"Here is the room you'll be staying in. It's the smaller of the two, but I can't exactly switch rooms since my bed is too big." Todoroki explains to the third visitor of the day. The room he is pointing at is small, but still big enough for one person to live comfortably. Izuku looks around the empty room and nods in approval. Even though the room is small, it is bigger than some of the rooms he visited earlier this week. And the price of it is more reasonable than any other. The only problem is that this is a shared apartment, whereas the others are single rooms. Here he would have to live alongside another human being and while that couldn't be too bad, he is scared of not getting along with his roommate.
The other young man who lives there is slightly taller than him, well built, with half of hair a shiny white and the other a dark red. He seems the quiet type, and gives off a cold vibe about him. Half of his face is covered by a dark scar that only makes him more intimidating. Izuku steps out of the room and follows the other to the bathroom then the rest of the apartment.
"So, you think you're gonna take it? I know it's not much but it's pretty well located and I'm not a bothersome roommate to have." Todoroki is looking down at the ground, his expression bored. Izuku takes one last good look at the place and makes a decision.
"I think I will. It's within my price range and it'll be nice to have someone around." Todoroki looks up, confused, but the expression leaves his face as soon as it came.
"When do you intend to move in? Classes are starting next week."
"My mom was planning to bring all my stuff Saturday if that works for you."
"It's fine. See you then." With that, Todoroki motions to the door without a word needlessly said. Izuku takes it as his cue to leave and waves a goodbye before going out of the door. Well if one thing is for sure it's that Todoroki is a man of very few words. This is going to be interesting.
As promised, Izuku comes back on Saturday with his mom and a rental truck with all of his things. It takes them two hours to bring everything back to the apartment, and then Inko leaves her son to bring the truck back. After a hug and a few tears, they say their goodbyes and Izuku promises he will try to come on weekends as much as possible.
Back in the apartment, he notices Todoroki waiting for him.
"Hey." Izuku says timidly, still slightly intimidated by Todoroki's distant attitude.
"Sorry I didn't help earlier, I didn't want to bother you and your mother. I can help you install your room now if you want. I don't start work until 4 and it's only noon."
"Sure, but how about we eat something first? I'm starving." Todoroki nods.
"I got some leftovers we can share, until you get your own groceries." Right, Izuku remembers his part of the fridge is still empty.
"Thanks. I think I'll go later today."
Todoroki heats up some fried rice while Izuku sits at the kitchen table. It's weird to think of this place as his own now, it all still feels so new and foreign. He doesn't have too much time thinking about his situation before lunch is ready and the two boys eat in silence. Halfway through the meal, Izuku speaks up.
"So, you never told me much about you? What to do you do? What are your hobbies?"
"I'm an art student; I think we go to the same university. I also have a side job at a bookstore near campus and that's where I'm working tonight. I don't have many hobbies unless you count art." Silence falls once again on the table. Izuku knows half of this already as it was information Todoroki gave in the e-mails they exchanged. He doesn't pry him any further, but Todoroki speaks again after a few minutes.
"How about you?"
"Well I'm on a scholarship for psychology but you already knew that. I'm hoping I can get a job too since I don't have a lot of money and that would help pay the rent and things like that. Do you know any places looking for an employee?"
"I think some of the coffee shops and convenience stores near campus are hiring students. Since you're a first year I can show you around on Monday if you want, before classes start on Tuesday."
"That would be great actually! I've only done the tour they give to seniors last year but I don't remember much of it. I'd love to hear your tips and tricks on how to get around." Izuku spies a hint of a smile on Todoroki's lips.
"Not much about it really, most of it is just about knowing where your class is and getting your way around a crowd of students."
The rest of meal passes in silence as neither of them think of anything to say. Todoroki insists on doing the dishes while Izuku thinks about how he wants his room to look. He doesn't have many things, only a bed, a nightstand, a desk and a shelf, most of which are broken down into smaller components to be reassembled. Once he has a pretty clear idea of how he wants things to be, they get started. In one hour they have reconstructed all the furniture and Izuku is storing his clothes in the closet. He asks Todoroki where the grocery store is and leaves.
When he comes back an hour later, Todoroki is getting ready to leave for work and Izuku goes into his newly assembled room. The furniture is the same and so are the clothes, but it still feels like a stranger's room. He texts his mom and decides to spend the evening playing some games. He doesn't hear Todoroki come back and decides to eat some Mac n cheese for diner. He ends his first day in this new slice of his life thinking about how everything is so different and yet so similar to before. He falls asleep dreaming about his classes and the friends he hopes to make along the way to getting his degree.
Monday comes around and Todoroki knocks on Izuku's door around 2pm.
"Hey, do you still want to look around the campus? I've got work later on but I can show you now."
"Coming!" Izuku jumps off his bed and puts on his shoes at the speed of light.
It's true that there isn't much more to visiting the campus than what was done during the tour, if only now Izuku tries to focus on learning the buildings' locations, which is hard since there are quite a lot of them. They eventually make their way around the grounds and Todoroki points out a few shops just outside the university that should be hiring. He wishes Izuku good luck and goes off in one of the nearby streets to work. Izuku realizes a little too late he totally forgot his resume but decides to go around the stores to see if any of them would be interested in hiring him.
