It's a long road...

ch. 22

452 words --

"oi, halfie!" bakugo yelled as todoroki walked into the dorm kitchen.

"yes?" todoroki said, looking tired with dark, heavy bags under his eyes, and his movements were sluggish.

"the extras are dragging me along to go shopping at the mall." bakugo said. "so, i'm dragging you along to go with. if i have to suffer, then so do you."

"oh, what a great friend you are, bakugo." todoroki muttered sarcastically, making himself a cup of coffee. his movements stopped suddenly, panic flitting through his eyes. "not that i assume that we're friends."

"you don't think we're friends, icyhot?" bakugo questioned, purposefully fucking with todoroki.

"i, um, i..." todoroki stuttered, peering at bakugo with wide eyes. "i don't--i don't really know."

"we're as much friends as i am with the fuckers dragging me along with them today." bakugo said. "so, yeah, we're friends dumbass."

bakugo watched todoroki turn away slightly so that he was no longer directly facing bakugo. his cheeks flushed pink.

"he's easily embarrassed." bakugo mentally mused to himself. "huh."

"coffee?" todoroki offered, holding a cup out to bakugo, not making eye contact.

bakugo snatched the cup out of todoroki's hand, and began gulping down the coffee in it. luckily for him, it wasn't too hot.

"ew, did you just drink it black?" todoroki questioned. he scrunched his nose up in disgust.

"don't tell me you drink your coffee all frou-frou like with pounds of sugar." bakugo snarled.

todoroki made eye contact with bakugo, his face blank. while holding eye contact, todoroki stirred in spoonful after spoonful of sugar, adding in a luxurious amount of milk, and topped his drink off with a mound of whipped dream.

"what the actual fuck is wrong with you?" bakugo asked, his voice strained from the trauma of watching todoroki make his coffee.

todoroki, in response, threw his head back and laughed loudly. his laugh was slightly awkward and strained, as if he hadn't laughed in years. despite the raspiness of his laugh, bakugo couldn't help but be enraptured by it. he found himself laughing alongside todoroki, his chest heaving with joy. joy spurred on by the fact that todoroki was seemingly breaking out of the misery that had been encasing him for the past week since visiting home.

todoroki hadn't been eating, and had seemed so tired, so out of it. it was like he had given up on something. on himself. but here todoroki was, laughing and hook g around with bakugo.

"what's going on?" a voice from the kitchen entryway broke todoroki and bakugo from their moment of laughter. kirishima and mina we're there, watching with wonder and confusion.

"we-we're making coffee." todoroki responded, small giggles punctuating his speech.