"Heroes cry when they need to."

One of my favorite memories of 'Deku the Pro Hero' is from early in our career,
when you worked on the Eri/Overhaul case during your first work-study.

Do you remember that season, my love?
You were a wreck.

⟢⟢⟢⟢ ༘⋆ ❅ ･:*:｡ ❆

One day, you, Iida, and I were eating lunch, and you were entirely out of it. I'd noticed over the week that you'd grown more intense and on edge than usual. You barely spoke, rarely noticed where you were going or what you were doing, and any little thing seemed to set you off. Whatever was on your mind was tormenting you. Since I'd started my Provisional License Supplemental lessons and you'd started working at Nighteye's agency, we'd grown distant— in quality time, not our friendship. I gave you space to respect your privacy, but your food was getting cold.

"You're not gonna eat?"

Even with Iida sitting between us, I could sense the waves of anxiety emanating from you at the lunch table. The bustling atmosphere of Food Rush seemed to be a world away from your thoughts, and our concern for your well-being was mounting.

"Should I say something?" Iida whispered over his left shoulder. "I'm worried." I shrugged.

"It doesn't hurt. I don't think Midoriya even heard my question."

So when you began sobbing at Iida's reminder that he was there for you, my heart sank with empathy. You'd fussed about how heroes weren't supposed to cry, which was ironic from your crybaby self. Still, seeing you distraught like that was aching me…if you only knew then how much I wished I could singlehandedly fix whatever was making you cry with a quick snap.

"Midoriya…" But all I could do was offer you half of my soba, passing you my tray.

"Yo, Todoroki!" Sero rushed to our table. "A couple of third years are about to have a Quirk-Off at Ground Alpha, and a bunch of us are placing bets on the winner. You in?"

I shook my head at my friend. "No, I'm good." Then leaned toward you. "Green onions?" You chuckled as you wiped your tears and picked off my tray.

"Heh. Yeah."

"Wasabi?"

"Thanks, Todoroki," you said, scooping the spicy condiment.

"Damn, Shoto! You've never offered to feed me like this when we eat lunch together!" Sero teased. "Are you trying to make me jealous of Midoriya? I can cry, too!" I don't know what face I made or what my eyes said, but Sero nervously laughed and took his joke back before leaving.

After our afternoon training, I checked on you. You seemed distracted throughout our combat lesson with All Might, which was evident when I caught up with you outside of Midnight's classroom. I didn't like seeing you so consumed with such a vague sense of dread, but I had a hunch it was over someone you desperately wanted to save, and I loved that about you. That soft and kind heart, paired with your analytical, overthinking mind, made me weak. Your indomitable hero spirit made me want to work harder to get my provisional license and chase my dream of becoming a pro, just like All Might.

"Midoriya," I said, sidling up to you in the crowded hallway. You jumped.

"Oh, Todoroki, hey. Thanks for the extra soba at lunch. I know it's your favorite."

"No worries. It was the least I could do. You were crying very hard." You nodded ambivalently. "You seem out of it, Midoriya. I know you can't discuss your secret work-study mission, but I want to do more for you."

Your eyes grew so big I could see my homunculus in your irises. "What do you mean?"

"What do you need?"

Considering my offer, you chewed your bottom lip—a very cute and newly acquired nervous tic. Your eyes darted around before landing on mine. "A hug."

"I can do that." I reached out to touch your back and pulled you in. I'm not one for physical touch—you know, the abusive childhood and witnessing domestic violence of it all—but the second our bodies touched, a different fire warmed my entire body.

You sighed, " Ahhhh …this is literally a warm hug. Your Quirk...this feels soooo good~ " You melted into my chest, so I held you closer, smiling to myself. "I needed this, Todoroki. Thank you." You pulled away (but for a brief moment, it seemed like you didn't want to) and exhaled. The beam from your megawatt smile nearly blinded me.

You did look better.

"I'm glad. The school psychologist said oxytocin is essential for stress relief." I said, my thumb stroking your bruised knuckles as we stood facing each other. "Can I walk you to your last class? I promise I won't ask what's wrong. I just want to be there for you."

Apart from being a pro hero, I was starting to realize it was all I wanted.

You clasped my hand. "Mm! That would be nice. I would like that very much."

We walked down the hall in silence as every year transitioned to our last class of the day. I never questioned how we came into the habit of naturally holding hands as friends, but the warmth of you holding my right hand always comforted me. Yet, I can't help but notice your nerves catching the lingering eyes of our peers or feel the tension in your grip replacing the ease with which you just slipped your hand in mine. Ochaco ran through the crowded hall toward us.

