laography | i'll be the blood if you'll be the bones

[She's probably better to talk to- at the very least she won't melt a microphone.]

Then I'll teach you cold soba when we get back. I think we've got the ingredients lying around anyway.

[She told him her secret- she can't help wanting to spend more time around him. It's somehow freeing to have somebody who knows it.]

[ If his personality hadn't changed so much between four and five, maybe it would be fine. As it is, it really honestly isn't, his social awkwardness and temper are too much.

But with Izuku, outside of stressful situations (and sometimes in them), he's usually fairly calm. Shouto even perks a little bit at the prospect, though it's not really that energetic compared to most normal people's reactions to something like that. ]

Well, if we ever go back. [ A dry joke. ] But I think I'd like that.

[She can't hold back her laugh. That's Shouto, dry as ever.

It'd be hard to tell it was a joke if she wasn't already so used to his company.]

We'll need to eventually. [Though it'd be nice if they could avoid their classmates for just a little while longer.] It can be a little boring, but it's nice to do with somebody you like.

[ Dry and blunt, that's him.

Not very many people tend to be able to realize that he does have a sense of humor, though. At least she does. ]

Eventually. [ Reluctant. ] I liked to sit in with my mom when she cooked, and I'm sure I'll like it with you, too. It didn't really seem that boring to me, but the old man had me on a schedule even back then. He didn't see a point in me learning something like that.

[She frowns at the thought of Endeavor. He was a child- he should have been free to do normal child things and instead...]

Well... You're not living with him anymore. So you can do whatever you'd like with your free time now. Besides, a home cooked meal is always great.

[ Considering she's the only one he talks to about these things, he's sure that more information about what Endeavor decided he wasn't allowed to do will come out before too long.

He finishes off his burger, folding up the wrapper neatly as he chews and thinks. ]

... no. I'm not. I didn't even give All Might and Aizawa-sensei any time to talk to him, like they did with everyone else's parents. I was already packed when they came. [ A little snort manages to escape him. ] So I'm sure I'll find things to do. Starting with cooking.

[She finishes up her own meal and crumples the wrapper up, putting it back inside the bag.]

Seems like a good choice to me. [She barely talked to the man, but there's an intense seething hatred for him after knowing what he's done.]

You'll probably pick it up quickly.

[ Once he's got a compact little diamond of a wrapper, he goes to deposit it into the bag with hers, mulling over that thoughtfully. Well...

Lifting his hands, he sparks a little fire and forms some ice crystals, respectively, before letting both fizzle and melt away. ]

Considering my quirk.

[She folds up the bag before hopping up and throwing it into a trashcan.

She laughs again at the little display of power- it's kind of cute, honestly. She doesn't think the her of four months ago would have ever dared think Todoroki was cute but here she is, definitely thinking it.]

Maybe that'll be part of it.

[ His intention wasn't to make her laugh, but it's... nice. Izuku's laugh is nice to hear. Huh.

Shouto drops his hands down into his lap again, looking up at her from where he's seated and regarding her thoughtfully. The him of four months ago wouldn't have believed they could be friends, so it's not just her. ]

They were in high demand during the training camp, but that's the closest I've come to cooking and I don't think it counts.

[She laces her fingers behind her back for a bit as she looks down at him- musing about how often she has to look up at him.]

It's a little different when you're actually cooking, that's for sure. Back then... I think you were more like the grill than a chef?

[ The sudden switch in their heights doesn't bother him, honestly, so he's calm while he looks up at her.

... even if he does very much remember her stepping over him earlier. ]

Ashido was very, very excited to have me help with that part of the cooking.

[She was far too flustered by the realization she probably had to say something to Shouto to remember what she did this morning.]

She's... surprisingly fond of burning things?

[ Probably for the best... Shouto decides it's best if he doesn't think much about it. ]

I didn't really mind, but it's probably something we should keep an eye on. [ Since Ashido seems a little out there as it is. ] Whenever it is that we go back, I'm sure she'll be one of the people asking the most questions.

At least Iida-san will try to keep questions to a minimum while he's around.

[But they're definitely going back to a barrage of questions.

She's not excited.]

Iida was trying to keep everyone from barging into our rooms, as far as I could tell, when I made my escape. So he'll... try.

[ He's not ashamed to admit that he escaped. Not with the excitement that was building up in the halls before he bailed.

A part of him doesn't want to go back, but. They have to. ]

I don't think Uraraka-chan will pry either if I say I don't want to talk about it.

So... at least there's that.

Yaoyorozu won't pry either. I'll probably talk to her personally about our attempts to annul the contract, though, since I'm pretty sure her family has dealt with quirk marriages too.

[ What a headache... at least some of their friends won't make it worse. ]

Maybe she knows how to annul this kind of thing...

I'm a little surprised he didn't try to set you up with Yaoyorozu-san instead of me. You two seem to have known each other for a while.

I am a little, too, but I think he's trying to take a dig at All Might by picking you.

[ He tilts his head further back with a sigh. ] But I'd try to annul it if it was Yaoyorozu, too. We're friends, now, but I don't like her like that, and if I marry someone I want it to be my choice. Their choice.

I'm not All Might, and you're not him. Not even close.

[She sighs and stretches out for a moment before settling back into her resting posture.]

I'd prefer that too... I was talking to my mom before. She said she was worried I wouldn't find anybody to marry since training and being a hero takes so much time. Part of why she agreed was because it looked like I liked you. I mean, I do like you, but I wasn't thinking about marriage any time soon.

He sees things how he wants them to be. You're All Might's legacy, to him, the same way he still sees me as his legacy.

[ And with All Might out of the running, Shouto is sure that he'd expedited everything. And that's how they learned about it.

But those thoughts fly out of his head, and he drops his head to look at her properly again, blinking dumbly. ]

You like me?

[She looks confused at him for a moment before she rethinks her words and immediately colors bright red.]

I mean- yes, of course I like you. Of course I like you and hanging out with you and being able to talk with you- A-as a friend, I mean! You're my friend! A-A really good friend.

[Let her die right here, please.]

[ While he's... pretty socially inept a lot of the time, Todoroki Shouto isn't completely dense. He wants to question this further, because he doesn't. He knows people think he's cool, or thaf he's attractive even with his scar, but he doesn't think he's the type of person anyone should like like that.

But he doesn't ask, doesn't say that, and instead goes for his immediate honesty for the sake of understanding. ]

You were my first friend. [ He bows his head a little, using his bangs. ] I didn't have any when I was younger, not even my brothers or sister. I wasn't allowed to play with them. So...

[She looks at him as he talks. She'd gotten that impression somewhere along the way, between his awkwardness and his blunt honesty. The more and more she learns about Todoroki's past, the more she hates his father.

She sits back down, and tugs him into a hug, pressing her face against his shoulder.]

I'm glad to be your friend. I'm always glad to be your friend.

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