Todoroki was vaguely following the animated conversation going on around him. After the Hosu incident, he had undoubtedly gotten closer with Midoriya, the bond between them growing stronger at facing such adverse odds together. Among other activities, he'd started having lunch with him and his close group of friends, often Iida and Uraraka, sometimes Asui, occasionally some of the others from their class as well. Today, it seemed, it was only the first two and they were on about their favourite Disney movies.
"Ah, honestly I just can't decide! All of the Disney classics have a special place in my heart, I watched them all so many times! So many wonderful stories, so many strong and captivating characters. If you think about it, these movies revolutionised the way people viewed animation, retelling old stories and creating new ones for the world to see." Todoroki couldn't help but look at Midoriya as he rambled on, his bright eyes shining with a nostalgic wonder. "What about you Todoroki-kun? What's your favourite?"
The half and half hero startled at the question, feeling the other three turn their eyes towards him with expectant gazes, awaiting his response. He shuffled in his seat uncomfortably at the sudden unwanted attention. He was happy just quietly listening to them talk as he ate. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to answer. "I don't know, I never really saw them."
"The classics?" Midoriya asked curiously.
"Any of the Disney movies." Todoroki provided. Granted, he didn't see many movies throughout his life, not only had he not had the time, what with all the training he endured from Endeavor, but also because he preferred reading. So, when he did have time, he ended up curling up with a book. Books were silent and calming, yet thrilling and entertaining all the same. That and books could develop his intellect and weren't a 'waste of his precious time' as his father put it.
Todoroki kept that information to himself, especially when he saw Midoriya's scandalised expression staring back at him. He flinched at his friend's gaze, feeling like he'd just offended him tremendously. It didn't help that Iida and Uraraka both had matching, albeit less intense, shocked looks about them. "I didn't have a lot of free time when I was younger." He excused himself, cowering slightly when Midoriya gasped.
"This won't stand. I have to right this wrong." Midoriya stood from his seat and reached across the table to grab Todoroki's hands pulling them towards his chest and forcing him to stand up as well. Lest he be dragged onto his food. He stared with barely widened eyes at the determined emerald ones that bore into his soul. "I will give you back the childhood you were so rudely denied by not having the magic of Disney in your life." Todoroki gulped, admittedly a little intimidated by Midoriya's burning passion. "Disney marathon at my house! No objections, you, me, popcorn and childhood dreams! We'll make it a sleepover!"
Blinking stupidly at the overly excited teen whose eyes were almost literally twinkling, Todoroki couldn't help the way his breath stuttered when he mumbled out a muted "sure". In retrospect, he wasn't really thinking when he agreed, but how could anyone refuse that face? Honestly saying no and risking the crushing disappointment he was sure Midoriya would've displayed at that would just be cruel. So clearly, he didn't really have a choice. Never mind the fact that his heart skipped a beat at the thought of spending the night with his friend. Completely coincidental.
And that was how Todoroki found himself in front of the Midoriya household on a Saturday morning, staring intently at the door as if he did it hard enough this would prove to be some weird dream and he would wake up in his bed any moment now. He pinches himself just to be sure. No, still awake.
With a trembling sigh, Todoroki rings the doorbell, looking at his shoes as he waits for someone to answer it. He tries to tell himself that there's no reason for the nervous butterflies fluttering in his stomach, that it's just a sleepover at a friend's house. Friends have sleepovers. This is normal, not something for him to be worrying the strap of his bag with his right hand to the point where he might start freezing it. Moments later he hears a crash and a loud groan and his head snaps up at the noise, his brows furrowing in confusion and concern.
After a few heartbeats, Midoriya opens the door, rubbing at the side of his head with a sheepish grin plastered on his face. "W-welcome, sorry for making you wait." There's a light blush dusted over his freckles and Todoroki does his best to not stare. Needless to say, he doesn't do a very good job.
Managing to look away, albeit with great effort, he assures him it's fine and asks about the noises he heard. "I got a little excited when I heard the bell and I ran too fast. Slipped right into the wall. Happens sometimes." Midoriya's blush spreads to the tips of his ears the longer he speaks and Todoroki finds himself staring again, his own face feeling a little hot, though he's not sure why. Suddenly realising that they're still standing at the doorway, Midoriya gestures for him to come inside, smiling brightly. "Make yourself at home!"
