𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 || S. Todoroki x Reader

34 - Familiar Faces

The mall was another world. Overflowing with flashing lights, shiny windows with too many children's fingerprints smudged around, a smell like rubbing alcohol and cotton candy stirred into a thin cloud above the entire building. 

You loved it. 

Shoto's hand brushing yours every now and again was perfect and torturing at the same time, despite the fact you two had crossed the bridge into a mutual understanding the rest of the world was a different ordeal. The HPSC was a different deal. So you kept your hands to yourself and channeled your thoughts into furtive glances and sharp grins. 

Well, when your mouth wasn't agog in wonder at the sheer size of the shopping center. 

Three of four stories were visible from the atrium, too many windows for you to count (a part of you shuddered thinking about smacking into them in an overzealous fit of flight), and everyone and everything was in motion. Everyone was walking and talking and chewing and laughing and living their lives and you could see and hear everything. 

Every flier stuck to the sticky floor, every balloon a kid tugged behind them. It was the happiest place you'd seen in your entire life, never before had you seen so many people smiling.

'Love, don't show people the inside of your mouth,' Shoto had said. Your mouth stayed shut after that.

Midoriya and Shoto dragged you from store to store, pulling you away before you could find something else to draw your attention. Everything just looked so exciting, so colorful. The carefully curated colors filtering through the overhead fluorescents struck your vision until it became a kaleidoscope of shades and products. 

Now and then you would simply smush your face against a large glass window and peer into the store with bugged eyes and a giant smile. Shoto would gently pull you along and mutter about freaking out the store workers before the process repeated.

If his ears didn't redden whenever you smiled over at him, that same wonder burning in your eyes, you probably would've pulled yourself together. But Shoto never needed you to dim yourself, never cared that you loved the world, and never minded when he needed to urge you to keep moving.

'Y/n, Todoroki is coming, right?' Mina had asked during class one day.

You smiled, sitting on a desk. 'Yep. Good thing too—' You stretched your hands over your head, breath catching when your shoulders protested. The pain had started spreading. And getting worse. 'I've seen the inside of that kid's closet, poor boy doesn't have a single lazy t-shirt.' You let yourself grin, reveling in the fact Shoto was behind you putting his books away and definitely had heard your jab. 'I can't tell if it's impressive or sad. Perhaps both.'

His smile was so small you only just barely caught it. 'I thought you liked my black button-ups.'

Your smile widened, shoulders aching as they shook with your laughter. 'Don't worry, Sho, I still do. But your wardrobe needs to learn how to relax.'

'So, Y/n.' You heard Sero's grin before you saw it. Wicked and playful in the way he got whenever he found something to pick at.

'Yes, Sero?'

'You've seen Todoroki-kun's closet?'

A slam came from behind you, no doubt poor Shoto dropping a book or something in his surprise. You laughed to hide the feeling of your heart pausing in your chest.

'No, of course not,' you said. 'It's just a figure of speech you dumbass.'

A chorus of pursed lips and raised brows met your defense. Shoto scrambled to shove the rest of his things into his bag, pretending not to listen.