Guess who's fallen into the TodoDeku pit of doom... *cries happy tears*

I've been wanting to write a random oneshot for my newest ship and only just figured out how to tackle this prompt. I love Shouto and Izuku's characters too much...

There's another Gamer AU story I aim to write after this NYEHEH. (I'm a neerd) Hope it entertains you!

Game Over

Summary: Being a strategist never hurt anyone, but the game definitely hurts you. Shouto learns this the hard way. After all, how can battling on-screen differ from real life? TodoDeku Gamer AU, shounen ai

There are loud creaking sounds coming from Midoriya's room, Shouto notices, the hand he's holding up to knock on the door wavering. He thinks nothing of it at first. It's only when he hears Midoriya shout, "Come on and die already!" that he instantly perks up, fists clenching as he pounds on the wooden surface. His previously lazy demeanour dies with it.

"Midoriya? Are you okay?" Shouto's voice doesn't hide his concern. The creaking stops, but there's another sound—some kind of looping soundtrack—that continues to play from within. Then Midoriya responds.

"Come in! The door's unlocked!"

Bracing himself, Shouto cracks the door open and sees Midoriya sitting on his bed with his back against the bedframe. He's on his phone, the looping soundtrack he'd heard from outside coming from it. There is nothing amiss— no fallen chairs or scattered books, and all of his All-Might posters still hang proudly on the walls.

Of course.

What was he thinking? There was nothing Midoriya couldn't handle after all. If the boy really was in trouble, he was capable enough to deal with it. Plus, U.A. is guarded well enough to keep students safe and intruders out. There's no one he knows (except maybe Bakugou) who would dare to pick a fight with Midoriya. He's too kind to be hated.

...Maybe Shouto is still sleepy.

"Oh, Todoroki!" Midoriya looks up from his phone, pausing whatever he was doing. The soundtrack coming from it (a battle-like tune, Shouto confirms) continues to play. "Good morning! Did you need something?"

Shouto blinks twice before replying, "Have you eaten yet? I wanted to eat breakfast with you."

"No, not yet. I'll come with!" Midoriya accepts, getting on his feet. His bed makes another creaking noise when the frame hits the wall. He smiles sheepishly. "Sorry if I startled you or something. I was just playing this game, is all—"

"Was that what it was? I thought you were in trouble." It isn't like Midoriya to casually shout death threats like that after all. Shouto exhales in relief.

His friend spares him a glance, chuckling. "Yeah. Kirishima recommended this fun MMORPG a month ago and I thought I'd give it a try. Now I can't stop playing. I'm at max level now since I've been binging so much and there's this event going on that I just can't seem to get through. The banner says it's for hardcore players only, but I've got a good enough setup to think I have a chance. The reward is priceless: they're giving away ten-thousand diamonds! That can get me new premium cards to add to my collection!" But then he pouts, curly mess of green hair following when he tilts his head slightly. "I don't normally rage when playing games but... this one quest has got me stumped."

Shouto barely comprehends what Midoriya is telling him, but he says nothing and nods anyway. They walk side by side towards the elevators and continue to chat until they reach the dining area. "It sounds pretty tough. I'm sure you can get through it."

"Right!" Midoriya beams at him, brilliant green eyes glinting with determination. "I just need to come up with a perfect strategy to take it down... Hmm..."

He looks absolutely adorable when he's so passionate like that. Shouto watches him fondly when Midoriya spots Kirishima sitting at one of the tables, barreling towards him eagerly to share his gaming progress.

He almost feels bad, trailing after Midoriya like a loyal pet. Is this conversation something he shouldn't listen in to? Shouto's never had the luxury of playing mobile games before. His phone is strictly for informational and communication purposes only.

"—It's been two days and I'm still at Quest 15. Quest 15! The last quest!" Midoriya exaggerates to Kirishima. "Really, I should be glad I got through the other ones swiftly but I can't. Get. Past the enemy counter! Why am I only allowed a limited number of moves?!"

Kirishima swings his fork around, commenting, "Too bad you can't Detroit Smash it to death, huh?" He gestures to the free chairs in front of him and beckons them to sit. Shouto passes. "What's your setup like? I'd share you my best attack card since we're in the same guild and all, but friend cards aren't allowed..."

Midoriya shuffles into the free seat. "Well, I can't use my normal seven-star setup since there's a restriction, so I'm using a four-star debuffer card to remove enemy attack and defense. My best attack card has boosted strength so I've been spamming it..."

Shouto purses his lips, his attention dwindling. He quietly tells Midoriya he's getting food for the both of them mid-conversation, a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Todoroki! I completely forgot we came down here to eat breakfast together! Talk later, Kirishima?"

Their red-haired classmate grins at them, "Of course! You can ask me for tips in the guild chat, yeah? I'm pretty sure Ashido will be needing help as well."

"Ashido is playing the game too?" It's a rhethorical remark, not really something Shouto wants to know.

"She sure is! A lot of our classmates are thanks to yours truly!" Kirishima answers anyway. "If you ever decide to play, Todoroki—you can ask Midoriya for the details—you're welcome to join our class guild! It's beginner-friendly!"

It's nice to know the offer's available. He and Midoriya quickly get their own helpings of bacon and omelette from the kitchen, seating themselves at one of the common room couches. There's a cooking program playing on the television. Adjacent to them on another couch is Satou, diligently taking notes and nodding when the woman in the show sifts flour and sugar into a bowl.

"So, uhm, what are your plans for the weekend, Todoroki?" inquires Midoriya. He sips from a mug of hot chocolate, pausing to swallow, then drops it back onto the wooden table.