Todoroki nods his head slightly, ducking inside and removing his shoes at the entrance. A small, plump lady with equally lively eyes and dark greenish locks greets him from inside with a warm smile. "Thank you for having me, Midoriya-san." Todoroki greets her with a bow.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Izuku's always saying such nice things about you and it's been a while since he's had any friends over." Todoroki looks towards his friend with mild curiosity and the boy in question laughs nervously, shrugging.
"Well, we have a full schedule so we better get going!" Midoriya avoids the comment altogether and pushes Todoroki by the shoulders towards what he assumes is his room and past his smiling mother.
When they get to the teen's room, Todoroki can't stop from looking around at the various All Might memorabilia cluttering every single spot of otherwise empty space as he drops his bag somewhere by the door. Suddenly his own room seems awfully bare in comparison and he thinks that maybe he should try and leave more of a mark that shows he actually lives in it. Perhaps it would make his room feel a little more like home when all it seemed to be to him was a place to sleep.
He watches as the mossy haired hero to be shuffles through several DVD cases, pulling out an extensive collection of the classic animated movies that filled his childhood with wonderous magic and dreams. "So, what would you like to watch first? There's all the iconic princesses, from Snow White to Sleeping Beauty or The Little Mermaid, or maybe Mulan if you'd like one with a sharper edge. Then there's Hercules, Pinocchio and The Lion King, Aladdin's pretty great too, I love the genie, he's hilarious. Or maybe you'd prefer something like Fantasia? Bambi is adorable and oh-" Midoriya gasps gleefully, his fingers brushing over a particular case. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame! I always thought this one was seriously underrated. The animation is stunning, the songs are breath-taking and the story is just so-" He cuts himself off, staring back at Todoroki with wide eyes and a pink flush to his cheeks. "Sorry, I'm mumbling again aren't I?"
Todoroki realises that he hadn't really noticed, and didn't really care, enraptured by the other's enthusiasm as he went on about these movies he seemed to love so much. "It's okay, I don't mind." He really didn't, he could listen to Midoriya's rants for days if he wanted him to.
The boy beams up at him and scratches at the back of his head. "A-anyway, which would you like? I also have more recent ones if you'd prefer." Todoroki blinks at him, bewildered. There's more?
"I don't know, any one of them is fine." He says honestly, he doesn't really care what they watch as long as Midoriya enjoys it. He's not even sure these movies are his kind of thing, if he has a thing to begin with, but if it makes his friend happy, then he'll watch as many as he wants.
Midoriya hums thoughtfully, sifting through the seemingly endless options once again before coming to a decision and taking the DVD out of the pile. Todoroki looks over his shoulder and sees "Alice in Wonderland" written in big golden letters on the cover. He tilts his head curiously.
"I'm sure you're at least familiar with the story, but it's a really colourful and fun movie." Midoriya says with a smile, jumping onto his bed and popping the movie into his laptop then motioning for Todoroki to sit next to him as he sets it up. "Make yourself comfortable, we've got a long road ahead of us if we want to educate you on Disney animation." He giggles and the corners of Todoroki's mouth twitch into a small smile at the sound. "Oh, but if you don't like the movie you can just tell me and we'll try another one."
Todoroki nods in agreement but already knows he won't make use of this offer. It's obvious that Midoriya likes all of these otherwise he wouldn't be showing them to him. Why would he tell him to stop watching something he clearly enjoys? It just doesn't make sense to him, especially when he can see how happy his friend is while doing this.
The movie does good on Midoriya's promise of being colourful. In fact, Todoroki thinks that the story itself already seemed like a drug induced hallucination and the prospect of singing flowers did nothing to dissuade him from the impression that it was all just one big acid trip. Still, watching Midoriya nod and hum along to the little tunes is amusing and, quite frankly, adorable. After the credits start rolling, green eyes meet his expectantly with an unvoiced question for his opinion.
"Colourful and fun." Todoroki provides dumbly, startled by the way his heartbeat stutters at his friend's gaze.
A small laugh fills his ears and his chest overflows with such warmth he worries that his half-hot quirk has activated without his permission. "That's just what I said." He giggles into his hand before offering him an apologetic smile. "Did you not like it?"
"No! I mean, yes? No? What I mean to say is, I liked it." He stumbles over his words embarrassingly, looking at his hands instead of Midoriya's face. "It's just true. What you said, that is."
