Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku blinked. He blinked again. He blinked a third time just to be sure that what he was seeing wasn’t just some kind of weird illusion or some kind of trick of the light. He had gotten very little sleep the night before. He could just be seeing double from the sleep deprivation. He blinked again and again, pointing between the two before him as if that would give him an explanation for what he was seeing. His eyes followed the movement of his hand, scanning the two near identical clones before him, from the frosty white to the burning red.

“Wait, but—then, you are—which means—” he stammered, being unable to string together a coherent sentence in his confusion.

He frowned, frantically pointing from the one on the left to the one on the right, and back. Back and forth, back and forth. Over and over again.

The omega in him, while not a very prominent part of his life yet, was very much confused at what was going on. His very senses was turning on each other. His eyes told him one thing while his brain was telling him another. What he saw before him was two people that could easily be mistaken for siblings, maybe even twins, while from what he could sense that there was only one person standing in front of him. Even the scent the two was giving off was confusing to his senses. The exact same but one with a frosty tinge and the other with a hint of ash. 

“Which one is Todoroki… or is that not the right way to put it?”

The two alpha’s before him shrugged in unison, the scar across the face of the boy on the left stretching as his eyebrows rose and fell with the action. Blue eyes glinted in the light, like the blue embers of a fierce fire that bore into Izuku’s own. It did something weird to the omega inside of him; Or maybe that was just this whole situation in general? The boy on the right, face unmarred and with that smooth skin that came with having a cold quirk just leaned his head to the side as he shrugged, eyes also fixed on Izuku.

“I am,” they both answered, perfectly in sync with one another. They both frowned as they turned to look at each other with the most confused expression that Izuku had ever seen come across Todoroki’s face before they both turned back to the omega. “I’m Todoroki.”

“That doesn’t help!”

His head was spinning. Nothing about this made sense.

“He was hit by a quirk while interning,” Aizawa explained, scratching his neck. His brows furrowed and his posture was just a bit more slumped than normal. It was clear that the whole situation irritated him. 

To be fair, Izuku didn’t blame him. The first day of their second year had just ended about an hour ago. 

Their first year had been an extremely eventful one. Both stressful and traumatizing for many of them. Not just for the class but for Aizawa as well, with the amount of public scrutiny he, along with the rest of U.A and its staff, had had to deal with—something Izuku knew his teacher definitely didn’t like—along with having their students repeatedly be possible targets for villains. They had gone through more than most first years’ and Izuku would be lying if he said he didn't hope that their second year would be less… detrimental to their health? Well, hopefully there would be less life or death situations this year, at least. That didn’t mean that internal incidents hadn’t been as much of a problem last year as the life or death ones—Izuku being at the center of many of said incidents. 

A peaceful school year definitely wasn’t too much to ask for.

And then this happens.

“They don’t know how to reverse it yet, so he had to come back to school,” Aizawa continued.

“Doesn’t the guy who did this know how to reverse it?” Izuku asked, still pointing at the two Todoroki’s. It was a bit much to wrap his head around.

He was so used to seeing Todoroki on a regular basis, that seeing him split like this was making him fidget. Maybe it was how confusing the two of them looked, like it was Todoroki standing in front of him but at the same time it wasn’t. 

Izuku could look at one of them and recognize Todoroki immediately. The face shape was the same, the curve of his nose, his narrow eyes with that naturally neutral look to them. But the longer he looked, the more flaws he could see; And not just the obvious ones like how his eyes were the same color or how the one on the right was lacking a burn scar across his face. But small things, like how the one on the right had an extra wrinkle under his left eye or how the left one didn’t have the same clear skin as his counterpart. Small things that most probably wouldn’t notice. 

And then there was Todoroki’s eyes.

It was unnerving to have those two sets of eyes look at him like they did now. He wasn’t sure which pair made him more uneasy. The blue embers that looked like they wanted to devour him whole or the stormy grey that looked like they were about to envelope him.

“Endeavor is working to find the person responsible right now. In the meantime, Todoroki will be attending class as normal,” Aizawa said. 

The two Todoroki’s gave a small nod as if to confirm the information.

While that made sense, it still left a few questions unanswered. The first one on Izuku's mind being, “Why are you telling me this?”

He understood the need to tell the class about what was going on. Anyone would notice if two Todoroki’s all of a sudden started walking around campus. They would definitely notice if the scar on his face suddenly disappeared or if his heterochromia was all of a sudden gone. What he didn’t understand however was why Aizawa had pulled him aside to discuss this in private.

“You’re fated, aren’t you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. It was more of a statement than a question though, like he just wanted Izuku to confirm what he already knew.

Izuku nodded in confirmation. “We are.”

It was true, of course. Him and Todoroki. Like something out of a fairy tale, a long winded tale of two pre-destined lovers wound together by fate in a passionate relationship. The ultimate power couple, the kind of relationship that everyone dreamed of having one day. At least that’s what people normally assumed when someone mentioned the word fated. But that didn’t really apply to them.

When he’d started his first year at U.A, Izuku hadn’t known much about alpha’s and omega’s and fated bonds and soulmates. Not more than your average high school student, anyway. One could argue that, at the time, he hadn’t had any reason to know much about the subject matter since the chances of having a soulmate was lower than those of being born quirkless; And Izuku doubted he’d be winning that rarity lottery three times in a row. He’d been a quirkless, male omega who had been dealt the worst hand fate could possibly hand him. Why would it suddenly turn around and give him a soulmate—a fated—like handing out food to a starving man? 

But then again…

All Might had changed his luck in life, hadn’t he? He wasn’t quirkless anymore. His hand had changed. He’d been dealt new cards to play with. His chances of actually winning the game had increased.

It hadn’t been until the Sport’s Festival that he realized the connection between him and Todoroki. There had never been a situation where they had gotten close enough for Izuku to even have time to notice that there was a different spark around Todoroki compared to everyone else. They had been paired up in the final part of the tournament, and it was in the middle of that battle—when he’d punched Todoroki square in the gut—that he’d finally felt it. That intense spark inside, the feeling of completion. Like, despite the pain in his limbs, everything was going to be alright. He was whole. 

It had explained the strong tug to be close to Todoroki. To go to him. To help him when he realized the alpha was suffering. To meddle in business that wasn’t his to meddle with.

At first he had written the strong connection off as a side effect of their intense battle. Of course, he’d done his research on what it could mean. He’d even asked All Might about it, if it could be a side effect of inheriting One for All. But the former number one hero had never experienced what Izuku described. So after a few nights of long thinking and multiple google searches which had all pointed towards the same thing, Izuku had gotten a bit… suspicious was the wrong word, and so was curious. It had been a mix of worry and anticipation. That maybe, just maybe, what he was reading was true. But there had been that part of him that hadn’t dared believe it, because wasn’t that just too good to be true? That he had a soulmate, a fated partner out there. Not only out there, but in the same class as him.

After their encounter with Stain, it wasn’t as easy to ignore anymore. The realization that they were in fact soulmate’s, that they were fated, had hit him hard and left him at a complete loss on how to handle the situation. Because how do you tell someone that you are bound together by fate?

So, being the responsible teenage boy with new and confusing hormones and emotions that he didn't quite understand that he was, he didn’t tell Todoroki about it.

And that’s how it had been for months. 

He hadn’t intended for it to go on for that long, but time had moved on while he’d been trying to figure out the right way to tell Todoroki. Then the summer camp incident with the League of Villains happened. Bakugou getting kidnapped had become the primary issue, and dealing with the aftermath of the Kamino Ward catastrophe following that. Life just hadn’t left him much time to come to a proper conclusion. 

But then, finally, after months of trying to figure out how to handle the situation, everything had been laid out on the table.

Though, it hadn’t actually been Izuku who had brought it up. It had been Todoroki, much to his surprise.

He’d known—because of course he did. A fated bond went both ways—and had just wanted to make sure that Izuku was aware of their connection. But he’d been very clear that despite what biology told them, Izuku still had a choice. They didn’t have to be together just because that’s what nature had intended. After all, neither of them had said anything about wanting to be more than friends. So that’s what they remained. Friends.

That didn’t change the fact that they were still soulmate’s which had brought on it’s own fair share of struggles and trials to get through. How they would navigate the protective alpha instincts, the invasive waves of foreign emotion that came when one of them got too emotional and all else that came with being connected so intimately with someone. But they had figured it out; And now, there were two Todoroki’s. Two alpha’s who used to be one person, which meant that both of them were fated to Izuku. And there was no telling what kind of effects that would have.

“If it’s not too much trouble, keep an eye on him. Since we still don’t know how this is affecting his quirk or his cognitive abilities,” Aizawa said, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Of course, but wouldn’t a teacher or pro hero be more fitting for this?” Izuku asked.

Not that he minded keeping an eye on the two Todoroki’s, but he just figured that since the situation still seemed to be very unstable it would be better for a pro hero to handle it. He was still in training, even if he had a provisional licence. Maybe a teacher could look after him if no pro was available, since Todoroki still had to attend classes. 

“The staff will be keeping an eye out, too, but since you’re fated you should have a naturally calming effect on him.”

“So that’s why,” Izuku mumbled, more so to himself than to Aizawa. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“You don’t have to do anything extreme. Just make sure that he doesn't get into trouble.” Aizawa shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his usual tired expression on his face. But there was something else in his eyes when he spoke again, “If anything happens, report it.”

“R-right,” he stammered, not quite understanding what Aizawa meant.

“I feel fine,” Todoroki—the red haired Todoroki—said. He placed a hand over his chest as he spoke, as if he was searching for something inside. He looked a bit displaced, as if he himself didn’t quite believe his own words. “I don’t need to be looked after.”

“While that may be the case now, we have no idea if there are any side-effects. So until we know more, don’t leave school grounds. Understood?” Aizawa instructed. “We don’t know what will happen if you are too far away from yourself.”

“I’m right, though. I feel pretty much the same as I did before,” Todoroki—the white haired Todoroki—said, glancing at his red haired counterpart.

“Well, as long as you are okay,” Izuku agreed, giving a reassuring smile.

While the situation was a weird one, this was still Todoroki. Just because there were two of him now didn’t mean he was any less himself. 

“Midoriya, I leave him in your hands for now,” Aizawa said, letting out a long sigh.

“Yes!”

Despite what he’d said before, his senses were feeling just a bit out of whack. Well, to be more precise, the omega inside of him was feeling a bit out of whack. Because as they walked back to the dorms, the two Todoroki’s walked beside him like two alpha bodyguards. Much closer to him than they’d been in the conference room just a few minutes ago.

Izuku had not expected the reaction that came with them being so close. The omega instincts inside, those pesky fated instincts that were normally so at ease every time Todoroki was around, were suddenly not so relaxed anymore. Instead they were close to freaking out and Izuku had to do everything he could to keep calm, because really, there was no reason for him to react like this.

He kept telling himself that this was still Todoroki, that just because there was two of him now, didn’t mean that anything would change. There was no reason for his senses to be on high alert.

He glanced from the red haired Todoroki on his left hand side to the white haired one on his right. He could sense them both in the back of his mind, still as one but not quite the same as before. The intense heat from the left that he was so used to feeling mingled with the calming icy breeze on the right was causing his head to spin a bit. It was like trying to understand one of those brain puzzles you’d find online, where they asked you if the picture was moving or not; And Izuku couldn’t figure out the right answer.

“Midoriya,” the Todoroki on his left said, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked down on him with those intense blue eyes. 

Had his blue eye always been that intense?

“Are you okay?” the white haired Todoroki finished, his eyes calm and collected. Such a big contrast to his red haired counterpart.

“I’m fine,” Izuku hurried to say.

“You don’t feel fine,” the red haired Todoroki—this was getting confusing—said, releasing a few relaxing alpha pheromones.

Izuku took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. It was hot, like the pheromones themselves were warm in his nostrils, accompanied by the smell of ash and something deep and rich with the hint of a sweet undertone. Very much reminiscent of a campfire and, much to Izuku’s surprise, marshmallows. But there was none of the cold undertone, the one that reminded him of a cold winter morning, that tasted just a little bit like snow, that was normally intermingled in Todoroki’s pheromones.

“It’s just this situation,” Izuku sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s a bit confusing with there being two of you.”

Both of the Todoroki’s brows furrowed as they stopped. They stood beside each other like two discolored copies of one another.

“Does it bother you?” they asked, once again in that synchronized way that was quickly becoming unnerving. Maybe even a little bit creepy. “That I’m like this?”

“No! Absolutely not! That’s definitely not true—well, maybe a little? But it’s not you,” Izuku exclaimed. “You’re still you, even if you’re… split apart, like this? It’s, uh, it’s just going to take some getting used to. It’s a, you know, it-it’s a weird situation.”

They stood quiet for a moment, each Todoroki having a different look in their eyes. Izuku wasn’t sure what either of them meant, from the one to the other. Todoroki was difficult to read as he normally was, having had so long to perfect that neutral and stoic mask that he’d worn for so long. It had gotten easier as time had moved on and he had opened up more, but there was still parts of him that Izuku just couldn’t decipher.

The way the two Todoroki’s looked at him right now, he had no idea what they were thinking.

“Okay,” the white haired alpha finally said. His eyes softened and the creases between his white eyebrows—it was so weird that they were the same color, Izuku thought to himself—disappeared. “If it’s too much, tell me.”

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me,” the other half added.

“It’s just the situation,” Izuku promised. 

Because it was. He’d never felt uncomfortable around Todoroki before. He doubted he could feel uncomfortable around Todoroki. But the situation they were in now? Yeah, it would definitely take some getting used to.

“I’ll stay away if that will make you feel better,” the white haired Todoroki said. He looked down at the floor, shoulder stiffening a bit before he glanced up at Izuku.

“I’ll keep my distance,” the other interjected, giving his counterpart a side glance. “I won’t stay away from you, Midoriya.”

Something weird filled the air as the two halves of a whole shared a look between each other that was definitely confusing. From the look on their faces, it was confusing for them too, because both of their eyebrows were high up on their foreheads. Then the red haired one frowned, causing wrinkles across his forehead and creases across the burnt flesh.

“You don’t have to do that, Todoroki.” Izuku shook his head and waved his hands as if to emphasize his words. That was definitely not what he wanted.

“Are you sure?” Todoroki—the white haired one—asked.

“I’m sure.”

The alpha’s shoulders relaxed as he let out a barely noticeable sigh. The only way Izuku noticed it was because he could feel the relief radiating from the white haired Todoroki in that moment, which in turn made him relax.

This was going to be an interest start to the school year.

Chapter Text

The common room was quiet as everyone stared in silence. The multiple conversations that had been going on between the respective friend groups had all come to an immediate halt. Talk about the Quirk Apprehension test scores, potential school assignments, what it felt like to see friends from the other courses again. It all stopped. Not a single word had been spoken after Izuku and the two Todoroki’s had entered the common room. 

Everyone stared, all trying to properly process what they were seeing in their own way. Some unabashedly pointed while others just sat with their mouths agape. Then there were those who didn’t show any kind of visible confusion or surprise, sitting in silence. Unreadable.

The atmosphere in the room was quickly becoming heavy and Izuku nervously cleared his throat. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing at the two Todoroki’s standing shoulder to shoulder on either side of him. 

It wasn’t like Todoroki was making an effort to ease the silence that had invaded the room. He—both of them—just stood there, one looking incredibly bored while the other was unreadable. Neither one of them seemed very approachable.

"So does that mean…?" Kaminari started, being the first one to dare break the silence. He threw his arms over the back of the couch, pointing at the two with furrowed eyebrows. "Which one of you is Todoroki Todoroki?"

"Todoroki Todoroki? That doesn’t make any sense." Jirou shook her head. Her earphone jack’s shaking with the action.

"Well, they can't both be Todoroki, can they?" Kaminari asked.

"I am Todoroki," both of the Todoroki's said in unison—yup, definitely creepy—, pointing at themself. They gave each other a glance that the room didn't understand.

"So, is one of you a clone?" Kaminari asked, crossing his arms over the couch.

“It’s more like his entire being has been split in half,” Izuku tried to explain, making a cleaving motion with his hand. Though he wasn’t quite sure if that made any sense or not. 

He’d tried to understand what little information Aizawa had given him. But from what he understood it seemed like even the pro heroes didn’t quite know how Todoroki had turned out like he had—other than it being the result of a quirk—or what the resulting consequences would be. From appearance alone, it seemed like he’d been split right down the middle, but Izuku had no idea what that really meant.

"How do you split a person in half without killing them?" Ashido asked from the couch. She looked up at the ceiling as if she would find the answers in the white roofing above. “That’s some impressive quirk.”

Both Todoroki's shrugged. The red haired one shoved his hands into his pockets. His shoulders hung low and he looked very disinterested. The opposite could be said for his white haired counterpart. He stood with a straight back, not in the same fashion as Iida but still less crude than his other half. He paid attention to the rest of the room and made a show of looking at whoever was talking. He looked in no way interested in what they had to say, but somehow managed to not look disinterested either.

“What if one of them is evil. Evil twin!” Hagakure exclaimed, gasping loudly. The sleeves of her sweater folded as if she’d clasped both of her hands over her cheeks. There was a resulting clap as evidence.

“Like evil Todoroki and good Todoroki,” Ashido gasped with her eyes widening. She jumped up from her seat dramatically.

“Would that make the red haired one the evil twin? I mean, look at that scowl,” Sero snickered.

“Come on, guys, it’s not like that,” Izuku said, holding up his hands like he was physically about to defend himself from their words.

Neither Todoroki had shown any evil intend, and sure, he’d only been with them for less than an hour, but during that short time there had been no feelings or indications of malicious intent. He was sure that if one of the two Todoroki’s were the so-called evil twin, Izuku would have been able to tell. If only because of the soulmate bond.

"Maybe it's down to their left brain and right brain," Yaoyorozu chipped in, clapping her hands together.

She leaned forwards, her hands placed in her lap as she looked between the two Todoroki’s. She had that glint in her eyes that she got when she learned something new or got to experience something she hadn’t before.

“Left brain and right brain?”

“Yes. Each hemisphere has control over different parts of your personality, as well what actions you take,” Yaoyorozu explained, as if she was giving a lecture.

“Looks like he’s been split right down the middle,” Kirishima muttered from the couch. He sat next to Bakugou, who had one arm thrown over the backrest.

“So that means that the left Todoroki is the left brain and the right Todoroki is the right brain,” Ashido said, nodding at the conclusion she’d reached.

“Not quite.” Yaoyorozu shook her head. “The left hemisphere of the brain has control over the right side of the body, along with handling tasks that require logical thinking, while the right hemisphere controls the left hand side and creativity.”

“That means whitey over there is the left brain,” Kaminari more so stated than asked.

“But wouldn’t that mean that each of them are lacking half of their brain functions?” Izuku muttered, massaging his chin. It was still too early to tell, but Yaoyorozu did have a point. If they had been split right down the middle, that would include their brain’s as well. However, there was a problem, “Nobody could function normally with that kind of handicap.”

The theory itself wasn’t that far fetched—at least not for the situation at hand—if it wasn’t for the fact that nobody could function with only half of their brain. At least not on the level that Todoroki was, and Aizawa hadn’t said anything about lowered brain capacity. They must have done some sort of medical testing before sending him back to school. So it was safe to assume that they both still had both of their hemispheres.

Could it be that their brains were connected? Which would mean that while the two Todoroki’s might be functioning in two separate bodies, they still shared the same brain. Or were they just simply two different parts of Todoroki? Since it could be assumed that they both had functioning lungs and kidneys and all other parts of the body that one had two of. Both Todoroki’s had two arms, two legs and two eyes and ears which appeared to work just like they should, something that he probably wouldn’t have if he had been, quite literally, split down the middle.

“What did Aizawa say?” Kirishima asked, breaking Izuku out of his train of thought and the mumbling he’d subconsciously started. “The pro's must know, right?”

“They don’t know,” the white haired Todoroki interjected, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

“Well, do you feel okay?”

“I feel fine.”

“What about you, Todoroki—uh, other Todoroki?” Ashido asked, fumbling at the end. Her brows furrowed and her lips formed a thin line.

“I told you, I feel fine,” the red haired counterpart said, sounding just a bit annoyed.

“No, the other you said you were fine, you didn’t say anything,” Kaminari said, pointing at the white haired Todoroki. “Right, Todoroki… uh, Whitey? Snowdoroki? Hey, what should we call you two?”

“This is getting kinda confusing,” Ashido agreed.

“Nicknames?” both Todoroki’s asked, neither sounding too enthused about the idea.

At first glance, their faces looked neutral. Like the expression Todoroki usually wore, but Izuku saw more. He was so used to reading between the lines that he could see the small twitches in each of their faces, not to mention that the fated bond itched with irritation and resignation.

The red haired Todoroki had a crease between his eyebrows, his eyes narrowed as he looked away from the group. He didn’t say anything, but the corners of his lips were pointed slightly downwards. His other half’s reaction wasn’t all that different, except his eyebrows were upturned and he exhaled as if he was hiding a sigh.

“Yeah! It’ll be fun!” 

Ashido jumped up from the couch once more, throwing her fist in the air with a wide grin on her face. Hagakure jumped up after her, mimicking her pink friends actions. They started chanting for the other student’s to join in, to help them come up with nicknames and soon the entire class was huddled together around the sofa.

“Alright,” Yaoyorozu said, pushing forwards a rolling whiteboard she’d just finished creating. “It’s finished.”

“Thank you, Yao-momo!” Ashido exclaimed, taking the pen Yaoyorozu handed her as she ran up to the whiteboard. “Let’s start! Names, give me names.”

“How about Todoroki and Shouto?” Sero started off with a shrug.

“How informal,” Ashido muttered with a nod, writing it down on the board.

“Shouto is his hero name, though,” Kirishima said, looking at Sero with a nod. “It’s not informal if you think about it like that.”

“But which one would be which?” Ashido asked, tapping each name with the butt of the pen.

“Todoroki should be the red haired one.”

“Shouldn’t Whitey be Todoroki? He used his ice first, you know,” Kaminari asked, holding up his finger as if he’d just made a revelation. “Also, Whitey! Write down Whitey.”

“Down to their appearance. Good, good.” Ashido nodded, writing it down on the whiteboard.

“But wouldn’t it get confusing for Todoroki?” Izuku shifted his weight, holding his chin as he looked at the two names. “They’re both Todoroki.”

“That’s true.” Kirishima crossed his arms, slouching into the couch. He rested his head against Bakugou’s arm. “Something that’s not his name then.”

Name after name was called, hands were thrown up as if they were in class in order to be heard better. Ashido worked quickly as she wrote down the names she heard while others had to repeat themselves multiple times to be heard over the others. It was like the naming process had turned into a game, a fun sport for the class.

All the while the rest of them were shouting and having a blast, Todoroki stood to the side. The red haired one let out an annoyed sigh, shoulders slumping as he looked at the clock.

“How long is this going to take? I’m sleepy,” he murmured.

“They’re having fun, though,” Izuku chuckled, looking at the growing list of names.

“I don’t see the point. Just use my name.”

“It would get confusing after a while, and wouldn’t it be nice to know which one of you we’re referring to?” Izuku asked, glancing between the white haired one and the red haired one.

The snowy counterpart gave a small nod with a hum. “I suppose it would be the easiest solution for everyone else.”

"How about Todotodo and Rokiroki?" Hagakure piped up above the others, jumping into the air for the third time, as if to be seen better. From the bounce her clothes made, she'd also thrown her arms up in the air.

"Oh, splitting the name to fit the situation!" Kirishima exclaimed in excitement.

"But which one would be Todotodo and which would be Rokiroki?" Ashido asked, writing the two names onto the whiteboard.

"Todotodo for the white-haired Todoroki," Hagakure said, most likely pointing at said counterpart. "And Rokiroki for the red haired one."

"Yeah, I'm not comfortable with that," Todoroki—the one they wanted to dub Rokiroki—huffed, eyes narrow. The expression he wore reminded Izuku of the blank, sometimes annoyed, mask he’d worn before the Sports Festival. The one that told people to keep their distance.

"Why not?" Hagakure asked, sounding genuinely disappointed that her names had been immediately shot down.

"It's stupid."

"Do I have to?" the one dubbed Todotodo asked with a sigh, turning towards his other half. He gave him a look that Izuku didn’t quite understand, as if they were having some form of silent conversation that the rest of them weren’t privy to.

"I don't like it either," the other Todoroki—Rokiroki—growled at his other half, but it didn’t sound like he was talking about himself.

"It's fine to call me that," Todotodo said, turning away from himself.

"It's not," Rokiroki hissed, eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

"Wouldn't it be easier that way? It’s still your name… sort of," Izuku said, leaning forwards a bit to better look Rokiroki in the eyes. He shrunk a bit under the intensity of the look the alpha gave him. “I mean, it’s not the best maybe, but… uh, it’s kinda easy to understand, right? And it’s only for now, until we get you back together.”

"What?" Todoroki—Rokiroki—asked with a raised eyebrow. His face morphed into one of near betrayal.

"It's just, since there are two of you now…" Izuku tried to continue with a small shrug, moving his arms around.

Roki groaned. "Fine."

“Yay! Rokiroki and Todotodo it is!” Hagakure exclaimed happily.

The room quickly returned back to normal as the excitement about the names were dying down. Instead they focused their attention on the two Todoroki’s, bombarding both of them with questions of how this happened and if it hurt and how it felt to be two people. Todotodo answered each question with the usual short, quick answers, not going into detail unless explicitly asked to while Rokiroki barely answered any at all. He remained by Izuku’s side, sitting quietly beside him.

From this angle, he looked just like the regular Todoroki. All Izuku could see was the red hair and the scar in profile, like he was used to. But then Todotodo would say something from across the room where Kaminari and the rest of the Bakusquad had kidnapped him to and Izuku would be reminded about the situation.

He scratched at his neck, feeling how his scent glands were slightly swollen at the back of his neck. It was forming a small bump under his skin, not visible to the naked eye but definitely swollen enough that he could feel it as he brushed his fingers over his neck. It was quickly becoming uncomfortable. The itching in his neck refused to go away even as he scratched and scratched and he had no idea why.

“Are you okay?”

Izuku jumped, letting out a yelp. His heartbeat picked up as the omega inside suddenly screamed out “Alpha!” loudly in his mind only to turn around and remind him that his alpha was also across the room.

He clasped his shirt tightly as he cursed inwardly.

“Midoriya?” Rokiroki asked, leaning close and holding out a hand towards him. His eyebrows were twisted in concern. “Take deep breaths. Do you need to go outside?”

What the hell was happening?

His head spun, eyes burning as he looked from the red haired Todoroki beside him to the one across the room who had half stood up from the couch, looking ready to leap across the room. There, his soulmate was there. He was across the room, just like the tug in his mind told him. That was his soulmate. But then he caught sight of Rokiroki to his left and yes, that was his alpha. That was his soulmate. His soulmate was sitting right beside him.

He shook his head, holding a hand over his temple as his head pounded with a sudden headache. Todoroki wasn’t his alpha. They were soulmate’s, not mated. So why was the bond reacting like this?

Suddenly there was a cold hand on his forehead, spreading the low temperature over his brow down to his cheeks and around to the back of his mind. There was a relaxing mix of pheromones mingling in the air around him as well as in the soulbond, mingled together like before. Mixing together as they came through from two different directions at the same time.

He looked up, seeing soft grey eyes looking up at him with concern. Ashido and Kaminari stood behind Todotodo who was crouching in front of him. Behind them, on the couch Hagakure and Sero was saying something to Sato who was disappearing into the kitchen.

“Deep breaths, okay?” Todotodo said. He smiled softly as he rubbed his thumb between Izuku’s eyebrows.

“What happened?” Kaminari asked, looking at Rokiroki.

“I don’t know,” Rokiroki answered. He was reaching his hands out towards Izuku but was hesitant to actually touch him. Instead he seemed to leave that to his other half.

“Here.”

Sato leaned over the couch, holding out a glass of water. Rokiroki took it and gave it to Izuku.

“Looks like a panic attack,” Ashido answered Kaminari’s still unanswered question.

“He’s releasing a lot of pheromones, though,” Sato said. “That’s not normal in panic attacks, is it?”

“Maybe different secondary gender’s experience panic attacks differently?”

Izuku took a small sip of the water, distantly paying attention to what they were saying. It didn’t really feel like a panic attack. He’d had panic attacks in the past. He’d had anxiety attacks in the past. They always restricted his breathing, making him gasp and double over with intense pain in his chest. Like he was dying, or that’s what he’d thought the first few times they’d happened.

This was just a burning intensity in his mind. Like he was bursting. Too much. Something was too much for him to handle. Like an overcharged battery, he felt like he was going to explode.

“You think he’s presenting?” Ashido gasped, holding her hands up over her mouth. “Sato, Todoroki, move away! Every alpha leave the room.”

“I’m not—” Izuku started but he had to stop to take a deep breath. He took another gulp of water and sat up straight. “I’m not presenting. It’s just a headache. I think…”

“You think?” Todotodo asked, removing his hand from Izuku’s forehead. He still held it outstretched though, prepared to put it back if need be.

He gave a hum in reply followed by a nod. “I don’t feel any… uhm, y-you know, any—the need to, uh… D-d-do, you know, that, t-that, you know—”

He pointed at himself, feeling his face heat up as he spoke. He swallowed, feeling his throat go dry. He took another gulp of water.

“You don’t feel the need to do what?” Kaminari asked, looking genuinely confused.

“Y-you know…” God what was he supposed to say. The need to mate, he didn’t feel the need to mate.

“Oi, Hagakure, do you understand what he means?” Kaminari craned his head over his shoulder, looking at the other omega in the room.

“I think he means to go into heat, right? Midoriya, that’s what you mean, right?” she asked, coming closer. Izuku gave a small nod. “When an omega presents, they go into heat.”

“I would notice if that happened,” Todotodo said.

“Alpha’s have a really good sense of smell. It would be difficult to miss,” Sato added. He crossed his arms.

Izuku knew that that wasn’t what Todoroki had meant. Even if that was still very true. Todoroki had probably meant that he’d notice through the soulbond if Izuku hit a heat. He’d probably feel the feelings go through and know immediately. According to what he’d read online, fated alpha’s could always tell when their omega was going to hit a heat.

“Maybe you should have some rest. Just in case,” Rokiroki suggested.

“It’s been a lot today,” Todotodo agreed with a nod. The two counterparts shared a glance.

Izuku gave a small nod. “Maybe you’re right.”

Izuku finished his water, giving the glass back to Sato. He rubbed his temples with closed eyes and let out a long sigh. It was better, not as intrusive as it was before but there was definitely still a pounding in his head. Like a stone in your shoe. There to annoy you, but not really painful.

“Yeah, some rest sounds good,” Izuku said, standing up.

Both Todoroki’s immediately stood up with him, Todotodo with one hand on his arm and Rokiroki with one on his back as if to steady him.

The pounding picked up.

“Excuse me,” Izuku yelped, ducking away from the two. His brain couldn’t take it right now. It was too much.

When he glanced back he felt a pang of guilt as he saw the look in the two Todoroki’s eyes. The worry and the hint of hurt.

He’d have to apologize later. Right now he just needed to get away. To give his mind some rest.

The moment Izuku entered his room, he collapsed onto his bed with a loud groan. He buried his face as deep into the pillow as he possibly could without suffocating, trying to smother the headache away. To mixed results.

He hadn’t minded the soulmate bond before. He still didn’t, sort of. In a way, it had been reassuring to know that there was someone out there who would always understand him. No matter the situation or the circumstances, he would always be able to count on Todoroki. That was what a fated bond was. But now, with the headache and the confusion and the whirlwind of emotion inside him, along with everything else that had happened in the last couple of hours… He wasn’t quite sure what to think anymore.

He had to remind himself that Todoroki’s situation wasn’t permanent. He wouldn’t be like this forever. Eventually he would go back to being one again and the bond would go back to normal. But the journey there was going to be a trip, especially if the bond reacted like this after so little time was anything to go by. Izuku was a bit concerned about what other effects there could possibly be.

He made a mental note to himself to do some research on the matter.

A soft ding came from inside his jeans pocket along with a few soft vibrations. He fished his phone up and looked at the small bubble that had popped up on the lockscreen. In the sender's box was Todoroki’s name.

Izuku opened up his message app.

[Todoroki]

16:39 Sorry

Sorry?

He pushed himself up onto his forearm. He bundled his pillow up and wrapped an arm around it to make himself comfortable as he read the one word over and over again.

What was Todoroki sorry for? 

He frowned as he typed out his reply, fingers moving quickly over the keyboard.

[Midoriya]

What for? 16:39

You didn’t do anything 16:39

[Todoroki]

16:40 It’s my fault you panicked, isn’t it?

[Midoriya]

No!!! 16:40

It’s definitely not your fault! 16:40

I just got overwhelmed 16:41

[Todoroki]

16:41 Because I’m like this

16:41 I could feel it, Midoriya

“Right, soulmates.” Izuku cursed to himself.

It was nearly impossible to lie to your soulmate. Since your emotions were always on display for each other it was easy to tell when the other told a lie. It was something they had learned very quickly. The small tingle, like tiny needles were being stabbed into the back of your head, that appeared each time one of them said something untrue.

He should have expected Todoroki to realize his distress and the small white lies, even through a text.

There was a pause between the last text and the next one, the small bubbles at the bottom of the screen showing that Todoroki was typing something out.

[Todoroki]

16:43 I should stay away, shouldn’t I?

Izuku sat up immediately as he read the message. The pillow dropped to the floor in his haste.

His fingers practically flew over the keyboard as he typed out his reply, because what was Todoroki thinking? Saying something like that. Especially when they’d decided that they didn’t need to take those kinds of extreme actions.

[Midoriya]

Absolutely not! 16:44

Todoroki, I don’t want you to stay away 16:44

[Todoroki]

16:45 But being near me right now hurts you

[Midoriya]

It’s because I’m not used to it 16:45

I just need to get used to it 16:46

It will go away after that 16:46

...I think… 16:47

Todoroki didn’t reply right away. The small text bubble at the bottom of the screen told him that he was typing something again. It would disappear and then it would appear again, as if he was repeatedly erasing what he was trying to type out.

[Todoroki]

16:50 I don’t like that it’s hurting you

A few seconds after the first one, another one popped up.

16:50 I don’t like that I’m hurting you…

His heart speed up as he read the words. His fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, typing out message after message. Sending them out before properly reading them through first. Because really, that was just untrue!

[Midoriya]

You’re not hurting me 16:51

There’s two of you now 16:51

I’m not used to that 16:51

It overwhelmed my brain 16:51

It’s not you… 16:51

Well, it is you, but not you as in you’re the one hurting me 16:52

Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!!! 16:52

I meant it like, it’s not you on purpose 16:53

Sort of ? 16:53

You’re not doing it because you want to 16:53

It’s not on purpose 16:53

It’s the soul-bond 16:54

It’s kind of panicking, I guess 16:54

But it’s definitely not you!!! 16:54

Izuku stared at the long row of texts and felt his cheeks heat up. He could probably have condensed that into one text, couldn’t he? Maybe he should have read through them first, before sending them out. Collected his thoughts a bit better.

The bubbles appeared again. They disappeared twice before Todoroki’s answer came through.

[Todoroki]

17:01 Okay

That was all it said. Izuku waited a few minutes for another text to come through or for the bubbles to appear again, saying that Todoroki was at least typing something out. But nothing followed.

He bit his lip and started typing out some kind of reassuring message. Something to make Todoroki feel better about this. Tell him that Izuku didn’t blame him for the way the bond was reacting. Neither one of them had chosen any of this, after all. Both the bond and Todoroki’s current condition. But he couldn’t come up with something good. He kept erasing each message until he gave up with a sigh.

Izuku fell back down onto the bed. His head hit the mattress awkwardly as he landed on his side, still looking at the screen.

Could he have said something to make it better? Could he have worded some of his texts better? He probably could’ve. They hadn’t been very refined.

Had Todoroki even taken it the right way? Did he think that Izuku was just being kind and shifting the blame? But he should know that he wouldn't do that. Or, maybe he would. But Todoroki would know that if he did. Because that would be a lie; And Izuku had meant everything he said.

“Stupid soul-bond…” Izuku muttered, hanging his arm over the edge of the bed in an attempt to reach the pillow.

It wasn’t until he’d managed to fish the pillow from the floor and put the phone down to charge it that he realized he didn’t know which one of the counterparts were in possession of Todoroki’s phone.

Chapter Text

Izuku jolted awake at the sudden round of rapid knocks against his door. He blinked groggily, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes as he searched the room for a clock to tell him what time it was.

“Oi, Midoriya,” Kaminari could be heard calling from outside. Another round of knocks followed. “You awake?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. He cleared his throat before repeating himself. “Yeah, I’m awake.”

“Awesome. Dinner’s ready,” Kaminari said. “Sato told me to come get you.”

It was dinner time already?

He grabbed his phone, roaming his tired gaze over the screen until his eyes fell on the four digits at the top of the screen. With a yelp he sat up, eyes going wide at the realization that he’d slept for at least two hours.

He jumped up from the bed, bringing half of the duvet with him in the process. He looked down on himself to smooth out any wrinkles he’d gotten during his unexpected nap and realized that he was still in his school uniform. He hadn’t gotten a chance to change out of it when they’d returned to the dorms.

“Thank you, Kaminari. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Izuku said, fumbling to remove his tie.

He hurried to remove his uniform jacket quickly followed by his button up. He threw them over the back of his desk chair, making a mental note to hang them up properly later.

“Okay, don’t take too long,” Kaminari said before leaving.

Izuku heard his footsteps fade away as he jumped out of his pants. They joined the rest of the uniform as Izuku threw on a pair of slacks and a t-shirt which jokingly had Flannel Shirt written across the chest. He made an effort to smooth down his messy curls but gave up halfway, knowing that it was a futile effort.

With that, he hurried downstairs to join the others.

Todoroki—Rokiroki, he reminded himself—was waiting for him when he got down. He stood with his back against the wall not too far from the elevator. He turned to look at Izuku the moment the elevator doors opened. He gave a small smile but Izuku still saw that worried look in his eyes as he came over.

“Do you feel better?” Rokiroki asked.

The immediately shift in the back of his mind was impossible to notice. The feeling was so foreign that it sent a shiver up Izuku’s spine, in an unpleasant ‘this isn’t good’ kind of way. The distance that was suddenly there between them as if Rokiroki was trying to mentally distance himself while still not leaving completely. Not that he could.

When he searched a bit more, he realized that Todoroki’s other half was doing the same thing.

“All better,” Izuku answered, giving him a reassuring smile. “I just needed some rest.”

Roki nodded, but didn’t give a verbal reply.

“Shall we…?” Izuku asked, pointing towards the kitchen.

“Yes.”

“So basically Midoriya is your bodyguard?” Kaminari asked with a snort, trying to stifle a laugh but did a very bad job of doing so.

“I’m just supposed to make sure that nothing happens,” Izuku said, picking at his food with the chopsticks. “I’m not his bodyguard. Todoroki can take care of himself.”

Rokiroki grunted. “It’s probably something opposite.”

The table turned to look at him. Compared to his white haired counterpart, Roki could be considered the quiet one. He didn’t seem very interested in conversing with the rest of the class unless he absolutely had to. A bit like the start of their first year, Izuku muzzed.

“Opposite?” Kaminari asked, eyebrows disappearing under his bangs.

“Of what?” Ashido finished his question.

“Midoriya’s not my bodyguard,” Todotodo clarified. “They want him to make sure I don’t lose control and stay calm.”

“That’s why they want him to stay close,” Rokiroki added.

“Still sounds like a bodyguard to me. But why Midoriya specifically?” Kaminari massaged his chin, looking like a poor imitation of a detective. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes as if he was pretending to be deep in thought. “Could it be that there is something you two are hiding? Some juicy secrets, maybe? You two have been pretty close lately.”

“Hoh? Midoriya’s an omega, right? Could it be, you two are a coupl—” Mineta’s words were interrupted by Asui’s tongue slapping him across the face. 

An impressive feat, considering she was at least six chairs down and sitting on the opposite side of the table.

Izuku averted his eyes from Kaminari’s searching eyes and choose to ignore Mineta’s question. 

He coughed into his fist, hiding it by pretending to scratch his nose. “It’s probably because we’re friends.”

He doubted that anyone would think otherwise. He hadn’t told anyone about them being soulmates, and it didn’t seem like Todoroki had either. So as far as the rest of the class knew, it was just Mineta and Kaminari making their usual assumptions. Nothing that was out of the ordinary.

There wasn't really any clear reason as to why he and Todoroki had kept their soulmate status a secret. It wasn’t something they’d both consciously decided on, but something that just became a silent agreement between the two of them as the months had gone on. If Izuku didn’t say anything about the bond, then neither would Todoroki. The only person that Todoroki had explicitly said not to say anything to was his dad, Endeavor.

Izuku didn’t really argue that request. He’d remembered the story Todoroki had told him about his parents and about how horribly his mom had been treated. It didn’t make him feel very keen on telling the number one hero about his connection to Todoroki. Who knew what kinds of decision Endeavor would make for them.

Though, the hero had gone to great lengths to change himself in both the eyes of the public and to his family. Or at least from the little Izuku had seen of Todoroki’s family. But that didn’t change Izuku’s status as an omega—even if he was unpresented, anatomy don't lie—or the stigma about omega’s being nothing more than housemates. There to birth and raise pups.

In the recent years, female omega’s had began popping up in the hero profession more and more. It was slowly becoming more acceptable for them to be something other than a mother to someone’s pups. But Izuku had never heard of a male omega becoming a hero before. But that shouldn't surprise him. A very small percentage of the world’s population was omega’s to begin with, and out of that number only 2-3 percent were male. Almost as if male omega’s were an evolutionary mistake that was slowly being taken care of.

Bakugou snorted loudly from down the table, taking a huge bite out of his meal. He gave Izuku and the two Todoroki’s the side eye, looking over them with knowing eyes that made Izuku gulp.

“Yeah, right,” he muttered. “Like that’s the only reason they chose you.”

Izuku had no idea how, but he was pretty sure that Bakugou knew. He had no idea how he’d learned about it, though. At least he knew that Bakugou could keep a secret.

“If they’d picked Bakugou Todoroki would definitely lose control,” Asui said in her usual tone, causing the rest of the table to burst out laughing.

“What was that, Frog face?”

“Wouldn’t it be safer for them to pick an alpha or a teacher?” Kirishima asked, one hand on Bakugou's shoulder to keep him down in his seat. “Not that Midoriya couldn’t handle it, but an out of control alpha is dangerous. Especially for an omega.”

“Todoroki would never hurt me,” Izuku said. The very notion of Todoroki doing anything to hurt him, no matter his mental state, was almost laughable. “I mean, this is Todoroki we’re talking about.”

“I would never hurt Midoriya,” both Todoroki’s said at the same time.

They both spoke in that overly protective tone that only an alpha could manage and both of their expressions was hard, as if they’d both been offended that anyone could even think that he was capable of hurting Izuku. Which was probably also the case, because Izuku could feel a hint of it through the bond.

Normally only intense emotions should trickle through, with the occasional calm. It wasn’t a mating bond, so it wasn’t that tangible or strong yet. They were still connected on a level that a mated couple would never achieve but without a bite the fated bond that tied them together would never solidify in the kind of way that the stories said it would.

It was funny how everyone romanticized the thought of soulmates, of having someone know your every thought and what you were feeling. Like it was something to aspire towards. Even mated partners would often be disappointed over not being soulmates because of how legendary that kind of bond had become.

It really wasn’t that much to brag about. At least not from Izuku’s experience. A fated bond meant having very little privacy even in your own head. Not nearly as romantic as the stories said it was.

The only time he’d felt that kind of explosive intensity that the stories spoke of had been during their fight at the Sports Festival. The wave of emotions that Izuku had experienced during that fight—that he now knew had also been Todoroki’s and not just his own—had been just like what people had said it would be to find your soulmate. But ever since it had just been like a faint reminder in the back of his mind. Whenever Todoroki was irritated or sad or happy, he could tell. If he needed someone to be there for him, Izuku knew that he should be there and so he was. It was the same way for Todoroki. Everytime Izuku needed someone, he was there. Like how he’d texted Izuku, telling him to call him as soon as he could, during his fight with Chisaki. He’d asked almost immediately if Izuku needed him to be there and had arrived at the hospital the very same day. But now it seemed like everything was filtering through. Like the bond had stretched so thin it couldn't differentiate between average emotions and the strong, intense ones. 

“Not intentionally, maybe,” Kaminari said, stuffing his face with rice. “But if you get out of control…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the entire table knew exactly what it was he didn’t say.

“We don’t know enough about how this split works yet, so we don’t know if that would ever happen or not,” Izuku said, maybe a bit too frustrated because the entire table looked at him. Even the two halves of Todoroki gave him a questioning glance.

“Sorry, Midroiya, I’m not trying to imply that he would,” Kaminari apologized.

“No, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice.” Izuku shrank down in his chair, feeling his cheeks heat up. “It’s just that this is Todoroki. I can’t imagine he would ever do something like that…”

“Well, we’ll be here if it does happen,” Kirishima promised, giving a bright grin. “Not that I think it will.”

“I’ll kick your ass, half-n-half bastard,” Bakugou said, small explosions crackling in his palm. “Just because you’re two people now, don’t think you’re stronger.”

Todotodo just gave a grunt and a nod in reply. Rokiroki didn’t say anything, eyes focused on Izuku.

“We probably wouldn’t even have to fight. Shinsou could just tell him not to do it,” Sero said, nudging the new addition to their class with his elbow.

“Would it work on a raging alpha?” Ashido asked. “Aren’t they, like, super strong willed?”

“Shinsou’s an alpha, too, you know,” Kaminari said, throwing an arm over said alpha’s shoulders. “Right? It wouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“As long as he replies,” Shinsou agreed, but he didn’t seem very invested in the conversation so it was difficult to say if he actually believed his own words or not. “But I’ve never had to use it in that kind of situation before.”

“And Midoriya broke free of the mind control with little problem,” Ashido said with a nod.

“I wouldn’t call breaking your fingers a little problem. It was really difficult, you know. And it really hurt,” Izuku said.

Izuku chuckled awkwardly, scratching his neck. He found himself scratching right above his scent glands again. They were still swollen. 

Talk went back to normal after that. No one brought up the topic of out of control alpha’s and let the conversations shift to other topics. Like this years Sports Festival and what kinds of challenges they might have this year. Everyone promised to do better this year than before. 

Bakugou didn’t say anything about winning or made any promises about coming out on top. He was probably still salty about the way he’d won last year.

He did however yell at both Todoroki’s, “If you hold back this year, half-n-half bastard, I’ll kill you.”

“I told you,” Todo started.

“I wasn’t holding back,” Roki finished.

“I kinda want to see them fight this year, too,” Ashido said, moving the remains of her food around on her plate. “I was really excited to see how it would turn out last year.”

“Yeah, and now that Todoroki can use his flames,” Kaminari added with a big grin. “He could probably kick Bakugou’s ass.”

“I dare you to repeat that, dunce face!” Bakugou roared. 

He managed to stand up and made to move across the table before Kirishima grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back down. He landed with a humph, still glaring at Kaminari.

“Kacchan’s at the top of the class, but even last year Todoroki had an even chance of winning,” Izuku mumbled to himself. “But we had just started the year, we didn’t have much training to rely on that time. This year we’ve improved a lot more, but Kacchan’s still at the top of the class.”

“Midoriya’s at it again, someone take notes,” Uraraka joked. “Place you’re bet’s, who do you think will come out on top?”

“Who would come out on top? With his ice alone, Todoroki is quite the opponent. But he has a limit, but so do Kacchan. The biggest risk would be if he got Todoroki in close combat. That’s where Todoroki falters. His quirk works better at a distance,” Izuku continued, not really hearing all of what Uraraka had said.

“So Bakugou would win?” Ashido asked.

“Maybe not. If Todoroki uses his flames, he has a good chance of counteracting Kacchan’s explosions. If he blocks Kacchan’s explosions with his ice and uses his fire when Kacchan breaks through, he could catch him by surprise; And that’s just one alternative. It really depends on which front Kacchan would attack.” Izuku massaged his chin as he pursed his lips, eyebrows knitted together enough to form wrinkles across his forehead. “It could be either really...”

A loud explosion could be heard as the whole table shook. “Would you shut it, you damn nerd! You saying I’m weaker than this bastard?”

Izuku jolted back to reality and out of his train of thought. “What? N-no, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I was—”

He flailed with his arms, pointing in each and every direction.

“Bakugou was in the top three in this years Q.A.T’s though,” Uraraka said, interrupting the two and saving Izuku from his poor attempt at explaining away his muttering.

“Yeah, but wasn’t Todoroki at number one last year?” Kaminari asked. “So he was above Bakugou.”

“No, that was Yao-momo, and Todoroki didn’t participate in this years Q.A.T’s—”Ashido started. She gasped, slamming both hands down on the table dramatically. “Oh-oh! Todoroki, you missed the Quirk Apprehension Test! I did so much better this year.”

“You’re right.” Izuku realized, remembered that Todoroki hadn’t been present at all during their first day because of his condition.

“We all have. You should have seen Midoriya. That throw was awesome, dude,” Kirishima praised, reaching behind Roki to clap Izuku on the back. “And not a broken bone in sight.”

“Kacchan still threw farther,” Izuku said. 

Which was true, but not by much. They’d been pretty neck and neck throughout the test. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but in a way it had turned into a competition of sorts between the two.

“Damn straight I did!” Bakugou exclaimed, slamming his hand down on the table. The whole table shook once again at the impact.

“Uraraka threw farther than both of you,” Kaminari pointed out.

“She didn’t even throw the ball,” Bakugou defended. 

Uraraka sent him a grin.

“But Midoriya did better than Bakugou in the grip strength test,” Ashido pointed out, pointing her chopsticks at Bakugou.

“If we’re going by that, then Shoji did better than both of them,” Asui said from down the table, interrupting Bakugou’s growing tantrum. Kirishima was doing a great job at keeping him in his chair, though.

“But Deku is the one that improved the most since last year. Right, Deku?” Uraraka beamed at him from across the table.

“I finally have control over my quirk,” Izuku said, looking down at his crooked fist. “At least compared to last years test.”

Last year he’d been at the bottom. He had been so scared about getting expelled on the first day and his hand had hurt so badly that he hadn’t been able to focus properly. But this year had been different. He’d been up there at the top with Bakugou and Yaoyorozu this time. Todoroki would have probably been somewhere at the top too if he had participated.

“See, Shinsou, you don’t have to worry about not being at the top,” Mineta said. He’d done pretty much the same as last year. “Midoriya was at the bottom last year.”

“That’s harsh, dude,” Kirishima said.

“It’s just a test. When it comes to fighting, you’re pretty awesome,” Kaminari said, turning towards Shinsou. “Like last years fight against class b.”

“You’ve all got a year’s more training than me,” Shinsou said with a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not expecting to be at the top straight away.”

“Hey, do you think Todoroki will have to do the test later?” Ashido asked, leaning forwards in her chair.

“Maybe when he’s back to normal,” Yaoyorozu quipped in.

“You’re probably right. The results wouldn’t be very valid if he takes it like he is now.” Ashido nodded in agreement.

“I don’t mind not taking it,” Todo said.

“But aren’t you curious about how well you’d do?” Ashido asked.

“It’s a test to show how much you’ve improved,” Todo said. “I don’t care about that kind of thing.”

“You don’t?” Izuku asked, both eyebrows raised and eyes wide. He hadn’t expected that.

Todo shook his head. “It doesn’t matter in the end. What matters is your ability to handle yourself in a crisis.”

“That’s true… I suppose.” Izuku tilted his head as he thought about it. “But it’s a good way of showing how much you’ve improved and in what areas you’d have to train more.”

“You were at the bottom last year, Midoriya. It had no effect on your ability to fight in a real battle,” Todo said. He gave Izuku a disapproving look. “Even if it meant breaking most, if not all, of your bones.”

Izuku gave a nervous chuckle at that. He’d gotten a lot of disapproving stares from Todoroki after they’d talked about their soulmate bond, even some before, too. He’d often told Izuku that he needed to be more careful when he fought, that he had to stop breaking his bones when fighting.

“So the Q.A.T results don’t matter,” Roki said, finishing his soba.

“This last year has already shown where I need to improve,” Todo added, agreeing with his counterpart.

“You’ll probably still have to do it,” Izuku said.

Both Todoroki’s nodded, Roki giving a grunt as well. He glanced at Izuku and a smile twitched in the corners of his lips.

“Glad to know you’re not breaking any more bones.”

“So am I,” Izuku agreed with a nod.

He had no plans to break any more bones in the near future, or at any point in the future. Plus, he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with two Todoroki’s if that happened.

Chapter Text

Izuku tapped the tip of his pen against his bottom lip absentmindedly as he looked down on the open page before him. He’d just spent the last few hours jotting down the day’s discoveries onto the pages and the many theories that came to mind regarding Todoroki’s current condition. In some places he’d even drawn diagrams and images to better visualize what he meant.

Like the scrambled notes of a restless mind, barely any of it made sense.

“...If that’s the case, then Todoroki…” he muttered aloud, nibbling on the eraser. There were already small indentations in the rubber from his teeth. “...So that would be like this…”

He circled the giant brain he’d drawn on one of the pages. One of the halves had been outlined with red marker and the other with blue. He’d based it completely off of what Yaoyorozu had said before, about the left brain and right brain. At first he’d thought about coloring the left brain red, but then he’d done some more research on the matter. After that it didn’t seem right anymore. He’d colored it blue instead, to symbolize Todoroki’s right hand side.

Izuku thought back to the conversation him and the two Todoroki’s had had on their way back to the dorms. They talked in sync, probably because they had a similar thought process and thus came up with the similar answers. But the more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. They were both parts of Todoroki, but if the theory about the left brain and right brain was correct then shouldn’t their thought process be based on their separate dominant hemisphere? Todotodo should be the logical one, basing things on facts and what was the best solution while Rokiroki should be… creative? Izuku didn’t quite know how that would translate, especially since he didn’t know Todoroki to be a very creative person. As far as Izuku was aware, at least. So shouldn’t that technically mean that they should come to completely different conclusions? Shouldn’t they think differently? 

Could it be that they were linked on a psychic level? Like an cord between two monitors, or between a TV and a computer. You could control the TV from the computer, but also the computer form the TV.

But if that was the case, how deep would that kind of connection go? Could they control each other? Did that mean they could read each other’s mind? If that was the case then that would explain their repeated synchronized speech as well as how they seemed to finish each other’s sentences. 

But then there was that conversation on the way back to the dorms. They’d come to different conclusions on how to handle Izuku’s discomfort about the situation. Or rather than different conclusions, different variations of the same conclusion. They'd also disagreed on the nicknames that Hagakure had come up with.

When Izuku wrote down the actions controlled by each hemisphere of the brain, he could already connect some of them to each of the two halves. Todotodo had so far appeared calm and collected. A bit more tactful—and Izuku dared say logical based on the theory alone—than Rokiroki, the left hand side. The side that was, according to the theory, the more creative side. But Izuku would probably call him more emotional than creative.

He expanded on that theory over and over, rewriting it again and again. He scribbled over certain thoughts and underlined others. He came up with new possibilities and other thoughts that lead to completely new theories.

But what stood out to him the most and confused him was the fact that Todoroki had disagreed with himself. Maybe because it had never crossed his mind that you could disagree with yourself. Because even if Todo and Roki were two separate people now, they were still two parts of Todoroki. They were, essentially, still the same person in two separate bodies.

Right…?

Izuku let out a loud groan, leaning back in the chair. He dropped the pen onto the notebook and ran both hands over his face.

Maybe it was just the omega inside that was overthinking this and that was why he couldn’t let this go. Maybe he was just reacting like this because Todoroki was now two people. It had been acting up a lot today.

Now that he thought about it. It had probably started yesterday. Was that why he hadn’t been able to fall asleep?

His lips formed a thin line as his stomach let out a loud rumble. He glanced at the clock and saw that the small hand rested on top of the number two.

“Maybe I should get something to eat before I go to sleep,” he thought aloud, closing the notebook with a sigh. 

Izuku squinted with his eyes when he came out of the elevator. The common room was darkly lit, the only light coming from one of the lamp posts outside. But Izuku was sure he spotted something bright red peeking out by the armrest of one of the couches.

"Hello?" Izuku asked, coming closer. It could just be a fluffy blanket someone had left out on the armrest, but he quickly came to think about Todoroki. It was like a small tickle in the back of his neck. So he hesitantly asked, “Todoroki?”

The potential blanket moved at the sound of Izuku’s voice, sitting up to reveal the silhouette of a person. In the dark, all Izuku could see properly was his burning blue eyes. They shone in the dark, like the headlights of a car shining into the eyes of an animals. His heart made a leap in his chest and he found himself letting out a surprised yelp.

“Midoriya,” Todoroki acknowledged.

Rokiroki, Izuku reminded himself.

“Did I scare you?” the alpha continued, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Izuku lied, lips forming a thin line. Before Rokiroki could point out the obvious lie, he added, "You're still awake?"

Rokiroki gave a grunt in reply, leaning against the back of the couch. "Yeah, I'm sleeping."

"Huh?"

What?

Izuku stopped in his walk towards the couch, frowning as he tried to process the words.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he asked.

"I’m—the other me—is sleeping," Roki clarified, pointing up at the roof and then at himself. “I’m awake.”

“You’re awake but Todotodo is asleep upstairs?” he asked. 

Roki nodded in confirmation.

"But aren't you tired?"

Roki placed a hand on his chest. It was a bit hard to tell in the dark, but Izuku was sure that his brow furrowed as he spoke. "I'm getting rest as we speak."

"Oh, okay." Izuku nodded, not quite understanding how that could work. But he accepted it as an answer. “I was going to make a sandwich, do you want one?”

Roki sat silent for a moment before he gave a shrug. He stood up from the couch and walked over to Izuku. 

“Okay.”

Roki wasn’t sure why he had stayed in the common room when everyone else had left to go to their rooms. His other half—Todotodo, he reminded himself with a shudder—had retreated sometime after dinner. Roki knew that he’d done it to keep a distance from Midoriya, so instead of following his other half, he had stayed by the omega’s side until he, too, had gone off to bed. 

Roki could feel himself resting, feeling how the exhaustion of the day slowly disappeared. It was at the same time a foreign sensation and at the same time it was familiar. He was asleep, yet he wasn’t. 

It was… odd, to say the least. He wasn’t sure if he could explain it even if he tried. Even during dinner, while they’d all been eating, he had noticed it. That every bite his other half took, he could feel his hunger slowly dissipating. From the glances he received, his other half had noticed as well. 

Back when they’d first split in half, Roki remembered the confusion that his other half had felt when he’d stared at him from across the room. He was himself and yet he was across the room. He was here and at the same time, he was there. 

At first it had been uncomfortable, like he was no longer himself. Like there was a part of him that wasn’t quite there anymore, but that had quickly disappeared when both of them had realized that they weren’t as separate as they’d thought. Roki knew exactly what his other half was thinking, what he was feeling, what he decided to do. It was like he was still thinking it, but not in his own head. His thoughts from another body.

He watched in silence as Midoriya moved around the kitchen fetching all different kinds of tools and foods, from a cutting board to vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers, to taking out a loaf of bread. At one point he even grabbed a lettuce, ripped a leaf from it and washed it in the sink before putting it beside the cutting board.

He was moving around like a miniature green whirlwind. But a controlled whirlwind. One that didn’t leave a mess behind but still moved uncontrollably around. You couldn’t quite predict what it was going to do next. 

It was kinda cute how focused he was, even over something so small as making a couple of sandwiches. 

“What do you want on your sandwich, Todoroki?” Midoriya asked, looking over his shoulder. “Do you want vegetables?”

Roki found himself giving a soft smile at the use of his last name. For some reason, the thought of Midoriya calling him by the silly nicknames the class had come up with bothered him. He didn’t want Midoriya to call him by anything other than his name. 

He liked how it rolled off of the omega’s tongue. Always spoken with admiration, no matter what tone of voice Midoriya used. Admiration Roki wasn’t quite sure he deserved from someone as amazing as Midoriya. He wondered what his name—his given name—would sound like. Would it be spoken the same, with that admiration, or would it be more intimate. Like a secret that only they knew. Something precious.

“I usually put jam on mine,” he replied.

“Jam?” Midoriya muttered, looking around the kitchen. “I didn’t see any in the fridge, maybe we have some spread? Is that okay?”

“It’s fine.”

He rummaged through some cupboards in his search, craning his neck to see the top shelves. Midoriya stood on his tiptoes and leaned backwards, using the cupboard doors to hold himself upright to be able to see better. T

he whole dorm building was built so that every student would be able to enjoy dorm life as comfortably as possible. That meant that the kitchen shelves reached quite high up, with only Shoji being the one that could reach the top ones with little to no difficulty. 

Midoriya opened the cupboards above the cutting board and let out a loud, “Aha!”

“There we go,” he said, leaning backwards as he looked at the jar on top one of the higher shelves. It looked unopened.

He stood on his tiptoes with his hand outstretched to grab the jar, but couldn’t quite reaching all the way up. 

Midoriya pursed his lips and looked around the kitchen.

“I’ll get it, Midoriya,” Roki said, walking over to the cupboard.

“No, I’ve got it. I just need to fetch a…” Midoriya started, not finishing his sentence before he disappeared and came back carrying a chair. “A chair.”

“That doesn’t look safe,” Roki said, eyeing the chair uncertainly.

“It’ll be fine,” Midoriya said, stepping onto the chair and reaching up towards the shelf in a second attempt. He barely reached and flexed with his fingers trying to reach a bit higher. “Almost got it.”

“Midoriya,” Roki started, reaching out to hold onto said omega’s leg. “Let me get it for you—”

As Roki spoke, Midoriya placed his foot on the back of the chair to gain some more altitude. It was a dumb decision made in a moment of bad judgment. The chair screeched as if skidded backwards. The back of the chair tipped forwards and Midoriya's body went falling down with it. His torso launched forwards at the sudden loss of balance and he slammed his face into the shelves, letting out a loud yelp at the impact.

"Midoriya!" Roki shouted, reacting immediately.

He threw his right hand forwards to create a stretch of ice to stop the fall. He intended for it to be a slide. It would be cold, but at least Midoriya wouldn’t collide with the floor at full force.

Nothing happened.

His arm remained the same temperature as before. There was none of the cold tingling that would creep up his arm when frost would spread up his arm as ice would sprout from his fingertips. There wasn’t even a hint of the frosty breeze that would normally brush over his fingers whenever he used his ice quirk. Nothing, like there was no cold left inside his body.

Roki sprang forwards immediately, instead reaching his right hand forwards to grab onto Midoriya. He didn't even notice the crackle of green lightning or the surge of power that swirled around the room as Midoriya angled his body to braze himself against the floor. 

They collided in a moment of confusion. Roki grabbed Midoriya's arm, losing balance as the omega pushed away from the chair and into the air. Midoriya yelped as he was dragged back down, chin colliding with Roki's forehead.

"Shit," Roki cursed, grabbing onto the counter for support. His palm slipped on the surface and cut straight across the sharp edge of the knife that had been left on the cutting board.

They fell to the floor in a mess of limbs.

They bumped against each other a few times as they tried to correct themselves. Midoriya’s head hit Roki’s chin and their limbs got tangled up in each other before they managed to get into a semi okay position.

"Oh my God! Todoroki, are you okay?" Midoriya gasped, both hands placed on the alpha’s shoulders to hold himself up.

"I'm fine," Roki said, shifting around as he braced himself on his arms to hold himself upright. He hissed as he ran his hand over the floor, pain spreading across his palm as blood smeared across the wooden floorboards.

He really was fine. The cut was shallow and while it was bleeding, it was nothing that wouldn't heal on its own. He’d suffered worse injuries. A cut across his palm that probably wouldn’t even leave a scar was not the most pressing matter right now.

No, that would be Midoriya who was currently on top of him. Straddling him like he was meant to be there. His strong thighs that could easily break a person in half was perfectly hugging Roki’s lap.

Midoriya shifted—probably trying to get into a better position—and unknowingly tightening his thighs around Roki. 

Roki couldn’t help himself. His hand itched to touch. Just a quick brush wouldn’t hurt. A quick brush of his fingers... 

He ran his uninjured hand up Midoriya’s thigh. Slowly starting at the knee and moved up towards his center of his thigh. He never gripped. Didn’t dare grab onto that deadly weapon and feel the muscles hidden underneath. Like he was afraid his hand would be swatted away at any second. 

Midoriya opened his mouth to say something, but bit his lip instead. His big, round eyes looked around the room, seeming to avoid looking straight at Roki. His adam’s apple bobbed as he audibly swallowed.

He looked so inviting with that faint blush dusting his cheeks.

“Midoriya—” 

Whatever it was Roki was planning on saying—because even he wasn’t quite sure himself—was interrupted by a sudden gasp.

"Todoroki, you're bleeding!" Midoriya exclaimed, his eyes going wide.

"It's just a scratch."

Midoriya grabbed his injured hand and pulled it towards himself. Roki squeezed his hand into a fist, digging his fingernails into his palm. A sharp pain shot throughout his hand and a few droplets of blood spread out from under his fingertips.

He knew it was childish. He was being selfish, but Midoriya was so close.

"Let me see."

The omega brushed his fingers over Roki's wrist. They traveled up and over the sensitive scent glands placed right below his palm and up towards the clenched fists. His crooked fingers gently moved over the revealed part of Roki's palm, his thumb brushing over the clenched fingers. Midoriya gently pushed them open and very slowly Roki opened his fist. Because if he let Midoriya see, then he would move.

The blood had smeared across his palm and up over his fingers. It looked much worse than it was. Having clenched his hand had pushed out more blood than the wound would have produced on its own, leaving his hand looking like a mess.

Those big green eyes went wide at the sight and Roki felt guilty for having brought such an expression to Midoriya's face.

And just like that, Midoriya was gone. Roki’s lap was cold and empty as the omega ran over to a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen.

He pushed himself up with a groan. He brushed his thighs clean of dust, smearing blood over his jeans. He wanted Midoriya back in his lap.

Midoriya came running back towards him, placing a first aid kit on the counter with a thud. He picked up the chair he'd knocked over and pushed it towards Rokiroki.

"Sit," he said, eyes big, round and soft. Always soft. Even when he was being more assertive than most alpha's, they still had that softness to them. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful."

"I told you, it's fine," Roki said, but did as Midoriya said.

He held out his hand, letting Midoriya tend to the wound just to feel his hands against his own again. 

Midoriya’s hands were rough and scarred. Hardened from harsh training and overexertion. His right hand was bent in an unnatural way and the fingers were crooked to the point that Roki often wondered if they still hurt even now, almost a year later. Yet, even with how hard and strong those hands looked, no matter how rough they felt to the touch, they were always so gentle. They moved carefully over Roki’s bleeding palm, as if Midoriya was scared he would inflict more damage.

As Midoriya cleaned the blood from his hand with a wet wipe and ran a disinfected cotton swab over the wound, Roki found that he enjoyed every moment of it. Even if it stung and the wound burned at the attention from the alcoholic substance, as long as it was Midoriya’s touch…

"Does it hurt that bad?" 

Roki almost jerked his hand back in surprise. He regretfully looked away from Midoriya’s hands working on his own wounded one to look him in the eyes. "No, it barely hurts at all."

"You sure? You made a face, so I thought," Midoriya started, putting a sterilized pad over the cut and slowly bandaging it up.

"I was just thinking," he said, looking back down at their joined hands.

"About what?"

About what, indeed. What had he been thinking about? He’d been thinking about Midoriya’s strong thighs across his own. The warmth of having him so close. He’d thought about the feel of his scarred hands on his skin. The care with which the omega touched him, how carefully he cared for his injured hand. The feel of his fingers against his own. Of how he wanted to grab onto Midoriya’s hands and never let them go.

How would he summarize that into words without sounding like a creep? 

He looked at his bandaged palm and followed Midoriya's hands holding his own. Up his well trained arms. Over each and every scar that marred the young hero-to-be's skin. His t-shirt was wrinkled and loose but that didn't hide Midoriya's broad shoulders. Roki might have admired his neck a bit too long and lingered on his jawline and plump lips a bit too obviously before meeting Midoriya’s concerned green eyes.

“I was thinking…” Roki started saying, tightening his fingers around the omega's uneven ones.

He leaned up, at the same time pulling Midoriya down towards him. Roki didn’t know how to explain any of it. He had no idea what it was he was actually feeling besides the fact that it was something very primal, but he knew that this wasn’t the first time he felt it. 

How do you explain an emotion you don’t know? 

So Roki just followed his instincts. He did what felt right, because something inside said that that would make everything clear. Maybe Midoriya would understand everything if he just showed him—

"What are you two doing?"

Roki had to stifle the growl deep down in his throat to not let Midoriya hear his annoyance at the sudden interruption.

He should have realized that his other half was approaching. Should have been able to tell that his other self wasn’t sleeping anymore. But he'd been too distracted by Midoriya. Been to focused on the onslaught of thoughts and emotions to notice the shift in the back of his mind.

The other him stood in the doorway. His shirt was tuzzled and his hair was thrown around like he'd just woken up. Which was definitely the case. Roki knew he'd been asleep mere minutes ago. His eyes were narrowed, the stormy grey irises that was so much like their mothers but without any of the warmth, were very judging as they moved from Midoriya to dig deep into Roki's own.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya said, yanking his hand out of Rokiroki’s. Then he frowned and looked from Roki to Todo before shaking his head. "I thought you were asleep?"

"I was," Roki answered for his other half. He didn't mean for his voice to come out as irritated as it did.

"My hand hurt all of a sudden, so I woke up," Todo explained, holding up his unharmed hand. "What happened?"

"I cut myself," Roki huffed, holding up his own bandaged hand. He gave a small wave to emphasize the injury.

"It's my bad, actually," Midoriya said, putting the items back into the first aid kit. “I was careless.”

“I told you, it’s not your fault,” Roki said, standing up. He flexed his fingers and inspected the bandages. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Midoriya’s cheeks turned a slight pink shade, but he turned around before Roki could confirm what he saw. He put the first aid kit away before clearing his voice, coming over to the two. “We were going to make sandwiches.”

“And I cut myself?” Todo asked.

Midoriya nodded. “I fell and he cut himself trying to catch me.”

“I see.”

His other half was silent, quiet outwards. But inwards, Roki could feel the irritation. Irritation that was directed at himself, or… directed at Roki. He gave him a glance before turning back to Midoriya.

“Do you, maybe, also want a sandwich?” Midoriya asked when neither halves said anything.

Todo nodded. “I’ll have jam.”

Midoriya chuckled awkwardly, pointing up at the open cupboard. “It’s up there. We were trying to reach it when I fell.”

“Oh.” He turned to Midoriya. “Do you want me to give you a boost?”

Roki watched them fetch the jar from atop the shelf. Todo making a ledge with his hands for Midoriya to use to hoist himself up far enough that he could grab the jar and safely get down.

He couldn’t explain the feeling that rose in his chest at the sight. Why seeing Midoriya so at ease with his other half made his insides twist. That was himself he was looking at. Yet, in some weird, complicated way, it wasn’t. 

He placed a hand over his chest and frowned. Why was he feeling like this?

Roki sat mostly in silence while they ate while Midoriya and Todo chatted away. He didn’t feel interested in conversing with himself right now. Then they finished and Midoriya told them both goodnight.

He watched the omega as he walked towards the elevator. Before he disappeared around the corner and out of sight, their eyes met. There was something in those green eyes as they locked eyes. Something deep and searching, something uncertain. 

Midoriya quickly averted his eyes.

Then he was gone and out of Roki’s sight.

He frowned. Had Midoriya been blushing?

"Stop it."

He looked up at his other half who was glaring at him. His white eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were hard. A warning filtered through Roki’s mind, like a command that told him to watch himself.

"I'm not doing anything," Roki growled. He could feel the judgment, the anger and, worst of all, the disappointment that radiated off of his other half where he stood beside him.

"I'm thinking it," Todo said, the temperature dropping.

He huffed, because he was. What he hadn’t been able to explain to Midoriya lingered heavily at the forefront of his mind. Roki knew exactly what his other half meant. Could feel exactly what it was his other half was worrying about. Why he had hurried down from their bedroom in such a hurry. 

"Shut up."

Izuku inhaled long, deep breaths as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. It hammered away in his chest like a steam engine and his lungs fought to pull in air. His face was hot and he was sure it was flushed a bright red.

God, why had that happened?

He ran both hands down his face with a groan. A faint ashy scent hit his nostrils and he took a long whiff to find the source. His fingers, he realized. He brought them closer to his nose and took a deep breath through his nose. That ashy but sweet scent that Roki had released before was clinging to his fingers.

“How—?” He started, trying to think back on how the scent was lingering so prominently. Then his eyes widened in horror. “Oh my God, I touched his scent glands!”

The glands placed on the wrists definitely weren’t as intimate as the scent glands placed on the nape of the neck. Revealing your neck to someone was often a sign of submission. It was such a vulnerable part of the body, especially since you had to turn your back to someone to be able to show it. The wrists were not as intimate. It was often normal for two people who were courting to kiss their partners wrists or to rub it against the clothes when wrapping their arms around them. But it was still an act reserved for couples. It was a way of showing others that that person in question was taken. Touching someone’s scent glands without permission, it was considered incredibly rude.

“Why did I do that?” he asked himself aloud. He grasped his shirt, feeling how something tightened in his chest. “Why didn’t I just use my quirk to get the jar?”

He could still feel it. Roki’s hand in his own. Could still feel the alpha’s other one travel up his thigh like a searching wanderer. 

He hadn’t said anything. What should he have said? 

Hey, Todoroki, you’re touching my thigh pretty intimately there, yeah, friends don’t do that. Huh? Well — No, I don’t actually want you to stop, I was just —

Izuku slapped his own cheeks loudly as they heated up. 

Stop it! Todoroki was one of his best friends. He shouldn’t be thinking like that. They’d decided to be friends. 

He shouldn’t be feeling any of this.

Chapter Text

When Izuku came down to the common room the next morning, Rokiroki was still there. He looked exactly like he’d done the night before. Still wearing the same pair of clothes. His hair was thrown about  a bit and his shirt was wrinkled as if he’d slept in it.

He and Todo sat next to each other as they ate breakfast. Or, more precisely, Rokiroki was the one who was eating breakfast. Todo sat next to him with a steaming cup of tea. They glanced up at the same time when he walked in, both giving him a soft good morning smile.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Izuku asked Rokiroki while he grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down in front of the two. “I mean, you and not your other you.”

“Some,” Roki answered. He raised an eyebrow at the odd wording but seemed to understand what Izuku meant.

“Last night you said that you could feel yourself—” He pointed at Todotodo with the spoon. “—sleeping?”

Roki nodded. “I could.”

“Which meant you didn’t need to sleep? Somehow…?” Izuku asked, trying to wrap his head around how that would even work.

“I don’t really understand it myself, but yes.”

“I think, it’s like how I could feel myself get cut,” Todo said. “It hurt, even if there isn’t a physical wound.”

“Right.” Izuku nodded. 

He had to remember to write that down later.

He looked at the food in front of Rokiroki and at the cup of tea in front of Todotodo. He furrowed his brow. “Is that also why you’re not eating anything?”

Todo nodded. “Yes.”

“After last night, it seems like only one of me have to eat when I’m hungry,” Rokiroki said.

“So basic functions like hunger, pain and sleep are connected,” Izuku mumbled to himself, taking a spoonful of cereal. He swallowed before he continued. “But does your body actually get the right amount of rest or nutrients? You are in separate bodies now.”

The two Todoroki’s looked at each other and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Please take care of yourself,” Izuku said.

Todo raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching upwards just a bit. “As long as you take care of yourself, too, Midoriya.”

“I am, I am,” he promised.

“Just last night you almost fell and hit your head,” Roki pointed out.

“That was an accident.” 

He pursed his lips and looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up at the memory. Roki’s lap had been warm and surprisingly comfortable. His hand on his thigh had been almost electric. He could almost feel it moving up his thigh right now, like a phantom’s touch. Lingering.

“But you need to be careful about your condition,” Izuku insisted, doing his best to fight down the memory of last night. “We don’t know enough yet. There could be side effects we don’t know about.”

“I promise I’ll be careful.”

At that moment, Iida sped into the kitchen.

“Hurry up and eat breakfast! School starts in an hour!”

While walking to class, the two Todoroki’s once again walked on either side of him. Izuku could feel the stares from the other students as they walked through the hallways and there were faint whispers in the background. Shatter between students and gossip that was quickly starting up. There was a group of girls on the first floor who pointed at them, one giggled and blushed as she hid her lower face with her hand.

It continued all the way to their classroom, which Izuku gladly entered. Escaping the stares and whispers. Most of the floor surrounding their new classroom was empty at this hour, but it still felt nice to have a door between them and the rumours that was undoubtedly already starting to spread throughout the school.

“Hey, Todoroki,” Izuku said as a thought crossed his mind.

“Yes?” both replied.

“What are we going to do about your desk?” Izuku asked, looking at said desk in question. If you squeezed together, he was sure you could fit two chairs next to each other, but it was definitely a tight fit.

“I don’t mind,” Todo said.

He walked over to the desk, stomped with his foot on the floor between his and Yaoyorozu’s desk. The temperature dropped as frost spread over the closest desks and the floor. Steam rose from the cold floor as a small block of ice resembling a chair sprouted from the ground. Then, without saying a word, he sat down.

“Isn’t that cold?” Yaoyorozu asked. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked at the ice. She raised her shirt and out from her stomach slowly came something that looked very soft and cushiony. “Here,” she said, holding out a red pillow to Todo. “Use this.”

“Thanks.” He stood up, placed the pillow on the ice chair and then sat back down. “That is more comfortable.”

“Todoroki, that is highly inappropriate! Use a spare chair instead of freezing the classroom,” Iida said loudly. His whole forearm moved up and down as he pointed with his whole hand towards the white haired Todoroki.

“There aren’t any in the classroom,” Rokiroki said with a shrug, sitting down at his desk.

“And class starts soon,” Todotodo finished.

“Do they have to do that?” Ashido asked, leaning away in her chair. “It’s creepy.”

Both Todoroki’s looked at each other. “Sorry.”

“That’s creepy, too!”

Right before class started, Aizawa came into the classroom holding a fold up table. He was dragging a matching chair behind him. The legs screeched as they dragged across the floor.

He called Todotodo up to the front and handed the set over. “For now, you’ll have to use these.”

Because they were one additional student this year than what was normal for the hero course, the seating order in the back had switched up. Instead of rows of four all the way down to the back, the row furthest back was now made up of three seats instead of four. Uraraka’s seat had been pushed back behind Yaoyorozu’s row of desks and next to her sat Shinsou. Todotodo was placed in the back between the two. They pushed their desks to the side so that Todotodo could fold up his new temporary seating.

After having Roki melt the ice chair, class went on as normal. Aizawa paid little attention to Todoroki’s condition, going on as he normally did.

Izuku tried to concentrate on the lesson. He tried to copy what Aizawa was writing down on the board. But somehow he couldn’t focus properly. He still managed to get down enough from the lesson to get by, but the notes were sloppy and all over the place. Some of them were pure scribbles that made little to no sense. The page was close to that of a complete mess, to be honest.

He sighed. In a worst case scenario, he could just copy some notes from Iida or Yaoyorozu. Todoroki probably wouldn’t mind sharing his notes either.

He scratched at his neck. It felt like something hot was burning into his neck, like someone was holding up a burning match just inches from his neck. He fought down the urge to turn his head and look behind him. To find the source of the sudden distraction. 

For some reason, his mind immediately went to the Rokiroki. There was just something about the shiver that went up his spine at the thought of those intense, burning eyes that was all too familiar to now. The way those blue embers burned themselves into Izuku’s flesh. He could almost feel them bore into the back of his head like two hot drills. 

Izuku glanced behind him without looking over his shoulder. He moved his head just enough that all he had to do was look from the corner of his eye to see behind him.

He barely moved his head a few millimeters further to the side to better see behind him, sending a quick look towards Todoroki’s desk. It was just supposed to be a quick enough look to see if Rokiroki was looking at him or not. Look behind him and then back to the board. 

