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Shouto is grateful for the dorms at UA. He loves struggling to stay up late with everyone watching the newest movies, or witnessing Bakugo scream at people for their strange cuisine habits. The early mornings where Kirishima’s hair routine occupies the bathroom. The small things like how Mina makes Uraraka keep watch for her as she walks back from the showers, or how Midoriya has five different pairs of All Might themed pajamas.
The thing Shouto is most thankful for with the dorms is that he can finally escape the weird homelife he has.
It has gotten better, Shouto often argues with himself. There are no more nights spent curled up in pain with bruises blossoming on his skin, and with the only sources of comfort being father’s early bedtime and the framed photo of his mother that rests on his dresser.
It gets lonely with his mother away in the hospital. He visits her every chance he has, and Shouto beams at his mother’s easy laughter with every small joke that carries their conversations.
That is not to say Shouto has trouble finding comfort in his childhood home, despite his rough beginnings with the house. As of currently, Fuyumi has gotten more adjusted with her current teaching position, and she shares about the cuteness of her elementary school students. Natsuo is excelling with his studies, and dinner conversations consist of Fuyumi teasing about the lab partner Natsuo definitely has a crush on. Shouto always shares stories of Midoriya and Iida at the dinner table, and Fuyumi insists on Shouto sending more of her recipes to Bakugo.
With all the peace in his family home, his father was still a problem. Endeavor had picked up some recent unsettling habits.
Shouto honestly wishes it was anything but the current habit at hand. Sero one time joked about Pro Heroes on drugs. Something about how could Pro Heroes keep up with crime, run an agency, and keep decent PR without cocaine or crack supporting them. A drug addiction would honestly be so much easier than his current situation.
The number 2 Pro Hero, Hawks, keeps spending the night at the Todoroki household. Shouto finally caught him.
Shouto did like Hawks at one point. At one point. That is no longer a thing.
The encounter Shouto had with Hawks at 1 am ruined everything.
The trial of not being tired enough really seemed to play with Shouto that night. Sleep was the most unrealistic of dreams, and all Shouto could do was feel his eyes dry out. The brightness of his screen kept him awake into borderline ungodly hours, as Shouto spent the time witnessing Bakugo and Midoriya scream at each other in the Class 1-A group chat. Something about how Best Jeanist’s quirk functioned, or who knows. Shouto could never keep up with their tactics.
The air was still, and the house kept echoing the strangest of noises. The walls carried the foreign noises, and they rang through Shouto’s ears. Sometimes the more tenor yelp would make a cameo. He really did not know what it was. Endeavor never works out past 7 pm.
The sudden attractiveness of dehydration was rather appealing to Shouto, as he laid in his sweatpants surrounded by the screen lighting up the room.
Finally succumbing to the need of a glass of water, Shouto pulled himself out from his futon and proceeded to journey to his kitchen. The hallway was finally quiet, and Shouto sighed in relief because he did not want to see his father’s workout routine at 1 am.
As Shouto approached his kitchen, he noticed a light on. Considering turning around at the risk of seeing his probably sweaty and gross post workout father, Shouto just decided to release any minor anxieties he had in order to get water. It was just a five second task anyways.
Shouto turned into his kitchen only to be greeted by crimson wings, and a shirtless Hawks standing near the counter.
Shouto felt his soul leave his body.
“Hawks?” Shouto felt his pulse raging through him, and ice started to frost his finger tips. It was a strange nervous tick of his.
Hawks turned around, wearing large drawstring pants tied to the smallest possible size. “Oh, Shouto-kun. Funny seeing you here.”
It should be the other way around, Shouto kept to himself.
“Um,” Shouto took a moment to ground himself, “Why are you here?”
Hawks nervously chuckled, moving his hand behind his head and leaning his slim frame against the counter. He seemed to hesitate trying to find the words he wanted to reply with for the now forced conversation. “I have been working out more with Endeavor-san recently. Just some extra training.”
“Extra training,” Shouto immediately replied, his brows narrowing.
“Yeah let’s call it that,” Hawks awkwardly smiled.
Hawks was not a bad looking guy. Shouto knew this, and so did the rest of the world. From countless swim illustrated magazines covers to tasteful underwear photoshoots, Hawks and his agency knew his appeal. Not that Shouto wants to think that much about his sexual orientation, but if anything he knew Hawks has helped Shouto figure out he was not exactly straight. Hawks always captured his attention with his swept back blond hair, his light facial hair, and his charismatic smile.