Well, more like to you. " Deku!" She jumped and waved, her excitement to be reunited palpable. "There you are!"

You waved. "Ochaco! Hey!"

Then she looked between us, then at our clasped hands. " OH," she squeaked, turning bright red. "Did I miss something?"

"No?" You said, staring at her but slipping your fingers out of mine. (Why?)

"What's the matter, Ururaka? Are you still feeling lightheaded from training earlier?" I turned to look at you, and you were blushing, too.

Ochaco cleared her throat, "It's nothing, Todoroki. Sorry for spacing like that. Hi!"

"Hi," I said, grabbing your hand again. Your eyes frantically passed between us.

"So, um, why were you looking for me, Ururaka?" I could still hear a hint of nervousness in your voice, and your palms were pricking sweat. But she's your best friend, so I found this weird.

"A couple of us were talking about having a GOT trivia-watch party at the Pizza Pro tomorrow night and wanted to know if you'd be down?"

You didn't skip a beat. "Absolutely! I'm Jon Snow! So, who's coming?"

Ochaco's eyes darted to the ceiling as she whistled. "I'll…text you." Then her head swiveled to me. "And, obviously, you're invited too, Todoroki." But I got the feeling I wasn't on the official invite list.

" Wait, you and Bakugo have your supplemental course tomorrow, right?" You said.

"Thanks, Ururaka. We do, but now I also want to know who will be there."

"It's just Class A and a few people from Class B," she said, but I didn't believe her twisting foot.

"Ah, that sounds so cool! I can't wait to compare Quirk abilities in the Game of Thrones universe with them!"

And they call me the oblivious one.

"Oh, so that's what Shinso was talking to Bakugo about. Huh," I said, nodding. I looked to Ochaco, "The party is Bakugo's idea, right?" And watched the color drain from your face.

"Okay…I guess it's no longer a secret," Ochaco said, surrendering her hands. "Sorry, Deku! Gotta float!" She shouted, running away. I turned my head to follow her smoking path before facing you. You looked pale.

I squeezed your hand. "What was that about?"

"Ah…Shinso's been…how can I put this?" You scratched your temple the way you do when you know too much but don't know how much to share.

"By just saying it, Midoriya."

"He's been flirting with me since our fight at the Sports Festival. It was light advances at first, but he's been getting more assertive since Kamino." That was news to me. Since the Kamino Incident was months ago, and you'd never brought it up, it felt like there was more to the story than you told me.

"OH." I sounded like Ochaco in my head. "So, that's why she was surprised to see us holding hands..." I've always wondered what your friends thought about our friendship; it's not like I was shy about liking you.

"Um...maybe, I guess? Or-"

"Or..." I pressed you up against a locker and brushed back your bang. "Shinso being there adds another person crushing on you to the mix."

"Another person? Who are you talking about?"

"Katsuki," I said. I notice when it comes to you. You grew flustered under my pin.

"Kacchan does not have a crush on me!" You stammered.

"Hm. If you say so..." I linger on your lips. "So, what're you going to do, Midoriya? Because it sounds like Ururaka already has a leading contender for your heart in mind."

Your green eyes were conflicted, but only for a split second. You looked to the left, then right down the busy hallway.

"Shoto, I don't want to do this here…" You squirmed beneath me. "The optics are weird."

I tilted my head, again needing clarification on your tone and body language. "Do what? Am I embarrassing you?"

"No…well, yes."

That was not what I expected to hear. I furrowed my brows but didn't let up. "Why?"

"Because people are staring…" you said low. I could see the people you were looking at through your gaze.

"None of those people matter to me, Midoriya. I only care about you right now, okay? And it wouldn't hurt to know what you will do at tomorrow's party."

"I-I'm okay, Todoroki. Thanks. Let's talk about this later, okay? Thanks for the hug."

I couldn't even ask you when that would be before you snuck a deep lip-locked kiss and rushed down the hall, just like Ochaco. I stood there, confused. Wasn't I supposed to be walking you to your last class?

Ochaco reserved all of Pizza Pro for both the first-year Hero classes, so when you texted the class group chat for Bakugo and me to meet everyone there after we left our provisional license supplemental course, Bakugo said he didn't want to go.

"Why not, Bakugo? All our friends will be there."

"I so don't want to be seen going anywhere with you that I'm not forced to."

"Why not? I thought we were working on being friends through our Supplemental Saturdays together."

"I thought I already told you, Icy Hot! I do not want to be your friend! EVER. SO STOP ACTING LIKE WE ARE."

"Is this because I'm getting close to your best friend?"

"What're going on about, Half-Breed?" He growled, cutting his eyes at me. We were the only ones waiting at the bus stop.

