Todoroki was stressed, to say the least. Working tirelessly to get his Provisional License, training hard to stay on top, and regular classwork had him going pretty much non-stop. Cold soba was his only escape, and even that was starting to lose its effect. It was all wearing on him, keeping his muscles tense and eyes sunken with dark bags.

The dual-quirked teen sauntered into the dorm’s kitchen, in search of his comfort food. His shoulders ached from tension, his neck and back in similar condition. The cold soba was the only thing he wanted at that moment. When he opened the fridge door, though, he deflated. “Damn it…” He had forgotten to make more the night before, exhausted from another night of rigorous training.

Kirishima walked into the room, a bright smile on his face. “Hey, Todoroki! How’s it…going.” He saw the other student’s tired, saddened form, concern blooming on his face. “Are you okay, man?”

He sighed, closing the door and cutting off the cool air. Was he okay? He wasn’t sure he knew the answer himself. “Uhm…yes. Why do you ask?” 

That only made the bubbly teen’s brows furrow. “Because you look very not okay. You’re more tense than Aizawa sensei after dealing with Bakubro and Midoriya.” He smiled softly, a small huff of air escaping him. Though they didn't interact much, Todo knew he could trust the boy and enjoyed his company. “Maybe I am a little wound up.”

Kiri chuckled, getting a bit closer and opening the fridge. He noticed the lack of his classmate’s favorite dish. “If you want, I could help. I’m not the greatest cook, but I could try and make you some soba. Maybe a massage or something.”

The massage option caught his attention. He was stupidly tense; he could use a break. “I wouldn’t mind a massage, if you’re willing to give one.”

“So formal, Todobro. You’ve gotta loosen up a bit.” He was more than happy to help out his classmate, moving over to one of the dorm couches. “And of course, I’m happy to. You wanna sit down and I’ll help?”

He nodded, following him and sitting down beside the red-haired teen. Normally, he wouldn’t have been so accepting of the concerned gesture. Midoriya and the others had been working with him on asking for help, though; it was working. Kiri went right to work, rubbing circles in his shoulders. It was unfair how quickly the tension began to ease.

Eijirou moved methodically, working to ease his peer’s tense muscles. The sheer amount of knots he had to work out concerned him. “Jeez, man. You’ve really gotta take more breaks. This isn’t healthy.” 

A small hum came from the tense teen; he was too lost in the calming feeling to do much else. At first, when Kiri was working his shoulders, it felt wonderful. He could feel the tension leaving, the tight pains fading to dull aches or going entirely.

As time passed, Kirishima’s hands wandered, moving to the base of his ribs and back. A small, annoying buzz came with the release, making him smile. Todoroki squirmed a little, trying to distract himself from the feeling.

Kirishima noticed the squirms, pulling his hands away. “You good? Sorry if I hurt you, I’m a little rusty.” Of course that’s where his mind went. That boy was too kind. “No, it’s fine. Just needed to move.” With a nod, the massage continued, right back at the dreaded spot.

Okay, that was fine. He could handle a little buzzing, no problem. At least, he thought he could, until Kirishima moved upwards again, gently poking his neck to feel for tension. Todo went rigid, a small giggle escaping him. Oh, he was screwed.

“Todoroki…are you ticklish?” Previous statement retracted. Kirishima wasn’t nice at all for asking. He knew the answer already, and knew the other boy would lie. “Uh, no. Just, um, thought of something funny.”

Bullshit. Kiri sniffed out the obvious lie, deciding to toy with his friend. “Okay then. I’ll be more gentle, just because.” He went back to massaging the other teen’s neck, making sure to scritch his nails on the skin every once in a while. Todoroki bit his lip, thankful his back was to the hero-in-training. Rosy cheeks and a poorly suppressed smile didn’t really help his case.

