Observant (Todoroki x Reader)
Pairing: Todoroki x fem!Reader
Genre: Fluff, College AU
Word Count: 2,562
Summary: In which Shouto moves to the library to study, but it’s more than the quiet atmosphere keeping him coming back.
Tags: @yamichxn @liviitehe @cyanide9602
*Btw it's been a while since I updated my taglist and everyone's usernames I have are from like 2 years ago, so if you wanna be on it shoot me an ask/DM and I'll update it
A/N: Ok maybe I lied and this took longer to write than a week, but it's a lot longer than I thought it would be!
While I liked this idea in theory, once I wrote it I wasn't as big a fan as I thought. *sigh* The life of a writer... Always hating what you put out...
I hope you guys like it, it's more in Shouto's POV than the reader's which is different for me. I think it's pretty cute, and that's what matters.
-----
Shouto needed a change. Studying inside an empty classroom or in his dorm room alone wasn’t productive anymore; more often than not, he’s started spacing out or having to reread entire pages of his notes. It also didn’t necessarily help that his roommate this year caused so much of a ruckus every day - the roommate tended to have loud company over frequently, or he would stumble into the room in the wee hours of the night when Shouto was still studying - that Shouto's normally abundant patience had run out and he didn't want to sour their relationship by confronting him (Also read: he had no more fucks to give and it was getting on his last nerve).
Finding a replacement study space was the best decision he’d ever made.
Izuku took him to one of the school library’s quiet floors, the place he tends to study after class. The floor looked cozy; among the endless rows of library books, there were rows of desks pushed against a wall covered in windows. A wider clearing in the middle of the entire floor had a few larger tables to seat about six to eight students. On the other side of the rows of desks were locked rooms that groups can request to reserve for a few hours.
Izuku couldn’t stand the typical absolute quiet on this floor, so he tended to reserve one of the rooms with a classmate after a long day of classes; the extra privacy was an added bonus. Iida couldn’t make it, so the freckled fellow was grateful to Shouto for tagging along. The duo settled into a room with concrete white walls and a simple table, a large plane of plexiglass the only view into the rest of the library.
Shouto didn’t care about the room almost feeling like a prison; there was enough natural lighting from a double window, it was minimalistic, and he was in the presence of a friend if he needed someone to talk to when he took small breaks. He figured even if Izuku didn’t come with him every day, he could sit at one of the desks in the middle of the room with his earbuds in for a few hours. A completely focused section of the library with no distractions, just what he wanted.
Until some movement caught the corner of his eye through the plexiglass and made him do a double-take.
A girl with hair reaching past her shoulder blades approaches one of the nearby bookshelves, the white sleeves of her shirt folded up to her elbows and a burgundy skirt sitting just above her knees. The outfit alone earned a small glance from him, but what made him stare curiously was her actions. She moved a few heavy tomes aside, revealing a much smaller one hidden behind them. She plucked it from its place, opened up to a bookmarked page, and proceeded to twist the “bookmark” into her hair, making a neat bun near her nape, before walking away.
Shouto couldn’t help gawking at her receding figure. She not only hid a book in a secret hiding spot, but she used her hair stick - or fork, or pin, he was too far to tell exactly what it was - as a bookmark when she was done reading for the day. He’s heard of Fuyumi using everything but an actual bookmark to hold her place, but he’s never actually seen another person with such a habit. It made sense, one would want to pin their long hair out of their face to read - Fuyumi says she keeps her hair on the short side because long hair is a hassle to control - and Shouto acknowledges how clever she is. But then how does she spend the rest of her day with her hair down? Doesn’t it get it in the way the rest of the day? Going outside with the wind kicking around? Eating with her hair all over the place? Catching it on her backpack or her jacket? Maybe he was getting ahead of himself and this was a one-time thing, she just happened to not have a bookmark and the only thing on hand was her accessory and something was better than simply folding the page down.
Shouto realized he’d spent a whole 5 minutes ruminating about this mysterious girl and her hair and her reading habits. He’d just found a new distraction, and he wasn’t mad at it.
After a few hours of homework and studying with Izuku in the locked room, Shouto noticed the girl walking slowly back to the same bookshelf, nose buried in the pages, bun still in place. The boy silently chuckled to himself as she stood completely still for a few beats, he figured she was just finishing up a chapter.
