Title: three fishes in a tank
Summary: Due to the tragic and early demise of his flat, Todoroki has no other choice but to temporarily move in with Midoriya and Uraraka. And, one thing leading to another, never manages to leave. Midoriya/Uraraka/Todoroki domestic fluff.
Disclaimers: BNHA isn't mine. Chapter titles come from 'Till then my windows ache' from Pablo Nerudo
Betaed by KarmaHope, bless her soul.
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Part I: So I wait for you like a lonely house
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Shouto has always known that his life was destined to go up in flames. His fate was set the moment he manifested his Quirk. Todorokis don't disappear quietly into that cold night. They go out with a bang, and Shouto is certainly no exception to that rule.
Admittedly, he never suspected a gas leak would be his end. Or the end of his flat.
When he moved out of his father's house, Endeavor told him he wouldn't last a month in a normal place without burning everything down. Shouto, with perfect maturity, retaliated by picking the cheapest, most insecure building he could find in the vicinity of his agency. In the two years he's lived there, he hasn't triggered the fire alarm once. Spite has always been his strongest motivator.
So it's just blatantly unfair that he comes home from a five day mission to find his building blasted into oblivion, and it's not even his fault. All Shouto wants is to curl up in his beat-up futon and go comatose for at least twenty-four hours. Is that so much to ask for?
"Todoroki-kun, you're back!"
Shouto slowly turns on his heels. "Ah. Ito-san. Good evening."
It's a terrible evening, really, but that's hardly the poor woman's fault. Unless, of course, she went out of her way to explode his flat herself, which is doubtful. Ito-san is a kind elderly lady who lives in the building in front of his. Well. Used to live, he supposes. They would say hello and comment on the weather when they saw each other. For some unknown reason, she's convinced he's starving himself and often brings him homemade meals. He carries her groceries when he can and makes appropriate noises of appreciation when she cooes over the pictures of her grandkids. It's a well oiled routine, and Shouto likes the simplicity of it.
"Oh dear, you look exhausted!" Ito-san gasps, her wrinkled hand covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry about your flat. There was a gas leak four days ago and...well. You can see for yourself."
"Yes." Shouto eyes the burnt remains of what used to be his building. "I see. Were there any casualties?"
"Thank god, no!" His neighbour shakes her head. "It happened in the middle of the day. Most people were out."
Well, that's something at least. If no one was hurt, then Shouto has no reason to complain. It's fine if all his belongings were destroyed. They're just things. He can buy others. Granted, he can hardly find the tea set Yaoyorozu made for him in some generic store. Or the photo album Fuyumi gifted him. Natsuo's too-large tee-shirts. The annotated cooking books from Sato. The collector CDs Jirou sent him. The thriller novels Tsuyu-chan lent him. The fluffy scarf Uraraka hand-knitted herself. The warm blankets Midoriya left behind when he visited.
The letters from his mother.
"We couldn't find a way to contact you." Ito-san explains softly, her hand resting on his arm in comfort.
"I forgot my phone in my room before I left." Shouto recalls.
He hadn't worried about it. He had his professional phone with him. He trusted his agency to contact him if anything came up. Apparently, his flat exploding didn't count as an emergency. They probably knew better than to disturb him in the middle of a mission. There was nothing he could have done about it anyway.
"Ah, well. That would explain it. Your friends came by to take care of everything in your stead."
"My friends?" Shouto echoes, bemused.
The woman clasps her hands together. "Yes! A fine young man with glasses and a lovely brown-haired miss! And that green-haired fellow. Very good friends that you have there, Todoroki-kun. They were all quite concerned."
Shouto can't help but smile at Ito-san's utter lack of awareness about the hero world. Of course she wouldn't recognize Ingenium, Uravity, or Deku, three of Japan's rising star heroes. She barely even knows who he is and what he does, or what the name Todoroki means. It's refreshing.
