"I noticed you weren't in class today, is something wrong, Midoriya?" Todoroki said over the phone after school had let out for the day.
Sniffling as he wiped his runny nose, Midoriya answered with a hoarse, husky voice, "Sorry, I'm not feeling so well. I think I may have overdone it the other day at practice."
"The day it rained while we were working out together?"
"Yeah, I think so. I should be fine if I get some rest over the weekend. I'll be good as new by the time we go back to school on Monday."
Todoroki felt his heart drop to his stomach. He'd been the one to insist on continuing their training that day, despite the rain and cold. He could acclimate his body to avoid catching a chill easily with his Quirk, but the same couldn't be said for Midoriya. His friend sounded miserable, and it was all his fault.
"Right, take care of yourself, Midoriya," was all he could think to say before hanging up. He knew he couldn't leave it at that though. He owed his friend more than just a wish for a speedy recovery. So he took a detour from his route back to the dorms and went into the nearby store. He was going to take responsibility for what he'd done.
Midoriya had fallen into a feverish sleep, which was interrupted by someone sharply knocking on his door. Shuffling slowly to answer, he opened the door and found Todoroki standing there.
"To-Todoroki, is something wrong?"
"I want to make this right. May I come in?" Todoroki gestured as he held a grocery bag in one hand and a carryout box in the other.
Midoriya vacated the entrance, allowing his friend to walk in before shutting the door behind him. "Uhm, I'm not sure what the problem is, but couldn't it—"
"I'm the reason you're ill. Staying out in the rain for so long the other day, it was because of me. So I'm going to do everything in my ability to help you get better. I brought, uh, medicine. I wasn't sure which ones were needed, so I bought them all." He flipped the bag over and shook the contents onto Midoriya's desk. Todoroki wasn't exaggerating when he said he'd taken all of them. Cough medicine, flu capsules, even nasal spray and eye drops were included in the mini-pharmacy that Todoroki had gathered.
"I took some cold medicine earlier, but I guess it could be time for another dose." He picked out a night-time syrup that included a sleep aid and fever reducer, which Todoroki then retrieved from his grasp. Stripping the protective plastic from it and noting the dosage instructions, Midoriya watched his friend carefully measure out the right dose before handing him the medicine cup.
"There's food as well. I wasn't sure if you'd eaten, but I know that keeping something in your stomach is important while you're recovering. I brought some cold soba, clear soup, some katsudon as well since I remember that being your favorite. Even if your appetite isn't strong, you should at least sip on the soup."
"I-I…" Midoriya had grown flustered from all this sudden attention. He appreciated his friend's concern, but a simple weekend of rest would have been enough for him to get over this cold. He couldn't bring himself to say that to Todoroki at this point. "I'll have some of the soup and soba. I don't quite think I can handle something as hearty as the katsudon just yet."
As Todoroki set to work unwrapping the food, Midoriya couldn't help but smile. It wasn't often that he saw Todoroki so involved with someone else. He was flattered to be getting all this attention from someone he admired. They ate quietly, with Todoroki relaying the details of the classes he had missed.
Once they'd finished, Midoriya started to yawn, the effects of the sleep aid had started to work. Todoroki helped him back to his futon, pulling back the cover as Midoriya laid down and rested his head against the pillow. As he tucked him in, Todoroki's hand grazed the side of Midoriya's face and neck. His skin felt cold and clammy, a contrast to his flushed tone. He raised his palm to Midoriya's forehead, pressing against it gently as he gauged his temperature.
"You're getting too hot, Midoriya, even though you feel cold to the touch. Are you comfortable like this?"
His words slurred from the medicine pushing him towards sleep, "I'm hot, yeah. I'll be okay, you shouldn't be so close to me, you'll end up sick yourself, Todoroki. And I don't want you to feel this bad. Ever."
"That'll never happen if I'm with you, Midoriya. But for the moment, we need to take care of your fever." Before his eyes, Todoroki began removing his clothes, folding them neatly in a pile next to the futon. Speechless, Midoriya could only stare as he stripped down to his slim gray and white boxer briefs.
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
Todoroki lifted the opposite end of the futon's cover and slid in behind Midoriya, wrapping his arms around his chest as he positioned himself, blanketing his body against Midoriya. He raised his right hand and rested it against his forehead, and from it came a soothing and cool sensation. It spread along the right side of his body whereever it met with Todoroki.
"I'm using my Quirk to help fight the fever. As long as I maintain direct contact with you, I can monitor and keep you at the ideal body temperature and keep you comfortable while your body recovers. Get some sleep, that'll help give you the strength to fight your cold as well."
Midoriya couldn't argue when he felt so much better having Todoroki embrace him like this. His freckled cheeks reddened, but it wasn't due to fever. His heart that had been beating rapidly calmed itself as he shadowed Todoroki's forearms with his own, hugging them against him.
"You- You're going to stay?" he asked with a yawn.
"All night, yes. I won't leave your side until I know you're better, Midoriya. We have all weekend."
Content and relaxed, he eased off to sleep, "Thank you, Shoto."
Todoroki was the one blushing now, hearing his first name leave Midoriya's lips. Surely it was a slip-up caused by his illness, but he found it welcoming to hear him say it just the same. It made him feel like they were even closer than they were physically. Resting his chin against Midoriya's shoulder, he smiled.
"You're welcome, Izuku."