"Well Todoroki, if I'm being perfectly honest, I think Freeze is a pretty nice name, or something like Mr. Freeze or Freezey, well at least that's what I think kids would like." Izuku could only lean back in his chair, the cushion moving backwards with him. Shouto could only pout, unsure on how to take this information.
"A classmate of mine had suggested it, I was a fool for thinking that I could live the rest of my hero career with that title following me." He remembered exactly who offered the name in the first place. In retrospect, he should've known not to take anything that person suggested.
"With all of you as third years now, it's essential that a codename is created. Only a few of you have yet to taken upon a hero name, and this would be the time I need you all to submit something." Aizawa moved back into his yellow sleeping bag, leaning against the blackboard. "Midnight won't be here to judge your names, I don't care what they are just give me something to turn in. You know who you are."
Katsuki Bakugou had begun growling, hands balling into fists as he banged them against the desk. "I keep trying to give you my hero name but these idiots keep laughing at me! What? Think you're better than me or something?!" He turned towards his classmates, sending glares to every one of them. Shouto couldn't care less about Katsuki's name, which was evident in his vacant stare.
"Your name's too long! And totally not kid friendly!" Denki pointed out, shrugging his shoulders.
"Exploding King of Murders still won't cut it, honestly just think of something better." Kyouka absently twirled her ear jack, not even bothering to look at her classmates.
"What did you say, punk bastard? I'll blow you through the CEILING!" Everyone had gotten used to Bakugou's threats, knowing that he never meant any of them and his childishness was only an act to protect himself. He had gotten better over the years, but Katsuki Bakugou wouldn't be him without threats.
"Listen, bro," Eijirou Kirishima spoke up. "Just shorten it! Be like, Explody, or Explodo!" He made a movement to punch the air, making a boom noise. Katsuki only grumbled, looking up at Aizawa.
"Fine, I'm Explodo, got that?" Katsuki calmed down, leaning back to cross his arms. Shouto kept his gaze at the wall, unsure of what to do about his own name. Who else needed to submit a name? He couldn't recall very well but he was sure there was another after Bakugou.
Aizawa moved from his position, slumping down to the ground to have a proper resting position. "Fine. Iida, Todoroki, you two are left."
Chatter begun amongst the students, Ochako began patting at Iida's shoulders. There was talk about whether or not it was alright for Iida to take up his brother's hero name, though he still seemed reluctant to. A few motivation words and Iida had agreed to take upon the torch that had been passed to him. Great, now that just left…
"So, Todoroki what's it going to be?" Shouto didn't hear who said that, but when he looked up all eyes were on him. He could feel the discomfort rising in him, to the point of wanting to step out of the classroom. He didn't know what to call himself, not even an ounce of consideration had been put to this choice.
The class could only watch as Todoroki moved his gaze from his classmates to his desk. He frowned deeply, unsure on what to say.
"I don't know." That would suffice. Or at least that's what he thought. The class erupted into a waterfall of ideas, names pouring out from everyone's mouths all at the same time. It took Shouto by surprise, hearing the possible names that he could be called eventually.
"Maybe Fire-Ice Man!" Mina shouted out.
"No way, that's too close to Ojiro and Satou's hero names, it's too basic." Kyouka replied.
"Wait – what is that supposed to mean?" Ojiro huffed.
"Todoroki, perhaps a name linked to your powers like Elemental?" Momo had suggested. Everyone seemed to think that the suggestion was very much like her.
"Yeah but Todoroki doesn't even use his fire side, so let's just call him like, Icey, or Freeze!" Denki laughed but Shouto quickly took ahold of the name.
"Freeze is fine. Let's go with that."
The class stared at the top student, appalled that he had took a name from someone like Denki Kaminari. Even the person who had suggested the name seemed to be in some sort of shock.
"Um, dude you don't have to, we're just all tossing out ideas here-" Denki began rubbing the top of his head, a confused smile appearing on his face. Shouto shook his head in reply.
"Freeze is fine. Aizawa, that's my hero name." The student looked up to see the teacher's face (his body stuffed into the sleeping bag) with a very stoic and nearly bored look.
"Finally. Now we can begin class."
Shouto grimaced at the memory, too caught up with how the scene played out to notice that Izuku had been waving his hand in front of him.
"Um, Todoroki! Todoroki where'd you go?" The man quickly shook himself out of his trance, apologizing to the therapist. Izuku took a breath of relief, offering a smile to the hero. "Was scared that you were going to get lost in your own world! Thanks for coming back to Earth!" He laughed, getting out of his chair to place his notebook and pen back onto his desk.
