numbertwohero | Prismatica Inbox

[ Oh. He does settle down a little when Shoto starts carding his fingers through Izuku's hair, (rabbit) ears twitching before he relaxes into it, trying to think what to say. He can't explain exactly how he came into his quirk, because that's a secret (which Kacchan figured out) and Izuku would rather do a great many things than break All Might's trust.

But. This much information is public record, and someday it'll eventually come out, even though he's never exactly brought it up with his high school class. ]

My Quirk came really, really late. [ As in never. Until a miracle occurred. ] So up through middle school, everyone thought I was Quirkless.

[ He's not sure if Shoto has ever actually encountered how people sometimes act around those without a Quirk. But kids can be cruel, and he's maybe smart enough to get what Izuku's trying to say. ]

I don't really blame anyone for what happened, or anything. Kids can be pretty cruel, and our society is pretty Quirk-based.

[It's nicely affirming when Izuku settles a little at the touch, and for a moment while he works out what to say, Shoto's content to let the silence linger, focusing instead on how soft Izuku's hair is, on the feeling of the thick waves under his fingers. And when his friend finally speaks again...well, it makes sense. Sort of. He's never heard of a quirk coming in that late, but one as powerful as Izuku's...it would explain some things. About how he couldn't control it, how his body wasn't strong enough to support it. It was dangerous, and it's maybe even more of a miracle that he hasn't gotten himself or anyone else killed.

Still, it doesn't sit well with him. Not the late-onset quirk--the rest. Izuku might not blame them, but Izuku is perhaps the most selfless person he's ever met. And the rest...]

That doesn't make it right. Quirks might be a big part of society, but people without them are still people. And kids--it's one thing when they're small, but by middle school...they should know better.

[He knows exactly what kind of people, what kind of teachers would turn a blind eye, too, or teach those behaviors. His father had always tried to teach him that only being the strongest mattered, that those weaker than him should always be left behind. You do the work of a hero but the goal is to surpass all the rest. And maybe those lessons had sunk in, a bit more than he'd thought--after all, look at how he'd been at first, treating everyone in his class as rivals, potential roadblocks, or worse, just useless and irrelevant. Look at the way he treated Izuku.

Now it's Shoto's turn to duck his head a little.]

...I'm sorry, you know.

For what?

[ Izuku's startled enough by the admission to look up a little, although he doesn't sit up or move away. The feel of Shouto's hand in his hair is almost hypnotic, soothing that desperate need for affection and approval that Izuku feels terrible about having during Iris moons. He doesn't want to pull away and risk that stopping.

But he's more worried about why Shouto suddenly sounds apologetic than he is explaining it started young and just never stopped. ]

For the way I was when we first met. The beginning of the school year. I wasn't...

[Wasn't nice. He was cruel, even, fiercely competitive, feeling like this unknown challenger, this scared kid with no idea how to use his power didn't even know what he was doing, shouldn't be there, hadn't earned it--but he was wrong. He was so very, incredibly wrong, and the more he learns about Izuku the more he realizes that.

It's not a great feeling. Izuku looks up at him, Shoto can tell that much by the way the glow of his freckles changes, but Shoto's looking down at his lap, instead.]

I was just as bad, in my way. So, I'm sorry.

It's okay, Todoroki-kun. I was never upset with you. I mean...the only thing I was upset about was how you were hurting yourself.

[ Because when has his first thought ever been about himself?

Izuku reaches out with one hand to touch Shoto's cheek, gently redirecting his gaze to Izuku himself. ]

But thank you for the apology all the same.

[Of course. Of course Izuku wasn't even thinking about himself. Wasn't that the point? He didn't think about himself, and Shoto had been just as selfish. Those scars on his hands, they're because of Shoto, too, aren't they?

He doesn't have time to get lost in that train of thought, though. Because a moment later, one of those very same hands is touching his cheek, light and warm, and he's looking at Izuku looking up at him from below that mop of hair, eyes shining in the faint blue-green light, and his heart feels like it suddenly does a strange little flip in his chest.

Pretty.

It's a strange word to think. After all, Izuku might be smaller, but he's also surprisingly muscular, a solid weight to him, but...he is pretty in a way, isn't he? It's the way he smiles. The way he forgives people. The way he makes them want to be better, if there's any better in them to be.

There's a warmth to his cheeks, the longer he looks, but he can't seem to look away. It's just the lateness of the hour that's making him feel like this, probably, or the strange intimacy that comes from sharing things that aren't often shared. And yet, here he is.]

It's...not about you being upset with me or not. I shouldn't have judged you like that. And then you did this for me--

[He reaches down for Izuku's other hand, fingertips tracing the scars on his hands, and his heart does another one of those strange little flips at the feeling of that, too.]

--so, I'm sorry.

I didn't do anything special for you.

[ Izuku's still arguing, if gently, because...well, because. He doesn't see any of his scars as anyone else's fault or problem, as being "because" of anyone else. Maybe they're for other people - definitely that's the case - but he would never blame anyone for any of them, nor mind having them. The only problem with his hands, as far as Izuku is concerned, is the part where they might be unusable if he breaks them too many more times, because that would get in the way of being a hero.

He turns his palm up, and takes Shoto's hand. ]

I mean...I did things for you, but it isn't anything you need to feel...

