AN: Third chapter: Izuku is not okay- Part 2! Continuation of Part 1, focuses on Izuku bonding with his classmates.
With helpful advice coming from not only his sister but his mother too, Todoroki set off on spending more time with his friend. To be completely fair it wasn't just him reaching out to Izuku. After what Bakugo had informed the class they were all doing little things to help their classmate. Mostly it was just showing Izuku that he could trust them. Not that he didn't trust them already, because he did to a certain extent, but trusting them with his life was different that trusting them individually in any day to day situation. And with Bakugo there was more damage to their relationship than could be mended at the flip of a coin.
Things were changing though, that much was obvious. It was because of Todoroki's drive to spend more time together with his friend that he was the primary witness to what was occurring. To the dual-quirk user the slow but beautiful metamorphosis that Izuku underwent was the most heart-warming thing he'd ever seen.
Izuku was studying with Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki when Kaminari and Kirishima came busting into the lounge roaring with laughter.
"Guys!" Kaminari yelled while practically skipping with glee. "You'll never guess what we tricked Mineta into—"
"Excuse me," Todoroki cut him off with an icy glare, "but could you relay your story a bit quieter? There's no need to yell when we're all right here."
The electric quirk user barely needed to look over to register how on edge his screaming had put Izuku. He instantly brushed the observation off in favor for continuing his story at a much more appropriate volume. Kirishima noticed and flashed a thumbs up at Todoroki out of the corner of his gaze.
It was something so small, but the little things were adding up.
"You know you don't have to sit so far away from me, right?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow in confusion as he regarded Tsuyu. The fellow greenette was watching the news with rapt attention, her eyes not straying so see the confusion clear on her friend's face.
"What do you mean, Tsu?"
"I mean you're all the way at the other end of the couch when you could be sitting next to me. I wouldn't mind, ribbit. I usually cuddle up with whoever's around anyway because it keeps me warm."
"Oh, okay."
For a moment Tsuyu was convinced Izuku would just stay where he was. She could feel his hesitation from where she sat, the way he glanced around the room nervously to make sure no one was paying any mind to them plain as his appearance. After a few seconds though the girl felt the couch dip slightly as Izuku shuffled over to where she was. He settled down next to her so that their legs and arms were touching, going back to watching the news in comfortable silence together for several more minutes.
That is until she heard him yawn.
"Midoriya-kun," she stated seriously, "do you trust me?"
He seemed startled by the question.
"That's a bit random, but of course I do. Why?"
She patted her lap like she was trying to get a skittish cat to jump up onto it. "You seem tired, ribbit. Since you have the rest of the couch why don't you rest your head on my lap? I promise it'll be more comfortable than if you fall asleep on my shoulder. I wouldn't want you hurting your neck."
Izuku seemed frazzled by the offer.
"I, um, I'm not sure if… are you really okay with that?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."
There was a long pause before Izuku reluctantly relocated himself. The weight of his head settled onto her legs, his face turned towards the television screen while his arms were brought forward in front of his chest. His knees were bent so that he could curl up on his side more comfortably.
Tsuyu let out a small croak of triumph, a small smile on her face as she noticed the tension leaving her friend's shoulders little by little. By the time fifteen minutes had passed his breathing was becoming dangerously slow. Another five minutes passed when she realized he still wasn't quite asleep, she gathered he wasn't feeling completely at ease in her presence yet. She knew he wasn't too far away from falling asleep completely though, so she decided it was time to pull out all the stops.
"Midoriya-kun?" She whispered.
The boy blinked up at her tiredly, eyelids heavy as he struggled to turn his head to look at her. His brilliant green eyes met hers.
"Yes, Tsu? If you need me to move just say the word," he yawned. "I'd be happy to."
She shook her head. "That's not it. Do you mind if I touch your face?"
His eyes widened at this, a blush ghosting his cheeks. It seemed like he was debating whether or not he should bolt. "T-touch my face? Why?"
