Hands, put your empty hands in mine

[inheritance]

[It's only been a month since he and Mei opened up their own business, a month since graduating, and yet, the orders are already starting to pile up. Izuku supposes, he shouldn't be so surprised, with the reputation Mei built up for herself while they were in UA. Even in a Support Course as rigorous as their high school's, Mei quickly proved herself to be one of the best and brightest.

And then there's him. While Izuku knows he's no slouch when it comes to analyzing a hero's weaknesses and strengths, he also knows that he'd gotten lucky when he found a business partner and friend in Mei. Shaking his head, Izuku throws himself into his work to dispel those thoughts. Things had turned out alright in the end; that's what actually matters.]

Hooooold on, I'll be right with you. [Izuku calls, distracted, when he hears the front door open. A few more strokes of his pencil and--done! Finished with another design sketch, Izuku sets his notebook aside and stands up, looking up at them for the first time. He pauses, not even managing to get a greeting out.] ...Todoroki-kun?

Comments

[inheritance]

[Wow, that's rude, don't laugh at his suffering! The suppressed laughter is pretty obvious when Houou's standing right behind him. Houhou has the strongest urge to give Todoroki an annoyed poke to the shoulder, but he manages to stop himself. Barely. He does give an exasperated huff, though.

He makes a startled sound when one of the officers turns their way with a salute.]

Thank you for your assistance, Hero Shouto!

[glaciers]

[He can't help it, Houou's being surprisingly cute for a vigilante. He figured they'd be more... nefarious than this? This is the first one he's run into, and he's not even using his quirk for this sort of job.]

Of course. We need to work together to keep the city safe.

[inheritance]

[Houhou stays "hidden" behind Todoroki, only straightening up when the police have returned to their cars. He sighs quietly in relief.]

That could've been worse. [Then, his green eyes find Todoroki's and they narrow slightly at him.] Were you laughing at me earlier? [Even with his face half-covered, there's no missing the pout in his tone.]

[glaciers]

[Shouto gives him a small amused smile in return. He can't see the pout, but he can definitely hear it.]

You decided to hide behind me. I'm not usually anybody's first choice.

[inheritance]

I didn't have time to find someone taller. [Houou huffs at him again, then shakes his head.]

Anyway! What were you doing in the store earlier? It was bad luck for the villain that you happened to be there.

[glaciers]

Height wise, I think you're fine. But you're broader than I am.

[He lifts up his bag of groceries.]

I was running out of food at my place.

[inheritance]

[Such a normal reason. Well, heroes need to stock up and eat, too. Houou smiles at him, reaching up to adjust his hood.]

At least your groceries are safe even after all that. [Finally, Houou notices the crowd's already dispersing, and reluctantly takes a step back.] I should probably go...I meant to do some more patrolling tonight.

[glaciers]

Stock up on rope before you go.

[Is it rude to remind him of something he forgot? Nah, it's just good advice. Should he follow him?

... He seemed like he was pretty good at diffusing situations. And he hasn't heard of any particularly dangerous criminals out there. At least, not in his neighborhood.]

Be safe.

[inheritance]

[Houhou blinks, and then blushes so hard, it's visible even with the mouthguard obscuring half of his face.] I-I'm not normally this unprepared, I swear.

[Resisting the urge to cover his face, Houhou turns on his heels.]

You, too. [He manages to reply, and then makes a hasty retreat before Todoroki can throw him even more off balance.]

Costume tweaks Pt. 2; Izuku & Shouto

[inheritance]

[For a short time after he'd run into Todoroki in his vigilante gear, Izuku had been tense and distracted, making mistakes left and right. He's lucky that Mei already knew everything or Izuku is certain he would have given himself away. He's also lucky that Todoroki apparently hadn't recognized him that night. Though Todoroki hadn't seemed interested in turning him in, Izuku had a natural tendency to worry, and he'd ended up fretting for a few days before the fear had finally dissipated.

...which is for the best, since Todoroki's stopping by to test the new tech adjustments today.]

Todoroki-kun! [Izuku smiles at him nervously as the hero in question steps into the shop, the bells on the door chiming his arrival.] Good morning.

