AN: In which a second phone call happens and many insecurities get discussed. Also in which a new group chat is born and Bakugou's murderous intent gets relit:)
Normal is Momo
Italics is Shouto
Bold is Midoriya
Underlined is Jirou
Underlined bold is Kaminari
Underlined italics is Iida
Bold italics is Ashido
Heads-up: the first "the badass band" chat is read from Kami's phone with how he has everyone saved in his contacts. The second one is from Jirou's.
10. Secrets and Backstories (Surprise, I'm Not Dead)
Tuesday, 14th December
Tuesday Morning
(05:47) Alright but how much thought was poured into the layout of that library?
(06:03) Oh my God, I can't believe you already reached that part.
(06:05) My bus was late. Or rather, I was early for it. I had a bit of a fitful sleep.
(06:05) Oh no, you aren't sick, are you? You have a big match coming up!
(06:05) I'm alright. I just had… a lot on my mind.
(06:06) I won't pry, but just now I'm here whenever you need me.
(06:06) Thank you, Yaoyorozu.
(06:06) And about the library! It's actually modeled after a real library in a small city close to Vienna, the capital of Austria.
(06:07) And the plan of the labyrinth derives from a large 13th century maze existing on the floors of the Rheims Cathedral in France.
(06:07) Given how much research went into designing it, I shouldn't be surprised it matches the map of the world, huh?
(06:07) You certainly shouldn't. And once you discover who the murderer is, you'll understand why this library was important enough to deserve so much attention.
(06:08) Is it weird that I want to build a time machine just so I could visit it?
(06:08) Not at all! And Eco describes it so marvelously that one of my dreams is to actually walk through this maze myself and break the codes.
(06:09) As if the murder mystery wasn't enough, these codes are genius.
(06:09) I actually believe the library segment to be more important than any other scene in the book, since it solds out the philosophy Eco built his novel around.
(06:09) Ah you're so close to the end! I don't want to spoil it but I'm super excited for you!
(06:09) Somehow, I can picture you bouncing with excitement.
(06:10) Don't be a psychic like that!
(06:10) But it's cute.
(06:10) Ah. Thank you.
(06:10) How is your book going along? The Great Gatsby, if I remember correctly?
(06:10) Right. I finished it yesterday evening, after the math homework had destroyed my tolerance for boredom.
(06:11) It was a pleasant read, since the author writes with much wit and using comparisons that wouldn't have crossed my mind.
(06:11) The subject itself is a love story, and while not new or treating a groundbreaking theme, it was still an insightful look into American society and quite heartbreaking at the same time.
(06:11) Huh. Are you a romantic then?
(06:11) I like to think I am pragmatic, but I do tend to be more optimistic when it comes to romance.
(06:11) Could you be more specific?
(06:13) For instance, I believe there is someone for everyone. Not like a soulmate, just a that there is no person who doesn't deserve to have someone by their side. Whether they allow that person by their side or not is up to them, but I believe there is something to love about everyone, and that a person will eventually come along for whom the beautiful features of said person will shine brighter than any defects.
(06:13) I don't know if that makes any sense.
(06:14) No, it definitely does. And it's a beautiful mentality to live by.
(06:14) Are you not that optimistic, Todoroki-san?
(06:14) Perhaps I am not. But sometimes, when I talk to you, I feel like I could learn to trust fate more.
(06:14) Are you turning me into a romantic, Yaoyorozu?
(06:15) It wasn't my intended goal, but if I could, I would.
(06:15) And why is that?
(06:15) Because love is a beautiful thing to believe in, and it brings just a bit more color into one's life.
(06:15) That's… that's beautiful.
(06:16) Waw. It sure sounded cheesy.
(06:16) Isn't it too early for such a discussion?
(06:16) It's never too early to speak your mind.
(06:16) But speaking of time, why are you up before sunrise?
(06:17) I guess you weren't the only one with something on their mind, Todoroki-san.
(06:17) If that pervert did something again, I am taking the first bus towards Shiketsu.
(06:17) No no, that's not it. I just had to make a decision.
(06:17) Just as you said, I won't pry, but I'll be listening if you need me.
(06:18) I think my problem was solved already.
(06:18) Thank you for your concern, though. It means a lot.
