Y'all, after 5 months, I think I have enough time to write again. This chapter's mostly filler to shake some of the absolute horrid rust off and kinda remind myself and the readers of some of the things going on plot-wise, so pls, don't flame me too hard, I don't have my writing groove back yet. I'd really recommend skimming the story to get a feel for the character development though. Without remembering our bbg's development, he'll probably feel off, but anyways HI
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Your stress snacking was endless as you patrolled the street in your new hero costume. It was one of the many things you loved about your quirk: you could eat as much sugar as you wanted without any repercussions. It also gave you an excuse to snack on the job.
Which is why you were incredibly aware of the not-so-sneaky glances Todoroki threw your way the entire time he patrolled alongside you. After the fifth quiet eye meet within the minute, you had enough.
You huffed,"Shoto, worry about the potential villains. I'll worry about my eating habits."
Todoroki's eyes widened. He smiled softly,"I'm not judging your eating habits. I just like your costume. The flower crown fits you."
It didn't shock you that even as you greedily stuffed sweets into your mouth with a frown on your face, he'd find a reason to praise you. Then again, he wasn't the one worried to death. You looked at him with serious desperation.
"How are you so calm?!Twenty-four hours from now, I'll probably be in prison. Your dad's probably gonna throw me into the very same cell Toga died."
Todoroki felt tempted to chuckle but his need to reassure you overcame that. He shook his head,"An interrogation doesn't mean you're a suspect. If that were the case then I wouldn't be getting called in too."
"Yeah, but it's your dad. He's not gonna be as tempted to kick his son into the slammer as much as me. What if, mid-questioning, he remembers that comment I made about him singing his hair off and slapping his bald head?"
The man shot you a look, half-amused and half-berating you for your disproportionate anxiety. He didn't need to reply for you to understand. You sighed, not knowing whether his relaxed attitude was helping you calm down or not.
You'd been the one to practically push Todoroki out the door, promising that fresh air and a sense of duty was all you needed to forget about your upcoming interrogation yet as much as you wanted to enjoy your first ever patrol together, you couldn't. The genuine worry must've finally become visible on your face.
Todoroki's eyebrows rose in surprise as he noticed the sincerity behind your dark jokes. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face you, completely ignoring the fact you were in public and delicately taking ahold of one of your hands on his.
His expression was honest,"(Name), you feel guilty only because you were one of the last few people to see her but you're innocent. I know that and so does my father. There's nothing for you to worry about."
His growth when it came to reassurance--reassurance specifically honed for you-- would've made you weak in the knees if not for the weight that both the recent and still upcoming events had. You nodded and turned away uncertainly, not wanting to voice how unconvinced you were but giving him a small squeeze to his hand in appreciation.
Todoroki kept his mismatched eyes on yours despite the lack of eye contact, clearly not fooled. He continued, "Do you want me to be in the room?"
"Wait, you could do that?", your voice and eyes came back to him within a second. He shook his head.
"I don't know if it's allowed but if you want me to, I'll do it anyway."
"Shoto, you can't disobey the number one hero, even if he's your father."
"We'll tell him I'm your lawyer."
His serious suggestion forced a surprised airy giggle from you, one that you didn't know you needed until you realized how instantly lighter your body felt. Your worries momentarily disappeared and you gave him a joking nod,"Sure, Shoto. I'll let you be my lawyer if it comes to it."
Despite the hint of sarcasm, his commitment to get rid of your distress was enough to bring you back to your normal self. You sighed the remaining apprehension out of your mind and gave him a warm smile to convey your thanks. He managed to understand it for what it was and mirrored with a small smile of his own.
As silly as it sounded, one of your greatest comforts too was how sure he was that you weren't involved in Toga's death. His trust in you was apparently just that solid.
You didn't bother letting go of his hand as you continued your route with an Endeavor-free mind, lightly swinging it back and forth as you let yourself wander off into different thoughts. Todoroki didn't fail to notice it, well-accustomed to your physical mannerisms but never tired of them. Though he was surprised--were you not concerned about what civilians would think of you two holding hands?
As he scanned your expression, he couldn't find any opposition to it. It sprouted a sense of satisfaction somewhere in his chest to think you weren't shy of showing everyone how close you'd become. It felt right--prideful, even.