Izuku walked over to the right side of the sofa to pull out two of the bean bag chairs.
"Wanna sit?" The therapist pulled the green beanbag chair over to the center of the room, dragging the blue one afterwards. He plopped down into the green one, sinking into the cushion as Shouto watched curiously. The man slowly got up from the sofa, looking down at the blue bean bag chair before maneuvering himself down.
Shouto nearly fell into the blue bean bag and tried to keep his posture straight, but found himself sinking into the childish furniture. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, but he did feel… awkward. He tried to straighten himself, placing his hands folded neatly in his lap but with his back sinking, he looked incredibly silly.
A snort was heard, and then laughter. Izuku felt his hands over his mouth as he tried to silence himself from laughing any harder. He couldn't help himself, erupting into the kind of laughter that evoked tears. Shouto couldn't help but be fascinated with the sounds and sight. He noticed the laugh lines in Izuku's cheeks, and then the dimples that had camouflaged between the collections of freckles. Shouto couldn't help but stare, feeling his lips curve up slowly at the view. There was something about what Shouto saw that was just breathtaking.
"Okay, okay, I-I'm done!" Izuku wiped his face and began to shake from all the laughter. "Okay now I'm done, okay gotta be professional." He took a deep breath and made a slow hand motion, his hands fanning himself gently.
"So," Izuku cleared his throat, sitting up in his bean bag chair to make eye contact with Shouto. "I know earlier in the session we discussed your use of your fire side. I think the best course of action right now, and I think you might've picked up on it, is to face the guilt you're feeling." Izuku's face softened with sympathy and understanding. Shouto could only nod.
Izuku leaned over, keeping their gaze locked. The determined look appeared on the therpaist's face once again, the kind of face that had Shouto's heart jumping in an instant.
"This is only a suggestion, Todoroki, but I think the best thing for you to do is to go see your mother."
A pain of guilt jolted through Shouto's body, a hand moving up to clutch at his chest. How could he see her now? After all those years. It's been nearly two decades since the incident that left Shouto with half a scarred face. He didn't want to admit it, but it seemed like it was too late to make amends. It was too late to save her-
"It's not too late." Shouto's head whipped up. It was almost like Izuku read his mind and acknowledged what he was feeling. Perhaps that was the therapist's hidden quirk. Again and again, Shouto couldn't help but think the man had some sort of quirk, or power; the kind that worked perfectly when it came to helping others and breaking down their walls.
"It's been… far too long." Shouto couldn't reveal the exact amount of years but he was certain Izuku already did his math. "How could I face her now? Maybe if I was still in high school, seeing her would've been easier but now?" He looked down at his hands, noticing they were shaking. He swallowed hard.
Izuku only returned a sad smile, reaching over to place a hand on Shouto's arm.
"I know you're scared, but I want you to consider the worst case scenario here. What would it be?" There was the therapist talk. Izuku was never one to give out the answers he wanted to hear. He was a professional after all, there was a reason why Izuku Midoriya was named one of the best counselors in the country.
Even so, Shouto felt like a child who didn't want to give out any answers in case they were wrong. Of course Izuku would never mock him for saying what he thought, but the fear was still there and in that moment he held onto his childish mannerism.
"The worst case scenario would be if she attacked me." It was a stretch, now that he's said it out loud it seemed extremely unlikely; however, it was a possibility nonetheless. He could've said 'the worst case scenario would be if she hated me' but it was very likely that she does hate him right now. It wasn't something Shouto wanted to think about.
Izuku only nodded before taking his hand off of Shouto's arm. "And what would the best case scenario be?" He asked, a stern, hopeful look appearing on Izuku's face.
What was the best case scenario? What did Shouto wanted to hear from his mother?
"I want…I want her to tell me it's okay to use my powers, that it's mine. I want to apologize to her, and I would like her to accept my apologies. The best case scenarios is," Shouto took a shaky breath. "me saving her."
A smile broke onto Izuku's face. Shouto felt the nervousness calm down, something else had slowly replaced it. It felt like a drive. Motivation. Determination.
"You've got a new look on your face, did you know that?" Izuku beamed, leaving Shouto flushing.
"No, is it a good look?" He asked, returning a small smirk. Another bright smile and a nod was Shouto's reply. In return, his heart began to beat fast, something within his stomach fluttered. What was it about Izuku Midoriya that made him feel this way?
It had only been three weeks since Shouto first came to Izuku Midoriya's office, but already has his life changed for the better, at least that's what he believed. If Izuku was by his side, Shouto felt like he could do anything. Truly, that's how he felt.
