Top pic credit: daikojino

Violet POV: ~ ten years ago ~

"Okay, go! It's your turn." I called out to Fuyumi from the kitchen sink, trying to scrub out a particularly tough coffee stain from one of the kitchen mugs.

Ugh. Mr. Todoroki never rinses out his cup properly.

Fuyumi pursed her lips in thought to my suggestion, continuing to chop vegetables for dinner on the counter behind me as she thought of another question.

"Hmmm. Oh-I got one. Okay, would you rather...have three hands? Or three feet?" Fuyumi asked with a smug smirk, thinking she had me in a stump before I answered proudly.

"Easy. Three feet." I stated confidently, letting out a small breath of victory when I finally scrubbed the coffee stain out of the mug and placed it in the dishwasher.

"What?!" Fuyumi chuckled, turning around to face me in amused disbelief, "Why the feet?! You could do way more with three hands!"

I clicked my tongue in disagreement, grabbing another dirty dish from the sink and mentally cursing a certain white haired, edgy boy for apparently not finish his soba noodles last night. Or rinsing out the remaining contents of his bowl, at that.

Ugh. Boys.

"That's what you think, but I'd like to believe you can actually do more with your feet. For example, you could run faster-or, maybe use the extra appendage as a weapon, in case you get attacked." I proposed casually, causing Fuyumi to crack up once again at my odd logic.

"Yeah, but you couldn't do anything else! You can't write with an extra foot. You can't eat with an extra foot. You can't even wash your hair." She justified, distractedly tossing her cut up vegetables into a pan to cook them.

"Ah, ah. I bet I could train my extra foot to wash my hair. After all, an extra foot is not so different from a hand." I defended, blowing a stray piece of hair out of my face as I continued to scrub the dishes.

"What's this about an extra foot?" A new voice chimed in from the living room, their padding footsteps heard before their face was seen.

But, even so, I knew that voice well enough to know who it was, coming around the corner. After all, I've been at the Todoroki manor for a whole seven months now. Things have fallen into place and routine, relatively easy now.

I'd say I'm like part of the family....but, after seven months of radio silence from my mom, the empty space in my chest reminds me that the Todoroki's are definitely not my family.

My thoughts were interrupted as Touya waltzed into the kitchen, followed by Natsuo. Both boys were carrying garbage bags and cleaning supplies, engaging in their own designated after school chores for the day.

Upon entering the kitchen, Touya dropped his heavy box of chore supplies on the floor with a huff, sauntering over to Fuyumi and I to take a rest.

I don't blame him. While this family's chores do consist of the usual things-sweeping, mopping, doing the dishes, the boys in the family are required to go the extra mile with the more strenuous tasks-fixing broken items in the house, laborious yard work....

....being forced to build new, daily training equipment for Shouto-a particular task that I know hurts Touya's feelings very much. How do I know, you may ask? Well, I hear him yelling about it from the backyard every time he's forced to do it.

But, it seemed that today he was in relatively good spirits as he wiped the tired sweat from his forehead, propping his elbows on the counter as he purposely dropped a new cup into the sink.

"Whoops. Looks like you missed one, Grape." He teased smugly, deliberately nudging my shoulder with his own as he went to grab a new one for himself from the cupboards.

I rolled my eyes slightly as I sensed his play, swiping his cup from the soapy sink water with ease as I placed it into the dishwasher.

"Only because you hoard cups in your room like a crusty hobo." I countered lightly, no longer feeling so incredibly unsure and hesitant on how to communicate with him.

"Well then, I guess that means you should go clean my room, too, as part of your chores. I won't complain." He drawled out with a smirk, coming up next to me again to run his new, empty cup under the faucet.

"I'm afraid of what I'd find in there." I huffed softly, looking up at him with a small, concerned raise of my brows.

He glanced down at me with a genuine laugh as he continued filling his cup with water, holding my gaze as he brought the tip of the rim to his lips.

"Oh, you should be." He sighed contently, giving the top of my head a small ruffle before going towards the stove to see what Fuyumi was cooking.

