stripped the bedding and bundled it into his arms. His spare set of sheets was still in his laundry hamper, so Shouto figured he would just dry this set and put it straight back on.

The laundry room was dark and quiet when he got there, the smell of detergent and warm air comforting in its domesticity. He loaded everything into the tumble dryer, stole one of Bakugou's dryer sheets (he always had the nicest smelling ones, Shouto had discovered), and set the machine to the correct cycle with experienced ease. When they'd first moved into the dorms, it had taken him a while - and lots of Midoriya’s patient instruction - to figure out how to use the laundry machines, but he quite liked the simple independence of it these days.

Knowing it would take a little while, Shouto went through to the common room and settled onto a sofa. He didn't bother turning the light on, feeling like the quiet dark matched his mood better. The nightmare's terror was mostly gone, now, but there was still a remnant of the helplessness Shouto had felt, gnawing at his insides.

He drew his knees up in front of him, picking at a loose stitch, and wondered whether this was something he'd always have to face as a hero - the sick horror of not being able to help someone, of feeling useless despite his power. He thought it probably was.

Long minutes passed in silence, accented by the faint hum of the fridges in the kitchen, and Shouto felt cold settling into his bones. Not a physical cold, like when he overused his right side, but a cold that was the lack of emotional warmth, like all the tenderness of feeling had been leached from him.

He didn't hear the quiet footsteps approaching, so when the lights suddenly blinked to life, Shouto winced and spun to face the intruder with a renewed sense of panic.

"Todoroki?" It was Tsuyu, blinking sleepily at him and rubbing one eye. Shouto let out a long, silent breath of relief. "What are you doing sitting here in the dark?"

The sound of another person's voice was like a rock shattering the cold inside him, telling Shouto in no uncertain terms that he wasn't alone. He fixed his eyes on her, an anchor in the depths of his silent thoughts. She was wearing an oversized, well-worn jumper dress that swaddled her to her shins, and he could just see long woolly socks peeking out underneath. Tsuyu didn't like the cold, he remembered suddenly.

"I had a nightmare and frosted over my sheets, so I'm just waiting for them to dry. Are you okay?"

Tsuyu nodded. "Yes, I'm just thirsty." Her dark eyes studied him for a long moment before she finally gave him a small smile and crossed into the kitchen. Shouto could see flashes of her moving around, illuminated by the light coming in from the common room and the faint, yellow gleam of the fridge when she opened it.

He let his head fall back against the sofa cushion, closing his eyes and letting the small sounds of Tsuyu's movements soothe him. Much like the laundry room, he enjoyed the gentle domesticity of knowing she was there, unobtrusive and at home in his presence.

Eventually, he heard her footsteps padding back towards him, and opened his eyes in some surprise when she sank onto the sofa cushion next to him.

"Here," she said, pressing a steaming cup into his hands. "It's chamomile tea, Yaomomo left it out for everyone to use - it's the best to drink at night."

Not waiting for a response, she turned to her own cup, and settled into the sofa with a quiet, pleased sigh.

"Thank you," Shouto told her, inhaling the steam with curiosity. It smelled nice, kind of floral and sweet, like honey. He took a cautious sip. "Oh, it's good."

Tsuyu gave him an amused smile. "Did you think it wouldn't be?"

"I normally only drink green tea," he admitted, "so I didn't know what to expect."

"Yaomomo's teas are always nice, but chamomile is particularly comforting." Tsuyu's voice was always softly raspy, but it was even more so now, filled with quiet sleepiness. "I used to make it all the time for my younger siblings if they woke in the night."

Shouto imagined being a small child, waking in terror and being gently comforted by Tsuyu's calm and chamomile tea. His own childhood room had been too far away from the others for anyone to hear when he woke.

"They must appreciate you very much."

Tsuyu nodded. "They're good kids." She sipped her tea, and then carefully leaned to put it down and looked at him solemnly. "Sometimes, if the nightmare was very bad, I would rub their back or give them a hug." Her eyes were gentle, unblinking.

Shouto looked into his teacup, then put it next to hers on the coffee table. "Tsuyu, do you think you could do that for me? It's okay if you don't want to." He was getting bold, he thought, the memory of Midoriya and Uraraka and Iida's arms around him giving him a yearning he'd never realised he had.

Tsuyu smiled. "Of course I can."

With her characteristic bluntness, she didn't hesitate before shuffling up to him, their knees bumping slightly as Shouto turned to face her. He had to lean down a little to compensate for their heights, but her arms wrapped around him with no more difficulty than that. Shouto rested his chin on her shoulder, and closed his eyes.

Tsuyu was calm, like a still pool of water. She held him gently, one big hand rubbing slow circles on his back, pulling tension out of his shoulder blades that he hadn't even known was there.

"The nightmare is gone now," she told him, matter of factly, and the simple statement of fact was effortlessly comforting.

Shouto nodded against her shoulder, finally feeling warm inside. She rubbed a few more circles on his back, and then they finally separated and reacquainted themselves with their tea.

