Part 1: Unbeneficial

Part 2: Unsteady

Part 3: Uncertain

The early morning sunlight was barely shining in between the blinds at the window, leaving orange lines spewed on the blankets on the bed.

Bakugou was wide awake but still lying down on his side facing the sleeping boy next to him.

Todoroki, whose mouth was still even more swollen than yesterday from the brawl, slept peacefully on Bakugou's bed. His red and white hair spilled on the pillow as soft breaths left his lips.

Bakugou's eyes wandered to the bandage on his temple and the bruise that was splattered on his nose. The bandages would probably need changing. And the idiot should probably go to the hospital because of his concussion. But Bakugou wanted just a moment to enjoy this, but really, who knew when this little arrangement would come to an end.

He clenched his fists, feeling pangs in his chest. This was so stupid. Why did he put himself in this position in the first place?

Todoroki was in love with Deku. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Bakugou huffed a quick sigh and then carefully reached out a hand to touch the curve of Todoroki's jaw, feeling the skin there. It was soft yet firm, feeling like magic in Bakugou's hand. He moved up the side of Todoroki's face, lightly pinching his cheekbone, and then finally up to card his fingers through the red and white strands of hair.

Soft.

Everything about him was soft and yet also firm, delicate yet also strong. He was… so beautiful.

But his heart belonged to someone else.

Bakugou sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. Frustration began to take hold of him in waves, making his stomach twist and churn uncomfortably.

He got up from the bed and pulled on a hoodie, stopping at the door to look back at Todoroki one more time before he quietly tiptoed out. He headed down to the main hangout area of the dorms, his mind in desperate need of very bitter coffee to wake him up from this nightmare. He took the stairs instead of the elevator, not wanting to be bothered with any passerby's that might be lingering.

Upon entering the main lobby, he heard footfalls. They were rapid and flustered, almost sounding like stomping. As he got closer to the kitchen, he could hear the distinct sound of muttering.

Bakugou bit back a groan. Was it really that nerd this early in the morning?

He could see a mop of dark hair just around the kitchen wall. He appeared to be pacing, his hand on his chin and his eyes downcast to the floor as he walked. Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance. What in the world could that nerd be freaking out about this early?

Bakugou pointedly tried to ignore his presence, but apparently, Deku couldn't help himself. As soon as he heard Bakugou enter the kitchen, he leaped into action.

"Kacchan!" Deku yelled, hurrying to stand next to him.

Bakugou jumped. "What the shit?! Why are you yelling at me!"

"Have you seen Todoroki?" Deku asked, a slight panic in his voice.

Bakugou pushed his face away with the palm of his hand. "Get off of me, nerd! And why the hell do you care?"

Deku fidgeted. "I went to check up on him last night after the game but he didn't answer his door! I didn't think anything of it at first, but I went to his room just now and he still didn't answer!" He put his hands in his hair. "What if he passed out and is in trouble! Or what if he's really injured or what if—"

"Will you just shut up already?!" Bakugou yelled, slamming his coffee mug down. He couldn't even enjoy his morning coffee in peace. "He's in my room, dipshit!"

Deku blinked at him, his hands slowly coming down to his sides. He looked confused at first and then it slowly morphed into hurt.

"What? Why…" Deku paused. "He was… He was with you last night?"

The damned coffee maker finally finished pouring. Thank god.

"And? What's your deal?" Bakugou asked, pouring his mug to the brim. He sucked down the piping hot coffee, the bitterness flowing on his tongue.

Deku swallowed. "Are you two… close?"

Bakugou paused, eyeing Deku carefully. What the hell was he gettin' at?

"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. If you stopped giving all of your attention to Round Face, then maybe you'd notice something," Bakugou snapped.

"Huh? You mean Ochako?" Deku asked. "Kacchan, she's my girlfriend. Of course, I want to give her all my attention."

"Yeah, well what about your other friends? Don't you think they feel hurt by it?"

What in the world was Bakugou saying? Being with Todoroki has completely messed up his brain. Stupid feelings. Stupid love. Stupid Todoroki.

