There's a week and a half before the summer boot camp. Three more days left of school, one full week of break, and then they leave. Izuku has a plan- a difficult one, no doubt, with how closely he's being watched by both the heroes and his friends and family. But he has to succeed.

He only goes to see a speech therapist twice a week, usually in the mornings, but he's constantly practicing the exercises he's given. Even when his muscles protest, when his throat feels like it's being scraped raw, he keeps on pushing forwards. He wants to get better as fast as possible. Of course, he knows the damage that can be done from rushing it, from moving too quickly and over-doing it. But he's a healer-in-training, he knows where the line is and how not to cross it. Sure, he might be cutting it a bit close, but it's all in the name of getting stronger faster! Plus Ultra!

On top of this, he also throws himself back into training, going through his drills in the backyard when his mother isn't looking. It's not ideal, practicing without a partner, and it feels like he's being constantly watched- which he probably is, by whatever hero is assigned to watch over him that hour. He tries texting Shinsou, inviting him to come over and spar, but unsurprisingly the other boy refuses, telling him to take it easy and relax. It only makes Izuku more restless.

It doesn't help that he has to train during the worst hours of the summer heat the first few days because Kacchan comes straight over to his place after school, and there's no way he can keep training with the blond around. He'd probably throw a hissy fit if he found out that Izuku was doing any sort of physical activity. Then, once the school week is over and break starts, Kacchan starts spending nearly all his time at Izuku's place. It's… incredibly annoying. Izuku almost feels like a prisoner in his own home. He can't go anywhere or do anything except drink smoothies and study for his provisional license exam- which Recovery Girl is barely even helping him with because she wants him to focus on his recovery! He's just spending all day on the computer, trying to find new things to learn until Kacchan drags him away from it.

And it's not that he's trying to be ungrateful or anything. He understands the need for all this, of course. Shigaraki haunts his dreams every single night, and the thought of All For One still being out there, still being after him, terrifies him. And his mother and Kacchan do their best to entertain him, and his friends (and even All Might!) come over occasionally and text him everyday and that's fine, everything's fine.

But damn, he just can't help feeling like a bird in a cage. It'd be easier if everyone wasn't treating him as if he was made of glass.

So, needless to say, he's very much looking forward to the summer boot camp. Currently it's Friday, the day before they're meant to leave, and he's just gotten a notification from a new group message from Kirishima and Kaminari.

(Kaminari 10:37AM)-Ayo, Midoriya-kun!

(Midoriya 10:37AM)-What's up?

(Kaminari 10:37AM)-My dude, my guy, we've got the best surprise for u.

(Midoriya 10:38AM)-?

(Kirishima 10:38AM)-We've been feeling real bad that you've been cooped up in ur house all week, so we asked Aizawa-sensei if we could use the pool to swim this afternoon! He said yes!

(Kaminari 10:39AM)-Grab ur swim trunks, dude, we're on our way over.

(Midoriya 10:39AM)-! But I thought I can't leave my house unless I'm going to school?

(Kirishima 10:39AM)-U ARE going to school, man!

(Kaminari 10:40AM)-And we r going to escort u!

(Kirishima 10:40AM)-Aizawa-sensei already alerted the pros patrolling ur area that ur gonna be on the move soon.

Of course. Makes sense. Still, Izuku's heart swells with fondness.

(Midoriya 10:40AM)-Thank u guys so much!

After quickly informing his mother- who for a brief moment looks like she wants to protest before a flash of guilt has her caving- he darts into his room and grabs a pair of swim trunks. Unsurprisingly, Kacchan finds out somehow, although Inko swears she didn't tell him, and comes over. He glares when Sushi hisses at him and makes sure Izuku has everything he needs.

"Towel?"

"Yup."

"Sunscreen?"

"Yup."

"Flipflops?"

"Yup."

"Sunglasses?"

"What are you, my mom?"

Kacchan glares at him while Izuku rolls his eyes teasingly. Still, the blond's glare isn't nearly as heated as usual. He's missed their playful banter as much as Izuku has.

