Chapter Five
I'm too tired to fight it. Todoroki realizes he hasn't slept in over thirty hours and it takes everything he has to even stand. It also doesn't help that he's been feeling really lonely lately and the temptation to fall into Bakugou's arms is strong. Maybe it would be okay, just this once.
No. Todoroki made a promise that fateful night, a promise he's kept for the past three years.
"Take care of him for me, okay?"
"He'll go around the bend and he'll give you a hard time, but don't let up. He's going to need you."
"Don't let him forget me, okay? Remind him that I'll love him forever."
"Todoroki! You still keeping that promise?"
"Stop," Todoroki whispers. Bakugou's hand is cradling his head now. His lips are so close that even one tiny motion would bring them together.
"Shoto…" breathes Bakugou.
Ugh. Todoroki's own defenses are caving in. "Bakugou," he manages to say. "We can't."
"Why?" Bakugou caresses his cheek slowly, his thumb brushing across the corner of his lips. His features have softened somehow, something Todoroki never dreamed he'd see.
"Because…" Todoroki finds the hem of Bakugou's shirt and tugs on it lightly.
"Hm?" Bakugou looks down. "HEY! WHAT THE FUCK, YOU BASTARD?" He jumps back, slapping the front of his shirt where a line of smoke starts to form.
"I only singed it."
"There are easier ways to get me out of my clothes, you punk." He looks at him and there's a glint of hurt in his eyes.
"Bakugou, you and I both know this would not be a good idea. I care about you too much to ruin the relationship we have."
Bakugou sighs. He takes a seat and begins to pick at the food. "You're right." He keeps his eyes averted and begins eating.
Todoroki frowns. His heart feels heavy and he wishes he can tell him that Kirishima is alright, that he thinks about him daily, that the one person that he wants is actually still alive. He takes a seat next to him.
"I have something that might make you feel better," Todoroki says gently.
"Is it something I can punch?" he asks in between slurps.
"Actually, yes."
Bakugou finally turns to him. "Go ahead. I'm listening."
"We have an opening with the guild." Todoroki chooses his words carefully. "We got some intel that the mastermind behind their whole operations is coming to town this week. He's holding a private gathering for all his stakeholders."
"Do we know who this mastermind is?"
"Unfortunately, he's a bit of a mystery. But, our informant is trustworthy and we've got a plan to infiltrate the party. It's pretty high stakes and we only have one chance. I've put out a call to other agencies to team up, but I need a small crew of reliable Heroes to mark the mastermind. Can I count on you?"
Retribution replaces any hurt that filled Bakugou's eyes just moments ago. "Hell yeah."
Todoroki nods, thankful that his friend is easy to distract. "The other person joining us will be Deku."
"You're such a killjoy."
"Trust me, I'm not too happy about it either. But, we need him."
Bakugou shifts in his seat, twirling the noodles with his chopsticks much more than needed. "Do you still have feelings for the nerd?"
Todoroki bites his lip. "He has nothing to do with why we can't be together."
"GEEZ, Icy Hot, I didn't ask because of that. It just seems that you're still hung up on him. And I'm here," Bakugou says, eyes laser-focused on his food, but his tone is careful, thoughtful. "If you need to talk or whatever," he adds in hushed tones.
Todoroki can't help but smile. Bakugou trying to be a good friend definitely makes his heart flutter and perhaps one of these days, he'll take him up on his offer. "Thanks, that means a lot."
Bakugou scarfs down the ramen in response. "Hey, if you want, you can draw up a bath and maybe get some shuteye. I have extra towels in the cabinet. You can use my bed, too. Do whatever you need."
Todoroki raises his bowl to his lips. "Thanks, Bakugou. That sounds nice, actually."
\\\
Idiot! Bakugou soaks in the shower, letting the water wash away the humiliation from earlier. What were you thinking?! He's been in the shower for almost an hour and he is pretty confident he's used up all the hot water in the entire apartment building.
He turns the faucet off, grabs a towel, and ties it around his waist. He proceeds to dry off and change into a pair of sweatpants and a black tee, trying to keep the noise level to a minimum. Todoroki is still sleeping in his bedroom and it doesn't seem like he'll wake up anytime soon.
Bakugou walks into his living room and collapses on his couch. "What are you doing, Katsuki?" he asks himself out loud. Sorting out his feelings for Kirishima was never this confusing. If he's being honest with himself, he didn't start developing feelings for Todoroki until recently. Although they didn't see each other often, Todoroki has been constant, reliable, and sweet. He's always been in his corner, especially at his worst moments.
