Chapter Text
🍰･ ｡ﾟ★.* :☆ﾟ.♡♥♡･ ｡ﾟ★*:☆ﾟ.🥦
Todoroki was strong. Really, really strong. Strong enough for Midoriya to know he might not be able to beat him in a fight. Strong enough even for Kacchan to begrudgingly agree, ‘I could beat his ass in close quarters but I dunno about all out.’
So why was it that Midoriya was always, always, always seeing him beat up?
The first time he registered something was off, something different from regular field work or training, Todoroki showed up late to Friday movie night. Which was usual, he was always late or plainly absent. But he showed up, walking all nonchalant through the common area towards the group, with a massive black eye. Stark and vibrant against his beautiful face.
Mina and Kirishima’s excited conversation fell silent, probably not meaning to put so much attention on Todoroki and exacerbate the situation, but unable to do otherwise because it was horribly large and glaring, all dark purple, blending with his scar to make an awful display of color.
Deku’s heart was immediately in his throat, watching Todoroki sit down in the free spot beside Sero without uttering a word.
“Dude-” Sero said without preamble, “What the hell happened to you? Are you ok?”
“Hey-” Deku started at the same time Kacchan said-
“Shut the hell up, flat face,” Bakugou glared at Sero, “Don’t you know it’s rude as hell to ask someone that?”
Sero muttered an embarrassed apology and dropped it. Deku felt a strange mixture of jealousy, agitation, and kinship at Sero for having asked Todoroki. Definitely for having been the first one to speak to him and especially for being the one to get to sit next to him for the movie, leaned in to him all cozy and chatting like he didn’t just-
Midoriya forces himself to shelf the jealousy, staring instead at just Todoroki, who’s painfully distant. His face is so blank, looking off at the wall somewhere with his head propped in his hand. Deku studies the black eye- how it bleeds into Todoroki’s sclera and makes his blue eye seem to glow.
Who the hell would hurt him like that?
As Midoriya faces the front again with a sigh, he notices Kacchan also staring at Todoroki. Then he shares an uncharacteristically somber but pointed look with Deku. Deku nervously nods back at him.
The movie plays on in the background and all Midoriya can think for the rest of the night is-
Who the hell hurt him like that?
X
“Kacchan we’re the ones who just said it would be rude to ask.”
“Yeah in a group setting-” Bakugou retorts, “Probably like right after it happened-” he shoves Deku, the other toppling over onto the bed.
“One of us should,” Kirishima is solemn beside the both of them, hugging his knees to his chest, “I mean no one else would reach out to him if you think about it.”
“Tch,” Bakugou quits rough-housing with Deku to put an arm around Kirishima, but his tone is teasing, “Come on babe, quit you're whining- that's why we're talking right now-”
Midoriya nervously checks his phone, tuning out Kacchan and Kirishima’s eventual flirting.
Normally Todoroki would be here with them, but he got called home for the weekend. The day after they saw him with the horrible black eye.
Midoriya hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to him at all that night. Todoroki slipped out without a word after the movie’s end. Only Yaomomo had seen him on his way out. (Deku wasn’t jealous of her getting to talk to him last, and wasn’t jealous of her getting to see his pretty face last. He definitely wasn’t jealous because Momo was a hardcore lesbian, and he was pretty sure Todoroki was either gay or not interested in anyone at all.)
He just would have liked to have been the last person to see him and talk to him, and he wondered what Yaoyorozu might have left out when she recounted her interaction with Todoroki to him that morning-
“Damn nerd, you know his old man doesn’t allow phones when they’re training,” Bakugou interrupted Midoriya from his thoughts, “You’re basically just torturing yourself.”
“Ugh,” Deku had forgotten, actually, “Damn it…”
His thoughts devolved into the worst. He hadn’t heard from Todoroki since early afternoon, which wasn’t that bad for when he was away at home- but his text was a simple and brief ‘Sorry for heading out so suddenly.’ and then silence and Deku thought of his horrible black eye and him being alone with his father in that big awful house and he felt sick having not seen everything sooner-
“Midoriya,” Kirishima said seriously, “We’ve gotta just wait for now, man.”
X
They’re in the boy’s locker room changing after training outside when Midoriya sees what happened to Todoroki over the weekend.
