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"If I taste chocolate again in the next two weeks, Shinsou, I will literally throw up," Sanada groans, trudging down the hallway. Hitoshi notes her fidgeting fingers, sliding down her messenger bag strap like she wants to check again.
"You could've just bought them instead of making your own."
"But homemade is from the heart! Like my feelings. And I made these perfectly." She slaps a fist against the palm of her other hand, looking adamant. As quick as that determined look comes, it falls away to anxiety. "I could ruin everything," she frets, stopping in the hallway.
He rolls his eyes, not slowing down. "Take the chance, then. I'm tired of hearing about your pining." Sanada sighs, walking beside him again. "You've already made it. She likes you. Just do it."
Hitoshi's about to go on when he sees a familiar green-haired boy standing outside their classroom, and his pace stutters just a bit. Their eyes connect for a second and then Midoriya is looking away, face pointed towards the linoleum. The sight makes Hitoshi tilt his head, lips pursed together.
He gradually slows his walk until it's a crawl, falling to a stop in front of Midoriya. Sanada walks into the classroom without noticing. It takes a second for her to realize he's not beside her.
"Uh, Shinsou?" She peeks out, now only noticing Midoriya standing there. It's almost comical how Midoriya shies away from the taller girl as she peers down, eyes wide and scrutinizing.
Hitoshi bites back a smile, shoving a hand into his pocket. "I'll be there in a second," he tells her. Sanada's eyes dart between the two of them longer than Hitoshi would like, but with a nod, she disappears through the door.
Midoriya shuffles his feet, taking a couple seconds before he raises his gaze and smiles. "Hey Shinsou! How's your day going?"
Hitoshi squints. It's too early for this sort of brightness. Midoriya's tie is skewed again, and it makes Hitoshi wonder how no one's stopped him to properly tie it. His hands are behind his back, and there's something about his expression that has Hitoshi scanning his face, looking for some explanation before Midoriya can spell it out. "It's just started."
"Right! I mean, it's a nice day, isn't it?"
To call attention to what day it is… Hitoshi's other hand finds its way to the back of his neck. "I suppose. You know, it's pretty late in the year to get lost."
"Ah—No! I'm not lost. I came here to see you."
Hitoshi raises a brow. The silence grows for a couple seconds before he averts his gaze and says, "You stare long enough yet?"
Midoriya blinks a couple of times, breaking out his daze."I didn't mean, like—uh well—" Hitoshi only has a couple seconds to revel in Midoriya's awkwardness before the boy pulls his hands from behind his back. There's a sheepish look on his face. "Here!"
Hitoshi blinks a couple of times. There's a pause before he realizes that Midoriya's offering him something, and it feels like slow motion as he reaches out to take the envelope. He can't help but make the connection between this, Midoriya's behavior, and the significant date of today.
"What's—" He looks up as the wind of Midoriya's run brushes past him. "Woah."
He looks just to see Midoriya's green blur disappear around the corner of the hallway.
"Weirdo," he mutters to himself, still holding the envelope.
The envelope is canary yellow, and there are paw prints around the border of the back and on the fold when Hitoshi flips it over. It's fairly thin, but he can feel the thickness of something smaller inside. At his desk, he studies it carefully, letting the buzz of classroom conversations fly through his ears.
"Did you hear, Hagihara left early this morning because she was giving some chocolate to a student in the hero course!"
"Honestly not surprised. She's been talking to that guy in Class 1-B for like, weeks now, right?"
"What did he need?" Sanada asks, and Hitoshi's startled, not noticing her presence next to his desk. There's an innocence in her voice that Hitoshi knows means she's digging for information. He's too slow to hide the envelope in his hand, and he watches the quick flash of a smile before she pushes it away, smoothing her face into nonchalance.
It's fruitless to hide anything from her. "It's not what you think."
Sanada falls into the seat in front of him, scooting it closer to his desk. "Are you sure about that?"
Normally he enjoys that scrupulous tone when she really wants someone to tell the truth. Not when it's aimed at him, though. He spies Kazama near the front of the room, talking to some of their other classmates. "Definitely a friend," he affirms, placing the envelope down on his desk. "Just a friend." His hand goes to his neck, and he looks at their other classmates, all chatting excitedly. " Maybe not even that. A—uh." Future classmate. Unofficial rival? The guy who kicked my ass at the Sports Festival, remember? "Hero student."
