Chapter 20: Hangover Soup

"This is good," He says, sounding too surprised for Midoriya's comfort as he finally takes a sip from his soup.

"You were expecting it to taste bad," He frowns. "Is that why you haven't touched your food for 15 minutes now?"

"You're exaggerating,"

The frown disappears from his face, replaced by a wide toothy smile. "I am,"

Todoroki fights the urge to roll his eyes. He fails. Midoriya grins even wider.

"You know back in my college days, I used to go drinking with my friends every after exams. Or any other trivial things that are worth celebrating." Midoriya says, laughing fondly at the memory. "I learned this soup recipe in the process since there was only one of us in my group of friends who knows how to cook. I wanted to lessen the burden on him, you know, so I learned how to cook from him. Ta-daaaah! Easy to make hangover soup." Midoriya enthusiastically waves his hands at the soap, like he was so proud to conjure something so great.

Todoroki tilts his head to the side. "I can't imagine Iida hanging around in an Izakaya."

"Oh, I wasn't friends with Iida during college. I only got to be friends with him after I dropped out. Iida-kun used to think of me as his academic rival back in the day. God, imagine my shock when someone knocked at my parent's house, and when I opened it, it was Iida-kun demanding to know my reason for dropping out and leaving him hanging."

"Iida is really an intense guy," Todoroki mutters, sipping on his spoon.

"I used to be scared of him before," Midoriya sweatdrops. "I never really thought he'd be the person to help me get back on my feet. Did I ever tell you that? Iida was the one who suggested I work in Café Perry to keep me preoccupied while I'm taking a break from my studies. He said," Midoriya changes his voice to the greatest imitation of Iida ever. "'You need some mental stimulant or else your mind will for and be unusable!'"

"Uraraka mentioned that before," He says, "you work in Café Perry just for mental stimulation."

Midoriya crosses his arms, pouting. "Hey, that's not the only reason why I took the job!"

"By the way," Todoroki remembers the call from last night. "When I called Uraraka last night, she was drunk and with Iida... Why don't you look surprised?"

"Iida told me his plan to ask Uraraka-san out on a date," Midoriya continues eating. "He has liked Uraraka-san ever since, even way before I joined the crew. I'm just glad he finally gathered all his wits to ask her out."

Todoroki doesn't say anything, instead of drinks from the green tea Midoriya prepared.

"Also I meant drinking in the club, not in an Izakaya."

Todoroki choked, and Midoriya stands up just to pat him on the back. Once he calms down, the curly top returns to his chair.

"You don't seem like the type to party in a club."

He scratches the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Believe me, I've done things you wouldn't believe I would do."

I know, Todoroki answers in his mind, remembering how Midoriya tied him up like a bondage expert.

It takes them a few more minutes before they finish their breakfast. Todoroki dutifully helps Midoriya without any further instructions, which the curly top gratefully accepts.

"Why aren't you rolling your sleeves?"

Todoroki freezes, eyes meeting a curious pair of deep green.

"They're going to get wet, you know." He points out the obvious.

"I don't mind," Todoroki answers, dumbly.

Midoriya wrinkles his forehead. "You really are weird sometimes, Todoroki-kun." He takes out a plastic bag from the cupboard and hands it out to him. "How about putting your clothes here instead? I don't know where you hid it so well that the apartment doesn't smell like bile, but you should wrap it up, just in case."

"What about the dishes?"

"It's fine," Midoriya opens the faucet, letting the plates soak. "I already dirtied you enough last night, I don't want any further damage to your person because you refuse to roll your sleeves up."

Todoroki tenses at his words but relaxes at the latter part of his statement. He grabs the plastic with a nod and heads to where he neatly folded his clothes from last night.

It's clean.

"Oh, Todoroki-kun, where did you place my clothes from last night, if I may ask?" He then stares at Midoriya's cum-stained clothes, biting his inner cheek until he tastes blood.

"Should I put your clothes from last night in the washing machine?" He offers.

"Did I vomit on them as well?" Midoriya gasps incredulously in the kitchen.

Todoroki hesitates. "Just a little,"

"Please do, the washing machine is on the balcony." He sighs, annoyed with himself. "Are you sure you don't want to wash your clothes here?"

"... I need to get going soon," He makes up an excuse, going to the balcony to drop the laundry in the washing machine. This is the first time he heard of someone having their laundry equipment located in such a place. "Shouldn't you be informing your co-workers right now...?"

From inside the apartment, Midoriya swears. He could hear him scrambling for the telephone, and as Todoroki's memory serves him, it was beside the room entrance. He dials and calls the café's hotline, informing them that he won't be able to come up to work today. Once Midoriya is done talking, Todoroki asks. "How do you turn this on?"

Midoriya emerges on the balcony, looking pained upon his exposure to sunlight. "I'll handle it. Just let it sit there. I'll do the rest."

He slowly nods, closing the lid. Midoriya rests on the railings, staring at the sky with squinted eyes. It makes Todoroki scoffs as he stands next to him. "You don't have to act like some befallen shounen manga hero, I know you can't tolerate light right now, get back inside."

Midoriya laughs. "Ever so frank, my Todoroki-kun." He says, teasingly.

'Shhhhh,' He kisses Todoroki's tears away. 'Don't cry, my love. Don't cry.'

Todoroki keeps a poker face on.

"Midoriya,"

Midoriya gives him a sideward glance, the morning breeze blowing on his soft curls. Pink lips offer a wide smile, his freckled skin basting under the bright sunlight. He looks so lovely right now. Surely, no one can blame him for thinking that way, right?

"Yes?" He asks.

Before logic could reason with him, he finds himself cupping that angular jaw, admiring how adorable yet muscular it is, and how it perfectly fits in his hands. Wide green eyes stare at him, long dark lashes fluttering. Those perfect lips open slightly, forming a name.

"Todoroki-kun?"

Todoroki leans in.

But their lips don't touch.

"I'm sorry I'm not Kaachan."

He pulls away.

Midoriya doesn't say anything.

Todoroki turns his heels, clothes, and phone in hand, leaving the apartment without another word.

Once he hears the door slammed shut, Midoriya falls down to his knees, wide-eyed and shaking. He gasps for air, and the familiar feeling of a panic attack creeping on him resurfaces. He thumps his chest with his fist as if this would help the walls in his chest from hurting. It doesn't, it never does. But he still does it.

He did something. He is absolutely sure he did something to Todoroki last night. He doesn't remember a thing, he cursed himself for not remembering anything. But he's sure he did. Why?

Because Midoriya only says Kaachan's name when he's pleasuring himself.

The look of jealousy and sadness in Todoroki's mismatched eyes will forever be engraved in his mind.

A scene from a moment ago suddenly replays inside his mind. When Todoroki took the speck of grain from his face, his sleeve hiked up a little, revealing red marks around his wrist. Those are marks that Midoriya knew too well.

The marks of being tied up.

Once finds the strength to stand up, he wobbles towards the washing machine and takes out his trousers from last night. What he sees isn't vomit, it's dried-up semen. Midoriya immediately shoves it inside, slamming the washing machine shut.

He opens the lights, nearly burning his eyeball off in the process. But he doesn't care, he pulls off the sheets.

The traces of what they've done last night is still there.

Yet he doesn't remember a thing.