Just a quick little rant: This might sound super petty, but why is it that some stories have a huge amount of Follows/Favorites/Reviews while others don't? I'm not talking about my stories, because TBH mine are okay, not amazing. But it seems like some of the REALLY good stories don't have near as many F/F/R as others that are good, but not great. Maybe I just have different preferences for reading, but still. Can someone explain that to me? PLEASE?
Okay! Now that my little soapbox is over, on with the story! I'm kind of feeling the whole familial vibe right now so I'm going to ride that wave. Can't say that it will be entirely happy though.
Also, we can't forget about some of the other love stories blossoming (hopefully) in the background!
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia, sadly…
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Because I Fought You
Chapter 7
Todoroki waited nervously by his front door. Midoriya had texted that he'd come by and they could ride the train to the school pool together. The teen had thought about saying not to bother or suggesting meeting somewhere else but hesitated. It was only fair since he'd shown up randomly at his home the day before.
"What has you so riled up? And why are you just standing there? Are you waiting for a delivery you don't want father to see or something?" Fuyumi asked, standing in the hallway with a concerned look in her eyes.
"Sister… It's nothing." He replied, turning to hide how big of a deal it really was to him.
The girl adjusted her glasses and walked up beside him, looking out at their large yard in thought. "Something has changed about you, Shoto. Ever since the sports festival you've been dare I say, happier. You've even started to go to see mom every week even though you get punished by father for it."
Todoroki didn't answer, his face starting to heat up as Midoriya's smiling face entered his mind. "Have I really been that obvious? Does that mean other people have noticed too?"
"I see… so you've met someone." She giggled, bumping him lightly with her shoulder.
The dual user sputtered and whipped his head around to look at her, unable to stop the violent blush that spread across his pale skin. "How did-"
"Oh, don't look so shocked, Shoto. I'm your big sister; it's my job to keep an eye on you. Besides, every time I see you there's a far-off look in your eyes like you're thinking of something or someone else…. Is that why you're crowding our entryway? Is she coming over to visit or something?" Fuyumi questioned.
"He…" Todoroki muttered, his face suddenly downcast. He watched nervously out of his peripherals, expecting to see his sister recoil in disgust or prepare to scold him.
The girl had a thoughtful expression for a minute before, to her brother's surprise, sighed in relief. "I think you've made an excellent choice, Shoto. I couldn't be more proud of you... and I bet mom will feel the same way."
Todoroki scrunched his nose in confusion. It sounded like she'd already figured out who the 'he' was, and even more, she brought up their mother like they'd still been in contact.
Fuyumi made a gesture to the look out the window on their door, Shoto's eyes immediately catching sight of a very awestruck, green haired boy. "You didn't think you were the only one going to see her, did you? Even before you had your breakthrough, mom made me promise to watch over you as best I could… and that boy, Midoriya I think he name is, he's something special so don't mess this up, little brother."
The elder gave her utterly dumbfounded sibling one more playful bump before turning to let him be. She was truly happy for Shoto but also understood exactly why he was so 'riled up' as she'd put it. If their father found out, he'd bring hellfire down on all of them.
Todoroki in turn, eventually snapped out of his shock just before Midoriya reached their door, and slipped out, being as quiet as he could. "Come on, we should get going…" he stated, unwittingly grabbing the smaller boy's wrist and pulling, tugging him across their lawn.
"Uhhh… is everything okay?" Midoriya asked, his neck twisting to look back at the mansion-sized home.
"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" Todoroki responded, still propelling them forward and out of the front gate.
Izuku squeaked a bit, his free hand coming to rest on the dual users. "It's just… we left really fast and… well… you're squeezing me kind of tightly…"
Todoroki let go immediately, a mixture of guilt and embarrassment flowing through him. He hadn't even realized he'd grabbed onto the smaller boy, much less how hard he'd been holding on. "S-sorry." He mumbled, keeping his gaze ahead of him and not on his crush.
Midoriya quickened his pace so that he was power walking beside the clearly distressed teen, his recently released hand coming to rest on Todoroki's shoulder. "Hey… we're going have fun today!"
Shoto stopped walking and looked down at the teen, drinking in the warm, shy, hopeful smile he was giving. All at once, the fear and worry he'd that had been building in his chest all morning dissipated, his mind becoming peaceful as those freckled cheeks took on a light pink hue. "You're right, Midoriya. Thank you."
After continuing to the school at a more leisurely pace, the smaller boy began to fidget until he finally revealed what was on his mind. "I… uh… I asked Kirishima to invite Kacchan… just a heads up."
Todoroki felt anger bubble in his stomach and let a cool breath seep out of his grit teeth. "Why? Bakugo is just a bully that hurt you. He doesn't deserve-"
"Kacchan apologized to me! I… I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before. After healing from finals and then the mall incident- No, that isn't true. I didn't tell you because I was worried you'd say it didn't matter or that I was deluding myself." Midoriya explained, his eyes covered by his unruly green hair.
