For all the jokes he makes and the teasing he gets, Sero Hanta is not a stupid man. And only a very stupid man would ignore that something is clearly, deeply wrong with Todoroki's relationship with his father. He can put two and two together and come up with “unhappy home life”.
It had been a horrible thing to watch, seeing Endeavor being taken down by the Noumu. His face would be scarred from then on out, for sure, matching him with the Todoroki that Hanta knows and is, frankly, coming to be friends with. What must that be like, for someone who wouldn't even use the Quirk inherited from him, seeing an echo of his own reflection in that face? An echo of the violence that makes up both of their lives, splashed in gaudy red across the world... Hanta doesn't like the thought.
So he knocks on the door.
And when Todoroki opens it, he simply says, “I've got two strong arms and an endless capacity for hugging people.”
Todoroki Shouto is... complicated. Strange. Doing his best while struggling to handle life. It's not hard to see his difficulties. But for all his grim expressions and sheer explosive power, he's still just 15. Just a kid. And no matter what his relationship is with Endeavor, he's living in a nightmare of potentially watching someone he knows be slaughtered on live television. Someone he lives with. Someone he's seen the most human sides of, in all their endless capacity for cruelty and kindness. A family member.
A parent. The only one he's ever known, from what Sero's heard. No matter how shit, that's got to be terrifying.
Todoroki hesitates for just a moment before practically slamming into him, and Hanta kicks the door shut as he wraps his arms tight around Todoroki.
He doesn't cry. Hanta thinks it might have been easier if he were crying, but he's not, he's just trembling like a leaf in a storm and has his face buried in Hanta's neck. Hanta cups the back of his head, as though he were a small child needing support, and a dry, wracking sob finally makes its way out of Todoroki's throat. Hanta holds him tight, wrapped up and protected, even for a moment, and hums a soft lullaby he half remembers from his childhood. Todoroki shakes and shakes, skin flashing hot and cold.
“Hey,” Hanta says quietly, “D'you want me to stay with you tonight?”
Todoroki nods against his neck, not moving, and Hanta nods back.
When Todoroki finally pulls back, his eyes are red with unshed tears, but he looks a little better.
“I have- I have a second futon,” he mumbles, scrubbing at his face. “If you still-”
“Yeah, man, I'll be right back.”
It takes him a microsecond to change into his pajamas and come back to Todoroki's room. They get out the futon together in silence, getting it set up with the spare blanket, and when they lay down for the evening and the lights go out, Hanta rolls onto his side.
“Hey,” he says quietly, and Todoroki turns to look at him. “I know we don't know each other super great, but you're still my friend. You know that, right?”
Todoroki blinks at him, his normally impassive face shifting a little. “...I do now.”
Hanta huffs a laugh, reaching over to gently bop him on the head. “We're friends, Todoroki. And you don't have to tell me shit, but if you ever need a hug, you tell me. Okay?”
Todoroki's lips tremble as he presses them tight together, but he nods with the solemnity of a priest.
Hanta falls asleep watching him breathe, and lets sleep claim him only when he's sure Todoroki's out. He wakes up in the morning to find that Todoroki's gravitated to him in his sleep, curled up tight against his side, and he wraps an arm around him.
It'll be a hard day, no matter what, but Hanta isn't about to let him face it alone.
Fill: We Few, We Happy Few (Sero & Todoroki friendship)
It had been a horrible thing to watch, seeing Endeavor being taken down by the Noumu. His face would be scarred from then on out, for sure, matching him with the Todoroki that Hanta knows and is, frankly, coming to be friends with. What must that be like, for someone who wouldn't even use the Quirk inherited from him, seeing an echo of his own reflection in that face? An echo of the violence that makes up both of their lives, splashed in gaudy red across the world... Hanta doesn't like the thought.
So he knocks on the door.
And when Todoroki opens it, he simply says, “I've got two strong arms and an endless capacity for hugging people.”
Todoroki Shouto is... complicated. Strange. Doing his best while struggling to handle life. It's not hard to see his difficulties. But for all his grim expressions and sheer explosive power, he's still just 15. Just a kid. And no matter what his relationship is with Endeavor, he's living in a nightmare of potentially watching someone he knows be slaughtered on live television. Someone he lives with. Someone he's seen the most human sides of, in all their endless capacity for cruelty and kindness. A family member.
A parent. The only one he's ever known, from what Sero's heard. No matter how shit, that's got to be terrifying.
Todoroki hesitates for just a moment before practically slamming into him, and Hanta kicks the door shut as he wraps his arms tight around Todoroki.
He doesn't cry. Hanta thinks it might have been easier if he were crying, but he's not, he's just trembling like a leaf in a storm and has his face buried in Hanta's neck. Hanta cups the back of his head, as though he were a small child needing support, and a dry, wracking sob finally makes its way out of Todoroki's throat. Hanta holds him tight, wrapped up and protected, even for a moment, and hums a soft lullaby he half remembers from his childhood. Todoroki shakes and shakes, skin flashing hot and cold.
“Hey,” Hanta says quietly, “D'you want me to stay with you tonight?”
Todoroki nods against his neck, not moving, and Hanta nods back.
When Todoroki finally pulls back, his eyes are red with unshed tears, but he looks a little better.
“I have- I have a second futon,” he mumbles, scrubbing at his face. “If you still-”
“Yeah, man, I'll be right back.”
It takes him a microsecond to change into his pajamas and come back to Todoroki's room. They get out the futon together in silence, getting it set up with the spare blanket, and when they lay down for the evening and the lights go out, Hanta rolls onto his side.
“Hey,” he says quietly, and Todoroki turns to look at him. “I know we don't know each other super great, but you're still my friend. You know that, right?”
Todoroki blinks at him, his normally impassive face shifting a little. “...I do now.”
Hanta huffs a laugh, reaching over to gently bop him on the head. “We're friends, Todoroki. And you don't have to tell me shit, but if you ever need a hug, you tell me. Okay?”
Todoroki's lips tremble as he presses them tight together, but he nods with the solemnity of a priest.
Hanta falls asleep watching him breathe, and lets sleep claim him only when he's sure Todoroki's out. He wakes up in the morning to find that Todoroki's gravitated to him in his sleep, curled up tight against his side, and he wraps an arm around him.
It'll be a hard day, no matter what, but Hanta isn't about to let him face it alone.