Chapter 2
Todoroki had nothing to do. He had foolishly returned to the cafe and had nothing to do. In other words, he had completed everything he needed to do and his to-do list was about as empty as it could be. The only thing left were the scribbled out chores and assignments he had to do (He had two separate lists. He wasn't an animal) and a few doodles he had added when his brain had frozen up for a few minutes.
“Hello? Earth to Half’n’half!” Bakugou hissed out, waving his hand in front of his eyes which he only registered because he thought he was about to hit him for a split second. But no, he didn’t hit him. Instead, the blonde stood there with narrowed eyes, head cocked to the side, and intensely examining him. Every part of him.
He did find the judgy look at his shoes a bit unnecessary though.
“Getting some real unpleasant flashbacks here- gonna order your shit or what?” Bakugou asked, an eyebrow flying up and his eyes still looking as judgy as ever. He wondered how he did that, for it was something that impressed him greatly. Maybe his face was just like that though he doubted it. For you see, he had caught Bakugou being soft once. Staring at his phone when he thought no one else was looking. He hadn’t even commented on it for obvious reasons and liked to keep the picture for himself. Like it was something only he saw (probably not true but he didn’t care) and only he could see (Once again, most likely not true). It felt like he had stolen something. What, he wasn't too sure, but something important.
Like he did the first night he stumbled into the place, he automatically looked at the menu-board he most likely had seen a million times and memorized by now. He glanced over the sweet drink section for a second, and though he didn’t see it, he could feel the blonde rolling his eyes as he watched him.
“Ice Americano, please,” he said partly because he panicked, and partly because he saw Midoriya enjoy them. He shifted his gaze from the board and back to Bakugou. The slightly shorter yet more aggressive male, only stared back, eyebrow falling back to its original place and eyes narrowing even more than before. It felt- beyond threatening and he awkwardly lifted his gaze again to stare at a lamp a little further away. It looked awkward as well, but not for the same reasons as Todoroki. The lamp looked like it took several hits a day, bent and crooked everywhere. Then again it could have been designed to look like that but with how close it looked to falling and crashing to the ground and its inevitable death, he doubted it. In the back of his head, he had already figured out what had caused the new modeling. Well, not what, but who.
“Ice americano?” Bakugou asked in disbelief and Todoroki had to force himself to look at the blonde again. His eyes did jump away a few times and he realized how much he must have looked like an animated protagonist in a children’s movie. “You. Mister. I drink sugar in liquid form” he said, now looking incredibly unimpressed which was another thing he found impressive. “You want an Iced Americano?”
“I...wanted- I wanted to try something new,” he justified, eyes still flickering away from the unimpressed gaze. Then he got a little hold of himself as he realized that Bakugou's judgy behavior shouldn’t have affected him that much. “It’s my drink,” he said, changing his voice so he sounded less concerned and more confident. Though he doubted his uncomfortable look helped an awful lot.
“You’re gonna throw that shit away” the other countered and he could agree. He would probably throw it away and Bakugou's efforts would have been wasted. Sighing in defeat at that fact, knowing there was no way he could win this argument, he looked down into his wallet and pulled out some cash.
“Alright. I’ll take a triple chocolate chip cream coffee then” he all but pouted, looking up at the blonde again. The said blonde was just staring at him, those fierce eyes catching every little move he made as he shifted ever so slightly on his feet. Then he let out a sigh as he let his mouth drop a bit and pushed his jaw to one side, which meant he was thinking. It looked dumb, but Todoroki didn’t hate the look at all. It meant he was getting closer to victory. Bakugou then furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes slid open though he was looking at the machine in front of him as if its very existence was bothering him.
“If you even think about throwing the fucking thing away, I'm gonna drink it” he threatened as he typed it in, snatched the money from him, and kept a generous amount of tip for himself. Todoroki was beyond happy, nearly beaming at what was unfolding in front of him. “Go sit the fuck down” the other huffed at him, pointing at any free seat, and he figured that he deserved that much of a victory so he did as he was told.
That’s when he was reminded of the problem that had completely slipped his mind. He still had nothing to do. Well, that was a lie. He had to wait for his drink. That was something. But the problem would still be a problem in a couple of minutes when Bakugou would call him over to go get his drink. His eyes flickered up to watch the blondes back as he worked- something he had caught himself doing a lot more than he would have liked to admit. He seemed to be almost done with his drink and so he led his gaze back to his surroundings.