Tsuyu shrugged. "It's something I do for my siblings when they rest on my lap. It's nice for helping them distress or relax so they can fall asleep. I thought you wouldn't mind."
"Oh, I see. That's fine then," he acquitted. He forced himself to get comfortable once more. Part of him was panicking internally, the entire situation becoming more stressful at the strangeness of it, but all of his anxieties vanished once Tsuyu began touching his face.
The soft pads of her fingers met his forehead gently, the foreign sensation not even making him flinch she was so careful. From there she moved her fingers down the sides of his face to his temples before massaging lightly. The pleasant sensation put him at ease instantly. He felt like he was melting. After a minute of that she switched to pressing lightly against the bones that made up his eye sockets. The nerves there responded to the touch by singing happily, Izuku not being able to stifle the sigh of content that escaped him.
"Feels good…" He slurred, his cheek rubbing against Tsuyu's lap affectionately for a single moment. She took it as a sign of appreciation.
He's like a housecat, she thought to herself.
She hummed back as she traced random designs across his face. The two of them stayed like this even as the news segment she'd been interested in ended, the boy in her lap fast asleep. She merely switched to carding through his hair when Todoroki approached her.
"He seems happy," he stated fondly at the scene. Izuku's mouth had slipped open and he was beginning to drool on the amphibious girl.
Tsuyu croaked proudly in response.
"What is this?" Izuku found himself mumbling in confusion as he noticed an unlabeled box on his bed. It was out of place for it to be mail from his mom, and frankly it was a bit odd of a time of year for gifts. The fact the box was unmarked was a bit suspicious. "This is U.A. though, so I'm sure it's safe. The security is reliable. Does that mean it came from one of my classmates?"
Curiosity getting the better of him, Izuku tentatively opened the box to find it filled with… notebooks? Upon further inspection there was also a package of pencils and colored pencils.
His emerald eyes shined with excitement.
"I wonder who did this? Whoever it was sure is—"
That's when he noticed it. There, at the very bottom of the box, was a notebook labeled "Hero Analysis for the Future 13.5" in messy scrawl.
"Midoriya? We're training with Shinso and Ojiro at seven thirty, correct?"
Quickly spinning around to face Todoroki, Izuku resigned to figure out what Bakugo meant by gifting him those things later. He needed to help his friend prepare dinner for his weekly task tonight.
"Yep, Todoroki-kun! We're going over some Gunhead martial arts Uraraka-chan taught Iida and me. What're we making for dinner tonight by the way?"
"I was thinking cold soba."
Izuku rolled his eyes.
"You always pick that!"
When Izuku noticed a majority of the girls following him around the dorm he knew something was up.
"Um," he started shyly, his fingers twiddling around each other nervously, "do you guys need something from me? You've been trailing me since class ended. If there's anything I can do to help you, then—"
"Can I cut your hair?" Mina cut him off excitedly.
He blinked in surprise.
"What?"
"She wants to cut your hair, dude." Jiro repeated. "Your curls are all over the place if you haven't noticed. You're probably well overdue for a trim, and Mina is a pro at cutting hair."
Uraraka nodded in agreement. "She's right, Deku-kun. Mina has trimmed mine for me before."
"Of course you don't need a haircut if you don't want one," Yaoyorozu confirmed.
Hagakure grabbed Izuku's hand tenderly. "Yaomomo's right! It's totally your decision after all, but we just wanted to let you know we're totally up for giving you a cute haircut."
Izuku looked between the girls' eager faces before a genuine smile broke across his face.
"I am in need of haircut," he finally said with a laugh. "It saves my mom and me a trip to the city too. When would you like to do it?"
Mina threw a fist into the air. "Let's do it now!"
The greenette blinked.
"Wait, right now?"
"This very instant, Midori! I've been waiting days for this. I have just the haircut in mind!"
Less than five minutes later he was being seated in the communal bathroom on a literal barbershop chair. It was positioned over one of the open showering areas because according to the girls he needed to have his hair thoroughly washed before it was cut.
