Summary: Alcohol gives Shouto the courage to finally tell you how he feels after rejecting you years ago. (Angst/comfort)
Featuring - drunk Shouto Todoroki
You touched up your lip combo in the mirror, smoothed down your skirt, and gave yourself one last look before returning to the dinner table.
As you walked back into the private room and slipped into your seat beside Mina, you couldn’t help but glance across the table at Shouto.
He was laughing quietly at something Kirishima had said, a drink in his hand.
Everyone from U.A. was here tonight.
You had said hello to almost everyone, catching up with old friends and falling into conversations that made it feel like you were back in college again.
You still found yourself hesitating whenever it came to Shouto. You hadn’t spoken much since graduating college.
You had finally built up enough courage to confess your feelings to him back then.
You remembered how nervous you had been. How carefully you had rehearsed what you wanted to say, only for Shouto to gently turn you down.
He hadn’t been cruel about it; and that’s what made it harder.
He had told you he wasn’t looking for a relationship. That there were still things he needed to work through, especially when it came to his family. He had said he didn’t want to start something with you when he knew he couldn’t give it the attention it deserved.
Understanding why someone didn’t want you didn’t make rejection hurt any less.
You had gone home that night with a smile on your face and cried about it later.
And eventually, you had moved on. Or at least, you had gotten very good at pretending you had. You had been on dates and had a situationship or two, but nothing stuck.
“Shots!” Sero’s voice pulled you from your thoughts.
He threw an arm around your shoulders and held a shot glass out toward you.
You laughed, accepting it.
You could always rely on Sero to drag everyone into the festivities.
The rest of the night passed in a blur.
Sake bottles emptied quickly, the Japanese barbecue grills were fired up, and plates of expensive meat were passed around the table. Laughter filled the room, loud enough to drown out the awkwardness you’d felt earlier.
For a few hours, you forgot about Shouto.
You forgot about the confession.
You forgot about the way his rejection had once made you question whether you had imagined every moment of closeness between you.
Instead, you were just surrounded by old friends. It felt good, nostalgic enough to hurt.
By the end of the night, people had started making their rounds, saying their goodbyes and promising to do this again soon.
You were gathering your things when Iida approached you. “Excuse me. Shouto appears to have had a little too much to drink.”
“He threw up earlier, and he’s sitting outside the restaurant now. He keeps asking for you.”
Your brows furrowed. “For me?”
Iida nodded. “He specifically requested you bring him home.”
Your stomach twisted unpleasantly.
It had been years since you and Shouto had had a proper conversation, and now, after an entire evening of barely looking at each other, he was asking for you?
“Um… sure. I’ll go check on him.”
Mina immediately gave you a look, because she knew everything.
The confession. The rejection. The months it had taken you to get over him.
“You want me to come?” she asked quietly.
You shook your head. “I’m good. I’ll text you.”
She studied your face for a moment before nodding. You grabbed your coat and headed outside.
You spotted Shouto immediately.
He was sitting on the restaurant steps with his head hanging low, his shoulders slumped.
He looked completely unlike the composed man you had spent the evening pretending not to notice.
“Hey…” You approached slowly. “I called you a taxi. Are you feeling okay?”
You sat beside him, leaving a small amount of space between you.
Shouto lifted his head. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, his face flushed from the alcohol.
He stared at you for a few seconds.
Then, quietly— “Will you come with me?”
Your heart gave an uncomfortable little squeeze. “With you?”
You didn’t know why he wanted you specifically. You didn’t know what was going through his head. And you definitely didn’t want to read too much into the words of a drunk man.
“Okay,” you said softly. “Sure. If you want.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”
The taxi dropped you off in front of Shouto’s house.
He got out first, wobbling slightly as he made his way toward the front door.
He seemed determined not to accept help, so you stayed a few steps behind him, ready to catch him if he stumbled.He struggled with his keys for several seconds.
You sighed. “Give me those.”