Sanada makes no move to leave the chair that isn't hers, or take her arm off Hitoshi's desk, so he sighs, focusing his attention on the envelope again. Better get it over with.
He opens it, a neat slide of his fingernail that his mom taught him in order to preserve precious letters. He spots a bright red card inside. When he pulls it out, a couple things fall out too, fluttering down onto his desk. He furrows his brows.
He puts the card down to pick up the small piece of holographic plastic on his desk. Hitoshi recognizes the brand on the back, emblazoned in a stylized font, and with bewilderment, he turns the plastic over.
It's a trading card. A hero stands in the picture box, a fierce concentrated expression on her face. The stats on her Telepathy quirk are listed below the picture, along with a chart rank of the year of production. Mandalay of the Wild Wild Pussycats.
Hitoshi marvels at how bright the holographic shines in the sunlight that lands on his desk, on the impeccable cleanness of the card, no scratches or dents. It's just as thin and sturdy as he remembers it. These cards were hard to come by, and a team like the Pussycats were harder to find in a deck. He remembers trying over and over for different hero packs as a kid, trading eagerly with classmates at recess and during lunch.
It's a shame he could never find—
Hitoshi spots another holographic glint, a second card that had landed on the corner of his desk. He places the Mandalay card down, then uses a finger to slide the other card over to the center of his desk.
Hitoshi ridicules himself internally when he realizes he's holding his breath. It's really, really stupid to get his hopes up like this. It's so impossible to think that the card he's flipping over could possibly be—
He's stunned. "Unbelievable."
"Trading cards?" Hitoshi hears her voice, vaguely, like it's coming from a tunnel. "Those are kind of cool. Hey, isn't that one of the homeroom teachers? Shinsou? Shinsouuuu?"
There is so much that wants to spill out of his lips. He wants to say that these kinds of cards are super rare. With heroes beyond the top 300, you'd be hard pressed to find any of these top production trading cards. With the Wild Wild Pussycats, it's hard to find individual cards for any of them, since they're registered as a team. But for an underground hero...
He stares at Eraserhead, noting how the art depicts his mentor mid-leap, his capture weapon unraveled around him. His red eyes are blazing. If Hitoshi could speak, he would say that for any underground hero, mass-produced cards like these are practically nonexistent, and for good reason. But at some point there was a limited run of heroes beyond the top 300, including some underground heroes based on fan popularity polls. Hitoshi would know. He voted in those polls.
He had spent a good couple months of childhood chasing after cards like these. After this card in particular. He remembers grade school lunches and stopping by the grocery store in middle school to stare at the card packs in the check out lines. There's so much he wants to say.
But he doesn't. Instead, he stares at the card, feeling like he might explode.
"Shinsou? You good?"
"I— " He blinks a couple of times, then touches his face, just to make sure he isn't dreaming. "I'm fine." He tucks the trading cards into the envelopes, taking a small breath to remember where he was. He picks up the red card again, inspecting it closely. It looks familiar, but he can't exactly remember where. He squints.
She leans a little closer. "What does the card say?"
He leans back, regaining enough sense of his body to scowl. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a head of short black hair, topped with the curling ram horns. "Hey, Haru's here."
Sanada practically leaps out of her chair to greet the girl, clutching her present behind her back. With Sanada distracted, Hitoshi quietly opens the red card. Midoriya's handwriting is big but neat, like it's trying to contain itself.
Hi Shinsou!
Congratulations on making it into the heroes course!
I know you've had to work harder and longer than anyone else to get to where you are now, and I'm so happy to see you achieve the first step to becoming a hero! I can't wait to learn and work alongside you next term!
Here's a gift card for a cat cafe near campus. I've never been to one, but Todoroki says they're really relaxing. I hope you like it!
Best,
Izuku Midoriya
The inside of the stationery is adorned with a border of paw prints and fish. Tucked inside is the gift card, cream and brown-colored plastic with an embossed Nishinoya Nekoen, a cat cafe that Hitoshi recognized. He'd stop by this one every so often on his walk home, prior to the dorm move. It was a small place, with friendly cats that made the stress of the day melt away from Hitoshi's nerves.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" he hears someone crow from the front of the room. It's followed by a rush of giggled laughter, exuberant and high on life and young, fluttery love.