Thanks to Izuku's persistent speech therapy exercises, he's made an astounding amount of progress during the past two weeks. Just yesterday he finally made his first sound- a weak, breathy noise that hardly resembles his previous voice. It's not entirely audible and leaves his throat sore if he talks for very long, but the fact that he's able to talk at all after such a short amount of time is impressive enough. Ever since his achievement yesterday, he's been incessantly croaking and rasping at his mother and Kacchan practically non-stop.

Soon, there's a knock on the door and Izuku opens it to see Kaminari and Kirishima's blinding grins on the other side.

"Midoriya-kun!" Kaminari cheers, wrapping Izuku in a tight hug that the smaller boy eagerly returns, "It's been too long, my dear friend, too long!"

"You were here three days ago, you fucking phone charger," Kacchan growls, punching Kirishima on the shoulder good-naturedly as he steps outside.

"Too long!" Kaminari insists, then reluctantly steps back to let Kirishima ruffle Izuku's hair.

"How you feeling, man?" The redhead asks.

Izuku smiles. "Good," he croaks out the word, and it isn't a lie. Even though he sounds horrible, he's just thrilled to be able to make any sounds at all. Eating is getting easier too, although he still has to be careful which foods he eats. And now that his friends are here, he couldn't be any happier.

Kirishima gives him a toothy grin. "Great! Well, let's get going then!"

Kacchan takes Izuku's bag from him, despite his protests, and hikes it over his shoulder next to his own. As they start the journey to the school, Kaminari and Kirishima do most of the talking, the former loudly complaining about the brutal summer heat beating down on them. Meanwhile, Izuku takes note of their positioning; Kaminari and Kirishima walk on either side of him with their arms linked with his while Kacchan brings up the rear. Keeping him in the safest spot. He also occasionally notices in the distance a few pro heroes that he doesn't recognize stop in their patrol to watch him walk.

It's a bit excessive, he thinks, but at the same time he's also kind of relieved. This is the first time he's stepped out in public since the attack, but he's glad not to be feeling vulnerable or exposed. What safer place is there than in the arms of his friends?

He smiles to himself and squeezes Kirishima and Kaminari just a little bit closer.

They arrive at UA without any trouble. Izuku didn't realize just how much he missed his school until he's once again walking within its hallways. Before they head over to the pool, they drop by the teacher's center to check in with Aizawa.

"Hey, Aizawa-sensei!" Kirishima greets, popping his head in the door, "Mission accomplished! Midoriya-kun's here, all safe and sound!"

Aizawa looks at Izuku over Kirishima's head and nods. "Good. You can use the pool until 5PM."

"Yes, sir!" Kirishima and Kaminari bow politely.

Izuku hastily does too, rasping, "Thank you very much!"

Aizawa blinks. Izuku realizes that this is probably the first time the man has heard him speak in weeks. His face doesn't change, but Vlad King is here too, and he's more visibly upset, glancing between Izuku and Aizawa with slightly widened eyes. Izuku shifts uncomfortably.

Aizawa seems to share a look with Kacchan that Izuku doesn't quite understand, but it makes Kacchan straighten up purposefully beside him. After a moment, Aizawa simply dips his head and says, "Have fun."

They head over to the swimming pool after that. As they get changed in the locker rooms, Izuku can't get his mind off of the strange turn the encounter took. He supposes he should get used to things being weird for a bit. He doesn't like the odd tension in the air, when it's like everyone is reminded that things aren't okay, aren't perfect like they used to be, like- 'oh right, he got attacked by a villain, that happened'. Not that they forget, but… Izuku almost gets the feeling that they have a hard time accepting that it actually happened.

Maybe he does too.

His fingers brush the bandages around his throat.

