Chapter Text
“Tell me another story. Please?”
From his place in her lap—head comfortably cushioned by her thighs and neck supported by the fold of her legs—Shouto smiled up at his companion as the girl rolled her eyes in an exasperated manner. A loud huff also accompanied the action. It was a typical reaction when he had made these types of requests, though he has long since recognized that it was not one done out of mocking intent or the desire for Shouto to leave before he was ready. If anything, it was the exact opposite—charmingly playful in its sassiness even as his companion did as he bid her and flipped through the pages of the fairly large book that she had brought to their meeting. Shouto had already listened to her recite a great many stories from its insides, but he hoped that there was still more. He hoped that she never ran out of tales to tell him; he hoped that she never found reason to keep her angelic voice from him.
“No…nope…no…read that one to you already…did this one too…not that one…” The rustling of pages seemed to confirm his previous observation as his companion continued her search. It was adorable to watch her features scrunch up in concentration, as was the way her tongue poked out from between her lips. “Read that one…read that one…read that one…goodness, Sho! I may have read all of the stories this book has to offer!”
Closing the cover gently, Shouto was met with the prettiest pair of green eyes as his companion stared down at him. The way the evening sun hit them dampened the sparkle he was sure she’d have otherwise, and he was petty enough to hold that fact against the giant orb in the sky as they held eye contact. But that made her no less beautiful in his eyes. The scrunches in her face smoothed out into a sympathetic expression, though two dimples imprinted themselves into her freckled cheeks as her lips pulled into a nervous smile. He could tell she was nervous based on the way that they wobbled into place, it was different compared to the way she positively lit up when happy—her lips practically split into a dazzling smile at that point.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t bring another book with me.” She set the book down gently beside her, freeing her hands in the process. She kept them respectfully to herself until Shouto reached out to one of them and gently guided it to his hair. He didn’t know why it was so calming when she petted his hair when previously, only his mother could make the experience nice whereas others (namely his father) made him nervous whenever they reached for his head. But he didn’t have the energy or desire to question it either, especially not when she was quick to obey his silent request and delicately guided her fingers through his straightened locks. There was a perfect balance between gentleness and firmness as she massaged his scalp; it spoke of their numerous evenings together, where trust was built and a bond was formed.
Shouto wouldn’t be surprised (he was hoping) that her methodical combing was muscle memory at this point. It made him feel…cared for…in a special way.
“That’s fine.” Shouto murmured. He lowered his hand now that his companion had started petting him, bringing it to his chest so he could rest his arm. His other arm happened to be on the correct side for grabbing the book that his companion had set down, so he blindly reached for it until he felt the thick material of the cover. When he found it, he made no effort to try pulling it towards him or picking it up with one hand. Instead, his fingers idly traced the cover as he felt out the lettering of the title. The design was otherwise quite plain for the treasure of literature was was kept inside; leatherbound and dark brown in color, with the title being slightly risen from the foundation thanks to some good sewing work.
It had been another collection of All Might’s adventures today. They both loved him, the narrative style of his books (some were like diary entries while others were told in third-person perspective), the action, the chivalric nature, and the happy endings that his tales graced the audience with. So, why not have it for today’s reading? Or the day before? Or the day before that? And likely for tomorrow? Shouto would listen to her read the same story over and over again if that’s what it took to keep her with him!
“Can you read me the story about the Crimson Thread again?” Shouto decided. It had been one of the stories stashed away in the middle of the book, so technically, his companion had read to him recently enough that a few key details were still clearly etched into his mind. Not like some of those earlier stories, such as All Might’s quest to bring justice to Jinx, Shinigami, Madam Rogue, or a disgraced (and unnamed) nobleman who had turned his servants into common criminals in order to bring him back his lost wealth.
“That one, huh?” His companion didn’t stop brushing her fingers through his hair, though they slowed just enough that Shouto noticed the shift. He almost let a quiet whine slip through his lips; what stopped him was the self-reminder that he had been the one to ask her to keep reading to him. It made no sense for him to complain now. “You sure? You told me last time that it was pretty long…”
Shouto had made that comment in good-will, he swears! He liked that it was long since it meant that he could hear her voice more. If not in one day, then across the span of three days as they kept meeting up. “That’s not a bad thing.” He tried to reassure her. “It…it was good…I wasn’t bored, I promise! It was just something that I said because I noticed it. That’s all.”
Seemingly placated by his answer, his companion hesitantly nodded before following with another question: “Didn’t you also say that you got confused a lot?”
…he was hoping that she hadn’t noticed that during the first read-around…
That was fine. There was a way to fix this: “Guess that means you’ll have to re-read certain parts for me, huh?” Shouto tried not to sound demanding, but he also didn’t want it to sound too uncertain. Just in case his companion misunderstood anything.
Luckily, that didn’t seem to be the case. His companion tilted her head down at Shouto in silence for a moment before giggling, her eyes crinkling with joy. Shouto took that as a sign that he had chosen the right words. Or had used the right tone. Maybe both.
Whatever it was, it got him what he wanted.
“I guess so.” With that, her hands (much to his disappointment) left his hair as she re-picked up the book. Flipping through the pages, she left Shouto in silence for a few moments before clearing her throat. As she read the introduction, she adopted what Shouto had dubbed her ‘narrative voice’ (essentially, her normal voice instead of adjusting her pitches when she acted out some of the character dialogue). “ When I first received word of his existence, I knew straight away that this would be a very personal story. Not for me, and perhaps not even for the victims. But for the man himself, for the Crimson Thread, this would be his life story. I would find his beginning, his present-day life, and his end by the time I managed to seek him out. It all began on a beautiful evening in Fall; I had been allowed an entire week’s worth of rest between my last encounter and the journey I now share with you. It was rejuvenating; of course, but I knew that it was time to get back out there and- ”
Shouto closed his eyes as his companion read, feeling a deep sense of peace wash over him as they both got lost in All Might’s words; in his life. Knowing that he’d have to get going soon, lest he get caught and bring trouble to his companion, he tried to truly relish in the feeling as best he could without letting the inevitable separation eat away at him.
(It’s happened before and it always left him returning home in such a foul mood.)
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“Goodbye, Sho! Same time tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here.”
“Great! Get home safe, and…I’ll try to bring more than just one book so we don’t finish too soon.”
“Thank you…Izumi.”