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The falling snow announced the blatant season change clearly, piling up quickly as white layered on white. Shouto pushed aside his homework so he could gaze out the window with his head resting on both palms, pondering.
It had been winter for some time now, the cold nipping anyone who stepped outside with anything less than a full coverage from head to toe of warm garbs, but Shouto never felt like it was winter until the first snowfall started. Being a human thermostat, the cold never bothered him anyway, but neither did the heat, and he usually spent the seasons unphased while others had a four season wardrobe prepared. Snow, however...
Snow was something he always saw as warmth, associating it with his few, joyful memories of his early, early childhood, back when his quirk had not manifested yet. He remembered waddling in after his siblings, Rei ensuring he was wearing a pom pom hat, scarf, gloves, and a warm puffy jacket before allowing him to toddle around in the snow. He remembered building a smiling snowman with Touya and Fuyumi and Natsuo and Rei before the smile twisted, furious and sad and melting off in the wake of Endeavour's flames. Shouto recalled relating a lot to that snowman, happy smile falling as the warm flames banished the warm feelings, replacing it with a numb cold.
So. Maybe his memories were all tarnished by flame, but he tried hard to hold onto the good parts, cropping out the finale of fire and rage before it evolved into bitterness.
Another moment he recalled: hot chocolate with small marshmallows on top, complete with a candy cane Touya playfully nicknamed him as. As soon as he remembered the hot beverage, his cravings hit and only festered the longer he refused to act on them.
It was after curfew but. Well. He figured if any teachers caught him, he could make them hot chocolate as well, and hopefully that would throw them off giving him a detention.
Giving into his inner child (locked away for too long), he stood up and stretched a little before making his way downstairs. Growing up in the Todoroki household, his footsteps were naturally silent, and his socked feet padded noiselessly down the stairs, forgoing the elevator due to its loud hum.
As he stepped onto the main floor, he noticed a tiny light flickering in the living room. Curiosity piquing, he moved towards it, wondering if the person also had the same idea of wanting hot chocolate.
Shouto saw his shadow loom over the flimsy lighting, and the flashlight clattered to the floor as the person holding it startled backwards with an 'eep!'
"Hello," Shouto said to the unknown person.
He ruled off any of his classmates and a possible intruder. Due to the darkness, all he could make out was a small lumpy figure.
"I'm going to turn on the lights," he continued, and when no response came he did just that.
With the light on, he saw that the lumpy figure was actually a lump under a pink fuzzy blanket with prancing unicorns and ah.
"Is that you, Eri?" He asked. "It's Todoroki."
Shouto didn't know Eri. He knew she had been in Aizawa's care recently, and had started to hang around his classmates as a consequence but he didn't think he ever had a proper conservation with her. He also knew that her past was kept hush-hush, Midoriya's eyes sometimes sad whenever he looked at the girl, and Shouto knew that something was wrong. But he never pried, and now he was here and she was there and he wondered what he should do.
After a beat he saw the blanket move until Eri was looking at him with wide, nervous eyes. He stared back, trying to encompass comfort and warmth and calmness into his gaze. Midoriya would have smiled brightly, all teeth showing and going for the hug, but he remained still, teeth hidden behind slightly quirked lips, waiting for her move.
"Todoroki-san," Eri said, hands still clutching the blanket as if they were actually caught in the cookie jar.
"Ah," he said, because that name reminded him of who he never wanted to be. "Call me Shouto."
They gazed at each other some more, and he really didn't know how to proceed. He wondered if there was a wikihow on 'how to talk to someone you know but not really and they're a lot younger than you please help' and reminded himself to google exactly that later.
Another beat. He could see her hands grip the blanket less tightly.
"Well," he said, stilted. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate. Would you like some?"
"Hot... Chocolate?" She repeated, testing out the unfamiliar words.
Slowly, the classified puzzle pieces of Eri's past were becoming more clear in Shouto's mind. Her ignorance reminded him of himself and that in itself shouted red flags on the top of its lungs, whispering help.
He nodded. "Yes. It's a warm beverage."
She nodded.
"Do you want to help me make it?" He ventured, because if she were anything like him, she would want to do and explore new things that were old things to everyone else.
She nodded again, finally releasing her tight clutch on the blanket. Shouto gave a small smile and headed to the kitchen slowly, hearing the extremely quiet pitter patter of footsteps.
