Chapter Text
Midoriya sits with his legs folded underneath him, the textbook balanced precariously on his knees as he chews on the end of his pen. They’ve been studying for the past two hours. Well, more like Midoriya has been studying and Todoroki has been writing some nonsense down in his notebook every now and then before going back to staring out the windows. The common area has been unusually quiet tonight, which has been a reprieve for Midoriya and Todoroki who have desperately needed to study. But after two hours of peaceful quiet, Bakugou comes storming through the room on his way to the kitchen. He’s yelling backwards at Kaminari who is trailing behind him with a pout on his face.
“I’m not your stupid mother! If you’re hungry then you can feed yourself and not mooch off of my food,” Bakugou growls and starts opening cupboards just to slam them closed moments later. There’s a lot of noise coming from the kitchen for so late on a Friday night.
Midoriya watches Todoroki as Bakugou walks past them. Watches the way Todoroki’s eyes never leave the fiery blonde, even when he’s disappeared around the corner and is out of sight. There is a look in Todoroki’s eyes that Midoriya has seen in his other friends. Sure, perhaps he’s not the most observant when it comes to feelings about him, having not realized for the longest time that Ochako had a crush on him. But he is very attuned to others, having spent most of his young life analyzing people.
After a brief pause, Midoriya returns to his work, pressing the ink to the paper as he begins to write again. The flow of his writing never ceases as he finally breaks the silence between him and his study partner. “I think Kaachan likes you too, but he’s too afraid to admit it.”
The sound of Todoroki’s pen scratching in his notebook stops suddenly and it takes Midoriya a few moments to realize all he can hear is Bakugou yelling in the kitchen. Slowly, he lifts his head to find Todoroki is staring at him with panic in his eyes. Midoriya carefully lays the pen over his notebook and tries to offer Todoroki a reassuring smile.
“I just thought…” Midoriya trails off, beginning to feel flustered all of sudden now that he has to actually say it outloud. “Was I wrong that you like him?” Another period of silence follows and Midoriya opens his mouth to tell Todoroki that he’s not obligated as his friend to tell him that sort of information when Todoroki cuts him off.
“No…” Todoroki begins and sighs. “You’re not wrong.”
He sets his study materials to the side and leans back on his hands, stretching out his stiff limbs after sitting on the floor for so long. He feels the ache deep in his bones and his mind has had been distracted that night more than usual. Having been paired with Bakugou earlier that morning for combat practice had been one of the worst things in recent history to happen to Todoroki. What he had hid so well for a year and a half, was now becoming painfully obvious to ignore. And clearly, others were noticing too if Midoriya could see his feelings written all over his face.
“Is it that obvious? I’m such an idiot…”
“Not really,” Midoriya replies, setting his things aside knowing that they aren’t going to get much more studying done anymore. “At least I don’t think so. Not to everyone,” he corrects himself. “No one has actually said anything to me. And Kaachan certainly has no idea, otherwise I’m sure he’d have acted on it by now. Probably take it as a challenge now that I think about it. But if you like him so much why don’t you say something to him?”
They stare at each other for a moment before Midoriya slowly frowns. “No, you’re right. That’s a bad idea. Kaachan is good at a lot of things, but dealing with feelings has never been his strongest quality. I remember a girl in our middle-school actually confessed to him and he had blown a hole in the hallway wall, they had to-”
“Midoriya,” Todoroki says, although he’s smiling softly at the thought of Bakugou panicking after a girl confessed to him.
“Right, well… maybe you could test the waters then.”
So Todoroki does. But instead of testing the waters like Midoriya suggests, he plunges right off the deep end headfirst. Bakugou has him pinned to the mat, his arms framing Todoroki’s face as he sits on his hips. There is a triumph smirk on Bakugou’s face and there is sweat dripping dangerously down his forehead. They’re both breathing quickly from the fight. It had been a good spar, despite Aizawa telling them time had been called 15 minutes ago, they kept on until eventually Bakugou was able to claim the victory.
“I like you,” Todoroki says flat on his back as he stares into Bakugou’s eyes.
Slowly, Bakugou’s eyes widen. Todoroki has no idea what to expect, but it’s certainly not Bakugou shoving away from him roughly and knocking his elbow into Todoroki’s face in his frantic effort to get away. He’s storming out of the arena, his palms crackling as Todoroki sits up dazed. Midoriya and Ochako both rush over to him in horror and Todoroki tells them it’s not a big deal.
