#fall writing

"Don't get lost in the haystack labyrinth!" You chirped as you bumped Jason's shoulder playfully, or his elbow more like. "Or else you'll have to spend the night here."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Jason shrugged with suspicious softness to his voice, "I'll just start fire in strategic place, I'm sure plenty people would eager to escort me out."

You heard a melodic laughter from your other side. You turned to Dick, looked around the place with so much excitement it made his dimples pop out. "C'mon Jay, we wanna have a fun day. No scaring kids and their families before we even pick a single pumpkin." He pointed at one you just walked by. "How about this one?"

"Not happenin'" Jason responded without even turning. "That thing's bigger than Damian, and you know how much Alfred hates waste. We'll be eating pumpkin-flavored food till February."

"True." Dick shuddered. "What do you think? Where should we start?"

You squinted into warm rays of late autumn sun. The air was a delightful chill, hinting at the cozy sweaters and warm drinks to come. The pumkin patch itself was a warm sprawl of orange, from tiny, fist-sized gourds to gargantuan behemoths that looked like they could feed a family for a week. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves mingled with the sweet perfume of ripe apples from a nearby cider stand.

"Let's have a look around first. We look at the pumpkins, enjoy the weather, have a snack, and once we leave, we can decide which pumpkin you'll take. There's enough of them so you don't need to worry." Both guys nodded in agreement as they followed you.

The three of you ambled along the muddy path, your boots crunching on fallen leaves. Dick pointed out the best varieties, pondering about the perfect stem-to-body ratio for carving. Jason, meanwhile, seemed more interested in eyeing the impossibly large pumpkins, muttering about how he could knock a man unconscious with them using enough force.

As you ventured deeper into the patch, the sun, through bright, was beginning to dip lower in the sky, and a biting wind snaked its way through the rows of pumpkins. You shivered, pulling your thin jacket tighter around you. Your fingers, albeit dressed in colorful fingerless gloves, were starting to feel stiff, and a familiar chill crept up your back.

"Cold?" Jason’s voice was surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to his usual gruff demeanor. He didn’t miss a beat, his eyes scanning you with that typical, almost unnerving, awareness.

Before you could even stammer out a reply, Dick was already shrugging off his own worn, comfortable-looking bomber jacket. "Here, you can have this," he said, holding it out to you. It was a familiar shade of denim blue, the kind that looked like it had seen a thousand adventures with him.

Your heart did a little flutter. "Dick, you don't have to."

"Nonsense," he insisted, pushing it into your hands. "A little chill never hurt anyone, but hypothermia before we even get to the apple cider? That’s a crime."

Just as you were about to slip it over your jacket,

Jason’s gruff voice cut in. "Hold up. You're giving her your jacket? The one that smells like Batcave dust and caffeine?"

Dick shot him a playful glare. "It smells like heroic endeavors, thank you very much. And it will keep them warm."

"Yeah, well, my hands are probably warmer," Jason countered, stepping closer. He held out his own hand, fingers splayed. "Here. Just… hold on. It'll keep your circulation going."

You blinked, caught between two very different but equally compelling offers. Dick's bomber jacket was a tangible shield against the cold. Jason's extended hand was… an invitation.

"Uh…" you stammered, feeling a little nervous to not offend either of them.

"See?" Jason said, a smug glint in his eye. "They're already considering my offer."

Dick scoffed. "You’re going to make them cold just to prove a point, Jay."

"At least I don't try to smother people with my feelings disguised as outerwear," Jason retorted, his tone hardening slightly. "A little direct contact is more effective than a bulky jacket that’s going to make them sweat when we get inside."

"It's a jacket, not a sauna suit!" Dick exclaimed, his own voice rising. He took a step closer, his expression shifting from playful exasperation to a subtle, protective stance. "And it’s not about feelings, it’s about practical comfort. And maybe a little bit of not wanting you to get frostbite from your… charming personality."

"Oh, so now I'm the frostbite risk?" Jason clenched his fist. "I could offer them my own jacket, you know. It’s probably more durable than that flimsy thing."

"And probably covered in dried blood and questionable stains," Dick shot back.

You stood between them, the denim bomber jacket still clutched in your hands, Jason’s outstretched hand a silent, insistent presence. The wind seemed to pick up, swirling leaves around our feet.

