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When it first hit Todoroki, nothing happened.
Well, something happened—he was knocked onto his back on the sidewalk, his head bouncing painfully off of the concrete as an odd sweeping sensation took over and blanketed him in a cold that made the hair on the back of his neck stand. Feeling as though the wind had been knocked out of him, Todoroki took a gasping breath in and his two-toned eyes darted around in search of his attacker. He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees just in time to see someone sprinting away, calling a “sorry!” over their shoulder before they rounded a corner and disappeared. As they left his field of vision the sweeping chill that had fallen over him seemed to disappear with what Todoroki could only assume was the owner of the unknown quirk.
“Todoroki! Are you alright?” Called a familiar voice, and Todoroki suddenly remembered that he was with Uraraka, who was now kneeling beside him. Her thin brows were pulled down and twisted with concern, one of her palms resting gently on his shoulder.
“Yeah,” he responded, immediately channeling a well-practiced mask of neutrality onto his face, “did you see what happened?”
Uraraka stood up and offered her hand to Todoroki. As she helped the boy to his feet, she said, “It looked like they were trying to get somewhere really fast. They ran past and accidentally bumped into you. I can’t believe they didn’t even stop to say sorry!” She huffed.
Todoroki turned back to gaze at the corner the person had rounded only moments before, the slight furrow of his brows the only indicator of his annoyance. He wasn’t one to let such trivial things get to him, but he had to admit that it was off-putting to experience such blatant rudeness.
Uraraka seemed to sense his irritation without him having to express it aloud. She was far more perceptive than people gave her credit for. “Some people can be so rude, huh? Guess they had somewhere important to be. Which reminds me—so do we!” She changed the course of their conversation with a cheerful smile and shook the bag of groceries gripped in her right hand as if to remind Todoroki why they’d gone out in the first place.
Earlier in the day, Midoriya had mentioned craving his favorite candy. He hadn’t asked Todoroki to pick it up for him—in fact, he’d gone red in the face and quickly exclaimed something about not wanting to trouble him when Todoroki had offered to get him some—but Todoroki had a free period just before lunch and the thought of Midoriya’s face when he surprised him with the treat was more than enough motivation to make the short trip to the corner store. Uraraka, who shared Todoroki’s free period, had insisted upon coming along. In the end, her charming smile had convinced Todoroki to purchase snacks for the entirety of their class using his father’s credit card.
Todoroki nodded, cast one last glance over his shoulder, and then fell into step beside Uraraka as she started toward the school.
“Seriously though, are you okay? You fell pretty hard.”
“Yeah,” Todoroki answered. “It felt like they hit me with a quirk or something for a second, but I feel fine now.”
“Oh, really? What kind of quirk?”
“I’m not sure. Nothing happened, so I think it’s gone now.” Todoroki reasoned, but there was a strange twisting in his gut that made him feel as though he were wrong. He didn’t know what the quirk he’d been hit with was, but he could feel an odd lightness in his stomach as though a bubble of air had settled within him. Still, it wasn’t hurting him and it was hardly noticeable, so he decided he was better off not mentioning it to Uraraka. It would only worry her and draw unwanted attention to himself.
“Huh. Well, as long as you feel alright now I’m sure it’s fine!” She chirped cheerfully, her eyes bright and happy. “So, Deku said he wanted candy, huh?”
Todoroki’s heart felt considerably lighter at the mention of Midoriya, but unlike the odd air bubble in his stomach, this sensation wasn’t unfamiliar to him. His heart had been doing flips in his chest at the mere mention of the boy’s name for over a year, and though Todoroki was positive he hadn’t mentioned his feelings for Midoriya to anyone, he was almost certain that Uraraka somehow knew. If the smug smile she was giving him now was any indication, she definitely knew.
“He said he hadn’t had it in a while,” Todoroki answered, trying to appear casual and not at all like he was a shaken-up soda bottle about to burst with excitement at the prospect of seeing Midoriya’s handsome face flushed red and flustered when presented with the candy. Todoroki could have sworn he felt lighter on his feet at the thought.
“Hm. You must really pay attention if you know his favorite candy off the top of your head! Even I didn’t know it,” Uraraka’s voice was all innocence, but there was a spark in her eyes that contradicted her light tone entirely. She was onto him.
“He happened to mention it yesterday.” Came Todoroki’s answer, still in the same cool, impassive tone. “Besides, it’s hard not to pay attention to Midoriya,” he added before he could help himself.
Uraraka laughed at that. “Can’t argue there!”
The rest of the walk back to Yuuei passed quickly, and by the time they’d arrived on campus and made their way upstairs to the 3-A classroom, Todoroki had forgotten all about the possible quirk he’d been hit with. They walked into the room and were immediately greeted by several of their friends, who Uraraka cheerfully handed snacks from the bag to, beaming when her kindness was greeted with whoops of happiness from her classmates. They were quick to dig in, thanking Uraraka and Todoroki around mouthfuls of various snacks.
Midoriya approached from the opposite end of the room and peered over Uraraka’s shoulder; “Oh, candy! Can I have some?”
Todoroki shoved a hand into the bag immediately, unearthing a candy bar wrapped in eccentric red foil and holding it out to Midoriya. “This is for you,” he said, the slightest of smiles gracing his lips as he did so.
Midoriya blinked down at the candy bar in his hand, then beamed up at Todoroki, starry-eyed as if his friend had just offered him all the world instead of a corner store treat. His face was flushed exactly as Todoroki imagined it would be, the red of his cheeks making his freckles even more noticeable than usual. Todoroki felt everything go fuzzy around the edges, his heart pounding in his chest and the dizzying lightness that seemed to accompany him whenever Midoriya was around sweeping over him full-force.
...Something did feel different, though. Todoroki always felt lightheaded and happy when Midoriya was around, but… He felt lighter than usual. It was as though gravity wasn’t pushing down on him as hard as it had been a moment ago… And why did everyone seem a little bit shorter? Just as Todoroki was about to look down, Midoriya let out a squeak of surprise.
“T-Todoroki!” He cried, drawing the attention of his classmates as he gaped openly at the boy. Midoriya’s big green eyes flickered rapidly between Todoroki’s face and his feet, his jaw hanging open.
Todoroki’s mismatched eyes followed Midorya’s gaze down to his uniform shoes and, like Midoriya, his mouth fell open in shock at what he saw. He was—he was—
“Holy shit, Todoroki, you’refloating!” Cried Kaminari, his words immediately sending the class into a flurry of loud conversation.
“Todoroki, are you alright?” Asked Yaoyorozu from beside him, placing a gentle hand upon his arm.
“E-Er—” Todoroki’s cheeks were burning red with embarrassment at the odd development. “I’m fine, I don’t feel any different. It must be the quirk I got hit with earlier,” he said.
“You got hit with a quirk?!” Cried Midoriya worriedly.
“Todoroki, as the class representative it is my duty to take you to Recovery Girl so she can look over you! This could be dangerous!” Iida said quickly, already moving to take his friend by the arm and drag him to the door.
