Perfectly Imperfect (Shoto Todoroki x Reader)

in this house we stan horny stuffed cats

Meet my co-writer Mel Rose. She wrote this chapter. Enjoy her comedic genius.

*holds up miniature baseball bat* or else.

The train car speeding us toward the Endeavor Hero Agency jostled slightly, like the earth was shaking beneath us.

"Y/n, you're nervous."

"I am not nervous!"

"The hole you're chewing in your lip begs to differ."

I stopped chewing my lip and pulled out Bagheera, giving her a death-squeeze. "Better?"

"Significantly."

Aww. He cares. I squeezed Bagheera again as another horde of violent butterflies attacked my stomach. I tapped my foot, desperately trying to come up with a retort.

"Well- you're nervous too!"

"Am I?" Shoto glanced back at me, his head tilting a little.

"Mm-hmm. You're doing that thing where your voice goes from genuine to deadpan faster than Bagheera can blink."

Shoto glanced down at the plush cat in my arms. "Bagheera blinks really fast, then?"

"Yup. That's why we never see her doing it."

"So she's just watching us, all the time?"

"Yes."

"What do you do with her when you get home?"

"What? Uh...I put her on my bed. What does that have to do with-"

"So she's watching you when you undress every night?"

"What?!" I started to laugh hysterically at the accusatory look Shoto was giving my stuffed cat. "Pfft- Maybe so. Bagheera, I didn't know you were horny. The shopkeeper didn't tell me that."

Shoto was unable to control his subtle snickers now. "Where'd you get her, anyway?"

"Found her at this little shop. Close to where we went for ice cream together, actually."

"Ah. Why didn't you show me the shop?"

"You want an emotional support plushie too?"

Shoto paused, maybe seriously considering the question. After a moment, he just shrugged. "I don't have a pocket dimension to carry it around in."

"You don't need one! You can just use your backpack."

Shoto was quiet for a moment. Then he looked over at Bagheera, whose innocently horny eyes gazed up at him.

"Well..." he locked eyes with my plushie. I lifted her a bit higher so Shoto wasn't staring...well, at my lap.

"Uh...can I....?" He lifted his hand, pointing to Bagheera. I beamed at him and set her in his arms.

Shoto stared at her, stroking her head and back carefully; like she was a real cat he was afraid would hiss and leave him like cats and scary girlfriends do.

"I...this is nice. I can see why you like this." His eyes traveled around the train car, as though reconfirming there was no one else there to witness his soft moment, before returning his attention to the cat. And me.

"Do you want her back?" He asked, extending Bagheera back towards me. I shook my head. "I'm okay. We're both nervous, so we can share her."

He rewarded me with a tiny, soft smile, and carefully squeezed Bagheera in a hug, as though he was afraid to hurt her. Someone needed to call Recovery Girl; my heart was melting.