Todoroki Shouto, cheek pressed against the chilled windowpane, watched the snow fall silently to the unseen ground below.

It wasn't like he was putting off the inevitable-or so he told himself-he just wanted to sit by the window for a little longer. His breath fogged the glass, the circle of mist ebbing with each intake.

Maybe if he waited, if he just watched the snow fall...

He righted himself, sighing heavily through his nose as he stood, gripping the handle of his suitcase. He could see the car outside, waiting with open doors, the exhaust billowing in the frigid winter air.

One step forward, he told himself. It's only a week. One step towards his goal. Endeavor was just a stepping stone...

When asked what they would be doing for their winter break, Shouto was hesitant in answering. The tension between him and his father wasn't a secret, by any means. But the only person outside of his immediate family who had actually witnessed the crackling tension between the two had been Midoriya, who had been considerate enough to keep it to himself.

But he could feel those green eyes trained on his back, awaiting, like Tenya-who was eagerly asking all of his classmates of their plans-for his answer.

"Home," he had said, trying to keep the weight out of his voice. It was a simple enough answer, but he could feel it. The air between him and Midoriya constricting with the knowledge of what that meant.

And he could feel the words on the tip of Midoriya's tongue. But Midoriya knew they would fall on deaf ears.

I've dealt with it for this long, Shouto would say. What's one more week?

But there were things that Shouto couldn't say. Like how he had never had so much freedom in his life, or that he didn't feel the need to sneak to the bathroom at night. That if he saw a looming shadow rounding a corner, his first instinct wasn't to turn the other way and if he felt like wandering into the kitchen at two in the morning, who was going to stop him?

Moving into the dorms at UA had singlehandedly been the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. Before, it had just been him. He had never been around other kids his age long enough to form friendships, to socialize. He was stunted in that aspect, and he was well aware of it. He knew he was standoffish and cold. But he didn't feel the need to make an effort.

Or... before, he didn't.

But Midoriya left him yearning. He had stepped into Shouto's bubble, for just an instant, and it was an odd feeling. Because it had always been just... Shouto.

But for that one instant it had been Midoriya, too.

And maybe the boy just had that effect on people. He was genuine, to say the least, and his warmth was like a gravitational pull.

But Shouto wasn't the type to go looking for it. And he got the sense from Midoriya that he understood that.

Shouto needed space and time and Midoriya would give him exactly what he needed.

As Shouto made his way to leave the classroom, he dared a glance at Midoriya. And those green eyes, wide and determined, bore a hole right through Shouto.

And then he was gone, and he could feel the intensity of Midoriya Izuku's stare, even as the door shut behind him.

-x-

When Iida had gone around the classroom, asking everyone what their plans for winter break were, Izuku had eagerly listened to the cheerful responses.

"And you, Midoriya?" Iida had asked.

"Home!" Izuku beamed, a warmth settling into his chest at the thought of spending a whole week with his mom. He had kept in touch, calling home every other night just to hear her voice. But since moving into the dorms, homesickness had picked away at him, the memories of home cooked meals and watching trash TV while throwing popcorn at the screen another pinch in his side.

But when Iida had turned to Todoroki, Izuku paused, and he had to physically stop himself from whirling on the spot to stare.

He looked over his shoulder, staring at Todoroki's back, a heavy weight on his chest as a single word was uttered.

"Home."

Izuku tensed, memories of the Festival flashing through his mind, and he turned his body towards Todoroki, words trying to push themselves out of his mouth.

But there was a nagging somewhere in the back of his head. He knew that it wasn't his place. He and Todoroki hadn't really spoken outside of the Festival, so Izuku telling him that going right back to his father when he had the option not to was probably the worst idea he'd ever heard of...

So he just stared at his receding back, biting the inside of his cheek, and when Todoroki threw a glance over his shoulder, staring right at Izuku, he said nothing.

He watched him leave. And the weight on his chest felt like it was pushing him right through the floor.

-x-

Izuku waited outside the school gates, his yellow backpack slung over his shoulder, hands stuffed in his pockets. He was lightly hopping from one foot to the other, trying to keep himself warm in the wintry night.

