Internships had finally become a thing of the present, and Midoriya's first experience was, quite frankly, strange. That was saying the least. Walking into your internship to find a presumably dead body was not a fun experience, though he was lucky enough that Gran Torino was, in fact, not dead.

He felt much less lucky when he found he wasn't that fond of Gran Torino, and really just wanted All Might to bail him out. He wasn't sure he'd really get much out of the experience, but was caught quite off guard when challenged by the retired hero.

The short battle was, in his opinion, kind of embarrassing. To have not landed a single hit despite analyzing the situation to the best of his ability wasn't something to be proud of. But the advice given to him following the fight was left lingering in his mind for some time.

Even more embarrassing than the fight, though, was his incessant thoughts to talking to Todoroki. They'd managed to talk more and grow closer, however grueling the process was due to Todoroki's near unwillingness to change and the trouble he had due to trauma that Midoriya was sure spanned far beyond what he'd been told.

(Trauma was not the cause, Todoroki would say. It was just common sense not to grow too attached, as attachments meant weakness. His father may be the person he hated most in the world, but he'd managed to push more of his ideals and beliefs onto Todoroki then he'd like to admit.)

Midoriya: hey, how's the internship going?

Tododoki: Fine. About what I expected.

Midoriya: i see

Midoriya refrained from pushing the subject, knowing exactly who he was with.

Midoriya: well;; i got beat up by gran torino

Tododoki: Ouch.

Midoriya: yeah, but he kind of complimented me at the end? i think?

Todoroki didn't respond for several minutes, and Midoriya found himself chewing on the inside of his cheek, wondering if Endeavor had him doing something. Nothing good, he decided. His hatred for Endeavor almost rivaled Todoroki's itself. He had no respect for heroes who upheld justice in the eyes of the public but acted as cruelly as villians in the background.

Tododoki: That's good. I have to go.

(Todoroki was loath to leave his little haven of comfort during this internship, but a voice beckoned him to train, and he had to listen to it. His father's deep, discomforting voice grew closer to his location, and he was brought back to memories of a smaller him, face freshly marred by his mother, shaking in his bedroom as a deep voice paired with heavy footsteps approached. He was a child all over again, being forced to do what his father told him, or else he faced consequences, which he inevitably did as he refused to blindly follow orders without argument.

Todoroki shook his head, bringing himself back to the present, and rising up from where he sat. His father said something about someone using their quirk to commit petty theft, and an offhand comment about how below him it was, while Todoroki followed him out the door wordlessly.)

Midoriya wasn't worried about Todoroki disliking him, only about Endeavor and thought about how much he wished Todoroki would have interned with someone else. He sighed, placing his phone face down on his night table, and steeled himself for a long night of training. He'd take on Gran Torino again, and this time he'd land a hit.

Midoriya's second attempt at battling Gran Torino wasn't a success either, by normal standards. He managed a mere scratch, and never did land a solid hit, but received well earned commendation from his mentor, and was content to continue training.

When told to suit up in order to accompany Gran Torino in Tokyo, he does so, though slightly begrudgingly, and awaits what's to come. He plays with the idea of messaging Todoroki, but decides his friend is likely busy, and they both have things to focus on. His phone is still kept handy though, in case the night turns out to be uneventful.

As it turns out, Midoriya's phone came in incredibly handy, as he found himself face to face with Hero Killer Stain, in a desperate attempt to help both Native and Iida. His message detailing only his location was a bit of a longshot, but he could only hope someone understood.

(Notably, Todoroki was the one who understood, and found himself needing no further information or thought to go where Midoriya was. He understood the possible severity of the situation, and a little part of him knows that the identity of the person who sent the message had a little something to do with his borderline recklessness. The need to help… who exactly? His soulmate? Or his friend? He could hardly tell and his mind didn't care at the moment. He just knew that he trusted Midoriya more than he'd ever expected to, and he could ignore his father's protests and he ran with no second thought.)

Todoroki's arrival was nothing short of an incredible relief, and just what was needed to turn the tide. Midoriya's heart swelled at the sight of the stoic boy, and he had no time to understand what that implied.

By the end, they were all exhausted. Understandably so, of course. But a part of Midoriya still found it in himself to let his mind wander to the incredible sight that was Todoroki's flames, as he'd seen them so few times. The first was when he was faced with combating them, which gave him no real time or way to appreciate them. Though they were hard to focus on while fighting against Stain, they were equally as impossible to miss.

It was easier to reflect back on it as he lied back on his hospital bed, letting out a hefty sigh. The chief of police had come by and told them that there would be no lasting consequences and they would receive no credit, though was incredibly misleading when leading up to the actual circumstances, so things had been settled. It was late at night, and he was aware that he'd probably end up staying there longer than Todoroki and possibly Iida, with the state of his arm. He'd pushed himself too far, maybe, but he thought his friends' survival was more important than his own safety.