"Bakugo, are you afraid I'm trying to steal Midoriya's friendship from you?"

He scoffed in my face, smoke billowing from his nostrils. "You gotta be kidding me. That nerd has never been my best friend!"

"You can tell me the truth, Bakugo. I know you two are close."

"Why are you still talking to me?" His voice was strained, and a blood vessel popped near his temples. I'd struck a nerve.

"You were in a good mood from fighting and playing with children until Midoriya texted us." We got on the bus back to campus.

"SHUT UP ALREADY, YOU GNAT. I JUST HATE PARTIES!"

But he was the life of the party he planned at the pizza parlor where we always hung out. After all that fussing, someone was in an excellent mood the second we walked into the on-campus pizza shop down the street from our dorm, and both locked eyes with you.

"THEN, GLAMOROKI OVER HERE IS ALL LIKE-"

"I made a friend," I leaned to whisper in your ear over Bakugo's yelling. You were engrossed in his story about my interactions with those terrible children or his storytelling—I couldn't place the object of your attention—and generally looked more relaxed. But your head snapped toward me, and the proudest smile filled your face. We'd been there for nearly an hour and sat in a large booth with half of Class A. Pizza Pro was our dorm's staple hangout spot because it was the only restaurant on campus that could withstand multiple students with heat Quirks. The other half of Class A and all of Class B were clustered around the restaurant, talking or in the arcade room playing games. For some reason, Shinso didn't come.

"I knew you and Yoarashi would come around. I knew you'd show him the real you," you said with conviction. My chest tightened. How do you see me so clearly?

"How'd you know who I was talking about?" I whispered in your ear. We kept our eyes on Bakugo holding court, but we'd been slipping in and out of a private stream of conversation since I sat beside you.

"I didn't. But I believed in you, and you just proved me right." You gave my shoulder a light bump. "Proud of you." I grabbed your fist because I wanted to hold your hand.

"HEY! WHAT'RE YOU TWO LOSERS SMILING AND WHISPERING ABOUT OVER THERE? I'M TELLING THE STORY HERE."

"But Bakugo, I'm afraid it's not a very good story. Ribbit," Tsu frowned as Yaoyorozu and Ochaco giggled while shushing her. We looked up at Bakugo standing atop the table, and I laughed. He looked silly, trying to impersonate me.

"It's because Bakugo can't capture Todoroki's aloof coolness," Sero said, shaking his head. "I can still see the devil in your eyes, bro."

"No, it's funny enough, just not when Bakugo tells it," Mineta corrected. "He hates the guy too much to do it right. Todoroki!"

I looked up from where you and I played a flirty game of thumb war under the table. I'm pretty sure you were letting me win.

"Huh?"

"You tell us the story! I'm sure no matter how bad you do, it'll be better than whatever this is." Mineta's finger scanned Bakugo's domineering frame. Bakugo stamped his Doc Marten boots on the round table and crouched over the table.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU! I'LL FRY, PEEL, AND SQUEEZE THE PULP OUTTA YOU."

"How rude, Bakugo!" Ochaco swatted at him. "It's time to start the show and eat, anyway." She slid out of the booth to check on the pizzas and round up the rest of the group.

"And grapes don't even have pulp, you dolt!" Mineta screamed back.

"Bakugo! Get down from there this instant!" Iida rushed across the restaurant to scold him, shooing his feet off the table. Yaoyorozu was behind him with sanitary wipes. "We all have to eat off this table, you heathen!"

Using their Quirks, Kaminari, Sero, and Kirishima struggled to pull him down to no avail; Bakugo was too strong. As our classmates ganged up on him with their best shaming tactics, and he flung them all off with even more offensive comebacks, I could only watch the chaos build. He reminded me so much of the stories I heard about my father as a UA student. Who could silence such a hothead?

"Kacchan, calm down!"

"SHUT UP, NERD!" But he stepped down and sat on the opposite end of the booth. "It's bad enough you let Todoroki steal my seat," he grumbled.

"Good job," I said, bumping our heads together, impressed but not surprised that you did what everyone else struggled and failed at instantly.

"AND STOP FLIRTING WITH HALF-AND-HALF, YOU FREAK."

Six heads shifted in one switch motion, and all eyes were on us, making you turn beet red. I threw my arm around your shoulder, tousled my hair, and looked at him.

"Bakugo. I can flirt with you, too, if you want," I said. "I told Midoriya I'd made a new friend, but I'm open to another." I could hear the girls cooing, begging me to pick them, choose them—for what, I had no clue. Bakugo's face screwed so tightly I began counting down until he'd explode. It took him eight seconds.