He kept glancing over at a sleek black car, idling beside the sidewalk, a man in a suit waiting beside the open door.

Izuku had his suspicions as to who the car belonged to, but he tried not to look over his shoulder every time the door of the school opened and a student exited the gates, despite the spike of hope that rose in his chest at the sound of footsteps.

He stepped closer to the curb when he saw a pair of headlights, the left light dimmer than the right, a familiar indicator that this was his mother's sedan. She pulled up to the sidewalk and put the car in park, throwing the door open.

Midoriya Inko rushed to him, grabbing his face between her soft hands and bringing it down to hers, planting kisses on his cheeks and forehead.

"Mom-! Agh, I missed you, too!" Izuku laughed, grabbing his mother's hands and lowering them.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She threw her arms around him in a quick, bone-crushing embrace before stepping back, grabbing his duffel bag. She did a quick sweep of him, probably to make sure nothing else had been broken between now and the last time he'd seen her, Izuku figured, and her smile grew a fraction wider. "You've grown! You look so healthy, Izuku!"

Izuku scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

Inko smiled and patted his cheek. "You all ready to go?"

Izuku nodded, and moved to hold the door open for her as she tossed the duffel bag in the back seat. She bustled around the car and was about to climb into the driver's seat when she glanced over his shoulder; Izuku followed her gaze.

Todoroki, chin tucked into his scarf and eyes trained on the ground, was pulling a small suitcase behind him. Izuku's earlier suspicions had been confirmed when Todoroki made a beeline for the sleek black car, the man still waiting beside the open door.

The man bowed, taking Todoroki's suitcase from him, and just before Todoroki slid into the car, Izuku stepped away from his mom's car and threw a hand upwards in a slightly frantic wave.

"Todoroki!" he called.

Todoroki paused and looked up, his eyes widening slightly as if he hadn't known Izuku had been there, much less why he wanted his attention.

Izuku realized he hadn't known what to say. He wanted to say something along the lines of You should just come home with my mom and me so you'll have a peaceful winter break! or Why are you going to stay with your dad when you could stay with us?

But the words that pushed themselves out of his mouth-and he wasn't sure why he said them-were,

"Wanna hang out later this week?"

Todoroki looked frozen to the sidewalk, one foot in the car, one planted on the ground. He stared at Izuku, his face unreadable.

Seconds passed, and Izuku had started to fidget under his gaze, afraid that Todoroki would just hop in the car and leave him standing there, his mother the only witness to his shattering rejection.

But then Todoroki lowered his gaze to the ground at Izuku's feet, and gave a small nod.

Izuku had to refrain from jumping into the air, but he didn't stop the grin that spread across his face.

Todoroki's eyes flicked back to Izuku's before he lowered himself into the car, the man closing the door behind him.

Izuku turned to his mom, who was smiling back at him.

"I think that went well," she said with a wink.

Izuku could feel the heat blooming in his cheeks and he let out a nervous chuckle as he slid into the passenger seat, setting his backpack between his legs.

"I can't believe he agreed," he said, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack.

She pat his knee as she put the car into drive, glancing into the rearview mirror at the sleek black car parked behind them.

"Don't be nervous," she said, glancing at his restless hands. She gave him a soft smile.

Izuku watched the black car pull around them, leaving tracks in the snow as it drove through the gates.

He returned his mom's smile.

"You could even bring him around for dinner," she said, following the tracks that Todoroki's car had left behind.

He gave small hum, staring at the distant brake lights of Todoroki's car.

Izuku thought back to earlier, when all he had wanted to do was tell Todoroki that he didn't need to go back to his father, that he could stay with them for a whole week. Maybe just one night was a good trade-off.

Izuku pressed his cheek to the cold window, his breath leaving small circles on the glass. He watched UA shrink in the side mirror, until it was nothing but a dark silhouette in the distance.

-x-

Izuku stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars and planets stuck to his ceiling, a vague feeling of urgency and helplessness settled over him like a thick blanket.