This continued for about a minute; Kiishima gently massaging the other teen, occasionally letting his nails scrape the sensitive skin, and Todoroki trying desperately to stay quiet. The bright boy’s patience was wearing thin, and although he’d love to continue massaging his friend, the giggle was too enticing. He gave up on subtlety, going and simultaneously squeezing both Todoroki’s sides.

He muffled a yelp, jolting forwards and grabbing the crimson student’s hands. There was no denying it now; Todoroki was ticklish, and Kirishima was gonna help him let loose. Kiri wrapped his legs around the other’s torso, pulling him back and against his chest. It was a classic Kiri play-fight move, one most of the other students feared and loved; it meant that he was about to get it.

Ten fingers drilled into both his sides, pulling a few surprised giggles from the serious teen. He tried to squirm out of it, but he was essentially trapped in a hug; pinned both around the middle by wiggling fingers and waist by strong legs, Todoroki was trapped. He probably could’ve burned his way out of the hold, but he would never purposefully hurt his classmate. 

“Wow, so wiggly, Todobro. I’m just trying to get you to relax! Like these sides, they must be tense if you’re fighting it this much!” He knew that wasn’t why he was squirming so much, but it was an “excuse” to continue the tickling. Besides, teasing him was fun. He experimentally scribbled Todo’s navel, The results were better than he could’ve hoped for.

“K-KIHIRISHIMAHA! NOHOHO!” He practically squealed when he felt the boy’s nails on his belly button, his cheeks almost matching his left hair as he laughed. Kirishima adored the sound, happy that his classmate trusted him enough to cut loose like that. He didn’t really have much of a choice, but still. “Aww, there we go. You gotta release all that inner turmoil and stress, bro. Laughter is perfect!”

His well-meaning teases were completely unfair. Todoroki drummed his feet on the couch, twisting and shoving at his classmate’s hands. He didn’t totally hate what was happening, but still, it tickled! He just wished Kiri’s nails were focusing anywhere but his belly button. “MOHOHOVE! COHOME OHOHOHON!” 

Feeling merciful, he did as he was asked, instead focusing his fingers on the candy-cane boy’s sides.Loud laughter gave way to sweet giggles, surprisingly bright for such a serious kid. “Kihiri- Kihirishihihimaha! Whyhihihi?”

“Why? You’re stressed, that’s why. I’ve never seen someone so determined to have an aneurysm before adulthood before. You could do with some giggles.” He squeezed his navel, making Todoroki emphasize it with a squeal. “Like that! Very cute, by the way. You should laugh more.”

Such a jerk! He wanted to protest anything Kirishima had just claimed, but he couldn’t. Truth was, the tickling was helping. While giggly and flustered, he was much less tense than when he’d arrived. He also felt much happier, though he attributed that to human interaction rather than the goofy touch. 

Kiri could tell he was enjoying himself, at least to an extent. He hadn’t heard the actual word “stop” once. A certain sound, though, made him halt the touch. Was that…?

*grrrrrrlm*

Todoroki’s cheeks somehow got redder, that time from embarrassment. His stomach had growled rather loudly, reminding him of his long day and skipped meals. Kirishima was the one to laugh then, releasing his friend from the tickly hold. “Ohokay, your stomach’s got an opinion. Think we should get you some food, huh Todoroki?”

The half-and-half teen mumbled something under his breath, but nodded in agreement. He was hungry, and some cold soba would be nice. Kirishima chuckled, heading back to the dorm kitchen to prepare some grub for him and his friend. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, more bemused than concerned. 

“I’m… fine, sorry for zoning out. What were you saying?” He replied. Midoriya squinted at him, before launching back into the conversation.

It didn’t end there.

Heroics was an incredibly varied class. One week they’d be doing rescue simulations in the fake city of Ground Beta, then attempting stealth in the sprawling tunnels of Ground Gamma, or fighting robots with one hand tied behind their backs in the main gym. Each lesson was a new challenge, designed to prepare them for the eclectic life of a hero.

