Count to Ten

Item Six: Go on a Date

"We can't go very far, so it's a good thing you wanted to go to the park," Shouto said. "Permission for this was a struggle to get. However, I managed it since nothing too terrible happened on your last excursion out of your cell."

Izuku grabbed Shouto's arm. He clung to it, not wanting to bump into other people as they walked the street. He hid behind Shouto, as if he were a shield, silently wishing they were back inside.

It was only once they'd managed to reach the park that Izuku released his grip on Shouto's arm. "Ah! Look at the birds! They're so cute! And those little doggos! And those trees! And the sky! I really miss reading books in the park," Izuku sighed. This was incredibly nostalgic.

There was a vendor selling ice cream a few feet away. Izuku remembered being a kid, running up to ice cream trucks, getting ice cream without a care in the world. He stared at the vendor, wishing he could run up to it and get some delicious cold treats. But, he couldn't. He couldn't trust anything that the vendor had. So public. So many germs.

"Do you want ice cream?" Shouto asked. Izuku looked at the ground. That was as much of an answer as he needed. "Am I dirty, Izuku?"

"No," Izuku replied, for the...hm...how many times had he answered this question?

"Then, if I get you the cone, theoretically I'll cleanse it of its germs," Shouto said. He just wanted to spoil Izuku, even if he had to make up weird excuses for it.

"That makes sense," Izuku nodded. Did it really? Well, it should be fine.

"Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla?" Shouto asked. The two made their way over to the vendor.

"Vanilla," he said, as he stared at the whiteness in Shouto's hair.

"Hm? Is that so? I like both," he said, before ordering two soft-serve cones.

"How very like you," Izuku giggled. He stared at the cone, in Shouto's hand, waiting for him to grab. Izuku took off his glove, not wanting to contaminate the cone with whatever germs were on his glove. He'd already touched Shouto's hand before. This shouldn't be that difficult. Why was it so hard? Shouto opened his mouth to speak. Izuku, not wanting to hear the question of if Shouto was dirty or not be asked again, grabbed the cone. His hand brushing up against Shouto's. This wasn't like before. Something was different. Izuku didn't want to think about it.

Izuku opened his mouth wide and bit off the top swirl. It was his childhood ice cream habit. He laughed, the white cream trailing down his chin. Shouto looked away. It was a bit more than he could handle.

Shouto had a very particular way of eating ice cream. He was delicate with it as if it were going to break, licking it carefully in full circles so that it wouldn't be pushed over the edge and fall off. Izuku stared at Shouto's tongue as he did this. Thoughts forcing him back into the past. The stall. Shouto's mouth. He looked away, staring at his own ice cream, face turning a bright shade of red, trying to eat it.

The two walked side by side in the park. Eventually both cones were gone and Izuku was stuck with a sticky white goo on his face. He probably should've thought about that more carefully. Shouto had stuffed the napkins into his own pocket. He grabbed one, wiping Izuku's face clean, without thinking about it much. He came from a family with a number of siblings. Acting like an older brother was a habit of his (whether or not he was the eldest, was a different matter, but he acted like one anyway).

It was only after the fact, that he realized he could've just handed the napkin to Izuku. He didn't have to wipe his face for him. Not wanting to admit his mistake, he walked a bit of a distance to throw the napkin away and returned. This left no time for unnecessary questions. Izuku didn't say anything. He must not be thinking that much about it. But, the redness of his ears proved otherwise. Was that a blush? A trick of the light?

Shouto kissed Izuku's cheek. His body had moved on its own. He scrambled to think of some sort of excuse. Why did he kiss Izuku? "I missed a spot," he lied. Izuku's ears were more than a little red. He stared at Shouto, just as confused as he was, but didn't question the logic.

"Ahahaha," Izuku's laugh was forced and strained. It was fueled off of nerves and confusion.

"We should be heading back," Shouto grabbed Izuku's hand and walked with haste through the crowd. Izuku struggled to keep up. He focused only on Shouto's hand grabbing his own. He wanted to say something. Something like 'slow down' or 'I wanted to spend more time with you' but he didn't. He feared that if he said anything inquiring about why Shouto had grabbed his hand, kissed his cheek, or even cleaned his mouth for him, Shouto would ask the dreaded question of if he was dirty.

"I'm sorry," Shouto apologized, looking down at his hand holding Izuku's. He released his grip and continued walking, at a slower pace, with Izuku following right behind him. A huge crowd began to form. Clothes blended in with clothes. Izuku couldn't tell which white was which. Where was Shouto's lab coat? What was a shirt and what was the coat? He scanned the crowd, looking for the hair, but couldn't see anything.

He felt something pressed against his back. A blade? "Don't move," the voice said. "We've got your fancy doctor," it said, holding out the lab coat for Izuku to grab. He looked it over. Yes. This was Shouto's. It had Dr. Todoroki on the side. It smelled like him. He could confirm.

"What have you done to him?" Izuku felt a wave of intense fury wash over him. His eyebrows furrowed. His grip on the lab coat tightened. He growled like a rabid dog, and he hadn't even gone Deku yet.

Izuku turned on his heel and grabbed the face of his opponent. He dragged him into the nearest alleyway and pressed him against the wall. He glared, fierce eyes, threatening to destroy him, and he hadn't even gone Deku yet.

"I'm going to count to ten," Izuku said. "You have until then to tell me where Shouto is." His grip firm on the temples of the stranger's head. He was going to crush his skull, and, well, you know this by now, but he still hadn't gone Deku yet.