SEMI-HIATUS.

When Izuku left Shouto took a quick moment to straighten up his desk a tad before going to sit on his futon and watch as the kitten explored his room. He was VERY TEMPTED to try petting her again but she was in a new place and likely very curious so he held off on it, keeping his hands folded in his lap as it sniffed around his things and got settled and that’s where he remained up until Izuku returned with blankets and pillow in hand.

❝ Midoriya. ❞ Shouto greeted with a curt nod even though it’d only been minutes since they last saw each other. ❝ You can get settled anywhere you’d like. Even if I’d had anyone I wanted to invite over, there wouldn’t have been any point in trying to ask my old man so this is MY FIRST… well, what I guess would be considered A SLEEPOVER. Is there anything specific people are supposed to do when having one? Other than watching this kitten, of course. ❞

     IZUKU decided to lay his blankets out next to Shouto’s futon, seeing as there was a bit of room to do so. He then dragged his knapsack a bit closer before he seated himself in front of his companion. He should’ve figured this was Shouto’s FIRST sleepover ( given the story of his childhood ) but he was glad that there was so much more his classmate could do now. It nice to see that he was ENJOYING himself.

     ❛ I’ve only ever spent it with Kacchan but we usually ended up playing video games or watching All Might movies together ... we never did anything that exciting but it was FUN. It’s not like there's any specific rule to it so I guess we can do pretty much do anything until we fall asleep. ❜ They were just spending time together after all. It was then that the feline peeked out from the corner to approach the both of them. Izuku was nearly tempted to draw it CLOSER but perhaps he should let Shouto give it a go again. 

❝ Yes. Fifth floor and third room from the elevator. ❞ Shouto confirmed with a nod. Part of him wanted to stay outside and watch out of curiosity for whether or not Izuku really could make the jump BUT standing outside and staring could draw attention if any of their classmates showed up. It was best if he just moved along.

❝ I’ll go inside then. It shouldn’t take me long. BE CAREFUL, MIDORIYA. ❞ With that, he took his leave, entering the dorm building with little fanfare. Nobody really paid him any attention besides offering him a greeting, Shouto giving polite little nods or waves where necessary as he went straight for the elevator and up to his room. Within minutes he was sliding open the balcony door, gesturing for Izuku to enter.

❝ Sorry, it’s a little messy. ❞ He felt the need to apologize even though very little was out of place. He just hadn’t bothered to put away his futon that morning and his desk was a bit unorganized.

     IT certainly wasn’t much of a wait since he spent the time playing with the feline in his uniform jacket. It wasn’t long before balcony door’s opening sounded above and he lifted his gaze to meet his friend with a smile before he went for the jump. It was EASIER than he anticipated but more importantly, was the cat safe ? The feline’s head popped out from his jacket, meowing at the two of them. Deciding it was safe now, he took the little creature into his arms and invited himself in. 

    Although Shouto apologized for the apparent mess, the room was pretty CLEAN. He honestly never had much of a reason to head into his classmate’s room ever since they moved in but it always was BAFFLING to think about how he managed to REFURNISH his room to this extent. He soon lowered the feline onto the ground ( as well as his bag ) so that it could finally roam free. ❛ I’ll be right back then ! ❜  

    Fortunately on the way there and back, he only ran into Ochako, who did harmlessly question where he was off to with all that and the answer was simple; he was spending the night at Shouto’s. He returned to the room with some blankets and pillow in hand ( there wasn’t much to bring by, fortunately ). ❛ Come to think of it, this is the first time in years since I’ve slept over at a friend’s place ... though, the difference is that I’m in a dorm now. I’m kind of EXCITED actually. ❜ He headed further inside and momentarily glanced around for the cat. ❛ By the way, where should I put this for now ? ❜   

❝ A reasonable plan. I don’t have an extra futon though so you should bring any blankets you have in your room. The tatami mats make the floor less uncomfortable but I still wouldn’t recommend sleeping DIRECTLY ON THE FLOOR. ❞ Shouto explained as he watched Izuku get the cat situated in his jacket. This really wasn’t subtle AT ALL but their options were limited.

❝ I could try to walk in a position that would obscure your stomach but I’m not sure there’s much we can do other than try not to draw any attention to ourselves. That or one of us has to enter my room from the balcony on the outside of the dorm building. Using my quirk would make it quite obvious because there would be A MASSIVE PILLAR OF ICE but hypothetically your quirk could help you jump up there couldn’t it? ❞

     ❛ AH, okay ! I’ll grab some blankets after we bring the cat to your room then. ❜ Hopefully, he wouldn’t run into any of his other classmates on the way ( they were definitely going to question where he was heading off with those blankets ) but then again, spending time in a friend’s room for the night wasn’t anything that would raise any brows. Well, it should be fine.

     Izuku was originally planning to just head on up to Shouto’s room as any normal person would but he certainly didn’t expect the suggestion of making use of their QUIRKS for this. ❛ Mm ... I can definitely AVOID drawing attention if I enter through the balcony. Your room is on the fifth floor, right ? It’ll be a bit of a jump but I think I can manage ! ❜ It was probably a bit much just to sneak a cat in but again, their options were a bit LIMITED

In the time it took the Fairy’s latest edition    to wander halfway through the store, its owner had placed the    box    of assorted lamp bodies on the floor underneath an empty shelf. His fingers       TRACED    the space above, picking up grime and grit. This wouldn’t do. Even a     scammer    like him could do better with the     upkeep,      especially when company was around. Without looking over his shoulder, responded to the voice,     wiping     the dust away with his thumb. He rose to his feet as he spoke.