Today, they were put into pairs and given a small (fake) flash drive. The aim was to last five minutes in a fight, until their ‘backup’ arrived, without having the drive stolen by the other person. Todoroki had the good luck of being paired with Midoriya, who went first. He stashed the flash drive in one of the pockets of their P.E. uniforms, then fought on the defensive while Todoroki tried to pin him down to get the drive. Unfortunately, Midoriya was very slippery, and each time Todoroki managed to get him down he would twist so the drive was out of reach, forcing Todoroki to let him back up to try again. Eventually, just as Aizawa called out that there were 10 seconds remaining, he managed to unzip Midoriya’s pocket and finally retrieve the drive, which miraculously was still in one piece. 

Midoriya grinned, panting as he wiped his brow. “I almost had you.”

“Sure,” Todoroki said, clenching the drive in his hand. He’d seen how much trouble Midoriya had keeping his pockets away from Todoroki and decided to just hold on to the device until time was up. Aizawa gave them the go-ahead, and they went back into it. 

It was a tense few minutes. Midoriya kept his focus on Todoroki’s left hand while using his quirk to dodge the streams of ice bursting from his right one, always keeping right on his tail until there were 30 seconds remaining. Midoriya managed to pin him on his stomach and at this point he abandoned all strategy, solely focusing on keeping his hand tucked under him, far from Midoriya’s reach. Then, he felt something. A gentle pinch to his side, right under his ribs, made him gasp as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. Midoriya pinched him again, and this time his arm jolted to push him away. Each pinch caused his nerves to light up with alien sensations. Was this some weird aspect of Midoriya’s quirk he hadn’t noticed before? Either way, without realizing his hand had drifted into Midoriya’s reach, which he grabbed, prying Todoroki's fingers up and retrieving the drive in the last second. 

So, a draw, and a new weakness that Midoriya had discovered in him. Thankfully, it seemed to be limited to him only. 

Todoroki did not notice Yaoyorozu watching him curiously, from her own mat next to them.

Sometimes the exercises they did were team-building, but more often than not they were pitted against each other. Today in Heroics, they were to complete a sort of obstacle course, disguised as a sort of storage room in a warehouse. The class was put into ten pairs, where they would compete within each pair to see who could complete the course in the fastest time, by flipping a leaver at the end of the massive room. The course was split into five lanes, meaning half of the class would do the course, then the other half. Easy. The groups were random, with pairings like Uruaka with Aoyama, Midoriya with Bakugo (unlucky), and Todoroki with Yaoyorozu. 

There were no quirks allowed, which put them at roughly the same level, but Todoroki was confident in his ability to win the competition. They took their starting positions, then held still as they waited for Aizawa to give the word.

“Ready…” He drawled, 

“Set…” Todoroki tensed,

“Go.”

There was a flurry of movement, then the rest of his classmates vanished as they entered their lane. Todoroki took off, vaulting over a series of crates as they entered the thick of the course. Sliding under beams, climbing over debris, and swinging over massive pits. Todoroki internally scoffed, they hadn’t put much effort into making it seem like a realistic warehouse.

Throughout the race, Yaoyorozu had kept with him, till they were neck and neck at the finish. A great wall, with bump-outs to climb to the top (and a not-so-subtle mat at the bottom in case they fell). They both hit the wall at the same time, scaling to the top. Todoroki took the lead but soon realized that the wall didn’t go quite to the leaver. There was a gap, taller than him, but he likely could reach it if he stretched for it. So then it would be a case of winning through speed and height. He and Yaoyorozu were similar in height, but she had an inch or so on him which would mean a lot in this last task where the odds were so close. Balancing carefully on the last bump-outs (conspicuously larger than the rest so they could be stood on), he stretched up to reach the leaver. His fingers brushed the base of it. He sighed and stood as tall as he could, Yaoyorozu joining him only a foot or so away at her own leaver, but his focus was on reaching it. 

