Because of you {Tododeku/kiribaku}

Chapter 14

~Time-Skip: On the Train to Kamino Ward~

Todoroki ate his food in silence after everyone had agreed that they weren't going to back out of going to save Bakugo, not that he really believed any of them would. He covertly glanced at Midoriya, desperate to reach out and hold his hands—to tell him that everything was going to be alright.

Of course, Shoto didn't know that they would succeed, but Midoriya's downcast eyes were so beautifully determined that he couldn't bring himself to believe that they would fail. If Izuku was there and ready to fight to bring Bakugo home, then that's what they would do.

While he was staring, the mossy-haired teen happened to look up, catching him. They kept each other's gaze for a few tense moments but eventually, Midoriya looked away again, stuffing the rest of his food into his cheeks before mumbling about needing to take a quick walk.

Todoroki's heart clenched in his chest, watching as the still injured teen left. He bit the inside of his lip harshly and tried to find something else to busy his turmoil-filled mind. All he could think about was how sad the teen looked, knowing he was probably just as much the cause as Bakugo's kidnapping.

"You should follow him..." Kirishima whispered once Iida and Yaoyorozu started their own conversation about how to best avoid actual combat.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Shoto lied.

"Oh, come on, Todoroki! Katsu called me in to help the night you kissed Midoriya; do you honestly believe he didn't keep me in the loop after that? Just man up and tell the truth!" Eijiro scolded, his voice still hushed but much harsher.

"Just as I told Bakugo, I'm not going to speak about this with you," Shoto responded coldly, his breath already starting to frost over in irritation.

Eijiro closed his eyes tightly, hands clenching. "I'm not asking you to talk to me... It's just... If things go wrong-"

"We aren't going to fail, Kirishima." Todoroki interrupted boldly, though inside he was a bundle of nerves. He couldn't imagine how terrible it must be for the redhead to be in the position he was in, knowing that anything could be happening to Bakugo.

Eijiro's eyes filled with tears, but they were also angry as they opened and turned to Todoroki. "Maybe we don't fail... But we don't know what we're walking into. If something goes wrong, do you really want what's going on between you and Midoriya to be the last thing you have to hold on to?"

Todoroki visibly paled, his eyes widening at what Kirishima was implying. Midoriya was still heavily injured, even if he could use his arms minimally. It had been hard for Shoto to get on board with bringing the mossy-haired teen along because if fighting did break out he'd be at a heavy disadvantage.

But he was also going to be there to protect him, so he'd simply ignored any worry that had been lurking around in his subconscious. The idea of anything else happening to Midoriya was far more than he could handle at the moment, especially with the guilt he already felt from saying he couldn't be with him and then failing to save Bakugo the first time.

"My last memories with Katsu are good..." Eijiro continued, "s-so... if something h-happens to him or a-already has... at least I have that. And the same goes if I get killed trying to save him; he'll remember the happy times."

"What are you trying to say?" Shoto grit out, his throat painfully tight.

Kirishima twisted fully in his chair, grabbing the dual users shoulders and giving him a slight shake. "Stop pretending you don't understand! I'm saying that if this ends badly—in any way—then you don't want Midoriya to be questioning how you feel about him. I don't know you well, Todoroki, but I do know that you're super manly and don't do anything without a reason. Even if you can't be with him... Let Midoriya know that it isn't his fault... just in case it's too late tomorrow."