(06:18) Anytime. I have to get back to practice, talk to you later?
(06:19) Of course.
/
(07:34) yaomomo? your bed is empty, where are you?
(07:38) I'm in the library.
(07:38) so early?
(07:38) I needed to think.
(07:38) is this about ashido's plea from yesterday?
(07:40) Yes. I know she asked me to help as a friend (although I must admit I haven't the slightest idea why both you and Ashido believe I am some sort of love guru and come to me with your problems. I literally haven't ever had a boyfriend).
(07:40) Even so, I won't lie, the fact that Ashido's crush studies at UA and that this plan involved me meeting Todoroki-san one way or another was oddly convenient.
(07:41) And I honestly didn't know whether I wanted to barge in like that…
(07:41) why not?
(07:41) Because it'd be like inviting myself in his life, and he may not want me there.
(07:41) do you truly believe yourself?
(07:41) After the talk we had this morning… It may be wishful thinking, but I think he might want me at the party too.
(07:42) there you have jt then. you're coming, right?
(07:42) Yes. If only to add a little bit of colour.
First Period
(07:54) third phase: get yaomomo to agree with the plan and join the band. status: complete
(07:57) sweeeet
(07:57) BUT how could you oh so conveniently forget to tell me that kirishima knew ashido?
(07:59) ups
(07:59) was i supposed to mention it?
(07:59) you literally made me ask kirishima whether he wanted to breakdance and his eyes lit like a christmas tree
(07:59) awww!
(08:00) no kidding! whod have guessed they were classmates in middle school!
(08:00) from the way ashido speaks of him, i think they might be more than that
(08:00) omggggggg
(08:01) A CRUSH?!
(08:01) "horn buddies" is how she puts it
(08:01) but she literally told yaomomo last night that her crush is at ua and she needs momo as moral support there when she confesses soooo
(08:01) so a crush
(08:01) ah that explains so much
(08:01) like how kirishima got up and knocked his chair down in the process when i asked him that
(08:01) excitement level: kirishima
(08:02) man i cant wait to tease him now
(08:02) don't be too harsh on him
(08:02) he sounds like the only sane guy in your squad
(08:02) is that supposed to be an insult?
(08:03) what can i say, i have an acquired taste in men
(08:03) that makes me extremely lucky
(08:03) leaving the gossip and mushy talk aside
(08:03) we have some serious business to attend
(08:03) its time for that huh?
(08:04) you know it
/
Kaminari Denki has created a new group chat with Jirou Kyouka 3, King of Explosion Murders, Ashido (Kirishima's Crush) and Messenger of Darkness
Kaminari Denki named the chat "The Badass Band"
Jirou Kyouka3: well now that's done
Jirou Kyouka3: welcome everyone
Kaminari Denki set his nickname to ElectroBolt
ElectroBolt: lets rock'n'roll!
King of Explosion Murders: Let's fucking do this!
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): someone looks excited;)
Messenger of Darkness: This looks like a mad banquet of darkness…
ElectroBolt: tokoyami bro long time no see! hows your dark shadow doin?
Messenger of Darkness: He is alright… Trying not to let him sink into the madness of the underworld…
King of Explosion Murders: Why is the bird fucker here again?! He creeps the shit outa me
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): dont clown our best bassist!
ElectroBolt: AND he can play the bagpipes!
Jirou Kyouka 3: you and your fairytale of new york obsession
King of Explosion Murders: Wait, I don't know this number, Ashido (Kirishima's crush) who are you?
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): ashido mina breakdancer ar your service~~
King of Explosion Murders: Wait a fucking moment
King of Explosion Murders: We have a breakdancer but no paininst?
Jirou Kyouka3: about that
Jirou Kyouka3: there is a pianist but she's my special guest so you won't meet her until the night of our show
King of Explosion Murders: And how exactly are we supposed to fucking practice?!
Jirou Kyouka3: just trust me on this
ElectroBolt: then we better start practicing as soon as possible!
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): today after classes? 0-0
Jirou Kyouka3: sounds good. everyone in?
King of Explosion Murders: Do you NOT hear me woman?
