"So do you wanna do the cooking lessons now?" I ask as I walk down the hill next to Todoroki. "We can make dinner. I don't know how long you're planning on staying out."

"I don't know either, but dinner sounds good," he replies, walking with his hands in his pockets. 

"Let's stop by the store first to get ingredients and then we'll head back to the house."

"Okay."

We walk in relative silence to the store where he just follows me around as I pick out ingredients. As much as he likes soba, I know that's easy enough to make, so I pull up a recipe for lasagna on my phone and find the ingredients for it. It's one of my favorite dishes that my mom used to make and I've gotten pretty good at making it myself.

After our silent walk back home, I open the door to see Mic running around frantically. "Hey kid!" He shouts, sprinting into the kitchen while trying to pull on my leather jacket. "This isn't mine," he says after a moment, putting it back on its hook and grabbing his own.

He looks up and pauses as I put my keys in the dish. "Hey Todoroki! Having dinner here? Cool!" Mic seems to be going a million miles an hour. He turns back to me. "Almost late for the show, see you later! Be good!"

He plants a kiss on my temple and runs out the door, ruffling Todoroki's hair on the way, much to the boy's dismay. The moment the door closes, he turns back to me, trying to fix his part. "What is it with your family and trying to mess with my hair?"

I smile and carry the ingredients to the kitchen. "Don't you ever just get that urge to mess something up?" I ask.

When he doesn't respond for a moment, I look back to see him following me with a pensive expression. "Sometimes, I guess."

"Well, then there's your answer!" I illuse, trying to not look anxious as I put down the bags of food and wash my hands at the sink. 

How long is he going to stay? If he chooses to stay even after dinner, what should we do? I guess there's enough room in the backyard to go ice skating. And since it's private property, we're allowed to use our quirks. 

I pull out a couple cutting boards and set them on the counter, then grab two medium chef's knives. "Veggies first," I illuse, emptying the bags as he washes his hands as well. I grab two aprons from the pantry door and chuck the black one at him, putting the dusty pink one over my head. 

He holds the fabric out in front of him, then turns it around to me, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. There's a picture of a whisk and the words "whip it, whip it good" displayed on it. 

"It's Mic's," I reply, rolling my eyes as I tie my own on. There's a cat's nose and whiskers on the front with the words "check meowt" in cursive. I'm a dog person, but Mic was so excited when he gave it to me that I couldn't complain. 

Todoroki puts his on over his grey polo and ties it. "He has an interesting style."

I let out a breath of laughter. "You got that right."

This is already going better than back at I-Island, I think, relieved. I should put on some music. Just in case he decides to get quiet again.

I hand him the bell peppers and run over to Mic's DJ setup. "Can you wash those?" I illuse over my shoulder as I pull out my phone and plug it into the speakers. I scroll through a couple of my playlists before deciding on GGG's oldies playlist. 

I turn down the volume a bit before pressing play and suddenly, the house is filled with music, thankfully quiet enough that we can hear each other. With the way Mic uses those speakers, one wouldn't think there was a lower volume than LOUD.

I head back to the kitchen, my steps falling on every downbeat out of pure habit. Todoroki shakes the water off the vegetables and hands them back to me. 

"Okay," I illuse, placing one on each of our cutting boards. "Let's do this."

He listens attentively as I teach him how to cut peppers and onions, the latter making us tear up. I can't help but laugh at how much we're both struggling through our watery eyes which seems to make him feel better. I notice he takes his time lining up the knife, but will firmly commit to the cut when he's sure his fingers aren't in the way. 

When my onion is done, I wash my hands again so I can dry my eyes, then set up a pan on the stove, heating it up for the ground beef. I explain everything I'm doing as I go through the familiar motions. 

He certainly wasn't lying when he said he wanted to learn, so I demonstrate each step before letting him do it for real. When we put the final dish in the oven, the layers aren't exactly even and we added an insane amount of cheese to the top, but I think it's perfect the way it is. 

"Wanna watch a movie or something while it cooks?" I ask, already taking off my apron. 

He follows my lead, handing me the black one, spattered with tomato juice (let's just say he had a problem trying to open a can of tomatoes, but that's why we wear an apron). "Sure."

"You said you like Frozen, right?"

"Very much, yes," he replies, trailing after me as I walk to my room, throwing the door open and heading for my first bookcase. 

I stand on my tiptoes to grab two cases off the top shelf. "One or two?" I turn them to show him. 

Todoroki stands at the doorway, eyes wide, looking at the DVD cases. He walks forward and takes the second in his hands, holding it gently as if it's easily breakable. "There's a second one?" He asks at barely a whisper, turning the case this way and that to look at the pictures on it. 

I take in his expression, seeing the wonder and sadness mingle in his eyes. "I guess we're watching this one, huh?"

He looks back at me, blinking a few times. "Actually, I think we should watch the first one. It's been too long since I've seen it last." He hands back the other case, a look of longing on his face. "Maybe another day."

I smile warmly and put the case back on the shelf. "Yeah, another day." We walk back to the living room and I turn off the music. 

As I head over to the TV, he says, "My mom would sit with me in my room and we would watch it. After my father sent her away, he caught me trying to take the DVD from their room and he melted it."

I look back at him, my hand stilling midair. His eyes swim with emotion as he stares intently at me. He blinks, clearly not about to say any more. 

"I'm sorry," I illuse quietly. 

He looks down at the ground and takes a seat on the couch. "It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was to me." I put the disk into the DVD player and sit down next to him as he continues, "it's like he was trying to erase even the memory of Mom from our house."

I try not to stare, but I can't help it when he reaches up to wipe a tear from his right cheek. I carefully scooch over to him, giving him a chance to object before wrapping him in a soft hug. He holds me tighter to his chest as he breathes deeply, though I can hear the shaky intakes and exhales. 