He always keeps them on, only ever taking them off to shower. His wound has long since healed, of course, but he keeps his throat wrapped just to hide the scars. Since he's a healer-in-training, he has no shortage of bandages at home, some even in different colors. The long curls that he used to almost always wear in a ponytail or a bun are constantly worn down now. Nobody questions it, not Inko, not Kacchan, not any of his friends. Not even himself, really. He didn't like- he couldn't stand looking at his scars, so he covered them up. Pulling his hair up made his neck feel exposed, so he wears it down now.

Is he being weak, though? Avoiding things that scare him… but, no, they're a part of him now, it's stupid to avoid them. It's stupid to pretend that this didn't happen.

So, with a deep, shaky breath, he slowly unravels his bandages after slipping on his swim trunks. The others don't notice at first, Kirishima still chattering excitedly to Kacchan beside him. Surprisingly, it's Kaminari who notices first.

"Hey, Midoriya-kun, did you-" Kaminari cuts himself off with a soft 'oh', eyes widening as they lock on Izuku's marred throat. Kirishima and Kacchan glance over at the sudden pause and freeze. Izuku forces himself not to fidget and takes another deep breath, looking up at them, trying to seem unconcerned and probably failing. Kacchan's jaw clenches.

"O-Oh, I-Uh…" Kaminari tries to shake himself out of his stupor, "I, um, I- I didn't… I…" He swallows heavily. "I didn't know it would scar…" His voice suddenly sounds a little wobbly.

"Oh," Izuku says, as if he didn't notice, "Yeah, well…" He shrugs helplessly and tries to smile, although it probably comes out more like a grimace. A bit of humor sparks in his eyes as he rasps, "Mirio-senpai says that scars build character."

Silence meets his words. Izuku sweatdrops. Kirishima opens his mouth, then blinks in confusion. "Wh-What?"

"I-I don't know…" Izuku shakes his head. "Nevermind…" He trails off, unsure of what else to say.

There's a pause in which the other three boys just gaze at him. Then, Kirishima slowly moves forward and wraps his arms around him in a hug.

"I know you're probably so tired of hearing this man," he whispers, "But I'm so sorry."

Izuku nods wordlessly, pressing his nose into the boy's shoulder. Behind him, Kaminari's eyes drop to the floor. Kacchan's throat clicks as he swallows.

"Does it hurt?" He grunts.

Izuku pulls away and shakes his head. "No, no," he reassures, "It's fine, really…" He shifts uncomfortably. "Can-Can we go swimming now?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure, um…" Kaminari looks uncertain, glancing at Kacchan and Kirishima.

Kacchan glares at him lightly and huffs. "These fuckfaces decided to invite the whole class to surprise you again." He lowers his voice. "But if you don't want-"

"No, no, it's okay!" Izuku croaks, wincing when his throat gives a stab of pain. His vocal chords aren't strong enough to raise the volume of his voice yet- it always disappears with a breathy wheeze and painful twinge. "I'm… I'm okay with them seeing. Let's just-Let's just go, okay? I wanna have fun today."

With that said, he grabs his towel and starts heading out the locker rooms. A few moments later, he hears the pattering footsteps of his friends following him. There's a long hallway leading to the pool, and he can already hear the rest of his classmates' excitable chatter coming from outside it. Despite his words, he can't help the way his heart rabbits in his chest. He really doesn't know why he's so nervous. These are his classmates, his friends. They already know what happened to him. So why does this feel so different?

Iida spots him first, approaching with a bright, blinding grin on his face.

"Midoriya-kun! You're late-"

He freezes.

Next is Sero, who waves him over, only to pause and frown. Then Todoroki turns around at Iida's call, a soft smile already on his face. It drops the next moment, mismatched eyes widening ever so slightly.

Izuku lets out a quiet, weary sigh as all of his classmates' attention land on him, each one slowly coming to their own realization, eyes widening in horror. Kacchan comes up beside him and he takes comfort in his friend's sturdy presence. The rest of his friends quickly gather around him, trying and failing not to too obviously stare at his neck.

Ah.

That's why he's so nervous.

Because this right here, this hideous, ugly scar is the blatant evidence of their failure.