ElectroBolt: i can offer my humble abode as meeting place
ElectroBolt: but if you ruin something again my parents will disown me and i will pretend ive never met you
Jirou Kyouka3: and i will personally kick your butt bakugou
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): omg someone has pissed jirou off!
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): this smells like drama~~~ im so in!
King of Explosion Murders: Fuckers.
ElectroBolt: so youre not coming baku?
King of Explosion Murders: Who the fuck are you calling "Baku" you shit for brains?!
King of Explosion Murders: And of course I am fucking coming you couldn't do anything without a drummer you dipshits!
Jirou Kyouka3: glad that's settled
Jirou Kyouka3: you have volleyball practice right bakugou?
King of Explosion Murders: Yeah, till 8 if Mirio doesn't feel like killing us with extra drills.
Jirou Kyouka3: come to pikachu's basement once you're done.
Jirou Kyouka3: the rest of you lot, be there at 18:30. tardiness won't be excused
Ashido (Kirishima's crush): yes ma'am!
Messenger of Darkness: I shall honor this contract of darkness…
ElectroBolt: see you guys soon!
/
(08:13) girl not to burst your bubble
(08:13) i know im an important part of this plan and all
(08:13) but i cant break dance all alone
(08:14) you have kirishima backing you up, right?
(08:14) yeah but ill need at least two more people for a proper choreography
(08:14) we can't squeeze in more people from shiketsu
(08:14) hang on, i'll talk with our agents on the inside
(08:15) uuuuh, I like the sound of that~~
(08:15) tell them they dont have to be pro ill teach them all they need to know as long as they are decent dancers
(08:15) perfect
/
(08:15) yo midoriya!
(08:17) Jirou, what a surprise. Is everything alright?
(08:17) yes. we've actually convinced yaomomo to come
(08:17) Great!
(08:18) so listen, our breakdancer? ashido? yeah she said she'd like to do a good job so she needs at least two more people willing to learn her dance
(08:18) Let me guess, you want someone from UA.
(08:18) smart boy
(08:19) she isn't asking for pros. just people who feel the beat
(08:19) At least two, right? I'll talk to my friends and we'll see what we can do.
(08:19) knew i could count on you!
Second period
(09:04) Hey Iida!
(09:04) Midoriya-kun! What happened?
(09:05) Jirou said they need at least two more people willing to dance for the Christmas Party.
(09:05) And I was thinking we wanted to surprize Uraraka-san with the lights anyway, right? And she's a great dancer, so why not keep her busy with the dance practice while we set up the surprize?
(09:06) That sounds like a solid plan. But you need at least one more person, right? Who else do you have in mind?
(09:06) I was thinking of Aoyama-kun. I think he'd love to stand out.
(09:07) Perfect.
(09:07) Speaking of that… doesn't Todoroki-kun look rather tired to you?
(09:07) Yeah, I think he nearly fell asleep in calculus…
(09:07) I'll talk to him.
/
(09:07) Todoroki-kun?
(09:07) Sorry for startling you, but please don't fall asleep during Professor 13's physics class!
(09:08) I promise nothing, but I'll try.
(09:08) Did something happen?
(09:09) Not really. I just couldn't sleep well, that's all.
(09:09) And before you ask no, it doesn't have anything to do with Yaoyorozu. Not directly, anyway.
(09:09) I see.
(09:10) Well then, do you want some green tea? I could rush to the vending machine.
(09:10) You're an angel, Midoriya.
Fourth Period
The Bakusquad
Red Riot: Would you rather drink water for the rest of your life ooor you can drink anything else but it has to have a drop of pee in it?
Explodo McExplode: What the actual FUCK?!
Tapeman: Just answer the question Bakugou
Explodo McExplode: Fucking water of course!
Explodo McExplode: What dipshit would drink pee?
ElectroBolt: this dipshit right here
ElectroBolt: come on dude how could you give up on milk? or milkshakes? or cappuccino?
Explodo McExplode: But it's fucking pee!
ElectroBolt: IT'S ORGANIC!
ElectroBolt: IT'S HEALTHIER THAN MOST OF WHAT WE DRINK!
Tapeman: He has a point
Red Riot: What would you choose, Sero?
Tapeman: Does it have to be yellowish from the pee?
Red Riot: Yeah
Tapeman: Oh screw it, pee it is!
