Work Text:
When the package first arrives Rody has to resist the urge to toss it without even opening it.
He only ends up keeping it because a small part of him thought it might possibly be a gift of some kind for his help saving the literal world.
He’s not bitter there was no cash prize involved.
Nope.
Definitely not.
He only almost died after all.
…yeah.
He’s definitely bitter.
Still, nothing could have prepared him for what was actually in the box when he eventually opened it.
Wednesday
[3:45pm] Unknown Number
You finally activated the phone.
[3:45 pm] Rody
??? who the fuck is this???
[3:45 pm] Unknown Number
Shouto.
[3:46 pm] Rody
who???
[3:46 pm] SHOUTO???
Todoroki.
[3:47 pm] Rody
?!?!?!?
[3:47 pm] SHOTODOROKI???
We met properly at the airport.
Did you not save my number?
[3:49 pm] Rody
wait…
the hero kid with deku?
i told u i didn’t have a phone to save it in!
[3:50 pm] SHOTODOROKI???
I know.
That’s why I sent you the phone.
[3:51 pm] Rody
you sent it???
dude u nearly gave me a heart attack!
do u have any idea how shady it is to suddenly receive a package ur not expecting
that’s addressed to u directly
without a return address listed
and the only thing inside when u open it is an expensive phone
and a sticky note with an ominous ‘ call me when you get this :) ’ on it???
[3:53 pm] SHOTODOROKI
I do not.
[3:55 pm] Shotodoroki
Also the smiley was friendly.
[3:55 pm] Rody
🤦
my point still stands
and i can’t afford the phone so take it back
[3:56 pm] Shotodoroki
I cannot. I live in Japan.
[3:57 pm] Rody
…
u have got to be kidding me
[4:00 pm] Rody
just give me ur address
i’ll fucking ship it to u
[4:00 pm] Shotodoroki
But you’re a stranger.
I’ve been told it is unsafe to give out my address over the internet.
[4:02 pm] Rody
YOU!
CONTACTED!
ME!
FIRST!!!!!
[4:02 pm] Shotodoroki
I did, yes.
[4:05 pm] Rody
you know what
fine
whatever
does deku have a new phone yet?
[4:06 pm] Shotodoroki
No.
[4:06 pm] Rody
ah
[4:08 pm] Rody
not that i’m in a rush to never have to talk to u again
but any idea when that’ll be?
[4:08 pm] Shotodoroki
A few more days at least.
His mother wasn’t happy that he almost died again even though it was to save the world so he’s grounded for a bit till she forgives him again.
I think it’s just an excuse for them to spend time together though.
Midoriya gets weekend passes to go off grounds way easier when his mother is threatening to sue the school.
[4:10 pm] Rody
wait back up hold the phone
[4:10 pm] Shotodoroki
I am?
[4:10 pm] Rody
what do u mean again???
has this near death shit happened before???
[4:11 pm] Shotodoroki
Yes.
[4:14 pm] Rody
…u gonna elaborate on that?
[4:14 pm] Shotodoroki
Do you want me to?
[4:15 pm] Rody
oh my god how do u have friends???
[4:15 pm] Shotodoroki
Midoriya.
[4:17 pm] Rody
…ur so weird
[4:18 pm] Shotodoroki
My brother says it’s my middle name.
[4:20 pm] Rody
please
for the love of god
STOP TEXTING ME
[4:22 pm] Shotodoroki
Okay.
[4:29 pm] Shotodoroki
Do you want me to send you Midoriya’s number once he replaces his phone?
[4:46 pm] Rody
…
yes please
And that’s where their conversation ends.
For a day.
Thursday
[6:08 pm] Shotodoroki
<image_midoriya_1>
[6:12 pm] Shotodoroki
<image_midoriya_2>
Rody ignores the chat for as long as he can before finally giving in to his curiosity. He taps the pictures to download them and promptly chokes on his water.
Both pictures are of Deku but while the first has him right in the middle of pulling himself up on a high bar, arm muscles clearly flexed and green eyes burning with determination as he trains– the second has him back on the ground smiling shyly directly at the camera.
