Midoriya starts packing slowly, making sure he'll have what he needs for the next two weeks he'll be spending at home with his mother for Christmas break.

With his suitcase open, lying flat on top of his bed, he looks around the room for what is essential to bring and what can stay. Clothes are definitely necessary, so he picks out enough outfits and into the suitcase they go.

He grabs his notebook just in case and in it goes as well. Charger cords, toothbrush, deodorant, comics, pencils, headphones, his laptop, and various other things make their way into the suitcase until it's completely stuffed and he can't think of anything else to add.

He grabs his phone, puts on a thick coat, a scarf, a beanie and a pair of gloves and then slips on his bright red sneakers. Ready to get going, he grabs his suitcase and heads out of his room.

He runs into Aoyama and Tokoyami in the hallway, who have just finished packing as well. He gives them a smile and a nod before he heads to the elevator and they follow behind.

The common area is bustling now, some scrambling to make sure they have everything they need before their parents arrive or before they have to leave to catch the train, and others passing that time chatting away or playing games or something.

Midoriya looks around and finds that Todoroki is absent, but he doesn't think the boy left yet. He hopes to be able to see him before they both have to leave.

"Hey Midoriya!"

The green haired boy looks around to find the source of the voice, discovering that it belongs to Kirishima, who sits on one of the couches. Squished between him and the arm of the couch is Bakugo, who almost lazily scrolls through his phone. Midoriya is a little surprised that he isn't freaking out because of how Kirishima is basically invading his personal bubble, but he decides not to question it as he makes his way over to him.

"Hey Kirishima," he greets with a small wave as he stops in front of the two, trying to make sure he's not standing in front of Kaminari, who sits on the opposite end of the couch as he chats away with Ashido and Sero. "Are you excited to get to go spend some time at home with your parents?"

Grinning brightly, Kirishima nods. "Yeah!" he replies, throwing an arm around Bakugo's shoulders. The blond boy glares, but doesn't protest. "Bakugo is coming with me too, so it's gonna be great!"

Midoriya looks at Bakugo then, tilting his head a little in slight confusion. "I thought you were going home to see your parents, Kacchan," he murmurs, hoping he doesn't sound too intrusive or anything.

"I am, dumbass," Bakugo responds harshly, earning himself the feeling of Kirishima's elbow suddenly jabbing into his ribs. With a glare thrown the red haired boy's way, Bakugo huffs. "We both are heading to my house next week, Deku."

"And so this week we'll be at mine," Kirishima continues, his smile as bright as ever still. "What about you, Midoriya? You spending part of your two weeks at someone else's house, or…?"

The green haired boy simply shakes his head. "No, I'll just be at home with my mom," he answers, fiddling with the buttons of his jacket awkwardly, feeling a bit nervous and shy. "I don't really have anyone else I can go with anyways."

It's a lie- Todoroki comes to mind, but Midoriya isn't sure how he would even ask and if Todoroki would be okay with it. Plus being around Endeavor for two weeks and listening to him and Todoroki argue would probably get a bit annoying and frustrating. Midoriya feels like he'd probably consider punching the number one hero at least once or twice.

"Oh, well alright then!" Kirishima utters back as he and Bakugo start standing up to leave. "I hope you have fun, and we'll see you in two weeks! Oh, and that beanie looks good on you by the way!"

"Thank you," Midoriya says as Kirishima hugs him tightly. "I hope you both have a good Christmas and stuff!"

"Later, nerd," Bakugo utters, much to Midoriya's surprise on their way to the door. He'd expected the blond to just leave without saying anything, but it seems not. Kirishima seems to bring out the explosive boy's softer side and it's really quite sweet. And Midoriya isn't going to complain if Kacchan is nicer to him for once.

"Bye," he replies to the both of them, watching as they leave the building, dragging their suitcases behind them.

He takes a seat where they'd been sitting, hands clapped in his lap as he waits for Uraraka, Iida, Asui, and Todoroki so that he can tell them goodbye.

Iida comes around first, giving Midoriya a partial hug before he leaves quickly. He must be running a little behind, but with his quirk, he'll catch up in no time.

Uraraka and Asui start getting ready to walk out of the door next, both going together as well. They chat for a little bit before they hug him and head off as well.

Everyone else starts leaving, too- Tokoyami heads out and then Yaoyorozu, and then Aoyama and Ashido are gone. Hagakure leaves then too, and then Ojiro, leaving only a few others behind. Jiro comes to sit between Kaminari and Midoriya as she waits, while Sato, Mineta and Shoji all linger around by the doors and Koda takes a seat next to Sero.

Midoriya checks the time- only four minutes left until he has to get going or else he'll miss his train, but… he still doesn't want to leave without seeing Todoroki first. He's going to miss having him around for the next two weeks so he at least wants to be able to say goodbye before they go their separate ways.

As if on cue, Todoroki emerges from the elevator with his suitcase, making his way into the common area and looking around, probably surprised to see that almost everyone is gone already. He almost looks panicked until he finally seems to see Midoriya and he smiles warmly, which makes the green haired boy's heart flutter a little and his cheeks turn pink.

Todoroki heads on over, stopping about a foot away from the couch Midoriya currently sits on. The shorter boy stands suddenly, and they move over towards one of the windows to get just a bit more privacy to chat a little.

"I have to go really soon, but I wanted to wait for you so that I could say goodbye," Midoriya tells his friend, smiling a bit sadly. His voice drops to a whisper as he adds, "I hate that I won't be able to see you for the next two weeks. Especially on Christmas."

He doesn't mention that the reason is because he actually got Todoroki a present, but he decided earlier that it was probably for the best if he didn't give it to him after all. He's too embarrassed and too scared to, especially now.

"I know," Todoroki sighs, gaze flickering to the window so that he can look outside. It's snowing. "But you know that if you need me for any reason I'll have my phone. We can text and call whenever you want to, if you need me or if you just… miss me, for some reason."

"Yeah, I know," Midoriya murmurs softly, sadness seeping into his tone. He doesn't know why this is upsetting him so much- it's only two weeks, but… still. It feels like such a long time away. "It's just…"

"Hey Midoriya," Shoji calls out, causing the boy to peek over Todoroki's shoulder to look at him. "If you're getting on the same train as we all are, then we've got to go now or else we'll be late."

Midoriya looks back at Todoroki then. "I guess that means I have to go," he nearly whispers, suddenly wrapping his arms around his friend and burying his face in the other boy's shoulder before he can talk himself out of it. "Bye, Todoroki."

He can feel Todoroki hug him back tightly before he's being released. "Bye, Midoriya."

Later, on the train, Midoriya swears can still feel the warmth of Todoroki's arms from when they had wrapped around his small body tightly.

-

He knocks on the door of his home. He knows it's still technically his home, but it almost doesn't feel right to just enter without knocking anymore now that he's been living in the dorms.

The door swings open to reveal his mother standing there. When she realizes it's him, she smiles and pulls him into a tight hug before ushering him inside, saying, "Get in! You must be freezing!"

The house is warm and smells like autumn candles and freshly baked cookies. Midoriya quickly takes his suitcase to his old bedroom and takes off his coat and such before he returns to the living room, where his mother now sits with a holiday movie playing on the TV. He takes a seat beside her.

"It's good to see you, Izuku," she beams, grabbing a throw blanket to place over him. He snuggles up underneath it, thankful. "How have you been? How's school?"

"School is good," he answers with a soft sigh. "I've been okay. How have you been?"

She goes on to talk about how she's been doing and what she's been up to since the last time they'd seen each other. Eventually she goes off into the kitchen to make lunch so he follows and helps her out.

They sit together and eat, talking about how Midoriya has been at school and everything he's been doing and learning. He explains everything to her excitedly and she listens with a smile.

He helps her clean up after lunch and then he heads to the bathroom to soak in the tub for a little while. As he slips into the hot water, he finds himself thinking of Todoroki and how he's doing at home. It'd seemed like he didn't want to go, but he didn't really have much of a choice.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Midoriya wishes he could see Todoroki and maybe cheer him up if things aren't going great, but there's no way he'd want to intrude, even if he wasn't at home with his mom and even if he knew that almost nobody would mind if he went.

With a sigh, Midoriya sinks deeper into the water- his head from the nose up and his knees the only things breaking the surface and not submerged. He finds himself wondering what Todoroki is doing right now, if he is thinking about Midoriya too.