"Just studying and spar practice," he says. He has plans to meet up with Yaoyorozu later to exchange notes on English, then he's free until the evening. He also remembers promising Tokoyami that he'd spar with him sometime tomorrow as well. "What about you?"

"Ashido and Hagakure invited me to an MMO party. There's a raid boss quest we do every weekend and for four hours a day, it yields double the EXP. Not that I need anymore experience points since I'm max level but..." Midoriya lights up again, the passion in his eyes burning fervently. "I really want our class guild to make it to top 300 this week! It's really exciting!"

There's nothing else Shouto can do but smile. He brushes away the tiny mark of hot chocolate left by the corner of Midoriya's mouth with a thumb, licking it afterwards. Sweet. Midoriya squeaks at the action, scarlet hue creeping up his neck and tinting his freckled cheeks. So cute.

...Maybe he should consider Kirishima's offer? He doesn't really get the whole multiplayer gaming thing, but if Midoriya enjoys it, then how bad could it be? Shouto wants to do many things with Midoriya — fun things that make the green-haired teen happy, like this game he's playing. With their school and personal lives so incredibly hectic, god knows how much they need a respite.

Midoriya is intelligent and ever-so-tenacious. Shouto has no doubt that he'll get past this Quest 15 issue.

He takes a bite of his omelette and savours its umami taste. Hmm.

Shouto dedicates his Sunday to laundry day. He returns to his room after his spar with Tokoyami and chucks the shirt he's wearing onto the full pile of clothes in his laundry basket. Running a hand over his red and white hair, Shouto clicks his tongue and flops down face-first on his fluffy futon. His sheets smell like the sun. For a while, he remains in that position, the fatigue in his shoulders nagging at him.

It's roughly three pm, he reckons. Before turning in last night, he'd checked with the incredible Yaoyorozu and done a few Google searches on this game a majority of Class 1-A seems to be into. Thirteen Clovers, he remembers reading, an up-and-coming, card-based online multiplayer RPG for mobile users. There's a lot of strategy involved, shadowy monsters of all shapes and sizes to defeat, a customize-your-own avatar feature and a deep story element to get immersed in. He's pretty sure it's the endless battles that has Midoriya completely hooked.

Sighing, Shouto sits up and bunches his blankets into a giant ball, hugging it to himself and carrying it towards the laundry basket. He finds himself a new shirt and turns to the door. He may as well wash his sheets too while he remembers.

The elevator ride down towards their dorm's shared laundry area is uneventful. Shouto nods thoughtfully at Kouda, dragging the rest of his clothes behind him while the latter enters after him. He can see a few of his classmates scattered all over the first floor — there's Iida scolding the likes of Kaminari and Aoyama by the dining area and all the 1-A girls minus Jirou gossiping about something at the lounge. Though it's been months since they've started living in U.A., Shouto still feels an aura of newness surrounding him. It makes something in his chest bubble up to know how close their class is with each other, himself included in the mix. He's never had this before.

Getting to see Midoriya seven days a week is also a kind bonus, Shouto admits to himself.

Speaking of which, it seems Midoriya is in the laundry room too, playing the very same game he'd caught him binging from yesterday. He greets him, looping soundtracks and all, the boy waiting on his own wash cycle to finish. He's squatting on the floor next to his washing machine. Shouto is met with one of Midoriya's best smiles; the one that rivals the sunlight and brightens up all in its path. His stomach churns violently.

"That's a lot of laundry," Midoriya starts, ready to heft himself up to assist. Shouto declines, but is grateful regardless when he loads the machine with his whites and another with his colours. The blanket stays on its own for a third cycle.

"Have you gotten through Quest 15 yet?" he asks. Once he's done setting up all three machines, Midoriya pats the spot to his left.

"Unfortunately not," Midoriya sighs, his tone a little irritated. "There's still plenty of time before the event ends, but it's really a pain in the backside." He scoots closer to Shouto, almost leaning on his shoulder when he shows him the home menu.

"Look! This is me!" Midoriya points to a tiny green-haired avatar dressed in a hazel-coloured winter jacket, fluffy brown boots and deer antlers. Of course his character is as adorable as Midoriya himself, olive complexion and in-game freckles a blessing. "This person in the ninja suit is Kirishima, and that's Ashido in the pink polka dot dress. Hagakure's in the black coat and there's Kaminari with the angel costume."

"Is there anyone in your team that's not from our class?" Shouto pokes at Midoriya's avatar, his stats and weapon setup displaying.

"Yeah, Shinsou from GenEd's in here too, actually. The other four you see are Ojiro, Sero, Uraraka and surprisingly enough, Kacchan with the flashy dragon suit."

Midoriya closes his page, tapping on the chat bubble by the menu button.

...

RedRiot: You guys! It's time to press the EXP bonus button!

Invisigirl: Kay

Cellophane: Done

Pinky: Done!

Deku: Done. Still stuck at Quest 15 ಥ_ಥ I'm losing hope aahhh

Uravity: Same I'm stuck too! Quest 12 is eviiiil

Uravity: But you can do it, Deku! Plus Ultra!

Deku: I noticed that all three enemies inflict status conditions

Deku: But we can counter this with equipping a card that has

Deku: A Poison/Paralysis resist ability

Deku: It's only got a 20 percent chance of activating but still worth a shot

Deku: If anyone has a card with the Endurance skill

Deku: Holding out for another turn with Max Defense really helps!