ElectroBolt: YEAH MAN!
Tapeman: I can't live without vanilla frappes
Explodo McExplode: You all are fucking insane!
ElectroBolt: thats why you love us
Tapeman: Before another war starts how did you come across that question kirishima?
Red Riot: A friend of mine made me watch this movie called to all the boys i've loved before
Red Riot: And two of the characters were discussing this question
ElectroBolt: omgomgomgomg is it a ROMANCE?
Explodo McExplode: Did the fucking name give it away?
Red Riot: It is
Explodo McExplode: No shit Sherlock.
ElectroBolt: omgggg
ElectroBolt: I LOVE ROMANCES!
Explodo McExplode: Why are you all pointing out the obvious today?!
Tapeman: Why are you so sour bakugou?
ElectroBolt: i think hes afraid jirou will kick his butt when he meets her
Red Riot: Omg he's meeting your girlfriend?!
Explodo McExplode: I've met her before dipshit and I ain't fucking scared!
Tapeman: Oh right you used to be in the same band
Explodo McExplode: A band created solely because blondie here had the hots for her.
ElectroBolt: thats a story for another time
ElectroBolt: for now i have to trick her into watching this movie with me
Red Riot: Trick?
ElectroBolt: she isnt big on romances
ElectroBolt: hit her up with action or fantasy and youll win her over
ElectroBolt: romance tho… she says its mushy
Explodo McExplode: Because it fucking is!
Tapeman: Dude you cried at the notebook
Explodo McExplode: I wasn't crying! Something was fucking stuck in my eye!
ElectroBolt: tears?
ElectroBolt: its okay baku we know youre tough
ElectroBolt: men can cry
Explodo McExplode: I'LL MAKE YOU CRY WHEN I CATCH YOUR UGLY FACE AND TURN IT INTO YOUR FUCKING ASS!
Red Riot: Bakugou wait this is a study hall!
ElectroBolt: this is my cue to visit the library bye guys i love you
Tapeman: There's no point in running after them Kirishima
Tapeman: Our dear friends won't stop until Bakugou barrels Kaminari in and the latter apologises
Red Riot: Sigh…
Res Riot: Kaminari hasn't visited the library since he put pepper in Bakugou's toothpaste, huh?
Tapeman: The good old times…
/
(11:35) jirou if i die i want my last words to be i love you
(11:35) firstly don't annoy bakugou anymore
(11:36) secondly don't text, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
(11:38) a loving girlfriend as always
(11:38) i try
Lunch Break
(12:48) I know this is random but I just saw this adorable post of cat snaps and I had to share it!
(12:48) Post
(12:56) I think I may get diabetes.
(12:56) "Forward, my noble steed!"
(12:56) That was insanely cute but my favourite has to be the one with the playmate.
(12:56) The dedication there… boundless.
(12:57) This post made me smile so I was kind of hoping it may help you too… with whatever it is that's eating away at your brain.
(12:57) Thank you, Yaoyorozu.
(12:57) I don't think anybody's ever done that for me.
(12:57) Sent you random cat memes?
(12:58) Cared about me to such an extent.
(12:58) You deserve it, Todoroki-san.
(12:58) I wonder.
(12:58) Why is that?
(12:58) If you were to know everything about me Yaoyorozu, would you still say that?
(12:59) We all have parts of us we ourselves don't like.
(12:59) That's not what I mean.
(12:59) There's a side to me not many people have seen. I don't think *you'd* like it.
(12:59) Don't decide what I would or wouldn't like for me.
(13:00) I'm not a mind reader, Todoroki-san. Unless you tell me what it is you are afraid of, I won't know. And I won't be able to accept something I don't know about either.
(13:05) What I'm trying to say is, talk to me before you decide I won't like what you're about to tell me.
(13:07) Todoroki-san?
/
(13:06) kaminari? are you still alive?
(13:08) barely
(13:08) i have the librarian to thank
(13:08) she saved my life
(13:09) is it possible to stop a pissed bakugou?
(13:09) no
(13:09) but its possible to hide me
(13:10) she was cleaning and there happened to be an empty bookcase close by, so I sneaked into it and she draped a cover over me
(13:10) my neck hurts like hell
(13:10) but at least you're alive
(13:10) true
(13:11) so what now? if you enter the cafeteria, bakugou will see you.