He clutched his phone in his hand, resting beside him on his pillow. Every time he thought of Todoroki's small nod, he brought his phone close to his nose, unlocking it and pulling up Todoroki's contact info. They'd never actually texted before, and he couldn't even remember ever getting Todoroki's number.

His fingers hovered over the small keyboard, trying to think of what to say.

He tapped out a few words- Hey it's Izuku Midoriya. I was just wondering when you- but paused and erased it, locking his phone and setting it on the pillow again.

First of all, it was almost one in the morning, and he didn't want to wake Todoroki up. Second, he wasn't sure what he should say or how he should say it. Todoroki had definitely agreed to hang out, even though he knew why Izuku had asked. There was no way he didn't know.

Izuku paused. What if he thought he was doing this out of pity? That definitely wasn't it. It wasn't like he felt bad for Todoroki, but he just wanted to get him out from under his father's nose for a while.

He had seen the tension between the two at the festival, and he had a vague understanding of Todoroki's feelings towards Endeavor.

Knowing what he knows doesn't make him involved, in any case, but he feels... useless. If he doesn't do something to help, he feels useless.

He brings his phone up to his nose again, taps out a message, erases it. Rinse, repeat.

He sighs through his nose, resting his hand over his eyes.

Why was this so hard?

-x-

Shouto was staring at his phone, resting on his nightstand. He didn't know what he was waiting for-he knew exactly what he was waiting for-or why, but he felt like staring at his phone would help.

Midoriya's words repeated in his head over and over; to the point where they didn't sound like a coherent sentence, just a wavering inflection.

He reached for his phone, unlocking it and checking his messages. He opened a new conversation and typed in Midoriya , pulling up his number and typing out a message.

It's Todoroki-

He erased it and pressed his screen to his forehead, closing his eyes and letting out a frustrated sigh.

He knew Midoriya was just doing this to get him away from his father. He refused to think it was out of pity; that wasn't who Midoriya was. He was well aware that Shouto could handle himself against Endeavor, but Midoriya had a genuine hero streak running through him. If he didn't do anything, even something as simple as getting Shouto out of the house for a couple of hours, he would feel useless.

Shouto sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face, leaving it over the marred skin. He was making this seem harder than it was. This definitely shouldn't make him as nervous as it was, but he couldn't keep the image of Midoriya's grin out of his head, his freckles standing out against the blush brought on by the cold.

He stared at his phone screen through the cracks in his fingers, the shiny black surface reflecting his blue eye.

He let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his phone, leaving it to disappear in the bundle of blankets he had cocooned himself in.

Burying his head in his comforters, trying to will the buzz of anxiety in his gut to go away, he missed his phone lighting up, a message bubble informing him of an incoming text.

-x-

Izuku checked his phone every two minutes, it seemed, sleep chased away by the buzzing in his ears. He had bitten the bullet and sent the text, figuring if Todoroki responded, he would wake up to a pleasant surprise.

It was going on four in the morning and Izuku felt like he had caffeine injected into his bloodstream, buzzing under his skin, electricity racing through his veins.

He felt like he couldn't keep still, tossing and turning and wiggling his legs under his covers. Trepidation settled in his stomach like a rock, seeming heavier and heavier when Izuku's screen remained blank.

It's four in the morning, he'd tell himself. Why would he still be up?

He rolled onto his stomach and shoved his phone under his pillow. Out of sight, out of mind.

Thirty seconds later, his phone was clutched in his hand, pressed to his nose.

He flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Okay, okay. His eyes slid to his desk across the room. Right.

He rolled out of bed and landed silently on the floor. He padded across the room, pulled the top desk drawer open, and dropped his phone inside.

Out of reach, out of mind?

He slid the drawer closed, his hands lingering on the edge of his desk.

No, no , he thought, closing his eyes and pressing his fist to his forehead. He had never, in all his life, been as panicked about a text as he was right now.

He wasn't the most adept when it came to making friends, but he liked to think he was good at communicating and keeping in touch. So why did the thought of Todoroki reading his message, responding to it, make the rock in his gut triple in size?