"Could you… maybe come with me to see my mother?" Shouto was close to hiding his gaze, but mustered the courage to look Izuku in the eyes when he asked that. The therapist only gave a surprised look before smiling in return.
"Of course, if you'd like, our next session could actually be at the hospital, or if you'd like to choose another day for it, I can let you know how my schedule is." Izuku explained, heaving himself off the bean bag chair. He offered a hand to Shouto who had slumped into the cushion. With his heart that screamed for him, Shouto took the man's hand and hoisted himself up.
"If Kacchan and Kirishima are still in Tokyo, I'll have this time slot open for us to go to the hospital, but again it depends on whether or not they come, er, I guess it depends on which hospital too." Izuku chuckled, running a hand through his hair.
Shouto nodded slowly, thinking about the perfect time to go see his mother. He could actually go any time this week, but he wanted Izuku to be there with him.
"I think next week would be perfect, the hospital is just a train station away so it's not too far. Even if Bakugou and Kirishima come back from Tokyo, I think there would be time." Shouto explained, moving the bean bag chair back to its original position.
"Great! Did you want to meet here and then go together or meet at the hospital?" Izuku asked.
"Meeting here is fine, since I can show you how to get to the hospital from here." The therapist seemed to like that answer, nodding his head.
"Sounds great! Anyways, ready to go to the café I've been telling you about?" Izuku grinned.
Shouto had never nodded his head as quickly as he did in that moment.
-
The café was small, but there was an added charm to the local establishment. The outside tables were empty, seeing as the cold wind had picked up, blowing against the black, metal chairs. Inside; however, was warm and filled with customers. It seemed to be the perfect time to grab a cup of coffee or settle down for a quick pastry.
The coffee beans mixed with sweets created an aroma that Shouto could describe as French. The interior design of the café seemed to replicate European style. Brick dividers held plants on top of them, vines hanging down to create a background that seemed like customers were sitting out doors.
All in all, the place felt comforting.
"Let's sit here, Todoroki!" Izuku pointed to a two seater table that was next to the glass wall that looked out into the streets. Shouto followed him, taking a seat. Izuku had put on an All Might jacket over his dress shirt, making quite a dissonance in style. On top of that, Shouto noticed that Izuku's tie was very off. Not even tied properly. Interesting.
Izuku handed Shouto a menu, pointing at some of the items. "I always get the same thing here, I grab a chai latte and a glazed doughnut. Sometimes two if I'm feeling hungry…" Izuku flushed a bit, rubbing his cheek as moved his finger down the menu for Shouto to see. "So they have really good scones, it's probably what they're known for here, and all of their lattes are awesome!"
Shouto nodded, looking down the list of beverages. He was quite interested in the powdered scones, noting to order one of those. As for his drink, he'd much prefer something akin to tea versus coffee. Would it be rude to not take up Izuku's recommendation on the lattes though? He wasn't sure. Shouto had never been on a… an outing like this before.
The waitress had come over, striking a conversation with Izuku who was of course, a regular at the café. He in returned, introduced Shouto to her who greeted him politely. Shouto noticed that Izuku didn't mention his hero name or line of work at all, instead his choice of words were very appealing.
"This is my friend, Shouto!"
The hero's heart continued to beat faster. His first name had been used. If his face wasn't the same shade as his red hair, it was surely coming closer to that hue.
After the two ordered, Izuku seemed to notice the look on Shouto's face and sent an apology straight away.
"I'm sorry Todoroki! I didn't want to mention your last name since it's kind of well-known. Now that you're not already well-known but, I just thought it might be stressful if people started recognizing you right now and stuff." Izuku clasped his hands together, forming an apologetic gesture.
"No, you're fine. You were thinking of me even now despite not being your client at the moment. I appreciate that. And um," A blush spread across his face. "Shouto's fine." Izuku's face seemed to light up at that.
"Really? Then call me Izuku okay?" Shouto looked away, eyeing the passersby on the street through the glass.
"Okay… Izuku." The name was almost forced out, but once it did, a giddy feeling bubbled inside of Shouto. His hand was placed over his mouth, his elbow propped on the table, but only he would know how big of a smile he was hiding underneath his palm.
A few seconds had passed, the silence was not cold, in fact, it was warm. Izuku had checked his phone for emails and messages when a different waitress had struggled with her tray of orders, causing her to nearly tip over after walking too fast. Shouto didn't realize it, but Izuku had nearly jumped out of his seat at the speed of light to go and assist the woman. He helped her balance the tray and took a few off of it, offering to help take them to the correct tables. While she thanked him, Shouto couldn't help but understand who Izuku Midoriya was.