It’s Kaminari that lets out a shrill gasp, unable to control himself. Beside him, Todoroki’s taken off his shirt, and severe, angry burns mark his back and sweep all the way down his stomach. Along with so, so, so many bruises. Angry, fresh bruises along his back and hips. Yellowed, almost healed bruises across both his arms. And then he turns, mindlessly grabbing his towel and change of clothes from the floor-And it’s awful.
Midoriya’s eyes go wide and he cuts off his own horrified exclamation. He can’t think for a second. He’s left staring at the dark, dark purple bruising that crawls across Todoroki’s stomach.
To be struck that hard in the stomach- Midoriya is about to walk over to him and do something but he’s interrupted by Kaminari continuing his earlier surprise.
“Dude-” Midoriya’s eye twitched at the blatant way eyed Todoroki’s body, “Is that from today???”
“No,” Todoroki answered easily, looking down at himself as if he forgot about the injury.
Midoriya tries to interject again but was interrupted by Iida.
“Todoroki, I apologize if it’s too personal, but may we ask what happened?”
Midoriya hates how perfectly it’s phrased, and he desperately wishes he was the one to have asked it. Todoroki looks at all of them, Kaminari, Iida, Bakugou, Kirishima, Sero, Tokoyami, and Midoriya watching him. He didn’t seem to realize the amount of attention on him, but he’s not acting like it’s a big deal either. Midoriya is increasingly alarmed at how natural Todoroki feels about being beaten up.
“It’s fine,” he answers, to all of their surprise, “I was training.”
A simple, straightforward answer. It’s in that moment that Midoriya feels his heart start to really, really, break for Todoroki.
“...With who?” Sero starts with trepidation, “I mean-”
“Sero- don’t-” Midoriya tries but Sero continues-
“They basically just wailed on you.”
“Are you dumbasses ever gonna learn to-”
“Kacchan let me-” Midoriya cuts off Bakugou’s rant, because he doesn’t want Todoroki caught in the middle of a shouting match.
“Todoroki,” Midoriya starts gently, “Are you ok?…” Todoroki tilts his head, so disarming and genuine Midoriya almost loses his train of thought.
He’s not sure how to approach this- especially in front of all the others. This is so much worse than a black eye. Worse than anything Midoriya could have imagined being done to him.
How does he go about showing Todoroki how out of line this is??
“...You know this isn’t normal, right?”
Todoroki, the angel, looks down at himself to take inventory. He studies the marks along his arms and holds his stomach for a second as if gauging the level of pain. Then he meets Midoriya’s worried gaze with the painstakingly genuine statement of-
“Yeah, I guess he usually doesn’t hold back as much.”
Shocked with this answer, the rest of the boys stare with varying expressions of horror. Midoriya feels like he might actually throw up.
“I’ll…” Todoroki looks between Midoriya and Bakugou, both speechless, “See you later, Midoriya...Bakugou. I still have to shower.”
I guess he usually doesn’t hold back as much. I guess he usually doesn’t hold back as much. I guess he usually doesn’t hold back as much. He. He. He. He.
He.
“What the hell…” Bakugou says with disgust, “Is he talking about his old man?”
“We have to do something,” Iida starts, his frustratingly diplomatic tone angering Midoriya.
Deku hears them all start to bicker, their voices fading out into the background. He’s frozen, staring at the spot Todoroki was just at, thinking of Endeavor kicking him while he’s down, burning his body, hurting him so, so, badly- all while Midoriya was hanging out with Kirishima and Bakugou at the dorms.
X
About two weeks later Midoriya happily falls back into his regular routine with Kacchan and Todoroki. They’re in the middle of the semester and therefore Deku’s both blessed to have Todoroki around more often and cursed with a torrential downpour of schoolwork. Because of the latter, Midoriya still hasn’t had a conversation with Todoroki about Endeavor. He also has no idea how to approach it in a way that ends with Todoroki agreeing to be helped.
But they’re as close to him as ever. And they spend a ton of time together after they solidly took the position of the new big three. Kacchan even admitted to Deku under the influence one summer that, despite all his bitching,Todoroki was like a brother to him.
'Obviously goes for you too, fucking nerd. But since Prince Zuko’s committed to being damn unreachable-”
So the stuff with Endeavor takes a back seat for a bit.
“Dammit Freezer Burn! You call that fire??!” Bakugou shouts from across the training field as he flies to the side, blasting Todoroki with hundreds of mini explosions, “What- you making afternoon tea??!!”
Midoriya pauses in time to see Todoroki glare from his side of the floor, cutting through Bakugou’s explosion with a wave of ice that he surfed on until falling from the sky above Kacchan to overtake him with flames.