"Has he told you that?" Deku asked, looking sorrowful all of a sudden. "Has Todoroki said something about it?"

Yes, Bakugou wanted to say. And he never wanted to see that look of pain on Todoroki's face ever again. That was why he agreed to this friends-with-benefits deal. It made Todoroki smile for once.

But like hell was he going to tell Deku that.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "That's not really my business to tell, nerd!"

Deku sighed. "Can you at least tell me if he's okay?" he asked, tugging on his sleeves. "He hasn't spoken to me in so long. And he wouldn't even look at me at the game last night."

Bakugou grit his teeth.

That was huge a lie. Todoroki couldn't keep his eyes off of Deku. But Deku was too busy ogling Round Face to notice.

"I'm just worried. I'm worried that I might've hurt him in some way," Deku said. "Please, Kacchan. If you could tell me anything about what's going on with him…"

Bakugou looked at him and stopped, his fingers curling around his mug in an almost death-grip, his veins popping out on the back of his hand. He was so tempted to open his mouth and blabber everything, telling Deku about how his relationship with Round Face was something that was hurting Todoroki every single day. Or about how he would hold Todoroki at least twice a week while claiming him in bed, lavishing him in loving kisses that he wished were returned in full force.

He wanted Deku to know that he was trying to take Todoroki as his own, and push Deku out of the picture completely.

But he couldn't find it in himself to say a word.

"Tch. Why don't you just ask him yourself? It's not like it's any of my business," Bakugou said. He clammed back the hot coffee, not bothered by the burning in the back of his throat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go wake up Sleeping Beauty."

"H-He slept over?!" Deku squeaked.

Bakugou ignored him and hurried back up the stairs to his dorm room, his hands shoved into his pockets. He felt a little grumpy all of a sudden, turned off by hearing the sound of Deku's grating voice.

He entered his dorm room with a huff, and his eyes immediately shifted to the bed. The lump on his bed hadn't moved since he got up this morning.

Bakugou felt his chest tighten a little.

"Todoroki?" Bakugou called tentatively as he turned the lights on in his room.

Bakugou saw the lump shift a bit, and he sighed in relief. So he hadn't descended into a concussion-induced coma.

"All right. Time to get up," Bakugou said, moving to the bed and shaking Todoroki gently.

Todoroki groaned and slowly sat up, his red and white hair sticking in every direction. He blinked tiredly and looked up at Bakugou with bleary eyes. His gaze was still a bit glazed.

Bakugou quirked a brow at him. "You look weird."

Todoroki rubbed his face, wincing when he pushed too hard on a bruise that bloomed over his right cheek.

"I feel weird," he said.

Bakugou frowned. "Let me see your eyes."

Todoroki squinted up at him, and Bakugou leaned in to peer into his mismatched eyes. His pupils were still uneven, the left one blown out against his bright blue eye. The signs of the concussion were definitely still there.

"Yeah. We gotta get you to a hospital," Bakugou said.

Todoroki leaned to one side, his lips falling into a slight pout. "Do I have to? I've had concussions before."

"It's not just for your head, dumbass," Bakugou said, gently grabbing his upper arm. "C'mon, let's go."

"But it's Saturday."

"Yeah, and the sooner we go, the less crowded the emergency room will be."

Todoroki hesitated for one more moment before finally getting up with a sigh, his movements sluggish as he tried to put his pants on.

"Here, let me help before you break any more ribs," Bakugou said, kneeling down in front of Todoroki to grab his pants that were on the floor.

"They're not broken," Todoroki said with a slight strain in his voice.

"That you know of," Bakugou responded as he helped Todoroki's legs into each pant leg and then pulled them up.

Todoroki paused. "I know what it feels like."

Bakugou quirked a brow at him as he zipped up the pants and fastened the button.

"Hockey?" Bakugou asked.

Todoroki's gaze suddenly looked hazy as he stared at some spot on the wall behind Bakugou.

"No."

Bakugou blinked at him rapidly, too stunned to say anything more. The conversation suddenly felt heavy, his back going stiff. Something about Todoroki's entire demeanor turned eerie, and he looked like he was somewhere else. He had to pull him out of this.

