Chapter Text
Every once in a while, Todoroki and Sero would hang out and talk about manga together. After the Sports Festival, Sero talked to him enough that the tiny sliver of friendship started to grow, and Todoroki relented and accepted it. Them being neighbors in the dorms helped it grow even more, and Todoroki was proud to call him his friend.
Today their conversation was interrupted by Kaminari walking in, asking if he could sit with them. He said he wouldn’t bother them, but he just didn’t want to be alone. They both agree, and he came in further, claiming a spot on Sero’s lap and playing with a fidget toy quietly.
Sero was okay with it. They were bro’s, and if you can’t cuddle with your bro, what can you do? Is it really a true bro-ship if you can’t be affectionate? The answer is no.
Todoroki, on the other hand, was completely caught off guard. He had seen people get close to each other at movie nights and hold hands as both friends and couples, but he hadn’t ever seen it up close. They were both comfortable enjoying each other’s affection. It wasn’t a big deal for Kaminari to sit on Sero’s lap since they were both comfortable with it. He wasn’t used to seeing affection, let alone casual physical affection.
Apparently, he had been staring too long because Kaminari interrupted Sero, who was talking about his favorite character. “Does this make you uncomfortable?”
“You’re sitting in his lap,” Was all Todoroki responded with, not entirely sure why it was happening.
“Yeah? Does that make you uncomfortable?”
He quickly shook his. He wasn’t uncomfortable, he was just confused. “It’s just weird.”
“Is it because we’re dudes?” Sero asked, a little scared his friend was homophobic.
Todoroki shook his head quickly again. “No, no, it’s just- it’s- affection. Affections weird.”
There was a few seconds of silence where Sero and Kaminari just stared at him. After a moment, though Kamianri’s mouth opened while into a silent oh. “You’re friends don’t cuddle with you! I’ve seen them hug and hold hands and cuddle and stuff with each other but never with you!”
“Are they purposely leaving you out?” Sero asked.
“No, they just a don’t do it with me. They think I don’t like it.”
“Is that true? Are you just not a cuddle’s dude?”
Todoroki shrugged. He liked when his mom hugged him when he was younger, but he wasn’t sure that counted.
“Man, when was the last time someone hugged you?”
“My sister gave me a hug when I got into UA.”
“Before that?”
“My mom, when I was really young.”
The both of them just gaped at him in shock. He had to be so touch starved by now. Kaminari silently slid of Sero’s lap and next to him on the bed. Todoroki was confused as he slid his legs open and patted the place between them. “C’mere man, if you don’t like it, we can stop.”
It took a minute of encouragement before Todoroki finally got up from the desk chair and carefully perched himself between Kaminari’s legs. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, not leaning towards Kaminari, who had his back against the wall. “Lean back, bro, it’s chill. Unless you’re already uncomfortable, then you don’t have to.”
Todoroki was confused beyond belief. He stared back at Kaminari, unsure of how to proceed. If he hadn’t mastered his usual blank look, his face would have been full of confusion. Finally, after a while of silent staring, the only noise coming from Kaminari occasionally patting the bed encouragingly, he sat back a little more. He got so close that he was only a couple of inches away from touching Kaminari’s chest, but he could feel Kaminari’s thighs against the outside of his own.
The feeling was… weird. He hadn’t felt anything like this since he was a little kid. The light hold was warm and comforting in a way it shouldn’t be, in a way he wasn’t used to. He never knew things like this could feel nice.
The topic got changed to an upcoming English essay. Sero and Kaminari talked about the subject they chose and gave each other ideas and writing tips while Todoroki stayed silent. His brain was going a thousand miles a minute, but he couldn’t pinpoint one specific thought. He was super overwhelmed by the touch.
Once the conversation started to die down, Kaminari noticed his discomfort. “You good man? Do you wanna stop? Ooh! Or you could fidget! They’re good for anxiety too.” He held out the abandoned fidget cube, and it looked more and more enticing as the seconds passed. Todoroki eventually took it and stayed silent as the conversation moved from the essay to the book they were reading for class.
The fidget cube was a good idea on Kaminari’s part. Todoroki’s thoughts became less jumbled the more he focused on it. Eventually, his thoughts calmed, and all he could think about was the warmth surrounding him. It was nice and calming, and he never wanted it to stop.
Kaminari occasionally checked in to make sure he was okay, and each time, all he could do was nod contently. He knew he shouldn’t let himself get to attached to the feeling, but he couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t felt this safe since before his quirk manifested. He wished the feeling would never end.
Subconsciously, Kaminari’s hand moved up to the hair behind his right ear and started scratching. Todoroki completely melted into it, his back finally falling into Kaminari’s chest and his head resting on his shoulder. He couldn’t see the look Kaminari and Sero gave each over his head, too focused on how nice it felt.
Kaminari wrapped his left arm around Todoroki’s body, leaving his hand placed in the middle of his stomach. Todoroki couldn’t remember ever feeling so warm, so safe.
Without his knowledge, Kaminari and Sero were having a silent conversation. They cuddled together and with the rest of their friend group regularly, sans Bakugo who was slightly uncomfortable with physical contact. (They were working on it.) Even then, with all of their previous cuddle knowledge, they weren’t expecting this. They’d seen Bakugo completely calm down from his normal angry self when Kirishima held him but this was a whole other level.
Todoroki’s usually stoic face was gone, replaced with a small smile. He had been so awkward and stiff when he first sat down. The fidget cube relieved some of the stiffness, but once Kaminari started to play with his hair he completely melted into him. After a while of just playing with his hair, the fidget cube was forgotten and he was just completely blissed out.
They had seen anyone that calm from just from physical contact. Eventually, his eyes slipped closed and they assumed he was asleep. Kaminari kept petting his hair though, not moving him until they realized how late it was. Neither wanted to wake him, so they laid him down between him on the bed, spooning him from both sides.
And if Aizawa did a random nightly check, just sighing deeply without making them go back to their own rooms, that was no one’s business but their own.