Hitoshi stares at the gifts on his desk for a long, long time.
The morning passes in a daze and the romantic air dies down as classes proceed, but there's a hole burning in his jacket. There's a jitteriness that seems to spill over the room; Hitoshi spots a couple of his classmates peek over at each other, obviously advertising their emotions for the world to see. So obvious with their feelings. So open.
It takes him about halfway through English to realize that he's been unconsciously reaching to touch his pocket where the card is tucked. His leg has been shaking his desk, which he only notices when his pencil rolls off and bounces on the ground. He hits his head under his desk picking it up. He scowls down at his notebook, rubbing his head.
Hitoshi is someone who follows logic before emotion. Emotion is difficult, emotion lets things slip up. Hitoshi is good at control. Emotion is what he uses to get people to talk, when he needs them to. He tamps down his own. He owns it. He's Hitoshi Shinsou, and he controls his emotions, not the other way around. He's fine.
So something about what Midoriya's done makes him feel...out of control. Why give him a gift? It's not like they were friends, but Midoriya seemed to try earnestly at every chance he could, greeting him in the halls or commenting on his fighting during joint training battles. It wasn't entirely unwelcome, but Hitoshi never went out of his way to encourage it further.
Hitoshi knows Midoriya's favorite hero is All Might; the fact is practically shining above the other boy's head in bright neon letters. There's no hiding the favoritism and special attention that the former number one hero holds for Midoriya, so Hitoshi can assume that Midoriya could be one of those kids who used to collect All Might cards.
It doesn't make sense, though, for Midoriya to have such rare cards. Mandalay was part of a hero team focused primarily on rescue, and very few people Hitoshi knew even heard of Eraserhead. The particular heroes Midoriya slipped into the envelope meant that he's been paying enough attention to Hitoshi to draw some parallels, make some connection, maybe.
Hitoshi's heart does something funny at that thought. He can't help but follow that thread of thought, that Midoriya's been spending extra time thinking about him, about what he might like. Hitoshi feels his grip around his pencil tighten, and he grits his teeth. Why give him the cards? Why give him a gift card to a cat cafe?
Why today?
"Shinsou!"
His head snaps up, and he straightens his posture instinctively. "Yes?"
Present Mic grins. "Read from page 134, please!"
Hitoshi hesitates before nodding, picking up the book on his desk. He takes a deep breath as his eyes scan the words, unable to comprehend anything. He narrows his eyes. What's going on? "Uh—"
The silence draws out as Hitoshi's confusion builds, before Mic lets out a quick laugh. "It would help to have your book right side up, dear listener."
Hitoshi tries not to cringe as scattered giggles bounce around the room. He knows what they might be thinking, and as he flips his book right side up, there's an urgent need to prove to them that they're wrong. He isn't distracted because of some dumb holiday, because of some dumb emotions. He focuses on enunciating his vowels.
Lunch is a welcome reprieve from the lessons and the constant tension in the classroom. There's an exceptional vitality that the holiday has brought; everyone seems abuzzed and the cafetaria feels louder than normal. Hitoshi's grateful that lunchtime is apparently not ideal to most people for giving gifts. The pressure of the whole student population watching you basically confess to someone is just a bit scary, he guesses.
Hitoshi's mid-conversation with Kazama, feeling a little more in his skin than he has all day. Then his eyes drift past Sanada's head across from him, where a mop of green hair grabs his attention and holds tight.
Midoriya isn't even doing anything interesting. He's just talking with his friends, taking bites of his food between sentences Hitoshi doesn't hear. There's a settled smile on Midoriya's face, one that creeps up at the corners of his mouth like he doesn't even realize it, and even from here, Hitoshi can see the bright emerald of his eyes as they dart from friend to friend around him. He looks so...content.
Hitoshi exhales through his nose. There's that fire burning in his chest pocket and a dozen questions, thoughts, words on his tongue that threaten to pour out, and it's all because of one student in the hero course. The one that always trips him up, surprising him just when Hitoshi thinks he has everything under control.
He flinches when something touches his shoulder. "You're really out of it today," Kazama says curiously, pulling his hand back. "I asked you a question like, three times."
"He's in dreamland," Sanada answers across from him. There's a level of smugness in her tone. "He's been like this since this morning. You'll have to ask him why." She slurps her noodles, and Hitoshi suddenly has the urge to dump the whole salt shaker in her bowl.