He could probably just leave when the blonde called his name. Or what he probably assumed his name was. Sure he wouldn’t be able to speak to Bakugou that night, but it would save him hours of not doing anything but staring off into the distance while he waited for the employee to approach him. Sometimes, things must be sacrificed no matter how much he didn't want to give it up, he told himself as he stood up once he realized Bakugou was done.
“Thank you,” he said as the blonde turned around and handed him his drink. When he walked towards the door instead of the table he had previously sat at for the few minutes he was there, Bakugou's face scrunched up into one of complete confusion. Maybe. At least, that’s what he thought as he watched his face in the reflection of the glass door before pushing it to leave.
It didn’t budge and before he could react, he walked into it, head hitting the glass and him hissing softly as cold drops of his drink ambushed his hand.
Behind him, he heard a snort which he was sure belonged to Bakugou so he closed his eyes and let out a defeated sigh, standing still in front of the ‘pull’ door.
“Try pulling it, halfie. ‘S a new door” Bakugou advised, his voice drenched in mockery. Embarrassed enough for one night, Todoroki sucked in a breath and stepped back so he could open the cursed thing. Once free from the cage that was the cafe, he returned to the dorms for the night hoping the day itself had just been a bad dream.
______
Todoroki considered not going back to the cafe that week. Let Bakugou laugh it off by himself the following Wednesday and Friday before returning, but then remembered that he may have gotten the wrong idea, and so returned anyway. Besides, Bakugou had been correct about the ‘throwing away his drink’ part, and since he hadn't had a drink that day, he kind of craved something to soothe his taste buds for the time being. Well, he didn’t throw it away. Midoriya gratefully took it since he had kept it in the minifridge the two shared. There was no ice left but he still enjoyed it. Said something along the lines of ‘there’s nothing as good as Kacchans drinks’ before going to class.
It had been the first time in a while he had gotten to say goodbye to him in the morning while his mouth was stuffed with pop-tarts. Breakfast- as he called it. It was all thanks to him getting to go to bed early. Not that he didn’t get enough sleep when he stayed at the cafe till late.
“Oh! You’re the famous half’n’half!” was what he was greeted with as he closed the door (that he also silently cursed), freezing as he stared holes into the glass. It would probably melt under the intensity if he kept doing it so he slowly turned around to see who it was.
He recognized the nickname- that Bakugou would call him all the time- but not the voice. Or the face that belonged to the voice.
“Man, I can’t believe I haven't gotten to meet you yet with all the talking Bakugou's done about you!” the man said again, mouth flashing a toothy grin that revealed shiny and sharp teeth.
“I'm….sorry?” he apologized, unsure of what to say. The new face seemed familiar but he couldn’t place where he had seen him. Or if he had seen him at all. He doubted he would forget anyone looking like that though. Bright red hair spiking up though it seemed more coordinated than Bakugou's blonde spikes, eyes bright red just like his hair, the sharp teeth, and just generally his whole positive self. He had been in the same room as this man for ten seconds and could already tell it was another one like Midoriya. Maybe a little bit more confident and less squirmy but had the energy that the greenette had. Which was a lot. He basically vibrated with energy everywhere he went.
“Bakugou's sick- poor dude, so I had to fill in for him today!” he explained. It was probably to fill the awkward silence Todoroki left hanging, or maybe because he looked curious. He reluctantly made his way over to the counter never looking away from this curious stranger. He wasn't even sure if this was real. “Anyway, what can I get you?”
“Anything sweet please” he answered after a good couple of seconds of just staring at this red-haired, louder, version of Midoriya. It was soothing, almost. The other just smiled widely and nodded before typing up his usual order which didn't surprise him one bit. If his suspicions were correct, Bakugou probably told his friend about his choice of drink since he loved fussing about it so much.
“Ah- do you have a reward card?” Red-haired Midoriya asked and he found himself automatically shaking his head as a response.
“I wasn't aware you had them,” he added. To be honest, he felt sorry for the guy. He was only being friendly and maybe a couple of months ago, when he was worse at this whole socializing thing and before he met Midoriya, he would have ignored his positive attitude and minded his own business with as little talk as possible, but now he was a changed man, damnit. “Bakugou never mentioned or offered me one” He wasn't surprised about that either.