Not that he sees it that way, but he sure as hell knows his classmates well enough to know that they will see it that way.

He can already see it in their eyes, the guilt, the horror, the sorrow, the self-loating, all that because he was stupid enough to take off his bandages. What was he thinking? He hates the way they're looking at him. It's like when they first heard him try to talk for the first time outside the hospital...

No. Come on, Izuku.

He opens his mouth. "I-"

"Midori-kun!" Ashido cries out, bouncing up to his side. She grins, but it's fake, and her eyes keep darting between his throat and his face as she stammers, "How-How have you… How are you fee… um…" She abruptly shakes her head so rapidly he's afraid it might hurt. "We have a spot for you! A sunbathing spot! See?"

She takes his hand and points at one of the chairs lined up on the side of the pool. There's a towel laid out on it and an umbrella angled perfectly so the sun won't be in his eyes.

Uraraka perks up. "It'll be super comfy! You can relax all afternoon and we've got some cold juice for your throat and we can play music and-"

She and Ashido start pulling him towards the chair, but stop when he refuses to move. He smiles apologetically and politely tugs his hands away, taking a step back.

"I… I'd like to say something," he croaks, turning to face the rest of his classmates. They all watch him with rapt attention, leaning close to hear his quiet voice. He pauses for a moment, gazing at the ground as he struggles to find the right words, then lifts his head and begins with, "I just want you to know… I don't… I don't blame any of you for… for what happened to me. I don't care what you think, it's- it's no one's fault but Shigaraki's." He swallows and gestures to his scarred throat, rasping, "It's just… this is just something that I- We have to… live with… okay? I- I know this-this all sucks, but I'd like to move on, I'm trying to move on. But it doesn't help… the way you guys look at me like I'm wounded, the way you treat me like I'm made of glass- that doesn't help." His voice is starting to fade from stress- he's not used to saying more than a few words at a time- but he determinedly pushes on. "It doesn't help. I'm a hero course student too, you know? I'd like to be treated like one…"

He instantly regrets saying the last part as soon as he says it because- well, shit, now they look even more guilty. Yaoyorozu lifts her hands to her mouth with a small gasp, eyes watery. Iida grits his teeth and Todoroki lowers his eyes.

He's about to open his mouth and- he doesn't know, apologize? Take it back?- when suddenly-

"Hey, Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku blinks in surprise. Is that?

"Shinsou-kun? What are-?"

His mind goes blank.

The crowd of class 1-A students part as Shinsou makes his way through, his usual lazy smirk on his face. Gazing down at Izuku through hooded eyes, he orders, "Pinch yourself."

Izuku pinches himself and blinks, mind clearing. He gazes up at Shinsou, gawking, "Did you just-?"

Kacchan stiffens behind him. "Did you just-?!" Kirishima grabs him before he can pounce on the purple-haired boy. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Shinsou arches a brow at him, unimpressed, then glances back down at Izuku. "Feel better now?"

Izuku gapes at him for a few more moments, then slowly smiles. "Yeah," he croaks, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a sniffle. Shinsou's smirk softens and he glances away.

Yaoyorozu steps forward, placing a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun."

"Oh, please," he wheezes, "I'm so sick of apologies. No more apologizing!"

She smiles and huffs softly. "Alright, I'm sor-" She cuts herself off. He lets out a breathy giggle. Recollecting herself, Yaoyorozu asks, "What would you like to do, Midoriya-kun?"

He swallows, resisting a grimace as his throat aches, and tilts his head. "What are you guys going to do?"

"The boys are going to utilize the pool to participate in endurance training," Iida pipes up.

"We are?" Shinsou questions.

"And the girls are going to play volleyball on the other side of the pool," Yaoyorozu says.

"That sounds nice," Izuku says immediately, "Can I join?"

"Of course."

"Can I join too?" Shinsou asks a bit desperately, but Iida merely lets out a deep, boisterous laugh and drops a large hand on his shoulder.