Explodo: Oh my ****ing god Deku stop wasting character limit

Explodo: to spam the chat and geeking the **** out

Explodo: AND DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, ****TY HAIR! （╬ಠ益ಠ)

Explodo: **** these stupid censors

RedRiot: Oh come on Blasty, you gotta admit it's a useful strategy

RedRiot: I know you're still in Quest 8 ╮(￣ω￣;)╭

Explodo: SHUT THE F-U-C-K UP

Explodo: whatev I pressed the button so leave me alone ***holes

Chargebolt: Typical Bakugou ^^

MindRead: Thanks Midoriya, I'll try that

MindRead: Death by poison really is annoying.

...

If Midoriya was barely leaning before, then he's really cozying up by Shouto's right side as of the moment. Shouto's not sure if it's the fabric conditioner in the air, or if it's Midoriya smelling like peaches and roses beside him. He hears him pouting again.

"Do you have any other strategies in mind, Todoroki?" His friend taps on the screen several times, hoping it would load faster. "I've tried an all-offense setup and all-defense setup. I can't defeat anything with all-defense since it takes way too long, and all-offense is out of the question since I'm dealing with such powerful foes. Then there's this Poison Resist thing that occurred to me last night. What are your thoughts?"

Err. It's not like he's an expert on games, and surely Midoriya's observational skills surpass his own, but if it's anything like a real life villain battle...

"Tell me how the game works first, then maybe I can offer my advice." he assures, not confident about the information he'd read up on last night. They spend the next half hour doing trial-and-error runs, Shouto familiarizing himself with the mechanics and doing a few story quests on his own.

"It's pretty simple, right? Cards have skills, abilities, types, stars and levels, and each weapon provides different multipliers based on a card's base type." Midoriya tells him later on, the two sifting their wet clothes into the dryers. Shouto gives him an affirming grunt, closing the machine door before him.

"You say you only have two turns to kill the target and twenty hits if you're low on defense?" he checks to confirm. "But there's the enemy's poisoning ability and it renders your one HP and healing combo useless. Which means you have to do a lot of damage with one card, but increase defense with the rest."

"That's right."

"Have you tried inflicting your own status effects? Sleep renders the enemy useless for a while, doesn't it? It's more effective than defense."

Midoriya shakes his head. "Oh darn. That's a brilliant idea! I'll do it."

"I think you should drop the area-of-effect card and try a single hit attacker too," Shouto adds. "Hypothetically speaking, if I'm fighting three villains and they're all frozen, I can't use my fire on all of them or they'll get free, right? So I'll focus on restraining the most threatening foe first."

"The one with the counter," offers Midoriya. "If I eliminate it, then I'm free to attack the other two with as many hits as I want to."

Shouto agrees.

"Yes, this is sooo great! I may have only been playing for a month but I can't let this opportunity slip through! I should combo a solid defense with my Endurance-Heal strategy so I'm able to hold up no matter the turn. I can use six cards: my most powerful single-target hitter at the end, a buffer to raise my attack power at the start and poison resist. A heal card, an endurance card for one extra HP, then a status clearing card with max defense or the Sleep skill. If I wait another hour, the game timeline will roll over and I can farm for materials to strengthen my weapon. Ahh! I'm sure this is my perfect setup! This is definitely the day I clear this quest!"

Halfway through his muttering, Midoriya shifts his focus on addressing Shouto to himself. Shouto is surprised he understands him this time, inwardly glad he can keep up. Midoriya really is intelligent, and he likes listening to his analytical observations time and time again. It was like an open secret; Midoriya's monologuing. Shouto lets his right hand linger at the back of Midoriya's neck, playing with the curls there.

"Would you like me to pick you up for breakfast tomorrow? We have class." It's a surprise to him to hear Midoriya purring under his touch, most of his attention still on the game.

"You always do," is what he absentmindedly replies with, barely a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"Huh? Y-Yes, uhm, ahaha! Of c-course!" Midoriya sputters pathetically. "I'll be in my room waiting! Wait no, scratch that, t-that sounded weird, ack—"

Oh. Shouto will have to pretend he didn't hear the affection in his first response, then.

Quest 15 remains unbeatable for the next three days.

Shouto asks about Midoriya's progress on Monday and Tuesday morning, each response with varying lilts to Midoriya's tone. By Wednesday, the green-haired teen is outwardly annoyed, his normally approachable aura dormant to make room for his uneasiness. To be safe, Shouto stops asking. He hovers around him in-between classes and refuses to bring up anything mobile-game related. Even though he wants to reach out and erase the dark circles under Midoriya's eyes or rub his irritated jitters away, Shouto keeps to himself.

Uraraka is not like Shouto.

"Deku, you look like a pair of disposable rags having fallen out from the garbage truck, flying in the air a bit before cruelly landing in the middle of the highway and run over several times by passing cars," she describes, brown eyes glazing over. "In other words, you look awful! Are you okay?"

"W-What?" Iida dumbfoundedly blinks at her for the comment, concern dying on his lips before sparking up again. "Midoriya, pardon my asking, but you haven't been staying up to play video games, have you?"

The answer is clearly evident on Midoriya's face, but he clicks his tongue anyway and harrumphs. "I can't. Do it. Anymore. The stupid battle soundtrack is plaguing me in my dreams and everytime I come so close to defeating the enemy with the counter it rears their stupid, shadowy bat faces in front of me and laughs at my misery. Pfft."

Shouto wants to say something, but Iida beats him to it after sipping from his juice. "Perhaps you should give it a break? Now I know saying such a thing is bound to cause a negative reaction but believe me when I tell you this is for your sake. If the act of playing games becomes this tedious and your mental health and sleep schedule are at stake, I advise taking such desperate measures."