The strange sudden thought has Midoriya's cheeks turning pink. He runs a wet hand through his hair, biting the inside of his cheek. For some reason he feels a bit sad though now; he hasn't felt this way in a long while and he thinks it has to do with being away from his friend, the one who's helped him through so much.

Letting his hand slip from his hair, Midoriya eyes the scars on his left forearm and frowns- these were self-inflicted, cuts he gave himself when he felt really bad and part of what caused him to avoid Todoroki before Kacchan had burst into his room to talk to him. He'd never given Kacchan the details about the reason why he was avoiding Todoroki - in fact he's pretty sure Kacchan made up his own reasons for it which was fine because he didn't want Kacchan to think he was weak for hurting himself, for thinking of suicide.

And though Kacchan had really tried to talk some sense into him, he still couldn't help what he'd wanted to do, which was throw himself off of the rooftop of 1-A's Heights Alliance building. However, Kacchan did help him realize that he couldn't avoid Todoroki forever and needed to talk to him before their friendship ended up forever damaged, or before Midoriya killed himself without saying he was sorry and leaving Todoroki in the dark, wondering what happened and blaming himself for the death of his friend.

Midoriya breathes out and lets his crooked fingers run over the scars, glad they've started to fade so that his mom won't notice and worry about him.

He hasn't hurt himself in a while and he's proud of it, proud that he changed his mind and stepped away from the ledge, but he feels like he owes it all to Todoroki. Without him, Midoriya is unsure if he would've really been strong enough to overcome it all- doubts he would've been strong enough to keep living.

His eyes flicker to the water, but he looks deeper- through it, seeking out the scar on his stomach. Todoroki sure does have a habit of saving his life or helping him through his problems, huh? From the one villain attack to the time Midoriya got sick, to even the kidnapping that he's glad he barely recalls, even though he still occasionally has nightmares about what he does remember and it's caused some panic attacks. Todoroki is always there for him, it seems, and damn, does Midoriya appreciate it.

He sighs and finishes getting cleaned up before getting out of the tub. He dresses himself before heading back out to the living room- his mom is still watching TV so he picks up his phone to check if he got any texts while he was in the bathroom.

There's one from Iida talking about being home and wishing Midoriya well. There's one from Uraraka with a photo attached of her and Asui getting settled in. There's a message from Kirishima too, talking about how weird and uncharacteristically polite Kacchan is around the red haired boy's parents.

There's also a message or two from Todoroki, and since both are the most recent ones, Midoriya replies to the other messages first before going to it. When he opens up the chat he reads the first message which ends up being a nice little thing about hoping Midoriya can settle in well. The green haired boy smiles at it, wishing he would've seen it way earlier so that he could have responded then.

The second message has his smile faltering, however. It reads: "I got into a fight with my father already and I've not even been here a whole day. I think I'm going to have to leave."

It was only sent five minutes ago, so Midoriya types out a quick response. "But it's late and it's snowing and- where are you even planning to go, Todoroki?"

It takes a bit for the other boy to reply, but he does just as Midoriya moves further into the living room. "I don't know, Midoriya, but I can't stay here. It was a bad fight, and I really don't want to be here anymore."

Midoriya frowns at the text and makes a decision. "Mom," he calls, and his mother sits forward and turns to look behind the couch at him where he stands awkwardly, his phone in his hand. "Is it okay if I go get my friend Todoroki and bring him here to stay? He's gotten into an argument with his dad and doesn't want to be at home."

Inko looks at the clock. "It's getting a little late, but… yes, if you promise to be safe and to take your old bike."

With a nod, Midoriya grabs and puts on his coat and shoes and then heads outside. He texts Todoroki to tell him to wait there for him and then he heads down the stairs and around to the back of the building. There's a couple of old sheds back there, and one of them has Midoriya's old bike in it from back when he was in middle school. He unlocks it and takes it to the road before he gets on and heads towards Todoroki's house.

His hands start to cramp as he holds onto the cold handlebars, but he bears with it. His nose is freezing too since he forgot his scarf, but he doesn't mind if it's for Todoroki.

It takes a bit, but eventually he's arriving. He didn't actually realize before that they never really lived far from each other all this time before moving into the dorms. Huh, interesting.

Todoroki sits out front on his suitcase, but he immediately stands when he sees Midoriya coming up on the bike.

"Sorry I took so long," the green haired boy says, rubbing his freezing hands together. Todoroki comes over to him, his expression one of slight surprise. "You're coming back to my house."

"Midoriya, you must be freezing," Todoroki murmurs, pulling his friend into a hug. He activates his left side to warm the boy up, and Midoriya gratefully snuggles into the heat. "Thank you for coming to get me even though you didn't have to. I appreciate it so much."

"I know I didn't have to," Midoriya starts, holding Todoroki a little tighter, "But I'd do anything if it's for you."

Todoroki doesn't say anything. He silently pulls away after a moment - there's a weird glint in his eye that Midoriya decides to ignore - and moves over to his suitcase. Midoriya watches as he opens it and pulls out a few little things he needs before sticking the suitcase inside of the house.

"I'll see if my sister or my brother will bring that by your place tomorrow," he explains and he comes back over to Midoriya. "I don't think I'll be able to hold it on the bike."

They share a soft little laugh at that and Midoriya scoots forward as much as possible on the bike so Todoroki can sit behind him after putting the things he'd taken from his suitcase in his pockets. Swinging his right leg over the bike, Todoroki takes a seat and wraps his arms around Midoriya's middle, activating his left side to help keep the boy warm. Midoriya is most definitely thankful for it, and tells himself the blush on his own cheeks doesn't mean anything- it's just cold, that's all.

The sun is setting now as they ride down the street, though thankfully the bike has headlights, just in case it gets dark before they can get back. The sunset casts a pink and orange glow across the white snow on the ground, tinting it and making it almost sparkle, as if it's full of glitter.

The breeze is chilly as it hits them, ruffling Todoroki's hair until the red and white strands are mixed together on the top of his head. He holds Midoriya a little tighter when the boy shivers, pressing his chest to the boy's back and Midoriya is just glad that his friend can't see how warm and red his face is slowly becoming once again- Todoroki is so thoughtful and it makes Midoriya's heart start to beat a little faster, though he doesn't really know why.

(He does, but we're not going to talk about that).

By the time they've arrived back at Midoriya's home, the sun has fully sunken below the horizon, disappearing from the wintry sky but leaving behind fading rays of gold and pink tinted clouds. They dismount the bike together and walk it back to its place before heading to the stairs.

They don't really speak as they head up- Midoriya suddenly feels a warm hand grab his own and he's surprised, but figures that Todoroki has probably picked up on the signs for when Midoriya's bones start aching and decided to help. Red faced, Midoriya gives him a thankful look.

At the door, Todoroki lets go.

They head inside and immediately Inko rushes over. "Izuku, you were gone for so long, I was about to-" she starts, but stops speaking when her eyes land on Todoroki, perhaps deciding not to embarrass her son.

"Hello," Todoroki murmurs, bowing where he stands beside Midoriya, "My name is Shouto Todoroki- we briefly met at the hospital once or twice."

A frown. It disappears as soon as it comes. "Ah, of course- nice to properly meet you," Inko replies, her lips turning up into a small smile. "So you'll be staying and spending Christmas with us then?"

"If that's alright," Todoroki responds softly, and Midoriya can tell he's feeling a bit shy. Inko nods and moves out of their way so Midoriya can lead Todoroki to his bedroom. They take off their coats and shoes before heading in any further.

Inside Midoriya's room, Todoroki sets his things down on the desk. "I'm sorry it's so small," the green haired boy utters, scratching the back of his head. His face turns a little pink for the millionth time today at the realization that his room is so All Might themed still, and at the fact that they'll have to share a small bed again, but they've done it once without it being awkward or weird so he figures it should be okay to do it again. Right?

"Don't apologize," Todoroki tells him as he looks around a little. "It's not even like you knew I would be coming to stay; it wasn't planned. You have nothing to be sorry for- in fact I should be thanking you, if anything."

"It's okay," Midoriya says, smiling a little before he turns and heads for the door. "Uh, well, in any case, it may be small but we'll make it work, won't we?"

