Stupid Cupid
Author's Note: I apologize for the lateness, but I hope this makes up for it. Please enjoy!
Chapter 6: Cooking with Todoroki
Midoriya awoke early for training. He and All Might had always met up before sunrise so that he could practice wielding One for All. Now that he had it pretty much mastered, and his body accustomed to the power, the training was more of habit and upkeep than necessity.
When Bakugou had learned of his routine he started joining him, claiming he wouldn't be outdone by "the chosen one." He waited for him outside, lacing his new running shoes on the steps of the dorm.
"You're late, nerd."
"Sorry, I had a hard time sleeping so I woke up a little late. You didn't have to wait for me, Kacchan."
Bakugou sneered but shrugged it off.
"Don't flatter yourself. Let's just go."
"Okay." Izuku stretched out a little to warm up then started a light jog side by side with Bakugou. "We'll be graduating soon. Have you decided where you're going after this?"
"Not that it's any of your business… but I'm aiming to get my own agency right out the gate." He smirked wide. "I've got more than enough saved up to rent my own building. Shitty Hair and Dunce Face have volunteered to be my sidekicks and help run it. How's that for pulling ahead?"
"Forward march and here we go! Members of the agency Bakugou!" Deku sang with some nostalgia and earned an embarrassed grunt from his childhood friend. "Your own agency, that's so exciting!"
"You know you could be a little upset that I'm pulling ahead of you, damn nerd." He flushed a little. He didn't want to admit his inner joy at being praised, but had grown out of the bad habit of snapping at Deku whenever he complimented him… for the most part anyway. "Are you planning on joining Endeavor's agency?"
"Huh? No, I actually haven't decided what direction I'm going. I've got several avenues to choose from… but what makes you think Endeavor would be willing to take me on again?"
"I just figured since you've been palling around with Icy Hot the last few days. The two of you have been spending more time together."
"Ah, yeah well…" Izuku felt his cheeks go red as he remembered the events of last night. "That doesn't really have anything to do with our hero careers. It just kind of happened."
"The hell are you making that face for?" Bakugou sneered. "What exactly have you been doing with Icy Hot?"
"Gah, Kacchan please-" Izuku brought his hands up to his face, trying desperately to hide his embarrassment. "I don't wanna think about what-"
"Damn it nerd, Look out!" Bakugou snagged the back of Izuku's shirt just before he ran straight into a tree. Izuku stumbled and went to his knees, Bakugou still holding him up a little by his shirt. "Alright, out with it. What's going on between you and Icyhot?"
Izuku sighed heavily and sank all the way to his knees to curl up in a ball.
"Well-"
~Meanwhile with Todoroki~
Bella blew her whistle at a high pitch shrill, causing Todoroki to groan and cover his head with his pillow.
"Wake up! Wake up! We have an emergency situation!" Bella announced, tugging on the pillow. "Come on! You don't have time to sleep!"
"Sleepy…" Todoroki groaned and slowly sat up, his hair in complete disarray. "What time is it?"
"5am! Which means it's baker's hours!" Bella put both hands on her hips. "Valentine's day is not that far away and we need to make sure your chocolate skills are on point."
"Can't we just buy chocolate?" He yawned loudly and got to his feet, slumping to his drawers.
"No, no, no! Homemade chocolate is always the way to go… Especially now that you and Izuku are starting to form a bond. You need to seal the deal!" She fluttered around a bit then landed on his desk. "We need to go to the market to pick up supplies, and then head straight to the kitchen to practice!"
"If it's really that important… though I don't see why we had to get up this early." He grumbled and pulled a fresh shirt on.
"Trust me, it's imperative!" Bella huffed, kicking her legs back and forth. Once he was changed she followed him out the door and down the elevator. The moment they opened the front door Shoto spotted Izuku out on the grass sitting beside Bakugou as they drank water and talked.
"Huh, he kissed you?"