That's kind of how it is now. How's it's been for the past few months.

It seems that Touya smacking me in the head with a soccer ball was a turning point for our relationship-or, I mean friendship-acquaintance-ship-toleration?!

Regardless, what I'm trying to say, is that Touya and I have made some incredible strides in these seven months we've been forced to communicate with each other.

Are we in love? No. Are we besties? No.

But, now we've grown to tolerate each other-and, even pleasantly at that. Sure, we don't actively seek each other out in the house to hang out. But, it's not a huge house, so we still naturally see each other daily, at least a few times a day.

Unlike the first few weeks of me living here, Touya no longer makes a deliberate effort to avoid me.

He no longer takes his meals locked up in his room when he knows I'll be down to have breakfast. Now, he'll eat with me if I'm in there. He doesn't go out of his way to, but he doesn't avoid it either.

The conversation is fine, but what's even greater is that so is the silence. It's not awkward, anymore. It's not tense. It's comfortable. Almost enjoyable, both of us eating our tamagoyaki or misoshiru as we look out the open window to watch the tree leaves dance outside.

Sometimes, if he sees me outside in the grass doing my homework, he no longer makes an immediate turn around to go back inside like he used to. Now, he'll find his own spot on the grass a few feet away and be just fine doing his own work. Occasionally, he'll even strike up a small conversation about how his studies are a 'waste of time, because what hero needs to know square roots when they're trying to save lives?'

A..A fair point, I guess...?

He greets me if we pass each other around the house, and he's become comfortable with relaxing around me and acknowledging my presence. For Touya? That's a big deal, especially considering our situation.

....you know, the marriage situation...

Touya and I don't talk about that-I mean, we do, but probably not in the way that Mr. Todoroki would like. When Touya and I speak of the marriage, all we say is how much it's not going to happen.

You know our thing, 'I still won't marry you.' That hasn't changed in either of our eyes. I think realizing that mutual feeling is also what helped Touya turn a new leaf.

He no longer sees me as this person who's purposely trying to ruin his life. He's finally come to accept that this marriage is not something I want, either.

While I know the situation hurts him more than it hurts me, he no longer blames me for it. And that has helped my psyche and mood quite a bit.

Because now, we're going through this together-I mean, not together, obviously. But....in the same boat.

It's nice to not be totally alone.

"So, what's with the extra foot talk?" Touya followed up again, having no problem poking a finger into Fuyumi's scalding hot pan to grab a slice of zucchini for himself.

I'm guessing his quirk makes him immune to hot temperatures?

Or, maybe he's just become so used to burning himself now.

Regardless, the sister mom of the group gave Touya's hand a small slap in warning not to do such a thing again.

Another two bandages have been added to Touya's wrists now, with one more poking out the side of his neck. Those are the ones that his quirk gives him, I assume.

He's come to let me use my quirk frequently now to heal any cuts and bruises he gets during his training. I say 'frequently,' because he overtrains himself daily to try and catch up to his dad and Shouto....

But, when it comes to what's underneath the bandages on his skin, he won't ever let me see those, no matter how badly I know they hurt him. He's a bit slower now with his hands and arms, due to the pain of what's hiding underneath those bandages. He hides grimaces and groans of hurt, not just from his family but from himself, as well. He always gets angry if he allows himself to accidentally make a vocal slip about his injuries.

Still though, he won't go to anyone else for his minor injuries, except me. So, I guess that's got to count for something, right?

If I can help alleviate his pain, even just a little bit, I'm happy to do so.

I only wish he would let me try to heal the quirk injuries underneath the bandages, too.

"Oh, Violet and I were just talking about what we would rather have-three hands, or three feet." Fuyumi explained, before Natsuo dropped his bag full of garbage onto the floor to come over and join us.

"Ah, that's an easy one! I'd rather have three hands." The youngest of our trio exclaimed proudly.

"I said I'd rather have three feet." I pointed out nonchalantly, before Natsuo chimed in again without hesitation.

"Oh-yeah, me too!"

