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Todoroki laid in his mattress as the early signs of sunrise peeked through his window, filling the room with calming orange hues. He'd been woken up from a rather nice sleep, a little too early for class; the reason being that his phone vibrated, signaling a text message sent to him.
However, Todoroki's annoyance quickly dissolved upon reading who the sender was. A familiar warmth spread in his chest as he observed the message through tired, heterochromatic eyes.
[7:06AM]
Inasa: MORNING !! Look at what I just found! [Img Attached]
The enclosed picture caused Todoroki's lips to form into a fond smile. It was an image of a stray tabby cat, who looked to only be a few months old. Upon closer inspection, Todoroki realized he actually received around 10 more pictures, all featuring the stray tabby. They were blurry and badly-taken, some even showing Inasa's hand reaching out to the kitten from behind the phone. The messy quality of the photos made Todoroki laugh out of his nose. After thinking for a moment, he began tapping out a reply on his smartphone.
Shouto: She looks hungry. You should feed her.
He waited for his reply, placing his head on the pillow underneath him, staring at the screen of his cell. However he didn't have to wait long, as the phone began to buzz again in his hand after only a minute later.
Inasa: I'm way ahead of ya! :D [Img Attached]
This time, the pictures were of the same cat, licking out of a small bowl that seemed to be full of milk. Todoroki smiled warmly at the sight, and decided to save it in secret. The last remnants of sleepiness began to fade away from his mind, making room for another, more comforting feeling.
Inasa: I had to run all the way back home to get her this, but it was worth it, right? She's cute, huh??? :)
Shouto: Yes... But what are you doing out so early?
Inasa: I'm on my morning run!!! Gotta start the day off fresh and fired up!!! lolol
Todoroki frowned a little bit upon reading the message, but it was mostly at himself. The knowlege of Inasa's morning run sent a dozen images rushing in Todoroki's mind that were nothing if not embarrassing; not to mention inappropriate. He'd had the misfortune of seeing the other in gym clothes before and the memory made his face burn up everytime.
As he got lost trying to keep his thoughts controlled and free of Inasa's panting and sweating figure- he barely noticed that his notifications were going off once again.
Inasa: Check it out, we're friends now !!
There were another series of images, this time showing Inasa holding the small tabby to his chest. He seemed to be sitting on a park bench, cradling the cat in his arm and holding his phone with the other. The beaming smile Inasa displayed in one particular photo blinded Todoroki even through the screen. He blinked a few times at it before deciding to save that picture as well.
Inasa: Cute, right?!?! :) :)
As he stared at the images, Todoroki couldn't calm the rapid beating in his chest. He was starting to think that this was just one of many effects Inasa has on him. Whether the other is aware of it or not, Todoroki doesn't know; but despite how unfamiliar the experience is, he doesn't want it to stop. Pinpointing the source of the warmth he suddenly felt proved to be difficult. Unable to tell if it was due to the sun's rays hitting him from the window, or just another symptom from talking to Inasa, in the end Todoroki figured he didn't really care. There isn't much of a difference between the sun and Inasa anyway; they both beam brighter than anything he's ever seen.
Finally Todoroki managed to pull himself from his thoughts long enough to answer the reason for them in the first place.
Shouto: Yes, cute. The cat is cute too.
Todoroki blinked. He had no idea why his fingers randomly decided to act without his consent upon typing out the message and hitting send. The mental connection between his brain and hand seemed to be severed in that moment, and he didnt realize it until it was too late. The only thing he could do was hide his face in his pillow as the shame of what he said washed over him. He almost felt obliged to ignore the responding buzz of the phone, which would surely only serve to make him more embarrassed.
Inasa: :D :D :D UR REALLY CUTE TOO SHOUTO!!!
Todoroki was right. The shame from earlier began to make way for a more invading emotion: sheer embarassment. It was ridiculous how a few words on a screen could make his heart race the way it did. His phone was left alone for now, as he decided to hide his face a bit longer in a futile effort to calm himself down.
However, as embarrassed as he felt, there was another creeping sensation coming from the beating in his chest. One that he vaguely recognized to be happiness.
The rest of Todoroki's morning passed by ordinarily as he got ready for school, with the slight interruption of Inasa's text messages. The two of them continued sending each other messages, keeping up a conversation until they reached their respective schools. He couldn't help but feel excited every time his phone buzzed, and soon Todoroki found himself expectantly turning on the screen as if willing a notification to come through.
This habit continued well into the day, and piqued the interest of his peers. Midoriya, being as observant as he is, was the first to notice. "Todoroki," he started, curiousity seeping into his voice. The mentioned boy looked up from his cell at the sound of his name.
