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The first night you met Shouto Todoroki was at a college party. It wasn’t something you’d typically attend, preferring to hide in your dorm room with a good book or Netflix, but you’d made an exception. Just this once. Finals were out of the way, and one Mina Ashido had begged you to attend with her. Though now you’re remembering why you don’t go to parties.
The music thrummed through every inch of you, heavy bass making your ears ring. Campus police were probably called, but you doubted the hosts would care too much. They’d get a slap on the wrist at worst fraternities and sororities were the money makers for Universities after all.
It was the final party of the semester for Zeta Chi Alpha, and they’d gone all out. There were multiple reasons to celebrate, but you figured it was just an excuse to throw one last unhinged rager before everyone went home for winter break. Mina had introduced you to a few people, and there had been some familiar faces as well. Namely her boyfriend, Eijirou.
Eijirou was the quintessential golden-retriever type boyfriend. He was a ray of sunshine, unlike his surly roommate, Katsuki, who acted like it would kill him to do anything but snark and scowl. The two were polar opposites, how they became the best of friends you’d never know.
The redhead greeted Mina with a peck on the cheek, and you with a toothy grin. Another characteristic of his, always smiling. Katsuki on the other hand, graciously acknowledged your existence with a rough grunt. Ah. Eijirou had probably dragged him out of hiding for this. You could relate, Mina had practically dragged you too.
But you’d passed all your finals with flying colors, except Organic Chemistry and you’d take that B+ with pride damn it, so tonight was a night to celebrate. To wash off all the stress from studying until the wee hours of the night and let loose.
You helped yourself to some red fruity concoction that Mina had recommended (“you can barely taste the alcohol!” she’d shouted over the music) and found that she was actually right. There was a pleasant burn, but otherwise no aftertaste. A smile crossed your face as you took another sip.
Around halfway through your first cup Mina stopped her conversation with a gasp and the motion of a southern woman clutching her pearls. “Oh my god, is that Shouto?” She half yelled “in the flesh?” He’d arrived with two other people, a boy with green hair that you recognized as one of Katsuki’s “friends”, and a pretty brunette all dressed in effervescent pink. The green haired boy looked over at Mina’s exclamation and offered a shy wave before bursting out into a smile at the sight of Katsuki. Confusion echoed through you, that wasn’t normally the reaction the grumpy hothead got. Before you could ask though, they’d already made their way over. The green haired one, you soon learned, was Izuku Midoriya. He was a legend in the sports department, but you were never one to pay much attention to it. You knew his name, that he played volleyball, but that was it.
The pretty brunette was Ochako Ururaka. She was in nursing, that much you knew from being on the outskirts of the friend group. From the sounds of it, she was almost always on Izuku for making risky moves and putting his body on the line for playing too hard. But you overheard that at least he hadn’t broken any bones this year, and that made you wonder how exactly someone could break their leg in a non contact sport like volleyball.
Then there was Shouto. Apparently he was a rare sight outside of the engineering department. Hence Mina’s lighthearted jab about seeing him.
He remained stoic against the onslaught of noise and music, only managing a small smile and wave at his friends. He looked so… out of place. Where most were in t-shirts and jeans, he was in pressed slacks and a button down shirt.
You were smitten at first glance.
Mina, seeing your gaze and your jaw on the floor, patted your shoulder with a smirk. You got the feeling that this wasn’t the first time he’d received this reaction, and you doubted it would be the last. He was so gorgeous it was hard not to stare, but you managed to tear your eyes away and clear your throat. Your face burned and you excused yourself to the bathroom to splash some water on your face.
You navigated the fraternity house with hesitation. You’d been here once or twice, mainly waiting in the large living room while Eijirou got dressed for whatever event Mina was dragging the two of you to. You moved through the throngs of people, feeling claustrophobic and small. You placed your cup on a side table, leaving it while you finally broke free of the crowd to get to the bathroom.
The door closed behind you and the music was suddenly muffled. You hadn’t realized how loud the music was until it was suddenly quiet. You felt like your ears were ringing. You rubbed them, grimacing slightly. Oh well, it wasn’t like you were going to be here much longer. Mina had dragged you out, and while at first you’d thought this may be a good idea, it was quickly becoming clear that it was too much for you. Too many people, too much noise, just not your idea of a good night. You’d go back to your dorm and celebrate your B+ with a good book or maybe binge a good show. Yeah, that sounded more your speed. You’d have to find an excuse Mina would accept, but it would be for the best. You didn’t want to stick to her like a barnacle all night. She was a social butterfly, and while she’d introduced you to her friends a few times you’d never gone further than polite small talk.
You turned the water on, splashing some on your face. The coolness brought you back down to Earth just a little bit. Yeah, this was definitely too much.
