The indelicacies of nitroglycerin (Todobaku/ Bakutodo)

Chapter 11.

“So, what…?”

“Well, Ojiro said he and Tooru didn’t know what to do and didn’t move or make a sound because neither of those two seemed to realise they were standing there. And then Bakugou lifted his head and looked at Ashido for a second, and said something that was too quiet for them to hear, then he rested his head on her shoulder. And Ashido just laughed and said “I know”, apparently. Then Ojiro and Tooru left.”

“Ho...ly shit. That is so gross, and yet I fuckin’ wish it’d been you listening, you would’ve been able to use your Quirk and hear what he said for sure.”

“There’s a fucking thing called privacy, shithead. Whatever he said must’ve been like a confession, right?”

“I mean… yeah. Can’t imagine what else it’d be, since he kissed her right before, and she said I know and everything. Damn, did not see that one coming. I thought he was interested in Todoroki for sure.”

“We all did, yeah.”

Me too, Todoroki had murmured inaudibly to himself, and immediately felt pathetic as all hell. Wow, he’d really thought Bakugou had actually thought of him in that way, how embarrassing. How narcissistic. Todoroki wasn’t an overly prideful or vain person, he definitely didn’t think he was anyone’s first pick, but he thought… he thought Bakugou’s gradually softer, more intimate behaviour with him, and those looks he would sometimes give him… he thought he knew more or less what that had meant. He’d hoped, anyway. But clearly, he’d gotten way ahead of himself after all. Bakugou must have just been treating him differently because they were friends now, and Todoroki had spun it out of proportion in his own head because of his silly little crush.

Which was why it made no sense for him to feel betrayed about it.

It wasn’t like they were a couple - they weren’t even anything. It wasn’t like Bakugou had cheated on him or something, but it felt like it. And that just pissed him off more because he knew he was being grossly unfair and irrational. Bakugou didn’t belong to him, he hadn’t even had the balls to confess or anything. Bakugou could kiss anyone he liked, and it wasn’t any of Todoroki’s business.

And so he tried to just suck it up and act like everything was normal, but Bakugou had started avoiding him immediately after that.

That was what really pissed him off. It wasn’t like Todoroki had resented or berated him for it, so why was Bakugou suddenly acting as if Todoroki had wronged him? It’d been a week now. Todoroki had tried greeting him a few times as usual and Bakugou just brushed him off and hurriedly walked away as if he couldn’t stand to be in his presence. He wouldn’t look in his direction or speak to him once in class, and Todoroki could never catch him napping on the grassy bank or on the living room couch anymore. He’d also started getting to class unusually early, probably just to make sure Todoroki couldn’t walk with him, Todoroki thought bitterly. He hadn’t done anything wrong, so why was he getting this treatment?

It hurt. Feelings aside, it hurt because Todoroki thought they were friends now.

One ugly little thought had popped up earlier - maybe Ashido and Bakugou were a thing now… and she’d told Bakugou to stop talking to him? He heard sometimes people in relationships did dumb things like that out of jealousy. But he’d immediately felt terrible thinking it. Ashido was a really great person, open minded and warm to everyone, she wasn’t spiteful like that.

Thinking about this hurt his head.

Todoroki turned and moved to a nearby sheer, rocky cliff face in the training grounds, little flares of flame still swirling around his left side. When he was upset he had much less control over his fire, and he needed to work on that.