Midoriya wouldn't lie. It was…nice. He'd hugged Todoroki before, but never had Todoroki had the courage to hug him back, and now here they stood, Todoroki enveloping him in a hug. Behind them, Hagakure and Jirou watched with their jaws dropped.

It only lasted a moment before Todoroki pulled himself away, steaming already. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Midoriya asked, but his voice was in a weird limbo between embarrassed squeaking and full-on dog whistle. His entire body felt on fire, and he was almost certain the blush didn't stop at his cheeks.

"I should have stopped him," Todoroki whispered. "I'm—"

"Oh hush," Midoriya reached out and nudged Todoroki with his right hand, his voice dropping back down to an audible octave. "You did everything you could."

"I didn't," Todoroki replied, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "I could have pushed harder—"

"It's not your fault," Midoriya said sternly. He then took the time to glance around the room; nobody seemed to notice the exchange aside from Bakugou, who had been watching the door nervously, only to scowl and go upstairs. Midoriya wondered idly if he'd been waiting for Kirishima.

Jirou and Hagakure moved to the side, then, finally stepping around the two and into the dorm. Midoriya could tell Jirou was hiding a smile at the way she kept her hands up to her face. Yaoyorozu rounded the corner just about then, running up and sweeping her girlfriend into a tight hug, until Jirou hissed in pain and her partner began a slue of apologies.

Todoroki hung his head. "I've been—worried," he admitted, more steam evaporating from his body. Midoriya would have thought it cute, had he not felt so close to exploding as well.

"I'm okay," Midoriya assured. "The nerve endings just severed, Recovery Girl said they'd repair in a few weeks."

Todoroki had never cried in front of Midoriya, but he felt certain that if he'd ever gotten close to seeing it, this is what it looked like. Todoroki's face contorted into a grimace, and small flecks of ice touched the corners of his right eye. His left side continued to steam. "How are you doing?" Midoriya asked softly, reaching out and resting a hand on Todoroki's shoulder nonchalantly.

"I'm fine," Todoroki replied rather coldly, brushing off the touch and moving back toward the kitchen. "I got all the ingredients out for pork cutlet bowls."

"You didn't have to!" Midoriya cried in response, but still he strode after Todoroki into the kitchen, where the ingredients were laid out delicately.

"I'll do the cooking," Todoroki said sternly. "I don't want you to hurt yourself more."

"Todo," Midoriya let out a soft whine. "I'm injured, not crippled."

"Let me do this for you," Todoroki insisted, bringing his fist down onto the counter. His cold expression turned angry in a heartbeat, but it didn't last as Todoroki brought his eyes up to Midoriya's, watching the way his friend's face fell into a frown.

"Really, it's okay," Midoriya murmured, but still he jumped up onto the countertop to sit and watch.

The kitchen felt emptier, somehow, without Midoriya cooking by Todoroki's side. Despite him sitting on the counter, holding a conversation with Todoroki the entire time, Todoroki felt lonely without their hips bumping our knuckles touching. Every time he looked up to respond to Midoriya, his eyes met that sling, and the bandages wrapped around that sickly handprint.

Todoroki was ashamed of it, but shortly after they'd gotten back to the dormitory he'd gotten into a fight with Bakugou. Nothing serious, and Aizawa had ended it quickly, but it lasted long enough for Todoroki to land a hit on Bakugou's cheek, leaving a mark that most certainly didn't even compare to the scar Midoriya would have to wear for the rest of his life. His mind had been filled with the anger that he couldn't always be there to protect Midoriya, and he couldn't even be there when Midoriya needed him most. He was angry more with himself than Bakugou, even if the latter didn't know when to back off.

Once again Todoroki was reminded of that sixth sense of Midoriya's. "Hey, Todo," he murmured softly. "Please stop worrying about it. It's okay."

"I'm not worrying about it," Todoroki replied coldly, starting some rice for the pork cutlet bowls.

"You are," Midoriya replied easily. "You're freezing over."

Midoriya knew Todoroki well enough to know that when Todoroki obsessed over something, he froze over. The steaming was more of a literal heat-of-the-moment type situation, usually saved for extreme anger or embarrassment or whatever the hell Todoroki felt when he got too close to Midoriya (somehow the latter hadn't puzzled that one together yet). However, freezing over was more premeditated, like when Todoroki overthought a calculus problem and worked himself into a frozen mess.

Todoroki glanced down at his right arm and found to his dismay he was, indeed, frosting. Delicate crystals of ice budded on his skin resembling when a window frosted over. He sighed and stopped, turning to face Midoriya and leaning against the counter opposite him. "I punched Bakugou," he said quietly.