[7:46 pm] Rody
what the fuck
what the fuxk
u cat just
the fucj is this???
[7:48 pm] Shotodoroki
Pictures of Midoriya.
[7:48 pm] Rody
yeah no shit
why are u sending them to me
[7:49 pm] Shotodoroki
You didn’t like them? I thought you would.
Rody stares at the screen incredulously.
Is this guy for real?
Can’t be.
He’s probably a troll.
An ass of a master troll who thinks messing with Rody about his stupidly obvious hero crush is funny.
A masster troll!
Rody scrubs at his flushed cheeks as if he can physically erase his reaction to the photos and sends his roiling emotions over to Pino so he can calmly change Shotodoroki’s name in his phone to something more accurate before formulating a response.
[7:53 pm] Rody
u cant just take pictures of people and send them around without permission
its creepy and gross
and wrong
very very wrong
[7:54 pm] mASSive Troll
I know that.
[7:55 pm] mASSive Troll
I asked him to pose for you.
And Rody just tosses the phone away, face flushing bright red.
It’s reflexive, instinctual, and he’s too affected to even worry if he’s just broken the phone.
Pino brings it back to him immediately of course because she’s a traitor who won’t let him hide from his feelings.
Rody doesn't bother to respond to the messages, finger hovering over the block button instead while Pino chirps at him insistently, flying at him every time his finger moves.
With a sigh Rody gives in, leaving the chat unblocked– though he does save the photos to his camera roll.
Hey, if Deku let, Deku let, right?
Wednesday
[7:39 pm] mASSive Troll
Happy Halloween.
<image_midoriya_costume>
[7:50 pm] Rody
oh cool
a spooky night to u to
who he dressed as all might?
[7:51 pm] mASSive Troll
Yes. I assume it’s tradition for him at this point.
[8:00 pm] Rody
ah nice
<image_shoto_cosplay>
look it u
[8:01 pm] mASSive Troll
Cute.
Who are they?
[8:03 pm] Rody
ur priorities remain in order i see
my siblings
left in red is lala, right in white is roro
they made the costume themselves
[8:04 pm] mASSive Troll
I’m flattered.
I especially like how you put Lala on the left and Roro on the right so the Ls and Rs match up.
[8:05 pm] Rody
hjfkjkkkd??
how did u even notice that???
it wasnt even intentional stop overthinking it!
[8:05 pm] mASSive Troll
Sorry.
[8:08 pm] mASSive Troll
<image_eri>
[8:10 pm] Rody
nice
is that a deku costume?
[8:11 pm] mASSive Troll
Yes.
Midoriya’s mother made it for her.
[8:11 pm] Rody
i didnt know u had a little sister too
how old is she?
[8:12 pm] mASSive Troll
She’s not my sister.
She’s seven.
[8:13 pm] Rody
…
do we need to have another talk?
about sending peoples pictures around without their consent?
also whatd u mean she’s not your sister she looks just like u
[8:15 pm] mASSive Troll
I get that a lot
It’s the white hair right?
Hard to believe but we are not related.
[8:17 pm] Rody
why the fuck else would u send this to me then?
who sends pics of random little kids ???
can’t believe i trusted u with a precious pic of my little sibs
and u returned the favor with this
making me complicit in ur crimes
shame on u
shame shame
[8:18 pm] mASSive Troll
She’s not random.
She’s Eri.
[8:22 pm] Rody
what does that even mean???
[8:23 pm] mASSive Troll
<image of Eri wearing Deku themed pajamas and holding a Deku themed stuffed rabbit while Deku himself reads her a storybook>
[8:25 pm] Rody
…
i see
He doesn’t say anything else though because both the little girl and Deku had clearly known the picture was being taken and had been okay with it so who is he to keep lecturing when apparently nothing’s been done wrong.
Rody stares at the picture a few more minutes before zooming in on Deku’s contented face and saving the screenshot to his camera roll.
What can he say?
Shotodoroki is a bad influence.
