I do not own My Hero Academia.Hello everyone! I am here! (I'm giggling as I'm writing this). This is my first MHA fic and it's a Shouzuku because the pair of them work so well together. Bear in mind that this is an AU. Things will happen VERY differently. This picks up immediately at the end of the Sports Festival.Also, yes, I call the pairing Shouzuku because it's both of their first names. Tododeku kind of works, but it annoys me that it's a combination of a surname and what is essentially an insult regardless of how Izuku uses it. So yeah. Don't fight me on this.Enjoy!

The boy had determination and pride written in every part of his figure. Shouto still sometimes saw in his dreams the sheer power Midoriya had displayed in facing him. That in itself was unusual, but what was even more unusual was the detail he remembered in the boys face. Not his eye colour though. For some reason, everything about 'Deku's' eyes had faded from his memory except the mixture of anger, sadness, pain and determination they had held as they launched their final attacks.

Not that he would ever admit aloud how entranced he was at the mere thought of those eyes.

Since the Festival he had found himself pondering the boy's words frequently. Despite his seeming return meek behaviour, something was different about Midoriya. An air of satisfaction, possibly? Or maybe it was pride? He wasn't exactly the most socially adjusted person, so he couldn't be sure.

He had decided that he would ask Midoriya to join him for some after-school exercise, and he honestly wasn't sure why. He had never felt emotions particularly strongly, he was used to being completely exhausted both mentally and physically from his training, which didn't leave a lot of room for emotions to grow and flourish. Perhaps Midoriya's inner strength had drawn him in, and he was subconsciously drawing a kindred spirit closer. Perhaps it was his ability to draw out the best and worst in those around him. After all, he had been almost shamed into using his fire quirk against Midoriya, and the boy's mere existence seemed enough to piss off the loudmouth of the class, Bakugou.

It was slightly sobering to know that he could have won in the final match had he done as Bakugou had taunted and used his all. Was the loss really worth spiting his father? His cynical side told him that of course it was, but his, admittedly underdeveloped, sensitive side was heatedly arguing point.

He sighed. This was going nowhere. Looking up from the slightly mossy path he was stalki... uh... walking along, he could see that UA had come into view at last.

Up ahead, he saw a familiar mop of green hair bobbing along next to a brown bob and severe blue cut. Of course those three would be meeting up right now, making his task even more embarassing. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It would be fine. Midoriya would be more nervous than him, right?

"Hey, Todoroki!"

Apparently not. Damn.

"Hello, Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka. May I speak to Midoriya alone for a moment?"

His face showed a brief flash of worry before schooling into a happy smile. It seemed that while Iida missed the moment of emotion, the bubbly gravity girl did not. She simply grasped the talleer boy by the elbow and led him away.

Trying to emulate the warmth Midoriya showed, he forced his own face into a smiling facade. To be honest, his own smile was sort of awkward. A lot of teeth. He'd never liked it.

"So what did you need, Todoroki?"

Midoriya somehow maintained his smile even when managing to sound serious. Had he been taking lessons from All Might in smiling?! Given the suspicions he already had, it was possible.

"I found myself impressed and... motivated... by our match in the Festival. I was curious... would you accept an offer to train with me after school finishes on certain days?"

At this, Midoriya frowned. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. Was his generous, not to mention embarrassing offer, about to be rejected?

"Um..." Midoriya began, now looking slightly flustered. "Well, I'd love to see how you do in a fight without quirks... and I do need to get better... I need to improve... Maybe..." He trailed off for a moment, looking off to the side. Then his eyes snapped back and he continued. "May I give you my answer later, Todoroki? I need to ask someone for some advice."

He shrugged and nodded, trying not to show that he felt uncomfortable with being put in this awkward waiting position. Midoriya smiled and reached out a hand. Shaking it firmly, he then stood and watched as the shorter boy dashed off to catch up to his friends.

Toshinori Yagi, aka All Might's, Office

A knocking at the door at this time of the morning meant one of two people. And seeing as he'd gotten his paperwork in on time this week...