"It's nothing," Hitoshi insists, picking up his spoon. It's nearly slipped into his beef stew entirely. He starts to eat and tries his best to act normal. "What were you asking me?"
Unfortunately, Kazama doesn't take Hitoshi's hook to change the subject. He just hums, tapping his fingers on the table. "Does your weird attitude have to do with Valentine's Day?" There's a pause, and Hitoshi savors the silence as much as he can. It might be the last time. "Or the fact that there's two hero students staring at us?"
Hitoshi almost spits out his stew. He barely covers his mouth and coughs to the side. "What?"
He looks to where Kazama aims his gaze, scanning the room. He spots where Midoriya is standing now, carrying his tray with another guy, tall and blue-haired. It seems they were on their way to put their empty trays away, but stopped in the middle of the cafetaria to look over at them. At Hitoshi.
Midoriya tenses when Hitoshi's gaze lands on him, but an awkward smile blooms, and he raises one hand, weakly. Hitoshi feels his face heat up just a little, but not a crazy amount.
Then something awful happens.
The blue-haired student grabs one of Midoriya's arms and starts waving furiously at Hitoshi. He can see Midoriya squawk, his face turning instantly red as he's jostled around. It seems the blue-hair is saying something, maybe even shouting something, but Hitoshi can't hear it from here.
What are they doing," he groans, mortified. He covers his mouth with one hand, feeling his face heat up. Still, he can't look away from this trainwreck. "What the fuck."
"Cute," Haru coos, turning around in her seat. Her giggles come out like small bubbles. "Gah, wow, he looks terrified."
"Who?" Sanada turns her head, looking over her shoulder. Alarms go off in Hitoshi's head.
"Be cool," Hitoshi warns the group, placing his hands down on the table.
Sanada turns around completely, going as far as to slide her chair for a better view. Kazama stands up a little, holding his hand over his eyes. "You guys." Hitoshi closes his eyes, then buries his face in his hands. For the first time, he wishes everyone was still wary of him like the beginning of the year. "The worst. The absolute worst."
"I'm gonna wave back," Kazama says, and Hitoshi can hear the grin in his tone. "From one class president to another."
"Don't encourage them," Haru admonishes. Then, like the angel she is, "Are they bothering you, Shinsou?" There's such a kind sincerity in her voice that Shinsou almost answers.
Sanada responds instead. "Hey, it's the same guy who gave you a valentine today."
"Oh! Is this why you've been out of it?" He feels Kazama pat his shoulder.
Hitoshi ignores all of them and slowly uncovers his face. He sees Midoriya still stuck there, dying and held hostage by his class president, apparently. He looks stiff as a board, now, and like all the color's drained out of him. Taking pity on him, Hitoshi raises one hand and waves back.
Apparently that was the key to Midoriya's freedom. Blue Hair drops his grip on Midoriya's arm, who looks about ready to collapse. As he skitters away, Hitoshi stares at the back of his head, trying to get that wide-eyed look out of his fluttering chest.
Hitoshi suddenly feels the weight of three pairs of eyes land on him. "What?" he says, trying to keep his voice level and bored. Instinctively, his hand goes over his chest, over the card. His eyes dart around his so-called friends.
"So." Sanada's grin is utterly frightening. Haru might have actual horns on her head, but Sanada deserved them more. "Was that gift really from 'just a friend'?"
"It's a gift for transferring," Hitoshi states firmly, his other hand going to rub the back of his neck. "Not a valentine."
"But on today of all days?"
"What was it?" Kazama asks.
Hitoshi leans back in his seat. He hesitates, his mind jumping back to middle school days of staying quiet and keeping his interests under lockdown, away from judgement and scrutiny. There's a lingering heat of discomfort suddenly under his skin, like a memory. "It was nothing."
"You're lying." There's something indignant in Sanada's rebuttal, and Hitoshi catches a glimpse of furrowed brows in the girl's expression before it flits away.
"It wasn't chocolate," he amends, watching her carefully.
Haru frowns. "Did you want some?" She pushes the open box next to her tray towards him. "Here, you can have some of mine."
Hitoshi eyes the store brand box. "Who gave you these?"
