Chapter 15
The first match of the battle tournament is between Asui and the purple-haired boy from General Studies, whose name is apparently Shinsou Hitoshi. He's curious as to what his quirk is, but he doesn't get to see it because as soon as the match starts, Asui flicks out her tongue and wraps it around Shinsou's waist, flinging him out-of-bounds. It's an awfully swift defeat, and Izuku spares a wince of pity for the other boy as he claps for his classmate. Shinsou seemed so determined to get into the hero course, it's kind of unfortunate that he got taken down so easily. But perhaps it was just a bad match-up.
'Or,' Izuku reconsiders as he watches Asui turn away without a single ounce of remorse on her face, 'Perhaps he shouldn't have pissed off class 1-A.'
The next match has the crowd roaring with excitement. It's only natural; Todoroki has taken first place in the preliminary events. He'd probably make Sports Festival history if he won in all three competitions.
Izuku feels a little bad for Sero. Despite being friends with the boy, Todoroki is the most powerful student in class 1-A for a reason. Hopefully, the fight won't be as short as the last one-
"Start!"
-Actually, it turns out to be even shorter.
The crowd is dead quiet. A massive glacier stands in the middle of the arena, jagged spikes jutting over the top of the stadium. It groans under its own weight, and even in the infirmary Izuku can feel how cold the air has suddenly gotten. Everyone, including Izuku, stares in awe at the evidence of Todoroki's sheer power.
At the very bottom of the glacier, Sero stands nearly completely frozen in ice.
"Don't… don't you think that's a bit much?" His voice is tiny over the TV screen.
Recovery Girl lets out a whoosh of air. "I'll repeat myself: There is something to be said about brute force…" Even she sounds impressed. Then, she huffs, "But this boy is giving us an awful lot of frostbite to deal with."
Izuku doesn't respond, too busy watching as Todoroki moves towards Sero the moment his victory is announced. The boy stands under the eyes of the crowd shouting condolences for his defeated opponent, melting what he had frozen himself with his left hand. There's no triumph in his posture, however. No… even though Izuku can't see his face, something about Todoroki seems very sad to him.
"Ah, well," Recovery Girl tsks a few moments later, catching his attention once more, "I'll go ahead and see to that poor boy. Stay here in case anyone comes by, you know the drill."
Izuku nods, noticing that Sero is looking a little stiff as he's finally freed from his icy prison. Once the glacier is melted, Present Mic announces a brief hiatus while the stage dries off. Izuku turns away from the screen, frowning.
That was certainly an… impressive display of power from Todoroki. Unnecessary, though. He could've defeated Sero with a much smaller attack, so what prompted him to… to show off like that?
He gets his answer when Todoroki walks through the door again a few minutes later, this time without knocking. He's glaring at the ground and his jaw is clenched, but he looks up when he sees Izuku. The freckled boy pauses, taking him in. A thin layer of frost coats his right side, spanning across his skin and creeping onto his cheek. Looking closer, Izuku also realizes that he's shivering ever so slightly.
Todoroki doesn't seem like he's going to move any closer, so Izuku gets up and slowly approaches him. Mismatched eyes watch him for a moment, then drop.
"Saw my old man before the match," he says quietly as Izuku comes to stand in front of him, "Told me to stop being childish and to focus on surpassing All Might."
Izuku gazes at him, then looks at his nearly-frozen right side. He can't see his skin, but he has no doubt that there's frostbite. His hand reaches for his arm, but the layer of ice prevents him from making skin contact.
He hesitates. "Todoroki-kun… you need to unfreeze yourself."
Todoroki acts like he doesn't hear him. His fist clenches.
"I got angry," he hisses through clenched teeth. His gaze is still averted.
"Todoroki-kun," Izuku says, gently putting a hand on his shoulder to make him look at him, "You're going to hurt yourself. I need you to warm yourself up."
Todoroki inhales shakily through his nose, and when he exhales, a cold puff of air brushes Izuku's curls. He's never seen his classmate look so... ruffled before. It doesn't show on his face, but he can see the swirling turmoil of emotions in his eyes.
He seems… lonely. So terribly, miserably lonely, and maybe that's why he told Izuku about his past. Maybe that's why he's come to him now, because he's the only one who knows. Because he just needed someone to understand. It must be so horribly isolating to have to go through what Todoroki has gone through all on his own. He always seems so stoic, but maybe… maybe he just needs a friend.
Todoroki stares at him for a few moments, slowly breathing in and out. Gradually, the ice on his body starts to melt away, revealing red, irritated skin. It's not as bad as Izuku thought it would be, but he reaches out to heal it anyways. Todoroki steps back after a second.
Neither of them speak right away. Todoroki's eyes are still troubled, switching back and forth between quiet distress and cold fury. Izuku takes a deep, steadying breath. Then-
"I… I'm sorry about… everything that happened to you," he says, keeping his voice soft, "But... I still think you should use your fire."
Todoroki's jaw clenches. "Weren't you listening to what I said? I don't need his power to win. I refuse to let myself be controlled by him."
"But you are," Izuku insists. He has no idea what he's doing, but All Might told him to do what his heart tells him, so he's going to listen. Even if it's not what Todoroki wants to hear. "You are letting yourself be controlled by him. You're… You're letting him hold you back. This hatred you hold for him is only going to hurt you."
"It's not that simple." Todoroki glowers.
"I know it's not. I know there's a lot more to it, and I know there's probably a lot I still don't know about," Izuku admits, "I don't think I'll ever truly understand what you've gone through, but… You're letting him become a weakness. If you keep this up, if you keep ignoring this other half of you, all you're going to do is hurt yourself. You know you're susceptible to frostbite, you need the heat to negate the effects. You could be so much stronger if you just-"
"Don't!" Todoroki suddenly snaps, pulling away, "Don't say that. Don't sound like him."
Izuku pauses, holding up his hands placatingly. Todoroki watches him with narrowed eyes for a tense moment, but it doesn't seem like he's about to run away.
Slowly, carefully, Izuku continues, "I'm just going to say this… everyone out there is giving it their best. To… to ignore half of yourself, to only fight with half of your power- it's incredibly disrespectful to your peers. Everyone has worked so hard to get to this point; how do you think it would feel if someone beat you with one of their hands tied behind their back?"
Todoroki's eyes flash, but he says nothing.
Izuku takes a deep breath. "I get that you want to spite your father by winning the Sports Festival without your fire, but how far will that take you? How far will spite and anger take you? Will you be a hero fueled by those negative emotions? Because let me tell you something Todoroki-kun, if that's the case, then you're going to become just like your father."
It's harsh, and Izuku hates saying it, but it's necessary. Todoroki inhales sharply and for a moment, a brief flash of anger passes over his face. He opens his mouth to retort, or yell, or curse, but nothing comes out. He just keeps staring at Izuku with wide, unreadable eyes.
He needs to end this. "I know you hate your father, Todoroki-kun," Izuku whispers, "But you shouldn't hate your quirk too."
Todoroki's breath hitches. "It's not-" He stutters, "I… his power- I won't-"
That catches Izuku's attention.
"It's not his power," he says firmly, "It's yours, isn't it? That's why your body aches for the heat it knows is there. That's why denying this half of yourself will only get you hurt, will only make you weak." He gives him a weak, sad smile. "And that is how Endeavor is still controlling you."
Silence follows his words.
Todoroki stares at him, his face going slack. He's completely still, not moving a single inch as he stays rooted to the spot, his eyes never leaving Izuku's for a second. He looks… God, Izuku can't even describe the expression on his face. But it doesn't matter, because in the next moment he lets out a slow, shaky exhale, as if he'd been holding his breath for minutes. As the air escapes his lips, steam starts rising off the left side of his body.