"You—" Midoriya tilted his head. "It's—it was a training, you didn't need to…" he drifted off, because somewhere he had a sick feeling himself of wanting to punch Bakugou.

"What he did to you wasn't a training exercise," Todoroki spat back. "He really, seriously hurt you."

"I know," Midoriya whispered. "But it's not your job to deal with it."

"If I left it to you, you wouldn't do anything."

"You're right, I wouldn't."

Todoroki hung his head. "I just wanted to protect you," he muttered feebly.

"I don't need protecting," Midoriya replied just as quietly. "I need a partner that understands that sometimes this stuff happens."

"You don't get it," Todoroki balled his hands into fists again, the frost beginning to steam off his skin. "This stuff shouldn't happen at the hands of someone like Bakugou."

"Maybe not," Midoriya scowled, "but it happened and I need you to understand that it's not your job to clean up after my mistakes."

"Your mistake?" Todoroki asked. "What about the one who actually did it?"

Midoriya scowled deeper. He had a hard time being angry with anyone, but at that moment he couldn't deny how much anger he felt towards Bakugou. He wanted more than anything to be able to blame it on himself being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he couldn't forgive it. He'd spent too long forgiving Bakugou's unnecessary harmful actions towards him. "I don't want to talk about this here," he said finally, then pushed himself off the counter. "Let me help make the pork cutlet bowls. Please."

The tension that had budded between the two of them dissipated slowly as they fell into the rhythm of dancing around the kitchen and cooking with each other. Midoriya's hip-bumps slowly emerged once more; Todoroki's small, feather-light touches returned hesitantly. They even laughed together a few times (more of a snicker from Todoroki), and they fell into a casual conversation about their plans outside of the summer training camp coming up.

For their first attempt at pork cutlet bowls, they tasted delicious. Ochaco joined Midoriya and Todoroki in the dining area, and Midoriya filled her in on the condition of his arm. "How's Tenya?" Ochaco asked, and Midoriya must have looked surprised at the use of his first name, because she sputtered and back-tracked. "Sorry, sorry, how's Iida?"

"He's…alright," Midoriya replied hesitantly. He already had a great suspicion that the two were dating, but he'd been avoiding asking for fear of causing conflict within their friend group. This, however, could have just proven him right in his thinking.

Todoroki didn't seem to notice, much to both Ochaco and Midoriya's relief. "He said he wouldn't be out until tomorrow morning," Ochaco continued as if the slip-up hadn't happened.

"Yeah," Midoriya sighed. "He has some nasty bruises and burns. Nothing terrible, he's just being held so Recovery Girl can make sure the healing process goes smoothly."

"Same with Kirishima?" Ochaco asked.

"Yeah," Midoriya replied.

"Bakugou was waiting for him."

"Oh." Midoriya's suspicion had been right about that, too.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a minute or so, until Ochaco quietly excused herself to go make her own dinner. Sato had taken over the kitchen and was baking a cake – from what Midoriya overheard, it sounded like the cake was meant for Iida and Kirishima when they got back in the morning.

Todoroki had been playing with his food the entire time. "Do you not like pork cutlet bowls?" Midoriya asked finally, gesturing to the bowl. "You haven't even eaten any."

"No," Todoroki replied. "I'm just thinking."

"Well, think and eat at the same time," Midoriya teased, nudging into his shoulder with his left instinctively. He drew back with a hiss almost immediately.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked, the look of concern on his face more evident than Midoriya had ever seen before.

"I'm fine," Midoriya replied. "Just…forgot for a second."

"Right," Todoroki whispered. He finally took a bite and realized that if he had a second favorite food, it was likely pork cutlet bowls.

They finished their meal in silence, the only noise in the room being Sato chatting with Sero, who sat in the commons with a homework assignment in his lap, and Ochaco quickly whipping together something in the microwave. Midoriya took their dishes to the kitchen, recalling that Iida had promised to do the dishes for Todoroki. "Hey," he called over his shoulder, "are you back on dish duty, then?"

"Don't worry about it," Sato waved. "I'll take care of them when I'm done in here."

"Oh, thanks Sato!" Midoriya said with a chipper smile. "Do you need any help in the kitchen?"

"Not that I can think of," Sato replied with a shrug. "Thanks, though. You should probably get some rest."

Midoriya turned back to Todoroki, who sat quietly at the table. He stared at a stray piece of rice that had come out of his bowl, poking it around with his finger. "Todo, you alright?" Midoriya asked as he crossed the room back to his friend.

