snowy starlight [Seroroki]

let's try and have a good day

Shoto wakes up with a crick in his neck, not quite sure where he is. After blinking and focusing his eyes, he finds he slept on Hanta's floor, right beside his bed. Right. They had been talking for a while last night, and Shoto had been too tired to bother going back to his own room. He regrets his choice a little bit, since turning his head makes his neck ache and pinch. Looking over at Hanta, he sees that he's already awake, scrolling on his phone.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty," Hanta teases, "You slept until noon."

Shoto's muscles clench. Sleeping beauty. It doesn't mean anything, he tells himself. It's just a tease. Hanta doesn't actually think he's beautiful. Who would, with that nasty scar and all?

"Dang," Shoto mumbles, his voice crackly, "I must've been tired."

He can't remember how late they stayed up, but he knows it was late. He's not used to going to bed any time after midnight. He adjusts himself so he's sitting cross-legged on the floor, his head leaning back against Hanta's bed. He feels cold, despite having a blanket wrapped around him, so he activates the left-side of his quirk a little bit to help heat him up. Sometimes being his father's son comes in handy.

"You hungry?" Hanta asks, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and looking down at Shoto. Shit. He looks so pretty when his hair's all tussled up from sleeping.

Shoto shrugs. "I guess." His stomach then answers for him, rumbling loudly throughout the room.

Hanta laughs. "I know my answer then. Come on, let's go make breakfast."

Shoto leaves his blanket behind and follows Hanta back down to the kitchen, walking close enough behind to not seem weird for being so far away, but also a fair distance of space between them so Hanta wouldn't seem uncomfortable. It's like a science, figuring out what they're allowed to do with each other to not make the other uncomfortable. Or not risk it, at least. Shoto doesn't want to mess things up and have to avoid Hanta for the next two weeks. He'd rather not be completely alone.

Hanta holds the door open for him, then rummages through the cabinets for something to make. Shoto stands idly by, not knowing how to make himself useful. He glances over at the calendar pinned to the wall, the days date reading the 24th. Damn, tomorrow is already Christmas? He looks away from the calendar before he feels depressed again, but thoughts of Fuyumi and Natsuo are already creeping in. Are they having a good time? Do they miss him? Are either of them wondering where he is or how he's doing? What about his father, or is he too busy having a good time with Hawks to care?

Hanta stares at Shoto, seeing him lost in thought. His eyebrows are furrowed, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. He looks... pained.

"You okay?" Hanta asks, setting the ingredients to make french toast down on the counter.

Shoto snaps from his zoning-out and looks up at Hanta. "Y-yeah. Just thinking about my family. Wondering if they miss me."

Hanta nods. "Wanna talk about it?"

Wow. No one's ever... asked him if he wants to talk about his family. It's always either forced out of him or he talks about it while the other person looks like they want to shoot themselves from boredom. Does Hanta actually care, or is he trying to be nice? Shoto can't tell. He wishes he was better at reading people. He decides to test his chances and talk about it.

"Well, my sisters off with her boyfriend right now, and my brothers with his friends. My dad wanted me to go home but... I don't like being around him. I just- I know that he's trying, and that he feels sorry for how he treated me and my siblings, but... sometimes it's too much. Some days I look at him and all I can see is the man that made my childhood a living hell and the person that tortured me for 15 years. I didn't want to have to go home and listen to his rants about how sorry he is and how proud of me he is and that stupid bullshit when I know he doesn't really mean it."