[glaciers]

[ Shouto, for his part, didn't think about Houou after their first meeting. The vigilante want caught by any other heroes or the police, so he figures he's doing well enough out there.

More importantly, Midoriya is right in front of him. The civilian is just as cute as ever.]

Good morning.

[ It's too bad he couldn't have taken a test before this meeting. ]

[inheritance]

[He's practically bouncing with a nervous energy as he beckons Todoroki further into the shop.]

Um, Mei-san's in her lab, so we shouldn't disturb her. [Bad things will happen, is what his solemn expression says.] But we can still use the warehouse to check the tech!

[The door at the back of the shop leads to a sizeable warehouse, with targets set up and even a corner with practice mats and weights. As bare as the walls are, the many scorch marks from past experiments somehow makes the room look a bit ominous.]

[glaciers]

[Shouto falls comfortably into step with Midoriya. Ah, even when he's worried he's very cute. It's fine to look at him like this, right?]

Of course.

[But he'll take a look around the warehouse and grimace at the scorch marks left there.]

Should I have cleaned up too? Or did this come from somebody else's fire?

[inheritance]

Oh! Those... [Izuku crosses his arms over his chest, and tilts his head to the side as he tries to remember.]

It was probably from those booster packs she was testing a week ago. Or maybe it was the flame thrower? Um...actually, maybe it was the faulty mini smoke bombs she was working on...

[In reality, it's probably a combination of all three.]

[glaciers]

Who... who was asking for a flamethrower?

[How many people would even need one to begin with? Wouldn't a water hose be a lot more useful in the city?]

[inheritance]

No one... I'm pretty sure Mei-san just likes to experiment with things for the heck of it. Back when we were in U.A., she had a whole stack of projects she was working on, um, on her own.

[Izuku rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly. That's Mei for you.]

There's a reason she's so sought after already. People like her creativity.

[glaciers]

[Shouto gives him a slow blink. He wonders if his words are just bouncing right off of Midoriya as he says them.]

They're looking for the pair of you. Her for her creativity and you for your intelligence and problem-solving.

[inheritance]

[Izuku bites his lip, even as his face reddens. Really, this is becoming a problem around Todoroki.]

It's--I don't mind if most of our customers are here for Mei-san. [It's said softly, with something resigned in his tone.] People don't really expect a lot from you when you're Quirkless.

[There, he said it. Izuku avoids looking at Todoroki as he walks over to a nearby table, where several items are laid out.]

[glaciers]

Being in support has nothing to do with Quirks or being Quirkless. You've made it so far. You don't need to listen to them. Look at where you are right now.

That's your hard work.

[ But he'll hover over Midoriya's shoulder and wait for his items. ]

[inheritance]

[Shock makes him jerk and look back at Todoroki. That's...it? After hearing his quirklessness associated with lack of talent his whole life, Izuku feels so wrong footed when Todoroki reacts a different way instead.]

You... you really don't care? That I'm quirkless?

[glaciers]

[ Shouto stares at Midoriya and fixes him with a slow, care cat like blink again.

The only thing that changed is that he wants Midoriya to be happy with himself. But he's wanted that since they've started working together. ]

I don't. It doesn't change anything about you.

You're still kind and clever.

[inheritance]

Oh. [It's said a bit numbly, so quietly that it's barely above a whisper. Though Izuku's always been open with his emotions, there's a new kind of vulnerability in his eyes as he looks at Todoroki like he can't quite believe what he's hearing.]

That's... not what most people would say.

[glaciers]

[ Shouto wonders if he said something wrong. But there's a softness in Midoriya's eyes. How much has he been hurt before? ]

Most people don't get to know you. I think.

[inheritance]

You're not wrong. [He turns toward Todoroki fully now, leaning back against the table slightly.] Most people don't really bother, once they know. [He didn't really mind being ignored all that much, when being picked on was always a much worse option.] Mei-san was one of the few who didn't care.

[A sigh, accompanied by a nervous scrub of his hand through his unruly hair.] Sorry--I made things awkward, didn't I? You're here to pick up your tech, not to hear me complain.

[glaciers]

You're a good person. And good support staff... [ Shouto closes his eyes and considers all of that... And halfway falls asleep. It was a busy night.

His head nods a bit and he starts trying to sleep. ]