"How long is a normal hug between friends supposed to last?" He asks quietly. 

I lean my cheek against his chest and breathe in his beautiful cinnamint smell. Even as my heart cracks at that word, friends, I illuse, "that's the great thing about friends. We'll be here as long as you need." 

I feel a tear drip onto my shoulder as he tightens his hold. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable," he says simply, so I rub his back. 

"I'm not."

"I don't know how to do this. What it should feel like."

"I guess..." I pause to think for a moment, "...that your heart and your head will argue a lot less. Whatever your instincts are telling you is what your logic will say is right."

I wait a while for his answer, but eventually, he whispers, "this is right."

My brain pauses for a moment before thoughts start flying through at full force. No, I must've misheard. There's no way he said that. 

No, he definitely did. But what did he mean? Did he mean this was right? Like holding me? Or being friends? Or being here?

The boy's hold loosens, so I pry myself away from him and he gives me a small closed lipped smile. I return the small gesture and he turns to face the TV. "So are we going to watch the movie?"

Now normally, I would just let it go, as I have done too many times in the past, but the twisting in my heart is aching for me to know. "In a minute. What do you mean by 'this is right?'"

He looks at me with eyebrows furrowed, as if he's a child trying to explain his scribble drawing to an adult; it's so obvious to him, but I'm lost. "I meant that being friends with you feels right."

I smile at him, hoping that he'll think my tears are from happiness and not complete heartbreak. He looks down to his hands in his lap.

"You treat me like an actual person. It's not like I don't see how people look at me, though I can't imagine why."

Because you're the most attractive person they've ever seen, I want to say, but I stay silent. 

"I can't say I don't feel the same way sometimes, depending on who it is, but what you say makes sense. My logic tells me it's wrong. And to be honest, it reminds me of my father."

My heart stops for a moment. I'm so confused. He said he likes someone else? And…that reminds him of his father somehow?

"All I know is that...I don't think love is real. Maybe that's my father's fault, but it seems too good to be true. I haven't seen it with my own eyes and I don't think I can feel it. I was never taught how to feel it and I didn't have the best role model."

I force my tears away. I know I have to be the supportive friend and listen to what he has to say, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. I can cry later.

"I only feel guilty when I think of anyone that way. I can't help but think...is that how my father saw Mom? What they had wasn't love. If anyone thinks I can love them, they're kidding themselves. And I don't think I deserve their affection either. It's unfair for me to follow my instincts when my logic tells me they want something I can't give them."

Almost as if realizing he's not alone, he looks up at me again with a sheepish expression. "I apologize for running my mouth."

"I've been told I'm a good listener," I illuse, pulling my legs up to sit under me. "You can keep going."

What are you saying?

He exhales heavily and returns his gaze to his hands. "I just know I won't lead anyone on. Not when they believe in love and I don't. It's unfair. Too much like my father." He looks up at me, one eyebrow just barely raised, silently saying he's done. 

"You can love without being your father."

"My brain doesn't want to take that chance. I've made bad decisions. Who says I won't make any more?"

I sigh and lay my head on his shoulder, unwillingly letting out a tear. "Someone once told me 'success isn't guaranteed for any of us.' You'll never know if you don't take a chance. But it's okay to not be ready to take that chance."

"Maybe I'll never be ready," he says quietly. 

"And that's okay," I illuse, lifting my head to look into his beautiful eyes with a smile. I hope it looks comforting, but my heart is tearing into shreds. "You don't have to be. I'll be here whenever you need me, so it's not like you'll get lonely." I give him a friendly punch on the shoulder and I see the edges of his mouth curling up in a smile. 

"So are we watching this?" He says after a moment, eyes flashing with excitement. I can't help but give him a genuine smile in return and struggle to hold the pieces of my heart together. 

•°•°•°•

"So be honest," I illuse, taking our plates to the kitchen after the movie is over, "when you were little, did you ever try to make Elsa's castle?"

"One time, yes," Todoroki replies, lounging on the couch. "It was when I first got my quirk and couldn't control it very well. I ended up freezing myself in a giant block of ice. I was panicking too much, so I couldn't melt it. I had to wait in the courtyard until my brother Touya came to melt it. I got hypothermia, so I decided not to try that again."

"That's sad."

"Yes, but I don't have enough control to do things like she can. It's clear the movie was made before quirks."

"Definitely. Like how probable is it for her to make an entire dress out of ice?"

"Not probable at all," he replies, standing to help me dry the dishes. We put them back in the correct cabinets and then he turns to me. "I need to get back. I know my father's intending for me to train tonight, so I might as well get it over with."

I nod and walk to the door with him, waiting as he slides his shoes on. He surprises me by pulling me into a soft hug. I readily hug him back, illusing, "stay safe."

"Thanks," replies, then turns and walks out the door. I watch him walk down the driveway, then run into my room, fall face-first onto my bed, and cry. 

I'm disappointed, sure, but I'm also overwhelmed with guilt at how selfish I'm being. I should be supportive instead of hoping he'll change his mind. But knowing that doesn't ease the pain of my heart shattering inside me. 

------Author's Note------

Hey guys!

Whew! What a doozy of a chapter. I no joke cried while writing it because I love Todoroki SOOOOO much, but I know his past is difficult and I couldn't see him allowing himself to be in a relationship with someone so easily. I hope y'all can see where I'm coming from with the reasoning I gave him.

Anyways, we have more awesome fan art!

Here's some more awesome art from lovelyavvz!!! Her picture with Koto and Ochaco is adorable, I love them! And her and Eri!! EEK I can't wait until they meet, they'd be so cute together! And then of course, the beautiful portrait of Koto. Her eyes! Just *chef's kiss*

Thank you to everyone for your love and support of this story! I really appreciate it.