The stakeout itself, though normal for hero work, hostage switching specifically, is a bit dull, sitting in a worn down little building, the apartment room empty as it will be destroyed in a week or so. Whitewashed walls long turned to rust and the remnants of various fluids staining the walls, a cobweb in the corner of the wall and musty sunlight filtering through nailed up boards on the window.

"How long until Deku gets here?" Uraraka hummed into her tea, cupping a hand around the edge and blowing lightly on the surface to ensure that none of it spilled.

She and Todoroki sit on a picnic blanket, bright red and white making a stark contrast to the dusty wooden floorboards. Iida is running late, she knows, will not be there for half an hour or so due to a case that he needs to wrap up, but she forgot her phone and thus is counting on Todoroki to relay the information to her.

Todoroki checks his phone, the dim blue light casting faded shadows on his face, and he is quick to close it so that the captors don't see them. "Soon," he sighs.

He doesn't know either, then.

Uraraka smiles a bit, and takes a sip of her tea. "This is nice, isn't it? Having some free time together."

Todoroki's lips twist into a wry smile, "I'm not sure about free time. We are here to make sure a hostage situation doesn't go awry, after all."

"But we're technically off the clock," Uraraka points out, which is true. Four of the top heroes wouldn't be able to all gather like this for a normal mission, it would be overboard.

"We're still dealing with the mafia," Todoroki points out, raising an eyebrow.

Uraraka sighs and presses all her fingers against her cup before letting it go. It hovers in the air and she can pour out the tea into the cup without setting it down or holding it awkwardly with one hand and pouring with the other. "Mafia, schmafia. These are kids testing the waters."

"They're in their twenties," Todoroki points out, biting back a smile.

"Point?" Uraraka narrows her eyes.

Todoroki sets down his tea cup, a small smile on his lips, "We're in our twenties."

"Hush," Uraraka huffs, "We've got more experience."

"Ah," Todoroki raises his eyebrows but does not dispute her claim, instead opting to change the subject. "I thought you had book club with Momo, Kouda and some of the others?"

Uraraka sighs, "They decided to read The Metamorphosis this month and..." she shudders, "You know how I feel about that book."

Todoroki takes a sip of tea to hide his smile and nods once he's finished taking his sip, "I understand," he says, quietly but amused. Uraraka has a vengeance against insects, and reading about a main character that has turned into one still grates on her. (That, and the first... and last... time that she read it, the book made her cry, sobbing about how he didn't deserve that!)

Uraraka huffs, leaning back and yawning, the tips of her fingers brushing over her lips. "You read any good books lately?"

Todoroki takes a moment to think about it. "William Joyce's Guardians series is quite lovely."

"Of course," Uraraka smiles a bit, fond and soft, "You've been in your children's books phase."

Todoroki shrugs, but understands that it's merely an observation, nothing less. Seeing as he didn't have time for fiction when he was younger... Endeavor never approved, and Todoroki didn't see the point in reading fiction until somewhere around the second year of high school... he's catching up, now. "From what I hear, Momo's been really into mysteries lately?"

"Oh, yeah," Uraraka laughed, "She and Tsuyu-chan have been going through Sero's Case Closed collection like there's no tomorrow. They say it's educational."

"It must be," Todoroki smiles a bit, "Sero helped the police force to identify an assumed suicide as a murder case, right? There's got to be something there."

"Maybe we should start reading mysteries as well," Uraraka nudged Todoroki.

He nudged her back, albeit much more softly, "You can. Maybe I'll start reading some Nancy Drew."

"Oh no," Uraraka laughed, "Those aren't mysteries, you know."

"They're written for children," Todoroki shrugs again, the tips of his muted yellow sweater brushing against stray, longer strands of hair that haven't curled around his face or neck. "They're designed to be engaging, exciting. Detailed layering and subtleties aren't exactly the most gripping of stories."

"Depends on who you ask," Uraraka smiles wryly, but doesn't dispute the idea. "Have you read Neil Flambe? There's a kid's series that's, uh, almost a mystery."

Todoroki hums, an invitation for her to continue.

"It's about a fourteen year old with a super nose, basically," Uraraka laughs, "He's a prodigious cook, but he helps solve mysteries on the side because his sense of smell is so powerful that he can help identify the suspect and narrow down the options. It's more flash and snark than real mystery. It's no Agatha Christie," she giggles and agrees at Todoroki's soft murmur of can anybody be, "But it's a fun time. I liked it when I was younger."

Todoroki inclines his head, chin brushing against the edge of his turtleneck, "I'll keep that in mind," he says thoughtfully. "Remind me to write it down on my list later."

Uraraka smiles a bit, "I will," she agrees.

Then there's a knock and the door falls down. A cloud of dust flies up, and as they're coughing, Izuku comes in, wincing. "Sorry, guys," he rubs the back of his neck, "There was a robbery and..."

"It's fine," Uraraka laughs, exchanging glances with Todoroki, "We're still waiting for Iida. Have a seat?"

Izuku beams and sits down, "It's great to see you guys. How have you been?"

"We were talking about mystery books!" Uraraka beams, "Have you read any recently?"

The situation is a bit dull, in the dusty, decrepit building, but the picnic and the company is well worth it, chasing away any boredom that dares to linger. Sitting between Izuku and Todoroki, sipping her tea, Uraraka thinks to herself that good company can make anything worthwhile.