Shouto Todoroki had always been observant, it was a talent that had been forced upon him by his father. That being said, he began to notice Izuku Midoriya's odd behavior right as it started, the way he fidgeted more often than usual, the way his rambling and mumbling continued on longer than normal. Those were very few of the things Shouto noticed but it seemed the youngest Todoroki was the only one out of the class who did.

Every time Shouto had asked anyone else about his observation he was met with confusion, the person he asked would say that they hadn't seen anything wrong. Some would even go as far as to say he was being paranoid, it upset the tall male that no one had even offered to check on him. Why did everyone assume that Midoriya was okay? It was clear that something was bothering the smaller boy.

While Todoroki and Midoriya had grown close and had developed an even closer relationship, he still felt as if it wasn't his place to ask beyond a simple 'are you okay?', no matter how concerned he was. Maybe some of his classmates were correct, that he was paranoid, it didn't help that the dual-haired boy had a fat crush on the green-haired teen.

Todoroki just wanted to help the freckled boy as he had helped the taller male, pay him back for all his kindness and care. The quiet teen felt as if Midoriya had been giving all of himself to others and was leaving nothing for himself, that teen was selfless to a fault. It was a strength and a weakness all at once, incredibly charming but incredibly alarming as well. People tended to take advantage, on purpose or not, forgetting that behind all the kindness going their way that there was a human who felt things too.

*

Shouto's concern soon turned valid in his eyes when his crush came in with eyebags, the poor teen looked utterly exhausted. The class seemed to notice too when asked if everything was alright Izuku would say he didn't get much sleep but he was okay. The class didn't buy it but didn't prod any further, but Shouto wasn't going to leave it at that.

*

Later that night Todoroki pulled aside a still very tired Izuku, who was clearly on the verge of passing out. This didn't hinder the taller male's resolve to get to the bottom of the shorter male's behavior if he didn't ask how he could lose his opportunity. With this thought in mind, he led the shorter teen to his room, they both took a seat on the taller's bed.

"Is something the matter, Todoroki?" Izuku asked as he attempted to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes, it was very cute.

"Yes, you have been acting odd for a while, are you okay?" Todoroki already knew the answer but decided to ask anyway, he just wanted to make sure the other would answer honestly.

Izuku gave him a small face of surprise, "Yes, why wouldn't I be?" The way he feigned confusion and lied about his well being broke the taller teen's heart but angered him too, this resulted in a soft glare.

"I know you aren't telling the truth, something is wrong," Shouto stated firmly, concern laced every word. Midoriya's face shifted to frustration, but not an overwhelming amount.

"Todoroki, please, I'm fine," irritation took to the shorter boy's tone lightly. Shouto could tell that very little of the irritation was his fault, but it still surprised him somewhat.

"Please, we both know that's a lie, you know you can talk to me," Todoroki let his desperation poison his voice. The dual-eyed teen softly took the other teen's hand into his own two, Shoto was surprised by his own action not used to offering such physical comfort. But it seemed to do the trick because in front of him was a watery-eyed teenager.

"I'm sorry," the green-haired boy let out a strangled sob, "I'm sorry, I just don't want to be a burden. It's just- lately, I've been having nightmares about my father, I don't know what to do, they're only getting worse."

Midoriya let loose all the cries he had been holding, his shoulders shook in sync with his sobs. Izuku's hand tightly gripped one of Shouto's as the shorter boy had tried to wipe away his tears.

Todoroki already decided that he disliked the man Izuku had called father, whatever he did was already irredeemable in his eyes. Anyone who could terrorize such a ray of sunshine had many issues, it made the taller student's stomach churn.

"My father was never physical, he used his words, he called me so many things, when I was misdiagnosed as quirkless it only became worse. It would have been more bearable if it were just me, but my mother was a victim too." Midoriya let out a shaky sigh, tears were still silently falling down his freckled cheeks. Shouto knew all he could do was let his crush continue the story and offer him comfort, no amount of apologies was going to erase what had happened.

"He called me useless a lot, disappointment too, he would tell me that I was a mistake that came from my hideous mother. He would tell my mom that it was her fault I had been quirkless, that it was her blood that was running through her useless son's veins." Todoroki knew that if he ever met this man there would be hell to pay, it came as unbelievable to the dual-haired boy that anyone could hurt such a small, bright, innocent child, especially over something that child couldn't control. It was even more unbelievable that anyone could hurt Inko Midoriya, a sweet, lovable woman that held so much warmth.

"A year after the diagnosis my father suddenly snapped, I don't remember why he did, maybe I had said something about being a hero. He started yelling insults and throwing stuff at my mother and I, my mom shielded me, of course. When he saw what she was doing he went feral, he yanked her off of me and started going at me, my mom decided she had had enough and called the police. When he heard her calling the police he ran," Midoriya's cracked voice made it through his horrible sobs.