Immediately his gaze was met with Roki’s. The alpha was leaning forward, resting one arm on the desk as his other hand was working to copy notes from the board. Though his eyes were looking straight at Izuku and he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to lesson at all.

The alpha gave him a soft smile, eyes narrowing a bit. An odd feeling spread throughout the back of Izuku’s mind that he couldn’t properly place. A feeling that didn’t make sense to him.

It made his heart beat faster and caused his face to heat up. His breath hitched as he quickly turned back toward the blackboard. 

The first half of the day went on surprisingly well. There were a few odd glances from students when they saw Todoroki’s two halves walk around, especially during lunch. But other than some whispers here and there, no one made a big fuss about it. A few girls from the other courses—beta’s that Izuku remembered had given Todoroki chocolate during Valentine’s day—were openly talking about the two Todoroki’s, not seeming to be all that bothered by the fact that they could openly be heard.

“Midoriya.”

Izuku turned around, giving Rokiroki a smile as the alpha put his lunch tray down next to his. “Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?” Rokiroki asked.

“Sure,” Izuku said. “What is it?”

“Could you help me set up my room?”

“Your room?”

Rokiroki nodded, pulling the chair out and sitting down. He took his chopsticks and split them in half as he spoke. “Aizawa talked to me after class. I can use the bedroom on the fifth floor for the time being.”

"The spare one?" Izuku asked for clarification.

“I don’t think I’ll need it, but according to Aizawa Principal Nezu don’t want two students sharing a dorm room,” Roki continued with a nod. 

“I’ll help, but you did a really good job on your own last year,” Izuku said. "Not sure if I'd be of much help."

Todoroki’s room last year had been impressive. The style had been completely different from the rest of the dorm room’s. The panelling on the walls and the tatami mat that covered the floor. All of it had been so traditional. Todoroki hadn’t even used any of the standard furniture’s that the school offered with the rooms, instead he’d brought his own. 

“I started setting up my room last night. It’s almost done,” Roki said, picking up his sauce bowl. He picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and dipped them before eating. 

“Already?”

“Yes.”

“That was fast.”

“I’m very determined.”

“Doesn’t really sound like you need my help.”

“You’re strong.” Roki gave him the hint of a smile. “I could really use your help.”

“Okay,” Izuku said with a nod.

Todotodo shot repeated glances to his other half throughout most of the day. For some reason he wasn’t sure he could just let his other half wander around without supervision. He could still vividly remember the images that had flashed before his mind in his sleep, like scenes of a dream, as Rokiroki had interacted with Midoriya. He still caught them, those thoughts, those inappropriate desire’s that he’d always written of as a side effect of those pesky alpha instincts, coming from Rokiroki.

Throughout the morning, he sent multiple warnings when he caught Rokiroki openly staring at Midoriya or when the occasional crude thought would filter through from his other half.

They were still, in a weird and confusing way, his own thoughts. Most of them had crossed his mind throughout his first year. Back when he’d been all himself. But now it was as if the thoughts had been amplified in intensity. The impulsivity of the thoughts, of the desires, were on a completely different level from what he’d felt before.

When he’d realized Midoriya and him were fated mates, he hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d needed to know more about the omega, know what made him special. He’d wanted to know every deep, dark secret that Midoriya kept hidden. Needed to know how he moved, what he liked, every forbidden thought he’d ever thought.

It hadn’t taken him long before caught himself thinking of Midoriya as his omega. Almost as if he already belonged to Todoroki. The worst was that Todo didn’t know when it had started. If it was at the Sport’s Festival or even before that. He couldn’t recall a moment when the way he thought of Midoriya had changed; And that terrified him.

He’d left it up to Midoriya to decide what they were to each other. The desire to be more to than friends was a side effect of the bond between them. They’d both silently agreed on that. Instincts were like that sometime, whether they were wanted or not.

And he had been alright with just being friends. That’s what he told himself. As long as he got to keep Midoriya in his life. All he needed was the omega by his side, to be able to protect him and make sure that he got everything he deserved. Even if that meant that one day Midoriya would find a mate. Even if that mate wasn’t Todoroki. He was alright with that, because if that’s what Midoriya wanted then he had no right to say anything about it.

That didn’t mean that there hadn’t been a part of him that thought that that was unfair. That there was the possibility that he had to watch Midoriya go on with his life and spend it with a person that wasn’t his soulmate. Someone that wasn’t Todoroki. Being fated meant they were—quite literally—made for each other. It was biology. They were meant to be together. 

And a part of him agreed with that one hundred percent.

Todotodo was quickly becoming aware that that part of him might not be with him specifically. He suspected that that part of him, the one that he’d always thought of as selfish and entitled, might now be standing beside him instead. Sporting bright red hair and their father’s blue eyes.

Of course, he still wanted to keep Midoriya in his life. Just thinking of going on with his life without him made his chest ache and his inside’s twist. But he had never been aware of how different the meaning behind that desire could be when viewed from two different sets of eyes.

Just like him, his other half also wanted Midoriya in his life. They were still the same person. But it felt different from what Todotodo intended for it to be. The way he saw it—the way Rokiroki saw it—was a lot more personal. Almost intimate. The very sensation that Todotodo got from those thoughts was nothing less than primal. It was stronger than any instinct Todotodo had ever had back when they'd been one and yet, at the same time, he barely felt it at all.

By the time fourth period rolled around, the group separated and they all headed to their respective locker rooms to get ready for the practical part of the day. The classes that everyone was looking forward to.

As he changed out of his uniform a thought that wasn’t quite his own filtered through his head.

He sent a low growl at his counterpart beside him. “Stop it.”

Rokiroki pulled out their old costume they didn’t use anymore, holding it out towards Todotodo. They shared a silent look and both agreed without saying anything. Todo took it and handed their new one over to Rokiroki. 

“Aren’t I worried about it, too?” Rokiroki asked, undoing his button up.

Todo gave a nod in silent agreement. “I am. But don’t think about that now.”

“I should check after he’s changed,” Roki said, pulling on the hero costume.

“Don’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s inappropriate.” Todo sent a warning towards his other half which was quickly ignored by a roll of Roki’s eyes.

“It’s dangerous if he leaves it unlocked,” Roki said. He secured the belt around his waist and checked to make sure his boots were properly tied. “Like what happened last year.”

Todo stopped, eyebrows furrowed together.

He couldn’t disagree with himself, because he was right. Midoriya had always been a bit too reckless while at U.A, whether that be breaking his bones or not checking to make sure he locked the door behind him. 

“I’ll ask him after class.”

The first half of the afternoon was spent doing physical exercises and then followed by one-on-one combat. Now that there were an even number of students in the class—even if that meant one of them was currently split in half—it became easier to pair them up evenly.

The selection on who fought who was random. Aizawa used a computer to randomize the names, including the two Todoroki’s. In order to differentiate who was who on the screen, he’d put the color of their hair in parenthesis before their names.

Todo looked over the list of names. He quickly spotted Midoriya's right across from Ojiro's. He continued to search for his own name, spotting it at the bottom of the screen. Right across from Bakugou’s.

“Ooh! I’m fighting Rokiroki,” Kirishima exclaimed, turning towards the red haired counterpart.

“I’ll try not to burn you,” Roki said, voice monotone.

“Give it your all. I want to work on my hardening to get it fireproof,” Kirishima said with a grin. He slammed his fist’s against each other, hardening them for better emphasize. 

Aizawa had Cementos create large, giant platforms big enough for each student to fight on to lessen the risk of anyone getting in the way of their classmate’s sparring. Each of the paired up student’s were directed to a platform where their quirk would cause the least amount of damage to their surrounding classmates; like Kirishima and Roki. Cementos helped the two get high up to account for Todoroki’s flames. Todo and Bakugou were just beneath the two, on a platform almost leveled with Todo’s counterpart.

Todo took his place at one end of the platform while Bakugou took his on the opposite side. He gave a glance up at where his other half stood, just about seeing the hint of red hair over the edge before he was snapped back by a loud explosion. He immediately turned his head back towards Bakugou, seeing the other alpha coming towards him with impressive speed whilst using his explosion’s to propel himself forwards.

“Where do you think you’re looking, you bastard?” Bakugou yelled, face twisted into a snarl. But a grin stretched across his face at his next words. “Scared you won’t be able to beat me without your other half?”

A large glacier burst from the ground as Todo stomped his right foot hard onto the platform, the temperature dropping enough for hinto see his own breath. Frost spread like a spilled bucket of water across the platform as spikes of ice sprouted up, blocking Bakugou from getting closer.

Explosions could be seen behind the ice and large chunks were thrown about as Bakugou practically burrowed his way forwards through the miniature glaciar. Todo kept creating more and more spikes, to keep the assault coming and to keep Bakugou at a distance.

A large explosion shook the platform they were on, and probably some of the one’s around them, too. The large glaciar Todo had used to protect himself went shattering into tiny bits flying everywhere, revealing a grinning Bakugou on the other side. Without hesitation the other alpha took a sprinting start towards Todo with his arm raised.

It took about two seconds for Todo to react, spreading frost across the entire platform. Pillars of ice rose from the ground, multiple sprouting up in Bakugou’s path. All of which he evaded with either side stepping or by shattering them with an explosion.

“Come on, you bastard, use your flames!” Bakugou shouted as he came closer. Sparks lighting up his hands, like small fireflies in his palm.

Todo quickly threw a glacier at the alpha, one of similar size to the ones he’d created in his fight against Midoriya during the Sport’s Festival. Unfortunately for him, Bakugou reacted with incredible speed. He used one hand to shatter as much of the glacier as he could while using his other hand to create an explosion directed downwards, sending him flying up into the air. Then he pointed both of his hands behind him and with a loud roar, he sent himself flying down towards Todo.

“Shit,” Todo cursed, throwing his left hand out on instinct with full intent on using his flame’s to block whatever attack was coming next.

But nothing happened.

Todo froze, staring at his left arm with wide eyes. There was no fire. No heat, no flames, no nothing. Like there was no fire inside of him anymore. It was as if whatever heat had raged inside his left hand side before had completely disappeared.

Bakugou’s fist connected with Todo’s face. An explosion went off, sending him stumbling backwards. The sudden force sent him falling onto the ground whilst holding his throbbing cheek and nose with his right hand to cool it down. He felt something drip down his nose and over the top of his lip. When he reached out with his tongue he tasted something wet and with an iron taste to it.

There was a sudden realization in the back of his mind, one that wasn’t his own but at the same time it was. He looked up towards the elevated platform where his other half had stopped his fight with Kirishima. Roki was now standing by the edge, looking down at him.

His red haired half lifted his right hand, looking at it with wide blue eyes. Then they met eyes again and the same thought crossed their minds.

I’m half quirkless .

Izuku stumbled at the sudden panic that flared up in the back of his head. It whirled around like a storm and the emotions that flooded into his mind from every other direction brought the headaches back with the force of a truck.

His knees buckled and he misstepped. Izuku stumbled to the side, feeling how the crackle of energy around him flare up in a moment of uncontrollable panic before it disappeared completely.

Ojiro stopped the spinning attack he’d started  midway. The gust of wind from the sudden halt of his tail blew across Izuku’s face like a cold breeze.

“Midoriya?” he asked.

Izuku leaned forwards, head hanging low with both hands on his thighs. God dammit.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Izuku replied.

He tried to sound normal, but his voice came out breathy and heavy. His throat felt thick and dry, like it had swelled up with his glands. When he touched them, they felt like a big lump in the back of his neck. They burned when he brushed his finger’s over them.

“I’ll tell Aizawa,” Ojiro said, looking around for the teacher.

“No, that won’t be—” He had to stop himself when his breath hitched. 

“Midoriya!”

The temperature dropped significantly as Todo came running over to them. Small flakes of frost spread over the ground where his right foot touched down.

“Todoroki,” Izuku managed to breathe out as Todo wrapped an arm around his waist. His other hand went to his forehead, spreading cold across his skin.

Izuku sighed, leaning into the touch.

“I’m taking him to Recovery Girl. I’m talking to Aizawa,” Todo said, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder as if he was confirming something.

“Do you need help?” Ojiro asked, also looking around. Izuku followed his gaze, seeing Roki with Aizawa in the distance.

“No, I’ve got it,” Todo said, shaking his head. Then he turned to Izuku with furrowed eyebrows. “Can you walk?”

Izuku nodded, swallowing and clearing his throat. “Yeah—yes. I can.”

But when they slowly started walking Izuku’s legs wobbled, fumbling to take steps forward. He had to grip onto Todo’s costume, holding on for dear life as he tried to get his body to do what he asked.

“No, you can’t,” Todo scolded. Then Izuku felt hands on his thighs right before he was hoisted up onto Todo’s back. “I’ll carry you.”

“Y-you really don’t have to,” Izuku insisted, feeling how his cheeks heated up. But he still gripped onto Todo’s shoulder’s, tightening his legs around the alpha. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mind.”

Izuku leaned his head against Todo’s shoulder, being very conscious to not be too close to the scent glands. They were covered by his hero costume, but Izuku remembered vividly how he’d touched Roki’s the other day.

Cold spread out across Todo’s right hand side and Izuku found himself leaning more to that side than the other as he was carried off.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s cheeks burned as he buried his face in Todotodo’s right shoulder. The nippy cold was a pleasant contrast to the heat in his face. Like he’d stuffed his face into a fresh pile of snow. Somehow the familiar cold helped to calm his headache down, if only just enough that it didn’t make him dizzy anymore.

Todo’s natural scent was the strongest at the neck, seeping out through the uniform and surrounding Izuku like a cold winter breeze. Even his hands were cold. Well, hand. Todo’s left hand was still colder than that of a normal person's, but there was a stark difference in temperature between the left and right side. Izuku just let the cold pheromones envelope him. Let them fill his nostrils with the scent of ice and frigid air.

“Sorry for making you carry me,” Izuku mumbled, voice muffled by Todo’s shoulder.

He could feel the way Todo’s torso twisted slightly to the right when the alpha looked over his shoulder. The way that Todo’s body moved, rubbing Izuku’s thighs against his hips with each step. His hip bone’s that dug into his thighs, just like Todo’s hands as they held him up in a secure grip. Todo’s hands which were holding very far up his thighs. His fingers that had a very, distractingly firm grip. 

It was like he was experiencing everything in a weird sense of hyperfocus. 

“It’s okay. I feel responsible for what’s happening to you,” Todo said. He stopped for a quick moment to readjust his grip, hoisting Izuku further up his back.

Izuku bit his lip, digging his teeth into his bottom lip to the point that it hurt to stifle the surprised yelp at the sudden action. His breath hitched and he had to clear his throat before he dared to speak.

“I already told you, it’s not your fault,” he said, repeating what he’d said so many times already. “You didn’t choose this.”

“But you’re still suffering because of it.” 

Todo fell silent, his grip tightening. The temperature dropped and Izuku saw steam exit Todo’s nose and mouth. Frost was spreading across his collar and he was looking the opposite direction, making it impossible for Izuku to see what kind of expression he was wearing.

“Hey,” Izuku started carefully, leaning up a bit to rest his chin on Todo’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

They passed by two classroom’s before Todo spoke, and when he did, his voice was monotone. Like a recording, almost. As if the answer had been rehearsed. “I am. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just, you always worry about me and keep making sure I feel okay. I just want to make sure that you’re okay, too,” Izuku spoke softly. 

He did his best to calm the lingering storm in his head, to just send calming waves between them. 

“It’s…” Todo started, stopping abruptly. He inhaled a long breath of air. “Weird.”

“It’s a weird situation,” Izuku chuckled in an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere, but it came off sounding dry. “It must be weird, being two people and all.”

“I don’t really feel like myself,” Todo whispered. It was so quiet that Izuku almost missed that Todo had said anything. “I… I don’t know. I think I’m okay.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Izuku asked. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, it’s nothing.” Todo shook his head slowly. “It must be because of myself.”

“Yourselfー” Izuku started to say but stopped himself. “You mean because of Rokiroki?”

Todo nodded. “Yes.”

“I don’t really know what I can do to help, because it kind of confuses me a bit. But if you need to talk, I’m here. You know that, right?” 

Izuku tried to lean further across his shoulder. His eyebrows knit together as he hoped to catch a glimpse of what kind of expression Todo was making. 

“I know. Just having you close is enough."

And with that Todo started walking again. 

Recovery Girl was sitting at her desk when Todo brought him into the school’s infirmary. She looked up when they entered and Izuku gave her a short wave accompanied by an awkward smile when their eyes met. They narrowed dangerously behind the glasses.

“It hasn't been two days and you’re already here again,” she scolded, jumping down from her chair with a sigh. She pointed with her cane at one of the beds. “Put him down over there.”

Todo walked over to said bed and carefully sat him down. Izuku gave him an apologetic smile as he laid down on his back, letting out a long breath. He had to squint with his eyes as he was met with the bright lights of the infirmary lamps.

“Let me see. What is wrong?” Recovery Girl asked.

“It’s nothing big, really,” Izuku said, but was quickly interrupted by Todo.

“He’s having intense attacks and headaches.”

“What type of attacks?” Recovery Girl asked, a frown spreading across her wrinkled forehead. She pulled up a chair so she was sitting at eye level with Izuku.

“It’s the bondーthe soul-bondーit’s been acting up,” he clarified. “It’s gotten really intense all of a sudden.” He quickly hurried to add on, waving with his hands towards Todotodo, “But it’s not that bad anymore, and I think you should help Todoroki first.”

He pointed towards Todo’s bruised nose and swollen cheek. The left side of his face was red, as if it was irritated and the tips of his hair had been singed. There was also a small trail of blood down his nose.

“It’s already stopped bleeding,” Todo said, touching the dried blood with his fingertips. “Your condition is more important.”

“It’s really not. Todoroki, your face is red,” Izuku insisted, brow furrowing in concern.

“Bakugou punched me in the face,” he explained, as if that would make Izuku drop his concerns.

“Come over here,” Recovery Girl said, waving with her hand for Todotodo to come towards her. “I’ll fix you up.”

Todo did as he was asked, walking around the bed. He leaned forwards, letting her heal the small injury. It didn’t take much for the swelling to go down and for the red tinge to disappear.

“There. Off to class with you,” Recovery Girl said, waving with her hand for him to leave.

“I should stay.”

“I’ll be fine,” Izuku promised, giving the best reassuring smile he could muster. “Promise.”

“If you’re sure,” Todo said, hesitating as he turned to walk out the door. “I can stay.”

Izuku nodded. “I’m sure.”

Once Todo had left the infirmary, Izuku placed a forearm over his eyes. He let out a long groan and silently berated himself and the soulbond for the repeating disturbance it was causing. It was downright ridiculous how the bond was reacting. This was the second attack in less than twenty four hours. If it was going to continue at this rate, he’d be experiencing one attack every day. 

There had to be something he could do to calm the bond down. He had his hopes that it would calm down with time. The more time he’d be spending with the two Todoroki’s, the more used to their presence he’d become and thus the bond would come to recognize the two as who they used to be. At least, that was his strategy. It was the only plausible one he’d come up with so far.

But this attack had been so different from the one from yesterday. The absolute panic that had flared up in the back of his mind, like an explosion had gone off in the bond. It had disturbed him to the point he hadn’t even been able to stand up properly. Not only was the intensity of the emotions doubled, the effect they had on Izuku had also doubled.

Two Todoroki’s. Two soulmates. Double the emotions. Double the feedback. Double the backlash.

“Dammit,” he found himself cursing. He couldn’t go through this every time one of them experienced some form of emotional distress, be it intense or something minor.

“How are you feeling?” Recovery Girl asked as she came over. The room was filled with her soothing omega pheromones. It was relaxing and told him that there was no dominant presence in the room. It was okay to let go and calm down.

“Kind of better, I think,” Izuku replied, sitting up. He rubbed his temple with a grimach.

“Swallow this.” Recovery Girl held out a hand. In her palm was a small blue and white pill and in her other hand was a glass of water. “It should calm your mind.”

He swallowed the pill quickly. He washed it down with the water before handing the glass back. Recovery Girl took it and placed it in the sink across the room before she came back to his side. This time she had a clipboard and some folders in her hands.

“For how long have these attacks been happening and how often?” she asked, looking through what Izuku assumed was the school medical file. His very extensive medical file.

“They started yesterday, in the afternoon. After I met the two Todoroki’s,” he answered. “This is the second time.”

“Do you have any idea on what the trigger for these attacks are?”

“I think I’m just overwhelmed,” he said after some thinking. “It’s kind of like, the bond can sense where Todoroki is, but now that there are two of him it’s a bit confused. He’s at two places at once and that doesn’t… Compute—?" Izuku moved his hand toward each other, intertwining his fingers. "It just doesn’t go together.”

He didn’t know if that made any sense. It was an odd feeling to explain. Even he didn’t quite properly understand how it worked or why it worked the way it did. There were so few studies done on fated pairs. There wasn’t much information out there that wasn’t based on old stories and folktales from long ago.

Izuku scratched his neck, brushing his fingers over his scent glands. He winced at the shudder of discomfort that ran up his spine, sending a shiver throughout his body. They’d stopped swelling at this point, but that didn’t mean they’d gone back to normal. He still felt them quite prominently under the skin, like a bump under the skin. They pulsed when he touched them, sensitive to the touch as if his nerve endings had been cranked up to the max.

“My scent glands have also been swelling up lately,” Izuku added. His eyebrows knitted together as he looked down on his lap as the multiple reasons as to why that was flashed through his mind. “Should I be worried? Am I… uh, Am I presenting?”

His cheeks and neck heated up at having said that out loud. It had always been a difficult topic for Izuku. His mother was a beta and, while he couldn’t remember much about his father, he knew that the man was supposedly an alpha. Which made Izuku a genetic anomaly in his family. An omega male born to non-omega parents. Though, Inko had once told him when he was very young that Hisashi had had a younger brother once who had also been an omega. 

Scientists always did say that secondary gender was a hereditary trait.

Omega uncle or no (since Izuku had never actually met said uncle), that didn’t change the fact that Izuku was the odd one out in the family. His mother came from a family of predominantly beta’s. As far as Izuku knew, the only alpha in their family had been his mother’s grandfather. There had also been some omega in a branch side of the family some odd years back. People that Izuku had never met and never would meet, either.

In other words, neither him nor Inko knew much about raising an omega.

She had done a fantastic job when Izuku was growing up. She’d done her best to have as many conversations with him as she’d needed to have to make sure he knew why he was different and to make sure that he knew that that was nothing to be ashamed of. So many conversations and discussions. Izuku had found some books about omega’s in his mom’s bookcase once, all on different topics regarding omega’s. How to raise your omega child, how to talk to your omega child as a beta parent, and many more like it. 

But that also meant that all Izuku knew about presenting and what it would be like was information he’d taken from online forums and from what the doctor’s had told him when he turned thirteen. Unfortunately to him, the signs they had explained were so obscure that he wasn’t sure he would recognize them even if they did happen. It was all so individual.

Recovery Girl looked up from her clipboard with a soft hum. She put it down on the bedside table and made a waving motion with her hand.

“Turn around,” she said. “Turn your neck towards me.”

Izuku paled. “M-my neck?”

His hand immediately shot to cover the sensitive area, as if to make a shield between his neck and the outside world.

“Yes.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Swollen glands can be caused by many things. It can be dangerous to leave them unchecked,” Recovery Gril said, face stern and voice serious. She grabbed a pair of latex gloves and made a show of putting them on.

Izuku gave a small nod, shifting in the bed so that his neck was facing her. His whole body tensed up and he screwed his eyes shut as he waited.

“Please move your hand away.” Her small finger tapped against his crooked one.

“Oh, sorry,” he mumbled.

Slowly he removed his hand, letting his fingers linger over his neck for as long as they could before he let it fall into his lap. Leaving his neck on full display and leaving him completely unprotected. He wanted to cover up again. Hide his neck away and protect it from the outside source.

The pheromones in the air increased. “Relax.”

He gave a short and quick nod. Forcing himself to calm down, using the calming pheromones in hopes that it would help. It only worked so and so.

At first all he heard was Recovery Girl’s occasional hum. She moved his head a bit and had him turn his head different directions as she inspected his nape. It went on for so long that Izuku found himself relaxing, letting his tense shoulders drop and he released his fists. Then Recovery Girl ran her fingers over his neck carefully and Izuku had to grip onto the bed sheets to resist the urge to lunge forward. Get away from the intrusive touch, his instincts screamed at him. 

Get away. Get away. Get away.

“The swelling seems to be all on the inside,” Recovery Girl said, moving away from the bed. “You and Todoroki are fated, they’re most likely reacting to the extra set of pheromones he’s releasing.”

“So I’m not presenting?” Izuku asked carefully, feeling his cheeks heat up again.

“No,” Recovery Girl said, shaking her head. “If you were, you wouldn’t have let me touch your nape at all.”

“Oh,” Izuku mumbled, running a hand over his glands. “Will it go down eventually?”

“It is difficult to say,” Recovery Girl said, removing the gloves. “If they keep swelling up, I recommend going to get it checked out by your doctor. Natural swelling of the scent glands usually only happen during heats or when your mate has a rut. It’s a result of the sudden increase in hormones in order to make it easier for the alpha to find and bite them.”

Izuku only nodded as she spoke. He turned around in the bed so that his back was facing back against the wall, his hand still massaging his neck.

Recovery Girl headed over to her desk, wrote some things down on the clipboard she’d retrieved from the bedside table before heading over to one of the many cabinets in the room. She looked through the shelves and bottles for a bit before she took out a circular plastic bottle with a screw on cap. Then she headed back over to Izuku.

"Take these twice a day," she instructed, handing over the bottle. “One at morning, one at night.”

"What's these for?" Izuku asked, taking the bottle. It was simple, white and plastic. When he shook it, pills rattled around inside.

"They're sensory dampeners.”

He looked down at the bottle with a surprised, huh. "I didn't know that was a thing.”

"They're a recent development."

"Why would you need sensory dampeners?" Izuku asked.

"They’re supposed to help block the connection between two mates so that heroes can focus less on their partner and more on the mission," Recovery Girl explained. "They've also been used in cases of forced mating to help recovery."

"Oh, okay.”

"However, they haven't been tested on a fated couple before. I can't say how effective they'll be.”

He tightened his fingers around the bottle. If it helped calm the bond down, if only just a little, it would be a great help. “Thanks.”

Todo looked at the floor as he walked back towards the infirmary. He hadn’t been able to concentrate at all on anything but Midoriya on his way back to class. In the end he had managed to convince the teacher’s to allow him a quick break, if only because Roki was still actively taking part in sparring practice. Also, it had been a big help that All Might had been there temporarily to check up on the students.

“I should do something,” he muttered to himself, thinking back to Midoriya.

The back of his mind itched, aching in a way he wasn’t sure how to explain. It was almost as if it was becoming empty, but when he reached out he could tell his other half was there. Frustrated over something that he was trying to hide from Todotodo. Or maybe he wasn’t trying to hide and was just too focused on something else to properly process the frustration. It was difficult to say. He didn’t always make sense.

“What does Midoriya like?” Todo asked aloud. He massaged his chin. “All Might. I think he likes Katsudon.” He sighed. His arms dropping down to his sides. “That isn’t relevant. Should I have brought All Might with me?”

Something that would help Midoriya feel better. What did one give an upset omega? 

When Fuyumi got upset she would read, maybe. He'd occasionally catch her with a book or a magazine. But that could also just be a hobby she enjoyed. Sometimes she would cook a lot. An overly excessive amount, too, and clean. 

But Midoriya was in the infirmary, and they were supposed to be in the middle of class. He couldn’t cook right now. Did he even like cooking? Todo couldn’t remember a moment when the other had said something about enjoying cooking. The only time he could think of Midoriya doing anything related to cooking food was during the summer camp last year or when it was his time for kitchen duty, and that was a duty they assigned. Not something they did because they enjoyed it. Well, Sato enjoyed it. Midoriya wasn’t Sato.

He frowned, letting his feet take him around the school. He walked lost in thought, just letting himself be taken wherever.

“Fuyumi likes tea,” he said, once again speaking aloud to no one in particular. “Does Midoriya like tea?”

He found himself walking towards the cafeteria. He passed by the empty canteen, giving the empty chairs and tables a glance. He kept walking until he came to a hallway just around the corner. He stopped in front of one of the many vending machines lining the wall, scanning the various soda and coffee brands housed within. He furrowed his eyebrows. Not finding a brand that looked good enough or a type of drink that would help him convey what it was he wanted to say. Todo wasn’t even sure what flavour of soda Midoriya preferred or if he liked coffee more. What kind of tea did he prefer? Did he like green tea or did he want some more flavor to it. Something spicy, perhaps?

Todo moved on to the second vending machine when he didn’t find any of the tea brands and flavours satisfactory. He looked over the shelves displaying the different drinks, reading the labels that separated the many beverages into which Secondary Gender they were intended for. There were a bunch of soda brands with less caffeine for alpha’s and sweet tea’s which had a supposed calming effect for omega’s.

A familiar brand name caught his eye on the lower level’s. A small can sized bottle with a white label around it. The liquid inside was a light green with small dark spots floating around inside it.

He swiped his card and chose the one brand he was familiar with. He picked a simple green tea flavour, deciding that it was better to be safe and pick something that was universally liked. 

He picked up the bottle and held it in his hand, cooling it down with his quirk. He turned it around and read the label on the back, barely being able to read the small kanji printed on the bottle. But he did manage to make out that it was a soothing tea intended for omega’s.

With a nod, he pocketed the bottle and turned in the direction of the infirmary.

“Todoroki?” Midoriya asked, eyebrows rising on his forehead as he saw the alpha enter the infirmary. “I thought you went back to class.”

“I couldn’t focus,” he replied honestly, looking to the side. 

“Are you okay? Did something happen?”

Midoriya’s eyebrows scrunched up, causing wrinkled across his brow and his eyes were filled with concern. He had pushed the blankets to the side and looked about ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed. His naked foot hung outside the covers. 

Midoriya’s black boots were resting against the back of the bed. They had been folded halfway and had half fallen over. The respirator and his gloves had been dropped on the bedside table, leaving Midoriya’s scarred hand in clear view where it clutched the comforter.

Todo moved closer to the bed, sitting down on the chair next to him.

“I’m worried,” Todo said, hand cupping the bottle in his pocket. Suddenly it felt like it wasn’t enough, like bringing it had been a stupid idea. “Are you alright?”

Midoriya gave a nod. He relaxed back down into the bed, fixing the comforter so it was properly covering his lap. “I’m better now.”

The silence spread throughout the room as Todo tried to think of something to say. Anything to say. What should he say? It was his fault that Midoriya was feeling like this. If he hadn’t gotten caught by that villain’s quirk, Midoriya wouldn’t be suffering right now. They wouldn’t be having these problems and everything would be like it should be. It would all be like before. 

“Midoriya—”

He stopped himself, but not fast enough that Midoriya didn’t catch his name being spoken. He turned his head towards Todo, green eyes looking at him. Midoriya blinked once, twice and Todoroki followed the flutter of his lashes.

“Yes?” Midoriya asked, an eyebrow rising upwards.

Before he could hesitate, Todo basically threw his hand out towards Midoriya. In his hand he clutched the bottle of tea. A thin layer of frost having spread across the label. “Here.”

“Uhm, thanks…” Midoriya hesitantly took the bottle from Todo’s cold hand. He shivered a bit at the cold contact when their fingers met. A red hue spread across his freckled cheeks. “What is it?” 

“Tea.”

“Oh.” He turned the bottle around, brushing some of the frost away. He looked a bit confused as he read the text but he did smile when he spoke again. “You didn’t have to.”

“It’s an apology,” Todo near whispered. He cleared his throat, repeating himself. “It’s an apology for the last two days.”

“Todoroki, you didn’t have to. You have nothing to be sorry for,” Midoriya said. His eyes grew soft and he held the bottle against his chest.

“You had another attack because of me.”

“Recovery Girl thinks it’s because of the extra set of pheromones you and Roki are releasing. It’s making my glands swell,” Midoriya said. He coughed into his hand and bit the inside of his bottom lip, the blush on his cheeks growing darker.  “T-that’s probably why I’m, uh—it’s the pheromones.”

“Is there a way to stop it?” Todo asked.

“She gave me some medicine to help with the headaches.” Midoriya scratched his neck. There was a white patch peeking out from under his jumpsuit when he reached behind, nails tugging at the corners. “You’re probably going to be feeling a bit weird because of it.”

“In what way?”

“The medicine will dampen the soul-bond—or it’s supposed to, at least—so it might cause some weird reactions,” Midoriya mumbled, pursing his lips. “I don’t really know what will happen. They haven’t been tested on fated pairs before.”

“Will they help with the attacks?”

“Yes. At least, they’ll keep them from being so intense.”

“Then it’s fine,” Todo said. “If it keeps you from being in pain, I will manage.”

Midoriya furrowed his brows. “Are you going to be okay? I probably should have talked to you—and the other you—about it.”

Of course Midoriya would be more worried about what kind of side effects there would be for Todoroki than he would be for what positive outcome it would have for himself. Always putting everyone else above himself, even if that left him in pain. It was an admirable quality about him, something that Todo had found both appealing and curious. 

Midoriya was an enigma of a creature. He was an omega, and if you didn’t know him well, he would appear as the stereotypical submissive. Someone that would easily be pushed down into the dirt. An omega too naive for the real world that could so very easily be taken advantage of. But Midoriya was so much more than his secondary gender. Often times, when he got serious, Midoriya was more assertive than your average alpha. Todo had seen it happen multiple times. His fight with Bakugou at the start of first year, the Sports Festival where he’d proven the whole of Japan wrong and, more importantly, the attack on their summer camp. He hadn’t backed down once, not even when he came running to save Bakugou with two broken arms and barely able to stand.

Now, it was concerning. It was self destructive. Too self destructive.

“Midoriya, if you’re in pain, I will be in pain.” Todo hardened his expression, looking down on his hands. It was a cheap tactic, to use himself like he did but Midoriya wouldn’t listen otherwise. “And I don’t want to see you hurt. If this is the way to help you, you don’t need my permission to do it.”

Midoriya fell silent, his hands tightening. “But it’s not just my decision to make.”

“Do it for me.”

“What?”

Todo stood up from the chair. He took Midoriya’s crooked hand and the cold bottle in his hands, running his thumb over the scars lining his palm. 

“Do it for me. The medicine will dampen our bond, right?” Midoriya slowly nodded, eyes looking at their intertwined hands. “It’s unfortunate, but if it keeps you from being in pain, it will keep me from being in pain. It’s the best solution.”

“It is…”

“Don’t feel guilty,” Todo said, smiling softly. “Take care of yourself. It’s only temporary.”

Midoriya nodded. He looked up, meeting Todo’s eyes. There was something soft inside those green irises, something blooming almost. Something Todo hadn’t noticed before. Had it always been there? How had he not noticed before?

He pulled his hands back. He gave a glance at the clock and let out a sigh. “I have to get back to class. I only got to come check on you because we’re fated.”

“I understand,” Midoriya said. He pulled the blankets away to get out of the bed. “I’ll come, too.”

“No, stay here,” Todo interrupted him. He held out his hand and when Midoriya stopped, he pushed the omega down on the bed with a hand on his chest. “You should rest. Let the medicine start working first.”

“It’s fine, really,” he insisted, sitting up.

“Please,” Todo begged.

It was like a silent discussion was going on between them. An argument without any words. In the end, Midoriya gave up with a sigh. He fell back down on the bed and nodded.

“Okay. See you after class?” he asked, almost begging with his eyes.

The corners of Todo's lips turned upwards as he replied, “Of course.”

Chapter Text

The change wasn’t immediate. It was slow, like a growing weed in the back of his head. Climbing it’s way further and wider till it was impossible to miss. Or maybe it was more like he was going down on a long stretch of road and the farther ahead he got, the less he could see. The higher up the trees would reach, blocking out the sky, covering the path behind him in uncontrollable vegetation. His eyesight was as clear as ever and yet it felt like he was blind. It sent Roki into a stumble and, at one point, it caused his flames to hiccup and burn out with a fizzle. 

Kirishima halted to a stop across the platform as Roki hung his torso forwards to catch his breath. With each breath thick smoke would escape through his nosetrils, like from two chimneys. 

The ground around them was scorched with dark spots of soot scattered everywhere and large cracks that had spread out across the ground. There were some areas where fire still burned in small patches.

“Oi, you okay? Rokiroki?” Kirishima asked, cupping a hand by his mouth as if that would make his voice reach farther and louder.

“I’m…” Roki started, reaching back behind to touch the nape of his neck. He moved his hand up to the back of his head, running his fingers through his hair and searched. He searched and found himself and then just an odd sort of dull ache. It hadn’t been there before and it rendered him absolutely confounded. Like he’d gotten lost on road he’d walked many times over. “Where am… Where are you?”

“Huh?” Kirishima dropped his hardening as he came closer with a confused expression. “I’m right here. You sure you okay, dude?”

“No, I didn’t mean you. I meant, Mi—” Roki’s eyes grew wide with realization as the name subconsciously came to mind. It almost fell from his lips like instinct. “Where’s Midoriya?”

“Didn’t Todo take him to the infirmary?” Kirishima recalled, pointing towards the door. “He had another attack.”

That wasn’t what he’d meant. He knew where Midoriya was physically. He could tell that much from his other self. They’d been together not too long ago and the worry radiating off of Todotodo was reaching Roki no problem. But this was different from how he normally would be able to find the omega. Even with his current split, Roki had always been able to tell where Midoriya was at by just searching his instincts. Something primal and instinctual would pull him in forwards and every time, Midoriya would be there at the end. In a way, it was almost easier now than it had been before. But now? With the fogginess that had clouded his mind, it was like Midoriya was slipping away from him. As if he was walking ahead into the dense fog and Roki was unable to keep up.

He scratched at his nape, claws growing. Pain spread throughout the sensitive area as they dug into the skin. Pain had always worked before. Like it had in Hosu. As he’d followed Endeavour something inside him had told him he was going the wrong direction, and then Midoriya had texted him. It had clicked immediately, his instincts weren’t wrong. Pain, fear, danger. They worked excellent as a trigger.

But it didn’t help. Instead, Midoriya kept getting farther and farther away till he was nothing but a shadow in the distance.

He needed to go, needed to find him. Why wasn’t he close? How could he get so far away like this? It wasn’t natural, it shouldn’t be possible. But before he could take off, Todo had stopped him, like a mental road block. HIs other half was trying to convince him that Midoriya was alright, that there was no danger; And he could sense that his other half was telling the truth. It calmed him down, for the moment.

By the time class ended, Todo had already returned. There hadn’t been much time left of class when his ice wielding counterpart came back to the facility. With Kirishima’s permission—the other alpha almost encouraged it, actually—they ended up switching in and out in their sparring. It had been fun, but Roki hadn’t been focusing too much on the fighting, instead his mind kept going back to the fog in the back of his head.

When he reached out for Midoriya, it was almost like Todo was consciously trying to stop him. His grey eyes sent him a silent stop before once again going back to focusing on Kirishima. But Roki caught the warning, caught the secrecy. They couldn’t hide from each other and there was definitely something that Todo wasn’t telling. Something he felt like he should know but didn’t. Something that definitely had to do with Midoriya and their bond.

When the class bell rang, signaling the end of class, Roki was one of the first to make it to the locker rooms. He changed and cleaned out quickly before he snatched his back in one hand and left.

Izuku closed the locker room door and threw his boots onto the bench. He hadn’t had the energy to put them on when he’d left the infirmary. It was a bit disrespectful—as Iida would have put it—to walk around such a prestigious school barefooted, so he was relieved that he hadn't run into anyone on his way down.

He opened his locker and started undressing by removing his respirator and gloves first before pulling out his shoes. He put them down on the floor in front of the locker. After hanging up his belt, he reached behind for the zipper of his costume. His fingers brushing over the patch covering his scent glands in his search for the small zipper pull. The patch was supposed to cover his scent and help stop the release of unwanted hormones. The sticky substance on the inside of the patch was also supposed to have a calming effect on the swollen glands. At least, that’s what Recovery Girl had said when she’d put it on. It was cold and smelled of disinfectant. A part of him was always aware that it was there, sticking to his neck like a neon sign.

With a bit of strain, he undid the zipper. Successfully pulling it down to the small of his back before he shimmied out of the sleeves. He pulled each leg out and then hung it up beside his belt. After taking a quick shower, Izuku started pulling on his school uniform. He was interrupted in the middle of pulling his shirt on by a quick knock on the door.

"Midoriya?" Roki asked at the same time as the handle was pulled down. The disapproving look he got when the alpha entered caused Izuku’s face to grow hot.

"Oh—" Izuku chuckled awkwardly, pulling on his school button up. "H-hi, Todoroki."

Roki’s face hardened as he closed the door behind him. "Lock the door."

“I-I sort of forgot,” Izuku said, mouth forming a thin line as he avoided the alpha’s gaze.

Roki didn’t say anything else as he sat down on the bench across the changing room. Though, since the room was designated for male omega’s—a secondary gender which was exceptionally rare—it was small enough that Roki was barely two meters away. He did however, turn his head away from Izuku, placing his gaze at some of the lockers instead.

A strong sense of Deja Vu washed over Izuku as he glanced back towards the red head. Like they’d been in this situation before. Which, to be fair, they sort of had been. At least this time Izuku was wearing pants and not just a towel. 

He hurried to button up his shirt before he turned towards Rokiroki. “Uhm, w-why are you here?”

“I want to walk back to the dorms with you,” Roki replied. He threw a glance towards Izuku, blue eyes scanning him up and down.

Izuku shifted his weight from one foot to the other, fingers fiddling with each other. He felt like shrinking down under the others observing eyes, like standing up while the alpha was sitting down was disrespectful. Which was an odd feeling, because he had never felt anything like it the few other times Todoroki had been in the locker room with him. It was inappropriate—and probably against school rules—for Roki to be in the locker room as it was, let alone when Izuku was there as well. Fated mates or not. Maybe that was why and Izuku was just extra aware because of Todoroki’s currently split condition.

“I also wanted check if you finally learned how to lock the door,” Roki added, turning his head towards Izuku. His eyes narrowed, eyebrows falling low. “Which you haven’t.”

Izuku looked away, feeling oddly called out. “This is U.A. I don't really have to lock it.”

Roki didn’t answer, only resting his arms on his knees. But he didn’t have to say anything. Izuku could see the disagreement right there in his eyes.

“I’ll wait outside next time,” Roki finally said, sitting up straight. “To make sure no one comes inside.”

“But the only other person who’s ever been in here is you,” Izuku rebutted.

Which Izuku had no problem with. While it was a bit awkward when Todoroki walked into the locker room and Izuku wasn’t wearing pants, he'd never felt the need to ask him to leave. Todoroki had always shown great respect the few times he came to the locker room, usually turning away and waiting for Izuku to get fully dressed before he said whatever it was he came to say. He would also go as far inside the room as he possibly could, leaving a clear path between Izuku and the door.

“You have too much faith in people,” Roki snorted. He raised an eyebrow as Izuku started working on his tie. “Classes are over. You don’t need to do your tie.”

“We’re still at school, though.”

He’d already walked from the infirmary to the locker room bare footed. The least he could do while still at school was to pull on the uniform properly.

Roki gave an unintelligible noise before he stood up. He stalked over to Izuku with wide steps. He pushed Izuku’s hands away and took the two ends of the tie in his hands. “At least tie it right then.”

He had to look away while Roki worked, his cheeks growing warm. Though, he wasn’t quite sure if it was from the unnatural amount of heat that radiated off of Rokiroki or if it was just a blush. If he glanced upwards towards the alpha, Izuku could see his chin and thin lips in very good detail. He had to move his gaze upwards to inspect Roki’s nose and his trademark scar. His red hair still hung down in his face like before, bangs looking like they’d been left to grow. They probably had been, too, if Izuku knew Todoroki well enough.

His breath hitched as he took a deep breath, causing a sharp inhale. His shoulders jerked with the action and his chest expanded. He squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fists and then releasing them slowly with a long breath of air. 

He was so close, maybe more so than he probably needed to be.

“Midoriya,” Roki said, catching the attention of the omega. His blue eyes glanced up for a quick second before they went back to focus on the tie. “Why are you so far away?”

“I’m—what?”

Izuku couldn’t help himself from looking forward, taken completely aback. He searched out Roki’s eyes, hoping to find some form of explanation for the odd question in them. But Roki kept his eyes fixed on Izuku’s tie as he spoke.

He frowned, leaning his head a bit to the side. “Is it, maybe… the other you who’s asking?”

He wasn’t sure if that was even possible, but anything could be the case right now. He had no idea how the two functioned yet or if they could see through each other’s eyes. If it was like a sort of memory transfer, one of them experienced one thing and the other could see it as well, or if they just knew what their other half knew.

“No. I can barely feel you through the bond.” Roki shook his head slowly, pulling up the finish of the tie. “You’re far away.”

“Oh, right, yeah, that’s… That’s probably because of the medicine Recovery Girl gave me,” Izuku mumbled, looking away from Roki again.

“Medicine?” Roki made a sound of recognition, but still looked confused.

Izuku nodded, sending a few glances at Roki who was now looking at him with questioning eyes. His eyebrows had knitted across his forehead and the scar stretched taut. “I told Todoro—I told the other you, Todotodo, about it. I know I should have talked to you both beforehand but it’s just a temporary solution so…”

“I don’t like it.”

The temperature increased rapidly and the room filled with strong, domineering alpha pheromones. The whole room got hot, like they’d been transported to a desert. It burned Izuku’s nostrils as he took a deep breath.

He blinked in surprise, looking at Roki’s stern eyes. They were narrowed and his mouth was pulled into a thin, angry line.

“I don’t like that I can’t feel you. I don’t know where you are, you’re gone. How am I supposed to know you’re safe?”

“It’s going to be distracting for a while, but—”

Roki cupped both of Izuku’s cheeks in his hands, thumbs seeming to caress each freckle painted there. He flinched at how hot his hands were, especially the left one. It wasn’t as hot as to cause him to pull away, though. After the initial surprise, it was quickly becoming bearable.

His eyes had filled with a burning flame that Izuku couldn’t recall seeing before—not that he’d been close enough to look Todoroki this close in the eyes before. But the rest of his expression was soft. His eyebrows had turned upwards and his mouth had formed a small, but caring smile; And while Roki’s hands were hot against his face, they were careful and gentle.

“If this is what it feels like without you,” Roki started, speaking slowly and voice low. His words were spoken so gently, rolling off of his tongue as if he was saying something sacred. “Then please don’t take that medicine again.”

Izuku’s eyes grew wide, eyebrows hiding behind his bangs as he processed Roki’s words. Todo had said that he was in pain when Izuku was in pain, so he’d just assumed that that would go for Roki as well. But maybe that hadn’t been quite as accurate as he’d assumed. Was Roki in pain now that he couldn’t sense the bond between them? How could they be reacting differently when they were supposed to be the same person? It was all so new and foreign, seeming to come with nothing but complications and confusion. Just the last twenty four hours had been a headache and a half as it was.

“Does it—uhm… Does it hurt when I take the medicine?” Izuku asked, stretching his fingers and then fisting them into the hem of his shirt.

“No,” Roki said. He inhaled and let out a long, warm breath of air. Izuku saw how his chest expanded and how his shoulders rose and fell. “I can’t feel you, where you are. I can’t find you like I could before. It scares me.”

“You’re scared…?” Izuku whispered, more so to himself than to Rokiroki but the alpha still nodded.

“You must have felt it, too. I’ve never been alone like this before.”

Izuku nodded, his eyes growing soft. He released his shirt and covered one of Roki’s hands with his own. “I know what you mean.”

Having a fated mate was more than just finding some random person out there in the world meant just for you. Ever since Izuku had been little, he could remember a small tug in the back of his mind, often times so weak that he had written it off as something else. As a kid he had always thought that it was his quirk he could feel, but that hadn’t been the case. It was weird, in a comfortable kind of way. He’d never been able to tell that what he felt was another person. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that it was because he had a soulmate. But at the same time it had been a comfort. Sometimes he could barely feel it at all. He could go months without feeling any kind of tug in the back of his mind and then out of nowhere it would pull, no stronger than when the wind would pull on his clothes, and he would become aware of it again. Then he’d met Todoroki and it all had exploded. That small tug became a pull and then before he realized it, he was yanked in Todoroki’s direction. It all became clear in a muddled and jumbled sort of way. Izuku had no idea of what any of it had actually meant, but at the same time he had suddenly understood so much more than before.

The medicine was slowly taking that away. To dampen the bond meant that there would be no yank, no pull, not even the smallest of tugs. Like a corner of his head had been blocked off. No hand reaching out to him through the fog, helping him find the direction he needed to go.

“Then please,” Roki said, his left thumb brushing under Izuku’s eye and over his freckles. It left a warm trail behind, like he was painting a long line between the freckles in a weird game of connect the dots.

“Todoroki,” Izuku said, eyebrows furrowing in a soft, and he hoped, understanding expression.

It was a bit like arguing with a child, in an odd way. A child who refused to give up his favorite toy, kind of like how Izuku would ask his mom if he could take his All Might action figure everywhere he went when he first got it. At first his mom had said of course, but after almost losing it twice, she had told him he had to leave it behind and he’d argued with her like a five year old would do.

Roki wasn’t throwing a tantrum like a child would and Izuku was pretty sure that he regained the same level of intelligence and maturity as he had before. But the way Roki was talking, the way he was acting wasn’t like Todoroki at all. It was unlike anything Izuku had seen from the alpha before.

Was it maybe subdued and denied instincts? Todoroki had been emotionally repressed for a very long time. It was highly possible that he could have a lot of emotions and desires that he kept hidden and suppressed. Was it possible that Roki was more open about those sorts of wants than Todoroki had been when Todo and Roki had been one?

Izuku hadn’t thought about it like that before. He’d always assumed that they would think and want the same things, just act upon them differently. But maybe it was a lot more complicated than that. Was it possible that Roki wanted different things from Todo?

Hot fingers wandered around behind his ear and down his neck. Roki’s thumb brushed across Izuku’s jawline for as long as it could before it, too, wandered down his neck. Izuku’s breath hitched as Roki’s fingers reached the small patch on the back of his neck.

“What is that?” he asked.

Izuku opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, the door handle was pushed down. Izuku yelped, immediately jumping a step back in surprise as the door swung open. 

Todo narrowed his eyes as he closed the door behind himself. "Midoriya, lock the door." 

"Sorry! I know," Izuku exclaimed followed by an exasperated sigh. He took a step back from Roki when he realized how close they’d been standing.

Roki and Todo stood staring at each other for a long time, eyes narrowed and faces unreadable. Neither said a word and yet it seemed like they were having a conversation that Izuku couldn’t hear. He tried to think of something to say as he looked between the two halves, finding himself at a loss for words at their odd shift in facial expressions. It was almost like they were talking through expression alone.

“That’s not my choice to make,” Todo finally said, breaking the silence. Then he turned to Izuku and his expression softened. “Are you done? I’ll walk you back to the dorm.”

“Right! Yes, I’m done,” Izuku said, pulling on his shoes and grabbing his jacket. He threw his boots into the locker before turning towards the two alpha’s. He sent them both a questioning look but neither seemed to acknowledge it. “Let’s go.”

Todo grabbed onto Roki’s arm as Midoriya left the locker room. He gave his other half a stern look. “Don’t. It’s his decision.”

Roki looked down on Todo’s hand and pushed it off with huff. He straightened his jacket out and returned the glare. “It’s my decision to make, too.”

“He’s the one in pain,” Todo said in a hushed tone. “I know that I don’t want to see him in pain. Do it for Midoriya.”

The red head was silent, looking towards the door where Midoriya had just run out of. His eyes softened and he sighed. He gave a silent nod just as the door opened up again. Midoriya’s head peeked out from behind the door frame, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Uhm, are you two coming?” he asked, looking between the two.

After giving Roki a silent warning, Todo quickly walked to the door. “Sorry, I was talking to myself.”

“O-oh,” Midoriya said, frown deepening. Then he shrugged and gave Roki a smile. “Are you coming, too?”

He nodded, following the two out the door.

Chapter Text

“You sure you want to remove all of the furniture?” Izuku asked as he carried the desk out into the hallway. 

The red head nodded. “Yes, I have a spare futon.”

He looked over his shoulder at Roki who was walking just behind him holding the desk chair and into the soon to be empty dorm room. In the corner of the room was a rolled up futon leaning against the wall but other than that the room was now empty. The walls were bare and the floor expanding much wider now that there was nothing inside to fill up the empty space. It made Izuku’s own room feel small in comparison despite being built to be the exact same size. 

They’d spent the last twenty minutes moving the bed all the way down to the front porch where the school had lent them a cart so they could roll the furniture Roki wasn’t planning on using back to the storage. Izuku had asked why the teacher’s weren’t the ones to do this, but Roki had told him that he had insisted on doing it himself. Which Izuku had to admit he had found a bit odd, since Roki had asked for his help. But he didn’t ask about it. He figured it was some form of alpha thing that he didn’t understand. And it was Roki’s room, so it was his decision how he wanted to refurnice it.

“You’re going to sleep on a futon?” Izuku asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. He knew Todoroki slept on a futon in his assigned dorm room, but somehow that felt different. It fit into his whole aesthetic somehow, but this new room was so empty and lacking of character. “In an empty room?”

“Yes.” Roki placed the chair down by the elevator and pushed the button. He pointed at the chair and the desk and asked, “Should we take them down in shifts?”

Izuku hummed, crossing his arms. Then he shook his head. “No, I’ll take it down the stairs.”

“Alone?”

“I can do it,” Izuku said, raising his arm and clasping a hand over his bicep. He patted his arm and jokingly said, “I’m not as weak as I look.”

There was a tug in the corners of Roki’s lips, and Izuku was sure he hid an amused snort. “You’re anything but weak, Midoriya.”

While they waited for the elevator to arrive, Izuku looked between Roki and his temporary room and the one assigned a few doors down the hall. He ruffled his hair a bit, dragging his fingers through the messy curls and down to his neck. He brushed over the patch and felt for the bump underneath the skin.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just share your room with Todo?” he asked.

“Please don’t call me by that name,” Roki said immediately after Todo’s nickname had left his lips. He looked at Izuku with those pleading eyes again. “Please just call me by my name.”

“But won’t it be easier to just—” Izuku said, pointing in no particular direction.

“I’ll know which me you’re talking about,” Roki insisted, taking a step closer to Izuku. “I want you to use my name.”

There was something in his eyes that Izuku could only describe as desperation.

“Okay, I’ll—uhm, shouldn’t you share your room with Todoroki?” He hesitated a bit at the name, but still said it. 

“Thank you,” Roki said, face relaxing with a sigh of relief. “And Principal Nezu doesn’t want students—”

“Doesn’t like students sharing a room. Right, I remember,” Izuku finished with a nod, remembering what Roki had said before when he’d asked him for help. “I just think it’s a bit… sad? You already have a room. It kind of feels like you’re being kicked out, sort of.”

“I agreed to this. I was going to sleep in shifts, I take the room one night and I take the room the next, but Aizawa don’t want me sleeping on the couch,” Roki explained with a shrug. “So I agreed to let myself have the room while I take this one.”

“That… That was a lot of I’s, Todoroki…” Izuku chuckled awkwardly, feeling very confused and probably looking it as well because Roki’s lips twitched upwards.

“The other me and I agreed to let the other me take my bedroom while I take this new room. Was that easier to understand?” Roki asked with a raised eyebrow, looking too amused for Izuku not to let out an amused snort.

“Yeah, that’s a bit easier to understand,” Izuku agreed, shoulders shaking with a quick chuckle. “But are you alright with sleeping in an empty room like that? You don’t even have curtains.”

“Fuyumi is sending some furniture tomorrow,” Roki promised. “I’ll have curtains then.”

At that moment the elevator button turned off and the doors opened with a soft ding. Roki glanced behind at the empty space before picking the chair up and carrying it into the elevator. He put it down and placed a foot between the doors to keep them from closing when Izuku started speaking again.

“You don’t want to wait till tomorrow then?” he asked, picking the table up as if it was made out of paper. He got a raised eyebrow and an amused look from Roki at the lack of effort. So just to be a bit extra, he rearranged his grip so that he was holding the desk up with one hand place on the underside. He raised it above his head with an innocent smile.

“No, I won’t need these.” Roki shook his head, a quiet laugh escaping him at Izuku’s theatrics. “They’ll just be in the way.”

“Okay.” Izuku shrugged and let out a sigh, deciding to not argue. It wasn’t his room, after all. “Meet you downstairs?”

Roki nodded and removed his foot, letting the elevator doors close behind him.

He changed his hold on the desk again, holding onto it properly as he walked down the stairs from the fifth floor to the first. It was easier than it had been to carry the bedframe down. He and Roki had struggled with the angle more so than they had the weight. Izuku could have easily carried it down on his own but Roki had insisted on helping him.

The red headed Todoroki was waiting at the bottom of the staircase when Izuku came down. He raised an eyebrow as Izuku walked down the last steps, showing no sign of exhaustion or irritation over the desk and it’s weight. To Izuku, it might as well have been made out of cardboard.

They piled the furniture into the cart on top of the bedframe and the corresponding mattress. Then Izuku took a hold of the handle and pulled it behind him as the two headed towards the storage on the other side of the school. It was quite a bit to walk from the dormitory, but Izuku didn’t mind and from the peaceful look on Roki’s face, neither did he.

“Isn’t that heavy for you?” Roki asked, glancing back at the cart. He didn’t sound concerned more so than he sounded curious.

“No, I used to push trucks on a beach as training, so this is nothing,” Izuku said with a shrug, shifting his grip on the handle from one hand to the other to not put the strain on one singular arm.

Roki’s eyes grew just a bit wider and his eyebrow raised. “Trucks? As in… cars?”

“Yup.”

“For training?”

“Mhm.” Izuku hummed with a nod.

“On sand?”

He scratched his neck, looking down on the ground. “I didn’t really have the money to go to a gym since it was just mom and I, and I guess I was just a bit too embarrassed to. I was pretty scrawny back then.”

“I can’t imagine you any other way than the way you are now,” Roki said, leaning his head to the side as if he was thinking. Probably trying to picture fourteen year old, scrawny Midoriya Izuku pulling trucks on a filthy beach.

“I can take you there sometime,” Izuku said with a grin.

“Take me where?” Roki frowned.

“The beach where I used to train. It’s a really beautiful place now,” Izuku said, thinking back on the memories that now seemed like a whole lifetime ago. “I still go there sometimes.”

“It sounds like it’s a very special place for you.”

“It is.”

That beach would always hold a special place for Izuku, no matter how much time passed. It was the beach where everything started for real. His training, his goal to become a hero. That had been where it had all been realized and solidified. 

“I don’t want to intrude on your sacred space,” Roki said, turning his head away but still glanced towards Izuku out of the corner of his eye.

“You won’t be,” he promised.

“If you say so.”

Once they’d reached the storage building they helped unload the furniture and put it away. They left the cart in a slot right inside by the doors before they locked up and left to go back to the dorms. On the way Roki asked for stories about Izuku’s training and about the beach he’d cleaned up, and Izuku had told him as much as he could without mentioning All Might. He told Roki about all of the times he’d felt like he was going to fail and about how great it had felt when he’d finished, when the beach was clean and beautiful again. He even sheepishly mention that it had been mentioned in the paper that some unknown person had cleaned it up.

By the time they got back to the dorms it was dark outside. Roki took the key to the storage, promising he’d give it back to Aizawa when classes started the next day. 

“Midoriya, will you help me again later?” Roki asked as they got into the elevator.

“With your room?” Izuku clicked the button for the second floor and then for the fifth, before throwing a glance at Roki.

Roki nodded. “You were really helpful today. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Izuku said, smiling happily. Then his smile faltered a bit and he reached behind to scratch at his neck again. “Hey, Todoroki, about earlier—”

Roki held up a hand, stopping him from continuing. “You don’t have to explain.”

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Izuku asked, fidgeting and shifting in his spot. 

The elevator doors closed with a silent buzz and the elevator jolted to a start. It felt like the walls were slowly shrinking in, growing smaller while the ceiling grew farther away. As if the roof was being pulled up but the two of them were left on the ground floor.

“Does it make you feel better?” Roki turned to Izuku, suddenly standing very close. His chest almost brushed against Izuku’s shoulder.

“Physically, maybe, but if you’re not feeling well because of it…” Izuku started. He didn’t really know what to say. He didn’t want to have any more attacks but he didn’t want either of Todoroki to suffer because of the medication. 

The elevator arrived on the second floor with a ding. They look at it as the doors opened. Izuku took a few steps out of the elevator but turned around to look at Roki. He opened his mouth to say something. Anything.

“Todoroki,” Izuku began, voice lower than he intended for it to be.

“It’s alright,” Roki said softly. A smile played on his lips, but it looked sad and strained. Like it was there only to make Izuku feel better.

He walked over to Izuku and leaned down. Before Izuku could register what had happened, Roki had planted a soft but very warm kiss on his forehead. When the alpha leaned back and looked him in the eyes, his face was unreadable. His eyes were looking down at Izuku with a blank expression and the silence that stretched between them went on for a good few seconds too long. 

While they stood there, the doors tried to close but were pushed back open when they sensed Roki standing in their way. Roki then cleared his throat, back straightening up, as if the elevator doors had woken him up. 

He reached for the button for the fifth floor, pressing it again and took a step back into the elevator. He wasn’t looking at Izuku when the doors closed, but Izuku could see a faint red hue cover his cheeks. 

“Goodnight, Midoriya.”

“Goodnight, Todor—” The doors closed and Izuku was left standing in the hallway alone. “—Oki…”

His face felt warm to the touch when he reached up and brushed his fingers over his forehead.

Roki had laid down on the lone futon, staring up at the dark ceiling from the moment he’d returned to his new dorm room. All he could do was stare up at the roof as he processed what had happened, as if there would be answers up there in the ceiling tiles. Some form of writing to help him understand where his impulsive actions might have came from; And more importantly, what that highly impulsive, split seconds decision might have changed between them.

He touched his lips with the tips of his fingers, carefully brushing over them as he tried to understand why he had done what he’d done. Why his stomach had felt light and heavy at the same time when his lips had made contact with Midoriya’s forehead. Why his heart had skipped a beat when Midoriya had looked up at him with a flushed face, round doe-like eyes staring at him wide with surprise and plump lips slightly parted as if to tell him that he’d kissed the wrong spot.

The look that Midoriya had given him right after his lips had touched his skin, Roki still wasn’t able to decipher it. It had made no sense to him. He couldn’t understand what that look in Midoriya’s eyes had meant and that had made him panic. The immediate realization that what he’d done was probably not socially acceptable had hit him like a bucket of icy cold water and he hadn’t been able to think of anything else but to escape. So he’d closed the doors right in Midoriya’s face.

He ran both hands down his face, feeling how his left side was heating up in his frustration.

What if he had ruined everything between them now. Would Midoriya want to see him again after this? He’d kissed him without his permission—sure, it had been on the forehead, but a kiss was still a kiss. Even Todoroki knew that people only kissed when they shared strong feelings for each other.

Roki did care for Midoriya. He cared for him a lot. Midoriya was, even if only by biology alone, his omega. It was an inevitable fact. But something inside—maybe it was his other half scolding him once again for his inappropriate actions—told him that the kind of relationship the two of them had right now didn’t fall under the same umbrella as the kind where two people kissed.

He could faintly remember that his mother used to kiss his forehead when he’d been little. Mostly when he was feeling bad and she wanted to make him feel better, usually after a training session with his father. Her lips would be cold against his forehead and her arms would wrap around him in a comforting embrace. She would whisper comforting words that Roki couldn’t remember anymore.

Could that be why he’d done it? Had he tried to comfort Midoriya because of what had happened before? Was that why Roki had kissed him? A kiss on the forehead wasn’t romantic. At least, that’s what he’d learned from the few romance movies he’d had the chance to watch since he’d joined U.A. Usually only because it would be one of the girls—or Aoyama’s—turn to pick the movie for movie night. In those scenarios it was always a kiss on the lips.

“I wonder what that would taste like…” he found himself mumbling before he caught himself. 

His cheeks heated up and he covered his mouth with his hands. A small flame licked across the back of his hand before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

What was he thinking?!

Thoughts like that… He couldn’t think thoughts like that.

He’d told himself that ever since he’d realized Midoriya was his fated mate. Even more so when they’d decided to be just friends. Roki might not have had any friends as a child and wasn’t all that good at platonic socializing—or any socializing, for that matter—but he did know that friends don’t think about each other that way. Friends don’t wonder what each other’s lips taste like. They don’t have to fight down indecent thoughts. Friends definitely don’t kiss their friends forehead out of nowhere.

But he and Midoriya wasn’t supposed to be friends, were they?

It was like that first night in the kitchen all over again. Conflicting emotions, confused thoughts and hidden desire’s he hadn’t been aware he had. It all flooded to the surface like hidden treasures from the deep. Where they came from was a mystery. If it was alright to keep the treasures was ambiguous at best. Was it alright for Roki to think and feel that way for Midoriya? Was it morally alright for him to he keep these secret treasures…?

Somehow, back in that locker room, with Midoriya so close and so willing to listen, it had been so easy, to just say what it was he wanted to say. He couldn’t recall a moment where he’d been so open with Midoriya—or anyone for that matter—about his emotions and desires. But this time Roki had said everything he’d felt. Whatever it was that had stopped him before, wasn’t there anymore. So he’d talked. There had been few things he’d kept to himself this time; And Midoriya had understood. 

That was probably what had surprised him the most. The ease with which Midoriya had replied to him, accepted him and let him close. He hadn’t asked him to leave when he came to the locker room. He never did, but Roki had always assumed that that was because he was just being nice. But he hadn’t pushed him away either. When Roki had gotten close, Midoriya hadn’t stopped him. When he’d touched him, Midoriya had covered his hands with his own. When Roki had reached for Midoriya’s scent glands, he had stood still. At least until Roki’s other half had arrived and he’d jumped away, face flushed with a pretty red hue dotted by those dark freckles.

He massaged his palms with his fingers and held them up in front of his face. He could still remember the feel of Midoriya’s face in his hands. How the omega’s hand had felt over his own. The phantom sensation of his fingers across his skin, the care with which he touched. It lingered on Roki’s skin like it had been burned into it. Like Midoriya had branded him with his touch.

And his eyes, his big, beautiful green eyes. The way they had looked at him in the locker room—Roki was never going to forget it. The soft gaze and the gentle touches and the soothing words. Understanding, care and, god forbid, maybe something more? 

Roki rubbed his thumb and index finger together, remembering the feel of the patch on Midoriya’s neck. Right above his scent glands.

What would Midoriya have said if Roki had actually touched his nape? He hadn’t moved away or tried to warn Roki about his fingers trajectory. Had that been because Midoriya knew the patch was there to block his touch or did he just not mind because it was Todoroki?

What kind of face would he make at having such an intimate area of the body touched by an alpha? Would Midoriya’s face burn hot with a blush red as Roki’s hair and push him away. Would he grip onto Roki and bury his face in his chest? Roki hoped he would keen and make noises no one else had ever heard before. That his touch would make Midoriya show parts of himself that only Todoroki would ever see. He wanted to see Midoriya make the same face he’d made in the elevator again.

“I want to touch him more,” Roki admitted to himself, not sure if he was actually talking to himself or if he was talking to his other half two doors down. “His cheeks were soft.”

The next day went by quickly. Todo ate breakfast that morning when Roki came downstairs, sitting down next to his other half. His white haired counterpart gave him a glance, one of his silent warnings again, but Roki ignored it. They were quickly becoming redundant and nothing but an annoyance. Warnings about everything and nothing at the same time. Instead he sat there, not particularly interested in conversing with their classmate’s as they spilled down from their bedrooms. He did, however, keep an extra keen eye on the door to see when Midoriya would come down for breakfast. He didn’t trust the bond to inform him when the omega was around right now, not with those pills he was currently popping.

Eventually Midoriya walked around the corner, his green curls a mess and looking like he’d just woken up. But Roki had a sneaking suspicion that Midoriya had been awake long before any of the rest of them. He waved at Iida and Uraraka and then let his eyes wander over the room before their eyes met. Midoriya’s eyes widened and a red hue spread across his cheeks. He looked away, looking like he was taking deep breaths for a hot second, before shaking his head and smiling at Roki.

Roki smiled back at him, mostly because that shade of red suited Midoriya’s skin quite well. The way it contrasted with his green eyes and worked with his round cheeks that was probably never going to completely lose the baby fat was just perfect. Not to mention that his freckles against that red blush was like a masterpiece where the perfect set of colors had mixed together together.

They ate breakfast together and Roki watched as Midoriya swallowed the small medicine capsule with little to no hesitation. He did take a look around the room to make sure no one was watching him before quickly swallowing it down with a glass of juice.

After that Roki paid extra attention to not just where Midoriya was at, but also a close eye on the bond. Now that he was focusing on it, he could feel how it faded away through the hour that followed. Whatever strength it had gained under the night was now gone again and somehow, Midoriya didn’t seem bothered by it at all. He was taking notes in class, he was chatting away with his friends during lunch and during hero training he was going full throttle forwards. 

Extremely agile, Roki hummed to himself as he watched Midoriya leap across the industrial arena. Dodging pipes, jumping up buildings, using his black whip to get himself further into the air. He was moving with grace, like that controlled whirlwind he’d been that night when he moved around the kitchen. He was...

“Perfect,” Roki whispered, not realizing he’d spoken aloud as he stood staring up at the screen.

“Right?” Uraraka said, making small skips in place in her excitement. “Look at the way he’s moving!”

“He’s definitely showing off,” Kaminari said, nodding at the screen.

“He deserves to show off,” Roki said, voice low but definitely heard by the rest of his classmates.

He didn’t pay attention to what the rest of them said after that, eyes glued to the screen. He was jumping around like a rubber ball of energy, body bending and shrinking in on itself as it went along the narrow areas of the arena. Flexible, agile like few, but somehow still sporting a nice set of muscles. 

Roki had seen them yesterday in the locker room. Of course, he’d seen them before, but somehow yesterday he hadn’t been able to help but take in the view of Midoriya in an unbuttoned shirt. The compact set of pectorals and abdominal muscles that ran up the omega’s chest. His broad shoulders and collar bone that were prominent no matter what clothes he wore. Sets of muscles that the moment he put on clothes were easily hidden from view. So much power stored in such a small body.

His heartbeat picked up, probably skipping a beat as his body grew hot as he imagined Midoriya’s strong arms. Arms that looked fragile with their massive amounts of scars and the crooked fingers but could pick Roki up no problem even without the use of his quirk. Strong thighs that should be classified as deadly weapons with the way they could crush concrete, create craters and break through metal like it was paperthin. 

“Oh, shit…” Roki cursed as flames licked up his shoulder and face, hand flying up to cover his mouth as he finally understood. Or, better yet, accepted what he’d already known but had been denying for the last year.

Chapter Text

Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn’t showing off just a little bit during the afternoon classes. Pushing himself further than he probably should be, extra conscious of the fact that his entire class was looking at him as he cleared through the arena. Or, more precisely, that Todoroki—both of them—were watching him, especially after what had happened last night.

His skin burned with the memory of Roki’s warm lips against his forehead. Minutes after coming back to his dorm room he’d even run to the bathroom to check in the mirror to see if there was some form of a mark left behind. That’s how long the hot touch lingered. It was ridiculous, and even a little stupid, to believe such a thing would leave some kind of visible mark behind, but somehow it felt like Roki had left a permanent trace on his skin. Like his lips had been made out of hot iron.

Of course, as expected, when one is distracted by something, even if it is something as simple as a kiss, one makes mistakes. The moment Izuku remembered the kiss, he misstepped as his cheeks heated up with a colorful red blush. Not only did he misstep, he had been in the process of pulling himself upwards with his black whip. So instead of going up, he went forwards and collided face first with one of the many metal walls. 

He could practically hear Bakugou laugh all the way out in the arena at the impact and sure enough, when he came back to where the rest of the class stood watching, the alpha was fighting the need to double over, holding onto Kirishima’s arm as he let out a round of loud laughter and a few, somewhat friendly, mocking comments about Izuku’s simple mistake. It was all in good jest, of course, but some things in their relationship was never going to change.

“I’d like to see you do better, Kacchan,” Izuku said, voice breaking with a snivel at the end as something wet trickled down his nose. His hand reached up to brush away whatever it was.

“You fucking bet I can do better,” Bakugou barked with a wide grin and voice filled with the lingering laughter.

Izuku massaged his nose as he walked over to stand by the railing. It pulsed and was sensitive to the touch. Red spots stained the tips of his gloves as he brushed his fingers under his nostrils when his nose kept dripping. He sniveled, trying to cover the nosebleed with his hand as another group of students were sent out into the arena.

“Good job,” Todo said as he came over.

The noise that escaped up Izuku’s throat could only be described as a mix between a giggle and a snort. An odd mixture of noises that didn’t really go together, which made him involuntarily snivel. “Thanks, Todoroki. But I fumbled at the end.”

“Are you bleeding?” Todo asked, a frown covering his features before his eyes widened as he stepped so close that Izuku had to lean backwards to not bump noses with him.

Todo grabbed onto his wrist and pulled it away from his nose with little to no effort. He sent a quick glance down at the bloodied glove and then at the small trail that had smudged under Izuku’s nose. His face twisted into one of near panic at the sight, eyes filled with worry and horror at the same time.

“Guess it’s my time to have a nosebleed, huh?” Izuku chuckled awkwardly followed by a very audibly gulp. He leaned his head a bit to the side so that Todo’s cold breath wouldn’t hit him straight in the face.

“I told you to be careful,” Todo scolded, bringing his right hand up and brushed his cold fingers above Izuku’s upper lip. Smudges of blood painted over the back of his fingers as a result.

“You don’t have to. I’m fine, really,” Izuku insisted, feeling how his face grew hot despite the cold touch. If he took a deep breath, Izuku could taste the faint hint of frost in the air. “It’ll stop bleeding on its own.”

Todo frowned, pushing the joints of his fingers carefully up against Izuku’s nose. It stung as the cold made contact with the sensitive area. Pain caused him to flinch and sent an involuntary shudder to up his spine. He almost sneezed as he took a breath through his nose, the cold air biting inside his nostrils.

“You should go see Recovery Girl.”

“No!” Izuku exclaimed, earning an odd glance from Kaminari and Jirou. He waved them away, hiding himself behind Todo’s torso so as to not draw attention to his injured nose. “She will not be happy if I’m there two days in a row.” At Todo’s raised eyebrow, he added, “And it will stop bleeding soon, as you said yourself, remember? So let’s not waste her time with something so simple.”

“Your health isn’t a waste,” Todo said, eyebrows knitting together in a worried expression that easily told Izuku that he had probably misunderstood the meaning behind the words.

“I didn’t mean it like—A nosebleed isn’t as important as a panic attack or getting an explosion to the face, or broken bones and you know, that kind of stuff,” he explained.

Izuku wasn’t sure what the noise Todo made at that explanation meant, and with his face twisted into that worried expression, it could mean anything really. 

“I’ll go see if All Might has any tissues,” he said, looking around for the former number one.

“It’s fine,” Izuku said, rummaging through his many pouches. “I know I put some here somewhere…”

After going through the pouches on his left, he found a small package of tissues in the first one on the right. He pulled it out triumphantly and held it up towards Todo with a big grin. Todo just raised an eyebrow at him, but Izuku saw the twitch in his lips as the alpha reached for the package and snatched a tissue.

“I can do that myself, Todoroki,” Izuku insisted, but Todo didn’t listed to him.

The alpha carefully held the tissue under his nose, wiping a bit to get the blood that had spilled down off of his skin. Izuku could feel how the tip became wet while Todotodo pressed it under his bleeding nostril, the soft paper quickly absorbing the blood.

He glanced to the side, catching Roki staring at them from not too far away. His eyes were wide with something and he had a hand clasped over his mouth. His left side was steaming and the moment their eyes met, Roki looked away immediately. He didn’t just look away either, his whole body turned and his head hung while his shoulders raised up to his ears.

Todo followed his gaze and sighed. “I’m conflicted.”

“You mean Ro—I mean, Todoroki or yourself?” Izuku had to stop himself in the middle to remember what Roki had begged him yesterday. He wasn’t sure if the same applied to Todo, but if one of them wanted Izuku to call them by his real name then it was pretty likely that the other one wanted the same. 

“Other me,” Todo clarified.

“About…” Izuku started, but he didn’t finish the sentence. Did Todo know about the kiss? “What is he conflicted about?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Todo said, shaking his head as he went back to focus on Izuku’s nose.

Izuku kept on massaging his nose when Todo had to leave to go out into the arena. His fingers moved carefully down the bridge to the tip and down below to where the cold of Todo’s touch still lingered. So very cold. Such a big contrast to Roki whose touch always seemed to be so warm. 

Compared to his fire wielding counterpart, Todo seemed less willing to share physical contact, which was very much like what Todoroki had been like before. Very reserved, not necessarily the vocal or social member of the group, and definitely not one for public displays of affection.

Now that Izuku thought about it, even if it had just been two days, he could already point out some major differences between the two Todoroki’s. Todo was quiet, reserved and spent a lot of time to himself. He didn’t refrain from talking to people but at the same time he only seemed to talk when he was approached by others—or when he was scolding Izuku, he thought with a silent laugh. Roki on the other hand, he was physical to a degree that Izuku had never known Todoroki to ever have been like before. He would touch Izuku’s hands, his cheeks and even do intimate things such as brush his hand up Izuku’s thigh and kiss his forehead. He was always close and Izuku was aware of how the red headed alpha was constantly watching him, like his eyes were glued to Izuku’s back. Most of the time he wasn’t very discreet about it either. 

What the two alpha halves did have in common, however, was the way they both seemed to care about Izuku. Every time he was hurt or in some way or form felt down, one of them always managed to find their way to him. Roki was there to catch him, Todo was there to carry him. One too cool down his bruises and the other to warm him up afterwards.

Something else Izuku had noticed was that despite their differences, they still touched the same. It was a bit embarrassing to think back on, but each time he recalled the two halves having touched him, it had felt the same. The only difference had been the temperature. Each caress, each brush of fingers and, whether it was intentional skin contact or not, they mirrored each other perfectly.

He looked up at the screen, seeing it swap between the students inside the arena, trying to make their way across and get ahead of all the others. It switched between the two Todoroki’s, showing just how much they mirrored each other. Izuku wasn’t sure if anyone else saw it, but it was so clear to him. The way Roki used his fire as a propellant, very similar to how Bakugou used his explosions or how Endeavor would use his fire to stay elevated in the air, while Todo used his ice to skate across. Techniques that Todoroki had probably thought about before at some point but had never been capable of or had just chosen not to utilise.

They moved like Todoroki. Their strategies to get across the arena were so much like each others but with their own twists, tailored to their respective quirks. But Izuku still saw them both as one, in an odd way. Each time the back of one of their heads appeared on the screen Izuku’s mind immediately went to “That’s Todoroki” and yet at the same time, the moment he realized which half of Todoroki he was looking at, the differences stood out like cracks on a mirror.

Much to Izuku’s dismay, Roki avoided him the rest of the day. When the classes ended, Roki was gone before Izuku got the chance to talk to him about what happened. Not that he knew much of what he was going to say, but if he didn’t talk to Roki about any of what was going on between them it would gnaw on him till he just couldn’t take it anymore. But the one waiting outside his locker room after class was Todo while Roki was nowhere to be seen.

When they got back to the dorms, Todo said that Roki was in his room and wanted to be left alone. He didn’t even come down for dinner and when Izuku tried to go and check on him, Todo had stopped him.

“Leave me be,” he said, putting a hand on Izuku’s shoulder as if to keep him from going.

“Are you sure?” Izuku asked, eyebrows knitted into a frown as he looked to the elevator and back to Todo. “He looked off during hero practice.”

“I told you, I’m conflicted.”

“That doesn’t explain much,” Izuku said, shoulders falling.

“It’s difficult to explain. Just stay away from me for a while.” And with that, the conversation seemed to be over.

Feeling conflicted himself, Izuku finally decided to join the others. If Todo said to leave Roki alone, it was probably just for the best to give him his space. They could talk when he felt better.