“I’m fine, Iida, really!” Todoroki exclaimed, sounding less calm than he would have liked. “It seems like this quirk just makes me float randomly—there’s nothing dangerous about it.”
“Yeah, unless you float into the sun or something!” Chimed Kirishima.
“Then we’d finally get rid of fuckin’ Half and Half,” Bakugo responded, and huffed when Midoriya shot him a look, “what the fuck are you lookin’ at, Deku?”
Deku didn’t even dignify Bakugo’s words with a response. He was too busy fretting over Todoroki, mumbling loudly to himself about the different possible causes of Todoroki’s sudden rebellion against gravity. Todoroki was embarrassed about having all of his classmates’ eyes on him when he looked so ridiculous, but he couldn’t help the fluttering of his heart at the knowledge that Midoriya was thinking about him, worrying about him. To Todoroki’s great surprise, this train of thought seemed to make the lightness that had taken over increase, and he felt himself creeping upward the slightest bit.
“Midoriya,” Todoroki started, interrupting the boy’s seemingly endless rambling, “I’m fine. Really. This is just some randomly-triggered floating quirk, that’s all. I feel fine.”
“Fuckin’ damn it,” groaned Bakugou.
Midoriya looked up at him, all big green eyes and thick lashes and plush pink lips, “are you sure?” He asked, big eyes nearly overflowing with concern.
Todoroki’s breath hitched in his throat so fast he could barely choke out a “yes” in response, embarrassed by Midoriya’s worry and enraptured by his beauty. The boy was breathtaking; there was no two ways about it.
Iida chimed in; “I still feel that I should take you to Recovery Girl, if only to check and see—”
“Iida, Recovery Girl has a healing quirk. I don’t need any healing.” Todoroki reasoned with a gentle smile, appreciating the concern of his friends but feeling entirely too embarrassed to keep allowing them to fawn over him. “It’ll fade soon.”
Iida looked like he wanted to argue more, but Uraraka stopped him by placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. The boy went a bit red in the face at her gentle touch, but quieted all the same. Following his lead, most of their classmates went back to what they’d been doing before. Without the threat of immediate danger, an odd quirk simply wasn’t enough to keep their attention away from the cacophony of snacks that had been brought to them.
Midoriya reached into the bag and rummaged around for a moment before extracting another candy bar. “Kacchan, here’s your favorite!” He said, holding the candy out to Bakugou with his usual warm smile.
Todoroki frowned. He still wasn’t entirely comfortable with Midoriya and Bakugou’s friendship—if it could be called that. It was obvious they cared for each other, and they had known each other for so long and shared so many memories… If anyone at Yuuei knew Midoriya, it was Bakugou. To his surprise, Todoroki felt himself sinking back down the slightest bit as he watched Midoriya beam up at his childhood friend.
“Fuck off, Deku!” Bakugou snarled in return.
“Fine, then I guess I’ll just have to see if anyone else wants it,” Midoriya replied teasingly, taking a step away.
Bakugou’s hand shot out, capturing Midoriya’s wrist to wrench the boy closer. Midoriya stumbled a step and fell into him, but he didn’t seem bothered by the contact. In fact, he let out a little laugh and placed a steadying hand on Bakugou’s chest, his messy green hair brushing against the side of Bakugou’s chin.
“Give me that!” Bakugou hissed, pointedly ignoring Midoriya’s triumphant smile as he snatched the candy bar away and shoved the boy off of him.
Todoroki dropped to the ground so fast that he had to stifle a cry of surprise and grip a desk to keep from toppling over. Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Bakugou, Iida, and Midoriya all looked to him at once. Todoroki looked to Bakugou’s face first, all jealousy subsiding as he realized what had just happened. Oh. Bakugo seemed to understand as well, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Todoroki.
Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka shared matching expressions of realization as well. They’d clearly figured out what the quirk did. Midoriya, however, looked just as confused as ever and was clearly about to speak up when Uraraka beat him to it.
“Hey, I think a bag of chips is missing from the bag! It must have fallen out in the hall! Let’s go look for it!” She exclaimed, grabbing Todoroki by the arm and dragging him bodily out of the classroom before any more could be said.
Once they were a safe distance away from the classroom door, Uraraka grinned. “I knew it!” She cried, pointing an accusatory finger in his face, “You like Deku!”
Todoroki went red in the face. “What?! No!” He protested, eyes widened in shock.
The classroom door opened and both of them paused the conversation, looking down at the ground in a half-hearted attempt to make it look as though they were searching for the nonexistent bag of missing chips.
“It’s alright,” said Yaoyorozu, making them both look up, “I just wanted to check on Todoroki and ask him how he plans to keep his crush on Midoriya a secret while under the influence of such a quirk.”
“What?!” Todoroki cried at the same time as Uraraka let out a triumphant “Ha!” and high-fived Yaoyorozu.
“This has nothing to do with Midoriya!” Todoroki exclaimed quickly, although he knew very well that it did. He’d only started floating at the sight of him, and had only stopped floating when he’d gotten jealous over Bakugou touching him.
“This quirk you’ve been hit with makes you float, but you said you didn’t notice anything on the way back. It only started after you saw Midoriya—so, you must float when you’re happy, or perhaps when you see the one you love.” Suggested Yaoyorozu, pointedly ignoring Todoroki’s pathetic attempt at denial.
“My guess is that it’s when he’s happy. When he saw Bakugou grab Izuku, he hit the ground so hard I’d be surprised if he didn’t have bruises on his feet,” Uraraka laughed.
Todoroki’s face continued to burn, ashamed of how easily he’d been found out by his friends. “It’s not like that,” he tried to say, “I was just happy to be around all my friends and Bakugou gets on my nerves.”
Uraraka rolled her eyes and took her phone out, scrolling for a moment. “Then explain this,” she said, holding the phone out to display a photo of Midoriya. It had clearly been taken immediately after the boy had rolled out of bed, if his even-messier-than-usual hair and the oversized t-shirt hanging off his shoulders were any indication. He was giving the camera a giddy smile, eyes shining with excitement, and affection fell heavily upon Todoroki at the sight of the boy looking so gorgeous.
Todoroki felt himself lift off the ground the slightest bit. He resisted the urge to ask Uraraka to send him the picture and strained his feet back toward the ground, the red flush from his cheeks spreading to his ears as he realized he’d officially been found out.
“Uraraka, you’re incredible!” Yaoyorozu exclaimed with a grin, and Uraraka nodded sagely as if to say that she was well aware of her talents.
Todoroki was bright red. “Don’t—you cannot say anything to anyone,” he said desperately.
Yaoyorozu sighed. “Todoroki, if they didn’t know before, most of the class certainly knows now. You looked like you were going to set Bakugou on fire when he touched Midoriya.”
Todoroki groaned aloud and dropped his face into his hands. “So Midoriya probably knows, too?”
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu shared a look before bursting into laughter. “Todoroki, are you serious?! Deku is the most oblivious person I’ve ever met in my life! You could come up and start kissing him and he’d still wonder what you meant by it!” Uraraka exclaimed.