"I could just wet it by dunking under the showerhead?" He offered. Part of him felt like he was wasting their time or abusing their kindness, but his question was met with a solid denial.
"No way, Midori." Hagakure said. "Yaomomo did not make this awesome chair for you to not use it. We're going to wash your hair for you like an actual hair cutting place, okay? Just relax."
He nodded slowly, resigning himself to his fate.
"I'm going to tilt the chair back," Uraraka informed while Jiro placed a towel over his front. She tucked in behind his shoulders to catch any excess water just as Hagakure was turning on the water. Once it was warm but not scalding she took the hand held showerhead from the top of the shower and gave it to Mina. The pink-skinned girl made sure to warn him before wetting his hair down completely.
"The water isn't too hot or cold, right?"
Izuku made a noise that meant "no".
"It's perfect, Mina-kun."
She smiled. "Great! I'm going to start working in the shampoo then. It's going to make your hair feel super soft once it's dry."
With that she turned the water off momentarily. After depositing some shampoo onto her hands and rubbing them together so it wasn't as cold, she lathered it into Izuku's scalp with experienced fingers.
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu couldn't help but giggle as Izuku's eyes fell closed and he slumped against the chair happily.
"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Mina asked. Izuku nodded in confirmation. "I love having my hair done too for the very same reason. It's a little trickier because of the horns, but everyone loves a good hair-washing! I bet even Bakugo would."
Izuku laughed. "Mina-chan, I don't think Kacchan would ever let someone else wash his hair. Do you guys want to know something funny though? If you promise to not let Kacchan know I told you, I'll tell you how he dries his hair. It's something only he would do."
"Dude, spill!" Jiro along with the other girls begged. Dirt on the explosive blond was rare, so they wouldn't let this opportunity slip.
"Since his quirk is explosion, he uses tiny explosions to dry his hair. That's how he really gets his hair so spiky."
The girls immediately started freaking out, most of them laughing at the image of Bakugo using explosions to make what they imagined as limp wet hair into the spiky hairstyle they were used to seeing.
"That's hilarious," Uraraka giggled.
Jiro grinned, agreeing wholehearted. "Yep. I can totally see him doing that too."
Soon after the discussion Mina switched from washing his hair to rinsing, Uraraka brandishing a brush in order to straighten his wet curls afterwards. Once that was done Mina started snipping.
"I'm just going to trim it shorter, okay? I think it'd look cuter if it was a little bit shorter in the back than the length it was when we first started here at U.A. though. How do you feel about that?"
Izuku didn't think for long.
"That's fine with me. I trust your judgment, Mina-chan."
Said girl grinned cheerfully. "Thank you! I won't let you down, Midori!"
When all was said and done, Mina was a girl of her word. The girls smiled excitedly as Hagakure and Uraraka walked the boy over to the mirror to see the result.
"So," Mina sang, "do you like it?"
The greenette touched the short hair at the back of his neck timidly. After a second his hand ran from the back to the top where it gradually got longer. The hairstyle was a mix of his original curls with a hint of an undercut, but either way it looked amazing. Mina had some serious skill.
"It's great!" He wound up saying, turning around to face her. Before he knew what he was doing he was hugging her tightly. "Thank you all so much!"
Mina returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm.
"It was no problem, Midori! We all had a lot of fun. Let me know the next time you need a trim though, okay? We'd be happy to help again… in exchange for more blackmail on Bakugo."
Izuku grinned sheepishly as they pulled away from the hug.
His chest felt lighter than it had in ages.
"Let's show Iida-kun and Todoroki-kun your new haircut," Uraraka said cheerfully, her entire form buzzing in excitement.
Nodding, Izuku allowed the brunette to grab his hand and escort him out of the bathroom. His hand felt as warm as his heart.
"Midoriya."
"Yes, Todoroki-kun?"
The dual-quirk user gestured towards the front of the dormitory.
"Our classmates are preparing to leave for an impromptu trip to the arcade. Uraraka sent me to 'forcibly drag you with', as she put it."
