dumbshow | the critically acclaimed open post

[All Might is rarely taken by surprise. It's part of the package: always prepared, always smiling, always ready to perform a few miraculous heroics and save the day. He's been caught off guard once or twice, sure, but it's rare.

Toshinori, on the other hand, is taken by surprise all the time. He lets his guard drop in his everyday life, when he's just a civilian hanging around doing ordinary things and talking to ordinary people. He's let his guard drop even more, standing here with Aizawa, and that's... his own fault; he's allowed himself to get wrapped up in this conversation and look! Now he's wrapped up in something else!

So one moment he's giving Aizawa that look, sparkling and bright, and the next his eyes widen and he stumbles forward, throwing out his free arm to catch himself before he crashes into Aizawa and sends them both sprawling. It leaves him little choice of support to grab onto besides the student desk behind Aizawa, and he's yanked down to almost eye level--

Well. Well. He blinks a few times, which is all the fluster he's going to allow himself for onf clever trick. His eyes search Aizawa's face for a moment, then tear away to glance down at the cloth around his arm.]

That's handy. [Hmm.] I was talking to you.

[He hadn't actually intended for him to come so close. Just stumble a little, get off-kilter, startle him out of that patented I-Am-Here All Might pose and smile. And sure, he got his wish, but--

--but here's Toshinori, only an inch away, earnest blue eyes and blond hair hanging in his face, faint freckles and his breath smelling of something sweet. For a moment Aizawa has the most absurd idea to lean forward and close the distance between them, or even better, use his weapon to have Toshinori close the gap, but--

No. Embarrassment and uncertainty fill him, and within a moment the capture cloth has released his arm.]

You were posing. You've been posing for most of this conversation.

[They're still close, he thinks, the desk is digging into his back, he's certain his cheeks have gone permanently red, and yet he doesn't move a muscle, for fear he might ruin things and drive Toshinori away.]

And you were smiling like I was about to take your picture. I'm not. You're not him here. You're just Toshinori.

To be fair, you were asking me about work.

[Ah, but his arm is free, and for a moment he just lets it hang there. He's still close, taking in Aizawa's dark eyes and the flop of hair that falls halfway into his face, the hard set of his jaw that contradicts how red he's turned. Now Toshinori is stooped down low, nearly close enough to feel the heat radiating off Aizawa's cheeks, and he doesn't move away. He shifts his grip on the desk behind Aizawa, leaning there instead of desperately holding himself up.

He really shouldn't be doing this. Probably. He's tried hard to avoid any attachments, but--]

You're right, though. [He's still smiling, but Aizawa will have to accept that it's thanks to him eventually.] Forgive me?

[Oh, this is even worse, and his nerves are shrieking, but he still doesn't try to pull away. He doesn't want to. Even that slight shifting was overwhelming, legs idly brushing together-- and oh, if that isn't fuel for some fantasy later on, how warm Toshinori is, how damnably muscled, how easy it would be for him to just press their bodies together--]

Yeah.

[Yeah what? He barely knows. But he refuses to look away and get his bearing, so once more his mouth curls in a stubborn scowl.]

We should get that photo. Before someone comes along, we should-- the teachers are going to be doing preliminary rounds soon.

[It's some kind of a moment, that's for certain, and Toshinori finds himself more excited than is reasonable that Aizawa doesn't push him away. He doesn't even look away, and he's smaller and softer than Toshinori but not vulnerable, not letting himself be vulnerable-- so.

For now, he'll be satisfied with a "yeah." He bumps his arm against Aizawa's and steps away, pushing a loose lock of hair back and looking toward the hallway. Hm, yes, that's a... that's a point. About the picture.]

Now you want to steal it? [turning him to a life of crime, young Eraserhead.... Toshinori gives him a lopsided little grin and gestures for him to come with him to the hall.] Let's go!