"It's not real," decides Bakugou. These feelings aren't real. Bakugou is quite cognizant of the fact that these feelings also surfaced when the Kirishima dreams came back. I'm just lonely. I'm transferring my feelings for Kirishima onto Todoroki, who just happens to be right in front of me…yeah. That's it. Right.
Right?
His phone rings, which startles him. He answers without bothering to screen the call.
"Yeah?"
"Kacchan?"
Fuuucckkkk me. Bakugou puts a palm over his face. "What do you want, nerd?"
"Sorry, Kacchan," Midoriya says quickly, "I was just trying to get a hold of Todoroki."
"Well, you got the wrong number."
"Umm...I didn't."
Bakugo sits up and pulls the phone away from his ear. Shit! Todoroki must have left his phone lying around and he picked it up on instinct.
"Is he… is he there with you?"
"He's asleep." There's silence on the other side and Bakugou suppresses a groan. On the other hand, I could have some fun… "He'll probably be out for a while. I wore him out pretty good."
The silence is almost deafening. Bakugou grins. Too easy.
"Oh. D-did you spar a few rounds or something?"
"Or something." Bakugou does his best to hold his composure. "I didn't realize the bastard can be so loud when he bottoms out."
A crash is heard on the other side and Bakugou bursts out laughing.
"K-kacchan -"
"Relax, Deku," Bakugou says in between fits of laughter. "I was only teasing you."
"You can be really mean." Midoriya's voice is barely audible.
Bakugou sighs. "Sorry, nerd." There goes that fun. "Look, I don't get it. You two obviously still want to be together. What the hell is the hold up?"
"It's not that simple." A new voice.
Oi, fuck my luck. Bakugou looks up and Todoroki is standing a few feet away with his arms crossed.
"Kacchan, was that -"
"Yeah, Icy Hot's up." He tosses the phone to Todoroki, who catches it perfectly.
Todoroki puts Midoriya on speaker. "He can still hear you. What's up?"
"Oh! Er...well, um...I wanted to let you know that I should be arriving in Japan in a couple of days. I can send you my itinerary."
"Okay, I'll send a car for you. You can stay at my place. I don't want people to know you're here so keep a low profile, alright?"
"Yeah, of course."
Todoroki hangs up without saying goodbye. He continues to glare at Bakugou.
"Don't look at me like that," defends Bakugou. "I swear I didn't know that was your phone until I picked up the call."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing! I just gave him a hard time." Bakugou smiles involuntarily, replaying the moment in his head.
"You are such an asshole," Todoroki says, rubbing his temple. "I know you didn't mean it, but I have a lot of sensitive information -"
"I didn't go snooping so you can cut the third degree. I doubt there's anything on there that would interest me anyway." He catches the way Todoroki wrings the hem of his shirt. What are you hiding?
\\\
The next several days are busy for the Heroes. The response from Todoroki's call to team up was overwhelming. He's grateful for the support, but sleep has become a long-forgotten pastime. I need to get a few more hours tonight,he orders himself as he walks out of his office building.
Todoroki bids hello to his driver as he slides into the backseat. In his head he runs through their plans for the raid. The teams have been deployed to their separate meeting areas and the next time he'll be in contact with them will be tomorrow night, in the field. The only thing left for him to do is to check in with the Echo Squad, the small cadre of Heroes marking the head villain.
A familiar bridge catches his eyes as he stares out the window. "Oh, Atsushi? We're not going to Bakugou's. Take me home."
"My apologies. Yes, sir."
He didn't plan on it, but Todoroki found himself sleeping over at Bakugou's every night this week. And, admittedly, it's been really nice. He imagines it's just as helpful for Bakugou to have some company. They were able to work together on the mission instead of sitting in their loneliness.
Not to mention, Midoriya has been staying at his apartment since he arrived and Todoroki wasn't quite ready to confront those feelings.
You have to face him sooner or later. Todoroki kept Midoriya updated over the phone the past couple of days, but he figured he should probably go over the final details in person. The hero leans his head against the glass and tries to focus on his breaths: on the way his chest expands and his shoulders rise when he inhales; and on the way his body sinks a little bit into the seat when he exhales.
An hour quickly passes and he's at his apartment. He walks in and Midoriya is in the kitchen, washing dishes. His eyes widen a bit before he smiles. "Shoto. Welcome home."