Nerding Out

It was a lousy morning, for a lousy day, for an even lousier night. You’d lost your job, your boyfriend, and even your wits all in one day. 

Your job had been threatening you with termination for months now, saying you’d taken too many days off, been late too many times. Today was the last straw, as you showed up at 7:31, instead of 7:30. It was silly, really, that this was the nail in the coffin for them. Surely, someone else had fucked up worse that day. But alas, you had received the boss’ rage in the end, as she kicked you out with your box of little decorations and doodads. 

As for your boyfriend, you knew it was over long ago. You’d known each other for ages, stayed together for the familiarity. But as soon as you shared your first kiss, your first touch, you knew it wasn’t gonna work. You both pulled away with the oh so familiar look of disappointment. As soon as he called you, voice filled with a suppressed excitement, you knew he’d found his soulmate. You let him go, with not so much as an ‘oh no’, and just like that he was packed up and gone when you returned home.

‘The least he could’ve done was clean up…’ you thought to yourself, a slight anger bubbling in your tummy, as you returned to a trashed apartment. 

The apartment wasn’t trashed per say, but there was a slew of trash left in his wake. Anything he didn’t need was left behind. The familiar emptiness of the home left you hollow, feeling little like a home and more like just a room.

You were never one to dwell on the little things, moving through life at a brisk pace. But as you neared your thirties, getting steadily closer by the day, you found yourself becoming more and more desperate to find your soulmate in life. Your now ex boyfriend and you had thought you were being revolutionary by settling for each other, but as made apparent by his absence, neither of you were that happy with the other.

Maybe you should have fought harder.. You wondered. But, deep down, you knew he wouldn’t have stayed for you. It’s not that you thought you weren’t worth it. But you knew if you were in his shoes, you would have done the same.

As the sun went down, you decided a good bit of alcohol would do you some good. Anything to warm the ache in your heart, as you found yourself drowning in your own sorrow. You put on your warmest coat, trekking outside into the monochrome glow of the lowering star. 

Shadows crossed your path and blended into the pavement, making eerie shapes as you walked on by. 

You soon found yourself in the nearby liquor store, scanning the bottles on the rack, looking for something familiar. You were so involved in your search, that you barely registered the dual toned head of hair behind you. 

“Miss..?” they mumbled out, in a voice soft and monotone, causing you to jump in place and nearly knock over the display stand.

You whipped around, almost bumping into the stranger. “Sorry?” you stuttered, embarrassment flushing your cheeks.

The dual toned eyes met yours, two shades of gray, matching the white and gray hair. “Are you looking for something… specific?” It was then you noticed the familiar employee uniform.

You also couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the man. He wasn’t just handsome, he was gorgeous. His bone structure was perfect, and beneath his uniform, he was seemingly fit.

Your brain stumbled over the words, struggling for maybe a minute too long. 

“Um... not really…” you paused momentarily, desperate to continue a conversation with any living being. “…do you have anything for a, um, breakup..?” You tried to maintain composure, even tried for a laugh, but as the words left your mouth, you’d finally realized the weight of your situation. Your lips trembled and your eyes watered, the burden of your body becoming heavier.

The employee reached a hand out in your direction, as if to help you with the weight, but he seemed to think better of it, retracting his hand at the last moment. A frown graced his features, an expression you thought shouldn’t look so perfectly poised on anyone. 

“Um... we have some… stronger options, this way,” he gestured to your left, offering to lead you down the aisle. You sniffled, gratefully accepting the help, following him down the lane. 

Your footsteps fell, quietly in sync with each other. It was a short walk, very short, but as you wiped away your forming tears, you thought you caught him sneaking glances at you. 

If it wasn’t for your shitty circumstances, you’d be flattered by such a pretty guy checking you out. 

I mean, come on, he looked your age, he had a calming air to him, and he even seemed to be a gentleman.

 ‘No, he’s just doing his job…’ you thought, disappointed in yourself. Getting yourself interested in someone so soon after your break up? Bad luck, you don’t want to treat someone as a rebound. 

As you reached the section of stronger alcohol, a brand known for its near toxicity, you turned to thank the boy, but he had already wandered off to continue helping customers. 

You found yourself a bit disappointed at his absence.

Afterwards, you quickly picked out your poison of choice, and made your way to the checkout, surprised to find him waiting for you there.

You waved, softly as if you were scared to disturb him, as you placed your product on the counter. 