"Yes, no… I actually kissed him. I don't know what came over me." Izuku drew lazy circles with his finger. "He kept saying how he had these feelings for me that were more than friendly… and we've kinda been testing the waters there."
Bakugou looked annoyed, his water still pressed on his lips to keep him from saying anything right off. He wasn't sure whether to rage, or not. He honestly didn't like the idea of Deku and Icy Hot together. He didn't like the idea of anyone else getting close to Deku.
"Did you enjoy it? The kissing?"
"Ah well… yes… I mean I haven't really kissed anyone else so it's kinda hard to compare. The only other person to kiss me was Uraraka and that was just on the cheek." Still it had the same buzzing and fluttery effect on his heart. "They both made me feel kinda the same… but my kiss with Todoroki was more of a spur of the moment kinda thing. I didn't really get a chance to process it until I was in bed, and then I just rolled around in bed for hours thinking about it."
"You're such a virgin…" Bakugou grunted. "You feel that way BECAUSE you haven't kissed that many people before. If you wanna take this relationship or whatever you have with Todoroki seriously then you need to test the waters and find out if you feel the same way. Otherwise you'll just be leading Todoroki on."
"You really think so? I dunno… kinda seems wrong to split my attention." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides I can't think of anyone else who'd even want to kiss me."
"Tch," Bakugou snagged Izuku by the chin, and pulled him in. Izuku had a moment to think 'oh god!' before his childhood friend leaned in, their lips brushing ever so gently.
Bella's whistle blew in a high pitch shrill and she rushed between the two pushing their heads away. Both Bakugou and Izuku jerked back in shock, feeling as if a huge ball of light just zipped past their heads.
"What the hell was that!?" Bakugou looked around for Bella as she quickly floated up. Izuku stayed on the ground, holding his mouth and looking around confused. What he found was Todoroki standing on the steps, looking solemn and just stunned.
"Geh! Todoroki-kun!?" Izuku flummoxed, looking between him and Bakugou with a look of panic. Bakugou, clearly too busy looking for the buzzing light that had ruined the moment, didn't acknowledge him. "Wh-what are you doing up so early?"
"I…" Todoroki felt his voice go hoarse. The near-kiss and the conversation between Izuku and Bakugou had dried out his mouth, and stolen his breath. He hadn't expected the shock of pain at seeing Izuku show any kind of interest in someone else. "I need to go shopping for some things…" he tucked his hands into his pockets, lowering his head to hide his emotions better. "... and apparently now is the best time to get them."
"Oh… really?" Izuku stood up and gave him a kind smile. Todoroki saw it in his peripheral vision, and wished he didn't find it so appealing. "What are you going shopping for?" He asked, relaxing some from the casual conversation.
"Stuff to make valentines chocolate." He said it so matter of factly that just made Midoriya even more stunned.
"You're making chocolate? For who?"
"For you." he told him, lifting his head finally to meet his eyes. His eyes held such genuine sincerity that it moved Izuku.
"M-Me?!" He blushed bright red, his face resembling more and more of a tomato. "Why me? I mean I know we went out on a date and I did technically kiss you and said I would think about treating you as more than just a friend but I don't want you to think that you need to go out of your way to make me anything just because-"
"Midoriya you're doing it again." Todoroki couldn't help but let a little smile escape.
"Right! Sorry!" Izuku held his mouth.
"It's okay, I guess." Todoroki looked back down at his feet. Between Izuku's nervous behavior and the near kiss with Bakugou… it got him thinking that maybe the two of them weren't as close as Bella initially thought. "Do you not want me to make you chocolate?"
Izuku heard the sad tone in Todoroki's question. He thought of what Bakugou said about leading him on… and wondered if he was right. Was it worth them risking their friendship and taking this chance? Still… Todoroki looked so sad, and it was just chocolate after all.
"I didn't say that. I'd be happy to get some from you, Todoroki-Kun." Izuku played with his fingers nervously. "I'd just feel bad because I don't have anything to give you."