Red-haired Midoriya, which he found out was named Eijiro Kirishima after a few minutes of conversation, handed him a stamped card once the transaction was complete. It confused him a little when he glanced at it though.
“Kirishima,” he said, getting the others wide and hope-filled eyes on him again, “I think you made a mistake. I...haven't ordered this many things” he said, pointing to the card which had all the slots stamped leaving the mascot of the place (a raccoon) holding up a sign that said ‘free item of choice’ in bold letters. The spikey-haired male just grinned even wider and waved his hand in front of his face as if dismissing it.
“You’ve been here more than ten times, bro- ordering something every time. It’s well overdue! Technically this one would be free but...” he trailed off, the grin never falling. “If you show it to Bakugou next time you see him, he might make you some of that nice chocolate cake of his,” Todoroki didn’t miss the mischief that flashed in his eyes for a moment and let himself smile a bit at that.
“Well. In that case, thank you very much” he said, bowing his head in gratitude before letting Kirihsima get on with his work. Which he did ten times faster than Bakugou had ever done.
“I'm a bit sloppier than him but I hope it tastes okay,” he said. Then he moved to the back, before coming out with something that looked- and smelled like lemon cake, pushing the plate into his hand and shushing him before he could protest. “It’s on me”
“Thank….you” he managed to get out. Kirishima seemed to approve of the answer since he moved to behind the counter once more to do whatever it was he was doing when he had walked in there.
Deciding to not question the strange friend of Bakugou, out loud or in his head, he moved over to the tall tables with the tall chairs by the window since his corner seat seemed to be occupied at the moment. There was a bag there, but no person. He figured whoever did sit there had gone to the bathroom for a moment and would rather not have the ‘oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were sitting here’ talk. Once was enough. And he hadn’t even been alone then yet he could still feel his face heat up in embarrassment.
Shaking his head to get the thought out, he proceeded to get himself occupied with some of the extra work Mister Aizawa (he didn’t like being called professor, for reasons unknown) had given him for the week after he begged the man for something to do. It was rather pathetic now that he thought about it, but he seemed to silently understand his struggles and gave him the work.
“Hi”
Maybe it was the cafe that made everyone want to talk to him. He had been told before that he didn’t look all that approachable though he was good looking. He couldn’t see it of course. Both the unapproachable side and the good looking side. To him, he just seemed normal. He turned his head a bit and saw Kirishima standing there with his own drink and cake in hand.
“Mind if I sit here?” he asked. To be honest, he felt like a popular kid in high school. He was controlling the fate of some poor soul who just wanted to sit. He had never experienced that before. One- because he wasn't popular in the sense of him having a whole bunch of friends, and Two- because he never asked anyone to sit with them. He enjoyed sitting by himself, his lunch, and a book he enjoyed in hand.
“It’s yours,” he said and gestured. Obviously, he wouldn’t just say no. The assignment wasn't even an assignment. It was just something for him to do while the due date crept closer making everyone around him panic so it wasn't even all that important.
“So.. Half’n’half” Kirishima started, laughing sheepishly at whatever he was going to say next. “I doubt that’s your name though,” he continued with a smile. When he didn’t say anything after that though, he jumped a bit getting his brain ready to say his name properly.
“Ah. It’s Shoto Todoroki” he introduced himself simply. Judging by Kirishima’s face, he probably recognized his name. His father's company was pretty well known, after all. He was going to take over it one day- and honestly, he didn’t mind it at all. With his and his father's history, everyone always assumed that he didn’t want to. That he would probably rather want to be a writer as he had wished to be since he was a child.
It was partly true. But who said he couldn’t do both? Sure it would be hard, but he didn’t mind it one bit. His father had also approved of his decision to take two majors that most people wouldn’t even think about talking together. So now he was a literature major and a business and economics one as well. The two (his father and himself) had had a pretty shitty history, that was no lie. And maybe there was a small part of him that still resented him for what he had done (Something that Enji had said was okay. He had also told him that he had come to terms with the fact that if they had decided to never forgive him, it was something he would accept and understand), however, there was a bigger part of him that wanted the mess of their family to come together and it seemed to be the same for his father. Fuyumi, his dearest older sister, had helped him see that. Besides, Todoroki believed in change and what mattered was whether or not his father was willing to go through that and work for their forgiveness and trust.
So when he was halfway done with the first year of high school, he swore that if his father was making an effort, he would too. It had been difficult in the beginning. Too many bad memories, too many bad nights. This was when he realized that this couldn’t just be solved overnight.