"Oi. You awake?" Bakugou asked gently, placing his hand on Todoroki's shoulder.

Todoroki jolted and looked at Bakugou with a look of surprise, as if he didn't remember that he was standing there. He took in a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes again.

"Yeah, sorry," Todoroki said. He lowered his hands, seeming to come back into himself. "Are we ready to go?"

Bakugou bit the inside of his cheek, taking one minute to look at Todoroki carefully. He nodded after a moment and moved to grab his shoes.

"After you."

They took the elevator so Todoroki didn't have to move as much, and Bakugou hoped that Deku had gone back up to his room.

But luck was not on his side today. That damned nerd was still pacing in the common area.

When they rounded the corner towards the exit, Deku perked up and ran towards them.

"Todoroki!" Deku called, stopping in front of them. "Oh my gosh, your face! Are you okay? Did you get treated?"

Bakugou wanted to keep moving and ignore the nerd, but of course, Todoroki stopped to indulge him.

"We're going to the hospital now," Todoroki explained.

"W-Wait, what? You didn't go last night?" Deku asked. "Todoroki, what happened? You've never been one to pick a fight like this!"

Todoroki sighed and put a hand to his head. Bakugou reached out to touch his back as his upper body wobbled.

"It's nothing. I don't want to discuss it right now," Todoroki answered.

Deku frowned. "Please talk to me, Todoroki," he said. "I'm really worried about you. We haven't hung out in ages! We don't even text each other anymore!"

Todoroki sighed, looking away. "It's personal."

Deku paused. "What do you mean? Are you okay?"

"Deku, knock it off!" Bakugou growled.

"I'm just trying to figure out why my best friend won't talk to me anymore!" Deku yelled.

"It's not your business!" Bakugou rebutted.

"But I want to try to fix things!" Deku said. "I want to be able to talk to him again!"

Todoroki let out an irritated sigh. "I have feelings for you, okay?"

Deku flinched back at his tone, his eyes widening in shock.

"W-What?" he asked softly.

Todoroki ran a hand down his face, and Bakugou reached out to grab his shoulder.

"I like you, alright? And since you don't feel the same, it hurts to be around you," Todoroki said. "So just… give me space. I need time."

Todoroki started to move towards the exit, and Bakugou started to follow. He caught a glimpse of the dumbstruck Deku as he left, and he was standing silently with tears running down his cheeks.

Tch. Served him right.

"Okay, Todoroki-san! Let's take you on back!" the nurse said cheerfully.

Luckily, the emergency room wasn't incredibly packed. They only had to wait for a half-hour before a nurse came by to take Todoroki back for a CT scan.

"Make sure you leave anything metal here. It will just be easier in the long run," the nurse said.

Todoroki hummed and pulled out his phone, handing it over to Bakugou.

"Can you hold this for me?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bakugou said, looking up at Todoroki thoughtfully. Todoroki looked even more tired than earlier. The conversation with Deku must've completely drained him. "Go on. Get your head scanned, or whatever."

Todoroki nodded and waved as he left the waiting room to follow the nurse back into the hospital, disappearing from sight.

Bakugou slumped in his chair, now completely bored. He wondered how long this would take. He should've brought his homework with him.

He sighed and opted for scrolling around on his phone, looking at the several texts from Kirishima and Kaminari who were asking where he was. He rolled his eyes and quickly explained the situation in the hockey team's group chat.

Kirishima:

Yikes, a concussion? That's rough.

Kaminari:

Was his brain leaking fluid or something?!

Bakugou:

Stop being annoying. All these notifications are driving me nuts.

Bakugou sighed. These idiots were caring, but they were still idiots. He was about to pocket his phone and go back to staring into space when he felt it buzz in his hand, signifying another ping from the group chat. Bakugou rolled his eyes. It was probably more of those two sending memes or some shit.

But instead of dumb pictures, it was a notification from Iida.

Iida:

Has anyone seen Izuku? I saw him in the hall earlier but he was crying. I tried talking to him but he ran off. He won't answer his phone.