Izuku smiles. "You can do it," he says softly.
Todoroki's throat clicks as he swallows. Then, a small flame flickers to life on his left forearm, soon joined by another, then another, until a thin line of flames is dancing along his arm, curling around his shoulder and flitting between his fingers.
Another shuddering sigh. His hand clenches. The flames go out.
"I… I can't-" His voice rasps and he coughs slightly to clear it. "I can't control it."
"That's fine," Izuku says, "You'll learn. Like we all do."
Holding his gaze, Todoroki slowly nods. He still looks uncertain, but it's enough.
Not much is said between them after that. They kind of just stand there for a while, Izuku waiting patiently as Todoroki works through whatever thoughts and emotions he's battling with now. His brows are furrowed as he looks at the ground, but he occasionally glances back up at Izuku, expression unreadable.
Soon, the familiar pitter-patter of Recovery Girl's footsteps approaches from the hall, dragging them both out of their reverie. The door slides open and his mentor startles when she sees them both standing there. Before she can say anything, however, Todoroki bows his head politely and steps past her.
He glances back at Izuku one last time before the door closes, and when their eyes meet, he can hear Todoroki's wordless response clearly.
'Thank you.'
The fight between Kacchan and Uraraka is brutal to watch. Not because of the merciless explosions the blond sends her way, but because, despite the obvious, immense differences in their strength, Uraraka still gets so close to winning. No matter how many times she gets blasted across the arena, she gets right back up and tries even harder. She comes up with a brilliant plan, one that takes the whole audience by surprise, but it's all for naught. Kacchan is too strong, too clever, and he burns her plan to smithereens and fights until she collapses.
Izuku is grateful that Aizawa defended Kacchan the way he did. He knows his friend better than anyone, and when the crowd started accusing him of being cruel, his heart sank to his stomach. But Aizawa made everyone realize that all Kacchan was doing was acknowledging the strength of his opponent and doing what he had to in order to come out on top.
Izuku wonders when Aizawa got to know Kacchan so well.
Recovery Girl stays true to her word and doesn't allow him to heal Uraraka since she lost. She heals the worst of Uraraka's wounds with her quirk, leaving her only with a few scratches that Izuku cleans and bandages. He manages to convince his mentor to let him escort her back to the stands, but once they leave, Uraraka insists on going to one of the waiting rooms instead.
"You really don't have to come with me," she says, smiling reassuringly, "I feel fine now, just a little tired from Recovery Girl's quirk."
"I just wanna make sure you get there all right. It's the least I could do." He rubs the back of his neck uncertainly. "I… I feel a little bad. I know Kacchan can be rough, but-"
"I'm glad he didn't hold back," Uraraka interrupts, sounding surprisingly unbothered, "Even though losing sucks, I think I would've felt even worse if he had let me win. At least I know that he was taking me seriously."
"Oh." He blinks, taken aback. "That's… That's really mature, Uraraka-kun." He smiles at her.
She returns his smile, then bares her teeth in determination. "You better tell your precious 'Kacchan' that I'm going to kick his ass next time!"
Izuku lets out a surprised laugh. Uraraka laughs too, dispelling any worries that might have weighed at his heart. He wonders why he doesn't hang out with her more often- she's so cool.
He escorts her to one of the waiting rooms and leaves when she tells him that she's going to call her father. A particularly loud cheer from the arena lets him know that Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's match must've ended, so he hurries to get back to the infirmary.
Before he can even get close though, Endeavor suddenly appears out of nowhere, stepping into the corridor. Izuku just barely manages to stop himself from colliding with the man. Squeaking in surprise, he stumbles backwards as Endeavor's gaze turns to him.
"Oh. It's you," he rumbles in a low voice.
Izuku gulps and tries not to cower. The Flame Hero is surrounded in such an intense aura that Izuku feels like he could suffocate if he gets too close. The fact that he's massive doesn't help either.
He hasn't seen Endeavor since the recommendation exam. Recalling the hostility he faced makes Izuku's stomach churn with anxiety. Recovery Girl's scolding no doubt wounded Endeavor's pride, but surely he wouldn't be so outwardly aggressive towards Izuku now? It was just a misunderstanding, a mistake on the hero's part for making assumptions.
Judging by Endeavor's expression as he gazes down at him now, he can tell that the older man doesn't quite know what to make of him.
Izuku, on the other hand, knows exactly how he feels about Endeavor now that he knows the truth from Todoroki. He has more than a few choice words to throw in his face- if only he could get past his nerves…
"You healed my son after the cavalry battle, didn't you?" Endeavor eyes him up and down. Izuku gulps, nodding. He gets the feeling that the man is rather unimpressed. "Thank you for that. However, it was foolish of him to get injured in the first place. It was easily avoidable too." He growls, seemingly to himself, then says, "If he gets hurt by that Bakugou boy again, don't heal him."
Izuku stiffens. "Er…" He stammers, "Healing is… kind of my job…"
"He needs to learn his lesson," Endeavor insists, "My Shouto should be strong enough to avoid getting injuries."
Izuku's jaw clenches. 'My Shouto', he said, as if Todoroki is some sort of possession. It ignites a familiar feeling in Izuku's chest, one that's both indignant and desperate for freedom at the same time.
"I'm going to become the best damn hero this world has ever seen, and you're going to become the best damn healer. And you are going to be mine."
Ah. That's why this is familiar.
"Yeah, alright, sure," Izuku huffs sarcastically, "But when Recovery Girl-san gets pissed off, I'm sending her to you."
Endeavor raises a brow. "I see her attitude has already rubbed off on you." He lifts his chin and haughtily gazes down at him. "Forgive me for asking, but what exactly is your relationship with our beloved Symbol of Peace?"
Izuku blinks in surprise. "Huh?"
Endeavor narrows his eyes. "I've been trying to figure you out ever since the recommendation exam. I can't imagine why someone like All Might would go out of his way to sponsor someone who won't even be a real hero."
Now THAT pisses Izuku off. Straightening up, he glares at Endeavor and says, "Well, perhaps All Might simply wanted to help me out because he's smart enough to recognize the importance of healers, especially to hero schools like UA." His tone drips with false politeness.
"I didn't mean to imply that they're not important," Endeavor growls lowly, "But their place certainly isn't within the ranks of future heroes as if they're equals. I don't understand why All Might would waste his precious time in the first place."
Izuku has to repeatedly remind himself that punching a pro hero would not be a wise idea. He knows what Endeavor is looking for. He wants to know how the number one hero happened to meet some kid with a healing quirk, and why he was impressed enough to help him get into one of the best hero schools in Japan. But he can't say that he healed All Might, he can't expose a weakness as great as that, especially not to someone like Endeavor.
He needs to get out of this situation.
"I don't think All Might saw it that way," he says simply, trying to keep his voice steady, "But speaking of time, I'm currently wasting mine. So, if you'll excuse me…"
He averts his gaze and tries to move past, but Endeavor stretches an arm out to stop him. He doesn't touch him, just blocks his path with a large hand. Izuku can feel the heat radiating off it as he turns to look at Endeavor.
The Flame Hero's gaze is piercing, his face showing the barest hints of a snarl as he glares down at the boy. "Why you?" He hisses, looking as if he's struggling to solve a particularly difficult puzzle, "What's so special about you?"
Izuku's heart threatens to jump out of his throat, but he swallows it down and smiles sweetly up at Endeavor. "There's nothing special about me, Endeavor-san," he says softly, "I'm just a kid with a healing quirk."
Endeavor is silent for a few long moments. Holding his fiery gaze is just about the hardest thing Izuku has ever done, but he manages it until Endeavor finally lowers his hand, letting him walk away. Izuku still feels his eyes drilling holes into the back of his head as he leaves.
