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Who would have thought that being a fugitive on the run could feel so much like a road trip?
Not that Rody's been on a proper road trip before — he didn't remember much of his childhood, and after their dad left, all they could afford were the occassional daytrips to see some free-of-charge attractions — but this was what he'd imagine it to be like.
The constant movement, never staying in one place for longer than a night. Meals consisting purely of combini snacks. Always seeing new faces, always meeting new people, characters in the story they'd brush against and never see again. The exhaustion and stinkiness of bodies and clothes they couldn't keep completely clean.
The sights.
It was only now, while hiding from the law, that Rody realized he didn't know all that much about his own country. The beauty of the countryside could pierce even through his armour of cynicysm, filling him with the sense of wonder he thought he had long since buried.
But no matter how beautiful the meadows and the forests and the lakes and the rivers and the night sky and a thousand other sights was... There was one thing that topped them without fail.
Midoriya Izuku.
Not Hero Deku, though there was a certain attractiveness to his hero persona. The confidence he held, the skillful way in which he handled his power... But no, what Rody found himself transfixed with was Izuku himself.
The nerdy, dorky guy who talked way too much and would risk detection just to chat with someone who showed an interesting quirk. (And, to him, all quirks were interesting.) The boy who, after chasing Rody through half the city, still didn't hesitate to protect him from the gunfire, going above and beyond the line of duty. Someone who dropped his entire life and risked his future doing something questionable just because it was the right thing to do.
"I got food!" The hero in question called cheerfully as he approached, passing the sandwiches over to Rody before clambering onto the hood of their car, settling in next to him. "The cashier had the coolest quirk-"
Rody let the words wash over him, unwrapping his sandwich. The constant chattering would have been annoying, he thought, if he didn't find Izuku's voice so soothing.
He savoured the feeling of peace. Trying to bottle the enjoyement, to memorize every second so that he could revisit this moment in his memories years down the line.
The boy gasped around his food, reaching to wildly tap Rody on the shoulder before pointing in front of them. In the same direction Rody was already looking in, mind.
"Look!" He sounded awestruck. Rody glanced between Izuku and the meadow, wondering what was it. "The sunset! The clouds! The colours-!"
Ah, of course. Rody could feel his expression softening in fondness, eyes rowing over Izuku's excited expression. The last rays of the sun reflected in his eyes, adding to their innate glow, and his freckles seemed to almost twinkle at him. Even his messy hair looked majestic in that lighting, and Rody knew he was in trouble when he found himself admiring the curve of his nose.
"We're so lucky," Izuku was saying. "To experience such a fleeting moment-"
"Yeah..."
They were talking about two completely different things. But still, they were in full agreement. Once this mess was over... Izuku would have to return home. And Rody would have to go back to his family. Japan was on the other side of the world; The chances that they'd meet again were infinitesimally small.
The chances of them meeting in the first place were already bordering on miraculous.
Izuku glanced towards him, smile dancing on his lips. It turned into a pout when he saw Rody already turned towards him. "You're not looking!"
Even when lightly disgruntled, Rody couldn't help but find him adorable. Pino emphasized that by flying a loop around Izuku's head, settling on top of his hair. Izuku giggled at the sensation of that, raising a hand to pet Pino's head gently.
"I'm looking, I'm looking," Rody laughed, raising his free hand in defense.
And he was. Exactly where he wanted to be looking.