"I'm fine," Todoroki replied softly. "I should be asking you that question."

Midoriya fidgeted. "I'll be fine," he said finally.

"But are you fine right now?"

Midoriya's lips fell into a tight line. Todoroki hated none of Midoriya's facial expressions more than this one; his eyes watered and he chewed the inside of his cheek, evidently trying not to cry. Todoroki had only seen the expression a few times before; sure, Midoriya cried rather often, but usually it didn't hold as much sorrow as it did now. He hated the way Midoriya wore that expression, and in an instant he was on his feet, hand in Midoriya's right, leading him up towards his room.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Midoriya sniffed, unable to wipe away the tears that slid down his cheeks. Todoroki didn't look back at him.

"You said we'd talk," he said quietly. "So let's go talk."

They sat on Todoroki's balcony, watching the streetlights of U.A. flicker in the distance. Midoriya had let his legs fall through the slats in the railing, his right arm resting on one of the bars, while Todoroki sat cross-legged right next to him. Their shoulders brushed carelessly each time one of them shifted.

"It hurts," Midoriya said finally. He'd managed to quell his tears in the elevator ride up.

"It looks like it," Todoroki affirmed.

"I'm not mad that you punched Kacchan."

Todoroki turned to look at him, shoulders brushing again. "You're not?"

Midoriya shook his head. "No." He paused, intaking a sharp breath. "I'm just…really upset it wasn't me who did it."

The taller boy's eyes widened. "What?" he hissed finally. Midoriya had never once said anything even near harming a non-villain, no matter how much they disagreed with each other. Though, Todoroki supposed physical abuse was an entirely different category of disagreement, but still, Midoriya had always been so passive when it came to Bakugou.

Midoriya groaned in frustration. "I just—you know, it's one thing to punch me in the face or whatever, but it's an entirely different thing to sever the nerves in my arm."

"I mean, they're both bad," Todoroki noted.

"Right, they are, but I'll recover from a punch to the face."

"Are you saying—" Todoroki's eyes widened, and he reached to rest a hand on Midoriya's shoulder.

"Oh, no," Midoriya waved his right hand. "Sorry, sorry. Recovery Girl said I'll recover if I don't use my left arm for a few weeks. I'll still have a stupid handprint scar, though." The smaller boy cringed at the thought, shying away from Todoroki's touch.

Todoroki drew back. "It's not so bad," he said, idly letting a hand wander up towards his eye.

"I'm not saying it is," Midoriya replied quickly, catching onto the slight change in the other's voice. "It's just—agh, that didn't feel right to me. You know?"

"Does getting the nerves in your arm blown apart ever feel right?"

"Well, no, that's not what I mean. Like…getting injured in battle like this would have felt right. But we were just…training. You know what I mean?" Midoriya turned his attention to Todoroki hopefully, only to find his partner's fingers lingering over his own scar. "Hey, Shouto," he murmured, "I didn't mean to—"

"Call me that, from now on," Todoroki said quietly.

"H-huh?" Midoriya whispered. He hadn't even realized he'd done it until Todoroki pointed it out to him.

Todoroki bowed his head, a blush spreading to his cheeks. "Please," he whispered. He'd never sounded so vulnerable, not even when he told Midoriya the true origins of his scar.

"Okay," Midoriya replied softly.

"I heard Ochaco call Iida 'Tenya' earlier," Todoroki admitted softly.

"Oh yeah?" Midoriya tried to sound nonchalant, but an undertone of worry plagued his voice.

"I just—" Todoroki looked out on the campus, his lips falling into a thin line as he tried to think of the right words to say. "I think…we're that close," he explained quietly. Midoriya could tell without looking that Todoroki's right side steamed as he said it.

"I think they're dating," Midoriya blurted; he'd been so worried about Todoroki figuring out the maybe-secret, and now he couldn't hold his own tongue. His right hand shot up to cover his mouth. "A-ah, sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"They are," Todoroki replied simply. "I saw them kissing after class yesterday."

Yesterday seemed so far away. Yesterday, when he'd spent the night in Todoroki's bed and in Todoroki's arms. A blush crept to his face and he began to forget what they were talking about in the first place. But then he remembered, oh right, Todoroki saw Iida and Ochaco kissing.

Maybe a few months ago, Midoriya would have believed he had a crush on Ochaco. However, it didn't take long for him to figure out that the warm feelings that Ochaco left in his chest were the same feelings Iida and Todoroki often left in his chest, too; he'd made a friend, a damn good one at that, but nothing more. Of course, then Todoroki's warm feelings became something more, and well, he didn't like dwelling on that topic, especially with the culprit rubbing shoulders with him at that exact moment.