"Guys…" you started, trying to interject before this escalated into a full-blown Bat-family squabble in the middle of a pumpkin patch.

Jason, however, wasn't letting up. "Fine. You want to play the generous hero? Go ahead. But if she gets cold, don't come crying to me when your hands are numb." He snatched his hand back, shoving it into his own pockets with a huff. "Honestly, it's like dealing with a mother hen."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Better a mother hen than a grumpy rooster. Here, put it on." He nudged the jacket back towards you, his expression softening again.

You took a deep breath and finally slipped on Dick’s jacket. It was wonderfully warm, the familiar scent of his presence a comforting embrace. It was slightly too big, the sleeves falling past your fingertips, but it felt like a safe haven.

"Thank you, Dick," you said, zipping it up.

He beamed, his earlier exasperation completely gone. "Anytime. Now, about that snack…"

Jason, however, was still sulking a little. He cast a sideways glance at you, then at the jacket. "Yeah, well. Just don't get it dirty. It’s probably got sentimental value."

You couldn’t help but smile. "I'll try my best not to." Then you looked at Jason, and with a bolder spirit, you reached out and gently took his hand. His fingers were indeed warm. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, a flicker of surprise, then a slow, almost imperceptible softening spread across his face.

"See?" you whispered, squeezing his hand. "We can have both."

Jason’s grip tightened almost unconsciously, a silent acknowledgment. He didn’t pull away. He didn't grumble. He just walked beside you, his hand warm and firm in mine, while you wore Dick’s comforting jacket.

You pointed to a food truck in the distance, "I see people carrying hot dogs and something that looks like coffee. Let's check it out."

The wind still blew, but the chill felt less potent. You were a peculiar trio, navigating the pumpkin patch. And as you finally found your perfect pumpkins, you knew this autumn day was going to be your best memory yet, not just for the gourds, but for the warmth that radiated from every corner, even in the face of playful squabbles.

A deep voice pulled you from your thoughts, and with a surprised yelp you straightened up. Immediately you found your attention drawn to a pair of all-too-familiar eyes; one turquoise and one grey, to be exact. Those eyes always reminded you of an approaching storm for some reason; the sky bright and blue before fading to something colder.

Your classmate Todoroki stared at you, tilting his head to the side with puzzlement in his gaze despite his blank expression. “This is a surprise.” His voice was a rumble against your silence. “Do you live around here as well?” You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen Todoroki in such normal clothing; a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a pair of dark loafers. His bicolored hair swayed slightly with the wind, and for a moment he looked like a perfect sweater model. Was it legal to look this good? You jokingly made a note to yourself to find out.

“Todoroki! Yeah, I live a couple of blocks down the street. Do you also live in this neighborhood?” You weren’t very close to your aloof classmate - him not being one to speak to others unless prompted to, and you being your extra-extroverted self - yet you always thought about trying to become friends with him. You were friends with nearly everyone in your class. Hell, you’d even became friends with Bakugou, for Christ’s sake, and he was as tough as nails compared to everyone else around him.

“I do.” He said shortly, before dropping his attention to the furball beside you. Almost instantly confusion filled his eyes and his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at your dog Cheddar, as if trying to figure out what he was doing there. He stayed stiff as a board as the golden dog approached him, nose on his loafers. “I didn’t realize that you had a pet, (L/N).” He continued to stare at Cheddar, his free hand staying at his side while his other gripped a plastic shopping bag.

“Yeah, I adopted him a few months ago. His name is Cheddar.” You grinned as you watched the said dog lift his face higher, until his tongue had begun to lap at Todoroki’s free hand. A first he tensed at the feeling, but quickly relaxed as he looked down. For the first time in your life, you saw his eyes filled with a type of wonder that you couldn’t recognize. As if it were his first time interacting with a dog in his lifetime.

“May I?”

“Of course!”

Immediately after your reply, Todoroki bent forward and hesitantly hovered his free hand over Cheddar’s head. The dog replied by attacked the boy’s hand with slobber. After another moment, he dropped his palm gently on the dog’s head and… let it sit there. You laughed as you watched Cheddar nudge his head into Todoroki’s hand, causing the boy to frown slightly. “He wants you to pet him. Like this.”

