Icy? Or hot? ~TodoBaku~

Chapter 18: great minds think alike

Shoto Todoroki

Bakugo slowly looked up at me, his face red and sodden, before he managed to speak.

"Y-yeah. So, as you know I went to see d-dad earlier and...well, it turns out he's started drinking again, and he's majorly in d-debt... so he wants me to.." he face scrunched up again, and I found myself stroking the side of his wet cheek in an attempt to calm him down. After a moment, he finished his sentence. "...to move back in with him and help pay his r-rent. T-that might not sound like a big deal, but the rent for the house is way more than for my apartment and I'd probably not have enough money to go to u-uni next year..." he managed, before he once again buried himself in my shoulder.

Realising that this situation clearly meant a lot to him, I had to choose my words carefully, saying "ok, so have you been able to...discuss an alternative with him? I mean, you're 19 years old, he can't force you to do anything.."

"I know, but that's the p-problem" he said, the words muffled into my shoulder, before continuing "I mean, he's still my dad, I don't just want to a-abandon him completely, but then, my whole future plans are ruined!"

I took a deep breath, having thought up an incredibly rash, incredibly stupid idea that I could present to Bakugo.

"What about...he moves in to your apartment? If it's a cheaper rent, then he should have much closer to the necessary finances to pay for it, right?"

"Nope, it's only just big enough for me, let alone two people."

I let out a little sigh at Bakugo's ignorance. "No, silly, he wouldn't be moving in with you, he'd just get your house."

"What are you talking about? Where would I go then?" He retorted, and I genuinely questioned if he was playing dumb.

"Isn't it obvious? Just move in with me! There's plenty room here, an extra bedroom, plus father deals with all the rent and never visits, so he doesn't even need to know!"

"Wh- I couldn't do that, we've only been on one date! Haven't you not *seen* any movie about love at first sight?!" he snapped, with a degree of sass that didn't quite fit his dishevelled look at the moment.

"Think about it. I'll be out from 8 until 4 Monday through Friday, and you'll be working each of those nights from 4 onwards. That means we'll only interact in the mornings, at night, and over the weekends, which isn't actually that much more than before! Sure it's a lot quicker than I'd planned to ask you, but life doesn't always go according to plan, does it?" I said, before wiping his face clear of tears with my thumbs.

"I-ok, that would actually be nice..." he said. "And my father will agree too, he always liked my apartment. He *will* probably want to meet you, though."

"That's fine, I'm sure I could manage. He sounds like a pretty cool guy, despite everything."

"Yeah, he's....tolerable"

I laughed at this, before pulling a slightly cheerier Bakugo up and off the couch, back into a deep embrace. He once again nuzzled himself against me, and I had to bite my lip from laughing at the irony of it, it simply wasn't the time. Once my arms were getting a little bit achy, I blew on the top of his head and he looked up at me in annoyance, before pulling me back onto the couch and saying "talk?"

I nodded, and he smiled, starting what I expected to be a difficult conversation for him, hence the fact that I placed a hand on top of his own once again. Turns out I was exactly right.

"Sorry, about all this. I realise that the solution was actually pretty simple, when you think about it. It's just....ever since what happened with my mother I've always....thought too much? I had a doctor say it was part of PTSD, and that it would get better over time, but if anything it's gotten a lot worse. Except..."

"....when I'm with you" I finished for him, and he looked at me with confusion. I gave him a wry smile, before softly saying "me too. Doctor told me the exact same thing after what happened with my mother."

"Woah, what are the chances of that..." he said, trying to make a light hearted joke to change the mood. I wanted too as well, but I had one more thing to say.

"Just so you know, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

"Yeah, goes both ways"

"Thank you" was the last words before the awkward silence. Eventually, I broke it, beginning to feel tense.

"Heh, can you imagine if it didn't go away when we were together? How stressed we'd both be?" I said with a laugh, and Bakugo seemed amused as well, saying "god, I'd probably have run out of the café yesterday when you started that flirty conversation."

"Well good for you, I'd never have started it, I'd have been too scared!"

"Well I'm glad you did start it, else I'd probably not be here right now"

"Likewise, I'm very glad you are here. Wrong reasons, but still."

"I understand. And thanks again, it really means a lot. Don't worry about it. Let's just make sure we have lots of fun on Saturday, then we can start worrying together on Sunday."

"Worrying together? How romantic~"

"Oh stop it, you can sleep on the couch if you want!"

"OH! And another thing I might've forgotten to mention..." he looked away from me, sheepishly finding interest in the floor.

"And what might that be?"

"I have cats. And a dog."

"Hmm, multiple cats? How many?"

"Yeah, that's the trouble....four?" he said, still avoiding my eyes. Oh, that's a lot of money on kitty litter....

"Cool, I love cats! And dogs are ok I guess. What're their names?"

He looked up, shocked that I wasn't mad, and said "I've got two Siamese cats called King and Lord, and two Ragdoll cats called Mika and Joji. The dog is a Shih Tzu called Wilson"

"Wilson? Like....Cast Away? The volleyball?"

"The very same"

"They all sound lovely, I can't wait to meet them!"

Bakugo then approached me, frowning. I was a little confused, before he simply asked "why are you so perfect?"

Obviously, I couldn't help but blush at his comment, and when he saw, he let out a little "awwwww~" and pinched my cheek, then resting his hand flat on the left side of my face. The scarred side. Come to think of it, he's never actually mentioned it before. I appreciated that beyond words.

Leaning into his hand, I saw him smile a little, before the cocky fucker swiped his hand away and I nearly went crashing into the floor, catching myself at the last minute. In retaliation, I used my height as an advantage, scooping Bakugo up and over my shoulder before running in to the spare bedroom, and crashing us both down upon it. We had once again descended into an entanglement of limbs, laughing out asses off with each other.

I want to do this everyday with him
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A third bonus update in a row. There won't be two updates tomorrow, unfortunately, but the regular nighttime one will still take place.

I feel pretty happy with how this chapter went, I think it's enough of a change of pace for both of them, plus it won't actually have much impact on the story since Todoroki still has classes, and Bakugo still has work.

The next chapter will probably be mainly Kaminari and Shinso both freaking out about these two moving in together, and then gossiping about it to each other.

Fact of the Day: In real life, I have a Shih Tzu named Wilson, named after the volleyball from Cast Away.