~ Third Person P.O.V ~

"Words, a simple concept I drowned in time and time again. Heartache, a weighted feeling suppressing my heart. Your love, a simple concept I relished in time and time again. Your patience, a weight gently lifted from my once suppressed heart . . ."
—BisexualCricket, Poetry Journal

Shoto's mind was a restless, convolution, labyrinth of thoughts that night. His mind trying to process every bit down piece by piece, taking his time to unerringly digest the events of the previous day. 

He hadn't left Izuku's side once after that, aside from the joking mood they ended on, he could still see the clear struggle the younger was going through. The soft whimpers that would abscond his lips every now and then, how his fingers would twitch and interlace with one another, small hitches in his breathing. Shoto had a dreadful fear he would a lot worse if someone weren't there with him, reassuring him he was not alone throughout this dark aura enshrouding him.

And Izuku was more than grateful for it.

The two ended up divulging in the warm comfort of not only one another, but the food Shoto had provided. Falling into yet another silence, only this time the atmosphere around them had converted. Instead of suffering, suffocating, and suppressing; it was solace-filled, sweet, and supporting. The sensation had felt so unorthodox to them both, sending oscillates of fortification and compassion through their veins. However, it was something they would have to grow accustomed to — for the weight of their companionship-longing proved to be far too strong a bond to break at the moment.

Izuku had been onto something when he mentioned them being 'quite the pair'. The two were still getting to know each other, yet knew enough about one another than anyone else did in a lifetime. They were the missing pieces of the same puzzle, fitting together so superlatively it almost seemed surreal. And they didn't even know it yet.

Still craving for warmth and comfort, Izuku ended up falling asleep on the elder that night — his head nestled into Shoto's lap while his body stretched across the mattress. Shoto could have easily moved him if he wanted to, go crawling back into the comforts of his own bed but . . . He couldn't bear it. When he looked at Izuku, not only did he see a second chance he also saw Shinsou; whether that was a good or bad thing, he wasn't sure.

However, he had made a silent and unspoken vow to himself, sitting there at three in the morning whilst a sleeping Izuku laid on him: Shoto would always be there for him. Seeing as though the proper steps to grieving had been easily evaded by him, he opted for helping Izuku instead . . . Hoping that'd give him some closure on at least one death. Nevertheless, a chance at redeeming past mistakes was not the only reason for Shoto taking this task upon himself. No, in a sense he related to Izuku in terms of lacking support.

As much as Shoto detested admitting it out loud, he too knew what it was like to have the dark shadows of sorrow, trauma, and possibly guilt shroud him like a thick veil. Shoto understood the feeling of wanting the past to stay where it belonged, only to lose the battle in spite of many brave attempts. 

Nobody deserved to feel that way, especially Izuku.

After about an hour or so the younger began to stir in his sleep, a string of incoherent noises and sounds slipping past the rosy peaks of his lips. His frame was barely visible in the dark room, making it unclear to Shoto on whether or not he had awoken. However, after a few more minutes, the silence that ghosted the dorm room had been filled with the younger's groggy yet elfin voice.

"Why didn't you just move me and sleep on your own bed?"

"Because I'm a nice person who didn't want to wake you up," Shoto responded softly, still making no effort to move. "You should be grateful I didn't wake you, though. You fell asleep at like six yesterday,"

"What time is it now?" Izuku asked, rubbing his eyes while blinking. Just like his personal pillow — he too made little to no attempts at moving.

Shoto's heterochromatic eyes scanned over the dark room, pausing at the faint glow of the digital alarm clock on his nightstand. "It's twenty minutes past four in the morning . . . You've been sleeping for ten hours," he mused monotonously.

"Mmm," Izuku hummed, "Do you want me to get off of you so you can get some sleep?"

"I highly doubt sleep is an option for me at this point, how about you?" Shoto deadpanned, blindly feeling around until he found Izuku's hand, locking his own into his.

An obscured smile arose to Izuku's lips at the feeling of the elder's hand tucked into his, while he buried his face deeper into the males' thigh. "Why do I have a feeling you're going to grab my hand for every little thing?" he chuckled breathily.

"Well, in my defense, this is the only place I'm really allowed to touch . . . Not that I'm complaining," Shoto countered, his voice lacking depth and any traces of emotion per usual.