As she reached the last few bump-outs, she looked up, seeing Todoroki struggling to reach the leaver. Since he was only a little shorter than her, Yaoyorozu realized she likely wouldn’t make it in time. As she pulled herself up onto the platform, she ran over his weaknesses in her head, until she landed on one. Just an idea, something she’d seen a week or so ago. Carefully, she stretched up with one hand, and with the other reached across the gap between them to scribble her nails over his ribs. The results were immediate, and just what she needed. He doubled over, arms flying down to protect his ribs. She reached over a little more, wiggling her fingers against his stomach. Amazingly, he actually let out a short laugh, before stumbling backwards, and straight off of the platform, falling onto the mat below. She reached up again, standing on the very tips of her toes, and finally latched onto the leaver, yanking it down. The lights in their lane of the course flashed green, and she jumped down to meet him on the mat, offering Todoroki her hand.

Todoroki was ready to lie on the mat forever, wallowing over the fact that he just walked off the platform, but he accepted Yaoyorozu’s hand anyway. She gave him an apologetic smile. 

“I did what I had to,” She said sheepishly, “But sorry for tickling you, that was quite unprofessional.”

“It’s alright.” He said, but inside he was reeling. Tickling? Was that what those feelings were? He knew about tickling as an abstract concept but hadn’t realized that that was what was happening. He was ticklish. Suddenly, Todoroki felt the need to do some investigating. 

The next day, Midoriya had invited him over to do some last-minute studying for the exams, seeing as they were only next week. He arrived at 12:55 pm and knocked on the door. It was opened by a woman, presumably Midoriya’s mother, who greeted him with a kind smile.

“Todoroki-kun! You’re early.”

“Oh. Sorry, Midoriya-san.” He said, bowing slightly. She waved his apologies away, inviting him inside. 

“It’s been quite a while since Izuku’s had a friend over, I’m just happy that U.A. has given him so many new opportunities.” She said, leading him into their living room where Midoriya was standing next to the sofa, scrolling on his phone. He looked up and beamed when he saw Todoroki. 

“You’re early,” He chastised, “You weren’t supposed to be here till 1:30!” Oops. Todoroki had remembered the time to be there as one o'clock, but he supposed it was better to be early than late.

They set up in Midoriya’s room, spreading out various books and laptops on his bed and the floor to revise for their exams. Midoriya’s mother brought in some snacks, and they spent a few hours working on their English, Japanese and Fundamental Heroics.

At 3 pm, Midoriya closed his laptop dramatically, 

“If I have to read another word in romaji, I’m going to drop dead on the spot.” He announced. They agreed to take a break, Midoriya going to the bathroom, and Todoroki helping himself to some rice crackers. 

When Midoriya came back, he cleared some of the books off the bed and sat down next to Todoroki.

“So… what did you think of training yesterday? Kacchan and I pulled the leaver at pretty much the same time and he ended up almost fighting Aizawa over who won, it was so awkward. I’ll bet you and Yaoyorozu got on a lot better.”

Todoroki hummed. “We also were very close, but she ended up knocking me off of the platform.” 

Midoriya laughed, “I wouldn’t expect that from her! How’d she manage it?” He asked.

Todoroki felt his face heat up, slightly.

“She, um, tickled me.” He said quickly, staring at his hands.

This made Midoriya laugh even louder. “Reheally? That’s pretty underhanded of her.” 

“She apologized. I’m not sure how she knew I was… ticklish when I didn’t.”

“Wait, you didn’t know? What did you think happened when I pinched you during training last week?” 

Todoroki shrugged, fidgeting. “I don’t know, I’d never been tickled before.”

Midoriya frowned, then made a noise of understanding.

“I guess that makes sense, with your family.” He said.

Todoroki felt a sort of tension settle over the room, and tried to figure out how to break it. 

“You know,” He started, “I don’t even know where I’m ticklish…” He trailed off, unsure if Midoriya would get the bait and unsure of what he was even trying to do. 

Midoriya perked up. “Well… I could help you find out?” 

Todoroki flushed.