So of course he can’t resist saying so.
[8:31 pm] Rody
ur a bad influence u know?
cant believe u drag me into stuff like this without even telling me ur name first
[8:32 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
What do you mean?
I told you my name.
[8:35 pm] Rody
uh no?
u told me ur hero name
and ur last name
but u never told me ur first name
[8:35 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
It’s Shouto.
[8:36 pm] Rody
…
shouto like ur hero name shouto
[8:36 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
Yes.
[8:37 pm] Rody
ur kidding me
[8:37 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
Why would I be?
[8:38 pm] Rody
ur literal hero name is ur actual name???
wtf dude???
[8:38 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
It’s not a big deal.
[8:40 pm] Rody
it kind of is!
u cud have been called anything!
and u choose ur name?
[8:41 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
I know.
But for a long time the only one who used my given name was my father.
And I didn't have the most positive of feelings about it.
So what I really wanted to be called more than anything was Shouto.
[8:43 pm] Rody
…
well shit now i feel bad.
[8:43 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
Don’t be.
I’m sorry.
I’ve come to terms with it all by now.
Sorry for unloading that on you suddenly.
I’ve been told I overshare.
[8:47 pm] Rody
lol yeah u definitely do
still thanks for sharing i guess
and if u ever want help choosing an actual hero name hmu
[8:48 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
H? M? U?
What does it mean?
[8:52 pm] Rody
…are u for real?
[8:52 pm] Shotodoroki the pic dealer
Google says it means hit me up.
I still don’t understand what you mean though.
Are you threatening me?
[9:00 pm] Rody
good night shouto
[9:57 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
Good night Soul.
Friday
[5:37 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
I missed Midnight’s class because of my concussion.
[5:40 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
Do you have the homework?
[6:15 pm] Rody
is this a joke?
[6:15 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
No?
[6:23 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
Oh I see.
Sorry Soul I meant to text that to Uraraka.
[6:34 pm] Rody
how
literally how did u text me instead our names aren’t even remotely similar
also just call me Rody geez
[6:35 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
Yes they are.
You’re ‘#1 Rival’ in my phone and she’s ‘#1 Ex Rival’
They’re right next to each other so I must have hit the wrong one.
[6:36 pm] Rody
are you insane???
[6:36 pm] CALL HIM SHOUTO HOLY SHIT!!!
That's what ‘DEFINITELY NOT A RIVAL’ calls me.
That and Half and Half Bastard.
[6:38 pm] Rody
i swear every time i talk to u i have to resist the urge to bang my head against a wall
[6:42 pm] #1 Dumbass
Oh.
[6:45 pm] #1 Dumbass
sorry
He doesn’t receive another message for a long time.
At first he relishes in the peace.
But then he finds himself reaching for the phone to check it at all hours even though he knows that Shouto was the only one with the number.
Guilt is the first to set in, an icky thing that makes him feel weird for having kept the phone in the first place. He wishes he’d insisted on Shouto giving him an address to send it back to– especially since he never did end up getting Deku’s number out of this.
And then comes anger.
Fine! Shouto got bored of messaging with the loser and thought he’d just stop cold turkey? Well fine by Rody! He doesn’t miss their chats at all, not one little bit.
Pino chirps pathetically from where she’s pecking at the silent and dark phone, and the mood feels so forlorn that Rody leaves her to it and goes for a walk.
He doesn’t need this!
He’s no one’s plaything!
And he especially doesn’t miss it!
Rody gets back and there sits Pino still trying to get the phone open and in a sudden fit of ire he snatches it away off the table and shoves it into his pocket.
Pino squawks sharply, flying up into his face in a rush of feathers and blunt talons and Rody tries to calm her down but there’s no avoiding it anymore, is there?
He does miss it– had been starting to enjoy it– to look forward to it even.
His new routine has been disrupted and it hurts and pisses him off in equal measure and suddenly he’s pulling the phone back out, unlocking it with swift swipes of his fingers, and sending the first message in their chat all week.
Thursday
[8:12 pm] Rody
so that’s it then?
