37

Shandy

"I-Izuku? Are y...you sure it's a-alright?" She panted out, her words unconvincing to herself. She let out another moan, clutching the locks of his hair with one hand, pushing him deeper. Her toes curled as her legs squeezed around him before releasing as she fell back on the bed. She turned her head to the side, covering her flushed cheeks with her arm across her face. Her other hand released the grip on his hair and began to pet it as if apologizing for holding it so tight.

He worked his way up her body, tracing butterfly kisses along her smooth abdomen. He reached her collar bone giving a gentle bite that made her wince. He nibbled on her ear before answering her initial question. "They said to take it easy but I just wanted to see you." He whispered. His hot breath tingled her moist ear canal giving her goosebumps.

"I did too." She replied as he lifted himself up and they shared eye contact. She lifted her hands up to his neck, lightly massaging it. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." He grabbed both her hands with one of his and lowered them to his chest. Her fingernails buried into his flesh in anticipation as he leaned down to her. Their lips brushing against each other. "It's just after everything that's happened, I wanted to spend time with you, like this." He let out quietly, his breath tickling her nose.

"My sentiments as well. Before, when we did this, it felt like just a form of temporary satisfaction but now..." Her voice breaking with affection.

"Yeah, I know. It's important to me too." Resonating the emotion in her words.

With that resolve in mind, Izuku took a breath and sat beside Todoroki. "Yeah, I looked everywhere for you. Um, you know how tenacious I can get, hahaha, like at the sports festival." He finished a little awkwardly.

Todoroki lifted his left arm and stared at it. "It's because of you that I became who I am today and yet I don't understand how you could..!" He made a fist and slammed it on the concrete floor.

Izuku winced at the harsh thud. "T-Todoroki, it's not-, look I didn't plan for what happened with Momo to happen, it just did..." He started fast trying to explain himself before trailing off sadly with guilt.

"It just did? That's your excuse." His voice was monotone, trying its best to stay normal. His hair was hiding his eyes, and his face was still turned slightly away.

Izuku dropped his eyes staring at the ground by his feet, lifting up his knees and hugging his arms around them." Todoroki... I know it's not what you wanted but-"

"How could you know anything about what I want!.." His voice broke like glass cutting through Izuku, silencing him. Todoroki turned his head a little to Izuku. He opened his fist, tugging at the ground with his fingers. "I wanted you to meet my mother..." His fingers stopped attempting.

His emerald orbs were shattered with guilt. His throat began to knot and he found it hard to swallow. 'Given how strained his relationship is with his mother, he wanted me too...' Izuku freed one hand, bringing it up to hide his face as he spoke. "I-... T-Todoroki." His voice choking up. "I'm so sorry..."

Todoroki knew it was a sincere apology, he could tell from the crack in his pitch, he knew it really was, but that's why, "No!" Todoroki snapped standing up, now fully turned to him. "It all sounds nice and good and I know you mean it but I can't... You went behind my back, Midoriya, after everything you knew, you still..!"

Izuku stood up, and wiped his eye with his thumb, facing him. "Todoroki, I wasn't trying to steal her from you. In some sick way I justified myself by helping you with her." Izuku rubbed his right elbow up and down, looking away ashamed before turning his eyes back to Todoroki. "But that was then, when my relationship with her was purely physical... But after we went to karaoke it all began to change between us, I tried to distance myself and stopped helping you with her because I was scared of losing her to you..." 'And I still am.' Izuku couldn't finish his last thought.

"It all changed after karaoke? I thought that's when you guys started it because of how you talked to her when we were leaving, and now you're telling me that's it's been going on for longer, that it even happened while you gave me advice? For how long Midoriya?!"

"Todoroki... I don't think-"

"For how long Midoriya? If you give a single damn about our friendship then you'll answer me!" He had his hand harshly pointed to the side on the verge of throwing their friendship away.

Izuku's shoulders heaved up and down as he let out a painful breath, he lifted his eyes to him and confessed. "I think it was a few days after you went to her house to study... Because she invited me after you left her hanging." It still hurt Izuku to acknowledge that.

Todoroki ruffled the red side of his hair. "So you just jumped at the chance to take advantage of her?"

Izuku's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't do that, don't act like you have the high ground because you walked away from her like it was out of honor. You were scared and ran away from her." Izuku did feel guilty but he wasn't going to let Todoroki lash out his frustration on him without facing his own shortcomings.

"You're one to talk, you'll use any opportunity to run away from yourself!" Todoroki's cool calm attitude was blown off with firey intensity. "It's been two long years Midoriya the self loathing is getting annoying at this point."