"Come in, young Midoriya."

The door opened quickly, and the boy entered, fidgeting slightly. So something had happened. He was tempted to sigh.

"So what do you need me for kiddo?"

Izuku looked at his mentor and screwed up his face in resolve. Toshinori waited patiently for the tirade to start.

"Todoroki wants me to train with him."

For a second, the words didn't properly register with the man. When they did, he spat coffee all over his coffee table... and his protege ("hey!").

"I'm... I'm sorry, did you just say that Todoroki asked you to train with him?!"

"Y-yeah. What should I do, All Might?"

In disbelief, the man raised an eyebrow and quickly smacked the back of his hand against his apprentice's forehead.

"ARE YOU DAFT, BOY? You accept, obviously! This is an incredible chance for you!"

Izuku chuckled weakly. "Hehe, sorry, All Might... I just figured you should know... And that you might not want me to do it. I just thought that it could help me improve my control of One For All..."

Still stunned by the fact that the usually level-headed and focussed boy had not immediately grasped the opportunity being offered to him, he wondered what was different about the boy this time around. Was it something to do with Todoroki? Or had Izuku changed in some way after their match? He'd be keeping a close eye on the situation, that was for sure.

"Well, I think it would be an excellent opportunity, so why don't you run, now, and tell him before classes start, ok?"

"Yes, All Might, see you!"

As the boy raced from the room, apparently taking the suggestion to run seriously, Toshinori shook his head fondly. That was more like the Izuku he knew.

That Friday Evening, 6:00

Todoroki had told him to wait at the train station at 6 o'clock. It was nerve-wracking, waitng to be picked up by the best student in the class, and taken to their home, for training. Training! With Todoroki! The son of the Number Two Hero! Izuku shook his head. He needed to forget about THAT connection. He didn't want to make a fool of himself or upset Todoroki.

That sparked a thought though, why did he care so much about upsetti...?

The thought was cut off as a familiar figure approached him from the now-open doors of the train.

"Midoriya"

"Good evening, Todoroki."

The exchange was brief but for reasons Izuku couldn't pinpoint, it felt warmer than it had the last time they had spoken, two days prior. They had since exchanged some perfunctory texts clarifying times and places but otherwise had given each other plenty of space.

Izuku followed quickly as Todoroki started walking. He didn't want to fall behind the boy, as in the gradually increasing crowds, he had a feeling that he would easily become lost. They walked the length of the platform, then climbed a set of stairs that lead over the tracks to the opposite platform, the one heading in the direction Todoroki had come. In descending the stairs behind the taller boy, Izuku had the rare opportunity to observe the top of Todoroki's head and in particular the line between his two hair colours. There was no blending at all, no light pinkish tones transitioning between the two colours. There was an almost perfect line where the white stopped and the red started.

The train ride to Todoroki's station was swift, a mere twenty two minutes. After that, it was another thirty or so minute walk before they arrived, at last, on the Todoroki property. Izuku's eyes bugged out of his skull at the enormous plot of land and the beautiful traditional architecture. His own modest home could be fit several times into Todoroki's front yard!

Rolling his eyes at the antics of his new training partner, Shouto stepped back and grabbed Izuku's hand, dragging him forwards for a few metres before letting go. The boy took the hint and followed.

Neither boy noticed the angry glare directed at them from a second story window.

Upon entering the lavish house's main reception area, Shouto winced as he heard his father's voice.

"SHOUTO!"

"Fuck..." The teen cursed under his breath. This couldn't be good.

And indeed, it wasn't. Not a moment later, Endeavour himself dropped down in front of the two boys, the resigned and angry Shouto and the fearful and apprehensive Izuku. His face betrayed nothing... yet.

"So... I see that you have brought a... friend... home, Shouto."

The Flame Hero's face twisted into a horrible facsimile of a smile. It was obvious that he was angry, and just looking for a reason to let it out.

"Yes father. I apologise for not informing you soo..."

