"I'm going crazy. Or maybe I already am. Wait, that could totally explain what happened!! Mina, I probably hallucinated everything, didn't I?"
"You're crazy for wanting it to be fake", she squealed,"I told you he liked you back!!!"
"Is that really all you got from the story?", you sighed. You looked to your best friend for support instead,"Kiri?What do you think?"
The spiky-haired hero sat on Mina's bed with his legs crossed. His hand rested on his chin and he looked downwards, deep in thought,"He flipped you while restraining you? Did you see which hand he put his weight on?"
You groaned in defeat and plopped forwards, letting your face smother against the soft blanket in hopes you'd suffocate.
The whole purpose you'd visited them was to get a second opinion on the worrisome words you'd last heard from Todoroki. Their lack of concern should've been a sign that you were fretting over nothing yet you couldn't shake off a growing discomfort--a feeling something was off. They were too hung up on the romance side of it all to pay it full attention.
Somehow, you were too. The man was simultaneously spurring butterflies in your stomach and killing them at once.
Mina sweatdropped and took on a more serious tone,"Maybe you misunderstood him. He's not the easiest guy to read, right?What if instead of 'you can't leave', he meant...'you can't leave without giving me a kiss?'"
Kirishima jumped in,"From what you said, it did sound like he was going to kiss you."
You didn't bother lifting your head but shifted it sideways to respond,"I really don't think so. He's always accidentally crossed boundaries without knowing. I can't blame him since it's how I behaved with him from the beginning."
"(Name), I love you but if you don't realize that he likes you back, I'm gonna eat my pillow."
You rolled your eyes at Mina's 'threat',"He doesn't. And you guys are missing the point. I'm not as concerned about the 'kiss-looking' stuff as much as everything else--like him practically banning me from leaving. I mean, what makes him think I'll listen?"
Kirishima showed a sharp-toothed grin,"Probably that you did. It's been, what, two days? You could've moved out."
"Yeah, why haven't you?", Mina followed up. You flushed and shrunk into yourself as you thought of how to word your answer.
"...Because of the 'kiss-looking' stuff..."
Your embarrassment and confusion were apparent. Mina smiled sympathetically as she patted your back up and down,"Awe, (Name), it's okay!! It's a unique situation but you care for each other. You'll figure it out together. And if you ever need us, we're here too."
You giggled as she tightly hugged you from your position, practically having to flop on top of you. Kirishima tilted his head,"Did you tell Todoroki you were coming here?"
"Nah, I've been avoiding him. He's patrolling with Midoriya right now but Endeavor's interviewing me in a couple of hours, right after Shoto, so I'll have to go back soon."
"Then talk to him!!!He's a manly dude, I'm sure you'll make up easily."
"Yeah, make up so you can make out already."
Fighting Mina's romantic beliefs would be a waste. You settled for a light sigh as the two energetically changed the topic to something you weren't too interested in, opting to zone into the comfort of Mina's body lightly crushing you and Kirishima's enthusiastic responses.
Anything to ignore the creeping feeling of something wrong.
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Todoroki broke the focused silence between his partner and himself,"Midoriya. I need advice."
"Hm?Oh, of course! What is it?"
Todoroki avoided eye contact. A bead of sweat gathered at the side of his forehead and his lips pressed into a tight line,"I'm asking (Name) out."
The pro-hero's green eyes shone at Todoroki's declaration. It hadn't been too long since you'd confessed your crush on Todoroki to him so hearing his plan, he beamed in delight,"T-That's amazing!!I'm so happy for you tw- er, you!!!"
As excited the cinnamon roll was for your feelings being mutual, he wouldn't want to spoil that knowledge. Todoroki was making the big choice to find that out himself.
He smiled wide,"What do you need advice with?I'll be happy to help out with anything!!"
Todoroki nodded appreciatively. He'd chosen to patrol with Midoriya solely for this conversation; he was one of the very few people he trusted enough for it.
"I've...never asked anybody out", he tried to not sound as embarrassed as he was. He faked a cool composure through the slight hues of pink on his cheeks,"But I want to. It's taken me too long already. I wanted your advice, seeing as it took you a very long time to ask Uraraka out as well."