Todoroki's irritation was momentarily replaced by guilt. Had he really been so angry at the blonde that he'd made Midoriya think he couldn't be trusted with that information? He started chewing the inside of his lip, trying to figure out when his desire to protect the teen had come off as domineering. He didn't want to be his father.
"Not that you don't have a right to think that!" Midoriya stated quickly, his hand returning to Shoto's shoulder and squeezing lightly. "It's just… I didn't want you to think I was making excuses and have that ruin our friendship, you know?"
Todoroki sighed and patted the warm appendage that was comforting him. He knew that Bakugo and Midoriya had some connection, as damaging and warped as it seemed to be. "How do you want me to act around him?" he finally asked, resigning himself to helping however he could, even if he didn't agree.
The dual user was practically tackled from the side, Midoriya's arms wrapping around him as his face crashed into one of his strong biceps.
"You're the coolest, Todoroki!" The smaller boy exclaimed, unaware of how many people were staring at the two of them in amusement.
Shoto felt his face bleed red in embarrassment. He wanted to be near the teen like this all the time, but now that there were others watching him he realized just how unused he was to PDA, even if it could easily be construed as one overzealous friend hugging another.
"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" Midoriya squeaked, retracting himself quickly, his cheeks now equally as colorful. "It's just I couldn't help it! I was wrong to think you'd be so closed minded. You're just one surprise after another, Todoroki!"
The dual user let out a pitiful, embarrassed laugh and started walking again, giving a shy smile to Midoriya to let him know that he wasn't upset about the hug. In fact, he hoped he could keep being surprising, if only to ensure that he would one day get another.
Todoroki slowly changed his clothes in the locker room. He was surrounded by nude men and yet the only person he was worried about catching a revealing glimpse of was Midoriya. Luckily, their lockers were on opposite sides of the room, so he could breathe easy, for now at least.
Almost as soon as the swimwear settled on his chiseled hips, the boy he'd been trying not to picture naked popped up beside him, a big grin on his face. "This is going to be so cool!" he chirped, stretching his arms up to the ceiling.
Todoroki swallowed hard, doing his best to keep his eyes on the boy's face and not the etched 'V' of his flexing abs. "This is going to be so uncool…" he wallowed, finally understanding how diligently he'd need to focus on keeping his hormones in check.
Outwardly though, he gave a short nod and followed the smaller male outside where Tenya was already in action. For perhaps the first time, he was grateful the class rep was so intense about school.
Midoriya waved goodbye to Todoroki as he and Ochaco got on a separate train. Both of them lived in a far less affluent neighborhood on the opposite side of town than the dual quirk user and despite offering, Shoto had assured his crush that he could make it back just fine on his own.
"So, it was really nice of you to invite all the boys to come and 'train' with you. I know the girls and I had a lot of fun watching you all work so hard while we played water volleyball!" Ochaco stated while trying to fix her still slightly damp hair.
Midoriya nodded and fiddled with his thumbs slightly, not really paying attention to what his friend was saying. His mind was stuck on the dual user. He, of course, understood why Todoroki was so hesitant to let him near his house; between how completely different their parent's incomes were to the fact that Endeavor hated All Might and by extension himself, it wasn't really a surprise. But still, he had hoped that they could get past all their family problems.
"Deku… are you thinking about Todoroki again?" Ochaco asked, sensing her conversation was completely one-sided.
"What? No! I mean yes but… Uraraka, what am I supposed to do? He's made a lot of progress, but, still!" he finally admitted, leaning back in his seat as if he'd already been defeated.
The two had spoken a lot about the stoic teen since the Sports Festival, but especially after they'd moved in together. It seemed like the more emotionally damaged someone was, the more intensely Midoriya needed to fix whatever problems they were suffering from.
"I guess he doesn't tell you what he's feeling when you ask, huh?" she questioned, putting her hand on his for support. "Haaaa… I guess some people are just like that though, right? I mean take Iida and Tsu for example. He's so literal that he almost always misses the big picture while Asui… well…. I guess she's just so level-headed it's hard to get a reading on what she's thinking."
"Oh right! Uraraka, you still haven't told me if she's said yes or not!" Midoriya exclaimed, completely changing the subject.
Ochaco practically wrapped herself around the boy's head, smothering him to keep his mouth shut. "Deku!" she cried, "Be quiet; what if someone hears you and says something!"
The One For All user eventually pushed her off, chuckling at how flustered his friend was. "Oh come on. We're on a super crowded train and it's really loud. I'll whisper if it makes you feel any better."