"I see…" he glanced over at Bakugou who was still shouting at the invisible Bella, and smiled. "Would you and Bakugou like to come with me? We can make chocolate together. The three of us."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Bella heard the suggestion and scrambled down. "No, no, no, what are you doing? You don't invite a rival to something like this! It SPELLS trouble!"
"You really don't mind if Kacchan tags along?" Izuku blinked in surprise. "We don't have to invite him if you don't want to."
"See, SEE!" Bella pointed at Izuku. "Even fluffy here gets it!"
"No, I want him to come." Todoroki scowled suddenly, his eyes glinting with something Izuku recognized as a challenge. "Bakugou's right that you need to be sure of your feelings. I don't want to win your heart by monopolizing your time. I want you to want to be with me. I want to show you that I'm worth taking that extra step in our relationship."
More so, Todoroki thought with stern intensity, he wanted to prove he was the better man for Izuku.
"Well.. if you're sure…" Izuku turned around and shouted. "Kacchan! Todoroki's invited us to make valentine's chocolates together."
"Hah!?" Bakugou stopped his tirade and finally took notice of Todoroki. He stomped over. "The hell are you making girly chocolates for?"
"I'm making some for Midoriya… though I'm not really sure what I'm doing, so I thought I'd invite you and Midoriya to help and maybe be taste testers. It's my first time making chocolate and I want to make sure I get it right."
"Humph, I've seen your cooking skills, icyhot, so trust me when I say you're gonna need the help." He crossed his arms and eyed Izuku. He internally debated then sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll help… but on one condition!"
"That is?" Todoroki tilted his head to the side.
"If you want these chocolates to be edible you'll do as I say and nothing more or less, got it!?" Bakugou puffed out his chest. "If they turn out bad, I ain't taking credit for your shitty chocolate."
"Fair enough." Todoroki shrugged and looked at his watch. "There's still a little time before the store opens. You two should get showered and dressed. I'll wait for you."
"Fine, let's go, Deku!"
"Coming!" Izuku sent Todoroki a beaming smile. "I'm actually kinda excited. We haven't worked together on a project in awhile."
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and change you stupid nerd. I ain't waiting all day for you." Bakugou's complaining voice lowered as the two disappeared inside. Todoroki let out a long sigh and held his chest and Bella floated to his eye level.
"You sure you wanna do this, Shoto? This really isn't part of the plan." Bella crossed her arms, pouting a little.
"I'm sure." He looked down at his hands and then up at her. "If you're right, and Bakugou is my direct rival, then I need to see what I'm up against and what Midoriya's feelings for him are. I don't want to lure Midoriya to me if his feelings are divided. I want him to want to be with me."
"Alright…" Bella sighed heavily but then put her hands on her hips. "If that's how you feel, then we'll just roll with it! As they say in U.A. Go Beyond, PLUS ULTRA!" She shot a fist in the air and put her whistle back between her lips, giving small short shrills that made Todoroki groan.
"I'm starting to think I should have stayed in bed."
~Later at the store~
Izuku pushed a shopping cart while Bakugou and Todoroki browsed the baking aisle. Every once in a while Bakugou would pick up an item, pause to read or admire it, and either toss it in the cart or shove it back on the shelf. Meanwhile Todoroki just seemed to be staring at various ingredients, decorations,and pan designs, nodding his head every once in a while.
"Midoriya?"
"Yes!?" Izuku stood up straight, not having expected the sudden use of his name.
"What kind of chocolate do you like? There's a lot of different kids so I want to make sure I make something you like." Todoroki held up two kinds of baking chocolate, one white, one dark. "Which of these would you like better?"