It had taken a lot of time indeed. Three years later- years worth of counseling and therapy for both- and there was still a lot to improve. Things were getting better though. His father had let him be his own person. Let him decide what he wanted to do with his life. He had needed a little bit more time when he had told him about his sexuality- which had been a tough time for the son of Enji, where he was afraid that what they had worked for that year would all break apart and return to the way they were before- but in the end, came through and told him that whatever he did and whoever he loved, he had his full support.
For the first time in years, his father had then told him he was proud of him.
“You’re the heir! Endeavors CEO’s son!” he exclaimed, making the two other people who stayed there look over at them, curious about this heir. Usually, he would shush whoever said it out loud but the red-haired male seemed to beat him to it. “Ah! Sorry!” he hissed out, gently hitting himself on the head to make up for it. It was unnecessary but he appreciated the thought. “I thought you looked familiar! I mean, I have seen you on campus a lot- thought your hair was really cool! But I thought I saw you before that!”
“Oh?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink and listened to red-haired Midoriya ramble on and on. He listened to the whole thing, finding the other stories as they gradually strayed from the original topic, rather amusing. He hummed and nodded so it wouldn’t seem like he wasn't listening to him and started asking questions about an hour in, feeling slightly more comfortable with his new friend .
It was almost scary how easy it was to open up to someone like this. First Midoriya, and now Kirishima. At some point, he found himself missing Bakugou's presence though. Not that Kirishima was boring or getting too tiring or anything of the sort. It was just these little moments in between, where he had wanted to tease the blonde with the information he had received from the red-haired male. Moments where he wanted to watch as he would probably tell the other to shut up and throw in an insult at Todoroki while he was at it cause he could. The two could probably bicker a bit like usual and so on. Bakugou insulting his tastes and Todoroki shooting back an insult of his own.
It was a nice thought. It was nice to be treated like that, no matter how odd it sounded. It was simply because, throughout his life, everyone would tiptoe around him simply because he was the son of some big businessman. The attention he had gotten was unwelcome and the fact that everyone kept telling him how lucky he was despite not knowing his story was also sickening. Getting someone like Bakugou to just yell at him whenever he did something wrong, or just be strangely rude, was refreshing.
He appreciated that greatly.
______
Todoroki hadn’t been able to return on the Friday of the week due to some problems with his sleeping schedule. And by that, he meant, he had collapsed halfway on the floor while attempting to get to his bed. Midoriya stepped in and lifted the top half of his body onto the bed only for the bottom half that made it to drop. Five more minutes of that and the greenette grunted softly before deciding to just pick the whole of him up and tucking him in. For such a small person, he sure was incredibly strong.
In the morning he had gone out of his way to get him a healthy breakfast which he had gotten from some cafe. The paper bag, which had no logo for some reason, consisted of some ice tea, a chicken wrap, and a small bowl of salad on the side. Midoriya also returned later that day with Iida who scolded him for his poor eating habits and that the reason for his sudden exhaustion was probably caused by that. Everyone in the room knew very well that Todoroki could fall asleep whenever and wherever- a talent that was both a curse and a blessing- and it couldn’t be blamed on that unless he was sleeping too much, which judging by his night visits to the cafe, probably wasn't true.
So the soonest he returned to the cafe was the following Monday where he was greeted by the familiar face of Katsuki Bakugou that he only knew was named Katsuki thanks to Kirishima and his chat that they had on Wednesday.
“I thought shitty hair had scared you away” he grunted out, not even bothering to look up from the register that he was currently wiping down with a piece of cloth. The design on it was much like the apron he had on. Black with an orange ‘X’ going through it. Now that he thought about it, all the aprons there were different. Kirishima, for example, had some strange mask that at first glance looked like a muzzle along with some large sprocket-wheels in the background. A blue-haired employee, that he only remembered thanks to his shyness, had a bunch of small and cute cartoon animals, while a shorter girl, who he recognized as Mina (thanks to a run-in at a party he never wanted to go to) had acid on hers. He had never seen anything like it.
“Shitty hair?” he questioned, putting his bag in front of him on the counter to get his wallet out. He had made sure to put the reward card there so he wouldn’t forget it in his drawer like he usually did with reward cards from restaurants and so on. The only ones he ever managed to fill out, were the ones from bookstores.