"Nonsense! You want to transfer into class 1-A, don't you, Shinsou-kun? You need all the extra training you can get!"

Shinsou gives Izuku a pleading look as Iida leads him away to his doom. Izuku simply smiles innocently and waves.

The others look like they still want to apologize, but after hearing what Izuku said, they just decide to smile and slowly shuffle back to whatever they were doing. A few pat him on the back, and Ojiro tells him that it's good to see him again, but after that it just turns into a relatively normal afternoon. Playing volleyball with the girls is fun; Izuku isn't particularly good at the sport nor at swimming, but the game isn't really competitive and he spends more time goofing around with Ashido, Uraraka, and Hagakure than getting any scores. The cool water of the pool feels great in contrast to the stifling summer heat, although eventually they all get out and take a break when Iida offers them orange juices.

The boys are all sitting down in the shade, resting after their intense endurance training. Izuku sits at the edge of the pool, letting his feet splash in the water as he sips his juice. The cool liquid slides down his throat, soothing his aching muscles. He's really been talking a bit too much today. The juice feels nice though.

Feet patter beside him. Ashido sits down, pink thighs brushing his. She doesn't say anything at first, content to sit in companionable silence. Izuku takes another sip, idly glancing around the pool. He spots Todoroki leaning against the wall, head tipped back as he finishes off the remains of his own drink. Green eyes lock on a bead of juice as it dribbles out of the corner of the boy's mouth, slipping over the sharp cut of his jawline and sliding across his adam's apple.

Izuku gulps.

"Got your eye on anyone?" Ashido asks suddenly.

Izuku starts choking on his drink. Ashido jumps in surprise and thumps his back. As she does, she glances around, gaze landing on Todoroki. Her eyes practically sparkle . "Oh?"

"No," Izuku rasps.

"Oh?"

"Please don't."

"OH?!"

"Ashido-kun, please!"

"Everyone, do you want to see which of the boys can swim 50 meters the fastest?" Iida shouts.

"Yes!" Izuku yelps, but his voice breaks so all that he gets out is the 'y-' and like ⅓ of the 'e'.

He's not off the hook that easy, though.

"Minus Midori-kun, of course!" Ashido says, standing up, dragging Izuku up with her, "He's tired. Besides, you meatheads probably wanna use your quirks, right?" Iida nods and Ashido grins. "Great! We're gonna go sunbathe, then! And you-" She pokes Izuku's chest, grinning as she leans closer, looking downright evil as she whispers, "Are gonna tell me all about your little crush!"

There's no point in fighting it. This is it. This is his fate. Death by Ashido.

He glances over his shoulder and finds himself locking eyes with Shinsou, giving the purple-haired boy a pleading look as Ashido drags him away. Shinsou simply smiles innocently and waves.

Fucker.

Still, he supposes it's not all bad. Ashido has the decency to let him relax first before she tears into him. They take turns rubbing sunscreen into each others' skin- her hand pauses over the scar on his ribs curiously, but she doesn't ask about it- and she lends him a spare pair of heart-shaped sunglasses because he forgot to bring his own. Then, they're lying in the sun, each with a can of cold orange juice in their hands while Izuku rants about his totally non-existent crush on Todoroki as they watch said boy completely demolish their other classmates in the 50-meter race.

"I mean, it's not like I'm in love with him," Izuku rasps, "'Cause I'm not. He just… makes my heart funny sometimes…"

"Mm hmm." Ashido sounds unimpressed. "And what would you call that?"

"I don't know…" Izuku grumbles. "I guess… I mean, I'm not gonna deny that the guy is pretty. His face is nice… so's his hair…"

His eyes trail back to Todoroki, who's currently sliding his way across the pool for the fifth time. Hard muscles ripple over broad shoulders, sweaty skin gleaming in the sun. Izuku's eyes drop down to Todoroki's thighs, watching them tense up to jump and catch himself at the edge of the pool.

Ashido smirks. "He's got a pretty nice butt too."