"Oh uh…" Izuku let go of the shopping cart to get into his casual thinking pose and mutter. "That's a hard choice as I don't normally eat a whole lot of chocolate. I don't want anything that's too bitter, but dark chocolate is good when it's mixed with other things like fruit or caramel. White chocolate is better for coloring and mixing so that might be fun. Oooh but then there's also milk chocolate which goes with pretty much everything so i wonder if I should-"
"Get all three or he'll keep rambling." Bakugou slapped Todoroki's hands so the chocolate all dumped into the cart. "Your family is rich so you can afford it, right?"
"Uh, yeah… I'll buy yours as well, Bakugou, since this was my idea."
"You don't have to do that, Todoroki-kun." Izuku snapped out of his mutter when he overheard the offer. "We want to help, and plus it sounds like a lot of fun."
"I was planning on buying a lot anyway as don't know how many tries it'll take to get it right." Todoroki offered a warm smile. "Whatever we have left over we can offer to the others to use, or give to satou for his own baking."
"Hey, yeah, that's a great idea." Izuku beamed and then saw an item that intrigued him. "In that case, would you mind if we tried something like this?" Izuku held up some matcha tea. "I saw a recipe for matcha white chocolate before and it looked delicious."
"That does sound good. Go ahead and put it in." Shoto looked to Bakugou who was watching their interaction with glowering irritation. "What kind are you making."
"It's a secret. I don't like sweets, but I know what other people like. Trust me, my chocolate will kill yours easily." He plucked up an arm full of candies and decorations and dropped them in the cart. Since it was Todoroki's treat, he'd make sure the fool had a toothache by the end of it.
"Wow that's a lot of tension…" Bella eyed her meter with a loud gulp. "Right now yours and Bakugou's testosterone levels are off the charts. The battle for Midoriya's heart has begun!"
Todoroki grunted and lay a hand on top of his head to keep Bella quiet. He didn't need to be told what he was feeling. His competitive nature was something that always kicked in whenever he and Bakugou were in the same vicinity. It didn't matter if they were training, working, or even studying. The two had become rivals in more ways than one over the years.
He'd always considered Midoriya one too, had lumped the two of them together in the same group, but now…
"Huh… now there's a thought." Todoroki held his mouth.
"Hmm? Something wrong Todoroki?" Izuku blinked curiously.
"Yeah… would you guys mind heading to the check out. I'm gonna take a quick look at something and I'll meet you up there."
"Tch, whatever, I ain't paying for all this shit so you better not duck out." Bakugou whirled the cart around and snagged Deku by the wrist to pull him along as well. Once the two were out of sight, he picked Bella up and put her into eye view. She looked at him with puffed up cheeks and mussed hair.
"What?" She asked irritably.
"I have a question… Can you be in love with more than one person at a time?"
"Ugh, we covered this already." Bella wriggled from his grip then gave rap of knuckles against his noggin. "That's what the compatibility test was for. First comes attraction, and then compatibility. Love is a combination of both those things, plus trust and dedication. So long as you have all of that then it is completely possible. There are such things as polyarmorous relationships… but I've rarely seen them work out for long due to lack of trust between partners. Why do you ask?"
"I was thinking about what Bakugou had said… about not having anything to compare to and testing the waters. I realized that I also haven't kissed anyone other than Midoriya… I haven't even thought of kissing anyone until Midoriya… but now I'm curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat, yah know." Bella put her hands on her hips, frowning.
"I know that's supposed to be a metaphor, but I'm completely serious. I have a lot of the same feelings for Bakugou that I do for Midoriya. The three of us work really well together despite the fact we're competitive and argue." Todoroki explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "I actually enjoy it most of the time, because I know how passionate they both are about things. There's some attraction there, and I've seen enough of his good qualities to look over his aggressive behavior. I'm not sure how compatible we are, but I do trust him… so I was wondering if I might be in love with him too."
Bella contemplated that for a moment. When she'd looked into Todoroki's background and past she'd seen the three of them together a lot. There was definitely a strong possibility there and she couldn't quite put it down.
"I mean I can check your compatibility if you'd like…" she started, drawing out the I in like. "...but I honestly would follow your heart on this one, Todoroki-kun."
