emerald boy | tododeku

tears

the streetlight bench soon came into view, and just in time too, for the blazing white sun was now beginning to set. midoriya's eyes widened, entranced and enchanted by the view. the way the sunlight bled into the ground beneath it, the bright amber slowly overtaking the white, and the pink sky slowly getting darker. it wasn't until todoroki had snapped him out of his trance that he sat down beside the heterochromatic boy on that same bench.

the two were silent, midoriya's gaze still glued to the calming view. after his run in with kacchan earlier, he still felt somewhat uneasy, but the rush and adrenaline was quickly seeping away. with a soft breath, midoriya quietly murmured, "nobody appreciates this sight enough."

"you're right, it is beautiful; it's even more beautiful when you get to experience it with someone else."

midoriya turned to todoroki, his cheeks flushed red. todoroki's cheeks noticeably did the same, but he soon hid his cheeks in his sweater. "you're right," midoriya said with a giggle. "i'm glad you think like i do when it comes to these things."

the two were silent for a few moments, and midoriya twiddled his thumbs as he stared into the sky. todoroki's mix of a hot red blush and sparkling heterochromatic eyes with the dazzling reflection of the sunset was almost too much to bare. his heart was racing, his veins were pumping, and his face was reddening. midoriya hid his face in his pastel green sweater, and his eyes switched to the small all might stitched on.

wear a smile. be brave.

midoriya exhaled, his eyes shut gently. without turning to todoroki, he began to speak. "may i be open with you, todoroki-kun?"

"of course," replied that same gentle yet stern voice. "i'm glad you can be open with me by choice."

midoriya's blush grew and he had to look completely away from todoroki to ensure the bi-haired boy wouldn't see. "i'm... really, really grateful for you, todoroki-kun. your kindness, your bravery, your protection, your help, and everything in between. you make me so happy, you know. i haven't been this happy since kacchan and i were friends, which was a very, very long time ago. we were both... six, maybe. i had nicknamed him kacchan, and i still use that nickname to show him i care about him. after all our friendship, he bullied me for being quirkless, his ego had soon swallowed him whole. i really thought we would be friends forever. i wonder how things would have been if i had a quirk."

"m-midoriya, that's not—"

"i know what you're going to say, todoroki-kun. i didn't do anything wrong, and being quirkless is okay. and you know what? i believe you. i still wish kacchan and i were friends; it hurts, a lot. but i know there's nothing i could have done to prevent it." midoriya paused, his mind clouding with thoughts. how long was he going to ramble for?

"anyway," he continued, "what i'm trying to say is, it really feels like... you're going to stay, and i couldn't wish for anyone better than you to stay. you make me so happy."

there was silence for a few seconds, and midoriya's thoughts began to spiral downwards. did he embarrass todoroki or make him feel weird? maybe he shouldn't have said anything. maybe he should stop speaking for tonight. maybe he should be more considerate of how he would make todoroki feel. maybe he should—

"i feel the same way, emerald boy."

midoriya's shoulders jolted in surprise, and he spun to look at todoroki's face. blush was tainted on his face as well, and he was too awkward to hide it. what did the blush mean? did he feel the same? surely there was no way—?

"you've lit up my life, emerald boy," todoroki continued, his eyes glued to midoriya's face. "my day would usually consist of being stuck with my father, forced to train and wear myself out for his ambitions and what he wanted me to be. not only that, but i had to deal with school. i was never bullied and i'm still not, but i'm not the most popular person either. having no friends, no goals and no hopes felt absolutely horrible. it felt like there was no reason for me to be here anymore, but then you showed up during the night, an apologetic and worrisome flurry. you've made me happy too. you've given me a reason to look forward to things, and all those things have been... you, i guess. midoriya-kun — emerald boy — you have given me reason. you've gotten far, you know. you've progressed and grown. you're not as worrisome and depressed as what you used to be, and you're so much more confident and energetic! you truly are... an emerald boy."

midoriya's thoughts mixed and he felt himself tremble from happiness. his tears threatened his eyes again and his heart slammed against his chest. how could he sit here and be told all the things he never could feel were true, but now, he could mostly believe them, because they came from him?

"t-todoroki-kun," midoriya stuttered, his voice cracking and wavering. "i... i..."

todoroki, his eyes slightly widening in surprise, leaned in and hugged midoriya. midoriya let his tears flow on todoroki's shoulders, and he poured his heart out onto him. the world seemed to stop, cars seemed to stop driving past, people seemed to stop walking by, and all that was left in the world was him and todoroki. his tears of happiness continued to flow, but midoriya felt his they could flow forever, as long as he could stay in this comfy embrace, with todoroki's arms around him, and his arms around todoroki.

midoriya felt todoroki's shoulders jolt and he looked up from his shoulder. todoroki fished into his bag and quickly bug carefully pulled something out of his bag — an all might plushie. a 'small might' plushie, to be exact, in a cobalt blue suit with a mighty smile. "here," todoroki said gently, "i saw this and thought you'd like it. as far as i can remember, you didn't have any of these blue suit ones in your room."

midoriya, in stunned silence, reached for the plushie and gingerly took it from his hands. he stared at the well-made stitching for a while, and his thoughts expanded. todoroki really did think so highly of him, he could see it now. midoriya wiped his tears away with his sleeve and exhaled, his tears coming to an end. "th-thank you, todoroki-kun, i love it, and i lo..."

midoriya stopped himself mid-sentence and regretted almost speaking with free-mindedness. todoroki glanced at midoriya and murmured, "huh?"

"oh, nothing," midoriya said quickly. he looked down at the plushie again and smiled, feeling the somewhat fluffy material beneath his fingertips. "thank you again, todoroki-kun."

todoroki nodded and smiled at midoriya with that same award-winning smile. that was it, midoriya had made up his mind. "hey, can you meet me at my house again tomorrow? we can go back to town again if you want, or we can stay in my house, whichever you prefer."

"i can go to your place at about... 2pm, i think. i'll text you if that time changes," todoroki said with a smile.

midoriya internally cheered on the inside, but he was also filled with anxiety. tomorrow was going to be his chance. "alright, i'll see you tomorrow then? it's 6pm now, my mom will want me home."

todoroki, though clearly reluctant, nodded. "i will see you tomorrow. goodbye, emerald boy."

midoriya waved him goodbye with a beam and didn't stop waving till todoroki was out of sight.

goodbye, major crush.