Todoroki nods and the green haired boy turns and goes- Todoroki follows him out of the room and they enter the living room. They take a seat on the couch together as Midoriya's mother sits at the dining table with a puzzle book, minding her business and letting them watch TV by themselves.

After about an hour, she asks them if they're hungry and they volunteer to help her cook. They decide to make nikujaga- a beef stew, and then about a half hour to forty five minutes later, it's all done and ready for them to eat. They sit at the table together, Midoriya staying quiet and listening as his mother attempts to get to know his friend. It's a little awkward; Midoriya has to stifle a few giggles by shoveling potatoes into his mouth, but it's nice.

Midoriya and Todoroki clean up together as Inko works some more on her puzzle and then she heads off to bed early. The boys shut the lights off and then decide to go straight into Midoriya's room so they can hang out in there instead, as to not disturb Inko.

As Midoriya moves his things off of the bed, Todoroki stands awkwardly by the door, as if he feels out of place. When Midoriya turns to face him, Todoroki is fiddling with a loose thread on his turtleneck sweater, avoiding eye contact. Midoriya wordlessly offers him a change of clothes, knowing that his friend's suitcase with all of his clothes is still back at his house for the night. Todoroki takes them carefully, but makes no move to actually get changed even after Midoriya climbs onto the bed with his laptop.

"Hey, is something wrong?" the green haired boy asks after a moment, feeling like it's a stupid question even though it is actually very valid. "Don't you want to change and come get settled in bed?" He can hear as Todoroki's breath hitches at that, and the boy holds onto the garments just a little bit tighter. "Todoroki…?"

"I feel like I should tell you what my father and I argued about before you let me into your bed again," the two-toned boy murmurs. Midoriya shifts in his spot, a little worried and concerned but curious as to what Todoroki means by that.

He finds his eyes fixing onto the taller boy's Adam's apple, watching it bob as Todoroki swallows. For some reason, he finds it hard to look at the other boy's face.

"I'm listening," the shorter boy says softly after a moment of silence. When Todoroki still doesn't say anything, Midoriya bites down on his bottom lip. "Why don't you come sit down? You can take your time to tell me- I'll wait."

Todoroki slowly moves over, hesitantly taking a seat at the foot of the bed. He sets the clothes down beside himself and folds his hands in his lap as if he doesn't know what to do with them.

It feels like an eternity passes before Todoroki finally speaks, his voice slightly startling Midoriya when he does.

"I'll just get right to the point," is what the boy utters, sighing after. Midoriya watches him carefully, making sure that he doesn't disrupt Todoroki's thoughts by saying anything. The taller boy shifts a little, shyly pushes a couple strands of his white hair behind his ear to reveal his pink dusted cheeks, and then finally says, "I, um… I like boys. And my father… clearly doesn't approve. He wants me to grow up and marry a girl with a powerful quirk only to have powerful children, but that's… not what I want. I want… um…"

Midoriya's breath catches in his throat as Todoroki trails off. Had he heard that right? Todoroki likes… boys? And Midoriya is… And Todoroki… wait.

The green haired boy's face turns bright red at the thought. Is Todoroki implying that he… likes Midoriya…? Why else would he bring it up now? Unless the shorter boy is just reading too much into it, which is a possibility. And after all, you know what they say about assuming.

Could it be that Todoroki would feel guilty for not saying anything but is also afraid that Midoriya might be uncomfortable sleeping with him knowing the truth? It has to be, right? Or is there more to it that Midoriya can't see?

The boy realizes too late that he's taking too long to respond, but before he gets the chance Todoroki speaks instead, confirming what Midoriya suspects.

"I just, you know, I would feel guilty keeping it from you and knowingly putting you into a situation that could make you uncomfortable if you knew the truth. It'd be different… if I liked girls, because then you'd have no reason to feel weird or uncomfortable around me, but… everything changes when it comes out that the type of person I'm attracted to is the same as you, and then suddenly you might feel you have to worry about me being creepy or weird and I don't want that. You don't have to worry, I promise I'm not like that. I'm, um… I'm sorry if this complicates things, Midoriya, but… I'd feel wrong keeping it from you any longer than I have already."

Midoriya doesn't think he's ever heard his friend talk this much all at once. Todoroki looks ashamed and won't even look at Midoriya at all now, probably embarrassed and feeling guilty even though he shouldn't be. He shouldn't feel guilty over who he is, over something that can't be controlled.

And if Midoriya's going to be honest with himself, he feels… the same way as Todoroki sometimes- he likes boys, that is. In fact, he can recall when he had the biggest crush on Kacchan before the blond had started bullying him more than normal in middle school. But since then, he hasn't really liked anyone. Except-

No; he can't like anyone. That's what he tells himself anyway, whenever he thinks about it, because that's easier than admitting and accepting the truth which is messy and complicated, though he guesses less so now than before. Although, it really does depend on other things.

"Nothing has to change," Midoriya finally says in hopes of making Todoroki feel better, but the boy's expression doesn't change. "I'm not going to think differently of-"

"I know. That's one of the many reasons why I thought I should tell you, though you can't blame me for having doubts when not everyone is as accepting and wonderful as you are." He coughs after that, and Midoriya hopes that Todoroki doesn't notice how much he's blushing at the slight compliment. "There's something else I want to say, too, but… it's so big and it could change everything, so I don't think I can do it tonight."

"Are… are you sure?" Midoriya finds himself asking in spite of what will happen. Todoroki looks at him so he shuts his mouth quickly as his face burns a brighter red from embarrassment.

And the conversation ends there it seems; Midoriya doesn't press any further in fear of upsetting his friend, but he feels a bit disappointed with his lack of an answer that Todoroki in no way owes him.

Todoroki stands to change his clothes, facing away from Midoriya as he pulls his cream colored turtleneck over his head and exposes his pale back. Midoriya looks away just then, weirdly feeling like he doesn't belong here in his own room.

When Todoroki sits back down, Midoriya swears it's a little further away than before. His friend takes a deep breath, and then he exhales.

"Actually… the other thing I want to tell you," Todoroki starts, attracting Midoriya's gaze to him, "It's important and, yeah, it could absolutely change everything for the better, but possibly for the worse. I just don't know how to say it, you know? But… I think you do need to know. I…"

Heterochromatic eyes meet emerald green ones, and Midoriya thinks he knows. Todoroki doesn't have to say a word for him to understand the feelings behind the look.

The shorter boy sits up a little and goes a bit rigid, his green eyes widening, his cheeks bright pink once again, and his breath caught in his throat- he's dumbstruck. He can't believe it, but… it's there. Right in the way Todoroki looks at him. He couldn't be mistaken.

And although he'd told himself over and over that he shouldn't feel this way before he pushed all thoughts of it to the far corners of his mind, he no longer can deny what he's feeling himself, too. It's the same as Todoroki.

He likes him.

The other boy is still struggling to find his words, stuttering and blushing and mumbling in a way that is unlike himself, not quite sure how to spit out what he wants to say as he tends to have a problem with expressing himself.

But Midoriya knows what he's having trouble saying- he saw it just a moment ago in his eyes, definitely. With a simple, swift movement, he could help make things easier for Todoroki - for the both of them - and show the taller boy that he gets exactly what he wants to say without either of them having to speak a single word.

It could be so easy, couldn't it? He just has to… act. But he feels frozen in place.

"Midoriya, I, um…" Todoroki trails off, scratching the back of his head with a sudden, final sigh. "Never mind, I guess. I just can't do it. I'm sorry, Midoriya, I want to tell you because you deserve to know the truth, but it's… I can't."

What? He's just going to give up? Midoriya guesses he understands- Todoroki tends to not know what to say and how to word things, but… but still.

The taller boy is talking again, going on and on, so Midoriya reaches out and touches his shoulder.

"Todoroki," the green haired boy utters, stopping his friend from continuing to ramble on. His eyes catch Todoroki's again and his breath hitches. He can't do it. "I- uh, it's fine- you don't have to say anything else if you're not ready to. I can wait until you are."

As much as he's disappointed Todoroki can't find the words to tell him and confirm what he thinks he knows, he's also a bit more relieved and was able to dodge a likely panic attack that would've been caused had he'd actually… kissed the other boy.

Fuck, kissing Todoroki. Thinking about it has his head spinning. Of course he'd briefly thought about it before, like once or twice, but… wow. It makes his heart flutter in a weird way.