“He probably has no idea,” Yaoyorozu concurred, nodding sagely.
“But that just means that this is a golden opportunity to tell him!”
Todoroki started as if she’d smacked him in the face. “What?! No!”
“Why not? It’s obvious you like him,” Yaoyorozu interjected.
“Yes, but it’s not that simple! I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. I don’t—I can’t just tell him. What if he doesn’t feel the same?”
For a moment, silence passed between the trio. Then, at the same time, the girls spoke, “Are you fucking serious?” and “Really, Todoroki?”
Yaoyorozu continued, “I thought you were supposed to be smart.”
“So they’re both idiots,” Uraraka concluded, her brown hair bobbing along with her head as she nodded. She looked as though the final piece of a particularly difficult puzzle had fallen into place.
Todoroki, for his part, didn’t understand why he was being berated. “What are you talking about?” He demanded.
Uraraka rolled her eyes. “We’re trying to tell you that you should go for it!”
“Easy for both of you to say! You both have partners!”
“That’s all the more reason to listen to us. We know what we’re talking about!”
Todoroki was about to reply when the door opened. The moment Midoriya’s head poked out of the doorway, Todoroki felt his feet leave the ground and he mentally prepared himself for the moment when Midoriya realized what was going on. Before he could, though, Yaoyorozu surprised Todoroki by coming forward and and slinging an arm across his shoulders, holding him down to the ground by leaning against him.
“Um, is everything alright?” Midoriya asked, raising a brow.
Uraraka nodded rapidly and came to stand on Todoroki’s other side, clapping a hand down on his shoulder to help keep his feet on the ground. “Yep! The three of us were just chatting!” She exclaimed cheerfully.
Todoroki willed the pink from his cheeks and nodded along.
Midoriya’s eyes flickered between the trio once more and then he smiled sweetly, making Todoroki’s heart flutter. “Okay! Just wanted to make sure everything was okay!” He exclaimed before ducking back into the classroom.
The second he was gone, Yaoyorozu and Uraraka pulled away, giggling at the sight of Todoroki hovering a good few inches off the ground.
“What am I going to do?” Todoroki groaned.
“Hey, maybe this is a good thing,” Yaoyorozu said. “But if you want, we’ll help you. We know it’s embarrassing.”
“Yeah! Although I really do think you should tell Deku how you feel, we’ll help you keep a cover so that he doesn’t know it’s him making it happen if that’s what you want.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the lunch bell ringing. Class 3-A spilled into the hallway, talking and laughing amongst each as per usual. Kaminari and Jirou emerged from the classroom with their heads bent together in conversation and their arms wrapped around each other’s waists. At the sight of Yaoyorozu standing off to the side of the doors, they both brightened and approached her.
“Hey, guys,” Jirou greeted as she reached out, hooking an arm around Yaoyorozu’s waist to tug her closer.
“‘Sup?” Asked Kaminari, nodding to Uraraka and Todoroki as he followed Jirou’s lead and pulled Yaoyorozu to stand in between them.
Yaoyorozu wrapped her arms around her partners’ waists from behind, tugging them closer until the three were pressed together hip to hip to hip. “See you two after lunch?” She asked, her eyes flickering between Todoroki and Uraraka.
“Yep! See you then!” Uraraka chirped, waving the trio goodbye.
As Kaminari, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu walked away, Midoriya and Iida appeared. As usual, Midoriya smiled brightly and greeted Uraraka and Todoroki with a “hey, guys! Ready for lunch?”
At the sight of Midoriya’s happy smile, Todoroki felt a familiar lightness taking over and gritted his teeth at the feeling of his heels lifting off the ground ever so slightly. He tried to think of an excuse as to why he couldn’t join them for lunch that day and was about to spout off something about having to speak to Aizawa-sensei when he felt Uraraka’s arm looping through one of his, leaning subtly against him to keep his feet planted flat on the ground.
“Mhm!” She affirmed, echoing Midoriya’s smile with one of her own as she pulled a reluctant Todoroki toward the lunchroom. Kaminari, Jirou, and Yaoyorozu were still walking in front of them, and when Uraraka caught sight of them she saw the perfect opportunity to discuss the love lives of her friends, “Awww, aren’t those three so cute together?” She asked with a smug smile.
Midoriya’s eyes went immediately to Uraraka’s arm wrapped firmly around Todoroki’s and something flashed in his eyes, but his happy smile quickly returned as he looked to the trio walking in front of them. “Yeah! They all suit each other so well; there’s a good balance between the three of them.”
“I agree, but I do think they could back off with the public displays of affection somewhat,” said Iida. “We are young professionals, after all.”
Uraraka rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Tenya, wouldn’t you be the same way if you had a partner?”
Iida’s lips curled in thought for a moment and he brought a hand to stroke his chin. “Perhaps,” he allowed, seeming to think intently about the matter despite Uraraka’s teasing tone. “It would depend on the environment, the context, and the person, but I suppose it would be nice…” He admitted, pale cheeks going pink.
Uraraka nodded. “What about you, Deku? Do you wish you had a partner?”
To Todoroki’s surprise, Midoriya went delightfully pink and glanced in his direction again before quickly averting his eyes. Then, with the most adorable expression of sheepishness Todoroki had ever seen, Midoriya nodded slightly and replied, “I-I think it would be nice, too! But I don’t know anyone who’d want to date me...” He laughed nervously, keeping his eyes downcast.
Todoroki frowned at that, feeling somewhat offended that Midoriya thought of himself as being unlikeable. He had half a mind to assure Midoriya that he had admirers but he knew he’d be giving himself away if he did, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Izuku, don’t think that way! Anyone at Yuuei would be very fortunate to date you!” Iida exclaimed rather loudly as they entered the lunch room, voicing Todoroki’s thoughts aloud and gesturing to Midoriya’s body as if that explained everything. His volume drew curious stares from some of their classmates as he clapped his friend passionately on the back.
Midoriya’s freckled cheeks turned a darker shade of red and he ducked his head down, embarrassed. “Th-thanks, Tenya.”
They found their preferred ;unch table and took their seats; Iida on one side with Uraraka to his left, Midoriya across from him with Todoroki to his right. The group was quickly joined by Tsuyu, who immediately attached herself to Uraraka’s side. Tokoyami accompanied her and took a place to Midoriya’s left.
After issuing greetings, Uraraka spoke again. “I was just asking Tenya and Deku if they wanted a relationship ever,” she said, smiling sweetly as she slipped an arm around her girlfriend’s slender waist.
“Oh?” Tsuyu asked. “Well, what about Todoroki?”
Todoroki had tuned out the conversation while he attempted to hook a leg around something beneath the table to keep himself from floating up out of his seat. At the mention of his name, his head jerked up and he blinked. “What?”
“Do you wish you were seeing someone?” Tsuyu asked, her dark eyes glinting mischievously.