As soon as he's alone, he leans against a wall and lets out a huge sigh of relief, pressing a hand to his chest to steady his racing heart. He didn't realize it earlier, but his whole body is trembling faintly. He gives himself a few moments to calm down, then continues on to the infirmary. He really has been gone too long.
"You know, you two didn't have to come with her," Recovery Girl says as soon as Izuku steps into the room. He's surprised to see Mirio and Amajiki standing together, supporting a girl between them that looks like she's about to pass out. "I'm sure you have your own matches to prepare for."
"Nonsense!" Mirio chirps, "Friends always come first! We stick together!" He spots Izuku and grins brightly. "My little kouhai! There you are!"
"You certainly took your time," Recovery Girl says, clearly miffed.
Izuku winces. "Sorry, I got held up." He eyes the girl worriedly. "What's wrong?"
She raises her head tiredly and gives him a weak smile, but Mirio speaks before she can. "This is our friend Hado Nejire! She just kicked butt in her last match, but she overused her quirk and now she's super sleepy!"
"Normally, I can't do anything about this one," Recovery Girl says, "Her quirk is very similar to yours in that it relies on her utilizing her own stamina. And just like you, when she overuses it-"
"She exhausts herself," Izuku finishes. His mentor nods.
"Of course, using my quirk on her would only make things worse," she says, "But now we have you."
Mirio tilts his head curiously. "Your quirk uses your stamina too?"
Izuku nods. "Yeah. It's like… like a transfer of energy. I give people my own energy and it helps heal them." He looks at Hado. "I've never tried giving any to someone that isn't injured, but I'll try…"
Mirio and Amajiki watch as Izuku gently places a hand on Hado's forehead. As soon as his quirk activates, he takes note of the girl's own energy. It isn't swirling around any particular point, like it would with a wound, but it definitely feels weak. Almost like how All Might's missing organs felt, except that there isn't a complete absence of energy, just a lack of it. As usual, he tries his best to control the flow of his own energy as it leaves his body, but it escapes him before he can even fully grasp it.
Hado perks up as soon as he pulls his hand away.
"Wow!" She exclaims, "I feel so much better! Even better than I did this morning! Thanks, Midoriya-kun!"
He smiles. "You're welcome."
"Or Midoriya-chan? Mido-chan? Can I call you that?" She gasps, eyes widening, "Can I call you kouhai?! No fair that Togata-kun gets a kouhai and I don't!" Her cheeks puff up as she pouts. A second later, she smiles again and squeals, "Oh, you're just so adorable! I love your hair!"
Izuku flushes as she squeezes his cheeks and continues to chat away. She really likes to talk a lot. He almost regrets replenishing her energy. Still, he'd take her over Endeavor anyday.
"Er, did you all make it to the final event?" He manages to ask while Hado is taking a breath between sentences.
"Yup!" Mirio puffs up his chest proudly. "It's the first time either of us have made it this far!"
"I hate all the attention," Amajiki whispers, eyes fixed on the ground.
Izuku frowns in concern, noticing the slight quiver in the taller boy's frame. As a fellow sufferer of anxiety, he sympathizes. He places a hand on Amajiki's shoulder, causing him to look up in surprise, and gives him the kindest smile he can offer. "Don't worry, Amajiki-kun. I don't like the spotlight either- it makes me nervous- but you shouldn't let it get to your head. I'm sure you'll do great."
Amajiki stares at him, wide-eyed. Then, his face slowly starts turning red. A second later, he suddenly jumps behind Mirio and buries his face in the boy's back, a deep flush still visible on the tips of his pointy ears.
Izuku pulls away and glances at the other two upperclassmen in confusion. "Uh… did I say something wrong…?"
Mirio only answers by bursting out into laughter while Hado rolls her eyes.
"Alright, alright," Recovery Girl interrupts, making a shooing motion with her hands, "If you're all fine and dandy now then you can leave. We have work to do."
"Right, sorry, Recovery Girl," Mirio apologizes, still smiling. He wraps a beefy arm around each of his friends' shoulders and leads them to the door. "See ya later, kouhai!"
"Bye, senpai!" Izuku giggles.
"Hey!" Hado protests, twisting around to look at Izuku as she's dragged out the door, "You come eat with us at lunch sometime, alright Mido-chan?"
"Uh…" Thankfully, Izuku is saved from answering by the door closing behind them. Silence fills the infirmary, only broken by the cheers from the TV.
Recovery Girl sighs, "How are you feeling?"
Izuku blinks and takes note of himself. "Oh. Actually, I'm a lot more tired than before. Not exhausted or anything, but I guess Hado-kun needed a lot of energy to replace."
"Well, sit down for a bit, then," Recovery Girl says, nodding at his chair, "I need you to last until the final round. From the way things are going…" She glances at the TV and Izuku follows her gaze. "The fight between Todoroki-kun and Bakugou-kun is going to end in blood."
On the screen, Izuku can see the fight between Todoroki and Asui. The frog-like girl is agile enough to avoid Todoroki's attacks, but when she tries to grab him with her tongue, he blocks with a wall of ice. It's two long-distance fighters against each other. Eventually, however, the chilled temperature of the air begins to affect Asui and she slows down long enough for Todoroki to trap her in a slab of ice, securing his victory.
He doesn't use his fire once.
Izuku presses his lips together and looks away. "I want to ask how Hado-kun uses her quirk in battle," he says instead, "I know our quirks must work differently, at least in regards to output, but surely she must have more control over hers than I do. Maybe she can give me some ideas on how I can control mine..."
Recovery Girl hums in thought. "It's not a bad idea. You can take her up on that offer to eat lunch with them."
Izuku's face heats up. Just the thought of eating lunch with upperclassmen makes him nervous. He never thought he'd be making friends with third-years when he came to UA.
Asui ends up being carried to the infirmary, fast asleep. Apparently, due to her frog-like nature, when she's exposed to extremely cold temperatures she goes into hibernation. Recovery Girl expertly swaddles her in a heated blanket and lets her nap on a bed while Izuku watches the fight between Iida and a girl with a vine quirk from class 1-B.
The next few matches go fairly quickly. The fight between Kirishima and Kacchan is particularly interesting to watch- Izuku's never seen someone who's able to withstand his friend's explosions for so long before. However, despite Kirishima's brawn, Kacchan is clever and wins in the end with a round of searing explosions. As soon as the redhead collapses, Recovery Girl sighs and prepares to deal with more burns.
To their surprise, Kacchan is the one to bring Kirishima to the infirmary while Iida and Todoroki fight. It's probably because he just wanted to get the gash on his cheek treated, but Izuku doesn't miss the way he glances at Kirishima as the other boy is being treated by Recovery Girl. Izuku arches a brow questioningly when the blond looks back at him.
Kacchan pauses, then grunts, "Not bad."
Izuku gives him a shit-eating grin.
To no one's surprise, the final round ends up being between Kacchan and Todoroki. Izuku takes a seat and watches the screen with bated breath. As much as he loves his best friend, he can't help mentally rooting for Todoroki a little bit. He knows that if Kacchan loses to the other boy one more time, he'll be insanely furious. But… if Todoroki is going to use his fire against anyone, it would be Kacchan. Only he is strong enough to force it out of him. If Todoroki really wants to win, then he'll have to use his fire against Kacchan.
"Start!"
Todoroki immediately traps Kacchan within a massive glacier, similar to the one he used against Sero, but Kacchan blasts his way out of it in a matter of moments. He then uses his explosions to launch himself at Todoroki, grabbing him and launching him over his shoulder, trying to throw him out of bounds. Izuku doesn't miss the way he grabbed Todoroki by his left side- pretty much everyone has realized at this point that Todoroki won't use his fire. The boy saves himself from going out of bounds by making an ice slide, but it's a close call.