Todoroki nods and Midoriya can feel those mismatched eyes on him as he slips under the blankets. He normally sleeps in more comfortable clothes, but he's afraid of making Todoroki uncomfortable by changing in front of him.

He pats the spot on the bed beside himself, waiting with a shaky smile for Todoroki to crawl over and slip in beside him.

The taller boy moves, hesitant as he starts to crawl over. "Are you sure?" he asks as he pauses in his movements. Midoriya nods, so Todoroki continues moving until he's settled next to him, his warmer left side pressing against Midoriya's right.

They spend the next two or three hours watching movies until Todoroki falls asleep. He must've been tired, but still- Midoriya always falls asleep first. He figures it's probably best for him to sleep as well, so he pushes the laptop to the foot of the bed and scoots down some to let his head fall onto the pillow.

Lying in the dark with a racing heartbeat, all Midoriya finds himself thinking about for what feels like hours is his new discovery; his feelings for Todoroki, and the possibility that Todoroki likes him back.

Sleep comes soon after.

-

It's Christmas Eve! Midoriya snuggles further into Todoroki's side, not wanting to get up and leave the heat, but the alarm on his phone keeps blaring and it keeps waking him up every time he dozes off.

He sleepily sits up, rubbing his eyes. When he opens them, he finds Todoroki watching him.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asks, reaching over Todoroki for his phone to silence it. The taller boy shakes his head, his hair partially messed up in a way that Midoriya thinks is rather cute.

"I was already awake because of the alarm," the other boy says, before gesturing to his own phone, "And because Fuyumi will be here soon to bring the things I left there yesterday."

"Oh, crap," Midoriya mumbles, climbing over Todoroki to get out of bed and get dressed. "I totally forgot all about that."

Todoroki laughs a little. "It's just Fuyumi, Midoriya- she's not going to care that you're in your pajamas or whatever. It's not like it's my father."

"I know, but I should get changed anyway," Midoriya tells him, yanking his shirt up over his head and tossing it into the hamper. "I still need to go out and buy my mom something for Christmas and also go down to do the laundry for her. You can come shopping with me, if you want."

Midoriya tosses his shorts into the hamper as well, going over to the closet to get something warmer to put on. As he looks inside at his clothes, he dumbly wonders if Todoroki is looking at him in his barely dressed state.

He feels bad for thinking that afterwards, knowing that Todoroki wouldn't do that and wouldn't try to make Midoriya uncomfortable on purpose- it doesn't matter if Midoriya's suspicions of Todoroki having feelings for him are correct or not, Todoroki wouldn't purposely do anything that could be considered weird or creepy, especially not now, with his secret out to the other boy.

So once he's properly dressed (though the outfit he's chosen is thin and does nothing to keep him warm), Midoriya turns to face Todoroki, pink coloring his cheeks from shame.

"I, um, I can also wash your clothes from yesterday if you want," he says as he grabs them off of the desk and holds them delicately in his hands. When Todoroki nods, Midoriya gently puts them in the hamper as well, since there isn't much in there.

Todoroki gets up then, and Midoriya moves back over to his closet. "Since I'm washing your clothes, you can borrow more of mine until your sister gets here with yours."

He tosses Todoroki a tan sweater and some tight fitting pants and then checks his phone while the other changes clothes and puts the old ones in the hamper. With a smile, Midoriya excuses himself to collect his mom's clothes so that he can walk the basket down to do the wash.

As he carries the hamper of clothes down the several flights of stairs, he can't help but to let his mind wander a little to think about everything that's happening.

One: Todoroki is gay. Now, to be fair, Midoriya can't say he's really surprised- but the sudden confession was a bit unexpected, though he understands why Todoroki felt he had to confess.

Two: Todoroki got into an argument with his father about it, but Midoriya isn't exactly sure about all that was said, since he wasn't properly filled in, except for the fact that it has to do with children and quirks and marriage.

Three: Todoroki is staying with Midoriya and his mom now. This is fine- actually more than fine; Midoriya didn't think he'd be able to last two weeks without seeing him anyway, considering how close they are and how often Midoriya needs him. But it also means that Midoriya has to really battle with his intrusive thoughts.

And four: Midoriya has the suspicion that Todoroki has feelings for him. The romantic, "I want to be your boyfriend" kind, the kind that involves dates and kisses and everything else Midoriya has thought about with pink cheeks and a stomach full of butterflies, but stuff he isn't really ready for.

Is he completely sure? No, but again, to be fair, it's a tad obvious with the whole "I like boys" confession coming right before the "there's another important thing you should know but it might ruin everything" confession. And Midoriya can't help but to speculate.

But more than likely, Todoroki isn't going to talk about it again because he's Todoroki and he has a hard time talking about his feelings. And that's what scares Midoriya, because as much as he's told himself not to have feelings like that for someone else (let alone Todoroki) he can't help himself and they always come back. He has feelings, too- he wants Todoroki, too, if Todoroki even wants him in the first place.

But how's he going to know the true answer to that if Todoroki never mentions it again? Because it sure seems like Todoroki likes him, but Midoriya has his doubts because, well of course he does. And the only other way to know is to face his own fears and put his heart and his friendship on the line, to let Todoroki know that Midoriya knows exactly how he feels and that he wants that, too. He needs to be there for Todoroki like Todoroki has been for him.

So, how is he supposed to do it without getting anxious and backing out?

Sighing, he tosses the clothes into one of the community washers, sticking a few coins in. He takes a moment to just… breathe, running his hands through his hair as he tries to find himself a solution.

It's cold, he realizes with a violent shiver, and he's not properly dressed. He sets a timer on his phone for the washer before starting the trek upstairs to the apartment. He just has to wait for the clothes to finish so he can go out to shop for-

Wait, that's it! His solution!

Christmas. It's tomorrow. He already bought Todoroki a thoughtful gift that he still intends on giving, but there's nothing wrong with him giving a second… present, as well. Just a… well, a simple kiss.

He blushes at the thought, and he's left wondering: what would kissing Todoroki be like after all? Are his lips half warm, half cool? Or do they meet in the middle at a lukewarm temperature? What would they feel like on his own lips, or on his skin, or…?

Midoriya shakes his head with a violent shiver and rids himself of the thought before it strays too far from being innocent. He's just going to kiss him, and that's all. See how it goes. Maybe not die of anxiety in the process. Hopefully.

His teeth are chattering by the time he reaches the door, fingers grasping at the handle to get inside into the warmth. Todoroki is sitting on the couch when Midoriya walks in, looking a bit concerned.

"I f- f- forgot how c- cold it was," Midoriya explains through his chattering teeth and full body shivers. He rounds the back of the couch when Todoroki gestures for him to come over and sits himself down beside the boy. Todoroki instantly pulls him close against his chest, starting to warm him up with his left side.

Midoriya lets his face rest against Todoroki's shoulder and neck, his fingers grabbing lightly onto his friend's shirt until Todoroki takes the freckled boy's hand in his own, thawing out his stubby fingers. Midoriya blushes again at the contact and the realization that they're holding hands now, but the need for the warmth that now seeps into his body because of Todoroki outweighs the nervousness and embarrassment he feels just from his hand being held.

"Are you feeling a little warmer now?" Todoroki asks after a couple of minutes, to which Midoriya nods without a word. The taller boy nods as well, eyes drifting away to look anywhere else in the room. Midoriya sneaks a glance up at him.

Todoroki lets go once Midoriya stops shivering and pulls out his phone at the sound of a text notification. Midoriya eyes the device, but doesn't dare look at the screen; he's not nosy.

"It's Fuyumi," Todoroki says as he stands. "She's waiting outside, so I'll be right back."

Sitting up a little, Midoriya watches him move around the couch and to the door. "Okay."

As Todoroki heads out, Midoriya wanders into the kitchen to find his mother just finishing up breakfast- rice porridge and toast with jam. Sitting down, his mother places two bowls on the table.

"Is Shouto coming to eat?" she asks with a tilt of her head, looking into the living room to see if he's in there. "I hope he likes it."

Midoriya smiles at her. She's always worried about everyone else. "He'll like it, Mom," he reassures her as he grabs a slice of the toast, biting into it. After chewing and swallowing the bite, he continues with, "He's meeting his sister outside to get his things, but he'll be back in a moment."