(13:11) no idea
(13:11) you could ask kirishima or sero to bring you food
(13:11) hed see them leave and include them in his revenge plan
(13:11) i respect my brocode!
(13:12) then what?
(13:12) i waltz in there and remind him hell meet my badass girlfriend tonight so he better leave me be unless he wants his ass kicked
(13:12) sorry to burst your bubble but shouldnt it be the other way around? you know, the boy protecting the girl?
(13:13) old social norms
(13:13) you wouldnt have dated me if you wanted protection
(13:13) and i wouldnt love you as much as i do if you werent a badass and could hold your own
(13:14) jirou?
(13:15) i'll take that as a compliment
(13:15) text me if you're alive
(13:16) I KNEW YOU CARED!
/
(13:08) I got you four dancers.
(13:14) well done midoriya! do i deserve some names?
(13:16) Uraraka and Aoyama, as well as me and Iida.
(13:16) uraraka… that name sounds familiar
(13:16) wait!
(13:17) isn't that your crush?!
(13:17) She's not - we're not like that! She's just a friend!
(13:17) What did Todoroki tell Yaoyorozu-san…?
(13:17) judging from your reaction, probably the truth
(13:18) leaving your sweet romance aside (you're in the denial phase, trust me, it'll pass)
(13:18) how come you and iida are part of the dance team too?
(13:18) Well…
(13:18) Uraraka may or may not have persuaded us.
(13:19) no comment
(13:19) gimme their phone numbers and i won't tease
(13:19) Your mercy is appreciated.
The Badass Band
Jirou Kyouka added Uraraka (Midoriya's crush), Midoriya (wingman#1), Iida (wingman#2) and Aoyama (who dat?) to the group chat
Ashido Mina ^~^ added Kirishima Horn Buddy
Ashido Mina ^~^: now we finally have everyone wohooo
Midoriya (wingman#1): Nice to meet everyone!
Iida (wingman#2): Likewise!
Kirishima Horn Buddy: Oh Bakugou is here too!
Grumpy: What the fuck are you dipshits doing here?
Grumpy: Why is FUCKING DEKU HERE?!
Ashido Mina ^~^: because unlike you he can dance!
Jirou Kyouka: you won't even practice together for the most part so stop. bitching.
Jirou Kyouka: we're all meeting up at 18:30, or as soon as you finish practice for the volleyball club. no buts no excuses
ElectroBolt: class dismissed
Jirou Kyouka: sometimes i wonder what's wrong with you
Ashido Mina ^~^: buuuuurn 0-0
Fifth Period
(14:06) Kyouka I think he hates me.
(14:06) i'll pretend i'm emotionally prepared for this conversation
(14:07) go on, tell me what happened
(14:07) I don't know! I'm so stupid!
(14:07) He just started acting cryptic and self depreciating and I lashed out on him!
(14:07) Although I knew he was worried about something and this was probably it ahhh what sort of friend does that Kyouka?!
(14:08) woah woah woah hold your horses girl
(14:08) did you insult him?
(14:08) No? I don't think so.
(14:08) did he say he hated you or needed a break?
(14:09) No…
(14:09) But he hasn't answered in like an hour and I'm scared of writing to him again!
(14:09) maybe his phone was confiscated or something
(14:09) don't just go assuming the worst
(14:09) you have his friend's number, right?
(14:10) Kyouka, you're a genius! I love you!
(14:10) yeah yeah, here i go, saving asses all day long
(14:10) i should get paid for this shit
/
(14:13) Midoriya-san, I hope I am not being nosy when I ask you what happened with Todoroki-san… I was unfairly harsh to him earlier today and I hope I haven't wounded him, since that wasn't my intention.
(14:14) His battery died an hour ago so I am not certain he even got your message.
(14:14) He's been fighting with Bakugou over a charger the whole break and I think he just managed to snatch it away from him with Sero's help.
(14:15) That's a relief. Thank you, Midoriya-san! Sorry to have bothered!
(14:15) No problem. I hope you're both okay!
After school
(17:34) I'm sorry, I just saw your message now (my phone died and I had to fight for a charger and then continue the fight over the plug-in… it's a long story).