Nonetheless, Izuku could not help but appreciate the small talk being traded between them both. It was so natural, the words flowing off the tip of his tongue and into the tea-smelling atmosphere around them; to be candid, it was something Izuku had never envisioned himself doing with anyone besides Bakugou. The mere thought of talking to anyone else he wasn't familiar with scared the crap out of him.

Yet here he was . . . Conquering his fear with Shoto Todoroki.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're flirting with me Old Man," Izuku jested, mock-confidence rising within him — predominantly due to the fact that his features were obnubilated in the dark.

Shoto grimaced at the nickname, a sour expression crossing his features as he shifted. "We really got to get a new nickname for me," he expressed with a weighted sigh.

Izuku did not miss the fact that he completely deflected the 'flirting' comment, however, he wouldn't press the matter further. For now.

Sluggishly sitting up on his knees, Izuku feels around until his fingers brush against the familiar metal grip of the lamp's switch. After a few moments, he pulled it, luminous, yellow, blinding light flooding the room and their senses — prompting them to take a few moments to get used to the feeling.

Carding his fingers through his two-toned locks, Shoto drags his eyes over towards where Izuku sat. Unbeknownst to him, a look of adoration crossed onto his sharp and defined features — giving his tired face a sudden lift in energy. At this point, looking at the young green-haired male as he did just now came to him as easily as breathing did. Again, it was a peculiar sensation, one that could not be explained at the moment leaving the answers to be equivocal. But it was still there.

"How about . . . Roki?" Izuku offered, as he rummaged around the room for something.

"Hm?"

Emerald eyes rolled as Izuku leaned against the dresser with an amused expression. "You said I need a new nickname for you, remember? Besides Todoroki is kind of a mouth-full . . . Oh, I know — how about Todo?"

"He took that from me, Todo . . . He took my will to live,"

Shoto's body went rigid at the nickname, face going slack as he stared absentmindedly at the floor. It was clear to see that his mind had drifted elsewhere in the vast, open, space provided to him. Thoughts mixing with other thoughts, swirling together in the cauldron of his mind to inaugurate a series of unwanted memories to pool into the forefront of his brain. It only lasted a moment, a simple second that appeared to last a lifetime . . . only seen through the pain-veiled binoculars of Shoto's eyes. Then the moment passed, inevitably pulling Shoto down towards the present. 

As if nothing ever happened.

"I like Todo," he whispered, slipping his teeth onto his bottom lip. "What're you doing?"

"I don't know about you," Izuku began, "but I would kill for a coffee right now."

A coy smirk found its way onto the elder's mouth, lifting the edges upwards as he began a search for some shoes. "Well, I guess I'm going too then." Shoto declared still sporting a smirk, "I mean, there's probably a high chance you'll get chased by police officers again —"

"— Ah, yes, and where would I be without my personal knight in shining armor?" Izuku beamed, tagging along with Shoto's playful mood.

"In jail,"

The younger gave a shrug of his shoulder, as he made his way over to the door. "Sad, but true."

It appeared to be that falling into unplanned silences had soon become a customary habit for the duo, of course, as the time went on they grew . . . acclimatized to it. In those little, or long, moments of unspoken words being shared, it gave them both time to recollect themselves. If anything, it gave them time to fully begin the process of adapting to the newly found circumstances arising within the air shrouding them. What might those circumstances be?

Each other.

Izuku, in spite of still having a semi-normal support system, still had never truly understood what it felt like to be in the company of someone who fathomed him. He never knew the type of vehemence and solace that could be — no, should be — equipped to him in all of his times of need. The mere concept of any of those things seemed so idiosyncratic to him, it was almost hard to register that it was happening now.

The feeling was so overwhelming but in a good way. It filled his frangible glass heart with sturdy interior, little by little piecing the broken fragments back together with all kinds of plasters and glue. Now, because of Shoto — a boy who just two weeks ago he found to be a nuisance and untrustworthy — had soon become the reason for his newly found journey towards recovery. Izuku knew full and well that it would not be easy, for he had been trying to do the very same thing for the past two years on his own. But that was the problem . . . He never allowed anyone to aid him in the process of healing.

However, that didn't seem to be the case now. No, he was aware now that he didn't have to do this on his own. That it was okay to have someone truly by his side, and damn it, it felt amazing. Exhilarating. 