You were too consumed by your thoughts to pay mind to onlookers; with such heavy topics as of late, you'd barely gotten to give your returning feelings for Todoroki any attention and the reminder of your newfound crush made your cheeks grow warm as you finally took notice of his hand engulfing yours.
You wondered, how much could you trust Mina's predictions?A relationship between you and Todoroki seemed like such a foreign yet close topic, with your bond being stronger than others yet established as solely a friendship from the very beginning. You thought back to the conversation you and Todoroki started and didn't get to finish mere nights ago.
The more you thought about the question Todoroki asked, the more you realized how much of a serious talk it could've been.
'What happened to your feelings for me?'
Had he started to pick up on your feelings for him before you even realized them?It worried you.
It'd been such a uncalled confrontation that all you could come up with was a bitter answer. You didn't get to hear his response before Dabi inconvenienced you two with his dumb poisoning. You huffed in annoyance, frustrated with the man's determination to make your professional and romantic life harder than it has to be.
You glanced at your intertwined fingers. It made your stomach flip to get such special treatment from him, but having finally admitted your feelings to yourself, it was starting to near an overwhelming degree. Maybe it was time to be a little more blunt.
You cleared your throat, attempting a careless attitude despite the marathon your heart was starting to challenge itself with,"Um, Shoto...?"
You hadn't meant for your voice to come out squeaky, but if he noticed, he didn't say anything. Todoroki turned his attention to you and though he said nothing, you knew you had his undivided attention. He never gave you less.
His features became intimidating out of nowhere. Had his scar always complimented his heterochromatic appearance so much?
You laughed nervously,"I wanted to ask...last time we shared a room, you asked me about my old feelings for you."
The vivid memory hit him hard and he halted his steps. He hadn't meant for him to be caught so visibly off guard but he couldn't help it. He nodded,"I remember."
Todoroki waited for the question. A small pit grew in his stomach. Had you gotten over the lack of self-awareness he mentioned that night, finally picking up on his feelings?
You tried to speak before you could possibly overthink and chicken out,"Well...why?"
You stared at him patiently despite your nervousness. Todoroki's stunned expression didn't make it any easier but you waited until it relaxed, willing to wait as long as it took for an answer.
The man's grip on your hand tightened and he brought it up to his lips briefly, catching you off guard as you felt him place a small kiss on your the back of it. It wasn't the first time he'd done that but you realized neither of you had ever done something like that in such a public space.
Instinctively, you hastily pulled your hand out of his, a wide blush spreading across your face as you realized a number of people as witnesses and you hissed in embarrassment,"Shoto!!!"
Your question was completely forgotten. You stared at him with bewilderment, never expecting such a public display of affection from him and your shock didn't let you do anything but stare at him with racing thoughts reflected by your face.
The man stared at you with his lips pressed into a tight line. He could tell you were more confused than upset but it served well to make his point. Todoroki spoke in a slightly hushed voice and subtly nudged his head towards the astounded group of people who'd been paying attention to the two of you from the very beginning.
His voice was hushed,"This isn't the place for that conversation. Someone will eavesdrop and it'll end as a scandal that could interfere with our careers."
His explanation nearly gave you a hernia. You didn't know what demon possessed you as you waved your arms frantically,"B-BUT, YOU JUST-"
Todoroki cut you off by swiftly grabbing your hand again during your nonsensical movements and dragging you away from the group onto your route. You groaned as you physically wiped the astonishment off your face,"Shoto, a kiss is way more scandalous than a conversation we can deny ever happening!!!"
He raised an eyebrow and didn't bother to lower his voice as he retaliated,"We kiss all the time."
You blushed with a slight pout and muttered under your breath,"Yeah, I can't wait to see the articles on this. Self-awareness my ass..."
Todoroki gave your lost composure a soft smile. With your prior worries gone and an opportunity to give you affection as he liked, he could care less about rumors. What he cared about was his one and only goal between you two and he knew, soon, he'd make that goal known to you.
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I'm literally so embarrassed about this chapter. I have to re-learn my writing style again and this short wonky writing is only an attempt, so again, please don't flame me too hard. I'm trying my best out here and I'm struggling :') I'll really try writing often again so I can provide y'all the quality writing from before though. Bear with this writing for a little pls