“Thank you. For showing me, I mean… I know it must be tiring to deal with unaware people all day..?” You ended your sentence, as if it was a question. Embarrassment crept up your back as you floundered to save your mistake.

He scanned the product, a slight beep filling your ears. It would annoy you, if it weren’t for the boy in front of you.

He simply quirked an eyebrow, the ghost of a smile on his face. “No worries… Happens all the time,” he muttered absentmindedly. 

Once he had bagged the item, he turned to you. “It’s on me..” he spoke carefully, as if he might surprise you again.

You read his nametag carefully as he spoke, barely registering his words.

“Oh! Really? Well, thank you… Todoroki.. It was nice meeting you..!” you smiled, as wide as you could given the circumstances. You were sure he could see the sadness in your eyes, but it didn’t matter to you.

“Yeah, you too…” he waved, carefully, as you left, his gaze following you out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t long before you found yourself wandering back to the liquor store. You were intoxicated, not blackout, but close. You weren’t sure why your feet led you this way, but you were sure you had to get there. 

It had been weeks since you’d last seen him, or even been to the liquor store, but after a night on the bar, your feet drug you ever closer to his place of employment. 

Was this creep behavior? Yeah. Were you following through anyway? Also yeah!

As you were met with the familiar buzz of the neon sign, illuminating the sky around you, you found yourself questioning your motives. What did you hope to get out of this? Another small greeting? Todoroki didn’t seem like the social type, and surely wouldn’t appreciate a random stalker.

Sober you would be stopped dead in your tracks by this realization. But drunk you? They saw this as an opportunity! Maybe he would think you’re special, showing interest in him.

As you took your next step forward, into the shop, a hand grabbed you from behind, covering your mouth, and pulling you into the back alley roughly.

You squirmed and kicked against the strong hand, to no avail. You tried to scream, but nothing escaped you. 

As you began to run out of air, and the lights dimmed around you, you heard a door swing open and a quick set of footsteps. A loud crack went off, and you were dropped to the hard ground. 

As you regained complete consciousness, you were met with dual toned eyes, watching you wearily. 

“Are you alright?” a worried voice reached your ears, as his gaze raked your figure, looking for any injuries.

You quickly collected yourself at the sound of his voice, Todoroki’s voice, no less.

“Mmyeah..” your speech slurred, much to your embarrassment. Your brain was foggy, and you still hadn’t processed the attack. 

Your eyes quickly found the body of your assailant. He was a big dude, with dark hair and, apparently, darker motives. As you searched again for your savior, you caught Todoroki glaring down at him with the utmost look of hatred.

As if sensing your gaze, he perked up, meeting your eyes. “Let me help you up..?” he held a hand out in your direction. You gently waved his hand away, getting up yourself. You almost swore you caught a look of disappointment, faintly visible on his features.

It was then you realized just how beautiful he was, perfect bone structure and sharp eyes. His long lashes fanned across his cheeks so gracefully, you almost thought it was mascara, or falsies.

In your drunken staring stupor, you came to the conclusion that the moment had become awkward. Your cheeks flushed, as you tore your gaze away, hands coming to cover your darkened cheeks. 

His bicolored eyebrows knit together, as Todoroki watched you closely. “Can I walk you home?” he muttered, fidgeting with his phone. “At least let me take care of the 110 call..?”

You nodded faintly, grateful for the help.

As the two of you padded home together, you found yourself admiring him more, and more. You didn’t know much about him, but surely he was a kind soul if he helped you out. Anybody else would have turned the other way. And it was surely helping that he was so good looking.

You hiccuped, covering your mouth, flustered. Todoroki met your gaze, a confused look on his face as his eyes fell on your hand, hovering over your lips. Quickly, a dark hue dusted his cheeks and bled into his ears, as if he had an embarrassing thought. 

“Whatcha thinkin ‘bout..?” Your speech was slurred, bringing heat to your cheeks. “Anything interestin?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he mumbled, a surprising bit of humor laced into his tone. Was he laughing at you? 

You frowned, small enough that nobody would care, but big enough to notice. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soon enough you found yourself placed in front of your apartment, both of you lingering together.

“Come inside..?” you muttered, barely loud enough to be heard.

His cheeks lit up, dusted with a heavy blush, eyebrows knitting together. “Sorry.. I.. I dont..-” 

Your eyes widened at the implication you made. “No! Not what I meant, ‘m sorry,” your words came out jumbled together, further embarrassing you. 

