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Smoke filled Izuku's lungs and he coughed violently, his throat scratchy and raw.
In hindsight, he shouldn't have fallen asleep while the cinnamon rolls were still in the oven—especially when he hadn't cleaned the sticky shelf from the day before—but he could’ve sworn he’d set a timer! Izuku knew he should've checked to make sure that it had turned on properly, but his eyelids had fluttered shut as soon he'd collapsed onto the sofa in the breakroom.
At least they were wide open now…
Well, as much as they could be when smoke and ash kept trying to fly into them; tears streamed down his soot-covered face as he tried to navigate this way through his bakery. To Izuku's dismay though, his only way out was through the kitchen, which was currently ablaze. He might've been clumsy, but he knew not to open the door and engulf himself in flames.
Over the crackling of the fire and the blaring smoke alarm, he heard a very faint siren and sighed with relief. Not long now and he'd be able to breathe properly—unless he somehow managed to get himself killed in the time it took his saviour to reach him. Izuku bit his lip with worry and dropped to the floor, remembering his fire safety training refresher from a few months ago.
Even when he crouched down though, the air felt thick and sweat dripped down his face; his hair was plastered to him and each exhale came out as a wheeze. It also didn't help that everything started to feel fuzzy, forcing his eyelids to droop.
The sound of wood smashing filled his ears, but Izuku didn't pay it any mind. It sounded like someone was saying something, but he couldn't seem to focus. It was only when strong hands wrapped around him and he was swiftly lifted and thrown over a broad shoulder that an undignified squeak escaped his mouth; he realised he was being rescued.
It was difficult to see anything except the smoke and the person's uniform, but they looked like they had a cute butt—from that angle anyway. Izuku shook his head at that and groaned at his mind's messed up priorities.
'Not long now and we'll be out of here.' A deep voice called out, close to his ear, obviously misinterpreting his groan as a response to something painful. Izuku almost made another noise, but refrained when the voice added, 'You're safe with me.'
Izuku believed him.
They made it outside and the blinding sun shone down on them, causing Izuku to blink rapidly: his eyes stung terribly. He tried lifting his hand to rub them, but was interrupted by the fireman shifting him from his shoulder and into a bridal carry, before an oxygen mask was then slipped over his face.
Izuku caught the end of a lecture about how rubbing his eyes could irritate them, but he had to admit, he was too busy admiring the blurry face of his saviour to properly comprehend what was being said.
Strands of red and white hair poked out from under his helmet, sticking to his temples and curling around his ears. His face had splodges of soot scattered around, making his grey and turquoise heterochromia stand out like a beacon of hope, the light reflected off them like he was a shounen protagonist. As well as the soot, an aged burn scar painted his face, surrounding the blue eye, reminiscent of an oasis in a desert.
He was insanely beautiful.
'Can you tell me your name?' That wonderful voice spoke again and Izuku shook himself. He tried not to make an undignified noise when a large hand then removed his oxygen mask so he could answer.
He's holding me up using one hand!
'M- Midoriya Izuku.' He couldn't tell if his heated cheeks were a result of the flames or from being under the intense gaze of the deity currently holding him in his arms, now that the mask had been returned.
'Okay, Midoriya. My name is Todoroki Shoto. Do you know if anyone else was inside with you around the time of the fire?'
He shook his head.
Todoroki spoke into his walkie talkie, before returning his attention to Izuku. 'Are you in any pain? You weren't responding when I found you.'
'Er.' He raised a crooked hand to shakily remove the mask, as Todoroki gently placed him down on a stretcher atop the grass. Once settled, he then crouched next to him, listening attentively. 'Wheezing when I breathe and my eyes hurt.' He paused to cough. 'I can't feel any burns, but I know that could either be really good or really bad news.'
'Okay, try to breathe with me.' Todoroki urged, each breath audible and deliberate, as he reached for a first aid kit and a stethoscope. He slipped the latter around his neck and nodded. 'That's good. Now, there's no paramedics on the scene yet, but I'm a qualified EMT, so we'll work through what we can. I'm going to lift your shirt now, okay?'
