Try to believe walking down the lonesome road

[inheritance]

[With the start of their internships fast approaching, it's no wonder a good portion of the students in 1-A are too excited to properly concentrate during class. Aizawa, picking up on their lack of focus, eventually ends the class a few minutes early with a tired, exasperated sigh. Izuku grins guiltily at their teacher's retreating back. He can't exactly blame his classmates for distracted like this--picking their hero names and their first internship is pretty exciting. And a big step toward being pros.

Fidgeting with the bandages on his hands, Izuku turns in his seat and just happens to catch Todoroki's eyes. There's the barest flicker of hesitation before Izuku offers up a cheerful smile.] Todoroki-kun, have you already decided where you're going for your internship?

[The classroom's already emptying out, but there's no real need to hurry out like everyone else is. Besides, Izuku hasn't really gotten a chance to talk to Todoroki since the festival. Remembering how subdued Todoroki was during the medal ceremony has made it difficult for him to shake away his concerns. So Izuku gathers up his books slowly and waits for an answer.]

Comments

[glaciers]

We all have our favorites.

[There's a tiny little smile on Shouto's features. It's unexpected to have Midoriya follow him to this line. He's... grateful to have him here. It's such a small thing, but he still appreciates him.]

Yeah. We can both get katsudon tomorrow.

[inheritance]

[As they make their way over to the soba line, Izuku grins.] Deal.

[Suddenly, he feels a prickle at the back of his neck, and when he turns his eyes meet a now-familiar set of eyes squarely. Izuku almost flinches back when he realizes it's the girl from this morning.] Don't look now, but she's watching us. [It was probably too much to hope they wouldn't run into her during lunch, he thinks unhappily. He has nothing against her personally, but he does wish she'd leave his friend alone.]

[glaciers]

[He gives a very tired sigh. Hopefully she thinks it has nothing to do with Midoriya. There's a short pause as he wonders what exactly he should do- but he resolves himself, letting go of Midoriya's hand and looping his arm around his waist.]

Let me know if you're not okay with this. [He whispers into his ear.]

[inheritance]

[Todoroki's arm is really warm, Izuku thinks frantically. Left side, his brain supplies helpfully, because he seems incapable of thinking of anything except Todoroki's arm around his waist.]

It...it's fine. [Izuku manages to stammer out.] I promised I'd tell you if anything bothered me, remember?

[A part of him wonders if he's doomed to resemble a tomato for as long as they continue their fake relationship. It's true that he doesn't mind, though. As unexpected as Todoroki initiating contact like this is, Izuku doesn't find it at all unpleasant. It's...nice. Just new and something to get used to.

...not that he should be getting used to this, what is he thinking??]

[glaciers]

I know. But I haven't done this before.

[And he doesn't want to make this any weirder than it already is. Even if he does enjoy every moment of having Midoriya in his arms-- what is he thinking? That's for actual couples, isn't it? They're just- they're both just playing a part.]

Feel free to initiate whatever you want. I trust you.

[Is a part of him hoping for a Midoriya initiated hug? Maybe. Will he admit that to himself today? Probably note.]

[inheritance]

I haven't either. All of this is new to me. [He knows he's still blushing like crazy, but Izuku gingerly leans into Todoroki's side since he's already here.]

Like this? [Izuku keeps his voice low, in case just happens to be listening.]

[glaciers]

I've... never really dated anybody before. [But he's doing his best. His best is apparently blushing when Midoriya leans into him. He doesn't want to let go of him. He wants to stay like this forever.]

... Yeah. This is good.

[They're just acting, get a grip.]

[inheritance]

[It's a little awkward staying pressed up against Todoroki like this, but it seems to work, because the girl's no longer looking at them when Izuku sneaks a peek back at her table. Though he gives a little sigh of relief, he stays right where he is anyway. Just in case.]

To...Todoroki, have you ever talked to her before she approached you?

[glaciers]

[So here's the troubling thing, Shouto's bad at remembering people. Especially people he's only talked to once.]

... I don't think I have.

[But it's very possible he talked to her once. Some innocuous question that lead into her crush on him.]

[inheritance]

Mmm. [Izuku hums quietly, thoughtfully.] Could be that she saw you at the festival and started liking you then. You were really cool...I bet you gained a lot of fans that day!

[Spouting compliments for his classmates and friends is something he's never really held back on, and this time is no different. His lips curl up in amusement a beat later at the unintentional pun, though. Heh...cool.]

[glaciers]

I do use a lot of ice.

[He'll go right along with the pun.]

That seems like a pretty... little reason to want to date somebody. I'd prefer to know someone better before I asked them out.

[... He's never asked anybody out besides Midoriya. And that barely even counts.]

[inheritance]

[His shoulders shake as he laughs, though he muffles the laughter with one hand.]