"I suppose it is." Midoriya laughs quietly again, his shoulders shaking with it. He shuffles towards the end of the bed. "You hungry? I'm going to get us some snacks, want anything in particular?" Todoroki just shrugs in response. "Alright, I'll be back in a bit, feel free to pick the next movie while I'm gone."
The boy darts out of the room and Todoroki is left staring at the ridiculous number of movies laid out on the floor. He gets up and kneels next the cases, eyes scanning over them and feeling overwhelmed. In the end he just grabs one at random as Midoriya is coming back with a box of cookies, a bowl of popcorn and some drinks in his arms as well as a bag of unidentified treats hanging from his mouth. He's quick to help get something out of his hands before a disaster happens.
Midoriya drops the rest of the things on the floor by the bed and eyes the DVD in Todoroki's hand. "Ooh, Treasure Planet, great choice! I love that one!" Those green eyes shine with glee and Todoroki finds himself thinking Don't you love all of them? and smiles for a moment.
He's quickly enraptured by the movie, more so than the last, stunned by the bright colours and dynamic animation, the story captivating, exciting and touching all in one. Midoriya steals glances at him throughout, feeling a little bit of pride when he sees him so focused on the moving images on the screen. He's really glad that he's enjoying himself, knowing that despite the fact that his face remains with that same stoic mask, the gleam in his eyes betrays his feelings. This was a good idea, maybe they should do this more often. The feeling of joy that settles in his chest at the thought has Midoriya planning for more sleepovers and movie marathons in the future. Perhaps they could watch horror movies the next time, and they could huddle together on the scariest parts… That's not weird, is it?
"That one was really good." Todoroki says once the movie ends snapping Midoriya out of his thoughts who nods with a small smile.
"Hmm, maybe you'll like Atlantis, too." Midoriya says already jumping to get it after throwing a cookie between his teeth. Todoroki steals one as well.
When they're watching The Little Mermaid a couple of movies later, it becomes evident that Midoriya's humming and nodding can no longer be contained. Todoroki finds himself actually laughing quietly as he belts out somewhat off-key versions of "Part of Your World" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" along with the movie. After the inevitable moment of embarrassment and Todoroki's reassurance that it's fine and he enjoys hearing him singing (which lead to Midoriya turning a lovely shade of red that he thinks he won't ever get tired of looking at) he starts singing along to most songs that come after.
At one point during the day, Midoriya's mother comes by the room to ask how they're doing and if they want anything in particular for dinner, already knowing full well their remaining meals will consist of unhealthy snacks. This information only becomes useful somewhere near the end of Peter Pan when they're called down to the kitchen to eat.
Midoriya has some rice sticking to his cheek and Todoroki has this inexplicable urge to reach out and wipe it off with his thumb, or maybe lick it off who knows. He freezes at the thought, quite literally, the drink in his hand turning solid in the blink of an eye. Both Midoriyas stare at him in mild shock and he gently places the drink back down, looking away as blood creeps up to his cheeks. He makes up some excuse that he was trying to chill the drink and went a little overboard by accident and they just laugh sweetly, not questioning him further much to his relief. Luckily for him, Midoriya's mother notices the offending piece of rice and he quickly wipes it off, a light blush replacing it and honestly, it's not much better. He doesn't know why it's so hard not to stare, but Todoroki hopes that no one else notices.
Soon after they're back in Midoriya's bedroom watching the rest of the previous movie then switching to Hercules after they finish Mulan. Midoriya clearly likes this one a lot, singing along to the songs softly and bouncing excitedly at particular scenes. By his side, although enjoying the movie and the reactions it elicits from his classmate equally, Todoroki notices that his eyelids start getting heavier and heavier. He covers his mouth to disguise a yawn, struggling to keep his eyes open and himself awake.
Meg is singing "I Won't Say I'm In Love" when Midoriya feels a weight falling on his shoulder. He jumps a little, looking to his side to see Todoroki's head laying on him and he starts squeaking for half a second before stopping himself. Carefully, he waves a hand in front of the half and half boy's face, just to make sure he wasn't actually awake and just decided Midoriya's shoulder would be a comfortable and appropriate place to rest his head. Which it was, really, he was fine with it, but a word of warning would've been nice, because his heart was desperately attempting to beat out of his chest.