But it is a big deal because the next day, Todoroki wakes up with a black eye. Gingerly touching it while glancing in the mirror he winces and toys with the idea of asking Momo for some make-up to cover it up, but decides against it. And the look on Bakugou’s face when he walks into the classroom is priceless. He can actually see the other boy pale when he notices the bright shiner, maring the other side of his face.
Todoroki is oblivious to the whispers around him, too busy noticing the way Bakugou is half-turned in his chair and keeps casting him glances every now and then when Aizawa has his back to the class. It’s not till late at night when the hallways are empty that Bakugou corners him on his way back to the dorms from studying with Midoriya again. When Bakugou slams him against the wall, Todoroki tries to ignore the shiver that crawls up his spine while Bakugou glares at him.
“I did that?”
Sometimes Todoroki cannot believe the daftness that is Bakugou. “Well I didn’t do it to myself.”
“Don’t be smart!”
Todoroki is surprised when Bakugou lifts his hand and brushes Todoroki’s bangs away from his face to gently ghost along the bruise. Another shiver racks through Todoroki’s body, but he stands completely still, only wincing slightly when Bakugou pushes on the bruise softly. And oh he doesn’t miss the way Bakugou’s tongue darts across his bottom lip when he does. He keeps his eyes locked on the slightly shorter boy and swallows thickly.
“I meant what I said the other day,” Todoroki says, breaking the silence.
“Shut up,” Bakugou responds, but continues to gently press on the purple and black spot, causing a soft spark of pain to travel through Todoroki’s body.
“Does that mean you like me too?”
Bakugou glares at him, but steps closer. He grabs a fist full of Todoroki’s hair and jerks him close so their lips are barely touching. “You’re such an idiot, Half-n-Half.” And then Todoroki is closing the distance before Bakugou can say anything else. Bakugou responds fiercely in kind, shoving Todoroki once more against the wall as his fist clenches in the dual strands.
The moan that leaves Todoroki’s mouth is absolutely sinful and Bakugou drinks it in. Gets drunk on that sound and drowns in it. It’s all Bakugo needs before he’s pressing his tongue into Todoroki’s mouth, fighting for the dominance he so rightfully deserves. They part, both breathless, but eager for more. Bakugou rests his forehead gently against Todoroki’s own forehead as they catch their breath and it’s strangely intimate.
“If you ever say something so stupid again in front of everyone, I’ll kill you.”
Over the next few days, the bruise around Todoroki’s face fades away, much to Bakugou’s displeasure. He enjoyed seeing Todoroki with that mark around his perfect eye, everyone knowing he was the one who caused it. There was a possessiveness that he felt over Todoroki suddenly. He hated the way the girls paid particular attention to him. Hated when Todoroki smiled at them nervously or when they felt they had a right to reach out and brush their fingers along his arm.
That just wasn’t going to work, not for Bakugou anyways. He waits until Todoroki files out of the classroom at the end of the day before he grabs onto his arm and starts dragging him away. If Todoroki is surprised, he doesn’t show it, but instead obediently follows Bakugou until they end up at his dorm room. Bakugou is jerking open the door and shoving him inside roughly before kicking the door shut. He sets a predatory gaze on Todoroki and smirks.
Todoroki nervously looks around the neat and organized room for the first time. “This is nice-” he starts, but is cut off by Bakugou gripping his chin tighter and jerking his head back so that he’s staring into Bakogu’s fiery eyes.
“Be my boyfriend.”
If Todoroki’s mouth wasn’t being held so tightly, it would have fallen open. Instead, he searches through Bakugou’s eyes for any hint of malice, but instead finds a vulnerability so uncharacteristic of Bakugou. It’s then he realizes he can feel the slight shake of Bakugou’s hand as he grips him. Slowly, he lets his own guard down. Finally, he gives one gentle nod.
“Okay, Bakugou.”
Bakugou slowly grins before he kisses Todoroki roughly. Todoroki imprints that smile in his mind for later, because how rare it was to see Bakugou genuinely smile. Suddenly, gravity is giving out as Todoroki is shoved to the bed and Bakugou crawls on top of him. He grips the button-down uniform and jerks it open, sending buttons flying in every direction. Todoroki is about to protest when Bakugou speaks.
“Oh shut up. Not like you can’t afford more uniforms.”
Which was entirely besides the point. But the argument dies on Todoroki’s lips when Bakugou presses his own against Todoroki’s neck. His eyes flutter shut and a soft gasp slips out. His hand reaches up and grips the back of Bakugou’s shirt where the material is sticking slightly to Bakugou’s sweaty skin.
