Chapter 1: Meet Cute

I don't own anything. And I'm returning to writing so I might be a little rusty!

Thanks :)

6 months before:

Todoroki wished he could go back to that night. He could prevent them from meeting. He could tell his best friend, the one he loved for so many years without realizing it, that he loved him. Maybe everything would be different. Maybe, just maybe, it could have been him cuddling with him on the couch instead of the blonde hot head.

Present:

The pulsating music hit Todoroki hard. He could feel the inside of his chest vibrate with the beat as another EDM song played. He continued to polish the glass that he had just cleaned till it was shining and spotless. He then placed the wine glass down and picked up another and began to polish that one.

This wasn't uncommon for him to be cleaning behind the bar, but today was his day off, he should have been at home in his pajamas watching Naruto reruns until Midoriya got home. But when the green haired boy called him saying that the other bartender had gotten food poisoning from the yakitori he had earlier, he rushed in without hesitation. He knew how Midoriya got when he was stressed and tonight was Saturday, the busiest day of the week for All Might's Club and Bar. There was no way he was going to let him suffer alone.

So that's how he got here. How he got to cleaning the different drink glasses while he stared at a blonde haired buffoon who not so discreetly was hitting on his best friend and current bartender. He rolled his eyes and patiently waited for Midoriya to turn him down.

Midoriya was covered in sweat and flushed with heat. It really had been a busy night and Todoroki had been a huge help. Especially with the behind the scenes of the bar like the cleaning and grabbing refills of alcohol.

He hadn't expected the half white half red headed boy to so quickly be okay with ruining his first Saturday evening off in 3 months. He even assumed he would be busy. So he was utterly grateful when the boy pulled in 13 minutes after the phone call and immediately started working.

Midoriya admired him, he was always so ready, for anything. He knew he always had his back. He continued to stare at Todoroki for what seemed like a minute but he soon found out it was much longer. He heard a loud cough and what seemed to be a girl say "Excuse me can I please get your attention". He quickly turned and looked at who had said something ready to apologize when he saw two large brown eyed saucers looking at him.

Ochoko stared back at him for what felt like a minute and then she began to laugh. Hard.

"You know if you stare any harder he might catch on fire."

Midoriya could feel his cheeks turn from a light pink to what was sure to be a blazing red.

Ochako, his ex-girlfriend before he figured out he wasn't all that into girls, had this strange and weird notion that he and Todoroki belonged together and that it was "just a matter of time" before they realized it.

That comment always made Todorki and Midoriya laugh. They were just friends. Really good friends.

"What are you having tonight? Straight Vodka?" That had been her go to recently, she was in a small depression. Tsu, a girl she had been talking to had turned her down after what Ochako thought was talking for 4 months. So she had been drinking her feelings for the past few weekends.

"Nah can I have a Screwdriver and a Mai Tai?" She said as she smiled brightly back at him.

"What's this? Two drinks? Found a new girlfriend?" He said as he poured the orange juice on top of the vodka for the first drink.

"Fingers Crossed Deku" Ah Deku, his nickname he'd grown fond of over the years since it's original origin of a bully. Todoroki had said one of the best ways to get back at the kids who had beaten him up every day after school was to embrace the nickname. After asking him why he would even want to, considering the bad connotation in his head, Todoroki simply responded with, "Because, it's cute" and that was enough for him. He went by it from that day on.

He finished up the Mai Tai by adding a cherry on the top and handed the drinks to Ochako.

"Where is the lucky girl? Do I get to meet her yet?"

Ochako flushed and shook her head but pointed to the table with a black haired girl with her hair pulled back into a ponytail sitting on her phone. She was beautiful even Deku could see it and he, well he really didn't "lean that way". She was wearing a tight long sleeved red dress that hugged her curves tight. The dress had a deep v-cut in the chest area that showed off her boobs in a way that would make even a gay man look twice. They practically bursted out of the dress. Deku studied her face from afar, noticing the subtle makeup that brought out her eyes and lips which were currently wide with a subtle smile.

He looked back at Ochako and then back at the random girl.

"You sure she's into girls? She doesn't really look like it." He said sheepishly. He didn't really want Ochako to get hurt by another straight girl who was "curious" about what it was like to be with a girl.

"Yeah I'm pretty positive. She's the one who asked me out and she clearly said 'Would you want to go on a date with me' after I told her about Tsu." Ochako deadpanned.

