An autumn story

Chapter (9)

Everything is fine.
It feels that is the only thing Bakugo can mutter. He said it as he woke up in the morning. Then again as he walked into classes, and finally when he returned to his room in the afternoon.
Everything is fine.
The sentence is chanted constantly, with more force, faster, until it feels strange as if they aren't real words anymore.
Everything is fine.
He had decided to avoid the robot, mostly because he was angry. And for the other reason that didn't need to be addressed, because everything was fucking fine.
He scrolled through the pictures, until he eventually picked one for the photo that they would do next week.
He keeps staring at it, without really looking and he knows he have to contact the idiot eventually. Tomorrow he says and it feels like a retreat. A feeling that brings him disgust.
There are many things that can be said about him. A long list of names that he doesn't care about, that he doesn't bother to waste a thought, but coward is not one. So he picks up his phone and sends a message. Clear and to the point. And if the robot knows what's best for him, he will just reply an okay and that will be the end of it.
As his phone blinks at the next five minutes and he happens to hold and see the reply immediately, he feels better.
"Okay. I will contact them."
The unknown number says, because Bakugo doesn't care to register the robot's contact.
But another message comes, to shake away any delusions that he had about the complete idiocy that forms the person who is Shoto Todoroki.
"If you have the time, could I come over?"
No.
He says in his mind.
Stay where you are.
And he looks at the phone and the message and everything that it brings.
He doesn't want to see the boy. Especially not in his room. And he shouldn't have to. They will meet in a week and they will go to take the photo and everything will be fine.
No. He thinks and he types a whatever.
He isn't sure if the boy will come. The robot finds it difficult to process clear answers and this is not one.
Bakugo stares at the door for a good ten minutes and he takes pleasure in the idea of a figure pacing at his room, not sure what to do. He even smirks.
But as all good things, this ends too when the knock on the door is heard.
It gives it a minute. There is a silence, then another knock.
He gets up, but opens only when the low voice speaks his name.
He stares at the boy, at the outfit he is wearing that doesn't match at all at the stare he sends back at Bakugo. A blue set of pyjamas with cats on it, can not be intimidating.
"Can I come in?" He asks. "Your message wasn't clear, so I am not sure."
He stops himself from laughing. It is a win. A small one, but he will take it.
He doesn't respond, he just leaves the door open and walks back to his room.
Todoroki stays at his place, still unsure and he looks again.
He is thinking about it. He waits, but Bakugo will not make it easy for him.
He looks at the floor, at him, the end of his upper outfit. Then he takes a step and closes the door.
He stands with his back at the wood, as if he is given permission only to enter, not move inside.
He is standing where Bakugo stood the night before, when he thought of things that he shouldn't be thinking, doing things he definitely shouldn't be doing with the same boy in mind.
"Fucking take a seat." He says, before he loses it completely.
It takes a moment, but Todoroki finally moves and does as he is told.
"What do you want?" Bakugo asks. He wants to get it over with. He needs to sleep, there is a long week ahead of him. He needs to rest. He needs Todoroki to leave the room right now.
"I came to apologise." The response comes calmly. "For my behaviour." He adds.
Bakugo scoffs.
"I mean it. I took it out on you. And you didn't deserve it."
"I fucking did not." He says louder, but doesn't turn his head to the boy, sitting in the chair across from him.
"Anything else?" He takes a book from his desk to point out that he is busy.
"Why did you ask me to name the cat?"
Bakugo looks above his book, just a glance, before he turns away again.
"I felt like it."
"I see." He hears the noise of the chair as if the boy moved, or adjust his body differently.
"Is it because I am not helping?" He asks and Bakugo glares at him.
"It's because you had that same fucking look on your face." He points with his finger.
He sees the surprise. The slightly widening of the mismatched eyes and the move of his lips that comes after.
"You did it to help me then." He says and his voice is even.
"Don't flatter yourself pretty boy. I did it so you can focus. Which you didn't by the way. You just fucking started a fight with me."
"I'm sorry." He says. "I thought.."