He almost forgot to take the medication Recovery Girl gave him when dinner was over. He had clean up duty with Tsuyu and Ojiro and after they were done everyone had settled into the common room to watch a movie. They had decided on an old All Might film from years ago that first aired before most of them were born. The time had simply just passed by faster than he’d anticipated, so when Izuku remembered he had to take one capsule before he went to bed it was already dark outside. He hurried up to his room to fetch a single capsule and went back downstairs for a glass of water, but when he rounded the corner into the kitchen he stopped in his tracks.

Rokiroki stood leaning against the sink, head turned down and looking away from Izuku with his gaze fixed on the floor. But Izuku still saw that his face was twisted in an expression of guilt with just the smallest hint of determination hidden inside when he gave a quick glance upwards to acknowledge Izuku’s presence.

“It doesn’t bother you at all to get rid of the bond?” Roki crossed his arms over his chest, bangs falling to cover his eyes completely. 

His words were voiced like a question, but they sounded more like he was stating a fact. 

“Todoroki…”

The alpha visibly flinched at the name, squeezing his eyes shut as his mouth twisted into a grimach before going back to his neutral expression. His claws grew, digging into his sleeves before Roki relaxed them, spreading his fingers out as they went back to their normal short state. He tucked them back in under his arms as if to hide them.

Izuku sighed, taking a few steps closer. His fingers tightened around the capsule, as if it had suddenly increased in weight and he was risking losing his hold on it.

“Of course it bothers me, but right now we don’t have many other options,” he said, shoulders falling in a sort of defeat as he slowly took a few more steps closer to Roki. “I don’t want another attack to happen.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Roki spoke in a neutral, monotone voice that sounded just as recorded as Todo’s had on their way to the infirmary, perfectly masked by the facade he’d worn for so many years. But when he spoke next, there was disgust in his voice. “Take a pill and suddenly it means nothing.”

“Means nothing—Todoroki, it’s not easy for me.” Izuku looked at the pill in his hand. Somehow it looked so much worse as it lay atop the scarred flesh, the blue and white contrasting against his crooked fingers with their faint red tinge that would never quite go back to their normal skin tone. “I don’t want the bond to disappear, it’s been there my whole life. But—” He clenched his fist around the pill again and looked up at the alpha, meeting his blue eyes. “—I’m also kinda curious what it would feel like to be like everyone else. Normal people don’t have the type of bond that we do. You can’t tell me you aren’t a little curious on what that would feel like, too?”

“I’m not,” Roki said without hesitation. He pushed off of the counter and came over to Izuku. He took his scarred hand in his hands and ran both thumbs over the clenched fist. “Please don’t take it. We’d be all alone.”

“Todoroki—” Izuku started, not quite sure what he was going to say next. He never got to figure it out, however, because he was interrupted.

“Don’t take what?” Uraraka asked as she walked into the kitchen. Tsuyu was following shortly behind her. “You’re missing the end of the movie.”

“I’ve seen it already, so it’s fine,” Izuku excused himself, still pleading silently for Roki to understand.

“Midoriya, Rokiroki, why are you two holding hands?” Tsuyu asked, pointing at their still joined hands.

Roki let out a snarl at the nickname but didn’t comment on it.

Izuku looked down at their still joined hands and let out a loud yelp. He yanked his hand back maybe a bit too roughly. The pill slipped out of his grasp when he accidentally unclenched his fist. It rolled across the floor, looking like an obvious neon sign with it’s bright colors. He quickly hurried to pick it back up, but it had already been seen.

“What’s that?” Uraraka asked, leaning over to look at the capsule as he picked it up. 

Tsuyu came up behind her and scanned the capsule as well, holding a hand by the side of her mouth as she inspected it. She gave an unintelligible hum.

Izuku retracted his hand, hiding it behind his back. “It’s just some medicine that Recovery Girl gave me. It’s to help with the attack’s I’ve been getting.”

“That’s the second time you’ve had one of those attacks, isn’t it?” Uraraka pointed out. Her eyebrows knitted in concern. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine—” Izuku started saying, but Roki spoke at the same time as he did, “No, it’s not.”

The two looked at each other, Izuku feeling his heartbeat pick up as he met Roki’s gaze. The alpha was almost pleading with him and even without the bond being as strong as it normally was, he could tell that there was some serious internal struggle going on behind those eyes.

Uraraka blinked while Tsuyu raised her eyebrows.

“It doesn’t sound like everything’s fine,” Tsuyu said in her usual monotone voice. “Midoriya, you started having the attacks right after Todoroki’s split happened, right? I don’t remember you having any before.”

“Neither do I,” Uraraka agreed. “Deku, you haven’t been hiding something bad from us have you?”

She took a step forwards, eyes full of concern.

“No, they started yesterday,” Izuku admitted. With a much lower voice, he added, “Coincidentally when Todoroki was split into two people.”

“Coincidentally…?”

Izuku ignored the three sets of eyes looking at him, fists clenching tightly at his sides. He could feel the curious eyes of Tsuyu and Uraraka as they tried to understand the situation, just trying to be good friends and help. But the gaze he was more concerned with was the one that burned as it hit him, like Roki’s eyes were lighting Izuku on fire with just a look.

He didn’t want to have another attack. He didn’t want Todoroki to feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want the bond to disappear. But now that he had the opportunity to know what it sort of felt like without it, he couldn’t deny wanting to take it. To know what it was like for everyone else.

According to the fated bond, Izuku and Todoroki were meant to be together. But what would happen if they hadn’t been fated mates? Would things still have evolved the same way they’d done up to this moment or would they have gone down a different route?

Izuku bit his lip before letting out a long sigh. His whole body relaxed and suddenly, he felt like he was about to do something wrong.

“Sorry, Todoroki,” he mumbled so quietly that only the alpha could have heard him.

Then, before Roki had the opportunity to stop him, Izuku grabbed a class from the cupboard and filled it up with water. He raised the pill to his lips and right before he had the chance to close his mouth around it, Roki had practically run over to him. He held out a hand while the other supported him from the counter.

“Midoriya, please,” Roki begged, his eyes pleading and desperation leaking into his voice like never before.

But Izuku had already raised the glass. He popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed before Roki could stop him.

Todoroki had never looked as betrayed as he had that moment when Izuku looked up at him again. His eyes wide and mouth left hanging partly open. Something wet shone in the corners of his eyes that looked a little like tears. But before Izuku could see it properly, Roki narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth tightly. He took a step back, his hands falling to his side’s. His left fist letting out steam.

Uraraka looked between the two, eyes wide and confused. Tsuyu let out a barely audible hum as she inspected the situation. At that exact moment, Iida walked around the corner.

“I came to inform you that the movie is over,” he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, revealing a pair of purple bags underneath his eyes. He stopped, looking around the room, clearly noticing the tense atmosphere that had spread throughout the kitchen. “What is happening?”

“I don’t know…” Uraraka leaned over and whispered, eyes still fixated on Izuku and Roki. She cupped a hand over her mouth and kept whispering, but Izuku’s focus wasn’t on her at the moment so he couldn’t make out what she was saying. Instead he kept his eyes focused on Rokiroki.

“Todoroki, it’s for the best for now,” he said, stressig the last two words as he felt the betrayed look the alpha gave him bore into his skin.

Roki didn’t answer him. Instead he turned his head away. His fists clenched at his sides so tightly that they shook, a few flames licked up his fingers.

“...But I don’t know why Rokiroki wouldn’t want Deku to take the medicine. I don’t know what the medicine is, either,” Uraraka said, sounding like she’d just finished telling a story. Iida gave a nod, rubbing his chin as he looked across the room, but before he comment on what Uraraka had just told him, Roki spoke up.

“They’re Sensory Dampeners,” he informed the room.

“What’s that?” Uraraka asked, eyebrows knitted together in thought.

“Sensory Dampeners are a type of medicine given to certain mated pairs to lessen the intensity of a mating bond, for better efficiency during patrols, among other things,” Iida explain, pushing his glasses further up on his nose. “Many in my family utilize them during important missions to remove distractions.”

Of course Iida, coming from a long line of predominantly alpha’s and a pro hero family, would know what dampeners were.

Uraraka frowned. “Deku, why would she give you dampeners?”

“It’s, well…” Izuku started, making gestures with his hands as if that would explain it away. He looked at Roki for help, but the alpha wasn’t looking at him. His arms fell down, a heavy pit starting to form in his stomach. “It’s sort of like that, I guess.”

“It’s like what?” Uraraka asked, looking even more confused than before.

“We’re fated mates,” Roki said. He gave Izuku a look that he couldn’t decipher before he turned around and left the kitchen.

“Todoroki!” Izuku called after him but the alpha didn’t listen. His shoulders slumped with a sigh. How could the two Todoroki’s have so vastly different opinions on this? Weren’t they still supposed to be the same person?

Uraraka’s face lit up immediately. She clasped her hands together loudly and floated up in the air for a few seconds before she landed back down on the floor. A big bright smile spread across the beta’s face as she leaned forwards towards Izuku.

“Congratulations!” she exclaimed. “I had no idea.”

“It’s like that,” Tsuyu mumbled to herself, giving a nod as if it all suddenly made sense. "That must be why you’re panic attacks coincide with Todoroki.”

“Because there's two of him,” Uraraka said, sharing a look with Tsuyu.

Izuku nodded, leaning backwards a bit. He looked after where Roki had disappeared around the corner. Him blurting out that they were fated mates had completely taken Izuku by surprise. 

“I can’t believe Todoroki’s your mate! And you’re soulmate’s, too,” Uraraka gushed. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Mate—what? No, we’re not—” Izuku stumbled over his words, feeling his cheeks heat up at the implications of mating.

“Midoriya, as your friend, I am happy for you.” Iida placed a hand on Izuku’s shoulder as he gave his congratulations, but Izuku suspected that there was more following. “But it is highly inappropriate to mate at our age. We are far too young to make such important life decisions. You should at the very least have gone through a proper mating ceremony.”

“It’s not like that!” Izuku exclaimed, silencing his friends immediately. For once he didn’t care if he might have been heard by their classmates in the common room. He cleared his throat and let out a sigh. “It’s not like that at all.”

“It’s not?” Uraraka asked, brow furrowing.

He shook his head. “It’s kinda, uh—yes, we are fated mates, but we’re not… We’re just friends. I mean, I haven’t even presented yet so it wouldn’t even be possible for us to… you know, that… I guess.”

“Really? But aren’t soulmate’s supposed to be like this super romantic thing?”

“Neither of us wanted to be something more,” Izuku said, suddenly feeling extremely exhausted and tired of the whole situation.

He had thought about it on occasion, what a relationship with Todoroki would be like. Knowing that the alpha was his fated mate, he hadn’t been able to help himself. Especially since it was such a rare thing that everyone seemed to want. Would they be holding hands as they walked to school? Would they sleep over in each other’s dorm rooms? Share food and joke around with each other? Would Todoroki give him something for Izuku to put in his nest? Would they, maybe, kiss...?

But that was all because of the soulbond. That was what Izuku told himself. Those kinds of thoughts were only brought upon by the knowledge that he and Todoroki, based on biology alone, was supposed to be a couple; And that’s the excuse Izuku had stuck with. But that hadn’t stopped him from sneaking the occasional glance when he got the opportunity. Not with any ulterior motives, but just because that’s where his eyes would wander. An innocent glance in the direction of a friend.

Todoroki didn’t want anything like that. He’d said so. Not straight out or in so many words, but as far as Izuku had understood it, it had been implied. That day when they’d decided to be just friends, Todoroki hadn’t argued. He’d agreed and that had been that. They had never brought it up again.

“But aren’t soulmates supposed to be drawn to each other?” Uraraka asked.

“It is an exceptionally rare condition,” Iida said, correcting his glasses once more as he spoke. “Perhaps it’s not as the legends say.”

“We’re okay with just being friends,” Izuku said with a nod. The pit in his stomach seemed to grow bigger with each word of that sentence he spoke out loud. His mind kept flashing back to that look in Roki’s eyes, the one that looked like he was about to cry.

They were okay with being just friends, weren’t they…?

“Those dampeners,” Tsuyu started, speaking slowly as if she was thinking along with each word she said. “They will take away the bond that you two share?”

Izuku reached behind his neck and brushed over the patch. He nodded again. “It will dampen it, yes.”

“Rokiroki didn’t seem like he wanted you take them,” she continued.

“He doesn’t,” Izuku agreed.

“Why not? If they help stop your attacks,” Uraraka said, leaning her head to the side.

“Because the bond has been there since we were born,” Izuku explained. “I’ve felt it since I was little and I bet it’s the same for Todoroki. He’s worried about what dampening it will do.”

“Alpha’s are extremely over-protective over their mates,” Iida explained. “As fated mates, Todoroki must see you as someone he is obligated to look after.”

“But Deku said they’re not mates yet. Doesn’t that mean he shouldn’t have those kinds of feelings, right?” Uraraka asked.

“An alpha can get protective over more than just their mate. Those protective instincts will appear for both friends and family if they are threatened as well. Being his fated mate, Todoroki most likely feel a need to protect you, Midoriya,” Iida said. “Silencing the bond between you must make him incredibly uncomfortable. It goes against his instincts.”

“I didn’t know that—Well, I knew about the protective instincts, we’ve already talked about those—, but I didn’t know that they were that strong,” Izuku said with a frown. Todoroki had never mention anything about it being difficult to stay the way they were.

Iida nodded as if in confirmation. “Suppressing such natural instincts for too long could lead to unwanted consequences. It’s what happens when an alpha loose control and give in to the Inner Beast.”

“The Inner Beast?” Izuku asked. That was a term he’d come across online a few times, but he didn’t know what it meant.

“It’s an informal term used for the innermost primal parts of an alpha’s core,” Iida explained. “The Inner Beast is what causes an alpha’s rut.”

“I definitely didn’t know that,” Izuku muttered to himself. How long had Todoroki been keeping those kinds of instincts to himself? He couldn’t have been suppressing them ever since the Sports Festival, could he? “I need to go. Thank you, Iida.”

Izuku ran out of the kitchen, hurrying towards the elevator. Rokiroki must have gone to his room.

Roki slammed his door shut when he’d reached his bedroom. He might have accidentally activated his quirk in the process, leaving a black scorch mark around the door handle. But he didn’t notice the burn, too consumed by the fire that had erupted inside his chest to be able to care.

He could physically feel it. The way the bond was disintegrating around him, leaving him to wonder if it would ever really go back to what it was before. How could their bond be restored after being so brutally abused? It was unnatural. It was inhumane.

As the minutes ticked by, the further and further away from him Midoriya got. He just couldn’t keep up with his pace. Even when it came to their current academics, Todoroki had fallen behind Midoriya. Watching as his back got further ahead of him, looking over his shoulder as if he was waiting for him to catch up. Always with that bright smile, holding out a hand and willing to help.

Midoriya wasn’t looking back at him anymore, so focused ahead that Roki became irrelevant. No hand reaching out for him and so far away that he was nothing but a dot in the horizon.

How could that view have gotten so distorted? 

Had it been right, what they decided their first year? Had he fucked up by not arguing with Midoriya about being just friends? Had he ruined any and all chances of being something more in that one singular moment of weakness? Where would they be today if Todoroki had just said something? If he’d just shamelessly admitted, both to himself and to Midoriya, that maybe he didn’t want to be just friends.

To be perfectly honest, Roki wasn’t quite sure what he wanted from Midoriya right now; Or even what he’d wanted back then, for that matter. He knew that he felt more for the omega than a friend did. He wasn’t that oblivious as to not know the difference between having a crush on someone and having genuine strong, maybe even romantic feelings towards them. He was sheltered, but even Endeavor hadn’t been that much of an asshole to fuck up that part of his education. Not that he’d been very good at it, usually only hiring professional omega’s to help out with his son’s ruts and leaving it to them to educate, but the point still stood.

But the fact that Todoroki hadn’t realized earlier was all on him. No one else.

Would Midoriya be standing right next to him right now if he had understood sooner? Would he be holding his hand as they sat on the only piece of furniture in the room and talked. Worked this out. Would they go to sleep together? Would Midoriya wrap his arms around him in a warm embrace and say he understood?

Roki wanted that. He wanted that warmth, the feeling that came when Midoriya was close. The night in the kitchen had been right. The kiss in the elevator had been right. So right that it had terrified him with how much he had wanted Midoriya in those short, singular moments.

It was clear that Midoriya wasn’t going to stop taking those pills, and who knew how long Todoroki was going to be stuck like this. The worst case scenario, it could be months. Months without being able to feel Midoriya in the back of his head. Months of being alone and empty.

Roki frowned as he looked down on his left hand. He could still feel Midoriya’s hand in his own, like the omega was standing in front of him. The way his hands felt wrapped in Roki’s long fingers was just right. Like a blanket around crooked appendages, like his touch would be able to heal all the scars and erase all of the lingering pain left behind by Todoroki’s stubbornness.

There must be a way to keep him close without the bond. He just didn’t know what that was yet. He wasn’t that well versed in romance or relationships or close bonds like he probably should be with a fated mate. Todoroki only knew the basics of romance and of what attraction could do to you. Everything else he felt or imagined, desires that kept on bubbling underneath the surface ready to boil over were all so foreign to him that he wasn’t sure what to do with any of it.

He looked down on his clenched fist, opening it slowly and lit it on fire. The flames danced over his fingers, like a living being moving across his skin filled with its own free will. Passionate and powerful, a beautiful thing made to destroy but still capable of giving warmth and comfort. 

In that moment, he made a decision. If he wouldn’t be able to keep Midoriya close through the bond between them, then he would just have to find another way.

Roki turned and walked out of his room, heading straight for the elevator. He pushed the button, but realized that he hadn’t needed to. The numbers above the doors showed that it was already moving upwards, heading straight for the top floor. When the doors opened, his eyes widened in a split second of shock as he saw round and surprised green eyes looking back at him.

"Todoroki?"

He slammed a hand between the elevator door as if to push them open faster, maybe with a bit more force than he’d intended. With his eyes hidden behind his bangs, Roki stepped inside the elevator and clicked the button for the doors to close.

“Midoriya.”

Chapter Text

He wasn’t sure if Roki knew that he was doing it, but the alpha was releasing an unnatural amount of strong pheromones. They hit like in waves, crashing against Izuku like he was a cliff in the ocean. They swarmed around in the small space, filling up the elevator until all Izuku could smell was Roki. Roki, alpha and burning pheromones. It made the still dormant omega inside of him squirm. Like prey cornered by a predator, which was a pretty fitting description of what was happening as Roki ran his fingers up the control panel. First pressing the button to close the doors and then—something that made Izuku swallow as he followed Roki’s fingers with his eyes—the stop button.

The elevator gave a sudden jolt as the stop mechanism got to work. The doors closed, trapping the two of them inside until either someone outside did a manual override or one of them pressed the stop button one more time to start the elevator back up again.

It was just the two of them. Almost as if the outside world had disappeared behind those mechanic doors. Like Izuku and Roki had become trapped in their own separate dimension where no one could reach them. A world all to themselves.

Roki’s eyes were half covered by long strands of red, but the fiery blue of his eyes still shone through. Eyes narrowed with determination and something, dare he say, primal burning behind the intense gaze.

The temperature inside of the elevator increased rapidly until sweat was dripping down Izuku’s temple. He pulled on the collar of his t-shirt to alleviate some of the sudden heat as he found himself pushing back up against the back of the elevator as his legs turned heavy like two sacks of sand.

“To—” Izuku had to stop to swallow as a lump started to form in the back of his throat. He made a grimach at how audible it was. “Todoroki, I was just on my way to your room.”

A red eyebrow raised upwards slightly as Roki straightened his back, using the few inches he had above Izuku to near tower over the omega. He wasn’t even standing all that close, still over by the door panel, but Izuku still felt like he’d just gotten himself trapped inside of a cage. Even more so when he saw the way Roki’s pupils shifted, vibrating in his eyes for a quick second. It almost looked like they shrunk down to small slits, but they were back to normal too fast for Izuku to be sure.

“You were?” Roki asked, somehow managing to sound monotone and surprised at the same time.

He took a long step forwards.

“I was.” Izuku nodded, doing his best to keep himself standing upright with a straight back. But his knees were on the verge of buckling and he couldn’t understand why he had the sudden urge to slide further down the wall, to make himself small.

He had no idea what was happening or why he was reacting the way he was. Why the intense look inside of Roki’s eyes made him want to curl in on himself like a child who’d done something wrong. It made no sense to him. It was feeling that he’d never experienced before. Not with any other alpha. Not even with Bakugou and they’d shared their fare share of moments. Most involved Izuku being bullied, but the point still stood.

Bakugou had presented as an alpha during the start of their last year of middle school, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Izuku had assumed his childhood friend was an alpha long before it became common knowledge to everyone. He supposed it was just the kind of energy that Bakugou gave off.

No newly presented alpha knew how to control their pheromones. They’d never released such a massive amount before, or anywhere that strong, either. That was why most young alpha’s used temporary medication for the issue, sort of like scent blockers but not quite the same.

Even knowing that he was an omega, Izuku had never been affected by an alpha’s pheromones the way that an omega should be. Or even just the way that a hormonal teenager, regardless of their secondary gender, should react to an alpha giving off massive amounts of pheromones, whether with sexual intentions or not. For a long time Izuku had just written it off as a side effect of him not having presented yet and that it was because he had yet to have his first heat, but even then an alpha’s pheromones should still have had some form of effect on him. Even if they wouldn’t necessarily make him go into heat.

Izuku knew that that was something that had pissed Bakugou off for the longest time. Most omega’s and beta’s wouldn’t question an alpha simply because of their dominating presence alone. Add pheromones to that and it was easy to understand why the majority of the world’s leading population was composed of alpha’s.

But now, with Roki’s pheromones going haywire and with the intense stare and the cramped space they were currently in, Izuku couldn’t explain the way his heartbeat was picking up. Why his muscles suddenly felt like they were melting and turning into jelly, or the reason why his whole body had suddenly grown hot without explanation.

Roki smiled. The corners of his lips twitching upwards. “Good. I wanted to see you.”

“Really?” Izuku asked, fighting down the stammer that tried to fight itself into his voice. He gestured with his hands, pointing in two different directions as he spoke. “I thought—since you ran off earlier—that you didn’t want to see me… maybe.”

“I always want to see you, Midoriya.”

Izuku’s lips formed a thin line, shutting down whatever it was he meant to say as his face grew hot. Hotter than it already was. He held his breath as Roki took another step towards him and ended up right in front of him. The alpha ran a thumb over his cheek, going on to cover it with his whole hand.

“You’re so soft,” he chuckled quietly, seemingly talking to himself as he spoke. His expression relaxed and an almost relieved sigh escaped him. His chest expanded and fell with the inhale.

“O-oh… uhm… “ Izuku bit his bottom lip.

He didn't know how to respond to that. What to respond to any of that. Because where had all of this come from? Where had the angry and disappointed alpha from just a few minutes ago gone?

Roki leaned forwards and for a second he thought that Roki was going to kiss his forehead again. But instead he ran his nose through Izuku’s green curls, taking in a long breath of air as he moved from the crown of his head down to his neck.

Izuku let out a shaky breath, unable to hold it in for much longer. He closed his eyes and almost whimpered when he felt Roki’s lips and nose ghost over his skin and—oh God, was that his tongue?!

Then the red headed alpha abruptly stopped. He leaned back, a frown on his face with a puzzled look. “Midoriya?”

“Y-yes?” Izuku squeaked, unable to stop the high pitch his voice reached.

“You are an omega, right?”

“I am,” he replied slowly.

Roki made an odd noise, sounding like a mix of a hum and something unintelligable. “I wouldn’t have been able to tell by your scent alone. It’s not distinct. Not even like that of a beta. How do you know?”

“I’m, uh—it’s anatomy, biology. I have a, sort of, you know, d-different body parts from…” He had to stop to swallow before he continued, fighting down the lump taht was blocking his throat. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down his racing heart that had picked up at the question, at the simple observation. “I have different body parts from that of a normal male. It’s rare for someone who’s not an omega to be… to have the kind of anatomy that I do.”

Roki hummed and gave a nod that he understood. “But not impossible. Right?”

“It’s not impossible,” Izuku confirmed with a nod of his own. “But there is one big difference between an omega and an intersex male alpha or beta.”

“And what is that?”

Izuku’s face burned red and he hid his face as best he could behind his bangs. His shoulders rose like he was trying to hide himself behind them. Making himself look small and unapproachable. “...They don’t have a womb.”

“And you do?” Roki asked, seemingly unphased by the topic. He actually sounded quite interested by it.

Izuku nodded slowly.

Out of the six gender combinations there were only two that could be identified at birth. Male omega’s and female alpha’s. Both because of their unique biology that made them stand out from their peers. While it wasn’t impossible for any of the secondary genders to be born with the wrong set of genitalia, it was an extremely rare case. Male omega’s and female alpha’s always had the same type of biology, while the other combinations were never that regular or looked the same.

Apparently Inko had known that Izuku was an omega from the moment he was born. The doctors had noticed his odd anatomy immediately and even before that they had supposedly had their suspicions. At least according to his mother. They’d seen it on the ultrasound, she’d said, that Izuku seemed to be lacking certain body parts that normal males possessed. But they had never been able to be certain. That was until he was born and their suspicions were confirmed. After a quick scan of his abdomen, there had been no denying it.

It had made the news for a while that a male omega had been born in Japan. It was so rare that the news had run the story for a good couple of days. But when his parents had refused to give out names or give any type of interviews on the matter, the story had soon faded.

It was something that Izuku was grateful for. He wasn’t sure he could have survived growing up having the whole country know his secondary gender. Especially not with how most of his male classmates from middle school had viewed particularly male omega’s. Even to a lot of adults, male omega’s were no different than women.

It had taken a lot for Izuku to open up about his secondary gender at U.A, but because of the laws it had been impossible to hide it for too long. You could only make so many excuses as to why he wasn’t changing with the rest of his male classmates or why he never seemed to use the male restrooms. Eventually he had garnered the ocurage to tell them what they asked, answering as many questions as he was comfortable with and avoiding the ones he didn’t want to talk about. But it had all worked out.

“And uh…” Izuku cleared his throat, unable to get the words out. This was not the conversation he’d planned on having with Rokiroki. “Todoroki, this isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“I’m sorry if I have offended you,” Roki apologized, bring up his other hand to cup Izuku’s cheek. His thumb ran over the many freckles and up under his eye.

“What—You didn’t offend me,” Izuku hurried to say. “I wanted to talk with you about the medicine and the bond and you know, that thing. All of the instincts and all that. Maybe clear up some things?”

“Why?”

“Because something is bothering you and I… I want to be there for you,” Izuku said, voice faltering a bit at the end. “I feel like I’ve been a bad friend.”

“You haven’t been a bad friend, Midoriya,” Roki said, speaking as if he was choosing his words carefully. “I think I’ve overstepped boundaries and that I haven’t realized.” At Izuku’s confused expression, Roki clarified, “My other me thinks that I have overstepped boundaries with you. I suppose I’m right. Prying into your secondary gender is very rude of me. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I don’t think you’ve overstepped any boundaries and you definitely haven’t offended me,” Izuku reassured. “Does me being an omega have anything to do with why you’re afraid of losing the bond?”

There was a bit of silence so Izuku hurried to say more.

“I mean, since you asked about it so suddenly, I figured—and we’re fated mates, so that probably has something to do with it as well, right? At least that’s what Iida said, protective alpha instincts. You know, the ones we talked about first year, the… uhm… the possessive ones? A-and I get it if you’re feeling protective and that maybe the split has something to do with it, plus my glands are swelling which is releasing hormones, it’s a lot at once and—”

“Midoriya,” Roki interrupted, grabbing both of his cheeks in a firm grip and forcing Izuku to look at him.

He bit his lip to shut himself up. He swallowed. “Y-yes?”

“With the bond, you are always close. Without it, you are far away and I want to keep you close beside me so I know that you’re safe,” Roki explained.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” Izuku said with a small shrug, hoping he sounded reassuring. Because it seemed like that was what Roki needed right now. Reassurance that Izuku wasn’t going to just leave him because of the bond being temporarily subdued.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” he asked, hoping that Roki could clarify.

Roki let go of Izuku’s cheeks, letting his hands fall down by his sides for a moment as he seemed to be thinking. Probably trying to find the best way to explain himself. Then he inhaled, his shoulders rising and falling. He closed his eyes in the process and when he opened them there was something else in them. Something that Izuku couldn’t properly place.

“I’m not quite sure myself yet,” Roki near whispered, placing an arm above Izuku’s head.

His fingers brushed through the green curls while the other ran up the side of Izuku’s arm. It was like electricity sparked between Roki’s fingertips and Izuku’s skin. Like their bodies knew something that they didn’t.

“Todoroki, it’s gotten—your quirk, it’s really hot in here,” Izuku stammered, looking into those fiery blue eyes. He wasn’t sure what else to say. For a split second, he wasn’t sure if he was going to drown in the blue orbs or if they were going to burn him to ash. “And you’re very close.”

“I’m not very good with words. This is the only way I know that will make you understand,” Roki said, leaning down to whisper the nexxt word into his ear. “Izuku.”

A single words—his name too, of all things—should not have been enough to make him question everything that had happened in the last year leading up to now. Every decision he and Todoroki had made about their relationship. Because hearing the alpha speak his name like that just sounded too good to his ears. Too much like he’d been missing out on something he could have had, like the sand was running through his fingers and if he didn’t hurry and grip his hand tighthly he would lose it all.

Questions were starting to pile up and he was suddenly faced with a building sense of doubt. A weed growing inside of his brain, wrapping it in its vines and pricking at his brain with its sharp thorns.

Why was Todoroki looking at him like that? What did it mean? Why was he always so close? And the way the two halves had been acting, it was so different from the Todoroki he knew, and yet, at the same time, so very similar. But it was the small acts, those tiny differences that was slowly making Izuku question himself. The fact that Roki currently had him pushed up against the back of an elevator was definitely at the top of the list.

“What… What are you doing?” Izuku asked, squeezing his eyes shut. He hated how his voice shook at the close proximity between the two of them.

A part of him—a part that was very much submissive and very much omega—liked being pushed up against the wall. Whether it was by all of Todoroki of if it was just Roki didn’t matter. His brain still registered the two as the same person; And all that part could think about right now was that Todoroki, his soulmate, his alpha , was so close and releasing so many pheromones that his nostrils burned with them.

“You don’t know?” A rough and coarse tongue licked up the shell of his ear.

“That’s why I’m asking,” Izuku practically gasped. His breath caught inhis throat and his knees shook. “Frie-friends don’t, they don’t do this kind of thing, Todoroki.”

“I only agreed to that because I didn’t want to lose you,” Roki said, blowing hot air against Izuku’s ear.

“...What?” Izuku blinked, taken completely by surprise by the confession.

Roki buried his face in his neck again and took a deep breath. His exhale tickled and the air was hot.

“I’ve wanted to bite you since I found out you were mine. I want the world to know who’s omega you are. I want to claim you, mount you like we are fated to do.”

The way he said the word fated sent a spike of something unknown and foreign up Izuku’s spine that he had never experienced before. But it was nothing compared to the images that filled his head at the thought of Todoroki mounting him—God, how was he supposed to look him in the eyes after that?

His knees completely gave out, buckling and folding like a lawn chair caught in a strong gust of wind. But he didn’t slide to the floor. A thigh was roughly shoved between his thighs, pushing against his groin as his whole weight rested on Roki’s leg.

“I thought I could do this, be your friend. But I don’t want that,” Roki continued, teeth grazing over his throat. “I want more. I want so much more.”

Izuku gasped in surprise, his whole body jerked at the words. He knit one hand tightly into Roki’s shirt as he leaned his head back. The whimper that left him as the alpha dragged his teeth up to his jawline and let his lips ghost over his skin like a phantom was unlike any noise Izuku had ever let out before or knew that he was even capable of making.

He clasped a hand over his mouth to keep himself quiet. He tried to gain some support with his legs but only ended up grinding against Roki’s thigh, which dragged a very lewd sounding moan from his lips as his loins started to pulse dangerously.

God dammit, he had no idea what was even happening anymore. Or, rather he knew what was happening. He understood exactly what Todoroki was doing. He was a hormonal teenage boy, after all, he still had urges. What he didn’t understand was why Todoroki was doing it. What could possibly have happened between Roki storming out of the kitchen and them meeting back up in the elevator to bring upon this sudden change in attitude?

Roki moved from Izuku’s jawline back down to his neck. He licked the skin before Izuku felt sharp teeth nibble at his jugular, lips sucking like he was trying to draw blood.

“To-Todoroki…” Izuku was unable to properly silence the moan, but it was muffled by his hand.

A low rumble against his throat caused him to whine, unable to process the sound for a hot second. Then he realized that it had been Roki growling and his insides turned and fluttered in an unnatural way.

He heard something rip and he found the need to grasp onto something better. He needed something, something physical to ground himself in. His fingers fumbled down his chin to Roki’s shoulder and then to the back of his head where he grabbed onto the red hair tightly. But he didn’t pull the alpha off of him. He didn’t even try to move Todoroki away from his neck. Instead he just held onto him, as if he was trying to keep the alpha from moving.

Izuku had no idea what was going on or why Todoroki was doing any of this. The situation made his head swirl and his brain to near short circuit, but something inside of him was reacting. he didn’t know if it was hormones, if it was the soul bond or if it was something else, but he didn’t hate it. He didn’t want any of this to stop.

Todo’s eyes nearly flew open as the scent of something sweet hit his nostrils. A scent that lacked proper distinction, yet had an undertone of electricity in it. Nothing more than sparks that popped off in the background. He laid there for a few seconds, trying to place the scent as he stared up at the ceiling. He licked his lips, tasting nothing and something at the same time. Something fleshy and salty. Somehow it still tasted delicious despite the fact that it shouldn’t.

He sat up upright, pushing the duvet away. He took a long whiff of the air, inhaling as much of the rooms natural aroma as he could. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the only pheromones sticking to the walls and furniture was his own. Nothing about it was alarming, nothing in his room was out of place. But at the same time he could smell hormones, dull pheromones that wasn’t his own.

With a growl in the back of his throat, Todo got up. He threw the duvet to the floor as he pulled on a pair of slacks before leaving the room with narrowed eyes and a glare ready.

He headed straight for the elevator. Letting his instincts lead the way. But when he reached it and pushed the button, nothing happened. It didn’t even start glowing and when he looked up at the small screen above the doors he saw a large X blinking in and out.

Todo tapped the ground with his foot, cold spreading throughout the hallway. Frost spread up his leg and over his right hand before a large spike of ice shot up from the ground. It forcefully pushed the doors apart. At first only a gap of about thirty centimeters parted but Todo froze the rest of the doors, breaking whatever mechanism stopping them from being fully forced apart.

His other half was looking at him from inside—he must have been able to tell that Todo was on his way—, torso half turned towards him with a sharp glare. Behind him was Midoriya, leaned against the wall with his knees bent, face flushed and a couple of very distinct red marks adorning his neck.

Chapter Text

The heat inside of the elevator was quickly quelled by a sudden gust of cold air, like a raging snowstorm it forced its way inside of the four cramped walls. Izuku shivered, feeling how the air nipped at his skin and bit at his cheeks. If his face hadn’t already been red from what was starting to feel like a permanent blush, he bet that he would have flushed red from the cold alone.

“Get away from him,” Todo commanded, eyes narrowing dangerously as he fixed his gaze on his other half. There was a low growl lying underneath his words. His words were demanding to the point that even Izuku’s already tense muscles tightened further. Almost like he was looking at the old Todoroki again, the one from before their fight at the Sports Festival. “Right. Now.”

“Fuck off.”

Izuku physically jerked at the violent reply, sweat forming on his forehead as a wave of heat hit him. It was falling off of Roki in waves, creating visible distortions in the air around the alpha and crashing against Izuku with the warmth of a forest fire. Surrounding him in the strong, burning pheromones. The same pheromones that made his knees want to buckle into a mushy mess.

He looked from Todo and back to Roki. His shoulders were tight, raised in a way that suggested action. His whole body seeming to be on high alert and ready to move if the situation so required. He stood half covering Izuku like a protector. It would have been so unlike his previous predatory aura if it hadn’t been for the small thin slits his pupils had formed. When he spoke, canines were growing and Izuku saw them clearly when Roki snarled. Maybe it was more like a predator protecting its prey, after all.

“Can’t even get some privacy from myself,” he huffed, throwing a glance at Izuku. His eyes were burning again. Burning like an out of control fire, blue glinting like something sharp and dangerous were hidden deep inside of the flames.

Todo took a step closer to the elevator. With each step he took forwards, frost spread out over the right side of the corridor. It moved over the floor and walls like a living creature, climbing onto the elevator hungrily until steam was falling off of the walls. The hot and cold air hit each other like two physical beings crashing into each other, sending a strong expansion of air outwards. Steam formed where the temperatures clashed, surrounding the two alpha’s in a near mystical mist that made them look all the more dangerous.

“Control my pheromones and get away from Midoriya.”

It was an order. There was no other explanation for the tone of voice Todo had used. Sounding almost like that of authority figure; Almost too much like Endeavor, Izuku realized with a gulp. It was a tone of voice Izuku had never heard from Todoroki before. There had never been a moment when Todoroki’s voice had had such a harshness to it. A cold and unfeeling tone that left no room for argument. It demanded obedience.

Roki tilted his head towards Midoriya. He raised his chin up defiantly and threw a glance towards Todo with a twitch in his lips. “No.”

“I said—”

“I heard what I said, and I say no.”

Something almost visible hung in the air as the two halves of a whole stared each other down. It appeared once again like they were having a silent conversation with each other. Those glances that showed that they knew what the other was about to say, leaving the words unspoken but somehow still understood.

Todo outright growled, showing his teeth and pupils vibrating into thin slits. His fingers spread out inside of the dissipating steam, claws drawn. Then he clenched them tightly to the point where Izuku worried he must be hurting himself. Todo’s fingers fell relaxed to his sides, claws shrinking back down into their blunt state.

“Midoriya, come here,” Todo called, nodding with his head for Izuku to come towards him. More precisely, to get behind him.

He looked between Todo and Roki, for a moment completely at a loss at what to do. It was like he’d stumbled into the middle of a fight between two carnivores and he was very close to being nothing but a piece of meat. One wrong move and he’d be ripped to shred by sharp claws and ravenous teeth.

He swallowed, breath shaking as he exhaled. Slowly and very carefully Izuku pushed off of the wall. His fingers shook and his knees were heavy. His brain was fighting hard to catch up to what he should do in the moment, making it very difficult to instruct his legs to actually move forwards. He was still in the middle of the process of understanding and analyzing Roki’s actions and everything else that had just happened. Roki’s lips on his skin, his teeth nibbling at his neck, his tongue tasting his flesh. The bites, the sucking, the kisses. Roki’s words still echoed inside of his head, bouncing around like a rubbed ball. Crushing everything in its path and leaving chaos behind.

“Stay right where you are.”

It was like everything froze. Time had stopped and Izuku’s body was stuck in place while his mind remained conscious, thrown completely out of balance with five short words. He tried to move his feet, tried to push off of the wall, tried to move his hands, but something uncomfortable burned inside, stopping him. He barely managed to move his head to the side—just a tilt—to look at Roki with wide eyes, suddenly realizing how very little control he actually had in that very moment.

Todo’s eyes grew wide in both surprise and anger before they narrowed dangerously. Steam started falling off of his right side like a waterfall and frost was spreading near uncontrollably both ahead and behind him. There was a layer of frost on his collar and at the edge of his sleeve, and it was growing at a rapid pace up over his clothes. A snowstorm blew wild inside those grey eyes and the temperature had dropped below zero. Roki and his immense body heat was the only thing that kept Izuku from reacting to the cold.

“Don’t I dare use that tone on him ever again,” Todo growled, sending another wave of something unknown rocking through Izuku.

It was like he’d been glued to the spot. His legs refused to listen, refused to move. He was nailed to the spot but still capable of moving his head, move his eyes, understand what was going on and somehow, on some deep, twisted level, consciously make the decision not to move. To listen and to do what he’d been told. It was like his brain had completely shut down and something else was taking control. Something so foreign that it scared Izuku to the point where his whole body started to shake. The feeling he got was almost exactly the same as when Roki had started releasing uncontrollable amounts of pheromones, but with a different result.

He grit his teeth together, fighting whatever it was, whatever dormant instinct that had taken control over his body, until green lightning sparked up around his entire body. The whole elevator jerked dangerously, creaking and walls smacking against the metal bars holding it up, as a large gust of energy erupted form Izuku, forcing both Roki and Todo to take a couple of steps back. Roki’s back hit the side of the elevator with a thud, a loud grunt escaping him at the impact, and Todo almost slipped on the ice. A large wall of ice shot up behind him, keeping him from falling over.

Izuku let out a round of heavy breaths, staring down at his feet with wide and fearful eyes. For a moment, he’d thought that he had been brainwashed again, but that couldn’t have been it. The sensation was completely different. It wasn’t that his body was beyond his control and that his mind was clouded over with a heavy fog, but that something hidden inside of him that had decided to take his control away from him. Something primal that had cowered the moment Todoroki had spoken in that deep, commanding tone. Echoing around, still ringing in his ears. A strangled whimper escaped him.

“...Stop it…” he gasped, raising his head up to look between the two of them.

“Midoriya—”

“I said, stop it!”

Taking a step forwards was still hard. His legs felt like they were still beyond his control, like two heavy sacks of sand that dragged across the floor. Like he was walking against a wall with chains around his legs. Chains that were connected to an immovable mountain.

“Look what I did,” Todo siad, eyes narrowing in on Roki.

“What I did?” Roki asked, eyebrows disappearing up under his bangs. He pushed himself off of the wall with a rough shove, balling his hands into fists. “I’m the one who confused him.”

The angry red head passed Izuku, the heat melting whatever ice in his path that hadn’t already been shattered by Izuku’s outburst. He was breathing steam and his left hand was smoking, a faint red had taken to his fingers and the back of his hand from the heat. Claws were drawn and his right hand was dripping small droplets of blood onto the floor.

“He wouldn’t have been confused if I hadn’t attacked him.” Todo took one step forwards, meeting his other half without hesitation. He exhaled, breath forming a white puff as it hit the cold air surrounding him.

“I didn’t attack him!” Roki growled.

“That’s exactly what I did!” Todo argued, taking another step forwards. There were small ice crystals forming around his foot. Small blunt blocks of ice as the cold grew. “I broke the elevator to get him all to myself.”

A burst of steam expelled around the corridor as the two got inches away from each other. Their faces so close that their breath was mixing, the cold with the hot. Steam filled the corridor and the air took on a weird temperature shift that Izuku was unable to explain. It was hot and cold at the same time. He shook as the temperature dropped below zero only to gasp for breath when it grew hotter than that of a desert.

“I didn’t break the elevator, I did.” Roki poked Todo square in the chest with a bloodied fingertip. A long line of red ran down his palm to the tip, collecting under his fingernail to the point where it had covered the bottom of it with blood. It smeared on the front of Todo’s shirts, standing out like a wound.

“And what do I call everything else?” the cold alpha asked, voice dangerously low. He didn't appear bothered at all by Roki’s threatening approach or his onslaught of aggressive pheromones. 

“Hey! I said stop it,” Izuku yelled, using the wall to steady himself when his legs fought against him.

Forcing his legs to move was a struggle. They stuck to the ground like they’d been frozen in place by Todo’s quirk, but he fought against it. He stumbled forwards with one foot, shortly followed by the other. Gritting his teeth he stumbled forwards slowly at first before, with a quick burst of One for All as a boost, he jolted forwards as if he'd been shoved in the back.

He didn’t hesitate to get between the two alpha’s. He pushed Roki backwards, hand almost burning as it pushed at his chest to get him to back off. Todo’s chest was equally as cold as Roki’s was hot. A complete opposite of each other, like a distorted mirror.

“Just calm down,” Izuku said, looking between Todo and Roki. Neither would meet his eyes, their gaze locked with each others. He added more pressure against Todo’s chest in hopes of gaining his attention. “Todoroki, I’m fine.”

“Leave, Midoriya, I’ll take care of myself,” the alpha responded to the pressure. His left hand took hold of Izuku’s wrist and pulled Izuku towards him.

“Todoroki, you don’t have to—” Izuku started saying but he was quickly interrupted by Roki.

“I’ll take care of me?” he snorted. His right hand wrapped around Izuku’s neck and shoulder, successfully pressing him back against Roki’s warm chest. “That’s a joke. I haven’t been taking care of me for a year.”

“Todoroki, don’t antagonize him—you…? Yourself?” Izuku shook his head, too confused to be able to think properly on how to separate the alpha’s in words. He tugged on Roki’s arms in hopes of getting him to loosen his grip. “Could you both please just calm down.”

With a rough tug, Izuku was pulled forwards. He almost choked when Roki tried to keep him pressed against him, but lost his grip when Todo grabbed his other half’s arm and spread cold frost over over the skin. Roki yanked his arm away subconsciously and hissed, baring his teeth.

“I’m not safe,” Todo warned, pulling Izuku behind him so that the alpha stood like a protective glaciar between Izuku and Roki. “Don’t get too close to me.”

Izuku’s mouth opened and closed, trying to find something to say that would diffuse the situation. The whole thing was too much of a mess for him to be able to process everything. At first there was Roki and his mood swings, then Todo and his refusal to listen and now the two seemed to be ready to outright fight each other. It just didn’t make sense.

He grabbed onto Todo’s sleeve but had to pull his hand away at the cold. Frost spread over his fingers at the mere contact. He wrapped his cold fingers in his hand and frowned.

“Todoroki, you’re not dangerous,” he said, doing his best to keep a calm voice. He tried to release as many calming pheromones as he could, but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the two. “You’re misunderstanding what happened.”

“Misunderstanding…?” A frown came over Roki’s face, voice low as he finally broke eye contact with Todo to look behind him at Izuku. Their eyes met and a wave of guilt suddenly came over Izuku at his word choice.

“I am for you,” Todo said, not baking down. He held a hand out in front of Izuku while having his right ready.

“I’m a hypocrite.” Roki’s shoulders tightened as he spoke, his hands balling into tight, shaking fists and his head tilting backwards just slightly. “Like I am any more dangerous for him than I am.”

“I trapped him in an elevator!”

“I was only doing what I should have done a year ago.”

“That is not my decision to make.”

“Yes, it is!” Roki almost roared the words. “Or am I going to keep being a fucking pu—”

“Todoroki!” Izuku exclaimed, cutting the alpha off before he could finish his sentence.

Izuku had been to focused on the two alpha’s that he hadn’t noticed the sound of footsteps coming up the staircase. He only caught them when they were already up the stairs, making it too late to warn whoever was coming up the stairs about staying back.

Sato and Sero both froze mid step as they rounded the corner from the staircase. They looked around the corridor which was covered in ice and the floor which had burns following Roki’s burning hot foot. They looked between the two Todoroki’s and then at Izuku who met their gaze with pleading eyes. He wasn’t sure if he was pleading for help or if he was warning them about getting too close.

“Oi, what’s going on?” Sato asked. He hurried over, getting between Todo and Roki. “Break it up.”

“Get out of my way. Right now,” Roki growled, eyes narrowed.

The atmosphere grew tense immediately as the red headed alpha stared angrily at Sato. His blue eyes glanced towards Izuku and then there was a hand pushing on his chest. His back hit the ice covered wall, sending pain throughout the spot where the sharp edges had bit into his shirt and back. Todo gave him a glance over his shoulder, the small slits of his pupils vibrating before he turned towards his other half.

“Sato, step back,” Todo said. “I’m not in my right mind right now.”

“I can’t let you fight in the hallway,” Sato said. He looked at the broken elevator doors with a questioning expression. He gave Izuku a raised eyebrow but all Izuku could do was give a shrug as a reply. “And I can’t leave you alone with an omega when you’re like this. Todotodo, Rokiroki, relax your pheromones.”

Roki took a step closer, getting up in his face and when he spoke his voice rumbled deep down in his chest. Izuku had never heard anything like it before. “Or what?”

“You need to calm down,” Sat said, reaching for his back pocket.

Sero reacted immediately when Roki started to raise his left hand. Tape flew out from his elbow, spinning around Roki till he was completely tied up with his arms to his sides. Another roll of tape flew towards Todo, doing the same to him as to his other half.

“Sorry, Todotodo,” Sero said with that usual smile of his and a shrug. “But not taking any chances.”

Roki huffed. The entire left side of his body lit up in flames and the tape quickly burned to ash. Before all of it was up in smoke, he ripped it by throwing his arms out to the sides. The tape fell to the floor in a burning mess. An alarm went off and then the entire corridor was raining water as the sprinklers reacted to the flames.

Quickly, Todo froze the tape around him till it was a brittle as a flake of ice. He shattered it and let it fall to the floor with the sound of shattering glass. Ice spread  from his foot to the flames as the water took them out, freezing the smolders that was left behind.

“Go get a teacher,” Sato called and Sero nodded. He hurried towards the stairs.

“Get Aizawa!” Izuku yelled before he was too far away. If the two decided to use their quirks, Aizawa was the only one that would be able to stop them and make sure that they didn’t hurt anyone, or themselves.

Shouta looked over his shoulder, throwing one last look inside of the bedroom. Eri laid with her head nuzzled into the pillow, hands balled into loose fists and pulled up to her cheek. A few strands of silver hair had fallen out of the braid and hung down over her cheek. He made a quick turn into the room, brushing the strands away from the sleeping child before he closed the door behind himself carefully on his way out.

Even now, months after having come to U.A, she wouldn’t feel comfortable falling asleep on her own. She wouldn’t say anything about it, only lying in bed silently. But it hadn’t taken Shouta long to notice that she wasn’t sleeping properly, so he had made it a habit of staying with her until she fell asleep. It had gone to the point where he didn’t even stay in the teacher’s dormitory anymore.

During her first few months, Togata had stayed with her. Despite his lack of a quirk, he was still a student at the school. Togata staying with her had been really helpful, especially since Eri seemed to take to him like a younger sister did to an older brother; And with his temporary leave until his quirk came back, he had a lot of freetime on his hands.

Shouta shuffled over to the kitchen where the coffee machine blinked with a red light. The pot was still half full and he filled up his third cup that day. Then he shuffled over to the small office he’d set up, taking his place in front of the computer and many folders of papers to go through holding the student assignments. Some were simple one-time class assignments and others were evaluation forms from the hero practice his students went through. Then there was also the folder on Todoroki, and before leaving the school that day, the one on Midoriya that Shouta had grabbed.

Wherever Midoriya went, it seemed that trouble followed him, and when it didn’t, he seemed very keen on seeking it out for himself. If it was a case of bad luck or if it was just unfortunate circumstances that could all be summed up to coincidence was hard to say. Of course, even when he wasn’t outright involved with an incident, it would find a way to include him as well.

Shouta wasn’t much interested in his students relationships, as long as they didn’t go against the school’s rules then they could do whatever they wanted—he wasn’t sure how many times he’d had to scold Bakugou and Kirishima about that one. It was their lives, he had no right to say anything about it. He was their teacher, not their parent. But Midoriya and Todoroki’s were different, mostly because of the delicate state of their connection. 

Fated mates. Something so rare that you had a higher chance of running into someone who was quirkless or, as ironic as it might be considering Midoriya’s secondary gender, a male omega. A lot of the time considered to be a fairy tale or myth despite there being scientific proof that the psychological connection between two fated mates were real.

Now, under normal circumstances, as previously stated, Shouta wouldn’t give a fuck about if his students were fated, mates or just in any type of relationship. Because under normal circumstances all of the students would have already presented their secondary gender since most did so during their middle school years. But as of this moment, he had two students in his class who hadn’t presented just because of their secondary genders working differently; Yaoyorozu and Midoriya. Midoriya, someone who had been diagnosed as an omega as a child, who just so happened to be fated to Todoroki, an alpha. 

Why was that important to keep track of? Simple. When an omega presents they release an unnatural amount of pheromones specifically designed to entice alpha’s, even more so than during a regular heat, whether they’re aware of it or not. To a mate, or in this case, fated mate, those pheromones would be like a drug. An aphrodisiac that would rob the alpha of any rational thought besides mating and breeding. So when Midoriya did present, it was going to be hell to deal with just because the fated pair wasn’t just in the same class but sleeping in the same dormitory.

Shouta did not want to have any accidents happening under his watch, and he definitely wasn’t up for dealing with Endeavor or All Might in regards to either of the two teens in case any… baby making accidents were to occur. It was just better to keep track of them ahead of time instead of waiting till the last second.

Which is just what made him even more concerned regarding Todoroki’s current split condition. From what he’d seen the last four days, from Midoriya’s attacks and Todoroki’s quirk having split with his body, it seemed like there was going to be more to deal with than just a split body.

He flipped through the medical report that had been sent to the school following Todoroki’s return to U.A. A simple health evaluation that, if what Endeavor had said was correct, was going to have a follow up this weekend. 

The report didn’t go into much detail, simply clearing Todoroki from any physical signs of abnormalities with exceptions for the split, of course. But what concerned Shouta was the mentions of a brain scan having been made with signs of conflicting brain activity. Nothing was elaborated on that part, nothing mentioning anything that could be considered dangerous or a threat to the other students, and there were no scans present in the folder, which didn’t really bother him all that much since Shouta wouldn’t have been able to tell much from them himself. He wouldn’t have minded some more information on that part though, but he supposed he wasn’t entitled to that kind of information.

He took a gulp of his coffee, rubbing his temple. He closed the folder and pushed it to the side.

He heard the footsteps coming down the hallway long before he heard the door open. But he probably would have been able to tell that something was wrong without it—mostly because a notification on his computer had just popped up to tell him that the sprinklers on the top floor of Class 2-B’s dormitory had gone off a few minutes ago. But even then, he could feel it in his gut that something was going on, like a shiver up his spine. Because nothing could ever remain normal when it came to his students.

Shouta sighed, turning around in his chair and leaving the office just in time for Sero to come running into the common room. His chest heaved and his shoulders rose and fell.

“Eri’s sleeping, don’t be so loud,” he scolded, shoving his hands into his pockets. “What is it?”

“Todoroki’s fighting himself!” Sero exclaimed, pointing towards the door with both of his hands.

Shouta had a very strong urge to curse as he felt the annoyance crash into him like a truck.

The whole hallway was a mess. Halfway up the last flight of stairs, Shouta was drenched from the sprinklers having gone off. Puddles had formed on the steps and even before he walked around the corner Shouta could see layers of ice covering the walls, ceiling and the floor. Small clumps of ice lay across the hallway looking like broken shards of a glass sculpture. It was worse when he actually got around the corner and actually stepped into the hallway. Scorch marks were dotting the wall and there were spots on the floor in the shape of a left footprint. In the corner by the elevator, which looked like it had taken a good hit too many, lay a burnt slipper. The rest looked like a cave of ice, all covering the hallway behind the white haired Todoroki.

The entire floor reeked of alpha pheromones.

“Back off, Rokiroki,” Sato said. His muscles pushed against his shirt and he had an empty vial in his hand while the other was held out to stop Todotodo from moving.

Rokiroki took a step forwards but was stopped by Midoriya pushing both hands against his chest, small spurts of lightning dancing over his skin. Instead of going forwards, Roki was pushed back. He took two steps before he steeled himself.

“This doesn’t concern you, Sato,” Roki growled, steam rising from his left hand side and breath coming out in thick puffs of dark smoke. “Get out of my way.”

“Todoroki, calm down!” Midoriya exclaimed through gritted teeth. “This is taking it too far.”

The red headed alpha opened his mouth to say something, eyes narrowed and claws drawn when Shouta expertly threw his binding scarf towards him. It wrapped around Roki’s arms, midriff and his forehead, and with a rough yank, Shouta pulled him backwards. He stumbled back, a loud ouph escaping him as he completely lost his balance.

“It hasn’t even been a week and you’re already causing trouble,” Shouta said, eyes glowing red and hair floating up above his head.

The steam emitting from both of the Todoroki’s and the electricity around Midoriya’s arms disappeared. Midoriya looked down at his arms and then between the two Todoroki’s as he swallowed. Todo stood silent, eyes narrowed on his other half with a look that was achingly familiar. The teen looked so very much like he’d done when their first year had started, cold, calculating and all of it seemed to be directed at himself.

Roki huffed, pushing against the scarf as he twisted around so he was looking at Shouta. The pure rage in his eyes were concerning to say the least, dangerous at best. There was a threatening fire that burned in his eyes, pupils thin slits and when he grit his teeth Shouta saw the sharpened canines. He looked almost feral.

“It’s my fault,” Midoriya said suddenly, almost taking his attention away from the feral teen caught in his scarf. Shouta kept his gaze fixed on Roki, however, deeming him the highest threat out of the four teens in that moment. “This is all a misunderstanding.”

Both Todoroki’s turned towards Midoriya, one with an expression Shouta couldn’t see and the other with confused grey eyes and furrowed brow.

“I saw what I saw,” Todo said, returning to glare at Roki.

“Maybe I should listen to Midoriya for once,” Roki hissed, one arm moving only to restricted by the carbon fiber. He growled at it but didn’t fight it. “I’ve been ignoring everything he’s been saying this entire time.”

“I’m thinking about his safety.”

“I’m thinking about myself. I’m a selfish little—”

Shouta yanked at the scarf, forcing Roki backwards a few more steps and cutting him off in whatever he was going to say. From his tone of voice, it didn’t sound like anything nice. “That’s enough from both of you.”

He groaned, eyes starting to itch. He didn’t dare let go of the scarf or the erasure on Roki, not with the way the teen was radiating a very dangerous aura. His pheromones didn’t help his case, filling the hallway with a burning itch in Shouta’s nose.

“You’re both coming with me,” he continued.

“Aizawa,” Midoriya started, taking a step forwards.

“That goes for you two, too,” he said, referring to both Sato and Midoriya. He wanted the whole story and they seemed to be equally as involved. Though, from the way the hallway looked, it seemed like the conflict had been completely between Todoroki’s two halves and that Sato and Midoriya had been trying to stop them. “Are you going to behave, Todoroki?”

Both of the two seemed to mull it over in their head for far too long, but eventually Todo nodded. He relaxed his hands, spreading his fingers and retracting elongated claws. For a moment he appeared guilty as he looked around the hallway.

Roki was silent for far longer. He grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes, his hands balled into fists as he glared at his other half. Blood was dripping down one of his hands. Then he looked at Midoriya, who was silently pleading with him.

“Please,” the omega said, eyes soft and eyebrows upturned. He took a step forwards, hands outstretched in an action that appeared almost submissive.

“Fine,” Roki finally said with a huff. He looked at Shouta and nodded, body relaxing. When both of his hands fell open both palms were stained with blood.

Shouta’s gaze fell onto Midoriya’s neck when he finally deemed it safe to drop his erasure. There were no explaining away the red bruising covering the omega’s neck. They went from under his jawline down to his jugular and stood out like a sore thumb on his skin.

He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes lazily. “Midoriya, I need to talk to you in private.”

Midoriya visibly gulped. One of his hands twitched upwards, reaching up to his neck but halted halfway. It fell back down to his side. His mouth formed a thin line as he looked towards the two halves of Todoroki, one being held back by Sato who was still glancing at Todo and the other still tied up in his carbon fiber scarf.

It had been too much to ask for at least one week without incident, hadn’t it?

Chapter Text

Izuku threw a glance over his shoulder. He looked far down the hallway to the two separate doors that the two clones of Ectoplasm had brought the two Todoroki’s. Sato sat with another one in the common room, giving his account of what had happened. Izuku wasn’t sure which Ectoplasm was the real one, but he suspected that it was probably the one that had gone with Rokiroki.

He rubbed his neck, absentmindedly wondering if the kisses Roki had left on his skin were turning into bruises. He’d sucked on his neck a lot, nibbled quite a bit, too. From the way that Aizawa was eyeing his neck with that disapproving glare of his, there had to be some kind of mark left behind.

“I thought I told you to tell me if anything happened,” Aizawa said. His eyes narrowed even further as he looked up to look Izuku in the eyes. 

“Nothing happened,” Izuku hurried to say, as if the state of the hallway hadn’t been enough evidence to suggest otherwise. Aizawa pointed at Izuku’s neck with a raised eyebrow and he immediately slapped a hand over his neck, hoping he was covering whatever it was that he was pointing at. “Nothing happened until tonight.”

Aizawa already looked done with the whole ordeal and at the same time there was a concerned glint in his eye. A look Izuku had received a lot whenever he continuously injured himself. “Why did Todoroki attack you?”

“Todoroki didn’t attack me.” Izuku shook his head frantically as if that would make the words more convincing. “We were just talking and things escalated.”

“To the point where you broke the elevator and nearly destroyed an entire hallway?” Aizawa asked, an eyebrow rising lazily. He didn’t mention the hickeys verbally, but Izuku could feel the way he was eyeing them as he spoke. 

“That was Todoro—” Izuku stopped, looked at his fingers for a second and shook his head. “That was the other Todoroki, the cold one. Who broke the elevator, I mean.”

Aizawa ran a hand down his face. A long groan left him as he massaged the bridge of his nose. “This is what I was worried about.”

“You were...?” Izuku asked, a frown coming over his features. He pointed towards the hallway before pointing at himself. “About the elevator, or about Todoroki and me…?”

“About Todoroki,” Aizawa said sternly. Izuku’s mouth formed a thin line as he looked away. The next words Aizawa spoke were a clear warning. “Alpha’s are unpredictable as they are. Teen hormones does nothing but make it worse.”

“He’s just… reacting badly to the medicine Recovery Girl gave me,” Izuku insisted, shaking his head again. Aizawa’s words did bring a frown to his face, however.

This was a mess, sure, and yes, Izuku was very confused at what was going on. Especially with the two halves of Todoroki and why they were so angry at each other. Todoroki had basically gotten mad at himself, as if he disagreed with himself on what had happened. But how could you get so mad with yourself about doing something you supposedly wanted? It wasn’t something that deserved that kind of reaction, was it? Surely they both had to want the same thing. They were both still Todoroki.

He looked down on his scarred hand. He clenched and unclenched his crooked fingers, remembering the pain that had come over Todoroki’s eyes the months following the Sports Festival whenever he looked at Izuku’s hand. Maybe he was scared he was going to hurt Izuku again. He recalled Todoroki’s repeated hand crusher comments and his too serious remarks about being cursed. 

But Roki hadn’t done anything to harm Izuku. If anything it had been Todo who had put them in danger by freezing the elevator cables. Though, Izuku was sure he could have reacted in time to get them out if something had caused the elevator to crash and Todo could easily have frozen the elevator with enough ice to keep it in place for them to get out. But according to Todo, he had tried to protect him. That’s what he said, at least. But why did he feel the need to protect Izuku from Roki? From himself...

“The Sensory Dampeners?” Aizawa asked, bringing Izuku out of his train of thought.

“You know about that?” Izuku asked in return, eyes blinking in surprise.

Aizawa nodded. He ruffled his own hair, eyes closed with a sigh. “That could pose a problem.”

“Aizawa, this isn’t Todoroki’s fault,” Izuku said, standing up. He gestured with his hands as he spoke. “He’s just not thinking straight right now. It has to be a side effect of what’s going on and to the medicine. I should have paid better attention.”

“I asked you to keep an eye on him, not to put yourself in danger,” Aizawa replied. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down to where the two Todoroki’s were held separately. His expression was as neutral as it always was but his eyes were hard as if he was in deep thought.

“But I wasn’t in any danger,” Izuku insisted. He gestured with his hand in the direction of the corridor, toward Todo and Roki, and said, “Todoroki would never hurt me. It was all a big misunderstanding.” 

“Misunderstanding or not, Todoroki—an alpha—cornered you—an omega—in an elevator, which then resulted in a fight. Midoriya, this is a serious situation.”

“You can’t just look the other way? Since he and I are, you know…” Izuku pursed his lips and looked away, feeling how his cheeks grew just a bit hot. He never thought he would be using his fated mate’s status with Todoroki in order to try and get them both out of trouble.

“Fated mates or not, it doesn’t make the situation any less serious,” Aizawa said, a small shake of his own head that was really just a tilt to each side. “And that kind of behavior—” He pointed towards Izuku’s neck again. “—Is strictly forbidden in the dormitories.”

“We weren’t—!” Izuku exclaimed, putting both hands over his neck to cover up the marks. “That’s not what was happening. He was just… trying to understand.”

“Midoriya, I’m not interested in interfering with my students’ relationships. What I am saying is that as an omega you should be paying better attention to the alpha’s you surround yourself with,” Aizawa explained. He put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder as he continued on. “I don’t think Todoroki would do this kind of thing under normal circumstances, but these aren’t normal circumstances. We have no idea what the consequences of his condition are yet.”

“It kinda sounds like you’re saying I’m in danger,” Izuku said with an awkward chuckle.

“I’m saying be careful,” Aizawa explained. He looked to the side and then back at Izuku, “For now, I don’t want you and Todoroki to be alone together.”

“What? Why?”

“To keep something like this from happening again,” Aizawa said sternly.

“Aizawa, please don’t take this out on Todoroki. It really wasn’t his fault,” Izuku said again, repeating the same excuse once more. If he had just talked to Todoroki about all of this back then. If they had just been completely honest with each other and not just said what they thought the other wanted to hear, who knows where they would be today. 

“I’ll believe you,” Aizawa said with a sigh, scratching underneath the bun he’d tied his hair into. “But they still broke the elevator and nearly destroyed an entire hallway.”

“Yeah, they, uh…” Izuku mumbled under his breath, looking away awkwardly. “They did that.”

“Can you tell me what happened, Sato?” Ectoplasm stood in front of him. He barely looked like himself without his usual getup.

“I didn’t really see what happened,” he said, scratching his neck and tilting it to the side. “When I got up there, Todotodo and Rokiroki were already fighting.”

“Do you know what the fight was about?” Ectoplasm asked, face as unreadable as usual but voice enough to tell that it was a question.

Rikido shook his head. “No, but I think Midoriya knows. He was already there when Sero and I came up the stairs.”

He stopped himself before he said anything else, thinking back on the events that had unfolded in the hallway. It was rare for Todoroki of all people to act up, especially to the degree he had today. Rikido couldn’t recall a moment during the time they’d shared a corridor that Todoroki had ever shown as much anger and downright resentment as Roki had. The absolute rage that he’d seen in Roki’s blue eyes and the distaste that had lingered in Todo’s, it wasn’t the kinds of expressions that Rikido associated with Todoroki of all people. He always appeared so calm and collected, almost as if the two people he’d seen today had been two strangers instead of a classmate.

The image of Midoriya being caught in the middle of the two halves fighting came to mind and he faintly recalled seeing bruises on his neck. Small red marks that seemed to be freshly blooming on his neck. Almost as if they were just a couple of minutes old.

“And he had these bruises on his neck,” Rikido said, pointing at his own and looking up at the roof as he spoke. “I didn’t really see them well—I was trying to keep Todoroki from fighting himself—but they looked a bit like hickeys.”

“I overreacted,” Roki growled, glaring down at the gauze around his hand. Both of his hands were now wrapped up in bandages. One that felt soft and like it had been wrapped with care and compassion while the other just made his insides boil. A fire that was fed more fuel the longer he stared down at his right hand.

“It’s good that you know that,” Ectoplasm said, putting the remainder of the first aid kit back into its box and closing the lid with a soft click.

“No, I don’t mean me,” Roki corrected, still glaring at his own hand like it had become a separate entity. A stranger that he didn’t recognize. “Me—the other me. Him. ”

Roki narrowed his eyes. His right hand felt foreign, like an alien had attached itself to his arm. Sometimes he worried that he didn’t have proper control of it. There was no cold in the limb. No ice; No frost. But at the same time, ever since Todo had interrupted him and Midoriya, it felt like his right hand was trying to envelope him. Freeze him until he was nothing but a block of ice; Unmoving, silent and subdued. Locked away in a cage somewhere deep inside while the key was thrown away never to be seen again. As if that would solve anything.

“ He overreacted,” he snarled, baring his teeth at his own hand as he would a stranger.

“By he, you mean your other half; Todotodo?” Ectoplasm was looking at him with his usual unreadable expression. The nickname sounded weird coming from a teacher.

He almost threw his hand down into his lap and sent his glare at the wall instead. He knew his other half was on the other side. “Yes.”

“I’m not safe. I shouldn’t be here,” Todo said, almost lost as his eyes were locked onto the palms of his hands.

“Tell me about what happened tonight,” Ectoplasm said, sitting down on the chair in front of Todo.

“I attacked Midoriya,” he said simply. With a displeased groan he ran both hands up his face into his hair, leaning his torso forwards. He rested his elbows on his knees.

“You mean the other you or yourself?” Ectoplasm asked, his voice neutral and yet sounding like he was asking a redundant question.

“Me—” He stopped and shook his head. “The other me, the me that has my other quirk. Red haired me.”

“That is very serious,” Ectoplasm said, leaning back into the chair.

“Which is why I shouldn’t be allowed back at school. You should send me home,” Todo said, looking up through his fingers. He looked at Ectoplasm before he let his eyes fall down to the floor.

He could still see Midoriya when he closed his eyes. The glazed over look in his those beautiful green irises as his other half towered over him. His face flushed and chest rising with each breath he took. His neck blooming with freshly planted hickeys while Roki took what he wanted with no regards to Midoriya’s general safety and future.

Todo’s claws grew as he gripped his head as the anger flared inside. If it was his own or if it came from Roki was unclear; Either way, it was still his own. But it brought back the anger he’d seen in his other half’s eyes. In those blue, burning pits that looked so much like Endeavors. More so than he’d thought his one blue eye had done before. It was like staring at a carbon copy of his dad.

Had he always been so much like his father…?

“You were cleared to come back by a doctor, weren’t you?” Ectoplasm asked at Todo’s remark, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“They did a physical exam, then they said I was fine,” Todo explained with a shake of his head. “But I never talked to anyone.”

He looked around the room. He stood up, but then he sat down again. He gritted his teeth and looked down at the palms of his hands once more. His instincts told him to move, to protect, that his omega was in danger. At the same time his mind supplied that the only reason he felt that way was because of himself. 

“I’ll do it again,” he whispered. He clenched his fists to the point where his nails dug into his skin almost painfully. “I know I’ll do it again. I can feel it, those… thoughts, going around in my head. It’s sick.”

Todo spread his fingers, looking down at his currently quirkless left hand. In a way it was like his palm had morphed into an eyeball and it was glaring at him with such rage. It burned, scalding his insides. He fought it, doing his best to push it down. Extinguish those kinds of thoughts, those disgusting desires. Images of Midoriya that both made him lust for the omega and at the same time be disgusted in himself.

“I should never have been allowed to be around Midoriya…” His eyebrows knitted together as his shoulders fell. “I’ll do it again.”

“I hope Todoroki doesn’t get into too much trouble,” Izuku said, looking back as he and Sato walked the short distance back to the dormitories. Both Todo and Roki had been forced to stay behind. Aizawa had wanted to talk to them in private.

“They’ll probably get a temporary suspension,” Sato said with a tiny shrug. “Like the one you and Bakugou got last year.”

Izuku gave an awkward chuckle at the reminder. That had been three days of restlessness and housework. Being stuck alone in the dorms for three days straight with Bakugou had been an experience, to say the least. A loud, exhausting experience. Sometimes he wondered how Kirishima could manage not to flinch when Bakugou lost his temper. The other alpha would just laugh or make a joke or mention something—probably about manliness—and hold Bakugou back. Sometimes he wouldn’t react at all, just keeping Bakugou in place and continuing on like nothing had happened. Their friendship was quite fascinating, but it was definitely good for Bakugou. At least, Izuku thought so. He was still the same person Izuku had grown up with, but at the same time he was a lot more subdued than back during middle school. A lot nicer, too.

“Suspension during the first week, though,” Sato muttered, looking up at the sky. “That has to be rough.”

Izuku nodded, giving an unintelligible hum as a reply. “I hope none of your rooms were too damaged.”

“They probably got wet from the sprinklers,” Sato said. Then he added with a jump as if the thought hadn’t crossed him before, “I need to check my oven.”

“Yeah,” Izuku said with another nod, he scratched his neck and gave a small bow of his head. “I’m sorry about the troubles.”

“It’s not your fault, though,” Sato pointed out. “The one who was fighting was Todotodo and Rokiroki, right?”

“That’s true, but…” Izuku didn’t continue. He wasn’t sure if he should go into detail on what happened. The less people who knew the full story, the better.

A silence fell over them when Izuku didn’t continue. His mind kept going back to Todoroki and their odd reaction. The anger in Roki’s eyes, the look that Todo had given himself. Their arguing that seemed to bounce back against each other like that of someone having an internal monologue with themself. Roki’s words that revealed an almost year’s worth of lies and hidden emotions and Todo who just didn’t seem to acknowledge the whole thing at all.

Now that Izuku thought about it. Everytime Roki had approached him, Todo had somehow found his way there to get in the way. As if he knew what was going on and stopping it before something went too far. Too far how, though? What was it that Todo was afraid was going to happen?

He rubbed at his neck as he bit the corner of his bottom lip. Was Todo, maybe… not interested in him the way that Roki was? Was Roki even interested at all or was all of this just a confused mess? Was it all because of the dampeners and the fated bond between the two—now three—of them?

“Midoriya?” Sato asked, clearing his throat.

Izuku jumped, head wiping towards Sato. “Yes? Sorry, I was thinking. What did you say?”

“I said, you probably don’t want to talk about it, but those bruises on your neck—” Sato pointed at his neck with an uncomfortable expression. He glanced away before he met Izuku’s eyes as he finished his sentence. “—They’re hickeys, aren’t they?”

Izuku stopped walking, covering his neck with both of his hands for what had to be the hundredth time that night. “Please don’t ask about it.”

“Sorry, it’s probably uncomfortable to talk about with another alpha,” Sato said.

“It’s not uncomfortable to talk about because there’s nothing to talk about,” Izuku lied, feeling how his cheeks started to burn. Somehow, he knew what Sato was going to ask and feared the question. “You’re misunderstanding what happened, just like Todoroki—like Todo did.”

“Did Todoroki attack you—?”

“He didn’t!” Izuku yelled, squeezing his eyes shut. He took a deep sigh and his shoulders fell. He shook his head. “Look, Sato, please just don’t. Okay? It’s all a bit of a mess right now, but I’m fine. Everything’s fine. You don’t—there’s more than what just happened. You don’t know the whole story. I… don’t know the whole story. Just…” He took a deep breath, letting his hands drop to his sides. “Please don’t tell anyone else about this, okay? I don’t want them to worry.”

“They’re going to know that something happened,” Sato pointed out, eyebrows furrowing.

“I know, I just—please?” Izuku pleaded, begging with his eyes. “Don’t tell anyone.”

There was quiet for a while as Sato seemed to think his options over before he sighed, eyes closing as he nodded. “Alright. I’m not going to tell anyone, and I won’t ask.”

Izuku clapped his hands together as in prayer. “Thank you!” 

He evaded all of their classmates when he got back to the dormitory with one easy solution. Instead of going upstairs through the common room where a good portion of his classmates were surely waiting for them to explain the comotion, Izuku made a quick turn around the building. He searched with his eyes, pointing with his finger as he scanned the balconies for his window. Then he brazed with his legs and with just a hint of One for All, he made it up onto the balcony. He fished out his key and unlocked the balcony door before slipping inside with a quick scan around.

He relaxed against the door once inside, letting out a long sigh as his whole body became a limp, heavy sack. He slid down to the floor with a hand running through his hair as he looked up at the ceiling.

Todoroki liked him. Maybe… Roki liked him at least. But by default shouldn’t that mean that Todo liked him as well?

He rubbed his temples before his hands moved down to brush over each side of his neck. His cheeks burned as he remembered the intense stare, the warm touch, the words that made Izuku’s whole world turn upside down, like a child tipping a box upside down and causing a mess. There was no way that he’d be able to go to class tomorrow without getting at least a dozen questions about his neck.

He pushed himself up before he walked over to his closet. A couple of blankets and pillows fell out, but he pushed them back in with his foot. They were all piled onto the floor of the quite sizable square next to the shelves. It was filled with stuffed plushies, fluffy blankets and pillows. There was even a body pillow that took up most of the space.

He reached down into the pile of plush and rummaged around until he hit against a small box pushed into the far back. It was stuffed into a small crack where the shelves stopped right above the ground. He dropped to his knees and pulled it into his lap. He fiddled with the lock for a while before he typed in the combination and it clicked open. He threw a quick, frantic look around the room once more, feeling his cheeks burn and how the sweat was starting to form on his forehead. He swallowed as his throat became dry, letting out a long drawn out sigh. Then he slowly lifted the lid up with a shaky hand. 

The first object that met him was bright red, oblong and made out of silicone. It made his face take on an equally red hue and he almost slammed the lid on the box at the sight of the so-called Omega Aid. He’d never used it, had barely been able to touch it without feeling like he was doing something wrong and shameful.

Underneath the intentionally phallic object were a couple of condom wrappers that Izuku hadn’t touched since his doctor had handed them to him. She’d said it was in case his heat hit and he wasn’t prepared. He didn’t really understand why, though. If he’d read right, alpha’s didn’t seem to take much time to consider safety when they smelled an omega in heat. There was a clear bottle of lube as well, the seal unbroken. Then, wrapped up into a tight circle, was a thick leather collar . When he took it out and laid it out in his hand, it took up his entire palm and parts of his fingers.

It was the only object that Izuku had used, if only on a few occasions. According to his doctor, he should be wearing it all the time. In case his heat hit the collar would be the only thing protecting his nape, but every time he held it in his hands it felt like he was holding a neon sign. It might as well have the words OMEGA written out in big, bold letters.

Both Jirou and Hagakure wore similar collars. Hagakure’s was a bright pink and fluffy while Jirou’s was a simple black with small studs. Izuku was pretty sure the only reason she was allowed to wear it was because it was an official omega collar and she was entitled to wear one. 

There was nothing wrong with wearing a collar, that’s what his doctor had said when he’d first met her when he was thirteen. It was a safety measure intended to keep omega’s safe and protected. Another thing that she’d said. But Izuku had heard his former classmates talk back in middle school, both older students and the one’s in his class. For an alpha, a collar was nothing more than a sign of a potential target. Protect your nape but become a flashing X on a map.

Izuku had only ever put the collar on in public once, after he and his mom had bought it. Inko had tried to make the whole experience easier but even then, Izuku had only bought it to make his mom feel better. Just to have one in case something did happen. He’d worn it a few times around her but he’d always taken it off after leaving the house. Never in public. He had already stood out as it was, he hadn’t had the need to be the quirkless omega as well.

He closed the box and put it back in the back of the closet, going back to pretending it didn’t exist. Then he walked to the small built-in bathroom and got the first glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His face was flushed red and his lips were capped. There were small flakes where he’d bitten his lip a bit too hard. His neck was covered in red spots, blooming on his neck like a breakout. Some were larger than others and a few were surrounded by teeth marks where Roki had nibbled too hard on the skin.

He looked down on the collar in his hand and then up at himself in the mirror. With a resigned sigh he held it up and wrapped it around his neck. He didn’t buckle it, only holding it close as he tilted his head back and forth. He hoped the hickeys would peek out, give him a reason to put the collar back in the box. Store it away in secrecy so he could pretend that he was just like every other male. Like he was a beta, like his mom.

The collar covered his neck perfectly.

“Damn it,” he whispered to himself, letting out a sigh. 

He dropped it onto the sink and rubbed his neck and jawline. Somehow the skin felt warmer than normal. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel it. The phantom sensation of Roki’s warm lips ghosting across his neck. His sharp teeth that moved over his skin as Izuku let him have access to his neck like it wasn’t something intimate done between couples. Roki’s hot fingers as they brushed through his hair and his gentle touch as they moved over Izuku’s skin.

It hadn’t been unpleasant. Maybe that was what scared him the most. His complete and utter compliance. Not just the curiosity on where it would go if he let Roki continue, but also the willingness to let him take what he wanted. Take and take and take while Izuku gave and gave and gave.

He smacked both of his cheeks with his hands, hard enough that the sound echoed around him. He shook his head to get the thoughts out of his head. He’d clearly reacted to Roki’s pheromones—something to look up later—and Roki had been acting weird, so it probably had something to do with that.