As the fight continues, and Todoroki shows no sign of flames, Izuku steadily gets more and more nervous. The rock in his stomach has returned, but this time, Izuku has trouble sitting still, despite his fatigue. He fidgets and shifts until Recovery Girl asks him what's wrong, to which he responds by asking if he can be excused.
"I'll be right back, I promise!" He says, already rushing out the door.
"Midoriya-kun!" His mentor exclaims.
Todoroki is going to lose. No matter how much ice he sends at Kacchan, the blond just blows it away. He's beginning to tire, his dodges become too narrow, and he's getting burned repeatedly. The crowd roars as Izuku runs down one of the entrance tunnels, stopping right before the edge and takes a deep breath.
'Sorry, Kacchan'
"Todoroki-kun! Don't lose! Do your best!"
His cry rings across the field. Todoroki tenses up.
Then, the arena bursts into flames.
Katsuki can't see Zuku's eyes, but he knows they're not on him. He hears his friend cry out, but it's not for him.
Once again, Katsuki loses.
Somehow, it hurts more this time.
"Don't fucking touch me."
Izuku freezes at Kacchan's growl. The blond is sitting in front of him on the bed, covered from head-to-toe in a variety of burns, bruises, and frostbite. His whole body is tense, muscles quivering with rage as he glares at the ground with crimson eyes. Usually, when Kacchan gets mad, he's loud and violent about it, but now…
Izuku has never seen his friend so angry before.
He gulps. "Ka… Kacchan?"
Kacchan doesn't look at him. "Just let Recovery Girl use her quirk on me."
"Bu-But it'll make you tired-"
"It's alright, Midoriya-kun," Recovery Girl says, watching the two boys carefully, "I'll just heal him halfway, so I don't completely drain him. It's not like he has another fight after this."
She kisses Kacchan on the cheek and the blond doesn't budge. Doesn't make a sound. Anxiety claws at Izuku's heart as he turns to his mentor helplessly. She gives him a look, then Kacchan, then turns to the door. "I'll go see what's keeping that Todoroki boy."
She's clearly just giving him and Kacchan some space to talk.
As soon as she's gone, Izuku turns to his friend nervously. "Kacchan… I… I understand that you're upset, but-"
"You cheered for him," Kacchan suddenly says, his voice barely above a whisper, "You cheered… for him." Finally, he lifts his head, and when he does, he glares at Izuku. "Why?"
Izuku stares, frozen. How can he explain this to him? He can't tell him about Todoroki's past- that would be a huge betrayal of trust. But how could he explain why he's glad that Todoroki won? Why it was more than just about winning for Todoroki? How happy he is that he used his flames…
Eventually, he says, "I just… I thought- if Todoroki-kun didn't use his flames, if he won without them, then it would be worse. For you, I mean. I know it sucks that he won, but at least you know that he was taking you seriously." He unconsciously repeats Uraraka's words. "If… If you had beat him when he was only fighting with half his power… then I think you would have been really upset…"
Kacchan gazes at him for a few moments, then drops his eyes. His shoulders slump. He looks tired. Izuku hesitantly places his hands on Kacchan's wrists, sliding them up his forearms as he steps closer between the blond's thighs. Kacchan inhales deeply as his wounds finish healing, then wraps his arms around Izuku's lower back, pulling him closer and plopping his forehead on his shoulder.
"I… I fucking lost," he whispers, as if he can't quite believe it yet.
Izuku idly scratches his spiky hair. "Well, you did win second place…"
"I'm… I'm not the best. I'm not the strongest. He is." Then, slowly, Katsuki's arms begin to tighten around Izuku's waist and he snarls in a deadly low voice, "I'm going to kill that fucker."
Izuku sweatdrops. "Ah… how about a friendly rivalry?" He suggests weakly.
Kacchan acts like he doesn't hear him, too busy growling obscenities under his breath as he clutches at the back of Izuku's costume. The freckled boy sighs and continues patting his head soothingly. A couple of minutes later, he hears the door open behind him. Before he can turn to see who it is, Kacchan's arms suddenly tighten into a vice-grip around him.
"You!" Kacchan snarls, "The fuck are you doing here, Half-Face?!"
Half-Face? Izuku struggles to glance over his shoulder.
Todoroki's voice speaks up, "I wanted to see Midoriya-kun…"
"What the fuck for?" Kacchan spits, "You're fine!"
"Todoroki-kun?" Izuku wiggles.
"Recovery Girl did heal me a bit," Todoroki says, "But I wanted to talk to Midoriya-kun before the awards ceremony…"
"Haah? Talk? Since when do you two talk?" Kacchan growls, "Bullshit! You just wanna use his quirk! Well, he's been busting his ass all day, so he's too tired to-"
"Kacchan!" Izuku whines, squirming in his hold.
Todoroki approaches and Kacchan's grip gets tighter with every step he takes. "Let him go," he demands coolly.
"Don't fucking tell me what to do!"
"I said-"
"Oh, shut up!" Izuku shouts. He pushes his way out of Kacchan's arms and stands between the two boys, flustered and rumpled. He tucks a few wild curls back into his messed up bun before fixing Kacchan with a firm gaze. "Kacchan, if Todoroki-kun wants to talk to me about something, then he has the right to do so."
"But-"
"Why don't you go change into a new uniform before the ceremony?" His suggestion is more of an order. "Yours is a mess right now."
Kacchan scowls. "I'm not fucking leaving you here with this little shit!"
Izuku rolls his eyes. "Oh, come on, what's he gonna do? I'm a healer, he knows better than to mess with me." He giggles to himself and flashes a smile at Todoroki, who is watching their exchange with an unreadable expression.
Kacchan still looks pissed off. "He's gonna do nothing because he's fucking leaving!" He whips his head to Todoroki and snarls, "Beat it, you two-toned bitch!"
"Kacchan!" Now Izuku is starting to get a bit annoyed. He puts a hand on Kacchan's bicep, but the blond shoves him off.
Todoroki's eyes narrow.
The door opens once again and Recovery Girl walks in. "Hey, you two!" She frowns at Kacchan and Todoroki. "If you're done harassing my apprentice, you can get your butts back to the arena. The awards ceremony is about to begin."
The two boys glare daggers at each other, neither wanting to be the first to move. Izuku scoffs and shoves them both out the door, shutting it behind him and sliding to the floor.
"I think I'm done with hero students for today," he groans, covering his face with his hands.
Recovery Girl snorts.
Kacchan's insufferableness continues on for the rest of the day.
Izuku trudges behind his friend as they walk home from school, tired from the long day's events. He glances up at Kacchan's back, taking in his hunched shoulders and incessant grumbling, and sighs. Kacchan had openly glared at Todoroki throughout the entire awards ceremony, vehemently refusing the second place medal when All Might presented it to him. The poor number one hero had resorted to hanging it off his gritted teeth while the explosive blond shrieked at him. It's around his neck now, but that's entirely Izuku's doing.
He also refused to leave Izuku's side after the ceremony, insisting on walking him back to class from the infirmary and snarling at anyone who got too close. He nearly threw a fit every time he caught Todoroki glancing at the greenette.
It's a giant step backwards for Kacchan's behavior. Izuku hasn't seen this level of aggressive possessiveness from his friend since junior high, but he tries his best not to worry about it. Kacchan's had a long, stressful, and ultimately disappointing day, so Izuku's hoping that he'll go back to normal once he gets over this. And if he doesn't… well, Izuku's too tired to think about that right now.