He was a hero.
His heart and mind was set on helping others, and it wasn't for the fame or power. Izuku was intent on helping people for the sole reason of helping. It was admirable to watch, something that sparked a match inside Shouto's heart. His mind began to race, wondering where Izuku would be now if he did have a quirk? Surely his mindset would've stayed the same, so it would've been possible Izuku could've became the greatest hero with his heart of gold. Though he was doing his part by being a therapist, Shouto couldn't help but think that life was truly cruel for cursing Izuku.
Once the food arrived, Shouto didn't realize how hungry he actually was. His stomach seemed to call out, creating an audible groan. Izuku had laughed, nearly spitting out his chai latte while Shouto shot him a glare. It had no effect, as Izuku continued to chuckle and sip at his beverage.
Shouto had settled with a royal English breakfast tea latte and powdered milk scones.
"You know what? Your order is pretty much you." Izuku mentioned before taking a bite of his doughnut. Shouto raised an eyebrow at him.
"How so?"
"Well, I don't know! You seem to have such an elegant flair to you, so English breakfast and scones just seem to scream you!" He laughed, placing his latte down. Shouto looked down at his plate, and then to Izuku's.
"I think I know what you're talking about. Your food has your personality too." He pointed out.
"W-What? Really?" Izuku looked down at his two doughnuts and latte.
"Yes, though I don't know how I can describe it. I suppose they're both as sweet as you." Wait – WHAT? Shouto didn't mean to say that out loud, realizing his choice of words could mean something entirely different than what he intended. (But what was he really intending?)
Izuku seemed to have taken it as a compliment, his cheeks turning slightly pink. Shouto didn't notice one bit since his head was lowered, taking large bites of his scone to cover his small confession.
"You think so? That means a lot to me, thanks Shouto." The hero looked up at the therapist, whose face was soft once again, adorned with a brilliant smile that seemed to light up the darkest of nights. He took a second to realize that he felt something that was unfamiliar. Shouto couldn't identify what was stirring inside him, but if anyone could help him out, it would be Izuku.
"Midori- I mean, Izuku. I think that you're-" Shouto was interrupted by a THUMP on the glass. A young woman had pressed herself up the glass, waving at the two of them. It was Uraraka Ochako, grinning from ear to ear as she began jumping up and down. Though she was covered with a large scarf and beanie, the two were able to recognize her just by demeanor alone. The glass was thick, so both Izuku and Shouto watched as she tried to tell them something but was muffled by the barrier. She quickly realized this and walked into the café, towards their table.
"Oh my gosh Izuku! Todoroki! Isn't this cool seeing each other like this?" She stopped in front of their table, her gloved hands to her face.
"U-Uraraka! I haven't seen you in a while! How have you been?" Izuku stood up, giving Ochako the opportunity to hug him tightly.
"I've been doing super! Had the day off so I went around shopping in this district! What a coincidence right?" Ochako turned to Shouto who stood up out of respects. Instead of a hug, she took the man's hands and began jumping up and down.
"Aww Todoroki I haven't seen you since the last time we teamed up for a client! I mean, you texted me about Midoriya's office but I didn't think you actually keep seeing him!" She confessed, though a smile shone. Shouto raised an eyebrow, not really understanding what she meant by that.
Ochako let go of his hands, turning towards Izuku. She gave him another giant, warm hug that would put bears to shame. Shouto took notice of how red Izuku's face turned, feeling his own cheeks warm up, though this time the emotions that followed were different. His eyebrows furrowed.
"D-Did you want to maybe e-eat with us?" Izuku stuttered out. Stuttering? Shouto took note of that. For whatever reason, it made him feel uneasy.
The anti-gravity hero shook her head, sending an apologetic smile to both Izuku and Shouto. "Oh, sorry! I can't! I actually have to get back to my district but we should totally catch up some other time! Do you think you'd have time next week? Maybe we can invite Iida too!" Ochako's suggestion lit Izuku's face, the therapist nodding.
"I'll message you! I'll talk to Iida too, though I know he's a bit busy nowadays with training his sidekicks, I'm sure he can have a day off."
"Awesome! Well I'm going to run now, great to see you both! Totally stellar that we got to run into each other by chance huh?" Ochako turned towards Shouto and began poking at Izuku. "He's great right? Totally amazing! I love this guy!"
Love. She had used the word before when messaging Shouto about her experiences with Izuku. For some off reason, Shouto lost his appetite.
"What a coincidence huh?" Izuku sat down, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. Shouto followed suit, feeling ice form gently on his right arm. He could only nod, placing his left hand over his right arm.