"Some boy from the management course. I let him down easy." Next to her, Sanada turns to the side to smile, hiding it behind her hand. Hitoshi feels just the tiniest bit of warmth over how gross in love his friend is.
Valentine's day is the worst. Hitoshi takes some rejected chocolate anyway. Kazama grabs one too, which Hitoshi considers unfair. "I wasn't complaining," Hitoshi clarifies, talking around chocolate and coconut. "I'm just saying. It wasn't chocolate, so it's not a valentine's gift."
"But it meant a lot to you, right? You had this sort of look." Sanada spreads her hand out in front of her face. "It was different, Shinsou. You looked…"
"Happy?" he deadpans. "Gee, thanks."
She shakes her head. "Not just that. You looked...touched. You looked like, you know, when you suddenly find your old teddy bear you thought your parents threw away, and you hug it so hard and suddenly remember everything you forgot."
Haru's hand threads through Sanada's locks. "That was so cute," she gushes, and Sanada laughs, face blushing.
"She's a poet," Kazama comments, as they watch Sanada's brain fizzle. Hitoshi can't help his twitching smile.
Finally she comes back, eyes snapping to Hitoshi again. "But— yeah, that's what you looked like." Her teasing smile has dropped, and there is a more open expression instead. "It meant a lot to you, right?"
Hitoshi blinks a couple of times, swallowing the chocolate. He feels the curious gaze of the others on him. "Uhm…" The puzzle pieces in his chest are starting to form together. He rubs the back of his neck, staring away from their table to the closing lunch lines. "I guess it did. I don't even know him that well."
"So why don't you get to know him?"
Hitoshi frowns, gripping the back of his neck. He looks away to the other tables. "Isn't that weird?"
"You're gonna be classmates soon, aren't you?" Kazama elbows him. " You'll need some people to replace us."
"I wouldn't replace you guys," Hitoshi answers automatically. "I'm not transferring to make friends."
Sanada grins, and Hitoshi catches Haru's soft gaze directed at her, and oh, he really hopes what's in the air isn't infectious. "I know. But maybe you could make a different kind of friend. Today's all about taking chances, you know?"
He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, letting their words settle in his mind. His chest feels like it's swelling, with unbottled emotions and realizations looming on the horizon.
Taking a chance. Is that what Midoriya did today?
"Is he okay?" Haru asks, after Shinsou's put his head down on the table.
He mumbles against the wood. Kazama translates for him, poking his shoulder. "I think he's in shock. Emotions are new to him."
The end of the day arrives and Hitoshi still has no idea what to do about the gift. Kazama has a confession to receive, apparently, and Sanada and Haru run off somewhere together, so Hitoshi is left to head to their dorm alone.
As he moves with the flow of foot traffic through the halls, he finds himself scanning the crowd. The envelope is still tucked safe in his jacket, against his no-longer-rattling heart. He's accepted that it's important to him, and is on the way to accepting what these feelings might mean. It would help to have the subject at hand, but Hitoshi isn't sure what he'd do if he saw Midoriya again.
The students in front of him start to slow down as they near the front entrance, and Hitoshi sighs, stepping around the others. Midoriya had left before Hitoshi could open the gift, so it meant he wasn't expecting anything, right?
He's still pondering what to do as he steps through the front doors and the rush of rainfall fills his ears. The warmth in the air is surprising but not entirely unwelcome, and as he counts his blessings for packing his umbrella, he spots a green head of hair near one of the columns beneath the overhang, staring out into the rain.
His heart jolts again, but this time it feels more grounded, more approachable. He takes a deep breath as he makes his way through the crowd, pulling his fold up umbrella out of his bag.
Midoriya notices his presence after Hitoshi opens it above their heads, stepping next to him. "Shinsou!"
He looks semi-soaked, like he had walked out into the rain before scrambling back, but the brown-haired girl next to him is completely dry. "Forget your umbrella?"
"Uh, actually I was gonna share with—"
The brown-haired girl greets him. "Hi, Shinsou!"
Hitoshi nods at her, words caught in his throat when he spots the umbrella in her hands. His hand tightens around the handle slightly, feeling a little foolish. Of course, she and Midoriya would—
She turns to Midoriya. "I"ll go share with Tsuyu, since she doesn't bring hers. See ya!"
"I— uh, okay, Ochako!"