[He exhales softly, a little sigh of disappointment and relief both. Distractedly he shoves a hand through his hair, sweeping it back out of his face, rewrapping his cloth around his throat-- anything to keep his hands occupied.]

If you have another plan, I'd be fascinated to hear it. Maybe we can vandalize it?

[He says it dryly as he follows the too-tall man out the door and into the hall once more. It's still empty, though he can hear footsteps from upstairs. Nothing has really changed, naturally, and yet Aizawa feels as though perhaps it ought to have, after a moment like the one they just shared.

He sneaks a glance over at Toshinori, trying to see if there's anything different about his face.]

[Well, he flinches in response to Aizawa's sass. Let him live... this criminal activity is bad enough.

But he's looking at Aizawa as they head down the hall, and more overtly, too-- he is quite simply looking down at him when Aizawa glances up at him, which makes him grin sheepishly and stride ahead quickly to get to the display case. Ha... ha ha!]

How heroic is it to pick a lock?

It depends on context.

[Which is a very dry and honest answer in the face of an obvious tease. Still, Aizawa is drumming his fingers against the glass, frowning faintly.]

In this case, I'd argue it's for the greater good, and thus, if not actually heroic, at least not villainous.

[Thanks, Aizawa, that's very helpful. Toshinori purses his lips, then,]

I don't actually know how to pick a lock, as it happens. Do you?

No.

But I know the mechanism of a lock. It shouldn't be difficult to figure out.

Keep watch.

[He gets to his knees, digging through his backpack. They need a thin strip of metal . . . would a paperclip work? Probably, and he's careful in the way he pries it open.]

[They will probably get away with this even if they're caught, considering he is All Might and that's kind of a free pass for a lot of stupid things, especially here-- but Toshinori dutifully turns on his heel to keep an eye on the end of the hall, watching for anyone coming.

So, while Aizawa is doing his thing--]

I owe you one.

Mmhmm.

[Quiet and absent agreement as he leans in, frowning. So . . . locks consist of a series of pins that need to be pushed up so they're even and the lock can turn properly. So it's a matter of effort in pushing the pins up and getting them to stick.

Delicate work. He has to be certain he can feel each pin.]

. . . take me out.

[He stares very hard at the lock as he says it.]

[Oh!! Toshinori stares even more pointedly down the hall, chewing his lower lip so he doesn't inadvertently blind anyone who might come down this way with the force of his dazzling grin. If he looks at Aizawa he will definitely mess up his concentration, so--down the hall it is.

This, too, is very delicate work... thankfully he doesn't hesitate before he answers.]

You got it. When?

Er--

[All his concentration had been used up by both the lock and the sheer nerve it took to blurt that question out. To have to think of an actual date takes a moment.]

Sunday.

[This is why he's being merciful and looking the other way. Cute, though. What does he have to do on Sunday? Nothing that can't be moved!]

Haha, alright! Where should I pick you up?

[Here... at.... school?? That seems odd. How's that lock coming, little guy?]

I'll meet you there.

[Where? It's to be decided. But better to avoid being seen going out by anyone, because they won't ever stop teasing him about it if they know. And the lock is getting there, it's just that he keeps getting distracted by someone . . .]

[What kind of date(???) is this, Aizawa... Toshinori will actually be quiet now, not on purpose, but conveniently just long enough for someone to finish with the lock before he speaks up again,]

I've been waiting for you to tell me where this whole time.

[It takes a fair bit of time, but in the end, it's just a matter of logic and deduction. The mechanism falters under the weight of it, and soon the glass door swings open.

Mm. Satisfying, honestly, and he rises once more.]

You could have decided yourself. But . . . there's a cafe a few blocks away.

[It may be a cat cafe.]

[He turns at the sound of the lock clicking open, reaching more or less over Aizawa to pluck the incriminating photograph off its display corkboard. Mission accomplished! That goes in his jacket pocket, and then he raises an eyebrow down at Aizawa.]