Todoroki’s eyes flickered to Midoriya before he could help it and his face abruptly flushed. “I haven’t given it much thought.” He lied, knowing very well he’d spent far too long tossing and turning only last night thinking of Midoriya—in fact, he’d spent almost every night for over a year thinking far too much about the boy seated to his left.
“Really?” Uraraka asked. “There’s no one at Yuuei you think you might like? You know, someone to hold hands with, to go on dates with, to kiss…” She trailed off with a smile on her face. To the untrained eye it was one of innocence; however, Todoroki and Tsuyu recognized it for the wolfish smile it was.
Once again, Todoroki’s eyes went to his best friend’s face without thinking and he immediately regretted it. For some reason, Midoriya’a freckled cheeks had gone cherry-red, his skin practically glowing with heat. The sight of him so flustered sent Todoroki’s heart into a frenzy and the lightness increased; desperate to keep his feet on the floor, Todoroki quickly twisted his leg around the nearest solid object and immediately regretted it when Midoriya let out a squeak of surprise.
“T-Todoroki!” The boy cried, and as he shifted Todoroki realized he’d accidentally wrapped his leg around Midoriya’s. He could feel the toned muscle through the fabric of Midoriya’s uniform slacks and immediately disentangled himself as scarlet poured across his pale cheeks. It was all he had to keep from bursting into flames in the middle of the lunch room, and gravity had decreased so much that Todoroki slammed his palms down on the underside of the table, bracing himself against it and forcing himself back down upon his chair when he felt himself beginning to lift off.
Everyone at the table looked bewildered by his strange actions, Midoriya most of all. “Sorry,” he said quickly, avoiding their eyes sheepishly, “I didn’t mean to.”
“Th-That’s okay!” Midoriya said as he leapt out of his seat. “I’m going to go to the bathroom, I-I’ll be right back!”
Todoroki watched, confused, as Midoriya nearly sprinted out of the cafeteria. He looked to his friends hoping for clarification, but Uraraka’s knowing smile made it obvious that any answer she provided him with would only ruin his peace of mind even more than it already was.
Iida took charge as usual by quickly engaging the group in conversation, and by the time Midoriya returned to the table Uraraka, Tsuyu, Tokoyami, and Iida were deep into a discussion on the best-tasting ‘forbidden snack.’
“Guess who I ran into in the hallway?” Asked Midoriya in as bright a tone as ever, seeming to have recovered from whatever had made him flee the room moments earlier. He plopped down beside Todoroki, buzzing with obvious excitement.
“Who?” Asked Tsu.
“Kirishima and Mina!” Said Midoriya, speaking about his classmates as though they were old friends he hadn’t seen in years rather than people he saw every day. “They invited me to come out for dinner tonight and said they’re going to invite the rest of the class too! Do you want to come, Todoroki?”
Despite Midoriya’s obvious excitement, Todoroki’s anxiety skyrocketed at the idea of having dinner with all of his classmates. It was bad enough for him to interact with a large group of people on a normal day (although his social skills had improved significantly since his first year at Yuuei). He didn’t even want to think about what it would be like trying to interact with the rest of his class while simultaneously dealing with the strange quirk he’d fallen victim to.
“I don’t know,” Todoroki said, intending to reject the offer as politely as possible. However, the second the words left his mouth Midoriya’s bright smile dimmed, his brows furrowing slightly in obvious disappointment. Immediately and without thought, Todoroki found himself retracting his first statement. “Actually, that sounds nice. What time?”
Midoriya brightened once again and Todoroki cursed himself for the happiness that bubbled within him at the sight of that gorgeous smile. He was so helplessly wrapped around Midoriya’s finger it was almost laughable—at least, Uraraka and Yaoyorozu seemed to have been rather entertained by his lovestruck idiocy.
“Great! They want everyone to meet up outside of the dorms at six. Are you guys coming?” Midoriya asked, interrupting the heated discussion occurring around them.
“Coming where?” Uraraka asked.
“Dinner tonight! The whole class is going out.”
“Is Todoroki?” Uraraka asked, shooting a conspiratorial look in his direction.
Todoroki nodded. “I am,” he said, looking meaningfully in her direction. He hoped his intent gaze was conveying his mental cries for help as well as he wanted it to.
“Then we’ll be there! Babe?”
“Sounds like fun,” answered Tsuyu.
“Iida, Tokoyami, are you both in?”
“Given that we aren’t assigned any homework for tonight, I would be glad to partake in a fun evening with everyone,” said Iida.
Tokoyami nodded sagely, seeming to approve of Iida’s words. “Food eaten with friends is indeed the tastiest of all.”
Thus, Todoroki found himself waiting nervously outside Yuuei’s gates at five past six. He was standing awkwardly off to the side of the rest of class 3-A, anxiously anticipating the arrival of Uraraka, Iida, and Midoriya.
His mismatched eyes glanced around, falling upon Jirou and Kaminari just as the boy exclaimed, “I always love getting to see you in your casual clothes, babe!” He then pulled her into a passionate kiss, only to jerk away and grab Yaoyorozu by the face, “and you too!” He exclaimed, pushing himself onto his toes to kiss her as well. Yaoyorozu grinned against his lips, retracting after a moment only to pull Jirou into her for a kiss of their own.
If it were able, Todoroki’s heart would have let out a wistful sigh at the sight of the trio’s easy and comfortable relationship, wishing for all the world that he could have such a relationship with Midoriya. In his mind he conjured up the image of Midoriya hooking an arm around his waist the way Yaoyorozu had with Jirou, imagining the press of his friend’s strong arms around his slender waist, the feel of Midoriya’s lips on his… Before he knew it, Todoroki was jolted back to reality by a swell of lightness within him, looking down and realizing that he was hovering an inch or two off the ground. His anxiety spiked immediately upon this realization and he drifted back to the ground, sighing in relief when his feet connected with the sidewalk once again.
“Hey everyone! Sorry we’re late!” Midoriya exclaimed, startling Todoroki out of his thoughts as he approached the rest of the group. Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Iida followed behind him, greeting the rest of the group with easy enthusiasm.
“The fuck? Why were we waiting for them?!” Bakugou huffed, only to be distracted by Kirishima slinging an arm around his shoulder as he started in on a cheesy joke.
Immediately upon catching sight of the shorter boy, Todoroki felt himself rising up once more and desperately attempted to calm his traitorous heart. He was entirely unsuccessful and only managed to float higher as Midoriya’s green eyes searched the crowd and landed upon him, brightening instantly. His eyes widened at the sight of Todoroki hovering ever-so-slightly off the ground and he immediately rushed to Todoroki’s side.
“Todoroki! I didn’t realize that quirk was still affecting you!” Midoriya exclaimed, brows furrowed with worry for the other boy.
Todoroki’s heart warmed as he reflected upon the genuine and easy affection Midoriya bestowed upon him, which of course only served to add another inch onto the rapidly increasing space between him and the ground. “Yes, but I’m fine,” he replied, trying his best to keep his tone even. “It seems to activate at random,” he lied.