                 “A     teacher,     you say.   Hmm,    well that might    DIFFER    from person to person. Does this teacher have any particular   hobbies    or    interests…?” 

At last, he faced the one behind him. It was a boy with unruly, dark    green   hair in a high school uniform. For a brief moment, a look    flashed    over the store owner’s features. It vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by a tight-lipped smile. A hand    grasped    the ear of a nearby ladderback chair, bracing a part his weight against it momentarily as he stood. The other hand rose to his face.

               “That     uniform…    Do my eyes    decieve    me, or is that… UA’s?”

    ❛ ALL Mi — there’s a lot to go from that I’m really TORN about what to get him ... he did tell me that he’s been into a lot of movies recently and I heard that he’s pretty FOND of Yakushima Cedar. ❜ There was certainly an ABUNDANCE of items here that would make for an interesting gift but alongside his knowledge, it was DIFFICULT to settle on something with the endless possibilities in front of his eyes here. Perhaps he should’ve asked about the sort of presents that the hero enjoyed from others.

    When they finally met face to face, he blinked in mild confusion towards the momentary look that came across the owner’s face ( he wasn’t even sure what kind of expression that was ). Although it was quickly replaced by a smile, he did manage to catch it before it faded. Was there something UNUSUAL about Izuku’s appearance ? 

Cost was always one of those things that Shouto NEVER really thought about. Growing up with his family having all the money a top hero made meant worrying about things like SAVING and SPENDING WISELY were quite foreign to him until he’d started talking to his less fortunate classmates. So, naturally, Shouto knew what he had to do ( especially when that look on his friend’s face clutched his chest in a specific way ) BUT he also knew he may have to word it in a specific way. If he were in Izuku’s shoes he supposed he’d hate to just seem pitied or receive a hand-out so he had to work out a deal.

❝ Don’t worry about that. If I’m helping you sneak the cat in it’s only fair that I shoulder some of the burden of taking care of it. So, if you offer some amount to buy the necessities like food and litter and such I’ll take care of the vet visit and whatever else is necessary. It wouldn’t be a problem at all. ❞ He assured, giving a nonchalant shrug and hoping his offer would be accepted.

❝ My old man gives me access to money for whatever I need and there really is A LOT that’s never being spent so I’d like to put it to a good cause like rescuing a stray cat and making sure it has a loving home and lives happily and healthily. I know you’re the perfect person to provide that for him or her. ❞

     ALTHOUGH Shouto was shouldering a bigger part of the financial BURDEN, he supposed this was a deal he could work with, considering that it couldn’t be helped for now. Their first PRIORITY anyways was to get this cat to a vet. ❛ Mm, if you’re sure then okay. I can definitely handle the necessities so thank you so much, Todoroki-kun. Let’s do our best to give it a loving home, together. The thought of having you with me through this definitely makes me feel like things will be alright. ❜ They both had a responsibility to this cat now and he couldn’t deny he was a bit EXCITED now.

    Some time after feeding it, Izuku carefully took the cat into his arms and stood himself up. ❛ It’s getting a bit late so maybe we should take it to the vet tomorrow. If it’s not too much trouble, do you think we can take it to your room for tonight ? I can stay the night to watch it with you too, if that’s okay. ❜ Izuku’s room was full of All Might merchandise so there was a good chance that the cat would end up knocking everything over out of BOREDOM. He did hear that cats were rather PLAYFUL with anything that caught their attention. ❛ We can go first thing in the morning since we have the day off tomorrow. ❜ That aside, they should probably hide the cat before heading back to the dorms. Carefully, he stuffed the feline inside his uniform jacket. There was a visible bulge but ... it should be fine, right ? 

           ❝—— sorry.❞ An apology dwells muffled betwixt a compressed frown, laced with mild shame as his fist clenches monster’s tufts. The prince intends to repay for such; a necessary casualty, so the most he can do is return the favor in the near future. But now wasn’t the time for that. 

Upon setting the guillotined crown, he takes the leather pouch && pries it open. ❝I doubt they’d appreciate us leaving behind the mess.❞ Carefully did he set in the coveted treasure, praying none of its disgusting bodily fluids drip on him. With a mild shake, the case swallows the severed part.  ❝—- especially with the smell.❞ Granted, before he could allow himself to say ‘ Let’s burn them ‘, Shoto considered they won’t appreciate a FOREST FIRE, either.  

           ❝How much was the bounty again, Midoriya?❞

      ❛ NOW that I think about it, we’re not really in a good place to start a fire but we can’t resort to letting them DECOMPOSE elsewhere either since it might start a whole new set of PROBLEMS ... ❜ He was MUTTERING on his own at this point but not that this was anything out of the ordinary.

     He began to rummage through his knapsack, wondering if he could find something to AID with the PUNGENT smell at the very least. He did keep a few concoctions as well as a variety of materials on hand but they were often packed for HEALING purposes. He did have some more FRAGRANT materials though so perhaps he could figure something out. As he contemplated on what to do, Shouto suddenly wanted to confirm the reward for this bounty again. He took a moment to recall it before he answered. ❛ Mm ... I think it was around 12,000 gald ? ❜ It was an unusually high paying job for something so SIMPLE but now that they were here, it wasn’t difficult to see why the bounty was set at this.