Asui lets out a fond ribbit. "Kaminari's suffering the effects too." She gestures to the blonde sitting two tables away with Sero, Bakugou and Kirishima. Shouto silently slurps his soba. "I caught him frying his brain this morning in the middle of a quest. It's very serious."

Uraraka concurs, "I've actually stopped trying. It's not because I'm a quitter, but I don't think the rewards are worth my mental instability. The thing about video games is it's not quite like hero work, what with being non-compulsory to complete. If you can't, then you can't. No need to stress or feel bad. Winning relies on chance mostly, thanks to random number generators."

Isn't that a blow to one's ego. What does it mean when a hero as talented and caring as Midoriya can be stricken down with absolute hopelessness by a mobile game of all things? Instead of arguing though, Shouto hears Midoriya sigh. "I know. I'll only log in for the daily diamonds."

It makes him sad, seeing Midoriya in such a state. Will clearing Quest 15 make him smile again? He rests another hand on his best friend's shoulder out of habit and sighs also, warily caressing Midoriya's right cheek with the back of his fingers. His touches are feather-light and meant to comfort him. Midoriya exhales again, pushing his hand away — not because he doesn't like Shouto touching him, but because he wants to snuggle much closer to him, resting his head comfortably on Shouto's left shoulder.

Or that. Shouto doesn't mind either way.

"If it makes you feel better, I can help you clear the quest."

Uraraka directs her full attention to him, her brows knitting. She doesn't say anything about their close proximity — their friends are used to them being Izuku and Shouto, Class 1-A's cuddle buddy duo. The words on his mind have already slipped past his lips and he can't take it back.

"Todoroki! You're supposed to tell him to stop, not encourage him further!"

Iida seconds that, "I cannot allow you to condone such behaviour! As your class rep, this game should be banned from taking over the lives of our fellow classmates!"

"I believe in Midoriya." Shouto argues firmly. "He always finds a way around any situation. While running away is a fairly sound tactic for heroes, it's not like him to let chance decide what he can or can't do." Shouto nuzzles back at the boy who looks up at him, his hair a combination smell of peaches, roses and Midoriya's natural scent.

"It's just a game!"

"It isn't to Midoriya."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because it makes him happy."

"It's killing his mood now, Todoroki."

Shouto dismisses their reasons. "If Midoriya is so quick to give up, then he wouldn't be Midoriya. I believe in him," he finishes, leaving it at that. "I will always believe in him, no matter how incomprehensible the situation."

There's a tiny squeak from the teen in question, the reddish colour of his ears a stark contrast to Midoriya's fluffy dark hair. "You're so sweet, Todoroki..." Midoriya says without looking up, his lunch abandoned. Shouto freezes at the remark, his own face probably flaring up too while his mind processes Midoriya's compliment.

It's worth it, Shouto thinks later on. Midoriya's stiffness has dissipated in their last few classes and the bounce in his step has returned, courtesy of Shouto's doing.

He has to start flexing his fingers if he's to make do on his promise to assist his best friend.

Midoriya has minimized his gameplay from four to five hours a day to roughly twenty minutes. Like he'd said to Asui, Iida and Uraraka, he's only been playing the game to get his login bonuses and to complete his daily missions.

Today is different however as Midoriya attempts the new strategy he'd come up with that afternoon. Shouto and Midoriya are in the latter's room, Shouto sitting on floor with a textbook on his lap and Midoriya on his bed, playing Thirteen Clovers. The game soundtrack is so familiar to Shouto now that he'd once sang it under his breath with his own lyrics.

"Mi-dori-ya, is the best... he's the best..." he sings quietly to the beat when he hears it again. "Mi-dori-ya, is the best... he's the best..."

The green-haired teen playfully throws one of his All-Might covered pillows at him. It bounces on Shouto's head and lands on his left, All-Might's signature, "I Am Here" motto all scrunched up on printed fabric.

"Stop. That's so embarrassing," Midoriya berates him. "Everytime I play that's going to be the only thing on my mind and I won't be able to think otherwise."

Shouto huffs. "But it's true. You're free to start singing it too."

He prepares himself for another pillow attack, closing the textbook to avoid its pages from getting creased. They finished their Science homework two hours ago, but Shouto is hesitant to leave and intends to stay in Midoriya's room until after curfew.

He hears Midoriya blowing him a raspberry instead. "You can be a huge pain sometimes."

"I exist to terrorize you, my sweet Izuku."

His sense of humour is warped, but it's all thanks to living under the roof with twenty of his equally weird classmates. "N-N-Nooo... You can't say things like that!" Midoriya's voice cracks, the boy's embarrassment wafting around him in waves. Shouto has his back to Midoriya, so he can only imagine how flustered he is — hands flailing and failing to hide the redness in his face, fringe shielding emerald eyes, facial expression extremely exaggerated and a rosy, chewed up bottom lip that makes him two-hundred times cuter than he already is.

Shouto hides his face in both hands.

The jovial atmosphere surrounding them returns to pleasant silence as Shouto re-opens his textbook and Midoriya resumes playing his game. For a good hour or so, sword slashing sound effects and gunfire fill the room, the telltale "You Lose!" sound effect playing not long after. The bed creaks and Midoriya can't stop himself from shaking in silent rage every time he has to repeat the quest.

"Aaaaaah! Why won't this enemy just... perish? It's so annoying!" Midoriya had yelled, bouncing back down on the bed to repeat the quest again. It happens another five times, each complaint more colourful than the last.

Now though, Midoriya is eerily quiet. Has he raged too much to the point of giving up? Shouto only turns around when his phone loops on the menu background music for longer than ten minutes.

Oh.