[8:26 pm] Rody
u just send me a phone
and insert yourself into my life
and then just stop texting me at the drop of a hat?
[8:31 pm] Rody
well fuck u
Saturday
[10:38 am] Rody
…
look
ur a hero student
and im starting to get worried
can u at least tell me if ur okay?
[10:39 am]
#1 Asshole is typing
#1 Asshole is typing
#1 Asshole is typing
Rody watches the screen with baited breath, tapping it impatiently every time it starts to fade so it won’t lock.
The message when it finally comes feels like not enough and yet somehow too much at the same time.
[10:40 am] #1 Asshole
I don’t understand.
Rody waits for Shouto to elaborate till his phone has gone dark and cold in his hands– long enough for it to become abundantly clear that that’s it as far as incoming messages go.
And for the first time since this all began he ignores the reflexive urge to get irritated— to reach through the screen and throttle this frustrating boy until he stops being so infuriating.
Instead Rody slowly scrolls all the way back up to the very start of their first conversation and starts to read.
Removing his feelings from the equation by shoving them all over to Pino lets him see what he hadn’t noticed the first time.
Shouto is blunt— almost painfully so— but he’s also honest and embarrassingly naive.
Rody can’t find a single lie or joke— even in the places he’d originally thought were meant to tease him.
Shouto’s tone is short, curt with his answers, but he had answered. Any time Rody had asked a question— even when it was clearly rhetorical— Shouto had answered.
Always.
Sometimes even immediately after Rody said something even when Rody himself had taken his time to send his message. And that’s something else that’s becoming abundantly clear the more Rody backreads.
Shouto responds to messages like his phone is always in his hand as he eagerly waits for a response.
In contrast, Rody’s texts clearly portray someone who kept putting his phone down and wandering off when the conversation wasn’t pulling him.
But worse than all of that is the simple realization that Rody had been wrong.
About everything.
These little things had frustrated Rody to no end at first because he’d felt like he was being mocked and looked down on— like Shotodoroki had only sent him this phone as a way to amuse himself till he got bored.
But it all makes sense now with a clarity that borders on painful.
‘I don’t understand.’ Shouto had sent.
And Rody finally realizes that it is this single message in their entire exchange that tells him the most about just who he’d been texting with all this time.
He can’t hold back a wince as he reaches their final exchange where Rody had snapped and told Shouto how much he wants to put his head through a wall every time they talk.
Through this new 20/20 vision of hindsight it's now obvious that Rody had basically told this boy pursuing a genuine friendship with him that it's physically painful to interact with him.
Ouch.
And there’d been a pause after that message where before there had always been an immediate response.
And then Shouto had simply responded “sorry” before cutting all communication cold.
And Rody had thought that he was being punished— that Shouto was ignoring him to be petty and mean.
But…
But that’s not what really happened at all, is it?
And that single ‘sorry’ practically bleeds hurt now that he’s looking for it.
[1:04 pm] Rody
im sorry for what i said
Pino flushes with embarrassment instantly, ducking her head beneath her wings but Rody ignores her and forces himself to continue because now that he knows what really happened he needs to fix this and the only way to do that is by being honest.
[1:05 pm] Rody
i really miss talking to u
There.
All done.
Rody slams the phone facedown on the table and stalks off to get started on dinner.
He ignores the phone as long as he can, making food, portioning it out into containers for later, and tackling the dirty dishes.
Pino sits near the phone, keeping it close but shuffling nervously instead of picking it up and Rody continues pushing off checking the damn thing until he’s run out of things to do.
Wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on a dish towel he finally checks the screen.
[1:09 pm] Shouto
I missed talking to you too.
Rody’s lips pull into a reflexive smile and he’s so happy and relieved that he only hesitates for a second before snapping a quick selfie.
And then for the first time since this whole thing began, Rody initiates the conversation first and sends Shouto a picture of himself.
[3:15 pm] Rody
<image_smile_selfie>
im glad ur talking to me again
[3:16 pm] Shouto
<image_shouto_smiling>
Me too.