The slight vulnerability Todoroki was showing only solidified the pro-hero's beliefs of how right you were for him. Midoriya couldn't imagine Todoroki reaching out for help like this for anyone else.
That being said, he couldn't help but laugh awkwardly at the unintentional call-out. He smiled anyway,"That's true, it took me a bit. That's not a bad thing though", he assured,"There wasn't a reason to rush things. If anything, I took advantage of that to look for the perfect place and time. That's why I'm so grateful you guys would tag along and make it easier for me!!"
Todoroki scrunched his eyebrows as he took in a specific detail,"'Perfect' is relative. How do I know what moment will be perfect for her?And what if it's not soon?"
After five years of having little to do with each other and a few months of the complete opposite, not making a move in even more time didn't sound appealing to Todoroki. Midoriya caught onto it.
"You could try 'making' that moment happen. What does (Last Name) like? Aside from plants."
The man's response came confidently quick. He filled with resolve from knowing the answer,"She loves sweets."
"That's a start-"
"Volunteering too. There's an old man she's attached to."
"Good!Wh-"
"Flirting, teasing...She's very fond of bold appreciation."
Midoriya smiled wearily, not sure whether to interrupt the train of thoughts. Todoroki perked up, giving Midoriya an innocently questioning look,"(Name) always appreciates the sunny outdoors. For her quirk and herself. Do you think I could use that and ask her out in a mountain range?"
The pro-hero had to take a moment. He blinked before breaking out into an overjoyed smile.
"Absolutely!!!That's a great idea, Todoroki!!See, there's nothing for you to worry about. It doesn't matter that you've never asked someone out--not when you're so close to (Last Name) and know what she'll like."
Todoroki's stun was visible. Midoriya's response was too overwhelmingly positive to be purely out of kindness. The reassurance was just what he needed and he nodded appreciatively with a small smile.
Midoriya added solemly,"This'll hopefully cheer her up too. Last time I saw her, she was really upset about losing her lead with Toga."
Just like that, the smile faded. It'd been a while since Todoroki had to hear the villain's name. He couldn't care less about that and her fate; however, its effect on you stung the slightest bit.
It wasn't your fault that you'd seen the good in a pyromaniac and won even his sentiment. Todoroki would never know what the sentiment was but he didn't care enough. He cared that Bakugo was gone.
You obviously did too, in a much different way, even with how much of a threat he'd been to your relationship. Todoroki wondered if you'd still feel as troubled about Bakugo's disappearance if you knew of the blond's intentions to keep you from seeing each other anymore.
Toga's death followed suit. Todoroki hadn't been given any other options; he let Bakugo die to keep you by his side. She almost undid that for the sake of laying eyes on the pro-hero he patrolled with now.
His priority now was to make all he had to do worth it. Thanks to Midoriya, he felt like he had a better chance. Todoroki had only one stop left before meeting you--he needed to be thorough.
Todoroki needed the insight of a woman.
══════════════════
"If I knew you'd take immunity as an excuse to be insufferable, I wouldn't have offered it. We have one question left. Why is this so hard for you?"
You sat with a shit-eating grin across Endeavor. Your relationship with him had gotten much better since he tested your abilities but with Toga's suspicious death, you thought the microscopic trust might've breached.
The start of your interrogation went even worse with your underlying fear of him. Each time he stared down at you, you pictured staring right at the barrel of a tank. The man's neck alone was a tank.
It didn't take too long for him to take notice of your anxious state. He responded by giving you immunity solely to assure you that you weren't a suspect.
Big mistake. You coped with the rush of relief the only way you knew how: by being an annoying little shit.
"I already have this information on file. The only thing I need are your verbal responses. Stop fooling around, you're wasting both our time. Camera footage and eyewitness accounts place you gone for Toga Himiko's death. Where did you go?"
"Fought a bear."
"Flora."
"Have you heard of Smokey?Oh, crap, sorry--I forgot. He's probably your archenemy, isn't he?"
You swore you saw him exhale smoke from his nose as he rubbed his temple. He grumbled under his breath,"I'll never understand Shoto's attachment to you."
"Please don't diss my lawyer."