Midoriya nodded. “Hm, that’s odd! Usually with quirks like this there’s some kind of trigger, although in your case it may take a while to figure out seeing as you don’t have the owner of the quirk here to explain it to you. My guess is that it’s something particularly ordinary, if you start floating without really noticing anything different happening around you.”
Todoroki wanted to argue that the quirk was in fact triggered by the opposite—something particularly extraordinary—but knew that to do so would out himself for the sap he was, so he nodded instead. “You’re probably right,” he agreed.
“Todoroki, Deku, c’mon!” Uraraka exclaimed as she approached the pair. To Todoroki’s great surprise she reached out and hooked an arm through his. Tsuyu copied her action, looping her arm through Todoroki’s other side. “We can walk and talk! We’re holding everyone up!”
Thus, Class 3-A made their way to a nearby restaurant and were seated (after some scrambling by the waitstaff to create a table that would accommodate their large group) in the back of the restaurant away from most of the other patrons. This, Uraraka said, was preferable. When asked why she would rather be away from the rest of the restaurant by Iida, she pointed out that their group was rather noisy and that they would be less likely to disturb the other patrons if they were separated from the rest of the restaurant. At this, everyone turned to look at Bakugou, who proved her right by shouting out “the fuck are you all looking at me for?!”
Midoriya laughed along with the rest of the class, his bright eyes crinkling at the corners and his head tilting to one side. Todoroki’s soft chuckle died on his lips and was immediately replaced by an undignified sigh of admiration as he caught sight of Midoriya’s handsome face aglow with joy. Thankfully, it went unnoticed by Midoriya and the rest of his classmates due to the fact that everyone else was still laughing at Bakugou as they made their way to the table. Still, Todoroki’s face had gone red with embarrassment at the realization that he was so pathetically in love his body had resorted to wistful sighing. It was so ridiculous, he half-wondered if he’d been transported into a shoujo manga.
No, if this were a shoujo Midoriya would love me too,he thought, his heart sinking at the thought. He felt himself drifting back toward the floor, now hovering ever-so-slightly off the ground.
“Todoroki, want to sit next to me?” Midoriya asked, looking up at his friend with his eyes full of affection and a sweet smile spread across his face.
Todoroki’s heart went from sinking to soaring in three seconds flat, and back into the air he went. He tried his best to seem casual as the space between his feet and the ground gradually increased. “Yeah. Let’s sit on the end,” he said, desperate to take a seat and take it quickly.
“Okay!” Midoriya chimed, entirely oblivious to Todoroki’s predicament. He selected a chair on the the end, gesturing for Todoroki take a place across from him. Iida sat on Midoriya’s other side, and Uraraka and Tsuyu chose the seats beside Todoroki. He dropped into his chair as quickly as possible, relieved by the realization that the chairs were heavy enough that he could hook his ankles around the legs of them in order to hold himself down.
A waitress walked around the table, passing out menus and taking drink orders. Midoriya looked over his with an enthusiasm Todoroki hadn’t thought possible when scanning a restaurant menu, eagerly pointing out dish after dish.
“Everything sounds so good, doesn’t it? It makes me wish I had brought more money!” Exclaimed Midoriya, nudging Todoroki’s elbow with his own as he said it.
Todoroki nodded although he’d already singled out exactly what he wanted. Impulsively, he said, “get whatever you want. It’s on me.”
Really, it was on his father—he’d given Todoroki a credit card when Yuuei’s students had moved into the dorms, instructing him not to use it in a wasteful manner. Todoroki could think of no better way to use Endeavor’s hard-earned money than to buy the boy he loved a lavish meal. It would make Midoriya happy and it would annoy his father, who would certainly characterize such a purchase as wasteful. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.
“Todoroki, I couldn’t ask you to—”
“You didn’t,” Todoroki interrupted quickly, “I offered.”
He felt foolish when he saw Uraraka’s knowing smile, realizing that he’d made it abundantly clear to anyone listening that he was helplessly wound around Midoriya’s finger. It was worth it for the blush that stained Midoriya’s cheeks as he sheepishly buried his face in his menu, even if Todoroki did have to strain harder than usual to keep himself in his seat as a result. Knowing that he was doing whatever he could to make Midoriya happy far outweighed any negative consequences that might present themselves.
The waitress returned to their table within a few minutes, passing out drinks and taking down orders. After she left, the class erupted once more into loud conversation. Midoriya spoke happily to his classmates and, although Todoroki wasn’t usually fond of such obnoxious and chaotic social situations, he found himself more than happy to admire Midoriya as he conversed animatedly with his peers. Even after the food came out the happy chatter of Class 3-A continued, often only half-comprehensible due to the fact that several students were speaking with their mouths full of delicious food.
Todoroki ate in relative silence, speaking only when he was spoken to first, but feeling incredibly content even so. Not only was he able to admire Midoriya unabashedly, but he also found that he enjoyed the company of his classmates despite their noisy exchanges. Watching everyone around him talking happy made him feel happy as well, to the point where Todoroki was hovering off of his seat by a good few inches as he ate, his knees occasionally knocking against the underside of the table. He allowed his eyes to drift lazily around the table, tuning in and out of different conversations, but his eyes always managed to find their way back to the boy seated across from him.
Midoriya had been roped into a conversation with Kaminari, Ashido, and Kirishima and the four were currently throwing good-natured taunts back and forth. Midoriya was smiling and laughing in a way that was so carefree, so unlike the boy Todoroki often saw. Midoriya was often cheerful, yes - but everyone knew that behind his happy smiles hid an analytical genius, a mind that was constantly caught up in observing and accounting for as many variables as it could. It was rare to see Midoriya allowing himself to have mindless fun, and Todoroki loved him all the more for being allowed to see him in such a state.
Kirishima told a joke that caused Kaminari to spurt soda out of his nose and Midoriya threw his head back and laughed at the sight. A real, uninhibited, joyful laugh that had Midoriya’s freckled cheeks flushing pink, had his lips parting in an open-mouthed smile, had him keeling over as his muscular frame was wracked with bubbly laughter, his hair obscuring his face as he bent toward the table with his arms clutching at his sides.
Finally, Midoriya sobered somewhat, raising his head. His cheeks were pink and glowing, giggles still escaping him, and his messy green hair was falling into his face, half covering one of his shining green eyes. His eyes flickered to Todoroki and brightened as he reached out, tugging on the corner of the boy’s sleeve to gain his attention as if Todoroki’s eyes weren’t already glued to him.
“Did you see that?” He asked, still giggling.
There was no doubt in Todoroki’s mind that he’d just set his two-toned eyes upon the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He was so mesmerized by Midoriya that he didn’t notice how far he’d floated upward until his legs were pressed so tightly against the underside of the table that he was actually lifting it up, sending plates of food sliding down toward the opposite end of the table. His classmates cried out in shock and surprise, but luckily enough they all had quick enough reflexes due to their hero training to at least catch their plates.
“Todoroki!” Uraraka cried, reaching out and taking him by the shoulders, shoving him down. The legs of the table hit the ground with a clatter, making several cups fall onto their sides and spill various beverages across its hardwood surface.