Izuku leaned into it, placing his hand on his chest. "Yeah, I have done that and you're right, I need to stop being so pathetic but that's exactly why I'm here! I'm done getting in my own way!"

"No, you're not done, if you were then you would have never hid your relationship with Yaoyorozu like that."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who wanted to keep it-, no, that doesn't matter. Look Todoroki, if you wanted to be with Yaoyorozu, then you would have been with her that day but you weren't... and I still can't figure out why."

The windy violin played a breeze in the silence.

Todoroki looked to the side, lifting his arm and clutching his fist shut. "It's like you said, I was scared." Lying more to himself. "But that doesn't excuse what you did."

The wind lifted his green locks before dropping them as he glanced down before looking back at Todoroki. "Y-Yeah you're right... I haven't been a good friend, t-to any of you, honestly... But that's why I'm here, Todoroki... I'm not asking you to forgive me and I'm not asking you to be okay with me and Momo. But I do want a chance to explain and I am asking if we can still be friends..." He reached out his hand in an attempt.

Todoroki's eyes were covered by his hair. "You're asking me for a lot... after everything."

"Please Todoroki, give me a chance to explain and if you don't want to be friends after... Then I'll get it." Izuku went back to rubbing his right elbow.

Todoroki subconsciously stared at him do it before catching himself. "I heard you were in the hospital."

Izuku's eyes widened as he let out a gasp of hope, before giving Todoroki a toothy grin.

Yaoyorozu had walked away from the door and to Iida. "Tenya, can we talk about what happened last week."

They were standing in the middle of the front of the classroom. Iida readjusted his glasses. "It was an overreaction on my part."

Yaoyorozu kept up with the polite manners. "Oh, is that all it was. I see, so it won't affect our positions, right?" She had her eyes closed with that plastered smile.

"Th-That's right."

"Well, I'm glad that's settled. Now, if you'll excuse me." She began to turn around and head for the door.

"Although!" He spoke up. His voice scratched and he coughed to clear it before speaking again, having caught Yaoyorozu's attention. "Don't you think it's a little unprofessional. It can distract you from your responsibilities."

Yaoyorozu turned back to him. "Don't worry, I keep it separate from school and heroing and we are completely appropriate during school hours." Albeit lying a little at the end there.

His eyes were hidden by the glare of his glasses. "I see, nevermind then."

Yaoyorozu nodded before walking away. Her hand reached the door handle.

"It should have been me."

She hesitated. She turned her head back to him. "What?"

He reaffirmed, taking a step. "After the arcade, we caught up to Todoroki and he told us how you two 'studied' and given the time frame it was also around the time Midoriya had a conversation with us at the bus stop saying he just left your house after 'studying.' His clothes were a mess and his eyes looked more drained then usual. I attempted to ask him but he denied... But then I saw you both at the arcade and everything made sense... Except, it should have been me, instead of Midoriya."

"Oh Tenya, it doesn't work like that. You can't just tell me that I should have ended up with you. We have never connected on a personal level, the only conversations we've had were about schoolwork and those times you walked me home, I thought you were just doing your duty as class rep."

"So none of it meant anything?"

"Tenya it wasn't that it didn't mean anything, it's that you never tried to make it something. And I'm sorry but I don't think I can work with you anymore so I'm stepping down from my role as a class rep." She went back to holding the door.

"But why him? What made us so different?"

Momo's lips lifted as she thought about him. She opened the door before turning back to Iida. "We can always talk about the most miniscule thing, all the way to the atomic level, literally. He always laughs at my science puns, but we also don't have to talk, and it can be the most tranquil remedy... But above all he makes me happy and I couldn't help falling in love with him."

Momo had an endearing smile, expressing her affection for the person who took away her isolation.

Izuku and Todoroki were sitting on the same wall were it started. They had talked. Things were still going to be strained between them but Izuku needed a friend right now and Todoroki knew it.

"So you really made up your mind?" His fingers weren't tugging at the ground, they were reaching out.

Izuku had his arms crossed over his knees, and was resting his forehead on it before lifting his head up, staring at the sky, he freed one hand and wiped his bloodshot eye, putting his arm back in place. He replied with a dry voice. "Yeah... It's like you said I've been running from myself for too long. I'm just worried about how she'll take it. I love her so much and I'm terrified of what's going to happen when I tell her." Izuku was staring off, his eyes hard in thought.

Todoroki stared at him before replying in the only way he knew how. He stayed quiet and followed his eyes, staring off with him. A single thought occupied Todoroki in the moment.

'Love, huh?'