Did Iida, Midoriya and Uraraka really come? The thought is equally embarrassing and pleasing. They didn't have to, but it's... nice.
"Oh, silly me!" Ito-chan says out of the blue, pulling out her ancient phone from the pocket of her mantle. "I promised to call that cute young woman when you came home! My memory isn't what it used to be."
Cute young woman? Does she mean Uraraka? "Ito-san, that's not necessary…"
Shouto doesn't want to be a bother. He can manage on his own. It's all fine, there is no need to involve his former classmates any further. They're all very busy heroes and have better things to do than take care of his problems. Shouto can sneak into his agency and sleep there until he figures something out. Or sleep under a bridge. It's not like he's going to die of cold, anyway.
He would do anything but move back there.
"Nonsense! The green-haired one will fret if I don't, Todoroki-kun. I promised I would. Everything is arranged already." Ito-san clicks her tongue disapprovingly before smiling against the phone. "Oh! Hello! Yes, it's Ito, Todoroki-kun's neighbour... yes he's back... alright, see you soon!"
Ito-san puts her phone back in her pocket, ignoring Shouto's wince. "She's on her way! C'mon, let's go wait somewhere warm before we both freeze."
Shouto certainly isn't going to freeze any time soon, but he lets her drag him into her flat and accepts the cup of the tea she offers him without protesting. Clearly, he has no room to decide anything about his own life anymore.
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Ochako isn't proud to admit she laughed when she learnt about Todoroki's flat getting barbequed. Her first reaction was, to quote: "Did he sneeze too hard?" Of course, the whole business became far more serious when she saw the disaster for herself. The sight of the carbonized remains of her friend's building is as crushing as before. Poor Todoroki. His place was a fire hazard and he knew it, but it was terrible luck nonetheless.
"Uraraka," Todoroki greets her evenly as he walks toward her. "You didn't have to come all this way."
Ochako resists the urge to snort. Deku-kun and Todoroki are so alike sometimes it's scary. Both act like they're nothing but huge burdens and their loved ones and cannot be convinced otherwise. It's almost funny, until it's not.
"Hey, Todoroki!" She smiles, standing up from her slouched position against her car. "Don't be silly, of course I had to come." She gestures at his former building for emphasis. "Let's get in, it's freezing outside."
Todoroki opens the door without saying a word. Ochako's very relieved she doesn't have to argue or physically force him to accept their help. She could have, especially considering how exhausted he looks, and was prepared to. Unfortunately, a picture of Uravity dragging a squirming Entropy back to her flat like a caveman bringing back his stolen bride is the last thing she wants to see in the papers when she wakes up tomorrow morning.
Even if it would be hilarious as fuck.
"Thank you for your help," Todoroki says as she sits behind the wheel. "Where exactly are you taking me? Ito-san didn't know."
"Ito-san is such a sweetheart, oh my god," Ochako laughs, cheerfully turning the key in the ignition. "Did you know she doesn't even know who Entropy is? She called Deku Freckles. That was so funny, she's adorable. She spent half an hour gushing about how much of a good boy you were."
She really did. Deku was torn between nodding along furiously and adding his own arguments about 'Why Todoroki Is The Best.' Ochako wouldn't be surprised if her boyfriend had an analysis book filled with trivia about the elusive Todoroki hidden somewhere. What a hopeless dork. Ochako loves that fool so much.
"Ito-san is a very kind person," Todoroki agrees, smiling gently. Well, what counts as smiling for him anyway. Spotting the soft in the middle of the blankness requires experience.
Ochako turns to the right, humming along to the music. "Yep, she is!"
Todoroki nods, staring at the window as they drive by the park. For a second, Ochako has a tenuous hope he won't question her any more. Fat luck with that.
"Uraraka. Are we going to your flat?"
Oh well. Ochako side-eyes her future guest sharply. It's not like he can escape from the car, she activated the door safety. Bitch ain't going anywhere.
"That we are," she chirps. "Our place is the closest to your agency, and we have a spare room."