Embarrassed beyond all measure, Todoroki felt the lightness disappear and he fell back into his seat. The rest of his classmates were unphased - in fact, they seemed rather amused (besides Bakugou, who shouted a loud “what the fuck, Half ‘n Half?!”) - but Todoroki couldn’t help feeling incredibly flustered by his actions and thus quickly slid out of his seat. He found that he was no longer floating at all due to the self-consciousness that had taken root within him and took having his feet flat on the ground as an opportunity to escape as quickly as possible and save himself from any more embarrassing blunders.
“I don’t feel too well,” he half-lied, reaching into his wallet and extracting his father’s credit card, which he handed to Midoriya. “I’m going to head back early.”
Midoriya frowned, as did Uraraka.
“Let me walk you back then! If you’re sick, you shouldn’t go alone.” Midoriya reasoned instantly, jumping at the chance to help his friend as per usual. He handed Todoroki’s credit card off to Uraraka and then fished into his pocket, giving her cash for his own meal much to Todoroki’s chagrin.
“No, I wouldn’t want to take you away from everyone,” was Todoroki’s hasty reply, his answer only half-true. Midoriya was having fun and he didn’t want to make him leave early just to tend to him and his invented illness, yes, but mostly Todoroki didn’t want to embarass himself any further than he already had in front of the boy he loved.
Midoriya waved a scarred hand, dismissing his words easily. “I’m sure they won’t miss me much,” he said, smiling kindly. “I’d feel much better knowing you got back to Yuuei safe! Not that you can’t handle yourself, Todoroki, I-I know you have an amazing quirk and obviously you can defend yourself well, it’s just that there’s been so many incidents since we started school and I would hate to see anything happen to you or any of our classmates when I could have been there to help out, especially you since you’re one of my best friends and—”
“I think it’s a good idea to have Deku come with!” Uraraka chimed, helpfully interrupting Midoriya’s endless rambling. “He’s right - four fists are better than two!”
“I agree,” Iida said. “Especially if you’re feeling ill, Todoroki. I think we would all feel better knowing that someone was there to help you should you need it.”
Defeated, Todoroki nodded slowly, bid everyone a quick goodbye, and turned on his heel. He knew exactly what Uraraka was doing — trying to create alone time between him and Midoriya — and Iida had played right into it. There was no way he was going to be able to walk all the way back to Yuuei in Midoriya’s company without doing something to embarrass himself. Or worse — give himself away. If the quirk got too out of hand, it would be impossible for Midoriya not to notice the connection between himself and Todoroki’s quirk-induced aversion to gravity. Still, he didn’t seem to have any other choice but to follow Midoriya out of the restaurant and hope for the best.
When they stepped outside, Midoriya tilted his head upward and smiled up at the night sky. The moon was hanging full and bright above them, bright white against the darkness of the starry expanse of space. A cool breeze drifted past, sweeping some of Midoriya’s hair into his face. Todoroki wanted nothing more than to reach out and tuck it back into place, but the mere idea of doing such a thing had heat rising to his cheeks. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and started the walk back to Yuuei, keeping his gaze focused in front of him.
“Isn’t it nice out?” Midoriya asked as he fell into step beside Todoroki, blinking up at him with those hypnotizing green eyes of his.
Todoroki nodded, risking a glance to his side and regretting it immediately. Midoriya was disarmingly attractive, and before he could stop himself Todoroki felt his heels lifting off the ground. Midoriya noticed immediately—of course he did— and his smile grew wider.
“This is a weird quirk you got hit with! I wish I could find out more about it! It seems to be triggered randomly, doesn’t it?” Midoriya questioned curiously.
“Yes,” Todoroki answered quickly, feeling sweat prickle on the back of his neck out of nervousness. He wanted to say more, perhaps something that would throw Midoriya off a bit, but he didn’t trust himself not to say something stupid. Lately it seemed like he could hardly get through a five minute conversation with his best friend without embarrassing himself somehow.
“Have you noticed anything interesting about it? Maybe a particular event or thing you’ve been thinking about when it was triggered?”
Oh, nothing crazy, just you and your smile that could set the ocean on fire. “No, not really.”
“Hm. Well, depending on how long it lasts, we might be able to figure it out. In the meantime, let’s make sure you don’t float away!” Midoriya laughed as he stepped closer, looping an arm through Todoroki’s so casually and easily that it almost pained the other boy.
The pair walked down the street in silence for a moment, Midoriya peering up at the sky while Todoroki alternated between eyeing the night sky through the sheet of his sleek bangs and casting subtle sideways glances at the mutual point of contact between them. Realistically he knew that he shouldn’t be as flustered as he was by the sight of Midoriya’s scarred arm hooked around one of his, but it was no use. No matter how innocent and casual the touch was intended to be, Todoroki’s useless heart had already taken it and ran.
“You know, we’ve been friends for a long time,” said Midoriya suddenly, breaking the easy silence. He turned his eyes away from the stars and fixed them upon Todoroki’s face, a gentle smile set upon his own.
“We have,” Todoroki agreed, heart warming at the thought. While it was true that he wanted much more than friendship from Midoriya, he thought fondly back upon their friendship and greatly appreciated it. He was half-certain that if it weren’t for Midoriya, he would have graduated from Yuuei without having made a single friend.
“You should call me Izuku,” Midoriya said abruptly.
Todoroki stiffened. “What?”
“Well, we’re close friends, aren’t we?” Midoriya asked, still with that achingly sweet smile. “Tenya and Ochako and I all call each other by our first names. You should too! Or, maybe you could use a nickname? Kacchan and Ochako call me Deku; you could call me that, or come up with something of your own if you wanted.”
Todoroki frowned. Midoriya had adopted the name Deku and turned it into something to be proud of rather than ashamed of, but the idea of calling him that still didn’t sit right with Todoroki. He thought of Bakugou, the way his mouth had twisted into a snarl when he spat the vicious nickname out in their first year. Although Bakugou and Midoriya were on good terms now and the name was said more out of habit than malice, it still felt wrong to call him that. Perhaps it was the fact that Bakugou used the nickname that made Todoroki jealous; he always had been wary of their friendship. After all, Midoriya had more history with Bakugou than anyone else in their class and although not all of their story had been the most pleasant, there had to be some parts of it which Midoriya looked back upon with fondness—why else had he stubbornly referred to Bakugou as “Kacchan” throughout it all?
...And yet, Midoriya’s given name felt so intimate. Uraraka and Iida both had called Midoriya by his first name since the start of their second year, but Todoroki would never have thought he’d have earned the privilege as well. The knowledge that Midoriya considered him to be such a close friend made his cheeks flush and the lightness increase even more.
“Alright,” he agreed, “I’ll call you Izuku if you call me Shouto.”
Midoriya’s face shifted from gentle affection to buzzing excitement in the blink of an eye. “Okay, Shouto!” He exclaimed brightly, his eyes twinkling even brighter than the stars hanging overhead.