Touya snorted in amusement at his brother's quick change in answer, hovering next to me in the kitchen as he leaned his elbows back onto the counter.

"And what about you, Mr....uhhh....Broody Pants...?" I tried wittily without success, causing Touya to turn his head towards me in knowing amusement.

"Mister Broody Pants? Really?" He snickered, causing me to roll my eyes lightly at his teases.

"Ahhh, just shut it. Come on, which would you rather have, three feet? Or three hands?" I pressed again, finding myself curious as to what he would answer.

Touya pursed his lips in fake thought at the question, making me assume he already had answer.

"Well, if you're answer was three feet, then I'll say I'd rather have an extra hand." He replied snarkily, causing my brows to furrow together.

"Well, why does it matter what I say?" I pouted a bit, placing the last dish into the wash.

"Because I like contradicting you." He pointed out smugly, thinking he had the upper hand.

But, about that-

"Ah, wait! So, if you're trying to contradict my answer with one you want to be different from my own, that might mean that, inadvertently, your real answer was actually the same as mine. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that you actually prefer to have three feet, instead of-" I started off, before Touya groaned softly.

"Jeez, Grape. Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" He drawled out with a subtle mock whine.

"Hm? No, I've actually never heard that before-well, not until now. That means, you're the first." I pointed out in awkward social manner, causing Touya to plop his bandaged hand atop my head.

"Well, guess what? I'll be telling you that a lot more." He murmured out a bit warmer than usual, giving my hair another small ruffle before Natsuo chimed in.

"Let's do another would you rather question!" He proposed, hopping up on the counter to take a seat as Fuyumi continued preparing dinner.

"I'm good with that." I smiled, as Touya hovered behind me.

"Whatever." He shrugged uninterestedly, once I'd agreed.

The interaction caught Fuyumi's attention as she subtly alternated her gaze between Touya and I, before a small wishful sigh fell on her lips.

Then, her eyes lit up with a new question.

"I've got a good one. Would you rather...have the ability to read people's minds? Or be able to make two people fall in love?" Fuyumi asked, before Natsuo was quick to answer first.

"Easy! Read people's minds. You?" He threw back at his sister before her eyes barely landed on Touya and I again.

"I'd actually rather be able to make two people fall in love." She shrugged, opening the spice cabinet.

"What about you?" Touya nudged my shoulder gently, "Bet you'd like to make two people fall in love too, right? That's like the girl answer."

I smirked proudly as an idea popped into my head.

"Well, to contradict what you choose now-" I started off, before barely getting out another word.

"Nah, I didn't say I choose that one-" He defended as I raised my voice volume a bit to get back my words.

"Regardless, I'd actually rather have the ability to read people's minds." I said honestly, causing Natsuo to let out a small 'yes,' that we both had the same answer.

Touya crossed his arms with slight interest that he'd misjudged, raising a small brow of question as he spoke.

"And why's that?"

"Well, because then you'd actually involuntarily have both abilities at your disposal. If you can read people's minds, then you can find out what they like and love, therefore finding out the way to their heart. All you have to do after that, is steer the two love subjects towards their shared interests and loves, causing them to fall in love." I explained a bit proudly, not believing there could even be a contradiction to my well thought out answer, until-

"Boringgg. Love isn't all about shared interests, Grape. I more believe that opposites attract, actually. So, I think that even if you had the ability to read people's minds, you still couldn't make them fall in love, no matter how hard you tried." Touya contradicted a bit too confidently.

"And since when did you become the love expert, Touya?" I chuckled in amusement, before the corners of his lips turned up.

"Well-Since when did you ask so many questions?" He drawled out in playful challenge.

I opened my mouth to respond with something actually witty this time, before I was quickly reminded that there were still other people in the kitchen with Touya and I.

"Hey, Vi," Natsuo started off, subtly wedging himself in the small space between Touya and I.

The action from him made Touya and I aware of the strange distance we didn't mean to close, causing both of us back away a few feet to give Natsu more room.

"O-Oh. Uh, yeah, Natsuo?" I uttered a bit distractedly, feeling a bit....bummed...? at his interruption.