(17:34) Thank you for being patient and sincere with me, too. I did not take it as an insult - if anything, I'm glad you're willing to listen to me.
(17:36) And I finished the book. I think I get why it's your favourite book, and the importance of the library scene. As I was reading through the first half, I thought it was about Adso defining his identity and finding his place within the ideologies he's presented with, but the second part portrays the question of knowledge in the wrong hands and I couldn't help but remember our conversation about you and chemistry and I feel like I may understand. With knowledge comes pressure, and the more one knows, the heavier that weight becomes.
(17:39) Yet I couldn't help but notice another theme, one conveyed through the author's choices rather than words. The crimes were all centered around the danger of knowledge, and they came not out of a wicked thirst of murder, but as a natural conclusion to finding out too much (you were right, I didn't expect the murderer and loved the plot twist). What shocked me, however, is that he isn't discovered through deductive logic, like Poirot solves his cases for instance, but through coincidences and errors. Just as Eco says in the postscript, "very little is discovered and the detective is defeated", and that's because William was never there as a detective. I think he was there to illustrate an ideology and serve as a model for the reader, and integrating failure in his path somehow makes it sound less humiliating and more… normal.
(17:40) I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book serves as a life lesson and I am glad I read it, because (and I don't say this lightly) I loved it. Thank you, Yaoyorozu.
(17:45) May I call you once I'm done with club?
(18:23) You got it all, Todoroki-san. Of course you can call!
Tuesday Evening
Shouto shuffled towards the back of the buss, taking his usual seat by the window. It was so cold outside that his breath fogged the glass when he lowered his scarf, and he traced the beginning of frost-kissed corners and ice flowers along the windowsills with his gloved finger.
Leaning against the headrest, he stretched his legs and shifted the sports bag in his hands. Captain Mirio was so excited for their upcoming match that he blew all the steam in the form of twenty extra drills per person, which translated into sore muscles for Shouto and heartbeats so erratic they weren't back to normal yet. He waited until the second stop for his breathing to even out before he pulled his phone out and unlocked it with a swipe.
The screen blinked to life on Yaoyorozu's contact, and he pressed call before he could change his mind about what he wanted to tell her.
Shouto held his breath as the phone rang. He only loosened a relieved sigh when she picked up at the third ring.
"Good evening, Todoroki-san!" her voice came from the other end of the line, and Shouto muffled his smile into his scar, but he doubted he could hide the crinkles around his eyes. Yaoyorozu had this hypnotic voice that made him instantly feel at ease, as if it carrassed the part of his soul in dire need of calm and affection.
"Hello," he rasped, and made a mental note to stop yelling at Bakugou during practice.
She noticed his hoarse tone and sent one of the goosebump-inducing giggles his way, "Practice was harder than usual?"
"You have no idea," he huffed. "Both Mirio-senpai and All Might are absolutely pumped for this match and they seem set on preparing us for every possible attack."
"You say that, but your voice betrays excitement!"
Shouto could imagine her beaming at her correct deduction, and decided to grace her right guess with a low chuckle. "Can you blame me? We've never played against them before, and new opponents bring new challenges."
"Indeed. I hope you still rest properly, however," she alluded to their morning discussion, her voice coated with concern.
Shouto wished he could speed up the clock to make it Thursday and meet her again, to see those obsidian pools light up like the starry night sky when she smiled, and he bit down the impulse to change his bus and head to Shiketsu.
"I'll try. Although if you give me another book as good as The Name of the Rose, I just might spend the entire night reading," he teased indeed.
"After the match, I'll recommend you more of my favourites," she said with what must have been a complice smile. "I'm so glad you liked it, though, and you - you got it, Todoroki-san." Her voice suddenly cracked with emotion, and Shouto braced himself for a rant that never came. He was starting to get used to the way she blabbered about the things she loved, so why was she suddenly quiet?
"Yaoyorozu?"
"Oh, I was just lost in thought," she said as if he had woken her up from a daydream.
"A thought for a thought?" Shouto suggested.
"What?"
"You tell me what you were thinking about and in exchange, I tell you what I was thinking about."
She pondered the suggestion for a moment before replying, "Sounds fair." Taking in a deep breath, he heard her turn on her side and supposed she must have been in her dorm room - alone, given that Jirou hadn't made any snarky observations as of yet.