At least, they do now. They have a room they used to stockpile their stuff like work out equipment and Deku's enormous collection of hero paraphernalia in. They really needed to throw away some of their ever-growing hoard of useless crap anyway. It's all for the best.
Todoroki doesn't seem to agree with that statement. "You don't need to go that far, Uraraka. My sister…"
Sadly for him, Ochako hasn't come to the fight unprepared. She never does.
"Has two babies at home, as you remember. Don't worry, we called her already."
Todoroki-san was rightfully alarmed by her brother's situation and immediately proposed her own home. The poor woman was already overwhelmed with her newborns, and they all agreed it was for the best Deku and Ochako took Todoroki in until he could get back on his feet.
Todoroki frowns. "Natsuo…"
"Out of the country. He wants you to know you're a dumbass for forgetting your phone and that you have to call him asap or he'll fly back to Japan just to smack your head, don't try me Shouto. His words, not mine."
Frankly, Todoroki's siblings are both adorable in their own way. Ochako has never met them before, but Deku seemed to know them pretty well. It's good to know Todoroki has such fierce people in his corner, outside of their former class. Ochako approves whole-heartedly.
"Yaoyorozu…" He tries, getting desperate.
"Lives on the other side of the city, and you know it. C'mon Todoroki." She pouts. "You don't want live with us that bad? I'm offended. I'll have you know we're great roommates."
Well. For a given value of 'great.' They're decent, at least. Sure, Deku breaks their furniture by accident on a weekly basis and Ochako is a champion at burning food, but they have movie nights. Movie nights are important. The rest are details.
"It's not that," Todoroki mumbles, staring down at his lap. "I don't want to bother you. Couples don't need a freeloader squatting their home."
Ochako bites the inside of her cheek anxiously. They're reaching the root of the problem: the uncomfortable and awkward weight of that thing between Deku and Todoroki that exists unacknowledged at the edge of her thing with Deku. She has always known Todoroki had feelings for her boyfriend, perhaps even before he did. It was obvious. After all, Ochako knows better than anyone what a crush on Midoriya Izuku looks like.
It's been five years, and neither Ochako or Todoroki have said anything about their theoretical rivalry in love. She remembers she used to resent him, and he probably reciprocated the feeling. Ochako is no longer the insecure fifteen-year old girl she was, and Todoroki apparently got used to pining from afar. She knows Deku would never betray her trust, and neither would Todoroki.
If only because Deku would have to notice first. His self-consciousness is so deeply rooted in his personality he's unable to tell when someone is interested in him, even if they're hitting on him hard. God knows Ochako had to be brutally honest about her feelings for him to get the message.
Anyway, Ochako completely understands why Todoroki is so reluctant to move in with them, even for a few days. She wouldn't be delighted to constantly share space with her unaccessible crush and his significant other either, but she can't help but think this is her chance to fix the latent unresolved conflict between them.
Todoroki is important to Deku. Hell, Todoroki is important to her. She wants to be friends. She needs for them to be friends.
She stops at the red light and turns toward him decidedly.
"Hey. No, Todoroki, you're not a freeloader. You're not, okay? You're our friend, and your flat exploded. It's terrible what happened to you." She leans sideway, clasping his shoulder. The left one. She can feel his Quirk warming her skin through her gloves. "Please let us help you."
Todoroki blinks at her hand, looking utterly confused. He seems so done with everything. Ochako wants to burrito him in a blanket and let the poor guy rest for at least twelve hours. With eye bags like those, he clearly deserves it. It's unfair he manages to still look attractive despite the exhaustion, but that's just Todoroki for you.
"...Only for a few days," he concedes, sighing.
Ochako barely resists the urge to pump her fist in victory. "Yeah, sure! For as long as you need, buddy. Us from the Deku Squad gotta stick together, amiright?"
Us from the Deku Pining Club gotta stick together, she tactfully doesn't say.