Yes, that’s it, Izuku decided with a nod. Maybe...

Chapter Text

Izuku hadn’t been able to sleep that night, less so then he had the night before. A chaste kiss on the forehead had been so much easier to explain away. Todoroki had grown up extremely sheltered, isolated from the rest of society simply because of Endeavors ambitions. So Izuku had tried to tell himself that Roki had just done something he’d assumed was a sign of care or compassion.

It hadn’t been bad, the kiss. It had been warm and, dare he say, nice. Of course, it had been confusing in the moment and it had lingered in his mind for a good couple of hours afterwards as Izuku had tried to justify the action as something friendly.

He had no explanation for what had happened this time. His insides still fluttered and turned upside down as he remembered the feel of Roki’s lips against his neck. The way his tongue had felt as it had licked at his ear, coarse and rough like that of a cat. The growl that had sent something weird and foreign traveling throughout his body straight down to his crotch. 

He refused to call it arousal. Absolutely refused to admit that he had wanted Roki to do it again. Instead he tried to tell himself that it was probably just a side effect of whatever had happened to his body that time. Because who would want to admit they enjoyed it when someone growled at them while they were pushed up against a wall? But if he admitted that he would never be able to look Todoroki in the eyes ever again.

Thankfully, he hadn’t gotten hard from the interaction. He praised his omega biology for the first time as the only thing that had been in his boxers when he’d checked was a dried stain of slick. No boners. Of course, even if he had gotten hard from the interaction, it definitely wouldn't have lasted till he got back to his dorm room.

By the time four o’clock rolled around, Izuku had gotten approximately two hours of sleep. Give or take a few minutes. His eyes felt like they were going to burn out of his sockets and his eyelids were heavy like they’d turned into concrete and gravity was trying to force them to fall. But his mind was reeling. Nowhere near close to calming down and his body was vibrating with the need to move. It was like his body couldn’t take sitting still. His quirk was rapidly moving under his skin causing his muscles to ache. So Izuku had jumped out of bed, thrown on some slacks and a t-shirt—he had stopped for a few seconds to look at the collar on his bedside table before reluctantly putting it on. He barely remembered to bring a sweater with him, tying it around his waist as he went downstairs.

He spent the next three hours running around campus, alternating between using One for All and just pushing himself. By the time he got back to the dormitory his muscles burned and his lungs were screaming for air. He had to kneel over to catch his breath, bracing himself on his knees to support himself.

After a shower that lasted maybe a bit too long, Izuku exited his own private bathroom. Well, technically it wasn’t exclusively his. It was meant for male omega’s. But since Izuku was the only male omega in the entire school, it was technically just his.

On his way up he ran into Aoyama and Mineta who were on their way downstairs, both already donning their school uniforms. They gave him a surprised look when he came up the stairs. Well, Mineta did. Aoyama simply commented on how the bags under his eyes weren’t fabolous and that beauty sleep is very important for your general health.

After a quick stop in his room to change into his school uniform. He struggled with tying his school tie around the button up as he kept bumping into the omega collar with his fingers which caused him to lose focus. But after at least ten minutes of frustrated grunts and angry fingers working with the stubborn piece of cloth, he headed back downstairs with his tie looking much worse than usual. 

Izuku almost tiptoed towards the kitchen, carefully glancing behind the corner. He scanned his friends, searching for bright red hair. His heart skipped a beat when he spotted a red haired student but let out a sigh when he saw that it was only Kirishima sitting next to Bakugou.

“What are you doing?”

Izuku shrieked and nearly jumped out of his skin, stumbling and almost fell over as he spun around. Roki grabbed onto his waist and pulled him back up and all too close with a raised eyebrow and puzzled eyes.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Izuku exclaimed, holding a hand over his rapidly beating heart.

“I thought you heard me,” he apologized, but there was a tug at his lips. He leaned closer until his breath tickled Izuku’s nose. “Were you looking for me?”

“N-no…” Izuku closed his mouth tightly and looked away. He didn’t even sound convincing to himself. “...Maybe.”

Roki outright laughed. A happy sound that was so foreign to Izuku that the only thing he could do was stare. It wasn’t loud and it wasn’t boisterous. It was a quiet laugh, close to being more of a chuckle but not quite.

He felt his cheeks heat up and he couldn’t keep from staring. He couldn’t help the smile that pulled onto his face as he looked at the laughing alpha. Unfortunately, it ended all too soon for his liking.

"Well, you found me," Roki said with an amused breath of air. As if laughing had knocked it straight out of him.

"Yeah, I—uhm…" Izuku bit his lip and swallowed. "You kind of found me, though."

"There's nowhere you can go where I won't find you." Roki raised his hand and rubbed his thumb over Izuku's cheek. Then his thumb brushed up and Izuku closed his eye when Roki rubbed underneath it. "I also seem to have found some pretty bad bags under your eyes. Didn't sleep well?"

Izuku opened his mouth but found his throat to be dry. He closed it again, licked his lips and nodded. He scratched at his neck and pulled on his tie to alleviate the pressure around his throat.

"Clearly," Roki said. His hand fell on top of Izuku’s and he pulled on the tie with a raised eyebrow. "Your tie looks worse than ever."

Roki took hold of the fumbled and tangled knot Izuku had made out of his tie and with a frown on his face undid it. He smoothed it and let it hang as he adjusted the length. Then he took the two ends and held them up to Izuku.

"Want me to teach you how to tie a tie?" Roki asked, eyebrows high on his forehead and standing very close.

"Yeah—" His cheeks heated up and he had no idea why. "But you don't have to, Todoroki."

"It won't take long," Roki said, getting behind Izuku. He took both of his hands in his own and moved them to the ends of the tie. "Hold onto these."

"Okay!" Izuku gasped, both glad and terrified that Roki was behind him. Glad because he couldn't see his face turning a shade equal to Roki's hair, and terrified because Roki was practically pressing up against him while his chin rested right next to his ear as he spoke.

"Good, now just let me lead you," Roki said, his voice echoing in Izuku's ears. He barely had the focus to pay attention to Roki's words and despite the demonstration along with instructions, it all went in one ear and out the next. So when Roki let go of his hands and stepped back in front of him, Izuku had no better clue on how to tie a tie than he'd had before. "There."

Izuku looked down on his chest as Roki smoothed out the tie in under his uniform jacket and corrected the collar on his button up. "Right, thank you, Todoroki! That's really nice of you…"

Then Roki’s face scrunched up and he leaned to the side, face coming close to Izuku's neck. He reached up with a hand and ran his fingers over the thick leather of the collar. His thumb ran over the edge, causing Izuku to tilt his head backwards. Roki opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance.

A hand smacked him over the back of his head. It wasn’t hard, it barely made a sound. It was more of a tap really than a smack. But Roki wiped his head around with a growl.

Todo didn’t say anything. At least not outloud. But the face he made was harsh, angry and almost scary as he glared at his other half.

Roki pulled back with a huff, sending an equally angry glare his way.

He looked after Todo as the alpha walked into the kitchen. Izuku bit his lip before turning to Roki. “He’s mad, isn’t he?”

“I’m uptight, that’s what I am,” Roki groaned, rolling his eyes in a very uncharacteristic move. He then put his hand on the small of Izuku’s back and the soft smile returned. “Want to eat breakfast with me?”

“Okay.” Izuku swallowed, feeling very conscious of the simple touch, so much farther down than it needed to be, as Roki gave him a gentle push into the kitchen.

It felt like something between them had changed. Like there had been some unseen shift in their relationship that Izuku couldn’t quite put his finger on yet.

The first conversation that reached Izuku as he entered the kitchen full of hungry students preparing or already eating breakfast, was one he really hoped he could be excluded from. 

“Yeah, but why the hell is the elevator broken?” Mineta complaining. Kaminari nodded with him, looking like he’d run a marathon with his pale face, purple bags under his eyes and dead eyes. Shinsou looked almost healthy standing next to him.

“At least your room is on the second floor,” he said, with a defeated sigh.

“How horrible, you’d have to take the stairs,” Jirou joked with a snort.

Kaminari’s head flipped up from the table in a very dramatic fashion. His eyes zeroed in on Jirou and when he spoke he sounded like she’d sold him out to the highest bidder. “Would you pick the stairs over the elevator?”

“No, not if I had the option to take the elevator,” Jirou replied, but then tilted her head to the side with a look. “But if the elevator doesn't work you don’t have much of a choice.”

“Easy for you to say. Your elevator still works,” Mineta said, pointed at her with an accusing finger.

“At least you don’t sleep on the fifth floor,” Sero interjected with a cocked eyebrow. Izuku almost felt bad for having him run up and down the staircase so many times last night.

“Hey, Sero, what happened to the elevator anyway?” Kaminari asked, putting his chin down on the table while his arms hung limp at his sides. “I heard a lot of noise last night.”

“I didn’t really see much, but I think Todoroki was having an argument,” Sero answered honestly. “You should ask Midoriya, he was there.”

Izuku froze where he was scooping the last bit of rice out of the cooker. His hand shook and he almost dropped his bowl as he turned to look over his shoulder as an army of eyes turned to look at him. Suddenly it was difficult to breathe. He craned and rolled his head around to alleviate the pressure only to realize that it was the collar that was the culprit.

“On the fifth floor?” Kaminari asked, sharing a glance with Mineta.

“Oi, Midoriya, what were you doing with Todotodo and Rokiroki all alone on the fifth floor?” Mineta asked.

“I was going to talk to Todoroki,” Izuku answered honestly, internally thankful that his voice wasn’t as unsteady as he’d thought it would be. He closed the lid to the cooker with a thud. “That’s all.”

“Can’t have gone very well if you broke the elevator,” Tokoyami pointed out. 

“No, no,” Sero said while shaking his head, coming to Izuku’s rescue. “Todoroki was fighting with himself, not with Midoriya.”

Everyone immediately turned their eyes away from Izuku and towards the two Todoroki’s sitting next to each other. One sipped tea while the other ate from a small wooden tray. It was scarcely decorated with nothing but two bowls, one that looked like soup and the other with rice. They glanced up at the same time, glanced at each other—it was more like a glare, though—before they turned back to their respective breakfast.

“I had a disagreement.”

“A disagreement doesn’t break the elevator!” Kaminari exclaimed.

“Just take the stairs,” Jirou said with a groan. She smiled however when Yaoyorozu placed a very fine porcelain cup in front of her and poured what smelled like very high classed tea into it. “Thank you, Yao-momo.”

Yaoyorozu smiled in return and sat down next to her. She held the teapot out and looked around the table. “Is there anybody else who would like some?”

“Please and thank you!” Ashido and Hagakure said happily.

Izuku was thankful that the conversation had left him as quickly as it had turned towards him. But even so, as he walked to the table where both Todo and Roki was sitting from fetching everything he’d needed in the kitchen, he felt like he had eyes on him at all times. He raised his shoulders as if that would help cover his neck. He even pulled on his button up to get it to cover more of the collar only for it to ride back down again.

He shook it off with a shake of his head. No one had noticed so far, even when Mineta and Aoyama had met him in the staircase. So there was no reason to get so worked up over one simple collar. He was an omega, he had every right to wear one if he so wanted. There didn’t need to be any other explanation beside that. 

“Did you get in a lot of trouble?” Izuku asked as he approached the two Todoroki’s. 

“For last night?” Roki looked up at him as he replied.

Izuku nodded, putting his breakfast bowl down next to Roki who was taking small sips of a bowl of left-over miso soup. He poked around inside of the bowl, stirring the rice with the prepackaged natto he’d poured inside before leaving the kitchen. Their pantry was full of them, along with other prepackaged stuff. Roki raised an eyebrow at him as he moved a folded over fried egg on top of the mixture, making sure it fit on top like a lid on a cauldron.

"What? I'm hungry, and I didn't sleep well," Izuku said, leaning away at the alpha's questioning look. The least he could do was eat a proper breakfast. He poked the egg with his chopsticks and let the yolk run out as he asked, "What did Aizawa say about yesterday?"

“I got suspended." Roki put the soup to his lips and slurped as if he hadn't just mentioned suspension. 

“Suspended?” Izuku shouldn’t have been surprised, it was the most likely outcome considering what had happened but his eyes still widened in shock. “For how long?”

"Don't know,” Roki said with a shrug. "For today, at least."

“Aizawa is going to talk to Principal Nezu about sending me home,” Todo said, putting down his steaming cup of tea. He blew on it, breath turning white as the air cooled down. “We’ll see what happens.”

“They’re sending you home?” Izuku’s eyebrows flew up into his hairline as he stared at the two in disbelief. "They can't do that. Isn't that a bit excessive?" 

“Maybe,” Roki agreed with a glare at himself.

“So, like for a couple of days or...?”

“Till this situation is solved,” Todo said with a small shrug of his own.

“That could turn into a lot of missed hours,” Izuku mumbled, more so to himself than to either of the two alpha’s.

“I know,” Roki answered for his other half. “And since they don’t know when this will be solved, it would be too many hours. I’d have to repeat the grade to make up for it.”

The temperature dropped around them as Todo sent an icy glare at his fire wielding self. “It’s for the best.”

“According to who?” Roki said through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing as small puffs of smoke escaped past his lips as he spoke.

“Todoroki, I’m sorry,” Izuku said with a sigh, packing a piece of the rice mixture between his chopsticks and sticking them in his mouth. His shoulders slumped and he turned to the two. “I never meant for you to get sent home.”

Todo shook his head. “I know, Midoriya. It’s not because of you.”

“No, but I did,” Roki said, leaning back in his chair with crossed arms. Despite his word choice, Izuku could almost immediately tell just which out of the two he was talking about. It was all in the tone he used.

“It’s for the best,” Todo repeated.

Roki stood up from his chair almost violently. It screeched as it skid across the floor as he slammed both hands down on the table. The temperature suddenly rose to scalding as the two Todoroki’s looked at each other, once again having that silent conversation that no one else was privy to. Then with a snarl, Roki grabbed his tray and turned to walk away.

Before he was out of earshot, he said, “Best for who? Your fragile ego?”

During the morning class, Izuku kept throwing glances behind him. He looked at the two empty desks where Todo and Roki had sat. It felt wrong to see them empty, to not have the alpha burn his eyes into his back during every second of class.

He was extra careful with his notes as he wrote down the lectures. He made small additions he might not normally make in case it was something that Todoroki was interested in. It all turned into a jumbled mess of words that filled the expanse of multiple pages that Izuku knew would be a pain to organize later. But somehow the idea of organizing his unusually messy notes didn't seem to bother him much, especially if it meant that Todoroki could stay in school. 

He looked up at the board where Present Mic was writing something in English on the board. He quickly scribbled it down without even having to look at what he was writing. He threw a quick glance anyway to make sure it was correct. English sentence structure was his weak point. Todoroki had always been better at the language than Izuku.

Red eyes, narrowed into an unreadable glare met Izuku’s as he caught sight of Bakugou. His head was tilted just an inch backwards enough so that he could look at Izuku. His eyes didn’t meet Izuku’s, instead they seemed to roam over his face and torso.

Izuku swallowed, shifting in his seat. He looked behind himself and then back, but by then Bakugou had turned back around.

He quickly forgot about the odd glance when Present Mic called on him to translate a sentence for the class. He fumbled with the pronunciation and messed up the grammar before he sat back down with his cheeks heating up. Bakugou gave an amused snort in front of him.

The day seemed to pass in slow motion. Every second the clock ticked forward, the slower time seemed to move. Each class became longer and longer and Izuku struggled to pay attention as his mind kept wandering back to Todoroki being cooped up all alone in the dormitory. 

Well, he wasn't completely alone. He was with himself, but that was just a technicality, wasn't it?

Were they getting along or were they still mad at each other? They’d seemed pretty hostile towards the other during breakfast. Hopefully they didn’t pick a fight again. Which was an odd thought to have. It just didn’t make sense to him to pick a fight with yourself. Would he, perhaps, do the same if he had been split in half? He couldn’t really think of a part of himself that he would potentially be mad at, though. Then again, he couldn’t really think of a part of Todoroki that the alpha would be mad at, either.

When the lunch bell rang, Izuku let out a long sigh of relief. He grabbed his bag and pushed his books into it lazily. They tumbled inside, so unorganized that they took up most of the space and left little room for the rest of his stuff. He hung it on the side of his chair again and stood up. He almost turned around to ask Todoroki to walk with him to the cafeteria only to realize that the two halves of a whole wasn’t present.

“I’m starving,” Uraraka said, rubbing her stomach as she walked over. Asui walked behind her, a finger to her lip as she nodded.

“You need to eat better,” she spoke. Her tone was her usual, but her eyes were concerning and caring.

“Hehe,” was all Uraraka said at that. A short chuckle as she waved the remark away with a small red tint to her cheeks. When she turned to him, she said with a bright smile, “Deku! Let’s hurry to the cafeteria before the best food is sold out.”

He grunted with a nod. “Yes.”

Before leaving the classroom he threw another look at Todoroki’s empty desk with a frown. He was so used to the alpha walking with him during lunch, especially during the past week. Todo and Roki had been like two bodyguards on either side of him, glaring at anyone unknown who tried to approach him. Well, at least Roki had. Todo had been a lot more subtle about it.

The moment Izuku exited the classroom a very familiar hand shot out towards him from his left. His eyes widened as he spun to shoot his own arm up to dodge the appendage but his hand was slapped away. Bakugou grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him forwards. The explosive alpha made a U turn and started walking in the opposite direction of the cafeteria, all the while dragging Izuku behind him like a lump of luggage.

“Deku?” Uraraka called. Multiple footsteps—three, Izuku realized, one set a lot louder and much faster than the other two—followed them.

“Bakugou! Unhand Midoriya at once!” Iida called, speeding down the hallway in a quick walking pace without running. He was waving his arm around with a stern look on his face.

“It’s fine.” Izuku waved a hand at his friends with an awkward smile. “I’ll join you later, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Uraraka asked.

Izuku nodded. “Save me a seat.”

“Okay.”

Izuku stumbled as he tried to keep up with Bakugou’s quick pace, tripping over his feet multiple times before he managed to match his walking speed.

“Kacchan, where are we going?” Izuku asked, looking around them to see the corridor become less and less crowded the further away they got. Bakugou only growled in return.

He tensed up immediately at the sound, fearing that his knees would buckle again. He did not want to collapse right into Bakugou right now. But his legs retained their strength. There were no heart palpitations, no echo in his ears and his body wasn’t turning into a heavy sack of sand.

He didn’t have much time to linger on that, though, as Bakugou dragged him into an empty classroom and pushed Izuku inside. He then slammed the door shut with a loud bang. He leaned against the door with his arms in his pockets and a glare directed straight at Izuku as if that somehow was going to explain exactly why they were there.

“What are we doing in here?” Izuku started saying, looking around the classroom confused. He opened his mouth to continue but never got the chance to continue.

Bakugou cut him off with a snarl. His eyes narrowed and the corner of his lip turned up, showing off his teeth. “The fuck is going on with you and the half-n-half bastard?”

Izuku froze, mouth forming a long thin line on his face. Now he could feel his heartbeat pick up and he looked around the room as if he was going to find a good excuse to avoid the topic in the empty classroom. He could feel the sweat form on his brow.

“Me and Todoroki?” Izuku asked, pointing at himself. As if there was anyone else in the room Bakugou could be talking about. “N-nothing.”

“Bullshit.” Bakugou pushed off of the door. 

“It’s not bullshit. There’s nothing going on between me and Todoroki,” Izuku repeated, but even he heard the way his voice broke at the last words. Because he wasn’t sure about that himself. Was there something going on between them? “...I think.”

“You fucking think?” Bakugou asked, but it was more of a shout. His usual aggressive tone when he thought the person he was talking to was stupid. In the past, that had most often been Izuku.

Izuku couldn’t think of anything else to do but shrug at that. He looked away, but quickly turned his eyes back. Aizawa’s words echoed in his ears and he felt a shiver run up his spine as he realized that he was all alone in a room with an alpha. Sure it was Bakugou and if there was ever an alpha Izuku was sure he wouldn’t be attacked by—at least not in that kind of way—, Aizawa had been very clear that he should be more careful; And Bakugou did have an explosive temper. Not that Izuku thought he would care much if he found out about the hickeys on his neck, but at the same time, there really was no way to predict what Bakugou would react well to and what would set him off. 

“Yeah, I think,” Izuku repeated with another shrug of his shoulders. He pulled on the collar of his dress shirt, pulling it up in hopes that the thick leather around his neck wouldn’t be as visible.

“Are you fucking blind?” Bakugou asked, managing to look both annoyed and in utter disbelief at the same time.

“I’m not—” Izuku started, but Bakugou interrupted him again.

“Then your nose sure as hell doesn't work. You stink of alpha pheromones,” Bakugou snarled. His nose wrinkled as he took a whiff of the air as if whatever he’d smelled made him nauseous. “He’s been hounding you ever since school started. You can’t be that fucking oblivious.”

“I know that, but there’s nothing going on between us,” Izuku said, his hands balling into fists by his sides. If he said it enough times, maybe he would believe it. Because there was still way too much to discuss first. So much that had to be cleared up before any proper conclusion could be reached. “At least not like that… I think.”

“Again with that bullshit?” Bakugou took another step closer and Izuku instinctively took a step back. “Why the fuck is he scenting you?”

“He’s not—” Izuku stopped. He looked down on himself with a frown. He slowly raised his arm up to his nose and sniffed at his sleeve. His own scent stuck to the fabric like a sticker to the back of a computer lid, but underneath it lingered the warm pheromones of Rokiroki. He gasped, “He must have done it this morning.”

“So what the fuck is going on between you two—” Bakugou stopped abruptly and his eyebrows scrunched up. His eyes narrowed as he seemed to zero in on something on Izuku’s face… Or not his face, underneath his face. “Is that a collar?”

Izuku slapped his hands over the brown leather the moment Bakugou had finished his question. No matter how much he pulled his shirt up, he couldn’t hide the way it stuck out. If he looked down he could feel it dig into his jawline. Thankfully no one had asked about it so far—aside from Roki that morning—, but it was only a matter of time until someone took a too close of a look at his neck. Now appeared to be that time.

“Yes? I’m an omega, I have an omega collar. What about it?” Izuku asked, biting his lip. His eyes darted around the classroom for an escape that wasn’t the main door. To get through that one he would have to get past Bakugou and really, he didn’t want to risk it. He’d already been part of one hallway being destroyed, he had no desire to be the cause of the destruction of a classroom as well. 

“Take it off.”

“What?”

“I said, take it off. Are you hard of hearing?” Bakugou stalked over with long steps. He had a hand stretched out towards Izuku, looking like a claw reaching out towards him.

Izuku stumbled backwards rapidly to the point he fumbled over his feet. He fell, using one of the desks to make a turn and darted behind it as if the piece of furniture was going to stop Bakugou.

“Why would I take it off?” he asked.

“What did that bastard do to you?” Bakugou’s tone was harsh but his eyes were harsher, and his words dug deep into Izuku’s soul.

“Bastard—you mean Todoroki?” Izuku blinked as he stood up a bit straighter. He shook his head, repeating the words “That’s wrong” a couple of times followed by, “Nothing! He didn’t do anything to me.”

“Why else would you wear a fucking collar?”

“Because I’m an omega.” It was a lame excuse considering how long they’d known each other. They’d gone to the same school their entire lives and their mother’s were close friends.

“You’ve known you’re an omega since we were kids, you’ve never worn a collar before,” Bakugou practically snarled as if Izuku’s refusal had insulted him. “Take it off.”

“No!”

With a growl, Bakugou leaped towards Izuku. He let out a high pitched yelp as he dodged out of the way, pushing the desk around as he did so. A chair tumbled over, knocking into another. They fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Izuku jumped over them as he ran around the desk. Bakugou quickly got tired of just following behind and jumped up onto one of the desks. He started skipping across them, quickly gaining on Izuku.

“I’m not showing you my neck, Kacchan!” Izuku shouted. He turned around, preparing his finger with a sparked up flicker of one percent of One for All. He let it snap when Bakugou got close, sending the alpha flying backwards with the wind pressure.

He took that moment to run out of the classroom. The door flew open, probably taking a very rough hit as it slammed into the wall way too loud for it not to have been heard. He didn’t look behind him as he made a beeline for the cafeteria, not stopping as he heard Bakugou come barreling towards him. His explosive footsteps and loud yelling just made Izuku push his legs harder, green lightning flickering around them as he ran at a speed that would make Iida both jealous and mad—considering he was running in the hallway.

“Save me!” he shouted when he spotted Kirishima’s red hair among the crowd of students.

Kirishima looked behind him, getting up when he saw Izuku come running towards him. Instead of stopping in front of him, Izuku darted behind the alpha. He looked out behind his broad frame, just watching for the moment Bakugou would reach them.

“From what?” Kirishima asked, but was soon faced with an answer when he spotted Bakugou. He chuckled in realization and held out a hand. “Oi, Katsuki, you’re scaring Midoriya.”

“I’m not scared,” Izuku defended, looking out from Kirishima’s back as if he wasn’t using him as a living meat shield.

“Then why are you running, you nerd?” Bakugou asked as he came closer. “Fucking show me.”

“My private life, I don’t have to tell you anything,” Izuku insisted.

“Show him what?” Kirishima asked with a frown. He looked between Izuku and Bakugou, looking very confused. “What’s going on? Are you two having another fight?”

“Be careful or you’re going to get suspended again,” Kaminari said, pointing with his fork.

“We’re not fighting!” Bakugou barked, small explosions cracking in his hand as a vein popped on his forehead. He turned his eyes on Izuku who swallowed. “Stop being a fucking coward and show me.”

“I said no!”

“Hey, Katsuki, why don’t we calm down,” Kirishima said, leaving Izuku to walk over to Bakugou.

“Smell him.” Bakugou’s eyes were narrowed when he spoke. Then he muttered under his breath, “Didn’t I tell you not to call me by my name in public, you shitty-haired bastard?”

“What?” Kirishima looked at Izuku and then at Bakugou, seemingly ignoring the mumbled comment. “I’m not going to smell him.”

“Yeah, man, that would be inappropriate,” Sero said. Kaminari nodded beside him.

“You don’t have to stuff your face in his neck, just get close to him and fucking smell him,” Bakugou exclaimed, pointing at Izuku as if that had been obvious.

Kirishima looked at Izuku again, shrugged and got a bit closer. He took a long whiff of the air and then frowned. “Hold on a second…”

Izuku could feel the sweat drip down his neck and temple as Kirishima took a step closer. He took another long whiff before he tilted his head to the side, looking at Izuku with a curious face.

“Why do you smell like Todoroki?” Kirishima asked, furrowing his brow.

“It’s probably because of last night,” Sero pointed out, and Izuku wasn’t sure if he wanted to thank him or glare at him to keep quiet.

“What happened last night?” Kirishima asked. Then his face lit up. “This has to do with the fight yesterday?”

With a strangled groan, Izuku nodded. His mouth was a thin line as he pulled his shoulders up to his ears to hide the collar from view. Maybe he should start wearing a scarf?

“I was just trying to stop them from fighting,” he got out through a couple of stammers. “That’s probably why I smell like him.”

“Then why the fuck do you only smell like one of them?” Bakugou continued, walking over but was held back from coming too close by Kirishima holding out an arm. “You don’t smell like the cold bastard.”

“How do you know what the two of them smell like?” Izuku defended, crossing his arms in defiance.

“You do smell a lot like Rokiroki,” Kirishima added. “He was my partner during sparring practice a couple of days ago. He does have this really warm scent, kind of like Todoroki but not really.”

“And you don’t smell like a fucking glacier,” Bakugou said, eyes burning with something Izuku wasn’t sure he knew what it was. If it was anger, possessiveness or just general distaste over the fact that Izuku was having a life.

Izuku felt like he was shrinking in front of the two alpha’s, like a tiny animal. But unlike the time with Rokiroki, he didn’t like it. It made his stomach churn at being looked down upon like an omega and especially with the way Bakugou was treating him like he couldn’t make his own decision. Like a wounded or sick animal circled by a group of beasts. The repeated questioning wasn’t exactly doing much, either. The personal and extremely private answer to prying questions that Izuku would prefer to keep to himself.

“Well, this is just the way I smell right now,” Izuku said, clearing his throat as he took a step back. He glanced around himself in search of Iida and Uraraka, hoping he could find his safe space with them. He almost got disappointed when he spotted them and the usual head of red and white hair wasn’t with them, despite the fact that he very well knew that Todoroki wouldn’t be there. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Todoroki this week, so there’s no surprise I smell like at least one of them.”

“That doesn’t answer my fucking question,” Bakugou said. “What the hell happened to your neck.”

Kirishima looked curiously at Bakugou and then at Izuku. He tilted his head and leaned his whole torso to the side as he tried to get a good look. Izuku quickly reached a hand up to scratch his neck to hide the collar behind his arm. From the way Kirishima’s eyes widened, he must have seen it anyway.

“What are they talking about?” Kaminari asked, poking Sero in the side. The beta shrugged at the question.

“Not sure,” he replied.

“But you were there, weren’t you?” Kaminari asked. “Didn’t you see anything?”

“Only for a couple of seconds,” Sero admitted. “I didn’t see much.”

“What was the fight about?” Kirishima asked, interrupting the two by the table. Izuku bit his lip and swallowed.

“It was between Todoroki so I don’t really know,” Izuku lied, feeling how his cheeks heated up as the memories came back to him. He was most definitely not going to tell them what happened! This didn’t concern them, after all. This was between Izuku and Todoroki's two halves. “He just got mad at himself.”

“You sure that’s it?” Kirishima asked. He took a step forward and put a hand on Izuku’s shoulder with a soft expression that contrasted with his continuously growing height and hard looking exterior. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” Izuku said. He coughed into his fist and gave Kirishima a thankful smile. “But really, it’s nothing. If anything, it’s personal.” Before any of them could add anything to that, Izuku added, “Personal to Todoroki, that is. I don’t feel comfortable talking about it with others unless he’s said it’s okay. So I’d rather not talk about it.”

The more he spoke the heavier the weight got on his shoulders. Each lie had turned into a physical block he had to carry on his shoulders and each time he spoke another, one more was placed atop the building pile. 

But they weren’t all lies, Izuku justified himself. Some were just the truth spun a bit so that the whol story would be the main topic in the common room tonight. Besides’, the last thing he wanted was for Todoroki to get into trouble with their classmates too, all over a missunderstanding that Izuku wasn’t entirely sure he understood himself; And he’d been present when said missunderstanding happened!

“So if we can just—” Instead of finishing the sentence, Izuku just gestured with his hands in a move that could be easily interpreted as back off.

“I didn’t know Todoroki had so many issues,” Kaminari said with a surprised huff of air.

“Guess even Pretty Boy’s* aren’t without problems,” Sero agreed with a nod.

Izuku nodded at the two before he pointed behind himself, hopefully in the direction of Iida and Uraraka. “I’m just gonna—I’m going to sit over there now.”

He turned around to walk away, feeling how each step away from the two alpha’s—and Bakugou’s prying eyes and questions—was a step that eased the tension in his shoulders. But he didn’t get very far before he was stopped by Bakugou grabbing onto his arm. He sighed in annoyance and was about to rip his arm out of his grip when both of them were stopped by a very stern voice.

“I do hope you two trouble children aren’t planning on fightning in the cafeteria, too,” Aizawa said as he walked over to them. His hands were stuffed into his pockets and his eyes were narrowed as he walked over towards the two.

“I was just leaving,” Izuku said, looking down on the grip on his arm which hadn’t disappeared, though it had losened in strength. “Right, Kacchan.”

The alpha in question huffed.

“Midoriya, All Might want to see you,” Aizawa said with a nod behind him. “You can bring your lunch with you.”

“Right!”

Izuku took a step to move when Bakugou pulled him back one last time.

“You’re lying through your teeth,” Bakugou hissed, holding onto him by the arm so he couldn’t moved to walk away.

“I’m not.”

“You think I don’t know when you’re talking bullshit?” Bakugou asked, sounding equally as insulted as he sounded angry. Though, to be fair, angry was pretty much his default setting so that wasn’t much of a surprise.

“It has nothing to do with you, Kacchan. It’s private,” Izuku said, pushing his hand away. He then hurried towards and past Aizawa who gave him a quiestioning look as he ran by.

Chapter Text

He didn't know what to say as he sat on the couch, somehow feeling like he couldn't look straight ahead at his idol turned mentor. His neck burned and he wasn't sure if it was from the collar or from some kind of blush he had no idea why he was sporting. Izuku pulled on his blazer and the dress shirt, hanging his head with a posture that had All Might been anyone else, it would've been considered incredibly rude. 

Before him on the coffee table was a plate of Katsudon that Izuku hadn’t ordered. It had been there when he’d arrived. All Might had given him a smile and soft eyes that spoke of understanding as he’d told Izuku to sit down. He’d taken a seat but had only poked at the food. His stomach growled, causing his cheeks to heat up more, but somehow he wasn't all that hungry.

He cleared his throat, looked up and opened his mouth as if to speak only to close it again, unable to come up with something to say. He had no idea why he was getting tongue tied or why he felt like he’d suddenly garnered everyone’s attention, and not in a good way. Ever since entering U.A Izuku had wanted to stand out and rise up to show he was worthy of the quirk that had been passed on to him, show the world that he was more than just an omega, yet he had never felt so much like his secondary gender as he had today. Hiding a necklace of hickeys behind a collar he’d never dared wear in public before all the while smelling like one half of the alpha he was fated to mate with.

Bakugou had called it scenting, and Kirishima had noticed it, too. Could All Might also smell it? Had the rest of the class noticed and just not said anything? 

“...Oung Midoriya.”

Izuku’s whole body jerked, back straightening up. “Yes?!”

All Might was looking at him with furrowed brows and his sunken eyes were a mix of concern and uncertainty.

Izuku shook his head, swallowed and cleared his throat once more. “Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”

“Are you alright?” All Might asked, knitting his hands together in his lap.

“I’m fine,” Izuku said with a nod, but at the look he received he sighed. “It’s been a long week.”

For a second it looked like All Might was going to ask about the collar because his eyes fell on it and then rose back up to meet Izuku’s. He raised an eyebrow and Izuku bit his lip.

All Might let out a sigh of his own. He hung his head downwards before he looked back up. He smiled when he spoke, sounding just a bit awkward. “You should hurry and eat before lunch is over.” He gestured with his hand towards the plate. “It’s not good to train on an empty stomach.”

Izuku couldn’t deny the way his shoulders relaxed at those words. For a hot second, he thought he was about to be questioned about last night and Todoroki and the fight that had ensued between the two alpha’s. And if Izuku was honest, he wasn’t sure if he was all that willing to talk about it yet. Those who knew already thought he’d been attacked. Izuku didn’t need All Might to think that he wasn’t strong enough to fend for himself, especially against a classmate; And he most definitely didn’t want All Might to think that Todoroki would ever actually attack him.

“Right,” Izuku agreed with a nod. He picked up his chopsticks and picked up a bite sized portion before swallowing. 

It was silent for a moment while Izuku ate. When about two thirds of the plate remained, All Might spoke up again.

“I wanted to ask you about how well you're mastering float,” he said. His fingers had knit together again and he flexed them as he spoke before returning them into their tight grip in his lap.

Izuku’s mind went from Todoroki and yesterday to the quirk in question and he leaned his head to the side as he thought back on the few moments he’d used it in battle. He’d only ever managed to maintain it for a long span of time once, and that had been on pure rage and adrenaline. When he actually thought about it, he had no idea how he’d managed to use all three quirks at the same time. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that he’d done so either. It had all been instinctual. Protect. Survive. Win.

But that had been the only time. Managing Black Whip alone was a struggle, although he had gotten a pretty good hand on it by now. The strength aspect of One for All was still being refined as they spoke. Mixing and switching between percentages was becoming more and more second nature and less of a conscious decision. Both Quirks that he had a good grasp on because he’d had teachers who could give him a good rundown on how the quirks worked. One for All from All Might and Gran Torino and Black Whip from Endeavor and some tips from Aizawa and even Sero had chipped in with his own advice here and there.

But Float?

Float was different. At most he could only maintain it for a couple of minutes before he started flailing like a fish in the air before falling to the ground—or that’s what Bakugou had said while laughing his ass off at the display. He hadn’t been the only one laughing but he sure had been the loudest, being the only one who actually knew the truth out of their classmates.

“It’s still difficult to maintain for more than a couple of minutes,” Izuku admitted aloud, tapping the plate. “I’ve timed it to four minutes and thirty-two seconds, but after that I fall.”

Uraraka had said he was thinking too much about staying up in the air instead of just feeling it, but he had no idea what she’d meant by that.

She'd been a great help in understanding the pure basics. She was the only student he knew at the school that had a quirk that could sort of be considered similar to the one he was trying to learn how to use. Of course, he’d had to make a bit of a backwards explanation on how he could float when his quirk was supposedly a power quirk.

“It’s more like storing energy,” he’d explained, warping the truth enough for it to be believable, because really, it wasn’t technically a lie. “I thought it was strength at first, but it’s really more like storing power and then releasing it.”

“And you want to be able to fly?” Uraraka had asked with a frown. She’d tilted her head to the side, looking very confused but intrigued by his request.

Izuku had nodded. “I’ve done it before, but I just can’t seem to do it again. You’re the only one I can think of that would be able to help.”

She had smiled at that and nodded. She clapped her hands together with a determined nod. “Alright, I’ll do my best!”

All Might hummed, massaging his sharp chin. “Four minutes is still a long time.”

“I float for about four minutes, but after a couple of seconds I start losing altitude,” Izuku explained, gesturing with his hands. As he spoke he raised his legs off of the floor and with a tense expression he floated a couple of centimeters off of the couch. He hovered over the cushions for a couple of seconds as he spoke before slowly lowering himself back down with a sigh. “The longer I maintain it the more difficult it becomes, and I also get dizzy.”

It had been a real struggle to push the dizziness away for that long. When he’d started out training Float he’d gone dizzy after just a couple of seconds, as if he had never used the quirk before—which on some level, he hadn't. But Izuku had pushed it, forcing himself to hold out longer. Fight the dizziness down and train himself to get used to the new strain. It was all about focus in the start. Remain above ground, that’s how it had started. Then to be able to float higher and higher without being overtaken by the nausea and dizziness.

There had been one time when he’d trained with Uraraka where he’d completely lost altitude after throwing up. Thankfully the beta’s reflexes were quick and Izuku hadn’t fallen to the ground like a human pancake, but the nausea hadn’t gone away until they’d been back on solid ground. He hadn’t thrown up in a while since and it had only been the one time, but the nausea lingered.

He recalled Uraraka having similar problems during their first year. There had been many times that she’d overexerted herself to the point of throwing up. Which was also something she was really good at explaining the reasons why and being sympathetic towards his struggles. She even suggested that he’d take small baby steps instead of constantly trying to hurry the process on, which had made his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She definitely had a point, though.

“I’ve been working on some modifications to my hero costume to help lessen the nausea, but I can’t rely solely on support items,” Izuku mumbled, more so to himself now than to All Might. His fingers moved in the air in front of him as if he was writing everything down in an invisible notebook. “They’re not supposed to be a way out, but a helpful tool. Support, right? Like with Black Whip. I can use it without my gauntlets, but they definitely make it easier to control.” Izuku leaned his head back and tilted it to the side. His hand moved quickly in the air and his brow furrowed as he let his mind wander. “Did the seventh have any support item to help with nausea? I know Uraraka have a lot, but they’re more integrated in her costume. Less support and more general functionality, right? Doesn’t mean it’s not useful. She knows the right pressure points—we did talk about it before graduation. She made some really good points, too.”

All Might had to clear his throat to get a word in between the ramblings. “Have you made any changes to your costume this year?”

“Not yet.” Izuku shook his head. 

With exception for some minor detail changes at the end of last semester, his costume was relatively the same as before. He should upgrade it, especially with each new quirk he acquired. But it was also difficult to know what changes would help each individual quirk. For the nausea it had to be the pressure points, or that was the logical conclusion, at least. But it could just be Izuku’s body not being used to the altitude and the sudden change in his molecules. Maybe it was just a mental block from the lack of support underneath him as he hung floating in the air.

There was a hum from the former number one before he stood up. He pulled on the oversized suit that he still wore on a regular basis as he made his way over to the thermos. He poured himself a hot cup of coffee before returning to his seat on the couch. He blew on the cup as he furrowed his brow in thought. Then he shrugged and smiled. 

“Well, it’s just to keep practicing, then.”

Izuku agreed with a nod. He took a few more bites of his food as All Might sipped on his coffee.

“We should continue the usual training with Young Bakugou this year as well,” All Might continued, putting the cup down on the coffee table. “You’ve improved a lot in these last couple of months.”

At the mention of his childhood friend, Izuku stiffened. He was halfway through a bite and instead of finishing, he put his chopsticks down. Bakugou would definitely take the opportunity to ask him about Todoroki. Well, he said ask, but in actuality he would probably demand an answer more so than anything.

The two didn’t hate each other. Todoroki and Bakugou. Izuku knew that Todoroki went on Bakugou’s nerves sometimes, but that was common for pretty much anyone depending on the alpha’s mood. Maybe it was an alpha male thing, about asserting dominance and superiority and all that? Izuku wasn’t sure. He didn’t know much about alpha’s despite being the son of one. His father hadn’t been in the picture since he was a child, and since Inko was a beta, that was the gender he knew the most about. Even more so than his own.

But Bakugou’s aggression over the collar earlier did linger in Izuku’s mind. In a way it was a relief to know that he cared enough to worry, even if it was in his own unique way. But at the same time, he didn’t understand why Bakugou would be bothered by Izuku showing off his gender. Not that that was what he intended to do with wearing the collar, but it was an inevitable side effect. 

He’d felt eyes on him all morning. Although he couldn’t be quite sure if that was his own paranoia or if people were actually interested in his sudden fashion choice. It was probably more so the first one than the second, but that didn’t stop Izuku from hunching wherever he went in hopes that people would ignore him just as they’d done during middle school.

Instinctively he reached up and scratched at the collar. He pulled on the buckle, trying to get some levity around his neck. Then he sighed and with some quiet contemplation, he bit his lip and made up his mind. He looked up and met All Might’s eyes with a bit of uncertainty. But he only got understanding looking back at him, which did make it somewhat easier to get the first couple of words out.

“All Might, you’re an alpha,” Izuku started, spoken as if in confirmation. The words were hesitant and careful but All Might nodded. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always, my boy,” All Might replied. Then he leaned forward, putting his weight on his knees. “This is about young Todoroki, isn’t it?”

Izuku could already feel his cheeks start to heat up at the topic they were about to discuss, but he did nod. “He’s confusing.”

“Young Todoroki is a complex person,” All Might agreed, gesturing with his hands for Izuku to continue.

“I know that and I know I’ve pried too much into his personal life, but this isn’t about that,” Izuku said. He took a long, sharp inhale and then released it to the right of himself, as if to blow away his troubles. 

“This is about what happened last night.”

He looked up immediately, definitely with a red face at the alpha’s words. All Might had both eyebrows raised and Izuku looked down on his lap.

“You know about that?” Izuku asked quietly, fiddling with his crooked fingers. “How much do you know?”

“Aizawa told me. Your mom made me your go-to guardian on campus, he’s legally obligated to tell me,” All Might explained, opening his arms wide as if in an open and inviting gesture. Then he let them fall and he asked, “What really happened yesterday?”

“Todoroki—Rokiroki, the red haired one—and I was...I don’t know how it happened, or even how we got there but we had an argument,” Izuku began, stumbling a bit over his words as he tried to find the best way to explain what happened without having to say that he almost made out with Todoroki in the dorm elevator. “I think it started earlier that day, actually. Long before we even got to the elevator.

“He asked me not to take the dampeners. I think that, maybe he’s worried about the bond going away. And when I took them anyway—he got this look in his eyes, like I’d betrayed him.”

“Young Midoriya, no one has the right to interfere with your health. That includes Young Todoroki. He can’t decide for you what you should and shouldn’t do about your health.”

“You don’t understand. You weren’t there. You didn’t see the way he looked at me.”

He’d never thought the day would come when Todoroki would look at him like that. With such sadness and discomfort and pure betrayal. God, he could still remember the guilt that had instantly washed over him as the alpha had stormed out of the kitchen.

He felt so stupid for not talking to Rokiroki before taking the dampener, but at the same time, he’d thought they’d already talked about it. Todotodo had said it was fine and it hadn’t crossed Izuku’s mind that Roki wasn’t going to agree with that decision. It was just another thing to add to the pile of contradictions that surrounded the two of Todoroki’s halves. Sometimes it was difficult to believe that they used to be the same person.

“This isn’t just about me. The dampeners affect him just as much as they affect me and I didn’t even talk to him about it beforehand—well, I did, but only one of them,” Izuku said, falling back onto the couch. His head fell backwards as he stared up at the roof. “He’s supposed to be my alpha, and I just ignored him.”

“Fated mates are complicated,” All Might said. “Your bond is one that only you will be able to understand.”

“But I don’t understand it!” Izuku said, standing up. He pointed in both directions. “He won’t talk to me. He won’t listen.”

“I don’t know much about Fated Mates. I don’t have one, and it’s not really my area of expertise,” All Might admitted with an apologetic face. He cocked his head to the side with a frown. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Regarding this whole situation. What are your feelings about it?”

Izuku blinked for a bit, letting his arms drop to his sides. His feelings?

He looked away, taking a hold of the bottom of his blazer. “...I don’t know.”

“What happened yesterday—” All Might cleared his throat, spreading his hands out like two fans. He sounded very uncertain about what he was about to say, but that didn’t seem to stop him. “What were your… thoughts about what happened yesterday?”

Izuku’s blush deepened, spreading up to heat up his ears and his neck. He sat down, legs tightly shut and tense with his hands in his lap. However, his back was hunched forwards and his shoulders were once again pulled up to his ears.

“Well, that’s kinda—you know, it was… I mean, it’s—” Izuku was sure his face was going to melt off from how hot it was. Or maybe he was about to spontaneously combust? “Todoroki and—and I, we… you know, like that—it was…”

He pointed repeatedly to his neck before quickly returning his hand to his lap as if he’d done something he wasn’t supposed to. The words wouldn’t leave him and it was as if his tongue had swelled up in his throat. He took a deep breath, trying to fight down the odd sense of guilt that was building inside along with that tell tale bubble of embarrassment in order to properly get the words out.

“Was it a bad…” All Might stopped as if he was searching for the right word. “Experience, or did you like it?”

The next words were a whisper. “...I liked it…”

All Might once again cleared his throat before coughing into his hand. He took a long sip of his coffee and let out a long breath of air. Then he steadied himself again. “And what about Young Todoroki?”

“I don’t know…” Izuku admitted, scratching his cheek. “It’s Todoroki that doesn’t seem to be able to make up his mind. One says he wants to be with me, the other says that he’s dangerous and that I should stay away. I don’t know which one I should listen to.”

“Listen to yourself.”

“What?”

“Listen to yourself first,” All Might said, sounding a lot more confident and sure of himself now than he had a couple of seconds ago. “With young Todoroki’s condition, I believe it might be hard for him to properly make up his mind. Being two people is probably more difficult for him than we’re able to understand.”

It obviously wasn’t fucking nothing, Katsuki grumbled to himself as he glared down at his plate. As if he didn’t know Deku well enough to know that something had happened. Something important. Midoriya wasn’t just acting different, but he smelled different. Like Todoroki, that bastard. Bad posture, avoiding eye contact, keeping distance. That wasn’t the kind of behavior that just happened overnight without reason.

And that damn collar. It probably shouldn’t stand out as much on Midoriya as it did. A thick, ugly piece of brown leather that might as well have been a neck brace with how thick it was.

It was the collar that had been the final nail in the coffin. The piece of evidence—for lack of a better word—that made him sure that he was right in thinking something seriously wrong had happened. Because the only reason an omega would wear a collar was to protect their neck from being bitten by an alpha. That was the most basic function of a collar. But Midoriya hadn’t presented. He lacked any distinct omega smell. There was no reason for him to wear a collar because even if someone bit his neck, as he was now, it would do fuck all. 

Katsuki recalled their middle school years, and even the years before that. Never once had Midoriya changed with the rest of the boys in the locker rooms, yet he always arrived to class on time. Not that he cared much about what Deku did and it hadn’t really struck him as odd until he’d spotted the omega coming out of the toilet after class, changed and with the tips of his hair damp. The next time they’d had physical education, he’d followed him. When Midoriya had exited the bathroom stall and seen him, he had mumbled something that Katsuki hadn’t been able to hear correctly, hung his head and escaped out of the room before he could say anything.

Now, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why Midoriya had never changed with the rest of the students. They two of them had grown up together and because their moms used to hang out a lot when they were little, they had spent a lot of time together in their kindergarten years. They’d even taken baths together as toddlers on multiple occasions. But just because Katsuki knew didn’t mean that their class had known; And Katsuki hadn’t given two shits about the nerds secondary gender to tell anyone—even he hadn’t disliked Deku so much as to put him through that getting out. Maybe it was a good thing that Midoriya hadn’t stood out during junior and middle school.  If it had become known that he wasn’t just quirkless but an omega as well, Katsuki doubted that it would have ended well for him. 

It was obvious that Todoroki—or the fire-bastard version of him, at least—wanted something from Midoriya. He’d been hounding him ever since he’d gotten back to school. It was gross and Katsuki didn’t care to see it. It made his stomach churn with disgust. But then Midoriya started to smell like the bastard, too. It would linger behind him with the dull scent of smoke and frost, and today it had clung to him like a woman wearing too much perfume.

Katsuki had noticed that something was wrong as early as breakfast. The way Todoroki—Rokiroki, that damn bastard—had followed Midoriya into the kitchen, with that hand on the small of his back and with that hungry look in his eyes. It was disgusting how he didn’t even care to be discreet about it, either. Then when first period had started and Deku had sat down behind him, Katsuki had noticed the hot pheromones and the lingering alpha musk as the omega had walked by.

Katsuki had tried to look for something off about Midoriya, but with that collar on it was impossible to tell. It had to be something with the neck. Katsuki was fucking sure about it. There wasn’t an alpha in the world that wouldn’t immediately go for the neck first when approaching someone they wanted. The neck stood out, it was intimate and to have someone reveal their neck to you was almost as intimate of an act as presenting yourself to your partner in bed.

That damn collar was definitely hiding something. In the many years that they’d known each other, he had never seen Midoriya with an omega collar on. Not even once. Katsuki hadn’t even been aware that Midoriya had owned one to begin with since he’d been so keen on appearing like a beta to the rest of the world. The way he tried to hide it under his uniform was almost ridiculous. Anyone with a good pair of eyes would notice the clunky thing if they looked close enough. It was ridiculous that no one had mentioned it yet, or they were all blind nuts. 

Todoroki had done something, and it probably had to do with whatever happened last night. All that noise that late at night along with a suspension? There was no way that it was just something minor. The whole ass elevator was broken, and apparently Deku had been in the middle of it. Along with that damn half-and-half bastard.

“That damn nerd doesn’t know how to take care of himself for shit,” Katsuki muttered aloud. A dull, quiet growl rumbled in his throat at the notion that Deku might have been attacked last night. “I fucking knew he was gonna end up getting taken advantage of with how fucking naive he is.”

“I’m pretty sure Midoriya can handle himself,” Kirishima said with an odd chuckle beside him. He cocked his head to the side. “You’ve seen him fight.”

“I’m talking about fucking biology!” Katsuki bared his teeth, but Kirishima didn’t react to it except with a hum. 

“You mean because he’s an omega?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. He nodded as if he agreed with what Katsuki said but his next words contradicted that, “I don’t think that matters, though. He’s beat up plenty of alpha’s before.”

“Yeah,” Kaminari agreed with a fervent nod. “He’s probably the strongest omega I’ve met. Do you think that’s maybe because he’s a guy?”

“Isn’t that a bit sexist?” Sero raised an eyebrow, leaning away from his friend..

“What? I didn’t mean it like that!” Kaminari exclaimed. “I just mean since there aren’t many male omega’s, do you think maybe they’re like a super gender, or something?”

“Secondary gender doesn’t decide who you are or have anything to do with your quirk, you know?” Sero pointed out. “That’s all based on your parents.”

Katsuki quietly snorted at that, but silently agreed with what he said. Because if there was ever proof that secondary gender had nothing to do with who you were personality-vise, it was his parents. His mom was probably the most aggressive omega Katsuki had ever met and was ever going to meet, while his father appeared with the mannerism of a beta while he was in actuality an alpha. Secondary gender was just that; Gender. It was just pure and simple biology. 

“Yeah, but so is your secondary gender,” Kaminari insisted, flailing his fork around. “Just look at all the female alpha’s! They’re like super strong, right?”

“But isn’t that because alpha’s are naturally commanding?” Sero countered. “Shouldn’t that technically mean that male omega’s would be the polar opposite? Really weak and stuff? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Midoriya destroy a building with a single kick.”

“That’s what I mean!” Kaminari exclaimed enthusiastically. “Super gender.”

The only thing super about Midoriya was his unending stubbornness and addiction to potentially fatal and life debilitating injuries; And that was becuase it was super impressive how he was so damn stupid as to throw himself into a situation he couldn’t handle without any forethought. Which, in most people’s eyes, wasn’t necessarily a good quality to have. It had definitely pissed Katsuki off for a damn long time.

Had that been what had happened yesterday? Had Rokiroki attacked him and Midoriya hadn’t been able to defend himself?

Katsuki audibly scoffed at that. Because even he knew that Midoriya had the strength to push even an alpha off of him if that were to happen. Without the instincts that came with his secondary gender, there wouldn’t be anything about an alpha that should be able to keep Midoriya down. No pheromones to trigger a heat, no commanding presence to trigger dormant omega submission, and there definitely shouldn’t be anything that would hinder Midoriya from using his quirk to get away.

Could it be that he hadn’t defended himself because it was Todoroki of all people? Deku did care deeply for his friends, though Katsuki couldn’t be sure what his thoughts on Todoroki was. They weren’t close enough to share that kind of personal information. To be perfectly clear, Katsuki didn’t want to know who Midoriya fantasized about at night. Didn’t want to even imagine the nerd like that. Just the thought made him want to hurl.

Of course, whatever had happened could also have been consensual. Katsuki knew that. But it didn’t sound all that likely considering that there was apparently damage to not just the broken elevator but also the hallway. Both Sato and Sero had complained about the sprinklers at some point during the day which meant that Roki had used his quirk to the point where it had set them off. Then the half-and-half bastard had been suspended for the day.

What fucking part of any of that sounded consensual?

“Oi, long-arm.”

Both of Sero’s eyebrows raised but his expression remained the same as usual as he pointed at himself. “Me?”

“What happened last night?” Katsuki commanded with narrowed eyes. 

“I already said I don’t know. I was only there for a couple of seconds before I ran to get Aizawa,” Sero said with a sigh. He rolled his eyes at having to repeat an answer that he’d already told before.

“You must have seen something,” Kirishima said, before Katsuki could pry for more. He would have basically said the same thing, but just not in as fine a wording.

“Todotodo and Rokiroki were fighting. Midoriya was trying to stop them,” Sero said with his head leaned back as if that was going to help him remember last night better. “That’s about it.”

“So instead of helping, you ran?” Katsuki more pointed out than asked.

“It was Midoriya who told me to fetch Aizawa,” Sero defended. He gave a coy smile and shrugged when he said, “You should ask Sato about it if you want to know what happened, or you could just ask Midoriya a bit nicer and maybe he’ll tell you.”

“Doubtful,” Kaminari added bravely.

Kirishima put a hand on his shoulder when he growled, but he didn’t make a move at the beta. Instead he looked over his shoulder to where Midoriya had gone off to and narrowed his eyes. If that damn bastard was taking advantage of Deku than there was going to be hell to fucking pay.

Nezu flipped through the stack of papers in front of him as he read through the surprisingly minimal content they held. He hummed before neatly putting them back down on the desk next to the folders he’d brought along with them, and turned to the fellow teachers in the room.

“This is quite serious,” he said, his paws knitted together as best as he could. “Where are Todoroki right now?”

“In the dorms,” Ectoplasm said. “I have clones keeping an eye on them.”

“Good,” Nezu approved with a nod. “Has anyone informed Endeavour yet?”

“He was out on a mission at the time, so we left a message with his office,” Aizawa said.

Nezu nodded once more, turning towards All Might. “And what about Midoriya? You talked to him?”

All Might cleared his throat and nodded. “I did.”

“And what does he think of the situation?”

“He doesn’t seem to blame Young Todoroki,” All Might said, scratching his pointy chin. “He instead seemed to blame it on the sensory dampeners that Recovery Girl prescribed him, also on himself.”

He hummed and furrowed his eyebrows. He pushed the two files next to each other and flipped both of them open, revealing both information and a picture of Midoriya in one and of Todoroki in the other.

There were no obligations for fated mates to give up that kind of intimate and extremely private kind of information to the school. Not that it had ever happened at U.A before. Even then, if it had, they hadn’t instated the dormitories at the time and thus what happened during the students private time was none of the schools business. This hadn’t just happened on school grounds but in the school dormitories as well. An incident involving both an alpha and an omega in, from what Nezu had read in the reports Aizawa and Ectoplasm had handed in, could be described as venereal.

Keeping alpha and omega’s separated had been a big clause in getting the dormitories up and running. No one wanted to risk any dangerous incidents from happening to the students while under the schools care. Which had been why every student had needed to send in a medical report detailing their secondary gender and if or when they’d presented as well as if the doctor found them safe to be around the public. It was also important to disclose if the students were on any type of medication that related to their secondary gender, such as omega’s who were on suppressant and what kind in that case and alpha’s who took suppressant-like medication to keep their ruts in check in the rare case of extreme hormonal release during puberty.

According to the two’s separate files, neither Todoroki or Midoriya were on any type of medication. Midoriya specifically because he had yet to present. His medical report had also included an evaluation on the likelihood of him presenting in the upcoming year, which had been stated as highly unlikely based on his hormone and pheromone release at the time of the report.

“Aizawa, did you know about Todoroki and Midoriya’s?” Nezu asked in regards to the two’s fated status, looking at the tired teacher.

Aizawa nodded with a grunt as a reply. “They told me last year after the raid on Overhaul.”

“That’s months ago,” Present Mic pointed out, leaning over the table towards Aizawa with raised eyebrows.

“They told me in confidentiality,” Aizawa simply replied.

“What about you?” Nezu asked, turning to All Might who looked like he was deep in thought.

“Young Midoriya told me not too long after he learned about it,” the former number one hero said.

“And how long ago is that?” Present Mic asked.

“He first brought it up after the Sports Festival and then after he came back from his internship with Gran Torino,” he replied.

“That is way longer than Aizawa!” Present Mic sat back in his chair.

“It wasn’t information that was important to share at the time,” Aizawa said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. “They’re entitled to their privacy.”

“That is very true,” Nezu agreed with a nod. He put his paws on the two files. “Each of the accounts from the four students involved are different. Sato said he came late and didn’t see anything, which means that only the two Todoroki’s and Midoriya know what truly happened. Todoroki puts the blame on each other and Midoriya seems to explain it away as a misunderstanding.” He let out a soft sigh, before looking out over the teachers. “So what are we going to do about this?”

“If Todoroki is a danger to the students then he can’t be allowed to stay at the school,” Power Loader said, tapping the table. “Especially if he’s a danger to an omega that lives in the same dormitory.”

“Young love can go too far,” Midnight said with a nod. “But has anyone actually talked to Todoroki about what he did was wrong?”

“I have,” Aizawa said with a nod.

“And what did he say?” Power Loader asked while Midnight nodded in agreement that she too wanted to know.

Aizawa physically sighed, releasing a long breath of air as his shoulders fell. He opened his eyes and looked around at his colleagues. “He blames his other half for the fight and sees Midoriya’s compliance as a sign that he did nothing wrong. While that is the case for one of them, the other him does seem to understand the severity of the situation.”

“Wait, which Todoroki are we referring to now?” Present Mic asked with a frown. “I can’t be the only one who’s confused?”

“The student’s seem to have come up with nicknames for the two. We could use those,” Ectoplasm said. “I believe they were Todotodo and Rokiroki.”

“And which one is which?”

“The one who cornered Midoriya was Rokiroki,” Aizawa clarified. “Todotodo is the one who interfered and froze the hallway.”

“And he’s the one who understood the severity of the situation?” Midnight asked, and Aizawa nodded. “Then it seems that only one of the two is causing trouble.”

“But there hasn’t been any incident with the two until now,” Mic said seriously. “If one can lose control, so can the other.”

“And it seems like it’s all directed towards Midoriya,” Ectoplasm added. “Todotodo said that there is a high chance Rokiroki will act out again.”

Nezu hummed, massaging his chin. One student acting out was easy to deal with. It wouldn’t be the first time they had to evaluate a troublesome student, even during his own time as principle. But this was the first time they’d had to deal with a student having been split in half and having one of those half’s act out while the other warned them about himself.

He didn’t want to punish both Todoroki’s for the actions of one, but at the same time the two were still two halves of a whole. 

During the week he’d had Aizawa report back on Todoroki’s behavior just to be sure that there weren’t any unforeseen consequences that they hadn’t been able to predict. Clearly that had been a good idea considering last night's happenings. Though Nezu had to be perfectly honest and say even he hadn’t been able to predict that Todoroki might outright fight himself.

“We can’t take the words of one student as a certainty,” Midnight said, crossing her legs under the table. “The one who needs to be reprimanded here is Rokiroki.”

“But those were Todoroki’s own words,” Power Loader said.

Present Mic nodded, throwing a glance at Power Loader before he turned to Midnight. “If Todoroki himself thinks he’s dangerous, then we should consider his words. Especially after he attacked a student.”

Nezu interrupted their conversation with a question of his own that had yet to be asked and that he hadn’t yet gotten an answer to. “What was Midoriya like today during class?” 

The teachers looked at each other and then at Nezu. So he elaborated. 

“Todoroki’s actions do need reprimanding.” He nodded towards Midnight in agreement with her words. “But we should also consider Midoriya’s reactions to this incident. He was the one that seemed to be the most involved along with Rokiroki.”

“He was acting relatively normal,” Present Mic said as he looked up at the roof as he spoke. The other teachers agreed with him, Aizawa however didn’t nod with them.

“He was wearing an omega collar,” he said, looking down on the table as if he was thinking deep about his own words as he said them.

“He’s an omega, right?” Power Loader asked.

“Now that you mention it,” Midnight said, putting her finger to her cheek as she too thought back on the day. “This is the first time I’ve seen him wear anything like a collar.”

Nezu shared a look with Aizawa that said more than any conversation between them could and Nezu sighed. He looked down on the files before him again as he took that information in.

He himself hadn’t had a lot of conversation or interaction with Midoriya. He didn’t teach class and thus spent most of his days doing the more political part of running the school. He was the principal, after all. But as he looked at the photo in Midoriya’s file he did see that the omega wasn’t wearing a collar in the picture. He couldn’t recall him wearing one during any of their few interactions, either.

An omega who’d decided to wear a collar for the first time immediately after being attacked by an alpha?

“I believe, in order to ensure that the students are safe, including Todoroki,” Nezu started, knitting his paws together again. “There needs to be a proper psychological evaluation made.”

“What should we do until we get the results?” Present Mic asked. “We can’t just let him walk around without supervision and it won’t be possible to have a teacher escort him everywhere.”

“During school hours, we will all have to help watch so that no more incidents occur,” Nezu said. “After school hours, All Might will help Aizawa keep an eye on Todoroki. I’ll talk with Endeavour and schedule an evaluation this weekend.”

Chapter Text

Izuku took his time returning to the dormitory. He dragged his feet to the locker room after class ended and even then he’d told Uraraka and Iida to go on ahead. Uraraka had protested, but he’d insisted. He had too much to think about right now to socialize and just needed the alone time to properly collect his thoughts.

The omega locker room was small—and Izuku had a sneaking suspicion that it had never been used before him—and the shower even smaller. Where a normal locker room would be designed to accommodate at least ten, if not more, students, the omega one had only two shower stations, each with two nozzles on either side. A small stack of buckets and shower stools stood tucked away in the corner entrance. Behind was a small pool of steaming water that caused the floor to be covered in a thin layer of mist. It could fit, at most, three people if they were average sized and you snuggled against each other. The changing room itself was bigger than the shower area. 

He tipped a bucket full of hot water over his head, letting the water spill down and wash away the top layer of sweat. Then he pushed the bucket away into the corner as Izuku started to lather himself up with soap. He rubbed his hands till they were full of the soapy bubbles and his hands were near invisible in the foam before scrubbing away at the grime. As he worked he stared absentmindedly into the mirrored wall ahead, not seeing anything for the longest time until his hand roamed up towards his neck and over the necklace of hickeys. 

He’d been right, they stood out. Bright red spots on his skin surrounded by teeth indentations that made his cheeks grow hot and caused his chest to take on a reddish tint that was slowly creeping upwards towards his face.

He touched a particularly bright bruise, rubbing his fingertip over it, pushing down and scraping his nail over the colored flesh as if he was trying to peel it off. Circled the area where the shape of Roki’s teeth stood out more prominent than anywhere else, like he’d marked this one particular bruise as important. It was close to his jugular, Izuku’s mind supplied.

Before he could stop himself, Izuku raised his arm to his nose and took a long whif. There was the scent of the apple scented soap he’d coated himself in. Underneath it was his own flavorless smell and then even further underneath he could still smell the lingering alpha pheromones that had clung to him throughout the day. Warm pheromones that made his heart race and yet somehow managed to calm him down as if he was wrapped in a warm embrace. A protective layer to keep everything else away.

Compared to earlier, Roki’s scent was slowly fading away.

He brushed his arm against his face, rubbing his nose into the flesh in search of that smell. Soap smeared over his cheek and he was sure he got it in his eye because it started to sting to the point where he fought to keep it open. He let his eyes fall shut as the last remnants of Roki filled his nostrils and took a long, deep breath in hopes that it would fill up his lungs.

It was still all so confusing. What did Todoroki want exactly? Was it something purely physical brought on by the lack of the bond between them, or was there maybe more to it? Had it all started because of Roki or had Todoroki struggled with those kinds of thoughts from the beginning? Was it possible that Todoroki had always liked him in this kind of way? If so, why had he never said anything? Or was it really all Roki? Roki was acting but Todo was contradicting everything he did. Roki was always around, like a shadow behind Izuku while Todo was in the distance. He was there but at the same time he seemed to be staying away. Or maybe Izuku was just putting his own conclusion into Roki’s actions and it didn’t apply to Todoroki as a whole...

He shook his head, water flying everywhere. He could think about this forever and never reach a satisfying conclusion. Without talking to Todoroki himself, Izuku would never be able to know the truth. But which Todoroki should he talk to? Todo or Roki? He knew that he would definitely need to talk to both about this at some point because Todoroki wasn’t going to be separate people forever, but then came the question on who he should start with?

What if they gave different answers…?

All Might’s words came to mind, and Izuku placed a hand over his heart. He tightened his crooked fingers over his chest and stared at his fist in the mirror. Like a bruised imitation of his heart, broken and crooked and a mangled mess of confusion and emotions he couldn’t understand.

He liked Todoroki. They were friends. They were fated mates. How could he not like him? But was there maybe more there than he realized, more so than what the soulbond was the cause of? He’d never had either a boyfriend or girlfriend before and the only person he could remember having some resemblance of a crush on was Uraraka at the start of their first year. But with Todoroki it was different and in a way that Izuku was never going to be able to explain because it was so personal and out of his control.

They were fated mates. According to not only destiny but their very biology, he and Todoroki were supposed to be together. They had been born to mate. That was the very purpose of soulmates.

But how much of those emotions were Izuku’s own and how much was simple biology?

Back at the Sports Festival, that was when it had all changed. He remembered before and he remembered after, and now it was also before and after the elevator incident yesterday. He just didn’t know what to make of it yet.

He ran his hand over his throat once more, lathering it up despite having already done so. He brushed his fingers lightly over the skin and found himself closing his eyes as he leaned his head backwards. The phantom touch of hot lips and sharp teeth, a coarse tongue licking across fresh bruises and bites, lapped at his throat and moved over his skin as if the steam in the air had become a living thing. Roki’s hand in his hair. The spark that came as he’d run his hand down Izuku’s arm. The very feel of being in the alpha’s arms, warm and safe and protected, grew like weed inside his chest.

He inhaled sharply as Todoroki’s words rang in his ears, words that had no meaning and meant everything at the same time. Random lines that Todoroki had told him so long ago but that now seemed to mean so much more. Words that seemed so innocent now turned into something intense, meaningful, intimate. Small moments of compassion that now became more than an encounter between friends. Lingering touch, lingering eyes, lingering presence. Always close by, always there when needed.

Izuku’s eyes flew open as blood pumped in his veins and his cheeks were painted a bright red that definitely would have complimented Roki’s hair. He squeezed his legs shut as quickly as he could, as if he was hoping to suffocate the stirring down below. His insides were warm and there was a pulsing between his legs that he remembered quite well from last night.

It was very late when Izuku finally made his way out of the school and down the path to the dorms. He shivered, hair still damp from the freezing water he had showered in after his body’s sudden attempted betrayal. He was sure his cheeks were still flushed red so he walked with his head hung and his arms gripping onto the straps of his backpack till his knuckles were white.

His uniform smelled strong of Roki.

As if it hadn’t been difficult to look Todoroki in the eyes before, how the hell was he supposed to do so now?

He considered going around the back again and going in through his balcony window, but found himself too exhausted as he pushed the door to the dorms open. It fell shut behind him with a click as Izuku navigated his way to a part of the genkan that hadn’t been taken up by a bunch of shoes. He was about to sit down and change into his slippers when...

“Midoriya.”

“I’m sorry!” Izuku exclaimed, eyes squeezing tightly shut with the shout. He hunched forwards and made multiple bows in a row.

“For what?” Roki asked as he came over. His slippers came into view and Izuku swallowed, not daring to look up. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine! Everything’s fine, I swear, it’s all fine!” Izuku nearly shouted.

“You sure?” Roki asked with an amused smile, crouching down and looking up at Izuku’s face. “You’re bright red.”

“It’s nothing!”

“And you’re shivering,” he added with a frown. He reached a hand up and put it against Izuku’s forehead, warm to the touch.

Izuku stood straight and turned around, feeling like his heart was about to hammer straight out of his chest. The guilt grew inside and he quickly tried to get his shoes off but only fumbled with them. One of the straps to his backpack slipped off and he almost fell over as the weight suddenly shifted to one side.

“Here, let me hold this,” Roki said, taking Izuku’s backpack while he sat down to undo his shoes. 

“Thank you,” Izuku whispered under his breath, feeling like he was catching on fire and about to freeze to death at the same time as he removed his shoes.

“You’re welcome,” Roki replied, standing patiently next to him till his shoes were off. Then Roki continued, “I was meaning to talk to you this morning.”

Izuku’s heartbeat was pounding in his ears as his breath hitched. “You were?”

“I was, but I got in the way,” Roki said, probably referring to Todo. He gave a loud huff before his voice returned back to the softer tone he’d used before. “Can you still help me with my room? I’ve already got most of the furniture up, but I need help with the dresser.”

“Your room—Oh, my God, Todoroki, I’m so sorry!” Izuku sprang up onto his feet. “I completely forgot after everything that happened.”

“It’s alright. It’s my fault,” Roki said with a snarl, looking over his shoulder. Then he stood silent for a bit, looking very much like he was deep in thought as his face became unreadable. His eyes moved down towards Izuku’s bag and then up at Izuku himself who was very much regretting turning around. “About yesterday—” he started slowly, hesitating between the words. “—I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“It’s fine, you didn’t—” Izuku shrugged as his throat turned dry, scratching at his arm. He stopped himself and flexed his fingers, stretching them around as he shifted his weight from one foot to the next. Then with a heavy sigh and his heart in his throat, he said, “It all just came as a surprise.”

“I should have said something sooner,” Roki admitted.

“It’s a bit confusing, Todoroki. I’m not going to lie,” Izuku said honestly. “I’ve been thinking a bit and, I think, maybe we should… I mean, I realized that—I think that I—like that, you know…? Wait, no! Not I like that! I meant, well… I mean, I didn’t hate it but… I just, that—can we, maybe, talk about that? For real, talk?”

Roki snickered at the jumbled mess of a sentence before a very soft smile came onto his face. He reached out and brushed still wet hair away from Izuku’s cheek behind his ear. “I’d like that.”

Izuku smiled, a bit awkward but genuine. “Thank you! Let me just go change first.”

The dresser was surprisingly light, though Roki didn’t agree with him when Izuku pointed it out. The alpha had peaked out behind the top where he was helping direct it so they didn’t accidentally ruin a wall or two with two raised eyebrows. He’d snorted and shook his head.

“You’re just strong,” Roki had said, a hint of a smile on his face before he’d disappeared back behind the dresser.

Roki had opened the door to his bedroom and Izuku had easily carried the dresser inside, looking around at the suddenly traditional styled room. The tatami matt beneath his feet made a soft scraping noise when he shuffled his feet over it in search of where to put the dresser.

“Over here,” Roki said, waving Izuku over to the corner. He pointed beside the balcony doors and Izuku carefully lowered the dresser down onto the floor. “You need any help?”

“No, I’m good,” Izuku replied with a huff that was really just a reaction to the strain in his thighs as he squatted down to not accidentally drop the dresser onto the floor. It connected with a soft thunk and then Izuku stood back up straight, wiping his brow from non-existent sweat. “There.”

“Thank you.”

His throat went dry when Roki patted his shoulder with a thankful smile. His shoulder grew hot and it quickly spread out over his body, through his t-shirt and into his very bloodstream. Badump! Badump! Badump! His heartbeat went loud in his ears as his ears burned and his cheeks flushed.

“No worries, Todoroki!” he said a bit too loudly, stumbling backwards and knocking on the dresser. “I promised to help, didn’t I?”

Roki nodded with a grunt, but his face fell a bit. He shifted his weight and his hands flexed noticeably. He cleared his throat, holding a clenched fist in front of his mouth as if he was about to cough into it.

“I was a bit worried that after last night that maybe you wouldn’t want to help me,” Roki finally said, meeting Izuku’s gaze with uncertain eyes. He looked down on his hand, folding his fingers out and letting his claws extend only to then retract them again. “I know you said I didn’t scare you but you’ve been flinching away from me.”

“I’m not scared of you,” Izuku insisted, taking a step closer to Roki. He swallowed and gripped at his t-shirt. “I just don’t know what happened to my body that time.”

“Your body?” Roki raised an eyebrow and looked downwards. To Izuku’s fist and then further down.

Izuku covered the front of his pants with his hands as if Roki could see right through the fabric. “Not like that!”

“I don’t judge,” Roki said, sounding so much like Todoroki again with that monotone voice. Then a smirk crept up in the corner of his lip. “I believe that is a perfectly normal reaction to have.”

“I told you it wasn’t like that!” Izuku exclaimed, feeling how his cheeks burned bright.

“Then what was it?” Roki asked, tilting his head to the side.

“...I don’t know,” Izuku mumbled under his breath. He averted his eyes and moved to play with the hem of his shirt. He fiddled with the threat and accidentally ripped one loose. He pulled on it, watching how it slowly unraveled more. “My body has never reacted like that before.” He bit his lip and hid his eyes behind his bangs. “It… scared me a little.”

“I’m sorry,” Roki spoke softly. He reached a hand out and brushed it through Izuku’s hair. He could feel how his nails scratched at his scalp gently and how those long, warm fingers brushed through his messy hair. “You shouldn't walk around with wet hair. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Sorry.” Izuku chuckled awkwardly, but he didn’t really feel like laughing. It was probably just a nervous reaction. 

It was nice though, Roki’s hand in his hair. The warm appendages worked slowly, carding through small tangles and slowly drying it off with his quirk. Occasionally he would drag his nails over Izuku’s scalp, sending a shiver down his spine. It would cause his breath to shake and when Roki scratched at the back of his neck, Izuku’s breath hitched. It got caught in his throat and was replaced with something that was either a whimper or a pleased moan.

He leaned into the touch when it moved down to his ear, fingers moving slow and patient. Careful not to be too warm as to burn him but also keeping a stable heat that was pleasing to the touch. Roki moved his fingers behind his ear and Izuku pushed against the fingers. He keened, closing his eyes and just enjoying the gentle ministrations.

It was so innocent. There was nothing sexual about the touch, unlike what had happened in the elevator. But at the same time it was all so intimate. It made Izuku’s insides burn, his heart to hammer away in his chest and his stomach to flutter. Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t remember feeling so at ease in a long time.

“Why did you go for my neck?”

The words slipped out before Izuku could stop them, but those seven words put everything to a halt. The hand in his hair stopped, Izuku held his breath and suddenly it felt like the air had gotten thicker. Like he’d just said something very wrong.

He carefully looked up, almost scared to meet Roki’s eyes and see the look on his face. But when he caught sight of the alpha, he frowned instead. He straightened his back, still leaning against Roki’s hand that had remained in his hair.

Wrinkles spread across Roki’s forehead as his frown deepened. “Was I unclear about something?”

“Well, no…” Izuku started, fiddling with his fingers. Knitting them together, clenching them and then letting them relax before repeating it again. “You were pretty clear.”

“Then what is it?” Roki asked, his index finger slowly starting back up. Rubbing behind Izuku’s ear and making him inhale sharply and close his eyes.

Izuku cleared his throat, throat having gone suspiciously dry. “It’s—I just… Why my neck?”

He dared to meet Roki’s eyes for a split second and immediately looked away, feeling how his face burned.

Roki’s other hand came up to cup his cheek and the top of his jawline. He slowly and very gently raised his head up so that Izuku was looking straight at Roki. A smile pulled on the corners of his lips and his eyes softened, the fire in them burning like that of a fireplace.

“I went for your neck because I wanted to make sure everyone knew that you were mine,” Roki spoke simply, brushing his thumb over Izuku’s cheek. “I was marking you.”

“M-marking me?” Izuku stammered, feeling how that warm feeling inside intensified tenfold. He was sure he was burning at this point. “That—Isn’t that a bit early?”

“How come?” Roki looked genuinely confused. “How else will they know that you’re taken?”

“That’s not what I—I mean…” Izuku covered his face with both hands. “We haven't even ki—” He pointed with his finger at his face, more specifically his lips but he couldn’t bring himself to say it outloud and he let his hands fall. “You don’t normally start a relationship that way. You don’t start out by marking someone, I think.”

“I just wanted everyone to know that you weren’t available,” Roki said, a small tint of red making its way onto his right cheek. “But I know I jumped over a few steps. I got too excited. I’m sorry.”

“You don't have to apologize!” He whispered the next part, hiding his eyes behind his bangs again while his mouth formed a very thin line. “It wasn’t necessarily bad.”

Roki’s hands cupped his face and then hot lips touched down on his forehead.

When Roki leaned back, he was still very close. Close enough that Izuku felt his hot breath on his nose. “That’s good. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable, just confused,” Izuku said, biting his lip. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I didn’t want to trap you,” Roki answered slowly, almost as if the words confused him. “I selfishly thought that if I ignored my feelings I could keep you by my side forever.”

“Just saying that you l-like me wouldn’t have trapped me,” Izuku mumbled, feeling how a smile pulled onto his face despite the embarrassment he felt with saying those words out loud. That warm feeling inside was growing at a very quick rate.

“Are you sure?” Roki asked, raising an eyebrow and Izuku wasn’t sure if he was just asking to be a tease or if he was genuine.

He nodded, not trusting his voice to carry the words with the way his throat was knitting into a tangled mess. Then both of his cheeks were grasped in a tight but not rough grip. Izuku blinked as he looked up at Roki and almost forgot how to breathe at the wonder and care he saw on Roki’s face. Maybe there was something more in there as well?

“Izuku,” Roki said, his name falling from the alpha’s lips like a sacred word only to be spoken in private. A secret between the two of them that only they knew. “I like you. I like you a lot. Really, really like you.”

He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t breathe. He just stood there, looking up at Roki with wide eyes and mouth hanging slightly open as if he’d stopped talking midway. He inhaled a sharp breath that felt like it took forever to get from his mouth down to his lungs. Then he exhaled and it felt equally as long.

“I like you, too.”