Bakugou surges backwards with only half a second to spare and grins, holding his arm out in front of himself to aim.
“That’s more like it,” He closes one eye as he watches Todoroki gliding through the air, charging up his gauntlet to fire off another attack.
They’re paired up for field sparring today, and have been giving each other hell for over an hour. Everyone else’s matches finished up aside from Midoriya and Kirishima, who were now both distracted anyway. Kirishima had been slightly kicking Midoriya’s ass too, because Midoriya couldn’t help but keep noticing Todoroki stumbling, missing openings he never does, and even wincing when he lands on his feet.
“Are you gonna keep flying around all day or come down here and fight?!” Bakugou yells as a massive blast is emitted from his hand.
Midoriya’s heart stops because for some reason, Todoroki hesitates in the air. There’s a moment where Midoriya doesn’t hear anything, just sees Todoroki’s deep eye bags, his trembling hand coated in ice trying to guide his descent, and the clear expression of pain that flashes across his face as he lands back on his feet.
The blast from Bakugou’s gauntlet hits him head on.
“What the fuck!?” Bakugou screams in horror as Todoroki flies straight back some thirty feet until his back slams into the wall with a sickening crack.
“Todoroki!” Midoriya runs alongside Kirishima to join Bakugou, who disappeared sprinting across the hall.
They get there and Todoroki’s unconscious, having slid to the ground, back against the wall with a massive crack in the concrete from the force of Bakugou’s explosion. His arms are loose out by his sides and head lolling off in a pose quite reminiscent of when Bakugou knocked him out before at the sports festival. Only now they see a river of blood pouring down the side of his head.
“Oh shit-” Midoriya hears Bakugou curse as he crouches down in front of Todoroki, “That bastard,” he says angrily, “Why did he-” Bakugou cuts himself off, tone turning frantic as he dislodges Todoroki’s head from the wall and cradles it in his hands to assess the damage.
Midoriya fights the nausea that starts up at the sight of Todoroki’s white hair almost completely stained red.
“Kacchan, let me help-”
“I’ve got him!” Bakugou snaps defensively as he carefully pulls Todoroki up from the ground.
Midoriya glares, fighting jealousy and his raging possessive instinct while Kirishima looks bewildered beside them.
“Babe it looks like a concussion- at the least, I think-”
“For fuck’s sake-” Bakugou’s voice cracks as he looks at them over his shoulder ‘I fucking hurt him’ Deku hears, “Let me-” Kacchan tries again with a ragged breath, kneeling to situate Todoroki more solidly in his arms, “Alright- fine, Deku you-” He relents, voice shaking.
Midoriya rushes to him and they lift Todoroki, carrying him on either side. Deku lets Kacchan fuss over Todoroki a bit- standing there as Kacchan brushes his hair back and checks how severe the bleeding is, watching as he feels for the strength of Todoroki’s pulse at his neck. Obviously Kacchan’s going through it- in a whirlwind of guilt and shame and fear that Midoriya would definitely feel if their roles were reversed.
“I’ll tell Aizawa,” Kirishima says to reassure Bakugou, “You guys get him to Recovery Girl.”
Bakugou looks relieved with the instructions, giving Midoriya a quick glance before they start out of the building. Midoriya watches Todoroki like a hawk as he and Kacchan carry him to the clinic. He’s still out cold. His head rolling back and forth in an unnerving display of his unconsciousness. The collar of his training uniform is unzipped to his chest and Midoriya thinks he sees the edge of a dark, angry bruise starting at his collarbone. He wonders how long it was after the locker room incident that they were added. If there was any time in between at all.
“It’s not your fault,” Midoriya breathes out shakily.
“Ehh?” Bakugou looks between Midoriya and Todoroki. His shirt’s all stained with Todoroki’s blood from when he initially removed him from the wall. Bakugou scowls looking at it, then fixing his eyes on the floor and holding Todoroki tighter to his side, “‘Course it is,” he mumbles, almost too quiet for Deku to hear.
“Kacchan it was a complete accident,” Deku insists as they reach Recovery Girl’s office, “And I’m pretty sure-” he swallows nervously, realizing he doesn’t even know if it’s the same or new injuries, “He’s already hurt-”
“Yeah and I completely forgot!” Bakugou shouts over his shoulder as they lay Todoroki down on one of the beds after they enter the clinic, “I was fighting him so hard I didn’t even-”
“Oh my,” Recovery Girl doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest by Kacchan’s volume, “What did you two-”
“I should have been thinking of it,” Bakugou insists, slamming himself down in a nearby chair as Midoriya stands there in the middle of Recovery Girl flitting back and forth between supplies and Todoroki passed out on the bed, “I bet you were.”