"My heart?" Todoroki held his chest and Bella motioned toward it.
"Yep! When in doubt, follow your heart. It has a voice of its own, yah know. If you listen to it, it'll tell you what you need to know." Bella giggled. "Now come on! We've got chocolates to bake and hearts to swoon!" She pulled on his shirt guiding him back toward the other two young men. Todoroki paid for the groceries and they carted everything on the walk back, chatting about school and upcoming finals. Izuku told Todoroki about Bakugou's plan and made him smile.
"That's great news, congratulations." Todoroki nodded at Bakugou who humped and turned his head away.
"Yeah, whatever. I don't need your empty flattery, Icy Hot."
"It's not empty flattery." Todoroki frowned and paused his walk so he could halt Bakugou's and lok him directly in the eye. "I'm really happy for you, Bakugou. You're reaching your goals and making more. I have still have a way to go before I can really feel like my own hero… so the fact that you're already making plans to do just that is amazing."
Bakugou stumbled back a little, his cheeks red at the honestly in his voice, and sincerity in his eyes. He lifted one back to cover his face, and grunted.
"Yeah well, you better catch up to me. If you don't, I ain't waiting for you!" He snarled and fidgeted like a cornered cat. The look of embarrassment on his face made Todoroki all the more curious.
"You know… you and Midoriya are a lot alike in some ways."
"HAH!?" Bakugou prickled and Izuku laughed.
"I wouldn't say that, Todoroki-kun."
"You are…" Todoroki glanced over at Izuku. "Your personalities and looks are different, sure… but you two have the same… vibe. You're both passionate, caring, and active people who go out of their way to help others and achieve their dreams. It's admirable… and very attractive."
"Eh?!" Izuku blushed and Bakugou raised an eyebrow,
"Come again, Icy Hot?"
"I won't lie… I overheard what you said, Bakugou. Neither Midoriya or I have kissed other people before. This is very new territory for us. So it's hard to determine how we feel about each other, when we've nothing to compare it to." Todoroki set his bags down and took a step close to Bakugou. The guy went on full alert. "So if you want to kiss Midoriya, then I give my permission… but I also hope you'll allow me the same courtesy."
"Say what… wait a minute what the hell are you-" Bakugou tried to block his face, but Todoroki was just a hair faster. He grabbed Bakugou by the chin and pulled him in for a brief, but firm kiss."
"GAH?! TODOROKI-KUN!"
Bakugou fell backwards onto his but, holding his mouth as she stared at Todoroki looking confused and down right pissed.
"WHAT THE FUCK, ICY HOT! YOU CAN'T JUST KISS PEOPLE WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION!"
"I did ask permission-" Shoto explained and rubbed his lips. "-and it was very informative. My heart didn't skip beats, or roll around in my chest like it did when Midoriya kissed me. I think it's best if we ust stay friends." He picked up his bags and smiled at Izuku. "Shall we?"
"Eh, uh… yeah, sure…" Izuku's face was bright red and his head dizzy with heat. He didn't wat to say it out loud… but watching those two kiss, had been very stimulating. "Holy Whoa."
"What the hell do you mean my kiss wasn't as good as Deku's! Come back here and pucker up, Icy Hot! I'll give you a kiss that'll knock your socks off!" Bakugou threatened, heaving up bags again and waving them around sporadically.
Bella stayed where she was mid flight, holding her flushing cheeks
"Oh my goddess! That boy! That's not at all what I meant when I told him to follow his heart!" She sighed heavily, also feeling very overstimulated by the display. "I gotta remember to give him more concise directions or who knows what he might do next."
~Ask Briry~
Sorry for the long delay, I hope it was worth the wait. I'm a TodoBakuDeku shipper so I couldn't resist adding a little fluff to satisfy my selfish needs. Hope you enjoyed it.
Next chapter: Sugar, Spice, and Sticky White Rice