Chapter Text
It was quiet outside. The pair could hear 1A eating dinner downstairs, their muted yells and laughter still audible through the open window.
Midoriya had left some time ago, leaving the two of them alone as Todoroki finally finished up his soba. After heading to the washroom with Katsuki's help, taking a short shower, brushing his teeth and finally getting dressed in his pajamas and back into bed, all that was left now to take his medicine.
“… I’m assuming this is a paracetamol and aspirin combo?” Todoroki says, the tablets already in his mouth as he takes the presented water bottle from Bakugou.
“Do I look like a pharmacist?” the blonde counters and checks out the package label that Recovery Girl had given him, “…. It just says .... it’s for fever and pain…”
“… Hmmm.”
After a moment, Katsuki tentatively meets his eyes, “…Do….are you going to study pharmacology ....after you finish the hero course?”
Todoroki takes another sip before sighing, thanking his friend off-handedly when Bakugou takes the bottle without being asked to, “No, but I enjoy learning.” He shuffles back a bit and rests his hands on his knees, “I know ibuprofen makes my body temperature drop a lot… I learnt to keep track of the ingredients of medicine because I almost caused my own hypo-thermic state…”
The awkward laugh that escapes him makes Bakugou’s stomach twist. He sets the water down next to him, trying his best not to fidget as he thinks over his options.
“Well…. I’m here, so, whenever you need to…. ” the words finally tumble from Bakugou's mouth and the crimson spreading across the blonde’s cheeks slowly seeps into his neck and the tips of his ears, “You can hold my hand.”
“I will.”
And, of course, the undoubted statement of certainty from the dual-haried teen just makes Bakugou sigh deeply. He knows he’ll be dreaming about that stupid, sultry fucking voice whispering in his ear tonight, the image of his UA rival and classmate and crush, lingering over him with a smirk and self-confident air that makes him wish he could breathe. The dream would fill with dark silk and mist and moving air and promising words in Todoroki's voice ending with “I will”.
“Look, I’m not sure if you’re doing this shit on purpose but you really … “ Katsuki pauses his statement, shifting away a bit until he feels a bit more at ease, more in control.
A blank face meets Bakugou’s shifting glare and that worsens problems even more.
“You need to be more self-aware, especially when you’re so sick you can’t even properly defend yourself,” the blonde snaps and finally takes a breath, pleased with having gotten through the entire wording without fucking it up with his usual lack of eloquence.
“… Doing what on purpose?” Shoto finally asks, taking a breath to steady himself before slowly running his wrist over his forehead. The fever was still there but manageable, he was tired, but it seemed like Katsuki had something he really needed to talk about, so he listened.
The lift of the hem of Todoroki’s shirt, the low rumble of his voice, the fever-blush over his cheeks… Katsuki took breath to calm himself and bit his lips before speaking clearly, “You’re intensely oblivious to how stupidly attractive you are and it’s pissing me off,” he states and finally meets Todoroki’s eyes again, “Even worse, you’re naïve and a walking catastrophe when it comes to noticing flirting.”
With no energy to really argue, the other simply tilts his head.
“Every fucking day I need to bust my ass to keep girls from hounding you back to the dorms,” Bakugou snaps and frustratedly drags a hand over his face, “It’s one thing to keep Ururaka and the other girls from being pounced by D-listed losers, it’s something different when it’s you.”
The thought that Bakugou has made it his personal mission to be the surrogate big brother to the girls of 1-A makes Todoroki smile a bit. It was such a sweet admission.
“THERE! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!” Bakugou yells, instantly regretting it when he sees the other wince at the volume. He softens his voice again and sighs deeply before continuing, “I like you, okay? There.”
“Thanks, I like you too.”
“NO – I have feelings for you.”
“Thanks, I-”
“Todoroki Shoto,” Bakugou laughs in frustration through his clenched teeth when he sees he’s definitely still not getting through to the male in front of him, “I HAVE …. ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR YOU.”
The moment the blonde says it feels like throwing up and cursing Deku at the same time because he’s 99% sure the asshole had manipulated him into wording it in such an awkward way…. Then again he can’t blame Deku for his uptake in damned Shojou anime and fuck the girls for dragging him to their all-night marathons of that fluffy bullshit.
“…. Oh… huh…. That makes sense.”
“WHAT?!” a high-pitched hiss escapes Bakugou and his fingertips spark violently, “The fuck – you need diagrams or spreadsheets or some shit to get it?”
“No, as I just said: ‘that makes sense’…. So… no, I won’t a visual representation again,” Todoroki calmly states and smiles a bit.
It was absolutely unnerving how calm the other teen was when Bakugou, himself, felt so close to projectile vomiting from sheer stress. And yet….the wording seemed a bit odd, ‘again’??
“Well, Midoriya did give me his notebook and that had a root-cause analysis for your behaviour … it had a very good breakdown and Venn-diagram study for possible reasons …” Todoroki answers the unspoken question without hesitation and his smile widens a bit, “So, no reason to argue the facts.”
It’s a cold wash of pure disdain, mortification and relief that pools into Bakugou’s stomach as his brain runs at high-gear to process what he’s just been told. “So…” the words come out, barely audible, “Deku told you…”
“In a way … but he just showed me to be more observant to the reasoning behind your actions,” Todoroki answers and shrugs a bit, “I didn’t get through the whole notebook though… I fell asleep halfway through…”
"So... you knew all this time?"
