Okay... So I'm going for kind of a slow burn here. PLEASE DON'T GET BORED!
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Because I Fought You
Chapter 2
~Time-Skip: 2 Weeks~
Midoriya snuck into the room quietly, hoping that his roommate was asleep to minimize the chance of them interacting. To his embarrassment, Todoroki was standing near his bed in just his boxers, a towel hanging over his face as he dried his di-colored hair. He swallowed hard when the elder looked over, a quizzical look on his face.
"What is it?" Todoroki asked, giving a brief glance down to see if there was something on his arm or side.
The younger's face turned bright red, and he covered his mouth in a vain attempt to stifle the mumbled apologies that began spewing out.
The dual-user kept his face blank despite how his heart began to flutter again, hating that he didn't understand what was causing it. "Was there something you wanted to speak with me about?" he finally asked.
Midoriya's flailing only seemed to increase at that. "Oh! No!" he answered, a bit too loudly, "I was just uhhh… going to my desk!"
Todoroki watched intently as the teen stalked over and sat down quickly, nearly falling out of the swivel chair. He was unsure of why his roommate had stared at him so oddly and then become embarrassed once caught. In truth, it made him somewhat nervous to be gazed at by the teen, and while he was naturally quiet, he wasn't really bashful. All at once, however, the erratic movement ceased and Midoriya turned his seat around.
"Actually, Todoroki, there is something…I…uh… wanted to apologize to you…" the teen stated, his head bowed slightly in what could only be regret.
"For what?" Todoroki asked, even more confused than he had been before.
The young hero rubbed the back of his head, keeping his eyes anywhere other than the still semi-naked teen. "Well, I know it's been a couple of weeks now, but I've felt bad about it ever since. It was rude of me to insinuate that you were too cold and distant before. I'm sure if I'd had your life growing up I would probably be hesitant to let people in too so, I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean anything by it!"
Todoroki blinked a few times. The now familiar tachycardia started budding in his chest again with a feeling he didn't recognize. It was just as intense as his anger when he saw Midoriya and Bakugo together, but this was somehow different, lighter. His mouth went dry as his roommate's freckled cheeks became lightly dusted with red again, a warmth spreading through him with every fidgeting move that the smaller boy made.
"…It's fine… I really didn't mind" he finally stated, throwing his wet towel in the hamper. "What in the hell is wrong with me? What is this strange sensation flowing through me when I look at him?"
Todoroki continued to stare at his rice, deep in thought. He'd begun to realize that since the Sports Festival, he'd been consumed by emotion every time he was around Midoriya. Usually, just seeing the teen would cause his heart to beat faster, spreading a warm, nervous comfort throughout his chest. But then there were also the times that he'd see Bakugo bullying the submissive hero, and that always lead to him being incredibly angry.
He wondered what the two sensations must mean. After so many years of living with Endeavor, he'd nearly shut his feelings out completely save for the ever-present hatred he held for his father. But now there was this boy that he'd fought in a silly school event, destroying his body for no other reason than to help him come to terms with the full range of his quirk.
All at once though, there were chopsticks waving around in front of him and he looked up to see none other than the one he'd been thinking about staring at him worriedly. He blinked and stayed silent, an unfamiliar burning sensation flaring on his cheeks.
Midoriya reached out his scarred hand and placed it flat against Todoroki's forehead, "hey… are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. "Your face is getting more and more red… and you kind of look sick."
Todoroki resisted the urge to propel himself away from the appendage, his heart thumping almost painfully. "I'm fine." He hoped that his tone sounded more confident than he felt.
"Deku!" came an overly excitable voice. Quickly following was Ochaco herself, her arms wrapping around Midoriya as she hugged him. "I feel like I haven't seen you at all since we moved into the dorms! It's so much easier to just stay in our rooms to study now right?!"
Todoroki watched as Midoriya's face became increasingly pink, and felt a painful lump starting to form in his throat at the sight. This time, he knew exactly what emotion he was suffering from… jealousy. He stood up quickly and turned to leave, his food left untouched on the table. After a few minutes, however, he heard a light pounding getting closer.
"Hey! Todoroki! Wait" Midoriya shouted, jogging to catch up to the now thoroughly irritated teen. He'd almost made it back to their room, but he knew that wouldn't help save him from those worried green eyes and subsequent questioning; they did live together after all.