Izuku let out a chuckle at that. It very much sounded like the gravity girl.
"Basically everybody is going then?"
Todoroki nodded. "Yes. Ashido challenged Bakugo to something called Dance Dance Revolution, and we all know how well that worked at getting him to come with. Be that as it may I am curious to go to an arcade seeing as it will be my first time going to one."
"Really? It'll be my first time too. I heard they're a lot of fun, and since neither of us have been to one before we can learn how to play the games together!"
Izuku's smiles were contagious, Todoroki decided. They had to be for him to feel his own facial muscles pulling upwards at the other boy's energetic grin.
"I'm really sorry, Midoriya." Kirishima apologized for the umpteenth time.
Izuku waved him off, the pain radiating from his back bearable enough for him to hide behind a smile.
"Don't worry about it, Kirishima-kun. I've taken a lot harder hits than that from Uraraka-chan." They both laughed a bit at that before sobering up. "Anyway, I'll see you later tonight at dinner?"
The redhead grinned. "Sure thing! I'll let you study or whatever then, bro. See ya later!"
Once he'd gone Izuku stared at his closed door for a few seconds just to make sure the eccentric teenager didn't burst back through them a third time. He'd already done it once, so the greenette wanted to be sure he wouldn't be bothered before getting the medicine box out from underneath his bed. He waited approximately two minutes before pulling off his shirt and getting the two creams out that he'd need. One was to help accelerate healing of bruises as well as lessen pain, and the other was something he used daily to help with scar reduction.
He held the cream for bruising in his hand thoughtfully. How was he going to reach the spot just below the center of his shoulder blades by himself?
The answer was obvious; without an elasticity quirk he couldn't.
Sighing dejectedly, Izuku willed himself to pick up his phone. After scrolling through his list of contacts he let his eyes linger over his three closest friends at U.A. He couldn't pick Uraraka to help, because he knew they'd both just become blushing messes. Iida was out of the question too. While he would help him out happily out of duty as the class rep as well as one of his closest friends Izuku knew he'd have to sit through another lecture on taking care of himself. He wasn't feeling up to another one of those right now. That just left Todoroki.
Shooting the dual-haired boy a text asking him if he was busy, Izuku tapped his fingers restlessly while he waited for a reply. Half of him felt like a bother for texting him. After a couple minute passed without a response he was tempted to text him again saying to forget it. He could go without treating the sure to be blossoming bruise on his back; he'd dealt with worse injuries for years without anyone else's assistance.
He grabbed his phone again, fully prepared to tell Todoroki to disregard his last text, when a knock suddenly sounded from his door.
"Midoriya, it's Todoroki. You asked if I was free?" He questioned from the hallway.
Izuku hastily put a shirt on as he scrambled to meet the fire and ice quirk user at the door. Why was he feeling so self-conscious all of a sudden? It wasn't like his friends hadn't seen him shirtless before. He was going to have to see him shirtless if he agreed to help him anyway.
"S-sorry for making you wait!" The greenette greeted, opening the door and smiling a classic dimpled smile.
Todoroki didn't seem bothered by the delay.
"I only just got here, so there's nothing to worry about. I have nothing going on tonight anyway. Speaking of, did you need assistance with something? Your text made it sound like you needed help."
As he spoke Todoroki walked into the room, sitting down on Izuku's All Might comforter just as the owner of the room closed his door. Before his question could be answered he noticed the two tubes of cream lying on the bed. He picked one up, inspecting it silently.
"So it seems you were lying about that kick you took during training earlier," he accused the shorter boy.
Izuku let out a nervous chuckle.
"I, um, didn't want to make Kirishima-kun worry any more than he already was. Recovery Girl also already works really hard, so I didn't think some bruising was enough to see her over. I was going to try and put it on my back myself."
"But you can't reach there effectively, can you?"