Shouto was furious but he wouldn't show it, how could one man be that horrible? At least Endeavor had enough humanity to realize his faults and was now trying to atone for them but to run away from a situation like that was inhumane. The decisions the man was running away from had a detrimental impact on two other people's lives and he chose to run away leaving the two people he damaged to pick up the mess he made.

"I don't know what to do, Todoroki, the nightmares keep coming and they don't stop." The green-haired boy's sobs broke through Todoroki's thoughts, he frowned at the scene of the crying teen in front of him.

"I'm scared, what if I end up being like him? What if I hurt the people I love?" The words were spoken so quietly that the taller teen almost didn't hear them over the cries, but it broke his heart even more.

Shouto was lost on how to handle what was happening, on how to comfort the hurting teen before him. Izuku was gripping his hand as if it were the only thing keeping him from fully breaking down, Todoroki could only assume that the other teen was used to more physical comfort. Sometimes, however, the best comfort can come from words.

Todoroki hesitantly brought his free hand up to the freckled boy's cheek, this earned a curious stare from the crying teenager. The dual-haired boy bit his lip nervously, scared that if he said the wrong thing it would leave him without a friend.

Gazing deeply into the curious green eyes he began, "Midoriya Izuku, you are kind, brave and selfless, you put everyone before yourself, for better or for worse. You will never bear an ounce of that man's personality in your own personality, you're a wonderful person, never forget that." Shouto earnestly stated, his voice never wavering or losing confidence. A whole new wave of tears made their way down freckled cheeks, these weren't sad tears, they were thankful tears.

"Thank you, can- can I hug you?" Izuku asked with a wobbly smile, it wasn't strained, just exhausted. Todoroki pulled his hands away from the other boy opening his arms as an invitation, Midoriya didn't hesitate to move forward and lock his arms around the dual-haired boy. Shouto lightly placed his hands over the smaller male's back, making sure that he didn't add too much pressure and scare his crush away.

"How about you spend the night in my room, for the nightmares?" Todoroki asked with a shaky voice, hoping that the other male didn't think it was weird.

To the taller boy's surprise, the Izuku's shoulders lost a lot of the tension they once held, a relieved sigh came from the form that was tucked underneath his arms. This did much to ease the nerves that the taller male felt in that moment, he was happy that his suggestion brought relief to the green-haired male.

"That sounds like a plan, let me get some of my blankets and pillows then sneak back in here." Midoriya giggled at the prospect of sneaking around, he was truly a 'wild child'. Todoroki nodded as Izuku left his hold and made his way to the door, the freckled boy jokingly put his pointer finger to his lips signaling silence. The taller teen rolled his eyes, a faint smile gracing his lips.

Shouto was glad that Izuku actually decided to come back, but what he didn't understand was how Midoriya even managed to sneak back to the room considering how full his arms were. An All Might blanket spilled over the confines of the shorter teen's arms, it almost dragged on the ground but luckily missed it by an inch. There was a pillow adorned with an All Might pillowcase in his arms as well looking as if it was about ready to spring out of the freckle-faced boy's arms.

Shouto got up from his bed, he made his way over and helped Izuku get sorted out for the night. The short male was sleeping on the floor with a big comforter and a bunch of pillows and blankets, the taller teen would be sleeping on his own bed.

They ended up playing some slumber party games, they shared some jokes and eventually fell asleep. Shouto had been sure that it was one of the best nights and Izuku had suffered no nightmares that night, he was graced with nothing but a peaceful slumber.

*

Months passed after the incident, Shouto and Izuku found themselves growing closer. The class was curious about it at first but eventually decided to leave it alone, as long as they were happy.

Throughout those months there was a lot of sneaking into one another's rooms, those nights were filled with quiet laughter and touching warmth. Somewhere along those nights they had graduated to a first name basis, if asked, however, neither of them could tell you when it happened.

The two boys were fairly certain that Aizawa had caught on to their impromptu sleepovers, but even if he had, he said nothing about it. The two teens couldn't be more thrilled that they wouldn't have to stop, they were happy to spend time in each other's presence.

With each passing month, Todoroki was falling more and more, it was inevitable after all, even if it hurt a little to think about how his feelings were most likely unrequited. Even it was a completely one-sided crush he would still spend time with the curly-haired teen, even if they don't become a couple Shouto still had a strong friendship

Shouto would have to say that the greatest part of their growing relationship was the fact that he was trusted to be Midoriya's crutch, someone the shorter boy could come to if he had issues. The smaller teen had been voicing more of his issues with Todoroki, he had even admitted that sleeping in the same room as the dual-haired boy ceased his night terrors.

After learning that information Shouto had welcomed Midoriya to his room anytime he needed an escape, needless to say, the curly-haired male was extremely thankful and took him up on that offer very often.

Tonight was one of those nights, though, Midoriya didn't appear to be in any kind of discomfort, this stay-over felt different. Todoroki supposed that Izuku was probably wanting to spend quality time, it didn't bother the dual wielder one bit.

At the prompt of his latest thoughts, Shouto let his gaze fall to his closest friend taking in the other boy's appearance, it was nothing short of breathtaking even if they were lying on the ground. Izuku would never stop being stunning to Shouto, everything the other did was met with nothing but fondness from his taller counterpart.