"What is it, Midoriya." Todoroki practically growled, causing the smaller boy to flinch. He wanted to take back the tone but found his emotions wouldn't let him. He couldn't understand why jealousy of all things had flared up so suddenly, but he knew he needed time to figure it out.
"You didn't eat your dinner…" Midoriya stated, somewhat wincing at how obvious the statement was.
"Neither did you since you came running after me." Todoroki returned, his heterochromatic eyes boring down into the nervous teen.
"I… Do you want to get something somewhere else? My t-treat…" Midoriya offered, his voice shaking some.
Every fiber of Todoroki's being told him to say no, to continue to his room and shut the door in his rival's face for even considering asking such a question. But he couldn't. That warm sensation drew him back to the young hero, trapping him more tightly than any brainwashing quirk ever could.
"Fine."
"This place has great soup!" Midoriya explained as they entered a small restaurant.
Todoroki glanced over, unable to resist smirking at the younger. "Thank you for being considerate, but I'm not sick… This is fine though." He stated, adding the last part before Midoriya could apologize and suggest somewhere else as he knew the overly polite teen would.
Once they ordered an awkward silence settled over the two prospective heroes, neither sure what the other was thinking. It was Midoriya who broke the stalemate, certain that the stoic teen could go for hours in silence if he really needed to. "So… you've been acting a little strangely… Is everything alright?"
Todoroki really didn't know if he was being honest with himself; Midoriya's actions during the sports festival through him for a loop. He'd grown up in an environment where winning and being the best were the only things that mattered, and this peculiar boy had thrown away his chance at victory solely in the hope of getting through to him.
He felt his eyes lower, his pride unwilling to let him express how confused and weak he felt at that moment. Midoriya was the most inviting and non-threatening person he'd ever met, and he had no idea how to handle someone like that.
"You don't have to tell me what's bothering you if you don't want to… I understand" Midoriya continued. "I just want to know if you're okay or if there's anything I can do to help?"
The words spilled from Todoroki's lips before he could stop them, "so, are you and Ochaco dating or something?"
Midoriya let out an adorable, embarrassment filled squeak, one that set his heart beating frantically once again. "I expected you'd change the subject but wow! I didn't think that would be your choice of topic. I figured you'd bring up something without any real substance like the weather or schoolwork or something. Oh! Sorry… I'm rambling, again aren't I? Uh… no… ha-ha… we aren't dating…"
Todoroki felt that lump of jealousy in his chest grow slightly, making him a bit more intrusive than he usually was. He pushed the subject harder, unable to stop himself from prying into his roommate's love life. "But you want to?"
Midoriya's face turned scarlet, a sight that would have normally instigated or enhanced the warm, contented feeling Todoroki had become accustomed to feeling whenever he saw it. This time, however, it made him bite the inside of his lip.
"Well…no… Ochaco and I are…she's not really my type" the younger responded, his face still red.
Todoroki felt the weight he'd been suffering from ease slightly, and covertly licked the inside of his mouth, nursing the now bleeding cut from his teeth. A small part of his mind was pondering what Midoriya's type actually was. After all, the two small heroes were both overly enthusiastic, kind and well, small. If not someone like her, then was that his true reason for chasing after Bakugo? The thought scorched his insides, his face darkening.
Midoriya was too embarrassed to notice the initial relief flood over his dinner mate, and instead only saw the tense aftershock, his concern immediately returning in full force. "Should I ask him about it?" he wondered, chewing on his lip in debate. "No," he finally decided, "Todoroki isn't ready to talk about it yet and that's okay, I'll be there for him when he is…"
"Here's your food!" The waitress chimed, breaking both teens from their thoughts.
Midoriya took a small, comforting breath and produced his usual shy smile. He could see that whatever Todoroki had been thinking about had brought on a terrible disposition, but he was used to handling moody people and shrugged it off; at least he didn't have to worry about the dual user blowing up the restaurant in anger.
"I wonder what could have made him so upset all of a sudden. We were just talking about whether or not I liked Ochaco, so I doubt that could have been it" he mused, doing his best to lighten the tense atmosphere with polite, one-sided conversation.
~Time Skip: After Stain's Attack~
"AHHHH!" Midoriya screamed, waking both he and his roommate up from their equally restless sleep. He sat panting, his face buried in his knees for comfort as Todoroki went to turn on the lights.