The future did not seem and bleak and dreary as it had once done the young freckled male. Instead, it was filled with promises of new beginnings, friendships, and a healed and clean conscious — naturally, a few hardships and struggles were sure to come his way. But he and Shoto could face it together.

He had someone who was willing to face those things together.

Damn.

"You're mumbling," Shoto commented idly, puffs of air escaping his lips as he spoke.

The weather had been nothing but cold and cloud-filled skies for the past few weeks, prompting a series of warm hoodies, sweaters, and long-sleeved shirts for the students on campus. Especially since the heater didn't seem to be working properly in the dorms. 

They were outside by now, walking along the quad of the school. It was an eccentric sensation walking along the barren stone paths this late at night, not hearing the familiar chatter of students laughing, screaming, or talking. Small lamps were placed on the sidewalks, some flickered while others worked perfectly. The grassy lawn still smelt of dew, energy drinks, and other drinks and foods spilled by students sometime yesterday morning — waiting for the custodian to retrieve them.

Every now and then, they'd hear a familiar whirr of a campus security car driving by; prompting them to hide behind a tree or bench then laugh at their own antics. The arctic air veiled their open spaces of skin, such as their face, hands, and neck —  painting the flesh a softened hue of red.

God, it was amazing.

"I tend to mumble a lot," Izuku admitted sheepishly as they walked, "It's a habit."

"So I've noticed," Shoto chuckled lightly, leading the younger across the street. "However, I can't help but be curious as to what you were mumbling about."

The younger smiled softly, he secretly liked the way Shoto spoke; it was always a subtle reminder that he was not of this century. "Then curious you shall remain," Izuku mocked in a haughty voice.

"Seriously?" The taller of the two groaned, knowing full and well Izuku was mocking his way of speech. "I don't sound like that,"

"'I don't sound like that,'" Izuku repeated, a childish grin on his face. "Good sir, I do believe you, in fact, sound like that."

Narrowing his eyes, Shoto's gaze flickers back onto the boy. "No, but seriously . . . What were you mumbling about?" he asked, his voice dropping into a susurrus whisper.

Izuku grew quiet at the question, not sure how to formulate what he was feeling into words. Talking wasn't something he ever relied on anymore, unlike when he was younger, the need of speaking didn't become a priority to him after . . . that happened. He always felt so stiff when resulting to normality's such as speech.

"Why do I sense, you're about to thank me again?" Shoto quipped, earning a twitch in Izuku's mouth, begging to be brought into a full-blown smile. "Because if so I might just combust. And I don't think you want my internal organ scattered everywhere . . . What would the school think?"

"You are so weird!" Izuku laughed, dimples indenting themselves into his freckle dusted cheeks. "But I am about to thank you . . ." he added softly.

"And before you interrupt me and say you haven't done anything yet," Izuku continued on with a raised hand. "Just know that's not true. Todo . . . earlier today — or, well, technically yesterday — I was at my lowest. And this is coming from the guy who is at a constant low every day of his fucking life," he chuckled.

"It had been a while since I ever felt like that and I wasn't sure how to handle it, I was a prisoner in my own body. I couldn't get out," he explained, "But you were there for me, and somehow you were able to bring me back — you may not have realized it then but, nobody's ever been able to do that. And then you tell me you're going to continue to be there for me . . ."

By now tears were brimming the corners of Izuku's eyes, a watery kind of smile slipping onto his lips as he looked at the male. "That's all I ever wanted from someone,"

Shoto smiled as well, instinctively slipping his hand into Izuku's as they walked. "Well, that's all you'll ever get from now on. I promise,"

That was a promise Shoto intended to keep. 

Hello Cricket Cultists!!

Ahhh, this chapter is my heart. Like . . . I can't wait for the MAJOR growth in these two. It's soo crazy to go back to the first few chapters and see how far they've come. Like, damn. And it's only gonna get better from here . . . aside from the angst I still have planned ;)

I start school this Thursday, sooo idk how updates will be after that. But I promise to try and deliver. Uhmm for those of you how are reading my re-write of close, I will be posting the update for chapter one on my bio sometime tonight!!

Make sure to look at that!

Comments?

Theories??

. . . Did I mention THEORIES???

Until we meet again!!

P.S I am loving these long chapters . . . idk why.