"There is no such a thing as a Deku Squad," he snorts.
"Of course there is! And you're a member of it. No take backs. Deku Squad is forever."
"Seems awful," Todoroki deadpans.
Ochako giggles uncontrollably. No one can deadpan like Todoroki. He glares down like the amount of bullshit he just heard forced his very soul to leave his body as a coping mechanism.
The guy behind her honks furiously. "Green light," Todoroki informs her.
"Jeez. People need to chill."
It doesn't matter, she tells herself as she viciously pushes against the acceleration pedal. She and Todoroki were totally having a moment. Ochako is so going to hit all the friendship bases with this guy even it's the last thing she does, believe it.
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The flat smells like Thai takeout from the small restaurant two streets over when Izuku comes home. It's a familiar enough scent, sadly. His and Ochako's schedules are so full they hardly have the time to cook. She hates cooking, anyway. Izuku doesn't mind it, but he comes back from work after nine pm more often than not.
"I'm back," he says loudly over the sounds of the TV as he puts his coat and his shoes in the entrance closet.
"Welcome back," Ochako answers from the living room.
Izuku walks in to find his girlfriend sitting under the kotatsu, a pile of empty food packaging in front of her. She's writing a report on her laptop, paying little attention to the baseball match playing on the TV. Ochako needs to have background noises. She doesn't like long silences.
Facing her is a lump of blankets that looks vaguely human shaped, spread halfway across the low table.
"Is that...Todoroki?" Izuku gasps, bending on the side to stare under the improvised hood. It looks like his best friend, but it's hard to say with the violently pink quilt covering his head.
"Yep," Ochako smirks. She's likely very happy with herself for burying poor Todoroki under fluffiness. "Ito-san found him wandering in front of his building. I told you he wouldn't call."
Oh, c'mon. What was Todoroki planning to do, sleep in the streets? Izuku knows he doesn't have much room to talk, but even he's not that bad at asking for help.
"Todoroki-kun, really," he moans, pinching the bridge of his nose. The lump doesn't react to the jab. "Is he asleep?"
Ochako reaches out to pat what is probably the top of Todoroki's head. "Yeah. He just came back from his mission. He looked dead on his feet."
Concern bubbles in his chest. It's not his place, Izuku knows this, but he doubts he'll ever manage to not worry about his friend. He can't help it. Anxiety is in his nature, and Todoroki has plenty of issues to be anxious about.
If he thought he could get away with it, he would just snuggle Todoroki, where he would be safe and warm and happy, and would never let go. The longing, the urge to protect is so strong sometimes he feels like he's drowning under the weight of it.
It scares him. It's wrong of him to feel like this toward his friend. Toward anyone, really. He knows he's never felt so overwhelmed by the same overprotective urges toward his own girlfriend. To be fair, Ochako might murder him if he triedhas the absurd idea to try coddling her.
"How was your day?" Ochako interrupts his musings. She has that knowing glint in her eyes, as if she can tell exactly what he was thinking about. Izuku wouldn't be surprised.
"Oh, it was alright. My intern got injured again." For the third time in two months. It figured that Izuku would get protegés just as bad as he used to be. As he still is, admittedly.
"Ehe, poor Reim," Ochako chuckles. She gestures at an unopened box next to her. "I bought shrimp noodles. Your favorite. Not sure it's still warm though."
Frankly, at this point, Izuku is so hungry he would eat anything. He sits down, slides under the kotatsu and sighs blissfully at the smell of food coming from the box as he tears open the lid. "You're an angel."
"Pfff, sure. You're easy to please, Izuku."
He slurps his noodles, watching the match distractedly as Ochako types on her laptop. By the time Izuku has finished his meal, Todoroki still hasn't moved. Odd. From what Izuku remembers of their dorm days, the man is a pretty light sleeper. He must be really, really tired. Understandable, considering the day he just had.
"Do you think..." Izuku asks eventually. "Do you think he's going to stay?"