He fell back on his bed and closed his eyes. His mom would be coming in in a few hours to wake him for breakfast, and he had promised to spend the day with her. He had to squeeze in at least a few hours of sleep.

And just as he was sinking into a restless sleep, he heard it. A muted buzz coming from his desk.

He bolted out of bed and all but leapt onto the desk, yanking the drawer open. His fingers trembled as he fumbled with his phone, quickly unlocking the screen. But he frowned when he saw it was a new email, not a text. He skimmed it and his frown deepened.

From: All Might Number One Hero Number One Forum

To: .im .jp

GOOD DAY TO YOU DEAR,

I HOPE THIS EMAIL FINDS YOU IN GOOD SPIRIT AND GOOD HEALTH? BECAUSE I AM TELLING YOU YOU HAVE WON A CRUISE WITH THE WORLD MIGHTIEST HERO ALL MIGHT! PLEASE RECONFIRM THE BELOW INFORMATION TO CLAIM AND TO AVOID A WRONG FUL DELIVEYOF YOURE TICKETS

(1) YOU FULL NAMES

(2) YOU PARCEL OWNER ADDRESS

(3)YOU CREDIT CARD NUMBER

Izuku rolled his eyes and pressed his phone to his forehead. He'd signed up for so many All Might forums and blogs, he'd been getting an irrational amount of spam emails.

The buzzing in his head stopped, the rock shrinking to a pebble, a whisper at the back of his head. This was crazy, he was acting like an idiot. He dropped the phone back in the drawer, closing it quietly.

Izuku padded back to his bed, grabbing the edge of his comforter, pulling it away and onto the floor. The edge of the blanket still balled in his hand, he dragged it to the living room, wrapping it around his shoulders before falling on the couch. He searched blindly for the remote, and turned the TV onto a movie channel, turning the volume down to a low white noise.

This was what he had always done when he had been riddled with nerves; the entrance exam into UA, waiting for the results, the night he had tried to save Kacchan from the sludge villain.

It was a good substitute to crawling into his mom's bed like he had when he was small, shaken to the core by thunderstorms. This time it was because he hadn't gotten a response in the dead of early morning from a classmate he barely knew to a simple enough question.

Hey it's Izuku Midoriya! I was just wondering when you're free this week. Just lmk!

Izuku let out a small huff and loosened his grip on the comforter. He could see the colors of the TV screen flashing on the ceiling, interrupted slightly by the ceiling fan whirring lazily.

Tomorrow, he decided, would be dedicated to his mom. He wouldn't- he wouldn't -spend all day checking his phone.

He brought the comforter to his nose, his eyelids sliding shut.

-x-

Shouto had always risen with the sun; he hated wasting time. But when he cracked his eyes open and looked at the digital clock on his nightstand- 4:28 am- he felt like a weight had settled over him; he wanted to waste the day away. Two minutes before his alarm went off. That means two more minutes of sleep.

When he moved to roll over, something cold and hard jabbed his side. He searched blindly under his blanket, his fingers finally grasping the cold metal case of his phone. Anticipation coiled in his stomach, but it took him a few moments to realize why, his mind slowed by sleep.

Midoriya .

With the realization, his fingers tightened their grip and he jerked his hand out from under his blanket, bringing his phone close to his nose.

1 New Message

He sat bolt upright, shoving his blanket away and down towards the end of the bed. He tapped on the screen, entering his password and bringing up his messages.

He read the text once, then twice, then three times.

Hey it's Izuku Midoriya! I was just wondering when you're free this week. Just lmk!

Shouto ran a hand through his hair, pausing when he met resistance. Midoriya really did want to meet up this week. He stared at his phone, his steady breathing the only noise in the room.

He glanced at the time that Midoriya had sent the message and raised an eyebrow: 3:38 am. What was he doing awake at three in the morning? Was he as nervous as Shouto had been?

He shook his head slightly, breathing out a low chuckle. Midoriya wasn't nearly as tactless at communicating as Shouto was, and shooting a text wouldn't be as nerve racking.

He bounced his phone against his hand, and then steadied it in his palm, tapping out a message. Before he let himself overthink it, he hit send.