Addicting Virus - Tododeku

Chapter 6

The villain flinches as Shouto tightens his grip on his arm. It's something that he can't resist doing, squeezing the other teen tight enough to confirm that he's real. The entire scenario feels nothing short of surreal to Shouto, the fact that this is the same person that he fought months ago. Or that it's the author of the journal he spent time pouring over. He distantly notes that the other teen looks much smaller without his suit. That his entire demeanor has a wide eyed desperation that belies the fact that he's an accessory to murder.

"Thank you so much!" Someone says, jerking him out of his reverie. Briefly he turns to the stranger and gives him a short, brief nod, but if anything tightens his grip. He had almost forgotten about the group of people surrounding them.

"It's no problem, the pros should be here in fifteen minutes." They would have to be long gone by then. "But we have to be going now."

"Oh," The stranger says, and gives him a small, confused smile.

"Do you two know each other?" Shouto doesn't answer as he walks away, pulling the other with him. The villain is silent until the others are out of earshot.

"Where are we going?" His real question hangs over both their heads. Are you taking me to jail? "A place to talk."

"About what? What do you want, Todoroki ?" His tone is rough, but Shouto can hear the real fear there. He has a strange urge to turn the other teen to face him and see if that tone is reflected in his eyes. He swallows it down in favor of making sure that no one is following them. Is he really here alone?

"To talk." His response is distant and vague, because he doesn't even know what he wants with the other teen. In fact, his actions could easily be boiled down to chasing a strange undefinable urge. One that he had a taste of when he first opened the journal, and that was now back in full force. His sudden impulsivity should have worried him. Yet, this strange wave of feelings elicited by the villain were incredibly different from the barrage he had been exposed to for months. His anger at his father that exhausted and hindered him, the crushing disappointment of failing his exam and the memories of his mother that destroyed him. This was different, this made him feel energized and he was willing to chase it. That realization is quickly followed by the other teen immediately stopping his stride.

"You can't just take me to an isolated location, even if you do have a Provisional License." The confidence in his voice is shaky but it's there. More than it was before.

"I failed my exam." The words fall out without preamble. The other teen turns, and Shouto is looking into widening green eyes.

"....my statement still stands." He says robotically after several moments but Shouto can see the curiosity flare in his gaze.

"You're interested in laws now?" Shouto says dryly as he continues to pull him along. The other teen stumbles along, but his head is turned slightly, fixing Shouto with a glare.

"Why did you fail your provisional license exam?" The villain asks in response, and Shouto can't help the scowl that graces his features. His frustration is more with himself than anyone else, because he was the one stupid enough to share that information.

"Why did you run into that building despite being a villain?" Shouto asks instead of answering the other male's question. He watches his hands clench before he answers the question.

"....I wanted to help. I felt like I should at least do that much." His response sounds like a confession, and for a moment Shouto wants to stop moving. He wants to get a good look at the other, match each expression with his words, and just see. He is just so curious , in their dynamic he is the one who knows absolutely nothing, and that's not rare for him. But his strange newfound hunger for more information is. He wants to know more about the other teen, but he's trying to avoid being seen by pedestrians.