And speak of the devil- Todoroki walks into the apartment with his suitcase, closing the door behind himself. He disappears down the hall, probably putting the suitcase in Midoriya's room before he returns, coming into the kitchen. When Inko gestures to the food on the table, Todoroki bows and thanks her before taking a seat.

They eat quietly. Midoriya wonders what Todoroki is thinking about as he looks down into his porridge, hair falling in front of his eyes. Midoriya decides not to ask.

After eating, they help clean up before Midoriya runs down to switch the laundry over to the dryer. With that done, he'll finally be able to go out to the shop with Todoroki. He heads back up quickly.

He finds Todoroki in his room when he enters and shuts the door behind him. The taller boy is looking through his suitcase, but looks up when Midoriya comes in.

"Sorry," Midoriya says with a sheepish smile, the warmth from the apartment burning his cold fingers and face. "I'm almost ready to go out, but I think I should change since this outfit does nothing to keep me warm. Guess it's more for autumn weather."

He yanks the shirt over his head, shivering at the way Todoroki is still looking at him. He moves to his closet again as a blush fills his cheeks, looking around before he finally finds a warm flannel and a hooded vest to go on top. 

He slips the flannel on, turning to face Todoroki as nonchalantly as he can as he starts to button it up, but he's sure his face betrays him. If Todoroki asks, he'll blame the redness on the cold.

"Are you almost ready?" he asks, snapping Todoroki out of whatever trance he'd seemed to be in. The taller boy nods a little, closing up the suitcase before he stands. 

When Midoriya is fully dressed again, they head into the living room to get their shoes on.

"We'll be back, Mom," Midoriya calls, and his mother appears from the kitchen. "We won't be out too late I think- probably be home before dark." His mother smiles and nods at that, and they head out. 

They walk together down the stairs, the bright sunshine making the snow sparkle on the ground below. Midoriya unconsciously shifts closer to Todoroki's left side when a breeze comes through, making him shiver despite the warmer clothes. If Todoroki notices, he doesn't say anything about it, and doesn't show it. Midoriya's thankful.

The shop is slightly crowded when they get there- everyone else must be doing some last minute Christmas shopping as well, but despite the large crowd, they head inside anyway.

Midoriya sticks close to Todoroki as they look at the shelves, picking up and inspecting little trinkets as Midoriya tries to decide what to get for his mother. He finds a few things that she'd like, but is torn on what to buy.

Turning to ask Todoroki what he thinks, Midoriya is taken aback when he finds that his friend is no longer beside him. He looks around, scanning the crowd, but doesn't see a head of red and white hair anywhere.

He starts panicking, thinking of everything bad that could happen. "Todoroki?" he calls out, but his voice is lost in a sea of the other shoppers' murmurs and chatter. A few people turn to look at him, but he mostly goes unnoticed. He tries again, a little louder, "Todoroki?"

As he tries to push his way through the cluster of people to look for his friend, he finds himself being pushed around as well, finally ending up cornered next to a random shelf.

His anxiety builds as he texts Todoroki's phone with shaky hands, getting pushed further into the corner as another group of people brush by him. He calls out his friend's name once more as tears well up in his eyes, hoping that Todoroki didn't get snatched up by some unforeseen, disguised villain, just like Midoriya did when he went to the mall with Uraraka.

On the verge of a panic attack, Midoriya checks his phone to find no text. So in one last attempt, he cries out, as loud as he can, "Todoroki!"

Several of the people near him turn their heads and stop walking completely, but are suddenly pushed out of the way by pale, ungloved hands as Todoroki forces his way through them and comes over to Midoriya in the corner.

As soon as he's close enough, Midoriya is grabbing onto him and clinging to him as if the boy is his lifeline. Fuck, he was so worried, but relieved now that he knows nothing bad had happened.

Todoroki is holding him close, talking to him but Midoriya isn't really listening all that much. He does hear a soft apology, and Midoriya shakes his head, hiding his face in Todoroki's shoulder.

"No, don't apologize," he sniffles, letting his eyes fall shut. "I- I was just worried about you. I'm sorry for causing such a scene…"

"Hey," Todoroki murmurs, pushing Midoriya back just a hair until the shorter boy can see his friend's face; he's sure he looks like a mess, with watery, puffy, red eyes and a splotchy face, but he knows deep down that Todoroki has seen him like this before and probably doesn't care, considering the taller boy seems to possibly have feelings for him and all- maybe. "No need to apologize, okay? I shouldn't have stepped away from you without telling you. So, um… why don't we get your mother a gift and then we go? Did you find anything?"

Midoriya nods, glad that the people around them weren't looking at him anymore and were continuing on with their shopping like nothing had happened. That doesn't stop him from feeling super embarrassed, though.

The two of them move away from the corner and over to the shelf Midoriya had been at last when he'd started freaking out. He settles on getting a scented candle set for her before they step up to the counter to pay.

Midoriya feels awkward and a bit pathetic as he passes the shop owner some money and then turns with Todoroki to leave. Once outside of the store and into the chilly air again, they begin the walk back to the apartment. It's only then that the green haired boy notices that Todoroki seems to have bought something as well, probably for his own mother.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asks, and Midoriya finds himself nodding, a shaky smile on his face. He's okay, just…

He sighs. He wishes he wasn't like this. How's he going to be a hero if he has freakouts like that when something bad happens? He'd never used to have them until after he was kidnapped.

It seems like Todoroki can tell he's not entirely being truthful, if the way he gently nudges Midoriya means anything. Midoriya gives him another partial smile, definitely feeling a little more relaxed now.

"I'm still sorry," he utters, looking down at their shoes as they walk along the icy sidewalk. "I really didn't mean to freak out like that, I just…"

"I understand," Todoroki says softly, reaching down and taking Midoriya's crooked hand into his own, warming away the ache. "But please, don't be sorry. It was my fault."

Midoriya sighs, but lets it go.

Once back at the apartment, Midoriya collects up the clothes in the basket before heading back up, Todoroki going up in front of him so that he can open up the door. Midoriya heads in first, getting smacked with warmth from the running heaters inside. He shivers and he sets the basket down on the floor by the couch.

Not seeing his mother anywhere, Midoriya looks around for her before finding a note on the table, which he reads aloud.

"Izuku and Shouto," he starts, cheeks turning pink at the fact that it seemed so easy to refer to Todoroki as Shouto even though he's only repeating what the letter says, "I'm heading out to the store as well to get some last minute stuff for Christmas and I've left on the heaters for you, as well as made you both some lunch. It's in the microwave if you're hungry. Love, Mom."

Midoriya sets the note back down where he found it on the counter and heads over to the microwave to start heating up the plate. As he moves to head back into the living room, Todoroki meets him in the archway.

"I'm heating it up now," he says, gesturing over to the microwave which only has about a minute left or so. "When it finishes we can eat and then find something else to do, maybe watch TV?"

Todoroki nods so Midoriya gives him a bright smile. It's then that he notices, that right above their heads… is a fucking mistletoe.

His stomach does a flip and he laughs a little awkwardly, pointing up to it. He hopes that maybe it'll give Todoroki the courage he needs to explain how he feels, if he feels anything- Midoriya keeps doubting himself, but at the same time, he knows what he saw. He just hopes it's true.

If possible, Todoroki turns bright red. Midoriya can't recall if he's ever seen the taller boy blush that hard. The green haired boy's heart starts pounding and he hopes that Todoroki can't hear it. They're impossibly close - when did that happen? - and maybe, just maybe, Todoroki is slowly moving closer.

The microwave goes off, startling the both of them. Todoroki bows his head and steps back into the living room; whatever moment that was there is now gone. Midoriya silently curses the microwave as he moves over to it and gets the food out.

They don't talk about it. Not while they're sitting at the table and eating, not after, when they're doing dishes, and not later, when they're watching TV, awkwardly sitting together on the small couch.

Midoriya sighs, deciding to just let it go- he'll settle it all tomorrow anyway. He shifts closer to Todoroki, but the other boy doesn't seem to notice. Midoriya feels a little bit more at ease.

The door opens behind them then, and they turn to see Midoriya's mother coming in. She smiles at them and takes some of the stuff to the kitchen before taking the rest to her room.

The rest of the night isn't particularly interesting. Todoroki disappears for a bit to bathe and Midoriya watches a Christmas movie on TV with his mom.