Izuku scowls. "I hate you."

She cackles.

Unsurprisingly, Kacchan turns the race into a competition between him and Todoroki, seeing it as a chance to finish their 'unfinished business' from the other day. Unfortunately for him, this little competition is also interrupted by a very grouchy feline teacher who bursts in at the last second and erases their quirks.

"It's 5PM," Aizawa grunts, "Your pool use time has ended. Hurry up and go home." Kaminari tries protesting, only to quickly shut up when Aizawa's eyes flash dangerously. "Did you say something?"

Kacchan bares his teeth and snarls wordlessly. Once again, his efforts to defeat Todoroki have been interrupted. Clearly he's pissed about it. Todoroki, on the other hand, doesn't look too bothered. Instead, he hops off the diving board and approaches Izuku with a friendly expression. Ashido tenses up excitedly beside him.

"Midoriya," Todoroki asks, "How are you doing?" He comes to a stop a foot away from his chair, giving Izuku a perfect view of his chiseled abs and sweaty skin, flushed from exercise.

Izuku's cheeks burn. He opens his mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. Thankfully, Aizawa's arrival saves him from having to respond.

"Midoriya-kun." The man's tall form casts a shadow over him.

Izuku lifts his heart-shaped sunglasses and smiles up at his teacher. "How may I help you, Aizawa-sensei?" He croaks.

Aizawa's eyes roam over him, lingering on his scarred throat for a moment before saying, "There was a bit of a problem with one of the heroes that patrols your area, so I'm escorting you home today." There's an odd tone to his voice when he says 'problem', but he doesn't offer any more information, so Izuku shrugs and gets up.

To Todoroki, he smiles and rasps, "And I'm fine, Todoroki-kun, thanks." He winces and rubs his throat. "Kind of overdid it with my voice though, so if I'm a bit quiet on the walk home that's why." He says the last part more to Aizawa than Todoroki. The man nods.

Still, Todoroki isn't dissuaded by his lack of talking. He stays by his side as they walk back to the locker room in companionable silence, watching as Kirishima and Kacchan bicker loudly ahead of them. They change and regroup with Aizawa at the gate and start walking and… Todoroki still isn't leaving. Neither is Kirishima.

"Don't you guys have to go home?" Aizawa asks in a very bored tone.

"Uh, yeah, we are going home," Kirishima replies innocently.

"Todoroki-kun, I know for a fact that you live in the complete opposite direction," Aizawa says bluntly.

Todoroki doesn't move from Izuku's side. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," their teacher replies, "Your address is in your student file."

Todoroki pauses for the barest, most unnoticeable second, then says, "I moved."

Izuku stifles a snort with his hand while Kacchan guffaws obnoxiously. Aizawa arches a brow. "The school is very good at updating their addresses fairly quickly."

"I moved this week."

Silence.

Then,

"Really, Todoroki-kun?"

Izuku can barely hold back his laughter. Aizawa just sounds so… unimpressed. But also so astounded. Like he's so surprised that Todoroki of all people is behaving this way. Which, yeah, Todoroki isn't really one to act silly with the teachers, but he can be stubborn when he wants to be. And right now Todoroki wants to walk home with Izuku and he's gonna do what he needs to in order to be able to do that.

Aizawa and Todoroki both stop walking and stare at each other over Izuku's head. Two blank faces, devoid of emotion. Two unstoppable forces of incredible stubborn spirit. Kacchan's not even bothering to hide the fact that he's laughing his ass off. Kirishima looks like he wants to laugh but also values his life. Meanwhile, Izuku is stuck glancing between his teacher and his friend.

They look… very similar.

First Shinsou, now Todoroki.

How many secret love children does Aizawa have?

In the end, Todoroki's stubborn will wins out over Aizawa's not-giving-enough-fucks-about-it and he gets to escort Izuku all the way home.

In hindsight, Izuku is very glad that Todoroki hasn't decided to pursue him romantically, because if he did, he would stand no chance against his bullheadedness.