Midoriya lets out a deep breath as he collapses into the chair beside Bakugou, both of them watching Recovery Girl give Todoroki a big kiss on the forehead and then prop him upright to bandage and clean his head.
“Yeah, well…” Midoriya starts, not without an element of sarcasm, “That’s cause I’m in love with him.”
There’s a moment of complete silence. Even Recovery Girl is still and quiet, standing over Todoroki with her back to them.
“Ohho ho ho?” Bakugou slides back in his chair, kicking his legs out and putting his hands behind his head, completely nefarious.
Midoriya pales.
“I mean- I-”
“In love huh?” Bakugou grins, Midoriya’s at least glad he’s over his guilt, “Damn you’d better hope he’s still knocked out-”
“Alright boys,” Recovery Girl announces sternly, “Peace and quiet for my patient.”
Bakugou and Midoriya zip it and watch as she gives Todoroki some kind of shot.
“...He’s fine, right?” Midoriya asks and Bakugou looks at her urgently.
“Well to be honest,” Recovery girl says, her stethoscope to Todoroki’s chest, “I’m not that happy with his vitals.”
“What’s wrong?” Kacchan asks impatiently, standing up.
“Don’t worry,” Recovery Girl says, absorbed in her examination, “I got rid of that little bump on the head you gave him-” Kacchan rolls his eyes at the description, “But he’s still weak. Heart’s beating irregularly and his blood pressure is low. Has he been sleeping and eating?”
Midoriya and Bakugou stare.
“I mean…” Bakugou starts gruffly, looking at Midoriya for guidance, “Yeah, right?”
Midoriya keeps staring at Todoroki. At his dark eye bags, his sharp wrists- How did I miss this??
“No,” he breathes, stumbling up and out of his chair, head pounding, “I don’t think he has.”
He’s never at dinner- and he always looks so tired, I can’t believe I didn’t-
“Hey now, boy-” Recovery Girl tries to calm him with a hand on his shoulder, “He’ll be fine. He’ll probably be sleeping a while but he’s completely stable. It seems he’s just overworked. Make sure he has a healthy meal tonight and goes to bed early.”
“Yeah,” Midoriya nods at her intently, “I definitely will.”
“I see that the three of you are close, so you can stay for a while if you’d like,” she says kindly, “I’ll be back to check on his condition in an hour.”
“Nerd…” Kacchan starts softly after she heads over to another patient, out of earshot, eyes trained on Todoroki, “We need to have an intervention.”
Midoriya shares his serious look, frowning.
“Agreed.”
X
Todoroki worryingly stays asleep for the rest of the day. It isn’t until late into evening around seven thirty he groggily wakes up to see Midoriya and Bakugou set up at his bedside table. Bakugou’s doing homework and Midoriya’s pulled his chair right up next to Todoroki. He’s nodding off with one hand outstretched and resting on Todoroki’s chest, near his heart.
“...Midoriya…”
Deku snaps up and sees Todoroki staring at him.
“Kacchan he’s awake!” Midoriya beams over his shoulder at Bakugou, “God you were out for a long time we thought-” He feels Todoroki’s racing heart underneath his hand, still resting over the boy’s chest, and squeaks, “Sorry! I um-” He yanks his hand back as Bakugou diffuses the tension by stomping up to them.
“Hey…” Bakugou averts his eyes, “You feeling ok Bastard?” Midoriya holds in his laugh at Bakugou gritting his teeth through the compassion, “How’s your head?”
He doesn’t wait for Todoroki to answer, shoving himself down on the side of the bed and grabbing Todoroki’s head to turn and look at the back where the damage is.
“Damn,” Kacchan clicks his teeth and then pulls back, anger back in place, “I could have killed you! The hell were you thinking out there?!”
“Hey Kacchan-” Deku pushes him away with irritation, “Don’t be mean…you know why-”
“What’s…up with you two?”
They stop their bickering and turn to stare at Todoroki with conflicted expressions.
Deku starts up first.
“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but I feel like you-”
“Damn IcyHot you have some nerve asking that after-”
Midoriya and Bakugou glare at each other. Bakugou gives in because goddamn Deku did just admit he’s in love with Todoroki hours earlier and he has to give the nerd a break and let him be the one to ask.