After Todoroki returns, they finish the movie and decide to play a game of cards to pass the time. Todoroki wins the first two rounds, and then Inko wins before she gets up to start dinner. Todoroki wins again before finally Midoriya beats him once, a grin stretched out across his face. Todoroki smiles back. After that, they stop playing the game to eat.

Everything after comes quickly- dishes, sitting down to watch a movie, Inko heading off to bed. Before Midoriya realizes, it's already eleven. He yawns as the movie ends and shuts off the TV.

"You ready to head in?" he asks as he stands and stretches. Todoroki nods wordlessly and stands up as well, helping Midoriya turn off all of the lights except the ones on the Christmas tree.

As they head into the room, Midoriya can't help but to feel a bit… disappointed. Christmas Eve is said to be more romantic than even Valentine's Day, so he can't help but wish maybe… he and Todoroki would have kissed earlier. But he knows it wasn't really the right time- he understands. He can't help how he feels, though.

Shutting the door behind himself, he almost absently starts undressing to put on comfier clothes. With his shirt off, he simply stands there for a moment, lost in thought.

"Are you alright?" Todoroki asks, hand hovering by Midoriya's shoulder as if he were going to shake him out of his thoughts but perhaps decided against touching him. When had he gotten that close?

Midoriya blushes, nodding. "Yeah," he responds, only sort of meaning it. When he looks at Todoroki, he finds that his friend's eyes are looking at his scars; the ones on his arms, the one on his stomach. The green haired boy instinctively reaches to touch them, running his fingertips over the marks.

Todoroki exhales, sounding a little shaky as he backs up and moves over to the bed. Midoriya blinks, moving to the closet as he finishes undressing and looks around for some sleep clothes. When he turns again, he finds that Todoroki is already changed into a different pair of clothes- the shorter boy is a bit impressed at how quick it happened, but doesn't comment.

Finally pulling his shirt on, he turns off the light and climbs into the bed with his laptop, scooting over to make room for Todoroki. They don't talk much- Midoriya doesn't know what to say anyway, so he doesn't say anything, and Todoroki doesn't seem to be in a chatty mood either. So instead they simply get comfortable and start up a new movie to help them get sleepy.

As it plays, Midoriya can't help but to get lost in thought again. Tomorrow, everything will change, hopefully for the better, but there's a small chance it could be for the worse. He'll give Todoroki his present and then he'll pull him aside and just… kiss him. Like that. Let Todoroki know where he stands on it, let Todoroki know that he knows how the taller boy (possibly) feels, all without ever having to utter a single word.

Midoriya is scared, yet excited. He can do it- he knows he can. Just a little bit longer to go until then.

-

He opens his eyes with a yawn. The first thing he notices is Todoroki beside him, still asleep. The laptop is on the desk, but Midoriya doesn't remember putting it there. He must've fallen asleep first and then Todoroki must've moved the laptop. The green haired boy smiles, turning to look up at the ceiling.

He takes a moment to just… breathe. He checks his phone that sits nearby, discovering that it's only a quarter after eight. He's up earlier than he wants to be, but he doesn't think he can go back to sleep for an hour. So he doesn't.

After a couple of minutes, he sits up and climbs over Todoroki to get out of bed. His friend stirs, but doesn't wake. Breathing a sigh of relief, Midoriya fetches the small box with Todoroki's present in it as well as his mom's present and heads into the living room to wrap them both.

He does it quickly, his hands a little shaky, so the wrapping ends up kind of crooked and wonky, but he hopes they won't mind. He makes sure to write their names on them so that they don't get mixed up and then he puts them under the tree.

Since his mom is in bed still, Midoriya decides that maybe he should make breakfast this morning instead of her, and gets to work in the kitchen.

After about 45 minutes, when he's almost done, his mother wanders into the kitchen and seems to jump at the sight of him. He laughs awkwardly as she says, "Izuku! You startled me!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Mom," he replies, finishing up as she takes a seat at the table. "I just thought I'd give you a break and make breakfast instead. Merry Christmas!"

He swiftly places a portion for her on the table and she looks at it with a surprised expression. "This looks good- thank you, Izuku," she tells him cheerfully. Midoriya gives her a smile before leaving the kitchen.

"I'm going to go wake up Todoroki," he tells her before heading down the hall. He gently pushes open his door, finding Todoroki still asleep. He can't help but to smile again at the sight- he looks so small and peaceful. Midoriya hates to wake him.

He moves over to the other boy, crouching down beside the bed. In spite of himself, he reaches out, brushing Todoroki's hair away from his eyes affectionately, ticking the red strands behind the boy's ear.

"Hey," he whispers, unable to stop himself from letting his palm cradle his friend's face, his thumb brushing against Todoroki's cheek, right under the scar. He utters a little louder, though still soft, "Hey, Todoroki, wake up."

The taller boy's tired eyes flutter open, and as he looks at Midoriya, to the green haired boy it almost feels like he's staring right through him. Maybe he's not really aware of what's happening yet. And as much as Midoriya knows he should, he can't move his hand away. His heart is pounding and Todoroki just looks so fucking pretty.

Closing his eyes again, Todoroki does the unexpected; he reaches up and grabs Midoriya's wrist lightly and then gently turns his head a little and presses a light kiss to Midoriya's palm.

Midoriya's breath catches in his throat. It's quiet, but his heartbeat is so loud he's scared that his heart might actually explode.

Todoroki seems to be dozing off again, but Midoriya doesn't want to scare him away. Sighing, he keeps his voice quiet as he tells him, "Merry Christmas, Todoroki. I made breakfast, do you want to come eat with me?"

Midoriya is suddenly the attention of Todoroki's sleepy eyes again and the boy nods tiredly. Midoriya smiles, allowing himself to brush the strands of hair that had come free back into place behind his ear.

"Come on then," he says, retracting his hand even though he doesn't want to. At that, Todoroki seems to wake up a little more and he blinks.

"Midoriya…?" he mumbles against the blanket, yawning. The green haired boy giggles, because dammit, if Todoroki isn't cute when he's first waking up.

"Good morning. Come eat breakfast with me before it gets cold."

Todoroki doesn't move at first, but then he nods, sitting up. He probably doesn't remember kissing Midoriya's palm, but the shorter boy isn't going to bring it up. Instead he sits back on his calves as he watches his friend untangle himself from the blanket.

Standing, Midoriya offers a hand to Todoroki, who takes it. He easily pulls the taller boy to his feet and then leaves the room to allow Todoroki to change in private, heading back to the table to sit with his mother after making sure all of the food is on dishes and ready to eat.

Todoroki emerges from the room, taking a seat across from Inko at the small square table, Midoriya to his right. The green haired boy smiles, and they all say their thanks before eating.

Once they've eaten and everything is cleaned up, they head to the living room and sit down by the Christmas tree. Midoriya is practically buzzing with excitement, his heart racing. He hopes his decision will be the right one.

He passes his mother her gift first, watching her open it. She smiles when she sees it, and Midoriya is glad that she seems to like it. She thanks him, and before Midoriya can give his gift to Todoroki, the taller boy's already being handed a different one.

A look of confusion passes over his face, but he gently takes it from Inko and holds it for a moment before he unwraps it with tinted cheeks. He smiles small at the gift- a cute little glass figure of a cat. Midoriya remembers that his mother had learned Todoroki likes cats the other night when they were getting to know each other.

"Thank you," Todoroki murmurs, running his fingers over the glass cat. Midoriya can tell that despite how awkward he feels, he truly does like it a lot. Inko smiles warmly, and shoves something into Midoriya's hands.

The boy blinks, unwrapping the paper carefully to find an All Might notebook. He grins and then laughs a little awkwardly, hoping Todoroki doesn't think he's still just a weird fanboy even though, despite still being kind of a fanboy, he's grown up a lot within this short time he's had his quirk and been to UA and been training under All Might himself.

"Thank you, Mom," he says as he studies it closer, the familiar man in a familiar pose, smiling at him on the notebook's front cover, with a little speech bubble reading 'I AM HERE!' beside him. The pages are lined in red, blue and yellow, a different color for each page. It's cute, and he loves it.

Grinning, he reaches under the tree for one of the last couple of gifts before he offers it to Todoroki, pink dusting his cheeks.

