deercountry | Let's Spill the Tea

Who: Todoroki and Midoriya
What: Todoroki makes tea while the two catch up.
When: Early Dec
Where: Midoriya's House

[ After the terror of November, the pair recover in their own way. Midoriya recuperates at the local hospital which he visits only a few times when he can make it before visiting hours are closed. During his few visits, he refrains from asking about his ordeal or the circumstances of his injuries. Midoriya for his part, doesn't asl him about his own trials, the two falling into a quiet understanding of - not now.

A week after Midoriya's release, their schedules align and he takes the opportunity to knock on those doors they've both been avoiding. Mid-afternoon on Saturday, he texts him acquiring his permission before making the trek through Trench stopping by Lysithea's shop before heading to Midoriya's district. He uses his Lamp friend to get there within half an hour and by the time he arrives at his doorstep holding two distinct boxes that reach to his collarbone, he rings the doorbell.

On entry, he declines his friends offer to help him carry the stuff. He can handle it having carried it without incident. It's not much to make the final walk to his living room or wherever Midoriya decides to settle them in. Todoroki for his part follows behind him, taking note of his friends home which looks much more livelier than his own residence. He lets Midoriya ramble a bit, offering a few responses, before they're settled down and Todoroki proceeds to set both boxes down. One is a simple black carboard box while the other is a little sturdier. He opens the sturdier one first revealing a Japanese tea set, and explains that he was being serious when he suggested they have tea. ]

It arrived with me.

[ He continues, pulling out the carefully wrapped tea set from its box. The same set the Wakers gave him on his arrival. ]

I don't understand why, but I also received the same tea I drink at home. I thought you might like some.

[ A pause, feeling like he might have taken a misstep. ]

Is that okay?

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This wasn't like the past times he'd found himself in a hospital bed and cried freely. Each time he was at the Lumenarium in November, he could only think of what he was going to do when he was out. He wasn't done yet. He gave himself just enough time to heal before preparing for his next raid on the Sleeper Farm. He could tell Todoroki wasn't ready to talk about it either, beyond vital safety information. Then the kidnappings died down, and Midoriya suddenly had a lot of time to himself.

Midoriya's apartment is on the top floor of a modest Edwardian multiplex in Crenshaw, close to a major intersection. The sound of carriages and small businesses on the street level below is muffled; it's too cold to open windows. The apartment is very small. The living room opens right off the entryway. The high ceilings and vertical windows, typical of this neighborhood, let in whatever frigid light the stingy winter allows. Midoriya has turned on some indoor lights to compensate.

The crown molding and wallpaper are worn, but the room is warm, and the second-hand couch is comfortable. His landlord provided the furniture: a more streamlined, generic Victorian with leaf motifs that shyly hint at freeform Art Nouveau but don't commit. It's not his style, but it blends in with the place.

In short, it's plain as hell.

Midoriya hardly took time to care for himself, let alone nest. The place is sparse. He bought a brightly-colored curtain just because there wasn't one to begin with. There are a few blue floor pillows around the coffee table and a yellow throw blanket on the couch. However, there is a freestanding cabinet, open, with a more personal touch. Cloverfield had given him a picture of his mom in October. Midoriya is the one who reincarnated, but it doesnt change the fact that most of the people he knows are on the other side of a great divide. He'd feel weird having a picture of her and not setting out incense and some food she'd like.

Midoriya quickly gives in, not having his usual energy to fuss over someone bringing twice as much as normal when visiting. On the coffee table, he's already set out some biscuits and a small apple pie from a bakery closer to home.

He sits up straighter on his floor pillow, not expecting this more formal affair. He agrees without really thinking,

"Of course."

He feels underdressed in the comfortable clothes he wore to make changing bandages easier, but this is his friend who is sharing some very special tea with him. That's not a thing that's easily replaced--the tea, or the friend. He manages his first smile of the day. It's wan and faint like the winter light outside.

"You really didn't have to. Thank you for sharing it with me, Todoroki-kun."

Dressed in a black turtle neck sweater and slacks, Shouto is comfortable in his attire, not overly dressed but a step above what he'd lounge around at home with considering his stop at Lysithea's shop. Speaking of which, he hands Deku the other box.