My shirt?!
Izuku had a lot of feelings about that request, but he doubted any of them were fully okay, given the situation. Instead, he just nodded with a squeak as gloved hands lifted his shirt—not having an apron to also wrestle with—and he was inspected for any burns.
Todoroki hummed his approval, concentrating hard, and Izuku had to remind himself that this poor man wasn't checking him out in any way; he was just glad he wasn't injured and thus more work.
… Maybe that last part was just a product of Izuku's own negative self-worth, but whatever.
'No burns, that's good. I'm going to listen to your breathing now, okay? This may be a bit cold.' Todoroki brought the end of the stethoscope towards him and Izuku winced, despite the warning. 'Good job. Now, take a deep breath for me. In...'
Izuku obeyed without question and held it, until he was instructed further. He repeated the process another few times with more mixed results, before Todoroki pulled away and lowered Izuku's shirt. He then gathered a blanket and wrapped Izuku in the soft material.
‘You likely have mild smoke inhalation, so keep the oxygen mask on for now, but they’ll want to do a chest x-ray and bloods when you’re taken to the hospital for a more thorough diagnosis.’ Todoroki recited, to which Izuku could only nod, admiring the little crease in his brow. ‘Now, I’m going to-’
Before he could continue, the ambulance approached. The sound of the deafening siren drowned Izuku's ears and he let out a pained noise at the volume.
'Not a fan of loud noises?' Todoroki looked at him understandingly. 'I used to be the same.'
Izuku supposed Todoroki would be in the wrong line of work if he was still bothered by it, but it was sweet of him to share that little detail with Izuku nonetheless.
His entire thought process then turned to mush when the firefighter lifted him into his arms once more and carried him to the ambulance, where a paramedic immediately began fussing over him. Once laid on a bed, Izuku caught Todoroki relaying information to another paramedic, before nodding his head in farewell.
'Wait!' Izuku exclaimed, throwing off the oxygen mask and coughing violently. The paramedic chastised him, but he quickly waved them off, too focused on getting Todoroki's attention.
However, when dichromatic eyes turned to meet his own, Izuku floundered and felt his face redden. He wanted to say so much, yet he could only manage a stuttered, 'Th- Thank you.'
All of them were silent, then a small smile appeared on Todoroki's face. Izuku felt his heart squeeze.
'You're in safe hands now, Midoriya. Put the mask back on.'
As the firefighter hopped out of the ambulance and ran back towards the action, only one thought was on Izuku's mind.
I was already in safe hands.
Izuku shouldn't be nervous.
It was just a gift to convey his gratitude. Surely that happened a lot, given the amount of people the fire department had saved. They're probably used to nervous civilians and over-emotional bakers…
… Right?
He sighed and approached the reception desk, where a young man with yellow hair was typing something onto a computer.
'H- Hi, I was just w- wondering if I could drop these off here? They're for T- Todoroki-san.'
A wide grin made its way onto the man's face and he quickly nodded.
'Sure! He's on smoke alarm duty now, but you're welcome to drop by after lunch. I'm sure he'd absolutely love to see you!'
Izuku did not like that eyebrow wiggle.
'Oh! No, it's okay. I'll just-'
'Hey, it's not like you've got a bakery to go back to, right?'
Oof.
The man seemed to realise how insensitive that was and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Ah shit, sorry, man. I didn't mean for that to sound-'
'No, no, it's okay. You're not technically wrong.' Izuku shuffled awkwardly. 'I just don't know if he'd want to see me. I've already caused so many problems.'
'Nonsense!' The man continued, happy to move past the previous exchange. 'It's his job! Plus, Todoroki won't mind, I promise. I actually think he'd appreciate an in-person thank you more. Up to you though, dude.'
Izuku chewed the inside of his cheek, then frowned with determination.
'I'll do it!' He pressed his lips together, then nodded to the basket. ‘But I’d still like to drop these off first.’
Shoto strolled into the station, uniform heavy to accompany his exhaustion.