He blushed. "No, I can't. I was wondering if you might be able to help me with that? If you're comfortable that is. I don't want to—"
"Midoriya," Todoroki stopped him with a hand, a slight but present exasperated smile on his face. "It's fine. Sit down in front of me and take off your shirt," he instructed before scooting back further on the bed. There was now plenty of room for Izuku to timidly place himself in front of his friend. He pulled his shirt off glad that his face was turned away from Todoroki's.
"Thank you, Todoroki-kun."
The other boy responded with a quiet "you're welcome", a sense of accomplishment at being the one he trusted enough to help him.
From there the two sat in relative silence. Todoroki got to work putting some of the cream on his left hand, using his quirk to warm up the cold substance before applying it delicately to the angry purple, yellow, and brown bruise Kirishima's heavy kick had created.
"Tell me if I'm hurting you," he warned. Izuku nodded.
Starting from the darkest part, Todoroki worked in the cream by making small circles towards the edges of the bruise. He made sure his fingers weren't pressing too hard on account of causing any pain. The work was slow in practice, the half-cold half-hot hero in training wanting to make sure he took his time and did a good job. Luckily for him it was obvious he was doing an amazing job with the way he had Izuku completely lax before him. There was usually a buzz of nervous energy hanging around the greenette, but right then it was nonexistent. The observation made him so pleased. To see his friend so relaxed made him act so that even after he was done applying the cream he started working the tightness out of the muscles of his spine. He made sure to avoid the injury, and the sigh of appreciation he received in return made his heart thrum.
"Thank you again," Izuku stated softly. "You're really kind-hearted, Todoroki-kun. I think that's a quality the best heroes have."
Todoroki rolled his eyes. Izuku would relate everything to heroes.
"You're welcome, Midoriya, although your thanks aren't needed. I'm doing this because I wish too. While we're talking though, what is the other cream for?"
"Oh, that's for scarring. It helps with assisting them in fading over time. It doesn't work completely, but it does have some effect. I'm mainly using it to try to get the scar on my arm to fade somewhat."
"I can help you put that on too if you'd like." He offered while letting his arms rest at his sides. "You have a couple on your back that you might be hard pressed to reach yourself, you know, and I'm happy to assist while I'm sitting here anyway."
"Really? Well, only if you're—"
A series of knocks cut him off, the loud beats combined with a gruff voice that accompanied them sending that usual air of nervousness blanketing over Izuku once again.
"Deku!" Bakugo's shouted from the hallway. "Shitty-hair won't leave my ass alone until I make sure his pansy-ass kick didn't actually hurt you all that bad. Idiot doesn't understand that you can take a… hit."
As he'd been talking he opened the door without announcing the action, the last word trailing off when he happened upon the once tender scene before him.
Todoroki glared at the blond, annoyance flaring in the dual-quirk user.
"Close the door, Bakugo. Since you didn't have the common sense to ask permission before coming in or at least announce that you were going to barge in here you can make sure to at least do that much. Midoriya would appreciate it."
For a second it seemed like Bakugo was going to start yelling even louder than before, but when his red-eyed gaze fell over Izuku's tense form he thought better of it. He did not just get wailed into by his so-called friends (aka the Bakusquad) about being less of a dick to his childhood friend just to not at least try to accept their challenge.
"I bet you couldn't be less of an asshole to Midoriya if you tried," Sero had said at some point in their shouting match discussion.
"Is that a challenge, soy sauce face? Like hell I couldn't do that! I can do anything I please!"
Kaminari and Mina openly agreed with Sero, Kirishima being the only one to stick up for the explosive blond.
"C'mon guys, I'm sure Bakugo can be nicer to Midoriya. He'd never lose a challenge. Especially one so easy," he grinned confidently.
Bakugo had wanted to punch Kirishima so damn hard, but his hardening quirk made it much less satisfying.
Closing the door, Bakugo then walked around the bed so he could see the damage for himself. The entire time Izuku looked at him like he'd grown horns and a tail to match his sometimes demonic personality. The blond tried to ignore the green eyes on him since he knew he'd only want to snap the more he acknowledged them.