"You did?" Midoriya asked finally, the nervousness gone from his voice. Sometimes he forgot just how observant Todoroki could be.

"I was grabbing my books from my locker and I turned the corner and they were kissing," Todoroki explained with a shrug. "I didn't think it was a big deal."

"I-I mean, it's not!" Midoriya replied quickly. "I don't think so, anyway. I just didn't like…keeping secrets from you, I guess."

Todoroki's lips curled into that half-smile that Midoriya relished the look of so much. "I don't like keeping secrets from you, either," he admitted softly.

For now, both of them would push their mutual feelings for each other to the side, and pretend they didn't exist as secrets between one another.

"What did you mean, then, that we're as close as Iida and Ochaco?" Midoriya pressed, suddenly remembering the reason for the topic-change.

Todoroki's cheeks burned. Literally – a few flames poked out from his skin, small and resembling flickering candles. "I—well, it's not like—we're dating, but—well—" he searched for an explanation frantically, more flames erupting from his skin.

"We spend a lot of time together," Midoriya finished the statement for him, attempting to quell his own embarrassment at imagining dating Todoroki.

"Right," Todoroki sighed. The flames began to die.

"Only if you'll call me Izuku," Midoriya decided finally. His cheeks were still tinged with embarrassment, but that cheeky smile stretched practically from ear to ear as he said it. Todoroki flushed, and Midoriya thought that maybe the boy would burst into flames again, but to his surprise a small smile spread on his own face, as well.

"Of course…Izuku."

The following two weeks led up to spring exams, and most of Class 1-A participated in extra training sessions arranged by Aizawa. They were similar in nature to the impromptu weekend training, but with an uneven number of students team events were abandoned in favor of one-on-one training sessions. Midoriya often sat on the sidelines, restless and aching to be in the center of the action.

Three days before Class 1-A's final exams, Midoriya met Recovery Girl for a check-up. She told him he could lose the sling on his arm (she hadn't even finished the sentence before he'd thrown it off, smiling cheekily when she chided him for doing so), and instead she replaced it with a reinforced bandage that would further encourage healing. Midoriya could feel his fingertips again, but he found it hard to control the arm; on his best days, he could upturn his palm. His visits usually took place during Class 1-A's practical training, as he couldn't participate anyway, and this visit was no different. So when he returned to his class, he made his way to Gym Three, the only gymnasium with an open ceiling resembling a stadium (aside from the stadium itself).

He found the class up in the bleachers of the gymnasium with Aizawa in front of them, seemingly giving instructions. Midoriya wondered idly what had kept them from beginning training right away; his check-up with Recovery Girl had lasted at least fifteen minutes, and Midoriya had expected the class to be fully engaged in training by the time he arrived. Shortly thereafter, though, someone called out to him from the bleachers – Kirishima, maybe – and everyone's attention turned to him.

Midoriya walked over to the class, bashfully scratching at the back of his neck. "Sit," Aizawa pointed. Ochaco, Iida, and Todoroki all sat in a row near the front, so Midoriya plopped himself on Todoroki's right, receiving a shoulder-nudge of acknowledgement from the latter in response. "As I was saying," Aizawa continued, "summer training camp this year will begin one week from our final exam. I expect all of you will bring everything you need for the three-week training camp. I will post a sign-up sheet in the dormitory for cabinmates."

He delved into their training plan for the day, then; he'd planned a similar event to the sports festival, complete with a bracket system. "You will be battling one-on-one," he explained in his usual droning tone. "The rest of you will sit on the sidelines and observe. I want each of you to try one new battle tactic that you've learned this semester during your match-ups. The winner will be exempt from the practical final."

Noises of delight and surprise erupted from the students around him, and Ochaco and Iida exchanged whispers next to Midoriya and Todoroki. Midoriya nudged into Todoroki's side. "That's exciting," he noted casually. "You've got it in the bag."

"No," Todoroki shook his head. "I'd rather have the extra training."

Midoriya sighed. "Me, too." He supposed himself and Todoroki were the only two in the class who felt that they'd rather take the final than be exempt from it.

The first match-up was Sato and Kirishima. The rest of the class had moved up a few rows on the bleachers, and Aizawa had taken a place on the edge of the cement platform that functioned as a ring for the fight. "Ready, and…fight."

Midoriya and Todoroki had moved a few seats away from Iida and Ochaco, who were too busy in their own discussion to notice. "How did it go?" Todoroki asked, eyeing Midoriya's left arm that was no longer held in a sling.