Home visits were usually fine—be polite, fit the smoke alarm, relay the appropriate information and answer any questions—he just didn’t account for three rambunctious toddlers trying to climb all over him at every given opportunity.
His body was still recovering.
However, the moment his eyes landed on a suspiciously happy Kaminari, alongside an aesthetically pleasing straw basket, Shoto’s previous stress vanished and was immediately replaced with fear. He narrowed his eyes—something was going on.
‘What have you done?' He cut straight to the chase.
'Hello to you too.' Kaminari rolled his eyes, albeit his grin only brightened. 'I haven't done anything. Someone came by to give you a present while you were out. Wish I was that popular.'
Shoto's shoulders relaxed at that, but he was still unsure. It wasn't uncommon for the department to receive cards of gratitude and the occasional bottle of wine for everyone to share.
But a gift specifically for him?
Intrigued, Shoto gingerly peered into the basket and was immediately overwhelmed with the smell of strawberry and white chocolate. There were a dozen muffins, likely flavoured as such to match his hair. However, instead of diving in to take one, he noticed a folded letter placed neatly on top of the snacks. Tilting his head to the side curiously, Shoto reached in to pick it up.
To the gorgeous firefighter Todoroki,
Thank you so much for your hard work and for rescuing me when my bakery was on fire. I really appreciate it, even though it must've put you out excuse the pun. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would've happened. However, what I do know is that you're my hero.
I hope you enjoy the muffins and thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!
Midoriya Izuku ♡
Shoto read the name again and felt his face warm.
Midoriya Izuku... The cute guy with the watery eyes that shone like emeralds. Shoto remembered carrying him out of his bakery a few days ago. He also remembered how Kirishima and Sero had completely laid into him afterwards about how Midoriya was practically drooling over him, staring at him like he was some sort of god, apparently.
Shoto had told them that the man wasn't drooling, thank you very much—he would've noticed. He had, however, refrained from telling them that there was no way someone like Midoriya would ever look twice at someone as disfigured as Shoto.
After he read that letter though… Maybe he was wrong?
'Nawww, you're blushing!' Kaminari's playful voice shook Shoto from his thoughts and he glared. 'Hey, don't get mad. It looks good on you, but maybe you should get in a workout after lunch to release your pent up frustrations, yeah?'
That was… actually a decent idea.
Shoto's eyes softened and he pursed his lips.
'Maybe I will.'
Izuku rubbed his arm awkwardly as he was led down a corridor, towards what looked and sounded like a workout room.
When he'd returned after lunch, the receptionist—Kaminari, if he remembered correctly—had been ecstatic to see him again and said he'd personally escort him up to see Todoroki. Initially, Izuku thought the gesture was out of duty or genuine politeness, but he had to admit he was getting suspicious; Kaminari was practically bouncing with each step.
They eventually came to a stop outside the door labelled "Gym", where muffled grunting could be heard from inside. Izuku swallowed heavily, realising why the man beside him was grinning so connivingly.
'Here we are!" The aforementioned sang, dramatically pushing the door open.
Immediately, Izuku's eyes widened and a deep blush coloured his face.
Todoroki was positioned on the bench press, laid flat as he lifted the barbell—Izuku glanced at the number attached to the weights and swooned. Sweat glistened his body, making his tank top stick to his skin and accentuating his muscular torso; his large pecs, which Izuku had half a mind to bury his face in and never return.
Woah there, calm down.
Each rep was delivered with a low rumble and a deliberate exhale. Izuku was rooted to the spot; it was almost hypnotic. However, Todoroki must've been nearing the end of his set, because his arms soon began to tremble as his pace slowed. The bar hovered above his chest and he groaned as he struggled to make the last rep.
'Dude, you need a hand?' Kaminari called.
The fireman's arms wobbled and his form faltered.
Izuku shot forwards without a second of hesitation and stood over the bench. He reached out and gripped the metal bar, just as Todoroki's arms gave way to fatigue. He supported most of the weight as the two then returned it to the stand. A loud clatter reverberated through the room and Izuku hastily let go to step back. His heart stuttered with anxiety, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have.