The words were nothing but a simple whisper, but the smile they brought onto Roki’s face was one that Izuku was going to treasure for as long as he lived. It was wide, bright and so full of joy. He’d seen Todoroki smile before, small tugs in the corners of his lips. An upturned lip here and there. Gentle, small, soft. This one was blinding. It was happy, pure and simple. Teeth showing and cheeks puffed up with how wide it was. His eyes were squeezed shut and a red blush had taken to his cheeks.

Roki’s forehead connected with Izuku’s and they just stood there for what felt like forever. Just enjoying the moment. Enjoying the electricity that sparked between them, the swirl of emotions and the innermost parts of themselves that had never been so pleased before.

“I’ve liked you since the Sport’s Festival,” Roki then started. His voice was low, spoken at a volume that only Izuku could hear. “After what you said, what you did for me. I couldn’t explain it at first, but when I did, I didn’t know how to handle it. I like you so much I can barely breathe when I’m around you.”

“Please don’t stop breathing,” Izuku snickered jokingly because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

He wasn’t quite sure when he’d started to like Todoroki more than a friend. If it had been an immediate reaction from the moment the soul bond was realized or if it was something that had built up over the span of a couple of months. If each moment they’d spent together had just started something between them that Izuku hadn’t noticed until recently.

Roki let out an amused snort. “I’ll do my best.” Then he leaned back and his face took on one of equal amounts of horror as it did amusement, as if he wasn’t sure if what he’d seen was good or bad. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know!” Izuku exclaimed with a laugh. He wiped at his eyes with both hands, still smiling and still letting out the occasional chuckle. Because really, he had no idea why he was crying or where the tears were even coming from. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Roki brushed the tears away with his thumbs. Then he leaned down and gently kissed the tears away, tilting Izuku’s head backwards as he did so. “Please don’t cry. I don’t want to see you cry.”

“I’m just—” Izuku grasped Roki’s cheeks with maybe a bit more strength than intended. “—So happy.”

His hands were covered by Roki’s. “So am I.”

For a moment they stood like that. Izuku with his hands on Roki’s cheeks as the alpha seemed to lean into the touch, closing his eyes and letting out a satisfied breath of air. His cheeks were unevenly temperatured. The left one burning hot while the right one was almost cold in comparison, but it was a shade of red that complimented his hair. Izuku bet that if he didn’t have the scar his left cheek would probably be equally as red as his right.

“So…” Izuku started, biting his lip. He scanned the room as he shifted his weight from one hip to the other a couple of times. He didn’t want to remove his hands from Roki’s cheeks but he still felt like he should release the alpha at some point. Roki didn’t seem to agree however, because his grip tightened. “What does this make us now?”

“What do you want this to make us?” Roki asked in return, his eyebrows furrowed slightly but his eyes were soft. He turned his head and kissed Izuku’s crooked thumb, soft gentle pecks that moved up over the scarred digit.

“What do you want this to make us?” Izuku awkwardly shot back. He chuckled nervously.

Roki liked him. Todoroki liked him. But that didn’t automatically mean that the alpha wanted to be something more than friends, or wanted whatever that was happening between them to be anything but physical. Izuku didn’t want that. Well, he did. Maybe… Sort of. But he also wanted to be with Todoroki. He wanted to at least try to make something out of it, especially if their feelings were genuinely reciprocated and not just a side effect of the soulbond.

“I want you to be my mate,” Roki replied simply, making his words sound equal to that of saying he wanted Soba for dinner. But to Izuku it was so much more.

His cheeks burned bright and his heart thundered away in his chest. He started to shake as his throat turned dry. His eyes watered some more and he wasn’t sure where the strong reaction came from.

“You want me to be your what?” he asked slowly, as if he was afraid he’d heard him wrong.

“My mate.”

“I can’t be that right now, Todoroki…” Izuku whispered, removing one hand to rub at his neck. The leather was rough against his fingers. “I haven’t—It’s not possible right now.”

“Why not?” Roki asked, his frown deepening and stretching his scar.

“It’s not that I don’t want to!” Izuku exclaimed, maybe a bit too loud. He swallowed and clapped at his cheeks. He inhaled a long breath of air and then met Roki’s eyes head on only to shrink down under the intense gaze. “I’m not against it… I just—”

“Then what’s stopping you?” Roki asked. His fingers moved to Izuku’s jawline and then made their way down, like a spider over his neck until they reached the buckled collar. “Is it this thing?”

Izuku shook his head furiously. “It’s not. I haven’t presented yet, I can’t mate with anyone.”

All he got was a hum in return that sounded neither happy nor angry. It was just an unintelligible hum that made Izuku audibly swallow. He stood stiff like a rock as Roki undid the buckle slowly, his nibble fingers occasionally bumping into Izuku’s jawline causing him to tilt his head backwards. Then the collar loosened around his neck until it slid off completely, hanging limp in Roki’s hands.

“I’ve never seen you with this before,” he noted, inspecting the collar carefully. He ran his hands over the edge, the buckle and the holes. “It’s ugly.”

“It’s not the prettiest thing,” Izuku agreed with a nod.

“Then why would you wear it?” Roki asked.

“People would see.” Izuku ran his hand over his neck, feeling as if his neck had turned a bright neon and each of the marks adorning it were visible targets on a dartboard. “It was the only way I knew how to hide them.”

Roki’s hands fell down to his sides and his frown deepened even more. The look that came over his eyes was hard and he gripped the collar in a tight grip. “Why would you want to hide them?”

“Because our classmates would know if they saw them,” Izuku said, gesturing with his hand towards the door.

His breath hitched when Roki leaned closer, rubbing a clawed thumb over one hickey and then over a row of teeth marks. The collar was dropped to the floor with a gentle thud as Roki tilted his head backwards to the point that he was looking up at the roof. “I want them to see.”

Izuku’s next breath was shaky, a rattling in his ribcage that came out almost messy when Roki blew hot air against his neck. Both hands gripped his neck and both thumbs ran up his windpipe in slow and symmetric movements.

“I want them to see,” Roki repeated, voice low. “I want them to see that you’re mine.”

“They’re going to get the wrong idea—after what happened, they’re going to get the wrong idea,” Izuku stammered, feeling how his throat wanted to snare shut and how something very primal inside told him to just shut up. “Aizawa already thinks—Kacchan already thinks you attacked me.”

Roki growled at the name drop and Izuku let out a yelp when he felt teeth drag over his neck again. Then Roki’s hot and coarse tongue lapped at his neck again, up to his chin and then lips were sucking at his skin. 

“Don’t surround yourself with alpha’s that aren’t me,” Roki said against his neck. His tone was harsh, dangerous and possessive to a point that Izuku’s entire body shivered. It was so close to the one he’d used in the elevator that had frozen Izuku on the spot but not quite as commanding. “Don’t let alpha’s that aren’t me near you.”

“Todoroki—” Izuku started only to clamp a hand over his mouth when sharp teeth found their way far back around, past his shoulder and then sank down into the skin. Pain shut up through his shoulder and Izuku clutched Roki’s shirt to the point where he ripped the fabric.

His whole body buckled. His knees folded and if it hadn’t been for Roki wrapping an arm around his waist, Izuku would have collapsed onto the floor. His body burned hot and he was shaking. His breath came out in heavy pants and something achingly close to pleasure shut down his spine to settle in his stomach when Roki removed his teeth and licked over the wound, catching the small droplets of blood with his tongue.

For a moment, Izuku couldn’t process what had happened. His mind was swimming with unknown thoughts and feelings that didn’t make sense to him. But then, as the bite on his neck started to sting, his eyes widened.

Izuku brazed his hands on Roki’s chest and pushed, not hard enough to send the alpha stumbling backwards but enough to put some distance between Roki’s teeth and his very vulnerable neck.

He couldn’t focus yet. His vision was blurring and it took a moment to realize that there were tears in his eyes. He desperately tried to blink them away, but Roki caught them as they fell and brushed them away with his thumbs.

“Present, Midoriya,” Roki said, licking the blood from his lips. “Present so that my bite will take.”

Roki brushed both of his thumbs over Izuku’s cheeks, catching the spare tears and then moved them further down till he was gently touching the corners of his lips. Izuku swallowed, not taking his eyes off of Roki’s concentrated face—or the lingering blood he had on his right canine when he licked his lips—as if he was doing a tricky puzzle that he really wanted to solve.

Those burning blue eyes were zeroed in on Izuku’s lips and Roki’s thumbs seemed to explore what his eyes were seeing because one thumb pushed at the corner and pulled the lip downward just slightly. The warm thumb moved over the lip as far as it could go before it couldn’t reach further and then moved back.

Roki looked up, meeting Izuku’s gaze with one that made something twist inside his stomach. His heartbeat picked up, hammering away at his chest like a beast fighting against the bars of a cage. His grip on Roki’s shirt tightened as he waited for the alpha to make his move with sweat dripping down his temple and neck.

“I’ve never done this before,” Roki admitted with a tilt of his head, as if that was meant to be an apology. As if everything hadn’t already escalated beyond either of their collective level of experience.

“Me neither,” Izuku said through a breath of air, not yet out of the fogginess that had taken to his brain.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Roki continued. He stood with his back straight in front of Izuku, looking so much taller from this upwards point of view until he started to lean downwards; His face getting closer and closer to Izuku’s. “I’m sorry if it’s a bit messy.”

“You seem pretty confident to me.” Izuku’s breath hitched and the words were low enough that had there been anyone else in the room, they probably wouldn’t have heard him. “I mean, to me it seems like you know what you’re doing.”

Roki chuckled lightly, smiling softly. “I’m just following my instincts.”

“Those are some precise instincts…” Izuku whispered, eyes going from Roki’s eyes to his lips. Lips that were getting oh so close to his own to the point where Izuku could feel the heat from his breath. 

He inhaled sharply and the exhale was shaky, rattling around in his ribcage. His breath steamed and he shivered, finding himself closing his eyes and slightly parting his lips in anticipation.

Then Roki growled and Izuku’s eyes snapped open.

“What’s—” Izuku started, looking up at Roki only to find him looking behind Izuku. Far behind Izuku and with a glare that could only be directed at a person.

Izuku craned his neck to look behind him and a shiver ran up his spine when he met cold, grey eyes looking back at him. Todo’s breath steamed and there was frost spreading over the wall and doorway, small crystal’s were growing up from his right foot.

Izuku looked between the two and immediately shouted, “Wait, Todoroki, please just listen before you say anything!”

Before Izuku could do anything else, Todo had crossed the room. His eyes were thin slits and his very presence made Izuku shake. His hands were unsteady as he pushed in front of Roki, as if to shield him. Roki placed a hand on his shoulder with a growl.

“Todoroki, wait,” Izuku said, holding out his hands in hopes to stop him from doing something he was going to regret. Somehow this felt like yesterday all over again, and Izuku didn’t want to be the cause of more trouble for the two. “It’s really not what you think.”

He didn’t quite believe his own words, though. The bite on his neck stung with his words and his heart made a weird beat as his breath came out in a raspy gasp.

“Come,” was all Todo said as he grabbed onto Izuku’s arm. The pull wasn’t as rough as he’d expected it to be, just a gentle tug in Todo’s direction.

Todo pulled him away from Roki despite the other trying to grab onto Izuku’s shirt. He almost crashed into Todo’s cold chest and felt him wrap an arm around his shoulders as he was tightly held against his side. He was surrounded by cold pheromones while the heat from Roki’s still burned in his nose. The two mixed and mingled inside and his nape ached with a pang of something unknown. Similar to what he’d felt at the start of the week but yet somehow different.

Everything was swimming. The floor beneath him became unsteady.

It was when Roki growled, loud and rumbling, that Izuku was pulled out of his dizzy state. He looked behind him and gasped at what he saw.

The air around Roki was steaming and distorted, as if the heat itself was affecting the air around the alpha. Steam was pushed out around the room as hot air met cold and Izuku shivered, but not from the sudden temperature shift. It was something deeper that made his stomach twist.

He spun around in Todo’s arms and quickly said, “It’s fine, Todoroki. I’ll talk to him—you—outside, okay? Please, don't cause any more trouble.”

Roki’s eyes were hard and narrowed when they met Izuku’s and they burned into his very core. It took maybe a second or two before they softened and Roki looked away. He clicked his tongue loudly but the temperature went down. He nodded, a small tilt of his head.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

Izuku sighed, relaxing back against Todo’s chest. Sweat fell down his temple and his shirt stuck to his chest. Yet the back felt stiff and cold, and when he rolled his shoulders he was sure he heard the crackling of frost.

Todo wrapped his arm around him again and walked him out of the room. He hovered close, like a protective shield and Izuku saw him look back with a very angry glare as they exited the room.

“Don’t close the door,” Izuku said when Todo reached for the handle. He raised an eyebrow and Izuku swallowed. “It’ll probably make yourself feel better to be able to see us… maybe.”

After a bit of hesitation, Todo nodded. Then he pushed Izuku to the side and far away from the door as if to put as much distance between him and Roki as possible. His face quickly became one of concern and he scanned Izuku with worried eyes.

“Todoroki—” Izuku stopped when Todo grabbed his cheeks and tilted his head to the side.

“Did I hurt you? Where else did I violate you?” he asked, inspecting the bite on Izuku’s neck. A cold hand covered the wound and Izuku shivered at the touch. When Todo removed his hand there were small spots of blood on his fingers that caused white eyebrows to furrow in horror.

“Violate—? No, Todoroki, that’s not what happened,” Izuku quickly said, feeling like he’d said those words one time too many in the last twenty-four hours.

“I bit you, Midoriya,” Todo said, sounding equally as horrified as the expression on his face as he looked down on his hand. “What else did I do? Please, be honest with me. I need to know that I didn’t—that you’re still… What else did I do to you?”

“No, Todoroki. Please, listen to me, okay?” Izuku said, taking Todo’s hand in his own and tried his best at a genuine smile. But it shook and he wasn’t quite sure why. “You didn’t hurt me, and you definitely didn’t violate me. Why would you think that?”

Todo looked away, shoulders tense and eyebrows tightly knitted together. “I knew that something like this was going to happen.”

“You’re still the same person,” Izuku said, leaning to the side in hopes that Todo would look at him. “You should know better than anyone that you’d never do anything to hurt me.”

Todo hesitated before he spoke and the words went deep, because maybe they were more true than Izuku was ready to admit. “Then you don’t know me as well as you think, Midoriya.”

Grey eyes glanced at him, landing on his neck before they looked away. Todo clenched his fists and took his hand out of Izuku’s, holding it against his chest. 

He didn’t want to admit that Todo might be right. That maybe there were parts of Todoroki that Izuku didn’t know about. Parts of him like Rokiroki.

Izuku rubbed a hand over his neck. It stung as his fingers brushed over the wound and then his eyes widened.

“I pushed him…” he whispered, more so to himself than to Todo but the alpha flinched at the words.

“I know,” Todo whispered in return. He looked pained and he closed his eyes tightly. “I could feel my… It made me mad, Midoriya. I felt rejected, and I—”

“I didn’t mean to. Todoroki, I didn’t mean to push him away—to push you away!” Izuku said, sounding more panicked than he meant to. But it was building inside. He didn’t want Todoroki to think that he didn’t like him, that this was all because of Roki. That he was just trying to appease him. “It just surprised me. I wasn’t prepared.”

“You should push me away.” Todo took a step back, but still remained between Izuku and the door to Roki’s room. “You have every right to push me away.”

“I don’t want to push you away…”

It was like each word Izuku spoke made Todo physically flinch. His expression got more and more pained with each and every word, as if Izuku was throwing insults at him. When he took another step back, Izuku took steps forward until he could grasp Todo’s cheeks. He held on tight when Todo looked down on him with surprised eyes, wide and blinking.

“Todoroki, please,” Izuku began, taking a deep, long breath before continuing. “Come back with me. Let’s go back to To—your room, your second room—and talk about this. Other you and I already did, sort of, so we can, maybe, get past all of this. If we just talk.”

“Midoriya, you can’t trust me.” Todo placed both of his hands over Izuku’s in a gentle caress. He rubbed his fingers with a sigh and closed his eyes. “You don’t know what I’m thinking. The things I wanted to…” He stopped as one of his hands went to brush over the patch on Izuku’s neck. “The things I would have done to you if I hadn’t stopped myself.”

Izuku’s face burned hot and he had to avert his eyes. His voice shook when he spoke, stammering a bit on certain words. “I think I can make an educated guess.”

“No, you can’t.”

“I’m not that naive that I don’t know—that I can’t, eh, you know… I know what you were doing.”

“You can’t even say the words.”

Izuku was the one that had to look away this time. “I don’t have to be able to say it out loud to know.”

“Midoriya, I wanted you!” Todo exclaimed, gripping Izuku’s wrists and pulling them away from his face. “I was ready to take you. I completely lost control. I can’t live with myself if I did something like that to you.”

“You make it sound like you were forcing yourself on me,” Izuku said in a near whisper, suddenly getting very uncomfortable with the topic. “If I hadn’t wanted to, I would have told you to stop.”

If it had gone too far, Izuku definitely would have stopped him. Even he had to admit that maybe Roki had gotten a bit ahead of himself back there, but even if Todo hadn’t interrupted, Izuku wouldn’t have let it get much further. It didn’t feel right to Todoroki for Roki to be the only one to experience something like this while Todo stood on the sideline. Not that Izuku was anywhere near ready for that kind of relationship, or that level of intimacy. He knew that alpha’s had certain needs but the very thought made Izuku’s mind go blank with embarrassment and even a bit of fear.

“You don’t know a thing about what I was thinking.” Todo dropped Izuku’s hands. Then he looked behind himself and then at the staircase. “Aizawa said that you shouldn’t be alone with me, so I think it’s best that you leave.”

“Oh…” was all that left Izuku as his expression faltered.

“Listen to what a teacher tells you for once.” He put a hand on Izuku’s back, just beneath his shoulder blades. “Please don’t come back up here. For your own safety.”

“Please stop treating me like I can’t make my own decisions,” Izuku said under his breath, turning around right in front of the staircase. He narrowed his eyes and his mouth formed a thin line. “I’m not a pushover, Todoroki. If you did something that I didn’t want you to, I would have stopped you.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You could barely move!”

“I am physically stronger than you.” It felt a bit like he was bragging about it but if it got through to Todo then he didn’t mind as much. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Todo brushed hair away from Izuku’s face, letting his fingers linger. “Just, do this for me. It would make me feel better knowing you’re safe.”

It was the scared look in Todo’s eyes that made Izuku relent, because that was the look of someone who was genuinely terrified. If he concentrated, he could feel the small slivers of the soulbond starting to come back and through it there was guilt and fear.

Izuku sighed but nodded. “For tonight. But I still think we need to talk; You, me and yourself. It’s not healthy for us to stay away from each other for too long.”

“You’re strong, Midoriya. I’m sure this wouldn’t have any effect on you.”

“Maybe not right now, but one day it will,” Izuku said, swallowing. “I’m not going to remain unpresented for the rest of my life. When I do, you know, show my secondary gender, all of that omega-stuff will start to apply to me, too.”

“I don’t want to risk hurting you,” Todo said, letting his hand fall. “But as things are, this might be the best solution.”

“I don’t agree with you,” Izuku said immediately, squaring his shoulders. “But if it makes you feel better, then okay. For now, at least. But you’re not escaping this talk, you hear?”

“You’re going to hold me to that, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am,” Izuku said, crossing his arms. He still needed a proper answer from the two of them, because as things were right now, he was still very confused even if some things were a bit clearer than they’d been before. “I’m just gonna tell Todoroki that I’m going for today, okay? But it’s the weekend, so we’ll have plenty of freetime.”

Todo looked away and Izuku looked behind him to see Roki leaned against Todoroki’s dorm room. He had his arms crossed and an extremely irritated expression on his face. There was a twitch at his lips and he huffed.

“Are you going to tell him or should I?” Roki asked with a raised eyebrow and a rolled tilt of his head.

“Me?” Izuku pointed at himself and glanced at Todo. “Shouldn’t he—this you—already know…?”

“He wasn’t talking about you,” Todo said, putting a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. He squeezed protectively, holding Izuku close.

“Then who was he talking about?”

“He was talking about me,” Todo said.

“But he said you…?” Izuku frowned, feeling the confusion settle in as he looked between Todo and Roki.

“Yes, I did,” Todo replied with a sigh.

“Then it’s me—” Izuku hesitated with the words as he tried to understand the simple, yet complex sentence. “—You needed to tell something?”

“That’s right,” Roki replied. He pushed off of the doorway and came over. “I was going to tell you, but I interrupted before I could say anything.”

Todo narrowed his eyes. “I was getting out of hand again.”

Roki growled, but then he took a deep breath and smiled coyly. He put both hands on Izuku’s shoulders and spun him around so that his back was against Roki’s chest. “Why don’t we ask Midoriya? Was I getting out of hand?”

“No, Todoroki, we were just talking—well, we were doing a bit more than talking, I guess… But it’s not what you think,” Izuku insisted. Though he had to be honest, he didn’t entirely like the tone Roki was using. 

“I wasn’t planning on talking for long,” Todo said, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth at himself. The temperature dropped again. “Why else would his collar be off?”

Izuku’s hand came up to his neck and touched the bare skin.

“I wasn’t doing anything Midoriya didn’t want me to,” Roki defended. “Was I?”

“Well—” Izuku, tilting his head backwards to look at Roki.

“See? I’m overreacting,” Roki interrupted him. “Get over myself.”

“Midoriya,” Todo said, holding out a hand carefully. He brushed his hand over his cheek, running his thumb over the freckles with his cold touch. “I promise that you and I will talk about this when I’m myself again. But right now is not the best time to be having that kind of conversation.”

“But if all three of us just sit down and talk, shouldn’t that be pretty much the same thing?” Izuku asked, trying to give a comforting smile.

“It won’t be,” Todo replied simply. Then he looked up at his other half and his expression turned hard again. “I need to go.”

Roki snarled. “Already?”

“Yes,” Todo said with a harsh nod.

Roki reluctantly let go of Izuku. He leaned his head over to the side and over Izuku’s shoulder as he spoke. “I promise I’ll be back soon.”

“Back soon—? Where are you going?” Izuku asked, turning his head to look at Roki but then turned to look at Todo as he spoke.

“Home,” he said. “At least for the weekend.”

“But you’ll be back on Monday, right?” Izuku asked, a bit unsure.

“I don’t know,” Todo answered and his words seemed to be the most honest he’d been this week. “I should go before Aizawa finds us alone up here.”

“Fine.” Roki sighed and his breath tickled Izuku’s neck. “But I promise I’ll come back for you.”

Izuku hummed with a nod and started saying something but was interrupted as he felt warm lips kiss at his neck again. He shivered and then audibly gasped as those lips kissed right over the swollen scent glands in his neck. His whole body went stiff, his face burned and his heart started beating away like a steam engine in his chest. His knees felt like they were going to buckle at any second and then the lips were gone and Roki had stepped around him.

Todo growled at himself as the red haired counterpart walked past him. Then Todo came over and smiled apologetically.

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll do better when keeping myself in check from now on,” he said. He leaned down slowly and only hesitated for a half a second before his cold lips connected with Izuku’s forehead. “But in the meantime, please protect your neck.”

“Okay,” Izuku gasped, not finding any more words.

Todo smiled softly as he stepped back. “Sleep well, Midoriya.”

“You too, Todoroki…”

Chapter Text

His bags had already been carried down to the entrance way. Two separate bags that sunk inwards as if they’d only been filled halfway. 

Which they had. 

At least, Roki’s had. He had no intention of staying away for any longer period of time. Had absolutely no intention of staying away from Midoriya for any longer period of time. The thought made his chest ache and caused his head to ache.

And Roki knew that Todo suffered the same. 

He couldn’t help but snort at the thought of his other half. What about Roki was it that was so dangerous? Todo wanted Midoriya just as much as Roki did. He wanted to be with the omega the same way as Roki did. The desire to hold Midoriya was there in both of them. To take his scarred hands into his own. To wrap his arms around Midoriya’s overly mangled and abused arms. To disappear into the warmth that was Midoriya.

Roki knew it. 

And Todo knew it.

Todo was just like him. Just as much a part of Shouto as Roki was, which meant that he had an equally strong attraction to Midoriya. The difference was that Roki was willing to accept that attraction and act on it while they still had the time, before any other alpha came along and tried to take their omega awayi. Meanwhile Todo was too busy moaping about it in a corner to see that he was wasting precious time the could be spending with their future mate. 

If Todo was all too happy to watch from a distance and risk Midoriya being snatched away by someone else, then that's fine with Roki—even if it did disgust him how accepting his other half was about the thought of Midoriya in the arms of someone else. But Roki was sure as hell not going to stand by and let someone else lay claim to what was his by biological right.

Why should he stand by? There was no good reason for him to not act on his emotions. After all, Midoriya liked him.

But for some reason, everything that Roki did just seemed to piss Todo off. As if Roki didn’t have equally as much of a say in what happened in their life as Todo did. They were two halves of a whole. It wasn’t just Todo that should decide the outcome of their life. If Roki didn’t interfere, their relationship with Midoriya would be left stagnant in a perpetual state of exclusively friends.

He believed that Kaminari had called it the “friendzone”.

Todo kept acting as if Roki was something to be ashamed of. He never seemed to be able to agree with anything Roki did, as if his actions weren't based on what was best for the both of them. He wasn’t going after Midoriya just because he was an omega, as his other half seemed to think half of the time, but because why shouldn't he?

What good reason did Todo have for Roki not to approach Midoriya?

None.

How could his other half not see that this was exactly what they—what Shouto—had wanted for close to a year now? What they’d wanted ever since they realized what he felt for Midoriya was something more than just platonic.

Sure, Roki had only recently realized what it was he wanted to do with Midoriya. That what he felt for him wasn’t just more than platonic care but that it was also so much more than just romantic. It was physical. A burning inside that was so hot and passionate that it was close to bursting out of him in literal flames.

Midoriya was Shouto’s omega—his soulmate. 

They were meant to be together.

So what if he hadn’t presented yet. It couldn’t be that long now. They were going in on their second year of high school. Of course Midoriya would present soon. Even his biology, as weird and unique as it may be, couldn’t be so off that he’d go his entire high school life without presenting.

And when Midoriya finally did present, he would finally be of legal age. At least, of legal age to mate. 

He wondered absentmindedly what Midoriya would smell like when he presented. Fuyumi’s scent had completely changed after she presented, going from a bland and flavorless scent to that of flowers and snow. Very reminiscent of a winter morning. Which meant that when Midoriya presented, he could smell completely different.

Not that Shouto didn’t like how Midoriya smelled right now. Despite how it lacked any recognizable tints to it, it was still something that was exclusively Midoriya. There was still a small undertone of something sweet on Roki’s lips. Something that he knew was unique to Midoriya alone. It was how he could pick Midoriya’s scent out of a crowd of other people.

(It could just be because he could sense him as well, but he liked to imagine that it was more than that.)

He crouched down by his bag and unzipped it. He rummaged through his clothes with little care. He pushed a couple of shirts and pants out of the way and threw the boxers that had been neatly folded in the corner all over the bag, making a complete mess of his previously well packed bag. Eventually he pulled out a basic white t-shirt and put it to his nose. He inhaled the cold scent of his other half and then, without wasting a second, started to furiously rub his face into the fabric until their pheromones were mixing and mingling together. He wasn’t finished until the entire shirt was coated in both of their pheromones.

It was like a shiver up his spine. His core being was suddenly on high alert and his instincts flared, spreading pheromones around as if he was suddenly being threatened.

Roki could tell that Bakugou approached before the alpha made a sound. The smell of his sweat wafted around him like a cloud, spreading the scent of something similar to caramel around the room. A surprisingly soft odor for someone with such a horrendously violent temper.

“Oi, half-and-half bastard,” Bakugou called. There was a hint of a growl behind the words as he stopped just a couple of steps behind Roki. When Roki looked over his shoulder, he was met with the harshest glare he’d received in a long time from those determined red eyes.

“Bakugou,” Roki acknowledged with a nod.

“What the fuck did you do to Deku?”

The words were spoken with such anger and contempt that had Roki still been one with Todo he would have been taken by surprise. But Roki wasn’t part of Todo right now. Instead he just furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side, clutching the shirt in his hands.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me. He’s drenched in your damn pheromones,” Bakugou growled, eyebrows pointing further downwards and teeth showing dangerously. The canines grew a couple of millimeters, becoming sharp rows of teeth that glinted in the lamp light. “So what did you do to him?”

It was Roki’s time to narrow his eyes. He pushed himself up and walked over to Bakugou and stood in front of him, hovering above the other alpha with the few centimeters he had above him. It wasn’t much but it was enough that when Roki let his pure alpha presence flare up, causing his gaze to intensify with those thin slits for pupils, his nails to grow into sharp claws and his teeth to sharpen equally as much as Bakugou’s had, Bakugou visibly flinched.

It wasn’t by much. He definitely hadn’t stepped back, still with the same posture and narrowed eyes. But he did lean backwards enough that Roki couldn’t help the smirk that made its way onto his face.

“What is it to you what I did to him?” Roki asked, raising his chin and letting small trickles of smoke leave past his lips. His mouth tasted of soot and smoke as he licked the tip of his tongue over his top row of teeth. “I can do what I want with my omega.”

Those were the wrong words to say, because Bakugou’s eyes widened before they narrowed into an expression of pure fury.

Bakugou had gotten an advantage above most alphas. He’d inherited the original gene that had gifted him with his sharp, red eyes. 

At one point it was said that all alpha’s had been born with red eyes, leaving them with the sharp and intense stare that could make anyone stagger backwards. But then alphas and omegas had started to mingle with betas and the gene had slowly but surely been overwritten by other genetics, leaving the favoured alpha eyes —as many liked to call them—a rare genetic mutation favored by many and possessed by few.

Right now Roki could understand why they were so mythical and favoured. He almost wanted to cower before the domineering gaze.

But he was a Todoroki, and they did not let themselves get trampled over. And they especially did not back down when it came to their omegas.

Bakugou grabbed onto the front of his shirt, hand dripping with sweat while his other was open in a claw-like shape with small explosions going off in his palm and around his fingers like a row of small firecrackers. His hand shook with rage and his teeth were bared, sharp and canine like. Ravenous, dangerous teeth that could rip a man’s throat out. His claws dug into Roki’s shirt and ripped the fabric.

Roki clicked his tongue in annoyance at the sound.

“The fuck did you say?”

“Does it make you mad?” Roki asked instead, tilting his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. He gave Bakugou a one over and scoffed. “That he chose another alpha?”

“Like you’d be Deku’s fucking alpha,” Bakugou snarled, pulling Roki down by the front of his shirt. “Whatever you did—”

“ Izuku is my omega, not yours,” Roki continued without so much as batting an eyelash. He also cared little about the lethal hand gripping close to his throat or the teeth that were gritting against each other like sawblades eager to rip his flesh apart. “I don’t have to answer to you, and whatever I did to him is none of your business.”

The growl that ripped from Bakugou’s throat was just as murderous as the glare in his eyes. You could barely see his pupils at this point, that’s how thin they’d gotten as the hallway was filled with very intrusive and quite aggressive pheromones. The sound of the explosions in his hand grew louder and the small sparks grew bigger until they seemed ready to cause some real damage.

But Roki didn’t let that get to him. He countered with his own pheromones, glaring back with his burning blue eyes and with smoke blowing out past the corner of his lip. The corner of his shirt sizzled as the left side of his body started steaming and a few licks of fire ran up his arm and shoulder before dying down in a quiet warning.

The next few things happened in less than two seconds.

Bakugou shot his free hand out, an explosion ready to erupt in the palm of his hand, heading straight for Roki’s face. His other was sparking dangerously and shinged the collar of his shirt. But Roki was ready to counter, throwing his left hand up with flames licking up and over the back of his hand and arm. The fabric mercilessly took fire and the thread was slowly eaten up, giving fuel to the flames.

Roki’s hand grabbed onto Bakugou’s wrist at the same time as the hand made contact with his face. 

It hurt. 

The hand came at him with immense speed and the palm pushed against his nose, smushing it between Roki’s face and Bakugou’s palm. But other than that, nothing happened.

There was no explosion to bruise and burn at Roki’s face.

There was no fire to burn at Bakugou’s wrist with the potential of leaving life long scars behind.

“This is the second incident with you, Todoroki,” the very familiar and very tired voice of their teacher said as Aizawa came walking towards them. His hair flopped down around his head as his eyes stopped glowing.

“This bastard did something to Deku,” Bakguou growled, pulling on Roki’s collar only to be wrapped up in Aizawa’s scarf and pulled backwards. Roki stumbled forwards with him but only for a step or two before he managed to get himself loose.

The front of his shirt was ruined. He pulled on it, rubbing the black tinted collar between thumb and index finger with a dissatisfied hum.

“What goes on between Midoriya and I has nothing to do with you, Bakugou,” Roki replied, giving the other alpha the side eye.

“If you touch him—” Bakugou started to say.

“That’s enough!”

It was quite amazing how Aizawa—a beta—managed to get both of the two teens to flinch at his harsh tone. They both hunched, shoulders rising and claws drawn in defensive position as if faced with a potentially fatal threat.

Aizawa’s hair floated up around his face and his eyes glowed bright red as he pulled on his bindings, pulling Bakugou further away from Roki who was locked to the spot by Aizawa’s intense stare.

“Todoroki, get your things,” Aizawa said, turning his eyes towards him. “Your father is here to pick you up.”

Bakugou frowned from his wrappings, casting a glance between Aizawa and Roki. He looked an odd mix between angry, surprised and suspicious which was quite an amusing expression, Roki had to say. But the anger and suspicion seemed to win over the surprise, though Roki couldn’t say which was the dominant emotion within Bakugou at that moment.

Roki clicked his tongue again, grasping the shirt tighter.

It was as if on cue. The front door opened and Endeavor’s massive size entered. His beard was flaming as usual and his demanding presence filled the room in a way that made other alpha’s drop before him in submission.

Roki had never given in to that submission. Had vowed to himself to become something more, someone his father would cower before. Never had it been easier to stand his ground than it had now, whether it was by sheer determination or by anger was difficult to say.

“Shouto,” Enji said in greeting, but Roki just turned away.

He would much rather deal with Bakugou than his old man. The urge to put the other alpha in his place was strong, and he couldn’t say he wouldn’t enjoy rubbing Midoriya in his face.

Shouto had never been quite sure what kind of relationship Midoriya and Bakugou had. They’d known each other for a very long time, so there was definitely some kind of connection there. But he had never been able to figure out what type of connection that was. At the start of first year, Shouto definitely wouldn’t have thought there had been a time when Bakugou and Midoriya had been close friends. Not to mention that Bakugou’s weird sense of entitlement over Midoriya was definitely not normal. Sure, Roki wasn’t sure what normal was between friends but from what the previous school year had taught him, what Midoriya and Bakugou? 

It definitely wasn’t it.

His insides boiled almost painfully whenever he thought about it. The many possibilities for what could have happened between the two during the many years they’d know each other where Shouto wasn’t involved. They hadn’t been close last year, but that hadn’t stopped Bakugou from having some weird fication with Midoriya.

That weird, possessive fication had to come from somewhere.

No, Roki definitely didn’t have anything against making sure Bakugou knew that Midoriya was his. He belonged to Shouto. He was his omega. If there was ever anyone who was going to get to kiss his neck before sinking their teeth into it, it was going to be Shouto.

“Where is your other half?” Enji asked when he didn’t receive a reply.

“I’m on my way,” Roki replied simply. He went back to his other half’s bag and zipped the bag back up.

“And the other you?” Enji asked.

“I told you, I’m on my way.” Roki groaned, pushing the bag away a bit too dramatically just as his other half came around the corner.

Todo narrowed his eyes at him and Roki bared his teeth back. Then Todo turned towards Bakugou who was finally being released from Aizawa’s binding. He stood silent, watching in the background as Todo came over and took his bag.

“Where’s Midoriya?” Roki asked, watching his other half unzip the bag and start refolding everything.

“I don’t know,” Todo said with a look that told Roki to not even dare go looking.

Four sets of eyes were on him, and all he could do was clench his fists in frustration. He could feel the glare of Bakugou’s intense eyes on him and Aizawa was watching him closely. His father had his usual expression on, the one that was a mix of disappointment and just general disinterest. 

Roki wasn’t sure how much of the situation that Enji had been informed on. But from the way his father seemed to be watching him more intently than he was Todo it was obvious that he knew enough about the situation to be vary.

He couldn’t help but audibly scoff at the thought that Todoroki Enji of all people was judging him on anything related to omegas of all things. At least Roki hadn’t tricked Midoriya into anything he didn’t want. Or manipulated him until he was mentally broken and nothing but a dependant mate who couldn’t escape the clutches of their alpha. 

“Do you have everything?” Endeavor asked, looking between Todo and Roki. One who was looking at him with a nod while the other was looking away with an angry huff.

“I do,” Todo replied. He gave his other half a glance before he added, “I do, too.”

Endeavor raised an eyebrow, looking a tad bit confused, but seemed to deem it unnecessary to comment on the odd wording. He didn’t make much of a change of expression and he only gave Aizawa a glance, as if they’d already had whatever conversation needed to be had.

Roki looked down on the shirt in his hand. He sighed, looking between the many people around him.

From Enji and his other half to Aizawa and Bakugou—who was still glaring at him with intense anger—there was no way that he could get away without raising suspicion. Especially since it seemed like Todo was still keeping an eye on him, as well. He didn’t put it past himself to snitch and tell the others what had happened.

“Let’s go,” Enji said simply, holding the door open and letting the cool night air into the corridor.

When Todo had put his shoes and jacket on and stood waiting with his bag in his hand, Roki still stood in his socks and with the shirt in his hand. His jacket lay dropped over his bag and he narrowed his eyes in defiance.

“Stop being childish,” Todo said. He walked over, grabbed Roki’s bag and held his jacket out. “I don’t have a choice.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Roki hissed, quiet enough that he hoped none of the others could hear him but Todo.

“Mine,” Todo hissed right back, eyes turning sharp as he pushed the jacket into Roki’s arms.

“Shouto, stop this childishness,” Enji said. His beard snapped in the air, sending small wisps of flames up like a living, breathing creature was stuck to his face.

It wasn’t until Roki had given another glance around the room that he reluctantly did as he was told. He put his jacket on and sat down by the genkan to put his shoes on. But that didn't mean he wasn’t going to take his time. It wasn’t he who wanted to leave and he definitely didn’t see why they thought it necessary to separate him and Midoriya. Didn’t they understand that as fated mates it was unhealthy for them to be apart for too long?

Unfortunately, you could only drag out putting your shoes on for so long.

He stood up with a huff and a glare. “I don’t see the point to this.”

“Which is exactly why it’s necessary,” Aizawa said with a sigh. He came over and put a hand on Roki’s shoulder. “You should think about why while you’re away.”

“There’s nothing to think about,” Roki said, pushing his hand off of his shoulder. “You just don’t understand.”

What did they know about what was going on between him and Midoriya? What did any of them know about fated mates to begin with? They didn’t have one. It was none of their business what Roki did with who was universally intended to be his mate. That’s what they were born for. They quite literally belonged to each other, so why was everyone else so intent on keeping them apart?

He stalked over to the door with steam coming out in puffs from his nostrils. His left hand was hot where it gripped the shirt and it was only because of his intentions that he didn’t let it burn. Otherwise he was sure he would have lit his hand on fire in frustration.

He’d barely taken a step past the threshold when...

“Todoroki, wait!”

All of them turned around at the exclaim, seeing Midoriya coming running around the corner towards them. He was clutching something small to his chest and came to a stop before Todo with his chest heaving up and down as he let out quick, open mouthed breaths. His scarred fingers were tightly wrapped around a notebook with an adorable doodle of All Might and himself on the cover along with some small incoherent writing that Roki couldn’t read from the distance.

The omega collar was back around his neck, looking as clunky as it had before. But right next to it, underneath where Roki had bitten him, there was the small red spotting on the edge of his shirt.

“I didn’t get a chance to organize them, but here,” Midoriya said, holding out the notebook with both hands as if he was gifting it away. “They’re my notes from today's classes. I thought that, maybe, they could help you with what you missed.”

“Thank you,” Todo said with a quiet whisper as he reached out for the book. He brushed his fingers across Midoriya’s slowly before taking a hold of the notebook. “It will help.”

Midoriya’s chest dusted a pretty pink and he pulled his hands down by his sides stiffly. He nibbled on his bottom lip and looked from Roki to Todo and shifted at the spot.

“They might be a bit all over the place, but hopefully they’ll help a little?” It seemed to be spoken more like a question but it was still very cute.

Todo threw a glance over his shoulder at Endeavor and then back at Midoriya. “I need to go, but thank you.”

“See you on Monday?” Midoriya asked carefully, bringing his hands up to fiddle with his fingers across his chest. He pulled on the front of his t-shirt and gave an awkward but still hopeful smile.

“Maybe,” Todo answered honestly. Todo took a step closer, but then changed his mind and took it back.

“But it’s not permanent, right…?” Midoriya asked carefully, looking between Todo and Aizawa. His eyes were almost pleading. “He’ll have to come back at some point.”

Aizawa gave a shrug. “It’s still unclear.”

Midoriya’s face visibly dropped. His eyebrows furred and his shoulders fell, almost in defeat as his eyes lowered to the floor. “...Oh.”

The atmosphere changed almost immediately. Growing thick and uncomfortable. Roki could tell that his other half was equally as uncomfortable about Midoriya’s sudden mood shift as he was. Todo glanced at him as if asking for help and Roki just raised an eyebrow at him, sending a wave of judgement his direction.

Roki looked down at the shirt and hurried back into the dorms. He didn’t care about removing his shoes as he walked onto the dorm hallway. He pushed his other half out of the way a bit too roughly and held the shirt out.

“Here,” he said with a nod at his hand.

Midoriya looked very confused as he reached out and took it from Roki’s hands. He unfolded it and looked at the blank shirt, turning it around in his hands as if he was looking for something on it. When he didn’t seem to find anything he met Roki’s gaze with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s this for?” he asked, but he still wrapped his fingers around the shirt. Almost as if he was using it to wrap his crooked fingers.

“I thought it would make you feel better,” Roki said, suddenly feeling how his right cheek got hot. He shifted his weight before nodding as his heartbeat picked up. “But if you don’t want it…”

“No!” Midoriya said, making at least four sets of eyebrows rise high on their foreheads at his exclamation. The only one that seemed unphased was Aizawa who was watching very carefully. “I’ll keep it till you get back.”

Roki smiled with relief. “I won’t be gone for long.”

Midoriya nodded, cheeks dusted a faint pink hue and a smile playing in the corner of his lips as he avoided eye contact. He pulled the shirt closer to his chest and nodded again, knitting his fingers deep into the fabric as if to keep anyone from taking it away from him.

“I need to go.”

Roki groaned at his other half, but when he looked behind him, he saw that Enji was looking at him with stern eyes and an unreadable expression on his face. One that Roki couldn’t decipher. He often wore it when he was in some kind of deep thought.

With that Roki was forced to leave. He was almost pulled out of the dormitory by Todo and under the watchful eyes of Endeavour and Eraser Head. Bakugou was still watching in the background and it gave him a sour taste in his mouth when he realized that he would have to leave Midoriya alone with him for the weekend.

Chapter Text

Midoriya was looking after them as they walked away and Roki turned around on multiple occasions to wave to him. Each time he received a wave back in return along with an awkward smile that looked the slightest bit guilty. At least until they got far enough away that the only distinct feature about Midoriya was his green hair.

Todo frowned at the expression when he threw a glance backwards only to be met with Midoriya scratching his arm and looking away. He quickly seemed to recover himself and waved again with what looked like a nervous chuckle that Todo was too far away to hear.

He raised his hand and waved back.

“This is ridiculous,” Roki said with a scowl. His eyebrows were turned down in a perpetual frown.

“It’s necessary,” Todo replied as nothing but the roof of the dormitory became visible behind them.

“They’re overreacting.”

“I'm out of control.”

“I’ll show me out of control if I keep getting in my way,” Roki growled, dropping his bag almost violently on the pavement. His hands balled into fists, the bandages on each of his hands scrunching up and getting out of place with the action.

“Shouto.” Endeavor’s voice was stern and direct, and very commanding. His beard crackled and hissed, making small whips in the air as the fire reacted to the harsh tone.

Both Todo and Roki stiffened, but while Todo remained still, Roki quickly managed to compose himself. He glared at Endeavor, putting a hand on his hip and letting his claws extend. He narrowed his eyes in defiance before even he eventually averted his eyes.

“This has nothing to do with you,” he snapped, furrowing his brow. Now that Todo saw them side by side, Roki really did look all too eerily similar to Endeavor. “This is between me, myself and Midoriya.”

Endeavor gave a gruff hum. “All Might’s omega prodigy.”

“You need fucking clarification? He does his work studies at your agency,” Roki said harshly, as if Endeavor’s words had been an insult.

Enji fished a key out from his pocket and automatically unlocked the big, black SUV he’d parked just outside of U.A’s private grounds. With another click the trunk popped open, slowly lifting into the air. Todo didn’t wait until the lid was all the way open, putting his bag inside the back when there was enough space for him to get his bag in. Roki stood by the side, not moving. Endeavor didn’t seem in the mood to wait, because he grabbed the significantly smaller bag by Roki’s feet and put it away next to Todo’s.

The trunk shut itself with another click.

“Get inside.” Endeavor walked around to the drivers side and clapped the roof of the car. 

Reluctantly Roki did as he said, getting in the backseat and slammed the car behind hard enough that the windows rattled. He slouched down in his seat and put one foot up against the back of the driver’s seat.

Todo stood a bit too long looking between the empty seat in the back next to his angry other half and the empty seat next to his father in the front. Two sets of blue eyes looked at him, one with an exceptionally angry glare while the other set was framed by a red glow and more impatient than anything else. Eventually he picked the front with a sigh. Roki would just explode at him if they sat next to each other right now.

“What does Midoriya have to do with this?” Endeavor asked, continuing their conversation as he pulled out and rolled down the hill from the school.

Roki spared no second in replying, giving the answer that Todo had expected him to but really didn’t want to give right now. “He’s my omega.”

“He presented?” Endeavor looked at Todo with a raised eyebrow, looking surprised and a bit worried at the same time. “Shouto, if you bit him—”

“I didn’t,” Todo interrupted him. Then he gave an almost painful groan. “I mean, I did, but he hasn’t presented. It didn’t take.”

“He should present,” Roki said from the back. When Todo glared back at him, the redhead had crossed both arms and was looking out the window. “That way it will take.”

It seemed like Endeavor didn’t quite seem to know what to say at first, because all he did was give another gruff hum.  He opened his mouth a couple of times but seemed to rethink his next set of words and chose not to say them because he closed mouth again. 

He left the U.A driveway and went out on the main road. It was a couple of minutes before he seemed to have found what he wanted to say in reply to Roki’s words.

“He has a good quirk, if a bit physically detrimental,” he finally settled on.

“This has nothing to do with his quirk,” Roki snorted, shooting out and grabbing the driver's seat. He leaned forwards between the passenger seat and the driver, supporting himself by holding onto both with each hand. “He could have no quirk and it wouldn’t matter. What matters is that he is my omega and that if I would stop being a pussy about it, we wouldn’t be here.”

“Watch you language,” Endeavor reprimanded. Roki just made a couple of unintelligible noises and sat back into his seat. Endeavor’s next words were almost a bit sad. “I wasn’t aware you were in a relationship.”

“I’m not,” Todo said simply, throwing his other half a look that said enough.

“Then why do you think that Midoriya is your omega?” Enji asked. “I’m happy that you’re thinking about appropriate mates already, but it is still too early to think about settling down. Especially with someone like Midoriya.”

“Someone like Midoriya—the fuck is that suppost to mean?” Roki asked with such anger that Todo could feel it inside. It moved over his spine like a spiked iron club.

The temperature in the car rose, but all Enji did to counter was to turn down the AC.

“Is it because he’s a guy?” Todo asked, narrowing his eyes at his dad.

“An omega is an omega, primary gender doesn’t matter. Their biological function is the same,” Endeavor clarified. His tone was disapproving when he spoke next, “But he’s from a beta bloodline, isn’t he?”

“So?” the two halves of a whole spoke at the same time. “What does his parents have to do with this?”

“You know that we come from a long line of pure-breeds, Shouto,” Endeavor said, sounding very much like he was giving an important lecture.

Both Todo and Roki groaned simultaneously, giving each other a shared look as they sank down into their collective seats in frustration.

How many times had Shouto not heard this conversation before? How many times had he not tuned Enji out whenever the topic about breeding, mates and procreation had come up? How many arguments had they not had about this very topic before?

The Todoroki bloodline was a long line of pure-bred alphas and omegas. Todo had no idea how far back that line spanned for certain but he knew that on his father’s side of the family—the alpha side that is—it went back farther than there had been quirks. It was an old bloodline. Once it had been a name that had brought on respect and adoration, but at some point a couple of hundred years ago that had changed. Around the same time that quirks had become a thing and the world had been thrown into chaos at the realization of superpowers.

Whatever.

Shouto had never cared about pure blood and pure-bred alphas and omegas before. It was an old thinking that didn’t make sense to him. Shouldn’t a pure-bred alpha technically be the child of two alphas? But that wasn’t possible because female alphas were incapable of giving birth. Which meant that there really were no such thing as “pure-bred”, wasn’t there?

The whole discourse was ridiculous and old fashioned. An old universal decision that had no scientific backing that had lasted the test of time.

“Just because Midoriya isn’t pure-bred, he isn’t good enough?” 

It was Todo’s turn to get mad. Not that he hadn’t been mad before, but now it was more directed at Endeavor than it was at himself.

“Mom’s not pure-bred,” Roki added with a huff.

“She’s a third-generation omega,” Endeavor countered. “You know this, Shouto.”

“That makes me pure-bred,” Todo noted, sharing a glance with his other half. Roki’s eyes widened slowly as he seemed to realize the same thing as Todo. Their connected brain buzzed with their shared activity and Roki started steaming.

The AC was working overtime in trying to keep up with his rising body temperature and Todo wasn’t all that up for helping it out.

“I don’t want pups,” Roki said, so cold and emotionless that it was almost scary. But his eyes? They were furious.

“You need to continue the bloodline,” Endeavor said, sounding like he’d done almost a year ago when he’d go on and on about how Shouto should defeat All Might and focus on his studies and training instead of making friends.

“I’ve told you,” Todo started.

“I don’t want pups,” Roki finished, repeating his previous statement.

It was something that Shouto had decided a long time ago. Not necessarily because he had anything against the thought of having children. Maybe someday it would be nice to have pups. The unconditional love of someone that was his very own. An innocent life that looked up to him for love and protection. But then he thought about his dad and his mom and about Natsuo and Fuyumi and about Touya, the brother he barely got to know and had but a few scarce memories with that were all fuzzy and blurry at best. About the suffering they’d experienced and the horror they’d grown up in.

Shouto had sworn to himself that he would never become like Endeavor. But no matter how much Shouto changed and how much he was trying to be better than his father, there was a part of him that was scared that it was inevitable. Rei had told him on a few rare occasions during his visits with her that Enji had once been kind and caring. In the beginning he had been a surprisingly good parent, but that he’d only gotten worse and worse as the years went on and he didn’t get the desired result out of either of the other three children before Shouto came along.

Didn’t that mean that he could turn out the same without realizing it? Not that he could imagine Endeavor ever being a kind and loving father and mate, but if it was possible then Shouto could turn out the same way. 

Like father, like son.

No, Shouto had decided that he was never going to pass on his genes as soon as he got old enough to understand mating and procreation. Never would he put someone else through what his mother had suffered through. 

Never would he put an innocent child through what he had had to suffer through.

He would never put Midoriya through that kind of torture. It would destroy his entire future.

“The sole purpose of mating is to procreate,” Endeavor said, pulling off of the main road in the wrong direction.

Todo sat up in his seat and looked around confused. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll be staying with me,” Endeavor simply replied.

“But this isn’t the way home,” Roki said.

“I’ve deemed that it’s too risky to have you living at home, so I’ve rented a house,”  Endeavor said.

Enji had lived up to the promise he’d made to Natsuo last year. Rei had been allowed to come home, at first starting with just the weekends. During those times Enji was never at the house. He’d even started the plans to build them a new house for the fresh start he’d promised them. Unfortunately, because of the snowy winter they’d had, construction hadn’t been able to start until February.

Shouto hadn’t been sure where his father had been sleeping during the days his mother was living at home, but he had a sneaking suspicion it had been at the agency.

“That’s not what we agreed on,” Roki exclaimed. “Aizawa said we were going home.”

“From what I’ve been told about your behaviour, I’ve decided that it’s safer if you don’t stay with your mother and sister,” Endeavor said.

“That is not your decision to make!”

“As your legal guardian, it is.”

“Maybe…” Todo started. “That might be for the best.”

“I can’t be…” Roki started in pure disbelief. “ You can’t be serious! You agree with him?”

“I don’t like it,” Todo admitted, looking down at his lap.

“This is why Midoriya isn’t mine yet,” Roki growled. “You can’t fucking behave like the alpha you are.”

“If you and Midoriya aren’t in a relationship, how is he your omega?” Endeavor asked, seeming to remember what Roki had said before. He looked at Todo and then at Roki in the rearview mirror.

Todo and Roki shared a glance with each other. He shook his head slowly and for once Roki seemed to agree with him because he said, “It’s none of your business.”

“Shouto—” Enji started with a warning tone but he was completely cut off by Roki.

The younger redhead growled and stomped his foot against the back of the driver’s seat. It didn’t appear to have much strength behind it but Endeavor still seemed to notice it because his shoulders flinched.

“It has nothing to do with you,” Roki said, punctuating each and every word.

Apparently coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to get anything out of Roki, Enji gave Todo a quick glance before looking back out across the road. “What is going on between you and Midoriya?”

“...It’s complicated,” Todo replied slowly and with quite a bit of hesitation.

Todo wasn’t stupid or ignorant. He knew exactly what Roki was trying to achieve with Midoriya and the naive conclusions that Midoriya had reached about the alpha’s goals. Which, to be completely fair and to his other half’s credit, weren’t all wrong. Roki did seem hell bent on getting Midoriya to be his—to be Shouto’s. It would solve all of their problems from this last year. All of those conflicting feelings that he hadn’t quite understood before the sudden realization that had brought an equally high sense of dread to Todo as it had brought on a sense of determination and hunger in Roki.

Of course he wanted to be with Midoriya.

Not just because they were fated to mate with each other, either. No matter how often Roki seemed to like using that as an excuse as to why they should be together.

Midoriya had never been anything but kind to Shouto. Even before he seemed to have figured out that the two of them were soulmates. They had only gotten closer after the Sport’s Festival, and Shouto had been happy about that. 

He was happy about that. 

Both Todo and Roki. 

That was when he’d seen what kind of person Midoriya really was. How he was willing to put himself in danger for his friends and his sheer determination to succeed. How he kept fighting no matter how dark the situation seemed and how he somehow managed to do that with bright smiles and comforting words—no matter how awkward Midoriya himself might think himself to be.

If he wasn’t so terrified that Roki was going to do something that Shouto might regret one day, Todo would gladly help him get Midoriya to be theirs—his.

But Roki didn’t just want to be with Midoriya. He wanted to have Midoriya. In every sense of the word and he didn’t seem to understand how wrong that was. Not necessarily the whole concept of being intimate together itself, but the way he was going about it with their current situation.

Pursuing a relationship in any way or form right now was not a smart move, no matter how much the both of them might desire to have one.

Maybe it was a good thing that Midoriya was so different from other omegas. There was no telling what Roki would do if he had already presented.

“It doesn’t have to be complicated,” Roki huffed from the back.

“It’s complicated,” Todo repeated harshly, more directed at himself than at Endeavor.

“Maybe I could help,” Enji said, looking both unsure and out of place at the same time. His fiery beard cracked and hissed, snapping at the air like with hands made out of flames. He cleared his throat and tried his best at what he probably thought was a comforting smile. “Principal Nezu told me what happened. Uhm… What’s your version of what happened?”
The words were so awkward coming out of the hero’s mouth that both Roki and Todo shared a glance. Then Roki sank deeper into his seat and turned to look out the window in his sulking, leaving Todo the one to answer for all of his other half’s actions.

Why hadn’t he sat in the back instead?

“I…” He stopped before he said anything else. He threw a look behind himself and then decided to choose his words a bit more carefully then he had during previous conversations about the topic. “Midoriya and I had an incident.”

Enji nodded. “I know. You attacked him and broke an elevator, was it?”

“I did not fucking attack him!”

Todo groaned, falling back into his seat. 

The temperature was getting unbearable and his shirt was starting to cling to his body despite his best efforts to regulate his body heat. There were small flakes of frost on the edge of his sleeve and his breath steamed white.

“That isn’t what I was told,” Enji said sternly, looking at Roki through the rearview mirror.

“He wasn’t exactly fighting back,” Roki defended. “He was clinging to me just as much as I was to him.”

“That doesn’t make what I did any more right,” Todo said.

“Am I going to have this conversation again?” Roki asked with an exasperated sigh. “Don’t pretend like you don’t want him, too. I can tell what I’m thinking, remember? I’ve got the same brain.”

“It’s not a good time right now,” Todo said. “I’m not thinking straight.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, I am! I’ve never thought more straight in my life,” Roki said. “Without all of my—without all of your insecurities, my head’s clear.”

Enji cleared his throat again and loudly said, “Did Midoriya fight you off?”

“No!” Roki said, flying off of the backrest. He pushed himself between the two front seats again. “He was clinging to me. And afterwards he said he didn’t hate it. If I —” He shot a glare at Todo at the word. “—Could just listen to what Midoriya said then we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Just because he didn’t hate it, doesn’t mean I had the right to do it.” Frost spread over the window as Todo spoke.

“Even Midoriya said it was fine!”

“He pushed me off!”

“That was today, not yesterday! And he didn’t push me off, he just nudged me.”

“That’s what I’m going to tell myself? What’s next, he didn’t say no—?”

“Shouto, that is enough!” Endeavor’s voice boomed in the car. Both of the halves of a whole flinched at the alpha voice. “Did he say no? Both of you give me an answer.”

“No, he didn’t,” Roki said confidently.

Todo hesitated a bit before he spoke, recalling Midoriya’s pleading eyes as he’d dragged him from Roki’s room. “...No, he didn’t.”

“Then what is it that you two can’t agree on?” Enji asked. The supportive man had gone back to harsh alpha.

“I can’t agree if I should take him or not,” Roki said without a moment of hesitation, as if he hadn’t just said that out loud to his father of all people. Todo could feel how his cheeks heated up at his words and blatant disregard for shame.

“You shouldn’t.”

Both of them looked at Enji with wide eyes, both blown up in surprise. “What?”

“I thought…” Todo started, unable to finish in his shock.

“...That you of all people,” Roki continued in complete disbelief.

“Would agree with me,” Todo finished for his other half.

“There is a proper time and place for such things,” Enji began. “I understand physical desire’s are an alpha's right, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t please those instincts. It is your right to. But if you do intend on making Midoriya your mate—which I do not agree with—then you should go through the proper courting ceremonies to do so.”

“I can’t believe it,” Roki said, flabbergast. “You’re lecturing me about proper courting rituals?”

It was Todo that scoffed and crossed his arms at that.

“I went through the proper rituals with your mom,” Enji said.

Todo just hummed and rolled his eyes at that. 

There was no way he was going to believe that Todoroki Enji of all people cared that much about proper mating rituals and ceremonies. He knew that his parents had gone through a public mating ceremony. There were beautiful pictures of his mother all dressed up in fine white silk and of a wide banquet hall with many people present. It had been a big event, and since Enji had already been a popular hero at the time, it had been public and in the news. But Shouto had always believed that his other had been bitten before the ceremony had taken place. Mostly because of the discreet collar she was wearing.

It wasn’t a common thing so he wasn’t sure how many knew about it, but his mother’s omega collar at the time had had a smaller strap that circled the entirety of her neck. A beautiful red band which stood out against the otherwise pale snowy blue of the leather underneath.

A mating bond hidden in plain sight.

But there had been no scandal reports when Shouto had googled. No one had seemed to take note of the collar, even in the articles about the ceremony itself.

“So you think I should court him first?” Roki asked, the angry tone having been replaced for one of curiosity. Though, there was still the smallest hint of his bad temper lying underneath the words.

“I don’t think you should court him at all, but...” Enji shrugged with a sigh and nodded. “Yes.”

“Then…” Roki stopped before he continued. “How do I do that?”

“Isn’t that why you gave him your shirt?” Enji asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I just wanted him to smell like me.” 

At least Roki had the decency to blush, but Todo could tell that his other half had had some ulterior motive about the shirt. Making Midoriya smell like him hadn’t been it. 

Endevor hummed at that. “Giving gifts is part of it. Flowers are also a good one, if they like that sort of thing. Fluffy things they can put in their nest. Things that they like.”

“Did you do that with mom?” Todo asked carefully.

“Of course I did,” he said with a curt nod.

Roki just made an unintelligible noise in the backseat. His silence was a bit unnerving but Todo couldn’t help but think the same as he did.

What did Midoriya like?

Did he like flowers? If so, what kind?

Did he even have a nest? Should he give him something to help him start one, or would that be insensitive?

Those thoughts circled around both of their heads for the rest of the ride, and for once, Todo found that there was something he agreed with his other half on. Because giving gifts and showing that he appreciated Midoriya was maybe not a bad start to build on when he and Roki were back together as one again.

Izuku let his hand fall when the three Todoroki were out of his line of sight. But only after giving one last wave that none of them caught.

He tightened his hold on the shirt as a very uncomfortable feeling started spreading from the tips of his toes and from the end his fingertips. It slowly moved, like a physical creature living inside him, up his arms and legs till it was crawling inside his chest. That’s where it settled, making a nest. Burrowing into his chest cavity and ripping him apart from the inside out in the process.

He swallowed as he gripped the front of his shirt, adjusting the collar as if he was trying to alleviate pressure around his throat. Or maybe he was sweating? But he wasn’t hot. In fact, he was shivering a bit.

Hopefully Todotodo would get some use out of his notes. He had meant to go through them and get them into order, but with the sudden turn of events Izuku just hadn’t had the time. Maybe he would have if he hadn’t gotten so caught up in the shower. But it couldn’t be helped.

Maybe Roki, too, would find his notes helpful, but something told him that Roki wasn’t the type to care about his studies in the same way that Todo would.

“I don’t want any more trouble from you. Either of you,” Aizawa said, breaking Izuku away from staring off into the distance as if he was waiting for Todoroki to come walking back up that hill. “Is that understood?”

Bakugou only nodded as a reply, but Izuku couldn’t help himself when he said, “He really wasn’t trying to hurt me.”

Aizawa sighed. “While that may be, we can’t leave the situation to get worse. It was probably too soon to let Todoroki back to school with his condition.”

“He was doing fine,” Izuku insisted. “He’s just—”

“Bad reactions to medication is not an excuse for one's actions,” Aizawa interrupted with a harsh stare. “If Todoroki can’t control himself as he is right now, then he isn’t safe to let around other students. Not just you, Midoriya.”

“He’s not dangerous and he’s not going to hurt anyone. I know him. He would never do anything to hurt his friends,” Izuku said, taking a step forward.

“Then why do I smell blood?”

Izuku stiffened, shoulders rising as he closed his mouth tight. His fists tightened and his cheeks started burning as the bite on his neck started to pulse.

“I cut myself,” he blurted out without thinking.

From the way Aizawa looked at him, it was clear that the beta did not believe him. Not to mention the intense stare he got from Bakugou who was still all too quiet in the corner as if he was analyzing everything that was going on.

“It’s nothing, really,” Izuku said. He cleared his throat as it became dry and knew that there was probably no way that either of the two believed him.

But Aizawa did eventually let out another sigh, shoulders slumping as he shifted his weight. “Fine, but there are only so many incidents that I can let pass.”

All Izuku could do was nod, not saying anything as Aizawa fixed him with a stare. He also threw one at Bakugou who just looked away.

At first Izuku thought Aizawa was going to say something more, but instead he just shook his head and walked back into the dorms. There were some mutterings going on under his breath that Izuku didn’t catch. Not that he was listening too carefully.

He couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped him only to quickly be reminded that he wasn’t alone.

“Stay away from the half-and-half bastard.”

Izuku blinked in confusion as he turned towards Bakugou. “Why would I do that?”

Bakugou put a hand on his hips, shifting his weight to one foot. “He bit you.”

It wasn’t a question and from the harsh stare Bakugou gave him, there was no room for argument. Plus, as much as Izuku could lie to everyone else, it was harder to lie to Bakugou. They’d known each other long enough for both of them to know the small ticks they did when the other was lying.

“It’s really none of your business,” Izuku said, fidgeting in his spot. He quickly composed himself and squared his shoulders.

“You’re being taken advantage of.”

“I’m not a fourteen anymore, Kacchan, I can take care of myself,” Izuku muttered, but couldn’t find it in himself to look Bakugou in the eyes. He knew exactly what he was going to see there, and the last thing he needed right now was to be reminded of the quirkless omega he was while growing up. “And Todoroki isn’t like other alphas. You know that he would never be like that.”

Bakugou just shook his head in small turns. The scowl on his face didn’t go away, only seemed to deepen. He seemed to mumble something because his lips moved but he could just as easily have clicked his tongue instead.

Whatever it was that Bakugou wanted to say, he didn’t say it. In a way, Izuku was glad for that, because sometimes he was sure that Bakugou still saw him like the quirkless fourteen year old he’d once been instead of the hero-to-be with super strength. But most of all, every time there was a situation where Izuku’s secondary gender played even the minute role, Bakugou seemed to see him as the quirkless omega only. 

“You aren’t going to accept that, are you?” Bakugou said instead, a look of disgust coming over his face. He eyed the shirt Roki had given Izuku.

Izuku looked down on the white tee, unfurling it and held it out in front of him with furrowed brows. It looked too long for him from this angle, and surprisingly, a bit too big.

Curious. 

Izuku had always assumed that he had broader shoulders than Todoroki. Maybe he’d been wrong... 

“It’s just a shirt,” he said with furrowed brows. He shifted his gaze from the shirt to Bakugou.

There were few occasions where Bakugou had looked so done as he did that instant. He quite literally rubbed his hand over his face before moving on to rub both temples with two fingers. “You’re a fucking idiot.”

“What?” Izuku asked, dropping the shirt down a bit to not have his view obscured. “It is just a shirt… isn’t it?”

“Give that thing back to the half-and-half bastard when he gets back.” Bakugou looked at the shirt and snarled, physically leaning away from it. “And don’t you dare fucking wear it before you do, you hear me?”

Izuku nodded with much reluctance. He raised an eyebrow as he watched Bakugou turn around and start walking off. He looked down at the shirt again.

“Throw it in the wash, it reeks.” Right before disappearing around the corner, Bakugou added, “Or better yet, throw it out.”

“Yeah, but,” Izuku raised a hand but it was no use. Bakugou had already walked off. “Why shouldn’t I…?”

He groaned and leaned his head back. He ran both hands over his face, rubbing the shirt against his skin and filling his nose with that of Todoroki. He inhaled it with a deep breath and then let it all out in one go. 

Then he threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed to no one in particular, “Why won’t anyone explain this stuff instead of just assuming I know everything?”

Chapter Text

It all seemed to be just as confusing as it appeared to be straightforward. 

Todoroki liked him, and Roki seemed to embody that to the very core of his being. But for some reason Todo seemed to be so against the thought of them being together that it made Izuku question if he even felt the same way. 

According to Roki, he did. Though, Izuku had failed to see any evidence to confirm that, especially with the colder half’s reluctance to even have a single conversation about what was going on between the two of them… Well, three of them at the moment. 

Not to mention that there seemed to be so much more that was going on under the surface than what Izuku knew about. Not just about Todo and Roki and Todoroki's feelings about him, but about the true meaning behind Roki's actions. About everything he said and did. 

Like why he would give Izuku his shirt to begin with.

Izuku had always assumed that most of what Roki did had a straightforward meaning. It was quite difficult to explain away most of what the red haired counterpart had done as something other than what it was. And when Izuku had asked him for clarification, Roki had laid all cards on the table for Izuku to see. 

Or at least that’s what Izuku had thought.

He looked down on the piece of shirt and frowned.

If it wasn’t for scenting, then what was the real purpose behind it? How different could it be from what Izuku was imagining?

When Izuku had been very little he remembered how his mother had used to walk around in big, oversized t-shirts that looked like dresses on her. Usually after dinner and around bedtime. He knew that they had belonged to his dad. He also remembered that they had smelled like Hisashi, but Izuku could no longer say what exactly the man had smelled like or if Inko still had those shirts lying around somewhere. He couldn't quite recall when she'd stopped wearing them, either. 

As far as Izuku knew, giving clothes was a common alpha thing. It was a good way to get others to smell like you, especially your partner if that was the recipient of said article of clothing. Otherwise it could also be used as an act of comfort between family and close friends. Even he, with his lack of knowledge in the area, knew that much about it.

So why had Bakugou been so against him keeping the shirt?

No, that wasn’t what he had said. The words he’d used had been different.

Izuku’s frown deepened.

Was there some other meaning behind Izuku accepting Roki’s clothes? Something that should be obvious to him but had completely gone over his head? Or was it something instinctual that Izuku couldn’t recognize because of his unpresented status? 

He threw himself on his bed, falling on his back and staring up at the roof as he got lost in the many thoughts that all led to a dead end. He didn’t know enough to understand and no one seemed all that interested in explaining it all to him, either. As if he couldn’t handle the information. 

He wasn’t a child. He was perfectly capable of understanding what Roki did. To some extent, he could even understand why Roki had done it, too.

It wasn’t like Roki had been unclear about what he wanted or what his goal was.

Izuku’s face bloomed a pretty red as his cheeks heated up when Roki’s words echoed in his ears so clearly that Izuku almost forgot the alpha had left the dorms. 

“ I want you to be my mate. ”

He clapped his hands over his cheeks and bit his lip. He bent his legs at his knees, digging his heels into the mattress and squeezed his legs shut as those darn phantom lips started wandering over his neck once more. Over the many hickeys and teeth marks to the bite that had drawn blood.

It was probably going to scar... 

That had been the second time his body had reacted in a weird way around Roki. The second time that infernal pulsing had come creeping and his head had become clouded in that foggy haze that he couldn’t explain and he had to fight to escape. 

It had invaded his head and shrouded everything in a dense coverage that Izuku hadn’t been able to navigate through. All he knew was that Roki was there and that he was an alpha and that he was Izuku’s alpha. His instincts told him that he was safe and protected.

It was okay to let go and just fall back into that warm touch.

Something unknown stirred in the pit of his stomach each time it happened, and there was a bubbling inside when he thought about it. His loins started to ache and he tried to fight it down before it became an embarrassing problem.

You just didn’t do that kind of thing while thinking of your friend. Even if said friend in question had confessed to you that very same day and was your intended future mate and had already kind of admitted that they wanted to do that kind of thing with you.

...Right?

“Todoroki’s mate…” Izuku whispered aloud to himself, looking past his fingers at the white roofing above.

There was no way that Izuku could become Todoroki’s mate right now. Roki had bitten him and nothing had happened. His body had become weak and his knees had completely given up on him, true. But there had been no strengthening of the soulbond between the two of them. Nothing had changed on that deep psychological, almost supernatural, level that it supposedly should.

They weren’t any more connected now than they’d been before.

But he couldn’t deny that the thought had been planted and now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

His mind swirled with images of sweet touches. Small brushes of fingers against his hand that held so much intimacy but no sexual intention. The gentle caress of his cheek and arms around his shoulders. Hair that was carefully tucked back behind his ear. Small smiles as a cold hand wrapped around his waist in public, pulling him close and letting everyone know that he wasn’t up for grabs anymore. Clothes that were drenched in Todoroki’s scent somehow finding their way into Izuku’s room and him going to sleep surrounded by that mingled scent of hot and cold. Strong arms that wrapped around him as they snuggled up together on the couch during movie night. A sweet kiss behind his ear as Todoroki whispered nothings that Izuku couldn’t define right now.

But not all of the imaginary moments were innocent. 

Among the sweet and innocent acts were also ones of pleasure. Flashes of hot lips across his neck while cold fingers carded through his hair. Deep kisses and bodies that pressed tightly against each other. Sometimes with clothes. Other times without.

Those were the ones that made Izuku shudder. 

What he did know was that his cheeks burned when those images came to mind and that his chest tightened. Something foreign inside sang happily at the images while another, a part of himself that Izuku was more familiar with, hid in shame.

He couldn't think that way about Todoroki. 

He shouldn’t think that way about Todoroki.

But then again…

He let his hands fall from his face and rest beside his head. His eyes fluttered shut as he nibbled on the inside of his cheek. He pressed his toes together and knitted them together as he gripped the edges of the pillow.

Did Todoroki, maybe, have those kinds of thoughts about him, too?

From what Roki had told him—and more importantly from what Roki had done with him—it was possible. Wasn't it?

He jumped out of bed with a loud yell, slapping at his cheeks and shaking his head violently.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" he berated himself while his cheeks burned, clasping them tightly as he fought the indecent images and intruding thoughts away.

He let his hands fall from his cheeks slowly as he bit at a loose piece of skin on his bottom lip. It pulled and ripped until he’d completely peeled the small flap off. The area stung like someone had stuck a needle into his lip and when he ran his tongue over it the taste of iron filled his mouth. 

His hands lingered over his neck, wrapped lightly around the heavy collar.

With his heart hammering away in his chest, Izuku slowly walked over to the small bathroom. He looked into the mirror as if transfixed as he first undid the buckle of the collar and then pulled the strap out. He held it around his throat for a while before he pulled it off.

There was a sizable red spot on the inside, and Izuku ran his thumb over it only to find that his thumb was covered in his own sticky blood.

It felt like forever before he finally let his eyes wander back up to the mirror and look at himself. More importantly, look at his neck that was well decorated and kissed red.

The bite was deep.

He craned his neck to the side to get a better look at it and saw the way Roki’s teeth had dug further down into his neck than Izuku had thought. The indentations went into the skin and he could see into the small holes if he leaned close enough to the mirror. When he ran his fingers over the wound blood smeared across his skin.

Izuku couldn’t bring himself to look away.

An alphas bite.

One day the same bite was going to adorn his nape. A permanent scar that Izuku was never going to be able to see. A permanent bond between him and his alpha.

It was difficult to swallow the lump in his throat and his breathing became heavy. That unclear thing inside him that was he was becoming too aware of these days was growing with rapid speed. The longer he looked at the bite, the more prominent the unknown instincts became.

At the time, the bite had scared him. The pain that had spread throughout his neck the moment that Roki had sunk his teeth into his skin had come like a surprise to him. But it was what had followed that had truly made him want to escape. That sudden ache that had started building deep down in his stomach. Like a balloon that was waiting to be popped. Then it had felt good. As Roki’s teeth had buried down so close to his nape, pleasure had started building.

That was what Izuku had truly scared him.

It was the way Roki had managed to make him an unmovable mess. The way Izuku’s legs had turned into jelly and how his knees had buckled. How his mind had sang and screamed at the same time as something incredibly primal and deep rooted had wanted more.

Taking a long and deep breath, Izuku pulled open the sink drawer. He took out the small first aid kit he’d stored inside and placed it on the edge of the sink. He moved the small hatch that kept the box closed and lifted the lid. It stood up in the air, kept secure by a small metal spring.

The inside had the bare essentials. Gauze, alcoholic wipes, steriliser along with so much more. There were even a couple of fever patches in there that his mother had sent All Might to fetch when Izuku had gotten sick the week before their first year graduation. There were two bottles of two different brands of painkillers, one universal and intended for anyone and another intended purely for omegas that Izuku had only used once. He really couldn’t tell the difference between the effect of the two.

The item that stood out the most lay in the middle. It was a sterilized plastic package that looked like it had been vacuum packed. Inside lay two objects, both looking very similar to that of an epipen. They were purple in color with a see through white plastic coverage with a button at the top. On the very top of the package was a white prescription label with his name on it along with the doctor that had prescribed it to him. 

In bold Kanji above it all were the words Emergency Heat Suppressants stamped onto the plastic.

Inko would be furious if she knew that he had it stuffed away in a box in the bathroom instead of in his school bag.

Izuku consciously moved pill bottles and the fever patches over the package as he grabbed the gauze, some tape and some sterilized pads from the box.

He didn’t waste much time cutting the pads to fit the bite on his neck, but he took his time taping it up. Being careful to keep each piece of tape the right length and to make sure that the pad didn’t wrinkle when he adjusted his head.

He redid it twice before he told himself that he was being ridiculous.

He wrapped the gauze three times around the pad and his neck before securing it shut. Then he just stood there, looking at his wrapped up neck with that sinking feeling in his stomach again. He dragged his nails over the wrappings and suddenly got the strong urge to just rip it all off.

Before Izuku knew it, he had exited the bathroom and walked straight over to the bed. He picked up Todoroki’s shirt without thinking and buried his nose into the fabric as if he was trying to escape into it. He closed his eyes and just let Todoroki’s pheromones and the natural alpha musk that came along with it surround him like a protective shield.

If he focused hard enough he could almost imagine Todoroki’s arms wrapping around him and pulling him close.

“Why can’t any of this just make sense…?” Izuku whispered into the tee as if the garment was going to answer him.

After a while he let the shirt drop back onto the bed. He ran his hands over his face and shook his head to clear his thoughts. Then he grabbed a hoodie, pulled it over his head and walked back downstairs with one of his notebooks in hand.

His body was vibrating with energy and his limbs were itching with a need he couldn’t place. His head was a whirlwind of thoughts that Izuku couldn’t organize properly. It was like One for All had become a living bolt of lightning inside him and was charging him with raw energy with each second that passed by. 

He walked right by the common room and straight out the front door. He stopped outside on the lawn. At first he just inhaled the scent of the grass and the breeze, taking in the fresh natural aroma of the earth around him. Then he kneeled down and placed the notebook with the first page open on the grass. He started flipping through the pages, going through the many notes he’d taken on heroes and their moves and the many quirks he’d seen them possess. He flipped till he found one spin kick in particular that he wanted to try where he wanted to use Black Whip more like a pulley. He’d have to change the trajectory of his body in midair and angle his torso just right to get his legs where the kick was supposed to go. He felt confident that he could do it, but practice never hurt and right now he needed to move. 

He needed to focus, and not on Todoroki and soulmates and mating. He needed to focus on something that wouldn’t drive him insane with confusion and cryptid answers. And hero training was something that always got him going. It was an area in which Izuku knew there was always some room for improvement, and more importantly, something that made sense. 

He could spend days on one single page and on a new move without being happy with the outcome. He would come up with new ways, new angles, different speeds and strength and different ways to use One for All and Black Whip. He would think of ways to incorporate Float once he’d mastered it and all the other quirks that made up One for All.

With a deep breath, Izuku dropped down into a squat. He shifted his hips back and forth till he could feel his core and thighs work with the movement. Then he pushed one of his legs out till it was stretched to the point. He put one hand on his thigh and the other on his knee and started leaning towards the outstretched leg, putting pressure on the limb. Slowly he pushed his other leg out so that if both legs were stretched outwards, he would have gone down into a split.

The ache in his joints was a relief, in an odd sort of way. The faint pain helped take his mind away from the last few days.

Izuku shifted a bit, adjusting his leg before putting an additional amount of pressure onto it. He leaned his torso forwards so he was almost folded in half.

He inhaled a sharp breath, held it before letting it out as slow as he could. Then he pulled his leg back up into a squat and changed leg. Stretching the opposite leg and repeating it all over again.

He did the exercise until his joints were aching and protesting. When he stood up Izuku could feel the strain in his muscles, but embraced it all the same.

After doing some arm exercises as well, he crouched down to go through the notes on the spin kick.

There was a tree in front of him that he could use for Black Whip and it should be high enough that he would get the right level of elevation for the kick to work, but not so much so that he would risk serious injury if he fell.

The first couple of tries didn’t turn out the way that Izuku wanted them to. It was more difficult than he thought to change his posture and body position midair, especially when moving at high speeds.