He groans and arches into the touches that had started out gentle but now have become rough as Bakugou bites and licks at his sensitive skin. Todoroki brings his free hand to his mouth to try to muffle the sounds that are slipping out. He can feel Bakugou’s hard-on presses against his leg where Bakugou is straddling him and it’s doing nothing to quell his excitement. He’s gently rutting his hips pathetically against Bakugou’s sin, trying to create an added friction. Suddenly, Bakugou grabs onto his hand and jerks it away from his mouth.
“No. I want to fucking hear you.”
“B… Bakugou, everyone might be able to hear me.”
“Good,” Bakugou says, leaning back down and biting hard onto Todoroki’s throat. “I hope they do and I hope they recognize you’re mine.”
Over the next few days, Todoroki tries in vain to pull the collar of his shirt over the bright hickeys littering his neck, but he can still hear the whispers around him. Bakugou wears the smuggest look on his face and even though Todoroki is a little embarrassed, he finds himself gingerly touching the bruises throughout class, pressing on them the way that Bakugou does just to watch him squirm. It’s in those quiet moments he spends in his own head, that he knows Bakugou will be the death of him.
Eventually, Todoroki stops trying to hide the hickeys as the months go by and he becomes more comfortable in their relationship. It’s no longer a secret that he and Bakugou are dating, afterall. Bakugou saw to that when he refused to let Todoroki quiet his voice when they were together. The first time Bakugou had gone down on him, Todoroki who was normally never vocal, was unable to control the loud and lewd moans as Bakugo worked his tongue over his straining cock. It was amazing to discover that Bakugou’s tongue had other uses besides slinging obscenities and picking fights.
But the more their relationship continues through the months, surpassing the seasons and exams, the more Todoroki realizes that he’s starting to fall hard for the explosive aspiring hero. There comes a realization that all the irksome things that Bakugou had done in their first year that annoyed him, he now finds endearing. Bakugou’s wit made him able to hold intelligent conversations and they surprisingly would stay up late, discussing the state of the hero world, discussing what kind of heroes they wanted to be and where they’d go when they graduated.
Even on the rare occasions when they fought, their voices raw from the yelling, both fiercely refusing to back-down from some petty argument, Todoroki still found those fights comforting in the morning when the dust cleared. Neither felt the need to apologize for the fight, instead their apologies were expressed in the make-up sex. And even though sometimes, their relationship felt a little raw around the edges each and every time, they always re-built the fractures stronger. It wasn’t a perfect relationship, but Todoroki often felt it was perfect in its imperfections.
They’ve just finished sparing late at night when they know they shouldn’t be. But Todoroki has noticed Bakugou has been agitated all day, which means he’s had no outlet for his aggression. If there’s one thing Todoroki has learned over the last year of being with Bakugou, it’s that he will either fight or fuck his aggression out. They’ve just been laying there, the only sounds within the night are the cicadas and the sound of their breathing.
“If I asked you to take a chance on me, would you do it?” Todoroki asks, breaking the stillness of the night.
As he says it, Todoroki slowly entwines his fingers with Bakugou’s as they lay side by side on the cool grass staring up at the starless sky. It starts to make Todoroki feel dizzy, the total blackness of the night sky threatening to pull him in. He rolls onto his side, still holding onto Bakugou’s hand and stares over at him. Todoroki hopes that Bakugou lever loses that spark he’s fallen in love with. Hopes they never forget who they are when they’re together.
Bakugou hesitates as the heat begins to rise high on his cheeks, turning his ears pink, but he squeezes Todoroki’s hand in return. “The hell is that even supposed to mean.”
“Let’s move in together when we graduate,” Todoroki offers.
Bakugou snorts and tugs his hand from Todoroki’s grip and pushes himself up off the ground. He stretches slowly, his muscles protesting under the strain. He glances towards Todoroki who is staring up at him curiously, but Bakugou can also see the hesitancy because Todoroki is afraid to get hurt.
“Why would you want that?”
“I love you, and that’s the beginning and end to everything. So please, let this work out.” Todoroki has been thinking a lot about the future and all the uncertainties it holds. But lately, more than anything, he is absolutely certain that he wants to spend it with Bakugou. He doesn’t want to navigate the unknown without him. But he’s just been too afraid to ask the other. Now though, it seems more and more they are running out of time.
Bakugou simply rolls his eyes and rather than give an answer, he asks, “Why do you love me?”