Really? I think it's supposed to be pretty normal to like someone because you think they're cute... [He trails off with a slight frown, before he seems to remember he was talking to Todoroki. Izuku gasps, waving his hands frantically as he turns toward him.] Ah! N-not that it's a bad thing if you want to know them better first! I think it's sweet, actually...

[glaciers]

Is it? ... I wasn't friends with you until after our fight. It's a little different with us though.

But you are cute.

[ He says it thoughtlessly. There's a little shrug of his shoulders before they finally get to the front of the line. Reluctantly he pulls away from Midoriya to get his tray of food. ]

[inheritance]

[Though Todoroki moves on ahead to grab his food, Izuku stays rooted to the spot, gaping after him. It takes a few complaints from the students behind him ("Hey, are you in line or not?") to get Izuku to move again. He fumbles with his own tray of soba as he scrambles to catch up with Todoroki.]

You...you think I'm cute? [Considering how often Izuku seems to describe himself as "plain", it's no wonder he's so baffled by the compliment.]

[glaciers]

[ Shouto finds nothing strange about what he said. Midoriya has a nice face, round cheeks and big wide eyes. And his freckles are cute too. ]

... Yeah? I don't know why people aren't asking you out.

[inheritance]

[His mouth drops open. Then, his eyes seem to narrow as he studies Todoroki's expression intently like he's searching for something.]

Oh. [Izuku says, eyes widening. He's too surprised to even stutter.] You're actually serious.

[glaciers]

I am... Have I ever joked about this kind of thing?

[ He thought he was very obvious about serious about what he said. Midoriya is very cute. Nice to look at. ]

[inheritance]

W-well, I wouldn't know. [Izuku, still staring at Todoroki with a touch of amazement, almost stumbles over his own feet, making his soba wobble dangerously on his tray.]

The best word I've ever heard anyone use to describe my appearance is "plain".

[glaciers]

That just means they haven't really paid attention to you. [ He says it with the confidence that he says everything with. Like it's a fact instead of an opinion.]

[inheritance]

[This time, Izuku just falls silent, swallowing a couple times to get past the lump that's suddenly appeared in his throat. Going from being told he's worthless and nothing special to look at most of the time to being given compliments like this--it's a change he's still getting used to.]

Thanks, Todoroki. [He finally manages to choke out, smiling down at his tray as they walk along.]

[glaciers]

[ Shouto easily walks towards their seats with Uraraka and Iida, not finding anything strange about what he's just said. He takes the seat next to Izuku and gently presses his arm against Izuku's.]

You don't need to thank me for that.

[inheritance]

[To Todoroki, it might not seem like something worth being thanked for, but to Izuku, any kind of affirmation of his positive traits is another brick he can add to the confidence he's been slowly building up. Though Izuku usually doesn't care much about what he looks like--being a hero is what's most important to him--even something like this can mean a lot to him.]

I think I do. [There's something extremely vulnerable in his expression for a second, before Izuku's usual bright smile returns. He turns toward his other friends, neatly snapping his chopsticks down the middle.] Uraraka-san, what'd you think of the reading we did today?

[While he draws the others into an energetic discussion, Izuku hesitantly brushes his hand against Todoroki's under the table, letting that simple touch convey his gratitude.]

[glaciers]

[It seems like a small obvious thing to him. But he's happy if Midoriya is happy, and it seems like it boosted his mood.

Shouto might not pay a lot of attention to most people, but he's starting to pay attention to Midoriya. The way his expression shifts for just a second before going to his smile.

There's a small pause as he feels a hand on his own... before he shifts so their pinkies are loosely linked.

With so many other people here, he's content to settle into a comfortable silence. It's a comfortable chatter as he eats his lunch.]

[inheritance]

[His smile brightens a degree or two as his eyes flicker down to their hands. A silly thing to be so pleased about, maybe to others, but Izuku feels a burst of happiness anyway. He's so grateful to have friends who actually seem to care about him--first Uraraka and Iida, and now Todoroki. That's more than he'd dared to hope for when he first started at this school.

Izuku tries not to let his good mood waver, even when The Girl walks past their table, frowning at them on her way out of the cafeteria. "That's strange," Iida remarks, turning his head to watch her leave. "Ishida-san is usually so amicable at the class rep meetings. I wonder if she's feeling unwell."

Somewhat relieved to actually have a name for her, and that someone in their group actually knows something about her, Izuku looks over at Todoroki quickly, then at Iida, wondering if they should say something.]

[glaciers]

[ Iida probably knows more about the other students in their classes then either of them do, now that he thinks about it. At least they have a name to put to her face.

He looks over at Izuku for a moment, but it seems like he gets to take the lead on this one. ]

She has a crush on me.

[ And it's obvious he's dating Midoriya now. ]