So maybe it's wrong, but he lets Kacchan indulge in his old shitty behavior for now. He sends apologetic smiles to everyone and doesn't complain when Kacchan drags him away. Doesn't complain when he stays attached to his hip the entire way home, or when he invites himself in for dinner once they reach Izuku's house. Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru end up coming over and Inko makes them all a congratulatory dinner. Kacchan seethes the entire time and Izuku's too tired to do much talking, but he does his best to smile along as his mother recounts her point of view of watching the Sports Festival.
Then Kacchan announces that they're having a sleepover. Except, he doesn't ask Izuku, more like demands it from the adults, and Inko allows it since they're being given the day off from school tomorrow.
So now it's a little past 8PM and Izuku is curled up in his bed while Kacchan lies on a futon on the floor. It's much earlier than Izuku's usual bedtime, but using his quirk so much has left him exhausted and Kacchan always goes to sleep early anyways.
However, it seems that sleep is escaping his best friend right now. He grumbles and snarls to himself, which Izuku normally might be able to ignore, except they're the only ones in the room so it's all he can hear. He waits five minutes, then ten, then fifteen, but the grumbling doesn't stop.
Finally, after twenty minutes, he lets out a loud sigh, "Kacchan. Can you please be quiet?"
Kacchan falls silent. Izuku hums and snuggles deeper in his blankets. A moment later, he hears sheets rustling and suddenly the blanket is being yanked off him. Squinting in the low light, he whines in protest as Kacchan clambers onto the bed and pushes him aside to make room for himself.
"Kacchan, what are you doing?" Izuku makes a disgruntled noise in his throat, one that Kacchan entirely ignores. Instead, the blond flops down next to him with a huff and wraps his arms around him, pulling him to his chest. Izuku blinks in surprise. Kacchan has never really been one to initiate cuddling, although Izuku isn't quite sure if this counts as cuddling- his grip is way too tight. The smaller boy shifts uncomfortably.
He must really be upset then. But it's not the loud, aggressive anger that Izuku is used to seeing from him. Usually Kacchan isn't afraid to let everyone around him know that he's pissed off about something and why. This is the quiet type of anger though, the one that stems from a deeper problem, one that he wants to keep to himself. It rarely happens- the last time Izuku can think of is when they had that big fight last year and didn't talk for almost a month.
But why this time? It's just a Sports Festival. There's a good chance he'll win one of the next two, especially since he has so much time to get stronger. Maybe it's just his pride that's been wounded then, but that doesn't explain why he's all quiet now…
Izuku's confusion slowly fades away as he starts to get sleepier and sleepier. Kacchan's tight hold is a bit uncomfortable, but he's warm and he always smells like burnt sugar thanks to his quirk, so Izuku can't help relaxing in his arms as he begins to doze off.
Just when he's about to fall asleep, Kacchan shifts. His grip tightens ever so slightly. Hot breath brushes against the greenette's curls as he hears his friend whisper quietly, "I'm gonna be strong enough for you. I promise."
Izuku doesn't have time to process the words before his mind succumbs to sleep.
Chapter 16
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.
Izuku blearily blinks his eyes open, confused when he notices the room is still dark. Something is making the bed vibrate, and it takes him a moment to realize that it's coming from his phone underneath his pillow. Sighing, he grabs it and brings it close to his face, grimacing when the bright light from his screen threatens to blind him. When he's finally able to see who's calling, he's only even more confused.
Iida is the one that's calling him. The blue-haired boy had insisted that everyone exchange phone numbers a couple of weeks ago, but he's never called Izuku before, at 11PM no less. They're friends, of course, but they're not exactly close. Izuku's even more surprised to see that he already has two missed calls from the boy.
Worry claws at his heart as he sits up, carefully extracting himself from Kacchan's grip, which is much more lax now that the blond is asleep. Picking up the call, he presses the phone close to his ear and whispers, "Iida-kun? Is everything al-"
"Midoriya-kun!" Iida shouts, causing Izuku to wince, "Midoriya-kun, oh thank God, I-I apologize deeply fo-for calling you so late, but-but-" He lets out a choked noise and Izuku straightens up in concern.
"Iida-kun?" He asks, "Iida-kun, what's wrong?" Behind him, Kacchan lets out an annoyed grumble as he stirs. Izuku barely notices, suddenly a lot more awake than before. He's never heard Iida sound so distraught before.
"Midoriya-kun, it's…it's…" Iida's breath hitches before he wails, "It's nii-san! It's my nii-san! The-The- He got attacked by the hero killer!"
"What?!" Izuku exclaims, his mind whirling. Kacchan sits up and leans against his shoulder, frowning as he listens. "Iida-kun, what- what are you talking about?"
Iida's response is barely intelligible, "He-He was on patrol and-and he got attacked and I'm in the hospital with him now, but-"
"Four-Eyes's brother?" Kacchan grunts, arching a brow, "He's a hero, isn't he?"
Izuku nods. Pretty much everyone in the class found out about Iida's family of heroes when Uraraka couldn't keep her mouth shut about it. So, if it's Iida's brother… then he must be talking about Ingenium. He got attacked by… the hero killer? Izuku hasn't been able to keep up with the news that well during the past week, but he's heard that a particular villain has been causing trouble for the heroes lately.
"Iida-kun, Iida-kun," Izuku says, trying to keep his voice steady, "I need you to calm down. Please, tell me what's going on."
Iida gasps for breath. It sounds like he's been crying for a long time. "Tensei-nii… he's… he's paralyzed." His voice shatters when he says this. Izuku tenses up and Kacchan hisses. "That-That villain got him and he-he- he can't move, his hero career is over- but- but… oh, Midoriya-kun, could you heal him?"
"Huh? Me?" Izuku startles.
"You-You said you've h-healed big injuries." Iida swallows audibly, clearly trying to compose himself. "You- you regrew a stomach before, di-didn't you?"
Izuku shrinks slightly, anxiety clawing at his chest. "I… I don't know, Iida-kun… I've never healed a spine before…"
"Please, please, Midoriya-kun." Iida is practically begging now. "None of the healers here can do anything for him. If-If anyone could heal him, it's you."
Izuku's breath catches in his throat. Tears start pricking at the edge of his eyes, but he forces himself to remain calm. "Iida-kun… even if I could heal him, I-I'm not allowed to. I'm-I'm still in training and I need a license before I'm able to use my quirk on pro heroes…" Iida lets out another choked noise of dismay and Izuku hastens to reassure him. "But I'll talk to Recovery Girl-san in the morning, okay? Maybe we can figure something out, or… or… I don't know, but we'll fix this, alright? It'll be okay. Okay?"
Iida inhales shakily and says, "Okay… I… Okay, that's… Thank you. And-And again I'm sorry for calling you so late-"
"Don't worry about it, Iida-kun," Izuku says, "Just stay calm and try to get some sleep. You've had a long day."
He doubts Iida will listen to him, but he hangs up soon after anyways. Then, he turns to Kacchan, who was silent the entire time.
"I guess that's why he had to leave the festival early," the blond muses.
Izuku sighs, rubbing his forehead tiredly. The sudden dump of information and emotions is a lot to process when he's still half-asleep. "Poor Iida-kun. I mean, paralysis would be horrible for any hero, but Ingenium…"
"He's a speedster too, isn't he?" Kacchan asks and he nods.
"Who is this hero killer anyway?"
Kacchan flops back down on the bed and after a moment Izuku lies beside him. "Haven't you been paying attention to the news?" He grumbles, "Guy calls himself Stain. Apparently he's killed, like, seventeen heroes and injured a bunch of other ones." Izuku's eyes widen. "I bet Ingenium was trying to go after him."
"That's horrible…" Izuku murmurs.
His friend grunts, "Yeah, well… You'll call Recovery Girl in the morning." He grabs Izuku again and pulls him close. "No point in worrying about it now. Get back to sleep."
