a fateful encounter ;; tododeku

Chapter Nine: Mixed Signals

Todoroki //

Thanks to Yaomomo, I was able to spend endless days with Izuku. We've grown close with every experience, even if we're just sitting together and mindlessly throwing words at each other. Wherever he is, I feel like I'm always there with him, right by his side. When I talk, he listens and actually cares, and when he talks I remember everything.

Yesterday he told me he would show me something special today, and I was already running to the village like always right when I had woken up. The time we have is important to me and I don't want to waste any of it sleeping away. Especially on days like today.

His hopeful face and sweet voice fill my mind again.

"When you come back tomorrow, I'll show you something great."

"Oh, I just can't wait to see."

He greets me at the bakery, something I always enjoy, handing me my favorite pastry, and bringing me out into the busy village. We weave through people bustling about, walking so close that his shoulder is touching the top of my bicep. I look at his small hand, which is only inches away from mine. With every step, my hand moves slightly and almost bumps his knuckles. I want to grab his hand, but I know better. Every time I resist, a part of me cracks, and I know soon the pieces of me will crumble. I just need to hold on, even if it's painful.

"Why is everyone so much busier now?" I ask. It wasn't unusual to see the townsfolk rushing around, but today it was excessive. So many more people were out and about than I was used to.

"They're preparing for a festival the village holds every year," He smiles.

"What's the occasion?"

"There isn't really a specific occasion. Not that I have heard, at least! All I k-know is that they celebrate just for f-fun. It's always a great time for us...I hope you'll be there too!"

My eyes wander around the buildings that are being decorated with banners and flags with the kingdom crest. Just seeing it around here, makes me uncomfortable. Do they know who I am? I hope they don't.

The decorations around here aren't quite as elegant as those that I'm used to, but I suppose that we like to go all out in ways they can't. There is so much to look at that I hadn't noticed before and I can't keep my eyes in one place.

But then I see something that really catches my eye. A horse stable, with several innocent looking steeds poking their long necks out of wooden stalls. Seeing them whinnying and lazily moving around reminds me of my horse back at the castle. I like to hang out in her stall when I'm not sleeping, reading, or imagining.

Grooming the horses, I see a lean boy with crazy, almost spiky, blonde hair. I might be wrongly assuming, but he looks like he would rather be anywhere else than there.

Izuku notices me curiosity and chuckles. "That's Bakugou Katsuki. I used to be friends with him, since we live near each other, but it didn't work out."

"He seems miserable."

"He can be, but I think he's good at heart. He is usually ill-tempered, but there's something with him and horses, I swear. He may be ruthless with people, but when it comes to animals, he's the sweetest person ever."

Interesting. "Do you ride the horses?"

"Sometimes! I tried a while ago, but I was never too good. Kacchan would always make fun of me for being so bad, but that only pushed me to be better! But I just can't as much anymore since money is tight! But that's okay! It's not like there aren't more things to e-enjoy!"

I want to continue talking, tell him about my history with the gracious creatures, but there's one thing distracting me.

"You call him 'Kacchan'?"