I'll Ask You out. Tomorrow. (Seroroki MHA)

24.

(A/N: this chapter will be longer than the usual ones because I decided to merge 2 into 1, hope this length is still OK but let me know if you prefer shorter pieces and more frequent uploads)

For once, Todoroki Shouto didn't count.

All that counted was

Sero Hanta.

Shouto left the hospital after around an hour. 

No one said a word (typical Sero), as Alice laid her head on Shouto's shoulder to take a 15-minutes nap after a long time.

Mister Sero wasn't the most talkative type. The fact that he didn't comment on Shouto's sudden emotional outburst was a little unsettling, didn't he care at all about this shy, withdrawn teenager spilling his guts?! 

... Only after a while did Shouto realise that Mister Sero's sister is happily married to a woman and he concluded that, hopefully, he wouldn't face any sexual identity problems at the Sero front. Todoroki front, that would be a whole different story he would yet to discover.

🔥❄️🔥❄️🔥❄️🔥

Once home, Shouto repeated the whole plan in his head.

He had to be ready. He didn't feel like losing Bakugu as well. 

However, before leaving the house, he had something to do. 

Because fuck it. 

Because he's been a coward long enough and he grew sick of pretending, of hiding, of waiting for an ideal occasion - he was waiting for an ideal occasion to clear the crush mess with Hero 'tomorrow' and... now he wasn't sure if this moment would come. 

Knock knock

- Hi, little brother! The soup will be ready in ten. - Fuyumi smiled gently as he entered the kitchen. 

Enji wanted to take a day off to stay with his kids after the summer camp attack but as a pro hero, his mission was to find Bakugou first. Hero work first. Always. 

- Whatever, I'm not hungry, I'm leaving. 

- Where? 

- Got things to do. 

- Shou, it's very dangerous out there, you shouldn't...

- Please, don't you mother me, Fuyumi. I have things to do and I will do them. But, before that, there's something I need you to know. 

- ... You're insufferable. 

- That day, I lied. I said I'd confess to my crush. The next day. But I didn't.

Fuyumi put a ladle on the side, sitting down for a second.

- Care telling me... why? 

- I... I was scared. I was scared my crush doesn't like me back. I was scared I'd expose myself. I was scared to tell you it's a he. Not a her. I'm sorry, I should have corrected you, I don't even understand why I didn't. I hope you'll accept me the way I am. 

Since Toya's departure, the communication between the Todoroki family has been distant - an exchange of facts, statistics, and reports, with no room for emotional outbursts or excessive oversharing. Even if Shouto wanted to address his older sister the way he was able to speak to the Sero family, he was so deeply rooted in his Todorokiness, that he just couldn't deliver in any other way.