“Kiri” he replied. Todorokis ears perked up for a moment as he heard that. Of course, he knew about the nicknames based on looks, such as Half’n’half and shitty hair (though he honestly thought Kirishima's hair was cool (and similar to Bakugou's)), but he didn’t know he had names that were closer to their actual names.
“Mhm- were you scared he did?” he asked, sliding the card over the counter, watching Bakugou's eyes following as it and his fingers got closer to him. Then he let go and pulled his hand back, leaving the card there. It was funny how he felt as if his hand was in danger when it stood there as if Bakugou would bite it off.
“Bullshit. I felt relieved as fuck that he did,” he replied, then looking up at him with a smile. But it wasn't a smile that was sweet and soft, no. He looked scary. He hated how he thought it made him look even more attractive than he had already settled with himself that he was. “Now? I kinda want to punch him for introducing you to the reward card system”
“I want a slice of your chocolate cake,” he said, smiling his own devious smile that reeked of mockery. Probably. At least Bakugou must have thought so because he did that thing he always did when Todoroki had said something that left him no way out of a situation but accepting defeat. Obviously, he never did, but the silent white flag was there. He was willing to look past that though since he probably had been silently defeated twice as many times as Bakugou had. “How come you didn’t tell me about the reward card system?”
“It slipped my mind” was the only response he got to that question but he figured it was good enough. Especially if one thought about who he was talking to. “You’re gonna die if you keep eating crap like this,” he said next, putting the card inches above a candle that was lit in a lantern that stood there as decoration, watched as the flame swallowed the card then threw it away in a bucket of water just as the fire was about to caress his hand. Todoroki stared in fascination before looking back up from his hand to his face as the pieces fell together and completed the puzzle.
“You...didn’t give it to me because you were worried, ” he concluded. The blonde, who had turned around to go grab a piece of his cake, whipped back to face him at an incredible speed. It also made him laugh slightly, lips twitching in amusement. Bakugou- didn't want to give him the motivation to keep drinking his sugary drinks. That's what that was about.
“That-...that is false fucking information” Bakugou scoffed out though it had no effect on the dual haired male. He just stood there and grinned in amusement, ignoring whatever it was Bakugou said next. It wasn't just a grin of amusement though. Somewhere deep inside his chest, he felt warm. Like a hot pack had been placed there and it just started spreading heat throughout his chest. Or a popcorn machine. He was aware it was a rather strange way to describe the feeling but that’s honestly what it felt like. Every little thing Bakugou did would make an unfamiliar warm feeling appear in his chest, like a tiny explosion, and not go away until much later.
He may have been hooked on it.
“You don’t have to worry, Bakugou,” he said, glancing down at his wallet and pulling out some cash before handing it to him. The aggressive male automatically started counting it, muttering something along the lines of ‘I wasn't worried, shit for brains’ before typing in a hot chocolate. It had become a thing they did every now and then, where Todoroki would hand him the amount of money he needed for whatever drink he wanted, and Bakugou guessing what it was and was almost always correct. The only time he wasn't was when an order cost the same amount as another one, or when there were combinations and he could only blindly take a shot, the only clues he got being the unreadable face of Shoto Todoroki, and hoped it was correct. It was a fun game. Bakugou must have certainly thought it since he even kept a scoreboard.
The punishment for losing the game was a simple flick on the forehead, so Todoroki leaned in to get flicked. It hurt for a while since Bakugou had a ‘no mercy’ thing going on, but it wasn't anything other than that. Just a small sting. The satisfaction of getting to flick him was what made all of it worth it though.
“I do eat actual food and drink a lot of water as well. I visit the gym regularly and I have no health issues” he said, almost proudly. To be fair, he was kind of proud of it. Every time he was done at the gym or worked out generally, he felt great about himself. Felt the happiness and the proud feeling of accomplishment run through his body. “And i get the recommended amount of sleep”. He decided it was better to not tell him about him almost fainting due to eating pop tarts as meals a week in a row (with his usual routine going on).
“That right?” the blonde asked, and although he was very well aware of the fact that it was a rhetorical question when the tone was like that , he still found himself nodding as a response. That earned him a look before Bakugou moved to grab a slice of cake from the back, returning with it in hand a few seconds later. It was a very big slice. The size of his face. “What?”