But, before I could think any more on it, Natsuo held up a small keychain between his fingers, giving it a small showy dangle for emphasis.

"I got this for you. Used my allowance money to buy it." He started off proudly, causing a twinge of guilt to immediately form in my chest.

"Hm? Ah, wow. You really didn't have to!" I urged honestly, feeling bad that he spent those yen on me. He really should have saved it.

"It's alright, I wanted to! Look, it's even got little crystals on it to remind you of your mom-oh, but if you don't like it-" He suddenly realized, heart already about to break into a million pieces before I quickly stopped him.

"Nooo, I love it. Really, I do. I just-well....thank you." I smiled reassuringly, immediately taking the item from his hands with fragile care.

It was very pretty.

Upon watching me study his gift, Natsuo's cheeks began to blush softly while his hand went to rub the back of his neck.

He opened his mouth to say something else, before his sister interrupted the moment.

"Natsu-kun, grab the soy sauce from the top cabinet, I can't reach." She instructed firmly, clearly just trying to make the younger white haired boy leave Touya and I alone.

Natsuo's shoulders slumped in annoyance for his older sister's bossing around, muttering quiet protests under his breath as he left to grab the soy sauce.

Touya watched his brother leave the space with small amusement for how irritated he was, causing him to chuckle softly as he subtly closed the distance between us again.

"He likes you, you know." Touya uttered to me quietly, trailing his icy blue eyes to the keychain in my hands.

My brows furrowed in question to his point, before I met his gaze comfortably, "who? Natsuo?"

He shot me a small deadpan, knowing look as he rested the side of his body against the counter.

"No. Fuyumi." He teased sarcastically, snickering a bit when I shoved his shoulder.

"Well, I think Natsuo's just being nice. I don't think it's in a romantic way." I pressed nonchalantly, giving the dangly keychain a small swirl with my fingers.

"Hm. Well, despite the fact that it's totally obvious, he even told me he liked you. A few nights ago he confessed." Touya laughed a bit, putting air quotes around his emphasized words since he'd already put the pieces together long before Natsuo told him.

For my initial reaction, my heart dropped in guilt to Touya's words, as I started putting the pieces together for myself.

I barely grimaced at the thoughts, not realizing Touya had been watching my reactions so closely until...

"What? Ten year olds aren't your type?" He smirked, giving my shoulder a lazy nudge with his own as he spoke.

A small, bummed sigh escaped my lips as I pushed myself off the kitchen counter and towards my room to put the keychain in a safe place.

I wasn't even planning on answering Touya's comment until I realized he'd followed me down the hallway, walking right next to me as I made my way to my room.

"Well, since you asked....no, ten years olds are not my type. I always..." I started, trailing off my sentence when I realized I was about to say something too embarrassing and personal. "Just-no."

But, it seems that my attempts at trying to end the conversation were failed as I'd already caught Touya's attention.

"Oh? You always what?" He pressed with slight curiosity, as we reached the door to my room.

I groaned slightly at my slip-up, hoping that maybe if I walked inside my room, Touya would forget about this and leave.

However, when I opened the door, all he did was trail in behind me like he owned the place, plopping down to sitting on my neatly made bed and crumpling up the sheets.

I pursed my lips in distaste for his behavior, watching him sprawl horizontally across the bed before placing his hands behind his head as he waited for my answer.

"It's nothing. I just....-well, I dunno. I always imagined myself with an....older guy." I explained, watching Touya's brows raise in slight surprise.

"Huh? How old now?! You're only twelve, are you looking to date someone who's, like, twenty?!" He exclaimed in a shocked state that genuinely made me laugh as I've never seen him quite so animated around me.

Usually, he just scowls and says nothing. He seems to be showing me a little more of his real personality now. I like it.

"Nooo, I don't mean like that. I mean, that when it comes time for me to date, I would prefer to date someone who's a bit older than me. Only a year or two though. Not twenty! That's so old!" I stated, crinkling my nose in disgust for the thought.