A loud banging on the door startled you, and you quickly vacated the room. You recognized a blond that you’d met a handful of times. Maybe you’d had a class together once or twice? You didn’t make eye contact as you moved from the doorway so he could enter. Retracing your steps, you grabbed your cup and made your way to the laughing pink-ette to make your quick escape.
“I’m gonna go-” you started, though the words died on your tongue with the look Mina gave you.
“Absolutely not! You’re always hiding in our room! You’re staying at least another 15 minutes. Please?” She asked, eyes going wide in the way they always did when she wanted something. Damn her. She knew exactly how to get you.
“...fine. But then I’m leaving.” You warned. She grinned like the cat that got the cream. Well, that was…ominous. You never liked when Mina was planning something that she hadn’t told you about. They usually involved meddling of some sort, and you were immediately wary. She batted her eyes in an innocent way and you just gave her a look that said you weren’t buying it. “I’m at least going out to the front yard where it’s less loud” you got out, not waiting for her reply before quickly walking away. Well, as quickly as you could with the alcohol kicking in. Your legs felt a little jelly-like. Oh well, you were a lightweight and knew it. You hadn’t even questioned the alcohol content of the drink Mina handed you, just trying it. While the alcohol taste was disguised by whatever juice and soda they’d blended together, the burn gave away the presence of something stronger than just a beer.
Shit, she’d said someone was bringing out the good stuff didn’t she? Who was it again? Denki? You groaned internally, he was known for having access to high shelf alcohol somehow. (He refused to tell anyone how he was able to get the stuff for cheap, not wanting to reveal his trade secrets, apparently he’d had this access since high school as he’d proudly revealed to you once).
“Excuse me” a soft voice interrupted your thoughts “you forgot this inside”. Confused, you turned around. There he was, in all his ethereal glory. Shouto. Todoroki. He was holding a jacket you immediately clocked as Mina’s. Oh that sneaky devil. You were so going to get her back for this.
“Sorry” you laughed a little awkwardly “that’s not mine, Mina must’ve gotten our things confused.” Like hell she did. She did this on purpose. You were going to use all of her shampoo and conditioner next semester-
“Oh. Mina insisted it was yours. She didn’t want you to get cold outside.” It was barely kissing 60 degrees. It was pleasantly cool. He held the jacket out to you, obligingly. “Please take it, I would hate for you to become ill.” You took a deep breath, you could do this. Just take the damn jacket and he could go back inside and you could continue plotting revenge. You reached out to take it, fumbling slightly. He let go before you had it in hand and you felt yourself fluster.
“Oh, crap I’m so sorry-”
“Oh, my apologies, let me-”
You both spoke at the same time, leaning down simultaneously to retrieve the item. When you looked up your faces were closer together than you expected, and for just a split second you were stunned. His eyes were so…pretty. Mesmerizing even.
“What happened?” You blurted out before you could stop yourself “with your scar?” This question seemed to take him off guard. He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, eyebrows furrowing like you’d presented him with a puzzle. Oh hell, you’d probably offended him- “only if you want to talk about it! You don’t have to tell me anything!” Oh god, you needed to stop talking while you were ahead. He was quiet for a long, excruciating moment before speaking.
“A story for a story” he declared “I will tell you if you tell me something about yourself.” Did… did you just hallucinate? Your confusion must’ve been evident on your face. “It is not often that someone gets brought into our…group. I am curious about you, if you’ll indulge me?”
“I- Okay. That’s fair.” The words tumbled out before you could really think about them.
“My mother tripped while making dinner. She had a kettle of boiling water in her hands and I was within range.” He said it so nonchalantly. Something that was extremely traumatic in its own right, said like was talking about the weather.
“Oh. I am so sorry- I didn’t realize-” You tried to backpedal, horrified about the way you’d asked him about something so traumatic-
A hand on your shoulder shocked you out of your thoughts.
“It is alright. If I was uncomfortable talking about it, I would have said so.” He smiled reassuringly at you and your heart flipped in your chest. “Your turn.” It took you a moment but you figured that asking about his scar meant you could explain one of yours.
“My family always had animals in the house” you explained, stroking the skin of your knuckles absently. A small white knot of scar tissue was visible. “One day a dog was barking at a fence and I stopped to let it sniff my hand. I guess I stuck my hand in the fence and it was territorial. So it bit me.” You grimaced at the memory. Running home holding a bloodied hand and scrambling to find bandages that would stick with the awkward placement of the wound. “When I got home, I cleaned up the bite and immediately cuddled up to my dog at home. I didn’t want to be afraid of dogs, even slightly. So I thought if I curled up with my dog, I wouldn’t be afraid.” You laughed awkwardly. “It wasn’t the dog’s fault. I misread his body language.”