"BITCH, ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Progress.

༘⋆ ❅ ･:*:｡ ❆

After the tense run-in between the three of us on my birthday, it seemed like the right time for me to play nice with your childhood frenemy. As we neared the end of our first year, I decided to seriously pursue a friendship with Bakugo because your behavior always revealed how much he meant to you. Sometimes, I wondered if he made you happy, the way your eyes lit with emotion whenever it came to him, no matter if he was in danger or being rescued.

Then I remember all the times he'd make you angry, and I was the one you cried to.

"Bakugo, Would you like to train with Endeavor and me for the second work-study? He's been helping me with my fire Quirk."

"No."

"Why not? Midoriya's already been scouted by another pro hero, and I'm sure you're still looking for an agency that isn't afraid to take you on."

"Shut up, you extra. Don't bring that dumb Deku up to me."

"Hey, look at that. You didn't yell that time."

"You shut your face! And I don't need your shitty dad's help. I can train better than him on my own. Besides, I never want to be in the middle of your family's melodrama ever the fuck again. You hear me?"

"I don't think you can. I'm still not able to beat Endeavor, though."

"THAT'S BECAUSE I'M BETTER THAN YOU, YOU IDIOT."

I don't know what happened after that, but Bakugo knocked on my dorm room two days later and spoke through the door.

"Icy Hot, I'm in."

.

.

.

"So, Bakugo, can I ask you a question?"

It had been an uneventful day patrol three days into our second work-study with Endeavor. So the number-one hero gave us an hour's break before the night shift began. We were eating an early dinner of toriyaki, sitting on a bench on a lazy street.

"I'd rather you didn't," he said, chomping on his chicken skewer.

"What kind of friendship do you and Midoriya have? All I know is that you two grew up together."

Bakugo stopped chewing, stared at me, and took his time before answering me. "Why do you wanna know, Half-and-Half?"

"Because I don't understand it. You two have a volatile relationship, but it's because you're so temperamental, and Midoriya is extremely sensitive." ( So, how are you two so close?)

He began chewing again slowly, eyeing me like I'd just asked for the nuclear codes. He swallowed and looked straight ahead. "I thought I already told you I'm not friends with either of you losers. So stop asking me."

I made a face. "I think Midoriya is kind and tenacious, and the more I get to know him, the more I'm trying to get to know the people he cares about the most." He glared at me with an inscrutable expression.

"There's nothing to describe," he said dryly. "He's Deku. I'm me. That's the way it's always been and the way it'll always be."

A beep goes off in our ears: "A powerful villain robbery in pursuit on Fukinawa Avenue. We are calling all pro heroes in the area for backup!"

"Okay, now fuck all that nosey, circle of friendship bullshit, Icy Hot. We've got a villain's ass to kick!"

I tried to believe what he said as he flew off, but his actions toward you and your reactions to him never added up to his answer because he was at the center of every argument we had for six months once we became second years.

⟢⟢⟢⟢ ༘⋆ ❅ ･:*:｡ ❆

Iida arrived at the fight at the same time I did. The scene was a war zone. Smoke everywhere. Buildings decimated to piles of rubble, cars smashed and on fire, shards of glass strewn across the street like glitter—or nails and tacks. It makes the Jaku City look like child's play. It would not be easy to get to you on foot. Blackwhip's tentacles extend and whip through the alleyways. You're on a calculated rampage; every move you make is painstaking. I've fought beside you long enough to tell.

But I've also lived with you long enough to know you're not in your right mind.

"Ingenium! Follow me!" I clear an ice path over the glassy ground, circling Blackwhip's range, as Tenya pummels into my back at full speed. "Deku's in danger!" We make it just in time to see you hit an invisible target with debris using Gearshift seconds before powering up your Shoot Style.

"What. Is. Happening?" Tenya asks, mouth agape, voice aghast. The scene was terrifying, even in the dark.

"Deku's fighting Dynamite," I flatly respond, looking at you right above me, kicking a powerfully precise shot of wind pressure through the sky. It punches through the street, cracking my ice before landing its target. If not that we'd ducked for safety under an instinctual ice fortress, Ingenium and I would be dead from your kick's sheer force.

"I don't think so..." Tenya points through the smoke clouds. I turn to face a large Godzilla-style villain lying motionless on the ground. At the nose of the monster, a series of bright pops of orange explosion fired off. Seeing him so close to my person made my blood boil.

"AND STAY DEAD, YOU REPTILIAN BITCH!" Dynamite bellows.

But in the distance, as the dust settles, I can hear you crying, Deku.

So, "IZUKU!" I cry out.

I'm coming to your rescue, baby!