"Pretty good," Midoriya replied. "No more sling for me," he said with a cheeky grin.

"I can see that."

"I can feel my fingers now," he added excitedly, wiggling them to prove it. Todoroki smiled, nearly immediately covering it with his hand.

"That's great, Izuku."

Midoriya blushed. He still hadn't gotten used to that. Todoroki, at least, adjusted to 'Shouto' quite easily; it was his hero name, after all. Midoriya almost wished he'd told Todoroki to call him 'Deku', but somehow that felt insincere. Besides, 'Deku' was a name reserved for a select few – aside from being his hero name.

"What did I miss?" Midoriya asked.

"Nothing much. Mr. Aizawa just explained more about the training camp," Todoroki sighed. "He said we're going out to the middle of the woods, but there's six cabins so we're splitting up into groups of four."

Midoriya nodded. "Last cabin for the teachers?" he asked nonchalantly.

"That's what he said," Todoroki affirmed, and a smirk crept to Midoriya's face. "What?" the taller boy asked.

"That means they won't be staying in the cabins with us!"

"And?"

"We can stay up late and watch movies and tell ghost stories!" Midoriya's eyes lit up, and Todoroki had to look away to avoid steaming. He was so incredibly cute, and Todoroki simply couldn't take it anymore. He coughed, a bout of steam erupting from him as he did so.

"I guess so," Todoroki replied finally.

Kirishima ended up winning the match-up against Sato by using his own momentum against him, absorbing the shock of a hefty blow to his side and unleashing it back at Sato in a punch to his stomach. Sato was pushed from the edge of the ring – just in time, as he leaned over and threw up a bit of the sweets that had given him the energy in the first place. "Kirishima wins," Aizawa droned, making a note on his clipboard. "Sato, do you need to see Recovery Girl?"

"No sir!" Sato straightened up and wiped his mouth, sweating with the effort it took to not be sick again.

"Go outside if you need to," Aizawa replied. "Iida and Uraraka, you're up."

The battle didn't last long. Iida didn't exert nearly his full potential, obviously scared of hurting Ochaco, and Ochaco took the opportunity to use some of her new close-combat training moves. She floated as she fought, having lightened herself just before they began. For her final move, she jumped up and gripped Iida's arm, activating her Quirk on him as well, and threw him over her shoulder. His legs landed out of bounds, and before he could get up, say "Okay, now this is serious", Aizawa announced Ochaco as the winner.

Midoriya practically vibrated in his seat watching the battles. He wanted nothing more than to be standing on that ring, perhaps across from Todoroki again, but he knew deep down that he shouldn't – he couldn't.

"Hey," Todoroki said in a low voice, resting a hand on Midoriya's jittery knee. "I know you really want to train again, but it's really not a good idea."

"I know," Midoriya huffed in response.

Todoroki hesitated, moving his hand away from Midoriya cautiously. "But…if you wanted to, say, go for a jog later…" he mumbled, almost to himself, but Midoriya was close enough to hear it and his ears perked up.

"Really?!" he whispered excitedly. Recovery Girl had made him promise not to physically overexert himself, and Todoroki had previously been too stubborn to allow for even jogging. Now, though, Todoroki almost looked as eager and antsy as Midoriya felt.

"Only if you promise not to go too fast," Todoroki replied. "No using your Quirk on your legs."

Midoriya huffed and crossed his right arm over him, his left arm immobile at his side still. "Fine, fine."

"Asui and Ashido, you're up," Aizawa called.

The training session ended shortly after Aizawa placed Bakugou and Todoroki up against each other, and as if the match-up was an extension of the fight that had started the night Bakugou destroyed the nerves in Midoriya's arms, Aizawa barely had the time to announce the fight had started before Todoroki was going full-force at Bakugou. He took the latter by surprise, initially, but Bakugou quickly bounced back. Aizawa almost regretted pairing them up against each other with the ferocity with which they fought. Iida and Ochaco had moved to sit on either side of Midoriya as chunks of the cement stage splintered and flew, ready to protect him in case anything came their way.

Todoroki latched his left hand onto Bakugou's arm somewhere in the fight. "I should do to you what you did to him," he snarled in a tone that was much more furious than anything Bakugou had heard. For a moment, Todoroki caught a glimpse of terror in the other's eyes, and he was ready to blast his arm – but then he was ensnared in the familiar bonds of Aizawa's Quirk, and his Quirk had been deactivated.

"Let's not bring personal matters into training," Aizawa droned.