“It’s not like you to take a hit like that during training,” Midoriya starts diplomatically, “Has something been-” he chews his lip, trying to pick his words carefully, “I mean…” he glances at Bakugou who’s frowning at Todoroki, “You’re neck…” He gestures to Todoroki’s collar, where the hint of bruising starts.
Todoroki crooks his neck down to try and see and then casually unzips his uniform, exposing the full scope of marks in yellow, black and blue, Midoriya and Bakugou gasping at their reach.
It’s not the same from the locker room. It doesn’t even look remotely like training. It looks like a blatant assault on Todoroki’s life. Because they’re not just bruises, they’re handprints.
“Oh…” Todoroki says, studying the marks with a distant expression.
“Oh?!” Bakugou repeats, irate, “That’s what you’ve got to say with all that-”
“Kacchan,” Midoriya warns, voice trembling but stern.
Bakugou falls silent, in part due to shock as he takes in the extremity of Todoroki’s injury.
“Todoroki,” Midoriya hisses out a breath as Todoroki turns and he sees the way the prints wrap all the way around his neck, like someone choked him to the point of- “Who-” Midoriya swallows, quickly corrects himself to try to be non threatening, “How did that happen?”
Todoroki looks at him and then Bakugou and then back at Midoriya, frustratingly blank.
“I don’t remember,” he answers after a beat of silence.
Bakugou’s eyes pinpoint to little dots as his mouth falls open. Midoriya grabs him with a yelp but he’s already jumping at Todoroki.
“Are you serious right now- !”
Todoroki gives him a slightly bored, slightly angry expression.
“Oh you’re really-” Bakugou has him by the collar but breaks off, wanting to shake him like he usually would, not wanting to because he already hurt him and now he knows he’s been hiding whatever bullshit this is from them for god knows how long.
“Kacchan stop-” Midoriya puts himself between Bakugou and Todoroki’s bedside, “He doesn’t have to tell us anything he doesn’t want to.”
There’s a beat of painful silence. Then-
“Yeah,” Bakugou has a huge, uncomfortably fake grin, “Guess he doesn’t have to say a thing!”
“EHh! Uhm-” Deku sputters, looking between them- but he has to admit Todoroki’s plain look of surprise is quite satisfying.
“Let’s all just go about our lives as if you weren’t dead on your feet earlier-” Bakugou jerks his head towards Todoroki angrily, “And look like you barely escaped someone strangling you-”
“Bakugou-” Todoroki says with a level of exasperation, he sighs and zips his collar up, “...I know you’re right-” Bakugou’s expression softens at his plain admission, “I just-” He rocks a little in place and his eyes squint shut for a second, “Can we please just talk about it later?”
He’s asking the both of them, blinking away sleep and pain, his eye bags still present after his long, long nap-
“Of course,” Midoriya says, grabbing Todoroki’s forearm without thinking as Bakugou grumbles behind them, “Take your time. You’re probably really hungry, right? You haven’t eaten since before training earlier,” he prompts hopefully.
“...Yeah,” Todoroki swallows, eyeing Midoriya’s hand on his arm, “A little.”
“Alright, bastard-” Bakugou says, cracking his neck as he rolls it to the side, “If you’re not talking you’re eating, so we’re taking you back to the dorms to-”
“Thank you guys-” Todoroki says with sudden urgency, alarming the both of them, “And I’m sorry for scaring you.”
Midoriya feels Todoroki’s skin fluctuating between cold and neutral- is it because he’s tired? Sick? …Nervous? He sees Todoroki start to blush, looks down and realizes he’s got his hand wrapped around the other’s wrist and is holding it tight as hell.
“Er- uh!” Midoriya jumps up from the bedside, “I- Do you need help up?”
“No, I’m fine-”
“Oh shove off-” Bakugou shouts, fed up with Todoroki’s antics, going to his side opposite Midoriya and wrapping an arm around Todoroki without hesitation, “You’re sorry ass is even worse at asking for help than the damn nerd.”
“Wh-a” Deku shoots Bakugou a look as Todoroki braces himself on them to carefully stand, “...You know he’s kinda right-”
“I don’t think anyone could be as bad at asking for help as you, Midoriya.”
“Bah hahah!”
Midoriya can’t help but laugh too, blushing and averting his eyes at Todoroki’s rare, coveted teasing as he and Kacchan make sure he has his footing.