"INFORMING?"

The now visibly aggravated man interrupted his son, and the temperature in the room rose by a few degrees. Shouto winced, which was not missed by Izuku.

"Requesting... of you, that Midoriya be allowed to visit beforehand."

Endeavour was silent for a moment. A moment too long, as it happened, as it gave Izuku time to attempt to help his friend out.

"I'm sorry, Mr Todoroki, Sir, if it's a problem me being here, I'll leave now. Don't worry, I won't come by without permission again."

The boy put on his best brave smile, and bowed deeply to the man, before taking a step back, as if to turn and leave.

The impressive man stopped him quickly.

"No! Why would I not want my son to have his... friend over to spend some time? I'm sure that as long as you behave I won't have a problem with you, Midoriya."

His tone was mild but it also held a dangerous edge that scared Midoriya. There was an obvious threat implicit, and he knew ignoring a threat from someone as powerful as this man would be unwise to say the least. Keeping his smile intact, Izuku stepped back towards his friend's father and extended his hand.

"Then I'm sure I'll behave while I'm here, Sir, thank you! To properly introduce myself, I am Izuku Midoriya."

The man waited another moment, before grasping Izuku's hand firmly. He had a terrifically strong grip, and it was hot too, the man's flames were certainly far from weak.

"Welcome to the Todoroki household, Izuku Midoriya. I'm sure Shouto can show you where everything is. Off with you two now."

The dismissal was clear, and Shouto immediately set off for his room, Izuku in tow. It didn't escape Izuku's notice that the boy's shoulder's were tensed right until they finally left the main area, where they were in line of sight with Endeavour. 'No, Mr Todoroki. Not Endeavour. He's off-duty here.'

It took a full minute of walking through the corridors to reach Shouto's room, and Izuku was struck once again with awe as he looked around the enormous house.

Shouto stopped in front of the door to his room, slowly opening it, trying to hold in his frustration at his father. Taking a deep breath, he stepped slightly to the side and motioned to his friend to enter ahead of him.

As Izuku stepped into the room, he tried desperately to reign in his excitement. He couldn't believe that finally, he was going to be trusted to be in his friend's room! It had been so long since Kacchan had trusted him enough (or liked him enough, if he was honest with himself) that it was incredible to know that he had someone like that again!

"A best friend," the excitable boy muttered under his breath "Todoroki is my... best friend."

An amused grunt, coupled with the sound of a door latching, drew Izuku's attention back to Shouto.

"Do you mean that, Midoriya? You might not want to be my best friend after I put you through your paces in the dojo."

The amusement in his voice was clear, and Izuku felt his face flush with embarrassment despite himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but a dismissive wave of Shouto's hand cut him off before he could launch into an explanation.

"It's ok. I don't mind being your best friend, Mi-" He stopped abruptly, and for a moment, he was still. "You can call me Shouto. Do you mind if I call you Izuku?"

Izuku smiled broadly, and shook his head.

"Not at all, Shouto. I'd love it if you called me Izuku!"

His eyes were downcast for a moment and he muttered something Shouto didn't hear.

The boys found that after allowing each other to use their first names, the conversation flowed much more easily. It came as a surprise to both that the other was considerably different when they were alone together.

For Shouto's part, he noticed that while Izuku was still his overenthusiastic and overanalytical self, he didn't constantly babble, instead he seemed to absorb, taking in everything like a sponge. Every word that came out of Shouto's mouth was met by open and listening ears, and he was delighted that someone cared so much about what he had to say, even though as far as he was concerned he was going over the absolute basics of what they would do.

Izuku, on the other hand, felt a delightful glow at the far more relaxed boy talking to him. Without the weight of being in the public eye or at school, it seemed that Todoro-, no, Shouto, had become adept at letting go of all his burdens and simply being there. He still wasn't one to smile overly often but he no longer grimaced and frowned. His expression was slack and content, not showing the burden of responsibility he normally held.