[ He's unsure how to put it. ]

...I'll accept your apology, of course, but I've never once felt you needed to make it.

You've done a lot for me.

[The words are said simply, despite the intensity of his feelings on the matter. It's true. Maybe Izuku doesn't look at it that way, wouldn't, but that's just how he feels about it, no matter if he would have done the same for anyone.

Izuku turns his hand over and takes Shoto's in his, and he's quiet a moment before lacing their fingers together, letting the warm sensation of moonlacing settle even deeper into his bones.]

... I'm glad you're letting me do this for you.

[It's not like it's an exchange, exactly, but... he's still glad he's able to do something to help Izuku. Glad that the other young man trusts him enough to do this, too.]

[ It's...comfortable in a weird sort of way, where Izuku's still embarrassed but at least he knows Shoto is just as new to all of this as he is. They're on equally uncertain footing, and there's something genuinely comforting about that.

The warmth of moonlacing and the knowledge that Shoto isn't so far beyond him here makes him feel a little less nervous. As...less nervous as possible, anyway.

He turns a little to hide his face against Shoto's neck anyway. ]

It's...Um...t-thank you.

[There is something kind of reassuring in that. Jiro, Iida--they've been really good about everything, but there's still the knowledge that so many of his classmates are so far ahead of him in everything. The fact that he and Izuku are roughly on the same page makes things less awkward, for sure.

It doesn't stop the strange little ripple of feeling that washes over him as Izuku hides his face in his neck, but that's okay, too. Tentatively, Shoto lifts a hand to stroke through the other boy's hair, fingers brushing the base of those bunny ears, equally cautious as he explores their shape.]

Is...this okay?

[ Oh. That feels weird, but it's a good weird and Izuku nods his head after a pause, settling more comfortably against Shoto as he does so. He hasn't really had anyone touching his rabbit-ears before now, beyond Ochako poking them curiously once. ]

It's okay.

[Izuku's response makes him feel a little more comfortable with the gesture, and he shifts a little in turn, sort of half-turning so it's easier for the other boy to lean a little more against his chest. His fingers comb through that mess of green, stroking the ears that stick up from the middle, exploring their shape and the sleek fur that covers them.]

...They're really soft. Do they...feel the same as the rest of you?

[They're a part of his body, so probably? It'd probably be weird if they didn't have any feeling at all. But he's still curious, is all.]

Well...y-yes, just a little more sensitive, I guess?

[ He's not sure how to explain it. It's not, like, sexual-sensitive or he'd have stopped it already, but maybe intimate-sensitive? Like...holding a hand, but more personal. ]

Mm. Like--someone touching your palm, instead of the back of your hand?

[It's a little bit of a strange analogy, but he's trying to think of something that's not...well, totally wrong for this.

Either way, those ears are very soft, and if Izuku doesn't show any signs of minding, he might keep stroking them for a minute or two. It's soothing, in a way. Like petting a cat. Or...well, a bunny in this case.]

That's - that's actually pretty much exactly it.

[ Personal, but not...personal. ]<

I don't mind it! [ He's quick to confirm that, at least, flushed but sincere. ] It's just - different?

If there's something else that would help more...

[Is it weird to offer like this? He's not even sure what exactly he's offering. It's not like any of this is exactly familiar territory. Before they ended up here, he'd never even really considered this kind of thing, at least not in any kind of concrete way. What he does know for sure is that no matter what, he wants to be able to help Izuku, and he wants him to be comfortable. That's all.]

[ Ngh.

Like. There are things he is sure would help more, but they're not things he's ready for or even comfortable asking for just now... ]

T-this is fine!

[Right. Right, it's okay, that's perfectly normal. And honestly, Shoto's a ways from that kind of thing himself. Maybe someday, if he ever figures out what he's doing.]

Ah, okay. Just...let me know? I mean, you're the first person I've met with this moonblessing, so...

[So he's not entirely sure what it entails. He might be just a little flushed, too, but it's a little hard to tell, especially with the way he's kind of looking away. But he doesn't stop combing his fingers through Izuku's hair, either, happy to keep the other boy by his side. It's weirdly nice, being able to sit like this, and he's pretty sure it's not just the moonlacing that makes it nice.]

[ It's for the best he doesn't know any other Iris. Izuku likes to keep some of his, uh, urges completely to himself and suppressed.

But he does like this, the cuddling. It helps. ]

This is helping a lot, Todoroki-kun. Really!

[Completely fair and legitimate. Honestly, if Shoto were Iris, he'd probably do the same. Some things are a little too embarrassing to talk about, even with really close friends. Maybe especially with really close friends? He doesn't know. It's tricky enough navigating these things as a teenager even without moonblessings affecting things.

Either way, though, Izuku's answer seems to reassure Shoto, and he settles a little more, lacing his fingers together tentatively with Izuku's as he shifts a fraction on the couch, making it easier to keep Izuku curled up against him under his other arm.]

Then, we can stay like this. As long as you want.

...I can stay over, right?

[ At least all night. He wants at least that long. He doesn't mind lacing their fingers together, either, though it's hard to relax any further than he already has. ]

Of course you can.

[Like he'd make Midoriya leave. Honestly, he's fine staying just like this all night.]

[ And that's what they do! ]

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wrap here?

works for me!