"Merry Christmas," he utters, watching as Todoroki's pale hands gently take it from him. His eyes meet Midoriya's, but then he's looking down at the box. "I hope you like it."

Todoroki opens it slowly, undoing the tape and unwrapping the paper around the box very carefully, as if he's afraid to rip it. When it reveals a plain, white box, he carefully opens it.

Nobody else would've noticed the way his face lights up just a little when he sees what's inside, the way his expression only slightly changes, but Midoriya does. To anyone else, it would look like Todoroki feels indifferent, but Midoriya can see the truth.

The taller boy pulls it out of the box; a silver chain bracelet with two charms and four colored beads. The charms, a snowflake on the right and a little flame on the left, and red and blue beads evenly separated around.

Todoroki passes the bracelet to Midoriya before holding out his right wrist so that the shorter boy can put it on for him. Midoriya does so; the bracelet makes Todoroki's wrist look sort of small and delicate, in a way. It's nice on him.

"Thank you," Todoroki breathes, touching the charms with his fingertips. "Midoriya, I… I really like it."

"Good!" Midoriya laughs, feeling genuinely happy, but his smile turns to confusion as Todoroki leans over him to grab something from underneath the tree. "What are you doing?"

"I, um… I have something for you, too," the other boy explains, and it's then that Midoriya's mother apologizes and excuses herself, perhaps to give them privacy.

With slightly unsteady hands, the gift is passed to Midoriya. He blinks down at it, feeling dumb, before slowly starting to unwrap it. He hadn't been expecting Todoroki to get him anything, truthfully, though he isn't sure why. It makes sense, after all.

Underneath the paper is a small box, similar to the one that held Todoroki's bracelet. Midoriya looks up at Todoroki for the briefest moment and notes his friend's red cheeks before he flushes himself and looks back down at the box, slowly getting it open.

His lips part at the thing inside- small, emerald green gems in the shape of two tiny hearts connected to a medium length chain; a necklace. It's really pretty- in fact he thinks it's probably too pretty for someone as plain as himself. But still, he loves it, and stutters out a 'thank you'.

"Will you help me put it on?" Midoriya asks after a beat of silence, passing it to Todoroki before turning his back to him. The necklace is placed around his neck and then he feels Todoroki working on getting the clasp closed. When it's done, he turns to look at Todoroki again. "How does it look?"

The taller boy looks like he's having trouble saying anything, but eventually he just nods. "Good," he murmurs, swallowing- Midoriya watches his Adam's apple bob.

The necklace is more short than he'd thought; it's more like a loose choker. The hearts rest right below his clavicle, so he can't really see them when he looks down. He'll just have to go look in the mirror.

He darts off to the bathroom to see. Honestly? He thinks it kind of looks pretty on him, and he really, really likes that. It almost matches his eyes and hair, too, and just looks like it belongs on him.

As he stands there, looking in the mirror at his reflection, he realizes there's only one thing left to do- and that's kiss Todoroki. His heart starts pounding at the thought again and he bites down on his lip.

He can do this, he knows he can. He can't chicken out now.

Nodding at his reflection, Midoriya leaves the bathroom, rounding the corner to see Todoroki now standing awkwardly by the tree. Midoriya swallows when Todoroki looks over at him, stopping in place. He looks into the kitchen to make sure his mom is still in there before looking back to his friend, waving him over.

When Todoroki is in front of him, Midoriya takes his hand before he can talk himself out of this and starts leading Todoroki back to his bedroom for a bit of privacy in case this somehow goes wrong.

"Midoriya, wh-" Todoroki tries, but Midoriya looks back at him and interrupts.

"I have another present for you," he says, hoping he doesn't look as nervous as he feels inside. They slip into the room and Midoriya closes the door behind them.

Todoroki stands there expectantly, but Midoriya simply gives him a cheeky, yet nervous smile and pushes the boy backwards until he's sitting on the side of the bed. Todoroki seems surprised, but doesn't say anything.

With butterflies in his stomach, Midoriya murmurs, "You have to close your eyes for this one, okay?"

Todoroki looks like he wants to ask questions, but he doesn't. Instead, he does what he's told and closes his eyes. Midoriya stands there for just a moment, allowing himself time to get it together. His heart is pounding, palms a little sweaty- fuck, he's really nervous. But he'll do it, because he wants to be with Todoroki too.

Without another word, Midoriya moves closer, his freckled cheeks burning red. Before he can talk himself out of it, his hands are clasping Todoroki's shoulders before one tilts his friend's face up so that he can press his mouth firmly against the taller boy's. Just like that.

Todoroki goes completely still beneath his hands and for the briefest moment, Midoriya grows afraid and wonders if he was somehow wrong. How could he be, though? He could've sworn that Todoroki liked him based on everything, but…

Just as he begins to pull away to apologize, he feels Todoroki's hands on his biceps, keeping him in place as he slowly kisses the shorter boy back, hesitant. Midoriya practically soars.

So this is what it's like to kiss someone, he thinks to himself, his heartbeat so fast and his face so hot that it's almost uncomfortable. He's never done it before so it isn't perfect by any means, but that's what makes it feel so special.

The kiss just… feels so right. Midoriya feels like he'll have no regrets about it no matter what is said after this, no matter what happens.

Todoroki pulls his mouth away to speak, his nose bumping against Midoriya's button one in an awkward yet cute way and Midoriya giggles a little, his knee now digging into the mattress at Todoroki's hip to help keep him up.

Before Todoroki can speak, Midoriya shakes his head. "I know. How you feel, I mean. That is… if I'm right about my assumption."

"How-" the taller boy starts a little unintelligently, causing another giggle to bubble up from Midoriya's throat. Todoroki smiles shyly. "How did you…? I just mean, well… because you… um, I didn't get to actually…" he waves his hand around, stumbling over his words. Midoriya grins at him as he tries to get out what he wants to say. "And… um, yeah. How did you know? A- About my feelings?"

Midoriya shrugs. "It was kind of… a guess?" he admits, twirling a strand of his hair around his finger. "I could kind of tell how you felt because of how you looked at me when you said you liked boys and when you said you had something else important you wanted to tell me. It was just… so intense, and I don't think I've seen you look at me that way before- and I saw that look again after I gave you the bracelet and when I asked how the necklace looked on me."

He pauses, and then, "And anyway, it wasn't that hard to put two and two together after thinking about it… about everything, actually. You've probably dropped more hints than I'd noticed, even. And I knew that you probably wouldn't talk about it because you have a hard time expressing your feelings, so… I took matters into my own hands."

"Oh," Todoroki mumbles at first, probably wondering if he was that obvious. Midoriya's lips quirk up into a smile at the expression on the other's face, but he stays quiet. "I see. Well, I guess all of that's on me for being really obvious, just like Bakugo had said, but even though I hate that he was right, I should be glad. And thank you, Midoriya, for acting on it since I was too nervous to. Um, so… does this mean…?"

He trails off, and Midoriya can't help but to grin. "That I feel the same?" he finishes, chuckling. At Todoroki's nod, Midoriya hums. "Yeah. I do."

A hint of a small smile finds its way onto Todoroki's face. "So now what?" he asks the green haired boy, fingers moving to grasp Midoriya's wrists instead of his biceps. He clears his throat before adding, "Are we like… together now?"

Midoriya shrugs. "Um… y- yeah, I think," he finally says, tilting his head a little. He hates that he's so nervous again, but he didn't plan this far ahead. "If you want to be, that is."

Todoroki audibly swallows, nodding. "Yeah, I think I, um-" He pauses and meets Midoriya's eyes, "I think I want that, I- Izuku."

Midoriya grins, heart fluttering at the way his given name sounds coming from Todoroki's mouth. He kisses Todoroki again gently, crooked fingers brushing against the taller boy's jaw.

When he pulls back, he utters, softly, "Okay, Shouto."

Todoroki pulls him closer- Midoriya now sits in his lap instead of standing, his knees on either side of his friend's - boyfriend's? - hips. He slowly wraps his arms around Todoroki's middle, letting his head rest against the other boy's shoulder. Todoroki hugs him back after a moment, his face buried in Midoriya’s fluffy hair. And together, they just… breathe.

And wow, this is pretty nice, Midoriya has to admit to himself. Being held like this, by someone who actually wants to be with him. Truthfully he never really thought something like this could ever happen to him, but now it has and for once, he's just so… happy.