"Uraraka has really done amazing as a pro hero, I'm really glad to see her working hard and reaching the goals she set out the first time she came to see me." Izuku smiled gently, a blush spreading across his face as he stirred his spoon into his chai latte.
Shouto didn't want to say anything, he just didn't feel like it.
"Did you know? I'm actually really bad with one-on-one conversations with girls." Izuku chuckled a bit, embarrassed. Shouto tilted his head. The question was gnawing in his throat.
"She seems to be really fond of you." Shouto started, though his voice was slightly colder than it normally was when he was with Izuku.
"Haha, yeah! I really like her too, did you know she had a crush on me once?"
Something inside Shouto's chest started hurting and he didn't know why. First he was experiencing all these new, delightful sensations but now? It seemed irritating and painful. Before Shouto could open his mouth to say something, Izuku spoke.
"It was really hard to turn her down at the time, but she actually got over it really quickly! She's a great friend but I wasn't really looking for a relationship at the time. I guess it was better because she was able to find a really nice girl afterwards, actually I think you know her she was in your year too I think? Plus I'm actually, maybe the reason why I'm not good at talking to girls is because I'm not really interesting in woman romantically? Does that make any sense? I guess it doesn't, I don't think I'm explaining myself correctly since I'm feeling all frazzled and stuff right now, uh-" Izuku had fingers to his forehead, muttering to himself mostly before Shouto stopped him.
"You're not interested in girls?" He asked, feeling his heart pumping once again.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, no! I mean, I guess that means I'm gay huh? But actually I've never really dated before so maybe I just don't know what I'm saying-"
"It's fine, I've never had a romantic partner before either." Shouto added, a bit too quickly, into the conversation. Never in his life had he considered sexuality, as his world always revolved around training and becoming a hero. Why was it now that he started thinking about these sorts of things? Could it be that Izuku meant something to him in that way?
Shouto's world began to slowly piece together. His heart racing? It was a symptom of infatuation. The passion Izuku showed was admirable, but it had made Shouto happy by proxy. Was that something that could be a part of what "love" is?
"Wait, you've never dated before?" Izuku asked, tilting his head. "I mean, sorry if it seems like I'm shocked! I just, kind of am? You're uh, really pretty, did you know that?"
Shouto blinked, placing a hand over the left side of his face, almost self-consciously.
"I've always thought that this scar made me ugly." He confessed. Even when he heard people call him pretty in U.A, he couldn't help but feel that they were empty compliments. He's found both his left and right sides to be ugly, considering one side to be a gross depiction of his father while the other side was stolen features from his mother. He was the product of a forced marriage after all, so how could he be pretty?
"You really think that? Because I think you're beautiful." Izuku's face softened, and while his cheeks stayed red, he offered Shouto the kindest of smiles as he place a hand onto the table, offering it to him.
Shouto took a second to realize what the hand was trying to offer, slowly putting his own hand on top. He heard beautiful as more than appearances. His personality was beautiful. When did someone ever consider him with compliments like that? All he ever was told was that he was cold.
He locked eyes with Izuku, feeling his own face heat up red once more. He would never be able to get rid of the feeling in his face, as every time he looked at Izuku it would occur. The thing was, he never wanted to stop looking at him. The heat was nothing like fire, it was a comfort, a blessing even.
The two finished their meals after that, Shouto paying for their orders (dodging Izuku's protests.) They had agreed to meet in the lobby of Izuku's office at the start of Shouto's appointment. From then they will take the train over to the hospital and visit Shouto's mother.
When Izuku said his goodbyes, he held out his hand to wave. Shouto's arm had gone up without thinking, returning the gesture with his own. Though he was still and not frantically waving his arm at the man, he had returned Izuku's smile with one of his own.
Shouto watched Izuku leave to his office, feeling the beating in his heart continue from early on in the day. He didn't know what was coming over him, but deep in his mind and soul, Shouto realized that what he was feeling was something called love. It was nothing he had never experienced prior, so the feeling was absolutely foreign to him. When faced with the unknown, there would be a sense of worry and fear that accompanied it. Even so, something inside Shouto's body had told him to continue on, to pursue the feelings that had sprouted over the past three weeks.
With only three sessions, Shouto's life had made a complete turn. The way he perceived the world around him had changed, and finally he would be able to confront the fears and guilt that had been holding him back for years. All thanks to Izuku Midoriya.
He reminded himself to tell Izuku how he felt today, and to confess something important. Actually, confess two things.
First, Izuku was his hero.
Second, Shouto was in love with his hero.