The first day of summer camp arrives. Izuku meets with Recovery Girl in her office beforehand, hugging his mentor tightly since he hasn't seen her in a good while. She smiles with only a tinge of sadness when she hears him speak and begins lecturing him, telling him to be careful with his quirk and to only use it under Aizawa's supervision and to take it easy and not push his voice so much but to keep up with the exercises his speech therapist is having him do.

"So you want me to talk, but you don't want me to talk?" He arches a brow teasingly.

She gives him a smack with her cane for his sass.

Class B meets up with them outside by the busses. Izuku squeaks in surprise when Tetsutetsu scoops him up in a tight hug, the other students swarming around him.

"Hey, Midoriya-kun, good to see you, man!" Honenuki says.

"We were all really worried when we heard what happened," Kendou says, "We wanted to visit, but Aizawa-sensei said there were too many people. How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Izuku rasps. A couple of people flinch and Kendou's eyes flicker to his scar briefly, but then she straightens up and smiles.

"That's good," she says a bit softer, "I'm glad you could join us on this trip. We're all stronger with you."

Izuku blinks, then flushes. It's surprising, especially since he doesn't really know Kendou that well, but he's flattered either way.

The two classes get on separate busses. Since it will be a fairly long drive- and no doubt a loud one- Izuku will have to choose his seat wisely. As much as he loves his friends, he doesn't think he has enough energy to deal with the Bakusquad for any extended period of time today. He had yet another nightmare about Shigaraki last night- blood-red eyes, long fingers, pain, pain, PAIN- that left him feeling more drained than usual, so right now he wants to save as much energy as he can for the day ahead. So that means no to sitting next to Ashido, Kirishima, Kaminari, Kacchan, Se- ehh, maybe Sero, he can be kind of chill when he wants to be. But he also can get swept up pretty easily in the excitement of his other classmates, and with all the buzz that's currently going on, he's not a reliable option.

The choice is obvious then.

Stubbornly ignoring the stupid little flutter in his heart, Izuku goes to sit beside Todoroki near the back of the bus. The other boy glances up with a soft smile that nearly makes Izuku drop dead right on the spot and- fuck this was a bad idea. But the bus is already moving so he's stuck here now.

The first few minutes are alright. Todoroki asks how he's doing and Izuku replies with a casual 'fine, how are you?'. Typical small talk. Something Todoroki has never really been one for. Soon five minutes lapses into ten, and Izuku finds himself not really knowing what else to say. They've long since fallen into a somewhat uncomfortable silence- well, uncomfortable for Izuku, Todoroki looks unbothered as usual. Izuku opens his mouth, then closes it. He lets out a small, frustrated sigh through his nose.

When did talking to Todoroki become so hard anyway? It shouldn't be! Todoroki is his friend! Before… before anything else, Todoroki is his friend. This is all Ashido's fault. Ashido and his stupid teenager hormones making his stupid teenage boy mind so confused.

He glances at Todoroki. The other boy is gazing out the window, the warm summer sun beaming down on him, making the white of his hair glow. Izuku glances away quickly, face heating up.

It's Todoroki's fault too, for being so stupidly handsome.

Fuck.

No, come on! There's gotta be something more to Todoroki he likes than just his looks! Sure, Izuku has long ago accepted that he thinks Todoroki is pretty, but that doesn't warrant a crush as Ashido so eloquently described it. So… so there must be something else to it, right?

What does Izuku like about Todoroki?

It's a loaded question. His brows furrow in concentration, putting a finger to his lips as he ponders. The bus is noisy, his classmates chattering loudly around him, making it hard to think. Sighing, he glances up, accidentally making eye-contact with Ashido.

She grins wickedly, eyes darting between him and Todoroki, and flashes him a thumbs up.

"He's got a pretty nice butt."

Izuku hates his friends.