His friendship with Todoroki has been somewhat stiff since he and Ochako moved in together a year ago. They were still friends but... Izuku doesn't know. Todoroki always finds excuses not to come to their place. He never minded coming to Izuku's mother's house before Izuku moved out.
"Well, if he leaves, he won't get far," Ochako declares flatly. "I snuck a tracker in his PJs."
"Ochako."
"Aha, don't look at me like that, I'm kidding!" She grins, blowing a raspberry at him. "Honestly? I don't know. We'll see, I guess."
Uncertainty. Izuku hates it. His mind can't help but try to fill the blanks. Inevitably, Izuku ends up obsessing over the issue, thinking, thinking, thinking. It's a vicious circle, and he always falls back into it, one way or another. His brain wouldn't know how to chill if his life depended on it.
"Yeah, I guess."
"I know it's impossible for you, but try not to worry too much about it. He's not going to be found dead in a ditch in any case, 'kay?" Ochako smiles, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Hey, look at that, it's kinda late. I'll carry our big boy to his room."
Izuku straightens. When he speaks, his voice is hoarse. "I-I can do it, Ochako! You already did so much…"
"Are you saying I can't do it on my own, Deku-kun?" She smiles when she stands up.
It's her 'Watch Me, Bitch' smile. Izuku knows better than to go against her when her competitive instincts are all flared up and ready to lash out. "No?"
"Good!" His scary girlfriend chirps, revealing Todoroki's deeply asleep face as she removes the blankets from his face.
Ochako lightly touches Todoroki's arm with her five fingers. He doesn't wake even as he floats into the air and ends up in her arms. Izuku doesn't think he's ever seen the man so out of it in their five years of friendship, including three years in the same dorm. What did Ochako put in his tea?
He tries to stare too obviously at them waddling toward the spare room. Considering the smirk Ochako sends his way, he doubts he succeeds.
This is gonna be a long week.
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There are few things Shouto hates more than idleness. People who don't work constantly are trash. Scum. Useless. This lesson was beat into him since his earliest childhood. He never managed to grow out of it, despite knowing how shitty and fucked up that mentality is. Doing nothing is more stressful than relaxing to him.
So he works. And when he's not working, he trains. And when he's not training, he sleeps. When he fails to keep himself sufficiently occupied, he inevitably starts thinking. By thinking, he really means brooding. About his father. About his life. About Midoriya. Soon enough he gets himself all angry, pissed off and sad, and he would rather not. There's no point.
It's a valid coping mechanism, if not particularly healthy. It works for Shouto, so he's sticking to it. Unfortunately, his agency gave him two weeks off to sort things out with his flat, so he has no work to use as a refuge. Which also means he doesn't have access to the training grounds until he's cleared by the agency's doctor. Apparently, Shouto is getting close to burnout. As if he hasn't been burning out his whole life.
Soon enough, Shouto finds himself with nothing to do. He calls his agency. He calls his landlord. He calls his siblings. He calls his insurance, and fills all the paperwork. He should probably look into a new flat to rent or go buy new clothes, but the simple thought of going out and leaving the safety of the flat is exhausting. Midoriya said it was fine if Shouto borrowed his clothes. They hardly fit Shouto's frame, but it's good enough for him. It's not like he cares if Midoriya or Uraraka sees him swimming in his sweatshirt.
Which leaves him with literally nothing to do by the end of his first morning at Midoriya's and Uraraka's apartment. They're both gone at work of course, after assuring him he should make himself at home in their absence.
Shouto doesn't know what to do. So, he decides to make himself useful by cleaning. He finds cleaners, cloths, and dusters under the sink, as well as an ancient vacuum hidden in the closet. He tells himself he's just going to clean the dishes, scrub the kitchen and vacuum a bit. Before he knows it, he's hunting down dust bunnies under the furniture, rubbing the windows until the glass is spotless, and oiling the joints of the doors. The basket of dirty laundry is really tempting but he manages to hold himself back. It's not okay to touch his friends' underwear without their permission. It's not.