He's dozing off. Still upright with his back to the wall, Midoriya's eyelids gradually flutter shut, both hands loosely handling the phone on his lap. Crap. How could Shouto forget that Midoriya is running so low on sleep?

They fully close when Shouto picks himself up from the floor, barely catching Midoriya in his arms when he tips over in his exhaustion. He makes a little cute sound at that, a half-sigh, half-murmuring of unintelligible words.

Midoriya is both soft and well-built under Shouto's arms. Guiding him gently towards the bed, Shouto hums when his best friend sleepily clutches at him. Are they friends? They've been so close and almost inseparable the past few months, his time spent with this precious sunshine of an individual priceless. There's a blur between being friends and being something more, and if you ask him, he honestly wants to know where they sit.

The labels don't matter to him now as he tucks Midoriya to bed. Shouto desires to protect, to shelter, and to always be beside Midoriya while letting him grow on his own. He brushes his soft fringe to one side of his face, planting a chaste kiss atop the boy's forehead. Midoriya responds with a satisfied sleepy smile.

"You are an adorable handful," Shouto whispers to his sleeping form, his taut and tired features softening under Shouto's touch. He takes Midoriya's phone and intends to put it away, but his curiosity is piqued and he ends up cradling it to himself.

.

.

.

Should he...?

He knows how to play, but is he lucky enough...?

Fingerprints and smudges decorate the black screen, a sign of hardcore gaming. He unlocks it. Ever-so-trusting Midoriya with his obvious passcode and sweet smile wouldn't mind him trying the game for a while, right? He finds the application and opens it.

If he remembers, the infamous Quest 15 is accessible from the Events selection of the game. Sure enough, the reason for Midoriya's restlessness and irritation stares back at him, animated shadowy figure bouncing up and down. Shouto childishly glares back. He checks Midoriya's weapon setup, does a bit of reading and changes of his own before attempting the quest himself.

Quest 15's three targets include the humongous, chimaera-like enemy from the preview. There's a colony of possessed bats with a counter above its head (it reads 10, the number of hits Shouto's allowed to inflict per turn) and a dual-wielding, fighter knight thing. He begins the challenge, testing his abilities with one swipe and watching the battle animation unfold. Dark green flashes, white blinding light and the swish, swish, bang sounds from Midoriya's phone goad him on, confidence building up as he deals his damage. It's no wonder Midoriya's having a hard time, what with needing to defeat three monsters with health bars over 200.

It's lights out in the dorms when Shouto tries the quest a forty-fifth time (he's not counting, no). The need to accomplish this task for his best friend; to triumph over this animated fantasy world for Midoriya's sake keeps Shouto's resolve strong and his fingers tapping a mile a minute. It's evident he's going to have to sleep over at Midoriya's room. Shouto attempts to clean up a little and closes the lights before him, drowning the space in solemn darkness. There is light from Midoriya's phone and he uses that to navigate towards the bed where the green-haired teen is sleeping, joining him in the small gap Shouto had left for himself.

Once lying down, Midoriya's soft breathing and the faint playing of the game's soundtrack the only sounds he can hear, Shouto inhales deeply, mismatched eyes blinking when he taps the screen twice and presses Start.

Explodo: ****ing Deku I can see your ONLINE STATUS

Explodo: GO TO SLEEP YOU DAMN NERD

Explodo: I'm going to kill the **** out of you if I see

Explodo: you walking like a ****ing zombie tomorrow damn it!

Deku: You're awake too, aren't you Bakugou?

Explodo: THE **** DID YOU SAY?!

Deku: Midoriya is asleep. Stop spamming the chat.

RedRiot: What the heck are you guys doing playing at this hour

RedRiot: Go to sleep Bakugou or I'll kick you out of the guild. It's nice

RedRiot: to see you worry about Midoriya and all but you

RedRiot: really shouldn't do it here.

RedRiot: (－ω－) zzZ

RedRiot: You too, Todoroki. Go sleep ;)

Explodo: (凸ಠ益ಠ)凸

Explodo: WHY THE **** DOES THAT HALF AND HALF

Explodo: BASTARD HAVE DEKU'S PHONE?!

By four am that Saturday, the once infamously level-headed and taciturn Todoroki Shouto is suffering from sleep deprivation, rage-induced tremors and inescapable thoughts to throw Midoriya's phone out of the goddamn window.

But he doesn't. Because it's Midoriya's phone. Even if it was his phone, Shouto doesn't think the ever-present, rational side of him would let him do something so drastic. Still, who would have thought Quest 15 to be so impossible it renders the nicest and most emotionless of individuals absolutely insane. He can feel the same way Midoriya has been feeling the past few days—the hate coarsing in his nerves and the trauma inflicted by the "You Lose" sound effect—driving him to his wit's end.

He exhales roughly. Shouto drops the phone somewhere on the bed to look at Midoriya, his pain easing when he lays eyes on his sweet face, his button nose and long eyelashes. It takes one-hundred percent of his willpower and another ten to keep Shouto in control of his own quirk, the threat of his fire and ice ready to burst at the seams.

It's a game.

There's no need to panic when it's just a game.

He's not going to die.

It's just.

A Game.

The bed dips when Midoriya turns to face the wall, groaning once before settling back into his pillows. Shouto has to make sure he gets all the sleep he needs. He fumbles for Midoriya's phone somewhere and quickly finds it, checking the battery.

Four percent. Wow.

Shouto reckons he can squeeze in another attempt before calling it a day.

At once, Midoriya's determined avatar attacks the colony of bats with one swing, a tiny "Hyaa!" escaping from him. The enemy flinches. Before Shouto's ten hits are up, he inwardly prays to the RPG gods to give him strength.