He suddenly stops short and his eyes widen.
In one swift motion, she pulled the stick from her bun and, as if in slow motion, the silky strands were freed, falling past her shoulders as she shook it out. It was more satisfying seeing it all fall down after she meticulously pinned it up. And of course, it just looked pretty.
In doing so, her glance catches him from her periphery. His heart stopped as he quickly turned back to his laptop screen, already holding his breath. He’s not a creep, he told himself as his face heats up, his mind was just bored and his eyes wandered and he just so happened to catch activity happening. Simple. It’s not like he wanted to see her do it again.
Izuku stretches his arms over his head. “Yikes, I didn’t notice how late it was. Wanna break for the night and come back tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
~*~
Shouto has come to expect the usual schedule of events: He would settle into the study room with his study partner and unpack as he waits for the girl to come retrieve her book. He would watch as she’d expertly weave the stick in her hair, give a cute little head shake to make sure it was strong enough to hold, and then disappear into the library to read her book. A few hours into his work, he’d wait for her to come back to her book hiding spot. The most satisfying part of his day would be watching her pull the stick out of her hair and letting that cascade of silky hair fall past her shoulders. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that. On his way out one day, he snuck a peek at what book she was reading and inspected her hair stick. It was a simple enough design, thin and gold colored with a leaf pattern at the very end of it.
Sure, it sounds creepy to an outsider. But he’s not a stalker, he’s just a creature of habit.
Or, that’s what he tried to tell himself whenever he would accidentally meet her eyes and have to turn his head quickly. Which has happened more times than he’d like to admit in a 3 week span.
“What’s IcyHot looking at so intently?” Katsuki’s gruff voice alerts Shouto out of his trance one afternoon as he waits for the mystery girl to appear at the end of the day as usual. “You’ve been looking over there all day.”
Shouto tears his eyes away from the bookshelf, clearing his throat and staring at his screen. “Nothing, I thought I saw something.”
Katsuki and Izuku’s eyes darted to where Shouto was looking to find the girl retrieving her book as usual. A smug look spreads across the blond’s face as he leans back in his chair. “Ohh, I see. You’re watching the pretty girl.”
Shouto clamps his mouth shut, not wanting to give the boy the satisfaction of being right.
“You like her, right?”
“No!” Damnit. “She just happens to be here every day too.” He can’t stop the heat rising to his cheeks.
“Well she’s coming over here, be ready.”
As soon as Shouto’s heart lurches, there’s a soft knock at the door. Shouto glances around to Izuku and then Katsuki, who’s smirking. “Go on, answer it. She’s not looking for us.”
Shouto wants nothing more than to punch his smug face, but he hurries over to the room door to open it. He stiffens up when he sees the girl standing right in front of him.
Up close, she has a slightly rounded face, her black-framed glasses framing cat eyes and long eyelashes. Her mouth was slightly agape for a split second before stiffly closing it to compose herself and stand up straighter. “Um, hi. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
Shouto closes the door behind him. “No, not at all.” He shoves a hand in his pocket to try looking casual while his heart flutters at being close enough to someone he’s been watching from a distance.
“I actually wanted to ask you a favor.” She pushes her glasses up on her face nervously. “Do you mind hiding this somewhere in your study room?” She’s clutching her book to her chest, the dark cover contrasting against her white sweater.
Shouto’s eyes couldn’t help taking a quick glance down; the dark book cover contrasts against her white sweater tucked into her black plaid mini skirt ending just above her knees, the rest of her legs covered by sheer black tights and ending in a pair of black boots with a low heel.
“I usually hide it behind one of the sections of books no one reads,” she continues, pivoting a bit to point, letting Shouto glance down quickly to the black plaid mini skirt, sheer tights, and black heeled boots before she turns back around. “But I figured someone might move it one day. And I just happen to notice that you’re in this room every day at the same time, I can count on it being in the same place…” She tucks a hair behind her ear and Shouto nearly melts at the way her voice trails off sheepishly.
Shouto reaches out to take the book she’s offering to him. “Yeah, I’ll keep it here in the room. It should be locked overnight.”
