[He could definitely press on this, but Izuku just came home. Izuku's already disappeared once. It would be better to keep Izuku at home for a little longer.]
[It's weird to walk in silence, but it's not the first time Izuku's been quiet. At least this time it's not because all of his mumbling has gone missing.]
Any kind of fruit. There's a bunch of apples, aren't there?
Thanks, Shouto. [Izuku gets to work, picking a handful of apples and slipping them into his bag. The vegetables come next, before Izuku passed the bagpack over to Shouto for the potatoes.]
[Their fingers brush as he reaches out to take the apple, and Izuku has to resist jerking his hand back when he feels his face flush suddenly.]
Y-yeah! [Izuku fumbles for a cloth to wrap the strawberries in, feeling oddly clumsy as he ties it all up. What is wrong with him??] I think this should be everything.
It is! Really! [Resisting the urge to cover his too-warm cheeks as Shouto looks at him so intently, Izuku concentrates on just moving along. He's so flustered that he forgets to even eat the apple that Shouto had helpfully given him. Too close!!
...too close?
He and Shouto have curled up together to comfort each other, embraced, and moved in and out of each other's personal spaces easily before this. How is it that even these little things are triggering reactions out of him now? But...no, wait. It's not just the physical closeness that's changed the air between like this before, is it? Izuku's quick mind flits back to all the moments that something Shouto said that flustered him, made something in their relationship shift just so. The last time that had happened was when Shouto had accidentally taken part of the flirting potion. Though Izuku had tried so hard not to think about that incident, or when he had taken the potion the first time, up until now, there's been a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he was missing something important. More specifically, Izuku had been hesitant to think about why he had been so disappointed that Shouto's words had just been a product of the potion's influence, that Shouto didn't actually want to kiss him or like him that way.
Oh.
Oh.
Izuku stops suddenly in his tracks as the realization hits him. He likes Shouto. Even if part of him had been afraid to put a name to the change in their relationship, Izuku feels the new knowledge settle into him with a calm sort of certainty. It isn't surprising that he would develop a crush, all things considered. Shouto's amazing, after all. He also lets the resigned acceptance that his feelings won't be reciprocated settle into him a moment later. He's just Izuku, in the end. He's lucky to have Shouto's trust and friendship--it would be greedy of him to want more than Shouto's already given him.]
[He let's it go. Ultimately, he trusts Izuku to know what's going on with himself. Maybe it's something he wants to keep secret for whatever reason. Shouto's made it clear enough that he's here to talk about whatever Izuku wants to or needs to. So he's sure he doesn't have to remind him.
Whatever it is can't be too bad or else Izuku would tell him about it, right? At least, that's what Shouto assumes.
Izuku is Izuku in the end, and Shouto cares about him more than he ever thought he could care about somebody else. Izuku really is that person who makes him want to be better. Shouto's lucky to be able to call him his friend.
When he stops, Shouto does too, looking over at him. Izuku said he was fine, so it would be silly to ask about that.]
Did you forget something?
[Because for as much as Shouto can read him, he doesn't know what's rattling around in his thoughts right now.]
No...I just remembered something. [Now that he has a name to put to these feelings, calm washes over him--he's always been good about compartmentalizing things.
Izuku smiles at Shouto, shaking his head slightly.] It's nothing important. Let's go.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Okay. What do you want to get?
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Potatoes, I think. And some of the other vegetables. Those should be easy to cook up and eat pretty fast. [A pause.] What do you feel like having?
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Any kind of fruit. There's a bunch of apples, aren't there?
Do we have strawberries yet?
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[Thankfully he has his bag with him to help carry all of this! Izuku feels himself relaxing as things start shifting back to normal between them.]
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[And they're here! Izuku heads straight for the apple trees, since they're the closest anyway.]
We can drop everything into my backpack. Uh--except the strawberries. We should probably hold onto those so they don't get squashed on the way back.
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[Because Shouto's going to much on them the entire way home.
But he'll start collecting some potatoes.]
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If you're worried about that, I can carry the strawberries for you.
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I'll carry the rest of our food.
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Just the strawberries left!
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At least it's only one before he starts picking them in earnest to bring back home. ]
Aren't you hungry?
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I might eat an apple on the way back just to tide me over until the food's ready.
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Here. We'll get home soon.
[ And then Izuku can pet his hair while stuff is cooking. ]
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Y-yeah! [Izuku fumbles for a cloth to wrap the strawberries in, feeling oddly clumsy as he ties it all up. What is wrong with him??] I think this should be everything.
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... Do you feel okay?
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I'm fine! Totally fine! [Please ignore the nervous squeak in his voice.]
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It's nothing! Don't worry about it, Shouto.
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Is it really nothing?
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...too close?
He and Shouto have curled up together to comfort each other, embraced, and moved in and out of each other's personal spaces easily before this. How is it that even these little things are triggering reactions out of him now? But...no, wait. It's not just the physical closeness that's changed the air between like this before, is it? Izuku's quick mind flits back to all the moments that something Shouto said that flustered him, made something in their relationship shift just so. The last time that had happened was when Shouto had accidentally taken part of the flirting potion. Though Izuku had tried so hard not to think about that incident, or when he had taken the potion the first time, up until now, there's been a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he was missing something important. More specifically, Izuku had been hesitant to think about why he had been so disappointed that Shouto's words had just been a product of the potion's influence, that Shouto didn't actually want to kiss him or like him that way.
Oh.
Oh.
Izuku stops suddenly in his tracks as the realization hits him. He likes Shouto. Even if part of him had been afraid to put a name to the change in their relationship, Izuku feels the new knowledge settle into him with a calm sort of certainty. It isn't surprising that he would develop a crush, all things considered. Shouto's amazing, after all. He also lets the resigned acceptance that his feelings won't be reciprocated settle into him a moment later. He's just Izuku, in the end. He's lucky to have Shouto's trust and friendship--it would be greedy of him to want more than Shouto's already given him.]
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Whatever it is can't be too bad or else Izuku would tell him about it, right? At least, that's what Shouto assumes.
Izuku is Izuku in the end, and Shouto cares about him more than he ever thought he could care about somebody else. Izuku really is that person who makes him want to be better. Shouto's lucky to be able to call him his friend.
When he stops, Shouto does too, looking over at him. Izuku said he was fine, so it would be silly to ask about that.]
Did you forget something?
[Because for as much as Shouto can read him, he doesn't know what's rattling around in his thoughts right now.]
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Izuku smiles at Shouto, shaking his head slightly.] It's nothing important. Let's go.