[ Please make sense now because he's mildly suspecting you are being mistreated. On second thought, he adds a lock to the conversation and switches to video. A blunt neutrality permeates his features, his tone calm and cold. ]
[ Midoriya doesn't mind it, this is his friend after all, but... how can Todoroki be so sharp and dull at the same time...? Shouto Todoroki is a tactician, he has his head on straight regarding the hero he wants to be, and... he may well still believe he's The Hand Crusher.
It started in March, but with their recent memories of home, it's fresh in their minds again. Midoriya ran away, twice. He was in danger and a danger to himself. They're protective of him. Midoriya should have known. He smiles gently. ]
No, Todoroki-kun, I'm not. I'm sitting and doing my English homework.
I'd know if I was, remember?
[ He has Danger Sense, which his classmates know about by now. ]
[ That answer stills the worry starting to claw at him and he nods once, firmly. Still not at ease, but more so than he was a second ago. After losing him back home, almost losing him here, he worries that one day, he'll lose sight of him and he'll be gone. Back home, he left when he was still recovering at the hospital. He didn't even get to see him after their failed strike against the league. After he was released, he looked for him in the dorms wanting to check up on him only to find a goodbye letter tucked underneath his dorm room. ]
... I see.
[ He looks away, fingers curling at his side. ]
Sorry... for the misunderstanding. I'm not very good with group chats.
[ Just a letter, keeping everyone at arm's length so he could have the strength to do what he had to do. Away from those who cared for him, even rebuffing All Might, Midoriya weakened himself to a husk instead. ]
Me either. I even totally messed up introducing myself. No need to apologize.
[ His eyes soften more when his friend doesn't meet his, and he chews the inside of his lower lip fretfully. ]
Todoroki-kun... I don't like seeing you worried. But... thank you. Thank you for looking out for me all this time. You're a good friend.
[ It might be smaller than back home, but their UA family here in Trench is no less committed to being that. ]
[ He still holds the image of him almost turning into a beast, watching over him while Bakugou and Uraraka slept. It's the first time Kizu ever deigned to come out and meet another Sleeper. His trust in him became hers. It's difficult to remove that night from his mind and even now, he sometimes worries over him more than any other. Probably because Bakugou and Uraraka seem almost like a unit having survived another Trench-like world. Or maybe it's because after so long alone here, it was Midoriya who was his first glimpse of home, and he doesn't want to lose that. That beacon of home.
An unfair burden, and one he's only now recognizing he's held for some time. Quietly, he raises his head, meeting his eyes. He gathers himself, folding all those emotions inwards so he can focus on this moment. ]
I haven't done much. I want to do more...
I--I don't want to feel like we might lose you again.
[ For months it was just the two of them in Trench. Though they could cover more ground as Heroes by basing themselves in separate apartments, they were the only two who really immediately understood their commitment to whatever shape their future careers could take in Trench, and their memories of living together in the UA dorms. Happy times.
It's why, after February's battle with the Leviathan and March's sojourn in Trenchwood, Midoriya had jumped at inviting his UA friends to the first normal thing he could: a birthday party. It's why, even though he's shy, he was thrilled to have so many people he knew in a group chat. It was like being in the dorms again, trading silly jokes. As he told Ruby, it felt like home. ]
You've already saved me, and more than once. All that taught me to rely on all of you more. And not even just my friends from UA, but the friends I've made here too. So many people looking out for me... Guess it's what I get for running away.
[ He softens that with a small smile. He's always admired Todoroki for his clear sight and level head, so it hurts him to see him down. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ He remains ever clueless. ]
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No I can't do it
It's too much
[ Clueless, meet hapless. He regrets everything. ]
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[ He has to do it. It will be better coming from a friend in the long run, right? Maybe? He must be the hero this chat needs. ]
It's a call-and-response. Ask about updog again here and I'll tell you.
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That's not how jokes work.
[ Oh, no. Now he's getting IDEAS in his head. The kind that end with terrible conclusions like how you might be All-Might's secret love-child. ]
Midoriya. Are they training you to be a dog?
1/2
2/2
It is how this joke works. Please just ask the question so I can give the joke response.
[ He's dying, Squirtle. ]
Video | Locked to Midoriya
Please tell me what's going on.
[video]
I'm sorry Todoroki-kun, I'm not the best at telling jokes. Here, I'll say it, and you can finish the joke on me...
[ He takes a small breath. Here it comes. He will fall on his sword for you, friend. Remember this. ]
What's updog?
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[ Dismissive. ]
Are you in danger?
mha manga spoilers
It started in March, but with their recent memories of home, it's fresh in their minds again. Midoriya ran away, twice. He was in danger and a danger to himself. They're protective of him. Midoriya should have known. He smiles gently. ]
No, Todoroki-kun, I'm not. I'm sitting and doing my English homework.
I'd know if I was, remember?
[ He has Danger Sense, which his classmates know about by now. ]
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... I see.
[ He looks away, fingers curling at his side. ]
Sorry... for the misunderstanding. I'm not very good with group chats.
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Me either. I even totally messed up introducing myself. No need to apologize.
[ His eyes soften more when his friend doesn't meet his, and he chews the inside of his lower lip fretfully. ]
Todoroki-kun... I don't like seeing you worried. But... thank you. Thank you for looking out for me all this time. You're a good friend.
[ It might be smaller than back home, but their UA family here in Trench is no less committed to being that. ]
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An unfair burden, and one he's only now recognizing he's held for some time. Quietly, he raises his head, meeting his eyes. He gathers himself, folding all those emotions inwards so he can focus on this moment. ]
I haven't done much. I want to do more...
I--I don't want to feel like we might lose you again.
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It's why, after February's battle with the Leviathan and March's sojourn in Trenchwood, Midoriya had jumped at inviting his UA friends to the first normal thing he could: a birthday party. It's why, even though he's shy, he was thrilled to have so many people he knew in a group chat. It was like being in the dorms again, trading silly jokes. As he told Ruby, it felt like home. ]
You've already saved me, and more than once. All that taught me to rely on all of you more. And not even just my friends from UA, but the friends I've made here too. So many people looking out for me... Guess it's what I get for running away.
[ He softens that with a small smile. He's always admired Todoroki for his clear sight and level head, so it hurts him to see him down. ]