note: the lack of capitalization is intentional.
katsuki bakugou's blood boils eternally and shoto todoroki, no matter how much he tries, never seems to be able to cool it down.
both of their voices are weak but they still scream. they scream and yell and the anger pours from like blood from a deep wound. todoroki's words cut like ice; bakugou's burns like fire. a tiresome match to see who can hurt the other worse, but a match they keep playing because they both just want to win.
but yet, neither of them know what they are trying to win. it's been a losing match ever since the day they met, since the day they kissed, since the day they loved. it's been a losing match but neither of them wants to admit it because they don't want to lose. they don't want to lose it all, they don't want to give it all up. grasping at torn threads, they - whatever they are - doesn't seem worth it.
but todoroki sees it. he feels it, he hears it. it's everything, and he's willing to sacrifice his own life for bakugou, give every last bit of his being to this overwhelming ball of fire.
so when the screaming dies down and the pain wells up, todoroki takes a few steps closer because he has to, for them, to salvage what's left of them.
"i love you," todoroki says, close enough to bakugou's face that he can see every little twinkle in his eyes, and the words tumble clumsily out of his mouth because shoto todoroki does not say things like that. he shows it, shows it through hand touches and caresses and through the intertwining of his fingers in wild ash blond hair. shows it through the small smiles and deep kisses. shows it through the unwavering dedication that only he could produce.
"i want to love you, but you make it so very hard."
and he means it. he loves katsuki bakugou, and he knows damn well that bakugou loves him back or else those burning tears wouldn't be forming at the corners of his crimson eyes. and he knows that bakugou would never say his emotions either because katsuki bakugou is not that type of person. all action and no words.
"and i know i make it hard for you to love me, too."
so when the boy in front of him mentally explodes and drops to his knees, sobbing and choking on his spit and pounding the ground with his fists, he runs to him. and as they hold each other weakly, completely drained, completely tired, todoroki realizes that this is not okay, that what they currently are may not ever be okay.
but that's alright because he cannot deny that whatever this is isn't something they can't escape (as if they wanted to) anyway.
anyway, i don't know what the hell i was going for when i wrote this, but i needed to write them together despite not having a full grasp on their personalities yet, so...ayyyy. yeah.