All This Is Is Complicated {TodoBakuDeku}

CHAPTER 2 SHOUTO

It was an honest question. Momo told him that what Midoriya was feeling was something called a crush. A crush meant you liked a certain individual. It was when they made you feel a way that other people didn't. The feeling was foreign to Shōto. But it wasn't a malicious form of foreign. Shōto would be lying if he didn't say it was the best feeling he had ever felt. Maybe the only good feeling he had ever felt.

Midoriya was freaking out and rambling like always. Shōto had half the mind to ignore his words because he was more infatuated with Midoriya's body. He constantly spoke with his hands. It was like a sort of code that had some way of communication. Social cues were not his area of expertise and he was the first to admit that half of the time, he didn't understand why people were upset with him. The reasoning could very well be that before he flat out didn't care about others but now for some odd reason, he wanted to know someone fully. Midoriya had a language of his own and Shōto was determined to learn it. Shōto studied all of him. He wanted to understand what his body language was truly saying. Midoriya knew so much about him but Shōto didn't know anything about Midoriya. Midoriya could read him like a book despite the almost impenetrable seal on the pages. Like he was the first one in a long time to even attempt to see who he truly was.

Even Momo, someone he had known for a rather long period, didn't get him to open up that quickly. Momo was probably his first friend. Her family was involved with Shōto's father and she was the first person to ever befriend him on grounds that weren't his lineage, quirk, or look. The two were prevented from talking most times but at conventions and meetings that they both attended as children, they obtained long friendly glances and exchanged what few words they could. Shōto always wondered if Momo was equally as lonely as he was. He remembers how Momo would light up if she saw him and politely walk towards him. Then she would talk about her life quietly as if she was scared someone, would hear. She would just rant about her problems, her dreams, and her secret hobbies: things that she could probably never discuss with anyone else. In turn, Shōto would sometimes talk about himself. It was a relief to have someone to confide in even if it was just for a few minutes every few months. But then Tōya died and Shōto stopped attending conferences and all communication died out. Everything worsened after that so it was no surprise that he grew apathetic. And even then he was rather cold to her when they were reunited and attended class together; the years slightly soured his ideas of relationships. Looking back, he regretted his attitude towards Momo because her isolation was probably just as bad as his. Things only turned around for Shōto when he met Midoriya. In reality, his intervention with Midoriya was the event that allowed him to gain the good friendship Shōto had with Momo. He was probably the reason for any friendship that he had gained.

It was no wonder that Midoriya was so attractive.

Despite his incredible reputation of kindness, Midoriya was still anxious and nervous about talking to people. Shōto shifted his weight to completely face Midoriya as he watched Midoriya freak out. He wondered why he was freaking out but he wasn't really complaining as it was rather endearing. Midoriya continued to blush and kept choking on his own words. His voice pitched up and cracked as his face scrunched up in anxiety. His messy unbrushed green hair shook wildly. It was rather cute.

"Well do you?" Shōto asked as he smiled, reaching for the tea that he had made to share with Bakugō. Shōto almost chuckled through the tea as he realized that Midoriya always seemed to make him smile. There were a few others but Midoriya especially. Midoriya had a way about him that made Shōto want to tell him his everything. Maybe that's why he suddenly told him... well Shōto did tell him his everything. He only wished that Midoriya would tell him in return which was odd as he rarely cared for others past. Midoriya was a very peculiar person. He looked like an open book but if you examine carefully, some pages were ripped out. Maybe Shōto was thinking too much about this 'open book' metaphor. Momo was where he got most information from but sometimes her metaphors and allegories made no sense. But there was just something about Midoriya that he couldn't figure out.

Midoriya stopped and slowly started to lower his arms from over his head. Oh he must have finally recognized my question, Shōto said to himself watching them with heightened curiosity. He looked to be in deep thought. Shōto tilted his head slightly. What was he thinking about? Midoriya was always thinking and Shōto was convinced that his brain went a million miles per hour. Midoriya was probably the smartest person he knew but Midoriya just couldn't put his thinking into words. Midoriya was always thinking but then he would just use his instincts and abandon all of that thinking when he fought. Why was Midoriya thinking so much about this? Why was he so flustered?

Would Shōto be like this if he got asked who his crush was? He watched Midoriya and the facial expressions that told much more than his words funnily enough. The blush filling his face. The infinite freckles that dotted his cheeks but four on each cheek being the most distinct. The way his soft green hair curled in a messy yet beautiful fluff on his head. The sea-green eyes that were usually filled with some type of strong emotion were now in the still and silenced way Shōto's eyes were. Midoriya was beautiful. He wasn't beautiful in a way someone would describe a woman. Midoriya was beautiful in a more dynamic, breathtaking... extraordinary way. Everything about him was beautiful. Shōto wanted to see more. And understand what was so special about this thing called a crush.

Shōto put his right hand on Midoriya's cheek and felt the heat that radiated off of him. The heat only rapidly increasing when they locked eyes. Shōto was constantly told that his eyes were piercing and intimidating so he tried his best to soften his gaze; staring into Midoriya's eyes was also different than looking at anyone else. Eye contact was always hard for him before but he felt so much better looking at him. The redness of Midoriya's face wasn't stopping. Then a brilliant idea struck him.

"You just need to cool off."

He sent out a steady cool from his right hand to cool Midoriya down. They sat like that for a moment. And for a moment Shōto felt something he had never felt before. For a moment he could stay like this ceaselessly. For a moment he would love to be Midoriya's personal cooler for as long as Midoriya was hot. A crush is just someone you like. It's easy to identify. It's when you enjoy being their friend but want to be closer than that. From what Shōto had heard it's when you like someone in a special way and want to be with them in a way that friends are not. Momo is his best friend but he knew that he didn't want that kind of special bond with her. Momo was the one who told him all of this but he still doesn't understand why it is such a big deal. It wasn't a big deal that that's how he felt about Midoriya. What was so important about this 'liking' thing? Surely it wasn't that momentous of a statement and there was no harm in saying it aloud. Maybe Midoriya didn't know that. Shōto should show Midoriya how to do it then.

"I like you Midoriya."

~~~

A/N: So this is really short but if you've caught on to the writing style of the chapters so far, it is in the perspective of the person in the chapter title. The previous chapter was bound to ramble and dissect things without really coming to a conclusion; I tried to mimic Midoriya's way of thinking and acting. In this chapter, it is straight to the point and describes the things that it deems important; this chapter was me trying to mimic Todoroki's distant nature. And in Bakugou's chapter you'll probably see a writing style similar to Midoriya's because I really do think that they are more similar than they think. Of course there are differences to me because I write Bakugou's chapters with more actions than words as that's how I see his nature as.