When I'm With Them, I'm Free

Chapter Three: Love Can Be an Awkward Yearning

Another day had passed by quickly, new dusk setting over half-clear skies and waving over shut bedroom windows. It was a mournful Saturday, a grey color spanning over the atmosphere and chilled air cold enough to make you feel weak in the knees.

Getting out of bed that morning was more than troublesome, the sky almost dark enough to be counted as early morning and the daily fatigue grabbing at your ankles, begging you to come back to bed.

Getting Shoto out of your mind was almost as impossible, your eyes always shifting to his form, a smile always creeping on your face when you saw him, and an equally confused, worried, and disgusted feeling always bubbling in your stomach.

You weren't sure what caused such feelings, and what exactly drew you to the bi-haired male; but you couldn't help but long to get closer, close enough to see the hidden details in his skin, and close enough to stare at each individual colors and streak in his eyes.

Contradicting yourself, you also wanted to stray away, keeping yourself far enough for his features to blend together in a faraway and blurry nature. It was as confusing and awkward as much as it was annoying, holding a grey area and making your head pound in effect.

Although for Shoto, the situation was completely black and white, his feelings and seemingly desperate wants more than prominent, yet unrevealed and hidden behind Shoto's own issues.

While the sun continued to rise and practically invisible clouds fogged the sky, the both of you were captive in your rooms, fatigue swarming your heads and thoughts drifting to the other—although that was unbeknownst to the two of you.

While you planned to stay put until your movement was imperative, the bi-haired male was dead set on getting up, even if his heavy-in-sleep body wasn't exactly cooperating.

Sitting up in his bed, Shoto rubbed his eyes. The pressure of his fingers was immense and formed black dots in his vision, but the bi-haired male didn't seem to care. He was quick to brush his teeth and slip on a fresh pair of clothes, the plain and yet overly clean smell swarming the fabric. His outfit wasn't anything out of his normal, just a casual pair of dark jeans, a plain turtleneck, and a jacket accompanying his overall look.

He walked out of his dorm room quickly, eyes half-lidded and lazily blinking. Everything in front of him was blurry, given the groggily unfocused tint they held.

Continuing his way, he stepped into the common room, immediately greeted by the smell of cooking pork and the sound of too many people talking at once. It was a low buzz, seemingly quiet, but loud enough where it was hard to focus on one voice in particular. Surely he couldn't focus on Uraraka's laughs or Jirou's annoyed sighs.

"Hey, Todoroki-kun," Midoriya blurrily sprung into Shoto's unfocused vision. His face was bright, and the upturn in his tips was obvious, as was the excited shine in his green irises.

"Midoriya," the bi-haired male hummed, his voice monotonous as ever.

"Are you doing anything today?" the green-haired male asked, tilting his head to the side and looking right into Shoto's heterochromic eyes. The miss-matched eyes were empty, a void of emotion like always, making it difficult for Midoriya—much less anyone—to read. It didn't help that his face was blank as well, only adding to the difficulty. So Midoriya elaborated, even though he was empty of an answer, or even some sort of response. Using his thumb, the greenette pointed back behind him, half-signaling to the group of three that sat around a nearby table. "Uraraka-san and Iida-kun thought it would be a good idea to study at that new cafe by 'Suzuki's Sweet Shop',"—he paused, bringing his hand back down to his side—,"what do you think? Do you want to come with us?"