“But Sero makes it look so easy,” Izuku mumbled as he rubbed his shoulder where he’d slammed it into the tree trunk. He kneeled down by the notes and scribbled some additional thoughts into it about what had gone wrong.

He refused to admit that his mind wasn’t as focused on the current exercise as he might want it to be. Todoroki still lingered in the back of his head, even when he wasn’t actively thinking about the alpha.

He clapped his hands together with a loud smack. “One more time!”

Izuku jumped to his feet. He got into position, body prepared for another hit and his muscles ready for the strenuous movement about to happen. He threw his arm out as he started his short sprint. Black Whip flew from his hand and wrapped around the tree branch he’d been using for the last few tries. The other ones had broken off at one point or another and lay underneath the tree like three cut off limbs.

“Are you and Todoroki a thing?”

Izuku stumbled at the sudden question. He turned in his haste to see who had approached so quietly and twisted his foot behind his other in the sudden turn. They got caught on each other and he completely lost his balance. Black Whip disappeared in a fizzle, the black and faint green light of the lightning-like extensions illuminating the grass for a couple of seconds as the light grew brighter before dying out. 

The result?

Izuku fell head first into the dirt.

His mouth tasted foul of dirt and grass and he coughed when he pushed himself up onto his elbow. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he spat out blades of grass and crumbs of brown earth.

“What?” he stammered as he turned to find Shinsou standing just a couple of feet away with his hands in his pockets and his usually tired expression. He didn’t appear to have been fazed at all by Izuku’s impressive face plant.

The alpha raised an eyebrow high on his forehead before the purple brow fell back down. “Are you and Todoroki a thing?”

“We’re not—” Izuku stopped himself as he sat up cross legged in the grass. He dusted himself off. There were spots of green on his shirt that he rubbed between his fingers before giving up on. “I mean, I’m not sure. I don’t think so. Why?”

“He’s been following you around,” Shinsou said, once again raising his eyebrow as if Izuku should have already known the answer to his own question. “You haven’t noticed?”

Izuku scratched his neck, feeling his cheeks start heating up. “I have, and it's complicated.”

"Kaminari thinks you two are secretly dating.” Shinsou shrugged before coming over. He held his hand out for Izuku before helping him back up onto his feet.

"We're not," Izuku said with a sigh.

If Todo hadn’t completely shot him down, then maybe his answer would have been different. If they’d gotten the chance to talk about everything that was going on then maybe Izuku wouldn’t be so confused as he was.

At first he wanted to say that maybe he and Todoroki were dating at this point. But then the guilt started up inside when he thought about Todo and Roki and their different words, their actions and the terrified look in Todo’s eyes as he’d dragged him from Roki’s room. 

"Then what's with that on your neck?" Shinsou asked, pointing at the bandages around Izuku’s neck with a suspicious glance.

Izuku clamped a hand around his throat immediately as his face got pale. "They aren’t hickeys!"

"I didn't say that they were,” Shinsou said in his usual tone.

They looked at each other for a few seconds of silence. Izuku blushed when Shinsou just raised his eyebrows and shifted his weight from one hip to the other, patiently waiting for Izuku to say something.

"I don't really know what we are right now," Izuku finally admitted, letting his hands fall to his sides. "We said we were friends, but lately he’s been..."

He couldn’t find a way to properly finish that sentence in a way that would summarize everything that had happened between them. What words was he supposed to use to shorten down everything into a quick sentence that didn’t make Todoroki sound like a ravenous alpha going out of control?

"I don't really care what your relationship is, but Todoroki likes you. You smell like him. Too much for it to be platonic. On his part, anyway," Shinsou started when Izuku didn’t say anything. He closed his eyes as he shrugged before opening them to a glint that Izuku wasn’t sure he understood.

But Shinsou was right. Todoroki—especially Roki—had been releasing a lot of pheromones lately, especially when Izuku was around.

"Marking, scenting—it's simple alpha tactics," Shinsou continued, rubbing the back of his neck as if to emphasize the area.

"Alpha tactics…?" Izuku asked carefully. He took a step forward, genuinely curious about what Shinsou was trying to say. "What type of tactics?"

"An alpha will mark and scent someone when they’re courting them. It's a way of telling others to back off," Shinsou explained. So simple and straightforward that it caught Izuku off guard.

"C-courting… As in, you mean like—" Izuku stammered, pointing from his neck to himself to the dormitory. "Like that?" 

"Yeah, like that," Shinsou agreed with a nod and a shrug. He did raise an eyebrow at Izuku’s choice of words, however. "Anyway, I'll tell Kaminari he was wrong."

He wanted to smack himself in the face, because how had courting not crossed his mind? How had one of the most important parts of mating just completely escaped him like that?

Izuku didn’t know much about alpha/omega courting rituals and how one would go about those kinds of courtesies. But that was no excuse to be completely oblivious. 

The little he did know about alphas and courting had come from his mother, and they’d been the mere basics. Mostly it had just been small things that Hisashi had done while they’d been dating. About how he had given her gifts and sometimes came around her work to buy her lunch.

Inko and Hisashi were mated, not married. His mother had explained in detail the difference between the two during one of their talks about secondary gender. Apparently alphas and omegas don’t get married, which had come as a surprise as a kid. His grandparents were married and everyone else on his mother’s side of the family were married. They were husband and wife. When Izuku had asked Inko if Hisashi was her husband, then she’d answered with no and explained that he was her mate. He hadn’t understood the difference at the time, but now he could kind of see where the difference lay.

Alphas always bit their long time partner in the nape. It was their way of marking their territory, while omegas were mated by being bitten in the nape. It wasn’t as common for an omega to seek out a mate that wasn’t an alpha, but even if their mate was a beta, the mating bite still occurred.

Betas don’t have any kind of special mating ritual because they don’t have the same territorial instincts. They can bite each other's nape, but it won’t do the same for them. They can go through the same scenting, marking and gift giving that alphas and omegas do, but it really doesn’t have any special meaning to them or their internal instincts. Which is why they get married instead.

A marriage is also a lot easier to break off than something that is evolutionary intended to be everlasting.

At least that’s what his mother had told him.

Inko didn’t wear a mating bond, but instead had a beautiful wedding ring on her finger. She did have scars on her neck from Hisashi’s teeth, however. 

But his mother was a beta, not an omega. The courting rituals were different. A beta didn’t have the same delicate nature that an omega had, so courting them wouldn’t need to be as special. So even if some aspects were the same, there weren’t the same mannerisms and unspoken rules to abide by.

Rules that Izuku didn’t know much about because there had never been anyone there to tell him about it.

Had Todoroki been courting him this whole time? Or, at the very least, had he tried to court him and Izuku just hadn’t known? What Roki had done could easily fit into the category of scenting and marking, as Shinsou had explained. But Izuku couldn’t recall any other moment that could be considered a courting ritual. Or he just didn’t know enough about courting to be able to tell what was and what wasn’t a courting ritual.

His eyes widened.

“Was that why he gave me…?” he whispered aloud to himself, but he never finished the sentence.

When he looked up to ask Shinsou about it, the alpha had already turned around and was beginning to walk away. Then he stopped, looked back and seemed to contemplate on something. Then he nodded and turned back towards Izuku with a very serious expression that made Izuku swallow. 

“Midoriya, it’s none of my business, but some advice as a friend and as an alpha. If you don’t plan on accepting him, I suggest you tell him that now. Don’t string him along, for your own sake,” he said, so seriously that Izuku shivered. “Alphas generally don’t react well to being toyed with.”

“It’s not like trying to reject him,” Izuku muttered, but loud enough that Shinsou heard him.

The alpha raised an eyebrow, looking a bit confused. “I thought that was why you covered up your neck.”

Izuku brushed his hand over the wrappings around his throat and let a frown come over his features. “What…?”

“You’ve been covering it up lately,” Shinsou said, scratching at the back of his own neck. “If you two are going through some kind of courting, then that’s the last thing you should do.”

“Why?” Izuku hurried over. “Please, tell me why. No one is telling me anything.”

Shinsou looked around. He shifted his weight back and forth as he leaned his head back. Then he let out a sigh of resignation and nodded.

“It’s a pretty intimate topic, not something you talk about with just anyone, but fine. He’s probably marking you to show other alphas that you aren’t available. Covering those marks up is like telling him—and everyone else that can smell him on you—that anyone could have a chance with you. Or something like that,” Shinsou said with an awkward shrug. “Kind of like saying your relationship isn’t exclusive.”

“So covering them up is bad?” Izuku asked, covering either side of his neck with his hands.

“Only if you two are together, otherwise it doesn’t really matter,” Shinsou replied simply. “Haven’t anyone told you this?”

“No! No one’s told me anything!” Izuku exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “And it’s really frustrating, okay?”

“Huh…” was the only answer that Izuku got from that. Then Shinsou sighed one more time and made a circular gesture with his hand before shoving it back down into his pocket. “Anything else you’re unsure about?”

Izuku smiled gratefully and nodded. He went through the many questions he had on the many things that Todo and Roki had done in the last week that he wanted an answer to. There were so many moments and small things that he was now questioning that he had a hard time settling on one question at a time. But then he decided on the one that bothered him the most right now.

“Todoroki also gave me his shirt before he left for home,” Izuku said carefully, making small gestures with his hands that really didn’t help explain anything. “What does that mean?”

“Could mean a lot of things,” Shinsou started, cocking his head to the side and thinking for a bit. “It all depends on his intentions. But since he’s marking you, it’s probably a courting gift.”

“Is that why Kacchan told me not to accept it?” Izuku mumbled to himself.

“You don’t accept a courting gift, Midoriya. You can keep it whether you’re officially courting or not. Even if you don’t accept his courting proposal, you can keep the gifts he gives you.”

“Really?”

Shinsou nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then could it mean something else?” Izuku asked.

“I don’t know,” Shinsou said with a shrug. “You’ll have to ask Todoroki about it. Like I said, it could mean a lot of things. It all depends on his intentions.”

“So I shouldn’t do anything with the shirt?”

“You could do whatever you want with the shirt.” Shinsou shoved both hands deep into his pockets and shifted his weight one more time. Then he nodded towards the notebook Izuku had left in the grass. “Anyway, sorry to bother you.”

“No, thank you,” Izuku said, giving a couple of nods to himself. “You’re the first one to actually explain anything to me this week.”

“I’m kinda surprised you don’t know any of this. Aren’t you an omega?” Shinsou leaned backwards as he spoke, halfway turned to walk away already.

“Well, yeah, but I haven’t presented…” Izuku said awkwardly. 

“You can still know this and not have presented,” Shinsou pointed out. “It’s basic knowledge.”

“And I’m the only omega in my family,” Izuku added.

“Really?” Shinsou asked.

Izuku nodded.

“That makes a bit more sense, I guess. Anyway, don’t be out too late. It’s almost curfew.”

With that Shinsou walked back inside the dorms without any other words. Not that he was a very vocal person to begin with, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. Also, Izuku had a sneaking suspicion that the only reason he had decided to come outside to talk to him was because of Kaminari.

(Shinsou hadn’t exactly hidden the fact that it was Kaminari who thought him and Todoroki were dating, after all.)

He was grateful, though.

He massaged both sides of his neck with the tips of his fingers, making small circles without putting any real pressure into the motion. The bandages were rough underneath his fingers and the urge to rip them off was growing stronger.

“So that’s why Todoroki got mad when he saw my collar,” he mumbled to himself with a dry chuckle. His cheeks burned a bit at the implications of that but his chest felt light and like it had been filled with feathers.

In the end Izuku didn’t get any more training in before Aizawa came out of the dorms to tell him that he was out past curfew. 

He silently walked past his teacher who raised an eyebrow at him, but Izuku didn’t as much as acknowledge it.

He massaged his chin and held his notebook to his chest as he headed straight for the showers. He was muttering nothings to himself about what he’d just learned and felt like he wanted to spend the rest of the night writing it all down along with his suspicions and potential guesses on what everything could mean.

It hadn’t been a lot of information that he’d received from his short conversation with Shinsou, but it had been enough information that Izuku could start to put some of the missing pieces into place.

The puzzle that was this whole situation was still missing plenty of pieces and was far from being complete, but Izuku felt a lot more confident in his ability to figure this out now. Because if he knew how to handle Todo and Roki’s different opinions and actions, then maybe they wouldn’t be having such communications issues.

Izuku left the notebook on the counter next to the towels before walking into the shower. He looked at the bandages in the mirror for maybe two seconds before taking them all off and pushing them away into a corner.

He wouldn’t need them. Even if the hickeys and the bite still made him blush when he looked at them.

He inhaled sharply, squared his shoulders and nodded to the emptiness that was the shower.

When Todoroki’s two halves came back on Monday they would all talk about what was going on, whether Todo wanted to or not. They would get past all of this confusion and the many misunderstandings. And Izuku was going to show Todo that he wasn’t against Todoroki in any way or form. Although Roki’s approach was a bit too physical for Izuku’s taste, it definitely wasn’t bad or forceful in a way that made him uncomfortable.

They just needed to compromise.

Compromise and communicate, and they would be able to work this out. Together.

And Izuku needed to do some research. Because if what Shinsou had told him was true and Roki was trying to scent and mark him to lay a claim, then Izuku needed to know how to handle that. He needed to know the correct approach to that kind of behavior and right now he had no idea what the right response was. 

And he still didn’t know what Todoroki’s t-shirt meant!

“But doesn’t that mean that I should give him something in return?” Izuku thought aloud as he stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and started drying himself off. “But what does one give to an alpha?”

Alphas gave gifts like clothes because they were soft and because omegas built nests, right? 

That’s what he had seen in the movies, at least.

“Alphas don’t have nests and I don’t think my clothes would fit.” Izuku chuckled to himself, imagining himself giving Todoroki his own clothes. “I should have asked Shinsou when I had the time.”

He pulled a spare pair of clothes on before he left the shower.

Izuku rubbed the towel through his hair before letting it hang loose around his neck as he walked to his room. Most of the hallway was dark already and it looked like pretty much everyone had already retreated for the night. He closed the door to his dorm room and sat down on the edge of his bed. He ran the towel through his hair one more time before hiding underneath the fluffy fabric.

“But if I give Todoroki something in return...” Izuku started asking the empty room, as if he was talking to the posters in hopes of a response. “...Wouldn’t that be like me accepting Todoroki’s courting proposal?”

He pulled the towel further down over his face, definitely sporting a bright blush on his face. But he couldn’t help from smiling as he ran a hand over the bite.

Chapter Text

The house was a basic grey building with two stories. It was big and looked like it did have a quite sizable backyard with a high fence going around most of the property. It was bigger than your average family home, but compared to the traditional mansion that Shouto had grown up in, the house was small. The small square of a front porch had a roof and a small gravel path leading up to it surrounded by green patches of grass that looked long overdue for a trimming. But other than the size there wasn't anything noteworthy about the house that stood out enough to mention.

Enji parked the car in the driveway before unloading their bags from the trunk. Todo took both his and Roki’s bags, holding one out for Roki who still stood by the open car door. One of his arms hung over the top of the door as if he was leaning on it while he looked up at the house that was to be their home for who knows how long.

“I would’ve rather gone home,” he said with an upturned lip that showed his canine and a furrowed brow. “This place looks…”

He didn’t finish, but his distaste was clear on his face.

“It’s a rental house,” Enji explained, closing the trunk with a loud smack.

“Yeah, I can smell the stench from here,” Roki huffed. 

He groaned when Todo pushed his bag in his face impatiently. He took it and slammed the car door shut behind him as he followed his other half and his father up the pathway.

The inside of the house was just as bland as the outside. The furniture was minimalistic and just the bare essentials. A small area to hang your clothes when you enter, a drawer in the hallway to leave your keys and other small unimportant affects that you might want to discard before entering the house. A mirror hung above, but it wasn’t too big or anything fancy, either. Just a bland grey frame.

Instead of inspecting the rest of the house, Roki immediately headed upstairs. He ignored the calls of his father and only listened when Enji said that there were three bedrooms for him to choose from and that they could pick out whichever they wanted.

The upstairs was even worse than the downstairs. Even less furniture, leaving the space wide and empty. A long, naked corridor with a multitude of doors. He opened one only to be met with a rather spacious, and surprisingly, fancy looking bathroom. He closed it again and opened another door further down, successfully finding a bedroom.

Roki dropped his bag by the door and took a good long look around the room. A wardrobe, a desk with a chair and a window. Rolled up inside of the wardrobe was a futon along with a pillow and duvet, as well as a spare set folded neatly to the side.

The room was equally as bland as the rest of the house. Bland piss colored walls and boring flooring that looked like cheap wood. The hinges on the door squeaked when he'd pulled the door open and the handle rattled at the smallest of movement.

At least he would know when someone tried to open the door.

He looked over his shoulder when his other half came towards him. His dull eyes matched the interior of the house.

“I picked a room quick,” Todo said, looking around the room with a neutral expression. But Roki could tell that his white haired counterpart was equally as put off by the house as he was.

“There are plenty down the hall,” Roki said, pulling the futon out of the wardrobe and throwing it out over the floor.

“I wasn’t planning to share.” Todo furrowed his brow.

“Then why am I still here?” Roki asked harshly.

While Roki definitely prefered Todo over their father, considering they were parts of one person, he still wasn’t too keen on spending time with himself right now. It still irked him how easy it was for Todo to sit by and watch.

Roki was just doing what they should have done long ago. Could you blame him for wanting to finally take the initiative when there was no one there to block him anymore? He finally had the free reigns to approach Midoriya and yet Todo still managed to get in his way. 

“It’s about—” Todo started but Roki was quick to interrupt and finish his sentence for him, “Midoriya.”

Roki turned his head and met his other half’s gaze dead on. The small agreement in the car seemed to mean little now.

“What about Midoriya?” Roki asked as he knelt down to smooth out the duvet over the futon. “What could I possibly have to say that’s going to get us anywhere that’s not here.”

“I’m here because I can’t control myself,” Todo said sternly, a tone that Shouto had heard echo in the back of his mind a lot in the recent months and that had used to hold so much control but now seemed to lack the same level of authoritarian power needed to keep Roki in check.

“Sucks to be you ,” Roki muttered under his breath. “I can control myself fine.”

“No, I can’t,” Todo said, a groan following.

“If my self control is so bad, then why have I not taken Midoriya yet?” Roki asked, raising both eyebrows.

“Because Midoriya would never let me do something like that,” Todo began and then with a softer voice he said, “And because I know Midoriya would never forgive me; And I know as well as I that I would never be able to live with myself if something like that happened.”

Roki didn’t have a reply to that. Instead he looked down and smoothed out a particularly difficult corner of the duvet, trying to get it to lie down properly and get the wrinkles out of the worn fabric.

“It’s not like my approach is any better than mine.”

Todo shifted his weight from one hip to the other, changing the hand he held his bag in. The floorboards creaked with the shift as he shuffled his feet in place.

The silence between them stretched on even after Roki was done with the difficult duvet. He’d even fluffed the pillow once, twice and then another couple of times just because there was nothing else to do. Then he just sat there on the edge of the futon, knees folded underneath him and with his hands in his lap as he stared down at the dull blue sheets.

“Do I think…” Todo’s voice almost made Roki jump despite the pull in the back of his head that told him he was about to say something. “...That maybe—that there is a possibility—that Midoriya will accept it?”

“...I don’t know,” Roki replied after another short stretch of silence. He let his fingers drag over his throat and felt a pang of something in his chest, something painful that burned. “He said… But I don’t know.”

“I have to let him go if he doesn’t,” Todo said, probably meaning to sound scolding but his voice was equally as defeated as Roki’s at the thought. 

“I’m not sure I can do that,” Roki whispered, hands tightening into fists in his lap.

“I have to…”

“...But I don’t want to.”

“Me neither.”

With that Todo left, leaving Roki alone with the thoughts swirling around in their shared headspace.

Despite Enji’s best efforts, Roki spent the rest of the evening in his room. Doing what, you might ask? Well, absolutely nothing but lie on his futon and stare up at the ceiling, counting each dent and bump above.

He could tell that his other half had at least tried to have a semi normal dinner with their father, but even he could tell from all the way up here that there was nothing but tension going on between the three of them. He couldn’t tell how successful it had been on a scale of Todoroki-normal to absolutely disastrous, but it had definitely been scaling somewhere in the middle. 

What Todo had said still took up the majority of his thoughts ever since the other had left him alone. Not that similar thoughts hadn’t been coming and going between their shared brain since the split, but never had they taken up such a huge part of his mind before. Never in the last week had Roki stopped to think about the possibility that Midoriya might not want the same thing that he did.

It just didn’t make sense to him. 

They were fated mates. 

It was just basic biology. 

They were meant to be together. 

It was just meant to be.

Even Todo understood that much. His other half recognized it, understood it and then completely rejected it for reasons that Roki couldn’t understand. Because why wouldn’t Midoriya want the same things as Roki did?

Maybe his approach had been a bit too aggressive. Even Roki could admit that he’d lost himself a bit in the moment when Midoriya had clung to him and when he’d breathed so deeply into his neck and when he’d said he liked him. It had all just been too much that his brain had overloaded. His hands had itched, burned and moved like they were gloves worn by someone else. Someone that Shouto knew and was well versed in keeping in check for so long but that Roki had a bit more difficulty understanding why he had to keep it in check.

It was just second nature to him.

Roki dragged his hands down his face and hid behind his palms as he let out a long groan. His body burned with the knowledge that his intended mate was a good forty minutes away. That he wasn’t going to be there for him for at least two days while Midoriya wandered around a dormitory full of alphas. Alphas that were their friends, true, but alphas that Roki wasn’t going to be there to fend off if something were to happen. 

They didn’t know that Midoriya and Shouto belonged together. They didn’t know that destiny had made them for each other. And with that ugly collar around Midoriya’s neck there was no way that they would know that he wasn’t available. 

It all just whirled around inside his head, becoming a whirlwind of chaos that made it impossible for Roki to even be able to process half of it without feeling the possessive instincts inside grow like a weed inside. There was a growl at the back of his throat that threatened to escape at the thought of Midoriya slipping away and then there was something even more primal, something downright terrifyingly instinctual and strong inside of Roki’s chest that clawed at his insides at the thought of losing Midoriya for good.

He just couldn’t do it.

Roki hardened every muscle in his face, scrunching his face up tight before letting them relax, hoping that it would do something to help him fall asleep and escape the intrusive thoughts. But all it managed to do was to make his eyes burn and his cheeks hurt.

And that’s how he lay for who knew how long. Lost in his mental storm of instincts, desires and rights and wrongs. Of anger and sadness and lust and possession that made him both joyous, want and scared. Joyous over knowing that Midoriya liked him, wanting to hold him and let him know just how much he meant to Shouto. But it also made him scared that if this is how good it felt to have just a little bit of Midoriya, then what would it feel like to have all of him and then lose him?

The clawing in his chest intensified.

Something in his mind told him to move. To get up and walk. He knew the way back to U.A, and even if he didn’t, his instincts would just lead the way. All they needed to fix this was one single moment. It would be over oh-so quickly. Midoriya wouldn’t mind, and even if he did, Roki was sure that he could soothe and comfort him in his worries.

It would just take one moment and...

Roki's eyes flew open. His fingers gripped into the futon and his eyes darted around the room without moving, to his peripheral vision to straight up. The only thing above him was the bland roof, yet his mind reeled with the presence of someone else. A presence that did not belong to his other half.

He tugged on the bond like he was pulling on a rope extending into a fog. The more he pulled, the more he saw of what was hidden inside the coverage until there was a gentle caress in the back of his mind. Gentle scarred hands that should be rough and coarse but were still smooth despite their crooked nature.

"Izuku," Roki whispered, a smile finding its way onto his lips. He let his eyes fall back shut as he let himself be enveloped by the feel of Midoriya’s mental presence. 

He reached out with his mind, as if he was reaching his hands out, and the smile grew bigger when hands reached back.

He could almost feel Midoriya falling against his chest. How his strong arms wrapped around Roki's torso while he nestled his freckled cheeks against his chest.

Roki might’ve been physically alone in that bedroom, but in that moment he was enveloped in the arms of another. And it wasn’t just him, either. He could feel how Todo reached out, but instead of pushing away as he’d expected, his other half wrapped his mental arms around Midoriya’s presence and pulled it even closer. 

It was the closest either Todo or Roki had felt to being back together since the split, and in that moment, all that filled their shared mental space was Midoriya. 

Despite how things had turned and the circumstances behind how they’d ended up at staying in a rental house, Todo was in a surprisingly good mood when he woke up that morning. He’d opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling above with blinking eyes before he’d closed them again just to feel Midoriya again.

Roki had been right, no matter how much Todo didn’t want to admit it. His other half had been right when he’d said that taking the bond away was a bad idea. That it was going to mess with their heads and completely leave them as broken pieces of themselves.

Of course, Roki hadn’t said those words aloud to anyone, but he didn’t have to. Not to Todo. They didn’t even have to be put into words because Todo could feel the raw emotions behind those thoughts; And Roki was right. Being without the bond was like losing a part of himself.

But last night had been like a dream. When Todo had closed his eyes and felt Midoriya call out to him—both him and Roki—through the bond, there was no way he could resist reaching back. To wrap his mental presence around Midoriya in hopes that it would fix everything. 

In a way, maybe it had?

But even if Todo’s mood was quite good that morning, there were still certain things that he couldn’t ignore. Things that made the happiness of last night fade away.

“Did you—the other you, I mean—get the furniture?” Fuyumi asked, her voice breaking slightly over the phone. 

“I did,” Todo replied with a nod that Fuyumi wasn’t going to see. “Thank you.”

“I had to go through the storage to find some of it, so I hope it didn’t break during the transport,” Fuyumi continued. There was the sound of plates in the background and he figured she was either fixing breakfast or cleaning up afterwards.

“It didn’t. It was fine,” Todo said. Then he paused a bit before taking a deep breath and asked, “Can you tell mom something for me?”

“Of course.” There was a bit of a shuffle across the line and Todo assumed she’d probably changed ear. “But can’t you tell her yourself on sunday?”

“I won’t be coming out.”

“You won’t?” Fuyumi asked. He didn’t need to see her face to know the expression on her face. The wide eyes and the confusion. “Why not?”

“The pro’s want to be able to keep an eye on me,” Todo said carefully. A half truth. “They’re working on a way to put me back together.”

“She will be really sad,” Fuyumi said with a sigh.

Todo hummed quietly. “I’ll make it up to her when this is over.”

“Alright. I’ll tell her,” she said, probaby nodding on the other side. “Are they close?”

“To what?”

“Putting you back together? I know that Dad’s been working on it day and night since you left.”

“They think a student with a welding quirk might be able to do it. But we haven’t tried it yet,” Todo said, scratching his cheek. If he was to be completely honest, he didn’t have too high hopes on that plan.

“I see. That’s good,” Fuyumi said, her tone turning back to something positive.

Todo gave an unintelligible hum as an answer. “What does dad know?”

“I’m sorry, Shouto. I don’t know more than you do,” Fuyumi apologized. “Dad doesn’t talk to us about work, remember? Why don’t you just ask him while you’re there? He’ll definitely have more answers than I do.”

Todo didn’t say anything to that, letting the silence stretch on a bit too long.

“Is something wrong?” Fuyumi then asked, breaking the silence.

“Why do you think that?” Todo asked quietly.

“You got really quiet. Did something maybe happen?”

“I just don’t want to stay like this for too long. I... don’t really trust myself.”

“Don’t trust yourself?” Fuyumi asked, sounding very confused.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Todo hurried to say, shaking his head. “Tell mom that I’m sorry again.”

“Shouto, what’s going on?” Fuyumi insisted, sounding very much like the big sister she was as she spoke.

He chewed on the side of his lip for two seconds before he asked, “How do you court an omega without being too forceful?”

“That’s oddly specific,” Fuyumi replied slowly, then her tone changed. “Do you have a crush on someone?”

“We like each other,” Todo said simply.

“I can’t believe you’re already old enough to start thinking about courtship,” Fuyumi said. “Who is she?”

“He,” Todo corrected, feeling how his cheeks grew hot.

“He?” Fuyumi asked, sounding like she was smiling wide.

“It’s Midoriya,” Todo said. “And I need help. I don’t know how to court him properly.”

“Well, if you’re dating there are the more common things like sharing clothes, giving him soft things to put in his nest, usually things that smell like you or something that he likes to do,” Fuyumi

“We’re not dating,” Todo said. “Not yet, I think. We didn’t get much time to think about it.”

“Hm, then start with small things,” Fuyumi suggested. “Compliment something about him with small gifts, like books if he likes to read, cooking materials if he likes to bake or pens if he likes to draw.”

“Is scenting alright?” 

“If you’re not dating then… Well, ask him first,” Fuyumi said, choosing her words carefully. She stopped a couple of times as she thought about the best way to explain things. “If you’re actively courting then it shouldn’t be any problem, but if you’ve just started then it’s always best to ask him first. Some omega’s can get overwhelmed by having an alpha’s scent suddenly lingering around them all the time.”

“Are flowers a good gift?” Todo asked quietly, feeling how his voice got low as his cheeks burned a bit hotter. 

“If he likes flowers, then yes,” Fuyumi said. “But they have different meanings, so be careful which type you give him. Red roses as a courting gift means something completely different than yellow roses.”

“Hm,” was all Todo could say to that. Not even a word as he thought about it. “What would be the best gift to start courting him?”

“Well, you could just ask him,” Fuyumi said, sounding very much like she was shrugging. “If he’s already admitted that he likes you, then you can just ask him along with giving him a little gift. That or you can just ask to start dating first. It’s not as uncommon for alphas and omegas to date these days, so it's fine to wait with courtship until later if you’re unsure on how to do it.”

“Okay, thanks,” Todo said, making a mental list of the things she’d said.

“Oh, and Shouto?”

“Yes?”

“Good luck, okay? If he likes you back, then just talk to him.”

With that, the call ended.

Todo stared down at the phone in his hand, staring down at the now black screen and his reflection in it. His now dull grey eyes looked so much like their mothers, framed by eyelashes that were a shade lighter than his fire-wielding counterpart’s. His hair fell in short, white strands and in the right light there was a faint shimmer to it, as if similar to freshly fallen snow. A kind of shine that he faintly remembered his mother having in old family videos that Fuyumi had shown him not too long ago.

It was a trick of the light.

The shimmer, that is.

Or it was a flaw in your sight. Your eyes trying to make up for the lack of color.

Roki looked so different from him, with his red hair, burning blue eyes that complimented the look and made him look so much like their father and that burned with a fierce primal urge—whether that be rage or lust was yet to be properly determined, and probably depended a lot on who Roki was focused on. Not to mention that Roki was the one that had ended up with Shouto’s scar. Todo’s left side was unmarred, a near perfect reflection of his right. Like someone had altered a photo of him and made him into something he wasn’t.

But this was him.

The young man in the reflection was Shouto, just as much as Roki was Shouto.

And their emotions towards Midoriya were the same, even if they were handling it in two completely different ways.

Todo frowned and tilted his head to the side as he asked himself aloud, “Am I the one that’s doing it wrong?”

He wasn’t completely oblivious to what was going on between Midoriya and his other half, and thus in extension himself. There was no possible way for him not to know what was going on considering that he and Roki were still on some deep psychological level the same person. And even then it was impossible to now know considering that Roki had been pushing the memories of the few intimate moments he’d spent with Midoriya straight into Todo’s head until the scent, feel and taste of Midoriya was all that was occupying his head. 

It was downright terrifying to know that the desires and thoughts that accompanied those memories came from his own mind. That he thought those kinds of things about someone he considered his best friend. Someone that had done so much for Shouto in such a short time and that had stood by him when everything seemed to be going to a very dark place.

Midoriya had never given up on him. Even when Shouto had wrongfully lashed out at him after the whole ordeal with the league last year.

Midoriya still stood by his side. Even admitted that he liked him. It wasn’t all a dream that Shouto was going to wake up from anymore. This was reality. Midoriya had outright told him, right to his face, that he liked Shouto. He was willing to sit down and talk about all of this, to tackle it head on and deal with it all while Todo was afraid of what the consequences of that would be.

Of course, he wanted to hold Midoirya, too. He wanted to take his round cheeks between his hands, look him straight in the eyes and tell him that he liked him. That he’d adored him since the Sports Festival and that he was sure that the soulbond between them had absolutely nothing to do with it, because these feelings were all Shouto.

Gods, he wanted to do what Roki had done. It itched in his fingers to reach out every time Midoriya was around.

But what would happen if he did tell Midoriya the same thing as Roki?

Would they start courting, properly? Would they simply date? Would they go to class together and eat lunch together and would Shouto wait for Midoriya outside his changing room at the end of the day just so they could walk back to the dorms together? Would they sit beside each other at dinner, nudging at each other's legs and smile about it in secret while throwing each other not so subtle glances? Would they go back to Midoriya’s or his room to do their homework together, cuddled up by one of their desks far too close as they helped each other with their respective problems? Would he get to kiss Midoriya goodnight afterwards, if only on the cheek or on the forehead?

That was what Todo wanted. That’s what Todo hoped would happen if he talked to Midoriya and it was what he was happy with. It was a good, slow start for two people their age who didn’t have much experience in the art of courting. Shouto would learn and do it right, but he would take it slow so that Midoriya wouldn’t get overwhelmed with it all. And if Todo had a say in it, they would hopefully wait until Midoriya finally presented before doing anything too intimate just to be on the safe side.

Roki didn’t want that.

Or, he did want that. He wanted the same thing that Todo did because they were both Shouto and it was impossible for them not to want the same thing as each other. But what differentiated them was that Roki didn’t seem to have the same level of patience as Todo. That had all gone to Todo where Roki had gotten the lack of manners and the crude attitude that made Todo remember who they’d been before meeting Midoriya.

Roki didn’t seem to see the point in waiting until they were back to being one again before approaching Midoriya about it all, and Todo knew that it was because he feared that if they waited then they would never talk to Midoriya about it at all. Just like how things had been before they were split in half. 

The problem was that Roki wasn’t willing to wait in the same way that Todo was. He wanted Midoriya now and he wanted to show everyone that Midoriya was his. But it was all wrong!

Or… was it really?

Yes, Roki was going too far. Todo wasn’t going to take that opinion back because Roki had bitten Midoriya and Midoriya had physically pushed him away. That was definitely overstepping a boundary, which Todo had been afraid was going to happen. But at the same time, Midoriya and Roki seemed to have a better understanding between each other than Midoriya and Todo had.

Midoriya wanted to talk, and maybe he had the right idea despite Shouto’s current condition. Maybe waiting for them to be one again wasn’t going to work, because despite what Todo had said, he had no idea if he was going to be able to stand by and watch for that long. Not to mention that there was no telling if he was going to be able to keep Roki under control for that long, especially considering how bad that had gone this last week. Plus, they had no idea of when or even how this was going to be fixed.

“How do I do this in a way that won’t hurt Midoriya?” he mumbled to himself, putting his phone down on the counter with a sigh. 

“I could start by getting over myself,” Roki said.

Todo didn’t have to look behind him to know that Roki had approached or to know that he’d just gotten out of the shower. He even knew that Roki was still rubbing his hair with a towel and that there was still a damp spot on the bottom of his neck where the tee was sticking to the skin.

“I’m not right,” Todo started.

“If I’m gonna start with this again—” Roki interrupted with an exasperated sigh and with an annoyance that hung like a heavy mist in their shared brain.

“But I’m not doing this right, either,” Todo continued before Roki could start.

It shut his other half up, and when he turned around Roki’s eyes were widened just enough to show that he’d been taken by surprise at Todo’s words. Then his expression went back to their usual blank one and a red eyebrow raised upwards, pulling on the scar that decorated his left cheek and eye.

“Go on,” Roki said, leaning against the kitchen table. The towel dropped to his side, hanging clutched in his hand as he waited for Todo to get to the point. “Am I going to agree on this or not? I’m not going to wait for months just because I’m afraid of something minor.”

“It’s not minor,” Todo groaned, rubbing his right temple. “And it’s not minor to Midoriya—at least, I don’t think it is.”

“What do I know, I haven’t been with him,” Roki huffed, looking away and the bite in his tone evidently intended to hurt.

“He wouldn’t have pushed me away otherwise.”

Roki’s shoulders stiffened and his hands clenched into fists. “He didn’t push me away—”

“Yes, he did,” Todo said, standing firm. He narrowed his eyes and didn’t let up on trying to win the battle of wills that were raging inside their brain. “But he still wants to talk.”

“That makes me—” Roki stopped himself and clicked his tongue. “That makes you the one in the wrong. I’m not the one that turned him down.”

“I thought I was doing what was right,” Todo spoke slowly.

“Clearly not.”

“Can I come to an agreement on this?” Todo asked, raising his eyes from the floor where they’d landed.

“On what?”

“On how to handle Midoriya until I’m back together,” Todo clarified.

Roki snarled, lip turning up to reveal sharpening teeth. He pushed off of the table and walked over to Todo with narrowed eyes.

“I am not going to sit around and wait and let this opportunity slip me by. I already did that once and that lost me a year where we could have been together,” Roki said. He pushed his finger into Todo’s chest. “I will not let him go. He likes me and I know it.”

“I don’t have to let him go, just wait,” Todo said.

“Not going to happen,” Roki replied immediately.

“I don’t mean like I did before,” Todo said and this made Roki take a step back. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, scrunching his face up as he finally seemed to understand what it was that Todo was saying.

“I don’t agree with that,” Roki said after some thought. “That’s not what I want.”

“I know,” Todo said. “But that way, maybe, we won’t be causing Midoriya so much trouble.”

Roki hummed, a tint of red taking to his unmarred cheek. Then he looked away and nodded hesitantly as he reluctantly agreed. “Only because Midoriya keeps getting into trouble.”

Todo let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad I can agree on this.”

Roki scoffed and sat down by the table. He crossed his arms on the top and rested his head on his arms as he scowled.

“It’s just because I don’t like getting Midoriya into trouble,” he said.

“I’m sure Midoriya will thank me for it,” Todo said just as the rice cooker beeped finished. “Do I want some rice?”

“Sure…” Roki mumbled, looking very much like a pouting child not allowed to eat candy.

It was to be expected, Todo supposed. Even if their brain was technically the same, sometimes Todo just couldn’t understand what his other half was thinking.

He scooped up rice into two bowls and grabbed a couple of pre-packaged Fermented Soybeans and put them on the table. It looked sad, really. A quite boring breakfast, both to what they were used to at the school and what they were used to eating at home. Usually Fuyumi would cook up a healthy enough breakfast that everyone could find something appealing. This was…

“...I suck at cooking,” Roki blurted out as he grabbed one of the rice bowls.

Todo felt his cheek heat up as memories of one particular christmas with a hilariously failed attempt at cooking soba with Natsuo. “I’ve never been good at cooking.”

“Midoriya’s good at cooking,” Roki pointed out as he picked up his chopsticks. He reached for one of the soybean packages and poured the content over his rice and started mixing it around. Todo mimicked him.

They sat in silence as they began their very boring breakfast until Roki suddenly spoke up.

“Do I think Midoriya likes flowers?” he suddenly asked out as he poked at his rice. 

“I don’t know,” Todo replied, putting his own chopsticks down as he looked up at his other half.

Roki hummed. “Flowers are too typical anyway. They die too quickly.”

“Flowers are still pretty. Fuyumi said that different flowers have different meanings.”

“I talked to Fuyumi about this?”

Todo nodded. “She’s an omega, so I thought she could help.”

“What did she say?”

“She asked if Midoriya likes flowers,,” Todo replied honestly. He took a breath that made his shoulders rise and fall as if in a sigh.

“That isn’t going to help,” Roki said, making circles in the rice.

“She also said gifts are good for courting,” Todo continued.

“That doesn’t narrow it down, either,” Roki pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

“I know,” Todo replied with a sigh, eyes falling shut in frustration. Why was it so difficult to come up with one small gift?

“It’s supposed to be individual,” Roki started, leaning his chin in his hand. “What does Midoriya like?”

“All Might,” they both said at the same time. 

“I don’t want to give him a gift involving another alpha. That’s weird,” Roki muttered. “Especially not as a courting gift.”

Todo couldn’t help but agree. As much as he admired All Might and respected the man for taking Midoriya under his wing, he didn’t want All Might to be involved in their courting. Even if it was just as simple as a gift. Just because it was weird to give something involving another alpha to the person you wanted to court, especially considering that Shouto himself was an alpha.

But what else was there? He had to know Midoirya better than this.

“Midoriya’s smart. Fuyumi said that books are good if he likes to read,” Todo thought aloud, leaning his head to the side. “Midoriya likes to read, right?”

“He likes fantasy,” Roki agreed with a nod, perking up.

“Isn’t there a new book coming out in that series he likes?” Todo asked and Roki nodded as if they both didn’t know that already.

“The one with the cursed prince and the adventurer,” Roki continued just to clarify for himself, and this time it was Todo who nodded.

“The last book had dragons and barbarians in it,” Todo finished.

“When does it come out?” Roki asked.

Todo fished up his phone and with a quick google search found the answer. He frowned.

“At the end of April,” he said, putting his phone down.

“Can’t buy him something that’s not out yet,” Roki said with a frustrated sigh.

“I could pre-order it,” Todo said. “They’re selling signed pre-ordered copies.”

Roki nodded.

“If he doesn’t buy it himself, that is,” Todo then added with a frown. “Maybe I should talk to him about it first?”

“Buy it anyway.”

Before Todo could stop his other half, Roki had snatched the phone from the table. He tapped away at the screen, and after a couple of frowns, he hummed triumphantly. He gave Todo a glance and the twitch of a smile in his lip. In return, all Todo did was sigh and then nod that he did agree.

“What if Midoriya already ordered it?” Todo asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t want there to be any awkward moments of giving away something that Midoriya already owned.

“Then he’ll have a pre-ordered special edition copy signed by the author,” Roki replied with a shrug. He put the phone back down on the table and then frowned. “What else? I don’t want to wait until april.”

“He likes to exercise?” Todo tried and Roki tilted his head to the side.

They sat in silence for a bit before they both sighed at the same time, hanging their heads as they simultaneously said, “This is more difficult than I thought.”

Chapter Text

Izuku let out a content moan as he snuggled further into the warmth surrounding him. Like a moth steering towards the flame, unable and so very unwilling to resist its temptation. It swirled around him, digging into his skin and wrapping him in two comforting sets of arms. A hug filled with soothing pheromones and loving intent that Izuku didn’t want to leave.

He took a deep breath, inhaling long and slow, just letting the scent envelope him. His nose filled with a frosty burn, very similar to a campfire lit high up in the snowy mountains, that made him want to fall deeper into it. Just disappear into that familiar sense of comfort and never let it go.

He wrapped his arms around the nearest object, what seemed to be the source of those enticing pheromones, and rubbed his face into it. The fabric dragged across his face, itching just a bit but not enough to keep him from seeking out that intoxicating warmth.

The back of his mind tingled and for a second, there was someone cuddling up to him. Holding him tightly in an embrace that Izuku just melted into like butter. Hands rubbed over his back and made warm, soothing circles up his shoulder blades. A cold finger dragged up his spine, sending shivers throughout his body. From the tips of his toes and straight into his fingertips, causing him to shudder with a giggle and a content moan that quickly followed.

He grasped for the scent with his fingers, finding the fabric of a shirt and gripped into it, expecting to find an unevenly temperatured chest underneath. He jolted awake when the shirt folded in his fingers and the only soft underside he found was plush cotton. He sat up, one hand holding onto a tee and the other pushing down into his pillow.

Izuku’s cheeks heated up as he took a deep breath and the strong alpha musk of Todoroki filled his mind. He looked down at the wrinkled shirt in his hand and bit his lip as he brought it up to his nose

Oh… he thought as he let it drop back down onto the bed, scratching at his cheek. It had all been in his mind.

He coughed into his fist as if he was trying to dispel an awkward situation, even though it was just him alone inside of the bedroom.

But he didn’t quite feel like he was alone. There was an itch in the back of his neck, as if eyes were looking at him but when he turned around to look behind him expecting to find someone else there, all he saw was his figurines with their proud smiles and striking poses.

Todoroki pulled on the bond between them, like he was pulling the strings to a harp and making soft music tunes that floated between them. A gentle melody that only they could hear.

Izuku smiled, rubbing the back of his neck gently. He made small circles and sighed as he felt a cold touch against his skin that wasn’t actually there. Like a tactile hallucination.

Maybe he wasn’t alone, after all.

He’d forgotten to take the dampeners before bed last night. There was no mistaking that. The soulbond had come back full force and it was no secret that both of the Todoroki’s had been playing with it throughout the night. As if the two halves and Izuku had been in the same room, snuggled up to each other, seeking the other's touch.

It had been nice. 

It had been soothing to not be alone again.

“Todoroki was right,” Izuku mumbled to himself, as he closed his eyes. He wanted to lean into the distant caress that seemed to calm his swollen scent glands with their cold touch.

It felt better when the soulbond was there. As much as Izuku had wanted to see how everyone else went on with their day, alone in their head, it hadn’t been as he’d thought. In a way, it had been empty. As if his head was suddenly a vacant cavern where normally it would be a room where he and Todoroki could meet in the middle.

Even before they’d realized they’d been fated mates, it had been there. He could feel the tug of Todoroki’s emotions, especially the strong ones of desperation, anger and fear. Often he’d thought that they’d been his own—and sometimes they probably had been, too—but now he knew that he hadn’t been alone and that a lot of the time they hadn’t been his. That every time he’d gone through some hardship, the comfort he’d felt sitting alone in the little square closet his mom had helped him prepare into his future nest, wasn’t just his own. Despite not knowing the other existed, they’d been there for each other. Connected through an unbreakable bond neither had had a say in creating.

Blocking that bond really hadn’t been that good of an idea.

But that still left the potential panic attacks that would follow if he stopped taking the dampeners completely. They still didn’t know why they were happening in the first place. If they were a result of Todoroki’s condition or if there was something else going on. Maybe something that had been aggravated by Todoroki’s condition? Todoroki’s emotions were surprisingly strong through the bond now that there were two of him going around.

Izuku hummed, looking down on the shirt in his hands. The simple white t-shirt that really shouldn’t mean much but that seemed to have a hidden secret that Izuku wasn’t privy to. Kacchan seemed to know what it meant. Todoroki definitely knew what it meant. It was just Izuku who didn’t know.

Shinsou had said that you didn’t accept a courting gift. It wasn’t a give and take situation, but a gesture of kindness to show that you cared. You could keep them even if you declined the courting proposal. So what was the true intention behind Todoroki giving Izuku his shirt and if accepting it was an option, what exactly did that entail?

Question, questions, questions.

There were so many of them swirling around in Izuku’s head that he couldn’t answer. Things he probably should know, but didn’t.

He’d been raised as a beta for most of his life, so he understood the basics of marriage and the relationship that led up to it. But he had no one that would explain the basics of courting between an alpha and an omega. Something he probably should know, but had never been taught about. He’d never had anyone there who could explain it to him. Apparently so much of it was socially unspoken, yet Izuku had no idea what those unspoken agreements and rules were. No one had helped him understand his gender. Maybe Bakugou would have if they’d been closer, but they hadn’t started becoming actual friends until the end of last year. Which was all too recent to have detailed conversations about secondary gender and something as intimate as courting.

“I could just ask him,” Izuku mused aloud to himself as he got up from the bed. He changed out of his shirt and threw on a new pair of boxers and slacks. He threw a glance at Todoroki’s shirt, hesitated for a second before he put it on. He pulled the collar to his nose and inhaled before he pulled on a hoodie and zipped it up to cover most of the tee. “His parents are mated. Maybe that’s why he knows so much about it.”

He put on his slippers and headed down to the kitchen where he found Yaoyorozu sipping tea at one of the tables, alone with just a couple of other students awake and milling around the common area doing their own morning routines. The rest were probably still sleeping this early in the morning.

“Good morning, Midoriya,” she greeted with a kind smile. Her eyes quickly fell on his neck and Izuku scratched at the bandages he’d wrapped around his throat to cover Roki’s bite. He gave an awkward smile. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Izuku said, halting for a moment before he walked up to her a bit hesitant. He cleared his throat and scratched his neck. “Uhm, can I… Can I ask you something? Like advice about some stuff?”

“Of course,” Yaoyorozu said with a curt nod. Izuku let out a sigh that wasn’t too relieved as he took a seat in front of her. “What is troubling you?”

His shoulders were tense and his leg twitched under the table. He knitted his hands together in his lap before placing them on the table, biting his lip and not meeting her eyes as his cheeks burned.

“How do you—I mean, how would an alpha, you know…” Izuku stopped, took a deep breath as his cheeks burned and then asked in a whisper, “How would you know if an alpha is trying to court you?”

Yaoyorozu frowned for a moment, her eyes going between Izuku’s face and his neck before she let out a gasp. Her mouth formed a wide O and she put the cup down as her face quickly transformed into one of excitement.

“Is he courting you? Did he finally ask?” she asked, leaning forward with a wide smile.

Izuku blinked. “You—I didn’t tell you who it was yet…”

She sat back in her chair, a blush of her own taking to her cheeks as she averted her eyes for a moment. “Well, that’s because—” She stopped a bit, twirling a piece of hair between her fingers before she smiled softly. “Midoriya, neither you or Todoroki are very subtle about it.”

“Does everyone know?” Izuku asked, placing a hand over his throat.

“Not about that,” she spoke, tilting her head as she inspected his neck. “But we’ve lived together for a long time now, and it’s not hard to see that you both care a lot about each other.”

Izuku smiled a small and shy smile as he ran a hand through his hair and down to the patch he’d covered the bite with. “Has… Has Todoroki liked me for a long time?”

“I really shouldn’t reveal his secrets,” Yaoyorozu said, hesitating in saying more.

“He’s already made it very clear that he… uh, he likes me,” Izuku said. “That he’s liked me since the Sports Festival. Is that true?”

Yaoyorozu didn’t say anything. She looked around them and then leaned forwards and nodded slowly.

Izuku wanted to slap himself.

Had it really been that obvious and he just hadn’t seen it? How many of their friends knew, and for how long? How had Izuku not seen it when it seemed to have been so obvious to everyone else?

“How did I not realize?” Izuku asked himself, falling down into the chair and leaning his head back.

“It’s always the most difficult to see when someone's affections are directed towards you,” Yaoyorozu said, her voice soft. Then she placed both hands flat on the table and straightened her back. “Now, you wanted to know how an alpha courts an omega?”

“I just want to know if he’s trying to…” Izuku stopped and sighed. “I was raised by a beta family, so I don’t know how that goes. I don’t know what signs to look for.”

“Usually an alpha will spend a lot of time close to you,” Yaoyrozu started out. “They’ll find reasons to be with you and excuses to be alone with you. They will take every opportunity to compliment what they like about you, and they’ll do everything that they can to support what you do. Then they’ll give you small gifts. Some that might seem insignificant while others have a deeper meaning.”
“And what would that be? Like an example,” Izuku asked with a bunch of nods. His fingers moved over the table as if he was taking invisible notes.

“They will try to compliment your natural abilities, and of course, it is quite common to give soft gifts that can be placed in your nest,” Yaoyorozu said, blushing a bit at the last part but collecting herself by clearing her throat.

“And what does it mean when an alpha gives you clothes?”

“Has he given you clothes?”

Izuku nodded slowly, looking around them and then slowly unzipping his hoodie. He pulled on the shirt before zipping the hoodie back up.

“Oh, my—” Yaoyorozu gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. “And you wore it?”

Izuku frowned, but still smiled. “Well, I’m not against it.”

Her face fell back into the soft gaze and she tilted her head to the side. “You want to know how to court him in return.”

“I know I can just google it and look it up online and all that, but I mean, I just… I don’t know, I’m—I guess, I’m a bit embarrassed to do so,” he finally said with a sigh. “I should already know this stuff.”

“Midoriya, there is nothing wrong with being sheltered,” Yaoyorozu said, placing a hand over his.

“I’m not sheltered, it’s just that no one was there to explain it to me,” Izuku said with a shrug.

“It’s never too late to learn,” she said kindly. “And you don’t have to give gifts to court someone.”

“I don’t?”

“No. Courting gifts are just something you do to show affection. Spending time with your intended does just as much as any courting gift,” she explained. “In some cases, emotional support means more than any material gift you could ever give.”

“But he gave me something, so I want to give him something in return,” Izuku said, feeling how his cheeks burned even darker as he spoke.. “I want to… show him that… maybe I’m… sort of, kind of… not totally against court—courting.”

“Well, in that case,” Yaoyorozu said, thinking for a bit before she lit up. “My mother would make my father homemade chocolates when they were courting.”

“Isn’t that a valentines thing?” Izuku asked.

“It originated from the old courting rituals of providing food for your alpha to show that you could care for your young,” Yaoyorozu said with a nod. She spoke in the same tone as when she would cite information out of a book.

“Oh,” Izuku said, rubbing his chin as he thought about it. “Something homemade…”

It sounded doable. Todoroki would be away until Monday, so there was plenty of time for him to think of something fitting. At least now he had a base to start his research from. Starting with what kind of chocolate was appropriate to give an alpha.

“Maybe I shouldn’t,” Todo said, hesitating over the green call button. Midoriya’s face smiled at him from the screen, wide and happy and unaware that he’d forever been caught in that one moment of pure joy. His smile was blinding.

“Of course, I should,” Roki said, putting both hands on his hips as he looked at his other half. He gave a determined nod. “Midoriya would want us to call.”

“But I don’t want to intrude,” Todo excused, retracting his thumb from the screen.

“I’m not. He wanted to talk with me, remember,” Roki pointed out, taping the screen.

They both stared down at the screen as the call dialed. “No going back now.”

“I could just turn it off,” Todo said, audibly swallowing. “Maybe it hasn’t gone through yet.”

“Don’t I dare,” Roki said with narrowed eyes.

Then the phone made a loud beep and they both stared down at it as another one rang out.

“It went through,” Todo whispered, eyes wide and his breath shaky. “What do I say when he answers?”

Roki opened his mouth to answer but stopped. “I don’t know…”

“I don’t?”

“I didn’t think about it.”

“Then what do I say when he answers? I can’t just call and have nothing to say.”

“I’m sure he won’t mind, right?”

“What if he’s busy doing something?”

“Then…” Roki stopped, looking away and thinking for a bit before he shrugged. “I don’t know. Just say the first thing that comes to mind, I guess.”

“But—” Todo started before the speaker clicked loudly.

Both of the halves stared down at the phone with wide eyes and held their breaths. Then...

“Todoroki?” Midoriya’s voice came from the other side of the phone, stumbling a bit. He cleared his voice and the two Todoroki’s looked at each other.

“Hi,” they both greeted at the same time, suddenly both very unsure as to what it was they wanted to say or why they had even called in the first place. “I didn’t bother you, did I?”

“No! No, of course not. You didn’t,” Midoriya hurried to say, probably shaking his head. Then his voice got a bit quieter and warmth swarmed through the bond. “I’m glad you called. How, uh… How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Todo replied, but didn’t know what else to say so he elected not to say anything at all.

The call was silent for a while as they stood there just looking down at the device. Midoriya coughed on the other side before he hummed something and Todo hummed in return as if they’d just agreed on something unspoken.

“I, uh…” Midoriya began slowly, sounding very hesitant as he spoke. “Thanks.”

“For what?” Roki asked when Todo remained quiet.

“For giving me your shirt,” Midoriya whispered. There was a sharp inhale and then a happy little giggle that made Roki’s heart skip a beat. “It helped me…”

“It did?” Todo asked, eyes blinking. He turned to Roki who gave him an I told you so look. “Well, I’m glad that you liked it.”

“Do you—” Midoriya stopped and seemed to fiddle with something before he practically whimpered out in a desperate voice, “Do you want it back… on Monday?”

“No,” Roki spoke, his voice commanding as his expression hardened. “It’s my gift to you, Midoriya.”

“Do you not want it?” Todo asked slowly.

“No!”

“You don’t…?” Roki whispered, eyes widening.

“No, that’s not what I meant!” Midoriya hurried to explain. “I mean, no, I want it. If you don’t mind, I’d… really like to keep it.”

The last bit was barely above a whisper, but both Todo and Roki heard him. 

Roki smiled and gave his other half a glance. “It’s yours, Midoriya.”

“So, we’ll actually talk together on Monday?” Midoriya asked, sounding hopeful. “Both of you?”

“Yes,” Todo replied with a nod. He looked at Roki who nodded. “I’ll… promise to listen.”

“Really?” Midoriya sounded so hopeful that Todo’s heart fluttered and his cheeks burned.

“Yes,” Roki confirmed. “I’ll make sure I’m there.”

“I said I’d listen,” Todo said, throwing a look at Roki.

Roki just gave him a shrug. “I ran away before, how do I know that I won’t run away next time, too?”

“I won’t,” Todo promised.

“But if I do, I’ll make sure I’m there,” Roki said anyway.

“That’s great!” Midoriya said happily, his voice bright on the other side of the line. Both of them were sure that he was smiling, too. “So, uhm…” He stopped again, seeming to fumble with his words before he asked, “Are you two doing anything during the weekend?”

Roki sighed, looking away from the phone with a glare at nothing in particular. “I’m going to the hospital.”

“The hospital? What happened?” Midoriya exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

“It’s just to do some tests,” Todo reassured, shoulders slumping as he felt the panic from Midoriya. He sent a gentle tug and received one in return.

"What kind of tests?" Midoriya asked. There was a wheel screech on the other side of the phone. 

"I don't know," Roki replied with a shrug.

"Something to do with my brain," Todo finished, speaking in such a coherent way that it sounded like one sentence spoken by only one of them.

"There's not anything wrong, is there? You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" Midoriya asked.

Todo hesitated, averting his eyes from the phone.

"I don't want to burden you," Roki explained for his other half. "But I promise that there's nothing wrong."

"You're my soulmate, Todoroki. It wouldn't be a burden if you came to me when something was wrong," Midoriya said softly, then he gave a small chuckle. "I'll always be here, so…"

Todo smiled and his expression softened. "I know."

"Sometimes I feel like you forget," Midoriya joked.

"I'm just indecisive," Roki said bluntly and Midoriya laughed. It made them both smile, imagining the expression on the omega's face. That wide smile, those eyes squeezing shut and his freckled cheeks turning red from the small blush that came with his laugher.

Roki found himself chuckling a bit, holding a hand over his mouth to stifle it and Todo smiled, a twitch pulling in the corner of his lip as he gave a snort.

Eventually the laughter died down, much to both of their dismay as Midoriya gave a few last giggles before letting out a long and content sigh. 

"So… Uhm, do you think—maybe if it's not too much trouble—that maybe you could, you know, text… when you get home?" Midoriya asked carefully. "You know, from the hospital? Of course, you don't have to but I'm worried, even if you said there's nothing wrong, but—I just want to know that you're okay."

"I will," Roki replied immediately and Todo second him with a nod, "I will."

Roki growled as he exited the office, the kind beta on the other side sighing as he ripped the door open and slammed it shut equally as hard. Todo raised an eyebrow from where he sat on the chair outside. He let out a sigh of his own when Roki slumped down beside him with a snarl, crossing his arms in frustration.

“This is ridiculous,” he grumbled, looking angrily into the wall. It had been a long time since he’d had the desire to burn something down into nothing but ash, but God if he didn’t need to set something on fire right now.

“Calm down,” Todo said, the temperature dropping to counter Roki’s slowly rising one.

“I am calm,” Roki hissed.

“I’m not.”

“Well, she’s a fucking idiot.”

“She’s just doing her job.”

“Those tests are bullshit.”

“They’re just trying to help,” Todo said, but even he sounded a bit tired. 

He looked through the corridor down to where other people were walking around. A few doctors, a few nurses and some other people that he didn’t know what they were doing or what their purpose was.

They’d been at the hospital the entire day. Getting prodded and stuck with needles and x-rayed all day. They’d spent the day doing all kinds of tests, both physical and mental, getting asked questions and being asked about photos and what they saw and pick out this item from this bag or what is this called. Do this with your right hand, Todo. Name this square box, Roki. All types of bullshit that had been harder than it was supposed to be.

Roki had struggled more than he thought he was going to. Of course, he could feel Todo help him through the bond, to find the words to associate with the shapes and to coordinate limbs in a way he didn’t know he would need. But when the psychologist—or therapist, or whatever she was—had pointed it to him, it had suddenly become harder than it was supposed to be. And when she noticed that he was getting help from his other half thanks to her psychic quirk of hers, she had chastised him for cheating.

Or, well…

She hadn’t exactly yelled at him or told him off, but she had made a note about it. She’d asked him why he did or if it helped to ask for his other half’s assistance. Did it make it easier to function, and whatever else.

But basically, she’d told him he was cheating.

“What the hell does all of this help with fixing this?” Roki asked with a huff, crossing his legs, too. If he’d had heat vision there would be holes in the wall in front of him.

“They’re trying to see how our brain works,” Todo said.

“I know that!” Roki growled, baring his fangs.

The doctors had been very clear on their intentions and what they were looking at with all of their tests. But Roki didn’t see the point in any of it since it seemed to serve little purpose when it came to actually fix them. What was the point of wasting time on something useless when they could be focusing on more pressing matters? Roki had a life to live. He had a potential mate he needed to be with.

“We’ll see Midoriya on Monday,” Todo pointed out, having clearly sensed where his other half’s thoughts were going.

“Monday’s too far away,” Roki grumbled, sinking deeper down in the chair.

Enji looked at the x-ray’s of Shouto’s respective brains. He didn’t really know what they meant but from his little knowledge about mental health and brain activity, he could tell that the different dark and light spots on the photos meant different areas of the brain were more active than the other.

The doctor read through the report and files in his hands before scribbling down something and putting the file down. He clasped his hands together and turned towards Enji, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

“Mr. Todoroki,” he started slowly, taking time to think of his words properly. “Your son is a very unusual case. It’s nothing that we’ve seen before.”

Enji grunted with a nod. He hadn’t seen anything like it in his time as a hero, either. Which was saying much since Enji had been a hero since Shouto’s age. He’d seen much in his time as a hero and there was little that actually phased him at this point.

But Shouto’s case was so very peculiar.

He remembered the flash of light that had shot out across the street. It had been originally aimed at Endeavor but Burnin had crashed into the villain, sending him flying across the ground and missing Enji by a good margin. Unfortunately, the blast had hit Shouto straight on, sending him flying back in a blinding light show.

“Shouto!” he’d called, but when he’d run over to find his son unconscious on the ground, he’d found two. As if his son had been separated right down the middle.

The halves had groaned at the same time, sitting up, one holding his head and the other rubbing his chest with a grimach. They had simultaneously said, “Ow.”

The look that came over both of their faces as they turned to look at each other was one of horror and surprise, and that Enji wasn’t going to forget anytime soon. He also wasn’t going to forget the earful he’d gotten from Rei when he’d called her later that afternoon. She insisted on visiting, but he’d said that Shouto was a bit unstable at the moment and that it was greatly advised against by the doctor’s he’d taken Shouto to immediately afterwards.

It was clear that she hadn’t been happy about that.

“These—” The doctor held a hand out towards the images on the screen. “—Are images of your son’s brain. These are for the light haired counterpart; His red haired counterpart.”

Enji looked over the photos and nodded to show that he acknowledged what the doctor said but he didn’t see what they meant. But he didn’t have to think for long, because the doctor continued.

“It is a quite fascinating revelation,” the doctor said as he walked over to a specific set of images. “The brain function of the two separate halves are vastly different from each other. They do appear to have some level of shared brain activity that we can’t quite explain as of yet.”

“Is any of this going to impact him permanently?” Enji asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

“It’s difficult to say, but both of them do have a fully functioning brain. The only difference is that different hemisphere’s seem to be in control of the two,” the doctor explained, he spread his fingers outwards as he spoke. “What I find particularly interesting, and a bit concerning, is the effects it might have on young Shouto’s secondary gender.”

“Shouto is an alpha,” Enji said, raising an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with his brain?”

The doctor pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a hum. He nodded as the light from the screens reflected in the glass as he turned around to face the screens.

“Most of the alpha instincts are derived from emotional response, all of which come from the right hemisphere,” he said, holding his hand up over one of the screens to show the particular part of the brain. “In the lighter haired half of Shouto, those instincts seem to be relatively dormant. That side of him seems to be almost completely controlled by the left hemisphere, which also seems to be second by the report of his mental state. But in the other half, it appears to be the most active part of the brain.” 

Enji frowned but before he could ask anything, the doctor answered his silent question for him.

“Mr. Todoroki, what I’m trying to say is that one of your son’s halves is nearly completely controlled by his alpha instincts,” the doctor continued. “While it’s impossible to know how strong those instincts might be at the moment, this is quite worrisome. We only see this level of brain activity in alphas who are bordering on going feral. In my professional opinion, I’d recommend separating him from any other of the other secondary genders, especially from any omegas.”

Enji’s scanned the screens and furrowed his brow. “Is there a way to help with this?”

“Yes, there is. At least to some degree.” The doctor walked over to his desk and picked up a small bottle. He walked back and handed it to Enji. “Normally we prescribe these as a prescription medication, but because of your son’s urgent condition, I’m giving it to you here. These are your regular alpha medication, similar to those used for recently presented teens to control their pheromone release, but of a stronger dosage. Hypothetically, they should help with his impulse control and to quell the more dominant instincts he might be dealing with. But it is imperative that he takes these on a regular basis. Three times a day. One in the morning, one at lunch, and one at night.”

Enji looked down on the medicine bottle in his hand and shook it, the pills rattling inside.

He’d never let Shouto take medication before, especially anything that could have an impact on his secondary gender. The side effects had been too big of a risk to his health at the time, that had been Enji’s reasoning. Shouto had needed all of his instincts to be on top as a hero and medication could hinder that. Now he was wondering if that had been wrong on his part?

“And Mr. Todoroki?” He looked up with a nod. “I strongly recommend that you keep your son isolated from anyone that isn’t an alpha.”

Chapter Text

“That’s fucking bullshit!”

“Watch your language.”

Roki narrowed his eyes, blue irises taking up so much that his pupil was nothing but a small line across, barely visible if it wasn’t for the big contrast of the black against fiery blue. A fierce fire burned behind those orbs and his hand steamed, leaving a black print on the kitchen table where he’d slammed his hands down in defiance. The small bottle of pills Enji had placed on the table during his explanation had rattled and fallen over. It had rolled over the surface and nearly tipped over the edge before Enji had caught it and put it back where it had previously stood. 

Roki seemed to be uncertain of which he should glare at more, the bottle or the one who had brought it. 

“Eraser Head told me—” Enji started, but let out a sigh as he was swiftly interrupted.

“Mr. Aizawa doesn’t know shit about what actually happened!” Roki growled, baring his fangs and letting out a cloud of grey smoke that tasted foul, like soot.

The two alphas glared at each other, their presence so thick that Todo could probably have frozen it if he tried.

He looked between his angry counterpart and his dad, not sure which one of them he should be agreeing with right now.

On one hand, he wanted to see Midoriya again. He’d just promised to properly sit down and talk with him about everything that was going on between them. Todo was willing to listen, and maybe—just maybe—try to work something out that wouldn’t put Midoriya in danger. Not that he didn’t think the omega could snap him in half with both hands tied behind his back if he needed to and thus didn’t need Shouto’s protection, but Todo didn’t want to be the reason as to why Midoriya was in danger in the first place.

On the other hand, Roki was unstable. Todo had known that since the start. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that there was very little about Roki he could control during their current situation. He had tried and had promised himself that he would do his best to make sure that Roki didn’t do anything dangerous or harmful to others. But that hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped. As evident by their current isolation from their classmates, and anyone else in that matter.

It had been odd to accept that what Roki was was a part of Shouto as a whole. That that part of him, that aggressive alpha entitlement, had been there under the surface this whole time without him realizing it. Accepting that he wanted those things, that the thoughts that Roki had were Shouto’s, was like accepting that he was no different from the alphas of old. That he was no different than his dad and that he had the same chance of becoming the very thing that he’d despised the most growing up.

“He wasn’t there,” Roki continued with a puff of smoke. Small wisps of fire licked up his cheek and caused his hair to flutter upwards with the heat. “I know what happened, I know what happened, and Izuku knows what happened. That’s it. They’re just making assumptions based on what others have told them.”

“Shouto—”

“And you’re going to trust a doctor over your own son?” Roki snarled. “What does he know about anything?”

“He’s a professional,” Todo pointed out, but didn’t add anything else at the commanding glare he received at his words.

Roki’s eyes narrowed so much that you could barely see them, just a glint of burning blue behind his long eyelashes. “You agree with him?”

“I don’t,” Todo started with a slow shake of his head. “I want to see Midoriya, too.”

“Then I should just shut up,” Roki said with a hiss.

“But...”

“But what?”

Todo didn’t immediately elaborate and when he met his other half’s eyes, and when he did, he didn’t speak aloud. But it was clear that his intentions were reaching Roki because the alpha snarled, threw his head to the side and growled. Then his mouth tightened into a thin line and then he clawed at the table, leaving deep, long marks behind in the wood.

“This is ridiculous,” he huffed.

“Think about Midoriya.”

“I am.”

“Rationally.”

“I am!”

“I’m thinking about myself.”

The silence stretched around the room as the conversation turned internal, a silent debate between emotion and logic that didn’t seem to find a mutual ground to stand on. All that they could agree on was that they wanted to see Midoriya again, but the method of doing so and how long that would take was like trying to mix tar and water. 

It didn’t work. 

They just couldn’t agree.

The silence was palpable. It lingered like a hefty fog around them and the atmosphere that filled the room made Todo’s stomach churn. He just wanted to get out of there. Go back to those times when things had been simple. Before everything had gone to hell. Before the split, before the league had fucked up his family, before when he and Midoriya could just be teenagers and not deal with stuff that was beyond their control. When they could pretend like they were just your average teenagers going through high school.

Those were good times.

Simple times.

Todo liked those times. They were his comfort in the dark. The warmth of Midoriya’s smile, his touch, his laugh, his voice. Like a loving lullaby in the toughest of times.

And now this whole split might compromise everything if they didn’t get this right.

“You’ve imprinted on him,” Enji said, breaking the silence with such a gruff voice that both of them turned to look at him. His voice was neutral, not disgusted but not approving either, but the look in his eyes said enough.

Todo swallowed but Roki opened his mouth with a frown.

“I haven’t—” he started but shut himself down before he could say anything else. He averted his eyes and bared his teeth at nothing in particular.

Roki’s confliction fluttered between their brains, whirling into a storm. 

Tell Enji the truth, or lie.

“I couldn’t help it,” Todo lied, sharing a glance with Roki who gave a small nod.

It was better to get him to believe a small white lie that held a semblance of truth than to go all out and reveal their entire connection. No matter how much their dad tried to change, Shouto didn’t doubt that he’d try to force him and Midoriya into some kind of arranged mating just because of their fated status. Something that Shouto would never forgive himself for. He didn’t want Midoriya to be with him just because of the bond, but because he wanted to be. And they hadn’t figured that part out yet. 

At least not properly.

“When did this happen?” Enji asked, crossing his arms as Roki finally sat back down in his chair. “For how long?”

Roki refused to speak, so it was Todo who made the quick decision to lie by telling him the truth. “Since the Sports Festival last year.”

Which was true, sort of.

Shouto had suspected something was up between him and Midoriya long before that. He’d felt the tug in his mind when they’d sat in class. His eyes would wander to the back of Midoriya’s green hair no matter how much he tried not to. He’d focused on his self-destructive nature far too much and silently chastised him in his head, wanting to tell him to take better care of himself but arguing with himself that it wasn’t Shouto’s job to do so. 

And then USJ happened and it kind of made a bit more sense.

It hadn’t been difficult to know where to go. The main villain was easy to find in the chaos, but he’d also realized that he could almost see the invisible line before him, guiding him towards it like a compass. When he got there and saw Midoriya throw himself straight into danger... 

He’d never felt such anger and fear for someone else.

They hadn’t even touched once during USJ. Not during the whole incident, yet it would take an idiot not to notice that there was something else between them.

Or, it would take an unpresented omega to not realize that the bond was there.

When he and Midoriya had finally talked about the bond for the first time, Midoriya had admitted that he’d known something was up since the Sports Festival, but that he hadn’t actually realized what it was until the incident in Hozu. Something that had confused Shuoto for a long time, because how could he not have noticed before? Sure, the Sports Festival had been enough proof to Shouto to know that Midoriya was tied to him forever and he didn’t mind that as much as he probably should’ve at the time. But how could it have been so long between their collective realization? How could Midoriya not have understood at the same time as Shouto? Midoriya was one of the smartest students in class and one of the smartest people that Shouto knew.

But Midoriya was unpresented. He didn’t have those same precise instincts yet.

It made him worry just a bit on how things would go once Midoriya actually presented, and what the consequences would be for the bond between them.

Enji groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. His beard sparked, bursting out in flames a couple of times before it died down. He massaged his chin as it was clear that he thought about how to go about handling the situation.

“It’s a good thing that Midoriya hasn’t presented yet,” Enji spoke, seemingly speaking more to himself and voicing his thoughts out loud instead of speaking with Shouto’s two halves. Though he did look up at them, meeting both of their eyes with that look that demanded attention. “Makes it a lot easier to break off.”

Roki snorted and crossed his own arms as he leaned back in his chair. “Good luck.”

“And because he hasn’t presented yet, it’s not mutual,” Enji continued, with a stern glare at Roki who growled at him.

“What the fuck do you know about mutual relationships?” he asked, baring his fangs. “Neither you or mom gave a crap about each other—”

“Stop it!” Todo exclaimed, his right hand falling to the table with a harsh smack that spread ice crystals and frost all over the surface. Steam rose from the cold and his mouth let out white clouds. He let out a long breath. He turned from his hot counterpart who just looked away with another huff to his father. “Just because Midoriya hasn’t shown his gender doesn’t mean it’s not mutual. You don’t need to imprint on someone to like them.”

“Shouto, he is not a suitable mate,” Enji said. “And we are not having this conversation right now.”

“You’re right. We’re not,” Roki said, standing up causing the chair to screech backwards. “You can’t keep me from seeing him, and I won’t let you keep me from seeing him. You can try to keep us apart, but it won’t work.”

With that he stormed out, the heat from his rising body temperature slowly melting the frost on the table.

“That could have gone better,” Todo said bluntly, staring at the droplets forming and slowly falling to the floor.

“Were you always this difficult to deal with?” Enji groaned to himself, resting his head in one hand. It was clear that he wasn’t talking to Todo, but he decided to reply anyways.

“Not to you, maybe,” he spoke slowly, turning to look where Roki had left. You could clearly see his path from the black marks he’d left behind, one left footprint in a line out of the kitchen. “Why is Midoriya not a suitable mate for me? Aside from not being pure.”

Enji looked up at him and raised both eyebrows. He looked almost surprised at Todo’s question but did sigh with a nod when Todo tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

“Midoriya is a good, young man. And I want you to know that I do not have a problem with his primary gender,” Enji started, at least acknowledging that it wasn’t Midoriya himself that was the problem.

“Because he’s an omega,” Todo said, clarifying what his father hadn’t said out loud.

They looked at each other for a long time of silence, not saying anything. Enji averted his eyes for a few seconds before turning back.

“Shouto, his quirk is dangerous,” he said bluntly. “It’s strong and it has great potential with the right guidance, but it is extremely harmful to his body. I don’t know what kind of result his quirk mixed with yours would give, but I don’t think that it would be good. It could destroy your pups body.”

His eyes faltered, falling to his hands which had clasped together on the table. For a moment he seemed lost in his thoughts and his expression was pained. His mouth pulled taut and his eyes were glassy for a moment, as if tears were shining in them.

It didn’t take a genius to know that he was thinking about Touya and what his quirk had done to his body. The damage it had produced and what an unbridled desire to prove himself had resulted in. 

“I already told you I’m not with Midoriya for pups,” Todo said slowly, audibly swallowing. “And I don’t mind it if he never wants pups, either.”

“You say that now, but you never know what you might want in the future,” Enji said with a shake of his head. “What Midoriya might want in the future. Omegas have a natural desire to start families, Shouto. Pups would be inevitable.”

“That’s an offensive stereotype.”

“It's a biological truth.”

“It’s still offensive to assume everyone wants the same thing based on gender alone.” Todo stared down on his left hand and then looked after his warm counterpart, feeling how he was fuming in his room upstairs. Probably burning whatever was in his sight. “You and mom knew the risks of mixing your quirks when you decided to mate.”

He looked up at his father with narrowed eyes, judging him still for the horrible decision which had led to so much pain and hurt.

There was no way they couldn’t have known the potential risks of mixing two quirks that were the polar opposite of each other. Fire and ice were two elements that weren’t compatible, no matter how you looked at it. Shouto had been lucky when his quirk had manifested as a child. Touya had been the unfortunate one. He’d faced the worst possible outcome of mixing a fire and ice quirk, and had paid the price for it. So had their father, and everyone else, as well.

But Shouto meant what he’d said before. Midoriya could be quirkless for all he cared and he would still want to be with him. His quirk wasn’t what had drawn Shouto to Midoriya in the first place, even if it had been a curious part of him.

It was Midoriya’s determination. His unbridled passion and unbreakable capability for kindness to everyone.

Not just anyone could destroy their body to help a stranger they didn’t know.

And that had been before Midoriya had known that they were soulmates. That had just been Midoriya being Midoriya.

Selfless, stubborn, kind.

Izuku fell down onto the bed with an airy thud. He adjusted himself till he sat with his pillow right behind himself pushed up against the headboard and his legs cross-legged. He grabbed his laptop and pulled it into his lap with twitching fingers. The screen was open on google’s homepage, the small line blinking in and out in quick intervals as he stared at the white search bar.

His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and he had to take a couple of deep breaths to try and calm himself from the sudden onslaught of nerves that had hit him. He bit his lip, his fingers shaking a bit as they hovered over the keyboard, unsure as to which word to start with or how to formulate his sentence. He brushed his fingertips over the many letters, clicked on a few and then erased what he’d written when he immediately regretted the formulation of it.

Before sitting down Izuku had already decided what it was he was going to search for. It was about time he did some real proper research on the subject and he’d gone through it in his head enough times now that he was actually finding it a bit ridiculous that he hadn’t gathered the courage to look it all up before. It wasn’t like he was scared of what he was going to find. 

No, what worried him was that, what if he searched up what everyone had already told him and found that what they said wasn’t true or accurate. Everyone—well, Yaoyorozu and Shinsou, and Kacchan a little, even though he’d been more cryptic than anything else—had already given him enough information that he could form his own educated guess, and of course, he had to take Todoroki’s words into account. Even if Izuku had been a bit reluctant to believe him at first simply because… What if Todo didn’t feel the same as Roki? What would that mean when they were back together again? What if Todoroki leaned more towards Todo’s emotions and not towards Roki’s very expressive ones?

His chest grew heavy at the thought and his lungs got thick, as if they had been filled with solidifying bile. His throat sneared shut like it had tied itself into a knot and breathing became hard.

Roki’s words rung in his ears, like old church bells. 

I like you, I like you, I like you.

Be my mate, be my mate, be my mate.

It had all happened so suddenly and in such a short span of time that Izuku hadn’t been able to process it all at once. Maybe he’d been naive, or maybe he’d just thought that it was too good to be true? Especially considering the current circumstances.

It didn’t matter. 

Todoroki liked him.

Even Todo had finally agreed to talk, which was a relief. So maybe they could work this out? Maybe they could finally sit down and talk about everything that Roki had done, felt and wanted while also taking into account how Todo wanted to approach the situation. They would also have to come to some kind of agreement on what was okay, because Izuku wasn’t sure that he liked the thought of Roki biting his neck out of the blue or leaving marks everywhere without warning.

Not that he didn’t want the alpha to mark him. The thought made his insides flutter and his chest grow warm, evaporating the thickness in his gut and made him smile and almost giggle.

But that didn’t mean it was entirely appropriate.

They were fated to mate, and maybe Izuku wasn’t entirely against the idea of one day becoming Todoroki’s mate. There were worse alphas out there and being tied to one of your best friends for the rest of your life wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Izuku could only envision the good that would come out of it.