-

The days fly by, almost too quick to enjoy, and then the break is over.

Christmas went well. Inko kept shooting the both of them knowing looks at dinner which had Midoriya's face burning bright red the entire evening, but it was good. Todoroki was smiling, which had Midoriya's stomach in knots but in the best way.

They hadn't talked to his mother about it, but they figured they would soon after everything wasn't so new - perhaps by the next major visit. And besides, something told Midoriya that she probably already figured it out.

They kissed a lot. Almost every private second was filled with quick kisses or hugs and shy smiles until they really got time to themselves to just enjoy it all, and that's when soft kisses slowly melted into heavy make-out sessions on Midoriya's bed that carried on late into the night. They never went too far, but came close a couple of times which left them with dark red faces and a little bit of discomfort until they both had calmed down.

They talked, more than they'd ever had before, about when they'd started feeling the way they do, about the things they've noticed about each other, about how they owe Bakugo one- about anything and everything.

They talked a lot about how much Todoroki has been there for Midoriya, about all the times he'd saved his life or helped him out in some way. Midoriya had said something about wanting to repay him for it all, but Todoroki dismissed it and told the boy that if he really wanted to, then he could repay him with more kisses.

Endeavor even called to apologize at some point, which was kind of a bit unlike him, but he seemed to mean it, and Todoroki seemed to be a bit more at ease after. And though Midoriya was worried, Todoroki assured him that he wouldn't be heading back there for the rest of their break.

Midoriya spent so much time after his mom went to bed doing things with Todoroki, whether it was cuddling, kissing, watching movies, talking, or whatever else, but it still feels like they hardly did anything together the past two weeks.

And everything has been perfect; it was fun while it lasted, but tomorrow they've got to get back to UA, back to their busy, sometimes dangerous lives.

They lie side by side together, staring up at the ceiling. Midoriya knows that after tonight, things are likely going to be just a little different- they'll have to be extra careful in hiding their relationship from their friends until they're ready to come out and tell them, and with everything they've got going on, it'll be a miracle if they get a second to be alone and act like a normal couple without arousing any suspicion.

Briefly, Midoriya wonders if maybe they should wait to be together until they're able to be happy and free and out to everyone, when they don't have as many other things going on like training and homework and all, when they can properly go on dates and hold hands and kiss without worrying about everything else. But… that would mean they'd have to wait until after they graduate, which is still such a long time away from now. What if they don't feel the same by then for some reason? What if something happens to one of them and-

"What are you thinking about?" Todoroki asks him, causing the shorter boy to jump in surprise. He looks over to find mismatched eyes watching his face, and his cheeks turn red.

"I just…" he sighs, not knowing how to voice his thoughts without hurting Todoroki's feelings in any way. He rolls over onto his right side and Todoroki mimics him, rolling onto his left so they're facing one another. "Do you think… that we're going to be able to like… make this work?"

"What do you mean?" Todoroki questions, his voice soft. Midoriya hums at that, biting down on his lip. "Are you worried that… we somehow won't work out?"

There's no mistaking the hurt in his voice and Midoriya frantically shakes his head, taking Todoroki's hand. When Todoroki continues to look at him quizzically, Midoriya sighs once more and shrugs.

"Well, maybe…?" he says, unsure. Before Todoroki can say anything, Midoriya continues with, "I'm just worried that it's going to be too hard to hide everything from everyone, that we won't get to spend enough time together as a couple, you know? I don't want to have to wait to be with you, but… it seems that either way we do things, we're still going to have a tough time. Am I making sense?"

Todoroki blinks. "Then why hide it?" he asks, though he must know the risks they face- the possibility of discrimination, the possibility of new rules being set just because of them, etcetera.

Midoriya doesn't realize he's talking aloud until Todoroki is cupping his cheeks with his cold and warm hands. Midoriya exhales, closing his eyes.

"If that's what you're worried about," the talker boy starts, caressing the shorter boy's freckled cheeks, "Then maybe we don't hide it from our friends only. You think they would judge us?"

Midoriya frowns. "Well, maybe not, but… I still can't help but to worry that maybe they might. And if they judge us, then it would really hurt, you know? Because then what if it causes problems for us?"

"Izuku, you know them," Todoroki responds, brushing Midoriya's hair away from his eyes. "They're nice people- well, most of them, and I don't think they would care all that much if they found out we're together."

"You're right," Midoriya finally utters, because it's true. He knows that Todoroki has a really good point here and that he really shouldn't worry about it so much, but he can't help it.

What if some of them think that he's not good enough for Todoroki, that Todoroki can do better than him? He knows that that's probably true- after all, Todoroki can have pretty much any boy he wants, right? Why settle for someone plain and boring like Midoriya himself?

No, he tells himself. He knows he can't think like that. He shouldn't doubt Todoroki's feelings for him.

He knows that at least Kacchan and Uraraka would more than likely be accepting, and probably Iida, Asui and Kirishima too, however he isn't super sure about anyone else. But the more he thinks about it, the more he feels like maybe, just maybe, nobody will care, just like Todoroki says.

He eventually nods. "Okay," he breathes, his forehead pressing against his boyfriend's when he leans closer. "I trust you on this."

"I'm glad," Todoroki whispers, his thumbs brushing over Midoriya's freckles. "Don't worry, okay? Even if I'm wrong somehow, we'll… nothing will happen to us. I can promise you that, at least."

"Okay," Midoriya murmurs again, fingers loosely wrapped around Todoroki's wrists, eyes shut. He swallows. "I, um… I- I love you, Shouto."

He can hear Todoroki's breath hitch, but doesn't dare open his eyes to see the expression on his boyfriend's face.

He doesn't have to though. Todoroki kisses him softly, pulling him closer. Midoriya's grip tightens on the other boy's wrists as he kisses back harder, rolling over onto his back and pulling Todoroki over him.

His boyfriend props himself up on his elbows as they break apart to breathe for just a moment. "I love you too," he says, and Midoriya's hands move until his arms are around Todoroki's neck, pulling him down to reconnect their lips. He moves his hands again, sliding them underneath his boyfriend's shirt at first before they start working on the buttons instead.

Todoroki makes a noise when he seems to realize what Midoriya's up to, stopping the boy halfway through his mission when he pulls back. He's smiling, but shaking his head. Midoriya gives a sheepish smile in return, leaning up to kiss his boyfriend's throat.

Things don't get much more heated than that, but even so Midoriya feels almost electrified- butterflies in his stomach, pink cheeks and feeling lightheaded. In fact, most of their makeout sessions make him feel this way. He loves it.

Breathing heavily, he snuggles up close to Todoroki, loving the way the taller boy's arms feel wrapped around him.

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.

The morning is spent getting packed and having one last breakfast with Midoriya's mom, laughing and joking at the table and making plans for another visit during the spring.

After that they collect everything and get ready to go.

Midoriya hugs his mother goodbye, hating that he has to leave her alone again but knowing that she'll be okay. Todoroki hugs her too, albeit a bit awkwardly. It makes Midoriya smile.

The walk to the train station isn't far, so, carrying their luggages, they wave goodbye to Inko and head out together.

It's freezing outside, but Todoroki doesn't seem affected as they start their descent down the stairs. It's snowing lightly on them- Midoriya knows that snowflakes probably keep catching on his curls, but he can't bring himself to brush them away. He should've just worn his beanie, but it's fine. He might look stupid, but he isn't super bothered.

"I'm glad you spent your two weeks with me, Shouto," Midoriya says suddenly, his face turning pink. "So many good things came from it and I've felt so much better with you around. I'm happy that we get to go back to UA together as, um, you know… as boyfriends."

"I'm happy too," Todoroki replies, his voice soft. "I feel so much better now that I don't have to hide how I feel about you and overthink things so much. Everything is a bit easier now, all thanks to you, Izuku. I promise everything is going to work out- obviously, I'll be with you through it all."

The green haired boy's heart swells in his chest and he can't help himself but to stop Todoroki and lean over to kiss him on the mouth. The taller boy kisses back gently, his hair tickling Midoriya's freckled cheek.

They break apart and continue down the stairs, faces pink and hearts full.

Once at the bottom of the steps, Midoriya feels Todoroki's left hand grab onto his right. He grins up at his boyfriend, who smiles right back like nothing else matters in the world.

Maybe nothing else does right now.

-

The end ! <3