Touya lazily watched me walk towards my vanity table to hang up Natsuo's keychain, grabbing one of my bed pillows and hugging it to his chest to get more comfortable.

"Well, it sounds like you're describing me and I'm not gonna date you." He stated out of the blue, not sounding hostile with his words, just casual.

I couldn't help but laugh at his big headed attitude, shooting him a glance of amusement as I tried to find a place to put the keychain.

"And what makes you think I'm talking about you, stupid?" I blurted out with a laugh, not even meaning to say the last word but I was having some fun.

Touya didn't seem to mind, shooting a small smirk for my sass as he turned his eyes towards me.

"You said someone two years older than you, and that's me. Don't pretend like you weren't thinking about that." He said, causing me to purse my lips in pondering thought.

I actually wasn't thinking about that.

"Oh? And are you suddenly the only boy in the universe who's two years older than me?" I challenged lightly, placing Natsuo's keychain on a small jewelry hook on my cluttered desk.

Suddenly feeling unsatisfied with the mess, I began gathering up the papers of homework and miscellaneous items, looking around my room as I tried to find a place for them.

"All I'm saying is you better not fall in love with me." Touya called out from my bed, causing my jaw to drop in surprise.

"Excuse me?!" I exclaimed in shock, stopping in the middle of my room, holding a giant stack of desk papers in my hand, "why on earth would I fall in love with you?!"

Touya shrugged, unbothered by my attitude as he kept his eyes on me.

"Cause I have a cute face and I bet you haven't seen one of those very often." He pointed out with a humorous amount of chill fact.

"Well, I have a cute face, too, so maybe you'll fall in love with me." I justified, immediately regretting the words as I thought maybe Touya would end up calling me ugl-

"Yeah, but if I fall in love with you, then that would mean my dad was right about pairing us together for an ordinary life, so I'll never fall in love with you. I'm sure of that. How else will I prove to him that I can become a hero?" He explained unbothered, raising one of his hands up towards the ceiling as he took in the sight of his bandaged wrist.

And while there were many different points to Touya's statement, there was one thing my twelve year old brain picked up from all the rest.

Wait. Did he just agree that I had a cute face? So, he thinks I'm...cute?

My face began to fluster as I thought about the possibilities, causing me to lose my focus on paying attention to where I was walking.

Touya Todoroki thinks I'm cute?!-

"Oof!" I grunted as my feet caught on one of my house slippers lying in the middle of the walkway, causing me to lose my balance-and a hold on all the papers in my hands.

Touya quickly shot up to sitting when he saw me stumble onto my knees, raising his brows in surprise as my stack of papers rained around my room now.

"Oh, come on..." He huffed in annoyance for my clumsiness, lethargically pulling himself off the bed to start gathering the strewn papers from around my room.

I looked up at him in surprise...

I wasn't expecting him to help me pick them up. I thought he'd either make fun of me or leave.

Regardless, I didn't question it as began picking up the mess on my side of the room, clearing my throat softly at the small silence that ensued.

It wasn't one that lasted long as Touya's footsteps padded their way back over to me a few seconds later, causing me to look over at his feet before he slowly crouched down to my eye level.

"Here..." He started off quietly, handing me the stack of papers, before hesitating on the single envelope in his other hand. "This one, though....it got a bit crumpled."

I slowly took the crumpled envelope from his hands, realizing his hesitation came from the fact that it was one of the letters I'd written, addressed to my mom. I hadn't the time to mail it, just yet.

"Oh....thanks." I uttered softy, feeling a bit bummed now at the reminder that my mom was still gone.

Touya watched silently as I sat criss crossed on the floor, trying to smooth the envelope back out atop my knee.

He took a seat across from me, mirroring my sitting position as he began organizing the other papers into a neater stack while I tried to fix the envelope.

I don't want to bother him. He really doesn't need to stay and help me, if he doesn't want to-

"Well, anyways, I'm sure it can't be long now." Touya started off vaguely, voice sounding just a tad chipper at whatever thoughts he was thinking.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a small furrow of my brows, continuing to un-wrinkle the envelope against my knee.