Todoroki’s heart skipped a beat or ten at the sound of his name coming from Midoriya’s lips. He’d considered how it would feel to say Midoriya’s given name aloud, but he hadn’t considered what it would be like to hear his own name spoken in Midoriya’s voice. It was as if the name Shouto were more at home in Midoriya’s mouth, like it had been created for the sole purpose of falling from those plush pink lips to ring out in Midoriya’s pleasant, cheerful tone.
As Todoroki desperately attempted to tamp down the butterflies swarming in his stomach, Yuuei came into view. Midoriya was still beaming as he dragged Todoroki into the dorms.
“It’s weird seeing the common room with no one in it, isn’t it?” Midoriya mused as they passed by the empty room on their way to the elevators.
“Yeah,” Agreed Todoroki, two-toned eyes gazing into the silent room as though it were foreign to him. “It looks barren without anyone in there. I used to hate the noise, but it’s comforting now.”
Midoriya sighed wistfully in response. “I’m going to miss everyone when this year’s over,” he said as he started up the staircase, pulling Todoroki to his floor.
“Me too.” Was Todoroki’s simple reply, and he found that he sincerely meant it.
He’d started Yuuei with the intention of becoming a hero as quickly as possible. He hadn’t been at all concerned with building relationships with others, and yet somehow he’d been drawn in by the antics of his class. He thought back to their first year Sports Festival, the determined look set upon Midoriya’s face as he tore down all of Todoroki’s defenses. Then, with a kindness and gentility Todoroki had never thought could exist, his class worked hard to build each other up—to build him up. During his time at Yuuei, Todoroki had found friendship, he’d found love, and he’d found himself. It was startling to realize that soon, he’d no longer see the people responsible for this profound change every day.
It was especially upsetting to realize that Izuku, the instigator of it all, would soon become a faded memory in the background of his life. Shouto dreaded the day they parted ways more than anything. Unconsciously, his arm tightened around Midoriya’s.
“I guess we’ll just have to make sure we all meet up a lot, right? Besides, we’re all going into the same profession; we’ll probably see a lot of each other! Maybe we could even work for the same agencies!” Suggested Midoriya brightly, that easy smile of his instantly abolishing all of Todoroki’s doubts about the future.
“I forgot how stubborn you are,” Todoroki mused, his lips quirking up at the corners in a teasing smile, “even if we wanted to split up, you wouldn’t let us. Once you decide someone’s your friend, they’re your friend.”
Midoriya blushed and bowed his head slightly, bashful. “I-I just want everyone to get along! Besides, if I wasn’t so stubborn, you and I would have never become friends, and then where would I be?” He asked, and his tone was so heartbreakingly kind and sincere that Todoroki half-expected himself to shoot upward like a rocket seeing as he’d just gone dizzy with happiness.
Instead, he drifted slowly upward, a few more inches of space appearing between his feet and the ground. Midoriya cried out in surprise and attempted to tug him back down, only to realize that it was becoming harder to keep Todoroki level with him. It was as if the ground was actually pushing him away rather than the ceiling pulling him upward.
“Geez, Shouto, at this rate I’m not going to be able to get you through your door!” Midoriya exclaimed with a giggle, yanking his friend down with the help of his incredible strength. He tightened his grip on the teen’s arm, holding him firmly in place so that he couldn’t float back up again.
Todoroki laughed as well, Midoriya’s smiles infectious. “And whose fault is that?” He teased happily.
Midoriya stalled in the hallway, blinking curious virescent eyes at him. “ What do you mean?”
Todoroki’s eyes went wide as he realized what he said. “I—I just meant—Um,” he floundered, his good mood dissipating immediately. He dropped to the ground within seconds, making Midoriya blink in surprise.
“You know what’s causing this?” Asked Midoriya with interest, slowly releasing Todoroki’s arm.
“I want some water,” said Todoroki distractedly, making a beeline for his dorm. Midoriya was hot on his trail, following Todoroki down the hallway with questions falling from his lips the whole way.
“What causes it? Is it memories? Is it emotions? Is it triggered by other people? Maybe it’s certain words? It must be a common word, if that’s the case. Do you float indefinitely, or does it stop suddenly? You dropped to the ground really fast just now, which either means it wears off after a certain amount of time until triggered again, or that—”
Todoroki held the door to his room open for Midoriya, who entered without hesitation. The door shut behind him, and then Todoroki was eyeing him with rapidly growing embarrassment as Midoriya continued to try and work out the details of the quirk.
“It can’t be certain words, though, can it? No—it would make much more sense for it to be triggered by an emotion or thought. But then again, quirks rarely make sense, do they? I just think—”
“It happens when I’m happy!” Todoroki interrupted suddenly, unable to take the suspense of waiting for Midoriya to figure it out.
Midoriya stalled. “What?”
“I float when I’m happy,” Todoroki repeated, pale cheeks flushing scarlet at the admission.
“Oh!” Midoriya exclaimed, brightening instantly. “I knew it was an emotional response! Happiness makes sense, too; not a very practical quirk for becoming a hero since most villains aren’t going to be happy when they’re fighting you, but it’s still an interesting—wait.” Midoriya cut himself off, pausing with widened eyes as he looked Todoroki up and down.
Shit, he figured it out. He knows I’m in love with him, he knows everything, he knows, he knows, he—
“Does that mean I did something to upset you?” Midoriya asked worriedly, looking down. Todoroki followed his gaze, realizing he was standing flat on his feet, and resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief.
“Er, no,” Todoroki replied lamely, because he wasn’t so much upsetas he was anxious, but explaining that to Midoriya would require an explanation as to why he was anxious, and that was simply not happening.
“Then why aren’t you floating? Shouto, you know you can tell me anything, right? I don’t want to do anything to upset you, ever,” said Midoriya earnestly, his brows furrowed and his lips curled downward and his bright eyes so full of concern that it nearly shattered Todoroki’s heart.
Todoroki turned his gaze toward the ground, “you didn’t do anything, Izuku.”
“Then why did you hit the ground so fast when you said it was my fault? What did I do?” Midoriya demanded, voice rising a bit in volume to show his frustration.
“I didn’t mean it like that! I just—I just meant that y-you make me happy a lot!” He admitted, unable to look the shorter teen in the eyes as he spoke. His cheeks were burning red, his left side prickling with barely contained heat.
Midoriya’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief, easily accepting the response. “Oh,” he said, smiling gently, “you make me happy a lot too, Shouto. Now that I think about it, you were floating a lot. I didn’t realize you were happy so often when you were with us,” he said cheerfully.
Todoroki frowned. “Did you think I was indifferent to the company of my best friend? Izuku, you’re very important to me.” He stated sternly, somewhat put off by Midoriya’s response. Had his attitude given Midoriya the impression that he was cold and unfeeling? Todoroki thought Midoriya understood how difficult it was for him to express his emotions, how much he struggled to show others how much he cared.
“N-No, of course not!” Cried Midoriya immediately, raising his hands in surrender. “I know you like us! I just—w-well, I never thought t-that I could be the one to make you happy like that,” he said sheepishly. “I-I know I’m kind of annoying and stubborn and that I can be too pushy at times.”
