Friends? (tododeku)

Chapter 23

Third-person POV

"Has Bakugou told anyone about us?" Todoroki asked as they walked toward their class.

"Hmm, I don't know. I haven't talked to him. He seems to be avoiding us," Midoriya replied with his hands tightened in fists. After Halloween, Bakugou hadn't even glanced at them. He still hung out with his gang, but didn't complain to them, as he usually did. But he didn't seem to have told others. That was good. "Did you study for today's math test?" Midoriya asked as he sat in his seat. He lifted his superhero notebook from his backpack.

"Mmh, a little," Todoroki sat down next to Midoriya and pulled his chair right next to him.

"Well, I took notes and stuff," Midoriya said proudly. He dug his notebook from his backpack, "here," he held out the notebook. Todoroki took the booklet and began to browse it. Midoriya, meanwhile, focused on his superhero notebook. That's how those things always went. Midoriya knew Todoroki didn't have much time to study, so he took notes for him. And Todoroki knew that Midoriya would study and wanted to draw in his notebook before the tests. It calmed his excitement. Both sides won.

"Close your books, please," the teacher said in a low voice as he entered the classroom, "and Todoroki take your seat."

——

"Can we hold hands?" Midoriya asked and bit his sandwich. They sat on the roof of the school and ate lunch. Todoroki occasionally took food from Midoriya's lunch box, and he didn't stop him. He knew that Inko always prepared a little extra food because Todoroki always ate from Midoriya's box. Midoriya had asked him why he did so. Todoroki had just shrugged. "I like Inko's food," he had said and continued to chew.

"Hold hands?" Todoroki wiped his mouth.

"Yeah. I know we had to keep a lower profile at school, but there's no one here," he looked at the empty roof, "we're alone."

"Well, all right," Todoroki nodded. He held out his hand. Midoriya grabbed it with satisfaction and felt Todoroki's strong squeeze. Because of this, they always came to the roof at lunchtime. There was usually no one there and they were allowed to be at peace without distractions. Todoroki's popularity was also somewhat calmed when gossip began to spread that Todoroki had a girlfriend. Todoroki hadn't really tried to correct them, because they weren't completely wrong. He was dating, which was true. But that girlfriend point was a little off the mark. To Todoroki's knowledge, Midoriya was a boy."I don't remember when was the last time I have seen you wearing a suit," Todoroki said, surprisingly breaking the prevailing silence. Midoriya frowned thoughtfully and took a sip of milk.

"Hmm, well it's been a long time. I can't even remember myself," he muttered, looking up at the sky. It was blue and full of pale clouds.

"Are you cold?" Todoroki asked.

"No, I have this jacket," Midoriya replied, rustling in his thick winter jacket, "and this is the only place where we can be alone."

"Hmm," Todoroki smiled, chewing on chicken. That's true.

——

The long awaited weekend finally arrived. Midoriya couldn't wait. The last days of school had felt like an eternity. But finally the holiday dance celebration came. "Is this too tight?" Inko asked as she closed the buttons on the boy's jacket. It was black, the same color as his pants and shoes.

"Just right," Midoriya said with his back straight. Inko had still wanted to check on the suit before they left. Wrong sized jacket would be too uncomfortable. But the suit seemed to suit him well, and no sewing was needed.

"All right, and finally the tie," Inko muttered, pushing her hair behind her ear at the same time. A pair of green locks of hair landed on her cheek. She lifted the burgundy tie from the floor and wrapped it around the boy's neck. She tied it, not too tight, but also made sure it didn't look too loose. Finally, Inko straightened it and took a step back. "You look handsome," Inko smiled as she admired her neat son. Midoriya had a wide smile that reached to his ears. The red tie matched well with his green hair and the black color of the suit brought it all together. He felt confident as he turned in front of his full-length mirror.

"Do you think Shouto likes this?" he asked his mother.

"Are you kidding me? Of course he'll like this outfit," Inko said, as if it was obvious. Midoriya was clearly excited about this and plunged into a hug.

"Thank you, Mom," he muffled it to his mother's shoulder. Inko smiled happily and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the warm tears. They broke apart when the doorbell rang. "Shouto is here! Mom, shoes on, let's go!" Midoriya exclaimed as he ran to the door. He opened it and saw a familiar red-and-white-haired boy. "Shouto!" he exclaimed excitedly. Todoroki wore a black suit similar to Midoriya's, but the tie was white instead of red. The suit sat on him, as if it had been made for him. He looked so good and Midoriya's belly was full of butterflies. His hair had also been pulled back.

"Hey Izuku," he said in a quiet voice. "I brought you something." Midoriya tilted his head clearly confused. He brought me something? Todoroki raised his other hand from behind his back and a fiery red rose appeared in front of Midoriya. "Here, to my partner," he smiled. Midoriya could not believe his eyes. That rose was so beautiful. Slightly smaller than normal roses, but certainly the most delightful of them all.

"Oh, Shouto," Midoriya sighed, taking the rose carefully. "It is so beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," Todoroki nodded.

"It's beautiful, Todoroki," Inko suddenly said. She had already been dressed. She waved her keys. "Are we ready to leave?"

"Yeah," Midoriya nodded, "get in the car and I'll put this rose in a vase. "

It was dark outside. Of course it was. It was winter then. A severe frost stung their skin. Girls were wearing thin dresses and tights, and it looked like it was midsummer. "I'll pick you up later. Have fun!" Inko shouted from the window as the boys got out of the car.

"Mmh," Midoriya waved his hand goodbye. "We're going inside now. It's freezing here."

Inko laughed. "Go now." she said and drove out of the parking lot. The school ballroom was full of lights, mostly green and red, and gold ribbons hung on the edges of the stage. The cooking club served pastries and gingerbread as well as other festive delicacies. And everyone looked so impressive. The girls wore beautiful dresses and their partners wore neat suits that accentuated their shoulders. It was like Halloween, but more formal, maybe even elegant. The teachers were also dressed nicely. Midoriya looked around and noticed Bakugou. He was surprised. He did not believe Bakugou would come to such a celebration. But here he was, with a suit on and his hair combed to the other side of his head. But he seemed to be hanging out with his friends. Had they come together and not with their partners? It was hard to imagine Bakugou asking for someone to dance.

"Looks great! Everyone's dresses and suits are super pretty," Midoriya smiled as he admired the people spinning around them.

"Mmh," Todoroki nodded, though he had still not raised his gaze from his partner.