Bakugou sighed, running a hand down his face. This had turned into such a huge mess. How in the world was he going to fix this?

He turned his phone on silent and shoved it into his pocket, deciding to ignore it all today. He knew he would be questioned for it later, but he really didn't want to deal with it at the moment. He was about to fall asleep when he felt another buzz.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Bakugou groaned. "I thought I turned you off, you piece of shit!"

But it wasn't his phone that was buzzing.

It was Todoroki's.

He glanced down at the screen to see several text messages popping up, all from a contact labeled as, "Old Man." He couldn't see all of the texts, but he could gather enough information by reading the previews on the screen.

From: Old Man

Why haven't you called me back?

From: Old Man

Shouto. We need to talk about your performance yesterday an…

From: Old Man

It is disgraceful to be ejected from a game for such childish re….

From: Old Man

We will be discussing this when I get back into town.

The last text seemed more threatening than just a casual meet-and-greet with his father.

Bakugou put the phone down once the texts stopped, and he frowned hard as the creepy feeling started to come back in waves. Todoroki's talk about his ribs… and now these disturbing texts?

What the hell was this?

He turned the phone on silent and set it in his lap, leaning back to look up at the ceiling in disgust. He had an awful taste in his mouth now.

Bakugou sighed and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself down. He tried to quiet his mind and rest for a moment since they had gotten up earlier than usual for a Saturday.

He must've dozed off, because as soon as he leaned back, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He jolted awake and stared up at two-toned eyes.

Bakugou blinked up at him as he noticed the white bandage wrapped around Todoroki's head, as well as several bandages and gauze on his face and arms.

"Geez, don't you look beautiful?" Bakugou greeted, not really joking.

Todoroki sighed and rubbed at the bandage on his right cheek. "Can we just go now?"

Bakugou hopped up to his feet. "Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a wad." He stretched his arms above his head. "What did they say, anyway?"

Todoroki pointed to his head. "Concussion."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I knew that already. Anything else?"

Todoroki twisted his lips. "One fractured rib."

Bakugou's eyes widened and his jaw opened slightly in shock. He stomped his foot on the ground and pointed at him.

"You said you knew what it felt like!" Bakugou said.

Todoroki sighed. "It's not as bad as a complete break. It's fine."

Bakugou humped and folded his arms across his chest. "Guess you won't be playing next week's game, huh?"

Todoroki frowned, rubbing his arm. "I'm suspended from that game, anyway."

Bakugou's jaw dropped. "That is such bullshit."

"Bakugou, it's—" Todoroki started.

"No, don't even start with me! You know it was that Shiketsu player's fault!" Bakugou said. He sighed and tried to calm himself down. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them from flailing about. "You should talk to the coach. I could vouch for you."

Todoroki shook his head. "You don't have to do that."

"I can and I will," Bakugou said. He pulled out Todoroki's phone and handed it over. "Let's get out of here. And you may want to turn off your phone."

Todoroki blinked at him and glanced down at the screen, an instant scowl popping up on his face. He quickly powered off his phone and shoved it in his pocket.

"Good idea."

Bakugou took Todoroki to a noodle shop just off of campus. He had told Bakugou upon leaving the hospital that the doctor prescribed him some pain medication, but he emphasized that he had to eat first. So they found themselves sitting at the bar in the small space, both of them slurping up their food.

Todoroki ordered some cold soba, which Bakugou knew was his favorite. He also ordered something milder. He didn't want the harsh smell of spices to aggravate Todoroki's head while his concussion was still affecting him.

He slurped down some plain noodles that really had no flavor to them. But he didn't know if it was because of the noodles themselves or the heavy weight that was sitting on his chest.

He glanced to Todoroki, who sat quietly next to him at the bar of the tiny shop. He ate slowly, his eyes fixated at some point on the wall across from him.

Bakugou swallowed down the tasteless food and sighed, setting his chopsticks down.

He couldn't let it go on like this any longer.

"When you said you didn't break your ribs because of hockey… What did you mean?" Bakugou asked, his voice low.