For the record, Shouto doesn't have a problem with dirt. He's not a neat freak, no matter what everyone in the dorm used to say.
"Wow," Midoriya says when he comes home, breathless as he catches sight of his kitchen. "What the hell. My sink is shining. I had no idea it could even do that."
"Welcome home," leaves Shouto's mouth before he can hold it back. The sheer domesticity of it makes him want to curl up on the floor in shame. Shouto is not in his goddamn house, greeting his spouse, and he needs to remember that.
He hasn't been here for twenty-four hours, and he's already messing it up. Fucking feelings.
"Ehe, I'm back!" Midoriya smiles widely, so brightly Shouto fears for the safety of his retinas. "Oh my god. You cleaned everything."
Shouto winces. He overdid it again. They never said Shouto could go ahead and invade their privacy so callously just because he was bored. "...Yes. I apologize for my rudeness. I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries."
"No, no, you didn't overstep anything, Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya denies earnestly. "I'm just genuinely astonished. I have never seen our place so clean and tidy before, ahaha! Thank you for your hard work."
"Oh," Shouto says, stupidly. "You're welcome?"
Midoriya inspects the windows and the floor, looking adorably enthusiastic and in awe. "That's so nice of you, but you really didn't have to! You're supposed to rest."
Shouto did rest. He rested so much Uraraka had to carry him to his futon like a toddler. How embarrassing. "I'm feeling fine, Midoriya."
"No offence, but I don't trust you that much with your own health, Todoroki-kun." His friend shakes his head, midway between disapproval and amusement. "We're very happy to have you, you know? You don't have to feel obligated to do all that stuff for us."
But he does. Shouto doesn't want to be a freeloader, living off Midoriya and Uraraka's kindness without giving anything in return. And it makes him foolishly, viciously satisfied to make Midoriya grateful. He did this. He made Midoriya happy.
"Does that mean I should throw away the meal I prepared?"
Midoriya literally lights up at the prospect. "Food? Homemade food? Where."
"In the fridge. I scrounged something up with what I found."
Midoriya chuckles sheepishly. "Yeeeah...we're not very well stocked, I admit. And Ochako always buys the cheapest stuff even though we can afford better. Old habits die hard, I guess."
It's understandable. Money is a complicated matter for Uraraka, for good reasons. Shouto doesn't mind. He made it a point to refuse any financial 'help' from his father, so he's not exactly living high on the hog either.
Midoriya opens the fridge curiously. Stares at the meal Shouto cooked. Closes the door. "Todoroki. Where did you learn to cook like that?"
"My sister taught me." Shouto blinks. Memories of quiet afternoons in the kitchens with Fuyumi flash in the back of his mind. "Why, does it look weird?"
Midoriya shakes his head with amused disbelief. "No. No, it looks really, really good. I hope you realizes this means Ochako is never letting you leave now."
Shouto snorts, skeptical. He has no doubt Uraraka can't wait to get him out of her way. Food or no food.
.
Ochako has been playing a game since she was old enough to read price tags. The game is called 'More Food For Less Money'. Basically, the point is to get a large amount of supply without paying much. Ochako and her parents are all very good at this game. They have been playing for a long time, after all. They know all about promotions and coupons.
Deku, however, isn't very good at the game. He just picks whatever attracts his fancy. 'Hey, this looks good, Ochako!' or 'Eeeeh, I haven't eaten pork in forever!', throwing expensive shit in her cart without paying much attention to the expense. It's physically painful for Ochako to keep her cool at his casual shopping habits. It's not Deku's fault that Ochako is weird about money. Intellectually, she knows they can absolutely afford it. She just can't help herself.
She honestly expected Todoroki to be worse than Deku, and had prepared herself for that eventuality. Todoroki is a Todoroki. He's a fancy posh kid, raised in luxury. She's not even resentful about it, it's just how it is. It's only natural he wouldn't go for the cheapest stuff. Or so she assumed.