Neither of them realised that they had been talking for hours until one of Shouto's siblings, who Izuku was sure he'd been told the name of, but couldn't remember, knocked on the door, telling Shouto that the dojo was free and dinner was ready.

A simple "Thanks" issued forth from Shouto before he sprang lithely to his feet, then offered his hand to Izuku. The boy took the proffered appendage and was pulled somewhat roughly to his feet. Outwardly, he tried to show no sign of surprise, but inwardly he marvelled at how strong his new best friend was.

They made their way quietly through the corridors again, following a different path through the house then they had come in, and soon found themselves in an open room similar in size to the one at the entrance of the house. Only one other person was there, the girl who Izuku presumed informed them of the dinner.

Sitting down on the floor mats, following Shouto's lead, Izuku looked at the bowl of rice before him with a slight blush. He wasn't used to being around strangers, especially girls. When she politely asked him what vegetables he would like, he looked up and was surprised that she was smiling at him.

Naturally, he missed the miniscule glare Shouto sent her.

He did not miss, however, the exasperated sigh (or the rolling of eyes) that came from Shouto when the girl, cheeky smile firmly in place, asked if this new person was Shouto's boyfriend. Izuku laughed, clearly she was trying to defuse some of the tension. Well, it had worked. When he calmed down, he offered his hand across the table to her.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya, a classmate of Shouto's - your brother's, haha!"

His nerves still not totally calmed down, his fingers shook slightly as she reached out to grasp it. She had a firm grip and it reassured him when she shook his hand once, hard, before releasing it.

"Hi Midoriya, I'm Fuyumi Todoroki! Sorry for the teasing before, I'm definitely the lighter-hearted of the two of us! Shouto here is so serious, all the rest of us have to make up for it sometimes!"

That smile she'd worn when they had first sat down was back, and Izuku, for a moment, likened it to All Might's, insofar as it never seemed to go away.

"No problem, Todoroki, it's fine. Shouto here is a good friend and he asked me to train with him, so that's why I'm here. I guess it's better that he's serious about it given the context."

A little stuffy, but he was somewhat proud at how well his 'small talk' had improved - especially since meeting Uraraka. That girl could probably talk the bags out from under Mr. Aizawa's eyes, given the chance.

She shook her head.

"Please, use my first name. If you call everyone in this house 'Todoroki' you'll confuse everyone!"

Izuku looked dazed for a moment, and it was only Shouto placing a hand on his shoulder that brought him out of it and realizing he hadn't replied, he bowed his head.

"I-I'm sorry for not answering you right away, Fuyumi, but... I'm not really used to people being so polite to me. Sorry again!"

He finished sheepishly, raising his head and putting a hand on his neck. He didn't notice, but Shouto still hadn't removed his hand. Fuyumi, however, did, although she said nothing.

It was not long after that the pair of them rose, thanking Fuyumi for the dinner, and beginning to head to the dojo. Along the way, Izuku teased Shouto about having a five-minute walk from one end of their property to the other. Not that it wasn't true.

The dojo, as it happened, was across from the house, on the other side of a large, beautifully kept courtyard full of flowering bushes. Even at night, it still shone with the delicate poise one could only expect from nature herself.

Sliding open the door to the dimly lit building, Shouto stepped inside ahead of Izuku, finding the light switch and flipping it. A series of tube lights across the ceiling (that, by the way, definitely didn't fit with the traditional Japanese aesthetic of the building's architecture) lit up and Izuku saw that the room's floor was covered in dents and even broken boards.

"It's not good-looking, but it's fairly stable and solid... we'll do our training together in here, Izuku."

Izuku's eyes brightened as he took in the room again. He walked forward until he was in the centre of the room, then slowly spun around, taking in the dimensions of the space, memorising it. It was a good twenty-metres in every direction from the middle of the room, perfect for extended combat practise. He noted that there were no scorch marks in here.

"No quirks in here, huh?"

A vicious snort from Shouto.