'I'm s- sorry.' He fumbled, playing with his hands. 'My body moved before I could think. I didn't mean to just… er…'
'Help me?' Todoroki finished for him, as he sat up and swivelled around to face him. Izuku expected irritation, but instead he was met with a raised eyebrow and the slightest twitch of a smile. 'That's not something you should apologise for. In fact, let me thank you.'
Izuku just shrugged; his eyes darted around the room to avoid the intense gaze being directed at him. When Todoroki spoke again though, he found he couldn't look away for long. 'Midoriya Izuku, right?'
His breath hitched and his heart pounded.
'You remembered?' He whispered, before shaking his head and smiling. He felt giddy.
'You can go now, Kaminari.' Todoroki glanced at his co-worker, who winked as he moonwalked out of the room. Once they were alone, Todoroki sighed and stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. When he then looked at Izuku, there was genuine concern in his expression. 'How're you doing after... everything?'
'G- Good.' Izuku rubbed his arm, face flushed. 'My breathing's back to normal and there's no lasting effects, thanks to you.'
'Hm.' Todoroki flashed him a brief smile—it was fleeting, but beautiful. 'Well, considering the weight you just lifted, I'd be worried if you were still recovering.'
'Yeah, well…' Izuku bit his lip and chuckled nervously. 'The bread doesn't lift itself out of the oven.'
'You're telling me you got as strong as you are from baking?' Todoroki huffed, but there was a hint of playfulness in his eyes. 'Maybe I should take up the craft.'
'Well, based on those muscles, I'd say you certainly don't need it.' Izuku blurted out, before his mouth caught up to him and snapped shut. When the firefighter looked at him expectantly though, he tried again. 'I mean, I… er… I go to the gym too… It's not just bread.'
'Yeah, I figured.' Todoroki smiled again, looking him up and down. Izuku didn't know how to feel about that. 'Oh, thank you for the muffins, by the way. Kaminari said you came by earlier to drop them off.'
'Yeah, I wanted to thank you properly for all your hard work.' His entire body was buzzing with anxiety—why was he so awkward?
'I was just doing my job, Midoriya.' Todoroki forwent the stiff posture to shuffle on his feet and scratch his cheek. It was reassuring; under the confident exterior, the firefighter was just as nervous as he was. 'But… if you really want to thank me… maybe you could give me your number?'
Izuku blinked dumbly. Surely he'd misheard, right?
But no… Todoroki reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He then stared between Izuku and the device, and swallowed heavily. 'That is, only if you want to. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'm not very good at flirting, unfortunately.'
Izuku violently shook his head, before a beaming smile took over his face and he laughed softly. Todoroki was... flirting with him? He had to refrain from squealing with delight.
'I'd love to.' He admitted, taking the phone and adding his contact information. After he finished, he looked up to find Todoroki already gazing at him, dichromatic eyes shining. 'Pretty…'
A blush dusted the fireman's cheeks and Izuku clumsily shoved the device back into his hands, before scrambling to leave the room. 'Anyway, it was lovely talking to you. Thank you again for all your help and for saving my life, I'm really grateful. I hope you enjoy the muffins and get someone to spot you next time you use the bench press so you don't hurt yourself, because then you wouldn't be able to save idiots like me and oh gosh, I'm rambling, okay, BYE!'
Abandoning a startled Todoroki, Izuku practically ran through the building, down the stairs and past reception, before stepping out into the fresh air and exhaling. However, before he could contemplate how much he'd fucked up his chances with the firefighter, his phone suddenly pinged.
The moment Izuku opened the notification, his worry dissipated and he found himself grinning like an idiot.
Unknown Contact [13:48]: You're pretty too, Midoriya. As a qualified expert, I'd even say you're hot.
He bit his lip and fumbled over the screen. Quietly, he murmured to himself, 'What a dork.'
Me [13:49]: I thought you sad you were bad at flirting ;)