You didn’t give your actions a second thought as you lay your hand over his, noticing the way he tensed but missing the faint blush that coated his pale cheeks as he stared down at you. Like teaching a child, you repeatedly forced Todoroki’s hand back and forth on your dog’s head, earning a happy grumble from the chest of Cheddar. “If you just leave your hand there, he won’t react. But petting him like this is a good way to start. Cheddar especially likes it if you comb his fur with your nails, from here to here.” You copied the motion as you spoke, starting from the top of the dog’s head before trailing it down his neck. “Or if you scratch him behind the ear. Honestly, he’d probably abandon me for you if you did that.” You giggled slightly at your own joke. You released Todoroki’s hand, much to your dismay, and stepped away from him as he followed your instructions, his long fingers rubbing behind Cheddar’s ears. His tail wagged eagerly at the newfound attention as he leaned into the boy’s touch, and for a moment you felt incredible stupid for feeling jealous over a dog getting pet.

“He’s very gentle.”

“Yeah, he’s a sweetheart. Especially if there’s petting or food involved.”

Todoroki nodded, finally retracting his hand and straightening up once more. When the attention had shifted away from him, Cheddar began to beg for your hand once more, his nose against your pant leg and dampening the spot on it with a few licks. “Have you had a pet dog before?” You desperately didn’t want the conversation to end, and at this point you felt like you were grasping at straws.

Todoroki cast another look at the furball beside you, avoiding your bright eyes. “Unfortunately, no. My father was not a fan of anything he deemed ‘distracting’ for my training.” His face darkened for a moment when he brought up his father, causing a shiver to roll down your spine. Ah, Endeavor. You knew the pair didn’t have a strong relationship with one another, and most likely never would. Although he seemed to tolerate his father better than before, anyone could see the resentment he still held towards the fiery man. With good reason, of course.

“I’m sorry… Well, if you ever need a fill of pet-love, I have no problem lending Cheddar to you!” You gestured to your dog with another grin, and surprisingly earned a light and barely audible chuckle from the blank-faced boy in front of you. “I will keep that in mind.” He responded, his voice seemingly deeper than usual as he stared at you with level eyes. Another tingle went down your back, but it wasn’t cold like the last one; instead it was burning hot as you both looked at one another, a small smile gracing his features as you felt a blush rising.

And then, you were being dragged.

Still caught up in your daze, you didn’t even notice how slack your grip had become on Cheddar’s leash, who had been growing increasingly impatient with you. And right when he got the chance, he had darted, dragging you along with him as he bounded to the one think he had been excited about since the two of you had walked into the park; the large, towering pile of golden leaves that you had spotted when you first entered the park. You opened your mouth to scream anything, from ‘stop’ to ‘no’, but were quickly halted as Cheddar jumped up and slammed into the leaf pile… Unfortunately bringing you with him. You were lucky that the pile was big, landing face first in it and taking in a mouthful of leaves instead of broken teeth. You had lost Cheddar’s leash on impact, but that was the least of your worries; he was a faithful dog and would come when you called, but you always kept him on a leash because of his over-excitement for… well, everything.

You thrashed in the leaves for a minute before stopping, embarrassment coursing through your veins as you realized that Todoroki had most likely seen everything that had happened in just a few seconds. You groaned. Of course, one of the hottest - and coldest guys in class, literally - had seen you in such a low state. And you most likely had a million bits of dried leaves tangled in your (H/C) locks, just to add to the torture. As you were contemplating on how you’d get out of this situation as easily as possible, you heard the clearly audible sound of a phone’s camera clicking.

You twisted around, now on your back as you looked towards the sound with wide (E/C) eyes. Todoroki was a lot of things; polite, quiet, confident. But he wasn’t surprising, so seeing him standing over your with his phone angled at your face was quite a shock for you. “Shouto!” You had never used his first name before, but out of surprise you had yelped it out, causing the guilty boy to redden like a ripe tomato. It fell smoothly from your lips, and his heart beat erratically as he replayed your voice in his mind. He was at the edge of the collapsed leaf pile, eyes trained on your expression as he stared at you and your messy figure. You were right about one thing; you definitely had a lot of leaves in your hair. “Did you just take a picture of me?”

At this point, his face was on fire, practically steaming against the cool air around him. “Maybe.” He muttered, almost shyly as he ducked his head down, his hair covering his face from your view. With a groan, you pushed yourself upright onto your forearms. Your body felt sore, especially your back, and you winced slightly as you adjusted your position. Todoroki took notice of this.