Todoroki froze, eyes wide. His chopsticks were halfway to his lips with another mouthful of noodles, but he lowered it back down to his bowl. His brows furrowed very quickly and he cut his eyes at Bakugou.

"You won't tell anyone?" Todoroki asked.

Bakugou blinked at him. "Who would I tell? Damn."

Todoroki twisted his lips and lowered his head a bit, his eyes staring into his bowl of uneaten noodles.

"You know how my father was a famous hockey player, right?" Todoroki asked.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. What of it?"

Todoroki paused, twirling his noodles around his chopsticks. "Well. He wanted to train me to be the next big hockey player." He grabbed some noodles. "So he trained me."

He shoved noodles into his mouth to prevent him from saying anything more, leaving Bakugou to sit there and process his words.

It only took one minute.

"What the hell?!" Bakugou hissed, trying not to disturb the cooks in the small restaurant. "Your old man was the one who broke your ribs?!"

Todoroki sighed after he swallowed. "Can we not discuss this? I'm actually trying to enjoy my food."

Bakugou ran a hand down his face and growled in his throat, resisting the urge to punch the table. He sighed heavily and rested his closed fist on the table next to his bowl.

"Fine. I won't ask. But at least tell me this," Bakugou started, getting Todoroki to look at him, "Does your dad still… train you?"

Todoroki shook his head. "No. Not since I've been at university." He grabbed another scoop of noodles with his chopsticks. "He's easier to avoid now that I don't live with him."

Bakugou watched him swallow down more noodles. "What about your mom? Did she not care?"

Todoroki seemed to almost choke. He cleared his throat a few times before swallowing, his hand coming up to rub at his left eye. He took in a quick breath and sighed, dropping his hand to his lap.

"She cared. But it wasn't like she could do anything," Todoroki explained. "She got the brunt of it just as bad as I did."

"That bastard," Bakugou choked out.

If only he had known what kind of cynical monster Enji was, then he never would have looked up to him. Dirt bag deserved none of the praise he received.

Todoroki wasn't fazed by Bakugou's outburst, though, which probably meant he agreed. He sighed and set down his chopsticks.

"My mother was a really talented figure skater. That's how my father knew about her," Todoroki said. A fond smile formed on his face. "She would take me to the rink to practice with her when my father had away games. I really enjoyed it. Much more than hockey."

Bakugou's rage cooled down to a mild simmer. He leaned forward on the bar to stare more at Todoroki's softened face. Even with the bandages, he was still beautiful. And that smile was killing him.

"You wanna quit?" Bakugou asked.

Todoroki jumped, looking at Bakugou with wide eyes. "What?"

"You heard me," Bakugou said, digging back into his noodles now that he had an appetite. He shoved them into his mouth and looked back at Todoroki. "Jus' qui' the 'eam if you 'want."

Todoroki tilted his head. "I'm sorry?"

Bakugou angrily swallowed down. "Quit the team, dumbass!"

Todoroki blinked at him, looking dumbfounded. "Quit playing hockey?"

"Duh," Bakugou said. "If you're miserable, then just quit. Do figure skating."

Todoroki furrowed his brows. "I haven't had any training—"

"Oh, don't give me that! I've seen you do those twirls on the ice after practice!" Bakugou said.

Todoroki's cheeks reddened. "You saw me doing that?"

"Of course I did! I know you linger around after practice to do that shit!" Bakugou said. "I never understood why you did that, but I do now." He paused, pursing his lips. "You're good at it, you know."

Todoroki blinked at him with those beautiful wide eyes, Bakugou able to see the distinct color of both. Well, except for the blown pupil in his blue eye.

"You… think so?" Todoroki asked.

"Yeah," Bakugou said. He nudged Todoroki's knee with his own. "I really do."

Bakugou went back to his meal, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see a small smile on Todoroki's face.

"Show me your skills next week. After your head and ribs heal," Bakugou said.

"Mmn, I will," Todoroki said.

Bakugou felt his chest soar at the fond smile on Todoroki's face.

He went back to his meal, relishing in the fact that his last few bites were packed with flavor.