His face feels like it's on fire, and for a moment he stupidly thinks that maybe he's got Todoroki's quirk instead of One For All. The boy in question shifts slightly in his sleep and his head slides down Midoriya's shoulder. In his attempt to shy away, Midoriya ends up moving his friend just right so that his head is now resting on his lap and he starts screaming. Inside his head, of course, he wouldn't dare wake Todoroki up by screaming of all things. He stares with wide green eyes at the boy slumbering on his lap. He feels like he can't move even if he wanted to, which he didn't really. It's like when a cat decides to bless you by sleeping on you and then you can't move ever again or risk never feeling this sense of accomplishment that this mythical creature trusted you enough to make you their bed. Except the cat is his friend. And about a million times cuter. Did Todoroki's face ever look that peaceful? And was his hair always that soft? Oh, he's touching his hair now. He probably shouldn't be doing that.
Todoroki's face twitches slightly and Midoriya's hand freezes over the red locks that have fallen atop his scarred eye. He definitely shouldn't be doing that. He bites on his tongue to keep the little noise his throat was threatening to make inside his mouth when he sees Todoroki move, turning on his side so that he's facing his stomach now. There's a hand on his back then, tugging at his shirt and pulling him closer as if he's some sort of large, breathing teddy bear that Todoroki's holding on to for safety.
Midoriya's heart is simultaneously melting and beating at worrying rates and his face still feels like it's on fire, but now it's more like the temperature of the sun. He's genuinely surprised that his face isn't producing its own source of lighting. Todoroki rubs his face into his stomach and squeezes him closer as he makes a small, almost inaudible little noise. It's the most adorable sound he's ever heard in his entire life and he wants to hear it again, on replay, for the rest of his life if possible. How is it possible for anyone to be this hot and cute at the same time? Oh, he thinks that Todoroki is hot. Well that makes sense, after all his quirk is- Who is he kidding? He's got it bad. So bad.
The realisation hits him suddenly like a ton of bricks falling right out of the sky and he's surprisingly calm about it. For about half a second. After what feels like an eternity of going through a myriad of possible worst-case scenarios he decides that dwelling on what ifs is really bad for his already overworking heart and moves to pause the movie and shut off his computer. This proves to be enough to rouse Todoroki out of his sleep and he shifts, his eyes fluttering open as Midoriya freezes in place.
Somewhat in a sleepy haze, Todoroki sits up while rubbing his eyes, his nose brushing against Midoriya's when he does so. The latter has the look of a deer caught in headlights, and as soon as he notices where he is and how close their faces are, Todoroki jerks backwards, falling off the bed with an ungraceful 'oof' and onto the now empty bowl of popcorn. Midoriya scrambles after him on his knees, asking if he's okay and mumbling a string of apologies, despite the fact that he's not sure what he's apologising for, just feels like he has to.
Todoroki clambers to his feet and turns his back on Midoriya, covering his face with his hands as the other stares from the edge of the bed. He's smoking. Todoroki is literally smoking. His left arm whooshes aflame and Midoriya yelps, jumping off the bed and leaping the short distance to his side.
"Todoroki-kun, you're on fire!" He squawks, not knowing what else to do.
"Yes, Midoriya, I noticed." Todoroki's muffled grumble sounds as he moves his right hand to his arm to put himself out. A cloud of steam fills the room and all Midoriya can do is stare at his flustered friend patting out the flames on his now charred t-shirt. "Sorry, I overreacted."
"I-it's fine." Midoriya shifts awkwardly from one foot to another. "Need a new shirt?"
"I've got one."
He hums quietly and tries not to look as Todoroki digs through his bag and changes into an unmarred black short sleeve. He tries not to trace his back muscles with his eyes as they tense and relax with his motions. He tries really hard to tell himself that his hands aren't itching to see how that skin would feel beneath his fingers. How did he never realise that he was stupidly infatuated by his classmate? After all, breaking his bones almost beyond repair just because he looked sad seems a little excessive for just a friend.
"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you." Quite literally, Todoroki thinks while rubbing the back of his neck.
When looking back he sees Midoriya gnawing at his bottom lip, brow furrowed as if deep in thought. He almost wanted to press the crease that formed between his eyebrows down with his finger but that thought is interrupted when he finally speaks again.
"It's okay. I didn't mind." The words 'you can sleep on me forever' are at the tip of Midoriya's tongue but he bites them back. "It was actually really nice." Not much better, Izuku, smooth. "I don't think I've ever seen you look so peaceful and cute." STOP TALKING!