“Are you okay? Here, let me help you up.”

He bent towards you, now, dropping one knee beside your leg to reach out to you better. His hand curled around yours, holding it for a moment. The warmth was welcomed against the damp coldness of the leaves, and you were grateful that he had reached for you using his left hand instead of his right. Maybe you could guilt the poor guy into letting you cuddle into his warm side…

No, actually, you’d rather have the picture deleted.

He heaved you up to your feet easily, and self-consciously you began to rake your fingers through your hair. Crinkled leaves followed, and you grimaced as you thought about the smaller pieces that were no doubt still on your head. You swung your attention to the boy beside you, holding out your hand. “Phone. Now.”

He clung it to his chest like a child afraid of his toy being taken away. “W-What? That is a bit personal, (L/N).” He tried, and you narrowed your eyes at him. You knew you were bing a bad owner by letting Cheddar frolic around as long as he had, but you didn’t want that picture circulating anywhere. Not that you thought that Todoroki would send it to anyone, but still. Just in case.

“I’m just gonna delete the picture, then you can have it back. Promise.”

“Let me just delete it for yo-”

As soon as he began to extend his hand to do as he said, you lunged at him, practically tackling him to the ground as your wrestled the phone from his loose grip. With Todoroki’s back against the damp grass and your legs planted on either side of his hips, you gripped his smartphone victoriously, not taking much notice to your position; or Todoroki’s embarrassed expression as you sat down on the top of his thighs, dangerously close to you-know-where. “Hah!” You said, clicking the phone’s button to watch its screen blink to life. “Now let’s get rid of this picture.”

“Wait! Let me just-”

You placed one hand on his chest to keep him down as your other unlocked his phone, hearing his grunt as he collapsed back into the grass, and you mentally cheering over the fact that Todoroki didn’t keep his phone passcode-locked. Right when you were about to make another retort in his direction, however, you froze. The phone had opened up to his messages, where a short conversation was taking place with another classmate of yours. Midoriya Izuku.

Todoroki: *Picture Sent*

Midoriya: Aww look at (Y/N)! She looks so flustered haha. Is this the part where you ask her out?

Todoroki: Yes, she is. I believe that it may be too early for that. But I’m still saving the picture.

Midoriya: ASK HER OUT, LOVER BOY. BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

Todoroki hadn’t texted back after that, but a message had been started without being sent, stating “Maybe I will, who knows?” At this point, your face was just as bright at the boy’s underneath you - jeez, have you ever blushed so much in a day, before? - and you tighten your hold on his phone. You laughed nervously.

“So, uhh… You like me, Todoroki?”

You were still on top of him. Todoroki had his hands glued to his sides, eyes staring up at you with his mouth agape. The two of you stared at one another as your question hung in the air. Finally, he cleared his throat. “This isn’t exactly the way that I wished to admit it.” He said, voice quiet as he spoke. He sounded defeated. You climbed off of him, holding out a hand to help just as he had done for you mere moments before. Awkwardly he took it, lingering for a second before releasing your hand to wipe off the front of his clothes, which looked clean enough, avoiding your curious gaze. You trapped your hands together in front of you, nibbling on your bottom lip as you thought about what to do next.

“So… Are you still going to ask me out, or just stand there?”

Todoroki’s head snapped up to look at you in shock. “Pardon?”

“Sorry, did I stutter?”

“N-no!” He responded, and his cheeks reddened even more, if that were possible. “What I mean to say is…” He cleared his throat once more. “(L/N), would you… Accompany me to the movies tomorrow evening?”

“You’re asking me on a date, right?”

“... Yes.” 

Man, it was almost too easy to tease the poor guy, and you grinned. “I would love to.” 

With your reply, Todoroki immediately relaxed his tense shoulders and released a sigh, puffing white in front of his lips due to the frigid air. “Thank God.” You thought you heard him mutter under his breath, but swept the thought aside, not wanting to embarrass him any more than you had. He needed a break.

“Okay! Just text me all of the details later.”

“S-sure.”

There was still an awkward air between you two, but you hoped it would disappear before the movie. You waved a hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Todo! Until then, I’ve got a dog to hunt down.” You didn’t give him another chance to reply, instead darting off in the direction where you had seen the golden troublemaker last.