Ochaco burned crimson but sadly shook her head. "I haven't asked yet" she huffed, her usually optimistic vibe deflated. "Like I said, I can't get a read on her so I don't want to do something dumb and make it awkward to be roommates again next semester."
Midoriya nodded thoughtfully, bringing his hand to his chin to consider the pros and cons of being so bold. He started mumbling them out quietly, the rant becoming longer and longer. He didn't notice how dark and mischievous Ochaco's face was becoming until she got right next to his ear.
"Deku… if you keep babbling about my love life I'll send you straight into orbit!" she hissed, though there was a playfulness to her tone.
Midoriya basically melted where he was sitting, crumpling into a fit of potential humiliation. He knew exactly why she was so nervous about being found out. Sometime during the first few weeks of school, Iida had mentioned to them that they were awfully close, hinting at something intimate going on between them.
Though it wasn't really his style, the small hero had confronted Uraraka about it later that day, explaining to her as vaguely as possible that she wasn't his type. To his surprise, she'd agreed, saying he wasn't hers either. Eventually, they'd both fully confessed their attraction to the members of their own sex.
Ochaco laughed quietly at her friend's wild antics and pulled him back up to a slouched seated position. "You still haven't told me if you have someone special you want to be with! I think that's totally unfair since I've already come to you for help with Asui."
Midoriya laid his head down on her shoulder and gave a loud sigh, "don't act like you haven't figured it out already…"
The girl giggled again and petted his head, playing with the curls absentmindedly. "Well… they say opposites attract I guess…"
Todoroki stepped into his house quietly, hoping that no one would bother him. Despite how worried he'd been that he'd have a slip up around his crush, the day had gone relatively smoothly, even after Bakugo had shown up and started mouthing off as usual.
"And where have you been? I expect you to stick to the training schedule I laid out for you." Endeavor growled, blocking his son's path to his bedroom.
"I was at the school pool, father. My classmates and I received permission to use it today for endurance training." Todoroki explained, his voice blank. He stepped past his dad and attempted to make it to his room without any further conversation.
Unfortunately, the man had other plans. His large, heavy foot slammed into Shoto, knocking him face first into the floor. He might have been able to stop himself with ice, but after years of experiencing this kind of treatment, Todoroki knew that it would be better to just not react.
"Don't think I didn't see who came by here today on our security cameras. That little pest All Might is so fond of! How dare you bring trash like that to my home, sullying the Endeavor brand with one of your lesser classmates!" the man shouted, pulling his son from the floor and slamming his back into a nearby wall.
Shoto looked away angrily, trying to suppress the urge to strike the man. He saw his siblings peaking their heads around the doorway, wondering if he wanted them to intervene and try to placate their father's wrath. Todoroki made eye contact with Fuyumi, and made the slightest headshake, urging her to take their siblings elsewhere.
She and the others had occasionally tried to help him in the past, just like his mother. And just like the woman that was still trapped in a hospital, they'd been beaten near senseless for standing up to the hellfire wielder. Especially now, after having his heart reopened by Midoriya, Shoto couldn't bear the thought of them being hurt because of him.
Todoroki returned his heterochromatic eyes back up to his fathers after Fuyumi had ushered them away. "Don't talk about Midoriya like that. He's done more for me than you ever have. Besides, I have no doubt he'll become the next Number One Hero. I beat him in the festival because he couldn't control his quirk yet, but as soon as he does there won't be any point in competing. Now, I need to sleep. Let go of me." He gritted out, trying to keep his own rage under control while simultaneously defending his favorite person.
Endeavor took a step back and then quickly sent a harsh fist forward, driving it into his son's stomach without mercy. His cruel demeanor unwavering as the boy doubled over and vomited, gasping for his breath to return.
"If I EVER catch you acting friendly with him again, I'll use every connection I've ever made to ensure he's expelled from UA, or at least blacklisted from all the top agencies. I created you solely to outdo All Might, and I won't have you become some weak failure. Don't test me Shoto." He threatened, stomping off and leaving the teen shaking in anger.
After a few minutes, Fuyumi returned with a wet towel, kneeling next to her seated brother to clean up the mess. She stayed quiet, watching how he tried to hide his face in his hands, knowing there were probably hate-filled tears burning in his eyes. There was nothing she could say that would make him feel better, of that she was sure. But she didn't know what advice to give either.
Endeavor was the number 2 hero, and thus had a huge pull in the profession. While Midoriya might have All Might rooting for him, she couldn't honestly say that would be enough if her father truly went through with his threat. But now that she knew how much her little brother cared for the boy, and how much he'd helped Shoto get over his aversion to his fire quirk, Fuyumi didn't think suggesting he stay away from the green eyes teen was the right thing to do either.
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Okay! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter as well!
Please continue to follow/favorite and review my chapters! It makes me so happy! Thank you to everyone who has so far!