"I was thinking about your earlier messages. About knowledge in the wrong hands, and about my chemistry. I told you before how my parents own a cosmetics company?" Shouto hummed. "Well if I were to succeed them, I'd mostly be doing managerial things, and not working in the lab per se. But then, I'd probably find myself into delicate situations: I'd need to pay the competition mind, to alter the composition of certain products because whether they are sold or not is what matters in the end, and quality sometimes comes second to marketing in big industries.
"And I was thinking about what else I could do with science, that maybe I could save lives, and that I may neutralize the damage someone with more knowledge than me inflicted on the world by developing nuclear bombs. That perhaps I can do more than sit in a chair and lead a company by words alone."
She sucked in a breath and her tone dropped an octave, until it was barely above a whisper, "And then it dawns on me that that may be all just wishful thinking and that maybe I'm not made for the latter, and that scares me more than spending the rest of my life signing contracts does."
Shouto wasn't sure how to reply to the heartfelt confession, but he knew he spoke from the depths of his heart when he said, "You can only try, right? Maybe you won't indeed make a revolutionary scientific breakthrough, but maybe you'll be part of a team that will or maybe your research will be read years later and inspire someone. I once read this quote - let me see if I remember correctly - Shoot for the moon. Even if you don't reach it, you'll at least be among the stars."
Yaoyorozu let out a small laugh that sounded as if it was woven together from all her worries and hopes, and she said, "That's true. But what if I fall from the sky?"
Weirdly enough, Shouto felt as if he could be poetic just this once and answer, "Then you'll be a shooting star, and someone will make a wish upon you."
"That's beautiful, Todoroki-san," Yaoyorozu said, no amusement of mockery in her voice. He could imagine her curling into herself, pressing the phone to her cheek with a hand as she ran the other one through the ends of her ponytail, and he smiled softly.
"What's your thought?" she asked.
Perhaps she couldn't take the weight off his shoulders - Shouto wasn't asking that of her anyway. But she could listen, and if she didn't walk away, that was already more than enough.
The bus engine purred as it left another empty station, and the lights were low inside, no one other than Shouto adventuring into the cold, lone winter night. He spoke slowly, as if retelling a fairytale he had long since forgotten, just like his mother used to when the first snow fell every year.
"I was thinking about my mother - and my family. My father used to be a volleyball player - he was one of the best in Japan, the experts claimed. But there was someone he could never beat, a certain Yagi Toshinori, now a teacher at UA known as All Might.
"I think my father always felt inferior to him because of that, and he wanted to get his quote-on-quote revenge through his children. As my siblings were born, one on one, he'd try to teach them volleyball and make them play with the best teams in Tokyo, but he was never quite satisfied.
"When he first introduced me to volleyball, it was as a wing spiker, since that was the role All Might used to play. He said I had a spark, and that I could take over his legacy. I was five and giddy at the time - the ball was my best friend, because it connected me to my brothers and I loved seeing them jump as if they had wings to reach it. It made me dream big - that maybe someday we'll all play together.
"But as soon as I was deemed worthy or whatever, my father cut our wings as he separated me from my siblings, saying I had to hone my skills by myself. He put me through spartan training, and he was merciless. Sometimes I'd get injured so badly from my training that I'd sneak into Mom's room and cry as she kissed my injuries. I think I broke my hand twice, and he made me play even during recovery.
"Mom was against this, and she tried talking him into going easier on me, but my father was fueled by hatred for All Might, and he kept going. Someone had to break sooner or later.
"It was Mom."
He stopped when he noticed he had clutched his hand so tightly around his bag that his nails dug into his hand, even through the gloves, and it hurt. Yaoyorozu said nothing, but her shallow breath assured him she was still there, still listening. So he continued.
"I shouldn't have barged in on Mom during my training, but I was hungry and she was in the kitchen. I also shouldn't have heard her talking with Grandma and telling her we're starting to look more and more like him, and that my left side - the red hair I inherited from my father - looks hideous for her. When I crept into the kitchen and tugged at her pants, I must have looked like the monster haunting her nightmares. Her only weapon was the kettle with boiling water and my only fault was having him as my father.