"Alright then, get it Ochako!" He said loud enough for the girl at the table to turn her head and look their way. Ochako rolled her eyes, flipped him off, and then grabbed the drinks and walked away.

"You know you have to pay for those!" Deku screamed out.

"Just put it on my tab," Ochako yelled back, winking at him.

Deku let out a breath. She got away with it again. If she kept this up he was gonna get in trouble with All Might for giving out free drinks. Again.

He looked down for a second, checking to see what he needed to do. All of the drink orders were filled so that meant until somebody new came up, he was clear to help Todoroki with the cleaning. But when he looked up again his eyes met with a pair of bright red ones staring seemingly angrily at him. Yet somehow the man also had looked embarrassed, his cheeks were hinted with a light pink and Deku took a minute to admire him.

His blonde hair was spiked, but not in a normal way, in fact he almost looked like a pomeranian the way it was looking, his black button down was fitted tightly to his muscles and rolled up to elbows, allowing Deku to admire his strong forearms. He seemed to have a tattoo of something on the inside of his wrist which made Deku wonder if he had any others. An image suddenly flashed of him kissing each and everyone of his hidden tattoos and the thought made Deku shiver. He continued to stare at the red eyed man until he said something. Then Deku was suddenly out of his trance.

"I.. I'm sorry, what?" He felt his cheeks warm and he became self conscious that this man had seen it.

The man looked him up and down with his eyes seemingly amused with him.

"You don't recognize me Deku? I suppose that's probably a good thing."

Deku was surprised, not only did this man seem intrigued and almost into him, but he knew his name already? And then it clicked. An image came flooding back.

All of the sudden the two weren't in the club anymore, instead Deku was on the ground kneeling over in pain looking into the red eyes that glared him down. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes which he quickly wiped away. It was over his hair this time, how "green" it was and how stupid it looked. He had wondered why this random boy had so much hate for him and he never could figure out why. He called out a "Why, why me, what am I doing that is so wrong?" and the only response he ever got back was "Because you're an idiot, that's why." he always said. He then walked away, fading into the white background of his mind.

Deku jumped back partially in surprise and partially in fear away from the man.

"Why are you here Bakugou?" The last time he had seen him was when the teacher was walking him out. He had been expelled for punching Deku. He never saw him again after that, and quite honestly he had really hoped he had died. He never wanted to deal with him ever again. Not after the emotional turmoil he had put him through. Thankfully right after that Todoroki had transferred into his class and he quickly became his best friend and shoulder to cry on. He even defended him from other bullies.

"I may or may not have been stalking you for the past few weeks. The original plan was to beat you up when I saw you. I didn't really get over being expelled because a brat tattled on me. But then I saw you and I am not gonna lie, you have definitely changed, for the better." He then looked Deku up and down in a seductive manner biting his lower lip. Sending a chill down Deku's spine.

"I just now finally got up the courage to talk to you. Quite honestly I hoped you wouldn't remember me, but then I realized it was better to start a relationship with the truth."

Deku blushed, and he didn't even want to. This was the man who made his life shitty for 5 years. All because what, he thought he was stupid? All because his hair was green? Then Deku was hit with the words Bakugou had said, a relationship? What?

"What do you mean a relationship? I just ran into you, the guy who made my life hell for 5 years and you want me to date you now?" Deku said in shock and anger.

"Look, what I did, it was fucked up. There isn't any denying that. But I really figured out why I was beating so hard into you when I saw you again. I was denying my feelings for you. Even at the age of 7 I had such strong feelings for you that I didn't know what to do with. And it made me angry and mad at you. I was supposed to like girls, it wasn't supposed to be like this. That was what I would tell myself and I would blame you. And I am sorry for that. It was never your fault and I want you to know that now, and let me take you on a date to make it up to you." He smiled weakly at Deku.

For some reason that pulled on Deku's heartstrings. Bakugou had thought he was cute. Deku flashed back to his memories of the boy, even back then Deku had an unrealized crush on the boy too, though he couldn't explain why. Especially because he thought he was into girls. Guys just didn't like other guys. And that was what he told himself. It annoyed him that Bakugou was asking him out like this but at the same time he was happy. An old crush was into him, still. And quite honestly, Deku was definitely still into him. So it shocked both himself and Bakugou when he grabbed a napkin and wrote down his number and handed it to him.

"Here, call me, I'm off on Monday." He said as he handed the brown napkin to Bakugou.