"Of course not. If father used his quirk in here, he'd the whole place on fire. And if he wasn't allowed to use his quirk, then I sure as hell wasn't. Come on, take your shirt off, these stretches and exercises will be easier without it on."

Izuku shrugged his shirt off, tossing it over to join his friends after he saw Shouto had done the same. Shouto's muscles were so well defined that Izuku felt slightly out of his depth for a moment before he shook the feeling off, focussing on the instructions he was being given.

For the best part of two hours, the two boys moved through Shouto's normal training. This consisted of thirty minutes of stretching their bodies in ways that got gradually more dynamic. Stretching was followed by 'form drilling', where Shouto began to teach Izuku the particular fighting style he had grown up learning. Finally they sparred together, Shouto refusing to pull his punches even against a rank amateur, as, in his words, "If you don't start by learning to fight someone better than you, you won't develop the proper attitude. You need to treat every fight as if you are fighting your toughest opponent yet, that way you'll never underestimate them."

His friend's words made sense to Izuku, so he kept quiet and tried his best to keep up with Shouto. It was quite frightening to see how fast and hard the boy could strike. He was a viper, and Izuku was his prey. The successor of One For All had never felt more clumsy or out of his depth. It was his quirk, he deduced, that put him in the ballpark to compete with Shouto in the Sports Festival.

Of course, taking time to deduce anything right now was, shall we say, hazardous for his health. In the fractional amount of time that he spent not focussed on watching Shouto's movements, the boy had him off balance and a quick palm strike to Izuku's chin had him sprawling on his back for the fifth or sixth time.

He accepted the proffered hand as Shouto reached down to pull him to his feet, and readied himself in his best approximation of the generic stance Shouto had taught him. However, the boy shook his head, face expressionless, as it had been throughout the sparring. Confused, Izuku let the stance drop and stood with his arms at his sides.

"You did well for a first timer, Izuku. I'm glad you decided to join me in training. I have a feeling that working together, we will both excel rather quickly. Thank you..."

Izuku laughed and, stepping forward, wrapped an arm around his friends shoulders in a rough embrace.

"What are you thanking me for?! You're the one helping me out here, all I'm doing is acting as your personal punching bag. You don't need to thank me for that, Shouto!"

The comedic statement had the effect Izuku had been shooting for, and Shouto grinned (slightly evilly, Izuku thought) and elbowed him in the ribs, forcing his arm off his shoulder as Izuku gasped for breath.

"Oh sorry, I hope that didn't hurt," Shouto exclaimed, "after all, I wouldn't want to cripple my punching bag!"

Izuku straightened and smiled at his friend. Raising his fist towards the boy, Izuku felt a warm glow when the gesture was returned and their fists came clashing together, back to back, with a solid, meaty smacking sound.

After trudging to the corner where their shirts had been sequestered and putting them back on, the pair made their way across the courtyard once again. The house itself was dark by now, bar one room on the second floor. Izuku guessed it was probably Mr Todoroki's room. Shouto's glare, only slightly visible in the dark, confirmed his theory.

Instead of bringing Izuku back to his room, Shouto showed him where the bathroom was and told him to clean up first. He handed a spare towel to Izuku and then leaned against the wall, letting himself slide down to the floor as he heard the door close. A few seconds later he could hear running water. He sighed. As much as he had enjoyed the time spent with Izuku, he was exhausted. Training had been so much harder when he had to worry about being friendly at the same time. Being sociable, actually speaking and emoting were things that no longer came naturally to him. Ever since his quirk had manifested, he had been trained to become a machine by his father. Especially after what had happened with his mother, he had locked himself away.

And yet...

This boy, with his silly enthusiasm and frankly ridiculous optimism had begun to break down his walls. So much so that it had been he who had made the first move to become better friends, inviting him to train with him. He told himself that he was only repaying Izuku for helping him in the Festival, but he knew it was a lie. Izuku, for all his flaws, had geniunely worked his way through the self-imposed protections of his soul, and he wanted to keep him close. Anyone who could make him of all people care about people personally, as opposed to simply as faceless rivals, deserved to be by his side. It was... refreshing, he decided. Having a friend. The other Todoroki children weren't his friends. He rarely saw them, and most of them resented the fact that he had father's attention and support. Only Fuyumi came even close to being friendly, and even she had limits. Not that he pushed them.