"Midoriya?" the dual user asked, concerned.
"I… I'm fine… sorry, Todoroki…" he answered, "I was just having a bad dream."
"You've been having those a lot since we returned from our internships; is it about the Hero Killer?" The Shoto questioned.
The younger didn't answer verbally, just nodded his head weakly, still trying to control the small quakes that shook through him from residual fear and adrenaline. This dream was worse than the ones he'd previously had, probably because it wasn't just Iida and the Pro Hero 'Native' that he'd been unable to save. Now Todoroki was also in the nightmare.
Shoto was still standing awkwardly by the light switch, unsure of what to say or do to console the shaken teen. This was the fifth night they'd been back on campus after leaving the hospital, and it was the fifth night in a row that the boy had been plagued by whatever scene his mind had concocted to torment him.
He'd watched from the comfort of his own bed as Midoriya became restless, his freckled face glistening in sweat as it scrunched in fear and anger. Every night he'd thought about waking the boy or at least asking him about it the following morning. But, each time the sun came up he would lose his nerve, or convince himself that it wasn't his problem, even if the boy was his friend…roommate…
This time though, Midoriya had woken up screaming and the sight of his small form hunched over in terror was too much for him to ignore any longer. "Do you…" he started, doing his best to keep his face neutral, "uh… do you want to talk about it?"
Midoriya's head finally rose from his now wet knees, shock firmly etched into his tired face. "Todoroki…" he whispered. After taking a moment to let the question sink in, he tilted his head to the side slightly, green locks falling adorably around his cheeks as a small, appreciative smile graced his lips.
Todoroki felt his heart skip a beat and then pump quickly, his own face starting to heat up from the look he was receiving. He brushed his right hand through his hair, making sure to cool his flushing skin as covertly as possible before the teen noticed.
Midoriya brought his hand up to his own face, staring at the scars that covered it with an unknown expression. "You know… Iida and I would have died without you coming to help us. I know I've already said thank you, but I don't think it will ever be enough. Especially when I think about how you were hurt too… how easily you could have…"
His voice trailed off as if the words caused him too much pain or fear to continue. Todoroki stiffly walked over and sat down, somewhat startling the previously spaced-out teen. His eyes focused on Midoriya's hand, and he knew what he needed to say.
"You don't need to thank me for coming to aid you, Midoriya, or worry about what could have happened to me. I only have a couple of scars from fighting with Stain" he explained, shifting his left forearm for Midoriya to see. "Far less than the damage you suffered from helping me in the Sports Festival. I am still in your debt."
The younger smiled sadly before hesitantly reaching out to touch the two smooth scars that Stain's blades had left. "That's exactly what I'd expect from a cool guy like you Todoroki… but the truth is you don't owe me anything. It was my choice to do what I did in the arena and you aren't responsible for the problems my own quirk causes me. Besides, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to one of my friends because I couldn't be the hero I promised I would be."
Normally, Todoroki would have just nodded, or said nothing and left. Maybe this green-eyed force was rubbing off on him, or that he was finally starting to understand what a hero truly was, but he couldn't let him continue to feel so worthless, not after everything he'd done for so many people.
"That's not true!" he replied firmly, his heterochromatic eyes finally raising to meet Midoriya's. "Wasn't it you who showed me that heroes meddle in things that they don't have to? I could have ignored the text you sent and hoped that someone else would step in, but I chose to help you. Iida would have died without your intervention, and…"
He paused to think about his next words, knowing that speaking them aloud would inevitably lead to his stoic mask unraveling even further. "And…" he forced out, his voice becoming less strained with each syllable, "And I wouldn't have been able to assist as much as I did without you showing me how wrong I was about my destiny… without you giving me the push I needed to see my mother after so many years and accepting the fire quirk I inherited. You are every bit the hero you're striving to be. That's why All Might is in your corner, and Ochaco, and Iida, and… me as well…"
Midoriya's face lit up like a firework show, his green eyes sparkling with tears amidst his beet red face. "T-thank you… T-Todoroki… you're so cool…" he whispered.
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Okay my lovlies! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Things start to get a little more wild in Chapter 3!
PLEASE: FOLLOW/FAVORITE/REVIEW because I really really need it!