Bakugou had also been ensnared, but his Quirk hadn't been deactivated; he wrestled with the bonds, trying to break free with his explosions, but it was for naught. "We'll call this one a draw."

"Half and half bastard! I'll kill you!" Bakugou shouted, struggling against the bandages holding him as far away from Todoroki as possible. By that point, Todoroki had a fury in his eyes that Midoriya had never seen before. He felt guilty, knowing that Todoroki felt the need to be swept into his personal feud with Bakugou. So, when Aizawa dismissed the rest of the class to change and return to the dorms, Midoriya hung back. Aizawa didn't seem to care; perhaps he didn't notice, what with the struggle it took to restrain Bakugou.

"This has to stop," Aizawa said sternly, finally.

"Yeah, knock it off!" Bakugou scowled.

"I'm referring to you, Bakugou."

"Hah?!"

Aizawa released his strain on Todoroki, who had regained use of his Quirk and was quickly freezing over. "The amount of damage you did to another student on campus would have, in most situations, gotten you expelled," Aizawa's voice began to darken into that threatening tone. Bakugou shut his mouth.

"U-um, it's alright!" Midoriya squeaked.

"It's not!" Aizawa barked, loosening the restraints on Bakugou. "I need you to understand that if you would purposely treat a hero in training like that – so recklessly that they could be unable to work in the hero field – then you do not deserve to be a student at U.A."

The usual loud, aggressive Bakugou stood quiet, head hung and hands tucked into his pockets.

"From now on," Aizawa continued, "once Midoriya is involved again in training after recovery, your level of violence towards him needs to change. Don't think the threatening comments haven't reached us."

Bakugou continued to say nothing. Midoriya almost felt bad for him, or worse, afraid that a target would be laid on his back for seemingly going to the teacher; but none of this was prompted. Midoriya hadn't asked Aizawa to do this, and yet it brought to light all the frustrations Midoriya had been feeling for years. Practically since he was born he fought Bakugou's constant unprompted wrath against him. The handprint on his arm wasn't the first scar Bakugou had left him. Definitely the most painful, Midoriya thought idly, but certainly not the first. Various nicks and small cuts evolved into scars dating back to grade school.

"You remember that fear you felt when Todoroki was ready to do to you what you did to Midoriya," Aizawa said in a quiet, intimidating voice. "And you remember that you actually did it."

Aizawa dropped the restraints altogether, then, turning his attention to Todoroki. "This feud ends here," his voice was stern, but not dripping with the same anger it had been a minute ago. "No more. From either of you," though he kept his eyes on Todoroki; perhaps he knew as well as Midoriya that Todoroki could be stronger when he wanted to. "I expect by the time summer training rolls around, you will interact as classmates instead of archenemies."

"Yes sir," Todoroki bowed his head.

"That's all," Aizawa slowly retracted the bonds he'd used to restrain the boys. "Bakugou, you're excused. Go cool off."

Wordlessly, Bakugou left the gym, head still hung and hands still in his pockets. Aizawa turned his attention to Midoriya, finally. "How did your check-up with Recovery Girl go?" he asked in that droning tone, but his words betrayed his tone in his care for the student.

"U-um!" Midoriya hadn't been expecting that question. "She said a few more weeks, but the bandages should help encourage faster healing."

"Good," Aizawa nodded shortly. "Have you regained any feeling?"

"In my fingers," again Midoriya wiggled them as he'd done for Todoroki earlier that day.

"I think it goes without saying that you're exempt from the practical exam," he said.

"Right," Midoriya's expression soured.

"Don't do anything stupid," Aizawa warned. "You're lucky you'll regain feeling at all. Don't do anything to hurt that healing process."

"Yes sir!" Midoriya bowed his head. Aizawa looked between him and Todoroki, who stood and shuffled from foot to foot. He almost resembled the way Midoriya constantly felt the need to move when he was anxious.

"Dismissed," he said finally with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

The two walked shoulder-to-shoulder towards the gymnasium's exit, halted by Aizawa clearing his throat just as they reached the doorway. "Midoriya," Aizawa called, as if it was an afterthought.

"Yes sir?" Midoriya turned around.

"Report to me if Bakugou gets violent with you again," he said sternly. "I'll handle it."

The week finished out unceremoniously, at least for Midoriya. He and Todoroki studied the night before the written exam, and Todoroki practiced sparring with Iida and Ochaco to prepare for the practical. Midoriya and Todoroki scored third and fourth on the written exam in the class, and while Midoriya was advised to return to the dormitory to rest during the second portion of the exam, he went and spent the exam in the referee box with All Might.