"Why do you keep looking at your phone? Is something the matter?," Midoriya's raised concern earned the attention of a few others surrounding them in their lunch table. Todoroki frowned uncomfortably at this, but answered anyway.
"No, it's-it's nothing, really," he looked off to the side.
"Is it a girl? Does Todoroki have a girlfriend?!" Uraraka suddenly chirped, leaning in closer. Her eyes gleamed when Todoroki's cheeks became tinted red, and others started taking note as well. Soon there were surrounding chants of questions and surprised exclamations aimed at him.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before someone with a quirk as cool as yours found a girl!" Kirishima butted in loudly, sending a harsh slap to Todoroki's back. The words that came out of the redhead's mouth only served to annoy Todoroki further. "It's not anything like that," he mumbled sternly.
But his protest was ignored as Kirishima giddily announced the news to an approaching Bakugou. "Yo Bakugou, guess what!"
"Don't give a shit," the blond simply growled before sitting down at the table with his food.
"Todoroki's found himself a girlfriend! Is she in our school, dude?"
The mentioned boy blinked, and then frowned. "No, but-"
"Wow! Someone from another school? Is she a Shiketsu student?," Ashido took this opportunity to spring from nowhere, leaning closer along with Uraraka.
"Ashido, Kirishima, everyone! It is bad manners to pry into a classmate's personal life like this!" Iida announced, waving his hands around dramatically. The clamor calmed down a bit at his scolding, and Todoroki gratefully used this chance to speak up.
"It's nothing like that," he finally explained, his voice steady and clear, with a hint of exasperation. "They're a friend from Shiketsu high, yes, but they're just a friend..."
The surrounding mob deflated in disappointment. Todoroki sighed out of relief when everyone seemed to drop the subject and went back to their lunches; he rolled his eyes at Mineta's dramatic cry of "If Todoroki can't get a girlfriend what hope do I have?!"
At that moment, the phone in his pocket buzzed after what felt like centuries of waiting, but was really only a few hours. Todoroki tried to avoid looking too eager as he took his phone out, in order to prevent anymore unwanted attention from his peers. Upon reading the message, he couldn't help the small but fond smile that creeped over his features.
[12:35PM]
Inasa: Hey, u wanna go for coffee or something after school today with me??
Excited fingers tapped out a quick reply agreeing to the arrangement, and Todoroki hoped his cheeks weren't as red as they felt. He went back to his lunch, ignoring the curious stares of his friends in favor of attemping to tame the fluttering sensation in his chest with food.
Midoriya and Uraraka shared a knowing glance, but remained quiet.
The rest of the day continued unbearably slowly. It was made worse for Todoroki when all he could focus on was the ticking clock on the wall. Even if he tried to bring his attention back to class, heterochromatic eyes continued to wander to the displayed time, leg bouncing impatiently along with every second that passed. Todoroki silently thanked every deity in existence that they weren't doing any physical hero-related lessons today, as that would have taken up more time.
It's not as if he was particularly excited to meet with Inasa specifically; he was as anxious as he would be if it was anybody else. The giddy feeling he was experiencing was due simply to the promise of coffee. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. A futile attempt at denial, but at least he tried.
Despite the fact that Todoroki had already decided with himself that the meeting with Inasa will be purely platonic- his heart seemed to disagree. Its beating increased in speed with every hour that passed; so much so that Todoroki was beginning to worry what will happen once he finally meets up with Inasa. Will his heart just burst out of his chest? He hoped not, as that would probably look really unpleasant.
His eyes once again began to wander without his consent; but this time, instead of the clock, they landed on a window. The outside view portrayed a warm blue sky, being covered by just a few ominous gray clouds.
Oh, Todoroki thought. I hope it doesn't rain today.
It rained that day.
Fortunately, Todoroki managed to make it to the train station before the clouds from before began to fulfill their promise.
It wasn't until he got there that it really began to pour. He already knew it was coming upon feeling the first few warning drops of water land on his nose. However, he came prepared; hands shooting into his bag, he quickly popped open his emergency umbrella above him before any more sneaky raindrops could assault him.
Soon, any traces of the blue sky from earlier had vanished. The drops turned into sheets, pouring from the dreary clouds like a waterfall. Todoroki frowned up at them, as if they were taunting him. He hated rain.
Sighing, he moved away from the platform that was full of bustling crowds trying not to get wet. He found an unoccupied spot near a wall and waited there, growing slightly more impatient by the second.
Inasa was supposed to meet him there and they'd take the train to the cafe together, but after 5 minutes of waiting, Todoroki began to assume the worst. Anxious hands reached for his phone, checking for any unread messages, and he wondered if he should call the other. However something stopped him before he could.