You sighed, dissatisfied at his lack of a proper answer, and slid down the door to your apartment, head in hands. You felt his careful stare on the top of your scalp, care and uncertainty filling his mind. 

“I guess.. I could come in for tea..?” Todoroki winced as he said it, ever so slightly, a ghost of an expression, really. What was he thinking? You were some stranger he barely knew. He was aware of some connection to you, but was it worth the risk? 

Apparently, it was.

As your face lit up, he knew he made the right choice. Your cheeks flushed, and your features displayed a look of excitement as you raised your head to meet his look. You nodded excitedly, rising from the ground, and clumsily unlocking your front door.

At your reaction, he flushed, a deep gray dusting the tips of his ears. Todoroki averted his gaze, eyeing the lights that adorned the apartment building, illuminating each doorway. 

As you lead him through your front door, he couldn’t help but notice the state of the place. The place was cluttered beyond belief, with little memories hidden everywhere, hard to let go of. His attention fell on a specific doodad, a small cat figure, each side a different color. The left half a pale tabby, the right a dark, patchy hue. 

He tenderly picked up the cat, inspecting it. Holding the dual toned feline, he caught your attention. 

“You like it..?” he nodded in response, a slight look of intrigue in his eyes. “You can have it,” you slurred, plopping down on a loveseat.

“I can’t accept this,” he shook his head. “It’s yours.”

You gingerly patted the space beside you, as you reassured him, he could keep the figure. Todoroki sighed, squeezing into the love seat with you, careful not to touch you. You felt a little hurt at the implications of his fear. You absentmindedly twiddled your fingers, humming to yourself. 

You two tried your best to make small talk, chatting amongst yourselves. You found his quiet nature endearing, but couldn’t help but want him to open up to you.

Wouldn’t that be special? It’s always nice getting someone to trust you. 

“So about the tea?” he gestured towards your kitchen, catching your attention. You instantly rose from your seat, so quickly in fact, you found yourself falling forward.

Todoroki reacted in the blink of an eye, extending an arm to catch you by the wrist. 

As soon as his skin came in contact with yours, your sight erupted into beautiful colors. Every hue of the rainbow made its way into your vision. Todorokie must have noticed it too, as his grip immediately loosened, causing you to drop to the floor.

As you rubbed your head, feeling the pain from the impact, you took in your surroundings. Todoroki stood over you with his hands to his chest, looking terrified. “I need to go…” he mumbled, under his breath. 

You instantly sobered up, hurt clear across your features, and not from the fall.”Huh..? But, surely you see it too?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I need to leave,” And just like that, he sped for the door. “Goodbye..” he muttered, letting the door slam shut behind him.

You let your head fall back to the floor, ignoring the dull throbbing pain it brought. The real pain resided in your mind, your heart. Of course your soulmate would flake out on you.

Class 3A, recently graduated, in their rambunctious entirety, were spending the day grouped together at the mall. As per usual, Tenya Iida found himself keeping the group together and organized. Between Kaminari and Mina, he found himself with a handful of trouble.

Iida followed the group of twenty, closely behind. Being sure to keep an eye on each of them. He was prepared for a long day, sure, but what he wasn't prepared for was your bright smile blinding him all the way from the food court.

Iida found his gaze drug to you as if naturally, and when your gaze met, your eyes lit up to match your smile.

"Ten!!" you yelled, across the mall, rushing to meet your friend. Iida was grateful to meet your embrace, taking in your new aesthetic. Sure, you were bright and airy inside, but on the outside you looked hardened, with your piercings and tatted up sleeves.

You couldn't help but feel subconscious under his watchful gaze. He seemed to take in every part of your being, picking it apart in seconds.

Finally, he spoke your name, in a quiet whisper, before quickly matching your energy. "It is wonderful to see you! It has been ages since our last meeting!"

Iida clapped his hands together, excitement making it's way through his body. He quickly began asking questions about your tattoos and their meanings, alongside the age of your piercings and their healing process.

All the while, the remainder of class 3A stared the two of you down, muttering amongst themselves.

"Who are they?"

"Why is he so excited?"

"They're so different from each other!"

It wasn't long before Iida turned around to introduce you to the group, explaining the background between the two of you.

You had met during primary school, being close friends all up till high school. Your quirk was lack luster, meaning you had no chance of getting into UA. Not that that was necessarily your calling.