"Is there something on my face?" Izuku's kind voice interrupted the taller male's staring, who, in return, blinked in surprise at the voice of his friend. Todoroki's cheeks dusted a light pink when he realized he had not only been staring but had been caught too, the worst thing to happen if you were admiring someone.

"No, you don't, I was just thinking," Shouto gave a small, apologetic smile.

Midoriya smiled softly, his intensely gentle gaze stuck on Todoroki whose pale cheeks filled with blush, this made the smaller male chuckle. He kept staring intently at the boy beside him, nothing but fondness was present in the freckled boy's stare.

"Shouto, have I ever told you how thankful I am for having you in my life? Because I am very thankful and happy about that, you have helped me more than you know." Izuku spoke gently, his voice was barely above a whisper.

The praise caught Todoroki off guard, his blush flared even more.

"There is no need to thank me, but you are welcome. However, I will be honest with you, you are more deserving of such praise. If it wasn't for you, I'd be lost. I'm glad you came into my life too." Shouto stated quietly with a firm voice, he made sure that there was eye contact between them.

At that moment Todoroki could have died happy because Izuku made the sweetest smile known to man, it was stunning, beautiful, and cute at the same time.

"Sometimes I wish I had a special someone to spend my life with," Midoriya broke the silence that filled their ears.

It was a pretty sudden comment, having nothing to do with the previous conversation.

"What do you mean by that?" Todoroki inquired.

"You know, someone who you like and want to build a future with?" The smaller boy gave an exasperated face, obviously playing it up somewhat.

The dual-haired male turned his stare to the wall in front of him, the gears slowly clicked into place. Shouto definitely understood what the green-haired teen meant, he did have somebody he wanted to build a future with and that somebody happened to be right beside him.

"I suppose I do have someone then," Todoroki faced Izuku once again.

Midoriya's eyes burned with curiosity but the boy kept his mouth closed. The closer Todoroki looked at the other teen the more he could see that behind the curiosity was hurt but also determination.

"I have someone I want to spend my future with too," Izuku blurted.

Todoroki's mood soured a little, but he wouldn't let it show, he wouldn't interfere with Midoriya's love life. Instead, he asked:

"What are they like?"

The freckled boy's face lit up at the question, the determination that had steeled in his eyes became stronger.

"Well, he is really cute and adorable but he is also extremely h-hot," Midoriya's cheeks flushed, "he can seem stoic and cold but I think he just has trouble expressing himself. Truly, one of the sweetest people I have met, he has helped me through many of my issues. Not only is he beautiful but he is also powerful and brave. Inspiring is another word I would use to describe him, along with strong.

"He has been through a lot but does not let it affect how he treats others."

Shouto was in awe at how wonderful this guy sounded; he didn't miss the way Midoriya's face continued to grow brighter the more the teen spoke.

"He is forgiving too; there are just too many things about him that I love, I could continue for years if you let me." Izuku gave Todoroki an expectant stare as if he was waiting for something to happen it confused the other teen.

"He sounds wonderful, what's his name?" The dual-haired teen asked curiously, hiding the hurt that buried itself deep in his heart.

Midoriya choked on his spit and the boy's face turned into one of pure astonishment, this caused more confusion to make its way to the surface of the taller teen's emotions.

"What's wrong?" Shouto voiced his confusion.

Izuku's shoulders started to shake as he held in laughs and giggles, Todoroki had no clue what freckled teen in front of him was laughing about.

The teen took a second to calm down before he grabbed the confused boy's hands with his own, a smile shining brightly on Midoriya's lips.

"Shouto, the special person I'm talking about is you," Izuku softly stated.

Shouto's mind was going a million miles per hour trying to catch up with the statement he just heard, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Midoriya just confessed to him, something Todoroki had fantasized about daily, there were so many things he wanted to say to the shorter male.

"Oh," the dual-haired teen wanted to smash his head into a wall, out of all the things he could have said 'oh' was what he had said.

The response seemed to scare Midoriya off a little if the hurt that washed over his face was anything to go by. Luckily Todoroki's mouth had caught up to his brain before any damage could be done permanently.

"I feel the same way, I have felt this way for a while now," Shouto quickly said, he tightened his grip on the smaller boy's hands in a reassuring manner.

"That's- I was so scared you didn't feel the same way you don't understand how happy I am to know you feel the same way." Midoriya chuckled happily.

Tears started running down Izuku's freckled cheeks as he began to laugh with relief and amusement, the small teen wiped incessantly at the flowing tears. Shouto could only watch the scene unfold in front of him, but that meant he could also admire the tearful teen. Even if he was crying, Izuku was stunning and beautiful.

Todoroki let out a little chuckle, a small smile finding its way on his cheeks.

The room wasn't full of natural lighting but looking at Midoriya was better than any sunlight could be, in Shouto's eyes Izuku would always be surrounded by a halo of beautiful, sunny light.