The sound of loud footsteps hitting against the wet pavement grew closer, and Todoroki squinted past the dreary street to find the source. His face deadpanned when he found it. Inasa was bounding towards him, looking thoroughly drenched, but the expression on his face made it seem like he barely even noticed the rain. His beaming smile shone brightly when he caught eyes with Todoroki.
"Shouto!" Inasa boomed, unsurprisngly catching the attention of many passerby. While the fluttery sensation in Todoroki's chest was back in full-force, it came accompanied with second-hand embarassment at the scene Inasa was currently causing. However that was mostly replaced with worry upon seeing how wet the other boy was.
"Inasa..." Todoroki muttered exasperatedly, lifting his arm so they would both be covered by the umbrella. "You're drenched."
His big hand waving dismissively, Inasa just laughed at the other's concern for him. "It's fine, I like the rain!"
"You'll get sick," Todoroki frowned up at the other's sheepish expression before diverting his attention down to his bag. "I think I have some napkins in here..." he began to struggle in holding the umbrella while shifting through his bag, and Inasa's head bumped into the metal wiring of the device more than once.
Beginning to grow a little annoyed, Inasa interrupted Todoroki's rummaging with an outstretched hand. "Gimme the umbrella," he urged. The latter blinked up at him, but obediently put the handle in Inasa's palm. "Now," his face forming into a cheerful smile, "the bag."
Once Todoroki wearily did as he was told, and the napkins were located in his own hand, he frowned up at Inasa. "Why did you..."
"That way, my hands are full!" Inasa announced, almost mischeviously. "Please clean me, Shouto."
Todoroki blinked a few times before his face turned completely red. He felt a tie between embarrassment and annoyance, and by the look on Inasa's face, that was clearly the aim. But Inasa was still drenching wet and it would be a hassle if he would get wet as well. The frown on Todoroki didn't waver as he brought one napkin up to Inasa's amused face and scrubbed roughly; an effort to dry him while simultaeneously wiping the smug expression off of him.
"Idiot."
Inasa's laughter was more like a low chuckle now, but it still made the fluttering in Todoroki's chest beat uncomfortably fast. He tried to ignore it, as he also tried to ignore how the white uniform Inasa wore had become slightly see-through thanks to it's wet state.
Frustrated hands continued wiping napkins along Inasa.
The two of them were in their own world at this point, that they barely noticed when the train had arrived.
Upon reaching the cafe, Todoroki was relieved to find that it was considerably less crowded than the streets. There were only a few other people in the small restaurant besides themselves and the staff. The pair had gravitated to an empty booth seat next to a window, and Inasa was excited about the close-up view of the rain showers outside. The cafe had a nice, calming atmosphere mixed with the weather, that effectively relaxed Todoroki. He and Inasa chatted idly after the waitress took their orders and he discovered that, like him, Inasa had never been to this restaurant before. He simply heard about it through a friend and wanted to try it out.
"They said it's a nice place to take someone you like," Inasa said, his smile radiating something that Todoroki couldn't help but describe as flirty.
He almost choked on his own spit.
"I-is that so?..." Todoroki's cheeks became impossibly red, and the playful grin displayed on Inasa's face showed how much he was enjoying it.
"Yep. Don't you think so?" Despite his excited tone, Todoroki could make out a slight nervousness seeping into the other's voice. His heart calmed down at the knowledge that he was not the only one who felt a little anxious.
Todoroki pondered on what to say for a moment, remembering how he had previously decided with himself that what he felt for Inasa was nothing more than platonic. But the fluttering in his chest was unbearable now; it screamed for his acknowledgement, for his acceptance of the warmth Inasa provided. Todoroki swallowed thickly.
"Yes," he didn't know why his reply came out as a whisper. Clearing his throat, Todoroki spoke up again. Heterochromatic eyes bore into Inasa's deep brown gaze. "Yes, I like it. Y-your friend was right."
Slowly, the realization of what Todoroki said dawned on Inasa's face. Eyes widening, it was now his turn for his cheeks to tinge with red. But that didn't stop him from giving the other boy a wide smile that somehow managed to express all the affection and happiness he felt for him. Todoroki's own lips formed into a soft upwards curve in response.
Soon, the pair had received their orders and they both discovered that neither of them really liked coffee.
The train ride back was quiet, but any awkward atmosphere between the two was long gone. It was also, thankfully, much less crowded than their previous ride due to the rain having stopped. However this didn't stop them from sitting close to each other - so close, in fact, Todoroki was worried his left side would burn Inasa from how much his face heated up.
Inasa noticed the warmth, but instead of recoiling, he pointed it out cheerfully. "Heh, Shouto, you feel real hot, y'know?" His voice broke the silence and caused Todoroki to jump slightly.