Todoroki's mouth forms a small 'o' shape and he could swear the room's temperature rose a few degrees in seconds. He's not sure what he's supposed to say to that, if it's a compliment he should thank him for or simply an observation. Either way, his eyes shift around the room awkwardly, trying not to set this other shirt on fire as well. Why is his quirk acting up so much?
"Not that you're not cute all the time." Todoroki's eyes widen in shock and Midoriya inwardly curses himself and his unbearably loose tongue that he just can't seem to make it stop. It's as if he's affected by some sort of truth quirk that just won't let him stop spilling his accusing thoughts. "I mean! You're really hot! I mean, cool! Damn it, Izuku shut your mouth." He slaps his hands over said mouth in a flash, his entire face now glowing a crimson shade that could rival Todoroki's left half of his hair who, by the way, isn't faring much better.
Someone could probably fry and egg on his face at this point. Even his right half feels hot. That can't possibly be good. The teens avoid each other's gazes and Todoroki discreetly pinches himself like he'd done that morning, hoping maybe he was still dreaming. Alas, the gods didn't seem to want to smile upon him and this was really happening. He's still not sure what he should say, the tension between them palpable, like you could reach out and grab it by the handfuls.
One deep breath, exhaled as a cold puff of icy frost and Todoroki forces himself to look at Midoriya. He should say something, get rid of this heavy atmosphere that's settled between them all of a sudden. He feels somewhat guilty for falling asleep, this wouldn't have happened if he'd just kept watching the movie. Midoriya is still covering his mouth like one of the three wise monkeys but he can see a gentle bounce of the freckles on his cheeks and concludes the boy is mumbling into his hands. It's somewhat adorable. Scratching at the skin just below his scar, he directs his eyes at a random All Might poster that's stuck to a wall on his left.
"You're cute… too." He mutters quietly, hearing a small squeak from the general direction of his friend and he feels that he should've said something else, anything else, even if what he said was true.
"R-really?" The question is out of his mouth before Midoriya can stop it and he mentally kicks himself for sounding so excited by the prospect.
Todoroki sees no reason to lie and simply nods, compelling his gaze to go back to the mossy haired teen. Midoriya's got this stunned expression, his hands still hovering somewhere near his mouth but he thinks he can see his lips twitch into a smile behind them. "Thank you." The words come out somewhat breathy and giggly and Todoroki feels his heart clench slightly.
"It's just the truth." The admission feels a bit lacklustre compared to the warmth that spreads throughout his entire body, unlike anything his quirk could ever hope to produce. But for some reason, Todoroki doesn't mind, because the flushed grin Midoriya aims at him tells him it was the right thing to say.
The situation is still a bit awkward and they're both still shifting slightly, Midoriya holding on to his left arm with his right hand and worrying the hem of his sleeve between crooked fingers. Todoroki stares at the scars that travel along his arm focusing on the one on his hand. He still feels responsible for it, in a way. He gets this desire to trace the scars with his fingers but instead stays still, eyes boring into them. When Midoriya lowers his hands, his gaze follows and the other notices, opening and closing his fist a few times.
"It doesn't hurt." Todoroki simply hums, inadvertently stepping closer and making Midoriya stiffen. "It's more of a reminder, you know." He offers, the mismatched eyes reaching up to look at his face that immediately grows hotter. "That I could help… somehow."
"Thank you." Todoroki says, realising that he'd never properly expressed his gratitude for saving him. Because that's what he did, he'd saved him from himself. Against his better judgement, he takes the scarred hand into his own and feels the small rises and falls of the stiff skin with the pad of his thumb.
Midoriya's breath hitches, but he doesn't pull away, instead raising his free hand to Todoroki's left cheek in an equally bold move, tracing the edge of the scar, a shaky smile on his lips. It only lasts a couple of heartbeats before they both pull away with light flushes across their faces. Realising that sleep has evaded them both with the recent events, Midoriya shyly suggests that they finish Hercules before calling it a night and Todoroki nods in silent agreement.
They sit back in the same position as before, Midoriya setting up the movie back at the moment when he felt Todoroki's head fall on his shoulder, Megara singing her denial of her feelings. In their heads, the irony of the scene is not lost on them, but neither says anything when they reach for each other's hand, lacing their fingers together. They don't have to say it out loud just yet…
NOTE: Fluffy fluff because no one will ever convince me that Midoriya isn't also a Disney Nerd on top of a Hero Nerd who would be shocked to hear that any one of his friends had been denied the joy of those movies! Hope you enjoyed that and feel free to leave any feedback you may have :D