He turned his head to look over at Todoroki, who was lying on his side on the adjacent bed, hair splayed on his pillow in a way that contrasted the regular, more put together Todoroki that most people knew. His back was to Midoriya, so he couldn't tell if he was also awake, or fast asleep as Midoriya probably should've been.

(Todoroki was, in fact, quite awake, thinking quite intently about everything that had happened. It all seemed to blur in his mind, adrenaline being what guided him through most of the earlier events. He couldn't imagine acting the way he did even a month prior, rushing off to help Midoriya like he did. He probably would've acted more methodically, careful to plan out what to do, having someone more qualified help Midoriya. His actions had been rash, done out of worry and a foreign sense of urgency to help someone important to him. His friend, who was also undeniably his soulmate.

He knew, though, he still was in no state of mind to worry about soulmates. For now, Midoriya was a dear friend, someone he could rely on and who he hoped would rely on him in turn. He swallowed sharply, and turned over to lie on the opposite side of his body. He blinked, seeing a freckled face and soft, green eyes staring back at him.)

Midoriya's own eyes blinked at precisely the same time as Todoroki's, as his gaze was met by a contrasting pale face and sharp, grey and blue eyes.

"Can't sleep?" He questioned, quiet and uncertain.

Todoroki shook his head, "Just reeling."

"Yeah, me too," Midoriya let out a soft laugh, and pushed himself up into a sitting position, "My mind's still catching up with just… everything."

Todoroki's movements mimicked his own, so they were both seated facing each other, Midoriya's legs pulled up toward himself and Todoroki's crossed tightly.

"I-" Todoroki blinked, then glanced toward Iida, "we won't wake him up, will we?"

Midoriya's eyes widened, and looked at their fast asleep friend, "I… I didn't think about that."

He bit his lip, knowing Todoroki wanted to talk, but not wanting to wake up Iida, especially after such a long day. He nodded to himself, and wordlessly stood up from his bed, and unceremoniously sat himself down next to Todoroki, a bright smile on his face.

"There," he said, voice quieter, "we won't have to talk as loud now."

Todoroki's mouth moved into what was almost a smile, "That works."

Todoroki looked down toward his hands, which were clasped together, betraying emotion that his face was trained not to.

"I just… wanted to thank you," he paused, "for helping me to become a better hero."

(It was hard to put what he wanted to say into words, but he just hoped Midoriya would understand.)

Midoriya did understand, "I'm glad I could. You didn't really need my help though, I'm sure you would've come around all on your own."

Todoroki shook his head, "No. I wouldn't have. I'd still be trapped by my dad's words and lessons. It's thanks to you I could escape them."

Midoriya's lips quirked up into a smile and he let himself fall back onto the bed, legs still dangling off the edge. He didn't say anything for several moments, listening to the hum of the hospital's heating system. He looked up at Todoroki, who was still sitting up next to him, before moving his gaze back toward the ceiling.

"Do you have a soulmate, Todoroki?"

"...Yeah, I do. I don't know if they know, though."

Midoriya hummed lightly, still staring intently at a black speck on the ceiling, "Yeah, it's about the same with me," A slight fib, admittedly, as he was pretty sure Todoroki knew it was him, "They're really great though. I want to tell them really bad, but I think it's still too soon. He- they've been through a lot, and I want them to really trust me first. I want us to know each other like the back of our hands, and then I'll tell them if they still haven't figured it out."

Though he couldn't see him, he heard Todoroki shift slightly, before his voice came out in a soft whisper.

"That's very kind of you, though I'd expect that of you. ...I'd like to tell mine too, when I think the time is right. I just hope they'll want me." Todorokis voice grew even quieter at the last statement, so much so that Midoriya was unsure if he was even meant to hear it.

(Todoroki was unsure of this himself, but the words were out anyway, and he wasn't sure if it mattered much whether they went unheard or not. He was uncertain about a lot nowadays, and he could quite confidently say that Midoriya was to blame for that. He made him question so much of his life that he previously wouldn't have thought twice about, which was both terrifying and exhilarating, in some weird way.

What he was certain of, though, is that he wanted to be able to put his full trust in Midoriya, and wanted Midoriya to be able to put his full trust in him.)

They stayed in the same positions, a comfortable silence stretching out between them, with Todoroki's presence being a welcome comfort to Midoriya. He could fall asleep right there, he thought, eyes drooping, and feel as safe as he did back home in his bed.

(Todoroki's thoughts went a similar route, marveling at the way he found comfort in Midoriya's presence akin to the comfort he felt with his mother when he was little.)

Sighing, Midoriya finally pushed himself back up, looking at Todoroki with a soft expression, "Well, I think we should both head to sleep. It's been a long day."

Todoroki nodded in agreement, "I am pretty tired. And it's late."

As Midoriya begrudgingly went back into his own bed, he heard Todoroki shift back into a lying down position behind him.

"Good night, Todoroki."

"Sleep well, Midoriya."