They talked idly of small things. Tsuyu was easy to be around, undemanding and honest, and the tea was soothing. Shouto eventually retrieved his sheets from the dryer, bidding Tsuyu a grateful goodnight, and walked back to his room feeling much lighter on his feet.

He had no trouble getting back to sleep, and his dreams stayed peaceful for the rest of the night. When Tsuyu saw him the next day, she gave him one of those secret smiles, before joining Uraraka's conversation with Mina. When Shouto turned to pick up his bag, he found Midoriya beaming at him, bright gaze flicking over to Tsuyu once before settling back on Shouto. He looked immensely pleased, delighted even.

In hindsight, Shouto should've known Midoriya was responsible for their friends' sudden affection - it was exactly the kind of meddling he couldn't help himself with. Amused and grateful, Shouto returned Midoriya's smile with one of his own. He hoped he could return the favour, one day.

~

It was, in the end, thanks to Bakugou that Shouto got his chance to repay Midoriya's kindness.

Classes had been interesting that afternoon, if not quite taxing. Aizawa-sensei was delivering a long-running class about quirk prejudice, and today's topic was specifically about quirklessness. It wasn't something Shouto had come across very often, given how focussed on quirks Endeavor was, but he found himself arrested by the stories of abuse and bullying that Aizawa told them, his usually flat voice now serious.

It was heavy-going, and the atmosphere in the classroom was somber and intense, weighing down on them all like a mountain of responsibility. More than anything, Aizawa's examples stressed the point that quirks did not make any one person better than another and that as heroes, they must strive to uphold the values of equality, freedom, and safety for all.

Towards the end of the class, they watched videos of people being verbally - and in some videos, physically - abused, purely because they didn't have a quirk. Shouto could hear a few people sniffling quietly, and in front of him, Dark Shadow was buried in the crook of Tokoyami's elbow. They'd all seen much worse violence in person, but somehow, coming to terms with the quiet, everyday cruelty that existed in the world was so much harder than fighting an obvious villain.

"I don't show you this to upset you," Aizawa said quietly at the end. "Though I can see that many of you are, which is understandable. I show you this so that you might remember the struggles that other people go through, and think of ways we can all help to improve our society. If you are in any doubt, you can always start with yourself, and work on shedding any unjust prejudices that you find yourself carrying. If you want to talk about this, or anything else that's bothering you, you can find me in the staff room - or speak to any of your other teachers if you feel more comfortable."

When Aizawa left the classroom as abruptly as always, a dark cloud seemed to remain hanging over their heads, even after the bell shrilled to signal the end of the day. Everyone seemed reluctant to move from their seats, exhausted and weighed down by heavy thoughts. Shouto thought he saw Kirishima dashing at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, and Kaminari was clinging to the fluffy end of Ojiro's tail.

Finally, Iida stood up with a clatter. "Come along, we shouldn't be lingering in the classroom when we have homework to do! We can think more about what Aizawa-sensei said back in the dorms."

The silence thus broken, there was a general rustle of bags being picked up, jackets being pulled on, and friends' hands being held as 1A began filtering out of the classroom. Shouto packed up and followed suit; being one of the last out, he was perfectly placed to see when Bakugou suddenly let out a string of venomous curses under his breath, grabbed a quiet Midoriya by the arm, and towed him forcefully out of the room. Frowning, Shouto followed them to the door, ready to intervene if needed, but was mollified when he saw them heading towards All Might's gangly figure at the end of the hallway.

The next couple of hours were quiet; people gravitated into small conversations with their friends, neglecting the usual fray of excitement that followed the end of the school day. Shouto found that he was worried about Midoriya - why had Bakugou pulled him away like that? - so he lingered in the common room, trying to read but mainly just staring at the words on the page. Satou was in the kitchen, and Sero was reading on the other sofa, but everyone else had disappeared upstairs.

Eventually, Sero sighed and closed his manga. "I can't focus at all. Think I'll go bother Kaminari instead, he probably wants company anyway. See ya later, 'Roki,"

To Shouto's surprise, Sero squeezed his shoulder familiarly as he passed the back of the sofa on his way out. It was a brief gesture, friendly and casual, and Shouto was too late to react before Sero had sloped out of the room. Was the hugging catching? Shouto found that he would be pleased if it was; Sero called them 'manga buddies', so maybe he considered Shouto his friend, too.

It wasn't long before Satou left too, leaving Shouto with a huge slice of lemon and yuzu sponge before disappearing with the rest of the cake to distribute it throughout the dorm rooms. Shouto shovelled the cake down gratefully, finding it hit some comforting note purely through its deliciousness, and finally departed for his own room. He would check on Midoriya when he got back, after he'd had a chance to eat and rest.

Before he had any chance to do so, Shouto was jolted out of his limp attempts at studying by a hammering at the door, followed by a snarl in a very familiar voice.

"Oi, Icyhot, open up!"

"It's not locked, Bakug- oh, you already figured that out." Shouto stood from his desk chair as Bakugou barged in. He was still dragging Midoriya by the arm, and Shouto frowned, seeing the drawn, tired lines on both their faces.