"What?Flora."
You laughed one last time before finally straightening up. As much leeway as he gave you, the situation was still serious and he'd likely only have so much patience before reprimanding you.
"Okay, okay...um, I went to the Bronze Gate to meet Deku. He was gonna help me interrogate Toga but by the time we made the trip back to her, she was..."
You trailed off, not feeling too comfortable finishing the sentence. It felt childish considering your line of work but your methods always revolved around zero fatalities. The cruel manner of death she endured was a little much.
Endeavor hummed in satisfaction,"Good. You can go now. Thank you for your cooperation...as tedious as it came."
The last part was grumbled and you smiled, giving him your most graceful bow(it wasn't graceful at all) before skipping out his office.
The halls of the Todoroki household were practically ingrained into your brain by now. You stood quietly outside the door as you debated where to go. It didn't matter as long as it fulfilled your goal: avoiding Todoroki.
Your feelings were too confusing at this point. At the very least, you really liked him. You liked his care, you liked his affection, you liked his diligence, and you liked his power. You'd be damned if you didn't like his looks.
It was especially hard not to fall for him with how much you'd gone through together. You rubbed your hands over your reddening face as you walked aimlessly, the nostalgia of your time in his house hitting you out of nowhere.
The day you came back from the baths, your first night after Dabi's threat, meeting Fuyumi, your first platonic kisses, cuddling, gardening, training, shopping--even remembering the night Dabi broke in had your cheeks scorching as you remembered how defensive Todoroki became of you.
You forced yourself to focus on your walking once your face neared an unhealthy temperature.
Okay, (Name), keep it in your pants. What's the quickest way to cool down?
You brightened up as you took note of the hall you'd mindlessly wandered in. Fuyumi's room was right around the corner and with either her words or her quirk, she was sure to be able to help. Your feet stopped on their own once you heard whispering.
"I'm worried she won't distinguish this as special. How am I supposed to know she'll believe me when I ask her?"
"Shoto, you've always had a knack for being super blunt. This is gonna be the best time to say everything you've wanted to say but couldn't. That way, even if she says no, you'll have it all off your che-"
"Uh-", your stupified reaction snapped two heterochromatic heads your way. Your stomach flipped at the sudden eye contact with Todoroki but before you could act on it, Fuyumi forcefully shoved the man forward. She whisper-yelled with the worst stealth you'd ever seen before slamming her room's door closed.
"ASK HER!!"
The bewilderment kept you rooted in your spot. You blinked a few times in an attempt to shake it off. Todoroki covered the bottom half of his face with his fist as he coughed, though you thought you could make out a little bit of pink under.
You didn't question his other hand constantly hidden behind his back until he took a few steps closer. He swallowed,"Did you hear?"
"Did I hear your sister's super sneaky yelling?No", you laughed. He sighed in relief at your clear obliviousness. More often than not, it became convenient for him.
"Good. Did your interview with my father go well?"
"Oh yeah. I had him slapping his knee with how hard I made him laugh."
That answer alone told him everything he needed to know. He chuckled,"I'm sure. Also, I'm sorry I didn't meet you earlier. I tried looking for you but didn't find you."
"I wonder why", you looked away guiltily. Your peripherals caught him holding something behind his back, hidden, but it was a futile attempt. You froze as you sensed what he had and an inkling of why,"...Shoto?Why are you holding flowers?"
Todoroki's unevenly colored eyes went wide. He stayed quiet for a moment before lightly berating himself under his breath,"I should've seen that coming and gone with the sweets."
He brought the flowers in front of you. Even knowing they were there, your heart skipped a beat as he took hold of one of your hands, wrapping it around the bundle and tightening your hold on them with his own hand.
You stammered,"F-For me?"
"(Name), you're everything to me."
Your breath hitched. Todoroki's face was slightly red but held intention,"I've tried to let you know without actually saying it. Now, I want to say it and make you understand why. Just not here."
His determination didn't waver. Your heart ran a marathon, the blood it much more evident on your face than his. It stopped you from forming a single word and he took the lead,"Come with me."
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I still don't know what I'm doin but I'm happy
Written 7/24/2023
Published 7/24/23