The class had once again met in the city training grounds. This exam resembled the entrance exam but had much more focus on multi-tasking. A team of actors came in to play the part of citizens in need of rescue while the horrendous robots from the entrance exam terrorized the city. From All Might's box, Midoriya could see the span of the city grounds, but a wall of monitors displayed his classmates up close.

"Young Midoriya," All Might said, "how is your arm?"

"Sore," Midoriya replied. "Repairing severed nerves is really painful."

"Ah, I know."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I had a particularly bad run-in with a villain with an electricity Quirk."

"Like Kaminari?" Midoriya's eyes wandered idly to the screen displaying Kaminari, who had fried four robots (as well as his brain) all at once.

"Well – sort of. They drew lightning from the sky. Much more powerful, because the electricity didn't course through them, so it didn't fry their brain."

"Ah," Midoriya's eyes settled back on Todoroki's monitor, where they'd been glued almost the entire time. Unsurprisingly, he led the class with most robots defeated as well as most citizens rescued.

"You know you can talk to me," All Might said finally, a bit unexpectedly, and the statement hung in the air. Neither of them looked away from the screens they watched. All Might kept tallies of how many robots each student had eliminated; Aizawa stood at the city's entrance tallying how many citizens each student rescued.

"I know, sir," Midoriya said finally.

"Then why didn't you tell me about Bakugou?"

Midoriya finally pulled his eyes from the screen, despite everything in him telling him to watch, because Todoroki was prepping a fireball to launch at another robot. "I don't know what you mean," Midoriya admitted.

"Well—he's been hurting you for a while, hasn't he?"

"Oh," Midoriya returned his attention to the screens. "Sure. Never this bad, though."

"Villains tend to—"

"Kacchan is not a villain," Midoriya responded quickly and sternly, and All Might's mouth snapped shut. He hadn't meant to accuse Bakugou of being a villain; he'd had the word 'bullies' on the edge of his tongue. All Might knew about as well as Midoriya that Bakugou's intentions were good, even if his methods resembled that of a villain.

"I'm sorry," All Might said. "I'd meant to say 'bullies'."

Midoriya didn't correct him on that one. All Might took his silence as a sign to continue. "I mean, bullies tend to push the boundaries. They will keep pushing until you fight back, and if you don't, well, situations like your arm happen."

"I couldn't fight back," Midoriya said quietly, after a moment. Todoroki carefully scooped a child onto his shoulder for a piggy-back ride on the screen. "I didn't have a Quirk. Remember?"

"I remember quite well." All Might leaned back comfortably in his chair. "That's another four for Young Uraraka," he said as he idly drew tallies next to her name. "She's gotten much stronger since the entrance exam."

"She has," Midoriya agreed, letting his eyes wander to her screen, if only for a second. "Sir, have you told Mr. Aizawa about any of this?" he blurted after a moment.

"Aizawa, huh?" All Might tapped his chin in thought. "About my suspicions about Bakugou wanting to hurt you? Yes."

"Do all the teachers know?"

"Any who would have to care, yes."

"Why?"

That question startled All Might. "You're asking why? Because situations like your arm are unacceptable."

"Then how come it happened?" Midoriya's voice sounded casual, if not bored, and betrayed all the complex emotions of anger and guilt he felt inside him.

"Aizawa trusted you'd be alright with Todoroki on your side," All Might said softly. "He feels an immense amount of guilt for the outcome."

"That's not right," Midoriya replied, eyes almost unblinking on the screen. "Everyone feels so much guilt about it. It's not anyone's fault but my own." He looked up at All Might, then, and All Might got a look at how torn up Midoriya really was to not be able to participate with his class. His eyelids drooped heavily and he wore dark bags under his eyes. He looked a little skinnier in the face, too, at least since the training session. "Want to know what I feel?"

"What?"

"Anger," Midoriya said finally. "And pain. And guilt. And sadness." His gaze remained steady on All Might. "It's mostly guilt right now, but it cycles through. I feel guilty that anyone else would feel guilty about any of it. Mr. Aizawa, Shouto…"

"Midoriya…" All Might was genuinely lost for words. Midoriya had always been so cheerful, but now he looked like he had lost everything.

"The problem is that everyone's worried when they shouldn't be," Midoriya hiccupped. All Might had seen Midoriya cry before, but now it felt so much more bitter and cold than he'd ever seen. Tears fell down his cheeks even as he returned his attention to the monitors. "I just don't want anyone else to feel what I feel right now," Midoriya whispered.

"This isn't just your burden," All Might replied as his eyes settled again on the monitors. He filled in a few tallies as he spoke. "There are people around you who are willing to help, and they want to go through this with you."

