Growing Close: Tododeku

Part 6: Manic Mid-week Outing

::💕💕

I was nervous, shaking and sweaty, despite how cool and domestic I thought I would be about this. After all, I'm the one who asked Midoriya to go out for coffee with me. However, that plan of staying calm and collected was not going well. Not mentally, at least.

I gave him a once over, appreciating the darker sense of style and the addition of accessories. The flannel hung loosely around his shoulders, making him look even smaller, and frankly, a whole lot cuter, in comparison to me. It made me want to keep him in my arms; To just tuck him away in a hug seemed heavenly when I looked at him in that outfit. Even with the flannel's effect, he was still very hot. Letting my thoughts go like that made butterflies flutter in my chest.

"You look great." I complimented with a deep voice. I held a hand up to my neck and nervously scratched.

"Thanks," He beamed, "but someone actually picked it out for me."

"They have a great sense of style." He smiled at that, but straightened, as if suddenly doubtful- sad. I asked, concern dotting my tone, "Are you okay?"

He woke up from his trance when he registered my question, his critical eyes turning bright and curious, and he laughed nervously. "Sorry, yeah, I'm fine." Something about his posture and the shakiness of his voice made me disagree.

We started our journey by going down the stairs and out door, where we earned more than enough stares and quizzical glances from our peers. Some waved at us, and we waved back, but there was still a tense aura. Once we were out the door, we walked straight out of school grounds. From there, the coffee place was about 6 kilometers away. While it definitely wasn't too much of a walk for either of us, I knew neither of us needed all that sweat before we went into a public space.

As we got on the trolley that would take us down to the small coffee shop, conveniently located a couple miles from my home, Izuku held out a hand to me stiffly, making me believe this was a business like gesture rather than the reasonable, sensical offer to hold hands. My ever-so-direct mind agreed with the former.

I took his hand and shook it.

"I... Todoroki, what?" He laughed hard, so hard that his breath left in a voiceless wheeze each time he heaved another giggle. His cheeks heated up, making his freckles stand out like stars in the night sky. His smile was bright, cheery, and filled with so much love and happiness that he reminded me of the joy I felt as I toddler- before my father had came in and ruined it. He was hunched over himself, and while that wasn't saying much in the train of close-fitting people, he still seemed hysterical.

Several people turned around to look at him with discretion, to which I had started laughing. They seemed so concerned for his health, and all he was doing was laughing. That was it. The laughter lit up his face, reddening his cheeks and ears vastly. His freckles popped out like stars in the night sky, creating a universe within his features that I was dying to explore. This boy was an enigma, and one that I wanted to get to know more and more about.

"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered out as our laughing fits concluded, "You just looked so stiff that I thought it was an offer for a hand shake instead."

"Oh... well, I guess it did look like that. Sorry." He smiled apologetically.

"It's fine, I should have seen what gesture you intended." A silence came down between us. "I mean, I'll still take your hand."

"Ahh, yeah. Okay." His words were as soft as his skin as he slid his hand into my own. Amid the crowd of people on the train, we felt hidden. Just the slightest touch gave our ride there such a thrill that I forgot we were even in public.