He scowls down at his lap, ignoring Ashido's high-pitched cackle. After another long moment, he sneaks a glance at Todoroki again. Something within him aches. He wishes… whatever this is wasn't so hard to figure out. He misses what they used to have. He misses… not being so weird around Todoroki. Is this his fault? It is, isn't it? His fault for making things weird. Hopefully Todoroki doesn't notice too much of a difference. He already made enough of a fool of himself by nearly downright molesting the poor boy in that closet back during the training exercise with All Might.

Izuku's face burns just thinking of that. He shakes his head and sighs just a bit too loudly.

Todoroki glances at him. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Izuku wheezes.

Unfortunately, since the bus is nothing but a cacophony of rowdy teenagers, his feeble voice gets drowned out. Todoroki leans in closer to hear him.

"What was that?" He asks.

Izuku moves his lips to his ear and rasps as loudly as he can, "I said I'm fine. Just thinking."

Todoroki nods and Izuku's about to pull away when he accidentally inhales and- the most curious scent tickles his nose. It smells… almost like jasmine, with a hint of fruity citrus and an undertone of… vanilla? It's a bizarre combination of scents, but it's completely alluring and it makes Izuku falter.

His sudden lack of movement confuses Todoroki, who pulls away enough to look at his face. "Midoriya? What's wrong?"

It clicks. Of course! While it's not as obvious like with Yaoyorozu, if Todoroki's father is the number two hero, then he must be a rich boy! And a rich boy like him no doubt possesses a number of fine colognes.

Izuku smiles. "You smell good!"

Todoroki stares at him. To Izuku's fascination, his cheeks slowly start to turn pink. It's… cute.

"Um-" Todoroki coughs, turning his face away. "Thanks."

Izuku's smile widens and Todoroki averts his gaze. They fall into another silence, but this one is much more comfortable for Izuku. He finds his mind going over their interactions, cataloguing things that stick out to him. Like Todoroki's scent. And when his cheeks get pink. Things he likes. And yes, that may include things like his muscles or his… butt. BUT it could also include things like how soft his hair is. Izuku knows how soft Todoroki's hair is- he felt it back during the internship week.

Actually, that was a rather nice moment between them. Ignoring the fact that he panicked and stepped on a fork immediately afterwards. Todoroki had been very kind to him while he- well, while they were both injured. He brought their meals to Izuku's bed and ate with him and kept him company while he couldn't work. That was very nice of him.

Not to mention the fact that he saved him and Iida from Stain. Todoroki had already saved his life multiple times during USJ, and to this day he continues to impress Izuku with his strength and bravery.

And… Izuku supposes he also really likes the quiet side of Todoroki. His calm, mellow personality, so different from the rest of his friends. That he always has someone to sit with when he's not quite feeling as energetic as he needs to be in order to deal with the Bakusquad. The complete opposite of Kacchan, who's been stuck to him like glue practically his whole life.

It's so different from what he's used to, but… nice.

He likes it.

Izuku glances at Todoroki again, who's looking decidedly less collected than usual, expression forcefully impassive- except there's steam rising from his left side. It's fogging up the window, but not many people are noticing, least of all Todoroki. Izuku blinks and opens his mouth to bring attention to it, then sniffs. Todoroki's steam is amplifying the scent of his cologne. Izuku pauses, then shrugs and decides to let it be.

He should make a list! No, two lists! One for things he likes about Todoroki's body, and one for things he likes about Todoroki's personality. That way, he can organize his feelings better and see if it's more of like a physical attraction-type crush or a romantic-type crush. Once he figures that out, then he can go from there. That's a good plan, right? He already has so much to work with, he just thought up a bunch of stuff right now!

With a task in mind and the scent of Todoroki's rich boy cologne spurring him on, the rest of the bus ride goes by fairly quickly for Izuku.

I've been getting some comments both here and on ao3 about Monoma being able to heal Izuku. I made a response on my Tumblr but I don't think I can link that in ff. net, but if you look up itsmyartfam on Tumblr or just look for the tag TRWoF you'll see all the stuff I've been posting for this fic there.

Happy Mother's Day