"That's not the point," Midoriya urged. "The only one who should feel guilty is me, and I only feel guilty that anyone else would feel guilty. I have a Quirk, I should be able to handle myself. It's as simple as that."

"Heroes aren't invincible."

"They're also not helpless."

"I think you're missing the point."

"Am I?" Midoriya asked, blinking. He shook his head a little. "Sorry sir, I've been a little out of it." The two-minute warning chime erupted in the arena below.

"Have you been sleeping alright?" All Might asked.

"No," Midoriya replied honestly. All Might had expected him to lie and to have to prod at him to get the real answer, but he supposed Midoriya had exhausted himself to the point of compliance – at least on this front. "Bad dreams. Arm pains. That kind of thing."

"Have you gone to Recovery Girl for pain medications?"

"I have some from the last time I visited her." All Might ticked off another six robots for Bakugou; he barely trailed Todoroki for the amount of robots defeated, but he lacked in the rescue mission portion of the exam.

"Have you been taking them?"

Midoriya fidgeted. "No," he admitted finally.

"Why not?"

"They're really big," Midoriya said quietly.

"What was that?"

"They're horse pills, All Might!" Midoriya groaned dramatically, throwing his right arm back. "Horse pills!"

"Cut them in half before you take them, then," All Might replied.

The thirty-second noise erupted from the stadium and students hurried to scoop up any other civilians they could before the end of the exam. Midoriya watched Todoroki walking with an older woman at his side, continuing at her pace even as the ten-second sound rang out through the city. They were the last two out of the stadium, Todoroki delicately offering himself as a balance to her as she limped beside him. By then All Might and Midoriya had rejoined the rest of the class, with All Might on Aizawa's left in preparation to announce the results.

Todoroki scored highest in the practical exam, as Midoriya expected. Bakugou fell in the fourth-place margin, scoffing at being even that low on the list. Ochaco ranked right below him, Iida having ranked just above. Yaoyorozu had ranked just below Todoroki, having earned bonus points for crafting bandages and other items for the injured civilians. Midoriya zoned out for the rest of the rankings, choosing instead to focus his attention on the pain in his arm. He'd begun to gain mobility in his wrist again, but it was extremely limited. Recovery Girl had mentioned in his last check-up that the recovery process would go quickly, now that the arm had been wrapped in such a way to encourage regrowth of nerves, but she warned that it'd be painful. She'd offered him extra horse pills but he denied them. Now he was glad he did, because it kept him from thinking about the pain he felt being unable to train.

Aizawa clapped his hands together when he finished reading the list. "Okay, let's head back to the dorms. You will be packing your things tonight and leaving in the morning. Before you leave, please make sure you've written down a cabin on the sign-up sheet for our summer training. That is all."

They turned and walked together back to the dormitory. Todoroki fell by Midoriya's side, brushing his shoulder against Midoriya's right. Todoroki had suffered a few minor cuts and bruises, but nothing that wouldn't fade within a week. "How was it watching from the referee box?" he asked, letting his pinkie link with Midoriya's discreetly.

"Really cool," Midoriya replied in a soft tone. "I saw all the robots you took out."

Todoroki hadn't seen that cheeky grin of Midoriya's since Aizawa's talk with the three of them, and even now it still looked far away. More than anything he wanted to help, but he couldn't rebuild nerves and he had a hard time making anyone smile. "Oh yeah?" he said in response, cursing himself for not saying something more.

"Yeah," Midoriya craned his neck to look up at the sky. The sun was setting, and cast across the sky were various oranges and pinks. "Wish I could have been down there, too."

"Then it would have been a real competition," Todoroki noted, and a small smile peeked through Midoriya's straight face.

"You think so?" he asked, voice quiet and far away.

"Absolutely."

They drifted to the back of the group of Class 1-A students trudging across campus back to the dormitory. Todoroki let go of Midoriya's pinkie, instead linking their hands together. That small smile poked through again but, Todoroki thought stubbornly, it wasn't enough. "Hey, Izuku," he said, breaking the small silence that had settled between them.

"Hm?" Midoriya hummed, shifting his gaze from the sky to Todoroki, his eyes half-lidded and content.

"You know—um, you can talk to me," Todoroki said, a nervous blush crossing his cheeks.

There it was. There it was. Shining like the fucking sun. Midoriya grinned, his eyes remaining in that content state as he did so, and if Todoroki ever wanted to kiss the smile off Midoriya's face more he couldn't recall that moment right now. "Of course," Midoriya replied, squeezing his hand. "Of course."