Like Friends Do

Chapter 6

Midoriya wouldn't lie. It was...nice. He'd hugged Todoroki before, but never had Todoroki had the courage to hug him back, and now here they stood, Todoroki enveloping him in a hug. Behind them, Hagakure and Jirou watched with their jaws dropped.

It only lasted a moment before Todoroki pulled himself away, steaming already. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Midoriya asked, but his voice was in a weird limbo between embarrassed squeaking and full-on dog whistle. His entire body felt on fire, and he was almost certain the blush didn't stop at his cheeks.

"I should have stopped him," Todoroki whispered. "I'm—"

"Oh hush," Midoriya reached out and nudged Todoroki with his right hand, his voice dropping back down to an audible octave. "You did everything you could."

"I didn't," Todoroki replied, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "I could have pushed harder—"

"It's not your fault," Midoriya said sternly. He then took the time to glance around the room; nobody seemed to notice the exchange aside from Bakugou, who had been watching the door nervously, only to scowl and go upstairs. Midoriya wondered idly if he'd been waiting for Kirishima.

Jirou and Hagakure moved to the side, then, finally stepping around the two and into the dorm. Midoriya could tell Jirou was hiding a smile at the way she kept her hands up to her face. Yaoyorozu rounded the corner just about then, running up and sweeping her girlfriend into a tight hug, until Jirou hissed in pain and her partner began a slue of apologies.

Todoroki hung his head. "I've been—worried," he admitted, more steam evaporating from his body. Midoriya would have thought it cute, had he not felt so close to exploding as well.

"I'm okay," Midoriya assured. "The nerve endings just severed, Recovery Girl said they'd repair in a few weeks."

Todoroki had never cried in front of Midoriya, but he felt certain that if he'd ever gotten close to seeing it, this is what it looked like. Todoroki's face contorted into a grimace, and small flecks of ice touched the corners of his right eye. His left side continued to steam. "How are you doing?" Midoriya asked softly, reaching out and resting a hand on Todoroki's shoulder nonchalantly.

"I'm fine," Todoroki replied rather coldly, brushing off the touch and moving back toward the kitchen. "I got all the ingredients out for pork cutlet bowls."

"You didn't have to!" Midoriya cried in response, but still he strode after Todoroki into the kitchen, where the ingredients were laid out delicately.

"I'll do the cooking," Todoroki said sternly. "I don't want you to hurt yourself more."

"Todo," Midoriya let out a soft whine. "I'm injured, not crippled."

"Let me do this for you," Todoroki insisted, bringing his fist down onto the counter. His cold expression turned angry in a heartbeat, but it didn't last as Todoroki brought his eyes up to Midoriya's, watching the way his friend's face fell into a frown.

"Really, it's okay," Midoriya murmured, but still he jumped up onto the countertop to sit and watch.

The kitchen felt emptier, somehow, without Midoriya cooking by Todoroki's side. Despite him sitting on the counter, holding a conversation with Todoroki the entire time, Todoroki felt lonely without their hips bumping our knuckles touching. Every time he looked up to respond to Midoriya, his eyes met that sling, and the bandages wrapped around that sickly handprint.

Todoroki was ashamed of it, but shortly after they'd gotten back to the dormitory he'd gotten into a fight with Bakugou. Nothing serious, and Aizawa had ended it quickly, but it lasted long enough for Todoroki to land a hit on Bakugou's cheek, leaving a mark that most certainly didn't even compare to the scar Midoriya would have to wear for the rest of his life. His mind had been filled with the anger that he couldn't always be there to protect Midoriya, and he couldn't even be there when Midoriya needed him most. He was angry more with himself than Bakugou, even if the latter didn't know when to back off.