Don't get poisoned, don't get poisoned, don't get poisoned is the mantra in his head, his lips pursed.

He doesn't get poisoned. Shouto clenches his fist, rejoicing but not too much. Yes!

He strikes another blow, attention alert as he counts the health bars the bats have left. Seven. One more turn, one more heavy strike from Midoriya's best attack card. The other two enemies can be dealt with later. He needs Midoriya's defense skill to activate again otherwise it's game over.

OH MY GOD I'M DOING IT, I AM GOING TO WIN.

It's a false sense of security; this feeling that chance is finally by Shouto's side and keeping Midoriya's avatar alive.

Once defeated, the bats fade away from existence. That's a first. Shouto tries to breathe steadily, the storm deep within his chest mellowing. He's actually shaking? Shouto's exhausted but there's too much adrenaline in his veins, keeping him wide-eyed and delirious. He attempts another attack but suddenly drops the phone in his nervousness, startling him.

Dear lord. There's no rush. The enemy with the counter has been eliminated so he's free to attack either monster now.

Shouto returns to the game, chewing on his lips now. By some miracle he's able to defeat the knight, leaving him to deal with the chimaera. Shit, Midoriya's avatar is paralyzed.

"GONNA KILL YOU, damn... it..." a sleeptalking Midoriya mutters to his left. His mouth quirks slightly upwards. Don't worry, Midoriya, Shouto says in his head. I'm going to clear Quest 15 for you so just keep sleeping.

The chimaera is sitting at 65 health bars. For every turn he gets, Shouto deals 10 bars of damage. That's six and a half turns left.

He changes his mantra to, please heal, please heal, please heal, because the paralyzation is incurable and he can only take so many hits. The chimaera slashes at him with a paw. He's so close.

He can taste victory at the tip of his tongue and it hurts, hurts to think what would happen if he doesn't succeed. He's so goddamn tired.

The last tendrils of hope leave his eyes when Shouto fails to heal for the third time. No. No, there's five more turns left. He doesn't want to deal with the bats for the umpteenth time, doesn't want to hear the ten approximate seconds of the stupid menu soundtrack before he starts the quest again.

He exits the application.

One percent.

He returns to the application.

Shouto is in near angry tears when Midoriya's avatar is pummelled by his enemy, his health points down to exactly twenty. Shit, he needs to heal! If he just gets a turn to heal, there'll be more turns, and he'll finally win the game.

He doesn't notice that as well as paralysis, the chimaera has poisoned him last minute. Purple bubbles float around in-game Midoriya, his character's expression pained.

Inevitably, he succumbs to the condition. He doesn't scream like his mind is telling him to, but the loss weighs down on him like a collapsing building. It's too late for Shouto to prevent himself from freezing whatever the heck is around him, ice blocks stopping at Midoriya's phone in his right hand and his sleeping best friend.

Thankfully or not, the screen fades to black before the "You Lose" sound effect has the chance to stab him in the chest with mock betrayal.

It's dead.

Midoriya's phone is dead.

Midoriya's avatar is dead, and his room is a goddamn ice prison.

Shouto frees himself from his quirk, melts the wall he'd created from the bed to the door and cries himself to sleep.

"W-Why... why is my bed wet?"

It's not a question anyone, least of all Midoriya, should be asking so early in the morning. Shouto is still asleep when Midoriya shakes him, shock only hitting him when he'd found the answer himself.

"Oh my gosh. Todoroki— y-your quirk, there's s-something wrong!"

"M-Midoriya." Shouto mutters breathily.

"Does this happen all the time? I've n-never noticed, is this something I should be concerned about? Oh my gosh, should we go see Recovery Girl? Todoroki..."

Realizing there was no way Shouto could go back to sleep without offering some kind of explanation, he sits up, shoulders slouching and head lolling to one side. His normally tamed hair is sticking up and out in several places, a disarrayed red and white mess. He yawns. Shouto rubs at one of his eyes, peering out with the blue one. The brilliant morning light pierces through Midoriya's half-covered window, illuminating his dishevelled room.

The pillow Midoriya had thrown at him last night has been ripped to shreds by the door. There's no further damage to furniture save for damp areas of his rug, and a few cracks where his ice had pierced through on the ceiling. Shame and guilt quickly eats at Shouto for the mess he's made— he knows Aizawa's going to need a better explanation than, "I lost control playing a mobile game".

Goddamn it, he'd also made Midoriya worry. He's not even looking at the damage to his room, apparently more concerned for Shouto's sake. Shouto looks around one more time. Midoriya's phone is at the foot of his friend's bed — the dry side where Midoriya had slept.

"I'm sorry." Shouto turns to the green-haired teen. He's too conflicted and still too sleepy to deal with Midoriya's reaction, so he buries his face on the boy's shoulder instead. "I was angry."

"W-What are you s-sorry for?" Midoriya whispers close to his ear. He's reciprocating Shouto's need to be close to him by rubbing gentle circles on his back and smoothing out the tangles in his hair.

"I was sort of playing with your phone last night."

"...Thirteen Clovers?"

Shouto nods. "You fell asleep playing, so I put you to bed. I was going to leave you be but I thought I could clear the quest for you so you wouldn't have to anymore." The arms he'd left idly by his sides find their way around Midoriya, embracing him close to himself.

"I promised to help. But I drained your phone's battery and destroyed your pillow, soaked your bed and your rug and wrecked your ceiling. I'm sorry. I was so close too."