The freckled boy squirms. Unlike before, he's no longer pressed against his chest. Instead, Kacchan is curled around his back, being the perfect definition of the 'big spoon'.
Izuku huffs, "You're being awfully cuddly tonight."
"Shut the fuck up."
Despite his fatigue, he doesn't end up sleeping too well during the rest of the night. Kacchan snores like a motorboat behind him, growling in irritation when Izuku wiggles out of his arms as soon as morning arrives. He quietly steps out of his house before calling Recovery Girl.
He quickly informs her of the situation, but she already knows. She seems annoyed that Iida called him last night and tells him that she's going to go visit Ingenium as soon as she can.
"But can I… I mean, could I…?" He starts to ask.
His mentor sighs, as if she was expecting this, and says, "You know you can't. Even if you did have a license, I wouldn't let you heal an injury like that until you got better control over your quirk. It was very inappropriate for Iida-kun to ask that of you."
Izuku feels a flash of defensiveness on behalf of his classmate. "He was just upset. I probably would have done the same if I were in his situation."
"I know," Recovery Girl says, "But still. You have the next two days off- enjoy them. Leave this to me for now."
Izuku reluctantly agrees and hangs up. After a moment of deliberation, he pulls up his messaging app and texts Iida, apologizing for his inability to help but promising to work hard and get his quirk licensed as soon as possible so he can try to help Tensei. Iida doesn't reply, but it's still early in the morning and the boy has no doubt had a rough night, so Izuku doesn't worry about it.
As soon as he pockets his phone, he hears the door open behind him.
"Oi, dumbass, don't come out here all by yourself," Kacchan growls.
Ignoring the twinge of annoyance his words cause, Izuku says, "I was just calling Recovery Girl-san. Didn't want to wake anyone up."
Kacchan grumbles unintelligibly in response and comes up behind him, hooking his chin over his shoulder as he lets out a drowsy huff. "So, what's the deal?"
"Can't do anything without a license," Izuku sighs.
"Thought so," Kacchan hums. Then, after a moment, his arms wrap around Izuku's middle and pull him flush against his chest. Izuku frowns. Apparently Kacchan's strange behavior isn't over yet. Not that Izuku's opposed to cuddling, but cuddling is supposed to feel relaxing, and this doesn't feel very relaxing. It feels more like Kacchan is trying to keep him from running away.
It bothers him a little, but he ignores it in favor of wiggling out of Kacchan's grip and going inside to make breakfast.
The rest of the morning is rather boring. Izuku is mostly just lounging, trying to regain the rest of his strength back after yesterday's ordeal. He brushes Sushi's fur and watches some TV with Kacchan until the blond suggests playing video games in the afternoon. He's in the middle of a round of Super Smash Bros when his phone buzzes beside him on the couch.
He glances over briefly and Kacchan takes advantage of his distraction by punching his Mewtwo off the platform. The blond snickers while he huffs and grabs his phone.
(Todoroki 1:15PM)-Hello.
Izuku blinks in surprise. Todoroki is texting him?
(Midoriya 1:15PM)-Hi. What's up?
Kacchan complains loudly and he reluctantly turns back to the game, but curiosity makes it hard to focus and he loses their next match within two minutes. At the same time, Todoroki texts back.
(Todoroki 1:17PM)-I visited my mother this morning.
Izuku almost drops his phone in shock. That was… very out of the blue. He isn't quite sure how to respond at first.
(Midoriya 1:18PM)-Oh wow! How did it go?
"C'mon, Zuku." Kacchan glares at his phone. "Who the hell are you texting anyways?"
Izuku waves him off dismissively, watching as the typing bubble appears for a few moments, then disappears. It reappears and disappears a couple of more times before he finally gets a response.
(Todoroki 1:21PM)-Can we meet up somewhere?
(Midoriya 1:21PM)-Now?
(Todoroki 1:22PM)-If you're not busy.
"Zuku," Kacchan gripes, waving his controller in his face, "Come on, are we playing or not?"
"Uh, actually, Todoroki-kun wants to meet up so we can chat," Izuku says, putting down his controller as he types out his response. A particularly nasty growl from Kacchan has him pausing and looking up.
The blond looks pissed. "Since when are you two fucking friends?"
"Since…" Izuku trails off, suddenly nervous, "... I don't know! Since whenever!" He and Todoroki never really hung out before the Sports Festival, which Kacchan knows since he spends so much time with Izuku, so the fact that they want to hang out now probably looks suspicious.
Kacchan huffily turns back to the TV. "Well, tell him you're fucking resting or some shit."
Izuku frowns. "But I want to go see him."
"Why?"
"To… To, you know... talk!" He throws his hands up in the air.
"You can talk over the phone," Kacchan says dismissively and unpauses the game, "You should be Samus next."
"I'm not playing anymore, Kacchan." The spark of indignation returns. He pushes his controller aside and gets off the couch. "I'm going to go hang out with Todoroki-kun."
Suddenly, a hand snatches his wrist in a vice-grip. "No, you're fucking not!" Kacchan snaps, jumping to his feet.
Izuku tenses up as soon as he grabs him. His training kicks in and he twists out of the other's grip, stumbling back a few steps and turning to fully face him. Kacchan glares at him with crimson eyes, muscles tense and hackles raised, looking as if he's one second away from pouncing.
"Kacchan," Izuku says warningly, "Are you not letting me leave?"
"Yes- er, no-" Kacchan cuts himself off, then lets out a frustrated noise, "Just- fuck it, I'm coming with you then!"
He takes a step towards him but Izuku steps back. "I don't want you to come with me."
"Why not?!" The blond snaps, reaching for him again.
"Because-" A hand closes around his forearm again. Izuku tries to twist away again, but Kacchan doesn't release his grip, instead moving closer and grabbing his other wrist too. "Let me go, Kacchan!"
"Why don't you want me coming with you?!" Kacchan demands, stepping even closer and crowding his space as Izuku continues to struggle against him.
"Because you'll just freaking argue with him all the time!" Izuku snaps, then shoves the other boy with his shoulder, "Let me go!"
Kacchan pushes right back. "No!" Izuku tries to wrench his wrists out of his grip and the blond bares his teeth in a snarl. "You little- Fucking stop-"
"Let me go!" Izuku snaps again, then yelps when Kacchan suddenly yanks him so close their chests nearly collide. But as soon as he's pulled closer, he's shoved back again by Kacchan's shoulder, only this time the boy's foot is hooked around the back of his ankle. Izuku squeaks when he loses his balance and Kacchan uses his grip on his wrists to twist him to the side, forcing him back down onto the couch.
The blond pounces on top of him, attempting to pin him to the cushion, and Izuku's heart leaps to his throat in panic. "Kacchan!" He cries out, thrashing in his grip.
Kacchan's fingers tighten painfully around his wrists, his crimson eyes narrowed to pinpricks in fury. "Stop it!" He snarls, trying to force him onto his back while the smaller boy struggles against him, "Stop fucking squirming!"
For all of Kacchan's aggressiveness, he's hardly ever truly rough with Izuku, so maybe that's why a stab of fear goes through him now. And the next thing he knows, they're wrestling. Except it isn't playful or even for training- Kacchan is really angry and Izuku has no idea why.
He tries to push him off, to give himself space so he can scramble away, but the angle is bad and Katsuki is a lot stronger than him. He forces his arms back down with a snarl and pins his wrists on either side of his head. Izuku kicks his leg out and attempts to flip him with a jerk of his hips, but Katsuki is stubborn and jams his knee into his hip a couple of times in retaliation until he stops trying to flip him, then presses his knees down on either side of his thighs to keep him from moving. Izuku squirms breathlessly, but Kacchan is heavy weight on top of him, impossible to move.