“It's...a big slice,” he said. Todoroki was a monster when it came to consuming sugar, but even he had his limits. This big slice of cake may have been it. Kirishima had offered him some the night they had talked but had warned him that the slice had been carefully worked on finishing throughout the week. He had declined and thus never got to actually see it.
“It’s a pain in the ass to make and that's also why it isn’t on display. I'd rather not try to bake that monstrosity more than once a day. Or week” Bakugou explained, eyes never leaving the plate. “It was on display once. Fucking thing was gone within an hour and I had to make more. Exhausting bullshit, I tell you” he groaned and started working on his drink instead, stopping only when he noticed that Todoroki hadn't moved. “You want me to help finish it or something?”
“Would be helpful” he mumbled, examining the slice. A sudden flashback of the scene in Matilda ran through his head and he barely managed to resist a smile as he poked the monstrosity on the plate, licking the icing off his finger when he pulled it back. The blonde paused for a moment, giving him another look before sighing and grabbing two forks. He stabbed one of them into the cake slice, ripping off a large piece and then proceeding to shove it into his own mouth. The other fork was handed to Todoroki who gratefully accepted it and the cake as the blonde nodded towards the free corner seat.
Todoroki didn't have to be directed twice. With a swift motion, he moved to the empty seat, backpack from Wednesday gone, and sat down, placing the cake down in front of him. A few minutes later, Bakugou joined him, handing him a mug with his order and his own drink. Then he sat down.
“Don't you have work to do?” he asked once the two were perfectly settled in in their own couches and comfortable enough to fall asleep. Todoroki shook his head to answer his question. “Then why’d you even come?”
To be honest, he wasn't sure. This wasn't the first time he had walked in here without anything to do and although it may have been the second time, he usually never made mistakes like that. At that moment, he started suspecting that maybe, just maybe, he couldn't blame this on habit. Well, maybe he could, but there was a part of him that knew it wasn't true. Knew that there was something else to it. He just didn't understand or know what.
“I really wanted that cake”
______
“Midoriya” Todoroki called from his side of the bed, laptop lazily resting untouched in his lap as he stared at where the last sentence had been cut off. He was stuck. When the greenette didn't answer, he glanced up to see him shamelessly grinning widely and blushing at his phone. “Midoriya” he attempted a little louder, which worked. The other jumped up, nearly dropping the phone on his face as he did so but grabbed it last second before looking over at Todoroki with an embarrassed laugh.
“Sorry, Todoroki. What did you say?” he asked, setting the phone aside. Todoroki needed a second before he caught up with what was going on. Midoriya was talking to his boyfriend probably. That would explain all the blushing and giggling he was doing. Or maybe he was watching cute cat and dog videos again. He doubted any comment needed that much typing though.
“Ah. I'm sorry. I interrupted your talk with your partner” he apologized. He didn't know the guy's name or what he looked like since Midoriya didn't want to introduce him just yet just in case it wouldn't work out. And since Todoroki was his best friend (Midoriya's words, not his), he wanted to introduce him when things were more serious. Like he would with his family because they were just that close.
Whether or not he had felt overwhelmingly happy at the fact that Midoriya considered him to be something like family in such a short time, was none of anybody's business.
Midoriya was red in the face. Not just red. ‘Kirishima's hair’ red.
“Is it that obvious?” he asked, a pout forming as he glanced to the side and thought about his actions. Yes, it was obvious. Though, he probably didn't need Todorokis’ opinion on the matter since he seemed to have figured it out already. “God- I'm sorry! It’s just-..he called me sunshine and the nicknames just- so…. soft ” he mumbled, more to himself than Todoroki, though it didn't seem to be a complaint.
“You don't have to apologize for that, Midoriya,” he said calmly, waiting for the other to calm down and turn to look at him again. He did, he just added a smile with it. There was a reason his boyfriend called him sunshine and that was probably it. “If you don't mind, could I ask you something?”
“Of course! Anything at all!” he replied, almost too enthusiastically.
“My character is realizing they're in love for the first time” he started. It was a story he had to write for Mister Aizawa's class. They had all written down the genres they were most and least experienced with. He had written it honestly not knowing that the professor would tell them to try writing anything in the genre they were least experienced in.
Romance.
“I don't….well I want it to be as accurate as possible. But I don't know- well, I'm not certain what it feels like to understand that you’re in love for the first time. And since you have someone, I just wanted to ask if you could describe it for me” he explained, carefully examining the greenettes face for reactions. He didn't want to fluster him too much, after all, however, the stuttering and panicked hand motions never came. Instead, the greenette just laughed lightly and smiled.