Seeing Hawks in his dimly lit kitchen though, with strange bruises along his neck and questionable scratch marks decorated around his waist, was the ugliest thing Shouto has seen. This was not even including the smeared black eyeliner hugging the creases of Hawks’ golden eyes.
“Um, do you need anything else?” At this point Shouto just accepted that he was going to be polite to Hawks, and he would give Hawks the guest treatment.
Hawks laughed, the walls of the Todoroki house giving Hawks’ voice another greeting. “I will be fine. I actually was just leaving.”
Shouto paused, his scarred eyebrow raising up. “Do you, um,” Shouto tripped on his words, “do you need a shirt?”
Hawks having a lack of clothing was very distracting to the current situation Shouto found himself in.
“Oh! Funny story, you see my shirt got burned off when Endeavor-san was undress- I mean training with me. And my wings,” Hawks pointed his hand back gesturing at his wings, “My wings need specific custom shirts. These bad boys really like to be picky about fashion. So, I will just head back to my apartment like this.”
Shouto was too exhausted and dehydrated to deal with whatever the hell Hawks’ logic was. This guy was smart, right?
“Okay, get home safe.” Those words felt bitter leaving Shouto’s tongue.
A good luck wish was not really deserved, but at this point Shouto did not know what else to do.
“Will do, kiddo,” Hawks started making his way to the door with a noticeable limp, moving to put his recognizable boots back on. Shouto, unfortunately, noticed the lack of socks on Hawks’ feet. “Do me a favor will you, Shouto-kun? Can you tell Endeavor-san I went home? I did not want to deal with his snoring.”
“Sure.” Shouto almost tasted bile.
Hawks adjusted his oversized pants, and carefully shuffled out of the door. “Goodnight Shouto-kun. Tell Tsukuyomi-kun I said hello.”
The moment the door slammed shut, Shouto felt his stomach squeeze and cry. Suddenly his father’s estate felt like it was nearly suffocating him. The mere concept of what Shouto witnessed was so unbearable and terrible. His father was still married. His father was still married to his hospitalized mother, and Hawks is ruining a marriage. Hawks is probably flying in his birthday suit right now. His father DEFINITELY was not having a “late night workout”.
That night Shouto stayed up all night dying of thirst, and while comforting himself with Bakugo and Midoriya’s group Class 1-A chat argument that spammed his notifications.
***
“Todoroki-kun, are you okay?”
“He’s fucking fine, Deku. He’s always sleeping.”
Shouto pulled himself out of his five minute nap to be confronted by a concerned Midoriya and an annoyed Bakugo. The Class 1-A classroom was still relatively empty considering it was 10 minutes before homeroom, and only a few of his classmates were settled into their desks.
Midoriya broke the silence. “You seem off today, Todoroki-kun. You were particularly rushed heading out of the dorms today, and you didn’t eat breakfast. I know you went home and everything,” Midoriya stopped himself from saying his next thought, “but if you really need to talk about anything I’m-”
“Deku, fuck off. You’re rambling your damn mouth off,” Bakugo interrupted as his palms sparked.
Todoroki relaxed, and felt a sigh ease out of him. “I will be okay. Thanks for checking in.”
“Well Half and Half,” Bakugo spitting out the nickname, “Stay on top of your damn game today. Don’t slack off. It pisses me off.”
Shouto finally smiled, and he could finally erase the image of Hawks in his kitchen. “Thanks, Bakugo.”
After the check in conversation and while Shouto began to prepare for class, Tokoyami snuck over to Shouto. “Excuse me, Todoroki. I have a quick question.”
Shouto could do this. He could talk to Tokoyami, who is unfortunately interning for his current least favorite person. “What is it?”
“Hawks texted me saying he saw you this past weekend. And he said ‘Tell him I am so sorry’,” Tokoyami reached into his pocket to pull out his phone to almost fact check the apology. “He did not give me context. Is everything okay?”
Midoriya and Bakugo glanced back from their seats to eye the current conversation.
Shouto gritted his teeth. “Everything is fine. Tell Hawks it’s okay.”
It was a lie, but Shouto just wanted to move on.
Tokoyami moved his hands to message back, and Shouto tried to ignore the string of buzzes that rang out from Tokoyami’s phone. “Thank you, I just told him.”
Tokoyami quickly made his way into his seat. The phone kept buzzing, and Tokoyami finally moved to put his phone on silent mode.
Soon Shouto noticed his phone vibrating in his pocket.
Father: How much do you know?
Father: Shouto. Please reply.
Father: Shouto, I love you. I am so proud of you. Please reply to me.
Father: I am sorry.
Shouto left his messages on read.