Todoroki felt a vicious pang of sadness and guilt hit him. To think that Midoriya of all people considered himself annoying and unwanted, to think that Shouto had sat by all this time oblivious to his best friend’s insecurities; that he’d fostered them, albeit accidentally, by being so reluctant to express his feelings. If he’d told Midoriya he cared more, if he’d smiled and laughed more, would the teen still see himself in such a negative light?
“You never annoy me,” Todoroki said, needing to reassure the other teen. “You’re my best friend. Even when you’re pushy I know it means you care. Besides, if you weren’t so ridiculously stubborn, I would have never had any friends to begin with, remember? That alone makes you responsible for the vast majority of my happiness.”
Tears were gathering in Midoriya’s eyes. “O-Oh,” he said, bashful, “thank you, Shouto. I-I know it’s not always me, though, you don’t have to act like—”
“It’s you,” Todoroki interjected, stepping forward before he could think better of it. Slowly, gently, he laid his palm against the flushed, freckled skin of Midoriya’s cheek. He paused a moment, as if waiting for Midoriya to smack his hands away or recoil in disgust, but the boy was blinking up at him with eyes widened in amazement and his mouth hanging open. Shouto raised his free hand and rested it on Midoriya’s other cheek, cupping the teen’s face in his hands and relishing in the feeling of being close enough to count each and every one of the boy’s nearly endless freckles. “It’s always you.”
“S-Shouto..." Midoriya started, then stopped. His eyes flickered over his friend’s handsome face once, twice, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “What do you mean?”
“You make me happier than I’ve ever been. Than I ever knew I could be. And yes, I love all of our friends and they make me happy, but you—you’re different. Just the thought of you makes me feel like I’m about to explode, I can’t see your smile without getting dizzy, and when you laugh—oh, my god, when you laugh I see stars. I swear, Izuku, the sun rises in the morning for you. People are better just because they’re around you, because you’re so bright that anyone who comes near you ends up with a piece of your light. It wouldn’t surprise me if every single thing that ever went wrong in the world righted itself just for you. Just to get a glimpse of your smile, or to hear you laugh, or—”
“Shouto,” Midoriya interrupted for once, and now the tears in his eyes were spilling down his cheeks and hanging on his eyelashes.
Todoroki paused, drinking him in. “Hm?”
“I love you,” Midoriya whispered.
And the world righted itself, just like that.
Todoroki flung his arms around Midoriya’s neck, dragging him closer. The shorter boy went without a fight, slipping his strong arms around Todoroki’s waist and squeezing until the space between them was nonexistent. Their lips slotted together, uncoordinated at first but quickly finding the correct rhythm, and it was perfect. It was as if they’d always been meant to come together, as if they’d been designed so that each and every movement of their bodies against one another’s was perfectly synchronized.
And then, Todoroki felt himself being pulled away and scowled, realizing he was being pushed off the ground. Midoriya’s arms slackened momentarily, confused, before he realized what was happening and merely grinned, tightening his arms around Todoroki’s waist and drawing him down again.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he laughed, brushing his lips against Todoroki’s.
But despite Midoriya’s words and Todoroki’s insistence that nothing—not even gravity—would defy Midoriya, his body was still desperate to float away. Todoroki did his best to resist the pull, but there was nothing he could do; he was going up no matter how much he wanted to keep his feet on the ground and stay with Midoriya. Really, this quirk was ridiculously unfair; he was the happiest he’d ever been, and yet he couldn’t for the life of him be with the source of his joy. Todoroki sighed, resigning himself to his fate. He would just have to wait out the quirk on the ceiling.
At least, he thought he would until Midoriya leapt forward, wrapping his arms around Todoroki’s neck and gripping him tightly. For a moment Todoroki thought he was trying to drag him back down again, but as Midoriya’s feet lifted off the ground and the pair went floating upward, he realized that Midoriya was coming with him.
“I’m not letting you go just yet,” said Midoriya with a grin, laughing as the top of their heads bumped against the ceiling.
Todoroki wound his arms around Midoriya’s waist, gripping him tightly. His face was so red he was certain it’d begin to melt soon, but even so he couldn’t bring himself to let go. He was practically overflowing with joy.
“I love you too, for the record,” Todoroki said in response, his lips brushing against Midoriya’s as he did so.
Midoriya beamed brighter than Todoroki had ever seen. Unable to help himself, Todoroki leaned in and began peppering the teen’s face with kisses as Midoriya laughed aloud, bright and happy. Todoroki’s own lips were curled into a brilliant smile as he attempted to kiss every last freckle upon Midoriya’s cheeks.
“S-Shouto, cut it out!” Midoriya laughed. “I’ll let go if you don’t quit it!” He threatened, but he couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice.
“ You can let go all you want; it doesn’t do anything if I won’t let you go.” Todoroki threatened in return, still grinning as he leaned into Midoriya once more.
“You’re evil,” Midoriya groaned, only for his voice to dissolve into happy laughter as Todoroki began his onslaught of kisses once more.
“If being a villain means I get to do this, I’m dropping out of Yuuei effective immediately.”
“Oh my god, that was so cheesy. I didn’t even know you could—”
Midoriya’s words were cut off by the sensation of falling. Without any warning he and Todoroki went crashing to the ground, Midoriya landing on his back with Todoroki draped awkwardly over him.
“Wh—Sh-Shouto, are you—did I do something to upset you?” Asked Midoriya anxiously.
“No,” Todoroki said, blinking rapidly as he pushed himself to sit up, “it must have worn off, because I’m still the happiest I’ve ever been,” he grinned.
“Pfft, you sap,” Midoriya laughed, covering his face with his hands to hide his flushed cheeks.
Todoroki grinned, shifting so that he could straddle Midoriya. “Hey, don’t think you can hide your face from me now,” he teased, resting his palms over Midoriya’s hands and gently pulling them away.
He then leaned down, smiling when Midoriya pushed himself up on his elbows to meet him halfway. Their lips just barely brushed together, soft and slow. Midoriya smiled against Todoroki’s lips and moved to sit up straight, resting his hands on the teen’s slender hips to keep him in place. Todoroki melted helplessly into him, tangling his fingers into the soft, messy green hair he’d so longed to touch.
The door burst open. “TODOROKI! I heard a loud noise and came to investigate, are you—Oh!”
Midoriya let out a cry of surprise and shoved Todoroki off of him. The teen fell to the side with an indignant squawk before quickly righting himself and meeting Iida’s bespectacled gaze.
“T-Tenya!” Midoriya cried aloud, embarrassed. “W-We were just—”
“No need to explain, Izuku, I deeply apologize for the intrusion! Please, continue,” Iida said, red-faced as he slammed the door shut. His running footsteps could be heard growing quieter and quieter as he no doubt sprinted back down to the common room.
Midoriya turned his head and met Todoroki’s eyes. “Well, he did say to continue…”
Todoroki leapt forward, taking Midoriya’s face in his hands and kissing him feverishly before another word could be said.