The joke's on her, because her partner in today's grocery shopping got how she worked pretty fast and avoided the most expensive stuff without needing to be asked to. That was... a huge relief, really. Ochako didn't think she would have fun shopping with him.
"Soba, eh?" She chuckles when Todoroki returns to her cart with his arms full of boxes.
"I like soba. I'll pay for it, of course."
"Nah, I like soba too." Ochako laughs at the utter seriousness in his face. God, Todoroki needs to learn to chill. Pun intended. "What next?"
Todoroki squints at the list he wrote on his phone. "Meat?"
"Meat, it is!" Ochako cheers as she pushes her cart toward the cold aisle, resisting the urge to run. It's too bad she doesn't have the excuse of youth to justify her childish behavior. Ochako used to be good at cart racing, with her Quirk. "Do you want to go to the mall after we're done?"
"I need to buy a new phone and clothes. I can't keep borrowing Midoriya's underwear," Todoroki says. Ochako valiantly tries to ignore the unasked-for visual of a blank-faced Todoroki wearing her boyfriend's dorky underpants. Deku has so much All Might-themed underwear it's practically indecent. "You don't have to come with me, though."
Ochako grins. "Ehe, we're already here anyway. It's fine, I don't mind. So, what kind of meat, chief?"
Todoroki bends forward, staring at the different products with professional consideration. Ochako can't help the shudder of excitement running down her spine at the prospect of homemade meals. She loves food, but hates cooking, and neither she nor Deku have the time anyway. And Todoroki, surprisingly, is a really good cook. An appreciable bonus she didn't expect to get from their temporary arrangement.
"Beef?" He decides, handing the cut of his choice to her.
Ochako eyes the price suspiciously. It's not the really expensive stuff, but it's not cheap, either.
"I could make tonkatsu with that." Todoroki casually adds. "Your choice."
Oh god, she would literally die for tonkatsu. "Deal!"
Ochako is so happy she's almost bouncing with enthusiasm. She hadn't realized how much she missed homemade meals. They keep rolling down the aisle, chattering as they pick what they need at a leisure pace. Well. Ochako chatters, and Todoroki sometimes responds with more than a nod. It's fine, she doesn't mind carrying the conversation. She's used to it, really.
On their way to the cash register, Ochako stops at the biscuit aisle, biting her bottom lip as she glares at the sweet treats enviously. She's a grown ass woman, for fuck's sake. She can't be caught buying Pocky anymore.
"You like those things, right?" Todoroki says pensively. "I never tried it."
Ochako gasps with horrified disbelief. "You've never had Pocky?"
The man shrugs. "No. I wasn't allowed to as a kid."
"Not allowed to have Pocky. What the hell? What kind of travesty is this?" Ochako mumbles furiously to herself as she fills the cart with five different flavors.
Never had pocky. Ochako can't just let that kind of shit fly. This is unacceptable.
.
.
There is something deeply soothing about meetings with Iida-kun. Usually, Izuku gets nervous talking with fellow pro heroes, considering the very high possibility of his babbling mouth getting him in trouble. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Izuku embarrassed himself because of his anxious habits.
But it's different with Iida. There is practically nothing about Izuku's awkward personality the former class representative hasn't seen before, and he's still his friend anyway. And such a good friend too. Izuku is very lucky to be surrounded by good people.
"And that's the extent of what we know about the villain Crimson," Iida declares as he closes the folder he brought with him. "I hope this is sufficient intel for you, Midoriya-kun."
Izuku nods along, already adding the new data to the profile he keeps in his head. There are strong suspicions this particular villain is involved in his current mission, and Iida has encountered him before. His input to Izuku's case is priceless. "Yes, thank you so much! It's very nice of you to come in person."