Hitoshi watches her step into the rain, towards the green haired girl who seemed to be enjoying the downpour sans umbrella. Turning his head, Hitoshi studies the raindrops that hang on Midoriya's hair, and how Midoriya's smile seems to twitch as he watches her leave.
Suddenly green eyes meet Hitoshi's and his mind goes utterly blank. "Would you want to?" he says nervously, and Hitoshi realizes that Midoriya must have been talking to him.
"What?"
His eyes dart down to the umbrella handle. "Share the umbrella? I really forgot mine."
"Uh—yeah. "
The rain is a staccato soundtrack against the umbrella's fabric, and Hitoshi tries to focus on it instead of his own racing heartbeat. "I thought since it was only a fifty percent chance, it might not rain," Midoriya says, adjusting his backpack straps.
Despite the downpour, the air is bright, the sunlight seeping through the overcast. Hitoshi tilts the umbrella more on Midoriya's side, even as he feels droplets on his shoulder. "Looks like your chance didn't work out for you."
Midoriya stares straight ahead, watching the rain. "Ah, you can't win them all. Besides, it's not all bad."
"Really? Why is that?"
There's something soft in Midoriya's gaze when he glances over, and it lingers in Hitoshi's mind. "How was your day today?"
Hitoshi redirects his focus to the students walking around them. He feels more hyper aware of the couples walking together, hands intertwined under a shared umbrella. "It was alright. A weird thing happened at lunch today though."
Midoriya makes a sound akin to a cough and a high pitched squawk. "Ah—haha! Yeah, I can't imagine what it was," He turns away from Hitoshi, staring hard at the trees lining the path.
Hitoshi feels the corners of his mouth twitch into a smirk."Yeah, it was quite interesting," he continues nonchalantly, "and this morning, someone gave me a gift and ran away before I could say anything."
Midoriya is red when he turns back, and there's one hand covering his mouth. "Oh. I mean— I was afraid of being late to class, since I already was running late this morning, plus Iida was really particular today about tardiness because I think he was nervous about Hatsume, but—uh, did you like it?" He has a hand scratching his head, unintentionally bumping the umbrella.
"I liked it a lot."
The nervousness seems to fade from Midoriya's voice, though there's a bit of surprise in it now. "I'm glad."
Hitoshi pushes himself to speak more. "Do you collect trading cards?"
Midoriya seems to open up a bit more, and Hitoshi tries to blame it on the rain and rain alone that Midoriya leans closer between them. "I—yeah. I used to, more when I was younger. The Eraserhead one is self-explanatory, right? You admire him a lot, and he trained you personally to get into the hero course. I know that Eraserhead merch is super hard to find, and I've kept that one for a while in the wrapping. " Midoriya's eyes stare off in the distance, like he's recalling his facts. It gives Hitoshi time to watch his face, how he smiles. " For the Mandalay, I mean, she has a psychic quirk like you, one that isn't necessarily combative. I guess they reminded me of you."
Hitoshi lets the rain run through his thoughts before he gathers his words. His voice is softer than he intends. "They're my favorite heroes," he admits.
"Really?"
"Yes. Thank you for them. And for the gift card."
"I—I'm glad you like them!" Midoriya's eyes are bright and shining, even against the sunshowers. "I think it's nice to have merch of your heroes. It can help remind you of who you want to become. Or that someone similar to you reached their dreams, despite how hard it was to get there."
"I agree. I used to be super into them, as a kid."
He can hear the excitement burst out of Midoriya. "Ahh, which ones did you have? Did you ever get the boxes with the collector's foils?"
Hitoshi grins, and the conversation carries itself from there. Midoriya's mouth runs a mile a minute when he speaks, and his eyes hold an excited shine when Hitoshi talks, like he's hanging on every word.
Hitoshi can't help the stupid grin on his face. His chest is singing, and it feels like a dam pouring out in the best way. At first, he tries to hide the growing emotion in his voice, elation after years of keeping quiet, of tucking away that part of himself for years. But he gives up when it becomes clear Midoriya's not holding back either. Midoriya's not ashamed. He's overjoyed.
Hitoshi doesn't even notice when they reach the general studies dorms. Midoriya stops walking first, halting at the front of the first general studies dorms. Hitoshi pauses next to him. "Thank you for taking me this far," Midoriya says. "I don't want you to walk further than you need."
