Your voice feels beautiful ~TodoBaku~

Chapter 15: surprising, to be completely honest

Shoto Todoroki

For me, Saturday was the hardest day to contend with in a week. My introverted lifestyle meant that I holed myself away for at least one full day a week, and it just so happened that Momo worked all day on Saturdays. Thus, I was stuck, wasting away in my bedroom until it was almost time to meet up with everyone. I stuck a note on my door that told Momo I was showering, just in case she got back early, and stepped under the red-hot stream.

Showers were set aside for contemplation, the heat of the room sparking lots of thoughts to come to me, leaving me in a strange, Sims-like state of "energised" after a shower. I always showered before trying to tackle difficult schoolwork, and had an especially lengthy one tonight, spending plenty of time thinking about the week ahead. I had the meeting with Doctor Yosano on Monday, obviously the meet-up tonight..but that was about it.

Which may lead to the query on why I was showering for so long. The simple answer to that question is BAKUGO. The thought of having to see him tonight, for the first time since I'd kissed him just a day ago, had my stomach churning. I felt like I'd been sent on a rollercoaster without a restraint, holding onto whatever I could for dear life. The steamy mirror saved me from seeing my own wry smile at my dire situation, grasping onto any morsel of hope I could fathom.

It was..a positive that he hadn't pushed me off, that he hadn't come to beat me up, and that he still wanted me there tonight...but that was about all I could say. Despite the previously mentioned suspicions, I had no concrete proof that he had even the slightest interest in me, and that was worrying, given how much I'd exposed myself to him yesterday. I wanted that sort of vulnerability back, but the fact that we weren't alone tonight meant I likely wouldn't get any. Although, I probably would be freaking out more if we were alone, so it might be a double-edged sword kinda deal.

Anyway, all this thinking about the event has meant that it's time for it to happen! I trudged my way over to the now familiar apartment, and was (un)fortunate enough to encounter Kaminari on the way over. We waved me down before realising that we couldn't communicate, and awkwardly shuffling along the corridor. I rolled my eyes and followed him, eventually reaching the door we needed. Kaminari knocked, and Bakugo came to the door, shouting something at Kaminari before noticing me, blushing, and gesturing us both in. Turns out, we were the first there, leaving only the three of us plus Kirishima so far. Waiting for Mina and...uhh....the other two boys in the group felt like it might take a while, and I itched for a chance to be alone with Bakugo, clear the tense air that sat between us.

Unfortunately, no such chance came, as Mina careened through the door with the grace of a giraffe with no spine. All the room's attention went to her as she collected herself, insisting on greeting everyone, even me, with a deep hug. It felt strangely comforting, her general affection towards people infectious in a way. Still though, that overwhelming personality of hers was simply too full on for me, and Bakugo seemed to agree, scowling at her mere presence.

He gave out instructions after Sero arrived, and despite an invitation, Shinso never showed, which clearly saddened Kaminari a lot. He was a lot less energetic throughout the evening than I guess he would've been had the other boy come over as well.

Anyway, back to my hopeless romance. Bakugo had retrieved his notebook and sat next to me, writing some things down. The very first one he showed me had my stomach flipping out again, but for all intensive purposes, it was positive.

"I think we need a talk. That ok?"

I simply nodded in response, caution overriding my eagerness. He excused us to the group, who seemed to think nothing more of it, and took me to his bedroom. There, he sat on the edge of the bed and gestured for me to do the same, which I did slowly, making sure to give him space.

The look on his face was unreadable. He had a stony gaze, almost as if he had no emotion at all. There was only one thing that stopped me charging out of the room right then - his hand, trembling as it asked to hold mine. His eyes stared right into mine as I accepted his hand, a little comforting squeeze earning me the smallest of smiles.

"So...about yesterday..." he started to write, and my heart dropped. That was never a good sign, usually meaning there was a reason, some stupid reason someone couldn't do it. And for me, well, it's obvious, right? Dating a deaf person is just not worth someone's effort. And yeah, I don't like reducing myself to someone who pities themselves, but in situations like this, I didn't care.

"...it was really nice"

...

...

...HUH?! That...wasn't supposed to...

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a soft curled finger cupped my chin, tilting my head up. I looked right at the blond as he took the finger away, and did something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

"Can date go on we?"
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^ yes, that's intentionally misspelled. Bakugo tries....

Fact of the Day: On the day I'm writing this, the fic just came out !! There's a little perspective for you guys!