The hand holding as they walked to school. A kiss on the cheek when they said goodbye to each other. Maybe a sleepover and some cuddling in front of a movie. Maybe a romantic comedy if Shouto liked one of those, or they could watch a disney film. Izuku knew that Shouto probably hadn’t gotten the chance to watch those growing up so maybe they could enjoy one together. He was sure that the alpha would like The Little Mermaid.

He squeezed his eyes shut, inhaled a long and deep breath that visibly expanded his ribcage and raised his shoulders up before letting it out in a long breath of air. Then he let his fingers fly over the keyboard.

What to give an alpha when they give you clothes?

A row of articles and blog posts came up as the top results, most going on the topic of clothes and how to please your alpha with gifts. Some even went into more intimate topics such as, how to be more dominant with your partner as an omega or similar subjects.

Izuku hummed, clicking on one and then another and just skimming past the text before clicking out when he didn’t find what it was he was looking for. Most just went into vague descriptions on how you should take initiative and give gifts first or how you should be personal with your gift without giving any proper examples. Usually only ending the section with a “ Be creative!” before moving on to the next point.

He returned to the search bar and tapped his finger on the touchpad. He wrote something, erased and rephrased the sentence before clicking search again.

What kind of chocolate to give an alpha when they give you clothes

“Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate,” Izuku mused to himself, rubbing his chin as he scanned through the search results. He’d never made chocolate before so he wasn’t sure what was appropriate in this context, but he knew that his mom had a great cookie recipe that used chocolate so... “Maybe Todoroki likes cookies…?”

While he wasn’t a master chef—though he could cook a reasonable meal if he put work into it—baking was a different story. He’d helped his mother bake on multiple occasions when he was little and had loved it. Even though back then he’d been more interested in eating the dough than waiting for the finished product.

He moved the cursor over the top result, humming in dismay and shaking his head before moving on. Then he found a title that looked pretty promising which led him to a forum with multiple posts that were at least three years old based on when the first post had been made.

[Entry #1]

Hi! I’ve recently started courting this alpha I’ve had a crush on forever and I want to give him something special but I can’t think of anythign! Help plz! I want it to really say that I care about him but I don’t have the money to buy anything expensive :(

Izuku scrolled down the page, skimming through the top comments, some were just scattered words and small discussions that gave no advice as to what the poster could use as a gift until he reached at least half down the first page.

[Entry #15]

I bake him cookies. Show off those culinary skills! Alphas love that shit you know

Izuku pursed his lips. Maybe he really should call his mom about that recipe…

[Entry #1]

Reply to: #15

But isn’t that so clichee and stereotypical???

[Entry #15]

Reply to: #1

Doing something big doesn’t always mean it’s better. Homemade sweets are good because that is something you can show off and it’s something you spend a lot of time on.

[Entry #1]

Reply to: #15

But wouldn’t he get tired off it if I give him cookies all the time?

[Entry #15]

Reply to: #1]

That’s why you switch it up, gurl. You don’t want to bake him cookies, bake him a cake, or food. Or you can just give him something he needs.

[Entry #16]

Reply to: #1

A friend of mine once gave her alpha dental floss because she wanted to give him a gift but didn’t know what alphas liked XD It was so hilarious! We still joke about it today.

“Dental floss…?” Izuku asked aloud, glancing across his room and tilting his head with an amused snort. That wasn’t something he’d thought could be used as a courting gift.

He scanned through a couple of more posts, but most of them were just as vague as the rest of them and just said bake something simple. Apparently it had something to do with proving that you could provide for future pups by being able to cook for them. Izuku couldn’t see how baking cookies could prove that he could cook food, but he did kind of understand the thought behind it.

He put the computer down and reached for his phone. He speed dialed his mom and bit his lip as he waited for her to pick up on the other side of the line.

It took three rings before the line clicked.

“Izuku?” Inko asked, voice chipper.

“Hi, mom,” he greeted, smiling at her happy tone. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, even though Izuku knew that she’d shed a tear or two when he’d returned back to school. She probably felt a bit lonely when he wasn’t around. “How has school been?”

“It’s been… eventful,” Izuku said, mouth forming a thin line as he chuckled awkwardly. He gave a silent thank you to All Might for not having talked to his mom about what happened in the elevator yet. She was still extremely on the edge about U.A and the safety it held for its students. She still looked disapprovingly and with sad eyes at his multitude of scars, and everytime she held his right hand she would brush her fingers over his mangled digits with a pained expression.

“Did something happen?” she asked, suddenly sounding very worried.

“No, no, nothing happened—well, something happened, but it’s nothing bad. A little problematic, maybe, but it’s not revolved around me this time,” Izuku promised, rambling a bit to ease her. After everything that had happened their first year, it wasn’t a surprise that she would jump to the worst possible conclusion. “But that wasn’t what I wanted to ask you.”

“Izuku, you know that we agreed that you would tell me if something happened,” Inko said, a bit stern and her voice taking on that tone only a mother could achieve.

“Mom, I’m fine, okay?” Izuku said. Then he hummed a bit and his cheeks burned as he spoke next. “It’s about Todoroki.”

He hadn’t hid from his mother that he had a fated mate. There was no way he’d been able to when he’d lived at home and was searching up the weirdest things and asking confusing questions. Eventually she’d asked what was going on, if he was about to present and if she needed to call his doctor, and he’d just spilled everything about him and the fated bond that he at the time still wasn’t sure existed between him and Todoroki.

Inko had been very supportive, even if she’d seemed a bit lost on what to do about it. But she had suggested that he just talk to Todoroki about it, that it involved the both of them and that they shouldn’t just ignore something that was so personal to them both.

“Did something happen between you two?” Inko asked, a bit careful as if she expected Izuku to say the worst.

“Well, yeah… A bit, I guess,” Izuku said with a nod. “He, ugh… He gave me his clothes—well, his shirt—so I... want to, sort of, bake him cookies.”

Inko was silent for a bit and Izuku held his breath.

“Oh, Izuku,” she said, voice high pitched with happiness and clear relief. Then her voice got soft. “Are you courting?”

“I don’t know…” he answered honestly, but he quickly added on, “But it looks like that’s what Todoroki is trying to do, so I want to give him something in return.”

“I would bake your father cookies when we were courting,” Inko hummed to herself and there was shuffling on the other side of the line. “I should still have the recipe.”

Izuku let out a breath of air, feeling how some of the weight lifted from his shoulders. “That’s why I called.”

Roki rummaged through his jacket—or, more precisely, Todo’s jacket—, searching each pocket before he found his phone. He held it in his hand and looked at it for a moment, watching his reflection in the black screen before he headed back to his room, phone clutched tight in his right hand.

His left side was steaming. His clothes were hot against his skin and sweat dripped down the back of his neck. Each one of his breaths came out in a grey puff of smoke, like a long trickle from his mouth as if a fire had started in the pit of his stomach and needed a way out.

He leaned against the door and opened the phone up. The first thing that greeted him was a picture of Izuku. One he’d taken while he was exercising in his gym uniform and Shouto had just known in that moment that he needed to get it eternalized. Then afterwards he’d looked at it for so long that he’d made it his home screen, hoping that maybe that would get that odd urge inside to go away. 

Shouto hadn’t known what it meant at the time, but now he did.

Roki knew all too well what the urge was, and what it was that he wanted.

The first thing he did was scroll through the last couple of texts between himself and Izuku. Ones that he hadn’t written but he had, just not with Roki’s thumbs. There were the ones from the start of the week to the ones that Todo had sent in the car on their way back.

None of them had mentioned what the doctor had said about Roki.

The comfort that Izuku had sent through the bond at Todo’s texts had made Roki want to melt into the seat. It was like a drug to have him back inside of his head. To know what he felt and what he needed and to feel the strong emotions between them. That care and the love and the small hint of embarrassment that would probably be shading his cheeks a faint red that made Roki want to kiss every freckle on his round cheeks.

There was no way he was going to let them separate the two of them.

Never again.

He exited out of the messages and found the contact list. He went to favored contacts and clicked on Izuku’s number at the top of the list, right above his mother. Then he put the phone to his ear and waited as it rang.

He waited for the soft click. He smiled when Izuku’s voice spoke into his ear only to have it fall when he realized it was a pre-recording telling him to leave a message after the beep.

He frowned and stared down at the still recording call. The seconds went by as he watched Izuku‘s frozen but blinding smile and happy face before the phone exited the call on its own.

Chapter Text

“Sugar, kinako, baking powder—” Izuku murmured aloud as he rummaged through the dormitory pantry. Black Whip was moving around the kitchen, picking up boxes and products and opening and closing the fridge and the cupboards. “Butter, of course. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate?”

He hummed to himself as he pulled two trays out and placed them on the counter. He grabbed a large wooden spoon and a big bowl that he placed next to the gathered ingredients as he followed Black Whip around the kitchen as he searched for the chocolate. He knew they had some here somewhere. A few of the girls had baked chocolate for each other during Valentines Day and then everyone had gotten a piece.

“I know we didn’t use all of it…” he spoke aloud to himself as he leaned back to look at the top shelf. He furrowed his brow, reached for a chair before he stopped himself with a blush on his cheeks. He coughed into his hand before he concentrated on Float and slowly lifted off of the ground. He hovered a couple of centimeters above the floor before he rose up so that he could scan the top shelves. “So where is it?”

“Where is what?”

Izuku yelped, lost all concentration and plummeted to the floor with a crash. He groaned as he laid there, the black wisps of energy disappearing back into his arms. Thankfully they hadn’t been holding anything.

“Sorry, Midoriya,” Sato said as he hurried over. He made a grimach as he reached out his hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve taken worse hits,” Izuku brushed off, rubbing the back of his head as he let Sato help him up onto his feet. “The floor is surprisingly soft compared to some of the beatings I’ve taken.”

Sato raised an eyebrow and Izuku snorted to show that he was joking, even if there was a bit of truth in it. The floor wasn’t as hard of a hit to take compared to a quirked up fist of pure muscle or mutated flesh or the mangled body parts of multiple people.

“Are you missing something?” Sato asked, looking around the clear display of baking supplies. 

“Yeah, I can’t find the chocolate,” Izuku said with a sigh, letting his hands fall to his sides.

“You’re making chocolate?”

“Well, chocolate cookies.” Izuku shrugged, fiddling with his fingers as he spoke. His chest still made a leap at the thought and his stomach fluttered when he thought about Todoroki’s reaction. “It’s a family recipe.”

“You’re baking cookies?” Sato asked slowly, scanning the room and then down to Izuku’s neck with furrowed brows. “For… Todotodo and Rokiroki?”

Izuku’s face burned and he bit his bottom lip, but he did nod. He swallowed and shifted his weight back and forth, fighting the urge to bring his hand up to cover the patch on his neck. To brush over the bite and to remember Roki’s warm lips on his neck.

“There is something going on between you two—uh, you three?” the alpha asked more so in confirmation than in judgement as he tilted his head.

“Yeah,” Izuku said with a nod. It still made him inhale sharply to admit it outloud. “He kind of gave me a gift, so I was going to bake him cookies… kind of. Is that a good gift?”

“Well, yes. It’s kinda standard,” Sato agreed with a nod, crossing his arms.

“Is it too boring?” Izuku asked, suddenly feeling how an onslaught of panic was washing over him. Was he being too basic by baking cookies? Was it too standard?

Sato shook his head. “No, everyone loves home baked sweets. And if he’s giving you gifts, cookies and chocolate are a good way if you’re going to reciprocate.”

“Really?” Izuku asked with a sigh of relief, placing a hand over his chest.

Sato nodded. “Do you want any help? I mean, I can’t help you bake them if you’re making it as a gift, but I can help you measure and stuff. I know I’ve got some chocolate in my room.”

“That would be nice,” Izuku nodded in return with a smile.

Sato left the kitchen with the promise to come back in a few minutes while Izuku retrieved the last of the baking supplies. He put out the ingredients, then the trays, then the measuring cups. He found a couple of muffing forms that he considered using for an even shape before shoving them back into the back of the cupboard again.

He rolled his shoulders as he scratched at his jaw, letting his fingers eventually fall to the patch on his neck. He picked at it with his nail, feeling how the tape holding it together slowly came off of the skin a little.

Would the patch bother Todoroki, too? 

It was technically covering up the bite he left, just like the collar had covered the hickeys. Which had only had the opposite reaction to what Izuku had wanted. He didn’t want to cause any more mixed signals and confuse Todoroki. It probably just made things worse with how everything was right now.

He fiddled with his fingers, knitting them together and untangling them as his cheeks heated up a bit as he thought about giving Todoroki the chocolates. Because that would be giving Todoroki his own courting gift, wouldn’t it? So that would mean that it would be kind of official at that point. Which meant that they would be courting, which in turn would mean that they were kind of in a relationship, wouldn’t it?

A smile pulled on his lips and his stomach fluttered. 

That wasn’t so bad.

“Alright, Midoriya, I found the chocolate. You didn’t specify which one you were thinking of using, so I just got all three and then you can pick whichever one you were planning on using,” Sato sat as he returned to the kitchen, waving a hefty bar of chocolate in his hand while holding three unopened packaged ones in his other.

“Right!” Izuku shrieked, getting pulled out of his thoughts. “I was planning on using just regular chocolate. I didn’t really know if that was enough or—but it said that it should be fine online.”

Sato nodded in affirmation and Izuku couldn’t help but sigh in relief. At least that part had been true.

They started immediately. Setting the oven to the right temperature and then on organizing the ingredients to use first. Sato took a quick look at the recipe, reading it over with care as he helped guide Izuku in a surprisingly orderly fashion. Though, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise. Sato was an expert when it came to cooking, especially in regards to sweets and sugary treats.

At first they worked in a semi silence, but then Sato finally asked what Izuku was half expecting him to get to at some point.

“So, you and Todoroki?” Sato asked as he measured up each of the ingredients while Izuku stirred. “How long has that been going on? Since the elevator incident or...”

“It kinda started this week,” Izuku admitted as he leaned to the side to let Sato pour the supplies into the bucket while he stirred the contents. “But I guess it’s been going on since… summer, or before that.”

“You’re not dating?” Sato asked, sounding surprised.

Izuku frowned, looking at him with a confused look. “I thought alphas and omegas didn’t date.”

“Nothing says they can’t,” Sato explained with a shrug. “Courting is always seen as something you do to prepare for mating. Not everyone who’s together are sure they want to mate with each other, since once you’ve mated with someone you can’t really break it off.”

“Oh,” Izuku replied simply, processing the small tidbit of information.

“There’s nothing wrong with going outside of tradition, Midoriya. Look at me, I’m an alpha. I’m not supposed to be good at cooking or baking, but I love it,” Sato said, putting his hands on his hips with a smile. “Even my quirk goes against my secondary gender.”

“But you have a really strong quirk?”

“Yeah, but it’s based around sugar,” Sato said with a shrug. “When I was a kid I always heard how I should find an omega as soon as possible so they could bake me sweets everyday.”

“And you didn’t want that?” Izuku asked carefully.

“Well, I don’t mind if that’s what happens one day, but I don’t want that to be the expectation,” Sato said as he grabbed another ingredient and poured it into the bucket. “I love baking, and I wouldn’t mind being the one that cooks, too.”

“But it’s just a hobby,” Izuku pointed out. “It’s not that big of a deal, is it?”

“Of course not.” Sato shook his head. “But to society, an alpha who wants to take on the—” He held up his fingers and made quotation marks with his fingers. “—submissive role is wrong.”

“That’s gross.”

“It’s society.”

“It’s twisted,” Izuku mumbled. “People should be allowed to do what they want and like what they want. Be who they want.”

“Which is why I don’t think you need to worry too much about what your courting gift should be,” Sato said with a happy shrug. “Make it your own, whether that is something expected of an omega or if it’s something else. I’m sure Todoroki will like it either way.”

“You think?”

“From the way he looks at you?” Sato asked with an amused snort. “Yeah. Rokiroki looks like he wants to eat you up. He’s been glaring at any alpha that comes near you, you know.”

“He has?” Izuku’s eyes grew wide and he cringed a bit. Then he sighed in frustration. “Does everyone know that he likes me?”

The alpha shrugged apologetically and Izuku felt the urge to slam his forehead against the counter. A person could not be this blind. It wasn’t possible! So how had he missed all of the signs when everyone else had seen them? Was he really that dense? Or was he just deliberately overlooking those small little romantic gestures in a defense to not expect something more in the case that there was no hidden intentions?

“I can’t believe it took me a whole year to notice,” Izuku groaned, stirring the last of the batch. He grabbed the chocolate and snapped it into small pieces and dropped them into the batter.

“I’m kinda glad you two finally realized it,” Sato said with a chuckle. “You’re not the one that had to live on the same floor as him.” 

Izuku frowned, tilting his head. Sato raised both eyebrows until his eyes widened and he shook his head, clearing his throat. 

“Nothing, I’m just happy for you two,” he said, waving his hand as if to wave Izuku’s confusion away. “Just don’t flood any more hallways.”

“I’m so sorry about that,” Izuku said with a grimach. “Is your oven okay?”

Sato sighed, hanging his head in defeat. “It’s gonna need some repairs.”

“I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay, Todo already came and apologized,” Sato said, then he hummed and looked a bit unsure. “At least I think he did. It was a bit hard to understand who he was talking about.”

“Yeah, I think Todoroki still sees himself as one person,” Izuku agreed as he tilted the bowl over the prepared trays and let the batter drop down in small droplets that spread out into small fine circles. “They do still seem to think, sort of, like one, at least.”

Sato agreed with a grunt, opening the oven door as Izuku inserted the two trays. One held in his hands and the other with Black Whip before they shut the door and put on the timer. 

“Well, he offered to pay for the damages,” Sato said as he started packing up most of the ingredients that were left. He held up the spare chocolate packages he’d brought down and waved them around absentmindedly as he spoke.

“That sounds like Todoroki,” Izuku started with a laugh before his eyes widened. “Oh, my God.”

“What?”

“What if he doesn’t like chocolate?” Izuku gasped, shoulders falling and mouth hanging open.

“Who doesn’t like chocolate?” Sato asked, raising an eyebrow. “I think you’re just worrying over nothing.”

“Yeah, but what if he likes a specific type of chocolate? Like dark chocolate, or white,” Izuku inhaled sharply as his whole body grew tense. “What if he prefers vanilla?”

“Midoriya—”

Sato barely even got the chance to start his sentence before Izuku was flying around the room again, collecting all of the ingredients. He got the bowl, the spoon, the butter out of the fridge, the chocolate from Sato’s hands, and the vanilla from one of the cupboards. He pulled two other bowls from one of the drawers and wisps of Black Whip flew around him as he worked, pouring three extra batches at the same time.

“I’ll just make all four. That way he’ll like one of them, at least,” Izuku justified as he stirred the spoon. His whole focus was on the bowl as he muttered silent nonsense to himself that really were nothing but white noise.

“That’s—” Sato just shrugged with a sigh. “It’s your gift.”

Izuku nodded with determined eyes.

“But you know,” Sato started again a bit more hesitant in speaking this time. “I’m kinda glad to sort of know what’s going on now. I was kinda worried about you.”

“You were?” Izuku asked, looking up from the batter.

“Yeah,” Sato said with a nod. “After that fight in the hallway and your reluctance to talk about it, I thought that maybe Rokiroki attacked you or something and you were too ashamed to talk about it.”

Izuku bit his lip and leaned away a bit as he tilted his head to the side. He looked over the three bowls and then to the floor.

That was where he’d fallen on top of Roki that first night, wasn’t it? Where he’d cut his hand and it had kind of looked like he was going to kiss Izuku.

“I mean, I was surprised and a bit confused over what happened at the time,” Izuku explained, letting his shoulders fall with a long breath of air. “But we’ve sort of talked it out and everything’s okay now. I think… we still haven’t really talked about it. We didn’t really get the time to properly, before—but we will when he comes back.”

Sato nodded with a hum, crossing his arms a bit. He looked away with a curious look on his face that made Izuku frown.

“What?”

“Well, it’s just not really my business, but some friendly advice from an alpha to an omega,” Sato began, making Izuku swallow at his choice of words. “Set boundaries.”

“Boundaries?” Izuku asked, a bit confused.

“It’s really important that you tell him right away what you’re not okay with him doing,” Sato said.

“Todoroki wouldn’t make me do anything I don’t want to,” Izuku defended again.

“I don’t think so, either, but alphas are naturally possessive, Midoriya. I’m just saying that when they feel like their claim on someone is being threatened, they can go to some serious extremes.” Sato made a grimach. “Well, maybe claim isn’t the right word to use in this situation, but you understand what I mean.”

Izuku nodded, one hand covering the bite and massaging his neck. “I do.”

Izuku hummed a bit to himself as he rinsed the bucket as the cookies cooled off underneath a couple of kitchen towels. He threw them glances and smiled at the sweet and inviting scent they gave off. Like freshly baked goods with that hint of chocolate and vanilla. 

“I hope Todoroki likes them,” he said to himself, giggling a bit as he skipped in his spot.

“You’re not going to let this go.”

Izuku sighed, shoulders falling as he looked over his shoulder to see Bakugou walk into the kitchen. His hands were shoved into his pockets and his shoulders were slumped, but his eyes were harsh.

He swallowed as he started drying the bucket off. “What do you mean?”

Bakugou looked around the kitchen, eyes falling on the cookies and the wet baking supplies drying on the rack. He rolled his eyes and clicked with his tongue disapprovingly.

“You’re baking for him now?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing. The smell of caramel filled the kitchen and drowned out the one of chocolate and cookies.

“Yeah, so what?” Izuku asked, putting the bucket into the washing machine. He started loading it to have something to do, kneeling down on the ground as he organized the already washed buckets and spoons more than he needed to.

“Do you even know what that means?” Bakugou asked, coming closer and leaning on the counter.

“Yes, Kacchan. I do know what that means,” Izuku said, looking up at him with a harsh stare. His lip jutted outwards in a sort of pout and he looked back to the washer. “I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”

He closed the machine, clicked the program before walking over to the cooling trays. He grabbed two boxes of see through tupperware and started to load them in, being extra careful to make equal amounts of both flavors into both. He didn’t want either one of the two Todoroki’s to think that he was favoring one or the other.

There was a moment of silence between them where he could feel Bakugou’s stare in the back of his neck. It was so harsh that he could almost pinpoint which part of his neck it was that Bakugou was looking at the most.

“You have no fucking clue what you’re getting yourself into,” the alpha finally said with a grumble.

“Well, if people would explain stuff to me then maybe I would,” Izuku snapped, aggressively closing the lid on one of the boxes. He turned to Bakugou and crossed his arms. “Like for example, why Todoroki gave me his shirt. You seem to know why, so explain. Why did he give me his shirt and why shouldn’t I accept it?”

“You’re an idiot.” Bakugou looked away with an annoyed sigh.

“Then explain it to me, Kacchan, so I understand!” Izuku exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“He’s marking you, you nerd!” Bakugou exclaimed in return, slamming one hand on the counter while the other sparked with explosions that quickly died down as he clenched his fist. 

“And scenting me. I know that, okay? What I still don’t know is why Todoroki gave me his shirt and you seem to be the only one that has even the tiniest idea of why, so tell me already!” Izuku begged, letting his hands fall to his sides with a long sigh. This was exhausting.

“Did you fucking wear it?” Bakugou narrowed his eyes, looking Izuku over with intense eyes.

“I feel asleep with it,” Izuku mumbled, blushing but still standing his ground.

“Then you’re rubbing your fucking scent all over it.”

“What does that matter?” Izuku stopped and rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. “Is it like an engagement gift…? You don’t return a courting gift, so it’s not entirely the same thing, but is there maybe something like it?”

“A fucking what?” Bakugou frowned, raised an eyebrow.

“When betas are courting someone they give them an engagement ring, but sometimes when they don’t have the money for a proper ring they give them an engagement gift as a temporary substitute. Usually a bracelet or a fake ring or a necklace or something that’s not as pretty or as significant, but definitely something that holds at least some value,” Izuku rambled, hands moving through the air as he spoke. Alphas courting an omega was different, but there had to be some similarities, right? And Bakugou had said that he shouldn’t accept the shirt while Shinsou had said that you didn’t accept a courting gift, so it couldn’t be a courting gift could it? And since it did seem like he was being courted, then maybe… “A courting proposal. Sharing your scent is intimate and something sacred done between family and… and mates. What happens if I wear it?”

“I’m telling you fucking don’t,” Bakugou said, taking a step closer.

“Then give me a reason why I shouldn’t. Just saying not to isn’t going to help,” Izuku pushed, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his own eyes in return.

“You really want to be tied to an alpha who treats you like that for the rest of your life?” Bakugou asked, raising an eyebrow. His hip jutted out as he shifted his weight.

“I’m already tied to him for the rest of my life,” Izuku said, rolling his eyes.

“He fucking bit you?” Bakugou started but then he narrowed his eyes. He zeroed in on the patch on Izuku’s neck with a growl but then he gave a small shake of his head. “No, you haven’t presented yet. What did he do?”

“Nothing that either of us could help,” Izuku said with a shrug.

“What the fuck did he do?” Bakugou got closer, his face growing darker the longer Izuku remained quiet. “Did he force himself on you?”

Izuku stood his ground, but he did swallow and shake his head furiously.

“Todoroki and I are fated mates. We’ve been tied together since we were born,” Izuku explained. “If I wear it, would that mean that I’m accepting his courting proposal, or is there something more to it? Because if he wants to court me, then I’m not going to say no.”

Bakugou clicked his tongue. “Do whatever you want. But I’m telling you this isn’t going to end well. That red haired bastard is nothing but pure alpha. He’ll fucking tear into you the first chance he gets, and alphas who can’t control themselves don’t take well to rejection.”

“Why would I reject him?” 

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “He wants to fuck you, and alphas like that red haired bastard—like Rokiroki—don’t care if you say no. They take what they want because it’s in their right.”

“Todoroki’s not like that,” Izuku insisted. “You don’t think he would do that. He’s our friend.”

“Normally I don’t the half-and-half bastard even has the balls to tell you he likes you considering he’s been making googly eyes at you for the last year. But he’s not fucking right, right now,” Bakugou said, squaring his shoulders.

“Well, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Izuku said, shaking his head.

“Yes, I fucking do,” Bakugou said harshly, an underlying growl in his voice that he quickly quelled. “As hard as it might be for you to understand with your unpresented ass, instincts are a fucking thing. Anyone with half a brain can tell that he’s fucking half feral. And if you really are fated mates, then that’s going to go out on you.”

“Well, he hasn’t attacked me,” Izuku said.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “And that shit on your neck is a fashion statement?”

Izuku’s cheeks heated up and his mouth formed a thin line. He looked away as he tightened his hands into fist before flexing them, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“He bit you, didn’t he?” Bakugou said, softer than before and even his expression relaxed a bit.

“What does it matter?” Izuku asked, taking a step back.

Bakugou groaned, looking like he was literally about to fall over with how far back he leaned his head in frustration. He ran his hand down his face, a vein pulsing on his forehead.

“You can’t be this much of a fucking idiot,” he muttered in such a guttural voice that Izuku flinched. “Has it ever crossed your mind that he wants to mate you right now?”

“Well, I mean… Maybe?” Izuku mumbled. “But he can’t, and I wouldn’t let anything like that happen. Kacchan, I’m not helpless anymore. I can defend myself.”

“If you keep showing your neck to him, he’s going to think you’re inviting him,” the explosive said, placing his hand on the counter and leaning over Izuku. Towering over him, not nearly as tall as Todoroki, but tall enough that Izuku could feel the intense presence leaking from him. “And you rubbing your scent all over his clothes isn’t going to make that any fucking better. That thing’s supposed to make you smell like him.”

“And what’s that supposed to do?” Izuku asked, taking a step back. He was finally getting some answers and he wasn’t going to stop pushing for them right now.

“He’s claiming you before you get a chance to present,” Bakugou said.

“I know, we’ve established that,” Izuku said with a nod. He made rolls with his wrist for Bakugou to go on. “And?”

“And, that means when you do fucking present his scent will be the fucking first thing you smell! You’ll go straight to him, high in fucking heat and he won’t be able to control himself because of it,” Bakugou said, straightening his back and narrowing his eyes as his lip turned upwards in a snarl. “Whether you actually want him to or not, he will fuck you, knot you and bite you. Probably knock you up in the process.”

Izuku’s whole body went stiff and he audibly swallowed as the images flashed before his eyes; And he wasn’t sure if he found them enticing or terrifying.

“That’s not…”

“What he’s trying to do? He wouldn’t do that?” Bakugou finished with a raised eyebrow. “The bastard is still an alpha. The scent of an omega in heat will send him over the edge, and it’s not like he isn’t already about to tip over.”

Izuku swallowed, throat snared into a tight knot. He inhaled a shaky breath as his many encounters with Roki flashed before his mind's eye. The kitchen, the elevator, Roki’s bedroom. Intimate moments that had escalated every time they’d been alone. Words bounced around in his head, both from Roki and from Todo.

Todo’s fear before they’d left on Friday came back to him. The worry in his eyes and the absolute disgust with himself as he’d looked at his other half stirred Izuku’s gut till he got nauseous.

“Todoroki won’t do that,” he started slowly, gripping his shirt in a tight grip. “And Todoroki—Todo—wouldn’t let Roki do that. He’d stop himself.”

“Yeah, because he’s done such a good job of that so far,” Bakugou snorted.

Izuku inhaled, the breath shaking as much as the previous one. “Tomorrow, Todoroki and I will talk about this. I’m going to give him my gift, and then we’re going to talk.”

“There’s no stopping you doing this, is there?” Bakugou groaned, taking a step back. Izuku shook his head. “Fine. But this isn’t going to end well.”

“I can take care of myself, Kacchan,” Izuku said, though his voice came out smaller than he’d intended. “And you know as well as I do that Todoroki would never force me to do anything I wouldn’t want to.”

“Todoroki, maybe,” Bakugou agreed with a shrug as he turned around to leave. He threw a glance over his shoulder with a warning look. “But that Roki bastard definitely would.”

“Shouto! Open the door!” Enji called, banging his fist on Roki’s door. He could hear he was inside and he could smell his onslaught of pheromones seep through the door, but Roki didn’t answer.

“I told you, I won’t open the door to you,” Todo said with a shrug. He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “I don't want to talk to you.”

“It’s important I talk to both of you,” Enji said sternly, his fist hovering over the door before it fell on it again.

Todo sighed, hanging his head. “You can just tell me. I’m listening through the door.”

He got a confused look in response to that, Enji’s eyebrows furrowing. His hand stopped, placed on the door as he visibly tried to process what Todo had just said.

“I mean, my other me is on the other side of the door and listening to what you’re saying,” Todo clarified. “Even if I’m not answering.”

Enji groaned, looking like he was about to roll his eyes which was a bit amusing to think about. Instead he hunched his shoulders and tightened his fist around the pill bottle.

“Listen close, Shouto. I talked to Principal Nezu,” Enji said slowly, as if the door was blocking Roki’s understanding of his words. “We’re meeting him tomorrow.”

“We are?” Todo asked, eyes wide and blinking. “They’re letting me go back?”

He could tell Roki’s confusion and surprise from the other side of the door, but also the underlying glee that wafted through their shared brain. It swirled and was filled with Midoriya, constant thoughts about the omega. He sent a warning back and could just tell that Roki gave a huff without hearing it out loud.

“Principal Nezu want to talk with you personally,” Enji explained with a nod. The unopened bottle of pills rattled before he handed it to Todo. “On the condition that your other half takes these. He won’t talk to me, so make him listen.”

“I can hear you,” Todo said with a nod as he looked at the bottle. “But I can’t promise I can make myself take them. I’m not happy about it.”

“If you want to go back to school, this is your only option,” Enji said, tone harsh, not leaving it up for debate.

Chapter Text

Roki clenched his fists and growled, earning a disapproving glance from his father through the rearview mirror. He huffed and crossed his arms over chest, claws drawn and struggling to keep them that way. 

It was taking more focus than normal to keep his instincts as sharp as before. His claws wanted to retreat back into regular nails and his teeth refused to sharpen beyond a small added edge. No dangerous canines that could rip your throat out, no claws that could cut to the bone with enough force. It was like he’d been drowned in his own head and his body had just submitted to it. Accepted the fact that he was going to lose this internal battle.

The moment the car stopped in front of U.A’s main gate, he threw the car door open with enough force that it shook back and forth. Then he slammed it shut with enough force that the glass audibly rattled. He stormed past Aizawa with enough of a murderous glare that the beta reached for his carbon scarf. There was a faint red glow to his eyes and the tips of his hair fluttered.

“Todoroki, stay right there,” Aizawa commanded, eyes narrowed.

His insides burned and he wanted to explode. But instead he took a deep breath, flexed his fingers and forced a neutral expression onto his face. He inhaled a couple of deep breaths before he turned around.

“I’m sorry,” Roki said slowly, feeling how the words ached in his mouth. “I’m feeling… weird.”

“I’m on suppressants,” Todo said, coming over with a nod.

“I guess I’ll excuse the attitude,” Aizawa said, letting go of his scarf and scratching his hair. “For now. Endeavor.”

“Eraser Head,” Enji greeted as he walked over with his towering height. He gave Roki a warning look and the alpha just looked away with a huff, arms crossed once again.

Behave, he told himself as he inhaled a long, deep breath. Calm down, and behave. Keep yourself in control, don’t let the fire erupt into the inferno you want it to. 

That way they wouldn’t take him away ago. 

That way they can’t keep him away from Midoriya again.

Roki took another deep breath and closed his eyes. His hands clenched into fists, the skin of his left side sizzling under his clothes. He was a bit put off by the way his claws struggled to come out. The tips barely grazed his palms and his fingers tingled, the skin around his nails getting close to painful before he gave up on pulling them out. He gritted his teeth together and growled when his gums did nothing more than ache. 

Todo came over, holding his bag out which he took with a huff. He shoved his hand into his pocket and shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he looked away. Searching with the bond to where Midoriya was and knowing that the pull would lead him straight to the dormitory.

“Go change into your uniforms,” Aizawa said, ripping Roki from his internal search. He got a warning look when Todo nodded, reluctantly nodding as well. “I need to talk with Endeavor alone.”

“Sure,” Roki muttered, wasting no time in turning and making a straight line towards the dorms. Todo hurried behind him, but knew better than to try and talk to him right now.

There was a silent calm that flooded over him the closer he got to the dormitory, and he let out a pleased hum when he realized that Midoriya could sense his distress and was trying to ease his mind.

He didn’t talk to anyone when he entered the dorms. Didn’t as much as say hi as he passed them all, heading straight up the stairs. He contemplated stopping by Midoriya’s room first as he passed the second floor but the sudden cold wind that blew past him made him take the last few flights up to the fifth floor.

“Don’t cause any unnecessary trouble,” Todo said as he opened the door to what was their original dorm room when Roki walked down towards his own temporary one.

“I know,” he grumbled.

“For Midoriya.”

“I know!”

Roki shut the door behind him as he entered the room he’d only slept in for a couple of nights. His futon was still laid out on the floor where he’d left it and everything was in the same mess it had been in when they’d left friday. The burnt footsteps in the Tatami mat where his temperature had risen a bit too high and burned through his sock, and the dark spots from Todo’s frost that had soaked into the flooring and permanently discolored it.

He quickly changed out of his clothes and pulled on his uniform. After buttoning up his shirt and pulling his tie around his neck, he looked down on the long ends. He stared down on them for a long time, remembering the mess of a knot that Midoriya had made of his for the last year and the way his freckled cheeks had turned a faint red when Roki had fixed it for him. The way his eyes had moved around and then flickered back and forth. The way his lips had rubbed against each other as he shifted in front of Roki. So close that all he’d had to do was pull on the ends of that red tie and smash their lips together.

He hung his head backwards with a groan. “What a missed opportunity.”

They could have prevented all of this from happening if he had just closed the distance between himself and Midoriya in that one moment. If he had just taken that small shuffle forwards and sealed their lips together. It wouldn’t even have to be a deep kiss, just a small peck. A small touch of lips so that Midoriya could process it, and maybe then they would go for something deeper. Something more intimate, like a proper massage with maybe even a little tongue thrown in there.

Midoriya’s lips were probably really soft. Maybe a bit chapped from how often he’d been biting his lip lately. A small nibble in the corner, where the plump lip went into the corner of his mouth. Plush and plump, bottom lip just a little bit thicker than the upper.

Maybe he should buy him some lip balm?

He wouldn’t mind it if he kissed Midoriya and his lips tasted like strawberries.

Roki snorted, a small but amused noise that was surprisingly soft as he tied the ends together before leaving his temporary dorm room. He closed the door just in time to see Todo do the same, giving him a narrowed stare and he just shrugged in response. Todo shook his head with a sigh before they headed downstairs together. Then Todo stopped, patting his pants.

“I forgot my phone,” he said, sharing a quick look with Roki.

Roki didn’t wait as his counterpart went back up the steps, not in any particular hurry. Instead Roki headed downstairs, throwing a glance into the second floor’s corridor in hopes to see Midoriya exiting his bedroom. He frowned with a pout when he saw the door closed.

His frown disappeared quickly when he spotted those green curls leaving the bottom of the staircase and round the corner towards the kitchens. His yellow backpack was thrown over his shoulders, standing out like a sore thumb against the grey uniform jacket.

“Midoriya,” Roki called, hurrying over before he could stop himself.

Those green curls whirled as the omega spun around, eyes growing wide and a bright smile coming onto his face when he saw Roki. He immediately changed his direction and practically ran over.

“Todoroki! You’re back,” he said, his eyes sparkling. He reached out his hands, stopped himself and bounced on the balls of his feet for a couple of seconds before he threw his arms around Roki’s torso.

Roki’s chest clenched and his heart made a skip that caused his breath to catch in his throat. He inhaled sharply and for a moment he didn’t know what to do with his hands before he slowly raised them up, staring at his fingers closely as he wrapped them around Midoriya’s shoulders. He exhaled a shaky breath before he smiled, nuzzling his nose into Midoriya’s messy hair, and he just relaxed. His shoulders fell and his breathing became easier. Just standing there, the storm in his head and that raging fire inside that tried to burn under the crushing pressure of miles of deep water, calmed down. 

He tightened his grip on Midoriya and pulled him as close as he could. He inhaled his scent, enjoying how the surprisingly soft strands of green tickled his nose.

“I missed you,” he whispered with a long breath. He couldn’t stop himself from rubbing his nose into the crown of Midoriya’s head, spreading just a bit of his scent onto him.

“I missed you too, Todoroki,” Midoriya said, voice muffled against his chest as he struggled a bit with his head to look up at him. When Roki finally let him get enough space to do so, his eyes were shining and his smile was big and happy. There was a faint tint of pink to his cheeks and he was nibbling on his bottom lip again.

“You’re going to get chapped lips,” he said, taking his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger. He rubbed his thumb over it and could feel the way Midoriya inhaled.

“Sorry.” Midoriya swallowed, eyes falling to Roki’s hand and lips almost closing around the thumb.

It was cute how lost he looked in that moment, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with Roki’s digit so close to his mouth. He was about to tease him a bit on it, maybe make another cute comment to make Midoriya’s cheeks turn just a darker shade of red, to that tone that complimented his freckles so well when Midoriya puckered his lips and boldly kissed the tip of Roki’s thumb.

And suddenly Roki didn’t know what to do. How to respond to the courageous action that he definitely hadn’t expected Midoriya to take. From the way he’d spluttered and stammered every other time Roki had made an intimate move on him, he’d expected the same reaction this time. An awkward stammering, maybe those wanting but confused eyes that lingered and waited in anticipation for what Roki was going to do next. Those shaking hands that would cling to him and let him do whatever it was Roki wanted to do.

Unsure, uncertain and innocently unaware.

Midoriya’s eyes darted around the hallway, surprisingly empty considering the time. Though, there was some considerable noise coming from the kitchen, so maybe they were all already downstairs.

If that was the case…

“You’re up late,” Roki blurted out.

“I am…?” Midoriya asked, his lips moving over Roki’s thumb as he spoke.

“You always go on a run every morning,” he responded with a nod. “You’re always awake before everyone else. Usually.”

Midoriya’s teeth grazed Roki’s thumb before he seemed to remember that the digit was still there. Instead he bit the inside of his cheek, eyes averting as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. “It’s always so calm in the mornings, so… That’s why. H-how do you know that?”

“Sometimes you have bags under your eyes, so I started to wonder if you sleep enough,” Roki said, finally letting his thumb move from Izuku’s lips to rub under his eye. “Then I caught you leaving the dorms one morning.”

“Were you watching me?” Midoriya’s eyebrows raised upwards and he tilted a bit to the side, but he had an amused smile on his lips.

“I was.”

“And you were worried about me?”

“I was.”

Midoriya snickered, his lips tightening into a sort of puckered smile as his cheeks took on that right shade of red that Roki liked so much.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Roki said, mouth forming a thin line. His hand fell to Izuku’s jawline, but he didn’t take his hands away. 

“No, well, a little maybe,” Izuku said, holding one hand up to show with his index and thumb. “But you were just being a good friend, right? Or… a good, you know.”

He shrugged and shifted his weight back and forth. Unintentionally rubbing against Roki with their close proximity.

Roki nodded, understanding what it was Izuku was trying to say. He opened his mouth to say something when he sighed, forcing his hands to fall to his sides.

“I’m just hugging him,” Roki said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m allowed to do that much, aren’t I?”

Todo looked away as he came around the corner, his cheeks having taken on a pink hue as he nodded. “I am.”

Izuku took a small step back and readjusted the straps on his backpack. He looked between the two of them and cleared his throat. “Are you two getting along again?”

“I’ve… come to an agreement,” Todo said slowly, carefully watching Roki as he spoke.

“Oh, and that is?” Izuku asked, leaning forwards as Todo came over to stand next to Roki. Izuku looked between them with wide and expecting eyes. 

“We’ll take it slow,” Roki said when Todo took too long to answer.

“We’ll take it slow…?” Izuku asked, furrowing his brow.

Todo nodded. “I’m…”

He never finished what he was going to say, looking very unsure about himself as he stood there. He cleared his throat and looked away, maybe a bit more shy than unsure as he took a small glance between Izuku and Roki. Then he took a step closer and leaned forwards. He planted cold lips on Izuku’s cheek before leaning back.

“I agreed to take it slow, if that’s okay with you?” he said, definitely shy. Which made Roki roll his eyes again and look away, forcing himself not to groan since they were making progress, albeit very slowly.

Not that Izuku looked much better off. He held a hand over his cheek and his face had taken on a deeper shade of red.

“Okay,” he finally got out.

Before either of them could say anything else, Roki spoke up. “I missed.”

Because someone had to say it.

“Missed? Missed what?” Izuku asked, looking between the two with confused eyes.

“I didn’t miss,” Todo said, very much like he was hissing through his teeth. “I wasn’t aiming there anyway.”

“Why not?” Roki asked with a frown, shoulders falling and leaning forward to give himself a look of disbelief. Then he turned to Izuku. “You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“Mind what?” the omega asked, looking around and then back to the two. His chest expanded as he inhaled sharply.

“If I kissed you,” Roki replied without a second's hesitation.

Izuku was definitely blushing now, but before he could reply or even move his head in answer they were interrupted.

“Deku, I’m just gonna go grab my bag before—oh, hi, Todoroki, there is rice in the kitchen,” Uraraka said as she leaned out from the doorway leading to the kitchen. “It’s going to run out if you don’t hurry.”

“R-right, thank you, Uraraka. We’ll be right there,” Izuku said, stammering out the words as he looked away with an awkward chuckle. His fingers tightened around the strap to his backpack.

“Good luck, Deku,” Uraraka said, giving him a thumbs up and a very shit eating face. “I believe in you.”

Todo and Roki looked at each other, back to where Uraraka disappeared back into the kitchen and then to Izuku who looked like he was going to combust from how red his face was. He audibly swallowed and shuffled his legs, moving back and forth in a small line as if standing still was too difficult for him right now. He hid his eyes behind his bangs and his lips were in a tight line.

“What did I miss?” they both asked in unison.

“Well, it’s sort of like… I kinda did—so I thought that…” 

Izuku looked up at them and then slapped his hands over his face. He dragged them down before inhaling a long and very loud breath. His shoulders squared and he removed his backpack. He knelt down and started to rummage through it, before he stood up again, holding two boxes in his hands. 

“Here!” Izuku said, a bit too loud as he shoved two separate boxes against both of their chest, face beat red and looking down at the floor as if he was afraid to look them straight in the eyes.

They both looked at each other before accepting the tupperware, Todo’s with a red lid and Roki’s with a white one.

“I think you mixed them up,” Roki said, tapping the lid of the box with an amused smile.

“No, they’re supposed to be that way,” Izuku said, fiddling with his fingers.

Todo popped the corner of the lid and blinked. “Cookies.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know what you liked. I started making light chocolate ones, but then I thought that maybe you like dark chocolate, but dark chocolate is so strong so I made white chocolate as well to counter it, you know, in case you didn’t like those or they were too much, but maybe you don’t like chocolate at all so I made some with vanilla instead and—” He stopped and bit his lip. “I made you cookies.”
Todo and Roki looked between each other and then down at the tupperware in their hands.

“Midoriya, you—” Todo started.

“Baked these?” Roki finished.

“Yes,” he confirmed with a stiff nod and cheeks burning bright. “An-and, I know what it means to give an alpha… uhm, homemade sweets.”

Roki popped the lid on his own box. There were four separate piles of four cookies on top of each other. Three with clear signs of chocolate sticking out of them and one that looked smooth and a light roasted buttery color. He picked one up and looked it over while Izuku stared at him with wide and uncertain eyes. He averted his eyes, fiddled with his uneven tie and then looked back up at Roki as he took a bite.

Izuku shuffled his feet over the floor, the slippers making noise across the floor and his shoulders rose higher and higher. The backpack fell over when Izuku accidentally pushed at it with his foot but he didn’t seem to have the right mind to fix it as he looked between the two halves of a whole, cheeks quickly turning back into that dark red blush.

“It’s good,” Roki said, taking a bite, chewing and swallowing. He hummed in approval and took another small bite.

“It-it is?” Izuku asked carefully, his lips twitching upwards.

“You’re really talented,” he said, looking at Todo who was still looking down on his own box. His hand was over the lid and he had a small smile on his lips while frost had spread over his collar and the edge of his sleeve.

“So, uhm, I wasn’t sure what you meant when you gave me your shirt,” Izuku started carefully, fumbling a bit over his words. “I mean, I might have an idea now, but I’m not really sure, but you said you like me so I thought that… I mean, I hope that—” He stopped, cleared his throat and slapped his cheeks hard enough that both Todoroki’s jumped. He stood straight and looked at them both and asked with a tone much bolder than he looked, “Are we courting?”

Both Todo and Roki blushed, though Todo’s was a significant shade darker than his warmer counterpart. 

It was Roki who spoke up, but Todo was the one who nodded.

“I want us to be courting,” he began, brushing his fingers over the lid of the cookie box and smiling softly. He put it back on with a quiet plop, the cookie placed on top. “But you pushed me away, so I got scared. I thought that, if you had a part of me then maybe that would change something. I wanted you to accept it.”

Izuku inhaled sharply. “Accept what, Todoroki?”

“To be my mate,” Todo spoke for his other half, voice low and quiet. He looked out from behind his bangs and then averted his eyes. “I thought that…”

“I didn’t push you away because I don’t like you. I pushed you away because you surprised me,” Izuku said, covering the patched up bite with his hand. “I just didn’t know what it was you wanted.”

“I thought I made it clear what I wanted,” Roki said.

“I don’t know how alphas and omegas court. No one taught me how it’s done so…” Izuku stopped. “We said we were going to be friends, so I didn’t think that you liked me like that. But then you did that and… I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to just—” He blushed and pointed at himself. “—Because I’m an omega or if you actually wanted to—maybe, I mean I hoped at least—to be with me. Like a couple… maybe.”

“Midoriya, I don’t want you because you’re an omega,” Todo said, taking a step closer and running a hand down his cheek. “I want you because you’re you.”

“You’re strong,” Roki said.

“And kind, and persistent,” Todo added.

“And stubborn, and you’ve got a contagious smile that makes me want to smile, too.”

“You never give up on those who need you, even when it breaks you.”

“You’ve never given up on me, even when I didn’t deserve you.”

“Ever since I met you, you’ve proven yourself to be strong and reliable and gentle and soft and cute and—”

“Determined to make a change,” Roki finished. “You want to save everyone, even when they don’t want saving.”
Izuku shifted his weight, smiling as his face burned and his insides fluttered. “I’m not really… all of those things, am I?”
“You are,” Todo said.

“And I love your smile, Izuku.” Roki cupped Izuku’s other cheek and his eyes softened. “I want you to smile because of me.”

Izuku sniffled, his eyes getting glassy. He rubbed a hand over his eye and Roki stiffened.

“In a good way, Izuku, I promise. Why are you crying again?” he asked, turning towards Todo. He only got a shrug back and an equally as panicked look.

“Midoriya, did I say something wrong? I’m sorry,” Todo said, pushing Roki back with a hand on his chest only to have Izuku grab onto both of their sweaters.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said with a chuckle. He released them to dry his eyes, furiously rubbing them before he looked back up at them. “I’m just happy. That’s all.”

Roki looked at Todo and then back at Izuku. “So that means that I make you happy?”

“Well, yes,” Izuku said with a small shrug. “You both do. So…”

“So?”

“Are… we courting?”

Izuku’s eyes were wide and green and hopeful. Roki could even feel how Todo’s heart skipped a beat and the sharp inhale of air that his counterpart took. Much to his surprise, Roki didn’t get the chance to answer.

“Yes, please,” Todo practically begged without hesitation.

He should probably pretend like he was paying attention. This was the most pivotal moment of the day, after all. This was the moment that would decide whether or not he could return to school. If he could attend class today or if he had to go back to that ugly rental house.

But Roki just couldn’t bring himself to focus on what Nezu said. Instead he tilted his head backwards just a bit, staring up at the tiled ceiling and counting each and every separate square he saw in order to get Izuku out of his head.

For once, he was actually trying not to think about the omega.

To be able to be with Izuku after this, he would have to not think about him right now. And Roki’s instincts were screaming at him every time he tried to focus on anything other than Izuku’s cookies or the sweet smile on his face or the way his body had pressed against him in that tight hug. How his hands had wrapped around his torso and how his crooked fingers had knitted into the back of his jacket, his face snuggling up against his collarbone and unintentionally rubbing his scent all over Roki’s clothes.

As if Izuku was trying to scent Roki as his to ward off any other unwanted suitors.

A smile pulled on his lips as he thought about it.

Izuku, jealous.

In a way it was difficult to envision because the thought of Izuku and envy just didn’t go together in Shouto’s mind. He’d always seemed to be that kind of pure ray of sunshine that would always be happy for his friends over their gifts and for what they had. He never complained when someone did something without him, instead taking the time to just enjoy the time when they did spend it with him.

Though, there had been small glances in the beginning. An awkward eye peeking through the corner of his eye as they walked off in different directions. Those awkward excuses about how it was alright if they didn’t want to invite him to hang out that time and that there was always another time. His shoulder slumping just a bit as his posture hunched, as if he was ready to curl in on himself while his fingers played across each other like two spiders.

Was it bad that Roki wanted Izuku to get jealous?

That he wanted him to get just a little bit possessive by scenting Shouto till he barely smelled like himself anymore. Pepper him in hickeys that you just couldn’t cover up because they would travel all the way up to his jawline and stand out like black sheep in a flock of only whites. Hold his hand while they were walking to class, fingers clutching Shouto’s in a firm but just a little bit embarrassed grip while he tried to crawl into his shirt as he glanced at Shouto from behind his bangs, cheeks and ears just a tint of red. Reach up and plant a kiss on Shouto’s lips, even just his cheek or his chin would be enough, whenever he heard people gushing over him. 

Over his alpha.

Yeah, a little bit of jealousy wasn’t so bad.

A hint of possession that was so unbefitting an omega in the eyes of society, but that Shouto would absolutely melt over because the thought of someone publicly making sure he was a claimed alpha just seemed so odd to him.

Todo coughed into his fist and glared at Roki, a spike ripping through Roki’s neck and down his spine to bring his attention back to the conversation. Narrowed grey eyes warned him and Todo nodded with his head in a small bob towards Nezu with a silent warning to pay attention.

He turned towards the principal who had just finished talking and was looking at Roki with expecting eyes.

He swallowed, fists tightening.

“I promise,” Todo replied for him when he realized that Roki hadn’t been paying attention whatsoever to what Nezu had been saying. “I’ll take the suppressants, and I won’t be causing any trouble. There will be no more incidents.”

Roki glanced over at him and Todo nodded for him to say something. “Right.”

“That is reassuring to hear,” Nezu said with a nod. “But a teacher will still be present to make sure you take your subscription each time.”

“I don’t need that,” Roki objected, eyebrows furrowing.

“It’s just a safety precaution,” Nezu said, sounding far to chipper as usual. “As you might understand, we take these kinds of situations very seriously. In the off chance that this doesn’t work, I have been working to make sure you’ll be able to take classes online to not fall behind in your curriculum.”

Roki narrowed his eyes and sank down into his chair. “That’s…”

“Reassuring,” Todo said before Roki could even come up with something to finish his statement. “I don’t want to fall behind.”

Nezu nodded approvingly. “Think of this week as a trial period.”

“A trial period?” both of them asked at the same time, looking at each other with furrowed brows.

“Yes, a trial period,” Nezu said, closing his paws with a serious expression on his face. “We cannot accept anymore of your unsafe and disrespectful behavior. If anything else happens, I’ll have to suspend you until your condition has been fixed.”

Roki averted his eyes, looking around the office. His foot twitched and he dug his nails into his arms before he released a deep breath. “I promise I won’t cause any more trouble.” He reluctantly added once more, “And I promise to take the suppressants.”

Nezu looked at him with unreadable eyes before he gave a nod. “Alright. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time. Despite all of the last couple of incidents, Midoriya keeps insisting that you shouldn’t be punished.”

“Midoriya was here?” Todo asked, blinking in surprise.

“He didn’t talk with me specifically,” Nezu said. 

Roki couldn’t stop the twitch of a smile. 

Of course, Izuku would stand up for him. He was kind like that.

“But Todoroki?” Nezu said, causing Roki to look up. “One more incident or you stop taking the suppressants under any circumstances, and I will have no other choice but to suspend you till further notice.”

Chapter Text

The response when the two Todoroki halves returned to class was a joyous one, though it was followed by a couple of curious questions on exactly what had happened to lead to their temporary suspension. Questions about the hallway and the elevator, and if they were the ones responsible, which Todo had no problem owning up to. He was a bit more tightlipped about the exact reason as to why the elevator and the hallway had taken a hard hit, which seemed to bother a couple of their friends. When they turned to Sato and Sero to get more answers, Sero just shrugged as he’d done ever since the incident took place while Sato gave Izuku a glance before giving a shrug of his own.

But all in all, everything was fairly normal.

Including the staring.

Izuku swallowed, glancing back and met Roki’s eyes head on.

The alpha smirked as he leaned his chin in his hand. He raised his hand and gave a small wave that Izuku carefully returned with a small flutter of his fingers before turning back to the headboard, cheeks burning and lips twitching upwards. He nibbled on his bottom lip, pulling on it with his teeth as he scribbled down the notes from the board into his book.

There was a tickle in the back of his mind, dull and faint but still there.

He’d been a bit hesitant to tell Roki that since he’d missed taking the medication during the weekend he had to take it this morning. There had been a disapproving glare and a huff as the alpha clearly didn’t like the idea. He’d stood silent for a good while as Izuku shifted back and forth, waiting for his answer in hopes of at least some understanding between them.

Todo had encouraged him to do it, just to make sure that he didn’t suffer any attacks during class. Which Roki eventually had reluctantly agreed to, if Izuku didn’t take it later that night.

He had furiously nodded in agreement, sighing in relief. 

It was a bit odd.

The effect was still there. The bond was dull and foggy, as if it had flooded with bog water and swimming through it was too exhausting. But when he searched deep and far, he could still grasp for the straws of the bond.

His heart raced in his chest as he gently brushed at the strings, swallowing as his mouth got dry. He waited for the heart palpitations, for the sweating and for his throat to snare up at any second, only for Todo to join Roki in their small game of mental tug-of-war.

His heart calmed down. Slowing to a soft beat and filling his gut with gentle flutters. A cold breeze joined the sweltering heat and cooled his warm nape like a patch of snow on a fresh burn. 

It was no secret that Aizawa was constantly watching Roki. It was evident with how he didn't leave the classroom once the class break came and they were going to change their teacher for a new subject. Aizawa lingered in the room until the next teacher arrived and exchanged a few words with a not so discreet glance in Roki's direction. 

When lunch break came both Todo and Roki stood around Izuku's desk, patiently waiting for him to pack up his things. They walked to lunch together along with Uraraka and Iida, along with Aizawa which clearly didn't please Roki one bit. He glared at the pro hero before turning away with a huff. 

The red headed alpha was equally as displeased when he had to take some kind of medicine with his lunch. Todo had given a short explanation while Roki just poked at the small plate of food.

After Roki had swallowed the pill, Aizawa had left them alone for the moment. Though, Izuku was sure he caught Lunchrush glancing in their direction once or twice. 

But despite Roki’s clear annoyance, things seemed to have returned to a semi-normal. The only exception being Todoroki’s split in half, that is.

Izuku fiddled with the hem of his jacket sleeve as both Todoroki walked him to his locker room when lunch was over. They shouldered him on both sides, once again looking like two intimidating bodyguards. Well, Roki looked intimidating. Glaring at any alpha that walked by, though he did try to hide it when he caught Izuku glancing at him with a raised eyebrow. Todo on the other hand was looking down and sometimes away. Probably to hide the red tint to his cheeks that Izuku had noticed had taken to his cheeks when their hands had bumped against each other during the walk.

He couldn’t help but smile, a small skip in his step.

This felt right. In a way. Having Todoroki walking beside him, knowing that it was them now. They were courting and they were technically in a relationship, weren't they? Because that's what courting meant. So if he brushed his hand against Todo's that wasn't anything inappropriate, it was normal. If Roki looked just a little bit miffed when other students glanced at Izuku and giggled or silently talked about him, it was obvious that he was going to get just a little bit overprotective. 

“You really didn’t have to walk me here,” he said when they neared the omega lockers. He looked first at Todo and then at Roki.

“I know,” Todo said, shifting his weight and then throwing a glance at Roki as if he was asking for help. “It…”

“Felt right to do so,” Roki finished. He tilted his head and his bangs moved, causing a few strands to fall over his eyes. "I didn't like the idea of letting you walk alone."

“Aizawa probably wouldn’t like it,” Izuku said, placing a hand on the door handle.

“Aizawa isn’t here,” Roki said abruptly. He looked over his shoulder and then back at Izuku with a smile.

“Yeah, but…” Izuku moved back and forth in his spot as he mumbled, “I don’t want them to send you away again, so it’s probably best not to piss the teachers off right now.”

Todo’s expression softened and he took a careful step forward. Izuku watched as his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed before gently brushing his fingers over his cheek, oh-so-softly placing some loose strands of hair behind Izuku’s ear. Then, before his hand fell down to his side, he brushed a thumb across his cheek as if he was silently counting the majority of Izuku’s freckles.

“I’ve promised not to do anything that will give you trouble again,” he said.

“And I won’t let them keep us apart again,” Roki interjected.

“I promise to behave,” Todo hurried to say, cutting his other half off from finishing whatever else he’d planned on saying following those words. He gave him a glance, but it didn’t seem to be angry or harsh other than it was a bit reprimanding. Roki didn’t seem to huff in annoyance either, instead he just rolled his eyes and put his hand on his hip and leaned a bit on it.

“Then how about…” Izuku’s cheeks heated up for no particular reason other than the fact that Todo was standing so very close. “Want to study in my room after class? I’ll help you catch up on the lessons you missed. If you want to… and, and we could talk about us. Finally. You know, properly decide where we stand with each other. I know we're technically courting now—well, technically, not technically courting. We are cou… courting now, right?”

Todo and Roki shared a look before nodding in unison. “Yes. I would like that.”

It was like walking on clouds above an inferno encased glacier. Everything was hot and cold at the same time and Todo was soaring with each step he took. Each brush he got from Midoriya. His fingers bumping into his own, getting to caress his cheek in a more intimate manner than he'd ever gotten to before. He could finally look at him with loving eyes and receive a loving gaze back. It wasn't pining after his best friend anymore. It was a mutual feeling between a courting pair.

Courting. He thought with a small twitch in his lips. He and Midoriya were courting. They were finally official. He wants to court me . He wants me to court him.

Roki's actions had been inappropriate. No one could deny that. But he couldn't help but admit that it had helped get Midoriya to look his way, even if it was because of the wrong reasons at first. But the fact that Roki had been so open about how Shouto had felt for so long was the very reason Midoriya had baked him cookies and wanted to court him. 

He wanted that.

God, how long had he wanted that? 

It felt like an eternity now that he'd wanted Midoriya to be his. Wanted to have the omega in his arms and never let him go. Protect him from everyone that would ever try to harm him and make sure that no other scar was ever going to mar his already decorated skin.

Todo would kiss his fingers every night if he got the chance to. Would cool the aching joints when it got too much for him. Would do everything to make up for the pain and permanent mark he'd left on Izuku's body. 

"And what will I do when I bite him?" Roki snorted at his internal monologue.

"That is far away," Todo said. "I'm thinking of the now."

"I should plan more," Roki said, fixing his bag as they neared the locker rooms.

"It hasn't been a day yet." Todo narrowed his eyes at Roki and the other just shrugged.

He knew immediately that he was getting angry glares from Bakugou when he entered the locker room. Or rather, Roki was getting angry glares from Bakugou. 

The blond alpha stood by his locker, throwing glances and not so discreet looks at Roki like he wanted to smother him with a pillow. Cram his hand down his throat and let off an explosion inside it. He didn't seem to make his distrust and clear distaste any less obvious when he bared his teeth at him, a sharpened canine growing before retracting back in. 

Todo just sighed when Roki gave him a smug smirk back instead of ignoring him. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Roki said, the smug smirk falling into a smile that still looked far too sly for Todo's liking. "He's just being pissy because I told him the truth."

"Great," Todo said, his shoulders falling with a groan. He nodded behind himself towards the door and said in a hushed tone, "Can I at least keep this secret until Midoriya wants to talk about it?"

Roki shrugged as he threw his uniform into his locker and started pulling on his uniform. "Whatever."

Thankfully, the days sparring class was duo battles in respective areas of U.A's manny battlegrounds. That meant that Todo and Roki were teamed up together to better learn how to function as one in two bodies. Which was good because they still needed to properly understand how their quirk work with their current condition. Being quirkless on one side and left vulnerable to attacks wasn't always going to be an option.

Unfortunately, Izuku was not going to be anywhere near him in the fight. He wasn't on his list of opponents or even in the same arena as Todo and Roki was in, much to Roki's dismay and Todo's relief.

"I won't have to worry about accidentally hurting him," Todo said when he eyed his counterparts disapproving look at the list of lineups.

"I won't be able to be there if he gets hurt by anyone else," Roki argued, directing his disapproval from the screen to himself. "What then?"

"Midoriya is strong enough to defend himself."

"Izuku." 

"What?"

A pulse, like a reminder, flowed towards him as Roki grinned. One hand rested on his hip as he shifted his weight. Had he really ever looked like that? "Izuku. His name is Izuku, and he's my fiancé. I can call him Izuku."

Todo's cheeks burned averted his eyes away from Roki to Midoriya’s strong back. He was standing with Oujiro and talking frantically while Asui and Shouji stood not too far away from them. They were in the same arena and were going to be fighting each other.

"I have to ask him first," Todo mumbled, voice barely a whisper when Midoriya perked up. He turned and looked over his shoulder and blushed when he saw Todo. Roki waved and Izuku waved back. Just to not be the odd one out, Todo waved as well and Izuku's smile grew even wider and his wave a bit more excited.

"I think it's fine," Roki said with a snort. 

The fight was fun and quite educational. Especially for the two Todoroki halves who'd been signed up to fight Aoyama and Ashido. Both who had great and useful quirks in their own right and who had also worked together before. Todo and Roki had also worked together before, but technically that had been as one person in one body and not as two separate entities. So despite the fact that Ashido had protested the fight, insisting that it was unfair to fight two Todoroki's, Aizawa had just shrugged and said that a fight wasn't always fair.

It turned out, she hadn't had to worry. Aoyama was doing an excellent job keeping Todo's ice in check now that they were standing in separate areas of the arena. Surprisingly, now that he didn't have his fire to help, Todo actually struggled a bit to get a good enough hits in on the beta who'd gotten quite good at dancing out of the way and using his lacers to do so.

Roki was having his own struggle with Ashido. Apparently, her acid, when heated to a certain degree, became highly flammable. Something Roki found out the hard way when it came spraying at him and he used a wall of fire to block it. It burst into flame and lighting half the ground on fire, forcing Todo to drop his focus on Aoyama and try to keep the flames from burning then as it ate at the battleground that had been well stained by Ashido's acid by now. 

Both of them faltered when the bond sprang out with a sudden burst of energy and panic. The need to move and to fight and to find. This wasn't the right place to be and they were miles from where they should be.

"Midoriya’s hurt," Todo said, catching Roki growlin where he stood. His back hunched and his eyes narrowed and pupils fluctuating back and forth. His fire roared around them and rising up.

"I shouldn't be here. I should be with him," Roki said, turning away from his opponent in a split second.

It was a split second that Ashido took well advantage of. She threw a wide wave of her acid their way that Todo quickly stomped on the ground to block when he was hit square in the shoulder by a blast of pure energy. His shoulder exploded with pain as the lacer tore through his uniform and sent him sprawling on the ground.

"Shit!" Roki turned, arm raised but too late to activate his quirk. He fumbled at the ice on the ground and winced when burning acid hit him, biting through the skin and eating away at it. 

Just then a horn blared through the arena and everything stopped. Ashido dropped her stance and Aoyama let his arms fall from behind his head. Todo pushed himself up and held his shoulder with a hand he wished could ease the pain, but the wrong shoulder had been hit and he lacked a quirk in his good one. His arm hung down and his fingers twitched when he willed them to, but when he tried to raise his arm above his shoulder the pain became near unbearable.

He'd probably pulled something. 

“Are you okay, Rokiroki?” Ashido asked as she came over, eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed just a bit in concern as she hunched over.

Roki hissed, rubbing his arm where the acid had eaten through the fabric of his sleeve down to his skin. An angry red bubbling had taken to the pale flesh and steam was rising from the burn, but whether that was from Roki’s quirk or if it was from the acid itself was unclear so far.

“What about you, Todotodo?” Ashido asked as the other came over, rubbing his shoulder.

“It was so dazzling you couldn’t dodge it, wasn’t it?” Aoyama said, striking a pose.

Todo grunted with a nod. “It was a good shot. Both of you."

"I wasn't expecting you two to be so easily distracted," Ashido said with a proud smile, clearly happy for her own victory. Though she still took some ointment from Roki's utility belt and was carefully applying it to ease the pain. Todo had to focus extremely to make sure Roki didn't lash out from the way his brain was roaring right now.

Todo agreed with a hum, but didn't say anything else. A couple of minutes later, Aizawa arrived. He came up to them just as Ashido finished wrapping Roki's burn. He gave the red headed alpha a look that said he wasn't pleased, and for a second Todo worried his other half was going to act out. Instead Roki tsked and looked away, clenching his fists tight. Steam exited his mouth as he let out a long breath, calming his exterior down enough that only Todo could feel the inferno inside.

That inferno was dangerous. It was the power that Shouto had rejected for so long and refused to acknowledge as his own. Just as he'd refused to acknowledge for the longest time that he was an alpha, just like Endeavor. Like the man who hurt his mother. His father had said it was a gift, but Shouto had found it disgusting. Found that part of himself disgusting to accept. 

Midoriya had made it slightly easier to accept himself. Though it had been a slow process that had taken well close to a year. His mother had told him to start simple when he'd talked to her about it when they were first reconnecting. Start to get comfortable with your quirk and then maybe that will be one area of himself that he didn't have to despise. Hopefully that would make it easier to accept the other parts of himself that he might not be alright with still.

He'd found that the only thing that was a positive from being an alpha was that he'd been blessed with a fated mate like Midoriya. From the old myths and wives tales, only alphas and omegas could be fated together. That made him glad, because Midoriya was part of what made him want to be better.

But then there was the part of him that regretted that he and Midoriya were fated together. Only alphas and omegas, which meant that Midoriya had had no other option but to be born an omega. Shouto came from a strong line of alpha blood on his father's side. No beta male had been born to the Todoroki name in generations, and even his mother had been one generation away from being classified as pure. Which was why he and his siblings were purebred.

Endeavor failed at many things, but being thorough was not one of them. 

In a way that made him worry. Secondary gender was genetic. A hereditary trait, just like quirks, and that meant that his and Midoriya’s children would have a chance of being born to any of the three additional genders. If they chose to have them, that is. Shouto was very okay with adopting and pissing on genetics just to fuck with his father's hopes of a continued pure bloodline of alpha sons.

"I'm fine," Roki grumbled, pushing Ashido aside and standing up. "I'm calm."

Roki and Aizawa shared a long look with each other before the older hero seemed to relent. He turned to the two of them and looked them over, from Roki's injured arm to Todo's torn shoulder and sleeve.

“Todoroki, take yourself to the infirmary. Get your shoulder checked out while you’re there,” Aizawa instructed.

When class ended, Izuku headed straight to the infirmary. He'd heard Ashido talk about her fight with Todo and Roki, so he hadn't even gotten a chance to change out of his uniform. He'd bolted straight there without thinking first until he stood outside of the infirmary door with a hesitant hand on the doorknob. 

“Hello?” he asked as he poked his head through the doorway before stepping inside.

He spotted Recovery Girl right away, sitting at her desk and writing. Izuku guessed a medical report. Then he spotted white hair and then Todo's grey eyes as he turned around to look at him. He gave the barest hint of a smile. Roki looked out from behind him. His smile was definitely bigger and way more visible.

"Midoriya—" Todo stopped himself with a cough into his hand. A blush crept up on his face and he looked away. "I-Izuku."

Izuku's face heated up and he silently closed the door behind him as he came closer. Roki looked downright proud of his other half and gave him an approving nod.

"It's okay if I… call you Izuku now?" Todo asked, he fidgeted. Barely noticeable if you didn't know him well enough to spot the small changes. "Since…" 

He looked so awkward that it was adorable. But Izuku nodded with his own smile on his lips. "I'd like that a lot. If I can call you—" 

"You can," Roki interrupted immediately.

"But I didn't finish," Izuku said, blinking at the blue eyed alpha.

"You don't have to," Roki said, waving Izuku's concern away with his good arm. "You can call me Shouto."

They were interrupted by Recovery Girl letting out a long and very audible sigh. "I see you three have gotten far closer since you returned, Todoroki."

"We have," Roki started before he turned to Izuku. He looked at Todo for a split second. "Can I tell her?" 

Izuku contemplated it for a hot minute before he nodded. It was probably best that the teachers knew about what had happened between them this morning. If they were going to court while at school, it was best that the closest teachers knew about it.

"It's okay," he said before he turned to Recovery Girl and said far more confident than he'd expected himself to be at that moment, "Todoroki… I mean, Shouto and I are courting."

"Is this a recent development?" Recovery Girl asked, her eyebrows rising just a smidge on her wrinkled forehead. Izuku nodded. 

"This morning, actually," Izuku admitted with a shy smile. "But I think we've both wanted this for a, well, for a while now."

He glanced at Todo and Roki and both nodded. One with a firm tilt of his head while the other was flushed a faint pink and a bit more shy about it. The contrast was surprisingly cute between the two halves. Izuku faintly wondered how that would look once they were merged into one again. If it would be a mix of their reactions or if one would be more prominent than the other, a dominant feature. Maybe Todo's would be the default or maybe it would be Roki's, but with the faintest hint of a blush hidden behind duo colored bangs. 

They'd just both been a bit slow in realizing what it was that they wanted, despite having already talked about it. Guess neither one of them had been completely honest at the time, or hasn't been aware that there was more there back then. But once they'd decided to be friends it just hadn't felt right to breach the topic again. They were friends. No point in ruining that when things were going so well.

Izuku was definitely thankful for Roki's very forward approach.

"A fresh coupling, then," Recovery Girl noted, seemingly more so to herself than to the three students. 

"We haven't told anyone else, though," Izuku said quickly. He fidgeted in his spot a bit as his stomach fluttered at the thought of calling his mom and telling her he was technically engaged. He wondered if she would approve. "So we… I think we, at least, want to keep it kinda silent for a little bit longer."

"There's been so much this last week. It's best to wait with the announcement until afterwards," Todo agreed. "I… want to tell my mom first, before I tell anyone else. If that's okay with you, Mido—" He stopped, expression unchanged and neutral but his cheeks one tad bit pink. "Izuku." 

Izuku giggled. He had no idea that Todoroki stumbling over his name would be so adorable. "That's okay. I need to tell my mom and All Might, too."

"And my old man can't know," Todo and Roki simultaneously spoke. They didn't even look at each other. "He doesn't approve."

"Did you tell him? About us?" Izuku pointed at himself with a crooked finger.

Roki shook his head. "No, he thinks I've imprinted on you."

Izuku cocked his head with a frown. He looked between Recovery Girl and his… well, his fiancé. "There's not really much difference, though. Is there?"

"No," Recovery Girl confirmed. "The exception is that you can break an imprinted bond. It's created, not born. But there's not enough research to properly compare them."

They were similar, in theory. Imprinting on someone was like biologically deciding, without proper cause, that the person before you was yours. They would one day be your mate and your life suddenly revolved around their happiness and comfort. They were your core. Very similar to how a fated bond works, with the exception of the psychological bond between emotions and natural instinct. Two fated mates could also never break from each other, whether they mated or not. They were eternally a part of who their partner was, while an imprint could eventually be erased. 

It wasn't rare to imprint, but it wasn't common either. Technically, you could imprint on a hundred people in your life. It was possible, but it was emotionally and psychologically taxing and could tear at your mental health to repeatedly break that type of bond apart. 

Many psychologist and scientists believed that fated pairs were just children who'd at some point in early childhood, whether that be infancy or later, had imprinted on each other without realizing, and as the bond had been left to fester throughout their life, it eventually became such a big part of who they were that they could no longer live without it. Others believed it was more complex than that and could not be as easily understood.

Really, fated mates were as well researched as the inside of a black hole in space. 

"And how has this recent development affected you, Midoriya?" Recovery Girl asked. "Have you had any more attacks?" 

Izuku shook his head. "No. Though, my neck itched a bit after To—after Shouto left U.A."

"And your glands?" 

"I think they've gone back to normal," Izuku said, scratching at the patch. One of the corners kept lifting from the skin where Roki had poked at it. "I can't really see them, though."

“Turn around and let me see,” Recovery Girl said, waving at him to come over.

Izuku sat down and spun in the chair to show her his neck. He stiffened when Roki’s underlying growl filled the room, his shoulders rising to his ears as Izuku audibly swallowed.

“Calm yourself, Todoroki,” Recovery Girl said, as stern as an old lady could get. She did give him the side eye and the growl became more of an underlying rumble in his chest.

“I’m sorry,” Todo said, placing a hand on Roki’s shoulder. The blue eyed alpha gave it a death stare before turning back to stare intently at Izuku and Recovery Girl.

Recovery Girl looked straight at Roki when she spoke. "I'm making sure that your fated omega is healthy. Calm yourself."

Roki's mouth formed a thin line, corners rising upwards once or twice as he seemed to struggle with himself on what to do. He clenched his hands into fists before he gave a nod to show he understood. It was only then that Recovery Girl peeled the patch from Izuku's neck very carefully. She didn't mention how it was already halfway ready to peel off on its own, which Izuku was thankful for. 

She was extremely careful in how she continued with the examination. Shooting Roki repeated looks before she actually started touching Izuku’s glands. A shudder went through him when her fingers made contact with the skin over his glands and he even let out a surprised gasp as an uncomfortable wave washed over him. He squirmed in his seat, biting the inside of his lip. Both Todo and Roki sent floods of calm his way, though Roki’s were far more filled with aggression and discomfort over Recovery Girl’s examination than Todo’s, which were more focused on Izuku’s sudden discomfort.

“The swelling in your glands have gone down significantly since I last patched you up,” Recovery Girl said when she pulled her hands away and gave Izuku the clear to turn back around.

“I haven’t had another attack since then, either,” Izuku repeated with a shrug, rubbing at his neck in hopes that it would ease the unsettling feeling in his stomach.

“That’s good,” Recovery Girl said with a nod. “I’m going to let your neck breathe for now, but if you notice the swelling coming back or you have another attack then I want you to come see me immediately.”

Izuku nodded in a silent promise before he tilted his head to the side, a bit guilty as he admitted, "I haven't been taking the dampeners on a… regular basis lately. They make Todoroki act out, and I don't like the way they make me feel."

He tacked the last bit on to not completely throw Todoroki—Shouto, he corrected himself in his head—under the bus, but it wasn't much of a lie. He didn't entirely like the way the dampeners affected the bond, even if it had been a bit of an experience to be alone in his head for once. But it had been empty. Far too empty. 

"And… and if they have a bad effect on T—Shouto, then I shouldn't take them, right?" Izuku continued without much pause, pointing at the two halves. "Because that could explain some of his actions lately. The dampeners make him act out as an alpha because he and I are fated. That's a thing… right? It has to have something to do with it." 

Recovery Girl sighed. "I told you that there isn't enough research on fated mates to know how either of you would react to the pills. You should have come to me about this earlier."

"I just thought that maybe it would work out eventually," Izuku shrugged. He also hadn’t wanted to end up in the infirmary more than he needed to this year since he’d basically lived in a hospital bed the majority of his first year. "But it only made things worse."

"Did you take one this morning?"

"Yes." Izuku nodded. "But I didn't take them for pretty much the entire weekend. It didn't feel right since Todoroki—”

“Shouto,” Roki interrupted and Izuku blushed.

“Since Shouto wasn't here," he corrected himself.

He could feel the rush of emotions between the two Todoroki's at his words. The bond was coming back with each passing hour. 

"And you didn't have another attack during that time?" Recovery Girl asked. 

He shook his head but it was Roki who spoke. "I gave him my shirt. It helped."

"Scented by only you? Or by you both?”

"No, by both of me," Todo said.

Recovery Girl made a noise as she noted that down into Izuku's extensive medical file. 

"Alright. Then you’ll lower the dose to one capsule every morning. We don't have enough information to properly know how effective simple scenting will be," Recovery Girl said.

"And there's no way to just get a smaller dosage?" Izuku asked, tilting his head and weight to the side.

"Unfortunately, no. I gave you the smallest dose because of your unique situation," Recovery Girl said, closing his file. “Dampeners are far too recent to be properly tested on imprinted couples, and on fated mates even less so.”

Izuku sighed but nodded. That was just how it was when you were one of a kind, he supposed. You were basically a mystery, even to yourself since there was no one there to answer your questions. Not even yourself unless you discovered those answers by yourself. 

"Midoriya, you can go. Todoroki you stay, I want to take one last look at your arm before you leave," Recovery Girl said with a wave of her hand. Izuku nodded and stood up to leave.

"I'll see you after class?" Todo asked as he walked Izuku to the infirmary door.

"Yeah, sure. I'll prepare my room for tonight—for studying, I mean! But you... knew that," Izuku stammered out, cheeks burning.

Todo’s lips twitched upward in a small smile and he nodded. "I appreciate it."

Chapter Text

Just about five minutes after Midoriya had left, Aizawa pulled open the door to the infirmary. His expression was its usual tired one with droopy eyelids and hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed since he left school. Those tired, yet somehow sharp eyes zeroed in on Roki with a kind of harshness that you wouldn’t expect the underground hero to have with how he presented himself.

Roki sighed the second he noticed the teacher and Todo swallowed, the worry starting up in his chest when he tried to read Aizawa’s expression and couldn’t for the life of him tell what he was thinking at that moment. Then again, Shouto wasn’t the best when it came to reading other people’s expressions, or most social cues for that matter.

"What happened?" Aizawa asked, stern but with the tone of someone who was willing to listen. Which was good, because Todo knew for a fact that Roki would not react well to being separated from Midoriya—Izuku, he corrected himself—again now that they were officially courting.