“That must have been frightening” he murmured, peering at the scar tissue you were running your hand over. Unless you pointed it out you’d never even know it was there. Silence descended on the two of you for a moment.
“Who dragged you here?” You asked, feeling a little looser lipped than normal. There was a guy who was singularly focused on you. A very attractive one at that. You didn’t want to stop talking to him, not when the alcohol had you feeling not quite as nervous as normal. He quirked up an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” He sounded…amused?
“This doesn’t seem like a place you would hang out. Not looking like” you gestured to his outfit “like you were going to a job interview.” He smiled, a chuckle escaping him.
“Well I am in the fraternity, so it would make sense that I am ‘hanging out’ in my own home so to speak.” Your mouth dropped open.
“You’re in the fraternity? You?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“You just look like the opposite of a frat boy?”
“To be fair, Zeta Chi Alpha is an academic fraternity. Very few ‘normal’ fraternity activities. At least until Eijirou and Denki came along.” He smiled fondly. “They were adamant about experiencing everything university had to offer the ‘right’ way” He put quotation marks around ‘right’. You nodded, that seemed pretty in character for the two. “Katsuki goes along with it because he knows that Mina and Eijirou will drag him forcefully out of his room if he doesn’t at least make an appearance.” You looked at him like he’d grown a second head.
“Mina? Like tiny, fashionista, 120 pounds soaking wet, Mina? She helps Eijirou wrangle Katsuki?” The thought of your tiny roommate making Katsuki do anything against his will didn’t quite compute.
He nodded solemnly. “She is very…resourceful… when she is determined.” You laughed. You knew firsthand what your friend’s single minded focus could do, and the lengths she would go.
The conversation went in much the same vein. Swapping stories with one another, laughing, noticing small details about Shouto. His expressions were minute but you could see them if you looked close enough. The way he would pout when regaling tales of his friends teasing him for being sheltered, the way his lip twitched upwards when you told him something he found amusing, the gleam in his eye when he spoke of mischief.
You stayed much longer than the 15 minutes you’d promised Mina. All was going so well, perfect even.
Until you took a sip of your drink.
You knew what was going to happen about ten seconds before it did. Bile rose in your throat, whatever you’d just drank was NOT yours and it tasted like liquid sewage. As quick as you could drunkenly make it, you got over to the grass and retched. The contents of your stomach made a surprise, and unwelcome, reappearance on the perfectly manicured lawn of a university frat house. You cursed your luck. Having someone you’d enjoyed an evening with, and now you were going to end it by puking your guts out not even ten feet away. Great.
You were so caught up in your internal struggle that when Shouto pulled your hair out of your face it came as a shock. He held the hair with one hand, and then rubbed his other down your back in a soothing manner. It did little to help, making you hyper aware of where he touched. Even as you heaved.
When the worst of it subsided, you were a mess. Tears were running messily down your face and your mouth tasted acrid. “I’m so sorry-“ you tried to start, wanting to salvage the night and maybe some of your dignity. He seemed unbothered by any of it, hand still resting on your back. He handed you a towel (when had he gotten that?) and you wiped your face gratefully.
“You are fine” his voice was calm, soothing in a way that made you feel safe. Then strong arms gathered you close and pulled you into a soft hug. “Do you feel better?” Unable to speak, you nodded. Your face was flushing, god you were never going to hear the end of it from Mina. “Good. Follow me, you can stay in my room-“ wait, his room?
“You’re in the fraternity?” You asked, mouth hanging open just a little. That couldn’t be right. He just seemed so…so nerdy. He smiled, the corner of his lip curling in a very distracting manner. “Yes” from his tone he’d already said something about it, but he found you endearing rather than irritating. “Oh” you replied lamely, mentally kicking yourself. He stood, offering you a hand and you took it gratefully. He led you through the house to a room towards the back. You could hear people talking in another room but it all felt so far away when Shouto was holding your hand to lead you to his room.
Of course your brain supplied some rather unhelpful imagery of what “returning to someone’s room” could also mean. Your heart fluttered in your chest before you squashed it down. He was just helping out a friend of a friend, and he had just watched you throw up. Still you couldn’t help but notice how warm his hand was in yours, how they seemed to fit so well together. It was all very distracting.
“Here” he said, opening the wooden door to reveal the room to you. It wasn’t decorated with much, very utilitarian in style. Though upon closer inspection you saw a few family photos. Shouto shepherded you to the bed, carefully making sure that you were under the blanket and tucked in gently. All at once the fatigue hit you like a freight train. You managed to mumble out a good night before passing out in his bed. You missed his fond smile, how his eyes softened when your face relaxed in sleep, and his quiet murmur of “good night, angel” in reply.