Finally, he falls still, breathing heavily as he glares up at Kacchan above him. The blond stares at him with wild eyes, panting slightly.
Then, in a low voice, he says, "I'm not letting you go alone. You need protection."
"Protection?" Izuku exclaims in disbelief, "That's what you're worried about?" He rolls his eyes, scoffing in exasperation. Just Kacchan being over-protective as always. "Geez, don't worry, I'll be safe. I'll be with Todoroki-kun."
He means to appease his friend, but if anything, he only makes him even angrier. The grip on his wrists tightens painfully.
"Why the fuck would you rather hang out with that IcyHot fucker than me?!" Kacchan snarls at his face, "What's he got that I don't? Is it 'cause he beat me in every fucking game? Is it 'cause of that shiny new first place metal? Huh?"
"Kacchan!" Izuku's eyes widen in shock.
"Well, FUCK HIM!" Kacchan shrieks, "I don't give a shit that he won this time! And I don't give a shit that he won on the first day either- or that he's a recommendation student, or that he's the son of the number two hero, 'cause I'm gonna be number one! I'm gonna be the strongest fucking hero there is and I'll wipe the floor with his ass!" Izuku gulps as those wild eyes glare heatedly down at him. "And I'll kill any villain that tries to lay a hand on you! So if you think that you'll ever be safer with that fucker than with me, you're dead wrong! I'm gonna be better than that piece of shit, just you wait!"
His chest heaves as he pants heavily after his rant. Izuku stares up at him, stunned. Silence fills the room.
The memory of Kacchan's voice whispers in the back of his mind, "I'm gonna be strong enough for you. I promise."
Izuku blinks. Oh. He's… he's…
"Kacchan," he says quietly, "You… you know you're enough, right?"
Kacchan scowls. "The fuck do you mean?"
"I mean…" He tries to wiggle his wrists, but Kacchan won't let him go, his grip instead tightening even further. Izuku hesitates. "I mean… you're good enough. For me." He presses his lips together and gazes up at his friend. "Do you… do you really think that I would prefer Todoroki-kun over you because you lost?" He can't keep the hurt out of his voice. How could Kacchan think so little of him?
The blond is quiet for a few moments, jaw clenched. Then, "It would make sense. I lost to him. I keep losing to him. He's… He's stronger than me." He bites out the words as if they're physically painful to say and, knowing Kacchan, they probably are. His throat bobs as he swallows. "He'd be a better hero for you. He'd keep you safe…"
"You keep me safe," Izuku insists, but Kacchan just scoffs.
"Not well enough to keep you from getting attacked by a bunch of fucking reporters. Or to keep you from nearly getting kidnapped and sold for your quirk." His voice quivers ever so slightly and he squeezes his eyes shut. "Fuck, I couldn't even keep you safe from me. I just keep failing-"
"Kacchan, stop it," Izuku protests, "You're fine, you're perfect. Trust me, I would get into a lot more trouble if I didn't have you around." He gives him a solemn look. "We're still learning, remember? Don't you remember what I said back during our first hero lesson? You're going to fail- and that's alright, that's part of life, and I won't think any less of you for doing so. It just means you're going to grow even stronger from then on."
Katsuki doesn't look convinced. "IcyHot-"
"Todoroki-kun is going to fail too," Izuku interrupts, deciding to ignore the rude nickname for now, "I know it may not seem like it right now, but he will eventually. He's a fifteen year-old boy just like the rest of us, and he came to UA to learn, just like the rest of us too. You can't learn without making some mistakes along the way."
Katsuki opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, mouth pressed into a line of displeasure. His expression is still tense, but his jaw looks less tight than before. Izuku takes it as his cue to continue, "And you shouldn't compare yourself to him like that. Yeah, he's really strong, and he might be stronger than you now, but you're plenty strong too, and I know you're going to get stronger than ever now that we're in UA!" He rolls his eyes and playfully cocks his head to the side. "You're the most bull-headed, stubborn person I know, Kacchan. If you said you're going to beat Todoroki-kun, chances are, it's gonna happen sooner or later."
Kacchan huffs, and his grip on Izuku's wrists finally eases up slightly. Izuku slips out of his grasp and slides his hands up his arms comfortingly. He can feel the power and strength in his friend's hard muscles, along with all the stress and tension as well. His lips press together.
"And," he adds in a gentler voice, because he knows how important being his 'protector' is to Kacchan, "I know you think you're the only thing standing between me and villains, but you're not. We're in UA, surrounded by some of the best heroes in the country. We have All Might as our teacher." He smiles, letting a little awe seep into his voice before he sobers up again. "And we have friends now, strong friends that are going to be great heroes too. You should trust in their ability to keep me safe. I do."
Kacchan wrinkles his nose, then glances away with a low growl, "I still don't like that IcyHot fucker…"
Izuku gives him a deadpanned look. "Well, sorry, but I'm allowed to hang out with people other than you. And just because I want to spend time with Todoroki-kun today doesn't mean that I suddenly hate you or think that you're inferior or whatever you were implying. I'm not hanging out with him because I think he's better than you, I'm hanging out with him because I like making new friends." Kacchan scowls. Izuku decides to take a little pity on him. "But you'll always be my best friend." He smiles brightly.
Kacchan squints and grumbles under his breath before begrudgingly leaning back with a huff. "Fucking whatever, then," he grunts as he gets off him, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Just one condition; he's gotta come pick you up. I don't want you walking alone."
Izuku rolls his eyes and sits up, relieved to be free of Kacchan's suffocating weight. "Yes, your highness," he says sarcastically, turning to search for his phone. Unsurprisingly, it had fallen to the floor during their scuffle, and he sighs in relief when he sees it's undamaged.
(Midoriya 1:34PM)-Sorry for the late response, but yeah I'm down to hang out now. Do you mind picking me up at my place? Kacchan's being an overprotective butt and doesn't want me going by myself.
(Todoroki 1:35PM)-Sure. What's your address?
Izuku texts it to him, and then, after a moment, texts his mother as well, letting her know that he's going out. He's glad that she had to leave earlier to take Sushi to the vet, otherwise they both would've been witness to his little argument with Kacchan.
As he types, he calls out, "Hey, why don't you hang out with Kirishima-kun while I'm gone? You like him, don't you?"
Kacchan wrinkles his nose. "I don't fucking like anyone." A pause, then, "And who the fuck is Kirishima?"
Izuku looks up. "Are you kidding me? We hang out with him everyday."
The blond frowns, as if it's actually taking a lot of work to remember. Then, he blinks. "Oh. You mean Shitty Hair."
"Oh my God, Kacchan, you are hopeless."
He pulls up another chat.
(Midoriya 1:40PM)-Hey, could you do me a huge favor?
(Kirishima 1:41PM)-Anything bro.
(Midoriya 1:42PM)-Can you invite Kacchan out somewhere? I wanna hang out with Todoroki-kun and Kacchan's being annoying about it.
(Kirishima 1:43PM)-Sure thing!
Todoroki arrives at his house twenty minutes later. It's strange to see him in civilian clothes, but even stranger to see him without the usual cold look in his eyes. He greets Izuku with a faint smile and doesn't even seem to mind when Kacchan outright growls at him, demanding that he bring Izuku back in one piece. The blond then proceeds to glare at him the entire time as they leave.
"Sorry about Kacchan," Izuku apologizes as he walks beside Todoroki, "He's been a bit grumpy ever since the Sports Festival."
Todoroki nods, then glances over his shoulder before looking back at him. "I'm a bit confused. I know that you guys walk to school together, but does he live with you too?"
"Oh, no, that's not it!" Izuku waves his hands. "We just live on the same street, so he comes over often."