Midoriya doesn't offer him anything for a while. He hasn't stopped playing with his hair or drawing patterns on his back, so maybe... that was a good sign? Shouto will understand if Midoriya is mad at him. What kind of friend enters another's personal space and leaves it in ruins? How abhorrent.

"...psssh."

The stifled giggle catches Shouto off-guard, his eyebrows furrowing when he lifts his head. Midoriya snickers again, trying to stop it from coming out but then he fails and he starts laughing heartily against Shouto's embrace.

"Todoroki got mad because of me," he says, rather happy. "Darn, I wish I was awake to witness that. It's so rare for you to lose your cool. Literally!"

"Midoriya."

"I should have captured it on video! And here we have exclusive footage of Class 1-A's pretty boy Todoroki Shouto, rage quitting. More info on page two."

Shouto rolls his eyes. "I was using your phone. Plus it was four am, so there's no way you'd be awake by then."

Midoriya pulls away from him. "You were up so late? Oh no, that must mean you've had less than five hours of sleep!"

"Pretty much," he shrugs in reply. "It's not as bad as you though, Izu dear."

"...E-Excuse me?"

Shouto challenges his suddenly blushing best friend with a smug look of his own. "You know. Dear. Deer. Because your avatar has antlers. You've been spending so much time playing this game that I just can't help but worry about your sleeping patterns."

He can almost hear the gears in Midoriya's brain shutting down when he facepalms at his ridiculous pun. "O-Okay, you win. I can't believe you just said that— I suddenly feel so exposed."

"Don't change the costume. It's cute."

"I'm not changing out of it," Midoriya promises. "It was worth two-thousand diamonds!"

"Good."

"...You're good."

"You're better."

"You're the best."

"We should probably clean up," Shouto insists, ending their banter at that. "I am truly sorry about your pillow. I'll buy you a new one. I can take your rug and sheets downstairs and have them cleaned too. I don't know about the ceiling though."

Midoriya crawls towards the end of his bed, retrieving his undamaged phone. "Don't worry, I'll talk to All Might about it. Maybe we can pass it off as an accident? I know some people use their quirks unintentionally when they act out their dreams."

Getting on his feet and out of the damp bed, Shouto bends down to collect the scattered stuffing from Midoriya's wrecked pillow. His Science textbook is sitting face-up on the floor where he'd left it, pages and cover half soaked. He's about to leave to retrieve a garbage bag from their common room downstairs when Midoriya calls out to him.

"Shouto?"

"Hmm? What is it?" His heart swells when Midoriya uses his first name, but it's hardly the first time.

"After breakfast, can we hang out in your room if you're not busy? I'll leave my phone charging and then maybe we can take turns defeating Quest 15. The event is almost over so..."

"Sure." Shouto can't help the lopsided smile he gives Midoriya at the invitation. "I need my revenge on that chimaera."

Shouto remembers the exact time he and Midoriya cleared the quest. Four twenty-eight pm, he notes, five hours after they've first begun their Quest 15 binge.

It was one of Midoriya's turns. The two have holed themselves up in Shouto's room away from their peers, their shoulders touching and their backs against one of the walls.

"Ahhh, Todoroki, oh my g-gosh, I'm s-shaking so much and I can't handle it, I think I'm about to lose it—"

He swipes at the screen once, unleashing his most powerful attack on their enemies. They're using Shouto's optimal setup from last night. He hopes luck will remain on their side for the next few minutes, their unwavering determination pushing them forward. With a status-inflicting card equipped, Midoriya takes down the exasperating colony of bats, deadly poison bubbles popping one by one when it disappears. Slash, slash, boom... blue lit arrows and one monstrous rocky landslide later, the knight too falls to its knees and perishes after another five solid turns.

"Hand it over. I'll do it for you."

Because it deals so much more damage, they've changed Midoriya's single-hit attacker to his best area-of-effect card. It was a risky move, but he doesn't regret it at all when Deerzuku (Midoriya groaned when Shouto suggested the nickname, but he'd let him change it in-game anyway) lunges at the chimaera, savage hits striking it in full power. The rest of Midoriya's setup brandishes his amazing Endurance-Heal combo, and two perfect buffer cards for maximum defense. He's practically unstoppable.

Midoriya clenches his fists, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, come on Todoroki, d-destroy it!"

"Midoriya," Shouto drawls. "Your exclamations might cause misunderstandings. You never know who's right around the corner."

"Let them listen," was the freckled teen's curt response. "After a week and a half of emotional pain, I don't care what anyone thinks anymore."

The chimaera roars with every hit. 45 health bars — that's extremely doable now that they've bested the worst. They have five turns left. Unlike his closest attempt, Deerzuku (or Deerku? Shouto prefers the former) has resisted paralysis and is able to heal successfully while incapacitating their lone foe. Oh god, he's trembling. Shouto has never felt more alive doing something that isn't training, or sparring, or hero work, or even being so close to his best friend right there and then. He was having fun, was he not?

"Y-You're shaking too!" Midoriya points out the obvious.

"T-That's because you are! S-Stop moving for a second since we're almost there—"

He taps the screen desperately while they both share it, Midoriya pressed so close to his left side Shouto feels they're about to merge. 32 health bars. With bated breath, they watch the series of calculated attacks unfold, five-digit numbers rushing past their eyes and ample beads of EXP accumulating automatically. 32 turns to 18, then 18 to a generous five—breathe in, breathe out, shit, holy crap, it's their last turn, this is really happening—

"It's really going to die..." the green-haired teen says it quietly. Funny, that. It's normally a baffling statement but Shouto can't help the hilarious thought of someone eavesdropping on them and hearing such words without context. They'd be so shaken to think they were both crazy.