Bakugou flushed a dark red and forcefully pulled the napkin from the green haired beauty.

"For real? This isn't like your fake number is it? Cause I WILL KILL YOU" Bakugou screamed. It made Deku jump out of his skin but he was sure this was the right decision.

"Yes Bakugou it is my real number you don't have to worry." He winked at the blondie and rewarded a small barely there smile and a light tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Thanks Deku, I mean Midoriya, I should get going. I'm getting pretty tired. But I'll see you Monday then, I'll text you the details." He stood up off the bar seat and turned to walk away but before he could go very far he heard a "You can still call me Deku, it's what all my friends call me anyway" from behind him. He raised his hand into a thumbs up and continued to walk away. No way was he going to let the green haired beauty see him blush yet again.

Todoroki starred in complete shock as he watched Deku write something down on a napkin and give it to the blonde boy. He knew that Deku would never let a random guy pick him up from the bar. Todoroki's stomach began to twist into a knot. He didn't have a good feeling about this guy; he didn't like the looks of him. But who knows, maybe Deku had better judgement then he did. After all Todoroki never really liked anyone Deku talked too. It had taken the break up for him to start liking Ochako and they had dated for 2 years.

He walked over to Deku and smiled at him. He reached out and patted him on the back hesitantly.

"Who was that Deku?" he surprised himself even with the amount of jealousy placed in his tone. He shook his head in graciousness because it seemed like Deku hadn't noticed his change in tone.

"An old friend, I'll tell you about him later. After work." Todoroki looked around and realized it had suddenly gotten busy.

He chuckled lightly, nodded his head and went to work helping Deku do whatever he could.

After what felt like an eternity, the bar finally had its last call. The club was empty with the exception of a large group of girls singing along to Closing Time and a couple drunks who were sprinkled along the bar as well as one sleeping in the corner.

Deku chuckled at the scene, it was his favorite part of the night. When everyone went home and he could enjoy the feeling of knowing he'd be off in thirty. He began to wipe down the bar as he looked over and saw Todoroki cleaning the glasses.

"Hey you should go home. I can finish up here, go enjoy some sleep."

Todoroki looked up and shook his head. Figures he was going to be insistent on staying, although it didn't shock Deku. It was what they did. They stayed for each other no matter what. Deku would have done the same thing, even if he didn't work at the bar.

"Suit yourself. Although I feel bad for making you clean all night. Did you want anything before we head home?" Deku shook a bottle of Tequila towards Todoroki.

Todoroki shook his head again. More adamantly this time.

"I have to drive. I brought my car, remember?"

Deku cursed quietly, he forgot he had called him in on his day off. Usually they would have carpooled if they had a shift together. They did live together after all. Then he thought of something.

"Why don't you drink, I'll drive home and we can pick up your car in the morning? Please man, I owe you for covering Kaminari's ass today." He said, forcing the bottle closer to Todoroki.

With a loud breath, Todoroki accepted and ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Deku's specialty. Deku quickly got into motion and started to make the drink, ensuring to add extra coke for Todoroki as he claimed it tasted less like alcohol that way. He handed off the drink to him and began to mop the floor behind the bar. By now everyone had left and it was just the two of them. Deku smiled at the thought.

Todoroki was the first to break the silence.

"So, who's the guy?" Deku had to take a double take. He was used to Todoroki not liking the people he dated but he wasn't used to the jealous tone he was speaking with currently. It sliced through him quietly but skillfully.

"Well?"

Deku realized he was just looking dumbstruck at Todoroki and he quickly looked down to the floor looking like a little boy who got caught doing something wrong.

"An old friend from school" He mumbled barely audible to the normal human ear.

"Deku, not to be rude, but I am your old friend from school, who is he actually?" He glared deep into Deku's soul with his heterochromatic eyes. There was no use Deku would have to tell him eventually.

"He's the guy who used to bully me, the one I got expelled? I guess you could say he's an enemy turned friend?"

"Why would you give him your number then? Don't you hate the guy?" Todoroki asked in confusion. Deku was really throwing him for a loop. Why on earth would someone give their number to their bully, it was like asking for it.

"I think he's changed. He told me why he used to bully me and it honestly made sense. He was struggling with the fact that he was gay." Deku responded with an edge to his voice. A sure sign to Todoroki to leave it.

"Alright, I trust you but it doesn't mean I'm gonna like the guy."