“Sure,” he said and sat up a bit more so he was facing the scarred male. “It's like…” he paused, biting his lip as he looked around for a while, something he had learned was a part of his thinking process. “Well, at first you can't stop thinking about them. Like, you want them to be there. You want to tell them about things you’ve done and are proud of... Accomplishments and such so they might praise you. You want to impress them- you want them to tell you about things they are proud of too so you can praise them, compliment them, make them feel the love and stuff like that. Just getting to know things about them is nice too” he said, ducking his head sheepishly, hiding a laugh.
Todoroki nodded in understanding as he noted it down in his notepad.
“You want to share jokes and ideas and sooner or later that turns into an urge to spend more and more time with them. And then that turns into a want for a bond- you know. Something more than you already have and something no one else will be able to have. I know a lot of romance books and stuff talk about how nice it is to call someone yours but... they're seriously underestimating it . The feeling is so extraordinary like- you can finally tell the world that that one is yours. They love you and you love them and no one can do anything about it”
There was a pause.
“It's like… wanting something so intensely that it hurts you. When you’re with them, that feeling is gone. It just vanishes in an instant as they embrace you, talk to you, when you're with them, or texting them, or skyping them- anything!. Like...for me, I-I feel so happy! So much so that... I almost cry. There's just an overwhelming amount of happiness and it makes me feel so strong. It's...kind of like a drug actually. A painkiller for the intense want and pain you feel when you're not with them or can't have them.” he sighed and took in a large breath. “There's no answer to it, Todoroki. I can't explain how nice it feels and even if I could, it could be different for both of us...but...I know that it’ll feel right. If you are in love..you’ll know it. It’s a fire that warms your heart and head and it doesn't go unrecognized. You’ll know when it's there”
Todoroki thought about that for a moment. It was a lot of information at once and his whole page had been filled with messy notes and questions that he could add into the story for later. He studied everything he had written. Sure it didn't make a lot of sense but, he felt slightly more familiar with it now.
It feels right , was written in the bottom, and circled around.
“Todoroki” the other piped up after a while making him look up and over at him. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Not at all,” he replied. Midoriya had taken a generous amount of time to explain what he was feeling to him. It was the least he could do.
“Do you think you’re in love with Kacchan?”
______
At exactly 01:03 in the morning on his way to the cafe, Midoriya’s words that had been shared the day before replayed in his head along with scenarios. Things he didn't even know meant anything until just then.
He remembered the first couple of weeks especially when no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get him out of his head. The loudmouthed, blonde, aggressive employee at ‘Fatgum’ cafe, who just wouldn't leave his thoughts at all.
He wouldn't leave now either.
Then he recalled the time he ordered a black coffee, no sugar, no milk, just to show him that he could handle bitter things (It had backfired and he had thrown it away a second later) and Bakugou had been impressed for the first thirty seconds before laughing at how he choked and started coughing it up, talking about how disgusting it was before throwing it away.
He probably tried to impress him other times too, but that was the closest to success.
When he spoke with Kirishima, he felt content with just listening to him ramble on about things about Bakugou that he wouldn't have ever guessed. Stories of his high school self, stories of him at parties, his favorite food, and hobbies. Anything about him and it made him smile, storing the information away for the future.
He was thinking about the future
Todoroki also remembered that he had wanted Bakugou to be there when he was speaking with Kirishima. He had wanted to tell him the jokes and ideas he had then too. To share the experiences and memories.
It's like a drug
Bakugou, to him, was like a drug. A drug he couldn't stop taking. He took away the dull and strangely aching feeling he realized he wouldn't see him until Monday that Friday he had collapsed. He replaced that feeling with an overwhelming mix of emotions that all came flooding to him the second he saw those blonde spikes. He had felt happy. Not just happy. Extraordinary happy. It just felt right.
There was no doubt in his mind that he was beyond hooked.
Do you think you’re in love with Kacchan?
Midoriyas voice echoed in his head and he had to close his eyes. He wasn't moving. He hadn’t for a while. He just stood there, thinking. The answer from the previous night had been scratched out and a new one was forming.
Yes.
At 01:12 in the morning, Todoroki turned and ran back to his dorm, like a coward.