Iida straightens in his seat, puffs his chest, and adjusts his glasses. "But of course! I would do nothing less for my fellow heroes!"
Of course. Iida makes it sound so obvious, but Izuku knows for a fact most of his 'fellow heroes' certainly wouldn't do the same. Some consider their success more important than helping people or their colleagues. They would rather let a villain escape than risk doing a service to the 'competition.'
Their world can be harsh and unforgiving, at times. But that's the world Izuku chose to live in, knowing perfectly well what he was signing up for.
He smiles fondly at one of his oldest friends."I appreciate it nonetheless."
"You're very welcome. That being said, I must admit my visit isn't devoid of ulterior motives." Iida confesses, looking as serious as usual.
Izuku chuckles at the odd choices of words. How Iida-kun like. "You want news about Todoroki, is that it?"
"Well. Yes. If you don't mind."
Iida was the first on the scene after Todoroki's landlord contacted them indespair, and contacted Todoroki's insurance and his agency himself. He had seen first hand how fucked up the situation was. It's perfectly natural he would be concerned. It's just how Iida is, as a person and as a friend.
"He's doing great, considering the circumstances," Izuku answers honestly. "He hasn't started looking for new places yet, but we love having him around."
That... might not be exactly true. Todoroki has brought up flats, but Izuku always manages to distract him from the matter when it comes up. There's no rush. Todoroki should take the time to rest. He deserves it.
"Really?" Iida-kun says, sounding hopeful and skeptical at the same time. "How's the cohabitation going?"
When they were still trying to figure out what to do with Todoroki, Iida expressed some reservation about their common friend moving in with him and Ochako. His concerns were valid, of course, but it was the best solution they figured out, and Iida eventually caved. Izuku doesn't think he should be worried about them though, Todoroki is nothing short of perfectly behaved. Honestly, Izuku is so happy to have him around. Not only because he cooks like a god, cleans the flat better than they ever did and doesn't take forever in the bathroom, unlike Ochako, but because Izuku missed Todoroki. He just hadn't realized how much before he got to see his best friend on a daily basis again.
"Good?" He muses out loud, opening his bag and pulling its content out on the table. "Look, he makes us bentos!"
"Well." Iida stares at the adorable meal with appropriate admiration. "I hadn't expected Todoroki to be such a talented cook."
"Me neither!" He cheerfully puts the lid back on the box. "Frankly, he's an amazing roommate."
And there, he's doing it again. It's terrible. Izuku can spend hours gushing about Todoroki if he doesn't restrain himself. Ochako says it's the funniest thing ever, or she used to before he moved in. The joke's on her now, she can't stop waxing poetic about their elusive roommate and his cooking skills any more than he can.
"I see, that's a good thing," Iida replies pensively. "And... Uraraka-kun and Todoroki are going along?"
Izuku blinks, confused at the question. Sure, Ochako and Todoroki weren't exactly best friends before, but they did like each other, right? "I think so? Why?"
"No reason."
If there is a thing Iida isn't good at, it's lying. He's even worse of liar than Izuku is, and that takes skill. Izuku has to bite his cheek to stop himself from asking for clarification. No matter how curious and worried he feels about whatever Iida isn't telling him, he shouldn't pry.
He'll figure it out one way or another.
"You could come visit, Iida-kun," Izuku changes the subject with a friendly smile. "See for yourself we're not at each other's throats."
"That's not what I meant to imply, Midoriya-kun! But I would appreciate that. It's been a while since we all met up, after all."
True. The life of a hero is a busy one. Izuku finds himself longing for their UA days sometimes. Living together had been a very nice experience. "We should invite Tsuyu-chan too! Make it a party."
He knows Ochako misses her best friend. She hasn't said anything, but Izuku catches her staring at old UA photos occasionally.
"I'm looking forward to it!"
.
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A/N: For those familiar with my Naruto fics, I used very similar tropes in other OT3. What can I say, I'm a one trick poney. PLease leave a review on your way out ^^