You seemed to know where you wanted to go. Sunday at the cafe it is!

[Aizawa is incredibly lucky Toshinori is not the type to roast him alive for wanting to go to a cat cafe. Very, very lucky.]

[Whatever! If the date sucks at least he gets to pet a bunch of cats! It's fine!]

Three o'clock.

[A beat. He hesitates, uncertain if he should say something else, some flirtatious send-off or something like that, but anything he can think to say sounds disingenuous. In the end, he takes a few steps backwards, nodding in dismissal. B. . . .ye?]

[That's... so awkward, but Toshinori saves them both by beaming at him and closing the door of the display case, so busy with looking at it to lock it again that he just can't stare at Aizawa. Oh no. He might make his daring escape. Oh no.

He's in high spirits until Sunday, anyway, and they don't go down even as he seeks out the cafe in question (early, of course he's early) and finds out that Aizawa has conned him into petting cats for an afternoon. That's not what he would have picked, but alright! Sure!

He tried to dress down, but that was when he expected an ordinary street cafe, so now he's definitely overdressed for petting cats in a pressed shirt and dress pants that will be covered in cat hair very soon. He'll live with it; he's standing with his hands in his pockets, peering into the window of the cafe while he waits for Aizawa to show up.

Whenever his sulky date feels like joining him, he is ready.]

[SHOULDA PICKED A PLACE YOURSELF THEN YAGI

But while Aizawa is dressed more appropriately, it's not as if he'd done it on purpose. This is how he very nearly always dresses when he isn't at school: jeans and a black shirt, clean and neat but not really all that special. In deference to the day, the shirt is a bit more well-fitting than it might otherwise be, and his hair even tied back, which makes him look a great deal more pleasant than he otherwise might.

And he looks positively delighted as he comes up the sidewalk and sees a cat sitting in the window, which may make it worth it in the long run.

It's a brief expression, a combination of surprise and pleasure flickering over his expression and resulting in a grin. Then he catches sight of Toshinori, and oh, hello, there's that horrible mixture of delight and awkward nervousness that fills his stomach each time he looks at him.]

You're overdressed.

[HEY, BABE, HOW ARE YOU. It isn't a critique, but he seems to realize how rude that sounds, because he hastily adds:]

It looks good, though.

[#nailedit]

You didn't mention the type of cafe!

[This is his only defense... Should he have known it was this cafe from the scant information he was given? He could have figured it out. Either way: one of them is dressed to ruin his nice pants with cat hair, and the other one looks very good in a ponytail and fitted shirt.

He stares a moment when Aizawa shows up, that is; the look on Aizawa's face plus the ponytail plus the outfit-- Toshinori never had a chance. He'll have to take actual care to look at any cats instead of simply watching Aizawa for the entirety of this... outing.

He does not offer his arm- he thinks about it, don't get him wrong, but it's a cat cafe- but he does hold the door open for Aizawa. Come, cat boy.]

You're a cat person?

Yeah.

[He isn't polite, but he can at least sometimes appreciate it in others. The cafe is fairly busy today, but there's a few sofa available. He leads them to his favorite, a quiet one in the corner that most people avoid because none of the cats seem to like it.

It's certainly empty as Aizawa sits. But he doesn't seem all that bothered, and half-turns to face Toshinori.

It'd be a lie to say he picked this cafe solely because he wants to sit side-by-side, but it's certainly an enjoyable benefit.]

. . . do you?

[Hmm. Maybe should have asked that before coming here.]

[Toshinori follows, grinning at a cat or two as they pass by, and he's just gotten seated and settled when Aizawa turns to him. It's a smaller sofa in the corner and Toshinori is a lot of person; their legs bump, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.]

I don't mind cats, but I'm more of a people person. [...but not weird, like that sounds in the context of a cafe made for petting cats.] Besides, this is thanks for helping me the other day! My treat!

[Winning smile!!]

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