Deku simply rolled his eyes and mumbled a quiet, "You never like the guy" as he started counting his tips. He didn't understand what was so wrong with him simply giving the guy his number. He seemed nice enough, what was the worst thing that could happen? Deku gets a weird vibe and has to ghost him? He just didn't see what was so wrong with it. Then again he never understood why Todoroki hated the men he dated. It was probably just one of his little things.

Deku finished locking up the bar, All Might had to leave early to take care of his family, some kind of family emergency.

Todoroki smiled at him in a drunk stupor. Man Deku really did need to drive. He loved the guy, but his drinking tolerance was rather low for someone with so much muscle. He was already stumbling around after one drink.

Opening the door, Deku helped him into his beat up white 2008 Toyota Camry. As he rolled him into the car Todoroki looked up at him with a smile that he only ever saved just for Deku. His face was flushed due to the alcohol as he continued to stare deep into the green eyes of his best friend. Deku's breath picked up along with his heart beat embarrassed at the thought of that smile being his. It was times like these that told Deku he was right, Todoroki was home. And he never wanted to lose that.

"Hey D...Deku?" Todoroki's eyes squinted becoming small slits as he tried to keep himself awake to finish what he wanted to say.

"Yeah?" Deku looked up at him expectantly as he buckled the man into place.

"I know I'm super hard on the guys you date, but it's just because you're too good for them. And in all honesty I don't think anyone is going to be good enough for you" Todoroki finished with a smile and then went limp. Leaving a blushing Deku to get him back to their apartment in silence.

As they pulled up to their apartment complex, Deku got out of the car, and ran to Todoroki's side of the car and opened the door.

Todoroki laid there motionless, the only hint of life being the subtle rise and fall of his chest. He had fallen asleep on his seatbelt and once Deku unhooked it, his face showed a line of red where the skin met the fabric. Deku took a minute to look at his best friend, apart from the thick red rectangle on his face, the man was gorgeous. His eyelashes fluttered with each breath, daring his eyes to open at any moment, his black t-shirt hung close to his body tracing his muscles like a stencil, and his black pants hugged him in all the right places. Deku looked back up at Todoroki and towards his stray white hair on the red side of his head. Deku reached out and lovingly placed it back on its correct side. He then smiled to himself at how lucky his life was that he had such an amazing best friend. He would have to set him up when he man deserved it.

For now however, he settled on picking up heterochromatic eyed boy wedding style and getting him to bed. When he got to the door to their apartment he fumbled for his keys, almost waking up Todoroki.

"D...Dek...ku?" The boy shivered in his arms nearly waking up.

"Shhh go back to bed, we're home you're safe" Deku said to him. He ran his hand through the soft red locks until he felt the other's breathing calm and steady.

He walked through the door taking off both his and Todoroki's shoes leaving them by the door and walked inside. He took him through the hall past the bathroom and then past Deku's room to the room right after. He swiftly opened the door and walked inside. Lying right next to his bed stood the first picture the two had ever taken. They were no older than 9, Todoroki straight faced, still not quite comfortable with Deku, while Deku smiled with bright eyes, arm over the stiff boy's shoulder. Deku smiled at the image as he laid Todoroki down in his bed and pulled the covers over him. Todoroki instantly grabbed a cluster of the blanket and cuddled into it. Deku chuckled and walked toward the door. With one last look to ensure that his best friend was okay, he walked out shutting the door quietly behind him. He stood there for a second in a daze when vibration came from his pocket.

Unknown:

Hey Deku it's Bakugou, I hope it isn't too late to text you or too soon. But I just wanted to say it was really nice to see you tonight. Or whatever.

Deku smiled at his phone and began to walk to his room. As he collapsed on his bed he sent back a response.

Deku:

Oh hey! It isn't that I actually just got home from work. I was going to head to bed in a little. But it was nice to see you too. :)

Deku held the phone close to his heart lulling for this to work out. For something in his love life to work out. The poor guy couldn't get a date since he came out; everyone just wanted to hook up. He and Bakugou texted back and forth for a while chatting about the basic topics like their favorite color and their current school. Eventually Deku felt drowsy and his eyes began to feel heavy, but all he could think of was the gorgeous man on the other side of the phone showing an interest in him. That was the something that lulled him to sleep and helped him sleep through the night, having the happiest dream he had had in a long time. In fact his smile was so wide he was sure his cheeks would hurt in the morning.