"It's not that bad," he finally commented. His attention turned to Todoroki. "You putting some cream on it for him, or somethin'?"
"Yes, actually. I just finished applying it. I was going to help him put on some cream for scarring too while I was at it, but you interrupted before I could begin."
A scoff came from the blond. He picked up the scar cream with one hand and made a shooing motion with the other.
"I bet you suck at stuff like this, half-n-half. Why don't you run downstairs and get me something to drink while I take care of this? That way I can get hair-for-brains off my back."
Both of them noticed Izuku's breath hitch at the offer, but neither commented on it.
Todoroki hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose that's up to Midoriya. If he feels comfortable with me leaving for a few minutes then it's fine with me."
"I-It's fine, Todoroki-kun. I trust Kacchan."
Somehow the words felt forced.
A moment later Bakugo had taken Todoroki's spot on the bed. The air was much heavier than it had been earlier, the muscles in Izuku's shoulders wound tight even as Bakugo barked out that he wasn't going to hurt him.
"Just relax, Deku." He growled before grabbing the greenette's arm. While he hadn't done it roughly that didn't stop Izuku from flinching, the response making Bakugo's gut churn uncomfortably. He ignored the way Izuku apologized immediately afterwards too.
Things didn't get much better from there. Even as Bakugo tried to stay quiet and be as gentle as possible while rubbing the cream onto the rectangular scar on the younger's arm, the thick tension in the room was setting them both on edge. Bakugo didn't understand why Izuku was so scared of him when he could punch him through the building if he desired. Izuku didn't understand why Bakugo was acting, in a cosmic sort of way, nice to him.
When Izuku began muttering to himself Bakugo finally lost his patience.
Slamming his hands down onto Izuku's shoulders, the boy underneath him jumping in fright before trying to pull away, the blond manhandled the other around until Izuku's upper half was twisted around to face him.
"What the hell is your problem? I'm trying to be nice to you for once in your miserable life, and despite all that power you still act like a spineless nerd. What gives, huh? You think you're too good for me, Deku?"
"Kacchan, it's not—"
"Not what, huh? It's not me? Don't expect me to fall for that load of crap!"
"If you'd just listen to—"
"You're terrified of me. Just come out at say it! I know it's all my f—"
"Kacchan!"
The frustrated yell silenced Bakugo, the blond's attention fully trained on the desperate look on Izuku's face. After a moment the greenette finally calmed down enough to speak.
"I'm sorry for shouting," he began meekly. "You just... it makes me so mad when you just scream at me when we could be talking our issues out. I'm your friend, Kacchan." He said with a huff. "It's been apparent for years that you don't see me as one though. I thought when we were younger that you were just covering up the fact that you cared about me underneath all that anger. Stomping on my dreams being your way of worrying about me getting injured as a quirkless hero, hurting me over and over again being the only way you thought you could get me to give up on such a dangerous career."
Izuku sighed, sadness dripping from his voice when he continued.
"I was wrong though, wasn't I?"
Bakugo couldn't bring himself to respond. The greenette didn't seem surprised by the other's lack of answer, but his smile already miniscule smile dropped just a little more.
"You know I admired you since the day I met you. I still admire you, even more than All Might," he resumed. "We were friends once, for a short time, before you got your quirk. You don't deny that. You wouldn't let our classmates get away with calling us childhood friends otherwise, and part of me believes you wouldn't put up with me to calling you Kacchan if you truly hated me. Is that much at least spot on?"
A subtle nod, but a response all the same.
Izuku smiled. "That's a relief. After everything we've been through, even though I have every reason to be angry with you, I can't stop feeling like you're my best friend. Maybe that's why I don't mind it when you take your emotions out on me. I want to help and support you, and I know I'm the only one that can receive your true feelings. And that's okay with me, but it isn't with my friends."
"Your friends are a lot smarter than you are, nerd."