"You know. Your mom. She'll be back soon, no doubt-I bet she'll even bring the bad guys who were chasing you right to our doorstep when she comes back, dropping 'em in a heap on the porch like they're nothing more than a sack of potatoes." He shrugged in a matter of fact tone that held surprising confidence, considering he hadn't met my mom more than a few times in his life.

"You seem rather sure." I pointed out curiously, noticing how Touya was fiddling pointlessly with the papers in his hands now as they'd already been fixed.

His eyes appeared lost in thought for a moment as he tried to gather his words, deciding to speak something he felt was honest

"Yeah, well. I don't mind her. Your mom." He said much lower in volume, keeping his eyes to the floor as he spoke.

My brows raised in slight surprise to his admittance, causing me to slowly set the envelope on the floor as I became extremely interested.

"Really? Why's that?"

Anything concerning my mom interests me. I never get to see her, so getting to talk about her is one way I can think about her.

As for Touya, he doesn't talk much about anyone he likes, cause I really don't think there's many people he does like. And as much as he talks about wanting to be a hero like his dad, he doesn't speak about heroes he likes either, so you could definitely say this is a rare moment.

He remained quiet for a moment, seeming as if he actually had a very clear answer to my question in his mind, but not sure if he wanted to let me into it.

However, he made his decision a few moments later.

"Because, she's not useless. Your mom is one of the only people I know who can beat my dad in a fight..." He started off with low honesty, shocking the crap out of me with such an unexpected answer.

A few heartbeats of time went by without my response as I simply looked at Touya dumbfounded, watching the corners of his mouth curl up in reminiscing thought as he spoke again.

"Heh, I still remember the last time she fought him. It was about nine months ago now, the night after he left mom crying and bleeding in their bedroom..." Touya began even lower, swallowing thickly in mixed emotions before continuing.

"Fuyumi-chan, Natsuo-kun, and I...we'd all been eating breakfast in the main room when Mrs. Sasaki started banging on the door, demanding Endeavor apologize to her. He told her to leave and not come back, all the way from the kitchen, and she hated that answer so much, she kicked our door off its hinges to let herself inside." He snorted a bit, letting out a small genuine chuckle at the memory.

I immediately began laughing, too, as I took in his words, knowing very well that this is something my mom would do.

"Yeah, she has a bit of a temper." I smiled, saying the words with pride simply because anything concerning my mom made me feel pride.

Touya cracked a small smile at my words as he thought about my mom, continuing the story with a bit more enthusiasm.

"I gathered. Anyways, she stormed into the kitchen, swearing and demanding that dad go and apologize to mom. Dad refused to back down, but Mrs. Sasaki refused, too. Well, one thing led to another and they ended up in the backyard sending hit after hit to each other. Of course, I was rooting for dad to win. After all, he's at least four times her size, so I thought for sure he'd wipe the floor with her. I was surprised when she'd won the fight by taking a crystal bat to his ass, sending him flying all the way to the neighbor's backyard." He practically cackled, causing me to break out into my own laughter at the image.

"Well, of course! The crystal bat is one of her favorite moves!" I chuckled, leaning back on my hands contently as Touya and I mingled laughs.

However, then another thought dawned on me.

"But, wait, Touya. I don't understand. I'd have thought my mom beating your dad in a fight would upset you. You look up to him so much. I mean, you train everyday to try and make him see your strength. I'm surprised you're okay with him losing like that." I pondered honestly, watching Touya lean back on his own hands in a bit of relaxation.

He remained quiet for a small pass of time, calmly taking in my words as if he was trying to find the logic behind his own reasonings.

"I....I want my dad to see that I can be a hero. I want him to look at me proudly..." He began in a voice that's the softest it's been so far.

A voice that was so pure. So fragile. So honest and vulnerable.

But, it lasted no more than a second as that sweet voice distorted into something lower and more hateful a second later.

