Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

XXXI

The meal was delicious,  and Shoto found himself enjoying Midoriya's company after not seeing him for a while. Never having to fill empty gaps in conversation, never feeling belittled for his thoughts or ideas, the evening passed quickly as they remained in deep conversation. Midoriya was incredibly intrigued by all of Shoto's research, reading his words and ideas carefully and reading Kaachan's notes littered throughout. During his research there were sometimes words or phrases he didn't understand, and so when conversing with Bakugou the man explained them to him, adding small notes or drawings of his own so Shoto could remember. Midoriya saw them and smiled wide, exclaiming happily about how Kaachan was so helpful and Shoto so diligent. 

The moon was beginning her descent towards the horizon by the time they had gone through both his and Midoriya's notes; now, they had detailed plans, for both combat and resources, as well as training times for Shoto to teach and meetings for strategising. Midoriya told him he would take it to the king's study first thing in the morning, but that Shoto should probably go to bed and rest after the long day he'd had. They bid goodnight cordially and Shoto began the walk to his room. It took a few wrong turns in the winding doors of the corridor before he found the familiar route back to his room, but once he was inside and under the thick and warm covers, it wasn't long before he fell asleep...

He awoke when the sun was high in the sky, lying still for a moment longer to embrace the warmth the amber sunbeams bestowed on him as they filtered in through his window. He had forgotten to close his curtains last night, so whilst the sun was warm and bright, the clear sky and swaying trees indicated that it would be a cold day, one more day closer to when snow would begin to fall. Shoto hoped that day never came for it would begin the countdown to Enji's attack, but he could not control mother nature and so could only take advantage of what time he had now. 

As he opened his door to head down for breakfast Sero was exiting his room too, eyes wide and a bright smile as he greeted him. He explained how everyone took turns watching over him whilst he was asleep, and Mina was always brushing his hair to make sure it stayed, in her words, pretty and smooth. Sero took care of Kita, in the process of adding more insulation to the stables so the horses would be comfortable during the harsh winter weather. He would have to visit him today, knowing his steed was more than likely fretting over his prolonged absence. 

Everyone else was present in the dining hall when they arrived, giving him hugs and warm smiles. Mina was very happy to see him, telling him that she had been working on some special moves in her combat style that she wanted to show him. Kirishima slapped him on the back so hard he practically fell into his chair, saying how manly he was to avoid dying twice now. Denki made jokes about how irritable Bakugou had been the past few days; Shoto experiencing deja vu when the king threw an empty goblet at him, sparing Shoto a glance before eating his breakfast. 

The meal lasted for some time. Everyone seemed to want to spend this time together before they faced the responsibilities of the day. But, Bakugou decided he'd had enough sitting around, telling everyone to get the supplies ready in the training room for when everyone would assemble in one hour. He, Midoriya and Shoto went up to his study, Shoto presuming they would talk about the plans he and Midoriya made the night before. And as they entered he saw the man's desk littered with books and papers, names and drawings sprawled across them. 

"Did you sleep well, Shoto?" Midoriya asked as they sat down. "I didn't get to ask you at breakfast everyone was so excited to see you!"

"Very well, thank you. I feel quite rested."

"That's good! I felt kinda bad last night since we stayed up so late and you were probably tired after everything, but-"

"Oi, we're not here for pleasantries. The princess says he's fine, nerd." Bakugou grumbled, placing a large piece of parchment in between the three of them, highlighting a detailed schedule for the upcoming weeks.