"Yeah whatever." He turns a page on his book. Any page it doesn't matter.
Everything is fine.
"What kind of look?"
He will rip this book to shreds. He looks at the cover to see if it's a valuable one, or he can actually do it.
It is. He will need it for the class tomorrow. So he answers.
"I don't know. Like you will cry, or scream or die." He scoffs. "Like you suffer or something like that. Whatever. Do you want anything else?"
"You distracted me. With the name." He hears the voice.
"That was the plan anyway." He almost growls. Like an animal. He wants to pull his hair out of his head. This is an uncomfortable situation and he will very much preferred if it stops. Right now.
"Thank you." It's less robotic now. The voice.
"Yeah, yeah." And it is all right. Now Todoroki will leave along with his awkwardness and Bakugo will breath. He will be able to look past an open page of a book he doesn't recognise at the moment. "So? What's gotten you so fucking annoying?"
Maybe stupidity is contagious. No. He is sure that it is.
"It's...A long story."
"Okay." Bakugo tells him. And he realises that okay is not a rejection.
The silence compels him to rise his eyes. The robot doesn't look back at first. But then he does. And Bakugo doesn't look away this time.
"I told you the other day, that I had a brother and a sister." Bakugo nods. "Well, that isn't exactly true. Technically it is." He sighs. And it makes Bakugo think of something he shouldn't.
"My father used to be famous. You know the story. Well as his career was growing, he participate in a movie with my mother. His agent thought it will be good publicity for both of them if they dated. You know how it goes." Bakugo nods again. He really doesn't.
"It was beneficial for both of them. And it stuck. To the point that they got married and eventually had children. Perfect children for the world to see." He emphasizes this part. "My brother started to follow his foot steps. He made appearances and tried really hard to be the perfect boy. But he outgrew his childish charm and the agents didn't want him anymore."
"Your brother that studies in another city?" Bakugo asks.
"No. My brother that died." Todoroki says and it's final. "Drug use." He adds and then lower. "He hated me."
"Why?"
"I did better than him without effort. That's what he was saying anyway. That it was unfair. It doesn't matter."
"After that my father retreated and eventually vanished. He does behind the scenes work nowadays. We don't get along. It's... awkward between us."
He pauses. He puts his hand between his legs. Unsure. Uncertain. Not the robot that seems unfaced by Bakugo's every scream.
"And?" Bakugo asks and Todoroki is straightening his back.
"I looked like him the most. When we were growing up."
There is an itching at his palms. To reach out in this absurd situation. He holds it back.
"My mother..She... She was not very well after that."
He seems tense. He wants to stop him. To tell him to stop. To fight again. It was better.
"She thought I was him. That he came back to blame her."
And then he touches his scar.
"Fuck." Bakugo says, before he stops himself. Todoroki smiles and it's a sad one.
"She is fine now." He says clearly.
Just doesn't want to talk to you.
It remains unspoken.
"Why did you..?" He clears his throat. "An apology was fine." He says.
Todoroki titles his head. As if he is only now considers that option.
"Perhaps. You are probably right. Sometimes I don't know how I should behave." He nods as if he is agreeing with himself. "But I raised my hand to you and I thought it was proper to explain why I behaved the way I did."
He gets up.
"I am sorry if that made you uncomfortable." He says.
Bakugo stays at his place on the bed. The guy is a fucking moron. He just goes and tells his fucking life story, just to apologise. Bakugo doesn't gossip, he doesn't really care to talk about other people, but he could be anyone and Todoroki would still tell all that.
"I will be going." He says and opens the door.
"I don't mind." Bakugo tells him. "It was unnecessary telling me all that. And kind of stupid because you don't know me." He looks at the boy. "But I don't mind hear them or you know.."
Todoroki looks at him. And it seems like a burden lifts from his eyes. As if he thought until now that he did something wrong.
He smiles. Not really. But it's an uprise of his lips.
"Good to know." He says and then he thinks of something else. "So are we friends now?"
"Not a fucking chance moron."