It was eerie. Seeing her slowly mirror himself in all the wrong ways made him want to whisper words of assurances to her, providing comfort and an understanding that he never received when he was her age.
Once in the kitchen he scrummaged for the ingredients. He was never one to cook (except soba which he could confidently say he had down to the T), but he knew the recipe to his favourite comfort drink by heart. It was simple after all, and maybe that was where perfection lied.
When the ingredients were all on the counter he got out two mugs, one adorned with cats and the other, penguins which he hoped would make her happy. It was the little things in life that sparked instances of delight.
He broke apart bits of the semisweet chocolate bar in his hands, adding it to both mugs before pouring in the milk until it was almost full. Both mugs went into the microwave with milky tops and came out of it with milky tops, swirled with brown.
Adding the slightest pinch of cinnamon to the mugs, he stirred the beverages until the milky white turned a velvety brown, the scent pure sweetness and spice. When combined he added a decent (read: giant) handful of marshmallows to each cup and topped it all up with a candy cane.
Shouto pushed the penguin mug with hot chocolate to Eri, who had been wide eyed and sitting quietly in awe the whole process. She now took the mug with both hands, looking at the warm beverage dotted with happy fluffs and a shiny candy cane.
Shouto did the same, warming both hands before it could warm his soul. He raised his mug towards her, and she scrambled to do the same, both mugs quietly clinking before they drank.
Mmm. Hot chocolate never disappointed. There was the obvious reason of course, the taste and sweet pairing of the chocolate slightly spiced with cinnamon and a hint of peppermint that became more pronounced the more it sat there. But there was also the overwhelming feeling of something; of a time long gone but a time well spent; of home; of a family he considered family; of peace, and...
Maybe new memories too. He looked over at Eri who expressed her joy in her eyes which spoke of excitement and contentedness.
"Thank you, Shouto-san," she said after she finished the drink, only the marshmallows left which she scooped up and munched on happily.
"Ah, anytime," he answered. Then: "so, what were you doing up?"
She froze slightly, putting the spoon back down. He gave her a small smile and she relaxed again.
"I like the living room!" She blurted out. "It's always happy, and filled with people."
Shouto could surmise the rest: nightmares, unable to stay still, moving to an area that provided comfort... He'd been there before, and would be there again, probably.
"I like the living room too," he shared, and they both gave each other their best versions of a smile.
When their cups were drained to the last drop, marshmallows residing in their full bellies and candy cane sweetness sticking to their gums, Shouto got up to carry the mugs to the sink and wash them, hiding all the evidence of a pleasant evening. He returned to sit on the bar stools where Eri still sat, twiddling her thumbs.
A wave of sleepiness hit him then, as it usually did after the chocolatey concoction warmed and filled his stomach. Looking over at his little companion, he saw the same effect taking place more prominently; her head was slowly descending before startling back up again.
"You should head back to your bedroom," he told her, standing up. "Aizawa will probably be worried if he sees you missing in the morning."
She gave a look of dismay. "He shouldn't be worried about me..."
Shouto felt a tug on his heart. "When people care about you, of course they will worry when something happens to you. And... You just have to let them. Its a sign that you have good people in your life."
Wide, imploring eyes: "Do you have people like that, Shouto-san?"
His mind journeyed to the past: a caring mother, fretting sister and roughhousing brothers. Then, now, where his circle of four people who ever loved him expanded to many, many more, most which were probably sleeping soundly right above him.
"I do," he answered honestly. "And you do too."
"It's weird," she said.
"I know. But we all deserve to have good people in our lives."
She looked thoughtful. "Even the bad people?"
"Maybe," he settled for, because deconstructing bad and good and who deserved what wasn't his call to make. "I'll walk you to your room, ok?"
"Ah..."
"You'll keep me company," he said, even though his own room was the other direction.
She nodded hesitantly and he moved in closer.
He was the youngest child and didn’t have much experience with younger kids, but. Thinking back to his siblings, of how they treated him, he gave her a tentative head pat to test out the waters, and. Her mouth quirked upwards shakily, as did his before he retracted his hand.
As the lights were turned off, they were encapsulated in darkness and Shouto felt Eri huddle a bit closer to him as they walked. Their footsteps made no sound, both ghosts with souls starting to find peace, as they walked towards her room, and eventually they reached the door.
Eri opened it but turned around before fully heading inside.
"I want to help you make the hot chocolate next time!" she declared, and he smiled.
"I'm looking forward to it."
(They both were.)
fin.