"Ah, yeah, sorry..." he apologized, beginning to scoot further from the other boy, feeling his face burn even deeper.
But Inasa stopped him, grabbing his hand out of impulse, and not letting go. "No way, it's awesome! You're warm, and the rain made me cold," he admitted sheepishly, now a deep blush forming on his face to match Todoroki's own.
The shorter boy's hand twitched in his grasp and he was silent for a moment until he gave Inasa a frown. "I told you, you'd get sick," he scolded, but his voice was devoid of any kind of real anger. Inasa replied by laughing sheepishly. It was infectous, and Todoroki also found himself chuckling slightly. Their faces were very close to each other now, and they both came to that realization at the same time. It was apparent in each other's eyes what they were both thinking, but neither spoke, stuck in place, so as not to break this seemingly perfect moment.
It wasn't until Inasa spoke, his voice so uncharacteristically quiet, that either boy did anything. "Shouto -," Inasa started, "can I kiss you?"
The boy in question's eyes widened, and the hand that was being held by Inasa's own felt dangerously warmer in his grasp. He only nodded, closing his eyes in preparation. This display made Inasa chuckle a little bit, but he didn't let that stop him. Moving forward, his lips landed softly on Todoroki's, soft and waiting. They stayed with their lips perched on each other for a few seconds, until Todoroki pulled back, his breath coming out of his nose in puffs. Before Inasa could realize what was happening, Todoroki began pulling his hand back, and his mind immediately thought he'd done something wrong.
But that fear was quickly dissolved once the hand previously held in his was now clasped on Inasa's already warm cheek, pulling him forward. Their lips landed together once more, this time Todoroki's attempting to tilt the other boy's head slightly so their mouths were slanted on each other. This small change made all the difference, and Inasa expressed his pleasure with a surprised hum coming from his throat. Todoroki responded by pressing his lips deeper against his.
Inasa's mind nearly went blank at this, feeling a warmth pool in his stomach as well as his chest. He moved on autopilot, his large arms moving around Todoroki, pulling him closer to himself. The shorter boy obliged, feeling a burning sensation in him as he craved Inasa further. Despite their hurried movements, their lips moved together softly, in deep, languid motions. Both of them losing themselves in each other, falling deeper and deeper...
Todoroki's lips parted slightly as an attempt to catch his breath, but Inasa took this as an opportunity to invade his open mouth with his tongue. An involuntary noise escaped Todoroki's throat, and if his own horror at what he'd just done didn't cause them to pull apart, the sudden scathing burn he was giving Inasa's cheek did.
"Ow!" Inasa hissed, rubbing the spot on his cheek that Todoroki was previously holding.
"S-s-sorry," Todoroki apologized profusely, his wide eyes filling up with remorse.
Inasa smiled and shook his head, waving it off. "It's nothing! You just got too heated up. I guess we both did, heh. Sorry." He brought his hand up to rub his neck sheepishly.
They were both still red in the face, trying to catch their respective breaths as the fog clouding their minds dissipated and they remembered their surroundings. To Todoroki's relief, the only other person in the train car was a teenager sitting at the farthest end who was consumed in a book. He sighed a breath of relief before facing Inasa again, his heterochromatic eyes landing on the red mark he'd left on the other boy's cheek. The warmth in his chest was being mixed with another sour feeling he recognized as guilt.
"Inasa," he said, causing the mentioned boy to smile at him expectantly. "C'mere."
He all but jumped in his seat, moving his face down to the other's proximity again, expecting another kiss - but in place of that, he felt soft, cool fingers run along his cheek. The afflicted area felt immensely better, not even realizing the extent to which the burn stung until it was relieved by Todoroki's icey hand.
"Hmm," Inasa hummed peacefully, leaning into the touch. The sight made Todoroki's heart twinge. He couldn't resist the sudden urge to plant a kiss right on Inasa's lips. It was soft and sweet, but too quick for Inasa to respond with anything other than a beaming grin. It infected Todoroki's own face, causing a genuine, affectionate smile to form at his partner and for a while it seemed like nothing could stop the happy fluttering taking over his chest. That is, until Inasa decided to open his mouth and break the moment.
"Hey Shouto, you're pretty 'cool'. Do you get it? Cuz of your quirk!"
Todoroki thought briefly about burning him again, only slightly, just because of that horrible joke. But with a disapproving shake of his head, he decided he might just love this big idiot too much to do that. Inasa's laughter at his own joke boomed through the train car which had finally began to come to a stop. It dispelled them out of their moment, but despite that, the affection in his heart didn't waver. Todoroki's only response, though hidden behind a layer of annoyance, was dripping with the love and warmth he felt for his new boyfriend that only Inasa himself could hear.
"Idiot."