Cigarettes and Smoke - Tododeku A.U

Chapter 7

~Izuku~

"Don't look so nervous," I told Shoto, "Training starts tomorrow. Then you can be nervous. So, are you ready?" 

"Yes, I'm ready," Shoto said, his voice surprisingly steady despite his shaking hands. Good, you'll need that in this industry. 

I pushed myself off of the table and brushed the dust off of my pants. "Perfect. Follow me."  I didn't wait to see if he followed me as I pushed open the service door, climbing into the backseat of the waiting car. Shoto climbed in after me, gently closing the door. "I'll be taking you by my three restaurants, each run by a close friend. We won't be going in, to save time, since there are quite a few other locations you need to know about. Any questions?" He shook his head, looking down at his lap. "What, are you mute now?"

"N-no." Shoto said, wringing his fingers. "I just d-didn't have any questions." 

"So because you didn't have any questions you chose not to answer?" He nodded. "Okay, here's this. Rule number one: Always answer me. Even if it's a yes or a no, you answer me. Got it?" 

"Yes." Shoto said in a small voice. I rolled my eyes, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of my jacket pocket. My driver rolled the back window down slightly for me, as usual. I took one cigarette out and offered one to Shoto. He held a hand up, "O-oh, I don't smoke." 

"Want to try?" I asked, lighting mine. Shoto shook his head, then said,

"I'm good, thank you though." I stashed the cigarettes and lighter back into my jacket and took a long drag on my cigarette, blowing it out the window. We pulled out onto the street, heading towards the heart of the city. Shoto stayed silent, either staring out the window or at his lap.

I spoke up as the first restaurant came into view. "This restaurant," I said, gesturing out the window, "was the first I opened. Currently, it's run by one of my good friends, Ochako Uraraka. It's not a particularly high-end restaurant, something any person could afford. If you ever want a good sandwich, go there." Shoto nodded, watching it as we drove by. I decided that for now, I'd let him get away with not answering me. Silence settled over us again until we approached the second restaurant. "This restaurant is run by another of my good friends, Tsuyu Asui. Well, it's actually a bar and restaurant. Slightly more expensive than the last, but has some amazing drinks." Again, Shoto nodded and watched it as we drove by as if memorizing its appearance. "The last restaurant, which is just up the road, is run by another good friend, Tenya Iida. This restaurant is high-end and caters to the rich and elite of the city. Of course, all of these are just covers for the circulation of drugs. But they are also yet another source of income. Any questions, yet?" Shoto shook his head, looking down at his lap again. "Speak up." He jumped at my sudden sharp tone.

"U-uh no, no questions," he said, his cheeks tinged pink. 

"If you have any," I said, taking one last drag on my cigarette, "Just ask. Unless, of course, I'm talking. If I'm talking, wait until I'm done." I doused the cigarette on the ashtray. 

"Okay."

~Shoto~ 

Izuku showed me the other important locations, including the compound, a.k.a his 'house'. It was absolutely massive and took a whole two hours to give me a tour. He told me I would start my training there, and that for the next two weeks I would be training every day instead of working. "I'll make sure you're still paid, even though you won't be doing the work. I can't have you on the streets." He had the driver take me back, telling me that the driver would take me to train every day at seven a.m. "Now, go home and get some rest, you'll need it."  So now, here I am sprawled out on my bed, staring at the ceiling. 

I should be doing something, but instead, I'm laying on my bed trying to sleep. Even with the curtains closed and absolutely no light on, I couldn't sleep. You were up all night, just sleep!  I screamed at myself, but nothing seemed to help. Think, how can you fall asleep fast? I wracked my brain for anything that might help me sleep. When I was so frustrated I was ready to scream, I remember that I had some lavender and chamomile tea. I rolled off my bed and made myself a cup of that tea. 

While I waited for it to work, I set alarms and played a tv show on my computer. Slowly but surely my eyes began to get heavy, and before I knew it I was asleep. I slept soundly until six in the morning when my alarms went off. Every bone in my body protested as I dragged myself to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. 

To my bewilderment, I was actually excited about training. Just yesterday I was nervous about it, but now I'm excited. I still am a little nervous, but the unknown of everything was actually exciting. The excitement lasted until I realized I had nothing to wear to train in. "Shit, shit shit!" I yelled, slamming my closet doors. My neighbor hit the wall and yelled something obscene, but I didn't care. Izuku will probably tear me apart for wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but it was the best thing from my closet. 

Just before seven, I made my way to the street, stepping outside just as my ride pulled up. I slid into the backseat, dreading training instead of being excited. The driver glanced at me in the mirror but said nothing about my appearance. I played with the zipper of my coat as the driver navigated the traffic of the Chicago streets. Despite it being a Sunday, the streets were busy, seemingly busier than usual. Everyone's probably out just to slow down my commute and make me even more nervous. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we rolled to a stop. I thanked the driver before exiting the car, turning to Izuku who was waiting for me. "Really? You're wearing that?" He asked after looking me up and down. 

"I didn't bring anything to exercise in with me from Japan." I said, feeling stupid. Why was that the one thing I didn't bring?

"I figured you wouldn't have anything, so I made sure to get something for you." Izuku said, turning on his heels. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be training and what I got for you." I forced my feet to move and follow him. 

Here goes nothing.