"These are for you."

Inside he'll find an assortment of macarons he got from the Lysithea's shop. It's his go-to place for sweets. In exchange, he usually does some odd jobs for her which sometimes include finding some ingredients for her pastries.

"You can keep them for later." He tells him, recognizing the scent of something freshly baked. "Did you make something?"

Truth be told, if he'd known Midoriya was going to bake a pie, he wouldn't have brought the macarons, but since he suggested it, it felt only right to accompany the tea with something sweet. But once he noted the sweet scent in the air, warm and inviting, he's a little curious about it. He didn't know Midoriya could bake.

"How are you feeling?" He asks instead, going through the motions of setting up a space for their tea.

He recognizes it as definitely from Lysithea's. He'd been meaning to try their stuff out since he saw the ad while resting in bed, but felt bad asking if they delivered in the middle of all this snowfall.

"No, I don't know how to make this," he says bashfully. He can't believe Todoroki thought well enough of him to believe he could learn to bake on par with Satou in so short a time. "This is from a place just down the street."

The pie was made with the last harvest of this year's fruit. They gave him an especially fresh one, because who could resist spoiling a freckled, forlorn young man looking tired and lost in his own thoughts?

"This is too much, thank you," he says appreciatively. "I'd like to share the cookies with you, if that's alright. We can have a little of everything."

Typical Midoriya, not keeping something entirely for himself. He retrieves plates, utensils, and a big thermos of hot water from the kitchen. Midoriya doesn't trust himself with this tea; this once, he'll let his guest brew it. He begins dividing the pie.

He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. It's just a simple question. The moments stretch overly long. This is a struggle. He wants to give an honest answer. Todoroki visited him in the hospital. There's no way he can hide anything from him, even if his first inclination is to downplay everything.

"I'm still recovering. Kind of achy, and I have to wear bandages a little longer. But blood corruption isn't a problem now." It's mild enough that the shadowy rims of his eyes and lank hair can easily be mistaken for fatigue or a poor night's sleep. As for his mental state, he'll cross that bridge when he... finishes dividing this pie at a snail's pace.

He nods in understanding. With subpar cooking skills of his own, he knows the value of finding places like Lysithea's pastry shop and the one Midoriya found nearby. At least, in this, they're the same.

"Maybe I'll stop by," he says in turn, genuinely curious of the bakery shop if the scent in the air is anything to go by. Growing up with Fuyumi cooking his meals, he's been spoiled with good food. In comparison to his own inadequate skills in the kitchen, he appreciates the time and dedication people like Satou and his sister put into their craft.

"We can do that if you want." Accepting the offer as he activates his quirk and drops ice cubes into the teapot. They clank in one after the other until he deems it enough and picks up the teapot into his left hand to gently heat up the water.

He listens to Midoriya's explanation, nodding softly at the mention of the blood corruption, the main reason for his worry for him, and is glad to hear he's doing better. Watching him from his seat, he notes the subtle signs of weariness. It's in the shadows beneath his eyes, the fatigue that has the slope of his shoulders hunching down slightly as carrying a heavy load.

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

He's glad Todoroki is well enough to use his Quirk for tea water, at least. The fine control, the mundane use in everyday life for little things... Midoriya never had that. One For All is an unwieldy power. It hasn't even been a year since he inherited it.

"...Not really."

He takes a break from focusing unnecessarily on slicing the pie. A small ripple passes over his face, but it settles back into smoothness--too quickly. He can't let it out; it's too much. He wants to be here for his friend instead, even if all Todoroki might want is some tea. Something about doing that is calming to him, helps him cope with the nightmarish dread of seeing anyone he knows severely hurt again.

His eyes move up to take in his friend, who always wore his emotions more subtly than himself. He'd hoped to do it while Todoroki wasn't looking at him, but it seems he's being watched too. Todoroki was well enough to visit him in the hospital, but he asks anyway,

"How about you?"

In that gentle question, he asks after more than just his sleeping habits, but he doesn't say it. He doesn't want to press him too hard.

Let's Spill the Tea

ok in my defense it's mostly home description

No worries! I love descriptions!

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