"Midoriya? What's going on?"

Bakugou stopped in the middle of the room, eyes fixed on Shouto intently.

"Don't bother asking, the nerd won't tell you," he said, then gritted his teeth. "Just do your-" he gestured vaguely with one hand "- thing or whatever, yeah?"

He then yanked Midoriya forward by the arm, pushing him in front of Shouto, mindless of the way he stumbled. Shouto automatically steadied his friend with a hand on his shoulder, frowning at Bakugou's slouched figure as he abruptly turned to leave.

"Bakugou," Shouto called, before he could disappear from view. Bakugou turned his head only slightly, looking back at him from the corner of his eye. "I don't understand, what thing?"

"Tch." Bakugou scuffed the floor roughly. "Just do that shitty thing you nerds do now. You know, I aint saying it!" And then he was gone, pulling the door closed behind him with a slam.

Shouto finally looked down at Midoriya, frowning with confusion. His friend didn't seem to have any answers though; he was standing silently in front of Shouto, looking off to the side and rubbing his arm. He looked uncomfortable and withdrawn, Shouto thought, and his frown deepened.

"Midoriya? Do you know what Bakugou meant?"

He fidgeted in place, ducking his face to the floor and not meeting Shouto's eyes. "Ah- no, sorry Todoroki. It's okay, I'll get out of your hair now, sorry Kacchan bothered you."

Shouto reached out, catching his shoulder before he could turn away. "Wait, Midoriya. You know you can always talk to me if something is upsetting you, right? It doesn't make sense to suffer on your own when I can be here for you."

Midoriya exhaled shakily. "Yeah," he whispered. "I know, thank you. That means more to me than you know, but… But this is something- I mean, I can't-" He cut himself off with a small, strange noise. Shouto bent his head to catch his expression, and was just in time to see Midoriya's lip wobble dangerously before he bit down on it hard.

"Oh." Shouto said, and then gentled his grip on Midoriya's shoulder. "Then… Can I at least give you a hug?"

Midoriya inhaled sharply, sucking in a hitching breath, and then he was nodding his head frantically. Shouto moved the hand on Midoriya's shoulder, sliding it around his back and pulling him in close. Midoriya went easily, stepping into the shelter of Shouto's arms, hands coming up to grip the back of his shirt.

"S-sorry," Midoriya whispered, and then he pressed his face into Shouto's chest and burst into tears.

With the memories of all of his friends' recent affection and support fresh in his mind, Shouto didn't hesitate. He squeezed Midoriya like Uraraka had squeezed him with her strong, snuggly arms, stood tall as a pillar of strength to lean on like Iida, and used the memory of Tsuyu's calm touch to rub gentle circles on his back. Closing his eyes, Shouto rested his cheek on the soft tangles of Midoriya’s hair.

"It's okay," Shouto murmured, not sure if it really was okay but determined to make it so either way. "You're not alone, I'm here."

If anything, that made Midoriya cry harder, shaking with sobs that he muffled in Shouto's chest. Shouto could feel the dampness of tears spreading on his shirt, but he didn't mind; he just wanted Midoriya to feel better, and if that meant letting out some tears, then that was okay. Feeling brave with his newfound hugging skills, Shouto slid one hand up and stroked the back of Midoriya's head, flattening curls under his fingers as he murmured random things he imagined were comforting.

He didn't know how long they were there as Midoriya cried himself out, but slowly, very slowly, his sobbing quieted and his breaths started to calm. The feeling of the hug changed, then, as Midoriya's crying gave way to a final few hiccups. His fingers released their death grip on the back of Shouto's shirt, instead spreading to press warm palms against his shoulder blades, and his arms suddenly seemed to hold Shouto just as much as Shouto was holding him. Midoriya nestled his cheek into Shouto's damp shirt, and they both sighed softly.

And ah, yes; this was Shouto's favourite hug.

Midoriya's embrace was warm and somehow heartfelt. He hugged Shouto like he meant it, kindness radiating from him like a furnace. Shouto was the one offering the support this time, yet he still felt so safe, so… cherished.

Midoriya sighed again, holding Shouto tighter. "I'm sorry about that," he said quietly. "And thank you."

"No, Midoriya, you have nothing to be sorry about." He stroked his wild hair once more, just because he could. "And I'm the one who should say thank you. Thank you so much for being there for me. I know it was you who told the others to start hugging me."

Midoriya looked up at him, startled. "What- How did you know?!"

Shouto snorted. "It's the kind of thing only you would think of, Midoriya."

"I just wanted to help," he muttered, sounding a little embarrassed.

"And you did. So thank you."

Midoriya looked up at him again, earnest and determined. "Well, thank you for putting up with me crying all over you, even though I didn't explain."

Shouto felt warm from head to toe. "Any time. That's what friends are for, right?"

A look of delight spread across Midoriya's face, banishing all lingering shadows with the strength of its shine. "Right!"

And Shouto smiled, wider and freer than he could remember in a long time.