She clasps her hands in front of her and smiles at him. “Thank you! I’ll come back to get it tomorrow, promise.”
Shouto dazedly smiles back at her. “Sure… See you tomorrow, then.”
She gives him a little bow and walks away from him, letting him get a whiff of her fruity-floral perfume. He stands there a moment to watch her, containing his excitement before collecting himself and ducking back into the room. He realized his palms were sweaty when he sat back down and wanted to study the book cover.
He feels eyes on him, only to meet Katsuki’s shit-eating grin and Izuku’s eager smile.
The blond is the first to break the silence. “Well? What did she want?”
Shouto plays back the conversation in his head. “She gave me her book to keep in the room overnight.” She happens to notice me here… Shouto thinks, Every day… Just like I notice her here every day… “She must think I’m a stalker or something,” he mumbles.
“Oh my god.” Katsuki facepalms. “It means she likes you, you idiot! She just wanted an excuse to talk to you!”
The clueless boy blinks, causing the blonde to groan. “Why else would she come up to you specifically and not Deku?”
Izuku gives his childhood friend a hard look. “I agree with Kacchan, she looked shy to talk to you. Maybe you should do something nice for her and ask her out?”
When the pieces finally click in place, Shouto’s face turns brighter red than his hair at the prospect of the girl possibly being interested in him too.
“IcyHot’s got such a huge crush!” Katsuki guffaws, hitting the table.
~*~
“Thanks for taking care of my book again,” the girl smiles.
Shouto’s already racing heart squeezes as their fingers just barely brush during the exchange, rubbing the back of his neck. It’s a regular occurrence, but the gesture never fails to fluster him. “N-No problem. I know it’s important to you.” He coughs. “I actually read a little bit of it this time.” He thinks she stiffens up for a moment. “I apologize if I was intruding!” he says quickly.
“N-No, it’s fine!” She clutches the book to her chest tightly with both hands, managing a nervous chuckle. “How far did you get?”
“Just the first three chapters, I didn’t get too far.” Her nervous behavior makes Shouto sweat. Did he cross a line? She must think he’s indecent now if she didn’t before.
“Oh.” She visibly relaxes. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d look. I thought it looked too…girly for you to be interested.”
“I figured you’re reading it so intensely, it must be good. I was just curious, I’m sorry.” He feels his face heat up in shame again. He keeps glancing at the book, not knowing if he should find some way to take it back from her or not; only adrenaline had let him go through with his plan.
The girl realizes the book feels thicker in her hands, the split created by her bookmark now a small hole. Her fingers reach inside and open up to that page, eyes widening.
She plucks out a thin golden stick with a burgundy flower at the head, a matching chain tassel with a gem at the end hanging off of it. “What’s this?”
The boy’s throat is parched and his heartbeat almost deafens him. “I know how much you like using these sticks to tie up your hair, and you tend to wear reds and burgundy a lot. I wanted to give you a nicer looking one that matches.”
Shouto almost wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole when she stares up at him wordlessly. The girl finally smiles warmly. “It’s really pretty, thank you, I love it!”
The boy lets out a held breath, the cold fear slightly leaving him. “Oh good, I’m glad.”
She hands him the book to hold as she wraps her hair up and places the stick in the bun. Shouto’s chest fills with pride as she turns her head to show him. “How does it look?”
“Stunning,” he blurts out and his eyes immediately widen at his unintentional candor, earning a giggle out of her. He hangs onto the wondrous sound and the way her warm eyes bore into him. “Would you grab dinner with me later?”
She slightly tilts her head at him with a smile, sending more warmth through him. “I’d love to.”
Shouto smiles back, his whole body relaxing and his heart full. “Great! See you later, then.”
The girl reaches both her hands to gently retrieve her book, allowing more contact to linger between them as she shyly keeps their eyes locked. “See you then.”
As she walks away, the burgundy tassel swaying side to side, Shouto leans back against the door for a moment and smiles to himself. He feels lighter now, looking forward to his date. As he turns to go back inside the room, he briefly wonders if he should learn how to use one of those hair sticks; maybe he’ll get the chance to weave his fingers through her silky hair and place it himself. He’ll get the chance to pull it out, eventually.
