Friends? (tododeku)

Chapter 3

Third-person POV

"Izuku? I'm coming in," Inko knocked on the door and entered the room. Her hair was on a messy bun and her apron hung from her hips. Inko had a white tray in her hand, which she carried carefully. Inko stopped at the door and looked in front of her in bewilderment.

The sight was ridiculous: she saw Todoroki in a black cloak that was clearly too long for him. His hair was combed on the other side of his head and there was something strange black dirt in his eyes. Probably stolen eye shadow from Inko's makeup bag. Pieces of white paper had been stuck in Todoroki's mouth like fangs.

Midoriya stood on the other side of the room wearing an All Might superhero costume. He stood the same way All Might does: his back straight, a big smile, and his hands on his hips. Inko watched the scene for a moment before starting to laugh.

"What is happening here?" Inko asked, wiping tears and lowering the tray on the carpet.

"I will save the world!" Midoriya exclaimed enthusiastically. "Todoroki is a nasty vampire trying to take over the city!"

Todoroki looked around with a questioning look on his face. He wasn't quite sure what was going on but decided to go with it for Midoriya.

"I have to admit, Todoroki resembles a vampire in that outfit," Inko smiled and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Izuku, help Todoroki wash his face and eat the snacks I made," she said and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Midoriya opened the zipper of his suit and helped Todoroki get his cloak over his head.

"Are you sure she wasn't angry?" Todoroki asked and shuffled his hair.

Midoriya laughed carelessly and threw the costumes on a chair in the corner of the room."Don't worry. Mom is very gentle and I wouldn't do anything that would hurt her," the boy assured and began to pull Todoroki towards the bathroom.

"Hmm..." Todoroki replied and let Midoriya show the way.

Midoriya opened the white door of the bathroom and pushed Todoroki in front of the sink."Here are the liquid and wipes that mom uses to take her makeup off," Midoriya nodded toward the sink and began rummaging through the toilet closet to find a towel. Todoroki nodded and began to rub the black color off his face."Here," Midoriya said, holding out a red towel.

"Thank you," Todoroki said, eyes half-closed, and dried his face.

"Then, let's eat," Midoriya smiled and took the towel.

Inko had made small triangular sandwiches for the boys. They were avocado and chicken stuffed. She had also chopped rabbit-shaped pieces of apple that rested neatly next to the sandwiches. The taste was better than what Todoroki had expected, it didn't take long when the whole tray was empty down to the last crumb.

"Mmh, that was yummy!" Midoriya sighed contentedly and stroked his stomach. Todoroki had already eaten his sandwich and wiped the bread crumbs off his shirt.

"What do you want to do? Do you want to play video games?" Midoriya asked and crawled toward his television. The TV was small, black, and full of colorful stickers of superheroes. He took the remote control off the table and pressed the red start button. There was a little hum and the screen turned on.

"What kind of games do you like?" Midoriya turned around.

"Uh, everything is fine," Todoroki replied uncertainly and sat next to him.

Midoriya took two game controllers, white and green, and handed the other to the boy sitting next to him. Todoroki took the controller in his small hand and began to press the buttons. He wasn't quite sure how it worked.

What do all these buttons do?

Midoriya noticed Todoroki's foolish look. "Have you played before?" Midoriya asked in astonishment, his green hair falling on his eyes. Todoroki shook his head. He had zero gaming experience. He hadn't had time to play video games, as training had taken up all his free time.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you!" Midoriya comforted and opened a platform game. The game was very simple, so Todoroki could safely learn how to use the game controller.

Midoriya chose the character and started the game. He showed Todoroki how to jump, squat, and run in the game. Todoroki looked at the screen, his eyes squinting, and watched as Midoriya jumped over the oncoming enemies and ate the mushrooms that appeared in front of him. This was a new thing for Todoroki and he was very interested. He wanted to learn new things, something more than just techniques related to his quirk.

"It's your turn, Todoroki," Midoriya said as he reached the finish line and lowered his controller to the wooden floor.

Todoroki swallowed hard. He selected a character and pressed the START button. The game began and the character stood on the starting line, waiting for Todoroki's orders. Todoroki jumped once and started moving slowly. The game did not go very well. This was not surprising given Todoroki's previous gaming experiences. Todoroki looked wide-eyed as the character started running towards the first drop. He pressed the jump button, but the character just kept running and dropped down the cliff. Todoroki growled at the failure and watched as the game character came back to life.

"Don't worry Todoroki! Please try again," Midoriya laughed and nodded toward the controller on Todoroki's lap. Todoroki nodded and directed his gaze toward the screen. Midoriya made him feel a little bit better and Todoroki's motivation grew. He commanded his game character to run and watched as the character made a smooth jump over the ravine.

Todoroki felt amazing because of his performance and turned to Midoriya. He pointed first at himself and then at the television screen without saying a word.

Midoriya smiled broadly and clapped his hands excitedly.

"Todoroki, you did it!" the boy cheered and patted Todoroki's red-and-white hair. Todoroki nodded feeling motivated and made it to the finish line. Todoroki lowered his controller to the floor and proudly looked at the 'You won!' text. Around the text, Todoroki's character jumped excitedly and balloons of different colors and sizes hovered around him as a sign of victory.

"Yes, good Todoroki!" Midoriya stood up excitedly and rushed to hug the winner. Todoroki froze in place and felt his body squeeze under Midoriya's grip. A small smile rose on his lips. The hug felt really good and warm.

Midoriya gave the boy one last squeeze and retreated. Todoroki took a deep breath."Haha, sorry," Midoriya laughed and scratched his head. Todoroki shook his head. It didn't feel that uncomfortable. He doesn't have to apologize for it. It was warm and got Todoroki in an even better mood.

"Izuku!" Inko knocked on the door. "It's late, Todoroki's family is certainly already worried."

Midoriya's expression became disappointed. He sighed and said, "Ok, Mom." and held out his hand to Todoroki, which he used to pull the boy up. Midoriya looked at the ground sadly and began to sway toward the door.

"Mido- Midoriya..." Todoroki said in a quiet voice and held out his hand towards the boy. Midoriya raised his chin and turned.

"Come to the woods tomorrow, let's play again," Todoroki said in a calm tone. As if to convey the message that this was not the last meeting. Midoriya's eyes brightened and he nodded happily.

"I promise!"