Then again, after everything Izuku had done to help him, maybe he should make a better effort to be kind and spend time with his siblings. With the exception of Bakugou, nobody seemed to be able to hate Izuku. It was almost like he had innate quirk that drew people to him. It was that, more than anything, that Shouto idolised about him. He cared about everyone, unconditionally, as long as they weren't actively hurting someone, and would leap to the defence of anyone, no matter how much pain he had to put himself through to do it. If there truly was a connection between him and All Might, then Shouto had begun to understand why All Might, might be interested in him.

Not all of his siblings would appreciate his efforts, he knew that. But for their sakes, he had to try. If he couldn't be a hero to his own family, how could he be a hero to anyone else?

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Izuku standing next to him until the boy coughed into his hand, breaking his concentration.

"Shower's free."

Izuku smiled down at Shouto, holding out a hand to pull him up. The boy blinked once before grasping Izuku's hand firmly, letting himself be dragged to his feet. As Shouto entered the bathroom, Izuku sat against the wall in mimicry of his friend's pose.

Strangely, he didn't spend his time analysing or critically thinking about anything that had just happened. He'd tried to think in the shower, but the hazy, warm bliss of water, sweat and muscle fatigue all worked to put his higher mental functions to bed. Instead, he calmly watched the stars that were visible through the window across the wall from him. He noticed subliminally the water going off a few minutes later, but didn't move. The door slid open quietly and he shook his head to wake himself a bit.

The boys traipsed silently, though comfortably so, back to Shouto's room. For a moment there was nothing said between them. Izuku began to grow uncomfortable, not sure of how to deal with the quiet now that he was not full of energy and excitement.

"Shouto?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you ask me to train with you?"

Shouto was surprised. Not at the question itself, per se. Rather, he was surprised that it had taken this long for Izuku to ask it. The inquisitive boy's questions usually could not be stoppered.

"I suppose... because you inspired me at the Sports Festival."

He paused for a moment to take in Izuku's look of shock before continuing.

"You told me that you wanted to be a hero, and your actions drew out my own desire... not to mention my power... but looking back, I think what stood out most was your smile. Originally, I had thought you were related to All Might, but that isn't it, is it? You completely idolise him... Am I wrong in assuming that your smile is your attempt to be like him? To always smile in the face of hardship?"

Izuku shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed.

"Look... Shouto, you aren't wrong... I... I'm not sure how to explain this, but I was always a nobody, and it's only recently that I've been able to stand out and start making myself into the person, the hero, I want to be. All Might... he is everything that I want to be. If I could be half the hero he is, I'd die happy. It was his smile that pulled me through the worst years of my life, and I want to use that, to be that smile for someone else!"

Shouto felt his mind begin racing. What... what did this mean? Was Izuku a really late bloomer with his quirk? Was that why he always hurt himself? And what was that about the worst years of his life? He seemed to have an eternal issue between himself and Bakugou, could it be possible that...?

His thoughts were interrupted as Izuku's phone beeped.

"It's my mum" he said simply.

Shouto nodded and smiled softly.

"Thank you, Izuku."

Izuku looked up sharply, eyes full of confusion.

"What are you thanking me for Shouto?"

The boy grinned wider. He wasn't sure why. To put Izuku at ease? To give a show of emotion to... what, show him he cared?

"For being my All Might."

AND I'M CALLING IT THERE! I figured that would be a fitting end to chapter 1. Let me know if you guys like this or not, I'm willing to keep going, though I am not sure exactly what I have in store for this pair yet. Hehe. I promise though, that it won't be at all like my oldest fanfic here, as I have a little editor friend keeping me firmly on the rails here.BYE