Kaminari was the first to say anything, speaking what they all thought, "How did you two ever get along?" He was met with a slap to the bag of the head by Kirishima, who was muttering something about your manliness, and bravery for having such strength to endure all the piercings and tattoos.

You simply laughed it off, "Oh, you know a nerd like Iida would need a protector!"

Iida's face flushed as he raised his arms in a crossing motion, as if making an X with his body. "I could handle myself perfectly well! And I was no such nerd,"

This was met by giggles amongst the group.

After more questions, and some jokes amongst the lot, you found yourself spending the day with them on their outing.

"You know, Im glad you accompanied us today. It's nice seeing you all grown up." Iida found himself muttering to you, from the back of the group.

You nodded excitedly, "Let's do it again, yeah?"

-Hawks found himself in quite the predicament upon meeting you. He was encapsulated by your beauty, sure. But what really caught his attention were your mannerisms.

-Hawks, with his keen eyesight and observant nature, found himself noticing all your nervous habits. The way you twirled your hair between your fingers, as if counting the strands. The way you seemed to time your blinks if you lost focus on what he was saying. The way you lost eye contact whenever he asked a question.

-Hawks knew anybody else would have found these a bit on odd, but to him they were endearing. He soon found himself asking more questions, counting your blinks in time with his, and averting his attention to whatever seemed to catch yours.

-Hawks found himself making excuses to bump into you, learning your schedule and borderline stalking you through the street, from the sky above. He was embarrassed of this new habit, but his conscious made no move to stop him.

-Hawks made note of anytime someone stopped you to chat. He made note of all the little ways you displayed discomfort. The way your shoulders tensed, the way you subtly made your way further down your path, and even the way you twiddled your fingers together. You always rung your fingers around your index finger, as if making your own ring for it.

-Hawks wasted no time swooping in on one particular day, when someone was far too pushy with you. They had been resting their hands on you, snapping in front of your face to catch your attention.

-Hawks landed with a fyoosh, the air around him gusting over the stranger, being blown about by his wings. The poor creep knew he was in trouble, almost scurrying away when Hawks asked if he was bothering you. Lucky for them, you shook your head and began your journey home.

-Hawks let his judgement filled gaze land on the perv, before he rushed after you, begging to lead you home. "Come on, song bird. Let me walk you." He was worried his confident demeanor would scare you off, but when your tearful eyes met his, while you nodded your head, that fear dissipated.

-Hawks made it his new routine to lead you home after that.

-Hawks had many daydreams of holding you close in his wings, even considered gifting you one of his feathers after you two had grown closer. By now, you often had early morning coffee breaks together, when he had the time. He knew your order by heart, and without fail, would offer to order for you.

-Hawks knew you were shy, and often nervous. He also knew you were starting to warm up to him. It made him feel special. He wanted to make you feel special.

-Hawks soon asked you on your first date. He understood then, how all your nerves felt. His heart was in his throat when he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, if you wanted to join him for dinner that night.

-Hawks was overjoyed as you nodded your head, he knew it had to be perfect for you. He reserved a table in a beautiful restaurant, complete with your favorite cuisine. Even brought his own centerpiece and candles for the table. He made certain it was in his own private corner of the place.

-Hawks lead you gingerly towards your seat, his feathers covering your eyes. As soon as he released his grip on you, you gasped amazed at the romantic gesture.

-midoriya insists that you get on top, so you can set the pace of everything. he places his hands shakily on your hips, careful not to put any weight or pressure on you.

-midoriya is so gentle with you the first time. hes heard itd be painful for you and is terrified to hurt you. hes so scared he barely moves for the first few minutes, even though its eating him alive trying to stay still for you to adjust.

-midoriya is loud, very loud and you love it. all the lil gasps and groans drive you crazy, and make you that much louder as well. the two of you sing together with your moans and heavy breathing.

-midoriya is very nervous he won't be able to please you as well as you please him. hes heard the stories of people not finishing due to the partner's lack of action. he asks, softly, to touch your chest, and fiddle with your nipples and you happily allow him to.

-midoriya knows he wont last long, especially not with you. his rhythm stutters and hips pathetically jerk towards your warmth. he fights as much as he can to last, for you, but once you see the way his eyebrows are knit together, and the concentration on his face, youre all but begging him to finish for you.

-midoriya comes undone loudly. youre sure the whole apartment can hear him. and you love it, youre obsessed with the sound. he, however, is embarrassed beyond belief, hiding his face in his hands.