Potholes (Just Let Me)

Sunday

Midoriya was so in love, it was starting to get ridiculous. He couldn't stop thinking about that hug. It's not that Todoroki never initiated contact, it's just that he always kept contact to a minimum, never touching unless he needed to. He knows the hug was perfectly platonic, but he got to spend so much time in Todoroki's personal space tonight, he thinks he might explode. How could he be so beautiful and kind and smell so good all at the same time? It's just not fair. He's pretty sure it's 3 am and he knows he's been tossing and turning for hours. He's been debating getting up for a while. He knows what insomnia is like and knows his best chance is getting up and doing a quiet activity for a while then trying to get to sleep afterward. When you're that exhausted though, it's difficult to get yourself up.

Fuck it, enough's enough.

With that, he rolled out of bed. Midoriya rarely got bouts of insomnia anymore, but he used to get them often when he was younger. For that reason, he kept a stash of mint tea in the kitchen, always stocked up.

It seemed like the universe was doing its utmost to make life difficult for Midoriya. Couldn't he even get a cup of tea in peace? Apparently not, because who is in the kitchen, already boiling water in the kettle, but Todoroki Shouto. They made eye contact across the room and Midoriya gave a small wave in acknowledgement.

"Want tea? I was making some already," came Todoroki's voice, softly.

"Please. I have a box of mint tea in the cupboard next to the fridge, top-shelf. I was going to make some of that, you're welcome to it as well."

"Thank you."

Midoriya took a seat at the table, watching as Todoroki shuffled around the kitchen. He was probably staring, but he was too tired to give a shit. Once the tea was ready, Todoroki sat down and set a mug in front of Midoriya. Midoriya flashed him a grateful smile.

"Couldn't sleep?" Todoroki asked, sipping at his tea.

"Yeah, just a random bout of insomnia I guess. You?"

"Nightmare."

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"Not much to tell. You know the drill, I'm young and unable to stand up for myself or my siblings, my dad beats the shit out of me. Rinse and repeat."

The bitterness in his voice sounded like something only someone far older than him, with many more regrets than he had, should've been able to express.

"Jesus Christ Todoroki."

"It's alright. That's the thing about pain, though. Books and movies and TV shows like to show pain as something you can grow accustomed to. Sometimes that's the case with physical pain, you build up a callus to it. Emotional pain isn't like that, you don't ever get used to it. You can prepare yourself for it, expect it, but in the end, it does damage regardless. The best you can do is shove it into a box and put it neatly away into a quiet corner of your brain."

Midoriya stood and walked around to Todoroki's chair, reached down, wrapped his arms around him from behind, and set his chin down on Todoroki's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Shouto-kun, I'm so sorry."

Todoroki was trembling a little, partly from the chilly fall night, partly from the remnants of the nightmare, partly because Midoriya had used his first name.

"It's okay. There's nothing that can change the past, all I can do is be better than the example he set for me."

"You're one of the best people I've ever met, you know that?"

"I don't compare to you. You're the most honest and genuinely kind person I've ever known."

"Bull. Shit."