The rain reintroduces itself to Hitoshi's ears, and his heart sinks a little before he catches himself. He looks to the building, instinctively. "This isn't my building."
Midoriya fails to hide the unexpected relief in his voice. "It isn't?"
A smirk hooks the corners of Hitoshi's mouth. "It's not. Now, come on." He starts walking again when he sees Midoriya open his mouth to dispute him.
Midoriya hurries next to him. "Which one is yours, then?"
"I'll never tell."
"So you're gonna me all the way back to my dorm?"
"If I let you get soaked walking back alone, that'd be cruel."
Midoriya's grin settles somewhere in Hitoshi's comfortable chest. "I guess so." A warm silence lapses between them, the only sound being the rain and their steps, navigating around puddles and avoiding water-bearing branches of nearby trees. It's peaceful, and Hitoshi finds he enjoys it almost as much as when they were talking. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Or maybe it was the person he was with.
Midoriya exhales, a happy hum passing his lips. "This rain is so nice," he says. "And afterwards is nice too. There's a serenity that hangs in the air."
Hitoshi spares a glance over at him. "So cheesy," he teases. "If only you were this quiet all the time." Midoriya laughs and it makes Hitoshi's stomach do flips.
"Thank you," Midoriya says one more time as they reach the front of 1-A's dorm. He turns to Hitoshi to smile, just barely under the overhang at the front doors. He lingers just a bit, like he's unwilling to pull away just yet.
Hitoshi takes a breath. Now or never, then. "Midoriya."
"Yeah?"
Hitoshi rubs the back of his neck, feeling stray raindrops resting there. Despite being under the umbrella the whole time, his hands feel clammy. "Thank you again for the gift. It was really nice for someone you barely know."
Midoriya's response surprises him. "I think I know you enough."
"Huh?"
Midoriya freezes up, like he's surprised at what came out of his mouth. He shakes himself out of it, though. "I mean, when you say you know someone, you usually mean whether they're a good person or not, right? Or—if they're someone who you want to spend time with. And I would like to spend more time with you." He ends it with a sheepish grin, cheeks dusted pink.
"...I'd like that too."
"Then, maybe we could do this again sometime?"
Hitoshi takes a step back, resting on his heels to think. "...You said you've never been to a cat cafe before."
Midoriya's eyes go wide, just a little. "Ah, yeah. I guess I've always thought of them as a place you go to with other people."
Hitoshi thinks of the perfect solution. He squeezes the base of his neck, tilting the umbrella back. Take a chance. "Would you want to go together sometime?"
"Sure!" Midoriya answers brightly. Then his eyes grow wide and his smile drops into a serious expression. "But, you don't have to take me because I got a gift card for you. You should use it for yourself."
Hitoshi tilts his head. "Midoriya," he says. "Who said I'd pay for you? I just said we should go together."
"Oh! I mean—yeah, of course! Sure, then!"
Hitoshi grins. "Then it's a date."
His own words hit his ears and Hitoshi stiffens up. Before he can say anything though, Midoriya beats him to it.
"I thought you usually pay for the other person on a date," he blurts out. His cheeks start to turn pink.
"Well, that depends if it's a date or not."
"Oh. So..." Midoriya trails off, and then finally finishes, taking the jump. "Is it a date?"
Hitoshi takes his time, letting the rain fill in the silence. He smiles, letting his voice take on that playful, low tone. "That's for me to know and you to figure out."
The wide-eyed, slightly stunned expression on Midoriya's face is one Hitoshi quickly learns he enjoys seeing, now and possibly in the future. "You're—you're—ugh," he whines, and it strikes a happy chord in Hitoshi's chest, along with that contradictory smile blooming on Midoriya's face. "Awful."
Hitoshi's hand goes to clutch at his heart jokingly, but he ends up grabbing the card too. With faux-surprise, he deadpans, "Cruel words, and on Valentine's Day? You're heartless, Midoriya."
Midoriya rolls his eyes. "Then I take it back. You're awful, sometimes."
"Wow."
"Let's have that maybe-date soon, sometime. And—" Midoriya starts to move towards the doors. "Happy Valentine's Day!" With that, he disappears into his dorm. Hitoshi is left smiling alone, kind of alright with that.
The walk back to his own dorm feels like walking on air. He doesn't even mind the rain, because he knows what will follow afterwards.