"Definitely. I can't help how I feel though, Kacchan. At this point your chance at changing my feelings is nonexistent too," he laughed. "Anyway, I don't want things to always be so strained between us. I miss you. And I don't want you to be upset with me, okay? I really don't. But I'm not really sure why you're trying to be nice to me all of a sudden, although I bet it has something to do with Kirishima after what happened a couple days ago in the lounge. That... that wasn't your fault though."
"Like hell it wasn't." Bakugo ground out, eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Deku. You don't think I've seen the outcome of my shitty attitude? You flinch all the time, stutter, have no sense of self-worth or self-preservation, hate loud noises, freak out from the littlest touch, assume people are going to hurt you, and have a pain tolerance higher than some pro heroes. That's all my fault!"
There was a moment a silence.
"You... you're actually taking responsibility?" Izuku's voice shook in disbelief.
Bakugo turned his head away pointedly. "Of course I am. That's what heroes do, right? I can't keep blaming my shit on other people anymore if I want to be number one."
"...Thank you, Kacchan."
"Hah?"
"Also, I forgive you."
"Hah?"
Izuku smiled, eyes closing for a couple seconds before opening again. "That was your version of an apology, wasn't it?"
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
The greenette laughed it off, the grip on his shoulders loosening so that he could turn himself around voluntarily. "Right. Anyway, I'm trying to get a handle on some of those things you mentioned. I think the touch thing is definitely getting better, isn't it?"
"If you're letting half-n-half feel you up then it must be."
"W-what? He wasn't—"
"You know what I mean. When I'm nearby you you're wound tighter than a spring. Everyone else is different though, aren't they? I've seen the girls, Iida, Todoroki, and my idiot friends touching you casually the last couple of days and you've started to become more accustomed to it." He turned away momentarily. "It's helping the whole touch-starved stuff Auntie Inko was talking about way back when, right?"
"Yeah," was the soft reply. "They really are helping."
"What about me?" Bakugo felt Izuku's eyes widened without having to look up. "Is what I tried doing earlier… did that help?"
Izuku seemed guilty. "I... it's different when it's you. I'm not saying this to upset you by the way, it's just the truth. When I felt Todoroki's hands on my back," he paused, contemplating, "it felt... warm? Not because of his quirk, but being around him makes me feel safe. Protected. His touches are kind, and I can say without a shadow of doubt he would never hurt me outside of training. With you though, Kacchan, no matter how much I want to stop myself from feeling like this your touch... stings. It's like there's phantom heat behind every point of contact that makes me feel like I'm going to get burned again. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do that outside of training anymore, but that's something I need to get used to."
"Yeah, I get it." Bakugo huffed.
"I'm sorry. I'm really trying to-"
Bakugo cut him off with a raised hand. "Save it, nerd. You don't need to apologize or explain it to me. I had four idiots pounding it into my brain earlier that fixing this mess is going to be slow going. You'd trust me with your life on the battlefield because I'm someone you look up to, but when it comes to me being someone you trust, being your... friend... then I have a long way to go."
"Kacchan?"
"And I can't promise I won't screw everything up again too. We have more to talk about than can be discussed now, because I'm pretty sure there's a nosy bastard standing outside the door with drinks."
Todoroki promptly walked in holding a tray with three glasses of hot tea on it.
"I apologize for eavesdropping, but I didn't want to interrupt if you two were having a moment."
Bakugo immediately took that as an insult.
"A moment?"
"I believe those call for intimacy."
Izuku blushed. "Todoroki-kun, that isn't—"
"Whatever." Bakugo suddenly cut them both off in favor of getting off the bed. As he walked past Todoroki he grabbed one of the glasses, opening the door and sending a scathing look over his shoulder. "I'll let it slide this time, but only because I'm feeling generous. See you nerds in class tomorrow."
With that he walked out, closing the door behind him without even slamming it.
Todoroki brought a glass of tea to Izuku while taking a small sip of his own. "I take it everything went relatively well then?"
"Yeah," Izuku answered as he stared into his tea like it held the secrets of the universe. "I think it did."
