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Todoroki has never been to the beach. This is a fact that Bakugou has repeated in chagrin and disbelief about eight million times since Todoroki first told him. He’s tried to explain that his family has never been close enough for vacations to the seaside, but it’s no use. Bakugou booked them tickets on the first train to the coast, and Todoroki was caught up in his rhythm like always. It isn’t so bad, though, he supposes. It’s fun to see Bakugou get so excited about something, especially on his behalf.
Speaking of Bakugou, he’s fallen asleep. Predictable. “And it’s only a two-hour train ride,” Todoroki mutters aloud, watching him out of the corner of his eye. The sun makes his hair glow golden. Todoroki brushes his fingertips across the edges, pressing them down to feel the warm skin beneath. One of Bakugou’s main reasons behind loving the beach is the warmth. He usually complains about the summer heat, but he told Todoroki that the sunshine at the beach feels more relaxing. Todoroki is a bit skeptical, but the sun does feel nicer, and they haven’t even reached the sea yet.
“Mm…” Bakugou groans, blinking open his eyes sleepily. “What, Shouto… Are we there?”
“Not yet.” Todoroki withdraws his hand to let Bakugou sit up. “You haven’t been asleep very long.”
“You were watching me sleep again, creep?”
“I can’t help it. Your face looks so peaceful, not like normal.”
“Wanna get punched?” Bakugou pushes Todoroki’s head away before dropping an arm around his shoulder. “Hey,” he says after a moment of silence, “I’m not, like… dragging you, am I? Because I don’t want to be a dick and force you to come to the beach.”
“What?” Todoroki catches himself before he can snort. “You’re worrying about that? That’s not like you.” When Bakugou scowls, he sighs slowly. “You’re not forcing me, Katsuki. I want to go.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Please don’t ask again.”
Bakugou raises his hands in surrender. “Okay, fuck. I’m just being considerate, asshole.”
“It’s weird,” Todoroki says pseudo-seriously.
“Is your opinion of me that bad, Icy Hot?” Bakugou replies, lips twitching to fight back a smile. Their insults always evolve into jokes.
“Kind of.”
“Asshole.”
“Jerk.”
Bakugou’s catches Todoroki in a fake headlock. After giving him a hard time for a while, his arms relax and he presses their shoulders together. “I think you’ll like the beach. I also have a secret motive for bringing you there.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“You’re always so, y’know...” Bakugou gestures vaguely. “Meh. Not to say that I hate it or anything, but I want to get you excited about something.”
“I’m excited about a lot of things,” Todoroki protests. “Can’t you tell?”
“I mean, yeah, but I mean unchecked excitement, like childlike excitement.” He frowns. “Fuck, I can’t explain it right. Whatever. You’ll see when we get there.” He looks out the window, and Todoroki takes the opportunity to study his face. The sun paints it golden, mixed with soft shadows across his lips and cheekbones.
Todoroki might understand it a little. But rather than excitement, he feels something more like… contentment. Watching light filter through the window and kiss Bakugou’s face fills him with an indescribable kind of warmth—the warmth of summer sunlight and Bakugou’s hand in his. It’s almost nostalgic, in a way. Todoroki can remember years of riding the train alone, and never once to the seaside. To be sitting together with someone else is almost surreal. When did he get so lucky?
Well… others might not call being around Bakugou Katsuki ‘lucky,’ but for Todoroki—who’s never known what it is to be unconditionally loved—he’s like the sunlight. He crept in through the dark curtains and brightened everything up without permission. Honestly, it’s a relief to be woken up. Todoroki was asleep for far too long before now. So yes, he’ll call himself lucky. After all, who can be unhappy when the sun is shining for them?