"Ah," Todoroki hums. There's a brief pause, then he adds, "He seems to be very… protective of you."
Izuku winces, recalling how Kacchan had practically snarled at anyone, Todoroki especially, who got too close to him after the Sports Festival. Heck, he didn't even allow him to heal the rest of Todoroki's injuries.
"Ye-Yeah," he says, "He has his reasons, though. How are you feeling today, by the way?" He eyes the large bandage on the boy's cheek.
"I'm fine." Todoroki looks at him. "What are his reasons?"
"Huh?"
"His reasons," the other boy repeats, "For being so protective. Forgive me for being rude, but I don't think I'm the only one who's noticed the way he treats you. He acts like he's constantly expecting someone to snatch you away from him. Like you can't defend yourself." He glances away. "I thought our sparring match proved to everyone that you can certainly put up a good fight, despite being a healer."
Izuku pauses, considering his answer. "Well… we've been friends basically since we were babies. Kacchan's always been really strong, especially after he got his quirk, and when mine manifested… I guess it kind of just made sense for him to protect me. Healing quirks are pretty rare, and they're sought after by both heroes and villains…"
Todoroki nods, as if this is something he's already aware of, and Izuku assumes that he must know about the incident with his father's healer. Still, he hesitates to continue. Todoroki has already told him incredibly personal things about him, it's only fair that he reciprocates.
"But… I guess it only got really bad after… well, there was this one time I almost got kidnapped by villains." Todoroki's eyes widen slightly. "I was hanging out with Kacchan and some friends, and the villains lured me into an empty alley and put me in a bag…" He trails off, curling into himself slightly at the fear the memory brings. "Er, they wanted to sell me for my quirk, but Aizawa-sensei saved me. And ever since then, Kacchan's just been super paranoid about me being taken again. And that paranoia kind of bleeds into our school life, so I'm sorry that he's a bit aggressive towards people sometimes, but it's not coming from a mean place, I promise." He looks at Todoroki earnestly and the other boy nods.
He's quiet for a moment, then hums thoughtfully, "I guess I've misjudged him, then."
Izuku smiles, then huffs a little laugh, "This is actually kind of weird for me. Hanging out with you. I hardly ever go anywhere without Kacchan."
"This is… kind of weird for me too," Todoroki agrees, "I don't really ever… hang out. With people."
He looks so unsure and awkward that Izuku can't help but smile even wider. He gets the feeling that Todoroki isn't really cold so much as socially inept.
"I do wish he would trust me a bit more, though," he says conversationally, "I mean, I like to think that I'm a decent fighter."
"You are," Todoroki says.
"Not good enough to beat you, though," Izuku points out.
"Yeah, well." Todoroki shrugs. "You said you've been taking self-defense classes since you were ten, didn't you?" Izuku nods, surprised that he remembered that. "I've been training my entire life to be a pro hero, so it's not fair to compare yourself to me. Not many people would win against me."
Izuku's lip twitches and he's tempted to make a sarcastic comment about how humble Todoroki is, but the boy doesn't sound like he's trying to brag. More like he's simply stating a fact.
Izuku is silent for a moment, then shakes his head. "Well, anyway, enough about me! What about you? You wanted to talk about your mother, didn't you?" He realizes that, thanks to Kacchan, he hasn't been able to properly talk to Todoroki since he convinced him to use his fire. Which is a huge deal that he's definitely going to ask about later, but one thing at a time.
They've been walking for the past few minutes, so now they're just approaching a neighborhood park. Todoroki wordlessly leads him over to a bench and sits down beside him.
"It went… better than I thought it would," he says quietly, "I… after the Sports Festival, I was still unsure about using my fire. My old man approached me afterwards and told me how proud he was that I had gotten over my 'childish tantrum'." He sneers somewhat and frowns at the ground. "It made me sick. But I realized that, when I used my fire during the battle, I didn't think about him at all. All I could think about was y-"
He suddenly cuts himself off, pressing his lips together. Izuku tilts his head curiously, but he can't see the expression on the other boy's face since he turns it away slightly.
After a moment, Todoroki clears his throat and continues, "So I thought I'd visit my mother at the hospital this morning. I... never visited her before because I figured that my presence would put pressure on her, but I may have just been making excuses for myself. I thought… if I could just see her… talk to her… maybe try and fix things… then maybe it would be okay for me to be the hero I want to become."
Izuku watches him quietly. He doesn't exactly know what that means, what kind of hero Todoroki wants to be, but the other boy seems to know exactly what he wants to aim for, so that's all that matters.
"And?" He prompts gently.
Todoroki smiles softly and looks at him. "She forgave me. She was even… happy to see me. I told her everything and she apologized for burning me and told me to move forward in my life without anything holding me back. That that would be her salvation."
Izuku beams at him, heart warming his chest. "So…"
"So I will no longer let my father hold me back," Todoroki says resolutely, "I won't let him control me. And I won't become someone as bitter and angry as him."
"That's wonderful, Todoroki-kun," he says, "I'm so happy for you."
Todoroki gazes at him. "I would never have been able to do it if it hadn't been for you." Izuku blushes and starts to stammer out a protest, but Todoroki insists, "No, really. If you hadn't said what you did, if you hadn't opened my eyes, nothing would have changed. I'd still be trapped by my father, so seriously, Midoriya-kun, thank you." He looks so earnest it makes Izuku's heart jump.
Still blushing furiously, he hides his face in his arms and squeaks, "You're welcome!"
Todoroki tilts his head, blinking curiously. "Are you okay? Your face is red."
"I'm fine!"
"If you're not feeling well, then we can-"
"I said I'm fine!" Izuku frantically tries to change the subject. "So- So what are you going to do now? Er, I'm assuming you-you need to train your fire. I mean, since you didn't use it for so long…"
Todoroki pauses and then nods. They talk about school for a bit after that, about how Todoroki might train his fire quirk and how Izuku is currently training his own quirk. Izuku finds that talking with Todoroki is a lot different than talking with Kacchan, who usually leads the conversation. Not to say that he doesn't ever listen to Izuku, but the greenette is finding that Todoroki is more than happy to sit back and let him talk enough for the both of them, occasionally commenting or giving his input here and there. It's different, but nice. Izuku regrets not having befriended him sooner, although he supposes that Todoroki has changed a lot since the first week of school.
The conversation eventually turns to Ingenium when Izuku's phone lights up with a notification of a news story reporting his near-fatal encounter with the hero killer. He admits to Todoroki about Iida calling him the previous night, expressing his worry over their vice-class president.
Todoroki seems rather disturbed too, although he doesn't show it very much. "You're friends with Iida-kun, aren't you?"
"Hm? Oh, uh, sort of. We're friendly with each other, but we don't really hang out much," Izuku says, "Didn't you team up with him during the cavalry battle?"
Todoroki nods. "Yeah. He seems passionate. I just hope he doesn't turn it against that hero killer."
Izuku frowns. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he probably holds a lot of resentment towards him," Todoroki points out, "For effectively ending his brother's hero career."
Izuku winces. "Do you think he'll… I dunno, do something?"
Todoroki shrugs cluelessly. "I'm not sure. I don't know him well enough. I just know that anger can make you do stupid things."
His tone is all too knowing. Izuku gulps, and the hard rock in the pit of his stomach returns, only this time his anxiety isn't for Todoroki.
His phone suddenly vibrates in his pocket, distracting him from his thoughts. Startling, Izuku takes it out and blinks at the message Kirishima sends him.
(Kirishima 2:51PM)-Obliterated.
The text is followed by a picture of Kirishima and Kacchan, the former flashing a grin and a thumbs up while the latter demolishes an ice cream cone. And despite his worry, Izuku can't help but smile.