"It wasn't for certain, statistics can be misleading..."
Katsuki rubs his neck, not sure how this confession had turned out quite so skewed. Was he rejected or accepted or what? He shakes his hands a bit and sits up straighter, intent on getting an answer.
“JUST-“ the quick urgent statement comes from Todoroki, his hands in front of him as a barrier, “Don’t kiss me.”
Kiss…. Kiss him… that…. The statement makes Katsuki wince awkwardly and try and re-direct from their previous course. He was simply intent on asking the male in front of him, he didn’t even have an inclination to do anything physical –intimate or not- just yet…. But now…. There was a challenge in there somehow. “Why not?”
The words come out as a challenge, stronger and more sure than everything that had come from his lips thus far that day.
The tone makes Todoroki’s cheeks redden a bit, but otherwise, he seemed unperturbed.
“Why not?” Bakugou repeats, scrambling to purchase himself on his pride again, he inadvertently knocks over the water bottle on his side and he scrambles to set it back up again, fumbling uselessly before he chucks it into the laundry basket across the room.
“I’m sick.”
“So?”
“It’s viral, so it’s most likely still contagious for at least two days until symptoms subside…”
Bakugou tilts his head and a look of confusion passes over it before he grins, “Is that it? No other reason?”
“Yes, of course-” is all the manages to escape Todoroki’s lips before Katsuki’s crashes unto his.
The kiss is awkward. The angle is wrong and Todoroki’s like a stiff board that seems to only push against the force that Bakugou’s trying to coerce him with.
“Relax a bit, will you?” Katsuki says, praying that the unyielding posture wasn’t simply hiding rejection or disinterest.
“…Oh,” the other mutters, shoulder relaxing, closing his eyes and he slumps a bit, “Right.”
Tentatively the blonde scoots closer, wary of other signals, but the dual-haired male simply sits patiently and waits until their knees touch and Katsuki slides his one knee just a bit closer in-between the gaps of his thighs to test the waters.
“You’re taking a long time,” Shoto states deadpan, eyes still closed as he quirks his eyebrow, “I’m getting tired.”
“Y-YOU~” with a launch forwards, Katsuki claims his lips again, this time he feels a shot of pure adrenaline when a breath of ice meets his lips inbetween his light kisses. Heart hammering in his chest, he tilts his head a bit more and hesitantly licks his lips, being sure to brush his tongue against Shoto’s lips as well.
The sharp exhale that follows from the dual-haired male makes him shiver.
Bakugou breathes out slowly as he separates narrowly from Todoroki, reaching up softly to run his hand through the red and white strands.
As soon as Todoroki separates his lips again to breathe out and the icy breath hits Katsuki’s lips, Katuski pushes forwards and seals their lips once more. He takes the one opportunity in his grasp and does his best to use it towards his own advantage.
It’s Shoto’s shoulders that rises and tenses when he feels a hot and wet invasion against his own tongue, slowly winding a course against the roof of his mouth, causing Shoto to moan –much louder than he anticipates or wishes to.
However, it’s with the tightening hold of Katsuki around his waist that he starts to relax again, trying to remember to breathe through his nose and just allow himself to drift away in the moment. And he does, because it’s Bakugou’s firm grip that keeps him tied to the earth, and it’s Katsuki’s firm and gentle caress that tells him that he’ll be fine if he lets go – even just for a little bit.
With unpractised grace and a mist of swirling thoughts, Todoroki manages to slowly bring himself to life, pushing his own tongue against Katsuki’s for a moment before activating his ice-quirk once more.
The stark difference in temperature, from the searing hot kiss to the now icy one, makes Bakugou reel back until he’s sitting back on his heels, breathing out heavily, surprised when a white mist of cold air follows each breath. He can feel his hands shaking, his heart pounding in his ears and his breathing is so uneven it brings him a sudden rush of pure embarrassment and regret. He didn’t think he’d be this affected by a simple kiss…
Todoroki’s flushed cheeks, dilated pupils and slight wheeze to his breath gives away what his still-regular breathing pattern and quiet sitting position does not. He felt that too. The pull, the excitement, the indulgence - he wanted more too.
“Does.. did you learn anything?” Katsuki haughtily says, crossing his arms and grinning even though he felt like shit and the adrenaline in his body makes his shaking worsen with every moment.
“…. That I need to breathe through my nose when we kiss,” Todoroki answers plainly, “And you?”
“.... tch....That I need to find a way to get you to lose your damn words,” Bakugou answers back and feels his confidence boost when his words bring a slight tremble to Todoroki’s form, “But-“
With as much restraint and self-control he can manage, he puts his hand on Todoroki’s chest and pushes him back into the pillows behind him, arranging them until they’re comfortable for the sick male, “You need rest first.”
“…. Seriously?” Todoroki snaps. A wisp of smoke erupts his fingertips but he keeps it in control.
“Seriously,” Bakugou agrees, now grinning once more at the prospect that they’ll continue tomorrow, “But, you need to get better first.”
A petulant frown suddenly appearing, it was a welcome break to the quite placid demeanor that he’d held until now and it made Bakugou realise that the IcyHot hero was being grumpy simply because he was being told to wait a bit more. It made the young blonde beam brightly at the thought that he was important enough to the dual-haired teen to spark such a childish reaction.
“… You owe me for this then.”
“I’ll make it up to you in any way you want.”