He obediently handed them over.
You unlocked the door and followed him inside. Once you were in, Shouto asked you to help him remove his shoes while he loosened his tie.
You crouched down, helping him out of them before watching him shuffle toward the couch.
He dropped onto it heavily.
For a moment, you simply stood there. He looked sad, not just drunk. You had seen plenty of people become emotional when they drank, so you tried not to think too much of it.
“I’m going to get going now, okay?” You waited near the entrance.
“Can—” His voice was barely audible. “Can we talk?”
His eyes were already half closed, and he gestured weakly toward the empty space beside him.
You hesitated. Then you sighed, slipped off your heels, and walked over.
You sat beside him; almost immediately, Shouto closed the distance between you. His head came to rest against your shoulder which results in your entire body to stiffen.
You hadn’t touched him like this in years.
The question caught you completely off guard. “What?”
His voice was quiet. “Do you hate me?”
Your heart hurt. “Oh my god, no.” The answer came too quickly for you to stop it. “Never.”
You looked down at him, trying to figure out what expression he was making.
He stared at the floor. “You don’t… talk to me anymore.” There was a pause. “I miss you.”
Your chest tightened. For a moment, all the feelings you had worked so hard to put away came rushing back.
You remembered why you’d fallen for him in the first place.
His quiet kindness, the way he listened when people spoke, his passion he had for his work, and the rare moments when his guarded expression softened around the people he trusted.
You remembered the way you’d felt when he rejected you, too. That horrible, hollow feeling of realizing that someone could mean so much to you and still not choose you.
“We grew apart after college,” you said carefully; you forced a small smile. “But it was nice seeing you tonight.”
Then— “It was because you liked me.”
He hiccuped. “I’m sorry,” and then a sniffle. “I ruined everything.”
Your heart clenched. “Shouto…” You couldn’t handle the sound of him crying. “It’s okay. It’s in the past.”
You gently patted his shoulder. “We’re adults. It’s fine.”
“For my family problems,” he continued. “I wasn’t lying.”
“I know.” You swallowed. “I never thought you were lying.”
He shifted, slowly sliding off your shoulder until his head rested in your lap instead.
You instinctively grabbed a nearby pillow and tucked it beneath his head. He looked so different like this; so vulnerable.
“I wanted to call you,” he whispered.“To talk.”
You didn’t know what to say, so you just listened.
“But I was scared…” His voice was becoming quieter. “I thought you’d found someone.”
Your fingers curled slightly against your skirt. Your heart was beating so hard you were almost certain he could hear it.
After all these years… Was this really how he had felt?
Shouto turned his head, looking up at you. His eyes were red, glassy, and impossible to read. “I watched you all night. You looked beautiful.”
His hand slowly lifted toward your face. For a second, you thought he was going to touch your cheek. But his fingers stopped just short. He seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled his hand back.
His eyes closed and the room fell silent.
You stared down at him, completely overwhelmed. You didn’t know what to believe.
You didn’t know whether the alcohol was making him say things he didn’t mean or simply giving him the courage to say things he’d been too afraid to admit.
So you did the only thing you could think of. You reached down and gently ran your fingers through his dual-colored hair.
He exhaled softly, relaxing beneath your touch.
You looked at him for a long moment before speaking, “Shouto…”
His eyes remained closed.
“We’re going to talk about all of this.”
His brows furrowed slightly.
You continued running your fingers through his hair. “You’re drunk. And I’m not going to let myself believe something just because you said it when you weren’t sober.”
“So tomorrow, when you’re sober…” You paused. “…you can tell me if you really meant it.”
His eyes opened slightly.
For a moment, you thought he might argue.
Instead, he simply looked at you. “Okay, I will.”
The words were barely a whisper.
You stayed beside him for a little while longer, letting him rest.
Because despite everything— despite the years, the distance, and the heartbreak— you still cared about him.
Dividers by: @designlikenonsense