"This is it," Shouto remarks too. He feels the oxygen being stolen from his lungs when he swipes at Midoriya's phone two more times, almost dropping it on the ground in his haste. They can't help it. Both he and Midoriya are suffering from a strong adrenaline rush. Is this real, have they conquered it— Shouto thinks as the chimaera roars its last, health bar draining from five to zero in a matter of seconds. It fades into ripples of the darkness that once consumed it. When the "Quest Complete" soundtrack plays for a change, Midoriya and Shouto are still processing the situation.

It's real. Because the screen also fades away, the Rewards and Stats page pulling up to display their earnings and random statistics.

.

.

.

There it is.

Ten-thousand diamonds.

Ten-thousand diamonds for his sweet, sweet Midoriya. It's all his.

Shouto really drops the phone on the tatami mat, and Midoriya screams, his reaction akin to the one he'd had back at the Sports Festival many months ago. He's got both hands on Todoroki's shoulders and he shakes him silly for a good minute or so before jumping at him in his glee. Shouto hits the floor but it doesn't hurt; he has his arms around Midoriya's middle and he's able-bodied enough to support the both of them.

Midoriya sobs into his neck, the tears coming on their own. "Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you thank you thank you Todoroki, we did it! We beat Quest 15!"

How many times has he had the wind knocked out of him now? Shouto has lost count. It doesn't matter, because he's feeling warm and heavy and positively bursting with these emotions he'd kept under wraps for so, so long. Ten-thousand diamonds be damned; the real prize is Midoriya's sheer happiness and these memories he's sharing with him. God, he loves this boy so much. "That we did, Midoriya. We did it." he repeats.

Midoriya pushes himself up for a moment. He's looking down at Shouto with his emerald eyes glazing over with fresh tears. It's an intense look. Shouto never wants to forget the way Midoriya is smiling at him; so brilliant and so much brighter than the sunlight he often compares him to that it takes a great deal of his willpower not to look away. He sighs, a cold puff of air tickling the boy's nose. There's no greater reward than Midoriya Izuku, and he's never wanted anything more than all of him. From his uncomparable wits to his unforgivable cuteness, his sweet personality and his strong physique— Shouto can't get enough.

Some of Midoriya's tears escape his eyes and fall on Shouto's face in separate droplets. One of them lands on the side of his nose, and another on his damaged skin, just above Shouto's eyebrow. He removes an arm around Midoriya's waist and holds it up to catch the remaining few. It's Shouto's right side. Cool fingers wipe over Midoriya's closed lids before he presses his whole hand against one of his freckled cheeks.

He tries to speak in a tender tone full of love and devotion. "D-Did I make you happy, Izuku?"

Midoriya's smile is wet, but oh-so-grateful. Shouto feels his heart implode on itself.

"You always do," he tells Shouto, the hand support his own weight tiring. He rests his head back down over Shouto's chest, adrenaline high long gone. Badump-badump is the song of his own heart, so much more wild and melodious compared to the stupid battle soundtrack he now knows note by note.

He doesn't know what compels him to say the next thing on his mind. "I can make you happier, you know."

"...That so?"

Feeling bold, Shouto answers him immediately. "I could make a Thirteen Clovers account. Whenever you need me to lend you a decent friend card or offer you support in-game, I'll be there."

I love you, is what he really means.

"We do make a pretty good team, don't we?" Midoriya says.

"Not just in mobile games. We're formidable on the field, and you've supported me so much over our time here in U.A. I don't know where I'd be without you."

Please stay by my side always.

"You're my hero too, Shouto. I can't imagine life without you either."

Midoriya buries his nose on Shouto's checkered shirt when he says it, taking in his musky scent of Christmas apples and firecrackers. That's the closest to I love you too that Shouto is going to get for now, and it's okay. He closes his eyes.

When he opens them again, Midoriya is typing away on his phone. Uraraka is the first to congratulate Midoriya over the guild chat.

...

Deerzuku: I beat Quest 15! HOORAY! ー( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Uravity: Hoooray! Great work Deku! ❤

RedRiot: Awesome job, my dude! Also digging the name, bro

Cellophane: Midoriya, show me how! 10K diamonds...

Deerzuku: Todoroki helped me :) We spent hours grinding it and it hurt

Deerzuku: I don't EVER want to do something so painful again

Tailman: As expected of Midoriya and Todoroki. You two are a great pair

RedRiot: Is that in a romantic sense, or...

Tailman: Take it how you want it. It's true whatever way

Explodo: *pukes*

RedRiot: Wow, Bakugou didn't swear! He must be so jealous

RedRiot: that Midoriya beat the quest he'll never even reach! xD

Explodo: WHY YOU LITTLE

Explodo: I'LL ROAST YOU STUPID KIRISHIMA

Explodo: COME AT ME

Pinky: If Todoroki's playing now, you gotta add him to the guild, Kiri

RedRiot: Damn right!

Chargebolt: AAAAH Midoriya you're so lucky! Share your rewards dude

Invisigirl: Congrats Midoriya! Enjoy your hard-earned diamonds

Deerzuku: I will ❤

...

They sleep the rest of the afternoon. Despite the pains of yesterday, Shouto's present is worth all those failures and desperate attempts at winning. Isn't being a hero like that? It doesn't solely rely on brute force, on strong versus weak, on smartest versus dumbest. It's about resilience and perseverance, testing the waters, try, try again until it hurts and they can't go on anymore. The hopelessness, the merciless, bitter end— it's a start of a new tomorrow, and the hope for a better one. He'll do it again if he has to. Midoriya is always worth it.