“I- I mean, if you want to, I wouldn’t mind.” He stammered, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed as he fought to avoid Midoriya’s eyes.

“Sure!” Midoriya said brightly, “Lie down.”

Now feeling suddenly nervous, Todoroki shifted until he was lying on Midoriya’s bed, head resting on his pillows.

“Now…” Midoriya settled next to him, his tone shifting into something more playful, “I already know you’re ticklish on your sides-” He punctuated this by gently wiggling his fingers against Todoroki’s sides, making him gasp, and twitch at the strange sensations. “-but what about your ribs?” He asked, his hands sliding up to gently scratch at the bones. This made Todoroki jerk towards his hands, his breathing going funny. 

“This- ah, this feels weheird.” 

“Hmm, I think you mean ticklish,” Midoriya said, drawing circles on Todoroki’s ribs while he thought about the next spot.

“How about I try your stomach?” He asked, smiling playfully.

“Sure,” Todoroki replied, feeling his face burn. He thought about using his quirk to cool himself down but didn’t trust himself not to freeze Midoriya’s sheets in his flustered state. Midoriya’s hands crawled slowly towards his stomach, and the feeling of anticipation made butterflies dance in his stomach.

“Midoriya!” He said.

“What?” Midoriya replied, his hands freezing in place.

“Just- hurry up,” He huffed, trying not to fidget.

“Oh!” Midoriya said. Then, “Glady.” He dove his fingers against Todoroki’s stomach, wiggling them lightly.

That caused a reaction. A startled laugh worked its way up Todoroki’s throat, and his hands flew up to stifle it, as those electric touches made him want both squirm away and move closer. 

“How does that feel?” Midoriya asked, half teasing, half sincere.

“Tihihicklhllihihish!” He cried, his giggles breaking through his hands. 

Midoriya beamed, scratching a little harder and fully grinning when Todoroki began to squirm, one hand fisting into his sheets and the other clamped over his lips to no avail as he laughed freely.

“Plehehehase!” His laugh was cute, surprisingly high-pitched, and a little desperate. Midoriya fought the urge not to ‘aww’ out loud.

“Please what?” Midoriya asked.

“Ihi dohon’t knohohow!”

Midoriya shot him a bemused look. “If you don’t know then why are you asking?”

He let his hands crawl around, grinning when Todoroki started to thrash as they floated over to his hips.

“Hmm,” Midoirya said, “I wonder if-” 

He jerked his hands down, squeezing Todoroki’s hips and laughing at the shout of laughter that escaped him. Todoroki bucked his hips, kicking his feet as the hand that had been feebly covering his mouth came up to cover his eyes.

“Ihihit’s sohoho bahahad!” He cried, “Mihihdorihiyaha, nohohoho!”

Usually, Midoriya was a merciful person, but today he felt like being a little cruel. He pushed Todoroki’s shirt up with one hand and then latched back onto his hips. Despite not knowing what was about to happen, Todoroki’s laughter became desperate as Midoriya leaned down, his lips touching Todoroki’s stomach. Then, he blew as hard as he could, drilling his thumbs into Todoroki’s hips. The effects were instantaneous. He squealed, his hands shooting down to push at Midoriya’s head as he squirmed uselessly underneath him.

“STOHOHOP! STOPSTOPSTOP PLEHEHEAHASE, IHIHIT’S TOHOHO MUHUHUCH!”

Finally, Midoriya leaned back, watching him with a satisfied grin.

Todoroki was panting, his cheeks flushed as he watched Midoriya through teary eyes. He pulled down his shirt, still giggling, and sat up.

“Thahat- that wahas, um, a lot.” He said.

Midoriya frowned, “Sorry if I got carried away, I’m just not used to seeing you smile or hearing you laugh.”

“It’s okay,” Todoroki replied, “I… didn’t mind. And I might not mind doing it again,” He trailed off into a mumble as he avoided Midoriya’s bright smile.

“Okay!” He said happily, “We can hang out as much as you like!”