"A week later, I was discharged from the hospital with a scar. She remained with a mental illness."
Yaoyorozu finally managed a, "Todoroki-san" and her voice was so brittle that he realised she had been quietly crying.
But he couldn't stop now, not when the dragon of this fairy tale was about to be defeated. "Volleyball was all I had and yet I hated it with burning passion, because it reminded me of him. But since he used to play setter and All Might, who had become my hero over the years, played wing spiker, I supposed that made me less of a brute.
"I enrolled in UA on recommandation, and joined the team. Bakugou and Midoriya were the other two first years who joined, the first as middle blocker, the second as my rival wing spiker. But I couldn't see them, couldn't see past the protective shield I had built around me.
"Until the qualifier for the nationals. We were at match point and our hits weren't connecting. The only ones close enough to the net to score were me and Midoriya. I was in no position to spike - the ball was too low, lacking the necessary impulse, but I could see it. I could see the toss, as if in slow motion, the way my body would have to arch to reach it and send it over to Midoriya where the blockers wouldn't think of shielding because of his height.
"But I couldn't, because I had sworn never to be a tosser. As if reading my thoughts, that was when Midoriya yelled at me, It's your talent, Todoroki. It's your own power. I think it was the first time I had ever heard him.
Shouto inhaled greedily as he concluded, "The ball connected. And within me, something clicked."
The silence around him was deafening, but Yaoyorozu soon filled it with, "That's why Tangled. And your name reveal." Her thoughts came out in broken sentences, between inaudible sobs that Shouto could somehow still make out.
"Yes," he answered and wondered whether that was too much. Whether he was too much.
But Yaoyorozu only said, "I need to personally thank Midoriya for telling you what you needed to hear. Because you are indeed your own person, and you aren't defined by your father's mistakes. And for what's worth, Todoroki-san, I think you're a wonderful person."
And somehow, that was all Shouto needed to hear before tears he didn't know had been welling up behind his eyelashes rolled down his frozen cheeks, slowly, as if time wasn't rushing them to dampen his red muffler.
"I'm sorry for this - if it was too much-"
"It wasn't. It came from your heart, and I feel honored - honored - that you shared this with me. I-I kinda wish I could give you a hug right now, because words won't do this justice." He could see the blush dusting her cheeks, and his tears stammered on their way down as they met his blooming smile.
"But I want you to know," she continued, "that you're never too much, Todoroki-san, and that I'll always listen."
"Why?" He couldn't stop the question before he blurted it out, and he held his breath until she answered again.
"Just as I said earlier today. With or without your backstory, you're worth it, Todoroki-san. Because you aren't defined by that - to me, you're a volleyball dork who likes Disney movies and who can get my favourite book and weird taste in music. We all carry emotional baggage, bigger or smaller, but as long as you can take a moment to enjoy these little things? You'll be fine."
"Yaoyorozu, you - you always say you like my outlook in life, but you're amazing, you know that?"
"Thank you," the smile in her voice was audible. "So are you."
Shouto glanced out the window as the bus stopped and quickly scrambled to his feet, "Shoot! This is my station!"
"Oh no, I don't want to keep you for too long!" Yaoyorozu said, suddenly sounding guilty.
She was about to hang up when Shouto said, "Yaoyorozu? Thank you." He looked up at the cloudless winter sky and added, "For being my coincidence and accepting my errors."
If he could see her face, he was sure her eyes would sparkle with all colours and none at the same time, absorbing all the happiness in the world in those dark pools of kindness and beauty. "It's a pleasure to have dialed a wrong number. Good night, Todoroki-san!"
"Night, Yaoyorozu!"
/
(22:05) Kyouka, I've been thinking.
(22:05) I think I like him after all.
AN: Hello!
I know you guys have been waiting, but I hope it was worth it. With well over 6k, this is the longest and most important chapter of d&e as of yet. I hope you'll keep enjoying this up until the end, and thank you for the constant love and support! It really does blow my mind, and all of your reviews warm me up!
Also I got lovely fanart from selephi on tumblr, so check her out! And the amaing ginpachi_sensei on ao3 translated this in russian too ahh! I don't deserve all of this love!
Thank you guys for all the love and patience, and get ready for more!