"But.....there's also something about seeing him fail, that's satisfying. To see his face filled with disappointment that his quirk failed him. To see him lose and realize that he's not as strong as he wants to be....that he can hurt his body and continue to make all these useless, failed children, but still never reach his goals..." He murmured in distracted malice, slowly trailing off his reasonings when he realized he was starting to veer too far off track.

"I dunno. It's complicated." He finished, letting out a small troubled sigh as he rubbed his tired face with his bandaged hand.

I nodded softly in distracted acknowledgement for his dark thoughts, trying to decipher them for myself.

But, it was hard to think about when I noticed how sad Touya's eyes had suddenly become after he'd spoken of his father. Sure, he was trying to hide it, but his poker face is definitely less than perfect.

It caused a sting in my chest to see that sad face.

So, instinctively, I sat up straight once again, effectively gaining his dull gaze and shooting him a pure smile.

"Well, regardless of how complicated it might be....I look forward to the days when you'll be a hero." I beamed encouragingly, causing Touya's dull gaze to quickly light up with hopeful curiosity.

"Wait, really?" He asked, suddenly looking as if he'd been emaciated with neglect, looking for someone to satiate him with encouragement.

I love to encourage people. Especially, Touya, as I don't get the opportunity to do it very often.

"Oh, yeah, of course! You're gonna be a great hero, Touya. I have no doubt that you'll make everyone proud. You'll make your dad proud for sure, too." I reassured honestly, feeling something flutter inside my chest when I watched his blue eyes slowly morph into something so pure for a moment.

It's almost as if this is the first time he's actually heard something like that.

"Well....I...I guess I'll just have to keep training then, won't I?" He uttered a bit quieter now, sporting a soft shade of pink on his cheeks as he tried to nonchalantly look up towards the ceiling.

I smiled at the rare moment from him, before my eyes caught on the bandages around his arms and neck.

"Uh...sure, but.....it's-you know, it's okay to take breaks, too. I know Mr. Todoroki has at least, like...a...cheat day, or something? Probably? Maybe you could do the same. I'm not saying to stop altogether, if you don't want to. But, with a day off, you'll come back even stronger the next day." I suggested gently, not wanting to upset him somehow by asking him to stop training.

He blew up in his mom's and Fuyumi's face when they suggested he stop altogether. Now, he rarely speaks to them, anymore. I don't want him to do the same thing with me. Especially, because it seems that he might actually be starting to open up to me now.

He seems to talk with me a bit more, now that he knows I'm a person who will listen to him.

I'm only twelve. I don't know how to give advice. I don't even know what advice to give. But, I'm trying.

Touya was quiet at my words, but mostly because he seemed lost in thought to his own inner prisons.

However, rather than shutting down my words or insulting me with a response, he simply turned his eyes back on me with a small, tired smile.....surprisingly looking a bit grateful for my shining presence at the moment.

"A cheat day, huh? What did you have in mind?" He uttered a bit teasingly, tilting his head to the side in question.

I pursed my lips in thought, immediately trying to think of an idea.

"Hmm, I could bake you something-" I started off, before Touya chuckled.

"Not with your cooking, you won't. You suck." He countered through his laugh, causing me to laugh as well.

"Fine! Then, you and I will head to the market and find something yummy to eat." I explained, before he raised a brow at me.

"Just you and I? Don't make it a date." He reminded me nonchalantly, causing me to roll my eyes.

"You are so full of yourself. It's not a date. It's just a friendly outing. Duh!"

"Whatever. Like I said, just don't fall in love with me." He huffed lightly, yet he couldn't hide the small hints of amusement on his lips.

"Only if you don't fall in love with me, either." I retorted, as Touya and I shared another laugh.

He returned his newly brightened eyes on me with an unreadable look and a smile as he spoke.

"Deal," he started off contently, ensuring to follow up with his usual statement before we left to go eat dinner. "After all, I still won't marry you, grape."

I grinned at the words that had become comforting to, both, Touya and myself. Every time they were said, it immediately took away any type of pressured expectations we'd been forced into.

"And I still won't marry you, either, Touya." I smiled warmly, gazing into those cerulean eyes of pain that still seemed to hold so much beauty.

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