It was still surreal to think about. To know that every time he looked at Izuku, he omega would be his forever one day. They were, as his classmates probably would put it, a thing.

Roki looked away, flexing the fingers of his injured hand and taking a long, deep breath. He replied simply with, "Izuku got hurt."

Aizawa sighed with a small tilt of his head as he nodded in understanding. 

"Midoriya is going to keep putting himself in danger in the future," he said as he shifted his weight. "I understand the desire to protect him, but it can't become that much of a distraction that you put yourself in unnecessary danger."

"I'm working on it," Todo said quickly before Roki could form a reply. Better he didn't say anything at all to that.

"I need to protect him. It's my job to make sure he's safe," Roki said anyway, making Todo silently groan in frustration. He should've known his other half wouldn't keep quiet. Izuku was a topic you couldn't argue with him on, as Todo had personally come to understand all too quickly.

"Midoriya is strong enough that he can protect himself. If he'll need your help, I'm sure he'll ask for it but until then," Aizawa said, stern and sounding ever like the teacher he was.

"Keep myself in check," Roki finished for him with a roll of his eyes.

"Mr. Aizawa, I promise that I won't be causing any more trouble," Todo interjected. "There won't be any more incidents. I promise."

He gave Roki a look and his other half nodded with a huff and muttered, "I promise."

“Todoroki!” Izuku shrieked when Roki opened the door with a clear disapproving scowl. Todo stood behind him with a disapproving glare directed at Roki and a hand on his shoulder.

“I said I should knock,” Todo chastised only to be ignored.

“What did I say about the door?” Roki said as he stepped inside of the changing room.

Izuku chuckled awkwardly, holding his shirt in front of his naked chest and looked away. His toes fumbled over each other as he shifted back and forth, trying not to think about the fact that he was in nothing but his boxers.

“To lock it?” Izuku mumbled, glancing up and then averting his eyes. Todo had closed the door and turned around, facing the door with stiff shoulders. There was a tint of red to his ears and the parts of his face that Izuku could see, while Roki stood unabashedly looking Izuku all over.

“To lock it,” Roki repeated with a nod. “What if someone walked in on you?”

“Like I just did?” Todo asked, clearly annoyed with his other half.

“What if it hadn’t been me? What would you have done then?” Roki asked in turn, first glaring at Todo and then looking at Izuku with a raised eyebrow. His scar stretched as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Asked them to leave?” Izuku shrugged his shoulders and fumbled with the shirt, not sure if he should hide it behind his back or if he should put it on.

“Midoriya?” Todo asked, turned around partly and frowned. “Is that…?”

Roki blinked before looking down on the shirt and his eyes widened. “My shirt?”

Izuku’s breath caught in his throat and he stiffened. He bit his lip and shoulders rose to his ears. “Maybe…”

“You wore it,” Todo said, sounding all too surprised while Roki got downright smug.

“I’ll scent it for you again, it must have lost some of the smell by now,” he said, holding his hand out.

Izuku didn’t mean to do it, but he clutched the shirt to his chest with a panic blooming in his chest.

Roki stopped and raised his eyebrows.

“Sorry,” Izuku said when he realized what he’d done. He held the shirt out and felt how his cheeks burned. “Here.”

“I’m not going to take it from you,” Todo said when Roki took the shirt and rubbed his face all over it.

“I promise,” Roki repeated before handing it to Todo who did the same thing with surprising willingness. Then he handed it back to Izuku who slowly put it on and pulled it down to hide his boxers.

“It would be a lot easier if I just scented you directly instead of the shirt,” Roki pointed out only to immediately be smacked by Todo in the back of the head. It was also Todo who rubbed the back of his head while Roki let out a grunt in surprise and pain.

Izuku’s face bloomed red and he didn’t know if he should reply to that or not.

“I’ll wait outside,” Todo said, grabbing his other half by the arm and pulling him towards the door. When he opened it and pushed Roki out with much reluctance from the red headed alpha, Todo turned around and said, “Lock the door, please.”

Izuku nodded and then the door shut. He shuffled over to the door and turned the lock as Roki rubbing his face into his neck flashed through his head while Todo hugged him from behind. 

As happy as it made him, it was a bit distracting. Both Todoroki's—Shouto's, Izuku's mind corrected—sat on either side of him with their separate box of cookies on the table. Roki on his left and Todo on his right, sandwiching him between them. Todo held a somewhat normal distance between them like they normally would during their studies, though he would occasionally lean just a bit closer before correcting himself. Roki, on the other hand, sat nearly flush against Izuku, close to being in his lap, even. When Izuku turned to him with a raised eyebrow and burning cheeks, he only gave a grin in return with hooded eyes that made Izuku turn back to his homework immediately.

Had Todoroki ever been as bold as Roki was? 

He couldn't recall. The only moments that came to mind were in the middle of fights. Their battle at the Sports Festival, for example. Their battle against Stein was another and then after when Shouto—his blush deepened—had nearly picked a fight with the Chief of Police. A few more filtered through, but none were in direct relation to his and Izuku's relationship… uh, friendship.

He kind of liked it. The bold approach and the straight forward answers. It was nice to finally get everything said out loud and cleared out between them. Though, he couldn't entirely approve of the physical approach Roki had started with. The biting and the rutting. While it did make Izuku's insides flutter and for a need inside to bubble to life that he didn't entirely recognise, he wasn't sure he was ready for that kind of activity. It was such a giant step and they'd just gotten around to talking properly. He didn't want their relationship to be just physical this early. He wanted more romance, the dating aspect with hand holding and dates and night cuddling up against each other during movie nights. Watching Shouto sleep with his head in Izuku's lap while he brushed through his hair, correcting the strands that had fallen out of place. 

"What about this part here?" Todo spoke, interrupting Izuku's internal discourse as he pointed to one section of Izuku's notes. It was math and the equation Izuku had written out was a scribbled mess of words. It was from last Friday, he realised. "I tried to do it this weekend, but I wanted your help. You're good at explaining things."

Izuku found a smile tugging on his lips at the words and his cheeks burned even deeper when Roki bumped his shoulder against his. He shot a smile at the alpha and snickered as he bumped back. Roki raised an eyebrow and returned it, sending Izuku bumping into Todo who raised both eyebrows up behind his bangs. Both Izuku and Roki looked at each other snickered. Todo soon joined them with a shake of his head. 

Izuku leaned over towards Todo and pointed to the section he'd mentioned earlier. “This one?”

“Yes.” Todo nodded while Roki listened closely, scribbling in turn with Izuku's explanation about multiplication and subtraction and everything in between along with a bunch of other stuff. Half moved on to the part that had nothing to do with the equation in question, but Todo seemed to understand because he nodded again as he wrote out an answer on the page. “Like that?”

Izuku leaned over and scanned it and then nodded in approval. “Yes, just like that.”

“Thank you,” Todo said with a nod. The smile wasn’t as prominent on his face but Izuku saw the twinkle in his eye.

He giggled to himself as he turned back to his own page, looking down on the notes and scribbles and to the text book with content he needed to get down for the upcoming week’s assignment. It was entirely about the making of the laws in regards to the Hero System their society was built on and they were then going to pick apart the laws in regards to historical events and then argue for their opinion on said laws of their choosing. Whether it was a good idea but bad in practice or vice versa. 

Izuku was sure it had to do with what had happened last year and to gain their views on their upcoming rebuilding of their bruised society. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to go all out on the assignment and make his points very clear.

Roki bumped his knee against Izuku’s and he teasingly bumped it back. Roki glanced at him and knocked their elbows together gently and Izuku nudged his shoulder in return, causing Roki to lean to the side at the small impact. He raised his eyebrows and Izuku feigned ignorance, but he couldn’t stop the small smile from pulling on the corner of his lips.

Roki hummed, sitting back in his place for a good ten minutes, letting Izuku get enough focus on his writing before he leaned down and planted a kiss right on the corner of Izuku’s lip. Izuku could feel the small grin on his face and Todo dropped his pen as his face grew a bright shade of red.

“I win,” the red headed counterpart whispered, giving a small lick over the area while Izuku’s face bloomed with a bright blush. He looked at Roki with wide eyes, not sure what to say or what to do as his heart hammered away in his chest like a steam engine. 

“Y-yeah,” he finally managed to get out as his heart traveled all the way up to his throat. “You win.”

The smug alpha ran his thumb over Izuku’s bottom lip with a purr, licking his own lips with a very seductive tongue while his blue eyes seemed to be glued to Izuku. Izuku parted his lips slightly, breathing hot air on the thumb while Roki pulled on the plump bottom flesh with a look that said he had hidden intentions that Izuku was sure he could guess himself to.

The bandages on his hands had been removed now, neither wounds on either one of his hands having left a scar. Apparently Recovery Girl had healed them at the same time as she’d healed up his acid burns and had chastised him for not just getting them healed from the start. Izuku had wondered the same when he’d noticed it, but Todo had been tight lipped on that. Even Roki had looked away with a blush, mumbling something about Izuku and gentle hands that he really didn’t understand much of. 

“Stop it.”

“Do you want me to stop it?” Roki asked in return to Todo’s demand, though it was clear that he was asking Izuku and not his other half.

“D-depends entirely on what you were going to do,” Izuku said, faltering a bit at the start but finding the courage to finish the sentence as he glanced towards Todo. The white haired counterpart looked mildly uncomfortable and even a bit apologetic.

“I was going to—”

“No, I’m not,” Todo said sternly. “That is not taking it slow.”

“How slow do I intend on taking this?” Roki asked with a groan, releasing Izuku’s face to glare at his other half. 

“Slower than this,” Todo replied with narrowed eyes. “We just started courting. I can at least pretend like I have some self control.”

“I’ve been inside my head,” Roki said, the corner of his lip pulling upwards but his teeth remained in their blunt state. “I’m not exactly an innocent snowflake.”

It was Todo who growled, his claws extending as he placed his hand flat on the table. Frost spread around his fingers as the temperature dropped around them. “That is enough! Do not ruin this when it just started.”

“I am not ruining it.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Your arguing is kind of ruining it…” Izuku sighed, putting his head in his hand as he rolled his pen over the table with a pout.

The two alphas stopped and turned to him with surprised eyes. He looked between them and shrugged, because it was a bit true. Every time something seemed like it was going well, the two just couldn’t seem to get along no matter what, and today things had been going really well, too. They were courting, they’d sort of talked, and they were going to try to make this work by moving slow for now. Yet, the two still found something to disagree on.

“I’m sorry, Midoriya,” Todo said lowly, letting out a sigh as he averted his eyes in shame.

“Izuku,” Roki corrected with huff.

“It’s okay,” Izuku started before he hardened his expression and shook his head. He scooted backwards so he could look at them both at the same time. He crossed his arms. “Actually. It’s not okay. I want us all to be able to get along. Shouto, you’re my fated mate and right now, you’re my fiancé. I want us to be able to have fun together without you two arguing all the time.”

The two at least had the decency to look ashamed as they turned to each other and then looked down on their knees. They both simultaneously whispered, "I'm sorry."

Izuku sighed, letting his arms fall to his lap as he thought of a way that could help them not throw a fit every other second either one of them did something the other didn't agree with. They wouldn't be able to work with this constant bickering back and forth. It just ruined the mood and caused more problems than it was worth.

He knew that Shouto had been troubled for a long time. That he'd constantly had problems and family issues thrown his way whenever things seemed to be looking up again. Either it was his father, or his mother, or his brother. Sometimes it was just his own self doubt and inner turmoil that tore him down. Those were issues that weren't going to go away overnight. Yet Izuku hadn't been prepared for that to pose such a problem between the two now. Hadn't been prepared for that inner turmoil and doubt to become such a tangible problem now that Shouto was split in two. 

"If I could just keep my hands to myself," Todo said, speaking quietly and looking up at Izuku through his bangs while throwing Roki the side eye.

"If I wasn't such a coward we wouldn't be having this problem," Roki snarled, crossing his arms and leaning with his back against the table. 

"I'm trying to take this at a reasonable pace," Todo said through a hiss, eyes narrowed.

"Shouto, please," Izuku begged with a groan. "Stop arguing."

"I'm not arguing, I'm just disagreeing with myself," Roki said with a matter of fact tone that clearly hid a snarl at his cold counterpart.

"Disagreements doesn't burn or freeze hallways or elevators," Izuku pointed out with a raised eyebrow and a tilt. "Why can't you two get along with each other… erh, yourself."

The two looked at Izuku to each other and then averted their eyes in the opposite direction of each other. Roki’s eyes narrowed with a scowl and Todo's eyebrows furrowed with a sad frown.

"I promised I'd take it slow," Todo finally mumbled after a long stretch of silence between the two of them.

Roki huffed. "I am taking it slow."

"My definition of slow is clearly skewed if I think this is taking it slow."

"What am I, a celibate nun? I'm allowed to kiss my fiancé!" Roki exclaimed, a growl directed at Todo. Izuku, in turn, could feel the way his cheeks heated up at the words. The very thought of Todoroki… of Shouto wanting to kiss him and calling him his fiancé in the same sentence being too much in such a short time.

"Not without asking first!"

"Am I an old man?" Roki asked with exasperation, rolling his eyes.

"Actually," Izuku interrupted, holding a hand up and smiling awkwardly. He looked around the room at the many All Might posters and swallowed. "We need to talk about that."

"About what?" Roku asked with a frown.

"About our boundaries," Izuku clarified. "So that everyone is comfortable. Even the two of you. If Todo isn't comfortable with an excessive amount of intim—intimacy then you'll have to accept that, and I'll have to accept that, too."

"Why should I have to hinder myself just for him ?" Roki spat the last word out as if it was poison.

"Maybe this was a mistake, after all…" Todo whispered from his corner. He looked down at his lap with a sad expression and there was even a hint of a shine in his eyes.

Izuku inhaled sharply, his chest clenching down tight as if a fist had gripped his heart. His lungs rattled with the sharp breath and he licked his lips to wet them. His mouth was suddenly all too dry.

"You mean…" He began slowly, words failing him. "You don't want to be courting?"

"No, I do want to court you, Izuku, but I told you, I would rather have this conversation when I'm myself again and not…" He looked at Roki and raised both eyebrows just enough that Izuku saw it. "Like this."

"And I've told you that if I tell him now, then it will be easier when I'm myself again," Roki said with a sigh. "Why drag it out?"

Izuku nodded to show them both that he acknowledged and understood what they were both saying, because he could agree somewhat with both sides just as much as he could disagree with them both. Todo’s view on the matter was easy to understand no matter who you were or how little knowledge you had about the situation. Of course it would be easier to talk when there was just one Shouto to answer him instead of two, but that also came with the potential that Shouto would think about it too much and hold some of his feelings back for the fear if scaring Izuku away or overstepping his boundaries in some way. Which was kind of how they'd ended up where they were right now, wasn't it? Meanwhile Roki had a point in the fact that building the foundation to the conversation that was inevitable once Shouto was whole again was actually a really good idea. That way they had something to go off of when they sat down to talk about everything. But at the same time, it came with the difficulty of making the two halves, who reasoned differently and worked on different desires that Shouto had, agree of an approach that they were both comfortable with. Roki wasn't overly physical with anyone except for Izuku, I fact, he barely spoke to anyone unless they spoke to him first. Meanwhile Todo was more like Shouto had been before. Distant, keeping his hands to himself and quiet but just a bit more involved in conversing with their classmates.

It was so odd how Izuku could see details of Shouto in them both and the way they acted despite how different they were sometimes. But it probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise since they were both Shouto and their thoughts, wants and likes were the same as they had always been. The difference now was that hidden secrets and feelings were more in the open and revealed.

"I understand why you'd want that, Shouto. But personally I don't think that's a good idea," Izuku said, turning to Todo to show that he was talking to him. "If we can just come to an agreement on how to deal with this now, then we can continue building on it later. We won't have to be afraid of talking to each other about this. Right? I don't want things to go back to how they were when we didn't dare talk about this."

Todo nodded silently. He clenched his hands in his lap and gritted his teeth. His jawline tightened and his mouth formed a thin line. When he lifted his head, Izuki caught the sparkle of faint white stubble on his upper lip.

The white haired alpha opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. He hesitated and looked away again, finding a spot on the floor that was particularly interesting as the seconds ticked by.

"Shouto?" Izuku asked carefully, scooting just a bit closer. "Please talk to me. Explain it to me and help me understand."

He leaned forward and placed a hand on Todo's knee and rubbed his kneecap with his crooked thumb. He smiled softly when Todo looked down at the digits before looking up to meet his eyes.

"I'm scared," Roki snorted, resting his head in his hand and leaning on the table.

"Let him talk," Izuku said, kindly begging but also stern to show he really meant it. Roki was vocal about his wants but Todo was quiet and drawn back when the topic was brought up. He understood that it might scare him, but Izuku wanted to know more. And he wanted to hear it from Todo's mouth.

"I…" Todo stopped. He hesitated before he swallowed and continued. "What if this—all of this—is just because…"

When he stopped Izuku frowned. He tilted his head and softly asked, "Because of what?"

"Because we're fated," Todo whispered lowly. His voice was barely above a whisper and there was a shudder in his voice.

"It's not," Izuku said, no hesitation in his words. "I knew what I felt when we met and what I feel now. It's different, Shouto. And it's not because we're fated mates, because if that's the case then I should have loved you from the moment I saw you, right?"

Both Shouto’s stopped, looking at Izuku with wide eyes that looked ready to pop out of their sockets. Blue eyes wide with surprise and a desire that definitely was a bit worrisome but also kinda flattering, and a grey pair that looked at him with disbelief.

Izuku swallowed as he shrunk down a bit before their gaze. "W-what are you looking at me like that for?"

"Do you mean it?" Roki asked, his breath hitched as he spoke.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Izuku, you…" Todo's breath shuddered and his teary eyes glassed over for a moment as if the tears had frozen before they'd gotten a chance to shed. "You love me?"

Izuku stopped, mouth forming a thin line as his cheeks burned when he realized what he'd said. But he nodded, scratching the back of his head. He chuckled a bit and looked around the room as he tried to calm his racing heart down.

Gods, had he really just said that out loud already?

He shrugged but nodded once more. "I mean, I think so. I've never been in love before, but I really do like you, Shouto. I've really come to like you since… well, since we started hanging out more after the whole Stein thing, and… I know it's early and that we just started courting today and that, that… But I mean, my chest kinda feels like—and from what people have said what love feels like, with the ache in your chest and butterflies in your stomach and being nervous and happy at the same time and wanting to spend time with each other and—and..."

"Izuku," they both interrupted him and he swallowed.

"Y-yeah?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh… sorry."

Todo's cheeks took on a hint of red as he shook his head slowly. "Don't apologise. I don't mind."

"I like hearing you talk," Roki added on, now sitting up straight with a smile on his face. His eyes were soft and his shoulders relaxed. "It's relaxing."

"You think so?" Izuku asked, shoulders rising as his cheeks burned hotter.

"Yeah, you go into this state—"

"Kind of like a trance."

"And you zone everything else out."

"It's really cute."

Despite the creepiness of them finishing each other's sentences, Izuku couldn't help but hang his head in embarrassment. It was the second time that day that Shouto praised him repeatedly with details that Izuku didn't know he'd noticed. He had no idea Shouto paid him so much attention when he wasn't looking.

He didn't really know what to say to you, stumbling over a bunch of distorted thoughts as he racked his brain for something to say when his eyes landed on a drawing in one of Todo's notebooks.

He raised his eyebrows and leaned over. “What’s that for?”

“Oh, I’ve been trying to redesign my hero costume,” Todo replied, making a gesture at the page. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be like this. I can’t leave my left side defenseless."

Roki hummed. “Aizawa thinks that Ayaze can help put me back together, but if that doesn’t work…”

“Can I see?” Izuku asked, eyes sparkling as he looked at the crude drawing with excitement. 

“Sure,” Todo replied with a shrug and turned the sketch around to show Izuku.

Izuku pulled the notebook towards himself and looked through the page. It was just two pages... well, one and a half, but Todo hadn't written anything else on that empty section yet. The drawing was very similar to Shouto's current hero costume but with a few tweeks, namely some form of gauntlet or gloves-looking add ons that hadn't been there before. In the margins there were scribbles about energy packs and linking cables.

"This is so cool," Izuku gushed as his brain started working with ideas.

"It's not that good," Todo said with a hint of a blush.

"But you could do so much with it! The gloves are for transferring your quirk from left to right, right? Imagine the kind of things you could do with it. Your flying would be better and far more stable if both of your boots could propel you, and imagine the reach your ice would get! It would double!"

"I just want a way to protect my quirkless side," Todo mumbled, but the twitch of his lips were unmistakable.

“If you could somehow draw the cold from your right side to your left,” Izuku, muttering.

“But I can’t do that,” Todo “My quirk doesn’t work like that, which is exactly why I need a support item.”

“That’s true. Maybe some kind of ice blaster perhaps?” Izuku tapped the paper with his index finger. “Though, we can’t just think about your ice quirk. If your left side is quirkless, then so is your right side. He’s going to need a support item as well. Is there no way you two could, maybe, in some way, telepathically use your quirk?”

“Again, it doesn’t work like that.”

"I know, I know. I'm thinking out loud," Izuku said with a wave of his hand.

He was really just mumbling aloud as his brain came alive with ideas and the amazing potential this could bring. There were so many options to what Shouto could do with this idea and how he could make it work. Izuku's fingers itched to write and to draw out the massive amounts of ideas his brain was spewing out per second

“You know, if you make this, you might be able to make it work even when you two merge again,” Izuku said, pulling on his bottom lip as he scanned the paper, scribbling down small idea notes and sketching out designs that came to mind. “That way you could channel your fire and ice to both sides if you needed to. Double the fire power, so to speak. And it would help give you back your full advantage of your quirk.”

Todo nodded and Roki supplied, “Hatsume tried to push something similar on me last year when I redesigned my suit to help with my fire.”

“Then she probably already have some ideas in mind that she’s just waiting to push on you,” Izuku agreed with a number of nods.

“She doesn’t seem like the type to wait for stuff,” Todo said skeptically, tilting his head. Probably remembering the pushy beta quite vividly since he shuddered at some far off memory.

“She can be a bit much, but she’s an amazing inventor,” Izuku said, waving with the pen in the air before biting on the end. “She managed to finish my gloves in barely a week.”

“She needs to sleep more,” Roki said.

“You’re quite similar,” Todo said with hum, and Roki nodded in agreement.

“Who—me?” Izuku stopped and pointed at himself with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Todo and Roki both nodded. “How am I and Hatsume similar?”

“You both get so invested in something that you forget to take care of yourself,” Todo pointed out, leaning on the table.

“I’m not that bad,” Izuku deflected, shaking his head.

"You are."

Chapter Text

Tuesday started off simple enough. Both Shouto’s stood waiting for Izuku outside of his shower when he came out after his morning jog and had greeted him good morning. They’d eaten breakfast together and the two had managed to not argue with each other for the rest of the morning which Izuku had been very proud of. He’d seen an off disapproving glance here and an angry huff there at particular moments but neither had spoken up about it or had let it bother them for too long. Todo and Roki had then walked with Izuku to class along with Iida and Uraraka, making simple small talk. Well, Todo did, while Roki just silently walked beside Izuku, hand bumping against his occasionally while Izuku shot him small smiles.

He didn’t want to push Roki away on his advances because he really did like the new forward approach when it didn’t breach any boundaries or went too far. But he also didn’t want to make Todo uncomfortable when Roki got too physical with Izuku. It seemed like they’d come to some level of agreement last night and Izuku hoped that they both could respect both his and, more importantly, each other’s boundaries for the time being. Because if they could do that, they could all move forward past this stage and work on the future with more ease. Hopefully it would also help ease Shouto when he returned to himself again, because Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit worried about what the impact of that would be like.

When the two had left his bedroom last night, wishing him a good night and Roki planting a bold kiss on Izuku's forehead while Todo fidgeted in the background, Izuku had smiled happily. He'd been the one to pull Todo down as he leaned up on his tip toes and planted a kiss of his own on Todo's cheek, fidling with his shirt as the two left for their dorm rooms. Roki smug as he glanced back and Todo blushing as he threw occasional looks backwards before they left around the corner.

And that was when Izuku's heartbeat picked up, beating up a storm in his chest as the last couple of hours just crashed down on him in a moment of realization. He'd closed the door behind himself and leaned on the door, smiling like an idiot as his face burned bright.

He'd called Shouto his fiancé to his face and they'd both been happy. He'd said he liked, even loved, Shouto and the two had been absolutely joyous! Well, maybe not outwards, but Izuku knew him well enough to see the emotions in his eyes at the words. How happy they'd made him.

But most of all, Shouto—well, Roki, but he was still Shouto—had even called him his fiancé. Had called him his fiancé! And Roki wanted to kiss him.

Izuku had touched his lips and had giggled like a little schoolgirl.

When they arrived to class, they were all immediately sent to their locker rooms to change into their hero costumes for rescue training over at U.S.J. A huge roar of joy sounded through the classroom before they hurried out to change. A few chatted about what they would be doing and which land area they were looking forward to more. Some thought they’d be doing sparring in different terrain while other’s figured they’d be doing basic rescues. Others were more enthused about trying out new moves in practice and in a more battle simulated arena, and then there were some who just didn’t voice their opinions out loud or just didn’t care much. 

Izuku himself was definitely part of the third group of people, wanting to try out his quirk in the different landscapes. He had gotten so much better at using more quirks at the same time, and rescue practice usually came with so many different scenarios he could use to hone his quirk with. He could use Black Whip to bind and to lift rocks and boulders, basic One for All super strength to demolish rubble and to fight in case they were doing some sparring, Float to get an overall view of the battlefield and the Fourth’s danger sense—or plain anxiety in superform as Kacchan had called it—to tell where he needed to go to either save or fight or to detect a sneaking enemy. There was so much he could train and perfect, especially in making them work seamlessly together.

He glanced at the two Shouto’s and wondered how this would go for them. They must be used to working with two quirks, as had been quite clearly obvious the last week, so rescue training while only able to utilise half of your capabilities must be one difficult and quite the challenge.

Once at the facility, Aizawa, along with Thirteen, had wasted no time in explaining the exercise to the group.

“You’ll be in three teams. The Hero team, the Villain team and the Civilian team. The Hero team will try to save all of the members of the Civilian team while the Villain team tries to stop them,” Aizawa said as he clicked on a button on a holopad and a large holograph of a lineup of names appeared.

“Doesn’t that mean the Hero team will have to fight on two fronts?” Kaminari asked, crossing his arms with a frown. “They’ll have to both fight the villains and save the civilians.”

“That is quite common in rescue missions,” Thirteen said. “The Civilian team will act like civilians. You are not allowed to fight the villains and try not to use your quirks unless absolutely necessary.”

“You are to take the civilians to a designated area, until then the civilian can be taken hostage by the villains. So watch out for that,” Aizawa continued in his explanation. “The teams are, Hero team: Ojiro, Hagakure, Uraraka, Shouji, Iida, Jirou, Todoroki. Villain team: Tokoyami, Shinsou, Asui, Koda, Yaoyorozu, Bakugou, Ashido. Civilian team: Midoriya, Kaminari, Aoyama, Sato, Kirishima, Sero, Mineta.”

“No fair! The Villain team gets both Bakugou, Tokoyami, Shinsou and Yao-momo,” Hagakure exclaimed, her arms thrown in the air.

“But the Hero team has both Shouji and Jirou, who are great at search and rescue, and Iida and both Todoroki’s,” Yaoyorozu pointed out. She pursed her lips and seemed to be analysing the teams, and Izuku had no problem believing she was already coming up with strategies.

“You know, three of the strongest fighters in the class are in the civilian team. And Kaminari is good at long range attacks and Sero would’ve been great on the hero team, both for search and rescue but for fighting, too. He could tie the villains up,” Ashido said, leaning forwards as she read of the names.

“This exercise is about stepping out of your comfort zone. You won’t always be able to work in an area you’re good at or comfortable with. Search and rescue, fighting a villain. Some of your quirks are more adept at one or the other, but that doesn’t mean each villain fight will cater to your specialities,” Aizawa said, one hand in his pocket and shifting his weight. “The exercise is over when either of the hero or villain team defeats the other or when the hero team has saved all of the civilians. You have ten minutes to discuss with your teams and the civilians will have to find hiding spots. No screaming for help until a hero finds you.”

"Wait, we'll have to find them without them talking?" Ojiro asked, his tail moving behind him.

"Make use of your teammates' quirks and abilities," Thirteen said and with that the teams turned to each other.

Izuku gave his own teammates a look before they all scattered across the destroyed city area. He jumped over buildings and rubble as he scanned the area for a good hiding spot. From ruined buildings to cracks in the ground to just your average back alley where he could find some coverage for the exercise.

Rescue training was one of the funner areas of their curriculum. Especially for those who got to play the hero role or even the villain role, if there was one of those, like during today's exercise. But playing the civilian? It was usually a boring task compared to the others. You'd sit around somewhere and just wait for someone to find you. If you were lucky, you were found quick and could thus watch the rest of the exercise from the sidelines. But if you weren't, you just had to find some way to entertain yourself in the meantime.

Todo—

He had to shake his head as a blush crept up his face. He clapped his cheeks.

Shouto was on the hero team. Both of them, too. It shouldn't have been a surprise. That was probably intentional to make sure nothing unexpected happened. Who knew what kind of troubles could happen if Shouto had to face himself on the opposite team. They already had trouble agreeing with each other as was, no one needed them to be pit against each other in a full out brawl. Though, Izuku wouldn't be surprised if that might help them deal with some of their internal aggression towards themselves.

No, Shouto needed help. He needed to sit down and talk, like they'd done last night. It had gone well, hadn't it? Izuku thought so. They'd gotten somewhere with Todo and he'd established some minor boundaries that they probably should discuss in larger detail, but that would be okay for now. Right now he just wanted to make sure that Todo was as comfortable with being courting as Roki was. He wanted Shouto to be comfortable with himself.

He frowned as he came to a slow half by one out of hundreds of destroyed buildings. A small cloud of dust kicked up under his feet where he skidded across the ground.

Izuku had had no idea that Shouto had still harbored so many internal negative emotions towards himself. He knew that Shouto was troubled and had his struggles he still worked towards fixing, and some of those Izuku had helped him with in slow intervals. Like the whole ordeal with his brother.

Shouto had never snapped at Izuku before. Never to that degree, at least. The worst of it was during their fight at the Sport's Festival when he'd been annoyed at Izuku for meddling. But that could hardly be considered snapping. But that week after Dabi's reveal, Shouto had been more down and agitated than ever. And when Izuku had approached him with intent to comfort, the alpha had snapped at him, baring claws and fangs before storming off. But Izuku had seen the tears in his eyes when he'd walked off, and he hadn't let the bad attitude deter him. That was the first night he'd seen Shouto full on collapse on himself. First raising his voice as Izuku had gone to his room to make sure he was okay and then completely fall apart with tears streaming down his face. Shouto had clung to Izuku like he was going to disappear in a cloud of dust and had fallen asleep in Izuku's arms.

He'd never even stopped to consider that Shouto could be so fragile, like a ghost apple melting in the heat of the oncoming summer. That there were still so many deep rooted issues that Shouto struggled with, and that Izuku had no idea about. Shouto had always appeared so strong outward and even when things were tough for him, he didn't fumbled and fall apart. He cracked a bit in the edges but he always held himself upright. But when he'd brushed through Shouto's hair, wiping away dried tears from his cheeks, he'd seen how broken and fragile Shouto really was. How much he still refused to let others see. Even Izuku, his best friend and fated mate.

That internal struggle, had it become even more prominent after the split? All of that anger and rage and frustration that no one knew about, had it manifested in two forms that now bit and snapped at each other at every turn?

Izuku turned and headed into one of the destroyed buildings, walking up a few flight of unstable stairs before he found a top floor filled with rubble and empty corners that he decided to camp out in. He leaned on the wall and sat down, sliding down the wall until his knees buckled and he sat down on the dusty floor. He rested his head in his hand and leaned his elbow on his knees.

There was so much about Shouto that he still didn't know about, and he'd thought that they talked about nearly everything these days. Well, maybe not these days considering his current situation, but before the accident that left Shouto split. They'd never talked about their own feelings for each other perhaps, but they'd talked about all else without judgement, yet there was so much more that Shouto had never dared to trust him with.

Of course, they were both allowed to keep secrets from each other. No one needed to know everything about anyone, but Shouto had come to him for so much at this point that he'd never thought that there was so much more below the surface. Like Todo's fear that all of this was solely because of the soul bond.

He let his head fall back onto the wall and he made a grimace. He'd said that it wasn't, and he meant it, but who was to say that it wasn't? No one knew enough about fated mates to know for certain what effects it would have on someone's emotions and mental state. Especially in regards to each other. There was even less knowledge on what that would be like for someone who was split in half or between a presented alpha and an unpresented omega.

Izuku sighed, running his fingers through his hair and combing through the inevitable tangles that were impossible to get rid of.

Roki looked after the bolt of green and felt a need to follow him. To go after his fated and to keep him safe. Protect him and make sure that no one else could ever hurt him again. Especially since Izuku wasn't allowed to use his quirk during this exercise. Roki needed to protect him.

“I’ll help save the civilians,” Roki said immediately before anyone else could speak up.

“I’ll go, too,” Todo followed quickly, eyeing Roki with narrowed eyes. There was a glint in them and an uncertainty. That ever present warning.

Roki wanted to roll his eyes at his other half. At the hesitation and the hint of discomfort that he could feel trickle through from his colder counterpart. Which Roki wanted to call pure bullshit since he knew exactly what went on up in his own head. The confusion from before when he would linger on Izuku’s narrow shoulders, his sweaty torso when he trained outside in nothing but a tanktop and the way he'd downright obliterate anything if he so wanted to. The flex of his chest, his shoulders, his biceps. The way his face would take on a hint of red, his cheeks flushed and bright, just a bit puffy and his lips plump and parted as he panted while catching his breath. 

Roki wasn't the only one who saw it. Wasn't the only half of Shouto who'd noticed the small details that had stuck to him like they'd been burned into his retinas. Stirring feelings inside that Shouto hadn't understood and had never wanted to figure out. Shouto had been far too scared about what it could mean and what it would do to his and Izuku’s friendship to even try to find out what it all meant. He didn't need to know what those feelings were.

That part… that was all Todo. The one that pushed everything away with the fear that it would ruin everything in the long run. Everything that was perceived as a treat, it had to go. Those primal urges that burned inside, growing and biting and gnawing at his insides, they had to go. To Todo, they were nothing but a nuisance that could potentially ruin everything.

Potentially.

That was the magic word. Potentially it could all go downhill if Shouto had accepted and tried to understand his urges and feelings, but it could also go the opposite direction. They could potentially start dating. 

And Roki had been right in trying to understand himself. To learn what he wanted and to act on his urges and wants. If he hadn't, Izuku wouldn't be his fiancé right now. They wouldn't be courting, they wouldn't be in a relationship, they wouldn't be as close as they now were.

“Wouldn’t it be better if Todotodo stayed and fought?” Uraraka asked with a frown. “We could use your ice against Bakugou and Roki’s fire would be very useful against Tokoyami.”

“I know where Midoriya is,” Roki said quickly.

“Already?” Uraraka asked, blinking in surprise.

Roki nodded, feeling the tug in the back of his mind that told him exactly where to go.

“It’s because you two, you know?” Uraraka asked, wiggling her eyebrows with a grin.

Roki nodded again. “It is.”

“Alright, save Midoriya and then come help out with the battle. Tag Uraraka out of the fight and take her place. She’ll go help with the rescue," Iida said with a cough into his hand, nodding to himself as he delegated positions to the rest.

Roki didn't really listen to what he had to say after that as he kept looking off towards Izuku's direction, and when the ten minutes were up, he turned and ran off into the arena. The Villain team had already scattered themselves in teams or groups or just gone off separately.

A giant block of ice blocked Roki's path and he sighed when he turned towards his other half coming up behind him.

Todo grabbed Roki’s arm in a tight grip, eyes narrowed. “Don’t.”

“I’m not going to do anything that will get me suspended,” Roki said, taking Todo’s wrist and pulling it away. He didn’t do it with any added harshness, though. “Keep Bakugou in line till I can get Izuku to one of the safe zones. I know he'll go directly for Izuku."

Todo hummed, looking down in confliction before he nodded. "But if I do anything…"

"I really don't trust me at all, do I?" Roki sighed and Todo narrowed his eyes. 

"I'm weary. I know what I want from him," Todo said and Roki snorted.

"Stop pretending like I'm any different from me. Izuku's right about one thing, I am me and I am me. I want the same thing and when I'm back to being myself again, I'll still want the same thing as I do now." Roki just shrugged as he turned towards where he knew Izuku was located. "So stop pretending like you're any holier than I am."

Time ticked away slowly. A long silence stretching around him as Izuku sat waiting for someone to poke their head through one of the few cracks and ruined windows to spot him. At some point the ground shook and loud shouting could be heard outside. He glanced out the window to see a giant explosion going off and snickered. 

Bakugou really did fit the villain role well. He had the right ferocity and mindset to not hold back in a fight. Even if that was against his friends. There would be no babying from Kacchan during this fight.

There was a faint rumble in the ground and the dust and crushed gravel shook before settling down. The faint voices that shouted far away grew quiet, though he could still see the hints of the battle going on from the window.

He used the flashes and what he could see to pass the time. How many explosions could Kacchan set off in rapid succession. How long could Tokoyami keep Dark Shadow going before the light from Bakugou's fire. But it still only did as much. He counted cracks and cleaned out rubble around him. Then he fiddled with his belt and his pouches, organising the content and sorting it out before he sighed once more.

“Found you, Izuku.”

He jolted upright, looking up immediately from behind a pile of rubble. Rokiroki came out from around crushed remains of the ceiling and walls, seeming a bit breathless as if he’d been running but clearly happy from the small smile on his face.

Izuku smiled, pushing up from the wall. “You found me.”

Roki jumped around the concrete and came up close. Far too close until he stood with just hands distance between their respective torsos.

Izuku swallowed as he leaned back a bit. "Shouldn't you be helping with the fight?"

"I needed to make sure you were safe first," Roki said. He reached a hand up and brushed hair out of Izuku's face before once more caressing his cheeks, tracing each and every one of his freckles with his thumb. "Were you bored?"

"A little," he admitted.

"I could tell."

"You got here pretty fast," Izuku said, looking out past Roki’s shoulder and then back up at him. "You didn't run, did you?"

"I told you, I needed to make sure you were safe," he repeated.

"And what about other you? Is he behind you?" Izuku once more glanced behind Roki expecting Todo come walking around the same pile of rubble as Roki had.

"No, it's just me," Roki said with a shake of his head.

"So… just you?"

"Just me."

"He let you go off on your own?" Izuku asked with a sceptical eyebrow. Todo didn't seem all that comfortable with them being alone together so the idea that he'd allow Roki to go off on his own to save Izuku was a bit difficult believe.

"I agreed that I would hold off Bakugou while I find you," Roki explained, raising his other hand up to brush his thumb over Izuku’s jawline. He inhaled a shaky breath at the additional contact.

"Other you would be a better match for Kacchan," Izuku had to agree with a nod. Another explosion was heard in the distance, louder than the previous ones and Izuku was sure he spotted a block of ice, huge like a glacier, break apart at the impact. "Difficult to fight fire with fire."

Roki nodded. "It's best this way."

"But—" Izuku added with a long drawn out T. "You would've been a good match for Tokoyami."

"I'll deal with Tokoyami when I've saved you," Roki said simply, not seeming to care much that he was technically leaving his teammates to fight someone who he personally had the best weapon against.

Izuki raised an eyebrow and tried to shake his head. It was just a little tug with Roki’s hold on his cheeks and the alpha's smile pulled farther up at the action.

Then the ground violently shook as a loud explosion rocked the entire area. Cracks formed in the already half buried building and dust and debris fell down around them.

“Watch out!” Izuku shouted, grabbing onto Roki’s costume and pulling him to the side as a large chunk of the ceiling started rattling and cracking before falling down above them. He pushed back with his legs, green lightning sparking around them as he and Roki flew sideway a good few feet.

He held onto Roki tight to make sure the other didn’t hit the wall by the sudden force of the move and used his legs and his free arm to brace himself against the wall behind him when he pulled Roki back from the last hints of debris. 

Izuku shielded his face with his arm. When the dust cleared, he carefully opened his eyes. “To—Shouto? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, are you?” Roki said, his face way too close to Izuku’s. His arms framed Izuku's face as he leaned against the wall.

Izuku swallowed, looking deep into Roki’s blue eyes. Burning, like a raging fire. Like his gaze alone could burn Izuku to ash.

“I’m…” He had to clear his throat and coughed into his fist. “I’m fine.”

Roki had pushed Izuku up against the wall and used his body to protect him from the collapsing ceiling. Both of Roki’s arms were positioned above his head and his tall frame hovered above Izuku like a human shield. Small specks of dust covered his shoulders.

“Are you hurt?” Izuku asked, quickly scanning over Roki’s body. 

He found himself distractedly looking down his clad torso down to his belt and mentally berated himself as he looked up again. Up Roki’s neck and face, which thankfully looked unharmed, and then up his arms. Beside some dust and lingering pieces of gravel, he looked alright.

“No, looks like it just missed us,” Roki replied.

His voice was low, rumbling deep down in his throat as if he had difficulty breathing. His lips hung slightly open as he was breathing heavily, his torso expanding with each breath.

“Are you sure? Your face is red and you’re breathing really heavily,” Izuku said.

“I’m fighting Bakugou,” Roki said, looking away. He swallowed and took a deep breath. “That’s why.”

Roki was out of breath because Todo was fighting? Izuku frowned, tilting his head as he searched the bond and felt that prickle in the back of his neck. That little sign of a lie.

“That sounds difficult.”

“Not really.”

“Isn’t it hard to focus?” Izuku pushed.

“My focus is all on you.”

The room was growing increasingly hot, and Izuku wasn't sure if it was because of his own nervousness from Roki standing so close or if it was because of the alpha's warm quirk. Roki’s face was flushed and he was breathing hot air straight onto Izuku’s face. Not to mention, he hadn’t moved. He was still so very close, leaning just a bit closer till their foreheads were resting against each other. The left side of his skin was a near scalding hot. His eyes fell shut before opening back up in what Izuku was pretty sure people would describe as bedroom eyes .

There was a clear struggle in those eyes. Something internal that Izuku would never be able to properly understand. His pupils would vibrate and flex, going from blown wide to small slits to going back to normal. Then repeat. Steam was trickling out of the corner of Roki’s mouth.

He swallowed, unable to look away. Shrinking in on himself just enough that his shoulders rose to his jawline and his legs bent.

A knee found its way between his thighs, and Izuku found himself letting it. Even separating his thighs just enough for Roki to push his leg up between Izuku’s and resting his knee against the wall behind them.

"You're blushing," Roki said, a clear pride in his voice. It was written all over his face. "And you're scent…" He inhaled a long breath of air, digging his nose into Izuku's neck and nuzzling against him, simultaneously rubbing his scent all over Izuku. "It's sweet."

"It's flavourless," Izuku replied with a whimper, tilting his head to give Roki far too much access to his neck. It didn't even cross his mind that he was baring his jugular to someone who had many times made it quite clear he wanted to sink his teeth deep into Izuku's nape. "It's still flavourless."

Roki shook his head. "No, it's sweet, and strong. Fresh, maybe?"

Roki seemed a bit lost on the words he needed to describe what he wanted to convey, but it didn't seem to stop him from slowly starting on Izuku's neck. Warm lips brushing up his neck to his jawline, sucking along the revealed flesh and filling in the hickeys that had slowly started to fade. Teeth, not quite as sharp as they should be, scrapes across one of Izuku’s most intimate areas, so dangerously close to his nape. If it wasn't for his costume, Shouto would be redecorating his bare skin. Bare skin that Izuku was far too willingly giving him access to.

“Uhm, Shouto?” Izuku gasped as Rokiroki sucked on his jawline.

Roki hummed in reply. “Yes?”

“Wha-what are you,” Izuku swallowed, fingers twitching as they carefully gripped onto Roki’s suit, burying his fingers into the loose fabric along his hips. “I mean, what are you doing?”

Roki leaned back, but still remained close enough that their noses touched. His hot breath tickled Izuku’s lips.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, eyes searching but still intense. How could they be that intense all the time?

“I…” Izuku said, his hands twisting and curling into the fabric as he swallowed. “Do you want this?”

Roki frowned. “Of course I do. You don’t?”

“I mean—” Izuku stopped himself halfway. He looked away, feeling something uncomfortable bubble inside at his next words. “What about Shouto… About Todo? We promised to respect his—your—boundaries.”

It was silent for a moment. Neither of the two said anything until Roki took hold of Izuku’s chin and directed him back towards him. He looked deep into his eyes, face soft but determined. The hunger in his eyes hadn't dissipated.

“I'm not here right now, and while I might not want to admit it to you, I promise you that I want the same thing as I do,” he said, sounding so much like the alpha he was and yet at the same time he spoke softly, like he was being careful with his words. “This is what I’ve wanted since the day I found out we were fated mates.”

“B-but he said—” He never got to finish.

“I want you just as much as I do. I’m just willing to act on it. I'm no different from me.” He ran his thumb over Izuku’s cheek. “Do you not want this?”

Izuku took a deep breath. He did. He did want this. How could he not? Todoroki was handsome, even for your average teen. He appeared so calm and collected all of the time, but Izuku knew that it was because he didn’t quite understand most social cues still. He took everything at face value and it was only recently that Izuku had caught him making jokes that he wouldn't have made a year ago. Jokes that had they been directed at Shouto, he would probably have taken it seriously and not understood the true meaning behind it. He was so cute and clueless and emotional yet so good at keeping it all inside, away from everyone. There was so much more hidden underneath the surface. So many secret emotions and thoughts and secrets that so very few were privy to. Not that Izuku was much better himself. But it was cute how some things just went over Todoroki’s head. How the girls from the other courses tried to flirt with him and how it had to be pointed out to him afterwards for him to understand what they wanted. And that wasn’t mentioning his physical appearance. With how lean he was. Tall and slim, but still muscular. Since Izuku changed in the omega male designated change rooms, he didn’t get a chance to see Todoroki shirtless often. But the few times he had? He shamefully and to admit, he'd been staring a few seconds too long. Todoroki was hiding some well packed muscles underneath his clothes.

It shouldn't be surprising. He had the right genetics to build muscles and from the way he was still growing taller, Izuku wouldn't be surprised if Shouto would one day have a more similar physic to his father. Maybe not as buff or as tall as Endeavor, but definitely somewhere in that range but more in line with his slim frame.

Izuku found himself wondering if you could feel the temperature shift across his torso. If he could run his hand right down the middle, and feel the shift between hot and cold. Would it be a weird mix of both or would it be cold on the right side and hot on the other? 

“I do.”

The words slipped out before he realized he said them, but he didn’t regret them. Especially not when he saw the look that came over Roki’s eyes or the smile that spread across his face. That hungry, predatory grin. Then his cheeks were grasped between both of Roki’s hands and hot lips were desperately pressed against his own.

Chapter Text

It definitely wasn’t chaste, not even close to being soft. It was rough and primal and desperate. Roki’s lips burned hot, close to scalding, against his own and the way he pushed his body against Izuku’s made the omega whimper. Roki’s teeth bit into his bottom lip and pulled, sucking on it till it was swollen and bruised from the attention before letting it go with a hungry purr. He wasted no time returning to kissing Izuku as passionately as he could. He ran his tongue over Izuku’s lips, and Izuku had no idea where it came from, but he parted his lips. Not just parting his lips. He grabbed onto the side of Roki’s costume as he dared to run his tongue over Roki’s top lip and over his tongue in a daring show of dominance.

It was… a weird sensation, to say the least. He couldn’t quite describe what it felt like. What their moist tongues brushing over each and ending up tangled in what was best described as a battle could be explained as. What he did know was that Roki’s tongue was hot, his lips were hot, his breath was hot. Izuku bet that his everywhere else was probably just as hot.

Roki growled deep in his throat. Low and rumbling, that reached deep down into Izuku’s core. It made him violently shudder in a way he hadn't before and his knees buckled beneath him, suddenly unable to support his weight. He had to wrap his arms around Roki's neck to gain better support, knitting his hand into his red strands and pulling on his roots unintentionally.

Their lips smashed together fervently. Roki’s tongue diving into Izuku’s mouth to explore as he pleased. Taking what he wanted without questions asked and setting a pace that made Izuku wonder how desperate he really was, and what he was more desperate for. Intimate touch or just the connection that came with it. Izuku did his best to keep up, though, but he couldn’t quite follow the rhythm. 

It was sloppy. It was rough. It was wet with dripping saliva and fumbling confusion. It was pretty much how a first kiss usually is. They often missed each other’s lips and their teeth clacked against each other far too often. Their noses bumped and pressed together causing one of them to lean their head the wrong way and they stumbled over each other to get back on track. But they didn’t let that stop them.

Once they’d started, it was like two magnets. They were just pulled together by some unseen force that neither could explain other than that it felt right. Because it did. 

Izuku had no idea how much he had wanted this. How much he had wanted Shouto until now. Sure, he had been sneaking glances here and there whenever he could. He’d watched from afar and wondered. But he’d always written that off as a side effect of the soulmate bond. Those inevitable questions that came with knowing that had things been different, a different time perhaps, he and Shouto would already be set up to mate and produce pups by now. That's how it used to work way back. If it had become common knowledge that they were fated mates, whether they wanted to or not, they would be stuck with each other; And that made Izuku wonder sometimes what Shouto would be like in a relationship and how that would go between them.

Something had been harder to picture while others had come to him like an obvious fact. Shy touches of hands with loving looks and snuggles in front of a movie. Study sessions that turned into snickers and maybe innocent pecks and kisses. Maybe they'd be a bit more daring and kiss some. Maybe a hand would find their way down further than it should, but wouldn't do anything other than rest there. But those imaginary scenarios were all slow and steady, a process over a long time that lacked the level of desperation that Roki was showing.

This was so much more.

It was electric. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Roki’s hands on his cheeks were burning, one hand moving downwards to pull them flush against each other by the small of his back. Each time their lips moved or when their tongues danced with each other, it was like sparks flew inside. The bond exploded with passion, with near perfection, so close to completion. As if there was something missing, something that wasn't quite right yet but almost there.

It was so intense that Izuku didn’t want to stop. He wasn’t sure he could stop.

His body was warm and there was a feverish haze swirling in his head. Everything swam before him and all he could focus on was Roki and his lips and his hands. Alpha. His alpha.

His hips moved without his realization or intent, bucking forward as if in a spasm. Like someone was pulling on him with a string. It made Roki growl even more.

Something sweet filled his nose and he couldn't quite place the scent. Didn't entirely realize how his boxers were growing increasingly more damp, more than ever before as if a switch had been flipped inside him. Something trickled down the inside of his leg and he whimpered at the feeling, trying to smear it away on Roki’s thigh.

"What is that?" Roki asked with a long whiff of the air. "It's sweet."

"I don't know," Izuku gasped, taking in long gulps of air now that he got the opportunity. "I don't know. But it's hot, Shouto. Too hot. You're gonna melt the building."

Roki shook his head, shoving a knee between Izuku’s thighs. "That's not me. I'm not doing anything."

"You have to be. You have to be," Izuku insisted, letting his head fall backwards as he stared at the swirling ceiling above them. The cracks duplicated for a second and then merged back together. Pearls of sweat ran down his neck and temples.

"I'm not," Roki repeated, licking over Izuku's jawline. He hummed pleasantly at the taste and started his assault, peppering fresh hickeys onto the skin he could reach. When Izuku's costume got in the way, he reached behind him and pulled the zipper down enough that he could pull the front far enough to reveal his clavicle. "But whatever it is, I like it."

The fresh air, cool and just breezy enough, swept over Izuku's exposed skin. It was supposed to ease the sudden heatwave, and for a moment it did, giving him goosebumps and making his whole body shudder and spasm. But then, like a slap to the face, the warmth came back. Hitting him straight in the face and washing over him like a strong urge, burning up his insides until Roki's thigh was all that was keeping him upright.

"We need to…" Izuku mumbled, trying to clear his foggy head and shake the haze away. "We need to find Shouto."

"I'm right here," Roki spoke against his throat.

"No, other you," Izuku said, carding his fingers through Roki's hair. He was emitting steam. "Shouto, other you. Todo. We need to find Shouto."

"Why would we need to find me?" Roki growled, pushing Izuku's back flush against the wall. He whimpered and clung to Roki while struggling to find his footing and some form of proper balance. "I'll just get in the way. Why would you want me here?"

"Something’s wrong. A fever… maybe. Something. Something," Izuku got out in a quiet mumble, because that was the only thing he could think of to explain what was going on. 

It had to be a fever, he told himself. The sudden heat, the dizziness and the way the planet was slowly starting to spin around him like he'd stepped onto a string bridge. His muscles failed him and his knees barely held his body weight.

Todo could help cool him down. Right now, Roki was just making it all the more warm around them. Around him. In him.

Roki leaned back and put their foreheads together. He closed his eyes with a hum and then gave a small nod.

"You're definitely warm," Roki agreed before he leaned back. He had a concerned look in his eyes, yet that hungry glint was still there. "I like it when you blush. It compliments your freckles."

Izuku could just nod, clearing his throat and shaking his head once more. He let his head fall to Roki’s shoulder, panting heavily before he tilted to look Roki in the eyes. He got a ravenous smile back and the hint of blunt teeth peeking past his lips. His tongue came out to wet them before he used his thumb to guide Izuku’s head into an angle that gave him access to his mouth.

The kiss was gentle at first. A peck here and a peck there. Slow enough that Izuku could fall into the rhythm again before Roki deepened it, devouring Izuku’s mouth with just as much fervour as before.

A small voice in the back or his head said they needed to stop this. They were going too far, too fast. Something was clearly wrong, and it was affecting Izuku in a way he didn't understand. They needed to stop this. They needed to.

But…

Izuku couldn't really find the will or strength to do so himself. He knew he should and he knew that there was probably some way he could stop this, but somehow his limbs wouldn’t listen to him, and when they did it was like they were full of water. Slow and heavy, and his function was thrown off and he only fumbled for control with mixed results.

It scared him. How easily he could just lose control over his own body. How his will could be taken from his so quickly and he could do nothing to fight it.

It was terrifying.

"Shouto," he whimpered into Roki’s mouth, barely getting out the word between Roki's hungry kisses. "Please stop…"

"Why? I thought you said you liked it?" Roki asked, not showing any signs of slowing down.

"I did. I do, but that's not—" Izuku began, his tongue fumbling over the words. "Shouto, stop. Stop, please, wait. Just stop—"

His rambled begging was interrupted by a voice calling from somewhere above. Distant and a bit faded, but still clear enough that it helped the fog in Izuku’s head to dissipate.

“Oi, Deku! Red Shouto!” Jirou’s voice echoed across the building, as if she was speaking through the walls themselves. Probably through the speakers in her boots. “Can you hear me?”

The growl that escaped Roki as he forced his lips to leave Izuku’s to look over his shoulder was nothing short of feral. It sent a shiver down Izuku’s spine. 

When Izuku opened his mouth to answer her, Roki covered his mouth with his hand. “Don’t answer."

“What?” he asked as he carefully removed the alpha’s hand with a frown.

“Don’t answer them,” Roki repeated.

“Why not?” Izuku asked. His mouth felt warm and dry, yet far too wet, as if he was salivating constantly. Like Roki had set fire to every inch of it.

“Then we’ll have to leave.”

“But we’re in the middle of class,” Izuku stammered. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

“And this is the longest we’ve gone without being interrupted,” Roki said. He cupped Izuku’s cheek and ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “I don’t want it to end.”

“You don’t?” Izuku would have blushed if his face wasn't already bright red.

“I don’t," Roki replied, no hesitation and with a shine in his eyes that Izuku knew he should be extremely careful with but that he couldn’t find in him to care about right now.

“Oi, Midoriya! Rokiroki!” Jirou shouted again quickly followed by the sound of rubble lifting up off of the ground. Soon there were floating piles of dust and crumbled pieces of the ceiling floating all around them.

“Deku! Rokiroki!” Uraraka called. “Are you okay?”

With a loud groan, Roki pulled himself away from Izuku. He turned to look at the floating remains of the roof and then at Uraraka as she ducked under it to get to them. Her face was just a bit flushed but she was smiling bright as she neared them. Her face did fall just a bit, though, when she saw Izuku. He probably looked a mess right now, with what had just happened.

“We’re fine,” Roki answered dryly. There was no hint of warmth in his voice. "We were just about to go to the safe zone."

Izuku's neck itched with the obvious lie, and Uraraka gave him a quick one over with a sceptical eyebrow before she made an unintelligible noise with a shake of her head. Her eyes fell on his kiss swollen lips and then down to his undone costume which was revealing every inch of decorated skin. Every mark Roki had left on him in the last week was all visible on his flesh, right in her line of sight and open for her to see.

His hand came to rub over his jaw and neck before he pulled the collar of his uniform back up. He shrunk down a bit more and cleared his throat as he averted his eyes. His fingers trembled, just shaking enough that she could see it, as he fixed his costume to where it was supposed to be. He struggled a bit with the zipper but managed without any major problems.

"Did I interrupt anything?" Uraraka asked with a purr in her voice and a glint in her eyes that told Izuku was he about to get a long row of questions later.

"No, nothing. We were just leaving," he replied, his voice failing him just a bit and the breathy tone still far too noticeable as he spoke.

Izuku corrected his mouth guard as he pushed off of the wall on unstable legs. Sometime during their kissing session it had ended up halfway around his throat and now protected his nape instead of his jugular. His mask was pulled taut over his shoulder in a quite uncomfortable way and it was a relief against his neck when he finally returned it to its proper position.

Uraraka made another unintelligible noise, very similar to a hum. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Izuku said with a firm nod.

Roki grabbed his arm and pulled him close. Far too close to not be obviously a show of dominance over the beta. “I’m taking Izuku to the safe zone, okay? We’re leaving.”

He got a quite confused look from Uraraka as they passed her, Izuku stumbling over his own feet as he followed behind Roki—technically, he was being dragged, but he was trying to move his feet at the same phase as Roki was. He shrugged, trying to give her a reassuring smile but found that he couldn’t really focus enough for it to be anything more than a small tug on the corners of his lips. 

His nose was still full of Roki’s scent.

When they got outside, Jirou was waiting for them. She immediately turned towards Izuku, eyes blown wide and pupils taking up her entire eye. She was blushing and breathing heavily, and one of her hands was scratching below her nose as she was constantly sniffing the air.

“Are you two okay?” she asked, eyes never leaving Izuku as she spoke. She did throw a side glance at Roki, however, and quickly narrowed her eyes. Her earlobe moved down to her boot, as if she was suddenly ready to attack.

“We’re fine,” Izuku said, tripping over a rock and nearly falling if it wasn’t for both Uraraka and Roki catching him. He floated upwards while Roki pulled him close. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Come on,” Roki said when Uraraka released her quirk. 

He held steady on Izuku’s arm as he started walking them down the rubble and tilting grounds. But when they passed Jirou, she grabbed onto Izuku’s glove and got real close. She took a long sniff of the air, as if breathing his scent in. She furrowed her brow, took another whiff and then met Izuku’s eyes.

“Midoriya, you should go to the infirmary,” she said, swallowing and her eyes worriedly moving onto Roki. “With someone else.”

“Why?” he asked, furrowing his brow in return as he searched her expression for an answer. But his brain was still a fogged mess, even if it was slowly clearing up now that Roki’s strong pheromones weren't all he could smell, and he couldn’t place anything right now.

“He’s fine,” Roki insisted with a growl. He yanked Izuku’s arm so roughly that he stumbled into him before Roki pulled Izuku far away from Jirou by switching sides with him, thus getting between the two omegas.

“I can take you,” Jirou said, and Izuku could hear the worry in her voice. Almost close to sounding afraid. “I really think we should go to the infirmary. You and I .”

The emphasis on the I meant something. Izuku knew that much. His brain could process that much. But he couldn’t get to the end of that thought to figure out why the emphasis on Jirou going with him was important. Why she should go with him instead of Roki. Shouto, who was his fated mate and his fiancé. 

“ I’m taking him.” Roki got close to her face and straight up growled at her. She took a step back, but still held her head high, her earlobes extended as they were ready to attack at any second.

“Wait, you two.” Izuku grabbed onto Roki’s uniform and pulled him backwards. Or, he tried to, but he didn’t get him to take more than a step backwards. “Why are you arguing? You’re on the same team.”

“Jirou, what’s going on?” Uraraka asked. She’d run over and was also standing between the alpha and the omega, an arm outstretched and her fingers spread out. “Why does Deku need to go to the infirmary?”

“For his own safety,” she replied, and both Uraraka and Izuku looked at her with a frown while Roki still growled deep in his throat. A quiet rumble that resonated around them.

An explosion went off in the distance, shaking the ground. The flash of red and yellow light shone around them for a second and a gust of strong air flew past them.

Izuku looked at the three of them and then in the direction of the explosion. “Guys, we can’t stand here and argue. We’re in the middle of class. We had tasks to do.”

“Come on,” Roki said, grabbing Izuku and yanking him down the rubble.

“It’s okay! Go save the others,” Izuku called behind him, waving at the two girls as they slowly shrank in the distance. He did hear them talking before they got out of earshot, though, and their conversation made him frown even deeper.

“Jirou, what’s wrong with Deku? Why did you want him to go to the infirmary?” Uraraka asked, close to running after them as they left.

“Did you smell that?” Jirou asked instead, replying with a question of her own that made Izuku curious. Roki had also commented on his scent.

“Yeah, it was sweet. Fresh, kind off?” she hummed with a finger to her lip and then shrugged. “Maybe he’s trying a new shampoo?”

Jirou had shook her head and given Uraraka an equally as worried look as she’d given Izuku. “I don’t think so. He didn’t smell like that earlier.”

They disappeared out of earshot after that and Izuku was left utterly confused as to what they’d been meaning with any of it. Why both Roki and Jirou, and now Uraraka, had commented on his scent. He raised his arm to his nose and took a whiff of it himself, but all he could smell was Roki. Lots and lots of Roki’s pheromones all over his costume.

“Do I smell weird to you?”

Roki looked back at him and shook his head. “No, you smell good. Like a dessert.”’

The reference to food didn’t escape him and he swallowed nervously at the grin Roki gave him.

They were making headway down the mountain of rubble until they reached solid ground. Or, semi solid ground, at least. The earth was cracked and jutting in every direction. What was probably supposed to be a street looked more like a minefield. Like a bomb had gone off close by and nearly leveled the whole block in its wake. Roki helped him down the last few piles, and then caught him when he stumbled over the last one. He gave a quiet thank you and a smile, brushing himself off of dust and trying to regain his balance to stand without Roki’s constant support. At least, so he could stand without Roki holding onto him all the time. They jumped over cracks and the remains of buildings as they ran—or jogged, with how unsteady Izuku’s legs were—towards the rescue shelter.

“Shouldn’t I carry you there?” Roki asked as he looked at Izuku with a smirk. “That’s what heroes does when they rescue someone.”

Izuku blushed and his mouth formed a thin line as he puffed his cheeks. “Not the time, Shouto.”

The alpha just winked at him. “You’ll be much safer if I carry you. With your fever, and all."

“Behave.” He tried to make it sound stern, but despite himself Izuku couldn’t help but giggle with a shake of his head. “You’ll make yourself mad.” He added with a sigh, “You’ve probably already made yourself mad.”

Can’t say he was looking forward to explaining the situation to Todo, who most definitely wouldn’t be alright with what had happened. He’d made that very clear as early as last night, and he’d already disregarded all of Todo’s boundaries in the span of less than twenty-four hours. Could you be more disrespectful to your fiancé?

He groaned and shook his head as he sprinted forwards. The ground was still shaking—or maybe that was just his vision? He couldn’t properly tell—and he was still sweating. A small drop rolled down his neck and he wiped his brow on the back of his glove.

Just as they rounded a corner, a huge explosion rocked the ground. Both of them were thrown to the floor as a huge crack moved over the tarmac and distorted the pavement. Izuku just managed to push himself up by his arms when ice and a person came barreling past them at a huge speeds.

“Shouto!” Izuku yelled when Todo came to a stop on the ground. He rolled a few times before stopping himself against a small glaciar of his own creation. His head snapped backwards and the strangled cry of pain still reached Izuku’s ears.

The alpha groaned and rolled over on his stomach, pushing up on his elbow and growling in the direction he’d come from. He had a split lip and a bruised jawline, and his uniform was sizzling along the sleeve where the explosion had hit him and eaten at the fabric. Part of his collar was also gone. His skin was red and bruised and a small droplet of blood dripped down the wound on his lip that he wiped away with the back of his hand.

Across from Todo, through a large cloud of smoke, came the scent of ash, burnt ground and caramell. Dust filled Izuku’s vision but he didn’t need to see clearly to notice the shadow walking towards them through the smoke. The large outlines of those grenade-like gauntlets were enough of a give away for anyone to know who was hiding in the cloud of dust.

“Shit,” Roki cursed, jumping in front of Izuku without a second's hesitation as Bakugou was revealed. With the smoke and dust dancing around him and that trademark grin on his face, he looked quite villainous. Fit for the role, Izuku mused.

“And there’s the other bastard,” he said with a grin, but his eyes were harsh and furious. “I was looking for you.”

“I thought I said I was going to keep him safe,” Todo growled, pushing up onto shaky legs before he shot a long spike of ice towards Bakugou. They shot up from the ground in rapid succession and the wind pressure they caused made Izuku’s hair flap in his eyes.

Bakugou held his hand out, curled his fingers and shot a small shot of a compact beam towards the ice. Like a bullet of fire that exploded upon impact and sending chunks of ice everywhere, shattering like a glass sculpture falling to the floor.

Sharp, red eyes turned from the two Shouto’s to Izuku. His eyebrows furrowed before he rolled his head, eyes closed and taking a long whiff of the air. When his eyes snapped open, his pupils were thin slits and if he’d been furious before, the look in his eyes were pure, unfiltered rage when they landed on Roki.

“You piece of fucking shit.” The words were nothing but a growl, a rumble that echoed around them and actually made Izuku freeze. When those eyes fell on him, he couldn’t move.

Like in the elevator.

His breath rattled in his chest and he swallowed. It was like trying to swallow sand, and he wanted to back away. Wanted to move anywhere but here as he quickly realized that he was surrounded by nothing but alphas. Alphas who kept commenting on the fact that his scent had changed. From flavorless to something fresh.

He wanted to slap himself for being so slow on the uptake. He should have figured it out the second Roki had kissed him, from the way he was talking, from the way he was desperately going for Izuku’s neck and how he was so passionate and so sure of his actions despite the fact that neither of them had ever kissed before. Roki had seemed to know exactly what he was doing, as if on instinct. Instincts that activated because of Izuku. Because of the changes in his scent.

“I need to get out of here,” he said aloud, looking down on his shaky hands and feeling across his face to see if he was still physically warm. It wasn’t burning anymore, but it was still hot and he was still slightly sluggish. He’d tripped a lot on the way here and he had close to no balance the second the ground shook beneath him.

“You fucking think?” Bakugou asked, voice still a growl. He threw his head over his shoulder with a tsk. “Get over here now.”

“Don’t move,” Roki said, holding his hand out and flames rising across his arm. “He’s the villain right now, remember?”

“You’re a danger. I can smell him from fucking here,” Bakugou said, stalking over.

“Why aren’t you stopping him?” Roki barked at Todo who wasn’t doing anything as he looked between Izuku and Roki. When Izuku met those grey eyes, he saw nothing but horror.

“What did I do?” he asked. He spun Roki around and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. “What did I do?!”

“No, no, no, please not again, you two. Please, don’t do this again,” Izuku begged, taking a step towards them only to be yanked back by Bakugou.

He hissed down at him as he pulled him close, “You need to get out of here. Now, Deku.”

“I can’t just leave them like this,” he insisted, pointing at the two arguing halves. Smoke was rising from both of them and spikes of ice had risen around Todo, all pointed directly at Roki. “They’ll hurt each other. I can’t let them hurt each other. What will happen to Shouto? I can’t let them!”

He tried to take a step towards them only to once again be yanked back by Bakugou. Kacchan pushed him backwards and he stumbled into a pile of what had once been a wall to some building.

“Roki can’t control himself right now, and with the way he is and with the way you smell?” Bakugou said, eyes never leaving Roki. Narrowed, shoulder tense and on guard, hands sparking as if ready to defend if either of the two made a move towards him. He only threw one glance at Izuku and the warning in them was clear. “He will mount you.”

“It’s that bad…?” Izuku asked with a squeak, pushing further up against the wall. A spark of green lit up around him and Black Whip twirled out around his fingers as he looked between the three alphas.

“No, not for me, and I doubt for any other alpha with self-control. But he doesn’t have any,” Bakugou said with a small shake of his head, barely visible as he kept his eyes glued on Roki. Suddenly he got into a crouch and his teeth barred, and Izuku saw in the corner of his eye how Roki physically pushed Todo into his own ice, lighting the ground of fire and melting the frozen ground. Then he held out his left hand towards Bakugou and Bakugou had just enough time to dash out of the way, grabbing Izuku by the collar in the process and throwing him across the ground as the fire raged behind them. “So fucking go already!”

“Yeah, that… that might be a good idea.” Izuku swallowed, hurrying up into a defence position as he shot a glance at Bakugou. “Will you be alright?”

“Whose the fucking omega here?” Bakugou snarled, dashing across the ground towards Roki with an explosion charged and ready. “Fucking. Go!”

Izuku couldn’t do much else than bolt in the opposite direction. According to the rules of the exercise, he wasn’t allowed to use his quirk in this situation unless Roki outright attacked him. Which, technically, probably could already qualify. But he hoped that the teachers hadn’t noticed the ruckus was revolving around Izuku instead of the exercise. He wasn’t sure how loud the speakers were or how much noise the cameras could pick up right now. But he hoped, he really hoped, that this wouldn’t lead to any more problems.

It wasn’t Roki’s fault this time. It really wasn’t.

Last time, as much as Izuku tried to tell everyone otherwise, Roki had pushed further than he should have. It was unprovoked and it had no basis. Nothing but the fact that Roki wanted to, and Izuku had let him. This time Roki had commented on his scent, saying it was different than it had been last week. Izuku was pretty sure that Roki had said it didn’t smell much different than a beta’s when they were in the elevator.

Could your scent really change so much in one week? Was it supposed to happen that fast? He hadn’t noticed any of the signs before, and there had been none of the obvious signs he’d read about when it came to presenting.

He hadn’t been tired or sleeping more than normal. He hadn’t had any unusual moments of unexplained fevers or drowsiness before today. Maybe he’d been a little hungrier than normal, but that was usually only in the mornings. Otherwise he ate as normal. His scent hadn’t changed until now, and there had been no surprise erections or slick release that was supposed to come with late stage presenting.

An explosion went of behind him and the rage of the fire reached his ears as it was quickly catching up behind him. He glanced back only to see a large glaciar, as tall as the buildings around them, rise behind him. Below it, Todo came skating across a small path of frozen ground before he came to a stop beside Izuku. He was panting heavily, looking behind him and swallowing.

“We can’t stop,” he said, gently taking Izuku’s wrist. He gave him a nod as he started running, Izuku following behind him. “If Bakugou can’t hold me off, that won’t last long.”

“If I could just talk to him,” Izuku tried, the guild building inside. This was all because of him, after all. “It’s not his fault. It’s not your fault, Shouto.”

Todo smiled sadly. “I should be able to control myself around my own fiancé.”

“And it’s not bothering you? My scent?” Izuku asked carefully and Todo shook his head.

“I can smell it, but it’s no different to me than Jirou’s or Hagakure’s,” Todo replied. “It appeals to me more. But I don’t feel the urge to attack you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You don’t?” Somehow, knowing that Todo lacked that kind of sexual desire towards him kinda made him feel a bit disheartened, and he couldn’t explain why.

“Well, I do, but I don’t,” Todo explained, before shaking his head again. He looked over his shoulder. “I do, that version of me, the one that assaulted you earlier. I want you, Izuku. But I don’t have that urge. I can’t feel it inside, not like I do.”

That was all Roki, Izuku realized. The alpha urge, the desire for sex and mating and physical pleasure. That was all with Roki.

God, how had he not made any of the connections? How could all of that gone over his head when it was all right there in front of him to see?

“That’s why you’re afraid of him. Of yourself,” Izuku realized aloud. His eyes widened as every moment of Todo distancing himself from Izuku flashed before his eyes. All the discomfort and rejection. All the times that Todo had pushed Izuku away and tried to drag Roki with him. “You’re afraid he’ll do something that you’ll regret later.”

Todo didn’t answer as they ran, but his fingers shook and his shoulders were tense. The feelings that filtered through the bond, none of them were pleasant.

“Shouto, you won’t hurt me,” Izuku continued, picking up speed so that he was running more in tune with Todo.

“But I want to,” Todo whispered quietly. “I want to, and I will if I don’t stop myself. But I can’t because I have no control over myself.”

“That’s not hurting me, Shouto.” Izuku tried to make it sound comforting, but it only seemed to pain him more. “It’s okay to want those kinds of things.”

“It’s not. You don’t know what I want to do to you, Izuku.”

“I told you, I can make an educated guess.”

“No, you can’t!” Todo stopped, and Izuku halted just a few phases ahead of him. “None of what you’re imagining I want from you—it’s nothing compared to what I can feel myself dreaming about at night. All of those images, those pictures and those… situations… And now this. I’ll hurt you. I’ll hurt you and I’ll never be able to take that back.”

What hit Izuku the most, wasn't Todo’s words or the scenarios he described. The fact that he was revealing having wet dreams about Izuku at night or the fact that he thought so low of himself that he believed he was capable of hurting Izuku. No, it was the tears that streamed down Todo’s face as he talked.

The fight still sounded behind them, and Todo’s silhouette was framed by the occasional explosion and the light of Roki’s flames. But Izuku couldn’t find himself caring one bit about that anymore.

He swallowed, taking a step towards Todo only to stop when Todo took one back. His fists clenched and frost spreading across the ground.

“Is this… Is this about your mom?” Izuku asked, speaking slowly and picking his words carefully while he spoke. “...And your dad?”

Todo flinched and Izuku knew he hit just right. And so many things fell into place. Missing pieces of a puzzle finally filled in as the whole picture was quickly becoming so much more clear to him now.

This had nothing to do with the split. That was just Todo’s excuse. That was the tip of the iceberg. Roki was on the top because he was a physical part of Shouto that now had his own body and could do what he wanted without his inhibitions stopping him because Todo could only do so much. No matter how much he tried to keep himself in check, it was less of a struggle to stop a desire in your head than it was to stop another human being. But Roki’s actions were a problem because it all went back to Shouto’s childhood.

Endeavor, an alpha, had abused his mate, Shouto’s mother and an omega, for years. Had fathered four children with her, one of which had destroyed himself for approval, two that had been completely ignored in favor of Shouto who then had been abused to the point where it had left invisible scars that went deeper than anyone had previously thought.

“I’ll hurt you,” Todo whispered, voice breaking. “I’ll hurt you. I’ll always hurt you.”

Izuku clenched his right hand, gripping his wrist. Then he stepped forward, faster than Todo could step back and pulled him in. He wrapped his arms around Todo’s neck and pulled him down, standing up on his toes to hug him tight. He held Todo against the crook of his neck, running his fingers through his hair and shushed him softly.

“You won’t,” Izuku said, gentle and sweet but still confident. “I promise, you won’t. And I would never let you do that to yourself.”

“You don’t know that,” Shouto whimpered, voice nothing but a whine into Izuku’s shoulder as his shoulders shook. His fingers carefully brushed over Izuku’s sides before they wrapped around him, holding onto Izuku like he was falling over the edge of a cliff. And Izuku held him back just as tight.

“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday? We could have solved this.” Izuku carded his fingers through Todo’s hair.

Todo shook his head. “I wouldn’t listen. I’ll never listen.”

“Do you want us to talk about it?” Izuku tried. “Just you and me? Without Roki this time.”

Todo shook his head again, and Izuku sighed. He rubbed his nose against Todo’s cheek and couldn’t help but plant a very chaste kiss on it. “We’re going to have to talk about this at some point, Shouto. I can’t just let this go.”

It sounded like Todo was about to say something before he pushed Izuku back with wide eyes. He threw a look behind him before he grabbed his own left wrist tight enough that his claws dug through his red wristbands. Frost started to spread over the fabric before it started to travel up his skin and down to his fingers. Izuku watched completely lost for a moment before he saw ice crystals start forming and Todo’s skin started turning red from the sudden drop in temperature.

“Oh, my God! Shouto, stop!” Izuku cried, yanking his right hand away from his left and using his quirk to remove the ice. He held the shaking limb in his hand, fingers moving over red skin. “Why would you do that to yourself?”

“I can feel it,” Todo said, breathing heavily and shaky as he swallowed. His fingers shook, stiff and red as Izuku brushed the last remaining ice from the digits.

“What?”

“I can’t handle cold. I’ll feel it.”

“You mean other you?” Izuku asked, looking down on the limb and then behind them at the explosions and fire.

“I’ll feel the cold, the pain, and it will hinder me,” Todo explained. His right hand rose again and Izuku grabbed it quickly and held the two hands far away from each other.

“Absolutely not! I won’t let you hurt yourself like this,” he yelled, desperately trying to figure out what to do with this situation. “This isn’t healthy. It’s not the way to do it!”

“That’s—” Todo began but stopped as his eyes fell on something behind Izuku. He frowned before he relaxed. “I think class is over for you.”

“What?” Izuku asked, turning around to see Aizawa coming towards them. He had his scarf ready and seemed to be on high alert.

“Midoriya, you need to come with me. Now,” he said, and Todo quickly took a step back.

“I can’t just leave them like this,” Izuku said, pointing towards Todo and the fight that was clearly moving towards them.

“We’ll take care of it. But you can’t be here right now,” Aizawa insisted.

“But—”

“Izuku,” Todo said, placing a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. He hesitated a bit, with a careful look at Aizawa before he turned back to Izuku. “Please, do as he says. I’ll be fine.”

He looked between his teacher and Todo before he sighed. He rubbed his face before he nodded.

“But I’m not forgetting this, Shouto,” Izuku said, pointing at Todo. “I won’t.”

“You can’t just let it go?” Todo begged.

“Never.”

Chapter Text

Todo dried the tears from his face, rubbing them away on his wristbands and found himself staring down at the wet spots it left behind as if transfixed. They almost popped from the dark red color and mocked him. He scowled, internally berating himself for letting his emotions get the better of him like that. Izuku had enough to deal with when it came to Roki. He didn’t need Todo to come around and mess it all up even more.

He threw a long glance behind himself, looking after Aizawa and Izuku as they disappeared in the smoke. The fire Roki had set was surrounding them with black clouds and the dust from the ruined buildings were mixing it all in and creating a thick fog. He barely saw anything past it and he had to navigate through the bond between him and Roki to be able to find the two alphas he'd left behind.

The closer he got to his other half, the less smoke there was around him. He could feel a strong tug on his clothes, as if the wind had snagged it and was now trying to drag him with it. He had to push back with his legs the closer he came before the pull stopped and he nearly toppled forward.

Thirteen was standing between Roki and Bakugou when Todo found them again. Her expression was unreadable behind her black visor and her thick costume hid her body language well. She did have her finger up, however, giving away that she’d been the cause of the strong pull earlier. Probably to get rid of all the smoke, Todo rationalized. She was saying something, but he couldn’t entirely hear what it was. What she said didn’t seem to sit well with either Bakugou or Rokiroki, however. Neither of the two alphas looked very pleased with each other, glaring and spreading thick alpha pheromones around the area. It was a good thing Thirteen was a beta and wearing that thick helmet of hers or Todo was sure that amount of pheromones wouldn’t have been healthy. Both of the alphas had burns and bruises everywhere. Cuts and small scrapes that bled. Roki’s right hand was shaking, fingers twitching, and when he saw Todo, he glared at him with a loud click of his tongue. The anger was boiling inside his other half.

“I’m sorry,” Todo said as he neared Thirteen. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”