He gets a lot of offers and vows to come back the next day with his resume. As he exits the last shop, the sky begins to darken and bring the promise of rain. Cursing that he forgot his umbrella, Izuku ponders the idea of going back home. Home, what a strange concept. He doesn't have time to think about the weirdness of calling his new apartment home when drops start to pour and he is forced to take shelter in the closest building. Even if going home entails taking the bus, he doesn't want to wait for the bus in this rain.
Looking around he notices the store he rushed in has its walls covered from top to bottom with shelves of books. The warm light reflects off the covers and gives off a comforting vibe. Didn't Todoroki say he worked in a bookstore? Maybe this is it? Izuku panics at the thought of bothering Todoroki at work, but he is drawn in by the alluring books.
He starts looking around, noticing the store spreads on two floors and that it is actually quite filled with people. He soon finds himself drawn to the mystery section on the second floor. He recognizes books he's read before, but also some that catch his attention. He looks at the rain pouring outside and tries to restrain himself, saying he'll only buy one book. As the rain continues to drop like cats and dogs and his impulse control begins to dwindle, he finds himself with a pile of five books in his arms. Cursing his love for books and Stephen King's wonderful writing, he forces his footsteps to go to the coffee shop area of the store in hopes of not picking up any more novels.
Sitting down at a table, he peeks outside to see the rain still coming down brutally and sighs. He realizes he likes this bookstore with its wide selection and available coffee. He sees himself coming here many more times during the year. Lost in his thoughts, he begins to nod along to the music playing in the store. It's a piano piece from Beethoven, or so he thinks. Its sound fills the room and Izuku closes his eyes. It takes him a few moments to realize the sound quality is too good to be coming from speakers and he is taken aback when he spots a grand piano not far from where he is sitting.
What surprises him even more is the peculiar hair color of the person behind it. A head of pearly white and deep wine red swinging along with the music. Todoroki is a few meters from him but Izuku might as well be invisible. The young man seems so focused on his music that he doesn't notice Izuku walking up to him until the end of his song.
"I didn't know you could play, you're amazing!" Izuku compliments him. Todoroki jumps around on the seat, his eyes wide open.
"Why are you here?" His tone is harsh and Izuku almost takes a step back. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, I'm just surprised to see you at my workplace."
"It's raining and I just took shelter in here and then some books caught my attention and I was lost." Izuku says, motioning to the pile of books in his arms.
"I see."
"I didn't mean to bother you at work, I'm sorry. You play really well, it's amazing."
"Thanks. My mother taught me." Todoroki glances at his watch. "Well, my break is over, I got to go back to work. The rain should be clearing soon so you can head back."
"Sorry to have taken time out of your break. I guess I should go pay for these now." Todoroki nods, gets up and leaves Izuku alone by the grand piano. Todoroki is such a peculiar guy, Izuku thinks. He seems nice but so closed off Izuku wonders if he would ever open up to him; if maybe they could ever become friends.
Looking at the drizzle outside, Izuku reluctantly heads for the checkout line. The books cause a heavy dent in his bank account and he regrets ever coming in here. Or at least he would if it weren't for the way Todoroki looked gently at the keys while he played the piano beautifully. The rain is calmer when he steps outside and so Izuku decides to go back home.
A few days later, Izuku gets a response from one of the coffee shops near campus asking for an interview. He doesn't see the use in it but goes anyway. He gets the job and manages to fit it into his already tight schedule. Now that classes have started, his free time is reduced and he doesn't have much time to visit his mother anymore.
Living with Todoroki is nice and mostly efficient. Not a word out of place and most of the time sticky notes left on the fridge instead of actual words. Todoroki is quiet and never invites anyone over. Izuku is scared at first to invite his friends over, but Todoroki gives his approval and a week after the start of classes his new friends Iida and Uraraka join him for a movie night. Soon they learn to live with each other, learning the other's schedule and not making much more contact than necessary. While it seems a bit cold to Izuku, he does not complain since Todoroki isn't exactly making his life worse.
Everything seems to be going smoothly until one night Izuku wakes up to screams. At first, he believes it is a dream and he decides to go back to sleep, but soon a second loud cry rings through the night and Izuku is forced to realize this is for real. He recognizes Todoroki's voice and rushes to the other's room but stops right outside, scared to go in. He hears Todoroki rustle in his sheets and moan in despair, and his kind nature cannot take it a second longer.
He opens the door and walks in to wake Todoroki up, shaking him while whispering his name. Suddenly, a fist flies to his face and he staggers into the wall behind him. Todoroki is staring at him, sitting wild eyed on the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"You were screaming, I thought you were having a nightmare so I woke you up." Izuku rubs the sore spot on his cheek.
"Sorry for punching you, but I don't like being shaken awake. Besides, I can deal with my own night terrors on my own. I've lived alone before so it is not your problem to take care of them now. Please never intervene again."
Izuku shrinks back, nodding. He should have just left Todoroki alone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'll go back to my room." With those words he leaves, feeling the burn of Todoroki's stare follow him to the door and out.
Slipping back into his bed, he wonders if Todoroki's way of dealing with his nightmares really is working. Sure he hasn't heard any screams until now, but that didn't mean he could take care of them like he said he could. For now he would not bother him about those, but Izuku wishes that Todoroki would one day let him into his life.
